Half an Hour in Ogden

I went with Kartika to drive Hannah and our friend Noal down to catch the train in Ogden. Before getting to the train station, we stopped at a little pizza place for Hannah and Noal to eat dinner. While looking around the restaurant I saw these...

Naturally, I had to find out what a good idea was...

Well I know what I'm going to be doing this weekend... ;) 

The Perks and Perils of Being a Freshman

Right when you feel cool and grown up after graduating high school, you head to college and realize you're back at the bottom of the food chain. You become the clueless pipsqueak, the underclassmen. You feel short, small and lost in this world of adults that seem to have their lives figured out. You work hard and try your best to figure this whole college thing out. You have to adjust to being away from home, making new friends, cooking your own food, getting along with roommates, studying, having a social life, possibly getting a job, figuring out what you want to major in, the list goes on! Being a freshman can be a fun and exciting experience and also overwhelming. I'm no expert but since I'm in the middle of the second semester of my freshman year, I've decided to compile a list of some perks and perils of being a freshman with the help of my roommates


Perk: You don't need to have it all figured out. You aren't pressured to declare a major right away, you have plenty of time to explore different classes and majors, figure out what you're interested in and what you're not. 

Peril: Aleta said: "Nobody wants to be your friend! They think you're cool until they find out you're a freshman and then they won't talk to you again." Apparently some older people find freshman to be slightly clueless and annoying. We once had some people come over to play games with us, we all tried to be fun and friendly as we could, but one of them refused to interact with us and have fun because we were all freshmen.

Perk: On the flip side, there are also so many amazing people at college and you can make new friends!

With our awesome friend, Maddy!

Perk: Kartika said: "You can do stupid and awkward things and people won't judge you for it because you're a freshman." I guess you could say our awkward encounters are sometimes (imaginatively) followed by a pat on the head and someone saying "It's okay, silly freshman."

Wait...what?

Peril: Aleta pointed out; "You're basically at the bottom of the food chain for everything." When registering for classes you don't get first pick for the classes you want to take and get stuck on the waiting list.

Perk: People understand when you ask for directions and don't know where things are.

Peril: The transition from high school homework to college homework and tests can be overwhelming and stressful at times.

Perk: Hannah said: "It's a new and exciting experience." This is a time in your life that you'll never have again, so embrace the changes, learn to laugh at your silly mistakes and adventures, work hard, stay focused, make new friends, take pictures and just have fun!

Junior High Kids Say the Silliest Things

In 8th and 9th grade I kept a notebook where I would write random and funny things that happened to me throughout the day. When I went home for President's Day weekend, I found my 9th grade moments notebook and thumbed through it. I found some pretty funny moments that made me laugh...
*Some names may be changed to protect the innocent... ;) 

Girl in class: "Did you know that you can get a headache from thinking too much?" 
Teacher: "Oh. Maddy doesn't have to worry then." 

Coach Jex: "Girls, go easy on yourself. Boys and girls are built differently. Some boys could eat everything in your house and not gain one pound. Some girls look at something and gain 4 pounds." 

Oh Junior High...

Girl in my geography class: "Is New York in the United States?"

Boy in my English class: "...We have the right to remain silent!"
Teacher: "Yes. I think you should exercise that right more often."

"We have permission to annoy the heck out of hell."
-My 9th grade seminary teacher

Mr. Johnson: "Teachers, we have a late bus that should be coming in a few minutes, I would make this announcement for those of you on the late bus, but you're not here yet...so it wouldn't do you much good."

Aleta: "Rachel, you're so pretty."

Me: "Awe! Thanks. You are too...if I can get this nectarine open..."
Altea: "I'm only pretty if you can get the nectarine open?!?" 

Derek to Aleta: "Can I use your notes?" 

Aleta: "Uh...no."
Derek: "Why not?"
Aleta: "Because I need them to study!"
Derek: "Study for what?"
Aleta: "Dang it! You got me there..."
Courtney: "Derek, she doesn't trust you with her notes, she's just too nice to say so."

(Role playing in seminary)
Tanner: "I've committed a terrible sin! I've committed murder!"
Kaden (role playing as bishop): "Have you told the family?"
Tanner: "I think they've found out by now..."

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy 17th Birthday to my cute cousin, Camri! 

I think I was about 12 and she was 10 in this picture...

Since when did she get to be so old??

And now, since it's Valentine's Day, here are some cheesy and nerdy valentines I found on Pinterest, enjoy! 

Word on the Street #6

Aleta: "I hate pickles, but I love the smell of them. Don't give me a bouquet of roses, just give me a jar of pickles."

Me (Typing fast while indexing, then pausing): "Ever since playing Trivia Crack I think that everything is timed."

(Quizzing Lyndsey for our History test)
Me: "Describe the average immigrant."
Lyndsey: "A foreigner!" 

(At Pier 47, I absentmindedly started pouring the parmesan cheese from the shaker into the pepper shakers on the table)
Kartika: "Stop! What are you doing? What if someone's allergic to cheese?
Me: "Then they wouldn't be coming to a pizza place..."

Kartika: I can be a very spiteful person
Aleta: What? Oh I thought you said spider person!
Kartika: I'm spider man! 
Me: Kartika why didn't you tell us?!?
Lyndsey: I'm Batman.
Me: I'm Ironman.
Aleta: Is this a bad time to tell you I'm Captain America? 
Lyndsey: Wait if you're Captain Man..
The rest of us: Captain man?!?

Random Pictures

Some of the adventures my roommates and I had this week...

Random photo shoot that Kartika and I had on Monday...

This girl wins the photogenic award

Say Cheese! 

Dramatic Tree Picture...

My attempt at a dramatic tree picture...

Hannah taught us how to do a messy bun on Thursday, these were the results...

Aleta had to go to the toy store for a Human Development assignment. We decided to tag along...

Having too much fun at the toy store

Oh these two! 

Duel!

Lyndsey, Kartika and I went on a walk today. It was weirdly warm for February in Utah, but it was beautiful!

Lyndsey told me not to move, so I didn't.
She took a picture...

On our walk

B-Day Selfies

Everyday in yearbook since the end of March, Seth, Anthony and I would take what we called "B-Day Selfies".  We would generally take them in the same spot in the same order everyday. It became a random tradition until we graduated and they went on their missions. Well, in their e-mails recently I noticed that both of them took a selfie making close to the same face in the same position, so I took the opportunity and combined a picture of me, Anthony and Seth to make another B-Day selfie. It made me smile. Thousands of miles doesn't impact the ability to make a B-day selfie one bit. :) 

In Logan, Spain and Denmark (Iceland)


And a few of the original B-Day Selfies just for fun...

I believe this was the very first one... 

Jessica the Junior (now senior) in the background ^

I look like I'm the only one awake in this one...

One of my favorites 

Last Day of Senior Year 

Yearbook Awards
 Anthony: Photoshop Wizard
Me: Disney Princess Award
Seth: Best Supporting Actor 

The Small Town Fugitive

Personal narrative that I wrote for my English class...

“Don’t speed in Mapleton! The cops have nothing better to do than to pick up people who speed!” This is a phrase frequently heard around my community. I grew up in a small Utah town called Mapleton. It’s nestled underneath the beautiful Maple Mountain and sandwiched in between Springville and Spanish Fork. Mapleton has everything a quaint small town could have; large parks, fields, only two streets containing stoplights, and parts of town untouched by concrete sidewalks. The only commercial places we have in Mapleton are a Subway, three gas stations, a floral shop, and a random insurance place. Also, quite notably, is the scarce amount of crime in Mapleton. That’s why it’s not uncommon for people to warn outsiders not to speed. It’s a joke that the police force in Mapleton doesn’t have anything to deal with besides a couple of people speeding 40 MPH down a street marked with a speed limit of 35 MPH. I always laughed about this until I had my own experience with the police force that not only made it funny, but true as well.

It was a warm and peaceful Sunday summer evening in Mapleton. My friend, Anthony and I were at a friend’s house for a missionary farewell. Anthony and I walked out of our friend’s house into the summer air and jumped into my trusty 2003 Honda Pilot. We were sandwiched in between two cars and I carefully backed out and went on my way to drive Anthony home to Spanish Fork. As I headed down the road, I noticed in my rearview window that there was a middle-aged man in a white truck glaring at me and waving his finger. I was confused, but decided to ignore it.

 We drove to Spanish fork and the truck continued to follow us. At this point, I was thoroughly uneasy about this stalking truck. I decided to double check to ensure that the truck really was following me and it wasn’t simply a coincidence.  I weaved in and out of a confusing neighborhood, the kind of neighborhood that a person would only go to if they lived there. I glanced in my side mirror and sure enough the truck was still on my tail.  

Drive to the police station.” Anthony told me, to which I agreed. As I was about to head in the direction of the nearest police station, much to my mixed relief as well as dismay, a police officer showed up and pulled me over. I jumbled in my wallet for my driver’s license and told Anthony to search in the glove box for the registration.  I watched timidly as the police officer made his way to my car. I slowly rolled down the window.

“Do you know why I pulled you over?” The police officer asked.

“No.” I told him honestly.

“Have you noticed this truck following you?” He asked.

“Yeah!” I responded. Who wouldn’t? He proceeded to tell me that the mysterious white truck thought I had committed a hit and run back in Mapleton, after I backed out and apparently hit the car parked behind me. Anthony and I looked at each other very confused. “I didn’t hit the car…did I?” I thought to myself. Lost in this thought, I watched as another police car pulled up. “Great now I’m a fugitive, there are two police cars after me now!”

I piped up and informed the officer that I was parked in-between two cars and it was certainly possible that I hit the car behind me backing up, but I didn’t believe that I had. The officer took my license and said he’d work it out. I watched as one of the officers conversed with stalking truck man, who had pulled over with the police as well. My confused look turned into a glare as he finished talking and drove away.

         The other police officer got out of his car and inspected my car; he informed me my car was free from any damage. Soon, three more police cars showed up, so there were six police cars there just for me! My best guess was because they were bored on a Sunday evening and saw activity going on and decided to join in. I felt embarrassed, with all the police cars there, the cars driving by probably thought the scene was a drug bust or murder investigation. All the criminals in the city could've gotten away with anything because the police force of Mapleton and Spanish Fork were surrounding an innocent girl who was simply minding her own business and going about her Sunday evening peacefully.

The officers informed me that they had sent another police car to inspect the other car that I apparently had hit. We sat there for a while, until the officer received news that there was no damage to the other car. He told me I was free to go.

Now I find the situation humorous more than anything, it may have been scary at the time but at least it makes for an interesting story to tell. Essentially, I got pulled over by 6 police cars for not hitting another car because someone was bored on a Sunday evening and took it upon himself to investigate something that wasn't their business.