Road Trip to Canada

Taylor, Bill, and I were having a conversation one night and Bill asked the question, "If you could live anywhere outside of the Utah, where would you live?"

Without skipping a beat, I reported with a "Canada."
Specifically, "Vancouver." (They have a temple there!)
Actually, I would just love to live anywhere in British Columbia.

True, The Olympics have been very influential in prompting me to say that, but I have considered it. I've thought about living there. Not any time soon, of course, but perhaps one day...when I retire...when I get out and see the world!

It's my dream. :)

So then Bill asked me why I hadn't been there. Which was a curious thought. I had no idea how long it would take to get to Vancouver! I mean, Washington is a 12 hour drive...a little more and I'd hit the Canadian border...gee! Why haven't I been there?

Bill has a handy dandy Blackberry. He promptly pulled up Google Maps and we found that from our location in Logan, Vancouver is a 15 hour and 16 minute drive. We zoomed in on Vancouver with the satellite view and I snatched up his phone. By dragging my finger across the touch screen, I was able to inch along and follow I-84 from Vancouver to Logan for the next 45 minutes or so. All the while, Bill and I talked about life.

Finally I reached Logan. And I putzed around in Logan for a good 10 minutes, before I started following I-15, which took me up through Idaho and Montana to the border. Sweet Grass, Montana -then bam- Coutts, Alberta. Straight through like that, I could be in Canada in the next 10 hours.

I need a passport.

So in a matter of an hour and a half, I was able to travel from Vancouver, to Logan, to Coutts by finger. It was a most beautiful trip. The terrain is blessedly green!

And then I was reunited with reality by the blaring beep of Bill's phone indicating that the battery was nearly dead. Harsh wake-up call from a splendid "road trip" and splendid conversation.

One day...Oh Canada!

Flyer Me

We moved in. That first Sunday, Taylor and I were invited over to play some games at the Three Will's and Jared's apartment. We introduced ourselves and talked about our majors. I, as you know, am going into Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design. Taylor is a Pre-Pharmacy student. We then proceeded to have a lovely time playing the "I Have Never..." game, and "Baby I Love Ya, But I Just Can't Smile."

By the end of the night, we all felt really close, and Taylor and I felt completely accepted in the ward. :)

As we got up to leave, I was stopped by Will, who whispered to me, "Do you like ballroom dance?" I responded by saying that I do, but I don't have any particular talent in it. Then he asked me some other questions relating to the topic. Apparently, Will is president of the ballroom dance club Dance United here at Utah State. And Loraine, who's former room Taylor and I have moved into, is vice president. I sat on the couch- Will staring me in the eye, and Loraine now sitting on the floor near him. Everyone was now listening to our conversation. Will asked me if I would be interested in becoming the graphic designer for the club. Every doubt I've ever had in my abilities started seeping into my mind, but how could I say no?

I'm just barely getting into my program, and have never actually used Photoshop in my life. Come this Fall, I'd be ready to go (I'm taking a Computers and Art class), but as of that moment - I felt inept. I explained this to Will, but he persisted. They wouldn't be able to pay me for the work I'd do, but I'd get  perks, like getting into the dance nights for free, etc. :) And it would be a great way for me to start building up my resume. Will kept talking and the idea started to grow on me.

Will and Chris walked Taylor and I home to our apartment and Will continued to discuss things with me. I was definitely interested. I found some confidence within me and this prompting to really take this project on. So I accepted, granted he was taking a chance on me - and Will and I shook hands. ;)

A few days later I got a call from Shane, who is an excellent and positive person and is officially the marketing manager of the club (and was wrangled into this project just about the same way that I was. Haha). We planned a time to meet together and discuss this flyer that I was now in charge of designing. We met together in The Hub. But we also met up with a man named Bill, who would be in charge of printing off our flyers. He also happens to be a graphic designer. No pressure! What I would be doing is this man's profession. I was a little daunted. But Bill is someone with confidence in himself and is willing to share his wisdom and knowledge to anyone. He gave some great advice to me and Shane who both had no idea what we were doing. He was motivational and encouraging.

So I needed this flyer to be complete by June 3. I had two weeks to figure out Photoshop. I was going to be just fine!

Then Tuesday morning I got a phonecall from Bill while in the process of doing yardwork. Turns out that there had been a miscommunication between Will and Bill. This flyer needed to be done by tomorrow evening.

Crap.

Instead of a week and a half, I needed to figure out Photoshop and all its quirks in 24 hours while completing the design for a door hanger flyer that will be going out to 5,000 people.

Surprisingly, I was able to stay semi-rational. I wasn't sick to my stomach, but I was lacking confidence. But I had Hope and I had a prayer in my heart that I could figure this all out.

So Taylor and I came home from doing yardwork, and then I headed off to the Univeristy Reserves building where they have a computer lab with Photoshop CS3. The only problem is that all those computers are Macs - and I lack experience with those suckers too. Oh man. I sat in the computer lab for a couple of hours getting my bearings on the whole concept of the program. It was different...and I was getting frustrated. Then Bill (not Graphic Designer Bill, but my friend Bill) offered to let me come over to his apartment and use Photoshop on his PC. Hallelujah.

And lucky for me, Bill has some limited experience with Photoshop. I knew nothing - and any pointer I could get would be most beneficial!

Bill was a life-saver. He helped me figure out where things were located, gave me ideas, and was just there to walk me through it. It was just what I needed in my moment of distress. So we worked on it together until about 10:00 PM. I had a rough idea laid out now, but I was nowhere near complete. I figured it would be best to just come back and look at it with fresh eyes in the morning.

So that is precisely what I did.

I headed over to the UR Lab again, this time with more confidence. The fact that I was working on a Mac was now less daunting and I felt extremely optimisitic! I spent another four hours working out all the details to the flyer that advertised Dance United. I had conversations with Bill and Will for some clarification, and I was finished with the flyer by noon!

I was happy with what I was able to create. This project really was left up to me. I really had no idea what Will was looking for, but I felt like he would approve after looking through some of the prior work the club had done.

This opportunity was interesting and incredible. As soon as I knew what I was doing, the design process came flooding to me and I enjoyed every moment thereafter. It's funny to look at it now. It's so simple and may not look like much, but this flyer marks a major accomplishment for me:

It proves that I can do anything. It reminds me of the friends and resources I have around me. I shows me that I do have the ability to do the thing I love. :) I'm excited for this upcoming year, as I gain more experience and delve into my program. This is what I want to do. This is where I am supposed to be!

Magic Wonder. That is, the Park.

We rolled out of bed...at 11:00 AM? Pathetic really. But I believe that was the case.

Taylor hopped on Facebook, where our neighbor Chris invited us out to a picnic in the park with his roommate and our other new found friend Bill. Chris also tried to convince us that we wanted to go to a movie too, but we declined. (No tenemos dinero. Es una problema.) But we did accept his invitation to the park - we just needed an hour to get ready!

So we hustled out the door and walked to the park. Oh how happy Taylor and I are to have a park so near!

Turns out, that although we were late, we were the first ones to arrive. :) So Taylor and I wandered around the park and took in all the beauty of the day. The trees had all blossomed and the petals were falling everywhere. It looked as if it had literally snowed pink.

There was a picnic table tucked away beneath a group of blossoming trees that Taylor and I ran too. I layed on the ground to attempt to make a petal angel, but it was right then that the guys came walking over...and there I was wallowing on the ground. *Whoa. Awkward. :)

But when I got up from the ground, I was surprised to see that Chris's roommate is actually my dad's cousin, Ryan! Whoa! Coincidence! So we had a family reunion and discussed family matters over Papa Murphy's pizza and breadsticks. It was so good to have substantial amounts of food after the last couple of days, where Taylor and I had lived off ramen noodles and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. :)

As we sat under the gorgeous trees, we also had to deal with the fact that the laws of gravity still apply to petals, and our food was not safe. But worry not, for it was discussed that these petals are not of a poisonous nature.

We had lovely conversation and ate spoonfuls of cookie dough. Definite winner.

Chris, Ryan, Bill, and Taylor

After we cleaned up our meal, Chris and Ryan tried to convince us that we really wanted to go to the movies, but as I mentioned before, we had no money, and we had things to do - like set up our utilities!

So we said good-bye to those two gentleman and began to make our way out of the park. Then I heard my name being called. I was disoriented and confused at who would be calling my name, because everyone we knew had left...or so we thought! But Bill had stuck around for just a little bit. I walked on over and dear Bill asked me on a Jamba Juice date for Friday afternoon. Of course! I was pumped and very excited by the offer!  And then we went our separate ways.

Yet, it was evident that Taylor and I could not possibly leave the park yet. True - we had things to do, but a half hour detour wouldn't complicate things too terribly. So we had a photoshoot.

Then we spied an empty lot of dandelions across the street.

And that my friends, was an amazing day!

The Shortcut of Greatness

I'm back! Hello Logan. Did you miss me?

Taylor and I moved into our sweet apartment last Saturday. It's newly remodled and one of the cheapest places we could find for the summer....but I suppose you get what you pay for. ;) The outside is a dive, but there is some remnance of grass, so I can't really complain. We have moved into the sweetest block in town! Literally.

But I must describe to you the best part of this apartment that we have claimed for the summer. And it really has nothing to even do with the apartment.

It's the shortcut.

Our ward covers one block and an apartment complex or two across the street from that. It's small, it's dense, it's cozy. So naturally, you would all be close friends. So we cut through each other's yards and hop fences like we did when we were kids.

This is how we get from one side of the ward, to the next.

Slip down the mud trail by the shed

Hop the fence with the aid of cinder blocks

Pass the weathered couch that has sat outside for years

Pass the old picnic bench

Wedge yourself between the fence

Follow the beaten trail around the apartment

And follow the sidewalk to our front door

Brandon Fish

Announcement:

Brandon Fish has died. He didn't even have the opportunity to see his new home! During the whole moving process, he must have been traumatized by the heat of the car, the sloshing of the water, and the blinding white walls of the yogurt container I used to transport him in.

Sorry little guy. I didn't mean anything by it!

We started with six. Now we're down to two. The numbers are dwindling.

Hang in there Ryan and David. I'd be heartborken without you. ;)

McDonald's Run

I still have the college tendencies. Even when I've been home for a week. I have a stomach that could pack anything come 10:00 at night.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

We were coming home from grandma Higley's one night, and as we drove under the freeway overpass, my dad asks us if anyone else is hungry....hmm...

Ice cream is always at the forefront of every thought, so naturally, it would be a quick and delicious remedy to any hunger pains. Since we were about to drive past McDonald's, I was inspired to speak my mind and suggest that we get hot fudge sundaes from the $1 menu. All the siblings chimed in with agreeance. But it was awfully late...so dad probably wasn't going to give into that one...

UNTIL! We found ourselves pulling into the Mickey Dee's parking lot at 10:00 at night! *Ka-Chow!

Pops had plans to just go through the drive-thru, but by the time we all realized that Pop's was serious, we suddenly started contemplating all the food choices that McDonald's has to offer. It was very evident that this order could become complicated fast. So Pops parked the car, and my family of six proudly walked into McDonald's with smiles on our faces.

A sundae for Val, a wildberry smoothie for Marie, another sundae for Jord, mom would like a smoothie too, oh! and so would Jessica...she thinks...and Pops would like a double cheeseburger. Thanks. That's everything.

Fred with her wildberry smoothie...with the peanuts from our sundaes.

Except that indecisiveness exudes from the pores of Jessica's skin. And really, after slurping that wildberry smoothie, she really wanted a hot fudge sundae as she had originally proposed.

Pops had pity on me and gave me a dollar to go grab a sundae- so long as he got my smoothie. Done and done. I was content.

Me and Val Gal

The children sat at one table, while the parental unit sat on another. We, children, spun in the tall spinny chairs and scarffed our ice cream. Madre and Pops sat looking at the nutrtion labels to everything - I hope they felt good about what they just ate. ;) We, on the other hand, were wired and supremely content with the world. (And the fact that we got to make a McDonald's run as a family at 10:00 at night).

Pops and Madre

Val, Marie, and Jord

Moving Out and Moving On

We all were forced to move out and move on all on the same day. It kind of whomped. Kind of? It did.

Kelsie was the first one to leave Friday morning. Kelsie had been packing for days and was ready to move out once the moment arrived. It was so heart-breaking to see her stark white walls - her lack of personality! I came home after my final and saw that some of her stuff was out in the hall. She was still around for me to hug her good-bye one more time!

Then Michelle left us. She was able to carry the majority of her things out in grocery sacks; ones she had been storing in her bottom drawer all year. ;) With all our skills at lifting groceries up and down three flights of stairs all year, it was easy to help Michelle move out. When she had left, it was like my other half had gone too. She put up with me and my odd night-habits all year. (I apologize profusely Michelle!) Then her half of our room was left stark white.

Mallory was the third to leave. Taking not only her stuff, but many of the objects that Rachel had been so kind as to let us borrow this semester (Thanks Rachie! - wouldn't have survived without a microwave!) So many things! Her mom made me laugh at each remark she made concerning Mal's load. :) Mal is our color-coordinated roommate. I died a little inside see the stark white of her walls.

Then it was left to me and Taylor. We had put off our chore of cleaning to the last minute. So we packed and we cleaned for hours on end!

My room was decked in hundreds of photos. It took me a solid hour to pull them all down and remove the poster putty. I pulled out an Audrey Hepburn puzzle from under my bed. One that I started at the beginning of the semester, but never finished. Two nights earlier, Shanna and Taylor worked on it a little bit more, giving her some hair...and a beard. ;) I dusted off all my shelves and wiped down my stark white walls. Everything was shoved in blue garbage bags, ready to be taken down to my car. Mind you, I took one load down in my car the night before. This was round two!

Then I looked in on Taylor's room. It was just as maddening seeing her lack of photos and princess memorabilia. Taylor was stressed not knowing if everything would actually fit in her car. We took load after load down those stairs and across the lawn to our cars. We fit it all though. We fit EVERYTHING into Tay's car. It was a "free one." No need to stress anymore! Then it was time to rearrange Taylor's room. She placed her desk back to it's original position, and her bed. It was not Tay's and Kelsie's room anymore. It was a hospital room - with stark white walls.

We were late for our assigned check-out time. We asked to have our RA, Megan, come around to see us at 1:30, but our kitchen was in shambles. We were busy sorting out who's was who's. Being the last two to leave, it was up to Tay and I to make sure everything got out - even if our roomies had left some things behind. ;) (Don't worry guys! We got your backs! We'll get all your stuff back to you at some point. haha)

We were finally ready to check out at 3:30. Everything was gone. The apartment was vacuumed and swept and our living room wall that had collected a hodge podge assortment of posters and papers, was left barren and stark white.

At this point in the game, it wasn't hard to leave. It wasn't our place anymore. But Taylor and I sat in the living room and reminisced for a little while, taking one last breather before we traveled home. We would miss the uncomfortable couches that left lines on your face when you slept on them, our kitchen cupboard that never shut completely, the drafty windows. :) We decided our place was a dive. It wasn't ever very much in the first place, but it had character! We had made it our own. I only hope that the next people blessed to live in that apartment come to love it as much as our group did. I'm really going to miss that place!

Taylor threw a thought out to the wind. What if walls of Rich 301 could talk? What would they say? Could anyone really love that place as much as we did? Who lived there in the past? There's so many memories locked in that place.

And I'm sure some of the best memories were brought there by us. ;)

Out With Some PANG!

I had almost forgotten about this night!

Long, long ago, Mallory had mentioned a concoction called Pang. It consists of pineapple juice and Tang mixed together. Pow.

We were getting ready to move out, so we were attempting to empty everything out from the fridge. I had some frozen pineapple juice that had been sitting there for quite some time. Kelsie had some powdered lemonade, and I had some Tang that we could use up. We decided it was time for a Juice Party (because everything is better when you make it into a party).

 

 Mallory and Kelsie

Kelsie threw some lemonade and Tang together for a watered down concoction of "Not sure what to think." And then we whipped up some Pang.

 

yum?....

We were guessing on measurements and came up with a pretty good mix...that Kelsie could hardly swallow. Instant laugh attack the moment we saw the look on Kelse's face. It took us to the floor!

 

The Final Breakdown

I have been stressing over my Business Statistics final since the day I saw it on the syllabus. I hoped that as the year progressed, stats would start to come to me naturally. I thought that with enough repetition, something would finally click.

Alas, this was not meant to be.

Yesterday, I had a goal to go to the library and study until I felt like something was engrained in my brain. So I did. I went to the library from 1:30PM - 6:30PM and didn't budge from the chair that I originally parked myself into. 5 hours. 5 hours! I brought  my camera with me to keep me entertained and to document my studying process.

Just settling in

After an hour

After my 15 minute power-nap that resulted in a sweater-print to the forehead.

Toward the end (when I felt like I had accomplished a lot)

I studied and reviewed notes and previous tests. I felt like everything was clearer now! I was feeling optimistic. Hunger finally befell me and Phil was in the neighborhood, so we walked back to the apartments together. And that concluded my 5 hour study session at the library.

I boo statistics. I've struggled through it all year. Every Friday I had a quiz, and always shocked myself by pulling off an ok grade. Then test time would come around, and everything I had learned would go out the window in bouts of stress. Each test got progressively worse. Thus, using a linear regression model to predict the results of Jessica's future test score, the chances of her having got a good grade on the final she took today are doubtful. In fact, this could have been the worst test she has ever had in her life...despite her hours of studying (I did more after I came home and ate). It's slightly discouraging.

But today has since grown better. It's a relief to have the final done! And we were able to go to the temple and do baptisms afterwards. What a stress reliever!

Campout!

Kelsie asked Megan who asked Richard who told Megan who told Kelsie that it would be fine if we set up a tent on the lawn. So we did!

On Sunday night, Kelsie, Mallory, and I set up Kelsie's four-man tent that she got for Christmas. It was the night of it's Christianing. It served us well! We placed it next to the entrance to our backdoor and we brought a ton o' blankets out and bundled up in thermals and sweats. Thus we were set for the night as we munched on LIFE and Trix. It was so grand!

Phil joined us for conversational purposes and watched all our stuff as we ran back and forth between the tent and our apartment trying to remember to grab everything. None of us had finals in the morning, so we were going to make the most of this splendid opportunity.  

Me and Kelsie

We had good laughs and enjoyed the camping atmosphere minus the smell of smoke.

Taylor came out and visited us on her way out to her final in the morning. Kelsie was coherent and respondent, but Mal and I were in a state of "not-answering." At 10:30 AM, Kelsie exclaimed "Roommates? It's time to get up!"

We moaned and groaned from the pains of sleeping on the ground and laughed at each other's awesome bed-tossled-hair. We emerged from the tent and it was considerably warmer. (Considerably.) I looked around, paranoid that someone would see us in all our awesome glory, but no one was to be seen. And then the shuttle pulled up. Aw dang.

Only one person got off. This was good. Must be finals week. ;)