the great paradox

Also known as my life.

Let me explain some things about myself. 

I am such a boy sometimes.

Why? Read on.

 - I have an unnatural love for the Lord of the Rings movies. And an even more unnatural knowledge of the creatures. Like I could definitely identify a worg, a mumakil and a balrog on command.  

And I didn't even have to Google those names.

NERD ALERT!

- I ordered a creatine workout supplement online a few days ago. 

MEATHEAD ALERT!

- I can spit reeeeeaaaalllyyyyy far.

GROSS ALERT!
- I have a weird thing for cars.
BUY ME A '68 MUSTANG ALERT!

I just included a picture for my own viewing pleasure

- I love action and war movies (a la Bourne, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down) 

MOVIE-INDUCED ADRENALINE-JUNKY ALERT!

- I like my steak slightly bloody.

CARNIVORE ALERT!

- I really really really really enjoy live sporting events.

I'M THE ONE YELLING REALLY LOUD ALERT!

- I can throw a football NOT like a girl

THAT'S NOT THAT WEIRD ALERT!

Anyways, you get it..............

On the other hand, I am an extreme girl.

Like:

-I own over 20 dresses and skirts. Yes I am embarrassed. 

-I have 45+ pairs of shoes. Yep. Still embarrassed.

-Little Women makes me cry. Every. Time. Not as embarrassed. 

Have you seen Christian Bale as Laurie? You would cry too!

-I spend more money at Sephora than I dare admit. ($25 Dior mascara anyone??)

-I paint my nails on a weekly basis.
- I go shopping when I'm in a bad mood. Or sad mood. Or every mood.

-I definitely had a Zac Efron poster in my dorm Freshman Year.

It was only kind of a joke. 

- And lastly, I am mildly in love with Justin Bieber. And by mildly, I mean hugely.

 all of the above: 13 YEAR OLD GIRL ALERT!

 The point is, I sat at work this morning thinking about my juxtapose interests as I switched back and forth between Backstreet Boys and the Band of Brother's soundtrack. 

And all I could do was laugh at myself. 

People are so cool sometime, no??  

my name's brooke...

... And I'm obsessed with music.
SURPRISE!!!!

So oddly enough, for the last few weeks, I have been really irritated with all 32 gigs of music on my ipod.
Shocking, I know. 
It was a really weird three weeks. 
And by weird, I mean really really annoying.
Well good news. I'm back to my old self, and every song I listen to gets my heart pitter-pattering just like the good old days.
And at the moment, it's mostly this band:

Hey-oh, we're Rooney. And we're super bad-A.

Dudes, they have 4 albums. 
That's 4 albums of catchy, mood-lifting, 60's pop, reminiscentoftheBeatlesandTomPetty summertime fun that will most assuredly put you in a better mood than you were in before listening.   
A lofty promise? Yes. But it's true. Listen for yourself:




Also I came across this quote today,
(Courtesy of ATL's Alex Gaskarth) 

Appropriate? 
I think so.

provo-time, and the livin' is easy

Yes it's true.

I'm back in good old Provolone.

It's good to be home (ish) again, because Mesa was just WAY too hot for me to handle. 

Good thing my family will be up here next week. I miss them to pieces already.

Not much has gone on since my return Saturday night.

Sunday was crazy busy.

Jenny and I went on about 3 walks. 

Thank you, beautiful weather.

Yesterday I worked, donated blood, and sat outside with lovely friends for a few hours.

Also took cool artsy pictures.

Sarah isn't as mad as she looks, promise.

 

Also Jenny and I finally went grocery shopping last night. This is what our fridge looked like beforehand:

Haha pathetic.

Also, we have our first official intramural softball game tonight.

*Insert excitement*

It's seriously going to be so fun.

Basically this week is shaping up to be a good one. 

Thank you summer, for continuing to be good to me.

things i loved about today

- M&D came home!!!!
Also we celebrated birthdays and fathers day tonight. LOVE.

- This:

Do you ever maybe say a choice word or two when you have to ride your bike up a super steep hill for about 5 minutes straight, all whilst baking in the 98 degree sun? 

No?

Me either.

- Playing intense games of Hawaiian GoFish as a family. 

Probably I can tell you the Hawaiian name for the Longnose Butterfly Fish, the Reef Trigger Fish AND  Titan Scorpion Fish. And if that's not nerdy enough......

- This song.

I mean, I only saw the movie once. But I'm a little obsessed with the soundtrack.
And the chord progression in this song is UNREAL.

What can I say?

James Horner is the man. 

  - Coconut lime body spray. My room may or my not be doused in the stuff. Whaterrrr, it's summer. 
And it's appropriate. 


Happy Monday.  

josh groban, and other things

Hey-oh, peeps.

Still livin it up in good ol' Mesa.

I have a sunburn to prove it. 

And it's on the back of my legs, no less. I mean really, could there be a worse place to have a sunburn?

Answer: I don't think so. 

Also, yesterday, Ty and I spent the afternoon watching The Two Towers and Return of The King. 

That's over 6 hours worth of LOTR. 

There is definitely a reason why we are siblings.

So mostly I wanted to blog today because I found the most awesome picture of myself and my mom, circa 2004.

Without further adieu....

Sorry mom, and know your eyes are all closed and stuff....

But really how great is this?

Let me explain. 

This is my first (of 4, might I add....) Josh Groban concert. Note my ecstatic face and the 5 Josh Groban buttons I am wearing. How was I not the coolest 13 year old ever?

Also note the braces. I had been to the orthodontist for the last time a few days prior

You know how you can request a color for your braces? Yeah well....

I requested ALL the colors.

So rad right?

Again, my coolness level was just off the charts. 

Obviously some things never change ;)

dearest dad of mine....

Today is a day to celebrate one of the best people I know, 

my sweet dad Aaron Oaks Showalter.

I know everyone thinks their dad gets the "bestfathereverOMG" award, but seriously. 

I hate to break it to the rest of the population, but that just isn't true. 

My dad took that award out of the running a LONG time ago. 

Here are 10 reasons why I love him, and why he deserves to have the best birthday EVER. 

1. He is the most patient man I know. I can count on one hand the number of times I have heard him raise his voice. (Just for the record... it's really funny when he does)

2. He is SUCH a hard worker. I have had the privilege of working around my dad a lot, and he gives 110% at both work and home. 

3. He is an optimist. It doesn't matter how difficult of a day he had at work, he is always happy and cheerful at home. 

4. He is a good advice-giver. Many a time I have called him in tears and he has given me precious words of direction. 

5. He is so musically talented, it's a little disgusting. Voice like Josh Groban? Check. Guitar? Check. Piano? Check. Every other instrument? Probably check.....

6. He is so goofy. And he has the best dance moves in our family, hands down. 

7. He is unselfish. Actually, he is probably the most giving person I have ever met. EVER. 

8. He is money smart. I guess that comes with the whole "I'm an accountant" territory. But really, his budgeting advice has saved me countless times.

9. He loves my mom with all his heart, and more. The future hubs has a lot to live up to because I have been watching my dad for 21ish years. SRSLY.

10. Finally, he has a very powerful and strong relationship with the Lord, and it's apparent in all his actions.

So if I haven't made it obvious enough,

Happy birthday Padre. 

You are #1 in my book!

sometimes being home is weird

That sounds terrible.

Let me explain myself.

Basically I live a cool double-life, much like the majority of college students. 

I have my own little life up in Provo, where I am 100% involved, head and heart.

A life with tons of memories, feelings, experiences, and people attached to my blissed-out college world that make it really hard to disconnect.

 

Then there's this place called Mesa, where my head and my heart also reside. 

My dear family lives here, and I have tons of memories, feelings, experiences and people attached to this little desert town as well. 

 

It makes for a weird experience when I try to disconnect from one and reconnect to the other. 

Sometimes I feel like I am stuck in this confusing limbo state where I don't really belong to either place. 

Give it a few more days and I'm sure it will be good in the hood again. 

But for now, I can't help but feel a little like a stranger in my own house.

Sigh.

 

In other events....

Yesterday and today were great.

Brothers and I spent some time in the yard, went to the pool, visited In-N-Out and watched endless hours of the Office. Natch. 

Then today I got to see my dear best friend Nicole for the first time since she and fiance Stewart got engaged (!!!!) They are still presh as ever. Brothers and I then spent the afternoon watching National Geographic, grilling steaks and corn on the cob, and napping. 

A typical lazy Sunday that was really good for my soul. 

M&D are having fun in Hawaii, but it's a little depressing to be here without them. 

I am probably already ready for them to come back. 

 Shhhh, don't tell.  

 

Anyways, I'm tired.

Aka,

peace 

"people are as happy as they make their minds up to be"

Which is why today, I am bursting with gladness. 

Today my boss wore a plaid shirt and vans to work. 

P.S. he is in his 50s. 

Can I just say again how much I love my job?

Also, my obsession with Sonic's happy hour has got to stop. I may or may not have gone every day this week. One of my friends saw me after work on Wednesday with a drink in my hand and goes 

"Do you ALWAYS go to Sonic?"

Why yes. Yes I do.

Step one, be able to admit you have a problem. harhar

Also considering the circumstances (aka I am going home for 2 weeks and my roommate Sam will no longer be living with Jenny and I as of the 15th...) I feel like this is neccessary today.

How do I always have the best people placed in my life? Honestly I feel bad for the rest of the human race, because I seem to get the best deal as far as friends go. 

Don't argue, it's the truth. 

Let me tell you about these 4 women. They have made the last 6 weeks some of the funnest and laughter-filled in recent memory.

WARNING: mushville ahead.

I will start with my roommate Samantha Coffey. 

 oh hi, i'm a babe

I have known her since she was a wee child (aka middle school status). She and I were in the same ward in Georgia, and I always felt more like she was my little sister than anything. 

So when we reconnected in the fall prior to her first semester here at BYU, I couldn't have been happier. Then, we decided to room together for spring term. 

Queue crazylovelaughterexplosion of happiness.

Sam is such a smart, hilarious, wonderful friend. She is currently taking the prereqs for the nursing program at BYU and is just slaying her classes. 

She has all of us rolling on the ground laughing 99% of the time. 

She has a heart of gold, just brimming with sweetness.

And let's not forget that she is a bombshell with EXCELLENT style. 

I have had more fun living with her these past 2 months than I could have ever imagined.

Next comes my other roommate Jenny Burkinshaw. The lucky one in the middle.

 

I don't even know where to begin with this girl.

We became super good friends in the winter when we started watching the Bachelor together. 

She is smart.

She is beautiful.

She is hilarious.

She is resilient.

She is my gym/park/walk around provo/sonic buddy

And she is one of the most amazing friends I have ever had.

Honestly this girl would lay down her life for you, and that's not an exaggeration. I am amazed on a daily basis how much patience she has with people, especially myself, and how much compassion she is capable of. And the most amazing thing is how quietly she does it. It's never for recognition. She just wants to make sure she is there for you, 100% of the time. And she succeeds.

Such a star.

Next is our honorary roommate Abby Delawder. 

 

Oh this girl knows how to make me laugh.

And how to be a great friend. 

And just all around amazing.

Life has handed her some doozies lately, but she goes through every day not only with a smile on her face, but with a lot of laughter and willingness to make others happy. And she does a great job of it.

She's also one of the most athletically motivate people I know. So way to go sixpacabbs, you rock my world. (Also, maybe that should be your gym nickname????)

I have known Abby since my freshman year here, and I feel like our friendship has just grown exponentially over the last 2 months. Here's to the rest of summer, one that will be full of softball games, running/biking/swimming, and a whole lotta laughter.

Finally, another freshman year gem Kaylie King.

Kaylie is arguably one of the sweetest, most talented, smartest, hilarious, beautiful people I know. 

She is a music major, with an out-of-this-world beautiful voice.

She runs half marathons.

She loves her friends with all her heart.

She is a heartbreaker (In the best possible way)

She puts up with my incessant teasing.

She is a major goofball.

And is so sweet and kind. 

3 years, hours of conversation, and many a frozen yogurt date later, I love this girl probably more than she knows.

So there you have it. 

A glimpse at the beautiful people I am lucky to call my dearest friends. 

Just some of the many reasons why I am more blessed than I deserve.

you can probably judge me for this.

Here's the thing.

I'm pretty sure everyone has their musical guilty pleasures.

Now, I'm not going to lie... Normally I pride myself in my excellent music taste. One of my many ridiculous faults.

Promise, I'm working on it.

But sometimes, I too succumb to the mind numbing trends, that also happen to be really soul-satisfying and just plain fun.

(A la Justin Bieber and probably anything else on the top ten most purchased songs on iTunes)

Well right now, I am in one of those modes.

Lets call it "Sk8r Boi" mode.

har har I'm so funny

What is "Sk8r Boi" mode, you ask?

Well my current favorite playlist includes the likes of:

-Sum 41

-Yellowcard

-All Time Low

-Anberlin

I do feel a little better about this selection because interspersed with song likes "Ocean Avenue" and "Fat Lip" are selections from Cage the Elephant, JEW, The Spill Canvas, 311, Weezer and Vampire Weekend.
So at least I'm not 100% a 7th grader wearing oversized vans right?? Only more like 50%.

In other news, I am going home tomorrow.
Need I say more?

yeah, I'm definitely one of those bloggers

Disclaimer: I am quite aware that this is my second post today.
Gaspers.
Just bear with me, because I am about to impart of something beautiful that you will most certainly appreciate. And if you don't, shame on you. Go shut your hand in a door or something.
Anyways.
Are you having a non-smiley day?
 Have you ever heard of the site 8 tracks?

Well here you go. The best mix ever. And the solution to your anger problems.

I mean Cake, Matt Costa and Noah and the Whale were among the first 3 songs.
What's not to adore??

Also remember how I saw Noah and the Whale last week?

Maybe this will jog your memory.

Not to be stupid buuttt..... fun fact: I am obsessed with  my eyebrows. On many different levels.

 Dear Charlie, you have an amazing jawline.

Hoorah for concerts, dapper British men and best friends.

Just some of the many reasons why summer is the best. 

probably i had more fun in high school than you

I honestly think I have the coolest friends in the whole world.

Wanna know one reason why?

I shall tell you.

I'm sure you remember when Heath Ledger died back in 2008. Terribly sad.

So sad in fact, that my friends and I decided that we needed to have a Heath Ledger Mourning Party.

You heard me. 

What does that entail, you ask?

- Heath Bar froyo from Golden Spoon

- Heath Bar toppings

- Heath movies, and only the best. 

(Aka. A Knight's Tale and 10 Things I Hate About You.)
 - A "black clothes only" dress code (unless you are Chase Pettyjohn. Then you are allowed to wear navy church pants from middle school)
- Framed pictures of Heath

Also maybe between movies, we went around and said our favorite memory with Heath.
Which may or may not have just been scenes from his films, but don't worry about it.

Needless to say, I'm pretty sure of these two things:
1. My senior year in high school was waaay too fun for it's own good.
2. My friends and I are 100% ridiculous, and 100% rad.

oh, how i love this little life of mine

Seriously as I walked to work this morning, I felt like my heart could burst. 

The breeze was warm, the sun bright, the song on my ipod happy, body rejuvenated, mind fresh and ready for a new week...

Just call me Captain America because I was ready to take on the world. Still am, as a matter of fact.

I love days like today.

Why? Because I step back and realize how good things really are.

Life may not be perfect.

I may not have tons of money, or gobs of free time, or live in a super great apartment,or whatever...

But I have more than enough.

In this little town, in my little world, with my sweet friends and family, I am unadulteratedly happy. 

And really it's just taking the time to appreciate the small things that makes that possible. 

I'm glad I remembered that this morning, because I feel more joyous than I have in weeks :)

In other news, here's a little weekend highlight/recap/update, whatever:

Friday:

- Trip to sonic for happy hour, natch.

- Sushi with amigos Kaylie, Seth, Abby, Kyle, Jenny and Sam. It was. todiefor.

All of the following photos are courtesy of Abby. Word.

- A visit to the most epic park you will ever see, ever. Seriously, the swings are on a moving swing set. MOVING. SWING. SET. Those are my 3 new favorite words.

- A trip to the darling dessert place, The Chocolate, where I ate the most delicious cazookie of my life.

- Driving around blasting Justin Bieber. Doi. 

P.s. how great is it that Kyle is his number one fan? Seriously, the kid saw Never Say Never in theaters 3 times. 

And at least one of those times he went by himself. 

I mean, that's why we are friends.

- Then I'm pretty sure we just did stupid things in our apartment for the remainder of the evening. Like watching The Bachelorette at 3 in the morning. What's new.

Saturday:

- Woke up at 11. After a week of waking up at 6 everyday, I don't even feel bad. 

- Jdawg reunion with dear friend Lauren Noorda, who just returned from a stint in South Africa. 

No big deal, right?

- Shopping with the homies, including the mall, Lowes, Sonic, and the grocery store. 

- Dinner at an incredible Salvadoran restaurant with a nice gentleman.

- Trip to Coldstone (Yeah I know. We really need to stop eating out so much. I can't help it. It's too fun.)

- Yet another jaunt in the park. I'm starting to feel like it's my favorite place in the world. 

Oh wait. Because it is.

Sunday:

- Lovely lovely church.

- BBQ with roommates and extended family (of said roommate)

- Heat-Mavs game. Which, oh wait, we dom'd. 

- Another nice walk to, you guessed it, THE PARK.

- Temple hill drive with roommates Sam bam and Jburk. 

Followed by a battle of epic proportions, that ended with Jenny's bed soaking wet and Sam getting thrown into the shower. And Sam going crazy, resulting in the following pictures:

This is probably my new least favorite, but also most favorite picture of myself. As 100% mad as I look, I was definitely the opposite. 

I know this because I was playing Angry Birds on my ipod. I'm always happy when I play that game!

Also, how cool am I for sleeping in my swimsuit? I was just that hardcore about tri training in the morning.

Anyways, it was a beautiful weekend. In every way imaginable.

Obvi.

p.s. Just so you are aware... If you are a hummus fanatic like such as myself, you may think you will love every hummus flavor possible.  

Warning: Don't be deceived. 

Artichoke and garlic flavor is probably one of the grossest things to ever cross my lips.

five senses friday

Seeing: Lots and lots of graduating high school students and EFY-ers. Note to self, DO NOT PARK AT THE MARRIOT CENTER this time of year. Ever again. Ever. 
Tasting: Last night's dinner, aka Moochies philly cheese steak sandwhich (heartburn much??). Seriously though, best sandwich I have had since like... the torpedo at Ned's Krazy Subs back home. 
Possibly even more delicious. 
Yeah.
I said it. 
Listening: James Taylor, Sky Sailing, Noah & the Whale (!!!more about that in a momento!!!) and Western States Motel. It's that kind of chill, happy day.
Smelling: My hair. You know how your sense of smell is suddenly heightened when you use a new product with a new scent? Like switching perfumes? Or (in my case), shampoo? Yeah I love that. 
Feeling: Overwhelmingly happy that it's:   
A. the weekend, and...   
B. that I seriously got to see Noah & the Whale last night. 
I'm still reeling. 
It was so. much. fun. 
Bahamas opened for them, which set the mood perfectly because they were a breezy, chill, happy group. Then NATW just stole the show. There was so much energy through the crowd, and the band was beaming the whole time. You could tell that they were just loving every moment. 
As were we.
So thanks Charlie Fink and company, you have officially made it onto my bestshowsever list. 
Also, pictures to come later. Don't even worry about it.  

Also, I've been meaning to mention this all week, but if you've never heard of Mayer Hawthorne, you MUST check him out asap. He opened for Bruno Mars and he was INCREDIBLE. He and his band had this funky retro vibe that was pure "get-up-and-dance" fun. He did a cover of Hall & Oats "You Make My Dreams" that was just to die for. 
Basically one of the funnest performances I've ever seen live. 
And lookee, I've even included a little sample for ya!


On that note...
Happy weekend!

just call me Lance. as in Lance Armstrong.

Once upon a time, about a year and a half ago, I did my first triathlon. 

Queue chorus of :
"OH EM GEE BROOKE YOU ARE LIKE, SO HARD CORE!"

I know.

Why do you think I do such cool things?

Anyways, basically  my favorite thing about the tri was training. 

13 solid weeks of it.

And I loved every second.

(Minus the days I had to get up at 4:45am to beat the AZ heat. But even then, I still sort of loved it.)

And lately, I'm just dying to do that again.

It doesn't help that my road bike is just sitting in my kitchen, begging to be ridden.

(Also begging for the back tire tube to be replaced. But don't worry about it....)

I have a feeling this week, my inner cyclist is coming out to play. And she will be around for a while!

In other news, here are my daily gratefuls. Mostly this is necessary because I am super happy today for no apparent reason.
1. It's Thursday! My favorite day of the week! EEE!
2. I get to see Noah and the Whale tonight with two of my favorite peeps, Jennifer Burkinshaw and Kaylie King. Also, we are going to a divine philly cheese steak place for dinner beforehand. Sounds like a great night, no?? Also pretty sure Charlie Fink is one of the most gorgeous British men to grace this earth.
So, you do the math.

3. It's another beautiful day here in Provo.
Last night, my roommates and I went on a walk, and I was so struck by the beauty of this little town.   
It's so perfectly imperfect.
None of the houses or apartment complexes match, it's all just sort of haphazardly thrown together. The thick trees and overgrown grass with the dandelions cheekily poking their heads through, cars lining every street, random construction everywhere... it's all so fresh and perfect and wonderful feeling. And it gets even better when there are gobs of other people out enjoying the evening with you.
Provo, I LOVE YOU.

4. I get to see my sweet brothers next weekend.
I've already got epic plans, some of which include playing lots of Foosball, driving everywhere with the windows down, Golden Spoon erryday, shooting hoops, and playing lots of rockband.
Best two weeks ever!

So basically if I keep going, I will die of happiness overload.
Aka, the end.

have you ever noticed...

- How SICK bagged lettuce is? It smells terrible, and definitely doesn't taste like the fresh stuff. I don't know how it's taken me almost 22 years to realize this. Never again.

- The radness of this song? Takes me all the way back to '05 baybayyyyy.

-The intoxicating smell of fresh air? Last night, roomie Sam and I slept with the window open. Waking up this morning was 100% more exciting than it's been in like, 6 months. Probably longer. Because let's be real, when is waking up EVER exciting?

- How fun it is to creep on people? Let's just say Jenny and I took our people watching skills to a whole new level last night. People of Southridge, we are watching you. Mwahaha.

-What a blessing it is to have a good job? I seriously think I got the best pick on BYU campus. Hilarious boss, flexible hours, beautiful building, and I just work and listen to music all day. It's like I died and went to corporate heaven. Minus the whole corporate thing.

-The joys of swinging in the summer? Did it twice yesterday. Boom.

- How irritating awesome it is when people talk like they live in a Disney movie? LOVE THAT soooo much!

- How ridiculous this is: If I really wanted to, I could see a live performance EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK. Acoustic Explosion tonight? Maybs. Rooftop concert Friday? Probs. See yesterday for the other deets. Someone has got to stage an intervention, or my eardrums are going to pop.
Or maybe someone should stage an intervention with my grammar.
As cool as it is to shorten every other word in my vocab, I have a feeling people probably judge me for it a little bit.

- And on a more serious note, how fun it is to look back on your life and realize how rich it is? I had the best childhood! Yes that even includes my middle and high school years.
In case you can't tell, I have been all nostalgic for the last few days. I don't know why, but I just keep asking myself these questions:
How did I get so lucky?
How am I still so lucky??
My tiny brain can't get over it.