An Attempt to be Artistic

I definitely think that college is warping me into some strange new being, because now I have this weird desire to draw all of the time. Let me tell you, I am not artistic. At all. But then one day I decided to draw a picture for my roommate Mackenzie, and now I just keep drawing things. Until now I have been a terrible artist. Most of you who know me can attest to that.


Feel free to laugh at these all you want. I won't know. And don't feel bad. You probably won't laugh at me as much as my roommates did. What? Am I supposed to apologize for trying to do new things in my life?

I drew this for Mackenzie. I'm still considering asking for it back. I really do not think I can redraw this.

I was going to give this one to Mackenzie, but then I decided I wanted it for myself.

An attempt at drawing a moose.

The swan I drew for Kalie.

And the dinosaur I drew for Zoee. Sorry the picture is so light. I promise it's not completely terrible. Ok, actually I'll let you judge that one for yourself. No lie, Zoee is kind of obsessed with dinosaurs.

I drew another dinosaur too for Zoee but I don't know where it is, and I didn't really want to look for it.  

I also drew a monkey...but I'll spare you that one.

Snapshots of College Life

I've never liked taking pictures as much as I do now. I don't know why college has suddenly changed me, but I have this weird urge to document everything I do. I promise I'll try to restrain myself though. We'll see how well that works out.

This is another one of my roommates, Krista. She was really disappointed that she didn't make it on the last blog.

My mother loves me. She sent me my first college package! I thought she was just sending me a can opener and a muffin tin, and I opened it up to find this. I am so spoiled. Love you, mom!

And while we're on the topic of love, these muffins were fantastic. They were almost as happy to see me as I was to see them. I can't take credit for their creation. That was all Zoee. I just provided the oil, eggs, and the belly to hold them.

Look who came to visit! I love this beautiful girl right here! And now that she's been given a peek into college life, I bet she's stoked to come here in the fall. I'm hoping the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen didn't scare her off. Or the books lying all over the couch and desks. Or the...ok you get the picture.

The bell tower right outside the apartment.

McKayla and Sam in front of the bell tower. I got to hang out with these lovely ladies all day!

This is what I get to look out over every morning. Yes, the window is that dirty. Usually the courtyard is full of EFY kids, but I snapped the picture before they took over.

This was the highlight of my day. I'm sorry, Sam. It's true. I loved seeing you too, though. Don't worry.  

I was ecstatic to hold this book in my hands. I don't know what it's like to hold your own child, but I can imagine this comes close. Ok, maybe not. I'll pretend it is until I actually have children. Then I'll let you know which one was more exciting. I thought I could never get as excited about a book as I did over the 7th Harry Potter. I was wrong. That experience paled in comparison to this one.

In like two days I will have my very own copy to love and to hold for ever and ever. If you think I'm excited now, just wait until I get that package. I think I might explode. 

First College Pictures

I'm halfway done with the summer term and I finally got a camera. So for all of you out there dying to know what everything looks like, here you go. I haven't taken too many pictures yet, so I'll upload more later.

My lovely bedspread. I also just discovered that my sheets and pillow case glow in the dark. It's kind of awesome.

Where I "study"

                                                     The view from our living room. 

Our kitchen looking cleaner than normal...

And then some of the roommates. I finally convinced them to let me take a picture.

Kalie

Zoee

Mackenzie, my actual roommate. This is her "thinking face." She's one cool bean.

Moral of the Story: Don't Shut Locked Doors

Um...ya. So funny story. Kind of. So this morning I wake up to this insane laughing outside my door from my roommates Kalie and Mackenzie. The first thing you should know is that this was pretty early, and that Mackenzie does not get up early. Ok, so she's not in her bed. Why the heck is she up at 7? An hour later they're still laughing, and it's time for me to get up and get ready for class. So I walk out of the room and shut the door.

Ya...so apparently our door was locked. And Mackenzie had been locked out of our room all night. And now I've just locked myself out too.

Awesome.

I was not about to wear my hannah montana pajama pants to class so good thing we have an RA who doesn't have early classes and was willing to open the door for us. Mackenzie, I apologize for this. But now we have a good story to tell, right?

Ya...right.

I wish you all could have been here to see how hard we were laughing at this. It was probably more funny because of the fact that Mackenzie hadn't slept all night. Are people supposed to be laughing when they don't sleep and they have a midterm the next day?

Oops....  

The Halfway Mark

Am I really halfway done with this semester already? Am I really going home in less than a month? The first week of school absolutely dragged by, but now I'm almost done with the fourth and I have no idea where the time has gone. I can't deny that this has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but I have met some wonderful people here and had some fantastic experiences I never could have had anywhere else. I still don't like the fact that I'm spending my summer vacation studying, but I am getting used to this crazy place called Utah. Slowly but surely I will learn to love it here. But until then, I will continue to count down the days until I get to go home to Washington again.

I do want to say to anybody out there freaking out about going to college that it's really not that bad. You learn quickly how to take care of yourself. You're looking at a girl who hardly ever cooked for herself while at home, and believe me I was terrified to be faced with that task in college. But I'm still kicking. I haven't died yet, and I don't plan on dying anytime soon. I won't call myself Paula Dean yet, but maybe in 50 years I'll get there too.

On a positive note, I got wonderful feedback about my book and was left a very kind review on the Barnes and Noble website. It always boosts my confidence to know that I have people out there supporting me as a writer. This is what I love to do. This is what I will continue to do for the rest of my life. People keep telling me that their books have arrived in the mail, and each time I tense with anticipation. I get extremely nervous for how people will react to my writing. I don't want people to hate it, but there's nothing I can do to change it if they do. Still, I want to hear any advice or criticism people are willing to give me. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everybody who has purchased a copy of my book. I would love to hear your thoughts about it when you are finished.