Supper Time

Spontaneous Saturday Night jamming sesh with Jenni and Melissa in the basement of Carroll Hall. The piano is out of tune, but we had fun playing and singing random choir songs and hymns. This was around midnight... and then a "porta-party" came and flash mobbed a dance party in the first floor lobby when we were done. It was unexpected and super fun.

I couldn't resist. This was walking to work Monday morning I believe.... #Belle

I can't remember who I snap chatted this to, but it seemed super dramatic and cool so I took a screen shot. Here ya go. I'm an artist. ;)

If you follow me on Instagram you will know of the battle I am having with Utah weather and my "smart" phone. The weather app declared a perfectly sunny day and it was raining when I walked out the door. Not just sprinkling, but real rain. Tuesday I was on my way to Book of Mormon and it suddenly started hailing on me. HAILING!!!! I don't think I've ever walked in hail. Hallelujah for my batman umbrella that saved the day! If I wasn't carrying it, it would have been pretty painful.

Saw some awkward teenage ducks south of campus on Thursday. It was one of my alternate routes to tap. I'm also working backstage for a mask club of "Seussical the Musical." Being part of a show brings so much joy. <3 Operating the lift is cool too. I didn't realize there was a storage room under the Nelke stage until they lowered the lift through the floor. The only encounter I've had with a moving stage is seeing "Lion King" on Broadway. 

This alternate route didn't prove to be too successful. Here is a walking lane next to a bike lane next to a car lane. I found it humorous. This adventure to the RB ended with climbing through a bush and over a fence. 

Cleaning check this weekend. Preparing for it wasn't too bad and the only note we had was to scrub the back splash more. Those grease stains are probably 20 years old and I doubt they will come off all the way, but we tried.

Everyone is a fan of the chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I made them for all the girls in Relief Society 1 last Sunday and for work on Friday. I may have made them once before that too. My roommates love them and I should just make them for us sometime cause they are always bummed that I'm giving them away. Jenni will also be sad to learn that I blogged instead of making brownies during her nap. Maybe next week :)

You want to work in Imaging. Imaging is where the fun is. Friday was Brooke's last day so she got a pinata!

After Brooke bashed it open we all helped pick up the candy and put it in green bucket that will be in the office to eat. :) Friday we also had a potluck lunch with the rest of the administration building and processing gave out brownies! Free food is the best.

A free upgrade to Power and a package?!?!?! It is an excellent feeling

Inside the package! Mom sent all the socks I forgot and some seasonal candy. As roommates we decided we need to decorate more and this will help with Halloween and Thanksgiving. I miss holiday decorations already.

Tyler, Marie, and I before the game. We're a happenin' bunch. Quiet the party-ers. ;) #homework

Becca and I got pretzels before the game! We waited in line from  3:30ish to 6 and then another two hours in the stadium before the game started. Kennen wanted to be in our picture.

This was the coolest. It just flew up over everyone on that side of the stands. I don't even know how. :O

Wardies! We had a great time even though Utah won. D':

It was my Sunday to be in charge of dinner so I thought I would make some breakfast too.

So I was really proud of my delicious dinner. It was probably the first time we could sit down to eat, but Joelle wasn't even there! Living with roommates is the best. Now if we could only find time to go to sleep....

Late for a musical fireside and then skyping AZ to watch Joey open his call. There are never enough hours in the day. Time to wake up my roommates. 

Friday the 13th

I'm not a napper. Never have been. However, I feel the need to stay up with my roommates as late as possible and have a good time. Last night I called it quits at 2:30am because I was originally hoping to go do baptisms at 5:30am.... For those of you who are not proficient in math, that is only three hours of sleep. Due to lack of sleep and a cold weather forecast I did not venture off to the temple on my own. This morning Jenni said they went strong until 3:30am. This is when the power of napping comes in. If my roommates are home and they are not eating or getting ready to go somewhere, they sleep. I may have to try this out. I'm skeptical you can be very productive with this napping life though. We'll see.

Friday night I hung out with some of the wardies in the apartment next door. They were so sweet take make cookies and pie and share with everyone. The next morning I went to the Provo Temple. Rumor has it, it is the busiest temple in the world. I thought it was very pretty, but Mesa is prettier. While we're talking about the temple let me just say temple workers are the cutest things on the planet. What sweethearts!

Megan and I talk about how in Jr. High quarters are food! You could not function on campus unless you has a stash of quarters. Now quarters are laundry. You are not going to have any clothes unless you keep track of those quarters! Our washer and dryer are downstairs in the basement. You get to walk down this hallway of storage cages to get there. It's pretty freaky at night. At least we don't have to haul our laundry to a different building. That would not be fun.

First BYU football game that night with Melissa and her friends from back home. We got there about two hours before the game so we would have good seats. An hour before the game started a storm like no other plowed in. It came out of nowhere. At first we had a good time playing in the rain. Then, the temperature dropped and rain increased. We all fled to shelter under the stands. Once it let up a little we went back out to the rain and found even better seats. Then the lightning started and the stadium was evacuated again. Freezing we made our way back home. Sam is the sweetest roommate ever and had towels for us and hot chocolate. After a real dinner and a game of Apples to Apples we went back to the game, which had started an hour later than scheduled. We doubled Texas's score. Go Cougars!

On Sunday I got a surprise call from this girlie. Totally made my day that she figured out how to Facetime because she missed me. Isn't she adorable? We had fun talking about school, church, and how I accidentally locked myself out of the building.

As roommates we decided that every Sunday we will trade off making a dinner for the room. Week 1: Sam converted me to chicken pot pie.

We pulled a very Freshman move and arrived very early for the CES Fireside that night. The catch? IT WAS A BROADCAST! Note to self, before freaking out that a General Authority is coming to talk to you check where he is speaking from. We'll get someone here soon! The picture on the right is our first devotional. Every Tuesday at 11am campus shuts down for an hour and we have someone come to speak.

Meet the stairs of death. That's what we call them. I'm sure they are known by many different names. If you are walking North from the RB they are nearly impossible to escape. The picture on the left is the first set of stairs (bummed the guy got in my picture). The picture on the right is what you see after you make it up the moment. A tunnel! ... but the light at the end of this tunnel is more stairs. #crueltricks

I'm pretty sure this is Thursday at work. Our freezer turned into an iceberg and I was assigned the job of helping it melt away for an hour and a half. I should have taken a picture after because it is beautifully defrosted now!

Fun in Biology. Yes, I know it sounds crazy. The larger picture is our jar of termites for our termite experiment. After being dumped on the paper, the bugs follow the circle. The hardest part of this experiment was trying to get it back in the container. The smaller picture a short term memory experiment I participated in. Chocolate does not help you remember. I got free candy though! :D

For my Book of Mormon eleven hour project I chose service. I spend time in the Y-serve when I can and looking for events to volunteer at. Here are some adorable baby beanies I was trying to learn how to make.

Finding new ways to Beginning Tap everyday. I feel like each way I go is scenic. This one was a little more reclusive. It made me wish I could have a photo shoot? Who has time for that though?

Cold reads for the Mask Club auditions. I was almost relieved not to be cast. The audition process was fun though.I can't wait to jump into a show after I'm use to my calling. P.S. I am the Relief Society Secretary in my YSA ward. I was hoping for Activities Committee, but this will be fun too.

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The Office poster in my Office. Oh the irony. I couldn't contain myself any longer.

Birthday cards for foster kids. Just another thing you can do at Y-serve. Hopefully my attempts aren't too lame and will be appreciated.

Happy moment this Friday? Getting to use my batman emergency umbrella! The rain was pretty think before theater and many people were jealous of my umbrella. By the time class was over it cleared up.

Jenni likes to scare me. I can't walk up the steps to Carroll now without thinking somebody is going to jump out of the bushes and get me. I like silly jokes and pranks, but Halloween might be a little much in room 177. Melissa and Jenni already have little evil giggles when they talk about it.

Adventure is out there! Friday night was a string of activities. Marie, Sam, and I headed over to the Wilk for for some random party. Sam and I were totally twins with our inverted polka dots. Sadly we never got to race in the giant hamster balls. However, we did win laser tag, dance, take pictures, receive free bandannas, and then watch our FHE brother, Jacob, open his mission call. It was so exciting! I love missionary openings. He will report to the MTC in January I believe and then serve in Lyon, France!!!! Ahh!!!

Aunt Sherri was so sweet today to take me to the movies. We watched a free prescreening of "The Saratov Approach." It was based on a real sotry of two elders that were kidnapped during their mission in Russia. Almost teared up a few times. I would suggest it as long as you aren't currently freaking out about a missionary. The next movie I want to see is "Austenland". I read the book awhile back. One of the girls at work told me it was becoming a movie so I'm interested.

Plans for tonight are still up in the air. So many fun things to do! The adventure never dies.

First Week of Freshman Year

Meet the view from the 3rd floor balcony of Carroll Hall. September 1, 2013. Labor Day. I reside on the second floor so we have a small balcony, but the third floor has a giant balcony instead of a lobby. Melissa, her guy friend (who's name escapes me at the moment), and I explored the building for a little bit and decided this would be a fun place to hold a dance. This is the first example of how beautiful BYU campus is.

The first time we really cooked! There just had to be a picture of this. Sam had never had chicken tacos. I don't really understand this since I am well versed in Mexican food. There are actually a lot of difference growing up in Michigan and Arizona. Melissa and I quizzed her all during dinner whether or not she had been to certain restaurants and stores. The left over chicken from this meal disappeared. :( We're still not sure what happened to it, but it's become an apartment joke.

Monday I played soccer for an hour and a half with some of the wardies and other kids walking around Heritage Halls we invited. Enough people showed up for three teams. We rotated who played who about every 7 minutes and had a great time. Then the first two pictures occurred. After dinner we went to our first FHE. Our family seems super fun and I volunteered to be a temporary Ma until all the ward callings are designated. Monday's FHE activity was get-to-know-you games, ice cream, and socializing. While walking back from the Conference Building it started to sprinkle. By the time Melissa got home a few minutes later it was raining pretty hard. What do we do when it rains? Dance in the street! Some of the kids in the ward were already playing in the rain so we joined them. Here's my picture after playing in the rain the night before school starts.

Where exactly is the RB and how exactly do you get there from the Benson? I'm not quite sure. It was a good thing I started off early trying to find it after my Book of Mormon class. I started walking in the general direction my phone told me to go (the BYU app is a life saver) and happened across this path. I thought to myself, "seems legit," and started down the path. I eventually found the RB and later followed my app to a vending machine and bathrooms. :)

This should have happened sooner. Water cups now have a place which slightly cuts back the amount of dishes we go through.

Walking to work at 8am is fine by me because it is gorgeous and hardly anyone is around. This waterfall opens into a small pond and then a little stream that goes under the path to campus and follows it for a bit. Dad questioned why this water feature exists. I told him it is a wonderful place to read scriptures... but mostly I think it's used to duck watch on the way to or from campus. Wednesday was also the first day I used my blender. Yay smoothies!

Meet the bell tower. It rings every hour on the hour and chimes twice at half past as well. There is also some class you can take where you play songs with the bells. We've heard a variety of hymns and some Harry Potter. It's another fun landmark walking to work.

A screen shot example on how the BYU app saves my life. Right after choir I have American Heritage. Ten minutes is ample time to get there if you know where you are going. Thank you BYU app. <3

Thursday I volunteered at BYUSA's back to school lunch time activities. This particular day was free hot dog day. For an hour and a half I took buns out of packaging and squeezed J-Dawgs sauce onto hot dogs. Everyone in the booth was fun to work with and the recipients of the hot dogs were even better. Some of my favorite responses include....

"I wanted to eat lunch so bad, but I knew if I did I wouldn't eat dinner. Right when I decided to hold back I turned the corner and there was a free hot dog stand. Thank you Heavenly Father!"

"Wait... wait... THESE ARE FREE!?!?! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"I love you guys so much. Thank you."

"Can I have two? (yes) Are you serious?!?! Thank you!"

During clean-up, the event coordinators realized we had way to much ketchup and mustard, so they handed it out. This explains why I walked around with 12 pounds of condiments on Thursday. I got so many strange looks. We're still not sure what to do with it. We'll probably save a little in Tupperware and give the rest away. One of the girls at work suggested having a fight with it. Team Ketchup vs. Team Mustard. I think I know what I'm doing this Saturday. :D

Remember how I couldn't find the RB on day 1? Well I had the same problem on Thursday. This new path fines any biker $50 for riding down since it gets so steep. I think my new goal is to go a different way to tap everyday. It's a fun way to see campus.

And this my friends is a "creeper shot" of Mallory, Matt, and Stacey from Studio C, as requested by my sister. A few more cast members were at the auditions for Divine Comedy. No, I did not audition. It was just fun to go watch the process and fan girl over the tv show. Isn't that sad? I saw Stacey on campus and I silently freaked out. They're celebrities now. My roommate saw Whitney and Steven at the grocery store the other day. Naomi, Melissa, and I may go back to watch day two of auditions. Maybe I'll participate next year.

After watching auditions I found Marie watching Pitch Perfect for the first time. Love that movie! <3 I had to watch the end with her and then we teamed with Melissa and Joelle to study for our first American Heritage quiz. (btw I got 5/5) It went pretty late for a school night since Marie and I discussed Les Mis for maybe half an hour. Her voice is fantastic! Speaking of fantastic voices I just ran into Maddi again. She made Concert Choir here and is as busy as ever. It's nice to have her even closer than we were back home.

I can't talk about I really do at work. It's a top secret job. ;) However, I can say there are fun people and the job is much better than working food or janitorial services. I was slightly offended nobody said, "Bless you when I sneezed." I guess I'm use to Mr. Flaherty's physics class where it was always a competition to see who could say bless you first.

I wrote this blog post while sitting in the HFAC. I think the art in this building is beautiful and the way it is set up is so modern. The stairs are a little terrifying though. I have Intro to Theatre in an hour so this seemed like a good way to help the time pass. I didn't know my Biology class doesn't happen on Fridays till last night. I spent a few minutes dancing around the building after hearing the news. :) Well this concludes week one. 

Let the weekend begin!