...my heart sings out to you...

Saturday Mel graduated! WAHOO! A snow storm hit Logan in the early morning. I really don't like snow. It's beautiful until it gets old. But I live in Logan, so I have to deal with it. Anyway, it was my first college graduation ceremony. It was pretty fun. After the ceremony, we went to the grad party. Mel won a poncho and a blanket. There was good food and great company. Mel's family flew in from South Korea. They are fun people. It was a great Saturday (minus the snow) Congrats Mel!
It was kinda chilly walking outside.

At the grad party luncheon thing-a-ma-jig.

That fork is made out of corn! Pretty neat eh?

The LAST Hurrah!

Last night Kristine, Mel, and I went shopping and got Jamba Juices. We had a blast! Then we got home, put on fake tattoos, painted our nails, and watched Elf. Oh and we took lots of crazy pictures. We are going to miss Kristine! Mel's graduating tomorrow, so her family is in town. Five more days until I go home! WAHOO!

Peace signs and tattoos...

Gotta love roomies!

Our freshly painted nails. Yes, I have only one green pinkie and orange pinkie. The rest are pink.

One of the only "normal" photos we took last night. I think it turned out quite well.

FINAL-ly DONE!

Stick a fork in me! I'M DONE!

After "dead week", I didn't think I'd be so busy... well I was wrong. Amongst the "studying" and writing papers, I I had to work. I am not complaining, because I have the BEST job on campus. Seriously... I get paid to seal envelopes and work on the computer, oh and my supervisor lets me do my studying at work and work on final stuff. It's great. I've gotten free lunch this whole week (except today, although I ate some of the leftover tortilla chips from Monday). Monday we had chips and salsa and cheese dip. Tuesday I was treated to a truly free Ruby Tuesday's veggie burger (they messed it up in the kitchen, so it really was FREE). Wednesday was our work party which was catered by Hamilton's (really, REALLY good bread) and I won a poinsettia during the raffle. Today I am finishing up my online class final, which is just difficult to stay focused on... but I FINISHED it I think my brain has already checked out. Thinking hurts right now. And for me being so exhausted every day, I haven't been getting "good sleep". Hopefully that'll change after I don't have to worry about finals. I can now officially say I am finished with this semester. WAHOO!!! Now I get to work for three days and play until I leave on Wednesday for Washington. I'm so stoked!

No wonder my room is freezing...

I finally figured out why my room is ALWAYS cold.... ready for this?

I hadn't opened the vent! HAHAHAHA! It has been closed since I moved in. I think it's pretty funny that I've been freezing the past few weeks... but now I know why. Last night I was toasty warm, unlike the other night when I woke up with my nose cold (like I had been outside) and the right side of my face was frozen. Yeah, we finally turned the heat on... hopefully our bill won't be too bad. Man oh man, I am such a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.

Dead Week. Does it REALLY exist?

Answer: Nope.

(Courtesy of Wikipedia) "Dead week is a slang term for the week before final exams in the United States of America. During this period some students will suffer from sleep deprivation, increased irritability, and stress. At some schools this week is referred to as Hell Week or Reading Period. Depending on the school there may also be a moratorium on paper assignments, exams, and student organizational activities during dead week. Many schools have a tradition, known by various names, where students open their doors and windows and scream as loudly as they can (usually at midnight) on one or all nights of this week.
Most professors don't understand that DEAD WEEK isn't code for assign more homework and projects just to make students miserable... Seriously, I think I've had more homework and last minute assignments thrown at me than ever before. And yes, I am blogging, but that's just because I finished my assignments that are due tomorrow and I have this weekend to study for my finals. I have a final in EVERY class... that's a first. I can't wait till next week to be done with my first semester of junior year. After this semester, only a year and half till I'm done with college... then what am I going to do? I don't know for sure, but I have time to figure it out. Work is going great...Oh, we are in the midst of doing a mailing consisting of stuffing and sealing approximately 20,000 envelopes. Yes, I wrote 20,000. I spent five hours today doing just that. I'll get to spend three and a half or more tomorrow continuing the process. Goodness gracious. I am grateful that it's brainless work though, otherwise I think my head would explode, and then it'd ruin all our work and my co-workers would have to clean up after me. Not so fun... I will take the stuffing and sealing envelopes over any other work though... I wonder how many people will even open what we are mailing out... watch out alumni of USU.

Oink Piggy Oink!

I am so thankful for my family. We are incredibly crazy, but I love it. We had our traditional Thanksgiving in Henderson, NV (Vegas) this past week. We are always busy and doing something... it's great. I just love being around them even if we bite each other's heads off some of the time. Lindsay, Jake, Leslie, and I missed Tuesday's activities (bowling and pizza). I didn't get to show off my wicked bowling skills this year. Dang it. There's always next year. Wednesday was spent shopping and just hanging out. U-Swirl is yum-o.Thursday was Thanksgiving, which consisted of ENORMOUS amounts of food. Two turkeys, double mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, jello, fruit salad, five batches of rolls (orange and plain) I love that my mom made lactose free rolls just for me. Delicious! After our meal, we watched Elf, well we actually napped through most of it, but I woke up to my brother's laughter. Such a funny movie. Then we went to Four Christmases (not my favorite). Once we got back from the movie, we went and played DODGEBALL! So fun. We played Oink Piggy Oink... there's someone in the middle with a blindfold on (and in our case a paper bag over their head) holding a pillow. He or she is spun around and then goes to a person and says "oink piggy oink", the person with the pillow in their face must oink and the blindfolded individual has to guess who oinked. It's such a fun game. My sides hurt after playing. We also played a character game where you write down a famous person and everyone has to guess who you are. And you build a team as you go. I almost won the last round we played... but Leslie guessed I was Samwise Gamgee. We played those games as much as we could. We didn't get up super early on Black Friday this year. We went and ate at California Pizza Kitchen, we cleaned every single plate. It snowed at Towne Square. We went to The Hoover Dam and took lots of dam pictures. Saturday night was spent eating at Cafe Rio (seeing Sabra from SYTYCD and the missionaries who know my friend) and the strip. We had some interesting adventures on the strip... stupid drivers, crazy outfits, and sitting in traffic. Sunday we packed up and came back to Utah with all the luggage on the roof of the jeep (good thing Jake knows what he is doing otherwise we would have lost our luggage) Luckily I got to sleep most of the way to Vegas and back to Utah. It was such a fun trip! Thank you family!

STOP...

Thanks to Sara for this fun post!

1. Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the meme as well as the person you got the meme from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? "My Wish" Rascal Flatts (my wish for you...)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? "Biggest Mistake" Melee (oh, oh no, she's my biggest mistake!)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? "Love Is A Marathon" Teddy Geiger (hey it has the word love in it)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? "Over My Head (Cable Car)" The Fray (I am in over my head sometimes)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? "Secret Oath" The Spill Canvas (I guess I just keep on going no matter what)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? "Difference" Acceptance

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? "La Elima" Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

WHAT IS 2+2? "Spill the Wine" Eric Burdon and War

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND(S)? "Always On My Mind" Michael Buble (I guess they are always on my mind)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "That's All" Michael Buble (Say it's me that you'll adore, for now and evermore...)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? "Unwritten" Natasha Bedingfield (Good one!)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? "You're the Inspiration" Chicago (you're the meaning in my life... you're the inspiration)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Both Sides of the Story" Phil Collins

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? "Blood Ritual" from the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack (interesting...)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? "Meet Me by the Water" Rachael Yamagata

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? "Back Here" BB (everyone will want me back here baby)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? "Love is my Religion" Ziggy Marley (haha)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? "Catch the Sun" Jamie Cullum

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? "Faithfully" Journey

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? "I Wanna Go Home" Michael Buble (I don't know if that's the worst thing that could happen... I miss my home)

HOW WILL YOU DIE? "On Love, In Sadness" Jason Mraz

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? "Moondance" Michael Buble

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? "Golden" Allred

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? "I Want You To Want Me" Letters to Cleo

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? "Ode To..." Rachael Yamagata (maybe...)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? "Can't Hold On" Melee (I'll be there for you so you know you're not alone..)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? "Run to You" The Rocket Summer (I will run to you, I will run, I will run)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? "Upside Down" Jack Johnson

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? "Boston" Augustana

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? "Stop" Plain White T's

WHO DO YOU TAG? Anyone who wants to do this post. It's fun!

Just some thoughts...

• Whenever I see "Hi All", I think it says "Hi Alli".
• Water bottles roll pretty far when you are in a classroom with a slope...
• Getting a better score than you expected on an exam is one of the greatest feelings ever.
• The library is very peaceful.
• It's beginning to get cold. I had to pull out my winter coat. Dang it.
• Keeping your room clean isn't too hard if you just put away what you get out right when you are finished with it.
• I love the smell of clean laundry.
• It's wonderful getting things accomplished.
• Simple things can change your attitude in an instant.
• Smiling makes your day go by much faster.
• Finding your headphones makes it more fun to walk by yourself. (music is great)
• Les is a great photographer! "Modeling" for her is way fun!
• Being busy makes the day fly by.
• Being happy is a matter of attitude.
• Serving others makes you forget about your problems. Just be grateful for what you have.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY!

Happy Birthday Brother! Today is Tony's 17th birthday! Crazy! I cannot believe he is that old. He is such a stud. This is one of my favorite photos of us. He's so grown up!

This is a video of Tony's Chariot Race Crash from Homecoming this year. Thanks Mom and Dad for sending the video to me. Watch the far left...

Busy Bee

First of all, thank you to all those who have fought to keep the U.S. free. God Bless America.

This past weekend was packed full of fun activities... here is a shortened version...
FRIDAY

• Went to a surprise party and beat everyone in a cosmic game of bowling with a 137.


• Played Dance Dance Revolution and sang Karaoke. The best song of the night had to be Jared and Sam singing Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You".


• Witnessed the smashing of cake and ice cream to the birthday boy's face by his sister.


• Staying up late talking about random things.

SATURDAY

• Made sugar cookies with two of the cutest kids in the universe at Aunt Sue's.


• Got hit in the noggin by an Arthur figurine.


• Did laundry.


• Went to a wedding reception in Midway... very long drive.


• Got lost on the way to the wedding reception (darn mapquest).


• Took pictures, talked, and proceeded to drive back to Logan (and missing the turn to get back on the highway)


• Sang "old skool" songs to and from Midway. Thanks Mel!

SUNDAY

• Church was great. It was one of those Sundays when you feel everything that was said was directed towards you. Also, I needed to hear and understand what was spoken.


• Ate a tasty lunch.


• Went over to G&G Sorenson's and had a great time with my family.


• Attended ward prayer and learned interesting facts about my fellow ward members.


• Went to bed.

Overall, my weekend was great. There were other happenings during the weekend, I'm sure, but at the moment I can't recall them. Life is always more fun when you have a good attitude.

I'm Gonna Be a Supermodel

Not really (I'm too short amongst other things), but I did get the opportunity to be a model for Leslie and Sue's photography class. It was way fun... except it was FREEZING!!! Once the sun went behind the mountains... BRR! After a while, my face hurt from smiling and it was pretty much frozen, along with my fingers and my toes. It's cool to be posed and told what to do in a picture. I think the highlight of the shoot was being staged as a "family" when all the models were practically the same age. HA! Oh, and Leslie making me to cheer moves was pretty funny. I got some laughs from those poses. Good thing I don't mind "modeling". This was my third photo shoot this year. Maybe I missed my calling... I should have taken my camera and shot some pictures of the photographers taking my picture. That would have been hilarious! Once we were done with the class, we went back to Aunt Sue's and got toasty by the fire. Good times.

I VOTED TODAY

I voted today. Did you? It was my first voting experience (well besides voting in school for class officers) Thanks Aunt Sue for taking Les and I to the right place. And Les, you're welcome for finding your voter registration card. Voting is great.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I had forgotten how much I love TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles) I watched the three movies (the original ones, not the cartoons) yesterday on TV. Such classics. I remember growing up watching all the cool classics: The Goonies, 3 Ninjas, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Princess Bride, The Buttercream Gang, Newsies etc... I need to buy these movies for my DVD collection. The TMNT movies are hilarious! The second movie, The Secret of the Ooze is my top pick, then The Original Movie, followed by the third one (when they travel back in time to Japan). My favorite turtle is Leonardo (he is awesome!) I wanted to be like him when I was little. I have pictures of me dressing up to like him... including cardboard wrapping paper tubes as my swords. I think I even had a crush on him. Yep, a crush on a teenage mutant turtle. Thanks Dad for cutting your bandannas so we could be ninja turtles. Gotta love the early 90s. Cowabunga dude! My question to those reading my blog... Who is your favorite teenage mutant ninja turtle?

Blame It on the Weatherman

It's almost November... and it's a nice 67 degrees outside (or at least that is what the weather channel says) Would the weather please make up its mind?! It snowed a few weekends ago and now it's in the upper sixties! What's up with that? I don't know if I can take it anymore. Whenever the weather changes dramatically, I always get headaches and I just don't feel well. Weather, please make up your mind. Oh, and if you know where the title of this post is from, props to you. If not, here ya go... It's a title of a song by a group named B*WITCHED. I used to listen to them all the time. I wonder if I still have their cd...

Another 8 Things

Tagged by Kami... Another 8 Things

8 TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH...
1. The Office
2. What I Like About You
3. The Hills
4. Gilmore Girls
5. Crusoe
6. Jon & Kate Plus 8
7. America's Next Top Model
8. Greek

8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS...
1. Subway
2. Fredrico's
3. The Cheescake Factory
4. Jason's Deli
5. Indochine (it's in Washington)
6. Juniper Take-Out
7. Olive Garden
8. Sizzler

8 THINGS THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY...
1. Snoozed longer than I should have
2. Went to school
3. Went to work
4. Almost fell asleep at work
5. Addressed thank you postcards
6. Watched TV
7. Did homework
8. Got online

8 THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO...
1. Going to sleep tonight
2. The weekend
3. The end of the semester
4. Thanksgiving
5. Christmas
6. Seeing my family
7. Warm, not hot, weather
8. Hockey games

8 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT FALL...
1. Crunchy leaves
2. Raking leaves and then jumping in them
3. Candy
4. The beautiful colors
5. Family
6. Being able to wear jackets each day
7. Pulling out more blankets
8. Cool, not cold, weather

8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST...
1. A Nintendo 64 with controllers and Mario Kart
2. Passing grades this semester
3. Happiness for everyone
4. To see my family
5. New shoes & jeans
6. Socks (yeah, I'm in need of some warmer socks)
7. Less stress
8. A new iPod

8 PEOPLE I TAG...
1. Aunt Teresa
2. Mel
3. Jared
4. Kelsi
5. Tyler
6. Stephanie
7. Heather
8. Jenna

Awkward Moments...

My life is filled with awkward moments. Yesterday I was sitting in Deductive Logic trying to pay attention. I got thirsty, so I pulled my water bottle out of my backpack and took a drink. As I was attempting to put the lid back on it, the lid dropped out of my hand, rolled across the floor and stopped by a girl's desk. I got up and retrieved the lid and I could just fill my face turn bright red. A guy sitting next me just smirked and laughed. Oh well. At least I didn't hit anyone in the head with it. Another moment. I bought new yellow flats this past weekend and I am trying to break them in. Not the best idea when you tend to trip. I was walking up the north stairs of Old Main and my flat popped off my heel and I ended up stepping on the back of it and almost tripping up the stairs. Good thing nobody was around, otherwise I would have been bright red again. I only turned a light shade of red that time. Another moment. I was filling my water bottle up at the drinking fountain and I had some water still in it. I decided to pour it out. There was more in there than I thought. It splashed over the side of the drinking fountain onto my feet. I started laughing and people looked at me funny. Nothing new. Then today I was just sitting at my desk minding my own business when all of a sudden I choked on my own spit. Don't you hate it when that happens? I know I do. I do it all the time though. I've found out if you just try to breathe deep, then the choking goes away a bit faster. That or you just look like a tomato trying to breathe. I am sure I will have more awkward moments later on in the day...

Kaysville Weekend

I've finally updated... so look back on my blog for past posts. Sorry it's taken me a long time. Get ready for a long post...Anyway, this past weekend was fall break. I packed my bags and with Leslie, drove down to Kaysville to spend the weekend with Lindsay and Jake! It was way fun. Thursday night we had popcorn and watched television in their finished basement. On Friday, Lindsay, Leslie, and I went to Salt Lake for some shopping. We ate at Jason's Deli which is DELICIOUS! Leslie had never been. After shopping, we went back to Lindsay and Jake's and watched Kasey and Adam's little girl. She is adorable. Tyler came down Friday night. We went to a corn maze and it was awesome. I am thankful for Jake and Tyler. They helped us get through the maze. Saturday was a lazy day. We just woke up and had a relaxing day. Lindsay had to wait for a mattress all day. So Leslie, Tyler, and I went to Target to pick up some groceries for Lindsay. We ate the Training Table before we went shopping. My first experince there... you order using a phone! So cool!!! Then it rings when your food is ready to pick up. Thanks Tyler for lunch. Saturday night we went to Lindsay and Jake's Ward Chili Cook Off. It was pretty fun. After that we went to rent a movie. We didn't find anything, so we went to Wal-Mart. Lindsay wanted to buy lots of DVDs (classics in my opinion) but she ended up buying The Messengers. It's a pretty scary movie. Then again, I am not a fan of scary movies. Ever since I Am Legend I haven't been able to watch scary movies without freaking myself out. Sunday I went to church with Lindsay and Jake. It was way different being in a family ward verses a singles ward. Lots of kids. It was great fun. I took a nap and it was great. I read Breaking Dawn and Twilight this weekend. It was such a relaxing and fun weekend. Thanks Lindsay and Jake! I'm sure Leslie will blog about this weekend, so be sure to visit her blog.

Work

The past few days at work has been non-stop writing addresses on thank you postcards, sending out first time donor packets, oh not to mention the six hundred plus letters that had to be stuffed, stamped, and sealed. I have a system of doing these... for the thank you postcards I write all the addresses out and then put the stamp on them, for the first time donor packets I run the report, put it into Access and mail merge it in Word (along with the labels for the envelopes) and then put the stamp on it, for the letters, well that's a whole other story. Those letters were supposed to be mailed out in August, but just like last year, PDP got behind and didn't get them to us until oh mid-to end September. Also, they weren't really in order according to how the envelopes were so I had the wonderful opportunity to find the weird way PDP put them which was in order, but backwards and in different piles, but all in all, I got the frustrating job done. My boss said that I could get a job in a mail room any day and that I have a lot more patience then he does. Hopefully next year everything will run smoothly and the letters will actually get out when they're supposed to. Oh, I also was photographed for a new mailing. It's one for Young Alumni. Cool huh?

General Conference Weekend

This past weekend has been BUSY! I got a lot accomplished though and had a great time with my extended family. General Conference is amazing. The gospel is awesome! I know I am so lucky to have it in my life. Saturday night we had a girl's night in (we had pasta, salad, and garlic bread YUM!) It was organized chaos. We also had a birthday party and had cupcakes and ice cream. Let me tell ya, there is always GOOD FOOD when the family gets together. I love my family! On Sunday, after the morning session, we had a delicious lunch at Grandma and Grandpa S's house! Like I said... we ALWAYS have good food when we get together. We had sandwiches, chips, salad, and pie and/or ice cream for dessert. After the afternoon session, Lindsay, Jake, Leslie, and I went to my Grandma B's house for more treats and to visit. She had these great cookie dough brownies and popcorn. It was way fun to chat and Aunt Teresa came by too! My family rocks! After the fun filled weekend, I really don't want to go to my classes. Although, I think there's only like 9 weeks left in the semester or something... which is a great thing. I am somewhat looking forward to picking new classes for spring semester. Weird. I know.

Y-B-U?

Friday night (way back in the beginning of October) Lindsay and Jake came up to Logan and we went to the football game against BYU. We actually did a lot better than expected. USU didn't get shut out (we only got beat by 20 points) it would have been a closer game except the fact there were A LOT of flags in the last few minutes of the game. Oh well. What can ya do? I got a cool shirt just for this game.

FRONT:

BACK:

WIN OR LOSE... YOU STILL LIVE IN PROVO. 'NUFF SAID.

Provo is an okay town... but I love Logan. I just think it's a really funny shirt!

USU VS. BYU

Well, I must say, I LOVE hockey! This past Saturday we* got to witness the defeat of the BYU hockey team. It was a very aggressively played game... a lot of penalties, bad calls, a few punches, helmets being knocked off, tripping, loud yelling and many chants and cheers throughout the night, and just the thrill of being at the ice arena. USU hockey is great. They beat BYU 8-5. The best shot of the night was when the BYU goalie was pulled out of the game and someone (I can't remember the player who shot the puck) iced the puck across the rink and scored. It was in slow motion almost... it was pretty awesome.

*we included Kelsi, Chris, Mary, Jenny, Mark, Tyler, Leslie, and I. The comic below is from Kelsi from my freshman year... it sums up a hockey game pretty well...

The last frame says... "WHOA!... HOCKEY IS TOTALLY EXHAUSTING!"

So You Think You Can Dance?

Watching So You Think You Can Dance in person is AMAZING!!! Thanks for letting me join the party. If you want to know more about the night go to Leslie's blog. She is a great story teller and has more pictures. I took mostly videos of the dances which were so RAD! Gev was hilarious the whole night. Did you know he has a bald spot on the top of his head? In honor of Mary, we wore shirts with The Hot Tamale Train on them. It was awesome. We had a few people ask if they could get on the train with us. I want the next season to start soon! Oh, and if you can't tell from the videos from this post... Mark was my favorite dancer this season. Enjoy!

This was the background at the end of the show. Pretty neat.

(above) This video is Mark's solo to Bohemian Rhapsody. It is one of my favorite dances ever.

(above) Courtney and Mark's "Garden" dance. Another favorite.

(above) 5 Guys Named Moe... I didn't see it on TV, but I highly enjoyed it at the show. And it has all my favorite guys in it (Mark, Gev, Joshua, Twitch, & Will)

New Hair

I love getting my hair cut and colored (which occurred on September 13). I especially LOVE the smell of the hair color. If it was a perfume, I would wear it every day. Now my hair has red and dark brown streaks and my natural color. I quite like it. Emily also cut off three inches and gave me angled bangs. I'm still getting used to it, but I really do like it. I think I know what I am going to do with it next time. Wahoo!

Eight Things...

I got tagged by Kelsi. Enjoy!

8 THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT...
1. Family
2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
3. Education
4. Friends
5. Being a vegetarian
6. Vacations
7. Sleep
8. Doing well in everything

8 WORDS OR PHRASES I SAY OFTEN...
1. University Advancement, this is Alli
2. Thank You
3. You're Welcome
4. Cool beans
5. That's rad
6. Awesome
7. I'm so tired
8. Hello

8 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE...
1. Travel as much as possible
2. Visit the East Coast
3. Go to every state
4. Get a college degree
5. Own a house
6. Get married in the temple
7. Have a family
8. Be stress-free

8 THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM MY PAST...
1. Life is crazy
2. Be happy
3. Learn from your experiences
4. Smile no matter what
5. Be yourself
6. Laugh until you cry or until your stomach hurts, both are wonderful stress relievers
7. Find something you do well
8. Love

8 PLACES I WANT TO GO OR SEE...
1. New Zealand
2. Australia
3. All the states
4. Redwood Forest
5. Costa Rica
6. Disneyland or Disney World
7. Italy
8. Great Britain

8 THINGS I CURRENTLY NEED OR WANT...
1. Sleep
2. Good grades
3. Vacation
4. Chocolate Soymilk
5. A trip to Washington
6. Food
7. Scholarships
8. A manicure and pedicure

8 PEOPLE I TAG...
1. Sara
2. Jamie
3. Leslie
4. Tyler
5. Erica
6. Kami
7. Aunt Teresa
8. Joni

USU Hockey!

That's right, USU Hockey season is now upon us. WAHOO!!! Hockey is a great sport. Leslie, Mary, Lauren, and I went to the game last night against the University of Utah. We won 14-3. There were lots of fights and more than a handful of players got ejected. It's going to be a rowdy season... I can't wait. The best games are the ones against BYU. For some reason USU and BYU hockey players just don't get along. It's a great rivalry. There were a lot more people there than we thought there would be, but we still got our favorite spot. The only thing about this season that is different, besides the many nameless jerseys, is the start time is now 7:00 instead of 8:00. We're not sure if we'll like that or not... I guess time will tell. Hockey is great!!!

DRIFTING

I'm a little behind on posting about Jon's drifting races... Leslie did a very good job at explaining what we did. Go to Leslie's blog to get all the details. Anyway, drifting is one of the biggest thrills I've ever experienced. It's so amazing! I'm glad I went. I actually got to go with Jon twice around the track. When you go with Jon, you can't help but laugh, unless you're Leslie and scream the whole time... He just chuckles when he does something funny or almost hits something. It is such a rush to go in a car and just drift. I highly recommend it (only when it's legal of course). Thanks Uncle Bob for letting us know about this... I'm excited for next year. I told Jon that it is kind of addicting, he laughed and said oh yeah, it's very addicting. It was a great night. I now understand why all my guy friends in high school loved cars and racing. I'm glad I didn't pee my pants! Thanks again!

Fun people

Down on the track watching the cars real close. It was great to see everyone.

(above) This is Lindsay (silver car) and Jake (black car) on the track at the same time. Notice all the laughing and gasping at how close the cars get. Jon's car is the silver one (sorry, I don't remember what kind of car it is)

(above) This is me with Jon. This is the first run (the brake lights are on the whole time while we are heading straight for the wall) Funny thing is I don't remember coming that close to the wall and I felt perfectly safe with Jon. I want to go again!

September 11

Eighth grade. Such a long time ago. I remember going into my parent's bedroom with my family and watching the second plane crash into the other tower. Have you ever had that feeling of seeing something happen or experiencing something so surreal, it doesn't register in your brain that it ACTUALLY happened? Well, 9/11 was one of those experiences. I remember going through the whole day just in a daze. I can't imagine how families coped or are still coping after all these years. It's a hard thing to have someone with you one day and then gone the next. When I was a junior in high school, I had the opportunity to go to Ground Zero on the Celebrate America Tour (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC). It was very peaceful yet heart wrenching. There were notes and pictures and flowers and mementos. It made me realize how lucky I am to still have my life, even though sometimes I complain about little things. I hope we can all remember this day. September 11 will always be there in the back of our minds. Let us not forget. God Bless America.

The reason behind "allison needs..."

Okay, many people are confused by the post entitled "allison needs..." The instructions, which I failed to mention (lo siento) are as follows: First, go to google and type in your name, followed by the word "needs". Now, list the first 10 things that come up. And there ya go... the reason behind that post. It's just a fun game. Go ahead try it. You know you want to.

allison needs...

Well, I tried "alli needs" but all that came up was about ALLI the weight loss drug, so I changed it to Allison. It's kind of weird using my full name since I've been going by Alli for so long, anyway here is the list...

1. Allison needs... office space, mkaaay?

2. Allison needs... some glowsticks

3. Allison needs... to remember that history repeats itself

4. Allison needs... medical attention

5. Allison needs... a loving home

6. Allison needs... your prayers

7. Allison needs... a time-out dog t-shirt

8. Allison needs... to update major

9. Allison needs... to get serious about school

10. Allison needs... more good farmers to raise corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley, peanuts, cattle, hogs and sheep

Today in class...

Sociology 3010. Social Inequality. The professor calls on us randomly to answer questions to readings we are supposed to do before class. I was one of the lucky ones who got chosen to talk in class today. Thank goodness I had the right answer and that I actually read the excerpts. I really don't like being called on randomly. If I have something to say, I'll say it. But I usually keep my mouth shut or try not to make eye contact with the professor in my classes. I take pretty good notes though. Anyway, I got a few head nods with my answer, so I'm assuming that's a positive thing. Good thing I don't have to go to that class till Wednesday! I have a lot of time to prepare for next week. Deductive Logic. My professor talks extremely soft so we all have to strain our ears to listen to him. He has some good jokes though. Oh, and in my American Lit class I had a tough time paying attention because there was a squirrel outside the window just running back and forth and for some reason I found it more intriguing than Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca or Thomas Harriot. Thank heavens for the weekend!

Routine? What Routine?

I was just getting used to my summer routine... and now I have to start a whole new routine. My whole schedule is different and it's making me crazy. I found out that I have a lot more time on my hands than I thought... and without cable or internet at the house I'm living in, I've spent it reading or taking unnecessary trips to Wal-Mart to just get out of the house. My favorite thing to do is go to Aunt Sue's and just relax. It allows me to see her and I get to use the internet. I have an online class this semester, so internet is quite important, especially when you have to "meet" with your professor online. Everything is way different, yet it feels the same. Instead of reading "fun" books, I get to read "not so fun" textbooks before I go to sleep, unless I some how finish my reading before I even get ready for bed. I hope I fall into a routine which I can enjoy. I tend to have a routine and if it gets interrupted, I kinda go crazy. Maybe I'm just a tad bit strange. The first week of the semester, okay even the second and third weeks, gives me the chance to find the right routine. It's weird to have school... it feels like I never left campus. Oh wait, that's because I didn't. Go job on campus! It's also weird to see other students walking around. It was quite barren over the summer. I kinda miss being able to walk around without feeling like cattle. Oh the life of a college student. At least I have family around me to keep me sane... well as sane as I can be. Good thing it's almost the weekend. I'm in need of some serious relaxation.

I've been BITTEN in Forks!

I know the Twilight Saga is fictional... but the setting is REAL! Ashlee, Vicki (her mom), Mindy, and I went to Forks on August 13. It was a long but fun filled day! Thank you Vicki for driving and for being our photographer. We were such tourists. It was a blast. We saw the Welcome to Forks sign, Forks City Hall, Forks High School, the Hospital, The Cullen's house, The Swan's house, Bella's truck, Forks Outfitters (which is Newton's Store), First Beach, Jacob's house, the Baseball Meadow, Bella Italia (we acutally ate there and it was delicious), and we saw the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. Enjoy the photos!!!

The Pacific Northwest

On Saturday morning, Tyler, Leslie, and I arrived back to Logan safely and in time for Les to go to work. We had left on August 7 during a rainstorm and drove through lightning storms the whole way. It was pretty scary but awesome at the same time. We went to Seattle (Pike's Place and a M's game where my dad save a guy's face), the Oregon Coast, and I went to FORKS (there will be a separate post). It was a fun filled vacation. I was more busy up there than I am in Logan. There are just too many photos from this last trip... but here are some of my favorites. Leslie and Tyler will probably have more to add on their blogs, so check them out!

Mom and I stuck in a rainstorm... we waited it out under the bus stop and Jack in the Box

Seaweed Jump Roping

Moon shot!

Ottercrest Beach (well the beach near it we had to hike through the forest. So cool!)

FIRE!

I like the ocean... I just don't like being IN the ocean.

Yo-ho Yo-ho a Pirates Life for Me!

My brother and I. He is growing up so fast!!!

Busy Bee!

This will be a short post... I am at work (I should be working on this huge project, but I can only take staring at names for so long) I will post more about my trip to the Northwest later, but seeing how I haven't blogged since August 5, I thought I would. Anyway, I got back to work and had 200 e-mails in my inbox, my desk was covered with stuff I needed to work on, and I found out they finally hired someone to sit out front! WAHOO! Today I have been doing a little bit of everything. I mailed out 85 postcards which I had to pick up and buy stamps for and then stamp them and put labels of the addresses on them. I also got to help clean out cupboards and I scored FREE FOLDERS and a booklet about how to get good grades. I hope it helps. More to come later...

Not Many People Can Say This...

I drove Dr. F. Ross Peterson's car! It is a pretty darn new Ford Five Hundred. Needless to say, it freaked me out to drive such a nice car, PLUS it belongs to the Vice President of University Advancement. I love my job. I get to do some interesting projects and I never know what I'll be doing any given day. I've been called a "jack of all trades" by my boss. It's such a great college job... very flexible and easy-going. On another note, I'm on a roll with blogging. Go me!

Candy + Fire = Fun Stuff

Once we got back into Logan, we changed and then headed back up the Canyon for a bonfire. Hence, my day wasn't over once we got back from Bear Lake (as I stated in my post before this). We roasted mallows, sour patch kids, starbursts, graham crackers, and pretty much whatever else Kelsi and Chris brought. Thanks for the sugar!!! It was a great time for all. I'm sure Leslie will post something about it too (sorry I post about the same things you do, but I can't help it that we do the same things sometimes) I had a sugar hangover on Sunday and it wasn't cured until after I took a three hour nap. I really need to get back on a normal sleep schedule. Ah fooey.

"The Eagle Scouts"

Donkey Balls

Sour Patch Kids in the fire! They actually were really quite tasty.

FIRE!

Bear Lake Take Two (Fun with the Sister and Brother-In-Law)

After reading Breaking Dawn and getting about five hours of sleep, Leslie, Tyler, and I headed up to Bear Lake to meet Lindsay and Jake. It was a fun filled day with Seadoos, a Water Trike, and sunscreen. I didn't get roasted again! Props to me. My legs are a bit tanner than Lindsay's though... that's a first. Jake took Linds and I out first on the three person Seadoo and somehow we fell off. Who falls off Seadoos?! I guess we do. We saw some pretty massive fish and we screamed (Linds and I did) I really don't like fish in lakes. I don't mind them in bowls or tanks, but having them swim around me freaks me out. Thanks to the Nielson's for letting us come up and hang out with you! There was some great food and exceptional company. I hope we can do it again sometime. I think Bear Lake may be one of my favorite places ever. It's so peaceful. Pretty Lake.

Linds and I before getting wet... sorry for the re-post of this photo.

Seesters!

We (Leslie, Tyler and I) stopped at LaBeau's on our way back to Logan so Leslie could try a Raspberry Shake. She liked it. I was just there for the fun of it. By this time I was beat and the not getting a lot of sleep wasn't helping. But my day wasn't over yet.

Breaking Dawn

Okay, I am such a nerd for posting about a book... but let me tell ya... it was a doozie!!! I absolutely love being in the world of the Twilight Saga. Of course I want to find an "Edward" for myself, but so is practically every girl out there (with the exception of Leslie because she is on Team Jacob, or as she puts it "The Anti-Edward Team") Anyway, Lindsay, Leslie, Kami, Joann, Carly, and I went to Borders for the release party. It was insane. There were so many people. We ended up buying our copies from Wal-Mart. Faster and less expensive. It was such a fun night. We got our pictures taken with the t-shirt winners and watched a continuous reel of Twilight footage. Maybe if Lindsay ever sends me the pictures, I will put some up. I then got home and started reading. I finished the book at 6:00 am. I am such a bookworm. Judge me all you want... I already know I am geek.

Bear Lake Take One (Sorenson Family Mini-Reunion)

Thanks to Uncle Bob and Aunt Heidi for letting us attend your Bear Lake party. It's always a blast to get together with everyone who is available to come play. It was a fun day! I went to work for four hours and then got to spend the rest of the day with my family at Bear Lake. Such a great day! I didn't even get sunburned, which is a first for me. Last year I got toasted to a crisp. Thanks again for such a great day!

Jamie, Sara and I getting ready to go on the MOLECULE. Jamie and Sara screamed the majority of the time... I just laughed. The video is of us on the molecule... the scream you hear is Sara. She has a very loud scream. Enjoy the video. (oh and the ending is done on purpose, only Jamie and I didn't hear her count to three. Sorry Sara!)

Beautiful lake.

Happy Boy!

Tyler... Towel-lee-ban. He's punny.

Yep, that's my name.

Yep, that's Sara's name.

End of the day. Thanks so much!