...and the saga continues

So after the whole flat tire ordeal I spent the night relaxing and made it to bed at a decent hour so I could get up and go to get my tire changed early.

I couldn't remember what time the tire and lube shop opened at WalMart so I was all ready to go at 9... then it took me a half hour to brush off my car and get going. I made it there and they got to changing my tire right away... then the guy walks in with my new tire and shows me how it was leaking air because my rim was bent... awesome.. as in not really. Although I am really grateful that gentleman who was helping me, because he whipped out his phone and looked up where I would be able to get my particular rim. Apparently there was only one place!

Again, not my actual rim... but mine was bent about that much!

So after I got the info for the place, I ran home and packed up all my things, charged my phone and then went off in search off what I thought was called box tires.com in West Valley City... well I made it to where I thought it should have been and had no luck finding it so I called the number. It turned out that I had the wrong address and name for the place. But the good news is that "Hubcap Heaven" was only a few blocks away from where I was. I finally made it there and got my rim, then made it back to WalMart and had to wait an hour and a half to get my tire changed out. What a relief!

So I now have a wonderful new tire, that matches the others - my stepbrother only replaced 3 tires... and yes the one he didn't replace was the one that gave out on me. Go figure.

So after everything was sorted, I went home, packed up my car, had to drop by Grandparents house for a minute and then finally was on my way to Logan.

I had a feeling that I shouldn't take I-15, so I went through Willard and Perry then up the canyon. The roads were just great, and I even made it back to my apt right before it got dark. Fantastic!

Another highlight of the day - my roommate has the "Just dance 2" game for Wii - it is so fun! I was breaking it down to 'Crazy in Love', 'S.O.S' and 'Tick Tok' - I did pretty well for my first time playing the game!

Now back to unpacking and homework!

Today's adventure...

So today started off like any other winter Sunday. The snow was lightly falling as I got ready and walked over to the church. Afterwards I walked home, grabbed a bite to eat and then drove to the airport to pick up my darling cousin. Traffic really slowed down around Centerville but I made it there in time.

Everything was great and then when we made it passed Centerville and almost to Farmington.... my car began to make weird noises and my steering wheel was shaking so I took the next exit and stopped in the middle lane ( I was going to pull into a parking lot, but none of them had been plowed and it wasn't a busy road).... basically it was a good thing we didn't go any further because I had a super FLAT TIRE...

Not my actual tire... I'll have to take a picture of it later, it looked like something bit it >_<

It just so happened that we stopped in front of a church, and after I called for roadside assistance we had about 20 people stop and ask us if we needed help. The result = we had the tire changed before our service arrived. I am grateful that - 1. My cousin was with me 2. people stopped to help us 3. I have a good spare - not a little dummy tire 4. I have roadside coverage 5. it wasn't snowing hard/ wasn't windy 6. I subbed at Farmington Junior High so I knew exactly where we were and how to get back to the freeway 7. Our assistance guy came and warned us of the traffic from the accidents on I-15 so we could take an alternate route 8. I have family in Ogden

Once we were back on the road, we went to Layton to my cousin's Grandparents house where they had waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, and hot chocolate for us... *bliss*

After we ate, I helped my cousin get her bags in her car and then we parted ways. She went South and headed back to Ogden. By this time my Mom had pretty much forbid me from driving back up to Logan tonight; it was almost dark by the time I made it home to Ogden anyway.

So now where do I stand? Basically I enjoyed the rest of my night wrapped up in blankets, watching Psych Season 4 and trying to figure out when I should go and get a new tire tomorrow. Not loving the snow so much now. I know the next three weeks, are going to be crazy so I am grateful this happened when it did, not when I was up Sardine canyon or something. Life: never a dull moment - gotta love it :)

Ridin' Solo - I've had this song in my head all day...

Thanksgiving

I can't believe it's Thanksgiving already! And what a great Thanksgiving break it has been!
My plan was to go down to Ogden Wednesday morning because although half of my Tuesday classes had been cancelled, my night Photoshop class had not been. But no matter how well we plan things, we have to be open to change. the change in my plans was a Blizzard warning which caused USU to close the campus from 2pm Tuesday to 9am Wednesday. So I went to my Business Law and Ethics class which finished at 1:15 and then went back to my apt. packed up Sassy (my car) and drove home. I beat the storm, it wasn't too bad of a drive down, just really windy in the canyon.

Thursday we went over to my Uncle's house for Thanksgiving dinner, Grandpa came too so that was super fun. The food was amazing, and it is always a laugh when my family gets together. Highlights of the night: stories of when my Mom and Uncle were kids, banana cream pie and pumpkin pie from Sandy's, holding my uncle's ball python "Sir Hiss".

Friday I did not get up early. Standing in line in the cold and then crazed crowds are not my thing. But about 11 I went out to find fabric for my ottoman. I went to JoAnn's but between the line to get fabric cut and then another line to check out, I figured I'd try my luck on Saturday. On my drive home I saw Hancock's fabrics and thought it couldn't hurt to try there also. That was a good choice! The sales were just as good as JoAnn's but the store was almost empty. - Best of all I found some cute fabric that I think is quite 'me':

I love it. Warm colors, floral pattern = very me :)

Later that afternoon, after squeezing in some homework, my brother and I went over to our other Grandparents home for dinner and then put up and decorated their Christmas tree. Next time I am over there, I will have to take a picture. It is one of those artificial trees that already has lights on it. For decorations, my Grandma has these light blue wooden heart ornaments with one for everyone in the family with their names on it. Then she has while bells and angels, and ornaments from places they have been. I think the best ornaments are the ones with sentimental value. I think decorating the tree for Christmas is one of my favorite things of the holiday. 

Today has been a productive day. I finished my homework for CAD which is a relief! Another achievement of today was that I finally went and got my hair cut and dyed! I've been meaning to get to it for a while now but I was finally able to take the time and go for it! It's a little bit of a wedge and I have some layers in the back for more volume:

Stylin'

So all in all it has been a wonderful Thanksgiving break! I am all caught up on Castle, Burn Notice, and Psych too. ^_^

..and then there was SNOW

This weekend I was all over the place. Friday morning I was good and did some homework, then my friend and I went looking for fabric to upholster our ottomans in Dec. We made a quick stop to the Oriental Market and I got some RED BEAN PAU!! They were frozen ones but less than a minute in the microwave and they were ready to go. And the verdict is.. almost as good as freshly made. The filling was awesome. ^_^ Afterwards I went back to my apt, did a little more homework, packed my things and watched another episode of White Collar with my roommate. Sweet.

That evening I drove down to Layton to hang out with my cousin. We stayed the night at her Grandparents and then I took her to the airport the next morning. It was super fun. I love her Grandparents. ^_^ We had dinner, then watched the Jazz game. I was hoping we would win, but the SA Spurs were way more on top of things than we were, especially in the last quarter... it looked like our guys were walking around and not putting much effort into anything. Then my darling cousin and I watched the first episode of Doctor Who:Series 5 .. I am still getting used to Matt Smith... I think David Tenant will always be my favorite. But I think this new series will be pretty awesome too. I like the new look of the TARDIS.

After the airport I continued on down to Provo, made a quick pitstop in Draper for some petrol and then made it to Orem by 8am... I stopped at the WalMart there to get an ice scraper and some stuff to melt ice just in case. Aand then I drove by the Elase Medical Spa, two of my professors worked on that project! Then I went out to breakfast with a friend. Best French Toast ever! It tasted like a cinnamon roll. Delicious.
Then a group of us went to go see the latest Harry Potter movie. It was very interesting. From what I can remember of the book, I think the movie did a good job. There was a part that made me go Hmm... but overall I enjoyed it. We all went out to lunch at IHOP... I was all breakfast food-ed out so I opted for soup and a sandwich.

Then we headed back to my friends apt so I could help them pick new paint colors. I was leaning towards lighter colors, sticking mainly with blues and browns, with a darker blue for an accent wall. He didn't share my vision hehe. So we pilled in the car and ran to Home Depot and checked out more paint samples. He found a pamphlet labeled "Man Cave" and took it home as a reference....

 My favorite part of the night was going with them to pick out a Christmas tree and ornaments and then heading back to their apt to put it up and decorate it.. while eating candy canes, drinking MILO and listening to Christmas music!

BEFORE

AFTER

When we were finished, they went to the Basketball game and I went to visit an old roommate of mine. It was so great to see her!

 .....and then there was SNOW!
  I decided that I didn't want to stay the night in Provo so I figured I would drive to Ogden, stay the night at my Mom's and then go up to Logan Sunday morning. Well that was all well and good.... when I was in Orem, it was raining and hailing... then when I merged onto I-15 Northbound it was dry. ... but when I got up to Thanksgiving point all I could see was the road and the taillights of the cars ahead until I was in Draper. The conditions were better until I got around West Valley..... that was a nightmare. I was doing all I could to see my lane and stay in it. Thankfully everything was fine and traffic kept moving - and all the snow was fresh so there was no ice on the roads. When I exited onto 89 for South Ogden, the roads were clear and the snow stopped and I made it home just fine.

This morning the weather was fine until I got into Sardine canyon.. it was particularly bad around Mantua and 'dry lake' .. but my car was fine and I was able to keep a level head. I am excited for Christmas and I don't mind that the snow is here, it is so beautiful.. but I am not super excited to be driving in it all winter!

PS. I got this message on one of my pictures on Facebook in a conversation establishing that I am indeed single... it made me smile...
"Hmm . . Why no boy friend ? No any guys in utah tackle you ? I dont understand . . I think you should have a boy friend . I wish you one day you will have a very nice and handsome boy friend :)"

Make no little plans...

"Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big." - Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect. (1846-1912)


I fell in love with this quote when I saw it on the Hancock Tower in Chicago. 

The Hancock Tower... great location, awesome view (we went up it at night)... and there is a Gelato/Italian market and a Cheesecake factory down below... essentially - *Bliss*

I would have to say the 'Cloud Gate' ... more affectionately known as 'The Bean' was my favorite thing about Chicago. There were tons of things I liked about Chicago but I was (and still am) intrigued by this.

This week has gone by so much better than I thought it would. I still have tons to do, and I'm having a hard time finding the motivation but quotes like that one above always inspire me. 

Dance!

Just in case you were wondering about my blog's web address - Tari-menari tiap-tiap hari  = it is Malay or Indonesian for "Dance every day". I had no idea my name meant 'to dance' until I served my mission over there and got to learn that beautiful language. I have always loved to dance!

This semester I am in a Ballroom dance class. It is really fun! I took it once before .. I think it was my second semester at USU. But after a couple years of not dancing I forgot most of what I had learned. So this semester, Ballroom once again fit into my schedule and I took advantage of it.

Anyway, our dance teacher wanted us to have a little dance competition. So tonight our class performed the Tango.
 

We were number 40. The ballet class got to judge us and pick a favorite. It was awesome. I wasn't nervous at all until we actually stepped out onto the dance floor. There were at least as many people who came to watch as there was dancing. It was pretty crowded in there but it was awesome! Tango has definitely moved up on my list of favorite dances now. I still think the Cha Cha is my absolute favorite. We'll be starting that next week in class so we shall see if I still love it :)

Yay for dancing... I couldn't help but think of this quote:
Elizabeth Bennet: I wonder who first discovered the power of poetry in driving away love? 
Mr. Darcy: I thought that poetry was the food of love. 
Elizabeth Bennet: Of a fine stout love, it may. But if it is only a vague inclination I'm convinced one poor sonnet will kill it stone dead 
Mr. Darcy: So what do you recommend to encourage affection? 
Elizabeth Bennet: Dancing. Even if one's partner is barely tolerable.
(I LOVE that movie!)

The advanced ballroom class did a waltz routine where they started in two lines (guys and girls facing one another) and then moved into line of dance, it made me think of those dances you see in Pride and Prejudice and other period movies. That would be so fun to learn too.

Dancing is awesome!

Fabulous weekend

If you could drive a car in this maze, that would be close to how frustrated I felt, taking the scenic route around the U of U campus, to find the visitors parking so I could get to the College of Nursing Building tour. It came close to a melt down. Usually I can keep my cool, but this time I was getting quite upset. Thankfully I got there eventually. It was totally worth it! The building is pretty amazing. If I was going into nursing I would want to study there! The facilities, the interior design, the furniture and colors were all awesome!

  After the tour we went to the Pie Pizzaria... of course in following my luck from earlier - I went to the drive-in, not the restaurant... so I got to drive around the block and parallel park! (I haven't parallel parked in ages - glad I still can!) a little more stress - but eventually I made it there. The pizza was amazing and the tiny restaurant was really interesting. :) If I had brought a marker I definitely would have signed the wall. It reminded me of Abbey Road in London. 

Then I took Beck street out to I-15 Northbound. It was a good choice, as there was an accident on S Temple. I ran home, grabbed an overnight back and went over to my Aunt's house. My darling cousin was there. We all had dinner and then stayed up laughing and watching Judge Judy. I'll be honest, I've never really liked any of those tv judge shows, but now that I'm in a business law class and understand a lot of the terminology, it was really interesting. And the points brought up by Judge Judy were awesome. Take home lesson  - don't sass the judge or she will dismiss your case. After everyone else went to bed, my cousin and I may or may not have stayed up super late talking and wrapping a present for the baby shower. 

The next morning we got up and showered then went to run the errands to get ready for the Baby shower. While I was out I also picked up my new glasses. I love them. and the case they came in! They are brown plastic frames, but the inside is striped green and the outside has etched a kind of stylized dragon. I didn't notice when I picked them out. It looks like there are scales on the sides but then I realized the middle part is a face. You have you look really close to see it, but hey, dragons are good luck right? ^_^

The baby shower was fun. Mainly it involved my cousin and I running up and down the stairs making sure the fruit and the bread sticks were well stocked. We chopped up so much fruit! There was a good turn out :) Afterwards I went out to dinner with my family for my Mom's birthday. My Grandpa came too so that was really nice. After dinner my Mom and Stepdad were going shopping, so I ran home, grabbed some more clothes and then went back over to my Aunt's house. My cousin and I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox ( I love that movie!) and worked on a Christmas present for her mom. 

I've had such a great weekend. I love spending time with my family. Also as a side note - I am so excited for Christmas! Yes, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I love Christmas. I love the music, the movies, the spirit in the air, and most of all time with friends and family! ^_^

Wonderful Week

This week has gone by extremely fast.

Good things that happened this week in no particular order-

1.I was able to help sell Tickets for the AASC event 'TipToe into Asia" and in the process learned how to reserve a table to sell things by the bookstore.
2. I made it through the circuit trainings in Weight Training and wasn't nearly as sore as last week.
3. Registered for Spring '11 - I'll be taking: Interior Design Seminar, the Pre-internship class, Environmental Design for Interiors (Sustainability), Business and Professional Practices in Int. Des., REVIT, Fundamentals of Marketing, Western Swing, and Pilates. Also I registered for the Acts-Revelation Institute class. Basically I am stoked!
4. Finally got my Exam 3 score back for Business Law and did well.
5. It was cold and it snowed but I liked it.
6. Almost every day I talked to a stranger about my mission - that sounds weird but someone would hello and it turned into a conversation. I love friendly people!
7. Finally had my Materials Midterm and felt like I did really well
8. Confirmed that I will be manning a Malaysia table at the Institute's International Night on Dec. 3rd - can't wait to dress up. Hopefully a couple of elders from my mission will help too ^_^
9. I have been getting the hang of the Rumba and practicing the Tango for our 'performance' next week
10. My new glasses are ready to be picked up!
11. My new coat arrived! I am really excited to wear it because it is super warm!

It really has been a good week. I was pretty busy Monday -Thursday, but then after my Materials Exam, I drove down to Ogden. I love that drive. The mountains in Sardine canyon were gorgeous. I love the contrast when you first enter the canyon, the mountains close don't have snow on them but the ones behind them do. Then as you go further in the canyon, everything was dusted in snow.  When I came out of the canyon and was looking down on Brigham City, out to the west the sun was setting behind the mountains and the sky was pink and orange. It was breathtaking. The clouds were rolling in and the last of the suns rays were peaking though. It's been a while since I got a good look at a sunset like that.

This weekend is going to be fabulous. First, tour of the UofU College of Nursing building, then spending the night at my Aunt's house. Then Saturday, my cousin's baby shower and then out to dinner with my family for my Mom's birthday. Sunday church with the family, Monday dermo appt. and then back up to Logan in time for institute. Fantastic!

Also random side note - I saw this recipe on Tastespotting.com and Foodgawker.com and really want to make it!

Easy Coconut Ice Cream with Coconut Crumbed Bananas - I LOVE fried bananas (pisang goreng) .. and coconut ice cream is delicious. 

I also found a recipe for Horlicks Ice Cream with Maltesers....*bliss* -> http://bakecookeat.blogspot.com/2010/03/horlicks-ice-cream.html

This past week had a nice meeting with my academic advisor - she is awesome - and found out that I can graduate a semester earlier than I had anticipated! Just one more year! If everything works out, I will be graduating Fall '11! If everything works out with my internship this summer, maybe I can start back there soon after I graduate :) SO exciting! Then of course there is the Master's Program to consider. So many things, I know it'll all work out the way it is supposed to!  It is so interesting the way life goes, not usually the way we plan, but better. When I was in high school I never would have dreamed the things I have been able to do so far, all the mission experiences and opportunities and things I have been able to do since I have been home. I can't believe how fast the time goes.

But as always, life is good :)

Over the weekend I had a visitor. My second companion was passing through for an interview, and on her way back home, she stayed with me here in Logan. Friday I took her to Firehouse. Yes I was adventurous and got... the Cordon Bleu Calzone... again. It is so delicious! Although I did try some of the pepperoni and cheese calzone, and that was very good as well. Then we went back to my apt and watched 'While You Were Sleeping" - another classic chick flick. I think my favorite part is when they slip on the ice and he splits his pants. It makes me laugh every time! Also I love that it takes place in Chicago. I'd love to go and visit there again. :)

On Saturday we were able to go to the temple here in Logan. It was fantastic. I love being inside the temple. ^_^

After our time at the temple, we came home for a quick lunch and then I took her up to campus for a tour. Then we sat on the top seats of the ampitheatre and looked out over the valley. It was such a beautiful day, and the colors of fall were all around. Gorgeous. To end the night we were able to go over to a Senior Missionary couple's home for dinner. We had all served in Bintulu together. We were over there for about 4 hours, reminiscing. Sometimes I miss the people and the places over there so much. 

Sunday. Daylight savings was delightful. After church and then running home for dinner (I warmed up the left overs from Firehouse and had an apple from the Luthy's tree aand I made Milo - with sweetened condensed milk = *Bliss*. It was a wonderful dinner to  watch the beginning of Ever After. ( I LOVE that movie!) Then a couple of my roommates and I went to the Fireside. CES Fireside 7 Nov 2010 Speaker Elder M Russell Ballard  It was pretty awesome! Part of the greatness of it was although it was broadcast live from BYU, a choir of 1200 USU students were there. I wish that I could have been a part of it! If you click on the link and watch it (I highly recommend it! Great talk on the simpleness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ) you will see the army of a choir - in a couple of shots there are people from my Ward here and even my dance partner from Ballroom. Nice.

Some of my favorite quotes from the talk were:
 The beginning where he refers to his conference talk back in October entitled : O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One
One of the quotes he mentioned from his talk was: "Like the fly fisherman who knows that trout are driven by hunger, Lucifer knows our “hunger,” or weaknesses, and tempts us with counterfeit lures which, if taken, can cause us to be yanked from the stream of life into his unmerciful influence. And unlike a fly fisherman who catches and releases the fish unharmed back into the water, Lucifer will not voluntarily let go. His goal is to make his victims as miserable as he is."

Later he said "Keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ Simple"
He outlined the five parts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Injil Yesus Kristus)
1. Faith in Jesus Christ (Iman kepada Yesus Kristus)
2. Repentance (Pertaubatan)
3. Baptism (Pembaptisan)
4. Gift of the Holy Ghost (Menerima Kurnia Roh Kudus)
5. Endure to the End (Bertahan Sampai Akhir)

He brought up points made in Preach My Gospel which were great, I need to bring up my copy from home, it is such an amazing book!

He said to "Always give the Lord equal time so your testimonies don't drift" and to "Do the Right Things Every Day for the Right Reasons" I love that - such simple advice and quite profound really.

Towards the end of his talk he read this poem:

The Oak Tree

by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr

A mighty wind blew night and day It stole the oak tree's leaves away Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark Until the oak was tired and stark But still the oak tree held its ground While other trees fell all around The weary wind gave up and spoke. How can you still be standing Oak? The oak tree said, I know that you Can break each branch of mine in two Carry every leaf away Shake my limbs, and make me sway But I have roots stretched in the earth Growing stronger since my birth You'll never touch them, for you see They are the deepest part of me Until today, I wasn't sure Of just how much I could endure But now I've found, with thanks to you I'm stronger than I ever knew