Well would you look at that?

SO much has happened since I have last written! I know on my last blog post I promised some awesome sleep walking stories... so I may get around to talking about them in this blog, or I may not. We shall see. :)

So on the 19th of September was my recording with Jenny Phillips! Thankfully I wasn't too nervous going into it because I was like, "why you getting nervous Kara?? you already won, home girl!" (That's right, my inner dialogue consists of a sassy black woman.) So I showed up, they hooked me up with my headphones and mic, and off I went! I have the recording on a website... but I don't know if I can post it here. AGH! Email me if you want the link, I would love for you guys to hear it!

Anyways, it turned out SO well, despite the near threat of me losing my voice. On Thursday morning I woke up with a tickle, on Friday morning I woke up with a swollen and bumpy throat. So what did I do all weekend? Well, hung out with my mom and sister for one... but I also sprayed the back of my throat with Listerine CONSTANTLY and drank probably 18 gallons of tea. Monday morning I woke up and my throat still hurt, but my voice wasn't affected. So that was awesome! Also, I totally forgot that I was even getting paid for it all. When she handed me my check at the end of the recording, I was like "... uh, are you sure I'm not supposed to be paying you?"

It was amazing. :)

Ok, so then September 20th was, well, my birthday. Turned 20 on the 20th!!! Let's see, what made this day so memorable??

• Woke up to my apartment decorated up the YIN-YANG (still don't understand that expression, but I use it quite frequently.) There were streamers/balloons/baby-birthday-wall paper. I ran around through the streamers 5 or 6 times in pure excitement.
• Lucas came over and wished me a happy birthday and gave me awesome presents (one of which is a falling whistle. Don't know what that is? Look it up. Seriously.)
• I curled my hair on a SCHOOL DAY. That never happens, people. So my hair was rocking all day long (my hair hits about the middle of my back, like...2 inches past my bra strap. The bra strap is always the point of reference for me when talking about length of hair.... I love long hair. :) )
• Classes weren't stressful, WORK wasn't stressful... in fact, during work I ordered some food and 6 of the employees brought me my food and sang me happy birthday. They even had a lighter for me to blow out.
• After work/school/daily life, I came home only to go out to dinner with my close friends. We went to California Pizza Kitchen where I gorged on all the pizza. ALL THE PIZZA!
• When we got home, there was a gathering of people there waiting for me. We did random things like play limbo with the steamers and rock out to some music. Kate made all the cupcakes in the WORLD for me (she makes the best cupcakes EVER). She made this home-made strawberry cream cheese frosting that is to DIE FOR.
• At the end of our party, Kate tells me she has one more present for me. She sits me down in front of the TV and proceeds to put in a DVD. The next 8 minutes consisted of almost all of my friends being shown on the TV wishing me a happy birthday, talking about our friendship, and one word that they would use to describe me. I was laughing and crying at the same time (a pretty sight to behold, I ensure you.) It was one of the most thoughtful gifts that I have ever had.

Dang, my birthday video won't load. Well, if you are reading this we are probs friends on facebook and it is posted there. You should totally watch it if you have 8 minutes to do nothing... or you have something really pressing you want to do but you want to procrastinate instead. :)

Let's see... the rest of the week resulted in hanging out with the people that I love, taking classes that are amazing but hard, enduring the first round of midterms, going to my boyfriends choir concert, working 25 hours a week, etc.

Life is so good, people. Not because of where I am or who I am associating with or anything like that. Life is good because it has a purpose. I know who I am and I know who I want to be...and to be on track to reaching my potential is amazing. I miss Idaho sometimes, mainly because a lot of people that I love are there (like my beautiful niece and nephews) but I am happy to be out making something of my life. Grad school is just around the corner, and I know that should be stressing me out, but really... I am just so high on life that most of the time I don't even notice.

ENJOY life, people.

p.s. Next blog will be about sleep walking, I swear. My fingers are just tired of typing... they are like "Peeeaassee, no more typing!"

Let's get this done, people!

I officially have to go to home in like... four minutes, so needless to say this blog is going to be short and snappy. SHNAPPY, I SAY!

First, school is starting to seem a teeny tiny bit more manageable. I can fit everything that I need to do in my 6am-7pm M-F schedule. Which is a ridiculously long day, granted, but at least I get that feel-good-in-my-stomach-accomplished feeling at the end of the day.

I just read a research article about the correlation between attachment with parents and the amount of religious activity a person has. It was really interesting! It says that parents (especially mothers) who were kind and nurturing as parents to their children increased their child's likelihood of being religious as they got older. So basically, there is a correlation between the way a mom treats a daughter/son and the likelihood that they will remain in a religion as an adult. Prettyyyy cool.

Also, I have learned SO much at BYU this year alone. Like, how to juggle a million different things but remember what is important in life. How to be truly happy with my life, and not just my actions. I have learned so much about religion... I won't go on a religion rampage, I swear. ;) I just love the church that I am in, that's all. I guess all the things that I have learned have been through the gospel, I guess... especially on how to be happy. A lot of people tell me that I am not living my life to the fullest because I am living with an eternal mindset... but tell me, if I am seeking for eternal happiness, how would that make me miserable in the process?

Anyways, my mom and sister are coming down this weekend for my birthday (turning 20 on the 20th... its my golden year. :) ) and for my recording session with Jenny next week. I am THUPER DUPER THTOKED! This week shall be amazing, I say yes.

Anyways, I think I know what my next blog is going to be about. And it's not religion, I promise... I will give you a hint... talking/walking in my sleep runs in the family.

It's getting hot in here!

AH! School... oh, school. I love learning... freshman year I would spend all of American Heritage class just checking my facebook and facebook chatting with high school friends, and now I am the annoying person who always makes one too many comments in class. I am really excited for my writing class, because we are assigned to create a writing schedule of just 1-2 hours a day, every day, until the end of the semester. We have to turn in 50 pages of "polished" writing by the end of the year, which is probably the equivalent of 150 pages of writing total. I am also conducting research experiments! Here is what they are probably going to be:

• The effect of religion on the sense of fulfillment in life.
• The correlation between grades and facebook (maybe)
• How well BYU students actually keep the honor code
  
• If a bit of narcissism is healthy for self-esteem.

My other classes are amazing, my new apartment complex is BOMB. I am going to a cabin in like... 3 minutes with about 30 people in my new complex.

Life is good! Enjoy your three day weekend, people!

Note To Self

Note to Self: Don't think that the transition between relaxing all summer long and then working your butt off will be easy.

Note to Self #2: Don't blog when you should be doing a million other things.

Note to Self #3: Don't give out your personal cell number to all of your new hires. It just results in them calling you after your leave, and then working on work instead of working on school.

Note to Self #4: Your D&C class this semester is going to be life changing.

Note to Self #5: Don't forget to write a blog just because you are living it up in yellowstone/grand teton mountains/chilling with BF and BBF.

Note to Self #6: Always, and I mean ALWAYS, have a back pack and school supplies and a daily planner ready before the first day of school. Do not wait.

Note to Self #7: Do not, under any circumstances, procrastinate buying books until the first day of school. This gets you behind on reading and sad at life.

Note to Self #8: Don't forget about the cool things that you learned today.

Note to Self #9: If you wanted your college experience to be easy, you should have gone to BSU or UVU.

Note to Self #10: Life is totally worth it. These experiences are totally worth it. You have amazing and supportive friends who love you for who you are, a boyfriend who cares about you and wants the best for you, and a family that is freaking bomb.

That is all. :)

Edge of Glory

Lady Gaga, thank you for your best song ever.

Anyways.

Yesterday Lucas and I went sky diving... it still seems a bit unreal to me. We watched a video, signed our lives away, and before I knew it I was putting on the gear that hung loose on by body (the man said that it was as tight as it would go) and practicing how to jump from a fake plane. Soon, Lucas and I were running towards the plane and my tandem instructor asked me if I wanted to go first. I, of course, said yes, both because I wanted to feel like a dare devil and also because I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle the anticipation of waiting to jump.

1000 feet... 2000 feet... 7000 feet (which is where you eject your parachute) 11000 feet, 12000 feet.... Three men who were jumping solo were the only people who went before me. I watched as an 70 year old man literally ran and jumped out of the plane, and I saw his body free fall for about an eighth of a second... the next two men jumped together out of the plane, and then it was my turn.

My instructor and I inched our way out to the front of the plane, where I grabbed onto my shoulder straps and put three inches of my feet over the plane's edge. This part was probably the greatest moment of the entire trip, as I sat on the edge of what felt like glory and prepared my body for the jump. My instructor yelled in my ear "READY?" (we rocked forward) "SET?" (we rocked backwards) "GO!!" and we were in the air.

Nothing can compare to the feeling of absolute floating as you watch the mountains that started out so small grow before your eyes. It doesn't feel like you are falling towards the ground, more that the ground is rushing up to meet you. I struggled with putting air into my lungs, even though all the air I could even want was rushing into my mouth. My arms were thrown out, my legs curled up behind me and my shoulder was resting on my instructors head.

After what felt like 7 seconds (but later I found out was close to a minute) we ejected our parachute. My instructor told me that I had the best form of the day, and we starting to fall slowly towards the ground. It was just so entirely peaceful as we drifted towards our landing. As my instructor tried to talk to me, I realized that my ears were completely muffled, and that they still hadn't popped. (It would later take about 7 hours for them to completely clear up.)

Our landing was a success! We didn't even have to slide on our butts, but we just landed and stood up on our feet. With a few clicks, I was free from my instructor. And that, my dear readers, is when the nausea hit and I felt like I was going to throw up. I saw Lucas, so I started stumbling towards him, and I realized that a woman was shouting at me to get out of the way because I was standing where another parachute was about to land. (I couldn't hear her, you see, so I judged by her waving arms and panicked face that I was in danger.) I stepped out of the way and sat down on the ground, breathing deep and praying that I wouldn't throw up in front of everyone standing around me.

I did throw up later, both outside the sky-diving place and then in front of a medical center. I dozed in the shade and ate jerky, and soon my energy and stomach were restored! (The instructor told me that a lot of people got sick after landing because heat combined with adrenaline is a sure way to get the sickies.)

It was an entirely amazing experience, and I would recommend it to anybody.

ALSO! :)

I competed again this year for the vocal competition put on by Jenny Phillips and Tyler Castleton... and I won. :) I get to be the vocalist on Jenny Phillips CD next year, I get $250 dollars, and I might get to record a couple of other songs. I am still so stoked that I won. Jenny told me that it was the easiest decision that they had ever made. I record next month exactly.

http://www.tylercastleton.com/workshop-winners/ (The website that proclaims me the winner!)

I am one happy camper right now, let me assure you. :)

Recorded a Song

So on Thursday Lucas was complaining heavily of an aching tooth. (A wisdom tooth, to be exact.) He told me that he was going to the dentist around the same time that I was going to be donating plasma. Well, as soon as I left the plasma center and he picked me up, he looked me in the eyes and said, "I have a BIG favor to ask of you..."

Sure enough, two hours later the oral surgeon was calling me back into his office to meet my now doped up boyfriend. He looked me in the eyes and said in a panicked voice "When are they going to do it? I am so scared...." It took about 5 minutes for me to assure him that it had already happened, and we would soon be on our way home.

The doctor (who's name is Dr. Baton) came in and asked Lucas "Well, buddy, do you think you can walk?" to which Lucas promptly tried to jump off of the surgeons chair, and proceeded to almost fall onto the doctor. The doctor's nervous expression sent me running to Lucas's car so I could meet the doctor around the side of the building.

The next memory will forever be ingrained in my memory.

Out walks Lucas with a dopey grin on his face. No, walking is a big of an over-statement. The nurse and the doctor are dragging him to my car, while Lucas makes feet pumping motions. The doctor struggles for about two minutes trying to insert Lucas into the car, all the while Lucas is thanking the doctor profoundly for what he did. Finally, with Lucas buckled in and us ready to go, Lucas gives the doctor a couple of dramatic finger points (left, ... right, .... left) and we are off.

Silence, about the only silence of the trip, fills the car for about two minutes as I struggle to find the highway. The adventures truly began when Lucas saw a picture of a dinosaur from our car window.

Lucas - "dinosaur."
Kara - ".... yup."
Lucas - "DINOSAUR!"

Kara - "yup!"

Lucas - "..... dinosaurs have big penises."
Kara - "... I would imagine so, yes."
Lucas - "They would need big vaginas."
Kara - silent laughter
Lucas - "SEEEMMMMIII!!! Oh look, a red truck! Sexy.... look at that white car, it's a sexy white car..... ...... look at that truck, it's sexy too.... you could have SEX in the back of that truck."
Kara - "Why yes, I imagine that you could."

(At this point, I try drastically to change the topic to a non-sexual one, but to no avail. Everything we talk about is "sexy" or "kinky" or "let's have sex." Then...)

Lucas - "..... can I touch you?"
Kara - extremely apprehensive. "... sure honey, you can touch my leg or hold my hand!"
Lucas - Proceeds to grab boob.
Kara - Swats off hand. "AH! Not there honey..."

Lucas - Proceeds to grab boob again.
Kara - Violently removes hand. "LUCAS. No. No."

Lucas - "But... but... I just want to touch you. Here, I will just touch your arm, ok?"

Kara - watches as Lucas grabs her upper arm for about 4 seconds, and then proceeds into a feelskie.

Kara - Removes hand once again. "You have lost all touching privileges."

Lucas - "Fine! I will just touch myself then." Pouts, and begins to rub all over his chest and stomach for about one minute.

Kara - Laughing uncontrollably while gripping the steering wheel.
Lucas - sighs. "...... it's just not the same."

We then talk about a range of things from pooping out diamonds, to him giving me the moon because he knows how much I "love cheese."

Towards the end of the drive, I told him that his teeth were extremely bloody. He suddenly looked as though he was about to cry, and said, "Oh great, everyone's going to think I have been eating babies." I had to assure him that if anybody thought anything, it would be that he was a sexy vampire that had just devoured a herd of deer.

Upon arriving at his apartment, I suddenly faced myself with the dilemma of how to get a grown man who is much larger than me and is completely stoned up 3 flights of stairs. I called all of my guy friends, but none of them could do it. Meanwhile, Lucas is trying to get out of the car, but forgets to lift up his feet or lower his head, so he just keeps nailing his head and feet into the side door.

So I finally decide that I will just have to walk him up to his apartment by myself. I slowly help him out of the car, and he shouts "ONWARD!" and stumbles forward about 5 steps, and then nearly falls. There was no talking sense into that man as I struggled to get him up the stairs. With each step he took, he recited:

"One fish"

"Two fish"

"Red fish"

"Blue Fish"

Hysterical laughter.

And repeat.

FINALLY I get him into his apartment and lay him down on the couch. I kneel down next to him and said softly, "Lucas?"

Lucas - nothing.

Kara - "... Lucas, honey, can you open your eyes?"

Lucas - slowly opens eyes and says "..... eyeballs."

Kara - "Yes, those are my eyeballs, and I need you to listen to what I have to say. I have to go and pick up your prescription, so I need to to lay on this couch and DO NOT GET UP. Do you understand?"

Lucas - stares blankly and says ".... tuck like a fish."

Kara - "... what??"

Lucas - more insistent now, "Tuck... like a fish!"

Kara - "What? Lucas, do you understand what I am saying? You can't walk, so I need to lay down while I get your prescriptions."

Lucas - "TUCK LIKE A FISH!!"

Kara - "I don't know what you are saying!"

Lucas - in utter defeat, points at the blanket at his feet "tuck... like... a ... fish..."

Kara - then realizes that he wants me to tuck him in with the blanket. (why like a fish? I will never know.)

The rest of the evening was eventful as I got "I AM IN PAIN!!!!" phone calls while picking up his prescription, to watching him try to eat soup when most of it ended up on the table, to me having to explain what happened over and over to him.

He looks more like human today and less like chipmunk. Which is good, because it is our 6-month anniversary (counting all of our time as an exclusive couple.) Hoorah for togetherness!

P.S. I know that my picture that I drew today was WELL BELOW normal standards. I rushed through it, I admit.

P.P.S I just recorded a demo song for Tyler Caslteton (who is basically at the head of the LDS music industry) and it turned out really well. If I knew how, I would post it on here for you to listen. But since I can't, I thought I would write the lyrics to my favorite verse.

"The darkness whispers,
You are lost, there's no way back.
But you don't have to keep traveling
The path that you are on
There's always a way
The chance to change is never gone."

Hoorah for change! Hoorah for being able to change! Hoorah for life!!

Summer time, Feeling fine.

The title of this blog is the title of a song I wrote actually. The lyrics aren't profound, but they encompass what this summer has been about.

On a sunny day I can see for miles

But all I see are the people's smiles

The sun has brought us out to town

So we can paint portraits with our shadows.

Summer time, Feeling fine

You are always on my mind

Let's go, go, let's go,

Run until the sun don't show.

All the children have come out to play

Laughing is the way they pray

Ice-cream trucks always play our tune

And parents always call you in too soon.

Summer time, Feeling fine

You are always on my mind

Let's go, go, let's go,

Run until the sun don't show.

Now we may not be children forever,

But we can still look for hidden treasure

And when the sun is shining strong,

We can all be forever young.

Summer time, Feeling fine

You are always on my mind

Let's go, go, let's go,

Run until the sun don't show.

Run until the sun don't show.

I love writing music... and the tune to this song is adorable. I actually like the tune a lot better than the words of this song. It's all like "da-da-DA-Da-da... dadadada..." ... ya.

ANYWAYS right now I have about 18 mosquito bites covering my legs... its quite sad. For a while I thought I was immune to those little buggers... until I woke up two mornings ago to realize that I had had an dramatic encounter with a mosquito lodging in my room of which I was completely unaware.

This week has consisted of mini-golfing, watching movies, basking in the sun, going down two of the most terrifying water slides EVER... and more sun. It's been great.

I hate mosquitos.

I love my beliefs.

Yesterday I went to Park City. Tomorrow I go sky diving.

It's been a good weekend.