28 April 2009

Schizophrenic Weather

Yet again, I should be doing homework, but I have an appointment with the Bishopric in 15 minutes and that's not really enough time to be productive about my homework. So I decided to use these valuable 15 minutes to blog.

I don't understand Rexburg weather. I've been here for nearly 5 years and I still don't understand it. Last week the weather was beautiful; high 60's to low 70's almost all week. I was sweating walking to and from my classes and I actually thought, "sweet - it's nice already!"

I spoke too soon, folks.

It's been cloudy and gloomy - which I honestly love - since like Friday or so. And on Sunday I woke up and there was a very light dusting of snow on the ground outside. No biggie. Then today, I wake up and I'm getting myself ready after my shower and I opened my blinds and it was another cloudy day. I checked the ground to see if it had been raining or snowing and it was perfectly dry. I sat down, did my make up and I could hear rain on the window. I thought, alright - no white shirt today. I got up, changed my shirt and looked out the window and it was snowing. BIG snow flakes. Pretty, but frustrating. I finished my hair and make up, ate breakfast and headed out the door. It was sunny. Honestly, it had been about an hour since I got out of the shower. I drove to the parking lot by my building and it was raining. *sigh* I go through my class, and walk to the next class and it was sunny again. I walk to lunch with Nicole and it was raining, which quickly turned to hail as we reached devo. I walked to the library for a project meeting and it was sunny and kinda hot for someone wearing a snow coat (it seemed like a good idea at the time...). Now the sun is blinding me.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Boys that openly flirt with you, but don't ever do anything about it. Actually, that doesn't induce pleasant feelings in me. It frustrates me. But it's going on the list just because.
2. Starting my new books even though I so don't have time to read them.
3. My Humanities class. Honestly - it's almost as awesome as Brother Babcock's Brit Lit class.
4. Finding my knee brace. Finally.
5. Going to see my Mommy and Grannie this weekend. YAY! (Uh...did I tell you guys I was coming?)
6. The Variety Pack. (Thanks mom, for the fun nickname).

22 April 2009

A Little Bit Random...

This will most likely be a really random post, but bear with me; there are a few things I'd like to put out there, just to say them.

There is a thunderstorm rolling around/over Rexburg right now and I definitely need the comfort of a thunderstorm. There is just too much going on physically and emotionally right now for me to be considered sane. The thunderstorm was preceeded by the ridiculous Rexburg wind that gusts through town destroying hair-do's and shrubbery alike, which was also, surprisingly, comforting today!

I ordered some new books last week and they're sitting on my desk just waiting to be read and I can't read them because I'm so swamped with homework. It's killing me that I can't just read them. Maybe that will be my project for Saturday. That means I have to work really hard on my homework now and get off my blog. Hmm...

I don't understand why boys think it is appropriate to drive by girls and shout at us. Or, my new "favorite" - attach microphones to their cars so as they drive by, they can shout things at you on loud speakers. Honestly? Do they think girls like this? Cause I don't. I don't know about the rest of you ladies, but I think it's very fifth-grade. Pretty soon, they'll start pulling my hair and trying to pants me in the school yard. Yesterday I was walking home from the Clark (ouch, by the way...) and a car full of boys started honking and waving at me, while one leaned out the window and was yelling something. I had my iPod in, so I didn't hear what they were yelling. I know I wasn't about to be attacked or mortally wounded or anything (which, I feel, are the only cases where yelling at me is appropriate) because I looked around me and I was the only person dumb enough to attempt walking up that hill in the middle of the absurd heat we were experiencing yesterday with a backpack and bag full of books from the bookstore.

It's only the third day of classes and already, I'm swamped with homework. And I'm only taking 12 units. That's a little ridiculous. Why am I swamped with just 12 units? Because of the stupid seven week break. They've cut our semesters down to just 14 weeks and the teachers are still teaching us 16 weeks worth of material. I HATE the seven week break.

On the plus side of the seven week break issue, President Clark sent out a survey to random students on campus regarding our feelings towards/about the seven week break and luckily, I was selected. Yep, they only gave me a 2,500 word section and an 8,000 word section to respond to it, along with a few "do you strongly disagree, slightly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, slightly agree, or strongly agree with the following:" questions. Needless to say I maxed out on my limited responses and gave horrible responses to the rest.

I feel better.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. My "choose your weapon" t-shirt.
2. Hearing thunder and seeing lightning for the first time in a long time.
3. Seeing Nicole yesterday - she's such a sweetie.
4. A 4 day weekend over Memorial day (mom, I'll probably be down to see you or asking if I can go to California, so be prepared).
5. The atonement and all of its blessings.
6. The internet and it's boundless stores of information - both helpful and entertaining.
7. Elder Bednar's talk about praying solely for the sake of being thankful - it's incredibly helpful.
8. Having a few teachers that I'm on excellent terms with this semester.

17 April 2009

My Best Friend is a Genius!

I have this red blanket. I love it. I've washed it before - so when I put it in the wash with my most favorite blanket, I didn't think twice about it.

I pulled the blankets out of the washing machine and the washing machine was COVERED in red lint. So, I cleaned out as much as I could and put the blankets in the dryer and headed to dinner with Bryce, Nicole and Chelsea.

When we got back to my house, I pulled the blankets out of the dryer and lint came flying out at my feet from the lint trap. It was overflowing and looked like my blanket had exploded. The blanket looks fine - but the dryer wasn't. I showed Bryce the lint and he had a rather odd - and completely "Bryce" - idea: he wanted to make me a hat for my trip back to Rexburg.

He put the lint in a 9" x 13" pan with some fabric softener until the fibers had reconnected and then shaped them around a bowl that he decided was mostly the same size as my head. It was still super wet when I had to kick them out so I could go to bed so I could wake up at 4:15, so I threw the bowl on my head and took some pictures.


One of the crazies told me that I looked like a warrior, so here is my mean face:















It wasn't dry in the morning so I couldn't take it with me, but man, I loved that hat.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Having a very weird best friend who always puts a smile on my face.
2. Doctors who have dedicated their lives to helping make people well.
3. Katie. She's always there for me, even when I've been a sucky friend.
4. Prayer.

11 April 2009

I am Fortune's Fool


I don't think Shakespeare had this context in mind when he wrote those words for Romeo, but I found the line fitting.

I got a fortune cookie today. Now, normally, I get very interesting fortunes out of my fortune cookies. I have a theory as to why: I don't eat the cookie. I think the cookie respects this and, therefore, gives me good fortunes. Once, the night before I flew to England for the British Literary Tour, Gramps took me to dinner at a Chinese restaurant and my fortune said (no joke), "You will soon be crossing the great sea." AND I DID!!!

Today, I broke my usual habit and had every intention of eating the cookie before I even opened the package. The cookie must have sensed this because I got this stupid so-called "fortune"

"Yes. Do it with confidence"

That is a direct quote, punctuation included.

Here is why I'm kind of bitter about this: it's not a fortune. The word "fortune" conjures up ideas of foretelling or prophecy (like the one mentioned above). This is remarkably vague advice. It could mean anything. It could mean, "Yes. Get your masters with confidence," or, "Yes. Wear your shirt that says 'a little dirty' on the first day of school," or "Yes. Spend all of your birthday money on books and nevermind that your clothes are like eighteen years out of style and don't fit you very well anymore."

Thank you, Panda Express, thank you.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. 4 new shirts at $9.99 a piece.
2. Ordering 2 new books with the potential to buy the third very soon.
3. Chelsea calling Nicole's boyfriend "numb nuts" at dinner the other night.
4. A P.K.'s run oh-so-soon.
5. An intriguing idea.

09 April 2009

Another Option

You may have noticed (or not) that I've put a new poll on my blog: Should I get my Master's?

Chelsea and I were talking the other night and she asked if I was going to get my Master's. I've never even considered it!

I have had a bit of a pro/con list going in my head for the past few days about this.

The pros?
1. It would make sense, as I love school.
2. It's always a great idea for any career.
3. The Prophets have always said to get as much education as you can.
4. I would be the first among my siblings and parents to get a Master's degree.

ok...the last one isn't necessarily a "pro" - more of a bragging right.

The cons?
1. The cost.
2. It would be longer before I could actually start my career - which I SO want to do.
3. It's more school. I know it's on my "pro" list, but I get burned out toward the end of the year and I think going to school for a Master's would lead to the ultimate burn out.
4. The words "Master's Thesis" have me shaking with fear.

So, those are all of the points I've thought of over the past few days that I can remember as I'm posting this. Help me out here people. Take the poll. And if you think of a pro or a con, add it to my list via the "comment" button please!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. A new resolution.
2. Shopping trip tomorrow. By myself.
3. My two super cute shirts from Chelsea.
4. Getting to see my mom and Grannie again in a few days. (*waves* HI!!)
5. My Barnes & Noble gift card from Kellie. It's getting used tomorrow, love.
6. Potench road trip during the 7 week break to see Shellie...

04 April 2009

Blue October Concert

Here it is, the post people have been asking for.

My favorite band is Blue October and after much stress, I finally managed to work out a time that Chelsea, Nicole and I could go see them tour their new album, Approaching Normal (in stores now - I highly recommend it).

The concert was on Tuesday, March 31 at 8 at the Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Nicole did everyone's make-up for the show and we made our way downtown after a quick dinner.

The depot is a privately owned club and isn't very big. It was a great venue because that meant that you could see what color Justin Furstenfeld's eyes were. There was mostly standing room on the stage level...there were a few bar tables and chairs around the walls and in front of the bar and then the upper level was covered in the same bar tables and chairs. We got inside and went to claim our spots in front of the stage. We were roughly 3 rows of people back. It was AMAZING!!

The opening act was called "The Ours" and they were actually pretty good for nobodys. I really liked them. I'd like to try to find their album, actually. The lead singer was quite the performer and put on a great show. But my favorite was the bassist. The scarf did it for me.
And then, Blue October came out and I didn't stop screaming until the show ended. Oh. My. Gosh. They're amazing on CD and ten thousand times better live, which is really saying something. Justin's voice is almost hypnotic - which is ironic when you see how much he covers the stage. I got some stellar shots that show off just how much of a rock god Justin is.

His lead guitarist is named CB and I've been addicted to him for as long as I've been listening to them. The man is talented, good looking and he has a lip ring. I'm sold.

They played the whole album, from start to finish and then some classics from their previous albums. It was great being so close to the stage and Justin said that he has never had a better crowd. I'm sure that's what they say to all the crowds but honestly - this was an amazing crowd. I think my favorite part - other than the whole concert thing - was looking around at all of the people. Chelsea, Nicole and I aren't the a-typical Blue October fans - we're not pierced and tattooed to the extreme and we're not goth/emo; but everyone else was except for the 4 people we had around us. There were people there from 21 and up and when I say up, I mean up. The dude a few people over from us had to be at least 60.

Nicole decided to treat me to this concert for my birthday and I'm not afraid to say that this is going to be one tough birthday to top. It was AMAZING. There isn't a better word in existence yet for just how incredibly awesome the show was. Thank you, Nicole!!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Justin's dance moves.
2. CB's glowing lip ring.
3. Finding creepy pictures on my camera from Chelsea and Nicole while we were at Wendy's.
4. Scream-singing along with my favorite band all night long.
5. The tall guy that was chillin next to Chelsea for a while during the concert.

03 April 2009

Road Trips

Yes, plural.

Jereme and I drove from Seattle to Los Angeles from Monday, March 23 to Tuesday, March 24. I was home for two days and then I drove to Bountiful, Utah with Chelsea and Nicole to visit some people (*waves* Hi Mom!) and to see Blue October.

The trip with Jereme was so fun. I miss my brother so much when I don't get to see him. We had a blast. The best story from the trip? We stayed in Redding, California on Monday night and we got there earlier than we thought we would, so we drove into a more central part of town and ate at Wendy's. In the same parking lot as the Wendy's was a KMart. We decided to go buy a cheapy DVD player so that we could watch Australia in our hotel. We managed to find one for like $26. We go to check out and the lady behind the counter asked if we wanted to get a warranty in case the DVD player exploded or anything and we said no. She gave us our total and we said, "oh, $30 isn't bad." Then she asked if we wanted to donate one dollar - a drop in the bucket for us big spenders - to save a baby. We said no thanks. It was hilarious to us because as we were walking out we realized we weren't too cheap to buy a DVD player for basically one use, but we were FAR too cheap to donate one measley dollar to save a baby. Of course, that isn't true...we make all charitable donations through our church - where we know where the money is going.

Then, the road trip with Chelsea and Nicole was a blast. We got off to a rocky start. Jereme drove up with us and we got a bit turned around trying to find the freeway. For all of us sleep deprived individuals, it was a hoot. Needless to say, the trip was full of laughs. Oh. And snoring.

Chelsea, Nicole and I went out to build a snowman on Sunday. We didn't get very far into the bottom-most layer when a snow ball fight occurred and quickly escalated to a snow-wrestling match.

The snowman has no face, no arms or anything like that. Just one itty bitty stick somewhere on it's "head." We still loved him, though.


It was a great trip!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Seeing my mom and Grannie. MISS YOU GUYS!
2. The first good snow fight I've had in a few years now.
3. Visiting with Katie Farish (Stewart) and her son Will and Elise.
4. FINALLY meeting Nicole's cousin Ben.
5. "MMMMYYYYY!"

02 April 2009

So Long, Seattle!

Okay, so this post is a little late, but here it is, nonetheless.

Because Ashley and Dan were blessing Rachel, the families came up and we helped move them to their new apartment (2 blocks up). That was on Friday. On Saturday though, the Conley's went and walked around downtown Seattle. Karissa's brother Lyn and his wife, Angie and their 2 kids met us at Pike Place Market and we walked around with them for a bit. It was way fun!

I love Pike Place Market. I've only been 3 times (maybe?) and I wish I had gone more. This last time was by far my favorite time though because the daffodils were finally in bloom and EVERYWHERE! They had them in planters lining the outsides of the buildings and the flower section of the market was full of b-e-a-utiful daffodils!! There were some that were multi-colored, instead of just traditional yellow. (I'm a sucker for the traditional ones, though.)

We got to see the fish shop that throws the fish and they were actually throwing fish around at one point. Of course, that was before I could pull my camera out to get a shot of them, but that's how it goes.

Then down the market a ways there was a flower shop that had rainbow colored roses!!! They're not very pretty (I'll take traditional, once again, please...) but still, they were cool!

And as we were heading back toward the car I saw the club that Blue October was doing their show at in Seattle. I didn't see them in Seattle, I saw them in Salt Lake City, but that is a story for a different post...


After Pike Place Market we did an undergound tour of Seattle. We passed the sunken ship parking garage that is pretty cool.
















I didn't know Seattle had such an interesting past. And our tour guide was ...interesting... All in all, it was a fun day. The downside? Having to leave the Masons.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Tour dude who said things like, "Da Delaney Corporation" and couldn't speak properly.
2. Trying to find Dad church clothes... oh geez.
3. "Hello Emerald City, what's doin, what's happenin?!" (Bonus points for whomever can identify what that quote is from.)
4. Ellen DeGeneres playing a nun on "Will and Grace."