HP Challenge

It's a Mickelson-sister tradition to go to the midnight showing of all the Harry Potter movies as they come out. This last one is going to be no exception and I am SO excited! Out of no where I decided to pause my reading of Lolita and re-read all seven Harry Potter books before the last movie comes out, while working full-time and still maintaining some sort of a social life. I should have planned this a little sooner but better late than never. I've completed one and two this week (the short ones) and now have 21 days to read three through seven (which are all of the beefy ones). Nerdy? Probably. Fun? Most definitely. It's so great to refresh my memory and re-fall in love with the genius J.K. Rowling's writing.

spring fav

Want to know one of my other favorite things in life? I love spring time.

 And this is my favorite part about the spring season...

blossoms!!

 

Sorry for the not so good quality, I took these with my celly a few weeks ago the day of a storm.

 

This was the first sight of these lovely blossoms in bloom. I seriously cherish everyday that the trees have blossoms on them. They're beautiful. The day they're gone is always a sad day for me...

Also, I hope everyone had a good and happy Easter. I love Easter.

I was in Houston, Texas visiting a friend this weekend, but I got to decorate egss the night before I left with my family. Family time is always a good time.

my favorite compliment

I am not being vain so don't take this post that way... but do you want to know my favorite compliment? I love it when people say I look like Blake Lively. Seriously its so flattering.  I don't really see the resemblance! I think it's just because of the hair and hair color..... but hello, who wouldn't be stoked about that?!

I mean look at her:

 

 i'll take this as my celebrity doppelganger any day!

Arcade Fire and Local Natives

 

This past Monday was the Arcade Fire and Local Natives concert. I was blown away. I have never in my entire life witnessed such amazing energy and live music that sounded so good. Local Natives stepped up to the task and did an incredible job. I now have the biggest crush on one of the singers, he's a dream boat. Arcade Fire, I don't have one complaint. I love that they played a few old songs. They kept their energy up the entire show. The only down fall to the evening...The concert was in Orem and I will never go to a concert there again. I have never seen or witnessed such an awful crowd... On that note everyone needs to see an Arcade Fire concert if they have the chance to!

When I'm Small

So this music video is lame but I can't stop listening to this song, it's so good! And since my brain is dead and I can't think of anything else to blog about i'll just keep sharing good music.

wide eyes

I stole this off of my little sisters fb page from her bff, forever ago, and if you didn't listen to it when I reposted it onto my fb page then you need to now! It's incredible and i'm obsessed..



So excited to see these guys open for Arcade Fire in April.

the kits

Anyone that knows me knows that I love my cats and any animal for that matter, and i'd like to think that i'm a pretty good pet owner. Considering the weird circumstance that I kind of got stuck with my cat and my sisters cat in a one bedroom apartment when I thought they'd always live at my moms.. i'd say they live a pretty good life. Here's the thing; they went from a 3 story house, to a duplex, to a relatively small one bedroom apartment. This is what they now look like:

HUGE right?! I promise I don't over feed them. I can't figure out why they are so giant.. I'm going to go ahead and blame it on the lack of space.  I mean they are naturally big cats, the both of them, but now they're looking preeeeeetttty fat. (And yes this picture does make them look extra fat but it was too funny to pass up..) Oh well, who doesn't love a fat cat right?!

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers.

But you learn, my God do you learn.”

C.S. Lewis

a few things I've been dreaming about..

Marc Jacobs
 'Lacquered Quilting Madison' Satchel

$895.00

Shakuhachi
Twisted Middle Maxi Dress
$208.00

Dream big right?!

I promise i'm in a good mood today..just annoyed

I think people try to come into my store and annoy me. There are two way in which they can succeed in doing this. One is letting your kids run a muck and destroy everything in the store, the other is when people try to hum or sing along to the songs that are playing in the store. When my ipod is on, I can guarantee that 90% or more of the people that walk in the door do not know my music. So when all these old women start trying to sing along or hum to the beautiful songs on my ipod [totally out of pitch!] I want to chop off my ears and stab them in the vocal chords. I can't help it I try tuning them out, but when you hum out of pitch it's like nails on a chalk board to me. So please people that come into the store, i'm begging you to please SHUT UP! kthanksbye.

oh Ryan...

So I've been thinking a lot about the perfect man and even though i'm not usually into guys with lighter hair, Ryan Gosling has been taking the cake.  Who says you can't have a celebrity crush at 21?! I need to find someone just like him! He is perfection in my eyes.

Not only his looks or his style, but his voice.... and not just his talking voice but his singing voice! Remember when I first set up my blog years ago and on my bucket list I talked about seeing 'Dead Man's Bones', well Ryan is in that band and his voice melts my heart. Or maybe you've heard him sing in Lars and the Real Girl. I saw Blue Valentine a few weeks ago (loved it) and have been listening to the soundtrack a lot lately. I've always wanted a guy that could sing to me.Tell me his voice isn't dreamy....



and in case you are behind the times and have never heard Dead Man's Bones, here's a good one....




On top of that I love one of his tattoos. I didn't notice it until Blue Valentine and in case you have bad eyes and you can't see it in this picture, it's the Giving Tree. I loved that book when I was younger. (It's a double whammy cause you know I love motorcycles!) Soul mates? I think yes!

Okay enough creepy celebrity loving. But if you are anything like him, hit me up :)

blind

My allergies and sinuses are so bad right now that my contacts hurt to wear. My eye doctor told me that allergies embed into your contacts and no matter how much you wash or rub you contacts they don't come off so you have to use new contacts. I am cheap and poor and I don't want to replace my contacts every week or two vs. replacing them every three or four weeks like i'm supposed to. Needless to say i've been wearing my glasses lately. I've got a very old pair of glasses that aren't cute and probably over 6 years old so the prescription isn't up to date. Then i've got my cute trendy thick framed glasses that are very strong. (They were actually readers and I had the eye place pop the lenses out and make me new ones.) Well here's the thing my cute glasses hurt my head. I've gotten them adjusted twice but I think I need to adjust them again. I don't like wearing the old ones in public. Long story short, I'M BLIND!!! God save me cause i'm only 21 and I have the eyes of an 98 year old senile woman! I took off my glasses at work for 5 minutes and couldn't ring up a transaction without putting my face literally 2 inches from the screen. I can not believe how bad my eyes are! I can't use a computer without magnifying it to 150.. I legally can't drive without glasses or contacts..


I wonder what its like to wake up in the morning and have the world be clear.
Eye surgery is definitely in my future.

flowers

If any of you know me, you know I love flowers. All kinds, all colors. I truly believe they enhance the quality of life. If you know me even better, then you know that I like to pretend my middle name is Rose. (Need an explanation, read my very first blog post!) If I had extra money to spend i'd buy myself flowers once a week just to be able to look at them. I've loved flowers and all things floral way before it became a trend a couple years ago but that is neither here nor there. But if you need proof, just look in my apartment, you'll find it on pillows, scarves, clothes, my couch, my tea kettle, my apron, a suitcase, etc. Okay, so the reason for this post is i've been a little bummed out lately.. I have put on some unwelcomed weight and I hate it. If you know my family, then you know i've got 4 stunning sisters, who happen to be tall. I'm the shorter curvy one. I was having one of those moments yesterday where I was depressed and while skyping with my sister in India here friend Martin told me something that I loved! He said something to the affect of, "You can not compare a lotus flower to a rose. They are both beautiful. But they are both different. A lotus can't try to be like a rose and a rose can't try to be like a lotus."  I immediately got a smile on my face. He said just what I needed to hear. Then, it just so happens that while I was flipping through my old journal for some inspiration on the memoir I have to write for English that I came across something that our rasta tour guide at Bob Marley's resting place, Nine Mile, in Jamaica told us. He said, " we are all flowers, we just grow differently." I can't believe I had forgotten that! I know my trip to Jamaica was like 10 months ago but i'm actually glad I stumbled upon it today. These may be corny and cliche  to you, but I adore every word of both quotes. So, not only do I love flowers for there very beautiful aesthetic, but because their meaning to me is deeper than that now. I can't wait for spring to come!

me spring/summer 2010 smelling the roses by apartment

definitely not a rant & pups

So, my last post was a rant about the financial woes of my life, and although I'm still feeling that way but  huge blessing came my way last week... I got money from the "Pepsi Generation Excellence Award" committee! I feel so thankful! I need this money and its going to make my tuition cost a little bit less :) YAY!

On another note, i've been thinking a lot about our dogs at my moms house. I love them and miss them! I know it's cheesy, but I love going there and seeing them even if it's just to pet their head for a second. Roxy is as old as my littlest sister, 12, so she's getting old :(  it breaks my heart. She is the biggest sweetheart and I remember falling asleep cuddling with her as a puppy in the garage when we first got her. She always wants to be loved and she's very protective of our house and family. Our other dog Nikoma, she's a bundle of energy. I always tell my mom once I get a house I want to take her. She is crazy, wild, and sweet. She's plays catch and can jump so high! Even though she is kinda naughty and hyper-active, she's great. I love these pups and wish I could see them more... 



ROXY

NIKOMA

a rant

I just need to complain for a second about money... bare with me.
How is an independent student supposed to pay for all of the following:

• Car insurance= about $145
• Car payment= $113
• Cell phone= $101-$104 (someone get on a family plan with me!)
• Rent= $530 (I live alone so that explains the high rent, and yes that is a choice i'm glad I made..)
• Gas and power bills= anywhere from $30-$95 together (my apartment building is so old and probably not even insulated to keep my apartment around 63*, which isn't warm at all, cost me $70 in December, lovely huh)
• Tuition for Spring 2011= $1,484
• Books for this semester= $200-$350 i'm too afraid to actually go buy them
• All the stupid retarded fees school has= $30 so far to pay my tuition in 4 installments

I'm 21, live on my own. Take care of my cat and my little sisters cat. Work in Draper and Live 20 minutes away. My parents aren't in the possition to help me out financially, which is okay! I've been paying for things on my own for a very long time. But today, I am financially stressed. I have 1 credit card with a $1,000 credit limit which I put my tuition payments on and try to pay off the next month. AH! I don't make enough money and I really need a new job... I can't go shopping anymore, which is fine too i've got plenty of clothes. I'm trying to sell some of them even. I just HATE MONEY! I feel like it holds me back from all my dreams. And the best part is, even though i'm in a pickle with money, I can't help thinking about how badly I want an acoustic guitar. Pathetic, I know! I know there are so many people out there that have it worse than I do. And i'm so happy to have what I do have! I'm just stressed, ya know?!

rehash

Here is a little rehash on my Christmas and the month of December. It has gone by so quickly! I always get sad once Christmas is over, total post-Christmas-depression. But, seeing as how New Year's Day is tomorrow, I better get this Christmas post out there in the cyber world. And since blogging is all about the lists here is one for you!

• seeing lights at Temple Square with sisters and dad
• skyping with sister in India multiple times
• going ice skating at Gallivan on Christmas Eve
• Having family over Christmas Eve for a feast and festivities
• Dollar Tree reindeer antlers that I seemed to wear whenever I could
• wearing an ugly Christmas sweater to work
• decorating my apartment (did the lights on my tree all by myself, i'm a big girl, I know)
• getting new Pj's and a new ornament
• Christmas Story "ah the bumpus hounds" seems to be the quote of our family for the past week or so
• many tears of joy Christmas morning when sisters opened gifts they adored
• making English toffee (failed the 1st time, killed it the 2nd time)
• making yarn wreaths
• trip to Idaho for Grandpa's b-day and white elephant gift exchange
• my first Jazz game!! Go D-Will!!
• going to some Christmas parties, 3 to be exact
• get A's in both of my classes :)
• being completely shocked when I opened up a new laptop..



my Charlie Brown Christmas tree, one of my favorite decorations



the lights at Temple Square with Dad and sisters



after we got our new pj's, showing our new ornaments



Ice skating!



cheering for the Jazz with my friend Gabby



my favorite Christmas sweater that my mom actually used to wear..

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It really is the best time of year. And may this New Year be even better than the last!

sick

I'm okay being in my apartment, sick laying in bed when I get to look at the precious tree by my bed and my big tree through the doorway :)



sorry for the quality, cell phone snap shot

and shhh don't tell, i'm eating a bowl of pink peppermint ice cream instead of soup..

memories

I've been thinking about some of my favorite Christmas memories today.. If any of you know my mother, then you'd know Christmas is a pretty big deal at our house so i've got memories and traditions galore. Here are some of my favs;

• Waking up in the morning in CA to find a piece of Santa's suit stuck in the fireplace and huge white foot prints on the tile.
• Staying up late on Christmas Eve while my sisters sleep and read Christmas books.
• The drama of taking picture after lining up on the stair youngest to oldest Christmas morning. "Who's breathing their morning breath on me", "I look ugly", "so-and-so'd feet are touching me".
• Mom and Dad stalling Christmas morning by taking pictures, turning on the music and the setting up of the video camera.
• Getting a cell phone Junior year and crying my eyes out. Dad found one last present behind the tree afer we were done and it was my first phone.  
• Laying under the Christmas tree after its all decorated.
• One year we delivered gifts to a needy family, I don't remember much about that night cause I was young, but I remember being freezing, running away quickly, and loving the feeling afterwards.
• Watching all the Christmas claymation movies.
• Dancing to Lady Gaga all Christmas day at my dads last year.
• Being so proud of my moms decorations and lights.

I've got so many happy memories of Christmas and so many good feelings when I think about it. I hope there are many more to come!

some people

Shout out to the person who commented on a post saying "no one gives a $#!&" and left it anonymous. Real cool. I hate when people sign things anonymous its cowardly. I used to give people the benefit of the doubt and I always thought that people were generally good...I'm slowly realizing I am very wrong. What a sad lesson to learn. On a lighter note, I love December and Christmas (I get it from my mom). The whole month of December is amazing. I love the music, the smell, the decorations, all the holiday stuff in the stores, its wonderful! I'm going to finish decorating my tree tonight. It's fake. I hate fake trees but i'm hardly home so I can't take care of a real tree. Plus if my cats are eating my fake tree, imagine what they'd do to my real one!

rushed family trips

Briana, Allie, Mom, Grandpa Olson, Grandma Olson, Nicole, moi,
and Meganat Graham's Wedding

Time keeps passing me by and I realize I'm not good at writing posts on a regular basis, then lots of stuff happens and I can't decide what to write about etc etc complain complain. Anyways......... two weekends ago it was my Step brother Graham's wedding in Southern Cali. Thank heavens I had a legitimate reason to leave work and go to one of my favorite places ever, Irvine. I haven't been back to CA in probably 5 years and I hate myself for that. After we moved to Utah in the 90's we went back to Irvine every single summer, for weeks at a time. Then life hit, and I grew up and had to have a job and ever since then I haven't been able to afford a summer time vaca. Even though our weekend trip was just wedding business and very rushed, I had time to go to Newport beach and even go get a balboa bar :) (always rainbow sprinkles on one side and oreo on the other, absolute heaven). The wedding was beautiful! It was also fun to spend time with the whole fam-damily. Even though we wanted to murder each other by the end of the trip. Seriously. I'm a little familied out for the time being but I still love them! Thursday morning my sister Nicole flew out to India, i'm so jealous. If I wasn't in school I would have gone too. This past weekend was my cousin's wedding reception in Grace, Idaho (another one of my favorite places). We drove up that day and drove home that night. No matter how much I hate coming back to dreaded work, i'm always glad to come home. I'm also more happy then ever that I have my own apartment. I love having my OWN space even if i'm broke everyday. I really thought i'd be scared to live on my own, but I love it. I recommend everyone try living on their own for some point in their life.

Sisters at Newport Beach 88* in November :)