babies

i've decided that i really like when my friends have babies. as a single adult living on my own in provo, i don't normally get any baby time (following young families around at the mall and staring creepily can only get a person so far...).

BUT, thanks to my lovely friend and former roommate megan patterson robinson, i can have baby time whenever i want, without being creepy or breaking any commandments to have one of my own!

for some reason, i don't think i look like myself in this picture. maybe it's the uncharacteristic motherliness that's throwing everything off.

baby eli just what the doctor ordered.


and he is getting fat. this pleases me.

in other news, i took my praxis this morning. i'm feeling very apathetic about it at the moment, but here, look at this cartoon i drew while studying a few days ago:

the fact that i a: drew the cartoon, and b: took the time to get up and find an orange colored pencil should give you a pretty good idea of how successful my study session was that night. also, one of the test proctors (male) was reading the fourth twilight book and had a pokemon card for a bookmark. i want to know his life story.

i got it from my momma

recent conversation:

amy: "mitchell. will you find a way to get me the sixth season of lost?"
mitchell: "sure. what's in it for me?"
amy: "i'll make you a cake. what kind of cake do you want?"
mitchell: "i really like cheesecake."
amy: "done."

this may or may not have been the exact conversation (leaning towards "may not," but whatever. this is my blog, and i do what i want).

well, mitchell came through on his promise (as you may have noticed a few posts ago), so today i came through on mine. i make a mean cheesecake, although i cannot take credit for it--the recipe came from my mom. i will give all the glory to her.

the big one, for mitchell. beautiful, n'est-ce pas?

but my real pride and joy comes next--after making the big cheesecake for mitchell, i had some batter left over, but not enough to make another big one. what to do?, i asked myself.

mini cheesecakes were the answer. behold my babies:



you know you want one.

this ALMOST makes me like dogs

all i can say is, "awwww!"

take your frills somewhere else.

julie b. beck is such a butt kicker. i love her, and i love the sense of empowerment, purpose, and hope i get when i listen to/read her words. she doesn't coddle or sugarcoat. and i respect that.

so go read her talk. "And Upon the Handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit"

my favorite quote from this talk (although not actually from sister beck): "Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time." (Eliza R. Snow) every time i read that, i'm like yeah! i am woman, hear me roar! not in an uber-feminist way or anything, but more in the way that yeah, i know my purpose. and yeah, i am capable. so in the immortal words of captain shang from mulan, let's get down to business, to defeat (insert obstacle).

ode to camping

so i went camping this weekend. i really love camping. here are my top five reasons why:

5. it's nice to just get outta town sometimes.
4. it's always an adventure to scout out a great spot.
3. i love the smell and the sight of a good campfire, and also cooking things over it.
2. the beautiful morning light and crisp, fresh air when you wake up the next morning.
1. the wonderful sense of being carefree--no make-up, no alarm clock, who cares what you're wearing? the only thing i pack in the way of toiletries is deodorant (because no matter what i'm doing, i never enjoy being stinky)and a toothbrush (with toothpaste. because if you don't do this, you suffer from a gross tasting mouth, and the people around you suffer from your gross smelling breath).

we went up american fork canyon, which boasts of some very spectacular sites (and also means that my head was out the window the entire time there and back breathing deeply, and i STILL got car sick. i blame my gender--the guys were just fine). we found a sah-weet spot, set up our tent, and got the fire going to roast some dogs and starburst.

yeah, i said starburst. don't knock this till you try it--just stick an unwrapped starburst on some sort of roasting device, and let it get all toasty, to the point of bubbling. then--eat it (although perhaps not right away. molten candy does have a tendency to burn the dickens out of your mouth). crispy on the outside, ooey-gooey good on the inside. i will say that starbursts' behavior under extreme heat didn't do a whole lot to dissuade me from my theory that they're actually made out of plastic, though. then again, after having downed two hot dogs, cookies, and chips, i'm not what you would call a "health-conscious eater."


some of my thoughts about camping: first of all, this trip highlighted the importance of wisely choosing your camping buddies. here are some rough requirements that i've drafted in my head so far--
1. pick people who aren't "activity oriented." camping is about chilling, not "so...what do we do now?"
2. pick people who know how to just be silly. camping generally includes at least 4 fart jokes, and truth or dare where you run up into the forest in the dark, dance around, and shout "I'M BEAR FOOD!" if you have someone who isn't willing to set aside maturity for at least one night, these camping elements are ruined.
3. PICK PEOPLE WHO DON'T SNORE.

going along with the theme of requirement #3, i've come to the conclusion that when i go camping, i NEVER get a good night's rest. i always toss and turn, and end up with the impression that i was awake the whole night, even though i know i wasn't because i have really cuckoo dreams. i think as far as restless nights go though, this camping trip takes the cake. let me set the scene for you--one tent, two air mattresses (one that could comfortably fit 2 people, 3 people squeezed, and another that could comfortably fit one person, 2 people squeezed), and 6 people (but two arrived at 11:30, so they got the floor by default). in order to maximize air mattress surface, we decided to shove the two together. guess who got to sleep on the crack?

oh right. me.

it wasn't so bad in the beginning, but as the night when on i inevitably ended up wedged between the two mattresses with a giant rock in my back. i woke up from a fitful sleep at the crack of dawn (literally) with my bladder screaming (not literally) at me. i layed there (wedged) for another hour and half probably, deliberating on whether or not i should get out of my warm cubby and risk getting eating by a cougar in the wee morning light, or if i should try to go back to sleep. the efforts to rekindle a REM cycle were terribly thwarted by three culprits: a. the wedge and the rock, b. the screaming bladder, and c. THE GUY WHO SNORED THE ENTIRE NIGHT. LOUDLY. LIKE CHAINSAW LOUD.


in the end, my bladder defeated my fear of being eaten, and i ventured out to scout a good squat spot. first of all, can i just say that boys have it so easy when it comes to camping? second of all, i think one of the most ignominious deaths would be to get attacked by a bear or a mountain lion while squatting. because not only do you die, but when they find your body, your pants are around your ankles.

anyway. this is getting too long. let me just end by saying this: i really love camping.

GAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

i just finished lost.

this is my brain right now.

so many questions unanswered...the biggest one mainly being: what the heck do i do with my life now?!

oh and by the way, jack, i will always love you, even if you make me want to punch myself in the face sometimes.

amy's vices of summer 2010

1. sleeping (although this has arguably been one of my vices since puberty)
2. lost
3. retail therapy
4. bored eating
5. thinking far too much about unimportant things, and far too little about things that actually matter.

who brought the wine?

happy french independence day!

uhh

wait what? taking a lengthy nap at 7:30 at night isn't a good idea?
whatever. i'm just going to eat this giant ice cream cone. bye.

this is my life.

**LAST....
-Beverage you had: water
-Phone call you made: dave
-Text message you sent: "THERE'S A WASP IN OUR HOUSE! WHAT DO I DO?!"
Song you listened to: "my moon my man" feist
-Time you cried: a couple sundays ago.

**HAVE YOU EVER....
-Dated someone twice: yes
-Been cheated on: not that i know of
-Kissed someone & regretted it: sigh...oh high school...and college...dangit.
-Lost someone special: of course
-Been depressed: clinically? no. once a month around the time i start menstruating? yes.

**3 FAVORITE COLORS
1. red
2. green
3. gray

**THIS YEAR HAVE YOU...(2010)
-Made a new friend: definitely
-Fallen out of love: hmph
-Laughed til you cried: i'm pretty sure, yes.
-Met someone who changed you: yes
-Found out who your true friends were: this makes it sound like i was horribly betrayed. which i wasn't. but yeah, i think i know who my true friends are.
-Found out someone was talking about you: playa please. there will always be people talking about me.

**RANDOM...
-How many kids do you want: i hate this question.
-Do you have any pets: no. i also hate animals.
-Do you want to change your name: nope. i think i went through a phase when i was like 9 though where i wanted my name to be tanya.
-What did you do for your last birthday: went to see alice in wonderland, ate jimmy johns.
-What time did you wake up today: cough. uh...i...don't remember...
-What were you doing at midnight last night: pillow talking with alison
-Name something you can NOT wait for: for my neck to stop hurting.
-Last time you saw your mother: april
-If you could change 1 thing about your life what would it be: i would make myself more disciplined. which i suppose i could change right now. too bad i'm not disciplined enough.
-What are you listening to right now: crap...justin bieber. go ahead. mock me.

**PERSONAL..
-Whats getting on your nerves right now: my lack of motivation
-Full name: Amy Hansen
-Nicknames: my ex-boyfriend used to call me sassafrass.
-Relationship status: single
-Zodiac sign: pisces
-Male or female: is this question really necessary?
-Elementary: shepard elementary, columbia, MO
-High school: higley high
-Hair color: brown
-Long or short: long. i hate myself every time i cut it.
-Height: 5' 7"
-Have a crush: desmond hume.
-What do you like about yourself: uh...i like my hair.
-Piercings: one in each ear
-Tattoos: barf.
-Righty or lefty: righty

**FIRSTS....
-Injury: broken arm
-Best friend: jennifer lauck
-Sport you joined: Soccer
-Vacation: san diego maybe?

**RIGHT NOW...
-Eating: nothing
-Drinking: nothing
-About to: put on my face
-Listening to: "jardin d'hiver" i can't remember who sings it

**YOUR FUTURE...
-Want kids: absolutely not. unless they're asian babies. and when they grow out of their cute baby-ness, i will give them away.
-Get married: you don't have to be married to adopt asian babies, do you?
-Career: french teacher. oui oui.

**WHICH IS BETTER...
-Hugs or kisses: depends on who it's coming from.
-Lips or eyes: eyes
-Shorter or taller: taller
-Older or younger: older
-Romantic or Spontaneous: definitely not romantic. but too spontaneous can be annoying. can i just have normal?
-Nice stomach or arms: both are favorites.
-Sensitive or loud: too sensitive would really be tiresome.
-Hook up or relationship: is this an actual question?
-Trouble maker or hesitant: trouble maker.

**HAVE YOU EVER...
-Lost glasses/contacts: sunglasses, everywhere.
-Broken someone's heart: yes
-Had your heart broken: yes
-Turned someone down: yes
-Cried when someone died: yes
-Fallen for a friend: sure

**DO YOU BELIEVE IN...
-Yourself: most of the time
-Miracles: yes
-Love at 1st sight: no
-Heaven: yes
-Santa: ...no
-Angels: yes

**ANSWER TRUTHFULLY...
-Had more than 1 BF at a time: hahahahaha. no.
-Did you sing today: yes
-Afraid of falling in love: i'm sure part of me is.

boo.

this is how i feel about studying for the Praxis exam.

alright america.

you know one thing i love about utah (which is important, because there are really not a lot of things i love about utah) is its ability to rearrange national holidays to suit its preferences. for example, america's independence day. you know, the foundation of our nation. although traditionally celebrated on the actual day of occurrence (july 4th), seeing as how that fell on a sunday, utah graciously and conveniently split america's birthday into two days, creating two new holidays--Americans, meet the 3rd of July and the 5th of July. 4th of July actually wasn't celebrated this year. try again in 2011. kthanksbye!

festivities from this weekend included:

watching fireworks on someone's roof


lighting our own "fireworks"


fourth of july cake.
homemade whipped cream frosting. this is me before i wised up and got holli to track down an electric beater for me.

the finished product:

please note my level of excitement is just about on par with the GIANT HOLE IN MY NECK.

i didn't do anything remotely patriotic on the 5th of july. so i guess utah will call me an ungrateful daughter of the revolution. whatever.

my two current beefs with society.

1. Kindle. Nook. whatever you want to call it--electronic books. what happened to just READING A BOOK? there is something so charming about turning pages, feeling the paper, dog-earing the corners. ugh. kindle. can we focus on curing cancer before we put more resources into trying to replicate the sensation of turning a page on a machine? come. on.



2. 2.these shoes. they're weird. enough said.