Summer Schemes

Finals Fortnight is coming along nicely. I have rides to Utah this weekend and home next week! The end is in sight, and I'm already scheming what I'll do this summer (besides working and interning and 3 online classes).

-Adventures in the city. Jazz clubs with Dallin, the Getty with Mom, temple trips with Claremont buddies, wandering in awe with Liz.

-Reading. There is so many good books I haven't read! Luckily, City Hall is right across from the public library. (Any suggestions?)

-Sewing. Well, not exactly. I recently took up cross stitching and made this for a friend. I enjoy it and want to do more!

-Come up with a rockin' way to celebrate my 21st birthday, even though it's on a Sunday this year.

-I might even finish what I started circa 1997--finally learn how to ride a bike. I have up after I broke my arm (three years after this picture.)

That will be probably more than I'll have time for. Too bad. I'm going to do them anyway.

Expectation≠Reality.

At the beginning of this summer I was anxious about the decisions I had made. I had so desperately wanted to stay in Rexburg to work and live with friends. But after praying, fasting, pleading, and applying for a few jobs, I knew in the depths of my soul that I belonged in California for the summer. And in the family ward, no less! So I did what I knew was right, hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

The other day, I was reading back in my journal when I came across a note I made at a class I attended at Women's Conference: "The plan that the Lord has for me is a lot better than what I could have planned for myself." I laughed. I knew that was right when I wrote it down, but now I really know and feel just how true this is. I planned for one full time job and maybe the occasional outing with friends--like last summer, but without the crushing depression.

What I got was my old part-time job back. Opportunities to serve. An internship at Upland City Hall--I start as soon as they finish my background check. The hardest calling I've ever had. Long and frequent visits with sweet new friends. My life at this point is so beyond what my wildest hopes for it were as I left Rexburg. I'm so blessed. And I've got a feeling that it will only get better.

A Memorial Day Miracle.

Today I took a hike with my brother, his girlfriend, and his friend. Heaven knows why I agreed to go. I'm not a mountain kind of girl. High elevation, bugs...don't need it. I prefer the beach. Also, I'm way out of shape and that trail made my body stop working. 

But dang, it's beautiful up there.

Okay, I haven't been completely honest about my summer.

I loved my job. I really did. But spending so much time by myself and my inability to handle stress  made me feel awful. I was doing great at work, but I still felt like I was failing, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong or how to fix it. That's when I got my sunburn. It didn't help the depression. Nope. Made it worse. I got behind and my body couldn't keep up with my brain or my to-do list. and my stress kept going up and up. It was a minor miracle I got out of bed and went to work every morning. A bigger one when I got caught up or made it through the day without crying. I moved back in with my parents about a month after the scary thoughts started.  But I didn't feel any better. I started getting up earlier to work longer hours, but I could never keep up. I was still alone. I stopped eating. My work got worse and the pressure kept building. I never told anyone but my dad what was really going on because I was ashamed. I thought it was pathetic that I couldn't keep up because I was stressed and sad. I thought that I should have been stronger than that, you know? I still don't think it's a good excuse.

Now that my workweek is under 50 hours and I have roommates again, I'm doing a lot better. I really am.  And you know? This summer really was a blessing to me. I earned enough money to pay for my own school this semester. I made good friends in an amazing ward. I got to know my Savior better. Hopefully, I grew up a little bit.

Lessons I Learned (or Re-Learned) This Summer

1. When there's a job to do, get it done. 
2. That said, it's still crucial to eat three meals a day and get more than 4 hours of sleep a night. Even when you think you're too stressed out to do either.
3. Crying is not a sign of weakness.
4. You don't need a whole lot of things. They cost money.
5. Singles wards are going to have their awkward moments. Embrace them--they'll be great stories to tell later.
6. Handle situations like a mature adult. 
7. Living alone isn't that great.
8. Daydreaming about the impossible is fine as long as you can understand and accept the impossibility.
9. The Atonement isn't just for sins, but for sickness, sorrow, and pain.
10. For the love of all that's holy, wear sunscreen.

Moments of Elegant Leisure

I have the rest of the summer off. For the first time in a long time, I'm deriving more pleasure from...well, everything. Especially:

photography,

eating,

(aren't I classy?)

dressing up,

I got dressed up for a wedding reception. My mom and I went grocery shopping right after, and I'm told the cute cashier was checking me out. Yeaaaaaah.

and just being with friends.

"It's made in Germany...whatever, it's French enough."

Sabrina invited me over the other night to have a classic French summertime dinner. We put Seraphine to bed, then spent a lovely evening eating, chatting, and watching America's Next Top Model and Plain Jane. 

"They wouldn't let us on a show like that. We're too nice."

"My gosh, those EYEBROWS!"

(Of course there was also bread. Didn't get a chance to take a picture.)

The Best Laid Plans of Mice, You Know...

Remember this list? This great list of things I wanted to do this summer? Out of the nine specifics, I've done three. Only three more are plausible. (Seriously, $15 just to PARK at Disneyland? No thanks.) But I believe I've done generally awesome things, too.

picture by jill rich

Like get to know these fabulous ladies better. You guys all know Seraphine by now, but her mom, Sabrina, has become a really close friend. We can get together and just talk for hours on end. I don't know how I would have survived the summer without her. 

Ohmygoodnessilovethepeopleinmywardtheyaresoawesome. 'Nough said.

Running a business almost on my own has been one of the hardest and most stressful things of my life. But I've learned a lot from it and it's paying for school.

In short, I have three weeks left of my summer. I'm going to make an adventure of it. 

Un Coup de Soleil, Indeed.

Life's been pretty crazy lately. Living alone can be depressing. And that can make it easy to be stressed about work. And everything else.

Thursday I decided to take a half day off to go to the beach with my family. It was fun! 

There were dolphins playing close to the shore! It was a perfect day! I didn't wear sunscreen--I tan!

There I was wrong. I got a nasty sunburn. On the way home, we stopped for supplies. I got back to Claremont, unloaded some supplies, and started working. Then my sunburn really started to hurt, so I took a break to watch old episodes of Arrested Development. Then I got up to answer a text. I got dizzy and fell while replying. I got up and knew something was wrong. I felt sick. I called my mom and fell again while on the phone. I woke up on the bathroom floor with my head throbbing--I had hit it on the tile. My mom called again and I answered. She had me lie on the bed and talk to her until Dad could get to my house. I felt nauseous, I had chills, and felt like dying. She and WebMD decided that I had sun poisoning, and that's when I realized that my "falls" had been faints. My dad got there and hung out until I felt well enough to get up and go back to my parents'. Friday I was sick again, but I went back to work. Dallin actually did the bulk of it because I felt awful. Thank goodness for him!

I'm feeling better now, but my sunburn still hurts and I'm starting to peel. My friend Sabrina shared some of her Biafine, a wonderful amazing sunburn cream that they sell over-the-counter in France that has helped me heal so much more quickly. (Is that correct grammar?) Dallin and I are going to be able to catch up with work, so it's not the end of the world on that front.


Moral of the story: When at the beach,

• Wear suncreen.
• Eat.
• Don't fall asleep.

Things You Probably Already Knew But I'm Going to Tell You Anyway.

1. The new blog name comes from a rarely used nickname of mine: Batgirl. My initials are BAT, so it's all logic from there.

2. I am not  a natural redhead.

February 2006, a few months before I dyed it for the first time.

But I like to play with it.

This is me as of today. It looks brown in this picture, but it's actually more like this.

3. I've always hated USC.

4. This is the first year I haven't gone to Girls Camp since 2002. And I'm okay with that.

5. I know more about how elections work than the 35-ish looking guy I saw at the polling place last week. (I voted for the first time. :D ) He was registered Democrat and asked the little old polling lady why Meg Whitman wasn't on his ballot. I stayed quiet while the LOPL gave a poor explanation of primaries, which probably led him to believe that this is the only time you can vote for governor. Poor guy. Well, since Whitman won the Republican primary (take that, Dad!) he can vote for her in November (unless he likes Jerry Brown better.)

I have no formal post. Just captions for pictures.

 This is my dad fixing the pipes. They're partway through redoing the kitchen, and it's going to look great!

 There's a clothesline in the backyard of my new place. 

 I plan to take unnecessary amounts of pictures of my clothes drying this summer.

 I actually plan to take unnecessary amounts of pictures in general, because now I have a real camera for the first time since November! I bought a Canon EOS Rebel XSi for my photography classes. Huzzah.

I was home alone with nothing to do tonight, so I got started making chocolate hazelnut gelato. 

 Side note: I made the bacon ice cream earlier this week. It was really, really good. My family loved it, too! (See? I am neither pregnant nor crazy.)

I wore an apron and everything!

It's not finished yet, though. It has to chill for a lot longer before it can go into the machine. But it'll be worth the wait. 

So Brooke, What is it Exactly that you Do?

This summer I'm working for Belvedere Designs. I make these.

That's not paint. It's a vinyl sticker. The whole operation is run out of the other side of this very room. Since the bosses (Brother Joe and the favorite Canadian) are spending the summer in Europe, I'm running it. And I get to stay in their house.

And use their car for business purposes.

And I don't know if you remember,  but it's all protected by Broadview Security.

The Pros and Cons of Living Alone

 Pro:

• I'm not very likely to have psycho roommates. (Never had one before, but it's always a concern.)
• I can make up embarrassing choreography to Lady Gaga songs without being judged. 
• I can listen to and appreciate Lady Gaga music without being judged.
• I don't have to consider anyone else's preferences, allergies, or schedule when making meals.
•  The only people who around the house are people I invited and therefore want to be there.
• I don't have to share a bathroom.
  

Con:

• I have to go out of my way for human interaction. (Because putting it that way doesn't make me sound like a jerk.) 

Seasons are a Relatively New Concept.

 

image found here

It got up to something like 40º F today.

I went about my day with bare legs, and only my hands got cold. (Tuesday devotional=wore a dress)

The icicles outside my window are starting to melt away.

I can see (albeit dead) grass outside my apartment.

Spring is on its way...just as I'm getting ready to leave. Great. But then it'll be Summer in California! (We only have two seasons there...Summer is from April to mid-November and the rest is Lesser Summer/Sort of Spring.)

But I'm so ready for Springtime. ANY kind of Springtime. Maybe even this one*.


*Don't click the link if you are easily offended by musical comedy involving Hitler. Also, I don't really want this kind of Springtime.

One More Reason to Survive the Rest of the Semester

 

found this image here.

"My Summer in the Village." Sounds like an adventure, doesn't it?

 Of course, it won't be all exploring little shops and taking pictures in the most beautiful city in the general vicinity of my hometown (in my humble opinion). There's gonna be two jobs to work and all that jazz. 

But still. The Village. It's not exactly Paris, but I'm excited.

Corrections

1. I said in this post that my favorite smell is coffee. That is wrong. It's my second favorite. Over the Christmas vacation I remembered what it really is and always will be. It's the smell of salt and smoke and sand that stays on my sweatshirt after I've been to the beach. I slept in that sweatshirt every night until that smell went away (yesterday). And now I have to wait until April to get that back.

2. I forgot to include Taylor Swift's "Love Story" in the 2009 Playlist because it reminds me of BiF Prom.

That is all.

Songs to Sum Up 2009

"We don't live in a in a single song. We move from song to song, from lyric to lyric, from chord to chord. There is no ending here. It's an infinite playlist." ~David Levithan in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Heroes and Thieves--Vanessa Carlton
Empire State of Mind--Jay-Z
"Coronation" Mass in C K.317--Mozart
Gravity--Sara Bareilles
Larger Than Life--Backstreet Boys
Magic--University of Chicago's Voices in Your Head
White Houses--Vanessa Carlton
I've Just Seen a Face--The Beatles
In-N-Out (Animal Style)--We the Kings
Home--Vanessa Carlton

Summer Plans

June 16-June 20 - Girl's Camp! It's my last year and my mom gets to come!
June 21 - July 19 - We're having a German exchange student - my new "sister" Marleen!
July 25-July 26 - Dance Festival! Our dance is the hardest and longest in the whole show, but it's really coming together.
August 4-August 9 - Especially for Youth in Rexburg, Idaho with Rachel!

In between all of this, I'll continue my job at Baskin-Robbins and probably just hang out with friends - I have no summer assignments!

=DDDDDD

The year is over,and everything about this summer is EXCITING! Except for work.