Sometimes, Always, Never - Headbands

Headbands are an ingenious fashion accessory, beloved by the bad hair day, awkward-growing-hair-out-phasers, and athletes alike. However, headbands can quickly indicate your lack of style if misused.

Sometimes

Athletic headbands (labeled with soccer balls, ADIDAS, etc.) or Pre-wrap should only be worn by athletes immediately before, during or after an athletic event. If you played JV Volleyball it's time to lose that stretched out circle of sadness.

Hippie wraps or turban headbands. I only like to see these at the pool, on vacation, an event like a concert, or any outside activity. In the appropriate venue these look chic and effortless.

Always

The classic headband. Tease your hair at the crown a little to keep it from looking flat. Sweep it up into an updo for a romantic look.Throw some hot rollers in your hair for big volume and slide in a shiny headband for some serious polish. I love it.

Never

Headbands with giant flowers, poofs, feathers, etc. Also, for some unknowable reason, the girls who wear these wear them with completely straight, flat hair in a pony. Really? You're going to make the focal point of your look the giant accessory atop your head? You look like a Teletubbies character.

Bandanas. I'm never going to say these are ok. If you don't work on a construction site, lose the bandana. Simple as that.

Headbands that are braided synthetic hair meant to look like it's yours. Claire's called. They're apologizing for selling you something that is so clearly a 90's joke. Do this instead. Way cuter and easy.

The zig-zag headbands that dominated 2000-2004. I thought these were extinct but then I saw this ancient artifact on a lady at Walmart.

 

Dear NBC: An Open Letter from a Humble Fan

Dear NBC/Writers of The Office:

I love you. I love your show. I love your work. I'm sure you get fan letters all the time. "Let me be an extra!" "I want to come on the show!" "Can I have the Jello mold used to put Dwight's stapler in Jello?" But you probably don't get many letters from someone who has been a diligent follower since age 14. On two separate occasions I've actually DREAMT full-length original episodes. At a job interview a few weeks ago I was miserably unprepared for a question about basic psychology. But what happened? I instantly thought of Jim conditioning Dwight to expect mints at the sound of his computer powering down. I answered "Operant Conditioning is blah blah blah." This is just one example. The Office has been an integral part of my life since Season One. Even when everyone said The Office would never be good without Michael, I stuck with it and still enjoyed it immensely.

I hope this has earned me at least some credibility and respect. At least enough to present a suggestion for you. This is something I've thought on various occasions throughout my Office fandom career. Here goes:

I am not a prude. I curse too much. I watch R-rated movies. However, I frequently find myself questioning the content of The Office. Oscar is gay, and that's part of the show. The occasional reference to intimate sexual relationships is fine with me. I thought you did a great job with the Dwangela relationship. You've been tasteful with Oscar, and I appreciate that. Michael and Holly was ultimately a geeky relationship, and you used their intimacy to enhance that, instead of to be crude. I loved it.

Last week's episode "Angry Andy" violated this successful pattern of risque content used for classic Office humor. Instead of using Andy's impotence to build the finally-requited Erin-and-Andy relationship, or to play up his manager relationship with Robert or Nellie, it was this major feature of the episode that took the place of the glaring awkwardness of Nellie taking Andy's job, everyone hating her, Robert California doing nothing about it and no one sticking up for Andy except his girlfriend. It feels juvenile and irresponsible for you to choose to focus on something risque and intimate for a major portion of the episode rather than address the huge gaps you created in the story line.

Sure, anything you have Dwight do is going to be hilarious. He's straight currency. But overall, it wasn't that funny. The shock factor of using the word "erection" on primetime television may have given you the impression that it was humorous. Quite honestly, these episodes that focus on something racy for a prolonged period of time are no one's favorite.

Season Two - Sexual Harassment.

Season Three - Gay Witch Hunt, and a little bit of Ben Franklin

Season Six - Body Language, maybe a little bit of Secret Santa

Season Seven - Sex Ed

Season Eight - Angry Andy

These episodes are few and far between, but they stood out to me. Mostly because I believe people judged ME based on those episodes. They were crude, gross and largely unfunny. I hated that people judged your brilliant and hilarious show based on those few, cheap episodes. I hated that people thought that I must be one of those lowest-common-denominator people that wants to see everything scandalous, racy, stupid and empty. If I wanted that, I'd watch Jersey Shore.

But I don't. I want the awkward, intelligent design of a classic Office script. I want Michael grilling his foot. I want Jim's muttered sarcasm and facial expressions. I want Pam's earnest innocence. I want Stanley's irritated indifference. I want Dwight countering popular opinion with a rigid and uncompromising opinion and inability to relate to his coworkers. I want the ostracized Toby recognizing his futility.

I want the one-liners, brilliant design and comedic timing of awkwardness that leaves me feeling happy, not embarrassed. I want to proudly rep your show to my [adult] family and friends. I want to laugh when I cringe, not squirm in discomfort.

In essence, I want you to rise above the Jersey Shores. The Real Housewives of Narnia. The content-less comedies that last one season on Comedy Central. I know you're nowhere near that, but these handful of episodes make me nervous that it's the direction you'll fall - the path of least resistance. You're better than that. You're so much more than that. Be more. Be better. Be The Office.

I know you can do it.

Sincerely,


Danica Holdaway
Professional Office Fan

The Evolution of a BYU Student

THE NOOB

Freshman year I was just a little naive zoob. Moving out with one of my high school/ward besties Caroline was an exciting adventure filled with too much Diet Coke and way too many grocery shopping trips. Late nights were glamorous. A "real-life" job was my greatest pride. A Gold's Gym pass was obtained, although working out regularly doesn't counter the constant stream of snacks I pounded. I went to every dance party Facebook and my friends invited me to, because that's the trendy college life I'd seen on the internetz.

It wasn't all bad though. There were BYU football games with some of my best pre-mi friends. Plenty of studying and paper-writing. And obsessing over Mamma Mia!

Glenwood wasn't quite my style (too ward-centric and young) so Winter Semester I moved into Crestwood (private rooms and fewer zoobs). There I met one of my best college friends and the greatest roommate ever, Natalie.

I ruined my summer with History classes and Calculus. Still healing over a breakup and the less than ideal dating life I'd been experiencing at college, I pretty much spent the whole summer studying and watching the original Star Trek series on YouTube. Not my finest hour.

THE AWAKENING

That August changed everything. I decided to snap out of it. Katie and I finally bonded. I met Kami and Marit and started trying again. I cared again. I partied again. I dyed my hair dark a la Zooey Deschanel. The very first night I actually went out again, I met The Beard (at a SINGLE'S WARD ACTIVITY. Semi-embarrassed of this.) I still remember something waking up inside me when I talked with him. It's not something I can articulate. But it was good.

Marit and I hung out with the famous Trumans, met the BYU football team at the airport at midnight after their triumphant Oklahoma win, and started to go to more and more local music shows with my rapidly becoming bestie Tiffany. I bought new clothes, stopped eating crap and started yoga. I began the teaching program at BYU. I really DATED and made new friends in my ward, complex and classes. I was almost the "real" Danica here.

REMEMBERING

The Beard and I grew progressively closer, always circumventing eventual "official" status. Never seeing one another more than MAYBE twice a week. But come March, I was dominating my classes, especially with my Writing in Social Science class and remembering how much I loved English classes and writing. I had made so many friends, dated guys that weren't pre-mi's or complete weirdos, and was on the top of the totem pole at the library. People knew my name. I was finally wearing good clothes. Studying in a desk at the library instead of in my bed with microwave popcorn and The Office open in another window on my laptop. What a little adult I had become. I was more confident in myself and it was clear that The Beard was to play some role in my life. So I didn't run from it, even though we were both leaving for the summer.

We spent nearly every day together before he left, despite the good advice of my sweet and protective friends. We left with a "Have a great summer!" and the slightest potential hope that if we both came back and wanted to do it again, we would. And for real.

Once classes ended, I finally had a summer. No classes. Worked 4 days a week. Spent plenty of time in Mesquite, St. George and at the King Henry pool with Tiffany and Ali. I really grew close to my best friend Eliesa and looked forward to her newly single status and the promise of the greatest summer ever. I spent hours at the pool reading my huge tome of British history, preparing for Wales. I visited Chicago with my family for Brooke's senior trip.

I left Provo with a renewed sense of what this summer meant. I finally had a guy to care about, but I could function without him. I was desperately scared that liking him would ruin my summer without him, but instead I found it to be a pleasant hope to look forward to September. I could be funny. I could be cute. I could be crazy. I could enjoy time alone and time with my friends. I could drive with the windows down blaring Metric and The Eagles all summer long. As I finished a Cocoa Bean run with my office friends, I was just so grateful for my life and so happy to be living.

Wales was amazing. I won't re-hash that for you all. I showed up as the quiet, weird girl that no one knew, because I applied late and took the place of a dropout, not taking the prep class. I finished as everyone's friend, the group clown and "The Girl Who Doesn't Sleep." That's who I am. Deep down. The train had come full circle and I was ready to come home and be somebody. Just in time for my last year at BYU. :)

THE DRAMA OF ADULTHOOD

The Beard and I started dating pretty much immediately. I moved into the Dream Palace and vowed to remain social despite a boyfriend. We went to local shows, parties and threw awesome bonfires. I met Claybe, Shane, Myles, Jordan, Tanner, Myles, and a hundred other friends of Ryan's. I became FHE mom, and actually enjoyed it, despite my complaining. I fell in love with Just Dance. I watched Friday Night Lights, Entourage, Parks n Rec and Chapelle's Show with the Beard every night. We played counselor to our friends. We fought (a little).

Around Christmas I had a breakdown. I was facing my last semester of BYU, real world life, frustration with my family, boredom in my job, and uncertainty with The Beard. I lost it, you guys. My parents honestly looked terrified watching my sob on the floor like an 8 year old. I didn't even do that when I was an 8 year old. So you can only imagine. I considered running from Ryan. Postponing a semester. Quitting my job. Moving somewhere new. Doing anything else. During this stress I lost 20+ pounds, my hair fell out and my school work pretty much suffocated.

The only things I was sure about were that I didn't want to break up with The Beard; I liked teaching and being in classrooms, even if I hated my education classes; and that the coming 3 months would determine much of the rest of my life, so there was no way I could check out.

REALLY GROWING UP

I decided to stop being a baby and finish strong. I started out attending my final education and history classes regularly. I tried harder at work to be awesome, even though I thought I had reached that threshold. I took better care of "me" as Oprah would say, by trying to send The Beard home before 2 am, reading books I liked, doing homework before cramming stressed me out, etc.

I interviewed a a few schools in the area, and then was quickly offered my current internship position, which came as a merciful blessing in a time of craziness. I felt confident and excited to teach, although a little anxious.

The moment of truth came for The Beard and I, and it was just what we need to both decide we were "all in." After that point, talks about love and marriage and planning just spilled out. I was happier than ever and attending class probably less than ever. As the Dream Palace situation grew crazier, we spent more and more time with our families, and I absolutely fell in love with his. How fun is it to have 4 new sisters?!

I concluded my BYU career by unceremoniously trashing all my notebooks and selling all my textbooks. I moved back home, cut back on work hours and spent all my time wedding planning and hanging with The Beard and Holdaways.

Seven Peaks with Jeanette and Katie, Owls games, and one EFY session later, I was getting married to my best friend!

As far as BYU goes, I considered myself done. I still had to go to some stupid meetings and finish that b*&%# (sorry) of a Teacher Work Sample (a 40+ page portfolio showing that I know how to fake good teachings on paper), but I was pretty much done. Visiting campus made me so grateful for what I had and learned there, but so happy to be at home with my husband and working at an awesome school.

And here I am. Graduating today. LIKE A BOSS.

Thank you, BYU. Thank you apartments and roommates and singles wards. Thank you Study Abroad. Thank you LAO & HBLL. Thank you Mckay School of Education. Thank you to my family for always being there when I had to get away from Provo.

Thank you Beard. You met me at my lowest point and brought me to my highest, with patience all the while. I love you!

And thanks to you, my reader-friends. You endure my long-winded rants, and why? Because you know deep down I love you. I hope to have more and better posts since BYU, school and everything else is easing up on me. :)

Go Cougs forever!

BYU's Best/Worst Classes

I've been reflecting on my BYU career and the classes I've taken. Some were more helpful than others. Some were absolutely useless (I'm looking at you, Calculus) and some I still use every day. For my BYU and prospective BYU friends, I thought I'd do a review of some of the best/worst classes I took. As always you should check out Rate My Professor before signing up for any class.

What I wished I would have taken:

• More religion classes. They are the best.
• A raquetball or other fun sports/fitness class.
• More specialized history classes like The American South or World War II.
• School of Family Life (not religion) classes on marriage and kids and stuff. I learn it secondhand from Eliesa.
• Gone to more Devotionals. I always really enjoyed it when I went or watched Devotional, but usually used it as homework time.

So here they are, my most memorable classes - best to worst:

Intro to Social Psychology (PSYCH 350) - Amazing! The best class ever. We talked about cognitive dissonance, conditioning, social norms, and my favorite assignment was to break a social norm and write about it. I invaded people's personal space. It was awkward and hilarious. I loved reading the textbook and class time flew by even though it was like 2 hours each time. Take this class if you can.

Classroom Management with Burr (SC ED 379) - The most useful class of all time, and only 1 credit hour! I wish it had been 3 or 4 credit hours. I use it every day and I learned so much from Sister Burr. She's awesome. You'd only take this if you were an Education major obviously, but if you are make sure you take it from Burr if she still teaches now that she's a principal.

Book of Mormon (REL A 121+122) with Merrill - The Best! He ended up being my favorite religion teacher and I took Book of Mormon pt. 2 and New Testament pt. 1 (REL A 211) with him. He's very frank and really helps apply scripture to your life. But, as any BYU student will tell you, you can't go into BOM thinking it will be easy because you've read it 50 times already. Take it seriously.

Econ 110 - Loved it! Most people hate it. I didn't take it from the famous Kearl guy though, so that may be part of it. It was really hard, but so interesting to me. If you dedicate yourself, it's actually rewarding.

Mission Prep with Goodman (REL C 130) - Awesome! I took it because all my friends were in Mission Prep classes because they were actually going on missions and I felt left out. Turns out I loved this class. I learned teaching basics and more importantly, how to teach with the Spirit. I also had to wear a fake engagement ring to avoid a weirdy. But that's a story for another time.

World Religions with Choi (REL C 351) - Incredible! Sort of. Choi is this little Korean dude who is super hard to understand at first (Sa, right?) but knows his shiz. The only trouble is that he tells you super cool stories all class period and then the test is all out of the book. Out of class intensive study is necessary. But it's amazing and testimony building.

Political Geography (GEOG 341) - So good! I'm a geography nerd. But we talked about Israel/Palestine, Kurds, Quebecois and tons of other interesting, relevant stuff. Again, he'd get off on a tangent of personal experience and you had to study a lot. He has a really cool interactive project, but I worked with two less-than-bright BYU football players so I did all the work. Worth it, though.

Comparative Government & Politics (PLSC 150) - Hard but super interesting. I still remember and apply the stuff we learned as I teach and when I read current events. I can't remember the professors name but he reminded me of Steven Colbert so I really liked it. Try to get in a cool TA group, because mean ones screw you over.

D&C (REL C 324) - hated it. Never went. Got like a B-. Don't take religion classes at 9 am. Just don't.

Political Inquiry (PLSC 200) - Shoot me in the face. Hated it. So bad. Also I'm pretty sure I was the only freshman. Because I already had so many UVU credits, I didn't need to take generals, but I got last pick of real big kid classes because I was on paper a freshman. I hated this class. I have no background in stats. Shoot me in the face.

Calculus (MATH 112) - enough said.

[Note that I somehow got out of American Heritage even though it's sort of right along with my major... lolz]

What about y'all? Favorite/least favorite classes? Classes you wish you would have taken?

What I Learned - BYU

I suppose graduation on Friday concludes my BYU career. It's weird. I wanted to go to BYU for forever. It was the only school I applied to. I was so proud and relieved when I got in. My grandpa was a professor there, and all of my Budge cousins went there. It was so prestigious and shiny and wonderful. Oh, the freshman innocence. I still love BYU. I still think it's the best. I bleed blue. But, like any other wonderful thing, there's more than meets the eye.

I spent a lot of time with my butt in an uncomfortable auditorium seat in the SWKT. (Ok. Much less time than I was SUPPOSED to.) I spent even more time in my beloved HBLL. But what I really learned didn't come out of overpriced textbooks or bloated professors.

Roommates suck.

African food smells TERRIBLE. (see above)

You can tell a lot about someone by where they live. Glenwood = carless zoob. Belmont = douche. Alpine Village = stupid, high-maintenance girl. These are generalizations, mind you.

Just because a boy is a Returned Missionary (RM) doesn't mean he is a good guy. This one was probably the most shocking to my naive freshman self. And the most disappointing.

The South End Market, A.K.A. South of the Border, is the closest place to campus to get my Diet Coke contraband.

It is possible to live off Diet Coke. (see above)

My fave study spot is Periodicals. Especially when it's rainy. My most EFFECTIVE study spot is level 1. No windows. No cell service. Only a handful of passersby to distract me. All Asians.

College courses are both easier and harder than I imagined. The actual coursework is not that bad, and the load is doable. What is more difficult is that the distractions grow exponentially. You have complete control of your schedule, laptop and Netflix account. Peril ensues. (see above)

Stay away from English majors. Kick it with the Dance teaching majors. They know what's up.

Sleep is a funny, undefinable thing. It swings from absolutely necessary (9 am on a Monday instead of Doctrine & Covenants) to merely optional (Every time The Beard called me to hang out and we ended up talking until the sun came up. No one tell our future kids that. They'll think it's ok for THEM to do that. And it's not.)

JDawgs is called of God.

Singles wards are nothing more than the Sacrament in a meat market. The girls that wear their PINK sweats and Uggs on campus all week suddenly look like Wet Seal models come Sunday. And that's not a compliment, ladies.

One day, you'll have more friends that didn't go to your high school than did. And it's kind of weird and great. They have no idea that I wore softball sweats my entire senior year and get tricked into thinking I'm qualified to run a fashion blog.

The Cocoa Bean is the greatest thing that's ever happened to Provo.

A Study Abroad can show you who you are and who you're meant to be. You'll never regret it.

Facebook doesn't make you any cooler than you actually are in real life. Common misconception.

College is amazing. There are parts I actually miss, like the spontaneity, the craziness and the potential for meeting tons and tons of incredible and terrible people. Still, I'm so happy I'm married and out of Provo and away from all of that. It's a chapter that served my book of life well, and I'll never regret it.

GO COUGARS! And here I come world.

Cake Balling Part 2

I had a fairly nice experiment with Cake Balls for my YW activity a few weeks ago, so I decided to give them another try for Easter. I also took more pictures this time. I learned a ton and I think Cake Balls are going to be a regular for me.

Bake your cake - I used Funfetti for festive reasons.

Crumble into a large bowl, picking out the edges that don't crumble so well. Some blogs said to use a food processor/blender/vegetable grater. Crumbling with my hands worked fine.

Mix in your frosting (and I added sprinkles).

Here's where my learning came in. I used a small cookie dough scoop to make sure I was using equal amounts of cake ball each time. I kept a stream of water going and rinsed my hands every few cake balls, keeping my hands wet while I formed the balls. This way, they don't stick to your hands and they are smooth instead of rough. I tried to make these kind of egg-shaped. LOLZ. Don't worry if they are a little wonky. You can smooth out the bumps when they are frozen before you dunk them. Mine still don't look like eggs even then. It's ok. Really.

Freeze. I only froze these for a few hours. I feel like the ones I froze overnight last time were easier to deal with.

Set up your station. Melt your almond bark with a little shortening, little bits at a time. You can also melt it in a small crock pot left on "warm" if it is deep enough for dipping. I was going to cover my cake balls in crystallized sugars, so I dumped them into small prep bowls. Have your tray covered and ready.

I dipped my "eggs" using a fork, then stuck the fork in a small cup so it could drip back into the almond bark bowl and firm up a bit. Then I shook the sugars over the sticky candy-covered egg balls and back into the cup to harden completely. I found it was much easier to pull off the fork when it had firmed up a little.

Finally, I froze them overnight to harden completely and then put them in an egg carton for Easter dinner. :) Again, a little time consuming, but super yummy and way cute.

Sometimes, Always, Never - PDA

I think we can safely say that it is actually spring, and LOVE IS IN THE AIR.

I have come to a horrifying conclusion: PDA is much more tolerable at the Junior High than at BYU. Why? Why is this the case? Young kids are supposed to be passionate and lack judgement. Adults are supposed to be mature and in control of their emotions. I have a few theories.

1. BYU kids have never had boyfriends/girlfriends before ("I DON'T DATE NONMEMBERS...") so this new and fun kissing thing is simply irresistable.
2. College kids treat campus like their home - sleeping everwhere, eating anywhere, walking around in sweats and Uggs with no shame, so why wouldn't they suck face in the SWKT quad?
3. In the frenzied married culture of BYU makes having a significant other an extreme social triumph. They feel so proud and also terrified that it may be temporary, so they try their hardest to prove it to themselves and others.
4. At the Junior High, the weird and nerdy kids are still afraid of the opposite sex, so they aren't the ones participating in PDA. Not the case at BYU. It tends to be ONLY the weird, unfortunate-looking kids. Shoot me in the face before I see two Engineering students clearly using tongue for the first time.

It makes me want to do this. Click it. It's the best PDA video I've ever seen.

Also, maybe we should issue some of these.

Let's lay down some groundrules, shall we?

SOMETIMES

I hate seeing people kiss in public. But now being married I guess I get it more. Smooching should only be used if you are saying goodbye for the day. It should be brief, hands-free and ONLY a peck. Also, you don't need to kiss goodbye before every class. You just don't.

Hand-holding. Only acceptable if you are walking around with your significant other. BYU students love to do this thing where they hold hands during class or while they're eating or across the table at the library. WTF? Really? Are they going to disappear the moment you stop touching them?

ALWAYS

I have never minded the hug. I hug. I'm not a "huggy" person, but I hug. Keep it short and sweet, and it's a great way to say hello and goodbye. Hug away my friends.

Cheek smooching. I've always thought this was incredibly classy.

Also, forehead smooching. It's so sweet.

NEVER

This is going to be a long list, so try to keep up.

Multiple kisses.

Making out.

Tongue.

For the love of all that is good, STOP MAKING GOOGLY EYES.

Bum-goosing. Also known as bum-cooching, spanking, squeezing. Sorry I just used all those words.

Winking. I think we can all agree we're crossing over into sex offender territory here.

Cuddling. Why are you spooning in Brigham Square? Whyyyyyyy?

Caressing in any form. This includes cheek stroking.

Did I miss any? What crazy PDA have you seen? Is UVU as bad as BYU? I sure hope not.

Big Girl Now

Week after next, I have BYU graduation. I'm excited about being officially "done," but really, I've been done with BYU for about a year. What I'm probably most excited about is a reason to buy a new dress and shoes. I mean, it's Easter/Graduation, so I have to clean up, right?

Anyway I'm basically drooling over these combos.

Old Navy & DSW

Shabby Apple & Valentino

Sosie & DSW



Ruche & Wanted