Anticipation

I'm so excited to go skiing with my family... ( I should probably photoshop my dad in there... and I also have a brother and sister-in-law... and a nephew. Just so everyone knows.)


...and, of course, with my favorite skiing buddy...

New Purpose

Today, while at lunch with one of my friends (not Alexis) I was confronted with the question of what is fun to do at BYU/the Provo area. My mind quickly went through all the things that I do for fun. Make cakes, watch movies with Lex, go to dinner at Lexi's family's house on Sunday, go out to eat... and it stopped. Surely I must do fun things here?! What do I do?

This pitiful attempt at making a list of fun things made me realize that I need to focus on doing more fun things.

So that's the goal. If anyone is doing anything fun, let me know so I can invite myself. :)

Tiger Ears

I want one of these right now.

Theory Disproved

Title: A theory disproved: Chelsea has no "game" anymore (not that she ever really did...)

Abstract: Yesterday, September 7, 2009 goes down in history as the day that disproved a scientific theory.

Introduction: The theory: If you pretend you are interested in something that a member of the opposite sex is interested in, they will invite you to take part in that activity with them regardless if they really intend to do it.

Example:

Guy: I LOVE baseball. I go to all the BYU baseball games
Girl: Oh my gosh! I love baseball too, but I haven't been able to make it to any of the games, but I would love to go! (which may or may not be true)
Guy: We should go sometime! (which also may or may not be true)
Girl: Yeah!

There you have it.

Now the last part of the theory is important, because people don't necessarily have to do what they say they should do.

Real Life Example: Alexis and inviting people over for dinner.

If you know Alexis, you have probably been invited over for Sunday dinner with her family. When in reality, she has absolutely no intentions of speaking of it again. But this situation still coincides with the theory perfectly. It's the act of inviting, not the act of actually doing that is important here.

But last night, the theory was disproved. Big time.

Methods: Lex and I had just gotten back from a run, and were sitting on the front steps of our apartment, when an undisclosed member of our ward whom we both know came and spoke with us for a little bit. The subject turned to mountain biking (he is an avid mountain biker).

Results: I said, "Lex and I have always wanted to go mountain biking! It seems like so much fun!" This is his answer - are you ready for it?

"Well, if you ever need someone to fix your bike, I can help."

Discussion: Oh man. I had to check if my nose was broken from having the door slammed in my face so hard. My nose was still intact but my pride was another story.

Conclusions: Theory Disproved.

Sunburns

It's that time again! Time for Guess What Body Part That Is! First one is pretty easy: 

The next ones aren't as easy. 

Five weeks of self-acceptance

It's about half way through my outrageously awesome adventure. And I've learned many things along the way. But here I will only touch on one aspect of my trip: self-acceptance. 

My face. For about the past week, I have stopped wearing makeup, therefore, I must accept my face exactly how it is. Italy is a great place for this because though I may be in a busy town such as Florence, or hanging out with beach babes in Rimini, Italy doesn't ask you to wear make up. As one of my awesome friends who is french, has lived all over Europe and now resides in Venice, informed me, europeans think Americans try too hard to look like celebrities all the time. I most definitely have not been looking like a celebrity.

My hair. I don't do my hair, either. I don't blow dry, curl, straighten, or control it in any way. Sometimes I put it in a pony tail if my neck is getting too hot, but other than that it's wild and free. Italy doesn't ask you to do your hair either. Most people's hair is wild and free here.

My leg hair. Before the trip, Lex and I went to get our legs waxed and much to our dismay, our hair was too short. I still haven't shaved my legs. It's been 4.5 weeks. That's right. I haven't shaved my legs in 4.5 weeks. My hair is so long, I can feel the breeze in my hair. My leg hair. 

My body. I forgot my swimming suit, and upon arriving in Italy it became apparent that I really needed one. I bought the most modest swimming suit I could find, which is a far cry from my usual Speedo lap suit and shorts. At least my thighs are getting tan... for the first time ever. 

My clothing. This one has become so natural, that I forgot about it and I had to come back and add it! I wear the same clothes every day. I have three pairs of shorts and five shirts. I bought two shirts here, but I pretty much base my decision of what I wear on cleanliness, not style. 

I feel like I'm scraping all the superficial crap from my body and mind and replacing it with self-acceptance and love. It's feels great, even if it has its moments of discomfort and pain (sunburns).

But don't worry. I'll shave my legs when I get back :)

Favorite Places

It's our second day in Rimini, Italy; and although I have a sun burn, which on the Alexis Scale of Sunburns from grapefruit to raspberry rates a tomato, Rimini is my vary favorite place. Everything here is so beautiful: the beach, the food (especially gilatto), the language, the people. The list goes on and on. Coming from Florence, which seems to be about 90% tourists, (except for the super nice gillato man who asked Lex and me out for drinks, which we had to decline, thus casting a shadow of misery over our adventure especially when we buy gillato, which is often.) it is nice to be in a place that is completely void of tourists. Most people here speak some broken English, but a lot of our communication comes from hand gestures and what little Italian I can get from the Italian phrase book I bought. It's fantastic.