i'm leaving on a midnight train to georgia

Okay, so maybe a 7 am car ride to Georgia, but I wish it were a midnight train, cause there's no song about a car ride. I think I'll miss State College. I'm getting sad. It feels kind of like the aftermath of a breakup. Except for the fact that it was my decision to leave. And that I feel really loved, because everyone's sad to see me go. And that I'm excited about what's happening next. And I haven't heard a single reason somebody doesn't want to be with me anymore, because, guess what?! Everybody wishes I were staying. So maybe it's nothing like breaking up. Huh.

But I would like to send out a special thanks to Wendy, for carrying all of the heavy suitcases and fitting almost everything into my car. And to Steve, for turning his phone off so I got his voice mail when I called him to come help. And Caitlin, for graciously letting me give her the table that wouldn't fit in my car.

the great baby race

Now two of my sisters are pregnant. Yay!!!

And I get to be the nanny. And the favorite aunt. And the official baby gift buyer. And the nursery decorator. And baby name approver. And baby gender secret keeper.

Wow. That's a lot of responsibility for me. This is going to be so much fun!!

boy, my family loves me

excerpts from past conversations:

the kind doctor who took out my wisdom teeth: Wow, Brittany is really funny. She kept me laughing all day.
my dear sweet mother: Are you sure?
doctor: Yes, why?
mom: You're sure it's Brittany? She's usually not very funny.



me: So I hear you're dating someone.
sister: Yeah. His name's Marshall. He's really hot.
me: What's he like?
sister: He actually reminds me a lot of you.
me: Really? That's exciting.

three weeks later:
sister: So, I broke up with Marshall.
me: Why? He was so hot.
sister: Yeah, he was. But he had no personality.
me: Huh....

countdown

I'm moving in just five days.

And I start my job in twelve days.

And school starts in nineteen days.

YAY!!!

Although I am sad that the prank war we started last night will have to end when I leave. Because there just aren't many good pranks that can be mailed long-distance.

she's what we call "easily distracted"

My baby sister ran in the Pioneer Day 10-k yesterday in Salt Lake.

And this reminded me of the last time she ran in a race, when, halfway through, she decided to stop for a sno-cone along the way.

He he. She is so funny.

But really, who doesn't love sno-cones? I do. And what better time to eat one than when you're hot and tired?

today is a special day

Because it's Katie's birthday. And she makes me laugh.

Although Katie and I passed frequently on campus freshman year, we never officially met until our sophomore year, when she walked into our math class on the first day, looked at me and said "Oh. It's you." I immediately liked her because she sometimes complimented my clothes, she knew all of the homework answers, and thought our teacher was as crazy as I did. And did I mention that she makes me laugh?

One of my favorite memories of Katie was when one of our professors told a joke during class, and she was one of only 2 people in a class of over 50 students who laughed. Loudly. Then the rest of us laughed, but not necessarily at the joke.

And then there was the time we were in San Diego and spent a good 15 minutes gossipping about one of our friends because we thought he had gone to the gym and therefore was not in the house and could not overhear our conversation. He hadn't gone to the gym. And then, on this same trip, she somehow managed to fall asleep on the zoo bus.

And I hold her personally responsible for getting me a job, because she helped me pick out my interview outfit, and I'm pretty sure that's the reason they hired me. And when she came out to Penn State, we laughed at the engineer who works out for fun so that he could impress his girlfriend, and whose girlfriend had the same shoes as Katie, but whose girlfriend bought his girlfriend's shoes at Payless, not Nordstroms, and this same girlfriend really liked to dance, because she was his girlfriend, and who doesn't love to dance with their girlfriend?

BUT, although these are all fabulous memories, my absolute favorite thing about Katie, ever, is that, during our last semester of college, when I thought my sister hated me, she was the one and only person I talked to who actually made me feel better about it. Which, at the time, I wasn't sure was entirely possible. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

So happy birthday to Katie!

it always makes me giggle

when I remember how I once knew a girl named WINDY.

And how my mom knew a girl named ABCDE. (pronounced Ab suh dee).

And now my brother thinks it would be really funny to name his daughter Abcde. And his wife almost bought the idea.

I love them.

public service announcement

Just so everybody knows, it's not a great idea to wear your favorite pair of jeans while you're cleaning the bathroom. You know that pair that you love so much that as soon as you bought them every other pair was immediately demoted to the "grungy wear while you're camping" category? And then you immediately went out and stocked up on more pairs of the same brand and cut so that you could wear that same pair every single day? The pair that, no matter how often you wear them, you always get compliments on, and even though these compliments may inflate your ego more than it really needs to be, you love getting them anyway? Yeah. That pair. So don't wear them while you're cleaning the bathroom, because, you know all those chemicals that you have to wear rubber gloves to use? They don't care how great those jeans look, or how much you love them, they will bleach them. Just so you know.

Why might somebody be cleaning the bathroom in their favorite pair of jeans? Well, because. Haven't you ever found an outfit that you love so much you don't want to take it off, and you think maybe you'll sleep in it, because, even though nobody can see you while you're sleeping, you still know how great it looks and so you hold on to it as long as possible? And even long after you've let go of old loves and burned a few bridges and built some new ones and have even forgiven that blasted empanada from poisoning you, you still want to wear that outfit, it's just that fantastic? That's why.

Does this make me vain? Yes. Yes, it does.

flower power

I got flowers yesterday. Roses. Pink ones.

Yeah, I'm loved.

scare me silly

I love nightmares. With all of my heart and soul, I love them. And I'm certainly not afraid to admit it, because I've never really been one to love half-heartedly, so if I'm going to kind of like them, I may as well go all out and devote my whole heart and soul.

I had a truly fantastic nightmare last night and woke up feeling more rejuvenated than ever. I was vacationing in a foreign country that happened to be in the midst of a war, but I didn't care because I had already planned the vacation and was determined to go. There were men with guns threatening to kill me because they didn't like that I was leaning against the wall. And when I left to go back to my motorcycle (because apparently my subconscious thinks I love them) and realized that one of them had stolen my cell phone, I demanded that he give it back. I was just that brave.

So as I was lying in bed this morning thanking my subconscious for scaring me so badly, I decided that this fixation with nightmares must mean one of two things. Either

1) I am brave and live life with no fears, or

2) I'm kind of a wuss and the only time I allow any real danger into my life is while I'm asleep.

Huh. That second one is kind of disappointing.

begrudging

I've been holding a grudge for 2 months now. I'm usually incapable of staying angry for longer than a day, but I've made an exception in this case.

My favorite part of visiting a foriegn country is trying the local desserts everywhere I go. But, thanks to one poisoned empanada, I spent my last 4 days in Peru lying in bed and on the bathroom floor while Erin went on her own Peruvian dessert tour. I tried to make a Tres Leches cake today, but it's just not the same. It turns out that Americans aren't that good at making foriegn food. Which honestly came as a huge shock to me since the food from Los Hermanos and Chevys really tastes just exactly like what I ate in Mexico. (Insert sarcasm here.)

So, yeah, I'm still mad at that empanada. And I'm not planning on forgiving it anytime soon. So take that!

reasons i love my missionary sister

Honestly, how can you NOT love somebody who sends you letters that include the lines such as:

Just so you know, the ward mission leader out here has a zipping up his fly problem that is REALLY noticable.

We stay in Enterprise two nights a week and watch the old people clank their dentures while they talk to us.

The pathway to hell must be SO funny, cause you are on it and you are funny.

I like that you are going to hell. We can hang out there.

My companion and I are having a "wake up, you stoop doggy dog" discussion this week.

I'm going to kick his butt. Oops. I forgot to have charity again.

A man opened the door naked today. He was not very hot.

Sometimes I think of your letters while I'm on the toilet and it makes me laugh. That's embarrassing. Laughter from the bathroom is always weird.

I want to be my own butterfly.

Don't tell mom that all I want for Christmas is to see you, because then she won't send me presents.

That girl cracks me up.

a few conversations i've had

girl: So, are there any good Mexican restaurants in town, or is Taco Bell the only one?
me: Stunned silence that anyone would ever think Taco Bell is quality Mexican food. Or even Mexican food at all.

me: So how was your date last night?
girl: Pretty fun, I guess.
me: Well, did your date look hot?
girl: Uh, he looked okay. I looked really hot, though.

well, since everyone else is doing it...

ten random things about me:
1. I love looking at maps
2. I love shopping for shoes
3. I'm so excited to live with my sister next summer
4. I love my parent's dog almost as much as my dad does
5. I told my friend last night that I used to be serious and he laughed at me
6. I'm not very good at flirting
7. I once went an entire year without crying. That was a long time ago.
8. My feet are deformed from walking on my toes as a kid
9. I love playing memory games and speed scrabble
10. I held the arm hang record at my elementary school

nine places I've visited:
1. Brazil - all over
2. Peru - all over
3. Paris, France
4. Cancun, Cozumel, and Mexico City, MX
5. Roatan, Honduras
6. West Palm Beach and Orlando, FL
7. San Diego, CA
8. New England
9. Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

eight things I want to do before I die:
1. spend an entire summer driving all over the country visiting everything and everyone I know
2. raise a family
3. be able to identify every country in the world
4. live with my sister when we're old
5. always keep in touch with my friends
6. go to africa and asia
7. make amends for all wrongs I've ever done anybody
8. serve a mission

seven ways to win my heart:
1. make me laugh
2. love my family
3. recognize the best in me and encourage me to be that person
4. read to me
5. let me cry
6. want as many kids as I do
7. laugh at me a lot

six things I believe in:
1. eternal families
2. doing what's right is the only thing that matters
3. everybody has amazing potential for good. EVERYBODY
4. I am more loved than I can really understand
5. true love takes effort, but is always worth it
6. I couln't make it without prayer

five things I'm scared of:
1. failure
2. stagnating in my progression
3. hurting people, whether I love them or not
4. letting my family down
5. debt

four of my favorite items in my room:
1. my bookcase
2. pictures of my siblings
3. my skirts and shoes
4. my stack of old letters and notes

three things I do every day:
1. read
2. email friends and family
3. do my hair and makeup

two things I'm trying to do right now:
1. love the people that hurt me
2. figure out what colors to paint the walls in my new apartment

one person I want to see right now:
1. my big sister (I get to see Wendy tomorrow)

pictures from new hampshire

things i'll miss

when I leave State College in less than three weeks. (Yay!)

First and foremost, I will miss the Haiku Queen, and how she loves light-up flipflops as much as I do, and talking until six a.m. and then sleeping through my alarm in the morning. I will miss making her think that I'm the funniest person on the planet when I pretend to be a cheerleader (because that's just not something you can do over the phone) and going to Wegman's at 2 am to buy ice cream.

I will also miss the freedom of staying up until 6 a.m. reading a good book because I didn't have class on Tuesday or Thursday and could sleep in if I wanted. And the absolute breathtaking beauty of central Pennsylvania's Spring, Summer and Fall. And Wegman's salads. And the Waffle Shop. And Steve making dinner for me at least once a week. And Dane, the 4-year-old who loves to sit on my lap during primary and can read better than most 10-year-old kids I know. And the little girls who will interrupt my primary lesson to tell me how their pretty new purple dress matched the purple fireworks they saw last week. I will also miss the Sisters, who call me to go on exchanges with them simply because I keep them updated on all the ward gossip. I will mostly miss being the one who hears most of the gossip first. And I will miss being in the place that holds more memories than I thought I could accumulate in only 2 short years.

I will not, however, miss the frigid, snow-covered winters and how they can easily turn a 7-minute drive into a 45-minute drive, or sliding off the road at least 8 times during these drives. But I think that's the only thing I won't miss.

a conversation taking place last night

Dan: Allyson is quite the little flirt.
me: What do you mean?
Dan: Well, she and Jimmy were together, and then he moved and she already has a new man.
me: Really? Who?
Dan: Jacob.
me: Oh. I don't really see those two together.
Dan: Um... They're both four years old...
me: I know, but still... I just don't see it. I don't think that one will last long.
Dan: Okay. Right.

all in a day

Today I discovered that avocado ice cream is really good. And that my mom loves me enough to buy me an outfit when she sees one that she knows I would love. And that my roommate thinks I'm a fashion diva.

All in all, it's been a pretty good day.

isn't that great?

Thirty years ago, my mom proposed to my dad.

She's pretty gutsy.

Turns out I take after my dad.

oh, say can you see

The fourth of July weekend was fantastic. It consisted mainly of losing track of time and setting up camp in the dark, eating nothing but chocolate and cookies for 4 days, laughing at Wendy a lot, laughing at Steve even more, and getting a nice tan! I also hiked around New Hampshire's white mountains and pretended that it was warm enough to swim in New Hampshire's ocean.

We also watched an impressive fireworks show in Boston, where we also listened to the absolute worst rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner I have ever heard. You'd think a city as big a Boston could get somebody better than Big 'n Rich to sing our national anthem. You'd think...

I concluded the weekend with an interesting conversation with Steve about whether or not we should start dating. We came to no conclusion.