50 First Dates

I have a first date shirt, a shirt that I have worn on just about every first date this year. It all started when Claire and I were both asked on the same group date. We were rushing to get ready and decided that we had absolutely nothing to wear. So we decided to swap closets and go through each other's clothes. She wore my zebra shirt and black cardigan, and I wore a black shirt of hers. A black shirt that has since been dubbed the first-date-shirt. (Wow, we definitely need to come up with a classier title)

The following picture displays the varying undershirt colors worn on three different first date occasions:

January 2011                                      September 2011                              October 2011

Why is it a good first date shirt?
-It's simple, nothing too jazzed up, but it still looks nice
-It's black, so if I spill, no biggie.
-It's very comfortable

Rules of the First Date Shirt:
-It can only be worn on first dates. not second, not thirds etc. So if I start dating someone, the shirt goes to the back of the closet.
-You can't wear the same colored undershirt twice in a row. Gotta mix it up a bit.
-Always ask Claire's permission to wear it, it is her shirt afterall!


One shirt. Three Rules. Tons of memories.

Love, Noelle
-

Because I Have Been Given Much

I too must give.

So I didn't go into much detail about my upcoming Peru adventure. Here's a few more details to tide you over until I get a chance to really delve into it. p.s. have you noticed that I say "delve" a lot? I'm not even sure I'm using it correctly... hmmm

The organization I'm going through is a humanitarian organization called Eagle Condor Humanitarian. They have projects set up throughout South America. Each project is either a Step 1, Step 2, or Step 3 project. My particular one is a Step 2 project. 

"Step 2 projects focus on working directly with children and/or training heads of family to become more self-sustaining so children can stay in school enabling them to gain access to better jobs and futures. Step 2 projects are able to focus on education and community development."

So as a Step 2 volunteer, I will be involved with the following:

• Discover social identity and self-worth
• Educational Opportunities
• One-to-one mentorship programs through interns
• School Enhancement – Literacy Centers, Computer Labs, etc…
• Community Development – Greenhouses, Bathrooms, , etc….

You guys, I can't even tell you how excited I am. I'm seriously geeking out. To be honest I've all but dropped out of school at this point.  I don't have any desire to do homework or study or ANYTHING. I just want to run away to Peru. Right. this. instant. Can you blame me?

I can't wait til I'm posting pictures of me with Peruvian kids!!!

 Any advice? Words of Wisdom? Concerns? Shared Excitement??

Love, Noelle

I made a goal. When I make a goal, I stick with the goal.

Goal: Obey honor and sustain the law AKA Give up Jaywalking.

Here's the thing, I live in the most prime jaywalking spot. For you Rexburgers, I live in Royal Crest, just a hop skip and jump across the street from the BYU-I center. I haven't timed myself, but I'm pretty sure it feels like it takes at least 5 extra minutes to get to my final destination when using the crosswalks.  When it's 7:45 am, freezing outside, and I'm late for work, this is a big deal.
Alas, a goal is a goal, and I've been doing well thus far.

But the inspiration for this post came from this mornings run, where I decided that crosswalks are awkward. Super awkward. Given the fact that 1. I do 98% of my traveling on foot and 2. I'm an avid cross walk user, I've been in just about every awkward crosswalk situation you can possibly imagine.

1. I'm not the type to just cross as soon as I get to the cross walk, I stop, look both ways and then proceed. However, if there is a big line up or a car that has been waiting for awhile, I have no problem waiting and letting them go ahead. Sometimes this doesn't work. I motion to the car to go, in return they wave their hand in the air, yet I can't tell if his was a motion for me to go ahead or if it was a gratitude wave saying thanks. So we both move forward and upon realizing that the other is also progressing, we both come to an abrupt stop. Then I wave, he waves, and we do the whole awkward dance again until finally one of us takes initiative and just crosses that stinking road. I know you've all been there before. It's awkward.

2. Ok, I'm also not the type to be walking along and see someone I know and pretend like I don't see them, no matter how awkward our relationship, what harm could possibly come from a brief moment of eye contact and a smile? It's only awkward when I'm looking and smiling at them, waiting for them to make eye contact, and they take great lengths to keep from making eye contact. It's eye contact people. Eye contact. No big deal. Cross walks make this doubly awkward cause you're walking towards each other on a narrow strip of road, I know you saw me!

3. I never know how to cross the street while on  a bike. I swear it's always awkward.

4. Last but not least, rollerblading across the cross walk. SO awkward. Especially since I'm not very good and crossing the street is scary, hard and intimidating. All those people are watching you thinking, "I'm stopped here because of this crazy chick? Come on woman, get a move on!" And I'm sure to fall either right at the beginning or else right at the end of my crossing experience. In special occasions it's both. Tragic.

Love, Noelle

He-lllooo Holidays!

1. It's October.
2. It has snowed.
3. My name is Noelle.

If those aren't good enough reasons to start celebrating the holidays, I don't know what are!

At the beginning of last year, I was asked, "What's your favorite holiday?" I didn't really have a good answer. So I decided that for the whole next year, I would carefully observe every single holiday and decide which one is truly my favorite.

So far. The 4th of July is WAY, WAY, WAY up there on my list. I don't think it can be beat to be honest. We do however have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years (not to mention the "Eve's" of each of these) coming up just around the corner. Those are all a pretty big deal. I'm pretty certain that none will top my love for the family-food-freedom-firework-filled-fiesta we celebrate on the fourth, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.MJ

What's your favorite holiday to celebrate? Why? Sway me people, this is important business.

Love, Noelle

AwesomeAndAwkward: Work Edition

Heads up: I work at the Lost and Found Desk on campus

The following occur at my place of employment

awkward: the sweetheart of a boy who scours the campus for odds and ends to bring into the lost and found. usually they're bobbypins (which we throw away..shhh)
 
awesome: working every friday night, but not even being bummed about it because i get to work with Timber and Lyndi.

awkward: arriving to work after a grueling aerobics class... ehhhh

awesome: being able to blog and blogstalk while at work

awkward: the boy who comes in asking if we've found his swimsuit... a gold speedo

awesome: working with the greatest people ever

awkward: the poor boy who doesn't believe that we don't have his "black luminous sunglasses with two stripes down each side and lenses that are so reflective that they could serve dual purpose as mirrors." we've looked sir. you've looked. we don't have them. keep checking :)

awesome: the sheer joy etched on the faces of those who have been reunited with objects of utmost value to them.
 
awkward: the girl who comes by during every passing period to check if we've refilled our candy dish yet. can't say that I blame her :)

        Brief Photo Poll Intermission 

awkward or awesome? you be the judge.

 awesome: having one job that allows me to switch between three different desks/offices
 
awkward: a lost and found employee losing more stuff than the average BYU-I student.... whoops :)

awesome: the lost and found sale. seriously next friday 12-2. be there.
 
awkward: sitting at work and having a stranger (boy) serenade me with his guitar. as soon as he left, my boss simply says, "Precious" then walks away laughing

awesome: when friends stop by and chat 
 
awkward: having to figure out what to say when the following conversation transpires, (it happens at least once a week) :
me: how can i help you? boy (of which I've never before met):  i've lost something and was hoping you could help me find it. me: sure, what did you lose? boy: you're phone number      
i've yet to figure out a clever response to this, any suggestions would be most appreciated.

In any case, I looove my job. the awkward parts, the awesome parts. I love it all.
Good Night!


Love, Noelle

P.S. Hitch on a Thursday Night... awesome

Come in With the Rain

This has never happened to me, but today...

I am craving the rain. 

I just want it to rain. and rain. and rain. all day long. 

I want to take a long walk in it, all by myself.

I want to twirl and skip and dance in it with everyone I love.

I want to drive all around town in it, going nowhere and everywhere.

And then, best of all, I want to fall asleep to the sound of it, pounding on my window and on the rooftop.

And then when I wake up.

It will all be gone.

Leaving nothing but it's scent and the rejuvenation of everything it touched.

I've never loved the rain before. 

And now, I crave it.
Maybe that's what I get for living with Seattle girls for too long :)

Are these pictures not delightful?
Bring on the rain.
Love, Noelle

Dare to Do Great Things

A few days ago, Sister Dalton came to campus and told us to get out of our comfort zones and dare to do great things. Dream big she said.

Here's what's in my comfort zone: Hot water. My favorite foods. English. My family. Rexburg. BYU-Idaho. Claire Salmon. America.

Here's what I dream big about:

Children

Humanitarian Work

Peru

Making a Difference

It's blog official. I am stepping out of my comfort zone.  Come January, I'm leaving America, my family, Claire, Rexburg, school, my food, my hot water...everything for three short months.

I'm going to Peru. How could I not?
Love,
Noelle

Lou Who?

For Prom one year, we went to a show on the Strip. We saw Le Reve in the beautiful Wynn building.  It was sooo fun! The people were great, the show extraordinaire, but the thing I remember most from the evening, was the public bathrooms in that luxurious building. Check it out:

I lathered my hands at these very lavish sinks!

Très chic, No?

I'm on campus... a lot. Several hours a day. That being said, I've learned a lot about this dear BYU-I campus. Probably a bit more than you'd care to know, but I do have some insights concerning the ladies' rooms on campus that I'd like to share with my fellow female classmates. So feel free to continue reading if you're:
1. Female AND 2. A student at BYU-Idaho... if not, this probably won't interest you as much.

1. The bathrooms in the Smith building are quaint. They have a great little walk in area with a full length mirror, a shelf to hold your belongings and then a comfy couch sitting area. They also have automatic toilets and hand dryers which is nice.  However, during passing periods, the second floor bathroom gets pretty packed. Take 15 seconds to go down to the first floor one and it'll save you tons of time. It's never quite as busy.

2. The Kimball is deceiving with it's bathrooms. I'm not a big fan of the first floor one, because there is no where to put your stuff! You have to set it on the ground.  However if you just go right up the stairs there is another bathroom directly above it. It's wonderful! It has a lovely sitting area with couches, and a place to put your things. It's a little bit nicer and well kept too.

3. If you can, avoid the ladies locker room restroom at all costs. They're crowded during the day and are usually wet from the swimmers that come in and out. They seem to run out of paper towels a lot as well. However, the other bathroom on that floor is quite possibly my favorite bathroom on campus. Check it out if you get a chance, I feel like no body really knows about it. It's in the hallway that holds the competitive sports bulletin boards. It's huge and has lots of personality. You'll see what I mean when you go in there.

4. There's another sneaky, little fabulous bathroom in the Hart right next to stage. It has a drinking fountain right next to it, and I swear no body knows about it. It's perfect for when you'll at Zumba or playing in the Wallyball courts cause it's just right there!

5. I completely approve of any and all bathrooms in the BYU-I center and in the new portion of the Manwaring Center. They're brand new, lovely and filled with stalls. However I'm partial to the one on the very bottom floor of the I-center-- Lower than the ones on the main basketball floor level. This one is located right as you walk in through the front main doors to the I-center. That little area is my all time favorite study area, so I really like them.

Well that covers the Hart, the I-Center, the Kimball and the Smith for ya. Those are the buildings that I spend most of my time in. I also have strong views concerning the Clark, Spori, Ricks and Benson rest rooms. If you're curious, I'd love to sit down and chat with you about them. Better yet, I should start giving tours around campus strictly centered around bathrooms. Just kidding.

Oh that reminds me. I went into the Austin one time, just because I had never been in there.... I truly wouldn't be surprised if that building didn't even contain girl's bathrooms at all. I don't think I've ever seen a real girl go into or out of that building. Hmmmm, that might require some further investigation.

This could quite possibly be my oddest blog post yet, but Claire demanded requested that I update my blog, and this was on my mind at the moment.

Hope it helps :)

Love, Noelle

Zombies. Temples. Red Robin. Oh My!

today.was.fantastic

-Slept in til 9. 
That hasn't happened in ages. I feel like a million bucks.
-Worked from 10-2. 
I got to witness a Mini-Poland Mission Reunion, a Biggest Winner Challenge, and help somebody find their missing jump drive. Woooo!! Also, I got all my homework done, downloaded all of last week's General Conference to my Ipod, as well as finished my application for Peru.  I love working Saturdays!!!

Isn't it gorgeous?

-2 o'clock to 5ish was spent in the Idaho Falls Temple

It was a really neat experience to be in a different temple. I'm so used to Rexburg. The set up was so different but the spirit was so familiar. So the same. I loved it.

 

-Then came dinner. Any guesses where this grub came from? 

This was the Bacon Guacamole Burger. Pretty good, but I missed my usual Bonzai Burger!

Yes, we went to Red Robin... (yummmmm). P.S. I learned that you can ask them for a cup of caramel to dip your sweet potato fries in. Have you tried that? .... I didn't think so, but you must. It was divine. Thanks Josi!

-Finally, I got home just in time to be attacked by a bunch of zombies.
Apparently there was a giant zombie convention in town and they decided to migrate to my apartment when it got over. Gosh I love Halloween. I had no idea what was going on, but I was a tiny bit frightened. However, the adrenaline rush that comes with being scared totally got me pumped for the festivities at the end of this month. Our apartment is decorated and everything! Bring on the pumpkin flavored everything and the Haunted Mills!

- So I did what any normal girl of my sort would do after surviving a zombie attack.
I planned an outing to go see the final Harry Potter. Can you believe I still hadn't seen it yet? After all this time...? (Pssst.. if you didn't pick up on that last line... read it again :)  So we went. We watched. We LOVED it. Seriously. I want to watch it again. And again. And then six more times. Ahhhhh. So tender. So brilliant. So fierce. Does anyone else ADORE Professor McGonagal? What a woman!

I highly reccommed any of the aforementioned events to spice up your future Saturdays. (Except perhaps the zombies...)
Hope you had a good day!
Love, Noelle

Investments

I've been thinking a lot about investments lately. What is an investment? What does it mean to invest in something? How does it correlate with potential, devotion, time?

RFAM: One of my very favorite movies is Confessions of a Shopaholic. I think that I could watch this movie everyday for the rest of my life and it'd never get old.

This is the character in question, Luke Brandon. What an amazing name. His real name is Hugh Dancy. Also a fabulous name.  Gosh isn't he adorable?

So in this movie, Luke Brandon (see above) asks Rebecca Bloomwood what he thinks of him as a person, as an investment. She told him quite frankly that as an investment, he stinks. A marriage investment that is.


Well, the other day I had a dream in which I was chatting with a friend.. a very honest friend, who in not so many words told me that as an investment, I pretty much stink.  I was taken back, but let him/her explain themselves. They told me that I was a great girl: fun, outgoing, nice yada, yada... but with my up-and-coming adventures to Peru and my internship in Utah (mainly the fact that I won't be in Rexburg til next Fall)  put a complete hold on any chance I have on getting married. Who would want to try and get to know someone who's leaving the continent and not coming back to Rexburg for quite some time? Why would someone invest the time in me right now? In my mind I was thinking, ok that's fine, I don't mind not getting married the second I turn 21, I can wait. 

Don't worry, this gets better...(sarcasm)

 I was then told that as soon as I get back to Rexburg I would be career-driven and completely intimidating to any and every man I come in contact with. Pretty much my adventures and age would scare them off and that I'd be destined to live my life as a workaholic with a cat, a blog and lots of money. I should probably walk around with a name tag that says: 
Noelle Rust- Not a Good Investment.

Depressing huh?
Good thing it was just a dream, because I've got other plans in mind.



That's all I have to say about that.

Love, Noelle

3 Questions

1. When oh when will our conference issue of the Ensign get here? I feel like we've been waiting for months.
 2. How do I feel about saying goodbye to Rexburg for ONE WHOLE YEAR? Oh how I love Rexburg, but one must think of the greater good.
3. Want to go sledding? If you need me at all for the rest of the semester... chances are that you can find me on the sled hill. All. Day. Long. Bring on the snow Rexburg, I'm ready :)
4. (I know I said only three questions, but this one's important) Have you seen my camera?? I can't find it anywhere and I'm going through withdrawals.And so I have to make due with pictures like so from my dear camera phone:

This is Lawrence (I have no idea how to spell that..) He's the nicest kid! AND he wrote my name in Chinese for me! I love Culture night!

 Oh wait, I thought of another one! 5. Why have I not yet seen 17 Miracles or Harry Potter 7 part two? Can we please fix this? Both are in the cheap theater. Lets do this.

Goooood nighht!
Love, Noelle

Hi, I'm _________, And I'm a Mormon.

Have you guys heard about seen visited searched delved into the Meet Mormons section of mormon.org?

No? You indeed have not? Not to worry, not to worry, I've gotcha covered. Here's a link. Go there, whether you're a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or if you're not... yet :)  Meet the Mormons, find out who we are, how diverse we really are, and why we are who we are.

To create your own profile and share your story and testimony with countless others, go here.

My dear roommate Claire's parents were the inspiration for this post. They both (along with much of their posterity) have set up awesome profiles that have been read and loved by who knows how many people!

Go. Spend a few minutes on there. See what you think. Make one of your own... you might never know who'll need to see it!

Love, Noelle

P.S. I couldn't end this post without a picture, so here are a few snapshots of the happenings that have been happening so far this semseter.


Hi, we just ran a cumulative of like 40 miles, and we're Mormons




Hi, we rock at wallyball and group date assignments, and we're Mormons




Hi, we rock at life in general and look dang good doing so, and we're Mormons.

 Love, Noelle...again :)