retire.

For those of you on the edge of your seat about which shirt design won...The Lion! Hopefully I will have it available for purchase within a few weeks. Then you can wear it about town, covered in a thick coat because it's still freezing outside. Well, 2010 is just about over. I think I shall leave you with a few of the lessons I learned.....
   *Moving out really is the best thing for a person.
   *Apartments, no matter how dingy, can be the refuge and sanctuary you always dreamed of.
   *Only have friends who won't ditch you on your birthday. 
   *Sunscreen is imperative during the summer.
   *Find what you want to do. Then do it. 
   *Ask for what you want for Christmas. There is a chance you will get it. 
   *2x4's do not paddle full-sized ski boats. 


See you next year!

gifts aplenty.

Holy Hannah. I had a good haul this Christmas. Clothes to let me be more girly? Check. Nice smelling perfume and lotion? Check. Fancy camera that will give me, and consequently you, super duper pictures? Definitely check. I can't wait to start taking pictures with it. That is, after I read the massive manual that came with it. Talk about confusing. Eventually I just consoled myself by reading my new Harry Potter book. Oh, don't think that I don't already have all seven of them because I do. I'm talking about Tales of Beadle the Bard. I love entering the HP world all over again. I also got to see Tangled on Christmas. If you haven't seen it, do so. If you have, do yourself a favor and see it again. I know I will be. Update on the shirt situation? Mr. Lion is totally winning so if you want the Lightning Man on your shirt you better make it known. 

deliciousness covered in goodness.

Today, I would like to share with you some magic. Chocolate covered Oreos sprinkled with crushed peppermint sticks. 

 

 Super, super easy. Melt some chocolate chips (be careful not to burn the chocolate, though!). Get a package of Oreos, Double Stuf works better. And yes, you will want to use the whole package. Then crush some candy canes in a bag or with a food processor. The latter is much less messy. Not that I would have any experience with messes...I am a complete and total neat freak. 

 You can dip the whole thing or only half, your choice. Set the dipped Oreo on some wax paper and sprinkle away. Try not to eat too many before they even have a chance to make it onto the wax paper, though. 

I promise you will not be disappointed. 

finally.

Yes, I realize that this post is a long time coming. Believe me, I have a good excuse. Hopefully I will have proof of this good excuse once this weekend is over. But onto the long awaited event: The Design Contest. Below are my two designs that I'm putting up for auction. The shirt will be $20, including shipping. The one with the most votes by the 30th will be the one put up for sale. To vote, either comment or (if you don't want to have a Google account), email me your choice (runningcarrot14@yahoo.com). Please, please, please indicate what size you would most likely purchase (they will be adult t-shirts). All of the info will be most helpful. Thank you so much for checking this out. Thank you even more for participating in The Contest. Here you go!

 Lightning Bolt Man. Yes, the shirt will include the golden electricity stick.

Lion. Each shirt will have the golden accents, but at different places. Uniquely yours!

no.

As a dance major, I have no finals. Why does this atrocity not happen to me, you ask? Let me ask a question in return...What would we get tested on? Let me also pose a situation to you: We get tested every day on how well we learn new material, how well our bodies perform the new material, how much we've improved from yesterday's performance, and against all the other dancers' performances. Now. Would you rather have 4 quizzes and one final OR be tested the entire semester? Since I am kind of a weirdo, I go with the latter. Eh, it makes me happy. Sue me. I have also noticed something else that is absent in my life. SNOW. Where the heck is all the snow around here?? Wintertime in Utah is not wintertime without the snow. What about all of those poor resorts that opened Thanksgiving weekend? I don't think they have that much snow anymore. And if they're not open, then my brother and I can't go snowboarding after we get matching day lift passes to Brighton. This situation is contingent upon us getting those passes again. Obviously. But it was a nice gift that we got last year. Going snowboarding with my brother reminds me when he taught me how to snowboard. It went something like this....As we get off the lift, which is not on the bunny hill, but on a huge mountain that has a blizzard occurring, my brother tells me to strap in and follow him. This is while he's teaching me, mind you. Don't worry. It gets better. I got stuck in 4 foot deep powder. He then preceded to tell me that I had to get myself out because he wasn't coming in to help because then he'd get stuck. We're a very loving family, I promise. Anyway, to hold you over until I get the t-shirt designs up, and I promise that they're going up next week!!!, here is a picture for you to just enjoy. 

I simply love this picture. I hope you see why. 

the levels of news.

First off, I apologize for the lack of posting last week. The end of the semester really gets to a girl, ya know? Anyway, I think I can make it up to you with what I have in store. Second, the news. 
  Good News: I got another nap today on the bus ride home. 
  More Good News: I got into two dance pieces in the Modern Dance Department.
  Better News: Old Lady wasn't on the bus today so I got to leisurely stroll to my car, wait for it to warm up, and then drive off in whatever pace I chose.
  Best News: I have a recipe for you guys. 
It's called Taco Soup. It's ridiculously easy to make and caters to vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike. Here's what you need:
  1 can of green beans
  1 can of diced tomatoes
  1 can of corn
  1 can of kidney beans
  1 can of diced chilies (whatever kind/hotness you like)
  1 packet of taco seasoning
  1 pound of ground beef, already cooked (non-meat-eaters leave this out...obviously)


Pour all of the ingredients, undrained from the can, into a slow cooker or big, big pot. Let it sit on medium-low-ish for a few hours. Then you stuff. I promise it delivers. Especially on a cold, dreary day when all you wish for is something hot running down your throat. 


And now for the most exciting news. If you haven't noticed, I have another page besides this one called Carrot Tops. By next week, I will have pictures up of a few different t-shirt designs. I will hold a contest between the designs, and the winning design will be available for purchase soon after! So make sure to stop by next week and support the starving college students of the world. 

the holiday.

I left the "s" out on purpose. I'm not talking about the time of year, I'm talking about the movie. It stars Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black. My only problem with this movie is Cameron Diaz. Her character seems like she's supposed to be really complex, but either she doesn't act very well or I got it wrong. Either way, her voice also really bugs me. Her counterpart, however, plays the sexiest single dad. Ever. Jude Law is just the most awesome guy in this movie. It makes watching all the scenes with Cameron Diaz worth it. I love that Kate Winslet befriends an old guy. She is just the sweetest thing. And I absolutely adore Jack Black in this movie. Finally he's not just being stupid-funny! Sure, he's a little dorky, but he's also charming and cute. And just plain hilarious. This movie is a perfect addition to the season. Plus two hours of Jude Law never hurt anyone. 

the elephant in the room.

I went on a date tonight. A date with a very nice boy. This was our second date, so we were still on the "Getting to Know You" topics, which made for very interesting conversations. He asked questions about things that I don't normally talk about. With anyone. Not that I can't talk about them, just that I don't. He asked me if the topics made me uncomfortable....here's the thing: I can't decide if I'm uncomfortable talking about them or not. I don't have a problem about talking about them; I am just not used to it. Now this is the thing on my mind....Do I want to get comfortable talking about them? Do I like knowing them in my head, but not talking about them? What would happen if I did start talking about them? Anything? Everything? Nothing? This is what happens when you venture into the dating world. Mass confusion. 

snowflakes and sugar cookies.

 Or should I say blizzards and blubber-building bonbons? Yes, that seems more appropriate. 

 Hey, it's the cold, winter, holiday time. We're supposed to be building up our fat stores for the freezing weather that is sure to come. 

 40 pre-sized sugar cookie dough balls, courtesy of the Scout camp that I worked at this summer. You get to take left overs home when you stay until the very end. Just ask my 10 pound box of bacon. 

 There is nothing in this world quite like warm cookies. Nothing. 

Actually, there probably is, but that list that is much too long. 

 

And when all the cookies are all done, the weather takes a turn for the beautiful.

hp.

Hewlett-Packard? How perfect? Henry peed? If the real answer to those two letters does not come to mind, let me illuminate you about the world's greatest phenomenon. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 premiered last night. Of course I was in attendance. I love Harry Potter. Have since I first discovered him when we were both eleven. I have loved reading every single book, literally growing up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. To me, the characters are more than fictional...They actually are real. Because of all this and so much more that would take way too long to write, the second-to-last installation of the movie series was super important to be a part of. I actually haven't been too impressed with the movies, with the exception of the sixth one. This new movie blows my mind. I love it. Even though I knew what was going to happen I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I am planning when I will see it again, hopefully before the end of this month. There are just some things in this world that stand for much more than what they seem, and this movie/book series is one of them. Seriously, if you are looking for something to change your life, become a Harry Potter fan!

old woman raceway.

Since I ride a bus to and from my college's campus, my car is stuck in a park-n-ride lot all day. When I finally get to the parking lot at the the of my day, I get in my car and speed home as fast as I can. And by speeding I mean going 5 miles over the speed limit. Hey, some of us live life in the mildly fast lane. Unless I'm behind old-lady-who-drives-an-old-lady-car-while-eating-potato-chips. Then I don't know when I'll get home. I have gotten stuck behind her enough times to learn that I need to leave the parking lot before she does. This entails me speed walking off the bus, sneakily watching her to make sure she's still going slow, unlock my car, throw my backpack and lunchbox (yes, I have a lunchbox) in the passenger seat, and leave before her lights even come on. Has this worked? Oh yes. Did I do this again today to ensure control over my own speed limit? Oh yes. Will I continue to do this? Oh yes. Would I rather look like a complete fool rather than drive painfully slow for 15 minutes instead of 10? Oh yes. 

this one's for you.

This is my father. His birthday is today. He's a great man. He joins me in scaring my little sister. He introduced me to Tim Burton films when I was in elementary school. He thinks I'm funny. He has part of one of his fingers cut off and likes to mess with people by putting it by his nostril so it looks like it's halfway up his nose. He plays the bass guitar. Thanks to his own birthday present, he now plays the ukelele. He takes my family ATVing. He cooks. Really well. He likes the simple things. Some would say cheap, but he likes to say frugal. He's paid for most of my college tuition. He tells jokes whenever he can. He knows many, many lines from movies and enjoys quoting them in everyday conversation. He took me to his history classes when he was going to school. He likes to give homeless people the benefit of the doubt and gives them money anyway. He says that we're not the ones to judge. He likes to listen to classic rock. He should be French because he uses so much butter on his food. He tells me the truth about myself. He's in a band with four of his friends. He thinks Wal-Mart is of the devil. Even though we don't always see eye to eye, he is still there to support me. He's the reason why you're reading this. This is my father. 

beignet.

*ben/yay. The word is French, but I learned about them by watching Disney's The Princess and the Frog. Wonderful show filled with wonderful, cartoon food. I got curious about beignets because they looked so marvelous and everyone got much happier after eating a fresh batch. I thought they were some kind of donut/pastry. Come to find out, they're scones. Everyone outside of Utah would call it fry bread, but I call them scones. Literally, bread dough fried in oil, covered in butter and jam or honey. I was devastated when I found out my precious beignets were scones. My previous thoughts of beignets were shattered. My day was ruined. My life came to a halt. And then I made Navajo tacos with them. And then I made them again. And now I love that I have my very own homemade recipe for making them. And now I will share it with you so that you can partake in this horror-turned-fairytale food experience. Enjoy. 

what happens when you live in a small town for a summer.

As some of you may know, I spent my summer working at a Boy Scout summer camp that was housed in a very small town. I mean very. The combined two cities that were within a half hour's drive couldn't equal to more than 1,000 residents. The phrase "small town" usually implies, at least to me, that the area is mostly farm and this place was no exception. Everyone had trucks, tractors, and trailers. Ooh, and farmer's tans. I used to hate trucks because they get terrible gas mileage and cost a lot of money. Then I drove the camp vehicle...An F-150. Cherry red. I fell in love instantly. It was big. It was powerful. It was fast. It was all I needed from any automobile. Call me power hungry/environment killer/American consumer, but driving that truck changed my life. So did listening to the radio in that small town. I don't really like pop music and the only other station was, you guessed it, country. My tentmate also loved country and would play it often so it was fate that I would grow to like it. Again. I had this country phase in elementary school, but grew out of it probably because none of my other friends listened to it. I also had an oldies phase (not classic rock, but older), *NSYNC phase, classic rock phase, and rap phase (which thankfully did not last very long), but I digress. Because I have a newfound love of country, my iTunes has acquired many new songs, including all the ones by Taylor Swift. I don't care if her past songs don't relate to you because she wrote them when she was 15, but I urge you to listen to her new CD. URGE!! It's called Speak Now and I couldn't agree more with the title. Around some people I have been known to say my mind, even though my mom wishes this would happen a little less. This CD does exactly what I do. Except for she reaches millions of people and I don't. Either way, I love what she's done, stand behind her, and desire for you to listen to her songs! What is even cooler is that she's put her inspiration for all of her songs on her website so that anyone can see what her songs are about. Way cool. I love it when I find out I'm not the only one with a fiery temperament. 

rose petals and toilets.

Candles are marvelous things. They have the power to transform any room into a comforting oasis. The convenient and transportable spin on candles is air fresheners. You know, those loud, foaming aerosol cans that are supposed to make your bathroom smell nice after you weren't so nice to it? Well, I have news for the air freshener companies and you users of such products....NOTHING NEUTRALIZES THE SMELL OF POOP. No matter what you use, the smell of your number two will remain until new air is brought in. What do you get when you do use those fountains of cursed Island Tropical sprays? Coconuts and crap. That's it. You don't magically get transported to the Caribbean where no one goes to the bathroom and everything smells fruity fresh. No. You get your tootsie rolls covered by the aroma of some combination of florals and fruit. So for the love of all the people who use the bathroom after you, just turn on the fan. 

the carrot is home.

I have finally returned home after seeing many middle-aged drunk people, jellyfish, getting way too sunburned for October, and sleeping in Texas. Still wondering where I went? Wonder no more...I went to a land filled with t-shirts that you can bargain for. A land where alcohol flows almost as freely as the water does. No, I'm not talking about Vegas. I'm talking about a cruise to the Bahamas, baby! Yes, I left school for four (actually five, but that part was completely unplanned) days to bask in the glory that is the Caribbean. And let me tell you, what wonderful basking I did. The ship I was on was the biggest Royal Caribbean has in their fleet. It came complete with a FlowRider, which I spent the majority of my time on. And yes, everyone falls that way.

 Since I spent so much time practicing my skills marginally improved and by the time the cruise was over countless and complete strangers had come up to me saying that they were watching me the whole week. Creepy? Semi. Flattering? Incredibly. There was also a Men's Belly Flop Competition onboard and it was just hilarious. I can't seem to load the pictures of the 40-somethings baring their stomachs to the slapping pool, but I will try again soon. Our first stop was Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean's own private island. My mom and I went snorkeling where I saw the two aforementioned jellyfish. I was seriously freaked out and paranoid of them for the rest of the day. Ask my mom; she'll recount the whole situation to you. We also went to this water park that sounded more exciting than it actually was. On the plus side, we saw a sting ray! Second stop was Nassau where we went sailing on a giant catamaran and snorkeling on a coral reef. Thankfully no jellyfish were spotted on this trip. I bought some Jamaican Jerk spices and can't wait to season me up some meat! I got 4 corn rows right behind my ear, and even though I know it may be a little juvenile or tour-isty I still love them. 


The flight home was just as big of an adventure as the cruise. The terminal had about 10 times the amount of traffic it normally does, but was not equipped to handle it. So my baggage got checked in late which meant that I couldn't get on my scheduled flight. I was then put on standby for four different flights to Dallas, none of which had any room. After many breakdowns and freak outs, I finally got confirmed a seat on the last plane to Dallas. This is where I met someone who was incredibly easy and fun to talk to. He made my horrible experience so much better. Our seats were actually right next to each other so the fun didn't stop. I arrived in Dallas and prepared to spend the night in the airport since my next flight wasn't leaving until the morning. There were two other men who were in my same situation and so we all slept in the same area. We got cots and tiny fleece blankets for sleeping. Sound comfortable? Well, it wasn't. I woke up every hour. The best part? Making friends with those two other men. Especially when me and one of them went to breakfast in an Irish restaurant where he put it on his business's credit card. Some things just work out. 

travels of the carrot.

That's right. This carrot is about to do some traveling. Where you might ask? Well, you're just going to have to wait until next week to find out....


Bon Voyage!


D.C.

witches' night out.

There is a place called Gardener Village. It is filled with boutiques, cafes, a restaurant, and a fully stocked candy shop. Once every October, Gardener Village hosts the largest gathering of witches in the state. Literally. This was my first year at Witches' Night Out so I had no idea how popular it was...I was amazed at the hundreds of women who had dressed up in extravagant costumes for this event. Seriously, this was one of the coolest things I have ever done in the spirit of Halloween. 

This is Katie. She invited me to Witches' Night Out. 

This is the traffic leading to Gardener Village. Like I said, this is extremely popular!

These were some women that we met and just loved their costumes. So many people went all out that we felt underdressed. 

Witches' Night Out is going on for one more night, Oct. 23rd. If you have a chance, go out to it! The stores have fabulous sales going on and it's just a really fun atmosphere. Don't forget to wear your most outrageous witch costume! Happy Cackling. 

soundtrack for life.

Today as I was walking across my college's campus, Rhapsody in Blue was playing on my iPod. I love this song for many reasons..
  -Jazz is so lively. It's hard to get bored when listening to it.
  -The full version is almost 20 minutes long. Perfect amount of time for how long I have to walk. 
  -The short animation in Fantasia 2000 that uses this song is just marvelous. 
I was waiting for a crosswalk sign to change while listening to this song. The light changed at the exact moment the song exploded with symphonic goodness. Walking knowing that you have an orchestra to support you is marvelous. I recommend trying it sometime. Here is the link so you know what I'm talking about. 

welcome.

Welcome to the House of the Dancing Carrot where sarcasm and wit are appetizers, exaggeration is the entree, and pictures are the dessert. I hope you enjoy your stay.