"We're Burning Down The Night, Shooting Bullets At The Moon."

Summer is here, I don't care what anyone says.

My shoulders are sunburnt, I come home every day covered in dirt, almost all of the ice is off the lake (we all know what that means - swim time this weekend!), calving/lambing season is over with, and leaves are imminent. 

Sounds like summer to me. 

Other than sorting seed potatoes and doing some planting prep on the farm, work has been pretty uneventful, which honestly I'm kinda thankful for. I forgot how much I enjoyed the mellow season on the farm, before all the people start coming out and the place turns hectic. 

Catching the sunset has been crazy hard this week on account of all the 4-wheelers and trucks down on the river bed kicking up the dust, but I got a shot this weekend sitting up top on the deck. Even though I complain about living out in the middle of nowhere, it does have its perks. 

Met with a personal trainer this week at the gym (apparently its mandatory for new members, psh) and got some tips for building my core. I've had sore stomach muscles ever since too, thank you sir. 

Went a looked at more lambs this weekend. Gosh dang it they were beautiful! Now that I've spent a year at school and gotten just a little taste of what the stock is like down in the lower 48, I had a good time checking out the newborns here. 

I pretty much fell head-over-heels in love with this ram lamb. He made me want to start up a flock of my own even though I have sworn to myself I will never raise sheep again. I may or may not have lied. 

After looking at sheep, there was grocery shopping that needed to be done for the cow, which just kinda made me laugh. 

I did get some funny looks in Walmart. Oh well - farmin' and proud of it. REPRESENT. 

This weekend was pretty chill though otherwise. I helped out with a Relief Society function (I taught a little restorative yoga session, fun!) and spent alot of time in the sun. I figure I gotta get all the time in I can before it snows randomly in July. 

And I even made it to the YSA ward this week. It felt good to be back around people my age. Family wards just don't feel quite right anymore. Gotta enjoy my youth! 

Well enjoy your Sunday evening, mi amigos!

(Four more months 'till Rexburg!)

"This Is How We Roll - This Is How We Ride."

It's been another week back in the 'ole AK. 

I almost forgot what life was like here - muddy boots, my ball cap, cow riding, and clothes that are somehow always covered in dirt, hay, and probably some sort of animal hair. Started work again on Monday - potato sorting season - woot woot. I actually don't mind it - I missed coming home dusty and done for the day. It definitely confirms the fact that as dumb as the major sounds (beef production, I'll never hear the end of it here), I've definitely gotta go into something where I can get muddy and wear my boots (which are in sore need of replacing - just about breaks my heart). 

So yeah, worked this week, ran the Butte a few times. I'm not quite as fast as I was last summer, but I'll get it back before long. I'm figuring I've got to beat my 10 minute up record before I leave for Rexburg again. I think it can be done. 

Crazy how a baby mountain can have so many memories attached. I can hardly run the thing anymore without being back in last summer all over again. Guess that's a perk and downside simultaneously. 

This weekend I got out and went to the play over at the high school. It was fun being back and watching everyone on stage again. And of course, it was good to spend time at the VHO afterwards that night. I got to be with some people that I really missed (who woulda thought ;) - it felt alot like high school all over again. 

Then it was a girl's night with the little adopted sister - mostly consisted of eating our body weight in peppermint patties and Doritos, but hey, that's how we roll. Oh, and satisfying our latest obsession with Luke Bryan's angelic voice. I think we listened to Play It Again on repeat for about an hour. A little ironic, actually. 

(Dismiss the dumb facial expressions - Like my football blankie? Just checked out the 2014 NFL schedule. Gettin' excited. Go Broncos!)

Oh yeah, and snap chatting happened too, as is shown by the selfie above. But for some reason everyone was asleep when we snapped them. Crazies. It was only like 3am for pete's sake. 

Hand milking has also been a thing. I've lost my touch. I mean, I ain't bad, but I'm no where near as fast as I was when I left. Guess it's a good thing I'm not goin' into the dairy industry (just watch... I'll end up doing dairy.)

And I've seen a few moose! They're comin' out in full force. Probably outa be having their calves before long too. I felt a little like the city folk stopping on the side of the road to take this picture, but oh well. It was exciting. I didn't see a single moose in Idaho, despite the fact that there were apparently a couple there.

Annnnnnd that was my week. I've been tryin' to avoid thinking about the 'burg too much - I get homesick when I do. Got my grad plan all figured out though, so I know what classes I'll be (hopefully) taking next semester. Fingers crossed I get into the AI class... and the meats class. Talk about a fun semester if everything goes as planned. ;) 

Oh and a wonderful roomie from my first semester got married this weekend! So sad I had to miss the wedding (gosh Alaska, why you gotta be so far away), but so, so happy for Mr. and Mrs. Howard! :)

Keep it real this week y'all! I'll just be here in Palmer... playing with my cow. 

#signinout

"This Life I Live, It Might Not Be For You, But It's For Me."

So I'm pretty sure I skipped a week. Oh well. Life happens.

Alrighty, so I have officially finished my first year of college! Woot woot - I am no longer a freshman and it's about dang time. So I figured since I'm all experienced now, I'd do another "what I learned at college" post. Here goes.

Community laundry sucks as much as everyone says. It's expensive, you can never get a washing machine on the weekend, people steal your clothes (like come on, folks), and if you're .2 seconds late getting back to the laundry room, someone dumps all your freshly washed laundry on the nasty floor. I have never appreciated a private laundry room as much as I do now. 

You can escape the "Freshman Fifteen". It just requires lots of gym time. It is inevitable that you will eat like crap all through finals, midterms, any exams, roommate dramas, holidays, and basically every day. But as long as you run that off on the 'ole treadmill, your pants should still fit by the end of your first year.

Caffeine will save your life. Energy drinks were just another thing I never appreciated until college. But I tell you what, they'll get you through any last minute paper or homework assignment you're working on at three in the morning. Also they make a great substitute when playing pong. #mormoncollege

You will actually use that math that you learned in high school that you said you'd never use. Algebra, trig, and calculus may seem pointless now, but turns out, they're pretty handy when college comes around. I know I'm not the only one who complained all through high school because the formulas seemed useless, but I had to take back everything I said when those same formulas helped me to determine the yield grade on beef carcasses in class. 

Not everyone sticks around. Especially if you go to BYU-I 'cause everyone gets married. But in general, that was something I had to learn pretty quick. You'll make those good friends that'll stay with you through a few semesters (maybe even a few school years), but alot of people you'll lose touch with as soon as class ends. And that's okay - you don't need three-trillion friends to be happy. 

Go into the roommate situation with a good attitude. Having roommates is never really ideal, but I know from experience it works out better if you don't go into the semester hating these people you haven't even met yet. Heck, maybe you'll even love the girls! Also, don't judge future roommates by their facebook profiles - it seriously does zero good. 

Make sure you study what you love or you won't want to keep studying. I went into my first year as an exercise physiology major, because I knew a career in that field would make good money and I figured I'd enjoy it. However, after taking a livestock reproduction class as an elective, I realized that agriculture was really where my interest was. I put off switching my major until the last week of that first semester, because I didn't want to give up the exercise-phys-major status, but it was the best thing I did all year. Which goes right into...

Don't be ashamed of what you love. This includes your major. You think it was easy telling people for the first few weeks that I'm a beef production major? Heck no. That's gotta be one of the dumbest sounding majors on this planet. But I finally came to terms with the fact that, hey, I love cows - what of it? So whether it's beef production, knitting (*coughAllegracough*), or underwater basket weaving, be proud of that, man. 

You really can do it all. I swear, every time I get on Pinterest I see that little pie chart that says, "College Life: social life, good grades, enough sleep - pick two". Psh, little Pinterest pie chart, you're a liar. It doesn't take Superman to do it all - you can do it too. I did and I'm not even that organized. You just have to realize that occasionally you'll make some sacrifices. Like a couple hours of sleep in exchange for night out with your favorite people. Or a weekend of studying for a test instead of that party. There will be another one next weekend anyway. But yeah - don't listen to the pie chart - time management isn't rocket science. 

Document everything! Pictures, journaling, blogging, instagram, whatever the heck it takes. Memories are great, but you need something substantial to keep them around. Plus it's great to look back on. So take lots of pictures and write down the big things. #butfirstlemmetakeaselfie

Learn how to cook. Do this before you leave home. Or else you will be eating alot of Chinese take-out and instant potatoes. Every. Night. 

Remember who you are. If your teenage years were anything like mine, your father yelled this out the door to you as you left the house each weekend. Let's be real - it got annoying and you mostly just laughed it off. Then you go to college and suddenly you're on your own, without anyone to remind you anymore. Sure, your college years are a great time to discover what you really like and what kind of a person you'll really end up being. I know I learned alot about myself my freshman year, as cheesy as that sounds. I learned that I enjoy washing dishes, I have a knack for writing essays (I'm the master of BS), I fall in love at least once a week, and I have an incredible aversion to bacon. But the most basic things about me never changed and it was something I probably could have been reminded of a few times throughout my first year. You're not going to impress everyone, so don't bother trying. Just stay you and the whole thing works out. 

_______________________________________

Figured I'd throw in a few pictures from this last week back in the great state of Alaska. I've done my best to keep busy and out of too much trouble. 

I missed this little chubster. Can't believe he'll be six in just over a week. Cray.

Got in the first horseback ride of the year! This gal put up quite the fight, but as always, I won. My shoulders, thighs, calves, and basically everything were feelin' it the next day though. 

Went down to the riverbed. I forgot just how beautiful Alaska really is. Those mountains! Gosh dang.

Took a 24 mile walk with mom on Friday. I'll be honest, my feet were killing me. But this view though. 

Spent the weekend with the little sister - making no bakes, caramel popcorn, and watching movies. It's good to be back! (But I do miss Rexburg a little.)

Peace out amigos - stay classy. 

"Now My Life's Another City, Another Picture."

Tomorrow. Finals. Begin.

Ew. 

Can we just like, skip ahead to where I pass all of my classes with flying colors and can stop stressin'? That'd be nice. 

So this week was just uncomfortably lax on homework - which just makes me nervous for what the next week's gonna throw at all of us lucky enough to be hitting the finals. The roommates and I were real smart this weekend and stocked up hard core on Ben and Jerry's. You know we're gonna need those boys to get us through this with minimal tears. 

Also we built a fort. I like to call it Fort Burg - it sounds real official. 

Alot of hard work went into this monument, let me tell you. Careful stacking and precise couch flipping - this was no easy task. But we did it. Darn right we did. And I'm quite proud of us, if we're being honest here.

So then of course we had to pull out the camera and document our accomplishment. I think this is probably the climax of my freshman year right here. Probably the greatest thing I've done in college thus far. Which is saying something. I'm not sure what exactly, but hey, somethin' fo sho. 

We call this our "come hither" look. And sometimes we wonder why we're single. Shocking. 

Anyways, I got to go to the temple twice this week! I figured I should get my time in while I'm here, since I don't have a huge amount of time left. And plus, the Rexburg temple is quickly becoming a favorite place of mine. 

Let's see, what else have we donnnnne this week. 

Well, we watched Insidious 2 last night. The roommates aren't big into scary movies, but I'm trying my darndest to convert them. I think it's working. Probably not, but hey, effort. 

And General Conference was yesterday and today! Talk about amazing! I swear, I remember when I couldn't sit through a session and now I wish they were an hour longer. And can we just appreciate L. Tom Perry's talk for a sec. It was pretty dang powerful. Like, enough to maybe make this girl cry like a baby in a chapel full of strangers.

Tonight we are gettin' camped out in the fort, with Doritos and The Prestige, getting in another girl's night because why not. I'm really, really gonna miss these ladies when I leave. I mean, I kinda like them and all. A little. Lot.

Well, Imma signin' out for the evening, y'all. Wish me luck on my finals. I have the feels I'm gonna need it.

Stay real, chill and classy. Adios mi amigos. 

#selfieweekend

"So Catch Up, 'Cause You've Got An Awful Long Way To Go."

So I was gonna write this yesterday, but I figured I should probably get my homework done instead once I got home - that's what happened.

Last week was a real good one though. Now that the semester's kinda coming to a close, professors are all being pretty lax, which means basically no homework. But I know I'll get hit hard next week when finals start up.

So, Monday was pretty relaxed - got my missionary emails, which is my favorite way to start a week.

Tuesday I spent in the meat lab. Probably more fun than it should be.

We worked with lamb carcasses this week - which I was most excited to learn about of all the species, so it was kinda my thing. But it was our last week in the meat lab, so I was a little sad about that. Oh well, next fall I'll be back at it.

Wednesday and Thursday were just like, gym time and classes. I upped my squat to 120lbs - 125lbs is coming this week for sure. I was gonna try that Saturday but got lazy. Ah well. It'll happen tonight. 

Friday was more classes and I got my storage unit rented for this summer. Figured I oughta get that taken care of. That night the roommates and I went to party, because our weekends together are quickly getting used up. There was a dance on the roof of the parking garage at North Point, so we went to that. I haven't been to an off-campus dance at all this semester, so it was good to get out again. 

It was a good time. And I still got home before 1am, so I consider it a success. ;)

This is what my Saturday looked like. Ben and Jerry's paired with "Water For Elephants", make for a pretty chillaxed day. 

That night there was a 90's themed party, so the roommates and I got all dressed up and went to that. It was fun - definitely more chill than the party at North Point, but we know how to make it a good time. 

This is us trying to be attractive + cool... I'm not sure if we succeeded or not, but that's what happened. We left the party at about 10:30 to come home and order pizza, so I guess you could say we're pretty hard core partiers. 

Sunday was our last time having church with the ward, due to like Conference and such! Which was kinda sad. :( But it's kind of a relief to be done teaching - woot woot. Then we spent the night with friends, like we always do - and it was a good day. 

Good week. 

Alrighty, well, English class is a-calling and I've got to go present my extremely dramatic movie review of Titanic (which is just about one of the best movies to ever grace this planet) to the class, soooo, until next week, my friends. 

Don't forget to stay amazing, por favor. 

"What Good Is A Love Song?"

So the best part of last week was probably when I got to play with sheep, because it's been awhile since I've done that. And by play I mean evaluate them for slaughter, but ya know, same thing to an ag major. 

Other than that, this week has been pretty chillaxed. Or at least, less than exciting. I wrote an english paper, couple religion essays, took a test on the dairy industry. I know, amazing stuff.

I upped my squat max to 115 lbs, which I am incredibly happy with, but I'm going to try 125 this week, because yolo, right. 'Course, it would just be my luck to hurt myself right before the end of semester, so we'll see how this goes.

The roommates and I went to see Divergent this weekend too (girl's night, duh) and it was actually pretty decent. The guy who played Four wasn't my favorite - he was a little too pretty, but all in all, it was worth seeing. Stuck to the book pretty well.

Also finally went to tour North Point apartments this weekend - I figured it would probably be a good idea before actually moving in next fall. L.O.V.E. them. They'll be just finnnnnne for this person. Plus they are literally right across the street from the gym. Location is everything, in my book. 

I started packing some of my things today. Made me a little sad, but I figured I'd better get a head start before finals week comes around in a few. Can I just say though, having to choose which items of clothing to leave here for the next few months is incredibly painful. I'm trying to let go, but it's a process.

A'ight. Sleep is a-callin' to me. But I'll probably go watch Pitch Perfect instead.

G'night pretty ladies and handsome fellas. Stay cool, 'kay?

"Don't Let What They Say Keep You Up At Night."

I can't believe there's only like, three weeks left to the semester. I feel like I just got here and at the same time, I feel like I've been in college forever. Funny how that works.

I meant to get this written yesterday, but ended up getting a little distracted and then was up 'till three working on an English paper. Sleep is so overrated, after all.

Sooooo, highlights of last week -

Got a 92% on a math test. Heck to the yeah. Might just pull an A in that class.

Watched the cattle slaughtering and butchering process in one of my ag classes, which wasn't like super exciting, but the entertaining part was the offended princesses who sit in the very back. Come on ladies, where did you think meat came from?

I went rock climbing for the first time this week too, which let's be real, was actually a good time. I suck at it, but hey, I got to the top of the wall a couple times and that's really all that matters. And the next day I was so sore I thought I was gonna die, so that's always a bonus.

Talked to my bestest friend from back home, who I suck at keeping in contact with. Can't wait to see her again and get back to our Alaskan shenanigans.

Roommate night was Friday night (who needs date night when you've got your girls) and we went to see Monument Men. I'll be honest, I fell asleep partway through, but we went to the eleven o'clock showing so I really can't be blamed for that.

Saturday we decided to have a Harry Potter marathon. We really only got through the first three movies so obviously marathons are not a skill we possess, but it was a good time and made me realize how much I'll miss my people here.

That's basically my week summed up, I'd say.

The closer it gets to April, the more I wish things could slow down just a bit. I mean, I'm looking forward to seeing the family and some specific folks back in the Last Frontier, but a big part of me wishes it could be like a two week visit and then I could get back here to Rexburg. I'm already homesick for the burg and I haven't even left yet, how pathetic is that. When I left Alaska six months ago, I didn't really believe anyone when they said that things would be different when I get back - but it's crazy how right they were. I just hope that the next few months go by fast, so I can get back here to my cows in sexy rexy. And the people are pretty great too.

'Til next week y'all... #butfirstlemmetakeaselfie

"Call My Name Or Walk On By."

So, this week I've been kind of obsessed with that song, Don't You Forget About Me, by Simple Minds and I have literally played it on repeat for the last seven days. Sorry roomies. It only happened 'cause I watched The Breakfast Club on Monday and my word... good movie, if ya want to get choked up at the end. It'll do that to you.

Okay, so this week... Monday I was sick (hence The Breakfast Club). But it was only a one day thing so no biggie. 

Tuesday I upped my squat to 105lbs. Whichhhhh was kind of a big deal for me okay. 

Nothing too exciting on Wednesday or Thursday. But on Friday, yo, I baked a cake. 

That's right, I did that. All by myself without any maternal help over the phone. Though I was tempted, I'm not gonna lie. The cake was for Netta 'cause it's her birthday today! Yeah, she's an old woman now, but we love her anyways. 

We threw her a little partay Saturday night and invited some of the best people in Rexburg, no big deal or anything. It also decided to snow on Saturday, which if you ask me was kind of rude, because the snow had just all melted and it was warm and I was like, "yeah, spring is coming", but then no. Still a little TOed about that one. 

Also on Saturday I went with mah groupies to see Non-Stop and Son of God. Both of which were pretty dang good. Especially the second. Movies about Christ always get me - I was crying within the first five minutes. Embarrassing. 

Since today was Sunday there was church (obviousssssly) and Netta taught an amazing Gospel Doctrine lesson. Plus, I learned something new, which was exciting - apparently Isaac (like Abraham's son) was anywhere from 16-20 years old at the time when his father went to sacrifice him, which I'd never really realized and kinda changes the story alot. The things you learn in Sunday school.

Tonight we went to the CES broadcast at the conference center here and listened to Sister Burton speak. It was really, really good. I hadn't originally planned on going, but I'm so glad I did. Plus, Sister Burton is probably the cutest little lady I've ever seen in my life. Can I look like her when I get that age? Please and thank you.

Then we went and spent the rest of the evening with some friends and ended up having an unexpectedly good night. Today gets a solid A from me. 

Now this person is pretty much exhausted, sooooooo... Peace out, my brosephs. :)