Nightmares

From the time I was little, I sometimes have really bad nightmares. Almost every time I would get a fever, the nightmares would get so bad I would have hallucinations that made them feel incredibly real. I would scream, sleep walk, sleep talk etc. and my parents often had to put me in the shower to cool me down.

I don't think of myself as a morbid person and I've never been into any horror films or novels so I can't figure out why I end up having such morbid dreams. Lately the dreams have been pretty bad. Sometimes I even have daydreams of them--well, flashes really. The variety of these dreams is immense. I don't fear dying but I have dreams of dying very unnatural painful deaths. I dream about rapists, corpses, children bleeding out of their eyes... or lesser dreams about being blind, getting lost and having no way back, or having a never ending homework assignment that I have to but can't finish.

My first year of college, there was a point when the dreams would get so bad, I hated going to sleep so I would stay up as late as I possibly could.

Why these dreams come--is a mystery. I'm not really sure what they say about me as a person. Anyway, I hope they won't last forever--it's kinda uncool to wake up shaking or in a sweat.

-Ames

Why I love my sissy

Well as I mentioned in an earlier post, it was my sister's b-day yesterday. As Nick and I were making cards for her, I truly began to realize how close I've gotten to her. She's a total home-body and so when my parents took her to Vegas for her 16th, it felt SO WEIRD not to have her around.

Here are the top ten things we love to do together

1.) Laugh--When she and I get in that "mood", the laughing begins at sunrise and doesn't end till sundown, and then some:)

2.) Quote stupid movies-- Nacho Libre, Hot Rod, Cheesy-chick flicks, etc. One of our favorite lines: (to be said with gusto) "No! Nooo! Tu tienes mi corazon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

3.)Make fun of the 'rents--What can I say? They are goofy and they are old. What more of a target do you need?

4.) Watch TV shows-- Our favorites: Make it or Break It (SOOOOO good!) and of course, Glee!

5.) Play Sims-- Neen is a Sims ADDICT but she gets me to take part in her addiction every once and a while. Our favorite thing is to make ourselves, and hook "us" up with our ideal men and start an ideal family. No WONDER it's addicting.

6.) Cry over sappy love films-- First time watching Titanic together, after the movie we turned on the lights only to realize we BOTH had tears streaming down our faces. We then of course couldn't stop laughing for 20 minutes but that happens quite frequently.

7.) Make trips to Harmons-- Like I said earlier, Nina doesn't really like to get out much UNLESS it's going to Harmons. Harmon's is apparently where all dreams come true whenever she and I are together.

8.) Goof around-- Whether its writing songs about poo, weirding out random strangers, taking a cart through the drive-thru at Wendy's, singing duets till we drive our brothers mad, or simply doing things that will make the other sissy pee her pants, Neen and I always know how to have a good time when we're together.

9.)Sing-- Nina and I both love to sing when we're together. She typically figures out the alto or boy part and we make up duets. I remember during one summer, we layed on the grass and made up an entire musical that summed up our lives at that time. It was pretty fantastic... and hilarious.

10.) Talk-- Even though Nina is almost 5 years younger than me, I still feel like I can relate to her in the same way I would with other people my age. We talk about boys, vent, laugh, cry, and stay up till sickening hours. Nina is one of my best friends and I feel both happy and sad that she is growing up.

Love you Neener Beaner!

She's gonna kill me for putting these up but oh well!

Pic #1: I told her to make a funny face. THIS is what she came up with. She is so awesome:)

Pic #2. We were in church and her legs were cold so OF COURSE she decided to put the arms of her coat on her legs. We were laughing so hard my mom asked if she was going to "need to split us up".

NRFW Dance

January 22, 2010- First day we met.

So Much JOY

comes from little kids. THIS is what I look forward to when it comes to being a mom:)

Hadza Women

I'm starting to think that only in America are women allowed to be complete pansies. I was reading this article about the Hadza women and their customs. It explains this woman's scars on her cheeks probably came from crying as a child. If a child cried, they would cut their cheeks so when they cried, it would sting the wounds, therefore teaching them that crying would not be permitted.

a bit HARSH i think, but still. Kinda bad A**

Oh for the love

of my sister. Yesterday it was her birthday and I took it upon myself to make her a cake. Talk about cooking adventure gone awry. As I was trying to pry open the stubborn jerk of a can lid off, it attacked my finger with fierce vengeance.

As I'm rinsing the pint of blood spilling out of my index finger, I pulled the skin a little to see the damage (bad idea)... cuz I could make out something white. Ugh bone. So I'm calling to my brother, he runs down with napkins and bandaids, and while he's prepping said bandaids, I lamely pass out on the kitchen floor. Niiiiiiiiice. As if I didn't feel like enough of a loser already.

About an hour later, my finger was still bleeding and trobbing and I called my parents who advised me to take a quick little vacation to the hospital. A really nice doctor, and six stitches later she's as good as new! (well, sort of). Sure hope my sister liked that stupid cake!

Six stitches and ugly fat swollen fingers. Mmm tasty!!

Pretty sure my body hates me

20 min @ Waikiki Tanning. Yay for skin cancer!

Girls STILL wanna have fun

So a few days ago, I was delighted to receive an invitation from my best friend to a Glee-a-thon later that evening. Apparently this whole thing was set up by her super awesome madre, and all her cute friends were invited. I was super impressed and pleased when they all showed up in their PJ's and brought their 13yr old hearts with them. After talking about Jacob from New Moon, panties, sex, and other miscellaneous female topics, I discovered something. EUREKA! You actually CAN still have fun when you get older! Ok so maybe I'm being a little over-dramatic. I dunno, I guess I somewhat possess the "peter pan syndrome". I see too many people that take the responsibilities of life too seriously and they forget what it's like to act like a kid/teenager again. Honestly people, maturity is way too often overrated. Too often. Play. Laugh. Tease. Fart. You only get one life folks,

Find some enjoyment in it.

-ME

The end of Veronica...

Well we went to the tow yard to take a look at my poor Veronica and alas, she is dead. Unless I want to pay 950$ to get her fixed. Sorry girl but no thanks. Looking at my current finances I am beginning to realize I am NEVER going to graduate. Congratulations Amy, this is your life for the next 40 years. And from here on out it only gets worse.

Let's just hope I marry someone who will be filthy rich AND still manages to be humble and amazing. Haha good luck.

Tonight is definitely a Pride and Prejudice night.

(Sigh).

Dear Cafe Rio,

Thank you for making such good food.

Sincerely yours forever and ever,

-Amos

Why Snowest Thou?

Antithesis of 'dear' Winter,

You were doing soo good. Letting the sun shine. Making me feel like Spring was on its way. Then BAAAMM! Joke's on you Amy!

I'm sorry to all you winter-lovers out there, but I am not a part of you. I'm actually the arch-enemy of you. Not of "you" per-se. Of winter. Long, hard, cold, and cruel winter. I need the sun. I LIVE for the sun. Probably has something to do with the Latina blood in me.

One example of why I hate winter, shown here

But rather than go off on all the reasons why I hate winter, I'll try the more positive approach and list the things I love MOST about summer. The things I've most been missing over these long painful months.

-Dusk. Coming back from an exhilerating bike ride up the canyon just in time for dinner and being able to see the sun start to set and the flurries of the Apricot trees floating all around you.

-Warm summer nights. Being able to step outside on the porch or take Charlie for a walk at night and not even have to put on shoes or a jacket.

-Sun Bathing. Soaking up the sun outside with my peeps trying to get some Vitamin D and, of course, a tan!

-Attidude. The general attitude of everyone during summer seems much more positive and care-free. Less stress. Less grumpiness. Sun truly makes a difference.

- In season fruit. Nothing better than a picnic in the grass with fresh strawberries and cold cut sandwiches!

-Nice Bod. I always feel better about my looks in summer. My skin is tan, my body is strong and less flabby (since it's much easier for me to be in shape when I can actually do activities oustide), my hair isn't as dry from the cold air, and I'm sure my overall countenance is simply lighter and happier when the sun is shining and the air is warm.

-Driving. There is definitely something cathartic about taking a long drive with the windows rolled down and belting out to your favorite tunes on the stereo.

-The canyon. I know I mentioned bike riding up the canyon already but really any activity up the canyon, to me seems almost magical. Camping, bonfires, hikes, picnics, etc. are ALL some of my absolute FAVORITE things to do. (Especially when they are with a special love interest:)

-Walks. Anytime I needed to get out of the house or think, I would take Charlie on a walk to the track. I would let him run free and chase the birds while I would lay on the grass and meditate or read my scriptures. I've already set in my mind that the man I marry will have to be cool with taking FREQUENT walks with me because I honestly believe it could be a huge marriage strengthener.

-Vacations. Summer is a time when everyone is off school and so my family can take trips to places. Even if it's something as simple as driving down to Logan or St. George, I can't think of anything better than spending close (positive) time with my family.

I could go on and on about why I love summer but I think you get the gist. I am honestly counting down the days until I can experience all this wondrousness again.

-Amos

Pic of an awesome Summer vacation spot. Sorta reminded me of the Utah mountains:)

Top 5 Songs

Sorry I haven't been blogging very much lately. By the time I get home from work and school, my brain feels like it's going to explode from overload so blogging doesn't really sound enticing. Luckily today is Saturday (hallelujah!) so I thought I'd catch up on a little writing.

Well, my beautiful wife is curious to see how many people can come up with their 5 favorite songs of all time. I'm curious if I can come up with five myself. Well here's a shot

***These are not in any particular order

1.) Breath Me- Sia

2.) Come on Get Higher-Matt Nathanson

3.) Wedding Dress- Matt Nathanson

4.) Stolen-Dashboard Confessionals

5.) Dark Blue- Jack's Mannequin or Why-Secondhand Serenade

This list is subject to change in a month from now so I don't know if I could legitimately classify them as my TOP favorites. These are all just songs that have made me feel something "different' inside and have therefore made them some of my favorites to listen to.

Find what you love...

and make it a living. Seriously guys, all I can say is that I feel so incredibly lucky to have found something that works for me so...perfectly. I don't know if the love for my job comes from my well-formed experience of CRAPPY jobs, but I really do feel as if I hit the jackpot at Advanced Dental Care.

Currently, our office is remodeling and so Dr. B asked me to come in and help him organize. I'll tell you what, I had a blast. He let me make a bunch of the decisions as to where things should go and we were able to throw out a bunch of ideas as for new things the office is going to try for this new year. We even talked about going on an expedition abroad to do some charity dental work at a poor 3rd world country, which I of course, almost peed my pants from excitement at the thought. He expressed to me his wishes of having me become the seniority over all the other dental assistants and pretty much his "second in command" which I accepted without any second thought. This means I pretty much have to know EVERYTHING about the office (which is a buttload to learn) but I honestly am so excited. Both the dentists have shown such confidence in me that it truly makes me want to be the best employee EVER.

Yesterday, I worked for 7 hrs without so much as even a bathroom break and I honestly know I could have worked 7 more and still been all smiles. I had more fun at work than I did at the party I went to after. I'm starting to understand how people can become workaholics. I have NEVER been this way about any kind of work and to me, it really doesn't feel like work. This is my niche. This is what I'm good at. This is what has been making me so happy these past few weeks.

There are so many reasons why I can say I love my job. I won't for sake of time. But I am so so grateful to have this job (it's from all my parents prayers I'm sure) and I hope you'll all wish me luck cuz this next month or so is going to be CRAZY! Can't wait!

-Happy Employee

2010!!!

Well peeps, as you all know it's 2010 and I'm hoping my New Years party wasn't a reflection of how my love life is going to be this next year. It's ok though, I'm learning to date myself so I won't have to ever be afraid of being lonely. Anyway, as part of my New Year's resolutions, my first resolution is to actually WRITE new year's resolutions. Seriously, I don't think I've ever done it. But here's what I've got so far:

-Make a New Year's resolution list. (Check!)

-Get in the habit of reading the scriptures DAILY

-Be more positive

-Become the best dental assistant my office has ever seen!

-Work out more regularly and consume less unnecessary sugar (this is for health reasons not for weight!)

-Kick bad habits

-Work on learning more Spanish

-Earn money to study abroad in Spain

-Attend more ward activities

-Become mission prepared and hopefully serve a mission!

-Learn to like me for the way I am

-Build better relationships with friends and family

-Write in my journal and/or blog more frequently

-Work hard on getting my degree!

-And...

Become one of the best versions of myself!

I hope that next year I will be very different from this year (in a good way) and that this pattern will continue as the years go by. I think we all have more potential than we think and we just gotta keep plugging forward till we reach it (which will most likely not happen in this life but with God, all things are possible). Endure to the End! Return with honor! Choose the right!

And I know everything will turn out just fine:)

-Amos

Sorry Friends...

..but I officially have the best dad EVER. Side note: This is just ONE documentation of the many amazingnesses that is Merlin Carpenter. The night before yesterday I was expressing to my dad my fears of my car getting stuck in the 6 feet of snow encasing my cul-de-sac and asked if he was going to be home when I had to go to work just in case I needed a pusher. He said he had work early in the morning so I would have to turn to my mom in case of trouble. Well yesterday morning, when I looked out the window to see the sad igloo of a state my car was in, I was more than pleasantly surprised. My dad, had scraped the foot of snow/ice that was frozen to my vehicle AND shoveled the street around my car so I wouldn't be stuck. Wow.

But honestly, that's what I think about nearly every time I think of my dad. Wow. I honestly am so lucky to have a dad who is so sweet and unselfish not just some of the time, (cuz believe me he does stuff like this quite frequently) but pretty much ALL of the time. All I can say is, I love you pops and I hope to be like you someday:) And thanks!!

-Me