I want to go to Paris for free

http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris


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the times, they are a changin'

folks. lets face it. this blog has been blah for quite some time. i've lost my zest for it. and i've slowly been lured by the ease, simplicity and no nonsense of tumblr. so i'm defecting. not entirely. i may still post here, but for now, check here to see more from me. love to all.

all i want in this life

is a baby penguin who i can tickle. that's all.

I just adore ranunculus

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in india there are cows everywhere

EVERYWHERE. they just roam the streets. i had heard this, but was shocked when i saw how pervasive it is. cows in the hindu religion are sacred and are not to be harmed. they may be used for work, and in the village we saw cow that were in pen areas and lots of villagers headed out each morning to take their cows to pasture. we also saw a lot of cow hauling carts and being used for labor. however, i asked one of my indian friends where all the wandering cows came from and she told me often if a cow has stopped being useful for milk or labor the owner will just let them loose. it was actually quite sad to see so many homeless cows that while holy, were mangy, malnourished and dying. my friend told me many cows just eat garbage and as a result many die from up to 2 kilos of plastic in their guts. the cows in the street are also pretty pesky, in rishikesh one came up to me and seemed to be demanding food like a stray dog or monkey, and it got quite aggressive and started coming at me with it's horns! since coming home i've found myself saying to the cows i see in green spring pastures 'you don't know how lucky you have it, you may not be considered holy here, but you have someone providing you with non-plastic feed and meeting your basic needs'.

reuben

grew back hair while I was gone. I think he was stressed. Poor baby.


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i don't really know how to talk about india

it was an amazing trip. unlike any place i've ever been before. maybe as i process stories will come out . . . but for now, HERE are all my pictures.

tigers in india

here's a link to the blog i'll be keeping whilst in india. going for 2 weeks with students . . . going to ride some elephants, work in a village, raft a river, and best of all . . . celebrate holi fest in india! can't wait! oh and the picture of reuben is just to remind you all how cute he is. :)

as of late

sorry never blogging. life has been busy busy. I got an iPhone which is making life simpler. I'm addicted to angry birds. I'm going to India in 11 days with 11 students for 2 weeks. I'm ready fir spring.


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mexico was great

but felt more like california than a foreign country. puerto vallarta is a serious resort town, which while very nice and relaxing, is not my preferred type of travel. the 80 degree weather, beach time, sailing, zip lining, whale watching, and street taco eating was right up my alley though.

tragedy!!!!

this BREAKS my heart. i love the provo tabernacle, it is what makes downtown provo special. just wednesday i was up in provo and as caleb and i drove past the tabernacle we talked about how much we love it and all the cool things we've seen there. i remember going to stake conference there for a saturday evening session, i remember one year when i lived in provo and had season tickets to the utah valley symphony there, i remember seeing gospel groups perform there, folk group, the messiah, and i remember how i always love looking at the gorgeous minerva teichart painting that graced the back wall. this is such a huge loss and i'm so sad about it. :(
on a happier note, my aunt lucy, who makes the most awesome homemade soap, has a bunch of new soap and is offering a super deal on some free soap if you order 10 bars!!! seriously, this stuff is the bomb. smells good, lathers great, looks pretty and is good for you. buy it.

another thing i want for christmas is . . .

a somali wild ass foal!!!!

love this (thanks sam and chas!)

in two and a half weeks . . .

i'll be here. CAN'T WAIT!!!!

all i want for christmas is . . .

AN ORPHANED BABY WOMBAT!!!!

still proud it's my alma mater

every year sarah lawrence sends out a pretty rad holiday card. they always warm my heart and help me remember my undergrad days and the eternal push from slc to take your own path. i'm still glad i chose to go there, and where that path has led me.
enjoy! http://www.slc.edu/holiday2010/

don't mess with three girls in texas

hi folks. hope you all had a swell turkey day. i sure did! my good friend lindsey and i went to visit our other good friend kate who lives in austin, tx (where she has a super awesome life as a writer at utaustin!!!) and had loads of fun. austin is really such a nice city. i'd heard that. and it proved true. it had tons of cool things to do (like eat fresh doughnuts topped with maple glaze and bacon, or go to a movie theater where you could order food at any point during the movie and they'd bring it to you, a FABULOUS bookstore, lots of great food stores, the best knitting store i've ever been too, lots of great vintage shops, and good friends) but it felt like a small town at the same time. real nice. so here are some pics from the adventure. thanks to pack and kate for a most excellent holiday!!! remember the alamo bathrooms!!!

lest you begin to think that my blog is only for posting the strange and bizarre of the animal world

i'll post some non-rat like items.
this fall has been busy. B-U-S-Y. crazy busy. boarding school life is intense, and i always seem to make it more so with taking on lots of extra stuff (knowingly or not).
but there is a bit more to my life than just that. here are some things that i've enjoyed/loved/learned from lately:
1. i have been really loving listening (gotta love the itunes conference podcast!) to and reading lds general conference. stand outs so far are pres. uchtdorf, elder scott, elder christopherson . . . pretty much all of it. it is such a blessing to have modern day oracles of truth and guidance, i gain so much instruction, peace, and inspiration from conference.
2. i read 'home' recently by marylin robinson- which is a companion volume to her 'gilead' which i loved. 'home' was also a home run filled with slow, beautiful and so poignant details of a prodigal son story. the end made me cry and feel deeply the mercy and redemption that happens in unexpected ways in each of our lives.
3. the other night i watch the loveliest french film 'the girl from paris' about this computer science girl who quits her job when she is 30 and goes to agricultural school and buys a goat farm in the rhone alpes. its such a sweet film about relationships and doing what you love. pretty much i really just want to live on a farm.
4. some new music i've been listening to is the passion of st. matthew by bach. i just love the resonant choral pieces and find it good meditative background music.
5. i've been making a quilt! i don't have pictures yet, but promise i'll post some soon. i've knit a bit too, but quilting has had the main stage.
6. i've been making this bread recipe again and again. it's so easy you could do it in your sleep. seriously if i have time to make fresh bread once a week anyone does. do it. you will love it.
7. photo of my mom's dog ernie on a recent trip to little wildhorse canyon in the swell- the amazing perks of my job make the busyness totally worth it. :)