Cavewomen Must Have Been NASTY

I don't have the energy to sit at the computer for very long (or the bladder stamina), so as much as I want to be a blogging maniac and post epic stories and all, this will be short.

I like to daydream, that's nothing new. But sometimes I daydream about what it would be like if I were stranded on a desert island. I should say deserted, because I like to stick variety in their sometimes and make it a wintry island. And sometimes the funnest part of all this is the really stupid details! So here's what I'd be like:

• REALLY REALLY hairy legs and armpits
• Blind...I would so miss my contact case and solution. Maybe even my contacts, if I were unfortunate enough to lose them on the way to being stranded. Hm. That's not a stupid detail.
• Really really tan, mmm. Yeah, if I were alone (or just with Michael...), I'd totally embrace nature and save my clothes so they'd be in nice condition for the day I'd get saved. Because seriously, who wants to be rescued with an atrocious farmer's tan?
• My hair? Forget awesome beach waves. After about three days, I'd look like those gross paintings of the English queens whose hair is plastered down on their scalps and combed so greasily that you can practically count each strand. Ew. 
• STINKY. I do not sweat much. I'm not a stinky person. But if you take me away from a shower for an extended period of time, you regret it. At least I'd be a good bug repellent.
• Zitty. It's sad. I'd love to look glamorous for the rescuers...too bad.
• My breath? This is a new category of STINKY. And you know how your teeth feel after you eat a banana? Kind of feathery? Well my teeth would have their own peel.
• Dirty fingernails...and long toenails! EW!!!
• And just remember, no makeup...which does matter to me. 
• No lotion! Aaaah! I hate the feeling of dried out skin!
• TOTALLY talking to my own "Wilson." Heck, I'd have a whole gang of them.

And Michael? He'd be black-tan plus a beard. His hair would get curlier. He'd stink, but he'd be pretty close to the same. Men have it easy.

It's not fair!!!

Perfectious 2011

I love a New Year.
New Year's Day is my birthday-- which is so tidy and logical that my brain is absolutely pleased to be the same age for an entire year, uninterrupted. Best birthday date EVER! :D
The fireworks? They're for me. If you didn't know, now you do. The world is celebrating!
And the world feels a renewed desire to try harder, be better. Commercialism takes its stab, as always, but I think there's good reason to the deep desires everywhere to be NEW.
That's part of why I love New Years Resolutions. It so suits my personality.
After a year of actively battling perfectionism, the battle changes. And I keep battling because that's life. I'm a perfectionist, it's a well-known and in this case well-beloved fact, so I give myself the time at the beginning of a year to evaluate the battle and decide how to keep winning.

Last year, I needed better self-confidence after living with in-laws. A simple result of having less control over my surroundings and less solitude than I felt like I needed. I could have been with the prophet's family and still felt that way; I just want it to be clear that it was hard for me because of what it was (not living in my own home) and not because of the people I lived with (I LOVE my Wahlquist family).
My final grade? "A." Well, harp stuff pulls it down. But that's okay, I'm a softy when it comes to grading.
Living with the In-Laws: What a life lesson. Scratch that-- what the bazillion handfuls of life lessons! That's probably, oh, twenty posts on that subject. AT LEAST. The most obviously rewarding lesson on my mind: I appreciate my home so much that I honestly enjoy all my housework.
I did pretty poorly at practicing the harp. That's sad. It just is. Will that change? I certainly hope so. I'm formulating plans to make it change. Will it be with the 2011 Resolutions? Probably not.
I have been so much healthier this year. Michael and I committed ourselves to going to the gym and taking care of ourselves. I'm still a night owl by nature, I still like yummy treats, and I still convince myself not to go to the gym when I don't feel very good, but I'm far happier with myself. I haven't been to the gym very recently because...oh. Haha...I forgot to mention here that I'm pregnant. Oops! That's embarrassing. I mean, embarrassing that I forgot. *moment of silence to cover moment of oops* So, I still consider myself committed. I'm moving on; this one covers so much, and I'm already rambling.
Financially, we are so happy. That doesn't mean we're rich. We're students, for heaven's sake! But we can pay our bills, and we do. We follow our budget. HALLELUIAH.

That's last year! Now guess what? I've been thinking about "resolutiony" things since...oh, November? Maybe even October? There are some things I have felt really drawn to do. As in, I've felt a need to do these things, not just a desire. There's a reason I took some months to think about it all. I wanted to be sure, I wanted to be thoughtful.
I'm ready-- cut the drivel already, right? Why do I ramble?! Ugh.

We're going for little and somewhat specific here.

• Read every week from a spiritually inspiring book other than scriptures.
• Create something every month. Doodle, sew, craftify, DIY etc. Probably something that satisfies my artistic side. Growing a baby doesn't count. I mean it does, but not for this. ;)
• Exercise consistently to keep marathon goal close and plausible (I plan to run a marathon sometime late 2012, mostly for the sake of having a timeline to schedule against, but I'm not doing anything crazy while I'm pregnant...just keeping in shape). This will also help my pregnancy (and labor!) go better.
  
• Document the following of these goals! :) Yay! I won't give you a boring journal account of all my gym experiences. Please, no. But I will share my creations and any share-able spiritual insights. I'll at least tell you what book I'm reading (even if I'm in the same book all year).
  
  No grades this time, it's a do or don't. I'll just check it off my list when I've done it. With exercise, it's considered done if I go at least once a week, even though that's the low end. 

Ahhh. New Year, New Qait. I want to grow and learn! And have lots of fun! And have babies! WooHOO!

Of course, there are tons of things I hope do be doing this New Year. Being ambitious and perfectious, that's natural.
Don't you love that word? Perfectious. Yeah! That's going in the title.

Earth to Qait!

Michael was trying to talk to me while I read my book, and when I finally realized it, I had to remind him that he has to call my name first or I'll miss at least the first half of what he says.
Then, after our little conversation, I went back to my book.
Back into its world, completely immersed.
So much so that when I talked to Michael later, he grinned and asked if I'd heard his little speech...and I hadn't!
He said he tried a little experiment when I went back to reading. He spoke in a dull voice, like a bored horse-race announcer, and said "Kathryn Faith Wahlquist...I have spoken your name, yet you do not react..." (something like that, going on and on until he finished) "...this has been a message from Michael Wahlquist."
I missed it!
It made us laugh a lot, though, when he told me about it later.

By the way? The book that had me completely bound is called "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner. He's a Mormon author, not that it shows. And his style of writing is borderline for Deseret Book--they won't carry his sequel. But not for the same reasons they wouldn't carry the rest of the Twilight books. It's perhaps a bit graphic...well, yes, it is. It's very heavy material on the whole. The subject matter is comparable to Lord of the Flies at first, since it's a group of boys with no adult leader...but beyond that, it stands alone as a very original plot. Kind of post-apocalyptic, sci-fi in a very thought-provoking way. I loved it.