Holiday Chaos.

Alright...well its been awhile since my last post. This Christmas holiday has been an adventurous one to say the least.

Lets start from the beginning. Friday December 14th was the day of my flight home to Utah. I was excited to travel home to see my family and ready for a long break. My friend Adam, who also went to EAC (Eastern Arizona College) and also went to my high school, had the same flight as me. Small world that we went to the same college in the tiny town of Thatcher, AZ. Anyways...his grandparents were nice enough to drive us to the Mesa/Phoenix airport. They told me they would be by my apartment at 7:30am to pick me up. In my head I was thinking, "7:30am? That seems early. Our flight isn't until 1:50pm. It will take us about 4 hours to get to the airport." Well let me tell you right now, I thank the heavens above that we left that early.

7:30am rolled around and Adam and his grandparents pulled up, I loaded my bags and hopped in the truck. I was all ready to get this drive over with. We begin to drive off, when Adam's grandma turns around and says to me, "Adam lost his wallet." I looked at her with this face of 'what?' I know this isn't good news, because Adam needs his wallet, which has his drivers license in it, to board the plane. Adam said he couldn't remember where he might have lost it at. We drove over to Adam's girlfriends house. The fact that Adam has a girlfriend is a totally different story of its own. They are perfect for each other, because they are both socially awkward and weird. Sorry, but that is just my opinion. Probably mean to say, but whatever, we are moving on...Kelsie is her name. She apparently was joining us on our drive to the airport because she was flying to Las Vegas for the break. Adam looked for his wallet at Kelsie's house and didn't find it. He looked in the car he drove the previous day on their date. Nothing. We drove to the Burger King where they got food, then to the park where they hung out. Still nothing. While all of this is going on, I'm just sitting in the back seat getting annoyed and anxious. At this point we had been driving around in circles for an hour. Long story short...we ended up back at the college so he could get an new I.D. card. After he got that, we headed off...for reals this time. I thought I was going to die in that car. I pulled out my iPod and headphones and tried to zone out for the rest of the drive. I just wanted to be on that plane headed home.

Things are going great so far...until it starts to hail/sleet/rain. It doesn't snow often in Arizona. If it does it is in the mountains. But when it does, people go crazy. I swear they are like, "What the heck is this?! How do I drive in this?!" I'm like please people, this is nothing. Its just sleet. Go where I'm going and try to drive in 2 feet of snow and icey roads. Well of course our day couldn't get any better...while driving through this canyon like road, we suddenly come to a halt. Traffic is not moving. Adam's grandma gets a call from someone who tells her that they just heard on the radio that there has been an eight car pile up. Just awesome. My favorite thing. I am already stressed out and anxious to get to the airport on time. I don't want to miss my flight. We sit for about fifteen minutes before traffic starts slowly moving again. As we drive, we pass a total a four cars still on the road. By this point I am starting to pray that nothing else bad happens. We continue our drive. Two hours later, I see the bigger city. I see low flying airplanes. I see sunlight and happiness. We are heading toward the light! The light being the airport, not death. Come on people, don't think like that.

I am so happy to see the airport. My prayers have been answered. We pull up, Adam's grandpa drops us off, then goes and parks. Adam, Kelsie, Grandma and I walk inside with our bags. I already had my boarding pass printed off so I waited while the other two got their passes and then the three of us headed towards security. We all passed inspection. Thank goodness. I was a little worried about Adam. He sorta is like the scare crow off of The Wizard of Oz. (He doesn't have a brain) After security we headed to our gate. Kelsie's flight wasn't until 3:30pm so she just hung with us. Our gates were by each other so that was nice. I loved just sitting and waiting until we boarded our plane. People are so interesting to watch. People watching is a hobby of mine. Best pass time ever. As soon as people get off their flight and walk into the building, they immediately head for the bathrooms. At first I thought it was a different exit. Then I noticed there was a line and that when people walked out, they would slightly be wiping there hands on their pants. You know, getting their hands more dry. We've all done it, don't act like you haven't. While some are using the bathroom, others are rushing to catch there flight that finished boarding ten minutes earlier. Everyone is taking advantage of the free WiFi on their phones, tablets, laptops, or in my case my Kindle. Oh the joys of the airport. Not going to lie, I was pretty excited to travel by myself. Without my family. It felt...well...awesome.

Finally it was time for Adam and I to board our plane headed to Ogden. Yes, Ogden. Not Salt Lake. Another thing that made this flight even better. The Ogden airport is about fifteen minutes away from my house. Which is great. The less time I have to travel in a car, the happier I am. We loaded onto the airplane, which is always awkward. I had the middle seat of a three seat row. I was the first to arrive to my seat so, when the lady came that had the window seat, I had to move to the isle so she could get in. Everyone is putting their carry-ons in the over head bins, which slows up the line of people. Some are switching seats with others so they can sit by their spouse. People were very courteous towards others. Who'd a thought?

I'll skip forward to our airplane already soaring through the sky. I have pulled out my iPod and headphones and have tuned out the thoughts of my mind. The lady sitting next to me was pretty funny to talk to. I joked with her about the brochures they put in the seats. I said to her, "You'd think maybe they would give us better reading material. I would be fine with a People magazine or something." She laughed and agreed. The guy sitting to my left, was a quiet one but seemed like a cool guy. He had the sweetest watch on. I wanted it. You know what's funny? You'd think people would understand that if you put headphones in that you don't really want to talk, nor can  you really hear anything. Well, I guess not. I had my big headphones on, but the lady next to my kept wanting to talk to me. I didn't mind talking to her. She was really funny and nice. I just wish our conversation wouldn't have been so stop and go. A little later the flight attendants started walking down the isle with snacks and drinks for purchase. There were five of us on my row. Everyone except me got an alcoholic drink. I didn't get anything at all. But it is funny what people notice and like to point out. The lady next to me said, "We all got alcoholic drinks." Obviously I didn't, but she thought that must have been funny that they were all drinking. In my head I was thinking, "Weird, we are all on a plane. But I'm not going to point that out." Two hours later we arrived in good ole O town (Ogden). We chaotically filed off the plane. My cute mom was waiting outside for me and taking pictures. I almost felt like movie star. The paparazzi just can't stay away from me. I keep having to tell them, "No, I am not Ellen DeGeneres. I just look and act like her. But I'll sign that for you anyways."

Not going to lie, I was in bit of a weather shock for the first couple days being home. I went from 50-70 degrees to 20-50 degrees. But it felt good to be home for awhile. I missed the cold weather and the snow on the mountains. I forgot what it was like to bundle up in a blanket on the couch and watch t.v., while drinking hot chocolate. When getting into bed I had to pull the covers up over my head. No more covers half on, one leg sticking out sorta deal. Good thing one of my dogs sleeps at the end of my bed and keeps my feet warm.

Its been good to be home. But it will be good to be back at school too.

Just A Little Something.

Forgive me for not keeping you all updated. Last week, the starting of finals week, my laptop decided to try out Murphy's Law. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Needless to say, I was very upset. I won't go into detail all that went down, but lets just say, nothing would work. Nothing. I was upset beyond words. Luckily I didn't have to finish any homework online or need my computer to study for finals. Having notebooks full of notes is the best way to go. I did however sit on the phone (not literally) with someone from Dell Support, for an hour, trying to figure out if there was anyway to fix my laptop. Nothing. Once I arrived home in Utah, I shipped it off to get the bugs worked out. My favorite part about calling Dell Support was hearing, "Hello, my name is Sam, thank you for calling Dell. How may I help you?" You say your name is Sam? Hmm...interesting. I just love your accent, it almost sounds like you are from India. Weird.

I have been reluctant to update my blog, because I have not had my laptop to work from. All of my photos that I would like to post are on there and it just doesn't feel the same typing on my dad's computer. I'm not feeling that coffee shop journal writing/blogging vibe.

There will however be a couple posts now and then, so don't forget about me. I did have a crazy adventure traveling home for the holidays. No joke, it was an adventure. Almost thought I wouldn't make it. I will save that story for a later time though. The suspense it great isn't it?

To all of you out there, Happy Holidays. Travel safe. Eat, sleep, and be merry for tomorrow we die.

Christmas Spirit.

The Christmas Holiday is coming! (Or whatever holiday you celebrate) We have decorated the apartment, listened to Christmas music, and also gave or fish tank a new look. Plus an addition to the fish family. Shark Bait...hoo ha ha. (Finding Nemo reference) We also took some roommate pictures together. Enjoy! .....and yes, we knew the wrapping paper in the frame was upside down. Crystal didn't realize until after she put it all together. We did switch it right. Although I preferred it upside down.

Thanksgiving Surprises.

A lot has happened since we've last met. I'm not really in the writing mood, but I will do my best to make this a great experience for the both of us.

Thanksgiving break was about 2 weeks ago and boy was it a great one. My plans for the break were to go to my cousins house in Phoenix and have Thanksgiving dinner with her and her husband. For my other days off I planned on hanging out her house, checking out Phoenix and also visiting one of my friends from home that became a nanny in Phoenix. Well...lets just say there was a change of plans after I found someone who was going to be driving through Utah during the break. But only a couple of people knew that I had devised a new plan. Those people being, my sister and brother-in-law and the cousin who I had planned on staying with. In the middle of planning out my mischief, I called my sister and brother-in-law and asked if they could help me out. My new plan was to drive with a friend up through Utah (He was headed to Oregon) and my sister would pick me up in Salt Lake and I would stay with them until Thanksgiving day. I just so happened that Thanksgiving dinner was set to be at my sisters house. Perfect. Like I said only certain people knew of my visitation home. So obviously my parents had no idea and being sly like I am, I had them convinced I was still going to Phoenix. It would be a great surprise to them and my siblings to see me home.

My friend David and I decided that we would leave early Tuesday morning. Early being 3:30a.m. I thought 3:30 wouldn't come soon enough. I didn't sleep at all Monday night. Seriously I didn't. I was awake up until we left and only slept at most, thirty minutes the whole drive. The whole 12 hourish drive... The drive seemed forever. It is a lot of looking at nothing. Many stops at gas stations to fill up and relieve ourselves. Switching radio stations every five minutes because of static, and trying to entertain ourselves. I was never so happy in my life to drive into Provo and see traffic. I called my sister and we decided on a spot to make the exchange of persons and luggage.

I was so happy to arrive at my sister's house. Sitting in a car for too long can cause you to go crazy. Plus it was good to actually have a home cooked meal and some good sleep. My nephew and I got to spend some quality time together. I never got tired of hearing him say, "Hey Loni." He is super cute. I have to stay on the top of the best aunt list too. 

Thanksgiving day was a wonderful day. I had the perfect plan for making my surprise entrance. When the time drew nearer of my family's arrival, I hid myself in my nephew's room in the back. Once everyone was comfortable and settled in my brother-in-law would act like he was going into the garage and I would sneak out of the room and follow him. I would then walk to the front door and ring the doorbell. My brother-in-law would answer the door and say, "Did someone order a pizza?" After confusing my family, I would then walk in and see the confused looks on everyone's face. Perfect plan right? Well...it sorta got ruined. My sister made awesome little turkey place settings for each of us. There were also papers that had our names on them...I also had one. My sister came back to the room I was in and said, "You might as well come out, I already ruined it. They saw your place setting." I walked out and saw everyone. My dad was still oblivious about the place setting. He was actually going to take a picture of it and send it to me. My mom on the other had got a little curious. Even though I couldn't make my front door entrance, everyone was still surprised to see me. Tears of joy formed in my parents eyes as I gave them each a hug. Not going to lie, it was sorta hard to keep my visitation home a secret. Especially when my mom wants to ask me questions about staying in Phoenix and also wants to call me. I had to keep my answers very generic and in a way that I wasn't lying. For example, "So how's Phoenix?" "Everything you would expect." When my mom asked if she could call me I was sitting alone in the car with my nephew while my sister and brother-in-law were doing some shopping. I couldn't necessarily step out of the car, cause then she would hear traffic, but I couldn't stay in the car, because my nephew would have probably started to talk to me, plus he was watching movies on an iPod. So I replied with, "I'm really not in the mood to talk. It will be better tomorrow when I can Skype and see everyone." I'm sure seeing me in person was better than sending me texts and trying to call anyways.

Dinner was awesome as always and it was such a joy to spend it with all of my family. Definitely a Thanksgiving to remember. That night I drove home with my parents to spend the rest of the week with them. There was a couple of friends I was going to surprise also. They had no idea that I had come home. They also thought I was staying in Phoenix. It was so fun to surprise them too. I wish I could have recorded their reactions. Priceless. I spent the night playing games with them and going to Denny's, which is always a tradition with them. 

For the rest of the week, I had no plans. I just wanted to relax and take in the sights and smells of home. I also didn't want to drive anywhere, because I was sick of driving and still had the drive home to deal with. My friends and I did go see, Perks of Being a Wallflower. I highly recommend this movie. It is now one of my top favorites. I guess I did get a haircut too. Which is always great. It's nice to get my haircut by someone I trust and who knows my style.

Sunday soon came and that meant it was time for me to head home to Arizona. David wanted to meet in Orem at 6 in the morning, which meant I had to leave my house at 4:30am. My awesome mom also woke up early to drive me down there. I was not excited for that long drive back, but I knew it had to happen. I slept a lot more on the drive home, which was nice. We arrived home at around 7 o'clock. I was so ready for bed. I unpacked, showered, then tucked myself in. I had practice in the morning and wanted some good sleep. At least practice was at 9am and not 3:30 or 4:30am.

Look at the awesome view. The view I saw most of the drive home...

All in all it was a great Thanksgiving break. After finals are done next week I will be traveling home again. By airplane thank goodness. It is still crazy to think that my first semester of college is almost done. Many more to go...

Dad this is for you...Thanks for the new fish tank. Tiger and Ginger love it. I am going to get a couple more fish and possibly another plant or something so it doesn't look so spars.

Amanda's mom knitted each of us a stocking. Aren't they awesome? Even Dusting and Joelle got one. Crystal found the perfect spot to hang them. Plus we have a real Christmas tree! Crystal and I strung the lights yesterday, but we still need to decorate it. It makes our apartment smell so good. We are just getting in the Christmas season here in Apt. 2.

Happy Holidays!

The Chills And Thrills Of College.

This last week has been a chilly one. Which is weird to think about for AZ, but yes it does get cold here. During the mornings and at nights it is pretty cold. I guess this is what winter in Arizona is like. My hands froze while riding my bike to practice. Of course those and my face were the only parts of my body that I let show for the first forty-five minutes of practice. This is how I dressed for practice on Wednesday. Seriously. I did. You could say it was a tad bit nippy.

I'm so glad my mother sent me some of my many winter hats. They are coming in handy. At practice my coach was once again really cold. She was wearing sweat pants and three jackets. By the end of practice I was wearing my shorts and t-shirt. Being active really warms you up, but I won't lie, my epidermis (skin) was still a little chilled. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me one of those questions that make me rich because I've heard them a lot or say to me, "You are from Utah, you should be used to this." I would be even richer. Just because it gets even colder in Utah and actually snows, doesn't mean I don't get cold here in Arizona. Gees, people...I'm not a super human.

I can't believe this semester is almost over. Soon our tennis season will officially start. I'm excited but nervous like always. I can't wait to show people what this little dynamite is made of.

My roommates best friend brought back Gilmore Girls the complete collection of all the seasons. I didn't think I would get into it. But...I have. And I'm here to say that I think I am addicted to it. Personally I think it is hilarious! One of the main characters who is the mom, is one of my favorite actors (Lauren Graham). She is also in the t.v. show Parenthood which I always watch. She is so hilarious and has the funniest jokes! I feel like we would get along just fine. My roommates and I watch a couple of episodes a day. We pretty much lie on the couch like bums, in our pj's (if we are done with classes), eat food while watching Gilmore Girls. I know sounds like a 'girly' thing to do, but if I'm doing it, then its not considered 'girly', because that is something I am not. You thought I was joking about the bums on the couch huh. Well think again...

I was trying so hard not to smile and look natural but right as the camera snapped the picture, I felt a smile coming on. And yes those are Starburst's sitting in between Crystal and I. I also love that our couch is like a futon and folds down flat. I must admit that it is way more comfortable to lie on when its flat than when it looks like a couch. This is pretty much what mine and Crystal's Saturday looked like. All day. Well wait...I guess we did go to Walmart for our weekly (or bimonthly) shopping trip. I was completely out of food. No joke. I was eating tortilla's for breakfast, because that was the last thing I had left in the fridge. Let's just say that my shopping cart was full of food. Its the college life.

On Sunday, we as usual, had our roommate dinner. We made homemade hamburgers! They were so delicious. From left to right it goes, Joelle (Ivy's best friend, who is pretty much our fifth roommate), Ivy (You finally get to see her! This is the 1st picture I have posted with her in it), Crystal, then Dustin, Crystal's boyfriend. The only one missing was Amanda. I don't know if you noticed the three videos holding up the table on a stool....yeah...the table folds out, but there aren't extra legs to hold up that section, plus if you just leave it, it looks like it is going to fall off. So we improvised. Gotta love our college intelligence.

Life is going great. I have no complaints...well at least not at the moment. Everyone keeps sending me pictures of all the great snow that has fallen back home. I am jealous, but Christmas break will be here before I know it. Then I will get to enjoy it with all my senses and not just my eyes.

It's Raining In AZ.

The weather here has been superb the past two days! Yesterday for most of the day it was overcast. To me it was perfect weather. It is what I call, jeans and hoodie weather. At practice, my coach was wearing sweat pants and a jacket. She said she was really cold and wanted to go home and get her thicker jacket and a beanie. I was like seriously? I was pulling my hoodie off before we did our two lap warm-up run. It felt amazing! Being from Utah, I guess I am used to the colder weather. Coach said to me once that she doesn't know if she could live in Utah. She would die if it snowed. Right now the temperature is 65 degrees. I love it, but everyone is freaking out and bundled up. I guess that is something I will never understand. Today we didn't have practice because it rained during the night and everything is soaked. Instead we were told to go to the school gym and work out for an hour. It felt amazing to sleep in until 10am then wake up and get ready for my only class of the day at 11am. I am glad it rained, its so beautiful.

I love the rainy weather so much, that later in my life I am going to move to Washington or Oregon. It is so beautiful up there. I love the cooler weather, seeing everything so green, and also having the ocean so close by. Thinking about it makes me so happy! My dream life is living in one of those two states, with my Toyota Tacoma truck, mountain bike, longboard, having a career as a Paramedic/Firefighter, and having my dogs by my side. I am going to work hard to make my dream come true.

Have a great weekend because I know I will. Bon fire tonight!

Halloween And Superstitions.

First allow me to apologize to those frequent followers of my blog. I have lacked in updating about my adventures. I hope you will all forgive me and continue to excitedly look for new posts.

Ah yes...This last week was Halloween! What a wonderful holiday. It is such a delight to see what people are able to conjure in their heads and make into a costume. My roommate Ivy and her friend Joelle dressed up as the hot sauce packets that you can get at Taco Bell that have sayings on them. I thought it was a clever costume. Not going to lie, some people are able to think up some cool costumes. I did not dress up for the special occasion. Amanda and I sat home and watched some movies, then I went to my friends house and watched another movie. Pretty hectic night...I know.

I'm sure we all have our own little superstitions that we abide by. Don't think you have to deny it, even I, Loni, have my own. Hours before my first exam in Astronomy class I went and got my hairs cut (hairs not hair, getting a single hair cut wouldn't be to helpful). After that hairs cut I felt really good about myself. I went and took my exam and I scored an 80%. I was ecstatic about that. I believe that getting an 80% or above on a test in college is awesome. Today I had my second exam in Astronomy. So what did I do? I went and got a hairs cut. I also dressed a little nicer that usual. Meaning, I wore jeans and a nice girly shirt, rather than a t-shirt. (I know...such a difference...) Going in feeling good about myself always makes me do better on test days. Don't worry though, I didn't solely go by looking good to past the test, I did study. I totally aced that test!

Saturday night I went longboarding with two of my guy friends. The first time since I have lived here that I have actually gone and longboarded! It was awesome. Plus these friends legitimately longboard. As in they have around four longboards and cruise really fast and try to do tricks. We drove into Safford where the roads are nice and smooth and cruised along the streets. It was great. Haven't had that much fun in awhile. I love longboarding! Now I just need to upgrade my wheels and I'll be even happier. Mom Papa Christmas?

The world bores you when you’re cool. - Calvin & Hobbes

Homecoming Week.

This last week was homecoming week. Like always there are many activities...but I didn't participate. Although I did go to the football game. During halftime the volleyball and tennis teams got to ride on top of a firetruck. It was really fun. My favorite part was when they announced the volleyball team and the coaches and then moved on and acknowledged the student counsel on the firetruck behind ours.....Like I said the volleyball AND tennis teams were on the firetruck. Nice of them to notice our presence. Whats new though...Tennis never really gets much credit. EAC lost the football game which is always hard to deal with. After the game there was a Halloween dance planned, but instead I went with some of my friends to the river and built a bonfire. It was awesome. We always build bonfires and just hang out on the weekends.

Today's tennis practice was different and fun. We were warming up as usual, when our coach told us to pick the balls up and come together. She said, "Okay, today is going to be a little different..." In my head I was assuming we would be doing a lot of running drills. She went on and said, "Maja is going to go and study for her math test that she will be taking later today, and the rest of us are going to go play softball with the class over there." (As she points to the softball class) Every Tuesday and Thursday there is a softball class that plays out on the grass. They play with a bigger/heavier rubber softball and the base distances are shortened. It was the tennis team against the class, with the teacher/coach being on our team. It was a lot of fun! After an hour of that, our coach told us our last task was to run to the highway, across to the next block and back up to the courts. The distance was about a mile and a half. When we were done with that we could leave or stay for weights class that we usually have. Three of us chose to stay for weights, and man, was it a good 'Hard Body Workout' (that's what it was called).

It was just me and Amanda for the weekend, we really didn't do much. On Sunday I told her I was going to make dinner for the two of us. I thought I did a fantastic job. I cooked some chicken, rice and made a salad. I think Amanda was pretty impressed too.

Looks delicious right? It was. Complete with a glass of water.

You can just call me Cooking Loni! The apron is my other roommate, Ivy's. I'm sure she wouldn't have minded me wearing it. My face in the picture does look a little scary, but its only cause I started to laugh. Amanda said my face was priceless for the occasion.










I'm sorry there haven't been as many updates. Nothing grand and exciting is really going on at this point in time. Although I did hear it snowed back home and even saw a picture of the snow in Logan. I was so happy but sad at the same time, because I wasn't there to enjoy it. I am praying that there will be snow during the Christmas break that I can have adventures in while I'm home.

So long for now. Enjoy the weather where ever you are reading this from.

Aren't Mondays Great?

I know my Monday is going to be great, when I walk out of my apartment with a fohawk and some nice skids on my feet. Those are the only things I care about when it comes to making myself look good. My hair and shoes. I could care less if my shirt matched my shorts or if my underwear matched my socks. Although, my socks do have to be paired with the same looking socks. I don't know how some people can wear one blue sock and one green sock. It would drive me more insane than I already am! It's probably the OCD.

Of course, my starting statement didn't happen until after tennis practice was over and I stepped out the door to head to my first class of the day.

Today is the starting day to register for spring semester. I was fully prepared with the classes I needed/wanted to take, so this morning before practice I headed over to the library to take the bull by the horns. I was so nervous to register. I kept double checking that I had the right class and that the time was going to work out. Oh...that is another thing...registering for college classes is so much harder than high school. Not only do you have to decide what classes you need to take for your degree, you need to prioritize your time. Like for me, I need to make sure I don't schedule classes during tennis practice time. Even though I was stressed, I got what I needed to done. I am all set for next semester. There were only two classes that I couldn't put into my schedule because of the bad timing. I wish they would have worked so then I would have had all my General classes done. That would have been nice right? Then next year I would only have to worry about getting all the elective credits I need.

I finished registering with ten minutes left to get myself to practice. Just enough time to walk home grab my tennis bag and keys to my blue lifted Toyota Tacoma 2013 and go. Perfect. Except, I don't own a blue lifted Toyota Tacoma 2013....But I am taking donations. So if you would like to donate the truck, please have it delivered to me. Money donations can be made straight into my account. Okay back to reality...I walked home and unlocked my Specialized Myka 2008 bicycle. Luck would have it though that the front tire is flat. Awesome. Usually I can pump it back up and let the slime inside the tube take over. I think the tube is tired of the quick fix though. I couldn't even attempt to pump it up. I look at my watch and the time read 8:02am. Practice starts at 8am. Nuts. I quickly text my coach my predicament, lock my bike back up, run inside my apartment, grab my longboard and make like a wave and roll to practice. Yes I was late, but not terribly in trouble. I just had to catch up on our warm up run.

Great way to start off a Monday wouldn't you say? Yeah...except for the fact that in my first class, math, I had a test. I think I did pretty good, even on the questions I didn't answer. But I did walk out of my apartment feeling awesome. My hair was styled great and I was wearing sweet skids.

I know its only Monday, but I sure can't wait until Wednesday. Wednesday means Modern Family will be on. I love that show. I can't stop myself from laughing out loud when I am watching it in the library. The nursing students who are grouped together studying by me, always glance over. In my head I apologize, then think, man they really should be watching this. I laugh so hard a cry sometimes. It is just a great show. I may need to buy all the seasons. It never gets old. So funny.

Live. Love. Laugh Hysterically!

Fair Day = Holiday

Just to put the weather difference in perspective for you guys, here in AZ its 88 degrees and at home in UT its 75 degrees. In the mornings and nights it does get a little cooler though.

Tomorrow is fair day which means no school! It is pretty much considered a holiday. Weird I know. Although I only get the day off, not the night because I got stuck having my astronomy lab this week. This week we are suppose to go out to the desert and use our telescopes and chart stars, but it has been overcast most of today and its suppose to get worse this weekend. So we might be sitting in the classroom doing lab work instead. I really hope it rains though. I love the rain.

Next week we sign up for spring semester classes. It's weird to think about. Fall semester is almost halfway over. Also starting February our tennis season starts. We will have some pre-season matches, but as of right now I don't know when they will be.

Have a great fair weekend! Oh...just regular weekend.

Its Been Awhile...

I apologize for not writing in awhile. There really hasn't been anything exciting to write about. Life is just a normal up hill battle.

This past weekend I have had my astronomy lab. Thursday from 5-11pm, Fri. & Sat. From 4-Midnight. Yes...it is a very long time period to be learning about Astronomy. It is also a lot of info to take in, believe me. Learning about the stars and all that they entail has been so cool. At some point in time we have looked up to the sky and seen the stars. The sky and stars are so much more than what we see by the naked eye. Next weekend we will actually be going out into the desert with our telescopes and looking at the stars and constellations. Its going to be a neat experience.

It's weird to think that back home it is getting colder and that the leaves are changing. People are dressing in long pants, hoodies and going to corn mazes on the weekends. Here in AZ, it feels and looks the same. We are still going to the pool after classes and building bon fires by the river at night. The palm trees aren't changing colors...sad day. That is something I do miss seeing...the leaves changing colors. I loved driving through the canyons and seeing all the different colors. It is so beautiful. I will survive though.

I really don't have much more to talk about. Like always if anyone has suggestions on what they want to hear about or what they want me to talk about, it can be about anything, write me a comment or email me.

This is just a lyric music video that I hope you all enjoy. Think about your life.

- Toby Mac - Speak Life

Happy Birthday Me.

Yesterday I got mobbed in my room, nailed twice with a tennis ball at practice, I was almost late to my only class of the day, and I cut my thumb while peeling a mango. Great gifts to receive on my birthday right? Oh...For those of you who didn't know, now you know, yesterday, Thursday, was my birthday.

So late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning I was comfortably asleep in my nice relaxing bed. Dreaming of sugar and spice and everything nice, when I was awakened by a group of screaming, crazy, rambunctious people. Also known as my teammates and friends. They jumped on my bed sprayed silly string at me and told me happy birthday multiple times. They then commanded that I immediately get out of bed. I sleepily got up, and tried to get the fact out of my head that I almost had a heart attack, because I thought that I was being abducted like Elizabeth Smart. As I slid out of bed trying to get the silly string out of my hair, I was handed a big chocolate cake and some little cans of Mnt. Dew. I was then escorted outside and shown the nice decorations that they had prepared on a door right outside my apartment. Quickly I ran back inside to change, because I didn't want to be seen to long in my Snoopy boxers and tank top, that serve as my PJ's. Everybody kept wishing me happy birthday and wanted a million pictures in front of the decorations as a group. All who was there consisted of all my teammates, Tre' (the basketball player friend), and two random football players that I am now friends with (I guess they wanted to tag along). They were super funny.

I will allow you to observe the chaos.

In the above picture, one of the football guys started spraying whip cream on us. Plus I'm squatting so you can see the adorable picture of me in a onesie.





This is everyone who woke me up at around 11:30p.m. Going from left to right, back to front: Tre', Patricia, Kindra, Me, Kayla, Maja, Skeet, and Haystack (A.K.A Heywood).

<--- Pedro (A.K.A Ashley), showed up a little later. They had an away volleyball game so she showed up after they arrived home. She is in the purple Eastern jersey.

















Ah yes, everyone thought it would be funny to get a picture of little me with three big/tall black guys. Awesome right? Yeah I thought so too.


In the morning (later morning), I woke up and got ready to head to practice. Crystal had made me a chocolate cake and left it on the table for me. In my head I said Happy Birthday to myself and blew out 12 candles...oh er...19 I mean. Ha Ha yes, I am 19. I know I may not look like it...seeing how I have been pulled over by a cop who told me I looked 10. There are also those times when I don't act like I am 19...but those stories are better left untold.

Tennis practice was fun. We played a doubles match, the four of us that were there. Maja and I against Kayla and Patricia. We had some great rallies. Twice I got hit with the ball though. Kayla must have had something against me that day. Must have been because it was my birthday. Each time I got hit, Kayla and I were both at the net positions. The first time, Kayla had a good volley right at me and it hit my left hand. The second time, Maja and Patricia were having a great cross court rally. Maja got pulled out wide, and hit a nice lobby shot right to Kayla. Right then I knew I was dead. Kayla positioned herself just right and took a nice strong overhead swing. All 19 years of my life flashed before my eyes as I turn my back to the protect myself. Pain suddenly surged right up and down my back. I got nail right in my lower back. It hurt so bad I had to walk off the pain. Kayla immediately began apologizing and ran over and gave me a hug. Lets just say that I had a nice red circle on my back the rest of the day. Still today there is a mark, but not as bad. It is sore too. Wish I had taken a picture of it after it happened. When shots like that happen, its so hard to react. It happens so quickly.

Later after class, Maja, Kayla, and I went to the pool. The pool is so relaxing on a hot day. The three of us spent the rest of the night in the library. Honestly, my birthday was almost like any other day. It was a really good birthday though. I talked with my family and got told happy birthday a lot. I spent the day happy. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday, even while living in Arizona.

All Around Short.

I did it. I finally got the courage to do it. I know I said I would keep it for a while, but I couldn't stand it any more. It just wasn't me and I couldn't do anything with it. My groove felt misplaced. My personality was warped. Man do I feel better though. Haircuts are just so refreshing for me. Oh...did I surprise you with the haircut thing. All that I said is very true. I feel awesome now, like my normal self. OK, get that weird grin off your face, I know I'm weird. But having short hair is a story all to it's self. I went to the school's cosmetology academy place. I walked in and told them I just wanted a hair cut. One of the students said she would cut my hair. I said to her, "Are you ready for a challenge? I have short hair, and know exactly how I want it cut." She asked me what I wanted, and I told her the exact dimensions that I wanted it (my previous hair cutter told me them). She called her instructor over just to make sure she was going to be doing it the right way. I told the instructor, Ms. Tiff, exactly what I wanted. I even added, "I know that sounds short, but I'm used to it and that's how I usually get it cut." They both said, "Okay." and started the easy, learning experience of cutting my hair. I could tell that the student was a little hesitant, but I knew that Ms. Tiff wouldn't let her screw up. Plus when Ms. Tiff would explain to the girl how to cut it and what to use, she was explaining it exactly how I knew it should be. I knew, she knew, what she was doing. After she was done, I was completely satisfied and grinning ear to ear. I loved it, and always will. Short hair just fits me so perfectly.

Picture this (literally)...               

                                                             ^ That is me, in the green, if you couldn't already tell, which I'm sure you couldn't. You never thought the day would come, that you would get to see me when I had long hair. Yep....alright stop staring and move onto the next picture.

This is me...as of 5 minutes ago. Lets take a vote. Which hair style fits my personality the best? OK, good, glad you all agree that the second picture is the best. I know, I'm dang good looking. I'd like to thank my parents for that.

Many people ask me why I decided to cut my hair short. I actually donated my hair to Locks of Love. My sister did it and I thought that was a cool idea, so I followed her example. Then as time progressed, my hair just got shorter and shorter, until it was at the length it is now. I'm completely satisfied with it and am not afraid to be myself.

So remember how I said we often hang out with the basketball boys? Yeah, so when we go walking on campus...this is often what we look like...

Yes, we like to raise the bar. From left to right it goes, Tre', Jeremiah, Sunny, Duan, and me. Maja is taking the picture. Three basketball players, one volleyball, and one tennis...two including Maja. After I looked at this picture, I noticed how short I really am. This picture definitely puts it in perspective. I'm so used to looking up, that I don't notice how short I really am compared to some people.

Oh well...I'm just short all around, and I LOVE it! I think I do have little woman syndrome though. (A.K.A little man syndrome) People are always trying to help me because they don't think I can reach or do it myself. It ticks me off sometimes. Just because I'm not as tall or strong as you, doesn't mean I can't do the same things you can. I just do them differently. I work around the system, not with it.

I'm short, cool, adventurous, mischievous, humorous, hardworking, fun, nice, respectful, and most of all dang good looking. What a catch aye?

Peace Out. Be strong. Live Free.

New Is Old.

Nothing new to talk about. Things aren't as exciting around here as they were a couple weeks ago, when they were 'new' to me.

Mine and my teammates routine is so predictable. If we are not at practice, we are at the Wellness center (workout gym). If we are not at Wellness, then we are in the library. If we are not in the library we are in the game room playing table tennis. If we are not in the game room, we are walking around campus. If we are not out for a walk, then we went to the gas station for a drink. If you can't find us any of those places, then we must have found something awesome to do. No joke.

Last night the volleyball team won! They played so great. One of my favorite players and new found friend is Sunny. She is from Montenegro. Sunny is so funny and always laughs at me. Don't ask me why I have yet to figure that out. But she is really good at volleyball. Last night she about took out 3 girls with her spike. Maja and I always cheer for Pedro and Sunny. We are the loudest too...because we are the only ones that cheer.

We have become good friends with the basketball players. We are often hanging out with each other on campus. Jeremiah and Tre' are really cool and chill with us the most. Last night we all walked to Denny's at around midnight. It was fun, but after you start walking, you realize that Denny's is farther than you think. It gives us something to do though.

During the day here, it is super hot. But in the evening is gets cool. You wouldn't think that you would get cold, but you do, and you start to wish you had a jacket on hand.

Have a great weekend!

1 Month. Really?

Today marks my one month living here in little Thatcher, AZ. Most people would probably say, "Wow has it already been that long? Time flies!" or "It feels like I've been here longer..." But I'm not most people. From my perspective, I say, "Hmm...I've lived here a month. Cool." I'm still alive and living here, so something must be going right.

Last night my roommates and I made dinner together. We made chicken enchiladas. They were so good! Every Sunday we try to eat dinner together as roomies.

Ivy wasn't home to enjoy our amazing enchiladas, so Dustin replaced her. From left to right, Crystal, Me, Amanda, Dustin.

I have a post office box now. So those of you who would like to have it as a part of your 'Loni Info' Folder that I know you all secretly have, please shoot me an email, text, or comment on this post. I will send it to you personally, rather than posting it for the World Wide Web to see. My email should be part of my Google Profile (on the right side of my blog 'About Loni...click on it...then click 'About').

Toastwiches Anyone?

I know what you are all thinking...unless you are my family...you are wondering what the heck a toastwich is...its simply a grilled cheese. But in my family, we call them toastwiches. Just like tortillas are taco shells. Well anyways, I made myself some toastwiches on Tuesday. They were the best!! Something so simple can be so amazing.

Oh and yes that is ketchup...something else my family does. We eat our toastwiches with ketchup. My roommate thought that was the weirdest thing. She said to me, "I thought some of the other things you ate were weird, but that tops them all! I'm going to make a list of all the weird things you eat and show it to my grand-kids when they are older." So far on the list I'm sure it says, putting my Spaghetti O's on a taco shell that has melted cheese on it, cooking chicken nuggets and making a chicken wrap with them, then eating a toastwich with ketchup. I wonder what else I eat is weird. I'm just happy I am able to think of these things. I eat awesome!!

Last night there was a volleyball game. As always me and my teammates went and watched. It was awesome. They lost, but played great. They played Western Arizona, which I was told was one of EAC's hardest competitors. I can't wait until the next game!

After the volleyball game, Maja, this kid Daniel and I went with a bunch of other kids to these natural hot springs. I was thinking hot tub looking holes with rocks around them, but no, this natural hot tub was a huge pool. When I say huge, I mean HUGE. It was about the size of a normal outdoor pool. Probably twice as long though. The water was nice and hot everywhere. There were tons of people there, easily over 50. Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing my swim suit cause I wasn't planning on going, but Maja wouldn't let me go home. She made me go. In the end though, I had tons of fun. Even if I just sat with my legs in the water. I wish I had pictures to show you, but it was so dark that the pictures wouldn't have turned out good. The pool seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere, with a little shack house in front of it. It totally could have looked haunted. It was so awesome though.

Tonight is El Grito, a Mexican holiday I think...? Well anyways they have the outdoor amphitheater all set up or it. Me and my teammates are going to go because who doesn't love free food right?

Remember And Honor.

First off I want to wish my brother, Alex, Happy Birthday! While he celebrates, the rest of the world morns the loss of many. 11 years ago the World Trade Centers fell to the ground and many lives were lost. 343 firefighters and paramedics were killed. 23 NYPD officers were lost, and a total of 2,753 people died in the attack of the two towers. September 11th is a day we will never forget. We should remember and honor all those that fight for our country and all that were lost on that day 11 years ago. But once again Happy Birthday brother!

Yes September is the month of birthdays in our family. Yesterday was my dad's and today is my brothers...and soon to come, mine.

But on a different note...one thing that I love about college, is that class doesn't always go till the ending time. Often the professor will let you out early! It's awesome. For example my Astronomy professor let us go with half an hour left of class. The class is an hour and a half long, so he lectured for an hour then said "Quiz Wednesday! See ya." Also in my Marriage and the Family class, which I had today, we took a test. When you are done with the test, he allows you to leave. I was done in thirty minutes. The class is usually an hour and fifteen minutes long. I love getting out of class early!

I can't believe it is only Tuesday...this might be a long week. Plus iTunes didn't have any good free downloads...what a bummer.

New Week, New Stories.

Honestly I don't have much to talk about. I do want to say Happy Birthday to my Papa today! My dad means the world to me. Wish I could be there with you guys, but talking with you yesterday was awesome. I love you all!

About the only interesting thing I did this week with my teammates was catch some frogs on campus. We were taking our usual walk around campus when I noticed something move. I thought it was a leaf blowing, but it was moving rather strangely. As I looked back at it, I noticed it was a frog. Now that is something you don't see everyday. So obviously it caught my curiosity and I immediately wanted to catch it. Long story short....I did. And actually there were two different frogs in two different places that I caught. Have a look...

  

Don't mind my creepy face...I'm just a little crazy/excited, plus it was around 9 o'clock at night when this happened. That's why the pictures are a weird color. My teammates now call me Bonny The Frog Catcher. (Bonny because we gave each other old lady names) It was so cool! Now when ever I'm on campus I catch myself listening and looking for frogs...My next catch will be a lizard!

I sure hope some good songs show up on iTunes for free this week. I love a good song, especially when its free. Although last week a song was on there that I bought a couple weeks earlier! Oh well...Free downloads of t.v. shows are always nice too. I sure hope Apple is following my blog so they get the hint that I love this stuff and to keep it rolling in.

Tennis is going great. Like always I love going to practice and playing! Its just so fun and exciting.

I've almost lived here in AZ a month! feels like longer. I'm loving it though. I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Eh...

Not much to write about...so this post is going to be a little boring.

It rained last night, like as in, it poured and felt like a hurricane. I had no complaints though, I was comfortably sitting in the library with my teammates doing homework and random stuff on the computer. Spending time with my teammates is my favorite thing to do.

So I decided that while I am here I am going to grow my hair out a little...just a little. Don't expect to see me with long hair anytime soon. But when I go/come home for Christmas, I will get it cut.

For now I will be going for this approach....(Emma Watson A.K.A Hermione Granger)

 

 But then I will go back to this...

 

Not much going on this weekend. Volleyball is away tonight so there won't be a game to go to. I heard there was a softball game tomorrow, which I will probably go to with my teammates. Going to the pool is always relaxing. But for now...I chill in the library.

While The Roommates Are Away, We Shall Play.

So like I said, two of my roommates went home this weekend. While they were gone, Crystal and I decided to cause some chaos. We took what Amanda said seriously, "When I come back the house is going to be a mess..." Let me just show you a glimpse of what it looked like...

Don't worry those are IBC Rootbeer bottles I promise! Our poor fish even had a fork in their bowl. Lets just say that it didn't take long for it to look that way. We woke up at 11a.m. on Monday, went shopping at Walmart for about 2 hours it seemed, then wreaked some havoc. The rest of the day we finished watching all the Harry Potter movies. We had a Potter marathon this weekend. It was awesome. I dreamed of being a wizard/witch and casting spells! We even wrapped our blankets around us like capes and grabbed spoons to use as our wands, then ran outside casting spells. Call us crazy but we had fun. Amanda arrived home around 7:30p.m. Crystal and I were laying on the couch watching Harry Potter. Amanda said, "Wow how long did it take you guys to do this? It looks good." Ivy got home later and walked in and said, "Looks like you guys had a party." I replied with, "Oh yeah, it was awesome." We may be good at making messes but we are even better at cleaning up. While HP 7 Part 1 was playing, Crystal and I cleaned up our mess. It looks as if nothing ever happened. Except for the plastic bag full of Rootbeer bottles sitting in the corner...

Sunday night Crystal and I made BBQ chicken wings for dinner. They were awesome! She is the chef of the roommate family. She makes things all the time. Like from a recipe rather than a bag that you add water to, like I do.

 

My teammates and I hangout a lot together. Often times we are found in the activity center playing table tennis. Tennis players playing table tennis? Yes. We walk to the gas station and get drinks, then walk around campus a couple times, then go play table tennis. Typical routine, but never gets old. We have so much fun together! Like I said, we are a family! This is Patricia and Kayla competing against each other.

The above picture was posted on Facebook by Patricia. Of course she had to add the one of me blinking, we even took another one because of it too! Oh well...from left to right it goes, Kayla, Patricia, The Gila Monster mascot, Maja, then of course me. (Read previous posts to know where these people are from and how to say their name.) This was after the volleyball game on Friday. We love going as a team to support!

Today my best friend Katie Wetz and I Skyped for the first time. It was awesome. I miss my friends back home. But just know I haven't forgotten about you or replaced you. I will be home soon enough.

In closing I would like to share some random pictures...

These two spray paint stencils are right outside the institute. Weird but funny.

Last night it began to rain. I was starting to miss it. This is what the stormy night sky looked like. Awesome right?

TGIF.

Tonight there is another volleyball game! I'm so excited. My teammates and I are all going to go again. Today practice was only an hour, but it was so hot outside that it felt like longer. I was literally sweating bullets. After practice my shirt was drenched in sweat, almost as if I had just gone swimming.

Only had one class today. Math. My professor randomly started doing a problem on the board. It was so hard to follow him. He told us it was a problem that he worked on for an hour and a half, just trying to figure out. I look around the class and find that I'm not the only one spacing off into another dimension. Finally a girl raises her hand and asks what exactly he is trying to do. He explains then goes on. Five minutes later I raise my hand and ask the question I know we are all stressing over. "Will this be on the homework?" His answer, "No.." We all sigh with relief. "But yes..." Oh crap. He goes on to finish the problem, then shows us that it works. In the end he asks us what the answer would be if we plugged in certain numbers. I answer. "140." "Yes, Loni see that is how it works and why it would be on your homework." (First name basis already? Great...) I raise my hand for a high five from him. He gives me one then we do knuckles, as I say, "Ah Yeah!" The class laughs, and after he turns away I look back with a look of, 'I have no idea what he just did.' Oh by the way, I sit in the front. My professor is right handed. So I can never see what he is doing on the board. Oh yeah and for all you wondering if he is from a different country like most are...Nope, he is totally a white guy.

This is my attempt at taking a picture of what he was doing. You probably won't be able to read it, since it is not close up. Plus there is more work on the other board. I had a limited amount of time before he turned around to take the picture.

So Ivy and Amanda are heading home this weekend. Which leaves me and Crystal home. Alone. Together. Amanda said last night, "The house is going to be destroyed by the time we get back. Things will be everywhere." Then we started joking that by the end of the weekend we would be locking ourselves in our rooms. Darting to another location when the other is not looking. We really do get along great. We just joke around and are sarcastic a lot. For example, the other day I was wearing khaki shorts and a navy blue v-neck shirt. Crystal said she needed to go to Walmart. I said I would go with her. She said, "You can't go looking like that, you would blend in." It took me a couple seconds to figure out what she meant. For those of you still confused...Walmart workers always wear tan pants with navy blue collared shirts. So I would have looked like a worker. Crazy jokes like that happen at our house. We also like locking each other out of the house, which resorts to climbing through the window.

Have a great weekend!

Team = Family.

I swear we use toilet paper up like nobodies business. (Ha Ha did you catch the little pun/joke) I'm pretty sure everyday or at least every two days we are replacing the roll. I guess that just proves that someone other than myself is using it.

Last night was the first volleyball game! One of the girls on the tennis team is also on the volleyball team. So as a team we all went and supported her. It was so much fun! We have so much fun together. The game was awesome to watch too. Unfortunately we lost, but it was an intense game. My teammates are like my family now. There's another game on Friday, we'll be on the front row supporting!

It's not the best picture of us, but it will do for now. From left to right it goes... Kayla (who is also from Utah), Kindra, Patricia (I don't know if that is how you spell her name, it is said different because she is from Slovakia, I think), me, then Maja (Said My-ya, I think she is from Croatia, not for certain though). Maja looks mad, but I swear she is not. Bad picture like I said. Ashley, who goes by her last name Pedro (Peed-row), is the one on the volleyball team.
I will post a better picture soon.

This week is Labor day weekend. No school Monday! I know two out of my three roommates will be headed home. Unfortunately I won't be though. Unless someone is willing to pay for a round-trip flight. Any takers? I think campus will become scarce. Good time for me to check out the city from a bikers point of view. No worries, Walmart is 5 minutes away, I will survive!

I never thought I would be so happy to have quarters in my possession. Getting quarters in my change from the store, is like Christmas day. Never will I be sad to see a quart. Why you ask am I so happy to have quarters? Laundry. It costs a dollar each to use the washing machines and driers. Only payable in quarters. I usually do two loads of wash, colors and whites, in separate machines. Then I dry them together. For all you rocket scientists out there, this math problem is not for you. Three dollars to wash my clothes. Sunday night is my desired washing time. Luckily the laundry room is only five steps from my front door, so I can't complain. The worst thing though, is lugging all your clothes and detergent to the laundry room, open a washer...someones clothes are still in there...open another...same thing. Try them all...clothes. Are you fetchin' serious! Come on girls, seriously, come get your clothes! It usually takes me 3 round-trips of checking until someone has moved there clothes. I know how long it takes to wash my clothes, so I try to be the fast one to wash and dry my clothes. 

Well anyways...I'm hungry.

-LCK