My locker combo

In sixth grade I felt really cool because I got a locker. It wasn't unusual- everybody in the school got one, but it felt new and different from elementary school. I felt so adult. When we were first issued our lockers my 6th grade homeroom teacher Mrs. Allen was quite clear about rule number one in terms of lockers. She took great pains in emphasizing the following advice. "Do not share your locker combination with anyone! Not even if they are your best friend." Turns out the same rule applies to your blogging account info. Last weekend I went to Rexburg to visit my dear friend Emily Johnson and her husband Shaun. It was fun to see her and her pregnant belly, and see some of my old haunts in Rexburg. While I was there Emily said she would show me how to change the background on my blog. - How exciting I thought! Everything went just peachy and I learned something new- yet, I forgot that Em still had all my log in info. Needless to say, Em decided to post a HUGE, MASSIVE and fairly ATROCIOUS photo of myself on my own blog. She also, changed my blog name to "Bex rocks my socks off" and added a nice little blog about an Easter egg we had named sloth. I have since corrected some of the above horrors. I guess it just proves Mrs. Allen was right- don't share your combinations, or in this case, password with anyone- even if they are your best friend! ;) ps I love you milly.

Milly and Shaun and easter egg fun!

This is how Milly blow drys her hair every morning. - Creative I think!

"Heeeeey yooooou guuuuys!"

Traditional holiday Sloth - The Goonies.
(This time he was made by Shaun Johnson, husband of my dear, dear, wonderful friend, Emily.)

"Rocky ... Road."

The wheels on the bus... are really cheap!

So recently I have decided that I am going to be purchasing a car. Yes!!!!!! It’s going to be great to have some killer wheels to get around town in. I'm thinking I won't buy a car till spring, but I keep looking on craigslist- probably because I'm just so excited about the idea of it all. So the other day as I was checking the updates on craigslist I noticed something a bit odd. First I should tell you that when I look on craigslist I usually just scan the price listed on the right of the page and then look at the car's description. This way I won't feel any pangs of desire for a car I know I can't afford. Usually I at least look at the description of the car before I click on it for more details, but for some reason with this... um... vehicle, I didn't. - I just clicked on it. To my delight, I found something that gave me the biggest winning face! What was it you ask? No, it was not the car of my dreams priced reasonably and well within my budget. Rather, to my great joy, I found a BIG. YELLOW. BUS! Yes my friends, for only $1200 you too can own your very own 1989 GMC school bus, which by the way is "well maintained and in great condition." Apparently, the man selling the big yellow school bus had priced it so cheap because he was looking for a quick sale. He may or may not have mentioned that his wife was extremely unhappy that he bought it in the first place. :)

ready ready ready ready to read

Please note that the above title must be sung to the tune of the dixie chicks song "ready to run"- at least for the full effect.

I am, admittedly, a nerd. And I don’t care who knows it- I embrace it. I love art and all sorts of music and books and I am teaching myself to become fonder of poetry etc… I really love books. They are the best!!!
The other day I made a list of some books that I want to read… even though I should just be reading text books. C’mon. Let’s face it- I’m not gonna do the reading for class anyways so I might as well accept it and not feel guilty when I read what I want to.
So here is my list. Let me know what you think- or if you have any other reading suggestions for me!

Persuasion*- by Jane Austin (like every girl you know I too love Jane Austin. I’ve never read this one and I’m excited about it. It was her last completed novel)
The Glass Castle*- by Jeannette Walls (I’ve already read the first chapter and I should tell you… I’m in love with this book)
The Gun Seller – by Hugh Laurie (What?! Black Adder wrote a book?!- I’m sooooo reading it)
The Color of Water- by James McBride (Mom tells me it’s a good one)
Jane Eyre -by Charlotte Bronte (I’ve heard you’re not officially a girl until you’ve read this book.)
Letters -by Marjorie Pay Hinckley (There are not words to express how much this woman has already touched my life. I can’t wait to read more of her word!)
The Turn of the Screw -by Henry James (sounds fun!)
Alice in Wonderland- by Lewis Carrol (I've always been a bit curious about this one)

There are about 100 other books that I can think of that I want to write down- but if I make this list too long it will become unrealistic and I will end up ignoring it and never reading.

*= Recently purchased and ready to read!

Kerouac vs Green Gables

I’m such a slacker. I obviously haven’t updated my blog in a while- I know that probably disappoints all 3 people who read it so I thought I would repent and do better. These last few weeks have been pretty non-stop. I like that because I love to feel busy all the time- It makes me feel productive. A few weeks ago I, and two other swell folks, took a little road-trip to San Diego. I have to say that I love seeing new places. Whenever I’m somewhere new I end up trying to picture my life as if I lived there. I think I could be happy almost anywhere, although Oregon will always have a hold on my heart. I love new places. Sometimes, I picture myself becoming a wanderer who has little ties or roots, but has lived a rich life with lots of interesting travel stories to tell all my nieces and nephews. One thing I really like about road trips, besides the change of scenery, is the time in the car you have to just think. For a lot of the drive home from San Diego I was just sorta thinking about a bunch of stuff that has been rolling around in my head lately. One thing that I came to the conclusion to was how a lot of my life is determined by my loyalties. I’m usually a bit slow on the up-take, so all my friends and family probably already know this about me. (Way to clue me in- Dawn, I’m talking to you. You know you know what I’m feeling better than I do!!!) Anyways, I came to the conclusion that I am defiantly someone who finds what I like and sticks with it. Perhaps it’s my slightly stubborn nature, or perhaps I just like deep connections but it’s just how I am. This is the only way I have come to explain my more lasting relationships with people. Really, is there anything better than knowing someone so well that you become permanent fixtures in each others lives? I love feeling needed and wanted by someone. I like having affected someone’s life just by being a part of it. And vise versa. At the same time, I’m a pretty private person and I have to feel really safe before I commit myself to someone in any capacity that really counts. I think I have been like this my entire life, even when I was in third grade and my best friend was Lucy Meza- We still talk every now and then. I love that I am so loyal, but I have also learned that I need to be careful, I sometimes set myself up to fail when I become so dedicated to someone who is perhaps not as invested as I am. This is a bit frightening to me because I don’t really know how to do relationships any other way. – I guess I’m not very good at the middle ground. I’m sorta an all or nothing’ girl sometimes. I mean really, if someone can’t fully devote themselves to you in a given capacity, be it friendship or more- what’s the point? No thanks- I’ll be fine without. I suppose I watched Anne of Green Gables to much as a child because in my friendships I want Dianna Barry, and in a romantic relationship I want a Gilbert Blythe- someone who is so constant that they conquer death just to prove how loyal they are to you. Yup- I’ll take it. Anyways- I feel like I am rambling. I suppose I’m just trying to reconcile exactly how it is that I sometimes want to wander the world aimlessly and yet, I won’t settle for anything less than devotion and I crave connection. Blah blah blah…. Here are some fun pics. from San Diego: