Newspaperyness

This week's article: Clicky. They didn't edit this one as much. I am pleased.

Hiya

Hi guys. Several people *coughmyparentscough* have requested I post a certain new article that recently appeared in The Scroll (BYU-I's school newspaper). So here's the link to the newspaper's website, specifically, the wanted article.

Let me just tell you though, due to excellent editors, what you will read is a lot better than what I originally wrote. You can thank them for the awesomeness with which the article glows. Not me. You can thank me for getting the quotes. That was scary. I would appreciate thanks for that.

And even if they changed it a bit, it still has my name on it. So that's exciting. It's pretty cool to see your own name in the papers under a headline. Well... I guess it wouldn't be exciting for someone whose headline said 'Criminal Scheduled to be Executed Today' and the line under the headline that had their name in it was just a line from the story...

Sorry. That was random.

Oh well. I am random sometimes. Get used to it.

*hugs* Have a lovely weekend you lovely people!

Adventures with Friends

I've been having a marvelous week. Lots of fun with my roommates and a few new friends.

It all started with Aretha. Aretha and I have a class together, and one day in class last week, she asked if she could sit by me. We got talking and she told me she came from India and the stuff we were learning (American history) was all new to her, so I offered to study with her some time and we exchanged numbers. The next class we sat together again, then afterwards we and my roommate Stephanie ate lunch together. A few days later at our first ward FHE we went bowling and surprise! She was part of our ward! So Aretha, Stephanie and I played miniature golf and pool (we taught Aretha how to play both, she'd never played them before -- it was fun).

Since then we've all been good buddies. I told Aretha that I needed to get interviews for a news article I needed to do and she told me I should just come over and talk to her and her roommates so a few days ago I convinced my roommates to go with me and we all showed up at their dorm and played games while I asked them questions. Then on Friday, Aretha texted to see if we wanted to go ice skating with her and her roommates. We had gone shopping, but were able to get home in time to go with them (mostly due to the two good samaritans, fellow-students-but-with-a-car, who gave us a ride back).

Leaving to go skating.

On the way to the skating rink, we passed through the I-center. As we were walking, we became aware that a part of our group had fallen back. We all hid in anticipation of them rounding the corner, so we could jump out and surprise them, but then only one of them came. She told us that one of the party (one of Aretha's roommates' shy cousin who'd been talked into coming) had felt weird, coming along with a bunch of strangers, so they were taking her back to her dorm.

While we were waiting for them to take her home and come back, we decided to play a nice game of squash. I was chosen to hide and took off down a corridor. Not very long afterward, Lindsey, one of my roommates, and Kaleigh, one of Aretha's roommates, found me. We decided where we were currently hiding wouldn't hide a bunch of people well and so we moved about ten feet away, through a set of doors and onto the landing on a set of stairs. While we were standing there, hiding, Lindsey... kind of dropped her phone into the small space between the wall and the glass divider next to it (to keep people from getting onto the window sill, I guess).

Lindsey, trying to get her phone.

Kaleigh 'kicking' the phone toward Lindsey's hand with her boot.

A moment later, Jessy found us. For the next few minutes, we tried to stifle our laughter as Lindsey entertained us by trying to scare the people outside, slapping the window and staring at them.

Lindsey was having a hard time remaining serious while I videoed her doing it.

Lindsey Pose!

Kaleigh Pose!

"Be quiet, you guys, they'll find us!"

Kaleigh, the look out.

For some reason, her position in this picture amuses me greatly.

She reminds me of a penguin.

As the time wore on without Aretha and Stephanie (the only others playing) finding us, Lindsey started calling and texting Stephanie and leaving odd messages for her. "How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck would chuck wood?" being one of them. So when, a few minutes later, Stephanie texted me asking if I had anyone with me, I replied, "A wood chuck."

For the next half hour or so, we waited, Stephanie and I exchanging tree and wood chuck related hints to where we were hiding and laughing at Lindsey's creeper act.

Eventually, Stephanie and Aretha saw us through the window. They'd gone, via the sky bridge, to the building across the way, which was technically against the rules (or so we decided, anyway) and so we changed hiding places. Stephanie and Aretha saw us running, though, so they gave up and told us to come find them so we could go ice skating for real. The other roommates were apparently not returning. But Lindsey needed to get back to the dorm, so in the end, we all decided ice skating would have to wait for some other time and came back to our dorm, where we had hot chocolate.

Then we went over to Aretha & co's dorm to watch a couple movies. Afterwards, I finished my newspaper article, which took til 4 am. D:

The next morning I had a date, which was fun. We got hot chocolate and explored Rexburg for an hour.

After that, Jessy and I had planned to go to the temple. Somehow, though, it got later and later, and began to involve more and more people until we had Jessy, me, Aretha (who had never been to the temple before, though she has a recommend, because there isn't one in India), Stephanie, Lindsey and Kaleigh.

We crammed ourselves into Kaleigh's car, rode up the hill to the temple and... were told that they had stopped taking walk-in's because it was really busy. We got to go in and sit for a while and watch baptisms, though. That was nice. I love the peace of the temple, even if I'm not doing any work.

A nice little old man took this picture of all us of together.

That night, Aretha invited us over to have Indian food and watch a Bollywood movie. We had a lot of fun.

Nothing left. We ate it ALL.

Then we had the cake that Jessy made from the cake mix we bought earlier that day (and which I accidentally carried in my purse, to the temple) and Sprite. It was crazy, but the Sprite made up for all the other things you usually combine with cake mix, like oil and water and egg. It was delicious.

Blessed

I just want to let you guys know, I have felt the Lord's hand so strongly in my life since I started school. I've had several experiences where I felt He was guiding me. The third day of school, I was convinced, 100%, no doubts, that my second class was at 3:00. I went to the library, determined to study til 2:45. About 1:45, I just thought that, even though I *knew* it was at 3:00, I should just look over my schedule again. It turned out that it was at 2:00. I have a different class on another day that's at 3:15, and somehow I'd mixed the two classes together. I got to my class just in time.

That class, incidentally, was Women's Choir. If I hadn't shown up that day to do call-backs, I would not have been accepted into the Choir, which would have left me one credit short of the full-time student credit minimum. It also would have been very disappointing, because I love singing, and so far Choir has been a lot of fun. Well, besides the scary moment approaching my director to tell her I'd have to miss a concert for Chris' wedding. But the director was so chill about it, my nerves were completely misplaced.

Other times, I have felt that I shouldn't study something at a certain time and instead take care of non-educational things. I paid for my student insurance in one of those times. I hadn't realized I needed to get it. That was the only time that day I could go before they closed. If I'd paid it a day later, it would have been late and cost more.

Things like this just make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside when I think about them. I mean, I'm hours away from all my family, so it is so comforting to me to know that my Heavenly Father is taking extra special care of me while I'm away from them.

Stuff. You know, stuff. Like... Life?

My classes are interesting and fun. I'm becoming great friends with my roommates. I've made several other friends in my classes and around campus. I'm getting hot chocolate with a guy on Saturday. I paid for my insurance and picked up my choir costume both during a time slot that I didn't think would work for either and felt like a ninja. I interviewed people for my reporting job at the newspaper today. I know the campus and my schedule well enough that I check my schedule/map combo that is always in my pocket less than once a day now.

The above? Random facts that add up to: Very Pleasant Life.

Also, it snowed for the first time since I've been here yesterday, and has been much colder since then.

In case you're wondering whether I'll ever post real, thought provoking stuff, never fear. I have some things ruminating in my mind that shall appear here eventually. But for now, I'm too tired and I can't afford to stay up much later, my earlier class is tomorrow.

First Week

Guys, guys, GUESS WHAT?

I HAVE SURVIVED MY FIRST WEEK. And not only that -- I've loved it! I love all the reading and interesting things I'm learning and keeping track of my assignments and my teachers (one of whom is a pirate and another is a cowboy -- cool, right?) and my roommates and being in charge of my schedule and the responsibility and-- and-- *gasps for breath* and that was a very long run-on sentence.

I was really worried about my science class, and put off studying for it for hours, and then the text turned out to be really interesting. And I was so interested in my history class when I started, and then the text turned out to be rather dull. Funny how life works like that.

It is so interesting and fun, figuring out how to take charge of myself. I've only got one piece of homework that isn't finished and it isn't due til Tuesday, and I'm halfway done with it. Not only that, my desk, dishes, bed, closet, etc, are the tidiest in my dorm. I'm so excited. So far, I think I've done pretty well with keeping my life on schedule and well taken care of in all areas.


Yep. That's pretty much all I have to say right now. Well, unless you want to hear me squeal about my brother's engagement some more.

My Roommates

These are the people with whom I live now, in all their 'Guys, I've got a camera and I'm taking your picture in two seconds!' glory.


Stephanie (and the top of Lindsey's head -- she ducked).

Jessy, the roommate who actually shares my room.

And Lindsey, once she had decided to allow her picture to be taken.

Le Update

Hola! (No, I'm not taking Spanish class. Be quiet.)

I am here to announce that I am alive. And not only that, I am having a wonderful time. I've only gone to one class and some newbie activities, but so far, I am loving college! My dorm mates... or roommates... (I have suddenly become unsure of whether the term dorm mate is a necessary distinction) are very fun and very helpful. I'll post a picture of the four of us on here soon. Two of them have been here a semester already, so they know what they're doing -- that's very reassuring for me, let me tell ya.

I've had an interesting few days. I've changed classes (sounds [and is] simple, but it worried me at the time), paid tuition like a grown up woman (SCARY! Who said I could grow up already?) and I've already started a study habit.

I am, overall, very pleased with my experience so far.

Also, I INTERUPT THIS UPDATE OF MY LIFE FOR A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.

My big bruver, Chris, is engaged! *dances in joy* Her name is Keira and I think she's awesome. I am so excited for him. I was at a dance (one of the newbie welcoming activities) when I got his text, and I actually screamed in excitement. Not very loudly, don't worry. And I don't think my neighboring dancers minded much, because it was loud in there already.

Yep. That's the awesomeness that is my life right now.

College... Eep.

Well, this is it, folks. Tomorrow I will walk onto my new campus, move into my new dorm, and begin my new college experience. I am excited and very freaked out. I hope my dorm mates are nice. I hope I am not completely overwhelmed by my classes. I hope I don't freeze to death.

Tomorrow promises to be an interesting day.