wax on, wax off

OH MY! Jackie has introduced me to my new favorite addiction. Waxing my eyebrows. I'm already a big fan of plucking, it is so theraputic and fun. So naturally, waxing has taken things to a whole new level completely!
"You don't have to do it." she says. Oh but I do!! Next thing I know I'm yanking hairs out by the millions (millions I say!) and loving every satisfying yank of it. I swear, it doesn't hurt even a little bit.
Thanks Jackie! For the homemade pizza {yum!}, the bedtime story, the waxing, beating me at my own game {Top Gear. Oh the shame!}, for bringing Mario Brothers back.

And especially, for being such a dear.

Don't be surprised if I'm there on your doorstep begging for more in the super near future.

homework and defrizz

Plans for the weekend include drafting {and more and more homework}, Mario Brothers and fun with these guys and the next installment of bar stool painting {pictures forthcoming}. Mix in catching up on sleep and whatever else pops up and I can tell you I am so, SO {sooo} happy it's Friday afternoon and it's 10 minutes to 5.

생일 큰 형

Happy Birthday Benjamin Lee!

{really tomorrow, but today for him for any of you catching that I'm writing on the wrong day}

What have I not said about my brother that I could say now? Seems like I talk about him a lot. I have the utmost respect for my big bro because he is such a stellar guy!

Father of four, loving husband of The Great Kwona, branch prez and Commanding Officer, my brother has a lot of responsibility and he handles it all like a pro.
Things that wouldn't be the same without him: Driving/shopping/getting lost in Seoul - Public Bath houses in the middle of the night - late night conversations playing rummycube - playing on the beach - climbing mountains - golfing - driving - skiing - hanging at the cabin going on motorcycle rides and playing around with the canoe - phone calls {hint hint!}

He introduced me to U2, The Police, Phil Collins, Korean Food, motorcycles.. all some of the things I really like about life I learned from Ben.
love ya Ben!!!

cowboys and princesses

what.a.week.

I don't even know where to begin. Or what to say once I have.

It has been so fun having Vicky here visiting. (you can see that by visiting frybaby's sight I'm sure) It's everything to me to sit around Grandma's table and play endless rummycube games and listen to Vicky and Grandma talk.

School has been not quite intense but something close to it. I don't feel overwhelmed yet but after working on my first drafting assignment with promises from my friends that it only gets more time consuming from here, I have to wonder where I will find it in me to be so precise and structured.

And on a more personal note... I usually keep things pretty light and easy here on the blog but since it has indeed been one of the more interesting weeks I felt like putting some thoughts out there.

RC1 and I have decided to go our separate ways and since he has been a constant in the sushicat blog for over a year now I thought I'd give him a friendly send off. I don't know what life has in store for any of us. Of course it is a sad thing but I have so much hope for the two of us, I know we can't go wrong by being honest with ourselves. He'll make someone incredibly happy and you know me, nothing slows me down for long.

If you told me five years ago that I was going to live in a foreign country, get married and divorced in a blink of an eye, play with lions and walk elephants, go back to school and meet someone who meant the world to me and in turn let go because I'm stubborn enough to do what's true to my heart, I know I would have laughed and said, "I can't wait! Let's do this already!" I love the need I have to feel everything to the fullest, jump in, get dirty, learn the hard way, and love every minute of it. Life would be so boring without it!

Enough about me, back to Bry. Thank you. I've so loved having you in my life. You are sincere and honest and so incredibly talented. Thank you for all the things you've taught me. For respecting me and never playing games (the mean kind anyway. Your knack for the fun games is something so great about you). For being such a fantastic, dependable friend and for always making me laugh. There are so many things that will remind me of you and that won't be a bad thing at all. I'll always love the time we spent together. No regrets at all.

OK. Here is my favorite song this week since I'm feeling all introspective and measuring the distances I've traveled {I don't know how to write out a song, probably like a poem?}

You can get a freedownload from Starbucks if you are curious.

Dream - Pricilla Ahn

I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of the little home for me.
I played pretend between the trees
and a laughed in my pretty bed of green.

I had a dream that I could fly from the highest swing...

long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park
I asked God who I'm supposed to be
the stars smiled down to me
God answered in silent reverie.

I had a dream that I could fly from the highest tree, I had a dream.

Now that I'm old and feeling gray
I don't know what's left to say about this life I'm willing to leave
I've lived it full, I've lived it well,
there are many tales I lived to tell I'm ready now to fly from the highest tree.

I had a dream.

celebrate

Pretty food at Grandma's bday party and Father's Day celebration saturday.

Sorry Michele, you said you didn't want to see this picture end up on the blog but if you take pictures with my camera I get to do what I want with them!

I love my cute Grandma, I think she is the coolest.

Doug and I decided to go to the drag races after the party.
I love fast cars. I want to drive a one. Quarter mile in 6 seconds? Dude. And they get even faster at a lower elevation.

Happy Father's Day

I LOVE {LOVE} LOVE my dad.

He is a fantastic man. I can't even begin to say enough good about him because as you all know he is good to the core.

When I think of the kind of man I want to marry some day I think of my dad. He honors my mom and the priesthood and loves his family and has the best attitude.








He's a classy guy too. He opens the door for my mom {getting in AND out of the car},dances like a pro, and has a way of putting people at ease. It used to embarrass me no end that he would talk to strangers and joke with them. Now I see that it is a true talent to be able to strike up a conversation with people and get the kind of reaction he does.

I love the things that make him unique. The 3 x 5 cards in his pocket come in super handy and I can count on him for fingernail clippers no matter where we are because he always has them on him. I was slightly disappointed one day when I asked Ben to borrow his clippers and he laughed at me for thinking he would carry them too! Why not? It's something we should all learn to do from my dad I think.

And his love for the peanut butter. No one loves peanut butter like my dad loves it. If only I had a picture of their stock pile in Jo'burg! When I saw the peanut butter cupboard I wondered if there was any pb left in the country not in his possession. If there was ever a shortage of the stuff I know where to go to get a spoonful.

I loved watching Star Trek with him on school nights, usually while my mom was getting ready for work, and sitting on the porch eating ice cream. I have lots of favorite memories of him on family vacations and working in the yard.

The funnest thing for me lately is realizing that he has had an influence on me and knowing that is a really good thing. I love loving the same things he does and having things in common with such a super cool guy.

Thanks for being the very best dad a girl could ever ask for daddio. Love you eternally. "remember your prayers."

Bonfire

last night Casey, Coree and I drove up the mountain, {and up and up and up} to get the campsite where our ward was having a bonfire.

SUCH a beautiful night for it!! I was happy to be in the 'wild' and when I reached for my camera Coree let me know she thinks I have a serious picture taking disorder.

As always Casey makes any event more fun. Especially when we finally make it to the 'bonfire' and find a bunch of our friends huddled around a tiny wee fire.




"That's some bonfire you've got there!" I proclaimed when we get close. Goodness, I should learn to keep my trap shut. But maybe they should advertise a little differently? 'Normal campfire' would keep expectations where they should be.

Sarcasm aside, it was a fun night. Hanging with Casey and Coree always is entertaining. Driving on a dirt road, friends, laugh until you cry stories, summer weather AND the weekend? Can't get much better.

Coree: "I love you Casey."
Casey: "I love you too, dear."

Any ideas who he has been hanging around?

Bird Rescue 101

Coming home from running last night I saw this little guy on the sidewalk and thought, "Why?! Why did I have to see this?" You know and I know that I can't just walk by without wondering if I could alter the outcome.

Casey was playing outside so I showed him and when I poked him with a piece of grass he barely responded.

I scooped him up and we took him inside and gave him a few drops of water from a syringe. He perked right up after a minute or two and was doing really cute stuff with his head {equivalent to headbanging for birds}

Coree read up online about what to do with a wee baby bird and you are definitely not supposed to give them anything to drink. So I stopped even tho he seemed to be enjoying it. Instead you are supposed to leave 'fledglings' where you found them and hopefully the mom will keep feeding it and everything will work out.

I had a hard time doing it but I left where I found him on the sidewalk and hoped for the best.

That is where I'll leave the story. You can believe what you want. I like to think he is out flying with his pals.

I didn't have it in me to play mommy bird, I know how it ends. I've tried before. I would have liked to be able to set him up with his own hot water bottle, every twenty minute feedings... but how? Take him to work and school? Auh geez.

summer term

Back to school bright and early this morning. I'm glad to be back at it again but I have tell you I'm a little let down by my Perspective Drawing class. I've so been looking forward to it but the professor isn't excited so it made for an interesting first impression. She read the syllabus to us then let us go an hour and a half early. Big difference from all the other ID professors so far. You can practically feel their passion for design vibrating off of them. BUT, don't let my snap judgement fool you into thinking I won't get a lot out of this class. I'm still syked about it.

Growing up I usually looked forward to going back to school after the summer break. I liked getting a new uniform and maybe a new book bag or lunchbox. I especially loved the new shoes part. And new school supplies! "If I knew your name and address I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils."

I went to a party up the road from Carden Memorial this weekend and did a drive by shooting. {I don't remember why I couldn't bother to stop and take better pictures}
Doesn't seem like much has changed, which is just how I like my old school to stay. It looks smaller and not quite as pretty as my memories but those memories are of all the great art on the walls, the statues, the blue velvet curtain in the auditorium, the library and the old trees I used to watch out the window while I daydreamed about the books we were reading. The creaky floors and big windows and funky smells. I especially loved the smells of the art room! Nothing says back to school like spray adhesive and fresh leather.

My favorite thing lately is loitering around Grandma's house. I can't get enough of it. I was on my way to FHE last night and stopped there only as a pit stop but got sucked in by the quiet warmth and the smell of dinner. Grandma said "Stay" and I only fought her for a minute. I bailed on my friends so I could eat leftovers 'in private' as grandma said and watch some TV. She was more than willing to play rummycube but after the brutal beating night before last night I couldn't face her. Man! She was ruthless! Rematch soon.

Seaira update

Ben left a comment on my last Seaira post promising a blog entry by the end of the year. A year? I'm sure you are as impatient as I am so I'll share all the pictures I can get my hands on. Proxy blogging is what aunts are for!

summer time

I am not exaggerating one bit when I tell you moi amie Becky is one of those people who can make me laugh until it hurts.

After a year of dying my own hair I decided I had put my dried out locks thru enough store bought torture and sought the help of a professional. {yes Jax, I feel like I was cheating on you but you don't do color, I HAD to do it. please forgive!}

Mid coloring mixed with reminiscing about the days in Monsieur Decker's poke-your-own-eyes out-you-are-in-that-kind-of-misery French classes and other various jr high memories we had a good old fashioned giggle meltdown and I swear I thought I wasn't breathing for a good 3 minutes. I also felt like I was in 9th grade again without a care in the world. Priceless.

Favorite things about this week:
stepping it up at work - taking on new challenges
chatting online with my sweet parents
running
laughing until i cried
a one year mark
ryan shupe and the rubber band {I would have looked harder for a visual aid without the 'buy the album' bit, but really, you should buy the album. It rocks. Nice photography right?}

change is the only constant

Amy, Michelle Paget, Michelle D, Brookeh

I just finished writing my regular random entry, posted it, then went wandering the blogs to see what was new with everyone. I was loving Amy's blog as usual until I got to the part where I read about one of our friends, Michele Paget, passing away. I don't know any specifics and it's too late to call but the news sent me down memory lane and I just wanted to send out my love for her and her family.
I owe it to her that While You Were Sleeping is now one of my four top fav chic flicks. I thought it looked lame but she forced it on me and now I've seen it hundreds of times. Ace of Base and Volvo's remind me of her. I'm not ashamed to tell you I joined the science club 8th grade year with her so we could dissect stuff and build bombs. We were in the same ward growing up and YW would not have been the same without this group of girls. For my 14th birthday I desperately wanted a Jansport backpack and they pitched in and bought one for me. Michele was so wildly entertaining and fun to be around. Girls camp, sleepovers at Amy's house and big time girl spats are what I remember best. What group of girls get along all the time? All those hormones, someone is bound to end up in tears at least once a week. We were mean to each other but I know we still loved each other. I think it is part of growing up. Our ward split when I was 14 or 15 and it was major drama in our lives at the time. The saying "Change is the only constant" lost meaning I heard it so much. But hasn't it proven to be true!?
Love you girls.

Update: Thanks Sue for this link.