That Itch...

...That must be scratched.

I was looking at pictures from China, and it started coming back again. It's about time for another crazy adventure...but where?....

And now it's time for:
"Things in China I Just Never Quite Understood"

Trees with Exclamation Marks!

Smokin'

Yearbook yourself...you know you want to.

WHAT IN THE NAME OF FREE TIME?

I am so lazy! I’m done with my field visits and I’m only working one day a week right now. IT’S AMAZING. I’m taking the time to recuperate after a full year and a half of straight school and work. I really should be getting caught up in school work, but here’s the thing; I don’t feel like it. My goal is to have everything done by Saturday night, and then I’m skipping school Wed, and spending almost all of next week at home with the family. This brings me joy inside.

The Lord really knows when you finally get some free time in your life. Just before all this settling down of activities occurred, I was called to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher on top of a Relief Society teacher at church. So far so good. It definitely keeps me up on my scripture study.

P.S.- I miss my friends! I haven’t gotten to go out west in a year because my school switched to semesters (meaning no more long weekends), and every break amazing opportunities would arise. I’m coming! I’m hoping to hop on a plane before New Years and celebrate with them!

Here's a picture of one of the best trips to Utah. I miss most of these people so much! (And two girls I have no clue who they are...and I guess Whitney didn't get there until later. She was there...later.)

SNOW?!?!?!

What? Snow? Yeah, it's November 17th and when

I walked out to my car after work there was about a

half inch of snow on it! Too bad none of it stuck...

All I really want is a white Christmas.

Fall Happenings

Boy, has a lot happened over the passed couple of weeks! How about we start at Halloween? Friday was a beautiful day, and my roommate, Andrea, wanted to go swinging in the park…Yes, I called off work to get ready for the weekend, and yes I went with her. We walked to the park down by the river, where there were no swings in sight. There were only a couple of cute old men we got our picture with.

(They're on the bench in the background)

Then we decided to walk into town to the park across from Kroger. On our way we were going past the road with the art museum! I was like “Hey! Let’s go!”…and we did! We were a little nervous because we had nothing on us and the sign said it was a dollar for students. Then we saw the fine print “Free on Fridays!!!” How lucky did we get?

After that we were back on our way to the park. Once we got there we looked around and to our surprise the swings had been taken out. We are pretty good at improvising so we still had fun.

Yeah, Andrea is wearing scrubs (just in case you were wondering why she was all decked out in purple).

Later I was off to Huntington, WV to go to the Pumpkin House with people from my branch. That was awesome! Oh wait! Thursday was the Halloween party, and I went as a tooth and Andrea was the tooth fairy. (The whole party felt like a scene from The Office, so I didn’t feel too bad about missing it that night). Over all, great Halloween this year…The Best. I spent the weekend with my friend Keerstin, which was fun! She took me to get my hair cut. I asked the lady to take off about 2inch, but she ended up taking off about 6. It hurt, but it looks healthy.

More Pumpkin House Pics

Monday night I drove home to wake up at 6am to go vote with my mom. Tuesday morning when we were leaving the house I heard the strangest and most unique noise. Mom said it was the rooster my dad brought home. I never laughed so hard over a chicken. You'd have to hear it. After a trip to the polls I had the whole day to myself at my home. I went for a walk on the trails, and just felt at home. I love it there so much. I just can’t see myself living in the city forever. That night was bitter sweet when the election was done. I’m just glad Ohio voted not to have casinos come in. I don’t know what Wilmington is going to do come January. I have hope something will work out.

This Saturday was my last Saturday at work. That broke my heart. I love my job, and wish there was enough time in the day to keep it. I’m quitting to be able to spend my final Christmas break at home with family and to travel to see old friends. Also, I’m hopefully student teaching next semester. I’ll have NO time to work.

I'm going to miss my job, and my co-workers! Can you believe I got paid for 2 1/2 years to ride horses and teach kids how to ride??? Me either!

Sorry to take so long to post. My friend Jen and I are going to start a blog together over break with everything we think is awesome (more details to come), so be pumped and prepared for that!

P.S.- Be prepared for this blog to go private soon. I don't trust creep-o's and I'm going to be looking for teaching jobs soon...Be sure to let me know if you want to see it! I want my family and friends to still be able to know if I'm still alive and/or have a life...

Happy Halloween

Oh! Hey guys! Don’t worry! After this weekend I’ve got quite a bit to talk about. This has been the greatest Halloween in years. And! It’s about to get better! I’m headed to West Virginia for more Halloween happenings.

Happy Halloween!

MUSIC and ART have my HEART!

I finally had an afternoon to myself today! What do I do? Finish a book I really like: My Stroke of Insight.

I also came up with an idea. I’m going to start a list of links I’ll call MUSIC and ART have my HEART. I’ll have links to music and artists that really move me, or get me up dancing. I’ll warn you now, I have some interesting taste. But hey! That’s what makes us special!

And now for SILLY SIGNS IN CHINA!

Dear Bloggers

Oh, this wonderful world of blog! It’s silly how much I enjoy it. I love finding people’s blogs I haven’t seen in years, and them finding mine! I love continually pressing “next blog” until I finally find one in English, or with pretty pictures. I love wasting hours of precious time reading about someone else’s life or ideas. In honor of my love of blogs I have done a bloggy thing. I am responding to a tag. My dear friend Sarah tagged me, so here it is!

8 Things:

8 Things I'm passionate about

1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
2. Saving the children (AKA: Making the world a better place for our Heavenly Father’s children)
3. Creativity
4. Health
5. Food
6. Finding “Joy in the Journey”
7. Family
8. Knowledge

8 Words or Phrases I say Often

1. “I can’t wait to graduate!
2. “I have to work.”
3. “Sweet!”
4. “If you could be any {Blank} (examples being fruit, animal, superhero, etc.), what would it be?”
5. “Put your hands forward, and kiss!” (Telling girl scouts how to get their horse to go)
6. “No, mom. It’s not me. I’m asking for a friend.”
7. “You’re making it harder than it is.”
8. *Usually the first thought that pops in my head
   

8 Things I want to do Before I Die

1. Visit every continent
2. Write a book
3. Make a difference in the world
4. Become a SCUBA instructor
5. Become a CHA horseback riding instructor
6. Learn how to talk to animals
7. Become a scientist (or teach myself how to be one by reading Wikipedia and watching YouTube)
8. Become one of those crazy old ladies that can do anything they want because they’re old and “crazy” (only I’ll have all my wits about me…)

8 Things I Currently Want or Need

1. To graduate!
2. To know where I’ll be in a year
3. To be totally caught up in schoolwork
4. To have a free day!
5. A puppy with floppy ears!
6. To visit my grandma, and family
7. To do some artwork
8. To have a boyfriend (This one’s for my parents)

There we have it! Honestly, 8 things are hard to come up with. Maybe it should be five. Besides, not only is coming up with 8 not easy, but reading through them isn’t a piece of cake either. Anyways, I’ll tag Jen, Bek, Christyn, and Mallory because they are some of the few I know read my blog on occasion, and have a blog. :)

Hey! I just got an idea! If any of you have anything you’d like me to write on, feel free to let me know! I don’t have a ton of blog regulars yet (me living in southern Ohio), but that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with this. If there is any topic you would like my take on, or crazy rant about just leave a comment. This could be interesting, or boring if no one has any ideas.

Have a great October!

Please Don't Stop The Music...

Ok, so this morning I was driving to my field visit and flipping through stations trying to find one that would let me know if there was a delay. The fog was incredibly thick, and if it was Wilmington we would have had at least an hour delay. Suddenly I turned to that song that just repeats Please don’t stop the music about a million times (I’m sure that has to be the name of it, too), and I look ahead to an amazing sight. Have you ever seen a garbage truck with its fog lights on? It is pretty cool. No lie, the lights were in perfect sync with the song. I had to leave it on the station and dance for a couple minutes. It was so awesome. The fog, and the crazy lights made the 7am drive feel like a night club. I giggled…yes, to myself. Life is just so silly sometimes.

Living

It’s amazing how your experiences can be someone else’s answers.

Feelin' Like Passin' Go and Collectin' $200

Ok, everyone! I hope you’re seated for this! I have (pretty much) completed my paintings for senior studio (which were due for summer semester). Yes, I have done it! And yes, I’m a little late, but hey! I actually got it done…now for a 10-15 page paper on Taoism, and planning a couple weeks of lessons for 6 art classes, making tons of ceramic pieces, doing drawings (with “additional effort” because I missed class to meet with another professor), creating a classroom management project, and little busywork projects all due at various times throughout this week…Oh, and did I mention I have to fit in 20hrs of work in there?

240 days until commencement…{insert huge grin here}

Is There Ever Too Much Love?...NO.

OH! I just can't resist! I miss these kids so much! Being an aunt is pretty much the best job in the world. You can always say your too poor to give them stuff (grandparent's job), and your young/old enough where they still think you're cool. It's really ridiculous though how good looking my sib's kids are. How are my kids going to compete with this!

Nick!

Chase!

(picture enlarged to show texture)

Preston!

Brennen!

Ella!

(All photos were stollen off of my sib's websites...ha)

Busy?

What a beautiful day! There’s a slight breeze with the sun shining. The next couple days are going to be devoted to lifting this burden (aka homework) off my shoulders. Freedom! I want FREEDOM! I prayed for more hours in a day for this week, and I think it’s actually working.

Is it crazy that I think I might want to teach middle school? I’m in a methods class where I help teach 6th-12th grade art. I still really want to be a high school art teacher, but middle school isn’t too bad either. I think they are so funny! They are so quick to please, and yet they think everything is stupid. It’s great!

If anyone had an art project that they just loved growing up, can you send that my way? I’ve been collecting ideas, but now I really need them. Thanks!
…I better get to work now :)

SCIENCE!

(Unfortunate not my artwork)

They deleted the blog I didn’t write for them. This is good. So, I was watching a movie last night that sparked back something I’ve always wanted to do. I love art just as much as I love science. I have always wanted to get a degree in some sort of biology. Marine biology is more specifically an interest. Have you ever heard of anyone dropping out of art school to pursue a passion for science? Haha

Life Can be so Unfair...

Hey! This is kinda fun! Except for my face! SSU posted blogs we sent about the China trip...They took two pictures and they chose that one! Come on! http://www.shawnee.edu/off/com/blog/blog.html

What! And I just read something they posted that I wrote...That wasn't even for them! That was supposed to be a blog I wrote for this, but didn't finish it. I guess it was saved on my prof.'s computer some how, and she sent it thinking it was a blog for the school! Oh dear...

So Much...

Recap time! I honestly saw just about everything in China. Everything. I'm finally just taking my camera to the library, and am now posting a few (out of TONS) of pictures.

Things I did and saw:
Longmen Caves

Kung Fu

Hiked up Mountains to Taoist Temples

Went to the Olympics

Climbed the Great Wall

Ate Everything!

(With Chopsticks!)

Climbed up a Pagoda

(Beautiful after the rain)

Saw the The Terracotta Army

Was on the city wall of Xi'an

And everything in between...

Garet and I had a time just going down the Great Wall:

If you want to see more, I posted a bunch of pictures on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017716&l=ac761&id=115901854

I am putting together a video of the trip, so expect to see that in future days...Hmm, I wonder what's next. Red River Gorge is coming up soon, but there has to be something bigger. And, skydiving may be in the works for graduation. I'll keep you posted. Life is pretty exciting:)

Why do I do What I do?

Ok, this is insane. Yesterday I got home from work around 1:00pm. I was planning on getting caught up in everything since I haven’t had much of a brake to do anything. WELL, what is about to start that would take up an entire day?? That’s right! The Lord of the Rings! One full day shot to the wind with one press of play…(three times). I’m a sucker for the movies, but I’ve had my fill for a while. I’m just so perturbed from this. Haha

I have just dropped a class to lighten my huge load for Spring semester. This means I will most likely not be student teaching in China. I don’t know what to think about this. I’m kind of relieved because now I can focus on looking for a job, creating a quality portfolio, applying for grad school, or preparing for a mission. I can also keep my job, which will hopefully get me being a CHA certified horseback riding instructor sooner. I was thinking that if I do go to grad school I will hopefully have enough saved up to pay for the first year, and then teach horseback riding and/or art lessons to pay for the rest. Who knows what will happen, but hopefully I’ll be prepared for whatever.

Welp, I’m off. I’ve got a ton to get done today

(no help from yesterday).

Bustin' out the Highlighter

I can’t believe it! It is almost 10:00pm, and I am still awake! I’ve had the worst jetlag of my life. The past few nights I’ve gone to bed around 8:00pm and gotten up before 5:00am. This is a pretty big accomplishment for me! Ok, so I’m finally home and have a little time to catch up on my latest adventure. CHINA!

Talk about CRAZY! I won’t go into much detail because there is a ton! I think I’ll just make a list of some highlights for now (in no particular order):
-Got a great massage for about $12 for over an hour
-Learned how to use chopsticks fairly well
-Ate everything, and loved most
-Got some bad food poisoning when I ate normal (odd)
-Went to the Olympics
-Saw the Terracotta Soldiers
-Climbed the Great Wall (and got the t-shirt to prove it)
-Used the hole in the ground toilets (I call them the “squatters”)
-Bargained in the markets (got some sweet deals, too)
-Rode the overnight second class train to Qufu
-Witnessed the diaperless bottoms
-Climbed up a pagoda
-Night swam in the Yellow Sea
-Hiked up a mountain to a Taoist temple
-Rode in taxis with crazy drivers
-Almost died every time I crossed the street
-Had experiences I will never forget
I have a bad internet connection, so I’ll post more pictures later, and add some pictures from white water rafting. I am about to fall asleep, so I’ll call it quits here. Goodnight everyone!

再见...or GoodBye!

I’m skippin’ town for a couple weeks! Look for me in the crowd at the Olympic Games! (I shouldn’t be too hard to spot). What’s the #1 thing I’m looking forward to in China, you ask? The fried starfish on a stick! I am going to be so digestively inclined by the time I get back. My goal: eat anything (that’s “passed through the fire” of coarse) and pray I don’t have to go to the T.P. deficient bathrooms persistently. It will be great!

For all those who have finished classes and are now on a little break, HAVE A GREAT BREAK! For those who aren’t…umm, hope you like work! Or whatever you’re doing! I’ll have you all in mind while I’m climbing the Great Wall, or enjoying a little Zen meditation with some Buddhist monks. Well, maybe not while I’m meditating. I’m not supposed to think about anything then…but any other time, you’re there! Later everyone!

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I've Got the WHOLE WORLD...

Ok, is it just me or is it hard to find a good map of the world online? I found one just now thanks to the wonderful world of Wiki. (Which I learned from Cash Cab comes from a Hawaiian word for fast!). For those who love the world as much as i do, take a look at this!...Yeah, it’s just the world, but it’s the WHOLE WORLD!

The days are counting down! I leave on Saturday for an adventure of a life time!..In China! I won’t have much access to a computer while I’m there, so I’ll have to blog about it when I get back. Alright folks! I’ll have three continents under my belt after this!..hmmm I think I’m going to try for them all! Here's a map to give you an idea of where all I need to go. I’m shooting for the all 7 option...Well, I’m not in too big of a hurry for Antarctica. I don’t love the cold…

Africa
Antarctica
*Asia *
Australia
*Europe*
*North America*
South America

watch me waddle

Have you ever bought new shoes and didn’t know how to walk in them? This is pretty common for me with high heels (I usually avoid those babies), but gym shoes are another story. Today I bought a pair for the first time in a few years. I’m used to wearing my old broken-in shoes, or my wonderful free feeling flip-flops. I honestly don’t know how to walk in these. They are lightweight and comfortable, but I feel like a baby duck trying to waddle down to the swimming hole. Not only am I a duck, but I feel like everyone has to notice that ~Oooohhh, she’s wearing SHOES~…Ducks don’t wear shoes…Mallory Ducks don’t at least….Hey, that would make a good children’s story! Mallory the Mallard Wears Shoes! Dibs!!!

P.S.- White water rafting was AMAZING! I LOVED IT!!! I'm add some pictures and give a few more details when my laptop gets near a good internet source...

Bring on the Weekend!

Ok, so I had a little chocolate treat today. It was good. Then I’m driving to institute and look in my rearview mirror. I notice a little chocolate spot on my forehead (common occurrence), so I try to rub it off…turns out it was just a freckle. Don’t worry, it is still there and happy.

Can you say “excited for tomorrow”?! I sure can! A couple of my dearest friends are coming down to do a little WHITE WATER RAFTING this weekend…I’ll spill the happenings for you next week. Until then know that I am having a spectacular time riding some rapids with some great people (we’ve got our fingers crossed for some hotties [men] to be attending).

Have a great weekend folks!!!

What the Yin-Yang?

It’s official! I’m going to China in August for a couple weeks! I hate missing so much (weddings, seeing old friends, a trip to the island…getting caught up in life), but it’s definitely for the best. This trip will help me decide if I want to student teach there in the spring. This is definitely a once in a life time opportunity, too.

I started painting finally!..and I might be in over my head. I enjoy using oils, but I’m probably going to have to use acrylic to get it all done. And, I finally can use the wheel in ceramics! Took me a couple weeks to get it, but now I love it! (That’s all for my art update, and now the psyc.)

I have had a lot on my mind lately. I usually fall right to sleep, but the future keeps me up thinking. I’ve gone through tons of options for after I graduate, and the one that has been sticking in my head the most lately is serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I kind of put it on the backburner last year when I knew I needed to get done with school, and now the desire is starting to resurface. The only reason I didn’t consider it for a while was because I wanted to get a head start on life for the future. But when will I have the opportunity to devote my whole time to the Lord? He has given me so much, it’s the least I could do… We shall see what happens. I’ll probably make my decision around November. Until then, I can expect more restless nights, and wondering days.

…This is the most stressful summer I’ve ever had in my entire life. Thank goodness I’ll have summers off for the rest of my life if I so choose!!! Let’s look at a happy picture, shall we?

...From my hardcore days....

Oh, What Joy...

The thought of two more semesters of classes brings me...

So, I have a big task to get done in the next three weeks. I've got a boatload of paintings to do! The problem is, I don't want to do it. I just haven't felt like it. It's so much easier to do a painting when it is for someone. These are just for a class. Pray I get some motivation! I'm running out of time!

This is one I started for a friend who got married in the Bountiful Temple (about 85% done). This is what I would rather spend my painting time doing…:\

Lots-O-Family

Well, what an eventful weekend! All the family was in, and it was crazy. We went hiking, swimming, horseback riding (well, the two nephews sat on Lacy for about 30sec.), saw fireworks, caught lightning bugs, and had a little family fireside. It seems like the more we have these family get-togethers, the better they get. I can’t get enough of my niece and nephews, and the new babies are the cutest little guys in the world. But now I’m off to class. Just when I was finally starting to get some sun too…

A little nature hike

4th of July Fireworks!

Look what she found.

I've never seen SO MANY LIGHTING BUGS.

I miss all those kids already!