As I am currently at school on my LAST day of my college career (feel free to jump up and shout for joy...I did), I figured I mind as well finish my ridiculous idea to finish my blogs about my YEARS of college. You know, just for my own satisfaction. I totally don't expect any of you to really care. But this is like, you know, my journal. And I'm the worst journal keeper ever... anyway, let's get on with this.
The Sophmore Year. K, so this year can pretty much be summed up with a few bullet points....
*Elyse and I still lived together, but instead of staying super-cozy in the dorms, we decided to branch out and live in a close by apartment complex with 2 other girls that we met through other friends. The Megs. They were Megan & Meagan. One was tall = Big Meg and one was small = Little Meg. We were all cute with our nicknames that year: Jules, Leesy, Big & Litte. We were a happy little family, for the most part (let's not get into the fight that Little Meg & I got into over some ridiculous crap and ended up not talking to eachother the remainder of our living-together-time.) We had a really cute apartment that had a deck that overlooked our pool. We each had our own room AND bathroom (in our rooms). It was a great apartment! It was good times. We threw lots of parties and did lots of fun things together as roommates. We were introduced to a fraternity that the Megs hung out with all freshman year and they also became our friends. Although we were NOT sorority kind of girls. No thanks. Not at UNCC anwyay. Anyone familiar with that scene? Yeah, out of control ridiculous expectations to hold up.
*I switched my major from Psychology to Nursing. Not sure why. It rocked my face off. Way hard. But, I got to take classes with a childhood/lifetime friend, Maria Andruzzi. This was way fun! We laughed. A lot.
* I met my friend Amber Thomas while working for the YMCA summercamp. We were counselors together over the little ones (5-6 yr olds). It was basically, hilarious.
* I also worked for Victoria's Secret & Carrabbas Italin Grill during this year (I had just quit Abercrombie & Fitch, where I worked during my Freshman year). Met some fantastic people at each of these jobs!
*My friends Trevor & Russ from MONTANA came to visit! For a week! Crazy story. I met these guys in HAWAII! They were there for a football tournment, I was there for a family reunion/graduation celebration with some of my closest friends from highschool. We met these guys on the beach in Waikiki and talked to them for HOURS. They were super cool and respectful. Just good company. We all ended up staying in touch. That was 2 years before they came to visit. I still talk to them today :)
* Amelia and I up and decided to drive to Alabama for a concert. Yup, 8 hours for a concert. But it was an amazing experience. The concert was actually an annual event that lasted for more than one day: The Crawfish Festival. We got to see fabulous bands like BetterThanEzra, Sister Hazel, Presidents of the USA, Jason Mraz....If you're ever in Alabama, you should MOST definitely stop by there and listen to some great music, dance with drunk people and eat lots of crawfish. GOOD TIMES. Amelia & I pushed our way to the front and Amelia almost fought some drunk girl. It was awesome! I had never seen Amelia get all confrontational before and had NEVER seen her actually physically P U S H someone. But, she did. We also thought we could meet BetterThanEzra...long story short, we didn't meet BTE but did meet someone who looked AN AWFUL LOT like the lead singer of BTE. Bahahahahahha. Good Times Amelia :)
*Our little threesome were writing Stuart & Ryan on their missions all year. They had left and we anxiously awaited their letter and tapes. FUNNIEST TAPES ever. And they totally sounded all weird with their "missionary voices." Hahahahaa.
*Emily, Amelia & I kept our tight little group. Although Emily had left us to go to UNC Wilmington (her home). We also randomly one day decided that we should all move to Wilmington. And we did. Best decision ever. And that leads us to JUNIOR YEAR.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I'm about to be a college graduate!
Oh, College. What an experience it has been.
I was talking to my brother yesterday about college and how there are certain types of college students. Some kids go to college with no goal. Waste a bunch of money, stay hung over the majority of the time and drop out. Some take their education seriously, never have any fun and graduate in less than 4 years. Others are average and try to do their best, have fun and meet people, figure out what they can contribute to the world and graduate in a reasonable amount of time. I believe I fit the last category. There is also the category that Justin added in which some college students get into the liberal politics scene. They think they know what they're talking about when it comes to politics despite their real-life experience. They drink too many latte's and wear birkenstocks and think they are smarter than everyone else. Haha! Justin is right, and didn't even have to go to college. Oh, how I know people in this category too...I got me thinking about the past 6 years that I have been attending 3 schools...
So, at this time...I'd like to reminisce....lets start with my freshman year at UNC Charlotte (if you are completely bored that is and have nothing else to do right now...)
I started out my college career with every intention to make great grades, go to all of my classes, graduate with a psychology degree from UNC Charlotte and become a psychologist. Play with rats. Compare them to people. There is a quote I love about psychology, it says, "Magicians pull rabbits out of hats. Psychologists pull habits out of rats." But, it didn't work out. I found that I didn't LOVE psychology. I just LIKED it. My first psychology professor at UNC Charlotte was crazy. Literally. She looked like something straight out of a Tim Burton film. And she had this hoarse "i've smoked since I was 6 years old" laugh. It scared me. She scared me. And now that I think about it, maybe she had some ill effect on my decision to stray from psychology, out of fear that I might also end up as a character from the Nightmare before Christmas or something...just kidding.
My first year, I lived with one of my best friends, Elyse, in a tiny little 11th floor dorm room. We lived in a co-ed dorm that alternated floors of girls and boys. We somehow shoved all of our belongings into that tiny room that held two twin beds, two desks and two built-in closets. We had a pretty sweet set-up with our mini-fridge and microwave and pretty much lived off of easy mac and poptarts. No lie.We would eat supper together at the dining hall with our other dorm friends. We tried to eat at the dining hall as little as possible although we had meal plans that allowed us to eat there 3 times a day,every day. But, after a few meals, we found it was pretty gross. If we did eat there, it was either grilled cheese, pizza or cereal. I ate A LOT of cereal my freshman year. I also ate A LOT of bad for me food my freshman year, if you can't tell. I'm sure if my mother knew this, she'd be upset...We did love making ice cream cones there though. They had one of those machines, where you pulled down the lever and had to craftily swirl the cone to make the ice cream look decent and pile up right. Most of the time our ice cream cones looked like Helen Keller made them for us... But Elyse and I were good roommates. Probably one of the best roommates i've ever had. We laughed a lot, stayed up too late, skipped too many classses and almost failed our anthropology class that we had together. We would alternate days sometimes and just sign eachother in on the role (no i am not proud of this). I hated that class.
I also hated taking showers in the dorm. Elyse and I had our little bathroom station in the corner of our room beside the door. We had our towels hanging on a hook on the door and our little basket with holes in it holding our shampoos, soaps, loofas and razors on the ground. There was a constant puddle by the door. We also had special rubber flip flops for the shower only and we would squeak down the hallway and into the shower so that we would not catch any nasty dorm diseases...this made the whole showering thing quite slippery. I hated carting my little basket down the hallway trying not to slip in my flip flops at 8 am and hopefully getting one of the two showers on our hall. We shared a bathroom with 3 stalls, 3 sinks and 2 showers with about 8 other girls. I also hated walking into the bathroom in my towel ready to face the nasty shower and find a boy in his boxers walk out of one the stalls. Lovely.
We did meet lots of fun people living in the dorms though. The floor above ours was a boys floor and they seemed to just wander around our floor with their guitars and clever boy antics trying to woo us into their skinny freshman boy arms. It never worked on us. But, we did meet some fun guys that ended up joining in our nightly ice cream cone making at the dining hall. I didn't hang out with them much though because I was "the girl with the boyfriend."
When I graduated from highschool, I was still dating my boyfriend of then 2 years, Bryan. We hand't planned to go to college together, but it worked out that way. I thought being at the same college would be fantastic! But, I found that when I got to college, Bryan and I wanted separate things. I wanted this newfound freedom & social life. He wasn't as interested in meeting lots of people and had always done what he wanted to. This first year of school tore us apart. I dated a few other guys, this was mostly not worth it, but I did meet some interesting people and learned a lot. Bryan and I started dating again shortly after our breakup and continued to date through my sophmore year.
I also spent this first year of freedom going inactive from the church. My new found freedom was too much for me to handle and be responsible. Little by little, I started doing things I knew weren't right, and little by little, I didn't care anymore.
My heart hadn't been in church for the past few years, but I had gone for my family. Living in the Sistrunk house came with strict rules about church attendance. But, after I got out of my house and on my own, I found that I didn't care to get up on Sunday mornings and go to church. There are 4 people whom I owe for life for keeping me connected to church. The first, I won't mention his name, but I owe a certain somebody for coming to my dorm many Sunday mornings and persistently knocking until I got up, got ready, and went to church with him. Although I still didn't care these Sundays, I was still going. I will also be eternally indebted to Jimmy Webb, our singles branch president at the time, and his sweet wife, Beth, who would call me the days I didn't go to church just to tell me that they missed me. They never pried into my life or challenged why I wasn't there, they just called to tell me that they cared. This made a world of difference in my life. The last person is Emily Burton. Emily and I met at a psychology study and I had recognized her from the singles branch. We were friends instantly, and if you know Emily, you understand. She's an amazing person, who I felt never judged me. She lived on the third floor of the dorm I lived in and needed a ride to church. I felt motivated to at least take her some days and that got me there. I'm pretty sure she's like a secret guardian angel or something. Although I continued to be inactive for another year or so, these little contributions touched my stubborn soul.
These wonderful people who cared enough about me to get me to church also helped pave the way for an amazing future for me. Amelia Guffey had started attending the singles branch and her, Emily & I formed our famous threesome. We were also introduced to the Briggs brothers, Ryan & Stuart, and the five of us became super close, super fast. We hung out all of the time and did silly things like build forts and name ourselves after a family-favorite movie, Swiss Family Robinson. They were different from my other friends and I liked the way I felt around them. Our group was tight and maybe the most help in keeping me connected to the church. I had amazing examples who led their lives in ways that made me hate the way I was leading mine. And of course I had like, the biggest crush on Stu. It wasn't long before they would be leaving for missions and we would find ourselves writing them as if we had known them for years.
I somehow made semi-decent grades that year and decided to stick it out for another year at UNC Charlotte...we will go there another day. For now, I am just happy to have seen my Freshman year come and go. I don't regret anything in my life, I am just thankful that I have learned A LOT. And can I just say, I've come a long way Baby!
I was talking to my brother yesterday about college and how there are certain types of college students. Some kids go to college with no goal. Waste a bunch of money, stay hung over the majority of the time and drop out. Some take their education seriously, never have any fun and graduate in less than 4 years. Others are average and try to do their best, have fun and meet people, figure out what they can contribute to the world and graduate in a reasonable amount of time. I believe I fit the last category. There is also the category that Justin added in which some college students get into the liberal politics scene. They think they know what they're talking about when it comes to politics despite their real-life experience. They drink too many latte's and wear birkenstocks and think they are smarter than everyone else. Haha! Justin is right, and didn't even have to go to college. Oh, how I know people in this category too...I got me thinking about the past 6 years that I have been attending 3 schools...
So, at this time...I'd like to reminisce....lets start with my freshman year at UNC Charlotte (if you are completely bored that is and have nothing else to do right now...)
I started out my college career with every intention to make great grades, go to all of my classes, graduate with a psychology degree from UNC Charlotte and become a psychologist. Play with rats. Compare them to people. There is a quote I love about psychology, it says, "Magicians pull rabbits out of hats. Psychologists pull habits out of rats." But, it didn't work out. I found that I didn't LOVE psychology. I just LIKED it. My first psychology professor at UNC Charlotte was crazy. Literally. She looked like something straight out of a Tim Burton film. And she had this hoarse "i've smoked since I was 6 years old" laugh. It scared me. She scared me. And now that I think about it, maybe she had some ill effect on my decision to stray from psychology, out of fear that I might also end up as a character from the Nightmare before Christmas or something...just kidding.
My first year, I lived with one of my best friends, Elyse, in a tiny little 11th floor dorm room. We lived in a co-ed dorm that alternated floors of girls and boys. We somehow shoved all of our belongings into that tiny room that held two twin beds, two desks and two built-in closets. We had a pretty sweet set-up with our mini-fridge and microwave and pretty much lived off of easy mac and poptarts. No lie.We would eat supper together at the dining hall with our other dorm friends. We tried to eat at the dining hall as little as possible although we had meal plans that allowed us to eat there 3 times a day,every day. But, after a few meals, we found it was pretty gross. If we did eat there, it was either grilled cheese, pizza or cereal. I ate A LOT of cereal my freshman year. I also ate A LOT of bad for me food my freshman year, if you can't tell. I'm sure if my mother knew this, she'd be upset...We did love making ice cream cones there though. They had one of those machines, where you pulled down the lever and had to craftily swirl the cone to make the ice cream look decent and pile up right. Most of the time our ice cream cones looked like Helen Keller made them for us... But Elyse and I were good roommates. Probably one of the best roommates i've ever had. We laughed a lot, stayed up too late, skipped too many classses and almost failed our anthropology class that we had together. We would alternate days sometimes and just sign eachother in on the role (no i am not proud of this). I hated that class.
I also hated taking showers in the dorm. Elyse and I had our little bathroom station in the corner of our room beside the door. We had our towels hanging on a hook on the door and our little basket with holes in it holding our shampoos, soaps, loofas and razors on the ground. There was a constant puddle by the door. We also had special rubber flip flops for the shower only and we would squeak down the hallway and into the shower so that we would not catch any nasty dorm diseases...this made the whole showering thing quite slippery. I hated carting my little basket down the hallway trying not to slip in my flip flops at 8 am and hopefully getting one of the two showers on our hall. We shared a bathroom with 3 stalls, 3 sinks and 2 showers with about 8 other girls. I also hated walking into the bathroom in my towel ready to face the nasty shower and find a boy in his boxers walk out of one the stalls. Lovely.
We did meet lots of fun people living in the dorms though. The floor above ours was a boys floor and they seemed to just wander around our floor with their guitars and clever boy antics trying to woo us into their skinny freshman boy arms. It never worked on us. But, we did meet some fun guys that ended up joining in our nightly ice cream cone making at the dining hall. I didn't hang out with them much though because I was "the girl with the boyfriend."
When I graduated from highschool, I was still dating my boyfriend of then 2 years, Bryan. We hand't planned to go to college together, but it worked out that way. I thought being at the same college would be fantastic! But, I found that when I got to college, Bryan and I wanted separate things. I wanted this newfound freedom & social life. He wasn't as interested in meeting lots of people and had always done what he wanted to. This first year of school tore us apart. I dated a few other guys, this was mostly not worth it, but I did meet some interesting people and learned a lot. Bryan and I started dating again shortly after our breakup and continued to date through my sophmore year.
I also spent this first year of freedom going inactive from the church. My new found freedom was too much for me to handle and be responsible. Little by little, I started doing things I knew weren't right, and little by little, I didn't care anymore.
My heart hadn't been in church for the past few years, but I had gone for my family. Living in the Sistrunk house came with strict rules about church attendance. But, after I got out of my house and on my own, I found that I didn't care to get up on Sunday mornings and go to church. There are 4 people whom I owe for life for keeping me connected to church. The first, I won't mention his name, but I owe a certain somebody for coming to my dorm many Sunday mornings and persistently knocking until I got up, got ready, and went to church with him. Although I still didn't care these Sundays, I was still going. I will also be eternally indebted to Jimmy Webb, our singles branch president at the time, and his sweet wife, Beth, who would call me the days I didn't go to church just to tell me that they missed me. They never pried into my life or challenged why I wasn't there, they just called to tell me that they cared. This made a world of difference in my life. The last person is Emily Burton. Emily and I met at a psychology study and I had recognized her from the singles branch. We were friends instantly, and if you know Emily, you understand. She's an amazing person, who I felt never judged me. She lived on the third floor of the dorm I lived in and needed a ride to church. I felt motivated to at least take her some days and that got me there. I'm pretty sure she's like a secret guardian angel or something. Although I continued to be inactive for another year or so, these little contributions touched my stubborn soul.
These wonderful people who cared enough about me to get me to church also helped pave the way for an amazing future for me. Amelia Guffey had started attending the singles branch and her, Emily & I formed our famous threesome. We were also introduced to the Briggs brothers, Ryan & Stuart, and the five of us became super close, super fast. We hung out all of the time and did silly things like build forts and name ourselves after a family-favorite movie, Swiss Family Robinson. They were different from my other friends and I liked the way I felt around them. Our group was tight and maybe the most help in keeping me connected to the church. I had amazing examples who led their lives in ways that made me hate the way I was leading mine. And of course I had like, the biggest crush on Stu. It wasn't long before they would be leaving for missions and we would find ourselves writing them as if we had known them for years.
I somehow made semi-decent grades that year and decided to stick it out for another year at UNC Charlotte...we will go there another day. For now, I am just happy to have seen my Freshman year come and go. I don't regret anything in my life, I am just thankful that I have learned A LOT. And can I just say, I've come a long way Baby!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
What NOT to do when you go out to eat...
Okay so this is going to a rant from a disgruntled restaurant employee....
I have decided that when people go out to eat, they lose all sight of what is normal behavior. No, really. Its like they don't know what to do if they aren't cooking the food themselves or aren't pouring their own drink. I mean, HOW hard is it to go to a restaurant, sit down, have someone take care of all your eating-out-needs and behave normally? I feel that there would be some sad momma's in this world if they knew how their children have been behaving at RR.
Annoyance #1: Don't you EVER snap your fingers/wave your arm wildly in the air at me. I see you, you imbecile and am coming as fast as my little size 7 feet can take me.
So first off, I am probably aware of what you need. I am a good server. I'm not trying to be conceited or anything, but I rarely have problems with customers. And if there is a problem its probably because you created it as an abnormal restaurant-goer. I know that if you have been sitting there waiting on your food that you have probably been sipping on your drink. Which means you'll probably need a new one before/when your food comes out. I will bring you a new one. Promise. It's my job to act like I want to wait on you. There is no need to raise your empty glass in the air as if you are imaginarily clinking glasses with other RR eaters. You look ridiculous and that won't make me come to you any faster. Nor will waving, snapping or standing up and looking for me. I mean how impatient are people? If you finish your drink in 2.7 seconds after I drop it off to you, you have a problem. A social/eating-disorder kind of problem. Who does that? Seriously, every weekend I have some idiot get there drink on a BUSY friday night and then drink it before I turn around to leave and need another one ASAP. What are you 5? Yeah, I hate you. And i'm not going to run to the drink station just for you. You can wait or drink your beverage like a normal person. Oh and p.s. for those of you who drink strawberry/blueberry/every other kind of berry lemonades...go ahead and drink 8,000 of them, just know they are about 420 calories each and its going straight to your mid-section. Cheers!
Annoyance #2: Please don't roll up to a restaurant with 4573885231 of your "closest" friends and expect to be waited on as if you were just a couple. This is a BYU-Idaho kid trademark. "I have an idea, let's all go to RR tonight with everyone we know on facebook! And then we can complain when we don't get to sit down for an hour on a busy friday night. AND THEN we can pretend its 7 of our birthdays and make our server sing a ridiculous song to us and bring us free icecream! Yeah, awesome idea!" And who goes out to eat with like 25 other people? Do you actually think you will get to talk to all of those people? Do you even really have that many friends? This is a stupid idea. And you will be obnoxious to not only your server but to everyone else around you.
Annoyance #3: I have a ring on. Stop hitting on me. Especially when you have mayo on the side of your face.
Annoyance #4: When I ask you if you are ready to order, DO NOT lie to me. Being ready to order equals you know what you'd like to eat. It does not mean that you are still A) reading over the entire menu B) deciding between 8 things or C) changing your mind. I am standing at your table ready to jot down what you want to eat and then leave you alone, if you are not ready, I WILL COME BACK. It's not that you need to keep me hostage while you read every single word on the menu out of fear that I will leave your table and come back in half an hour. I HATE when people tell me they are ready and then proceed to spend the next 7 minutes deciding on what they want to eat. You're not ready! Why don't you understand that? And then there are people who take like 20 minutes to decide what they want to eat. "Oh we just need a few more minutes." I come back 5 minutes later. "Oh we just need like 2 more minutes." I come back another 5 minutes later. "I'm sorry, I still just need like one more second..." Are you kidding me? Are you waiting on an epiphany from God to decide what you'd like to eat? Why is it so hard to pick something to eat? Wow.
Annoyance #5: "Um, I know I ordered this, but I don't like it." And why are you telling me this? Well, jokes on you. YOU ordered it. I didn't force you to get that. I didn't force you to eat it. If you don't like it, then don't eat it next time. I DO NOT understand customers like this. "Oh, I know I ate half of it, but it was gross. So I either need a new burger or for it to be taken off of our bill. Thanks." Where do people get off thinking they can just do this? YOU ordered it. YOU picked it. It is not my job to decipher what will make YOUR tastebuds scream with delight. This never ceases to amaze me. People like this are either looking for free food or to try something else for free. Or maybe they don't actually like it, well then stop by the golden arches on your way home. Not my problem.
Annoyance #6: $2 on $25 is not a good tip. Nor is $2 on a $40 tab. Etc. Why is it that the general population feels that $2 is what you leave a server. And by adding a little note on the receipt that says "Great service!" makes me feel better about you being a bad tipper? 15-20% is what you should tip. Did people in Idaho miss this memo? College kids are the worst. "Um, we're going to both have water, drink it like we're parched elephants, split a burger and stiff you on the tip because we're just poor, little struggling college kids." Oh, I don't feel bad for you. You are EATING OUT. If you don't have the money to tip, then don't go out to eat. If you don't have the money to go out to eat, then don't. I don't care if you drink water. I get water all of the time when I go out to eat. I don't care if you split an entree. Stu and I do it all of the time. But the difference in Stu and I and other BYUI students is that when we go out to eat, we always leave 20%. I don't care if your bill is only $10, if you leave me 20% I am happy. If everyone would leave 15-20% i'd make BANK. And some nights I do, but those nights seem to be rare lately because of the growing mass of idiots that attend BYUI. If you think my service was great, then leave me a good tip. Your stupid smiley-face note makes me want to kick you.
Just a few more things:
If you are a mormon and decided to have 14 children, and you take them all out to eat, FEED THEM. Splitting 4 kids meals amongst 14 children is going to leave, ALL of them, hungry. If you want to give them a fun experience, don't take them out to eat because they will equate it with starvation. Go to those golden arches again and get them all their very own kids meal for half the price. It may not be as good, but they will be fed. You are their parents. They're guardians. They're caretakers. Which means you probably shouldn't make them starve, at least not in a public setting. Families like this make me SO sad. I always just bring like truckloads of fries and dump them in front of their kids. The mothers always have the nerve to give me these looks like, "why are you giving my kids fried food without my permission?" Oh, I'm sorry, they look HUNGRY.
If you're kids make a freaking mess. Clean it up or try to control it. Or tip me more because I will have to clean up after your offspring (i really do love those parents!). I love having to sweep like my life depends on it because some young parents thought it was cute to try and give their 6 month old a french fry to see what they will do with it. "Oh did you see that honey, he just mashed it right up and threw it on the ground! How cute! Let's do it 27 more times and turn the floor into a giant french fry that our server will later have to sweep up at midnight when she's trying to go home!"
And I think I'm done. Thanks for reading my rant! I know I sound like an ungrateful B and I'm not trying to be. I am thankful for my job. And usually its not a night full of the above. But sometimes it is and it makes me hate the entire human race. I usually make really good money (love that cash flow) for a part-time job, usually have great customers and a great shift. Just don't be one of those people when you go out to eat next time. For my sanity and all the other servers out there that can empathize.
I have decided that when people go out to eat, they lose all sight of what is normal behavior. No, really. Its like they don't know what to do if they aren't cooking the food themselves or aren't pouring their own drink. I mean, HOW hard is it to go to a restaurant, sit down, have someone take care of all your eating-out-needs and behave normally? I feel that there would be some sad momma's in this world if they knew how their children have been behaving at RR.
Annoyance #1: Don't you EVER snap your fingers/wave your arm wildly in the air at me. I see you, you imbecile and am coming as fast as my little size 7 feet can take me.
So first off, I am probably aware of what you need. I am a good server. I'm not trying to be conceited or anything, but I rarely have problems with customers. And if there is a problem its probably because you created it as an abnormal restaurant-goer. I know that if you have been sitting there waiting on your food that you have probably been sipping on your drink. Which means you'll probably need a new one before/when your food comes out. I will bring you a new one. Promise. It's my job to act like I want to wait on you. There is no need to raise your empty glass in the air as if you are imaginarily clinking glasses with other RR eaters. You look ridiculous and that won't make me come to you any faster. Nor will waving, snapping or standing up and looking for me. I mean how impatient are people? If you finish your drink in 2.7 seconds after I drop it off to you, you have a problem. A social/eating-disorder kind of problem. Who does that? Seriously, every weekend I have some idiot get there drink on a BUSY friday night and then drink it before I turn around to leave and need another one ASAP. What are you 5? Yeah, I hate you. And i'm not going to run to the drink station just for you. You can wait or drink your beverage like a normal person. Oh and p.s. for those of you who drink strawberry/blueberry/every other kind of berry lemonades...go ahead and drink 8,000 of them, just know they are about 420 calories each and its going straight to your mid-section. Cheers!
Annoyance #2: Please don't roll up to a restaurant with 4573885231 of your "closest" friends and expect to be waited on as if you were just a couple. This is a BYU-Idaho kid trademark. "I have an idea, let's all go to RR tonight with everyone we know on facebook! And then we can complain when we don't get to sit down for an hour on a busy friday night. AND THEN we can pretend its 7 of our birthdays and make our server sing a ridiculous song to us and bring us free icecream! Yeah, awesome idea!" And who goes out to eat with like 25 other people? Do you actually think you will get to talk to all of those people? Do you even really have that many friends? This is a stupid idea. And you will be obnoxious to not only your server but to everyone else around you.
Annoyance #3: I have a ring on. Stop hitting on me. Especially when you have mayo on the side of your face.
Annoyance #4: When I ask you if you are ready to order, DO NOT lie to me. Being ready to order equals you know what you'd like to eat. It does not mean that you are still A) reading over the entire menu B) deciding between 8 things or C) changing your mind. I am standing at your table ready to jot down what you want to eat and then leave you alone, if you are not ready, I WILL COME BACK. It's not that you need to keep me hostage while you read every single word on the menu out of fear that I will leave your table and come back in half an hour. I HATE when people tell me they are ready and then proceed to spend the next 7 minutes deciding on what they want to eat. You're not ready! Why don't you understand that? And then there are people who take like 20 minutes to decide what they want to eat. "Oh we just need a few more minutes." I come back 5 minutes later. "Oh we just need like 2 more minutes." I come back another 5 minutes later. "I'm sorry, I still just need like one more second..." Are you kidding me? Are you waiting on an epiphany from God to decide what you'd like to eat? Why is it so hard to pick something to eat? Wow.
Annoyance #5: "Um, I know I ordered this, but I don't like it." And why are you telling me this? Well, jokes on you. YOU ordered it. I didn't force you to get that. I didn't force you to eat it. If you don't like it, then don't eat it next time. I DO NOT understand customers like this. "Oh, I know I ate half of it, but it was gross. So I either need a new burger or for it to be taken off of our bill. Thanks." Where do people get off thinking they can just do this? YOU ordered it. YOU picked it. It is not my job to decipher what will make YOUR tastebuds scream with delight. This never ceases to amaze me. People like this are either looking for free food or to try something else for free. Or maybe they don't actually like it, well then stop by the golden arches on your way home. Not my problem.
Annoyance #6: $2 on $25 is not a good tip. Nor is $2 on a $40 tab. Etc. Why is it that the general population feels that $2 is what you leave a server. And by adding a little note on the receipt that says "Great service!" makes me feel better about you being a bad tipper? 15-20% is what you should tip. Did people in Idaho miss this memo? College kids are the worst. "Um, we're going to both have water, drink it like we're parched elephants, split a burger and stiff you on the tip because we're just poor, little struggling college kids." Oh, I don't feel bad for you. You are EATING OUT. If you don't have the money to tip, then don't go out to eat. If you don't have the money to go out to eat, then don't. I don't care if you drink water. I get water all of the time when I go out to eat. I don't care if you split an entree. Stu and I do it all of the time. But the difference in Stu and I and other BYUI students is that when we go out to eat, we always leave 20%. I don't care if your bill is only $10, if you leave me 20% I am happy. If everyone would leave 15-20% i'd make BANK. And some nights I do, but those nights seem to be rare lately because of the growing mass of idiots that attend BYUI. If you think my service was great, then leave me a good tip. Your stupid smiley-face note makes me want to kick you.
Just a few more things:
If you are a mormon and decided to have 14 children, and you take them all out to eat, FEED THEM. Splitting 4 kids meals amongst 14 children is going to leave, ALL of them, hungry. If you want to give them a fun experience, don't take them out to eat because they will equate it with starvation. Go to those golden arches again and get them all their very own kids meal for half the price. It may not be as good, but they will be fed. You are their parents. They're guardians. They're caretakers. Which means you probably shouldn't make them starve, at least not in a public setting. Families like this make me SO sad. I always just bring like truckloads of fries and dump them in front of their kids. The mothers always have the nerve to give me these looks like, "why are you giving my kids fried food without my permission?" Oh, I'm sorry, they look HUNGRY.
If you're kids make a freaking mess. Clean it up or try to control it. Or tip me more because I will have to clean up after your offspring (i really do love those parents!). I love having to sweep like my life depends on it because some young parents thought it was cute to try and give their 6 month old a french fry to see what they will do with it. "Oh did you see that honey, he just mashed it right up and threw it on the ground! How cute! Let's do it 27 more times and turn the floor into a giant french fry that our server will later have to sweep up at midnight when she's trying to go home!"
And I think I'm done. Thanks for reading my rant! I know I sound like an ungrateful B and I'm not trying to be. I am thankful for my job. And usually its not a night full of the above. But sometimes it is and it makes me hate the entire human race. I usually make really good money (love that cash flow) for a part-time job, usually have great customers and a great shift. Just don't be one of those people when you go out to eat next time. For my sanity and all the other servers out there that can empathize.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
We're only 33 days away from...
H A L L O W E E N !
This is my favorite holiday and for the past couple years I haven't done a whole lot to celebrate it and this has been a bummer. ALTHOUGH, I did get a beautiful little niece ON Halloween last year. So jealous of her birthday...just sayin.
Anyway, so this is my favorite holiday and we definitely need to make up for the past couple years' Halloween's and do something spooky and Halloween-ie. Stu and I are thinking haunted house/corn maze of some kind with friends. Maybe scary movies? Oh, and candy. DUH.
Um...I miss dressing up. AND begging for candy. Why isn't this socially acceptable as an adult? Just kidding. Sort of. Anyway, I love halloween costumes as well, (especially baby ones, so our future children are going to be out of control cute on this holiday, just you wait.) so, I was browsing Etsy yesterday (always...) and found what I need to be this year................
HOW FRIGGIN' CUTE IS THIS? It's a monster dress costume! It looks like a muppet or something that walked off of sesame street. Isn't it darling? I wish I had a party to attend because you better believe I would be struttin' around as this monster. I love it. But, sadly, it doesn't seem Rexburg knows how to have Halloween parties and Stu and I sure can't have one. We wouldn't even have room for more than one other person. Sad life. Bye cute monster costume. Maybe next year. At our own party :)
H A L L O W E E N !
This is my favorite holiday and for the past couple years I haven't done a whole lot to celebrate it and this has been a bummer. ALTHOUGH, I did get a beautiful little niece ON Halloween last year. So jealous of her birthday...just sayin.
Anyway, so this is my favorite holiday and we definitely need to make up for the past couple years' Halloween's and do something spooky and Halloween-ie. Stu and I are thinking haunted house/corn maze of some kind with friends. Maybe scary movies? Oh, and candy. DUH.
Um...I miss dressing up. AND begging for candy. Why isn't this socially acceptable as an adult? Just kidding. Sort of. Anyway, I love halloween costumes as well, (especially baby ones, so our future children are going to be out of control cute on this holiday, just you wait.) so, I was browsing Etsy yesterday (always...) and found what I need to be this year................
Monday, September 20, 2010
So Much Sadness :(
Due to the recent events happening with both my family and hometown, I feel that I should get some of my thoughts onto "paper." It's hard when most of what you hear from home is tragic. It's hard not to focus on those things and the fact that I wish I weren't so far away. But, despite all of the tragedy and sadness that has crowded our lives recently, I am so blessed with wonderful, supportive people. People who don't ask questions, but just let me know that they are there. People who go out of their way to support my family without being asked to. People that really know what it means to be a friend and a good person. It's also such a blessing to see people reaching out to fellow citizens as complete strangers, but with honest concern and compassion. It's so good to see that people are still sensitive to others' pain and want to help them.
Although it is disheartening, I am also thankful for the sadness that has been brought to our attention as a community. I don't mean that to sound disrespectful, but it is times like these that smack you in the face with important realizations. Although you never think that things will happen to you or to others you once knew, when they DO happen, you all of the sudden realize how blessed you are. You are lucky to be in the position you are personally, to be alive and well. And that you should live everyday with that in mind. This life truly is short.
You also realize that you are lucky to still have those people in your life that you care so much for, but are struggling in their lives. They may be on a crooked path and one that you don't agree with, but they still have the breath in their lungs and still have time to straighten out that tangled path. It makes you want to make sure, that they know how much you love them and how much you are here for them. I have those to thank that have been great supportive examples to me, that I can in turn show this kind of compassion to others in my life.
I pray that myself, as others, can be compassionate and loving toward one another. That we can be stronger as neighbors, friends and family, that we might be able to get through anything. I know that those that have been lost, those that are struggling and those that are suffering are being looked after by a loving God and that with his help and guidance we can be comforted and guided.
Although it is disheartening, I am also thankful for the sadness that has been brought to our attention as a community. I don't mean that to sound disrespectful, but it is times like these that smack you in the face with important realizations. Although you never think that things will happen to you or to others you once knew, when they DO happen, you all of the sudden realize how blessed you are. You are lucky to be in the position you are personally, to be alive and well. And that you should live everyday with that in mind. This life truly is short.
You also realize that you are lucky to still have those people in your life that you care so much for, but are struggling in their lives. They may be on a crooked path and one that you don't agree with, but they still have the breath in their lungs and still have time to straighten out that tangled path. It makes you want to make sure, that they know how much you love them and how much you are here for them. I have those to thank that have been great supportive examples to me, that I can in turn show this kind of compassion to others in my life.
I pray that myself, as others, can be compassionate and loving toward one another. That we can be stronger as neighbors, friends and family, that we might be able to get through anything. I know that those that have been lost, those that are struggling and those that are suffering are being looked after by a loving God and that with his help and guidance we can be comforted and guided.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Jazz Love
Okay, so I'm pretty much IN LOVE with my jazz class. It's fabulous. It feels great dancing again, although I'm a little rusty...It's the perfect way to start my mornings on Tuesday & Thursday, although I always look pretty rough showing up to my next class with sweat pants thrown on over my leotard. I have 15 min in between classes so I never change till after my 2nd class. I'm sure some of the girls in there are casting judgment on my messy hair, flushed face and baggy-boy sweatpants. Just kidding. Sort of. Yay BYU-Idaho.
Anyway, it's a good time. The class is a good mix of experience levels. There are the girls who have danced all of their life. You know the ones. They always have way long legs, pefect posture, can put their nose to the ground when stretching and get every combination right the first time. They pretty much make you way jealous and want to stay in the back...Those girls.
And then there are girls like me. Dance experience, but it's been awhile. Slightly flexible but way out of shape in that regard, definitely can NOT put my nose on the ground. The kind of girls that stopped stretching every day after highschool (Remember that was SIX years ago for moi).
And the last group. The kind of girls (plus one boy) whom I have found companionship in. They make me feel good because I know a tiny bit more than they do (at least term wise) and they are so cute how they think they can ask me how to do things...I'm like, "Hello, I'm in the back with you. Go ask the girls all up on the mirror..." I'm definitely not confident in teaching anyone anything anymore.
But, it's way fun. We learned a warm-up routine that includes lots of dance technique, stretches and abs (P90X influenced) that makes me happy that I took the class but is an awful reminder of how much I've neglected my muscles. I was sore after the first day. But it was that good sore feeling, you know? The one you get when you finally get off of your lazy butt and actually exercise, but your body is like WHAAAAT????
I had to buy new jazz shoes. I held on to my old ones forever and then finally got rid of them when I moved out west because I didn't think I'd use them again--and the ONLY dance store in Idaho Falls sold me some weird brand, but they'll do. Ever heard of dance class brand? yeah. didn't think so. Did I mention that I wasn't the one who actually went and physically bought the jazz shoes? I HAVE THE SWEETEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD. So, the ONLY dance store in Idaho Falls is ONLY open from 4-7pm Monday-Saturday (go figure) and it was Saturday and Stuart and I were out running errands and decided to check out this dance store. Well, we didn't have time because I had to be at work at 4:30. Because of the weird store times, I was thinking I wouldn't be able to get jazz shoes before my next class. Stuart offered to go get them for me. As in, go to the dance store by himself, where he is totally out of his element, ask about how close sizes run to regular shoes and buy them for me. I tried to write down as much information as possible so that he wouldn't feel totally lost, but he did great! He is the best :)
So yes, jazz class is already fabulous. We have been doing across the floors (oddly, this makes me miss you jess, haha) and learning different combinations and we've been using some great songs, one that I think you should most definitely look up is the Glee (some musical tv show that I haven't ever seen but now want to) version of "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. It's fantastic! So, random ramblings about dance class, but I just feel great doing something that I love once again. It's been way too long!
Anyway, it's a good time. The class is a good mix of experience levels. There are the girls who have danced all of their life. You know the ones. They always have way long legs, pefect posture, can put their nose to the ground when stretching and get every combination right the first time. They pretty much make you way jealous and want to stay in the back...Those girls.
And then there are girls like me. Dance experience, but it's been awhile. Slightly flexible but way out of shape in that regard, definitely can NOT put my nose on the ground. The kind of girls that stopped stretching every day after highschool (Remember that was SIX years ago for moi).
And the last group. The kind of girls (plus one boy) whom I have found companionship in. They make me feel good because I know a tiny bit more than they do (at least term wise) and they are so cute how they think they can ask me how to do things...I'm like, "Hello, I'm in the back with you. Go ask the girls all up on the mirror..." I'm definitely not confident in teaching anyone anything anymore.
But, it's way fun. We learned a warm-up routine that includes lots of dance technique, stretches and abs (P90X influenced) that makes me happy that I took the class but is an awful reminder of how much I've neglected my muscles. I was sore after the first day. But it was that good sore feeling, you know? The one you get when you finally get off of your lazy butt and actually exercise, but your body is like WHAAAAT????
I had to buy new jazz shoes. I held on to my old ones forever and then finally got rid of them when I moved out west because I didn't think I'd use them again--and the ONLY dance store in Idaho Falls sold me some weird brand, but they'll do. Ever heard of dance class brand? yeah. didn't think so. Did I mention that I wasn't the one who actually went and physically bought the jazz shoes? I HAVE THE SWEETEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD. So, the ONLY dance store in Idaho Falls is ONLY open from 4-7pm Monday-Saturday (go figure) and it was Saturday and Stuart and I were out running errands and decided to check out this dance store. Well, we didn't have time because I had to be at work at 4:30. Because of the weird store times, I was thinking I wouldn't be able to get jazz shoes before my next class. Stuart offered to go get them for me. As in, go to the dance store by himself, where he is totally out of his element, ask about how close sizes run to regular shoes and buy them for me. I tried to write down as much information as possible so that he wouldn't feel totally lost, but he did great! He is the best :)
So yes, jazz class is already fabulous. We have been doing across the floors (oddly, this makes me miss you jess, haha) and learning different combinations and we've been using some great songs, one that I think you should most definitely look up is the Glee (some musical tv show that I haven't ever seen but now want to) version of "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. It's fantastic! So, random ramblings about dance class, but I just feel great doing something that I love once again. It's been way too long!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
As of Late.
1. I got my haircut and I absolutely LOVE it! It just may be one of my most favorite haircuts...and if you know me, that is a B I G deal if I like my haircut right away. It's always slightly traumatic for me...it never comes out the way I picture it. But, I managed to find a great stylist in IDAHO?! Can you believe it??? I haven't done much with my hair since i've been here b/c I only trust my sister-in-law Natalie, but I went to this super chic salon in Idaho Falls and met my new best stylist friend, McKinsee, and she did an amazing job! Its WAY thinner, which makes styling take much shorter and its way layered. She used a razor to cut my hair! Its all texturized and cute...I also have side bangs again and she didn't touch the length--its getting so long! I'm growing it out...I've also gotten a little sun, lost a little weight and feel pretty good :)
2. We got to see one of my beautiful best friends get married this summer in a very cool city (Denver). Emily finally married the perfect guy for her! If you know Emily, this has been a struggle. She has been engaged twice before Preston (her new hubby) and both guys were totally wrong for her and all of her friends are so happy she didn't end up with one of them. Plus, also if you know Emily, she has always dated someone or always had some boy in love with her--it seems all of our guy friends from Charlotte to Wilmington wanted to date Emily! So, Preston is a lucky guy and they looked so incredibly happy! Stu and I took a fun roadtrip to Denver and got to go to their sealing and reception. It was totally worth the 10 hour drive!
3. I got to see my Momma! Oh, how I have missed her. A year is an absolutely ludicrous amount of time to not see your family. and especially, your mother. My momma and I have always been close, even through all of the drama, I believe that my mom and I have always maintained a close, open relationship. She has always supported me in anything and always been the one to lend a listening ear. The older I get, the more I see how much we are alike. And although I used to want to avoid this, there is nothing I would change now. She is an amazing person with an amazing and loving soul. She is deeply religious and has always instilled a love for my Heavenly Father and Savior in my life. She is crazy at times, but I love her even more when she is. We both started crying immediately when she pulled up to our apartment. And then we started laughing between tears. It was beautiful and hilarious. I love her!
4. Something to look forward to: Stuart and I are going to take a quick trip to Washington at the end of the summer to see my family there. My auntie Joni (my dad's sister), auntie Rene (my Dad's brother or my late uncle's wife), many cousins and my Grandpa Sistrunk (Dad's Dad) all live in WA. Stuart has never met my Grandpa and I haven't seen him in a long time! So, before we leave the West coast, b/c it will be a LONG time before I want to return, I really feel we need to see that family. My Dad's side all lives in Utah, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii, so it has always been hard to see them. Since I've been out here for school I have seen my family in Utah many times, but I have never made it up to WA. I was also born in Seattle, so I would love to see "my roots" and what Seattle has to offer. So, we'll probably take a quick weekend trip up there and see Washington :)
So much good has happened for us lately. We are so extremely blessed. Although it is hard to be away from our families and friends, we have each other here and
being here all alone now hasn't been bad AT ALL! Stu and I have a wonderful
relationship, I learn more about him each day and we grow more in love each
minute! (sorry, i know that was a little gushy...) We never fight! Seriously. And if we do, its more like a disagreement, and its over something silly and its over in like 5 min. We are happy, even living here in Idaho! Let's hope this last 4 months here
treats us well and goes by fast!
Friday, February 12, 2010
My Worst Nightmare Came True.
February 12th.
~10:30 A.M.
Highway 20--South bound.
I was traveling to work this morning. I was a little concerned driving through Rexburg, as it had snowed last night and left quite a bit of snow on the roads. However, the highway was much more clear than the in-town roads and I was able to drive at a normal speed down Hwy 20.
I was about 15 minutes outside of Idaho Falls when I felt the car hit a patch of ice. I tried to steer the car back and straighten it out when it hit the snow that had gathered in-between the 2 lanes. I failed to gain complete control of the car as it fishtailed more and then eventually turned 180 degrees as it went off the road, rolled three times over a barbed wire fence and then finally landed (thankfully) upright. The air bags did not go off. The windshield caved in. Their were broken windows and glass from the broken windows everywhere. Luckily, I was wearing my seatbelt.
I crawled out of the car through the drivers side window and into the snowy field. I immediately begin searching through the things thrown from the car for my purse and cell phone. My first thought was, "I need to call Stuart." In a state of shock, I guess, I managed to find my purse but begin filling it with random things that were sprawled on the ground (empty cd cases, trash from the car, etc.) I found the front of my cell phone, but the battery and back were missing. A kind woman ran up to me and told me that she would put things back in my purse but said that I needed to get into the car parked on the side of the road.
Three cars stopped to help me. I was helped into one of the cars and a few other kind souls wrapped me in a blanket, called Stuart and tried to call my work. Stuart was in class and the man calling left him a message. The people kept asking me questions and trying to calm me down (I was hysterically crying by now) and trying to see if I had any trauma damage. I seemed to be fine, was able to answer questions and kept blubbering on about how I had totaled our only car and about how I needed to get to Red Robin.
(Background info: YESTERDAY, as in February 11th--Stuart and I found out that my car, the focus, was pretty much shot. We could either spend almost $2000 to repair things that might not actually be the end of the issues and then if not we could spend even more, which unfortunately is not worth doing with that car--so basically she is dead. RIP Fiona...)
Stuart was able to call the kind man back rather quickly and I was able to talk to him and tell him I was all right through sobs. Ryan was able to bring Stuart to Idaho Falls hospital where I was being taken in the ambulance. The paramedics arrived very quickly and because of the neck and head pain I was experiencing placed me in a neck brace, gave me nausea meds as well as some morphine on my ride to the hospital. At the hospital I was given a CT scan which turned out normal. My vitals were great and amazingly I had no real damage. No scrapes, no bleeding, no broken bones or major injuries. Just pain. LOTS of pain...
Stuart and Ryan were able to give me a priesthood blessing and we were able to leave the hospital after about an hour. I was given 2 prescriptions--one for Vicodin (an intense pain reliever) and a muscle relaxer.
Car wrecks are my WORST nightmare. Before today I had never been in one. Living in Idaho has only increased my fear with its constant hazardous winter road conditions. The past two days have been absolutely hellacious. Although their has been car troubles and family drama, I have found that despite all the headaches in dealing with finding a car, figuring out work, paying for a million things, dealing with insurance, dealing with towing, making phone calls, etc. I have been SO COMPLETELY BLESSED. Here are just a few of the tender merices that have come out of this traumatic experience:
1. I am so lucky. I am physically fine. The doctor kept saying that he couldn't believe how fine I was after rolling a car three times and being in a wreck like I was. I don't even have a real scratch on my body.
2. I have loving family and friends who have really reached out to Stu and I. Ryan brought Stu to Idaho Falls (we dont' have another car remember...) and was able to aid Stuart in giving me a priesthood blessing. Meagan had to miss her classes because Ryan was with Stuart and I. Thanks SO much ya'll :) Family and friends have been calling non stop and making sure I am ok...my poor mother just wants to be here so bad...she has called about everything from meds, to symptoms, etc. Thank goodness she is a nurse!
3. These are trials that can help us to rely on the Lord for strength and guidance. In this tough crisis of a time, we can always turn to our Father in Heaven for help and comfort and he will always be there for us. I have truly seen this in my life.
4. Red Robin has been amazing! Stuart called them this morning and told them about the wreck and that I wouldn't be coming in today/tonight. I called them after we got back to Rexburg and explained what happened, how we don't have a car and how I don't know how I am getting to work and missing my shifts, etc. They said they didn't care and that I didn't need to even think about work right now. They were just like, we're here for you if you need anything from rides to money, etc. and to just keep them posted in how I was doing. Who knew Red Robin had a soul? JK!
5. Stuart and I will be so much stronger after this trial has passed. Our parents are wonderful and have offered to help us get back on our feet and once we have resumed normal life I will have a different outlook on life. It is a traumatic and humbling situation and as crazy as it sounds, will be thankful for what it has taught me.
6. I definitely feel that someone was watching over me today. I must be meant to accomplish great things in life and need to start doing more for others and living life more fully.
7. I could've been in my car--and if I would have rolled in little ole' Fiona, it could have been a much worse outcome.
8. There are still kind and selfless people left in this harsh world. Those perfect strangers stopped and helped me today and were truly concerned for me. They called 911/called my husband/tried to call my work/picked up my things/spoke to the paramedics and police for me and just helped me to get a hold of myself and figure out the situation. I am going to get their names from the witness report and send them letters of thanks...they have know idea how much their kindness meant to my traumatized self.
9. There was no one else involved. I can't imagine if I had hit another car or if other people had been involved; people with children; people who could've been really hurt.
10. Major pain killers are heaven sent :)
I am so thankful for my life and for the abundance of blessings that are in it. Although I always have been, today made me really realize how everything could have been way different and somehow it ended pretty amazingly in the sense that I am alive and well and no one else was hurt.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
If you are adult enough to get married, then you should be adult enough to act like, well, AN ADULT.
I am so freakin tired of this place. I am really struggling to maintain a good attitude. Tonight seriously about set me over the edge...
Background:
K, so my calling in our ward is an "activities committee member." I'm not in charge, I am on the committee to help in any way with relief society activities. So tonight was my first activity since I have been called to this position. Before tonight, the whole activities committee, let's call them the A.C., got together TWICE to discuss tonight's activity and delegate things for each person to do for the activity to have gone smoothly.
So, you would think after meeting TWICE and having representatives from each relief society (there are 2: R.S. A and R.S. B) involved in this single activity, it would be a swell evening...WRONG.
K, so lets back up again...I was not able to attend the last A.C. meeting because I had to work and was informed of the meeting a day in advance (exhibit one...which just shows you a little piece of how the organization of this committee goes.) So, the head of the committee emailed me notes from the meeting (3 days later...exhibit 2) and asked that I teach the lesson. Fine, I would love to. She explained also in her email what everyone else's jobs were for the evening to go smoothly. Apparently, everyone forgot what they learned at the meeting.
So, I arrive tonight at 6:25...the door to the clubhouse is locked. I'm thinking, its 5 till, surely the other members of the A.C. or one of the Relief society presidencies are here to let us in. Nope. They show up right on time, but still with no key...way to be on top of things ladies IN CHARGE. So, one of the girls runs to grab her key while we all wait...in the snow.
So, this activity was a combined relief society activity with both A & B...meaning out of about 250 girls, there definitely should be more than 25 that showed...NOPE.
And not only did only about 25 girls show up, there were probably 3, including me, from Relief Society B there...and that doesn't include our presidency, because they didn't show up either. Out of the 4 girls in our presidency: the president, 1st and 2nd counselor and secretary...none of them came. But they sure made it out to be a big deal on Sunday...good charade ladies.
AND although there were about 25 girls there, only like 15 were there on time....so like 10 minutes into my lesson, the rest of the girls show up...late....interrupting the lesson.
So with the girls coming in late, trying to find a seat; the women who brought their babies along and let them cry during the lesson and the other girls having their own private conversations during the lesson, it was TOTALLY worth my time to not only prepare the lesson, but work a lousy 2 hour shift this morning for another worker so she could work my 5 hour shift tonight so that I could be there to waste my time at the relief society activity. AWESOME.
And on top of my lesson being a complete waste, the whole evening was unorganized and ridiculous. I pretty much led the meeting, taught the lesson, gave the closing prayer and explained the game (because the girl in charge of the game didn't know how to explain "big booty" but insisted on playing it anyway...exhibit 3)....and I wasn't even at the meeting where we were all assigned jobs. seriously? I don't understand how everything in our church is SO organized and then its like you hand over an organization of women to a few 21 year old women WHO ARE MARRIED (who should act like adults...) and it all goes to hell. I've been in better singles wards than this...does anyone know what their calling entails???
I left as soon as the activity was over. What a joke. I'm sorry I sound like "negative nancy" but its hard for me to justify attending these activities or taking time to do things and switch my work schedule around, etc when others that are in the freakin presidency don't even bother to show up. We are ALL busy...and we all knew about this in advance. It's frustrating too, because as much as we try and do things for the girls to get to know eachother, the "getting-to-know-eachother" doesn't last beyond the allotted time during the activity. These girls are too involved in their marriage because the majority of them JUST got married and don't care about anything besides that. It's just AN HOUR...you're marriage will survive if you leave him for one hour.
And then like one of the girls with a baby was talking about how her husband was just at home, blah blah blah...well, if he was just at home couldn't he have kept your screaming baby at home with him for a measly hour? seriously...your baby is cute, but we can gawk at her on sunday. I understand if you can't find a sitter, but why don't we have the priesthood step it up and offer babysitting during these times the women get together? Babies are cute...but babies don't care what's going on...they are going to cry regardless of the situation which equals distraction.
I feel that I don't have anyone close in my ward to attend and endure these annoying circumstances with. It's like you can't get close to the girls here because they are either on their own 19-yr old planet, are complete morons or don't want to be involved with anything other than their spouse. I really am trying to be actively involved in my relief society, but it seems I am one of the only ones. I don't understand these girls. I miss the older ladies of my home ward...at least they seem to care...even if the room smells of like 80 different musty perfumes.
totally rude. totally unorganized. totally annoying. tonight was a complete joke. please hurry december.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
First step, sewing machine...
It's true! I'm on my way to my REAL career. I've just received the first critical step in obtaining my dream of designing my own clothing line--a sewing machine, duh!
Here she is!
The only thing standing in my way now is step two, learning to sew. It just may be more critical than step one. Luckily, I went to the library and checked out a couple books on sewing and I am going to attempt to teach MYSELF how to sew.
Skimming through the books I checked out I realized that it is way more complicated than it seems. It seems an impossible task, but I'm not going to school this semester so I have a lot of time to play around and attempt to sew things...Stuart was like, "I'm going to come home and you'll have sewed two towels together." Hopefully I won't become that desperate...I just need to get some material I can play with, scraps of some sort until I understand and then I can move onto sewing my first piece of clothing! I must say that I owe all of this newfound excitement and confidence to my best friend Jess...she made it happen! She had a friend who didn't want her sewing machine anymore and Jess simply relieved her of it and shipped it to me :) She's the BEST!
So here I go...onto doing what I really would like to do with my life. Keep watching those red carpet events, one day you'll see some celebrity being interviewed about their Julie Briggs gown ;) A girl can dream, can't she?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2010.
So I feel totally cliche blogging about the new year, 2010 and about how great 2009 was, blah blah blah, but I have an excuse ok? 2009 was FANTASTIC! Hello...I got married in 2009 :) k, I'm being "that girl" right now and I promise I won't blog long...but I can only look back at this past year and feel overwhelmed with how blessed I have been.
Within a year I managed to get married in the temple to the love of my life,
went to the Bahamas and got my first passport stamp,
experienced Chicago,
hung out and bonded with the in-laws,
finished 2 more semesters of college, moved with Stu into our first home (and I cannot tell you how good it feels to have a place of your own...no gross roommates, no drama, no curfews, etc.)
and received an abundance of blessings-- we have seen so much love in our little 8 month marriage. And that is just listing a few things that went down in '09. How could I not express my gratitude to my loving Heavenly Father as well as to all those family members and friends that have made this past year a great one?
There was no real drama this past year and I can honestly say that that was the first year in a long time that most things in my life went rather smoothly. I will you miss you 2009 but I am ready to continue with 2010 and making it another great year!
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