Ale-ale-jandro

Here's another Zumba song that deserves mentioning. Actually, after last night, I think this one wins the prize ... mostly because I got lost and I did an about-face when I was supposed to be shimmy-ing and I got a shimmy-in-the-face from the lady behind me. Both of us were a bit embarrassed, but it all just comes with the territory!

ALEJANDRO!!!!

Other news: I'm addicted to etsy. No. Really. If I ever have to buy a gift for any of you, know that it will come from there. Also, I really enjoy buying gifts for myself. I wonder if I could find a cheap apartment on etsy and then decorate it with stuff like this:

while wearing these:

Dang economy. At least I can look at pictures while I sing to myself about Alejandro.

Everybody ZUMBA!!

So, most of you who know me know that I'm not good at working out. I get bored with treadmills and crunches. Usually, I just get tired and go for the cookies. But, I'm ALL for being active! If I'm convinced that I'm "playing" instead of working out, I love it! I can't get enough of hiking, biking and volleyball and I've recently developed a love of Ultimate Frisbee (as long as the conditions are right, which usually means that I have good, patient friends on my team--which means I can't play with Jeff.) But, the most recent physically active development in my life is ZUMBA!!

I've now been to four classes. You'd think I'd have picked up a bit more, but I think my fourth class was almost as disastrous as my first. The second and third classes get my vote. I started going to class with Kylee and that makes it even more fun. As I jump and shake it and display my lack of coordination, it's okay because with Ky, I have NO shame.

Kylee's in Texas, so last night I went to class without her. Kylee's friend, Kelsey, who also comes to class with us brought a friend, parked it in the row behind me and forgot my name. So, I was a lone Zumba-er amongst about a hundred crazy jumping ladies. The class is a BLAST! And on Wednesday, I plan to remember what I'm doing. 

My favorite parts--the fun music they pick out and the way the steps all match the counts ... it's seriously fun! and I love that I work up a sweat and am sore the next day--proving that I've had a workout, but I never feel miserable while I'm doing it! AND there's very little room to feel self-conscious because there are women of all shapes and sizes and levels of coordination AND nobody has time to pay attention to each other because we're all too busy keeping up with the teachers, who are HILARIOUS and fun to watch, as well. Man, those ladies can shake it!

So, here are my two favorite Zumba songs. They've been stuck in my head and I can't hear them without wanting to ZUMBA! (is that a verb? It is now.)

**Urban dictionary defines zumba as: A dance exercise where you dance for about an hour straight. Zumba incorporates all different types of dances such as salsa, marimba, belly dancing, cha-cha, and more.

Another one bites the dust ...

Another weekend bit it.

Another friend bit it.

And my brownies are almost gone. But they at least lasted until Monday, which is more than I can say of the weekend and of Lisa.

But one of these things requires a celebration! And we celebrated!

Here's how MY version of this weekend went:

Friday after work, I rushed home to pack, and met my Relief Society sisters at our church. I forced Kylee to ride with me and Becca to our overnighter at Island Park. Kylee and I basically had Becca crying from laughter

Some of the "funnies" I remember were:

Kylee: Look! There are some buffalo!

me (refusing to look): You lie. I don't believe you.

Kylee freaks out trying to get me to believe her. "It was there! I swear! Becca, did you see it? Tell Brooke I'm RIGHT!"

The same thing happened later involving a camel.

Oh, and according to Kylee, if a horse and a llama were to ever reproduce, they'd make a giraffe. Does anyone else get that? No? Kylee, you're wrong.

The road in to the cabin was SUPER washboardy and I couldn't handle the vibrating. I'm pretty sure my truck was about to shake itself apart. Of course, Kylee was vocalizing the WHOLE time just to make her voice sound fun. She also had to call out, "Cow" for every cow we passed. Pastures were fun! "Cow. cow. cowcowcowcowcowcowcowcowcow."

And then there was the rodeo. We pass some delapidated stockyards.

Kylee: "We could have a rodeo!!"

me: "Yeah, you can ride that antelope we just passed!"

Kylee: "Whatever. I was gonna ride YOU!"

me: "You can't ride me! I'd buck you off!"

Kylee: "You can't buck THIS off!"

Oh. Man. I love rides with that girl! Poor Becca in the backseat.

The overnighter consisted of tacos, a spiritual message by Sister Schwieder, a befuddled Brother Schwieder feeling REALLY out of place being the only guy, LOTS of moths, painting toenails, peeling off crazy facemasks, dressing up as moose, putting Kylee in time out ... oh, and picking up a piece of insulation off the ground, thinking it was a french fry. I think Ky was hungry.

I didn't take a single picture. Shocked? Me too.

We slept there and then drove back SUPER early so I could be at the temple at 10:30 for some of this:

me and Ashley outside the temple after the sealing

Lisa's family waiting for them to come out of the temple

Lisa and Craig are married and it was beautiful!!

After the sealing, I made the mistake of trying to be productive at home. I have a hard time going through old stuff anyway, because I keep getting distracted by cool things, but that adventure is escalated when I'm loopy and sleep deprived. For years, I thought I only had one roller blade. Somehow, dad found the other one. I didn't even bother with socks.

Mom was worried the neighbors were going to see me.

Saturday night, Kylee rounded me and Ashley up to drive to Lisa's reception. It was all pretty much amazing. We had one TEENY little table with 13 of us branch friends and former branch presidency members. We just all like to hang out together! Too bad I didn't get a picture of the table, but I did get a few of these.

Chris, Brooke, Keri, Kylee, Lisa, me, Megan, Ashley and Gina. The girls!!

me, Kylee, Ashley and Carl hanging out by the food.


Nicole and Mark's entrance to the party!


something was funny

It was an amazing weekend and SO good to congratulate my Lisa and Craig and see them so happy together!

We slept in the church parking lot

So, I need to pick up from where I left off. I was telling you about my crazy-fun weekend, last weekend, remember? REMEMBER??? Good. Cuz it just kept getting better. You'll want to hear about it.

So, let me introduce you to this girl:

(the one in green--if you're colorblind, she's on the right. If you're not colorblind, she's still on the right.)

Shannon is freaking AMAZING. She was new to our branch this spring. She's probably the most positive and friendly person I've met. We hit it off right away and I was SO excited when Kylee and I got made her visiting teachers. Shannon was in Idaho Falls for the summer going to school to be a dental assistant and working on her mission papers. We had fun playing volleyball, attending softball games, washing dishes, eating bananas ... She got her mission call to the Bolivia, Santa Cruz mission and leaves in a week and a half! Kylee and I wanted to come to her farewell to surprise her.

First of all, when Kylee said she wanted to go to Montpelier (about 2.5 hours away) on Saturday night and "find somewhere to sleep," I was a bit skeptical. I don't sleep well unless the circumstances are PERFECT. We were going to bring a tent? How was I going to get pretty for church in the morning? Kylee laughed at me. I knew I'd be forfeiting a night of sleep, but I went with it. The fun's in the adventure, right?

So, after my bike ride on Saturday, I drove my exhausted self to Idaho Falls to shower and then to Pocatello to meet up with Kylee. She'd been in Poky for a few hours, hanging out with her mom and aunt, and I made her wait for me. She sat in the Walmart parking lot and painted her toenails while a gang fight went on a few hundred yards away. She missed the whole thing, but dang, her toes looked good.

I left my Captain in the Walmart parking lot and rode with Kylee to this place:

Montpelier, Idaho (see the M? Shannon's house is near there somewhere.)

We got there around midnight and considered a few motels. We googled all the small-town motels, but when we found them, the signs all read "no vacancy." REALLY? In Montpelier? We're pretty sure the three sisters of the Three Sisters Motel just went to bed early. After cruising the whole of Montpelier at least thrice, we settled on a bathroom break in Maverick and then found a nice parking spot next to a bush in Shannon's church parking lot. At least we'd get there early!

Our biggest concern was the bored, local policemen who we were SURE were going to come knocking on the windows at 4 in the morning. "Sshh. Sleepin'." I could NOT stop laughing at the concept of sleeping in the church parking lot. What if I had to pee in the middle of the night? Is it appropriate to squat behind a bush on church property? Luckily, I didn't have to worry about that. Street lights glared in our eyes, so we spent a good amount of time arranging blankets and hanging up a tshirt in the window to block the light. Here's how we finally settled.

There was a bit of flailing and snoring and ... other things to keep the night entertaining and at about the time I finally started dreaming, my alarm went off. People were starting to show up at the building for early-morning meetings. We got dressed in the car and found the bathroom through the back door of the building to finish getting ready.

We walked in to sacrament and surprised the pants off of our Shannon and also off of this girl:

(the one on the right. I wasn't surprised. I knew I was coming.)
whom I hadn't seen in about two years. Shayla (Goldie) and I were room-roommates one summer at BYU-Idaho and she married Shannon's brother, so now they're all just one big, happy family! Shay and I were CRAZY when we lived together and had so much fun. It was awesome to pick right up where we left off! "Friends don't spy!" "I spy because I CARE!"

Shannon's talk was AMAZING and then Kylee and I got to follow Shayla and Casey to the family's house to spend the rest of the afternoon eating and talking and laughing. Kylee and Shay had never met, but they'd always reminded me of each other, and the three of us had a BLAST. My favorite part was all the poking and grabbing during the blessing of the food. We're going to hell, but we'll have fun there together! :)

Shayla (Goldie), me, Shannon and Kylee.

I just love these girls and it was awesome to make a little road trip to be able to hang out and see our Shannon off. And it made it even more fun to say we slept in the church parking lot!

Portland vs Swan Valley

This weekend, I was reminded of SO many good things! It's amazing how little things can make such a difference my life. I'm gonna break this into at least two posts, because it deserves at least that much attention. Starting out--

I didn't have a specific plan for Saturday and everyone else seemed to be doing something else, so I threw my bike in the back of my truck and drove to Swan Valley. My parents were staying at my uncle's RV park and my aunt and uncle were there as well. I reveled in about nine and a half minutes of family time before I hopped on my bike and headed out. About 7 miles later, I met up with my parents and aunt and uncle at Swan Valley's Art in the Park. I was reminded of Portland's Saturday Market, with the only commonality being the local artisans selling stuff. The differences? Idahoan artisans and Portland artisans are ENTIRELY different breeds. In Portland, I found stuff like this:

I was in heaven. My $100 alotted spending money was gone in 45 minutes and I REALLY want to go back for more.

At the Swan Valley show, I found stuff like this:

See the difference? I love Idaho. :) My $20 stayed in my pocket and I shared one of these with mom.

Ours was red.

Did I mention I love Idaho? I'm not dogging it, I promise. I enjoyed the low-key Art in the Park ... people walking their dogs all over the grass, children running and laughing without need of constant supervision. I loved the lady with the oxygen tube up her nose telling me all about her stained glass art. I loved that I got to meet up with fun family and cruise the whole ordeal.

And I loved that I was able to bike there and then to here:

Sometimes, after visiting a cool place, I think I'd like to live there. Who knows, I may end up moving somewhere else EVENTUALLY, but it's days like this that make me realize how much I love it in Idaho. I just like to be able to VISIT other places. If I lived there, they'd lose their appeal, right? Idaho's appeal is different. It's more like home.

healing endorphins

So, yesterday I found a healing miracle in the form of an ultimate frisbee game. Who knew? Actually, I probably did, but I was in denial.

Yesterday was a BAD day for this Brooker. I've had a rough go of things for a few months now and haven't been able to snap out of it for awhile, but yesterday ... oh ... man.

I was on the verge of some sort of breakdown because:

I'm living with my parents in the basement and the toilet doesn't flush and the bathtub won't drain and my light bulb fixture is broken and i have no carpet and don't have the money to pay off my student loans, let alone pay to go play with friends in Couer d'Alene, so I knew I was going to be missing the trip that everyone else has been planning for and talking about and i'm getting frustrated hearing about all the plans that everyone else is making that i can't be a part of like hawaii and disneyland and texas and yet i want to hear about them because secrets are even harder and being left out intentionally really sucks which is another reason i wasn't totally committed to Couer d'Alene because there was some intentional drama that i didn't agree with but then you hear about all the good times that have been had without you like narrows and fat lips and hover shoes and i don't have a sister to go visit for a week, nor do i have any nieces or nephews being born and i don't even  have a buddy to come to Playmill or Bar J or even canoeing or bikeriding or hiking with me this weekend because my mom fell behind on my friend payments and i can't get anyone to be excited about planning anything with me or to even give me an answer  and amy's still not talking to me and i can't figure out why and i'm not sure what to do about it but i gotta do something because that's just not cool and she was even going to be my friend this weekend and there was so much to look forward to there and now it's like ... dashed and i lost my temple recommend and it's supposed to be coming in the mail from Spokane but it hasn't yet and until then, i can't go and there's no peace anyway because i'm pretty sure my ADD has caused some sort of anxiety rupture and my whole world is spinning like crazy and medication would probably help, but then we're back to the money thing and i'm kinda thinking the anxiety problem was the cause of the amy problem, but i can't pinpoint it and i'm wondering if this is all happening to break any/all ties i have to my life as i know it to prepare me for something/somewhere else but I'm so tired of job hunting and i tried the utah thing before and hated it, but kimmy loves me and wants to play with me if we were closer and there are so many fun friends down there that maybe it'd be better this time around but i'm tired of change and i just want good things to stick around, but volleyball doesn't even seem to be happening this year and that's basically what i lived for and if there's not that, then what is there?

BUT, it was Tuesday night. And guess what happens on Tuesday nights? Ultimate frisbee. Lately, I've been going, all dressed and prepped to play and then I end up just watching. I watch because I'm no good. I didn't grow up throwing frisbee and I can't seem to get the thing to go where I want it to go. Mostly, I've never even practiced. Should I go play fetch with myself sometime? Probably. 

But on Tuesday nights, the pressure's on. Especially now that it's become more and more popular. There are some HARD CORE players and I just don't want to be the disappointment. Mostly, I just don't want to play on Jeff's team. I just can't feel good about myself after messing up on Jeff's team. Last night, I showed up, knowing that I NEEDED to be a part of something. 

But, I was chickening out and kicking myself for it. I was quite the mess, I assure you. I watched for awhile and finally bucked up with they did a team shuffle and there was an open spot on not-Jeff's team. I was in. And oh boy, was it good for me! I'm NOT great ... but I did make a couple fun catches and helped to score a few points. We lost ... twice ... but it was close and I had a hand in it all! It was so good to share in the sportsmanship. It helped that Kylee was on my team and she usually seems to make me happy. Oh ... and the running. Man, those endorphins and fun friends and the green grass and the sunshine work wonders! 

Now ... to figure out how to make that relief last ...

Oh, and I didn't even get hit by a car on my ride home. Score.

4 Weddings and no funerals ...

This is the summer of my best friends' weddings. This is what I've been up to lately:

First was my Shmarah. Sarah Prescott was my roommate for 3 years in college and then for a summer when I moved to Salt Lake.

She got me to loosen up and start thinking inappropriate things were FUNNY. We laughed and were irreverent and really enjoyed being goofy. She's 4'11" and I'm roughly 5'11" so just walking around with her was funny! Try riding a tandem bike with this girl! It's hilarious! I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned Shmarah's wedding, since it was in March, so I'm just going to leave it at this:

and say that the girl is AWESOME, and I'm kind of a fan of her hubby, too. And ... oh yeah. They're expecting a baby. That's just going to be another phase to watch my friends all become parents! (most of them have already)

I'm not really bitter that I'm still single. I like my life. I REALLY like my freedom. I love all the adventures I've been able to go on and I love the fun relationships I have with people. I'm not one of those bitter single people and I never have been. But, I'm finally getting to the point where I wish it was my turn. I'm still happy, but there's a big part of me that's having a hard time with this:

Sarah & Brayland March 20, 2010
Desirae & Marc July 23, 2010
Kimball & Dave July 31, 2010
Lisa & Craig August 21, 2010

Really? All four of my closest friends in one swoop!

Desirae and I were in the same ward growing up. We babysat the same family and spent an entire summer as best friends, hanging out with this family when we were 14-15. Shortly after that, Desirae moved to Washington and we only saw each other during the summers and at Christmastime. We'd talk on the phone and write letters and have MANY summer adventures together, including a month of study abroad in Mexico.


Des met and taught Marc while on her mission in Kentucky. He was baptized and she got to be there when he received his temple endowments right before she came home from her mission. A few months later, they were engaged and now they're married.


Miracles happened and Lauralynn and I were able to drive to Portland to be at the temple for their sealing. Most of Desirae's family couldn't be there, so it was extra cool to be her support for such an important event. We couldn't stay long enough for the ring ceremony the next evening, but that's when Desirae's family showed up to celebrate, so they had plenty of love and support then.

I've re-discovered Portland. There are bike paths EVERYWHERE! I spent a euphoric hour at the Saturday Market and spent all my money on crazy-fun hippie-style artsy stuff. I'm pretty sure I'm half Portlander at heart. (only half. I still freaking LOVE Idaho.)

It was so good to be there and SUPER good to reconnect with Laur. She got married a couple of years ago and has a baby (who came along with us and blew raspberries for an hour straight in the morning to wake us up). Laur and I haven't spent a lot of time together but had a lot of good times growing up, so it was fun to have a weekend adventure with her!


The next weekend, I got to go to Spokane for Kimball's wedding. Kimball and I were roommates for only one semester at BYU-Idaho, but we we've been basically glued at the hip ever since. We're dorks that finish each others' dorky sentences. They call us "Brimball" and it's been fun to have such an awesome sidekick!


The ride situation to Spokane was HILARIOUS! Up until the day before the wedding, I wasn't sure how I was going to get there. We had a rental car reserved, but then our friend, Rachel, wasn't sure if she'd be able to come. I couldn't afford the car on my own. About 45 minutes before we were supposed to leave, Kimball calls to say that her uncle and some family members were driving through Idaho Falls on their way to Spokane and they had two extra seats for me and Rachel. So, we rode to Spokane with Uncle Paul; cousin-in-law, Rachel; her former mother-in-law "Korean Mom"; and Rachel's 3 kids: Jessie-13, Jonathan-7?, and Jada-1. Korean mom ONLY speaks Korean. Rachel is learning English, but it's rough. Jessie and Jonathan speak English AND Korean and we couldn't figure out what language Jada was babbling in. Uncle Paul speaks enough English to make up for the rest. Seriously. He talked all through the movies. He wanted to know who I was texting. He harrassed me for eating two lunches (I was HUNGRY, lay off!!) and even during the week, he had to point out that I'd taken a long shower (it was midnight, who cares? I had to shave my legs) and ... oy. Then, there was Grandma Mooney who came right out and asked why I was still single and what I was doing to make myself available for dates.

We were IMMERSED in the Madsen family all weekend. You may think it sounds annoying, but man, these people are HILARIOUS! There was no escape. I'm pretty sure there were several hundred people sleeping at the house all weekend. there were mattresses on the floor, tents in the backyard and people EVERYWHERE! We were slaves in the kitchen (I never wanna see another cream puff) and we put together all of Kimball's floral arrangements (people discovered allergies they didn't know they had!) and I basically didn't help much because this only child/social recluse was a bit overwhelmed and found myself standing in the middle of chaos, not knowing which way to run.






But, I survived and enjoyed it. The morning of the sealing, Kimball's sister Lacey lost her temple recommend. Lacey was supposed to be the one in the bride's room with Kimball. At the last minute, their dad grabbed me and said, "Brooke, I need you to be a substitute sister. Go get in the truck." I climbed into the back seat of the truck with Kimball's wedding dress. A lot of tears were shed, but in the end, Lacey and I both got to be there with Kimball to help her get ready. What an awesome experience!

The sealing was AMAZING. There are a LOT of people who love Kimball and Dave. There were people standing around the outside walls because there weren't enough seats. Even President and Sister Clark from BYU-Idaho were there. (David is their nephew.)


The reception was AMAZING. Dave's parents have a beautiful house with a picturesque back yard.

photos from Uncle Paul

Three weddings down. One more to go. Lisa's getting married in Idaho Falls. I'm so glad I don't have to figure out how to travel AGAIN. This is all so, so crazy, but fun. I'm still smiling. :D

I've got some new friends that I'm not talking to

My bathtub doesn't drain. Well ... it does, but it waits until I'm done showering. And, as it drains, air bubbles come up from the toilet. What is THAT? Living in my parents' basement has become quite the adventure. I've been using a space heater in my bedroom. Isn't it August? And the other night I was making my bed and I got a little crazy spreading the blanket and I whacked the light bulb dangling from the ceiling. I think I knocked a wire loose. Good thing I have a lamp in my room. I now have a screen in the window so I can open it up to the window well without worrying about the spiders crawling in. I'm still never home, so the reality that I live with my parents hasn't totally killed me like I thought it would. I DO really miss seeing my roommates. I miss our random movie nights, and trying to figure out what's for dinner. (I'd usually wait to see what they're having and then try to duplicate it.)

But, I've been realizing more and more that there was a purpose for this particular "catastrophe" in my life. I'm not where I want to be, but at least I have a place to live and it's not an entirely HORRIBLE situation. I'd rather be somewhere else, and I would have loved to stay with Brooke and Gina, but maybe this time, it isn't about me. The girl who took my place in their house needed it more than I did. Chris really didn't have a place to live and Brooke and Gina's was an answer to her prayers. I read Chris's blog yesterday and I now realize that my loss was her gain, and I can live with that. I could have it much worse. and I'm glad Chris is happy where she's living now. There's just got to be something else in store for me. 

There's a line from a song that has been playing in my head for weeks now, and is more applicable now than ever. The song is "New Years Resolution" by Graham Colton. The line is "I've got some old friends I think I'm losing. I've got some new ones that I'm not talking to." I've mentioned before that this year is the summer of my best friends' weddings. I'm not completely losing them, but things are definitely changing, and I'm feeling that loss. Shmarah, Des, Kimball and Lisa are all moving on. But, I've reconnected a bit with old friends Lauralynn and Andrea whom I've known since kingergarden and that's been a fun reminder that the good ones never really leave. It's the "new friends that I'm not talking to" that has me the most concerned right now. I'm praying a LOT and trying to be patient, but a good friend of mine has just stopped talking to me. We haven't been particularly close, but we were getting there. We used to text quite a bit and even see each other a few times a week. It's only been a week, but I've heard nothing. I'd like to not take that personally, but I've sent texts and keep getting no response. I'm not bombarding. I'm keeping my distance--it's got to get better soon, right? What's most confusing is that I didn't do anything! This has happened before with other friends after a disagreement or something, but I'm racking my brain and I've come up with nothing. Maybe this isn't about me, either. It's hard not to take things personally when mine is the only perspective I have. I see how things impact ME and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it. I'm not sure what went wrong, but I hope I can figure out how to make it right.

In the meantime, I went shopping. I bought the same shirt in 4 different colors and I'm thinking I need a fifth. They're cute. They were on clearance, and sometimes, this is the kind of stuff that just makes me happy. Today, I'm wearing the yellow one.

I also went on a bike ride yesterday. This girl topped off at 20.78 miles by the time I got back home. I even found and conquered a few small hills east of Idaho Falls. Man, that area is fun! And Starbursts have super powers.

My cousin, Kimmy, is one of my biggest blessings. We've only been close friends for the last couple of years, but man, I don't know what I'd do without her. We're 13 years apart in age and not even technically related, but we have so much in common.  And we've come into each others' lives at just the right time. I haven't found anyone else who's as easy to talk to or who has better words of advice and encouragement. I love you, Kim! Thanks for always being there.

Someday soon, I'll post about some weddings I've been involved in. :)

Now. Here are some relevant pictures:

Me and cousin Kimmy--my best cheerleader and friend. 

me, Brooke and Gina at Brooke's birthday dinner. This was a post-roommate picture with my roommates. Glad we still look good together. :)

me and Amy hiking in Palisades. This was one of my best days ever! Great conversation and awesome adventures.

me and Kimball doing the "pwetty face" after her sealing. The professional photographer liked it and got some shots of his own. Can't wait to see what he does with them! Oh, dear.