In which Penelope say stuff

Hello.

 

People who read our blog

 

so basically. Hi Mom!

 

My name is Penelope and this Is the wee little blog i share with my best friend Jane!

 

She is a wannabe hipster English Major and I am a closet geek studying Anthropology

 

We met way back in middle school. She was the quiet girl in a new school and I was the girl she sat next to in sewing assigned to teach her to wind a bobbin.  The rest as they say is history.

 

We got each other through High School on sarcasm and pinnapple, and now even though we live a hundreds of miles away, have different schools, different friends, different lives. I still know that if I need a good rant, trusted advice, or a good hard laugh. She is the one to call.

 

This is where our little corner of the internet comes in. It's a place to keep in touch, share stories, articles, videos, Pinterest fails, outfits, whatever.

 

So heres to us.

two friends

growing up.

making mistakes.

 

Being fabulous.

a thanksgiving miracle.

hello. my name is jane and i'd like to state that i am seriously burnt out.
why you say? because of a lovely thing named COLLEGE.
granted, yes. i love it. with all of my being. i have a good life. i love my major. i have good roommates and friends. honestly.
but class is killing me. i am so tired. next week, before thanksgiving break, some brilliant (not) person decided to make tuesday friday instruction. WHY. i don't even know. i was dreading it. i have a class monday wednesday friday at 9 am that i hate with a fiery burning passion in my bosom. i was sure that he wouldn't cancel class that tuesday. and i was sitting in class wishing i could die.
but he cancelled class.
it's a thanksgiving miracle, charlie brown.
hallelujah, praise the Lord.
that is all.

because sometimes...

we all need someone to hold on to.

watching the map fill in

http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/results

 

 

 

Maybe I am strange but I love watching the votes come in. It's so exciting. History in the making.

 

crushin' hard

celebrity crush list pour moi (in no particular order):

1. harrison ford (really. hans solo. indiana jones. what more can you ask for.)

2. [the young] kurt russell (possibly my first real celebrity crush. watch the computer wore tennis shoes, the strongest man in the world, and the invisible man. you will understand.)

3. ryan gosling (a little cliche, but really.)

4. josh duhamel (his personality. his HAIR. oh goodness.)

5. michael buble (he has a voice that melts me like butter. and he's adorable to boot.)

6. paul wesley (ok, i am embarrassed to admit this one. don't judge me. it's that time of the semester that i need a distraction...and vampire diaries came up on my netflix suggestions and i'd heard it was good...ok yah. this sounds dumb. but really. he. is. gorgeous.)

7. jim parsons (ok, i know he plays sheldon cooper. but i love sheldon. also, he's gay. so unfortunate.)

8. neil patrick harris (also gay. so so so sad.)

9. jason segel (oh my gosh. he is adorable. i love him as marshall. so cute with lily.)

10. matthew goode (one of the only men that looks good with facial hair. but really.)

Real.

“What is REAL?" asked the Velveteen Rabbit one day... "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When [someone] loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. 

"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand... once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.” 

―Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit 

continuation of hipster love.

ok, it's official. i'm obsessed. i wasn't going to say anything else, but then penelope brought up mackenzie bourg...and she drew me back in.
for real. look at this child.

those glasses. that hair. the voice. his style. oh, it just makes me melt.
here's a hipster recap of my halloween. in honor of the beauty of mackenzie.

oh, how i love this. so much.

because normal cereal is too mainstream

i don't really know...i figured it sounded hipster-ish

also. sad news of the day. i lost my hipster glasses. totes depresh. haha yesterday was a rough day for me. coordination wise. i dropped a screw down a sink at work, i lost my glasses and i somehow lost eyeliner i had just bought, as well. fail fail FAIL. oh well.
and another thing. so many girls got their mission calls yesterday and it made me happy...and a little bit jealous. there MUST be a reason i'm staying. just don't know what, yet. we'll see.
patience is not my strong point.
last note. halloween brings out WEIRD WEIRD people. campus was crawlin'. i saw...
-darth maul
-red skull (from captain america)
-captain america
-batman (times a million)
-buddy the elf
-raincloud
-anime, anime, ANIME
-wizards
-ZOMBIES
-big bird
one i missed seeing was sexy sax man. that child is epic.

The voice

Hi. I watch the voice. and I like it. and the fact that I like it enough to write about it... makes me feel like I need to shut down my Internet for a week and read.

 

I am going to justify it and say I am enriching my mind with musical education. yup going with it.

 

I watched it last season. and frankly I don't even remember who won. I don't think I cared for them much.

 

This season my favorites are  Mackenzie Bourg, Terry Mcdermott, and Melanie Martinez. They just really stood out to me from the beginning. and I just love them more and more.

 

 

Mckenzie is Jane's hipster love. ( I think it's hipster week) and when he said call me maybe... I said it was nice knowing you ( see what I did there. clever eh?)  I thought all his adorable hipster Harry Potter-ness would vanish..... nope still got it.

 

also?

Cee lo... creeps me out

Christina... needs better clothes and wants to create an army of Minny x-tina's and drive me insane with her use of x-tina. seriously. stop. now.

Blake.. I used to like. but now its like a lot of styles go way over his head and he mumbles something about pitch instead of coaching.

Adam. has a funny smile where his eyes disappear. and he is great.

 

Ok I am done... and I should go to bed... and turn of my laptop... and read a book... or get a life... or vow to never talk about reality tv again.

 

ok. the end.

 

jane: the closet hipster.

here's another of my obsessions.
HIPSTERS.
for real. especially men in plaid button ups and glasses. mmmm yes please.
and indie music. i'm rather fond of that.
so, for halloween, i decided to be a hipster (well, originally i was going to be a cat lady with my roommate, but...who knew DI could be so uncooperative??) out came the sock bun and old 3D glasses and skinny jeans and plaid shirt.
     *(side note, i texted penelope about my costume and her response was: "haha nice. So          skinny jeans and a scarf? Oh wait. That's what you always wear haha.")

fabulous, no?

you KNOW i will be wearing this to class tomorrow. what UP.
i'm really excited.

also, in response to penelope's post yesterday, i am posting my new indie album.

in short, halloween this year is going to be fabulous.
sincerely,

ps, if you feel like being a hipster yourself, just not so sure how to go about it, watch this tutorial. i found it rather informative.

 

How to make your own hipster indie album

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Today in honor of Jane being a hipster (after before it was cool) for halloween I present to you my favorite pinterest find of the day.....

How to make your own hipster indie album cover in three steps (via)

Here are mine.
I had way too much fun with this.
totally cracks me up

 

 

 

Want to make your own? I know you do. go here

Also. guys. My eighty something Grandma dressed as Bob Marly for halloween.
clearly I won the gene pool game.

Have a wonderful safe halloween weekend!

letters.

Dear Roommates.
If you are not being murdered. you are not allowed to scream like you are.  even if the spider is ugly.
love, My ears

Dear Mailbox.
why are you empty?
Love, my non existent patience

Dear silver spoon ring,
You are cute and I like you.
Love, My finger

Dear Carmel apple dip,
Yum.
Love, my tummy.

Dear Camera,
stop being dead. I miss you.
Love, my blog needs pictures

Dear room,
I know I have been promising to clean you for like a week, but I always make the mistake of turning on music
Love, Dance parties for one

"Dear old world,
you are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you"- L.M. Montgomery
Love, me

Jane Is.

i like collages. collages are fun. i like picture collages, but i like word ones, too.
i am...

I am the first strains of a piano piece. I am the subtle change from night to morning: blue to orange and pink and purple… I am the sun on an early summer morning. I am taco soup on a cold day (replenished with sour cream and Fritos.) I am the smooth underside of a rock, the mountain firm in its ways: strong, steadfast, hopeful. I am the first snow of winter. I am a good book, one whose cover gives nothing away. I am a mystery and the revelation. I am the listening ear and the observant eye. I am the surprising comment.

Octobers

via

Unexpected

Journal prompt: Make a list of ten unexpected things in your room, car, purse, desk, or closet.

Desk
#1 1941 Singer Sewing Machine
#2 Notes from jane at age 14
#3  My kindergarten class picture
Closet
#4 Renaissance dress hanging in the back
#5 A basket of Lacrosse balls
Room
#6 Poster of Machu Pichu as Hiram Bingham fist discovered it in 1911
#7 Empty blue birdcage
#8 Mary Poppins carpet bag
#9 Basket of fabric scraps
Purse
#10 Sketchbook and set of colored pencils and fine tip pens

One day. If I can ever justify spending so much money on a remote.

This is the chosen one.

 

cuteness overload.

I went to the zoo on my way home today to see the zoo's latest addition. This darling little creature doesn't have a name yet, but she is 11 days old and was put on display yesterday.

 She is tiny and wrinkly and perfect!

 Images Via

as if that wasn't enough my mom showed me this today. I died.

hey girl.

basically, i have an amazing roommate who knew i was having a bad day. and decided to make me this.
it almost made me cry from pure joy. i mean, my own hey girl?? what more could you ask for in life??
not much, my friends. not much.
i am feeling very grateful for friends who make my life a little bit more enjoyable on those days when it may be too much for me to handle.
other things that made me smile today:
-i remembered GENERAL CONFERENCE is this weekend!
-penelope is coming to see me. happy day indeed!! i have missed that girl. too much.
-the new Regina Spektor album. in particular these songs:

oh, how i adore her. she can do no wrong.
that is all.

hero.

i guess this may be a little cliche, but my hero is my dad.
for real. i look up to him and my mom more than anyone else, but right now i just want to focus on my dad.
my dad is...
generous
    brave
         friendly
               funny
                    wise
                         protective
                              sarcastic
                                   kind
                                        fun.
he's someone who i know that i can rely on for anything. he's got my back.
my parents have always been hands off with me, which i appreciate. it's helped me since i moved to college last year. it seems a little ironic, but being at college and away has made me realize how much my dad really cared.
cares.
sometimes it's a little frustrating because it seems like whenever i call home and say how frustrated i am with school or how i don't think i can, my dad will tell me to suck it up. carry on. do my best. but i realized that he knows i can do it. he has more faith in me than practically anyone else. he trusts me more than i trust myself.
because of my dad...
                             i like the music i like
                        i have the standards i have
                   i know that i am important.
              i have the testimony i have.
          i have the work ethic i have.
     i love the family the way i do.
i can honestly say that the biggest trials in my life have come from not listening to my dad. but the biggest blessings have come from following his advice.
i don't tell him enough, but i love him. i wouldn't be here without him.

edgewise

 "Wilt thou give up thy garter, oh fairest of the fair"? Anne, nobody speaks that way. And look at that sap Percival who sits around mooning the entire time. He never lets a girl get a word in edgewise. In real life she'd have pitched him. - Gilbert Blythe

i hate coming up with titles.

really truly. i'm even an english major and the thing i probably struggle with the most (and get docked the most for) in my papers is the title.
i know i can write, i know i can write well...why should i have to put forth the last little brain effort at 2 am to put a trite title to the kick butt paper i just wrote? (humble, i know haha) the paper speaks for itself...and all i need for the title should be the name of the assignment and then a short little description.
ex: "Generic Imitation Assignment: Medieval Period Riddles." or "Formal Analysis: Dulce et Decorum Est."
i know titles are important, but i feel like you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. or a paper by it's title.
just my opinion.
well. it has come to our attention that no one has posted in awhile.
sorry. life happens.
speaking of, a friend and i were discussing the movie 500 Days of Summer. he was saying how sad it is, that it just kind of rips you from the inside and i a little bit disagreed. i mean, yes. it's sad. but think about it. how many of us have been in tom's position? falling for someone and somehow deeply knowing that it won't work out...i mean, she lays it out for him in the beginning. she isn't looking for something serious. but he goes for it anyways and it's good for a bit...but then life happens. people grow.

via

growing apart isn't bad. it's good. of course, it hurts a lot but look at the end result. you are so much better than you were before, you've grown so much and are ready for something bigger and better for you. and so is the other person.
perfect example: look at summer. she thought she would never settle down for someone, but she meets tom and he helps her grow, just as she helps him grow. i love the line in the end when he is talking to her after she is engaged to another man.
            summer: I just... I just woke up one day and I knew.
            tom: Knew what?
            summer: ...What I was never sure of with you
of course it's hard and devastating for tom, but the point is that he learns and grows about it. he learns more about the real meaning of love. he learns that there is someone else, someone better for him. i love that. another thing summer says that i love is this:
            summer: You weren't wrong, Tom. You were just wrong about me.

so here's to growing. even if it means that sometimes it means growing apart.

Today

was a walking in the sun

                 Taking on the world

                          In a skirt

                                                  and red lipstick

                                                              Kind of day

Also. I think I am growing out my hair. it's getting long which makes me happy. My upcycled Tie Headband also makes me happy.

foundations.

today is the day i realize that everything starts from a foundation, either strong or weak.
 
"I've come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy."
-Tony Robbins

today is the day that i realize that time is a building block, something that can be filled with acts that makes relationships worth while and beliefs worth believing.


"Of all that is good, sublimity is supreme. Succeeding is the coming together of all that is beautiful. Furtherance is the agreement of all that is just. Perseverance is the foundation of all actions."
Lao Tzu

today is the day that tears may come, but tomorrow is the day where the waiting and building of foundations end, and the building begins to rise above it.

"Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation."
St. Augustine

today is the day that i see that foundations are invisible, something only you can begin to feel in your heart as it grows.

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
Helaman 5:12

today i feel impatient, but tomorrow great things will be restored upon the foundation i am building today. things that i cannot even imagine or begin to expect.

"Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable"
The Wizard of Oz

i just need to learn to be patient for tomorrow.

airports

Possibilities. maps. schedules. people.

People from everywhere. the whole globe. in one building. saying 

"goodbye", "welcome home", "get out of my way! I am going to miss my flight"

Our Earth is small. very small.

the other side is only hours away. hours...incredible

You only have to sit in a cabin and wait. that's your only job. Wait. while the big metal bird takes you to a new adventure, a new life.

I think airports give us comfort.

That adventure still exists.

That one of these days. If we wanted.

  we could throw a dart at a map

 and just...go.

And we could never be quite the same when we came back.

let it go.

via

Happy Birthday to the Brother

Happy Birthday to my brother Blake! I would very much like to wish him a happy birthday over the phone but some people (like him, my mom, and my dad) will not answer their phone. It's a little frustrating when it's a day as big as this!

When we were younger we would stay up all night the eve before the birthday playing games, watching a movie, and doing whatever we did as a sister and a brother. Then when the clock ticked to 12:00 on the day of June 13 or September 2 (depending on who's birthday it was), we would do a little celebration, then went to bed. We wanted to be the first person to wish the other a happy birthday.

Sadly this could not happen this year with college and different states. I was young when he entered my life so I really don't know life without him. Happy Birthday Blake (hopefully we can talk soon)!

Brave

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."
-Eleanor Roosevelt


"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
-Nelson Mandela 

Press On.

So there I sat. The computer screen loomed in front of me and I felt overwhelmed. How was qu’est-ce que c’est? different from qui est-ce? What in the world did c'est even mean? And how was I supposed to write sentences using these phrases when honestly all I knew how to say was Bonjour, je m'appelle Jane. Comment allez-vous? and Trés bien!

Tears started to roll down my face. The frantic "I can't do this!" call to my mom didn't help much (she can't magically fix my problems, despite all my conviction otherwise). Reading the text book again didn't help at all.

But then I saw this on my syllabus:

"'Do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.'
                                                                                                       --President Thomas S. Monson
This course is time-consuming and demanding. However, if you work hard and try your best, the Lord will sustain you and you will be the miracle."

I can do this.

And then I was reminded of this song. I'm convinced Fun. can be applied to every situation. (Well, not really...just most situations...haha)

But really, sometimes things seem way too overwhelming to handle. And I've learned that:

a) even when things seem down, you CAN do it.

b) emotional breakdowns are ok.

c) take a step back, take a deep breath.

d) Heavenly Father will raise you to EVERY occasion. Even if it's French 101.

-J.M Bairre (Peter Pan)

Ode to the singles ward..

Two Relief Societies ( Women's organization). One Elder's Quorum ( Men's Organization)

:

Via

It's Good to be Back!

I have returned to Logan and it's great to be back. I am literally bursting at the seams. I'm semi moved in (it's hard when there's not much storage space). I'm living with Penelope and the other roommates are great. The apartment is cute and cozy and the community is friendly (our neighbors brought us bread). This really is a great place to be, why did I leave for the summer?

I'm Still Here

I'm still at home living for the summer. Jane and Penelope have left me. In between my job, running errands, eating, and sleeping (just basic needs for survival) I am packing. There is so much to do before I leave and I am worried about my stuff, I have no idea where I'm going to fit it all in my apartment. I am going to hope it all fits. Fingers crossed!

And here is proof that I am packing
(and this is not even all the stuff):

Mediocre Expectations

When it comes to my budget student housing, I try to keep my expectations low... like really low. because usually they are... less than ideal.

Last years apartment was a good example of this.. I had been in my fair share of dorms, and I knew as long as I didn't have bugs, I should be counting my lucky stars. It was your basic dorm.. gross white walls, bubbled carpet, leaky faucets, 4th floor without a lift ,no bugs...Home sweet home.

This year is definitely an upgrade. I feel like I am out of my gross dorm days and into my less gross townhouse days.. although the following expectations were not met.

Drawers in the bathroom. What kind of person puts drawer faces on a bathroom cabinet and no drawers!! What a cruel trick. I am protesting by not putting my bathroom stuff away. It shall remain in it's box until those drawers turn into drawers.. or I get over it. whichever comes first.

Shower Curtain. So I was thinking people like to be nice and provide curtain liners so their bathrooms don't get damaged ( I know! I don't know what I was thinking) well. people don't. unexpected bonus: BUBBLE BATHS BABY! at least until I get my curtains this weekend.

Lighting..My kitchen light strobes. fast. Like seizure inducing rather than dance party inducing. Luckily florescents are replaced by maintenance. normal lights are not. My bedroom light was acting up, but after a death threat it's behaving.

So all in all, not bad. not bad at all. I plan to be quite happy here. as soon as I get over mourning the loss of my bathroom drawers.