Someone needs to tug on the reins!

So, I know I talk about being busy all the time, but seriously, this past weekend was one of the busiest yet! Note that I am not complaining in the least, because I volunteered to be this busy. Don't be afraid to be busy! I love having tons of things to do, and I told myself that as long as I keep my grades up and make it to class and work on time and get enough sleep, I can be as busy as I can be!

This weekend, starting after class on Friday... I went to chunch (free lunch - I'll explain later), went home to fix my hair and make a to-go dinner, went out to Gallatin Gateway Inn for Madrigal Dinner rehearsal, Madrigal dinner went long, came home and went right to bed. Saturday got up early and headed straight for the library (because this is the last week of school already) and up to the SUB for another Madrigal dinner. A bunch of people from the choir went out afterwards, although I didn't stay out long because I had to get up early the next day. Sunday I worked at JoAnn Fabrics from 8-noon, biked over to my new job at Spectators, worked there until 5:30, Madrigal dinner at 5:45. My grandparents were in town yesterday to see the Madrigal dinner and I felt bad that I didn't get to see them much! But i loved that they were there and it is always good to see gramma and grampa! Today, is just as busy. Tour this morning at 9 class all day until 2 (except my 10:00 class was cancelled!) get on the choir bus at 3 to go to Big Sky for the final Madrigal Dinner. We should get back around midnight.

Tomorrow, expect some pictures of Madrigal dinner (if I can remember where I put my camera) :-)

My New Job!

I have always wanted to be a bartender because my dad was in college and he always used to tell me about how much fun it was. Well, this week I started bar-tending/waitressing at a bar close to campus called Spectators. Mostly college students and sports fans hang out there (probably because it is a sports bar on a college campus). It is a very nice change of scenery from JoAnn Fabrics, where I still work at on Sundays. My first day went very well, except I shattered a glass into the ice bin. The second day was still fun, but I was on my own and it was a little more intense and scary. I had to wait on my boss (the owner and his wife). I didn't know the answers to his questions and I typed his burger in wrong and I think he was a little upset. But he left a hefty tip and gave me really good pointers. I hope that I can be a stellar waitress soon. I did get a very nice note from a couple of ladies saying that I was doing a very awesome job on my first day. I kept the note and pinned it on my bulletin board (cheesy I know, but it makes me feel really good!) Other mishaps from my second day?... I messed up nearly every ticket I printed out and I dropped the ketchup refill bucket and it went everywhere... I am the world's biggest klutz. I had a dream last night where I spilled a ladies nachos on the floor and tried to hide it and she got sick and the whole thing was a mess. haha. Nonetheless, I really like my new job. So far, I really like everyone I work with and the customer crowd has been nothing but nice and supportive:-)

Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving break is over :-( and I am back in the library (big surprise). I went to Billings to visit my grandparents on Wednesday and Thursday and drove back Friday morning to work Black Friday at JoAnn Fabrics. We had about 20 family members come in to town (sadly, no one from my immediate family) and my boyfriend came with us. My friend, Grant, also drive up from Denver to spend Thanksgiving with me! Grant and I were best friends in middle school and the beginning of high school and then he moved to Florida in 10th grade... I hadn't seen him in 6 years! It was so nice to catch up! We picked up right where we left off. The rest of break was mostly spent at work and showing Grant around Bozeman. After that tease of a break, I am ready for Winter break and for this semester to be over! I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and I hope everyone ate until they couldn't move!!!

CATS WIN!

As you all probably know by now, the Bobcats beat the Grizzlies in a very close game of Football last weekend! Winning this game was a big deal for us Cat fans because (a) we beat the Griz which is awesome, and (b) we are now the champions of the Big Sky conference and we go to play offs on Saturday! I will do my best to keep everyone posted about the Cats, but with finals coming up and I start a new job today, I might not get around to watching the games.

Last weekend, the game was in Missoula. Bozeman was practically vacant that weekend because everybody hitched on over to the University of Montana. I was hibernating and watched the game from a friends house where it was nice and warm. It was so cold in Missoula that only the really hot blooded, hard core fans stayed through the whole game!

Cat/Griz is Coming Up!!!

As you all probably know, or should know, the CAT/Griz football game is coming up this weekend!! Since this year the game is in Missoula, I will not be going to the game sadly, but there is still plenty to do here to support the CATS!! All week we have been competing against the Griz in a food drive and a blood drive, I plan on participating in both. Most often, and sadly, the Griz usually beat the CATS in the game, but this year we have a really good chance of winning, and if we do we will be champions of the Big Sky conference! So everybody needs to be cheering for the CATS! It is our year!!!!

I learned a little background on the CAT/Griz game that I thought you might be interested in. The CAT/Griz rivalry is one of the oldest college rivalries in the country dating back before MSU was called MSU. Back in the day, the game was held in Butte Montana (in between Bozeman and Missoula) and it was called the Copper Bowl. GO BOBCATS!!!

The New Animal Bioscience Building!

Since I am an Advocat, we get to tour a lot of the buildings on campus and we get to learn about what other students are learning, researching and working with. Last week, we got to tour the new Animal Bioscience Building, which I think hasn't gotten as much hype as it should. The building is on the edge of campus so a lot of students aren't even aware that it is open yet... they are missing out! It is by far the coolest building that I have been in on campus! The whole thing is incredibly well thought out and organized. Everything is up-to-date and is designed to be able to stay that way. For example, the labs are usually these huge, stationary chunks of equipment that can't be easily updated. The new labs in the Animal Bioscience building are mobile. So if a new big piece of equipment needs to replace an old out-dated piece of equipment, or a new piece is just desired, they can just push one lab out of the way and put the new one in. Also, even the paint on the walls were specifically picked out to enhance focus and learning (the walls are light blue and the front wall is dark blue to draw focus to the front of the room).

My favorite part of this building is the study areas. They are serene and quiet and spacious, plus there are huge windows everywhere that face the Bridger Mountain Range! A lot of the materials used to make this building are local or recycled materials! The rubber floors (so you can't hear cowboy boots:-) are made from recycled tires and the stone tiles are rocks from the Gallatin Valley! I am definitely going to start studying in that building. It is gorgeous!

Recycled Fashion Show

When I first came to Bozeman, I figured that there wouldn't be as much to do as in the cities where I grew up... I was wrong for sure. In Bozeman there is always something to do. I am rarely ever bored. MSU hosts events and shows all the time, and last week, the big event that was hosted was the recycled fashion show. It is exactly what it sounds like... people make and model clothes that are made from recycled material. Oh boy, we have some creative and talented people at our school! I was so impressed with everyone's costumes! Everyone had fun and laughed a lot and the best part is that all the proceeds go to Engineers without boarders. A brief overview: Engineers without boarders is a group of students of campus that go to West Kenya and help purify water. They have dug several wells and created sanitary water for thousands of people. You don't have to be an engineer to be apart of Engineers without boarders... you just have to be enthusiastic about helping others.

The picture is the winning costume. It is the Belle's dress from Beauty and the Beast made out of caution tape! I know you can't see it very well, but trust me it was awesome!

I forgot about Halloween!

So I completely forgot to tell you all about Halloween! Halloween was on a Sunday, so I went out on Saturday and went dancing at a costume party! I had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures, but I wish I would have because I saw some awesome costumes! I went as a butterfly: I made my antenna and outfit, and just bought the wings (which are now hanging on my ceiling). I saw Doc Holiday, a Rubic's cube, Strawberry shortcake, Minnie Mouse, Curious George, and the most legit looking Avatar I have ever seen! He looked like he was straight out of the movie! All in all, Halloween was awesome like always!

SNOW

This past weekend was absolutely beautiful! Warm weather, sunny, and perfect! I am glad to say that I got out on Saturday and hiked the M one last time before the snow came today. I know I have said this before, but the weather in Bozeman is completely indecisive. Yesterday was warm and sunny and today is cold and wet and has been snowing all day! One of the best parts about Bozeman is that when it snows, the outdoor activities don't dwindle and the people don't hibernate. People here love snow and no one lets the cold rain on their parade. This is nice for people like me, who actually don't really like snow or cold. But I stay here because it is too pretty to leave, the people here are too nice and too fun and this is the perfect place to to go school:-)

This year we had the best fall I have had in a long, long time. Tons of colors, nice weather, not much rain or wind... perfect. Time for a perfect winter:-)

Passage Falls

I love days off of school! Doesn't everybody?!?! Well, this week we had Tuesday off from school because it was election day. It was a beautiful day so I decided to go hiking. We went to the next valley over (Paradise Valley) and drove about 34 miles south of Livingston to the trailhead. Paradise Valley is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been. The mountains are huge, sky is wide open, and the fall colors were so vivid in the bright sunlight!!! Plus there are hardly any people in the valley so there are no big buildings or traffic lights... it is awesome. The hike was pretty easy and very well maintained. Oh my gosh, the falls were unbelievable! SO PRETTY! We had lunch at the bottom of the falls and then hiked up and around to the top of the falls were we explored around and climbed some trees:-) Every time I go on a hike around here I wonder why I don't live in a little tree house on top of a mountain because it is so quiet and so gorgeous and relaxing. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we didn't see many animals like I was hoping to (I wanted to see a goat or elk or something!) We did however, see two bald eagles and two huge golden eagles! I had never seen a live golden eagle before so that was cool! I couldn't get a picture of it though, because it was too fast! Moral of the story... hike. Hike all the time!

The three pictures are for you to see how gorgeous this day/hike was! The picture with the bridge was taken from the trail head... I liked the bridge and all the colors! The picture with me is at the falls... So gorgeous! and they are actually a lot taller than they look in the picture! and the last picture is one of the many spectacular views on the way to the falls!

Fitness Classes!

The Fitness Center on campus is brand new and is filled with state of the art equipment. For full-time students, full gym access comes with tuition. There are indoor tennis courts, racquet ball courts, climbing wall, track, pool, open gyms, and plenty of weights, machines, and space. One of the best parts about the fitness center is the group fitness classes. For $40 per semester, you can go to any or all of the fitness classes that are offered. To the right is the class schedule, but in case you can't read it, some of the classes offered are yoga (which is my favorite class), pilates, spinning, zumba, Pink Gloves boxing, ab lab, Hydro fit, max core, Booty camp, and turbo kick.

I was really upset this year because none of the classes that I wanted to go to fit into my schedule. But today, when I walked into the gym, there was a big sign that read "Fall Fitness Classes half off! More classes added!" I am so pumped! I can go to yoga almost every day now! yippy skippy!

MSU Friday!

Three times a year, MSU hosts "MSU Friday" which is a day that reevolves around prospective students. We start the day with coffee, doughnuts and about 30 tours that leave every five minutes! The rest of the day is filled with presentations, sample classes, parent and student panels, residence hall and fitness center tours, and of course, lunch. This past Friday was the first MSU Friday of the year, with about 800 prospective visitors! If you haven't visited the campus yet, MSU Fridays are a great time to go! We have two more this year: February 4th and March 4th. In this picture, Jeff Adams is giving a sample class for Physics. This is one of the most popular sample classes because he lays on a bed of nails and does some cool explosion demonstrations:-)

Busy Week!

This week has been super busy!!! Midterms are around this time and the whole student body is feeling it! Tests, homework, projects, lesson plans, presentations, reading, and papers are consuming my life at the moment. Plus, spring registration begins next week and I am in the middle of the application process to study abroad. If I have already mentioned this, sorry I am going to say it again... I am addicted to traveling. I decided that studying abroad would probably be a fabulous thing to do. I started the application process (which isn't very extensive at all) today. I am planning on going to London for the summer to study at Kingston University. Studying abroad is a great opportunity to see the world, meet new people and learn things from a different perspectives. Studying abroad is the same price as staying in Montana for school (sometimes it's even cheaper for out-of-state students), you don't have to know another language and anybody from any major can study abroad. I will tell you more about it as it gets closer.

Basically, life is crazy and busy busy busy! but no less awesome!

Adventures in Bozeman

The weather this fall in Bozeman has been absolutely awesome! Last weekend, it was so nice, and I needed some alone time, so I decided I would bike to the M (a big M painted on the side of the Bridger Mountains) and then I hiked up to it. I was feeling adventurous and I wondered off the trail a little bit, camera in hand, and started messing around with the settings and took a whole bunch of pictures.

One thing that I love about Bozeman is that there are so many things to do outside that you can't do in a lot of places. For instance, it only took me maybe 25 min to bike to the mountains (and I wasn't going that fast) and within just a couple hours I had gone on a much needed hike. You don't need a car to get to where you need to go. This is my fourth year here and I have never once needed a car to get around town or to go hiking near by. Here are a couple pictures that I took while I was on my biking/hiking adventure.

Jack Johnson at the Gorge!

One of the best parts about college is that you have a lot of freedom. You can leave town for the weekend without a whole lot of thought and no one can tell you not to:-) A couple weekends ago my friend Chance and I drove out to George, Washington to see Jock Johnson in concert at the Gorge. It was great to get away from life for a couple days and the Gorge was so beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better! We stopped in Missoula to have dinner with a friend, stayed the night in Idaho, camped right at the Gorge, and stopped in Helena to have dinner with my uncle! Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love to travel and explore new places and I love little weekend road trips because they are not stressful, it gives you a break, and you get to visit friends and family that you rarely see!

The picture on the left is a picture of the Gorge while we were in George Washington. The picture on the right is a blurry picture of Jack Johnson on stage!

Homecoming Week!

Homecoming was this past weekend!!!! The whole week was filled with fun events in the spirit of the Bobcats! Midnight Mania was hosted at the Field house again (I was sad to miss it but I spent the evening with my roommate because it was her birthday). And the 3rd Annual Blue and Gold Undie Run was held on campus on Friday afternoon. That is one of the funniest events of the year. Hundreds of students strip down to their blue and gold undies to show off their true Bobcat spirit and run a loop around and through campus! The football game was the first warm and sunny homecoming game I have ever been to here at MSU and it was fabulous! And of course, since he Bobcats rock, we won the game! As I was biking around town on Saturday, I was impressed by how much MSU spirit I saw. Everyone was wearing their gold shirts and even my banker was wearing her Bobcat apparel.

Did you miss me??

Greetings! I know it has been a while so let me give you an update!

This summer was AWESOME! I spent the whole summer working at a camp on the North Shore of Lake Superior! No cell phone and limited Internet for three months! I got a total of 6 days off all summer and I spent those days in Duluth, Minnesota with my friends Luke and Eli. We did a lot of rock climbing and even went skydiving! It was great! I highly recommend jumping out of airplanes!
Campers were anywhere from 3rd grade to just graduated from high school, and there were also several retreats for adults to come up as well. So much fun and I miss it dearly, but I am happy to be back in Bozeman and back in school!

This semester has been my busiest yet! I am taking 21 credits and working at JoAnn Fabrics. This year I am the Advocat co-coordinator (which means I help coordinate the class for all of the campus tour guides and help out with MSU Fridays), and I am peer leading a section of the freshman seminar course. Needless to say, I am a busy girl this semester and I will do my best to keep you up to date!

Last 24 hours of School!

I figured, since the next 24 hours are my last 24 hours of the semester, that I would take a study break and inform everyone on how excited I am to almost be done with finals! I got to school this morning at 9 and was lucky enough to find a nice big table to spread all my stuff on, but then needed a change of scenery and wondered up to the fourth floor of the library... It is my first time being up here... I feel adventurous! Here is a picture I took from where I am sitting. As you can see, the library is packed and everyone is studying hard to finish out the school year strong!
I am staying in Bozeman for the month of May, working and taking an online History course and helping my cousin fix up our house. The best part about being in Bozeman in the summer is the outdoor activities! You could stay here all summer and never do the same thing twice! There is tons of hiking and biking trails, climbing, floating, fishing, etc. I LOVE IT! hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get outside everyday! The rest of my summer I will be on the North shore of Lake Superior as a staff member at the camp that I grew up at! I am very excited about that too!
Ok, enough procrastinating for me! I need a snack and then BACK TO STUDYING.

Finally Finals week

It always feels like the semester goes so slowly, and then all of a sudden it's finals week! I had my math final this morning and I have two more this week and then I'm DONE! The library during finals week is always open until 2AM and it is always REALLY CROWDED! luckily there are two quiet floors and tons of cubby desks so work can still be done! I guess tonight and all week snacks and coffee are being given out at midnight in the SUB (which is open 24 hours this week) I will probably go check out the snacks tonight! :-) Good luck with the end of your year!

Boy Band/TBA

the "Boy Band" of MSU is the awesomest, funniest group of guys you can find on campus. I am so glad I have gotten to know all of them and had a chance to travel to Europe with them. All of the guys are from the Chorale, and on their own, they have created this acapella group. They sing mostly pop songs and are really fun to listen to because all of them are so into what they do. Sadly, a few of the members are graduating this year and won't be able to continue being in the group... sad day! The point of this blog is to let you know that there are hundreds of things to be involved in at MSU and if you seriously can't find something that interests you, you can always make up your own! being involved in things is the best way to meet people and really get the most out of your college years!

In the picture: (from the left) Steven, Jacob, Drew, Mark, Joe Travis, Tom, DJ

Relay for Life!

If you don't know what Relay for Life is, you are missing out. It is a 12 - 24 hour relay to raise money for cancer research. You sign up with a team of friends and at least one person from your team needs to be walking around the track for the entire 24 hours. During the relay, other activities are going on as well, such as concerts, games/tournaments, free food and hanging out. This year, I joined with "Team Awesome Abs" which was really a team of my fellow choir members and we don't really have awesome abs at all :-) It was a really rewarding and fun experience and I encourage everyone to participate sometime.

Earth Week

It's Earth Week this week! Perfect week for that too, the weather has been warm and fabulous! Today, to celebrate Earth day, we went on a walk in between classes and picked up trash:-) Our Plant Growth Center had a big plant sale to celebrate. and the Sun decided to celebrate by being out all day!

Rodeo!!!

The MSU Rodeo was this weekend! I love going to the rodeo! This year we went on Saturday, which happened to be Wheat Montana night... meaning that everyone got a loaf of bread on their way out... but we went out the wrong door and didn't get any:-( But fun was had by all, and I heard that all 4 nights of the rodeo went very well:-) Congrats to all the Rodeo winners!

I think I can... I think I can...

So, as you all probably gathered... school is not easy. This week, for many students, is not easy. It is the last big push before finals... the week that all teachers decided to make everything due and last minute tests. But after today, for me at least, school should slow down for a few days until I have to start studying for finals! There has been a little too much stress around campus for my liking.

Family time

My Family left today, unfortunately. But we had a ton of fun while they were in town. They had a great powder day at Moonlight Basin, we got a long day of climbing in (the picture was taken of my sister and I at the climbing gym) and yesterday we went to the Boiling River in Yellowstone. I took the whole week off of work and did minimal homework so I could spend more time with my siblings. So, now, I have an ungodly amount of work to do and plan on spending the majority of tomorrow in the library. I am i Billings right now visiting my grandparents for Easter, but we (my cousins and I) plan on leaving early in the day tomorrow to head back to Bozeman. Happy Easter!

Family in town!

My Family is in town this week! I went to Billing last weekend to surprise them. My mom flew in on Sunday morning and the rest of my family drove in later that night. It was fun to see everyone. A lot of my extended family flew in last weekend as well, because my grandpa went into surgery yesterday. (He came out just fine) :-) So I have relatives in town all week from Minnesota, Alaska, Oregon and other parts of Montana. You know what the best part about having parents in town is? FREE FOOD!!! :-)

Indecisive Mother Nature

Ever heard of the phrase If you don't like the weather in Montana, wait 15 minutes? That statement couldn't be more true. Today, I woke up around 6 to thick fog, walked to school at 7 in rain, got out of the library to walk to class at 9 in snow, walked to a different class at 11 in the sun, walked out of class at 1 in hail, grabbed a snack and walked back to the library at 1:10 in the sun again... always be prepared for anything... It's kind of like a guessing game... "what will the weather be like next time I walk out side?"

...and Spring break is over:-(

Spring break flew by! As all breaks do. The first part of the break I had friends from back home in town, then I had some down time, spent some time in the library, watched a few movies, baked a cake, led four campus tours, scrubbed my kitchen and went on a few bike rides. Then I worked all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Today (Sunday). Now, guess where I am?... Oh weird, I am back in the library! I don't know if I will ever be able to keep up with school! Good thing one of the books I was assigned is really good! Hope everyone had a good, relaxing week! Let the last month of the semester begin!!!

Spring Break Finally!

FINALLY! Spring Break is here! and it has been snowing! Leave it to Montana to dramatically change the weather with no notice:-) I am sticking around Bozeman for Spring break. On Thursday, I had three of my good friends come to visit me from Minnesota! two of them already left and the other one leaves tomorrow. It is so fun to have visitors! Everyone have a fun and safe Spring break!!

Mustache March!

I don't know how many of you know this, but March means you need to grow a mustache. I have been working on mine since I was born and let me tell you... growing a mustache is exhausting!
OK, since I am incapable of growing a creepy mustache, I decided that to take part in mustache march, I was going to be the Official Mustache Dyer of the Month! Awesome super hero title, I know. So, I gathered a few of my fellow blonde participators, and basically gave them an ultimatum... let me dye your mustache or we go on friendship time out! They all agreed to let me practice my dying skills. In the end, all three of the mustaches turned out to be the best looking mustaches on campus! (Obviously!)
Picture = Tom, Me, DJ, and JoeBogan

College sometimes makes me crazy

So, this semester has been the busiest semester of my life. All of the classes that I am taking require several hours per day outside of class for homework.... I wish days were 30 hours long so I could get more stuff done!!! As a result I am moving into the library today and tomorrow and reading over 1000 pages, writing papers, taking a quiz, taking a test, and studying for another one that is on Monday. I am not trying to scare anyone away from college, because they have been the three best years of my life so far. I am just saying be prepared to study hard and play harder!!!! :-)

Mali Night

Sometimes mandatory school events are quite enjoyable. My roommate has an assignment to attend a movie/dance/presentation for his poverty class. I decided to go with him because it seemed like the best way to procrastinate. It turned out to be quite an interesting night. Three Northern Cheyenne American Indians traveled to Mali, Africa to share cultures and knowledge. They put together a film of their adventure and premiered it at this Mali Night event. Some of the people that they met in Mali traveled to Bozeman for this event, and a few of the women were there as well. Food from the different cultures was served and an Indian singing group and dancers performed some of their traditional dances and songs. It was a very fun night!

International Food Bazar

I am always looking for an opportunity to volunteer, and this weekend I volunteered at the International Food Bazar. The international students and teachers put this event on every year. Each country represented sets up a booth with all sorts of foods native to that country. The students also put on a performance to show the music and dance of that country. Some of the countries that I "visited" were Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, India, Jamaica, Mexico, England, Ethiopia, and others. I was surprised at the turn out for this event! The SUB was packed! If you are like me and thrive on people-watching... you would love the food bazar. Not only is there a lot of people, but there is hundreds of international people in their traditional dress and speaking their native languages! LOVE IT!
The picture on the left is of my friends Emad and Fahad working at the Saudi Arabian booth. The picture in the middle is of a few of the dancers during the performance, and the picture on the right is just a picture of the crowd watching the performance.

Climbing at Spire!

I have recently discovered the most fantastic way to spend my time... climbing. I got shoes and a harness for Christmas, and purchased a pass for the Spire (the Bozeman climbing gym). Since then, I have been climbing a few times a week and my arms are always sore... it hurts so good! I generally don't like to exercise, but I don't mind it so much now:-)

2010 Olympics!

As you all should know, the 2010 winter Olympics have started. I spent my whole weekend watching them... and studying for my government test. I would like to give a cheesy shout out to the 21 athletes from the twin cities and a big shout out to the two athletes from my hometown, Edina, MN! (Jenny Potter, competing in Women's Ice Hockey, and Kaylin Richardson, competing in Women's Alpine, Ladies super combined and Ladies slolom) GO USA!!!!!

Skipping the Super Bowl

Parents are fantastic, aren't they? My wonderful mother came to town on Sunday. We decided to skip the super bowl frenzy and head up to Bridger Bowl. The snow was fabulous! Sadly, we were fogged out around 2:30, but until then, the day was great! My uncle came out from Helena to meet us. I fell a lot more than usual, but I guess that means I was working hard:-)

Peanut Butter and Rail Jam

Saturday I went to Moonlight Basin for the first time. It was fantastic! We got there pretty early because the Peanut Butter and Rail Jam was going on. The rail jam is a rail competition for snowboarders. I certainly can't pull off any rail stunts, but the two guys that I went with both competed. I watched and took pictures:-) Moonlight Basin is mostly intermediate runs, lots of tree runs, and a fairly large park. The snow was fabulous! There was about 5 inches of fresh powder!!!
Pictures: Left: Me, James and Chris on the chair-lift. Right: James competing in the Rail Jam

I've got the whooooole wooooorld in my house!

Having a Saudi Arabian roommate has some great perks. The best one, in my opinion, is all of the interesting people that come over! The other night, we had over a whole bunch of Saudi's, a Polish girl, two Moroccans, a Jamaican, a Mexican and three Americans! We have had people stay at our house that are from all over the world. England and South Africa and Japan etc. The other night, the Saudi's cooked a fantastic Saudi meal for us and played music on their Saudi instruments and sand and danced! Nights like those are the best nights to be a college kid!

The Coffee Shop

As you all know (or have heard, studying is the biggest part of being in college. Well, the rumors are true. In fact, I spent more waking hours in the library than I spent in my own house! I have found that if you mix up your study spots, it makes for a not-as-boring experience. My favorite place to study is early in the morning at one of the local coffee shops, in particular, the International Coffee Traders. I can walk there in 8 minutes, and have my DELICIOUS coffee while reading or studying. It makes for an easy walk to school too because it is located across the street from campus. You will find a spot that suits you too.

POWDER DAY

Finally, after a few weeks of "warm" weather, mother nature has decided to grace us with snow this morning! It is still snowing now and is supposed to continue all day! There is a few inches here in town, but most people on days like today like to go up to the mountains were the inches are more numerous! Perfect powder day for all you skiers and snowboarders!!!

Stars:-)

My cousin and I were driving back from the hot springs the other night and decided that it would be fun to star gaze. Both of us LOVE the stars and I never get to see them because I am from a city. We stopped along the side of the road and got out... even though it was freezing and we both didn't have jackets. With no city lights even close to us, we could see more stars than I thought possible! We couldn't even tell were constellations were!!! We had to get back into the car for a few minutes to warm up, and then we were right back out into the cold to look at more stars!!! This is one of the many, many, many great and beautiful things about Montana. This is one of the reasons I came out here:-)

The Semester has started

Even though there have only been three days of school so far this semester, I am already swamped with homework and reading. I have eight classes this semester: Literature, math, government, Native American studies, choir, advocats, sensation and perception, and drugs for educators. It's going to be a busy semester! On top all the classes, I am trying to find a second job. That may or may not happen because jobs are scarce right about now. Wish me luck!

Bridger Bowl

So, since today was the last day before I start living in the library again... I decided that it would be a good day to snowboard all day at Bridger Bowl, Bozeman's closest ski resort (about 15 miles away from campus). Even though today was a bit icy, it was a perfect ski day... cloudy, semi-warm, and I had great company!
Here's a story. Last time I went to Bridger, I went up the Alpine lift for my first run. When I got back down to the lift, the lift stopped... the power went out. What happened was a power line broke and hit a car and the car set on fire knocking out the power for the whole mountain! The lift ticket from that day was worth 75% off of my ticket today:-) So my day at Bridger today was fantasic and cheap! Double whammy!

Back in Bozeman

Well folks, I am finally back in Bozeman after two and a half weeks of bouncing around. I spent the last few days in Billings visiting my grandparents. I finally got my computer fixed... but still some websites don't work so well, so I still can't change the colors or style of the font... maybe that isn't such a big deal to you, but I kind of likes to play with the colors:-) I was happy to see a fresh bunch of powder on the ground when I got back today... super excited to go snowboarding!!!
The pictures are from my break: the left is of my sisters and I at a restaurant called Chino Latino on my mom's birthday and the right is of my little cousin Tracy on my shoulders at the Science Museum in Denver.