chappy

i get kind of nervous, or maybe intimidated. everyone glances at you when you walk in. the system makes me feel dumb, and its just not cozy.
my friend melissa chapman, better known as chappy, would beg to differ with me. she gets excited, welcomes the glances and the challenge. the library is one of her favorite places on campus.
dont get me wrong. i love books and i love places like Barnes and Knoble and Borders or libraries that i am familiar with or that are better lit i think. but i am just not a fan of the Anne Gabriel Library at my beloved CBU.
but yesterday, mel went with me, giving me tips and help the entire time. "walk like you own the place" she wispered under a grin as she strutted up the stairs. and if you know melissa chapman, she is "happy chappy" and when she is passionate about something you know it. well she is passionate about that library i tell ya. she just runs around with numbers and finds all sorts of little treasures hidden on those shelves.
the best part, though, was when we were checking out and a very goodlooking, but friendly, boy was waiting beside us. you know those glances i talked about that make me insecure, well she was flashing a few his way. well that friendly smile and those big brown eyes called her out. the confidence that moved her little hips up the stairs earlier drained right out of her. i had to smile because, of course, she did her typical laugh, played it off as nothing, and o dear, somehow mel seems to always take the awkwardness out of the extremely awkward situations she can get herself into (another prime example would be the combination of her, a bike, stairs, a jamba, and a baseball boy).
i dont think i mind the library as much any more, but like most things, its better with a friend.

blurr

well im back safe and sound. i think i got back into the swing of things pretty well. i didnt have much time to process the break since i got back from the air port five minutes after the class i had to go to was supposed to start. luckily i made it in time to sign in , but was extremely hot, as i was dressed for utah weather but had no time to change. after talking with my sis tonight i realized that i didnt even experience the half of it, as there is currently a "blizzard" according to her fabulous, educated diagnosis.
its good to be back though. mostly because i missed the people. but as i sat in class yesterday, i realized how much of a blurr it was. it was such a quick break-- short enough that i got to say hello to everyone but not really get quality normal time, and long enough to be re-aquainted with everything and feel so comfortable with that place. being back in philosophy class, with the prof listing away dates of tests and homework, made me feel like the break was such a blur, like it did not even happen. its just something you talk about. its the second thing that you inquire about on monday after asking people, "how are you doing."

having two homes is kind of like being in a movie. its like i play two roles, but the people that i love only see my play in one of those roles. i live in this fairytale life with palm trees, class, football and friends, which no one at home has experienced or seen me experience. then there is the magical life of mountains, stars, snow, family and friends that i try so hard to explain to people here. neither place can be sufficiently explained. not sure how i feel about that... if i figure it out ill blog it though... heh.

for now ill just show you a few pics of the Utah home.
the view (from my back porch) and the friends on saturday
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the mountains and the mom on sunday

home

its weird. i miss utah a ton when i am in california. and especially the last few days before coming home, i was super excited to see it and those who live in it. then the day before i left, and right as i drove up to O town in 38 degree weather, i realized how much i really like my school and the people who live there. this was evident by the fact that on that drive, i talked to or text messaged probably five people from school. i knew i liked it there, but now i would dare say love...
i called school "home" today, and my mom promtly corrected me saying that this was home (this being the place that i am sitting right now). This is home. this will always be home. i love that i can come here and everything is comepletely comfortable and i dont even feel like i have been gone for 3 months. its weird being home at the same time though because of that other place where i have spent my time for the last few months and will hopefully for quite a few more.
Nonetheless, being here is amazing. no flip flops in the shower, a beautiful soft bed in a room that is completely dark and music free when i sleep, a mother to wake me up and cook with, and fantabulous friends and family to spend time with.
Thanksgiving was great, and the food was soooo delicious. i have much to be thankful for.

deep breaths

deep breaths kill butterflys, but i have not found the solution to prohibit their return. i have had them dancing in my stomach numerous times this past week. i had them before my speech last friday that i did not prepare for very well because i was so consumed with football and everything but school (im sure i did fine though...)
Arizona was amazing, but ill admit it got a bit nerve-racking at times, so the butterflys were fluttering out of control. i had to remind myself to inhale.
i had them at 9:05 yesterday, when i was still printing my paper that i stayed up till 3 in the am finishing for my 9:00 class.
again at 10:00 when i walked outside into the beautiful warm sun and was greeted by hugs from bunches of amazing people, and i realized how much i love it here.
an now, as i sit in class. i am going home today. Utah here i come.
breath deep.

obsessed

wow, i cant believe i have not updated since last Tuesday! my roommate says i am blog obsessed. i guess i was obsessed with so many other things this past week that i did not have time for the blog. well basically, i had a ton a ton going on last week, and consequently slightly emotional, which is never the best combo in the world. i had tons of homework, Bible studies, football practices and there were still people that i wanted to spend time with. sadly, i did not get nearly as much homework done as i wanted, and as much as there are numerous people i want to invest my time in, i do such a poor job every week. boo on me. i am sorry if you are one of those who kind of got the shaft. know that i love you and am praying for you, and i can say that because i know all the people who read this.
the weekend was amazing though. we did not win the championship game, but we played really well. my team was made up of amazing girls and coaches. pictures will be posted at a later date when i dont still have a paper to finish.
p.s.
i cant wait to come home! technically i get to come home tomorrow. yipee!!!

there's a trick

so i am writing a persuasive speech about living on campus, and i have numerous points about why living on campus will enhance people's college experience. naturally, this speech applies mostly to people at my school, so i decided to interview friends who have commuted and now live on campus as well as talk about some of my favorite parts about living on campus.
one of the little perks, in my opinion, is the availability of the pinapple. every day in the cafeteria, they have beautiful half-mooned slices of juicy pinapple.
but there is a trick to having it each and every day. first, you have to eat in the caf every day, which thankfully our cafeteria is pretty impressive, so for now, i dont mind so much. but often, the pinapple is the first to go in the fruit tray, so many people sadly go sit down with out any on their tray. however, these people are giving up way to easily. almost every 20 minutes, someone changes the fruit tray, and i almost guarantee that if you go eat almost all of your food and get back up for the 1 minute walk back to the food area, you will not only get to see someone you know and flash a smile, but you will find that a new tray has been put out recently enough that there is still pinapple in it. however, should this method fail you, which it rarely will, you can likely sneak some pinapple out of the frig that has the sliding doors. and that is how it is done... that is how i touch each and every day with juicy, sweet joy.
i am not putting all of that in my speech, seeing as it is a persuasive speech, but had it been informative, im pretty sure i could have talked about pinapple for a while.

well this time its late

saturday i went to lunch at the caf with a friend, although i did not catch it on film. we went to a water-polo game and then attempted to work on homework. though i was semi-productive, it was all interrupted when we decided to go out to dinner at BJ's, which is a pizza place with barbecue chicken pizza that is heavenly.





but even more enjoyable are the pizzokie's, which are cookies that they bake in pizza pans and top with ice cream. i should have taken a picture of the food before we all ate it, but you get the idea.

Sunday i had a lovely sunday brunch with Andy and Tom, and can i tell you that i truly enjoy the caf on Sunday afternoons because we eat amazing food out on the patio and it is beautiful.
Then we had a long practice for football and a team dinner to go over everything for AZ. im getting really excited for the trip but i have so much to get finished before hand. eh, what's a girl to do?
Today was a Monday, basically uneventful.

early

well ive been getting to bed and getting up really early. football practice is actually really fun, but all of us are getting a bit tired. yesterday, we did not have chapel, but instead of doing homework, which i have tons of, i went over to apparment 35. a few of us had tea and kim and i layed on the floor and snuggled under a blanket. it was nice to just relax, which i didnt get to do all week and wont get to do until i come home for Thanksgiving.







another thing we did early, was start decorating for Christmas. we all took a Target run to grab lights and decorations, came home and put on some Christmas tunes. i wrapped Kinsley up in some lights, and then we proceeded to kill our thumbs by pushing zillions of tacs into the wall to hold up lights. It was slightly commical to me to see the snowflake lights we put up in the window of the appartment, along with the snowman statue that is now standing next to their television, seeing as the most precipitation we will ever see at school is some cool rain. But i was so tired last night that i once again refused to make the 3 minute walk back to the dorms and we just had a little sleep-over.

"pop"

thats what i did to my collar today. you got it, the california corruption is seeping through my veins.




matthew, i know you are probably reading this in disgust, but i want you to know that it is kind of exhilarating... you should try it some time since you are all daring and will jump out of planes and such.

beat that

blah blah blah you have a husband who takes you down to salt lake. ok, ill admit it, you probably have the better deal, but i am attempting to compete in the challenge anyway. (FYI: an amazing friend of mine challenged me and claire to a restaurant face-off).
time: 11 pm
destination: In-N-Out Burger




mission: burger and fries animal style and a chocolate shake... and a hat




Mission Accomplished:

congrats

i would just like to say congratulations to my little sister.
this evening, she proudly informed me that she had entered a coloring contest at our credit union and she won! so that lucky 16 year-old (with very impressive coloring skills aparently) is now ten dollars richer and has a certificate to adorn the refrigerator at home. well, sarah, i cant wait to see the frig (and eat out of it for that matter) and maybe you can take this poor college student out when you get home!
heh, i love my sister. a few weeks ago, she sent me this picture of the hill leading to my house, along with many others with fall themes, because im missing the beautiful fall colors.





and the other day, she called just to make me guess what was on her hand. guess... snow. i love snow and i love that she knows i love snow and will call me to tell me that it still exists. and even though we will probably fight over the car when i get home, im still super excited to see her.

i would go on strike

today we were doing truth tables in philosophy class, and yes, they are as boring and as simple as they sound. anyway, they actually involve some math, and if you ever have to do a problem that involves the formula: 2^n when n= 5 dont do it. in fact, my teacher said that it would be too difficult and there are so many opportunities to mess up that it would be stupid of us to even try. "if someone asked me to do that, i would go on strike," he said.
well right now i wish i could go on strike. i am not sure it is possible for me to do everything i have committed to, and there are so many chances for me to mess up that i kind of am considering this whole "strike" thing.
ok, ok, mom. stop worrying. i am not going to quit. i am actually just being a whiner. but i think i explained that our football team is going to Arizona not this weekend but the next for a tournament. it will be really fun, but there are lots of new rules which means lots of practice. and what do you know... the only time of day no one has anything scheduled is 6:30 in the morn. so Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays i am up and on the front lawn running. it was actually really pretty today because it looked like the mist had spend the night on the lawn and was waking up at about the same time we were. it was just hovering over the grass. the very wet grass. the grass that we had to run in because the defensive coach actually made us run. and the grass was still wet a bit later when i fell diving for a flag.
well not to mention the fact that that is early, i have intermural volleyball games on Tuesday and Thursday nights that begin anywhere from 10:30-11:15 at night. what do they think we are? young college students full of life and adrenaline? well i wish i was one of those but i think its impossible with the two sports, a job and classes... classes with big projects.
and that is why i want to go on strike. and i really really am excited for Thanksgiving break. but i wont quit, and i love it here.
and that is all for now.

well at least he sounded 50

some of you may know him. He is a great guy, smooth with words, is an avid Kelly Clarkson fan and has been known to unabashedly pop the collar.
well we do live in the same places year round now, and yet, we rarely are able to talk for more than 5 mintues, which is a result of busy schedules on both parts. tonight, though, i stole sprite and two cookies from the cafeteria and took them to his place for a little visit. it was nice to just sit down and chat for a while. he is an impressive and encouraging person. and that is about as much as i am going to say, on account that i do not want to make his head too big. but i owe alot of my security and "social success" here at school to him. one more thing i will give credit to was his comment, "I am learning more and more how much i have to learn." i thought it was quite quotable and respectable.
heh, later on i went to a basketball game, wearing a sweat shirt and jeans, and guess who showed up with his collared shirt under a nice blue sweater topped off with a tan blazer. yes he did. i was sitting with sarah, who is one of his closet friends ( an exremely genuine, sweet, godly woman), and i am pretty sure we were much more entertained by our witty comments about his outfit than we were by the actual game. it all started when i asked when his 50th birthday was. he replied with something about how i should just keep playing with my crayola crayons.
o im having some good times... really, im getting chances to color whatever i want.
heck, i love my crayons.

fishy fishy

erika, shannon, me, aimee, krista and nicole-- we are poor, irresponsible, and easily entertainable students.
it was 11:30 at night, and were we in our rooms finishing our tests, writing our papers and reading our books? nope. we were not. instead we were in the lobby playing with our new fishies. we had two beta fish and quite a few little gold fish.
aimee was extremely attachted to the gold fish after about 4 minutes and nicole was ridiculously protective of her beta fish.


well we spent a good amount of time trying to get the beta fish to eat... but we didnt have any bits of fish food if you know what i mean.



it all turned out fine in the end. unexpectedly, the fish became friends and no harm was done (yet, heh heh) and we all finished our homework and made it to class or work this morning. granted i got about 4 hours of sleep, but i cant blame the fish for everything.

yup

yup, you got it. its 3 am, im still awake and its only monday.
at least it was basically worth it.
more details at another time.