I'm like the freaking Energizer Bunny of undergrads...

Just found out that I won't be graduating in December. In fact if I can't get into a certain class this semester, I won't be graduating until NEXT fall. 2009. That means it will have been 7 years from my H.S. diploma to my B.A. No, that's not a typo: SEVEN! Please people: light candles, face the east, fast, pray, chant, dance on tables with magic beads. Do what you have to do for me in this, my time of need- I NEED TO GRADUATE! My feelings are best described from our dear friends on Tommy Boy:

Tommy: Did you hear I graduated?
Richard: Yeah and just a shade under a decade. All right.
Tommy: A lot of people go to college for seven years.
Richard: Yeah, they're called doctors.


... SHUT UP, Richard!!

I hate shopping for new clothes. I dislike the fact that I have to peruse the clothes racks and frequent fitting rooms only to find a pair of pants or shirt that I will love and adore for a few months only to lose interest in them and fling them to the dark black hole in the corner of my closet, thus resulting in the need for another shopping spree. It's a vicious cycle for me because my taste in clothing is constantly changing. I've been through many styles in my life: the baggy Mossimo shirt days, the knit sweater vests, the button down, the t-shirt, business casual, business, casual, hippie, "tom boy" (whatever that is). Heck, I even went 18 months on hardcore skirt wearing. My styles and interests in clothes change, and as they do I'm constantly back at the store wanting more. I harbor ill will towards clothes shopping for this reason: I know that it will never be enough. I will never NOT need more clothes. And I'm not even a shopaholic. My taste in style just changes, so I have to keep going back. Every year or so my entire wardrobe gets a pretty good face lift as I replace the old with the new. There are a few classics I hang on to but the rest goes to Goodwill, DI, or Salvation Army, depending on state and location at the time of tornadic-like restyling.

This is something that I've learned to deal with, but most recently in my life I've realized a horrifying fact about myself: It's not just my wardrobe that get's a strong cleaning once every year or so- my entire life seems to reflect this thinking. Just as my style of clothing ebbs and flows, it seems that my thoughts about life and all within it have been permanently buckled into a seat on a never ending roller coaster. It's up, it's down, it's all around- constantly changing. So here I sit in the aftermath of another "tornadic-like restyling" of my life and I'm looking around at the changes thinking: what is my deal!!

Will it ever be enough? I don't know the answer to that question but I do know this: my butt looks great in the jeans that I'm in. I couldn't be happier to have finally quit my job. And I feel like I'm being more honest in my life right now than I have been in a very long time. I've always loved roller coasters, anyway.

Details in the Fabric

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. When this happens I find that I can’t really express my thoughts as well as others can. So, here are my thoughts for the day brought to you by Jason Mraz:

Hold your own. Know your name. Go your own way. Everything will be fine.

Amen, brother. Thank you for this song...

Nana's Box

The thing that makes my life so charmed is that I have always been surrounded by amazing people. A friend from USU put together a non-profit group to create photo boxes to give to people who are undergoing cancer treatments. Check out the website here or copy and paste it into your browser: http://nanasboxnonprofit.blogspot.com/.

Here's to making a difference. Angie- thanks for a constant example of how to live life deliberately. You are amazing.

Uniquely... Adept at Killing Arachnids

The campus at Utah State is one of my more favorite places on earth. In the summer the grass is green, flowers are everywhere, and the sky above is blue... one might even say Aggie blue. On a day such as this not too long ago, Christina and I were basking in our surroundings as we long boarded on the Quad. As we were leaving campus Christina took her long board right over the curb and into the parking lot. So impressed was I that she had effectively "jumped the curbed" that I immediately threw my right hand into the air offering the universal symbol of "that was freakin' awesome": a high five. As Christina and I slapped hands and then retracted our arms again I felt something slightly moist on my palm. Now, noone likes a moist palm but I think it's safe to say that noone likes to blame their best friend for having moist palms, either. (Little did I know that as I was silently judging Christina for having too-wet hands, she was silently judging me, also.) In an effort to conceal my dislike for my new post-high five situation I looked down at my hand to see how I could effectively dry it out without offending. As I looked down I discovered with both relief and chagrin that indeed Christina was not the offender! Three wet, crinkled spider's legs stuck to the flesh of my palm begging me to ask the question: "Christina, do you have a dead spider on your hand?" Fortunately we have the kind of friendship where such questions don't seem an anomaly and she simply took it at face value and checked her palm. I had definately gotten the better end of the deal: my friend's palm uncovered an enormous spider's body and remaining legs, crushed in the wrath of our spontaneous high five. Poor spider never saw it coming. As for Christina and I, our friendship is all the better for our murderous high-five talents and spider killing prowess. We're also glad to know that neither of us suffers from the moist palm.

Moving. AGAIN.

I am SOOO over moving. In the last 10 months I have moved 3 times... seriously, I have a problem. This is the latest adventure in moving and I am excited about my new apartment as well as my new roommate who I will refer to hereafter as Sib. (Not do be confused with Cyb of the schizo or Shepard genre...)

Nate, Hollie, Sib and I moved all of our things in one evening. That's pretty impressive considering I wasn't even packed when I picked up the UHaul. Also impressive? I picked up the UHaul! It was definitely one of those "I'm a big kid now moments..." Similar to buying a power tool...

Sib and I were extremely grateful for the help of our brother and soon to be sis-in-law. A little insight: my TV is from 1980 and weighs about 300 tons. Moving that sucker was a thing of beauty and a joy forever. We rewarded ourselves with Crown Burger, of course. This is a family tradition that I
love. Come to think of it, this tradition could be the reason I move so often! In my effort to get in shape I have left the Crown in the dust, except for the special occasion of moving. In fact I'm craving another move...

Look forward to the new apartment. Couldn't be happier about being closer to Downtown as well as the U. Good times ahead. Go Aggies!

Bryce Canyon: Running, Sleeping, Hiking. In that order.

Went to Bryce Canyon a few weeks ago to run in a 5K. I took my sisters and mom along with me and we made a mini family vacation out of it which was so much fun. (It’s been 4 years since we’ve done any sort of trip… we’re lame sauce). On our way down we stopped in Panguitch at Henrie’s for dinner. My “healthy choices” diet went right out the window at this point. When they name their burger “Chubby Cheese” there is no going back... I’m just a sucker for alliteration I guess.

Friday night we found Cannonville Park with 10 minutes to spare and I picked up my race packet. This was my first running race (others have been cycling) so I was excited but scared at the same time: could I really haul myself 3+ miles in the desert? It was a baby step, but an important one for me. The next morning came extremely early and my baby sister commented that she had “never been up before the sun before”. Cliff bar, banana, and off to the races! Some of you know that I trashed my knee a few days before the race, so I was worried about running on it. My knee held up just fine, my pants, however, did not. In my hurry to pack I brought a pair of shorts that I usually use for biking. They used to fit pretty snug so I figured they would be fine for the run. Never underestimate the importance of waistband in running. My non-waistbanded shorts kept falling off me and thus I held them up with my right hand for the entire run. People were even commenting: how’s it going with the pants? Awesome. The race was through Bryce and it was beautiful. Crossing the finish line was so great and helped me to realize that we really can do whatever we put our minds to.

The rest of the weekend was a blast and I am so glad that my family includes people that I consider to be my closest of friends. I had so much fun with “the girls” and am glad we had the mini adventure. Some highlights: horseback riding along the rim of the canyon (and getting chased by a steer… I said a lot of swear words… can’t lie); sleeping for 12 hours only to wake up at 3am for a game of Skip-O; hiking, hiking, and hiking. What a great weekend. Thanks mom, Krys and Tay!!

Here’s a slideshow with more pictures. roll your cursor over the pic for explanations if you wish...