Oh, I have tact.

The following scene takes place somewhere backstage Disneyland. In a dressing room right behind Toon Town, I believe.

The Background: We were going to perform sometime in the early afternoon, so we had all morning to ride the rides and play around. We didn't want to wear nice clothes as we were doing the "Natalie Run" around Disneyland, so we all brought our concert dress in suitbags that we left on the bus. To make things more convenient, I had used only one hanger. I put my white dress shirt on the hanger with my band jacket over it. Magnificent.

At the appropriate time, we all gathered around our little tour guide (who just happened to be Tinkerbell, thanks Lyon) and made our way backstage.

There was another performing group back there. They were these adorable Grandma tap dancers. They seemed really fun (I mean, we didn't really talk to them at all. But we saw them). They were for real tap dancers, which means they were pretty much wearing only leotards and tights and tap shoes. But they looked super cute. You can probably picture it.

So after Tink's little spiel, we all moseyed into the dressing room with our suitbags. Time to change. The Grandma tap dancers were spread throughout the dressing room, so we kinda squeezed in there and I started to unpack my clothes.

Where the story gets good (AKA I am amazing at this thing called tact): (I really hope you can all picture this scene. Remember, my friends and I surrounded by quite a few older women who are changing.) (Also please remember I am slightly OCD about ironing my clothes.) So I unzipped my suitbag, pulled my jacket/shirt off the hanger, then pulled my shirt out of my jacket. It was super wrinkly and deformed. Of course I was distraught about this. I turned to my friends, forgot to think before I spoke, and exclaimed, "Ew! It's like...morbidly wrinkly!"

As the place got a little bit quiet, I desperately tried to save myself. "My shirt, I mean! My shirt is super wrinkly!" But it was no use, and I was embarrassed. Then we left the dressing room and told everyone what I had done.

All in all, it was a good day.

So, I may be a bit insane

The other day (hm...Friday, maybe?) I was home alone. On the computer, with iTunes open and playing on shuffle. Everytime We Touch came on suddenly, so I turned up the volume as loud as it would go and danced. It was an amazing stress reliever. I highly recommend it.



This is a conversation we had yesterday at dinner.

Karly: ...and this kid behind me was making fun of it, so I turned around and glared at him. I was like, 'Hello. Shut up.'
Nate: Did you say that?
Karly: No...he's like 300 pounds and a wrestler. I was too afraid.
Nate: Hey, have you seen that show on the history channel? Human Weapons?
Karly: I don't know, I don't think so.
Nate: Well, it's really cool. They teach people how to be ninjas.
Me: Wait...they teach people how to be ninjas on a show called Human Muffins?

Oldtimes at Abigail's

On Thanksgiving evening (after the dinner and pies, of course) we came home and made a melodrama. If I do say so myself, it was hilarious. We're still trying to get it in the right format and such so that I can upload it (maybe) eventually, but here are a couple of picture highlights.

Happiness is smiling before me...

...walking my way, sharing my day.

Things that have made me happy lately:

-Dancing Precision in my tennis shoes. I love clogging in tennis shoes!
-Comfortable new socks.
-Scott Jeffrey Hillstrom
-"Speaking of Bush, Nixon also went to China"
*great friends and fun times at the MTC
-Casterbridge
-Sweet and Salty granola bars and Wheat Thins
-Declaring my major!
-Christmas Carol rehearsals
-My family
-Reading the Ensign at work

Uh, what?

I am not a huge fan of mashed potatoes, I'll come right out and admit that. But I always try everything on the dinner table, of course. So, a couple of Sundays ago, we were sitting down to a nice family dinner. Complete with mashed potatoes (potatoes are a Sunday meal staple for our family). I took an admittedly small amount of mashed potatoes and put them on my plate, where they would wait until I felt like eating them (read: never).

Now it should be known that my family always makes fun of me for my small servings of mashed potatoes. Someone always comments on the immensity of the serving. So I was expecting a smart remark from someone in my family.

At one point, KJ turns to me and says, "Wow, Nat. That's a throffy serving of potatoes you've got there." We all looked at her and thought, "What in the world is she trying to say?" Seeing our bewildered expressions, she tried to explain herself. "You know, like...throffy! Like, that's a lot!"

Okay, Karly.

Sidenote: Karly and I are the ones who thought the kid in Les Mis was saying "Obellah". It has become one of our favorite exclamations. You know, like instead of saying, "Oh my goodness!" one could just say, "Obellah!"

Two good quotes

"Oh...and Briant is still Briant."
-Steve

"Yeah, that's what's wrong with the dorm type of setting when you have families living there, because you get all kinds of genders..."
-Hannah

Okay, well I thought they were funny...

Zuzu's petals!

"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"

Abby and I were sitting here talking about Hello Dolly and that quote just popped into my head. Oh, wow. I love It's A Wonderful Life so much. The movie just makes me incredibly happy, I can't really describe it.

Except I will say that I have an intense dislike for the scene where George goes to visit Mary before they're married and everything is going wrong. Mary puts on their song and the piece of artwork with George lassoing the moon, but he's in a horrible mood. At one point they're on the phone with Sam and George grabs Mary and is kinda freaking out, yelling at her and shaking her, and she's crying...man. I hate that scene.

On a lighter note, I suddenly have this random love for Starbursts. I never used to care for them, really, but now...I just really like them. It's weird.

And Wheat Thins. I could practically live off low-sodium Wheat Thins and muenster cheese.

So, to recap: right now all I want to do is sit down and watch It's A Wonderful Life with the people I love and maybe eat some wheat thins. It just sounds really nice.

I just really love him

I'm starting a new list...

A Disneyland game we made up.

(At least, we like to think we made it up...really, we've got no idea. Maybe everyone who goes to Disneyland plays this game.)


It's a devastatingly simple game. The first thing you need to do is designate a day that you're going to play the game. It might be every day you're in the park, or maybe you only want to play one day. Just decide and let all the other players in your group know.

As you hop back and forth between the parks, try and get as many exit stamps as you can. Some "cast members" at the gates can be rather stingy with their stamps. If they see you've already got one, they may decide that you don't really need an extraneous stamp. It's not true. Try and find the employees who will give you an exit stamp every time. It can be difficult. It's not impossible.

At the end of the day, gather your group together and head for Star Tours (or any other ride with a blacklight in the waiting area...it doesn't really matter, but Star Tours is a pretty fun ride). As you turn the corner right before you reach the loading dock, you will go through a small section lit with black lights. Make sure to look at your hands and see how many stamps everyone was able to get. It's pretty fun. And random...yeah. We love it.

A vacuum story.

Once upon a time, in the land of many languages (MTC bookstore) we had a vacuum. His name was Henry. He was young and cute and had a face. Everyone loved Henry, but he was hard to manage. One day Henry died. We don't know how it happened. So we had to start using a different vacuum cleaner. The new vacuum wasn't as young or as cute as Henry, and he didn't have a face either. Plus he was loud and grumpy sounding. But he has proven himself in the past few weeks. He's easier to manage, and he does a great job of cleaning.

We named him Horace.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

It used to make me cry. But now, it just makes me laugh. I've found the humor in the situation.

On a separate and completely unrelated note, if anyone happens to find a small, brass key...(okay, sorry, I just couldn't resist the quote from The Office)

This is going to be completely random. But it's just what's on my mind right now. So here you go.

When I was doing bits of competitive clogging back in the day, Freestyle was my favorite category in which to compete, of course (okay, not really). And I have an extremely supportive family, so they would always come to my competitions, cheer me on, and offer me pointers.My dad was especially great. He always watched for my arm movement during Freestyle.

Now, it has always been hard for me to move my arms freely and naturally. Normal freestyle arm position (for me) was a swinging right arm and a stagnant left arm. Somehow, my left arm would end up bent at about a 30 degree angle at the elbow (this is, incidentally, the way I walk at school and when backpacking-my left thumb hooked through the sternum strap of my backpack. I don't know, it's just comfortable to me) . And there it would stay as I danced.

Trying frantically to get me to move my left arm, my dad and family would stand in the audience bending and straightening their elbows over and over again. All I could do was smile-my mind was on the competition, not on my arm.

Okay. Now I am in a clogging class again. My dad and family offer constant reminders of the way I used to dance (it is quite humorous-we have videos). I was determined to change my arm situation. So I concentrated on getting my left arm going.

The other day I sat down to watch my skills test video, and I was looking specifically at the way my arms move when I dance. What did I find?

My left arm was great. My right arm, however, remained virtually motionless. Oh, great. You have got to be kidding me.

Oh, no.

I think I'm starting to fall for Andy Bernard.

While it is odd and unlikely, it's true. I just want someone to serenade me at work. Uh, someone other than the missionaries...

That's the way Mata Hari did it

Mata Who?!

Mata Hari! I read all about her in the Penny Dreadfuls. She was just about the wickedest woman in the whole world. She was a spy by trade, you know. First, she'd make all the boys fall madly in love with her, and then she'd toss them aside like an old pair of shoes as soon as she got what she wanted out of them.

"As she died she said, "What fun: it's the only thing I haven't done!"

...that's the kind of wicked girl...I...want...to...be...Like Mata!

Okay-I just could not get these lines out of my head as I was writing my paper for Anthropology. It's very random...so I thought I'd blog it. Plus it's one o'clock in the morning. That probably has something to do with the reason why I'm singing Little Mary...but maybe not.
(Oh, sidenote: my favorite costume ever. I don't really know why. It's a nightgown, for crying out loud. But seriously, I love it. I think I'm going to go rent it. Just for fun.)

Clearly.

My sisters and I saw President Stoddard at the mall today, and I was just reminded of how much I love that man. He is amazing.

I am happy today because...

It's conference weekend!

There is a wedding in one week exactly, and I can't wait.

Dad's home safely from his business trip, and he brought tons of M&Ms home with him.

Mom made really good cinnamon rolls.

It's October! Halloween! I'm excited.

I have an amazing family.

I bought wheat thins yesterday. I love wheat thins.

Gideon is a funny storyteller, but he'll only tell a story once.

I have Dallyn Bayles's CD.

I'm going to the Grand Canyon in June.

Right here in River City.

(I probably should have posted this on ASCAP, but I'm not sure that anyone reads that blog anymore.)

The other day in my theater class, our guest speaker said the following: "As a university student, you are protected by ASCAP rights."

Yeah, as if we didn't already know our rights. Anyway, who does this guy think he is? We invented the ASCAP rights. He can't just go around offering those to any old university student, can he? We've got trouble, friends. Gather your sombreros. Call Hosay. We're going to the mattresses on this one (is that the term I'm looking for?).

You have got to be kidding me.

It all started with a conversation I overheard at work today.

Elder from Air Force Academy (while speaking to his companions): "Flirt to convert". You elders have all heard that, right? Well, honestly, us Air Force elders seriously do that to the extreme. I mean, think about it. *Elder B, Elder Houston, Elder T*. Really. They're the worst, and they're all from Air Force.

Me (thinking about my Elder B experience): Yeah. It's bad. Maybe you should focus a little more.

Air Force Elder: Don't judge me!

Not even five minutes later...
Elder Houston (also an Air Force cadet): Uh, Natalie? Since I'm leaving on Monday, here's my email address in case you want to write to me.
Me: WHAT?!
The End
*Names have been changed, shortened, omitted, etc.

A forgotten love

Bob Hope: Not so obscure

Son of Paleface: Pretty darn obscure

You probably didn't know that...

I have a soft spot in my heart for (most) pariahs and forest rangers.

I can't stand leaving the house without making my bed first. If my bed is left unmade, I will be distracted all day just thinking about it.

I am a firm believer that if backpacks are going to have extra straps, they need to have a sternum strap AND a belt strap-not one or the other.

When I play Kirby's Air Ride, I have to get all the red boxes. Can't pass one up.

I am not Asian. Contrary to popular belief.

I have a bruise on my right leg that is never going to go away.

Sometimes, I go to the Orem High scene shop when I'm bored. And I know their fight song better than my alma mater's.

I like sour cream.

I was not born in Casterbridge, even though it's hard to tell ;)

I'm a bad Irish dancer. I'm a good clogger, who fakes Irish. Seriously.

Grandpa Murray

I don't care how I look in this picture. It's the first picture I found of me and my Grandpa. I love him.

Hey! Grettir!

Thanks for lending us bug spray last night! Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking. I never venture to the Shell without protection from the buggers! So, thanks for saving us all. We owe you big time.

Small pleasures, small pleasures.

Who would deny us these?

Don't you ever have those days where you just need to lay in a pile of freshly laundered sheets-straight from the dryer, in fact? Because I sure do.

Barlow Choro

Today at work I got a note. A handwritten note, even. I have always hoped that this would never happen to me. But it did. Oh, the infamous notes. The notorious notes. Silly elders who read too much into things. Apparently. I regularly ask him how his day was, where he is going and when, etc. I answer his questions when he asks them. I smile like I normally smile.

And now he wants my love and support. Uh...what? Come again? How was that? My love, Elder? I'm not exactly capable of handing out my love to someone I've barely met. In the MTC. And he doesn't even leave the MTC for another three weeks. Awkward!

It's inevitable that I'll see him again. He comes in every day, to my register. And...now what?

So funny

Mole: Aren't you afraid of the police?

Mr. Toad: Afraid of the police? [laughs] I... afraid of the police.

[laughs more. Then a loud knock and yelling comes from the door]

Mr. Toad: THE POLICE!

(Yes, I'm a nerd. Yes, I recorded this off the TV. And yes, it's hilarious. But in order to hear it, you might have to turn the sound way up)

We were very tired children

This doesn't exactly happen everyday.

Why the MTC wins

They have been playing Christmas music (hymns, of course) off and on for at least a month. Uh, what? I'm pretty sure this is the earliest I've heard Christmas music. And I thought October was early. Wow.

And yesterday Elder Dallas (and companero) coached me on the finer points of stealing an Elder's name tag (while he's wearing it) without him noticing.

Also yesterday, I got a Sangria shower. The Elder who (accidentally) sprayed the soda all over me later described the taste as "good tasting rotten grapes". Well, thank you, Elder.

Plus when things are slow, I get to read church magazines and books, the scriptures, etc. And when there's a devotional going on, we close and watch it.

We get food parties for no reason.

Um, hello? I saw Beausefina today. Wonderful.

Elders are hilarious and wonderful at the same time.

Uh, foreign missionaries. With accents. Need I say more?

It's the MTC!

Some delights

Okay, I just feel like confessing my love for Il Divo. They are amazing. I saw them on Oprah about a year ago and have been in love with them ever since (although I only really started listening to them recently). Honestly, they are delightful. If you haven't heard of them, you should probably start with their songs "Somewhere" and "I Believe in You (Je Crois en Toi)". You can read more about them here. Be careful, though. You'll probably fall in love.

Oh, and their "White Christmas"? Amazingly heart breaking. I love it. I can't wait until November so that I can buy their Christmas album and actually feel justified in listening to it.

My optometrist Paul!...er, Bill.

I love eye doctors. I mean really, who wants to walk around having trouble seeing? Not me. I'm grateful for the service they provide.

However (of course there was going to be a 'however'. I don't generally go around giving random, glowing praise of doctors), it's a little awkward. They're like, literally in your face the whole time. And I feel like I'm violating their personal space. "Stare at my ear" so I proceed to stare at his ear for like, 5 minutes. They would have to be pretty self assured, to be able to have strangers staring at body parts such as ears.

And what's with all their certificates on the wall? My eye doctor is a member of the "Achievement Club". I mean, what is that? A place where a bunch of doctors get together and...achieve? I don't know.

Plus, I had to listen to a half-hour lecture on silicon hydrogel contact lenses. The pros, the cons, the reasons why you should and should not wear them, etc. It was a pointless discussion. I'm sorry, Doctor, but I just don't care. All I want is a prescription!

And I always feel weird, like they're judging me. "Which one is better? One...or two?" uh...two? No, I don't know? What if I say the wrong thing on accident, or what if I can't really tell and give the wrong answer? And then it totally skews my prescription? haha, I just think it's funny.

Sorry if this was mean. But I got new glasses! Hopefully they're the right prescription...

Well, okay. The much awaited ending to the Little Dog Turpie story.

And all that was left of little dog Turpie was a stump.

Hm. Kinda funny.

Tonight we were watching Newsies, and Nathan and Nicole came over. I do love them.

I decided I wanted some peach (not pink) sherbet, so I went into the kitchen to get myself a bit (Now, lately I have been having the same problem I had in Nauvoo, but today it was so much worse. I have been dropping everything. Frustrating).

I tried getting the ice cream lid off. It fell on the floor. I picked it up and started scooping my ice cream. It fell on the table. When I picked up the ice cream, I knocked my spoon to the ground. Then some more ice cream fell on the table. I am not exaggerating. So, I was a little bit annoyed.

In my frustration, I muttered-well, more like angrily shouted (okay not shouted, but almost), "I just have a bad life!" *disclaimer: I do not really believe this to be true. I love my life, but I was a little mad at the time*

"Oh, whatever!" Nicole called to me (in a nice way, not an annoyed way).

Nathan looked over at me, his kind, loving, brotherly face covered with concern. "What? You think you have a bad life?"

"No!" Nicole laughed. "She thinks she's going to be a bad wife."

I love you, Nicole. That made my life perfect. Seriously, hilarious.

The story of Little Dog Turpie

Back in 2000, Dan Wheeler would tell my sisters and I this story. I would beg him not to tell my sisters because I thought it was so morbid and it would probably give them nightmares and ruin their lives. But he'd tell it. Every day.

ONCE there was an old man and woman and a little girl, and they all lived in a house made of hempstalks. Now the old man had a little dog named Turpie and one night the Hobyahs came and said, 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!' But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, 'Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off his tail.' So in the morning the old man cut off little dog Turpie's tail.

The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said, 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!' But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, 'Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off one of his legs.' So in the morning the old man cut off one of little dog Turpie's legs.

The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said, 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!' But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, 'Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off another of his legs.' So in the morning the old man cut off another of little dog Turpie's legs.

The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!' But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, 'Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off another of his legs.' So in the morning the old man cut off another of little dog Turpie's legs.

The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the oldman and woman, and carry off the little girl!' But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, 'Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off another of his legs.' So in the morning the old man cut off another of little dog Turpie's legs.

The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the oldman and woman, and carry off the little girl!' But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, 'Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off little dog Turpie's head.' So in the morning the old man cut off little dog Turpie' s head.

The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!' And when the Hobyahs found that little dog Turpie's head was off they tore down hempstalks, ate up the woman, and carried the a bag. And when the Hobyahs came to their home they hung up the bag with the little girl in it, and every Hobyah knocked on the top of the bag and said, 'Look me! look me!' And then they went to sleep until the next night, for the Hobyahs slept in the daytime.

The little girl cried a great deal, and a man with a big dog came that way and heard her crying. When he asked her how she came there and she told him, he put the dog in the bag and took the little girl to his home.

The next night the Hobyahs took down the bag and knocked at the top of it, and said 'Look me, look me!' and when they opened the bag the big dog jumped out and ate them all up; so there are no Hobyahs now.

Where the quotes came from

"I wish I had a million dollars...hot dog!"
-It's a Wonderful Life

"If I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know."
-"Carry on my Wayward Son" by Kansas

"Say, brainless, don't you know where coconut comes from?"
-It's a Wonderful Life

"Atta boy, Luther!"
-The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

"What a trooper."
-some random episode of the X Files

"...perpetual spree!"
-Scrooge

"Oh...I was just about to say nasty!"
-Scrooge

"He's a bandit!"
-Scrooge

"You don't know, or you can't say?"
-Dave

"Go, go, go!"
-Dave

"In words, no. But in a change of nature, yes."
-Scrooge

Yes, they are mainly from random, old movies. My favorite movies, actually.

A quote from Oliver!

"If you are lonely
Then you will know...

When someone needs you,
You love them so.

I won't betray his trust...
Though people say I must.

I've got to stay true, just
As long as he needs me."

I listened to this soundtrack today. The lady who sings this song has a tendency to go flat. Anyway, that's all. Just thought I'd...share that useful bit of information! haha.

My favorite quotes...currently

If you can name where all the quotes come from, you get a...box of junior mints.

"I wish I had a million dollars...hot dog!"

"If I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know."

"Say, brainless, don't you know where coconut comes from?"

"Atta boy, Luther!"

"What a trooper."

"...perpetual spree!"

"Oh...I was just about to say nasty!"

"He's a bandit!"

"You don't know, or you can't say?"

"Go, go, go!"

"In words, no. But in a change of nature, yes."

I take that back. If you can say where 5 of them come from, you get a box of junior mints. Some of them are pretty random.

Quote of the week!

*while arguing about a pocket watch*
...with butter and jam!

-Shawn Lynn

Emotionally attached...to a costume?

This is weird. But I love my Little Mary costume. I don't like seeing it on someone else, in a different show! That costume should only be used for Little Mary Sunshine. Plus it's mine! Sad!No, actually it looks very good onstage in Music Man. I'm glad it can have many uses, I guess. But I still claim it as my own.

Our morning at Orem High, in photo form

I think these pictures are kinda funny.

Girls and cars

Mars and Annika wanted to have a sleepover. So we went and picked up Annika and drove her back here so the fun could begin. I parked the car in the garage (a first, since they've been working on our road) and went inside. I assumed Mariel and Annika would follow. However, a few minutes passed and they were absent. I thought maybe they needed help carrying stuff in, so I went into the garage. I could see themt through the car's windshield playing with the seats-making them go up and down, backward and forward (I must admit, they are cool seats). I made the "you only have 5 minutes left to play in the car" sign and went back inside. A couple minutes later, Mariel ran in "Um, can we honk the horn? Just once?" I said that would be okay.

Five minutes later, I went to check on them again. Now, they were in the van, playing with the seats and testing out the horn. They are silly girls.

Now they're having dinner. Frosted Flakes with barbecue chips.

Make me smile

Just barely I was looking around iTunes and I went into our "top 25 most played" list and guess what was number one? Of course it was Everytime We Touch! I don't know why, but that really just made my day.

Happy birthday dear Mark...

Happy birthday to you!

I'm dreaming...

Can I just say that I am completely and irrevocably in love with Bing Crosby?

So it's a bit of a weird obsession. But seriously. His eyes...and his voice...I don't know. I just love him.

Congrats on your pariahdom!

I guess I don't really have anything extremely profound to say today (do I ever? ha).

But just for the record, I love DOT. So much. I was in need of a good stick dance party. Dancing alone in my car on the way to the MTC just doesn't cut it.

I think we are officially pariahs now. The moment Noelle's grandma shut the curtains on our dance party sealed our pariish fate. Seriously. Hilarious.

So I guess all I want to say is that I find DOT quite delightful. One of the best ideas ever (the best idea being, of course, Casterbridge. I miss it).

I guess I really am Asian

Date: June 8th
Time: 7:30 AM
Location: Elevator; Residence Inn; Anaheim, CA
Main characters: Me, Asian twins (girls, about one year old)
Supporting actors: Asian grandparents, Asian mother

So, one bright and cold morning, I decided to voyage down to the breakfast area. I was by myself, not a big deal, but my elevator stopped on the 5th floor. Again, no big deal. 5 people got on, with two very cute Asian twins. They (the babies) were kinda toddling around the elevator. Eventually (within 5 seconds) they started babbling to me in their native tongue. They were cute, so clearly I had to converse with them. I waved, and smiled, and said stuff like, "Hi! Hello!" in a baby voice, you know. All too soon, our elevator reached the main level. As the twins made their way out of the elevator, their mother turned to me and said, "They were calling you 'Auntie'".

...I'm Asian? That brings our total to 3 lovely people who have mistaken my nationality for Asian. Not like there's anything wrong with that, Mark has me totally convinced of the awesomeness of Asians.

Prom!

David Wallace

I just discovered him while I was watching the season finale of The Office.

So, in honor of SCERA shell weather...

My sisters and I have been working on a list of what we love most about doing shows at the shell. And when I say that we've been "working on a list", I mean that we brainstormed for 5 minutes on our way to the mall. Anyway, this is what we came up with. It is definitely not complete, just the beginning. And so, our list:

• Free drinks (powerade lemonade combo)
• Cute boys
• It's really easy for us to sneak into shows (we actually have a pass, so it's perfectly legal, but we call it "sneaking in")
• Meeting new people, forging new friendships.
• Nachos!
• Christine, our awesome costumer
• Max the cat
• Being able to spend the whole summer with so much wonderful family
• Meeting celebrities, like Richard Losee (haha)
• Learning about and being immersed in new cultures
• Funny stories and memories
• Learning who you are while pretending to be someone else
• Hilarious quotes people say
• Dippin Dots
• The Steve Plowman fan club
• Learning songs
• Shawn Lynn
• Chair balancing on the hill
• Techies
• Mic check
• Double rainbows
• Don't need to do your hair during the day
• Star gazing/finding weird creatures in the sky
• Intermission snack breaks
• Hilarious costumes
• Kendall, Dave, and Pete
• Having a routine
• and of course, Grandpa Elison.

It's finally here.

On Thursday I stepped outside at about 6:00 in the evening, and wow...it just hit me. It's finally Scera shell weather. I sat there for a minute in the warm wind and memories totally overwhelmed me. I could feel the shell-the sounds, the smells, the excitement. It was so cool, and, as lame as it sounds, it made me incredibly happy. I just love going to the shell during the summer. I didn't realize how much I actually look forward to this time of year.

Last summer, Rob talked about how he wanted our cast to become like one big family. It happened, and that's probably my favorite part of the shell. The relationships formed over the rehearsal period are so great. I love having a second family during the summer. Also like Rob said, sometimes sad things happen in families, but it just brings the family closer together.

So, I can't wait to go back to the shell. Plus, they're showing Newsies there on September 7. How could it possibly be any better than that?

I really need to work on controlling my laughter.

I thought laughing through two AP tests was bad. I think I found something worse. At least, it hurts more. Laughing hysterically (to the point of not being able to breathe) through the reel is not fun. By the middle of that dance I thought I was going to pass out. And I still couldn't stop laughing. It was hilarious. So much for my technique...

Why was I laughing? That's the best part-I don't really know why. I think it was a culmination of everything that's been going on lately: the movie/movie poster, pariahdom, just really really good times with my best friends. Seriously. I love you all, and could not have survived this year without you.

PS-I'm still protesting AP music.

What I did for love

It's a good thing the Pariah is totally my hero-otherwise I would never be able to wear my sunglasses in public. Let's just say I get a lot of funny looks. Whenever someone gives me a look that says, "Girl with the pariah glasses, you are INSANE", I just laugh to myself and think, "Oh boy, if you only knew. If you could just understand how awesome these glasses are". It's going to take a lot of willpower to wear them in Disneyland while I do the "natalie run" by myself.

Come to think of it, it's going to be really sad going back to Disneyland without you all! Who will I do the L.A. dance with? Who am I going to scream with on Indiana Jones? I'm going to have fun with my family, but I'll really miss you guys. Oh well, at least I won't have to put up with that bus driver.

And the list gets longer...

You know, the reporter from "Gandhi".

A new personal record

Three hours and only one or two sarcastic comments. It's boring, but I guess it's safer that way. Just not any fun. To quote Mark, "I'm gonna cry." A month ago I probably wouldn't have been able to control my sarcasm. I'm becoming more like Susan Henchard every day.

Sidenote: Austin is my new hero because of his awesome death scene today. Who knew?

New eye wear

We're going to Disneyland in June; clearly I had to get myself some appropriate sunglasses.

I love that Cash Cab is on again...

Because secretly, I have a little bit of a crush on Ben Bailey.

Type casting?

SparkNotes says: "Susan Henchard - A meek, unassuming woman married to Michael Henchard when the novel opens. Overly concerned with propriety, Susan attempts to keep secrets about Henchard’s and Elizabeth-Jane’s identities in order to give the appearance of perfect family harmony."

Don't worry guys, the majority of us weren't type cast-Hannah is definitely not like Lucetta (or is she?)-but lately I've been feeling more and more like the woman I'm portraying in our English movie project. I don't know, I guess it's the whole "no emotion" thing. You know, I'm getting better at keeping a straight face. I practiced in English the other day. And I'm going to keep practicing, so if you see my blank face don't be frightened. I'm just getting into character. And by the way, I'm really excited to film the rest of our movie-especially the party scene (can we say stick dance?!) and the narration scenes in "the chair".

A math equation for the Asian

(that was a good rhyme)
This:
Subtract this:

Equals this:

I wish I had a picture of us in shock, or at least a picture of Hannah laughing, but this one will have to do.

I used to be a double agent.

This is the first time in a long time that I've taken a side and stuck with it through the pencil/fruit snack wars. I'm a little bit proud of my decision (that last line was for you, Mike).

The family resemblance.

Mark and I are obviously related. I am obviously quite Asian.

(Obviously that Trevor kid looks a lot like Ryan.)

Both ends of the spectrum.

Something I will NEVER, under any circumstances, do: Ride a mule down the Grand Canyon. I trust my own two legs better than their four. Believe me, I've seen those animals trekking down the cliff. It does not look fun at all.

Something I cannot WAIT to do: See Little Mary Sunshine at THS. Really, I'm giddy. I've practically got butterflies just thinking about it! I don't know if anyone loves that show as much as I do.

More confessions

I roll my eyes. A lot.

I sleep funny.

I enjoy staying up late and getting up early, just so I can be alone to think...

I still watch Arthur when I have time.

I really don't like to show emotion.

The Orem High fight song is easier for me to remember than the Mountain View one.

Band tour summary

Day One

Day Two
Day Three

Day Four


Day Five

The End

For a more comprehensive summary, check out Mark's blog.

Silent, but not.

The other day Mr. Jones told us that if you have a really good relationship with someone, silence is as natural as talking. I think maybe the sign of a good friendship is when you can be silent, not speaking to each other, but laughing-each knowing exactly what the other is laughing at.

Because I couldn't have said it better myself.

Thoughts about being tall.

Happy anniversary!

Today is the anniversary of Pocahontas and John Rolfe (I learned that from the Writer's Almanac), also I learned that my love life parallels Pocahontas' romances, in a way. No comment.

Something exciting happened today. I judged piano festival for the first time! Since I'm no longer a festival participant, I'm an eligible judge. It was so cool! I wrote one of Mr. Bowman's favorite quotes on the judging sheet--"Space creates style". I felt very official.

Lt. Randall Disher!

I love him!

He definitely makes the 'obscure guys I like' list.

Neverland was only an illusion...

...and now it's gone.

Statue weather is finally here. But I'm afraid that I might be too old to play statues now. And what a shame-that game is only a couple of years old. Hopefully my other team members will carry on our summer traditions.

I thought we had made a pact that we wouldn't "grow up". He left me all alone in Neverland, and on top of that, he has now committed treason. He decided to grow up. Half of me wishes I could be mad at him-but I'm not. The sad part of the deal is that I realize he's got a point. It is time for us to "leave the nursery".

But I don't want to grow up and learn of solemn things.

Five

I got this from Kyler's sister's blog and decided to give it a try...

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was recently baptized, madly in love with Brad Sheen, best friends with Amy Pectol, having fun at Vineyard Elementary.

5 years ago:
I was a major Grand Canyon Chick, Amanda and I were constantly writing plays and silly stories, I was in love with Richard Losee (oh, wait-I still am), and I was a clogger.

1 year ago:
I was playing practical jokes on both Hannah and Mark, thinking of devious ways to pass the fruit snacks, going to state with Ostransky, best friends with Spencer, trying to survive Sir Rich's English class.

Yesterday:
Karly and I held the first ever planning session of our newly formed "Planning Committee", I watched Little House on the Prairie (I love Dean Butler), I said goodbye to Neverland, and I practiced my piano concerto a bunch.

5 snacks I enjoy:
Barbecue chips in chocolate ice cream (Grand Canyon, baby)
chocolate
Cadbury eggs
nachos
bagels with cream cheese

5 songs I know all the words to:
What I Did For Love
Another Postcard
Somewhere
Everytime We Touch
Uptown Girl

5 things I would do with $100 million:
buy a sweet house
travel
start a college fund/scholarship program
go to Disneyland with my family/friends
donate it

5 locations I would like to run away to:
Grand Canyon
Hershey, PA
France
Washington DC
Jamaica

5 bad habits I have:
Rolling my eyes
Pretending everything's okay when it isn't
Procrastinating homework
Being sarcastic!
Making a big deal out of little things

5 things I like to do:
dance
read
laugh like crazy
play the piano
hang out with friends

5 things I would never wear:
tap shoes (says the clogger in me)
shoes with huge heels
a mini skirt
chartreuse leggings
a sleeveless turtleneck

5 TV shows I like:
The Office
Deal or No Deal
Reba
Mythbusters
Arthur

5 biggest joys at the moment:
my family
my hard shoes (lame, I know)
my friends
The Office
our English movie project/Mr. Lyon's shoes (it's a tie)

You don't have to see it to know it's there.

Right, Steve?

Happy (belated) birthday, Kar!

Remember this? (We definitely look attractive)

I love you!

Some obscure guy, but I still love him.

I honestly fall in love with the most obscure characters from very old/obscure movies. Take the phantom hearse driver from Scrooge, for example.

20?!

Happy birthday, Spencer!

A Mythbusters delight.

I love Mythbusters. Seriously, I have a picture of those guys hanging in my room. Anyway, I was watching Mythbusters on Saturday, and I stumbled across this gem. Watch it, I think you will probably enjoy it. I did.

Our friend Mo.

Yes, I did steal this from the President's blog. Anyway, I just had to say that it's the hair, not the muscles, that give away the secret identity of our good friend Ma--I mean, Mo.

We were on our way to BYU. President Ford had been dead for who knows how long.

Alright how's that for the first line of my poem? The problem is...I don't know what to say next.

I'm listening to "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada right now (which, by the way, they did NOT play at that stake dance. Lame). I'm not listening to the candlelight version, or whatever. The real one is "now playing" on my iPod. I'm even thinking of doing the stick dance. Wow tonight was so much fun!

Bagels!

Am I so lame that an after-school bagel with strawberry cream chesse just makes my day? What can I say? I love bagels. Really.

Love it.

"Understudy" by Beverly Rollwagen

She just wants an understudy, a body

double for the days when she does

not feel like appearing in any of the roles

she has assumed and/or been assigned.

She places an ad in the paper. Wanted:one

wife, mother, daughter, neighbor,

friend. Live-in OK. Own car necessary.

No lines to memorize; everything ad-

libbed. No days off.

I understand this is unusual.

I don't trust a man who makes toys in a land where children are forbidden.

His character just really intrigues me. I know he's mean, but still I'm almost fascinated by the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

One year older (and wiser too!)

Happy birthday Nicole and Mariel! I love you both so much!

This guy is insane.

No joke. He's crazy. Maybe I'll tell the story, in a bit. But currently, it's so fresh in my mind it's still embarrassing. Rest assured this guy is very interesting.

www.funnymanwhodoestricks.com

Some more pictures for the Moores.