I'm Finally Here!

After all the wait, I finally am all settled in to my apartment, and will begin classes tomorrow. It is a new experience for sure, but I LOVE it! I have already made several new friends, my roommates are the best, and I am super excited for this. It is still kind of frightening, but I will feel much better once I get settled into a schedule. It is still pretty darn nerve racking though Orientation this past weekend was a BLAST, well I-Night was probably one of my favorite parts, next to spending time with my I-group (orientation group). I am excited to see what life here at BYU-I has in store for me.
Everyone has so much energy and is so kind toward everyone. This is truly the place to go if you ever want to feel like a part of something that's important.

It was quite the hectic day on Friday while moving in, but we finally all got settled, and now I'm ready to begin my new adventure. We made several good friends from the apartment just down from us, and I made some friends in the music/art department as well.

Here goes nothing! I start everything for real tomorrow!

Four More Days...and a Social Media Rant

With less than a week to go, I  am having a hard time believing that it's here already. I'm leaving on Thursday for my new grand adventure. The preparation is practically done, with just a few things left, like packing up my clothes (which I will be doing tomorrow) and loading up the car. I also have a random boxes to pack, but that shouldn't take long. I am excited to move on in life, but at the same time, it's pretty daunting. I can't go back now, and would much rather go than stay at home and not progress in life. It's just new. Not that I don't like change, but I have never done anything like this. I mean sure I have moved before and had to deal with that, but I have never gone to live on my own (kind of, I mean there are five other girls in the apartment and I already know two of them) and I will get to see a different side of life. It will be fun, yet stressful. I feel like I'm ready for the challenge if anyone is though. So on Thursday, we will embark on the six hour journey to Rexburg, Idaho, the place where dreams begin...but really, it is going to be the start of something new. I will be able to develop skills that I have, learn new ones, and learn more about my various artistic passions while at school.

Gosh, I don't know what else to say. I love my new computer, I just bought a mouse for it on Friday, the screen protectors for it came in the mail yesterday. I don't know. I am just to busy thinking about getting ready to think about or do anything else.

Oh yeah, we are taking family pictures this afternoon. I guess that's something different than college prep and the stress that it entails. For me though, I would much rather be taking the picture than being in it. I think a lot of people are never really happy with the way they look in pictures. It doesn't help for me that I was on the yearbook staff for two years and spent a lot of time behind the camera instead of in front of it. I love taking pictures! I really do, I promise. There is something satisfying about getting an artistic "vision" of sorts and being able to capture it. I guess that's why I Instagram a lot too. I just get some crazy idea, or see something cool and try to bottle up the emotion and story of that thing. It's fairly addicting when it is a good emotional outlet I put way more on Instagram than I put on Facebook. I don't usually feel the need to tell everyone in Facebookland how I feel about what I ate for dinner. Unless it's in some amazing five star restaurant somewhere in Europe, I honestly don't think people really care. On Instagram however, I can share emotion through art, and let others enjoy it too. I mean, It's not like if I posted something about the previously mentioned restaurant on Facebook that everyone that saw it would suddenly be able to eat the food and enjoy it too, but with Instagram, I can let my audience see and enjoy the same thing that I saw. It's just different.

And sorry there are no fun pictures on this post. I put several on the beloved Instagram this past week though, and there is a link to my page off on the right sidebar of this blog, if you feel so inclined to view them I guess.

1.5 Weeks...and Other Cool Stuff

That's right! I have about a week and a half before I leave for Rexburg. I seriously can't believe that it has come so fast. I am pretty much done getting ready, I have most everything (including my new laptop). I just need to pack up my clothes, but that will have to wait a little bit. I had a wonderful birthday last Monday. It included FABULOUS homemade chocolate ice cream, made from a chocolate custard base. Follow this recipe for the best ice cream ever.

It really was wonderful, and I was able to share the leftovers with Emily and Madeleine when we got together the next day for pizza (and a movie) to talk about college stuff for our apartment.

For the last month or so, I have had the chance to go to the Spokane, Washington temple at six each Wednesday morning. It has been a wonderful experience. It was early, but the dedication it took helped me remember how important it is to me as well as what lengths I am willing to take for the things that are important to me. When I was done on this last Wednesday, the sky was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen.

I was just in awe at how gorgeous it is her in Spokane, and how much I am going to miss this beautiful part of the world while I am gone in Rexburg for the next bit of my life.

One thing my family was able to do on Friday was visit River Front Park. This park is in downtown Spokane, and was built for the 1974 World's Fair. I have so many fond childhood memories of this park. My family used to get season passes each summer when I was a lot younger, so I remember when several of the rides were put in, the fun rides on the Looff Carousel in the park, and viewing various IMAX movies in the theater in the park.

This is my sister, Julia, and I on the "spider" ride in the park. We were waiting at the top of the ride while others were loading down below us when I took this picture. I remember being so excited when this ride was put in the park. It is probably the best thing there, but I LOVE roller coasters, so I have a different opinion than a few people. It is just a ride that does a whole lot of spinning, and makes for a lot of giggles when ridden with your thirteen year old sister.

That same day, Emily got her wisdom teeth out. I wasn't able to see her until Saturday, the following night. She is doing pretty well so far. I took her ice cream and said hi. She is seriously one awesome person, and I'm so glad that I can call her my best friend, and soon roommate.

College Prep and Birthday

I feel slightly like a terrible person since I haven't posted in about a month, and I have spent more time updating the look of my blog than writing. Yes, it is the same quirky blog, but it looks different. I thought for the past few weeks that I didn't have anything to write about since I had spent all of my time getting ready for college and hadn't done anything "special" or "fun". Then all of a sudden, I had a super eventful week and realized at the same time that I could have just written about getting ready for school.

To get ready for school, I have spent time packing and all that other boring stuff, but I have also utilized my creative outlet and made canvas signs to decorate Emily's and my bedroom in the apartment. It has taken a while, but I am thrilled to have them. I used a Cricut cutter to cut each word out of card stock, then I modge-podged them onto painted canvases and modge-podged over everything to secure it. The signs all have something that will motivate me to keep moving forward and to enjoy life.

While making these signs, I had some fun and felt a little like Jackson Pollock while painting the canvases when I would initially put the paint on before spreading it around the canvas.

I am so glad that these signs are almost done! They have been lots of fun to work on, but I am ready, and my mom is REALLY ready to have the mess cleaned up.

Last Friday I had the chance to ride the famous Hiawatha Trail with Nathan and his family. This 50 mile bike trail truly displays the natural beauty of the inland northwest. Here is a picture of one of the tunnels on the beautiful trail that I found at the Hiawatha Trail website.

This picture was taken at the end of the first tunnel on the trail. That tunnel is almost two miles long, so it's pretty dark inside. I can now say that I know what "tunnel vision" is after riding through that tunnel with only a headlamp to guide me. It was absolutely stunning, and we had a wonderful time spending the day in this beautiful world.

Last thing, today is my 18th birthday. It's weird being an official adult. I got fancy notifications from Facebook telling me that they wouldn't automatically keep my things private, but I have them all set that way anyway, and I have to fill out my own paperwork for my orthodontist appointment tomorrow, and it just feels strange. I have had lots of wonderful birthday wishes and gifts from family and friends, and I got the best present from the sister missionaries that are serving in our congregation right now. I have spent a TON of time with them the last few months, and they have become some of my good friends. They left me this adorable heart-attack in my bedroom today while I was gone and left me a yummy bottle of lotion and some gum. I seriously love them and hope the best for them as they serve the Lord and live their lives both on and after their missions. I feel so blessed that I have had the opportunity to get to know both Sister Knowlton and Sister Clark. They have blessed my life so much more than they could ever imagine.

Guardian Angel

I have several people in my life that have passed on that I now consider to be "guardian angels" of sorts. This week, as well as many other people in my community, gained another guardian angel that none of us expected to get. On Tuesday, Jansen Badinger drowned while swimming in the Spokane river. Jansen had just graduated from CV with me in June, and he really was the last person that anyone would have expected to loose that soon.

Jansen was one of the most amazing guys that I ever knew. He was everyone's best friend, and he truly understood the worth of each individual person. I am so grateful that I knew him and that I had the wonderful chance to be blessed by his life just like so many around me. He was not only known for his love, but also the way that he showed his love and support. Jansen has now been nicknamed "Mr. Spirit" and was voted "Bear for Life" in the Senior Bests in the yearbook. He showed his love and support by attending every sporting event (for every sport) in full face paint and other spirit wear. He was a super-fan that everyone could recognize at any game.

Jansen also did the incredible thing and greeted every student as they would come through the doors of the school every morning. He would always say "good morning Victoria!" in his bright and enthusiastic voice along with his beaming smile every morning as I walked through those doors. I know he always brightened my day, and I also know that I wasn't the only one that was positively affected by his cheerful attitude each morning.

There has been a lot of talk of replacing the cement outside this door with new cement with Jansen's name and footprints where he stood as a memorial to him. What he did at these doors will never be forgotten. I remember getting to school 45 minutes early one day to work on things for the yearbook and Jansen was already standing at the door to greet people. I asked him if he always came that early and he told me that he got to school at seven every morning just to be there to greet the students. That's the kind of guy Jansen was. THAT is what a true CV Bear is. That is why we believe. From the cheer that states "I believe that we will win", we believe. We believe that we can carry on the legacy of a smile, that we can change a person's day simply by saying "hi", and that random acts of kindness don't go unnoticed. Because I saw what a difference one person can make, it has motivated me to try a little harder to do a little better. To carry on the legacy of an amazing person, and to live my life to make others proud of me, and more importantly themselves. Those things are what change other's lives.

One person touched so many lives. This really shows the difference that one person can make. One smile, one "hello" or "good morning". They make a difference, I promise. Miss you Jansen! You will forever be in our hearts!

We all learned what a difference you made, and we want the whole world to remember you for the amazing person you are. We will, for you Jansen, "Keep Calm and Smile On" as we try to live your legacy of unconditional kindness for all who you saw around you.