I am thankful for Pumpkins

Tonight was all about pumpkins. I made a pumpkin pie with a graham cracker crust, a pumpkin pie in a regular crust, and chocolate pumpkin bars. It was intense. They were all very tasty :)

I am thankful for...WinCo.

So today, Becca and I spent a very long time at WinCo. I think its just about my new favorite place in Provo. If you haven't had the WinCo experience, I have one thing to say to you : It NEEDS to happen! The store itself is quite large, filled with inexpensive products and offers a variety of bulk foods, and everything else you can think of--- for super cheap! A college students dream :)

We spent about an hour and a half walking through aisles of produce, and health food dispensers filled with nuts, yogurt-covered pretzels, fortune cookies, granola, tabouli, dark chocolates, banana chips, sun-dried tomatoes, flours...the list goes on. Being there makes me want to be healthy. And thats a very good thing.

I am thankful for friends

Friends are awesome. Some guys came over randomly and decided to just visit with my apartment. We talked, shared, laughed, guitar-jammed and enjoyed each other's company. It was wonderful. I really do believe friendships keep you going. Getting to know people has become one of my favorite things to do. So guys, thanks for making my day!

La Lluvia

Estoy agradecido por la lluvia!

Ako ay nagpapasalamat para sa ulan.

我很感谢雨

Je suis reconnaissant pour la pluie!

Jeg er takknemlig for regnet!

Zahvalan sam za kišu!

Ես երախտապարտ եմ անձրեւից!

Tá mé buíoch as an bháisteach!

Today it is raining in Provo, and I am lovin' it. I am grateful for the rain!

Dig, Set, Spike

I am grateful for Volleyball. There is no better feeling than being on the court and playing well. I played volleyball in high school. Currently I am in a class at BYU, and it is so much FUN! I don't even mind having to wake up at 7 on fridays for that class. It is two hours of pure awesomeness.

My favorite thing to do is hit (even though I always end up setting)... Either way I LOVE this game and recommend anyone who wants to pick up a sport/hobby to give it a try. Its that cool!

Just one of those days

Today was just one of those days where everything went right! I want to start an "I Am GratefulFor..." string of posts. I like the number 15. So it will be 15 days of "I am Gratefuls."

Today's post cannot be discussed without accounting for yesterday.

6:14ish - In an attempt to describe me in 6 words, a challenge prompted by Hemingway (I apologize for initially accrediting this to Elliot), a very insightful word-- for which I cannot take credit for was brought up: HYDRATED. For those of you that know me there are two reasons for this obsession with agua and they are as follows:

1. I am the most PARANOID person when it comes to getting sick. Drinking water makes me feel like I am more likely to flush out any possibility of cold or virus. I drink a tall glass before bed every night because I feel like it keeps all the sugar I eat from sticking to my throat. I know, its weird.

2. I get nervous a lot, and when I don't know what to do with myself I drink water.

---This feels like the right time to do this so I will. I just wanted to express a special thanks to my brother Josh, who for countless years would get me a tall water of Ice-cold water every night before bed since I can remember. Much love Josh!---

8:ooish - My hydration gets me all the time, so I ran/waddled from a friends house to my apartment. And, though I did restrain myself from doing so, there were multiple times Becca Jayne Schmidt goaded me to pick a patch of grass to water. When I made it home, I bolted for the bathroom and before I knew it I heard a loud CLUNK. My cellphone had fallen in the toilet bowl! So I soaked my phone in rice.

920-11:30ish - Walmart run. Where Becca, Maureen and I got the sweetest materials for Halloween costumes!!

11:30 ish - Checked the phone and it was going wild taking pictures endlessly but not turning on.

8:14 AM (this time i remember distinctly) - My phone was resurrected.

So, can you guess what I am thankful for? Of course. Its obvious...

I am thankful for RICE.

All I wanna do is dream. Dream, dream, dream...

So I've been thinking about my dreams lately. I don't mean the kind that come to you when you're in the REM stage of sleep, I mean, the kind of dream that moves you to make decisions. BIG ONES.
By definition, a dream is that which upon accomplishment elicits emotions of joy, pleasure, gladness and rejoicing (you can thank oxford for that denotation). Since happiness is a condition of the heart, I would argue that when we are happy, we are living our dreams whether we realize it or not. While I do have some dreams that I hope will unfold in the future I'm putting those dreams on hold. This is not because I think they are unrealistic, but because I have bigger dreams outside of myself. When I say that I mean that as much as I love writing and studying Romantic Literature, I really do feel that its something that can wait.
I am slowly understanding that my happiness depends on how well I can accept the decisions I make. When I was 14, I wrote in my journal that I would study nursing and after that, I could pursue any other avenue of academia I wanted. My mother would probably not believe this if she read it, but yes, I am reverting back to that "dream." Its pretty competitive to get into the nursing program here at BYU but I want to give it a shot. Hopefully, nursing is willing to take a shot on me!

Twenty-Five Ways of looking at the World"

"I do not know which to prefer

The beauty of inflections

Or the beauty of innuendos,

The blackbird whistling,

Or just after"

-Wallace Stevens

XVI

To avoid the debt of cookies, the brave young soul made a list:

1. Rules in advance.

2. Apply help as needed. repeats if necessary.

3. Laugh it off.

4. Run after ice-cream trucks.

5. Be patient, be kind.

6. Share.

7. Wild imaginations make interesting bedfellows.

8. Never worry, because there will always be someone to pluck off the

nonopopsee's, one by one.

An incredible mentor wrote this as a response to a presentation i made years ago. Thank you Mr. Avitabile.

The list above is just a few of the many things I learned from the kids I worked with over the years. Three in particular: Anna, Abby and Elena, hold a very special place in my heart. I haven't been updated on there whereabouts in a while. Still, I think about the summer we spent together. I have learned so much from them. I learned that children are sensitive to love, that they have the capacity to show affection with nonjudgmental eyes, and open arms. They are strong. The kind of strong that lifts your spirit, carries you through a hard day and embraces you when you've forgotten how. The love of a child is selfless and endearing. It plants within you a sincere desire to serve, smile, laugh and endure. Thanks girls!

Do you remember that summer when

we slept side-by-side

on rainbow hammocks

and ate mangoes under the shade?

Do you remember that summer when

we shared stories

and jumped in oceans in our dreams

and talked,

and talked,

and talked,

until we heard a thud on our door telling us to go to bed?

Do you remember when

the rain fell and flooded

when the rolling thunder

walked on our tin roofs

and rattled us in our beds?

Do you remember when

we sailed on rowboats

that sped and jumped,

and how our bellies jumped too?

I remember, and how I miss

every touch

and every goodnight kiss.

I remember

the way we laughed,

the way we walked,

the way we swam,

the way we loved.

I wont forget those summer nights.

The warmth of gratitude

within me grows

Your love is the greatest

my heart knows.

-Jalipa.

Batman and Robin

From barely six to five-foot-two,

our differences are but a very few

But some are hard to set aside

like how she drives and I just ride.

Too bad I came from a metro city

Cause me and cars are kinda, lets just say-- iffy?

At times we get into those moods

that make us bond and eat good foods.

But, then my belly looks like it has a baby

well, actually not really, no definitely-- maybe?

On days that we have lots of vigor

Our plans for the night get big and bigger,

Like when we thought packing snow was fun,

and how we made the chicken feet run.

One time we had this crazy, messy, exciting, showdown date

and soon after the visit to Costa Vida worked out like fate.

Never a moment comes thats dull

In fact even when its serious we like to talk, mull.

From then to this, the truth is simple:

Becc and Nik, a smile and a dimple.