Farther south.

There's a first time for everything... and this weekend it was St. George. I mean, I'm pretty sure I've been there before, but all I remember is thinking it was way cool that High School Musical 2 was filmed at the golf course where my dad was having his business meeting. So I don't think that counts.

Saturday afternoon we packed up our things and headed south to find lodgings at Melissa's grandparent's house. Our evening was spent eating the tops off of Iceberg shakes (eating any more than that would have kept us sick in bed the rest of the weekend. Those things are huge.), donating money to a girl's kidney transplant by means of going to a dance party, and watching Insidious, which sadly does not live up to its pretense of being "the scariest movie ever".

We woke up Sunday afternoon (who knows what happened to the morning) and went to Del Taco for breakfast/lunch. Can I just say, in case you didn't know, that I absolutely love Del? There is no better fast food restaurant. I don't even care what you have to say. If you have not had the funnel cake fries from there, you haven't lived.

Anyway, then we went to Snow Canyon and climbed in the lava caves. I'm so sore, but it was so worth getting a rock dropped on my foot and almost getting stuck down there because I am too short and too dumb to wear real shoes. Toms do not help you climb slippery rocks, just fyi. We found glow sticks and splattered the juice on the rocks in the pitch blackness of the caves. It was so cool.

After leaving Snow Canyon, we showered, went to Subway, and spent an hour looking for the game Curses in Walmart to no avail. So we bought the Game of Things instead and spent the next two hours playing it, and then spent the next four hours after that watching season one of Lost before finally hitting the hay.

Monday, we rose bright and early, hit up McDonald's for breakfast, and got on our way to Zion's National Park. We spent half the day driving up a winding road and through a bunch of tunnels for nothing, since everyone neglected to tell me we were going the wrong way... But we did finally find where we were supposed to be going and hiked up to the Emerald Pools. It was sprinkling and the air smelled like rain mixed with trees and sand and it was amazing.

The only thing that overshadowed this weekend was the - you guessed it - French homework that I have spent the last three hours on. But I am willing to overlook that and appreciate the fact that I got to spend the weekend with good friends, enjoying our Mother Earth. It was a good one.

"Forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."

                        Khalil Gibran

Birds.

French will kill me.

Week one of college, check.

Now that Welcome Week is over, it's time to really get into the swing of things... which in less words, means do homework. I'm only taking 13 credit hours, 1 of which I can test out of and 2 of which only last until Thanksgiving. Which basically leaves Geology of Natural Disasters, Intro to Public Relations, and... French. I thought taking the AP test was bad, but compared to this class... I don't even want to talk about it. Moving on.

College events thus far, besides actually going to classes, are as follows:

• Barbecues (free food!) last Monday and Tuesday. Not that eventful.
• Breaking a world record on Wednesday. Aka the most people blowing a bubble with Double Bubble at the same time. Yep. Cool huh.
• Kalai! His concert was on Wednesday too. I might be in love. I put a song of his on my playlist... so go listen to it.

• Club fair on Thursday. I signed up for rugby! Yeahhh buddy.
• Comedian Tracy Ashley on Friday night. So great. Her Oprah impersonations I could never get sick of. Oh my gosh.
• Triple date to the bowling alley after the comedian! We won't mention my score. But I didn't come in dead last on the second game! So I'm getting there.
• "The Lake on the Hill" with friends on Saturday afternoon. It smelled like fish, was full of fish, and I lost a race. But it was fun!

• 80s dance Saturday night! Finally somewhere that my dancing can fit in. I should have lived my life two decades ago.

Throw in a few episodes of Psych on Netflix, a couple movies, and that was my last week!

College is great. Bottom line.

Thunderbird.

That's what I am. A Thunderbird!
I have successfully moved in, gone to class, attended a sporting event (which technically was just our volleyball team playing itself... but still.), done homework, broken a world record (most people to blow a bubble with gum at one time), gone to the gym, bought books, and am living the college life. It's so crazy.

The first few days were kind of stressful, just because I was still trying to get settled and get everything I need while also changing my French class and reconnect with friends. But I think as of today I have all my books, my schedule is final, and I made the (hopefully) last trip to Walmart for a while. Now I can just dive into school and meet new friends and have lots of fun!

Here are some pictures of my room. Look at them.

It's time.

The time has come. I'm moving out in 12 hours.

The last couple days have been surreal. It's one of those times when you know that from this point on, life will never be the same as it was. It's exciting and terrifying and sad all at once. Everyone is going in different directions and no one is sure about whether you'll see each other again, or when that will be. All you can really do is say "See you later," and hope that you will. And then you take that step, and move forward.

I don't know what lies ahead, but I can't wait to find out.

Goodbye Sandy, childhood, and everyone here that has made me who I am.
It's been a dream.

Another late night.

I just watched Paranormal Activity 2 and now I can't sleep. So here I am.

Can I just say that movie scared the H-E-double-hockey-sticks out of me?! I started out in one corner of the couch and ended up in another, I was jumping so high. And then I come home and my mom tells me a scary story about her sister. And OH MY... of course! I'm listening to Pandora and an ad just came on whispering "We've been waiting for you....". There's no way I'm sleeping now.

Less than a week until I move out! I've been trying to hang out with all of my friends before I go. Over the years I have had a lot of different groups of friends and this week has been like traveling back through time. Especially tonight. I was with everyone I hung out with junior year and last summer... Well, minus one. But Tasha, Chris, and Tyler are here. I love them. :) It's sad to think I might never see them again. Or at least not for a while.

I keep looking over my shoulder expecting to see someone there. It's freaking me out!

I went to Hot Chelle Rae and We The Kings last night with some of my other friends. Have I mentioned how much I love concerts? Even if I don't know the bands, they're always fun. I know HCR and We The Kings pretty well so that was good, and The Summer Set also performed. I can't believe I didn't know about them before! The singer's voice is pure heaven. I ended up liking them more than Hot Chelle Rae which is who we went to see!

Anyway, at this point I am just rambling so I'm going to go attempt to go to sleep. Wish me luck.

Goodbye, greek philosopher.

Well, this past Friday was my last day at Plato's. It's crazy that I am leaving it after so long! I realized that almost all my friends have at one point in time worked there. Most have left, and I have remained. But now even I have left. Reliving the memories:

• Lady telling me that she bought her pants big because she "planned on gaining weight", but then she didn't so that's why she's selling brand new pants.
• Dancing to Concrete Beats after hours.
• Dressing up in crazy costumes to film our movies... which we probably find way funnier than they actually are.
• Lady telling me that she left her "cute little James Bond gun" in a hotel pillowcase by accident. But then again she also left her concealed weapons permit so she can't carry it anyway.
• All our parties. Hollywood Walk of Fame, Minute to Win It, Twilight, Christmas parties, movie parties, game parties. They were the best.
• That one game where you write a sentence, and then the next person draws a picture about it, and then the next person writes a sentence about the picture, etc. I have never laughed so hard in my life.
• Our wall in the back room that is a collage of song lyrics, signatures, drawings, and inside jokes.
• Lady telling me that her bank keeps on stealing her money so her card never works. "But I know how to work the system. Run it as credit."
• Grab Bag. Oh my gosh. Need I say more?
• Man convinced that there was going to be a fire in our store on Grab Bag and no one would be able to get out and would not shut up about it.
• Breakfast in the big dressing room.
• Lady wigging out because we don't take checks and because we won't sell her $45 pants for $20. So she storms out to find a credit card and her daughter pockets her coupon while her mom's not looking.
• Hipster day.
• Late night trips to Frogurt, Weinerschnitzel, and Del Taco.
• Hanging out: Bananagrams, Zupas, and antique shops with Rosie, bowling with Melanie, Nikki, and Kolby, doing hair and watching Salt with Natalie, Ke$ha with Nikki, double dates and Modern family with Tasha, mission farewells and homecomings with Cheryl and Carrie, Pirate-Os with Melanie, stalking Facebook and hair wraps with Annie and Sierra, MGMT with Rosie and Tina, SLC Arts Festival and Draper Days with Madi and Sierra, pretty much everything under the sun with Sierra. And probably a lot more I can't think of.
• Shewolf in Plato's Closet.
• Wondering why there was underwear on the floor, and then Cheryl asking if it was mine.
• Plato's romances, and romance advice.
• The infamous lady that peed in a shoe.
• And of course, most importantly all the amazing and lifelong friendships I formed during my time there. Cheryl, Nikki, Tina, Ashley, Natalie, Kolby, Rosie, Tasha, Sierra, Madi, Steffen, Kylee, Annie, Tyler, Melanie, Tricia, Kimber, Robin, Phil, and everyone else. I'm gonna miss you like crazy!