The Tale of the Immortal Goldfish

Once upon a time, I was ten years old and a fifth grader at Charlotte Hill Elementary school. We had a harvest festival on an autumn (probably still too hot in Vegas) October day, and I won four goldfish at one of the booths.

My dad took me to Petco and we bought a bowl, some rocks and some fishy food, and I lovingly made a nice home for my little friends.

The days went on, and, as gold fish are known to do, they started dying. Well, three of them did. We had tearful flushing funerals for each one when it was their time to go.

I was left with one, lone goldfish, swimming in a large bowl. And it kept swimming, and swimming and swimming. In fact, it just wouldn't die.

I turned eleven, and then twelve, and then thirteen, and then fourteen and this dang goldfish still kept swimming and swimming around that dang bowl. Every single day. It got bigger and bigger, until it didn't even fit in its little goldfish net!

not my fish, but they all look the same.

It's not that I'm a cruel person, or that I don't value life at every level, but, honestly, goldfish don't provide you with that much joy for having to clean the bowl and drop food pellets in the water every day. We didn't have a very good relationship. In fact, I forgot its name. It didn't even have an official name for most its life! My bad.

I remember going on family trips and leaving the goldfish for a week a time, and coming back to that little survivor, still swimming circles in its bowl. Even starvation could not kill it.

One day, I was cleaning the bowl. I had never gotten around to buying a bigger net, so I scooped up the beast of a fish in the little net to change its bowls. But this day, monster fish had Free Willy on his mind and he flopped out and onto the bathroom floor, flipping and squirming around like.... well... like a fish out of water! (bahaha..ha.. okay sorry)

"Ayyyyeeeeee!!!" I screamed. "Daddddddddd!!!!"

Dad never came. He was outside. I didn't want to touch the slimy thing, so I stood there, paralyzed, as Fishzilla flopped and flopped, and then went still. Looking at the cold, lifeless fish body on the floor, my caring human side took over and I quickly grabbed the fish and threw it into the water.. and watched it float, dead, in the bowl.

Then, like a miracle straight out of the New Testament, Mr. Fishy came to life. And started swimming, and swimming and swimming.

Conclusion: This fish was immortal.

He is still alive today.

Just kidding. He died when I was fifteen. But he lived for five good years! He wasn't immortal, but he had a pretty healthy constitution for a goldfish, wouldn't you say?

R.I.P. Fish with no name. I miss you so much.***

***not really that much.

The little things...

Just when I thought I would abandon the outside world forever and hibernate for the winter like a little anti-social babushka who cries at the sight of snow, HALLELUJAH IT WAS WARM TODAY!

Well... "warm"....

Like 50 degrees warm.

I wore shorts and flip flops to the park. And took a nap out on the grass with my roommates.

helloooo stranger..

It was probably actually too cold for that since our toes got a little numb.... But we did it anyways. Gotta live up the days that you can go outside and still feel your face.! Har har..

For me, its really the little things that make me happy. Like sunshine, chocolate milkshakes, and boys that treat you nice. And Sonic Limeades, BYU basketball games and sleeping in. They all make me incredibly happy.

It doesn't hurt that my birthday is this week. I'm a big birthday fan. BIG. I look forward to birthdays all year... not only my birthday, but everyone's birthday! Birthdays make me feel like this:




What a gem.

My birthday is in FOUR days. I am proud of myself for not starting a countdown after Christmas, because that is what I usually do. This year, I'm taking it as it comes. Even though I'm scared about not being a teenager anymore, birthdays are still awesome. A day just for you, with cake and presents and good friends? I'm so excited.

Although.. you know whats not cool?


Really weather? Sunshine all week and then snow on my birthday? You're killin' me.

Happy My-Pre-Birthday-Week everyone! Its a big deal.

Robert Frost is my homeboy.

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

-Robert Frost

Robert Frost is totally my homeboy. I know hes being figurative, but sometimes I feel like my world is ending when it looks like this outside:





Don't call me a drama queen. My hair froze into icicles this morning and I'm not okay with it.

No I do not love autumn because I am a jerk like that.

Everyone loves the fall season so much. All I hear these days is "The air is so crisp and cool!" and "Don't you just love the leaves changing colors?"

No. No I do not. Because fall in Utah is a strange phenomenon that I never experienced before last year and I refuse to like it. Mostly because I want it to be summer ALL YEAR LONG. Who needs sweaters when you have shorts? Who needs cute boots when you have flip flops?

PLUS, do you people realize what comes right after fall? Do you?!!! DO YOU!!!!???????

winter.


( SHUDDER. )

But I am starting to face a problem. The truth is, cool air IS pretty nice. And I really like cute fall clothes. And the leaves are pretty.

But thank goodness I am stubborn enough to convince myself that I don't like autumn even though I do!

I do not think this is beautiful at all. Nope. Not at all.

Comforting each other as we mourn the onset of autumn

This is me flailing for help from all of the terrible colored leaves behind me...

Jumping out of pure misery.

Looking at the tree in pure disgust.
(PS: Seven inches of that hair is now gone..)

Sundance in the fall is totally not even breath-taking at ALL!!

So basically...

I am living in denial. Yay me!