Finding my independence in Indy

Having lived away from home since I graduated from high school, and being one of only two children it might be surprising to find I am not very good at being independent. I am a great co-dependent. If I am cleaning I like to at least have someone sitting in the same room and talking to me. I would rather go any type of shopping with someone else, and going to dinner alone is not something I would enjoy or find relaxing.

With all of that being said I am in Indianapolis this week for the National FFA Convention. I don’t have any scheduled meetings while the students that I work with are attending their meetings. Instead of sitting in my hotel room and hanging out or reading all day, I decided that I was going to look around the town. That is right I explored downtown Indy by myself. I wanted to go to the NCAA Hall of Champions, but it is temporarily closed. So instead I went to the Indiana State Museum and learned all about the Hoosier state. By the by did you know that David Lettermen and Orville Redenbacker (sp? ) are from Indiana.

It was actually a very enjoyable afternoon and a great way to help pass some time, but I don’t know if I would consider myself completely independent.

ConDogs Senior Pictures

My brother is so stinking cute, and he is getting so old. He just got his senior pictures taken and here are the results. My personal favorite is number 22, let me know what ones you like:)
http://web.mac.com/christinahicken/Photography/Kellogg_Senior_Pictures.html

My First Article

For Ag week at Utah State I was asked to write an article about the organic farm for the school newspaper (the Utah Statesman). I was very nervous because I have never written an article for a newspaper, but don't worry my article was the feature article for the Wednesday paper! I was pretty excited. If you would like to read it, here is the link...
http://www.utahstatesman.com/contents/features/playing_in_the_dirt

Ready for Take Off!

When I graduated from high school I got this roller duffel type bag from my aunt and uncle. I take it almost anywhere that I go. If it is for a weekend or overnight trip it comes with me. If I am going to be gone for a week I somehow cram all my stuff in the bag. For the short trips it is excellent. For long trips I have to pack in specific order and fold very carefully to get everything I need in it. The only problem is when it comes time to leave I usually don’t keep things in order and wait until the last second so I am trying to cram everything back in the little red roller duffel (RRD). I have had this bag for a few years and the bottom is starting to wear out a little. I have also been taking trips that are a little longer. If it weren’t for my shoe problem I would still be able to take the RRD, but if I take the RRD I can only take the must haves for shoes so maybe brown shoes, black shoes, and I have to either wear my tennis shoes or flip flops because the really won’t fit into the bag.

For a while now I have thought about buying my own luggage so I can have a big bag for longer trips and for my shoes (seriously I have these yellow shoes that must be worn when I am on trips they are dang cute!). I have been looking for a while for my luggage. I did check wal-mart, but all they had were the basic black, red, and navy bags, I don’t want to have a bag like everyone else especially if I am going to be buying this for myself…lame. So I went to TJ Maxx. They had a big blue plaid bag but it was as way expensive, and it was only one, not a set, so I kept looking. Finally I got smart and decided that I would check on-line. BINGO! I found just what I was looking for.

It was colorful, it was fun it came in a set, it was decently priced, so I made my purchase and it showed up at my door a few days later. Let me just say that I am so excited for my cute new luggage and can’t wait until I get to use it. Here is a link to the picture http://images.smarter.com/300x300x15/30/60/5553860.jpg … I know right so cute! The only thing that would make it better is if it were yellow.

Don’t worry the RDD will still be used for the short trips until the bottom wears out or the wheels fall off. Just because it is getting old doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t enjoy its job.

Week of Welcome

I love the first week back to class. I get to see everyone that I missed during the summer, there are always tons of activities going on, and you really don’t have very much homework yet. So far this week I helped at a blood drive and got a cool new shirt for my hard workJ, a free scoop of aggie ice cream, a couple of dinners, a new game day shirt, had a great time at Bingo (that means I didn’t win a single thing) but so far the best part has been floating down the canal at mid-night. You might note that today is only Wednesday so there is still plenty of fun to be had.

Now back to the floating the canal. I have lived in Logan for a year and have always wanted to go and float. It is hard to get a fun group of people to go because everyone always has conflicting schedules. At mid-night on a Tuesday a group of us didn’t have any other matters that were too pressing so we decided that we would take the plunge.

There is construction being done around the place that you get in, and one of the workers saw us. We were all sure that we were going to be busted and get in trouble for being around the construction site, but we were wrong. The worker was from California the first thing he said was wait an f-ing second you are going to do what! Do you know its freezing cold! That was really the last thing that I wanted to hear right then because it was very cold I was doing my best to think warm Hawaii thoughts. After that he told us about working construction in downtown Oakland CA at night and how crazy everyone told him he was, but he wasn’t even stupid enough to try floating down the canal. He was so funny he wanted to have documentation of our trip so we took a picture with him he wrote down the time and went and checked the water temperature. It was in the mid forties. He told us he would try and check on us and let us know that he had emergency heating blankest in the car. He was very nice and hecka funny!

Floating down the canal wasn’t actually too bad, it was a clear night so you could see the starts and the mountains are all around the area. It was a very pretty float, just not very warm. Our little construction worker even went to a couple of spots he could drive close and he really did check on us and make sure we were all still alive. The worst of it was when we had to get out and hike down to the car. The wind was blowing we were all obviously wet, and my legs were numb.
Since I was on the verge of freezing, I got home and jumped in the shower, I was stinging all over! It was like when you sit in a hot tub, run around in the snow and get back in. I even had to pull the extra blankest out of my closet to stay warm for the whole night. It was so fun, I don’t know if I would do it again but I am glad that I did it once!

Taking Back My Life

Ever since Aug 8 2008 I have been a little pre-occupied with everything happening in Beijing, well I guess just everything that has to do with the Olympics. When I say everything I mean the entire kit and caboodle. The Mexican women winning their first diving medal, the Chinese almost making a sweep in diving, girls who claim to be 16 competing in gymnastics, Nastia and Shawn keeping me up every night, Nastia tying with the Chinese girl on the bars, the cute US diver who didn’t make it to the finals but who is only 15, she will be back and rock our socks off in London, Iraq not being able to compete this year (I am quite mad about that), table tennis, volleyball, water polo, walking, running, swimming (Hello Michael!), basketball, I LOVE the Olympics.

I however don’t have a TV that gets local channels, and it was hard to watch it all on-line because the commentators are not as good, so I scheduled my life to fit prim time Olympics, one day I went early to a work meeting to watch Michael get his 10th gold. Another day I went to the gym, a dirty trick that they play is you can only hear what is being said on the TV if you have the ear phones plugged in and are continuously moving. Seriously, it made me work out longer but I just wanted to watch the dang Olympics! I also stayed a few nights at my boss’s house while she was on vacation. I volunteered for the early shift just so I would have to spend the night and watch the Olympics. I even went and saw my parents who are so blessed to have the magical box of DVR. This helped to provide me with hours and hours of Olympic coverage with the ability to fast forward through the commercials. Thank you DVR!

The Olympics even so graciously ended the day before school started, so I have now taken back control of my life, sort of. Now if I could only convince those professors to not give any homework assignments!

Lazy vs. Karma

If you have ever been to Logan you know that there are lots of hills. I live at the bottom of one of those blasted hills which can be good, and bad. Some mornings I wake up and I think to myself, Man I would be way more excited for class if I didn’t have to walk up that hill. Now this is not a small hill, it is quite an incline. Everyday though I think of how guilty I would feel if I didn’t go to class because I was simply just too lazy.

This summer I have had to give a few campus tours and I had a friend who had a class at the same time that I would need to be at campus so I would hitch a ride from her (like I said I really hate that hill). Well summer classes ended August 1, and I had a tour today, so I decided that I would beat the system. I would drive my car to the institute, ask about classes, and park my car at the institute building while I did my tour, just a stone’s throw away from where I needed to be.

I give my tour, it rocked as usual those lucky people (haha) I got done, and start walking home. The walk home is one part of school that I really can look forward too. That means class is over and I just have to make it down the hill which is usually pretty easy (except for when the sidewalk is really icy). So today I did just that, I started walking home. I got down the steepest part of the hill before I remembered that I was so smart and parked at the institute.

Oh Karma, I have to give it to you, you are a tough opponent, but you did well. Lazy, I’m not surprised that you lost. Thanks for reminding me that I should have just walked up the hill to begin with this morning!
Karma 1, Lazy 0

Frost Yourself

I really enjoy shopping, especially when I can find a great deal. Well fortunately enough for me there is a rocking store in Nampa called Steve and Berry. Sara Jessica Parker has a lot of clothes there, and to top it off everything is 9.98. Now when I say everything, much to my surprise it really means everything. They had suit jackets, tennis shoes, skirts, dresses, shirts, pants, the works.

I tried on a few things, and decided that I really didn’t need anything, and was also having one of those days where nothing I tried on looked good. I also didn’t have a lot of money, but it was burning a hole in my pocket, so I looked at my next option, jewelry. I had seen a couple of items of jewelry that were on the mannequin that were very cute so I was on a quest. I found the jewelry and saw that they had headbands, necklaces, rings, bracelets, they had it all.

Now here is my train of thinking, at the dollar store, most everything is a dollar, but some things like the candy and smaller items are 2 for a dollar. Well with no sign around I guess I just assumed that jewelry at a store where the sell everything for 9.98 would be the same, 2 for 9.98. Guess what I was wrong. Since it was “designer” jewelry it is still 9.98. Yep one bracelet on the same level of jewelry that you could buy from any Clair’s is 9.98. Might I also add that Sara Jessica Parker should also consider this an insult because they are not considering her clothes designer. Let it be known that I took my 9.98 and went to Bath and Body works and bought some great smelling soap instead!

Hey, Hey, Hey, Good-bye

We all have our time to go, and we just have to put on a brave face, be strong, and deal with it. I just didn’t expect this time for my dear friend to come so soon. Last year when I moved to Logan I was in need of a friend who would always be there for me. I know that I left it many times, but I tried to find someone to make sure that it was fed, loved, and well taken care of. I guess being gone for two weeks in a warm apartment was just too much for my little fish, skip-bo to handle.


Skip-bo was named after my favorite card game, and was very kind and loving. He did dirty his fish bowl pretty fast, but I tried my best to take good care of my little fish. I have a great new roomie who even took on the responsibility of feeding it when she first moved in, but Skip-bo had other plans, a bigger fish bowl that he needed to swim in. My cool new roomie even took care of him in his final hour and made sure that he was properly disposed of before I got home.


I know that it will be hard to get through this, but I will soon try to find a replacement for my great fish, Skip-bo, but I just don’t know what I’ll name it.
Skip-Bo Aug 18, 2007-Aug 6, 2008

Sick Car Man

I have a few little repairs that I need to make to my car. Nothing major, just a couple things that would make my driving experience a little better. For example my passenger side mirror is cracked, my built in clock is not working, when I first got the car it has two lighter places which many people no longer use as cigarette lighters, instead they use them as chargers. The one lighter has always been broken, and the other I broke a few months ago when I was messing with my ipod adaptor and I broke part of it off in the lighter. Needless to say it no longer works.

Today I went to stay with my grandma and decided to run a few errands including getting my oil changed. While I was there I decided that I should run to a parts store and see how much it would cost to get these other small things fixed. First I was surprised to hear that a mirror is over 85 dollars. Who knew? Not me! Next I would have to take my car into a Toyota dealer to get the clock fixed, so I don’t yet know how much that will cost. Now for the lighters, I explained to the man what I used it for, my own modern conveniences such as cell phone charger, and ipod adaptor. So he knows that I don’t need the lighter part, I need the other part that is connected to my car (I also explained it to him using almost that exact phrasing). Now I don’t know car slang or terms so he may have been correct when he said to me “so the female part is broke.” Seriously! Why did he have to put it that way! I wanted to gag! I am a little more understanding if that is the correct car term, but if not he is a sick sick perv!!

Skeleton Key

Okay so this has nothing to do with the movie, it has to do with my hotel room key. I usually don’t mind hotel room keys, not a big deal, just keep track of them so you can get in and out of your room and go about your day. The first day I was at the hotel I checked in, got my room key and took all my stuff in. I went back to take more stuff to my room and my key didn’t work. I had to go back to the front desk and have them re-swipe my key. So took the stuff in, then I went to check to see where the pool was (you know that is important!) Ran back out to my car and grabbed a couple of books , purse, camera etc. Gone from my room less than five minutes, and wouldn’t you know the dang thing didn’t work! I had to go back and have them re-swipe my card. So I take my stuff to my room, check my pocket and make sure I have my key and leave the room.

I attended a couple hours of meetings, and when I went back to check in the room for the 4th stinking time that day I reached to grab my hotel key and realized that it wasn’t my hotel key in my pocket, it was instead my key chain! So I had to once again go to the front desk and get a new key, they didn’t even ask my room number, they just gave me a new key.

Throughout the rest of the week I did end up leaving my key in my room a couple more times, and had to go back a couple times because it wouldn’t work. I never realized how annoying that could be! Thank goodness I was relatively close to the front desk so it wasn’t quite as big of a hassle, but it was still annoying. Only one more day left in a hotel and dealing with the finicky keys!

Who would have thunk!

Yesterday when I woke up before my normal arising time, around 6:15 in the morning, I was slowly getting my clothes ready for the day, dragging myself to the bathroom, and getting ready to get in the shower. I got my shower stuff together, got in, turned on the water ready to adjust it to the perfect temperature. Unlike my house shower, that all I have to do is pull the handle out and its almost perfect, hotels are always different. Sometimes you have to turn the dial all the way around before it gets hot, sometimes it gets really hot really fast etc. Well don’t worry when I pulled the handle out I was standing very close to the front of the bathtub, and surprise the shower button was already pushed, and the water was ice cold. GOOD MORNING! There was no escaping no matter what corner of the tub I tried to run to. Needless to say my shower helped me in completely waking up. I was no longer as tired. Note to others if you need help waking up in the morning try surprising yourself in a cold shower!

Now here is a random question/thought What time is appropriate for the hotel staff to start cleaning rooms? For me, it really isn’t a big deal because like I said I have been getting up early ( I know you sick and twisted morning people think that waking up with the sun is normal). Today I was heading back to my room to grab some gear (like my computer so I could blog ) around 7:45 and someone was already cleaning rooms. Now I guess that it could be rooms of people who they know checked out WAY early in the morning to catch a flight, or someone who they know checked out late the day before after the maids were already gone, that is fine as well, but for the rest of the people that I am envious of because they are still sound asleep in their very large comfortable bed… That BITES!

Speaking of my bed (haha good lead in, go me!) At home I have a small little twin bed, which I am fine with. I am not a crazy sleeper and if I decided to make my bed every day it would take only a minute, but I have better things to do with that minute, and know that I will be back the next night (hopefully afternoon). This past weekish I have been in a hotel room by myself. Hotels don’t have twin beds in their room, so I have had a nice king size bed. The first night I started by laying on my little side, on the edge, no big deal. Then I thought to myself…Hum… I have this very BIG bed here, why am I just on this little corner. So I SPREAD out! It was great. Since that first night I have been a crazy sleeper because I can sprawl out! I wake up in the morning with at least a couple of pillows that have gone overboard, I try to make sure no corner of the bed feels left out, and it is awesome!

Where is the Beef?

I know that part of the reason that I read blogs is for the pictures of what my friends are doing and their adventures. Yep I have no pictures at all, so right now my blog is pretty much rabbit food (greens, lettuce, a little boring I do know this). Sorry! Here is the deal. I just got a new camera and (shocker) I didn’t bring the disk to download the program to my computer. I don’t know if you realize how long it took me to finally semi-start on this blog thing so be patient, I will get pictures of some adventures one day

Last weekend was my brothers 17th birthday, and I met my family in Twin Falls. While we were there we went to the Twin Falls temple open house. It is nice to see how they incorporate the local area into some of the rooms (Shoshone Falls, South Hills, the Idaho State Flower).

For other news I got my hair cut, I love it, but it is always a hard decision for me to make because I see people with long flowing hair and it is just beautiful so I try so hard to grow my hair out. Sometimes it works better than others, but I usually end up chopping it off so surprise!
It is short again, and now I am going to grow it out for a while.

Oh the Places You'll Go!

I know that I have mentioned that I like to travel, but it seems that once I start I don't want to stop. For example when I get back to Logan I will have been gone for about two and a half weeks. I started off my journey by go to little Manassa Colorado which is at the very bottom of CO, just about 45 minutes from the New Mexico boarder. I went with my mom and grandma so you know that it must have been a party.

One of the events that everyone comes back to Manassa for is Pioneer day, this little town almost doubles in size for the weekend. On the way to Manassa we stopped in Montrose and took my friend Tyler, who is on a mission, and his comp out to lunch. It was good to see him, and very fun.

Most of the weekend consisted of hanging out at my great-grandparents house and letting them talk to all of their family who would just stop by randomly throughout the day.

On the way back to Logan we stopped at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Did you know that the Olympics start next week (8/8/08) and I am a little obsessed. It was fun to see some of the athletes who were preparing to leave in a few days and compete in Beijing.

We finally got back to Logan, I switched suite cases, and then headed to Boise for my FFA meetings. I love the place we are staying! I have a HUGE bed all to myself, there are two, yes two flat screen TV's in my room, and Bath & Body provides all the lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and soap. The sink looks like one you could walk out of the hotel with ( its glued down I did check!).

I love staying in Hotels, I think that I could stay in one for a VERY long time. One of the many reasons is because someone checks on your stuff and makes sure that you have clean towels, a made bed, shampoo and lotion. I may be whistling a different tune after next week but for now its great!

Lets get Started (for real-ish)

Okay, I am a little intimidated to be doing this because some of my friends rock at blogging(Ris, Amber specifically)!
I really do wish that I could be as cool as them, but instead, you just get what you get... right.
So I think it is typical to share a little about yourself for all the bloggstalkers because those who know you should already know this info.
I go to school at USU. I Love LOVE LOVE it! I have great friends and love the town it rocks! I work for the Idaho FFA. It is a great job because I get to do a little bit of traveling, and work with great youth leaders from the state. I also work at a day care, which is very fun because one thing is for sure, kids will keep you young and on your toes. Plus lets be honest kids will say the funniest things that will make you laugh for days. In my spare time I work for Logan Parks and Rec. I mostly do that so I don't feel guilty buying fun toys that I really want. :)
I love to travel, go to concerts, and the Olympics!
Sorry this isn't great yet, but it is a start.

Why I am doing this!

What everyone is doing it and I want to be part of the cool crew!