When Dandelion Wishes, Magic 8 Balls and Shooting Stars Just Aren't Doing the Trick...

Background:

I read the following status from my friend Brendan Clary on FB on Thursday:

"Alma 32 in light of dating, true love, and celestial marriage. Wow."

 I was very familiar with Alma 32 but had never read it in said light. So I was intrigued and decided that on Saturday afternoon, I was going to go sit in a park somewhere and read Alma 32 in light of dating....whatever that meant.

Well Saturday came and Saturday went, and I still had yet to read it.

So Sunday morning comes and I am getting ready for church when I decide to check and see if Sister Bolton has updated her blog recently, because I was "yearnin' for some learnin'" (name that movie). And lo and behold, she had indeed updated it that very morning. To my great astonishment, and true delight, she had written a beautiful post on none other than... you guessed it, Alma 32 specifically in regards to courtship and dating. I couldn't believe it! Just three days earlier Brendan had mentioned the same thing. Clearly I needed to read this chapter As soon as I finished that post, I grabbed my scriptures a journal and a blanket and headed out to find a calm and quiet place to delve into this sucker.

And delve I did. Wow. That chapter will never be the "faith" chapter or the "seed/testimony" chapter ever again. Wow, Wow, Wow, WOW! Go read it. NOW!

Now, to be honest, I was kind of skeptical at first. I have classified myself into a "unique" dating situation for the time being, one that I haven't really been in before, so I figured that whatever was in that chapter probably would apply to your average, true-love seeking YSA, but it probably wouldn't apply one bit to my situation. 

Guess again girlfren. 

I'm pretty sure that this chapter, with all of it's ins and outs and parallels can and will apply to you no matter what stage of dating you are in.

So if you're a YSA and you're trying to figure out how to no longer be a YSA, this chapter is your golden ticket. Dandelion wishes are one of my favorite things in the whole-wide-world, but you can't wish your way to the temple. This chapter is golden, the perfect dating handbook. 

So um... what are you still doing here? Go! Read Alma 32 and get to work. And if you're still not convinced, check out Sister Bolton's post here. Then go read and let me know what you find!

Happy Sabbath,

Love, Noelle

An Apple A Day

Ok, lets be frank here. Apples are a boring fruit. Nobody gets excited when mom brings home a bag of apples from the store. Raspberries? Yes. Mangoes? Yes. Kiwi? For sure. Apples? Not even close.

And to be honest, the only time I'm really happy to see an apple is when it looks like this:

Claire and I interrupting Keri's Halloween date. Sorry love, it had to be done.

Fall 2010 

Oh yeah. Smothered in ooey-gooey, "I'm so going to rip your teeth out" caramel. Without that goodness, apples just don't make the cut, on my list anyway. Until about a month ago....

So I'm on this date, driving around town and somehow fruit gets brought up. Amongst this conversation my date made mention of how he eats at least one apple everyday. Now, we all know the age old adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" but nobody in their right mind would seriously eat an apple a day! Well he really did.... and now I really do!

I was immediately intrigued. I wonder if I would be less likely to get sick if I simply ate one apple a day. I've only being faithful for one whole week now (the beginning was kinda rocky...). That my friends is 7 apples down in one week. I'm pretty sure that in the entire year of 2011, I only ate 6 apples. So this is quite the feat. And it's only been a week, but so far, I'm feelin' good! I just picked up 7 more Pink Ladies from the store last night, so I'm all set for week two. 

But I need your help. What apples are your favorite? I could not believe how many different kinds there are.
First I got Fuji cause they were cheap. . . they're ok, but not like WOAH BABY! I'm pretty pleased with my Pink Ladies, but I'm definitely open for suggestion. Just no Red Delicious. Bleck. I think that's why I am so turned off to apples. Bad childhood memories perhaps.

And just in case you were curious, here are a few apple gems that I have found that give me inspiration:

Apples are... 

"Low in calories. A regular size apple has between 70-100 calories. Eating an apple when craving for candy or chocolate can make the desire disappear since apple in itself contains sugar, but gives you only ¼ of the calories."

"Apples contain phenols, which have a double effect on cholesterol. It reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. They prevent LDL cholesterol from turning into oxidized LDL, a very dangerous form of bad cholesterol which can be deadly."

"Prevent tooth decay. Tooth decay is an infection that seriously damages the structure of your teeth, which is caused primarily because of bacteria. The juice of the apples has properties that can kill up to 80% of bacteria. So there you have it, an apple a day also keeps the dentist away!"

"Prevent Cancers. Notice the plural. We all know that cancer comes in several forms and in different places. Apples target multiple cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer in women." 

These and many more fun apple health facts can be found here.

Also, quick sidenote.. I ran my very first official 5K race this morning! I got a free t-shirt, granola bars and everything. Wahoo!

Here's to a fruitful week!

Love, Noelle

I'm Getting Paid for This??

It's a Wednesday morning, round 11:00.

I have 15 wild animals  staring at me from the wall, the floor, the mantle.

I have a pack of peanut butter M&M's and the promise of a magical home cooked lunch in the next hour.

I have access to every type of soda, candy, cookie and snack that you could possibly imagine.

I am in jeans, an Inca Cola t-shirt, barefoot and curled up on a couch listening to a bunch of runners hash out the best type of running shoe.

Later tonight, after a  steak dinner, I'll return to my very own hotel room where I'll carefully consider which  of the two queen sized beds I'd like to fall asleep in tonight.

Where am I you ask?

I'm at work.

And this has been and will be my routine everyday this week.

Oh, I could get used to this.

Ok, ok so it's not all fun and games , here's the lowdown.

I have the best internship ever. I get to do things, meet people and attend meetings and events that no other intern gets to. Instead of working in one little segment of the portfolio, I work with the entire  management team for my portfolio.

So this week, the management team is  spending the week offsite in Heber, Utah at an amazing cabin in the mountains. So even though we are eating way too much and way too deliciously, we  are indeed working. There are a total of anywhere from 12-15 people here everyday. Me, Julie  and Kazua are the only three women and instead of sleeping in the cabin, we get to head down the mountain every night and stay in  our very own (double bedded ) hotel  rooms.

          

           I am indeed the youngest here (I 'm guessing the average age is about 40… but I'm not sure), but it has been so fun  to get to know these guys! They are spending this time out of the office to make all their plans and  budget allocations  for the year 2013. This is heavy duty stuff and these guys are working hard, all day and all night. And I get to observe it all.

I'm learning so much, strengthening relationships with those I work with and finding out a little more about myself. 

Pretty cool eh?

Love, Noelle

Dear Rexburg,

Why must you torment me so? With your sunny skies, stalwart young men and sweeter than pie ladies? With your stunning I-Center, your rolling green hills of grass and perfect running trails. With your amazing  Saturday night fiestas with awesome food, volleyball and dancing? With your darling elderly follks  who enrich  the rooms of your resthome s and the boundless opportunities  to serve  you provide us with. By being the home of my dear brothers and dearest Peruvian sisters.

Scenes from this past weekend in Rexburg:

Oh Rexburg, you are so good and you have my heart it's true. But...now is not the time for you.
So Utah, you have welcomed me with open arms and odd living conditions… and I can't complain… too much :) But if you'd like to switch it up and be a smidgen more like Rexburg… yeah I'd support that.

Love, Noelle

Peru-nions

Have I mentioned lately how much I adore this girl?

Oh annnd don't even get me started on this gorgeous girl.

Blog, meet two of the ladies who have changed my life. Brittany Nicole Meyer and Abigail Anna Tucker.

I finally got to see them again after one whole month without them. We talked, laughed, reminisced, and got close to tears in Relief Society as Brit bore her testimony of the power of prayer and how we relied on it just about every second of every day in Peru. Or as I hugged Abi goodbye  with no promise of seeing her anytime soon.

But we did enjoy ourselves, we did. I made plans to rollerblade to the park with Abi, so as I was walking over to Clark apartments to meet her there to pick up our blades , I passed by a group of students who had just gotten back from backpacking… and then I spotted it. The green beanie and greyish jacket that had wandered the streets of Peru many of times. There was Brittany, right in the Stadium parking lot. She didn't see me so I snuck up on her and oh was she surprised to see me! Gosh I loved it. She had some studying to do and some showering to attend to, so I carried on with my venture to Clark to reunite with Abigail. And there she was, waiting for me with open arms. So I got to see them both  that day and catch up just a bit.

After one month back in the states

Sunday, things got good. We made plans to all attend Brittany's ward together. (Which just so happened to be my old ward, imagine my delight!  I had no idea and loooved being able to see so many people that I knew and loved!) After attending our meetings together for 3 straight months in Peru, it was magical to attend our meetings together for the first time in English! So great.

Side note that I don't want to forget but I'm not sure if it's appropriate to put on a blog: The sacrament was passed to me and I reached for a cup, but switched to a different one because I noticed floaties in the first cup. I then passed the tray to Brittany who unknowingly went straight for the floatie cup. By the time she had it in her hand and out of the tray… she noticed the floaties, but there was no turning back. So she looked at it good and hard… and then  drank it, floaties and all.  I turned to her and whispered "Boy Scout" (Only 3 of you reading this will get that.) But we just about died. So funny. But don't worry, we laughed about it afterwards, we tried very hard to be reverent at the time of the hilarity  :)

We then enjoyed a lovely Sunday School lesson together and then made our way to Relief Society where I was reunited with some love button friends that I just adore.  Next came our true blue Peru-nion. We went up to a grassy spot at the temple (surrounded by 100's of swarming bee's… esta bien!" and ate ourselves a little picnic with a few of our Peruvian favorites. We had wraps, cancha (peruvian… kind of popcorn stuff), apple slices and Peruvian "Mint Casino" cookies. Twas a feast fit for Las Tres Gringas.

Unfortunately, after just one month our chaco lines are fading fast! But maybe that's a good thing :)

Quotes to remember:
"Did you see that guy milking his baby?"

" I know… I just want to find a guy who's not attracted to girls like me.." Oh goodness.

Words cannot express how grateful I am to have these two amazing women in my life.

 When Abigail and I reunited, Hank said, "Aren't you guys sick of each other?  You just spent 3 whole months completely together" Our answer was a resounding NO!  Thank goodness because I plan on having these two as best friends for many, many years to come.

A Girl and Her MuMu

My Name is Noelle and I  shamelessly collect MuMu's.

Holly and I sporting my first two MuMu's on Christmas Eve 2011, all we had to do was unbelt them and then we were ready for bed ;)

**Disclaimer: MuMu is actually spelled muumuu... but I'm going to stick with my MuMu.

I've never really collected anything before. Not seashells or sand, not mugs or spoons, not  puppies or ponies. Nothing.

But I've always wanted to!

Now, my mumu collection is nowhere near legit status … yet. I only have 3 for goodness sakes. But  you've got to start somewhere right? Right.

So here's a little background behind my little  collection.

One day, my roommate Claire (she's so lovely!) and I rode our bikes down to Deseret Industries. I'm not sure if we needed anything in particular…. most likely we were just craving shopping and were too broke to go anywhere but DI.

In the D.I. Dressing Room

Anyways, we were looking through the clothing racks and cracking up at the oddities that we were finding. Where do people get this stuff??

Claire was  perusing the pajama section and pulled  out an extra large, silky blue MuMu. Laughing, she calls to me, "Bahaha try this one on Noelle!"

I turned from the rack of corduroy, maroon vests  to see what hideous creature Claire had crept upon this time. To my surprise, I was captivated by her capture!

"I love it!"

I think Claire thought I was kidding, but I indeed was not! I took it from her and sprinted off to the dressing rooms.

I'm so glad I captured my first MuMu moment !

Now, I had never tried on a MuMu before, but I was  not expecting to enjoy it so much! It was long, flowy and oh so comfortable. The moment I found out it had pockets, I was sold! I purchased a cheap little belt to wear around it and walked out of that store $3.00 poorer and feeling "FULFILLED" (10 points to whoever can name that CES fireside speaker).

I remember coming home and showing my roommates my cool new find. Some  ooo'd, some ahhh'd (out  of pity I'm sure) and most just laughed and said I'd never wear it. I think that Keri Rich was the only supportive one  :)

I wore it to church the first Sunday after I bought it!

I wore that MuMu at least a dozen times that beautiful spring semester. I wore it to church, to the temple, to devotionals and much more! I got comments galore on it too!  It was my first MuMu love, and it was a good one!

It came in super handy for my grandma halloween costume!

I'm hoping this isn't a projection of what me and my husband will look like on the dance floor in 50 years...

MuMu numba  two came into my life the next Spring semester I believe. I was with some dear friends (namely: Keri Rich, Abby Poston and Diane Polinkowski) doing our usual end of the semester DI pile rummaging. I think we were in the Mountain Pines lounge when this little beauty crossed Keri's path. She pulled it out of the rubble and said something along the lines of, "This has Noelle written all over it" and she was right! I didn't think I could ever love a MuMu as much as I loved my first one…Oh dear, I'm starting to sound like a MuMu mommy. Either way, I fell for this MuMu and it is currently my favorite!

This is Keri Rich, the founder of MuMu2

MuMu 2 Gets worn on only the specialist of occasions.. such as our first roommate dinner!

MuMu two happens to be my good luck charm when playing cards. I win everytime!

MuMu 2 on my first Sunday in Peru!

The mumu was perfect for the hot humid Lima/Chiclayo days.

MuMu number three came in South America. While in Peru (on my first grand travel adventure) I decided that I needed to start a collection of some sort so that when I'm old and grey, my grandkids can have a gay old time looking at Grandma's awesome collection of _____________ from all over the world.

And that's when it hit me. I need a Peruvian MuMu!! Long story short, we met the most amazing grandma in the world, we called her Mamita and seriously, she is so sweet, charitable and gosh darn adorable. She made all three of us gringas dresses out of yarn! We chose the color and the style and she made them for us. While contemplating what style of yarn dress I wanted... I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to get my Peruvian MuMu. So I explained to her what a mumu was (a little MuMu fashion show was called for at this time) and she agreed to make me a MuMu! (Unfortunately, due to my own fault **cough cough this is for you Abigail cough cough**, I don't have a picture of my Peruvian MuMu. It will come shortly!)

         

***Side Note: Some of you know that I like to visit resthomes on a regular basis... well I've actually found myself coveting certain resident's pajama clothing! Marge(see above left picture) has a rockin' teal and purple mumu that I'd give my eye teeth for... maybe I can convince her to write me into the will ;)

***Also, how cool of a grandma will I be? MuMu's and rollerblades? Ohhh yeah.
I know, I know... it's super weird that I'm a connoisseur of old lady pajamas, but we can't all collect mugs and magnets can we??


Love, Noelle

Life Lately

Oh where to begin. I don't even know.
Here are a few pictures I've snapped on my phone (gotta love the quality) these past two weeks..

So I'm sitting in a meeting at around 11:30 when the fire alarm goes out. Reminded me of the good ol days... in elementary school where we'd all line up by the backstops. Except for this was 1300+ men who know more about computers than I ever thought possible.

My dear brother Brandon has been so great! This car has been the death of me, and Brandon has trotted up here to Riverton every week so far to take a look at it and try and help me out. So grateful for "Brothers who know" and who are willing to help out their little sis.

I can't believe I made it through day one! On top of that I started off day two with this little gem on my desk, how nice!

How cool is my life?

Except for the days when you feel like your whole entire world is falling apart and everything you touch breaks, and absolutely nothing is working in your favor, and the fact that  you have a picture of batman and a woman drawn on your wall isn't helping.. (haha) and you just try and smile through the tears and sing Andy Grammar songs to keep from giving up on everything and moving home to die as an old maid in the depths of Overton, Nevada...

Just kidding. Sort of. Life is good. I'm learning way more than I even bargained for and I'm right on the career path that I want to be on. Not to mention that I'm learning life lessons right and left and I'm pretty sure that if you told me that my identity was going to be stolen along with all my money, I was going to lose all my hair in a freak accident annnnd I was probably going to marry a nerdy man.... I'd say, bring it on. Bring it alll on.

Love, Noelle