Saturday, September 12, 2009
Boot Scootin' Boogie
The last clue had directions to a place both Amber and I have never been. This made me a little nervous. Amber doesn't even know where we're going? Freakin' heck. So a fun 40 minute drive later, we end up in good ol' Roy, Washington. Land of....nothing. The population is 27 hicks. It's great. We park next to "The General Store Steakhouse and Saloon" and upon entering, got a warm greeting from our waitress, Carol. Love her. We got some pretty amazing nachos and apple crisp a la mode for dessert. We were going for the low calorie thing. No worries. Then! At 7:30 the excitement started...as if there could be more. I know. We were introduced to our pal, Billy Jo. Let me tell you about him. He's a line dance instructor, and a mighty fine one at that. Amber and I, along with 6 others, learned 2 line dances in 30 minutes flat. And these weren't just your normal macarena or cha cha slide line dances. These were good, solid, complicated, and slightly intimidating line dances. But make no mistake, Billy Jo doesn't slow down for anyone....even poor Amber and I who had never line danced in our lives before. But we were going to learn these dances, and nobody was going to stop us. And we did. I must say...Amber and I are naturals at this whole line dance thing. We put those old hicks to shame.
So the moral of the story is that sometimes it's ok to wait 3 years to follow through with birthday presents. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have appreciated Leroy, Carol, and Billy Jo in Roy if I was 3 years younger. And let's be honest...those 5 guys at the table in Wendy's probably wouldn't have been there 3 years ago. That's one awkward moment that I would have missed out on. So thank you, Amber. Thanks for knowing that waiting till I was 21 was all-around a better idea. You rock. And line dance. And now, so do I. What more could a girl want?
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Coyotes
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Coughing Attack
Friday, May 1, 2009
Ziti
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Florida, here I come!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Honey House
The rest of the ladies are pretty great too. Today, for example, Cyndi asked the others for advice on bridal shower ideas. Apparently one of her daughters is throwing a bridal shower for her friend and she needs a little help. So Cyndi asks everyone for ideas and they throw out a few suggestions and Cyndi relays them to her daughter on the phone. Apparently none of them were good enough and Cyndi's daughter says her friend wants something more "risque". This is what happens next (almost word for word, mind you):
Connie: Risque?? Does she know who we are?
Heather: She wants US to give her risque ideas?
Penny: What does risque even mean? How do you make a bridal shower risque?
Cyndi: We should ask Caroline
Caroline: Why would you think I know anything about risque?
Connie: You seem most likely to know
(laughter)
Cyndi: Where do we find strippers?
Heather: Are those expensive?
Caroline: I know an Elvis impersonator. He has a suit and everything! He would make those girls swoon! (really...she said "swoon")
Cyndi: Really? That might work
Connie: If all else fails I can get my son-in-law to put on a show. He'd give 'em a run for their money
Cyndi: How would your daughter feel about that?
Connie: She wouldn't have to know!
Honestly, this stuff happens every day. Who wouldn't want to work here?
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Conference Weekend
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wet
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I heart Starving Student Cards
- One violin polishing and tonal adjustment
- 2 10-minute tans
- 2 plates of chips and salsa at Bajio's
- 2 Lion House Rolls
- 2 small fries from Dairy Queen
- 2 regular fries from Arctic Circle
- A failed attempt at getting 2 chocolate mousse cakes from Gandolfo's. I was bummed about that one.
- Nothing from Broulim's.... but we tried.
- 2 large pizzas from Domino's. (Technically we had to pay $4 a piece for both of those but it's still on the card and it was still a good deal, right?)
- 1 bag of Crazy Bread from Little Caesar's
- 3 JCPenney Catalogs
- 2 bagels from Uptown Bagel, untoasted and un-cream cheesed
- 2 frozen custards at BRCs. Yum.
- A failed attempt to get chocolates from Florence's. The line was just too long.
- 2 frozen yogurts from Millhollow
- 2 frozen custards and 1 large fry from the Backyard
- Another failed attempt at Pineapple Grill. It was closed...thank goodness.
- 2 sherbet twists from Hogi Yogi which were surprisingly refreshing.
Overall it was a way fun adventure. It took us like 3 hours and I wanted to puke my guts out afterwards but no worries, I'm still alive and well.
Museum-ing
Have you ever been to a Potato Museum? Well to tell you the truth, I hadn't either until this weekend. Shocking. I know. Because who in their right mind hasn't been to a potato museum? Especially if they live in Idaho - the land flowing with milk, honey, and potatoes. Well I, along with my two trusty friends Ashleigh and Tyler, decided to go to said museum. We even skipped class for this adventure and let me tell you...it was totally worth it. Do you know what I got to see? I got to see the entire history of potatoes! Did you know they originated in Peru? And Idaho just happens to have the perfect climate to grow them? And that the biggest potato was over 8 pounds? And there's a freaking potato song? I even witnessed the biggest potato crisp in the world and let me tell you....it was big. Chyeah. I know. Be jealous. And the best part? I got a carton of hash browns because at the Idaho Potato Museum their motto is, "We give taters to out-of-staters." I love those guys.
Round 2:
The Museum of Idaho. But this wasn't just the normal old Museum of Idaho. Nope. The Titanic was there. Yes that's right....the Titanic. Ok so maybe not the whole thing but there was a bunch of stuff from it. A lot of really cool stuff actually. And I didn't know this but apparently when you've paid for admission to a Titanic exhibit, you become one of the passengers on it. Yes, it's true. I got my boarding pass to the Titanic and it said my name was Mr. Percy Andrew Bailey. Percy? Please. Anyways, apparently I'm 18, and a 2nd class passenger on my way to New York City to see my uncle before going to Ohio to be an apprentice butcher. My dream career. Well we went through the museum and saw a bunch of pretty sweet stuff from the Titanic. I got to put my hand on a hunk of ice for a while and tried to make a handprint in it but it was just too cold. And I also colored some pretty pictures (they had coloring stations with crayons and I couldn't resist). But there's also sad news. I died. Yes, it's true. I looked on the list of survivors and not-so-survivors and I was lost to Davy Jones. I never got to be a butcher and I'm pretty sure my uncle will be disappointed that I never came. Crap.
Round 3:
We ran out of Museums so we decided to go to the temple visitor's center, which is kinda like a museum right? We got a full on narrated tour from a sweet old man that was just so excited that he could talk to anybody that he just kept on talking. Maybe he thought we were good practice. Then we took pictures of the actual Idaho Falls in Idaho falls and contemplated life for a while. Then we ran through a flock of ducks and geese like they do in the movies, ya know? But we almost got attacked by a goose, so no more of that. After a few other stops and meals, we headed home. It was a great day.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Perfect
Geo. Logy. Field. Trip
I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to go on a field trip this weekend. I had a lot of good times. I laughed a lot. I walked a lot. A lot of stuff happened. Here are a few of them (this will be an illustrated blog):
I got to go to the North American Museum of Ancient Life and see dinosaur skeletons, hold a dinosaur bone, keep a dinosaur bone, play in a sandbox, play in a cave, and almost get eaten by a shark.
I also got to split pieces of shale for 3 hours at "U-Dig Fossils" in the middle of freakin nowhere in the beautiful sun (which I had to get reaquainted with) and now I have a wonderful collection of trilobite fossils (Elrathia, Asaphiscus, and Peronopis species if you must know). I also had a gihugant blister...make that two gihugant blisters....and a sunburn which I loved because it meant that I was actually in sun. I temporarily lost my camera so I don't have any pictures of this adventure. Sad...I know.
We camped on a sand dune...also in the middle of freakin nowhere. And I saw a pretty sunset.
The next day we went on a hike and studied more fossils and rock formations. Here's the view.
We also went to a playa lake, which is pretty much just a dried up lake. But on the way there we drove over what used to be the lake and the ground was pure white in the middle of mountains. If felt like we were floating and kinda creeped me out. But it was cool. And then we got to the lake and there was a stinkin skull sitting by the lake. For realsville. Aren't those only in fake western movies with John Wayne? Apparently not. Cree. Pee.
You can't really see it that well but there's the skull.
I should also inform you that from Thursday morning until Saturday afternoon, I was nowhere near a toilet or any form of running water. It sucked. But everything else? Top shelf. The end.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Fishers of Men
We started out on our adventure by going over to the girls' dorms but there weren't very many people around so it wasn't working. I did get some good casting practice in, though. Then we realized that on Friday night is Latin dancing. Of course! So we headed over to the MC and after a few failed attempts to catch people outside, we decided to go inside and try our luck. We strategically placed the dollar at the bottom of the stairs but with no success. You'd be surprised at how many people just look at that dollar bill on the ground and don't pick it up. People are apparently a little to honest here. Still no luck.
Then we went upstairs where the actually dancing was. Again, we strategically placed the dollar right outside the entrance to the dance. We had a few bites but nobody really chased it. Then we had a bite from a guy that apparently thought we were pretty funny. He kept coming back to check on our progress and eventually he asked Megan to dance. What a guy! :) Then the dance was over and here was our chance to really get people. Then a horrible mistake happened. Somebody was dragging their feet and got a little tangled in the fishing line and as their concerned boyfriend tried to help them get out of it, someone walked in between the tangled soul and us, holding the fishing pole. Needless to say it was a little bit of a mess and kinda ruined the effect of the moving dollar bill for anyone that was watching. Oh well. So Megan's dance partner eventually ended up helping us try to get a few more bites and eventually took us home, asked for Megan's number/on a date as I waited awkwardly in the back seat of his car, and we went home. It was great. So the moral of the story is, if you try fishing for men, don't go to the girls' dorms.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Testing Center of Doom
- You study your brains out for a few hours before taking the test
- You eventually leave the library to actually take the test
- You brave the Rexburg wind and cold and head towards the entrance to the testing center
- You open the door, only to find a seemingly endless staircase of uninviting concrete before you, usually filled up with dozens of poor souls, also taking tests.
- Nobody talks
- You wait in line until you finally work your way up the hugantic staircase and through the winding line in the little room at the top. It's like a walk of shame up those steps and you haven't even taken the stinkin' test yet!
- You prepare yourself by turning off your phone and retrieving your I-card and lucky number 2 pencil
- You glance up at the camera staring down at you from the corner of the little room
- A little bit of trembling happens here
- They call you forward to the front desk where they take your I-card. The workers there seem to stare into your soul as they say, "Do you have a phone?" "Well...uhhh.. yes. But it's off." They take a second glance into your soul to make sure your phone is really off and then say, "You can't use anything on this test except a pencil. Your can get your test at the end of the desk."
- You walk over to the "printer guy" on duty. He prints a test for you and asks, "What can you use on this test?" Is this a trick question? It's like a test before I even take my test! "Just a pencil." I say. "Good luck." I wonder if they ever get tired of wishing everybody good luck.
- You go into the actual testing room, find an empty seat, take your backpack off, unbutton, unzip and un-velcro your coat, take off your hat, scarf, gloves, and ski mask, all without making noise or else the whole testing center stops what they're doing to look at you.
- While taking your test, you can't look up at all because the creepy testing center people are walking right by your desk looking down into your helpless soul even more and chances are, it's the same one that did it at the front desk because they've probably rotated jobs by now. No looking up.
- If you see someone you know and they see you, DO NOT say hi. It's like a Nazi camp here. No friends, no smiles, NO happiness.
- You try to stay focused, despite the guy next to you shaking the whole room by bouncing his leg up and down and endlessly clicking his pencil. Apparently they have mechanical number 2 pencils.
- You finally finish your test, put everything back on, still trying not to make any noise and walk to the test retrieval spot. They take your test and since you're leaving they seem to be a little bit less disgusted with you. What a relief.
- You walk outside to see your score. "95% Fantastic!"
- You walk away with a smile. Apparently there's happiness outside the testing center.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
"Hi, how are you?"
It was a fine Tuesday afternoon and I was walking to class, like I normally do on Tuesday afternoons. There weren't that many people around. In fact, hardly at all. Except for a girl. A girl that I'm pretty sure I have never seen before in my life. Ever. She was walking about 10 feet in front of me, what I thought was a healthy distance. She, however, didn't think so. No, she evidently thought we needed to be closer. So she preceded to stop in her tracks, turn around and look at me, wait for me to catch up with her, and then started walking with me. At a not healthy distance, mind you. We were quite close actually. At this point I'm thinking, "Ok she's just one of those super friendly people here at BYU-Idaho that wants to meet everyone on campus. Whatev." And then she starts talking. "Hi, how are you?" she says. "Uhhh...I'm good....how are...you?" I say back. "I'm doing great!" So we're just, ya know, small talkin for a few minutes And then she says, "Can you hold on for a sec?" This is where I got really confused. She grabs hold of my arm and forces me to stop walking with her. So...we're just standing there...while she's looking up into the sky...pondering life for a few seconds....and I'm just waiting....and waiting...while she's still holding my arm.... "Ok we're good," she says. And we keep walking. "Ok well it was great talking to you!" I say as I start veering toward the nearest exit.
What the heck? What does that even mean?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
This is deep stuff
- Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
- The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.
- To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.
- Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
- The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.
- It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money.
- Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? And he's carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he's carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you're drunk.
- If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy.
- Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff.
- Instead of having 'answers' on a math test, they should just call them 'impressions' and it you got a different 'impression' so what, can't we all be brothers?
- Instead of studying for finals, what about just going to the Bahamas and catching some rays? Maybe you'll flunk, but you might have flunked anyway; that's my point.
Pretty deep, huh?
Blogging
P.S. If you're wondering about stormwater pollution, check out my other blog. Be warned though, that I don't really believe what I was trying to persuade, it was just easier to research that way :)


