what women REALLY mean.

so yesterday in my psychology class, we were talking about emotions and we did a little group exercise: "when women use these words/phrases/non-verbal statements, what do they mean? write down your interpretations of them."

these are my/the class's/the teacher's responses.

1. "fine." if this is in response to the question "how are you?" it means she is not fine. if this is what is said at the end of a disagreement, it means "i'm right, you're wrong, and i'm done talking about this."

2. "five minutes." if the woman is getting ready, it means 30 minutes. the only time this actually means 5 minutes is if the man is watching the game and she needs his help doing something.

3. "nothing." when in response to "what's wrong?" it means something, but you're gonna have to ask me a few more times before i tell you. arguments that begin with "nothing" usually end with "fine."

4. "go ahead." this is a dare. not permission.

5. a loud sigh. usually accompanied by an eye roll, it means you're an idiot/ i don't have time for this.

6. "that's okay." the woman wants to think long and hard before deciding how you're gonna pay for your mistake.

7. "thanks." the woman is thanking you. don't ask questions, just say "you're welcome."

8. "whatever." i'm really annoyed and i don't want to talk about this anymore.

9. "don't worry about it. i got it." this is usually said when the woman has asked the man multiple times to do something, and she has finally given up and done it herself. by the time the man asks if he can help, she has remembered that if she wants something done right, she'll do it herself.

i got a kick out of this. it is just so true! makes me feel really bad for the guys out there... we say one thing but mean something totally different. and not only that, but we expect them to know what we really mean. it's really not fair, but it's how we are. good luck boys!

"you know how to be happy"

the other day i was talking to a friend from home who i haven't talked to in awhile. we were discussing his life in washington and mine in hawaii... he's always entertaining to talk to. one of my favorite parts of the conversation went like this:

austin: be happy

austin: but i don't have to tell you that

me: what do you mean?

austin: you know how to be happy

a simple statement, but it made my day. i like to think of myself as a generally happy person. but i do get stressed out about things going on in my life, and sometimes when i'm in a bad mood i just want to stay that way. even though i haven't seen this kid for over a year, he remembers me as a girl who knows how to be happy. i thought it was really a cool compliment.

so, smile. be happy. be grateful for your blessings. life's good. :)

looking forward.

i'm the kind of person who is always looking forward to something. i just LOVE anticipation; being excited about something in the future. sometimes i think i enjoy looking forward to things more than i enjoy them actually happening. anyway, here are some things i'm looking forward to in the next few months:

1. onerepublic concert in honolulu- feb 21st. they are such a talented band. their song apologize will always be near to my heart because i did a dance to that song and it was kind of an emotional experience for me. throughout the duration of learning this dance, i was in a relationship, had to end that relationship, and learned to move on. the dance helped me express my feelings and helped me cope. anyway.. they have tons of other great songs besides apologize. i'm very excited to see them live.

2. finishing the semester- april 8th. yeah, i'm way sick of school right now. totally over it. (well, not totally, cause i still find myself going daily. but just about.) i love all my classes this semester, but i'm just really ready for a break from school. sadly, the end of the semester also means the end of hawaii for me... i try not to think about that.

3. starting my mission papers- march. that's right folks, the time has finally come. i've only been saying that i wanted to go on a mission for the past 2 and a half years. i can actually start my papers next month. wow. unreal... :)

4. chicago- may 3rd-9th. trip for mama's birthday. gonna be fun. hopefully we don't kill each other. love the woman to death but we act more like sisters than mother/daughter most of the time. but really, i'm excited.

5. bay to breakers run- may 15th. i signed up for my first 12k! kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. my dad asked me if i wanted to do it with him, said he'd pay for it, and that we could fly to san francisco instead of drive-- i think yes. however, the races i have under my belt amounts to one 5k. soo... i gotta start training.

6. study abroad- july 19th-august 13th. italy, greece, turkey, and egypt (if egypt has calmed down by then). oookay. SO excited. i've wanted to travel my whole life, and i'm finally doing it. yay yay yay.

7. home- in between all the other stuff. i miss my job, my house, my parents, my ward, institute, my car, feeling productive, the gym, and just the people! although the people i really miss won't be there when i get back... either way, i'm excited to go home.

8. mission- october ish. at least that's the plan. if you've been reading recently you'll have noticed a common theme: my life doesn't always work out according to plan. so, i will be mindful of the lord's will for me. i'll be prayerful, and listen to the spirit- and if for any reason i feel like i shouldn't go on my mission... i won't. but i REALLY want to. so hopefully it all works out.

so much good stuff coming up. i just gotta remember to find excitement in the day-to-day.

love,

D

things i like recently

1. greek yogurt. seriously, the stuff is SO good. lots of protein, low sugar, low carbs... it's just superfood and it's amazing with honey on it (and, when i'm not paying $7 for a box in hawaii, also with vanilla almond special k on top). yumm. and to those of you who say it's just sour cream.. shut up.

2. gossip girl. OKAY, i'm honestly addicted to this show. 3 weeks ago my roommate and i decided to start the first season... and i have not been able to stop watching it! so much drama, humor, hot guys, people living fabulous lives. not to mention i want to be blake lively... yep. addicted.

3. modern family. another show i've only recently become hooked on... it is just too funny! i sit in the library watching it between classes and i honestly can not stop myself from laughing out loud. people look at me wondering what the heck could be so funny that i can't stop myself from busting up.

4. leggings! i've had them forever, but lately i want to be in them allll the time. they're just so comfy and wonderful.

5. exercising. i've always liked working out but lately i've been working out 5-6 days a week and i just love it! i've been spending some time with my pal jillian michaels, and going running more too. also, my dance class (see #9) kicks my butt for two hours a week. anyway, being active feels great. let's see how long i can make this exercise kick last.

6. letting things go. yeah, not one of my stronger suits. when things are going on in my life i tend to think about them (over-think them). things haven't been happening as i expected them to lately and it's been really hard for me to just let it go and let things happen. taking life one day at a time is way hard for me but i've come to find i'm much happier when i do that. if something's supposed to happen, it will.

7. the spirit. okay duh, of course i always like the spirit and receiving revelation. but lately i've been receiving inspiration more often than usual. it's just such a special experience to have the spirit give me answers to my life questions. i'm able to feel so much more at peace and feeling the spirit has definitely helped me with my #6.

8. piano!! if you know me, you probably know i loooove piano. love love love it. if you want to win me over, just play it for me (really, it's that easy). i want to marry a man that plays the piano.. not a requirement of course... it would just be really.. REALLY nice.. um.. yeah.. anyway, where was i? ..oh yeah. love the piano. k, took some lessons when i was younger, but didn't stick with it. FINALLY got myself enrolled in a piano class at school, so that way it's inexpensive AND i'm obligated to keep practicing. i get bored with the piano book pretty easily so i've taken to watching youtube vids to teach me how to play some fun songs :) i spent 2 1/2 hours the other day learning apologize by one republic. love it. i also started learning an old favorite, konstantine... next on my list is what sarah said by death cab for cutie and samson by regina spektor. playing has proven to be therapeutic for me, too. starting from nothing and with practice, creating; being able to play a song helps me forget about my problems.

9. my dance class. yeah, another thing i've always liked. i've danced for years. i'm even known by some as "dancing danielle." so dance isn't something new that i love. but i hadn't taken a "real" dance class in over a year, so taking dance this semester has been so great for me. my teacher is probably the cutest lady ever? and she's four months pregnant and she schools all of us. she's hard core. i have fun people in my class, and i've learned some of the funnest dances ever!

10. my psychology classes. this semester i'm taking developmental psychology, cultural psychology, and personality. i'm loving being a psych major; all my classes interest me! it's fun to learn for a change. huh. the last three things i liked comprised my entire class schedule. i guess i like school this semester?

of course it goes without saying (but i guess i'm saying it anyway)

that i love my family and my friends and my roommates so much.

and, living in hawaiian paradise... that's a given.

til next time :)