Holly Jolly Jibblets....

This is a long one guys...it has been a while...


So the semester ended with a BIZANG! With a winter blizzard, ward gathering, carol singing, exam taking (and re-taking for a certain roomie), and an unforgettable Roomie Christmas Morning (which can be viewed here or here...why put it up three times right?), the semester truly ended in style.

After presents were opened, breakfast burritos were eaten and hot chocolate was downed, the packing commenced. In true procrastinators style, Gabby and I both decided not to even start packing until Friday morning...the same day we left, coincidentally. So we packed and packed, got a little distracted by a certain Adolf Hitler book (ahem, thanks again Jess), and by 1pm or so, we were ready to hit the open road.

After precariously parking Gabby's car in a spot that was visible to the managers and Mr. Banks and less visible to a certain other stereo-blasting inhabitant of the complex, we hit the road. The three hours or so between Cedar and Provo were filled with more laughter than is probably safe to have in a vehicle moving 75 mph down a highway. But nonetheless, we made it to Provo with laugh lines on our faces and bodies completely unharmed. We pulled into the University Mall for a quick stop at See's quality candies. Gabby needed presents for the Fam. Somehow, on the way to See's quality candies since 1921, we managed to stop at VS and some random little kiosk for some very important and utterly necessary purchases. I am positive my life would be less complete without said items.

The rest of the evening included dinner at the ever delicious Mimi's Cafe, playing with a favorite 3 year old and his action figures (whom we named Chuck Norris, Darrell... pronounced like Duh-Rell... and Cartel.),Hot chocolate and Christmas lights (with informative commentary) with Lauren Jean, and even a trip to the Distribution Center where we met a very handsome man who served his Mish in Brazil and had very pretty eyes and wore very stylish attire and had a very cute smile...and a ring on his left hand. Sigh. Hazard of Utah.

At nights end, Gabby fell asleep on the floor with impressive speed and I followed after a little chat with the mother.

The following day, we both boarded planes to Denver...separate planes, but both headed to the Mile High City. Of course, I would stay there in my hometown and Gabby would catch her connecting flight and continue onto Billings....or so we thought. Due to weather in Big Sky Montana, Gabby's flight was canceled. Fate would have it that I had not yet left the airport. So, we met up once again for what was sure to be an adventure.

Oh was it ever. Because my mom had to work, I was going to take a shuttle home (possibly sitting next to the skin head white supremacist who was in line ahead of me...swastika tatt included ). But after contemplating the options, we decided that we should call a friend. We called Peggy (bless her heart). Peggy is an old friend of my moms and is somewhat like a second mother to me. She is the kindest most hilarious stereotypical New York Jewish woman you could ever hope to meet. So Peggy picked us up, proved my knowledge of the Jewish faith (no joke. quiz me on it) to Gabby and dropped us off safely at my home. Thanks again, Peggy.

Because Gabby had no luggage, we made a quick trip to target for some pajams, underoos and some clean clothes (we may or may not have been wearing the same clothes for 2 days at this point).

I will point out that when I come home for Christmas, I drive this:Fun right? Convertibles are always fun! But keep in mind that I live in Denver. Where it snows. A lot. This car is VERY fun in the summer time, however not so much in the winter. It is kinda tiny and low to the ground, making any snow less than awesome to drive in. Not to mention it is a Manual Transmission. I drove a stick for 4 years. My first car was a stick. My current car is not. Needless to say, I am a little out of practice. After only killing it once, and only a couple of awkward revs of the engine, I had the hang of it once again. Cake.

So after Target, a much needed trip to Fazzoli's, some even more needed showers and a quick check of the weather, Gabby was once again asleep in no time and I decided that with the blizzard brewing outside and the fact that I had to have Gabby at the airport at 4:30am for her 6am flight (thats right...really? Sheesh child.) it was probably in my best interest not to go to sleep for only an hour and a half, but to instead guzzle a Diet Mountain Dew and start scraping off the car.

Around 3:30, I woke Gabby up and we headed to the airport again. This time, the flight was on schedule. Good sign. The drive to the airport was slow, but uneventful. The drive back wasn't quite so. A little 360 in the middle of an offramp will make anyone wet their pants a little right? Right??

So with Gabby gone and the snow falling, Winter Break began.

Thus far, it has been utterly uneventful. I have watched 787 movies, slept 437 hours and been out of the house at least a half dozen times I would say.

Although I say it has been boring, I will say that I had a true life encounter with Darrell (I will post the story at another time), had some good laughs, purchased and viewed The Forgotten Carols and have enjoyed just being home.

It is now Officially Christmas Eve Eve!!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and of Course Happy Kwanzaa too.



Oh Yeah, the title of this post really has nothing to do with anything other than it makes me laugh and think of Jess.

Pondering the Celluloids...

In case you were not aware, today, this came out on DVD (yes, and bluray if you are that kind of tech savvy folk).

I saw this in the theaters 3 times. That totals to 7 hours and 39 minutes spent in movie theaters across the globe (1 in Denver, 1 in Aurora and 1 in Vernal, UT) watching this film. Or should I say, "pondering the cinemas and make believes and celluloids of this movie" (if you don't understand that little tid bit, please see this video. Honestly.)

Now, you may say that three times to see the same movie in theaters is a bit excessive. But Nay. My froomie Gabby, she saw it five times. Also all across the globe. So naturally, when the movie was released for our home viewing pleasures, we were required to purchase it.

Gabby and I ventured to our local Mart of Wal and picked it up. We obviously had to skip right over the big display of Batman DVD's and paraphernalia right at the front of the store and go to the electronic section. You may say, "the DVDs in the front are the same as the ones in the electronic section." Duh. But you see, in the electronic section, they have Guitar Hero. On display. To play with. One plasma screen, two guitars and two very happy college girls. So we grabbed the DVD and proceeded to rock out a few tunes on our Fender Strats. I believe todays song choices were "Livin' on a Prayer" (The official anthem of Ashleigh/Gabby roadtrips) and "Are you gonna go my way". . . We even gained the approval of a couple of high-school aged boys who stopped to admire our skills. What can we say?

At home, the froomies taking ASL (Lauren, Jessica and myself) got to business and studied hardcore for our final. Which we dominated...no matter what the girl who moves her whole body when she signs says. Awkward.

The ASL champs returned home to partake in the film festivities of the evening. The lights went out (except, of course, the Christmas tree), the frosty beverages were at our fingertips and we all snuggled under our blankets for the cinema miracle that is The Dark Knight.

Two hours and thirty three minutes later, we applauded, said good night to the Dark Knight, The Batman and Gotham's "White Knight" and hit the hay, for tomorrow, the finals continue. Wish us luck and we'll wish you the same.





P.S.
In response to the last post, when I called Utah "dry and snowless"...

Just goes to show that I shouldn't open my big mouth too soon. Not even five hours after I had posted my complaints, this happened:


It is kind of hard to tell form this picture, but these are the white-out conditions that we encountered on the way home from the Wal on Monday night. Needless to say, I am no longer complaining about Utah's lack of snow. Thanks, Mother Nature. Now please put it on hold until we can all get safely home for the holiday break. Sincerely, Ashleigh.

In only a week...

In only a week...
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I will have written, edited, turned in and moved on from 3 final papers.
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I will have studied for, taken, demolished and aced one super exam.
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My 720 area code will be normal and not mistaken for the 702 area code.
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My bed will be big enough to completely and utterly sprawl out on and sleep in late in.
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My bathroom will be green, my bedroom blue and my view mountainous.
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My family will be near, but my friends will be far far.
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My options of shopping will be more plentiful than Wal-Mart and Cal-Ranch.
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My Ward will be Peoria, no longer 11.
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My street will be Nome, not Center, good Heavens.
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The traffic will suck, but still make me smile.
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I'll be in the city that's as high as a mile.
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That is right...
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I will no longer be in dry, snowless Utah.
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My mind, body and heart will be in the Winter Wonderland that is Colorado.

Only five more days....sigh.

Theories...

Lately, I have come up with a theory for the way higher education is today...or rather they way I think it should be.

As stated in the previous post, I am currently pursuing my higher education here...Also as previously stated, I love it here. It is really fantastic....However, I have some issues with my current financial status because of this place.

Southern Utah University's Current Out of State Tuition is: $6,041.00 Per semester of 10-18 Credit Hours. This makes it $12, 082 per year. I know I said that this is such a great place, but seriously? So, once you've paid your tuition you are ready for your educational enlightenment right? No. There are student fees, class fees, department fees, your mom fees...not to mention books. In a poll of a very diverse crowd of students (AKA the girls in my living room) the average student pays somewhere between $300 and $600 for books....per semester. Not to mention rent, food, gas etc....Long story short, the expenses of school are slowly killing young Americans.

With this in mind, I have come up with a plan! Don't you young Americans fret, I have an idea!
This isn't an elaborate plan, and it doesn't involve any graphs, pie charts or confusing visual aids...but, hear me out.

The way I look at it, the dominate reason that I am going to school is to create a future. Not only a future for myself, but for society...I am very glad that the people who are running the country today are educated people (for the most part). I am so glad that the generatios before mine, were filled with men and women who decided to get college educations and learn about the world. The people that chose to turn in their college applications, to work hard to earn that Doctorate degree and to be assets to society, these are the people that are running the world today. Whether you agree with their political views or not, people like George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Conoleeza Rice and Nancy Pelosi are all very well educated people. I am appreciative of this. And I think it is safe to say that people of most generations are appreciative! Although we may harp on the mishaps and the mistakes made by these people, are we not grateful that they are not illiterate, dim-witted, high-school dropouts?

So, when Barack Obama has served his term(s) and the economy has seen it's ups and downs and we find ourselves 30 years in the future, who will be taking the hot seat and running the country? The world? Who will be president? Who will be educating the youth of the world? Who will be on the Supreme Court?.....We will be. The struggling, pimple-faced, Rock Band-playing, Ramen-noodle-eating, homework-doing young Americans of today...Don't we want them to be educated?

This is where my plan comes in. I propose that the way higher education is treated is changed. Ask anyone over the age of 35 or so what they want in 30 years...most of them will answer, "to be able to retire comfortably and happily." I am not over 35, so I don't know this for sure, but I have a hunch...

So if in 30 years, the men and women running the world are in fact illiterate, dim-witted, high-school dropouts, is that happy retirement in the Florida Keys going to be at all possible? I doubt it.

Thus, I believe it should be the responsibility of the men and women who are CURRENTLY running the world to make sure that the future is safe...Make sure that the future presidents, Supreme Court Justices and members of the Senate are well educated and prepared to take on the tasks at hand! So, calling all who are over the age of 35 and would like to live a long and happy life that includes a happy and comfortable retirement...it is time to pony up. Provide for your future.

We should not be paying to go to school, you should be paying us to go to school!!


Then, when we have become successful and well established members of society, we will in turn pay for the NEXT generation to educate themselves and for them to prepare for running the world so that we too may have comfortable, sunny Florida retirements! In a poll of the aforementioned diverse group of current college students, they all agree...we would be more than happy to pay for tomorrows pimple-faced, Rock-Band-playing, Ramen-noodle-eating, homework-doing young Americans to educate themselves....once we are well established members of society.

It will work something like this:

As the top section of the fountain fills, it spills over into the lower section. When that lower section fills, it can the spill over into the section below. If each generation accepts help from the generation before it and gives help to the generation after, maybe the future can be safe indefinitely....


I am not naive enough to think that this perfection and ease is actually realistic or possible...but a girl can dream, right?

Just think....

So, if you are over the age of 35 and feel like you have established yourself as a positive addition to society and would like to contribute to the future, we, in Apartment 14 accept checks, money orders and cash.

Honestly, who wouldn't want to help these loons?!

I Made The Right Decision...

For those of you who are not aware, I am currently pursuing my higher education, here:

It really is a great place. Although very few people outside the state of Utah have ever heard of my tiny and seemingly insignificant university, I will argue until the cows come home (did I really just use that phrase?) That it is among the best places to be in all of the world. As a senior in an all girls, catholic, college preparatory high school, we were required to apply to a certain number of colleges. I applied to ten. This was the list in no particular order:

1. University of Seattle
2. Brigham Young University Idaho
3. Brigham Young University Hawaii
4. Portland University
5. University of Puget Sound
6. Saint Louis university
7. Southern Utah University
8. Regis University
9. Metro State College
10. Oregon State University

My heart was set on #2. My best friend was already enrolled and loving it. That was where I was going to spend the next four years of my life. I was accepted to the schools in green. Obviously, my plans changed. I have never been good with change. Issac Asimov once said, "The only constant is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today". I can't count how many times someone has quoted Mr. Asimov in an effort to comfort me after a big change. I know. I still don't like it. Thus, when the absence of an acceptance letter to my top choice school changed my plans for me, I had a little bit of a breakdown. What was I to do now? I did the only things I knew how to do. I cried. I prayed. And I begged my wise mother to tell me what I should do with my life. Unfortunately, my wise mother has always the one who encourages me to do what I feel is best for me. When I, the good little Mormon girl, wanted to go to the Catholic school because it was an academic dream, she smiled and helped me fill out the application and study for the entrance exam. My wise mother has always taught me that I need to work hard for what I have in my life, and even harder for the duty of being happy. I knew that she was there to support me no matter what my choice, but that in the end it wasn't going to be her that made that decision.

Alas, the choice was mine. Fairly quickly, I ruled out #5, #6 and #10 for the simple fact that I didn't want to be paying off student loans for literally the rest of my life, and #8 and #9 for being too close to home. I knew that if I was close enough to be able to go home on the weekends for some home cooked meals and laundry, I would never actually be at school. I needed to be far enough from home that I was truly on my own. I had it narrowed down to three. Seattle University, Portland University and Southern Utah University. I still had no idea where I was headed. I had really only applied to SUU because I got the application in the mail and it was a free application that didn't require an essay. It was mostly to fill the application quota...until one Sunday.
My Sunday School teacher in 2005 was Brother Kirby. I don't even know his first name. One Sunday, he asked what schools I was applying to. I replied with the three that I had narrowed it down to. "GO T-BIRDS!" That was all that came out of Brother Kirby's mouth. Awkward....Okay. He put his arms down (he had thrown them above his head in excitement) and explained that he had attended SUU and loved it. I replied with an awkward "thanks" and didn't think much more of it. Yet, for the next days, weeks, months...SUU stuck out in my mind like a blinking neon sign. So, this is an Ode to Brother Kirby. Thank you. I truly never would have thought twice about that SUU acceptance letter...your enthusiasm and upraised arms somehow triggered and inner sense that SUU was where I needed to be....
I have very little reason to think that Brother Kirby would be reading my blog, but if any of you know Brother Kirby, of the Wash Park Ward of the Denver Colorado Stake, please, point him in my direction...or at least the direction of my Blog.
Now that I am in my third year at SUU, I know more than ever that I made the right choice. The things I have had the opportunity to do, the faith I have gained, the people I have met. They all let me know every day that I made the right decision.
To the opportunities, the faith and in particular, these people:

Thank you.

Delicious Hot Schmoes.

Last night, for FHE, our ward and the college way apartments ward got together for a bonfire and some singing testimonies. So, we all bundled up to face the cold and drove out to three peaks for some spiritual enlightenment! We got there after only one wrong turn...last year we got REALLY lost...So we found some friends, cuddled close to the fire for warmth and the night began. It was cold. And really dark. I think somehow the cold made it darker because as people called out my name or said hi to me, I had to squint and get awkwardly close to them to be able to see who the heck they were. So when I started recognizing people...I started taking pictures!
Here are a few of the first attempts...
Yes...My eyes are closed in every one of them. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what was wrong with me, but I eventually got the hang of it. So the night carried on and we made these...And then we all sang some of these...The fire slowly died down and the marshmallows and chocolate diminished...Everyone parted ways. We drove home...Four of the Five Froomies...singing Christmas songs and listening to Delilah all the way. Today, was a good day.

The color of money...

After months and months of fighting with the kind yet somewhat incompetent folks at Sun Trust Bank...It has arrived.

Saturday, around 3:30 in the afternoon...My Froomies checked the missive box. They returned to our home and Lauren exclaimed rather excitedly, "Ashleigh, I think today is your lucky day..."

You see, for several weeks now...several months now to be honest...I have been saying that "today is the day!" And when a froomie checks the mail, they are so kind as to check for anything from AES (American Education Services) addressed to me....and it happened that EVERYDAY for the past week and a half, I have received an envelope from these blokes...EVERYDAY I received a letter confirming the amount of my loan, or a letter telling me when my next disbursement will be, or a letter telling me that Sun Trust Bank is being lame and must send me a billion pieces of mail before they can mail my actual check. Seriously....

But...on Saturday, it came!!
Yes folks. A check. Made out to me. In the amount of $10,000

So, now that I can pay off my credit cards that I was forced to put my tuition on, buy some winter clothes and buy groceries that aren't ramen and cereal...life is good.

More news. Today, I went to the humble Cedar City Department of Motor Vehicles and officially gave up my Colorado UNDER 21 license for a Utah OVER 21 license. That's right folks, after voting in Colorado, I was willing to go ahead and work towards my Utah residency...soon to be a true Utah mormon....sorry Lauren....I know those words make you cringe a little.