Dimitri's Obituary

Today is not a day for smiling.

 

Today we mourn the passing of Dimitri the Love Fern. Dimitri was a kind and friendly plant and will be missed by all who loved him. Dimitri has left behind a mother (Kelsey Simpson), two -step brothers, (Marshall and Dexter Beta), and two sisters (Rachel Baker and Janalie Jensen).

Dimitri was brought into the family on May 20, 2011 as a young fern. It took about a week to name him because there were so many fitting names. His mother consulted most of the neighborhood on the matter and considered their suggested names, but finally decided on her initial favorite "Dimitri". Dimitri was a pleasant young plant. He was always so bright, springy, and full of life. He was a quiet, soft-spoken youth who was pleasant company for all who came to visit. Through his whole life he tried to be healthy by drinking plenty of water, and spending plenty of time in the sunlight.

 In mid August 2011, his family moved to a new apartment. Dimitri did not handle the move well, became very sick. He picked up a condition which leads to disintegration of his leaves, and one by one he lost his limbs. His sisters, Rachel and Janalie, took good care of him and tried to nurse him back to health. But in the end there wasn't much left of Dimitri. He was declared dead on January 20, 2012 at 7:45 AM.

His family will wait for his remains to dry out, then hold a private ceremonious burning of his remains. In respect to Dimitri's final condition, the family would appreciate if friends would restrain from sending flowers. They would ask for you to donate a tree to be planted at the local fairgrounds instead.

Analyzing

Analyzing: It makes me so happy. I'm such a left-brained nerd.

Let's analyze my latest blind date shall we? I can't remember if I've mentioned before that my social/love life is my sister's new hobby and she finds so much pleasure from setting me up on blind dates. And this last one was especially interesting.
The Set-up
         So Emily doesn't even know this guy that she set me up with this week. She said that she works with his sister, and she gave him my number when he came into visit. When I asked her what he was like she said "I didn't really get to talk to him very much, but he seemed nice." WRONG! You don't give numbers out to people that you don't even know. Therefore I am making a new rule that I will not go on any blind dates unless the matchmaker actually knows us both well and thinks it a wise decision.
First impression
         First off he texted me to ask me out instead of calling. I'm still currently undecided where I stand on the debate of whether a guy has to call or if texting is acceptable. But Emily told me that he dresses really well in like name brand clothes so I should wear something nicer/dressier. (This kinda freaked me out b/c I have this issue with guys who dress super well and wear expensive name-brand clothes, because the so obviously care so much about what they look like. I'm always paranoid that someone who cares so much will automatically not like me b/c I don't care so much what I look like.) So I wear my bright yellow "cute, happy, good little Mormon girl" shirt. As soon as I opened the door I knew I had worn the wrong shirt. He did dress very well, but he kinda dressed like a thug. He had a tight gray button-up shirt, with nice jeans, and a black beanie w/ a rim on it. So Emily was right about him dressing well, but she failed to fully analyze his style like I would have, so I ended up feeling like an idiot in this bright yellow shirt. Over the course of the date I came to find out that he was kinda Thug. He was from St George and kinda had the thug/bad A**/musician thing going on. (No offense to any thugs out there, but you just aren't my type.)
The date
         I am also making new rules about what types of activities i will or will not go on for a blind date. On this date we went to watch one of his friends perform at "open mic" at the Junction on campus. It was actually a really enjoyable show. But it was also awkward because I felt like I should be talking b/c it's a date. But neither of us had anything to say so we just sat there watching the show and occasionally commenting on it. The most interaction and conversation we had was when his friend came over to visit. She was super nice and friendly and talkative. I liked her. And then it felt more like a group hang-out rather than a date, and I was perfectly fine with that.
The outcome
        So the date wasn't a complete and total failure. I did enjoy the show and felt like I broadened my horizons a little bit. I found out that I can enjoy sitting around listening to live music. I made a new friend with this girl who came to visit us.  And I have also come to realize that when Emily gets off of her temporary suspension from setting me up on dates, I need to educate her in what my type is, and how to recognize someone who is NOT my type.
Analyzing Why
        Why did this date go the way it did? Despite us being total opposites I feel like there was some potential for us to become friends or something. But that will never happen now. Why? It all depends on the activity. The first blind date I went on was a blast and a half b/c we went dancing and were interacting the entire time, so we did actually get to know each other a little bit. The second date I went on was awkward b/c we went to a totally un-interactive fireside, got hot chocolate and went home. We hardly said anything to each other. Bad date. This one was a little more in the middle. We did talk an almost fair amount, but there was that whole we-were-sitting-here-watching-the-stage-and-not-interacting thing. That totally defeats the purpose of going on a date b/c you go on dates to get to know people.

All in all not a terrible experience. But definitely interesting and fun to analyze. But for now, no more blind dates for a while.

New Business Classes

I smile while I sit in all my new business classes. :)

What a week. New classes, a date, Relief Society retreat, game party, and the new best movie ever. If I wasn't so used to playing all the time, I'd be exhausted. New classes! Wahoo!!!!!!! I love my new classes (except stinking Math 1010). It's so nerdy, but as I sit in all my new business classes I just sit there grinning like a fool and thinking "Oh my gosh, I love being a business major!" I've got Business Communication, Math 1010, Business Law/Ethics, Accounting 2010, and Small group communication, and I'm also taking a Doctrines of the Gospel Institute class. I love them all so much!!! And I love the layout of my schedule. It allows me to devote my whole life to studying.
     Last week I also went on a date. Before I went on the date I was freaking out of my mind because I was extremely torn over how I felt about going, because I have major issues. We went to dinner and a movie, and it was actually a really nice date, and I really enjoyed it. Like I was talking so much during dinner that I barely had time to eat before we left for the movie. I want to go into all these details and tell you all about my issues, but I don't think it would be wise to tell the whole world all about those. So we'll just leave it at: it was a nice date and it changed my opinion on certain matters.
     This weekend I went on a Relief Society retreat, and it was the funnest thing ever!!! We all went to a cabin in Evanston, and we learned how to make egg noodles and scones, and stayed up til like 2-3 AM playing games. It was so awesome. Everyone was playing Sardines and you would think that 30-some girls could find 1 girl in a cabin. But no, they looked for like an hour. It was hilarious. While they were running around getting more and more confused, I was playing Hearts with my bishopric member and his wife. It was really quite fun. The more I get to know them, the more I realize how fun they are and the more I like them. Later that night we all played this game called "Freeze". 2 people start acting out a scenario (in a very animated manner) and in the middle of it someone calls "Freeze" and replaces one actor and starts on a new scenario. It was probly the funniest thing of my whole life. I had a blast with it, and the other girls were hysterical when they were acting. The next morning a few of us did yoga. That was a fun adventure. Then we packed up and came home. I wouldn't know, but I imagine that going to slumber parties when you're little was a lot like this experience. That night when I got home my roommates put in a movie at 7, and by 8 I had already slept through the whole thing, so I went to bed. But by the time I got ready for bed my brain was going again, so I ended up reading old journals until like 10:30. But old journals are fun, I would definitely recommend reading them sometime. Also I've said it before, but I want to state for the record that when I die I want someone to go through my journals copy all the pages and give them to the people that they were written about.
        Sunday night was awesome! I decided to throw a game party and invited like a bajillion people. But I really was expecting like 3 people to come. I was begging Spencer and his roommates to come just for the sake of having SOMEONE there. But guess how many people actually came! Give up? 29 people!!! at least!!! Counting me and my roommate there were 31+ people at the party at some point. There were even a few guys that I don't even know. I think the most that were there at one point were 24. But still! Can you imagine that many people crammed into my tiny apartment? It was insane, but totally awesome. It made me glad that I made the big pan of Texas sheet cake instead of my usual small pan of brownies.
      Monday night after home evening there was a dance party at Brookelane 10. It ended up being super lame though, so Jake, Jade, Ashley, Nate and I all bailed and went to see the new movie, "Joyful Noise". It's the new best movie ever!!! I loved it. It was like Sister Act ^10. The music was awesome. I had to buy the soundtrack because I loved it so much. And I love how they changed the words to one of Usher's songs to make it Christian. (maybe slightly marginal, but awesome nonetheless). Queen Latifa and Dolly Parton also couldn't have been better for their roles. Although I can't take Dolly seriously, I can't look at her w/o laughing. The two best lines of the movie were "You're so country you've been married 3 times and still have the same in-laws" and "Is it possible to be too good a Christian? That may be my biggest fault." Oh, also "Didn't Jesus say to suffer the children?! They're young, they're resilient, they'll recover!" oh my goodness, great movie.
     

Organization

Organization = happy= smile.

Today I'm talking about organization. When I left for Christmas, my kitchen cupboard was totally a mess and everything was just crammed in there. I never cook b/c I don't ever know what I have in my cupboard to work with. So for the sake of being able/willing to cook this semester I organized my cupboard. I took everything out, wrote down everything that I have, and put it all back in a nice and organized manner. Now there's so much more space in my cupboard. It's amazing!!! I know it's weird, but I love this. I love organizing and cleaning and seeing the end result. It makes me happy inside. :) Also, I've cleaned my apartment over the course of time that I've been here alone. It's great, so now let's just see if I can manage to keep it clean, particularly my room.
       Also, happy activity...setting goals. This week for home evening we set our goals like we do every year. Except no one else would go over their last year's goals. I went first reporting on how I did, but then no one else would. I was offended. Then we went around and shared our new goals, but my mom wouldn't do that either. But I did set some good quality "SMART" goals this year. Hopefully I will accomplish some of them. I love looking back at the end of the year and crossing off things that I've done. It's great.
       The other day I went bowling and hung out with Kirsten and Cody. I like those guys. Just throwing that out there. :) I don't know what else to say today, other than that I'm working on getting the visiting teaching report which is as frustrating as ever. But whatever, it happens.

Once Upon a Time

I am smiling because of my new favorite show: Once Upon a Time.

Ok, I have finally found a TV show that I actually like...that's weird. But the show is sooo good! It's on ABC and it's called Once Upon a Time. It's so good that it's worth devoting a whole post to it, and telling you why it's so great. First the overview. It's about all of the classic fairytale characters that have been sent to this world by the evil queen as part of her plan to get revenge on Snow White and ruin her "happily ever after". But before she cast the curse, Snow and Charming sent their baby daughter (Emma) to this world ahead of them to help her escape, because Rumpelstiltskin said that their daughter would be the person to save everyone if she could escape the curse before it was cast. So now 28 years later the characters are living in a time-frozen modern world. And Emma's biological son, has been adopted by the mayor of the characters (the queen). He has found Emma and brought her to the town to rescue them all.
 1) I love fantasy. That alone is enough to make me love this show.

 2) Every episode focuses on a different story and character, but they still tie back and are entwined with the main story line. But it's cool because even in the fairytale world the different stories are connected. Ex) Snow White's Prince Charming is really the poor shepherd who was forced to take on the identity of his twin brother/the king's adopted son to kill a dragon for King Midas and was then engaged to Midas' daughter. The two of them became best friends with Cinderella and her husband, who had promised their firstborn to Rumpelstiltskin. It's like 5 story's wrapped into one!!!

3)I love the cast. Look:

 The girl who plays Snow White is so pretty. And she plays the part so well. In the fairytale part she goes from innocent to strong independent to elegant princess. Then in real world she's the school teacher and she is so incredibly sweet. I also love how in the fairytale it's not like she's a worthless girl waiting around for someone to come save her. She beats the prince up then the each save each other a couple of times before they actually fall in love. I love her.

  Ok this guy...This picture doesn't quite do him justice, but it was the best I could find. He is the fairytale huntsman sent to kill Snow White, and the modern Sheriff. He is my favorite...IDK, maybe it's his Irish accent..., or maybe it's because he's such a good guy. He is also really good looking. Whatever it is, I absolutely LOVE him.

Prince Charming: Mmmmm. I don't love him quite as much as the huntsman, but he's definitely #2. He's not a pussy boy like in the Disney version. This one's actually got some guts and some good moral character and he seems to be pretty cool too. So I'm a fan. And there's just something about the way that he confesses his love to Snow that makes him hard not to love. He's also really attractive which is just an added bonus.