cottleson pie

"all right, owl," I said, "then what comes after twosday?"
"thirdsday," said owl.
"owl, you're just confusing things," i said.  "this is the day
after tuesday, and it's not thirds - i mean thursday." 
"then what is it?!" asked owl. 
"it's today!" squeaked piglet. 

"my favorite day," said pooh. 

live.life.

 day five --> favorite quote

today, it is 


"when we are motivated by 
goals that have deep meaning, 
by dreams that need completion, 
by pure love that needs expressing, 
then we truly live." 

--greg anderson.

"she's dead, this is her son"

day four --> favorite tv show

enough said. 

today is just one epic holiday.

today i was briskly walking to work when something on the ground stole my attention.  people often write chalk announcements of events on the ground, so it didn't take me too much by surprise, but i do usually stop to read them.  this one, however was a bit different.  spread in front of me was a scripture found in D&C, something about turning unto the Lord and He will lift your burdens.  this made me smile.  as i continued down the sidewalk, i ran into at least 4 more scriptures, written on the sidewalk, just like that.  for the gloomy monday this was, it was definitely something i needed to see.  so, thanks, random people that wrote chalk scriptures on the ground today!  

yesterday it was simply gorgeous outside!  really gave me hope that spring just might, maybe finally be on its way :)  kellen, melissa, and i spent the afternoon on a lovely walk, then in the backyard playing football. it made my day to see so many people out walking, biking, throwing baseballs, and reading on the lawn.  i heart spring!  best season of the year.  plus, the ducks in the creepy canal are back, and make my day, everyday.

extreme sports night tonight was a smashing success!  props to christian, melinda, renae, michon, christian, andrew, andrew, brett, and mallorie!  it was a pleasure working with all of you!  go big or go home, foo.

last week was kind of a bummer, what, with reality about everything settling in... but last night was happy and gave me hope that things aren't as bad as they seem and are definitely going to get better, which was something that was pretty uncertain for the past month.  turns out when a heart breaks, it don't break even, just like that song by the script says.  but one miraculous thing about relationships is that after you've been through so much with a person, even when that person all the sudden seems to want nothing to do with you, there are glimpses of hope, like yesterday, that someday things really will be the way they were, but pleasantly different. and i really believe that's just how it will be.  daddy always says "time heals" and "this too shall pass" and i believe him now more than ever. . .

who knew getting mail from sister missionaries could be just as exciting as mail from elders?  love you, liska, em, and sar!

jake plays the piano like a master!  jon can improv like a master!  last night was so great... i really miss playing piano everyday!  thanks for reminding me, guys, let's do that again sometime :)

tomorrow night coleman is playing in concerto night!  i'm so proud of you, lil bro, even though you'll never read this... ha ha.  but seriously.  i look up to you in so many ways!  (literally and figuratively).  wish i could be there!  <3

this blog post is so long because i've been lacking lately, apologies.  

lately, like, everyday, i always look at the clock or at my phone right at 11:11.  coincidence?  i think not.

the other day when kara, rebecca, melissa k and i went to panda, melissa k ate half of her fortune.  does that mean it will only come half true?!  (she was really upset about this.)

i've decided life is no fun with nothing to countdown till.  so, here you go.  my new countdowns.   cali and one of my favorite holidays - 2 days.  conference - 5 days.  FRUITCAKE in happy valley - 11 days.  glee - 15 days.  #21 birthday and end of school - 37 days.  katie's wedding - 81 days. venture - 82 days.  LEAP - 137 days.

the new LEAP promo video made me cry today.  137 days can't come soon enough... except that'll mean summer is over, so it can take its time... but seriously.  missin' the LEAP fam hardcore still!  and to think alex will be out of here in just one month breaks my heart!

i've been to provo way too many times for my quota this year.  but  alas, 2 more to go before the years out.  woot woot happy valley extravaganzas!

our fridge smells like onions WAY bad... and it's reminding me of freshman year when katie put onions in our little fridge and our butter and everything else always tasted like onions the rest of the year.  oh yeah, and she tried to remedy the onion smell by putting a freshener in the fridge, but that just made it all taste like raspberry goodness... nasty.  miss you, katie!

finally saw "princess and the frog" this week.  ahhdorable.

alright.  this is getting ridiculously lengthy.  so i shall shut up.  stoked for second spring break, even if i do have to fly alll alonnne :D  see you in disneyland, famdamily!  


-- "and this isn't even byu..."  --

jiffy d

today is the birth date of the infamous grifficus mansellius, jiffy dygen, the man with the plan, griffy boy, griffin mansell :) it's been quite the adventure the past 5 years - plenty of ups and downs to last a lifetime.. but i'd just like to give a shout out to one of my best friends!
 happy, happy birthday... love ya, griff!    

open up

 day three --> favorite book

i don't like all this "favorite" business because i have a hard time picking favorites.  the book that's changed my life the most is surely the book of mormon.  being the nerdy elementary school teacher and child at heart that i am, i could read children's books for hours.  some of the best:

baby blue cat and the whole batch of cookies
the big hungry bear
the very hungry caterpillar
officer buckle and gloria
bernstein bears
milk and cookies
and lots of others i just can't think of right now :)   

ever since LEAP in '08 i've been on a motivational book kick... i've got a whole long list to read, but some of the good ones so far:

blink
the servant
the tao of pooh
launching a leadership revolution
learned optimism

i love to read and wish i had more time to!! i have a secret wish one day to have a library like the one in beauty and the beast (or stephen covey's house... he he) with a rolling ladder and thousands of books - all kinds imaginable - and lots of windows and sun seats and blankets and a high ceiling.  someday, right?  someday. 

giacomo.

day two --> favorite movie

definitely hurt my heart a little bit when michael told me how much he hated this movie, which is my new favorite...

also among the top few: 

the court jester

sweet home alabama

my sister's keeper

the grinch 

beauty and the beast

forever strong 

ps i love you

cloudy question marks

day one --> your favorite song.

picking one favorite song is impossible.  i for sure
have wayyy too many favorite songs to pick just one.
probably an all time favorite is viva la vida by coldplay,
i never get sick of that one!  it also happens to be the one
most played on my ipod and computer.  but alas...

my favorite song changes quite a bit.  this week i've been
on a taylor swift kick. . . she for sure explains life to a T
and sometimes i hate that.  but last week i discovered a
song by owl city called "i'll meet you there" and this
week, i'd say that's been my favorite.  check it out here. also, "break your heart" by taio cruz and ludacris

music is the essence of life!  

30 days of blogging.

 
so i was blog stalking shawnee and richard yesterday.  
shawnee is doing this 30 days of blogging thing, and 
i think i'm going to join her, just for kicks and giggles.  
here is the layout:  


Day 01 → Your favorite song
Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite book
Day 04 → Your favorite television show
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy



can't guarantee it'll be 30 consecutive days... but here we go :)  

breathe.

"i see your face in my mind as i drive away
none of us thought it was gonna end that way.
people are people and sometimes we change our minds,
but it's killin' me to see you go after all this time. . .


music starts playin' like the end of a sad movie.
it's the kind of ending you don't really wanna see
cuz it's tragedy and it'll only bring you down
now i don't know what to be without you around ."


don't ya love it when taylor swift explains your life perfectly? 

dear everyone,

please stop writing letters to inanimate objects.

it's getting annoying and doesn't even make sense.

sincerely, sara.

best smell in the world

. waltzed in the rain tonight .

. thanks jason .   

:) 

3 x 5

as john mayer says,

"today, i finally overcame tryin' to fit 

the world inside a picture frame........

maybe i'll tell you all about it when 

i'm in the way to lose my way with words"

11:11

i need all the wishes i can get today.

mona lisa.

yesterday at work i was sorting all these
nametags for the uccr upcoming symposium.
i came across this one and chuckled:

who names their child mona lisa.  i mean really.  

my insides are green

st. patrick's day was spent like it always is - 

with random assortments of excessively green 

food items for all three meals.  i <3 my momma.  

 didn't capture a lunch pic, but it was celery, green 

apples, rolos, rainbow fruit rollups, green shamrock 

cookies.  dinner's dessert was these sweet 

rainbow cupcakes that took mom forever to make. 

i love that she loves holidays.  someday i'm 

going to make ridiculously colored food 

items for my kids.  hey, it beats out 

corned beef and cabbage any day!  

the end.

i grew 
up a 
little 
today.  

  

10tastic

missin' the LEAP family hard core today.

sometimes the
hardest thing 
and the right 
thing are 
the same.  


i despise that.

125,000 gorillas

went with coleman to brian regan tonight.  

pretty sure i've never laughed that hard in 

my entire life.  my cheeks are killing me.  

he has the greatest occupation ever -   

making people laugh.  and the best part

about tonight?  all new material.  and he 

was recording for a new live cd - which 

my laugh will forever be recorded on, he he.  

thanks coleman!! 

ps just found out about daylight savings 20 min ago.  awesome.

--  "new book - 'under the bleachers' by seamore butts."  -- daddy --

spring breakitis

 well first things first, i've got a bad case of spring breakitis.  i don't feel like doing anything. it's been bad all week, but particularly today.  luckily i only have one dinner, one sorority activity, one art project, one night's sleep, one breakfast, one class, and one test before i can go hommmmme.  and luckily, i didn't have to plan said sorority activity, said art project is almost done, said test is online and open book, and said class is parachute activities in pe  :)  i've been so terrible all week, especially the past 2 days, i keep telling myself, yeah i'll just do that after the break, or yeah i'll be remotivated after the break, haa.  this has truly been the longest week of the year.  no bueno.

tuesday, michael decided he was going on a texting fast.  he's only been home 2 weeks, isn't it a little soon to be on a texting fast?  moral of the story, i miss texting him already.  pathetic, right? i need to get over my addiction.  seriously. ha ha.  

today at work i attempted to redesign my blog but then decided against it, but it deleted all my blog lists and people i follow, so if you don't see your name over there ----> and it used to be, tell me and i'll re-add it, i just couldn't remember everyone.   

i really, really like ballroom dance class.  i love the things we are learning, and i love knowing how to dance better.  especially right now we are doing the waltz, which has always been one of my favorites!  however.  today i was yet again awakened to the brutal reality that i really stink at it.  i want to be good but i'm just not, and it's totally embarrassing in class!  either i try to lead the guy, or i get lost in thought and don't pay attention to what the guy is trying to do so we clash knees, or i step on his feet, or put my feet in the wrong place so he steps on mine, or am counting so much in my head an concentrating so hard i forget to talk to the person i'm dancing with, or start singing along with the song playing and make a complete fool of myself.  it's awesome.  daddy, we'll need to practice over the break.  deal?  

one of my favorite parts about college is pictured below:

 that's right.  everyone has to have their own condiments.  four roommates.  five mayo/miracle whip bottles.  tell me how that adds up.  

. . . 

-- "hah, can you imagine me going into edith bowen [elementary school] with just a tank top?  (dramatic pause) yeah, they'd call 911."  -- 50+ year old 270 lb. hairier than heck iranian in my elem. pe class. --

crazy squared

so i thought i knew the definition of

crazy

but this week, the meaning crazy
has been taken to a whole new level.

ba ha ha. 
p.s. first post of the post-mission life: 

-- "i have a hacker again... i wish he'd just grow up.  or die."  --  kim -- 

virtual rain!

remember in this post when i said aggiemail was smart?  

today, it's raining on aggiemail!
(click to make larger...)

can you see the rain clouds?  my favorite part 

is the rain drops all over the screen.  i keep thinking i need to 

wipe my screen off, but nope, just virtual rain! 

tetris

check. it. out.  

joyce showed me this last year, 

and i just rediscovered it.  

. . . 

--(playing scattergories) "something that you hate..." - "getting schooled" - julia.  "something that's gross" - "gay" - hannah.  (hand over mouth) "ooh, that is gross..." - julia --

certainly.

and just when you're certain 

you're more certain than 
you've ever been before, 
uncertainty creeps and 
crawls in, banishing certainty until you're not only certain that you've never been this uncertain before, but also certain that you could never be certain about anything again. 


certainly 
this 
presents 
a problem 
. . .

"this bacon's HOT!"

today my art teacher e-mailed us all to tell us to

stop stressing and go outside for a while to enjoy
the sunshine.  too bad you gave us 17 assignments
for our portfolio this weekend.  bahhhh.

in the past 2 days:
- DTEA meeting and final decision!
- love's labour's lost. meh.
- whitney got a boot on her car :(
- then we got pulled over on our way home 2 min later!
- glee marathon <3
- stayed up way later than i have in a long time
- pancake breakfast with the episcopalians
- ate 7 cakes at said breakfast
- cafe rio with some of my favorite ladies!
- youtube marathon with melissa k
- painting and painting and painting
- ellen degeneres. josie brought us pizza!
- talked to michael g in his post mission weirdness :)
- french braided my hair
- texted linds and annie lots
- didn't go to the last usu bball game.  oops
- only stalked kaylee once, cuz melissa k told me to
- fell in love with t-pain auto tune: 



-- "facebook - the electric friendship generator" --

aggiemail is smart.

on my e-mail page you can pick different themes to put as the background or whatev, so last week i switched it to this sunshiney scene with a lovely green leafy tree to make me happy about springtime approaching.  yesterday in logan, what started as a light jacket day turned into a parka day.  and it snowed.  when I logged onto my e-mail last night, the sun was gone, the formerly blue sky was gray, and there were snowflakes falling on the screen.  The once green tree was covered in white and the ground was totally white too. 

i'm glad my computer knows what the weather is like 
outside and can adjust accordingly. 

the prince dies

a while back my roommates decided to buy all these
fish and name them after boys they had dated that they
now hate.  (go figure).  they also bought 2 frogs that
they named things such as prince charming and prince
phillip.  i think the idea was to see how long it took
for the hated to die.  today one of the princes died.
i find this ironic and hilarious.  sorry, whitney! 
on a happier note, check this out.  i found it on my lovely friend katie jane's page, and just about died laughing watching it.  e.n.j.o.y.  

-- "you should feel honored, i took a shower for you."  -- emily janette --

coreman

my not-so-little coleman turned 18 today!

i remember the day he was born grammy 

took parker and i to buy him new toys and i 

really wanted to buy him this sweet rattle 

but she said no, it was too hard and made 

me buy this ugly green but real soft one.  

i wasn't happy.  at least i got a new brother :) 

coleman's pretty much the coolest kid i know.  

happy #18, sir coleman!  love you!


-- "if i was a black man would you still love me?" -- dad    -- "if you were a black man, i would love you more." -- coleman --

heels that hurt

"you got your feet squeezed into heels that hurt 

cuz they go with the job and they go with the skirt, 

you gotta look good when you're out there climbing ladders.  

you go above and beyond, then way beyond that

you do it all, yeah you wear every hat 

hopin' someone that matters will realize you matter. 

but all that really matters is it's friday

and the sun is shinin' over my way

toss your heels in the backseat, 

drive home in your barefeet...

...just be you when you're with me, 

girl you got nothin' to prove..." 

i wish i had nothin' to prove

i'm going to kill the fish tank

you know your life is wayyy too busy when you 

consider going on a trip to the grocery store 

with a friend a meaningful hangout . . . 

it smells like spring today, and as whitney said, there are 

real live birds lurking about recently.  makes me smile!   

if that stupid fish tank makes that annoying popping noise one more time i swear i'm going to throw it across the room. 

-- "my mom refuses to buy great value brand milk.  she's a snobby milk buyer."  -- emily.  "cheap cows."  -- sara --

6 am departure

 last night michael and i were happily on our way to
a fireside.   we'd been together maybe 2 minutes
when his car totally broke down on the freeway. 

awesome. 

but all in all it was a happy night :)   


-- "this all just goes to show that mother nature can trump the U.S. government any day of the week" -- robzika marks --