B & b Shane

Meanwhile, in my life.

2012-01-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

So what has happened since my last post? A million things.

Went to Vegas with my best sister for Memorial Day Weekend. Blast!

I turned 22! Birthday dinner at La Jolla Groves, my favourite.

Ran the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay.

I finished a half marathon in 2:19:26.

I got married on August 16, 2011!

I spent a glorious week-long honeymoon in Costa Rica!

Ran the Dirty Dash (6 mile mud run) with my sister and some friends.

Went backpack Kamping in Kamas for our Labor Day Classic.

Went on a cruise with my love for New Years!

And now I'm back in Provo at BYU for one more semester! I'm enjoying my classes so far and really like the physical science classes that I enjoy the pleasure of teaching this semester! They are so pleasant and eager to learn. I can't wait to be done school and on to Tennessee for the summer. But until then, hopefully we get some good snow soon so I can enjoy my last winter in the mountains!!

On my run today

2011-05-23T21:57:00.003-06:00

Be Pretty if you are
Be Witty if you can be
But be Cheerful if it kills you.

Some house has it engraved in a stone in their chimney.
Also, I'm running the Ragnar, surprise. My friend Kaiti had a teammate drop out so I'm taking her place! Since I've already been training for the Hobbler Half Marathon in July, might as well, right? Running is such a great hobby, I think. It is so good for you! You sleep better, your fitness improves (so you don't get winded climbing the stairs up to campus.. okay, AS winded), you tone your muscles, and I just feeeeel better after a run. I got a heart rate monitor about 2 months ago and I LOVE it. Just having one makes me want to run so that I can use it. Another wonderful motivator: cute running clothes.
Go RUN today!!

Alone in my Apartment

2011-05-18T02:03:00.004-06:00

Apparently I do not like to sleep while I am the lone resident of my apartment. This is the second time in a week that I have been the only one of my roommates at home and I stay up to all hours of the night I think on account of an unconscious fear. I think.
Anyway. There are definitely dog people and cat people. Seriously, when you read "dog people", you can definitely imagine someone in your head, or at least a type of person. And "cat people" brings a totally different array of characteristics to mind. There have been studies.

" 'Dog people' -- based on how people identified themselves, not on what animals they actually own -- tend to be more social and outgoing, whereas 'cat people' tend to be more neurotic but 'open,' which means creative, philosophical, or nontraditional in this context." (Landau, CNN.)

Well I think there are cake people and pie people too. Everyone either prefers cake or pie (or if you are a dessert fiend with a sweet tooth you like both, and if you have an eating disorder anything sweet/fattening in the smallest portion will give you anxiety). So, generally people fall into two categories: cake people or pie people. And I think the type of dessert person you are correlates with the type of animal person you are. Not a super strong correlation (not like Macedone's r-squared values of 0.99999 .. I mean seriously, who is that good of a chemist!), but a little. In my opinion, dog people tend to also be pie people, and cake people tend to also be cat people.

But maybe that's just because of my personal feelings on cake, dogs, cats and pie.

Oh.

2011-04-28T13:49:00.001-06:00

When you try to be cool, you aren't.

April 22, 2011

2011-04-25T19:48:00.004-06:00

I got proposed to on Friday. And I said YES!
Last semester, when Bobby got back to Provo from Louisiana, he took me to this beautiful place (castle of a restaurant set in the mountains) called La Caille. It was the most romantic night of my life to date. We had some delicious food and went on a walk exploring the 3 floor restaurant. We stumbled into the reception hall - a beautiful green house dimly lit with white christmas lights and a beautiful big chandelier. Slow music was playing and we danced. This was the first time we danced together. It was just an amazing night.
Soooo.. Friday night Bobby says, "Where do you want to go for dinner? Since it's our last night together let's dress up a little". Then he suggests the Melting Pot since neither of us have been there and it's supposed to be pretty good. Alrighty then. He picks me up, types it in to the gps, and off we go! It wasn't until we were very near to our destination when I realized we weren't driving towards civilization, but into the mountains. Then I recognized a street name, and a turn, and the gates to La Caille. The stinker surprised me. So we get into the castle, and are escorted up to our table, where, SURPRISE AGAIN, Bobby had reserved a private room on the third floor next to the fireplace. A big beautiful bouquet of lilies (my favourite) on the table, and then we sat down to the best meal of my life. Literally. La Caille does everything right. Down to the bread and butter shaped like a rose. The food doesn't fit on a normal scale of 1-10; food at La Caille is an 11. Anyway on and on I go about the food...
We have some great conversation, great food (as previously mentioned), and great dessert. Seriously the creme brulee and beignet are to die for. When we are done eating, Bobby suggests we go on a walk. At this point I knew the proposal was coming, but for some reason assumed it would be after we left the castle. So while I think we are meandering about the restaurant, Bobby leads us right to the reception hall. He had made sure it was lit just like that night in November. The big (as my car) chandelier looked like a hundred snowballs and illuminated a spot on the floor. He led me to the spotlight and we stood directly under the snowballs. He looked me in the eyes, told me he loved me, that I was his angel, and a number of other things. Got down on one knee and said "I am in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" I am embarrassed to say that I teared up a little (how could I not?!) and said yes! He put the ring on my finger and then we jumped up and down like little kids saying "We're going to get married!!" Hahhaha! Needless to say, La Caille is home to the TWO most romantic nights of my life.
I love Bobby. I am the happiest fiancee in the world. I just wish he didn't have to be so far away!!

Lessons Learnt Via Stumble.

2011-03-30T08:48:00.002-06:00

Even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

You shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

Conquer your fears. Play. And I can't wait for summer.

One good thing about the month of March:

2011-03-15T00:22:00.002-06:00

The MADNESS. The BIG DANCE.

I will post my bracket after the second round starts. Can't have people trying to steal my genius.

It's been too long.

2011-03-12T12:32:00.002-07:00

Anyway, crest whitestrips never stay on my teeth. Celine Dion speaks to my soul. I sold my contract . My hormones are playing a joke on my mind and body and I am frustrated about it. I need to go snowboarding. And I can't wait until I can hike Timp this summer. Winter semester is the worst because I am already burnt out - I need a spring break. Or even just something new and exciting and fun would be nice. I love Sundays.

My trust in the Lord and his plan increases everyday. I love my Savior.

Brittany a la Chef

2010-09-13T15:58:00.005-06:00

I consider myself a pretty food-savvy individual, what with my twenty plus years of solid-food eating and avid, almost religious viewing of the Food Network. Plus I just really REALLY love eating good food. I've decided to occasionally share some insights about what I've learned when I'm in the kitchen. Consider this the preview of many more great things to come!

Pasta is one of my favourite foods. Today I tried a variation of something Amanda and I did in Australia a lot while we were traveling. Pasta and vegetables. Only now that I'm not living on 2$ a day, I put in chicken and asparagus, parmesan cheese, pasta sauce and parsley.

So you know, I take a very open, loose approach to cooking. I don't measure anything. So here's what I did:

Sauteed a few chicken tenders in coconut oil, with a couple cloves of garlic. Salt & pepper, cayenne and paprika. Added asparagus and tomatoes. MISTAKE NOTE: Asparagus cooks a lot LOT slower than tomatoes. Unless you want mushy red juice, steam or roast the asparagus FIRST. That way you only cook the tomatoes for a short time. Cook the pasta. Drain. Add the chicken and vegetables. Add the sauce and keep the pan on the stove to heat it up. Serve in bowls topped with parsley and parmesan. YUM.

Labor Day Classic

2010-09-07T19:46:00.008-06:00

In other news,

This fine labor day weekend brought a backpacking trip with Brittany and Bobby to Kamas lake in the Uintas. What a swell time! We drove for about an hour and a half from Provo, and then hiked two miles in to Kamas Lake, set up our tent and loved NATURE!! Although we didn't so much love the terror I felt in the middle of the night when woodland creatures of all shapes and sizes were crawling around our tent. Bobby was the best, telling me it was just the wind. And then one of our little forest friends tried to crawl under our tent. "Did you feel that? Do you believe me now?!" We caught a brook trout and a few cutthroat as well. What a GOOD TIME.

Kyle Andrews - You Always Make Me Smile

2010-09-07T19:13:00.003-06:00

The music video has reached YouTube!!

Desiderata

2010-08-15T22:22:00.001-06:00

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-Anon

Pioneer Day Classic 10k

2010-07-24T12:33:00.004-06:00

Yep. I ran 6.2 miles aka 10 km this morning in 1 hour and nine minutes.

Yesterday I was at THIS, the world's largest water balloon fight. We had 3,927 people turn up to throw 120,000 water balloons at each other. Pretty epic. We broke the record by 25 people and 1000 water balloons! Also, this man named Kyle Andrews filmed a music video for You Always Make Me Smile that will be out at the end of August. HOllaa.

One fish, Two fish

2010-07-21T16:29:00.003-06:00

So one time this really great guy
got me some glasses for my birthday. I have wanted them for about 3 months. So I went and got lenses in them today after my optometry appointment. The frames fit and look and feel great. But walking out of the office I sort of felt dizzy, like something was off. When I'm sitting down they are absolutely fine. Everything is clear as crystal. But while I'm walking around it's like the lines on the tile floor don't match up. But when I stop and compare, they do. And I started to get a bit of a headache. Don't worry, I got them at Lenscrafters and they have a 30 day guarantee. Guess I get to visit again tomorrow.

In other news,
This summer has been REALLY GREAT. I got done with school on June 18th. That very same weekend I flew to Louisiana to spend some time with Bobby Shane. We went down to New Orleans and took a carriage tour of the French Quarter. I loved it so so much. I just wish I would have taken some photos!! Except I'm glad I didn't have my camera, because it started to poor rain and that would have been no bueno.
After Baton Rouge with Bobby, I went to Houston to spend some time with the familia. Then up to Calgary for a week (which was SUPERB. I love all of the people there so much. And thanks, Troy, for going to Body Works with me). Montana next, which was awesome to be there for the 4th of July with Troy and Beans! There were so many fireworks and although the weather was dismal, we had some impromptu dance parties and filmed them. Good. My family showed up, too. Found out that my Pappa hates Settlers of Catan, which was truly devastating to my heart and soul. But, the man gave me life so I love him still. Went wakeboarding and EXTREME-TUBING, caps necessary. I love Montana.

Now I'm back in Provo and it has been a pretty good time. Counting down the days (3.5) until I get to see my Bobby again.
FF W D - Jaicko.

10 days, 14 hours, and 21 minutes.

2010-06-07T23:01:00.003-06:00

I miss my Bobby.

Love...

2010-06-07T22:57:00.006-06:00

Epic love.

Knock You Down

2010-02-23T07:43:00.001-07:00

So what're we gonna have, dessert or disaster?

Sometimes love comes around
and it knocks you down
Just get back up when it knocks you down
Knocks you down.

You are right. I need to take some time to be myself and stop worrying about these things. Stop thinking about them. But that is hard for me. I know what I need to do - I just don't want to do it. I am a chaser.

I am just having a difficult time right now. School is very stressful. Very very. School work never stops. Usually school is like the side dish in my life, but this semester, it has turned into the entree-appetizer-dessert from hell. I am not sleeping well, so I am constantly tired. I've been quite emotional for the last couple weeks and haven't really had an emotional outlet. I've just been keeping it all tucked safely away inside of myself. So I don't remember the last time I cried, and that is a big deal for me because I cry a lot. Need to, actually. I am surrounded by people - great people - but I feel so alone.

Oh woe is me, blah blah blah: get over it, you child. Put on the big girl pants and stop whining. I know. And I'm trying. But it is real hard.

Modern Art

2010-02-08T16:43:00.003-07:00

One day I was at my good friend Andy Thomas's house. Apartment. We were looking around the room and decided it needed some colour. Decorations. We decided on blue. So Joel Edwards, Andy Thomas and I went to Walmart. While we were there Andy spotted some foam poster boards. But we didn't have Joel's Walmart gift cards so we went back this last Friday. We got eight of the blue, and one white one. Trying to put those things up was a grand frustration. Real fun though. I forgot how much I like doing projects. At first we tried to tape them up (about three different ways), but the tape just wouldn't stick. My genius saved us in the end though: hang them! We finally finished getting them all up there last night after the superbowl. Then obviously we took some photos to document our success.

Next Blog, Please.

2009-11-26T02:40:00.002-07:00

This new Next Blog is so great. Except it has turned me into the ultimate creep. As in an even worse creep than facebook made me. Woof.
So you used to click Next Blog and it would just select any blog at random for you. Now, however, Blogspot got some brains and decided that maybe completely random wasn't such a good idea. You are reading a blog about cooking in English? Okay, the next blog will be about cooking. And be in English! Much better than the alternative where you might have ended up at a sports blog in Tagalog instead.
So my problem is that I will click Next Blog from one of my friend's pages, and I inevitably end up at some (usually) young Mormon family and I love it!! A lot of pregnancy blogs have shown up lately and something about looking at those huge bellies makes my soul melt. So I read about these ladies and their young families and it is just the cutest thing. I am so excited to be a momma and to blog about being prego and take a billion photos of my children to put up! And who will read them? Probably only my own mother. And internet creepos like myself. I am ok with that.

In other news, I am back in Calgary for the thanksgiving break and it is seriously one of the best things that has happened to me all semester! I forgot how much I loved being in this city. We got into town on Saturday November 21 at about 7:00 pm. Beauty. When I saw all the girls for the first time at Mikyla's house that night - wow. It was like they all came out one by one so I could hug each of them individually but still get my brittany percifield length hug in!! Perfection! You guys are the GREATEST!

Monday night we played volleyball at the stake center for about 4 hours. So awesome. Except now (the following Wednesday evening, and I am sure they will still be this way tomorrow) my calves are killing me. Legitly. Every single step I take I can feel the tension. Don't even talk to me about going up stairs. Worth it, though.

Tuesday some people decided it would be a good idea to go to New Moon. I was not one of those people, and Renee had already seen it, so we played. We went and got bubble tea with Nima and Anthony. Delicious! Then we popped over to the Hudson residence in all it's glory (and for family hair cut day, no less!) and made some ginger snaps and played pit. Success of an evening.

Wednesday. I got to study organic chemistry today. All day. Two and a half chapters out of three. Deal. Mirielle Hudson, Jeffrey Spackman and I hung out at Mount Royal. The best part of the whole day: Popsicles. Mirielle had been wanting one for about 2 hours I would say. Thought it up as a reward for a competition that actually didn't end up happening. So I decide that I desperately need a break and we go to the vending machine with quarters in hand. American quarters. We were nervy that the quarters wouldn't work, but decided on a popsicle. The kind in the shape of a rocket sorta, and they are red white and blue. So tasty. The vending machine is an interesting one, though. First of all, it sells popsicles. Rad. Secondly, there is a box shaped freezer in there and you can't really see down to the bottom to be sure that the vacuum hose that drops down will even pick up your treat! So we put the quarters in, and they worked! Success number one. Then the hose goes down the freezer and picks up a popsicle for Mirielle. Sucess number two. I put my quarters in, even more nervous that there won't be a popsicle in there and that the vacuum will just bring up emptiness and my soul will be sad. Except TWO popsicles came up with that vacuum! Success number three and four. So Jeffrey got a popsicle, too. Then, Mirielle and I get back to her car and what do we notice? Jeffrey has parked directly behind us! What great fortune: I have window writers in my backpack! So we left him some great messages. I mean really great ones. Including one on the hood of his white car. I wish I could have taken a photo.
And then, because it is Wednesday, we went to Go-Hard at Southland leisure center (2$ for swimming from 9-10) and then went for wings at King's Head on Macleod Trail. All in all, a definite win of a day. I love my friends more than sleep! (I was about to say food, but then I thought I would be realistic).

Cheers!

MILA

2009-11-19T11:06:00.008-07:00

I wish I would have been coherent or merely awake enough this weekend to write something down somewhere. To laugh at, duh. I got my wisdom teeth out and quite frankly, this weekend didn't really even happen for me. Cool darts. Glee is the best show ever. Soylent Green is made of people and Rosebud was the name of his sled.

http://www.mylifeisaverage.com

Never underestimate the good positive yelling can do. Cheers!

I am not myself

2009-11-05T23:10:00.002-07:00

Lately I have been feeling strange. I am hungry all the time. Or, even if I am not hungry, I want to eat, even right after a rather filling meal. And today I was so tired. I slept nearly all day. Also, I am not motivated for much lately.
Something is out of sync. I feel like a puzzle piece of my life is missing.
I don't know. This sounds so silly and melodramatic.

Factual Contactuals

2009-09-29T15:45:00.019-06:00

I need to document my life better.
Introducing, Brittany Ann. I am 20. My favourite colours are green and purple. I spell favourite and colour with a u because I am Canadian and that is how we do things up North. I love food. I do not like girls, generally, and would rather be around boys. I lose at everything competition unless it is academic based. I am terrible at video games (except guitar hero, which I rock at). One of my favourite smells is vanilla. Others include freshly mowed grass and the pages of a new book. Science fiction is the best book genre. I do not know how to accurately pronounce the word "genre". I would medal in a procrastination competition. Learning about geology is exciting to me. I do not like complainers or complaining. Chocolate could be considered a weakness of mine, if I had any. I adore star gazing, especially during the day (most people call this cloud watching because you can't see stars and have to look at clouds instead). Jeans are the ultimate article of clothing, after boxer briefs. I hardly ever wear two of the same sock at the same time. I grew up listening to country music and it will always have a special place in my heart. I do not have a favourite food. My guitar's name is Gary. Large groups of people are fun sometimes, but 9 and a half times out of 10 I will prefer a small, intimate group of four or six or seven. I had a huge public crush on Matt Zacharias in grades 3 and 4, and a bigger secret crush on Eric Blum from grade 1 to grade 6. My favourite movie is Dumb and Dumber because I could watch it everyday for a month and not be sick of it. Crest with Scope in Peppermint flavour is my weapon of choice when fighting gingivitis and plaque in my mouth. Part of me wants to be "one of the guys", but another part knows that I never will be because I have breasts and get a period. At BYU I am majoring in nutritional science. The way to my heart is through tickly. I haven't worn my retainer to bed in umpteen months. I love going to university in Provo, UT, but would probably never choose to live here permanently. I have wanted to go to South America for almost my whole life and plan to finally get there during fall semester of 2010. My brain is mostly a sponge and I typically remember the most useless pointless information the best. The two things I enjoy doing most can be done at the same time: laughing and just being. I love to sharpie. There are times when I wish I were trendy. I absolutely love to just hold hands, especially while walking. My car's name is Heather. I no longer have any tonsils or adenoids in the back of my throat. I am the oldest of five children. I have bungee jumped off of the third highest commercial bungee jump in the world (The Nevis) in Queenstown, New Zealand. I wear glasses and my prescription is -1.00 in my right eye and -1.25 in my left. I love to travel. I can't wait to have children. Most people don't know, but I played World of Warcraft, and loved it. I really like to feel pretty. From now on, I will only play Halo 3 if gravity is turned down to 25%, speed is turned up to 300%, and it is on rockets only. One of the most meaningful passages of scripture to me is Romans 8: 35-39; I read it when I am sad or lonely or hurt and it is highlighted in green in my scriptures. The little sound facebook chat makes to notify you that someone has just facebook chatted you makes me jump with excitement on the inside. Vans are my favourite shoe. KB socks from Costco or the low rise Vans socks are the only ones I will wear. I am an excellent follower. Sometimes I like to turn perfectly normal situations into very awkward ones, just to see what happens. Danny Bhoy can make me laugh any time of day, and twice at nighttime. My toe nails are almost always painted and my finger nails almost never are. I live to eat, not the other way around. Costco is my favourite grocery store. I love getting distracted when I have been working at something or studying for a long time. The only time I listen to the kind of music that you dance to is when I am actually dancing to it because at any other given time it will be probably Kate Nash or Owl City or Hello Saferide, and other artists like them. I read Hymn number 185 in the LDS Hymn Book, Reverently And Meekly Now, every sacrament meeting because it speaks volumes to my heart and I learn something new every Sunday. My favourite pair of jeans have a huge hole in the left knee and I like them better that way. Scissors are my favourite office supply. When I am older I would like to have an Alaskan Husky, even if it means I have to forgo wearing black forever. I have a bad habit of picking and biting my nails, but I'm not really motivated to stop. I want to have a big family with about 6 children. My eyes are green and sometimes hazel. My bedsheets are red. I prefer to have burnt cd's in my car than an ipod hook up. Usually I am only wearing one earring. I do not shave my legs or armpits; I epilate. Sometimes I try really hard to be cool and/or hip, while other times I really just couldn't care less. My two favourite flavors of gum are Cobalt Five and Vanilla Frost Dentyne Ice. I wish that the big, nice, white erasers didn't make those nasty eraser shavings every time you erased, but I use them anyway because I really don't like the pink ones. I love science and wish Bill Nye was my uncle. I was born on June 15th. My whole life I thought it was at 4:11 am, but have recently learned that I was actually born at 4:47 am. Oops. I shower 2.3 times a week, on average. I prefer blue pens to black ones. Oh, and my toothbrush is green.
Any Questions?

Johnston Canyon

2009-09-25T20:19:00.012-06:00

So I finally made a post with photos.
This one time, aka labor day weekend of 2009, I drove the 14 hours back to Calgary for Jordan and Julie's wedding. What a great weekend it was!! Saturday, Renee Comfort, Mikyla Stehmeier, Dan Baradoy, Burns Harris, and I all went to Banff. I only wish we would have taken photos of the vintage suits we wore. Oh well.
I had so much fun this weekend. We went up to Johnston canyon (clearly), and then went walking around Banff, visiting all the candy stores (obvs) and went into this really cool store I'd never been in before. It is just "chucky-jam full" (I doubt anyone reading this gets that reference. Mostly because I doubt anyone reads this at all) of minerals and all kinds of neat rock things! I could have spent hours in that store. Anyway, then we went to the hot springs and rented the sweet vintage suits. I now want to own one.
These photos are from Johnston Canyon (some from Dan).

Oh, and here's the quad at the wedding
(ps I have a new nickname for us)

Today's Big Thing

2009-09-25T19:44:00.002-06:00

This website is great. Every day they post something new. That previous magic post down there was one day a "Today's Big Thing". This here is from yesterday, September 24, 2009.
Enjoy.

Magic

2009-09-02T20:37:00.001-06:00

I love magic tricks. This is genius!!

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

What a Summer it has been!

2009-08-25T08:29:00.003-06:00

Will I ever leave for school?
Originally I was planning to leave on Friday, August 21 to drive down to Utah. Then I decided I would leave Sunday, August 23. Then I thought to myself: hmm, maybe I shouldn't travel on the Sabbath Day. So I will drive down Monday, August 24. So I got all packed up on Friday, leaving just a duffel of clothes in my room. This very same day I was having a chat with my beautiful sister Karly who would be out of town for the weekend. Why don't you just leave after I get back (Wednesday, August 25)? So I pondered this for a few minutes. More than that, I suppose. It is true - I was excited to get down to school. But I was not excited to get to an empty apartment, even if it meant that I would get first pick of my room. Later, I went to go get bubble tea at Perfect Blend across the street from Churchill High School. CLOSED. Closed?! From August 8th until August 23rd? CLOSED?! Okay. That's it. I'm leaving Wednesday.
Sunday evening, however, Dan told me to just come to Grant's cabin for the weekend and leave for school from there. I am now doing this for two reasons: a) I am in for a super fun weekend with my great friends that I love dearly, and b) my road trip has now been cut into two legs, so I no longer need to drive the 14 or 15 hours straight. Love it!
Maybe one day I will decide to put some photos in this blog of mine. I think this post calls for some cabin photos. They will be up as soon as I have taken them and put them onto my computer. Fear not!

edit:
So I took about two photos at the cabin. Both of Josh Cooper and his waterproof foot bandage. Oops.

MY: Anna - Hello Saferide

2009-08-04T15:56:00.007-06:00

You know we could have had a daughter
And we could have named her Anna
And she would have been a sweetheart
But with punk rock manners
Could have supported us when we retired
Bought us a cottage near the countryside

I would have taught her to be cuddly
You would have taught her to how to climb
And her granddad would have sent her to bed at her bedtime
Could have supported us when we retired
Bought us a cottage near the countryside

We would have mad the neighbours jealous
We could have barbecues at nights
With our collective brain resources
She would have had an IQ of an hundred and fifty five
Could have supported us when we retired
Bought us a cottage near the countryside

She would have on the Nobel prize
And thanked her momma for all the good advice
And we could have gone swimming near that cottage by the lake
And she'd never have to know what it's like
When your heart breaks
When your heart breaks

When your heart breaks
When your heart breaks

Could have supported us when we retired
Bought us a cottage near the countryside
Could have supported us when we retired
Bought us a cottage near the countryside

She would have married a Kennedy
She would have found the cure for HIV
Well I'm real sorry Anna, you never got to be
Because your daddy moved on and dated N****

Could have supported us when we retired
Bought us a cottage near the countryside

Brittany takes a tumble.

2009-06-03T19:29:00.004-06:00

So this one time, Amanda and I rode bikes. Okay, that isn't really a one time occurrence - we rode bikes together all the time as children. But we went yesterday. First we were going to go down by Edworthy park near the river, but decided against it because of traffic. Opted for the paved path (also next to the river) in Sunset park (or as it is officially called, Bowmont). It was a BEAUTIFUL day and pictures will be up soon. On our way back, we saw TWO teeny tiny snakes crossing the path. Little grey ones. Anyway, only my front brake worked. So we are going down this hill. I have my left hand on the brake. Then, something starts to itch my chest so bad, so I decide to take my right hand off the handlebars and swipe at whatever is itching me. I'm taking the hill slow so I think it will be okay. Mistake number one. I did a few trial runs to make sure I could take my hand off while still maintaining control of the bike and it's direction. Thought I could, so I went for it. Mistake number two. I'm not exactly sure what happend, but I fell over. Into the grass. Slid on my front for a couple few feet. "Amanda?" Nothing. "Amanda?!" "Brittany?!" Then I see her ride around the corner. All she could say was "Let's take a picture", which I can't be mad at because I'm fairly certain that is exactly what I would have said. Don't worry, the photo will be up soon.
All in all, good bike ride. Gorgeous day by the river.

In other news, I got a job today. Went for an interview at 10:00 at Silverwing Golf Course (near the Calgary Airport) and started work half an hour later. My job title is actually "Flight Attendant" because they play up the airplane theme, but my job is to drive a golf cart around and sell beverages and snacks to the golfers. Today there was a tournament and it was a cloudless sunny 24 degrees C (that's 74 F for you Americanos). Spectacular. I work again tomorrow.

Peace in the Middle East.

what a long, strange trip it's been.

2009-05-09T11:18:00.002-06:00

so we are finally back in canada. well, karly just left actually.
Fear not, I am with thee. Last night we tried to cross the border at the Del Bonita port. Turns out it closes at 6:00 pm. It's open until 9:00 pm from June 1 - September 1. I felt like crying when I saw the Welcome to Alberta sign. We were so CLOSE. Suck. So we drove the hour and a half to Piegan. There, a very nice gentleman greeted us at the hour of 9:06 pm and welcomed us back to this beautiful country. When we got to Calgary, I was so disoriented. I could not remember for the life of me how the roads worked. So I followed the U of C signs. Knew they were there for a reason. And it also helped that we used to drive to the South a lot last last year. I could recognize some intersections and road names. Anyway, so we made it to my house at about 12:10 am. And had Chop Chop Chinese food waiting for us. Thank you Auntie.
Have a good day. And thank you HF for your hand in my life.

There and Back Again

2009-05-05T17:40:00.004-06:00

So this one time, I tried to go to Canada.
After this last semester was over, I flew down to Texas to get our Toyota Highlander to drive up to Canada so that I could have it for the summer since my family is moving to Australia (luckies). We left The Woodlands, Texas on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. We drove all day and all night, arriving in Provo, Utah at 5:00 am Wednesday, April 29, 2009, where we stayed at our dear friend Stephanie Layton's apartment for two nights. Our journey to the homeland (Canada) continued as we drove from Provo, Utah to Rexburg, Idaho on Friday, May 1, 2009. Great times in the 'Burg so far. Yesterday, Monday, May 4, 2009, we attempted to finally reach our destination. Left Rexburg at approximately 10:00 am. Arrived at the Sweetgrass-Coutts border at 4:15 pm. Detained for one hour and thirty minutes. Here is why..
Apparently, it is illegal for a Canadian (such as myself) returning to Canada and attempting to establish residency (aka live there and/or work there) - even if it is "just for the summer" - to drive a U.S.-plated vehicle into Canada. News to us. The only way you can drive an American car into Canada (with intent to live there) is if you import it. Importing entails owning the vehicle, presenting the original title and bill of sale to the border patrol, and paying all applicable duties and taxes on the vehicle, plus the RIV registration fee (195$ + GST). Solid. The traffic officer told us we would need to return the car to the U.S. So we followed the sign that said "Back to the U.S.".
On top of all this, when we tried to re-enter the United States, I did not have the necessary documents to prove that I had status (aka a visa) because I forgot my I-94 and I-20 forms in a box I accidentally left at Morgan's house in Utah. The American's were very nice to us and made jokes about it all, thankfully. Bless them. After about fourty five mintues of searching in heaven know's what databases, the border patrol finally found proof that I indeed was allowed into the country. They let me in on a month long F-1. I now have to return to Utah, get the I-94 and I-20 forms, mail the originals to SEVIS so that they can mail them to BYU. Mail them to SEVIS so that SEVIS can mail them to an institution I am going to be NEXT TO. BYU will then return the forms to me. Solid system.

Then we drove back to Rexburg.
I LOVE GREAT HARVEST BREAD CO.
Also, HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!

EDIT: Tuesday we drove down to Utah unnecessarily. Apparently I had not checked the outside pocket on my black suitcase and guess what Kandice found inside when Karly told her to check? Yep. My big pink folder with my I-94 and I-20. "Oops" is a little bit of an understatement. While in Utah we went to BYU and I got a new I-20 and will get a new I-94 when I return to the United States. So everything is okay now, minus the fact that on this trip we have now done 20 hours of driving that we didn't need to do. (12= border and back, 8=utah and back). Needless to say, Karly is pissed.

Just a fun thing I sniped

2009-05-05T16:35:00.005-06:00

From allison barnes, this really cool girl I lived with for a bit.
All about Matth-EW.
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Either a movie or scrubs, probably.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
None. He doesn't eat salad.

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Pickles. Doesn't like being an incredibly immense understatement.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Lately, sprite. RB occasionally too. Or Cherry Coke.

5. Where did he go to high school?
Same on as me!

6. What size shoe does he wear?
Big. 11? 12?

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Letters. And not the a, b, c, kind. Ones from me.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
One with meat in it.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
McDonald's chicken nuggets. Until he found out how much sodium is in them. Then maybe only every other day.

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Any. Seriously.

11. What would he never wear?
Tight jeans.

12. What is his favorite sports team?
Manchester United.

13. Who did he vote for?
Didn't.

14. Who is his best friend?
Friends*. Parker and Ross.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Did ONCE and is forbidden to ever do it again? Try to kiss him with pickle breath.

16. What is his heritage?
MEXICAN!!

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Skor. Tradition.

18. Did he play sports in high school?
Yes. Oh, what kind too? Soccer.

19. What could he spend hours doing?
Playing in azeroth. Or talking with me.

20. What is one unique talent he has?
He's really good at reading people. I would never want to play poker with him. And really good at games in general, actually. Also I have beaten him at Risk and Monopoly every single time we have played (that's a total of one time each game but still).

Also, I need pictures on this thing. I'll work on that.

Mice

2009-04-21T21:01:00.003-06:00

This post is outdated but I am still going to type as if it happend today, fyi.
Pinky and the Brain. So, Matt's apartment has two little mice scurrying around underneath the cupboards and into the wall between the kitchen and Holden's bathroom. They really aren't much of a problem because they aren't in any food, but Holden wants to kill them. So we put sticky traps underneath their holes. Thomas caught one the other day and pulled him off the sticky trap with a stick. There is one left. And I am pretty sure he (probably she, actually) is a genius. Genius mouse. I hope you have seen Pinky and the Brain.
One day, Thomas thought he heard the mouse in a pizza box (empty) that was on the counter. He picked it up and shook it. Nothing. So he opens the box and the mouse jumps out. What the heck.
Today - again, not actually TOday, but I'm typing as if it is - I went to the fridge to get a cheese string. As I turned around, I noticed a little black mouse was stuck on a sticky trap. And he (probably she) was so CUTE. So Matt and I went outside and tried to pry the mouse free with a stick. While we were doing it, I was pretty sure one of his legs was broken. But when all of the mouse was off except for his tail, he (she) was trying to run away so hard. Once the end of the tail was off, he ran to the building and tried to start scaling the wall. The vertical wall. Survivor mouse. The one Thomas tried to pry off (there was peanut butter on the sticky trap) was an idiot. As soon as he was off, he jumped back onto the trap to get the peanut butter. Idiot. We got the girl mouse.

Furthermore, in actual today news, I have one final left (Book of Mormon) and then I get the daunting task of packing everything I own into boxes before I fly down to Texas. After a few days of Texas heat, I will be fortunate enough to get to drive from Houston, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. Drive. For three days. Should be fun.

Impressions and the Holy Ghost

2009-04-02T17:06:00.006-06:00

Brother Merrill is my favourite teacher. I have taken both of the Book of Mormon classes at BYU from him and I just absolutely love going to class. Today was exceptionally special. Today we finished discussing the book of Ether. Chapter 12 is so full of great stuff.

verse 5: And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not.
The Jaredites were an advanced culture. They did many things that we today cannot do, nor can we understand how they did it. We have no idea how they purified copper ore, or how they were able to put stones together so that 3000 years later you can't stick a knife blade between them. In a scientific culture such as this one, and much like our own, people think seeing is believing.
6: And now I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
Sometimes this can be hard. Brother Merrill told a story about Elder Packer, when he was getting his doctorate at BYU. He was called to be a general authority, and needed to find a permanent home in the valley for his family. They had 8 children, and wanted a place in the country to have a garden and animals in order to be able to teach their children about responsibility and work. Elder Packer and his wife found a nice house on 5 acres in Sandy, UT. The only problem was, they couldn't even afford the down payment, let alone the taxes and everything else that goes along with propery ownership. So Elder Packer talked to some leaders in the church (I apologize, but I forget who they actually were, one of them may have been the prophet at the time). The first man he talked to said, "Oh yes. Do it. That's the right thing." But Elder Packer didn't know what to do. He was concerned about heeding advice that counseled him to do something he had never done before. The second man he asked said the very same thing (The one I think was the prophet) and told Elder Packer, "My boy, you always want to see the end from the beginning." Sometimes you have to walk a few steps into the darkness in order to see the light. Trust the Lord.
Over the last two or three days I have been having second thoughts about majoring in geology. Impressions that it might not be the right thing. No idea why, exactly. And then Bro Merrill talked about all this today. Most of what I remember is just feeling such a strong impression to change my major. So I am. I've decided on nutrition. For now, at least. Please, if you have any suggestions or advice for me, I would be more than appreciative.

My favourite part of Ether 12 is probably right in the middle of the chapter -
23: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing...
25: Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear les the Gentiles shall mock at our words.
26: And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn.
27: And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

How comforting that our weaknesses can be made strong in Christ, if we but humble ourselves before him. Moroni did. We should too.

Jamba Underground

2009-03-31T12:34:00.002-06:00

Today is Tuesday.
Every Tuesday, or almost every Tuesday, after geology lab, we go to jamba juice. So, today is a most exciting day. A couple of weeks ago Austin gave us a challenge. We had to find a new secret jamba flavour. Some of the most popular ones we had tried were white gummy bear, purple dinosaur, and pink star. All delicious. One week, we talked to the casheir and she gave us some insight to some delicious kinds. San Diego (Sunny Delight) is splendidly citrus, and one of my favs. Today, between classes and working on my papers - gotta take a break sometimes, you know - I perused the Internet for these precious, secret golden nuggets. And I stumbled upon the Jamba Underground, a site created by Toblerone King of blogspot. What a splendid find! The site even has the recipes of the smoothies so you can still substitute anything you want when you order.
Although the secret recipes are phenom, my favourite smoothie at jamba j's is the sixteen oz Mango Metabolizer with raspberries instead of strawberries in an original sized cup with granola on top. Oh, and the soy protein boost. Absolutely heaven sent!!

YouTube

2009-03-30T17:21:00.006-06:00

So I finished my homework and played on YouTube.
In my opinion, YouTube is one of the highlights of the Internet. My senior year of high school, we would spend ten to fifteen minutes of class every Friday during U.S. History to watch YouTube because my teacher loved it so much. I recently stumbled upon this little piece of joy and wanted to share it. It's a clip from when Conan O'Brien hosted the comedian Louis CK on October 1st, 2008. Next time any type of technology is being slow on you, just be thankful that you have the technology in the first place.
Love.

Following the Leader

2009-03-27T22:00:00.003-06:00

Probably I have finally decided to have one of these things because I just want to be trendy. But also I think I have always been a blogger at heart. CalgaryPlanet, Nexopia, MySpace, Facebook.. Blogspot. Inevitable.
Furthermore, I thought when I started typing this post ideas would just start coming to me. Nope. I just have to pee.