behold....

....the terror that is my roommate's side of the room.

where do i begin?

this picture is not an accurate description of the "comfortable chaos" she lives in.

but it will give you an idea. yipes.

yours in organized land, C

countdown. in every way.

MARCH 18TH @ 3PM.

this may or may have not been done in procrastination to the above ^^^

:)

raid : part two

last night, at approximately 10:45pm, we had a raid. if you need a refresher, go here. 
clearly, the people who raided us did not realize the importance of 10-11pm on thursday night television.....how rude. 
anyhow, we were watching tv when we heard distant screaming coming from down the hall. hope looked at me and said, "i wonder if we're getting raided." i kind of brushed it off, since we had NO WARNING WHATSOEVER, thinking it was just the loud girls on our floor being loud. i was wrong. a bunch of girls that i did not recognize (it ended up being 1E...1st East) came clattering down our hall, banging on doors and yelling "RAID!"
i was a little confused, because last time this happened, it was boys that were raiding us, and not girls. i mistakenly (again) thought that there would just be a bunch of girls hanging out, eating, playing games, or whatever raid-like activities.
after we finished our show, we made our way out to the main lounge. my worst fear was realized; indeed the opposite sex was present. our brother floor. 6th West. the orangemen. the ones that raided us last time.
"awesome!" i thought to myself. i hadn't showered since working out at 9, my hair was greasy enough to fry an egg in it, and i was wearing what i wore to work out in. that would happen.
it's funny how i didn't really care what i looked like if it was just going to be a bunch of girls, but now that there were boys, it made a world of difference. i had to look decent. what if i ended up marrying one of these fools? too far? maybe. maybe not. i had to beat out the other billion girls that fight for ONE guy's attention. the ratio here is not on my side. 
too late. no going back now. we had to partner up (boy-girl, of course) and since i was late, i got assigned a guy from a girl who gave up her spot to be a judge in the game. 
the game consisted of this: there's two circles; an inner circle of girls and an outer one of boys. one circle goes clockwise, the other goes counter-clockwise. you move in the circles while music plays and whenever the music stops you have to chase down your partner and do whatever task is called out. 
there were a few issues with this game: 
A. there were about 4 pillars in the space we were using, which was kind of hazardous, and way too easy for someone like me to run into
B. i had barely met the guy i was partners with, hence i could not recognize him easily to find him (or at all, let's be honest.)
C. once i found said partner, i couldn't hear the task being called out over all the commotion
we got eliminated on the "make a human airplane" task. um, excuse me, but standing in front of one another holding out your arms TOTALLY constitutes for an airplane. come on. those judges were out for blood.
oh, but don't worry, it gets better. the next game included running around with your eyes closed. did i mention the pillars? it was basically duck duck goose with your eyes closed. there were definitely some cheaters, as well as my partner from last time completely eating it when he got tripped, and then shoving his faulter onto a chair, knocking him into about 3 other guys on the way. BOYS. yikes.
the last game we played was a version of ninja, which i hate. it involves stepping on other people's feet (literally) to get them out. cool game, huh? when it was my turn, i just let some guy step on my foot while i said, "darn. i'm out." after that was done, i left to return to (aka start) my homework. and finally shower. which i clearly should have done BEFORE.
going to sleep at 3am and having class all day today made me a little tired. and the day is not over! i'm going to the last gymnastics meet to cheer on steph, a girl on our floor. hopefully this night won't be too long, i don't know how much longer i can last haha.
have a WONDERFUL evening.
loveLOVElove

scanner queen....

......is what you can call me now.
after about 6 months, i finally figured out/realized how to use my scanner on my new printer. what an accomplishment. i unearthed some gems while i was at home this weekend, but don't worry; i have left all embarrassing ones of my family out for fear of retaliation/anger/embarrassment :) and there were a lot, believe me...


this one below is so typical of my friend from pre-school, megan, and i :

there i am, pouting/crying, and there she is, singing, oblivious to anything else
note our turtlenecks and my denim jumper. oh how i love the 90s......


i also couldn't resist this one :

yes, i am as big as the stuffed bear next to me

yes, my dress looks like a twister board/shower curtain/clown's worst nightmare

yes, it looks like my hairstylist had her eyes closed while cutting my hair

yes, i unfortunately had no choice as a two year old

and yes, i am posting this for the world to see.

i will never forgive my mother for giving me this haircut. why???! WHY???

these, and several others gave me a laugh. i hope they don't make you cringe too much....well, mainly the second one. it's a good thing i've changed so much since then...right??

registration.

today, i registered for spring quarter classes.
my assigned time was at 1pm today (the last day; boo freshman status :( ) but thankfully, i got into the classes i wanted/needed without trouble. with my incoming credits, i got a much earlier time than most of my friends (one of them is at 8pm tonight...how awful is that?!) so that i am thankful for.
since i haven't decided on my major yet (i'll get there soon, i promise) i'm just getting my general ed out of the way. something exciting to note; as of spring quarter i will have sophomore status. technically i can call myself a sophomore. how cool is that?? i'm really glad i did part time running start last year in high school.


without further ado; here is my spring schedule.
UFDN 1000: Christian Formation
GS 2001: Major and Career Exploration
CHM 1110: Intro to the Nature of Science


UFDN stands for University Foundations which is part of the required tri-fecta of classes freshmen are required to take (USEM, UCOR, UFDN). they all differ from professor to professor, but they all have at least one required text that is universal.
GS 2001 stands for general studies; it's only a 2 credit class that meets for 2 hours once a week. my friend taylor is taking it right now and she really likes it. from what she tells me, it sounds interesting and will hopefully help me decide what i want to do with the rest of my life. hopefully. haha
CHM 1110 stands for chemistry. i know what you're thinking. i am TERRIBLE at chemistry. absolutely awful. terrible at science in general. i SQUEAKED by in high school chemistry with a B-. the lowest B- possible. needless to say, i LOATHE science, but i have to have 5 credits of a physical science and 5 credits of a biological science for my general ed. this class counts for the physical science part, and i've heard it's one of the easiest science classes on campus (i'm sure it is for some people....but i will most likely struggle through it) it's mostly about broad science issues/topics with an emphasis in chemistry. the same class was offered winter quarter, but with an emphasis on physics. my roommate and neighbor are in it right now and said it's not too difficult, but they have a different professor so we'll see.

with my somewhat lighter schedule next quarter (at least compared to this one) i'll have more time to think/plan about studying abroad. my tentative plan is to go the spring quarter of my sophomore year. depending on my major/program i choose, it might end up being a semester, or 6 weeks. 
i've been wanting to go to europe for FOREVER and while i would like to visit every country, my top three are: england, italy, and greece
once again, this could change; who knows. i just know i want to go. so so bad.


my homework is calling my name (it has been for a few hours, i've just been ignoring it) but i'm gonna do it for real now.
hopefully. haha.
love love.

valentine's day. and other more important things.

well, it's finally that day. valentine's day, or as my friends and i refer to it, SINGLE AWARENESS DAY, S.A.D. for short. also known as Get Your Aggression Out Day, which usually involves the destruction of something. but don't worry, i'm not that bad :)

also defined in urban dictionary as: 

	valentine's day : (noun)
	1) holiday maliciously created to make lonely people extremely depressed. 2) a corporate conspiracy conceived by candy makers, rose growers, lingerie stores, and jewellers to get people to spend money on junk this is what i found when i googled "anti-valentine's day" :

 probably my favorite.

 on a more positive note, i got a few valentines from some of the girls on my floor. here is one from abby :)

a heart from me to you.......and that's where my "celebration" of this holiday stops.

switching gears; it is my best friend's birthday today. 

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY CARLY CHRISTINA ROBERTS! 

i love love love you more than any valentine could :)

5 years & counting!

i will celebrate you and our friendship in this charming photo montage.

looking fashionable in the snuggie!

you are loved <3

besides watching movies & eating my feelings/weight in chocolate, a few of us girls are going to go downtown tonight to Qdoba Mexican Grill. they're having some sort of valentine's special, buy one get one free. or something. i've never been there, but i'm excited to try it out. and free food, what more could you ask for?

for now, i have to go study for my spanish test. (as if this day weren't great enough...monday, RAIN, test, valentine's day....) so wish me luck!

loveLOVElove

mission: contentment.

something i've been struggling with lately is being content. i always want more, or something different.

i feel like i am never satisfied with what i have and it's kind of pathetic.

i think i am a glutton.....i constantly overeat and then feel sick afterwards and guilty for doing it. i feel like if i don't get that "full" feeling, then i'll be hungry within an hour.

or i'll look on facebook, or watch tv, and look at all the fun other people are having, and wonder why my life isn't like that.

my lack of contentment i think also has to do with jealousy. it's wanting something i don't have. why can't i appreciate what i do have?

the truth is, when i take a look at the big picture, i am content. i have a family who loves me. i have good friends. i am in a supporting, christian environment. i go to school in one of the most beautiful cities in the country. i am lucky to be where i am. i should be not only content, but thankful everyday for what God has blessed me with. the key is to look for the positives in everything, and find something good in every day.

i find this verse so encouraging:

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

Hebrews 13:5

in the end; it doesn't really matter. I always have God. and that's enough for me.

SPUD shots : round 2

oh yes. they're back. remember these? 
last night was the winter quarter edition of SPUD shots. i'm not really sure why we had them again, apparently they do it every quarter....but nevertheless, any chance to dress up in some ridiculous outfit is good enough for me. last time, our floor had a whole theme to dress for. this time, we decided to make it as awkward and mismatched as possible. i didn't really have a theme like my ballerina friends did. the other non-ballerina, my roomie victoria, chose a wonderful striped turtleneck complete with cheetah shorts and matching striped knee-highs. i got dressed in about 5 minutes if you couldn't already tell haha. a bright construction orange jacket?? why not!!! 

the awkward framed face....kim's eyes closed/victoria's hand just adds to the wonderful awkwardness....

i hope this made you laugh like it made me :)

ashton cup!

this weekend was filled with ashton cup! for those who are not very familiar with this lovely tradition let me give you an SPU definition:

ashton hall's lip-sync contest featuring a condensed version of a movie (6-8) minutes with bits of actual lines from the movie plus random, pop culture references ENDING with a 1-2 minute dance. 

 leading up to our performance on sunday night @ 8, we had practice wednesday night, friday night, twice on saturday, and at 3pm on sunday. considering that's pretty much all of our practices, we did pretty well for only 5 days.

our movie was finding nemo. i was one of the schoolfish, as you can see below. we were all told to wear "bright colors" and once we were all dressed, katie said "i feel like i'm going to a jazzercise class!" which could not have been a truer statement, as you can clearly see haha. 

we were all pretty nervous, but it turned out way better than we could have expected.

with 9 girl floors and 3 guy floors (3:1 ratio anyone??) we went 4th. most of the girl skits didn't really stand out, which was fine with me. the winner of ashton cup was 5th west, who did pocohantas, stealing the 3-peat from 4th west. it was hilarious, and they deserved the win.

SCHOOL OF FISH - from L to R: emily, sefanit, katie, lindsey, me, courtney

practicing our facial expressions.....

me, marlin, and nemo

on stage: hope as marlin, me on the very edge

me and marlin! (the fins & "clownfish" nose are the best part)

1st west :)

it was definitely an experience i'll remember, but i'm so glad it's over. no more practice, no more stress, no more silly arguments about silly things :) if i can find a video of our performance i will let you know :) 

divine.

i want red velvet cupcakes reallll bad.

i will find one for valentine's day.......or 6.

soooooooo gooood.

molly moon's

this afternoon, my SMC (student ministry coordinator) danielle and i went on adventure to molly moon's ice cream. we were originally gonna go to menchie's, but i figured i'd probably be there tomorrow anyway. (no ice cream is too much ice cream for this girl....) she has a car (a rare commodity in the life of a college freshman), so we drove to the wallingford district and went to molly moon's. i've been wanting to try this place for forever it seems like, but it's a little challenging to get there w/o a car. the flavors are....unique. there were the classics, like vanilla and chocolate, but also there was: maple, scout mint, salted carmel, vivace coffee, balsalmic strawberry, etc. i got a half scoop of vanilla bean and a half scoop of scout mint. SO SO tasty. the scout mint i'm assuming was in reference to girl scout cookies....another one of my favorites. danielle got a half scoop of vanilla bean and a half scoop of lemon.

there's only two locations in seattle (word on the street is there's another on the way??) - making it really unique and original to the city. i definitely can't wait to go back and try more flavors :)

if you wanna read more, go here: http://www.mollymoonicecream.com/
have a wonderful afternoon. go get some ice cream :)
loveLOVElove

happy birthday!

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY JOURDAN NICOLE ECHTLE!!!

(i know your birthday was yesterday, but i was too busy to blog anything, so today will have to do)

JDAWG- i know you probably won't ever see this because you deleted your fb/blog....but i hope you're LOVING california and school! 

you are one of a kind and i am so glad we're friends.

 yearbook...

 we reallly got a lot done hahaha

did i mention how much we got done??

 ugly christmas sweater party!

sorry dates, i had to crop you out.....homecoming senior year :)

love love love you!