Which Oka Sister Will You Grow Up To Be???

Disclaimer: This is meant in no way to offend anyone. We just wanted some lighthearted fun!!

Answer the following questions. Results are at the bottom.

1. When you go shopping you

a. Buy something for everyone in the family
b. Buy it if it’s on sale
c. Take three hours to make a decision
d. Get what you need and pick a few extra things
e. None of the above

2. What color is the pill on Dr. Mario?

a. Red
b. Orange
c. Red-Orange
d. Yellow
e. None of the above

3. When making a human pyramid where do you fall in?

a. On bottom
b. On top
c. Somewhere in the middle, wherever you’re needed
d. Don’t participate at all
e. None of the above

4. In ten years you picture yourself..

a. Teaching math
b. Teaching math
c. Working in a school
d. Working just not in a school
e. None of the above

5. When bringing food to family dinner you generally bring…

a. Fruit salad
b. Relish dish
c. Potatoes
d. Dessert
e. None of the above

6. When buying a gift you buy

a. In quantity
b. For the deal
c. For the price
d. Just cause you want it
e. None of the above

7. You can sing all the words to

a. Bonneville’s Alma Matter
b. Chili’s Baby Back Ribs
c. You don’t generally sing
d. It doesn’t matter what you’ll sing everything
e. None of the above

8. You prefer to play Solitaire

a. On the toilet
b. In a nice comfy chair
c. At the kitchen table
d. You’ll play anywhere
e. None of the above

9. Where do you fall in your family?

a. Oldest and proud of it
b. Not quite oldest but still loving life
c. Middle and always picked on
d. Somewhere towards the bottom and indifferent
e. Youngest, it’s great to be the baby

10. If you could describe yourself with three words they would be…

a. Stubborn, Mean, Sarcastic
b. Bubbly, Kooky, Loud
c. Persistent, Hardy, Loud
d. Kind, Patient, Loud
e. Determined, Giving, Loud



Score yourself according to your answers
1. a-4,b-2,c-1,d-3,e-0
2. a-1,b-3,c-2,d-4,e-0
3. a-4,b-1,c-3,d-2,e-0
4. a-1/4,b-1/4,c-2,d-3,e-0
5. a-1,b-3,c-2,d-4,e-0
6. a-4,b-2,c-3,d-1,e-0
7. a-2,b-1,c-3,d-4,e-0
8. a-4,b-3,c-1,d-2,e-0
9. a-0,b-1,c-2,d-3,e-4
10.a-0,b-1,c-2,d-3,e-4

If you scored mostly:
0’s you will be Uncle Kenny
1’s you will be Auntie Jeane
2’s you will be Auntie Janet
3’s you will be Auntie Joni
4’s you will be Auntie Mitsie

DON'T FORGET TO POSTS YOUR RESULTS IN MY COMMENTS FOR ALL TO SEE!!!

I don't like people

So I was work today when I answered the telephone. The man asked to speak to my boss Joe. I asked for his name and he said Jim. I thought he said Tim so I asked just to verify. His response was, "No, Jim. What color platinum blond are you today?" Seriously? How rude. Some people. I wasn't even being dumb, which I will admit sometimes I can be. But I just wanted to make sure I heard him correctly. I have to say that some days I just hate people.

People Say the Darndest Things

So I was sitting at work today and my friend and coworker Nate started asking me questions. He asked if I could read Japanese and my response was no. Then he asked if I could speak Japanese and again my response was no. After two negative responses he gets a puzzled look on his face and say, "That's false advertising." I inquired as to what this statement meant. He explained that I claim to be Japanese when I can't read or write it, therefore I must not really be Japanese. "false advertising," what a funny way to look at it.

Well Nate was just so upset with this concept that he decided to seek out a second opinion. Collin, another coworker, agreed with the "false advertising" statement and added one of his own. He said, "Yeah, she's just a cheep imitation." This made me laugh even harder.

To finish the story, Nate, who is our watch smith, compared me to a "fake Rolex." Looks can be deceiving. This needless to say was the joke of the day. I think the real issue is their jealousy. They wish they could be as cool as me!!!

Fun TImes

So there's not a whole lot of things to do in Logan unless it's outside. Well we got bored last week and decided to go tray surfing. Let me explain what this means...You take a lunch tray, tie a rope to the back of a truck, sit on the tray, hold onto the rope and get pulled around a parking lot. No, there is no snow it was just the tray on the gravel...needless to say the friction made it pretty hot. This game didn't not last very long due to the heat on our back sides.

After the parking lot we decided to go down some hills. Not grassy hills, street hills. We have a few big ones in Logan. I only crashed once but I made it count. I have quite the welt on my bum. Next was sliding off a friends house. Only one person did that. My fear of heights did not allow me to do so. Anyway to sum up the night... Lots of random fun with only minor injuries!!!

Here are a few pictures of our adventure!

Random

New hair cut. I don't really like it, but it will grow back. I just needed something different. This is the outcome!


Here is the final picture of my lack of tonsils...isn't it beautiful. All gone!!

A Sign of Relief

So I have to say that relief is in sight!!! The doctor said I would be feeling better by day 10 and that will be tomorrow. Today has been the first day that I have really felt better. And I am so excited to be able to eat real food!!! I had nothing but soup, mashed potatoes, and pudding for the last week and a half. I'll tell you something....if you want to loose weight fast go on a liquid diet. I lost 15 pounds. Yep that's right 15, however, I have been craving a hamburger for the last week. Ugh I need real food. But as I'm typing this I'm also eating a piece of pizza!!! That's right pizza. I CAN EAT AGAIN!!!

So to sum things up....

2 tonsils
2 adnoids
15 pounds
1 1/2 weeks....

A new Tracey!!!

GRAPHIC PICTURE #2

I think this stuff is kinda cool. So I'm sorry if it grosses any of you out. But if you look at it I think it's getting better!!!

Caution Graphic Picture!!!

This is what my throat looks like without tonsils!

Tonsils

Ok so here is the story. So I got my tonsils out yesterday. Everything went really well. I even felt pretty good. Mom was my responsible adult who was taking care of me. Now I'm not blaming here but maybe, just maybe she had a little too much faith in me...

You see about 10:15 last night she told me to take my medicine. I had just waken up and I couldn't find the special spoon that the doctor gave me to measure my drugs. So I grabbed what I thought to be a teaspoon and took 6 of those full of Lortab. Well mom comes in and says you know that's a tablespoon right? Well by then it was to late and I had take 3X the amount I was supposed to.

Mom called poison control and they told her to take me to the ER. When we got there the doctor told me that it took 4 hours to show up on any tests. So he sent us home and had us come back at 2. I was released around 3:30 after blood test revealed that I would be fine.

It was an adventurous night that I found very entertaining. Mom wasn't so happy (sorry). But if you look on the bright side I'M FINE!!! Minus the small throat issues all is well. However I hear it gets worse, so I'm sure there's more to come!

The 'A'

This is a picture of me and Mark Laub standing by the 'A'. He helped build and light the 'A'. It wouldn't have happened without him. The 'A' is about 100 feet by 100 feet. This picture doesn't really show how big it is. I'll post more when I get them.

YEAH I'M KIND OF A BIG DEAL!!

So not to brag or anything but I'm a BIG deal. Today marks a momentous occasion in Utah State University history. The "lighted 'A'" on the hill was once again lit. Those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about will be able reference this to the 'Y' that stands above BYU or the 'U' above Utah.

You may be asking yourself why does this make me a BIG deal. Well, I'll tell you. The lighted 'A' was one of Utah States greatest traditions and due to various circumstances it was shut down. We have not seen the 'A' for about 20 years. Tonight we were able to bring it back. When I say we I'm referring to myself, Kim, a group of engineering students, the Sigma Chi fraternity and a few other people.

Kim and I started looking into this project over a year ago. We figured it would take 3-5 years to get something up there. Well a year and a few months later one can look east to the mountain and see this 'A' lit at Homecoming and A-DAY. This 'A' can been seen when driving into Cache Valley from all directions. It's beautiful and I couldn't be more proud. To think that just a few people could influence a university and even a valley of people is amazing. So...

Yeah I'm kind of a big deal!!!

Don't worry I wont let it go to my head!

November 5th

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

So those of you that have seen 'V for Vendetta' will recognize this poem. It's a really good movie you should see it if you haven't...In the movie they talk about a man named Guy Fawkes. This man tried to burn down Parliament on November 5th, 1605. He was unsuccessful and eventually hung for treason.

You might be asking yourself why I bring this up, well...this November 5th will mark a momentous occasion for me. It is the day that I will be getting my tonsils out. I am very excited for this. I get strep lots and I just want them gone. The doctor says I have Chronic Tonsillitis. I don't know what that means but it sounds serious. I think it's inflammation of the tonsils that reoccurs often.

Anyway back to the 5th of November...what does a day 4,000 years ago have to do with my tonsils? Well if you look at it with me I think you will see the same similarities that I see. For instance:

*The reason Guy Fawkes wanted to burn down parliament is the same reason I want my tonsils out....They SUCK!
*They both ruin peoples lives
*Sometimes it's like they're not even their but then one day, BAM it just hits you like a ton of bricks
*They're just plan no good

I could go on, but I wont. Basically the 5th of November is all about taking out something. Destroying it. Getting rid of it forever. I think this was a well chosen day to get my tonsils out.

Update

So I love my job!!! Here are a few reasons why I love my job... (P.S. I write lists cause I think they're funner to read)

1. I get to wear the jewelry. That's right I wore a $600 pair of pink pearl earrings at work. The only condition is that I clean them and put them back at the end of the day!! So cool

2. I get to work every department. We have three different departments in the store (Jewelry, Service, and Gift). I work all of them. I'm the only one that does this. Everyone else just stays in their own department. I have to know a lot more than everyone else, but it helps with my ADD tendencies.

3. One of the owners/head goldsmith is going to let me be an apprentice on my days of. Which means I will be learning how to design and make jewelry.

4. The people are really nice and well connected in the valley.

5. It's a full time job. That's right 40 hours a week.

6. I get to sleep in. I don't go to work till 10 and get off at 7. The perfect schedule.

7. I'm busy now. I feel like I'm contributing to society now. Okay maybe not, but I definitely don't feel lazy anymore.

8. I no longer have to tell people that I'm not employed!!!

9. I get an amazing discount!!!

10. It's just plain fun!

JOB!!!!!

YAY! So I finally got a job!!! I now work for SE Needham's Jewelery store. I'm really excited. I will be doing everything from selling jewelery to making repairs. I am going to be very educated in the world of fine accessories! I hear I get a killer discount as well, but we'll see about that. Anyway I'm just excited to have a steady pay check. And the great thing is that I start tomorrow!! I can't wait. Wish me luck!

RECIPE PARTY!!!

Plan on this Saturday the 27th at about 1ish. Sam that I hope you get off by then. Bring all your recipes and we will swap. Also if the peaches are good plan on canning peaches. If not we will still swap recipes. It should be lots of fun I'm way excited!!! See you then!!!

Childhood

Why is it that as we grow up we loose a sence of our childhood? It seems to me that we loose the best parts. Here is a list of things from my childhood that I hope to never loose:

1. Jumping in puddles
2. Playing in the mud and letting it squish between my toes
3. Looking for rainbows after it rain
4. Spelling my name with the sparklers on the 4th of July
5. Climbing trees
6. SLIP 'N' SLIDE!!!
7. Night games
8-11. Dad added in the comments
12. My daddy calling me Buttercup
13. Building forts (snow forts at Grandma Oka's in the big pile of snow, and blanket forts)
14. Coloring in coloring books


That's all for now, but I will add more later

RECIPE PARTY!!!

So, I was thinking today. I think we need to have a recipe party. I made some sugar cookies the other day with a recipe out of my Better Homes cook book. They were not very good at all. Remember making them at Grandma Oka's house as kids and decorating them with frosting? Well that was the kind of cookies I wanted to make.

Now I know that I'm not a bad cook, so I figure it must have been the recipe. This got me thinking about all the recipes that I would like to have. Hence the idea of the recipe party.

I propose that we all get together and exchange recipes. We can all get our cute little recipe boxes and have lots of fun. I was also thinking maybe we could help Grandma Oka can some fruits and veggies while we're at it!

Let me know what you think and what day would be good for you. I think it would be lots of fun!!

Boredom

I found this video today from the beginning of the summer. It's amazing the things we do when boredom has set in. I still find it funny. And for those of you who have never tried (I'm sure most of you haven't) you have to have a really big mouth in order for the cup to fit. That probably goes without saying! Nevertheless I was unsuccessful.

Things that bother me

So I don't know if it's because I'm sick and stay at home all day and sleep or if it's just been a long time coming...but there have been A LOT of things that bother me lately!!

Here are some of them:

1. People that say "well actually" and then feel the need to correct whatever you just told them.
2. People that don't return texts and/or phone calls. If they are Verizon carriers I can tell when they read the text so I know when they don't answer me back.
3. Just because I'm home all day does not mean I'm the maid, so don't expect me to clean up after you.
4. Not having friends. Don't get me wrong I have lots of friends it just seems that they've disappeared now that schools started. I need friends that have graduated.
5. Nothing on TV. I know that sitting at home all day isn't a good thing....however being sick has compelled me to do nothing but watch TV. It's time for all the regular series to start again!! I can't wait for The Office.

Getting Better!!!

So I'm feeling a lot better. And by a lot better I mean my throat is less swollen. The medication that the doc gave me for strep helped a lot. The spots are gone and I can swallow my own spit. As far as being completely better....I'm not. I'm still really tired. I have good days and bad ones but I'm generally always tired. I can handle being tired, all I want to do is swallow. However it's kind of ironic, I wanted to be able to swallow so that I could eat and drink. Well now I have no appetite at all. I crave things and then I eat some of it and I'm done. I now just eat because I know I need to. It's a weird feeling. But here's a picture of my throat looking much, much better!!! YAY for drugs!

Could it get any worse????

OK, so if it wasn't bad enough that I have mono...the doc called today to tell me the strep sample was sent over to the hospital and came up positive. So now I have strep too. Come to find out that it's very common in mono cases. However, everyone that have talked to (who have had mono) say that theirs was not nearly this bad. And let me show you why.

CAUTION GRAPHIC PICTURES (of Tracey's soar soar throat)!!!


Let me explain to you this picture...
First you will notice the size of my tonsils. You can see the dangley thing (uvula) stuck to my right one
Second you will see all the white spots. Thats all the infection.

Needless to say this is very painful and I can't even swallow my own spit. And not much helps to numb that. Oh well life must go on!

Recent News.....A Day and A Life of Tracey

So I recently have been very very tired. People have been giving me a hard time because I sleep in till after 10. I thought that because I don't have a job that I just haven't wanted to get out of bed. Well this turned out not to be the case.

Last night I decided to take a nap. I ended up sleeping for three hours. I was so tired later that night that I ended up falling asleep at midnight. This is usually not the case when I take naps. I usually end up staying awake till all hours of the night because I can't sleep. I slept a solid eight hours last night. With the occasional wake up due to a very bad sore throat.

When I finally woke up this morning I could not swallow. I immediately thought STREP!! So I looked in the mirror and could white spots. I thought this might be a figment of my imagination. I asked my roommate to look and she confirmed my original findings. I had white spots.

We have an InstaCare up here, so I went in. They did a strep culture, but the results came up NEGATIVE. I couldn't believe it. Surely the doctor must be mistaken. I could see the white spots myself.

Indeed the white spots were there and the test was not wrong. So what does this mean you might be asking? Well I'll tell you....The Doc looks at me and says, "Let's do a MONO test." "Oh no, not MONO," I thought to myself. Then the nice looking nurse comes in to take a blood sample. I don't know if I have ever had it hurt so bad when someone drew my blood. Anyway they take my blood and I wait.

The Doc comes back with a piece of paper that tells me all about Mononucleosis. Then he proceeds to tell me that because the chances of having an enlarge spleen are really good I'm not supposed to play sports for Two months. UGH, No sports for two months what am I supposed to do with myself. I guess that my dreams of going to the Olympics will just have to wait.

So now that I know I have MONO I guess that I will just sleep. It's a good thing that job searching doesn't take a whole lot of physical activity. Oh boy this should be fun!!!

NO MORE SCHOOL!!!

So it's the Friday before school starts and I'm feeling kinda weird. I don't have to worry about all the chaos that comes with getting ready for a new semester. I feel happy to have a little piece of paper that says that I paid my dues. Best of luck to all of you out there who will be studying your brains out....Especially Hali. Good luck with college I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks

There are so many days that I sit and complain about something that I don't like in my life.

Well a few weeks ago one of my best friend's little boy was diagnosed with NALD. It is a disorder that is inherited genetically. From what I understand is it just eats away at his little body. He's about three months old and the cutest little guy. Their first child had the same thing and passed away when she was only 18 months old. I can't imagine being a parent and loosing a child. My friend and her husband are both wonderful people. I wish them the best and keep them in my prayers.

I have to look at my life and realize that I'm so blessed. Even though I don't have a job, I have so many other things to be thankful for. I have so many friends and family who love me, I have great health, and no serious worries. I think I might take so more time out of my life to appreciate all that I have. And maybe try to complain a little less.

Job Hunt

So the job search is still on. I would really like to stay at Utah State, but it's looking as if I might have to search somewhere else. I'm ok with that I guess. I think the hardest part is looking back at my college experience and not remembering the classes that I had, but the organizations I was involved in. There are so many things that I'm going to miss. I think that's why I have only looked for jobs at the university.

This makes me think of that famous saying...don't let your school work interfere with your education (I think that's how it goes). But I really feel that I learned more from the clubs and extracurriculars that I was involved in rather than the boring classes that I attended. And that's when I actually attended my classes. (Hali don't get any ideas. Going to your classes is very important!)

So I finished college, regardless of how often I went to classes. But they never taught me how to be all grown up. I'm thinking that being grown up is not pertinent right now. Does a college degree really mean it's time to grow up or is it just something that your parents tell you so that you don't become lazy and sit on the couch all day. Which I find myself doing more frequently now that I don't have a job. Which brings me back to the original topic of searching for jobs.

Why do they have to make it so hard? They always tell you that you don't have enough experience, but how are you supposed to get experience if no one will hire you? It's this endless cycle with massive amounts of frustration. All that college classes ever taught me was what to do when I actually have a job. They never teach you how to go out and get the job. You would think if we are capable of going to college (paying for, getting good grades, and actually graduating) that we could succeed in whatever job we find. So why don't they teach us, what has proven to be the most difficult part for me, how get a job?

The frustration is starting to get to me...if you couldn't already tell. People just keep saying it will come, there's a reason for everything. So I will continue sending in my resume and I will continue looking for jobs and in the meantime if you would like to hire me...let me know!!!

CHEESE

This was the twin's birthday party at grandma's house. They love saying CHEESE!

Waking up from a nap

I was at Kim's house one day and I could hear the kids were up from their nap. This is how I found them.

Awards

I told mom that I would post some more pictures of the awards that I received. Sorry it's taken so long.

These first pics are from the Robins Awards where I received service of the year.
Matt, Megan, and Alyson...they are all on the Student Alumni board.

Todd (my date for the night) before you jump to any conclusions...We're just friends!!! Sorry to disappoint all of you.

My acceptance speech

The very very pointy award...I actually cut my hand on it!

Todd's great photography skills. You will notice the middle signature on the certificate is from the president of the university! Yeah I'm kind of a big deal! hehe just kidding.


This is the plaque I got for the dedication award. Not as cool looking as the pyramid thing, but still pretty fun!

More Pics

So I finally decided to upload my pictures off my camera. It's been awhile, so here are some pics of what I've been up to lately!!


This is a picture from my birthday dinner (and hat)


This is the student athlete retreat I went on. You might remember this as the broken ribs/sternum incident!



This is a cake I made for a friends 20th birthday. The holes are due to candles!


This is after one of the Aggie basketball games that we all love so much. Tradition was to go out to Firehouse (a really good local restaurant) and eat after.


You may remember the job to Australia that I had and lost. They kept one intern on (who just happens to be one of my really good friends). He left today and this was his farewell dinner. Don't worry I'm not bitter at all!!

Fun Pic

I found this picture today. It's from one of the True Aggie Nights. I think my favorite part is that Kim and I have one eye closed and it makes us look more like sisters!!! The other girl in the photo is Megan. She is on the Student Alumni board also.

Job Search

Well now that I've graduated it's time to grow up and be a big girl. My job at the middle school will be ending next week and I will need another job. I think maybe I should be worried, but I'm not. There are a few jobs that are opening up on campus that I am applying for. We'll see how that goes. I don't really like looking for jobs and I don't really like trying to be all grown up, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

More to come on the job search

Broken

This weekend I attend the SAM's (Student Athlete Mentors) retreat. I was there to help facilitate. This was also another good way for me to network with people. I was the only non student athlete that attended (other than the advisers). This meant that I got to participate in all the games they played. Bad idea! Even though I would have considered myself an athlete "back in the day". I no longer have the stamina or muscle that I used to. However the coordination is still there (kinda).

Well...they wanted to play this bungee game. It essentially is a giant rubber band that four people stand in. The two people across from each other switch sides and stretch the band as tight as they can. This slings the other two people across. They stretch the band and fling the first two. This continues until speed is built up and people are being thrown all over the place.

Tracey, being the genius I am, decided to join three MALE athletes in doing this. Big mistake. I immediately was the weaker link and therefore had no control of where I was being thrown. I soon was lying on my back out with the wind knocked out of me. We had been going so fast that when we went to switch places we completely ran into each other. We hit heads (the minor injury) and I took a shoulder straight to my chest (the major injury).

My shoulder throbbed for awhile, but adrenaline is an amazing thing. I felt OK so we decided to play a safer game, volleyball. But to my luck I got hurt again. It was our teams turn to serve the ball and my teammate decided to serve it into my head. It left a nice red mark on my cheek. But no worries it went away.

This was day one. Day two I woke up in pain. My chest was very sore. But being the "tough" person I am, I continued to play and participate in all the activities. One activity required the stronger guys to carry the girls across the volleyball court. This seemed easy enough, until Tai Wesley decided he wanted to carry three people. I happened to be the bottom of the three girls he was carrying. So when he started to fall I was stuck and took the brunt of it. Now for those of you who may not know who Tai Wesley is...he plays center for the basketball team. He's 6'7" and about 240lbs. So when he fell I dropped about six feet and then the 240 pound basketball player rolled over crushing me.

The sore chest that I already had was now more sore and everyone thought I should be put in a bubble. But just so you know I did not cry once!!! Being around athletes did have it's advantages. Tai felt bad he hurt me worse, so when went and got his pain killers he had from his nose surgery and gave me one. This was very nice until it made me really nauseous and knocked me out for four hours.

The pain is still there and no I haven't gone to the doctor. (sorry mom) But if it's a cracked rib or sternum there is nothing they can do. They just give you pain killers. Which after the first experience I think I'll just live with the pain. I do have a nice bruise on my chest and laughing, coughing, sneezing, and most of all hiccuping hurts really bad. I can breath just fine, so I'm not to worried.

I also went and hit a bucket of balls on Monday (I know not the smartest thing). It hurt the entire time and I was really sore after, but it was my own fault and I'm still alive so I figure no harm done.

The point of this store is to explain the importance of wearing your helmets and any other safety protection you might have when hanging out with student athletes!!! Not one of them got hurt. Go figure...

End of an Era

I took my last test today. I'm officially done with college. It has been fun. Many ups and many downs, but it's been one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much, not just from my classes but from my experiences. I know that I will always be an Aggie and that puts a smile to my face. I can't wait to find out what lies ahead for me. Thanks to all those who helped me get here. It wasn't easy, but it was definitely worth every moment! There's only one thing left to say...GO AGGIES!!

My award

This is the best picture that I have of the Robins Awards. The giant paper weight that I'm holding is the award. The people I'm with are from the HURD and Student Alumni

I WON!!!

So the Robins Awards were last night. Like I mentioned before, they're the most "prestigious" awards that the university gives out. Mom, Dad, Kim and Cory all came with me. I wasn't nervous until the program started. I wasn't nervous cause I wanted to win (cause I really didn't care) I was more nervous to have to talk in front of 500 people if I won.

Well they announced the nominees and showed our pictures on the big screen. I was the last one so my picture stayed up while they opened the envelope and read the winner. (so embarrassing). When they read my name I thought 'oh no, my picture is going to be up there longer.' We sat in the back of the ballroom so I had a really long way to walk. And during the walk I forgot everything I was going to say. I couldn't even tell you now what I said...oh well.

The award I received is for Service of the Year. Basically for all the volunteer time I've spent doing things for the university. They gave me what appears to be a giant paper weight in the shape of a pyramid. It's pretty sharp too. I also got a certificate signed by the president of the university. Overall the banquet was really boring, but it's nice to be recognized. And I'm glad I won!!

Thanks to everyone who has helped out and put up with me the last 5 years. Can you believe I made it?? Now what??

Finished!!!

I'm finally done with the week. It was more successful than I could have imagined. Mom and dad came up yesterday to see all the hard work I've done. Hali and Hannah also came and played. I hope you all had fun. Thanks for coming. Here are some pictures from the week...

Day on the Quad....tons of fun stuff to do!!!
















Green Day cover band...they were really good...sounded just like the real deal!


B-I-N-G-O with the senior citizens. We brought them up to campus to play B-I-N-G-O. This lady was so excited when she won an Aggie blanket




5K Fun Run Started at Midnight


Last night we had a movie in the Amphitheater. We had an outdoor dance that over 2000 people showed up to. And finally to end the week we had True Aggie Night with a "chapel of love". This week was a lot of work, but it all paid off in the end. I had a ton of fun planning it. Now I have to go get ready for the banquet. Wish me luck!!

Another Day

Another day has passed and three more to go. Today was the complete opposite of yesterday. I complained about the sunburn and now I complain about standing outside for three hours in the SNOW. This Logan weather kills me. But we had a lot of success today regardless of the bad weather.

Part of the days events was to attend the ASUSU Banquet. This another awards banquet but not to be confused with the Robins Award (that's the one that I'm a finalist for service this Saturday). ASUSU is the group with which I started the HURD. Today, to my surprise, I received the Dedication Award.

This award is presented to one male and one female who have shown "outstanding" dedication to serving Utah State. I hope that makes sense. And to be honest I don't really know what the award is exactly all about I just remember they used the word dependable. So I guess that means I'm a dependable person. Anyway it's a pretty cool award. Not as cool as Robins, but it's nice to be recognized.

It's 2 in the morning so I'm going to bed now because I have an interview with one of the radio stations at 7 in the morning. Till next time!

It's here!!!

A-Week is finally here. Most of it's done I'm just working on details. I sat at our information booth for 4 hours today and now I look like a lobster. The good thing is that in a few days I'll just be tan. But I have 4 more days of sitting in the sun. Spring is a glorious time of year.

So if you haven't noticed by now, it's almost midnight and once again I can't sleep. For the last week I have had pretty restless sleep. I keep waking up in the middle of the night with things that I need to do. I finally started texting myself so that I would remember in the morning. Tonight is one of those nights that I just can't get my brain to shut down. And when I finally get to sleep I will probably have another dream about A-DAY. You know that you're really into something when you eat, drink, sleep it. Although I'm finding it hard to find time to eat.

I spend a good 10 hours a day on campus working on this (the past week). So when I went home on the weekend I took a bunch of frozen food out of mom's freezer so that I will have something to eat while I work (sorry mom). But at least I'm eating now. Anyway this week will be lots of fun. I look forward to seeing what all the hard work will get us.

And if any of you would like to come to A-DAY on Friday please do. There will be lots of games and food and fun stuff like a skydiver and bands. It's going to be from 11-2 on the QUAD. I can't wait!!!

Pictures

Dad said I don't have enough pictures on my blog....here you go!!!

Robins Awards

Every year Utah State holds an awards ceremony. It's the most "prestigious" awards on campus. They honor those who have been involved in the university. The awards include everything from women and man of the year, which recognizes outstanding female and male students, to adviser of the year, to organization of the year, to service of the year.

Last year the club that I started (the HURD) was a finalist for organization of the year. We lost to Special Olympics, but this year we are a finalist again. Also the Student Alumni Association (the club that I'm in charge of A-DAY for) is a finalist.

The Service of the year award is given to the individual or group that has showed outstanding service to the University. This year I was nominated and am a finalist for this award. It's really cool to be recognized for the things that I've done, but it doesn't go without saying that I've had a lot of help. I couldn't do any of it alone.

The banquette/ceremony is on April 19th. The day after A-DAY, so needless to say I don't have time to worry about winning. But I'm excited non-the-less and it's an honor just to be nominated. Stayed tuned for the outcome!!

A-DAY

It's been couple of weeks since my last blog....so here it goes.

I'm really really busy with A-DAY stuff. I'm about two weeks out from the whole event and it's been really stressful. But hopes are high and I'm sure all will go well. Everyday We have planned some sort of service project and night activity. I added them all up and it came to a total of 15 different activities that I have to program for the week. And that doesn't include all the other stuff I have to do like design t-shirts and fliers and get sponsors and donations. I have lot's of people helping so it's been nice, but coordinating everything is a lot of work. But I'm enjoying it for the time being.

Spring is Coming

Spring is coming and with it brings the rain. I like the rain so I don't mind it. However I think there will be a few more snow storms before spring is officially here.

One month from today is the start of A-WEEK. Am I ready?? NOPE. But all will go well I'm sure. We just received another donation of $500. That brings our total so far to $2000. It's really exciting to see how many people want to be apart of this event. Last year they raised just over $2000. I still have a month and we have raised this much. It's very exciting.

We have planned a lot of fun things for the week. Our theme is ACES: Aggies Creating Excellence through Service. The whole week is going to have a Vegas theme. We even have our own wedding chapel!! We have a Green Day cover band coming, we're showing a movie in the amphitheater, a dance on the QUAD under stars, and a casino night. That's just the fun stuff we're doing. Everyday we will also have service projects. It's going to be a lot of work. And with it come stress. But no worries I'm ready for it...bring it on!!!

OK Don't Go

So the band backed out yesterday. I have mixed feelings about it, but Kim and I will have a lot less stress. We are not going to try to find another band. Now we have more time to focus on other things. Maybe next year. Thanks everyone for your support.

STRESS!!!

So one of the extracurriculars I'm involved in is Student Alumni. I serve as the A-DAY VP. This means that I'm in charge of a week long event dedicated to service. I like to say that it's the equivalent of Homecoming week. This is big job by its self. At the beginning of the year we had some great ideas of things we wanted for A-DAY. One is to build a big "A" on the mountain and the other is to bring in a big named band to Logan.

Well this is how it is going....We are very close to getting OK Go to come (They're a band) I've been working on getting a band for about six months. In order to bring the band we need to come up with $20K. When made our offer they asked for $5K more. That means if we bring the band we need to come up with $25K. It doesn't seem like 5K would make that big of a difference but it does. Kim is my adviser and we are torn. We are trying to come up with the money somehow and we are both very stressed over this. If anyone has an idea where to come up with this money let me know I'm open to suggestions!



This the video that the band is famous for!

On top of this we are trying to build the "A" on the mountain. We have quite a few people behind us, but those that aren't are making a statement. I received an email from the Dean of Natural Resources at Utah State. He made it very clear that he's against this project. When we started this project we knew that we would come across some opposition. But I never knew that it would be targeted directly at me and that I could be so intimidated by someone. But we will press on! After all good leader inspires others to work towards a common goal!

So please wish Kim and I luck in our endeavors, because I don't know if either of us will make it to the end of the school year!!!

No More Australia

So the company that was going to send me to Australia decided to down size. They didn't need my help anymore so they let me go.:( No more Australia

VEGAS!!!

Just got back from Vegas. We had a District Convention down at UNLV. It was a lot of fun. We got to go to the International Gaming Institute. It's basically a place that students go to learn about gambling. They have degrees for it too. But they taught us how to play Black Jack and I even got to be the dealer. They also showed us the security booth where they spy on everyone in the casino!! Dad was also in town and we got to hang out it was fun. But now I'm back to the oh so coldness. I shouldn't complain it's in the 40's and that's pretty warm for this time of year. But I'm really sick of the snow.

Australia

So I just got a job with Down Under Sports. They recruit high school athletes to play in international games. They are sending me to Australia for two months starting June! They are a company based out of Logan, so it looks like I'll be staying in Utah a little longer. Mom's not to excited about me leaving again, but I'm sure she'll get used to the idea. I'm really excited I've never really traveled outside the country before. This should be lots of fun. Now I've got to work on a passport. YAY...I'm going to Australia!!!!

My New Computer

Mom and Dad bought me a new Mac Book for Christmas. It has this great program that distorts your face. The day after Christmas the Hesley's and I played with if for a long time. Nick and Kacey brought the family down for Nick's birthday and they played with it too. Fun for the whole family!!