self-realization of the day:

I'm a slow walker because I rarely take advantage of my full stride.

SYMBOLIC, no?

fast food no more.

Three days till Mardis Gras. Which means I only have that long to gorge myself on McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Sonic, Dairy Queen, and other such establishments. Because after that comes L E N T . I used to hate Lent when I was little, but now that I've grown up and realized what it actually means, I'm a much bigger fan. And any excuse to feel closer to God is a good one, right?

Anyway, in celebration of Lent (which is coming WAY late this year!), I am giving up fast food. That includes any restaurant that doesn't require you to sit at a table in order to dine there. And it also includes take-out stuff. Man, I'm going to save a TON of money in the next month... In addition to the "no fast food" policy, I'm taking on the challenge of reading or listening to at least one General Conference talk every day. Doubling up does NOT count for multiple days (I'd take care of, like, a week just by listening to one session of GC in April).

THOSE ARE THE RULES.

I'm writing this more for myself than for anyone else. Hopefully, now that I have it in writing, I'll actually stick with it. Last Lent was wonderful, and I learned a lot about myself. Fingers crossed that this year will be just as rewarding :)

The Jimmer

My life has been taken over by a man I've never met.

He goes by the name of Jimmer Fredette.

And he looks like this:

Recent events, mostly instigated by Mrs. Michelle Peralta, have set fire to the already crazed BYU Cougar basketball fans, myself included. I have homework to do. I have stories to write. I have tests to study for. And all I can do is think about the great James "Jimmer" Taft Fredette. And watch Jimmer videos on ESPN.com. And read sacrilegious comments that put His name (um I mean, his name) into scriptures like the following:

‎"Our Jimmer which art in Provo, Hallowed be thy game. Thy points will come, Thy wins be done at home, as they are on the road. Give us this day our daily 3s. And forgive us our poor fan behavior, as we forgive our rival's fans' ignorance. And lead us not into poor shot selection, but deliver us from losses: For thine is the MWC Championship, and the Final Four, and the championship glory, for ever. Amen."

-- The Lord's Prayer, adapted for a BYU audience by McKay Bushnell --

It's ridiculous. It's obsessive. It's unreasonable. It's HILARIOUS. And it's amazing. I realize people get a little crazy when it comes to spectator sports, but a little school spirit never hurt anyone! It's healthy and it's normal. I don't understand how people could compare this with idol worship. Granted, perhaps I should remove the candles, incense, and dead chickens from my Jimmer shrine; that may be a little excessive...

I just love him so much. I still reflect on the day where Jimmer Fredette, the one and only, came in to Jamba Juice last summer and asked me, Michaela Peringer, to make him a Peanut Butter Mood. And I made it. And I handed it to him. And he was refreshed.

Bless you, Jimmer. May the fervor you've introduced to BYU sports never fade. And may the Michelles of the world realize your greatness and never doubt again. Amen.

Michelle = Mrs. Peralta, NOT Obama's wife lol

NEW

I made a new blog.

http://begin-at-the-end.blogspot.com/

I'll keep this blog going for ME things. My new one is dedicated to YOU things. Check out the first post, and see how you like it. I hope you do :)

smiling in your sleep

As I confessed in my last post, I didn't go to school today. 4 day weekend for Miss Michaela. I'm a fan.

I think it might be silly to say I had a great day and to just blog about that, but... well, I had a great day, and I'm going to blog about it.

FIRST, it snowed. Now normally, I hate the snow. BUT! when I get to spend the morning in my pajamas watching the snow fall, it's one of my favorite things. It really is beautiful.

Also, as I have made a tradition on lazy, home-alone days, I cleaned and organized my apartment and bedroom. When I decide to stay home, I tend to feel a bit useless, and in an effort to avoid that feeling, I clean. I cleaned the whole front area, organized the shelves, deep cleaned the whole kitchen, reorganized the furniture in my room, did my laundry, and lit two apple pie scented candles. And I put new light bulbs in my floor lamp for the living room which makes the whole apartment look warmer and more inviting.

And then, I went to meet with my bishopric about a whole mess of things. Apparently, they don't consult each other when assigning callings, and I ended up with two (Relief Society instructor & member of the Sabbath Day Worship Committee [I love BYU and their made up callings, haha]). And since I said yes to both of them and didn't ask questions (like the good girl I am), none of them thought about it until last Sunday when I stood as my name was read. Bishop leaned in to his first counselor and asked, "Doesn't the new girl already have a calling??" WHOOPSIE. Anyway, I was set apart for calling number two today. I wasn't expecting much, just the usual "We bless you to do this calling well" business. But the bishopric member who set me apart gave me the most beautiful blessing, I almost cried. It was long and I was already running late for work, but I didn't care. It was absolutely lovely, and I told him so.

I was on time to my staff meeting at work, and it went by great. Staff meetings are sort of a joke at ILP. It's just a bunch of girls talking about funny stories from that week. Kind of annoying but also awesome because I get paid to sit there and listen to them giggle and talk amongst themselves.

And on my way home from work, this song came up on my Pandora station. I've been listening to it on repeat since I got home.

Dontcha just LOVE days like that??

I DO :)

the tradition continues

I didn't go to school today, even though I probably should have.

AND I DON'T THINK I'LL GO TOMORROW EITHER.

I have this thing where I just... don't do what I'm supposed to do. And instead, I ONLY do what I want to do. And that usually involves sleep. It's a procrastination issue that I've been dealing with for a veryyyyyyy long time now. And it just seems to be getting worse.

I put myself in these situations, and I can't conceive why. I guess I strive for mediocrity. Or maybe I just like being stressed out.

Who knows...?

In any case, class or no, I'm going to keep up my Tuesday Temple Trip Tradition (say THAT five times fast). And I'm getting set apart in my second calling (in as many weeks) after dinner. AND! you can be sure I'll be attending my weekly staff meeting at work tomorrow night. See, I may be a slacker when it comes to school, but when it comes to my spiritual & financial well-beings, I'm as stalwart as they come.

I should have known better than to sign up for all morning classes. This is going to be an interesting semester...

Thank you, may I have another?

Another quiz post. I apologize to those of you who seek narratives and quotes, like I usually post. I'll be back at it very soon.

But in the meantime:

I am... always running late.
I want... PAUL DELVECCHIO.
I have... a zebra snuggi. And I'm wearing it right now.

I wish... I could just BE SMART without having to try.
I hate... when your party doesn't start because Ke$ha hasn't walked in yet.
I fear... the thought of dying alone. (HEAVY, sorry)
I hear... Elizabeth by Isaac Russell.
I search... with Google, totes.
I wonder... what prompted my crazy dream last night??
I regret... not visiting the Helsinki Finland temple when I had the chance.
I love... the precious few.
I ache... in my shoulders from Maori dance rehearsal.
I always... want to sing along.
I usually... do.
I am not... one to withhold my opinion.
I dance... Polynesian cultural dance. And that's it.
I sing... in an awkward register.
I never... remember names, but
I rarely... forget faces.
I cry... when I'm in the mood to cry.
I am not always... responsible with my time.
I lose... my cell phone at least a few times a day.
I'm confused... as to why men behave the way they do.
I need... to do my homework before my work training session in a few hours.
I should... repaint my nails before I go.

And there you have it.

A special shout out to Rachel for letting me steal this.