the Bench Warmer

2012-01-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Please tell me this is not the most adorable thing you've ever seen in your life.

I'm just gathering up some pictures for the reception slideshow...and this is one of the many gems I found. It's so cute I could die. If our kids end up looking anything like this...wow.

Pinch me, this is my life...

2012-01-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

So it's been a few months...but I've been busy getting engaged and what not. Yes. I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't actually experience it myself.

But, it's also been the best time of my life. Me and Colby have been together now for almost 7 months! Crazy. I used to make fun of people who got engaged and/or married so quickly, but now I finally understand where they're coming from. And I'm now one of those. But I'm happy to join the club. I'd marry him right now if it didn't take a little more planning...

Here's the story of how it happened and the events leading up to it (it's been almost 2 months...but better late than never) ...

We went to buy the ring at the beginning of November after talking about getting married. We got on that pretty quick because of a rockin' sale going on at the jewelers. That Friday, November 5th, I was at work and Colby kept texting me wondering when I was going to be done. He also said I need to be done NOW. So I left and he came to my apartment and said, "Are you serious about wanting to marry me?"

"Yes..."

"Then get in the car."

We start driving and we're headed for the mall and it all clicked. In my head I was kind of panicking because I didn't think I was ready to choose a ring! It's kind of a big deal. But we got there and started trying them on. When I put on the first few, my hand was shaking pretty bad. It was so weird and I wasn't expecting it at all! I kinda hoped Colby wouldn't notice, but let's get real, how could be not? I tried on a lot of different ones, but I just kept going back to one. When I had it on I just knew that was the one. Then he bought it. And I ended up getting his too. We were in and out in about an hour. Who knew it was that easy? I walked out of the store with his, but mine had to get sized so he didn't actually leave with it.

And that was that. I never thought I'd be able to choose a ring so easily! It was all just surreal, but I've never been more sure about anything. We went back to his house and both just felt drained. It was kind of weird, but it's a big step! I didn't know when he'd propose, but as long as it was before Christmas is was all good.

The next weekend he got to go on a cruise with the company he worked for over the summer, and I honestly don't know how I made it six weeks. Those five days went miserably slow, and I was just reassured that there's no way I could ever live without him. We couldn't talk at all because there was no service in the ocean, so it went even slower. I went to pick him up from the airport the next Thursday night, and that whole day I had to keep finding random things to pass the time because it seemed like it would never be time to leave. When I saw him I ran up and he picked be up and literally carried me to the car with his bag in his other hand. The whole way home I couldn't believe he was actually there. It was the best feeling ever!

The Sunday after Thanksgiving I was at his church walking to relief society when this 50-something year old man stopped me and said congratulations and asked if I would be at the Sanford's after church and if he could come over to visit. I was pretty confused because I had no idea who he was or how he knew we were planning on getting married. But I said he sure could. When we were back at their house I was describing the guy to his parents and they thought it was just their home teacher. But when he knocked at the door his dad said,"Oh hi President!"

Yep, the stake president. He came in and sat down and asked Colby why he was here.

Colby just sat there for a second and said, "Well, me and Aimee are planning on getting married in May..."

"Why are you waiting so long?"

"Well, she's going to graduate and then we're going somewhere for the summer for her internship."

Then he went on about how we should consider moving the date and some other things. It was actually a really cool experience. We both had been thinking that to ourselves but I don't think we actually would have changed it if it hadn't been for that. He said he saw us in the congregation and just felt like he should come visit us out of the whole ward. Crazy.

So then we talked about it and decided on March. It would be kinda crazy with school, but we could do it. Then he said he should probably propose pretty soon...

Monday I was over at his house again and his brother Matt came in and said. "So did Colby tell you about the conversation he had with your dad today?"

Colby just stared at him and shook his head. It was pretty funny, because Matt didn't realize you probably don't tell people stuff like that. Then he felt really bad and said that was the biggest mistake of his life and he was going to take us out to dinner or something. But it's not like it was some big surprise he was going to ask. Tuesday I went over again and I didn't know when I should expect it. But it didn't happen then.

Wednesday I was coming out of my dance class, which was the last class of the day and Colby had been texting me asking when I would be done because we were going out to dinner with some friends. He was in the area so he said he might just be at my apartment already when I got home. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary so I didn't think much of it. But when I got home I didn't see his car in the parking lot, so I just went inside to my room. When I opened the door, everything that was on my bed was gone and there was a huge box in the middle of the room...

I opened it and found a smaller box...then a smaller one...then the ring box! But no ring. Just a paper that said "look in the closet". So at first I opened by side of the closet. I had to move the huge box out of the way first, but that makes the most sense, right? Nothing was there. So I open the other side.

And there he was holding the ring and flowers while wearing a huge bow on his sweatshirt. I knew it was real this time because he was actually holding the ring. (He'd been fake proposing for the two weeks leading up to it. Just in the middle of a conversation he'd get down on his knee and say some stuff and then end it with a joke. That's Colby for ya. I thought it was hilarious though!)

He said he loved me and would forever, then asked me to marry him! At first I didn't know what to do, and almost gave him my right hand to put the ring on.

Buuut I figured it out and got the ring on my left hand! Sometimes I still can't believe how lucky I am, and I want that feeling to last forever. Seriously, how did this happen?

Afterwards we went to dinner with some friends (the great photographers of the proposal, Nate and Caitlin) at Wingers. The first time we hung out in DC we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings, so I guess wings are kind of our thing? I'm not complaining.

I never thought I could be this happy in my life, and it's only the beginning! Colby is the best man I've ever known in my life and he's my best friend in the world.

And we'll be sealed for time and all eternity on

March 23, 2012.

That's pretty neat.

2011-09-10T16:29:00.001-06:00

I can't believe I've already been back from DC for just over a month! But at the same time...I absolutely can. I can't blame this past month for being extremely long...it's a tough act to follow up the best summer of my life.

confederate white house in RICHMOND.

GOOD STUFF. u.s. capitol in the U.S. CAPITAL

being cool by monuments.

going to memorial day parades on THE MALL.

going to games as a member of the media...baseball, golf, football...

seeing my boy kenny in concert at the home of the redskins.

meeting ann coulter.

watching the orioles as a fan (but not an orioles fan...)

good times with awesome people.

lee house @ ARLINGTON.

smithsonians

photo-ops with the washington monument in the background.

national zoo-ing it up with the guys.

double date time.

white house.

ford's theatre.

RITA'S.

fourth of july in WASHINGTON.

library of congress.

hangin' by the JEFFERSON.

monument walk:KOREA.

hey mr. lincoln.

SHAKE SHACK concretes.

weird things...

GEORGETOWN cupcakes.

beautiful TEMPLE.

I didn't want to picture overload too much...but I did all this and much more. I'm so glad my dad took me out and my mom came out to visit over July 4th. She came about halfway through my adventure and it was great to spend time with her and show her my DC "expertise". We had a lot of fun and I'll always remember it! I love my mom...she's the best.

.....BUT

It would not be the best summer at all without this boy:

Meet Colby. We're both from good ol' Utah county...yet don't meet 'til we're both at the other side of the country. At church. How weird is that?! And I finally met someone who may even be weirder than me. I know, right? Didn't think that was possible either.

My first impression of the hilarious guy in Sunday school was that he looked like the old spice guy. Then, I obviously thought he was hilarious...also really cute. Didn't think I stood a chance. But somehow, I tricked him into thinking I was pretty cool too. I'm still figuring that one out.

Orioles game, zoo, fireworks, sunday pizza days, softball game, transformers 3, heavyweights, and just hanging around together doing absolutely nothing are just a fraction of the things I'll remember. He picked me up from work at 10 in Maryland so I wouldn't have to walk in the dark and came over to hang out almost every day. SO...

The reason these past five weeks have been so long? He's still in Virginia. Only ONE MORE WEEK. I've never been so excited for anything in my life...it's better than Christmas!

someday...someone might spell my name right.

2011-06-03T22:00:00.000-06:00

wednesday i went to my very first MLB game ever! i don't know what i was expecting, but walking into the press room and seeing the field and the players warming up was kind of a surreal feeling. something about anything professional is just cool. i don't care who you are.

i grew up going to jazz games every now and again, which i always loved. i have yet to experience real NFL action. i'm looking at you, denver!

if this doesn't take the cake, i don't know what will:

oh yeah, i was talking about baseball.

to get my media pass, i had to show the lady at the door my driver's license so she could fill out the pass and make sure i'm over 16? or something like that. so she spells my last name out loud, then get to my first name.

"a-i-m-e-e? is that right??"

no, it's just the spelling i like to have on my driver's license.

but don't worry, she spelled it right on the pass!

or mayyybe not.

i'm still working up to that status where people will believe the name on my i.d. is actually my name. it'll happen.

just say no?

2011-05-29T13:54:00.001-06:00

doesn't every mother teach her kids to never get in a car with a stranger?? does anyone ever say yes??

there i am, just walking to the metro rockin out to some kelly clarkson, when i see out of the corner of my eye a car slow down and stop right next to me. naturally, i just keep looking straight a head, but i can still feel someone staring so i looked over for a second.

"hey, i'm headed to the metro, can i give you a ride?"

"i'm just gonna walk...thanks though."

"which way are you walking?"

"this way..."

even if this fiftysomething's intentions were good, ya just don't do that! doesn't he realize how creepy that is on so many levels?

so i thought my day couldn't get any more exciting...until i went to safeway.

i'm just minding my own business bagging up some delicious artichokes, when...

"excuse me, you're really beautiful."

"umm, thanks..."

"can i ask you out? it's your eyes..." creepy maybes?

"you know, i don't think so."

"why not? i have a motorcycle and a helmet for you!"

"that's ok...i'm good."

"it would be fun, ya know just hang out or something. and i have a motorcycle. i'm sure you like motorcycles! can i get your number?"

now here's where i have a problem. i would rather make up a fake number on the spot then say no. so that's what i did...

not sure why i have an issue with just saying no...and i was terrified he was going to try and call right then and figure out it was fake! not sure what i was scared of, but you just never know i guess.

he was a little more age-appropriate than the previous grandfather instance...but really?

i've said it once and i'll say it a million times...kenny chesney is the only single man old enough to be my dad i wouldn't mind taking a motorcycle ride from.

mmkay.

first instance of d.c. savvy

2011-05-29T13:41:00.000-06:00

well, i've figured out a system for car-less grocery shopping! i'm new to it and think it's pretty genius if you ask me. how do people live without cars??

my lovely roommates with their lovely cars would definitely take me when they go, but our schedules don't match up too well.

LUCKILY there's a safeway literally next door to comcast, my home three days of the week. i think i've been every day getting a few things i need each time. a bag or two each time back with me on the metro and my walk home and i've got all i need!

i've even gotten ice cream, people!

it may or may not be close to soup by the time i finally get back...
afterhavingtowait45minutesforthetraincausetheythoughtthey'dclosedownatrackeverytimeitrytogeton...but man does that triple-cookie sundae edy's sound delicious right now.

i also haven't been able to walk past those 50 cent artichokes without getting more each time...50 cents!! are you kidding?!

my roommate Caitlin thinks eating a plain artichoke is the weirdest thing she's ever seen. i always thought it was normal?? they're a delicacy in my family!

artichokes & ice cream...i could get used to that!

humidity.

2011-05-24T16:10:00.000-06:00

i really don't mind humidity. my hair, however, minds a lot.

i know it's only gonna get about a zillion times worse this summer, but i absolutely love heat of any kind. anytime i think i'm too hot, i just think of how miserable i am in the freezing winter and then i love it even more!

but i've discovered humidity affects a lot more than just my hair.

1. the gum in my purse is almost wet when i get it out
2. the sugar on sour gummy watermelons dissolves off of most of them before i eat them
3. it took a total of 48 hours for my sweater to air-dry in my apartment

but it's good in a few ways too!

1. the air smells awesome, especially around my apartment where there are a lot of trees
2. if you look outside and it looks cool and cloudy...it'll still be warm!
3. i think i've noticed a little difference in my dry skin..no more waking up in the middle of the night to get some lotion!

yay for the good stuff, and the bad isn't really that bad.

it does make me miss my dry desert of Utah, and growing up going on vacations to arizona and new mexico. i keep thinking of the red rocks and how awesome it is in the southwest. i'll always be a western girl, but i'm an eastern girl for now.

hopefully soon i'll be southern...

that time my dad dropped me off in d.c.

2011-05-21T09:27:00.001-06:00

it's here! i flew out to d.c. last thursday with my awesome dad. he came out to make sure i could find my way around, and we had a great time! i'm really glad he came!

somehow this is the only picture we managed to get together...but i promise we were there at the same time!

we also got to drive to richmond per my request. i really wanted to see some of the civil war/confederate history there. we went to the confederate white house that belonged to jefferson davis, a sweet museum, a cemetery of confederate officers and monuments of robert e. lee, jefferson davis and stonewall jackson. my dad wasn't a big fan of the actual city and "downtown"...i didn't love it either...but i really glad we went. my dad is the coolest.

white house

john marshall house

cemetery

on sunday we checked out the national cathedral...it reminded me of france and was awesome! we didn't get there til late so we couldn't go inside, but the outside was incredible.

we also ate at some great places. friendly's, don pablo's (or was it don francisco??) and good stuff...we had to try it, cause amanda swears by it! it made me sick..but in a good way. i was absolutely stuffed that i could barely walk afterwards. bacon cheeseburger, rosemary fries and a milky way malt shake. absolutely delicious, but note to self: never order all three in the same trip. me and dad even split the fries! but he made me get my own milkshake. the nerve...

on his last night here we went to a little pizza party to meet some of the other interns at n.j.c., and the next day he went home after walking me all the way to my first orientation! i know i'll always remember our time out here and i couldn't be happier that he came out with me!

love you dad!!

softballs are NOT soft.

2011-05-07T01:42:00.000-06:00

well I've been twenty for a few weeks and I'm still alive. but I did kick it off right by going in for round 4 of stitches in my lip. the first was for running into a kid's head trying to get candy in fifth grade.

(some things never change).

the second was after I got hit in the face with a softball while fielding a grounder at shortstop. aren't grounders on the ground, you ask??

they should be. unless you're me, then they hit a pebble just right so it bounces up at your face at full speed.

the third was last summer...remember this?

just getting some scar tissue removed and trying to restore it to the way it was before the softball incident. he went conservative, cause you can always do more. so last week, he did more. and hopefully it's the last time.

i just got the stitches out yesterday, which, by the way, is only fun if you enjoy the skin around the stitches being cut up as well. ouch. the swelling is almost all the way down and my lip almost looks normal! yay for me!

i know this is really exciting, and it should be! probably mostly for me though. i'm grateful there are things to be done to fix the results of my graceful moments. :)

did i mention i'll probably have to get a root canal as another result of that darn softball hitting my mouth? it will never end. but if it does, i'm closer to it!

teenage DREAMING

2011-04-18T22:24:00.000-06:00

this is my last day as a teenager.

when did this happen?!?

dramatic? maybe. but I still can't believe I'm almost in my twenties. gross.

earlier today I finished up the last of my finals...ok I only had three...one was online/open book...the other was take home/open book...but who's complaining??

now I'll officially enter my senior year of school in the fall! I've had senior status all this year, but now I literally have one year left. I can't BELIEVE how fast time goes. it seems like just yesterday I was a little high schooler! I never, EVER thought I'd miss that. but sometimes I miss it bad! those were some fantastic years and I definitely took them for granted!

and then there's my two years at BYU. they're seriously over? I've had so much fun, worked so hard I thought I might die and everything in between. but this year will be the best yet.

in the meantime, I'm just going off to DC in 23 days!! look out east coast!

i'll enjoy these last few hours, cause in the morning I'll be an old lady. :)

"how can I be anything but?"

2011-04-10T17:44:00.000-06:00

This past week I went to a documentary that Mark Williams, a graduating broadcast student made. It was about a little Romanian boy named Marius who was severely burned on 75% of his body during a house fire that killed both of his a parents. It's a pretty intricate story, and you should definitely read about it here. (Warning: It's pretty graphic!)

I just couldn't believe the strength this little boy had through it all, and he's still going strong! He was there for a Q&A afterwords, and says he wants to be a motivational speaker when he grows up. If anyone could be perfect for that job, it's him!

There are so many things we take for granted every single day, such as having 10 fingers and toes. The documentary was so well done, even if it was really hard to watch at times. It was so inspirational, but there was one part that stuck out to me the most.

After Marius has undergone several reconstructive surgeries and was living with his new family in the US, someone asked him if he was happy.

"How can I be anything but?"

Wow. He's incredible. I'm so touched by his story and hope that I can be a little more grateful for the millions of things I'm blessed with every single day.

I swear it's always the people who have every reason to be mad at life are the ones that remind us how amazing life really is.

Thanks Marius!!

Cowboys Like Us

2011-04-07T19:51:00.001-06:00

Concert from the King of Country? Check.

It's George Strait y'all!

I've always thought if I see Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and George Strait, my life will be complete! It's funny cause Tim has been my favorite the longest but he's the only one I haven't seen yet! I can't believe myself sometimes. I'm even seeing Kenny twice before I see Tim!

I would go this summer when he comes to SLC, but he comes literally THE DAY before I get back from DC! Darn you flight schedule. And he's not playing in DC like Kenny is. Look at me refer to them like I know them. Whatevs.

Back to George, I got to last weekend with my awesome aunts, Julie and Wendy, along with Julie's friend Amber.

We almost got in a fight with the people behind us because they wanted us to sit down. Umm hello have you ever been to a concert? If you want to sit back for a nice little show then at home on your TV is a nice option. But I go to concerts to do what I wouldn't do every day. Well I could do it every day, but that could be a little weird.

Lee Ann Womack and Reba opened the show, and they were both awesome as well!

But here's a little taste of what we all came for:

Love it! Hooray for finally getting to see him!

Sweet Sixteen is just some extra frosting...I do like frosting.

2011-03-27T21:31:00.001-06:00

So here's the thing.

Would I have loved Elite 8 for my Cougars?

Of course.

Am I extremely happy with this season and loving the fact that I'm actually a student at BYU during Jimmertime?

Oh yes.

The Florida game was close, even when Jimmer had a "off-night". Yes, 32 points in 29 shots isn't great, but the fact that they forced overtime with a big, athletic and talented Florida team is very impressive. Jimmer didn't even score the first 15 minutes of the game and BYU took that Florida team to OT? Dang.

A lot of memories this season that I'll never forget. Thanks for the memories, Jimmer.

Bring on the NBA draft for this boy.

2011-03-27T17:48:00.000-06:00

So the other day when I was driving home from my internship, I got past Lehi and drove for a while before thinking to myself...

"Man, this drive seems longer than usual...oh well."

A few minutes later, I think...

"Why is this drive so long??"

It finally occurs to me to look up and see where I am.

I see Provo Town Center.

I usually exit at University Parkway in Orem.

For those of us keeping track, that's a difference of 6 exits.

And I have absolutely no memory of anything from Lehi to south Provo.

Although I was extremely tired, it's not like I fell asleep or anything. I even remember singing to the radio and all.

It made me think of my senior year in AP Psychology, we learned about how if you go a certain route often, sometimes you'll end up at your destination without remembering actually getting there.

I just missed my destination by the entire length of Provo.

nbd.

remember this?

2011-03-22T11:55:00.000-06:00

well oh yeah it's about to go down again with those gators. just in case you've been living in your closet and haven't heard.

this time, it's sweet sixteen time! and here's to it ending with the same result as last year...minus double overtime. please and thank you!

what I wouldn't give to be in New Orleans right now.

this season has been incredible and I'm incredibly lucky to have witnessed every game in one way or another.

I called this Jimmermania from a mile away, he's been my favorite since the beginning of his freshman season. I've got some journal entries to prove it, which I'll have to post some time. I promise you'll get a good laugh.

But here's this quote from the end of this freshman season from yours truly on the good old blog:

"He will do great things with his three remaining years..."

K so maybe it's the understatement of the century, but I can still say I told you so. So...

i told you so.

and although any school Tim Tebow graced with his presence is a friend of mine...Florida...

it's jimmertime.

baby i'll be outta here

2011-03-22T10:58:00.002-06:00

Has it really been over three months since I've posted?

It's not like I've been busy or anything...

Oh, wait.

But thanks to the beautiful Hailey Randall, I've been pushed to post again! (Check out her cute blog here.)

I've been busier than ever before and haven't even posted about all the craziness that's gone down. This may be the first 30 seconds of free time I've had all semester.

Or not. Thanks to the Bachelor, Psych, and the Biggest Loser. The latter, by the way, makes me want to cry... or actually tear up a little...just about every episode.

It's my first semester in the broadcast program! Super time-consuming and stressful are two adjectives that describe it well. But I don't regret it for a second. Just getting closer to living the dream! (In the South if I have anything to do with it...hellooo southern accents, country music, heat and fried food. Sounds like heaven to me!)

I'm also interning at ABC 4 in Salt Lake this semester. Working over 20 hours a week without getting paid for it (not to mention driving to SLC three times a week...) is not always ideal...but I enjoy it and have got to do some really cool things and meet great people. I really wanted to intern right away, cause the more internships the better! Speaking of which...

I'm off to live in DC this summer! I decided I wanted to do something crazy this summer because maybe I'm a little envious of all the adventures in Connecticut and DC Amanda and Dave had the past two summers. Am I crazy for going off to the big city by myself? Maybe. Am I excited? Most definitely.

And as much as it makes me want to cry just thinking about it...I will be the big 2-0 soon. gross. but my point is, that's old enough to handle it.

What on earth am I going for? The National Journalism Center. Sounds pretty rockin', I know. :) I'll be there one day out of the week and will be at another media outlet..yet to be determined...another three or so.

I have one thing lined up that could already be the highlight of an awesome summer:

His name is KENNY CHESNEY. Yep, one of the first things I did was buy tickets to his show at FedEx Field (home of the Redskins baby!). I've already seen him once but have never seen one of his famous big-stadium shows OR ever been to an NFL stadium! He's no doubt the best entertainer in music.
and i love him and his hot 42-year-old self. ok he'll be 43 in a few days...

Cheese-ball as this sounds, his music is such a big part of my life. Seriously, I have so many memories associated with his music, and I know every song he's ever recorded by heart. 13 of my 25 most-played songs are his (the other half is very Tim McGraw and George Strait heavy).

moments with her, they're all a blur

except for every second, every word

every drop of rain, every single grain of sand...

--Seven Days. you have to check it out. listen to it all while you're at it. k thanks :)

I don't all the details of my summer yet, but it'll be amazing. I'll make sure of it.

sucking is some good humility

2010-12-14T22:51:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-10-28T17:45:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-10-15T15:33:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-09-29T20:17:00.000-06:00

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??

2010-09-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

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.

2010-09-08T18:55:00.000-06:00

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

2010-08-31T22:48:00.000-06:00

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

2010-08-31T22:34:00.000-06:00

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.

2010-08-18T01:17:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-08-01T23:30:00.001-06:00

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

2010-07-20T15:25:00.001-06:00

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.

2010-07-17T18:02:00.000-06:00

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

2010-07-15T22:48:00.003-06:00

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

2010-07-12T18:18:00.002-06:00

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.

2010-06-13T18:39:00.000-06:00

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

2010-05-13T20:21:00.000-06:00

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? :)

2010-05-12T13:03:00.000-06:00

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?

2010-05-11T11:33:00.000-06:00

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!!

2010-04-27T23:44:00.000-06:00

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

2010-04-12T15:56:00.000-06:00

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.

2010-04-08T22:09:00.000-06:00

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

2010-03-29T13:50:00.003-06:00

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.

2010-03-26T17:05:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-03-24T15:07:00.005-06:00

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

2010-03-24T14:49:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-03-22T13:07:00.002-06:00

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

2010-03-19T13:11:00.005-06:00

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...

2010-03-16T15:26:00.005-06:00

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...

2010-03-16T14:54:00.005-06:00

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

2010-03-03T12:30:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-02-08T13:09:00.005-07:00

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!

2010-02-01T17:42:00.002-07:00

*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...

2010-01-31T16:13:00.004-07:00

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,

2010-01-31T16:00:00.002-07:00

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...

2010-01-14T18:22:00.002-07:00

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...

2010-01-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-01-11T12:39:00.003-07:00

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?

2010-01-01T12:49:00.004-07:00

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

How Far is Phoenix Again?

2009-12-13T16:42:00.005-07:00

So I have a few random thoughts I've been meaning to say for a while, but somehow I never find time to blog. I do, however, find more time than I need for Facebook, TV, and everything else I shouldn't be doing. :)

1. Max Hall's comments. You all know what I'm talking about:

"I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, I hate their fans, I hate everything.
I think the whole university, their fans, and their organization is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last year, and they did a whole bunch of nasty things, and I don't respect them, and they deserve to lose."

Is this really some big news flash?? It's called a rivalry for a reason, people. We hate them, they hate us. That's just the way it is. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. When I heard the interview, I was sooo happy that finally someone was saying this. Usually they are too sensitive to the media, saying exactly what everyone wants to hear. Thank you Max!! You're my hero.

Also, the Utes claim they "don't care" what he thinks, yet they proceed to make shirts, groups on Facebook, and anything else they can do to get the sympathy they want. It makes me sick. There was even a picture of President Monson with the caption: "Max Hall hates me." It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Yes, he went to the U of U. But do you REALLY believe that it's the same place today as it was way back when the general authorities went there? Give me a break.

2. I will NEVER understand why most people like the snow. I'm sorry, but I don't enjoy constantly running the risk of falling on my face while being soaking wet and freezing. It's miserable. Maybe I'm weird, but I hate being miserable. I've lived in Utah all my life, and have been sledding maybe one time. Hated every minute of it. I hate playing in it, having snowball fights, and everything else associated with snow. I've never been skiing or snowboarding, and have never really even had the desire. I would much rather do something else with my time while being warm and toasty:) As the snow falls, I'm reminded why I hate it. It's pretty to look at I guess, just as long as I don't have to be in it. The problem is, I do. I RARELY ever get hot, I just love the feeling so so much. Phoenix, you're looking so good right now.

3. Hand sanitizer is not a proper substitute for actually washing your hands when washing you hands is an option. Yes, it's great when it's all you've got, but really? I've seen too many girls walk out of the bathroom stall and grab a little squirt of sanitizer on their way out the door. That is not ok for me. There's a sink and there's the soap...USE THEM!! I love how every bathroom at BYU has hand sanitizer, and I use both whenever I'm in there. Both. Not just hand sanitizer. Also, would it kill you to flush the toilet? This is college, people.

4. People at BYU take things WAY too seriously. I now know why people hate freshmen. I hate them too. (Cause, technically I'm a sophomore;)) Seriously, though. Not everything is all about you.

I'm realizing this whole post probably sounds rude, but I'm just being honest:)

Beating the U in Royal Blue

2009-12-03T14:53:00.004-07:00

This past weekend I had one of my dreams come true. Ever since I really started to get into BYU football (a looong time), I've wanted to rush the field. Either I've never had the chance to or if the chance ever has come up before, I was sitting with my family and would basically be a little girl running on the field to get killed probably. However, on Saturday I was a student on the second row, and the opportunity was brewing perfectly. Before the game I even said,"I hope we get the rush the field today!" I never actually thought it would happen though, because the security is usually pretty tight and I'm sorry but I don't really want to get tased. I could hope though.

Well, the game went on and our seats were amazing! Second row right in the corner so I could judge depth, unlike an end zone. The team came out in the beautiful throwback royal blue uniforms and I knew it was going to be awesome.

There was only one Utah fan right next to us, and he was really obnoxious. Not just because of who he was, but because he knew nothing about football and acted like he was the pro, not to mention name-dropped Utah players every chance. Yes, it's cool you can correct the announcer when he says the kick returners name wrong. Get over yourself.

Everyone knows how the game went, it was BYU's game up until the last quarter or so when the Utes came back and tied it 20-20, forcing OT. Utah got the ball first and scored a field goal, followed by the BYU drive ending with the AMAZING catch by Andrew George off a great pass from Max Hall, scoring the game-winning TD.

At first it didn't even hit me, I just started screaming my head off. Then I noticed that a bunch of people behind me started running up and jumping over the barrier onto the field. Without giving it much thought, I grabbed my bag and did the same. I do remember that I was really scared I was going to eat the grass when I landed. Luckily though, I landed on my feet. Me and Michelle then ran as fast as we could to the opposite end zone where the players were all together celebrating and fans quickly gathered around them. It was pretty tight to say the least; I could barely move. The whole mass of people it seemed moved as one from side to side, and there was plenty of pushing and shoving going on. I know if I would have ever lost my balance I would have been trampled to death, no question. We also were shoved in to Matt Bauman for a minute and couldn't move..ha..and Andrew George was lifted up by fans and came very close to crowd surfing right next to us. We weren't really confident in our ability to keep a 250-pound tight end up in the air, so we tried our best to avoid it. Shocking, I know. After all of that, the seniors were honored and we stayed on the field a litle bit more just to soak it all up. Dream accomplished. (And I wouldn't mind getting to do it again!)

Cougar Basketball 09-10

2009-11-10T22:29:00.002-07:00

I'm a little behind with talking about BYU basketball, but I just want to say how awesome the team is going to be this year! I've been to the tipoff and the two exhibition games and I'm pumped for the home opener this Friday. The first game vs. Trinity Western was a little slow at the beginning, but they found their groove to win easily. Central Washington tonight was much better. They really cruised to this win.

The best part is that tonight, two freshman were in the starting lineup. Tyler Haws and Brandon Davies were amazing! It looks like they didn't miss a beat on their transition from high school to college. Brandon brings the aggression we need at the center and Tyler runs all over the place making his own shots out of nothing. The coaching staff is experimenting a little with the lineups so they can find the best combos once the season really gets going.

JT is looking improved and as good as ever, Jimmer is just good (what else is new...), Charles did a lot of work in the off-season that I think will really help him as the season goes on. The captains are Lamont and Jackson, who are great leaders by example as well as what they show on the court. Mike Loyd really used his redshirt year to improve, and SLCC transfer Logan Magnusson can fill in at the wing whenever needed. All in all this is and extremely deep team and that has an extremely high value, especially for the conference season.

Ronnie Ron & Roscoe - Episode 02 - Welcome to the Marriott. from BYU Basketball on Vimeo.

Ronnie Ron & Roscoe - Episode 03 - The Ball Wizard from BYU Basketball on Vimeo.

Hope you loved these as much as I did:)

Go Cougars!!!

Just the Way It Goes...

2009-10-30T16:33:00.003-06:00

I just needed to install another edition of "Aimee falls up the stairs again, but luckily there were only a few people around so it could have been much worse". This time it was in the Maeser on my way to the lecture hall. Seriously how does that happen?

On a similar note, I've noticed especially lately that my face turns red at EVERYTHING. I honestly don't feel embarrassed, but obviously I think I am. Therefore, my face feels the need to go bright red at the most ridiculous things. Then, if anyone ever mentions anything about it, I turn more red! Whyyy?? It's dumb cause it's always over retarded things that aren't embarrassing at all, but then when I actually am embarrassed, I swear I don't even turn red. Go figure.

Last night, my roommates and some other people from the wardy went to Power Tumbling and it was pretty legit.

Me, Michelle, and Megan on our way!

Here's a video of Bryce "hitting" me into the foam pit. It was pretty scary but so worth it!

Stealing Shots

2009-10-17T14:36:00.003-06:00

I just realized today how much I took Walmart for granted. I seriously love it. And I think this is the longest I've been without going (like 8 whole weeks!!) ... but no fear because I went today! Woot! After waking up at 7:45 on a Saturday..blech..to go get a flu shot. I wasn't too excited, but I've decided that shots are nothing. It's IVs I'm not a fan of. Even typing that made me a little sick.

I almost feel like a criminal though. I met my family there, and they would only give us the H1N1 mist. The receptionists told them they couldn't give any of the 50 shots they had, even though our nurse had told some people they could come in and get them. Soooo...she went and snuck three shots for us! I've never been so excited to get a shot. We cheated death or something cool like that.

Then I did a bunch of things I needed to get done and was back before I would normally wake up on a Saturday. :)

Up next...cleaning check at three. I don't think my room has been cleaner. I may have shoved a few things in random drawers...

THEN it's BYU @ SDSU!!! Yep I can't wait! GO COUGARS babayyyy:):)

Obama, it's your turn.

2009-10-07T17:34:00.003-06:00

Yes, the time has finally come. Saturday NIght Live actually made fun of Barack Obama. I know you're probably just as shocked as I was. I thought it was incredibly clever and hilarious. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth your time.

I believe Rush says it best,

"Saturday Night Live waited and waited and waited, and they finally made fun of Obama. They are the first mainstream outfit to make fun of Obama. Now, Jon Stewart, he's done so, but this is bigger. They never fact-check Jon Stewart at CNN when he makes fun of Obama. And Chris Matthews and the boys never get upset at PMSNBC, but when Saturday Night Live did it, they did. Now, where do I fit into this? Well, I fit into it this way. I am ahead of the people, which is why a certain percentage of the country despises me. Unlike Johnny Carson, I don't wait 'til everybody figures it out, because I consider myself a factor in more and more people figuring it out.

I've been making fun of Obama for a year-and-a-half and of course I'm hated and despised by a few people for it. Now all of a sudden I'm joined. I'm always ahead of the game. Everybody's always playing catch-up. But as such, it's kind of interesting for me to sit around and watch everybody catch up. And now it's starting to happen with this Obama stuff. Everybody's starting to get it. The only troubling thing is there's nobody that can do anything about it, Republicans don't have the vote to stop any of this. So 2010 looms as the most important election we'd have in quite a while, and public opinion does matter. Not saying we're powerless here, but in terms of having legislative votes to stop it, it is, we don't.

And now, fact-checking a Saturday Night Live skit! Seriously fact-checking a Saturday Night Live skit! Breathtaking. Unbelievable. Except that it happened."

Yep, CNN even fact-checked this skit and many of the main-stream media have their panties in a bunch over "the nerve" to make fun of the president. Really CNN? You've got to be kidding me. I'm sorry, but I don't remember anyone ever "fact-checking" any President Bush/McCain/Palin skits, but maybe it's because there were too many to count. Will Ferrell and Tina Fey are still basking in their glory of all the skits they were a part of, making fun of the Republicans. And here we are at the first anything from the media to make fun of Obama and everyone is appalled.

I'm loving this, especially cause it's all true. The only reason they're getting so defensive is because they know it's true too, just don't want to admit it.

Here's to many more of these to come!

Tests, Aggies, and Freezing

2009-10-01T15:06:00.002-06:00

First test in the testing center? Check. Stats, and what did I get? 87. Which is much better than I was expecting, considering I got a 70 on my practice test. (I might have been watching a football game while taking it though, teehee.) But, considering I almost went to the wrong building, didn't know where to pick up my bubble sheet, and wasn't sure if I was allowed to walk into the testing room (duh, Aimee), I would say it's a success.

I was pretty much wearing a sign that said, "I'm a freshman and have no idea what's going on." Oh well, maybe next time. Oh, that's next week!

Game tomorrow! Utah State, don't even think about it. You've been more than dead to me ever since last season's basketball game at the Energy Solutions Arena. Yeah pretty sure my team did work on you. I've never seen such annoying fans that weren't in red.

I don't see how I"ll survive when it starts snowing and crap. I wanted to cry yesterday just walking home in the 40 whatever degree weather. No joke, I don't do cold.

Moving on is hard to do...

2009-09-24T23:14:00.002-06:00

So I'm not going to say much about the BYU/FSU game, but I will say this: has no one there ever heard of good sportsmanship? Seriously, when FSU's kickoff returners would come onto the field, they would look directly at the student section part I happened to be sitting in raising their arms and acting like they were the hottest stuff(I would love to use another word) we've ever had the privilege of laying our eyes on. Seriously Florida State? For real? And this was even WAYYY before the game ever ended.

I was also surprised at the number of FSU fans in attendance. Out of all of them, I think there were only around 3 under the age of 65.

On a different note, today as I was walking out of my stats review, my foot got caught on one of the steps. The only way to keep myself from face-planting was the sprint up the next 5 steps for all I was worth. It was the weirdest thing, and the first instinct I had to save myself. Awkward much? Yeah it was pretty bad. Good thing I don't think anyone saw...or at least no one laughed. I think that's a good sign.

Anyway, I wouldn't want to be Colorado State this Saturday. Let's go Cougars!!!

2009-09-18T12:01:00.002-06:00

Well, three weeks of school have passed and so far I've learned/observed:

1. College weeks go by much faster than high school weeks.
2. Probably because classes are only two or three hours a day.
3. I drink a lot more milk than I thought I would. (I'm already almost done with my third gallon!)
4. I can never go to the grocery store without coming back with WAY more than I planned. I went for milk and came back with a few bags!
5. I love that there's hardly any assignments to do other than reading and an occasional paper.
6. I'm glad I took all those AP classes to at least get a taste, even if it gets a lot harder(and I'm sure it will).
7. A white girl and an asian can be pretty good rappers...well, at least it's entertaining...
8. There are a good amount of weirdies at this school.
9. Basketball starts in a month and a half!! Woot.
10. BYU football is amazing this year. And I called the OU win all along, you could say I'm psychic.

Yep, Florida State tomorrow. First home game. My seats aren't too sucky I guess(row 37), and I can't wait! Should be a great game! I love those Cougars, BYU football is where it's at. Until basketball season of course. :)

Go Cougs!!

If only...

2009-09-14T21:10:00.002-06:00

Today in Humanities, my professor told us a story about a student's thesis to one of the papers he has graded in the past.

The thesis was this:
"I hate all Democrats. I have a gun, and I volunteer to start shooting."

Now I know that's not much of a thesis, but I just about died laughing anyway. Who says that!?!

He is my hero nevertheless.

Goodbye truck...

2009-09-08T18:55:00.003-06:00

So I get to BYU and what's the first thing I do? Get a red Jeep of course!!

Thanks to my awesome grandparents for making it all happen!! Also my parents:)...but mostly grandparents. You guys are the best! Goodbye winters of sliding across the road and relying on complete strangers to dig me out of parking lots. Hello four-wheel drive, automatic locks, and many other great perks. (Including a gas gauge that works...something that many drivers take for granted!)

Of course I'll miss my trusty rusty...

It's all I've ever known! And I've loved that truck...but but I'm ready for some traction.

Yes, I know it's red...but nothing a few BYU stickers can't fix:D

Rise all Loyal Cougars

2009-09-07T20:04:00.004-06:00

#20 BYU vs. #3 Oklahoma=probably the only BYU game that has made me want to break down and cry after a win.

Yeah. It was that good. I can't think of anything better for my first game as a legit Cougar.

Me and Michelle watched at Legends Grille on campus along with a packed house upstairs and down. It was intense. As sad as it may be, one of the best moments was one of the last plays of the first half when OU's Heisman winning QB Sam Bradford was plowed into the ground by Coleby Clawson. Everyone cheered when he stayed on the ground grabbing his throwing shoulder in pain. Yep, out for the second half. Not that he did anything anyway. He only had one TD pass the whole half and that was only because of BYU's mistake that gave them such great field position. So if anyone says the only reason BYU won is because he went down, they have no idea what they're talking about and didn't watch the game.

The second half was crazy, and Max Hall showed everyone what he was made of when he lead the Cougars all the way down the field, taking over 8 minutes off the clock, all leading to an amazing TD pass to wide-open McKay Jacobsen in the endzone. The whole room went psychotic...it was amazing.

OU attempted a field goal that fell short in the final minutes, sealing the victory for BYU, 14-13.

I can't even express how happy I was with BYU's defense in this game, from pressuring the QB mercilessly to goal-line stands. Wow.

Here's the video of the crowd singing the fight song after Hall's final TD pass:

Around 2 AM, about 2,000 Cougar fans (myself included of course) welcomed the team home at the Provo airport. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but I'm sooo happy I went. It was even worth it sprinting a mile from our parking spot to where the plane would land.

That day was incredible and I won't be over it for a very long time, if ever:)

Old Town New

2009-09-01T18:27:00.006-06:00

Well my first couple days at BYU are done with and I still don't know if it's hit me. Going to classes almost still seems like EFY, taking your little notes and doing things with people you've never met before. I've gone to all of my classes except for communications (which is only on Thursdays...for two and a half hours...yeah). Not too bad so far, but I've only gone once:)

I moved in last Wednesday, and here is my half of the room:

I've done a little more decoration-wise but you get the idea. Sharing a bathroom with six girls isn't as bad as I thought thus far, and all my roommates are awesome.

It's weird going to church "at school" and to meet in a classroom-type setting, but my ward seems pretty cool.

On another note...BYU vs. OU is less than four days away! I can't believe it! I know it will be a great game no matter what, but i obviously have a ton of faith in my Cougars!!

Me with O'neill Chambers and Brandon Bradley at the Cougar kickoff a couple of weeks ago:

My whole life down to one box...

2009-08-25T15:59:00.004-06:00

Ok, lots of boxes. Lots. And there are also some bags. Lots. I will probably look ridiculous moving in and trying to fit everything in my little dorm. I don't remember how big it is, so it'll probably be smaller than I remember...
But the good news is I move out TOMORROW!!! It's been a long time coming, let me tell ya. I've been packing everything up for a long time, and yet still have a lot to do today and tomorrow. I'm jealous of everyone who just gets to pack everything they need and can leave everything else how it is. Not me. I have to either take it with me or be able to fit it in two storage boxes. My mom doesn't want a shrine to me in our house, sad right? :)

Other than moving in and all, I can't wait for it to start! It doesn't seem real I'll be starting classes in less than a week. Oh yeah, classes. Not super excited for that part...everyone I talk to says college is so much harder than you expect. Even though I know that and I've been preparing myself for "harder than I think", it will most likely kick my butt at first. Hopefully I'll survive!

BYU football anyone?? 11 days 40 mins 53 sec...Oklahoma better watch their steps:D

the things I do for some people...

2009-08-07T16:47:00.002-06:00

So there I am in line at Arby's behind a guy in about his 60's. When he's paying he reaches in his back pocket to pull out his wallet. Normal, right? Not so much.

He couldn't get it out, and kept pulling and pulling, with me standing behind awkwardly. He finally turns around and asks me to reach in his back pocket and pull out his wallet for him! Sir, you have got to be kidding me. But what was i supposed to do?! So I just dive right in with both hands yanking at it until it FINALLY comes out.

"Thanks for picking my pockets!"

Oh you're so welcome. I don't know if I can think of anything more awkward.

On a different note, have you ever got a whiff of a scent and instantly you're taken back to a memory? At work this lady walked past me and automatically I knew I've smelled that amazing scent/perfume? before and I knew it was from a good memory, but I just couldn't remember exactly where I'd smelled it before. All I know is I loved it and I wish I could remember why...

2009-08-03T14:57:00.003-06:00

Dear BYU,

I understand you have thousands of students all trying to get an All-Sports Pass at once. I would think you would understand that as well. But I'm not sure you do. So, I can't get in to order one and have been on hold for the past half hour.

Dude. Get a bigger server. Housing, registration, tickets, you name it. It all equals a big nightmare and a half.

If I can't get a reserved ticket pass I think I might drop out. That is the reason I decided on BYU after all. Two words: basketball and football.

Sincerely,

A VERY impatient and angry number one fan.

PS--How can I be the number one fan if I can't get tickets?

PPS--I probably won't actually drop out.

PPPS--There probably are some other reasons I wanted to go to your school...I just can't think of any right now.

Scare Me

2009-08-03T14:48:00.002-06:00

Why do some people exist to make you feel uncomfortable? Seriously, I was thinking about it, and there are so many teachers, bosses, etc. that seem to look for ways to make people feel stupid and such. That's one of the main things that scares me about my chosen major(hopefully!)...Communications with a Broadcast Journalism emphasis. I'm excited, but at the same time, I know that industry it a tough one that's full of rejection and people not liking your ideas.

Which brings me back to my first point: why can't people just be nice about telling you how to do things? I haven't exactly experienced it, but I can tell I definitely will more than once. There are so many different styles of writing, and what works for one person sounds ridiculous to others. That's what I hate about writing. It's always open to interpretation.

Again, I really hope I won't have to work. And yes, I know. Not so likely.

My Day at Work...

2009-07-30T17:37:00.002-06:00

Paul(lifeguard): So Aimee, that brown kid that I walked in with thinks you're cute. I'll bring you a donut tomorrow morning if you'll go up and hug him when he leaves.
Me: He'll think I'm a big creeper.
Paul: No he won't! He'll love it.

...Well I do love donuts...

It wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be.

:)

2009-07-29T18:16:00.003-06:00

Please excuse the retarded template for the moment. I've never been the greatest technological mind, ya know?

And I am not writing this at work, don't worry...but I will tell you that the sun is beating down on me through a glass window and it isn't very pleasant. But I just got free pizza, so life is good.

Sun City Carnival

2009-07-25T12:06:00.007-06:00

I now completely understand why Kenny Chesney has been named "Entertainer of the Year" for the last four years by the ACM and CMA. He is unbelievable.

I had the amazing opportunity to go to his SLC stop in his Sun City Carnival Tour this past Thursday. It started out waiting in well over 100 degree heat (better than cold though, right?), and when we finally got in to into Rio Tinto Stadium, me and Michelle waited some more, which included hanging out in the bathroom trying to keep cool. It was ridiculous but well worth the sacrifice. When he finally started after Lady Antebellum and Sugarland, it had cooled off enough to not be miserable.

Out he came with his white cowboy hat and gray tank top...and never slowed down til the end. Kenny is pure genius. The way he writes and performs is just unreal. His live version of "I Go Back" (my favorite song) was so good I wanted to cry. The only thing that sucks in going to concerts of stars and big and with as many amazing songs as him is that you know there's no way he'll be able to perform even close to everything you want him to.

Top 5 songs (for me) he left off the setlist:

1. How Forever Feels (Really Kenny? Does 'song of the year' mean anything to you?)
2. There Goes My Life ( It was listed on every setlist I saw, just not the SLC one I guess:(...)
3. Better as a Memory (one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard)
4. That's Why I'm Here (I guess I can't expect it--so old. But sooo good.)
5. Don't Blink (Listed as his Encore, but didn't sing it)

I can't just choose 5. I'd also have loved to hear:
You Save Me
The Woman With You
Who You'd Be Today
When I Close My Eyes
the Tin Man
the Good Stuff
Shiftwork...and those are just out of his big hits.

He did say they performed "Me and You" for the first time in 6 years, which is awesome, but the thing that makes me the most upset with all of this is that for the last 5 or so songs he sang a bunch of covers with this fat guy (part of his band?) or something. Correction. The fat guy sang the last five songs with Kenny singing a random line here and there. That's weird. Last time I checked I was at Kenny's concert. Not only that, but he performed those songs with a dang Utah hat on that somebody from the audience gave him. Yes, I know that doesn't mean he's a Utah fan, and he was wearing it cause he was close to SLC. It doesn't mean that justification made it easier to cheer while staring at that red grossness.

All complaining aside, it would have been nice to hear a couple more of his songs as opposed to random ones I've never heard of. (Yet everyone else was singing along...I REALLY like country, okay?) But I really can't complain. It was the best concert by the best singer and performer in the world. Seriously.

I'm not gonna lie, he's taken over Tim McGraw's spot as my favorite singer. I just realized Tim has been dead to me for the past little while, but he's still a close second. Kenny is that good.

Seriously I can't get over it. I've listened to nothing but Kenny ever since the concert.

This is the closest video I could find of the version of 'I Go Back' he performed, but hopefully you get the idea. The intro was incredible.

I Like It, I Love It, I Want Some More of It

2009-06-24T09:32:00.002-06:00

So I have been thinking a lot lately that before I die(or they die...whichever comes first) I WILL see in concert:

1. George Strait

2. Tim McGraw

3. Kenny Chesney

George and Kenny are both coming to SLC in July and I want to go really bad obviously, just not bad enough to spend my entire savings on tickets. But they'll come again. I have been making my share of calls to the radio stations hoping to win them though(because I can). I figure I might as well try, you never know. It's a very frustrating thing though. And sort of pathetic. Whatever.

But everytime when they do the contest where they say some lyrics and you tell them the name of the song I've gotten it right every time! Even when the actual contestant gets it wrong(which is most of the time...and they call themselves fans). Why can't I be the right caller?

"We all kinda went our seperate ways, but I swear it seems like yesterday."

"Living in Fast Forward!" (She said it with so much confidence.)

WRONG. Duh. "Keg in the Closet" lady!

Oh, and George Strait's new single, "Living for the Night" is amazing. And he co-wrote it!

Take this job and shove it

2009-06-19T17:27:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I just wish I didn't have any choices and would just be told what I should do. Like right now would be good. Please.

Registration for classes at BYU is coming up and I'm trying to decide what direction I want to take major-wise. I know most people just take generals at first and then decide, but my goal is to graduate in less than the standard four years because of my AP credits and all. Isn't the goal of taking those tests and classes to save money in the long run? If I still take four years, then what money does that save? I'll feel like it was all a waste, and I have more than a year worth of credits.

I always thought it would be easy to decide, with my interest in broadcasting and recent internship at BYU Radio. Communications major, check. My internship made me realize it takes a lot more writing than I could have imagined. I don't hate writing, I just don't love it I guess. Job security/availability wouldn't be great, and I would have to go wherever the job was. I would also have to take all of the prerequisites(mostly writing) and do well before even getting in to the communications program. If I don't get in, those nine credits are down the toilet and it's back to the beginning.

If I don't want that, just choose something I do want right? Problem. I have read through the list of majors countless times and the only other thing that appeals to me in the least way is Physical Education. Random yes, and I always swore I would never be a teacher. But most of the majors I have no idea what I could do with it. I only think of regular jobs like a teacher. What kind of job could I get with a degree in Home and Family Living? I think that's my main problem.

I know I'm probably over-analyzing, but this is my future we're talking about!

Hopefully I'll marry into the money and never have to work...yep sounds good;)

Hook 'em Tarheels??

2009-06-18T10:29:00.004-06:00

Ok...so I figured it's time to pull away from the sports for two seconds and try to write about some deeper subjects.
In a little over two months I'll be moving away the fifteen minutes down the road to attend the college of my dreams and I CAN'T WAIT! But amid all of this preparation, I can't help but be infatuated with going out of state on a real college adventure. Where might you ask? I think it would be so cool to attend:

1. University of Texas at Austin
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Would I ever actually go to those places? No.
Would I pay the $20,000+ a year it would cost for tuition? H no.
Would I even fit in? Not a chance.

I know it's crazy and don't even know why I've been thinking that, but I loved Texas so much when I went and also loved my trip back east. I guess it would be cool to see what it's like to live outside of Utah. And I'm in no way the anti-Utah type who can't wait to get out only to find out Utah really wasn't as bad as they thought. I love living here and wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, it's fun to go on vacation, but if I did happen to go out of state for college I know I probably wouldn't like it as much as I thought I would. Then again, maybe I would.

All that matters is I am now a cougar and will be loving life in the fall:)

Y Awards

2009-04-12T21:21:00.003-06:00

On March 31st me and Michelle went to the Y awards in the Wilk Ballroom at BYU, and it was so fun!
Jimmer won crowd pleaser over Austin Collie, and I was so happy! His speech was so cute too, because you could tell he didn't think he would win. Charles was nominated for Rookie of the Year, but Matt Reynolds won, a starter on the O-line. It is well deserved though. Jonathan Tavernari won service award, as did Dave Nixon. JT's speech and outfit were very fitting of him. I wanted him to win so he would have to give a speech, and he was considerate enough to take off his white fedora during it so Coach Rose wouldn't be mad. It was pretty hilarious.
Lee Cummard won the Male Athlete of the Year to end his amazing basketball career at BYU, and it was very fitting. Thanks for all of the hard work and dedication you've put in at BYU. We'll miss you Lee!! BYU football will also miss linebacker David Nixon, he's been great. He also is one of the nicest guys I've ever met!

Take a Bow

2009-03-25T11:39:00.002-06:00

The MWC post-season awards came out a few weeks ago, but I'm still really excited and relieved about a certain selection.
First Team All-Conference:
G Brandon Ewing SR, WYO
G Jimmer Fredette SO, BYU
G Lee Cummard SR, BYU
F Tony Danridge SR, NM
C Luke Nevill SR, UT

I was so extremely excited when I found out Jimmer made first team! I knew he deserved it hands-down, but I thought the voters would be dumb about it and not give it to a sophomore as well as to two BYU players. If he didn't get it I would have punched a few people. He was second in scoring and assists during conference play, and single-handedly led his team to victories on several occasions. Additional BYU awards:
F Jonathan Tavernari JR--third team all-conference
Jackson Emery SO--conference all defensive team

Out of the first, second, and third all-conference teams as well as the all defensive teams, there were only three non-seniors. All of them were from BYU! Not only were they amazing this, year next year will be even better. Losing Lee Cummard will be tough, but replace him with Mr. Basketball Tyler Haws and the explosive Brandon Davies, and it will be just fine.

I was mad that Luke Nevill won the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, though. If I was 7'2", I could get a couple of blocks and dunks every game too. The refs worshipped him, so he rarely was in foul trouble. But the key to winning games against them this past season was just that. Exhibit A:@ New Mexico. He was so frustrated in fact, that he picked catfights with his own teammates. One of the best moments of this whole season. Oh Beaker.

Official Like a Referee Whistle

2009-03-02T16:41:00.003-07:00

I am extremely happy right now, probably because my Cougars can still three-peat as conference champions after two AMAZING games last week, and because Jimmer is the MWC player of the week again!!

It all started at San Diego State on Tuesday, where BYU hasn't won since 2003. Pretty much it was either win or have a slim to none chance of getting a championship. It started out good, with the Cougars getting out to a 18-12 lead. After a timeout, the Aztecs went on a run and held BYU to no field goals in the last 10 minutes of the first half. With about fifteen minutes left in the game, they trailed 31-45. I was so frustrated at this point and thought it seemed like the team didn't even want to win. I knew this obviously wasn't true, but I couldn't help it. Then, they switched to a greatly effective zone defense and went on a run headed up by none other than Mr. Jimmer Fredette. The whole team came alive and were getting steals left and right while steadily increasing the score and taking the lead. With the end of the game came a 15-0 run, with the Cougars winning by 10, 69-59.
I've never been so excited watching a game on TV I'm pretty sure, which is definitely saying something. By the end I was so out of breathe that it was like I played the game myself.

Highlights:
Jimmer Fredette. What can't he do? 28 points, 5 steals, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. He really took the game over and pumped up the team to get the crucial win. The best part? He's only a sophomore:)
Noah Hartsock. He was a great backup to the post, and got some of the most important offensive rebounds of his life! And he's just a freshman!
Jackson Emery's banked three-pointer to put the game away. It might not be pretty, but it was a beautiful way to end the game!

Against the current MWC #1 team Utah on Saturday, the first half was a similar story with a poor shooting percentage. At half time BYU was down by two, but they would come out of the locker room fired up. The student section was unbelievable! It was deafening the whole time, but especially when our Cougs started to pull ahead. Lee Cummard was 1-8 shooting in the first half, but turned it around in the second half, finishing with 16. I've never loved Chris Miles so much, who held the so-called Mountain West Conference god Luke Beaker Nevill to only 9 points! His defense was outstanding, not to mention his 13 points on offense. Yes, he outscored Nevill. And as for Jimmer, what do I even say? Another amazing performance in all aspects of the game, ending up with a game-high 25. A second-half run led the Cougars to a 13-point win, 63-50. Every game is a must-win at this point, and I couldn't be happier!

Highlights:
Jimmer's multiple shots over the 7'2" Nevill, who has a whole foot on him.
Lee's block of a Nevill shot in the second half, which of course made the crowd go crazy!
Chris forcing a Nevill airball! How great is that?
Jimmer making a three and then facing the student section screaming and pumping us all up! It was insanely loud.

After both of these games, if Jimmer didn't get Player of the Week, I would have personally driven to Colorado Springs and punched some people in the face. It wouldn't be unlikely either, since Cummard,Tavernari, and Fredette have all been screwed out the award before. Luckily, they did give it to the one who deserved it more than anything.:D

Currently, the Cougars are only a game behind to Utes for first place, and the Utes go down and play New Mexico at the Pit tomorrow, where they have been pretty unbeatable. We are tied with the Lobos right now, so I can't see them losing. They'd better not let me down! Go Lobos!! Also, BYU heads to Laramie to play the Wyoming Cowboys on Wednesday, so of course, GOOOOO COUGARS!!!!!!

Here it is.

2009-01-27T11:54:00.005-07:00

I know it's still early in the conference season, but this list has been in the making for a couple of years now.

The top players in the Mountain West I just can't stand:

1. Joe Darger, UNLV
He walks around like he thinks he's black as well as the coolest person in the universe. If I have to look at that stupid faux-hawk again, I think I'm going to throw up.

2. Shaun Green, Utah
Get that stupid earring out of you ear and don't throw elbows when you set a screen. Dirty, dirty player.

3. Luke Nevill, Utah
He is apparently the god of the MWC. Everyone can't stop worshipping him, and breathe on him wrong and watch out because those Aussie-loving zebras will give him two.

4. Luca Drca, Utah
He may be from Europe, but don't make any excuses for him kissing Kepkay near the end of the BYU-Utah game. Gay. Not only that, but he was called for an intentional earlier this season for tripping Blake Griffin of Oklahoma. Dirty.

5. Wink Adams, UNLV
He is like the little brother that won't go away.

6. Chad Toppert, UNM
I don't know why, I've just never liked him. It even makes me sick to look at him.

7. Rene Rougeau, UNLV
Rene? What is that? My mistake but I thought that was a girl name. Oh excuse me, that's Renee. He's hard for sure...

8. Roman Martinez, UNM
He always looks like he just woke up. He thinks he's profesh.

9. Ryan Amoroso, SDSU
The jail called, they want their pedophile back.

10. Tyler Kepkay, Utah
He's that player I almost love because of how dumb of a player he is. He once went in for a two point layup when down by three as time expired. His excuse? "I thought we would have time to foul and get the ball back." Needless to say, they lost by one. Smooth move.

Honorable Mentions: Billy White, SDSU. Brandon Ewing, Wyoming. Tre'Von Willis, UNLV. Richie Williams, SDSU. Lawrence Borha, Utah. Lorrenzo Wade, SDSU. Dairese Gary, UNM. D.J. Gay, SDSU.

Maybe a couple of these are kind of harsh or don't seem like good reasons. Well, some people don't need good reasons.

It may be a little Utah-heavy at the top, but hey, I'm a true Cougar!!

It's not over.

2009-01-22T13:15:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I've been wrong about a few things this season. But I can't help but be extremely optimistic about every game BYU basketball plays. Some may say I'm too optimistic, but why shouldn't I be? This teamis amazing. Sure, they don't show it every game, but who does? They'll bounce back like they have in the past, and I dare say they'll suprise some people.
Why am I so positive? It's scary how good they are when they share the ball and don't really care about getting in the scoring column themselves. A pass to a teammate to set up a shot means just as much to them as putting the ball in the basket with their own two hands. Think of the Boise State game as well as many others to demonstrate this. Every loss this season seems to have a trend: once they get a little behind, individual players try to take the game on themselves, forgetting how much teamwork means to this year's team. I may be wrong, but that's how I see it.
I love this team and I would never stop coming to games just because they hit a little bump. Why do fans do that? Jump on the bandwagon as soon as they realize how good their team is, and look for the nearest exit when they lose. I'm so sick of listening to people around me at the games talk crap about all of the players during the game! Who does that?! Don't come to games if you hate it so much! Leave those seats for the true fans:)

Finally.

2008-12-19T15:22:00.002-07:00

Jimmer Fredette is player of the week in the Mountian West Conference this week!!
"A 6-foot-2 guard from Glenn Falls, N.Y., Fredette averaged 20.0 points per game while shooting 72.7 percent from the field (16-for-22) and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe in helping BYU to wins against Boise State (94-56) and Portland (91-76) last week. He started the week scoring a career-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while tying a career-best with four steals vs. Boise State. Fredette also tallied two assists vs. the Broncos. Against Portland, Fredette scored 17 points (6-for-7 from the field), while also collecting three rebounds, three assists and two steals."

...Not to mention a couple of awesome dunks! He's only a sophomore, and the youngest player to get this award so far this season. He's so fun to watch and I'm so excited he's starting at point guard now.

Those two games, Boise St. and Portland, were so much fun and of course I was at both! The Boise St. game especially was explosive, with a 60+ point second half! It was so crazy and I loved it! Everything was going right.

I'm so excited for tomorrow and the Arizona team double-header. Football vs. Arizona in the Vegas Bowl and Basketball vs. Arizona St. in the University of Phoenix Stadium for the Stadium Shoot Out! Arizona St. is ranked #20 in the AP, and a win Saturday would surely land the Cougars with a top-25 ranking of their own. At 10-0, I don't know why it hasn't happened sooner. In basketball, rankings don't matter that much other than getting the team national attention, which I guess is very important.

The Vegas Bowl should be great as well, and I just can't see the Cougars losing. They have too much to prove, showing they can overcome a less-than-ideal regular season ending. The offense should come out firing, and the defense hungry. Can't wait!

GOOOOOOOOO COUGARS!!!!!:):)

Scoreboard!!

2008-12-19T15:05:00.003-07:00

I can't believe it's taken me so long to write about more BYU basketball, because it's been an amazing few weeks of games! I'll start out with the BYU-Utah State game at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake. I woke up super early the Monday before and got to the Marriott Center by 6:45 AM to ensure great tickets. It definitely paid off. FRONT ROW RIGHT BY THE PLAYER'S BENCH!! They were amazing seats, and I'd lose sleep any day for something like that.
Now for the game. It was one of the most fun times I've had. It was so cool to see the arena literally split in two, right down the middle, with Aggie and Cougar fans. My dad thought he would be funny and wear a Utah St. hat along with his BYU shirt.(While he sat in the nosebleeds;)) He obviously isn't a true Aggie fan since he was getting worried about BYU in the end. I will say the Aggie student section was louder than ours. And RUDE, OBNOXIOUS, and TOTALLY DISREPECTFUL. For a while I thought they were a bunch of Utards.
Chanting "Dave Rose(the BYU coach) sucks" is no way to show your "class". Another thing I didn't get was them chanting "You still suck" after any Cougar made a free throw. Well, I can't tell you how happy I was to chant "Scoreboard" to them after their "You still suck" chants. 68-63. It was intense, but I always knew my team would pull it off. Too bad Utah State can never say they know what a real team is.(At least for this year, as well as who knows how long for their sad excuse of a football team.)One last thing: there was a sign a couple of Aggie guys were holding that said "BYU: keeping ugly girls out of USU since 1888". I'm sorry but I saw more than a couple counterexamples in the Aggie crowd.:D Go Cougars!!

Gone Bowling

2008-12-19T15:01:00.003-07:00

This year I'm in the Newspaper/Journalism class at school, and I just wrote my favorite article so far about college bowl games. The paper just came out today, and here it is:

Get Out the Bowling Shoes

The regular college football season is over; it's time for the controversial, big-money Bowl Championship Series. The National Championship will be played at the home of the Miami Dolphins, and the four other BCS bowls will be spread from Pasadena to New Orleans. The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and the National Championship, will host the so-called "best teams" in the country to determine the final national rankings starting January 1st with the Rose and Orange Bowls. Playing in the Rose Bowl is fifth-ranked USC against number eight Penn State. 19th-ranked Virginia Tech will face 12th place Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl. The sixth ranked Utah Utes will play in the Sugar Bowl against number four Alabama, who was ranked number one for much of the season. The Fiesta Bowl will host number ten Ohio State and number three Texas. The National Championship will feature the Okalahoma Sooners and Florida Gators, number one and two in the BCS, respectively.
Senior Michelle Teng thinks BCS stands for, "Big Corrupt Stinkers! It shouldn't just be based on a bunch of computers; they should have playoffs." Senior Jeff Gassman said,"The BCS is retarded." Junior Tanner Brown said,"I don't like the BCS at all. It's not fair because it's always the same teams."
The BCS grabs special attention close to home this year, as the University of Utah went undefeated and earned an at-large bid. The whole Mountain West Conference will get a part of the millions of dollars of revenue from the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Some Timpanogos students don't think Utah has a very good chance against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Jeff said, "I think Utah will get detroyed but I hope it's a good game." Tanner said,"Utah is going down. They have never played against a good team like that, and Alabama's defense is going to shut down Utah."
Brigham Young University also earned a chance to play in the post-season, even if it isn't a part of the BCS. The Cougars will play for the fourth-straight year in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU will play the Arizona Wildcats for the third time in three seasons.
Michelle said,"I'm most looking forward to the Rose Bowl and the Vegas Bowl because I love USC and BYU!" Jeff said,"I'm excited for the Florida and Oklahoma game."
Many critics of the BCS feel the current system is no indicator of the best team in the country. A playoff system has been proposed, where the top 16 teams would play up to four games. Each win would move the team a step closer to becoming the real number one team. This seems like the best method, but the executives at the top make too much money to want to change the system. Until then, no team can truly claim the title of "best team in the country".

I had a lot of fun writing it, especially discovering that most people feel the same way about the Utah bowl game--they're going to get eaten alive!:)

the Lucky One

2008-11-21T13:20:00.005-07:00

I look really awkward in this pic--but at least I'm showing my true colors! I got a lot of compliments. Yeah!

Wow wow wow wow wow sometimes I can't believe my good luck!! So two days ago, I got to go to the Little Big Town/Carrie Underwood concert with my grandparents and Alisa. I was so excited! The only concert I've ever been to besides that was Clay Walker, which was really fun, but this was my first big headliner concert. We got there and got to go watch LBT warm up(even if we weren't supposed to be there;)), since my grandparents know Kim from the band. They were SOOO good! I loved their part, and they sang a lot of songs! I loved their version of 'Life in a Northern Town' and 'Stay'. After they were done and before Carrie was on, we got to go backstage with them. It was really cool, they talked to us and we got a picture.

As we were walking out...Alisa says,"There's DAVID ARCHULETA!!!" And sure enough, I look over and he's standing almost right next to us! I couldn't believe it. He walked out a second later and, of course, we follow him out:). He was waiting for the elevator and so I went up to him, shook his hand, and told him what a huge fan I was. He was so cute! I told him I loved his new CD and he was all,"Oh you got it?" like in the cutest voice ever! Then, he signed our tickets, and we got to ride on the elevator with him! It was amazing. I'm really suprised though, cause I'm pretty sure I'm taller than him. I didn't realize he was that short! Still beautiful though. I totally would have asked him for a picture, but these 25 year olds already asked him, and then the ride was over:(. It's all good though, cause I got a few stalker pics from behind. After we got off, he walked one direction and then turned around and started walking back. When he passed us, he said hi! So yeah pretty much I'm tight with him now.

Carrie was amazing; it was very entertaining. It's still weird thinking I was in the same place as her. I love my country! Here's a video of her singing one of my favorite songs of hers, 'Just A Dream'. The quality is really crappy, but you get the idea.

Let the Rivalry Begin!

2008-11-17T20:57:00.005-07:00

The past two BYU football have had more of a winning margin, making them much easier to watch! The San Diego State game was awesome not only because it was senior day and they won by a lot, but it was the game I got to sit up in the press box with Greg Wrubell and Mark Lyons!

It was so amazing and such a great experience. While getting our food, Greg even introduced me to Kathy Aiken and said she would know me when I give her a call! I got to know the process of how he knows so much about everything. He does memorize most things, but he has an awesome statistician next to him who was crazy busy the whole game, pointing to some things for Greg to say. He also had a guy that looked through binoculars and pointed to a board of names to say who made the play, etc. After the game, Bronco Mendenhall even came up to the KSL room for the post-game show. It was so cool. Not only that, but to be watching the game right in front of me and having it accounced right next to me! I had the best time!

The Air Force game last Saturday was a little scary at times, but I knew they would pull it off. They ended up winning by 14--more than any other team has beat the Falcons at home this year! Even more than the Utards, who only barely escaped with a one-touchdown win. Oh man I can't wait for the game this Saturday! Just think of it this way...for the last two years, BYU has been clearly the better team, yet only won on a miracle both times. Nothing matters in this rivalry, both teams give their all, no matter what their season has proved. I don't even think Utah is the better team this year, like most do. Sure, they're undefeated. But that's irrelevant considering how EVERY TEAM BYU has played thus far has given the Cougars their best shot. TCU practiced with BYU-dummies since January! All they thought about was beating BYU. Well congratulations, it worked. The Utards got lucky, because TCU beat themselves at Utah. Missing two 20-yard field goals and losing by three? Ouch. In fact, Utah has such a great home schedule this year, which has made all of the difference. If they would have played TCU in Fort Worth, there's no doubt they would have lost. They also got their all-precious Oregon State game at home, which also came down to the only person who can do anything on their team--the highly over-rated Louie Sakoda. He's not that much of a hero, what kind of kicker misses an extremely short field goal? Oh yeah, the TCU kicker.

This upcoming rivalry game will be awesome, and I really think BYU will suprise a lot of people. They don't "suck" as bad as everyone thinks. They're even better than the Utes. Wait, isn't their mascot some kind of bird?

Closer

2008-11-01T19:31:00.002-06:00

Did I mention I HATE CLOSE GAMES?!? Wow...that Colorado State game was about all I can handle! I'm perfectly happy with the 59-0 wins, even though the close ones are apperently more "satisfying", though I don't see it.
Anyways, I'm so happy with Brandon Howard's performance as well as the whole defense, and while they did allow a lot of points, they looked better. I'm so glad Austin Collie and Dennis Pitta are amazing, and Max Hall is my hero. I will even admit that I loved how he shoved one of the defenders after that "sack" where he got pushed back like 20 yards. There's some passion! I'm also so glad he ran a lot more this game; it seems like he's having fun again! Another moment of pleasure came when O'Neill Chambers caught the punt and was his EXTREMELY hard, and instead of O'Neill getting hurt, it was the guy who hit him that was laying on the ground! Too funny. O'Neill got up and clapped right in his face...it was the best.

I'm really hoping for a Utah loss today(obviously), and think it's very possible tonight. I've called that New Mexico will beat them for a long time, so we'll see...

Yesterday for Halloween me and my best friend dressed up all-out 80's and went to the BYU women's volleyball game. It's the first time I've been in a while and had an awesome time! To make it even better, BYU smashed those TCU Horned Frogs! After the game we partied it up obviously. :)

When Love Collides

2008-10-29T22:16:00.002-06:00

I love the period of time when the BYU football and basketball seasons overlap--my two favorite things at the same time! Let's start with basketball.
After seven and a half long-awaited months of getting my only glimpses of the team watching through windows or doorways...I finally got to see them up close in the first event of the season, the Cougar Tipoff! Everytime I though of going earlier today I couldn't stop smiling! I just couldn't help myself! It's been way too long. It started at 7 and we got there around 6 to make sure we got awesome seats. How does first row front and center sound? ;)
The actual scrimmage of blue and white was awesome, I was rooting for the blue secretly; they were down by a lot at the beginning but fought hard back and only lost by a little. It was so great seeing the new players and redshirters play in an actual game setting for the first time. Everytime Charles scored, Michelle screamed her head off and everyone around us was staring and laughing at us. That only happens about every time we go to a game. We're used to it.
After the game, we got autographs of everyone on the team, and I finally got a picture with Matt and Jackson! I'm so excited about that. It was such an awesome day and I can't wait to go to every single game and sit in the front row! :)

Now for football. After the heart-breaking TCU loss, I was expecting a hammering of UNLV. I didn't expect a nail-biter, last second secured victory! I mean a win is a win, but I don't like close games at all! I hope the defense will play like they did against UCLA in the remaining games. If that can happen, winning out is no problem.
Next week against SDSU is the game I get to sit with Greg Wrubell, and I can't wait! I'm also pretty nervous, but this is the most amazing opportunity and I'm so glad I have it!

Double-Zero

2008-09-29T13:15:00.003-06:00

Since the past two BYU games--shutouts to be exact, the Cougars have rocketed to #7 in the country. They moved up four spots in a bye week! Four teams that were ahead: Florida, Georgia, USC, and Wisconsin all lost this past week moving the Cougs up with much-deserved respect. The UClA game(59-0) was the funnest, loudest game I have ever been to! Fumble after fumble, touchdown after touchdown, you gotta love it! I don't understand why some people think those kind of games are boring! The Wyoming game was much of the same(44-0), just as fun while proving the Cougar defense is much better than everyone has been saying.

Now to my major dilemma of the moment--to cheer for Utah or not to cheer? Everyone says that two undefeated teams possibly both in the top 10 on Nov. 22 when the Utes and Cougars meet would help BYU even more when they win. But, Utah faces Oregon St. this week who also just beat the former number one USC. A win over the Beavers would make Utah look really good, possibly better than BYU even if a third-straight shutout of Utah St. comes in to the picture this Friday. I however, have come to the conclusion that BYU does not need Utah, never has, never will. I am on a strict no-rooting-for-Utah to win policy unless their victory directly helps BYU win a conference championship(ex. Utah's win over UNLV in basketball last season, when the score was announced in the Marriott Center the whole place erupted in cheers.)

On a last note, I met Greg Wrubell at BYU last Friday at my internship( I know, what are the chances?!) I started talking to him and told him how I have an internship at BYU broadcasting and love sports. He told me that I could email him if I want the opportunity to sit in the press box with him at one of the remaining football games. Are you kidding me?! IF I want to go? I was all over that one and emailed him as soon as I could. I got a reply the same night saying SDSU it is! I am supposed to eamil him that week to get press credentials and everything! I can't wait! How do I get so lucky? :)

Block Party Part II...

2008-09-07T19:39:00.006-06:00

I know it's been forever, and I even missed writing about the first BYU football game of the season--I know it's a shocker. Northern Iowa was a great game where BYU could afford to make mistakes to learn from and yet still win easily. As for Washington yesterday, I don't know why but for the longest time I've been so excited for that game cause I just thought it would be a really good one! Turns out I was right. The whole game was intense, starting on the opening drive where the Cougars marched it down to score an Austin Collie touchdown on their first posession. After that, however, the Huskies scored the next 14 points, and we then got another touchdown and ended up tied 14 all at halftime.
Touchdowns were traded again in the 3rd quarter, and the game would have been a lot less stressful if it wasn't for a Harvey Unga fumble in the endzone in the 4th. Not to take anything away from the star running back, because he had well over 100 yards rushing throughout the game, it was just very bad timing. Max Hall did connect with the tight end Dennis Pitta(my new hero and savior of all that is BYU football) who had another stellar game, and put the Cougars up 28-21. That left a little over three minutes on the game clock for Washington to try and score again. They ended up scoring with two seconds left, and their quarterback, Jake Locker, who ran it in was flagged for excessive celebration for throwing the ball about 25 feet into the air. That specific act is mentioned SPECIFICALLY in the rule book, so the refs had no choice but to call it, and it was a good call. All it did was move their extra point attempt 15 yards back, on the 25. So, it was the same as a 35 yard field goal, and for a kicker that's worth anything should almost be automatic. But thanks to the "Janimal" Jan Jorgensen, it was BLOCKED!!! The Washington fans cried and cried about how stupid of a call it was, but it wasn't the penalty that lost the game for them, the Cougars played better the whole time. The only reason it was so close anyway is because BYU brought it on themselves with the fumble and a near pick six. BYU beat them in total yards, pass completion, and heart. So cry all you want, but check off another "W" in the Quest for Perfection!

Other than BYU, I started school three weeks ago, and just started and internship at BYU Broadcasting. I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing yet, since I've only been two days so far, but I'm really excited for it. The best part is after I'm done each day, I can go straight over to the Richards Building or Marriot Center to watch my BYU basketball team practice! Less than two months until the tipoff! Timpanogos football is going great, where I'm the manager/watergirl again this year. That has to be the funnest thing there is at high school. Yeah.

Well, it's time to bring on the Bruins!! Can't wait for Saturday!

Go fish.

2008-07-24T21:24:00.003-06:00

Wow it has been such a long time, and so much has happened! As part of my excuse, I was gone for more than a week and when I was at home our computer was broken for another two weeks. I've been wanting to write really badly ever since my last encounter with.....a BYU basketball player! Who else?
During the week of the 4th of July me, Alisa, and Ali went up to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho with part of my dad's side of the family where my parents, Amanda and Dave would meet us a few days later. When we were at the pool one day, I saw none other than Ben Murdock! I got out and tried to work up the nerve to talk to him, but I wasn't sure if he'd recognize me so I was scared. Finally I saw him get out and walk toward the concessions, and I knew this was my chance. I got out and stood in the back of the line while he was in the front, and devised a plan that as soon as he got his food and started walking back, that's when I'd say something to him. It worked perfectly with the exception of me being the most awkward person in this world and full on running back to our stuff after I was done without ever buying something! Gee I wonder if that looked suspicious. But luckily my Aunt Brenda had a camera and we got a picture with him! He was actually the only one I don't have a picture with that actually mattered last season. So I guess that means my life is complete.(Picture posting to follow, our new computer doesn't have any of our pictures from the old one yet.) AND to add to that, he also came to the hot pools that night and the night after when we were there. We were there first everytime, so I didn't follow him or anything, don't worry.
Changing the subject, I have recently developed and obsession with the movie 'What Happens in Vegas' with Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. I never liked Ashton before this movie, but now he's one of my favorites. Not only is it hilarious, but it's SOOO cute it almost made me cry! I just realized that romantic comedies are the only movies I like or will watch, and this is the best of it all! I can't for it to come out on dvd!
In case you thought my life couldn't get any more exciting, I work from 8:30 am to 9:00 pm with a break from 2 to 3 because I had to trade to get today off so I could go fishing with the fam. Little did I know, that meant waking up and 5:30 in the morning! And I think I'm the only one who caught one fish, everyone else caught at least two. I barely even caught the one, too! How embarrassing.
And, I would like to call attention to my 21st post beacuse #21=hottest BYU basketball player I've ever seen. The end.

Pumpin' Up the Party

2008-06-13T14:04:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday I got back from EFY at BYU, and it was amazing! My mom thinks the only reason I wanted to go at BYU is so I could see the basketball players, and well...she wasn't totally wrong! It was a great bonus!
Monday I saw James Anderson in the bookstore, and he looked so surprised that I recognized him! He redshirted last season, so I guess it would be weird for a teenage to freak out over seeing him. I would have gotten a picture, but I was in shock so I forgot to ask.
Tuesday we had classes in the Wilk, and on the way me and Michelle decided to walk past the CougarEat and see if anyone good was there. We were kind of far away, but we saw a black guy and thought it might be a player. We walked a little closer, and saw it was Michael Loyd! He even recognized us, and we actually had a real conversation! He told us they were having practice at 2 at the Richards Building.(That's important later.) And we remembered to ask for a picture this time, and all the college students were looking at us like we were so weird, but they were jealous;).
Wednesday for free time, which started at 3:30, we decided to go to the RB and see if they were still having practice. We got in and started seeing players walk down the hall like no other! I seriously think I was hyperventilating. Even some football players were there playing! They all said hi and stuff, but when Archie came he gave us a high-five and talked to us for a while. He told us we could come in and watch, and of course I wanted to, but we were too scared to walk in even after that, so we went upstairs and watched through the window. Talk about having no shame, even when they looked up at us we didn't look away or anything. That probably was awkward, but it was very worth it!
Thursday we went over there again, but were disappointed when it was just a little kids' basketball camp. We stayed for a little bit, hoping it would be over and the team would come. No luck, but as we were walking out we saw a couple of them walking in! We ran right back upstairs preparing to watch again. Then, three BYU soccer players came up and talked to us about the team. They thought it was so funny that we knew so much about the team, and one of them was friends with Jimmer's roommate! We told them Archie told us we could go in and watch if we wanted, and they said they'd go in with us. I wasn't scared anymore if we had some other college boys with us, so we walked in! It was so amazing! KEENA YOUNG was even there! He graduated last year, and was the conference player of the year! He has been in Korea playing basketball, so I never expected to see him there! We almost fainted when we saw him--I couldn't believe it! He even came over and said hi to us! We tried to be all sneaky by taking pictures while holding our cameras in our laps...that's why my foot is in a lot of the pictures. We had to leave before it was over if we wanted to eat dinner, but oh my is was the most amazing day! :)
We couldn't go on Friday, but those two days were great! I can't wait to go again! EFY stuff was fun too, the worst part is just walking everywhere. Good practice for when I go to college I guess! Oh and we also met a counselor who looked and acted exactly like Jimmer Fredette! Awkward and cute! Go Cougars!
*I don't know why my picture with Michael is all messed up, but you get the idea!

in this moment

2008-05-28T20:41:00.005-06:00

Today was the last official day of school, and I only had one class--ceramics. After that I went to my photo class to clean so she would raise my grade! That sounds kind of lame, but at least I took the initiative to do what it took to get and A. My mom would be so proud. My grades are much better this term than they were last term, and I'm pretty happy about all of them. What really bugs me, though, is that my grade in English was an A for the whole entire term until yesterday. I got a 20/29 on the final, and that's not super horrible. I didn't think it was bad enough to drop my grade 3%! But oh well, it's finally just over. One more year of high school! I'm also really excited to go to graduation this Friday at the Marriott Center! Whoo!

Last Friday me and some of my friends went to the Brick Oven to celebrate my friend Hailey's birthday. It was really fun, and I haven't been there in forever! After that we watched Step Up, and it was the first time I've seen it. I only got about half way though, because -suprise!- I have the earliest curfew out of everyone.;) I am so abused.

Tomorrow is yearbook day! I LOVE yearbooks, but it does get annoying to write for a couple of hours straight. I'm so excited though! :)

I won't say I'm in love...

2008-05-15T19:36:00.003-06:00

Finally all of the AP tests are over, and homework is starting to wind down where I have almost nothing. Actual school isn't necessarily easy yet, but a couple of weeks will change that. I don't even know what to think anymore. I love not having to do homework and waking up at the of dawn everyday, but it's all going so fast and I have no control over anything. When I think about the beginning of this year it does seem like a long time ago, but I can't believe I'm almost a SENIOR! A year from now I'll be graduating and who knows what else. I just wish I could switch the people in my class for the current senior class, with a few exceptions of course. Too bad I'm stuck with these people for another year! ;)

Isuzu Troopers are my current weakness...every time I see a dark blue one I go crazy.
Why? You may never know...

I it when people sign up to play a sport when they're a teenager and, conveniently, they've never played before in their entire life! What are they thinking? You'd think they would at least try, and actually RUN instead of walk everywhere. It seriously isn't that hard!!

I have also recently fell in love with the color orange! That reason will also remain unknown! Ha.

I have really enjoyed watching the Jazz play in the playoffs. I really thought they could win last night in LA, but they lost a really close game:(. They're getting closer every time, however, so when they win at home this Friday then they can steal the series back in LA in game 7! Woo go Jazz!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE David Archuleta! He not only the cutest person in this world, but his voice is soooo amazing! Oh my I was so excited that he made the finale! I knew he would all along, but it's so fun to see his reactions because he's so genuine about everything he does. His version of "With You" by Chris Brown on Tuesday was the greatest performance ever! I already loved that song, but he made it 10 times better! I can't stop watching it on YouTube! The judges gave him crap about it, but obviously they don't know good when they see it. GO DAVID!!!

That Summer

2008-05-01T21:03:00.004-06:00

I will be so glad when next Wednesday is over with. I have two AP tests I'll be taking next Monday and Wednesday, which are Government and Calculus BC, respectively. I am pretty confident I will pass the Government one, and maybe even get a four! The Calculus one worries me a lot, considering my schedule for next year weighs heavily on the score I receive. If I pass--I don't have to take math at all next year, and I get some serious college credit! If I don't--I have to rearrange my whole schedule for next year to take the class again and have another chance of passing! I will also have to drop some of the other classes I signed up for. I choose passing! I barely passed on the practice test we just had...but hey, it's still passing! We're also doing another practice on this Saturday, which I think will really help me!

As much as I want next week to pass, I strangely don't want school to end. I have never felt this way before, and it's very weird. It's definitely because of the senior class--I love it a lot, and don't want them to leave sooo badly! I know this sounds bad, but I really don't like my class at all. Next year won't be fun. I'm sure it will end up being alright, but I don't even want to think about that now. I think that being football manager caused me to meet a ton of seniors that I'm now friends with, and also that a lot of my classes are mostly seniors. My class is so boring, and even the sophomores beat us in Spirit Bowl! (This big competition we have between classes to earn the coveted Spirit Title! It was super embarrassing that everyone killed us...) I still can't believe I don't want school to be over, but I really, really don't.

Graduation- Vitamin C
A really cool song that sums a lot about high school...

Seventeen

2008-04-21T14:57:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday, the 19th, was my seventeenth birthday. To celebrate, I woke up at 8 a.m. to drive two hours to my grandparent's. I know you're jealous. Just kidding, it was a fun day, just that part of it sucked. We went to go to two of my cousin's baby and wedding showers. My cousin Heidi is having a baby boy at the end of May, and my cousin Jamie is getting married on May 1st. The food was excellent, and it was fun to be around everyone. After that, we went to Brenda and Fritz's house to see their newly remodeled kitchen which looked VERY nice, and we stayed and talked for a little while. Then, we went to my grandparent's and had soup and bread my grandma made, which was delicious, then we watched the last part of the Jazz game!

On Sunday the whole family came out to Grandma and Grandpa's house to have dinner. It was so delicious! After that I finally got to open my presents, including this card from Fritz and Brenda. Fritz wrote that if I could find what he added to the card he would give me $5, but I found out even before I read that part! It was actually the first thing I saw when I opened it! See if you can see it..........look above her pants..........
Haha! So after handing over the five bucks, he called me a perv the rest of the day for noticing it first thing.

I really love going there and having everyone there to talk to...I have never laughed so hard in my life! Both sides of my family are hilarious, and i always laugh like no other when they're around.

Here Comes the Sun

2008-04-16T21:20:00.005-06:00

I know it's been a while, and I tried writing a few days ago but when I went to post it disappeared! So I just gave up. And I was mad cause it was a good one too! And I don't remember everything I wrote so I'll write what I do remember I guess...

The Y Awards were great, and Bryan Kehl did come! Oh, and he was sitting in the row right in front of me and my dad! I think I almost fell over in my chair when I saw him standing there...and of course I was just staring at him throughout the whole show. And he did win the Spirit of Sport award! His speech really stole the whole show. He started out by thanking his "wife", but pretty much everybody knew he wasn't married so we all laughed...then he said if he starts thanking her in public then maybe she'll stop hiding. Right then I wanted to jump up and scream, "It's me! It's me!"--but somehow I managed to have a little self-control. I wish I would have though! He then thanked Jonathan Tavernari-who was dressed in an all-white tuxedo-for dressing for the wedding! Then the cameras showed Tavernari and he looked so embarrassed! It was the best!

Speaking of which, Tavernari won the male crowd-pleaser! I was so happy because NO ONE deserves that award like JT does, no one can bring a crowd to their feet so fast. His speech was cute, at some points it looked like he was going to cry! But he looked really good in that tux--and he would be the only one to wear it, too. The football team won "team of the year", and of course Bryan Kehl was the first to stand up and walk up to the stage. I didn't think anyone else would, but finally they got the courage I guess. Harvey Unga, football running back, won newcomer of the year. I'm really glad he won as well, and his speech was really long because he said he might not get another chance so he had to take his time! Also, Dave Rose, men's basketball coach, won the highest honor of the night. It is given to whomever impacts sports in Utah the most for that year. It was a pretty big deal, and I was really happy! Next year though--men's basketball will win team of the year for sure!

The entertainment of the night was John Bytheway, and I always love listening to him. He was pretty good for a religion teacher! He did this one thing where he had his 10-year-old son come out and he named two players and his son would name another player that the previous two are equal to. For example: Matt Allen(10)+Sam Burgess(20)=Lee Cummard(30)! It was so funny because me and my friend Michelle do that kind of thing all the time! Instead of saying a number we'll just name a player, and we both always know what the other is talking about! I could have so showed up that little boy. It was a really fun time.

Last Saturday, I took the ACT for the 4th(yes, 4th) time. It's not like my other scores have been bad, it's just that I want all the practice I can get, because my ultimate goal is to get a 30. I also am really OCD when it comes to filling in bubbles and I need to get used to the time limits and everything. My last score was only 3 points off of my goal, so as long as I improve then I'm good--I still can take it at least 2 more times. And also, left-handers are treated like outcasts when it comes to the ACT! Seriously, I go in and they assign me to this corner desk all by myself so I won't "cheat". Everyone else can sit wherever they want, but I sure can't because I'm a cheater.

As soon as I got home, me and my family went to the BYU football blue and white game. It was fun, and I am so excited because I got my year's first SUNBURN! I know it's weird but it made me so glad that it was actually warm enough to get burned pretty good in about an hour. I LOVE that feeling.

I also love it when you're coming to an intersection where the light is red, but right when you're about to stop it turns green...so you never actually have to stop! It's great!

For spring break this week, we went to the zoo, my first time probably since I went to the San Diego zoo when I was four. It was cool, but little kids should not be allowed in. That might defeat the purpose, but they were so annoying! And just so you know, if you see someone push the button of a drinking fountain and it doesn't work, it won't work if you try right after. I don't think some people can magically turn on drinking fountains and "come to the rescue." None of their fountains were on yet because of it being earlier in the year, and we sat next to one while we were eating lunch. I kid you not, at least fifty people came up and tried to turn it on, one right after the other. I wanted to post a sign over it or something--but that probably wouldn't have stopped some people. I also got a reassurance of why you don't touch your mouth to the nozzle...plenty of kids were standing there licking it, trying to suck out water or something. I have never been more disgusted in my life. Oh, and I got another sunburn that day! But that was the last of the warmth...:(

Right now I'm trying to enjoy spring break, but I'm kind of upset that I had to wear pants today. Isn't spring break supposed to warm the whole time?

Just when you though it was over...

2008-04-08T16:11:00.000-06:00

BYU basketball may be technically "over" for this season, but the awards keep coming! Tonight are the annual "Y" Awards at the Wilkinson Center. There are many different categories, and they are given to BYU athletes of all sports, men and women. The categories men's basketball players are nominated for are the following:
Men's Crowd Pleaser- Jonathan Tavernari....I really don't see how anyone else could win this
Spirit of Sport(for seniors only)- Sam Burgess...Bryan Kehl* is also nominated in this category! That's a tough one, but at least one of those two better win or I'll be livid.
Male Athlete of the Year- Lee Cummard...he is going against Max Hall(amazing FB QB), but I mean, it's Lee!
*Bryan Kehl is the most amazing football player I have ever witnessed, and I love him I love him I love him. He is also nominated for the Johnson Service Award. I really want him to win something! And I really hope he'll be there...NFL combines are over..so Bryan please come back!;)

I am soooo excited, and I actually get to be there in person! Thank you Mom and Dad for belonging to the Cougar Club and I'm glad that all of that bugging you to let me go paid off. I'll update on who won, and there better be some basketball and Bryan Kehl mentioned! I'm bummed there aren't more of them in the nominations--I guess their attempts to call all the the sports "equal", but we all know that isn't true!

I should be doing homework(studying for the AP Calculus test and the ACT) but big surprise--
I don't feel like it. Meh.

Songs of the Day:
Then They Do-Trace Adkins...it's so true, though I don't totally know first hand, you'll have to listen! I have loved this song forever!

We Danced Anyway-Deana Carter...I hadn't heard this for so long until just recently, and I remembered how much I love it!

Oh, and by the way, Kansas won the NCAA championship yesterday in an overtime thriller! I was happy because I just didn't want Memphis to win for some reason. Just to re-emphasize:
FREE THROWS WIN GAMES...FREE THROWS LOSE GAMES

the Good Stuff

2008-04-06T20:58:00.000-06:00

It's been a while, but I don't know what even write! Basketball is over, except for the national championship tomorrow between Memphis and Kansas. I was really surprised that they beat UCLA and North Carolina, respectively. Pretty much my bracket sucked. First of all I picked Tennessee to make it to the finals, but they only made it to the Sweet Sixteen. After I found that out, I picked North Carolina to take it all. Well, I was wrong about that one. I'll just go out there and pick Kansas to win, so we'll see how that goes.

Today and yesterday were general conference, and I really enjoyed it (as long as I didn't fall asleep--oops!). I especially liked Elder Ballard's talk Sunday afternoon about mothers. He is a funny guy. "I let the cheerios get away from me--that was embarrassing!" Hahaha I died laughing when he was talking about taking care of his 6 young children during church while his wife was singing in the choir. I also really loved President Monson's talks. He was very entertaining too! It was kind of weird having a prophet besides President Hinkley at a general conference. He is the only prophet I really remember. I am really excited though for Pres. Monson, he is awesome. Oh yeah, and my claim to fame is a couple of years ago at a BYU basketball game, he was there watching. After the game, me and my friend were standing by the locker room entrance and he walked by and actually jumped up and gave us a high-five! See, I told you everything good in this world has to do with BYU basketball!

Also, I want to do this new thing where each blog post(as long as I remember), I'll list a few of my favorite songs at the time. Lately there's been a ton of good ones so it's going to be hard! They are really worth listening to!

Take a Bow- Rihanna
The lyrics are so funny and mean, in a good way of course! I love it!

Better as a Memory- Kenny Chesney
This song is sooooo AMAZING! The lyrics are just too good, but I kinda makes you sad.

Dance Floor Anthem- Good Charlotte
A good one to rock out to! I'm surprised at how much I like it!

And one last thing, I also found a new favorite quote:
Memory is a child walking along a seashore
You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up
and store away among its treasured things.
--Pierce Harris

It makes me think a lot of how memory works and stuff, for some reason it just is a really deep quote for me.