jet fuel and traffic lines

Fall always becomes a busy travel time with this year being no exception. In the past month I've been backpacking in Tennessee, celebrating a wedding in Texas, & coming to New Jersey for a family event. I'm planning to write about the very thought-provoking wedding, but for now all I have to say is: I'm ready to spend some time in Georgia.

worst. camping trip. ever.

i was jealous of Popular Blogging Friend's camping adventures so i decided to have my own. let me start by saying, we really did enjoy ourselves. we went to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which i find quite lovely. probably b/c i basically grew up in those mountains.

a view on the hike

that said, it was probably the worst camping trip i've ever been on. the hike was basically straight up, i got really bad blisters & hurt my leg, it rained all night & the all 2nd day, and we ran into crazy evangelical Christians that left us anti-Mormon notes at our campsite after they saw my BYU visor.

this is how we felt by the end of the trip

it's a good thing that i really like the people i went with b/c we managed to have a great time* despite the overall suckiness.

the view from the top. there are lots of mountains somewhere in that mist

*also, we had a techno dance party in the tent. it lasted 15 seconds (which is turns out to be about 5 seconds longer than any techno dance party should ever last).

i got a new car

Smart

how creative is this design? i think all new dorm rooms should go with this. b/c it sucks having a bed up in the air, but a desk? no problem. and storage on the steps & a built in bookcase right next to the desk - brilliant.

thing i'm pissed about today

1) Boy is indeed returning home from his mission on Dec 27th. it's not the mission president's fault so i'll be prank calling the church's Missionary Department instead.

2) my car doesn't work. it spent all week in shop & $500 later, it still doesn't work.

3) one of my co-workers passed away yesterday from a brain hemorrhage. he was only 23. his family had to make the decision to turn off the life support. even if he was totally gone anyway, how freakin terrible would that decision be?

but... i also got to have a picnic in piedmont park this afternoon with my friends. so really, i am pretty happy right now. i just like being dramatic.

Ode to Brooke: 27 Years of Joy

one of my friends plays the banjo. for my birthday, she sang me this song (to the tune of Obladi Oblada). i liked it. a lot.

Brooke it’s your birthday and I’m here to say we really like you in major way.

Even though you’re old now it’s OK we still sing to you on this special day.

27 years ago Brooke was born, grew up in small town Tennessee.

Little did her family know back then what a Mormon hipster she would be.

Indie rock, foreign films, neck scarves. Brooke loves all these things

Indie rock, foreign films, neck scarves. Brooke loves all these things

Tell her she’s pretentious she’ll say go to hell. Honor James Mercer and the Broken Bells. If you’ve seen a film Brooke has seen twice, Talk of HIV adds a little spice.

Indie rock, foreign films, neck scarves. Brooke loves all these things

Indie rock, foreign films, neck scarves. Brooke loves all these things

Some say that the most important day falls in December or the month of May

But I think we can all agree it was the day Brooke came to be.

Coming Soon

Boy only has 4 months left in Albania. i am SO excited for him to come home. like, considering making a tear off chain for each day left excited. sometimes i worry he'll be weird & different when he gets back b/c it is hard to see his funny, immature side through his weekly email. but this week he emailed us all and said he'll arrive in TN on December 26th. which is a Sunday (and more importantly, the day after Christmas). the 'rents think he is serious b/c he said he was "99% positive", but i'm pretty convinced* he's just being the brat he's always been. it's good to see that side is still there.

on my computer, this file is labeled "dork"

*i do still have a small irrational fear he isn't lying. in which case i'll be prank calling a certain mission home in Tirana for the next 4 months to enact my revenge. hey, i never said i was mature.