shout-out!

alright, dear friends.

i don't endorse products that often.

actually, i don't think i've ever done this.

BUT,

this miracle potion is a lifesaver.

i've had two really painful headaches this week.

before, i would just take some excedrin migraine and hope for the best.

sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

my mom's friend told her about essential oils and recommended peppermint oil to help ease headaches.

and let me tell you...

IT.

WORKS.

if you suffer from migraines or any headache at all,

i highly highly recommend this.

in fact, i just used some five minutes ago, and my headache is already getting better!

pick some up!

you won't regret it!

God only knows what I'd be without you.

HAPPY PET SOUNDS DAY!

even though today has been a disaster, it's not a total failure

because exactly 45 years ago, the beach boys released this miracle of an album.

i'm going to celebrate by listening to it in its entirety on ye olde record-player.

there might be some sleepytime tea thrown in there, as well.

thank you, beach boys, for making this record.

it is my all-time favorite and it always makes me happy.

ps: here's a beautiful she+him cover of "wouldn't it be nice" to commemorate this joyous occasion.

enjoy!

it's a bowie kind of day

walking to class while listening to this song was probably the highlight of my day.

shawarma: zen in a wrap

as you all may know by now, i am obsessed with recipes and food and delicious aromas coming from the kitchen.

unfortunately, i live in a pigsty with a bunch of girls who don't know how to clean up after themselves. that makes it hard to have the desire to cook.

BUT, the next time i'm home [or the next time my kitchen's clean and i have all the ingredients (which will be never at this rate)], i'm for sure making this.

this lady, titli nihaan, is delightful and kooky and hilarious.

she's like the julia child of indian food.

and i love her.

every single recipe she makes looks delicious [except for the one she did on homemade ghee... ew]. i can almost smell that shawarma now...

fotografia

my sister, kirsten, called/begged me last week asking to see some photos i've been taking in my photography class.

so, here you go, sis! here are two photos i took for our second assignment, which focused on everyday objects.

kiko kiko, burning bright, in the forests of the night

kiko kiko jorgensen (1996-2009)

i miss her.

to the woman who gave birth to me.

my beautiful mother and sister

my mom once told me that my birth was her scariest of all six [!!] of her labor experiences.

you see, the umbilical cord, the very source of my survival as a fetus, was wrapped around my neck a few times and was quickly transforming into a deadly weapon.

luckily, the doctor was able to remove the cord, and i emerged into this world, gasping for air, ready to experience this new journey of life on april fools' day in 1987.

my parents didn't plan on having a sixth child, but they had me anyway.

and i'm forever grateful they brought me into this world [as scary as it was to do so].

throughout the years, my mom has been a constant pillar of strength and support in my life, just as she was more than twenty-four years ago when i was still in the womb.

she has endured millions [no exaggeration] of tearful phone calls from me [most of which have occurred in the last five years. thank you, rexburg, for having the propensity to make me cry on an almost-daily basis] and is always, always patient, supportive, and encouraging.

she has been the ultimate example of a truly Christlike individual by giving her time, energy, and talents to those who are in need of them, oftentimes at a moment's notice.

she is the BEST cook/baker and is never afraid to try new things.

she is an incredible listener and always knows the right thing to say to make me feel better.

she has rock-solid faith in the Lord and is always telling me to turn to the scriptures and pray when i have a problem.

she has stood by my dad and supported him in all his endeavors and even packed up and moved with him [and many small children, by the way] multiple times throughout their marriage.

she is a nurturer and has this innate ability to make any child feel at ease.

she is a strong supporter of gaining a good education and doing your best in all you do.

and she is the strongest woman i know.

mom, i love you so much. thank you for always being patient with me and helping me through my oh-so-difficult-woe-is-me days. you are a saint and i aspire to be like you when i have a family of my own [far, far away in the future].

you are the mom of all moms!

the world's greatest mom!

mother of the year!

and i love you.

three days late.

happy may, everyone!

in my life, i've loved them all.

when i was a highschooler, i was a major choir nerd. i ate my lunch in the choir room every single day with my fellow choirfriends, became a TA for my choir director senior year, and spent hours practicing the songs we were learning in my spare time.

even though it was at times a trying and frustrating time in my life,

i loved it all.

i loved singing the national anthem with my friends at basketball games,

travelling to different schools all over the pacific northwest [and even the gigantor mall in edmonton, alberta, canada],

accompanying the jazz choir,

participating in musicals,

and, most of all, just singing and expressing myself through music each day.

my choir teacher, mrs. fennessey [or "fenn" as we liked to call her], had this tradition where the junior and senior choir members sang a song together for graduation each year. when i was a junior, i got to perform "in my life" by the beatles with some of my closest friends. i remember feeling so sad that high school was almost over [i LOVED high school] and scared that soon i'd be living on my own.

i had so many fears and insecurities about the future and, as crazy as it sounds, i just couldn't fathom ever being as happy as i had been in high school.

almost seven years after that experience, i saw a beatles tribute band perform on campus with my friend stilts.

it. was. awesome.

it was my very first tribute band experience and these guys were truly incredible.

they sounded exactly like john, george, ringo, and paul and even kind of resembled them from far away.

me and ryan danced the night away, laughed at the rapport between the band members, and marveled at how accurate they sounded.

then, they started playing that song.

and there i was, twenty-four years old, about to graduate again [this time from a university], feeling the same feelings i felt seven years before.

waves of emotion washed over me and it took all the energy within me to keep those tears from rushing down my cheeks.

i took a mental trip through the past seven years and i realized something interesting...

i didn't remember the bad times.

the photos i saw in my mental photo album were photos of laughter, joy, fun, and enlightenment.

even though going to byu-idaho has been the most trying and frustrating time of my life, much like those choir days of yore, it has also been the most wonderful time of my life [thus far].

all the anger and annoyances i've felt in my time here in rexburg simply don't measure up to all the happiness and joy i've felt. i've learned so much about myself, my beliefs, and what i'm truly passionate about.

and, in the end, i wouldn't trade those lessons i've learned for anything.

when it's all over, as the beatles say, i know i'll often stop and think about the times i've had up here.

and it helps to know that i will look back on those times with a smile, not a grimace.

ando buscando un pajarito del amor.

my good friend, jonny vulture, first showed me this video a couple months ago.

ever since then, carla morrison's album "mientras tu dormias" has been on my must buy list.

on monday, i had to buy a memory card for the camera i'm borrowing from the school for my photography class and inside the package was a coupon for ten dollars worth of music on emusic!

so, i quickly signed up, "bought" and downloaded a local natives album along with the carla morrison one i've been wanting, deleted my profile on emusic and unsubscribed to their service, and i haven't listened to anything else since. both albums make for great spring soundtracks.

i am in desperate need of summer weather.

all this gloomy, chilly weather in rexburg has made me feel gloomy.

and chilly.

so here's some sunshine!

enjoy!

doesn't that video make you want to hop in the car and drive until you reach the pacific ocean?

i'm just dying for some beach time!

summer, please come quickly!

i've been bitten by the shutterbug.

isn't it amazing when things just tend to work themselves out?

por ejemplo:

i got an email from my photography professor the morning of my first photo lab last week saying everyone needed to bring their dslrs.

not having one [or even access to one], i freaked out a little [a lot], and prayed some miracle would happen to allow me to still be able to take the class.

well, miracles happen, errbody.

yesterday, after the photo lecture, my fellow camera-less students and i trekked to the photo lab with our teacher where we were each handed our very own dslr [to rent].

everyone was trying to look so calm and cool about it, but i couldn't.

on the inside, i was bursting with excitement and i couldn't help but grin as brother atkinson came out of his office, arms loaded with camera bags [with realy, live cameras inside!], and passed them all out to us.

he had given us our first assignment ten minutes before, and all i could think about was how nervous and anxious and excited i felt to finally go out on my own, armed with my canon rebel, and see this town with very different eyes.

after lunch today, i headed out of my apartment, snapping photos left and right as i made my way to smith park.

with my hot pink point-and-shoot, i usually just take one photo and walk away.

with this new machine in my eager hands, every shot was a labor of love. i actually took the time to compose the subject and thought more about what i was documenting.

hours after i put away the camera, i kept obsessively looking out my window to see if any interesting lighting was happening or if there was something i somehow missed when i had gone out earlier.

i think i ran outside to take some more photos at least six more times.

i think it's safe to say that i'm addicted.

that shutter click gets me every single time.

let's hope this enthusiasm continues throughout this semester!

total eclipse of the what is going on??

just in case you're in need of some motivation, watch this inspirational bonnie tyler video.

dreams really do come true.

i am an elizabeth living in a house full of lydias.

**warning: this post is very long, potentially boring, a bit soapboxy, and could possibly be misinterpreted as an anti-marriage post. just know that i'm still a bit feverish and woozy, my life is almost always boring [which makes for boring post subjects], i've been beaten over the head with the marriage talk more times than i care to count, and i think marriage is a wonderful institution that i hope to be enrolled [?] in someday. now. back to our scheduled programming.**

this morning, i woke up at five in the morning and couldn't sleep. i don't remember the last time i woke up in the morning feeling rested, but that's beside the point.

i stayed in bed until about six fifteen trying desperately to fall asleep again because i've been sick and sleep-deprived and my left eye hasn't stopped twitching in a week, but sleep was a lost cause.

i got out of bed, took the hottest shower possible hoping it would clear my sinuses/throat [how did i get this illness? seriously!], but just like the whole sleep thing, i got ready for my interview with the bishop at seven thirty knowing that relief for my sore throat would come to no avail.

my roommate and i both had appointments bright and early in the morning. we decided to leave at seven twenty-five.

seven twenty arrived, i blowdried my bangs, took my scriptures into the living room, and waited for her to be ready.

seven twenty-five came and went with no sign of my awol roommate.

finally, at seven thirty, i quietly knocked on her door, peeked my head in, and noticed she was still sleeping. i woke her up and she frantically ran around getting ready for the interview in five minutes flat.

it was impressive.

after flirting [not done by me--of course. i would never do something so brazen!] making friends with [ahhh... that's more like it] one of the executive secretaries, he let us cut in line so we wouldn't have to wait forever to receive our callings.

i received my calling [i'm on the relief society special meetings committee--whatever that is] after a very awkward handholding incident with the bishop [he's very touchy-feely], and made my way back home, my breath visible in the cool early [for me] morning.

in spite of feeling sick,

i felt good.

i felt satisfied and happy with who i am.

i was on a confidence high and when i walked back into my house, a very talkative roommate and i struck up a conversation. she is almost engaged and asked me if i was dating anyone.

i replied with my usual "no and i'm happy about it because of these five reasons" spiel, when allofasudden the "lydias" started planning all these dates they were going to set me up on with their boyfriends' roommates.

after describing each one of them and making sure to note that they were my age or older, i politely declined.

you see, i am not a fan of being set up.

i'm actually just not a fan of dating in general.

it's awkward, confusing, at times it's disastrous, and i just don't feel comfortable going on a blind date set up by two people i haven't known for very long.

the lydias flipped.

the almost-engaged lydia gave me a lecture about how marriage should be a woman's first priority yada yada yada bada bing bada boom and, needless to say, i tuned out.

i then gave the excuse that it's my last semester and the last thing i want or need is a boy to screw up all my plans [i.e. getting out of rexburg alive asap].

but the lydias were relentless.

all through church they told me about countless men who, according to them, would take one look at me, swoon, and receive confirmation from the spirit that i'm "the one."

inwardly, i grew more and more tired of the whole thing.

outwardly, i laughed, smiled, and kept declining.

after church, i was set apart and returned to the bishop's office [for the third time] for my new member interview.

the lydias accompanied me along with a charlotte-esque breath of fresh air of a roommate.

we trekked to the snow, arrived at the bishop's office locale, and filled out our new member forms.

of course, because this campus is obsessed with marriage, one of the questions was "are you engaged?"

i answered mine with a hearty "no way, jose" and waited in line.

one of the lydias came up to me wanting to compare sheets.

and once she saw my answer to the marital status query, i was bombarded with set-up discussions all over again VERY loudly in front of about a third of my new ward [and a gentleman i think is quite attractive--not that i'll do anything about it because you know i won't]. it sounded a lot like the first minute or so of this and made me feel like i was stuck in this horrifying scene.

lecture after lecture was given to me.

the lydias were practically on their knees begging to set me up with someone.

now, i was voted class blusher in the sixth grade, so of course my face turned beet-red, and every single subject change i attempted was met with a smackdown by the lydias.

and then it hit me.

they felt sorry for me.

after all, i am a spinster. and we all know where spinsters end up [fyi: married to mr. collins and spending every waking moment separated from him--what a life].

finally, the ringleader lydia left and all was quiet. i turned to charlotte, commented on how quiet it was now that lydia was gone, and the aforementioned gentleman began questioning/teasing me about my ripe age and my need to get married.

it was absolutely miserable.

humiliating.

and completely

and utterly

pathetic.

now, as i reflect on my day, the feeling i had early this morning... that positive and satisfying feeling that i am one hundred percent happy with who i am

didn't

disappear.

it lingers in my mind still, hours after the fact.

i know i am a person with worth and divine potential.

and i don't need a man to define that for me.

and as for me and marriage, i stand behind the philosophy of miss elizabeth bennet:

I am determined that nothing but the deepest love could ever induce me into matrimony.

and finally, in my opinion, a single woman in possession of no fortune and a college education doesn't need to be in want of a husband.

and that is the end of that.

spring breakdown

my spring break is officially over.
i'm sitting in my new room as i write this, relaxing a little bit before throwing myself into unpacking everything.

i had a lovely break.

i wish it didn't have to end at all.

i got to spend some much-needed time with family and that was really all i needed.

while i was home,

the provo river was rushing rushing rushing through the canyon,

my nephew turned six,

arcade fire rolled into town and played in a venue down the hill from my house [and i was there!],

i got to kiss little ingrid's chubby cheeks [such a sweet/easygoing baby! love her],

cakes were baked and rice pudding was made [both delicious],

the old willy wonka and the chocolate factory and scott pilgrim were watched,

neko-ramen was introduced to me by my sister and brother,

delicious food was consumed,

games of "hoop tag" were played with my niece and nephews,

my mom almost won a game of horse,

and i painted my nails mintgreen.

for some reason, i was super emotional saying goodbye to my family. it was hard for me and i'm not quite sure why, but this is the VERY LAST TIME i have to do this!

i am delirious with joy that this is my last semester!

let's just hope i can make it through.

it all starts tomorrow!

quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock!

last night all my dreams came true.

i finally FINALLY got to see arcade fire!

and it was worth the wait!

they put on such an incredible show both visually and musically. i heard every song i had wanted to hear, and was not disappointed.

it was so fun sharing this experience with my sister kirsten and her husband aaron [and not just because i got to tease them about how "old" they are]. i would've have had it any other way! it was such a powerful experience and even though they played for about an hour and a half, i never wanted it to end! needless to say, i will not be missing them ever again!

here are some vidz i took from the show last night! they're not great-quality videos, but you can get a good idea of how cool everything looked/sounded!

intervention

[i realized halfway through this song that my finger was covering the mic on my camera... oops]

month of may

[the end of the song. super super intense!]

sprawl ii [mountains beyond mountains]

[regine dancing adorably with streamers and ribbons! love her!]

wake up

this was the "last song" of the set. absolutely beautiful and incredibly powerful.

set list [in the wrong order and possibly with some songs missing]:

-month of may

-rococo

-neighborhood #2 [laika]

-the suburbs

-modern man

-city with no children

-neighborhood #1 [tunnels]

-no cars go

-suburban war [win forgot the lyrics to this one halfway through! hilarious!]

-we used to wait

-neighborhood #3 [power out]

-haiti

-rebellion [lies]

-wake up

-keep the car running

-ready to start

-sprawl ii [mountains beyond mountains]

in which i copy my oldest sister, share exciting news and a photograph, and think about the future.

[taking a cue from/copying k1...]

who has two thumbs and is one hundred percent done with her second-to-last-semester of college?

THIS GIRL!

[this psychotic self-portrait* is brought to you by a severe lack of sleep and sustenance.]

oh man, i can't even express adequately with words [i use that phrase a lot] how relieved and happy i am.

soon i will be packing up my life [again] and moving [again] and cleaning [again] and going HOME!

i can't can't wait until i'm home.

i've felt so much love for my family this semester. i can't put my finger on why exactly, but i've appreciated and missed them all so much more this semester than ever before. it will be glorious to see them all again so soon! i wish kris and jenn and their ninos could be there, too.

it's all very surreal to think about how close i am to finishing.

it kind of freaks me out.

i mean, school is all i know! it's kind of scary to think about suddenly not doing something you've been doing your entire life.

but that doesn't mean i'm not excited to be done soon!

just because school has ended [temporarily] for me doesn't mean my life is over or that there are no more adventures to be had.

it means just the opposite!

more adventures!

more interesting people!

more life to be lived!

exciting!

you know what else is exciting?

taking everything off my walls and sorting all my dirty clothes so i can do ten million loads of laundry tomorrow!

which is what i should be doing right now.

the next time i post something, i'll be HOME!

that is, unless i get bored tomorrow whilst cleaning.

scratch that first sentence.

expect some crazy cleaning product fumes-induced posts tomorrow!

FUN!

*funny thing: in my 20th century art history class, we had student presentations on modern artists [from the 70s until present-day [i did mine on christo and jeanne-claude. it was killer. if you're lucky and ask real nice, maybe i'll do an encore presentation (you actually don't even have to ask me to do it at all. i'll just do it whether you want it or not)] the last month or so of the semester. i noticed that at least ten of my fellow classmates said the following while showing examples of their artists' works, self-portraits in particular, "...and this is a self-portrait of him/herself."

oh, so that wasn't a self-portrait of the artist's mother/father/significant other/child/pet dog rufus/living space?

interesting...

finals week: a collection of haiku written by yours truly at 2:23:13 in the morning.

(1)

it is two a.m.

haven't spoken to a soul

since this afternoon.

(2)

living on candy

and frozen burritos from

my local walgreens.

(3)

my mind is not here.

it's getting its passport stamped.

business or pleasure?

(4)

at this point, all i

want to do is examine

my eyelids. bed time.

(5)

this is the last one.

i am not very good at

writing poetry.

(6)

just kidding. i lied.

i will write one more haiku.

this is it. the end.

fotos y cuadernos y blah-blah blah blah blaaaaaaaaaah!

in my mind, it's already spring break.

in reality, it's day one of finals week.

this is a problem.

at this point, i'm so burned out and sick of school that all i want to do is dance around my room to this song.

if i can survive the next two days, i will be very relieved indeed.

growin' up.

[this was wayyyyy harder to do than it looks!]

today i am twenty-four years old.

it's kind of weird to think about.

in some ways, i feel old [but i think that's just because i'm still in rexburg where everyone is nineteen],

but in a lot of ways, i still feel like a teenager [thank you, acne and awkwardness].

i think twenty-four will be a big year for me.

i'm graduating from college,

applying for internships,

and my future is a complete mystery.

but i kind of like it that way!

i feel like there's something big over the horizon.

i'm hoping it's a new adventure abroad,

or in a new city [nyc, perhaps?],

or with new people.

either way, i'm scaredexcited for the future

and i can't wait to see what's in store for me!

thanks to all for the birthday greetings!

i love and adore each one of you!