I'm going to America...

As summer is nearing a close, I thought I might document some of the trips I went on this summer. Many college students spend their summers traveling abroad—but, having done that (and not being able to afford it again quite yet) I experienced the US of A. and have thus far been to 11 states. Here is the best and worst of each state.

Mandi and I flew out to Michigan to pick up our dear friend Erica who had just graduated college and needed to get back to Zion, which meant driving her car home. We flew into Detroit, Michigan and started our trek.

Michigan:

Loved: Ann Arbor is such a gorgeous college town. The school itself breathes history and richness that is beyond wealth. It’s a mix of education and status ranking…and money. The buildings were architecture gems with the music school being the shape of a piano, and the library having leather upholstered doors and great rooms similar to Oxford and Cambridge. Big plus, it had squirrels everywhere. It was so fun to see where Erica has lived for the last four years. The food was great, her friends were better, and this trip cemented an 8 year friendship.

Loved less: Detroit was a very sad city. We went to an art exhibit in a very abandoned part of town which had put creepy stuffed animals and junk in abandoned houses. If you want to experience recession, walk over to Detroit.

Indiana:

Loved: Truth is I had completely forgotten that we drove through Indiana so I loved how short the drive was.

Loved less: How sad the forgotten people of Indiana must be when they realize their state is neglected.

Illinois:

Loved: Chicago! It was such a fun city, and so fun to experience it with two of my best friends. We walked down millennium mile, had deep dish pizza, went shopping, and took the most amazing boat tour. It’s a boat tour that goes on the Chicago River, and describes all of the architecture. The buildings there are amazing, and it’s rumored that Oprah was hanging out there when we were there too.

Loved less: That we didn’t get to spend much time there and that I was driving into the city with a stick car in stop-and-go traffic for 90 min.

Iowa:

Loved: The rolling hills and the sunshine.

Loved less: That I didn’t get to see the corn fully ripe in these fields. I am sure they look beautiful.

Nebraska:

Loved: Getting out of that city.

Loved less: The b&b we stayed at. True story, we rolled up far into the night on a deserted road to find a very secluded house, with possible murderers lurking in the bushes, and realized that was where we were sleeping for the night. It got far worse when Mandi and I looked into our room and saw the 30+ clowns who were looking at us with menacing glares. Once the music box with murder themed songs started to play we considered ourselves dead. It’s amazing we got out.

Wyoming:

Loved: Experiencing the true west. Dirt, dirt, and more dirt.

Loved less: That we were still driving at this point, a drive which took us 24 hours in the car. Good thing we had podcasts, music, and as always a political/controversial conversation happening.

All throughout the trip we realized we were missing the other member of our posse-miss Kellee Marie Cook. She was in NYC doing an internship. She was there with two other candy shoppers (Reb and Ky) and I knew that I had to get out and party with them. So after I got home I was off to NYC!

New York:

Loved: Seeing my friends who I had missed more than anything. Loved the beach, the Broadway show Jersey Boys, food (Max Brenner, La Esquina, Stardust, Grimaldi’s , Brooklyn ice cream….the list could easily go on).

Loved Less: Cooney island freak show, the price of taxis, the heat of the subway, and not being able to buy everything I saw in the stores.

After New York, Ky, Kel and I hurried off to meet my parents in D.C. The only way to travel is the megabus. Yup, that classy bus was a $15.00 trip, and 5 hours of road-tripping fun.

Maryland:

Loved: One of my best friends was from this state and I always heard stories from him about it. I loved driving through and seeing how green it was.

Loved Less: How short the trip was and how much I wanted to see there.

D.C. (technically not a state…)

Loved: Everything. I felt like home. I loved the vibe of the city—politics, shopping, politics, and people who wear really classy clothes. For those who didn’t know, I was obsessed with the show The West Wing, and am even more so now. I loved having ky and kel there and randomly Erica was in town so we went to dinner. (Big shout out to Mike and Dottie for housing us and letting me hang out with them there!) Loved hanging out with my parents, seeing museums, using the great underground system, and shopping in Georgetown. We went on a great tour of the capitol and just hung out!

Loved Less: That I knew I had to go home. New goal: move there.

Virginia

Loved: Driving through a little bit of the state that will, eventually, become my home.

Loved less: That we just drove through it.

Pennsylvania

The triplets (a term ky, kel and I gave ourselves) went with my parents to Gettysburg.

Loved: Having a dad who literally knew everything about everything there. Loved experiencing the sacrifice of the soldiers during the civil war, and loved the prose of President Lincoln. Loved laughing with Ky and Kel, all of us college graduates and still sticking around with my rents.

Loved Less: That the tour took a really long time (like 6 hours) and though I love learning, it was a bit much.

America is BIG. Trust me, I drove across it. These trips were great because of the fun cities and things to do, but mostly because of the amazing people in my lives who I got to experience them with. As my friends start to get married, and with me moving in August, it was so fun to be able to do such cool things with them this summer. Making memories that will last a lifetime, and being able to truly appreciate the incredible influence they've had on my life makes me wonder if USU has anyone who is half as incredible to spend my time with. So, on to planning future trips that will be just as exciting.

HBLL

This is it--the library. Notice the frazzel look of me and MJ. We are tired of being here. This is officially the last time i'll be here studying (or as would be true to form not studying) as a BYU student. I am about to go and take my last final. Go COUGARS! I heart it here.

**Note the abandoned pair of scriptures on the desk in the picture. Classic cougar act. Also, I was very tempted to take a picture of a little girl who was running around here with her faced painted like a cat. Love it. Love her.

Villanelle

He Is The Way, The Truth, The Light

The one with whom we must unite,

Brother and savior to us all.

He is the way, the truth, the light.

As mortals we discern our lives, finite

And dared to bring about His fall

The one with whom we must unite.

And to the blind, he gave them sight

And saved the sinners, one named Saul

He is the way, the truth, the light.

He served, and saved, and faced his plight

Never one to falter, or to fall.

The one with whom we must unite.

The man who sacrificed his right,

Christ hung and gave his life for all.

He is the way, the truth, the light.

He offers us, each one respite

If we but listen to his call,

The one with whom we must unite

He is the way, the truth, the light.

Ode to Snow

Placing a pause on life, lying dormant we watch
the reveler of earths contours fall
Slowly
Determined.
Hushed tones with visions of renewal. we ‘re exposed
to purity,
Peace.
Seemingly passive aggressive nature against life breaks
and shines as a tool of renewal.
Flocked trees threaten to destroy layered perfection.
The guardian of white rabbits,
amending the scars of farm work.
It stays with silent temperance.

Creative Writing

I am in a creative writing class and so I think I will occasionally put stuff I write on my blog; hopefully to receive criticism of how I can become a better writer.

I actually think this piece is pretty entertaining. If you want to read something amazing, similar, and better written read the vingette titled "My Name" by Sandra Cisneros found in her novella House on Mango Street.

Sarah (with an H) no middle name Orme

To quote my mother, “can you believe they named their kid Abcde? How in the world will any of her teachers ever know how to say their name or spell it? I feel so bad for kids that get weird names.” This conversation of weird names rolls around every fall when the smell of sharpened pencils and new clothes are flowing through the neighborhoods as children ready themselves for school. My mom, a kindergarten teacher, joins the ranks of many educators who look with disgust on names that have difficult or weird spellings and bizarre pronunciations. Every year a select few of her students are chosen as victims of the conversation of weird names, followed by the discussion of how inconsiderate it is of parents to tag their children with titles that seem more fit for a suitcase in Switzerland than an American name. This, being the background of my own personal name giver, explains why each of the Orme children has names that are located within the rankings of the most popular names through the ages. The children in our family are named Chris, Nick, Matt and I follow the litter with the well-known, over-exploited, Mormon name Sarah (with an H of course).

I dare you to sit in a public classroom in Provo, Ut and call the name Sarah. Guaranteed three girls will look of at you. Ok, it’s probable that the name Sarah does not have this dense of a population but it often feels like it. Rarely do I find myself in a world of being the only Sarah. There are many of us around. For many, a shared name is not that big of a deal considering you have a middle name. Well, I don’t. It is possible that I am currently the disappointment of my father because I have yet to marry-completing his claim that girls don’t need middle names because their last names feel that gap. My gap of a “no-middle-namer” is currently larger than ever. And to be honest, it is bizarre that the culture I have grown up in makes it seem like women don’t need a middle name because they get a new name eventually. I fear to continue with this thread of thought because it may turn into a “women deserve the same thing as men” and as not to let this topic deluge into that, I will just make mention again that I have an empty line, an absence on a page, where many fill in their middle name.

To recap—I have an all to common first name and I lack a middle name. Optimistically you would believe that the fates would grace me with a unique last name. One in which I can own as a unique part of my identity. Well, this reliance on fate, karma, or good-will is falsely put. My last name is Orme. The history is that there was a Welch rock named the rock d’orme…a rock that looks like a snake. After living in poverty in Europe we came to America searching for our fortunes and wound up in Provo, Ut, snuggled next to an all-familiar city. The neighboring city is named Orem. Seriously. This wanna-be-Provo city has confused anyone asking about my last name like platypuses are confused about what type of animal they are. Anyone who pronounces my last name will automatically ask if it is like the city, or ask if I own the city, or inquire if I know that there is a city like my last name. To complete this picture of confusion with the city, as I was student teaching last semester I heard giggling from the back. Finally, I asked the boys what they were talking about and they replied, “I think it’s so funny that you go by your title. Maybe you can bring your sash and crown next time.” The students address me as Miss Orme and had for a week legitimately believed I went by a “scholarship fund” award; a beauty pageant winner. Laughing, I took this as a compliment to my beauty and talents and explained to them why the city I hail from, Provo, is better than Orem.

To commoners without the name Sarah Orme, it may appear that though the name has seemingly common elements it makes up what is probably an uncommon name. That is what I used to think until a BYU student named Sarah Orme started working for my dad in the ASB. Call her a doppelganger, call her a replacement child for my father, or call her a BYU-I student who transferred to Provo, only to stay here for a semester before she got married and moved away. We became commonly confused.

What is in a name? To some it becomes more than an arbitrary title but a part of an inherent identity. This mentality, I believe, is wrong. Though there may be cities with my name, 785,170 women with the first name of Sarah in the United States, and a former BYU student with my exact name I have developed a relationship with my name, which I have come to love. Though I was named after a courageous women who crossed the plains, evading death in the Willie Martin Handcart Company, and though there is a book written about Sarah plain and tall, and though there is a women sitting with the sash of Miss Orem proudly portrayed, I am not one of them.

I am Sarah (with an H), who lacks a middle name, and who almost shares a surname with a neighboring city. I am a woman who is excited to meet those with similar and different names and to know them not for a tag, title, or need of identification for the U.S. census bureau, but for who they are. For people are people, names are just a way of helping them to remember which person is being referenced. A name is not an identity; it is a representation of the human need for separation and categorization. Happy for those with unique names, happy for those who like their names, and congratulations to those who paid $200.00 to the state to change their names. For me, I will keep my name and look expectantly to the future for confusion that my name will, without question, produce.

Bucket List

They call it life's "bucket list." A system of wants, wishes, and dreams that will hopefully be realized within one's life. This post is not intended to mention all the things on my list, some being far too embarrassing or private to share, but I think I will mention some realized, some in the making, and some (hopefully) quickly approaching.

Those realized:

Teach seniors in high school
If you think that wise guys, or any other stand up comedy club is funny you clearly have not hung out with 18 year olds about to graduate. They are so funny. The sarcasm is so rich and if you're willing to laugh at your own mistakes all you do is laugh the day away. I truly love them so much and am going to miss them. Highlight of the day "what are you doing after graduation?" he replies, "go on a mission." I pause and say "that's great, but what about after?" He gives me a look of confusion and says "I don't know..." Truly, I don't think he realized life exists post mission. So funny.

Ramble around London
My study abroad gave me opportunities to travel that I never would have dreamed. I frequently think about the used bookstores that stole my heart, or the chocolate that made me gain 10 well-worth it pounds. I found friends who will last a lifetime and memories that will make me jealous of my 20 year old self for the rest of my life.

Graduate from BYU
Well, I'm walking in April for good or for bad. It's a result of a lot of early mornings and late nights of studying to graduate but I think it was worth it. Too bad I have to go to spring semester and take a religion class......choice words are going through my head directed at the religion department (probably not good for Karma).

Those in the making:

Go to graduate school
This week I committed to go to Utah State University to get my masters in English (emphasizing in rhetoric and composition). They also have me teaching two classes of freshman English in the fall and then two in the winter. Welcome to teaching RMs that are my age. I really am so excited! It's close enough to home to visit but far enough to start to stretch my wings. Plus, I feel really good about it. I think I'm supposed to be there---this being the only thought that is getting me past the fact that it's in Logan. Plus, I get to teach (see item #1).

Live with my best friends
After years of convincing, Mandi finally succumbed to moving in with Kellee and I. To top it off I made a new best friend, Rebbie, and was able to continue the London experience with my bunk buddy Ky. Luckily Ky is friends with Mary so we truly have North Ogden represented and have created a family of friends.

Wear my hair curly
After years of insecurity about curly hair, I have been forced to get over it because I have to be at school at 7 am which means that I have ten minutes to get ready for school--the perfect amount of time to put gel in my hair and run out the door. Luckily the feedback has been good.

Those quickly approaching (hopefully):

Living back east
I have always wanted to live back east, and though it is not being realized now I am hoping that maybe during the summer after my first year of graduate school I will be able to do an internship there. Keep your fingers crossed.

Taking a creative writing class
I love English (which most of you know) and I have never taken a creative writing class. This skill, when learned, will hopefully realize my dream (which is also mentioned on whatwhitepeoplelike) to write a book. For all of my faithful readers I promise you a signed, first edition copies.

Getting Married.....
Mostly I just am sick of first dates....so this is my solution, for now, to get out of them (jk).

Well there is a quick update for you all.

Loves,
S.

St. P's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's day. You are very right, as I am sure you are thinking that today is not, in fact, St. P's day. Additionally, you're right because I am not catholic and really don't care (usually) about saints' days. But, this years March 17th was so great I wanted to blog about it (blog being the measurement of truly great days). I taught, which is no surprise, but half way through the day I decided to walk down to the copy room. Understand that the English department are full of the snobs of the high school. We see ourselves as the 'true' educators, those with esoteric knowledge the we attempt to shove down the throats of 18 year-olds who only want to graduate in two months--and consequently don't care about English. Anyway, I forget what high school teachers are really like outside of the English wing. But this day helped me to remember. I stumbled upon a teacher who is a short little man, and was wearing a giant green hat, died red hair, a three piece green outfit, completed with fake ears which made him look like a 100% certified, out of the shire, leprechaun. All I could say was top of the morning and rushed off to find the last copy of the Luck of the Irish from blockbuster. One of the many reasons high school is the funniest job I've ever had. And, don't forget, by job I really mean indentured servant to the state of Utah because I spend 60 hours working without pay.

To close the day in St. P-day celebration, my roommate is a keyboardist to a Celtic band (true story) and they had a concert where they followed a bag piping band. It was fantastic...until they tried to make us do Celtic dancing which didn't go over so well. Maybe next time.....


Anyway, I was reading poetry a few nights ago and I stumbled upon this little poem which I think describes Rebbie to a T. And the other creative people in my life.

Arthur O'Shaughnessy. 1844–1881

Ode

WE are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,	5
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,	10
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song's measure	15
Can trample an empire down.
We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;	20
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.