Back Home

So for Christmas I flew to Texas to see my family, which was great fun. I sang in church, went to Which Wich and this store called Sam Moon. (don't send me in there with money, i will buy something completely useless because it was entertaining me at the current moment) Kim flew home a few days early. And then just spent the week with the family. Christmas was fun, we all fell asleep on the family room floor after presents. Then came flying home, i managed to get an earlier flight (and buy earlier i mean i got home earlier because i didn't have to layover in Vegas) then Mike, being the amazing wonderful friend he is picked me up from the airport to give me a ride home and swung by my grandmas on the way so i could pick up my guitar that i got for Christmas. Then we went by work to pick up paychecks and get our schedules, then i went to his place and played with him and his roommates the rest if the night. Loving being home. Don't get me wrong, i loved seeing my family again, but Logan is home and I'm loving not have to worry about classes and just playing with friends. I was introduced to the show community, so funny.
The fact that Mike and Justin let me come play is wonderful because there is really not a lot of other people back in Logan yet. And really no one in my building. So i have somewhere to go for human contact. So last night i went over hopong that we were going to start our supernatural-a-thon, and I got to see Justin with Dayna (his friend who is a girl, that they have decided they have mutual interest in each other and are both interested in pursuing a relationship but they aren't official yet.) THEY ARE SO STINKING CUTE TOGETHER!! it is so much fun to watch Justins face when he is looking at her because his eyes just light up and he has a little smile dancing around his mouth. And basically they are just so cute together and i am very very very happy for both of them.
Then later Chris and Rylee pop up out of no where and they are so cute together. and basically everyone around me is starting to be in relationships and they are all so cute together, and i'm happy for them. it just sucks sometimes when you are always the single friend. But whatever, i'm still happy for them. :) And basically as much as i miss my family, I love being home again.

Finals Week

I really don't remember my brain every being as mushified as it was Wednesday night. (Yes, mushified is a word) Especially after my jury. Wednesday I had my US history final, my voice Jury and a piano recital. Did i really study for history? ...no...not really. But i survived jury, which made me very happy and they even picked the song i wanted them to pick. How lucky can you get?
But i seriously can't remember a time in my life where i couldn't think like i couldn't Wednesday. After my recital me and Megan went over to Mike and Justin's. We made bacon and hash browns (yeah, the low-carb diet i just got put on kinda got shot that night.) and watched supernatural and then talked and laughed, it was great fun. It was the one day i had off this week.
Basically i'm really excited to go home tomorrow. (i know i'm really rambly, but i'm honestly just killing time before i head to my next final. THE FINAL FINAL!!!!) (I"m also on a keyboard i'm not use to, so forgive my excessive typos.)
I also loved work last night. I worked with Julie, which doesn't happen very often anymore. And we were slow enough i didn't want to kill myself and busy enough that i didn't want to kill myself. The only annoying thing is that i was on present for five hours. I just get sick of the beep after the first hour or so. And stupid customers...but they can't be helped. Your working with the general public.
Sorry my blog is rambly and pointless today...i just haven't had any profound breakthroughs that I've felt a need to blog about, I've been terrible at writing in my journal too. Basically I don't have much to say right now. I'll come up with something better later.

Employee of the Month.

Yeah...thats me for December. It weird, and they won't let me turn the plaque around when i'm on counter. I think its weird having my picture right there. I mean i'm flattered, and I'm glad to know i'm a good worker. The first day all the rest of the managers found out a lot of them were so happy and thrilled and telling me that they know that i deserve it. Its flattering but weird.
Its interesting, i've been there almost seven months now. I'm a veteran. I worked in grill last night for one of the first times. I like it back there. I don't have annoying beeps in my ear. But i've decided running is my favorite position. and I'm good at it. Well, i try to be at least. But i've discovered they are tending to put me places where they need things to speed up. If OT fries is behind on fries, i get there spot. If present is behind i get put on present. If hole is slow i get thwon back in the hole (although, they don't put me back there very often anymore. Which is usually nice, especially in the cold winter.) And now i'm also starting to train people on counter a lot...although i think the reason they like me training people on counter is i show them a few orders, and where stuff is and let them see me do a few and then i make them take orders within the first ten-fifteen minutes they are on counter. But the only way you learn is by just doing it.
And thats my story.

Black Friday.

SO this lovely black Friday morning, I had the..."opportunity" to go into work at Four am....thats really early. Just so you know.
SO i clock in at 3:50 and start helping with last minute stuff. My manager asked me to go tray the cookies, and we had probably 16-24 cookies i put on the tray, as I walk back up front to put them away someone had just mopped the floor and I completely biffed it, dropping every single cookie. I did however manage to save the glass tray they were one.

As soon as we turned on our headsets and were "open" we had customers. And we would have customers for the next seven hours without stopping. However one loving co-worker brought in a whole bunch of krisp kreme donuts. Which was AWESOME!!!

People were surprisngly nice and apparently we were really slow for Black Friday. Around 11 we slowed way way down and so Julie started sending people home. Originally they asked me to stay until two because a co-worker had gotten in an accident and couldn't come in. But Julie ended up sending me home about ten to noon.

At which point i cam home and slept until four. Which was wonderful.

Giving Thanks

So naturally, as i'm sure half the planet does, i want to make a blog post about all the things i am thankful for.

I am thankful for a University and a Music Program that are making me a better person, student and musician. I am grateful for the professors, especially the ones with high expectations. I am grateful for the other music majors who are becoming good friends. I am grateful for the ability to influence others with my voice, and learning how to on the piano.

I am thankful for my family. A mom and dad who help me out, even when they don't have the means sometimes. An older sister who teaches me perspective. A younger sister and brother that i get to protect and learn from. A grandma who takes very good care of me. Cousins who do the same. Aunts who decide i need to go see a movie. And all the rest of them that i can't describe everything they do for me.

I am thankful for the incredible friends the Lord has seen fit to put into my life. Mike and Justin who take far to good of care of me. Who will try to take me grocery shopping, or tell me i'm staying for dinner or just make me smile when i'm having a bad day. Amber who gives me so much perspective and knowledge and just a hug when i need it most. Megan who will let me borrow hair styling devices in my feeble attempt to become a girl. Cyri who will always give me a hug, a smile, and an invitation to run away for the weekend to her families if i ever need it. Dani who has been one of my best friends since ninth grade and we still talk. Kelsie who was suppose to be my roommate but then went on got married on me. But will still listen whenever i'm having a bad day and continues to do so much for me. And all the others that i can't possibly name off.

I am thankful for institute. I learn so much, feel the spirit and always have incredible teachers. Classes are full of laughter and learning and I never regret going.

I am thankful for the Gosple, it has given me so much in life, and i can't even express how grateful I am to have it in my life.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve, it helps me remember that its not all about me. There are other people with other problems and mine all the sudden don't seem so unmanageable anymore. Plus i love to see people smile, and I like to be able to put that smile there.

I am thankful for thank-you notes. They are what make things worth it sometimes. Because who really needs big recognition? I always like it when something is between two or few people.

I am thankful for indoor plumbing...nough said.

I am thankful for blankets and warm clothes.

I am thankful for my car, however much it tries to die on me.

I am thankful for alarm clocks.

I am thankful for leftovers.

I am thankful for sleep.

I am thankful for being able to be productive.

I am thankful for the customers that are friendly.

I am thankful for co-workers.

I am thankful for heaters.

I am thankful for hot chocolate.

I am thankful for cheap entertainment.

I am thankful for naps.

I am thankful for shoes.

I am thankful for the little tender mercies in life, a smile, a laugh, a joke. The light in a childs eyes.

I am thankful for the opportunity to witness and sometimes be a part of miracles.

I am thankful for the angels the Lord puts in my life and that he trusts me enough to be an angel for someone else sometimes.

I can't possibly put everything i am grateful for, but here is some of it. Sometimes its nice just to write it all out.

this is me, writing my research paper...

So yeah, i have this research paper due on Monday...am I working on it right now? ...Not really... DO i need to be...yes. But life decided to get crazy on me these last three weeks when i was suppose to be writing it. The only hard part is the research, i just need to find reliable sources, after that i can write the paper in an hour or so. I'll get it figured out.
These last few weeks have been a blur, i didn't even realize how long it's been since I've written in my blog since my dad told me i haven't written anything new in two weeks. ( i didn't know that anyone was even reading it.)
Although one reason i haven't written is i haven't really had anything much to say. Its been stressful and chaotic the last few weeks with me almost breaking down into melt downs on an almost daily basis, but only actually having a few.
Maybe i should tell you what I've learned about tender mercies. I can't believe how many of them I've had in my life and I'm so glad I've been blessed to recognize them.
Because even amongst all the melt downs and stress there is always someone or something there to make me smile. One day i was having a particularly bad morning, it was a Friday morning. And i was honestly just having a bad day. The night before had been hard the morning had been hard (i had gotten up early to finish homework i hadn't done the night before.) I walked out and was sure that i had a parking ticket on my car (and the root of my bad day was financially based.) i almost broke down on the walk to school, instead i turned my headphones up really loud and let music be the only thing in my head. (was it the most happy or uplifting of music? of course not, i was in a bad mood. So it was songs like "face down" by jumpsuit apparatus or "pretty girl" by sugarcult) And then I got to class, and i realized that friday night i had no work, and no plans and no one i knew that i could really go do anything with. But i ran into some old roommates and decided "hey, they are going a multi-stake dance, maybe i'll tag along with them. So i had something to do, and who knows maybe it would be my lucky night and i could meet a guy." (not likely, but still slightly possible) then i was in music theory and we were getting mid-terms back. I was like "awesome, because my day isn't bad enough." (you can tell that i thought i did well on it) And then i got it back with an A on it. which made me happier. then i went to classes. And my phone starts ringing in keyboard harmony. I take it out long enough to see who it is, and its McDonalds calling me. Well, i can't answer it cause i'm in class. So i put it back in my pocket a minute later it buzzes in my pocket telling me I have a voice mail. So between classes i check it and they want to know if i can come in and work (it was the first Friday night i'd had off without requesting it off in I don't know how long. (plus i had to work the next morning) But i decided i needed the money more than i needed my sanity. So i surrender my Friday night to six hours of work. So i call work and tell them i can take the shift, and then my manager tells me that they are going to pay for my dinner for taking the shift. Which was very nice of them, i got a real dinner for once.
When i got to work Mike was also working that night, and Cheryl was on shift and had to put people back in the hole, but she felt bad so she put me and Mike back there together. I think everyone knew i was having a bad day (i wasn't really trying to hide it) and so while we're back in the hole Mike kept doing things that made me smile and laugh, so i couldn't really stay in a completely bad mood. i like that people at work were doing things that made me smile and laugh. Although it all caught up to me before i even made it out to my car, for those six hours people were making life bearable.
And this is what i've learned. There are always things that will make life good, a little better. Sometimes they are major, but usually they are quite small. Especially when everything in life is going wrong. You have to learn how to see them. I decided i started learning to see them when i actually kept my happy thoughts notebook.
That was a notebook i would keep and i would write down little things that made me smile during the day. When i started making it i never realized that i was teaching myself to look and see and realize the little things that make life easier. But i stopped keeping it, mostly because i got behind and i knew there was no way i could go back and write them all in and i didn't really know where to start to get back on But i've learned that i notice them now without really looking for them. I just see them, and all those really very minor things make life so much easier when everything is Majorly going wrong.
The same thing happened on Thursday, I was once again having a terrible day (stress tends to do this to me) and i ran into an old friend on campus that i never see and we were just chatting and registration came up and i mentioned how i couldn't register yet and it was just hard right now. But its ok, trying to write it off as less than it really was, but she really didn't by it and so mid sentance she just pulled me into a hug. And it was what i needed.
long story short, there are always small tender mercies, sometimes its watching the light in a child's eyes as they laugh. Or having half a tank of gas. Maybe just a smile that some gives you.
and sometimes its just knowing that you have people that care about you.

Happy Halloween!

So today, yes it's the day before Halloween, but i got to dress up at work. so thats all that really matters. I was assault and battery (if you are confused by that think about the words as "a salt and battery") In other words i dressed up as a salt shaker and and had batteries taped on me and around my neck. I thought it was great fun. I would put up a picture, but i don't think i actually got a good one and I'm to lazy to put my outfit back together. so you'll just have to live with imagination. Just know that it was legit.
Also, this week I won a $50 gift card to USU dining, i built a bottel rocket (as in a two liter one) that shot farther than everyone elses. Best part is i did it on a whim because my friend was at the booth and i had a little down time.
I also worked everyday this week minus sunday...thats a lot of hours. thankfully i only work three days this next week, the part that sucks is that i close lobby Monday night which means i'm not getting out of there before midnight. Which sucks because i have to get up at 6:30 Tuesday morning. but what can you do? not much really. Although tuesday night Mike made me dinner for covering his shift for him, which was very nice. And it was good. It was funny actually, i got off and he called me (i texted him asking if he was home, i was going to borrow their piano.) anyway and he said that he was home, the door was open just come in when i get there and that he made me dinner and i wasn't allowed to say anything about it. (they know me well enough at this point to know that i usually have something to say.) I was however allowed to say thank you, but only after i ate dinner. What was really funny was Friday night i actually ended up staying seven hours when i was scheduled for four, because someone was sick and needed help covering a shift. That shift went by faster than my three hour shift, i don't understand. but whatever.
And now i'm sitting at home on my couch instead of at the basketball game i've been looking forward to for six months. oh well. life is hard sometimes, but right now i don't even really care. I'm just tired. I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

mostly i'm blogging right now because i haven't for a little while. But i'm to tired to even really think straight. oh well. I'll write some other time whe i'm awake...sound good?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Human Again

Well after a night of almost constant sleep and a three hour unconscious-like nap I feel almost human again today. I walked into work bright and early yesterday morning and my manager says "hi Amanda." I reply with an incredibly raspy "morning" She goes "your sick." I say "no, i don't have time to be sick." But 2 cups of hot apple cider and many cups of nasty hot lemon water and five hours later i ask if there is anyway I can go home early. So my lovely managers call Hailey in for the last hour of my shift. I go home via Mike and Justins so I can pick up a pan I left at there place a few nights ago. I'm walking in as Mike is walking out, he asks if I got off work early, I told him they called Hailey in for me.
"are you not feeling good?" (Mike)
"I kinda want to die right now." (me.)
"what time did you go to bed last night?" (he had kicked me out at 9:30 the night before because i had to get up at six the next morning for work.)
"I went to bed at 10. I couldn't sleep last night."
sum up that part of the story. I also mentions how i've been living on soup and cider for two days.
"do you need anymore cider?" (Mike.)
"no, i think i still have another box."(me.)
he then tells me to go home and get some rest, which i planned on doing. But first i go in and get my pan. Justin asks if I'm ok, i tell him i want to die. He asks if I need anymore cider. (these boys take good care of me.) I just grab my pan, check my e-mail real quick because his internet was on. Then i go home. I call grandma because she was in Logan and had some stuff for me. She meets me at my place and has tomato juice and cans of soup and some frozen orange juice and some medicine and amongst other things. I then went inside. Made me some soup. and crashed for three hours on my bed. But when I woke up i didn't have a fever anymore.
and now we are to today. I feel almost human again. which is awesome. Now i'll probably crash later, because i tend to do that when i'm sick. But right now i'm enjoying feeling almost human.
But before my being sick escapade life was still crazy as always. I went to Brigham twice last week to train for our new POS system at McDonalds. I missed my store. Brigham was so slow. (as in they worked really slow) i was going nuts. And now this week i work a ton because i have to train everybody on the new system. me and katie both do. Didn't think about that when I agreed to go train. Oh well. And now that i've survived at least half of my mid-terms. Life is starting to make some semblance of sense and starting to fall into some pattern of order, now granted lets be honest, it'll probably fall apart again in two weeks, but I can enjoy it now right?
I just decided i have a lot on my mind lately. (and by a lot I mean one major thing) But i can't really talk about it here because it involves other people business that isn't mine to talk about. But it makes me want to figure things out for them, but I can't do that. Life is just a messed up crazy thing. But I've learned we all have our own issues. And other people can't fix them for us. They maybe can help point us in a general direction, but we have to figure out whats going to work best for us. And then people who care about us have to watch. Its an interesting thing life.

Nick

This one is a short blog. about Nick. He is a kid in my aural skills class who i don't think even really knows me, but he's taught me something really cool.
This is going to sound really harsh, but i honestly wondered if he was every going to survive the music program, because he was completely tone deaf. (he's a percussionist.) I felt bad every time he had to get up in front of the class. But our teacher was patient and told him what he was doing, where he was singing and helped him along. The other day we were in class and he got up to sing. She played his note, he was right on. His interval was really close as well.

Don't let challenges limit you.

I didn't know someone who was tone deaf could even learn how to hear notes. but you can.

it'll take work, but you can learn how to do hard things if you want it bad enough.

Now he is not an amazing singer by any means. But he'll survive aural skills and the music program. Just takes effort and someone to tell you how to do it right.

Not wearing yourself on your sleeve, doesn't mean you don't have bad days.

Yeah. I'm skipping class right now. Because I have to catch up on other things, so what do i do? i write a blog.
I need to run away for a weekend. Just run away from my life. I know it was just yesterday I was talking about how content I was, but today I'm back on my sinking ship, I'm sick of just everything and I want to run away from y life for a little while.
I'm sick of school and feeling like i'm never gonna be good at anything.
I'm sick of boys and feeling like i'm never gonna be good enough.
I'm sick of a car that wants to die.
I'm sick of my job where i have to pretend that I want to be there and i want nothing more then for your order to be correct.
I'm sick of being tired.
I'm sick of waking up with headaches and upset stomachs.
I'm sick of messy rooms.
I'm sick of stress.
I'm sick of spending every friday night at home. Because everyone is on dates or going home for the weekend.
basically i'm just ready to be done.
I promised myself i was never going to right a blog like this, but i just needed to get it out because i always hold it in, and I'm done doing that. Which means i'm not, I'm just done today.
I hate mid-term time. i don't even know where the first half of this semester went.
I know i should be focusing on everything blessing i've got. Cause i ahve many, I have wonderful roommates and friends and bishops and everything. but I'm just done today.

I'm sick of not being worth it.

I'm either not worth the time, the effort or the risk.

(we're talking about boys again.)

I'm not even worth a hello to a lot of guys. I'm not worth the time or effort for the ones who kinda know me. And by the time we are great friends i'm not worth the risk.

I'm not saying i currently have anyone interested in me whose just not willing to take a risk. But its happened. Maybe it would be better if I wasn't so good at being friends with guys.

People say you need to stop hanging out and make them take you on dates. What they don't understand is that I would never see guys again. the only way I even have contact with boys is by hanging out

because i'm one of the guys. and guys don't date guys. except the gay ones, but they won't date me either.

Maybe i should stop going dancing. I love it so much, but its always hard when i come home. I've always got Mike who asks me to dance because he knows i don't get asked very often. and the rest of them. i know why they ask me. Its because i stand there with the "i'm all alone" look and they feel bad.

and no one will be able to convince me otherwise. I know guys to well. They want me to have fun, but they really aren't interested in me, so they'll ask me to dance and the closest thing that I've coem to a number or continuing conversation is "maybe i'll see you around campus sometime."

meanwhile all my friends that i know that go walk away with numbers. Or else they came with their boyfreind so they really don't care about numbers.

Meanwhile i don't know why i'm putting so much money and effort into a program i feel like at best i'll end up mediocre. I really am trying, i'm jsut not a good musician. I use to think i was decent. I've learned better. I know nothing, but i'm trying. why do i feel like my points for effort are minimal?

I need to stop. I know everyone is sick of hearing about my music program drama, don't get me wrong. I LOVE the music program, i just don't understand why when everyday it makes me feel about 2 inches tall.

and then work.

I jsut wish i had a job as a secretary or receptionist. I have no deisre to be in food service. Its loud busy and stressfull. because i don't have enough stress in my life already.

anyway, i should go get some practice in before my voice lesson. which i'm not prepared for.

i promise by tomorrow i'll happy up. I need a day to just mope. I'm done with this happy face for a few hours.

it'll work itself out eventually.

abstract to discovery.

Last year I discovered why my mom loves fall so much. Its because of what fall looks like where she grew up. Last year i couldn't believe the colors I saw everywhere. Reds, oranges, yellows, browns; Sardine canyon was beyond breathtaking.
I loved walking through the cemetery to and from classes, or walking by the quad. I never could fully take in all the colors.
The colors haven't appeared yet in Cache valley, but they are slowing showing up. I'm so afraid that they won't show up as brilliantly as last year because they aren't here yet, I have to keep reminding myself that it wasn't changed by this time last year either.
Everyone always says spring is when you get your fresh start, but I have to disagree. I think fall is. Spring is an ending, maybe its because I've been living on a school calender for the last almost 20 years of my life. A calender where I'm not the oldest in my year, but I'm in the middle. Spring is when things end. Fall is when you get to try again. And winter is the drawn out drab you have to try and make it through.
Fall is when i want to cook. As soon as the air starts to get that crisp feel to it, all I want to do is bake. I want to make apple pie, apple crisp, pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, soups, breads, anything and everything. I want to listen to "Linus and Lucy" and other songs with similar vibes. Its when the long sleeves start to come out, but you aren't freezing yet. Just long sleeves.
and Rain. The smell of rain, after a hot summer you can smell the rain so much more clearly in the fall. Or else I'm just weird. ...it also could be I'm sitting next to an open window with the sky wanting to drop rain on us again.
I've discovered a new love for fall, and it really didn't make itself apparent until the last few weeks. People look at fall as such a depressing time, but its a new beginning. Its when I think the earth is full of life. Not new life...its hard for me to explain. Spring is when life is young, its when you are giddy and twitterpated. Its when you go to parks and play and run around. Fall to me is more...happiness...contentment...
this makes no sense on paper. But i promise its making sense in my head.
I want to say almost an older joy. Kind of like...playing in the leaves and watching someone play in the leaves. Both are fun and enjoyable. But they are different from each other. And lets be honest, the one watching will probably join in at some point. ...thats honestly the best way I can think of to describe it, and your probably still wondering what I'm trying to say.
The honest answer...i don't know. I felt the need to write, and I feel so....content and peaceful inside. Even though my life looks like it could train wreck and I could have a complete mental collapse at any moment. But I love the fall feeling.
Maybe its because Thanksgiving is soon.
That is probably my favorite holiday and I finally figured out why in the last year. I have NEVER spent a thanksgiving with just my family. Even when we lived away from family we would spend thanksgiving with a family in the ward. The house smelled like Turkey and Corn and Pies and rolls and dads nasty stuffed mushrooms all day. And we spent the day with friends or family. We laughed and joked and enjoyed each others company.
I think I like that so much because I like people. I get close to people. I figured that out in the last few months too. I realized i don't really have a place I call home. Right now its Logan. It was Lehi, but then everyone I cared about from Lehi graduated and moved away. Now I've realized that I don't really have a PLACE I call home. But that doesn't mean I'm homeless. I kinda make people home. Which sounds really weird, but its true. My family is home. My friends are home. And i tend to try and keep people close.
I can start over. I've moved enough and started over enough that its not hard for me. I don't get scared like I did when I was 13. I just start. But endings. goodbyes. I'm very bad at those. My roommates last year can vouch for me. I don't do well with losing people, which is a challenge because I tend to get very attached to people very quickly and I know that they don't get attached to me. So I'm not good at showing I'm attached. Or that I care about you.
thats the other side to my life. It doesn't really have to do with being homeless, I'm plain not good at wearing myself on my sleeve.
Fall is very nostalgic for me I guess. Maybe this is whats really been on my mind lately and just loving fall and needing to write made it come out.
Maybe I'm so content because I have found a home with friends and family. Looking at my life I'm the titanic sinking, (at least thats what it feels like. Its slow but you see it coming, eventually it'll break in two.) but I'm not worried, Maybe its because I'm not sinking into icy water. The few times I feel like i'm going under its rather warm. But...I'm still sinking...maybe I should buy a life jacket.
I guess what this long and probably pointless blog is saying is...thanks. I have no place i call home, but I'm not homeless. It was actually mom I think that made me realize this. When she was out a few weeks ago, she was sitting in the chair getting her shoes on and she looked at me and said "everytime, I'm 55 years old and its still hard to leave home. And it gets harder eveyrtime." And we kinda realized that that was her HOME, that is the house she grew up in. Thats where her mom still is. And then we realized thats probably why its never been hard for me to leave home. Because home isn't a place for me...which I think is a blessing. Because people are my home. I take it with me.
I never leave home.

Lost time

I think that is the best way of putting the last few weeks. I honestly have no idea where they went, whats going on with them, or how I missed them. Honestly the last thing I remember before life became blur was a bonfire i went to about 2 weeks ago...(i think) after that everything was crazy. I worked 32 hours the next week in addition to going to school. I was failing quizes and stressing out. Basically going on overload. I finally managed to talk to my managers and I shouldn't have more than 20-25 hours a week now. Which is nice because it gives me a little time to breathe.
But in addition to that I had playing tests and friend stuff and rooms and kitchens to clean and practicing to do and sleep to catch up on. I was so busy. I am busy. But then my mommy came into town. I was hoping that taking a day off school and spending time with them would make it better. It was not a relaxing weekend. we drove from logan to rexburg to tremonton to provo and everywhere in between it feels like. Anytime we were in the car for more then about five minutes i would just fall asleep because i was so beat from the week before. And did i get any homework done that weekend? of course not. So I am tired and stressed on Monday and i still have to face the week.
Thankfully i got someone to take the last half of my shift and I'm taking half of hers tomorrow. So i was able to get off work. Then I went home, changed and ran down to Mikes to give him a note to remind him to please call the temple for me on Wednesday morning so i can do baptisms. ( you have to call at 11:30 to make an appointment, and i'm in class) His roommate discovers that I've never seen sandlot. He decides this must change, so he puts it on. I'm chillin when Mike gets home from the Library and we decide to go country swing dancing. (we are both memebers so we can get in free on Mondays) So we go dance, i danced with a guy named Colby and another guy named...I think it was brian. And of course Mike, who will always give me a dance and it is much fun.
Tuesday I slept. I took the first nap i'd had in a long time because i didn't work. then i just plain wasn't productive like i should have been. But it was nice.
Then yesterday I get a surprise visit from Dani. She drove up to see me. She would have surprised me, except she got lost and couldn't find my apartment. But it was still great seeing her.
And now i get to practice and start getting ready for my really long shift. and try and face the day tomorrow and i'm hoping for a weekend off sometime when i don't ahve any obligations whatsoever and i can just sleep in. But not happening this weekend. maybe next week.

Head above the water.

Some days i swear that life is going to drown me and i have no idea how i'm going to keep my head above the surface, but i always manage to somehow. Or else other people (whether they know it or not) boost me up a little.
Life is just starting to fall into place and it feels really good. I have a job, i have a major that i still think i'm crazy for choosing and yet i can't see me doing anything else, I've got amazing friends and roommates and i have an amazing family.
Lets start with the job, i know i complain about it a lot, but in all honesty its really not that bad. And one thing that is really backwards about it, it honestly will show me the good in people. Even just today.
First I was late to work, (which was not my fault. I was covering for someone, but they never told me i was covering) And my managers were very forgiving. I didn't even really get a verbal warning. Then I'm working back in the hole and someone lady comes through and pays for her meal and then says she wants to pay for the car behind her. She didn't know the person, she just wanted to buy their meal.
Then later i kid comes through, he had ordered a shake and 3 large drinks, it came to $6.45, he hand me $8 and tells me to keep the change.
I have a major that i'm crazy for choosing. I really in all honesty think i have lost all sanity in joining the music program. But I wouldn't change it for anything. For the first time in my life i can't B.S. my way through things and I am challenged but enjoy every second of it.
I've got amazing friends and roommates. I can't even describe to you the amazingness of all my friends. I don't know how i was so blessed to have all of them in my life. I feel bad naming specifics because there is no place in the world that i would list everything wonderful about all of my friends, so i'll just throw in a few recent. Kelsie had her wedding reception about two weeks ago, I was so happy for her...she would not let me leave until i had taken leftovers with me. I was sent home with three Tupperware full of food. Justin drove to the reception and won't let me pay him any gas money, which i'm totally going to find a way to pay anyway, not to mention he just picked me up one time when i wanted to leave a concert early but had left my car at a friends house. Mike you can always talk to, and i'm not gonna lie, i get slightly entertained by his nervousness at work, but he'll get the hang of it. Josh, Mike and Justin's new roommate a senior in music is always more than willing to help me learn anything i'm not understanding, he's going to save my life this year.
I also have amazing roommates, Megan is just a sweetheart who is always happy and a great R.A. She makes our apartment so decorated and she is just fun to be around. Cyri is one of the nicest people in the world. As soon as she found out my family lived out of state the first thing she said was "your welcome with my family anytime" Not to mention she has done the dishes when they had built up twice. Once today, i was going to clean them but i fell asleep on the couch, she cleaned the dishes while i was asleep.
And Maddi, my room roommate, who is very patient with a slob who's trying to learn how to be a clean person. She is basically just a sweetheart and I love her to death.
And i love my family, in all honesty, moving out made me love my family more. I love talking to dad about things and mom. I can't believe my little brother in almost 16 and my little sister is starting to drive. Its insane. I get to see my mom next week and i'm so excited, i haven't seen her since Decemebr.
So while I'm barely keeping my head above the water, i don't seem to be worried about drowning like i use to. I mean i still have major melt-downs on almost a weekly basis, but i know its all going to be ok somehow. I can't believe all the blessings i've gotten, even in the last month.
I think i notice more now because so often I do wonder how much longer I'm going to be able to keep my head above the surface, but every time I'm about to drown I have a lifeguard jump in and save me. :) Life is an interesting thing, but wonderful. Its an adventure.

Just real quick

So i have about 25 minutes before my first piano lesson of the semester and I thought i would try and type up a short blog real quick considering i haven't done so in the last little while.
I am almost done with week two of my Sophmore year of college, and week two in the music program. I am officially INSANE for wanting to join the music program. And yet I'm excited for the program i don't even know if I'm going to pass. Love the new voice teacher, just going to throw that one out there. And I'm excited to start training. I have no idea how i'm going to survive aural skills and Music theory, but i guess thats when i've made friends with people who are upper level music majors and are literally going to save me. (for any typos, please forgive me, i'm using a computer on campus and the keyboard is really weird and randomly skipping letters.)
I still be working at Mickey D's and Mike just got hired on, he started yesterday, funny part of the story... I ended up training him for the first hour. I was covering an hour of a girls shift and about ten minutes before Mike is suppose to show up for training Brandi (my manager) comes to me and says that i'm training Mike until Andria gets there. I don't know how to train people. But i apparently didn't do to bad. It was after i got off work that all the stress of life hit me. Like how i didn't have book i needed, i was behind on assignments, i had to work, i was having money worries...ya know all the typical college stuff you get to deal with being a young adult. I'm on the phone with my mom trying to calm myself down and its not working so i decide that i need to do something for someone else. Except that none of my roommates are home...so who else do i know around here. I first think of Mike and Justin (because i spend half my life with them anyway) But Mike was at work, but i was guessing that Justin was home. So I send him a text asking if he'd eaten yet and if not if could i come make him dinner? (what boy is going to turn down free food that he doesn't have to cook?) So i go over and start making spaghetti. It was what i had the stuff for. Justin, being the great guy he is, kept trying to help me make dinner. I think he finally caught on that i needed to do it for him to de-stress, so he let me finish everything.
Just as dinner is about to be ready Ryan gets home, so I tell him that he should have some dinner. He said he only would i ate some too. Which i was planning on, just after everyone else had eaten. So its finished up and we sit down to eat spaghetti, veggies and garlic bread (really bland garlic bread that i failed at making. but they ate it anyway.) For some reason though, i still wasn't quite as un-stressed as i wanted to be. so I started washing all the dishes by hand. Then Josh came home, he didn't want any spaghetti but he was fun to watch drink coffee. He has a little tray and everything, its fun. Then Mike got home and he finished off the spaghetti, about the time i started finishing up the dishes is when i finally wasn't stressing anymore. Which is good, i now have a plan and a focus and i'm ok with life now. So it all worked out.
Moral of the story, life is slightly chaotic, way busy, a tiny bit stressful...but good. I've got friends who will let me be weird and randomly make dinner for them, i've got a job, even if it doesn't pay much. I'm getting an education and i'm in a major thats going to kick me in the butt...wich i think i need.
Life is so much about perspective and I've decided I'm going to tech myself to look on the brighter side, even when it starts sucking.
"Life is quite absurd, and deaths the final word. we mucst always facew the curtain with a bow...always look on the bright side of life."
little bit of spamalot to finish things off.

The last week before school starts.

So...remember how i was going to blog everyday this week about my work and life? Remember how that didn't happen apparently.But in my defense after monday my life got crazy busy, which was a good thing. I tend to be in a better mood when i'm busy.
Tuesday i worked from 7am-3pm after I got off i went home, ate food, and ended up texting Mike because while attempting to help my roommate tune her guitar i accidentally snapped one of her strings, and I've never learned how to string a guitar. So I take it to Mike, who then comes back with me to my apartment to give maddi (the new and awesome roommate) her guitar and bug Megan until we decide to go bug Kylie who was moving into her new apartment.
We then get wind of a concert and free Aggie ice cream at the amphitheater. so naturally we have to go. Then we go back to Mike and Justin's where Justin is now home. We sit around chat and decide that we should try and convince Kylie that Mike and Megan are going out. the plan ultimately failed because Mike couldn't keep it going. We had her convinced until he told her after we all left. Lame. But, their new place has a hot tub(kylie, megan, krist, and Alli.) so it was decided that the next night we should go hot tubbing.
So now we are on Wednesday, jumping back to Tuesday we had a bnunch of crazy annoying people come through the drive-thru.Back to Wednesday. So after getting off work at Seven, Chris comes and looks at my car (my headlights are being wacky) and i ask him if he wants to go hot tubbing, he opted out. I head over to Kylies, and who else is at her apartment? MEGAN!!!! (my old roommate, not my now roommate megan.) I was so happy to see her. So we learned that the hot tub closes promptly at 10pm...lame. So we go over to Mike and Justins to play games. I leave early because i had work at 6 in the morning. But Megan invited a bunch of us to Bear Lake to her parents time share thursday through friday. Well i worked until 2, which worked because kristi was moving up and couldn't come to till later. So we drove up together after work. Work on Wednesday was also amazing. I was first in a great mood because i was going to Bear Lake (finally) and then towards the end of my shift I'm back in the whole by myself and this one lady comes through (and basically you get the abbreviated version because i don't want to type the whole thing) Anyway, i'm doing my job the way i always do it, trying to be happy and helpful. This lady pulls up to the window after I took her order (i remembered taking hers) and i tell her her total (15 something) she hands me a twenty and goes "do you know who I am?" I'm thinking 'Oh crap, this is someone i've met before and don't recognize.' so i go "I feel like i should." she goes "I'm the owner."
My heart drops. then she goes "And I just want you to know that you did everything perfectly and you were just lovely." I didn't know what to say, i'm pretty sure i mumbled a thank you of some kind but i was mostly just in shock. So i am trying to continue to be pleasant and polite and what not and i go to hand her her change she counts it then hands it back to me saying "this is for you, thanks for doing a wonderful job" it was $4 something. I was stunned, i managed another thank you and a have a great day. but that was pretty much amazing.
After i got off work me and Kristi headed up to Bear Lake where we met up with Megan, Kylie, Mike and Maddi. and Megan's parents. We get out on the boat and we start tubing, which was SO MUCH FUN!!!!!! Interjection real quick, bear lake is so blue i still can't believe it. I was on the water and I can't believe it. It was incredible. best kept secret in the world. back to tubing. So me and Kylie share the tube at one point and stay on decently long, then go again. At one point i went by myself and i would like top submit that i stayed on longer than everybody else. It took them a decent amount of time to get me off the tube, the second time I went by myself they never got me off. :) when i got back on the boat Mike said he was surprised at how long i stayed on. I would like to throw out to the world that i'm not completely lacking in skills, i just have random ones. But basically it was so much fun.
After boating we go out to dinner and we order an Old Ephraim pizza. (its 18inches across) and if the last two slices had been flavors that i liked i totally could have finished it off. I was starving, I hadn't eaten since 9 that morning. oh well. it was still awesome. then we go back to the condo...and we were locked out. they had left the keys in the condo and Kylie had locked the door.
Well they went to have someone open the sliding door to the porch (climb the fire escape up to the porch thing) but...Maddi had locked that too. So i turn to Kylie and ask if she had dead bolted the door. she hadn't. so i sift through the card i have in my wallet and find one that isn't important and start trying to card the door. I get it after a few minutes, it was a tricky door so it actually took about ten. But as i was trying Kylie goes "does that really work?" me. "yeah, i've done it before" And sure enough i got us into the condo.
The next morning i have to leave by ten to be able to get back to work on time. The last day of work in my forty hour work week. And they left me in the hole the entire time. 8 hours. Which i didn't mind at all, i like the hole. I just started getting a headache about four hours in and the last four hours felt like 8 hours. At about 7:50 (i thought i was off at 8) my manager comes back and apologizes for leaving me back in the hole. and says that after Erin gets off her break i can go up to counter for the last hour of my shift. I go "aren't i suppose to be off at 8?. Long story short i had read the schedule wrong. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. So i go groan a little and accept it. At 8 Erin comes back from break and they send me up front where i apparently had a guardian angel. They were slightly over staffed, so i got to go home early. I was so happy. it pretty much made my life.
After that i went to Mikes and then we went to go kidnap Amy, who has moved back to Logan. Accept she didn't tell me which building or what apartment number, and she wasn't answering her phone. So me and Mike left many random messages simply because we could. We eventually find her and all of us (kylie and megan and kristi joined us) going to first dam and playing capture the flag. it was fun.
then that leaves today. I got my car inspected and went to the "lunch with your bishop" at the toaster. Now i think i'm going cliff jumping in about 45 minutes. I've never gone before...so we'll see if i actually jump off any cliffs or if i chicken out. Either way, it should be fun. :)

Day one of Forty hour work week

So...this week at McDonalds, I have fourty hours mon-fri eight hours a day. I didn't know how I was going to amke it. I know, I know, welcome to the life of an adult. But i still don't like to have to be at Mickey D's for eight hors everyday five days in a row.
Last night i was trying to figure out how to change my attitude so that i can actually enjoy this last week before school starts, I came up with I was going to watch for "characters" everyday to come home and blog about.
Sadly, today there weren't really any "characters". Logan actually doesn't have that many that come in. Although we did have mullet man once... We do however have the regualrs, which i've told you about before. Except i'm fianlly starting to recognize them and remember their orders. Pauline for example, she comes in every morning and orders a senior coffee two cream, one splenda a sausage Mcmuffin and a packet of hot sauce. She just walks in now and i put it in for her. I think she kinda likes that we have it memorized.
Today was my first time presenting. I think its funny, i'm pretty sure that my managers dont' realize that they really haven't had me do very many things. I think they liked me on counter because i was good at it. then they realized i've never been trained in the hole, so they throw me back there. And i get good at it. So they forget that i've never been taught to run and that i've never presented. (i actually learned how to run about a month ago..your suppose to learn it right after counter i think. Then they almost never have me run. I am usually on counter or in the whole. they never really put me anywhere else.
So i go in at six this morning and work presenting (where you get your food) for about two hours until they throw me on counter. (we were so dead this morning, it was dumb) then they send me on break at 8:45 (keep in mind i don't get off till two, i don't like that early of a break.) then they put me back on counter and around 10:45 they throw me back in the hole and leave me there. (which is fine by me) Until they send Lupe back to take money. I'm sure she actually is a nice person, but around me she is always a grump. I mean i think she likes grill most (everyone on grill pretty much speaks spanish and she is hispanic) I try to be nice, but she just is grumpy.
One nice thing about today was that the morning manager Bri, (who can be grumpy too) was nice. I had never worked the six before and then she snapped at me about something i had done wrong (and by this time i'm use to it from pretty much all of my managers.) and after she took a park out she came back and said "i wan't trying to be rude, i'm just ornery". (this is the first time she has ever said something liek that to me. although she did smile more this morning.) So that was nice. I've decided i'm slowly growing on the managers. They tend to smile back when i smile at them and i can occasionally get them to engage in small conversations. So we're making improvments. which is nice. :)

Time flies when your having fun.

So I figured I'd better write something before even more happens that i feel the need to write about. These last two weeks have been completely crazy and i have know idea where the time has gone. Its amazing how much faster time goes when you are constantly running around.
Last week I was able to go over to the University two days in a row and help put the new choir room together, I would like to submit that it looks AMAZING!!!!! (and a little bit like a space ship...) It was fun doing some heavy lifting for a few days. I have discovered that I absolutely love hard work, especially lifting heavy things and organizing and such. But by the time Friday came I could no longer move. Wednesday I used mostly my upper body and Thursday I used mostly my legs for the lifting which equals really sore Mandy.
Also on Thursday, as soon as I was done finishing helping with the choir room I went over to Embers so we could make cookie dough for Mikes birthday the next day. Which was great fun, also because I got my paycheck and was no longer broke. (I had been living on 21 cents for almost two weeks. I got in trouble when my family found out... :] )
Friday I worked and then after work went straight into planning for Mikes attemptive surprise thing for his birthday (needless to say it basically didn't work.) When we went to go storm his apartment with cookies and balloons Me and Megan were the ones surprised by Julian and Wilson being there. Which was an awesome surprise, I would like to add. After playing with them for a little bit I went grocery shopping...you know your a college student when going grocery shopping is fun and something you look forward too. and Then i got to go home and do laundry. (i was completely out of clothes.) And it was one of the most wonderful things of my life. Just to have a night to sit at home, do laundry and read "Mormon bachelor pad" (its a blog)
So Saturday I got up at the lovely hour of 5 am so that I could be on the road by six to go south. My little sister was going to be in town and Justin being the amazing person he is agreed to take my little sisters senior pictures. And I would like to submit that they are INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! What was fun for me (besides seeing my little sister) was seeing my best friend Dani again. Its the first time in I don't know how long that we have hung out. I miss her tons and it was fun to see her again.
After taking pictures we went to lunch at Rumbi island Grill which was also amazing. And then I took Justin back to his place in Sandy. I then had time to kill before i headed up to Layton to one of my other best friends bridal shower. So i called my old roommate Alli hoping to see her while i was down in Salt Lake Valley, unfortunately she wasn't available so I went over to my other old roommates house for a little while then headed up to Layton, getting sufficiently lost on the way.
Then was the bridal shower, which was great fun. And i would like to submit that i had the best gag gift (at least mine got the most laughs :])
I then headed up to Tremonton because I had to drop some stuff off at my grandma's and pick up some other things. By this time i was completely exhausted and running completely on fumes. I was so tired I actually missed the exit for my grandmas...which i have never done before. Its ok though, i notice that i missed the exit before I got to Idaho (I actually noticed in time to take a different exit to her house) I didn't stay long at grandmas because i was starting to crash. But i found out that Justin was coming back up to Logan that night and would actually be back in Logan before me. So before I went home I went over to his place to see the pictures. (which were amazing) I then went home and crashed. Unconscious.
I woke up the next morning and I had my friend James farewell, which was way cool (and the first farewell I've ever actually gone to) I unfortunately couldn't get my whole shift covered so i did have to go into work for a few hours. Afterwards i went back over to Mike and Justins (we stopped by right after the farewell because they left their scriptures at James house) And Mike, Shannon, heather and .....oh i know i know shannons sisters name...I've met her twice and I still don't remember...i think it was dana? (i met them that night...minus Shannon who i met a few weeks earlier) and me went down to first dam to play in the tunnel. (and when i say play, i mean like guitar. And sing. the acoustics are way cool.) And then we fed the ducks which was way fun.
Monday I had a glorious shift of seven very long hours. And then I went over to Embers because she wanted to curl my hair. I then came home and started cleaning my room. (which i got about halfway done)
Tuesday I got up bright and early for a seven and a half hour shift. and then back home. Ending up at Mike and Justins to get the CD to Justin to put Rachels pictures on to send to Mom and Dad. We then ended up at a game night which was tons of fun. Wednesday I had my fun five hours shift (but then i didn't have to work the rest of the week) And immediatly after that i came home and started making a chicken. I would also like to add that whoever cleaned that chicken failed at their job. I had more feathers in that chicken then any other chicken i've cleaned in my life.
the point of the chicken was that we were having a nice sit down dinner together (rylee has wanted to ever since she found out i had some sets of china) SO we made chieck, and roast veggies and a salad and fruit salad. And it was way good. At this dinner was me, Rylee, Megan, Mike, Justin, Chris and Rylee's little sister Landry. Afterwards I was going to go dancing but i slightly accidently got ditched by Mike. So i went and chilled with Justin and Ryan. And it was great fun.
Thursday I had nothing, that is I had nothing planned. I took the table back that i borrowed from Michael and Sarah (my...i think he's my second cousin. they live about five minutes away and take very good care of me) Anyway took the table back they let me borrow for our dinner. They have a family reunion this weekend and Sarah was trying to get the house cleaned, I had nothing planned so I stayed to help clean the house. WHich was great fun, I love their kids. Then I ended up hanging out with Justin (yes...i do basically live at their apartment and sleep at mine) I went home around midnight with every intention of going to bed...
But then life happened. We were all starting to settle down for the night and my roommate started feeling very uneasy and very unsafe. So we shut all the windows, checked all the doors and had a roommate prayer together with our other roommate. But for whatever reason she couldn't shake off the feeling. So she said another prayer and started reading her scriptures and nothing was working (by this time its about two in the morning) She decided that she wanted a blessing and then she asked if I could take her to the hospital.(a few days ago we found this nasty bruise on her back that no one knows where came from and she felt like she needed to get it looked at and it couldn't wait.) So we call Justin at 2 in the morning and ask if he can give Rylee a blessing (I seriously have the best guy friends in the world) He says of course and so we drive over and after that me and her head to the ER (the only medical place open at three in the morning) Where I sit in the waiting room for 2...maybe 2 and a half hours. While she gets looked at. Thank goodness it was nothing serious, but if we hadn't gone in it could have turned into something serious. So at five in the morning we head home with a quick side trip to a gas station so i could buy her some hot chocolate. And then i slept until 11:30am.
Then the rest of yesterday i cleaned my room and hung out with Justin. We watched a movie called "the island" not a bad movie.
And now i'm trying to get my Sunday shift covered (yet again) because i apparently need to talk to my manager again about please don't schedule me on Sunday (i've been scheduled for the last four) But I honestly am loving life lately, and soon school is going to start again which will be very exciting. I'm excited to see all my friends who move back up. So yeah, thats been my life the last two weeks.

Dulcinea

So today in institute we were talking about Christ and separating people from what they do, and someone made a comparison using the musical Man of Lamancah. And how Aldonza was basically a whore, but all Don Quixote was Dulcinea.
It didn't matter what she really was, all that mattered was what he saw. And no matter how Dulcinea treated him, he wanted her to see what she was. She wasn't just Aldonza the whore, she had more to her than that. She was a beautiful women, she was his lady.
And by the end she believes that she is more than that. She is no longer Aldonza the Whore, she is Dulcinea, a Lady...because someone else believed she was.
It got me thinking, I need to stop seeing Aldonzas everywhere (not saying that as in I see whores everywhere, but you understand the metaphor right?) Everyone is a Dulcinea (yes, boys included too, i'll find a more masculine name later.) But sometimes we only see Aldonzas, and I don't want to anymore. I think everyone would be better off if we stopped seeing Aldonzas and only saw Dulcineas? Because then maybe people would start seeing Dulcineas in themselves.

How much can happen in a weekend?

So this last weekend we were suppose to go up to Bear Lake, but when people woke up and saw a lack of sun, it was decided against. So i got someone to cover the last two hours of my shift and it became unnecessary. Oh well, I came up with other things to do.
Such as, when i was driving home I got a call from Mike and he said that i should come over; he had something to show me. So I get there and guess what they had sitting in their front room? A FREAKING PIANO!!!!!!!!!! He bought it at a garage sale for $25! And before you ask, yes it does work. Its actually in pretty good condition. It also came with an invitation to play any time that i want and they are home. Then we are trying to decide what to do for the rest of the day since Bear Lake fell through, I say that i'm going to go home and shower. (i was still in my work uniform, and after being at Mcdonald's, I like to shower and get the fry grease feel gone.) So i go home, shower, get dressed and start to head back over when I see that my roommate Rylee is home. So i tell her that she is going to come play with us today. I get her to Mike and Justin's and she sees the piano. (needless to say her piano music and half of mine is now just kind of living at Mikes and Justins.) So then we start planning things for the day. We decide to go to Macy's and get free samples (they were having chicken things and our friend was working there and told us to come get some) And then we bought ice cream and walked around the store. Then we went back to there place and there friend Johanna comes over and we want to watch a movie, but there place is really hot (they don't have air conditioning) So she invites us to her place (which has air conditioning.) So we watched a movie and went back to their place and made dinner. While they were making dinner, me and Rylee made a grocery run to buy things for smoothies. (don't leave me alone in the fruit section of a store. I'll spend more money than I should.) So we get back, eat dinner. Play piano and instead of smoothies we go to a dollar movie. Prince of Persia, GREAT MOVIE!!
Then we go home after. The next day is Sunday and I ACTUALLY HAD HOME TEACHERS!!!! for the first time in like a year. Then me and Rylee take our book shelf thing over to Mike and Justins so that people who have been leaving music there can have somewhere to put it. And do we end up leaving? Of course not. Instead we made smoothies (and when I say we I mean Mike) And they were good. Then instead of going to ward choir I stayed at their apartment because they were having mens choir practice. (so naturally i have to stay) Then i went to their ward prayer and Rylee and Justin had a moment. You had to be there... or just look at the pictures that we took of their moment... then we headed back to their place. (yes, i do pretty much live there.) except me and rylee make a quick trip home to pick up Megan and show her the piano. And we get there and we all start chatting and it start turning into a pity party, and I decided "no, this is not ok" so i say that we're done and we're going to try something me and some of my roommates tried last year. Everyone is going to go around the room and say something they like about everyone else.
It worked. It put everyone in a better mood, so by the time we all start getting tired we start doing weird funny things instead of getting more mopey. And it leaves everyone on a good note.
Rylee, total sweetheart. Spiritual, friendly. Basically good person. Megan, always so happy. Even when she is grumpy she will dance in circle down a grocery isle. And a great R.A. Mike, music abilities aside (because they are a given) he is a good guy, and there aren't enough good guys in the world. he also cares about people being happy and is a good listener. Justin, computer skills aside. He is just a genuinely good guy. And patient. and a great friend.
there were so many things that I wanted to say about all of them, but i had to go first to make sure that it actually got started so, i had to give everyone else time. But if your ever in a pity party mood, just try it. Also, if any of you want me to tell you something i like about you, just ask. Everyone needs a pick me up every now and then.
After that we headed home (considering it was like one in the morning) And i went to bed before both my roommates because i was tired.
But yeah, its amazing how much happens in a weekend. And friends are pretty much amazing thins to have and I'm grateful for all of mine. :)

Playgrounds

So after my shift of four and a half hours last night, Braylin wanted to hang out with me. So what did we do? We went over to Mike and Justins to find something to do. We get there (keeping in mind this is around ten at night) And we get there, and we are trying to decided on something to do.
Someone was playing night games, but it was sardines and not really anyone was in the mood. Then we thought about a night hike, which was quickly dismissed on the grounds of, i had work at eight in the morning, and i didn't feel good. No one else really wanted to hike, but we all knew we wanted to get outside.
We thought about going on a walk, which quickly evolved into going to a playground. Mike knew where a really cool one was that we could walk to. And I have to tell you, this play ground was LEGIT! It was a castle, and it had a boat and it was fun to run around on. I attempted monkey bars...i can't do them like i use to...i need practice.
Mike tried to make me lose my balance on the boat, but in his defense, i tried to make him lose his balance to. Justin, Ember and Braylin were slightly boring going straight to the swings. (Still love you guys though) So after a little while (after me and Mike had sufficiently run around) we started walking home.
When we get back to their apartment complex, Mike tosses me the keys because he is running upstairs really fast...they have a tricky door to open...but i got it eventually. I felt really stupid messing with it and trying to get it open and it not working.
Then we sat and chatted for a few minute, made a few loose plans for tonights adventures.
But i realized something. (and its something i realize everytime i go to playground) i miss playing on playgrounds. Running around, playing make believe. As a kid we would go to park, meet other kids (that we didn't even know) and our dreams in our heads would come alive.
Every time i go to a playground i want to do that again. Fight pirates, storm a castle, play tag. Run around and let imagination rule, life needs to be run by your imagination sometimes.
Mostly i just miss running around and playing. I like to play. I can work and be serious and responsible and all that. But sometimes, you just need to let go, and play.

Mcflurry Mishaps and bein in the hole.

So, you know how when you order a Mcflurry you get those funny spoons? I finally know why that is. That is what we use to mix the Mcflurry. We put the ice cream in a cup, then we put on the lid, then put on the toppings then put the spoon in and slide it onto the mixer thing. When we push the foot pedal the spoon starts spinning and mixing the flurry.
So yesterday someone orders a snack size oreo Mcflurry. So i start making it. I get the cup, i put ice crem in it. i put oreo in it. I start mixing it. So one second i'm preparing it right? the next second i'm wearing it. It looked like it exploded on me. And it happened so fast, i wasn't entirely sure what happened. (i think the lid came off and the spoon flung ice cream everywhere.) My store manager starts laughing at me, i start laughing because i realize whats happened and i also realize i'm covered in oreo Mcflurry. My other manager comes over and looks at it and says "i'll make a new one." i go "i'll clean up my mess." so i go over and wash my hands, then start cleaning off the flurry machine, i get it looking good and i go to one of my managers and say "can i go to the bathroom and try and clean up a little?" She lets me, i look in the mirror and it looks pretty funny. Than i go back and mop up the floor. At this point i think that i've got it all, when i glance over...somehow i got some under the cash register...how'd i do that? I don't know. But i seem to have a talent for getting things lodged or flung into weird places when i make a mess.
So later on in my shift my manager looks at me and says "will you go take the headset from Curtis?" I have a mild freak out inside because I don't like doing headset...it scares me a little bit. So i go back to the hole (ha, you thought I was broke didn't ya? nope, "the hole" is the second drive-thru lane and where you pay your money at drive-thru)
So i go and take Curtis's headset and Trevor (he just started) was back there taking money. (i've been there about a month and never really worked the hole before) So I start taking orders, and me and Trevor chat between cars. And then he gets sent on break as soon as it slows down. So i'm back there by myself and I have to do both. (take orders and money) It scared me a little bit, luckily we didn't get very many cars. But i got so bored at one point i started playing with a happy meal toy that was back there...it didn't do anything...sad isn't it?
Anyway, eventually Trevor comes back from break and starts taking money for me again. But i would like to take this minute to make a disclaimer to the world...if you are ever at a drive-thru SPEAK UP, SPEAK CLEAR, SPEAK SLOW!!!!!!! The headsets are good but they aren't amazing and i really can't read your mind so please just tell me what you want and if i ask you to repeat please just repeat and be kind. There are so many more angry customers at drive-thru than counter.
So yeah, that was my Mcdonalds life yesterday. :)

Banana Bread

So Monday night, I be chillin at Justins with Ember, Justin, later to be joined by Braylin and I tell them that I had a dilemma I needed their help with. My roommate had some bananas that she wanted me to use because she is at Lake Powell and doesn't want them going bad; so I posed the question to them...should I make banana bread OR chocolate chip banana bread? (it was a very difficult decision for me) When Ember says "I've never made banana bread" I decided this must change.
So Tuesday was the decided day for banana bread, Justin is in my institute class and Ember was upstairs at Institute choir when I met up with them asking for a slightly more solid plan. I end up on a picture taking adventure with them (although I would like to submit that I managed to stay out of almost all the pictures. I was only in one that they took when i wasn't looking) On the way back to the car from picture taking Justin asks if we are hungry (we are all kinda stupid and we don't eat dinner until like...10 at night.) So we are trying to figure out what we have to eat when it is decided Chicken and rice something. Because Ember had chicken and I have rice and cream of chicken. So we go back to my place and get rice and banana bread ingredients and head back to Justins. We make a chicken rice thing and mis up banana bread. Eat and chat and look at Justins pictures of Ember while the banana bread cooks. Then the banana bread finishes and comes out of the oven and we start eating it (and its wonderful) and people have started coming over/home in the last hour and a half of life. So in the apartment eating banana bread is Me, Justin, Ember, Braylin, Mike, and Ryan. (needless to say the banana bread didn't last long. But it was so good:]) then we are sitting around chatting and Ember wants to go to bed so she is saying we need to get going when Mike chimes in with "you don't all have to leave as a group, its not like your going to the bathroom" ;)
I however didn't have my car with me and Ember was going to give me a ride home, but Braylin had her car and said she could give me a ride home, so ember goes to her apartment and Justin goes to bed. So sitting around chatting is me, Mike, Ryan and Braylin. Chatting about everything, like explaining all the hidden spring break drama or inside jokes because people keep saying things that are followed up perfectly with things that were on our quote wall last year (like "why am i on your lap?) so then one o f us would say it and we would have to explain why it was so funny. Around 1:40 we realize what time it is and decided "Oh, maybe we should go home." (novel thought don't you think?) So we head out, on the car ride home is when i realize that all my ingredients for banana bread is on Mike and Justins table...sad part i meant to grab the, last night and I forgot again...oops...i'm a horrible friend. Well, I think we're making stir fry tonight so i'll get them then.

Fathers Day

"I'm so glad when Daddy comes home, glad as I can be!
Clap my hands and shout for joy,
and climb up on his knee.
Put my arms around his neck,
hug him tight like this...
Pat his cheeks and give him what?...
A GREAT BIG KISS!!!!! MWAH!!"

As I'm sure everyone has realized today is fathers day, so I thought I would blog about my Daddy.

I've learned a lot of things from my both my parents, but I want to mention things my dad has taught me. (my mom has also taught me some of the same lessons.) One of the biggest things my dad has taught me is a love of music. I grew up in a house of music, (which not very many would believe considering the lack of piano skills that I present to the world. But I would like to submit to the world that piano is NOT the only musical skill in this world. thank you)
When I was younger my dad would use the bathroom across from my bedroom to shower in in the morning after he went running (it was known as Dads bathroom and me and my siblings pretty much never used it...to this day i still am not sure why...it was right there.) I would wake up in the morning and hear dad singing in the shower. (and now anyone who knows me knows where I got it from) Although it was usually something classical so i didn't ever recognize what he was singing.
But my dad also taught me an appreciation of classical music. When we lived in Minnesota, he organized a "Messiah Sing-in" the last four or five years we lived there. (if you don't know what a Messiah Sing-in is, you are slightly deprived in my eyes and you should ask me about it.) For a few weeks and months before the sing-in (dad was the conductor) he use to turn on his recording of the messiah and practice conducting to it. I use to lie on the couch and laugh as he did it. (If you've ever seen my dad conduct you know why, he would exaggerate even more when we started laughing.)
My dad taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels on it. Out on the street in front of our house. I was wearing my blue helmet when I was learning Officer Kyper (he lived on our street) came out and gave me a ticket (for a free ice cream from DQ)
But Dad would hole on to my bike seat as i started going and then he would let go as I got going.
My dad taught me that he loves my mom. He doesn't realize how much he has taught me that. Anytime mom would go out of town, the day before she came back dad had us attack the house so mom could come back to a clean house. On mothers day mom gets breakfast in bed and is grounded from the kitchen. Lately he has been traveling a lot for work, and a lot out of the country. Every new country he goes to he brings us all back something, but the few times I was home when he was giving out the presents(I moved out a year after he started traveling) he always had a different tone when he gave mom her gift, subtly different, but I could tell he took care in picking out her gift and wanted to get her something that she would love. My dad loves my mom, and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise. Because I've seen that I won't settle for anything less when I get married someday.
My dad taught me that he loves me and my siblings. (some of the ways he showed me that i didn't learn till i was older) My parents made us do chores growing up. I had friends whose parents would never make them do chores, I use to be so jealous. But now, I know how to clean. I can clean a bedroom, a toilet, a kitchen. I can wash dishes. These seem like simple things, but I know people who don't know how to do these simple things because they never had to do them. My dad taught me how to accept "no" as an answer. There were a lot of times in my growing up life that we were given chores and if we didn't do said chores we couldn't go out and play. My dad always held up his end of the deal. We didn't do chores, we didn't play. Sometimes we wanted things and dad would say no. I didn't like it growing up all the time. But now I can take the answer no when it comes, which also makes me appreciate what I do get even more. These are the lessons that I don't know if dad knows he taught me, but he did. And I'm glad I've learned them.
There were other ways my dad showed us he loved us. I remember when i was younger and we would go on daddy/daughter dates. Dad also was more likely to say yes at the store if we wanted a candy bar, we discovered. I can't speak for all my siblings, but some ways that dad showed he loved me. Me and my dad have a musical that is our musical...Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of fleet street. (No, I'm not kidding. Come to our house for dinner sometime...me and my dad will start singing it at the dinner table.) The Broadway revival cast was touring in Dallas around my 17 birthday. My dad took me to see it, it was the first daddy/daughter date we'd had in a long time. But it was awesome. He taught me how to change the tire on a car. He let me drive his car up and down the driveway before I had a permit. (trust me, you would be surprised at how long i can go up and down a driveway without getting bored) He taught me how to light the grill. He does my taxes and FAFSA for me. And every new country he goes to he buys me a new pair of ear rings. Dad was the one who took me to get my ears pierced.
One more major thing my dad taught me was that he loves the Gospel, and the temple. We went to church every week growing up, and I can't tell you how many times my dad has been the choir director, which was always wonderful. We would go to ward choir, and music is one of the ways I feel the spirit stronger than anything else. Every year before school (as i'm sure many peoples dads did) Dad would give us a fathers blessing. When I was on a pioneer trek, they had one of our parents write us a note that would be delivered to us on trek. Dad wrote mine, and he bore his testimony to me in it. I still have that letter. But the thing that really sticks out to me most about my dads faith, his dad isn't a member of the church. Never has been. It would have been very easy for my dad to not be active in the church, to not grow up with a testimony. But he did. I also know that he loves the temple. He's been a temple worker many times, in fact I think he is one in Dallas right now. But every time he goes to a country that has a temple (time permitting) he'll go do at least one session. If time doesn't permit he'll at least go to he grounds and take a picture. It makes me want to go to the temple.
My daddy has taught me a lot of things in life, and I'm still learning from him, even if he doesn't know it.

Happy Fathers day.

I LOVE YOU DADDY!!!!!!!!

Carter

Ok, it is really really sad when a 2 1/2 hours shift seems to long to be at work...especially when you have a five hours shift the next day. So I worked the lovely shift of 7:30-10:00 this morning. I have discovered I prefer the morning shifts way more than the day and night shifts. I like the people who work in the morning better...and I think I'm beginning to understand some of the cattiness and gossiping by the employees at night. Although I still think it is immature and unprofessional, but whatever, not my place.
Anyway, so I'm working breakfast and again, group of old guys come in and there is one guy for some reason I just think is the cutest and coolest old guy. I learned today his name is Carter. He is one of the most wrinkly people I have ever seen, and has smoked for years so has that raspy-ness sounds behind his voice. But he'll walk in in the morning, leaning on his walking stick, and say "Hi there ba-doo ba-doo ba" Then order his senior coffee; today saying that I'm just the "bestest worker". Than goes and joins the other old guys. Right before he leaves he'll come order sausage biscuit and a egg biscuit with some jam, doesn't care if its grape or jelly; which ever one I like. So we ring it up for him, refill his coffee as he leaves he looks over and goes "thank you little darlin"
He's always calling me (and probably other female workers) 'little darlin'. For some reason he has become my favorite old guy out of the ones that come in. Although I like pretty much the whole group...and eventually I'll get all their orders straight. Right now I'm still working on names. Every other one is called "Don" and sometimes they'll switch names on you.

Oil Changing Adventures.

So yes, I can change my own oil. But please do not make the mistake of thinking that I actually know that much about cars. I had been planning on changing my oil for a little under a week, but it had been rainy and fixing cars in the rain is just miserable. So Yesterday was the first sunny day in far to long AND i didn't have work. It was awesome. So after a morning of laundry and tidying the room i make a run to the tech shop to see if they have some scraps of 2x4 they didn't know what to do with, because the jack I bought last year was a very very nice jack however it doesn't jack up my car high enough to get the jack stands under. 2X4's make my jack high enough I can get the jack under but low enough I can still fit the jack under the car. I first attempted this feat of changing my oil by myself...quickly realizing that this was an incredibly stupid idea. (working on cars alone is dumb on many levels, just so everyone knows) I decided that I needed a spotter to come make sure that a car didn't fall on me, and no offense to any girls I know I didn't know any girls i trusted enough to hold the jack while I am under the car trying to get a jack stand under it. Thus I decided that it had to be a boy.
Now, all the boys I know pretty much don't live in Logan anymore. And of the boys i do know that still live in Logan, I only have about four of their numbers. Chris was in star valley, Justin was at work. That left Mike and James. I text both of them as i'm walking back inside. Neither of them answer but i get on facebook and Mike is on. So I ask him if he is busy. He's in class (in other words yes he was busy) but it was going to be over at around 3 and he didn't have another one until 4:30. So the incredibly kind person he is walks over to my place after class and spots for me.
So we start trying to jack up the car but the 2X4's I have aren't quite long enough to set under the jack (the jack starts to roll forward when the car gets up higher) and at one point the jack slips off the wood crushing my fingers between the jack and the wood. (which really really hurt) so after mumbling some gibberish so avoid swearing i re-evaluate the way I've been jacking the car. After re-positioning the wood to a much safer way of jacking up the car i finally get the jack stands under the car. And using the same tools I used last time I get under the car to change the oil...and I can't get the nut or the filter off, which is making me angry cause i can't figure out why its not working. And my largest socket on my ratchet is just barely to small. So after much deliberation and feeling horrible that Mike walked all the way over from campus and I didn't even get my task accomplished I let my car down, drive Mike back to campus and make an Autozone run. (yes, it was probably a little cheaper to buy tools at wal-mart or Lowes, but at Autozone no one judges you when you walked in covered in grease and wearing what I loving call "grease monkey" clothes.
So after purchasing my new sockets and filter wrench and calling to mom and venting a little bit I head back to my place and text Justin because Mike said that Justin should be getting off work soon. Justin says that he'll help me (i just basically have great guy friends, I don't know how I've gotten so lucky) I drive over to his place, we again jack up the car, i get under and this time the oil dripping everywhere is hot because I've been driving and I go to put the socket on and...its still just barely to small, i guessed the wrong size. (don't judge me. and just so everyone knows, the correct size for the nut on the oil pan in a '98 mazda prtog`e is 11/16)
At this point I was NOT making another Autozone runs, for a few different reasons, biggest one being that i didn't want to spend more money. I call my cousin Michael who lives in North Logan to see if maybe they have a wrench I could borrow (wishing I had thought of that before I bought my new tools) and no one answers at their house. So I'm sitting their in the gravel wishing I knew someone else who may have tools when my friend Jessica pulls into the parking lot with her friend Bill.
She sees me and asks me how I'm doing (as I'm covered in grease) I look at her and say "I've got a random question for you, do you have a wrench?" She doesn't but guess who just happens to have a ratchet set in his truck? Her friend Bill. He pulls it out and we get the right size socket and i get under the car excited that i finally get to change my oil and...I couldn't get the stupid socket to move. At this point i figure out why nothing had been working. I wasn't the last one to change my oil. I almost killed my car back in January (don't judge me) and when they fixed it they changed my oil. And they had the nice air pressure tools that put things on ridiculously tight. So Bill actually has to get the nut off and he helps me get the filter off...I have been sufficiently humbled. And guess what else Bill has? FAST ORANGE!!!! For those of you who don't know what that is (and thats probably a lot of you) It's this amazing soap that take grease off. So he lets me use some and then I decide I need to go home and shower before FHE. So Justin asks me to look at his tires really quick, (again, please don't make the mistake of thinking I actually know anything about cars. I just make educated guesses, but I don't exactly have a great education..yet...someday I will)So I look at his tires, give him my opinion and then I head home, thinking about how i need to go find out what battery I need for my car because I need another one of those too. (it was covered with erosion when Mike came over, but I cleaned it off before I went to Justins, because I was thinking about it. But basically my car wants to die...and I keep nursing it back to life somehow.
So i get home and shower, and the shower after working on a car is one of the best showers in the world. Just so you know. It is absolutely wonderful the feeling after you get out and back into clean clothes. AHH! Wonderful! Anyway, so now I have a car with changed oil, some sore and swollen fingers and a couple of cuts up the arm, but otherwise no worse for the wear. And now I've re-learned a couple things about changing oil. So despite being sufficiently humbled and a little sore, i love working on cars still and I can't wait till the day I'm actually an auto-mechanic.

Unexpected life.

Tuesday, i was expecting it to be a kinda bad day, i'm not gonna lie. I had a seven hour shift at work... OK its bad that that is what i thought was going to make my day bad. But i had a surprisingly great day. I woke up not feeling tired at all (and i woke up before my alarm clock) And i had been praying to learn how to love my job. So i get to work, run front counter (as usual) don't mess up very many orders. And the thing of it is i hate standing around right? if i'm at work i want to be working for a number of reasons one, i'm earning money i don't want to be paid for standing. second time goes faster when your doing something. But I've also been trying to learn how to play to the managers, cause some of them don't want me to leave front counter. However yesterday the store manager said "when your not taking orders you need to run for yourself or work on lobby or something" In other words i got the OK from the head honcho. Which was wonderful cause first i attacked the lobby. Tables, chairs, trays, garbages and sweep. Plus soda fountain. I would like to submit that i got the lobby looking very nice. And then i started finding things to do behind the counter. I wiped down the counter, then i cleaned the outside of the shake machine, and some coffee spills. Swept in back. In other words i found ways to keep myself busy. And i honestly like hard work, or just working hard. Its much more rewarding.
In addition, while i was at work i got about three calls in about five minutes (obviously i didn't answer) so when i get a chance i sneak a look at my phone lightning fast )three calls i was afraid someone had died or something) they were from two or three different people. Then i look at the texts I've gotten. one of them made me very happy. But i can't say more than that at the current moment. :)
So right before i get off work my store manager looks at me and says "hey thanks for doing lobby, it looks really good." (i have been trying to get my managers to like me. and this is the first positive feedback I've gotten from her) So it made me extremely happy and then i got to go home and take a wonderful wonderful shower. (after seven hours i felt like i had nothing on my face but grease) then i got to hang out with Justin and Ember and me and Ember made Macaroons. They were WONDERFUL AND AMAZING!!! At least i thought so.
SO then we decided randomly last minute to go hike the wind caves. also much fun and i was extremely happy because thats the fastest I've ever hiked up them and i didn't really get that tired on the way up. :) all in all, yesterday was a good day.

Lil Diamonds

So, Monday I got to see my Grandpa Fred and Grandma Joy for the first time in a year (almost to the date) They were on their yearly RV trip and were stopping in Salt Lake, so I went down to see them. I got there and we chatted for a while. Right after Grandma says hi she goes "you've lost weight". (that made me feel good about myself.) SO we chatted for awhile, they asked about school and jobs and stuff like that. I asked them about their road trip and stuff. Then Grandpa asks what i would like for dinner. My reply. Food. Grandpa-what kind of food? me- good food....my pickyness level has gone way down in the last year. (am i still kinda a picky eater, yeah. But not nearly as bad as i use to be.) Then grandma says "i know what Manda likes. she likes steak" which is a true statement. But steak is also expensive, so i wasn't going to ask. But then they start looking for a steak house in the area. We end up going to Diamond Lil's.
Diamond Lil's. Oh my goodness. I got a humongous slice of prime rib for dinner (and i might add i got the smallest size) IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!!!!! if i had died on the wya home i wouldn't have complained about my last meal. But the best part of diamond Lil's is the Bathrooms...Whoever came up with the idea is slightly brilliant.
So after we ate we went and drove around Salt Lake city a little bit (grandma and Grandpa use to live there) then back to the RV, chat a little bit more and then i head out just as the sun starts to go down.
I wish i could see grandma and grandpa more often. But my car doesn't like to keep working and i don't have the gas money to drive to Arizona anyway. Someday i'll have the means, but until then i jsut enjoy the brief visits we get to have with each other.

The potentially lonely and boring weekend...

So as i begin to settle down for the night Friday (by settle down i mean try and come up with something to do seeing how it wasn't even 9 yet.) i receive a phone call. I had been looking forward (and by looking forward i mean looking forward because it was in the future, not because i was actually excited) to a night of striving to find something to do. two of my roommates went home, and some other friends were going on a camping trip. So i figured i would probably end up getting stuck in front of a television out of sheer boredom. When * i'm blue, da ba di da bi die, bi dab a di dob i die bod a dee dob ih die* starts playing. (this would also be known as my ring tone) I answer it, supressing the urge to go "Jack's mortuary. You whack 'em we pack 'em." (the only way i really answer the phone when my mom calls.) And my good friend Mike is on the other end of the phone. "Hey Mandy, i can't remember, did you want to go camping with us?" Me "i didn't know i was invited." Story behind that real quick, he had mentioned it the day before to Chris as we were going to Wing Wednesday. (yes Wing Wednesday is on Thursday. I'll explain some other time.) Again, he had mentioned it while i was there but had really only extended the invitation to Chris, thus I didn't know that i was also invited. So after this had been established via phone between us he goes "Can you be ready in five minutes?" me "i can try" Him "well we're on our way right now."
This is Mandy's cue to run into her bedroom and get ready for camping probably faster than she ever has in the history of her life. And i would like to submit not only was i packed by the time they got there, i had also changed into an entirely new outfit that was more camping appropriate. (in other words, clothes i didn't care if ended up a little dirty and smelling like smoke. ) I am honestly a little proud of the fact i was able to do that in five minutes. I think i kept them waiting maybe a minute...possibly two. So Mike comes and i meet his two friends Tessa (who i actually met the day before) and Amanda. (probably a good thing i go by Mandy) We pile back into Mikes car and head up the Canyon.
I LOVE Logan canyon, i just would like the world to know that.
So we get to the campsite, i sort of help mike park so he doesn't run into a big rock. And i go over and meet everyone else. And the Chris and Sayler emerge from a tent (yes, Sayler is his real name. No i don't know if i spelled it right) them i knew. And then we sit by a campfire. We roast marshmallows, i hear a lot of people talk about their missions and other things. Mike goes off and flirts with three girls. We attempt to start playing yatzee later except the whole time we've been out by the fire it has been raining off and on. so we start trying to play and lo and behold it starts raining. So we set up another tent because we know we'll probably be up talking for a while and we don't want to wake up Chris and Sayler. Also, i have now seen someone bake cookies over a fire. How cool is that?
So now we all start going into the tent to sleep. Mike goes back over to the tent with Chris and Sayler, because he kinda wants to go to sleep. So four of us start settling into the tent, close quarters a little, but thats sometimes half the fun.
Around 6:30am i hear a voice going "mandy" but is it processing in my head that i'm hearing my name? of course not. finally Amanda next to me goes, "i think Mike is trying to talk to you." then it clicks 'oh, i should probably answer' so i go "what?" still lying down in my sleeping bag. He doesn't hear. So i sit up and unzip the window of the tent still trying to remember my own name. He goes "do you remember how to get to the Wind Caves?" (where we were planning on going on a hike to after breakfast." You can't ask me a question like that when i've just woken up. So i have to think on that for a second and i go "kinda" i actually do know basically how to get there. I just couldn't remember if we had past them the night before or not. It gets established between us in some for or coherent-ness that i could get people to the wind cave. And mike was leaving with Chris and Sayler. Someone behind me asks "what time is it?" mike goes "about 6:30" three groans come from behind me. Mike wasn't giving any sympathy, he had been pup since five. Not out fault your a morning person Mike. ;)
So naturally after this knowledge of the time what do all of us do?...we go right back to sleep for another hour or two. I don't even remember how long. eventually we get up, they are all very nice and shared food with me. ( in the five minutes that i had to get ready food slipped my mind a little bit.) then we pack up camp and head out. We get out of the Canyon and I have a voicemail and a text message. My grandpa had tried to call me (I'm meeting him in Salt Lake on Monday) And my mom had sent me a text that basically said she likes my blog. Thanks mom. :)
So i get home, get changed. And head to Mickey D's to pick up my pay check so i can go buy food. Because i haven't been grocery shopping for about two weeks. I needed bread and milk and i wanted produce. I've been looking forward to having a salad for lunch for at least a week. So I go, get the pay check, head to Lee's, where inside is located a Chase branch. I put my money in the account and go grocery shopping. Where i am so excited to have so much produce in my cart. I get to the check out line, make casual conversation with the cashier and go to swipe my card...declined...try it again...declined...try it on credit...declined. I go over to the bank to see what is wrong with my card. Because it was a check it won't appear in my account for at least one buisness day...LAME AND DUMB!!!!! just so everyone knows how i feel about that. In other words I can't buy food or gas until Tuesday. I call my mom to tell her about it (mostly just to vent a little bit) and the kind loving mother she is puts money on my Bank of Texas card for a fan and my seminary graduation present (yes...it's a little late...) a brand new CTR ring. And she says, "go buy some food and other things you need with that and when your money shows up in your account go buy a fan and your ring." However, there were other things i needed that money for, so instead of just food. So I don't get to buy all the food i wanted (and now i'm missing some of the sales. :( oh well.) So instead of a wonderful salad i am now currently eating my lunch of a bagle and a peach. Which is still wonderful i would like to add, just not the wonderful i originally planned. And now i think i will bid you adue. i still haven't showered and smell like campfire and i would like to get a hold of a guitar playing friend and get some new strings for mine. ( i need someone to point me in the right direction. I don't know where to get guitar strings or what kind to get.) So until later, that is the story of what was my potentially lonely and boring weekend.