The Lion King

Last year I went to Wicked with two of my sisters and my mom.  As we were waiting for the show to start we saw that Lion King was coming in 2010 so we decided we wanted to go.  When tickets went on sale we jumped on it and bought tickets before they were all sold out.  For some reason with Wicked we were sitting further away than we thought (probably because we bought the less expensive seats), but for Lion King we all agreed we would gladly pay a little extra to be a few rows closer.  This time I thought we had great seats and Clark came along so that was fun.  I think Clark was more excited than I was (we were both pretty excited).  It did not disappoint.  We LOVED it!  

Of course we needed a picture out front  

As we were waiting for the Lion King to start we noticed that Les Mis is coming May of 2011!!  I am so excited!  That is one of my all time favorites.  I love the music so much.  Ah I am getting so excited just writing this.  The tickets don't go on sale until March... I can't wait that long.  I would LOVE to see it on Broadway, but since I can't really afford to go to NY I will settle for the Broadway Across America version at the Capitol Theatre in SLC.  So if anyone else loves Les Mis and wants to come with me let me know!!  

Little Nuggets

Nugget number 1

Nugget number 2

Nugget number 3

On Thursday all three nugget's will be together in Logan!  I can't wait.  I LOVE them.  A lot.  

Rewinding Live TV

I have been wanting DVR for the longest time.  But since our Cable is paid because of our job, I didn't think it was fair to ask for Sonya to pay for us to have DVR.  Well we did a bundle deal with Comcast and they gave us DVR.  We can finally be like everyone else and record shows, and fast forward through the annoying commercials.  A couple weeks ago my nephew Max was at my house and we were watching cartoons and he said "wait I missed it, rewind it!"  When I told him we can't remind rewind my TV he looked confused..... So now when Max comes over he will be pleasantly surprised!  

I have been enjoying being able to record shows that I normally miss..... like Saved By The Bell!!  Yes, I'm always so disappointed because it comes on way early in the morning on TBS.  But thanks to our wonderful DVR I will never miss a rerun of Saved By The Bell.  I think you will all be happy to know that I am watching a recorded episode as I type this!  These episodes are classic with flash backs, fast motion movement, and witty remarks!  The one I'm currently watching is called "Dancing to the Max" and it is when there is a dance competition at the Max hosted by none other than Casey Kasum.  Slater and Zack are going to have a dance off to impress Kelly.  Jesse thinks she's too tall so she doesn't want to dance with anyone.  And the best part is when they are in music class and as they are all playing their instruments the teacher leaves and the tempo picks up and they all start dancing!  Ha ha I love this show.  Thank you DVR!  

The sad thing is all the shows that I've recorded so far are really ridiculous and are not quality shows.  They are just guilty pleasure shows!  I'm recording Teen Mom, Kate plus 8, Saved By The Bell, and Glee.  I tried to record Modern Family but it wouldn't work.  I will also be recording Jimmy Fallon and  Jimmy Kimmel since they come on after I go to bed.  I wish I had DVR when Jimmy Fallon was trying to do a Saved By The Bell reunion!  Anyway I'm sure there are other good shows out there I should be watching besides my "guilty pleasure shows".  

Clark and I are officially back in school.  My last semester, woo hoo!  Clark has 3 more semesters.  The students are really starting to bug me, and I hate to say it but so far it has been worse than the Old's.  We are hoping to move out in December if our plan works out the way we hope it does.  We are going to McCall ID this weekend to visit Clark's sister for Labor Day.  We really need the break!  

Oh AND we went to The Lion King this past weekend!  It was so so good, I loved it.  I will post pictures after our weekend trip so I can do them all at once.  I'm going to get back to Saved By The Bell to find out who wins the dance competition!  

Serenity Now

I don't even know where to begin.... Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).  Today is check in for the students.  It's been a busy week with getting the apartments ready, and students who wanted to move in early, plus working at my other job.  Basically I am really tired and in no mood to deal with obnoxious people.  This is the longest post ever, and it is me just venting, so I won't feel bad if people don't read it.  I don't even want to re-read it to proof read it.  So if it doesn't make sense and my grammar is horrible I'm sorry.   
 My first annoyance was a guy who has no type of personality at all and when I tried to joke around with him he wasn't feeling it.  So I give up on trying to be nice and just give him his key and parking pass.  15 minutes later he comes in and is already defensive as he starts talking to me.  He tells me that the apartment he was shown was not the same apartment we put him in.  I explained that the apartment he was shown was a vacant apartment with the same layout, but not the exact apartment he would be in.  However, the apartment he was put in actually has a slightly smaller kitchen but a larger 1/2 bathroom.  For some reason back in the 70's when these were built, the apartments didn't all come out the same.  But I mean we are talking smaller by 16 inches, nothing major.  But he was trying to tell us that his bedroom was smaller than the one he was shown, blah blah blah.  Clark said he would take his measuring tape and measure the two rooms and they would be basically identical.  He said all of his stuff would not fit and if we couldn't move him to another apartment he was going to cancel his rent payment.  So I told him we didn't have any open spots and I was about to tell him I would look and see if I can move people around when he cuts me off and says "I'm not some freshman you can push around".  So I tell him, I'm not trying to push you around, but we honestly have not spots.  Then I figure out that we could move him to another apartment.  By that time Clark went over there and helped him move some stuff around and he was okay with it.  I keep laughing to myself just hearing him say "I'm not some freshman you can push around".  Ha ha, I guess I look like a really scary manager who tries to intentionally bully the tenants and "push them around".   
Now to my second annoyance.... we are keeping with the theme of me being a horrible manager and "spitefully trying to ruin people's housing experience".  So I have a girl stop by today (technically after move in hours) wanting to check in.  I have her sign the paperwork and I give her the key and she is on her way.  {I need to give a little bit of background info before I continue.  So when people come sign up I usually let them say what apartment they want to be in and they usually tell me they would prefer LDS people, or a certain age of roommates, etc.  I tell them I usually try to match people up based on age and religious preference as best as I can, but it's no guarantee.  Especially when someone is moving in with random people they don't know.  Sometimes once we start filling up spots, we realize we need to move people around to accommodate a shared spot or private spot.  It's confusing, but we make it work}.  It has never been a problem... obviously until now.
So this particular girl was moved from her original apartment to the one right next door.  Basically she is now in an apartment with 2 freshman girls and the girl she would share a room with was one year younger and a sophomore.  Apparently she is too mature for these "young girls" and can't even get to know them or give them a chance.  She just knows they will not get along, and she thinks they will be the same as girls she has lived with before.  She cannot live with freshman.  But the girl she would actually share a room with was exactly one year younger.  Since when is that "too young".  I told her I was sorry but there is no where else to put her and that maybe she should give them a chance, instead of making judgements after 10 minutes of being here.  So she pouts away with her mom and I think that's the end.... well I was wrong!  Very wrong!  So I go down to the Social Center to help Clark set up cable on the new TV.  I walk outside and the girl, her mom, and now her dad are all outside and he wants to talk to me.  He is a very very large man that is in a jazzy/hover round/power chair/motorized cart thing.  I don't have anything against large men in wheelchairs, but because of his size and his wheelchair he cannot get into my apartment.  So we are left to speak outside.  So in a nut shell he tells me that I am in the wrong and I moved his daughter without telling her and we promised her one thing and gave her another.  I broke the "verbal agreement" I had with his daughter when I told her that her original apartment choice was available and had older girls in it.  I explained that we have the right to move people around it is in the contract.  He tells me "you have no integrity, I though you were LDS".  That is a direct quote!  I guess he was trying to make me feel guilty, since I'm not being a very good member of the church.  When I was a freshman I had a kind of weird roommate(luckily we didn't share a room)  who wasn't LDS(doesn't matter, we can still live in the same apartment), she smoked (not in the apartment), she slept all day and was up all night.  Yes she was not my style or a person I would normally be friends with but we were nice to each other, if we were both in the kitchen or living room we would talk.  I didn't judge her and she didn't judge me.  Yes, we weren't best buds but we got along.  I told the Dad my little story of "not compatible" roommates and I said it in a way like "maybe you shouldn't be so judgmental of people and actually try to get to know these girls before giving up and running away!"  I don't think they even cared.  I feel sorry for this girl, that she can't be more open minded and try to make friends with people of all ages and backgrounds.  So finally I said well this is what we can do for you, if you don't accept it than I don't know what to tell you.  The girl handed me her key and the Dad decided to call Sonya.  Apparently he wants to sue us because we are unethical, we broke our promise (even though it was never promised), we moved her to another apartment, and we didn't give her 3 perfect roommates that are NOT Freshman and ARE LDS.  He would rather waste all of his money on a lawyer, than telling his daughter to toughen up, or having us fill her spot and giving him a refund when the spot is filled.  Smart guy we have here!  Or maybe just stubborn.  
This post is forever long and I didn't even write all of the details.  I am so tired after today.  It has been the worst Check In day so far!  I literally wish The Old's were still here.  Each year the students get more stuck up and feel entitled to everything, and their parents are more and more involved.  The term is "helicopter parenting"  and it is BAD.  Parents do not need to "hover" over everything their kids do.  Let them figure things out for themselves, especially being in College.  I'm pretty sure when I moved up for my Freshman year my Mom helped me move my stuff in, we went grocery shopping, and then she took me out to dinner and left for home.  She didn't get all in my business about roommates and if the apartment was in perfect mint condition.  I knew she was there if I needed her, but I didn't have her calling the apartment managers to complain about every little thing.  I'm just glad this dumb girl is gone and I won't have to deal with her complaining about her roommates all year long.  I guess I will have to deal with her when her Dad sues us and I have to write some statement about all my broken promises to this poor "mature" girl with immature roommates.  


*Disclaimer: I guess I should write that I do understand that you would feel a little annoyed if you thought you were going to be with a girl that was not a new freshman.  I would probably be a little confused as to why I was moved.  BUT  No where on her application did she write that she wanted to be with older, LDS girls.  She probably told me verbally, but I literally probably talked to about 150 students.  How am I supposed to remember each person's preference. So when I needed to move someone I thought moving her into a room with a girl ONE year younger wouldn't be a problem.  So I guess my anger is from the way the Dad handled the situation.  He was swearing, telling me that since I'm LDS I should have integrity, and basically "pushing ME around".  


We are going to the temple on Saturday.... I'm sure I can find some serenity there!


"Serenity Now"      

The Dog Days Are Over

"The dog days of summer are over." I never really paid much attention to that expression until my sister recommended a song with that title, and then for some reason I've heard that expression so much lately.  I guess I'm realizing that summer is ending and I will be super busy until December.  This is my last semester, A Woo Hoo!  It's finally here people, after 6 long years of taking classes trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  For those who don't know I'm majoring in FCHD (Family Consumer Human Development) with an emphasis in Family and Community Service.  It is the best major ever.  Basically I've taken infancy/child development, middle childhood, adult development, family finance, and cultural diversity classes.  I have two more classes this semester and then my 300 hour practicum and I am done!   People ask me what I will do with that degree and I say "be a mom".  That's honestly all I've really wanted to do, but I've wanted to have a degree so this one worked out perfect.  Also working at The Child and Family Support Center is perfect for someone with an FCHD degree.  So I'll just keep working there till we move away from Logan.  
Speaking of Logan, I cannot wait for the Fall.  I LOVE the fall weather especially in Logan.  I can already feel the change coming.  I love when school starts, and the weather starts to cool off just a little.  It is perfect.  

I love this painting.  It is actually one my bishop or his son did, I'm not sure.  Our bishop is an amazing artist and I saw this one on his website.  I will own this painting one day! 

Click here for more paintings.

Logan Canyon Fall Leaves

I get bugged when nobody updates their blogs because then I don't have anything to do at night.  But then I realized I haven't updated in a long time, so I guess I should take a turn in updating.  Not that people are dying to read my blog, but I always like when people update!  We went to Bear Lake two weekends ago with friends but my camera was dead so I don't have any pictures.  This past weekend we went to the Cache Valley Rodeo with family.  It was fun laughing at crazy people and watching the cowboys and rodeo queens doing their thing.  I do have a few pictures from that but they are still on my camera (one day I'll blog them).

Another important item of business that I'm sure you would all like to know..... The Old's are moving out this Saturday!  I thought this day would never come.  Saturday by noon they will be on their way back to sunny Arizona (watch out Jennifer) and out of our hair.  And if everything goes as planned we WILL NOT be living here next summer and I think you know why!  

And for you who read my blog I was getting frustrated a few months back with finding a practicum and all that nonsense.  Well I'm am so relieved because I figured out what I'm doing.  I am going to be teaching Good Touch Bad Touch in the elementary school throughout Cache Valley.  GTBT is a presentation that you do to teach children about sexual abuse and how to protect themselves!  I know, kind of an awkward subject, but way important.  I'm really excited and nervous to do it.  But I will get in the hours I need and then once I'm done with my Practicum hours it will be my full time paying job. So when I graduate I have a job!  How awesome is that.  I knew everything would work out, but I just hate waiting and waiting until something happens.  I seriously prayed about it 24/7 and fretted about it all the time.  I really hate not knowing what I will be doing, so it was stressing me out not having my fall semester all figured out.  But everything will always work out in the end how it needs to, so I just needed to have a little more faith!  

School starts a week from Monday, the apartments have been super busy with people last minute looking for housing, I'm still working my other job, we are slowly getting the apartments ready for the students, and I have to pay tuition by Friday!  It will be a busy two weeks!  

Bear Lake

We went to Bear Lake over Pioneer weekend to stay at the cabin.  We went to the beach on Friday and it was so crowded.  There was zero space on the beach, so we just set our chairs and umbrella up behind some other people and called it good.  

Me & Angie

Carolyn made us do this pose..... she thought it would be cute

Horse shoes

Clark & Carolyn

Eating at Cafe Sabor

Another photo op chosen by Carolyn!

{this is just for my sisters....does my "pose" remind you of certain pictures taken in 1991 in front of Grandma's house.  The popped knee and hand on the hip is a classic of mine!}

Just waiting to eat at my favorite place!  Now I can have yummy chips and salsa in Logan and Garden City.

It was a short trip but lots of fun.  We came home Saturday and had Hamburger's on the grill at our apartment then everyone headed home.  I'm pretty sure we are going up to Bear Lake again this weekend with some friends.  Apparently it's the place to be!

Last weekend Clark's friend was doing a roping competition here in Logan so we decided to go watch us some calf roping, some team roping, some ribbon pulls, and some cow roping & milking ( I don't know the official names).  

My mom brought my nephew's Max and Jack to watch the horses and cows.  They were pretty intrigued by it all.  Max didn't want to leave.  I on the other hand, was getting too hot.  I was ready to leave!

Max practicing his roping skills on uncle Clark