This is Bollywood-Crazy

Have you ever seen something so strange you find a need to show it to others just so they can know how strange it is too?  This is called sharing, my mother taught me to do this.  

Last night my friend Matthew came over to help himself to some delicious pineapple upside-down cake.  You see, he kinda likes pineapple. While visiting he shared the following movie clip with me.  Each time I thought it could not get any weirder, it got weirder.  Perhaps I should start watching Bollywood movies.

Sleep Deprived or Freshman Year Flashback

This quarter I decided it best to take a class on campus.  The one I needed was only offered at 9:30am which is a bit early for me.  However once you include the 1.5 hour commute plus time to shower and get ready for the day that has me getting up at 7:30-ish in the morning.

While I am in school my work schedule has not changed so I am still working my regular hours which have me off by 9pm most nights.

I spend a total of 40 hours per week either at school or working, and that does not include time spent on  homework for my 2 classes.

Oh yes and don't forget my calling which has me teaching basically every Sunday and attending Mutual every Wednesday night.

What does all of this add up to?  I'm tired.  I'm so tired I've begun to do things I've not done since freshman/sophomore year of college: I sleep right through my alarm clock unaware that it ever went off and I fall asleep in the middle of the day because I sat still for more than 5 minutes.

Drastic times call for change.

Change #1: my alarm clock is now set at it's highest volume level and plays AC/DC (it was Jason Mraz).  The alarm alternates between playing Back in Black and Hells Bells.  So far, it seems to be doing the trick and waking me up.

Change #2: Don't sit still for more than 5 minutes.

... ok, that'll never happen.

Oh well.  3.5 weeks down.  6.5 weeks to go.  Somebody save me.

Red 'round the Room

I have a few red items around my room

• a red fuzzy bathrobe hangs on the back of my door
• a warm red blanket is folded neatly by my bed
• a couple red sweaters hang in my closet
• a pair of red and silver earrings hang with my jewelry
• a painting of red roses in a basket hangs on my wall
• my walls are painted red too
• a red dragon sits on top one of my bookshelves
• too many books I care to count have a red binding in my bookshelves
• for that matter many CD's and DVD's on their respective shelves are colored red
• a samurai sword in a red sheath leans against the wall
• my new red wallet currently lies on my bed
• a pattern of red and gold flowers on black Chinese silk make my duvet cover
• a pair of red dress shoes and a pair of red chucks hide in my shoe rack in the closet
• my red glasses sit on top of my scriptures on my nightstand
• a red tissue box lies on my stereo almost empty

In Which Windy Dawn Spends a Weekend in Phoenix

I've been promising my friend Beth I would visit her in Phoenix for over 5 years and I finally got around to making good on my promise.  Recently I flew down just for the weekend, Friday to Sunday.  It was a fast trip, but full of fun times, good friends, lots of food, and sun!  Here's a recap of my adventures.

Friday

Flying into PHX just as the sun was setting was spectacular as the sky was a beautiful dark blood red.  When Beth picked me we immediately agreed dinner should be top on our list to do.  We headed over to In N' Out Burger where we met up with our friend Rachel for lots of talking, laughs, and the best burger I've had in years.  Animal Style.

Saturday

We had a slow start on Saturday since Beth had to work a couple hours in the morning, so I slept in and got ready at my leisure.  I also re-met Malana, Beth's roommate.  We had met once before, many years ago, which we vaguely remembered.  Malana made me laugh, she blasted the music singing and dancing around while in her pajamas.  I knew she and I would get along fine.

Once Beth returned from work I was able to officially meet Baxter, her pet tortoise.

We then took a walk to the closest Dunkin' Donuts to get a free half dozen and so I could enjoy the warmth of the sun on my skin again.  I'd not been to a Dunkin' Donuts since I lived on the east coast (about 13 years ago).  The selection had gone down and it's more of a coffee shop now, but the donuts tasted every bit as delicious as I remembered.

Regrouping back at home we picked up Malana, and one new friend named Michelle whose living room was right out of the 1970's.  It reminded me a lot of my grandparents home.  It's pretty sweet.

We drove around stopping in Mesa to see the Temple.

We checked out an awesome used bookstore with ladders that slide along the walls to reach the books.  Used bookstores make me happy.

 

Dinner was at Carolina's in Phoenix, and some of the best Mexican food I've had since, well, Mexico.  We then explored a little of Phoenix, luckily Michelle had enough knowledge to be our personal tour guide.  She took us to the top of the Hyatt Hotel for a spectacular view of the entire city just as the sun was setting.  There is a restaurant at the top that rotates around while you are eating so you really do see the whole city.

Our evening plans were quite unique.  We attended a double feature of 2 back to back musicals: Honk (story of The Ugly Duckling) and Aladdin.  Here's the cool part, the musicals were performed by adults with developmental and other challenges (including deafness, blindness, and autism).  I wasn't sure what to expect from a group like this with these special needs.  However I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was and how great everyone performed.  They sang, they danced, they laughed, we laughed, it was a blast.  The company is called Detour Company Theatre, and you can check out their website here.

We crashed that night by watching an episode of Psych, particularly so I could see what they called the 'Psych Kiss'.

Sunday

I'm no longer young enough to attend a singles ward but I can still visit one, right?  That's exactly what I did on Sunday.  Beth and I drove to Tempe to attend a YSA ward there.  No I wasn't looking for a young single man to hook up with as an excuse to move to a warm and sunny place like Arizona.  Instead I was looking for an older, married man who already means the world to me.  President Kempton, my mission president, is currently serving as a High Councilman assigned to the singles ward.

Upon arriving at the chapel a few minutes before the meeting began I headed straight to the stand where I found my mission president sitting.  As soon as he saw me he jumped up and came right over to me with a big hug.  It had been over 8 years since we last saw each other in person.  As he hugged me he whispered in my ear, "this is such a sweet moment".  I love this man.  I love this man for many reasons.  Partly because he loves me and it's so easy to love people who already love you.  And partly because we shared many wonderful experiences from our missions together.  And partly because President Kempton taught me more about knowing my Savior, Jesus Christ than any other human on this earth.  He did so by sharing his own personal testimony and knowledge, and he did so by being an example of a Believer.

If this wasn't fabulous enough just minutes later Sister Kempton came into the room and I was able to see his sweet wife again.  Sister Kempton is kind, thoughtful, and all around wonderful.  Seeing both of them again was just what I needed, it was the highlight of my trip.

Due to the shortness of my stay in Arizona we did not have a lot of time to catch up.  At the suggestion of President Kempton we had our own "Sunday School" where we found an empty classroom and visited with each other.  We talked of their large family, current callings in the church, the motorcycle President is supposed to be learning on (yes!), and of other missionaries we served with.  Sister Kempton is not particularly a fan of math, but she was very curious about what I do.  This is another reason I love her, she actually asked about what I do and she actually wanted to know and she actually allowed me to explain it to her.  People like this are a treasure to me.

It finally came time for us to leave so Beth and I headed out for one last feast together before dropping me off at the airport.  I'd heard great things about Sonic Drive-In.  Mostly I think of the time my brother-in-law needed to have a Sonic burger so he and my sister drove 3 hours to Portland just for dinner.  If Aaron thinks it's that good, then I figured I needed to sample one.

I had a great time in Phoenix and, honestly, I can see myself living there one day.  Particularly because of the sun and warmth, but also because I already have a few fabulous friends there.  I'm going to drop in more often (hope you don't mind Beth!).

Ain't There Anyone Here For Love?

One does not get to be my age and still single unless one has a few issues.  Tonight my sister accused me of being too picky.  Perhaps.  So here is the list we came up with of what I need in a man.

Requirements 

• heterosexual
• employed (or at least employable)
• single
• worthy priesthood holder 
• this covers a lot of ground such as: does not smoke/drink, attends church, follows commandments, desire to serve others, pays tithing, etc.
• educated, and not in the least intimidated by being with a woman who has a graduate degree in some crazy topic such as math
• socially aware, by this I mean aware of being polite in social settings, there are some things that are just not appropriate in social settings and I would find embarrassing to be with someone who does such things
• good personal hygiene, I have serious cleanliness issues
• makes me laugh, this is really not that hard to do
• kind, my sister clarified this by saying he needs to be kind to his own mother
• a gentleman
• has a good work ethic 
• cares about me

Preferable (but not required)

• at least 25 years old, but my sister said I really should move this up to 28 and she's probably right
• can grow a decent beard
• is a gentleman, but like the old fashioned chivalric gentleman you really only read about in books
• tall enough for me to wear my 4 inch heals and still be shorter than him
• has a desire to travel
• cannot be named Mike or Michael

There you have it folks.  Clearly I am too picky.  But quite honestly I'm perfectly fine with it.

I can't help but be reminded of a song from one of my favorite moves, Gentleman Prefer Blondes. Jane Russell will sing it for you.

Facebook "Friends"

I know a guy -- or rather, I once met a guy -- named Austin.  He attended church with me one summer and all I really remember about him was his voice.  When he spoke I was memorized, he has a deep and handsome voice.  I was not the only one either, I had a number of girl friends who also liked his voice.  I think Austin and I actually met and talked face to face maybe twice.  Somehow we became Facebook friends.

I have quite a few friends on Facebook that I really don't know very well or friends that I once knew but no longer actively keep in touch with.  I've often debated removing these "friends" so I would have a manageable number of people to follow.  People I actually care about and I know care about me.  For various reasons I have not removed hardly any of these friends.

I've found I enjoy keeping track of people just out of curiosity.  It's interesting to see where others end up.  I still don't talk to Austin, but I feel like I know a few more things about him since I see updates come from him.  He likes media, social media in particular.  And today I happened upon a video he made about this exact topic which I really liked.  I'm posting it here for your own enjoyment (and so you can hear his voice) and to say I like my Facebook "friends".

Paris: Excusez-moi, parlez-vous Anglais?

Check me out, finally finishing the last leg of my trip from Thanksgiving break and it's only January.  Paris and Iceland are tied for my favorite places from this trip.  Iceland was more a favorite to visit and see incredible new things, but Paris is my favorite for a place I would actually live one day.  Paris suits me.  All except for the small problem that I do not speak any French.  Not one bit.

We arrived late Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) evening via the Eurostar from London and headed straight for our apartment in the 13th arrondissement.  A friendly woman awaited our arrival to welcome us and turn over the key.  She was super nice and even left breakfast out for us to eat in the morning.  I liked this apartment a lot, I would live in a place like this.

Up early the next morning we headed straight for the Louvre.  One could spend 3 days in the Louvre and not have seen it all.  We had 3 hours.  I did make a point to see the Mona Lisa, which was not really all that cool.  It was very tiny and on a completely huge and blank wall.  They really could have done something more with this.  My favorite room was the one with the Greek Statues.

There is a restaurant called Angélina within walking distance from the Louvre where you will find the best hot chocolate of your life.  One sip will make you happy.

After our hot chocolate and lunch we wondered around, we even road a bus full of second graders all singing and chatting in French while we looked out the windows and took in the city.  Our bus landed us near the Eiffel Tower where we saw it in the daylight, but by the time we walked to the base the sun had set.  It began to snow while we were there which added the perfect touch for such a cool place.

One of those pictures might seem a little fuzzy and it's hard to tell exactly what is going on in the picture so I will tell you.  But first you must know of the several times I said I would kiss someone at the Eiffel Tower.  I wasn't particularly serious about this, but I did have my friend Matthew teach me to say 'kiss me, please' in French, just in case.  "Embrasse-moi, s'il vous plaît."  So I got kissed while standing under the Eiffel Tower.  Err, more like I got fake-kissed.  The picture makes me laugh.  You can't actually see me, just my bag and scarf behind a tall dark and handsome man.

Saturday we spent the entire day in Versailles.  The Château is impressive, the Gardens beautiful (probably even more amazing in the spring), and the little Marie Antoinette village pretty dang cool.

* L'Hopital is a French Mathematician *

After catching the train back to Paris we got to the Arc de Triomphe just in time to see it before the sun went down.  However by the time we hiked to the top it was dark.

And then a walk down the Champs-Élysées.

Sunday morning we headed north of the city to Sacré-Cœur which lies on a hill overlooking the beauty of Paris.

Next up, church where we met up with our friend Jessica doing a study abroad.

One cannot go to Paris without eating a few crepes.  Savory and sweet.

 Sainte Chapelle.

 Notre Dame.

Wondering around the Latin Quarter and finding the Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

Monday morning we headed for the airport and home.  I have a number of other pictures taken at various places around Paris where you can see what the city streets look like.

 And, of course, traveling all over in buses, trains, boats, and subway.

Paris was kind of magical for me.  I felt happy there.  A place I could definitely see myself living.  I look forward to going back one day.

I will end this post with a short video of the Eiffel Tower sparkeling.  Did you know the Tower sparkles?  Oh how this makes me happy!  Hmm... Fancy.

Loop back to the beginning of the trip... Iceland.