Beach Bum

I felt as if I hadn't posted in a few days, so I figured I'd give you all an update on my life. Then I realized I posted yesterday. My sense of time is complete crap.



Edmonds, Washington

So I had a nice orthodontist appointment today, and I decided I was going to stop being patient and actually ask them when they plan on taking this contraption out of my mouth. I mean, it's been nearly two years already and yeah, moving off to college set me back a bit, but I am seriously tired of being that-nineteen-year-old-with-braces. The final verdict is February, but seeing as I'm going straight back to school after Florida, it's more like next April. *insert swear words here*

On a brighter note, I went beach hopping tonight with a good friend and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. That's one of the things that I love about living near water - a coastline will definitely be a prerequisite for my future residence.

I also found out yesterday that I received a very generous scholarship from my university! However, I am alotted half of the total award during both fall and winter semesters. Since I won't be at school for fall semester, and I sure don't want to waste that money, I am officially going to be attending school for spring and summer terms next year in order to still get the other half of the scholarship. Holy crap, and I just realized that this will mean that I will be away from home for exactly a year. That is definitely a downside. But in the long run, it will be totally worth it!

And be sure to check out some great videos from a few of my favorite YouTubers:
JacksGap featuring FunForLouis: The Bedroom Ball Pit
PointlessBlog featuring ThatcherJoe: The Tin Can Challenge
MarcusButlerTV featuring dicasp: Two Boys With Helium

Home, Sweet Home!

And boy, does it feel good. I just got back from playing a sweet pickup game of ultimate frisbee down in Bothell, which was loads of fun, as well as a "you're so freaking out of shape" wake up call!

I cannot even convey to you how tired I was when I got back from the airport. After taking a visit to the Fremont Troll with my family, I headed over to my friends house for the rest of the night. Despite the fact that I slept for a majority of the two-hour plane ride, I crashed on his couch while playing with his kid brother and slept for a good three hours. But by the time I woke up around midnight, I was recovered enough to hit up Denny's with the crew for some late night breakfast! It's been a great weekend, if I do say so myself.

However, the downside of it all is that my computer refuses to stay logged on for longer than three minutes before shutting down. It did the same thing when I went up to Rexberg a couple weeks ago, so I'm going to have to take it into the shop sometime this week. I'm just hoping that it's an easy, cheap fix! Until then, all my blogging will be from the family computer. Lucky me.

SLC -> SEA

This flew over us on the way to the airport!

Well, it's 7 in the morning, and I have managed to not fall asleep at all. I suppose that's what I get for not having any pillows. Or sheets. Or blankets. And for having internet connection, as well as a growing obsession with the YouTube channels mentioned in my previous blog post.

My shuttle should be arriving in about a half hour to take me to the airport. I really have no idea how I'm going to lug around my backpack, carry-on duffel bag, and three checked bags. I imagine this is where a lot of money and a personal assistant would come in handy. Or a third arm. Or one of those carts they rent out I suppose, if you want to be boring...

Three hours later...

It took me exactly twenty minutes to get my bags checked and go through security. I think I deserve a medal, or a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. How about some homemade cookies? Deal.

So I decided to put together a video montage of my journey from Salt Lake to Seattle. What better time to learn how to make videos than now! I got a pretty sick shot of me eating my delicious fruit snacks - that is definitely my favorite part so far. I'd like to get up and explore, maybe go on one of those flat escalators for the first time (what the heck are those things called...?), but my bags are so freaking heavy, I have no desire to lug them  around the airport. Even though I have an hour and a half until my flight leaves.

Ok let's do this.

Update (5/1/2013) - So, being relatively new to the whole iPod touch thing, I definitely shot all of my videos sideways. Unless you want a neck ache watching them, they're pretty much garbage. But it was a good learning experience! I think I'm just going to invest in an actual camcorder.

Boxes and Packaging Tape

I just got back from mailing off three more packages full of my stuff. Including my bedsheets, so tonight will likely be rather uncomfortable. Unfortunately, being the procrastinator that I am, I still haven't arranged for a ride for me and my luggage to the airport yet. That is potentially a problem, but not currently, so I won't worry too much about that.

At the moment, I am running off of 8 hours of sleep for the past 48 hours, and a diet consisting of fruit snacks, calzones, and V8 Splash. It's safe to say that my brain is only 10% functioning, and I'm probably one sleepless night away from being deemed clinically insane. What do I resort to, then? The internet of course (I may have a slight addiction).

So I have been watching a lot of YouTube lately - at least a couple hours worth per day. I suppose that's what happens when your only purpose in life at the moment is packing and cleaning. Anyway, I've been watching loads of JacksGap, and have discovered a few more interesting channels: dicasp, Sam, PointlessBlog, and MarcusButlerTV. I may be going through a phase, and once you realize the commonality between these channels you will see what I mean exactly... But one thing I love is that the guys that run these channels often collaborate and make videos together, and they are so darn entertaining! Visit the "Videos" tab above, and I will link in some of their uploads!

P.S. Please bear with me as I experiment with different blog templates over the next couple days!

Snickerdoodle

Finals are over. No more studying, no more cramming, no more worrying. I am not even exaggerating, I stacked all the flashcards I made this year and it was at least two feet tall.

But it still hasn't hit me yet. I feel like it's just a mid-semester break and I'll have to head back to class next week. Even the fact that I'm packing my life into boxes, once again, isn't helping me grasp this reality. And speaking of packing, I must say that the cost of mailing a package is outrageously high. It cost me $13 just to send my Nintendo 64 home, and that box was tiny compared to what I have in store for the post office tomorrow! I really need to cut down - all this packing has made it crazy clear how much unnecessary crap I have. I'll add that one to the to-do list.

I must admit, today was a good day. I made a few batches of snickerdoodles in a delicious effort to get rid of my excess baking supplies and invited all of facebook over to help themselves. But this really did make me realize how much I missed out this year - I was such a hermit and didn't nearly take enough time to get to know the people around me. It took too much effort, I told myself.

I talked to some pretty awesome people for hours today, but come Saturday, I probably won't see them ever again. Or at least for the next couple years, seeing as most of them are going on missions.

Is that seriously all it took? A half hour worth of baking and a facebook post and BAM. Three hours of social interaction, all in the comfort of my own dorm room. The semester may be over, but I am still learning.

7th Inning Stretch

One of the worst feelings to experience in college is when you know the end is in sight, but you still have another hurdle to jump. I have my last final tonight, and a 2-3 page essay to write by tomorrow. I know I can do this, I've accomplished more difficult tasks before. But the fact that I can practically reach out and touch Seattle - that's how close it seems - that's what is exponentially decreasing my motivation to finish out the day.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved this year - college has been one of the best experiences for me. But there comes a point, at least for me, where you just have to revert back to your origins, even just for a little while. As you grow older, the time that you can stand to elapse between these visits will grow longer, but the need to return home will always be present. After four months, I am due for a visit.

I just hope that the time I can stand to elapse will increase by the time August rolls around. I'll be moving to Florida for four and a half months, then I'll have to fly straight back to campus for winter semester in January. Finally, after 9 months, I'll be able to return home in April. But beside the months I'll be away from home, the thing that will impact me the most is that I am going to lose a great group of friends this summer, including one of my best friends. They will be leaving for two years to serve missions for the LDS church. I am going to miss them, but I'm sure it will be a life-changing experience.

Until then, I will just enjoy the summer months I have ahead of me!

2,200 Miles

Today I made what I thought was a pretty sad realization. In my entire life, the farthest I have been away from home is a total of 2,200 miles. And that was when I was two years old. I perceived this as depressing because I have barely been anywhere, I haven't gone on any adventures! Besides that trip to Alaska when I was two, the farthest I've ever been was North Dakota. Exciting. (No offense to anyone who does live there... It wasn't exactly my cup of tea).

But then I took that 2,200 miles (3,500 km, if you will) and took a good look at Europe. With 2,200 miles, I could travel from the edge of Spain to the edge of Russia. That's practically across the entire continent - potentially 11 countries!

So it's settled, at an undetermined point in my life, I am moving to Europe, where the adventures seem endless. Who knows, maybe I'll buy a flat outside of London and settle down for a bit? I don't know, I just need some adventure. Perhaps I'll hit up New York first - that is of course after I'm done living in Disney World for half a year.

Hmm, that actually doesn't sound like a horrible way to spend my life. I've never really liked the idea of staying in one place for too long. I'll just spend an unknown amount of time living in each of the places I've always wanted to visit around the world. I'm going to make a list, and I'll post it in a tab above called "Travel." Look for it soon to see where in the world I will live some day, at some point in time.

Until then, how are you going to spend your 2,200 miles?
Now is the time to cash them in.
Now it the time for an adventure!

Munchkin Kitten

I tried googling "music." I ended up looking at munchkin cats.
How could I resist this cuteness?!

We did it. Exactly 1,000 page views from almost 30 different countries. This is quite the milestone, and one that I didn't plan on reaching as soon as I did!

And on another happy note, it seems as if this sickness is slowly waning. I was supposed to have a music exam tomorrow, but after explaining this whole sick thing to my professor, she was kind enough to let me take it later in the week. I am so grateful for understanding people!

Next matter of business, I have made it into season 3 of Numb3rs. You seriously need to check this show out. I remember back in early high school, I definitely made the most of my Friday nights, if you know what I mean. That's right, Ghost Whisperer at 8pm, and then Numb3rs at 9pm. Every. Friday. Night.

I had my priorities straight.

T-minus 13 days until I am finally home. Yes.

I'm Sick Of This

Can I just say how much being sick in college sucks? Especially since I am usually very good at avoiding this kind of thing. I don't think I've missed school from being seriously sick since early high school. Luckily it came around as the week was winding down, and I only had one class on Friday. I would have skipped this class, but since we had a quiz, I had no choice but to pull myself together and slump down there. I'm just glad I was able to slip out of the classroom after the quiz was over.

But I'm pretty sure mother nature is making up for all of the sicknesses I have avoided in recent years. Friday was fever day, that night and this morning was cough time, and now I have the worst cold. Not to mention the crazy perpetual headache.

And I must say, the only upside to being sick is the food. Jell-O, pudding, and Popsicles for days! Although I could really go for a maple bar right about now...

Let's just hope this whole sick thing eases up before finals next week. My first one is on Monday, hence why I am listening to Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet right now. Oh, the joys of Music 101. But I am glad we've moved on from the Gregorian chants. Those were harsh.

P.S. I gotta give a special shout out to my roommate for the Jell-O. And the cough drops. And free reign of her movie collection. And for making me macaroni and cheese. Thank you!

Night

Black as night, and thin as ice,
the sheet before us lay,
Blinding us from what is real
during the light of day.

Though as the night draws ever near,
swallowing all light in his way,
the sheet before us vanishes
and reality comes out to play.

"Do not fear," he says to me,
"I know all you think and do.
I can offer comfort.
I can offer truth."

Every night, I refuse,
for I fear what I do not know,
until one night I decide
to see what he has to show.

Black as night, and thin as ice,
the sheet before you lay,
And I, on the other side
in reality, as you delay.

K.S.

Vacation, Part 2

Well, I did it again. I got in a car full of very friendly strangers and took a trip up to Rexburg, Idaho for my vacation this semester, and it was a blast!! I was able to see some of my friends, eat some of the best junk food around, and have a great time. One thing that I regret from my last trip was that I didn't take very many pictures. This time, I took a ton! But it just so happens that they were all taken for Snapchat purposes, so they don't exactly exist anymore...except for this one:

Gangster Gnomes in Walgreen's

According to my countdown, I have 16 days left until the very last day of finals week! And only 6 days of classes - 8 classes total for me (although this is a rough estimate seeing as I tend to make a habit of skipping class to sleep... like today. But in my mind, this is okay as long as I still get a good grade in the class. So don't do this unless you are confident that you won't bomb all your finals!).

Okay, no more fantasizing about going home in three weeks - I have homework to procrastinate on. Ready, break.

Forensics

As you may recall from my previous post, Vacation, I took a lovely, impromptu trip to Rexburg, Idaho. And now I figure it's time for part two! But unlike last time, I have taken an entire 4 days in advance to plan the trip (that's like 2 more days than last time!). I'll be leaving this Friday, and it's the perfect time seeing as my next round of exams aren't until finals week, which starts the 19th. So until then, there's no need to study, and much need to party! Well, maybe there is a minimal need to study... I'll do that later.

Anyway, I had my photo shoot earlier this morning for the Circle of Honor essay contest, where which I won first place and a $300 cash prize! And then spent it all the next day on my flight to Orlando for the DCP, so it went to a good cause!

I applied for a Student Auxiliary Services grant recently, and made it into the finals! My interview is next Wednesday, so keep your fingers crossed!

But most importantly, I am well into season 2 of Numb3rs, my absolute favorite crime show! And it goes without saying that Charlie Eppes is the best character, hands down. Now I'm actually considering narrowing my career path within the field of psychology - forensics! Then I can go work for the FBI! I'll be sure to let you know if it all works out, or if I just change my career path again based on the next TV show I drown myself in...