Someone get me a cane...

I'm getting so old! 20 already.
I've only lived for 2 decades and I already have
a degree, a husband, a cat...
I pretty well have my life together, I'd say.

May 29: Soundtrack

okay... so I've been gone for a while (according to the every day blog thing) but I'm back. So today I gotta find 5 songs that "speak to me". What about songs that I just love? Or that have been stuck in my head lately? Let's go with that. Also, excuse the vids... none are gonna be that great.

Here we go:

#1:Broken Heart by Motion City Soundtrack - Lately, this song is the one that I bust a move to. It just gets me excited and in a dance-y mood.

#2: Synesthesia by Andrew Mcmahon - It's such a good song and I LOVE that it's called synesthesia because it means to be able to see colors and shapes when you hear things and that's included in the lyrics! I love how smart it is.

#3: Diane Young by Vampire Weekend - I love the beat and the sound of this song on their newest album Modern Vampires of the City (which is a pretty great album in it's entirety). It's just so easy to listen to and fun. I recommend it.

#4: Elegy for Elsabet by The Weakerthans - I love this song. It's so good to listen to on a rainy day. If you're not gonna listen to all of it, which I understand, at least listen from 4:30 because they use a whirly tube and it's SO good. So well done.

#5: Lions by I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business - This is just a beautiful song in itself. I can't wait for I Can Make A Mess to come out with their next album to come out on June 11, 2013.

ENJOY! Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LIL SISTER ABBY YESTERDAY! 17 years old is too old. Go back to being 13. I can handle that. (jk, obvs. love ya, abzzz)

okay. Have a good last 3 days of May!
love, Ellen

maxin' relaxin.

It's been so long since I posted. A good 2 weeks, I'd say. Mostly, I've just been hanging out, cleaning the house, working, doing school stuff. Normal. It's my spring break this week and I'm going to go hang out with my friend Erin today and I'm so excited. I haven't hung out with this girl in much too long. I can't wait to gossip and freak out with her like old times. 

On Monday, Sean and I went to the pet store for Reggie food slash new ground for his cage (which he's totally loving) and kitty no-mark stuff because she's dumb and pees in the living room. She also drinks out of the toilet when she has a perfectly delicious automatically-refilling water bowl in the kitchen that she doesn't even have to climb to get to. She loves pushing her water dish around which makes the floor wet and I just don't understand her. At least she's been letting us pet her without attacking our hands now... I want a dog. haha

So I broke broke my new phone. I broke it 6 days after getting it by it slipping off my lap onto the ground in front of the church and then it just got more broken so I'm using Sean's old nugget-of-a-phone with slow connections and gross-sounding ringtones until my new one comes this week. I even bought a  new case for the new one so I don't go smashing it again. It's clean white and I wrote some of my favorite quotes on it. 

One week until the Hub-Cap's birthday! I already have one thing for him, I just have to pick up a couple more things and we'll be partying all over! I just hope I can top last year's awesome present:

This on a tee-shirt! Get it? Transformers + Star Wars? awesome. It's Hot Rod becoming Rodimus Prime! in the fashion of Star Wars? I'm so cool. 

I think I'm gonna go read something. Wanna know the craziest thing? I don't really have any homework over Spring Break. I had my midterm the last day of Brit. Lit., the only thing I had to do for my Creative Writing class is email a short list of personal quirks to the prof., and we never have homework in my Prehistoric Life class. I only have to read through and do a light edit of a story for my Editing class. Super cake. This is the BEST semester! and I'm so glad I'm going out with a bang. I can't wait to have my associates in April! 

Okay, for real this time. Later! Have a super fly week!

love, Ellen

Let's get married.

Okay, remember how last post i said we were planning for next spring? NOPE. We've got the funds, homies! Now we're going to do it in early October. Hooray! Right now we're hard at work planning all the things. eugh.
Here's what's already happened:

• My wedding dress is already bought and will be ready in early september
• Sean's and my dad's suits are bought and are at the tailor and should be done in a couple weeks
• We've got the invitations in the works
• The refreshments are picked out
• The decorations are starting to be made
• Abby's Maid of Honor dress is being searched for
• Same with Mom's Mother-of-the-Bride dress
• Sean's, his dad, my dad, and Sean's best man ties are picked out and purchased
• Next weekend, we're picking out cakes and doing engagement pictures
• Sometime this week, we're doing our gift registry (excited!)
• Sean is planning our honeymoon
• We're thinking about places to live after we're married.

Sometimes it seems so soon and sometimes it seems like forever away. There's still so so so much to be done and all.. ugh. Anyway, we're getting married in the St. Paul temple and having receptions there and in Bountiful. I can't wait! 

I'm going to go get ready for work and eat something now. Have a lovely day!

Also, Happy Birthday to Lexi and Hannah! 

love, Ellen

Abe Lincoln: Best Action Hero!

Seriously, though. Sean and I went and saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer and oh. my. word. BEST. It had action and drama and vampires and a burning train bridge vampire slaying ax-riffle-bayonet handling historical figure that was just awesome. It was seriously the best movie i've seen this year in the theater. Anyway, everyone should see it. It's rated R, but just you wait til it comes on DVD and watch. it's so so good.

Another thing, HAPPY 'MERICA WEEK!!! Tonight, we're watching Independence Day, tomorrow night, we're driving down to Bountiful at night for my birthday dinner, then JULY 4TH! fireworks and food and fun and all that stuff. then then then! My Birthday! fun and turning 19 and presents and a Foster the People concert. All fun. I even painted my nails red and white stripes and then my thumbs are blue with 50 stars (right?! i'm awesome.) and sparkly.

Yesterday, Sean made Pain de Campagne (country bread) and I made Norwegian Almond Cake and both are so so yummy. We're such cute little bakers. awesome. Then this morning i had a tuna sandwich and easy mac. healthy...

Anyway, short update today cuz i'm not in a mood to write a lot a lot.
oh, here is this funny picture, though.

the end.
love, ellen

HBD, MOM. (also music.)

Happy Birthday to my loving mother who helps me with all kinds of things and loves me and all that motherly stuff. 

I wrote a post back in May of 2011 all about my mom probably because of mother's day or something. anyway, i was looking at it and found some funny and true things i'm just going to repost. 

"I know my mom is never going to limit me. Ever. Of course there's curfews and 'don't date guys any more that 3 years older than you until you're in college' or something, but she's never going to say i can't love this boy because he's too anything or i can't obsess over this band because they're too whatever. She's going to support me in whatever I do and never hold me back with restrictions. And the restrictions that do hold me back, i make for myself because i was taught well. 'Cuz my [mommy] taught me good.'"

most funny.  mostly because of the part where i can't date guys more than 3 years older than me until college and what is one of the first things i do? Go falling in love with a guy 9 years older. haha. You wanna know something weird? it's really funny how i unintentionally predict my future occasionally. it's great. Here's another one.

"I really like when we go to the store for a wedding gift or something, pulling into the vehicle aisle (hilarious carr joke, if you didn't catch that.. but seriously, that's where we go first. it's got the fire extinguishers.) and go through the list. then we end up buying something kitchen-y, looking in the clearance for clothes, buying a candy bar, and eating it in the parking lot before heading home. i don't think i'll ever forget that."

 This is funny because now Sean and I now get ride-home treats. It's super great. Anyway, if you want to read the whole thing, here it is.

So that's all. Happy Birthday, Mom. You're great.

Love, Ellen.

One more thing. So on Monday, Sean and I and his brother Brady went to the Motion City Soundtrack concert and it was SO good. We liked both of the openers also and it was great.
here's some vids to check out from all the bands.

The concert started off with The Front Bottoms:

This is a great song and i really like this band and the vid is great. all of it.

Next up was The Henry Clay People:

They're great also. In the band, there are 2 brothers. the older one sings and the younger one looks like a mix between heath ledger and johnny depp. it's crrraaaaaaaaaaazy. anyway.

Finally, the headliner, Motion City Soundtrack:

I think this is one of the ones they played that i liked... anyway.

just thought you might like some music enjoyment. love, ellen.

It Abby Birthday!

Since she made fun of me for doing birthday posts, it's some days late. probably more than some. also, i'm lazy and it's blah blah excuse. i know, i know.

Happy Birthday Squish-ter! You're pretty rad and i really hope you like Clueless. and that super awesome tassel-y ball. Sean and I still don't understand how you managed to break the loop and one of the tassels in 15 minutes when we had been playing with it all day and managed to not do any damage... but whatever.

i was looking through my box of memories and stuff and i have a lot a lot of letters from you and i read some of them and they were great. I hope you're having a super killer time at EFY this week and will have the best summer of ever this year.

Love, Ellen.

and a goofy picture just to top it all off.

now back to our regular scheduled programming. summer is... great. i'm really having a hard time with work and enjoying it because it's just.. annoying and there's nothing to do. and next week i'm picking up about 10 extra hours. which will definitely help with the money problems.. awesome.

Sean and I are going to go see Jay Mohr this weekend at Wiseguys. Should be fun, i think.
I feel like wearing a summery dress today but it's only 59 degrees. i'll probably wear it tomorrow.
okay, i'm gonna go shower and get ready.
Hope your week is fabulous!
Love, (for realz this time) Ellen

Happy Birthday, Hot Stuff

Since i'm not in the mood for writing sappy cliche things on ye olde facebook, i've converted to a more efficient way of communicating my love and birthday wishes: bloggery!
but no seriously.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best best best best boyfriend in the universe, Sean. I hope it's as kick-awesome as i am planning and that you'll love love love your gift {but i already know you will}. I cannot wait to give it to you. seriously. i keep wanting to give you hints, but i won't. because i want you to be so excited for it. and you will be. and i am. or something.
Also, I Love You. completely. There's no better way to say it. I just do and it's plain and simple. I love you.  and i can't say it enough.
I can't wait to go to Phoenix with you! It's going to be so fun and great. just awesome. Seriously cannot wait.

Sean's name is Earl. 

(photo/chocolate credit: my parents, quote credit: Marcus Penny)

But f'realz. I Love You, Sean, and I hope you have the best best birthday in the history of birthdays. 

love, Ellen.

Chuck E. Cheese's...

Where a medium-size group of adults can be better than kids at games, win 720 something tickets, and pay ridiculous prices for mediocre pizza.

but no srsly. it was hilarious. here's a pic of me and chuck:

it was cussin' hilarious. it was my amigo cody's 1/2 birthday and we went to chuck e. cheese's and played hilarous games and i won like 117 tickets on that one where you have to push the button when the light is in the space. and marcus won a mill on simpson's game. like 200. All together, we got like 720 something tickets out of 130 tokens.

oh. i forgot to mention this has been the most crammed, eventful, crazy week of my life. seriously. i can't even remember monday... or tuesday. i do remember my english teacher saying "your rough drafts are due on thursday" and me being all "there goes my week..." and then also oh yeah! jenny stayed at my house last sunday night. wednesday.. oh! i got friday and next tuesday off of work and chilled during my lunch break with Alex and looked at wedding-y stuff. thursday... i did a bunch of homework and cleaned my room... maybe? then just in these last 2 days i've been over-the-edge.

Friday: went to classes, put my check in the bank, went to H&M with Jenny and bought some really rad clothes then went to cheesecake factory. decided Jenny's NUTS. insane. and then came back, changed, went to walmart for a  minute, went to chuck e. cheese's, won stuff and ate pizza and cake, went to the bowling alley, left because of the ridiculous wait (p.s. it was snowing), went to sarah's played reverse-human-jenga [where one person sits in the middle and you go around the circle adding dvd cases to a pile on top of the person's head] and ate stuff and then played words-with-friends on smartyfones. then i came home and slept.

Saturday: woke up at like 10:30 from a nutzo dream about me marrying a guy named steven (and i don't know a steven) in the temple without being endowed and then trying to find him so i could spray him with shaving cream, cleaned my apartment for like 3 hours, showered and changed real fast and went to Cindy's baptism (she is ADORABLE and i am SO happy for her. So much.), grabbed left-over food from work, ran home saw Mommy, Abby and Tanya there! YAY!, changed, chatted, erchap and hannah came and then jenny and shopped for jewelry for a while and chilled and ate the left-over foods, they left and then jenny and i went to thanksgiving dinner, ate super yummy foods and danced a little and chatted and then went to Jaimie's house and played the picture game (sentence, picture, sentence, picture) and then whatif... and then Stack-n-Laugh [same as reverse-human-jenga but with the added fun of "would you rather" to make it harder to sit still] and then 2 more rounds of picture game, came home, cleaned up from party and chatted with flatmates, put away clothes washed from earlier. BED

which is what i'm doing now. i just wanted to give ya'lls the low-down. I hope your thanksgiving is full of the most wonderful things!
Love, Ellen

Just a quickie.

Basically, i just wanted to post now that i had all my birfday pics on my lappy. Even though i was planning on going to bed early. so tired. but here's these. hope you like! also, they're kind of backward so deal.

Yay! After we blew bubbles and played frisbee and catchphrase and drank lemonade, we played twister! I'm pretty sure Maddy won this one. woo!

My frans gave me way rad gifss! what cool friends. fro sho.

Awe! They put cakes in an 18 cuz that's my age now! wat awesome peeps.

Look at me being surprised! KarKar totally got me on this one. WOO! Happy!

And that's that. i put a ton of more pics of this on facebook cuz it was super faster and because, like i tole you, i wanna go to bed.

And i love you. or something.

Love, Elle-o-rama

Alright, Alright, I'll admit it.

As much as I'm against Harry Potter and how it sicks me out to talk about it for too long, I did enjoy the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2. it just might be due to the fact that i have a huge huge crush on Matthew Lewis.

Oh, my. Just look at his beautiful face and gorgeous teeth and wonderful eyes and his super handsome suit. i just love it. And he's a HERO! not just to me, but Harry Potter and his mates.
ugh. why can't i like be his best friend and then girl friend and then wife and eternal partner? (yeah, i'll have to convert him. shouldn't be too hard though... right?)

On another note that's kind of the same not but a different blah blah blah. My brain keeps thinking in British. seriously. Didn't think that could happen? try excess amounts of Beatles, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Harry Potter, Charlie McDonnell, and the Georgia Nicholson book series. So now my brain says things like "mum" and "snogging" and "nervy spaz" and "mates" and that. and it accidentally said bloody but i don't think that counts as a swear because it's in my brain and we're actually in America, not England. whatever.

Anyway, it was great. and I'm awake before noon on the day after the midnight showing where i got to bed at 3:20. but it was worth it.

oh, and another thing that is not on that note at all.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TWO OF MY BESTEST CHUMS
HANNAH and LEXI! I hope your day is filled to the maximum brim with fun and happy things and presents and the likes. You know, party it up. You don't turn 18 or 16 every day! So kick it into gear and rock it. or whatever people say these days.
Love, Ellen.

A Birthday and some other news.

I've gotta start out by saying I have the best friends in the whole world.
I'll start from the beginning. logical, i know.

So yesterday was my birthday (technically 2 days ago because i'm posting at night again, no suprise) and I woke up at 7 and got ready and went down to UVU. after waiting, getting lost, and having a mental breakdown, we finally got to our meeting. We sat down and discussed my major and what classes I needed to take. I got registered (French, Environmental Management, English 201H, and American Lit to 1865). Then! I went to the financial aid department and got my scholarship! Best start to a birthday ever!.

Then we went to Noodles and Company for lunch - yum. came home and i think i have a nasty habit of falling asleep in the car when there's no stimulating conversation. i can't help it! anyway.. got home and opened 45 presents from my parents and Abby. A picnic basket filled with essential living things (from medicine to tools to hygiene to cleaning supplies) and a pillow and some towels.

Waited a while and then went to Daniel's house. We watched Pride and Predjudice and he made me a cake (yum! Thanks, Daniel!). Then we got a pizza and some pop, went back and ate. I left and picked up Emily and then went to Scott's suprise party. We sat around and chatted to a couple people. everyone ate but i already had. plus it was kinda awkward cuz it was his birthday too. anyway, they were nice enough and put 3 candles in what was left of the cake for me to blow out. then the lights went out, my old friend Lilly came, and we danced. and everyone left the pavillion. where we were dancing. they just stood on the outer edges! What? okay.. anyway...
I left and went back to Daniel's house and watched the last 1/2 hour of P&P and told them about the party. then I took Teresa to my house and we looked at my gifts and then I took her home.

AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE HALF OF IT!!!

Today started out pretty normal. I woke up at like 11 and went upstairs. I sat around and watched tv... Abby came home with blue hair (oh, yeah. did I say I dyed some of my hairs purple? it's kinda fading already but i have some purple left over to redye it.), and my mom said "just go get ready." so i did. and then i sat around for a while. ate some watermelon. Grandpa came over and gave me some money (THANKS!) and we visited and we're going boating sometime. then i get a call from Karlie. "Hey, me and Jaycee just bought some kites and we were wondering if you and Abby wanted to come fly them with us" "SUre!" "k, i'll be there in 5"

She comes, Abby packs a camera, i find more kites just in case. We get in her car and drive to the park. I get out and SUPRISE!!!!!!!!!!! All my friends (minus Miss Erin who's in Florida (but i did recieve a call from her on my real birthday)) were there and they had cakes and soda and chips and tons of fun things to do and gifts and it was so great!! We played frisbee, catch phrase, twister, took some pics, danced, ate, and it was ultimately the best party I ever went to.
I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends who think of me and I couldn't ask for anything better! I was seriously giving up on my birthday all together, but they definitely pulled it out of the trash and made it amazing. I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!!!!

And that's how I had the best birthday ever.
Now onto the not-so-whatever bit called the other news.
So this summer started out with me and a summer romance. After a bit of fun, i went on vacation and everything kinda came tumbling down (not due to the vacation, i'm sure, but still. that's when it happened.). He stopped talking to me and we never hung out and it was just a bummer. Then, at the party last night, he talked to me. and it was so awkward. I've basically just gotten mostly over him (after a 19 page text and a breakdown) and i realized we'd probably never hang out again. Then, tonight, i get a text with him saying he's having a breakdown and is just so busy and wanting me to define things. so i say "I figured a summer romance" and he says "thanks. now it won't be awkward." and i think "probably..."
and that's the news.

And now i'm just content.

Thanks again to my friends and family and UVU for making my 18th the best birthday ever. I love you all!
Love, Ellen

You are the Dancing Queen

rather, i am the dancing queen. I stinkin' love dancing. like if there's a song being played in a grocery store, i'll dance. or in the car, i'll start playing the drums on my steering wheel and jamming out at the best parts. I dance in my room while i'm getting ready in the morning (or sometimes early afternoon depending on the day...) or for bed at night. I love going to dance functions (like school dances or street dances) and just going all out.

except one time, at a street dance, this guy with a bloody face ran into me and i had to go home to put my shirt in a sanitary was cuz it had blood on it. gross gross grosssssss. plus it was overpriced...

anyway. another reason, i like Queen. maybe even love. Not like Beatles Love but close. less, but close. They're just so original and deep and their lyrics are poetry as well as their musicality. phwoar. Basically, i'm adding this chunk because i watched part of a Queen documentary recently and i didn't even realize it, but i know a lot of their songs. hmm. but still. or whatever.

In essence, what i'm trying to say is, basically...
I WANT TO HAVE A DANCE PARTY.
and... my birthday is one week from today (technically today because it's just past midnight.)
I mean, i'm never excited for my birthday, i'm just excited to be one year older and get to be a legal Adult or whatever. and vote and stuff. and hopefully get a job. hopefully. I had that interview... no luck. daggit. side-tracked... back. Anyway. If someone wants to throw me a suprise dance/birthday party, i would not oppose. I would come and dance my heart out.
But, i'm not holding anyone to it and i don't expect it.

Oh, and i'm freaking out about college and how i can't register yet even though i'm past the scholarship deadline and she won't answer her phone and i'm just super stressed out and aaaahhhhhhhhh! What if I can't go to college because I don't have a scholarshipppppp??!?!?!
I HAVE TO GO. I've gotta. you know, mild freak-outs.. they happen.

blah blah blah and stuff. So, summer, right? it happens. And sometimes, i wish it would be forever. or that i could be more prepared and less stressed and about to cry or whatever. you know. anyway, summer is cool. i sleep and do stuff. sometimes i get a pizza and sometimes i sit around a lot of the day. but whatever, it's still summer and i'll be wanting it back when i have mounds of homework and a job and school and debt. you know. debt. maybe i can get a student loan? except everyone says "ughhhh" when student loan comes up in a conversation. but if it'll help, i'll definitely go for it. please bless everything works out. pleeeassseeee.

Anyway, i'm also confused at the whole romance bit. but whatever. i'm not going to like yammer on about that forever. cuz i could. but i won't. if you wanna hear about it, text me. and then we can do stuff and i'll drive. cuz i like driving. we can get a soda or something.
and sit in "no specific" parking lot until 11:30.

good night and stuff.
love, ellen.

And a Shout-Out:

To ma Momma! Happy Birthday, Miss Mom! You're the absolute coolest and you are funny and tickled my ear while i was eating chocolate which was weird but it was still cool! And i probably will never forget when you made your arm "look like a snake". best ever. Anyway, if any other readers wanna look at how fabby my mom is, check out the post Here's to Her. it's a good'n.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MA!