Blimey. Alright? Pip pip.

If I hadn't been born in the USA, I think I might have done really well across the pond in London. For example:

1- I love Harry Potter, and Hogwarts is there. Duh.
2- I love anything that is made by BBC. Downton Abbey? Sherlock? Pride and Prejudice? I could keep going, believe me. If you haven't watched Downton Abbey, just do.
3- Doctor Who. This is a recent acquisition for me. And if you ask me what a TARDIS is, prepare to be nerded out by me.
4- My recent obsession with British boy bands . What the what? I'm not really sure what brought this on. The only thing that I can think of is when I did this with Spice Girls and S Club 7 back in the day. Waaaaay back in the day. I guess my love has just resurfaced! I'm not complaining.
5- Daniel Craig, Jack Davenport, Richard Armitage (desert island guy, Mom!), David Beckham. I could go on, but I won't.

Go ahead, be embarrassed for me:




In other news, no more Lee's and lots more working at Logan High School! I am now a Grizzly. (*But a bear nonetheless*) I work in the severe unit of the post-high program. It can be challenging at times, but I really love it! I'm definitely learning a lot, and it makes me happy to know that special education is what I want to do!

Things to take away from this blog post: Suzanne is a nerd/wannabe-Brit and her life is great!

And if you know what this is:



You are bloody awesome.

Jackson and dreams coming true.

Pre-knowledge for this post:

1- Harrison Ford is my idol.
2- Han Solo is my favorite Star Wars character.
3- I have fond childhood (and adulthood) memories of watching Indiana Jones movies with my Dad, and thinking that Indiana Jones was so handsome.
4- I have a poster of Indiana Jones proudly displayed on my wall.
5- If I were to choose anyone to be stuck on a deserted island with, it would be Harrison Ford. When he was doing 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', of course.

So, for New Year's weekend I went with my good friend Madison to visit her fun and crazy family in Jackson, Wyoming. I had never been to Jackson and had heard some pretty fun and crazy stories about that place, so I was pretty excited to go. I also knew that Harrison Ford lived in Jackson.

Moving on.

We arrived at the party house and had a really good time. Good food, good company, what more could you ask for? As we were sitting around the table chatting I heard music from Indiana Jones serenading me from upstairs, and I made some little clever joke (because I'm hilarious) about how Harrison Ford should be here to watch it with us. Well. Madison's uncle pulled out his phone, says for us to listen, and then proceeds to play a voicemail that went something like this: "Hey Jack, this is Harrison Ford. If you could just call me back..." and then says his phone number. By this time I was hyperventilating, and just saying, "No way! No way!" over and over and over again. Ask anyone that was there. I really wish that I hadn't been saying "No way! No Way!" over and over because then I could have memorized his phone number like any other good creepy-stalker would have.

Moving on.

I guess Jack, the receiver of such a wonderful voicemail, does interior design work for him. Holy freak. Guh. Apparently I need to go into interior design. I just can't handle it. One of the best moments of my life right there, and I was only listening to a 15 second voicemail. Yes, I am aware of how much of a weirdo I sound like right now, but I would like to refer you back to the pre-knowledge of this post, and it might make things make more sense. Just know that that was SERIOUSLY one of the greatest moments of my life. I don't care if you say that he is old or bring up the tragedy that was 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'- he will forever in my mind be Indy in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'!

Moving on.

Being in Jackson was not anything that I was expecting it to be. I knew that it was going to be breathtakingly beautiful, which it was, but I wasn't expecting how much of a spiritual weekend it was going to be. The family that I stayed with was so Christ-centered, and the mom taught seminary, so it was just spiritual to the max!I feel like every spare moment was filled with teachings of the Gospel and 'Mormon Messages' and 'I'm a Mormon' ads - and I loved it. Not really what you would expect for a typical New Year's celebration, eh? After I got back to Utah I just wanted to watch 'I'm a Mormon' ads all day! If any of you reading this (Mom, you are the only one I assume), haven't watched those, I HIGHLY recommend it. I mean, I'm proud to be a Mormon, but these videos just make you so happy and want to shout it from the rooftops! My personal favorites are this guy, these guys, and this lady. But obviously there are so many more.

But let's not get away from the real awesomeness of the weekend. I mean, c'mon.

13.1

Wooooohooooo!!!!!! I can finally cross something off of my New Year's resolutions list that has been on there for three years: Running a half marathon!

Tricia and I signed up for it in the beginning of June, but since I'm an idiot I didn't start really training for it until two weeks ago. Yup - two weeks. Idiot? Yes. But in the end, I made it! And I definitely couldn't do it with my brother Brad running right beside me. Since Tricia got injured and couldn't run the half, Brad stepped up and said he would do it with me. Though Brad is a much faster runner, he ran the whole way with me. He was always saying that I needed to go my own pace and to not let him try to pressure me. Even when my back was aching and I needed to walk, did he complain or try to tell me to start running again? Nope. Awesome brother? Check.

AND when I was having major issues with part of my costume and needed to scavenge for discarded pants on the side of the road (like a hobo), he stood in front of me while I quick-changed so the other runners couldn't see me. Or the man who was watching the runners just standing off to the side. Haha.

All in all, awesome weekend. Tricia and I carbo-loaded at Brick Oven (awesome). After quite the ordeal of actually getting into our hotel room, we fell asleep to 'Whose line is it Anyway' only to wake up at 5:30 AM to meet Brad and get on our buses. Only to find out that we would wait in our car for another three hours, and THEN get on the bus to get to the start. But we did have some great entertainment. We watched this, and this (obviously)since I was a party rocker for my costume. Well, half of one. Since I ditched my leopard print leggings at about mile 1.

But, like I said. Very fun race, and fun to do it with family and to just hang out with them for the weekend! I'm thinking that another half-marathon is in my near future - let's just hope that I actually train for it this time!

Yoga.....ish.

Seeing how I am not in school this semester, my schedule can be very, very boring. And there aren't many things that I look forward to. But I get excited for Thursday nights. Why, you ask?

Because Thursday is yoga night.

I know, I know. Me doing yoga? I never thought I would live to see the day. Though at one point in my life I used to be able to do this:

.....ish.

I now look more like something like this:

.....ish.

Though I may not be the most flexible person on the planet (believe me, I would be in the circus if that were the case), I look forward to Thursday nights. I can just relax, breathe, focus, and do some weird poses that supposedly make my body stronger. And believe me - I am sore the next day.

Moral of the story, I'm doing yoga and really enjoying it. And hopefully I get better. And hopefully I can do more when I am a student again. Yippee! (Who would have ever thought that I would say something to the affect that I want to go to school...)

Meanwhile at Lee's:

{While I was working}
Customer (pointing to a magazine): Hey! Aren't you that girl on the magazine? You look like her!
Me (pointing to the same magazine): You mean that girl?
Customer: Yeah.
Me: You mean that girl who just got out being in jail for four years for murder?
Customer:....Yeah.
Me: Nope. Not her.
(Customer walks away).




Grrrreat.

I dreamed a dream in 8th grade...

*Warning* If you don't like Les Miserables, stop reading NOW.

(A conversation from a couple of weeks ago):

Me: "Hey Mom. Will you get a movie for me from your Netflix account?"
Mom: "Which one?"
Me: "Les Miserables....mmmmmmmtheonewithnickjonasmmmmmmm......"
Mom: "What?"
Me: "It's the one with Nick Jonas."
Mom: (hurtful laughter)
Me: "He's the only person I knew of, OK Mom?! Stop laughing. Stop. Laughing."

Yeah, I said it. Nick Jonas. What's it to you? In my life I've heard the music from Les Miserables. You know the ones: 'On My Own', 'I Dreamed A Dream', 'Bring Him Home' - but I've never known the story. I mean, in 8th grade we had try-outs to sing solos for our 'Les Mis' medley. I know - pretty cool. And I got a solo for 'Bring Him Home'. I was cool enough to get a boy's solo. Once again - I know. Unfortunately She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (not to be confused with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) who was a member of my 8th grade choir was mad that she didn't get a solo, so my director canned the whole thing. I was ticked. To think that that would have been my singing debut! Missed opportunities...

Anyway. We have a songbook at my house with the music in it and I love to play the songs that I know, but I've never ventured to try the ones that I didn't know. Well, my best friend Mandy was up for the weekend and we were just hanging out at my house, when I decided to play the piano. I know - I'm a music nerd. Feel free to call me that to my face. My friend asked me to play some songs that I didn't know of and (surprise, surprise) they were pretty. Just like the rest of them. Hence my interest to watch the movie.

On the night before Mandy's farewell for her mission, I got to my parent's house and the movie was here! Knowing that I had to get up at 6:00 AM to drive to American Fork, I started the movie at midnight and made it until intermission. Then I crashed. Just like the barricade....

After I got back from Mandy's farewell, I started watching the second half of the movie. Mom came in and said that she wouldn't watch it because it wasn't watchable. But she came in towards the end and we had to go through the WHOLE 3-hour movie to watch all of the songs, because according to her, the other parts are "boring". Oh Mom. We then had to go through all our *new* songs that we had discovered in our songbook and go through them. All in all, I think we had that movie on for about 5 hours that day. I was in Les Miserables heaven.

Watching that play just took me back to performing in High School: the rush from the audiences cheers, the adrenaline right before you go on stage, the excitement in the air right before the curtain drops - I love it all. And watching that just took me back.

Oh, to be a perfomer. I think I would love it.

Here are some of my favorites. Now mind you, I have been listening to Les Miserables for the past three weeks and love almost ALL of the songs. But these were the ones that I just really love! And half are songs that are all new to me. Sorry that these are just the links. I tried to upload the videos and it took FOR-EV-ER.

This one is really cool - it has the original London cast mixed with the 25th Anniversary cast.


I may or may not have listened to this song 8 times in a row. Yes, it is over 7 minutes long. Enjolras' voice is so good.


This one is amazing! Definitely one to listen to.

And last but definitely not least, this one. Seriously.

Oh the places I would go....

....if only I had the money.

I've recently joined Pinterest. Not sure that this is such a good idea - I hear that it's very addicting.

Which I understand now. It's like a whole new facebook, but only pictures. picturebook! (copyright pending).

One of the many boards that I like to look at are boards where people post pictures of where they want to go, and it has awakened a sleeping giant! Going to Mexico was just the start....I want to go so many places. I thought to myself today, "Man, I wish I were a Kardashian so I could be loaded and go anywhere I want." I'm not really sure why I had to choose a Kardashian, but that is not the point.

Here, drool over some pictures:








Seriously.

My Mom and I made a promise to each other that in 2014 we would take a trip to Europe. So, when you are reading this Mom (which will be after I tell her that I've made another post), I hope you realize what you have gotten yourself into! I'm seeing some mighty fine places that we need to hit up. (Mom: 'hit up' means 'go to.')

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."

Harry Potter.

Two words that, honestly, have been such a large part of my life.

I have such fond memories of Harry Potter.

-Listening to my mom read it to me in 5th grade when she was my teacher, and the on-going argument as to whether Hagrid was pronounce Haaa-grid or Hay-grid (Eat that, Allison Tait!), and always just KNOWING that my mom pronounced it right. Which she did.
-Going to the Lehi Library and looking at the newspaper clipping that showed Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, and being so in awe of them. And then thinking it was SO COOL that we were all the same age.
-Watching the first movie and being so jealous of Hermione.
-Watching the second movie on VHS with my dad and having nightmares about a certain basilisk.
-Being one of 24 others in Mrs. Dubois' 6th grade class reading 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.' And then acting certain parts out. Man I loved that class.
-Being so mad at my Dad for reading Book 4 first. Who does that?!
-Feeling pure hatred for Delores Umbridge. Literally typing this, just makes me so mad. My parents and I listened to this audiobook on our way to California and I had clenched fists many-a-time...
-Watching 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' with Allison and my parents in the tiny Brigham City theater the night before my dad went to the hospital (not planned).
-Being so heartbroken when all of the 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' books were all sold out, only to get a copy from my own Harry Potter Fairy on the doorstep :)
-Picking Brad up from his mission and seeing EVERYONE reading Book 6 in the airport.
-Trying to read the last book while my sister Allison, my mom, and my dad were all trying to read it at the same time. I have distinct memories of my mom hiding the book so no one but she could find it.
- Listening to 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' on the car drive up to Canada. Best idea ever. I remember getting so excited to drive anywhere so we could listen to more parts of the book.

I could honestly go on and on....these books have been a part of my life. I am one of the people who goes to every opening night (even in Mexico) and dresses up. When people ask me "If you could be in ANY movie, which one would you be in?" I always reply, "Besides Harry Potter, right?" These books are just so...(excuse the word)...magical. Every time I read them I just get caught up into the adventure of it all. The fight against good and evil. These books just have so much heart to them. I always get so angry at people who don't read them just because 'everyone else is.' They are missing out on so much.

Tears have been shed over these books and movies, and more will be shed when the realization hits that I won't have anymore books to look forward to, or midnight movies to attend. I will always cherish the memories in my life that are Harry Potter related. Because there are many. I know this is cheesy, but it is all true. I truly love these books, and I am so sad to see them come to an end.

Thank you to Ron - for always being the one who kept me laughing in the books, and now for making me wish I was your super-cool non-Squib girlfriend.
Thank you to Hermione - for being my role model, and for letting me dress like you for more than one Halloween costume party.
Thank you to Dumbledore - for being so quotable. If I were one of those people who had boards in their houses with sayings on them, mine would have your words on them.
Thank you to Harry - for always trying to do what was right for your friends and for the good of mankind, Wizard and Muggle alike.

And lastly, thank you to JK Rowling - for making this all possible.

You have truly made my life magical.