A Trip to the Dentist

(Yes, I named this after a Veronica Mars episode....)

Ever since I can remember I have disliked the dentist... severely. I used to start crying as soon as the Dr. put his gloves and mask on. I remember thinking to my 5-year-old self, "Why are you crying? They haven't even done anything yet." Well, I figured it out! I was crying in subconscious anticipation of the experiences I would have at the dentist later in life. And that is all I am gonna say about that.

P.S. Today was my last day of work at Ave Maria. I am sure going to miss that job. I loved it and I was totally pampered and adored for no apparent reason. Thanks to everyone there. :)

Much Love!!

The Thrill of the Hunt November style.

As you walk across a crowded parking lot your mind bursts with ideas of the best strategy to tackle the enterprise ahead. You say to yourself, This is better than Garage Sale Season as you mercilessly bore holes through the other participants on their way into chaos with your eyes. As you size them up the briefest millisecond of eye contact is all it takes to speed your step. It's cold and I am trying to get inside you tell yourself. But inside you know the truth of it. After all, they are the enemy.

Yes. This is a true story. A story about BLACK FRIDAY.

You step through the double-glorious-doors, wrestle a cart, and speed off down the aisle knocking things down as you cut corners close. Every second counts. This is when your careful planning comes into play. Those poor first-timers. Ha! You have the map printed and memorized. In fact, you color coordinated it by priority last night. Not that you would admit that to anyone. I wouldn't want anyone thinking I am crazy or anything... You weave through the sale bins, picking up everything in sight that you may or may not need, throwing bows only when necessary. However, if someone else dares shove their bony elbow anywhere near me, they will pay. And I don't mean for the items in their cart. The sight of a little pigtail whipping out of sight with what seems like the last of the griddles stops your heart momentarily. Oh they want to play dirty, do they? You force a facade of calm concern over the fury on your face and go to confront the jovial, little cheater that is her mother. But no need, 10 other people had their eye on that griddle and they got the job done. Some didn't even bother with the facade. Is she crazy? You wouldn't bring a child into an adder's nest, it's common sense. This is no different. No matter. The next store opens in an hour and I like that griddle better anyways... But that store has campers. Campers infuriate you. You'd like to waltz up to them and tell them exactly where they could stick their tents, but a cop car roving the parking lot puts a damper on that plan. BFFs never get off easy anyways. (Black Friday Fighters) In fact you just got finished egging on a graphic fight over a pair of Princess Pajamas at JC Penny's. And people think that men don't get into shopping. Ha! It took 3 taser cartridges before the big man went down and you could sneak in and quietly snatch the PJs while everyone watched them being cuffed. But before you can make it to their carts, the crowds remember the first rule about BLACK FRIDAY. Never lose sight of what you want until it is in your cart.

Much Love!!

Awww :)

I love my job! I love the kids. I love laughing. I love the people I get to work with. (Well most of them.)
Yesterday this cute little first grade girl gave such an example of a humble, meek, submissive child that I just have to share. This little girl is a very small girl with a tiny, little voice and she is absolutely adorable. I work at a Catholic school and Mass is on Thursdays which means that Wednesday is religion homework. It had blanks where she could fill in what she wanted to say in her prayer to God. Hers was kind of like this.
Dear God, I am thankful that you love everyone. Please help us to love everyone. Amen.
And most of the kids will write it down and be done with it. But not her. She read her prayer and the other prayer on the page out loud in her little voice with her hands folded and it didn't even matter that anyone else was in the room. She was talking to God.
No wonder Heavenly Father loves the little children so much. How could we not?

Much Love!!

The Thrill of the Hunt

Palms sweating, she grips the wheel tighter and inches the gas petal subtly down. After all, 5 over isn't speeding yet. She just saw yet another sign and the anticipation is growing. Will this be the one I have been looking for or just another dud full of baby strollers and chipped old furniture? She cranks the air conditioning as if that will help the heat of pure adrenaline burning inside of her. Who knew that neon poster board bearing two hand-written words could be such an adventure? The speedometer is nearing 10 over as she searches frantically for another sign. Did she pass it? She considers turning back as the panic sets in. But wait, up in the distance is a yard cluttered with all sorts of items! Could this be it!?

This is how I imagine my mother feels as she hunts for the ever allusive garage sales on Saturday mornings. Stay tuned for a sequel: Getting out of the car and making the buy.

Love you, Mom!

Much Love!!

Food for thought.

Female truckers and nose-digging business men. The highway has about as many sights to see as any tourist attraction if you pay close enough attention. I can't promise the sights will be pleasant, but they certainly will be interesting.
What sets you apart from every other car on the highway? Are you weaving in and out to find the fastest route? Going at exactly the speed limit in the fast lane and infuriating everyone behind you? Or are you blasting your music so loud that everyone around you can feel your bass bumping? Do you have a tricked out paint job or squeaky brakes? Do you let someone in in front of you even if it slows you down minutely? You only spend a short amount of time with the cars around you, but what will they remember about you?
Ohhh am I the only one who sees a life comparison here?? Probably not. Hehe Well if you don't, here is your thought for the day:
What sets us apart from everyone else around us? Are we pleasant to be around? Do we cut people off? Is our "paint job" super awesome? It is not a good thing to always care about what others think of us, but maybe we should think about what we would think of ourselves if we were in the place of another.

Much Love!!

For the Beauty of the Earth

Today Dad and I went to the Forest Lakes to scope them out for a possible family day trip next weekend. It was a blast! Here are a few highlights:

I shot a gun for the first time!

The beautiful lakes were breathtaking!

We had lots of laughs. :)

Dad improved his climbing skills.... hehe

We got to appreciate the beautiful scenery that God made for us.

We had a blast and we are soo sore! But it was worth it! We probably hiked about 16 miles today and did a lot of hiking where there were no trails! But it was so worth it! Thanks, Dad! I had a lot of fun with you!

Much Love!!

The little things

Think back to when you were really little. Like a smaller size than I am. To reach the high cabinet or stand at the pulpit at church to "bury your testmoaney," you needed a little bit of a boost to get you to where you needed to be. (I actually just jumped up on the counter because I was a curly haired monkey...) The boost didn't need to be very big. Just something small.
The small things in life will get you far. This is a response to Aly Babwa's last blog. Thank you for being my "small thing" and boosting me up. I am so glad that I can be your boost too. :)

Also, as a side note. My days being wasted by watching hours of Veronica Mars have come to an end. For I have finished all 3 seasons. ;( The ending was very... abrupt and leaves you hanging, but I will now be able to move on to more productive things. Veronica Mars lives on in my heart. Haha And someday I will have a pink taser. I'll just have to get right on saving up for one as soon as I am done saving for college... which I cannot even imagine the end of.

All is well. :)

Much Love!!

For Mom :)

Mom, I had a really great time shopping with you today. Maybe it was because I wore jeans and a normal shirt and we didn't shop for clothes. A win win situation. :) Thank you for all you do and all that you don't do. (Like being a meanie pants extremist.) You help me through so much and I think you are one of the only people who reads my blog. (Not that that really bothers me at all. Haha I don't want everyone to know that I am crazy. :P) But thank you for always supporting me and trying to get me to go to school. Sorry for when I am so stubborn that you may have violent thoughts towards me. I love you and I am dreading the day that I will go off to college because I will miss you so much! So thank you for teaching me so much and even when you are being under-appreciated (as most mothers are.) you still do so much. I hope I can be like you when I am a mother. And I want you to know that I appreciate you. :)

Much Love!!

Is it Possible to be Happy About Mowing the Lawn?

I am still trying my best to not take things for granted. In case you were wondering, yes, I did mow the lawn again today. :P Haha. While I was mowing I had something jump out at me. And this time, it wasn't just grass. I had the thought that maybe I should be grateful for even these chores that I find so annoying. While I am standing there vowing that I will somehow find a way to destroy the lawn mower, maybe someone else is sitting and vowing that they would gladly mow the lawn 100 times over if they could only have legs that worked. So my paradigm may have been gradually shifted.... But don't let that get out! People might think that I will start wearing normal clothes to WalMart with my mom or something and THAT is one thing that is definitely not gonna change! (Sorry, mom. You only have a few more months to be embarrassed by me on a weekly basis.) So yes, I am grateful that I was able to mow the lawn today. I am grateful that I have a home to have junk mail sent to. And mostly, I am grateful for the extra raisins in my life. :)

Thank you always to my loving friends and family. You mean the world to me.

Much Love!!

Never take EXTRA RAISINS for granted

Raisin Bran with EXTRA RAISINS. Possibly the best thing ever made. Raisin Bran is one of those gross things that people love. I mean, think about it. Brown, shriveled up things mixed with crispy brown, flaky things called 'bran' (which is a gross word) all put in milk. Gross. But we love it still. Even little kids who don't want to eat their carrot sticks love raisin bran. If you ask me, raisins and bran should never be eaten alone! Together, however, they are delicious. But everybody knows that there are never enough raisins to mesh with the bran. But there are in the EXTRA RAISINS box. Wonderful, isn't it? I am so not going to take that for granted and I am going to pour another bowl. :)

Much Love!!

The Tropical Solution

Yesterday we painted the exterior of our house. It was full of ups and downs. (Literally, we were using ladders.) Many a pun was made and many a muscle was strained, but at least we don't have to worry about it anymore.
While scraping old paint off of a painter's shield with Ben, I managed to cut my knuckle and his hand! I know, I should be on "America's Got Talent" or something. At the end of the day as I was cleaning out the paintbrushes with Dad, I got a lot of paint in my cut. I decided to use Hydrogen Peroxide: Topical Solution, to get all of the icky stuff out of it. As my wound was burning and bubbling away, I read the label and thought for a moment that it said 'Tropical Solution!' Ha! Wouldn't that be nice!? So for all of your daily injuries, inside and out, I recommend you try the "Tropical Solution." When you find out exactly what that means, you let me know. I will do the same, I assure you.

Also, I will never again go to a Single's ward activity until I am safely in Rexburg at college.

Much Love!!

Extraordinary

Today I feel EXTRAORDINARY like Ramona. (From "Ramona and Beezus," of course. Cute movie.) It may be because I started off my day with vacuuming out the garage or it may be because I stuck my tongue out at these guys giving April and me "The Look." Or it may just be because I am. Whatever the reason, I am feeling it. :) If you'd like to purchase this wonderful feeling, just give me a call or possibly the man upstairs and we would be more than happy to send you a strong dose ASAP. If you call in the next 15 minutes, I can guarantee a very enthusiastic monologue.

Great news! They finally took the round about out that everyone hates! I know this because I drove through the middle of it today on the freshly paved road! :)

Bad news. Ben says he won't buy me a taser for college because I am going to BYUI. Shoot. Why can't it be a little more sketch there so I can be as cool as Veronica Mars?

That's it for today.

Much Love!!

I caved!

And I am not talking about the spelunking kind. I finally put pictures on this humble blog of mine. I just decided that the sides were too boring without them. So check them out, maybe you'll be lucky and find a picture of you on there. :)

Much Love!!

Comfortable insanity

Only people who are insane choose to drive with the windows rolled down (or unrolled, as I sometimes choose to say) instead of using air conditioning.

Last night Aly agreed to go on a late-night, completely spontaneous slurpee run! So I am thinking that maybe, just maybe she is a little insane too. But aren't we all? We all have those things that are our own indicator of insanity. Bob Ross had his "Happy little accidents" all over the canvas and everyone loved him for it. He is on the Hero list, isn't he? The Joker.... where do I start? Is violent and... well I don't really know where I was going with that one... Haha Some people play with swords or are in psecret psychic psocieties. Some people think that they will have a store that markets everything from a wrinkled ladies line to baby sundresses! Augie has superpowers!!

So here is the lesson: Only insane people are sane. Only insane people are worth knowing.

Much Love!!

For Laquer Better Words...

Meem and Marc's is now marketing a line of clothes for the "hard working woman." Not to be confused with the working woman. This line deals specifically with wood working and painting and or staining.
We were inspired by our own experiences this morning while sanding and staining Meem's table. Here are a few guidelines before you come shop for our fabulous clothes and accessories:

Never stain in a "Wicked" mood.
Remember to listen to girly music like Avril to balance out your femininity.
Do not use water when washing out stain! For laquer better smelling stuff, use laquer thinner.
And always remember, SAFETY FIRST!

These stylish safety glasses are now available exclusively at Meem and Marc's! Find us in the brick house on the corner.... Bahaha. This blog is for Meem.

Much Love!!

Wise

I have decided that if you spend all of your time only looking ahead to what your future might hold then pretty soon you'll see no hope in your present. Sometimes you've gotta just work on the present before you get ahead of yourself.

I guess those General Authorities always have something to pertain to everyone's lives. Who was it that said "Make joy in the journey" again? Genius. :)

Alright, all of this wise-ness posting is weirding me out. Haha It was just a little too deep to put on facebook.... :P

Much Love!!

So it's Saturday

Today I got a new waffle iron and dress (courtesy of Mommy Dearest.), cleaned and reorganized my room, and even fit a couple of episodes of Veronica Mars in. I am recycling 2 years worth of magazines and just put a letter to Elder Jones in the mail. I am also currently doing laundry and contemplating a shower and dinner. Amazing, I know. Haha

Aly Babwa made a very sweet, and embarrassing video of me today. Thank you. :) She is quite an amazing girl. I want to be just like her when I grow up. :) No sarcasm on that.

So yes, I am blogging more. Why? Beats me. I'll probably snap out of it soon. :)

What's on my mind today? College, delicious foods that I wish just popped up in front of you when you wanted them, and Augie :), among other things. Also, why on earth is Troy back in Veronica Mars?? No one ever liked him anyways, the jerk.

Much Love!!

Listen carefully

Liam really likes Augie. He usually calls me Augie or just points to my necklace and says, Augie Augie Augie and waves. A couple of days ago however, he saw a picture of both of us and this is what he said. He is so cute! :)

P.S. Liam knows me as Aunt Marc

Much Love!!

Lawnie strikes again

The score between the lawnmower and myself apparently has not been settled! I thought we were cool, then today happened! I was crankin' the tunes and enjoying the 95 degree heat when that stupid door broke again!!! I did manage to fix it before it blew up on me and there were no roofers present, so all is well.... for now.

Watch your back, Lawnie.

Much Love!!

Small update on "The Real World"

I think that in the time I have been out of High School, I have learned more then I ever did in High School. Or at least things that are of much more value. Here are a few:

I learned what a "Seriously good grape" tastes like.
(Did you know that there are such things as fruit whisperers? They know how to pick seriously good grapes. Maybe someday I will learn the art.)

I learned that cliff jumping is as easy as making a very stupid decision.
(As long as you don't think about it, it works out quite well. ;)

I learned that the only kind of towns in Montana are small ones.
(But who needs towns when you are surrounded by such beauty?)

I learned that you can bounce a small child on a trampoline high enough to take a scoop of heaven.
(This one courtesy of August Rife's amazing story-telling abilities and Aunt Susan's delicious scones!)

I learned that you should always... no. Never go to a church site visitors center on an empty stomach!
(I promise that it makes it impossible to listen.)

I learned SOO much! But if I wrote it all down here, then you will never get the chance to learn for yourself. I had a wonderful Summer Vacation! I went to Spokane twice and on a road trip to Nauvoo and other church sites. From family reunions to Gross-smelling hotel rooms, I experienced it all.

Favorites:
Clark Family Reunion 2010!!
Hanging with Augie. Duh!
Cliff jumping!!!
Chelsea's visit
4th of July at Newman Lake
Nauvoo!!!!!!!!!!
Performing missionaries
Nauvoo Pageant
Hanging with the Hays family

Much Love!!

What a great dad I have :)

Once, not that long ago and not very far away, a girl named Michelle (Also commonly known as Marc) wrote a blog entry. But not just any blog entry. This one was about an evil lawn mower!!! *Dun dun dun!* I am very pleased to inform you that this evil lawn mower has had a change of heart, (Or maybe a change of part. Hehe) and is now fulfilling its proper duties as a lawn mower instead of a Michelle-Aggravater. Why? Because my father is soo wonderful! :) Thank you for fixing the lawn mower, dad. I appreciate it like a fly appreciates uncovered food. :)
So I am all grown up now. I've got my diploma, my happy memories of walking out of Ponderosa High School for the last time, and my cheap alumni pin. (Thanks, Chuck Puga!) I haven't really ever done that whole putting-pictures-on-my-blog-thing.... so why start now? There are plenty on facebook. Actually, my favorite part about the whole graduation day was the lei that my wonderful YW leader gave me. Thank you sooo much! I can't believe you made that for me! I absolutely loved it! You are the very best. :)
I have also purchased my very own mac for college! It was a very scary and rewarding trip to the apple store. I couldn't help but feel a little like Snow White, herself as I walked through that silver archway that led to the Apple Store. There were many foes that threatened my journey, but with the help of a few family members (The 7 Dwarfs of the story) I fought on to conquer them all and buy an apple that was poison-free. (Thank you family! Especially Ben) Sorry.... got a little carried away there.... but I love my computer so far and I am getting used to how user friendly macs are.
That's all I have to say today!
Much Love!!

Happily Ever After

I have decided that "happily ever after" isn't all it is made out to be. And THANKGOODNESSFORTHAT!! Happily ever after is something you are constantly working toward and every now and then you catch little glimpses of it. But because you work for it, it is more meaningful, exciting, and long lasting.
Elder Uchtdorf brought up a great point. (Well, actually many great points.) Life is your own personal fairy tale. We have hard times. We have temptation and many obstacles. But there are also so many joys and miracles. And what do we all want? We are working toward our own happily ever after and being a hero or heroine.
If you have not heard/read Elder Uchtdorf's talk that he gave last Saturday at the Young Women's broadcast, I would highly recommend it. He gives great insight and a few good laughs. :)

Much Love!!

National Chip and Dip Day is coming up! Mark your calendars for this special day!!

So today I was thinking. (A dangerous passtime, I know. (Name that movie)) I haven't blogged for a long time and if I get in a fatal accident and lose my ability to speak or something, my blogging skills won't be up to par! And that is kind of dangerous, don't you think? So here I am typing away about my oh-so-eventful-life. :)

Current state of being:
I am still short and have curly locks.
I don't have grills on my teeth.
I drive a truck.
I can be known to make people smile sometimes. So look out!
I am afflicted with the awful disease that is Senioritus. It is real.
I have the best boyfriend ever.
Aaaannndd....I like old movies and walks on the beach.

Now onto Upcoming Important events! (Drumroll)
Next week is Spring Break! Yahooo!
.....

Ok, let's face it. I only have this section for one reason. That reason is April 16th. :)

I bet you didn't know that:
March 23rd is National Chips and Dip Day.
Leprechauns really do exist. I had several eye witnesses tell me so yesterday. (Who cares that they were ages 5 to 8? )
My time card is due today.
I am dating a "carver."

As always, I hope you enjoy the deep inner workings of my brain. That's all for today Folks. :)

Much Love!!

College

So BYUI said they would gladly take me on. :) Woo! The end.

Much Love!!

The phat lip and the Locksmith

Happy New Year! Mine was FANTASTIC thanks mainly to Augie! (thank you) I went on a great week-long vacation and had a lot of fun! Thanks to all those who made it possible.
Today was an eventful day. First of all I had an awesome and vivid dream! It involved many intricate disguises, fictional creatures, and a deathplot!! But don't worry, it had a happy ending. It was great because I kept waking up from it then falling back asleep right where I left off and that almost never happens! So it was below 0 today. Woohoo..... cold. In English we talked about Shakespear and started reading Hamlet. Team Sports was floor hockey today. There is this big mean jerk hockey player who was all up in my grill the whole time and tried to "start a fight" with me even. (But karma bit him in the butt and he ended up looking like a fool, having all of his friends laugh at him, and he got kicked out of his beloved game. Note for all big mean hockey players attending PHS: don't push and hit little girls in your Team Sports class. It's mean.) I also took a ball right to the mouth!! Hit by one of our star baseball players none the less. It was just wonderful. haha I didn't loose any teeth and I got a phat, fat lip to show as a trophy so I'm good. :) Haha Then Sociology was as weird as ever and I realized hmmm I don't have my keys.... Yes, I decided to spice up my boring day by leaving them tantalizingly visible, yet beyond reach in my truck. Thanks superhero locksmith that wasn't very verbose! I appreciate the 15 seconds you took to unlock my car! :)
I hope tomorrow is equally as exciting as today.... except maybe a little less pain and waiting around. :P
Happy 6 months, Aug!
Much Love!!