i can't fight this feeling any longer...

sometimes when i'm alone in my house, i do things that i might not do in a room full of people. i got home from work and went looking for tweezers. that means i headed over to ali's bathroom...where i usually steal her tweezers. i opened up the cupboard. no tweezers. what did i find? veet. okay, maybe this is too revealing to say what i find in bathroom cupboards. just stay with me....
alot of girls have a problem with the mustache. i remember stories from my youth of friends having to wax the upper lip....and the stories of pain. i was always grateful that i didn't have that problem.
last night i got curious. not that i had a mustache, but why not give it a try?? who doesn't want a smooth upper lip? i read the instructions. simple. apply cream. leave on for 3 minutes. wipe off. enjoy the hairless wonder that is your upper lip. i can do that. so i did.
it burned a little bit at first, but i had my eye on the clock. the last thing i wanted was to burn my skin and have red upper lip for the next week. less that three minutes later, i wiped off the cream. it was glorious. and it was numb. and tingly.
that was last night. the numbness is gone, but it's still tingly. a friend told me that since i did that my hair was going to grow back in -- jet black. WHAT?!?! let's hope not. and for heaven sakes, let's hope this tingly feeling goes away.
i want my old upper lip back. :(

it's about time...

i pulled my hair into a pony tail today. granted, it's a little mulan pony, but that only mean one thing. time for a hair cut.

mommy WOW! i'm a big kid now...

i'm a grown up. i have a grown up job (at least i think so...), and grown up responsibilities.
translation: i am back in provo because i have to go to work tomorrow. when everyone else i know is in california playing at disneyland, or staying at home for another lazy week before school starts, or going to the cabin....i am sitting alone in my apartment in provo. i'm not trying to have a pity party, don't get me wrong. i'm just saying...for all of you still in school...enjoy it while it lasts. the day will come, sooner than you think, that you will have to grow up.
(ps....i hated when people gave me this speech when i was in school. i hated school and hated when people told me to "enjoy it while it lasted". barf. SO. i'm not lecturing you, or trying to sound like i'm better than you (if you haven't graduated) because i've already graduated and am a grown up. just clarifying.)
SO. if you are in provo this week...so am i. alone. well not alone, i guess my grown up responsibilites are keeping me company.

ps. the music video is done. it's posted on facebook, and i'm trying to get it to upload to the blog. warning. it's basically ridiculous. don't judge me for it.

get excited...

we've been making our music video. :)

root canal part dos...and christmas eve.

remember that one time i had a root canal?? looking back on it, i remember thinking it wasn't as bad as i thought it was supposed to be. here's the clincher i didn't mention about the root canal before....i only had half of a root canal. possible? possible. it was beginning of summer and efy was more important than teeth. so, they did the first half, but just left the temporary stuff there until i could come back and have the permanent stuff taken care of.
efy got the best of me, and then i got my new job. and then my schedule was not such that i could come down to vegas just for the dentist. (why do i still go to a dentist in vegas?? family friend. plus, he's fantastic.) so, my mom scheduled me an appointment at 7:00 am christmas eve. yes, i slept in. dang it. then i was on the road for about 10 minutes when i got a flat tire. true story. my parents drove in, switched me cars, and i was off again. i was about 45 minutes late...dang.
i am now in pain. i decided i don't like having my gums moved around. and when i'm told that i may be a little tender, and not because of the tooth, but because my gums may be bruised. gross. who does that??
so, i take it back. root canals are painful. not enjoyable. but...i have a very beautiful and newly polished toothy tooth that i'm thrilled about. thank you, santa.
and now it's christmas eve. everyone seems to being trying to head to the store for "one last thing" and the house is a mess from cooking and crafting. i (and by "i" i mean me and my mom and cindy) made beb's christmas present this year. i'll take a picture of it and post it...but right now it is wrapped and under the tree.
it will be weird to only have 4 kids home. we'll all fit in one bedroom tonight...easily. (all the kids sleep in the same room on christmas eve) and we'll be eating leftover ham for days. we won't be fighting over the phone tomorrow when nathan calls from peru, and we won't even be able to finish a whole pan of breakfast pizza. weird.
for some reason i've been emotional this christmas. my mom thinks it means i'm growing up, but i really have been touched by alot of music and programs from this season. i'm grateful for friends. grateful for family. grateful for this time to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
Love,
Bethany

iTrip

i drove home with my brother today. alone. we had to drive separate cars because i'll be heading back to utah long before ryan makes the trip. ryan had his roommate with him, and i was jamming by myself. it was good and i had plenty of time to think, which was needed. i was fine. till ryan passed me and was having a dance party in his car. all the sudden, i was jealous. i called ryan and told him to never make me jealous like that...and then he had his brilliant idea. i tuned my radio station to the same one he had for his iTrip. and we were in business. he played tunes for me the rest of the trip.and to remind you how good of a brother i have...he called me and we put our hands over our hearts and had a moment of silence when we drove past the place the blue bullet died. what a good car that was (please sense the sarcasm...) but it was a funny memory, with the flames and all. it made me grateful that i was driving home in a reliable car.since i've been home i've already eaten twice my body weight. and we haven't even had a sit down meal. i feel like i've been constantly eating.another thing i learned today. i stopped at my little sister's basketball game on the way home. in a normal sporting event, i'm not very vocal. get to me a byu game and i'll clap when a touchdown is made and sing alot with the fight song. watch a game on tv...i'll watch it, while i check my facebook. but put me a game where i have a sibling playing? all the sudden i become vocal. i don't know what the deal is, but it was a fun game. they won by 7...that's my girl.overall, it's good to be home. it was nice to walk in my house and take it all in. christmas decorations, smells, the kitchen table full of goodies and crafts. it's nice to lounge around. it will be nice to go to my home ward tomorow. love being home. excited for next week. ryan and i have already talked to the siblings about our music video....hopefully it will really happen!! :)

tis' the season...

i love christmas cards. i've gotten weird looks from alot of people when i ask them if we can be christmas card friends someday. let me explain.
in my house, when we get christmas cards they get taped up on the door for all to see. it's fun to see how families change from year to year...and always fun to read a little letter to see what people are up to. there were always the families of boys that i would take a gander at each year to see if they were as cute as the last year. there are a few classic christmas family favorites my fam gets every year. we anxiously wait for them to come in the mail. i love it.
this is how i know people from my parents lives....old college roomates, mission companions... and it's interesting how we end of crossing paths. one time i saw a kid at costco. i didn't dare say hello...because he wouldn't know who i was. but i'd seen the kid grow up...through christmas cards. i ended up working efy with a christmas card exchangee. i worked for one of my dad's friends from school and ended up meeting all of those "boys" in christmas card pictures past. so funny. and now. i work for another christmas card exchangee, and one of those "boys" is married and works in the cubicle next to me. i am living the dream.
i don't know if i can express how excited i am to go home for christmas. my mom does such a good job decorating the house and making it festive for the holidays. baking goodies and treats for neighbors and blasting the christmas music. but do not forget about the CARDS. i will get home, sit at the counter, and my mom will hand me a stack of letters. i love it.
so when i ask you if we can be christmas card friends with you someday...that's a big deal.

thank you rebecca

i came home from work and made these babies. cute, eh?

if you come visit, you can eat as many as you want!!!

and i know you were wondering. an update on rebecca and her christmas tree that were delivered to our house. we ended up getting another random piece of christmas mail for her, so i stalked her on facebook. sure did. and i sent her a message. sad story... i wasn't here when she came. dang it. but don't worry, we are no longer plant sitting for strangers.

it's game time.

okay, this is weird....but funny. on this web site you can combine your face with another persons. find out what your kids will look like or something like that i guess. since i'm not married, i just picked a few men in my life...

so here's the game. can you guess who they are??? some of you will know all of them, but not everybody. hint...it actually helps if you look at them from afar. okay...some will be obvious, but oh well.

here we go!!!

bachelor #1bachelor #2

bachelor #3


bachelor #4

bachelor #5

gross. but funny. go ahead and play my little game.

and if you win...i'll name my first child after you.
ps...i'm well informed that the last one looks slightly deformed. just pretend that i didn't look hard enough for a picture that would work better so it looks like a horse bit out a chunk of the right chin/cheek. thank you.

we be jammin.

this will be a duplicate post if you (are cool enough to) read my brothers blog. we have been talking about making a music video for weeks. the time has come, and over christmas break we are going to make it happen. there is one song that we will make a video to for sure....but we are open to suggestions for others. and don't worry, it will show up here on the blog when it's all finished. merry christmas to you.

what in the snow?

#1. i told myself i was going to bed last night at 8:00....and i was tired enough last night that i could have done it. i didn't go to bed until 1 because i was tempted by dear friends.
#2. aa is aaron allred (thats for you mindy). no secrets. i don't know why i wrote it that way. probably because i knew it would bug mindy. sorry.
#3. after aa left, i had to call cindy to talk about the visit....you know, catch her up as if she were there. it was one of those conversations i knew i had to be quiet, but i was trying not to belly laugh from my room. i actually hid under my covers so i could laugh. and when i can get cindy laughing, you know its a good conversation.
#4. i ate a piece of chocolate before i went to bed. bad move. if i eat any sweets before bed, i always wake up with a headache. duh.
#5. have you looked outside today? i was dressed in a skirt...until i opened the door and just dropped my purse in shock. i turned right around and went to put pants on. everytime it snows i realize i do not have winter clothes. not winter clothes to wear to work that is. if only sweatshirts and jeans were appropriate at work...then i would really love my job.
#6. i almost died on the way to work today. TWICE. okay, thats a lie. you know when your mom says, "i'm not worried about you, i'm worried about other drivers on the road"...?? i am that other driver, in the winter anyways. i hate driving in the snow. i don't know what to do. and when my brakes locked up this morning, i almost had a panic attack.
#7. i am safely sitting at my desk with my space heater going. :)

if any of you have fantastic driving tips for snow...i'd love to hear them. and every year i remember i never bought a scrapey thing to get the snow off my car....and for some reason never end up buying one. duh.

you are woman....i am man....

lindsey (and all other funny girl fans)...that title is for you.

good things about today:

• i was on time for work.
• i got alot done today
• i had my first "morning meeting" with my boss, and i actually liked it
• i can say, "i go home for christmas this week. i love that
• someone funny added me on facebook today. still laughing.
• i had a hot shower...with a shower curtain. (long story)
• we got a new curtain rod, so i can actually hang my towel over the rod without it falling to the ground during a shower...which is a very good thing
• dinner
• i had a great three way phone call with my girls today. i love exciting news, especially when there are three people on one phone call
• did i mention i'm going home this week?
• i got to go to my sister in law's final exam for a music theatre class. i love watching her perform
• i had a great meeting with my boss and a client. i love getting to know clients better...and after working with them in person, it makes it so much easier to handle situations over the phone. did i mention this was a big client? it went well :)
• i worked through lunch today, and left work at 4:15. sometimes when i do this, i'm dying to eat and usually have a tired headache. nope. somehow the day just flew by.
• i listened to my high school musical pandora station today. basically they play hannah montana, jonas brothers, hsm, hsm2, hsm3 and camp rock. i. love. it.
• aa is coming to visit me right now. yes! and if you know who aa is, you are my real friend. just kidding, probably only cindy will know.

bad things about today.

• nothing.
• no complaints.
• i love you.

harmony

I taught the lesson in rs today about unity. i asked for words that people thought of when they heard the word unity, and someone said "harmony". I've been singing this song in my head ever since. please tell me you know it...



confession: i always wanted bangs like ariel. looking at them now, i don't see how i would ever want that. and ps...ariel has red hair. i do not. ok...maybe i have a reddish tint, but it always throws me off when people refer to me as the red head. really?

thanks, jackie

i'm sure you have all heard about billboards in las vegas. gross. there is one particular one that i pass coming home from utah, or coming home from visiting friends on the other side of town. it used to be this lady (fully clothed, thank you) with a big bucket of coins. she won the jackpot, apparantly. It said "Thanks, Jackie!". thanks for winning? thanks for coming to play our slots? thanks for agreeing to be on our billboard? thanks for being a model that has never played slots at our hotel and holding that heavy bucket o' coins for your photo shoot?
in the past few years, the billboard changed. jackie is wearing less clothes and has gotten rid of her trusty bucket o' coins, but it still reads "Thanks, jackie!". thanks for what? jackie... (shaking my head in disappointment)
Anyways, it's turned into a landmark for our family. when i'm driving home, i text my mom when i get to that billboard "Thanks, Jackie!" and she knows i'll be home in 25 minutes.
the other day i made a call to another investment company, and a nice lady named jackie was helping me on the other line. i thought nothing of it, until she told me she would have to transfer me to another department so they could help me.
"Thanks, Jackie!"
I almost died, and had to try really hard not to laugh into the phone. i did have a ridiculous smile on my face, and if i hadn't been so busy, i would have called my mother straight away to tell her about it.
still laughing...

N

How do you end a week long tribute to Nauvoo? I don't know that there is a perfect way to do it. Quite simply, a semester in Nauvoo changed my life. I had a friend who has been reading these post ask me "how has Navuoo changed your life?" I was speechless and just sat there with a smile on my face shaking my head. I guess the appropriate question would be "how has Nauvoo not changed my life. The people, the experiences, the teachers, the service misisonaries, the trips, the church sites, the gospel learning, the temple. I am a different person now than I would have been without that semsester. I think everyone ever to attend a semester there could say the same, but at the same time...not be able to put a finger on it. I am so grateful I was able to participate in such a unique experience. I only wish the program was available still for my younger friends and siblings. dang, did they miss out.

This video could quite possibly be one of the funniest memories from Nauvoo. I don't know if it's even fair to have a list of funny memories. There's so many memories, it would be ridiculous to even try to start making a list. van rides, late nights in the craft room, "studying", cp's, dance parties, secret club meetings, bus trips....
i remember the last night, all the rules were out the window. girls on the boy's floor, boys on the girl's floor. no bedtime. all fun. i told kayce that i had written my top ten list of boys i wanted to kiss from nauvoo under my desk...you know, just for fun. she came to me later to tell me she had done the same thing...with SHARPIE MARKER. had i really made such a list? heavens no, but i ran to her room and took a little glance at hers. and without further delay...here is her list:
okay just kidding. i don't really have her list. but she had one. hahahahahahha.
okay really though, back to the movie. watch it. love it. remember Nauvoo.

A

I hesitated adding this to the blog, becuase it's gross. i told one friend i couldn't do it because i would lose readers. i know of other people that will shake their head at me when they see this, but guess what: this is for nauvoo people. so if you are not nauvoo, and this doesn't have sentimental value for you, then don't watch it. it's gross. for me personally, even though its gross, i still laugh knowing that this little sugery happened in the lounge at the jsa. matt was kicked back in a recliner...true story. and i watched the whole thing in real life.

U

Teachers. Let's talk about it. I loved the teachers and staff that were there with us. Of course, there were "trying times", but I will never be able to express how much I learned from these great people that gave of their time.

The Scharffs. Do I even have words? I always loved when they were on my bus for traveling. I loved hearing Brother Scharffs teach his class, and Sister Scharffs actually sat in our class with us. At the time it was because she wanted to sit in on one of his classes. Looking back, I'm wondering if it was because we were rowdy. Hmmmm. And everyone remembers the welcome to college speech we got in that class. Priceless.

The Smiths and the Lamberts. Who didn't love every single thing about these people?? The Smiths were always happy. ALWAYS. Please never forget pioneer life. Remember when we had to write our own hymns for that class and had to sing them in front of everyone? Who waited till the last day to make their candle? And how many hours did you spend in that craft room. In case you were wondering, no... i never finished my quilt. i actually haven't even touched the thing since i've been home. whoops.

The Humphries. I never took a class from Bro. Humphries...didn't he teach History? or was that Bro. Castleton? I only remember Bro. Castleton in our choir class. I always started out not liking the songs we were singing, and by the time we performed them, i was in love with them. to this day, anytime i hear "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" or "This is the Christ", I think of Nauvoo.

Look at our cute teachers and service missionaries. I am so grateful for them putting up with all of us all semester. Let's be honest, we were more than a handful and probably very abnoxious at times. I love them!!

And what a better way to end this post, than our favorite movie of one of our favorite teachers. i hadn't seen this in a long time, but kayce sent it to me. i actually called her tonight quite frantic. "what do i post about!?!?!?" i was having a brain freeze. then she provided me with these pics and video....and the rest is history. (theres your shout out kayc..happy?? haha)

Please share your favorite teacher memories in a comment. i love hearing from all of you in the comments because you always remember things that i've forgotten! Kayc, that would be a good place to share your sister humphries joke!! :)

sure love you guys and love remembering the good times that are NAUVOO.

V

bus trips. do you remember anxiously waiting for them to post those four bus lists? i remember crossing my fingers that i would "know" at least one person on my bus. and i remember everyone rushing to the lists in the cafeteria when they would be posted, and immediately start making plans with who you would sit with...yaddah yaddah. and when you didn't get on the bus with all your other friends? the world ended. ok, not really...but still.

i will never forget this bus ride, and i giggle when i look at this picture with the scharfs and humphries. please tell me you remember sister humphries making us sing "sarasponda" on the bus. perfection.

and please tell me you remember when brother scharfs told us our next stop was going to be viagra falls. and he was serious.

trip to kirtland. priceless. i will never forget the time we had in the temple that evening, and walking outside into the rain to the rest of our group singing hymns. with a slight breeze, the temple was keeping the rain from hitting us. i remember being so impressed when someone pointed out that the temple shields us on a daily basis from the storms of the world, just as it was shielding us from the rain that night.

and i will never forget our group standing in all four corners of the temple singing The Spirit of God. unforgettable.

I am CRAVING my scrapbook right now to remember all of the other trips we took and places we got to go. the question is....if you could NOT go on one of those trips, which one would you choose. what was that?? Hannibal, MO? good answer. tom sawyers white picket fence and creepy houses to walk through. and please don't forget the freezing ferry ride that lasted 9 hours. okay, that's an exageration. i would have much rather stuck with church sites...

the trips were long. we spent countless hours on those buses, but there was something fun and exciting about it...packing up and going to see new things. but man alive did i love coming home. the jsa was home. and i loved it.

random thought. i just forgot where we did laundry. why can't i remember it?? was it in the bathrooms? and please never forget the lines for the showers. just kidding. please forget.

O

i love to see the temple. is that the best view you've ever seen? it never got old coming around that bend and back to the jsa, no matter how many trips you made into burlington.

this is the view of the temple from the quad of the jsa. is it just me that remembers when the boys bought pellet guns and chased a skunk around...until they got caught? (the boys, not the skunk...)here's a memory for you. i remember being up past curfew (remember how they gave us a quiet curfew and then would check on us?? it was never fun to get a knock on your door!!) i was up late in heidis room and got caught more than once. i don't remember how many times we ran across this quad because we were late for class. whoops.

we were always trying to find things to do, and by the end we were pretty good at entertaining ourselves. at times, our entertainment was borderline mischevious, but that made it all the better, right? you can only crochet for so long before your mind starts to wander.

mischevious memories:

• i snuck up to my room after being in heidi's room late talking, and i had NO MATTRESS. ok, so i knew i had been pulling pranks with the room across the hall, and when i tried their door and it was locked, i was sure my mattress was in their room. i spent the night in heidi's room, and found out the next morning that my mattress was on the first floor. for those of you that don't know, the first floor of the dorms was the boys floor, and off limits to girls. yes, i made justin get my mattress from the hall closet and carry it back up to my room. precious.
• there was a no dating policy at the jsa. HA. i laugh out loud even thinking about it, and laugh even harder when i think of all the secret and not so secret love affairs going on. didn't someone get caught smooching in the stair well? and to all those who were in love and would go on walks around the temple. blah. but i was jealous...
• that stupid knight. do you remember the knight? i hated that knight, and hated even more when everyone found out how much i hated the knight. it would show up everywhere i was...hiding around corners, standing behind me in the computer lab, and even in my closet. gross.
• speaking of the computer lab. two words for you. INSTANT MESSENGER. half of the time we were in there, we were talking to other people in the computer lab on instant messenger. and oh the conversations we would have. scandelous.
• anyone want to go to the rascal flatts concert? i still don't feel bad about "sneaking out" to drive 5 hours to see their concert. my parents knew i was going. plus, chris cagle opened, and he knows how to shake those hips.
• like explained before, the boys dorms were on the first floor. girls were on the 2nd and 3rd floors. they had lounges on both ends of each hallway, but girls weren't allowed in the boy hallway and boys not allowed in the girls hallway. it was annoying at times....like when boys were on the 2nd floor lounge and wanted to go to the 2nd floor lobby at the other end of the hallway. they would have to go down to the first floor to go down their hallway. "i'll meet you there!" now don't make me feel bad, everyone broke this rule at least once, right? i still remember jarrett and dan running full speed down the hallway, for no reason i'm sure.
• the vans. i think we all have some ridiculous memory in those vans. i don't know that i will even share any. dance parties were involved, but i will never forget when jarrett put in his new cd from walmart: ludacris -chicken and beer. the van was shocked.
• i don't remember who it was that got duct-taped to the post in the main lobby, but i still remember bro. porcaro coming around the corner and finding him. busted.
• and that one time kyle got caught in the girls room?? i think windows were involved, and i'm pretty sure he tried to hide behind the curtains. classic.

oh my goodness. of course nauvoo was not all fun and games. we had classes, and that blasted scrapbook to finish. but when i think of nauvoo and the dear friendships, i can't help but think of some of the silly times...

O

I've started to write about ten different posts about this, and just can't seem to get it right. it's almost silly how i can't put my thoughts into words. how do i start...
december 13th i came home after spending a semester in nauvoo with 144 students, great faculty and wonderful service missionaries. this saturday will be five years since we've been home. bittersweet...and weird.

i remember showing up at the airport and seeing people with jsa (joseph smith acadamy) backpacks and being too afraid to talk to them. i remember showing up in st. louis and following the crowd of students to the bus, not knowing a soul. i remember sitting on the bus and meeting the girl that would be my best friend that semester, and laughing for the entire bus ride. i remember pulling around the bend and seeing the temple for the first time out of that bus window and having no clue how much i was going to learn and grow in a short three months. i remember checking in and getting my room key and dragging my bags up to the third floor and meeting my 3 other roommates. i had no idea what was in store for me. i dropped off my bags and went straight down the hallway to the phone room. yes. this was before cell phones....well, before i had a cell phone. i went in that room, so alone and nervous, wondering what in the world i had gotten myself into, and called my mom to let her know i had made it safely...on a calling card. how ghetto can you get?

this is a picture of our group taken at the end of the semester on the steps on the nauvoo temple. sorry it's small...but it's probably a good thing. i think we all became so comfortable with eachother by the end we just stopped getting ready. maybe that was just me. haha. i wasn't the best of friends with all 144 students, and didn't know everyone as well as i wanted to, but i can honestly say that i love the people in this picture. the things we experienced together can never be replaced or duplicated.

this is a silly picture and won't mean anything to anyone who has never spent time at the jsa. this is the hallway that connected the dorm/cafeteria building with the visitors center and office part of the building where the classrooms were. yes. our dorms and classrooms were all in the same building, and there were days that we never left the building. sometimes people would just wear slippers all day. i miss those days. and don't think we didn't walk down this hallway and sing at the top of our lungs. i miss that echo. heavenly.

don't worry. i'm posting nauvoo all week. (please, no barfing) i just got off the phone with my little sister. i sent her into my room and she pulled out my scrapbook and photo album. my goodness i'm so sad i don't have those right now. she's scanning in pictures to email to me. get excited JSAers. the week of memories has come. :)

to the rest of you... (not to be rude to all the others that did not participate in the best three months ever), sorry that this week may be boring to you. but who knows, you might just learn something new about me this week. either way...it's gonna be a great week - if you know that!

picture i promised.

here is cute katie as mary.

and here is the delivery we got at our house. here's the story: this box was left on our doorstep, addressed to rebecca mcdermot. i don't know anyone by that name. but dad and lori know her, and wish her a merry christmas. the next time i came home it was in my house and opened. the box said "open immediately, live plant inside", so my dear roommate opened it. and watered it. and plugged it in. i think there was a box of chocolates in the package too. i wouldn't know because i don't dare open it. my roommate did look up the girl and emailed her about her package mailed to the wrong address, but never heard back. so...we have a live christmas tree after all.

and no, we are not cooking the tree for dinner. this is our way of watering. it doesn't look very safe with a pot full of water...plugged in. haha. and if any of you know rebecca mcdermot...tell her we have a gift for her...

oh the weather outside is frightful...

it's dumping snow right now. i know i hate the snow and don't feel bad saying it outloud, but i have to admit it does feel a little more like christmas. plus, i'm inside looking at the snow through and window with my space heater blazing heat and cooking my little ankle bones. so today, snow is fine.
plus, its staff meeting today...so i don't have to leave and go anywhere for lunch. bonus.

and i'm sorry, but i just got off a phonecall (not business related...so sue me) and how come no one ever takes me out into the forests of provo to look at the stars?!? some girls are so lucky. but really... do you see your unborn children in his eyes?? i think it's a legit question.

freeze your fest

good weekend. friday i went home and had all my cleaning done by about 7. i went out to dinner with megan and greg, had a lovely chat, and ended the night with sisterhood of the traveling pants 2. what more could a girl ask for, really? i'm such a sucker for those kinds of movies, so megan and i ate it up...greg fell asleep.
ok, lets be honest. i didn't feel like cleaning the blinds in my room. i didn't even wipe out the window sill...i know, what a slacker. so i decided to try something. i decided i would sleep in. the bed is right in front of the window. guess what. it worked. i heard a little head peek in at my "clean room" and out she went. did we pass?? sure did. dusty blinds and all. so it worked out. i was tired anyways, so sleeping in was a bonus. and i only had to clean 2 sets of blinds this month instead of three. merry christmas to me.
saturday i did a whole lot of nothin. read through my lesson for next week, watched a few random parts of different movies, watched elder wirthlins funeral, took a nap, and then got ready for the night. what was that night, you ask? freeze fest. do i need to explain? maybe all you need to know is that there was a dance and i went with the dearest brother ryan. basically, thats it. dance the night away. they had ice skating and broom hockey and cookie decorating, but ryan and i were at the dance...and had a blast.
sunday was great like always. we had some friends over for a waffle extravaganza while we watched the christmas devotional. loved it.
and now it's monday. back at work. i've already crossed a few big things off my list this morning, which is a good feeling. and i just realized this is a boring post, but now i've typed it and don't want it to go to waste. sorry. no exciting news. no funny stories. no real insight into the life that is Bethany Stewart. oh, but here's something. you are allowed to comment on this baby. remember how there are people that read this that i don't even know about? i think that's great. but let's be serious, when no one comments, no one cares. which is fine. but if no one cares, i won't post. see how that works? tricky, i know. so i dare you to leave a comment. double dog dare you. thats all.

love my family.

we are posing with inca cola, which i guess is all the rage down in peru where Nathan is serving. i think we should me models. yes?

whoops

i woke up today at 7:55. yes, work begins at 8. i was here at ten after. what does that tell you? i look really cute today. at least i brushed my teeth (or did i??) sorry. i mean i really did brush my teeth...
this morning in the state of being half awake i think i turned my alarm off. bad news bears. thats what happens when you stay up past your bed time, so i guess i deserve it.
guess what tonight is. you guessed it. how better to usher in a new month than with cleaning checks! yay!!! really, though. i've already decided i am just going straight home to take care of it. i hate those danged cleaning checks, and i will be glad to cross it off my list. hopefully then, someone nice will call and see if i am doing anything later. and then i will be able to go because my chores are done. if no one calls...i am so tired, i can just go to bed. i love planning ahead.
i went with adam to see Savior of the World last night and it was a fantastic show. I was lucky enough to know a few people in the cast. Katie was on my team last summer, and it was so fun to see her as Mary...and to hear her sing! i loved it. she did a wonderful job and i was grateful to have the reminder of the reason we celebrate this season. ( i will post a picture when i get home...what a great photographer i had!) afterwards we did a quick walk around temple square (by quick i mean as fast as i could walk in heels. it was freezing!) i love seeing the lights, and i love being on temple square. overall good night.
other than the fact that i am almost falling asleep at work and will be a slave cleaner tonight, i have a feeling today is going to be great. the forecast says sunny. i love the sun.

i was watching an investment clip at work the other day and someone used the quote " even a broken clock is right twice a day. " i don't know why that has been on my mind. not that i feel like i'm broken, but i'm definetely a work in progress. just something to think about.

i got the whole week of christmas off at work, and i'm thrilled about it! it will be good to be home for a full week, spend time with family and see some friends.

icing on my cake...i've got alot on my mind and i'm having a hard time being focused at work today. i sit here and make lists of things i need to do (for work...and life in general) and just don't know where to even start?!? it's okay. forecast = sun. life = good. :)

am i losing my mind?

remember how i just got an email from one of my advisors asking me if i wanted the new accounts grouped or indiviual for reporting purposes. my response?

"yes, please."

really, Bethany? I didn't even catch it until she emailed me back asking what my preference was...for the second time. I apologized and gave her the information she needed.

rough day.

We didn't start the fire...

Thank you Billy. That song actually came on my pandora radio station yesterday (thank you again Kayce for the wonderful introduction).

I have a space heater at work that sits under my desk. I love that little thing, and part of my morning routine is turning that baby on. I get to work. Turn on my computer, go downstairs to fill up my cup with ice water, back to cubicle, log into computer, turn on space heater, start the day. see? it's very important. i can't start a work day without warm little footsies, and this thing blasts the heat.
It's always tricky to determine when to turn off the space heater. it all depends on the weather, what i'm wearing, and if my neighboring cubicles have had their space heaters on. this might sound gross, but i usually start sweating before i realize i need to turn that baby off. by this time, i think i've already started cooking my ankles.
yesterday, i started smelling something burning. it scared me. that last thing i want to do a fairly new employee is burn down the building because my space heater was on full blast. i am usually really careful to not let my pants rub up against my heater, because it gets so hot and i don't want to start a fire or melt my pants. i picked up my heater. took a big whiff. not my heater.
minutes later, i got a call from the girl at the desk next to me. she just wanted to let me know that if i smelled burning, to not worry. (WHAT?!?!) she had kicked over her space heater on accident. whoops.
it's a miracle this place hasn't burnt down already i guess.
and in case you're wondering, my space heater is still on and my upper lip hasn't started sweating yet so we're good to go.

icing on the cake

i was invited to an exclusive birthday lunch on friday. why? because i am cool. i would tell you who it's for, but i don't want you to feel left out and wonder why you weren't invited to such an event. ok, so it's work people so no need to worry really. but out of 60+ employees, i am one of four (including the birthday girl) that is invited to lunch. what can i say, people like me.

i'm hoping you all know that i'm joking when i brag about how cool i am. heaven knows i am far from cool and wonder on a daily basis how i even have friends like you who actually are cool.

and i love when people i love get well deserved attention from boys. this person would die if i exposed information. duh. like i would spill the beans here. sorry charlie, thats just more goodness for the secret blog. and yes, i posted on the dang thing multiple times today, because i can.

it might snow today, so i'm trying to think of happy things.

I am lucky to live with people i love. by people, i mean ali. don't be fooled. ali and i are very different...from music, to the way we dress, to how clean our rooms are.(ali's room is clean if you are wondering. i'm working on it.) as different as we are, we tend to find ourselves in similar situations and i'm reminded on a daily basis that i'm lucky to have her around. so al, here's to you putting up with my music, laundry in the hallway, addiction to tlc, silly phrases, dance moves, late night talks, early mornings when i climb in your bed, ridiculous accents, singing at the top of my lungs, silly boy stories, forgetfullness, tweezer theiving habits. sure love ya! this picture is from the first time ali and i saw eachother after she got home from her mission. pat yourself on the back if you know where it was taken. :)

happy december!

ok, so the picture doesn't do it justice. i love my christmas tree, and after everyone left my house after fhe (except perris, because he never leaves my house...) i turned off the lights and just stared at my christmas tree with little white lights. i love it. so much that if i had a full size couch, i would sleep in the front room. start the countdown. 24 days and counting...