Life in 97035....

So... I live in Oregon now. It's kinda cool, but nothing particularly exciting. I have been here for three weeks as of today, and these three weeks have been crazy!!!

Unpacking wasn't too hard, and getting used to the area wasn't all that hard either. The hardest part to adjusting here is the driving! The speed limit here is usually 35, and only 55 on the freeway! There are a gagillion lanes, tiny parking spots in ridiculously packed parking lots, waaaay too many cops, lots of freeways, and I can't even fill up my own gas! It makes me miss Idaho driving, where if you were going 55 mph on Highway 55, you were going too slow.

The shopping experience is... interesting. I love the Costco here, not that it is different from any other Costco. Look what I found in the produce section: Baby, organic, mixed baby me!!

Don't I look so cute??

But Baja Fresh is soo close! I pretty much eat there a lot. And since Brooke works at Jamba Juice, my Razzmatazz is becoming an addiction. Except I don't like Brooke making mine... she adds extra orange sherbet on mine because she wants me to get fat. Her words, not mine. Here she is, caught red-handed:

And there are shopping malls/outlets EVERYWHERE!!! Such a temptation. Here is me with my new "Administrative Assistant" shoes, and enjoying a free massage experience at Brookstone:

Speaking of work... I'm the Administrative Assistant for my uncle's company, A1 Installations NW. THe company has contracts with all of the Lowe's, Sears, and Home Depots in NW and central Oregon, as well as SW Washington to install all major appliances. That means that our installers are the ones that install you dishwasher, washer/dryer, shower door, microhoods, ovens/ranges, cooktops, sinks, faucets, toilets, etc. The list goes on forever. So my job is to help communicate with the suppliers, customers, and our installers, letting them know what our schedule looks like, and figuring out where products are. It's hectic. On average, we have at least 150 appointments for installations or details a week. So I call the customers, which can be CRAZY! You would be surprised how angry people will get over their dishwasher installations. I deal with the paperwork, and I usually talk to 20 different Lowe's stores multiple times a day talking about products, appointments, and angry people. It's just a lot of Excel work, paperwork, and phone calls. But I like working with family! Most of the time, that is.

I also hang out with my family a lot, and go to places where I grew up. I went on a little trip down memory lane the other day and found some stuff which made me miss my childhood:

This is my treehouse! My grandpa made this in his backyard. From scratch. I was 8 or so, and it took him all summer, but I sure loved this thing! He even put old rocking chairs and bean bags inside, with a bird feeder on the side, and there used to be a net underneath the rope swing, if you can see it. We could swing on the rope and fall down the net, or climb the net and crawl through the window to hang out in there. I have a pretty awesome grandpa, and was sad when they moved. The new owners haven't washed it, but when I asked to take pictures of it and told them my grandpa built it, they were amazed. I feel pretty lucky to part of the generation that playing outside was what kids were expected to do, instead of staying inside to watch tv or play the xbox.

And this ugly thing... Haha. In the 3rd grade, we were given clay squares, upon which we were to make a self portrait, or whatever you call it. Then they put them outside of the main office at the school. Only the students of that year made them. So it is still there, 12 years later. I think it was supposed to be of my along my grandparents' pool, and they always had leaves fall in... I don't know. But it was pretty cool to see it up there, like there was still a piece of my childhood forever cemented in a place I loved so much.

That's about it. I live at Maria's condo, where I am only there to sleep and change clothes, as I work 10-6, and usually just eat dinner at Barb's. I go window shopping with Ney and Brooke, hang out with Eric, and go to Isaac's soccer games. It's a simple life, but it's good!

Except this week is crazy. Barb and Curt are in Hawaii, so I've been here watching the kids. So stay tuned to see if I survive this week, that is if you weren't bored to death by this super long post.

I can tell that we are going to be friends...

Well, I hope you sang that in your head, because that is a great song.

Anyway, last night, I hung out with my bestest friend for the last time until Christmas. It was so fun! We went to go window shopping (the only thing we actually got was See's Candy. YUM!), looked at Pinterest for a fair amount of time, talked, and looked old pictures of ourselves.

Including this one!

This was the summer of 2009, when we had our first adventure together. We went on a road trip to Oregon for a rafting trip. It was so fun! This is us at Old Navy trying on huge clothes... We look so young! Since then, we have had many adventures, including a band/choir trip to California, a road trip touring schools senior year, GRADUATING!, and the fun day to day things. Like "running", making cookies, going to midnight premieres, and talking for hours on end.

I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful best friend, and I will miss her while she is at school!

Sad movie review... and a moment of gratitude

I'm just watched this horribly depressing movie, which I couldn't turn off. It's called Never Let Me Go, with Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley. *Warning- it's rated R, but on tv they protect my virgin eyes:)* 

Anyway, it's set in an alternate 20th century, where in England, they have these private schools where they raise clones that will later become organ donors. It is pretty much terrible. But it is so intriguing!

It's a terrible concept, raising children like pigs to be slaughtered, but I just was wondering what I would do. You know?  I just wonder if I would be the same person, but I know I wouldn't be, because my experiences would have shaped me differently. But I would like to think that I would have been a rebel and that I would have run away. I'll never know, but that is definitely not something I regret not knowing. I guess I'm trying to say I'm grateful for the life I have been given, even though the challenges make me want to scream. I'm incredibly blessed to have the people I have in my life, the opportunities I have been given, and for a Heavenly Father that blesses me so much more than I could ever have deserved.

So that's it. Yay for a good life, even though I might not say the same thing next week... 65 hours at the waterpark.

The little things

Okay, I know I already blogged today, but I had a few good moments today. I am a pretty serious person, and one of my biggest flaws is that I'm often negative. I know that I'm an extremely blessed person, and am so glad to have my family and lifestyle, but sometimes the everyday problems blind me from that.

So when I had these two little moments, I just knew I would want to remember them. It is the little things that we should remember. So here they are!

One: I have been lying on the couch all day, just resting my ankle, when my grandpa asked me if I wanted a banana split. Of course, I said yes, and he asked, "Small, medium, or large?" So I said "Medium." Ten minutes later, he brings me this MASSIVE bowl of ice cream, and we just started laughing hysterically. I took a picture, and accidentally deleted it :/

Two: I'm watching a movie with the kiddos (Christian, Olivia, and Adelaide) and Olivia suddenly wants water. So she walks over to the kitchen, and Adelaide declares, "I want water too!" and grabs my water instead of following Olivia. It was hilarious to me that Adelaide was so observant. Then she goes starts to drink it, and screams, "THERE'S NO ICE!!!!!!!!!!" It seriously could have been a meme, where they show 1st world problems.

Anyway, these were small moments, but they say it is the little things in life that makes all the crappy things worthwhile. So yay for cute moments!

McCall/Boise River/Shopping

I've had a crazy week. Seriously. Here is a basic rundown... (is rundown a word?)

Monday- Lots of packing. Babysat my adorable new cousin Zane (he is only 8 weeks!) and how awesome is he???

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Tuesday we left for McCall, only after 4 trips to Walmart. Sweet mercy. I drove with my dad, Madi, and Megan. It was fairly short at 2 1/2 hours, and it was amazing. Seriously. We got to Pilgrim Cove Camp in McCall, which is like a church camp with a big lodge where the staff feeds you, lots of cabins everywhere, and a dock with kayaks, paddle boats, canoes, and other fun stuff to hang out on the lake with... Here is the view from our cabin! 

Gorgeous huh? It was a little cloudy when I took the picture, but the rest of the trip was perfectly sunny. 

The reunion was great! It was with my Great Grandma Bessie Marshall(we just call her grandma great), her five children, and their children, and their children's children. I'm one of the oldest of her great grandchildren, and the first to have the Marshall last name. My grandpa (Gpa Marshall) is grandma great's first kid, and he had 8 kids, so his family takes about 50 of the 108 people there. It was so fun to see all of my family!\

 It was kind of sad that 2 of my favorite cousins were gone, but I think being gone on a mission is a great excuse for that. So I hung out with my cousins Lindsay, Cameron and Porter, who are my only first cousins that are 1) single and 2) college aged. So we had a great time! We played lots of card games, watched the Walking Dead, got milkshakes in McCall, and hung out at the lake a lot. I found out that I'm a pretty skilled paddle boater, even with psycho-crazy waves. I wish I had a picture to post, but that kinda failed to happen. Oh well. 

We took family pictures, ate lots of food, and just hung out. It was kind of a bummer that there were lots of wildfires going on, because we couldn't have any campfires at all. Not that I missed the smell all over my clothes. 

We left Friday morning, and had to take a longer route because the wildfires blocked off the main highway. It sucked. I also got a handful of mosquito bites, even with the use of bug spray everywhere. I got one on my ankle Tuesday night, and this is what it looked like Friday afternoon...

It was huge!!! And it still hurts. It is still swollen (it's Sunday). I can barely walk on it. This is what it is like to be allergic to mosquito bites.

When we got back to Nampa, some of my first cousins, aunts, and uncles decided to take us floating on the Boise River. 

BAD IDEA!!! We didn't get there til 6 because of traffic, so the water was freezing! Long story short, I hit my head a lot on trees, got tons of little leeches on me, scratched my back and butt a ton, and was freezing to death.  The only good thing that came out of it was that the river was so cold it helped my ankle's swelling go down just a little bit. I'm never doing it again!

Which leads to yesterday. Madison is going to high school,  so I took her school shopping. We did pretty awesome, if I do say so myself! We got a most of our stuff at American Eagle, which had a HUGE sale. I got a few things too, so it was great. My favorite thing that we got for Mad was this awesome bunny shirt! 

It is so cute on her. She couldn't wait to wear it everywhere! It was great.



We watched Olympics, and then I took her back to my dad's. I was pretty exhausted and tired from walking around the mall, and it made the swelling worse again. Not exactly the smartest thing I've done.


I also sent my 2 week notice in. August 25th is my last day at the waterpark!! Thank heavens. Life is getting pretty exciting!!! Sorry for the long post, there was simply so much to say. 

Confessions of a Lifeguard

So, I haven't had a "confessions" post in a while, and I'm not really a student for the next few months, so I thought it might be interesting to confess the truths of lifeguarding...

For those who don't know, I have worked at the Roaring Springs lifeguard for 3 summers now, so you could say I'm experienced. I know the waterpark backwards and forwards. It was really fun the last two summers, but this year is not as fun. Maybe because these things have become more noticeable...

1. Confession 1. "Do you know CPR" Is THE WORST pickup line in the world. Seriously. Of course I know CPR, and no, we don't do mouth to mouth. 
2. I have learned that there are such things as dumb questions in life, but I had no idea how bad. "Will we get wet on this ride?" is hands down the dumbest question to ask in a WATERPARK. 
3. Lifeguards are exhausted. So don't screw with us. We sit anywhere from 5-12 hours in the sun, standing, walking, lifting rafts, and holding up to 650 pounds with our calves. Our hands are raw and peeled from holding the rafts for people. Hence the lack of patience when people are irritating. 
4. Not all lifeguards use the exact same rules. On the bottom of each rules sign of each attraction there is a rule that says, "Obey the lifeguards at all times." If we aren't comfortable with your behavior, we make that a rule on the spot. If the guest becomes upset, our boss will back us up 100%. 
5. In waterparks, or anywhere that has many dangerous things, the customer is NOT always right. 
6. All of the rules or things we yell at people for have an incredible purpose. People tend to think we want them to be miserable, but every rule will save lives. Especially the "No Running" rule.
7. We really don't get paid enough for what we do. Apparently, the lifeguards got paid $11 an hour. After the economy dropped in '08, they dropped it to around minimum wage. I'm a higher level lifeguard, so I get paid a little more, but not much. This results in a need for more hours, which results in more exhaustion, which results in cranky lifeguards.
8. This one is the main thing I want all parents to know: I wouldn't trust more than half of the lifeguards to save a kid's life. I know that is terrible, but it comes with experience. This is so important to know, because we are responsible for hundreds of people. Don't expect a lifeguard to pay "extra attention" to your kid. That's your job.
9. The lifeguards clean the park at night. After the park closes, we have to pick up the trash, move the furniture back in place, sweep the towers, and clean the parking lot. It sucks, and really has taught me the importance of not littering. I've had to pick up (with gloves on, THANK HEAVENS) full diapers, underwear, alcohol containers  (which have dripped all over my legs...), rotting food, hygiene products, band-aids, and many other disturbing and inappropriate things. 
10. The water is NASTY! I am always in shock when a parent doesn't scream at their children when they drink the water. The chlorinate it a lot, and often, but I've seen what's been in there. Dead animals, used hygiene products (ewwwwww), blood, pee, poop, spit, and pretty much anything else imaginable. I'm not saying don't go in it, because it is safe, but just don't drink it. And shower when you are done. 

This is a pretty short list of things I've learned, but they definitely are important. I guess with the new job coming that has much better things (and much cleaner things), it makes it harder to work at the waterpark knowing that something better is waiting.

Don't get me wrong. I love the waterpark, and all that they have done for me. But this job is one for younger kids that have the energy to work til midnight in the freezing cold, not for "old" people like me, who prefers to go to bed at 10, and stay inside all day. Maybe it is a sign that I'm growing up, that I need an "adult" job. This job has taught me lots of things, but I'm very glad to be moving on. WOO!

Decisions, Decisions.

So, I expected to come home from school, relax, and have no stress.

WRONG!

I'm working at least 8 hours a day (which doesn't sound like too much, but it is physical work. My hands are peeling, my skin burned, and my feet ache), sleeping a LOT (which helps, but is more like recovering than relaxing), and I am making a lot of decisions. Such as which car will I get, where will I work, will I leave Idaho? Okay, so they aren't that bad. It isn't like I'm getting married or anything. But it still feels like a big decision. Especially after I made it...

So here it is. I'm getting Ken's car. And I'm moving to  Portland, to work as Curtis' "Administrative Assistant". I know, I'm a legit adult now.

It is a big decision to me, in knowing that I am leaving Nampa... Again. I'm leaving a lot of family, and although most of my friends will be gone, I will be missing when they come home for weekends. The job was what made the decision. Curtis called yesterday, and it just answered a lot of prayers. So I'm excited! I will finish with Roaring Springs, and will go there in September. I love Portland, which will make it even better!

That's pretty much it. This was more of an update kind of post, so I should probably say that I cut and dyed my hair... I'm really tan... I love the Olympics... And I am going to my family reunion in McCall next week! I'm really excited.

So I am stressed, but I'm glad to have my decisions made and my path set.

Back in the 2C

Well, let's just say I'm glad to be back home.

I will skip the stresses of the end of final week, the drive home, etc...

But I got home Thursday night, and went out to dinner with Allyson. I missed her! And my favorite Fajita Quesedilla from Jalapenos. We got some dutch and candy, then went the to theater. Surprisingly, they made us go to the actual theater listed on the ticket, instead of whichever one. It ended up being a HUGE blessing, because all of my friends were in the same theater! I saw most of them, and we all sat together and talked. It was great, because for most of us, we hadn't seen each other since graduation. It was great!

Then it began. Let me just say that no words can describe the pure genius that the movie was. It was so incredible. I LOVED it. I loved the cast (minus Anne Hathaway, who I despise, but must admit she wasn't terrible.) I loved it SOOOOOO much, I can't wait to go again.

However, I'm so sad about the Colorado shooting in one of the theaters showing the movie. How terrible it is that someone would go to hurt people that are going to the movies to have a good experience with friends and family. I can't even comprehend how awful they must feel, especially the parents of the 6 yr old. Terrible.

Anyway, I have just been with family, and did some Roaring Springs training (EXHAUSTING!). It's been great being back, and can't wait to see the rest of my family and friends!

venting time!

I thought I was stressed last week. I wasn't. Last week is nothing compared to this week.

There were a few good things that have happened: Famous Dave's for Gavin's birthday, got my nails done with Alivia, I have my Batman tickets, got lots of laundry done. That's about all the good things that happened.

Now for the stressful things that happened/are happening: Courtney. I'm not going to elaborate. Tests: I had 7 tests lined up, 3 for Anatomy, 2 for American FD, 1 for Science FD, and 1 for Biostats. I rocked my American tests, took my anatomy ones (No idea on the results), and then I am taking the rest tonight. I have to pack everything I own right now and haul it back home, just to unpack it, then repack it in a few months. Then I have to deep clean like my life depends on it. Then I have to have enough energy to go to Batman tomorrow night (which I am excited for, but it still is a stessor), only to wake up at 8am Friday and Saturday for lifeguard training, with my gear being heaven knows where. My laptop mouse pad is having a major spaz attack, making studying impossible. This along with cranky, also stressed roommates. All of this is causing a crazy migraine, which is making everything worse.

So at the moment, my life is a chaotic mess. However, it will all be worth it very soon! I'm so excited to see my family, hang out with Allyson, plan a Halloween party with Laura, get tan at the waterpark, not stress over groceries, and sit around! It'll be great! Just a few more hours...

Stress

HOLY CRAP. The past four days have been CRAZYY!!!

Saturday: Court got here! We walked around campus, got some Great Harvest Bread Co bread, and just walked around a lot. Ney got tired pretty quickly, because she wasn't used to walking up massive hills in high altitude. But it was fun! Later that night, we went and saw the Amazing Spiderman in IF w/ Makenna, Elle, Gavin, and Juan. It was so good! The lizard guy was so creepy!!! We got home, and crashed HARDCORE.

Sunday: We slept in til twelve... We were pretty tired. We went to my ward, and just chilled out at home. That's pretty much it.

Monday: It was okay. I had LOTS of studying and homework to do. I had my biostats class, and ney just sat outside for a while. We skipped FHE, just because I had so much homework. Yay for studying. And clean checks.

Tuesday- a freaking nightmare.
8:40 Get up.
9:30 go to American FD
11:30 Science FD
12:45 Book of Mormon
2 Skipped devo to finish notebook for AMFD
4:30 RUN to turn in notebook onto campus
 5-6:30 Study like crazy for my Biostats and Anatomy tests...
6:30 Tests... I'll just say I got an A for biostats!
7:45 BDUBS! It was so fun, (Gavin, Elle, Makenna, Riley, Alivia, Juan, Court, and myself) I died laughing!
11:30 More homework. Then pass out. I was exhausted.

But When I got home, there was a note that this guy came over, left his number, and wanted to call me. I knew him last semester, but apparently I didn't make it clear enough that I didn't want to go out with him. Which is really frustrating. So I'm ticked. Why can't people understand that if I don't give you my phone number or address, I don't want to talk to you????

UGHHHHHH.

To add to the stress, I have two more tests this week, packing, cleaning, finals, moving, and restarting my job next week. Kill me now.

It's JULY!

So it's July! WOO!

Here is a quick update...

Wednesday- the 4th! Long story short, we went to a SUPER LAME water park, went to Famous Dave's, and then watched the IF Fireworks. they were INCREDIBLE!!! I loved it. Apparently, it is the 2nd best show in the nation. If you haven't gone, you have to! It's amazing. Also, I got a BAD sunburn on my back from the hour that we were at the water park. It's still recovering...

Thursday... NOTHING.

Friday... Oh, we went to the dunes last night and just chilled out. We made banana boats and roasted Starbursts. YUM!

Saturday (today)- I slept in... And it is my best friend's birthday!!!!! I'm so sad I'm not home to see her :/  She is an awesome person, and I'm so grateful for her! Love ya Allyson!

Also, Courtney will be here in AN HOUR!!!! I'm freaking out. WOO!

Well, that's it. I better go do some laundry... woo. 

All nighter. Wooo.

So, I've been having trouble sleeping. Last night I didn't fall asleep until 4 a.m. 4 IN THE FRICKIN' MORNING. Then I had to wake up at 9 for a test. Then I did homework, went to class, studied, and crashed. Except not sleep-crash. I mentally just went blank and sat on the couch for two hours just SITTING there. Then I went grocery shopping, and made soup with Makenna.

Then we saw A MOOSE! There was a moose behind our apartment building, and it was crazy. It was a girl with no antler thingies. Everyone was watching and naming her. I named her Glen Coco. :) Then we had some friends come over and eat with us for a few hours. They left at midnight, and that's when I realized it was going to be a long night. So I cleaned the kitchen for TWO HOURS. Showered, and am studying now. Kinda. I needed a break from staring at a dead guy's muscles.

Tomorrow is my worst day of the week. 4 hours of lectures straight, devo, homework, and my huge test, plus a buttload of laundry. So yay to that. Go all nighter.

Awkward...

Today is officially my dad's 42nd birthday! I sure love that guy. He's so cute, and loves me so much.

Isn't he just cute??


And then, I was watching Grey's Anatomy (I know...) and was drooling over Mark Sloan (played by Eric Dane) and thought, "Oh. MY. GOSH.  This guy looks older than my DAD." So I immediately checked, and LUCKILY, he is 2 years younger. Ridiculous, I know. But that is so weird.



But Still. I have a pretty young dad, especially since I have friends with dads that are 58. FIFTY EIGHT YEARS OLD! I feel bad for them, as they won't have their dads as long as I will.

I guess I'm just a lucky girl!

Sweet mercy

I love being a girl. I love makeup, and hair, and clothes, and all the other awesome things about being a girl.

However, I hate girl hormones. The hormones that have caused me to be balling for no reason. I have a serious headache and am mentally EXHAUSTED.

I went to 3 classes today, filled out a bunch of paperwork, had to do a statistics experiment (weighing Kit Kat bars), write a paper super fast and RUN to get it in, and take a test.

Okay, I also watched Grey's Anatomy. I was crying before, a lot, and watching Grey's didn't help.

Why? Because Izzie got freakin' cancer and died and came back to life, and George... My 2nd favorite character, had to freakin' save this idiot's life by jumping in front of a bus for her, and was a John Doe until 5 minutes before he went BRAIN DEAD. I'm currently watching the next episode, where they are about to take him off of life support, so it's over. GEORGE DIED. HE DIED. How dare he die on Day freakin' 12 of my period. So I just need some chocolate, except that I ate a million Kit Kats earlier and the thought makes me nauseated. I can't wait til I'm done with the the show so I don't have to be sad anymore.

So Sweet freakin' mercy.

Confession of OCDness and awesomeness.

My sisters apparently left at 6:30 this morning for their trek. I knew in the back of my head they were leaving today, but it took me several hours of calling and thinking to remember. Cue the flashback and confession:

I've had 2 previous opportunities to go on a trek. (FYI, a trek is a thing LDS youth do in the summers, where they cross plains with handcarts to act like pioneers to understand our culture's history). The first was with the girls, but I had "work" (I did work, but I could have easily gotten out of it) and the other one I "unfortunately" (truly unintentional, but a wonderful excuse) shattered my cuboid bone in my foot. So I "couldn't" go. 

It isn't that I don't think it is a great experience. It is fantastic, to hear the testimonies of those younger kids when they come back. It is just that I... can't be dirty. I can't. It physically makes me want to scratch all of the dirt and sweat and dust off of me. I can't go more than a 1/2 hour after working out without showering. I can't touch people's hair if I don't wash my hands immediately after. I use lotion regularly, because dry, cracked hands are unacceptable. I'm a clean freak. I'm not neat by any means. My room is usually a disaster, and my bed is usually unmade. This imperfection I have makes it incredibly hard to imagine going DAYS without showering while trekking in dirt, walking miles under the hot sun sweating, with no makeup, or clean bathrooms to do my business. IMPOSSIBLE. So I applaud those strong enough to do it.

Back to the point: The girls are on their trek somewhere in the wilderness. And when people go on treks, the leaders  have a family member secretly write them a letter of encouragement and love as they struggle in the middle of nowhere. So this year, I got to write the letter as the special adult! WOO!

But they don't know that yet. So I've been wondering when they will read it, and what they will think, because let me just say, the letter is pretty precious. It's quite the tearjerker. So I'm pretty excited to hear from them. Because they will be saying "Oh, Kalie is the Best Sister EVER!!!"

True story.

Confession of addiction

It's official. I have an addiction.

Grey's freakin' Anatomy.

Totally love it. The anatomy, the blood, the attractive doctors, etc. It's all wonderful. And ridiculously addictive. The past 9 days (still one of those "weeks"... It never ends) have been ridiculously painful. And without a heating pad, my laptop with its intense heat helps. So I watch Grey's Anatomy. I figure I'm being entertained AND learning about the body at the same time. See how I multitask fun and learning?

It's great.

There really hasn't been anything too exciting... Other than 1) that I saw the movie Brave. It was so awesome! I loved it so much. and 2)...

Courtney is visiting Rexyburg!!!!

Wooo! I'm freaking excited. She will be here during finals week, which means she gets to help me do my packing. Wooo!

Anyway... That's it. Little blog.

Chocolate and Bubble Baths

I'm one of those people who is tied between science and spirituality. Not in  the sense of doubting religion, but in the sense of the very little things. Like chocolate and bubble baths.

Chocolate was OBVIOUSLY an inspired creation. Seriously, I don't know how people like my sister go on with life without loving it. Anyway. This week has been one of those weeks. I've been in bed for three days wanting to die because of *cough* stomach aches. Being a girl can just suck. However, I have roommates that are very understanding of this "emotional" time. I've been given lots of chocolate for comfort. Dark chocolate from Alivia, plenty of Kit Kat bars from Makenna, and Milk chocolate Dove from Elle. Thank heavens. I've also taken plenty of showers and bubble baths, with my FANTASTIC bubble bath stuff from Bath & Body works. It's made of lavendar and chamomile, it's called "Sleep." And it is a well named product.

Anyway, the point of this is that these two things, bubble baths and chocolate, have made a huge difference. And I this is the debate. Why?

In the sense of science, the chocolate releases endorphins or whatever. Bubble baths probably do the same in cleaning yourself and the smells releasing endorphins. I'm not a professional in this matter, so ya.

In the spiritual/mental sense, it is the idea that it will help that helps. Or the fact that my roommates were nice enough to buy me comfort food that was helpful. Perhaps it is just the distraction.

I really don't know. All I know is that my chocolates and my bubble baths are miracle workers. I just thought it was funny. Thoughts?

Road trip!

Well, it was quite a weekend.

Friday: I did lots of homework, and we headed out for Provo (meaning Gavin, Riley, Ken, Elle and I). I took Nyquil, so I didn't get sick :) We stopped for some delicious Inn-N-Out. YUM! and eventually got to Provo. The guys stayed at some of their friends' place, and the girls and I stayed at Ken's aunt's. We were EXHAUSTED.

Saturday: We got up, and got ready for our big day. Elle got picked up by the boys to go to Salt Lake for Warped Tour, and Ken and I decided we were going to just walk over to Provo, which Ken believed to be 2 miles away. WRONG. We walked for an hour and a half, and decided to call a cab. An hour later, we got to Tucanos!!! We had starved ourselves all day so we could stuff ourselves. And stuff ourselves we did. Tucanos had a Father's Day special, which gave us free dessert. SO GOOD! We looked like we were 5 months pregnant, we were so full! Sad. Then, we wanted to get a pedicure because our feet hurt, so following Makenna's "intuition", we walked at  least ANOTHER hour, only to realize the salon we went to was for hair only. The receptionist was our age and felt so bad for us, she begged us to let her take us to her favorite nail salon. Now, I know not to accept rides from strangers, but this girl was our age, and was from Makenna's hometown, so we accepted. She was SO NICE! When we got there, it was about 25 feet behind Tucanos. At that point, I almost strangled Makenna. It was hilarious. But we worked all of those calories off! And those pedicures were HEAVENLY, especially after several hours of walking. So cute! I got purple with sparkles, and Ken got teal. I'm in bed, so please excuse the weird picture:

but ya. No mess ups like normal! And my feet are super soft. WOOO!

After pedicures, we decided to go to the University Mall, which we took a bus to get there. We got pretzels, which made our food babies even bigger. Bad decision, I was still full. We got our makeup done, and then my uncle Doug got us!!!  let me tell you about Doug; I don't see him enough. So hilarious!!! I didn't know he was getting us, I had called Sue because we were staying at her place that night. But I was so excited that he was in town! He lives in Arizona, so I have only seen him two-ish times in the last decade. First thing he asked was, "What do you want to do now?"

Then, we had the funnest adventure of the day: Doug taught me to drive stick shift! It was hilarious. So many people would honk at me as I got stalled, and would laugh as we practiced. It was awesome! You kinda had to have been there for you to understand how much fun it was.

AND THEN, we went to Sue's. Which was so fun. If you don't know my family, well, you should.Sue and Doug are my dad's sister and brother, and are pretty much the most hilarious people ever. We caught up, and just chilled out. I'm so grateful to have a family in which the extended family is SO close. I was talking to Makenna later, and she had said that she didn't have a relationship like I had with Sue or Doug with any of her extended family, which was crazy to me, because I only see Sue and Doug at reunions. I have even closer relationships with aunts, uncles and cousins in Nampa. Such a blessing!

We got Elle later that night, and crashed on a queen sized air mattress together. Hilarious.

Sunday: Got up around eleven, and showered. We had slept 12 hours from extreme exhaustion. I called my dad for Father's Day, which was great. At 12, everyone else got back from church. We had pancakes and eggs, and just chilled out. At one-ish, I took Elle and Makenna to Gavin's family reunion so they could go on a hike, which I skipped to have dinner with my family. I got back to Sue's, and played Ticket to Ride with Doug, Sue, Annie, and Lucy (Annie and Lucy are Sue's girls). I got 3rd. Oh well.

At six, Ammon, Kim, Josh, and Alauna came over (my dad's brother, his wife, and their kids who live in Salt Lake) along with my grandpa (who was in town for a funeral) came over for dinner. Doug barbecued ribs, that are a Famous Dave's recipe, and Holy Cow. They were SOOOOOO good. We talked about going to Lagoon in a few weeks together, and making rafting a part of the family reunion in August. I'm so excited! Unfortunately, only a half hour after the Ammon got there, my friends came to pick me up to go back to Rexburg. 

The drive home was miserable. I was so carsick the whole time. It took FOREVER. We didn't get back til 11:45 p.m. As the boys were saying goodbye, and congratulated me on not vomiting, I said, "That's the longest car ride I've been awake and had not thrown up!" I spoke to soon. I couldn't even get to the elevator before I ran to the bathroom to throw up. UGHHHHH.

I showered, wrote a letter I will describe later, and then passed out for 12 hours. I woke up extremely exhausted and still nauseous, so I skipped class. Woo. I took a test, which leads to now. Blogging.

I guess the life lesson from this weekend was that family always trumps friends. I had a blast with my friends this weekend, but I definitely had more fun being with my family. I always have known that, but it just becomes more evident with age. Go family! And sorry this was long, I had a long weekend :)

Cars

My first car was a 1997 Toyota Corolla. It was wonderful for the first few months. Larry was great. He took me to work and school every day. He was the setting for Dutch Bros. runs with my best friends, for picking up my sisters, and for crying sessions with Allyson. Larry was my car. However, he failed me in the end, and I had to say goodbye. But Larry taught me much of cars and responsibility.

The point of my little narrative is that I know a thing or two about dealing with cars on their sick days. Today, Makenna and I went to walmart... because we needed more cereal. And face masks. We got back to her car, and it wouldn't start. We called our friend Gavin to jump start it, but it wouldn't work. So, we had to tow it with Gavin's truck. Ken (that's Makenna's nickname) hadn't steered a car like that before, so I did it. It was so fun! We made a video of it, I'll post it when I can. We pushed the car, did intense steering, and got under the car. It was so much fun! Maybe it was just because it wasn't my car. When my car broke down, I would freak out. So ya.

I guess it was just a good experience because we had fun when we didn't have the best situation. We screamed and laughed the entire time. I learned a little bit about making the best of hard situations. I know that I'm probably not going to have that same feeling when I have trials in the future, but it is still a life lesson that I was able to get a little taste of. Go crappy cars.

Blogging.

There have been so many times I've wanted to blog this past week or so, and I have had so many "clever" ideas that would be hilarious. My over-obsession with Grey's Anatomy, the fact that I SUCK at laundry, my ridiculous addiction to cereal. I just have no life anymore.

I guess I kinda had a life Saturday. I hung out with some of my friends from back home, which was extremely fun. I have this deep connection with things that remind me of home. I love when people remind me of the embarrassing thing I did on that boat a few years ago, that remind me that 5 years ago I was a freaking MIDGET, or that even know my sisters' names. It makes me feel... loved. Like those memories matter to someone other than myself, that I was remembered. It's vain, and prideful, but what person that has lived on this earth wasn't prideful or vain for a moment or two?

To touch on the previously mentioned subjects, I've been watching Grey's Anatomy like a fiend all week, been grieving over the clothing items I ruined from sucking at laundry, and went through an entire gallon of milk in 4 days from eating cereal all day. I'm pathetic.

I've been going out less, staying in more. Studying more. On that note, I got a 97% on my ANATOMY test!!!!!! Which, so you know, is pretty impossible. So go me. But ya. 38 days to go.

That's about it I think. I'm probably going to have a heart attack because I just ate a ton of Domino's pizza. So ya. Life is okay, not spectacular, but I'm okay with that. You have to have some "Okay" times for the good times to be good, so I can't complain. So for now, 38 days.

Fine

Today, I woke up late, went to my classes, flirted with a cute guy, and went home to watch Grey's Anatomy. I ordered pizza.  I watched several hours of it, until I took a 2 hour long nap. I've been doing nothing of worth since 3 pm. I talked to a friend, was asked how I was, and responded with, "I'm fine."

I've learned in life that "fine" has several meanings. "Dang, he is FINE!", "Fine, do what you want", "Chop this finely...", etc. But in regards to a state of being, "I'm fine" does not mean "I'm happy, content, good, whatever." It means, "No. I don't want to be here, and I'm not in a good mood."

Of course, being the humans that we are, we put on a mask of indifference as if we are invincible and without feeling. However, we all know this is the case. And we all know that "Fine" means "Don't ask." I was thinking about this, and how sad it is that we blatantly lie to one another, and don't show any sign of care, whether it is because we respect that they don't want to talk about life, or because we truly don't care. The word "fine" in this definition has a deeper, sadder meaning than most of us realize.

However, when I said "I'm fine", it wasn't necessarily because I was upset or annoyed, it's just one of those days. Where pizza can only do so much, and crying at people dying in a stupid tv show is essential to go on. Hold on: let me clarify: it isn't one of those weeks. Thank heavens.

So ya. Not my best day.

On a positive note, I got three things in the mail.

1. A letter from Kyle!! Woo! Let me clarify this. Kyle is one of my 3 non-familial best friends. Love him to death, but sometimes I could probably strangle him. Anyway, the letter was hilarious. He drew a picture of a picture of his companion before the mission, with a huge head, tiny body, and super long hair. Pretty hilarious. It also talked about the good ole' times with Alex and Allyson, and that probably was where it got sad, because I doubt we will ever have times like those again.
2. Shoes. I desperately needed new heels, and these were fairly cheap, but good quality. Just simple, black heels. More conservative than my last pairs, thank heavens.
3. And lastly, my new swimming suit! It is adorable. I thought it came with tops and bottoms, but it was only the top. No worries, I have bottoms. But it is a coral-ish red, with rufflish stuff on the top. Cute!

That's it. Yay for blogging, and yay for ice cream in the freezer.

Commitment

One of my roommates just broke up with her boyfriend of 4 days. It was too big of a "commitment." I am one of those extreme commitment phobes, who hasn't had a relationship )other than one my freshman year of high school, which OBVIOUSLY doesn't count) that has lasted more than a week...

Then I pondered on what it was... meaning I looked it up on Dictionary.com.

com·mit·ment

 [kuh-mit-muhnt] Show IPA

noun

1.

the act of committing.

2.

the state of being committed.

3.

the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.

4.

a pledge or promise; obligation: We have made a commitment to pay our bills on time.

5.

engagement; involvement: They have a sincere commitment to religion.

So this got me thinking. What have I committed to? What decisions have I made that will last or require effort for more than a month? I've thought about it, and there were only 5 things I could think of.

• A profession. If I could even call it being committed, considering I'm only in my second semester of getting my bachelors. 
• Hulu plus: I know, pathetic. 7 bucks a month so I can watch any season of any show. It's my only subscription, and I love it. I'm starting Grey's Anatomy from the beginning... woo!
• This one isn't in effect quite yet, but my next rent contract for winter semester at the Ivy. Ya... Not too exciting. 
• A car. I'm buying Ken's car at the end of the semester, which will be the most expensive thing I own as of yet (other than my education, of course).
• My religion. I know I will be LDS for LIFE. It's who I am. 

That was seriously all I could think of. I wondered if this made me pathetic, but realized I couldn't really judge as I'm too young to know. But it was kind of sad that other than religion, none of these things are going to make me an even remotely better person (wanting to be a PA doesn't quite count. Not yet at least).  Seriously. Hulu Plus, rent, and a car. Things that won't make a difference in ten years.

I guess my lesson from today is that I need to get a life, not that I need to commit to big things like relationships or anything right now, but to commit to small things that will make a difference in the future, like experiences. But then again, isn't college life in itself a commitment? This is too deep for a person that is sleep deprived. So that's all for today. Woo.

Confession of annoyance

Okay. I've grown up living with 4 younger sisters, so by going to college I thought, "Living with five girls will be a piece of cake."

WRONG.

My sisters, bless their souls, would tell me when I bothered them. We would yell a bit, then be fine and laughing a wee bit later. However, that's not how it works here. I've learned from my experience of living with that many people, but not everyone here was able to recognize how important it is to let things off of your chest. Which is very bad. That anger over a tiny mishap will grow until you want to strangle somebody.

I just realized that I'm being somewhat hypocritical, in letting off steam without letting my roommate know I'm annoyed. And I'm annoyed that they are annoyed. I hate being a girl sometimes... Oh well. This is life.

Today, I woke up at 11:56. I'm about 99% sure that this is a record. I did homework, skyped with Ney, did some excessive pinning, and made banana bread. This whole time, I was alone in my apartment. Elle and Makenna went to Yellowstone with the guys (they invited me, but I wasn't up for the car ride), and Alivia, Jacqui, and Heather went outside for some  sun (they also invited me, but I cherish alone time like gold!). It was great. I felt... relaxed. Yay!

Then later that night, Heather, Jacqui, Alivia and I went to see that new Snow White and the Huntsman movie at the drive in theater. It was just okay/good, because frickin Kristen Stewart is the worst actress in the WORLD!!!! Seriously, I have no idea what the casting director was thinking. However, Charlize Theron was incredible, and OBVIOUSLY, Chris Hemsworth was super hot. Those two pretty much made the movie worth seeing.

Which brings us to the now. 12:31 a.m. Which means, that's all folks! Sorry it was pretty boring, but this blog is more for me than you anyway, as I'm too lazy to keep a journal, but still want to record life. Wooo.

49

For those of my LDS friends, you know when you are teaching nursery and a little kid is fine when their parents drop them off, and the idiot parent comes back to peek through the window, sending the kid in a temper tantrum? I feel like the little kid, and that by going home last weekend I am freaking out and can think of nothing else. I've been at school for about six months now, and I'm done, yet I have 49 days left. UGHH.

Other updates include...

• My beef stew incident. Yesterday, I spent a good amount of time preparing this stew for my crockpot (roughly 3 pm). I patiently waited 4ish hours, only to learn that I had failed to plug the crockpot in. So I had to wait another 4ish hours, which ended up totally being worth it. So good. 
• Well, my roommates don't read this, so I think I'm safe... SO MUCH DRAMA! Ughhh. I hate that we can't be adults. 
• I have had LOADS of homework and studying, some of which I'm avoiding right now. 

That's about it. My life wasn't as exciting as I think it was. I'm currently watching Pride and Prejudice... And I'm so sad that Mr. Darcy is nonexistent. Seriously. I would marry him in a frickin heartbeat. Let's just say he's bewitched me body and soul...

So au revoir, I shall go eat oreos and adore his amazingness. 

What a wonderful Nampa.

Okay, so I had high expectations for this past weekend, and it went a 100% better than expected!! It was AMAZING!!!!

So, I got to Nampa Friday night, and surprised Kyle at his house. He was so excited! Then Alex, Kyle and I went to see The Avengers again. So funny! Kyle passed out halfway through the movie, and was snoring like CRAZY, and Alex ate the ENTIRE thing of popcorn. It was the huge tub, and he ate every last kernel. So ridiculous.  But I love my boys. They really are like the brothers I never had, and I already miss them.

Saturday was my day to hang out with Laura. We had lunch at Tucanos (SO GOOD!) and then went shopping at the mall. I love the Boise mall so much. The Idaho Falls one SUCKS. The American Eagle is about the same size as my room, and there is no food court. FAIL! After shopping, I just chilled out for a few hours... And then, I got to see ALLYSON!!!!! I frikken missed her. We went to Kyle's farewell party, and got to see lots of our younger, newly graduated friends. It was great! I really missed my Nampa friends. I love my friends here in Rexburg, but there is nothing like the people from back home. People are so down to earth, kind, and have a great sense of humor. People generally understand how life works. Anyway, we hung out at Kyle's for a few hours, and then went to my house to just have girl talk. It was so awesome to hang out with her! And of course, we got Dutch Bros. What would a trip home be without Dutch Bros???

Sunday was busy. I slept in, and went to Kyle's farewell talk in his ward. It was really bittersweet, because it was the last time I'm going to see him for at least a few years. I went to my ward afterward, if I can call it that. The day I left for school, the ward split, and so I LITERALLY only know 5 families. Not enough. And there is nobody my age, and none of my Sunbeams are in that ward anymore :( After church, I went to my dad's parents' house for a birthday party for myself and Madi, which was fun. After the Marshalls, I went to party at Ken's!!!! I just LOVE my freaking kids. I already miss them too, and I saw them less than 24 hours ago. Apparently, Lou doesn't like being called Lou anymore. "I'm ADELAIDE." Good to know.

After our fun little sleepover, we all went back to Laura's for a BBQ lunch. So good! We ate, played football, got a little tan, and laid out in the sun. It was great. Until I had to pack my stuff and come back to Rexburg. Which took longer than normal, I didn't get home til 10ish. And of course, I had to unload groceries, clean my room, do laundry, study, etc. Clean checks are today, so I had to get up early to finish cleaning. UGHH.

Well, that's about it. I loved going home, and I really can't wait til this semester is over!!! 

J'ai dix neuf ans!!!!

Today was pretty dang fantastic, if I do say so myself.

I barely slept last night, as I kept getting text messages saying "Happy Birthday" and "You're old." Not bad, but woke me up several times. Laura called me at 8:30 to make sure she was the first to say it aloud, and she won! Love her. Went to my classes, which kinda sucked, because not a single person knew it was my birthday, even my friends from last semester. Oh well.

I got home a little after two p.m. and got my presents from Laura and Courtney and Brooke. Which were AWESOME! Laura got me a few shirts, candy, bread pans (which I desperately needed!), and wonderful hygiene stuff like my favorite soap. The girls surprised me with a bra that I really wanted (I debated saying this, but I'm 99% sure that there has never been a guy that has read this). I also got a call from Allyson, which was pretty awesome. So my day started to get better...

AND THEN (yes, I am making a reference to Dude, Where's My Car?) I took a long nap. I eventually got up at 5ish, and found my mirror decked out in post it notes saying "Happy Birthday!" with princess stuff from Elle. Love her! I ordered some pizza, and rented Pride and Prejudice from iTunes to watch later. Pretty much chilled out watching the Food Network with Alivia and Heather, making banana bread (In my new pans!), and talking to family. While the banana bread was baking, Elle and Makenna suddenly burst through the door with random strangers singing happy birthday with this beautiful thing:

How cute! It was delicious ice cream cake! It was pretty awesome. So we just ate it up as an apartment, and started to settle down. Alivia and I tried watching Pride and Prejudice, but it didn't work :( I can't get everything I want. AND THEN, Kyle and Alex called to sing to me! It was great. Kyle tried "convincing" me to come home for his farewell, and I totally convinced him that I couldn't! I'm so excited to see them Saturday.

Well, that's about it. I didn't have some spectacular party, or get asked out by some mega-hot guy, but I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. I spent my day with newer friends that care about me, and  all of my family and best friends called, and I get to go home tomorrow. Wooo!

Vingt quatre mai. (May 24th)

Well.

Today is my little sister Madi's birthday. She is turning 14. Apparently, we are now the same shoe size, and she is starting high school in a few months. Tomorrow, on the other hand, is my birthday. I'm turning 19, and this doesn't make me feel old. Madi makes me feel old. I remember when she was born. She can't be turning 14 already!!!

I'm at the point in life where birthdays are simply another day, one that other people are more hyped up about than you are yourself. This doesn't mean I don't love the gifts or the cake, it just isn't exciting anymore. Just reminds me how much more stress I've gained since the last birthday. Reminds me how much I've  changed. It also makes me think about how much more stress I will gain before my 20th birthday. That will be weird. Just thinking about tomorrow stresses me out, I've got all of my classes, laundry, packing, and homework... UGH.

Oh! Packing reminds me, I GET TO GO HOME!!!! Not for a long time. Just Friday night through Monday. Which is great! I've only told a few people, just to get plans in order. Definitely going to hang out with Laura, since I didn't get to do that the last visit. Going to Kyle's farewell party with Allyson, I'm so excited! He doesn't know I'm coming, and it'll be good to see him before he leaves for PA. FYI, Kyle is one of my closest friends, I've know him since we were ten. Almost a decade ago. WOW! I'm also going to see the Avengers again with Christian, since he's pretty much my favorite movie buddy ever. I am practically going crazy from being so anxious to go! WOO!

That's about it, folks. I'll probably be pretty busy the next few days, so until next time, enjoy life!

eff.

Well, today was a regular Tuesday. I woke up nice and early (9am) had my American Fd class, Science Fd, and Book of Mormon class. I took a few tests, pinned on Pinterest, went to Bdubs, and then it wasn't a regular Tuesday.

We were driving home, and I knew I was going to throw up. Having grown up with being carsick often, I've learned the signs and how to control the pain. So I ran up my stairs and threw up like crazy. Probably the worst time of my life, got a bloody nose from throwing up so much. So, I have the flu. Yum.

So, to entertain myself in bed, I started to watch the series finale of House. For those who don't know me, I LOVE House. Not just the show, but the character. He is my all time favorite character. So, in the finale (Warning: SPOILER ALERT!) House dies. Or appears to die, and fakes it. But you don't realize that it was fake until the end. So I pretty much was balling my eyes out like crazy. But I was very satisfied at the end. I just got Hulu Plus, so I think I'm going to start from the beginning. I just love it! A not-so-bad addiction if I do say so myself.

That's it. I'm out. I've got a killer headache from crying and my stomach is still upset. Au revoir!

13x9

Well, today was pretty good. I went to church, skyped with Ney, and made food. Yummmmmm.

So, my family makes this chocolate cake. There aren't any eggs in it, which make it thick and dense, just perfect with milk. Anyway, it is home. You know? Your home has that feeling of peace, the smell of something in the oven, the feeling of a regularly vacuumed carpet, and slivers of grass by the door from the wiping of shoes. This cake is what home tastes like, because it will never be the same if anyone else but the family made it.  ANYWAY, I made it today, and it's totally bumming me out.

That's pretty much all that I had to say. Oh, other than the title: when I called Laura to get a recipe, she told me that if I wanted to make a smaller serving, I could cut the recipe in half where I would use an 8x8 pan versus a 13x9... "That's what we've been doing since you left." Which means "We only make half of a cake, because normally you would eat the other half." Go me.

In the course of a year...

Well. Today is the last day of high school for most of my friends back in high school. So it got me thinking: What has changed in that course of a year? Have I grown to be better, done any good, or progressed in any way? So I've decided to make yet another list... Just to see what has changed.

• Last summer, I worked full time. So boring. Definitely proved that I do not want to work a minimum wage job ever again.
• I watched Ken's kids more than ever. I could definitely call myself a pro.
• I moved away from home... Not too difficult of a feat, but a trial nonetheless.
• I lived with people I've never known before... Which was interesting. I really learned how to compromise and to get along with people that are very different from myself.
• I kinda dated an older guy... for a week. Tells you that older does not always mean more mature. 
• On the other hand, kinda dated someone my age... for a week.  Again, maturity is a huge issue with guys.
• I learned how much I miss home. Or, I should say family. They really are everything.
• I got decent grades last semester... nothing below a B, but I learned how disappointing a B can be. 
• I made many new friends... and lost some old ones. I really learned how to determine if something is worth keeping.
• I learned how to cook... ALONE! I've always just been on the side, chopping vegetables, not doing the whole process. It's been great! 
• I've learned that getting 6 people to cooperate for dishes may be the most difficult task. EVER.
• What else... Life is expensive! 
• Physically, I've gotten a wee bit taller... and rounder.
•  My hair has lightened and lengthened, my face has slightly changed. I have gotten glasses, which I personally think makes me look much more serious. 
• As weird as this is, my taste buds have matured. Panda Express is no longer the treat it once was, but rather greasy disgustingness. 
• Oh, here is a BIG one: I eat cheerios, without the honey flavor, or without added sugar. Why? Apparently, it has vitamins that I need at this stage in life. And it's healthier. I guess I'm saying that food priorities have changed. 
• I can pull all-nighters anymore. If I get a wink under 8ish hours, I'm dead. 
• My taste in guys has changed... A lot. 
• OH! I turned down that offer from Disneyworld... Big step. Learned that sometimes the exciting option isn't the right one. 

There are sooooo many more things that I could list. I've made a handful of mistakes, but generally, I feel that a year has done me well. I don't know if I have grown towards who I want to be, but I think I've figured out who I want to be, which is a big step in itself. I guess now I can only imagine how much I will grow in the next year... Yikes!

Thyroids.

Today was a beautiful day. I slept in, only had one class, had no homework (by no homework, I mean no homework due tomorrow), and got to stay home all day. As awful as this is, I pretty much was in bed all day long. I took a nap, helped my sisters with homework, and pretty much died watching this last House episode. This patient had one of those super expensive sex dolls, and they had an elaborate scene where they treated her like a real patient giving her surgery and wheeling her around the hospital. It was HILARIOUS! I highly encourage you watching it. I also learned how to make this:

 Chocolate pudding! From scratch! So good. I ate one while it was still warm... So great. I also learned how to make taco soup yesterday, which I ate again today. I just love food!

Anyway, life is great. Courtney and Brooke are home from Mexico, which is wonderful since I have been dying of not talking to them. The highlight of my day was talking to Ney, and the conversation went like this:

K "I got my lab results back..."
C "I know, something with your thyroid."
K "Right. I just found out dad has hypothyroidism, too."
C "Kalie, that's not possible. Men don't have thyroids."
K "Uh, Courtney, they do."
C "That's not what Brooke said."

YES! I was laughing so freaking hard. Elle can attest to that. Anyway, Love y'all. Hope life is blessing you as much as it is me!

Yay for being healthy!

Well, last week was pretty stressful. I woke up Monday with a HUGE bruise on my leg that just showed up overnight. I called my doctor, and was pretty adamant that I got checked out... So I did. Tuesday I went in to get some tests done, and after a week of anxiety, got the results back. The doctor was concerned that it was something along the lines of blood or autoimmune diseases, but the tests came back wonderfully! The only concern there was left was my thyroid levels, which were pretty low. To be honest, I wasn't really surprised at all, knowing that I have it on both sides of the family. So, I have to go run some tests later next month, but that's about it. Yay for being healthy!

Other than that, life is pretty slow. My friends and I went to a park along a river (the park was called Beaver Dick, just in case you were wondering. I know, so weird.) It was so fun! I ran in, and practically froze to death. Oh well.

Courtney and Brooke are in Mexico right now, which pretty much just sucks. Who else am I going to call every day??

That's about it, folks. Life is boring, but I guess that's how I like it.

Well...

It has just been one of those weeks. You know? It's just a week where one moment you are super happy, things are rocking, and the next you just want to throw up and punch people in the face. Ya...

Highlights from the last 3 (maybe 4?) days...

I got my glasses! I look super awesome in them. Just kidding. I look older though, and my headaches have disappeared.

I got a 98% on my science test. Which was super exciting, until I found out that 14 people got perfect scores. It kinda ticked me off, as vain and prideful as that is.

Today, there was a power outage on part of campus, so class was let out. YAY!!

I'm just really tired and sore... for no reason whatsoever. We (Meaning Gavin, Riley, Makenna, Elle, Alivia, and myself) just got back from BDubs. Yum!

I really don't have anything exciting to say. Life is okay, stressful, but when it comes down to it, I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's. Unless there is someone Jack Johnson sings to sleep every night. Then I would be them. Here is my new favorite song:

I think this is it... It isn't a cool video or anything, but this song is so relaxing. 

...

I'm really not in the mood for extreme catching up, so it will be nice ant brief. Last week, all I really did was do homework and hang out with Makenna, Elle, Alivia, Gavin and Riley. (Gavin and Riley are friends that live in the apt. complex next to ours). We went to see the Avengers on Saturday, which was GREAT! And went to Five Guys afterwards. Really awesome.

As for today, I had a doctor appointment this morning, and three of my classes. So I was on campus for six hours. It SUCKED. I am so exhausted. I think I'm just going to crash right now. Peace out, love ya, remember who you are, Bla, Bla, Bla.

A Chocolatey Confession...

Hello my friends. I thought I should share with you an amazing revelation. These are the best cookies ever. SERIOUSLY. So check it out, RIGHT NOW!!! P.S. I totally copied and pasted this from http://kelseysappleaday.blogspot.com , so I should probably give them credit....

Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

barely adapted from Anna Olson, Food Network Canada

Ingredients: 

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

5.  Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.  Makes approximately 3 dozen.  Try not to eat them all.

MAY!

So, it's 1:43 in the morning, and I'm avoiding homework and sleep like the plague. Sleep has become miserable, with tossing and turning, and forgotten nightmares. It's a place of misery and sadness. So I stay awake, and listen to Jack Johnson, and watch movies like Say Anything or other movies that really don't apply to me, as I'm pretty much forever single. Oh well.

Good news though, it is officially May! Soon I shall be NINETEEN, the age where I am no longer considered a baby in school. Which is wonderful, because the cute boys don't like babies. It is really weird coming to this age, as I don't know where life is supposed to take me. I have a plan, but let's be honest, how often does life go according to plan? Never.

I really have no point in writing this, in all honesty. Who knows, perhaps a year from today, I will look back at this and laugh at how crazy I am (was?). I just know what is going to happen tomorrow, and even I don't know every detail. It is almost scary to think about how little we know going into each day. I went to a fireside the other night with my old stake president, who is amazing, and really blew my mind. He was talking about reading scriptures in the morning, and about the Liahona... Nephi didn't look at it at the end of the day's journey, he looked at it before he even started. I just loved it, forgive me for not saying it as profoundly.

Anyway, I might as well go do homework. YAY!

Confession of pet peeves

So, this past week I've been grumpy. I think it has a lot to do with the annoying things of life occurring at the same time. So, I'm going to list them, just because I can, hoping to recognize that I'm being silly and need to relax. Or maybe just bask (spelling?) in my grumpiness.. Warning, this list might get quite long, so feel free to skip it.

• People spraying excessive amounts of perfume/cologne in public: I have a sensitive nose that gets bloody noses. Be considerate people, one spray at home is enough. 
• Cover your mouth when you cough.
• WASH YOUR FRIGGIN' HANDS AFTER PEEING! Seriously, you would think that a group of 20 year oldish people would have this figured out by now.
• Don't fish for compliments. Nobody wants to argue with you as you try to gain self-confidence. I'll admit it, I've committed this in the past, but I've been good. It's annoying. 
• People ruining my favorite songs- Hold on, who sings that again? Let them sing it. 
• Don't touch me if I don't know you well enough. I have a bubble, and so does everyone else.
• Okay, REALLY annoying one- you know that kid in class that jokes with the teacher or asks a question about something the teacher CLEARLY just spent 10 minutes talking about? Don't waste my time.
• And on the other hand, those girls that totally waste their education.
• When the internet ruins my hulu sessions. Totally dumb, but whatever.
• People who can't figure out how to drive. Seriously.
• When parents leave their children unattended. You are an idiot. 
• BIG ONE- when people can't accept responsibility. 
• Third wheelers. I was on a date last night, and some guy tagged along... awkward.
• When people speak in another language for the sole intention of you not understanding what they said.
• HUGEST ONE EVER- People think you have the will or time of day to simply text all friggin day. Sorry, I don't care who you are, texting is usually boring. 
•  When people read over my shoulder without my permission. Again people, BUBBLES!
• When people talk with their mouth full. 
• When people take their shoes off in public at the wrong time... There is a right and wrong time.
• When people say "Expect the unexpected." It makes me want to punch you in the face and ask you, "Did you expect that???"
• People who don't understand how to be polite. 

I seriously could go on forever. I just needed to whine, which is ridiculous, but honestly, how true is this list?? Forgive me if this was annoying itself. But I gave fair warning....

zzz...

Haha, I'm so tired!

Yesterday: I had my Biostats class, and just chilled and did homework all day long. Pretty chill. My roommates and some other friends played Bohnanza (Super awesome game about planting beans.) We called it quits around midnight, and I had a little homework left to do, so I just went to chill in the kitchen. However, that didn't happen.

What ended up happening was a super long talking session with Elle about amazing things of the world. Yay! It consisted of pizza and cocoa puffs. And at 5 in the morning, we decided to go for a walk. I just love the world of Rexburg at 5 in the morning, as it is so peaceful and quiet, with a slight breeze and the sun rising. Really awesome. Then we came back to finish homework, and both passed out in the living room at 7:30ish. I woke up at 9:30, right before class... It was wonderful. And then I was pretty much in a daze the whole day. So, now I'm off to Pre P.A Society with Elle... go us!

And tomorrow is Friday!

Confession whatever number...

I didn't care to check. But this one is so true.

You can't put a price on a life, but I feel that my fife is EXPENSIVE!

Seriously. Here is a nice little list of what I've had to spend as of late, excluding stuff like going to BWW, eating at school, bobby pins, etc.

Tuition: $2000
Rent: $1100
Textbooks: $200 (not too bad this semester!)
Groceries: Probably $100 or so in the past two weeks, to get basics :(
New jeans, as another pair ripped: $40 :(
Birthdays (Why so many in April and May people??): $50
Misc hygiene  (Laundry detergent, toothbrushes, shampoo)- $100ish

The list continues. It's ridiculous! But I must admit, it is the beginning of the semester, so it will get better. It's just sad to have to write out these checks... :(

But to be positive, BYUI is wonderful in making higher education cheaper. The church pays for 75% of our tuition. That is such a blessing, as I know friends who have to pay 10 times what I have to. So I guess it isn't too bad. It is just expensive when you compare it to life as a high schooler, where expenses consisted of going to the movies on Fridays, getting Dutch Bros, and getting clothes.

However, with more expenses, come more fun. College is SOOOOOOO much better than high school. You meet friends who will be able to make you laugh harder than ever, have Arrested Development workouts with (where we have to do 10 pushups every time someone says "I've made a huge mistake, 20 crunches every time that Buster says "Hey brother!", etc.), and make ridiculous food together (two nights ago it was fried oreos... Surprisingly delicious!).

This life may kill my wallet, but this is life, and it's wonderful!

A not so eventful confession...

Okay, the first week is over, and it has gone really well. I already have the ritual down. It's great! And I really love my roommates, we have Arrested Development marathons and ride those amazing luggage carts that you see at hotels, even though it took a few days to figure out what they were called (there was a big debate between dolleys and trolleys... WRONG!)

I'm in the yellow, if you can't tell... and Elle is right in front of me, and Heather is to my left. So fun!

I also found out that I have classes with several people I met last semester, which makes it soo much more enjoyable. But it's great so far, with plenty of sleep, no procrastination (yet), and plenty of laughing.

Anyway, I went to my new ward today, which was pretty cool. All of the meetings are backwards, which I don't like too much, but oh well. But we had a really awesome lesson on the atonement, and the video that they showed is INCREDIBLE. I really encourage you to watch it.

I guess that's it... I really am enjoying life, and all the blessings that come with it! Au revoir!

Well, okay.

So, this semester is going to be good. At least, it looks like it so far.

I met all of my roommates, and I already love them! I share a room with Alivia, and the rest include Mckenna, Elle, Jackie, and Heather. And most of them are Pre-med!!! YAY!!!  Most of them are from the east coast, minus Mckenna. They are so fun! But pretty chilled out, too. Last night we all went to Buffalo Wildwings together, it was way fun! We got back at midnight because it was so crowded.

Anyway, this is what my Schedule looks like:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 2-3 Biostats

Tuesday, Thursday: 9:45-11:15 American Foundations
               11:30-12:30 Science Foundations
               12:45-1:45 Book of Mormon Part Deux
OH, and there's Online Anatomy.

It's pretty nice. I only have to wake up before ten Tuesdays and Thursdays. Except I naturally have been waking up at 8:30, thanks to good sleep. WOOO!!!

So I have been to my Tuesday classes, and have Biostats later today... We'll see how that goes. I picked all of my teachers on Rate My Professor, so I already knew that they were well liked. The teachers I've gone to all seem really nice. My BOM teacher is named Brother Bear. Like the movie. HAHA! Someone asked if he could be called Kenai.

I also went to devotional, where President and Sister Clark spoke together, which was way awesome. I just love BYU-I.

Sorry if this is boring. But it's my life, and I love it. Yay for college!

UGHHHH

Well, all I can say is UGHHH. Somewhat literally too, I'm sick. I haven't blogged in forever, I've just been SUPER busy. So here is a brief rundown of what has happened as of late:

Finals Week! Not that exciting, the only interesting part was "camping." By camping, I mean my FHE family went to the dunes, laid out a tarp, and nearly froze to death til we realized that it was too cold (it only took us a few hours... We left at 4:30 a.m.). I studied like crazy, took lots of tests, cleaned, packed, had a mental breakdown, but I passed all of my classes! Go Kalie!

"Spring Break"... I call it spring break, even though it really isn't. It's just the 10 day break between semesters. I just hung out with my friends, Jessi, Kyle, and Alex. And SLEPT ALL FRICKIN' DAY. Seriously, slept over 16 hours a day. It was fantastic. But I got sick. UGHHH.

Here are some pictures....

 

This is of us going bowling... And of course I dominated! Not really. I was rockin' it, until Jess started distracting me by barking. And we got this HUGE thing of fries, even though I only ordered a single serving. It was great! 

Okay, don't judge me because I looked awful. Anyway, at my favorite candy shop, there is this machine that tells you what kind of a lover you are. Every single time I go, I get bitter or stale (which is not very romantic). So this is my face of bewilderment as I am in shock. Not really.

Then there was this other picture... It was of me after the dentist, eating at my FAVORITE restaraunt. I was drooling all of the water I was drinking, and Jess took an awesome picture that mysteriously disappeared... Oh well. Too bad.

I also went to  the optometrist, and was diagnosed with astigmatism. Yay for having weird eyes! So, for those of you who don't know what it is (don't worry, I didn't know until Wednesday), it is when a person's eyes are more of an oval shape than the regular spherical shape. This causes the eye muscles to be strained as it  tries to redirect the light to the correct path. Anyway, it causes fatigue and headaches, which get worse the longer you go without treatment. Which leads to... Kalie getting glasses! Except I couldn't find a pair that screamed "Kalie!" Which is quite unfortunate, but life goes on. I get them in about a month. Until then, I will just be a cranky girl.

Now to the somewhat present. Yesterday I had my stuff in 4 apartments within the Ivy apartment complex. Ya. FOUR. It sucked. So I was moving all night until I quit. I just freaked out... A lot. I was quite hangry. (Hangry=  anger caused by hunger).

Which Leads to the NOW! I'm avoiding packing my last suitcase. I have met my new roommates, they seem pretty nice. I think everyone is pretty tired, none of us have talked much. So far I've met Olivia (my room roommate), Mckenna, heather, and Jackie. So one is missing... Oh well. It's a lot easier this semester, I have more friends, and I understand how everything works. So Ya. I'm going to have some cocoa puffs... YUM! Anyway, I love y'all. Whoever reads this...