Happy birthday Alan Rickman!

I love Alan Rickman. He is my favorite in Sense and Sensibility as Colonel Brandon, and is just the perfect Snape. I want him to read to me every day. 

 

Or an Alan Rickman as Snape GPS.

Happenings

Here are the happenings of my winter break in a close approximation of chronological order:

I missed my math final, which resulted in an emotional breakdown at work, but miraculously I passed with a C.

I worked and worked and worked and had lots of fun with my coworkers.

My cousins Sophia and Olivia came into my work and I got to hug them and see their cute faces for the first time in a long time.

I watched a lot of Friends (which was a constant throughout the break).

I read one of the best books ever- A Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Such epic high fantasy books are rare- it made me cry. It was such a great read.

I went home on Christmas Eve and I got to see Malori and the rest of my family. I was the happiest I've been in a long long time.

Cora had George Washington hair.

I was hated by children in church on Christmas.

Malori gave me a mini bottle of apple cider and it was the sweetest thing in the world.

Gretchen got a cell phone and cried.

I saw my whole Bullock and Smith families for the first time in forever and held my new baby cousin Avery.

I went to a family party and had so much fun playing basketball. Brian fouled me big time. It was such a fun game- I made a shot!

I saw Sherlock Holmes 2- it was really really good. I delayed at Old Navy to get on-sale sweaters, so we ended up on the fourth row. Cora just about killed me, but the sweaters were worth it.

I played Just Dance 3 with my sisters.

I watched the Smurfs with Malori- "I kissed a smurf and I liked it!"

Gretchen and Malori recorded so many videos of themselves being weird on my iPod Touch. Now I have something to remember them by.

I went to a Christmas party and saw my old friends and got the most awesome/ messed up watering can ever (which I will post a picture of in a later post because I am too lazy to take one at the moment). Also Evan and I had the same sweater on- it was really cute.

I went to get my fish from my grandma's, and Olivia and Phin were a little obsessed with them. It was adorable. Olivia kept on asking if she could eat the pebbles in the bottom of the glass, and saying "can't we eat that fish?"

I made a total mess of my house. Then I sat in the midst of the mess and watched Friends.

I beat my friend Mackay at Lord of the Rings Risk. Really I was just happy to find someone to play with.

I almost killed our fish Cathy Jane Bennet when transferring her back into her bowl. Luckily my heart is full of love and I was able to control my gag reflex enough to grab her out of the drain and drop her back into her bowl.

I went and had a fabulous New Years at my BRF's (best roommate forever) Brittany's house in Ogden. I made coconut chex and played just dance (and laughed hysterically at Mackay dancing) and quizzed each other with Harry Potter Trivia cards and watched funny videos on youtube, and I got to hang out with her and her family all the next day too. It was just such a great stay- I had the best time.

When I finally started to clean my house I turned on the garbage disposal and a popcorn kernel flew out and lodged itself in my nostril. I laughed for several minutes after I got over the shock.

A bug's shadow was reflected onto my ceiling at six in the morning, and it was a very, very creepy dust mite spider bug. I was robbed of comfort and peace of mind. I'm still itchy.

I almost died from the bleach fumes when I tried to clean my bathroom.

I got my hair cut, and I got bangs (little wispy side bangs). We'll see how it grows on me (haha, get it? ).

I went to Kneaders with my Grandma- I have missed the turkey bacon avacado sandwich so much.

While reflecting I have remembered/ realized that I am so very very lucky to have the friends, family, and sisters that I do. I wish I could always spend as much time with my family as I have this month- I miss them very much and I love them even more. Have I mentioned how awesome and funny they all are?

Also, tomorrow I am spending the day with some of my Owens family and I am really excited. 

Here are some of the very few pictures (and by very few I mean twenty nine) I took over the break. I put them all in one lump, as per not usual, because they are basically of Christmas Eve/ Christmas and have nothing to do with most of my chronological events.

I have a Harry Potter cupboard!

In my new apartment I have a cupboard under the stairs. I even labeled it. The slumber party plans are formulated, so very soon I will know better what it is like to be Harry Potter.

It doesn't look like it in this picture, but it's a small door- I'm not seven feet tall or standing on a chair. That's why it can be a cupboard.

To be continued...

Tres Hechos

1. No one freak out- only two things are official. I have officially emailed both Disney and Universal to find out more about summer internships. Disneyland? Harry Potter World? Who knows, but I am officially excited for next summer.

2. Staples is Disneyland + crack cotton candy for me. I found out the hard way today that I need a support system if I want to get out of there with just what I came for. I went for a ream of paper, and you can probably imagine the rest. The only shred of self control I possess ensured that I didn't walk down the post-it notes aisle- that could have been disastrous.

3. I made a very cute jar for toilet paper money today. I spent three hours working on that, eating my first attempt at artisan bread, and discussing fantasy novels/ The Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings. It was the best, and here it is:

Not the best picture in the world, but trust me- it's adorable.

P.S. Sometimes I think that I speak Spanish because I can use Google. But, soon I'll actually know some. Maybe.

Migration

I am having the urge to migrate.

We all know I am way to big of a wuss to ever actually relocate somewhere. But it would be nice to go to Europe. I would stay in a cottage by the sea all by myself. I would go on long walks along the shore to find seashells, ride a horse, plant flowers, read books by firelight, and go to the local market to buy ingredients for stew and cupcakes.

Preferably the sea would be the Mediterranean, the horse would be a mellow with a gray coat to match, the flowers would be red roses, my bed would be near the fire, the library would be full of fantasy, the stew would have beef and potatoes only, and the cupcakes would be chocolate.

My last preference is for my getaway to be Shell Cottage, but the one from my head doesn't exist. Sadly, the movie's version was not up to my imagination's par and Google Images failed me too. My description wouldn't do it justice, but let me tell you something- it's the cutest house I've ever seen.

Harry Potter Happy Day

I love Harry Potter. The end.

The Harry Potter premier inspired me. For Halloween I am going to be a Ravenclaw. Tie, sweater, skirt, wand- the whole shabang. I'll also get a scarf... just for fun though. The tie plus scarf would be overkill.

Anyways, I was planning this all in my head, and then I thought wait... I can't buy all this stuff for just one day. I'm a little late for all the premiers, Halloween is once a year, and (even though I was Hermione for third, fourth, and fifth grade Halloween) I don't want to be obligated to be a Ravenclaw every Halloween for the rest of my life. Plus, I could get fat or pregnant and not even be able to wear it! It was way too much for a one time thing, especially since the best Halloween party I'd go to is the Howl.

Then I had a brilliant idea. I would have a day every month that I would dress up! It's just a skirt, tie, and sweater- that's a subtle enough costume to just wear without getting too many weird looks. Also just wearing that and going into Old Main would be the most magical thing ever. This was how Harry Potter Happy Day was born. I realize that isn't catchy or clever- I'm still working on the name. I tried to come up with some alliteration that sounded good with a day of the month, but eleven hours of brainstorming at Hastings didn't result in anything clever. For now it will be known as Harry Potter Happy Day (because it will make me happy and it involves Harry Potter's world), and the tentative date is the eighteenth of every month (the day of my birthday), but that is all subject to change depending on a clever name I (or anyone who wants to help me out) might think of. I also realize a day of the week would be way easier to work with, but once a week seems a little excessive. I want to keep this fun and an occasion.

I've been wand shopping and tie shopping and scarf shopping and I am just very excited for this. I'm having trouble finding a sweater and skirt- if anyone knows of places with plain skirts and v-neck sweaters the help would be very much appreciated.

I also might make a Harry Potter treat on this day every month.

Pictures/ an actually clever name/ details to come.

Harry Potter Partay

Here are all the treats I made for Harry Potter, except the Pumpkin Pasties (very good) and Pumpkin Juice(gross)... I forgot all about documenting those...

Hedwig Cookies (these were my favorite):

The lovely centerpiece, courtesy of Gretchen. Complete with Aragog and invisibility cloak- can you spot Harry?

"Licorice Wands"- these were originally going to be the handles of the cauldron cakes but that didn't work out. We improvised:

Cauldron Cakes (cupcakes- although from now on I think I will call cupcakes cauldron cakes):

Witch cookies:

Ton-Tongue Toffee (it wasn't a big hit):

I'm So Excited!

Confession. Whenever I say that (I'm so excited!!) in private or in my head it is with a British accent. Which is very fitting for this post.

Dobby is my favorite ever. I want to keep him as one of my children. Also Kreacher. They are just so cute and needing nurturing and I'm sad that they won't be in this movie (possibly Kreacher but probably not). But, I have a Dobby pin on my name tag at work and it makes me very happy.

Harry Potter is coming up quickly- it is less than twenty days away. I have a whole lot of treats I want to make and I may have to narrow the list because it is getting a little out of control. Here is what I have so far: butterbeer, pumpkin juice, pumpkin pasties, bread pudding, sugar mice, treacle fudge, ton tongue toffee, cauldron cakes, owl shaped sugar cookies (I am going to get that cookie cutter and I am very excited), and normal pop because it can't be a party without it. Nine dishes in all, and I will be lucky if I have twice that many guests. Plus I'm not even considering decorations yet. That could get crazy. Downsizing is basically inevitable, but I am not sure what I will cut. How often do I get to do this (totally geek out with a bunch of people who love the same things I do)? Not very often. I am already sad that half of my missionary friends and two of my roommates are going to miss this epic event. It's going to be so much fun.

If the movie sucks after all of this I might cry.

Muggle

I also made a Harry Potter shirt that will be unveiled at the premier...

Way Too Invested

So last night I had a stress dream. I dreamed that it was June 14 and I had gotten the date for the new Harry Potter movie wrong so the premier was that night instead of in a month. It was like seven o'clock that night. I hadn't bought tickets so I got online and did, but I got too many and no one could come because Christian was training at the movie theater for Iron Man 2 and everyone else ignored my texts and then I forgot my sisters. And all this was happening five minutes before the movie was starting, so we were so late (I hate being late to movies; it gives me anxiety. I don't know why). I was so stressed. Then I woke up sick to my stomach stressed and freaking out.

All in all, I'd say I am way to invested/ excited/ worried about this whole Harry Potter Premier thing.

P.S. Notice I'm not "fully invested" :P

If I was a rich girl...

If I was rich I would buy all these clothes. I want some of them really really bad and unless someone convinces me I don't need them it is incredibly likely I will buy most of them, if not all of them (eventually). Here are the ones I will probably get myself at some point. If I'm lucky. 

Ravenclaw scarf. I have been eying this for quite some time now.

Because really, can it get more awesome than this?

I really think I'll buy this very soon. I have finally come to terms with  my true self.  My letter will never come...

Because I do; he is one of my favorite fictional crushes.

My house. I really want this one.

Classic. Perfect. Beautiful.