No Paraguay

So it all started with me taking Farrell to the Livestock Center on Wednesday and Friday nights and then on Tuesday and Thursday nights so she could take care of these chickens that were part of a project out there. Well, I had barrel racing for four weeks on Wed/Fri and then Team Sorting for two weeks on Tues/Thurs so it wasn't a big deal. Being the nosy chicken-lovin' fool I was, I went out to see these chickens and she told me they were trying to develop a mobile bottomless chicken coop to build for people in Paraguay. She showed me the ones they had made up... *shudder* They were pretty huge, heavy, had too much wood, hardware sticking all in the sides of it, they were made out of about ten billion little different scraps from metal rods to woodchips! So I told her I had a different, easier, lighter and more chicken, cost and space efficient plan.

Just so happened my "Cow Class" teacher was in charge of this project, Brother Orchard, (technically my Animal Handling and Behavior class teacher) so I showed him the ideas. Well, first I met with one of the two engineers who was in charge of building and developing these coops, and he was he**bent and determined to not use my idea and he wasn't real good at pretending to honestly humor me by looking at the ideas. So I then showed Brother Orchard who began praising me up and down, saying I was an answer to prayers, I was gonna save lives with this thing, and "If you and me have to go build this thing ourselves, we're gonna do it!" (that's what he said after I told him the engineer's lack of enthusiasm). I went to a meeting with him, the two engineers, Brother and Sister Shaw and some other guy and Farrell and showed them the idea. Farrell always liked it, the one engineer was still against it, the Shaws seemed happy, the other engineer was genuinely interested, Orchard was ecstatic and the other dude was talking of other things but seemed to really like it.

They adopted it and I was adopted into the project. Brother Orchard said he'd get them to get me involved, but they didn't. I ended up going out and looking at it by myself (well, before cow labs different days) and they had made it with wood that was so light it was felt in between what we use and balsa wood! And they left out several important supports and they didn't staple down the wire! They did the whole sandwich thing between wood pieces with screws, and it looked poor! *sigh* Engineers. It also ended up blowing over, and I tried to contact the one engineer and get together with him about it but he never contacted me back and when I tried to express my concerns to Brother Orchard he just smiled and nodded and steered our conversation to the Paraguay trip.

I was invited to go, and Brother Orchard always was calling and checking up on me to see how the process of everything was going and whenever he saw me he always asked, "So are you like, really excited?!" I never could tell him a definite yes, because it never really did hit me. But anyways, so I went to a couple more meetings about it, got shots, a passport, a plane ticket and sent in for my visa the very last week of school cause I was either so busy before or lazy/forgetful on days where I could've done it. And it didn't come in time.

So, with my passport and visa lost in the mail somewhere (I finally called the consulate in Washington D.C. and they said they'd mail it that afternoon, but the return envelope with my name on it that I put in there had a delivery confirmation number that's supposed to get scanned into the usps system when its mailed wasn't even in the system yet, so who knows where it is!) and my ticket non-refundable, reuseable, rechargeable.... no Paraguay.

But no fretting! I don't mind! Seriously, I was stressed out about the trip. Well, not real stressed, just kinda nervous about such a new thing. Luckily, I hadn't packed or anything or gotten stuff purchased for it (except for a very expensive plane ticket...). I fasted and prayed earlier this week about the whole visa thing, hoping for it to come/asking for peace of mind for either scenario: going or not. And when it didn't come, Brother Orchard called me up (He told me to call him anytime I needed anything - not to hesitate! so I had called him to pray for me about the visa thing earlier) and told me he felt good about it, that Satan was not interfering it just wasn't right at this time for me to go. Really, Brother Orchard is so spiritual and it made me feel alot better talking to him about it. In fact, our first few class periods all we talked about were scriptures, the spirit, the Lord and such that I didn't think we'd EVER talk about cows! I thought it was a spiritual enrichment hybrid class that fooled with cows on the side!

Anyhow, no harm done! Paraguay may not get me this time, but ya never know what'll happen in the future. And now, I've got some shots and my passport under my belt in case a mission comes!

Guilt Blogging

I must only blog in here when I feel guilty, because I feel guilty right now! Yesterday I was down with a sore throat. In the morning as I rose at 5:50am, I felt like I was gonna puke and considered not going to school but... I really wanted to go to my horse class, and I couldn't justify going if I skipped all my other classes. So I went to school and then horse class, then came home and went to bed for a good 4-5 hours. Woke up after FHE and ate way too much food (we'd had a typical-college-kid-meal dinner for FHE), then began working on some homework.

Yeah, pretty much finished my World Foundations homework, then got distracted by videos of horses until a little past midnight all the while contemplating skipping my American Foundations class in the morning.

My alarm went off at 6am and I was pretty much making myself sleep at that point, I was fairly wide awake but I stubbornly decided not to go to class. Even though I probably could've gotten up just fine, showered and skipped my dance class to read my 9-page science thing and take the quiz online just in time for my Science class. I woke again at 7am and probably could've still gone to class, but I didn't. *sigh*

So, I stayed home, got up around 8:30, read my science thing and took the quiz (that took me about an hour) ate a banana and vanilla yogurt with homemade chocolate chip cookie dough chunks in it and am now blogging to postpone my much needed shower.

I really just want a break! GAH! But I'm not entitled to one. 7:45am classes MWF and 8am TTh is killing me, really. It almost would've been nice to be barfing all day so I could justify skipping ALL my classes... but wait, that was 'almost'... can't I just be lazy for one day and watch a movie or play animal crossing or something?!

No lazy days at college.

All-Nighters are Overrated

Is it really smart to do what I'm doing?

I've known about this research paper for the entire semester, but I just NOW did it. The night before its due, no wait... the DAY its due! For my 7:45am Doctrine and Covenants class, I've been working on the research paper for it since 12am.

Okay, so not the entire time, but for three hours at least. And I -still- have to read over it, fix the documentation and figure out the MLA format on the works cited for the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. Oh. Wait! I just looked at the spine of my triple combination and looks like they're just "Book of Mormon" and "Doctrine and Covenants" no 'the' in front.

Wow, that clears up alot of questions. But not about the two articles by Marion G. Romney...

Oh and btw, just to let ya know... it's 4:45am, my class is in 3 hours and looks like I'm pulling an all-nighter. Might just have to skip Communications and Math so I can regain some Z's before Horse Class and Adopt-a-Grandparent.

Christmas Lists

So I can't really put down what I'm doing for everyone else, but I can remind myself of the things I wanted to ask for Christmas. I keep forgetting what they are, so I need to keep track because they're all practical things that I just need.

- Under armor or long johns
- Ear-cover headband thing
- Simple mp3 player with earbud headphones that have clips to go behind your ears and an arm band for exercising
- Better Homes and Garden Cookbook
- A stuffed animal whether it be a dog or a horse, just something big enough I can hug and sleep with
- Gift card to Wal*mart
- Gift card to Broulim's

For OTHERS:

Laura, Belle, Lily and Jennifer - Homemade Snowglobes with Baby Food Jars
Hunter, Nathan, Jeremy and Noah - ...?
Grandmama and Grandaddy - Nativity Scene
Sabina and David - Check.
Sarah and Jason - Check.
Mom and Dad - half-Check.
Becca and Allen - Not checked yet.
Stephen - Have to decide...
Bonnie - N & H checked
Brittney - Horse figurine
Brandy & Kristen - Snowglobes and Ornaments
Taleea - Apron and Ornament
Katie 204 - Ornament

Ready for a Break

Mary needs a break, not a school break, but a social break. I've gotten worn out by several people whom I see everyday and I just don't care about hanging out with anyone right now. The few that are exceptions are my roommate, my roommate(s) and a couple friends from our floor. Other than that, I'm wore to pieces and anxious to go home and get rejuvenated!

Life has been good. I was asked to the Fall Formal where me and Mike dressed in 50's (the theme was Dancing Through the Decades) and literally DANCED the night AWAY! We're both in Social Dance 180 and it was a live jazz band, so we Foxtrotted, Cha-cha'd, Waltz'd and did TONS of swing! There was lots of Swing, we did single and triple step and that was probably what we were best at. He was an awesome dancer and leader, so it worked out really well and it was super fun. It was different dancing with the same person the whole night, but he was good at dancing so it was fun!

Then I asked a guy to the Preferance (themed "Baby It's Cold Outside") and we had alot of fun. Me, Taleea and Katie all fixed a 6 course meal for our dates which we all ate together in our living room decorated to the dance's theme (all complete with winter coats on all the chairs, a fake fireplace on the t.v. and fake snow and christmas lights), and then had a BLAST at the dance itself! During fast songs, we'd all 6 of us get in a circle and just dance however we felt like, and then partner dances we'd partner off. My date didn't know how to do anything like swing, cha-cha, etc. but he had good rhythm and so we'd mostly just improv it, make it up and had alot of fun. I actually got to put spirit and dramatizing into my dancing and it was so fun!

Me and Katie dressed up (me as a boarding school girl, her as a nurse) and went to the Halloween Carnival for Halloween, it was fairly small but tons of fun. Cami and her boyfriend Justin were there dressed up as Hillbillies together working the pumpkin seed spitting contest booth, and i paid 50 cents to have her taken to "jail" (a big fake styrofoam iron-bar'd square) where she had to sit on a huge ice block (nothing covering it) for 60 seconds or pay $1 to "bail" herself out. She didn't have money and afterwards had a big wet spot... hahaha, but she had fun and I know it. When we left the place, we saw five guys dressed like the NEWSIES so i got a picture with them. They also had a carriage with two clydesdale mares sitting outside, because one of the IBC business major businesses is Teton Trails Wagon Rides, where you pay $6 to ride in a wagon or carriage for an hour around campus and stuff. I of course made sure I petted those mares before the night was through!

Sunday evening I'm planning a big Thanksgiving-ish meal with 18 people that are gonna come by, where we're gonna read our thankful notes (I made us a turkey to put thankful notes in, thank ya Mom and traditions!) and just spend good time together. It'll be our last thing together as an apartment/family before the end of the semester, so its necessary.

But I am sure ready to go home! I think about Virginia, my Family and Justin the horse EVERYDAY. There has not been a day where yall haven't been in my thoughts, and the last three nights I've dreamed about going home and seeing Justin and family and Virginia. I love yall!

Overwhelmed to the Core

Life is overwhelming. I want to be able to pull out my hand writing journal and write about the last couple of weeks, but it's all overwhelming. There's too much to say, too much I'd have to catch up on. I want to be able to sit down and do a bunch of homework tomorrow, but I can't. I have to work tomorrow, which is odd (since I usually don't work Tuesdays), and it makes me sad because I won't be able to go to devotional.

I was chastized by a friend just today for something that hits close to my heart. A way that I act and a way I talk about things or just am. I don't really feel like listing specifics, but it was a slap in the face. All through class I couldn't get it out of my head, and it's still not out. I don't want to be angry at him, because I know he's right but at the same time the guilt I feel and the sadness... ugh.

Why can't I simply lay down and look at pictures of my beautiful horse and my family and Virginia and forget about going to work tomorrow? Forget about facing the world and the problems Mary has. I feel like I've been trying, but then I realize I haven't been trying hard enough. Plus today, I realized that I truly DO have a food addiction and I need to begin working on it. I went to Food Addicts Anonymous and ordered some pamphlets about it so I'm hoping I can get started.

I miss Virginia, I miss my family... Taleea's Dad is reading aloud (on speaker phone here in our room) a letter from Taleea's sister. She's having a hard time being away from her family, how the heck am *I* suppose to live for a year and a half without my family?! I'm really having a hard time right now and I've only been gone for a little over two months! Plus I don't know if I can ever live without my horse again. It is 10 times harder than I thought it would be. Being without horses really sucks, and my horse especially.

Plus, I need my family. I want to be able to talk to them about my social and friend troubles. I want to sit around our kitchen table after dinner and have end-of-the-world discussions. I want to sit on the couch in the trailer with the lights off while Sarah sits in the recliner and talk about problems and people. I want to ride double with Sabina and talk horses because she's the only one who understands. I want to connect to a Network and play Team Fortress with Stephen and David even when I'm not that good. I want to see Laura and hug her and watch movies with her and be extremely irritated by the way she keeps fast-forwarding and rewinding. I want to ride in the car with Dad and listen to him tell me that the gospel is true and that he knows that this truly is the path to eternal life... and then I want to listen to him sing Bluegrass songs and the hymn "How Firm a Foundation" with his country twang. I want to sit and talk to Mom, because she always listens and always helps me to see my faults and resolve to become a better person. And I want animals! Life really truly sucks without them. I perk up now when I even SEE a picture of ANY animal, not just horses! I miss them all... Dixie, Lady, Princess, Ashes, MALIK! Justin! Chickens! I miss family hugs... I miss family prayer... I miss the green of Virginia's lush scene. I have to admit that if I didn't have the gospel, my life would suck out here; I wouldn't be able to do it. I know the Lord hears and answers my prayers and comforts my heart and strengthens my resolve to do better and to forget about Virginia and my Family for a little while so I can keep pressing on here. He is there and he guides me, I know it. If I didn't have that support and comfort, I would be nothing and I'd be home already.

Ugh, now I need to go do New Testament homework.

Made Up with Make Up

So Mary was never much of a make-up person, because I've always told everyone I dislike it and all but... I do like it. I've been wearing it every Sunday while here at BYU-Idaho (the way Sarah showed me how to apply it) and I've been enjoying it. Well... Taleea's Aunt came up here from Ogden this evening to do a Mary Kay party, mostly just using us as guinea pigs cause she's just started, and we had SO much fun!

She bought a big pizza and a whole bunch of breadsticks from Papa Murphy's, so she cooked those and had cookies and M&M's and cider and three kinds of WONDERFUL Hot Chocolate. So we introduced ourselves (there was 11 girls at first, but only five did the facials and makeup everyone else left then), ate, then did satin hands and then those who wanted to did facials, satin lips and makeup. We filled out cards with our information and face shape and hair color and stuff, then she drew one to recieve some winterberry body spray which Amanda won. Then later, she had us write down as many names and numbers as we could think of that would be interested in learning about this stuff, all to win the Vanilla body spray, and I won. I'm glad I did, the body spray smells SO divine!!! Our friend Amanda was there too, she's enrolled in one of the local beauty schools Paul Mitchell, so she's learned all about hair, makeup, face shapes, etcetera. She put all of my makeup on me except for the foundation, and did a FABULOUS job! I liked it WAY too much.

I contemplated purchasing 3 eyeshadows, especially because the lady was gonna give me a 50% discount, but I didn't. Then later, she said she'd give me this mint lotion (HEAVENLY! we all tried it!) for $5 when it was normally $10 so I was like "Five bucks I can do!" then I realized she would give me the foundation for half off, when it was normally $28 with the brush, so she gave it to me for $16.18 instead. I gave in. It was too good of a deal, and the foundation made my face look airbrushed and flawless. It was amazing! So... Mary for the first time actually spent MONEY money on makeup. I just about croaked at the prices, and I'll probably just get cheaper eyeshadow from wal*mart, but I wanted to help her out and she gave me a 50% discount so that really couldn't be beat!