Sometimes

Sometimes I miss my long hair.

I miss the way it felt blowing around me as I walked around campus in the wind. I miss being able to pull it into a ponytail on the days I don't have time shower (like today). I miss all the pretty braids and twists I could do with it. I miss being able to splay it all across my pillow and pretend someone was taking a glamorous picture of me. Now. All that being said, I can't wait to cut my hair again!! haha I'm kind of a spaz.

Sometimes I miss Taylor.

I miss watching his hands caress the keys of his slightly-out-of-tune piano while sunlight filtered through the big windows of his music room. I miss the way he told me I was beautiful. No one could say it like him. I miss his calls at 2 in the morning that would last so long we could watch the sun come up together. I miss being able to talk to someone so easily. Now. All that being said, it's nice to still be friends, even after all this time and distance and struggle. 

Sometimes I miss Matt. 

I miss being held so tightly I thought all the life was going to be squeezed out of me. I miss his strong hands; how they felt in mine, how they led me so easily across the dance floor, how he was constantly using them to serve other people. I miss having a best friend who didn't expect me to be anything I wasn't. Now. All that being said, I couldn't be happier for him that he is in college in Wyoming and discovering this new phase of his life. But I wish more than anything that he were right here with me. 

My New Favorite Class

This semester I'm taking a Creative Writing class, which I think I mentioned in my last post. It's every Tuesday night from 5-7:30 and most of the class is spent work-shopping manuscripts from the students that were sent around the Friday before. So, I was one of the volunteers to submit work for the first week! We could write 3-4 poems, a short story, or a personal essay. Since poetry's kind of my thing, I wrote a new poem, and submitted 2 other semi-recent ones, which he said was ok since we only 3 days' notice. I wanted to share my new poem here, so enjoy :)

Opus

His fingers touch

The ivory keys.

Caressing,

Familiar, yet

Somehow new.

His head bows as he

Breathes,

An aching moment

Before the first hammer

Strikes

The strings.

Like water, like light,

A tumbling melody

Streams

Through his fingertips.

The ivories

Dance,

Laugh,

Cry—

Vibrations hanging in the

Listening air.

His eyes closed tight,

Harrowed soul laid

Bare,

He rises, turns

And takes his bow

To the applause heard

In his head.

Romance

I watched The Notebook with my roommate Sam last night, and it made me think a lot about romance. I'm in this place right now where I can't really imagine a guy being totally flipped for me. I mean, I can imagine it in a very future-ish way, but not in a here-and-now kind of way. I feel like I'm always putting more into relationships than I'm getting back, and I hate that feeling. I want to be totally swept off my feet by someone who thinks I'm just fabulous. Because, let's face it, I am!

I want a guy to look at me with googly eyes and a silly grin. I want someone who will keep the little promises, the ones made late at night when you're not really sure if you're serious about it, but you take it seriously anyway. I want to be able to play; to shove ice cream in each others faces or lay in the street and watch the lights change late at night, or dance to no music. I want surprise candle-light dinners, and flowers on the pillow next to me when I wake up in the morning. I want notes on the bathroom mirror, and blanket forts that last all weekend. I want to look at each other when we're old and gray and still think we each got the better end of the deal. I want romance, people. Romance.

The Second First Day of School

The only annoying thing about having different classes every day in college is that you have to have 2 first days of school. Which means you have to pick 2 cute outfits, not have next-day hair, and not stay up too late the night before the second day of school. Well, I somehow managed to break all of those rules--except maybe the outfit one, mine turned out ok today. But I woke up late because I stayed up too late talking to my new roommate Sam, so I didn't get to shower, which means I had next-day hair. I also got a visit from Aunt Flow this morning, so that just added to the befuddled mess I've been all day.

On the up-side, I've liked all of the classes I've had today; my Geology teacher is really funny, and my Polynesian Dance class is going to be amazing and I only have one more, which is Creative Writing, so that can't be too terrible. AND I get to go dancing tonight with James :) That will make this whole day worth while.

Hope everyone else has had a good second first day of school :)

Monday Morning Madness!

(time for some serious catch up, I've been such a slacker)

We are ALL MOVED IN and the decorating/organizing extravaganza has begun! My new room is a lot like the one I had my very first semester, so I've found myself decorating it similarly, but with a few experienced changes. I'm kind of bummed to be back in a twin sized bed (did I mention I had a full bed in my last place? Yeah, it was pretty much the best thing that's happened to me in college so far) after languishing in my full bed for a whole 7 months! Now that I don't have my big bed, I will languish instead on our AMAZING new couches. We've been dying for these couches ever since we found out we were moving into this apartment. We'd come over on Sundays for our counsel meetings and cling to the couches, begging the girls there to let us move in right this very second!! Alas, they did not want to share an apartment with 7 girls, much to our dismay, but now the couches are OURS! Muahahahaha :) I also have a roommate for the first time in about 4 months, which is good and bad, but mostly good. It's nice to finally have someone just around to talk to. My other roommates that don't share my room are always off doing other things or watching Desperate Housewives in the living room, and let's just say I can't go in there without throwing up in my mouth a little bit, so we don't hang out a ton. More about the wonderful Sam later.

Here are a few highlights from the last couple weeks:

1) I swam what felt like about 2 miles out at Deer Creek Reservoir with Kalyn and James. It was a gorgeous swim in the golden light of the sunset across the water and the green trees and hills. Absolutely perfect.

2) I had my very first belly dancing performance (did I mention I was in a belly dancing class? No? Well, I was, and it was amazing!) on Friday night and all 3 of my sisters came, which made me feel so loved and supported. The performance went very well and I can't wait to get into another class in October.

3) My office went on a retreat together to get to know our new Student Alumni officers. We stayed in Midway at a beautiful, quaint condo called The Homestead and got to play for two days between Park City, Heber, and Midway, getting fed better than I ever have been in my life and just generally having way too much fun.

Today is the first day of school, and I'm actually pretty excited to get back to dancing every day and not having to sit at a desk 8 hours a day, though I will miss the money. Today's agenda consists of work, 2nd level Contemporary, Marriage and Family, Italian, ward FHE and sleep. I didn't sleep very well last night, so I'm very much looking forward to about 12 hours from now when I will be snuggled down in my little twin bed.

For anyone else who's having either a first day of school or just needing a general pick-me-up, remember to...

Exciting News!

I'm moving!! Though not far--just across the hall. But still, it's a change (something I desperately need), and a good chance to clean out my life. Sweet Linsey is coming to help us clean today so we'll be ready for cleaning checks tomorrow and be practically ready to move out on Tuesday. We're so excited for our new apartment! It's sooo much less ghetto than the one we have now, and BONUS it's my lucky number 14!

Also, I learned a little bit about balloon twisting last night from my friend Paul. I stopped by his place on my way home from the grocery store and he mentioned that he needed someone to work with him as a balloon twister at The Old Spaghetti Factory. I might be interested, so he pulled out the stuff to teach me a few things! We'll see if the job works out, but even if it doesn't, someday soon I'll be able to make a little family of animals like this:

Thursday Thoughts (Even though you'll read this on Friday)

First, a few random bits of Kimberism:

1) I gave myself hiccups about 4 separate times yesterday--talk about annoying.
2) I have made a goal to read at least 10 books by Christmas.
3) I have a slight obsession with Emma Watson. I mean, pa-lease. Look at this girl:

Her website is also beautiful and well worth taking a look at: http://www.emmawatson.com/

4) Totally unrelated to my obsession with Emma Watson, but very related to the fact that I adore my cousin's new haircut and am in desperate need of a new look, I'm thinking I'm going to cut my hair kind of like this, but with a shorter front:

Thoughts? I'm open to opinions on whether or not I can pull off a super short do.

Finally, the thought for the week:

I've been thinking a lot this week about happiness. Happiness can be found in the simplest places...like in the smile of a stranger, in the arms of a friend who sees you for exactly who you are, in warm blankets and clean sheets, in long, late-night talks with your sisters (blood related or kindred spirits). I have been finding happiness in all these places this week, and I have found that happiness is whatever I want to make it. And I choose to be happy. Right here. Right now.

Give it a try :)

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Today is just one of those days when nothing seems to be going right...

I got my monthly subscription from Mother Nature yesterday, which has left me bloated and sick. Which means none of my jeans fit right, which means I can only wear skirts/dresses or sweats without feeling like there's a ton of bricks on my stomach, and since I can't wear sweats to work, I'm stuck wearing skirts or dresses. Which means I have to get sort of dressed up on these days when I feel like crap. To top that off, I'm having a terrible left-over-hair day because I couldn't bring myself to get up early enough to shower this morning and have decent hair, which is a problem because my hair is too short to pull it into a passable messy bun or ponytail. Which means I copped out with a headband that doesn't quite do the job.

Today is one of those days when I just want to curl up in a sunny window and read until I fall asleep. I want someone to fix me some hot soup and a heating pad and lay by me and tell me funny stories or read me poetry.

Please forgive my complaining rant. I try really hard not to be negative here, but I just really needed a place to vent about my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

P.S. I think I should list a few good things to lessen the drearyness of this post: I got asked on a date for this Friday last night, and I am looking forward to that. I got a nice compliment on the dress I'm wearing today. I get to lay around and be lazy tonight. I'm contemplating a jazzy new haircut soon :)

Things I Love About Traveling (Cali Pics!!)

1. Pictures like this:

 

This is an optical illusion pic; me "holding" Noah in my hand out at the Salt Flats

 

 2. Friends like this:

3. Calling my mom from this beach to tell her that I'm in California!

4. The memories that will last even longer than the pictures :)

It's been such an amazing summer. And it's not even over yet!