#79 - i would like you to dance - - birthday

In honor of Sami being birthed 21 years ago, we had a surprise party - complete with margaritas, a keg of beer, cake, friends, drinking games and a fort. Evidently, I'm terrible at winning games. This wasn't apparent to me, until I had to down a big glass of water each time I couldn't lay down in Phase 10. I drank, essentially, every time!

Sami and I have officially recruited the best fort builders in the industry. After topping all forts last semester with the "Dragon Cave" Taron and Brent out-did themselves by constructing us the "Birthing Fort" in honor of Samantha's big event, of course. We slept in it two nights, but finally had to de-construct this afternoon. It was a travesty to say the least. Now the bar is set even higher for the next fort.

I was thinking that my next fort might not be until I'm in my new place though, which means it's going to be sufficiently less-cool. Maybe we can manage a few more this semester though...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY friday SAMI! Love you

#76 - don't forget me

There is only one down-side I can see with having Sami as my only roommate... and that is: sometimes, she leaves. Last weekend she went to Utah for a friend's wedding and the repercussions of that didn't hit me till the door closed behind her. No Sami = home alone. This also would be less of a devastation if I had a cell phone that worked. The night before she left (Wednesday night), in mid text, she just died. The screen went wiggi and then black. So now I'm home Thursday, with no place to be exactly and no phone. I don't even know anyone's phone numbers -- that dang crutch. Who has address books anymore?? A few other friends (the drop-in-on kind) were out of town too so options were slim. After I stood still, pondering my current predicament for a few seconds I read (which was great! I never get around to reading just for fun), took a nap, ate, watched a movie and had just "me time". It was pretty nice... for a few hours. Thankfully, after my mom informed one of my best friends that I was alone, he took me out and entertained me till midnight.

Sleep? Alone? In the dark? Without a phone? You kidding me? I'm not an alone kind of girl, obviously. It took a repeating "Sleepy Playlist" to finally drift me off at 3 in the morning. Only to then wake up paranoid at 6, fearful I would sleep though class with out my cellphone alarm clock.

Friday was a little better. At least I was prepared, but that didn't mean I could go without a light on, checking all the windows and door at least twice (plus setting up obstacles in front of the window that doesn't lock), and music playing; Annuals singing me to sleep. Saturday day was spend out and about the whole day and night was spent sleeping at a friend's house (I was not about to do that whole terrified thing again). I am alive and now better prepared for solitary living after graduation. And hopefully, my phone never fails me again when I need it most.

**and for those who follow the hyperlink - my playlist obsession now brings me to a grand total of 106 playlists.

#71 - seems like home to me

I just moved into my new (and last college) house. Sami and I own the place and are deciding how we want to decorate/arrange things. It is so wonderful so share a little space, perfect for just two, with my best friend. I am anticipating this semester being the BEST SEMESTER EVER! and this apartment is sealing the deal. Like I said, it's small and a little ghetto, but I just love it to pieces. Our first feat was to repair the mirror that fell off the medicine cabinet when I opened it. A little (lot) of duct tape later it was secured and we now learned something new about our house... don't open the medicine cabinet. The front door is found inside the garage of the attached house and there are only three small windows to let the world know that 'we are here we are here!!' Why I found this place only last semester I don't know and am a little sad about, but I love it while I have it!

#58 - almost as a.d.d as Weezer's El Scorcho

Tonight I am filled with random thoughts so I apologize for the chaotic expulsion of words.

(my random mood also inspired the random pictures... one is a newly completed blue beanie - accomplished while on a school field trip. The other is a very discouraged me while trapped in a park bathroom.)

I am full of the cravings: craving to go to a sweet, huge concert and dance until my feet hurt and my body flails just enough to be awkwardly close to those around me. I am going to a Vetiver concert in a few weeks, but something tells me this indie band (amazing as it is) won't help me release my dancing bursts. Right now I can't get enough of the concerts (I like them best, currently, when they are free). Also, tacos.

I want to be one of those people. You know the kind that feels okay going to concerts or to dinner alone. Why not? Why feel weird and lonely? OWN IT! "What of it. I'm here for the music, man. Be jealous of my self dubbed power." Currently, I need to call about three friends to get outside approval that I am cool enough to pull it off before I venture out.

Whatever happened to meeting new people? Freshman year I was all about the random knocking on people's apartments and making new friends. I was full of a ridiculous amount of energy and couldn't get enough of people. Now... I'm the person who has my friends, likes my friends, am satisfied with my social life and don't care to expand. It's not that I'm anti-social. The opposite, in fact, by anyone's definition. I'm just content with the bounds of my circle. Sad, but I guess that's what comes with old age; marked by the removal of my parental-mooching medical insurance. Welcome to the adulthood cave of social satisfaction.

If you read below this entry, you will discover that I have recently gone grocery shopping. It was an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience. I have ran across a problem though: I am afraid to actually eat the food. It looks so glorious and delicious, but if I eat it, I won't have it anymore. I want to keep the food in it's perfectly preserved state forever! I bought two artichokes. Maintaining their artichokish properties, they need to be eaten right away. If I eat one, I'll only have one left. Okay, I can deal with that, but then I can't eat the other one because then I will have none and I will be sad. This goes for all the food in my house. I don't want it to be gone... begging the question - what else is food good for, but to eat? Having the food around, knowing that I can eat it and that it is comfortingly by my side is a pleasant feeling. Eat the food = kill the feeling.

I love school. Correction: I love learning. If I could just audit every class and not have to worry about grades, life would be superbly blissful. Alas, the existence of tests, quizzes and dread. Notice I didn't put papers; I like writing papers - therefore, this school attribute will remain in my self proclaimed perfected collegiate program. I'm a little sad that I can't take more classes and that graduation is swiftly approaching, with my enrollment in only two classes in the summer. If I could, I would take Theory, a few culinary arts classes, more humanities classes, and a few philosophy classes. Again, for auditing purposes only - purely to fill the file cabinets in my mind.

I pretend I am more crafty than I am. I either need to tone down the awesomeness of my skills, or expand the limits of those skills. And why is crocheting hobo gloves so dang hard? Do we really need all four fingers AND a thumb. Jeez.

#51 - your vote counts

Alright, I'm taking a vote (and yes, the co-creator of this video gets a heavier weighted vote):

A. I'm dying to see the rest of this video! Please post it!

B. For goodness sake, spare me the ridiculousness!

Time to listen to the voice of the people...

#38 - "or would you rather be a fish..."

I believe that we are evolved from animals. Not directly from apes or anything like that. I think that each person morphed into who they are from an animal previously. If you look at someone close enough, you can see the animal within them. I remember one day at work at the Attorney General's Office, my friend/co-worker and I had fun with this game. There was a large poster with the faces of all the Washington State Representatives and Senators. We proceeded to look down the list and identify which animals each of the member's looked like. I've done this with roommates and friends before too - identifying which animals we look most like.

Sami and I identified our inner animals:

#37 - Maaaaammm! We need carpet for the clubhouse!

I'm officially never too old for forts. It's so exciting being in a secret place, inside a place. When I was in elementary school, I would clear out a corner of my closet; add a lamp, some blankets and pillows and just be happy being sneaky. I always thought, no one could see me or find me if I was in my fort. My forts were very portable as well. Where ever I was, I could find one: inside the circular clothing racks in stores while my mother shopped, laying on the chairs under the dining room table, and inside empty cabinets (I was much more compactable then). My dad and I even built a treehouse fort in my back yard - split level!

Every semester, thus far, I have had a fort in my apartment. Freshman year, it usually consisted of stacking the couches in the living room with one sheet draped over it. Sometimes we mixed it up, went all out, and brought our matresses into the living room, but that was only on special occasions. Each semester, I think they have gotten more and more sophisticated. This semester, however, the title was taken. Sami and I made a breakfast of champions for the men (Taron and Brent) while they build "the cave". Big enough to sit in, eat in, lay in, and watch a movie - it was perfect. I don't think we could have done better, even after our many years of practice. I believe we easily could have hung out in there all day, but alas, duty calls (boo work). Time to plan the next stronghold of sneak...

(no pics of today's fort... couldn't find the camera...)

#0 - an emotional heimlich dedication

Sami and I have now passed our one year anniversary of when we first moved in together.

Our History:

Sept 2007: Hopped in the car and drove (what should have been) 13 hours to Rexburg. We quickly made the transition from skeptics of one another to friends. From no fault of her own, Vanessa took us to the edge of California instead of Idaho. Panicked decision making, musicals, and swapping boy stories helped us build our foundation.

Fall Semester 2007: We were, unfortunately, not room roommates, but down the hall roommates. We sported Mario and Luigi for the halloween party, took a ridiculous amount of pictures, drove to Boise and flew home for Thanksgiving together, had numerous bonfires (some of which, involving a couch strapped to the back of a pick-up and Sobe bombs). We also discovered one of our first differences of opinion. Sami being of the opinion that Christmas music and other holiday related festivities should be reserved for Christmas Eve and the day of - - while Vanessa can't help but hum christmas carols beginning in November. We compromised by decorating the first day of December, complete with volleyball sock stockings and twisted tapped lights covering the ceiling.

oh, and this video is what it is. We figured out that it feels really weird to rub our ears together... we thought it also looked funny, so we video taped it to prove our point. It is still impossible for us to watch this movie, or just know that someone is watching this movie without cracking up. =)

Winter Semester 2008: Separated by over 800 miles, Sami roughed it in Rexburg trying not to dwell in loneliness, while Vanessa worked her butt off and tried not to drown in drama. Sporadically calling one another to share the travesties and missing each other.

Summer Semester 2008: Trips galore (Yellowstone, Logandale, Jackson Hole), a lot of men (in and out), turtles here one day...gone the next. Evenings spent lounging in the sun on our sofa on the porch, handlebar bicycle rides, birthdays, and trips to the movies. Always staying up late, sharing stores from the top bunk to the depths of the lower (bat cave) bunk. Mumblings from the top bunk in the middle of the night, sleeping Vanessa often let out half asleep sighs and frustrated exclamations of, "this sucks!" while Sami listened intently to see what other bizzare things would happen while Vanessa slept. Also a few near death experiences followed by a deafening shriek from a concerned friend, "SAMI!!!!!!!!!"

Seven Week Break: Starting the trip off right with a fabulous concert from Rocky Votolato and heading out the next morning for Maryland. We spend a week touring Washington D.C. (including private tours from an official looking, dark suited man), a week being beach babes in Virginia, then off to the Oregon coast with the family "roughing" it in the yurts. Separated for the last few weeks, then finally again, reunited for another Fall Semester as roommates.