"Fear the Soda"

This is the sculpture piece and 100 word bio I had to write that is being published in my schools art journal Sandscript.

Bio bout me and as my sister put it, short, sweet, and to the point with undertones of hippie ;)

I'm pursuing my Associates of Fine Arts Degree, graduating this fall. I love creating in clay, wood, metal, and fibers. I believe we each have the ability to create something from "nothing" and find joy in doing just that.

I love to create in my kitchen too! I'm learning to be an advocate of whole food living which passion is guiding my creativity. I'm a self titled "foodie"; I'm in awe of the beauty that surrounds growing, cooking, preserving, and eating the fresh foods we have available to us.
"Fear the Soda" embodies what industrialized food means to me now.

Dreamt of Marrying Me? What?!!

Story time:

Once upon a time there was an attractive guy who hit on me at the library... He asked for my number, I thought "hey, why not", he called. We made plans for a lunch date, we then talked a couple times that week.

He cancelled the lunch date because something came up with his schedule. We kept talking on the phone, and made plans for the following week. He was nice and we had a lot of thoughts in common.

We believed a lot of the same things about society and culture, we agreed on a lot of the same things about God. He isn't Mormon, he is a Christian though. He even volunteers at his church on Saturdays to clean it. I liked that.

We also had the same thoughts about food and nutrition. About health and adventure. We talked every other day or so and got to know each other better each time.

Then date plan #2 fell through, his schedule again came up as busy and he couldn't make it.

This is the time I started to think "hmmmm, you're interested in getting to know me on the phone, why not in person?" I started recognizing why I prefer getting to know people in person.

I feel you get a better sense of who they are in person, because really, in person I can see how they react to me making faces at them and I can see if they'll laugh and make one back. Truly, they can see my idiosyncrasies and I can SEE (not guess) theirs.

That translates to telephones being a little to impersonal for my taste.

Anywho, back to the story. I decided to go for "third times the charm" on the idea of date actually happening. We talked more, set up the third date, but it never happened.

Interest was gone on my part. I had asked him why the dates kept falling through and all he could say was his schedule would get messed up (he was a student working on degree hours in the community/personal trainer so his time management/schedule was in his hands), but he felt it would "just happen".

Tell me people how that works?!

I can completely attest to "things" having a much higher chance of happening when we try to make said things happen. Just sayin'.

A week later I think he was testing my interest in him, so he stopped being the one to call. I didn't call him, that ended that.

Or so I thought...

Last Wednesday morning I got a phone call from a blocked number (I have no problem answering those calls so I did). It was him, it had been about 3 weeks since I talked to him, not gonna lie, it was a little awkward.

Within the first two minutes of talking, after exchanging the "how are things" question, he proceeded to tell me he couldn't let someone like me be passed up... he told me he had a dream a few nights before... A DREAM THAT WE GOT MARRIED.

Mind you this man probably doesn't remember exactly what I look like since he only saw me in person for like 10 minutes max, but he dreamed it still the same.

I told him that was weird. I'm not gonna lie. It was. It was weird that's why he called me, it's weird that he actually wanted to tell someone he wouldn't meet for a real date he dreamt they got married. When we got off the phone he called me his "love"

Just. Weird. There will now be no dates happening EVER per my say so. Creep factor wins out over good looking Every. Single. Time.

This experience with having a guy pursue me, if that's what you can call it, was a big eye opener on what I really want.

I want a worthy priesthood holder who can take me to the temple, but only AFTER we get to know each other, in person, on real dates, and decide TOGETHER that we both want the same things in life. God. Family. Service and Missionary work. Good Food ;). And all that good stuff.

Lessons learned.

The End.

As of Late

Since November (sorry for not posting sooner!!), some things have changed, but not much ;) Here is a quick recap:

Still in school, trying to learn everything I can, be a good student and classmate, and get good grades! I LOVE my art classes! (I've even come to appreciate and like math more!) I had a sculpture piece accepted into an art journal for the school I'm at. SO COOL!!! It'll be out in May. Hehe.

I'll be finished with my Associates of Fine Arts in December. I'm leaning toward a degree in family and marriage studies from BYUI or UA with a minor (or double major) in ceramics or 3D visual arts. Still not exactly sure where I'm going, but eh, it'll work out... I'm pretty sure I'll be moving from Tucson here in the next year or two though. I feel the itch to adventure elsewhere ;)

Summer plans have been secured! A week visit to the fam in St Louis, yay!, then off to the east coast, aka, I'm going back to camp! (Hopefully this will tide over the moving itch for a bit). I know my post about camp last year seemed not as "shining, happy, I want to go back there" kind of post, because camp was really hard, but camp was really amazing and it hurts my heart thinking about not going back. Plus I know what I'm getting myself into and can be prepared a little more. The friends I got along with best will be back too which is comforting.

Church is fabulous! I LOVE my calling! (It'll be put on hold while at camp, but they said I can come back to it:) Teaching the young women is amazingly rewarding. Getting to take part in discussion type teaching and learning with all of us participating is just cool! I know to understand the Gospel you have to study and pray, fast and ponder, and desire and apply. What a testimony builder to see these girls doing that! Trying to be prepared for teaching (remembering to do all of those things too) has been humbling.

Ive been lacking on going out with the missionaries in my ward, which I have been feeling in my soul! Every. Member. A. Missionary. Is a motto I'm trying to live by, along with the scripture found in the Book of Mormon in 3Nephi 27:27 "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am."

I really do recognize my human nature and that the only way to achieve the divine nature that is Jesus Christ, I must give, have, obtain and be, as Peter writes in 2Peter 1:4-7, all diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. I have a long way to go, but I see the path and am trying to stay on it.

Institute! It has helped me so much in recognizing the need to study and know the scriptures and how to apply them to my life (there is also the perk of the cute Tyson in my class that usually sits by me and his amazing perspective ;).

I've officially aged out of institute and won't take classes during the day anymore. I'll see about a mid singles evening class or stick with my plan of doing genealogy during the 2hrs each week I would have been in class. I feel either is a good choice, but I am really leaning toward genealogy.

Work has been work, somehow I just keep doing hair and more hair. I usually love doing it, but sometimes not so much. I have to remind myself what a blessing it is in my life to have these skills and be thankful I have the clients and income I do from it. I have met great people doing hair and enjoy talking with them. (Their going to hate me whenever I tell them I'm moving)

Speaking of hair jobs, I resigned from Zotos! I felt prompted to do so. I think hair and educating about it is going to officially be on the back burner soon because I need that time to be working on organizing my home and my time a little better.

Since I have started to eat local, organic, mostly veggies and fruit diet, I need that said time to keep up with dishes and food prep ;) Wowza, there is A LOT more to clean up when you make everything from scratch.

Perk though, I've lost 15 or so lbs and quite a few inches since starting this in January. My mind, spirit, and body fully appreciate the change. As does my self confidence. It's been pretty amazing to realize once I have the food and eating right down, the exercising will kick in automatically. I've already noticed that I WANT to get out and be active because I FEEL a need to do it. My body is telling me too. That is a totally new experience, but pretty amazing. My friend Andy (the cute one I cut his hair, [mini update: we are totally friends, maybe even just client to stylist. We seem to be completely opposite on religious and political views, so no go, but he's nice and cute still]) had found a better/lighter bike for me so I can start commuting more on it than using my car too. Health benefits are sure to be had unless you count the higher risk of being hit by a car in Tucson. But whatev, its still worth the change ;)

This pursuit of my health change kicked in because I wanted a stronger testimony if the Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants Section 89) and tried The Lord on His promises contained in it. I know that by following His law of health we are blessed physically, mentally, but most importantly spiritually.

I feel good and I'm not confused about food anymore (I don't buy food thats packaged and I try and eat things as they would have come out of nature). Another perk, I don't feel guilt at all with what I eat, including fats and carbs. I think taking a nutrition class at the same time has added to the knowledge I needed to withstand the "not healthy for me" food. The book In Defense of Food by Michael Polan is highly recommended.

Well, I think that's a good start to catching up. I'll post again soon about the guy who flirted with me at the library and told me he had a dream we got married.