REFRACTION REFLECTION

KIDS IN CANYONS

a few days ago nathan and angela and i went up provo canyon for the afternoon.

we decided to make a film out of it in the spirit of kids on campus. we call it kids in canyons.

KENDALL AND THE IMPOSSIBLE

this morning i took my brother, Matt, to his soccer game and came home for a bowl of ice cream. we were sitting around reading the news and comics and then my littlest sister, Kendall, was all like "check this out! i can do the impossible!" Kendall is seriously cool. she is an amazing ballerina and plays the piano like no one else. she's hilarious, creative, smart, witty, and caring. i think that she and i are the most alike in my family. not to toot my own horn or anything.

ZACH!

look who('s cardboard-cutout) it is!!

tonight was Alex and Paige's wedding reception (his older brother.) it was so much fun! they rock. and i danced with his little sister. his mom pointed out that her parents have the same age difference and Maddy and i, so... that's funny. today was a super great day for a lot of reasons! i've made some awesome friends here.

THE MOST ASTOUNDING FACT

please do yourself a favor and watch these.

SIGNAGE

yesterday i had the most pleasant surprise!

my great friend Jessie came to visit me!

if you've been with me here at clay–all–day for a while you'll know her. we used to have lunch breaks at work and i took her on a date once (actually one of the only dates i've ever been on!) and she has the claim to being the most quoted person on my blog. and we wore the same shirt once. she's awesome. i had the biggest crush on her last summer. she gives great advice. i call her signage on my phone because, well, a marquee is a sign and her last name is marquis and they are homophones—oh you get it. go check out her blog.

HOMELESS

for a few hours on saturday i was homeless.

i was moving out and moving in.

so i made a video.

enjoy.

CHANGE

things are changing! i have loads to tell you about. hang tight while i settle! you guys rock. lately i've had a number of people tell me how much they enjoy reading my blog. as much as this is a place for me to unload, unwind, and unleash, it's really a place for you, too! i'm glad we've shared this. thanks for the kind words! i'll be back posting really soon.

things of note:

– i've moved

– classes start tomorrow

– i went grocery shopping

– i made a video

– i've learned a lesson


*sorry, i know that that yellow is way too bright and the grey is way too light. 
but like it says, i have class tomorrow and don't want to redo it.

FINISHING UP

today was a beautiful day.

share it with me?

 

Cole and i roamed the halls of the JFSB looking for a place to study. that building is the crown of our campus. personally, i think it should go to the computer science department.

i'm almost done with finals—just finishing up! i've done really well this semester, i'm proud of myself. it's amazing what you can accomplish simply by knowing someone who gives you focus. find someone like that and make sure they know it—they're a rare bunch.

thanks for giving me focus, Kate.

i want to do more of those ten second moments from my day.

what say ye? did you like that?

TO BIKE

is to live.

QUESTION AN IDEA

once i was told to question everything.

so today i asked myself a question:

why did we choose the lightbulb to represent an idea?

what do you think?

WHEN WE BUILD

watch this.

BLACK BOTTOM SUPER CHUNK

seriously?

are you kidding me?

you call that a chocolate chip cookie?

i can count one, maybe two, chocolate chips on that cookie.

but!

take a look at the bottom!

covered in chocolate!

it's called a "black bottom super chunk."

consequently, i've overlooked the lack of chocolate chips.

IRA GLASS

SAMMYS

tonight, for Adam's birthday, we went to sammy's.

i'm a fan!

followers, meet Nathan. Nathan, meet my followers.

NINE

today was Adam's ninth birthday.

the kid is getting old!

i remember just last year i baptized him.

that was a cool experience.

ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS

tonight is one of those nights.

sleep and i have agreed not to rendezvous.

things are keeping me awake.

not just the last of my projects, but other things.

things that i want to yell.

but things i wouldn't dare say, for fear of retaliation.

these hours bring clarity.

it's just me and the night, working in harmony. silence.

i'm more productive now.

i can think clearly and see without obstruction.

i can step outside of self.

i'm no longer me, but an observer on the outside.

it's one of those nights.

we're all too familiar.

HANNAH

my sister, hannah, made something that i just had to share.

isn't that awesome? isn't she awesome?

and check out my siblings. i miss them—even though i see them almost every weekend.

it'll be tough leaving them in august! but if austin can do it, i can, too.

i can't wait to see how much adam will have changed when i get back.

i. love. my. family.

MONTRÉAL, EH?

it's finals week and i haven't studied anything but french and canadian history.
there goes my grades....

what a cool place!

CALLED TO SERVE

Canada Montréal! speaking french! august twenty-second!

PEACHY

classes are over. my call is here. i'm trying to stay busy.

so i decided to look through some old photos—stuff i've never posted.

IT'S HERE. ON MY BED.

can you tell i'm freaking out a little?

NO MORE

this could possibly be the best thing i'll see all day.

oh wait nope! psych! because my mission call is here!!

(i never do double exclamation marks—this is big)


clarification: i'm not opening it yet because my family is still out of town.

GENERAL CONFERENCE

it was a marvelous general conference, really. i enjoyed going home for the weekend and spending time with my family, listening to the Prophets speak, soaking it all up. what a great time to be with the people that you love and care most about. the theme of conference rang in tune with that feeling. the message that i derived tilted toward many topics at first but as the conference went on and speaker after speaker, i finally came to a rest on a central message of families. now, if you've been reading my blog lately you'll remember a majority of my recent posts have been about my family. you can imagine how delighted i was to hear what the Lord wanted us to know most for the next six months. 

i can never pick a single favorite talk from the more than thirty given. most of the speakers used the same tools to deliver their messages. conference never seems short on stories—a great way to connect with the members on a more personal level. when the prophets and general authorities tell stories from their lives or the lives of others, we are naturally drawn to their message because they appear more human, more relatable. i've always enjoyed the stories shared in conference and continue to enjoy them as they are talked about and shared in meetings in church and in school. these are men and women that we trust. we've, a lot of us, grown up with them in homes, in our church magazines, and in our meetings. we've been able to listen to them a number of times and as we exercise faith and do they things that they ask of us, we gain a personal testimony of the truthfulness of their guidance. Thomas S. Monson has an incredible amount of ethos among the members of this church. i noticed that most, if not all, of the speakers made reference to him in order to align themselves with the ethos that each one of has for him. we know we can trust the guidance given to us over that weekend. i have a testimony of that; as we follow the guidance given to us we will see a change for good in our lives. life tends to be fuller when following the Prophets. i know that to be true.

MISSION CALL

HAPPY

HOW I FEEL

:) x !

THE LAST ONE

i'm so sorry to say that it's over.

i'm done.

i did what i needed to and now i'm finished.

ha! you read that as if i were done blogging... silly you.

i'm talking about cs 235. i just turned in my last assignment.

i'm about to pass off my last project and then it's over!

JAY

my bike is one of my prized possessions.

i call him Jay.