Up, Up, & Away

The time has finally come....
I am going to the east coast in T minus 4 days for the first time in my life&  I'm so excited!!!!

grave yard?? maybe... snagged it off good ol' Google 

My first stop will be the beautiful town...city...(I'm honestly not really sure) of Lynchburg, VA. I only know it's beautiful because I am putting full faith and hope in Christopher & Google images. As I began looking for pictures I realized that I know absolutely nothing about Virginia(besides that it is for lovers)...or Lynchburg and it's Chris's home town. I have done a horrible job of being inquisitive  about something so crucial in Chris's life and vow to get more details from here on out.
I love love love old houses. I could walk through them all day and just hear the history behind each one & look at the architecture. Chris says there is a lot of these houses out there. This will be a dream come true.

Next stop is....... drum roll please. badadadadadadadabadabaddadadda
The Capitol Building!

Tilt head to the side to get the full experience.

I have pretty much fantasized about this ever since 6th grade when we were offered a trip to travel to Washington DC for the summer & my family said no. I will probably not be able to sleep the whole night before. I never show it but I am secretly a government nerd. We the People, Sun Youth Forum, and 2 years of AP government can do that to you.

I am most excited of course to see Chris and spend time with his family and get to know more about Lynchburg. His family has a book store up there, pretty much the coolest thing ever! & Chris mentions it a lot so finally connecting a place with all the stories will be so much fun!
What is your favorite part of the East Coast?? Any Must sees?

R.I.P Newman

I thought about writing an obituary, but then I would just be sitting on my bed crying over something that Chris and  Lori think is crap; so I have turned to writing a short memoir(still crying on my bed over something I don't think is all that crappy) about someone who has always been there for me until..... yesterday.

My Car Newman
I got Newman when I was 16 years old...sadly I could only look at him because
1. I didn't have my license until I turned 17
2. I refused to learn to drive stick
After I got my license Newman and I were instant enemies.He was a stick shift & I had no desire to learn. I could not get anywhere because he was born with manual transmission. Poor guy couldn't help it that's just how he was made, but at the time I didn't care.

My dad's theory was to put me in the car and I would figure it out. Thats how I learned to swim and I became pretty darn good at it so the obvious answer would be to do that when driving....or so he thought.

Newman and I had an awful first drive to school together. I stalled at least 17 times. Rolled backwards down a hill and almost took out 4 cars oh, and lets not forget almost getting hit by a bus. My house is 8 minutes from my high school and I arrived an hour and a half late, sputtering into the parking lot. Tears were rolling down my eyes as I cursed my car for not being an automatic.

I of course learned to drive my car and it took me everywhere. It even brought me to the ice land of Logan, Utah and stuck with me there through snow and wind. We had a few tires blow, okay maybe 7 to be exact & the axle replaced 3 times. I may or may not have re bought my car twice. Yet, he still got me from point A to B safely with my tunes blasting and AC or heat always working,  and thats what mattered.

Sadly, Newman had his last trip home to Vegas with me yesterday. Chris and I were heading to my home in Vegas to see my family & get him to the airport the following day. Chris drove most of the way and I drove the last stretch. Life was fine and dandy Newman and I had made this trip together more times than I can count. Then, all of the sudden the car started to shake. I feared we were going to get whoop lash so I pulled over. I knew that feeling well, my tire was going to blow. I am pretty much a professional when it comes to Newman and his tires so I figured meh, ill just change it now. Lo and behold every single tire was perfectly fine. So I get back in the car & Chris reassures me that will make the last 40 miles home to Vegas and be just fine. I went about 40 to 50 mph with my hazards on the whole way & made it home alive.

The next day I take Newman out to lunch and he is still shaking but drivable. Once my dad gets home he takes it out for a drive to see whats wrong. He pulls up at the end of his drive and Newman is a HOT MESS! Literally he smells bad, my brother has to push him the rest of the way home and he will no longer move.

Newman lived a long life, and a good one. He may not have been a Luxury car but he did what he needed too. I always complained about wanting to buy a new car, I guess you really never know what you have until it is gone. I am now car-less, for the first time in my life with no prospects of getting a new car until my job starts paying me more, which probably wont happen.

Good thing Logan has a bus system, Lori is taking Chris and I back after school starts, and Walter is a great enough friend to lend me his car until I find a way to fix my situation.
R.I.P Newman you are one missed car.

My Programmers & I at the food pantry

#1 Reason I have not touched my blog in weeks

Stuff-a-Bus

This is an event put on by the Val R. Christensen service center at Utah State. Myself, Keni, Trent, & Maddi run this beast. Every Monday in November we would go out with volunteers collecting cans for the Cache Valley food pantry that supplies families who don't have enough money to buy food. Then 3 Saturday's and a Friday we stood outside local grocery stores all day collecting food and money for sub for Santa and the food pantry. Last but not least we held a penny wars on campus for a week between the colleges and organizations. None of us have had a life outside of this..and occasionally school but its now over and kids will get Christmas and families will have food & that is what matters. 

Look @ that concentration

9er 9er Over & out 10-4

This handsome pilot flew Lori & I around yesterday; and it was a blast. He even said 9er! I've been flying with Chris before but it was so fun to go with Lori and  hear how she reacted to different things. 

She is also less intimidating to have in the plane then a flight instructor so I felt like I could talk more. 

This was the plane we went on called the arrow. How cool is that!!!!!! Flash back to the 20's. Hi sometimes I wish I was born then so all my pictures could look like this & I could wear fancy old fashion dresses.

Chris flew us over campus. HELLOO OLD MAIN!

Lori's reaction: "I see our house, I see our house! Thats my car, this is sooo awesome."

Chris just making sure we don't die, such a professional. 

The coolest part was I got to sit in front this time!!!!! 

There was even a steering wheel..if thats what they are called in planes, on my side. Don't fret though I didn't touch it. I kept my hands and legs inside the plane and on my lap at all times

ROOMMATE CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!

Obviously we are a house that loves roommate parties and it's hard to get all 10 of us together at one time so this is a good excuse to do just that. We exchanged names weeks ago. Yes, it takes this long to have everyone plan on getting together. 

& then...WE PARTIED! 

Top ten things you need to party at Paradise Cove with the rickity 10:

1. Delicious sugar cookies baked by Chelsea Babbitt

2. 5 Random couches that have been here since who knows when, to seat all 10 of us.

3. Natalie's professional photography skills to catch out individual jump shots.

4. Amanda Please's photography skills to catch our group jumping picture.

5. A fancy kitchen white board to constantly write updates to roommates to remind them to come to the Christmas party.

6. A pair of colorful warm socks, preferably Christmas themed.

7. An amazing caroling voice to go sing to random neighbors & maybe even a cop or two.

8. Mad jumping skills w/ great faces to make it look even better.

9. Only one DVD player in the whole house, so you can have movie nights crammed into Lori's room all the time.

10. The most important: A rickity house full of absolutely awesome girls+1 furry white puppy dog. Accompanied with a picture of Paradise Cove in the entry way.