twenty-four firsts

so a few months back, i turned 24. i [unofficially] decided to do 24 things i've never done before. i wanted it to be enjoyable and growth-promoting, rather than stressful, so i didn't pre-determine the list. instead, when faced with a choice, i just consciously made the decision based off of what i hadn't done before. so it pushed me out of my comfort zone, but wasn't as much pressure as a checklist.

here are my (favorite) "first" 24 things i'd never done before that i've done since my birthday:

1. ate at stan's diner
2. got an asymmetrical haircut
3. made a fake band and sang some duets at an open mic night at a real concert venue (and completely bombed it)
4. finally slept in the memorial room in the wilk
5. watched the video of said concert from #3 (which took just as much courage as it did to perform in the first place, and way more humility)
6. was interviewed for BYU TV
7. sang a solo and duet at the next week's open mic (and rocked it...at least better than the first time)
8. swam one whole lap freestyle without stopping (you have no idea: this is SO pathetic, but a big accomplishment considering how sick i was this semester. i had virtually no endurance)
9. aced the last test i will ever take in the testing center (which was actually ridiculously easy, but i'll count it)
10. lay on a nice spot of grass and watched the moody sky change, while bubbles (yes, bubbles) floated past, while listening to super cathartic music
11. finally went to mountain west burrito (and ate an entire burrito in one sitting, thankyouverymuch)
12. participated in the TOMS day without shoes event
13. went to wal-mart at 2 am. and tried on boxes. yeah, you heard me.
14. attended the holi festival of colors (and it hailed!)
15. went to sushi at sakura
16. 113 mph on a bullet bike (i was the passenger) :) (don't have a photo of the bike, so pictured below are the biking jackets, and also the beautiful lake that was found and admired, mid-ride. 'nuff to stop and stare for a while.)
17. switched phone companies (after going back SIX times to my provider with problems with my new phone...hello, verizon! please be good to me....)
18. got a 4.0 GPA. ...first time EVER since high school. this was my last semester, and my easiest, but i'm still really proud of it.
19. created a successful SOLO art show!
20. went on a self-date in my hometown. which is something i often did in NY, but i can't recall doing it here.
21. went camping with a huge group of friends. until now, we've never really gotten a good-sized group together to camp.
22. shot arrows with a bow!
23. bought my very own dslr camera and lens (with help from dad as part of my i'll-eventually-graduate-college gift), as well as cs6
24. applied for a u.s. passport.... :)

big things, little things, ALL THE THINGS! i really like doing this; i'm going to make it a habit. why not, right? below are some of the things. in relative order.

what have you recently done for the first time? or things you will do?!  

now that i'm older

today was my birthday. i hope you celebrated, too. :) 

gonna be a good life

"i think we should make today a good day. : )"

-jeff, march 21, 8:37am

well, i'm home from new york and it's been really rough getting back into things. i vented to jeff sunday night and felt a bit better.

but after i got that text the next morning, i was reminded of the obvious: my attitude is my choice. and you know what? it's been a fantastic 2.25 days.

this morning, i drove to school (late) and it was super sunny and happy...and there were 4 songs in a row that i just completely danced to on the radio.

this was one of 'em.



ps, on top of that, it's my birthday week. i therefore give permission for everyone to be happy for no reason (and if you need a reason, it's my birthday week! go out and get yourself a gift or somethin.) i even got a text from my birthday week letting me know it would promise to be awesome. again, i extend this to everyone's week....but it's your choice. ;)

it all started with a mouse.

dear mickey mouse,

the walt disney company recognizes your official birthday as november 18, 1928.

first of all, i'm glad walt disney's wife lilly offered you the name of mickey, not 'mortimer' like walt first thought.

thanks for being walt's first creation after his first big character, oswald the lucky rabbit, was stolen from him-- by way of fine print in legal documents by those whom he had called friends. you really saved the day.

did you know you were the first cartoon to talk? ever?

i think it's pretty cool that you were created, in reality, as walt's alter ego. i also think it's pretty cool that walt himself was the voice of your character, and since then, only two others have held that cherished position.

both you and walt started off --very literally-- poor and shoeless.

did you know that walt disney designed you after the likes of charlie chaplin? he once said, "we wanted something charming and appealing, and we thought of a tiny bit of a mouse that would have something of the wistfulness of chaplin--a little fellow trying to do the best he could."

thank you, mickey, for being the symbol of hope through the Great Depression. your optimism was the silver lining on the clouds of despair that were shrouding the vision of the people.

president roosevelt admired your "spirit and resourcefulness"(according to pat williams). so, he ordered that your cartoons be played in the white house.

england even liked you--king george v made sure that your cartoons were played along with every film at the buckingham palace.

walt even received a medal from the League of Nations, recognizing you as a "symbol of universal good will."

things got crazy in the world, mickey, war broke out. good thing you were around.

you brought such comfort to the people, that adolf hitler actually banned your cartoons from german theaters!

at the time of the London Blitz, the English children were actually given gas masks bearing your picture! as pat williams* says, "the terror of the bombing raids was made more bearable because [mickey] mouse was there."

on D-Day (june 6, 1946) there was a password given to the soldiers fighting. it was one that all the friendly forces would recognize: "mickey mouse".

walt disney summed you up pretty well: "mickey mouse to me is a symbol of independence. born of necessity, the little fellow literally freed us of immediate worry."

you did all this, mickey, and much much more. i don't think the world today quite realizes what all you've done. so, i just wanted to say thank you.

happy birthday, mickey. i hope it was a good one.

sincerely,
a [not so secret] admirer

(this was the first mickey cartoon; the sound was added after it was released, when walt discovered sound technology)

*all of this information in my letter to mickey and the quotes are from one of my newfound most cherished books: how to be like walt, by pat williams with jim denney. it would be so very worth your time to read.

"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing--that it was all started by a mouse."

-Walt Disney

my birfday!

Yesterday was the big 2-0. (20 years old, that is. It's not some game score of 2 to 0...never mind). I don't have lots of time to post (in fact, if possible I have negative time to post) but I wanted to make note of the amazingness of yesterday. So I will list briefly:

*I came home from school to find beautiful yellow and purple flowers in my room the night before my birthday! They were the start to a great birthday.
*After midnight, Joseph (as in Josweph) and I got my first drink as a 20-year old: horchata. At a place in Lindon, called W****rs. The reason I can't type where it is? Because we spent a whole night last week questing to find Orange Bang (it's whipped!) and found it here. So I'm not just going to give away where it is...go on your own quest.
*Woke up. my super sweet roommate Steph had written, "happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear kristin, happy birthday to you!" on my mirror.
*My other adorable roommate Marvi made me banana pancakes, chocolate milk, and a little fruit cup thingy for breakfast! (she, too, understands that no meal is complete without chocolate milk)
*At school, my dance class sang happy birthday to me. Horrible sounding, but welcome nonetheless.
*My friend Ammon totally gave me loverly yellow flowers (accented with red...it matched my outfit!) and banana bread! mmm, the tasty goodness.
*Friend Matthew gave me a fabulous birthday CD full of happy songs that I've always wanted. Apparently he has been meticulously note-taking; every time I say "Ooh! Ooh! I LOVE THIS SONG!!!" (which happens more frequently than most people would think), he would go write it down. Needless to say, my iPod is much more "me" now. Also, he got me a sweEEet scrapbook thang with a few of my favorite pictures from around the Tree.
*Adam "Awesome" Bangerter joined our lunch bunch and that pretty much made it a party.
******skip ahead********
*Took my Comms quiz. Did decently.
*The long-awaited event of watching Brian Regan (the Reganmeister!) with Kevin Lambert, with whom I work. Because Kevin is professionally funny along with his rooommate, there was much rejoicing and laughter with the three of them (including Brian Regan) there.
*My amazing roommates Stephanie, Linsey, and Marvi took me to The Pizza Factory! Along with Linsey's boyfriend Corbin and Steph's friend John. It was a good time...I tried to take a picture of all of us. Many attempts later, our food came and i filled up promptly. And Linsey gave me guitar picks and a harmonica!!! Oh. My. Amazing. I'm stoked.
*Come back to the apartment to find out that my room has been completely thrashed...by love! Jess and Diana had come and did a fabulous job. There were streamers, balloons, and candy strewn all over the floor. My favorite part was the fabulous sticky notes all over! (I love sticky notes!) They were "Top 20 memories and things we love about Kristin!" The post-its were all inside jokes, good memories, and just random adorable sayings from my random adorable friends.
*Par-TAY! With my fabulous friends there! Completed by a huge birthday poster made by Matthew, a diagram of my DNA as seen by my friends, especially Corey, a giant birthday cake crown crafted by Rhett, and my mom coming :)
*Impromptu dance party
*Fabulous time jamming on guitars with Diana, with ukulele accompaniment by Rhett
*Random little concert that Tricia and I performed atop a rock outside my apt (complete with an audience of Ryan on the balcony, Diana listening through the window, Austin and Miriam coming in formal outfits, and the random stranger named Adam who requested me to play my guitar)
*I ended the night with a marker fight. I definitely won...until Joseph took my camera hostage, the ransom being a French mustache drawn on my face by his hand. The weapon? Pink Crayola marker.



"Briefly". ha ha.