SUMMERTIME!!!!!!!!! (this is kind of long, but you'd kill me if I shortened it, I promise!)

So, I'm just going to throw a bunch of info at you and you're going to work through it and have fun with it, k? K. So, I moved!!!! YAY!!!!! I moved to the great city Northward. Okay, not the GREAT city, I just moved to Provo-ish area. Student housing. AWESOME! I have great room mates and I live 5 minutes from work (woot woot!!). It's a lot of fun. Pictures to come shortly.

     Now for the part you've all been waiting for. I met a boy. DON'T FREAK OUT. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED YET. And, I'm not counting on anything happening. I think he'll be a good friend. And that's all that I'm hoping for. Even if he could potentially be the man of my dreams. Because, seriously, he could be. But I don't know if he is or not. So, here's the run down on him. I went to a party at Liam's house. I didn't really think much of it because his parties are huge and I was really only there because he's one of my best friends and I didn't want him to know that I don't absolutely love his parties. Because they're fun, but there's SO MANY people there. So many. And I don't do well with crowds of people. Any way, I wen to the party and Liam had mentioned earlier that he was having a DJ come and it was going to be SUPER AWESOME. This did not help my wanting to go because that meant dancing, and I don't dance. It's not that I can't dance, its that I don't. 

     So, the night of the party comes around and I made cupcakes for it, because I always make treats for Liam's parties, because you never know who might be there. I showed up at the party and one of my friends was leaving with her boyfriend that I don't approve of (not that my opinion matters), and Liam was happy to see me, as always, and Ale was there, and a ton of other people from the ward. I was talking to people when Liam is like "Hey look, my friend is here!" and at that moment, this guy walks back with his speakers and DJ type stuff. I didn't think much of him, and then he turned around. I didn't get a good look at his face, but when I saw him-like actually saw him there-my initial thought was 'hmmm, maybe you should talk to him'. But I ignored it for a while.

     And then I found a moment to talk to him. I don't have a nickname for him yet, maybe we'll just call him DJ because he was the DJ, yeah, that works. SO, DJ is a writer. We talked writing for a while, and he didn't think my ideas for stories were crazy, which was awesome. He has a bachelor's degree in English, and is going to law school now. He works at the temple with Liam, another awesome thing about him. And he is kind of cute. And he inspired me. In the 10 minutes we talked he was asking me about Changing Tyde and was like "so it's kind of like a fairy tale" and it hit me like a brick wall that Changing Tyde very much is like a fairy tale. I love it! New life for a story I've been stuck on for forever! YAY!!! And he was telling me about some of the stories he's been working on, and they sound really cool. 

     Then, the party continued on, and I didn't really get the chance to talk to DJ again, but it was fun. AND THEN, Ale did a not very nice thing. She tricked me and I ended up dancing with this guy that I really don't get along with. It was creepy, and weird. AND, Ale recorded it on her phone. and won't delete it. AND, NO, you can't see it. 

    So, a few of my friends were like "you should ask for DJ's number!!!" and I was like "no." and they kept trying to convince me to do it, but I didn't and when I left DJ noticed and said "oh, are you leaving?" (mind you, it's about 1 AM at this point) and I tell him yes, and he says something like "Well it was really great to meet you." And there's a weird lingering high five and then I walked away. And my thought was 'if I'm supposed to see him again, it'll happen...somehow'. And that is the end of the story......

Here: watch this video! It's kind of funny!!!

And this one too!!!

okay, alright, I'll tell you more of the story, because of course it doesn't end there!! :) 

So, there I was, all alone and moved in to my new place. I went to church and met some nice people. They are all a bit younger than me, but that's okay, I'm used to it. Most single people are younger than me these days. I talked to Ale about DJ and she had mentioned that lots of people thought the DJ and I were a match made in heaven and, apparently, one of my friends didn't go talk/flirt with him because she thought that he was perfect for me. OH, and my room mate kept text Liam asking when he was going to stop by with DJ. It was all a bit much. He didn't ask for my number, I didn't ask for his, there was no indication (that I am aware of) that DJ was at all interested in seeing me again, or even remembering that he met me. 

That Friday night I ended up hanging out with Liam and explained that I thought DJ was cute, and he seems like an incredible guy, but taht I was not expecting Liam to set me up with him or anything. I really just wanted to get to know DJ better and become friends because we are both writers, and i could use some writer friends these days. Liam agreed and said that he wanted DJ and I to get to know each other better especially because we are both such awesome people (his words, not mine, though I'm not disagreeing). 

Jump forward to the next Friday morning. I get a text from Liam asking what I am doing on Saturday night. I tell him that I'm not doing anything, to which he informs me that I am going to a party at DJ's apartment with him. I tell him okay and that is that. 

Come Saturday, I am a little bit nervous and slightly anxious, mostly because I'm afraid that DJ is going to be like "who is this weird girl with Liam?" But he wasn't like that at all. And I looked cute. Like Tango approved outfit and hair cute. And when we walked in DJ was like "Hey! It's my friend Liam!!!" and I thought he had forgotten me, but no! "And hey! It's Soozee too! Awesome! Glad you could make it!" I may have smiled kind of a lot. He remembered who I was. Props to him. And the party was fun. We watched Emperor's New Groove and it was fun.

K, so you know when you meet someone and you think they're cute, but it's also kind of dark when you meet them, and then you don't see them for a few weeks and then you see them and they're not as cute as you remembered them being? yeah, I was worried about that happening, but it totally didn't. DJ was actually cuter than I remembered. And, he's a hug-er. He gives hugs. I don't know why I am always becoming friends with guys that love to hug, not that I mind. I mean, I know I have that whole "don't like to be touched" thing, but that's really for people that I don't know or don't like. If I think you're cute, then I don't mind if you hug me. I digress, moving on. DJ is cute. And his movie night was fun. And, when we were talking to him after I found myself asking if he wanted to come to a pizza night at my apartment the next week. And he said yes. And then asked if I had his number so I could text him the details. I told him I didn't, so he asked if I had a phone and I gave it to him and he put his number in my phone. It was pretty great. And as we walked away, Liam also seemed happy about how things had progressed with DJ. 

Lets move forward to Wednesday night. Liam was there, and Ale, and DJ was super late. BUT, he came. And I think he gets a little bit cuter every time I see him. I had made chicken alfredo pizza and mini chocolate tarts. Neither of which lasted very long. DJ agreed that I make amazing pizza, which I was actually worried about because we had previously had a discussion about amazing pizza and he said that the pizza in Italy (where he served his mission) was the best he'd ever had. So, when he said my pizza was amazing, I was really happy. And then someone suggested that we go see the new Star Trek movie. I said I didn't really have the money to go, but DJ (without skipping a beat) offered to pay for me, and we all went. Ale, and one of my room mates that came said that they felt like DJ and I were on a date and they just happened to be there too. I didn't really get that vibe, but it was fun. I was able to talk to DJ for a minute. He grew up in northern Utah, his favorite color of all time is green, and his favorite cookie is Snickerdoodles. I mentioned that I happen to make really great Snickerdoodles, which he said he did not doubt because I am an amazing cook. TA-DA! I'm amazing. So, the movie was good. My flip flop flipped off my foot and landed behind the seat in front of me shortly after the movie started which sucked, but had no bearing on the quality of the movie. I like Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Kahn, so that was awesome. I thought the story was well developed and the actors did a good job. Also, the one liners were pretty great. All in all, if you liked the first one, you'll probably like the second one as well. 

So, I didn't think I'd get to talk to DJ again. We had tennative plans for later that week that moved to next week, and new I'm not exactly sure when we're going to get together again, but it's all good. 

And then last night happened. I met up with Ale and my friend who has the boyfriend I don't approve of and it was alright. To be honest, I had more fun when it was just me and Ale talking. And hopefully said friend with boyfriend doesn't read my blog. If she does, then we will be having a conversation soon about how I really feel and how I hide my true feelings. I'm a horrible person,  I know. Any way, I had asked Liam what he was doing in case he wanted to come hang out with us. he didn't get back to me until he was off work which, by that point, everyone had gone home. So, I asked if he was doing anything because I didn't feel like going home yet. He mentioned he was at DJ's apartment and that I should come by. So, I did. 

Did you know that DJ plays the violin? He plays quite well, in fact. And the guitar. And he can sing. AND, he's smart. And, he gets cuter every time I see him. AND, I kind of asked what he was doing this weekend and if he doesn't end up going to Montana, we're probably going to do something at some point. 

BUT, I don't expect things to go anywhere with DJ. I think he's adorable, but, now that I've posted this here, I've jinxed myself and it will all fall to apart. Which, lets be honest, it would have done all on its own. Not that I don't want anything to happen, I'm just trying to be realistic and not get my hopes up. Because the odds of him wanting to date me are not usually in my favor. And don't get upset with me. I know I'm a wonderfully fantastic person, and there should be a line at my door if guys actually saw how amazing I am. But they don't always see it, and that really is okay. A line at my door would be terribly inconvenient for everyone. And then I'd feel obligated to be nice to them, and cook for them, since they are waiting at my door and all, and it just wouldn't be fun. SO, I'm happy with where I am, and more importantly with WHO I am. DJ is a friend, and I love being friends with him. It's so much fun. He's such a nice guy. And I love that I get to know him a little bit better every time we hang out. It's fantastic! And this post is REALLY long and if you're still here CONGRATS!!!! I should make you cookies or something! How about Snickerdoodles?? ha ha ha!!!

     

If you read this, I'm really okay, I promise.

So, I've been thinking about life again. I should be writing papers right now, or going to the church to set up for FHE, but here I am, thinking about life and about all of you lovely people that still read this blog, or that have just started (hello, new people!!!). I am a very unique individual. I don't use "unique" as code for weird, nerdy, strange, crazy, or insane; although some and/or all of them may apply on any given day. I say that I am unique because there really isn't another one like me. I am my own person. I have amazing talents and gifts that other people don't. I made 150 cupcakes between Friday and Saturday. They looked AMAZING. and I'm not just saying that for a pat on the back, they were beautiful. And I did them. All by myself. I made the cupcakes. I made the frosting. I made the Andes mint fudge. I didn't smash the Oreos because Ale asked to, but beyond that, they were mine. All mine. This may also sound a little self absorbed, but sometimes I don't want people to help me because I want all the credit. I don't like sharing. maybe because I usually have a vision of what I want and I feel that if other people get involved I'll lose my sight and then I have to tell people that other people helped me, and with this project, I wanted it all. I still ended up having to share the credit, but that's okay. Because I know that I did it all. They were mine. All mine. And I am so proud of myself for accomplishing my goal despite really unfortunate set backs.
    I am also unique (and this is really where I was going with this...just had to vent about the cupcakes) because I am 28 years old, and I am still very single. So many of my friends are married with 1 or 2 kids and their lives and stresses and worries are completely different than mine. I love my life. I absolutely love it. I was talking to my sister in law the other day and we were talking about how the grass is always greener on the other side, which is so true. I look at my friends that are married and think "do you realize how lucky you are? Do you see how amazing your life is? Do you know what I would give to have what you have? You're so lucky!!!!" Each day of our lives presents itself with challenges, and I understand that. And now that I've shared my secret envy of my friends, I will share with you another little secret. I'm also really okay with my life. Have I said that enough in this post? I'm totally okay with my life right now. I'm taking steps forward and putting plans into action (except for the writing my papers right now thing....I really need to work on that one). I have come to terms with, and accepted, that it is a possibility I might not get married in this life. Now, before you call me and tell me how I'm going to find someone and that I'm giving up to soon (because I've found that is a response I get quite regularly when people ask if I'm dating someone and I tell them I'm not looking). This does not mean that I don't want to get married, I do-believe me, I do!!! This also doesn't mean that I've given up on looking for Dean. This just means that if the opportunity never presents itself, I will be okay. I have plans for my life and they are AMAZING plans!!! I can't be best friends with Adam Levine and Matt Smith if I'm married with kids. That would be awkward. If I was single, I could do all the crazy things I dream about sometimes. I could publish some books, open a bakery, and then go travel through Europe. Get lost in Ireland. Randomly end up in Cardiff where they film Doctor Who. If I'm going to dream, I might  as well dream big, you know? So, that's what I'm doing. And then, when I do happen to meed Dean Carmichael (whether in this life, or the next) I will know that everything he and I have been through will have made us stronger and better for each other. I will fully understand why I was asked to travel this path alone for as long as I will be asked to. That day will be a glorious one, and I can't wait to meet him. And I know that patience is a virtue, and one that I feel I have learned a lot of. But I actually really love it. patience is still a hard thing for me, but knowing that the longer I wait *patiently*, the greater blessings I can receive.
     I do love my life. And I expect great things from myself. I know that I can do hard things. I know that I can accomplish great things, and I know that my Heavenly Father has tried to help me see all that He has in store for me for a while now. I finally figured out how to listen. And it's a beautiful future, no matter what happens. I hope we can all find that joy in the journey. I hope we can all find the peace that the gospel brings. If you don't have that peace, I hope you can find it. There is nothing that compares.

And then they all died. It was sad. I ugly cried. It was horrible.

     I feel like all of my favorite shows are killing off main characters. I hate it when they do this. Downton Abbey being at the top of the list. SERIOUSLY GUYS, what's wrong with you writers?!?!?!!?  Stop the hate! Stop the killing!! Just let my characters live and give them drama some other way!!!!!! At least Sherlock isn't *actually* dead. But seriously. Stop the dying-ness peoples! Maybe I'll just become a screenwriter so that I have a say in who lives and who dies!!
I told myself I HAD to work on homework today...right now, in fact....so, of course I'm writing on my blog instead. Obviously. I've been thinking a lot about life lately. What I want, where I'm going, what I want out of it, you know, the usual questions. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but every year around my birthday I write a letter to my future husband. Sounds odd, I'm sure, but it's kind of a marker for me to check back and see where I've come from and what I hope for in the future. Any way, I started this year's letter back in January and didn't finish it. I picked it back up this last weekend and finished it without reading the beginning, then I went back and read the whole thing. I surprised myself quite a bit. The first part of my letter was really sad. Like really sad. I think I was freaking out about being 28 and not married (and if anyone reading this isn't LDS, or from Utah, you probably don't see that as a bad thing) and I kind of wrote it out in a letter. But then, this last weekend (and the last few weeks) I have just been really positive and LOVING life and looking forward to some huge new changes ahead for me. And so I wrote those out in my letter too and it was really surprising to me that I have been really down lately. I hadn't really noticed.
     Any way, yeah, life-it's getting better. I have been working on LIGHTS a lot lately and I am so in love with Ian and Emma and their relationship. I'm going to take them to the very edge, though. I'm going to make them question everything and they're going to have to rely on each other and hope that somehow they don't die and make it out together. I think that this is the best way for me to solidify how much they care about each other. Also, it adds the drama needed to promote a story. Because what is a story without an issue or drama? A boring sugar coated story that is hard to relate to, because we all have problems. We do, it's just the way things work. So, don't hate me when you think Ian is dead or Emma has forgotten about him. It'll be okay, I promise. Trust me, I'm the writer :)
     In other news, I have been baking up a storm lately and I have to say that I am so proud of myself when I finish a project whether its baking or sewing or writing. I love creating things, and I love accomplishing them too! It's awesome!! I'll post pictures soon. Because they're fantastic!!!
     Um....I think that is about it. Life is GREAT!!! I love writing and baking and everything about my life right now. I'm working on some things that I'll blog about later, but for now, I'm doing good and hope you are too!!!

Hello Fall, I'm glad we're friends.

It's fall time. I love fall time. It starts cooling down and the leaves start changing. Its this time of year that I really really miss North Carolina. The trees there are everywhere and I absolutely loved it when they fell all over the ground and made everything a little more colorful. A-MAZING.
    School started and I along with it. I'm taking some English classes (surprise surprise) and at the beginning of the semester I had this feeling just couldn't shake. Its hard to explain unless you've felt it, but I have only ever felt it one of time in my life, and that was the day I knew my mission call was waiting at home while I was not at home. Its the craziest feeling EVER. You may be wondering why exactly I was feeling this feeling again. I'm not going on another mission. I'm not really anticipating any huge new development in life, and yet the feeling would not leave me. It stuck around like the smell of cupcakes you are making for someone else. its actually kind of horrible in a non horrible way. Like I said, I can't really explain it. I still don't know what it was all for, but I'm back to my routine of work/school/social life/sleep....be jealous.
    I hung out with Liam last week, just he and I, which has never really happened. It was crazy/fun. He's such a cool guy. I'm really glad we are friends.
    I met a new guy at church on Sunday. Lets call him new guy, or NG. He's not from around here, and he's not like super duper attractive. He's actually kind of average looking, and yet, I am drawn to him. I met him Sunday and have hung out with him everyday since then. Yesterday we talked for about an hour. He's a really cool guy and I am really excited to get to know him better. watch for details, if ever there are any. :)
    The Voice started on Monday. I love The Voice. Mostly because I LOVE Adam Levine. We're going to be BFFs one day. AND, that's just not me talking either, all of my friends think it will happen too. So, someday, somehow I am going to be best friends with Adam Levine and its going to be so cool. And then he'll write a song for my book turned into a movie. That's going to be a great day. And all of you can say to yourself and all of your friends "I remember when I thought she was crazy writing on her blog about being friends with Adam Levine, but look, it actually happened. And then you'll text me and want to meet him. I know how these things go. And the answer is, we'll see what happens. Ha ha ha. you guys are great.
    I went out to my car last night after class and someone wrote on my driver's side window. It was awesome. I felt super special and loved.

    Okay, I think I should go. My class starts soon and I should probably pay attention. Have fun!!!

What would life be without some CRAZY RANDOMNESS?!?!?!?!

I was on good 'ol Facebook the other day and ended up talking to a friend I haven't seen or heard from in nearly 2 years. I made his birthday cake then, and I'm pretty sure I called him Soldier Boy on here, which is such an apt description of him. So, I ended up talking to SB for a little while and he invited me to his birthday party and I suggested that I come by the day after his birthday and bring him some cupcakes (because I was already making cupcakes. I didn't make them just for him...I'm not THAT nice...) and he said that would be great. SO, yesterday after I got off work I stopped by his place and we ended up talking for about an hour or so. It was really good to catch up with him. I had a crush on him when he lived closer, but I'm very happy to say that none of those feelings are there anymore. He's just a good friend. That thinks my cooking and baking skills are AMAZING. We were walking around outside and whenever we ran into someone he knew (which was like every two minutes) he would introduce me somewhat to the effect of: "Hey, this is Soozee, she's amazing." OR, "Hey, this is Soozee, she's cooks better than anyone ever. And she's awesome". It made me laugh, but there are a lot of attractive guys over by where he lives, so maybe we will have to be friends and I can meet all of his friends.
     On an entirely different note, I told George that for his birthday present I would make him anything (within reason) for his birthday. He chose burgers. I wanted to make the best burger he'd ever had in his life, because that's just how I roll. So, yesterday, I made burgers with Monteray Jack cheese INSIDE the burger. MIND BLOWING, I know. They were crazy good. AND, I am pretty sure I succeeded in making the best burger he'd ever had in his life. Except I forgot bacon. That would have made it more awesome. But that's okay. They were still HUGE and DELICIOUS. Yep, my mouth started watering at the thought of them again...oh man, they were good. 
    Its' the weekend. I love weekends. I think I will bake for a family party I'm going to tonight (which will be AWESOME!!!) and also have Christian Bale Movie Weekend: Part Deux. That will be FANTASTIC. I'm so excited. And so should you be as well.

Batman and other stuff

This was George's birthday cake. It says "I'm Batman!"

He's BATMAN!!! and awesome.

I love Batman. Have ever since I was a kid. I thought the movies got a little cheesy, the one liners got ridiculous and the guys that played Batman weren't that attractive. Bless their hearts. And then Christopher Nolan started the Dark Knight trilogy. And Christian Bale starred as the Dark Knight. Given my previous post was ridiculous, this one will dip slightly into ridiculous in that Christian Bale is totally my current 10. I spent most of last weekend watching Christian Bale movies. I own 14, and have watched pretty much all of them in the last four days. I went and saw The Dark Knight Rises with Tango last Friday and loved it. I thought it was amazing. But, I love Batman, and I love Christian Bale, so it wasn't too hard to think I might.

My friend rated him at a 4...a 4!!!! That is ridiculous!

    On an entirely unrelated note, I sat down and talked with my best friend from high school a couple weeks ago. She has a little girl that is almost 2, which is the same age as a few of my nieces and nephews. She's so cute and it was especially great to talk to my friend again. Since she got married we don't talk as often, but when we do talk its as if no time has passed at all. To me, that is a sign of a true friend. A person with whom time doesn't affect your friendship. We talked for about an hour and got all caught up with each others lives. It was good times.

mmmmmmmmm.....

    I woke up the other day and had this epiphany...Snickers cupcakes. I have my caramel cream cheese frosting recipe, which is AWESOME. and then I added peanuts and a chocolate drizzle. They actually taste like snickers!!! I made them last week after going to one of the many cupcake shops. Tango said mine were better than the one from the cupcake shop. I feel that this is promising as I want to one day open a bakery. However, you will not being seeing a snickers cupcake in my bakery, or peanut butter bars, or peanut butter cookies, or anything with nuts. Why, you may ask? Because there are several close members of my family that have severe nut allergies. My goal is to open a nut free bakery. AND, I have decided that I should just plan on one of my future children being severely allergic to nuts. It runs pretty predominately in my family, and we didn't realize. So, give me some time and you will see a nut free bakery somewhere. I also made these cupcakes last night and a couple of friends came over to watch a movie (we watched Batman Begins and tonight I'm watching The Dark Knight in preperation to go see The Dark Knight Rises again tomorrow). One of these friends is a guy...lets call him Liam, because I think he kind of looks a little like Liam Hemsworth...only shorter. Any way, it was Liam's birthday last week and so we put a candle in a cupcake and sang him Happy Birthday and told him to make a wish. He actually paused for a full minute before blowing out the candle. I like that he took the wish making serious. It was kind of cool. The downside of having a slight crush on Liam is that he's about 4 years younger than me and although I don't really have an issue with the age difference, I know that he does. Frowny face. He's a great friend, though.

 

The sparkles make it seem more dreamy.

    I also made an Andes Mint cupcake that I am calling The Andes. It is delicioso! I made a mint fudge which I put on top of the cupcake and then did a thinner layer of vanilla frosting over that. I dyed the vanilla frosting green, which mentally people assume its mint and makes ties all the flavors together. Man, I love baking. I love trying new ideas. Its HEAVENLY!!!!

    The other day my Mom was playing the piano. If you don't know my mom, then you don't know that she is an AMAZING pianist and organist. I grew up listening to her play hymns as well as many other songs. There are a few that I am very fond of and I asked her to play for me. After she finished I asked if she would let me record her playing the piano so that when I don't live close to her I will still have that small piece of home. To me, her piano playing is home. It brings such joy to my heart and peace to my soul. I love it.