Let the Boy Stories Begin

You know, I love having my blog be public. I love hearing from random people who have stumbled upon it and have sent me a message of encouragement, gratitude, constructive criticism etc

However, there are just some things that I can't post on here, due to the fact that I would be mortified if certain someones happened to be reading. You know what I'm saying? I'm thinking mostly about dating stories... or just boy stories in general. Oh my land, do I have some good dating stories! Especially ones that have come up in this past year.

There's one that I was recently reminded of that I think I just must share. It's not the grandest of all stories, but I laughed myself to tears when it happened, and I must have it documented. I also don't think that the lovely lad who stars in this story would mind me sharing it. He'll probably never see it. So we're good.

So here's what happened:

Fall 2011: I'm getting ready for a first date with a boy named Trevor. This was actually one of the first dates that semester that I was excited to go to on. Trevor is an awesome kid who is easy to talk to and fun to be around, so the fact that he called me up and asked me on a date was exciting. I put on my famous "first-date shirt" and called my little sister, Natalie, (who lives like four doors and one floor down from me) to come and open the door for me when he came.

First date shirt! I think the middle one was  in prep for my date with Trevor.

>> Side note: When my date comes and knocks on the front door, I simply cannot open it. I cannot! I don't know why. That's where my great roommates come in handy. But I loved it most when Natalie would come up and answer the door for me. This way she gets to see my date before I go and then she has a visual for when I get home from the date, run to her apartment, jump on her bed and tell her all about it before we start sobbing over country music videos.

Anyways, Natalie comes up and I'm in the bathroom getting ready. Natalie answers the door. Yells for me. Trevor and I leave and have a wonderful date of cooking, eating, dancing and a walk around town. I come home, run to Natalie's, jump on her bed and tell her all about my date before we start sobbing over country music videos (it's the greatest!)

Once midnight rolled around, I headed back up to my apartment where I talked and laughed with my roommates, when somebody (Hannah perhaps?) said something like, "Oh that was sooo great when Trevor came over!"

I was like, "What are you talking about? What happened when Trevor came over?"

They were shocked that I had just spent the past few hours with Natalie and she had failed to mention the events that transpired before I presented myself before my date that night. (Apparently she forgot!) But they wouldn't tell me, they insisted that I call up Natalie (it was probably close to 1 am at this time) and make her come up and tell me what happened herself! So I did, and she came!

Sorry, I'm making this short story, oh so very long!

Anyways, so apparently, here's what happened while I was in the bathroom pretending to be primping for my date (usually I'm just waiting in there).

Trevor comes and knocks on the door. . . Natalie opens it.

Trevor says, "Hi! Is Claire here?" (Claire is the name of my roommate who he was NOT going on a date with, hellloooo you came to pick up Noelle!)

Mortified, he stumbles on his words as he tries to correct what he had just said.

So straight-face Natalie says, "Uhhhh... Why don't you try that again." and then she shuts the door on him!!!


So then he knocks and sheepishly tries again, thankfully getting it right this time.

Oh my gosh, I about died laughing when they recounted this story to me. DIED. Holy cow, I would have NEVER thought to keep a straight face, shut the door and tell the poor kid to "try again".

Ahhh truth be told, I wasn't even the slightest bit offended that he came and asked for Claire, the whole thing was tooo hilarious to even think anything of it.

Oh I can't wait for this Fall. Natalie will be theee only one I let answer the door for my dates ;)

Little Italy

I went to Quiznos with my friends last Saturday after a lovely hike to "The Living Room" and saw an item on the menu titled...

Little Italy

Now. Do me a favor will ya? Say that above phrase aloud, a tid bit slower than you'd normally read it. Letting each lovely syllable dance around the tip of your toungue, almost as if you couldn't stop mid-phrase even if you wanted to! It's that kind of phrase where you kind of even feel like you're singing just by putting  those two words together.

>> Please note that if you look in the mirror while you do this, you'll find that your lips don't even move! It's all about that tongue!
>> Also worth noting, you could not even begin to say this phrase if you were not fortunate enough to posses a tongue. It just does not work one bit. What a pity.

Now say it again, and again! And again and again and again!! As fast as that mouth of yours will let you.

I don't know about you, but that just brings me bliss.  And one day, I will be the queen of a quaintly adorable place called, "Little Italy" and Bridgette will be my super cool sidekick. 

>>If there is a street out there named "Little Italy", I WILL find it and I WILL live on it.

Until that great day, enjoy the next 2 minutes at 59 seconds as you quickly transform into one of those people who are acutely aware and silently (KEY WORD) correct the grammar of those you associate with. 

Welcome to the club. You're going to notice people say these things like nobody's business. It's a curse!

In other news >> I love playing ping pong, jogs around DayBreak lake, and packing for up and coming camping adventures with my friends!

Online Schooling

 In order to graduate on schedule, and to keep a small portion of my scholarship. I had to take online classes this semester during my full time (40+ hours a week) internship.

Dear Future Noelle,

Don't you dare ever do that again you crazy! That much time on a computer drove you nuts. You hated not being able to sit in a classroom and listen to the comments and interaction going on throughout the lectures and discussions. You dreaded your discussion boards. You detested the hours of reading from that little screen.

You procrastinated your assignments like nobody's business. Don't you dare even think about dropping  out of school with plans to finish it online later, or somewhere else. No, no, no, no!!!

That's all.

You'll thank me for this one day.

Wedding Plans

It's a given that I'm a hopeless romantic. I love love-stories. Love, love, love! That much has already been discovered here, here and here.

Given that fun little fact, you'd think that I'd be the kind of girl who has had her wedding planned since she could say, "Babysbreath".

Quite the contrary my dear friends. Quite the contrary.

I think it's safe to say that while I simply adore love ... weddings/wedding planning is not my favorite cup of tea. Especially when it comes to my own.

I don't care what kind of flowers I have.

I don't care if it's in a cultural hall.

I don't care if the ties are perfectly periwinkle or just the right shade of burgandy.

I don't care if we eat Slim Jims and drink Tang. 

It just doesn't matter to me! 

Is that weird?

>> To those of you who are now happily married, were any of you like this when you were single too? Did it change when you got engaged? I keep trying to convince myself that when that day comes, I will probably care a bit more about all those details, but I sure as darn don't think I'll give it too much time, trouble or thought. I'm honestly hoping that between my mom, three little sisters and 4 sister-in-laws (hopefully there are 4 by then ;) , I won't have to fuss about much and they'll just run the show.

To prove my point even further... try not to cringe as I disclose some of my more recent wedding ideas.

The Bridesmaid Dresses:

My brother is getting married next month, so my mom has been hard at work matching, sewing, fitting and creating beautiful bridesmaid dresses for us sisters for the wedding.

That got me thinking...

How cool would it be if each of my bridesmaid's wore one of my MuMu's?!?! If you don't know about my MuMu collection/obsession click here or here.

I'm hoping by then I will have oh... at least 10! And then all my sisters/girl friends will come sporting either one of mine, or one of their own MuMu's. Oh my gosh. I love it. Can you even imagine? I can. I'm dying over it! So all you cute girl friends of mine, start rummaging grandma's closet and hittin' up DI's, find yourself that PERFECT MuMu for my wedding ;)

Flowers:

I've always loved calla lilies. I think that they are so gorgeous. However, I've thought of another "flower" that I have been obsessed with for quite some time. My pinterest board is covered in them. I say "flower" with quotes around it because... well it's more of a weed than a flower to be honest.

I love dandelions!

Mainly because of dandelion wishes. I love the idea of wishing on things and dandelions happen to be my favorite thing to wish on! So why not have a bouquet of dandelions?

You haven't even heard the best part yet!! Instead of tossing the bouquet (which could end badly as you can imagine...) I'll have all the single ladies gather round next to me and on the count of three we'll all blow on the bouquet whist making a wish!

So how does one go about making a bouquet of dandelions? Bridgette (my roommate) and I are determined to spend a day conquering this quest. We're thinking that we could delicately hairspray them so that the sweet little seeds stay intact throughout the wedding, and we're thinking that some sort of glitter action would be cool too.

Oh my, I better stop here. This is getting out of control.
None of you better hold me to these ideas, because like I said, I'm kind of counting on my mom and sisters to take care of most of the details . . . but until then... it's all about the dandelions and mumus :)

A Memory Worth Remembering

Lima, Peru: April 2012

Last week, I sat with some of my good friends in the Jordan River Temple, preparing to do Baptisms for the Dead. While sitting on the pew, thumbing through a Spanish bible I found and taking in the beautiful organ music being played, my thoughts drifted back to an amazing opportunity that I don't think I fully appreciated at the time.

Just over 3 months ago, I had the opportunity to enter another one of God's temples. I had just taken a 6+ hour bus from Chiclayo, Peru to Lima, Peru, where there is a beautiful LDS temple.

 We got to Lima early in the morning. We were tired. We were sticky and sweaty from the humid heat. Truth be told, we were kind of grumpy. It was a stressful, chaotic time for us four women. It marked our last few days in Peru and we had just left the people and children that we loved back in Cajamarca. We were coming home, and I really didn't want to.

So we walked to the temple.

I was sooo grateful for my cool, flowy MuMu that day as it made for the perfect dress to wear in Lima. However, to this day, Abi does not let me forget how atrocious that Peru Belt looks with my MuMu :)

I can't even remember if we did Baptisms that day (Man, I should've kept up my Peru blog better!) but I do remember feeling a little bit of [home] while we walked around those grounds in a huge city that was completely foreign to us. We knew no one in Lima, but we knew that those who were in that temple were friends, because they believed what we believe and they eagerly welcomed us into the house of the Lord.

About a week or so later, we returned back to Lima for our last day in Peru. We were to fly out that very night, back to the states. Again with the tired, hot, stinky, stickiness. We were a sight to see. But we went to the temple. Our last Hurrah in Peru.


But get this! We stopped by the cafeteria to grab some water when BAM!

A familiar face was sitting in there eating lunch with his dad. It was Hermano Sandro! The coordinator for the humanitarian program that we were in Peru with. He was the first friend to greet us in Cajamarca and show us to our humble abode. He doesn't speak a lick of English, and those first few weeks of trying to communicate with him were an adventure. He got really good at using simple words and speaking slowly and clearly for us. While he wasn't a whole lot of help to us during our adventures in Peru, he was a kind, good man. He was a good friend with a sweet family. I'll never forget following him around the wet, rained on streets of Cajamarca, a water jug on his back, walking with a limp, while us three gringas scurried on behind him.

Seeing him at the temple (16 hours away from his home in Cajamarca) was a miracle! A tender mercy even.

I switched out the Peru belt for a nicer looking one, but the Chacos snuck themselves into this outfit.

He even was the one in the baptistery who baptized us (I think...help Abi!) and he for sure was the one who confirmed us. I'll never forget because he seemed kind of nervous (he probably hasn't had much practice, seeing as the closest temple to him is 16 hours away!). It was so sweet though, because he put his hands on Abigail's head and began with, "Hermana Abi.." Usually, when performing this ordinance, they use your last name. So it should have been, "Hermana Tucker". But Hermano Sandro didn't know any better, and I sure as darn wasn't going to cut him off and fix it. It seemed so personal, so heartfelt. The fact that it was in Spanish was awesome as well.

Oh good times. GOOD TIMES!

It's another one of those days when I think to myself, "Ok Noelle, you've now been home longer than you were even in Peru. When are you going to stop missing it so badly?"

I don't know the answer to that one. Maybe when I have another adventure? Maybe never? Something tells me it'll take quite a bit to get me to stop missing and loving that beautiful country.

Miles Don't Mean Anything

I am so completely and totally overwhelmed right now, that I don't know if my blunderings here will make any sense at all.

<< Rewind to 3 months ago when this chain of unfortunate events occurred.

Flight home from Peru. 

Only one week home with my family.

BOOM! 

Off to Utah to start a new chapter, alone and scared to death. 

I don't think I have ever been more nervous for anything in my entire life. 

Terrified.

Those first few days here in Utah were... in a word... awful. Everything that possibly could go wrong, did go wrong. I felt so alone, so broken, so homesick, Peru-sick, Rexburg-sick. I missed being around people that I loved, and people that I knew loved me. I held in my feelings all throughout work and then once 5:30 hit and I was alone in my car, the tears could not be stopped. Life was hard during that time. A different kind of hard that I had never, ever experienced before. For a million different reasons. Seriously you guys. If it possibly could go wrong ... it would go wrong.

>>Fast Forward to today. I am as happy as can be. I love it here. I'm sad to see my time here wind down.

How on earth did I go from days of silent tears to days of joyous cheers? Oh SO many things. There have been SO many factors. But it all came down to the fact that my Heavenly Father was mindful of me. He has been, and continues to be looking out for me day after day. Usually through other people.

Today's post is about one specific factor that completely and totally blows my mind. It's about four of the greatest women I know and about how their kind acts of love have done more for me than these women will ever know.

1. The first being Miss Abigail Tucker. I could go on and on about my love for this Chica. She experienced Peru with me for three months. She saw the good, the bad, and the ugly natural, caked-in-dirt look ;)  Because of that she perhaps knows me better than many. After Peru she went back to Rexburg, and I came to Utah.

Well, one day, after a long day at work, I decided to run home in the July heat. It's about a 25-30 minute jog from work to my house, and that sun was killer. When I arrived home, as usual, I stopped by the mailbox to see if I had anything in there (I get a new wedding announcement at least twice a week ;). What I wasn't expecting to find was a tidy little package with MY NAME (Elia) Written in bold on the front. A package for me?!?! From none other than miss Abigail Tucker! One does not experience such things without letting out squeals of delight. Best thing ever.

Only to open it and find THESE! 

Oh man, the laughing, the tears, the smiles, the audible gasps and outbursts that came in the three minutes that I opened this and carefully discovered each item were innumerable. My camera, which I have been pining for was here, in my possession! The Peru memories, bit of chocolate, body spray and sweet card brought such joy to my soul! Words cannot express the love that I felt. It was JUST what the doctor had ordered and gave me the strength and courage to finish out that week strong. Abi knew I could do it, and that gave me the confidence to help me know that I could do it.

My next jumbo jet of joy came not long after... in the form of another package!!

(I cannot find my camera card.. otherwise there would be a picture here of theee cutest package. They put the gift in a bag of sugar!)

This sugar-lovin' package was found, not in my mailbox, but was delivered to my bedroom! A package straight from the beautiful depths of Idaho from none other than two ladies that I think of with nothing but fond memories and English accents. Miss Claire Ruth Salmon Christensen (a very well know character in this here blog) and her divinely fantastic sister-in-law (this girl has so many crazy cool talents, I'm in awe!) Hannah Christensen. Again with the joy, tears, laughing, smiles, and outbursts as I read THEE cutest poem written directly for yours truly and unwrapped... 

Drum Roll Please

MUMU #5!!! (Again, pictures coming as soon as I can find that darn card! You HAVE To see this one. It even has pockets!!!)

If that is not the sweetest thing in the world, I surely do not know what is! It made me miss them SOOOO badly, and I was flooded with memories of late nights, Sunday dinners, movie nights, clean checks, trips to the gym and soo much more. Words cannot express how loved I felt when receiving this gem. I felt like I had thee best friends in thee entire world and that nothing could go wrong because even though we're miles apart, they were still there more me. Oh how I love them!

The last tendermercy-actofkindness-nearlybringNoelletotearsoutofsheerloveandjoy-experience came just this morning as I was doing my weekly blogstalking. Imagine my surprise as I'm scrolling through my list of new blog posts when I see the following pop up on my feed!

"Hey that's me!!"

A picture of myself as the main picture in another bloggers most recent blogpost.... what the!?!?

So I calmly pulled away from my computer and contemplated all the different reasons why my picture would be posted on another blogger's blog.

Uh yeah right....

I clicked on that thing as fast as I could and voila! To my utter surprise and delight I found that my dear, dear, dear sweet Gus had written a whole blog post, just for me!!! Now, one must know that I had the opportunity of living with Shae (Gus) for 3 semesters up at school, including being her room-roommate while she was engaged. The things that I learned from that saint-like woman are innumerable and unforgettable. She is held on such a pedestal in my eyes, so the fact that she would write a tribute to our friendship tickled me pink! What I love most is that anybody else reading that post would be completely lost and confused. Yet each line, every word even, was dripping with sweet, sweet nostalgia and memories.

Man, am I one blessed girl or what? These are just a few of the amazing acts of love that I have experienced these past few months. These ones have especially touched me because I am miles and miles and miles away from all four of these girls. I haven't seen 3 of them in over 7 months! Yet, they're still thinking about me. They still love me. And they go out of their way to show it and let me know. That my friends, is one of the greatest feelings in the world. And for that, and for each one of them, I will forever be grateful.

Love, Noelle

P.S. It just so happens that all four of these girls are ones that I can count on to read my blog. They're the reasons that this sucker is still up and running :) Thank you Abigail, Claire, Hannah and Shae. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

It Happens to Everyone

You know what I'm talking about. That moment when you're sittin' in your car, driving around either trying to park, or get out of a parking spot... when all of a sudden you hear that dread "CLANG!" and you think, "Oh my goodness what have I hit!?!?"

You're blood is pumping, your heart is beating, your mind is racing. You barely remember to move the vehicle out of the middle of the road, swing it into park and fling the door open, rushing to the scene of the crime.

I had made it over 5 (with my license) without this happening!
Until Sunday.

I was in a mad rush to get to ward prayer on time, I'm the ward prayer co-chair (or co-throne as Jeremy and I have dubs'd ourselves). My parents had just been kind enough to switch me cars, my old/falling apart/gheeetto Geo for their nice Ford Explorer Truck. What good people!

They had literally just pulled out of the driveway SECONDS before the "accident". I feel bad for having rushed them out, but I had places to be and duties to fulfill!

So Bridgette and I hopped in the truck I put it into drive and went to flip a U-y on my street.  I don't really remember hearing anything, or even feeling anything for that matter, but I knew something was wrong.

"Uh Bridgette, did I hit something?"
"I don't know"

Pull over. Park. Fling Door Open. Run to Scene of Crime. Bam! Bam! Bam!

Sure enough, I had taken out the neighbors mail box.... with the neighbors on the front porch watching the entire thing.

Me:"Oh my gosh! I just took out your mailbox!!!!"
Them: "Hahahah"

Lucky for me, I didn't crush the actual box, I had just hit it in a manner so that it was pathetically dangling from the wood post that it was nailed to. PHEW!! This looked like an easy fix! I would just plop it back into his rightful position...

Except for when the nice neighbor lady realized that between the two wood planks that I had just disheveled was a wasp nest! Two points for me!

The neighbor ladies were super, super nice about it and I was able to leave only moments later and got to ward prayer a little later than I would have liked, but considering the turn of events... I'd say it was just fine.

I was lucky. No real damage done. Neighbors were watching, so I didn't have to do that dreaded knock on the door and foolishly try to explain that I was a bozo.

I hope I paid my dues, as minor as they were, because I surely hope to never be in that situation again.

Maybe I miss my old, clunky, SMALL geo?

Love, Noelle

Socializing Gets You Places

Once upon a time, I moved to this place called Riverton. Given the fact that I have a nearly debilitating need for constant social interaction, I got involved in everything I possibly could, right away. If I knew there was something going on where I'd be able to talk to people (who spoke English no less) I was on it!

So on my second Sunday in the area, I made my way to ward prayer where Bridgette said the following, "Hey, you should go to Capitol Reef with us!"  Not having any idea what this was or what this meant, or who "us" entailed, only hearing an invitation, I said yes whole heartedly!

Turns out  Capitol Reef was a state park down south (in Utah) where people went to go camping and "us" entailed several individuals in our YSA ward.

So I signed up, and a few weeks later I found myself in Capitol Reef with some rather lovely people who I was excited to get to know better!

I got there Friday evening and had to leave Sunday evening. Most people came a bit earlier and left on Monday, but I couldn't miss work. In those two days that I was there, the fun that was had was endless!

It had been a while since I had gone camping, so it felt great to be back in that "tin-foil dinner, sittin' under the stars, smelling like smoke and hot dogs, my-hair's-so-greasy-it-could-catch-fire-any-second" environment.  I love waking up in a tent to the sound of birds and old people, I love spending the whole day outside and I love not having to fuss about hair and makeup.  I love hiking around new places and exploring the unknown. Most of all, I love being in good  company and observing those around me.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from my weekend at Capitol Reef:

Beginning our Saturday morning hike

It was soo cold in the mornings, so we laid in the sunny spot in the road to try and warm up

Nothing like sittin' back in sweats after a grueling day of  fruit snacks and faulty feet!

I think I got dehydrated because my hands started to feel super funny. Lucky for me I was with a bunch of smarty pants who instructed me to keep my hands in the air and wrap wet bandanas around my wrists. It worked!

Monkey Faces!

Overall, it was such a fun trip and I'm so glad I got to go! The food was fabulous, the company divine, and the weather was pretty cooperative as well.

Love, Noelle

Few of the Favorites

Here's a few particulars that I'm seriously lovin' right now. Enjoy!

1. My Apple Corer

Seriously the best $2.50 I have ever spent (at Wal-mart, get yours today.. well tomorrow since it's the Sabbath)

Look how perfectly it cores that sucker!

 So I'm doing this thing where I eat one apple every single day! I've been going strong for over a month now. I was talking to my friend Paul about it, while eating my apple for the day. He says, "Wait right there, I've got to show you my apple corer!"

Skeptical me told him not to worry about it, I liked the way I ate my apples (I thought he was going to whip out those apple corers that also slice the apple into slices, you know what I'm talking about? I don't like those because I like to eat my apple whole, not it slices) Despite my resistance, he kept digging in the drawer until he triumphantly emerged with this beauty.

Moves like a dream, so easy to cut with!

He took my half eaten apple right out of my hand and cored it for me right then and there! I knew at once that I could not go another day without purchasing one for myself! It took the core clean out, yet you could still eat the apple, like an apple. No need to worry about carrying around a sticky core either. Just core it and go!

Seriously only $2.50? Why don't you have one!?

2. My Satchel

I have NEVER been a purse person. Never ever. They are a nuisance. I lose stuff in them and then more times than not, I lose my purse. They're a pain to carry on your arm, and they're expensive!

So one day, while at Ross with dear roommate Bridgette, I completely uncharacteristically of me, bought this baby:

This picture does not do my satchel justice, it is soo much cuter and exuberant in real life.

I LOVE it! It's an over the shoulder bag with a long strap, so it just hangs there and you don't have to fuss with it and keep pulling it up onto your shoulder!  No need to worry about losing it because you don't even have to set it down because you forget you're even wearing it sometimes.

And with a name like "Satchel" how could you not love it? I adore this thing.

3. My Hydrator

I'm a big believer in drinking ridiculous amounts of water daily. It's so good for you! I have also lived in dry, hot climates my entire life, so I don't know why on earth Riverton is kicking my trash! I feel like I'm well on my way to becoming a piece of jerky everyday, it's so dry! 

Lucky for me, I invested in this beauty last time I was up in Rexburg.

If you haven't experience a Camelbak waterbottle yet, you must! It seriously makes drinking water addicting! I take this with me just about everywhere. Sip on it during the movie, while sitting at my desk at work, while typing up blogs (yup, it's in my mouth this very second!). You'll be amazed at how much your water consumption sky rockets. You're hands won't feel like lizards, your skin will be brighter, and you will feel like a million bucks.

So if you're like me and not disciplined enough to drink your 8 glasses a day out of a glass (I've never really liked drinking out of cups), then get yourself one of these! They're kind of pricey ($15-20) but they're worth every penny. Your body will thank you.

4. The Website

Have you guys checked out youth.lds.org yet? It's awesome! The videos, the music, the articles, the downloads, the ideas... I could go on and on. I love it!

My favorite thing lately has been the music on it. It has all this awesome, uplifting music that you can download for free or just play on your computer. It's perfect for listening to when you're getting ready on Sunday's, or any day for that matter. I can't get enough of it!

So those are a few of my staples, my daily-must-haves, and I quite like them a lot!

Pay it Forward

I must start this off by explaining one thing. The water in Riverton is awful. It seriously has the foulest taste to it that is ever imaginable. I would drink contaminated Peru water over Riverton water any day.

That being said. I often go to Walmart after work to buy gallons of water to quench my thirst throughout this dry, hot summer. Well, one day I was plum out of water and rushed over to Walmart after work to pick them up.

As I was checking out, I found to my horror that I didn't have my debit card with me. I had lost it.  I lose things often, so this wasn't an uncommon, "freak-out-because-my-debit-card-could-be-anywhere" occurrence. It was more of a "oh-my-heck-how-am-I-going-to-not-die-of dehydration???" freak out.

So I ditched everything else in my cart except for the water and began to sift through the contents of my purse looking for any coinage.

I was 11 cents short! So thirsty, so embarrassed and SO eleven cents short. As I regretfully began to tell the cashier woman that I actually didn't want the water... or anything for that matter anymore... a saint of a woman behind me said, "Do you just want that water? Oh for goodness sakes, here's a quarter!"

YAY! She was so nice and saved me from a certain early death.

Fast forward... oh two weeks or so.

I'm at the dollar store buying ziploc baggies. The lady in front of me is rummaging her purse for some coinage. I think to myself, "Now where have I seen this before? Oh yes, this was you two weeks ago, help this woman out!" So I check the price on the register, $3.74 and I whip out 3 quarters faster than you could say "Cha-Ching" and handed them to the cashier. 

The lady seemed rather embarrassed and continuously explained that she didn't NEED my money. She has money. She thanked me and said that she wished she could see me again and pay me back (Come on it was 74 cents woman!). I told her that not two weeks ago, a kind lady had just done the same exact thing for me and I was just paying it forward.

She seemed to like that and committed to pay it forward as well.

I wish I could watch a series of "Pay it Forwards". Imagine the possibilities!

If one person started one Pay it Forward every single day . . . 

Love, Noelle

Cuatro de Julio

The rumors are true.
The Fourth of July is by far my favorite holiday of all time. Remember the blast I had last year? And when I professed my patriotic pride for this grand holiday here? I'm one year older and just as, if not more so, in love with this holiday.

I didn't want to psyche myself out about the 4th this year, so I haven't even thought about it really. I figured everyone would be spending it with their families, and I, being the lone YSA without a family in Utah, would spend the day alone... doing homework... blogging... petting the cat(ssssss).

I really did expect that dreary description to be my fate! Lucky for me, I have fantastic friends who do fun, fun things and let me be a part of them!

Recap:

Day 1 of black eye received from Rugby

So we were out late on Tuesday night (Cause no work on Wednesday, holla!) playing Volleyball, Kissing Rugby (this is where my black eye came from) in the park, and ice cream floats in the parking lot. We got home at ... 1:45ish am and headed to bed.

Only to be woken up by 7:30am to go and get our tennis game on! I hadn't played tennis in AGES, so getting back on that court with a racket in hand... I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The sun was shining bright and I was surrounded by my friends who didn't even really love tennis a whole, whole lot, yet they still came and played with me! How awesome are they??

Next, it was off to Walmart to get groceries. Home to do homework and make a patriotic pie for the upcoming BBQ.

But not before swimming/rugby 500 playing/hot tubbing at Michelle's!


Next came a quick shower and a walk over to Elyse's for the grand BBQ!

We ate yummy food, played frisbee, trampoline games from our childhood, and pretty much sat around being so tired! It had been quite a day already, and there was still more to come!

The rest of the night was filled with fireworks, friends, ferris wheels, fire and fun.

Oh how I love the fourth.
 Oh how I love America.
Oh say can you..

 Love, Noelle