dear last two months,

dear life,

man, have you flown by, or what? so much has happened since the last post, and some highlights, in case you've forgotten, are:

*you turned 23

*no doubt concert

*lots of rain in june

*dinosaur museum

*an obsession with Real Salt Lake

*rodeos

*movie nights and laser tagging

*ecuador

*a quadrillion bug bites

*chile

*lots more things i can't remember....

but honestly, you've treated me beyond well recently. thanks, life.

lovingly,

brook

dear appendix,

dear idiotic part of the body,

it's been a year and i haven't missed you one bit. yet, i have daily reminders of your little burst for attention/temper tantrum. i did, however, get to see a lot of movies i had been wanting to see. i did also get to become super good friends with some people i wasn't expecting. lastly, i got lots and lots of chocolate. i guess it wasn't that bad after all. one more thing--i'm glad you didn't take my colon down with you. man, that would have been horrific. imagine what it would have done to my dating life!

dear idiot drivers,

{this is a real picture. identities will NOT be hidden so if you see this man on the I-15 get in front of him and 

go as slowly as possible}

dear tommy tailgater,

dear indecisive ingrid,

dear mrs. "i like to go 2 mph and get right in front of you even if you are going 65 mph so you have to dangerously slam on the breaks,"

dear tired and hasn't-had-her-coffee-fix terry,

dear larry last-minute cut-off,

dear mary multi-tasker (make-up, breakfast, cell phone),

dear break-happy bobby,

dear radio-loving rachelle,

dear 110 mph semi-truck driver,

dear invincible truck driver,

dear "my car is made for snow,"

dear "i'm too good for turn signals,"

dear "i have a small car and can zip in n out of traffic,"

dear cops,

people like you cause accidents and make me extremely upset.

please get off the roads between the hours of 7:45-8:45am, and 4:30-5:15pm.

lovingly,

brook

dear Utah Department of Health,

you. are. hilarious. paranoid. witty. under construction. one of my favorite places on earth. did i mention paranoid? your signs brighten my day every time i go there....especially the leisurely reading in the bathroom stalls.

dear byu,

dear couches strategically placed in the ladies room,

today, when i went to take my lunch break at work and needed a nap oh so desperately, i was really missing your company. i loved how socially acceptable it was to rest my pretty little head and sprawl out on couches. i know i used to complain about your placement and how people would go into the ladies room to "relieve stress" (if you know what i mean) but now, i wouldn't mind. oh, what i would give to be able to just take a long restful nap instead of struggle to stay awake in a hard-wood chair in barnes and noble.
longingly,
brook

dear random benches throughout the wilk, jfsb, rb, and most other places on campus,
i miss spooning with you. our daily encounters were highlights of my day when i could no longer study or take blackboard quizzes. please come place yourselves all throughout sugarhouse.
desperately,
brookie

dear wonderful little nook under the homework turn-in places in the benson,
although when i layed myself down in the comfort of your arms, i'd often accidentally get a little kick in my bum or face, i would die to have a nook like that in sugarhouse. why isn't it socially acceptable to lay down and sleep anywhere else but college campuses? don't people think that professionals get just as tired or more tired than college students?!?! save a spot for me...i will return someday.
lovingly,
brook

maybe instead of napping, i'll choose the alternative that my friends and i discovered sophomore year in high school during a sleepover (if you can't tell, we drew eyes on our eyelids)(also please don't judge my bangs or whiteness):

dear alta,

dear home of the hawks,

will i EVER escape you?

my first year here in college, i was privileged to live on the same floor as some great hawks.

my second year of college, i lived with two ALTAholics, although their ALTAtude could have been a little better and more representative of the great sandy/draper residents. through these two alta gems, i got to meet almost everyone that graduated in '03 and '04 from the best high school in Utah.

the third year i attended college, there were 4 or 5 apartments of boys (out of only 8) that were occupied by the hawks. HAWKS FOREVER! 

by the time the third year was over, i had heard so much about this glorious high school, that i just HAD to go visit the high school. the tour was given to me by a very special alumnus (he practically owned the school back in his hawk days-in the ASB, on the football team, and on the lacrosse team among other things). 

i even got to wear an alta hawks t-shirt while going on the tour. that was one of the best days of my life to this point.

my fourth year in college, i did not really have too much interaction with altaholics besides a then-boyfriend and his whole family of hawks.

now that i'm graduated, i was sure that i would finally be done with the hawks, but alas i was very very mistaken. i am moving to draper (as a side note, i'm moving to draper to be closer to my work) and am going to live with two hawks. not only that, but practically everyone in my ward attended the high school.

who knows, maybe someday i'll work at alta. maybe (if i'm lucky) my children will attend the high school someday. who knows.....

dear males,

dear boss/boyfriend/hometeacher/dad/anyone really,

us women now have a way of informing you un-awkwardly that we are in fact lashing out at you for one reoccurring reason: pms. enjoy. also, i would check the meter regularly, sometimes it's at a 4, and then you realize why you've had such a bad day....

dear women,

please join to help those around you out.

lovingly, no i hate you, wait take me back....

brook

ps. if you wanna see some hilarious stuff, type pms into google and look at the images.

dear life at the student health center,

dear byu,

maybe you should create a sex ed class as party of the GE program. far too many people know not enough. i'll leave it at that.

dear peter priesthood (fiancé of molly mormon),

you can not go in with her during her pap. trust me, you don't want to.

feel free to, however, go in with her during the pre-marital consultation part. i gurantee you'll feel awkward 97% of the time, even though you thought you knew EVERYTHING. news flash: you don't. trust me on this one too: you don't wanna know what's in her goodie bag.

dear mother of 3,

you can only take two children in. i'd suggest to bring in the screaming ones, and leave the 4 year old in the quasi-nursery. no, really, i wouldn't suggest leaving the newborn.

dear newly wed molly priesthood,

do not be upset about the news you just found out two months after your marriage. is it really that difficult to pop that little sucker in everyday at the same time? it was your fault.

lovingly,

brook

dear wonderful mallory,

dear pam of the nursing department,

why are you so awesome? your blog post made my day, and it made me remember how excellent you are. why, you ask? well, let me tell you:

1. you are an o.g. and want to be part of a street dancing crew. how cool is that???

1.5. i LOVEEED watching lion king 1 1/5 with you and jimmy last year. most hilarious movie ever. to go along with this one, you and jimmy are SOOO much stinking fun to hang out with!!

2. you love hip hop, and you're married. i thought those were mutually exclusive.

3. you love your family more than life itself and it's absolutely adorable.

4. you are HILARIOUS.

5. you had the COOLEST halloween decorations last year and i loved every single one.

6. you are my HSM BFF and we have matching hairclips. that pretty much seals your coolness deal.

7. your husband is hilarious and makes great enchiladas that i've been craving for about a year.

8. we have an amusing wall-to-wall that i looked at for about an hour today.

9. you're GORGEOUS!! and you take great model shots.

10. you look fabulous with long hair AND short hair. that's really unfair. proof:

11. you got to travel europe this summer while your hubbie studied for the DAT. i'm absolutely jealous.

12. you gave me some excellent reading ideas and i'm heading to the provo library TOMORROW to borrow the books. i can't wait.

overall, i think you're fabulous. i pledge to go to kickboxing soon, and i can not wait for the african dancing class on thursdays. as a matter of fact, i will probably go this week, and our relationship WILL extend beyond the internet!

with love,

brook

dear jobs,

please come out of your hiding spots and make yourself known to me! i know that the state of utah is on a "job freeze" right now, so that's out of the picture for now...but really, no one else is hiring? that's a little unbelievable.

maybe i'll go back to school. haha...

longingly,

brook

dear GREAT deals in fast food,

dear spicy chicken sandwich at carl's junior,

YOU ARE DELICIOUS. thanks for being the only thing under 2$ (at a whopping 99 cents!!) on the menu. you are a great economical and comparatively healthy option to anybody who wants to eat their food, well, fast.

gratefully,

brook

dear sour cream and chive potato at wendy's,

you are a surprisingly cheap and healthy alternative to the other items on the value menu. i'm glad you exist to give me the necessary amounts of vitamin c and potassium that i need. i'm in love with you.

brook

spicy chicken wrap at wendy's,

YUM. lets go on dates more often. not only are you ridiculously cheap, but you also are quite large, filling, and healthy!

i can't wait to meet with you again,

brook

dear graduation,

dear i can't believe you're finally here,

i honestly can't believe you've finally come. tomorrow, i will be wearing that hideous mumu-look-alike and i can not believe it's finally my time! this is a little odd as it seems the last four years i've been waiting for you to come so swiftly, and now that it's here, i don't want you to come. i love to learn! (i just don't love the papers, exams, and finals). mom and dad, maybe i can go back to school and get a second major? naw, forget it. i've been going for 10 semesters straight, and it's about stinking time. thanks for coming, graduation, despite the hatred i felt towards school, and the love i felt towards it. this will feel so great to meet with you tomorrow!

i'll see you tomorrow,

brookie

dear real life,

you are not as welcome as graduation. in fact, you're absolutely terrifying and totally intimidating. i don't know when you'll "hit me" but i hear it's a low blow, and pretty painful. don't worry, i come braced with the armor of God. okay, but seriously, i do come braced with a diploma in B.S. take that! hope to meet you soon...

brook

dear stake dances,

dear stake dances (in college nonetheless),

i have always known that you have potential to be totally lame, so when i heard about your appearance in my very own stake, i decided i had to go. afterall, who could resist YMCA, awkward slow dances, and great food? doing quite a bit of convincing (via day-long texting) some of my friends decided to go. not only did we decide to go, but m train had the brilliant idea of going to the dance representing our decade. yes, the very decade that showcased the best fashion, hair do's, make up, and music. enjoy our flashback pictures showcasing what our very own mothers would have worn to prom. 

thanks stake dances for being awesome.

brook

dear things i daydream about, (only relates to this week)

dear nice fluffy bed,

this week has been entirely insane, and i have two full days left, but alas, you and i will reunite soon. i just need to spend some more quality time with you, as i haven't even been able to make our mid-day rendezvouses. sorry. once next week comes, my days wont stretch from 6am to 10:30pm.

missing you,

brook

dear friends,

please do not hate me for not communicating or seeing your for a week and a half now. my weekend trip to boston made it entirely impossible, and this week i haven't had any time for even sleep. someday, i will see you in person again instead of just the virtual world.

until then,

brook

dear mom and dad,

yes, i am alive. don't you worry. yes, i graduate in less than a month. don't worry about that either.

love you!

brookie*

dear stranger,

dear dude buying Fiji water,

I am so glad that I was forced to buy a stranger something for my English class.  Without that excuse, I would have gone on living my mostly self-centered life.  I know you were a little freaked out by the fact that I bought your water, but your reaction and those around you were entirely worth it.  Not only were you utterly surprised, but it seemed like you were thrilled to the bone.  I loved that the woman behind you said to me "you just made my day worth living today" right after mentioning the movie Pay it Forward.  I also loved that everyone behind you in line at 7/11 expected me to purchase their convenience store items of desire.  I wish I had enough money to do so, because I honestly love to do stuff like this. Thanks for not being weird about me buying you your water, and I DO indeed hope that you pay it forward as we ALL should more often.  Enjoy your water.

Lovingly (in a completely platonic sort of way),

Student of English 316

dear provo personalities,

dear raj,

although sometimes you are a little creepy, i think you are hilarious. thank you for making my 4 years here enjoyable. ever since my freshman year, i've frequented 7/11 at least once a week to buy a $1.05 slurpee. you da best. and no, i don't want your gross week-old donuts for half price.

your favorite customer,

brook

dear indie rock,

you are the coolest. your skinny jeans, 70's glasses, dirty hair, v-necks, beach cruisers, and dance moves make me jealous of your coolness. you are so bold and so unique -all 500 of you that look exactly the same. i'll miss you dearly.

i wish i was indie rock,

pop princess brook

dear homeless man that roams the street,

you are my hero. you survive the tundra in the winter, and the desert in the summer. keep on keepin' on.

with admiration,

brook

dear star wars lovers,

why are there so many of you in this awesome little town? who knows. but either way, there have been some of you in every ward i've been in and i've loved you every single time. i love your fashion. i love your jokes. i love even more what you've thought of me, although i've never understood you.

long live luke sky walker,

brook

dear pre's (pre-med, pre-law, pre-dental),

i know you think you are really cool (and don't get me wrong, i think you are), but when introducing yourself just say your real major. you don't have to impress us with your pre-ness. we'll be more impressed by your humility, not your desire to make money. gooooood luck with the debt, and your hunt for a wife.

wishing i could be a pre,

brook

dear dad,

daddy,

since today's father's day, i thought i'd write you a little tribute.

thanks for always giving the best advice (especially on the male species)  and for being a good listener.

you're the greatest.

i love how you can never take a normal picture (maybe that's where i get it from?), that you stop breathing when you laugh really hard, that you have such an eclectic taste in music, that you relentlessly tried to teach me to love sports and gardening (more like picking up the rotten fruit and rotor-tilling!!) though all the tears and screaming (literally....) and it finally sunk in, that you're always trying to see the other person's point of view, that you love mom, and that overall you're a great dad.

happy father's day.

love,

daddy's not-so-little girl

dear hispanic amy,

dear sassy-frass,

well, is this direct enough? i just have a few things to say to you.

a) i think you are hilarious, and i love your sense of humor. it does NOT pain my soul. ever. maybe my cheeks from flexing them during laughing so hard.

b) gchatting with you has changed my life forever

c) you are foxy.

d) well anything else i would say would break confidentiality, so i'll keep it to this.

fellow hispanic, wardie, and sarcasm-lover,

brookindorffin

dear people we can't live without,

dear buff dude at gym,
hey there. i know you can't see me because you're too busy staring at yourself in the mirror, but have you noticed cut off shirts are not cool anymore? we all know your muscles are huge due to the amount of weight you're benching (is that 8 disc weight thingies on each side?); you don't have to show your muscles off with a nasty shirt. thanks.
appreciatively,
not-buff girl at gym

dear really loudly singing concert-goer,
um, hi. you're really buggin' right about now. i came to the *insert band name here* concert because i wanted to hear THEM not YOU. now i understand singing along is essential as i do it as well. just try not to scream, and get the words right if you're gonna sing. oh and also stop flinging your sweat on me. thanks.
disgustedly annoyed,
concert-goer

dear over-dramatic drama queen (queen in this case is unisex),
i have several things to say to you. first of all, we know you love drama, and so do we (why do you think we watch "the hills" or "survivor" or "american idol" for that matter), but it gets old--real fast. you'd probably get more attention if you weren't so dramatic because after a while i (and everyone else) just want to ignore you. oh and another thing. after a while we don't know what is fact and what is fiction. not the best thing to have happen to you because then when something really bad happens in REAL LIFE we wont care and wont believe you. don't cry wolf.
just trying to help you out,
brook

dear bravery in the form of a woman,

dear irena sendler,

you have inspired me. as i have recently become very interested in jewish history and the jewish people, i found out about your recent death at 98.  my recent readings (night, this is my god) and coursework in judiasm in the gospel has made me remember the jewish people and has made me long to know more about their history. you will forever be remembered for your bravery and courage in saving almost 3,000 children from the nazis that invaded poland.  i can only hope to someday be as influential and brave as you have been even to the point of risking your life and your family's life.

with admiration,

brook