A Pingel Shout-out!

"To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act." --Anatole France

GLEE is a guilty pleasure. I mean, I'm not a faithful viewer, but when I do see it, I adore it. Know what would make me a faithful viewer, though? If friend/fellow BYU-I student/Playmill alum Adam Pingel got on the show. He would be AWESOME...the camera loves him, he's got a great voice, he's a great performer, and he could hold his own in the halls of McKinley high school. I mean, look:


Glee song

Glee | MySpace Video


Glee monologue

Glee | MySpace Video

Wouldn't you watch Glee if this guy was on there? If you've got a myspace account, you can vote for him here. Do it!

I'm going to take a moment and speak for both Jacob and I. I might be breaking some cardinal rule of blogging--speaking for both of us even though we're not married yet and this isn't "our" blog, it's "my" blog. But I'm gonna do it anyway. And on behalf of Jacob and myself, I would like to say that

WE MISS THE PINGELS!

Through Macbeth and classes and various other endeavors, we've had a chance to get to know Adam and Darcy and Baby Jack a little better. They are such examples to us, and even if they don't know it, we've learned a lot from them. Adam is such a great performer, and a great friend to talk to. Darcy is so much fun, and such an influence for good in the lives of those around her. They are two of the kindest people we've ever met. And of course Jack is adorable. Their dreams have moved them elsewhere for this summer, and they are sorely missed. We hope that their summer is wonderful, and that all of their dreams come true! We can't wait for our paths to cross again!

Dear Powers that be, a prayer...

A NOTE: I don't intend for this post to be sacrilegious and consequently apologize if it offends anyone. It just seemed the best format for this particular entry.


Please bless that:

• Jacob and I can get that apartment on Main Street. The one that's within walking distance from campus. For $450 a month, available in June! We understand it means we'd have to pay an extra month's rent, but at that price and with no utilities to pay, it won't break the bank, and we can move our stuff in gradually instead of all at once in a back-breaking and exhausting endeavor. And it's big and old and about to be renovated, and next to a huge awesome ballroom. AND it's only $100 for the deposit! Even better!

• The rain stops earlier than predicted. Or completely. For a few weeks, at least. Especially on May 8th. When we're getting our engagement photos taken. Outside.

• I can find/decide on a good outfit or two for our engagement photos in two weeks. Panache/Jenny Farley's closet, here I come?

• My face stops breaking out.

• I get over mono and its attending exhaustion.

Thank you for:

• A wonderful best friend/boyfriend/future husband.

• Trader Joe's Parmesan/Garlic/Herb pita chips.

• Kara's amazing wedding dress altering skills. My dress isn't even finished, and already it's so beautiful I wanted to cry when I saw it. They are dear friends that we will miss dearly! If you're in the Boise area, look them up!

• Annie's sense of humor.

• The exemplary and extraordinary life of Mahatma Gandhi.

Yesterday's To-Do List

ADDENDUM:
Item 1A on to do list = DON'T ELOPE.

1. Spend $22 on Season Three of Gilmore Girls on DVD. Check.

2. Make two and a half dozen cupcakes. Check.

3. Spend an hour making sidewalk chalk art with a one-year-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old, which resulted in both of them being COVERED with chalk. Check.

4. Start a range-top fire by accidentally throwing an oven mitt onto a burner placed on high because our house isn't baby-proofed and both of these babies can walk and have opposable thumbs. Check.

5. Put out said fire with a towel and baking powder, then open all the doors and windows and arrange the fan so that people can breathe in our house again. Check.

6. Wash dishes and clean up fire remains. Check.

7. Bring future husband cupcakes and a note at work, getting soaked by the sudden rainy downpour during the walk. Check.

8. Watch "Remains of the Day" with future husband, future in-laws, and current roommate. Check.

9. Watch more "Gilmore Girls" online because I'm too impatient to wait for the DVD's to come in the mail. Check.

10. Be madly in love and impatient to get married to the love of my life. Double-check.

So we meet again, quotation marks...

Inspired by a recent entry from good friend Jillian, in which she shares brilliant quotes she's heard of late, here is short little excerpt from my own quote-book! I haven't been keeping terribly good track of quotes lately, but there are a few gems that warrant sharing. Here they are.

To the dog: "I am definitely not your father. You're a dog. And I'm a virgin." --Jacob

Liz: Mmm, smells like creativity.
Gary: No, just alcohol.
Liz: Same thing, isn't it?

"Whoa. That was so intense. And he was just eating a wheat thin." --Ryan Cobabe

Annie: Why did you write "school" on the board?
Aubrey: Uhm...I think it's an id manifestation.
Annie: "School"?
Aubrey: I don't know! I like "s" words!

"Their house is so...normal. I was expecting time machines and statues of C.S. Lewis, but it just...smells like cats." --Jacob

"What?! It's not a hackey sack! It's a muffin!" --Thomas Brower

"You know there's a full moon on February 14th? I hope some people's dates turn into werewolves." --Beckah

"You're so morbid! Brownies don't die in microwaves! GREMLINS die in microwaves!" --Aubrey

"I have an idea. And it involves levitation. But the good guys win." --Jacob, in his sleep, when I tried to wake him up from his nap on the couch

Time Machine

Can it please be July 10th now?

I'm tired of planning, and want everything to be done so Jacob and I can get married.

It's not that I've stopped CARING about the wedding details...I don't really want to hand the entire affair over to someone else, because I still want things a certain way (which is my prerogative as a bride). I just wish all of the details would take care of themselves. Even when I delegate, it just changes "E-mail Tiana about engagement photo shoot" on my to-do list to "Tell _____ to e-mail Tiana about engagement photo shoot."

Hooray DIY weddings. (Anything else costs like ten grand and I'd rather have food/clothing/shelter after we're married.)

It'll be worth it. I know it. And I'm still having fun. It's just that residual effects of mono + no school after 16 months straight undergrad work + beautiful weather = all I want to do is read and go on picnics. Not e-mail Tiana about engagement photo shoots.

**NOTE: Jacob is awesome. He's so obliging and helpful in all of these things, and the main reason I want to speed up time is not to skip wedding planning, but to share a house with HIM.

Staycation

I guess I have and will actually travel this spring/summer, but right now, I'm content to hang out in Rexburg, doing NOTHING.

Yesterday, I:
- ate naan and pizza
- was in my pajamas until...well, actually I never got out of them
- didn't have to be anywhere at any specific time, except at Madison High to pick up Camilla at 3:30, which was fun and made me feel like a mom
- watched television with Annie for a few hours
- only had one roommate, whom I love
- cuddled with my future husband
- got a few important things done, that kept me from being bored, but didn't tire me
- hung out at the Chapman's house

And today, I:
- have eaten nothing but m&m's
- am still in my pajamas, and will be for several hours yet
- don't have to be anywhere at any specific time
- have watched television with Annie for an hour
- only have one roommate, whom I love
- cuddled with my future husband
- will get a few important things done, that will keep things interesting but that won't exhaust me
- will probably hang out at the Kirkham's house

I LOVE Spring Break.

"I am acutely aware of food, and its omnipresence is astounding." --Adam Scott

Between living with Annie McNeil, watching "Julie & Julia" the other night, and the approaching summer, I'm filled with visions of good food. It's another benefit of the arrival of warm weather...my appetite spends about a week readjusting to the new temperature trend, and then I no longer crave the carbs and red meat that haunt me during the winter months. During the summer, the only foods I think about are Mediterranean meals and fruit. And barbecues. Generally speaking, I eat so much healthier when the weather is good. Idaho will give me diabetes someday. All the more reason to move to Hawai'i.

I'm not much of a cook (yet), although I can throw together a decent grilled chicken kind of a meal. But my upcoming nuptials are inspiring me to learn. I'd like to be able to provide good food for my husband and children on a semi-regular basis. =) And Jacob, won't it be wonderful to eat food like THIS? From July onwards? (Especially this tomato/mozzarella/basil concoction...mmmm....)

Things I'm in Love With

Currently:

1. Jacob

2. The Barstool Romantic

3. Fiona Apple's album "Extraordinary Machine"

4. Ray Bradbury

5. The idea of summer (marriage, warm weather, no homework)

6. Offbeat Bride

7. The Gospel

8. Poetry


9. Donuts

10. The following instructions:

That list = my philosophy on life.

**NOTE: I'm in love with all of these things, and they all make me happy, but mostly Jacob. And the Barstool Romantic. More Jacob, though. I'm excited to marry him.**