you can call us the chick rescuers.

so wednesday morning, after helping our darling little second graders with reading at laie elementary, miss courtney and i were on our way to school. this little dog started following us and i recognized him as the same dog that followed me all the way to the temple the previous day. silly guy, just wanted some company. so we're walkin along, and we come across a hen and her baby chicks just minding their own business in some bushes. what happened next? well i'm sure you guessed it- our little canine friend decided to play with the chickens! at first it was way funny, he was jumping over and through bushes to try to get to the mama hen, who was in turn clucking and running away. we had a pretty good laugh until the dog got close to mama hen, and mama hen FLEW UP INTO A TREE AND LEFT HER BABIES ALONE!!! what kind of a mom does that?! court and i were immediately like, "uh oh." the dog realized there were now 5 little chicks that were left unattended. so he swooped in and grabbed one! he ran away with it in his mouth, stopping every so often to play with it. courtney and i started running after the lil rascal but as soon as we would run, so would he. court was pretty creative and found an empty coke bottle and began brandishing it. i think this finally convinced him we meant business and he ran away, leaving the chick lying all askew-looking in the grass. we thought for sure he was a goner, but i picked him up and he was in one piece! he was wet from doggy slobber and definitely scared, but he was alive! he kept trying to huddle in my hand, it was so sweet. the poor guy!

needless to say we were very late for class. but we were glad to save a little chick's life. i was super excited- i've always wanted to hold one! :)

40 days.

some of you might be familiar with the term "lent." it is a predominantly catholic thing, a period lasting 40 days, ending on easter. it represents the 40 days and 40 nights Christ went without food and water. traditionally, catholics give up something for those 40 days to prepare themselves for the celebration of easter. now, i haven't been catholic for a few years but i think it's still a good thing to do. so this lent, i am giving up FACEBOOK and SWEETS! not sure which will be harder.

although it will be hard, i am very excited to do it. i spend more time than is necessary on facebook and i definitely eat more sweets than i should. a few of my roommates have joined me and are swearing off sweets as well! that'll make it easier... plus the fact that on sundays, we're allowed to have the things we gave up. i'm not just making this up... it's what most catholics do! so sundays will be facebook and treats days. yay.

besides just giving up those things i decided to add something good too. i am going to read or watch a general conference talk every day. :) i love general conference but i never re-read the talks afterwards! i think it will be a good spiritual boost for me.

so, here's to 40 days (and hopefully more) of learning self-control and bettering myself. aloha :)

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 :)

faith, trust, patience, and following the spirit.

those are some of the things i've been learning lately. i've said it before but i'll say it again- i like to plan my life. i really like to. i've had to learn that i can't plan it all out, that it doesn't always work that way. right when i think i have it all figured out and i adjust my plans accordingly, that new plan changes, and then it changes again. haha. heavenly father keeps throwing curve balls at me.

some scriptures for me to live by these days:

trust in the lord with all thine heart, and lean not

unto thine own understanding,

in all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

-proverbs 3:5-6

look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

- doctrine and covenants 6:36

i know that [the lord] loveth his children, nevertheless i do not know the meaning of all things.

- 1 nephi 11:17

i have no idea why these situations are happening in my life. the fact that my future is so up in the air makes me really nervous. but i have followed the spirit in making decisions contrary to my own plans in the past, and i have seen time and time again that it was the best thing for me. it's really hard for me to live my life one day at a time and put all my trust in god. but i'm learning. and i'm grateful for the learning experience-- whatever my future holds.