Name Dropping

New Year, new background. 1 day early. I couldn't wait. I have also decided to drop Lady A. It reminded me too much of that heinous weirdo, Lady Ga-Ga.

I'd rather be a princess anyway.


Oh... P.S.
We decided to fix my car instead of buying a new one. 2-grand is much less than 14-grand.

Alas, a pictureless update

I'm so sorry I don't have pictures. I lost the cord needed to transfer pictures from my camera to the computer. I will soon remedy this and my posts with then become less boring.
For the moment, an update:

-Christmas was wonderful! Spent lots of time with family and had a great time! Ate too much.
-We are moving out of our sweet, little apartment and moving in with my sweet Grandpa. Grandpa lives at my aunt and uncle's house and they are now serving a mission in England wahoo! yay for Brits! so we are here to help look after Grandpa and the house.
-My hubby got another dental school interview WAHOO! at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. We are again crossing our fingers, toes, arms, legs, and eyes that all will go well.
-My faithful little piece of crap has finally died. It's a car, people, in case you were wondering. It's going to cost us $1500 to fix it and after pouring so much money into this dang thing, we're calling it quits. We need something more reliable so we're looking for something else.

Sigh. So much is going on and I can't even show you! Yet. As soon as I get a new cord thingy, I'll upload oodles and boodles of pictures and backtrack to update on this crazy month!

Saying Goodbye....

I was cleaning out some cardboard boxes that had lots of crap-o-la in them and putting all the crap-o-la into plastic storage bins. Well, these things didn't fit. I've had them for years and I will miss them dearly, but I think it's time to say goodbye....


To Luke and Leia.

Obtained during my bout of Star Wars Freak. I'm not giving them away, just handing them off to good friend Rogue for safe keeping.

... and my dance trophies.

I got them for getting 1st place at a dance competition in 2001. It was a rare competition that gave every dancer a trophy instead of just one per class or even per studio. But after being advised by both good friend Rogue and my hubby, I've decided to keep them. Someday I'll show my kids that I used to be good at something. Sorta. It really wasn't that hard getting first place, especially when one of our dance numbers was the only one in its category. Automatic 1st place. he he he. Shiny trophy.

Sorry this took so long

More New York!

After we went to Palmyra, we drove to Albany where Bret's cousins live. It was SO much fun and I had a great time getting to know these guys better!

Here's little D, the youngest of the clan. We were at his and his sister S's soccer game. His hat was hysterical. It was VERY cold.

After soccer, we went to the Lake House (built in 1860!!! VERY cool!!) Here's S and M in front of the Lake House.

Here's me and hubby in front of Lake George (about the same size as Lake Roosevelt) You can see how amazingly gorgeous it is!!! And yep, still freezing.

Here we are hiking to Lake George. Up front is Uncle R, with D and S following behind, and my hubby in the foreground.

Another shot of Lake George. Kinda looks like Scotland, doesn't it? Breathtaking scenery.

I LOVE NEW YORK!!!

WAITING LIST???

Whaddaya mean, waiting list??

We found out yesterday that my husband has been put on a waiting list at the dental school he REALLY wants to go to.

I keep hearing "this is good news!" and "at least you heard something!"

I agree.

But I'm also thinking.... my husband is many times more brilliant, wonderful, hard-working, and kind than all those other posers out there! How dare you not accept him into your school on the spot??? How dare you put him on a waiting list?? What is it about my husband that you crazy people seem to think is so inadequate?
I'm a little biased.

I'm wading in the middle of a serious emotional swamp right now. A lot is going on and we're clinging with our fingertips to the cliff's edge, trying to get to the top of all our hopes and dreams. Wanting to start a family, trying to further Bret's education, struggling to further my career... all these things we REALLY want for Christmas and all are things Santa Claus can't bring.

But we are also very blessed. Extremely blessed. Abundantly blessed. So even though at times I feel like I'm ready to blow apart at the seams, I know that somehow, someday, everything will finally come together.

Palmyra, the heart of church history

Ah, Palmyra. It's a blip on the map, a tiny town that time hasn't touched. This place is so beautiful and full of a special spirit and history.

Here I'm standing on top of the Hill Cumorah where the church has build an amazing memorial for the events that occured here. The statue is of Moroni calling the world to hear the message of the true gospel. His promise in Moroni 10:4 is set into the side of the pedistal where I'm standing.

Here is the place where Joseph Smith lived with his family when he recieved the first vision. The Sacred Grove where that miraculous event occured is behind the home.

This is a picture inside what is called the "Frame Home" because Alvin Smith started to build it. When he passed away, he had only gotten the frame of the house built. The smith family later finished it. Here is a picture of some of the original wood.

The Sacred Grove. A very good place to ponder on what occured here in the spring of 1820.



The main street of Palmyra.

Palmyra was beautiful! I wanted to live there. The homes were cute, the scenery was breath-taking, and walking the same footsteps the Prophet Joseph Smith may have walked was an inspiration.

It won't do me any good

But it sure makes me feel better.

Yesterday, November the 14th, I got yet ANOTHER rejection letter from a publishing company. If you include agencies and publishing companies, I think this is my 33rd rejection. Give or take a few.

Every time I send out a letter or email, I'm sending out all my hopes and dreams of doing what I love and getting paid for it. Yet after all the hoping, dreaming, praying (even sometimes fasting), the wicked monster called rejection rears its nasty head.

You'd think I'd get used to this by now.

Wrong.

I took this one kind of hard. So after I picked myself up, I decided there was one thing left to do.

I took the letter to the Chili Cookoff and burned it.

I know this won't help my chances for success.

But it was so nice to watch the stupid thing burn.

Some of you may gasp. Some of you may be thinking, Wait! Don't you want to keep it for posterity when your book is finally published and becomes a huge hit and you can wave the infernal letter in the misguided faces of the people who were dumb enough to tell you 'no'?

Answer: Don't worry. I've still got it.

New York... not the city

Me and the hubby went to New York because he got invited to interview at the University at Buffalo dental school. at this point, we are sitting with fingers, toes, arms, legs, and eyes crossed hoping that he'll get in. Prayers are appreciated!!! We got to do some sightseeing too, but never made it down to NYC.

Here's a cool view from my seat on the airplane.

Here's our cute little rental car, parked in front of our friend's house who we stayed with. thanks again Steph and Travis! You guys are awesome! The car was a Dodge Avenger and Bret absolutely loathed it.

Here's an example of the adorable houses typical to Buffalo, NY

We went to Niagra falls. It was beautiful but FREEZING!! It hailed on us.

Pretty colors at Niagra Falls

Here's me and Bret enjoying authentic Buffalo Wings. They were yummy!!

Next post: Palmyra, one of my favorite parts of the trip!

You HAVE to see this

My SIL has a new blog which I didn't know about until just now... sorry Cassandra! and she just posted this new entry which made me laugh so hard I'm putting off telling everyone about my New York trip until next time because you cannot miss this... it is too priceless! You can find her blog here or just the one entry here.

Vacant Expressions

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

This is how I spent my day.

I did some laundry, worked on some writing (I got unblocked! No more creative constipation! Yay!), and decided that since my mum had given me a pumpkin, I HAD to carve it. I mean, come on, it's Halloween, what else am I gonna do? (besides walk up and down Main Street in full costume, but we'll blog about that later.)

So here's how it went.

Me and my pumpkin.

I watched Signs while carving the pumpkin. You can see Mel in the background keeping watch over my progress.

YUM! no, I didn't really eat it. Not even roasted seeds.

I'm imitating my pumpkin's vacant expression. This is the face I make at least forty-three times a week at work.

The finished product!

And here's me admiring my handiwork.

Had a good time! Now my little pumpkin will sit on my mum's porch to greet all the little trick or treaters that don't show up at my fourplex apartment.

Creative Constipation

I'm a really artistic person. I like to create things. (working on trying to create a baby...ahem... but no luck so far). I love to write novels, sew, paint, all kinds of stuff. But lately???

I tried to replace an old shirt I loved by taking it apart and sewing a new one using the pieces.

The seams are popping and my b**bs don't fit. heh heh

I started a painting WEEKS ago of Westminster Bridge and the houses of Parliament.

This is all I got.














See the pretty reflection on the water? No, that's not my incredible painting talent. That's a camera flash on wet paint. And the angles are off in this one. I fixed it, but I don't have much more done.

I'm into chapter thirteen in my novel entitled "Chasm" and I'm starting the pre-writes on a new novel that will be a modern retelling of Phantom of the Opera. With all these ideas swimming around in my cranium, you'd think that all sorts of magnificent, heart-stopping prose would come spilling everywhere like a glass of water on the Larsen family dinner table.

Nope. Zero motivation.

I'm suffering from what I like to call Creative Constipation.
The ideas are there, waiting to come, wanting to come, but I.... just.... can't.... get.... them.... OUT!
I've fallen in a rut and I can't get out. Do I need a vacation? A massage? More sleep? Less distraction? Maybe all of the above? My own creative pepto-bysmal?

Visit Climbing Ivy Designs!

I have.... yet again.... created another blog. I'm like the new-blog-junkie-princess or something. This one is for my new budding business called Climbing Ivy Designs. It's for wall murals and other assorted custom art. Visit here. Thanks!

Redecorating... sorta

I've been wanting to redo the "picture wall" in my house. Right now it's mostly the Lady A and Hubby show. (I should have included a picture. Dangit. Maybe I'll do a before and after when or if it gets done.) I want to get more pictures of family members and get a whole bunch more frames. Right now, the picture wall is just BO-RING! here's a couple of pictures I had in mind:
I'm proud to say I took the pictures myself. I'm nowhere near as talented as the beautiful Miss Jen from Green Apple Images, but I think these are a couple of little beauties.

This town ain't big enough for the both of us

I've always wanted to do this. And in California, I finally did. Aren't we sexy??

mmm, slimey

FINALLY!!!

THE BRACES ARE OFF!!!!!!

after over a YEAR AND A HALF of getting crud stuck in my teeth, spitting when I talk, looking like a seventeen year old (okay, that might not be such a bad thing per se), and cutting the inside of my cheeks with the metal monstrosities glued to my pearly-whites...

THEY ARE GONE GONE GONE!

Here's a nice before picture. Ugh. Brace face.

aaaaaaaaaand... AFTER!!

YAHOO!!! Corn on the cob for dinner TONIGHT!! bring on the caramel apples and the Hollywood talent agents. :)

Cahli-fonya (California, as stated by Ah-nold the Gov-nah)

I haven't been blogging lately. Sorry everyone. There's not much to blog about.

except

CALIFORNIA!

I'm so going to lay on the beach, work on my writing, read Austenland and Hunger Games, hang out with the fam, and FORGET about work for an entire glorious week. (I busted my rear for three days making sure the good ole dental office was stocked to bursting, sparkling clean, and organized to the point of OCD so the girl who's filling in my spot as chief bottom-dweller and spit sucker aka the dental assistant, will have an easier time.

I told Dr. Boss to call me if there are any problems. I think I'll do what Isla Fisher did on "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and give the work number a "do NOT answer this call!" ringtone and then go give myself a beach sand pedicure.

Ah.....

P.S. Alyssa really looks like Rita Skeeter with your reading glasses on, Mom.

Harry Potter and the Half-Done Script

I had the amazing opportunity to see this movie BEFORE the midnight premiere. I was totally stoked.... decked out in my Gryffindor (go lions!) tee shirt, my red and gold scarf good for Gryffindors and Sun Devils alike, and I even had my 14'' black palm wand with a dryad hair core.

With giddy anticipation, the lights faded, and the familiar John Williams Harry Potter theme began playing. Clouds swirled around the Warner Brothers symbol as the film commenced.

Alas, I was disappointed. The scenes were long and drawn out, there were scenes added that not only weren't in the 6th book, they weren't in any Harry Potter book, and Ginny is now taller than Harry. Not that there's anything wrong with that... but cinematically speaking, there's supposed to be a visual ideal going on.

They did do well with the characters, however. Lavender Brown was hysterical, Dumbledore was amazing, Slughorn was P-E-R-F-E-C-T, and Draco Malfoy gave what in my opinion was is best performance. The things they actually got from the book were done very well.

I think I need to just see it again when I'm being less critical. Now that I've seen it, I can appreciate it for what it is: a movie, not a book.

Woods, bugs, smelly young women, and a strengthened testimony

It all adds up to Girl's Camp! I wasn't able to go the whole time, so a friend and I drove up the final night to spend time with our girls during Bishop's night. The scenery was beautiful, the spirit was strong, the smiles were bright, and each and every girl was absolutely full of it....

Coolness that is.

Here's a slide show I made. Now you get to see just how silly and wonderful these people really are!

I have so much love for the young women in my ward. I have had the privilege of serving as Laurel Advisor for the past year and a half and I absolutely adore it! These girls lift me up and bring so much joy to my life!

Ye Olde Ren Faire

Seriously, how many days a year can you be Princess for a day?
When the Renaissance Festival is in town, about nine, if you go every Saturday and on President's Day. I'd never go that many times though. I'm not that crazy, nor that wealthy.

The Renaissance Festival, or Ren Fair for short, is my "Princess for a Day" day. True, I'm twenty-seven years old and should therefore have outgrown playing dress-up, but ooh, I can't help it! It's just so fun to walk through the medieval-themed village, smile and curtsey, speak in an English accent and pretend I know what I'm talking about, and hear people refer to me as "my lady." Before I got married, I'd amuse myself by following the super-cute "Prince James" around the fair and bat my eyelashes at him.

Here's a picture of me and my friend Shalyse at the fair (Prince James, sadly, not pictured) with a group of people sharing in the revelry of playing pretend.

Shalyse and I made our costumes out of bed-sheets. No pattern!!

But my favorite part of the day is at the end, after the canon fires for the close of the park. About half a dozen musicians gather at the heart of the fair, armed only with drums, and pound out a catchy beat for people to dance to.

The Fair runs from February to March and it never comes fast enough. Next year, I'm dressing up as Ann Boleyn only I'll still have my head I hope. I'm already geared up to hear the song "Greensleeves" sung to me many times.

Quote of the Day:

Au contraire, Pierre.

I am so grateful for the good men who

sacrificed their lives so we could

have the freedoms we enjoy today.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!!!

a few of my favorite things...

Photoshop.
It's a beautiful thing.
Only problem? If I were to REALLY meet J.K. Rowling someday, no one would believe me because they'd think I just photoshopped the picture.
Oh well... doesn't stop me from having a little fun.

Here's me riding Shadowfax, my unicorn.

And here I am with the entire cast of Star Wars. (My friends Rogue and Cammie are on here too. Sorry it's hard to see.)

^ --------I'm right there

next to Harrison Ford. Rogue is above me and Cam is to the right, next to Chewbacca

Here's the time I met Stephen Spielberg (again, people, this isn't real)

And who could ever forget the time me and Rogue showed J.R.R. Tolkien our elvish "9" tattoos?

Ah, Photoshop. Like a good book, you've taken me places and introduced me to people I can only dream about.

P.S. I don't really have a tattoo of the elvish "9". All the actors that were in the Fellowship in the Lord of the Rings films have one though. If you watch Pirates of the Caribbean, (the first one) and you go to the part where Will and Jack are sword-fighting in the blacksmith shop and Jack says "...or, the reason you practice for three hours a day is that you've already found one; and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet..." you can see Orlando Bloom's tattoo on his wrist.

I drove out to a friend's house today to finish painting a design on her daughter's wall. (A Mary Engelbreit clock- Super cute!) She lives way the shmack out in Queen Creek. Long drive for moi. So I'm driving along, listening to Ender's Game on disc, mosying through the neighborhood when

POP! goes the engine.

Steam starts oozing from under the hood.

Car is still running... but clearly, something is wrong.

Once I'm pulled over, I open up the hood to see if maybe my radiator cap blew or something like that. I'm a girl. I know next to nothing about cars.

And I find this:

Blown radiator hose. Pretty ugly. According to the man at Pep Boys, this hose was "older than Moses" and something or other.

So we're going to go fix it now.

Pep Boys man also concerned I may break a nail. Hmph.

Final bit of Hero's Heroes

You people are probably exceedingly bored of hearing about people I want to be like. So this is the last one.
The Prophet Alma.
Sorry, I don't have a picture. I don't know what he looks like.

He started out the vilest of sinners, then found redemption through his father's teachings of Jesus Christ. After sore repentance and sweet forgiveness, he dedicated his entire life to bringing more souls to the knowledge of our Savior.

So many of the words of Alma have been an inspiration to me, as well as his . example of faith, humility, and dedication.

Alma is definitely one of my heroes.

Okay, Nephi and Moroni too.

"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them."

Here I am at Disneyland on my honeymoon two and a half years ago. I am sitting in front of the statue of one of my heroes, Mickey Mouse. No, just kidding, Walt Disney.

Here is the man who built an empire from nothing. The man who wanted to inspire the world by simply creating characters and places that would enrich imagination and bring a little enchantment into our mediocre lives.

People who start with nothing then make their dreams come true and become a success through hard work are people I truly admire. They may not be on my Hero list, but they are still heroes.

Hero's Heroes Part 3

This man, Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, is one of my heroes and someone I hope to meet someday in the next life. He was a brilliant poet and constructor of worlds, a highly educated and Christian man, and someone I look up to as a writer. Tolkien, for those of you who are unaware, is the author of one of the greatest.... no, I'm sorry, THE greatest fantasy novel series of all time: Lord of the Rings.

Oh, and he hand his wife Edith have the sweetest love story! It would make the greatest chick-flick. I'd go into it, but it's kind of a long story so you'll just have to read about it yourself.

Three years ago, I got to sit and write with my buddies where Tolkien used to sit and write with his buddies; the Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford, England minus the tobacco pipes and beer. I hoped it would be good luck.

So, Professor Tolkien, I shall tip my hat to you. Or my pen.

Hero's Heroes, Part 2

Please forgive me if I sound irreverent, but I have to give a shout-out to this guy. I love his stories, I love his council, I love the love he has for the people of the church and all the world, and I love his powerful testimony of the gospel. I hold him in the highest regard. He is one of the most honorable men of the modern age, like his predecessor Gordon B. Hinckley. Therefore, he is one of my heroes.

Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Hero's Heroes Part One

Hero is a nickname of mine. Never really caught on.

A couple definitions of hero are one that shows great courage and the object of extreme admiration and devotion.

In addition, Hero's Heroes are people who have influenced my life in a significant way and people who have been an inspiration to me.
I have a couple of those. I've decided to do a series of posts dedicated to my heroes. This first one is dedicated to Hero's Ultimate Heroes.

Where would any of us be without this Hero? He's my ultimate Hero because of all He's done for me; His atonement, His mercy, His compassion, and His example.

My second Hero is the love of my life, my eternal companion, one of the hardest workers I know, and my best friend! and in December, an ASU graduate!

The third in the Ultimate Heroes come in a pair. Here's to you Mom and Dad. You are my Heroes because you survived raising me. And because you're both awesome.

If you didn't make the Ultimate Heroes list, better luck next time. Just kidding. I love you all.