Thanksgiving

What am I thankful for?These adorable 4 1/2 inchers that I bought yesterday. Mmmm. They are the first peeptoe shoes that I've bought.
My fambam. Every single one of you. Siblings, parents, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents. You know who you are. I really do appreciate you.
All my amazing friends. The ones I see on a regular basis and the ones that I rarely see. New and old. I love them all. A shout out to two in particular? Audra Campbell and Julia Blackham. My life would be rather boring without them and they are two of my absolute best friends ever. I could talk to them about anything and I respect their opinions more than pretty much anyone else. Though sometimes I do not get to see them on a terribly frequent basis, I know that I can always count on them.
My school. I have a rather intense obsession with BYU. I love it. I love learning. I feel privileged to be going there.
My religion. I would be a very different person without it.
The chocolate pecan pie in the oven. I hope it turns out.
My talents. Whatever they are. (And by "whatever they are" I mean all the various ones I have. I'm not doing a pity party for myself. )
My job and the fact that my boss trusts me so much and respects what I have to say. It's no joke when I say that I call her more than anyone else. (I don't make very many phone calls.) She is a very intelligent woman and the sweetest lady in the world.
Music. Chopin is my hero. Paul McCartney is a stud. John Mayer is really good live.
My very warm bedroom at my parents.
America.

Thoughts

I want to marry a black man. Not even kidding you. Why? They are so attractive. And then I can have tan little babies.

That or a Ukrainian ballroom dancer.

I could see myself being tight with my cute little Vietnamese math lab TA. He is just so adorably nerdy with a slight twist of being socially awkward.
I am the only Sederberg under the age of 57 in Utah right now. Has this ever happened to me before? Nope.
I love to make people laugh. This means that I love being around people that laugh easily. (Hi, Maria!) Last night was a good night for me. Crepe party. Hosted by one of my best friends. After my little work fiasco (I did not think I would be inside the mall at 10:00 until the holiday hour change), I absolutely loved every minute of the night.
The three questions my roommates ask me most frequently: "Who's your boyfriend this week?" (I don't know about this one.) "Who are you going out with tonight?" (Apparently I dress up all the time. I like the way I dress.) "Do you ever eat anything that isn't healthy?" (Thank you, whole wheat bread, homemade granola, produce, and everything else in my cupboard.)
I am glad I never bought that sweet coat. The car mechanic's fee was twice the amount of the coat. Sometimes I dislike being an adult.
My schedule for next semester is comprised of theater, dance, p.e., math, art, and music. Could it be any better?
I never again want to be in the mall on Halloween night. It was disgusting. Thousands of people in one slowly moving line, walking around the mall. My friend works at the customer information desk and he told me that lots of kids were lost. "Well, what is your son wearing?" "A Dracula costume." Just like a couple dozen other kids.
My cousin is Juliet for the next month or so at BYU (starting on the 10). Go see her and then tell her how absolutely amazing she is.
I miss my baby brother and sister. Especially in moments like last night when I got to see the interaction between one of my besties and her freshman brother.

Hello, November

I want to be the same.
The same as what?
The same as people who aren't different.

Don't you just love your favorite movie? Whatever it is? Mine has some pretty sweet quotes from it.

Today I saw a fender bender. Well, I didn't actually see it, but I did see a car move out of the corner of my eye and when I next looked over, a guy was getting out of his car. Three cars were involved. A truck was the initiator of the whole shebang. The middle car seemed to have the most damage, but the car in front was new enough to not have a license plate on. Yikes.

I have never been in a car accident.
I hope I am never in one.

I have been hit by a car, but I was a pedestrian and that happened almost exactly two years ago. I was scolded for it. Not for being hit by a car, but for being too independent. It was night time. Around ten. I was at work; a friend dropped me off at the beginning of my shift and I did not want to bother anyone to drive me home. I had done the walk before. It's only around 3 miles, but I had only done it while light out.

I'm not stupid.

I was a little scared as I began my walk to my little apartment. I still remember how cold it was and how the wind was blowing unusually hard for the evening. There were goosebumps on my legs the whole time I was outside. I was wearing a brown skirt with green shoes that make that professional sounding "click" when you walk and a white coat.
I scampered across the crosswalk at the first stoplight. There was a large blue van turning left that was approaching me and apparently did not see my bright white coat, illuminated by the headlights of cars and streetlamps. I could see it coming, but what do you do in that sort of situation?

Whump

I was able to brace the rest of my body with my arms. My eyes were wide and I could feel my asthma acting up. After a few seconds, I made the first move; I continued across the street. I did not look at the driver of the car. I did not look back. I did not collect $200. The rest of the walk did not get any funner. Three boys thought they were the most hilarious men in the world when they followed me for a couple blocks. I listened to their steps to make sure they were not getting louder.
When I only had a mile left, my boyfriend at the time called me. After realizing by the sounds of passing cars that I was not in my apartment, he began to fire off questions. He found out my location and after a quick "I'll be right there", he hung up.
I had never been happier to see his old and battered white Chevy Cavalier. He made it in half the time it should have taken him. As I curled up in his passenger seat, turning up the heat all the way, he began to lecture me about how foolish I was. I told him the whole story and everything finally hit me; I began to bawl.
I haven't thought of that story in a long time.
It came back to me today. Sitting in my car, one hundred yards from where I was hit.

Isn't it funny how memories come back to us?

It has happened...Now I want cake to celebrate.

Today I became an official Elementary Education major. I cannot believe this day has finally arrived.
In other news...I played a great role in participation during my biology class today.
"'Yes, there are thousands and thousands of uses for corn, all of which I'm going to tell you about right now'...Does anyone know what movie that is from?"
Silence in the class.
"That quote is from Tina the Tour Guide who works in the Alamo."
Laura in her best Texan accent: "There's no basement in the Alamo."
"Very good. I can tell you've seen the movie."

Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini op. 14 Variation 18

Last night, I got to go to my favorite symphony in all of Utah and hear them perform my current favorite classical music piece. The solo pianist was Conrad Tao, a sixteen-year-old currently enrolled in Juilliard’s Pre-College Division studying piano. It took me a second to realize that the person he is closet in age to in my family is my baby brother. Yikes! Sixteen did not seem like that young of an age until I pictured Michael up there.



This clip (of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) features the last few seconds of variation 17 that lead into everyone's favorite variation.

Happiness...

...is a warm gun.

Well, that's what my dear friends John, Paul, George, and Ringo think. I might have to disagree with them.
I am generally a happy person. I do not get discouraged easily. I am able to laugh at myself in almost any situation. I have never had any sort of depression. I love my life and my life seems to love me back.
These past two weeks, however, I have been all over the emotional spectrum. Occasionally I found myself sitting in the middle of my bedroom, cursing at my laundry. ("Stupid laundry. Why do you have to be washed? Why do I have to wear clothes? Why can't I just buy new clothes every day? How come I cannot find a couple hours to just do one load?" I finally got one load done yesterday. I have about three or four left.)
But I have also laughed. Quite a bit. Because my little brother shook his hips for me. (This was right after the action:)
I am not at my house terribly often. It does not help that I have tried to be out of the house every evening this past week. It worked. These are the activities that made me very happy and out of the house in the evening this past week:

Monday~Hip hop dancing.
Tuesday~Temple and...something else...secretive. (Ange, you're the best. You do all the dirty work for me. See, I probably would have been a minute ahead of you because I had to give you directions, and I would have ran into said person. As it stands, it is a good thing it was dark or else said person would have seen my brown car.)
Wednesday~Work. (I had other plans for Wednesday. Other awesome plans that included dancing, but I found out last minute that I had to work. At least I got to see my darling Rachel and have an amazing chat with her.)
Thursday~Ice cream date.
Friday~Tuesdays with Morrie. Amazing play. I absolutely loved it.
Saturday~Iowa v Arizona football game with one of my besties, her boy, a girl I've known since elementary school, and two other boys. (He is cute, Manny. Maybe if I meet him again, he won't be playing a card game so I can legit talk to him.)

Happiness to me? Fresh rolls on Tuesday. (Making bread dough is very soothing to me.)

Picking up Angela on her way home from school. (No, she doesn't go to Cascade. And she is in this picture. Just to the right of the cement dumpster holder things.)

Watching my father look very educated and dignified even when he eats a tv dinner for lunch.

I hate breaks.

This is the first semester in which I have changed my schedule after the first day of school.

I added a class on the add/drop deadline.

My teacher of this short block class is probably not going to appreciate that.
I will probably appreciate it less. I have missed the first five classes of eighteen. Hopefully it will not be hard to catch up.
Do you know what this means? This means I work a lot less until October 19. I am possibly down to half the hours as before. Strange. This also means that now on Mondays and Wednesdays I have a four hour block of nothing in my schedule until October 19. This also means that since I finished all my homework that is due within the next week, I have nothing to do. Nothing except to sit on my dad's couch and eat some rolls. (Some amazing rolls. My dad even says so. He's always right.) And listen to the chatter in the main office right outside the door. Listen to one of the girls awkwardly tell all the dudes in the office that "...oh yeah, I'm engaged..." Overhear that one of the dudes has a liver problem. Learn that another office worker consistently does not refrigerate his lunch. All are important facts that greatly enriched my day.
If you live/work/go to school around BYU and you find that you have nothing to do on a Monday or Wednesday anytime between 9 and 1, you should be a good Samaritan and find me. I will probably still be on my dad's couch. I will be the one covered in cobwebs.

Three hours down, one to go.

A classic

My darling cousin, Christine, showed me this awesome photo. I don't know what's better about it. The cat's face or the fact that we have proof that he sat on my mother's lap--especially after she got her Quickie 3000. I miss that old wheelchair. Sometimes I go and sit on it.
Her new wheelchair is a tribute to me. It's a Solara.

Don't expect me to make animal noises.

Sometimes as I meander across campus, I watch the golf carts roll by. Their passengers stare at the buildings, gorgeous fauna, and the students.
I cannot help but feel like I am part of a safari exhibit in the zoo where guests travel in the safety of a vehicle through the throngs of animals.
And I am willing to guess that if these travelers held out food to us, we--like animals--would hurry to the cart to snatch up the offerings.

I am now a woman.

More than a week ago, I flew in to California for my long awaited cruise for sister week.
[sis-ter week] noun.
1. A get together that happens every other year in which the Sederberg sisters (Rebecca, Maria, Laura, and Angela) gather and do something fun.
I arrived in the Long Beach Airport a few hours before Rebecca could come pick me up, so I sat on one of the few benches in that tiny airport. I watched people come and go, but I definitely sat for the longest amount of time. Since I love to people watch, I did not mind the wait.
After an hour, a man sat down at a bench close to mine. He was in his late thirties or early fourties. When he had been seated for a few minutes, I heard him speak.
"Excuse me....Excuse me." I turned and realized he was directing his speech towards me. "Are you from Phoenix or Texas?" Uh...what?
"Nope. I am not." Ever since then, I've wondered what would have happened if I had answered yes.
"Oh. Well I am waiting for someone from there." Is this your tactic to find said person? Ask random people if they are from Phoenix? Or Texas?
"Yeah. I'm waiting for someone as well." I turned my head back to the position it was in before.
A couple minutes passed.
"Hey, can I buy you a drink?" What? I turned back so I could face him.
"No. That's okay. I'm fine." I didn't know whether to laugh or walk away.
"Really? Because I'm headed over to get myself one right now. I could get you anything."
"I'm really not thirsty. I just had a lot of...water on the plane." How on earth are you supposed to graciously turn down a man offering you a drink? In the passenger pick up area of an airport?

The worst part of the situation is that he went to the little food stand we were seated next. We had our conversation right as I was contemplating getting some food because I hadn't eaten in quite a while. After we spoke, I felt like I couldn't get up right after him and order some food.