Oh My LANTA!

Yesterday I was brought a pleasant surprise by my friend Robbie Dorius. He and Brenton waltz in with tons of cereal including this:

Yes, you are not seeing things. It is like lucky charms, but ONLY the marshmallows. I about feinted when I saw this. I just wasn't expecting something so wonderful to enter my life when I needed it most. Brenton and I have yet to try it, because we are waiting until we can both share the moment. According to Robbie, who worked at Malt-o-meal in the summer, it was a defect bag -- I prefer the title "Christmas miracle bag"...

Anyways, Provo finally has some snow on the ground. It is great just walking around and having it there on all the grass and such, but there is sometimes hidden ice patches. As I found out I almost did the splits for the first time in my life going to class yesterday on Monday morning. Yes, I caught myself, but I wasn't alone so it was awkward. But everyone has those moments and they are the ones you can look back and laugh about later in life. 

Today was my last day volunteering at Wasatch Elementary Kindergarten class for Ms. Porter in the TOPS program. I have had a blast helping those little kids learn to read and write and even though sometimes they teased me and somehow ended up calling me "moostash man (they don't say mustache correctly for some odd reason)" even though I shave before going there every time so that I don't have a mustache. Somehow the name has just stuck. Overall it has been really fun. They are all really cute in their own little way. 

Walking there this morning, however, was not a good experience. It was seven degrees out and my ears wanted to get off my head and run away forever. My nose wanted to invert inside my face, and it felt like frost was collecting on my eyes and eyelashes blurring my vision (haha just kidding, but I do need glasses/contacts over break). It was 7 degrees outside! Luckily I had my ski gloves to wear so my hands didn't feel like they were on Mt. Everest. I like the cold, it makes me feel like I'm battling the elements :) 

But as Justin always says to me, "the cold is like the spirit, you cant reallu see it unless you count your frosty breath but you sure can feel it, mostly in your extremities." He also once said to me, " the cold is like a test. if you prepare, youlll be fine, but if not, beware, for you could die, and 'the cold bites me ears with sharp little teeth", a perfectly accurate description of it in my honest opinion. Justin is just one of those guys who really knows how to make your day when you are trying to compare the cold to different things and aspects in life.

Someone made our dorm a little snow man friend guy thingy. I think I'm going to name him after Tripper's Dad, Jack Frost III (the original Jack Frost snowman, then Jack Frost II is Tripper's Dad, then this one).

Back in Provo and Coconut 2.0?

My Dad is literally the most insightful, thoughtful guy I know. By far the most knowledgeable too. He always has something completely random and funny to day, just like right before we were about to feast on Thanksgiving he just out of the blue says, "We have enough food to feed JOHNSON's ARMY!" Everyone just looks at him and he just says, "My grandma always used to say that..." haha! And then I questioned myself and asked, to which Johnson was she referring to?I googled it and that was the name of the Army the LDS church sent out west. Little trivia for you.

Anyways...

I was sitting in my room contemplating packing all my stuff away and my Dad walks in and just wryly grins and says, "I got you a surprise at the store yesterday..." I just wondered and then he pulled out this..

A Thai Sweet Young Coconut. Any if anyone remembers the earlier incident I had concerning coconuts, you will know that this was a shock. My taste buds erupted when I remembered the bitter taste of the other rotten one, but my Dad assured me this one was fresh. Tripper, Brigitta and I decided that we would devour the coconut as a final chapter in the chronicles of the coconut's and Carson.

Slicing into the inner sanctum. This coconut was Thai, so it had an odd shape. Like there was a malleable outer lining and a hard inner core with juice and weird consistency meat on the inside, almost like lard or fat.

Newsflash: The milk of a ripe coconut is actually good. It DOESN'T taste bitter and horrific.

Gitta was going all Castaway on us and went straight for it!

It was difficult to cut into the core.

Anyways, the tale of the coconut was brought to a close due to my fathers nice thought to get me a ripe one. Thanks Dad, you are truly the best!

It is kind of tradition that I help my Dad put up the Christmas lights every year right after Thanksgiving for my family. Our trademark are these little lit up orbs that one of my friends used to call elf houses. I usually hang those and help my Dad hang the snow lights on the gutters. This year was no exception! I really enjoy helping my Dad out every year. Its one of my good memories I have.

Here's the orbs!

Our backyard looked great! My Dad was working hard keeping the tons of leaves off the grass all autumn thus far. He's an exceptionally hard worker. Raking leaves in our yard is no easy task. Let me (or probably him) tell ya!

I'm really going to miss my pets. They each have their own personality and that is special about each of them.

Haha those are probably the best pictures I managed to get all weekend of them. Cappy is the excited dog that if he could speak would just constantly say "can I go on a walk? Can I go on a walk?" haha. Victory is the cute one who makes funny faces and actually likes you to hold him and snuggle. Except I didn't know he was chilling in my bed and I layed down on him and he yelped and scampered off. I'm sure he forgave me though. Leo is the lone spirit. Whenever I talk to Tripper's Mom she says, "That dark cat you have always has something in its mouth running down the hill." He is a hunter at heart and kills lots of things, but is a big furball in his own right who loves to sleep and relax. So there you have it.

Some things I am going to miss for 20 day's until I come back? Well my buddy Tripper for one!

I like your tie dude.

My family and house and playing basketball under the Christmas lights.

The Columbia River and the Vancouver sky

I am biased but I will always prefer the Portland Airport over any other airport in the entire world. I have been in that tower! 

Pancake breakfasts at Justin's house. He makes some bomb blueberry pancakes with chocolate chips if we ask for them. It was great seeing your Marm's man. 

I'm not going to miss this but I just thought this was funny. In our bonus room my mom hung up a bunch of school work from when we were little and this was one of mine. I have no recollection writing this!

Let's see.....January 1999 I was six years old?

 I'll miss my little sister Gemma!

And my other big little sister Gitta!

Home Sweet Home

My family, my house, the place where I live, the wonderful green all around me is so perfect and I am so grateful to them and it after being gone in Utah for three months. My flight got in last night and when I first saw my two little sisters come storming out of the car and into Ti and I's arms my eyes watered up because I missed them so badly! But that's just expected. I missed my Mom and how amazing she is, and I hope she gets feeling better and better, and I missed my Dad and his funny ways and impeccable cooking. Thanksgiving has been so good! Us and our close family friends the Hartups made a literal feast so that we could be able to have Thanksgiving 5 times each (or at least that's what I feel like! We had two turkeys, a ham, and a roast, 9 pies, jello, tons of mashed potatoes, everything. I love America and Thanksgiving. Its the bezzt, as my friend Justin would say). My pets were excited to see me, I honestly missed them a ton and worried they wouldn't remember me. But that was soon rectified when I was awaken at 1 in the morning by my cute kitten turned cat who wanted to snuggle.I also had the chance to be reunited with my old buddy old pal Tripper Frost. He's a real stud, he goes to seminary and institute all the time to learn more about the gospel and still goes to college and has a job. We got to play soccer early this morning with all of our friends and I had a really good time. I'm thankful for the Provo altitude which made it easier for me to run in this thick, Columbia River air. Anyways, I've been taking tons of pictures of things that I missed and things that I have been doing, hope you all enjoy them!

I quickly grabbed the first pet I saw, Leo. He was waiting for me. :)

Oh Gitta. You're so cute!

This is Leo, a mirror image of the main dragon in the hit film "How To Train Your Dragon", the Nightfury named Toothless. 

This is our candy counter. I missed just being able to walk by and take whatever I want as a snack. Flipz are the best, especially dipped in milk.

My family loves Vietnamese food. Especially Pho. Right when I came home my Dad had a bunch of it just waiting. I was super excited and went to work stuffing myself with the delightful food.

Right before falling asleep I had a little visitor! My good friend Victory came to keep me company.

This cat has gotten so much bigger since I left. I remember when he was just a small little guy that I could hold in the palm of my hand!

Don't worry, he's not angry. He just wanted attention and was meowing loudly at me until I gave him the aforementioned attention.

Cappy always stretches when he is happy to see you, but really he's bowing because he is the best. I got him right in the middle of one!

What a stud!

 These are our friends and my sisters the Hartups. Madeline was taking the picture but she is in a later picture. Chloe is the blonde on the right and Aiden is above me.

 Madeline, Brigitta's best friend made it in this picture.

Chloe: Quite possible the funniest person I know.

Preparing for the feast.

As many of you know, I have quite a plethora of faces that I can make. He tried mimicking all of them after coming over to visit and did quite a good job!

 Brigitta and Madeline!

One more great picture of Victory :)