It Finally Happened

Well it finally happened. I didn't think it would happen so soon but it did. I have... A boyfriend. I know! Crazy!

His name is Shane, He was in a class with one of my roommates, and all of a sudden he started showing up at our apartment. It wasn't long before we would expect him and be a little disappointed if he didn't show up that day. He doesn't have a cell phone, adn is never near his apartment phone, so I used to call him our Phantom Friend. I also call him the apartment pet, but that's for a different reason. Just as a reference point, he was the boy who told me he loved me and then burst into laughter. Anyway I loved him coming over after that, because he just became an incredible friend. I thought it was so easy to talk to him.

One of the best things about our relationship, was that I did not feel threatened by him at all. We were just friends, and I never questioned his motives for a moment! Apparently I was out of the loop. I mean really out of the loop. While I never questioned his motives, every one else did. Everybody, including Deborah, knew he liked me, but knew that I just thought of him as a friend, so nothing was going to happen.

Anyway to make a very long story short, about a week and a half ago, I made some realizations about Shane. I started thinking that holding his hand didn't sound that bad. In fact I really liked the idea. Then I really started hating the idea of him liking and dating other girls.

Then to push me over the edge, he came to our apartment really frustrated. He said he felt like he shouldn't come over anymore. My roommates seemed to see this coming, but I was completely shocked by it. That idea put a huge pit in my stomach. That night Andy, my roommate/psychiatrist told me I needed to stop flirting with Shane because I wasn't being fair to him.

Faced with the idea of liking a boy, I began freaking out. I developed a stomach ulcer. When Shane finally showed up at my apartment after a few days, my imaginary stomach ulcer got bigger. Shane seemed defensive, and prickly, but once he warmed up he told me the reason he didn't want to come by anymore was because he liked me and he knew he didn't have a chance.

He was much more eloquent then I was. I said something like, "Well I have a confession to make. I started to feel... you know... It's like I, well even since Tuesday... Wow this is hard. I guess I'm trying to say, I like you. I like, like you in the way that holding your hand isn't a bad idea."

Shane is so sweet. He is so considerate, and patient when I have trouble expressing my feeling in a coherent sentence. Above all I feel so safe with him. It is so easy to be myself around him, and the best thing is he brings out my best self.

Anyway, I don't know what will happen next week or even next month when I go home, but right now I'm just enjoying spending time with my umm boyfriend.

We Just Want Some Food!!

Today we had one of those college adventures that everybody remembers. We just wanted to get some food. Today Vicky got a text that said Craigo's (an amazing pizza restaurant) had an all you can eat buffet for five dollars! This past week and a half we have all gone through phases of wanting to eat everything in sight. We thought this would be a good opportunity to fulfill the fansticy. (Vicky brought a big purse and zip lock bags. she was going to eat Craigo's for the rest of the week.)



Well we finally got into the car at around 9pm. All buckled up and ready to go, Vicky turned to the key, and nothing. Her car wouldn't start! The weird thing was her lights started flashing and the car made a clicking noise.



Still with a strong desire for Craigo's we changed our nice shoes for tennis shoes and started walking. It really is a short walk, but we are all starving and craving pizza. Andy thought about hitch hiking but nobody seemed to want to pick us up. Finally we saw the beautiful sign. We rushed to the door and just as we got to the door the open sign turned off!



We stared at the sign and the people inside the restaurant eating the pizza that was meant for us. Is was heartbreaking. By this time we were in some serious need of food, so we crossed the street to subway. The lights were off. It closed at 10pm. That was depressing.

Well how about Jack in the box? We went down the street, almost to the edge of town, towards Jack in the box. As we got to the parking lot, the woman behind the counter ran towards the door, and locked it. Jack in the box closes at 10pm.

Finally in desperation we went to McDonald's. We were so afraid that McDonald's would be closed. We were running out of restaurants in rexburg. Desperation set in when we saw that McDonald's was empty and a boy was sweeping up the play area. But we tried the door and it was a miracle. It opened. We lined up and all ordered off of the dollar menu.

We loved our food.

This is Not a Normal Squirrel

Every Monday and Wednesday I always see our local squirrel. When I first started seeing squirrels in Idaho I was strangely excited. I guess it reminded me of home, even though at home I only tolerated the squirrels. I am no longer excited to see this particular squirrel. I am frightened.

This squirrel is not a normal squirrel. It is fat, and has no fear of humans. When ever I pass it, I get about a foot away from him, and then he leisurely moves around the tree. I'm sure he doesn't care if I come close to him or not. He has just decided to keep up the squirrel human pretence to keep us happy.

This squirrel is mean. He is really really mean. Once I saw a bird picking at something on the ground, and this squirrel came charging at the bird. He was ready to attack the bird for what I assume was a wrapper. After the bird flew off the squirrel started yelling at the bird. He stood on his two hind legs and screamed at the sky. I'm sure he was insulting the birds mother, and warning him never to come back to Kerr Hall again.

Ordinarily I would name an animal that is so distinct in character, but not this one. I'm afraid that if he doesn't like the name, he'll come in at night and kill me. I wouldn't put it passed him. He knows where I live.

Eat, Drink, and go Crazy

I love my new FHE brothers. They are so sweet and very funny. Our first Sunday here they came to our apartment and introduced themselves. They were even so kind as to do some manly chores, like taking bikes off of cars, and moving a heavy TV. About five minutes after they left, we had a knock on our front door. There were two brothers, "Ummm can we get something to eat."


Apparently these poor boys had no food in their house, and were hoping for handouts. I realized that night that Mormon girls with marriage on their minds love nothing more than displaying their domestic capabilities to a bunch of cute single guys. We fluttered around the kitchen as they watched in amazement. They said they just expected a peanut butter sandwich.


All of last week we gushed over the thought of our brothers. No we aren't in love with them, but we have assigned each guy out to a specific girl. It didn't take long for us to decide that we need to invite them over again, and with that thought in mind a lot of chicken was bought.


Last Sunday my roommates and I sat in Sacrament discussing the meal and at what time they should come. Mashed potatoes won out over rice, before the fireside instead of after, and fried chicken instead of... well we realized we didn't know any other way of making chicken. That's about the time we realized that the chicken was still in the freezer. Vicky ran home to defrost it, and since she didn't come back we assumed she started on the rest of the meal.


Our brothers seemed pretty excited to come for dinner, which made us excited to make it. So the rest of my roommates ran home the start on dinner. We only had an hour to prepare.


Once we just home, that's when the problems really started. The chicken was still very frozen. Time ticked by as we tried every trick we could think of to defrost chicken. 30 minutes till their arrival, panic started. I said, "We need a back up plan." We had some beef Vicky was planning on making, and so we started cooking that. "But wait some of the chicken is ready." So we started cooking that. It wasn't cooking fast enough, and plan C was a box of frozen corn dogs. "Do you need to defrost corn dogs?"


I even made a futile attempt to call and stall until after the fireside, but no luck. These popular boys had plans. Our brothers even came five minutes late, and we had nothing ready. I looked around and realized that three frantic girls in the kitchen was enough, and I left to be hostess. I wasn't easy trying to distract three hunger boys from a partially separated kitchen with crashing and thud sounds coming from it.


Really in the end it was Nelva's superhero poster that got their attention. Finally, ten minutes later we put food on the table. For dinner we had: lumpy mashed potatoes, wonderful salad, tiny chunks of beef, tortillas, and of course corn dogs.


When we finally sat down to eat, it was really great. The boys were so excited to have "real food," and we were so grateful to serve anything! During the first few bites I was terrified that something would taste awful, and in reality we could have done a lot better. Our brothers didn't seem to notice. I think it was because they're boys.

You do some strange things at college.

I was going through some pictures today and found some of my favorites. Last semester in my old apartment we had a christmas tree. We would occasionally move it adn change the decorations. THis is my favorite decoration.

It's our pan-tree!!

Blood Sweat and Tears

It's here... the end of the semester!! I only have eight more days of class, and half of my teachers are not requiring us to come the last day of school. I guess its their little gift to us.
Maybe its to make up for all of the end of semester work we have to do. I have a couple papers to write, two presentations to give, and I don't even know how many tests I have to take! Maybe I should figure that last part out.

But to cap off our finales to-do list we have Whiteglove. I just experienced my first whiteglove, and to be honest I don't know how I feel about it.

All of my roommates decided to procrastinate cleaning until last Friday night, the night before we got checked. I started around 5 pm. That was after I just got an A+ on a math so I was on a pretty big high. Then I saw my stove.

As a side note, our stove has been overworked this semester. We all like to cook to some degree, and I estimate that the stove/oven combo makes at least six meals on a very slow day. Interestingly enough known of us have ever taken the time to clean the stove.

I wasn't sure what the stoves true color was, but I took my steal wool in hand and began my intense scrubbing. I scrubbed and scrubbed, and when I had enough I started on the oven.

I found myself reverting back to my old cleaning tricks. When I was little and had a lot to clean I would pretend I was a maid in a haunted house, or an orphan forced to clean by the evil orphanage lady. I haven't done that in such a long time, but around 11pm I was imagining I was a fine lady who ran away from her evil husband and took a job as a scullery maid. I thought it was very Anne of Green Gables of me,but it got me through the floor, windows and the cabinets.

Kristie and I worked on the kitchen until 12:30, and then fell into bed. Then we got up early the next morning to finish the kitchen and work on our rooms.

My resident assistant said we pasted with flying colors. I'm sure glad we did, because as I looked my hands I saw the two small burns on my fingers, the several cuts I found randomly, and sand paper skin that has since been loaded with lotion.

I felt like all of the grim that I washed off the floor was clinging to me, its a gross feeling. But at the same time I am so proud of the kitchen. I look at it and see the new sparkle. It makes me feel so proud and so protective. When one of my roommates spilled her pot of noodles on my stove I almost cried. I had to remind myself that I should ask if my roommate was okay, instead of attending to the stove.

What can I say, I think I've bonded with my kitchen.

The Bishop Didn't Mention This.

This semester, I've been called to be FHE Mom. Basically all I have to do is plan the activity for FHE and I'm good for another week. Over all, I'd say it's a pretty easy calling.

(Some of my daughters and one son.)

On Saturday I had an experience that I did not expect. I was alone in my dorm, and had just settled down for a perfect Saturday night: a masterpiece movie, and big bowl of popcorn. Suddenly my daughters burst in.

"Mommy, we have a question for you." Said one of my daughters. She was practically rolling on the floor laughing.


"Umm... What do you need?"

"Can you tell Jessica what 'to cop-a feel' means?" and then she burst into another peal of laughter.


Jessica look innocently at me as I hemmed and hawed, and wished that her father was here. I explained, to the best of my knowledge, what it was 'to cope-a-feel.'

(More of my beautiful daughters)

I just kept thinking, "The Bishop did not mention this."