"Here's looking at you, kid"

My roommate and I watched Casablanca on her online Netflix account- what a genius invention. It took multiple evenings of watching but we finally finished! I had never seen it and wanted to see it because it is such a classic. I had no idea how many famous quotes came from the movie! I really liked it. I want to watch it again! It made me want to know more about the time period it took place in, sometimes it takes a movie for me to be interested in history!

I discovered two things: everyone looks better in black and white and Humphrey Bogart is an attractive man.

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"We'll always have Paris."

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in the world, she walks into mine."

Red Dress Gala

We had our 3rd annual Red Dress Gala for Alpha Phi! It is always fun to get dressed up and even better when it is for such a great cause. I had my very own red dress this year (it pays to have your best friend be the same size as you- {Elaine!})! It was weird to know that this was my last RDG as an Active member of Alpha Phi... but I know I can always come back as an Alumni!

My little and her little.

My Big!

Our Bordeaux Beau!

The Forget-Me-Not Family

Red Dress Gala

I like this picutre- I am not typically a fan of people taking pictures in mirrors, but this one is kind of cute. (The mirror looks a little dirty but I promise it is clean!

Me in my Red Dress Gala dress!

Thanks Best Friend!

I really do have one of the best friends in the world. Not just because she gave me this or this, but because she has been there through everything even across the country! I honestly think we have become closer from living far away. Don't get me wrong- there are definately days when I wished we lived 5 minutes a part!

She sent me the sweetest, gift this year! It was such a fun surprise, and I know a lot of thought went into it! The theme of the gift was, "22 things that come in 2's"! How clever is that?!

It included:

Mickey & Minnie

Bride and Groom picture

Barbie and Ken picture

Salt and Pepper

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Alicia & Elaine (obviously we go together)

Pair of Socks

Pair of Pajamas

Pair of flip-flops

Fun Dip

Peanut Butter Cups

Twix

Pair of Earrings

2 Movies (part 1 & part 2)

2 Spools of Ribbon

2 Notebooks

2 Pens

Shampoo and Conditioner

2 Pairs of Mittens

Swiss Rolls (packaged in 2)

Fork & Knife

and...

Chopsticks!

Elaine you are too cute. I loved everything, and the tags made me laugh. You are the best.

I would be happy with anything she gave me, even if it was nothing more than a hug!

My weekend in Logan!

I love Logan- really, I do. I know that in the past I may have made fun of it for being small and smelling like cow. (Weird, I currently live in a place way smaller than Logan.) I have realized that it really is so pretty and I have some fun memories there; spending summers there, family reunions, weddings, visits to grandparents, etc. When I was up there this past weekend I thought to myself, "Why didn't I come here? It would have been perfect..." Well, it would have been great- but since I did not go there to school, Logan can remain the perfect place where nothing bad happens. Does that make sense?!

I was able to come up for the long weekend...

Thank youGrandpa and Grandma Janes for letting me stay with you!

I had fun watching movies

making cookies

watching the Basketball game

eating at Firehouse and

talking!

Thank you G'Pa Byron and G'ma Cheryl for Sunday dinner (cookies and soap)!

I had so much fun talking {despite your extreme opinions G'pa :) }, eating chocolate and cookies, and a spoonful of ice-cream!

It was also great to see Darin!

Katie!

2x within 1 week!!

{Aggie Ice-Cream, talking, reading out loud, the mall, and I-Hop}

I'm not sure what I will do this next weekend when I do not get to see you!

I will see you all soon! March is not that far away!

Visit from Logan!

My dearest friend Katie came down from Logan to see me this past weekend. We lived together my first year at SUU. She is so sweet to drive all the way from Logan. It was just what I needed this week to make everything seem alright!

We had fun...

eating

talking

running errands

watching Arrested Development and The Office

and our fave The Women

Taking pictures

Decorating cookies!

Talking some more

and giving words of wisdom and hope.

Thanks again for everything Katie! I Love you.

He's Just Not That Into You

"We are all programmed to believe that if a guy acts like a total jerk that means he likes you."

False. (After 8th grade this rule is not applicable.)

Back in the day- my Freshmen year of college I got dumped. I cried. and cried. and cried some more. My stomach felt as if I was on a roller coaster and about to drop down a big hill but the hill never came, and my stomach stayed like that for awhile. Well right around that time the book He's Just Not That Into You was becoming popular, and I was flipping through a magazine that had an article written by the authors. It was about getting over being dumped and surviving. Well in my head I was going to do those things but in the end I was still going to get him back. (Wrong.) The tips were good- I had to adapt some of them since I was not living with him/sleeping with him/etc. But I have always liked their advice. I also like, "Its Called a Breakup Because It Is Broken".

Anyways... I learned a lot. I have learned a lot since then, and one of the things I have learned is that sometimes guys are just not that into me. When I saw a preview for this movie I knew I had to see it. We were going to see it on Valentines Day but then decided we could not wait- and plus that might have been a little depressing. The book and movie are so true.

STOP making excuses for guys when they are mean, do not make excuses when they do not call or do not ask you out on a second/third/fourth date. He is just not that into you. Its not a bad thing- its life. Of course, nobody likes to admit this. Everyone wants to be liked, nobody enjoys finding out someone does not like them, even someone they do not like. But its a good thing to realize and know. The last guy I really liked, and I really did like him- just didn't like me. I could not figure it out- I made excuses... but really he just didn't like me. Lost his phone? Lost my number? Too busy? Intimidated by me? Nope.

Of course, one of those excuses could be true. But that would make me the exception. Not the rule. And chances are, you are almost always the rule.

See the movie, even if you are married. It will just make you that much happier that you are married and do not have to play this game we call dating.

Lesson Learned.

You should always bring your glasses to your photography class.

If you don't...

You will write a paragraph review of a photo you can't really see-

instead of soldiers walking through a field

you will write that they are farmers working in a field.

Wrong.

Lesson learned. I will make sure to always have my glasses in my photography class.

"Well Gouda's My Favorite"

Can you name that movie?

(She's The Man)

For my Strategic Management class we were supposed to read the book, Who Moved My Cheese. I remember hearing a lot about it a few years ago, but I never read it. Well, I read it this morning online- saving 70 prints and avoiding having to read it in the Business Building Office. It was really funny. I kind of felt like a little child reading a book about mice and little people!

It is all about change and how we deal with it or do not deal with it. Change seems to be the word of the year. I took a few notes on a few of my favorite parts...

"What would you do if you weren't afraid?"

(Good question to ask yourself)

"Take control rather than simply letting things happen to you."

"When you move beyond your fear, you feel free."

(This is true)

"What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine."

(I have had a bad habit of imagining bad scenarios in my head- I tell myself it helps me prepare for what could happen but in reality its better to imagine the best outcome!)

"Laugh at your own folly- then you can let go and quickly move on."

(One thing I am working on is learning to laugh- I loved Elder Wirthlins talk Come What May, and Love It.)

"Do not over analyze or over complicate things"

(I have been known to do both of these things- but I am getting better!)

AND...

"Envision yourself in realistic detail of finding something BETTER."

Yes. Yes. Yes.

The quotes I chose do not really have a lot to do with change, but I still really like them. I try every day to work on being positive, and I honestly believe that when I do this and really try my day is soo much better.

I will STRETCH to always and try to be positive and when things do change or do not go the way I originally planned, I will not stop & freak out- I will take control and move on.

My word for the year!

I know it's already February but I have been working on my word for a month now!

I want to STRETCH...

• Participate and do things that are typically out of my comfort zone.


• Push myself to do things I typically would choose not to do.


• Be open to new ideas and expeiences.