lots of stuff

i've been putting off posting any new posts because i still haven't got a new lap top (randall girls, have you talked to allen?) and i'm sick of downloading photos onto a computer that's not mine. however, so much has happened over the past couple of weeks that i decided i better just post without photos. so, here's a recap of things that happened to me during september. and just a warning, it's not going to be too exciting or creative...my brain hurts too much.

i was invited to have sunday dinner with a roommate i had in college. her name is cat. she is the only cat i've ever lived with and the only cat i've ever liked. she is a beautiful, fun, loving friend. she is married and has two adorable children, both of which i've never met, because the oldest is 5 years old and i haven't seen cat for close to 7 years. it was a fun day of playing catch up with each other. the best part was when her daughter gave me a tour of their gorgeous house and i discovered that they had a wii with my favorite game...rockband. we totally rocked out. being around her children made me feel less homesick. it was great.

on my way home from their house i stopped at target and bought myself guitar hero. for any of you who are doing the math, yes it was the sabbath. the fact that i'm going to hell has already been discussed. note: i like rockband so much better, but it is a lot more expensive. i was able to get guitar hero for a ps2 on sale. the best part of this story is that it is only possible because my friend (through matt), todd, GAVE me a brand new ps2. he had never even opened it. i was so excited. i made two rules about the play station... 1: i have to stand up while i play it, so it is sort of like exercise. and 2: i can only play 2 songs and then i have to study for 15 minutes, then i can play 2 more songs before hitting the books again. so far it's worked pretty well.

on that note, i have also had my first assignments, quizzes, papers, and tests in most of my classes. so far so good. i have to cram as much info in as possible the night before and then all my classmates and i have study sessions between classes. i feel like i'm sort of understanding the information. i get very anxious, and my hands shake a little during the tests, but i do fine. thankfully.

this past weekend 2 of my very favorite friends from logan came to stay with me. i used to babysit 2 of the cutest kids in the world, lola* and hank*. lola is now a 13-year-old ice skater who was competing at a rink very near my house, so she and her mom, stayed at my house. it has been 5 years since i've seen fran (the mom) and 4 years since i've seen lola. it was so much fun to hang out with them and watch her beautiful skating. she took 2nd place in both the technical and artistic portions of her competition. saturday afternoon i travelled a bit north to watch hank play in a little league baseball game. i was there for his very first hit this season. he popped one out over the 2nd baseman's head and ran like a streak of lightning to first base. it was awesome. i love baseball. i got to sit and chat with their dad, too. i almost died from heat exhaustion and thirst, but luckily fran brought me a giant coca cola. ahhhhhhh.

between the ice skating and baseball i got to do something super thrilling for me. i was invited to a baby shower for a woman i have never met. i'm not being sarcastic when i say that it was a thrill for me, it really was. her name is brittany, she and her husband, que, are adopting a baby. the young woman who chose them as adoptive parents was actually at the baby shower. she is a very sweet girl who is giving them the greatest gift ever. their whole story can be read here. i first read about them from a link on kristina pulsipher's blog. i got to meet HER at the shower, too, since she was the one who threw it for brittany. she was exactly how i pictured her...funny and sweet with a touch of sass. there's a link for her blog on my sidebar...if you haven't checked her out yet, you should.

steph, if you're reading this, thanks for making the baby blanket, with such short notice, for me. brittany loved it. and i'll bring you the money when i come down for u.e.a. in a couple of weeks, even though i said i would send it down with crystal and then didn't and then said i would mail it and then didn't again, okay?

oh, i also went to the state fair for my first time ever. i went with faye, parvati, kirby, shari, and janika the first time, and with matt, todd, and 3 other friends the second time. it was fun...and expensive.

anyway, that's pretty much my month of september. as far as school goes, i have one male teacher, who is awesome, and 4 female teachers who are varying degrees of okay. i don't know why women are always the ones given the label of "nurturing" because i have 5 teachers who throw that theory out the window.

i better go study before the biggest loser starts. sorry again about the lack of photos.

*not their real names