Rin's House

Life Happens. Blogging Stops.

2010-08-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't updated in decades really. BUT there is good news: I started a new blog! It is less fluff and more just me writing. Take a look at it and read the details to get more info.

Hopefully I'll have some noteworthy pictures to post here in a bit, but as of late what's been going on is the following:

I couldn't find a substantial job in Boise so, I made the decision to move back to VA. I've been here for a few months and have been doing some part time things while I wait for a big career to come my way. That career could be a long way off, but I think I'm on the right track so far.

I've had the amazing opportunity to go to see the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap this summer, see Mary Poppins at the Kennedy Center, spend a week at the Outer Banks, spend late nights in the District and attend a Nationals game. As my family would say, for someone without a job...I've been pretty busy and lucky!

Enjoy my new blog and writing. Hopefully it will help me along in my search for a career. Please comment and leave your feedback!

paintingamentalpicture.blogspot.com

Life.

2010-02-10T10:47:00.001-08:00

I feel like about the time blogging became old news for my family, it became breaking news for the rest of the world. It's been a solid three months since I last posted, and I guess you can say that much has happened.

I hiked Table Rock.

I stalked Guy Fieri.

I graduated college.

I met Kyle Wilson.

I went to Salt Lake.

I saw my family multiple times.

I went to the Fiesta Bowl.

I watched Boise WIN the Fiesta Bowl.

I went ice skating.

I watched TV.
I realized that the job I thought I had, didn't exist.

We have the the Missionaries over a few times a week to teach our friend.
I currently am spending all of my time looking for work.

I watched the State of the Union Address, and I read news articles. Apparently the unemployment rate is decreasing? I don't know if I believe that. Doesn't that just mean people aren't receiving unemployment? What about all people who aren't getting it or haven't gotten it?
I'm definitely not speaking for myself, but I've had time to think, and I'm pretty sure I don't buy into anything anyone says.
Tangent.

Things these days things are good. I'm trying to stay busy around the apartment but find most of my time is spent behind my computer looking for permanent work. I know how blessed I am, and I definitely have faith that sooner or later, things will turn around. It's hard to think that I'll probably end up moving away from here, but I know that it will be for the best. And I guess the best thing about my current situation is that I am ready and willing to move anywhere. So if you know of anyone in the radio/tv/production industry who is looking for someone, let me know.

Blue Thunder!

2009-11-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest reasons, perhaps the biggest reason I chose to do my last two years at Boise State was because of the Blue Thunder Marching Band. I visited Boise the summer before my senior year of high school and loved Boise and the spirit that the members of the Blue Thunder had. However, they were smaller than my high school band and at the time, I think I thought it wouldn't be good enough and I should just be done with a marching band career at Herndon. That would be a high enough note for me (no pun intended). I never really forgot about the marching band here and I remember watching the Fiesta Bowl at home in Herndon and wanting to throw up because I knew I could have been there. A year later I auditioned, and a year and a half later I showed up at band camp in Boise.

I don't really ever tell people I'm in band and the other day, I got caught: A member of my ward is on the cheer team and the marching band shares a (seemingly) brand new facility with the cheerleaders and dance team. I was using the bathroom the other day and ran into this girl from my ward. She said, "Hey Erin!..What are you doing here..?" Needless to say I said, "The band hall has really nice bathrooms...?" And as it was coming out of my mouth she said, "Are you in the band?!" I laughed, said yes and went along my way.

I am graduating from BSU in less than 6 weeks (this also makes me want to throw up), and after watching this video, I can honestly say that now I am satisfied with my marching band career. This was probably one of the most fun performances I have ever been a part of, and I loved every second of it. Maybe from now on I won't be as embarrassed to say I'm in marching band? We'll see.

Enjoy Michael Jackson's Thriller and Bach's Toccata and Fugue.

A message.

2009-10-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Graduation Day!

2009-09-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars. December 18th is the BIG day! Currently my parents and my best friend Kaitlin have their tickets to fly to Boise. It will be a party, so I suggest you come too! :)

An email I received today:

Dear Erin:

The graduation evaluators have reviewed your undergraduate Degree Progress Report (DPR) for Fall 2009 graduation. It has been determined that you are a valid candidate for graduation. This means you are enrolled in all outstanding requirements during your last semester.

Please refer to the following checklist items in order to ensure your candidacy for Fall 2009 graduation.

· Review your DPR on BroncoWeb.

· Review the University Catalog and Schedule of Classes for important dates and deadlines.

· Check your Primary name on BroncoWeb.

This is the name that will be used on your diploma.

· Verify your mailing address on BroncoWeb.

· Check your BroncoMail account regularly. Information regarding graduation and commencement will be sent to this account.

If you have questions regarding your candidacy, please contact a graduation evaluator.

Sincerely,

Graduation Evaluators

An Update!

2009-09-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

So I have officially given myself the go-ahead! It is time to update my loyal following (which turns out to be my family and like, maybe 1 and a half friends).

Summer was fun, productive and busy! This semester is also fun, productive and busy!

These pictures are in reverse order because that is the way they uploaded. I am in no mood to reverse their order.
Here is my life the last 4 months in pictures:

Me, Jenna and Baillie (roommates) at Bear Lake!

We met up with my roommates I had at Weber 2 years ago and spent a few days. Here we were playing baseball with 1/2 pool noodles and a beach ball.

My old roommate Heather and I walked from her lakehouse, through the marshlands down to the lake early in the morning while we waited for breakfast to cook.

Heather, Tristen and I. I haven't lived with them in 2 years, but some things never change.

So we had a fairly intense roommate fight. It was settled over a surrender flag and cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.

Jenna and I went to Colbie Caillat!

Standing room only, but we were right up front (tomorrow night we go to Jason Mraz :))

We waited in line for 5 hours for Oregon vs. BSU tickets. We didn't get any. But lucky for me, I don't need any.

Band kids before the Oregon game. Which we WON!

Baillie, Maggie, Me and Jenna (roommates) at the Idaho State Fair...

...Where we saw Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.

Baillie and I eating dinner at the Fair.

Eating dinner with Mitch prior to the Gorilla Zoe concert. Gorilla Zoe did not in fact show up for his own concert. DUD.

Hanging out at work with a Summer Intern, Allie. Oh, and the band, Boys Like Girls.

Getting free fireworks from work for Jenna and I. My first experience having my own...It was time I grew up.

At a Boise Hawk's game!!

BBQing on Sunday afternoon with Meah and Dave from my ward.

Visiting my good friend Kaylie, and meeting her son Hunter for the first time.

Fallon and I on the Heber Creeper for Tys' 3rd Birthday!

Out with Dave, my cousin Travis, and Jenna at Wahooz. Doing some exciting date-like things...such as ride this virtual roller coaster.

I saw my Mom 3 times!!!!

I went to Blackfoot many times and visited Grandparents and family.

Some friends and I doing a stunt for work. Going to all the Sonic's in the Valley, before midnight to take advantage of "Free Root-Beer Float Night." We failed. But it was still a blast.

Slackage.

2009-09-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Well it has officially been 4 months since I last posted. I am alive. And I am doing well!

So much has happened and there isn't currently time to discuss it all but mostly I am just busy with school and enjoying my LAST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE. Which I can't actually believe I can say. But it is true; I am graduating in December.

I did find this on the internet today and it will give you a bit of an idea of what I am up to (if you'd like to know where I am, I can just say that I am on the right side of the field the entirety of the show. During the dance feature, Only the Good Die Young...I am the fourth person outside the 45 yard line, doing very scripted dance moves, with the oversized-looking trumpet):

I'll put up some new pictures and a more detailed description of what is going on in my life when I get a few more minutes.

But in the meantime, GO BRONCOS!

Blessings and Happenings.

2009-05-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

As I sit here on my bed, in a room that needs some cleaning like no one's business, I can't help but feel sad. I am so blessed. There is no question in my mind that I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I am getting an education, I have a great job, I've met some amazing people and I know that at the end of the day I have a family that loves me. The more time I spend here in Boise this summer, the more I realize how hard it is to be away from home. But at the same time when I think about the times I do go home, after a few weeks I feel like I need to be back at school. My Bishop at home told me before I left for school my senior year, that once you come back home after being at school, it's never the same. I've realized that to be true over the last 3 years and I thought that staying at school during the summer would be easier than it is. During the day I am having so much fun at work and enjoying school at night. It's at moments like this though when I'm hanging out by myself that I realize how homesick I really am.

Last year there was a stretch of time when I was really struggling and I learned to fill my time with reading, music and I was fortunate enough to be close to Jamie's family that I often would go visit and spend time with her amazing family. I don't have the luxury of being that close to them anymore, but grateful that I had that opportunity and those experiences last year. Things happen for a reason and hard times come and go. At the end of the day (literally), when I am feeling at my worst, I recall how grateful I am for all the blessings in my life. There are too many positive things in my life, that feeling down for too long is not an option. I often feel lonely and sometimes even forgotten, but I know that that is never true. I am writing this as a reminder to myself but also to anyone else who ever feels or has felt this way. Things may seem difficult, but things aren't always as bad as they really are.

How about some positivity?
These last few weeks I have had so many amazing experiences.

1. I was hit from behind when I was stopped in traffic a few weeks ago. Plenty of damage to my car, but fortunately not too much damage to me. I was hit hard enough that my sunglasses went flying off my face and my chest hit the steering wheel, but thankfully because of my seat belt, there was no other damage. I have been having some back problems, but currently I'm getting help from a chiropractor and a physical therapist to restore some nerve damage that I have. Nothing that can't be fixed in a few weeks.

2. I hung out in studio with Mandi and Aubrey from this past season of the Biggest Loser. They're from right here in Boise, they are fun girls and they are very inspiring!

3. We interviewed and talked to your favorite 80's singer and mine, Debbie Gibson about her new RIDICULOUS movie, "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus."

4. I was SO lucky to go to the Taylor Swift concert in Nampa. Gloriana opened, as well as Kellie Pickler. Both openers did an amazing job, but Taylor Swift is an INCREDIBLE artist. She often is given a hard time about her vocals, but this was hands down the greatest concert I've been to. Her set alone exeeded 2 hours and she just did an amazing job. I would see her again in a heartbeat (that is if I could get another ticket; she sells out EVERY show).

5. I spoke to Alison Sweeney at length. We were interviewing her about Biggest Loser, but I was the only one in the room when she called, so we discussed her 2 kids, what kind of breakfast she was making them, her guest appearance on Friends years ago, and her 15+ years on Days of Our Lives.
6. Hung out with Coach Pete for the 2nd time in studio, 3rd time overall. He is an amazing person, coach and a lot of fun to hang out with in the morning!

Makeover.

2009-05-05T22:10:00.001-07:00

I am so lucky to work in the industry I do! I met Marie a few weeks ago when she came into the studio to help promote her daughter Lindsay's work with the Make a Wish Foundation. She heard on air (as did the rest of the Treasure Valley) that I was going on a date and she called in and wanted to surprise me with a makeover at Caliente, a local full service salon. Today was my date and I was able to spend 3 and a half hours with Marie as she highlighted and styled my hair, and did my make up courtesy of Mary Kay. She generously gave me the make up she used and I was able to enjoy my day free of charge.

Thanks to everyone who made this incredible day possible: all the great people at Caliente, and Hooker and Chad for coming to visit me at the beginning of my adventure. I am starting to understand even more just how lucky and blessed I am.

Looking rough. Hooker and Chad :)

Thanks to Marie and all the Caliente employees!

Alive? Yes.

2009-05-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

So, I've been MIA for about a month or so. But in reality, I am alive and well! School is wrapping up for the semester, and I will starting up again about three days after they end. Yes it is true, this girl is staying in Idaho for the Summer months. I am slightly (and by slightly I mean entirely) depressed that I won't be going home anytime in the near future, BUT because of my decision to stay I will:

1. Spend less of my parents money by taking Summer school
2. Live by myself for the first time in my life
3. Be able to work at the radio station for a consecutive year
4. GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE IN DECEMBER

Needless to say, I am ecstatic!
To catch you all up on the last month or more of my life, here are some pictures for your enjoyment. I've been busy, overwhelmed, tired, frustrated (not unlike anyone else who is breathing) but extremely happy and grateful at the same time. Note: pictures are not in any order.

Celebrated my cousin Becci's daughter, BraeLynn's 1st Birthday in Idaho Falls.

Hung out with my roommate Baillie at Maverick one nice Sunday afternoon.

Worked 55 hours one week during Keke Luv's (pictured middle) 7 Marathons in 7 days. One of the jocks at our station, Keke raised awareness for child abuse in the Treasure Valley. One of the most inspirational weeks of my life.

Graduated with an Advanced Diploma from Institute. My home teacher and I ate some cake made by my roommate Baillie. Tasty. Yes.

Walked on campus (new Student Union Building pictured) with Baillie. :)

Worked at the station 5 days a week from 6 am- 9 am, having my life shared with the people of Boise. Tune in for the drama!

Visited Jamie and the kids in Herriman, UT. :)

Went to a Boise Steelhead's game with my cousin Ryan, and some friends from BSU, courtesy of my aunt and uncle.

Attended the BSU Women's Clinic with invitation extended by Coach Pete himself when he came into the studio one morning.

More of my hectic life to come in the coming weeks I'm sure! Miss and love you all!

March 21, 2009.

2009-03-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I had the privilege and blessing to be part of my best friend Kaitlin's baptism. Saturday morning we drove down to East Carolina and arrived at the chapel where I saw Kaitlin for the first time since she began taking the discussions. She was dressed and ready for her baptism, and looked more beautiful than ever.

Kaitlin is a wonderful person and I am so excited for her to be a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Kait and I became good friends my senior year of high school and our friendship has grown since that time. I can't begin to count the number of time I expressed verbally, mentally or in a journal how much I believed she would be an incredible member of the church. I have learned that our time line is a lot different than that of Heavenly Father's and He knew that in time, she would be ready to listen to the missionaries and accept the words which they shared with her.

As I think about the last 4 years or so that I've known Kaitlin, my life has been blessed because of the person and the example that she is. She has always been a person of high values and morals, someone I could trust, and the epitome of what a best friend should be. We have had our fair share of disagreements like all friends, but I don't know if there is much I would change about the times we have been able to share together; especially her baptism day. I am so grateful I was able to be a part of this special and most important day of her life.

K and I through the years... :)

Pay it Forward!

2009-03-11T21:47:00.001-07:00

Paying it Forward, as they say...

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

I make no guarantees that you will like what I make for you!
What I create will be just for you.
It'll be done this year. (This gives me plenty of time!)
You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a cd of songs recorded by me (even better if Jeff were on there too). It may be a self portrait or maybe even some creation I haven't yet dreamed up. I may bake you something and mail it to you, though that may be best reserved for the locals. It may not be big or impressive. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! But lets be honest here. This is me and I will likely do something amazing. So come on, sign up!
I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. But I probably will not do something strange, since I at least try to live under the guise that I am slightly normal. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to post this same information on their blog and leave a comment telling me they did will win a lovely homemade gift by me! Let's keep the chain of love going around!!

World Special Olympics 2009

2009-02-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Last week was one of the most fulfilling weeks of my life. It was hectic and busy, gruesome, tiring and yet so amazing. When I think about the friends I made, the people I met and the experiences I had, I can't believe I was here at this time. Everything happens for a reason and I was reminded of that again as I went throughout the week.

I met my documentary partner Wendy this day (she is on exchange at BSU from London), and we immediately made friends with the Puerto Rican team. They loved that we had blue eyes but, there was a language barrier so no dates came out of it. :) I would point to their team name on the schedule of events and they would say Si! Si! Si! It was a lot of fun!

A nine year old from Team Afghanistan (their youngest player was 8, their oldest 14).

Wendy and Santi. Editing friends! This was after about 6 hours of editing and probably around 11 PM. (Note: Wendy wasn't really dead :))

I was a shooter and an editor for Floor Hockey. I spent five days at the Idaho Expo Center watching hundreds of athletes compete in one of the most intense games I have ever seen. I hadn't ever seen this sport played before, and after five days of body checks and board-bashing, I know that any of these athletes could kick my trash.

Jordan V. Mexico

Team Canada takes on Team Jamaica. Canada ended up winning one of the Gold Medals.

This athlete from Jordan followed Wendy and I around for a while. I think the only word he knew in English was "Hi." So, he said that a lot to us and we showed him out to use our camera, and had some fun interactions with him. Here he is mocking and making fun of Wendy. :)

It was incredible for me to see the amount of volunteer work that the people of Boise did. Over 5,000 people signed up to give a little bit of their time to these events. It was tiresome, but there was a lot of smiles, fun and I honestly haven't seen so much positivity in one setting in my entire life.

Some Volunteers made these snowmen the morning after a great snow. A large number of the athletes had never seen snow before, and they really enjoyed it. And yes, there was a massive snowball fight.

Another Puerto Rican friend. And a glimpse of our camera in the background behind his head. Because yes, we did do work.

That is Joe Biden in between me and campus. You can see him waving in the back seat. I was walking from my apartment to go edit and saw his parade of officials as I left my backyard. :)

The Closing Ceremony. It was a really emotional and amazing thing to be part of this ceremony. It made me sad that I wasn't able to go to the Opening Ceremony, but I was fortunate enough to be handed a ticket to this event.

Read this article to see one of the amazing things that I was able to witness at the Closing Ceremony.
http://www.specialolympics.org/wgu_be_a_fan_courage.aspx

The Special Olympics is an incredible thing to be part of. I learned so much technically and gained great experience for a future career. I will post videos I edited and filmed at a later point. More importantly however I learned however why the Special Olympics are such an amazing cause and organization. As of right now I plan on continuing to stay involved with SO. I don't know where I will be or what I will be doing but hopefully in 2011 I can be part of the Summer games in Athens, Greece. The Special Olympics motto is something I learned during my week volunteering. I believe it is applicable to not only athletes and participants in the Special Olympics but it is a motto that people can take with them in all their successes in life.

"Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Do Not Bend.

2009-02-25T15:02:00.000-08:00

I found this post I had forgot to put up for your enjoyment!

On Friday, July 25th, I got home from work opened the mailbox and was FIRED up to say the least. Inside was the typical junk that we receive but folded up and shoved inside was my diploma from Weber.

Clearly it is marked, DIPLOMA DO NOT BEND. Normally I am pretty forgiving when it comes to people doing dumb things. But I came inside and immediately called the USPS. I explained exactly what happend, received an apology and they told me the local post office would be contacted and I would be hearing from them.

I got home from the store a few days later and listened to this message:

Clearly I was not the first person to complain about this particular deliverer, and I am glad that the problem was taken care of. I do feel a little bit bad that this person in essence lost their job. But, if you can't perform your duties correctly, maybe you should find another duty.

There was one crease left in the diploma but, I'll deal with that later. This marks the end of my education at The Weebs.

Tagged By A Sister.

2009-01-29T19:58:00.001-08:00

So this is a picture of me at the Newseum in DC. My parents and I went there this last August and spent quite a few hours there. Because I have a great interest in radio broadcasting, we thought it would be appropriate for me to pose nicely in front of the radio/birth of broadcasting sign. As a whole, the Newseum is probably my new favorite place downtown. There is so many things to read about, listen to, watch and participate in. It is a little pricey to get in, but I think that with everything that is available to see and experience, it is definitely worth spending time there. To fully appreciate everything I think you'd have to make mulitple visits but definitely plan on spending no less than 4 hours there if you want to try it out!
I don't know very many people with blogs and I feel like everyone I know has already been tagged so, I won't be passing along the favor! :)

Dizzy Busy.

2009-01-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

50 years from now if I think about a crazy time in my life, a time where I was so occupied with (in no particular order) school, work, church, friends, bills and just general planning, I think the first time I will remember being that crazy and intense will be the last few weeks that I've experienced. The semester is going extremely well. I love my classes, my internship, the opportunities I have and everything that is surrounding me; I am just too tired to even begin to think about anything else.

Along with that tiredness however is the knowledge that I am prioritizing properly. Right now for instance I am beyond being tired and I am on the verge of hibernation. I have been up since 4:30 AM but, I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Boise Temple at that time.

Getting to the Temple before the sun was up and leaving before it was up was something I haven't ever experienced before. But even with my tiredness 13 hours later, it was well worth it. I am busy, life is hectic and crazy in every sense, but I am happier than I've been in a long time. It isn't much by way of posts but hopefully you'll excuse my long absence from blogging. I am keeping up with everyone's blogs via my iPod on breaks between classes and have enjoyed pictures and posts alike. I will sum up my life in a more detailed post in the weeks to come. Miss you all!

Internship and More.

2008-12-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it is official. When I return to school after the Christmas Break I will be interning at 103.3 in Boise. I am definitely excited to finally be working in radio. Hopefully after 150 hours of unpaid working, I will be decided on a career path.

The 7th-13th of February, Boise will be hosting the World Special Olympics and I will be helping with the filming and editing of video during the week. I'm excited and looking forward to being apart of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Footage will be available on SpecialOlympics.Org for parents of athletes to be able to view if they were not available to travel to the games.

October Happenings.

2008-11-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

Well, the last month was productive, fun and very busy! I've been able to continue enjoying an undefeated football season at BSU, I'm doing well in my classes, I went on a trip to Utah to visit friends and Jamie's family, BSU hosted a high school marching band competition, and of course participated in many Halloween events. I was able to put my creative skills to use and make myself a Christmas Tree costume for Halloween day and I appeased my roommates by being Juno by night. Enjoy the pictures!

In the Stands

2008-10-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

My cousin Travis and I are equally interested in the radio broadcasting profession. To gain some experience and to become more familiar with the field, we have started In the Stands. In the Stands will be a sports talk show where we will talk about athletics at the collegiate and professional levels as well. We have started our own Blog, tINTHESTANDSe.blogspot.com and hope that you'll listen in! Our first show will be available October 25th.

Grateful.

2008-09-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

Upon leaving one of my classes the other day I heard someone say,

"Our Government sucks and it's no wonder our education system is as terrible as it is. We should just do what every other nation in this world does and those who are ACTUALLY intelligent should be allowed to go to college and everyone else can just go to trade school."

I found it highly unintelligent of this person to make this comment walking around on a college campus. Unless of course he or she is "ACTUALLY intelligent." Many of my communication classes this semester ask me to question authority and to question the ownership and rule of "The Greater Good." I've been trying to determine how I feel about all of these differing opinions and in an election year, I suppose it's better now than any other time to figure these things out for myself.

Yes, somethings about the United States Government are sloppy. There are those in office who make wrong decisions; because they are human. There are policies and traditions that could be done or handled in a better way.

My political opinions aside I do know one thing: I am extremely grateful for the country we live in. I am grateful to have the opportunity to receive an education. I am grateful that I can choose to do and be whatever I want and that the world really is at my fingertips (however cliche that may sound). I am not the most intelligent person in the world by any means. But just consider: how lucky are we all to live somewhere where we can be afforded the opportunity to become more intelligent everyday, and where we get to choose how we do so?

Homecoming '08.

2008-09-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our Homecoming versus Bowling Green. I had an eventful day participating in two parades and playing my lips of my face. I likewise lost my voice at the game doing some intense screaming. The coach at BG complained a few years ago that the fans were "too loud" and that BSU was broadcasting fans screaming over the speakers. Coach Pete wanted to make sure the fans were ready to go at the Pep Rally on Friday night when he instructed everyone to not talk for the rest of the night, as to be ready to scream their heads off on Saturday. It worked, and it was crazy loud. The ASBSU (Student Government) gave out cow bells, which I am now the proud owner of. BG had numerous false start calls and to say the least, our work was done. Enjoy the pictures and the game. There is a quick shot of a sweet bus that some students own. I'll get a better shot of it next game and explain the story behind it (as much as I know). There is a video of the BSU defense stopping BG on a 4th down touchdown attempt. Needless to say, it was nothing more than an attempt. Likewise, there is a video of a BSU touchdown, and another video that is self explanatory. Have I mentioned I love it here?

First Weeks.

2008-09-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Thus far, school has been going extremely well. My multiple 300 and 400 level classes are oftentimes extremely overwhelming, but I'm learning a lot and managing things fairly well. We had our first game against Idaho State two weekends ago and it was seemingly not a game. My roommate Baillie was able to capture some of the game for me for everyone else to enjoy.

I've been busy with school work about 80% of the time, but we definitely have had some fun. We slept outside over Labor Day weekend, kind of a make-shift version of camping. Our backyard is full of nice grass and stray cats, so that was a good time. Our upstairs neighbors are in our ward and like to get our attention by banging on the front of the house. We have had movie nights and game nights with members of our ward and drove up on Labor Day to the Starlight Mountain Mountain Theater (outdoor, brrrrrr) to see Let's Murder Marsha, for FHE. It was a fairly amusing play to say the least. Quite hilarious actually. (Some pictures won't turn, sorry!)

Things have been going well for the most part as I try to maintain my sixteen credits and band, (at least) 4 (sometimes 5)days a week. Come visit!

End of Summer Update.

2008-08-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

It has been forever. I know. You've missed me, but now I'm back!
The end of the Summer was eventful, emotional and I learned a lot about myself. Sure, it was just the end of a season but, "season" has many meanings and I find myself having gone through one the last little while and find myself entering a new one as Summer ends.

First my parents and I dug up our front yard. We had some ugly shrub things there for about, sixteen years and we removed them finally. Woot.

It was time for my wisdom teeth to come out. I wasn't nervous about the surgery so much as I was about "going under." I don't like to think about sleep for too long even if I'm just going to bed. It makes me nervous, and being put to sleep made me more nervous. But, I came out alive. I wasn't in too much pain afterwards, but it wasn't something I'd ever want to do again. I got some nice gifts though: flowers, balloons and large lollipops!

I received my diploma from Weber State. Just an Associate degree, but it is an accomplishment.

I had a few friends over from '06 band. It was fun to get together again and see how much we've changed, and how much we've stayed the same.

I was finally able to visit the new Newseum. For those who might be unaware: I love the news and media. It was expensive to go to this museum but, it was worth all the money. Also you can see in this picture I bought myself new sunglasses. They are extra fly. :)

Mom, Dad and I went to Duck in the Outer Banks of NC again this year. It was a blast. We only spent a few days there but, I soaked it up in the Atlantic as well as in our backyard pool. This picture won't rotate for some reason. Sorry.

My good friend Sarah and I went to KingsD. We rode all the major roller coasters, the carousel, ate chicken sandwiches and ice cream and purchased a funnel cake for the journey home. A great day!

I finished the best summer job ever. I loved every minute of it. I already miss my coworkers and all the fun that I had with them this summer! Here are a few of those who kept me cracking up. They made me the shirt I am wearing in this picture.

I was able to see Jamie and her family for a few days as I made my way out to Boise. I will miss living so close to their family this year.

Now I am living in Boise. I just finished my first week of band camp and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and the school year. Go Broncos!

Opinions Please.

2008-07-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to a lunch meeting at work where they introduced the interns to some of the VPs and we were able to ask questions and seek out any information we wanted. Our meeting was productive, and I learned a lot about what it is exactly that this market of COX is looking for. Some of the things they said I will save for another post (after I am no longer employed...) as I have many opinions on their views of college degrees, work experience, study abroad and the Verizon Company.

One of the topics we spent a large portion of our time on was real life experience in fields that we wanted to go into. One of the HR reps pointed out how important it was to get involved with organizations in your field, to join boards and to simply be involved to be in the know-how in your field and to of course maintain a solid network. These are things I had often thought about but never really pursued. I feel like sometimes I am still in the awkward stage of "becoming an adult" and I don't want to take real life (specifically a career) too seriously, but I know that it is probably time, or passed time.

So I figure, it's time to get the ball rolling (insert manditory picture or video...)

I have been doing some research since then and have been looking at becoming a member of the STC (Society for Technical Communication). There is a chapter that meets on the Boise campus and as I continue to read more about it and learn about it, I think it would be beneficial. But I am still looking around and trying to decide what organizations or activities would be best suited for me.

I wanted to seek the opinion of those who read my blog. I think there are about six of you. :) While the numbers may be few, I know that I have brothers in-law and cousins and cousins in law, and sisters and parents and aunts and uncles and friends and random readers who have been successful in their education, careers and in their lives in general. I have not forgotten what things are important to me in my life or in my future but for now I am specifically talking about moving ahead in a career and in my education. If you'd be willing to take some time to leave me a post about suggestions you have for me, regarding being successful with my own time at school and things I can do that would help me in my career, I would really appreciate it.
You are all the best!

"Call" Don't "Send" part 2.

2008-07-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

Many of you will remember a few months ago when I first posted about a problem that is plaguing our society (see March posts to review). It's a problem that spans from old to young. I discussed the scientific aspect of it, in that it is formally considered an addiction and more specifically a mental illness. As printed in the American Journal of Psychiatry:

There are four distinct symptoms to diagnosing texting as a mental illness:

Excessive use (neglect day to day activities)
Withdrawal (feeling depressed when not accessible)
Tolerance (over texting)
Negative repercussion (social isolation)

At one point or another, I have felt all of these. But I'm at the point now where I can care less. I will check my phone to see if someone called or if someone texted me but, I'm not getting upset, I'm not constantly opening and closing my phone and I have no problem going out or spending the whole day at work without it.

This morning as I was on my way out the door to work, my mom shared this picture with me from the New Era Magazine. How perfect, how fitting, and how true.

At the bottom it says, "Those you are with deserve your attention, not just your presence. (Matthew 7:12 (Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.))

Go and "Get Smart"

2008-07-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

First I should just be entirely honest and say I love Steve Carell. Any movie he is in I will probably think is the "best movie of all time." My bias towards him may influence my thoughts on his most recent movie "Get Smart," but that aside I can honestly say that this movie was one of the best I've seen in the last year.

For all who watched the TV show, you need to know that I haven't ever seen the shows. Immediately after watching the movie however, I came home and YouTubed the series and watched numerous clips and outtakes in order to get an idea of what the five year series was all about. The movie is not a direct steal from the series. A classic series such as "Get Smart" can't truly be duplicated. Something like that wouldn't be and is never successful.

The movie had just the right amount of action, humor and romance. I feel like in movies such as this, a lot of the time one genre often outweighs another too much and it just becomes overwhelmingly annoying. Except for humor, because one can never have too much humor I don't believe. And with Steve Carell at the lead, this is seemingly impossible to be lacking. The action scenes are fun and true to life, and definitely work for both Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell. The romance between the two is a little unnerving at first thought (for me specifically because of the real-life age difference between the two), but again it really works and is a success.

I don't know who I think I am. I am no movie reviewer and I wouldn't call myself Roger Ebert or Richard Roeper or more locally Arch Campbell. But I really am a fan of this movie and think that if you have some spare time and a spare Hamilton lying around, you should see this, keeping in mind that it is rated PG-13. So while you may approve of you children watching the show, you may not approve of them watching the movie for a few years.

My friend (who has seen the entire series) said it best as we were listening to the music during the credits (because let's be real, no one reads the credits unless they are looking for a specific person's name) when she said, "Yeah. That was really good. I didn't even want to kill myself throughout the entire thing."

Homeless No More!!!!

2008-07-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's ALMOST official! When I move to Boise in four weeks, I will not be living in a cardboard box somewhere relatively close to campus as to avoid a commute. I have a great place to live thanks to a wall posting at the Boise LDS Institute that was emailed to me, and most importantly to Tami and Danko for checking out the place, ensuring that it wasn't "a dive." It wasn't thankfully and from the pictures that they emailed to me, I think I will be living well.

First, how amazing is it that you can live so close to campus without really living "on campus?" And with the wonderful price of gas (Not that I am paying..shout out to Steve and Tracey), I am quite lucky (The gray area is campus and right below it is a red marker, this is the street I will be living on)!

And yes if you are looking closely, you will notice that I am living on Yale Court. My mom really appreciated this factor. Maybe if I'm good some Bulldog osmosis will occur. The place is about three years old, and it looks nice from Google Street View. Each floor has two apartments, so technically I will only have three roommates but there are eight girls living in the house.

Bedroom.

Another shot of the bedroom with Tami and Ryan. :)

How incredible is it that I have my own vanity and toilet and shower????? While I may not be the girliest person you've met, this is something every girl wants. Let's be honest.

Desk and closet area, with Tami measuring the room for me. :)

Tiled living room, with Ryan!

Finally, kitchen and laundry room!

Come Visit!

A Thrilling Day!

2008-07-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sure you woke up this morning and thought to yourself, "Today will be a great day for me." I'm sure it is. I'm sure today has been the best day of your year so far. But, to be completely honest, my day has been a little better. I went to work and opened an email from the accounting assistant that said,

"As a result of the generosity of our general manager, I have 4-packs of Kings Dominion tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis."

I didn't believe this applied to me, as I am merely the office intern, but a girl I sit close with told me to hurry and go get some tickets, because they are for anyone. I filled out a request form quickly and went and picked up my four pack of of tickets to KingsD.

I have no idea when I'll be able to go. Or who the lucky three are that I will take with me. But, let's just be honest...today has been a good day. And it's only 9:30 AM.

Coming to a Radio Station Near You

2008-07-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

As most of you readers know, I am going into communications and I want to persue a career in radio broadcasting. This has been what I've wanted to do since basically forever and when people ask me what aspect of broadcasting I want to go into, I say that I'm not sure yet. That is still true, although working in the advertising business this summer I need to be honest and say that sales is not what I am specifically interested in. I have learned a lot and I am so grateful that I've had the opportunity to learn this particular aspect of this type of business, but I don't believe I would ever want my career to be in this specific field.

Tonight I talked to Jamie on the phone for about two minutes and in the course of this conversation she said to me, "At dinner tonight Jason and I decided that you and him should have a radio show together." This sounds like a plan to me, so I've started some marketing to get things rolling...

I promised Jamie we wouldn't forget her or any of the little people when we became famous, so you won't be forgotten either. No worries.

How To Save A Life: Cape May Style

2008-07-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July weekend I drove to Lewes, Delaware where I promptly got on a ferry and traveled to Cape May, New Jersey to visit my friend Kaitlin and her family. Among other things I have done, the most important was saving the life of a horseshoe crab. Thankfully for you, Kaitlin captured this on video. Enjoy!

Ball Girl is a Faux. :(

2008-06-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

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We watched this today at my office multiple times and thought it was the coolest thing in the entire world. I learned after a simple google search that it is the first in a commercial series entitled "Ball Girl", presented by Gatorade (at the end you will notice some product placement next to the "ball girl's" chair). Learning that kind of spoiled it for me BUT the idea of that really happening is brilliant!

Cox Media Shoot at Lansdowne Resort

2008-06-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

So for work we spent Monday and Tuesday of this week filming a 4 minute VOD spot as well as a 30 second spot for Lansdowne Resort in Loudon County. We spent two full days filiming inside and outside on the resort in the 105 degree weather. We worked with "a family" of actors and I really enjoyed all aspects of it. I mostly spent my time carrying and setting up lights and tripods, and monitors and then watching the shots through the monitors in the background. It was great experience for me and I took a couple of shots just with my phone to show some of the work that I was able to help with.

Shooting the pool was intense. Mind you it's about 3PM in the heat of the day and all those kids swimming aren't actors. This picture was taken right after they were told to go away and stop jumping up and down in front of the camera. And that "No, Ashley Tisdale is not one of the actors appearing in the commercial."

This was taken on our second day of shooting, on the 18th hole of one of the three golf courses Lansdowne has. Our team of six drove around on golf carts for a few hours from about 7AM to 10AM as to avoid the heat of the day; however with temperatures above a hundred still, it was sweat fest '08. The golfer in this shot is a pro that is with the club there at the resort.

Stephanie Meyer, It's Not Your Fault.

2008-05-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

I posted a few months ago how I finished reading Twilight. Well, I'd been trying to buy New Moon ever since then, but whenever I went to Target where they sold it for significantly less than anywhere else, they were always sold out. Last night at 9:30, Steve, Tracey and I went to get my friend a bridal shower gift when I decided I'd go see if they had it. LOW AND BEHOLD they did. In PAPERBACK. I was extatic. I have Twilight in paperback and if I am going to have the series, I'd like to keep it identical.

We shopped until 10:00 PM (and every good American should know this is when Target closes) and went to purchase our items. As the cashier rang up the book, she kept saying,"This book isn't for sale yet." Scanning it over and over as if a miracle would take place and all of a sudden it would work. The girl without hesitation just says," I can't let you have this," and she put it under her little counter. I was like, "The book is $8.79. I picked it up off the shelf." She replied that she couldn't give it to us because it didn't go on sale until May 31st and it shouldn't have been on the shelf. My dad stepped in (very Superhero like) and said, "But it was on the shelf." She kept saying over and over how it shouldn't have been and both my parents said, "Okay, but it was."

My mom asked to speak to a manager. He stepped forward, obviously not caring about anything except for going home (I'm sorry, but you chose your profession, I can't control that), understood the situation and got on his fancy walkie-talkie and inquired then said, "COPY" and said because of "infringement rights" we wouldn't be able to have the book and that we could come back at 8 AM when they opened. Mom said, "For an 8 dollar book?" An 8 dollar book mind you that came out two years ago. Infrignement rights? Maybe it's new in paperback yes, but people know the outcome of the book. And furthermore to whom would I be "infringing" if I read the book in paperback 10 hours before you were supposed to put it on the shelf? You're employees are the geniuses who put the book on the shelf at least a half an hour before closing genius. But, I digress.

As we continued to check out the little cashier had the AUDACITY to say, "Would you like to apply for a Target Credit Card and save 10%?" Tracey replied,"Sure. If you sell me the book...."

Needless to say, the girl did not appreciate this and we left Target at 10:00 PM without a Target Credit Card and without New Moon.

My Cube. My Summer.

2008-05-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

This is where I will be spending my summer. In a semi-comfortable black rolling chair, in that corner, staring at that computer monitor. I have already begun to decorate a litle. You will notice some papers hanging (from left to right): two papers that indicate price ranges for specific channels in which Cox Media goes on the air, a red sheet that gives specific information on going on the air during the Olympic season, (around the corner) a phone list of which MY extention is on (I am moving up in the world, I know), my list of projects for the week that was given to me on Tuesday, and finally a piece of paper that contains a picture of Fallon, Jacob, Tys, Myklin and Kirby. I sit around five other girls that are members of the sales support staff and they do a very good job of keeping me entertained. Everyday is basically a Danity Kane concert. I'm definietly going to be enjoying my summer.

It's Smarter!

2008-05-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

So today I interviewed for a position as an intern at Cox Media. Some may remember that two summers ago I did this as well. Basically to make a long story short, I got the job and will be spending the summer as an intern for Cox Media of Northern Virginia. I'm kind of really excited. Two years ago I worked specifically with the accounting department, and while I did learn a lot of things and had a lot of great interactions, I learned that I don't really have a desire to go into numbers. This summer I will be interning in all aspects of Cox Media. I will basically be the busy work person (which is fine with me) for all departments: sales, production, traffic and accounting. Basically it should be a great summer. I mean seriously, who doesn't love 40+ hour work weeks and going to work out with their dad every morning at the office gym at 6:30 AM? I'm just kidding. I'm looking forward to all of it and learning everything I can!

Worst Blogger. Ever.

2008-04-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

Apparently, that title is mine. Hooray! I win the prize for sucking the most! :) I am here to relinquish that title and maybe someone else would like to claim it? Takers? Anyone?

My life for the last few weeks has been THRILLING to say the least.

First, I went to Boise to iron out a few things for next year. I am officially going to Boise State, so COME VISIT. :) Especially if you go to a school that is a rival in the WAC... ahem...cough...ahemmmmmm.

Here are my cousin Travis and I are bowling in Boise. It was intense and I was grately dissappointed.

Travis made a decision Sunday night before I left to return with me to Ogden and spend two nights with me. We went to classes, went to work and he and I drove down to SLC and visited the Gateway where we bought a few things and saw Prom Night. We both really liked it and it is one that I would probably see again. I'm kind of into the creepy, non-happy movies. If you are too, then you'll definitely enjoy this.
We decided on the way out of SLC that we'd find East High the home of the infamous High School Musical! Our friend, Kaitlin is a huge fan and we thought sending her pictures would be a nice gesture.

Here we are:

We did feel pretty cool and important after this trip.

YES. Loved it

Immediately after Travis' visit, Mom came to town. Wooooh! Cheers! Clapping! Chants! Throwing of small children! Hoooraay! She stayed for a few nights and had a chance to come to The Ogden LDS Institute's Spring Show, This is a Great Country! We had three great performances and I'll have to be honest and say that this is the thing I will miss the most about school here at the Weebs.

Right after the show ended, Mom and I drove to American Fork to meet the newest member of our family, Fallon Reese Davis. She's basically adorable and we love her to pieces already!

Four days later, Dad flew in, I drove down to pick him and my mom up at Jamie's and the three of us, and my grandparents drove down to Provo for Jeff and Stacey's graduation at BYU. They are both Masters now. Give them the praise they deserve.

Jacob was enthralled at the ceremony.

She's so important right now...I can't even take my eyes off of her.

We went to Maddox with the McKoy family, but I'm not allowed to blog about it. So it won't. I will just say, it was fun. But nothing else because...others have already done so. :)

Finally, I graduated from Institute. Yes. I did in two years what a normal person does in three or or four.The graduation exercises were held at the Ogden Tabernacle and I was one of two people from my ward to receive a diploma. It was a lot of fun and the meeting was great. I'm grateful for the things I've learned the last two years!

I will spend the next 48 hours in Ogden and then Thursday morning I pull out to drive across the country with my roommate. I am CERTAIN I will have plenty to blog about along the way as we rest in hotels. I will no longer been known as the Worst Blogger.

What I Miss.

2008-04-03T17:10:00.001-07:00

So, there are phases of our lives that come and go. People in our lives that come and go. And for whatever reason, lately I have been thinking about one of those things in particular. I played basketball from third grade through freshman year of high school and while I wasn't ever the best player by ANY means, I loved it and still do love it.
Over Christmas break I took home my basketball shoes and left them there because I haven't used them at all out here at school the last two years. I likewise took my basketball to my grandparent's house for storage for the summer last weekend. Ever since losing those two items, OF COURSE all I want to do is play basketball.
Every tuesday and thursday I go to aerobics class and a make (what I feel) is a mockery out of the basketball court; doing said aerobics. I see the students and faculty on the other side of the drop down divider and am entirely envious of what they are doing. They aren't doing synchronized dance moves to ridiculous music and making fools of themselves. They are doing just the opposite. They are playing a full court game of basketball, or they are simply shooting around. Watching them and hearing them, makes me a little sad but mostly I just miss it.

Finally, I was thinking about people who influenced me when I played basketball. And amazingly enough, while my mind did pass by some of my coaches, I mostly thought of one person who played with me a few times over the years, came to one of my games in middle school, but taught me something that I will never forget (which I will share later :) ) I remember when she came to my game in 8th grade, one of the girls on my team leaned over to me and said, "Erin, is that your sister?" I said no but, she reminded me of my own sisters, treated me as my sisters treat me (which is good by the way, especially for being a little bit younger :) ) and if I had a third older sister, I wouldn't mind if it were her...she was always fun and clearly is someone I have been grateful for over the years of my life. So, I doubt if she reads this but if you know who you are, thank you for everything!

Here is what she taught me amoung other things:

Grunt when you shoot the ball (I'm still thinking that is the most embarassing thing ever...haha)
Make eyes at the girl who is shooting fouls shots (Wait, this might be more embarassing :))

AND the thing I think about everytime I play:

When shooting from this side angle, with no oppertunity to use the backboard, aim at the opposite rim and more times than not, it will in fact go in.

Book Reading

2008-03-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

I decided in the last two weeks or so that I should add some reading to fill my time. Mostly it was inspiration from Jeff. He is busy about every second of every day, and yet he posts all the time about how he's read three thousand different titles. I am busy like 6 hours out of the day, and I thought that reading could be something productive I can do to fill my spare time. Ironically enough we had to do book reviews for my stress management class (I read The Prophet specifically for that assignment) but two of the students in my group had read both The Message and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and I was able to discuss with them the books and their meanings and purposes.

Also like Jeff, I will take any recommendations!

Since Monday, March 17th I have read the following titles:

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (BYU GRADUATE!!!! :) ):
This of course is a fictional story of romance between a human and a vampire. I knew that it was an extremely popular book and I got it for Christmas from my mom, but something about it for a while sat uneasy with me (BEFORE I read it of course). However, after completing it I really can say it is probably going to remain one of my favorites for quite some time. I'm looking forward to the movie that is coming out in December and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom:
I really loved the message in this book. I was however at times frustrated with the format of it. It's kind of hard to explain my feeling towards it, but I definitely wasn't expecting what I read. However, I would recommend reading this book. It makes you stop and think about life and things happening around you and I think that in itself is worth taking the time to read it. Too often we are just racing around through life and not taking the time to consider things going on around us.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie:
This also was a book I got for Christmas. It a fictional story of a 14 year old boy who lives on an indian reservation and realizes that if he stays there, he will never leave. He asks his parents to transfer to a high school off the reservation and from there his entire world starts to change. I likewise enjoyed the message is in this book but I dont know if I would recommend it specifically because of some of the language in it. It wasn't full of foul language but, it was a little inappropriate at times.

The Message by Lance Robinson:
This is the true story of a man from Idaho Falls who suffers from multiple diseases and was in a coma for a number of weeks. While he was in that coma he shares the story of being given the oppertunity to visit the Spirit World and learn what life will be like after this earthly state. This was an incredible book. Probably the most important of these that I read. I can honestly say that I believed that he wrote and "the message" that he had to share was really of value to me. My favorite quote from the book was a quote that someone said to Lancewhile in the Spirit World, it was simply, "Now what are you doing for this cause?" I just thought it was something to think about.

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran:
This book I would read a thousand times and NEVER get sick of. It is a fictional story of a highly-regarded individual who is returning to his place of birth where he will inevitably die. His followers ask him to leave advice with them before he goes and in the subsequent chapters he shares life lessons on dozens of topics. It reads almost biblically and is difficult at time to understand but (just as with scripture) after a few times going over paragraphs, you understand the real meaning and the lesson that is to be learned. To sum it up, I loved this book.

Just In Time: An E-Mail from Mom

2008-03-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

I received this today and thought it was worth sharing:

Hi Miss Erin!

So it's all over the news today: If you text message, or email, or IM too much it's considered a mental illness! Good thing you "quit" when you did!

Love you!
Your Forever Best Mom

"CALL," don't "SEND."

2008-03-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Okay. So first I will start off by saying I am guilty of contributing to the problem. Texting is convienent, it's fairly inexpensive and it can make some things easier. HOWEVER, there comes a time when texting does nothing more than get in the way. When you're out with friends or family, when you're in with friends and family and in general when you're with other people. It's plain rude if it continues for an extended period of time. Oftentimes a receiver cannot control what the sender does and it puts the receiver in a difficult situation with those around him or her. Hey, here's a novel idea...try making a phone call. Texting is meaningless the majority of the time and phone calls have the potential to be meaningful.

The bottom line is texting can be useful in circumstances like, "I'm Here." "What time?" Etc. However I am over the days of texting conversations back and forth for hours. And saying that, I should apologize to my family members. If (as a receiver of text messages) I can control it, from now on there will be no problem. That's a guarantee.

Nostalgic.

2008-03-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's friday night. I'm anywhere between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. Mom and Dad have plans for dinner but don't know what the kids are going to eat. We get into the van and travel to Giant at the corner of Route 7 and Dranesville Road. I make a dash for the frozen food section and pick out my favorite Kid Cuisine. I am reminded a thousand times they are over priced and they don't even taste good, but I don't care because, it's friday and I want some of that over priced mac and cheese dang it.

My roommate Heather and I decided to treat ourselves to Kid Cuisines last night at Macey's and today for lunch that is JUST what we ate. So what if it isn't even close to the Rachael Ray we make on occasion? It is Kid Cuisine and it speaks for itself.

Is it too late?

2008-03-18T13:01:00.001-07:00

No Republic has said, "It's too late to 'pologize." I'm hoping I still have time to 'pologize. It's been more than a week and you know nothing about my life. That is, if you even want to know something about my life. This is what happened; I WENT HOME! YAYYYY HOME! We had spring break here at Weebs and I was able to fly home for about ten days. Rather than tell, I shall show. Enjoy!

Kaitlin and I visited Luray Caverns. It was a really fun day trip, but I got tired fast (hence the sitting down). :)

Kaitlin and I at the "Picture Frame." Woooh best friends!

Our first night together we made chocolate cupcakes with funfetti frosting. They were incredible to say the least. The Fairfax Surf Shop was having a huge sale while I was home, so I received my birthday present for next November. I'm not allowed to use it until then. :( So sadly, the Burton Lux remains in Virginia.
The orange fading into red is the best part about it. I love it.

"Any Dream Will Do..."

2008-03-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to get arrested for fraud violations so I decided not to embed the following video.
HOWEVER, I highly suggest you click this link.
On occasion I become bored with my own life and find that google-ing or youtube-ing other's lives is highly entertaining. This week's victim: Donny Osmond. I always regarded him as someone who was entertaining, wholesome and just all around a flawless celebrity. The following video made me love him even more.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tSAvicL_2pQ

The Sweetest Way to Eat a Cranberry...

2008-03-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

At the very least, every morning I grab a handful of Craisins to start my day. And I have been using the same bag since, ohhh, January. "What?... How is this even possible, Erin?" It is true. I have the largest bag of Crasins known to man. 48oz.

See, the same size as my laptop. Where it sits everyday.

And I am looking forward to taking it with me on my journey back across the country in May. Thanks to Stacey, Jeff and Jacob for this ever-lasting Christmas present.

"Charity Never Faileth"

2008-03-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

On March 17th, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois, 26 women founded what today we know as the Relief Society. 166 years later there is more than 5.2 million members of this organization and it is known to be possibly the oldest and largest women's organization in the world, with members in more than 170 nations.

To celebrate this birthday, some of the girls of our ward's Relief Society drove down to Salt Lake to visit the Church History Museum, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, walk around and enjoy Temple Square and have lunch at Lion House (which I might add, was FREE).

View of Temple Square from the Church History Museum

I had once seen the movie Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, but it had been about two years. Watching it again reemphasized to me how much the pioneers sacrificed, and how many trials they went through to provide for us the knowledge and freedoms that we have been so blessed with.Photo from http://lds.org (James 1:5)

5th Ward Relief Society

Whose House?

2008-02-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

"My name is Run my son, number one for fun. Not a gun that's done and get done by none..."

Either you remember the 80's well and have heard the song by Run DMC or, you are like me and have become more familiar with Rev Run through his show, Run's House on MTV. Either way, I hope you know what I am talking about or the title "Rin's House" will be of no value to you other than you will type it in to read about my life.
My senior year in high school my mom started calling me "Rin," as if Erin was long or something. Two syllables. Quite a mouthful, I know. Explanation aside, that is how it was done, and that is how I so cleverly came up with "Rin's House."
So Run and I may be in a bit of a competition. Because, "My name is Rin my son, number one for fun."

To Blog or Not to Blog...

2008-02-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

Clearly, I have answered that question. With the semester dwindling down, and with my snowboarding class ending, all I have is time. Which I have filled with about nine more hours of work per week and I thought I'd toss in some blogging. Wonderful. Prepared to be awed, amazed, and astounded.