Birthday :D

Today has been AWESOME. For those of you who didn't know, today was my birthday!! I am now officially an adult! But before I talk about that, lets go over last night details. The night started with a huge group of boys and some of their dates coming over to our apartment. Then we kind of awkwardly met our dates because three out of six couples were blind dates. Me being one of them. My dates name was Braden and he was awesome. After we all met each other we got into our respective cars (door being opened for me by said date) and headed to the civil defense caves. These caves are out in the middle of no where but they were formed underground with lava. I figured we were driving to some hills or something to find caves but these were all underground, which I was not expecting! We explored through the caves for a little while until we got to a pretty good spot and then turned off all of the lights and broke glow sticks all over ourselves, the ground and the ceiling. It was super rad. You couldn't see anything past where we had splashed the glow sticks so if someone was hiding in the "dark" you could completely see them because they were covered in glow stuff. Once we were sufficiently covered we played hide and seek. It was probably the most fun I have ever had playing hide and seek in my life! Multiple times I almost stepped on people or hands or hair because its so dark and all you see are thousands of little glowing dots that could potentially be on someones coat or shoes or hair, which I found out after stepping in Haleigh's hair :D I think the coolest part was that we decided to play on this giant pile of boulders so there were quite a few crevasses and zillions of places to slide between or under rocks so you were hidden. It was AWESOME. So we played that a few times and then headed home. Another aspect that made this date amazing was the ride to and from the caves on a crazy Alaskan-like dirt road. My date was all about speeding through the puddles and getting his car as dirty as possible. On the way back we also had a fun time quoting fabulous people such as Jim Gaffigan and Bryan Regan. It was a blast. We also learned that Wendy's in Rexburg closes at 11 on week nights. We were desiring some frosty-deliciousness but they were closed, so we headed to McDonalds instead to get vanilla cones. Then we headed back to my apartment where my date gave me a hug and we said good bye. I had such a fun time and next time I want to go to the ice caves!! Here are some of the things we were quoting :D

Bryan Regan

Jim Gaffigan

So about today, I got up at like 10:45 which was glorious and saw that I had voice mails from my grandma and my mother. I am terrible at responding right away to phone messages but I loved hearing them wish me a happy birthday foist thing! The I saw on the back of my door was an adorable sign that said, "Happy Birthday Linnea!" It instantly made me happy :D Then when I opened the door I saw a thing of raspberries with a cute little note from my room mate waiting for me on the floor. It was precious and the berries were delicious. Then I headed downstairs where most of my roomies were and they all wished me happy birthday! My good friend Micah called as asked if she could bring me lunch which I gratefully accepted and she came over and we had pizza for lunch! It as great to see Micah and to be able to spend time with her on my birthday, she means so much to me and I love her so much!

The next part of my day was kinda random, I got ready and then biked to Walmart

I then finally biked home, but not before making one last stop at Snoasis for a coconut pomegranate snow cone. Just in case you didn't know Snoasis makes the best snow cones in the entire world. Then I played with my room mates for a little and then got sexy for the nights adventures. For my birthday my friends took me to Big Juds. This place is home of the 1 pound burger. It is huge and delicious and have I mentioned huge? Erika and Mary got one to split and I decided to get a Hawaiian burger that had pineapple, ham and teriyaki sauce on it. I'm not sure what everyone else got but they were so good! Then after we were all stuffed with hamburger we decided to get the Hungry Heifer to finish off our meal which my favorite room mate Mary decided to get us. :D The Hungry Heifer is a huge dish of ice cream that consists of 15 different scoops of ice cream and 5 different toppings, both of your choice. We tried almost ever single kind of ice cream with hot fudge, strawberries, blueberries, marshmallow and carmel. It was the most disgusting/beautiful thing I have ever seen. We didn't even eat half of it and now the rest of it is sitting in my freezer. I'm pretty sure I never want to eat ice cream again, but it was so good! Pictures will be coming later because we took some pretty amazing ones :D

After Bug Juds, Kevin, Jordan, Kelly, Stewart and I went to the haunted straw maze. I had been before but on a Friday when it was super busy, tonight was Thursday so we were basically the only people in there, which I think made it more scary/more fun. I decided to take up the lead (because I have no brain) and we ended up making friends with some of the spooks. It was all a blast and then we eventually found our way out. I had a blast getting lost multiple times and I really am glad I decided to go in the front, even though there were three very capable, strong men that could have gone first.

After I got home we were just sitting around and I was starting the write this blog so I could get it up before it turned into Friday but then my FHE brothers came over with a card for me for my birthday. They are so awesome and I love that they thought of my on my birthday. When they walked in they said they were gonna sing for me but then I had to coax it out of them because I think that was an empty offer. I don't think they realized I love singing. It was probably the most entertaining rendition of Happy Birthday I have ever heard, and I'm a choir nerd. To sum that up, my FHE brothers are he bomb.

This is the excellent card

So to summarize, today was stupendous and I only wish you all could have shared it with me. I am so happy that I am 20 now and not real a child anymore. Mary and I were talking about how in the next few months we will probably start telling people we are 21. That's what has been happening since were like 17. People think I'm older, I don't want to disappoint them! Have a fabulous evening and rest of your day, I know I will.  

Also, this is what I am wearing right now, just getting ready for Halloween, AKA, best costume year EVER

This morning I had the best wake up call ever! Her name is Kelly. She came over to my house after she was done with classes (this was at 10 am mind you so it wasn't that late) and jumped on my bed to say good morning! It was awesome and we talked about random things and then what I want to do for my birthday! Which I am really excited about but I will tell you those details after they happen :D 

Also today while I was being lazy I made dough for snicker doodle cookies but then after I made the dough I got really bored and didn't want to make them. When all of my room mates got home a few of them decided to dye them pink and cook them. Now we have pink snicker doodles that got so incredibly big but taste so good!! This is what some of them look like!

Also room mate Krissa is such an amazing person, I told her I wanted to go on a date for my birthday and guess what she did? She set a group date with me as well as 3 of my other room mates for tonight! This is technically a blind date so I am kind of nervous, but I will post more about that tomorrow because I've got to go get ready! Have a good night, maybe not as good as mine!!

Birthday Excitement

So my mom is pretty much the most amazing person ever. She sent me a birthday package that I got today and it was full of the most amazing gifts. Each one had a sticky note with a little commentary. The first thing I pulled out was a neon yellow Carhartt hoodie or as we Holbrook's better know it, K268 BLM (I'm a Carhartt nerd :P). On it was a note that said, "To keep you safe in the dark so everyone sees you." Which was the best idea ever because I bike home late at night and have had multiple close encounters with many vehicles. The next thing I saw was some sort of dollar bill with some sort of happy denomination on it with a note that said, "Just because we love you." :) Then I saw a box of cake mix and frosting and the note said, "Because I can't be there to bake you one." There was also a cute pink Nalgene that said, " Keep on drinking! (sorry I couldn't find an orange)" And mom, I love pink too but you know me so well. Then there was a plastic bag full of fun party favors. Underneath that was a pedometer to "Measure all those steps you take" And not lastly but definitely my favorite part of the package was a box that said, "To let the light shine into your life." In that box was a hanging crystal just like the ones my dad has been buying for my mom on their anniversary for years. I now have my own to start my collection. The last part of the package and definitely the funniest was a pair of pants. The note for these said, "Just something cool, I thought of you." The pants are featured below.

For a brief moment I thought my mom was being silly because she saw crazy leather pants and thought of me. But then I looked back into my life and realized that I wear some pretty crazy things... :D Then after a second I realized that I have been looking everywhere the past few weeks for black stretchy pants for my Halloween costume and that these crazy pants would be perfect for that! For those of you who don't know, I am going to be Red Foo from LMFAO for Halloween and one of my excellent room mates is going to be Sky Blue. You may recognize these names from the group LMFAO or the very popular song Party Rock Anthem which is one of my very favorite songs. If you haven't heard it before or would just like to bask in it's awesomeness once again, here is the fabulous link. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8&ob=av3n

And just so you can get a better idea of my costume, here is the shirt I'm gonna be wearing.

It's obviously backwards but it says EVERY DAY I'M SHUFFLIN. Which, I am. Anyway, It was the best package that I have ever received and it made me very excited for my birthday and for halloween! 

Thanks mom, you're the best and I love you so much! 

Monday Night Fun

Today (Monday) I got up at 9 which was awesome. I had to be at work by 10:30 which was rad because that meant I got off at 6! Work today was stupendous, but I think that's because I make it a positive experience no matter what! After work I shopped for best roomies birthday and got her a movie (her favorite thing ever) which today was Green Lantern. And I also got her a Walmart gift card and a Tangled gift bag that had Rapunzel and Flynn on the front. Mostly the bag made me happy :D I got home just in time to give her her birthday present and to get ready for FHE. Family Home Evening tonight was awesome. We had a lesson by my friend Tori and then we had a service scavenger hunt! We had to go around the Northgate and Southgate complexes with a list of different service activities that we had to do for people and have them sign off our paper. It was a blast and we got to meet so many fun people! Then we came back to my apartment and had delicious cinnamon rolls that many of my room mates participated in making (the most delicious cinnamon rolls ever I might add) and then we hung out and had lovely room mate/FHE brother bonding.

At 9:15 multiple evenings me and my fitness team have a group meditation that we attend with a very cool student on campus who is doing research on how meditation affects weight loss. I am really enjoying it so far and I have a feeling it will help me in many aspects of my life. So that happened tonight and when I got home my room mates were watching a really cool new show about fairy tale stories. I am super excited to watch it because I only watched for like 10 minutes and already I'm hooked!

Since then I have Skyped with the Fabulous Brittany and the Lovely Kristiana! That was so much fun and I realized how much I missed them! Then I had some apple juice and here I am now! The picture below is the exact situation I am in currently. That's what I look like. Yep :D

Well, today was wonderful and hopefully I can make tomorrow better, also here comes the countdown... :D

2 MORE DAYS AND THEN MY BIRTHDAY ON THURSDAY!! HAVE A GOOD NIGHT/MORNING!

Happy Birthdays are here again

So Happy Birthday to my most amazing roommate. I have known her now for 13 months and in that time we have had some real parties. I love her so much and I am so glad we are friends. Thinking about her birthday this year brings me back to last year which was hilarious, but those details are best not shared :D I can't believe we have only know each other a little more than a year but what a good year it has been. I got to see her reaction when she found out her older sister was pregnant with twins, she got to see me sing in General Conference in April (one of the most amazing moments of my life) and I have been able to understand her disgust with anything scary as she has been able to learn of my love of music and shiny things! She has been the best person to live with because she is easy going and honest. She never invokes any form of drama and is always willing to share her vast movie collection so that everyone can have a little piece of heaven. When you first meet her you might wonder if she hates you (which she very well might) but as soon as you really get to know her you start to love her sarcasm and semi-judgmental wit. She has been a huge part of my life the past year and I have loved seeing the growth that we worked for together. She is very well one of my best friends. I love her. Happy Birthday to the most awesome and deserving person I know :D 

Hopefully she will forgive me for this picture as it really looks nothing like her.

Human Slingshot

I have decided that I have one of the best room mates in the entire world. I have also decided that she has some of the most amazing siblings in the entire world. Her sister is an amazing photographer and her brother in law is the most fabulous videographer (sp?). Together they make some pretty stupendous things. This video about the human slingshot is my most recent favorites, but there are many more. You should follow the blog http://babymakingbybecky.blogspot.com/  because it features some of the cutest babies in the entire world! Anyway, here is the link to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_wkQBDDgvI

I would also like to point out that this video has only been on youtube for 3 days. I think it is gonna get incredibly popular, not only because I know who made it but because it is so well made and the song choice was fabulous. Not to mention the choice of the activity was brilliant. 

This next video is so cute and artsy and I think shows off some of their talent fabulously.

http://www.youtube.com/user/rebeccahlouise1

 Have a wonderful Sunday!

The Excellence of LIFE.

So I got a job! I have been working at Walmart the past 2 weeks and I love it! Super easy piece of cake seeing as I have been a cashier for pretty much 7 years for my father. I also recently acquired the cutest red beach cruiser from my fabulous cousin Michelle!! It has made it easier to get around since my last bike got "misplaced".

Also, kind of exciting news, I am in a program at school this semester called the Biggest Winner. It is fashioned after the TV show, "The Biggest Loser, but here at BYUI we believe in positive re-enforcement!! It is actually a pretty amazing program and I have my excellent room mate Erika to thank for getting me into it! You see, Erika is the director of it so if she hadn't encouraged me I would not be losing weight right now! The program is pretty stupendous, we have 5-7 hours of group exercise a week with 2-3 trainers and weekly meetings with nutritionists (I forgot to go to mine this week!!) and then a group challenge every other Saturday where we compete against the other 5 groups that are participating. Today was a challenge day :D We had a relay race set up on the football field where we met at 8:45 am. Everyone was a bit groggy waking up especially since it was kinda frosty. The relay was kind of complicated to me but I will try to explain it. We started on the goal line and one person from each team would start and then 2 minutes after they started the next person would start. I went first. Mostly because everyone in my team was too chicken  but also because I figured that if I went first I would finish first! That barely came to pass :D And in-between each exercise we had to run back to the goal line and then on to the next post.

We started at the goal line and has to run to the 20 yd line and do 50 jumping jacks. Then back to the goal line and then to the 30 yd line to do 25 standing medicine ball crunches while lifting your leg to touch the ball. That is 25 on each side. Then back to the goal line. Next was the 45 yd line and a minute and a half of jump roping. A side note, they should probably invest in longer jump ropes because I'm pretty sure I have a welt on the front of my ankle from that stink in short jump rope! Anyway, then back to the goal line and on to the next. At this point I wasn't saying attention to where the little posts were. At this post we had to do 4 diamond push ups, 4 wide set push ups and 4 push ups close to your body. Then back to the goal line. and the final post was hula hooping!! We had to hoola hoop for 30 seconds and I pretty much discovered that I am not capable of that. I just held the hoola hoop in my hand and rotated my hips in a circle :P Haha, it was grand. And then back to the goal line. The very last leg of our relay race was to run a lap around the track which is 1/4th of a mile. It was awesome and it was all I could do to not walk after all the crazy running that had just taken place but I pushed through and when I finished I felt so good and like I had really completed something! Then as a time waster and kind of as a joke they had our trainers do the entire relay as they tallied up the points for time. It was awesome seeing my trainers do what we had just done even though they were running with us the entire time we were competing. They were so amazing and I look up to them so much. After all of the scores were.... scored? we grouped up to see which team had the best average score and sadly, out of 6 teams my team (TEAM ORANGE) got 6th.

I love my team so much though because we are always cheering on other teams and we are just happy that we finished as a team. They are the best :D After the challenge we went to a room in the Hart (gym/fitness center/ exercise building) and had a support group. I thought it was kinda crazy at first but we got to talk just as a team about things that we were struggling with in the program and things we were doing good at and we got to help each other out. It was a very enlightening experience.

Oh and my room mates are the best. Tonight I got off work at 11pm and 4 of my 5 room mates came to Walmart to pick me up! I laughed so hard because while they were waiting for me to finish my shift they read gossip magazines in line right behind mine. I am so lucky to have the room mates that I do, we get along so well and my favorite way of describing our relationship is, "I love you because we hate the same stuff." But in addition to that we have so much in common and just have a blast hanging out and spending time with each other, even if it is as haunted houses!

Which reminds me, here in Rexburg and in its surrounding areas there are some pretty amazing haunted houses and haunted places. Since I have been here I have only been to 2 of them but they were both amazing. Last weekend my room mates, some additional friends and I went to The Haunted Mill. This is a Mill just North of Rexburg

Another exciting thing that is happening in my life is.... I'M GOING TO CHINA!!! Haha, there is this awesome group called China Horizons and it is incredibly cheap. Long story short, I'm going to China next fall to teach English and to have a blast! You should learn more about it and consider going yourself because it is the chance of a lifetime!

http://chinahorizons.org/info/

That is my update thus far, I hope you enjoyed it and maybe this will become a regular thing! Ta loves!