*sniffle, sniffle, cough*

I have been sick all week long, thus resulting in a very lame blog... poor you for not having anything to read.  Well, I'm better-ish.  I have some pictures that I need to get up of what I did last weekend.  I'll give you a hint, it involves apples.  Today was a lovely day and it's only going to get better!  I went on a blind... meeting.  I guess it was a date of some sorts.  So enjoyable!  Yes, I will be seeing him again.

News that is equally as exciting.  I AM GOING HOME!!! I get to see my favorite people in the whole entire world.  Mom, Dad, Jason, Jesika and Skyler!  I can hardly contain my excitement.  I'll take pictures.

Apologies

The post titled "Another Day of Filing" was intended for my blog that I have to do for my Media Smarts class, not for Golden Gala.  My Apologies.

Found it Online Friday!

After going climbing one day my friend showed me this awesome video that I believe he found on YouTube.

How awes-tastic is that?!

Oh hey, that's me!  Brian climbed around the side of the mountain and got this picture right as I was near the top!  I think this is probably my all time favorite picture of me climbing.

No Thought This Thursday.

Although it is now Friday I am writing to say that Thoughtful Thursday isn't going to be published this week.  I have a great thought, but I am unable to share it until I have completed one of my classes for the semester.  

Sorry, y'all.

Vintage Vensday

Once I remember to bring my camera up to school I will have more current pictures but until then I'm going to have to use the one's I've already posted.

This is what i'm contemplating on wearing to church on Sunday.

I can't decide if it is too unique or not.  Goodness, I live in Logan, Utah and I don't think everyone is a open as I am to the wonderful world of vintage... poor them.

I will wear it with a black belt and peep toe heels.  I just might alter the sleeves a little so people don't think i'm a freak.

What are your thought?  Should I wear the dress, or is it too "out there"? 

Tutorial Tuesday= New Recipe!

I was too lazy to think of a tutorial for today, so I figured a recipe is similar to a tutorial.  

My roommate makes these on occasion and they are divine!  So good!

Lemon Pull-Aparts

12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold

2 lemon rinds, grated

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

Citrus Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix grated lemon rind with sugar.  Cut rolls in half and place in a 9x13 inch baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over rolls.  Sprinkle with lemon rind/sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 cup mixture to sprinkle on just before baking.  Cover with sprayed plastic wrap.

Let rise until double in size.  Remove plastic wrap.  Sprinkle on remaining mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.  Remove immediately from pan and place on cooling rack. Combine powdered sugar, butter and lemon juice.  Mix well.  Drizzle glaze over pull-aparts.

I hope you enjoy these as much a I do!

Made it This Weekend Monday... Sort of.

In my new series of posts Monday will be dedicated to the things I made over the weekend.  I'm already a failure at this because I wasn't able to complete my project in order to show it off today *sad face*.  Instead i'll show you my inspiration just so y'all can start getting excited for the time when I will actually show you what I slaved away at over "Fall Break".

So cute huh? 

I think I know what my friends will be getting for Christmas!

When I go Climbing This is What Happens

I went climbing again today, I rocked it out!  Oh baby did I have an awesome time.  The wall was beautiful, not too hard, but high enough to make you feel so good about yourself for making it to the top.

Anyway...

Oh the way up the canyon I kept thinking that I must remember to leave my phone in the car.  The thought came to me over and over again to LEAVE YOUR PHONE IN THE CAR!  Well, I forgot to leave my phone in the car... silly me.  

The hike up to the wall was fairly steep and conditions were perfect for cute little cell phones to jump out of jacket pockets and nestle themselves in the loose rocks.  When I got to the top of the hike and we were setting up for the climb I realized that my phone in fact was not in my pocket any longer.  For some reason I was completely okay with it.  Weird, I know!  I figured that my phone wasn't going anywhere and that if someone found it that they would keep it safe for me.  I climbed first and then belayed Sara.  After that I figured that it might be nice if I went to look for my phone.  I made the trek down to the car taking a slightly different path in order not to cover my beloved cell phone with loose gravel and rocks.  I got to the car, peaked inside and of course my phone isn't there.

As I hiked up to the wall searching desperately for my phone not seeing it anywhere in front of me and nowhere off to the side of the path I decided to say a pray.  Pray, pray, pray, "amen".  I look up and there is my cute little pink cell phone perched on a rock in a position that didn't look it would be possible for it not to slip down the mountain.  And best of all the screen was facing up... no scratches at all!

Of course I felt it necessary to go to a secluded place and thank my father in heaven for helping me find my phone and for keeping it safe and out of harms way.  Some may say that I would have eventually found it on my own, or that the Lord doesn't care about your cell phone because he has bigger things to help people with.

I know that the only reason I found my cell phone is because I prayed, I know that the Lord does care about me and the things that matter to me.  Today I learned a lesson.  I learned that when the spirit tells you to leave the cell phone in the car that you should do that, but I learned a more important lesson as well.  The Lord does hear and answer our prayers no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.

The End

The Church is True

Go Forward in Faith

Once I went to Orlando

Once upon a time I went to Orlando, Florida with my family... actually we've been twice.  We go around every five years or so.  Well this year my family went once again.  WITHOUT ME!  For some reason they didn't think it would be worth it to flush thousands of dollars down the drain in order for me to join them.  I guess a college education is more important than spending time with your family, who knew?

Actually I'm totally okay with staying up in Logan while they got to bask in the sun... oh wait, no i'm not!  It got kind of cold up here.  But for realsies I was cool with staying in Logan with my awesome roommates.  We had bunches of fun and I purchased some great things to showcase on "Made it Over the Weekend Monday's".

What I'm not okay with is that my family didn't call me when they got home!  They didn't think it necessary to rub it in my face that they are all nice and tan while I stay pasty white.  My dad didn't even text me saying "Just landed. -Dad" or "We're home. -Dad".  I think it's cute that he always ended his text with "-Dad", because you know I might one day forget that he is in fact my "-Dad".

If one of the three of you read this please call me!  But not from 8:40am-12:30pm or 5:45-9 tomorrow.

I love you all!

Found it Online Friday

Yesterday is what my roommates and I called "Impostor Friday", because the University was oh so very kind and declared today as being "fall break".  I don't exactly call one day off of school a break, but we take what they give us and don't complain.

I recently decided that each day of the week is going to have a specific topic, this is me trying to be more consistent with posting and hopefully a little more organized.

Made it This Weekend Monday 

Tutorial Tuesday

Vintage Vensday

Thoughtful Thursday

Found it Online Friday

Saturday and Sunday are free post days, probably because I know I won't have much time to post on Sunday and just because I couldn't think of something clever for Saturday. 

I think youtube is my guilty pleasure, not because I like to watch stupid videos but because I love listening to music videos while i'm getting reading in the morning (or early afternoon).

Recently I purchased Sara Bareilles' new album Kaleidoscope... LOVE IT!  It's no secret that everyone loves her new song "King of Anything", it's the best!  Actually... the whole album is the best, go check it out. 

I looked up the music video for King of Anything and I feel that it must be shared.  It's super cutie!

I told you it was cute!  

I love the dress that she wears towards the end, I want it. 

Power to the Women! on Thoughtful Thursday

"Rocks make no compromise for sex... rock climbing is not like some sports, where it is made easier for women; or sports like, say, softball, which is only baseball for soft people. On a rock, everything is equal." -Beverly Johnson

"I can't remember a single time that I was prevented from doing what I wanted because I was a female, either on the rock or in the mountains." -Annie Whitehouse

I believe that men and women are equal and should be treated as so.  I've recently discovered the joy of rock climbing, it's empowering to know that the rules aren't changed for women. The rock is unchanging and it doesn't care if you're a women, it WILL treat you no differently than it treated the man who climbed before you.

Here are some pictures from my recent excursions.

First Time Climbing!

Help!  How do I make the figure 8?

Look at me go!  Look at my hair.  Isn't is cute?

Sara and I laughing at Angel

Second Climb on My First Day

No, I don't hold on to the rope!  I slipped, I swear!

I made it to the top!  Go Me!

Second Climbing Trip

I just thought Sara looked super cutie!

Chalkin' up my hands

Second Climb on My Second Trip Climbing

Golden Gala

Once upon a time this blog was titled "A True Aggie Story", it's not anymore!  I've decided to take a new direction with my blog and possibly start a line on Etsy called... you guessed it, Golden Gala.

Kind of like the apple, but more like the fancy party.  

An Aggie Book Review: Hunger Games

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and started "The Hunger Games" series by Suzanne Collins and I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know if I completely understand what is so great about these books.  I feel as if they resemble another YA series that many of you might recall, The Twilight series.  Yeah, remember those books?  Yup, as I sat there reading "The Hunger Games" I kept thinking darn, this Katniss girl sure reminds me of Bella... that sounded rude.  Katniss is WAY cooler than Bella will ever be!  Katniss is independent and doesn't rely on mythical creatures (emphasis on CREATURES!... as in plural!) to validate her.


I like that the books are what I consider to be an "easy read".  It was nice that there was a couple twists within the plot or else I'm pretty sure I would have dropped the book like a sack of potatoes.


All in all it was a good book, but I still don't understand why everyone is so obsessed with it.  As of right now I have more important things to do than to sit and read Young Adult fiction, but when I do find the time to just sit around I will end up reading the next two books in the series... eventually. 

"How To" Help

I was recently in a bookstore looking around when I noticed that there are quite a few "How To..." books out on the market, they practically have one for EVERYTHING!  How to cook like Julia Child; How to break up with your boyfriend; How to make people like you; How to lie without getting caught; etc.  There are tons of these books and there are tons of suckers willing to purchase a book that claims that it will make you a superstar and whatever you're trying to learn to do.  

I'm a total "How to..." hater, 

BUT!

There is one book that I am desperately in need of, a book that I would pay big bucks to own, a book that I might just have to write myself.  Where is the book entitled: "How to Survive an LDS Singles Ward While Being Single"?!  Has no one thought to write one?  Really people, you couldn't come up with that one?

Anyway...

I'm in desperate need of some "How to..." advice!  

It seems like everyone can somehow survive the singles wards, but no one knows how to make it an enjoyable experience for those of us who are in fact available, single, good for the pickin'... do you see where i'm going with this?

Please, if you have suggestions please post a comment.  And I would love it if you didn't post it as anonymous (mom and dad) please put something so I might know that it's you (if I do in fact know you personally).  

Second Favorite Tradition!

I know the school year is still new but there is one tradition that I think is AWESOME!  It happens during finals week and it's basically the only reason to keep living during that dreadful week in December and May. 

If you have been stuck in the library all week and are looking for a way to unwind would you ever think of howling? Probably not... because you're normal.  Well, here at Utah State we are anything BUT normal!

This fabulous tradition started in spring of 2006, when a group of students started howling at ten o'clock on the Wednesday of finals week in the library to relieve stress and celebrate their love of wolves (freaks!). To the dismay of the librarian, the howling grew louder over the next ten minutes. The police were called. However, by the time the police arrived everything had quieted to a conducive study environment, with a little less tension.

The dream of the founders is for those coming through Sardine Canyon to hear the howling of students letting loose test anxiety at 10 p.m. on the Wednesday of finals week. So no matter where you are on the Wednesday of finals week remember: howl from ten to ten till ten!

I totally participated in this tradition last year and it's the one reason I look forward to finals week this year... oh, and I only have one final that is mandatory!  GO ME!!!