le jour de l'action de grâce

which means thanksgiving in French. lots'o words for one thing. and yeah, this really is just another Thanksgiving-themed post.

This i am thankful for:

1. My family because they're always there for me, they're hilarious, and they always make really yum-tastic foods. 
2. My ward because they definitely give me something better to do than sit around in my lonely apartment all day. this comes with being thankful for Del Taco for after FHE.
3. My friends for supporting me and not hating me even though i can definitely be super annoying and a pain sometimes. and sometimes going out to sushi with me and walmart and just chill and let me riffle through their foods. 
4. My laptop to keep me company when i can't have anyone else as company. and helping me with all my homework. and containing all my fave music. 
5. clothes. for doing the job of clothes. and looking awesome. same with shoes. 
6. food. for being food. Delicious, nutritious, tasty, happy, filling... the best. There's so many kinds and flavors and brands and recipes and temperatures.. just the best. especially holiday food. nothing like it.
7. college. as much as i am in love-hate with it, i'm glad i'm there and that i have classes and professors and am learning and whatever. i mean "yayy!" hah.
8. My job. I actually really like my job. as much as i don't want to spend 4 hours on my feet making people i don't even know happy with food and then taking their money and all that, i really like making people happy and getting money and getting to know regulars and just chatting and hanging out with my hilarious co-workers. It's really great, especially for a first/food-industry job. 
9. bathrooms. for obvs reasons. (and i kinda hafta pee right now. lol.) 
10. my silly kitty. that makes me want to squish the bajeebers out of it regularly. and making me laugh cuz it's funny. 
11. movies. that pass the time and make me happy and entertained. and also for their ability to connect people of all kinds. "Oh, i don't really like this movie because blah blah." "duude! me neither!" like that.
12. my car. that works. and even though i'm certainly beginning to save up for a new one eventually, i'm glad i have this one and that it takes me places and makes me feel safe and happy and all that. 

yes. all these things. and I just wanted to finish with a picture of a happy thanksgiving turkey deal. so that's what that was.

Happy Thanksgiving, All! hope your turkey is as good as mine. because mine is cussin' delish. 

amen. 

Love, Ellen

Golden Slumbers

not a reference to death. It's a beatles song. Yes, i'll talk about halloween, but i also wanted to mention some funny sleep experiences i've had lately so this was perfectly applicable. yeah.

i've been having weird dreams a lot lately. I woke up this morning laughing. and i can't remember what i was laughing at. All i remember is Marcus my ward-mate telling me to listen to the song that the evil people were singing and hearing them try to find a rhyme for something and instead saying "lime" and then us cracking up and then i woke up laughing. too bad i can't remember what it was...

and then this afternoon i took a nap and i remember some of it.. i went to this place i can't remember the name of but the manager lady said these words "it's like social sex." and i'm like what? and then i pay and go in. they put a blindfold on you but it's a see-through, plastic bandanna and then you're lead into a room, put on the floor and told to go. then you scurry around and find someone and start talking to them. and apparently you're allowed to sit in somewhat compromising positions (not like hold your horses, cowboy. but more like you're sitting awful close, mister...) and just chat the whole time. but the whole time was like 2 minutes. it was just weird.

remember how halloween was, like, yesterday? oh, it was. hurrah! it seems like forever ago. probably because i took that nap at 2 today and it was solid. anyway. Halloween was good. A bunch of my ward-mates gathered and we went to the pizza pie cafe in provo, ate, and then went back to Marcus's to tell scary stories and then watch the Doctor Who episode Blink. very very good. all the people were kinda disappointed though that no one really died and it was all happy in the end. but that's okay. it's still good.

speaking of the Doctor, i just finished watching the series! I'm all caught up! yeah! And my friend Alex said she saw a Matt Smith walking around campus yesterday but i missed him!! And i'm so sad. But i'm fixed on the theory that it was the real Doctor and he had to visit the school because there is something alien-y going on and he had to save the day.

And my roommate got a date! Yay! I'm so happy for her! I hope this turns out well and everything is super great! Super awesome.

And i think that's all. now i'm going to go finish my response to Meat-glue. Oh, for your food-y English class? nope. my Environment class. Sheesh, i might as well just combine them into one and say good. stupid. 
anyway.


à plus tard!
~E~

C'est une Blague.

I renamed my blog. sometimes it's cool to have a diff blog title than the url. 
So i went with one of my new favorite French sayings:
C'est une blague.
it means "it's a joke" 
it's kind of like French's "jk, lol." but it's somewhat more formal. just a little.


speaking of French, in my class today, someone  brought croissants and butter and chocolate chips: incredifabulorad. i made that up. but no srsly, they were AMAZING. He works at Brick Oven and got them from there and i wanted to eat several.
j'ai envie manger trop de croissants. 
i'm starting to really like french again. maybe it's how funny my class is and how much i already know. 


anyway, i just thought you should know. 
love, elle

#ldsconf

how many people can live-tweet General Conference? too many.

But i really enjoyed this one. it just kept reminding me "hey. you need to bust out that p. blessing and have a read or two." so as soon as i got home, went to ward prayer, washed the dishes, cleaned my room, and got some sinus relief herbal tea, i got it out and read through it.

I am amazed how many times i am reminded of my Heavenly Father's love lately. It's like every day. Even when i don't have FHE or Institute or church or anything. I just feel him walking with me to my classes and sitting with me during my lunch break while i'm reading my homework due in less than an hour (it's okay. it's just reading. and it's better if i read it closer to the class because i remember more).

I am constantly being reminded of his infinite power too. Like in my French class. I am learning a lot about this whole new culture and i can't believe how Heavenly Father just created everyone and gave them each different adventures and like even knowing different languages is incredible.

And Dr Who! (you know i had to tie it in somehow. just wait. it gets better.) It just reminds me that He made worlds without end. We don't even know those worlds or how they live or what they speak or what they look like. Well.. they're going to look like us most likely because we are created in his image and after his likeness but we don't know what they're skin color will be. Just take the diversity of the earth and make it on a larger scale.

And he put this most incredible prophet on Earth just for us. It really feels like Thomas S. Monson was chosen to speak to us in this generation because we all love his stories and his humor and his genuine love for each and every one of us. I'm sure if i went up to him that he would treat me like a cousin. because that's just how he is. He's the perfect example for us to follow, really.

And of course, i have to mention that i went home this weekend. You may think i'm a sissy for going home bi-weekly but i have reasons every time! never just frivolity. Although i do enjoy spending time with my fam and seeing my high school mates. I guess I just feel a lot more comfortable there because i don't have to work around non-relative people with different lives than me and put myself out there a mil. I can just enjoy the company of my mom and dad as we watch a movie or talk about my future wedding (no, no. I'm not dating anyone or anything. i'm just planning like every other girl.) or getting gas with my dad's money and having a DVR and i know where everything is and i can navigate the walmart and target fairly well and i have people i can see without travelling a million miles and planning days in advance.

I'll tell you what happened this weekend because i think it's cool. My super rad boss and i were chatting and i told her that 1 of my 2 friday classes was cancelled and that i could go home early friday for a long weekend besides the fact that i have work. And she said she could cover my shift and Yungmuk volunteered to take my Saturday. Yay! So i left home at about 10, grabbed some gas, and headed home for a fun surprise. I came in through the back door to see my mom waiting at the bottom of the stairs. She said "I saw you sneaking!" and i said "I left my keys at my apartment and i was hoping the back door was open..." and then i went down and hugged her and we watched most of an episode of parenthood.

 then i went to my Alma Mater to surprise Abby. I got there and chatted with my old jewelry teacher for a mint about how i won $2 at the county fair for my necklace and some other stuff and then i went into abby's french class and chatted with my old french teacher for a mint until the bell rang and i saw abby about to walk out and then her friend said "hey, isn't that your sister?" and she was all "Heeeeey!" and came over and hugged me and then i took her and Lex and Reese out to lunch. and then i bought abby a super rad foam finger like "live long and prosper" but viking-y. you'll have to see it. then she ditched her last class and her, me, and mom went to Dilly Dally's and abby got some sunglasses and we bugged mom a bit and it was fun. then we picked up some maddox (<3) and came home.

and then we also did the conference stuff, played the game i got dad for his birthday and we had a turkey dinner and we watched Whip It (LOVE! I would definitely want to buy this movie. It's SO cute and it's just great. recommend frosho.) and Megamind (also pretty good but not as good as Whip It) - not in that order. oh, and me, Mom and Sharla went to their cousin Leslie's son's wedding reception and chatted and ate some yummy refreshments and then went to HomeGoods and Sharla bought me a really nice side-table storage thing that i'm so excited about.

and now i'm home, blogging, and i'm about to go to bed. i just made myself a cute lunch for tomorrow of a peanut butter sandwich, a granola thing, cookies, and an orange juice thing. awww! reminiscent of youth and all that. i'm excited. it's even in a princess lunch box. yay!

here's a link to my song of late.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwOjsYNcUW0
or this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdghL1NGk0g&feature=related
either way.
i wish i could, like, make the vids actually on here. but it never works for me.
ugh.

okay. night!
-Ellen of Utah
p.s. Pres. Monson quoted the Beatles! heart.

Salut! Comment vas-tu?

translation: Hey, how goes it?

So i told you i'm taking a french class. it's good. good times. funny and i'm learning and stuff and right now i'm trying to watch Amelie but it's kinda crappin out on me. i get extra cred if i do. so i am. yay.
I'm also in an Intermediate Writing class (aka English 201H) and i already told you how much i suck at it.
and my Lit class is super rad and, even though i don't feel like the wisest one there, i definitely fit in and feel comfortable there.
and my Environment class is great except for the group project. i hate group projects. especially this one. It basically feels like i'll be doing whatever work we actually do and/or i'll be put in another group and made to feel somewhat like an outsider. great... not. this sucks. stupid acid rain and crap group.

and work is good. I'm getting a lot better at figuring things out on my own without having to ask my manager or co-workers how to do things. better.

I just got back from a quick trip home. It was full of babies. but that's a good thing. A really cute baby shower for my cousin's girlfriend and a baby shower for my other cousin's newest baby girl (stinking ADORABLE.) And sorta now that i'm all grown up (not) i can fit in a little better with my cousins... or not. i mean maybe it'll be better when i'm married but it's kinda tough when basically all your cousins are married with kids and all there is to do at family parties is to talk about school. school is great. that's all. pretty bland subject, but whatever. i love my fam, don't get me wrong, it's just that abby and i could definitely use some fun conversation or memories of games to reminisce about, ya know?

eh. uhm. Oh, yah. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! That's like the main reason i went home. I got him a fun board game and mom and abby got him a shiatsu massager chair thing (really rad, btdubs). Unfortunately, though, mom got sick so that was a bummer. it's okay. We had a good dinner and watch some of the emmys and i drank some sips of a virgin bloody mary (ew ew ew ew) and got my food handlers permit. hooplah.

other than that, that's all. and i'm tired. and i love you. probably.
love, Elle (est amusant).