It's My Birthday I Can Cry If I Want

I don't think those are the right lyrics. And also its not my Birthday.
But Yesterday was Abby's and Tuesday was Sam's and Saturday was Mum's and Jord's in is two weeks (and on a day with no school so its a win-win). So there has been lots of celebrating around here.
I ate ice cream for Mum and Abby since I couldn't be in Mesa with them. Mostly it was an excuse to eat ice cream, and I wish it had been cake. There will definitely be cake on Jord's birthday.
Sam's birthday was on a Tuesday which is a bad day for her to have a birthday because we don't see each other much on Tuesdays. I leave at 7:15 but am done at 11, she doesn't start until 11 and ends at like 3. By the time she gets home I am off doing HW, and when I get back she has left to do HW. Plus this particular Tuesday I had a meeting with my bishop to submit my mission papers! (holy heck!!) While she was sleeping (music references, movie references, I'm on a roll) I got up and decorated the dorm. That evening we were able to go have dinner together (in the caf. It was high class) and then I was off to my interview and she went and played games with friends. Birthdays are the best. Everyone is happier on a Birthday day. And its like birthday month. Which means everyday is a happier day. That's okay with me.
Also. It snowed a ton on Sam's birthday, what could be better than that. I'm enjoying the white still, I'll let you know if it starts to get old.
-ALC

Grocery Shopping: a how-to by Aly

I have become such an expert grocery shopper it just wouldn't be fair of me to not share my knowledge.

1. Don't ever shop while you're hungry. You will always buy more food if you're starving because EVERYTHING looks delicious. (except there are lots of exceptions to this rule because I am always hungry.
2. Always take a friend, you are less likely to buy lots of ice cream when there is a cute boy behind you.
3. You have to buy TV dinners at the very end or by the time you get everything else you need AND drive home and carry your stuff up the stairs and put it away then they defrost and all the gravy spills over the stupid black divider and into your cinnamon apple sauce rendering the said applesauce in-edible. Or vice versa the applesauce gets in your gravy.
4. Don't forget you have a tiny fridge and you cannot have too much freezer items.
5. Avoid the 5$ movie bin at all costs. You have no self-control and you know it.
6. Monday is a terrible day to pick up a prescription, EVERY old person in BV/Lexington will also be getting their prescription and you might wait a good 25 minutes in line behind a chain smoker and then that will exasperate your headache and you won't be a very happy shopper.
7. The little orange thing on the price tag tells you the unit price and thats helpful to know when you're trying to decide which size cherrios box.
8. Buy your vegetables first, if you're cart is already got veggies in it then you feel bad putting circus animal cookies on top of carrots.
9. Use the wet-wipes to wipe down the cart because Jill is always telling me how much fecal matter is on the cart I'm pushing around.
10. Cart-speeding is not worth it when you run into a Grandma.
11. Park in the back of the parking lot so you can walk off some of the calories you are about to purchase.
12. The parking lot to your dorm is a lot farther that the garage to the kitchen-counter. And you cannot carry as many groceries and remember you have to walk by the cute boys to get to your dorm and you do NOT want to walk by with a butt-load of groceries.
13. Just get the water bottles on a second trip. (which is not advice I follow)
14. If you fold your grocery bags up all nicely they fit in the garbage bag drawer much better
15. Walmart is 20 minutes away. Don't forget our shopping list at home and don't forget to buy nail polish remover when you're there. 
16. It does not matter that Red Lobster biscuits are unbelievably delicious you do not have an oven.
    

-ALC

My Wall

Don't worry this is not some deep post about the "wall" I put up for other people or whatever. Though Jord did tell me the other day that she can see through that wall. And she can, we had a mind reading contest the other day and she totally knows what I am thinking most of the time.

No this is about my bedroom wall. It is a very thin wall. All of them, they are all thin. And the door is especially thin! I was talking to Sam today and she was telling me something and I was like "The sexual tension will be palpable!" (which I was totally right) anyway two seconds later Jord texts me: "The sexual tension is going to palpable?" and she was in the hallway and totally heard me! And now I'm concerned about what embarrassing things I might have said just as someone was walking by.

So my inside voice has gotten even quieter and I think my vocal chords are shrinking! I can NEVER sing out-loud because I am pretty sure you could even hear quiet singing. So sometimes when Sam is gone I pretend to sing but its just not the same as singing out-loud. And I miss that. BIG notes and LOUD notes and LONG notes. I miss them a lot. But until we get some SUPER thick walls I will just continue pretend singing into my hair brush.

Also apparently I listen to my music pretty loudly because the other day I was doing homework and had my headphones on listening to some quality rap music and suddenly I look up and Jord was standing right there! She has a key to our room because she is the RA so I have told her I am not getting up to get the door anymore if she already has a key. So she had just come in and I totally didn't hear her and she stood there and I had no idea she was there. It was very embarrassing. Now I listen to my music quieter. No I don't. But I probably should.

By the time I get back in May my vocal chords could be so small you won't even be able to hear me talk anymore. Last semester I would scream-sing in Jills car sometimes. She had the best bass.

-ALC

This post wouldn't be complete without a photo so here is a picture of my door after some friends heart-attacked it last week. You can't tell from the picture but its a very thin door and blocks zero noise. And more importantly keeps zero noise in.

No School!

P.S. (but this p.s. stands for pre-script not post script) I am on a blogging roll. Mum you'd better be appreciating all the effort I put in to provide you with timely posts. Except I am running out of things to blog about tomorrow.

We didn't have school on Monday. Which was almost the greatest thing ever because it meant on Sunday I could just relax and not be worried about getting up for classes the next day. Dream! So Sam and I went to Roanoke to celebrate.

We did some nifty sight-seeing and then went to a museum. It was a science type museum with a live butterfly exhibit. This story needs to be prefaced with I was having a great hair day. It was curly and volumey and great. So Sam and I go into the butterfly room and it is so HOT! I felt like I was back in Mesa. Except unlike Mesa's dry heat this was WET. Sam even said she was going to drown from inhaling too much water.

I was determined, however, to have a butterfly land on me. I don't know why but thats what I wanted. So I sat like this for a very long time. And then the stupid butterfly finally landed on me and I was so excited I made the ugliest face. Then we promptly left but my hair was already ruined.

Our tickets to the butterfly room also got us access to the rooftop and it was gorgeous. I want to have my wedding reception there. Or at least a fancy soiree. I would also like to state for the record that I "globbed" it for you dad but its lost and I don't know where it went.

 The butterfly is on my wrist. See it? Its the black thing.

 See? Good curls.

 This is from the sky bridge that goes over all the train tracks.

Apparently all the pictures from the day are missing. Like the pictures of the butterflies and the jellyfish and of Sam and I and the rooftop. Blame Google not me.

Sam and I will have to go back to Roanoke because we did not see all that we wanted to see. We are thinking on a Saturday during the farmers market.

-ALC (the butterfly whisperer)

Snow Day

We had a snow day last semester. I don't remember if I told you about it so here is a recap: lots of kids got up at 9 and went to church. but an ice storm was supposed to roll in later in the afternoon so 1 o'clock church got cancelled. (my time) They didn't want people driving on the ice. I counted it as a snow day (and treated it like a snow day but that just means I didn't take my pajamas off) but there wasn't actually any snow. And as it ended up there wasn't any ice either.

BUT. the other day we had a real snow day. actually I still had to go to classes but it SNOWED. a lot. at least I thought it was a lot. Jord (who is from Idaho) begged to differ.

First off snow is cold. durdur, but really cold. and it hurts to breathe its so cold.

I had big plans for the first real snow storm, they included snow cones and snow angels and a snow fight and a snowman and possible snow sledding. In reality I put on warm clothes and drank hot chocolate at my desk while I watched it snow out the window.

I like snow though. Its magical, you can stand there and it's falling all around you and everything turns white and sparkly. negative temperatures are not as fun. The magic is lot and its only bitterly cold. But boy oh boy is actual snow the coolest thing ever!

It's supposed to snow again this afternoon. Most of campus is wishing for the sun to stay shinning but I've got high hopes.

-ALC

 Falling snow does not show up very well in pictures...

I Am Sam

Actually this is just Alyson. But I'm here to introduce you to my new roomie Sam. Or Samwise. Or Samantha. Or Sammit.

I used to be a resident in 312, which was so fantastic. But poor Sam was new to SVU and moving in next door with no roommate. So I had (got) to move!

Moving was weird. Actually weird isn't the right word. On the other hand maybe it is. Jill was moving (yes she's left me. yes it's hard.) and I was helping her pack up her stuff when I found out all my things had to be out of 312 and into 310 BEFORE I left for winter break. and I was also sick and wanted to lay in bed and do nothing ever again. Oh and it was finals week.

So when we were done with Jills room we took the extra boxes and headed to mine. Oh MY GOSH I have so much crap. and a buttload of clothing.

Here's the weird part: the 3 previous residents of 310 were STILL LIVING THERE. So I found myself a corner and squished my stuff in there. Then I got to unpack all that stuff the night I got back, (lets be honest. Jord and I talked till like 3 in the morning and I unpacked the next day)

Wow, my post all about my new roommate has morphed into a post about how I moved my stuff to the room next door.

Samwise. She's pretty great. Its just the two of us in here together. We joke shes the right side and I'm the left side of the 310 brain. Which is ironic because she actually lives on the right side and me on the left. Its a dream only having two people. We each get our own sink and now I have TWO closets.

Sam has a large paper deer above her bed. and a large hat collection. She stays out very late and likes to drive me to dominos to get pizza (which is really a borderline addiction of mine). 

Her classes start later than mine but she totally puts up with me getting up early to study.

In fact here was our conversation this morning (it was 5:30 and I was laying in bed reading over my accounting notes) Sam wakes up and rolls over to face me.

Sam: "Why are you awake?"

Me: "I'm studying."

Sam: "It's 5:30."

Me: "I know."

Sam: "Are you okay?"

Me: "Yes."

Sam: *not quite awake anymore* "Sometimes I don't believe you. I just want you to be happy you know that. Just be happy....."

So pretty much she is just awesome. and I wish we had a picture together but we don't. Yet.

-ALC

I'm Back

I'm back to Virginia. back to BV.

back to doing four plus hours of homework everyday.

back to my dorm (actually I moved next door. but I'm back to THE dorms. that counts)

back to the SLOWEST wifi in the history of wifi. Here is pictoral proof. ITS NOT EVEN AT ONE! That is a POINT one. 

back to all my meals looking a lot like this. and that's okay with me. (what you're missing in this picture is my face. I was freezing and those were hot Spgettios. I have never been so happy.)

back to walking to class in this. Actually it didn't snow before I left so this is a first. but I'm back to being cold. P.S. I added the snow for effect.

back to being able to wear my hunter boots without being harassed.

back to going to the lobby so I can check my outfit in a mirror and taking photos like these to send to Mum so she knows what I'm wearing.

and this is what I came back on. When was the last time you got on an airplane with an actual propeller. Super sketch.

So I survived finals, and Christmas break, and the first snowfall. I'm back.

-ALC