now you can find me at........
http://elleng3.tumblr.com
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
New York, I Love You.
i really do. me and this town have a modern love affair. I am about to embark on a little journey trying to capture the most magical and memorable parts of my trip. I hope you are all going to enjoy what's about to come. Between writing in my journal every night and then writing e-mails to friends (in jordan! whoo whoo!) I find it hard to find time for this, but I really want to make time. It will be something fun for me to hold on to.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, December 12, 2008
A Wrap Up- Fall Semester 08'
Ok Guys I guess it's about due time for another update from life here in Logan. The semester is over. CRAZY! It flew by faster than I could've ever imagined. I don't even know where it went. AND...I must say that it was an amazing one. Good classes, Good Friends, Good Times. I am not especially excited about Spring Semester because that means COLD logan...and it's not my favorite. Nobody is jazzed to be at school anymore and there's not much to do with the freezing weather... I'm sure we'll get it figured out though.
I am SO relieved that I get a break. It is much needed. I am not going to miss the sophomore studio for a month...as we spent countless late nights in there busy working away. I am ready to just shut off the brain for a little while. Next semester it's back to Interior Design full force because we will be applying for STUDIO at the end of the spring. I want to try for studio. (Only about 20 out of the 60 make it!)
Tiny House/Construction Documents/Model Building/Presentation Boards/Sketches/Architectural Lettering/Shadow Assignments is what was included this semester. The first quarter was pretty simple as we were just learning AutoCad and they were babying us along. We would do assignments in class and that was about it. The next 3 quarters of the semester were... Not So Simple. They pretty much set you loose- with hardly any clue of what you are doing- and say "OK-DESIGN A HOUSE". They give us a lot of responsibility and I had a hard time with it. My teacher said to me ,"Ellen, you are very talented but I think that you need to work on consistency. This semester you seemed to be in this pattern of WORK WORK WORK- HIT A WALL. WORK WORK WORK-HIT A WALL". He was pretty accurate in describing me. It was an extremely tough semester- but I think that come January I will be a little bit more prepared- maybe not procrastinate so much.
A FEW RANDOM TIDBITS:
1. In the second week of November I headed up to Boise to spend the weekend with my good friend Rose. We saw a concert together in sake of old times and she showed me all around her city. I must say- I LOVE boise. It is way way cool. Downtown is awesome. I just like the feel of it. We went to a BSU game- that was intense. Their fans are insane. Her family lives in this sweet community around a lake. There are no motorized boats allowed- and every single house has their own dock with canoes. It is a sweet set up. Kinda reminded me of Seattle. WE at at the PieHole pizzeria in downtown and also at Merritt's Truck Stop (amazing scones) . Both great little dives. I love sweet places like that. Another connection to Boise is Dejah- Graham's new main squeeze. She's awesome. (From Boise) I hope you'll all get the chance to meet her.
We saw The Maine in concert while in Boise. One of our all time favorites. We got to talking to them after the show. Way cool guys. A little teeny boppers dream come true...This was the third occasion we've met and talked to the guys. Oh man...
2. The Factory is a siiick little dive in Logan. An underground pizza place that's been around forever. There are olden type huge wood seating and peanut shells all over the floor. If ever you are in Logan you've gotta try it out.
3.G-PA'S 80th B-DAY
What a night. I started bawling in front of everyone overwhelmed with happiness after not seeing anybody forever. Embarrassing. My friends - The Reese Twins- from Logan came and met the crazy Ririe Family. We had a fancy dinner. Grandpa had such a cute spiritual moment where he expressed his gratitude for all of us. I don't think any of us will ever soon forget it. The quiz about Grandpa's life was TOUGH for the majority of all the crazy couples (yams, pilgrims, etc?) Thanks to Dad Larson. He does know how to rally a crowd.
The Saturday of that weekend me and my friends headed to Decades. A SWEET vintage shop on State St. and about 600 South. I wonder if any of you kids have ever heard of it? The twins introduced me to it. Now i just want to go back and try on everything...all the fur coats, vintage hats, sunglasses, etc. IT's Amazing. It's HUGE!
Decades. Everyone Remember.
4.I saw Bolt in 3-D on a date the other weekend..I would HIGHLY recommend it. It was hilarious....
5. We have a Onesies Crew. Pajama's with Feet, Big tall furry wintery things. There's 6 of us and we like to whip out the onesies and wear them out whenever possible. They are the most comfy things and they bring to us a level of energy that can't be found anywhere else. Me, Melissa, and Andrea have just recently joined so I'm sure that there are many good times to come... the 3 of us have matching purple onesies with penguins all over them... It is hard to fathom how great these things just are.
6. Upon arriving home back to Logan from Thanksgiving Break- I can't contain my excitement for the christmas season. I can't wait for all the lights, the christmas cheer that comes with this time of year. I think I have had a disorder that requires me to sleep 12 hours a day. Where I get that in..I don't know...I don't have a job. This semester just wore on me- and all of the interior designers were having a really hard time coming back and getting adjusted after the break.
7. Gidget circa- 1960...have any of you older people heard of it? My girl Andrea introduced me to the Gidget series and we watched them on the projecter at the studio one late night. I love. Old Classic Hollywood Films.
8. Saturday, December 6th- It could've had better results but was still memorable. USU Basketball VS. BYU Basketball in the DELTA CENTER. It was...amazing. The energy in there. It was a close game and we ended up losing...BUMMER. I was talking smack to Graham via text during the game....we were so confident that we would win. We wanted it. Bad. Our fans were 4x better than theirs. At least we have that. We brought the energy of our home court to the big court in downtown salt lake. After the game we all went to my house and picked Katie up to go introduce all the Loganites to Molca Salsa on 33rd. After that we went to Nielsen's Frozen Custard. I swear that place has been around forever. So fattening. So delicious.
9. My old Roomies came up last weekend and we went to visit all our old Bishopric members and their families. The first stop we got fed a very fancy dinner...and then the next we got fed, and the next. We were stuffing desserts down our bellies. They are such great people and I love that we made that relationship with them so good that they can still come up and we can go visiting. This is how I feel.... I felt like the questions of the night were ," Who are you dating?" "Oh how's that going?" "Do you like him alot?" "Oh! Do you think you could end up together?" MARRIAGE QUESTIONS gal-lore!!!!
And I mean...yeah...we're at that age....I guess....BUT STILL! Come on...cut us some slack. I still feel so young! I'm only 19. The others are only 20! We've got plenty of time for all that, and i know it's all gonna work out...so could everyone just stop HOUNDING US with the marriage questions?? Hahah.
That's How I Feel.
10. I had some reconciliations lately. They feel so good. There's nothing like mending a friendship that needs it. There's no point in holding grudges...Where are we ever gonna end up unless we forgive unconditionally? I'm so grateful for good friends. All of you that are reading this. I find myself feeling so overwhelmingly blessed every single day.
11. Ok Here's A Biggie.
Earlier this week I got home in the early hours of the morning. About 4 A.M.. and much to my surprise there was a MASSIVE DEAD DEER HANGING BY ITS NECK FROM THE BALCONY OF MY APARTMENT BUILDING. What a shock. I screamed so loud I'm suprised I didn't wake everyone in my apartment. It was NASTY! Bleeding on the sidewalk. I've heard of things like this happening, but never has it Happened to me. I called the Po Po's and they came and took care of it. Not the most pleasant of experiences. Obviously a big group of kids had a little too much time on their hands. How? During finals week? Who knows...But yeah. There's one for you to all digest.
I'm so so excited to come home for the break and hopefully see as many of you as I can.
Until next time.
Adios
I am SO relieved that I get a break. It is much needed. I am not going to miss the sophomore studio for a month...as we spent countless late nights in there busy working away. I am ready to just shut off the brain for a little while. Next semester it's back to Interior Design full force because we will be applying for STUDIO at the end of the spring. I want to try for studio. (Only about 20 out of the 60 make it!)
Tiny House/Construction Documents/Model Building/Presentation Boards/Sketches/Architectural Lettering/Shadow Assignments is what was included this semester. The first quarter was pretty simple as we were just learning AutoCad and they were babying us along. We would do assignments in class and that was about it. The next 3 quarters of the semester were... Not So Simple. They pretty much set you loose- with hardly any clue of what you are doing- and say "OK-DESIGN A HOUSE". They give us a lot of responsibility and I had a hard time with it. My teacher said to me ,"Ellen, you are very talented but I think that you need to work on consistency. This semester you seemed to be in this pattern of WORK WORK WORK- HIT A WALL. WORK WORK WORK-HIT A WALL". He was pretty accurate in describing me. It was an extremely tough semester- but I think that come January I will be a little bit more prepared- maybe not procrastinate so much.
A FEW RANDOM TIDBITS:
1. In the second week of November I headed up to Boise to spend the weekend with my good friend Rose. We saw a concert together in sake of old times and she showed me all around her city. I must say- I LOVE boise. It is way way cool. Downtown is awesome. I just like the feel of it. We went to a BSU game- that was intense. Their fans are insane. Her family lives in this sweet community around a lake. There are no motorized boats allowed- and every single house has their own dock with canoes. It is a sweet set up. Kinda reminded me of Seattle. WE at at the PieHole pizzeria in downtown and also at Merritt's Truck Stop (amazing scones) . Both great little dives. I love sweet places like that. Another connection to Boise is Dejah- Graham's new main squeeze. She's awesome. (From Boise) I hope you'll all get the chance to meet her.
We saw The Maine in concert while in Boise. One of our all time favorites. We got to talking to them after the show. Way cool guys. A little teeny boppers dream come true...This was the third occasion we've met and talked to the guys. Oh man...
2. The Factory is a siiick little dive in Logan. An underground pizza place that's been around forever. There are olden type huge wood seating and peanut shells all over the floor. If ever you are in Logan you've gotta try it out.
3.G-PA'S 80th B-DAY
What a night. I started bawling in front of everyone overwhelmed with happiness after not seeing anybody forever. Embarrassing. My friends - The Reese Twins- from Logan came and met the crazy Ririe Family. We had a fancy dinner. Grandpa had such a cute spiritual moment where he expressed his gratitude for all of us. I don't think any of us will ever soon forget it. The quiz about Grandpa's life was TOUGH for the majority of all the crazy couples (yams, pilgrims, etc?) Thanks to Dad Larson. He does know how to rally a crowd.
The Saturday of that weekend me and my friends headed to Decades. A SWEET vintage shop on State St. and about 600 South. I wonder if any of you kids have ever heard of it? The twins introduced me to it. Now i just want to go back and try on everything...all the fur coats, vintage hats, sunglasses, etc. IT's Amazing. It's HUGE!
Decades. Everyone Remember.
4.I saw Bolt in 3-D on a date the other weekend..I would HIGHLY recommend it. It was hilarious....
5. We have a Onesies Crew. Pajama's with Feet, Big tall furry wintery things. There's 6 of us and we like to whip out the onesies and wear them out whenever possible. They are the most comfy things and they bring to us a level of energy that can't be found anywhere else. Me, Melissa, and Andrea have just recently joined so I'm sure that there are many good times to come... the 3 of us have matching purple onesies with penguins all over them... It is hard to fathom how great these things just are.
6. Upon arriving home back to Logan from Thanksgiving Break- I can't contain my excitement for the christmas season. I can't wait for all the lights, the christmas cheer that comes with this time of year. I think I have had a disorder that requires me to sleep 12 hours a day. Where I get that in..I don't know...I don't have a job. This semester just wore on me- and all of the interior designers were having a really hard time coming back and getting adjusted after the break.
7. Gidget circa- 1960...have any of you older people heard of it? My girl Andrea introduced me to the Gidget series and we watched them on the projecter at the studio one late night. I love. Old Classic Hollywood Films.
8. Saturday, December 6th- It could've had better results but was still memorable. USU Basketball VS. BYU Basketball in the DELTA CENTER. It was...amazing. The energy in there. It was a close game and we ended up losing...BUMMER. I was talking smack to Graham via text during the game....we were so confident that we would win. We wanted it. Bad. Our fans were 4x better than theirs. At least we have that. We brought the energy of our home court to the big court in downtown salt lake. After the game we all went to my house and picked Katie up to go introduce all the Loganites to Molca Salsa on 33rd. After that we went to Nielsen's Frozen Custard. I swear that place has been around forever. So fattening. So delicious.
9. My old Roomies came up last weekend and we went to visit all our old Bishopric members and their families. The first stop we got fed a very fancy dinner...and then the next we got fed, and the next. We were stuffing desserts down our bellies. They are such great people and I love that we made that relationship with them so good that they can still come up and we can go visiting. This is how I feel.... I felt like the questions of the night were ," Who are you dating?" "Oh how's that going?" "Do you like him alot?" "Oh! Do you think you could end up together?" MARRIAGE QUESTIONS gal-lore!!!!
And I mean...yeah...we're at that age....I guess....BUT STILL! Come on...cut us some slack. I still feel so young! I'm only 19. The others are only 20! We've got plenty of time for all that, and i know it's all gonna work out...so could everyone just stop HOUNDING US with the marriage questions?? Hahah.
That's How I Feel.
10. I had some reconciliations lately. They feel so good. There's nothing like mending a friendship that needs it. There's no point in holding grudges...Where are we ever gonna end up unless we forgive unconditionally? I'm so grateful for good friends. All of you that are reading this. I find myself feeling so overwhelmingly blessed every single day.
11. Ok Here's A Biggie.
Earlier this week I got home in the early hours of the morning. About 4 A.M.. and much to my surprise there was a MASSIVE DEAD DEER HANGING BY ITS NECK FROM THE BALCONY OF MY APARTMENT BUILDING. What a shock. I screamed so loud I'm suprised I didn't wake everyone in my apartment. It was NASTY! Bleeding on the sidewalk. I've heard of things like this happening, but never has it Happened to me. I called the Po Po's and they came and took care of it. Not the most pleasant of experiences. Obviously a big group of kids had a little too much time on their hands. How? During finals week? Who knows...But yeah. There's one for you to all digest.
I'm so so excited to come home for the break and hopefully see as many of you as I can.
Until next time.
Adios
Friday, September 19, 2008
Cool Times, School Times.
Hello Friends-
I am just having the best time up at college my sophomore year...so I thought I'd let everyone in on my secrets to happiness....
I've been here about a month now (I swear, time flies.) and I'm loving seriously every minute of it. Living in the dorms was such a different experience than being off campus in apartment housing. I felt like all I met last year were freshman and plenty of "special" people...This year so far I'm having a lot better luck meeting older people. I'm lovin it.
I am positively stoked for my program. I LOVE it. My classes are awesome and so are all of my professors. I'm taking strictly int. design classes this semester so I don't have any generals to bore me. It's great!
I'm living in apartments called Oakridge. There is 25 buildings with 28 people in each...it's HUGE. It's very social too. We have a pool, hot tub, and volleyball courts. There will always be a group of people out in those. The ward this year is HUGE and I love it. An awesome bishopric and lots of way neat people. I had connections with my stake pres. so therefore I had a stake calling within the first week of being up here. Whoo! Stake Institute Representative...so it's my job to encourage enrollment, being on an LDSSA board, and attend 7 o clock sunday meetings once a month. (AT least it will wake me up early before my 1:15 PM church...it's the worst time!!)
My two room mates this year are quite a bit older than me- Deborah (25) Whitney (23) We are all quite different but it's been a good experience so far. It's interesting to live with people who you are very different from.
SO FAR: There's been tons of fun things going on- on campus, off campus, hockey games, foot ball games (I don't really enjoy those). There was the annual movie night on the QUAD. They played IronMan and hundreds of people showed up with blankets and even couches. They had projected it onto this massive jumbotron/balloon lookin thing. I got a boot on my mom's car for parking in a lot where I didn't have a permit (70 bucks to get it off :P). I have been to a tradition called "pasta sunday" where these girls host everyone at their house once a month or so to have some sort of pasta together. It was great fun. I met the president of student activities up here and wow he was cool! It was quite the social event. I went bowling with some people that went to Peru this summer with me..It was so great to talk with them and reminisce together. I LOVE talking about Peru and who better to do it with than people that were actually there with you. Even if nothing is planned there's always something to do...that's why I love it up here. I know it's Logan..but oh man the people are awesome up here. For example: One night me and my friend Andrea headed up to the quad where a bunch of people were playing glow in the dark frisbee (teams sepearted by different color glowstick bracelets). We joined in for a while and then played sardines with a diff. group of people. We ended up putting a bunch of blankets down and layed out on the grass talking. Eating out in Logan is quite the experience, there are so many yummy places that are unique only to here. Me, Katie, and Andrea went to this place called Blackstone (fine seafood, steak, pasta) and so delicious it was.
One Sunday we headed over to somebody's house for a "Cajun BBQ" it was so delicious. We ate crawdads ( I had to have the boys wrip the thing apart to get the meat out! gross ) , shrimp, cajun rice, cornbread, home made root beer. It was great. I love these events that people put on so that I'm not always having to cook for myself (Which I am not good at yet).
My Bishop has facebook...yep. Believe it. He has all the people in the ward added as friends and he uses it as a tool to contact people. He's keepin up with the times, I tell you what.
I had a horrible experience hot tubbing one night: We got locked inside the pool and therefore had to jump the fence. I am not agile at all. I'm a big clumsy oaf...SO...I perched on top of the fence scared for my life...barefoot. I took a leap of faith and landed barefoot, both heels, on a metal divider between the grass and bark. ouch!!! I deeply bruised both heels and sliced one of them open. IT was not a good experience. A bunch of my buddies came and helped me clean it out...one of the guys is a med student. It was pretty nasty I must admit. I had to walk around on tiptoe the next few days.
Those same boys who came to help with my foot are a big group of friends who went to Skyview and were born and raised in logan. There's a ton of them and they've all been friends forever. They've started this tradition called "Within Reason Tour". Once a week we go out to lunch somewhere/anywhere that is within reason (<10$). Way fun. Cool Guys. Last weekend we did a big "Tie-Dying" party which was way cool. I made a sweet purple/pink tie-dye shirt. Love it. Earlier that night we went to the hockey game (We killed the U...FINALLY in SOMETHING!)...and ate at La Beau's (Yes, they have one here and it was started the same time as the one in Bear Lake! Who would've thought).
OK...here's a good one...
I came home last weekend on saturday to come pick up a bunch of decorations for my apartment and go to a wedding shower. The plan was to come back to logan on sunday but I ended up driving back to logan late saturday with a couple friends. I saw a bunch of my friends from last year at this wedding shower...i love reunions. My friend Tiff had the cutest dog ever. It was a mix between a shitzu, pug, and jack russell terrier. I loved it. I went shopping at Gateway with my friends Alex and Logan...from there we ate at Training Table where Alex's twin bro. Chris/his girlfriend Ginger met up with us. We all went back to the house and yes...we watched teh Aunt Melinda show. (I just keep recruiting them)...They all roared with laughter..as usual and I loved seeing some new reactions to it. THey were all like YOUR AUNT SHOULD PUT THIS ON YOUTUBE!!! Of course. Too bad I left the two beastie boy music videos in Orem at Riley's, or I would've shown those too. I'm such a fan. They helped me pack up all my deco's and we headed back to Logan.
There was a true aggie night this last week...We decided to go and check it out. No plans or intentions of gettin up on that A block. We danced like fools in front of the speakers they had there and then all stood together and discussed how trashy true aggie night has gotten. It's like a contest of who can get away with the nastiest kiss..yuck! I think the novelty of it has worn off...it's a big thing for freshmen that's for sure. But hey...it's a huge social event...and a way rad tradition.
I'm loving it up here...seriously. I'm an avid support of USU. It's under rated- I think. I am loving just dating lots of different people, hangin out with all different sorts, and of course loving my interior design classes. We do things in the middle of the week when we can, and there's already been quite a few late nights/long afternoons spent in the studio working on different projects...
Last night we had a movie night where we watched Gladiator. We did at this kid's house named "Booke". It was literally a castle. Inside and Out. Me and Andrea (int. design majors together) ran around the house checking out every little detail. It was so interesting. In the living room there is a huge part of the floor made out of glass which looks down onto his Dad's Asten Martin. WHOA....It was quite the house. Probaby multiple millions of dollars. Good times...
I'm taking a spinning class...and it kicks my butt! It's the BEST workout...but oh man it is brutal. Sitting on that hard seat for an hour is enough to make you cry let alone every muscle in pain. I love it. Gotta.
Secrets To My Happiness.
1. Good Friends
I have met a ton of new people this semester that I just love. It's so great to find someone who you click with and then do everything with that person. There's a couple girls in my Int. Design program that I've been spending at ton of time with.
2. Church
Being a member in a ward is an immediate in to tons of new friends/ activities. I love it
3. Institute
I'm taking two institute classes that i LOVE. Bro Jacobs and Bro Maughan. They have teh BEST stories, are such smart guys, and invite the best spirit. I love it.
4. Awesome Professors
Enough said.
5. Being Outgoing
It's so fun to meet new people and just be open to everyone. My goal is to meet every person in the ward...You can never have too many friends.
I am just having the best time up at college my sophomore year...so I thought I'd let everyone in on my secrets to happiness....
I've been here about a month now (I swear, time flies.) and I'm loving seriously every minute of it. Living in the dorms was such a different experience than being off campus in apartment housing. I felt like all I met last year were freshman and plenty of "special" people...This year so far I'm having a lot better luck meeting older people. I'm lovin it.
I am positively stoked for my program. I LOVE it. My classes are awesome and so are all of my professors. I'm taking strictly int. design classes this semester so I don't have any generals to bore me. It's great!
I'm living in apartments called Oakridge. There is 25 buildings with 28 people in each...it's HUGE. It's very social too. We have a pool, hot tub, and volleyball courts. There will always be a group of people out in those. The ward this year is HUGE and I love it. An awesome bishopric and lots of way neat people. I had connections with my stake pres. so therefore I had a stake calling within the first week of being up here. Whoo! Stake Institute Representative...so it's my job to encourage enrollment, being on an LDSSA board, and attend 7 o clock sunday meetings once a month. (AT least it will wake me up early before my 1:15 PM church...it's the worst time!!)
My two room mates this year are quite a bit older than me- Deborah (25) Whitney (23) We are all quite different but it's been a good experience so far. It's interesting to live with people who you are very different from.
SO FAR: There's been tons of fun things going on- on campus, off campus, hockey games, foot ball games (I don't really enjoy those). There was the annual movie night on the QUAD. They played IronMan and hundreds of people showed up with blankets and even couches. They had projected it onto this massive jumbotron/balloon lookin thing. I got a boot on my mom's car for parking in a lot where I didn't have a permit (70 bucks to get it off :P). I have been to a tradition called "pasta sunday" where these girls host everyone at their house once a month or so to have some sort of pasta together. It was great fun. I met the president of student activities up here and wow he was cool! It was quite the social event. I went bowling with some people that went to Peru this summer with me..It was so great to talk with them and reminisce together. I LOVE talking about Peru and who better to do it with than people that were actually there with you. Even if nothing is planned there's always something to do...that's why I love it up here. I know it's Logan..but oh man the people are awesome up here. For example: One night me and my friend Andrea headed up to the quad where a bunch of people were playing glow in the dark frisbee (teams sepearted by different color glowstick bracelets). We joined in for a while and then played sardines with a diff. group of people. We ended up putting a bunch of blankets down and layed out on the grass talking. Eating out in Logan is quite the experience, there are so many yummy places that are unique only to here. Me, Katie, and Andrea went to this place called Blackstone (fine seafood, steak, pasta) and so delicious it was.
One Sunday we headed over to somebody's house for a "Cajun BBQ" it was so delicious. We ate crawdads ( I had to have the boys wrip the thing apart to get the meat out! gross ) , shrimp, cajun rice, cornbread, home made root beer. It was great. I love these events that people put on so that I'm not always having to cook for myself (Which I am not good at yet).
My Bishop has facebook...yep. Believe it. He has all the people in the ward added as friends and he uses it as a tool to contact people. He's keepin up with the times, I tell you what.
I had a horrible experience hot tubbing one night: We got locked inside the pool and therefore had to jump the fence. I am not agile at all. I'm a big clumsy oaf...SO...I perched on top of the fence scared for my life...barefoot. I took a leap of faith and landed barefoot, both heels, on a metal divider between the grass and bark. ouch!!! I deeply bruised both heels and sliced one of them open. IT was not a good experience. A bunch of my buddies came and helped me clean it out...one of the guys is a med student. It was pretty nasty I must admit. I had to walk around on tiptoe the next few days.
Those same boys who came to help with my foot are a big group of friends who went to Skyview and were born and raised in logan. There's a ton of them and they've all been friends forever. They've started this tradition called "Within Reason Tour". Once a week we go out to lunch somewhere/anywhere that is within reason (<10$). Way fun. Cool Guys. Last weekend we did a big "Tie-Dying" party which was way cool. I made a sweet purple/pink tie-dye shirt. Love it. Earlier that night we went to the hockey game (We killed the U...FINALLY in SOMETHING!)...and ate at La Beau's (Yes, they have one here and it was started the same time as the one in Bear Lake! Who would've thought).
OK...here's a good one...
I came home last weekend on saturday to come pick up a bunch of decorations for my apartment and go to a wedding shower. The plan was to come back to logan on sunday but I ended up driving back to logan late saturday with a couple friends. I saw a bunch of my friends from last year at this wedding shower...i love reunions. My friend Tiff had the cutest dog ever. It was a mix between a shitzu, pug, and jack russell terrier. I loved it. I went shopping at Gateway with my friends Alex and Logan...from there we ate at Training Table where Alex's twin bro. Chris/his girlfriend Ginger met up with us. We all went back to the house and yes...we watched teh Aunt Melinda show. (I just keep recruiting them)...They all roared with laughter..as usual and I loved seeing some new reactions to it. THey were all like YOUR AUNT SHOULD PUT THIS ON YOUTUBE!!! Of course. Too bad I left the two beastie boy music videos in Orem at Riley's, or I would've shown those too. I'm such a fan. They helped me pack up all my deco's and we headed back to Logan.
There was a true aggie night this last week...We decided to go and check it out. No plans or intentions of gettin up on that A block. We danced like fools in front of the speakers they had there and then all stood together and discussed how trashy true aggie night has gotten. It's like a contest of who can get away with the nastiest kiss..yuck! I think the novelty of it has worn off...it's a big thing for freshmen that's for sure. But hey...it's a huge social event...and a way rad tradition.
I'm loving it up here...seriously. I'm an avid support of USU. It's under rated- I think. I am loving just dating lots of different people, hangin out with all different sorts, and of course loving my interior design classes. We do things in the middle of the week when we can, and there's already been quite a few late nights/long afternoons spent in the studio working on different projects...
Last night we had a movie night where we watched Gladiator. We did at this kid's house named "Booke". It was literally a castle. Inside and Out. Me and Andrea (int. design majors together) ran around the house checking out every little detail. It was so interesting. In the living room there is a huge part of the floor made out of glass which looks down onto his Dad's Asten Martin. WHOA....It was quite the house. Probaby multiple millions of dollars. Good times...
I'm taking a spinning class...and it kicks my butt! It's the BEST workout...but oh man it is brutal. Sitting on that hard seat for an hour is enough to make you cry let alone every muscle in pain. I love it. Gotta.
Secrets To My Happiness.
1. Good Friends
I have met a ton of new people this semester that I just love. It's so great to find someone who you click with and then do everything with that person. There's a couple girls in my Int. Design program that I've been spending at ton of time with.
2. Church
Being a member in a ward is an immediate in to tons of new friends/ activities. I love it
3. Institute
I'm taking two institute classes that i LOVE. Bro Jacobs and Bro Maughan. They have teh BEST stories, are such smart guys, and invite the best spirit. I love it.
4. Awesome Professors
Enough said.
5. Being Outgoing
It's so fun to meet new people and just be open to everyone. My goal is to meet every person in the ward...You can never have too many friends.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Inspiring
The Rocket Summer is one of my all time favorite bands...
Bryce Avary leads them out and he is the most amazing blonde haired, blue eyed artist I've ever known.
His song "Do You Feel" is all about the problems in the world that we all want to help solve..somehow...but don't know what we can do.
My good friend Kelly put this link up on her blog for the new video that just came out.
Definitely worth seeing...
ch-ch- check it out!
http://www.friendsorenemies.com/web/foe/users/therocketsummer/
Bryce Avary leads them out and he is the most amazing blonde haired, blue eyed artist I've ever known.
His song "Do You Feel" is all about the problems in the world that we all want to help solve..somehow...but don't know what we can do.
My good friend Kelly put this link up on her blog for the new video that just came out.
Definitely worth seeing...
ch-ch- check it out!
http://www.friendsorenemies.com/web/foe/users/therocketsummer/
Friday, August 29, 2008
oh the joys of college.
Hi all. Welcome to another session of me, ellen genevieve larson, rambling about my goings on in life. It is such a sad occasion for summer to end....but I am actually really excited and happy to be at school. I was done slaving away at emigration every day.. i needed that break. (and can i just tell you how bad scooping ice cream sucks! never again!) SLC serves me well but let me tell ya, Logan is pretty freakin sweet. I'm glad to be back. I hope to aptly describe to you my experiences in the last week of summer and the first week of SOPHOMORE YEAR USU.
One of the last saturdays of the summer some of the girls packed up and headed to lagoon. what a great place. but FORTY BUCKS for a day pass...that is freakin ridiculous. It's not six flags standard, or even DISNEYLAND for that matter but it's all we got and people will pay the price. we all did. we hit all the major rides (wicked of course the favorite) and i also loved the bat. that'll jiggle your brains.
me, liza, and jeff enjoyed icees at one of the overpriced stands. YUM!
Ali and I headed down to Orem for one of our friend's weddings. Well sorta a friend of a friend. We were sent on a wild goose chase to this massive house in highland/alpine with a great backyard. we saw our friend mckay who just recently returned from the Australia mission (he has a hilarious accent!). Reunions are such fun.
On Friday, Aug. 22 I came up to logan for a big occasion. Go utah state for having ISHMAEL BEAH come to speak to all the freshmen. If you haven't already read his book "A Long Way Gone". It is harsh and really hard to read but he is an amazing writer. (he attributes his skill to his culture being a "storytelling" one and the fact that many things he translated directly to English from his native tongue Mende which is very poetic.
Background Information: He was born Nov. 23, 1980. At 13 years old he was a child soldier for 2 years. In 1996 he was rescued by UNICEF and taken to a rehabilitation camp. In 1998 he won a contest to come speak in America and came to NYC. He graduated from Oberlin College and is now 26 years old. He is so cute!!
.jpg)
As an avid fan of this African writer- I wasn't going to miss it. (however I was 20 min. too late for the book signing friday night dang! I was so excited to meet the man himself). Saturday morning he gave a convocation speech to tons of freshmen and a few lucky community members/older students. They stuck us on the last 3 rows in the Kent Concert Hall. That was frustrating as I got there early to try and snag a seat. The speech was amazing. So inspirational. This man has had the hardest go at life...he really is lucky just to be alive. He told all the kids that they should be SO grateful for their life in the Western World and for their opportunity to gain such a good education. He said that one of the first times he ever cried was when he got his college diploma. It was finally something taht nobody could take from him. He said that one of the things that was really hard for him when he came to the U.S. was the way that Africa is portrayed as "hopeless- a lost generation. there is nothing we can do." He was upset that people thought of Africa as a war-ridden country always. When he came around to writing a book his main goal was to portray the strength of the human spirit. For people to feel the exhaustion of going day to day fearing for your life. He felt the responsibility to put a human face on the whole experience...
EDUCATION:
He said it changed his life. I told you about the way that graduating from college hit him so hard emotionally. He said "All you people are the luckiest in the world to have access to higher education. Imagine having thoughts and feelings and not being able to write them down. Education is a self-discovery process. Never forget those less fortunate than you. Think about places outside of SLC, UT. Learn about other cultures before they become war-ridden. Exercise respect for all humanity. I miss the human connection in Sierra Leone. I miss the food! American food is .... bad."
I felt so lucky to have caught word of this thing that was happening. After reading the book I went to youtube and watched Beah read some excerpts form his book. How lucky I was to hear him speak. A LOT of people came out for the event and the book signing.
Ok I'm done with talking about that. Next- my classes. I LOVE my classes. I am taking all interior design classes and nothing else. I'm hitting the program hard. I'm taking an AUTOCAD class, Graphics, Computers&Art, Interior Design Seminar, Spinning (P.E.), Gospel&World Religions, and Doctrines of the Gospel. I have lucked out. I've got fabulous professors in every class and I'm going to love my homework this semester. It's going to be really tough- as I have heard- but very worth it.
The apartment: Oakridge- 25 apartment buildings with 24 students per building: hmm. SOCIAL. There is lots of fun people here. I love the ward and all the people that live in my building. My room mates names are Debbie and Whitney. They're really nice girls. Our personalities get along because we are all very clean. Such a plus. Debbie provided the 34'' flatscreen, Whitney provided the Xbox/guitar hero, and I did the decorating. Yes. We are happy. I love having an actual kitchen this semester. The shuttle picks up right in front of our building and I can get to campus in 5 minutes. WE have a swimming pool, a hot tub. and unlimited laundry. Yes, I'm happy. Now- the only thing we need is wireless internet. I HATE having to plug my mac into the wall. Quite annoying.
The Kitchen
Room
Whitney Playing Hero
It's only been a week and...I've already had tons of fun and met a lot of new people. I love to make new friends. Thursday was "movie on teh quad" basically hundreds of poeple showed up to wrap up in blankets and watch Ironman on a huge projector. Good fun. After that me and Andrea hung out with some really fun boys. In all the excitement they dropped me off to my car in a random gravel parking lot down the street. They drove off and I realized...that there were caution signs taped all over the car. I HAD GOTTEN BOOTED! dang. $70.00 fee to get the big ugly metal boots off. I didn't think the tiny gravel apt. was permit only. Oh joys.
Next day: I fork over 70 bucks to get the boot off and 20 minutes later i'm pulled over off main street by a po-po. The registration was expired on Mom's Infiniti. Oh wow. What a lucky day for ellen. After that whole ordeal I felt like staying in the rest of the afternoon. That was Friday. AT 7 that night I headed up to Bear Lake to meet the fam for a little labor day cabin time. We had a lot of fun. Me, Mom, and Aunt Mary, oh and neighbor Penelope (such a name!) went on the BL Parade of Homes and saw many ridiculously beastly cabins throughout the BL valley. It was a good time. Fun to see brother Graham for the 2nd time the whole summer. HE is glad to be home from Puerto Rico. Done with the Del Sol thing.
Well that's all I have for now! Until next time.
Elle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
