Time sure flies when you're having fun!!

One of my friends recently updated her post and as I was browsing her updates, I realized that it has been far too long since my past post.

In December, I went to Rexburg during finals week and met Simon. He is the cutest nephew I have!! After Christmas the rest of the family and I went back down for Simon's blessing. It was such a blast to see the little girls' reactions to a new baby.

School started back up in January for me and I was back at it. About the second week of school we had a  freak snow storm and school was cancelled! We got about 3 feet of snow in no time at all and leaving the house was quite the feat.

In February my friend Linnea and I threw a V-day dessert party. It was really fun we both spent the day baking desserts. It was such a blast.

In March I went on a school field trip during my spring break. Although I was absolutely, without a doubt, not thrilled about it, I learned a lot. We visited farms and orchards that were sustainable and in many cases organic.

In April, Michael, Blair, Simon and I teamed up to surprise the rest of the family for Easter. It was so much fun! At first only Blair and Simon were going to be able to make it and we would rendezvous to switch "cargo". Michael was able to secure enough time off from work and that totally made the surprise that much better. We rented a car in Pullman, as mine decided to break the week of the trip, and jetted off right after one of my classes. We drove to my parents driveway and then called my mom and told her to check her back steps for a package that was supposed to be arriving. When she opened the door we popped our heads over the fence and gave her the best surprise! We spent the next few days playing with everyone and hunting for eggs. It was such a blast.

In May, school ended for me and the weekend of finals, my dad and I walked the Bloomsday 10k. We got to meet Ali Vincent from the biggest loser and had such a blast walking and talking. Thanks Dad for inviting me to do crazy things with you!

Our time was slightly less than this, at 2:40

In June we went to the Lind Combine Demolition Derby and made a day out of it. We celebrated Caitlin, Mine, and Curt's birthdays and then watched combines smash eachother. It was pretty incredible. There were roll overs and some pretty serious wrecks. Although the weather was cold and blustery, it was a blast!! My friends from Pullman Kim and Laramie came too.

Caitlin, Curt, Me

Laramie, Kim, Me

July has come and almost gone at this point but it has been fun! Curt and I have gotten together a couple of times a month and enjoyed each other's company. His last trip out here I took him to Steptoe Butte and Garfield. It was fun for me to see Garfield and how it has/hasn't changed over the years. Apparently I didn't take any pictures of Steptoe...but there is a quick video of the view.

Me and Curt

Me and Curt...there may be a slight height difference ;)

Curt is a Huskey fan (big mistake) and so for his birthday, I got him the better team's swag. :)

This is the view of the sunset from the hill above my apartment

So for now...I am up to date on my blogging. I am spending the summer in Pullman working at Shopko, doing some research for my thesis, driving back and forth across the state and absolutely loving life!

Happy Fall!

I've made it to Fall! Its been a crazy couple of  months, but I'm loving my time in Pullman!
The Friday before Halloween we had a dance and a group of us got together and got ready for the dance. Here are a couple of pictures of us!

Me and Georgia

Me and Alyx match!

Georgia the Flapper, Beth the Modern Vampire, Alyx as Lorraine, and me 80's or the girl from the Babysitter adventures

 Caitlin and her girls came to town to have a sleep over! It was so much fun! We danced, sang, made halloween signs with foam, played at McD's and carved pumpkins. We should definitely do it more often. The girls loved the adventure of staying at Brynney's house, Caitlin loved the sister time, and I'm always willing to act a little silly with the girls.

Brynne, Megan, Caitlin, and Amy

Amy loved cutting with the little pumpkin knife!

Thanksgiving Begins!

This week we had a turkey dinner for FHE and I can now admit that I am officially in the mood for Thanksgiving! I am realizing how grateful I am for so many things in my life. And I also starting to notice how present the Lord's hand is in my everyday life. It's so incredible to recognize how He intervenes/assists/guides me from day to day. I think this year, I am especially grateful for my family and friends. They give me support when I need it, and are never afraid to tell me how it really is. Thanks guys! You're the best!

Next week is our Thanksgiving break from school. I am very excited to see family, feast, and hopefully meet the new little guy down in Rexburg. As the semester is winding down, I'm finding that I am so thankful that we have a break; I need it. : )

Highlight of My Day

So I have started an Instute class. Basically is an hour each Tuesday and Thursday where I get to study the scriptures with other people my age.

In preparation for class today I was reading John 1-3 and I had pretty much the best thing happen to me--An answer to a deep philosophical question!

For those of you who don't know me well, I am NOT a deep thinker : ) I find that a sense of humor is a great thing to have in life both as a weapon as well as a shield. I have often wondered if our Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. I mean really, it is important in my life, ( and sometimes I look at my life and wonder how He couldn't!) but its a valid thought.

So if you turn to John 1: 9 of the King James Version of the Bible you will have a chuckle. So this chapter talks about when Jesus turned water into wine--A very cool miracle to be sure. To sum it up, verse 9 says that the ruler of the feast didn't know it didn't start out as wine but that servants knew what was up. How it is written is phenomenal. It says, "The ruler...knew not whence it was...but the servants which drew the water knew ;) ..." Okay, did you see it?! Right there at the end! A WINKY FACE!!! He TOTALLY  has a sense of humor!

But...it gets better...

Once I realized how cool this was I thought, "Oh! I'll take a picture and show everyone!" I got out my cell phone and my blasted little baby camera wouldn't focus on the text. Bummer. So I grabbed my camera which has a text setting. This has got to work! I thought. It wouldn't focus either. AAAh! Maybe this is a sign...I'm supposed to keep this enlightenment quiet...Yeah right! Its just too awesome not to share. : )

Highlight of my day.

Things to ponder

I have only been on campus for a couple of days now and here are some things I have pondered:

1. Walking rules should be the same as driving--No texting while walking, no headphones while crossing the street, etc

2. Girls should NEVER wear shorts that are so short their butt cheeks hang out- I don't like to see it at the pool, I certainly want to see it in public! That means their butt cheek sits directly on the seat! GROSS!

3. Why do people still make eye motions while they're talking even though they're wearing dark sunglasses?--you know you've done it...

4.There should be some sort of rule about how many times its appropriate to say thank you to someone holding open a door for you. I mean really after about the 2nd or 3rd door in a row, I start to feel funny.

5. Why do smoke detector batteries seem to ALWAYS die in the middle of the night? I think its the battery gods way of getting even with us for not recycling them. Rude.

6. Is it wrong to consider tater tots their own food group?

7. Is it wrong to consider it today (even though its after midnight) just because you haven't gone to sleep?

8. Is it bad that when I have Reese's pieces I have to eat them all. I CANNOT have just a few. I think thats a problem. I have recently found that I have the same issue with candy corn. Uh oh.

9. Why do college kids like to ride in the shopping carts at Wal-Mart? I don't like to have the criss-cross pattern on my butt. I also don't really enjoy the struggle of climbing in and out of it whilst not sending the cart flying and face planting. But, I guess the upside is that the roommate has to do the "heavy-lifting" and push the cart. Maybe they're onto something. ...But then I'd need a roommate.

10. Why do people generally keep to themselves on buses? I mean, think about it-- when was the last time you carried on a full conversation with a complete stranger on a bus? Sure, you're polite but thats about where it usually ends. People are VERY quiet here. Most of them have their headphones in and stare at their feet.  And after my ride to school last week I don't blame them. I was on my way to school and the bus got really crowded. I was sitting on the side seats facing the center of the bus when people started shuffling in and the seats filled up. So, there, right at eye level, was a guys crotch... Now I know why people stare at their feet. ; )

1st Day of School!

Okay, okay, I realize I may be a bit too old for the 1st day of school pictures...but its tradition! I did not however eat blueberry muffins due to poor planning-that may have to be rectified here shortly...

For my Mom to add to the rest of my pictures...

Today, I successfully managed to catch the bus and make it to school - (+1 for Brynne). I got off the bus and trapsed down the hill to my class which was actually just down the road from where I had gotten off the bus--not down the hill - (+1 for WSU). Once I found my class I had some time to kill so I thought I'd sit outside and enjoy the weather. I placed myself under a tree so I wouldn't be in direct sunlight-us west-siders aren't too familiar with the sunshine... After a while I looked down and this little guy was on my knee! Now most you of would think that this would be a (+1 for Brynne) but I absolutely despise ladybugs and the fact that this little guy had the nerve to land on my leg, Hrmph! I suppose it is a (+1 for Brynne) because I managed to contain my distaste long enough to snap a picture before I forcefully flicked him away. :)

A few more minutes go by, bug free and I'm feeling pretty good about my start to my day. And then it happens. Pretty much the funniest thing that could happen to me...a class comes outside to get started on one of their projects--identifying bugs from our area. They came out armed with butterfly nets whacking bushes and stirring up all of those critters! I am just glad that I don't have to take that class.

About 30 seconds passed and I had some sort of creature land on my head. I was out of there!

Once I got to my class I realized that I knew the girl sitting in the front row. It took me a few minutes because, aside from the few people I've met at Institute, I don't expect to know anyone on campus. It was a girl who went to Mount Vernon High School, she was FFA President at some point and I knew her! Small world! I managed to catch up to her and we caught up-it was fun!

My 1 class that meets was fabulous! And my other 3 online classes are looking like they are going to be great as well!  I am very excited for this semester and the next two years!

National Lentil Festival

So last night was the start of the Lentil Festival in Pullman! It was so much fun. I met up with a couple of people from the institute and we walked down to the festival. There were so many people! There were booths and mascots and an insane amount of opportunities for people watching!

Their main claim to fame is their Lentil Chili. It is delicious! Last year they made 350 gallons! This year they had a bowl that could hold 650 gallons! Thats a lot of chili..YUM!

Here is the GIANT bowl

Here is a close up of the delectable chili

After we saw the sights of the festival we went back to the institute and hung out and played ping pong.
 
I've included the directions in case you'd like to try it (Disclaimer: I don't know how much this recipe yields):

World’s Largest Bowl of Lentil Chili

Submitted By: National Lentil Festival

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INGREDIENTS
Lentils: 2 2/3 Cups
Water: 3 Quarts + 1 Cup
Onions, diced: 2/3 Cup
Celery, diced: 1/3 Cup
Carrots, diced: 1/3 Cup
Tomato puree: 17 Oz.
Pace brand salsa: 1 Cups + 1 Tablespoon
Chili powder, mild: 2 Tablespoon
Cumin: 1 Tablespoon
Granulated garlic: 1 Tablespoon
Granulated sugar: 2 Tablespoons
Kosher salt: 1 1/2 Tablespoons
Crushed red chili flakes: 1/2 Teaspoon
2/3 Cup water and 1/4 Cup cornstarch, stirred into a slurry
Cinnamon: 1/2 Teaspoon
Chopped cilantro: 1 Tablespoon
Mexican chocolate: 2 oz.
Green bell pepper, diced: 1/3 Cup
Red bell pepper, diced: 1/3 Cup

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DIRECTIONS
1. DO NOT INCLUDE CILANTRO OR CORNSTARCH SLURRY AT THIS TIME. Mix all ingredients together (EXCEPT cilantro and cornstarch slurry), bring to a boil, stir and cook (will take a couple of hours) until lentils are tender.
2. When the lentils are tender and the broth is well blended, add the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until the chili consistency is very uniform.
3. Just before serving: add the cilantro, stir, serve.

Back to School...Back to School...

Okay, its that time again! I'm going back to school!!!

Next Monday, I will be starting my Masters in Agriculture! Woohoo! It has been a little bit of a struggle getting here. I made it and I'm ready to go!

This last weekend my mom, Megan, Amy and I brought over the last of my belongings to my apartment. It took a wee bit longer than usual with two tiny bladders and a trailer full of stuff but it was a blast. They spent  part of Saturday/Sunday/Monday with their mom and we went back over the Mountains. We got up early on Saturday and left for Pullman. Here are a couple of conversations that could have been heard:

Me: Megan, can you spell Ryan?
Megan: R-Y-A-N
Me: Great! now, Brynne
Megan: B-R-Y-N-N-E
Me: Okay, no Grandma
Megan: Ummm...
Grandma: Its C-O-O-L.
Me: Do you know what that spells?
Megan: COW!
all of us: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Amy had been  having a tough time and had the sup-sups.

Amy: Sup, Sup
Caitlin: Shh, shh, it's okay
Amy: Sup, Sup
Caitlin: Shh, shh, try to take a deep breath
Amy: Sup, SNORT!
All of us: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Today, I set out to find the Statistics Department and try to get a slot in one of their courses for Fall. I realized a few things today:

1. I am convinced that there is NO public parking on campus (though, I hear there is I just can't find it)
2. I should always take water and food rations with me where ever I go on campus incase I get lost
3. The building names are not clear and they aren't on the buildings themselves but on banners near the road so you can see them as you go by, looking for parking
4. It is possible to walk in to an area of any building that is a dead end-who knew?
5. You must respect the lunch breaks of those you need assistance--they value their lunch breaks
6. You can drive in a circle in Pullman...thats handy as I will probably get lost frequently for a while
7. Lentils are as important to Pullmanites as tulips are to Skagitonians
8. Lentil Chili is delish, I'd better get to the Lentil Fest Early!--Per the Pharmacist