Photo Update

Before leaving for break at the end of last semester we put up our hairs and got down to business, cleaning and rearranging our room. It used to look like this (picture is about half-way down that old post from when we first arranged our beds in that manner), so getting them down was work. Hence, putting up our hairs. Way up high. 

Before beginning, Sariah went to get a vacuum from another room and didn't take her key, saying that we would have to let her in because Emma and I wouldn't be able to move the beds without her. We took that as a challenge. Emma lifted  up the center bed on one end while I pushed Sariah's bed out of the way, then I went to lift the other end.... but one leg got stuck, and only started cracking as we tried to lift and readjust. We were stuck. It was a problem. Sariah was in the hall laughing at our screaming, waiting for one of us to figure out a way to leave the bed in Limbo so we could let her in. We figured it out. Eventually. And yes, we did need her help, afterall....

The final layout. Minus a bit of mess. 

 So I went home for Christmas, about two weeks. I was also there for New Years. Bekah and I jammed out, as seen below. My lovely older sister thought it was a good idea to put the photo on Facebook.

And now I'm back for a new semester. Emma and I were work-out buddies for a couple days... we'll see if we bother to keep that one up....

Believe it or not, this IS actually after working-out. We pretty much look fantastic all the time.

I have a few friends taking a digital photography class this semester. When a plea went up on Facebook for volunteer subjects (they have to get x number of hours of taking photos each week), I knew that it is expected of me to share my gifts with others-- such as my obvious jaw-dropping photogenic beauty. So I volunteered and Colin volunteered to walk me down, and in so doing, offered up his body for the sake of the project. Photo creds all go to Cassi.

I really want orange hair. True story.

Cassi told me to show up looking hipster cute. HA. When I got there she fixed me and put me in some of her clothes. She also did hair and makeup. Colin fell asleep downstairs. I guess waiting for us wasn't super exciting. 

But not to worry. We roused him to get in on some pics.

We made him take his hat off. He didn't want to. He said that it was cold and his hair was messy. I tried to assure him that his hair didn't look terrible.

Yeah, I think he's pretty cute.

TV

This show has been my new thing. It has taken up more of my time than I care to admit, but now that I'm only caught up, only one episode a week is devastating me. I really just want to know what happens. I'm a spoiler kind of person.

For example, I used to always start mystery books (i.e. Nancy Drew) with the penultimate chapter.
My logic is that the resolution tends to come around the second to last chapter, with the last chapter as a means to tie up loose ends and provide further explanation. Once secure in my knowledge of a happy ending, I could go back to the beginning and find out how the characters got there. And you know what? It does not bother me one bit.

So here's my new obsession. Fairy Tales + Real Life. SO GOOD. It's called Once Upon a Time and I watch them here:

http://www.hulu.com/once-upon-a-time

College, Semester Two.

It's my second semester of college, and I'll be continuing to live, learn and love here in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

Thanks to a 17-credit schedule last semester plus 12 credits from APs in high school and 2 credits transferred from Institute last semester, I've moved up to a sophomore status as a student. It doesn't mean much other than I'm ahead of schedule and the price of my housing dropped two hundred dollars. (To Mom and Dad: Thank You/You're Welcome)

This semester's schedule:

MWF

8-8:50 Classics of Western Literature (Homer, Milton, Dante, Virgil)
There's a lot of really great people in this class and the teacher is funny. I've actually been doing the reading so far (Iliad) and understanding it, so as long as I can be alert in the morning this should be good!


10-10:50 Institute, Latter-Day History Part II (Brigham Young.... Lorenzo Snow?)
I absolutely love Institute, and Brother Rasmussen is seriously the best. He has a PhD in Church History so this is LEGIT. There are a few people in this class that will keep my eyes rolling, but we can get such great discussions going, and I learn a lot and feel the Spirit. I loved part I last term and have high expectations for this one. (But it doesn't meet Fridays; just Mondays and Wednesdays.)

12:30-1:20 Environmental Science
I hate biology. But I do love environmental science. I do wish that the professor was more up-to-date with current applications of the subject, though. She doesn't know much about fracking or how much of our country's electricity comes from nuclear energy. She asked us about other nation's responses to Japan's nuclear crisis without knowing them herself... I really am pretty bummed about that. But I have a pretty good basis to work off of from high school courses, so this should still be an enjoyable class.

1:30-1:20 French IV
French IV is actually the level that I had initially tested into, but took French III last semester, not wanting to go so many months without any French. A lot of the vocab has been new, but the verbs are review. I'm tutoring in French again this semester. The class is partly enjoyable, and partly a drag. I really do lack motivation to do work for this class and to try...because I don't really HAVE to so it's difficult to make myself. I have no idea what I'll do next year-- this is the end of the road for French here at SVU. No level five, and no French literature classes.


TR

8-9:15 Historical Methods: WWI
When I signed up to take this class, I didn't realize it was a historical methods class--Topics: WWI and Historical Methods were listed separately in the catalog. So I'm in a little deeper than I had anticipated. The class is going to involve a lot of paper writing and research. There's some people in here whose commentary is SO unproductive, but it's also difficult for me to volunteer because the class is mainly all juniors and seniors. It's actually a little intimidating. This one will be interesting, at least. A new experience.

11-12:15 Art History: Renaissance-Modern
This class is huge. It's like thirty-five people and you have to get there about 10 minutes early to get a decent seat. Apparently, it's a really good class. But so far her notes have been difficult to follow and we've been reviewing what her last semester class learned. I feel a little behind in this, too, because the students that had her last semester already have an idea of what's up and how to analyze art. It's hard to know what to expect.

4-5:15 Beginning Ballet
My roommate, Emma, is in this class with  me. It's kind of a party. And I'm chill with Missy, the instructor, from having her last semester and being in the Nutcracker. I was going to do the spring ballet, "Coppelia," but changed my mind. Saturdays just go by too fast.

IN OTHER NEWS.... My friend Desi, who was on the same Forensic Team in Utah as my cousin, approached me about starting a debate/speaking club. We have to fill out an application and make a club constitution before submitting it for approval by the Senate, but hopefully we can get it going. It's exciting.

GIRLS NIGHT

My predictions were relatively accurate. I read the symptoms correctly; my period started tonight. Due to crazy cramps a sympathetic boyfriend took it upon himself to use his hand as a heating pad over my womb (I lent my heating pad to a friend...who was at a party tonight... and clearly not very sympathetic.) After my body calmed itself down [enough] we painted nails.
Colin painted my right hand, then gave up, so I did my left.... and his left. Check out our fine work!

Disclaimer: It's a Girl Thing...

So. I have an eight o clock class that is Classics of Western Literature. We are reading the Iliad. This morning my alarm went off at 7:23 am. However, my dream had not come to a satisfactory conclusion at that juncture, so I hit snooze and fell back asleep. When I woke up again, I checked my clock. 7:55. I must have hit "Dismiss" rather than "Snooze." So I jumped out of bed and made the decision that I was going to go to class as is. My book was already in my backpack, so I brushed my two front teeth with water on my toothbrush, slipped on boots, grabbed my backpack and a coat, put my hair up in bun, grabbed my phone and key and headed out the door. Halfway down the hall I realized that I wasn't wearing a bra. Too late. I continued to class, trusting the overlarge sweatshirt to be my cover.
Running/Walking down the stairs, down the hill and across the field,  I realized I had a cramp in my lower abdomen... and that it was around "THAT time of the month." No good, no good.
Impressively, though, I was only one minute late to class! And it was pretty obvious why, due to my apparel and the hand print across the side of my face.
Still worried about the thong situation, I asked the girl next to me for a tampon, planning to take care of that when we split into discussion groups. The wrapper was a little open, but no big deal. However, the discussion groups never happened. Such a great day so far!
After class my boyfriend and I headed to the cafe, where I decided to take sure Mother Nature and I were still on good terms. She was sympathetic. So I put the tampon into the pockets of my sweats, intending to go back up to my room and get decent. Then friends came! So I stayed in the cafe for another hour just chatting. As I was getting ready to leave, I put my hand in my pocket, wondering what a syringe-like object could possibly be doing in my pocket. I pulled it out in front of my face to examine whatever I was carrying around. The Tampon. Awkward moment. I don't know who all witnessed this, but my boyfriend was sitting right in front of me. He says I'm a champ.  I think that was already pretty clear.

Reenactment

This song is on replay.

I am a pitiful fumbling mess.

It's Christmas break, so my boyfriend and I both went to our respective homes. His: Maryland. Mine: Michigan. That's Strike One.

After Christmas, he went to Indonesia and spent New Year's there. No more texting. Strike Two.

He went with his family to some house on the coast where they will be trying to surf and hanging out on the beach for the first few days of the year. Four days. And it doesn't have internet. No more daily Skype. I can't contact him. Strike Three.

So who's out?

ME.