Paradise...or Something Like It

Destination: Boise, Idaho. My hometown, true love, and greatest comfort. So what could be better than converting my Utah grown roommates into lovers and respecters of its glory? Answer: Nothing.

We set out around 11:30 am friday morning for a quick weekend trip to the City of Trees. Four hours, a hostess cherry pie, and two cinnamon fire-balls later, we arrived. I was so excited driving down Gekeler Lane. The trees were clutching leaves of gold, red, brown and green, and in one word stunning. After leaving a dreary and rainy Logan, Utah, we were excited to feel the sun's warmth on our faces. We settled in and then set off to start our Boise Adventure.

First Stop: Boise Towne Square. Now to many, the mall is just a place to buy clothes, but to three college girls, its a place of opportunity (especially since the new Forever 21 had opened the weekend before). In the end, we found some great deals, and had a blast.

Later that night, my extremely lovely mother treated us to dinner at the always delicious Johnny Carino's for some italian comfort food. After inhaling four loaves of bread and one salad each, we ate our pasta and were finally satisfied. We then proceeded home to watch the favorite movie all three of us share, Baby Mama (which we have watched probably aroud 34 times in the past two months).

The next morning, we arose ready for some delicious french brekkie. We ventured down to the 8th street farmers market and each got the most fantastic croissants known to man. We then continued our shopping in BoDo, and later went home to watch our Aggies get pummeled by the Broncos.

Afterwards, we decided that we would go to the zoo to see the African Plains exhibit featuring their new giraffe. Upon arrival, however, we found that the exhibit was closed due to repaving. Discouraged we walked away trying to think of something to do. And then it came to me...CERAMICA. If I couldn't see my baby giraffe, I'd paint a bowl to look like one.

We had so much fun being artists for a few hours. Who knew we were so skilled? The time came when we had to part with our creations, only to wait until they would be picked up at Thanksgiving.

To conclude the evening, I opened the girls eyes to the magic of WinCo, where we bought peppermint ice cream and then continued home where we watched the childhood classic Thumbalina. 

It was a fantastic weekend!

Twitterpation

Definition: An enjoyable disorder characterized by feelings of excitement, anticipation, high hopes, recent memories of interludes, giddiness, and physical overstimulation which occur simultaneously when experiencing a new love. These feelings take over without warning, usually at odd times (such as at a check-out line), with or without the partner present, and make it difficult to concentrate on anything but romance. They interfere with work and safe driving, but should be experienced at least once in every person's lifetime.

Its true...I have recently been affected by this phenomenon.  So here are some questions that have been racing through my mind concerning the aforementioned topic.

1. Why is it that before you become twitterpated you see the boy everywhere, but afterwards you seem to NEVER see him?

2. What causes this freak occurance?

3. How have some people gone their whole lives without this wonderful feeling?

All I know is something better happen soon because I'm not sure how healthy it is to feel constantly giddy and smile this much...

The HOWL 2008

My what a way to end October. One of my favorite events at Utah State is The HOWL, the largest Halloween party in all of Utah. After working at it last year, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I requested to be room lead of my favorite area...the fieldhouse. This is where the line to get in is located. For the past two years I have been lucky enough to oversee the line. For some reason I get a deep thrill from having the power to tell people whether or not they will be admitted, take their props, and see every great costume that enters.

It turned out to be a fantastic year for the HOWL. We ended up getting some really good entertainment this year. Our selection of bands were Code Hero, Love you long time, The Rock Bandits, and Recycled Percussion. We were also graced by the presence of Full Circle, an amazing dance group who personified our creepy doll theme.

Looking spiffy in my bright red shirt and Britney Spears headset, I was ready to go.  The night went pretty smoothly with the exception of a few interruptions. My favorites were the drunk people who had "lost" their tickets, and the two boys who thought it would be acceptable to wear spandex shorts with a print of a famous italian sculpture's bid-ness plastered on. Oh the joy I got from escorting them out.

It was also a great night for costumes. It's amazing how creative people get for this party. I saw about 4 boys dressed as "where's waldo?," 50 Jokers, and some extremely attractive firemen. However, my 2008 HOWL pick goes to the boy who dressed as Edward Scissorhands, cardboard scissors and all.

The evening was a success,  selling somewhere around 5,200 tickets providing our programming board substantial funding for the rest of the year, and we only had three arrests. We left around three in the morning, all of us with battle wounds in tow. Mine happened to be three extremely painful blisters caused by my choice of footwear. 

All in all, a fantastic Halloween.

Team Cuidado

Me, leading the troops

Dance!

Chairs, Room Leads, and Volunteers

Photoshop Fun

New

Original

New

Original

All Hallows Eve

I'll tell you all about it...

Très fantastique et grand

Wow. This week has turned out a little bit amazing. Good grades are flying all over the place, everything seems to be working out for tomorrow's festivities, and I have a clean room!

I can only think of one thing that can top everything that has happened this week. Stay tuned...

Mid Term of Death

As I sat in class Tuesday morning taking a mid term for my news-writing class, I began to wonder, "Why are my freshman level classes the hardest ones on my schedule?" This test was rocking me. The previous night I delayed studying to edit a friends paper. Unfortunately this took much longer than expected and of course I decided to study in the morning. 

Of course, morning came much sooner than I wanted and by the time I was dressed and ready to go, I had about 15 minutes to study. The hard part was I didn't know how or what to study. Our test wouldn't be multiple choice, or a writing sample. All I could do was read through my notes and hope they would save me.

The test took me all 75 minutes to complete. Most of the time I'd get half the answer and had to make up the rest. I left discouraged. That test had taken me for a ride.

This morning he handed our mid terms back...I was dreading the outcome. My heart sank as I turned the pages trying to find my score. So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw I had received a 94%!

So here's to news-writing...maybe I'm not as horrible as I thought.

A True Aggie

Many have heard the rumors, and I am here to admit they are true. As of Saturday, October 25, 2008, I am a True Aggie.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Utah State tradition of becoming a True Aggie, I'll fill you in.  In 1917, a group of students from Salt Lake City created their headstone on campus. It was a monument consisting of four A's arranged in a square, with a platform on top. In the 1930's it became tradition to stand atop the monument at midnight during a full moon and kiss someone. By doing so, you become a True Aggie.

 

A few years ago (between 5 and 15 years) Utah State obtained the world record for most people kissing at one time. It was later snatched from us by two other countries. This year, we decided to reclaim the throne.  So last Friday night, after the Homecoming dance, hundreds of couples lined up around the monument waiting to kiss at the stroke of midnight. 

I decided to go with my roommate Amanda, her boyfriend Todd, and some of their friends. I was hesitant as I didn't yet have a companion to actually kiss. Upon arrival, we got in line, and then progressed to the area around the monument. I, still without a man, turned to Todd for help. Todd didn't end up being very helpful, but our friend Katrina did. She marched over to the sidelines and began talking to a very attractive man. After trying to persuade him to kiss a complete stranger, he admitted he didn't really want to take part in the event. His friend however did. 

From afar he seemed handsome enough, but as he drew nearer I realized he wasn't the kind of guy I would normally go after. However, it was 5 minutes til midnight so I didn't complain. We went through all of the formalities to waste the time...questions about majors, hometowns, etc. were exchanged. Then the countdown started. Now most couples waited until 2 or 1 to begin kissing...my guy started at 10. Lets just say he was eager. You can imagine what was going on in those very long ten seconds. After the time had passed, he hadn't finished, but I definitely had. So I awkwardly pulled away and thanked him.

The best part is that I don't remember his name. It was a hilariously fantastic experience that I will remember forever. 

Sabbatical

Ok, so I guess it has been a while since my last post. Due to some harassment from one of my beloved fellow "D.I.N." members, I present the last three months of my life.

Where to begin...well maybe August is a good place to start. During my first week after I moved back to the quaint city of Logan, Utah, I stumbled upon many new experiences .

1. Moving all of my belongings into a hotel room for one night because my apartment wasn't ready on time.

2. Becoming a "big girl" and putting the utility bill in my name.

3. Getting married and adopting 8 children.

You may be surprised by number 3, which is to be expected. As I returned to school I had the opportunity to be a facilitator for Utah State's Fall Leadership Conference also known as Aggie B.L.U.E. (Building Leaders for University Excellence). There I partnered up with my co-facilitator (or husband) Chase, and we recieved 8 participants (or children): Liz, Lauren, Hilary, Jessica, Ed, Adam, Jeremy, and Cooper. My large family grew together as we dominated difficult challenges, listened to inspiring lectures (as well as some not-so-inspiring ones), shared our most intimate backgrounds, and became better leaders. 

As a participant last year, I learned a lot. As a facilitator, I learned more. I met some of the best people attending this University and formed strong and lasting bonds. So here's a little shout out to you Aggie B.L.U.E. Team '08 - Always color outside the lines!

August soon left as classes began and September rolled around. I was now living with three phenomenal girls. Amanda, Star, and Kylie soon became my close friends. We have enjoyed football games, trips to Walmart, hundreds of viewings of "Baby Mama," cooking fiascos, and so much more. I love these girls.

 

October has been an interesting month. Good things, bad things, happy things and very sad things have happened but I seem to be driving forward. Many friends have been made and the best of friends have been lost, but will never be forgotten. 

So there you have it...August through October in a nutshell. I hope you are satisfied Lyss. 

A Midnight Affair

There is nothing quite like the thrill of sneaking around...especially from the law. Last night two legal and two not so legal friends ventured out into the dangerous...Merritt's Country Cafe, breaking all kinds of curfew laws. It was about 11:30 pm when we arrived at the run down hole we have grown to love so dearly. When we walked in we were pleasantly greeted by a table of bikers who, after us, were the classiest bunch in the place.



Cassie, a Merritt's virgin, was not fazed on bit, which was very impressive. After we ordered our scones, Cassie and I went to feed the jukebox a little green in exchange for the gift of music. Of course, Cum On Feel the Noise was an absolute must, as well as Love is a Battlefield. However, as we approached the machine, a man stepped in front of us, inserted $3, and then contined to choose the 9 songs that those few dollars bought him. Not realizing that he had bought so many, I continued on with the mission and bought my 3 songs. On the way back to our booth we stopped into the restroom only to find a mural of a falcon feeding her children. It was SPECTACULAR.
Skyler and Alyssa had to take pictures with it of course. As we ate our scones, we waited and waited for our songs to come on.
We finished eating and still had to wait for half an hour to hear our songs. In the mean time we were serenaded with Faith Hill, and songs from the motion picture: Lion King. We paid and went outside to take some pictures with the "Silver Streak," the 16 seat station wagon that is parked out front. As Alyssa and I climbed up the ladder on the back, one very classy lady screamed, "HEY! Ya'll ain't spose'd be climbin' on that!" We ambled down a little angry, and a little embarrassed, however, our 9-song friends walked by and told us not to listen to the rednecks. Then our waitress walked out and asked us if we wanted her to take pictures of us on the streak. Sooooo....All in all, a perfect night at Merritt's.

Happy Birthday America

Potato salad, naps, and family; three ingredients for a fantastic day. Eastern Idaho welcomed me into its arms on July 4, 2008, and what a welcome it was. The brother, sister, and I set out at 6 am that morning to join our cousins, and grandparents in Idaho Falls for a great weekend. Upon arrival we were greeted with crepes, and hugs. The day was lazy, and wonderful. Towards the evening, we gathered downtown to enjoy the fireworks and some delicious dinner from the outback. The show was incredible, and I was reminded of how great it feels to be an American. So here's to you America, Happy Birthday. 

Survival 101

 It began on Friday afternoon with two city slickers and a semi-experienced camper. Three girls set off into the wild unknown also known as Cascade, Idaho. A gorgeous, two hour drive on Highway 55, multiple repeats of Miley Cyrus' hits, and a bathroom break later, we rolled into Cascade. As we drove through town, we were tempted to throw our plans out the window and spend our time with the attractive boy outside of the movie theatre, and stay at the Bears Knight Inn. Somehow we pulled through and moved onward towards our final destination: Horsethief Resevoir. It was about 8 miles away from Cascade. As we drove through campsite after campsite, with no hope of finding a spot, we pondered our decision to leave our ticket taking dream boy behind. At one point, we thought we had found success. We pulled into a site only to soon later have a gruff elderly man come out of his recreational vehicle and tell us that our spot belonged to him as well as his other one. Discouraged, we left and drove on. After driving through a stream and leaving Idaho Fish and Game owned property, verging on tresspassing, we decided to turn around and look through one last time. Somehow, luck was a lady that afternoon, and we found a tiny little site wedged between a couple and their pop-up trailer, and a group of avid campers. We got out and began to put up the tent. Surprisingly, it was a very successful venture. Next was the campfire. Being the smart girls that we are, we came prepared with logs, and matches. As we put our girls camp prowess into play, we created an amazing teepee style campfire. We gathered tinder and got our fire going. It was weak, but effective. As the evening proceeded, we made marshmallow appetizers, followed by rather tasty tin foil dinners. As the witching hour fast approached, we retired to our cozy abode only to find our neighbors a little on the intoxicated side, and fairly loud. We eventually drifted off only to be awoken by dawn, and the sounds of our neighbors, who despite their late night, had a very early morning. We rose and made breakfast (pillsbury cinnamon rolls wrapped around a stick and held above the fire), and soon after ventured home. All in all a fantastic trip into the somewhat wilderness.