Blistered Heat

I was tagged by MJ the awesome, which is very good because I was struggling to come up with something to write about. I had a lot of fun with this one seeing as how I love music but it's been a long time since I've spent any good amount of time listening to new music...or listening to the music I already have.

1. Put Your iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Put the artist after a dash following the song name.
5. Put any comments in brackets.
6. Tag some lucky people to spread the disease.



How would you describe yourself?

"Machinehead" by Bush
[Ummm. Ok. Actually, it kinda makes sense, if you take the song title at face value and then remember how stubborn I can be sometimes. Otherwise, not so much.]


How do you feel today?

"In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel
[Lyrics sample: "And one day we will die And our ashes will fly From the aeroplane over the sea But for now we are young Let us lay in the sun And count every beautiful thing we can see Love to be in the arms of all I'm keeping here with me." The song is actually about Anne Frank but it rings with a sense of hope and optimism despite its wistful tone. It's actually a rather appropriate song for how I feel today. I'm feeling rather lonely and introspective (with a touch of frustration) but I'm trying to count every beautiful thing that I see.]


What is your life’s purpose?

"I'm a Ghost" by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
[Crap. Now my secret's out!]


What is your motto?

"Is this love?" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
[Lyrics sample: "And its love, yes its love, now its love, must be love, this is love, yes its love, now its tough, Must be love, is it love, yes its love, now its hard, must be love, and its hard, is it love, yes its not, now its hard, yet in love, is it love, this is love, must be love, it is love, love, love, no doubt." Actually, this makes for a pretty good motto. It's so easy to question love, especially when its hard. But it's love, no doubt.]


What do you think about very often?

"Your Ex-Lover is Dead" by Stars
[No, I don't have an ex-lover and no, he's not dead, but the thought of loosing David does occupy my thoughts quite a bit. Lyrics sample: "There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave, You were what I wanted I gave what I gave, I'm not sorry I met you, I'm not sorry it's over, I'm not sorry there's nothing to say..."]


What is your life story?

"I Know That My Redeemer Lives" by the BYU Singers
[This is my favorite hymn so I'm glad it came up, but I'm not so sure I'm prepared for it to be my life story. If David had any say in it, we'd be missionaries/mission presidents in China for 50 years. Then, this would be really applicable.]


What do you want to be when you grow up?

"One" by U2.
[Apparently I'm going to become a human rights activist and be known by only my first name. I just don't think "Liz" has the same ring to it as "Bono" does. Still, it's an awesome song and there are much worse things that I could be when I grow up. Lyrics sample: "Did I disappoint you Or leave a bad taste in your mouth? You act like you never had love and you want me to go without... Have you come here for forgiveness? Have you come to raise the dead? Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head...One love, One blood, One life, You got to do what you should, One life, With each other, Sisters, Brothers, One life..."]


What will you dance to at your wedding?

"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by the Culture Club
[No joke. I swear this is the song that came up....and yeah, it's from The Wedding Singer soundtrack. And no, I did not dance to this at my wedding. Sadly, there wasn't much dancing at my wedding and David and I ended up only dancing the first dance to "Blue Eyes" by Carey Brothers.]


What will they play at your funeral?

"Woman King" by Iron and Wine
[Well, if that's what people think of me, then who am I to stop them? Lyrics sample: "Hundred years, hundred more Someday we may see a Woman king, sword in hand, Swing at some evil and bleed."]


What is your hobby/interest?

"So Come Back, I am Waiting" by Okkervil River
[I sure hope this doesn't become a hobby. I'm really impatient....]


If you could do anything right now, what would it be?

"Float On" by Modest Mouse
[Sounds reeeeeeal nice right now. I'll take it! Lyrics sample: "Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands, Good news will work its way to all them plans, We both got fired on exactly the same day, Well we'll float on...good news is on the way."]


What do you want most of all?

"Something" by the Beatles
[George Harrison totally knows it too. I just wish I knew what that something was.]


What is your greatest fear?

"Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" by the Smiths
[Such a sweet, sad little song. But isn't that so aptly true? Sometimes, don't you fear getting everything you want? I'd be afraid I didn't deserve it. It's not a long song, so I'm going to post all the lyrics:


Good times for a change
See, the luck I've had
Can make a good man turn bad


So please please please let me, let me, let me
Let me get what I want this time

Haven't had a dream in a long time
See, the life I've had
Can make a good man bad


So for once in my life
Let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time]


What is your darkest secret?

"Ground for Divorce" by Wolf Parade
[I've never been divorced and I sure hope I never am. I still think this song is awesome though. Lyrics sample: "You said you hate the sound, of the buses on the ground. You said you hate the way they scrape their brakes all over town. Said pretend it's whales, keeping their voices down. Such were the grounds for divorce I know..."]


What is your favorite thing in the world?

"Bleed American" by Jimmy Eat World
[So this song isn't about this, but when I hear the phrase "bleed American," I think of patriotism and dying for your country and while dying for your country is not my favorite thing, the love of country ranks pretty high up there.]


If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?

"Make Out Song" by The Rosebuds
[Awesome song. An excellent make out song. Truly. But ummm....it's not that I'd wish for making out or anything but as soon as David sees this, he'll feel that's it's his responsibility....nay, his duty!....to grant me this wish. Thanks, iTunes. Some lyrics: "True love is more than a make out song, waited to tell you way too long, wait a little bit we've been forever for two years now first time I kissed you, I almost died, so maybe there's more than love tonight.]


What is your theme song?

"Transatlanticism" by Death Cab for Cutie
[When David and I were apart, this was a pretty appropriate theme song for us. Change the Atlantic for the Pacific, and it's still rather appropriate, even now. "The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row. It seems farther than ever before. Oh no, I need you so much closer."]


The next time you hear this song (aside from now, that is), you must dance.

"I'll Believe in Anything" by Wolf Parade
[It's not really a dancing song, but I do have a few moves for this song. It's my favorite Wolf Parade song. It's brilliantly awesome:

I could take another hit for you
And I could take away your trips from you
And I could take away the salt from your eyes
And take away the spitting salt in you
And I could give you my apologies
By handing over my neologies
And I could take away the shaking knees
And I could give you all the olive trees
Oh look at the trees and look at my face
And look at a place far away from here

So give me your eyes
I need sunshine
Give me your eyes
I need sunshine
Your blood, your bones
Your voice, and your ghost ]


What will you post this as?

"Blistered Heat" by Badly Drawn Boy

I'd tag some people, but I don't know who'd get a kick out of it like I did.

ABC's of Liz and Christmas Fun

A round of surveys for your viewing pleasure. I should print these suckers out and paste them into my journal for my posterity. It's a thought.....

Anyway. First up, the ABCs of me.

A- Attached or Single? Sin....oh no. That's not right. I'm very much attached. Yay!
B- Best Friend? Kara since the 4th grade. And Jen since our junior year at BYU. They are such complete opposites of each other but I love them both so much. And David, of course. But that's a given.
C- Cake or Pie? Cake. I love cake. I adore cake. A lot.
D- Day of Choice? You know, when you don't do anything, every day kinda feels the same. Fridays are good. I've always had a thing for Thursdays though. I don't know why.
E- Essential Item? Chaptstick. I cannot go anywhere without some Burt's Bees.
F- Favorite Color? Right now, I love purple. It was my wedding color, after all. But yellow and pink are way up there.
G- Gummy Bears or Worms? This is hard. I really really love chocolate covered cinnamon bears (or just plain cinnamon bears in general) but I think I'd have to pick gummy worms. They are much more fun to eat.
H- Hometown? Poway, California
I- Indulgence(s)? Anything chocolate. And new shoes.
J- January or July? Neither month have much personal meaning to me, but I have to pick July if only for the Fourth of July. And Pioneer Day.
K- Kids? No. No. And no. Though I expect that it will happen soon enough. By soon enough, I mean before I turn 40.
L- Life is incomplete without? Faith, hope, and David.
M- Marriage Date? June 6, 2008. It was the perfect day to get married. I have this really weird thing about odd numbers so I insisted that we get married on an even date. It worked out to be 06/06/2008. I didn't even realize it was D-Day when we picked the day.
N- Number of Siblings? 3 - One brother and two sisters. All older. I love being the baby.
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples. I love the fall when there are lots and lots of different kinds of apples available. I really love Cameos.
P- Phobias or Fears? I have a lot of random fears. For the longest time, I was afraid I'd find a spider in the toilet and it would bite me on the butt. I hate driving under overpasses, especially in heavy traffic, and driving next to big rig trucks because I always think they're going to smash me and my little car to bits. I might possibly even be a bit of a closet hypochondriac. I hate big social events and calling people I don't know on the phone. But I also try not to let my fears dictate how I live or prevent me from living my life. My biggest, most horrifying fear, though, is to loose either David or my mother. I don't think I will ever be prepared to live without them in my life.
Q- Quotes? I often hear quotes and love them for their poetry or truthfulness, but I never remember to write them down or commit them to memory, except for quotes from movies or songs. I love the quote from Yeats from which I drew the title of this blog. Or I could mention my favorite scripture in Alma 26:35-36: "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name. Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo." Or I could mention a few lines from "Blue Eyes" by Carey Brothers....one of my favorite songs because it reminds me of David and it was the first song we danced to at our wedding: "Cause blue eyes, you are all that I need....cause blue eyes, you’re the sweet to my mean....I just wanna sing a song with you, I just wanna be the one that's true....cause blue eyes, you’re the secret I keep.....But you can't point the way to your heart, so sublime, when the stars are aligned...But you don't know, you don't know the greatness you are."
R- Reason to Smile? Life. I forget to smile for that reason way too often.
S- Season? Fall
T- Tag 5 People? Umm....Kara, Abby....anyone else that reads this blog? No pressure though.
U- Unknown Fact? It's always so hard to think an answer to open-ended questions like this. But since I'm sitting here, in my living room, staring at my bookshelves full of all their tantalizing books, I'll say this: I'm a very fast reader. My mother instilled a love of books and reading in me at a very early age and somewhere along the way, I became a super speedy reader. (I wish that were a super power. I could be the Great Reader or Literary Girl or something like that.) I say this because the only contests that I have ever won have been the result of my reading abilities. In the fourth grade, my class had a reading contest and we had to log the number of pages that we read each night. I racked up the most pages and won.....a book. The summer between 4th and 5th grade, my mom signed me up for a summer school class that was all about reading and enrichment type activities for kids and we got tickets for every book we read. At the end of the summer, the teacher held an auction in which we used alll the tickets we had collected over the summer to buy stuff. I had the most. Several of my fellow classmates accused me of cheating. But I truly did read every single book. I don't, however, remember anything I bought at the auction. In the seventh grade, the middle school library had some electronic literary system rigged up. They had a long list of books to read, each worth a different amount of points (the hard ones were worth 5 points). After reading a book on the list, you took a short test on the computer about characters, plot, themes, etc.. If you passed, you earned the number of points the book was worth and you had 3 chances to pass the test for each book. The only test that I did not pass was for The Great Gatsby (worth 5 points which is why I chose to read it in the first place). It was a little too heavy and symbolic for my 13 year old mind to comprehend but it has since become one of my favorite American novels. At the end of the school, year I was the loser with no life who had amassed the most number of points and I won $100. Sometimes it totally pays to read. I wish I could get paid to read now.
V- Very Favorite Store? Target. Not that they have Targets in Hawaii, but I love that store.
W- Worst Habit? Futzing with my hair. I'm either pulling the ends through my fingernails or picking at split ends. It's an annoying habit that I've had forever and no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot stop it. It's almost like a security blanket for me. If I have my hair trimmed, then I can't pick at the split ends, but then it much more fun to play with because I like the blunt edges. I just can't win either way. The only time I did actually stop was when my hair was short, but I'm forbidden to cut my hair.
X- X-Ray or Ultrasound? I've never had an ultrasound done before but I've had plenty of X-rays. And even an MRI and CAT scan.
Y- Your Favorite Food? There are so many good choices for this. I love food in general. Pizza ranks really up there for its many variations and options, chocolate, won tons. It's too hard to pick.
Z- Zodiac? Aquarius.

And now, for a Christmas survey. I love Christmas and even though I think it's just a tad too early to be thinking about it already, I couldn't resist jotting down my answers.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Gift bags are often the easier route to go, and for some odd-shaped or bulky items, they are much easier, but I much prefer wrapping paper. I find wrapping presents to be rather cathartic and I love ripping open the paper to reveal what's underneath. Bags take some of the fun away from opening presents. But then again....it's much easier to peek inside a bag and I'm notoriously nosy and impatient about opening up gifts.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
I love real trees. I love the way they smell but the mess is often not very fun. I'd insist on getting a real tree but I think for our first Christmas together as husband and wife, David and I will invest in an artificial tree in case we can't find Christmas trees in Korea. At least then, no matter what, we'll have a Christmas tree. Because there's no way to have Christmas without a tree, whether it's fake or not.

3. When do you put the tree up?
Well, if we do get an artificial one, I'll probably put it up at the beginning of December, but normally, with a real tree, my family wouldn't get one until maybe the second week of December....sometimes later. I don't like jumping too quickly from holiday to holiday.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Sometime after New Year's. Or when it starts turning brown.

5. Do you like egg nog?
Not really. I've only had it a few times and I didn't think it was awful, but it's not something I would go out of my way to buy or drink during the holidays.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
You know, I can only remember the silly little things I received as a child.....and I can't really remember if I got them as Christmas gifts or birthday presents. I was very lucky to have parents who could afford to give us nice Christmas gifts but I can't remember anything that I begged and begged my parents for and then found it under the Christmas tree. My mother used to buy us new pajamas each year for Christmas and I liked that. And we always got new clothes. But oddly, it was the little presents I'd find in my stocking each year that I was always most eager for because they were always so random and unexpected.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
I do. I have several. They are one of my favorite Christmas decorations because they feature Christ. I have a small Fontanini set that I bought when I was studying abroad in Rome. Each piece (and I have 7-8) normally costs around $20 in the States, but I got them for about 5 euro each in Italy. I'd love to be back in Europe sometime around Christmas again so that I could add more pieces to my collection. They are plastic but they are hand painted and have a beautiful quality to them. I also have a small plastic set that I got out a Kinder egg set (anyone know what those are?) and I have a smaller all-white porcelain set that I got as a child but which I think is still buried somewhere in my parent's home. Someday, though, I'd love to own a beautiful porcelain set like my mother's complete Lladro set. Funny story about that. We went to Valencia during our family trip to Spain for the sole purpose of going to Lladro's factory store so that my mom could buy the entire Nativity set (and a few Christus statues) for half the cost. After purchasing the whole set, we had 4 massive boxes full of Lladro. We had to unload the car of all of our luggage, load in the Lladro and then my dad and brother drove off, leaving my sister, mom, and me, by the side of the road with all our belongings while they went off in search of a post office still open (it was right about siesta time). They finally found a place, and came back to get us. It cost as much to ship the Lladro home as it did to purchase it, but it still cost my parents half of what it would have to have bought it in the States. They are absolutely beautiful.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
My father. He's the type of man who likes expensive electronic gadgets but if he wants something, he just goes out and buys it for himself anyway. And then when you ask him what he wants, he always says "The pleasure of your company" which is sweet and all, but not an actual present that you can wrap up and put under the tree. And while I'm not promoting materialism, it's always nice to be able to buy something for someone else which you know that they will enjoy. Half the fun of buying gifts is seeing the look on someone's face when they open it. And no matter what you buy my father, he never looks happy or excited or pleased to have received it. It'll sit on the living room floor for a week after Christmas until my mom picks it up and puts it somewhere. Argh. Can you tell this is something I go through every year?

9. Easiest person to buy for?
I've always found shopping for my friend Kara to be relatively easy. I just buy something I would like and give it to her. We've always had similar tastes. David is also pretty easy to shop for. He's always happy with some standard gift like a tie or Legos but he's also the type to not spend a lot of money on things for himself. I pay attention to things he casually mentions or things I know he'd like and I hold onto it until Christmas or a birthday or anniversary so that I can buy it for him and surprise him.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Email is great for so many things but I love to receive real mail and I still think Christmas cards should be the real deal.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Lint rollers. No, seriously. It's become this thing now. I was in Costco with my sister Cassy three Christmases ago, discussing Christmas and gifts. I was remarking on how I think I'm such an easy person to shop for because I love to receive gifts and don't really need a lot to make me happy. (Ultimately, I'm a very practical person when it comes to gifts. I like things that are useful.) As I was saying this, I grabbed a four pack of lint rollers and waved them about and said, "Like a pack of lint rollers. I'd be happy with a lint roller because I use them all the time!" That Christmas, I got five lint rollers. One from every family member. I get at least one lint roller every Christmas now. It's my own fault I suppose. Sure, I use them and sure, now I don't ever have to worry about buying another lint roller ever again but seriously? Is it really still that funny?

My family sure seems to think so.

12 . Favorite Christmas movie?
I haven't really seen many of the classics. I've never seen "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story" or even a "Charlie Brown Christmas." I love "Elf" though.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
It depends. Sometimes I start really early because I know exactly what I want to get certain people, or I want to spread out the expenses. I've already picked out one of David's gifts this year but I haven't got a clue what to get anyone else in my family. And most likely I'll procrastinate a ton and not get them sent out in time.

14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I've given away some of my spare lint rollers but otherwise, no.

15. Any Christmas traditions?
My family has quite a number. There's a few I plan to continue with David, but I'm also looking forward to creating a few of our own, especially once we have children. My favorite family tradition is eating pizza on Christmas Eve. My mother had normally prepared a large and lavish Christmas Eve feast but one Christmas, when she was hugely pregnant with me, she just couldn't do it. She told my father that it was his responsibility to find dinner that night and so my father did the only thing he knew to do.....he ordered pizza. Ever since then, it's been a Hayman family tradition to eat pizza on Christmas Eve. We get pizzas from 2-3 different places, bring out the nice china and silver, and feast upon layers of oozing cheese and pepperoni. David has already promised me pizza this Christmas Eve.

16 . Clear lights or colored on the tree?
I really don't like colored lights. I only like clear lights. Colored lights are fun and festive, but clear lights are elegant and magical.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"O Holy Night." It's so beautiful. I also really like Micheal McLean's "Forbidden Carols" CD. I listen to it every year.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I always go home for Christmas, which requires some travel as I haven't lived at home for some time. I've never spent a Christmas away from my parents or other family members and I'm, quite honestly, having a hard time accepting the fact that I won't be going home for Christmas this year. I mean, what are David and I going to do for the whole day? Christmas is normally a busy, busy day of opening gifts at my parent's home, eating Swedish scones, and then going to my grandparent's house to open more presents. I knew that I wouldn't get to go home every year, especially once I got married, but well....what to do on Christmas if you aren't with family?

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
If I thought really hard about it. I know Rudolph.

21 . Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas morning. I'm much opposed to opening them on Christmas Eve. I'll make an exception for a pair of pajamas to wear to bed that night, like my mother sometimes used to do.

22. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner?
We never did anything big for dinner on Christmas (only the pizza on Christmas Eve), but there's always good bread. I love good bread. Oh, and dessert. That's my favorite part.

Tag Stealing

I got these two tags from my friend Christa's blog and since I wasn't sure if she tagged me or a different Liz and since I'm a notorious tag stealer, I'm doing it anyway. Because I can.

The Eights

8 Favorite TV shows (I have a bad, bad television addiction....I'm only listing my favorite shows that are currently on TV. I'd have a much bigger list if I included those that have been cancelled.) In no particular order....

1. How I Met Your Mother (The funniest half hour sitcom since Friends. Seriously.)
2. Heroes
3. Project Runway/Top Chef (I couldn't pick! It's basically the same show but one has fashion and the other has food.)
4. Grey's Anatomy
5. Pushing Daises
6. Ugly Betty
7. Chuck
8. Eli Stone

8 Favorite Restaurants... (I'm not going with fast food type establishments....)
1. Mimi's Cafe
2. Cheesecake Factory
3. Fidel's (Mexican restaurant in Solana Beach, CA)
4. Olive Garden
5. Roy's
6. pretty much any Thai restaurant that makes good pad thai
7. California Pizza Kitchen
8. P.F. Changs

8 things that happened yesterday...
1. I slept in late (as usual), had very strange and vivid dreams (which has been happening to me A LOT lately), and got my requisite nine hours of sleep. Yes, sometimes it's nice to be unemployed.
2. I made my almost daily trek to Wal-Mart to purchase a few items including more chapstick and a first aid kit for our emergency preparedness bucket. Every Sunday, a sister in my Relief Society gets up to talk about emergency preparedness, food storage, 72 hour kits and natural disasters and the like and I've suddenly found myself on a huge emergency planning kick. The other day I bought powdered milk. For some reason, it felt really urgent that I have instant milk on hand. That and 5 boxes of Cinnamon Life cereal.
3. I made (from scratch) pizza dough and garlic tomato sauce to create a delicious homemade pizza with pepperoni and fresh pineapple (David and my preferred version of Hawaiian pizza). I love my pizza stone. We eat pizza almost once a week because pizza dough is so quick and easy to make (minus the hour it needs to rise) and you can pile anything and everything on top of it. Pizza is seriously the most awesome food ever.
4. I tried on my new Halloween costume. David approved.
5. I went to the Post Office to FINALLY mail a cute little onesie with pumpkins on it that I bought almost two months ago for my new niece. I hope she can get some use out of it before pumpkin wearing season is over or she gets too big. (Knowing my sister's children, her month old is probably already in 6 month clothing.)
6. Only four months after my wedding, I finally stamped and addressed about half of the billion thank you cards I need to send. These cards have been haunting me for months now and I've been slowly writing them at a pace of about one a week. I really want to be the type of person who writes nice thank you cards and expresses her sincere gratitude, but I've found the task to be very difficult. Normally, I would do things like this when bored in class or riding the bus home, but since I have all the time in the world and absolutely nothing to do but sit on my butt, I've found that I simply don't have the time to be bored enough to actually write my thank yous. But I'm very proud that at least some people will be getting them. Four months later. I hope they still remember me.
7. I played Super Mario Brothers 3. The only video game system we ever had as a child was the first version of Nintendo and Super Mario 3 was my absolute favorite game. You can download classic Nintendo games to your Wii console and ever since buying Super Mario 3, I've been on a quest to beat the game, which I never achieved as a child. The best part about having this game on the Wii is that you can save the game to return to it later (which wasn't an option with the old Nintendo system) and I've been playing this game for almost a month now. I'm one fortress away from the castle in World 7 (there are only 8 worlds) and it's killing me! I've lost about 20 lives just trying to beat the dang fortress but soon I will prevail!
8. I washed dishes. Both yesterday's dinner dishes and the dishes from the night before. Normally, I ignore the dishes after dinner and wash them in the morning but last night I was uncharacteristically productive and did them already. I wonder what I'll do with all my extra time today. Maybe I'll actually fold the laundry.

8 things to look forward to..
1. Moving to Korea with David. Though we don't have our official orders yet, we've been "selected" for a spot in Korea so barring any unforeseen complications, we'll be living in Korea in about ten months time. I really looking forward to exploring all of Asia. Good things David speaks Korean and Chinese...
2. Meeting my new niece in person. David is hoping to attend language training in Ogden, Utah next year (around March/April and Conference weekend) and I'm hoping that I can spend a few days in Utah with him, hit a few temples (David's only experience with Utah was at the MTC) and visit my sister in Provo. I'd really love to go back to the Salt Lake temple. It's absolutely breathtaking inside.
3. Having my parents come visit us in Hawaii. They're still looking for a good time to come but I'd love to have some visitors! And we'll possibly go to Maui for a few days which should be fun.
4. Attending a two year old's Superhero themed birthday party on Saturday. David and I have approximately two couple friends, both of whom have two children apiece. We've been invited to the birthday party of one of the kids (their daughter had a Peter Pan themed birthday party two weeks ago) and because David and I were losers and didn't dress up for that one, I've spent a lot of time putting together my costume. I haven't dressed up for a party and/or Halloween in probably 5-6 years and I'm actually REALLY excited about getting all gussied up. I'm going as Catwoman. It seemed appropriate. David is still undecided.
5. Finally starting my new job and earning some money. My bank account has been dry for quite some time now. I don't like it.
6. Buying a FoodSaver. This might relate back to that whole food storage kick I've been on recently, but for the last few months, I have been positively lusting after a FoodSaver. And in this month's book of coupons, Costco had a $35 off coupon for the aforementioned FoodSaver. I can't wait for it to be mine! That, and the blender/food processor I've been eyeing as well.
7. Les Miserables. A local theater in Honolulu is currently putting on a production of Les Miserables this month and I convinced David that we need to go. Les Mis is my favorite musical, which I've loved ever since my parents took my whole family to see it in Los Angeles when I was eight. I've also saw it in London on my post high school graduation trip. Even though this isn't a big Broadway production, I'm still so excited to go. We got a pair of good seats and David has never been to a live play, musical, and/or opera in his life. I hope he loves it as much as I do because I love the theater. Plus, it'll be my first opportunity to wear my new black dress from Banana Republic.
8. Having babies. No, I'm not announcing anything and no, I don't want babies RIGHT now. I'd still like to get used to this whole married thing first and wait at least another year. But, for the first time since reaching puberty, I'm truly getting excited about the prospect of starting a family. Just don't tell my parents. They're grandbaby hungry.

8 things I love about Fall.. (Disclaimer: Fall does not exist in Hawaii. Neither does winter, spring, or summer. They only have one season and it's called hot and sunny. Sometimes its hot, humid and rainy. But it's generally always hot. This list is what I love about fall and what I am missing tremendously right now....with a few exceptions.)
1. The changing colors of the leaves. I never fully appreciated the fall transformation until I moved to Virginia and experienced my first fall explosion. The colors were just so breathtaking, the leaves so vivid, and the foliage so dense that it was almost a sensory overload. I hope to experience another East Coast fall again soon.
2. Halloween candy. Aside from Easter (and Mini Cadbury Eggs), Halloween has my favorite holiday specific candy in the form of candy corn pumpkins. I love those little corn syrup balls of goodness. In the shape of a pumpkin! What's not to love!?!?!
3. Cooler weather. Again, this doesn't apply to Hawaii, but I love the subtle shift from summer to fall and especially the day when you realize that summer and fall are no longer flirting with each other and it's finally fall's time to shine. And then it's just cold enough to require a sweater, but not so frigid to mandate a heavy coat. Sure, it only stays that way for about two weeks but for those two weeks, it's pure bliss.
4. Fall clothing. I love sweaters and scarves and boots and cute little hats. I love wearing layers.
5. Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving meal represents the pinnacle of comfort food in my mind. There is nothing better than a big hunk of turkey, smothered in gravy and mashed potatoes, stuffing and apple pie. This Thanksgiving will mark the fourth one that I have been unable to be with family. But it is David and my first Thanksgiving together. It's seems a little pointless to cook a whole turkey for David and I. But then again, I do love leftovers....
6. The beginning. For some reason, fall has always felt like the beginning of the new year. Perhaps it's because for the last 20 years of my life, I've lived on an academic schedule that marks September as the beginning or because it's the start of a new television season (and I love my television, see above) but fall just feels like the right time to begin life again after the lazy, hazy days of summer.
7. A return to the earth. I know fall is generally harvest time but having neither lived on a farm or having actually grown anything worth harvesting, I have no true concept of the harvest bounty. But everytime I see pumpkins, Indian corn, and odd-shaped gourds in the grocery store, I feel like I'm being transported back to an earlier time when the majority of people still tilled the earth and had a deeper connection to their land. I gain a sense of what it must be like to live a life scheduled not by schools, entertainment, and a calendar, but by the land and the moon and stars. Fall just feels like the most natural season of them all. And having lived in or near large cities my whole life, I love that fall brings me a little bit closer to the country.
8. Fall foods. While Thanksgiving highlights most of them, I love the various foods that come of season during falls. I love pumpkin spiced treats like cookies and cake, apples and apple pies and grapes.

8 things on my wishlist... (Please pay attention David....I know you read this blog)
1. FoodSaver
2. blender/food processor
3. sewing machine
4. cake decorating kit/kitchen appliances and gadgets
5. every Disney/Pixar movie we don't already currently own
6. A romantic night out with my wonderful husband.
7. Pretty pretty purses and shoes.
8. A trip home to see my family.

Six Quirks

1. I hardly ever drink a tall glass of milk on its own. I can only drink plain milk with breakfast food and/or desserts. That's the only time milk seems like an appropriate drink. I love chocolate milk and would drink that all day long.
2. I cannot eat eggs of any variety unless I have some sort of bread to eat them with. I finally figured out that while I love a good omelet or scrambled eggs, the texture of eggs slightly bothers me and toast, bagels, English muffins, etc. mitigates the texture.
3. I don't know when or why I started this, but I always shave my right leg first. I can never start with the left leg. It feels wrong somehow.
4. David has this quirk where he'll only use a black pen. If he's handed a blue pen to sign a receipt with or something at a store, he'll pull his black pen out of his pocket to sign with that instead. I love pens--black ink preferably too--but what I can't stand are pencils. The only time I use pencils is when I'm doing math....which could explain my aversion to them. I really hate math. David, on the other hand, loooves math.
5. I'm a gum-aholic. I love to chew gum....any kind of gum. For some reason, I've been really enjoying Juicy Fruit and Orbit's raspberry mint and bubblemint flavors. But I'm a chain chewer. And I can never just chew one piece of gum at a time. I'll put in one piece but it never feels like a big enough wad to really enjoy, so I'll stick another piece in. And then I'll only chew it for about 5 minutes before I spit it out and put in another two pieces. I often go through a pack of gum per day. I just finished my last pack. I think I need to pick up some more.
6. I worked at the Gap for two years and I still feel the need to fold my clothing the way I was taught there. My shirts all get board folded (when I'm not being terribly lazy) and I fold and stack my pants just like the denim wall at the Gap. I'm suddenly feeling the need to re-fold my very disorganized drawer of shirts.

Since I stole these tags, I don't know if I'm obligated to pass it on to others, but interested people, please feel free to steal from me too. I love reading other people's responses. Thanks for reading!