It's a New Day

NEW BLOG OF THE SEMESTER!
OK, so far this semester, I have had all new classes, new faces to learn and know, new roommates, a new class with old friends, new boyfriends, new movies, and a new job! That's a lot of NEW!
Oh! There are also a lot of new songs, but we haven't found a roommate song yet. We thought about dubbing it Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, but Nadya HATES that song, so we listen to it all the time :P
I feel like I must address some of this new stuff, to help clarify and, well, tell the story!
New semester. DUH.
New classes. HARD! I am dropping the ball on my homework at least once or twice a week! I'm drowning on dry land, so to speak.
New faces to learn. Well yeah there are all first semester social work majors, and I'm a second semester, who had classes with third semester kids, last semester! haha. That's a lot of semesters :) But I'm liking this new group. Not as much as the new people, but probably because I had group class with the people last semester so I got to know them really well last semester.
New roommates. I love them! They are way better than the roommates I had last semester. Lets face it, last semester was terrible. I had one roommate I liked and I still see her this semester so thats good. But the roommates this semester are so interesting! Jet is a horticulture major so she likes to point out plants a lot, but she studies all the time to keep her grades up. These classes are hard, and I'm not even in them! Nadya is on her last semester as an english major, and is in love with this guy named  Keith Harkin. He is an Irish singer who looks kind of cute. She is determined to marry him because she has already met him twice and has an in with the family. I say, GO for it girl! She like to watch tv with me and I am trying to help her get caught up on Grey's Anatomy, my favorite show, but its not going so well. She is also swamped with tons of homework in a class she is convinced she might fail.
The new class with old friends is my Research method class, my hardest one. But I have it with my friend Hailee so she makes up for it. Plus there is this new class review group that Hailee and Cameron and I are in so we get together over lunch and talk about how to make the class better for everyone. Its nice to have a bit of  last semester, this semester.
New boyfriends really just applies to Jet. Her missionary got off a few weeks ago and they are practically inseparable :) It's cute.
New movies. Ok I am a movie lover and I have a huge movie selection, and my roommates' small collections, and the whole selection from Netflix. That's a lot of movies! they give me incentive to get my hw done..most of the time. Sometimes I just want to watch tv instead of hw but I'm working on it!
New job. I HAVE A JOB! I just felt like I had to shout that because I have been trying so hard to get a job and now I have one! It's my teacher's old job, at a gas station down in Idaho Falls, but it's a job! I love the guys I work with, but the girls I work with are mean and I don't like working with them. But there are so many interesting people there that it makes up for it. and, it's money that I need! there shall be no complaining from me :)
So that is about as interesting as my life has been this semester! Nothing too special but I have been busy with work and the homework so I haven't had much time for anything else, like, blogging for example!

Marilyn Monroe.

So I have decided to make a new goal for my self. Amanda and I were talking the other day, while we were watching a Marilyn Monroe movie. I think it was called Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. And it occurred to me. Marilyn was a huge icon for a reason. Yeah, she had sex appeal, but it went so much deeper. She was a woman, who was beautiful, comfortable in her own skin, had a power within her, and knew how to use it. But underneath it all, she was just a pretty girl, who was inexperienced and vulnerable. She hid it well, because she knew how to use what she had to her advantage, and to get what she wanted. She was a woman, elegant, pretty, confident, and worked to make her life how she wanted it. And I thought, I want to be like Marilyn! So my goal for next semester, to be like Marilyn Monroe, hopefully by the end of spring semester. No, I don't want to be a big sex icon that all the boys chase, heaven knows there is no way I can accomplish that. But I want to be more lady-like, graceful, and maybe learn how to use what I got (however little that may be) to my own advantage. Hey, a girl can try right?

At the moment, I'm a klutz, no coordination, tom-boy, walk like a duck, not graceful or lady-like in any way, I say whats on my mind, I have no tact, and definitely no sex appeal. It can't hurt to throw that in just a little bit right? So I want to refine myself and become more like her! It is a good project I think.

Trying to turn me into THIS...

...from THIS

I CLEARLY have my work cut out for me...GOOD LUCK I say. Well, all hope is not lost (most, but not all), because I have my own personal Queen Clarice Renaldi. You know, from the princess diaries, how the grandma (Queen Clarice) comes into town saying this frumpy and unkempt girl is the next in line for the throne so she takes her and gives her a total make over and princess lessons and she is suddenly a princess? yeah, I have one of those, sort of. I just call her Yoda, because Queen Clarice Renaldi is just too long, and she didn't take too kindly to me calling her grandma. So our next mentor we picked was Yoda! And Amanda has agreed to be called Yoda, and she has agreed to call me Marilyn! We have A LOT of work ahead of us, but I'm working on one thing at a time, baby steps you know? We are starting with the basic research of course, the Marilyn Monroe movies! Great research, let me tell you. Also, to become more relaxed, and graceful, and..well..flexible, I am going to do yoga next semester! Amanda talked me into doing yoga with her last week and let me tell you: I never thought much of yoga, didn't think it did much for you, not a great work out. But, oh my goodness, it was amazing! I stretched out, worked on my balance, and became SO relaxed that I was half asleep on the way home. best sleep I had gotten all semester. So yoga is so going on my weekly list of things to do to be more like Marilyn Monroe.

I think it worked too well though. I was so relaxed after yoga and this guy friend came over after, and I guess the more relaxed I am the easier it is for me to subconsciously play Marilyn, or be more like her. He didn't want to leave with out a kiss! I have a new creeper, P.S. So I think maybe being Marilyn won't be as hard as I thought, but maybe controlling it and learning how to use it. Oh well, that is what my Yoda is for!

Ok, lets back off of Marilyn for now. I have some fun side note I thought I would pop it. We have discovered a new song in our apartment, and we love to belt it out at the top of our lungs, and I can't sing this song with them, without laughing at least once during our "singing". It has become a happy song, and we like to play it when we want to rock out, and when we are feeling a little down.

Here it is!

Okay I personally love the acoustic version better than the original version, because you can watch him singing it. I love to watch him singing it because he gets so into it, and you can tell that he loves this song and is passionate about it. He smiles during some parts and it make the song so much more enjoyable to me.

Also, I have a happy song that I personally like to listen to, especially with all the stress of papers, projects, and finals for the next two weeks.

Here is that one as well

Jokes on YOU

So Cailtin and I are having a little too much fun this weekend. We have decided to prank her friend Jake while he is out of town this weekend. It is the long weekend so we got REALLY into this! They have this little war going that that Jake (stupidly) started, and when you start a war with Cailtin, YOU ARE GONNA GET IT! She means business. Which is more fun for me! We have decided to "decorate" his room Caitlin-style. We are going to go to the store tomorrow to get:
SaranWrap
Balloons
SaranWrap
and
SARANWRAP!
Tee hee :)
We started with signs, and tomorrow we shall go DECORATE! I'll dish more tomorrow. But here are some of the pictures that Cailtin took of the signs she got really into making.

Ok the last one is kind of sideways. Just go with it!

Valentines Day

Here is a little input from me on the "holiday".
Valentines Day is overrated. It is a simple hallmark day, wherein men are supposed to show their devotion to women. Women expect flowers, cards, chocolate, dates, or whatever else they can think of. Now me, I don't hate the holiday. I simply pretend it does not exist. The only good thing about February 14, is the day after when all that candy goes on sale :) Now I know I sound like a cynic who hates Valentines Day and you've heard it all before from all of the single people. It seems that they all just swing back a forth; it's a love/hate relationship with them. They are single and hate it, or in a relationship and love it. But I have never liked the day, even when I did have a boyfriend. My view on Valentines Day is this:
Guys. If you have a girlfriend/fiance/wife/best friend/regular friend, than you should let her know that, Hey, you like being around her/love her/what have you. Just tell her! It's the best thing a girl could have, someone telling her that they care about her. She doesn't need an all out bank breaking gesture one day of the year. Sure, a little something extra never hurt, but going all out is too much. If there is a girl in your life that you care about, you should let her know somehow every day! EVERY DAY. Text her, tell her, send her a gift on her birthday, take her out on dates, what ever works for you! But I'm telling you, letting a girl know that she is special and cared for is the best thing you can ever do for her. I promise. Just TELL HER.
Girls. You shouldn't expect some grand gesture, extra gifts, food, flowers, what ever. Sure, they are nice and we all love getting them! Don't get me wrong. But if you guy only does something to make you feel special one day out of the year, than it is probably a safe bet that he really doesn't care as much as you deserve! I hate to say it, but maybe you should find someone else. Someone who takes the time to tell you things and treat you special, every single day! Also, a word of advice if you are single. You are not the only one hating on Valentines Day! you and EVERY other single person on the planet. And you know what? It just gets plain annoying after a while, walking around hearing everyone hating on some random holiday because they don't have someone to dote on them. Can I make a suggestion? Next year, when you are single and hating on Valentines Day, try getting your girlfriends together (the other single ones with no plans) and go out! Have a girls night! When was the last time you had a girls night on a holiday, and just had fun! Forget about not having a guy, girls nights can be way better! Celebrate how ever you want. Watch sappy love movies, eat junk food, tell man-hating stories, go out clubbing, go to a restaurant, just do something! Besides complaining.
Ok, harsh ranting complete! But seriously. Next time? Don't make such a big deal over a holiday that is only there to fill the gap between New Years and Easter. Just have fun and go with it :)

January, In a Nutshell

So for my birthday last month, my roomates decided to do everything opposite of what I said and celebrate it. They bought me flowers! (I have NEVER gotten flowers before) They even bought some cute gag gifts for presents. They hung cute banners and even went so far as to get me a CAKE! With 21 candles...but hey I guess for the golden year you are supposed to celebrate. I left the apartment for a few seconds and they locked me out for like 5 minutes! Turns out they were trying to pull out the cake and light the candles. So they got it right. :) They got me a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake!! I love ice cream and cake, perfect combination!
I think my favorite part of the night though was when we went out to play fugitive! It started out raining which was awesome, but than it turned to snow which was not so cool.. It made us feel real dumb for wearing dark clothes to blend in..white would have been a better call. And better footwear. By the end of the night, we had played two rounds of fugitive, our feet were numb and wet from the snow, and so were our clothes. But it was totally worth it because I got to see some friends I haven't seen in a while and we all got to play together. It was just a fun big game, made us feel like we were kids again. Something we all need now and again!
I suggest you try it some time :)

Who You Are

Ok. So I just finished watching Beastly. I hadn't watched it before because, lets be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Vanessa. But I gotta say, it was a really cute movie! Nothing too dramatic you know, but you can't watch a Beauty and the Beast movie without one rescue scene. And it had a really good message too, not too profound for us blonds to understand. It's the typical theme, beaut isn't everything and you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. They really show how it is important to be a friend to everyone and to learn that caring about other people is what really matters. But another theme they throw in there under the major ones it that you should really appreciate the small things in life and take time to enjoy them because they are few and far between. So I though I would list some of the small things that I really love and appreciate.
1. I love these high ceilings in my new apartment. They make me happy and feel a little less taller.
2. I love the rain. It has always been a great love of mine because you can dance in it and sing in it and kiss in it and cry in it without people catching on. Rain just makes me feel JOY no matter what and I don't understand why people hate it so much.
3. I love hugs. They are the best medicine a person could ever have, and they will always make someone feel just a little bit better. In my opinion, hugs are just a little bit better than kisses.
4. I love reading a good book. I love to just sit for a few hours and cuddle up with one because they always have the ability to pull you into the story and take you on this adventure, right in the safety and comfort of your own home.
5. I love music. It ALWAYS has the ability to say things that I can't. I am not good with words and I can't express things as well as I would like. But music has this way of saying things so perfectly. It can express a piece of your heart for you, and can make you feel a certain way. It's just beautiful.
6. I love the shower. It has always been a secret pleasure of mine. I believe that if I am behind a closed door and if there is running water in the background, then no one can hear me and I am free to sing to my hearts content. It is also a place where I can enjoy a few moments of peace because the water just kind of tunes everything else out.
7. I love the sound of the ocean. It has this calming sound to it and the pulsing of the waves is almost calming of you just concentrate on it.
8. I love the way a single rose looks. I've never gotten flowers before but if you just look at a single rose, it has this beauty all on its own. It can stand alone and still be beautiful in its own way, and it's almost like it has the confidence and pleasure of doing so. It gives you the ability to appreciate all of the flower and not just its smell.
9. I love having a stuffed animal. This makes me a 5 year old at heart but just having something there to hug and talk to when there is no one else, is just a nice and comforting feeling.
10. I love the stars. I love looking at them for hours and I love being able to just look up and see them. There is something comforting about them. They make you think and contemplate life and things. They force you to think outside of yourself and your life and appreciate them and the world and their simple beauty. Whatever you believe stars are, they are always there. To me, they are every Ray's Evangeline.

So next time you are walking/driving down the street or doing whatever, stop and thing about what you like in that moment, right there. It may be a small, in the moment list like mine, or it may be a ten page paper. Just appreciate them before they are gone, lost to you for an unknown amount of time.

The Best is Yet to Come

I'd like to just skip over the whole blogging about Christmas break bit because not much happened. I can sum it up in about one sentence: I went home, made cookies, ate a big dinner, got most everything that I wanted for Christmas, got to see almost everyone again, made some money, and got to hang out with Kiah for a few hours and catch up on life with her. There! 2 week in one sentence.
Coming back was probably the best part BECAUSE I got to move into my new hotel room! Ok, it's an apartment but it FEELS like a hotel! The lobby is amazing, the TWO lounges are decked out with a kitchen and lots of comfy sofas and a BIG A@@ TV! There is a work out room and a dance studio and a practice room and a lot of study rooms too. The apartment itself is very cute. You walk into thew kitchen (big kitchen) which has a lot of storage for food a pantry too. The living room is an open space with (soon to be comfy) couches and a 42" wall mount TV. Add my super cool blue ray DVD player with Netflix on it, and our living room is pretty much the bomb! Then there is a long hallway off the kitchen (with a door to cut it off from the rest of the apartment so we can pretty much blare our music and walk around in our underwear :P) My favorite part is we have our own laundry room! With shelves! Tee Hee :)  There are 2 bathrooms and so we have 2 vanities too! Caitlin, Melissa, and I share our own bathroom and the other 2 roomies we haven't met yet share the other one. We only have 5 people in our apartment this year instead of 6 which is nicer! Caitlin has her own room, Melissa and I share the middle one, and the 2 strange roomies share the back room.
Yesterday Melissa and I got most of our stuff unpacked and set up! Except our clothes..We will get around to them eventually..Maybe.  So today, that will be our goal. And to go to the store and get some stuff for classes.
Best part? We just decorated our bathroom mirror with a bunch of stuff we love about Caitlin to surprise her! I think this is going to be the best semester ever!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We decorated our apartment last night to make it feel more and more like home! And to top off that homey feeling, plenty of repairs have been needed. I guess at this point I should become a plummer because that is all I seem to do these days! I should at least get paid to do it anyway.
Let me start with the decorating: we have hung Christmas lights on our wall that create this really warm glow in the apartment. Kind of like a fire-like glow at night, which goes nicely with our glowing fireplace. We used our old Halloween costumes and arranged them to look somewhat like a fireplace, then stuck red and orange and yellow construction paper in the middle to represent the fire. And to create that glow? We used these flashing snowflakes (it looks really close to a fire). There are paper snowflakes all over the walls and on the wall opposite the fireplace, we have a paper Christmas tree! Complete with paper decorations and paper presents under it. It looks simply magical at night! It really feels like home.
As far as the repairs go?The toilet has been fixed 4 times since the semester started, all by me, and the sink is now totally leaking. It's a mixture of the dishwasher and the clogged disposal. Needless to say, some of our pots and pans are being put to good use as water catchers!

It look something like these:

Back to December

It has been waaayy too long since I have blogged and I told myself I would try and blog at least once a month..FAIL! But, in my defense, I have been told that I need to write in my journal at least once a week; to share my feelings and all that jazz. If you knew me you would know how hard that is for me. So blogging and jornaling at the same time is a bit of a challenge. But nevertheless, I have come to tell all about my awesome weekend. It was jam-packed with all kinds of adventures and playing with family and friends.
It all started on Thursday. I trusted Melissa to bring my car up to me on campus so that we could hurry into Idaho Falls and do some shopping! And to top it off, Caitlin decided to skip class to come with us! A girl's day of shopping in Idaho Falls: AMAZING! The reason we picked this day for our shopping trip was because we had to pick up Melissa's brother from the airport because we was visiting for the weekend! It was really exciting to finally meet the brother that Melissa kept talking about and it was great to get to see the two of them together. You could tell how much they had missed each other and how much love in their family they had. That was part of the whole reason this weekend was so spectacular. Also because we got to go to Big Judd's for dinner too :) The 6 of us, Matt, Tyler, Brock, Melissa, Caitlin, and me, ended up becoming better friends than we were before because we spent the entire weekend together. We went to Big Judd's for dinner on Thursday, Craigo's for lunch on Friday, Ice Caves, and shooting as well. You can imagine how crazy the 6 of us would be together because of how crazy we are individually :) Yeah, that craziness got us into a bit of trouble this weekend too. We got 'repremended' at Craigo's for being a bit loud (something in our nature and entirely unable to avoid most of the time). Also on the drive from Matt's to Caitlin's apartment we got pulled over by a cop because we were sitting on Matt's toolbox and not in the bed of the truck. Big no no! Twice in one hour has got to be some kind of record or something! the third time (in one weekend? really?) was when we were driving home from the Ice caves and totally didn't know the speed limit was reduced so we were going 50 in a 35...But the cop only flashed his lights as a warning. LUCK!
The ice caves were probably the biggest adventure we went on. It was caves full of ice all year round. And you crawl through tight spaces and big caverns and long thin sections to get to the end where it is a big hill of ice that we slid down for a bit. Aside from my fear because of claustrophobia and the 'rat' that I saw crawling on our way back (it was just a muskrat they told me later but it still made me scream like a girl), it was a great adventure and (for the most part) I was glad I went :)
Finally, we went shooting on Saturday night, in the dark, by truck headlights. But it was still a fun adventure because, lets face it, when it shooting not a fun thing to do? :) After shooting Melissa decides she wants Kiwi Loco! Crazy girl always wants ice cream when it's cold out. Go figure :)
All in all, it was a crazy weekend, and we all have the bruises and scrapes to prove it. And of course, PHOTOS! To be added once I steal them from Caitlin's camera later :) The only damper that was put on our weekend was the Crazy snowfall we got on Friday! I hate snow and so of course this didn't make the weekend better, but it was still a great weekend. Despite the snow making it feel like mid-December instead of November.

The Lost Get Found

We decided to go to the straw maze for family home evening tonight and it turned out to be tons of fun! It started off as a crazy group of 13 of us all wandering around. We split up into apartments and headed our own separate ways and that was where we all got lost. I'm pretty sure we ran around in circles several times because everything started to blur together. We probably got to know a good section of that maze.
Over.
And over.
And over again :)
But there was a giant tire kind of in the middle of the maze and so that was fun! Jen was smart enough to bring her camera and document our attempts. But we loved that giant tire because we futilely tried to stand on top of to try and see our way out. The yummy guy that was in the army camo-pants running on top of the hay bales didn't help much either. So we got to know about half of that maze really well, and then just when we were beginning to get frustrated with the circles we were walking over and over, we split up. Mindi, Dominic, and me went one way and Jen and Kelly went another. by this time, everyone else had already found the way out of the the maze...half an hour before we did. but Mindi and Dominic and I found these totally awesome tunnels! Well, there were mostly cool except for the fact that I'm slightly claustrophobic. But once the three of us went through these tunnels it was like a whole new world! A whole new maze! There were places we had never been before because, well, we hadn't! Once we went through the tunnels it only took us 10 minutes to find the exit, where everyone else already was. Except for Jen and Kelly! So while the rest of the FHE group left in their cars, Mindi and I, being the awesome roomates we are (ok, exaggeration on my part), we went pack in for our roomies! NO ROOMIE LEFT BEHIND!! Turns out they had just gone through the tunnels and so they were close to the end anyway but the point is we went back in for them!! :D
Kelly said something while we were in there and it was just as a joke but it got me to thinking later.
OKAY Let me just start of by saying that KELLY IS NOT THE DEVIL!! I LOVE YOU KELLY <3
But Kelly kept leading us the wrong way around and said "the spirit lead me the wrong way!" I'm relating this to the devil, how is we follow him blindly then we will get so lost and will not be able to find the cool tunnels of life. (What ever they may be). But the cool/yummy army guy on top of the hay bales (the spirit) knows the way and can see where the end is and how to get there! but the yummy army guy on top of the hay bales wasn't gonna help out unless we asked him to. Neither is the spirit. If we don't ask for direction from God and follow his hints and guidance, then we will remain lost in the maze of life. God also isn't going to lay out the entire map for us, just like the yummy army man didn't tell us every turn to take. God will give us help a little at a time. Line upon line and all that jazz. But eventually he will lead you in the right direction and we can begin to find our way on our own, with his help!
Ok, that was my amazing spiritual revelation that I had to share with y'all :)

These are the cool tunnels we found that led to a whole new world!

Yeah we had been lost for a while at this point...

When we got separated from them towards the end! It was despairing!

We tried climbing the walls to escape :P

The giant tire we found!!

Our entire FHE group together in the middle of the maze! We are awesome 

LOOK! We FINALLY found the end!!!

Also! Random accomplishment for me! I finally wrote my 2 page autobiography (which was really hard for me to accomplish) and I finally mailed in my Social Work application! So wish me luck and I hope I get in!