sucking is some good humility

Dang it I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. But I haven't forgotten about those videos from the tipoff!

Bear in mind I don't usually look this handicapped while shooting...I really couldn't tell ya what was going on there. But I had fun ... and that's all that counts, right?

The one where I'm shooting the threes is just embarrassing.

The second video, I'm shooting closer to the basket and I actually made a lot more before she started recording it. Just trying to justify my embarrassment. (Thanks for the videos Michelle!)

I haven't spent my winnings (thanks to Charles) yet, but Mad Dog Cycles is definitely one of my favorite stores.

PS--BYU is still UNDEFEATED and ranked 16th in the AP poll! The past two weekends have been spent at the Energy Solutions Arena in SLC watching them manhandle Hawaii and then Arizona from prime seating. That's what I get for going to the Marriott Center at 6:30 in the morning to wait in line for tickets. So worth it.

cougar fans...it's time.

It's time to register for classes again! This semester, I got to register the third day it was open! And I got all the classes I wanted without a problem! And I finally got in to Bro. Bott's class! Mission Prep...I'm not complaining.

Today I had to go to the advisement center to get approval to register for a class, and it felt so awesome when she asked if I was a Broadcast Journalism major and I could say YES! Finally. No more of the whole, "well I'm applying right now..." or, "I'm taking prerequisites for it..." or, "I hope so..." Seriously. I can't even explain it.

This is for another post that's coming soon...but once I get the embarrassing video to prove it I will talk about what happened at the awesome BYU basketball tipoff! It's that time again, and I've missed it like crazy!

And it's definitely something to smile about! :)

The day I felt like Erin Andrews...

Or at least it's closer to becoming a possibility! Yep, the moment of truth. My whole life down to a piece of paper.

I've been waiting about a month since the application for broadcast journalism was turned in and my interview went down. I literally never thought to be nervous about the whole thing until the second I stepped into that interview. I realized how much it meant, since although I did very well in the prerequisite classes, a lot of people probably did. I'm sure my news story was average, but the essays and interview were things that could really set me apart. I felt really good about my essays, and luckily I feel like that's a strength of mine. I tried to prepare for the interview in my head, going over answers to possible questions that might come up. I feel like it went well, and he said he liked my enthusiasm! That's good right? I didn't know.

FINALLY last night I received an email saying our letter were ready to pick up in the office of communications starting at 8 am the next morning (today). If you know me at all, you know as much as I'm dying to know, I value sleep. A lot. Since I don't normally have classes on Fridays, I woke up at 9:30 so I could get ready to go take my Principles of Journalism test before I got the letter. Note that the testing center and the communications building are literally right next to each other. I figured that I should take the test first though, so incase I didn't make it, it wouldn't affect my score. Dramatic? Maybe. But I figured I could contain myself enough to get the test out of the way first.

As I walked to the testing center and right past the Brimhall building, my heart was about to explode. Maybe it was my out of shape self combined with the million stairs I just climbed. Maybe it was the fact that all of my plans for school depended on getting in this semester! It was weird knowing the letter was in there ready to pick up, but I was going to take a test first...

Luckily it didn't take me too long, and I even got a 94%! Good enough for a compliment from the testing center screen, thank you very much. Those don't come around too often, so I have to enjoy them when I can! My day was off to a great start. I couldn't believe that in a matter of minutes, I would know where I stood with my dream major.

I finally got the letter in my hands, but I didn't want to open it. I was shaking and didn't even know what I would do if I didn't make it. Slowly, I built up enough guts to rip the top of the envelope and slowly pull the letter out. Then, I read the first word.







Congratulations!






From that moment on, I could not wipe the smile off my face. Even now it seems surreal. Word on the street is that the acceptance rate was only around 50%. I knew that beforehand actually, which is what contributed a lot to my nerves. But I knew I had done all I could do in the best way I knew how, and whatever happened was for the best. I'm so grateful this went my way!

But thank you piece of paper. I can't wait to start!

Nothing Like BYU Police Beat...

One of the highlights of the Daily Universe is reading the Police Beat. I don't think it's meant to have entertainment value, but it's always good for a laugh or three.

Here are some of the latest gems: (and I quote)

"A man reported his keys had been stolen from the Smith Field house weight room.  After a more thorough search, the man found his keys in a different spot than where he had left them."

"Police received a call of a suspicious-looking man who was parked in the HFAC parking lot.  The man was reportedly watching people enter and exit the building.  Upon arrival, police discovered the man was waiting for his wife to get out of class."

"A suspicious man was reported sleeping in the north entryway to the field house.  When police arrived, they discovered it was an ROTC student who had arrived early and was taking a quick nap."  

"Police received a call from a person living on Cedar Avenue.  The person complained of loud music coming from a Heritage Halls dormitory.  Upon arrival, police discovered there was a dance party on the upper patio of a Heritage Halls apartment building.  Police promptly broke up the party."

Laugh. It's hilarious.  

If this is the extent of our worry, I think we're doing pretty good!

Is this normal??

FYI:

You should sign out of gmail before you leave the computer you were working on. I went to sign into my gmail and yours came up. Gmail usually stays logged in until you log out.....

Just thought you might like to know....

This is what I found in my inbox from "myself" after checking on my laptop after working at a computer lab on campus. Seriously, whoever you are? Whenever I get on a computer that someone is still logged onto, I just quickly log them out and proceed with my business without a second thought. The fact that this person was on my account long enough to send a message from it is super rude. 

Thanks for the warning, but next time I'll take my chances.

Oh my goodness some people...

Hello, my name is Natalie.

Just today in two completely different settings, I was called Natalie. It's one thing to be called the wrong name, but the same wrong name in the same day? That's just weird.

One time was in my volleyball class, but the girl was just completely guessing. Another was when Rite Aid called me telling me my rain checks are ready to pick up (5 FREE dishsoaps babay!). I have no idea how that one happened, since I wrote my name down myself. Maybe the spelling threw her off?

Right now I am completely exhausted, seriously. My basketball class will be the death of me. I really didn't think it would be that intense. But it will be good for me if I don't die before I get into shape.  Apparently a whole summer of Jillian workouts does nothing for endurance.

The worst part is my face gets as red as Utah jersey by the time we're done. Although I wish I was, I'm not exaggerating.

Ahhh wish me luck!!

once a freshman, always a freshman

School school school. I don't think I've missed you. But whether I approve or not, it started yesterday.

The most exciting thing that's happened it probably the cheap thrill I get by telling the class for my "interesting fact about myself" is that I've had plastic surgery three times (teehee...too bad the juiciness goes down when I say it was only on my ear and mouth). I can't believe I never thought of saying that before. Much better than the usual..."I like basketball..."

Most times I really wish I was still a freshman. I have huge freshman pride and think I always will! Seriously, it was the best. Now my ward is a bunch of graduated or almost graduated oldies (at least to me they are). I think me and my roomies are the only teenagers. Not cool.

I do have a few fun classes this semester though! I think I might actually look forward to them. Basketball, volleyball, and ballet. I know right? Should be a party, I just hope my basketball skills that I did have a one point have not completely left me. I signed up for intermediate since I figured beginning could possibly be boring. As long as I don't stink up the court we're in business yo.

steel cut vs. rolled

Ahh so much I've been thinking in my head to blog about lately but have never taken the time to write them...

I decided I wanted to try steel cut oats a couple of weeks ago since I've heard a lot about how great they were compared to the normal rolled-oats. I'll eat pretty much anything, but instant oatmeal is definitely not one of them. The smell alone makes me want to lose it. BUT I heard steel cut oats have a different texture and are even healthier than rolled oats. I'm loving health foods lately, so I decided to give them a try.

There I was, slaving away over a hot stove for the whole 40 minutes (40 minutes!) it took to cook them. Unfortunately, by the time they were done, they looked strangely familiar.

Yes, if it looks like oatmeal, and it smells like oatmeal, chances are it's still that same old nastiness I've hated my whole life.

I was disappointed, but I would like to try again. And this time, I'm only cooking it for half the time. I really think this will help since the mushy texture is probably the biggest part of my hate for it.

And this is coming from the girl who periodically will try cream of wheat just hoping maybe her tastes have changed and she'll like it now...

Me and hot cereal were just not meant to co-exist.

I guess my life hasn't been all that exciting in the past few weeks...and now it's almost time to start school again! Which means buying books.

I really wish I would have known about BYU book exchange earlier than last spring. Not only can you sell your books for a whole lot more than the $2 the bookstore will give you, but you can get basically everything you need for even less than the used price at the bookstore! It's great this semester especially since the most expensive books I need are BYU-exclusives and not on Amazon or half.com--my regular bargain hunting stomping grounds.

Both my English and art history books were listed at $999.99 on the bookstore's website. It's got to be some kind of sick joke or something. Well guess what? $45 each through the book exchange! Who's laughing now?? (It probably was a typo--but seriously? $1,000 for a textbook?)


The worst part, however, is setting up a time and place to meet to buy the book from the other student. Today I killed two birds with one stone by meeting both at the Cougar Kickoff by the Indoor Practice Facility. But since you don't know what they look like, you're standing around hoping you'll see someone carrying a book and looking a little out of place themselves. I was waiting around when I saw a guy carrying a backpack and acting like he was waiting for someone too. So, I asked him if his name was Steven. Yeah. Don't worry, it wasn't.

Awkward.


I did end up with both books though, even if the girl forgot and fell asleep, forgetting to come until about 20 minutes later. But when she drove up, she was listening to Something Like That by the one and only Tim McGraw.


All is forgiven.


Yay for showing the bookstore who's boss through awkward moments!

white liar...

5 years of working at the pool, and Friday was the first time someone actually complained about me. 
According to her, I was laughing at her because I made her..wait for it...obey the rules. I know, I know. The nerve.

I was a rude by telling her that it was $5 to rent a lifejacket, and it wasn't cheaper just because there were only 45 minutes left, you idiot. (I didn't use those exact words, or I guess I could see where she came from...) There is also no way to only paid $1 last time, despite what you say.

Not only did she lie about that, but she along with her other mom friends lied about when they came in so they could get a refund. The computer said otherwise, and the computer doesn't lie.

How is it that out of everyone at the entire pool, you are the only one to come up crying that they closed the kiddie pool 15 minutes early? There are two other pools along with a whole splash pad with toys. Oh yeah, it's too cold for your precious children. Isn't cooling off the point of coming to a pool? 

We told you when you came in to pay that we were only open for an hour and a half longer. You wanted to come in anyway. We didn't make you. You knew it was full price. Let me repeat, WE DIDN'T MAKE YOU.
You were there over an hour when somehow you were the only people to complain. Then you have the nerve to come up and say I was the brat to the supervisor, pointing at me while I was standing right there?! Gahhh if she could only read this. Then she would have a reason to say that.

Of course I was cussing her out in my head, but i was no where near rude when I was dealing with her. I think I've been around long enough to know what to do.

Oh wait, there's more!

Chad, the supervisor, gave them the manager's number to complain after he gave them free passes to come back another time. I hate when people like that get what they want, by the way. But at the end, they came up and said they called the manager and she said she was extremely upset with everyone and will be speaking to us. Pay no attention to the fact that Chad gave him her office number, and there was no way she was still in her office. Chad said it was the biggest BS he'd ever heard, and if they actually had talked to Lissy they would know she would never say something like that and she's not that kind of person.

Every Friday and Saturday night i work at the pool I deal with plenty of people madder than mad that we close early for private parties. (If you're going to pay to go somewhere, maybe find out when they're open. Duh.) But I have never dealt with such a rude group of women. (Although mostly the one..) Not only was she above the rules, but she blatantly lied multiple times, personally attacking me along the way.

After she left, I couldn't help but laugh. Not because I "made" her pay the standard 5 bucks for the lifejacket she wanted to rent and I enjoyed watching her waste money, but everything she said just sounded so ridiculous.

You got a free pass, lady. Why do you insist on making everyone else miserable for no reason?

[warning] if this wasn't me, I would be horribly grossed out

I would also be sick to my stomach. Apologies. But I have to share...

Flattering, no?
[mirror image]

Today was the day of my scar-tissue removal surgery in my lip, the effects of getting hit in the mouth with a softball about 4 years ago...

I had no idea it would look this disgusting...I also had no idea it would hurt enough to take Loritab...(don't worry about me EVER getting hooked on painkillers, those babies tear my poor stomach apart...even on a full stomach!)

He said it will probably swell more than this. Good thing I have work tomorrow at 8am! 

I can't really smile or talk too well right now without making it hurt more, at least I'm just working the morning shift at the pool. It could be worse.

[before]
maybe it's not horrible, but it's definitely noticeable. 

If it can be fixed, then why not?

I'm really looking forward to how it will look when the swelling goes down and I get the stitches out! I think it will all be worth it. I had no idea this surgery was even a possibility! Thank you parents!! You're the best.

It's hard to imagine it will look better than it did the way it looks now, but here's to hoping!

GOOD NEWS: I got the cold spray for the IV, which is

definitely the way to go! I hardly felt it at all!

BAD NEWS: I can't do vigorous exercise for a whole week :(

Goodbye 30 day shred, I'll pick back up when I can! 

Hopefully I don't lose all the progress I've made.

sweat and tears. no, literally.

Just a quick update on my 30-day shred by Jillian Michaels plan...

After getting as used as I was going to get to level one, I decided to finally go to level two. eesh. My biggest mistake was trying to go all out and not following the modified routine at all. I literally wanted to cry at the end, which I thought would never come. I haven't done a workout that tough in a very long time!

I decided to try it again though, but I did it about halfway between the modified and full-on workout. That time there were no tears, just a few false alarms in the puking my guts out area. Now if I modify it just a little I'm fine with level 2, but level one is still welcome!

check one off the bucket list...and I must be old

Tuesday was my girl Hailey's BRIDAL SHOWER. Bahhh that's so weird. I still remember the first day of 6th grade when I met her, and she's always been one of the nicest girls I know. Let's not even mention that I'm a month older than her. HA. Her wedding is next week in the Draper temple!

I made peanut butter chocolates and brownies for the shower, and my mom really wanted to make some punch to use in her brand-new dispenser. It was a huge hit if I do say so myself, my mom really knows bridal showers I guess! Cranberry and pineapple juice with ginger ale. Yummy!

The delish punch with pineapple rings for garnish, and my treats along with Michelle's cream puffs. Notice the fancy pants white chocolate drizzle...thank you very much. :)

Cute little fruit tray!

Afterwords, we went to Spark, the Mormon excuse for a bar. I actually really like it, and I had a Shirley Temple with cotton candy on top thank you very much. 100% percent akkehol free and a very cool atmosphere. While we were there sitting up in the loft, some guys came up to talk to us and invited us to a party on Saturday. They were really funny! When the waitress went to get our checks, she came back and said "I don't know if you know this, but your guy friends already paid for your drinks..."

We were shocked! It definitely made my day. I felt like a grown-up in a bar when a guy comes up and asks "Can I buy you a drink?", or "What are you drinking?".

Maybe I've seen to many movies, and maybe that sounds stupid, but I've always thought that would be so cool! And I think that's the closest I'll get, so I'll take it!

Being the smart one that I am, I didn't even get a picture of just me with the bride-to-be, but she's on the far left. 

Hailey, Hailey, Jessica, Jill, moi, Michelle, Brielle

eating her [curds] and whey

I have discovered a new butt-kicking workout that only takes 20 minutes a day! And believe me, you'll get your 20 minutes worth.

                                          

Before going to Yellowstone for the past 10 days, I did three or four days of the first level just to get a feel. I started again today and will go 30 DAYS STRAIGHT WITHOUT FAIL. At least I hope I can make it that far! I haven't even seen what the 2nd or 3rd levels are like--and I'm not sure I want to. The first level is quite enough for at least the next few days!

Today I got a side ache just doing the jumping jacks for crying out loud! It may seem like easy enough exercises, but put together for 20 minutes straight (it's more like 25...) with no rest is really tiring and super tough.

I'm also combining this with a little extra protein in hopes that I can have a little muscle for once in my life.

Sorry it's backwards...that's what you get for using photobooth.

Anyways, I researched it a lot before buying. I always thought protein powder was for male bodybuilders only. But its just whey from milk, and everybody could use more protein in their life. Some testimonials I read say some people even gave it to their kids mixed in with the Nesquick!  24 grams of protein a serving and it actually tastes pretty good! I got vanilla ice cream flavor this time, and I've mixed it with either plain milk or milk and strawberries. 

Wish me luck! I'll post updates of my progress...

Let the REAL summer begin, please.

WOW it's been way too long! If you can believe it, finals for spring term are this Thursday!! Can I get a woot woot? Seriously I can't wait to just work and not worry about reading and homework and all of those things on top of work until fall! Two jobs and school is not the easiest thing ever. But I'm really happy to have the jobs, don't get me wrong!

In case you didn't hear, I'm back at the pool (after the first year I thought I was done..and here I am five years later..go figure), and I just got a job at Subway a few weeks ago. I can't say it's been my lifetime dream to work there, but I can't be picky and I'm happy to have something else for the summer. The free Diet Coke isn't bad either. If I had to guess, I'd say I drink at least a gallon a week including what I drink at home. It's bad, but oh so good :) I used to be a straight Diet Pepsi girl and hated the Coke, but it's grown on me and I really like it now.

Going back to the subject of school, I've been taking American Heritage and have to say it's probably my favorite class I've had at BYU so far. I was really scared of it at first, but I LOVE the subject matter and find it so interesting. My professor is hilarious as well, so that doesn't hurt. For the midterm on the Constitutional Convention and all that type of stuff, I studied my butt off and knew I could do really well on it if I tried really hard. I wanted to rock that test so badly because I love that kind of stuff and felt like I knew it really well. I was shaking through the whole test because I was scared and excited to get my score.

90%.

One of the happiest I've ever been at the testing center. I've gotten some better scores before (ok, one or two..), but in American Heritage? Yeah babay. It made it even better when I found out the average for the test was a 70%! Hopefully my final grade makes me happy and I can do well on the final! We'll know on Thursday...

the quest for PERFECTION

I love Dancing With the Stars, and can't wait until Evan wins that trophy! Everyone knows Nicole is a great dancer, but she's much too drama-queen-esque and takes everything WAY too seriously!! Anyway, last week Evan and Anna danced the Argentine Tango and got the first perfect score of the season! It was incredible.


(The actual dance starts at about 1:45, but the before stuff is good too!)

I can't stop watching this!! Is that weird? :)

In my American Heritage lab, my TA asks us random questions on quizzes sometimes just for fun. So one of them was this: "Which two men ask Elizabeth Bennett to marry them?", or something like that.

After the quiz, we got in groups to discuss the answers and correct them. You should have seen the look on one of the girls' faces in my group when I asked who Elizabeth Bennett was. It was like I just disgraced humanity. I didn't know Pride and Prejudice (I found out) was so close to some people's hearts!

But we all have our obsessions... :)

Did I Raise My Hand?

I've always hated teachers calling on me, so loved it at BYU when there are big enough classes where I never had to worry about it. I've had a few smaller classes, but not one where the teacher calls on random people too often. But right now in my Art History class of about 20 students, my teacher calls on me at least twice a day, sometimes three. He doesn't know everyone's name yet, but he sure knows mine! Luckily I can usually BS something if nothing else. I swear Art History teachers/students make WAY too much out of some works of art. I get it, can we just move on already??

Dancing With the Stars results for the semi-finals tonight! I LOVE that show. GO EVAN!!

Winter finals are over, and just as quickly spring term started! Sometimes I wish I didn't take spring, but it's good to get some of these classes out of the way, and I'm even taking gymnastics! So it should be pretty fun. I loved the short time I had at home before moving out again, and sometimes I wish I just lived at home. But I kinda like pushing myself out of my comfort zone in a weird sort of way. And although it would be much easier, less stressful, and a lot cheaper to stay at home for the summer, I realized that this is the only time of my life I'll have these kinds of opportunities, so I'd better take them!

I'm not gonna lie, it was super scary moving in without knowing any of my roommates, but the 3 that have moved in so far are super nice! I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of people, and know that if I lived at home I would meet next to no one and have basically no life. Even though it's scary I think it will definitely be worth it in the end.

Moving out this past year has made me realize how much I love my family and I love every chance I have to go home. On Sundays when I would go for dinner, most of the time I didn't want to leave! That's why I really loved the past week or so to be home. Unfortunately, my mom wasn't feeling well the whole time, and on Saturday went to the ER and got her appendix taken out. The surgeon also miraculously found an infection in her small intestine and removed that part as well. He never usually looks on that side, but thanks to the blessing my dad gave her beforehand, he did. I've been by to visit her everyday since then, and I hate seeing her like that. I know there's nothing I can do, and she has been so miserable. It's awful, but she has been very slowly getting better. I'm so grateful for the gospel and that I know the Lord is always watching over us.

I learned a lot my freshman year, but I believe the most important was the greater love and appreciation I gained for my family. Even though I could see them whenever I wanted, I was still away and really missed them. I could never ever thank my parents enough for all they do for me financially and otherwise, they're the best I could ever ask for.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

Blahhh

I just discovered how pathetically out of shape I am. It's a pretty nice day so I decided I'd go on a nice little run to take advantage of it. Well, I don't even want to guess how long I ran for, since it's probably much less than a mile...and it almost killed me. To sum up, that [insert short distance here] run kicked my sorry butt.

Yeah I can do Jillian yoga 3 times in 4 days no problem. Just don't ask me to do anymore running. I don't know why I thought I would all the sudden like it, since I've always hated running. I only like it if there's a ball involved. Basketball, football, etc...

Maybe I'll try again some day. Maybe not.

I did the so-called impossible tonight. Yep, finished level 1 on Jillian's Yoga Meltdown! 

I owe it to huge expectations I had from my mom, dad, Amanda, and Dave who all stopped part-way through and told me I couldn't do it. Well, I did. And how do I celebrate?

A bowl of ice cream. (But probably not as much as I would normally have...)

I think I'll quote my awesome english teacher from last semester in saying:

"I'm not interested in being ripped, I'm just interested in not being fat." --the great Ryan Stewart.

Although being ripped wouldn't be all bad...but as long as I can eat what I want I'm good. :)

I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

MOVIES

It seems that so far this year, there have been a lot of good movies coming out. Keep in mind the only kind of movies I like are chick flicks...so the commonly believed "good movies" don't apply to me. Ex: Avatar (would rather be beat), Sherlock Holmes (I actually think I might like it...maybe one day), and last year's big ones such as Transformers 2 and Harry Potter (I don't understand the obsession..).

Sooo this year I've been looking forward to:

When In Rome--I'm a new Josh Duhamel fan!

Dear John--Channing Tatum anyone??

Valentine's Day--Everyone and their mom is in this one!

the Last Song--whatever you say, I really do like Miley a lot.

the Blind Side--I know it came out last year and is not exactly a chick flick...but LOVE IT.

Date Night--gotta love Steve Carell!
Backup Plan--looks perrty funny.

Unfortunately I've only seen When In Rome and the Blind Side...both in the dollar theater. Call me a cheapo but I just can't justify spending 9 bucks too see them when they come out in the normal theater. Who does that? ;-)

It's not like I'll die from a lack of seeing a movie in the couple months I have to wait.  They were well worth the wait. When in Rome was different than I expected, but still really good. It's still weird to think Josh Duhamel is married to Fergie. It's a little of a mismatch to me, but what do I know?

The Blindside was seriously one the the best movies/stories EVER. And Sandra Bullock was incredible. The Oscar couldn't have been better deserved. But with Tim McGraw, you just can't go wrong. Can't wait to see it again! 

As for the others on my list, it's only a matter of time. :)

Maybe I'll Be Famous.

Here's one for ya...WHY do some people think they're God's gift to the world??

I mean, it's one thing to share one's talents in the right place and time, but I've noticed recently at BYU that if you don't sing or play an instrument, you basically have no purpose in life. I definitely understand why BYU students get a bad rap for being weirdies...although I know there are weirdies everywhere. Not hating on my school, I just don't understand some people.

I've never heard so many people break out into song being dead serious. Sorry, I don't want to listen to that. It's one thing to do it jokingly with friends or something, but singing in public cause you hope there're some music scouts out there or something is messed up.

There are also some "serenaders" on campus who sit outside with there guitars/ukuleles and sing before I walk in to class and are still there after I'm done. Maybe I'm just jealous I can't do it myself? Well, maybe I could. If they can, it's possible for anyone.

I'll keep you posted as to when my first on-campus random acoustic show will be.

I got your CHANGE...

So in honor of socialism..oh, I mean the healthcare bill..

I thought I would share this little *beauty I came across...

*Pardon the showage of skin...it's just oh so catchy. :)

"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until it's free!"

Dancing With the Stars, Week 1

I've only watched a few seasons of this show, and have seen Shawn Johnson and Donny Osmond get the mirror-ball trophy, but this season is awesome because my boy Evan Lysacek is on it! Olympic gold-medalists have done very well on this show...in fact, they've all won. Apolo Anton Ohno, Kristi Yamaguchi, and of course Shawn Johnson. Hopefully history repeats itself.

Highlights of the premiere:


Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls was suprisingly elegant definitely checked her signature dancing at the door...although I'm sure we'll see some of that when she does something besides the Viennese Waltz.

Anybody else surprised that Gia was there with Vienna to cheer on the Bach Jake Pavelka? Seems like it would be awkward to me...whatevs.

Pamela Anderson, aside from her top-heaviness, has a dang nice body for how old she is...just sayin'.

Niecy Nash is hilarious and should be pretty fun to watch.

Buzz Aldrin is such a cute old man! I think he'll stay around longer than people think...he's go votes.

Kate Gosselin just looked pretty out of place...

Chad Ochocinco is a good-lookin' man.

Erin Andrews is now my role model...hello my dream job!

Aiden Turner and Shannon Doherty...I got nothing. Who are these people? I thought it was dancing with "stars"??

Evan still needs to work on his interviewing skills...awkward much? But love him anyway.

Nicole came in first with 25 points, and Evan was second with 23.

All in all it's looking like a great season ... aside from a couple weirdies.

The Silver Lining...

Is it sad that it's barely 50 degrees at its warmest today, and I just had to wear shorts and sandals to take advantage of the warmth? This comes from the girl that thinks 80 degrees-plus is perfect. I think I'm going crazy--I just want summer! 

Well, BYU basketball is over for the season, but after the Kansas State game on Saturday, I couldn't help but think of only positive thoughts.

1. After losing the rebound battle badly and getting outshot (it's hard to not get outshot when Kansas State made everything...) the Cougies didn't get blown out in the slightest. It was even closer than the final score, 84-72, despite it all. Kansas State is good. And they played that way.

2. Everyone was saying that as long as they finally win a first-round game this year, they'd be satisfied. It's true for me! Of course the Sweet Sixteen would have been lovely, but I can't help but smile when I think of how I felt after the Florida game.

3. 30 wins! School-record, and so many teams would kill for that number. Love it.

4. Next year. Virtually everyone is returning! My assumption is that Jimmer will be back, and I sure hope so. I think it's the best thing for him to get another year at the collegiate level. Chris Miles, Jonathan Tavernari, and Lamont Morgan, Jr. are graduating, and Tyler Haws is going on a mission to the Philippines. They'll all be missed for their individual strengths, but I really don't think the team will take a hit. Chris Collinsworth comes home from his mission soon, and his brother Kyle will be a freshman. Expecting great things from those boys.

Did you see the Kansas-Northern Iowa game? Hot dang. While I did pick Kansas to win it all in one of my brackets, I couldn't help but be so happy for UNI. How cool is it for a 9-seed to come in and knock off the expected champs from even making the Sweet Sixteen? Dang. It was pretty awesome.

And Kansas, I know you must be extremely disappointed/sad...but get off the dang floor and be a good sport.

Just some pics I found in the Facebook group "Remember when Kansas choked in the 2010 NCAA tournament? That was AWESOME" that I thought were pretty funny.

One things for sure, March Madness is really living up to all the hype!

AMAZING

I don't think I have even been so excited as I was yesterday after the buzzer to a certain second overtime sounded. And you can't blame me, I was not even two years old the last time BYU won an NCAA tournament game in 1993. Many people thought Florida would be an "easy" game, but isn't it only right that after waiting so long, the victory came on a few miracles and an unlikely hero amidst the huge shadow of Jimmer Fredette.

I'm talking Michael Loyd, Jr. As a red-shirt sophomore, Loyd has recently stepped up in the biggest ways. His breakout game came against New Mexico when he essentially carried his team with 19 points, and greased lightning speed and athleticism. That game didn't end the way they hoped, but his new-found confidence carried on to an 18-point first half at Utah. So, why not choose the NCAA tournament to make your career high even higher? When Jimmer wasn't shooting his best against Florida, and when the Cougars desperately needed a spark, none other than Loyd came off the bench and scored 10 straight points. He continued throughout the whole game to light BYU's fire, and was virtually the only offensive threat in the first overtime (thanks to the amazing three by Jackson Emery that made it possible). For a less-than-excellent free-throw shooter, he made all of his freebies when they counted the most. I consider him the reason the Cougars were in this game, shooting his way to a new career-high at 26 points. He also shot 70% from the field, 9/10 on free-throws, and went 3/5 from beyond the arc.

On to Jimmer. No one outside of the Mountain West considered him a premiere player, or much less even knew his name. They know it now. With no threes in regulation, he got his points grinding to the basket. Come second overtime, it was finally his turn to make his mark. Two break your ankles crossovers lead to two three-pointers at the bottom of the net before the defenders even know where the ball went. Icing the lead with blocks, steals, and free-throws, a 99-93 victory never tasted so sweet. 37 points ain't too bad, either. He couldn't have done it without the rest of the team, but Jimmer Fredette lead the Cougars to victory. He even landed the front pages of ESPN.com, CBSsports.com, and analyst after analyst can't stop talking about the boy from Glens Falls, NY. They all want him to be the next Stephen Curry and "March Darling". With a win tonight, he'll do it. His performance was so unforgettable, that when a player in another tourney game did really well, they said he "went Jimmer" on them. Finally the recognition he deserves. 

Kansas State is a really good team, but the Cougars have all the confidence in the world. They finally broke the curse and can play with that huge worry out the window. They also have the motivation that a win means not only the Sweet Sixteen, but the chance to play in Salt Lake City! That would be incredible...it's hard not to get ahead of myself! 2 seeds aren't indestructible, with Villanova already going down today to a number 10 St. Mary's. There's hardly been a game that hasn't been a close one. Whatever happens, this has been the best season in terms of wins (30), and most fans would say has been the funnest to watch. I'd have to agree. I LOVE this team! 

Some great articles on Jimmer and the game... 

 Florida Gators vs. BYU Cougars

Fredette More Dangerous than Wall

Fredette Not Conventional, Just 'Amazing'

And last but not least, a great picture slideshow courtesy of Jaren Wilkey.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...

In Vegas, I experienced many things I either loved, hated, laughed at, or never thought I would experience. Here are some of the best...

1. The Buffet at the Bellagio. Mmmm baby. Crab legs, prime rib, steak, shrimp, sushi, etc. etc. for 20 bucks! Just let that sink in for a minute...it's OK to let your mmouth water a little. I would venture to say they lost money on me. We did manipulate it a little, going right before lunch ended. Paying the lunch price for dinner food is a little stroke of genius if I do say so myself. (Dinner price was $40!)

2. Dear TCU cheerleaders,

You are not, nor will you ever be the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. So please stop your deserate, pathetic attempt to dress like them. You're just making a fool of yourselves. I don't care if you live in the next city over, no one can come close to the DCC.

The REAL thing...Melissa Rycroft!

3. While waiting for the shuttle to the strip, a guy started talking to us about BYU. Here's roughly how the convo went:
"Oh yeah, you guys have that one guy who's really good...Herdeckie. Heard he dropped 45 last night."

"...Fredette?"

"Oh that's right, Herdette."

I will admit, that was pretty dang funny. I didn't know whether I should punch him in the face or die laughing. So, I took the high road and had a good laugh later on.

4. After our game against TCU on Thursday, it was UNLV vs. Utah. Though I would never do it aloud, I was secretly hoping Utah would...win. There, I said it! It would have been really nice not having to play UNLV, but unfortunately, Utah stunk up the whole court. It wasn't too bad at first, even UNLV wasn't playing that great. They just let it go at the end. Now on to this story:

We sat in the upper level on the side of a basket for this game, and there was hardly anyone around us. In front of us there was a UNLV couple with a son who was about 10, as well as another guy who was just by himself. A little before halftime some BYU guys came and sat in the row by us, and were hilarious! It was the typical flaunt your team without being a jerk, but no one really minded.

We left for a minute and when we came back up, security came right up to those guys and the power-hungry "leader" repeated "Let's go" to them over and over for "throwing things over the balcony". They didn't throw ANYTHING, and even the UNLV people by us stood up for them. There was absolutely no reasoning with them, and finally, they got kicked out. All the other Utah/UNLV fans (besides the ones right next to us) were chanting, "kick them out, kick them out!"

No sooner did they leave the arena, 4 college-age UNLV guys came and sat where they were and started bragging that they got them kicked out. They even asked the guy by himself if they saw what they did and how cool it was. I guess THEY threw something, then texted the security saying 4 guys in the BYU shirts just threw stuff off the balcony.

Using some profanities of his own, the guy went on to tell them how messed up that was, and that they wouldn't like that happening to them. I thought that was really nice.

Then the lady turned around and said. "It was you guys, wasn't it?! You threw a beer cup, and they don't even drink beer!"

I COULD NOT BELIEVE what they did, and didn't know people could be so dirtbag. Now I know for a fact that UNLV fans are dirty, rotten losers.

5. At the championship game between UNLV/SDSU, I could have easily been confused for an Aztec faithful. We sat in the row right behind some SDSU students who after staring at us and our shirts for a while finally said something.

Some of what they said to us:

"So...are you guys like, allowed to be here?" (At first I thought he meant at the game, since BYU wasn't playing in it.)

"Do you know what I mean? Cause you guys are always in the Vegas bowl and stuff, but it kinda contradicts everything if you know what I mean."

"So are you guys big-time gamblers? Since you're not in to the whole alcohol and prostitution thing."

"Really?! Cause in that show Big Love they opened a whole Mormon casino and all. Isn't that show pretty accurate?"

"So you don't do polygamy?"

*To his friend* "Dude I told you!"

So at first I thought they were just kidding about the whole thing...but then I realized they actually seemed pretty serious. We tried to answer the questions the best way we could, and hope we set them straight! Such as...we don't gamble either, and Big Love is a loser show that has nothing to do with us.

I would say I had quite the experiences. I came away with a greater hate towards UNLV and New Mexico, and a greater love for SDSU (at least until we play them next!).

Sorry so long, but hopefully you enjoyed! The Gators are now Cougar bait...

Happy March Madness everybody, where all good roads lead to Indy!!

Let the Madness Begin...

Just got back from Vegas and the Mountain West Conference Tournament yesterday and had a blast! It had definite highs and lows...
LOW: BYU losing to UNLV on their HOME COURT for crying out loud.
HIGH: New Mexico losing to San Diego State. SDSU then beat UNLV for the championship. I never thought I'd be such an Aztec fan!

I learned a few things that I really shouldn't be suprised about.

1. It doesn't matter what team you cheer for: If it's not BYU, that means you HATE BYU. It doesn't matter who your team is currently playing, you will do anti-BYU/Mormon cheers.
2. People will drop about $50 on beer alone for a game. At $6 a cup, it adds up pretty fast when you chug them like that. Geez.
3. Some people have absolutely NO conscience...*cough* UNLV. More on that later...
4. It is possible for New Mexico fans(Ok, one) to have class and admit their "player of the year" Darrington Hobson is a dirty, elbow-throwing player with a bad attitude. Snake, you are my hero.

He actually had a Jimmer jersey!!
5. More people than I thought know absolutely NOTHING about Mormons, even to the point of asking if we're even allowed to be in Vegas. Also a story for another post..

All in all, it sucked BYU had to play UNLV in the second round. Unfortunate luck of the draw. However, that will all be put to rest if they use their number 7 seed(Whoo! Not an 8!) and take it to the Florida Gators on Thursday in Oklahoma City at 10:20 AM our time.



I LOVE MARCH MADNESS, and it's hard to ignore the fact that if a Sweet 16 were to happen, BYU would play in SLC! Now that would be sweet. Just one game at a time...

A little venting: I CAN'T BELIEVE that New Mexico got a 3 seed! You've GOT to be kidding me. Yes, they beat us twice. But the difference of both games put together was 6 points. Yes, they're ranked ahead of us by a few spots. But I still don't see how that translates to four seeds higher. I DO NOT APPROVE. (Just incase they wanted my opinion.)

Colby Bryant

One of my roommates showed me this video the other day and I can't stop watching it! A great mix of awkwardness and humor makes me laugh throughout the whole thing. Hopefully I'll be a little better than this...



"Couldn't have said it better--without the--myself."

SUPER sized.

Eating at 5 Guys and McDonalds all in the same day may not have been the smartest idea I've ever had in my life, but it was delicious at the time! So my stomach hurt so bad the next day I could barely walk...just guessing that my fast food fix may have had something to do with that.

I feel like the past week I've eaten nothing but TONS of realllllly good food that may or may not be super healthy. I've been constantly been super full, yet there's always something else to eat! I think I have a problem. I just hope I'm getting it all out of my system and hopefully can get back to my ever-so-slighly healthier ways.

Tonight, I'm baking the stuffed shells and garlic bread my awesome mom made for me to take home after the Super Bowl. Can't wait! Speaking of the Super Bowl, I wasn't super bummed the Colts lost, it just would have been nice. It was sweet watching Austin Collie represent on the biggest stage in the world. And technically he shouldn't even be in the NFL yet!



It sucks a little, but the food was delish. Homemade salsa, guacamole, bleu cheese dip, chicken wings, shrimp, sushi (which I haven't had for years but loved it!), and strawberry shortcake!



One last thing. I played basketball a couple times last week for the first time in a long while and it really needed it! Yes, I almost died and my face was still red long after I was done playing, but there's nothing like some good bball. The first night I surprised myself by making most of my outside shots in the scrimmage! It's been so long I was half-expecting a lot of air balls. I just felt so good to be able to be super aggressive by getting steals and even blocking a shot or two! Love that feeling. Hopefully I'll play a little more!

Whoop Howdy!

*Guy motioning for me to roll down my window*
"Hey, the back of your car says Whoop Howdy!"
"Yeah..."
"I just wanted to say it to you!"

Well that was what happened to me at a recent stop light. And it kinda made my day ... as weird as that may be.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, the Whoop Howdy is still going strong! :)

They really make it too easy...

I do believe I struck gold with this video find. I got a good, long laugh out of it and hope you do too. I really don't know what to say other than I'm glad they finally found the Huntsman Center. It was a tough journey, including missed dunks, jumping up on a curb, and carrying weights a whole three steps. It's brilliant, really.

Dear Marshall Henderson,

Thank you for being just another example of why Max Hall was right. And I know you felt the need to compensate for your team's performance, but waiting for the ref to turn his back so you could sucker "punch"* poor Jackson Emery? Are we twelve years old? (Aside the fact that you look like it.)

I'm really looking forward to the next three years of you. :)

Most sincerely,

Aimee

*I had to put the punch in quotes because it was actually very girly-looking.



It's long but oh so worth it. The actual hit is at about 1:13. Notice the beautiful pink shoes and trim on my boys. Nike chose BYU as one of the four schools to get the pink unis for the annual "Coaches vs. Cancer Day." Rock on Coach Rose!

Well, another chapter in the "Coach Boylen is a crazy psycho" has come and gone, and the win feels great! Oh, Max Hall hates you? Two can play that game.

Marshall Henderson hits me.
(Like a girl, of course.)

Hmmm...

After my Book of Mormon class on Tuesday, this guy came up and gave me this note saying it was from the kid he was sitting next to. Weird. So I opened it and here's what it said...

You are super hot
and I like you a lot
You fly through my mind like a bee
will you go out with me?

Hahahahaaaha. Yeah I thought it was a joke or something..but I guess I'm flattered? I don't really know what to say to that, and I don't even know who the kid is. So I guess we'll see what happens...haha.

The Start of A Promising End...

As part of the first week of school, basketball hosted UNLV. They beat us at home last year; it was time for revenge. They're pretty good, having recently been in the top 25. As if it wasn't going to be tough enough, anyone could see Jimmer wasn't his usual self. He was recovering from strep/allergic reactions/mono--you name it. But good news: his 7 points and 2 for 10 shooting was no match for the amazing depth of this team. Seriously, it's awesome. JT and Mikey Loyd Jr. stepped up, with big shots from Jackson Emery and a whole bunch of players to beat the Rebels.

The crowd was crazy once we got momentum, but I hate that they need motivation in the form of a huge shot or steal to get loud. Can't we just be crazy and psycho the whole time? It really bugs me. The team needs the crowd the most when they can't get a shot to fall, not when they've already made one. Yes, it helps to continue the momentum, but how about we start it? Ugh. Anyway, it was amazing and crazy loud at certain times. I love it and can't wait for the rest of conference!

Saturday they played at UTEP for the last non-conference game. This time, not only was Jimmer still sick, but he didn't even dress. Enter: a road game in a tough arena against a good team without the Cougar's leading scorer and Wooden award candidate. It's gotta be a loss, right? Ohhh no. Yes, it was a little too close for comfort. But a win is a win. Lead by none other than two freshmen Tyler Haws and Brandon Davies, who both tied career highs with 20 and 14. JT also stepped it up again with 19 points before fouling out. Can I just say I love this team? No matter what happens, you can be they'll always compete because they want to win, and anyone who watches them can see that. When Jimmer gets back to full strength, they'll be scary. Now they know they can win without him, but with him? Dang.

Add another road win at Air Force yesterday and a conference start of 2-0. Jimmer did play a little, but didn’t start. The first half was surprisingly close, but the second half … not so much. Props to Jackson Emery for his 3’s and 21 points that lead to the convincing win. Have I mentioned I love this team?

This semester I actually have to wake up early on most days. It is nice being done earlier, but there's nothing worse to me than waking up early. But it's funny though, that all through jr. high and high school it started at 7:45 am every day. That's just the way it was, and I survived. But now having a class at 9 suuuucks. But ... my 8 am lab got moved to 2 pm! Woot. I took my first nap of college last Friday after my only class at 10. Having three of my five classes only Monday through Wednesday, the bulk of my week is over at 3:15 on Wednesday. It's nice that I have Thursdays and Fridays to relax a little. As evidence by me sitting on my butt watching TV all day today...

I'm taking Intro to Broadcasting and Media Writing as the last prerequisites before applying to the major ... it's kinda scary but now that I'm in the classes it doesn't seem as bad. I just hope I keep liking it and actually make it in. It's already too late for me to change majors that I could actually do something with. Current backup plan: Marriage and Family Life. I'm kind of kidding, but kind of not. It sounds super pathetic and pretty much is. But, it's short. Lets just hope I make it in to Broadcast. :)

Schooling opponents? What else is new?

As far as BYU sports go, Christmas break hasn't let me down once! It's been full of a Las Vegas Bowl, 5 basketball games, one MVP, two all-tourney team members, a school record, an NBA-like score, and one last look at those beautiful royal blues.

The Las Vegas Bowl vs. Oregon State was considered one of the top non-BCS bowls, as both teams were ranked in the top 20. The Vegas Bowl got a steal when it comes to this matchup. Oregon State barely missed out on going to the Rose Bowl after barely losing in their "Civil War" against their rival Oregon. Many people were expecting a close game, and they might have gotten that...for about less than the first quarter. The wind was blowing insanely hard, and the first couple of possessions went nowhere. Oregon St. hit first with a touchdown, but that would be as far as they got for a long time. BYU tore to up, scoring 30 unanswered points. The Cougars ended up with an impressive victory, 44-20. One of my favorite parts were two 6-yard punts by the Oregon St. kicker, thanks to the wind. Those kicks went up and blew straight back. I've never seen anything like it. What a great game to end a great season!

Now to basketball, who kicked butt and took names in pretty much every game as of late. They played the Las Vegas Classic, with two game at home and two at the Orleans in Vegas. Here are a few highlights:
-Going on a 33-0 run vs. Eastern Washington at the Marriott Center
-Beating Nevada in Vegas with a score of 110-104 (Is this an NBA game?!)
-Getting an Eastern Washington-like lead against Nebraska before beating them by 22 for the Championship
-Jackson Emery and Tyler Haws making the all-tournament team
-Jimmer Fredette named tournament MVP

So the tournament was a complete success, but would the trip to face Pac-10 opponent Arizona be the same? Yes. Yes. And then some. Not only did they score 99 points against Arizona's 66, but Jimmer Fredette had one point short of having half of those points. Nearly half of 99 points? It was unreal. With his 49 points, he became the new school record holder, beating Bob Skousen's 47 from all the way back in 1961. It's not like he got his points by being a ball hog or shooting Kobe-style, either. To go along with his points, he had 9 assists and shot 16-23, including 9-13 from 3. He also set a record fro threes made in a game. Props to the coaching staff for leaving him in until he broke the record, thanks in major part to Greg Wrubell for letting them know. He really wanted him to break the record as well. Any other blowout he would have been taken out much sooner. Major props as well goes to the Arizona fans, who showed major class by cheering on Jimmer when he came out, appreciating talent when they saw it. I had to listen to this game on the radio since we don't have Fox College Sports (who does?), but I've seen plenty of highlights on Sportscenter as well as many other places. I'm glad I had Wrubell, but it sucked to not be able to watch it.

Here's the Jimmer Fredette highlight reel--definitely worth watching!

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4778189