RIP Camelbak

This week in pictures.

Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

• The meters outside my apartment complex.  I love things in rows and patters.
• A butterfly in the canyon.  It finally landed!
• A Sunday walk around the Provo Temple.
• Driving home from Brady's.  I had forgot to take a picture that day.
• Chocolate Cheerios! Best thing ever!
• I love this song.  "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane.
• Sushi for dinner.  Delicious.

Check out my Project 365 blog.


On a sad note, my Camelbak water bottle broke.  Noooo!  I had that water bottle longer than any other water bottle.  The straw top came off, but I'm actually glad it did, because do you see that black nasty in the straw?  Yeah, I didn't know that was there.  I would wash that thing like crazy because it always got gunk in the straw, but I didn't know about that little crevice right there.  Nasty, huh?  I'm gonna have to find a way to clean that.

Let's eat grandpa . . . wait what?

I found these images today on Pinterest and I really liked them so I thought I'd share.

I really want to do this idea! You take newspapers from the day of the big events in your life and modge podge them on a frame.  Genius!

Ah, if only . . .

Um, yeah I have that same problem.

I totally want to do this when I'm old.  Converse and all!

Chocolate + Cheerios = The Best Cereal

Cereal is the hardest thing for me to pick out.  When I go to the grocery store, I will spend on average about 10 minutes in the cereal just trying to decide what kind I should get.  But, I have come to the conclusion, that Chocolate Cheerios may be the best cereal out there right now.  It's chocolate.  And Cheerios.  And it even makes your milk turn chocolately, so after you finish eating the cheerios you have a tasty drink.  Double treat!

Remember

I once heard that remember is the most important word.  There is a scene from the movie "The Lion King."  Simba is trying to decide what he should do, whether he should go back to his home or not, and this scene takes place:


Rafiki: [after guiding Simba to a spot where he says will show him Mufasa] Look down there.
Simba: [looks into a pool of water] That's not my father. That's just my reflection. 
Rafiki: No, look harder.
[touches the water, as it ripples Simba's reflection changes to that of his father]
Rafiki: You see? He lives in you.
Mufasa's Ghost: [from above] Simba. 
Simba: Father?
Mufasa's Ghost: [apears among the stars] Simba, you have forgotten me.
Simba: No. How could I?
Mufasa's Ghost: You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.
Simba: How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be.
Mufasa's Ghost: Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. Remember...


It is so easy to forget why we are here.  It's easy to forget past feelings and promptings, and we get so caught up in the here and now that we forget.  I love those days when I remember. 

When I remember that I am a daughter of God, and that I have a purpose. 
When I remember that no matter what I've done, I'm loved and I'm wanted. 
When I remember why I am here and what really matters in life.

Somedays you just need those little reminders, and today was a reminder for me.  I hope, that if I do forget again, I remember soon.

Saturday's are the best.  Yesterday I woke up semi-early and got my room cleam, showered, went grocery shopping (and yet I still can't seem to find anything to eat) and then headed up the canyon with Ashley.  Our plan was to read, and I did get a little bit in, but we mostly talked, and she prepared her lesson for church.

When we got to the park, there were butterflies everywhere!  I wanted one to land by me to take a picture, but I ended up having to sneak up on it and that didn't work very well.  It started flying away so I just started snapping pictures hoping it'd show up in one. It did in this one!

It finally landed, but could it have chosen an uglier background to land on?  Mud?  Really Butterfly? I was hoping it'd land on grass, but mud is ok too I guess.

I discovered yesterday that sunflower seeds are addicting.

Later that night we met up with Caitlyn (roommates reunited!) and got Yogurtland and had a Grey's Anatomy marathon.  Is that not the most random combination of toppings ever on fro-yo?  My healthy taste buds and my sweet-not-so-healthy taste buds were having an argument.  Both won.

Sammy's Summertime Sizzles

One time I made a CD, and whenever I made CD's I would try to come up with a freakin cool name for it, and Sammy's Summertime Sizzles was one of the names I came up with.  I have no idea why though because a) I do not like to be called Sammy, except for by my sister Melissa because for some reason I let her get away with it, and b) what the heck is a Summertime Sizzle?  It sounds like a cookbook.  I guess I was going for alliteration with that one.

Anyways, I decided to share what I've been listening to lately.

So without further ado, a few songs from my summer playlist:

If You Wanna - The Vaccines

Beautiful Day - U2

Island in the Sun - Weezer

Crying Lightning - Arctic Monkeys

Extraordinary - Liz Phair

Feeling Good - Muse

How Far We've Come - Matchbox 20

(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To - Weezer

A Little Bit Stronger - Sara Evans

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Proud Mary - Tina Turner

Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Sam's Town - The Killers

Sideways - Dierks Bentley

Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

That's The Way I Loved You - Taylor Swift

Young - Kenny Chesney

We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine

Yesterday at work, my supervisor showed us this cool video.  It's a bunch of scenes from Disney movie's all put together to make this song.  It's pretty cool, so if you have a couple minutes, check it out.

I Am The Walrus

That title has nothing to do with this post, I just have it stuck in my head.

Since I moved my Project 365 to a whole new blog (dang blogger and deleting my pictures!), I thought I'd post each week what the previous week's pictures were.  I'm also going to out a little description so I can remember what I did that day, and also so you know what's going on, and the pictures aren't totally random.

So from top to bottom, left to right:

• Reading Ender's Game up the canyon. 
• My mom had washed Aubrey's church clothes and had her princess dress hang drying with the other dresses. 
• My clothes drying on the rack.
• Photoshoot with Syretta.
• My outfit that day.  I liked the belt with the black and gray stripped shirt.
• Made Blackbean brownies.
• Putting books away at work.

(Click the picture below or the link on the side of the page to visit that blog.)

 

Fill in the Blank Friday!

1.   The last thing I ate was       one of the black bean brownies I made yesterday.  I brought them to work to share because I'm nice like that.  And also, I didn't want to eat the whole pan by my self.  Which I probably would have.

2.  The next thing I'd like to eat is   a meal.  I have been so bad at cooking this week.  I want the whole shabang.  You know the chicken with some pasta and a salad.  Mmmmm.

3.  The best things    aren't actually things.  The things I love the most are things that I can't take with me.

4.  Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is  little, unexpected notes or surprises from friends and family.  I love those.

5.  Sports are     meh.  I could live without them.  I don't get the hype.  Please bless I marry a man who doesn't care about sports.  Ok, more realistically, isn't obsessed with sports.

6.  I miss      sleeping in.

7.  Right now I am       so excited for the weekend.  One more day.  One more day.  One more day.

New Current Read.

Finished Ender's Game.  So good.  Seriously, if you haven't read it, you should.

My new current read:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

You put what in your brownies?!

Do not be alarmed by the title of this post.  I am not doing anything illegal.  But I did see a weird/intriguing receipe on Lauren's blog and I really wanted to try it.

So, go to your cupboard/pantry/where ever you keep your food.  Do you have a brownie mix, chocolate chips, and a can of black beans?  Oh you do?  Ok good, that's what you need.  (Yes, you read right on the black beans.)

I know what you're probably thinking.  That the heat is getting to my head.  Or I've taken one to many phone calls at work, and I've been pushed over the edge, because who puts black beans in their brownies.  Just trust me.

So here is what you need:

1.  A box of brownie mix
2.  Chocolate chips
3.  A can of black beans
4.  1 cup of water

Here's what you do:

1. Open the can of black beans (hopefully your can opener will work better than mine did) and rinse them. 

2.  Add 1 cup of water to the beans and blend it together until it is smooth.  I used a mixer, but I think a blender would work better for it.  Do not be alarmed by the smell of the black beans and wonder how it will ever be masked even in a brownie.  It will be.

3.  Once you've gotten all the bean chunks out of it (I know, that sounds nasty.  Who wants to talk about bean chunks while making brownies?)  add the brownie mix to the beans.

4.  Blend the brownie mix and beans together.

5.  Add chocolate chips.  You techincally don't have to add the chocolate chips, but who doesn't like extra chocolate in their brownies?

6.  Pour into the pan and bake at the recommended time on the box.  I used a 6"X9" pan and baked it for 35ish minutes.

7.  Ta da! It's done.  Like all the knife marks to see if it's done :)

Believe me, I was hoping I didn't just waste a perfectly good box of brownie mix.  The verdict?  It was actually really good.  You can't taste the black beans.  At all.  For real.  And it was the moistest (most moist?) brownie I have ever had.  It didn't have quite as much flavor as a regular brownie, but it was still really good. 

I even took a picture of me eating it to prove that #1: It is edible, and #2: that this isn't just a mean joke to get you to eat something weird.  And they're a lot better for you because of the beans, so you get some fiber and less fat.

I definitely think I'll be making this again.

Love Notes From The Dr.

Check it out.

My friend Ashley is out of town and asked me to guest post on her blog. Sooooo you should check it out :)

Also, I went to the store today and got these:

14 calories for each one.  Say whaaaat?!  And they're actually not bad.  Like my name written on the box, ha?  That's such a "I'm in college, roommates please don't eat my food" thing to do.  I can't wait for the day when I don't have to write my name on all my consumables.

"Well, there's the usual things: flowers... chocolates... promises you don't intend to keep..."

Can I just tell you how much I love Disney movies?  I love them.  So much.  I ordered Beauty and the Beast a couple weeks ago, and it came today.  I'm watching it as I type this.  Ugh, Gaston, get over yourself.  I also got I Am Sam.  That is another great movie that if you haven't seen I HIGHLY recommend.  That was capital and in italiacs, so you pretty much need to see it.  You won't regret it.

Today after work, me and my friend Syretta headed up the canyon for a little photoshoot.  I somehow talked her into letting me practice my picture-taking skills on her.  (I really can't wait until I can get a Digital SLR).  It was a lot of fun.  She is so beautiful, inside and out, and we had a good time taking pictures.  Afterwords we went and got Cafe Rio (mmm, so good) and I helped her with her blog. 

Here are some of my favorites from today:

This Weekend.

We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday instead of Sunday because my dad had to work on Sunday.  We had a BBQ in the backyard and just chilled as a family.


I really wish this picture wasn't blurry.  It's Aubrey showing me she now knows how to tie her shoe.  I love that her socks are pulled up to her knees.

Just chilling in the backyard.

This is the card Aubrey got for dad. 

The other kid card consisted of telling him how much he stunk when he went to the bathroom, ha.  Aubrey's was nicer, that's for sure.

Mmmmm food.  My dad asked if I got all the olives in the bowl.  I admit, I was strategically scooping.  What can I say, I like olives.

I'm so jealous of his freckles.  They are so cute.

My mom was hang drying some of Aubrey's church dresses and I noticed that her Snow White princess dress was one of the dresses hanging there.  She's a princess at heart.

Mi Padre

My dad rocks.  End of story. 

And he looks like Robin Williams.  Maybe this is why I have a higher emotional connection to every Robin Williams movie I see? 

Dad, you work so hard to provide for your family and often go without yourself.  You are always willing to help a neighbor, and are freakin amazing on the guitar. Thanks for all you do.  Love you.

Starting Over. (Sort of)

Since a bunch of the pictures I had on my blog for my Project 365 got deleted somehow, I didn't want to risk it happening again, so I made a whole new blog for my Project 365.

I'm sad because I had started doing this back in November of 2010, and now all my hard work and persistence is gone.  I have all the pictures on my computer.  The only problem is that I don't remember which one goes to which day because I was disorganized and didn't save them in a special "Project 365" folder.  But don't worry, I've learned my lesson, and from now on, they will be stored in their own special little place.  If Blogger does delete them again, I will be prepared.  So bring it Blogger.  (Okay, not really, because it's a pain)

So, to check out my new blog CLICK HERE.

I decided to just start with today, but I might try and go back later to add the pictures I do have.  I don't know.  We'll see how motivated I am.

My Afternoon.

Today after working my first job, I had some free time on my hands before I had to be to my second job.  I decided to head up the canyon with a blanket and a book to soak up some sun and get some reading in.  It was so nice, I almost fell asleep. 

This is my reading face.  Well, actually, I knew I was taking a picture, so it's my pretending to read face.  But it's very similar, if not identical, to my reading face.