On New Shoes

I love getting new shoes. I'm not a shoe fiend like some people I know. I like actually wearing most of my shoes pretty frequently, so I'm not really a fan of the idea of owning hundreds of shoes. But I like new shoes. I like the feeling I have the first time I wear them out in public.

My newest pair of shoes (which I got to celebrate a new school year as well as my third REAL paycheck):
Are they not the most amazing shoes you've ever seen? I fell in love with them the moment I saw them in a catalog. But these shoes are SIGNIFICANT. These shoes are TIE-DYE, because I love tie-dyeing things. All the time. I have ten tie-dyed t-shirts that I've done myself. If it's white, fabric, and stays in one place long enough for me to wrap some rubber bands around it, I've already done it. For the most part. Someday, when I have my own house and furniture, I plan on tie-dyeing slipcovers for my couches and chairs. Because it doesn't need to be stain-resistant when it's been tie-dyed.

In other words, tie-dye has kind of become my trademark among my group of friends... my fallback suggestion for fun things to do together, my opinion on what my friend should paint her Beetle to look like, what I think my friend's tattoo should be (come one. A tie-dyed bicep would be way cooler than a coat of arms. Just sayin'.).

The world would be a happier place if it had more tie-dye philosophy in it. Think about it. You start out by accepting that you don't really know how it will turn out- if you will love it or hate it, if the colors will bleed a certain way, if the design will turn out the way you expected. Perfection is never demanded. In fact, imperfection is expected. Anyone can do it, and sure, some people are better than others, but most of the skills are easily learned, and are often not really necessary to make something amazing. Best of all, everyone has fun doing it.

On Chewing Gum

I have a favorite type of chewing gum. Trident Tropical Twist. It looks like this:























It is fantastic. It's the kind I always get at the store- I buy it in bulk.

There's a story behind this gum. Not a long one. But throughout my senior year in high school, I had a friend who I shared two classes with. This was the kind of gum she always had. It became the gum that I, therefore, always consumed, nearly every day. I like other kinds of gum just fine. But I just feel queasy now if I don't have this kind available to me. That girl, my casual gum friend, is now my best friend.

I know I'm not the only person with a gum story. Nearly everyone has one. Trust me. I work as a cashier. I hear a different gum story each week. So if someone ever questions the significance of small things, ask them what kind of gum they like and why. It almost never fails.

Living Life Fiercely

This is my motto for life. It was inspired by a talk I once heard, where the audience was told that when they got married, they should be "fiercely loyal" to their spouse. The term "fiercely" struck me as something that I should strive to apply to other areas of my life. Love fiercely. Work fiercely. Study fiercely. Live fiercely. Something about the concept rang true to me, and I try to stick by it- fiercely.

Some things about me:

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fiercely so.

I am also a college student. I'm not sure how fierce I am at this, because I haven't started classes yet, but I intend to be fiercely studious.

I am a friend. I am fiercely loyal to my friends. I am also fiercely and somewhat frighteningly, clingy, but that's another story for another time.

I am a daughter. I am fiercely loyal and loving to my earthly parents and to my heavenly parents.

I am a sister. I am a sister to four- three on earth, one in heaven. I am also a sister to countless millions, many of whom are here on earth, waiting to come here, or who have left already. I try to be fiercely protective of all of my brothers and sisters. It is hard. I am learning.

I am a mother. I don't yet have any of my own children, but I can help nurture and care for the children of others. I am fiercely caring of those who trust me to do so. It sounds like an oxymoron, but I promise you that it isn't.

I am me.