A Post-Thanksgiving Post

Happy (late) Thanksgiving, everyone!

I'm sorry I'm such a crummy blogger...it's been busy around here lately, so I hope you'll forgive me.

Just for updating purposes:

• My brother is a great cook. He cooked me Thanksgiving dinner, and it was delicious. Don't worry, I returned the favor and made him peasant pasta tonight.
• I got a full 5 days off of school and I'm miserable. Besides, my roommates (and the majority of the population of Rexburg) are all gone, so it's REALLY quiet. And it freaks me out.
• We got the first real snow the other day. It was about 6 inches, I'd say, from what I had to plow off of my car. And my parking lot is now an ice skating rink. Trust me, I've gone for a few rides.
• Hillary and I did 2 puzzles that she bought at D.I., and, of course, one of them was missing 13 pieces, but still. Oh, and the one that had all of the pieces glows in the dark! (And those are polar bears, Hillary, not panda bears.)
• I finally got home-sick for the first time I can remember since I started college. It's not that I don't miss my family on a regular basis, but I FELT it everywhere over the past week.
• I got a letter from my little sister, Carlee, and finally wrote her back. (I love getting letters letters...like, in the mail letters...)
• I promised myself I would do all of my projects over this week. Haven't done a single one. Or my giant Humanities test that is due on Monday. Guess what I'm doing tomorrow!!!

Other than that...I refuse to post on the internet the intricate details. Hahaha.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. I'm happy. I know, I know, that's ridiculously repetitive and redundant, redundant and repetitive.
2. Jessie allowing me into her house even though I literally rolled out of bed, threw on jeans and a bra, and pulled my hair back. Thanks Devro, for letting me steal her. And for the input. :o)
3. John is very patient.
4. The Blindside. What an AMAZING movie! WOW it was SOOO good! And, by the way, Sandra Bullock's accent is 100% contagious. ...For me at least; I don't know many other people who catch accents the way I do.
5. All the people who make me laugh all of the time.
6. School on Monday. I can't wait to get back to class and see my teachers and my friends and have something to do everyday. This is making me crazy.
7. I saw Brother Flora at WalMart today with his family and he said, "Ciao, Lauren!" and then looked really confused.

Graduation

I graduate in one month.

ONE MONTH!!!

I'm excited. And terrified.

hahaha.

I keep getting emails from the school - Grad Night is on the 1st with President and Sister Clark, and then Grad Fest (where you pick up your cap and gown and can have your picture taken and order announcements) is the next week and then the week after that is finals and ...GRADUATION!

I'm excited because this is kind of a huge mile stone. I'm terrified because this is scary. hahaha. I have NO idea what the heck is going to happen. I've been looking for jobs in Arizona or jobs that I can "do from anywhere" because they're done through e-mail and phone communication. I've found one to do from anywhere, which is good because I can do that and save money and when I have the funds, be able to move to AZ. (AMI!)

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. I love all of my family. I have the best brothers and an amazing sister. The in-laws are amazing - love each one. My parents are so supportive and full of wisdom. And I'm lucky enough to live with all of my surviving grandparents. I can call any one of them any time for anything.
2. KP telling me about her wedding dress.
3. Elliot. He's one of my favorite people and I'm super sad I have to leave college and all of my friends up here - like Elliot and Quincy and all of the roomies that I love. I feel like I didn't get enough time with Elliot.
4. My PR teacher actually said the word "WOOT!" on my final exam. I had to stifle my giggle in the testing center because I'm pretty sure that any show of cheer or happiness in the testing center results in an automatic fail.

Book Fest Round 2!

We had the second book fest this past week (Monday and Wednesay) and I had to present on Wednesday.

I read Ann Radcliffe's The Romance of the Forest from 1791. It's considered the greatest of all gothic novels and the jewel of Radcliffe's career. "Gothic" doesn't mean the same thing in literature as it does to us today. A gothic novel is anything that has to deal with something supernatural - for example, Bram Stoker's Dracula is a gothic novel. As is Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.

I LOVED this book. It's outlandishly ridiculous but it's amazing. It's Victorian, but with ghosts and murder and kidnapping and sword fights. As I was explaining it during my presentation, one of the girls in my class said, "So kind of like The Princess Bride?" And that seemed about right.

I redesigned my book cover yet again so I could play on InDesign some more. (Still love it, just in case you were wondering.) So here it is:

Before:

oooooo....

After:

aaaaahhhh.....

For my presentation (since the last one wasn't such a hit, apparently) I decided to play a little game again, but this time I had typed up little scenarios from the book involving all of the characters several times over. For example, I had: "The man you love - who has just saved you yet again from the evil Marquis - has been hit on the head and is bleeding profusely. You don't think the doctor is capable, what do you do?" And then the person reading would explain what they would do and why, and I'd explain what the characters did.

I think this round went over a lot better than the last round because Sister Hawker complimented me several times and was using my presentation and book cover as good examples in class on Friday as we discussed Book Fest.

If you're looking for something interesting to read - pick it up!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me toady:

1. Alli. Thank you so much, love, for Friday. You're the bestest ever. For reals.

2. Elliot started a conversation with me about killing John on Saturday. If only he knew... Bwahaha.

3. I designed a website for Sister Soper over the weekend and we'll see on Monday morning if my design gets chosen.

4. Laundry Day.

5. I've seen Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 4 times in theatres. I've only paid twice. :o)

6. I got an invitation to a certain someone's bridal shower. ;o)

So Excited For This:

Disney's, The Princess and the Frog.

I bought the Diamond Edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and it has a few special features that are pretty cool on it. For example, the first preview I've seen outside of theaters for The Princess and the Frog and a really fun behind the scenes sneek peek at The Princess and the Frog! So tonight, as I was doing my powerpoint for the next Book Fest (which is on Wednesday, so expect another post soon) I put in Snow White with my roommate Alex. The behind the scenes look had the first 6 minutes of The Princess and the Frog!

It looks SO good! I'm super excited for it!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. Goth Pod. :o) Shut up, all of you.

2. My roommates have really nice boyfriends.

3. I got to chit chat with Alli today which was fun cause I needed girl talk. :o) Please see #1.

4. I got ANOTHER letter from Shauna!

5. Since Thanksgiving is looking kind of ...slow... I've made a resolution to do my last Book Fest over that week and see what other huge projects I can get a jump on, like the second job portfolio.

6. The Romance of the Forest, by Ann Radcliffe. I liked it despite how ridiculous it was. Ask Leslie, I was screaming at the book, but couldn't stop reading.