Suspenders, More Creeper Stories, My Next Big Plans...

I'm pretty much the worst at blogging consistently lately.  My apologies.  Though from my track record, I make no promises that it won't happen on occasion.

Lots of goodies have been going down.  First off, my big news from last post....kind of irrelevant now. haha I had received a job offer to go back to Uganda this summer and continue work with women in the Namatala slum.  I was sooo excited to go back and live in that beautiful country with those lovely people again.  I left there 9 months ago certain that I'd probably never see any of them again and I hated that feeling.  So naturally the possibility to go back made me extremely happy and felt like a wonderful opportunity.  And my job has been pretty rough so I was also really looking forward to a wonderful out.  Well...the job opportunity fell through.  The business apparently didn't have the finances to pay for my flight so it's a no go.  Soo....that was the exciting news! haha One of the life lessons that I feel like I repeatedly learn is that regardless of what you want, God always has you where He wants you.  While I'm sad that I don't get to go back and work there this summer, if God wanted me to be there, it would have worked out.  So He must have somewhere else that He wants me.  Yep.

I ventured into the big city a few weeks ago and hit up my favorite little panini shop.  (One of the few times that I throw my gluten intolerance to the wolves...and it's totally worth it. haha)  On my last occasion in the panini shop, I decided to read the scriptures on my phone and prepare for my upcoming sunday school lesson.  Spiritual enlightenment accompanies anything that involves pesto right?

Speaking of Sunday School, I kind of love my calling.  My first two lessons...Websters definition of "Fail".  haha The first time, I had read, studied, and prepped discussion points for 5 pages of the manual about the restoration of the priesthood.  Well..sacrament meeting went over with several peeps taking a brazilian years on their story-monies so I had 15 minutes for my lesson.  haha Which, lets be honest, sacrament meeting goes over sometimes.  It's okay.  It happens.  I was just all kinds of awkward and stressed about how to sum up the restoration of the priesthood in 15 minutes.  Not my best, really.  Not my best.  Lesson learned though--have a short and long version prepared.  Or better yet, prepare and follow the spirit.  Boink.  Sometimes the obvious life lessons take me a little longer.  haha  But my other Sunday School lessons have gone much better. Discussion feels natural, people willingly participate, it feels good.  It's been fun the last few times but dear me I've had some classes that were doozies.

It couldn't be more apparent that I wasn't meant to live in a big city.  My twelve point turns into parking slots are hardly my proudest moments.  Not joking.  Also, it's one of my new goals to regain the skill of parallel parking.  You pretty much can't go anywhere fun without having to decide between parallel parking and a $20 parking garage.  I literally don't think I have parallel parked since my drivers test.  Embarrassing, folks.  Embar.

I watched 500 days of Summer the other day.  One of my favorite movies.  There are so many funny parts in the film.  My friend Sarah says that relationships like that don't really exist.  (This was probably mentioned after I told her I really want to go on a date to IKEA. haha Yep, that's real.)  She then proceeded to inform me that she thinks I'm Summer.  Hmm...I will only accept that comment if she's implying that at some point in my life I get a darling, crinkly-eyed Joseph Gordon Leavitt all to myself.  Wouldn't ever complain about that.

I made a musical discovery a while back that was nothing but pleasing.  A friend took me to a local music place where Pig Pen Theatre Company played.  Seven gentlemen about my age played a variety of instruments and harmonized in such a way that they kind of made it difficult for you to not fall for them.  I honestly sat staring at them asking myself how and why the Orlando Bloom look alike in the band was making suspenders look hot. I dunno.  Must be those dang voices.  Jerks. They covered "Hey ya" by Outkast which...I didn't hate.  Here ya go:



I'll tell you a creeper story because...those are always fun. When I was in the middle of decorating my room, I would go to Home Goods a lot to look for cheap bedspreads.  Then, there's a Starbucks next door so I'd sometimes stop and grab a little hot chocolate for the drive home.  I had learned from a few little experiences that I needed to walk straight in, get my hot chocolate, and walk straight out.  I had been beckoned by some guys there on occasion so I learned to mind my own business and walk quickly.

Well this one evening after looking in Home Goods, I stopped by Starbucks and was approached by a guy.  He told me that he had seen me at Starbucks several times.  He told me that whenever he sees me (my eyes, my hair...blah blah gag me), he "gets a feeling".  My head tipped to the side in curiosity and also fear that he might say something entirely unclassy.  My suspicion was confirmed.  He proceeded to say, "I get a feeling.  And when I go home...I take care of it."  Ummm...are we serious?  Is that for reals?  I literally looked at him, said, "That's gross.", blinked a couple of times and proceeded to inform him, "You don't deserve that experience with me in person...OR in your mind."  haha

I called my mom on the drive home and told her the story.  She told me that I wasn't allowed to go outside at night anymore and that I shouldn't ever be alone. haha I love her.  But despite what she suggested, I'm not going to have my home teacher accompany me when I want to leave the house.  I just get trouble from the occasional foreign creeper.  But I'm sure that happens to many-a-lass wherever there are high dosages of foreign creepsters.  It's not like I'm Princess Kate and need a constant escort.  haha The very next day I got a package in the mail that had a hot chocolate maker inside.  Yes, my sweet, darling mother sent me a hot chocolate maker so I won't go to Starbucks anymore.  I doubt I could be any more obsessed with my mom.  She's so cute.

And in closing, part of the reason I've been a busy mess lately is because I'm taking a GRE prep course.  Yes, I'm preparing for grad school.  The current plan is to either go into Counseling (either School Counseling or Marriage and Family Therapy) or....International Development.  In any case, I'm excited that I have something to work toward and something to help me progress.  I had been feeling like I was in a rut there for a while and it's felt good (and tiring) having a big goal in my future that will get me closer to a better future.  So...not going back to Africa this summer, but I am going to grad school.  Different news that I had planned on announcing, but news nonetheless. :)  Loves!  Mal