It's a Little Premature...

But only just a little.

I'm talking about my senioritis.

Yesterday I had a nice chat with my counselor. You see, I've been planning on graduating with my bachelor's in a quick 3 years instead of the regular 4. Before you get too jealous, realize that I basically have to go on to graduate school (related work to a BS in psychology? Bar-tending is basically your only answer).

And it wasn't really as hard as you might think. I brought a handful of extra credits from high school, suffered through a summer at BYU and threw some internship credit for being a hippie. And there you go! Three years, baby! (It also doesn't hurt that psychology doesn't really believe in prereqs. I mean, after general psych and stats, you are good to go).

Anyhow...my counselor explained that I only have

--2 more required classes totaling in 6 credits (knew that)

--and a total of 13 credits, of which, 5 can come from my internship.

If you add all that junk together and do the math, I only need 3 classes next semester to graduate.

At first I was like, "no way, I'm still going to rock the 18 credit semesters so that I can learn more!"

But after a second or two much thought and deliberation I figured why the heck would I do more work than I need to?

I still haven't decided completely. Maybe I'll generate a burst of energy and go for the gusto of 5 or 6 classes.

More likely, though, I'll be rockin' PSY 3220 (Adult Development), PSY 4905 (History and Systems), and some random class like Drawing, Sewing, Cooking, or round three of Yoga and Swimming.

And NOW you can be jealous.
....
....
....
....
....
....
Until I realize I need to
--take the GRE
--decide on a master's program (MSW or MFT???)
--start begging and bribing for letters of recommendation
--write a letter of intent
--get my resume together
--apply
--pray like crazy
--etc. etc. etc.


P.S. I have much to write about the rockin' happenings of my life since the last time I wrote, all of which include pictures. However, the library here is not super conducive to newer technologies...so until the next time I feel like toting around my camera and the necessary cordage...Please, be patient with me.

Me

Don't you love hearing peoples' secrets? Me too! So here are some of mine. I'm not giving you the super juicy ones (I've got to keep some things to myself...). But here are some basic ones that will help you get to know me a little bit better:

This is me:

• I drink milk straight from the carton 95% of the time.
• I only recently started singing in the shower and I've converted to it.
• I've never seen The Lord of the Rings.
• I've never read Harry Potter.
• Most things that I love to do can also be described as super nerdy/old school: sewing, baking, embroidery, crocheting, and reading.
• My biggest pet peeve (non human related, anyway) is open cupboards.
• It makes me happy to see every shape and size of person running. Regardless, I judge every runner/jogger I see on their form.
• I dismiss every runner/jogger I see as a fake if they are wearing Nikes.
• My all time favorite place to shop is DI (love the bargains and the laughs).
  
• I am pretty sure (like 99.9%) that James Franco is the sexiest man alive.
• I have 75 first cousins on my Dad's side alone.
  
• When I was little, I always planned that if I got cancer and got hooked up with the Make-A-Wish program, I'd wish to meet Neil Diamond.
• I think showering is overrated.
• One of my favorite books is Walk To Remember, and I've yet to read it without crying.
• I am absolutely and completely terrified of what I want most in life: getting married and having kids.
• My favorite smell is new backpacks (the cheap-o plastic kid ones).
• I'm a cryer. I cry at everything. But I'm a closet cryer...so it's likely that you've never seen the tears.
• I will only eat pretzels that are Rold Gold Tiny Twists.
• I feel incredibly lazy when watching movies unless I'm with a big group of people.
• Even I think my running habits are on the side of obsession.
• I cannot for the life of me pronounce the word "rural."
• When I go shopping, I touch anything that looks soft or oddly textured.
• I'm horrified by snakes. Even little dinky ones. Even pictures of them. Even shoelaces on the ground that resemble them.
• My favorite color is coral. But if you're a boy and you ask, I'll probably tell you something else because I don't want to explain the color coral to you.
• I pretty much always judge books by the covers.
• I love dance parties. Especially ones that are in my kitchen when I'm donning an apron.
• If I had cable TV, I'd spend most of my days watching Say Yes to the Dress, What Not to Wear, and Cake Boss.
• I'm also slightly embarrassed to admit that I love the food channel. Doesn't really matter which show.
  
• I'm a quarter German.
• I think 73 degrees is the best temperature.
• The most boring date I've been on was watching the Super Bowl. And it was a first date.
• I think my family is basically the most rockin' awesome family of all...no exceptions.
  

So there you go. A little glimpse into the life and mind of Kim.

The Way it Pops and Fizzes

Dear Readers,

Sometimes, when I'm feeling extra generous, I like to share some of my personal loves with you. Since I discovered it, I have been madly in love with this song. At first, I thought maybe it was just infatuation...but it has passed the test of time (yes, 3ish weeks is apparently long enough to know that it's true love). And you know what they say about love: "you can give it all away and have it still" (and by "they" I obviously mean Neil Diamond). So that is what I chose to do. I'm giving you this song so that you can fall in love as well. Man, you are welcome!

Sincerely, Kim



Sigh. So good.

I Want Some B Shoogs in this Here G and O*

It's official. I'm basically done being a hippie. No more forays into the wilderness. No more peeing behind bushes. No more using slang like
"wiggy"
"B and R" or
"diggled" (Betcha can't guess what those mean...).

In fact, the only proof of my hippie existence is this:

The hair wrap.

And possibly the fact that I can bust a flame out of
sticks, a rock and little bit of rope
faster than Bear Grylls.

Ahem. Here's another handful of quotes for you from the students, just so you can all get a glimpse into what I dealt with on a daily basis for more than half this summer:


"I'm a proud booger eater." --Katie

"My advice is if you have questions, don't ask staff cause they don't know." --James

"Wait. Stevie Wonder is blind???" --Eric

"I asked for a bible and a drug book." --Justine

"Mmmmm. I love my tastebuds." --Jen

"I was such a slut in kindergarten. I had like 30 husbands." --Molly

"It's actually not that much." --Isabel, about her $1200.00 per month allowance (don't even get me started on this one. I thought about doing a post on just this comment, but I knew that it would make me waaaay more angry than I should be. So just know that it makes me want to punch someone and vomit when I think about this.)

"This hike has been torture! I've seen a package of cigarettes, a Monster, and a hotdog. The worst was the hotdog!" --Kate

Eric: Have you ever slept in a banana hammock?
Patrick: Do you even know what a banana hammock is?
Eric: Yeah. Isn't it the thing people in poor countries sleep in?



Again, oh, how I loved my job. Even if it was stressful at times, there was always an amusing quote to go around. I'm kind of glad you're over, summer hippie job of 2011. But I really will miss you. Later!

*Hippie title translated into English: I would like some brown sugar in my granola and oatmeal.

This Is What It Has Come To

I counted.

During the month of June (30 days), between work, Ragnar, and a Havasupai trip, I showered a total of 10 times.

That's right, folks, 10.

Part of me wants to be completely disgusted in myself.

But the other part kind of just wants to be congratulated on going above and beyond expectations.

I'm a Hippie and I'm a Mormon

Oh how I love my job...

I've been meaning to give you all an update on how my summer as a hippie is going. I've been keeping track of the most outlandish/humorous quotes and was hoping to give you a good post about them. But the conversation I had last week seemed to sorta trump the rest of the quotes. And I, like a good blogger, decided that this took priority over the rest.

So my job (and the people I work with) is pretty liberal, especially for a born and raised Utah County Mormon, like myself. Most of my coworkers are from the east and they're very...not-Mormon (sorry, couldn't think of a better way to describe it). It's been a really enlightening experience (for real) and I've learned a lot about myself and my beliefs.

However, the nature of the program doesn't really allow me to be vocal about my religion and the things I stand for (can you imagine how those parents would react if they thought I was trying to convert their kids??? Uh, yeah. No thanks) so I generally keep that stuff on the down low.

Until last week.

At the beginning of the week, we crossed an unfamiliar plant. After the girls asked what kind of plant it was, a staff informed them that it was called "Mormon Tea Plant" which spurred the girls onto a conversation about Mormons. They asked us, "Have you ever met a Mormon?" "Uh...yeah," we replied and girls dropped the subject.

But later we got a new girl from California and when she found out I was from Utah she asked if I was Mormon. "Yeah," I said. As soon as that syllable crossed my lips, the rest of the students freaked out.

"What!?! You're Mormon??? You told us you weren't!"

-->"Um. I never said that."

"So you really are a Mormon??"

-->"Yeah. I am."

"Can you cut your hair?"

-->"Yeah."

"Are you allowed to wear make-up?"

-->"Of course. And we aren't polygamists either."

"You're not? I thought..."

-->"Nope. No Mormons are polygamists."

(collectively)"Ohhhhhhh..."

"What do you believe."

-->"We're Christians. We believe in Christ."

(again, collectively)"Ohhhhhh..."

"Well, I guess now that you mention it, you do look like a Mormon."

-->"What do you mean?"

"I mean, with your braid."

(I've also been told I look Amish at work because of the braid. I'm pretty sure I'm never wearing a braid into the field again.)

One of the students was from Utah as well, although she wasn't LDS. The girls switched and started asking her questions. My personal favorite was when one girl asked her, "Do Mormons party?" She answered, "No. Well, not like we party. They play night games in their backyards." (The girl did admit that she had done it before and thought it was really fun.)

So there you go, folks. I'm a Mormon. I cut my hair when I feel like it. I wear make-up if occasion encourages (which, this summer, seems like never). And instead of getting drunk on the weekends and pounding out a box of cigarettes, I like to play Kick the Can in the neighbor's backyard and end the night with a spontaneous Slurpee run. And you know what? I don't think I'm missing out on anything. Life as a hippie has taught me that. So bring on the Ultimate Frisbee! We can grab some stack'em yogurts at Maverick when we're done.

Reason for Never Posting #1

I decided to split this post into two parts so that you can all receive maximal information. Isn't that nice of me?

And Reason #1 for Never Posting is: My lovely new job.

The summer job that I secured (despite my lack of dreadlocks) is being a hippie.

Okay there's a little more to it, I guess.

I'm working for a program that backpacks with at risk youth. My schedule is 8 days on and 6 days off. And I'm not kidding you. Pretty much everyone I work with drives a Subaru, likely lives in that Subaru, and eats granola. Hippies. I rest my case.

So far, I've worked 2 shifts. The first shift I was working with a group of 5 girl students. The second shift was with 10 boys. Unusually, pretty much the only difference between the girls and boys is that the girls had tampons in their supply bags and boys swore more. That's all.

When I decided to write this post, I didn't know exactly what to write. I mean, the program has lots of different aspects and particulars and I don't really want to go into all of those. It'd be boring for everyone involved. So instead I decided to give you my favorite quotes from my last 2 shifts. These kids are a little ridiculous and they sometimes say some really smart things. I thought I'd share, so that you all can enjoy my work like I do. Here are my favorites:


"I just want to maintain my perplexion." --Sarah, while washing her face.

Brian: Okay, here's an unfair triv (for explanation's sake: if there's an extra divide of food, someone will ask a trivia question and whoever gets the right answer gets the extra div of food). What body part is the horn on a narwhal?
Max: Lord of the Rings!

"I don't really need goals." --Thomas.

"I am starving. I've been starving since breakfast!" --Jackson, while eating his second bowl of food for dinner.

"It just has really smart humor." --Liam, about Hot Rod.

Brian: Here's an unfair triv. Where did Andrew Jackson get the scar on his cheek?
Liam: Who's Andrew Jackson. Wait, he's an actor, right?

"Nobody likes the Yankees except for Yankees fans." --Max

"I want people to know that I party. I want people to know that I fist pump." --Ryan, while discussing stereotypes that might be formed by the music we listen to.


So there you have it folks. That is, in a nutshell, the beauty of my job this summer. Don't worry-I'll keep ya'll posted.