Since we don't get spring break at BYU, I've decided that General Conference weekend is what we get instead. We get to sit on our couches for hours on Saturday and Sunday, spending time with friends and eating delicious snacks. That's as close to a break as we get here in Utah.
This morning Becca and I went to the Lava Lounge and got a free pancake breakfast! Our friends were nice enough to treat us to that while we watching the morning session of conference. It was great to be spread across all of the couches there with friends enjoying all the talks.
For lunch we all went to Chick-Fil-A and then to the park for a picnic! It was a bit windy so we didn't stay long but it was nice to be outside nonetheless. It's turned into a kind of tradition to have Chick-Fil-A picnics on the Saturday of conference. When we got back to the Lava Lounge after eating, Becca, Ryan, Ben and I ended up crowding around Becca's tablet watching N*SYNC music videos. I hardly know how that happened but it did. All four of us were crammed on, like, three couch cushions so that was fun.
Within minutes of the beginning of the afternoon session of talks, Ryan, who was to Becca's right, and Ben, who was to my left, had managed to get closer to us than they already had been and eventually put their heads on our shoulders. (Ben on mine and Ryan on Becca's.) Usually when you think of heads leaning on shoulders, it's the girls putting their heads onto guys' shoulders, right? Well, not at the Lava Lounge; at the Lava Lounge anything goes when it comes to shoulder leaning. At one point Becca and I made eye contact over both the boys' heads and smiled so big and laughed silently for a few minutes. It might sound strange to say but we both feel quite blessed to have these friends in our lives who are so comfortable with us and with each other that they'll drop their heads on our shoulders without a moment's notice or without even asking if it's all right to do: everyone just knows it is. They're our boys, through and through, the kind of friends that define my time at BYU.
After all that was said and done, Becca and I went grocery shopping (wearing our matching Keens) and made enchiladas for dinner! They were super delicious. We're basically unstoppable food-wise when we make something together.
Showing posts with label lava lounge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lava lounge. Show all posts
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Ben's cabin party
I've been seriously slacking on the blog post writing. This one was started 2 weeks ago after we adventured to Ben's cabin. So here you go.
Friday night (March 8) all of my lovely friends met up for a night away. Ben, of Lava Lounge fame, had invited all of us to his family's cabin about an hour away. We gathered at the Lava Lounge to figure out the car situation, which always takes way longer than it should with us, and off we went.
As we drove farther up the canyon and higher into the mountains it started snowing. Dark country roads going up mountains plus snow can sometimes equal bad news but Ben is a superb driver so there weren't any issues. We knew there might be snow on the road leading to the cabin but we didn't think it'd be too bad. At first things were great, and then Trent's car got stuck. Since Badger had chains for his car he went first then and got a bit farther before also getting stuck. By that point all the cars got parked in the random driveway of a really nice but unoccupied cabin down the road. Becca, Bronwyn and I waited in Ben's car until everyone else got all the food and gear to the cabin before we got there; this was all on account of Becca's booted foot. The boys and the other girls got the fireplace going and started getting dinner ready (by this time it was past 8) so by the time we got there things were pretty well situated.
It was hilarious waiting in the car for some of the others to walk us back to the cabin and then it was hilarious walking to the cabin itself. Nathan tried to push/pull Becca on a sled for a while but that just got snow up her jacket and pants so we gave up and Badger's little sister just helped her walk so her boot didn't get full of snow. The best part, however, was seeing Ben's cabin for the first time. It's about as cabin-like as you can get. But it's surrounded by a fairly steep incline on two sides, the sides where the road goes. It might not actually have been that steep but there was a good three or so feet of snow. Trent had blazed a trail down the steepest, and quickest, way to the cabin. Bronwyn and I took that path while the others went to where the driveway was, though we couldn't really tell, since the snow was less deep there.
For dinner we roasted hot dogs in the fireplace and also made delicious s'mores. We sat around talking for the rest of the night before the people who couldn't sleep over had to leave. That was still pretty late, though. The group that stayed decided it was time to change into our pajamas and lounge around in the upstairs of the cabin. The "loft" upstairs had five beds so we were all sharing but that wasn't a big deal because if there's anything my friends and I love it's creating giant cuddle puddles. (They weren't exactly giant, though. Only two people were sharing each bed.) We talked for a little while longer and slowly but surely we all fell into a deep sleep. Well, it was really only Becca and I who slept great. Trent's snoring bothered, I'm pretty sure, everyone else. So out of nine people, only two of us completely enjoyed our sleep. (I'm such a pro at sleeping. I sleep through basically anything. Just ask Becca; I sleep through her alarms all the time.)
We literally woke up to the smell of crackling bacon thanks to our dear Badger. We all woke up slowly but surely and made our way downstairs. Besides bacon, we had scrambled eggs with cheese and orange juice for breakfast. Oh, and graham crackers and milk. And Ben and I definitely ate the rest of the Hershey bars left over from the s'mores the night before. It was a delicious breakfast, that's for sure. After eating a group of people went out snowshoeing and the rest of us played Bananagrams, a game I absolutely love and absolutely dominate.
Soon enough it was time to pack up and go home. I was sad to leave, as I know everyone else was as well. It was incredibly nice to get away for part of the weekend, though. Just being away for that one night made a huge difference.
Friday night (March 8) all of my lovely friends met up for a night away. Ben, of Lava Lounge fame, had invited all of us to his family's cabin about an hour away. We gathered at the Lava Lounge to figure out the car situation, which always takes way longer than it should with us, and off we went.
As we drove farther up the canyon and higher into the mountains it started snowing. Dark country roads going up mountains plus snow can sometimes equal bad news but Ben is a superb driver so there weren't any issues. We knew there might be snow on the road leading to the cabin but we didn't think it'd be too bad. At first things were great, and then Trent's car got stuck. Since Badger had chains for his car he went first then and got a bit farther before also getting stuck. By that point all the cars got parked in the random driveway of a really nice but unoccupied cabin down the road. Becca, Bronwyn and I waited in Ben's car until everyone else got all the food and gear to the cabin before we got there; this was all on account of Becca's booted foot. The boys and the other girls got the fireplace going and started getting dinner ready (by this time it was past 8) so by the time we got there things were pretty well situated.
It was hilarious waiting in the car for some of the others to walk us back to the cabin and then it was hilarious walking to the cabin itself. Nathan tried to push/pull Becca on a sled for a while but that just got snow up her jacket and pants so we gave up and Badger's little sister just helped her walk so her boot didn't get full of snow. The best part, however, was seeing Ben's cabin for the first time. It's about as cabin-like as you can get. But it's surrounded by a fairly steep incline on two sides, the sides where the road goes. It might not actually have been that steep but there was a good three or so feet of snow. Trent had blazed a trail down the steepest, and quickest, way to the cabin. Bronwyn and I took that path while the others went to where the driveway was, though we couldn't really tell, since the snow was less deep there.
For dinner we roasted hot dogs in the fireplace and also made delicious s'mores. We sat around talking for the rest of the night before the people who couldn't sleep over had to leave. That was still pretty late, though. The group that stayed decided it was time to change into our pajamas and lounge around in the upstairs of the cabin. The "loft" upstairs had five beds so we were all sharing but that wasn't a big deal because if there's anything my friends and I love it's creating giant cuddle puddles. (They weren't exactly giant, though. Only two people were sharing each bed.) We talked for a little while longer and slowly but surely we all fell into a deep sleep. Well, it was really only Becca and I who slept great. Trent's snoring bothered, I'm pretty sure, everyone else. So out of nine people, only two of us completely enjoyed our sleep. (I'm such a pro at sleeping. I sleep through basically anything. Just ask Becca; I sleep through her alarms all the time.)
We literally woke up to the smell of crackling bacon thanks to our dear Badger. We all woke up slowly but surely and made our way downstairs. Besides bacon, we had scrambled eggs with cheese and orange juice for breakfast. Oh, and graham crackers and milk. And Ben and I definitely ate the rest of the Hershey bars left over from the s'mores the night before. It was a delicious breakfast, that's for sure. After eating a group of people went out snowshoeing and the rest of us played Bananagrams, a game I absolutely love and absolutely dominate.
Soon enough it was time to pack up and go home. I was sad to leave, as I know everyone else was as well. It was incredibly nice to get away for part of the weekend, though. Just being away for that one night made a huge difference.
Zelda & slacklining
My last few weekends have been super quality, all worth blogging about. (At least to me they're worth blogging about.) Let it be known that this post was started around the first week of March, meaning all of this information is now WAY OLD. I'm finally posting a lot of things that I started writing but never finished.
Since it was fairly warm out, especially for February, I decided to go for a run that afternoon. I got only a few blocks before my contact lens in my right eye got all fuzzy so I took it out and walked home. Luckily, I have this awesome app on my phone called the Nike Training Club. They have 30 and 45 minute workouts based on all different things, whether that be strength training, cardio or anything else you might want to do. The majority of them don't require equipment either. I did a 30 minute cardio workout in the comfort of my own home.
Friday
All my Friday classes were cancelled and the only thing I had to do was stop by the newsroom at 10 to lay out some pages for the paper. It took me all of 30 minutes and I enjoyed doing it as well. Then I worked on my publication graphics feature page project. I'm really proud of it so far. I've come to really enjoy working with InDesign and apparently I'm not as terrible at designing things as I once thought. (This is what my feature page ended up looking like though at the time of this writing it looked NOTHING like this.)
Since it was fairly warm out, especially for February, I decided to go for a run that afternoon. I got only a few blocks before my contact lens in my right eye got all fuzzy so I took it out and walked home. Luckily, I have this awesome app on my phone called the Nike Training Club. They have 30 and 45 minute workouts based on all different things, whether that be strength training, cardio or anything else you might want to do. The majority of them don't require equipment either. I did a 30 minute cardio workout in the comfort of my own home.
After showering and eating a quick, though late, lunch, it was time to watch Community with Peter. After that was over, he and I ended up, as usual, spending the whole night together. Any time we spend together is usually punctuated by the arrivals and departures of his roommates Kirk and Kyle. I've hardly seen the two of them this semester so it was really nice to hang out with the three of them. Kirk even decided to be domestic that night and made this apple pie type dessert, except for the crust he used dough for dinner rolls. It turned out spectacular.
What really took up most of our time was playing the N64 version of Zelda on Peter's computer. I'm not sure what it is about me but I have no problem watching other people play video games. It was most interesting because Kyle basically has the game memorized and would occasionally drop hints to Peter about what to do but he would never give him the entire answer of where to go/what to do; it's frustrating for Peter but great entertainment for the rest of us. By the end of the night, Kyle and Peter insisted I learn to play the game on account of how I never played it as a child. And so Peter started my own quest. I'm not terrible at video games but I'm pretty close. As entertaining as it was for Peter to play the game himself, I definitely think he had a lot more fun watching me struggle through the first two levels. Around 1 o'clock I finally called it quits.
Saturday
In the morning I did Peter a favor and kept score at his intramural basketball game. I'd never seen him play before so I enjoyed myself a lot. Peter loves basketball more than anything else in life so to see him actually doing what he constantly talks about was awesome. He's kind of really legitimately good at basketball as well.
I worked out again on Saturday and spent the rest of the day studying.
That evening a bunch of people went to this ice skating show that Lorraine was in. Mostly we went because there was free skating after it was over! Only Ben and I ended up skating but it was still quite fun. Since we were skating on the non-public rink, there was hardly anyone there and we could goof off a little more without worrying about bumping into people.
After skating Ben and I met up with our friends again and decided to go slacklining on campus. That was perhaps one of the best Saturday night activities I've ever been a part of. I've always been pretty terrible at slacklining but I actually made it all the way across that night.
After an hour of that we watched "Skyfall" at the Lava Lounge. I'd seen it before, back when it first came out in November, but was still hoping to enjoy it a second time; but alas, I fell asleep, something that hardly ever happens to me during movies. Luckily Ben was there to let me borrow his shoulder. You know you've got a good life when your friends let you fall asleep on them like that.
I worked out again on Saturday and spent the rest of the day studying.
That evening a bunch of people went to this ice skating show that Lorraine was in. Mostly we went because there was free skating after it was over! Only Ben and I ended up skating but it was still quite fun. Since we were skating on the non-public rink, there was hardly anyone there and we could goof off a little more without worrying about bumping into people.
After skating Ben and I met up with our friends again and decided to go slacklining on campus. That was perhaps one of the best Saturday night activities I've ever been a part of. I've always been pretty terrible at slacklining but I actually made it all the way across that night.
After an hour of that we watched "Skyfall" at the Lava Lounge. I'd seen it before, back when it first came out in November, but was still hoping to enjoy it a second time; but alas, I fell asleep, something that hardly ever happens to me during movies. Luckily Ben was there to let me borrow his shoulder. You know you've got a good life when your friends let you fall asleep on them like that.
Monday, February 18, 2013
22 (and counting)
This weekend was a whirlwind of fun. I decided on Thursday it would be an entire weekend of birthday celebration and excitement. That meant no homework/studying. (I managed to get everything done before the weekend, actually.)
Friday
I went on my first run of 2013! It felt so good to get out in the 36 degree air and just run. I only went a mile but it sure was a nice mile. Between my own sickness and Utah's terribly cold winter this run was much needed. After the run I didn't have too much time before I had to leave, though. Peter and I spent our afternoon/evening together per our new tradition of watching Community. It's easily one of the best traditions I've ever been a part of.
I didn't have time to eat much before or after my run so by the time Community was over I was quite hungry. Peter and I hit up Chick-Fil-A for dinner and then we watched the movie Hoosiers. Nothing quite beats waffle fries on a Friday night with one of your closest friends. And it's quite the experience, watching a movie with Peter, especially when it's a movie he really likes. He quotes his favorite movies like I quote The Office. (For those who don't know, that means he does it and he does it perfectly.) I haven't had a Friday night so nice since . . . I guess last Friday. But two great Fridays in a row is a big deal this semester.
Saturday
The morning/afternoon was spent lounging around in my Nike running pants. I watched some YouTube, read parts of a few books and looked up a lot of John Green quotes. Around 3 o'clock, Stacy, Becca and I went to Kohl's so I could spend a $50 gift card I have from Christmas. I ended up buying a chambray that was on sale, but that's it. Of course what I really wanted was shoes but there was nothing particularly enticing. Soon after that we hurried to the grocery store to buy things for Sunday's breakfast for dinner birthday shindig.
I quickly changed when we got back so I could meet Peter for dinner and then the basketball game. We went to Sammy's most especially because I wanted a mint Oreo pie shake and sweet potato fries. BYU played Portland which didn't make for a particularly close game because Portland is not all that good, but neither is BYU lately. It was still plenty enjoyable, though. Basketball is Peter's first, and possibly only, love so I had a great time listening to him explain certain nuances of the game. Like different zone defenses. There's something incredibly fascinating about listening to someone explain something they love and understand like the back of their hand. I've always had a general understanding of the rules of basketball but the more technical/strategic aspects of the game are often lost on me. It got to the point where Peter could say to me, "Okay, do you see the 2-3 zone?" and I could answer with a definitive yes.
After the game we played Super Mario Bros. Wii. I've always enjoyed video games even though I've never been very good at them. Peter was definitely way better than me but that's not saying much . . . To make a long story short, I have a lot more respect for Hank and Katherine Green after playing that game for an hour. There was definitely a lot of yelling going on between the two of us but even more laughing, especially after I failed to jump on the flag pole in time for two straight levels. I did, however, learn that I am a master at hitting that A button to bubble.
To get over how terrible we were at the game, I suggested we watch Arrested Development. Somehow he has never seen it before! That was quite unbelievable. My goal for the rest of the semester is to make sure he sees all of it before the new season comes out in May.
Sunday
And so I turned 22 on Sunday. Becca, Stacy and I all wore different items of Lorraine's clothing since she was gone this weekend at home w/ her family. Going to church on your birthday is pretty cool. Bronwyn and I even matched!
After church I went over to Lava Lounge, ate pizza and watched Planet Earth. Soon enough it was time to start prepping all the delicious breakfast food. We had traditional waffles w/ blue food coloring, funfetti cake waffles, chocolate cake waffles, Reese's Puffs, breakfast corn dogs, Swedish pancakes and brownies. Friends from all 3 1/2 years of my schooling came. I love when my groups of friends collide in situations like that. Perhaps the best part of the night was my freshmen friends Alex, Warren and Westen staying around longer than anyone else. Stacy and Justin also did a shoe swap, so that was pretty great.
Oh, and once everyone was gone Becca, Stacy and I put up Becca's tent in the living room and watched a couple episodes of Arrested Development. You know, because we're all mature and stuff.
My only regret from Saturday, and from during my party on Sunday, is not taking any pictures. I originally had this grand scheme of documenting everything from my birthday weekend. That went downhill quickly. Even without the pictures, it still might have been my best collegiate birthday to date. You can't exactly go wrong with Community, Chick-Fil-A, basketball, Wii, Arrested Development, breakfast food, tents and plenty of attractive friends.
Friday
I went on my first run of 2013! It felt so good to get out in the 36 degree air and just run. I only went a mile but it sure was a nice mile. Between my own sickness and Utah's terribly cold winter this run was much needed. After the run I didn't have too much time before I had to leave, though. Peter and I spent our afternoon/evening together per our new tradition of watching Community. It's easily one of the best traditions I've ever been a part of.
I didn't have time to eat much before or after my run so by the time Community was over I was quite hungry. Peter and I hit up Chick-Fil-A for dinner and then we watched the movie Hoosiers. Nothing quite beats waffle fries on a Friday night with one of your closest friends. And it's quite the experience, watching a movie with Peter, especially when it's a movie he really likes. He quotes his favorite movies like I quote The Office. (For those who don't know, that means he does it and he does it perfectly.) I haven't had a Friday night so nice since . . . I guess last Friday. But two great Fridays in a row is a big deal this semester.
Saturday
The morning/afternoon was spent lounging around in my Nike running pants. I watched some YouTube, read parts of a few books and looked up a lot of John Green quotes. Around 3 o'clock, Stacy, Becca and I went to Kohl's so I could spend a $50 gift card I have from Christmas. I ended up buying a chambray that was on sale, but that's it. Of course what I really wanted was shoes but there was nothing particularly enticing. Soon after that we hurried to the grocery store to buy things for Sunday's breakfast for dinner birthday shindig.
I quickly changed when we got back so I could meet Peter for dinner and then the basketball game. We went to Sammy's most especially because I wanted a mint Oreo pie shake and sweet potato fries. BYU played Portland which didn't make for a particularly close game because Portland is not all that good, but neither is BYU lately. It was still plenty enjoyable, though. Basketball is Peter's first, and possibly only, love so I had a great time listening to him explain certain nuances of the game. Like different zone defenses. There's something incredibly fascinating about listening to someone explain something they love and understand like the back of their hand. I've always had a general understanding of the rules of basketball but the more technical/strategic aspects of the game are often lost on me. It got to the point where Peter could say to me, "Okay, do you see the 2-3 zone?" and I could answer with a definitive yes.
After the game we played Super Mario Bros. Wii. I've always enjoyed video games even though I've never been very good at them. Peter was definitely way better than me but that's not saying much . . . To make a long story short, I have a lot more respect for Hank and Katherine Green after playing that game for an hour. There was definitely a lot of yelling going on between the two of us but even more laughing, especially after I failed to jump on the flag pole in time for two straight levels. I did, however, learn that I am a master at hitting that A button to bubble.
To get over how terrible we were at the game, I suggested we watch Arrested Development. Somehow he has never seen it before! That was quite unbelievable. My goal for the rest of the semester is to make sure he sees all of it before the new season comes out in May.
Sunday
And so I turned 22 on Sunday. Becca, Stacy and I all wore different items of Lorraine's clothing since she was gone this weekend at home w/ her family. Going to church on your birthday is pretty cool. Bronwyn and I even matched!
After church I went over to Lava Lounge, ate pizza and watched Planet Earth. Soon enough it was time to start prepping all the delicious breakfast food. We had traditional waffles w/ blue food coloring, funfetti cake waffles, chocolate cake waffles, Reese's Puffs, breakfast corn dogs, Swedish pancakes and brownies. Friends from all 3 1/2 years of my schooling came. I love when my groups of friends collide in situations like that. Perhaps the best part of the night was my freshmen friends Alex, Warren and Westen staying around longer than anyone else. Stacy and Justin also did a shoe swap, so that was pretty great.
Oh, and once everyone was gone Becca, Stacy and I put up Becca's tent in the living room and watched a couple episodes of Arrested Development. You know, because we're all mature and stuff.
My only regret from Saturday, and from during my party on Sunday, is not taking any pictures. I originally had this grand scheme of documenting everything from my birthday weekend. That went downhill quickly. Even without the pictures, it still might have been my best collegiate birthday to date. You can't exactly go wrong with Community, Chick-Fil-A, basketball, Wii, Arrested Development, breakfast food, tents and plenty of attractive friends.
Monday, February 11, 2013
A weekend to change it all
Everything about this past weekend was exactly how I once imagined the whole semester would be. It was a perfect 2 1/2 days of relaxation and productivity. If that weekend is any indication of how the rest of the semester will go, I'm in for a real treat.
Friday started off at the gorgeous winter temperature of 42 degrees. I was stoked to finally go running that afternoon once my class ended at 3. But alas, it snowed instead. It was coming down pretty hard and my pants and shoes got nearly soaked just walking home. I put off my run till this week which was a bit of a shame at the time but the rest of the afternoon was still plenty lovely. Peter and I made plans earlier in the week to watch Community together since I'm the one that got him into the show back in December. I have late class Thursday nights so we figured watching it the next afternoon would be perfect. It's only a half hour long but we ended up sitting on his couch talking for another 2 1/2 hours after the show was over. It's now our Friday thing to watch Community together. (Is it just me or is it really nice to have "a thing" you share with someone else? It's one of my favorite concepts, sharing a TV show with someone else.)
Once I left his house there was a slightly frantic rush to get people together to go to the gymnastics meet. I loved going to the meets when I wrote for the Universe last January-April and I hadn't been to any this season. It ended up being Becca, Stacy, Lorraine, Steve, Ben, Trent and myself. It was kind of strange to be considered the expert on the sport among my group of friends that night. The meet was as fun as ever, though. I did find it weird to be sitting up in the stands instead of down on the floor.
Saturday was spent doing laundry and studying. I got a lot done, so that was great. I also watched the new episode of The Office. The best part of Saturday was my pseudo-date. My friend Austin, who I've known since my freshman year, and I have been trying to set up a time to hang out and get Chick-Fil-A for a long while now. We ended up getting our beloved chicken dinner and then went to the BYU/San Francisco basketball game. The Cougars ended up losing pretty big but it was still great to spend time with Austin. I call it a pseudo-date since neither of us really thought about whether it was a date before we went. We went back to my apartment after the game and my roommates were like, "What did you guys do on your date?" and we both looked at each other for a second and asked, "Wait, was this a date?" We decided it was since it was planned, paired off and though technically not paid for by either of us two out of the three isn't bad.
Austin ended up sticking around a while and the apartment turned into an exciting place. Besides my roommates, Badger was there and eventually Trent, Ryan, Nathan and Erica showed up as well. Our apartment is hardly ever that filled, especially on weekends. We get visitors fairly often but they usually don't all stick around. It's always interesting to let different groups of friends interact and Austin fit in perfectly with the Lava Lounge boys.
Sunday was just as great as the other days. Church was awesome and once again I was quite productive in grading papers and doing my own work. Becca and I explored cooking tilapia in this random garlic and herb marinade we found in the refrigerator. Along with that we had a spinach salad with some kind of cheese dressing and we added some grated Parmesan cheese for good measure. It turned out delicious, much to Becca's surprise. The rest of the night was incredibly relaxing and the perfect way to prepare for a tough week of school.
This next weekend should also be fantastic since my birthday is in SIX DAYS. I'll be 22 on the 17th. The plan right now is to enjoy the three day weekend camping in Moab so basically I'll be spending my birthday in a tent. The next weekend I'll probably have a birthday party to spend some time with all my lovely Provo friends. It's going to be a breakfast for dinner birthday, meaning cake waffles, Reese's Puffs, breakfast corn dogs and basically any other delicious birthday treat you could think of. Yes, I love breakfast foods that much.
Austin ended up sticking around a while and the apartment turned into an exciting place. Besides my roommates, Badger was there and eventually Trent, Ryan, Nathan and Erica showed up as well. Our apartment is hardly ever that filled, especially on weekends. We get visitors fairly often but they usually don't all stick around. It's always interesting to let different groups of friends interact and Austin fit in perfectly with the Lava Lounge boys.
Sunday was just as great as the other days. Church was awesome and once again I was quite productive in grading papers and doing my own work. Becca and I explored cooking tilapia in this random garlic and herb marinade we found in the refrigerator. Along with that we had a spinach salad with some kind of cheese dressing and we added some grated Parmesan cheese for good measure. It turned out delicious, much to Becca's surprise. The rest of the night was incredibly relaxing and the perfect way to prepare for a tough week of school.
This next weekend should also be fantastic since my birthday is in SIX DAYS. I'll be 22 on the 17th. The plan right now is to enjoy the three day weekend camping in Moab so basically I'll be spending my birthday in a tent. The next weekend I'll probably have a birthday party to spend some time with all my lovely Provo friends. It's going to be a breakfast for dinner birthday, meaning cake waffles, Reese's Puffs, breakfast corn dogs and basically any other delicious birthday treat you could think of. Yes, I love breakfast foods that much.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Friends who love
Last semester and already this semester I've had some pretty lovely experiences with friends who just do things for me when I ask them to and even friends who just do things for me because they decide to.
The first Monday back at school was fine until nightfall. I went to bed super early but couldn't fall asleep for a long time. I was just feeling too sick. So as I'm sitting there on my bed, wondering what to do, my dear friend Peter texted me, apologizing for not responding to a message I sent him that afternoon. Before I knew it, I was talking on the phone with him and explaining everything that was wrong. And because he's so wonderful, he decided to go buy me NyQuil. It wasn't particularly late at night, maybe only 10, but for someone who was sick it sure felt like it was super late. After bringing me the medicine he stayed for a little while, just talking with me and making sure I was okay. When he left he said if I wanted he'd come over the next morning to see if I was feeling any better. And that's exactly what he did.
The Saturday after that was just not a very good day. I wasn't really sick anymore but the day was just . . . off. I was sitting on the couch with Stacy moping and feeling so hungry. I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet and any food left over from before the break was gone. Becca came to the rescue that day. She herself needed food and she took it upon herself to buy things we could share and other things just for me, like Curious George fruit snacks and sweet potato fries. (She knows me far too well.)
No story of service would be complete without Jeff, though. The number of times over the past 2 1/2 years he's come through for me in a tight spot? So many. Jeff is my go-to guy in a sticky situation. He does everything he can to talk with me as soon as he can. He comes over whenever I ask him to. He lets me bum around his basement apartment in those rare moments when I get locked out of my apartment. (It just happened last week actually.) Jeff and I don't get to see each other nearly as often as we probably should but we're really good at stepping into each other's lives when we need to.
In general the boys of the Lava Lounge treat all of us pretty well. In recent weeks they've been especially great, though. They help convince me to go on trips to St. George and then make sure it's a fabulous time. They skip parts of church to talk with me in the hallway instead. They leave awesome parties to spend a little time with me and then go back to the parties to get me snacks. And every single thing they do ends with at least one great hug.
Margaret, however, wins the prize for greatest surprise. Just last week she dropped by the desk at work, leaving me a new CD and homemade chocolate chip cookies. That morning she sent me a message asking if I was working that day; I thought nothing of it since Margaret often drops by the desk. I was off doing something else when she actually came by but that almost made it even sweeter. It absolutely made my week.
These little moments of kindness happen all the time when I really think about it. Last week Stacy made banana bread for the apartment. Lorraine made pudding to share and then we watched The Office. Badger invites us all over for dinner a few times a month. I am blessed with an incredible family here at school. So if anyone I've mentioned happens to be reading this post: thank you for everything you do for me. And even if you weren't mentioned specifically: thank you as well.
Last YouTube video I watched: Photoshop Song
The first Monday back at school was fine until nightfall. I went to bed super early but couldn't fall asleep for a long time. I was just feeling too sick. So as I'm sitting there on my bed, wondering what to do, my dear friend Peter texted me, apologizing for not responding to a message I sent him that afternoon. Before I knew it, I was talking on the phone with him and explaining everything that was wrong. And because he's so wonderful, he decided to go buy me NyQuil. It wasn't particularly late at night, maybe only 10, but for someone who was sick it sure felt like it was super late. After bringing me the medicine he stayed for a little while, just talking with me and making sure I was okay. When he left he said if I wanted he'd come over the next morning to see if I was feeling any better. And that's exactly what he did.
In general the boys of the Lava Lounge treat all of us pretty well. In recent weeks they've been especially great, though. They help convince me to go on trips to St. George and then make sure it's a fabulous time. They skip parts of church to talk with me in the hallway instead. They leave awesome parties to spend a little time with me and then go back to the parties to get me snacks. And every single thing they do ends with at least one great hug.
Margaret, however, wins the prize for greatest surprise. Just last week she dropped by the desk at work, leaving me a new CD and homemade chocolate chip cookies. That morning she sent me a message asking if I was working that day; I thought nothing of it since Margaret often drops by the desk. I was off doing something else when she actually came by but that almost made it even sweeter. It absolutely made my week.
These little moments of kindness happen all the time when I really think about it. Last week Stacy made banana bread for the apartment. Lorraine made pudding to share and then we watched The Office. Badger invites us all over for dinner a few times a month. I am blessed with an incredible family here at school. So if anyone I've mentioned happens to be reading this post: thank you for everything you do for me. And even if you weren't mentioned specifically: thank you as well.
Last YouTube video I watched: Photoshop Song
Saturday, January 26, 2013
St. George sunshine
Thanks to Martin Luther King Day, we had last Monday off from school. Three day weekends are an absolute joy to college students and a group of us took advantage of the extra day of rest. I believe it was on the Thursday afternoon before MLK Day that I received a text message from Becca saying we would be going to St. George for the long weekend; the friend of two of our good friends has a house there, or rather his family does. I agreed instantly at the time but later ran into a bit of trouble.
Come Friday I was all ready to go. I'd gotten people to cover my hours at work; my backpack was full of clothes; I'd picked out what to read for fun; I'd chosen what little homework to bring. But about 30 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I started to re-think my weekend. That was the trouble. Staying at home and relaxing was just so much easier than driving three hours to St. George that night. I suddenly had the great desire to be alone. Luckily, I have a group of persuasive friends who wouldn't let me stay in Provo when the sunny skies of St. George were so attainable.
And so I went, somewhat begrudgingly.
The drive down that night wasn't bad at all. Five of us journeyed south that night: Nathan, Trent, Erica, Wee Nathan and myself. (Yes, we had two Nathans on the trip. That became quite entertaining.) Wee Nathan and I talked a lot about football. We also watched "Get Smart," a movie I remember surprisingly well even though the last time I saw it was probably when it came out. The drive went by quickly and arriving in St. George felt great, mostly because the temperature was well above 30.
The next morning started out great. The night before we planned out our meals for the weekend and bought everything we needed. That meant a delicious breakfast of orange juice and french toast! Nathan made it for us and he did a fabulous job. We lounged around a lot that morning and afternoon. Both the Nathans, Trent and I eventually made our way outside to play volleyball. It was over 50 degrees that day and it felt spectacular. Going out in a long-sleeved tee and shorts seemed like a miracle. After a bit of volleyball, we just ended up lying in the grass talking. The only thing that drew us away from the sun was the thought of all the ice cream we had in the freezer. (Ice cream was on sale so they bought four half gallons. It was perhaps the best decision anyone made all weekend to buy all that.)
After the ice cream we played cards and some other board game I can't remember the name of. It was quite the competitive time, though. I felt quite good about myself as we played the card game scum on account of how during all but one round I was either in the top spot or the the 2nd spot.
Eventually we decided to break out all the bicycles. Trent was quite enamored with the tandem bike. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I rode a bike so the short ride to the park felt like a dream. Once at the park, we decided to test our disc golf skills. I'd played a fair few times before but my skills aren't all that enviable. I don't quite have the precision needed to putt in disc golf, at least from really close to the baskets. I can throw decently far and with general accuracy so that's what I ended up doing most on my team. However, it turns out I'm excellent at putting from mid-range. Put me within a few feet of the basket and I'm terrible, but put me more than 10 feet away and it's game over: I won't miss a shot. Disc golf is definitely a sport I could see myself really getting into.
Right when we came back from discing, Ben and Becca arrived! Once they were situated in the house, it was time to talk dinner. We ended up toasting some bread and making sandwiches but for people who didn't eat any lunch (Nathan, Erica, Trent, Nathan and myself) they were extra great. Once we'd had our fill, we actually just sat in the dark in the living room for quite some time. Eventually Trent roused all of us from our slightly comatose states, going on about how it was only 7 on a Friday night and we were in St. George and it wasn't freezing outside for once so we had better go out and actually do something. All seven of us climbed into the Honda Pilot and went for a little drive with no real destination in mind.
We ended up pulling into this parking lot that apparently led into some small park full of red rock; it was hard to tell because we only had a couple flashlights and we were away from the city lights. So we took a little hike, even with Becca in her broken state of a walking boot. It ended up being a great decision as we climbed up just a little bit and looked out over the city.
Once we returned from our little hike, we watched the movie "Secondhand Lions" and eventually everyone made their way to their respective rooms/couches to sleep.
Sunday morning all seven us were up and ready to go in enough time to make it to 11 o'clock church; this is what we planned to do so it was great. After that we went to the St. George temple and visitors' center. It was a lovely way to spend our Sunday afternoon and it was such a beautiful, sunny day.
All that walking around sure made us hungry, though. Immediately upon our arrival back at the house, we all changed and started making our late lunch/early dinner. For Sunday dinner we'd planned to make grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and some vegetable. Friday night after shopping the boys decided the chicken should be marinated so they concocted a marinade/sauce from a variety of things in the refrigerator. This included but was not limited to barbecue sauce, Arby's sauce and mustard.
The best thing to occur as we prepared dinner was the "dare" given to Ben by Nathan. He handed Ben half a head of garlic and said, "I'll give you a dollar if you eat that." And without hesitating, Ben popped that garlic into his mouth and started chewing despite great protest from Becca and me. While Becca was protesting the actual eating of the garlic, I yelled at Ben for doing such a thing for only a dollar; such a challenge was worth way more than that. He chewed that garlic for quite some time before it began burning his mouth and throat and he had to spit it out. Then he brushed his teeth a fair few times and according to him at least the first time he did it he "couldn't taste the toothpaste."
The rest of the dinner preparation went swimmingly and we sat down to a wonderful looking meal around 4 o'clock. Nathan did a marvelous job with the grilling and the boys' marinade turned out great, despite the fact that it had the most random of ingredients. We knew the food was good because we talked so little during that meal.
Following dinner it was time for another bike ride to disc golf. After all, Ben and Becca hadn't gone with us the day before. The teams were Nathan, Erica and Becca; Ben and Trent; Wee Nathan and myself. We were generally pretty even through all the holes until the last three of the second round we played. Wee Nathan and I dominated those last three holes. He threw off first, getting somewhat close to the holes but not close enough to be considered actual putting distance. From well over ten feet away on each of those holes I absolutely nailed it. It was kind of funny considering how at the beginning of the games I was quite vocal about how disc golf always frustrated me and I never could throw accurately. Then somehow I always managed to turn things around and throw the discs perfectly. When we got home Nathan (pictured below as the disc model) said he never wanted to play with me again unless I was on his team.
Following the disc golf, I'm not entirely sure what we did but eventually we watched the Ravens/Patriots AFC Championship game. And by "we" I mean both the Nathans and myself. Everyone else was there but a lot of people fell asleep. Oh, I'm pretty sure there was a bunch of shake making in between the time we got home and started watching the game. (We seriously ate so much ice cream on this trip.) Once the game was over and everyone was awake again we had to once again choose which movie we were going to watch. Sometimes it feels like we spent more time talking about which movie to watch than actually watching a movie. The Sunday pick ended up being Jurassic Park.
And so came Monday, the day we had to return to cold and wintry Provo. Breakfast was once again french toast, this time made primarily by Becca. It was a pretty slow morning; everyone sort of lounged around and relaxed before our 3ish hour trek back to the more northern quadrant of Utah.
Once we'd all had our share of delicious, sugary french toast, we cleaned up the house. That didn't take long with seven of us working together. The final activity of the trip was writing in the house's journal. Anyone who stays there is supposed to write about whatever they did, a pretty neat thing really. Nathan gave me the job of writing what we did since I'm quite talented with putting words together, or so I'm told. I made everyone sign their names at the bottom of our entry and then it was time to go.
The drive back was a bit melancholy, mostly because we watched the temperature drop over and over. Our days of sunshine and 50 degree weather were gone before we knew it. The farther north we drove the sadder I became that it would be months before I could wear my Chacos again. That was one of those little things that made me incredibly happy: wearing Chacos in January. Hopefully whatever my friends and I do over the next three day weekend will be conducive to wearing sandals. It was quite the weekend and I'm sure glad my friends dragged me along. While this post is particularly long, I haven't even mentioned most of the stuff that really made us laugh, the stuff we'll always remember. There's just some stuff that doesn't need to be written about, the kind of stuff that just had to be experienced and will always be remembered.
And so that was my three day weekend. It's hard to believe that a week ago today I was lounging around a beautiful house in St. George. The first three weeks of school have absolutely flown by. Once again the semester hasn't been anything like I expected it to be, as if they ever are, though this one has been especially surprising. Despite all the unexpected events, none of it has exactly been blog-worthy. It's already the end of January and I'm finally posting for 2013! I figure the fact that this post is especially long makes up for that, right?
I'll make sure to do better.
Come Friday I was all ready to go. I'd gotten people to cover my hours at work; my backpack was full of clothes; I'd picked out what to read for fun; I'd chosen what little homework to bring. But about 30 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I started to re-think my weekend. That was the trouble. Staying at home and relaxing was just so much easier than driving three hours to St. George that night. I suddenly had the great desire to be alone. Luckily, I have a group of persuasive friends who wouldn't let me stay in Provo when the sunny skies of St. George were so attainable.
And so I went, somewhat begrudgingly.
The drive down that night wasn't bad at all. Five of us journeyed south that night: Nathan, Trent, Erica, Wee Nathan and myself. (Yes, we had two Nathans on the trip. That became quite entertaining.) Wee Nathan and I talked a lot about football. We also watched "Get Smart," a movie I remember surprisingly well even though the last time I saw it was probably when it came out. The drive went by quickly and arriving in St. George felt great, mostly because the temperature was well above 30.
The next morning started out great. The night before we planned out our meals for the weekend and bought everything we needed. That meant a delicious breakfast of orange juice and french toast! Nathan made it for us and he did a fabulous job. We lounged around a lot that morning and afternoon. Both the Nathans, Trent and I eventually made our way outside to play volleyball. It was over 50 degrees that day and it felt spectacular. Going out in a long-sleeved tee and shorts seemed like a miracle. After a bit of volleyball, we just ended up lying in the grass talking. The only thing that drew us away from the sun was the thought of all the ice cream we had in the freezer. (Ice cream was on sale so they bought four half gallons. It was perhaps the best decision anyone made all weekend to buy all that.)
After the ice cream we played cards and some other board game I can't remember the name of. It was quite the competitive time, though. I felt quite good about myself as we played the card game scum on account of how during all but one round I was either in the top spot or the the 2nd spot.
Eventually we decided to break out all the bicycles. Trent was quite enamored with the tandem bike. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I rode a bike so the short ride to the park felt like a dream. Once at the park, we decided to test our disc golf skills. I'd played a fair few times before but my skills aren't all that enviable. I don't quite have the precision needed to putt in disc golf, at least from really close to the baskets. I can throw decently far and with general accuracy so that's what I ended up doing most on my team. However, it turns out I'm excellent at putting from mid-range. Put me within a few feet of the basket and I'm terrible, but put me more than 10 feet away and it's game over: I won't miss a shot. Disc golf is definitely a sport I could see myself really getting into.
Right when we came back from discing, Ben and Becca arrived! Once they were situated in the house, it was time to talk dinner. We ended up toasting some bread and making sandwiches but for people who didn't eat any lunch (Nathan, Erica, Trent, Nathan and myself) they were extra great. Once we'd had our fill, we actually just sat in the dark in the living room for quite some time. Eventually Trent roused all of us from our slightly comatose states, going on about how it was only 7 on a Friday night and we were in St. George and it wasn't freezing outside for once so we had better go out and actually do something. All seven of us climbed into the Honda Pilot and went for a little drive with no real destination in mind.
We ended up pulling into this parking lot that apparently led into some small park full of red rock; it was hard to tell because we only had a couple flashlights and we were away from the city lights. So we took a little hike, even with Becca in her broken state of a walking boot. It ended up being a great decision as we climbed up just a little bit and looked out over the city.
Sunday morning all seven us were up and ready to go in enough time to make it to 11 o'clock church; this is what we planned to do so it was great. After that we went to the St. George temple and visitors' center. It was a lovely way to spend our Sunday afternoon and it was such a beautiful, sunny day.
The best thing to occur as we prepared dinner was the "dare" given to Ben by Nathan. He handed Ben half a head of garlic and said, "I'll give you a dollar if you eat that." And without hesitating, Ben popped that garlic into his mouth and started chewing despite great protest from Becca and me. While Becca was protesting the actual eating of the garlic, I yelled at Ben for doing such a thing for only a dollar; such a challenge was worth way more than that. He chewed that garlic for quite some time before it began burning his mouth and throat and he had to spit it out. Then he brushed his teeth a fair few times and according to him at least the first time he did it he "couldn't taste the toothpaste."
The rest of the dinner preparation went swimmingly and we sat down to a wonderful looking meal around 4 o'clock. Nathan did a marvelous job with the grilling and the boys' marinade turned out great, despite the fact that it had the most random of ingredients. We knew the food was good because we talked so little during that meal.
Following dinner it was time for another bike ride to disc golf. After all, Ben and Becca hadn't gone with us the day before. The teams were Nathan, Erica and Becca; Ben and Trent; Wee Nathan and myself. We were generally pretty even through all the holes until the last three of the second round we played. Wee Nathan and I dominated those last three holes. He threw off first, getting somewhat close to the holes but not close enough to be considered actual putting distance. From well over ten feet away on each of those holes I absolutely nailed it. It was kind of funny considering how at the beginning of the games I was quite vocal about how disc golf always frustrated me and I never could throw accurately. Then somehow I always managed to turn things around and throw the discs perfectly. When we got home Nathan (pictured below as the disc model) said he never wanted to play with me again unless I was on his team.
 |
| Nathan: America's Next Top Disc Model |
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| Ben can fly |
|
| Disc golf pro, broken foot and all |
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| The only way to pose as champions |
 |
| Look for us in your next edition of Disc Golf Monthly |
And so came Monday, the day we had to return to cold and wintry Provo. Breakfast was once again french toast, this time made primarily by Becca. It was a pretty slow morning; everyone sort of lounged around and relaxed before our 3ish hour trek back to the more northern quadrant of Utah.
Once we'd all had our share of delicious, sugary french toast, we cleaned up the house. That didn't take long with seven of us working together. The final activity of the trip was writing in the house's journal. Anyone who stays there is supposed to write about whatever they did, a pretty neat thing really. Nathan gave me the job of writing what we did since I'm quite talented with putting words together, or so I'm told. I made everyone sign their names at the bottom of our entry and then it was time to go.
The drive back was a bit melancholy, mostly because we watched the temperature drop over and over. Our days of sunshine and 50 degree weather were gone before we knew it. The farther north we drove the sadder I became that it would be months before I could wear my Chacos again. That was one of those little things that made me incredibly happy: wearing Chacos in January. Hopefully whatever my friends and I do over the next three day weekend will be conducive to wearing sandals. It was quite the weekend and I'm sure glad my friends dragged me along. While this post is particularly long, I haven't even mentioned most of the stuff that really made us laugh, the stuff we'll always remember. There's just some stuff that doesn't need to be written about, the kind of stuff that just had to be experienced and will always be remembered.
And so that was my three day weekend. It's hard to believe that a week ago today I was lounging around a beautiful house in St. George. The first three weeks of school have absolutely flown by. Once again the semester hasn't been anything like I expected it to be, as if they ever are, though this one has been especially surprising. Despite all the unexpected events, none of it has exactly been blog-worthy. It's already the end of January and I'm finally posting for 2013! I figure the fact that this post is especially long makes up for that, right?
I'll make sure to do better.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Chick-Fil-A-athon
Thursday morning I returned from yet another glorious trip to the potato state of Idaho. Though this trip, like all the others I've taken there, had nothing to do with potatoes. This one was all about chicken. Free chicken. For an entire year. This is the story of how 17 friends and myself earned over $5000 worth of Chick-Fil-A.
Tuesday night around 9:00 we got in a fully-packed van courtesy of Ryan's family and hit the road. "We" being Becca, Lorraine, Taylor, Jennie, Ryan and myself. (The rest of the VPLCT, so 12 other people, had already left for Kirk and Kyle's house, eventually arriving there well over an hour before the rest of us.) With Ryan as our driver, we made a quick stop at his home to pick up another van, one that would actually make it to Idaho with no problems. Following this quick re-pack, all that was left was getting to the twins' home. The trip went perfectly, the only hitch being the fact that we arrived at three in the morning and had to wake up that same day around five.
The first thing I heard Wednesday morning just after five? My friend Cameron speaking in a Russian accent. Cameron is not Russian. The first thing I saw? Cameron's bearded face mere inches from my own as he rolled on top of me, pinning me to the ground. He said some things I don't quite remember now but I'm sure they were wonderful to hear so dark and early in the morning. After such lovely wake-up calls, the 18(!) of us slowly made our way to the two vans & one small SUV that would serve as transport to the Chick-Fil-A in Meridian.
We arrived about ten minutes before six, getting in line behind about 30 other people. We knew from the moment we pulled into the parking lot that all 18 of us would be receiving a year's worth of free Chick-Fil-A. All we had to do was stay in the parking lot for 24 hours.
Immediately after getting our numbered wristbands (I was 38), Ryan did the math on how much free food we would be consuming over the next year or so: $5606.64.
So we unpacked our three tents, one for the men, one for the women and one for entertainment purposes (yes, you did indeed read that right), and set up camp in the parking lot. This is what we're experts at, camping in parking lots. We are, after all, the Varsity Parking Lot Camping Team. No other group even came close to matching ours in number. No other group came even close to matching the amount of stuff we brought either: two 8-10 person tents & 1 four or five person tent; countless blankets, at least one sleeping bag per person and possibly two for some, plenty of pillows, a seemingly infinite number of air mattresses; an armful or two of camping chairs; duffel bags and backpacks galore, at least four hefty-looking science textbooks; somewhere around nine laptops, two phones serving as wireless hot spots, one 32" television, one Xbox 360 and a handful of games; random snacks including pretzels, gummy bears, granola bars & Oreos; two decks of cards; an immense number of hats, gloves, coats, hoodies, jackets & other sweatshirts, three heaters, a big box of hand and foot warmers . . . And the crazy thing is I'm pretty sure I could go on.
I'm sure many of you are wondering what you do in a parking lot for 24 hours. Well, we slept, ate free food (Chick-Fil-A provided us with breakfast, lunch, dinner and a nighttime snack), played video games, studied/did homework, sat around talking, won a stuffed cow in a scavenger hunt, played cards, created multiple cuddle puddles/huddles and just bummed around in general.
My favorite part of Wednesday was probably hanging out in the boys' tent playing cards with Peter, Kyle, Trent, Ben and Alex. We played scum, a game I quickly came to realize my friend's at home call "French boys" because they learned it from some family friends who were, you guessed it, French. I'm not terrible at scum, nor am I great at it, but that didn't really matter. Mostly I just enjoyed sitting in a warm tent with some great people while it softly rained outside. (I hope the sentiment is cheesy enough for you.) The thing about Peter, Kyle, Trent and Ben, besides the fact that they're all really, really ridiculously good-looking, is that they're all really good friends, which means playing simple card games gets competitive; they know each other's strengths and weaknesses and definitely don't mind spiting each other every now and then in trivial games. I like to think I kept my cool, unlike them at times, but Becca will attest to the fact that some of my "red was showing." (This is an allusion to the Hartman color code personality test.) At one point Ben put down what were supposedly two 6s and proceeded to run out of cards before me. However, what he really put down were a 6 and a 9. When I noticed this, conversation got slightly heated, at least on my part. I really am not a sore loser; that is, until I lose because of an opponent's error and due to no fault of my own. Ben, of course, was apologetic and admitted quickly to his honest mistake. I don't think any of the boys were surprised by my competitive actions on account of how I've definitely tried to push at least one of them from out of some bushes or out from behind a wall during night games at least twice. (Luckily Kyle has always been forgiving of such actions.) It was also interesting to think about what I would've been doing had we not been in Idaho. At the time we started the first round of scum, I'm pretty sure I would've been about halfway done with my feature writing class. While I love that class quite a bit, I feel pretty certain in saying I was enjoying myself much more in that tent.
One thing I haven't yet mentioned about our group is the jerseys. Yes, we all have matching t-shirts. They were of Ryan's design and turned out fantastic. Both workers and campers alike were impressed with our tangible display of unity.
Wednesday night was filled with cookies and milk, chatting around the large propane fueled heaters outside and, come sleeping time, snuggling. The girls' tent, for whatever reason, was a lot colder than the guys' from the very beginning. There wasn't much anyone could do to remedy the situation apart from hunkering down under as many jackets and blankets that we could find. As someone who loves cold weather, I felt very prepared with my hat, gloves, thermal socks, Under Armour, flannel, track jacket, hoodie and thick fleece jacket. I never ended up wearing more than one jacket or sweatshirt at a time thankfully. Hunkering down in my sleeping bag Wednesday night was wonderful. So many of my friends from the trip definitely did not feel the same way about the cold, but so be it.
Thursday we were awoken around 5:15. It was time to get in line for the final wristband check and then receive our coupons! We waited around outside for far too long before being let into the store to receive our boxes of coupons. Workers were clanging pots and pans and shaking cowbells as some guy in a suit handed each of us our ribbon-wrapped chicken nugget boxes and shook our hands. It was like graduation all over again. All that was left was to pack up. This took a while on account of how we had so much stuff but we were plenty efficient. We took one final picture in front of the store and then we were out of there.
The drive home was completely uneventful. The most exciting part was probably driving into Utah Valley and into snow. Yes, it snowed in Provo but not in Boise. That was pretty great to find out. We arrived back around 12:30 or 12:45, leaving just enough time for me to shower and get to my 1:35 class. My friends in the class and my professor were all duly impressed with my life story of the last two days.
It's sad to say but I do have one regret regarding this trip, and that is not taking any video. My Flip cam stayed safely nestled in my backpack the entire time. I could have had some absolutely golden footage. Then again, some of the things that happened, while it would've been nice to have filmed them, will live on in our memories. Sometimes it really is best to just experience things without recording them. That's the joy of living in the moment.
Tuesday night around 9:00 we got in a fully-packed van courtesy of Ryan's family and hit the road. "We" being Becca, Lorraine, Taylor, Jennie, Ryan and myself. (The rest of the VPLCT, so 12 other people, had already left for Kirk and Kyle's house, eventually arriving there well over an hour before the rest of us.) With Ryan as our driver, we made a quick stop at his home to pick up another van, one that would actually make it to Idaho with no problems. Following this quick re-pack, all that was left was getting to the twins' home. The trip went perfectly, the only hitch being the fact that we arrived at three in the morning and had to wake up that same day around five.
The first thing I heard Wednesday morning just after five? My friend Cameron speaking in a Russian accent. Cameron is not Russian. The first thing I saw? Cameron's bearded face mere inches from my own as he rolled on top of me, pinning me to the ground. He said some things I don't quite remember now but I'm sure they were wonderful to hear so dark and early in the morning. After such lovely wake-up calls, the 18(!) of us slowly made our way to the two vans & one small SUV that would serve as transport to the Chick-Fil-A in Meridian.
We arrived about ten minutes before six, getting in line behind about 30 other people. We knew from the moment we pulled into the parking lot that all 18 of us would be receiving a year's worth of free Chick-Fil-A. All we had to do was stay in the parking lot for 24 hours.
Immediately after getting our numbered wristbands (I was 38), Ryan did the math on how much free food we would be consuming over the next year or so: $5606.64.
So we unpacked our three tents, one for the men, one for the women and one for entertainment purposes (yes, you did indeed read that right), and set up camp in the parking lot. This is what we're experts at, camping in parking lots. We are, after all, the Varsity Parking Lot Camping Team. No other group even came close to matching ours in number. No other group came even close to matching the amount of stuff we brought either: two 8-10 person tents & 1 four or five person tent; countless blankets, at least one sleeping bag per person and possibly two for some, plenty of pillows, a seemingly infinite number of air mattresses; an armful or two of camping chairs; duffel bags and backpacks galore, at least four hefty-looking science textbooks; somewhere around nine laptops, two phones serving as wireless hot spots, one 32" television, one Xbox 360 and a handful of games; random snacks including pretzels, gummy bears, granola bars & Oreos; two decks of cards; an immense number of hats, gloves, coats, hoodies, jackets & other sweatshirts, three heaters, a big box of hand and foot warmers . . . And the crazy thing is I'm pretty sure I could go on.
One thing I haven't yet mentioned about our group is the jerseys. Yes, we all have matching t-shirts. They were of Ryan's design and turned out fantastic. Both workers and campers alike were impressed with our tangible display of unity.
Wednesday night was filled with cookies and milk, chatting around the large propane fueled heaters outside and, come sleeping time, snuggling. The girls' tent, for whatever reason, was a lot colder than the guys' from the very beginning. There wasn't much anyone could do to remedy the situation apart from hunkering down under as many jackets and blankets that we could find. As someone who loves cold weather, I felt very prepared with my hat, gloves, thermal socks, Under Armour, flannel, track jacket, hoodie and thick fleece jacket. I never ended up wearing more than one jacket or sweatshirt at a time thankfully. Hunkering down in my sleeping bag Wednesday night was wonderful. So many of my friends from the trip definitely did not feel the same way about the cold, but so be it.
Thursday we were awoken around 5:15. It was time to get in line for the final wristband check and then receive our coupons! We waited around outside for far too long before being let into the store to receive our boxes of coupons. Workers were clanging pots and pans and shaking cowbells as some guy in a suit handed each of us our ribbon-wrapped chicken nugget boxes and shook our hands. It was like graduation all over again. All that was left was to pack up. This took a while on account of how we had so much stuff but we were plenty efficient. We took one final picture in front of the store and then we were out of there.
The drive home was completely uneventful. The most exciting part was probably driving into Utah Valley and into snow. Yes, it snowed in Provo but not in Boise. That was pretty great to find out. We arrived back around 12:30 or 12:45, leaving just enough time for me to shower and get to my 1:35 class. My friends in the class and my professor were all duly impressed with my life story of the last two days.
It's sad to say but I do have one regret regarding this trip, and that is not taking any video. My Flip cam stayed safely nestled in my backpack the entire time. I could have had some absolutely golden footage. Then again, some of the things that happened, while it would've been nice to have filmed them, will live on in our memories. Sometimes it really is best to just experience things without recording them. That's the joy of living in the moment.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Meteor Showering
Saturday night Becca got a text message from one of our dear friends at the Lava Lounge. They were all meeting up at midnight to go up the canyon somewhere and watch a meteor shower. How could we miss such an opportunity? We put on our warm clothes, well, I did; Becca doesn't have quite the cold weather apparel like I do.
Then it was time to cram 11 twenty-somethings into three small cars. Luckily, fitting snugly into cars is a talent all college students master and appreciate. I was fortunate enough to get the backseat, in the middle, with my feet on the hump, sitting between two guys who are probably both at least five inches taller than me. As we drove up the canyon, the boys sang along to great songs like "Bleeding Out" by Imagine Dragons, and not-so-great songs like "Payphone" by Maroon 5. (I learned my friend Kyle loves "Payphone." Though I'm not a fan of that song, it made me love him just a little bit more because what 23 year-old guy will honestly and openly admit he enjoys a song like that?)
When we arrived to this random parking lot up some mountainside near Provo Canyon, it was time for a five minute hike up a wide dirt path . Normally such a thing wouldn't be a huge deal. When only two people of 11 have flashlights, though, things get a little tricky. One boy, Kirk, had a Surefire so that was exciting, at least to me. The moment he turned it on and pointed it at the sky I knew what it was. He seemed impressed that I knew exactly what type of flashlight it was too.
At the end of the dirt path was a field/meadow type place. Since it was dark I'm not exactly certain what one would call it. We put down our tarps and blankets and settled in for an hour or so of meteor watching. I love stars quite a bit, so even if we hadn't seen a single meteor I would've been super happy with the situation. At home you can see a fair amount of stars, especially compared to where I live in Utah. Going out, away from the city, is one of my favorite things to do here because you can see so few stars from where I usually am. Actually seeing the Milky Way? It never gets old. Seeing it with a bunch of awesome people? The experience was made even better. We just laughed and talked practically the whole time. There were times we tried to be quiet and completely still but they didn't last long. We're not exactly a quiet group of people. At one point we started naming all of the 150 Pokemon we could remember. That ended up with some pretty hilarious and possibly slightly inappropriate jokes about the attacks certain Pokemon use.
Senior year has been filled with some incredibly fun times, but this spontaneous trip up the canyon is perhaps one of my favorite moments of the school year thus far. We'll see how it compares to the Idaho trip I'm taking just later tonight. The same group of people from the Lava Lounge are going to get free Chik-Fil-A for a year by camping out in the parking of the new one opening in Boise. The Varsity Parking Lot Camping Team is in for a great couple of days.
Last YouTube video I watched: Fresh Guacamole
Then it was time to cram 11 twenty-somethings into three small cars. Luckily, fitting snugly into cars is a talent all college students master and appreciate. I was fortunate enough to get the backseat, in the middle, with my feet on the hump, sitting between two guys who are probably both at least five inches taller than me. As we drove up the canyon, the boys sang along to great songs like "Bleeding Out" by Imagine Dragons, and not-so-great songs like "Payphone" by Maroon 5. (I learned my friend Kyle loves "Payphone." Though I'm not a fan of that song, it made me love him just a little bit more because what 23 year-old guy will honestly and openly admit he enjoys a song like that?)
When we arrived to this random parking lot up some mountainside near Provo Canyon, it was time for a five minute hike up a wide dirt path . Normally such a thing wouldn't be a huge deal. When only two people of 11 have flashlights, though, things get a little tricky. One boy, Kirk, had a Surefire so that was exciting, at least to me. The moment he turned it on and pointed it at the sky I knew what it was. He seemed impressed that I knew exactly what type of flashlight it was too.
At the end of the dirt path was a field/meadow type place. Since it was dark I'm not exactly certain what one would call it. We put down our tarps and blankets and settled in for an hour or so of meteor watching. I love stars quite a bit, so even if we hadn't seen a single meteor I would've been super happy with the situation. At home you can see a fair amount of stars, especially compared to where I live in Utah. Going out, away from the city, is one of my favorite things to do here because you can see so few stars from where I usually am. Actually seeing the Milky Way? It never gets old. Seeing it with a bunch of awesome people? The experience was made even better. We just laughed and talked practically the whole time. There were times we tried to be quiet and completely still but they didn't last long. We're not exactly a quiet group of people. At one point we started naming all of the 150 Pokemon we could remember. That ended up with some pretty hilarious and possibly slightly inappropriate jokes about the attacks certain Pokemon use.
Senior year has been filled with some incredibly fun times, but this spontaneous trip up the canyon is perhaps one of my favorite moments of the school year thus far. We'll see how it compares to the Idaho trip I'm taking just later tonight. The same group of people from the Lava Lounge are going to get free Chik-Fil-A for a year by camping out in the parking of the new one opening in Boise. The Varsity Parking Lot Camping Team is in for a great couple of days.
Last YouTube video I watched: Fresh Guacamole
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Three films
My all-time favorite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, to which most people say, "Really?" Yes, really. I wish I remembered the first time I ever saw it, but alas. All I know is that my dad, my brother and I all watched it together. Everyone always quotes "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" but that's not even a quote I use from the movie. I realize every time I watch it how some of my mannerisms and sayings actually came from it as well. The number of times I've said to someone Ferris Bueller you're my hero? Countless. The number of times I've called someone a heartless wench? Too many.
Another movie I'm rather fond of is Toy Story. I remember seeing the 1st two in theatres with my family. And I saw the third one w/ Margaret right after she graduated from high school. When that third one ended, a part of my childhood ended as well, though officially I say my childhood ended when the last Harry Potter movie came out because I don't think anything else affected me more growing up than that boy wizard. I think what I love most about Toy Story is the fact that it's still funny even now that I'm, well, an adult. There are jokes in those movies for adults, which seems to happen with Pixar movies especially. If my love of those films is ever in doubt, I'll just show people how happy I look wearing a Buzz Lightyear hoodie.
Another movie I'm rather fond of is Toy Story. I remember seeing the 1st two in theatres with my family. And I saw the third one w/ Margaret right after she graduated from high school. When that third one ended, a part of my childhood ended as well, though officially I say my childhood ended when the last Harry Potter movie came out because I don't think anything else affected me more growing up than that boy wizard. I think what I love most about Toy Story is the fact that it's still funny even now that I'm, well, an adult. There are jokes in those movies for adults, which seems to happen with Pixar movies especially. If my love of those films is ever in doubt, I'll just show people how happy I look wearing a Buzz Lightyear hoodie.
So my third film to share is called Hottie Boomba Lottie. The Lava Lounge introduced my roommates and I to this hilarious, awkward romantic comedy. Since the beginning of the school year, I've seen this movie five times. School has only been in session for about eight weeks. And this coming week I'm sure to see it again, I can just tell. My roommates and I quote it every single day and hum/sing/whistle songs from the soundtrack all the time. It's not even an easy movie to explain, mostly because it's not particularly good; it's just incredibly great for quoting. Basically, there's a boy who likes a popular girl and another normal/nice girl who likes him. That makes it sound like a typical romantic comedy but it is anything but. I suggest you all check it out on Netflix Instant Streaming. I can't guarantee you'll find it as funny as we do but hopefully you find something in it to laugh at.
Last YouTube video I watched: Rock, Paper, Scissors . . . Wax
Sunday, September 16, 2012
#VPLCT
VPLCT. More commonly known as the Varsity Parking Lot Camping Team. It's a thing I'm now a part of. What does this "team" do exactly?
We camp. In parking lots. And we're varsity because we're so good at it.
Friday night the VPLCT camped on the sidewalk outside of the Wilk. What was so important that we needed to pitch a tent on cement? The lost and found sale. Every year once the lost and found is overrun with all sorts of items they sell it back to the students at insanely low prices.
This was my first lost and found sale and my first VPLCT event but it sure won't be my last.
Becca and I arrived on the scene around 7:30 or 8:00 at night. Ryan had already been there since 2:00 in the afternoon. Yes, that's right, 2 pm: as in SEVENTEEN hours before the sale actually began. For most of the evening we sat around in camp chairs and on blankets, eating cookies, playing games, singing songs on occasion. No one else showed up to camp until 11:00.
The real fun came when it was time to set up The Duchess, also known as the VPLCT's latest sleeping structure/tent. (The previous tent was Gigantor.) The Duchess is a "ten person" tent. I put that in quotes because we're not fooling anybody: you can fit way more than ten people in that tent. We sure did.
We camp. In parking lots. And we're varsity because we're so good at it.
Friday night the VPLCT camped on the sidewalk outside of the Wilk. What was so important that we needed to pitch a tent on cement? The lost and found sale. Every year once the lost and found is overrun with all sorts of items they sell it back to the students at insanely low prices.
This was my first lost and found sale and my first VPLCT event but it sure won't be my last.
Becca and I arrived on the scene around 7:30 or 8:00 at night. Ryan had already been there since 2:00 in the afternoon. Yes, that's right, 2 pm: as in SEVENTEEN hours before the sale actually began. For most of the evening we sat around in camp chairs and on blankets, eating cookies, playing games, singing songs on occasion. No one else showed up to camp until 11:00.
The real fun came when it was time to set up The Duchess, also known as the VPLCT's latest sleeping structure/tent. (The previous tent was Gigantor.) The Duchess is a "ten person" tent. I put that in quotes because we're not fooling anybody: you can fit way more than ten people in that tent. We sure did.
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| This isn't even everyone... |
We watched a movie and then hunkered down for the night. And by "for the night" I really mean for three hours. We went to bed around 2:30 and work up sometime around 5:30. Interesting things happen when you get only 3 hours of sleep, the most exciting thing being lots of things are way funnier than they would be otherwise. I was finally woken up by people quoting Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Don't get me wrong, I love Dr. Horrible, but the jokes they were re-telling shouldn't have been as funny as everyone made them out to be on that early morning. The doors to the Wilk opened at six, at which time we migrated into the building and lounged around on linoleum floors. An hour later we were let into a "holding room" of sorts. This room had a brick-like floor, pretty cement-like as well. (I'd venture to say it was the least comfortable floor of them all.)
The VPLCT means serious business. We literally huddled up and created a game plan. All this ground-lounging was worth it. We were the first to go through the doors at the sale. And what sorts of things do you find at a collegiate lost and found sale? EVERYTHING. Shirts, jackets, pants, shoes, electronics of all kinds, jewelry, water bottles, sunglasses, etc. People lose a lot of stuff.
So what's the point of it all? I spent all night on campus. In a tent. With people I've come to know pretty well in the past year or so. The point of this for me was not the cheap stuff. I mean, it didn't hurt to get headphones and sunglasses for 50 cents, but the point of camping out for a sale of lost belongings was the fact that I'll never get to do stuff like it again.
This is senior year (technically). Senior year means doing crazy stuff with crazy people.
Last YouTube video I watched: How to get someone to like you
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Thoughts on running & senior year
As I went for a 3 mile run this afternoon I kept coming back to the same thought: no one knows how far I've gone or how much I have left. All they know is I'm running. Running outside makes people self-conscious sometimes, me included. It's not like everyone or even anyone out and about is paying attention to the runners. No one else cares that I walked for a while. No one else cares that I'm breathing hard after only a short distance. For all they know I'm on mile 10 or 15 of my run.
I've yet to genuinely enjoy running but today I think I almost got to that point. Last night as I was walking home from a birthday party (more on that later) I stopped and talked w/ one of my new friends. We've lived across the street from each other since last fall but probably only talked twice in a year's time. In the last week or so we've been getting to know each other quite a bit. So this kid, Kyle, was just walking around and cooling off after his night run. He and I have talked about running a few times since he knows I'm doing 150 miles in this semester. He described his night run as basically something he needed to do, not because he's necessarily trying to be fit or healthy, though both those things are advantages of running, but because it just feels nice to go for a run at night. I really am trying to get to the point where running is just a thing I do because it's, well, nice.
Kyle and I talked about a lot of other things besides running too, things like peanut butter, dinner parties we're going to have and stealing apples.
So as far as senior year is concerned, these first three weeks of school have been fantastic. I'm getting all my homework done and I'm not overwhelmed whatsoever; I'm having fun in my classes, whether that be learning how to do HTML or talking about writing; I'm hanging out with all sorts of awesome people nearly every night and making plans for crazy trips; I'm enjoying my job.
Take last night for example: I got done with class at 6:30. I then went to a pizza party with tons of homemade thin crust pizza. After that I did some homework until a boy came over to say we were bringing the birthday cake Becca had made to Ryan, whose birthday it was, on campus since he had tons of homework to do. There were ten of us that got into two cars and drove to campus. We subsequently walked around, like, three or four floors of this building where Ryan was supposed to be. Turns out he actually went home and we just missed him, though he had no idea we had a cake for him. So back to the Lava Lounge we went to surprise Ryan with his cake. We sang, we danced, we ate cake, we laughed, we hugged.
Besides the cake-eating, the singing, dancing, laughing and hugging have happened nearly every night since last Friday, possibly even the Friday before that. And those things won't stop anytime soon either. Tomorrow night we're going on a little camping trip, though a very unorthodox one I'll be sure to blog about. And then in October there's a little trip to Boise planned, a trip I'm not totally sold on yet but the Lava Lounge kids are working pretty hard to convince me to go along. I said in my last post that life was perfect just in ways I never expected and that seems to be truer every day.
All in all, Shaytember is going fantastically. I haven't missed a day of writing 10 things that made me happy, I've run 3 miles once and, well, the making a video every week has been pretty lame. I've filmed stuff and it's partially edited, I just need to finish . . . Oh, and my fourth goal, the secret one, is my favorite of them all thus far.
Basically, being a senior is quality.
Last YouTube video I watched: Birthday Party Battle Plan
I've yet to genuinely enjoy running but today I think I almost got to that point. Last night as I was walking home from a birthday party (more on that later) I stopped and talked w/ one of my new friends. We've lived across the street from each other since last fall but probably only talked twice in a year's time. In the last week or so we've been getting to know each other quite a bit. So this kid, Kyle, was just walking around and cooling off after his night run. He and I have talked about running a few times since he knows I'm doing 150 miles in this semester. He described his night run as basically something he needed to do, not because he's necessarily trying to be fit or healthy, though both those things are advantages of running, but because it just feels nice to go for a run at night. I really am trying to get to the point where running is just a thing I do because it's, well, nice.
Kyle and I talked about a lot of other things besides running too, things like peanut butter, dinner parties we're going to have and stealing apples.
So as far as senior year is concerned, these first three weeks of school have been fantastic. I'm getting all my homework done and I'm not overwhelmed whatsoever; I'm having fun in my classes, whether that be learning how to do HTML or talking about writing; I'm hanging out with all sorts of awesome people nearly every night and making plans for crazy trips; I'm enjoying my job.
Take last night for example: I got done with class at 6:30. I then went to a pizza party with tons of homemade thin crust pizza. After that I did some homework until a boy came over to say we were bringing the birthday cake Becca had made to Ryan, whose birthday it was, on campus since he had tons of homework to do. There were ten of us that got into two cars and drove to campus. We subsequently walked around, like, three or four floors of this building where Ryan was supposed to be. Turns out he actually went home and we just missed him, though he had no idea we had a cake for him. So back to the Lava Lounge we went to surprise Ryan with his cake. We sang, we danced, we ate cake, we laughed, we hugged.
Besides the cake-eating, the singing, dancing, laughing and hugging have happened nearly every night since last Friday, possibly even the Friday before that. And those things won't stop anytime soon either. Tomorrow night we're going on a little camping trip, though a very unorthodox one I'll be sure to blog about. And then in October there's a little trip to Boise planned, a trip I'm not totally sold on yet but the Lava Lounge kids are working pretty hard to convince me to go along. I said in my last post that life was perfect just in ways I never expected and that seems to be truer every day.
All in all, Shaytember is going fantastically. I haven't missed a day of writing 10 things that made me happy, I've run 3 miles once and, well, the making a video every week has been pretty lame. I've filmed stuff and it's partially edited, I just need to finish . . . Oh, and my fourth goal, the secret one, is my favorite of them all thus far.
Basically, being a senior is quality.
Last YouTube video I watched: Birthday Party Battle Plan
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