One day, this blog will have a name.

It's go time

2012-02-11T23:29:00.000-08:00

Fame!

2012-02-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, BYUSA launched this "redefining service" campaign to get students thinking about different ways to serve each other. My friend Dan took the photos, so he put his friends in them. One photo showed someone handing Allie something she dropped, another was someone holding the door open, and my photo was supposed to be of someone comforting me when I got bad news. Mine never got used (I'm guessing since my acting chops are sub-par), but lo and behold... 4 years later, here it is on campus.

I'm glad a friend of mine told me about "some poster with a girl that looks like you, sitting on the steps" or I never would've known!

Please don't start treating me differently now that you know I am a model. I just want a normal life.

Dad comes to Utah

2012-02-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

My dad came to visit Provo last week. He's on a road trip out to Vegas for a safari convention and then to Texas to do some fossil hunting and pig hunting. He is a complex man, I tell you. In addition to being complex, he also has fortunate timing. The Sundance Film Festival was in full swing, Erwin Chemerinsky (a rock star in the constitutional law world) spoke at the law school, and I was called on in my Copyright class. Lucky Dad!

Dad arrived a full day early. Was I surprised? Nope. Dad runs on "German time." He's almost always early. So, given his Friday at 8:00pm ETA, his actual arrival time of Thursday at 2:30pm was pretty much par for the course. I spent most of Thursday showing him the law school and introducing him to friends.

On Friday, we went to the law school in the morning to listen to Erwin Chemerinsky speak about how the Supreme Court fails to communicate well, which was excellent. It was so funny to watch all the professors looking up at him like groupies. Once the Chem was done, Dad and I drove up to Herriman to find the house that was painted to look like the house from Up.

That tree behind my head makes it look like I have a bad case of static hair.

We ate dinner at Settebello. Check out the face below -- he was pleased. We ate pizza in Naples together, and I swear to you that Settebello measures up.

On Saturday, we woke up at the CRACK OF DAWN to see an 8:00 movie in Park City. We saw Atomic States of America, which we all really liked. We went into it expecting it to be pretty one-sided, but it actually gave a balanced view of nuclear reactor towns.

After lunch, we drove up to Salt Lake to see The Ambassador, which we all loved, too. Mads Brugger (Danish journalist/filmmaker who made The Red Chapel) actually bought an African diplomatic title and filmed this documentary to show the corruption and bureaucracy in African politics. It's crazy, funny, frustrating, and sad all at the same time.

We also did the world's fastest tour of the Conference Center so I could show Dad the tabernacle. The roof was open, so we checked that out, too.

View from the top.

On Sunday, we relaxed. Dad taught me how to make a salmon dish. He also witnessed the estrogen fest that takes place in our apartment every Sunday night when law friends come over to watch Once Upon a Time. Side note: Lauren Hunt only watches it ironically. She doesn't actually like it.

On Monday, we went to the BYU Paleontology Museum. Dad was in heaven as he was pointing out some of the fossils he's also found.

Buds.

He found this same bone.

We also ate at Cafe Rio, which all Hunters still consider to be inferior to Chipotle.

We went to my Copyright & Trademark class, and Dad got to listen to me (and Greg!) talk about CCNV v. Reid, which I'm pretty sure is now his favorite Supreme Court case. After all, we pretty much made that case come alive. I became Reid.

We ate at Banana Leaf on Monday night, which serves Sri Lankan and Singaporean food. I've tried four dishes there now, and I have yet to leave unsatisfied.

All in all, a really great weekend with my dad. He bought me lots of groceries at Costco, taught me how to cook something new (and easy), and generally spruced up my drab existence here (his words). It was the best.

Next up: Jeff, my favorite brother, who is coming in a few weeks!

Christmas Vacation: HOST PROTOCOL

2012-01-24T23:18:00.000-08:00

Get it? Because it's a play on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol? And I was playing host to Dave? A little funny, right?

I'll say right now that I'm too tired to come up with witty captions for the photos below. I used up all my energy coming up with that awesome opener. Apparently, law school just never gets easier -- not even in your last semester. Copyright & Trademark and Environmental Law may have been a mistake. Also, I'm taking Accounting for Lawyers. Accounting. For lawyers. Let that sink in. I'm not sure a more boring topic exists. (No offense to my accountant friends, who I now admire even more than before.)

Dave came to visit Virginia over the break, and we checked out the new MLK Jr. Memorial. It's right on the Tidal Basin, so there's a great view of the Jefferson and Washington Memorials.

We walked over to the FDR Memorial, too. I love this memorial. It's divided up into four sections -- for Roosevelt's four terms -- and each section has quotes and artistic representations of the time period. Water is a big part of the memorial; a rushing waterfall for WWII, a still pool for Roosevelt's death, etc.

This depiction of Roosevelt in a wheelchair was a big deal. The original memorial never showed him in a wheelchair on purpose. People petitioned and raised enough money to add this sculpture about 10 years ago. We look like friends, don't we?

Eleanor! We are so alike!

I kid, I kid... I wish we were more alike. She was one sharp lady.

After walking around for a while, we went to Chinatown and ate at Nando's Peri-Peri. Cat, Joey, and I used to eat at Nando's in Oxford. We'd been eating all English food for a few weeks, so the day we discovered Nando's was glorious. Portuguese flame-grilled chicken with African peri-peri sauce = much better than anything English. What are the odds that the only US locations of Nando's would be in DC and Maryland? I thought that was pretty lucky.

I am too tired to figure out how to rotate these right now. Whoops.

Dave liked Nando's. You already knew that because of his face, though. Sooo.

Aw, man. Looking at these pictures made me a little homesick.

On the bright side, my dad comes in two days! If I was going to come up with a movie title for that post, it would be "Double the Hunter, Double the Trouble." Yep. It makes no sense, it doesn't even play off an existing movie title, and it doesn't rhyme. Probably time to get some sleep.

(Our Relief Society Presidency is changing)

2012-01-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

This e-mail was addressed to me, Caisa (the RS President who was just released), and Lyndsi Godfrey (our roommate who recently moved to Boise). Some background: I am now Cat's VT Supervisor. Melody (her old supervisor) is now in the RS Presidency. Moore and Rogers are the other members of the RS Presidency. Enjoy.

Dear Powersthatbe:

Since time is of the essence, I will get down to brass tacs. There has been a slow and steady power shift in the lady leadership of the 160th. At first I thought it was only a natural changing of the guard but then I realized it had to be something more. After extensive research, I have found that we are in the midst of a hostile takeover - an elaborate plan to overthrow the puppet-regime that could reach as high up as, dare I say it, Sheri L. Dew.

Things first became suspect at the end of July 2011. Melody must have pleased the hegemony with her inquisitive questions because she was moved into a new position of considerable power. She was replaced in her old dirt-and-nails position by none other than Sam Hunter. Sam had been innocent until now, as we had worked together throughout the summer on a grassroots campaign for justice. We were as anti-establishment as a comic-con concert supporting Ron Paul's monologues of an R.L. Stine novel.

Once Sam was pulled into the fold, I knew I had to watch my back. By going after one of my strongest allies, I knew that they had more power than I could ever imagine. I thought they wouldn't be able to break her but..slowly but surely, things began to change. Suddenly, Godfrey left town without warning or explanation and Hunter was watching my every move. Something had to be done. I knew I was surrounded.

The first sign of internal unrest came from Godfrey before she left. One night, she broke. She told me about the years of training, the world-wide goals, and so much more that give my night terrors to this day. The next day she was gone.

The rumblings have gotten louder and it looks like the whole thing could be crumbling from the top down. Caisa will soon be gone and we will be subject to a new dominion, with new rules and new dangers. I have since been able to turn Sam and she has become a double agent. By continuing to feed a stream of misinformation about VT reports, and fellowship progress, she has been able to gain the confidence of Moore, Rogers, and even some people over in the EQP.

After this email, many of us will have to go underground. Sam will miss the open fields and hygiene norms. We hope we can find Godfrey before she becomes the Manchurian Candidate. This isn't the end - it is only the beginning.

Long live the revolution.

Cat

It's here!

2012-01-10T23:25:00.000-08:00

For the unaware, I have been sick with a cold, an ear infection, and pink eye for the last 5 days or so, which has meant I've been pretty gross. It also means I've spent zero time at the law school since Thursday. Tonight, however, I trekked over to the JRCB in order to spend 4 hours debating over the new Law Review Board in one too-small room. Not an easy transition back into school life.

Now that the new Board is picked, though, it feels like Christmas morning. I really have enjoyed my time on the Law Review, and I've loved working with such truly impressive people on a daily basis. But, I am not going to miss making assignments at 11:30 p.m. any more than I'm going to miss pink eye. Which is not a lot.

Meeerrrrrrrry Christmas!

Home for Christmas

2012-01-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

Never too late to post about Christmas, right?

Here you have it, your guide to my Christmas break in Virginia.

THE TREE!

My mom's tree. Notice the star? It's a S. Hunter original, circa 1991 (preschool). Timeless. And... technically a Star of David. The ornaments on this tree span over three decades -- homemade ornaments from school, ornaments from vacation spots, jobs, etc. One year, my mom got me an ornament that says "Santa, I can explain," and my family thought it was sooooo funny (apparently this says something about me?).

Side note: I woke up one morning to find my mom trying to glue this ornament back together:

The parallel was not lost on us. It was pretty funny.

THE LIGHTS!

The first weekend I was home, we went down to Richmond to go on the Tacky Lights Tour again. These houses are so over-the-top. We asked one family about their electric bill, and they said it's around 4,000 dollars. Four THOUSAND! I pay a little over that in rent for a year.

THE COOKIES!

Later that week, I made gingerbread cookies with Lucy and Leo, who have only gotten cuter since the last time I saw them. Leo has started going to speech therapy because he has trouble forming words, and it's incredible to see how much progress he's made already. He learned to say "Atta" (my name in the Collins family) when I was home, which was one of the highlights of the break for me.

THE HANGOUTS!

I had a job interview in D.C. one morning, so I met up with Allie for lunch afterward. If I get hired, we'll be able to meet up for lunch all the time!

I also hung out with this little cutie, my niece Kayla, who incidentally has given me pinkeye:

And some Oakton Stakers (+ Mike):

And watched hockey and many football games with my brother:

I hung out with Jaclyn, but unfortunately only have the picture below to prove it. Every time someone in our group goes to France, they bring back Mi-cho-kos since we were all obsessed with them on study abroad. That's friendship -- using up precious suitcase space to bring back lots of chocolate for your friends.

CHRISTMAS EVE EVE!

Christmas Eve eve, we went to dinner over at Dad's house. We've had dinner at my dad's house on Christmas Eve every year since I was 4 or 5. This year, my dad wanted to let my brother and sister do their own thing with their families on Christmas Eve, so we did this all on Christmas Eve eve.

Lobster bisque and prime rib. Ron does not mess around.

We opened presents after dinner. Some background: I was really excited about my gift to my dad this Christmas. He's a New Yorker, so he's particular about his deli meat. I found out you can get all the ingredients for a sandwich overnighted from Katz's Deli in NYC. It cost a small fortune in shipping, but it is one of my favorite gifts I've given someone.

Pastrami, rye bread, half-sour pickle, deli mustard.

He sent me these pictures the next morning after he ate the sandwich for breakfast.

Like I said, I'm pretty proud of this present.

CHRISTMAS EVE!

Little cuties were so excited.

CHRISTMAS DAY!

Leo got drums...

...and has now started a family band.

How awesome is this picture?? My mom. What a lady.

I got some very cool presents from some very thoughtful family members. Some of them:

Side note: the add-a-pearl necklace is something I've wanted ever since I saw Sleepless in Seattle when I was like... 8. You add a pearl at big moments in your life. I'm just like Annie Reed! Thanks, Mom. Side note number two: the Mindy Kaling book is hiiiiilarious. I've laughed out loud reading this book far too many times in public already. I wish she was my friend in real life.

Also, this is a picture of my mom dressed like me. This wasn't on Christmas Day, but it felt like Christmas Day (because it was so funny), and I'm not sure where else to put it.

THE DAVE!

After Christmas, Dave came to visit. I'm going to make that a separate post, since I don't have the pictures from him yet and since this is already really, really long.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Christmas Break, which I will call Christmas Break: HOST PROTOCOL!

Whoops, I'm a terrible blogger

2012-01-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

Being home was just too great. And spending 18 hours a day on your laptop for a month is enough to make you never want to touch a keyboard again. I'll post some pictures from the break when I get most of them from my sister, but rest assured it was crazy. Really crazy. Like... the craziest thing you could even imagine. (See here for reference.)

Unless I go home for my week off in February, the next time I see most of them will be at GRADUATION.

Tomorrow is my last first day of school EVER!
I bought my books the other day for the last time EVER!
I downloaded my syallbi from the course info page for the last time EVER!
Fourteenth semester at BYU. Bring it.

5/6 lawyer

2011-12-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

The last 48 hours looked a little like this.

Just added it up. I wrote 85 pages in the last 14 days. Next semester, I'm taking some exam classes again.

Tonight was this:

And tomorrow will be this:

Christmas overload in Richmond!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

2011-12-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

You're one hepcat.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVE!

2011-12-09T15:33:00.001-08:00

It's Dave's birthday. Give him the highest of fives.

Lucy Collins, Author

2011-12-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

I need to come out of my finals hole for a second to acknowledge my awesome niece. Lucy wrote an essay on diversity at her school, and she won 1st place for grades K-2! She is five. Such a smarty pants.

She wrote this all by herself and my sister transcribed.

Her peach, short, flat-haired aunt is pretty proud!

Cover Letters

2011-12-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

No single folder on my laptop sums up the last 2 years better than Cover Letters. I read through my first cover letter today, and laughed. Hard. Thanks, Jordan Zendejas, for not laughing in my face when I applied with Judge Taylor. It must have taken a great deal of restraint.

"I hate writing cover letters enough to stay at my first post-grad job for the rest of my life." - Joey

Merry Finals

2011-12-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

My carrel group this year. These bozos are Preston, Leslie, and Adam.

I require one photo of my carrel group/row every year, so sue me!

No, don't sue me. That is opposite the point I'm trying to make.

Go Saxons?

2011-12-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

This kid from my high school class wrote and directed this movie that was just selected for the Sundance Film Festival. He's MY AGE! Holy crap. I have done nothing with my life!

Joanne Comes to Utah

2011-11-28T23:38:00.000-08:00

Law school attempts to strip the joy out of everything, including the holidays. The days leading up to Christmas are a blurred mess of late nights and panic. Thanksgiving is typically the week before the last week of classes, so it's never a good time to fly home. This year, though, my mom came into town for Thanksgiving. Just in time, too, because this blog has been pretty sparse on the Joanne posts as of late.

The first day she was here, we went out to breakfast at Magleby's with Sara, I gave her a tour of the law school, we face-timed with Kayla, we went to the mall, we got groceries for Thanksgiving dinner, we ate Mountain West Burrito and got Rocky Mountain Chocolate apples, and we watched The King's Speech. Representative pictures..... now!

And that was Wednesday.

Next up: Thursday, a.k.a., Thanksgiving, a.k.a. Food Coma Observance Day (I thought about saying Food Coma's Birthday, but Joey told me that's not funny). (Mike just said, "It's not that it's unfunny... it's just that it's lame.")

Mom and I cooked the meal ourselves. This was probably my greatest culinary feat to-date. I was seasoning things... mashing things... what a rush.

Oh, and we face timed Kayla again. She's just so cute.

That night, after the matriarch of the apartment went to sleep, Dave and I headed to Park City for Black Friday. Yeah, yeah, I know Thanksgiving is a family holiday (I saw your facebook status, Bethie), but guess what? My family ain't around (/was sleeping), so lay off me!

J. Crew line. I still think it was worth it.

Friday, I took m'mom out to the salt flats since I figured that was something cool and unique to Utah. There definitely isn't anything that resembles the salt flats in Virginia. At one point, we were talking about how we were out in the desert, and a tumbleweed actually drifted across the road in front of us. Couldn't have been timed better. It happened 3 or 4 more times because it was so windy -- definitely made us feel like middle-of-nowhere Americans.

Joanne looked out over the Salt Lake.

And thought that it was good.

From my mom's expression, I'd guess Dave is dropping some Earth knowledge on her.

Dave knows a lot about that stuff.

It did not taste good, but props for doing what we couldn't/wouldn't, Mom.

And then we never saw her again.....

Kidding! We saw her again.

On the way back, the woman of the hour asked me to pull over so she could check out one of these tumbleweeds up close and personal.

She kept talking about how beautiful it was, and how she wanted to bring some home to decorate her mantle... This went on for about 10 minutes.

"Are you sure I can't bring some home?"

Then she returned it from whence it came.

We ate dinner at Settebello in Salt Lake (still one of my favorite restaurants -- just like the pizza in Naples) and then checked out the Leonardo Museum. It's definitely on the small side, but really interesting. They had a great civil rights exhibit (amazing photographs) and another really interesting exhibit on prosthetic appendages. You could practice using some of them, which was really, really hard. Favorite picture from there:

On Saturday, I had to take Hurricane Joanne back to the airport. It was really sad. I am still sad. But happy that I have such a one-of-a-kind mom who is always up for trying new things.

Thanks for coming out, Mom!!

Occupy Wall Street Divided

2011-11-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

Very funny segment on The Daily Show about the class divisions in Zuccotti Park.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Whoops

2011-11-20T11:57:00.001-08:00

After months of trying to grow it out, I up and cut my hair. I went in there with grand plans of "just a trim" and walked out with 5 or 6 less inches of hair. Shep -- that wily son of a gun!

Photobooth makes for awkward photos. Do I smile? Does that seem kind of weird/vain? Do I not smile? Then do I look mean? Sorry, this is what I ended up with. You try taking a picture of yourself!

I take it back. I'm not sorry.

As a side note, Shep (from Shep Studio) always does a great job, and I highly recommend him to any peeps in Provo. When I move, I may schedule haircuts around any trips to Utah just so that I can still go to him.

PizzaCain

2011-11-16T21:21:00.001-08:00

Awesome.

So long, Blackacre Blitz.

2011-11-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

Tonight, our flag football team fell.... to a bunch of witches! We played a seriously mean team. I could regale you all day with stories, but I will be a bigger person and just say they were not very good sports. We may have had more than one meltdown on account of bad calls, I may have a seriously bruised body on account of one crazy rusher (who sang Humpty Dumpty to me after running me over -- not a joke), and Kristina Hardy may have almost fought a girl! It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. And with that, our season was officially over. No Final Four for us.

Cat is missing from this photo because she hurt her back, but she is the heart and soul of this team!
Her absence is probably why we lost. I blame the short Saturday ref for that.

However, we are planning a friendly game against the MBA girls in a few weeks. I feel like, after tonight, we may be unintentionally really intense. We need redemption! Also, it will be at the height of finals season, so plenty of steam to blow off....

I also decided tonight I will be playing on the law school basketball and dodgeball teams. So, expect more posts like this one where I care way too much about something that doesn't mean a whole lot.

New phone, weekend of pictures, whoops

2011-11-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

I got the new iPhone, and the camera is UNREAL! I love it. I've been pestering people all weekend. It's okay. They're my friends, and they are used to me being a pest.

I will now tell the story of this weekend through these excessive pictures. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, guys.

First up, we played in a flag football game on Saturday morning.

Here is the scowl that likely clinched our victory. We are now moving on to the 3rd round of the playoffs! Elite 8! The team we played on Saturday was really tough, and the refs were terrible, so we just squeaked by.

New paragraph, because this is important. When I say the refs were terrible, that is an understatement. They were the worst! And I am usually so nice to refs! (Side note: I was not very nice to these refs.) They missed and messed up several calls because they weren't paying attention. One of them was off talking to random people when he missed one of our girls (Heidi) pull the QB's flag about 3 full seconds before she threw it. The girl I was blocking plowed into my shoulder about 17 times and they caught it once. OH, and the best part -- we started the game off by getting a touchdown on our first play..... which the refs promptly took back because they said they accidentally started the game 2 minutes early and 2 more girls from the other team showed up right as the game was starting. Did they place a large bet against us or something!?! It was soooo lame.

Also, Cat hurt her back during the game. Above is her being a sad gimp. She has something popping out in her back that looks really painful. Anyway, we won. Take that, refs. I caught two passes, both for first downs! I am loving being a fake athlete this semester. We play again on Tuesday.

The rest of the day was nowhere near as exciting. I studied at the library all day and all night. Here are some great pictures of that happening.

Riveting, right?? This second picture is so clear you could probably read the beginnings of my white collar crime paper! It's a rough draft, guys. Just trying to get ideas out on paper, OK?! Lay off me!

We took a break to watch the debate and the football game in the student commons (both of which were largely uneventful). Poor Riley -- hopefully he gets better soon. Also, hopefully his broken heart heals soon, too, because apparently his girlfriend just dumped him and got engaged to someone else. Poor guy.

There is nothing Dave loves more than hanging out at the law school on a Saturday night.

This is my friend, Jon. He's happy because he's thinking about the 2 marathons (here's the second) he's won this year.

I like to tell everyone about these because it embarrasses him.

Tonight, we went to a pie party. Just like it sounds, folks. Lots of pie. It was delicious.

This is my friend, Bethie. She has the most beautiful smile! See:

I kid, I kid. That's not Bethie's real smile. That is Kati's real smile, though. Unfortunate.

Lyndsi and Lauren. Look, Brynne! We are social party friends!

Anyone see that one guy? I had a good laugh when I noticed him.

Try and tell me that isn't a great camera. YOU CAN'T!

There you have it -- a glimpse into one of my socialite-type weekends. A rollercoaster... of glitter and diamonds... and caviar.

Study season

2011-11-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

It. Is. On.

Happy Veterans Day

2011-11-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep? - George Canning

I will always be grateful for the men and women who have served our country.

Especially my dad, who served in the Marines during Vietnam. Happy Veterans Day!

We match.

2011-11-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Dave's always trying to cop my style. Get your own style, Dave! Be your own kind of beautiful.

Be safe out there.

Nostalgia

2011-11-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

Today, I listened to a Lisa Loeb CD that I found in my car, which incidentally was the CD I listened to a lot during my senior year of high school. I was apparently one of those high schoolers with a lot of feelings, because I can tell you which songs reminded me of which people and which events in my 17-year old life. So funny! Good times.... high school. Good times. (Not really).

Finals are in a month. Holy moly. Naturally, I figured it was a good time to pick up Words With Friends again.

Since this post probably needs a picture, here's this great one of my dad and my nephew.

Dad taught Leo to put his hands in his pockets like a man.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

Dave and I carved pumpkins over at the Reids' house this weekend. I hate pumpkin guts... a lot. Which is funny, because apparently so does Lucy.

She hates it this much.

...She cracks me up.

But back to our pumpkins! Check 'em out.

I stayed classic (read: easy). Hating on the guts ate up a lot of good carving time. Plus, I don't really have the patience for carving. This is very surprising, considering my patient, laid back approach to life.

It is pretty hard to fake buck teeth. A for effort? Dave is being a captain because he decided to carve a boat scene. A spooky boat scene! With bat seagulls!

From left to right: Lauren, Amy, Mike, me, Dave, Chris.

Hope you had a nice Halloween!

Cutest trick-or-treaters you ever did see!

2011-11-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Lucy's book character costume for school, Sam I Am:

Peter Pan and Wendy:

Brynnbot and Wendy:

All I can say is.... my kids better be cute. These ones have set the bar pretty high.

Last Halloween at the law school

2011-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, Halloween at the law school is a big deal. A lot of students are married with kids, so they bring them in to come trick or treating in the carrels. There's a costume parade, pizza, candy, etc. It's a lot of fun, and it's one of the law school events I think I'll miss most.

1L year:

I was Troy Bolton, if you can't gather.

2L year:

I was a bird -- shout out to the Maglebys who MADE this costume.

3L year:

If you haven't seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off.... we are the main characters: Sloane, Cameron, and Ferris. I wish I had more pictures of other friends! I didn't take any, so I have to wait until people start e-mailing and posting them on facebook. Cat had an awesome costume -- she knows Michael Alisa, so she borrowed his uniform for the day. Nick was Brian Wilson (complete with the beard), Jeff was Tim Lincecum (complete with the wig)... it was a great day.

Hipster Cop

2011-10-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the Hipster Cop at Occupy Wall Street? Read this article. Hilarious!

via here

More pics of the Hipster Cop in his natural habitat.

A few little known facts about Hipster Cop:

Interrogates perps in a room with only one CFC bulb.

Only buys donuts that are local and organic.

Takes pictures of crime scenes with his Holga.

Carries a German Luger 08 pistol instead of a 9mm because the Colt is so mainstream.

Wears thick-framed night vision goggles.

Petitioned the police department for "free-range" holding cells.

Doesn't wear his bulletproof vest because it doesn't fit under his tailored shirt.

Drinks chai tea on his stakeouts instead of coffee.

Pioneered the new interrogation tactic "Apathetic Cop, Indifferent Cop."
Rides a Vespa instead of a motorcycle.
Only gives speeding tickets ironically.

HIPSTER COP!

It took 5 minutes to come up with those. Easy target.

Truth bombs

2011-10-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

I wasn't a big fan of Gadhafi either, guys, but I don't really enjoy seeing pictures of his dead, bloody face popping up on ABC news, Facebook, Drudge Report, etc. Why are people doing this? Are you trying to make me pass out in the middle of my classes?

Also, Occupy Provo is one the dumbest, poorest excuses for a protest I've ever seen. When will this Occupy stuff end? What do you want? Aaauuughh!

Alpine Loop!

2011-10-19T00:35:00.000-07:00

Dave and I finally hit the Alpine Loop at the right time. These pictures don't do it justice! I should enhance them or something. These are just straight off the camera.

This picture cracks me up.

I was going for the "senior picture" look in this one.

Cheesy pose due to fact that this looked like a fake backdrop in an Olan Mills studio.

Oh, we went after church. That's why we're all dressed up. Not because we're weird.

Palm Springs part TWO

2011-10-19T00:17:00.000-07:00

I am not great at blogging these days. It's only going to get worse. I wish I had time to write up all sorts of details about our fall break trip to Palm Springs (because it was awesome), but I think you can pretty much connect the dots with these photos. I went with Cat and Lyndsi again, and their old roommate Abby met up with us from Boston. She brought her baby Coop, who is really, really cute (duh, you will see the pictures). We came, we lounged, we shopped, we ate, we golf carted, we street faired, we picked grapefruits, we conquered.

We stopped in Vegas on the way back, and again at some place in St. George called the Painted Pony because I was craving some pie. We got 3 desserts. Allie and Quinn: we tried to stop at that Brazilian place in the Mirage where they had that awesome banana cream pie, but it was CLOSED until 5pm. Hence the pit stop in St. George.

Yep.

Best smoothies ever at the street fair. I say this as a smoothie connoisseur. I know my way around a smoothie.

I made spaghetti on my night to cook. It was either that or tuna sandwiches, guys. I failed at my goal to learn how to cook this summer.

Other meals were honey lime enchiladas, BBQ chicken salad, meatloaf -- all deeeelicious.

Lynds tried Serendipity frozen hot chocolate. Word to the wise: the oreo flavor is really, really good.

Cat's feelings about Vegas are summed up in this photo.

We may all own matching hoodies now.

And there you have it.

HUNTER!!!!!!

2011-10-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

The time: 9:15. The place: North University Field #4. The event: our second to last flag football game. Spoiler alert: we dominated. We also may have broken a girl's wrist. Well, she broke her own wrist.

Our team is made up of law school girls, and it is really fun. It's also pretty legit. I haven't even tried to play on it for the last two years because I was intimidated by some of the athletic types on the team. We have practices, we run routes, etc. It gets pretty real.

I usually block for the whole game. But tonight, since we were up by 13, we switched up positions a little bit. Aaaaaand.... I caught 3 passes AND a touchdown! Me! You are shocked! And you should be! People carried me around on their shoulders, and trumpets were playing, and Dave was sobbing on the sidelines because he was so happy, and Cat ran up at the last minute in her power suit and hugged everyone, and it was the best night.

I was really close to tearing up when I got the game ball (actually), but then Bethie got all Tom Hanks in my face and told me there's no crying in football. She is always looking out for me. I totally thought there was crying in football.

My one regret is that I told myself if I ever scored a touchdown, I would yell out "HUNTER!!!!" really loud with my fists in the air like Bronco. I was so happy that I forgot.

Apparently, this is what I look like after (and sometimes before) each play. This says to the other team: I am happy to be here, and I just want to be your friend. Works every time.

This post was totally self-indulgent. I don't care. An event like this is unlikely to ever occur again in my lifetime. Just let me have this one.

Special thanks to the following:

Thanks to Bethie... for always believing in me. What a leader!

L: some nice girl, R: Bethie.

Just because you deactivated facebook, doesn't mean I can't steal pictures from Kati's albums, Bethie. Remember that.

And let's hear it for Cat.... for always believing in me. You never let me give up!

Finally, thank you to Lyndsi.... for always believing in me. You're the real hero!

Look who's sitting up by herself....

2011-10-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Baby Kayla!

I love being an aunt. I feel like I sat up by myself today!

I didn't, of course. I'm on vacation, so...

But I didn't take "wasn't optimistic it could be done" for an answer.

2011-10-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

Looks like my strongly worded letter in '05 totally worked.

I got a lot of calls about this today.

So thrilled about season 4 and the movie.

Taste the happy!

Riley Nelson's hair

2011-10-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

This video has been making the rounds, so sorry if you've already seen it. I doubt anyone from my family has seen it, though, so this is mostly for them.

Some background for my mom: the quarterback throwing all the bad passes at the beginning is our starter, Jake Heaps. He stinks. He is the opposite of Jimmer. Riley Nelson (the guy with the great hair) is the back-up quarterback, and he threw a pass that won the game for BYU with 11 seconds left.

100 Years of Style in London

2011-10-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Neat!

Real life Jimmer.

2011-09-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

The best part of this weekend (besides the celebration of Lauren's birth) was that we ran into Jimmer at dinner.

I downloaded this off of facebook, so it's not the best quality, but check it out:

Boo ya!

Holy movie-about-my-high-school, Batman!

2011-09-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Apparently some graphic novel is coming out about my high school, and the producer of Dark Knight, Batman Begins, etc. already optioned the movie rights. It's a spy story. Neat!

Here's the article: "Langley High." An excerpt: The graphic novel is about a student at Langley High School -- less than two miles from CIA headquarters. When the young man's father is captured in Russia and disavowed as a CIA agent, the student teams with an undercover agent -- and Langley High School teacher -- and ends up on a mission of revenge.

And here's a picture of my niece Kayla, just for kicks. She tried zucchini puree. She's such a foodie.

Cute cute baby.

2011-09-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is my 400th post. Just felt like that should be acknowleged.

This is me and my newest niece Kayla. Don't you just want to eat her up!?! Not my best picture, but it's one of the only ones I got with her while I was home this summer. Ay ay ay! (She is actually Nicaraguan -- I don't think that's culturally accurate.)

Grown-up

2011-09-21T23:16:00.000-07:00

Dave got business cards today, AND he got his braces off. Big day for Dave.

Bad day for me because I can no longer make teenager jokes.

Some photos from lately

2011-09-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Our sign for the club fair was top notch.

ILSA: Be Yourself.

ILSA: We're Scrappy

ILSA: The World is Our Oyster

Another favorite was NALSA: We Are a Legit Organization.

I made this seven-layer dip for the Texas game. I was pretty proud.

My niece Brynn (who is 4) took this photo of her sister Kayla in the backseat.

Look how cute!

Worth the drive.

The BYU v. Utah game.

Not our finest hour, but it was great being present for history. This game will surely go down as the worst one BYU has ever played. And I was there, kids!

Lauren & Mike introduced us to peach shakes at Taco Amigo. Holy. Cow. So good. The manager has peach orchards, so these are fresh and chunky. They're only around for a limited time!

Dave tried PF Chang's for the first time.

He liked it! (Imagine that in Squints Palledorous' voice).

Hero

2011-09-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

This may (should) surprise you, but I joined the law school girls' flag football team this year. They are legit - we practiced yesterday and ran routes. I also took part in my first huddle. It was a big day.

Well, we had our first game today, and... drumroll please... I caught a reception! I think it must have been like 40-45 yards. Or 9. It was one of those.

Obviously, I couldn't see for myself, but I was told that this is how it looked:

In reality, I was told my face looked like this when I caught it:

I was so happy that I forgot to even try to run with it.

Just call me Jerry Rice (I just googled "famous football receivers").

HERO!

It was my birthday

2011-09-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am on a ROLL with writing all these overdue posts. I am churning them out like BUTTER! (Anne? Subway joke?)

I turned 24 back in August. On my actual birthday, I went out to dinner with Dave, Lauren, and Mike. I didn't take any pictures, though. Dang it. We went to Tucano's and ate waaaaay too much, though, so it's probably best I didn't document the night. Things got pretty real.

The next night, a few of us got Mountain West Burrito and took it to Rock Canyon Park. We talked about why they like being friends with me, which I really liked. Then we got snowcones and watched a Redbox movie (Source Code -- actually better than I expected). It was so relaxing, and just the sort of thing I needed after the first week of school.

Sometimes Dave doesn't smile because he has braces. Not because he doesn't like me. He likes me!

Good thing he gets his braces off in like a week -- then people won't have to wonder.

Good Stuff Eatery

2011-09-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

While I'm writing some updates from the summer....

We went to Good Stuff Eatery on my last night in D.C. I got a burger and the toasted marshmallow shake and it definitely held up to its reputation. Good Stuff was, indeed, good stuff.

Amanda and Shara, my roommates this summer.
They are preeeeettty awesome.

Allie pal and myself

President Obama went there in August, too, and he sat at our same table. Just another way that President Obama and I are really alike.

Here's a picture of Barry eating there, sitting right where Shara is sitting in the top photo. Amanda is the other African-American gentleman, I am that gray-haired man (read: silver fox), and Allie is a smug Asian woman. Pretty much our doppelgangers.

The Newseum

2011-09-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Greg is going out to DC this weekend, and he asked for a list of things to do. In the middle of writing it, I remembered how AWESOME the Newseum is. I went this summer a few times, but I never posted any pictures. So, here you go. Some of these are from my phone, so they aren't great quality.

Watergate hotel door. The locks were supposed to be taped down so that Nixon's guys could get in later -- but they taped horizontally instead of vertically, so the tape was totally visible.

I took a picture of this because there is something about this and my great uncle. He was Dewey's campaign manager? Or he was responsible for this headline? Dad, give me the accurate story.

Robert Hanssen's business cards

Unabomber's cabin

Pieces of the Berlin Wall

Antenna from the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center

Front pages from around the world about September 11th

This is where a car bomb exploded, killing a reporter who was about to uncover some things about the mob. There are some great exhibits about reporters and the dangerous situations they sometimes encounter.

The Presidential Photographer exhibit is awesome; you get to see some really candid moments of the presidents. Love this one of LBJ.

Green = free speech press, yellow = partially free, red = not free

And this is my friend Drew. We went through the Newseum together one day (not the only day this summer for either of us).

Honestly, the Newseum is the coolest thing you can do in D.C. I am excited to go back and see all the things I couldn't see this summer. The 9/11 movie will make you cry. A lot. The Presidential Photographer video will make you laugh. Then the Pulitzer Prize photos (my favorite part of the museum -- I didn't take any pictures, though) will make you laugh and cry. Mostly cry.

The Newseum! A roller coaster of emotion.

United 93 article

2011-09-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Despite my sworn hatred of Rick Reilly after he said he wasn't impressed by Jimmer, I loved this article he wrote about United Flight 93. There are details about some of the athletes on board who fought back against the hijackers, as well as some dialogue between the terrorists recovered from the cockpit voice recorder.

This is such an inspiring story. These passengers deserve a memorial. I really hope they raise enough money.

27bslash6

2011-09-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Leslie introduced me to David Thorne this summer. He messes with everyone he works with, lives with, is friends with, etc., and then he posts about it on the internet. He's received 10 complaints in 6 months at his job (see below). Another favorite after you read these gems: Missing Missy.

Who has two thumbs and two tickets to the BYU/Utah football game?

2011-09-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

(Me. I have two thumbs and two tickets to the BYU/Utah football game.)

Whoa!

2011-09-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is the Reston Park & Ride. I heard it's been raining a ton in No. Virginia lately, but I had no idea it was this bad. Yikes -- tough luck, commuters.

Finally!

2011-09-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Zara. Online shopping is possible as of today. Huge. HUGE!

Click here to enter a dream world of magic (online store).

Dangerous Game

2011-09-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

My dad hunts, and his basement looks like Gaston's house in Beauty and the Beast. I received these gems today in my e-mail:

PC users, listen up

2011-09-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are still doubting the power of Apple, listen to this. I had a weird screen glitch going on with my Macbook (which is almost 3 years old -- first real problem), so I tried Apple's mail-in repair system for the first time. They sent me a next-day box for my laptop, which I then shipped next-day (paid for by Apple) to their repair center in CA on Wednesday. They received it Thursday, repaired it that day, and sent it back overnight. So, I shipped it to them 48 HOURS ago, and it was just delivered on my doorstep today (Friday), working beautifully.

48 HOURS! I'm so impressed right now.

Did I mention I didn't pay a penny?

Let's rewind back to freshman year, when I had a Dell laptop. My phone calls with Dell customer service are still quoted amongst the friends who witnessed them. I have never since been as annoyed as I was when I had to deal with them. Nor have I ever been as broke, seeing as they charge you an arm and a leg if one key on your keyboard pops off (no exaggeration -- 126 dollars for that repair). Plus I had about 17 different computer viruses with that laptop.

Apple. Our love affair continues.

And because I re-read this the other day, and because Steve Jobs has the coolest life story ever, here's a graduation speech he gave at Stanford back in 2005 that will knock your socks off.

Highway robbery!

2011-08-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today, I found out that bar prep courses are NOT 1,200 dollars like LSAT prep courses, but are in fact in the range of 3,000-4,000 dollars (some are even more than this). In a state of utter shock, I wrote my dad an e-mail discussing why I think he should pay for this for me, his only child making negative dollars per week.

His answer:

Shoot. No dice. At least my education has been the bargain of the century.

Being 24 is hard

2011-08-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

I have one extensive to-do list right now. It's going to be a long week.

The undergrads have landed

2011-08-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

Provo is packed with freshmen and their parents.

Evidence: the generic cereal aisle has been wiped out.

Say goodbye to summer and hello to traffic.

The Big 2-4

2011-08-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Heeeeeyyyyyyy,

(this picture is meant to be creepy, I promise)

It's my birthday.

Thanks for all the texts, voicemails, and facebook posts! I am happy to report... that I am at school. But it won't be long before I'm gorging on Tucano's tonight and Mountain West Burrito/snowcones tomorrow night.

And because 1) I love HIMYM so much, and 2) this is how I will be answering the phone today, here's this:

The rules are.... there ain't no rules

2011-08-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Explorer Scout Ball, New York City, 1961. Front and slightly off-center = my dad.

After this, he met up with Putzie and Rizzo for shakes at the Frosty Palace. Rydell High rules! Other Grease jokes!

Last 1st Day

2011-08-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today was my last first day of school. It was nice.

Fact: a 1L threw up in the bathroom today. I felt so bad for her. It reminded me of the time that I threw up in the bathroom on the first day of law school. And by "law school," I mean high school. And by "in the bathroom," I mean in the recycling bin in my Trig class. True story.

Out where a friend is a friend

2011-08-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks in DC flew by! I went to North Carolina (Topsail Island -- we've been going since I was 3) for a few days with my family, and then I finished up my summer internship. I had a great time working this summer (which I have to say, since I recently found out my co-workers read my blog) (which is really embarrassing). Honestly, though, I enjoyed it a lot and hope to end up there again.

In case you missed it, I'm back in Utah now.

I traded in these views:

For these ones:

More specifically, this one:

I miss my family a lot already. Luckily, Utah has become like a second home for me. I've already eaten at Mountain West Burrito twice, Zupa's, Jason's Deli, JCW's, Goodwood BBQ, aaaand a few others.

Even though school doesn't start until Monday, I've been at the law building every day this week, some days for 9 hours. I am mentoring incoming 1L students this year, and I helped train new law review students. It has been a doozie of a week, filled with a lot of e-mailing.

Leslie and I are mentoring.

That should do it. Nothing too exciting other than school things going on. I'm taking White Collar Crime, Civil Trial Practice, Civil Discovery, Sentencing, Negotiation, and Mediation. I'm also mentoring, doing Law Review, and externing. Christmas break is just around the corner, right?

Hopefully I'll have more exciting things to write about next time. Right now, all I want to do is take a nap. Unfortunately, I still have no food in my apartment (probably why I'm eating out all the time), and I have a lot of other errands to run before school starts on Monday, so that nap is going to have to wait about 10 hours. Dang it.

United Airlines FTL

2011-08-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

This was me yesterday.

Note: if you haven't seen this episode of 30 Rock (Double-Edged Sword), you need to. The passengers on her plane are stuck on the tarmac for hours -- people stop getting polite, and start getting real (hot and cranky)... much like the passengers stuck on my plane from Washington-Dulles to Salt Lake last night.

First, the flight was delayed for 4 hours. Then we sat on the tarmac for an hour. Then we fiiiinally got to Salt Lake around midnight, right in the middle of a big storm. We couldn't land, so we circled a while until we were going to run out of fuel. Eventually, we had to fly to Las Vegas to fill up and then flew back to Salt Lake -- adding an extra 3 hours total.

Trying to land the second time -- or "the closest I've ever been to throwing up on a plane" -- was still quite the feat. The turbulence was so bad, the flight attendants weren't allowed to leave their seats and we were "on the honor system to stow our tray tables and lock our seats in the upright position." The HONOR system! It was kind of a nightmare. I was supposed to get in at 8:20 p.m., and I got in around 3:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. Virginia time). People were not happy. And the babies... oh the babies. The babies were restless.

Anyway, I'm here safe and sound now. Dantzel gets the best friend award for picking me up at the airport at 3:30 a.m. Thanks, Dantz.

A partial spring fling queen

2011-08-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Jessie, every once in a while I remember this comment of yours and I giggle like a moron at my desk. It's embarrassing.

Hellloooooo nurse!

2011-08-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

My dad tells me I am a lazy blogger. Well, well, well.... I will prove him wrong with one HUGE blog post. I just wanted to keep you guys in suspense. What's she doing? What's she been watching on TV? Where is she eating? Has she been to the mall? All these questions and more will be answered, starting now.

There are exactly 6 work days left of my internship -- the last eight and a half weeks have FLOWN by. I'm starting to get graduation goggles at work. I'm already feeling nostalgic, and I'm definitely going to miss my co-workers. I'm really hoping I can come back after graduation. Come onnnnn federal budget, mama needs a new pair of shoes!

Have you guys heard about the butt slasher?? Some guy in NoVa has been slashing girl's butts at the mall and then walking away. I went to Dulles Town Center this weekend, and I was on high alert. I didn't see him, though. People are weird.

Anyway, here are some photos of what I've been up to:

Hanging with my littlest niece, Kayla. Isn't she a cutie?! I love those cheeks.

My brother, sister-in-law, mom, and I went on a tour of the White House this past Saturday. I requested a tour about 2 months ago and luckily our number was up before I had to go back to Utah! It was pretty darn cool. We had lunch afterward at Old Ebbitt Grill, which I highly recommend. Presidents Grant, Cleveland, Harding and Theodore Roosevelt used to hang there. We got the oysters.

There were 12 of these about 30 seconds before I took this photo. This family works fast.

Allie and I went to 2Amy's with my roommates. So good! The Settebello of DC. I think I like Settebello a teensy bit more, though. I'll have to branch out a little more at 2Amy's to be sure.

Speaking of roommates! These are mine -- Shara and Amanda. I'm not sure if I've posted any pictures of them, but they're awesome. I'm really going to miss them when I head back to Utah in two weeks. I'm trying not to think about it too much because it bums me out.

I apologize for the filtered photos. I got a little carried away on the Instagram app. These are looking a liiiiittle too hipster.

I now like the DC metro. I used to hate it, but I've come to appreciate the fact that it is underground (read: cooler than 104 degrees) this summer. Don't worry -- I chased down a bus in my work clothes on that 104 degree day. Pretty sure I blacked out for half that experience.

I've gone to Pinkberry a bunch with my roommates. Also, I'm willing to concede that Shake Shack has replaced Five Guys for the best burger in DC. Whatever they do, they do it right. I love the Shackburger.

Jaclyn came over and watched So You Think You Can Dance with me last week. She brought me two mi-cho-kos! What a dynamo.

Shara and I went to Cafe Rio out in Olney, Maryland. It was SO EMPTY in there. No one knows what Cafe Rio is in Olney. Instead of rushing me through my order, the lady took FOREVER and kept asking me questions/calling me "sweetie."

I saw these cool guys playing hockey in the street.

That should do it. I'm going to North Carolina this weekend through Tuesday and I CANNOT. WAIT. I haven't been to the beach with my family in years! Also, I haven't had Diet Coke in over two weeks. Boom - you are now updated on my life.

Happy, Dad?

Wait -- I think I was supposed to throw in something about how my dad is handsome and charismatic. Yep, that was definitely part of the e-mail. And by "e-mail," I mean "my natural train of thought." ......My dad is handsome and charismatic.

'Arry Potter

2011-07-18T21:02:00.001-07:00

I've been really bad at blogging. It's because I've been equally bad at taking pictures. Luckily, Allie is good at taking pictures, so here is what I did the other night.

This is Allie taking in a Cruciatus curse

And for good measure:

Parents: this is from a movie called Mean Girls.

Baby Kayla

2011-07-18T16:44:00.001-07:00

Look how cute my niece is!

Your second installment of Cat

2011-07-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Melody,

So little time has passed, yet so much has changed. In a misguided effort to consolidate my VT time, I convinced Lyndsi and Caisa to take their combined relief society royalty to the streets. That is right Melody, it was old school - we orchestrated a cage fight.

It was dusk... and with the tremor of anticipation in the air, I brought the Sister Godfrey and President Brooks together and reminded them that, just like on the streets, the only rule is that there are no rules. With that, it began.

In what should probably only be assumed as a reckless grab for power, Lynds used her adept zumba skills and gripped Caisa in what can only be technically termed "The Double Underhook Facebuster"... Caisa, being schooled in all things gymnastics and the art of illusion, used Samantha (whom I paid 20 bucks to be the unitard-wearing referee) as a human shield. Concerned for Samantha's safety, I deftly opened the cage and threw in a two by four, a metal chair, and some brass knuckles. Knowing she had to act fast before things got too out of hand, Caisa fashioned a bull-whip out of her Xena-style Warrior skirt and the shards of glass she had hidden in her lovely locks.

As I stared at the scene in front of me, I knew something had gone terribly wrong. Somewhere along the way, the girls had started focusing more on survival than they were on unity and friendship. So, with ice buckets in hand and a dream in my heart, I stepped into the cage....

When it all ended, Samantha's unitard had been ripped to rags, and Lynds became partially deaf... but none of that really mattered. You see...we were all there. And we were all there together. And I guess that is what was most important.

I hope you are having a great summer.

All the best,

Cat

ps. Sadly, this will probably be my last "in depth" VT report to you. Times are changing and I have to change with them. You might next hear from me by phone call or maybe even by text. Just know that I am looking out for these ladies and I won't let you down.

Harry Potter 7.2

2011-07-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm doing this tonight at midnight. And then I'm getting up at 6:30 and going to work. Whoops.

It's the end of an era! I remember making fun of my friend Diana in 6th grade for reading a book where the kids went to a school called Warthogs. Joke's on me, Diana. Joke's on me.

Blog status updates

2011-07-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

When I hear "Carry On My Wayward Son," I start thinking of the Guitar Hero chords.

Emily from the Bachelor talks like a robot. I am apparently the only person who thinks she's annoying.

What makes me feel most like an adult lately: picking up my suit from the dry cleaners.

Day 3 of no soda was a big success. Day 1 of staying after work to exercise was not.

Harry Potter 7.2 in 72 hours. I cannot believe Allie convinced me to go to a midnight showing when I have work the next day. She = scrappy. I will be cursing her scrappiness come Friday morning at 6:20 when my alarm goes off.

I don't get Google+ but Dave really loves it. This could be really funny to look back on one day, but I feel like it's not going to last.

04 July 11

2011-07-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

Dave came to visit for July 4th weekend! This post is going to be a doozie.

Saturday morning, we went blueberry picking out in Leesburg with my sister, niece, and nephew.

An aside: the first time we went blueberry picking here, I took this video below of Lucy on the way home. Look how cute! "More please, Atta." (She calls me Atta.)

Saturday afternoon, we went to a Nats v. Pirates doubleheader.

Dave took this.

Footlong Nats Dogs!

Sunday, we did leisurely things and took no photos. Sorry. We watched The Green Hornet and ate homemade meatballs and it was great.

Monday = July 4th. The Big Dance.

We went to a pancake breakfast in the morning, digested, and then went to my ward's BBQ in the afternoon. So much good food! Jaclyn "Scranton Party" Peterson met up with us, too. (Much like a Scranton Party, she doesn't stop.) My new friend Maureen was house-sitting in a fancy shmancy apartment just a block or two from the White House, so we hung out there until 8:00 and headed down to the Mall to watch the fireworks.

Note to myself: do not wear this dress ever again. I look pregnant in every photo. I am not pregnant.

Then we went back to Maureen's temporary digs, where we ate cake. It was an awesome July 4th.

Tuesday morning, a.k.a. Dave's last day, we went bowling. Dave and I both grew up bowling at this same alley - Bowl America in Dranesville - where they give you a free game for each A on your final report card. I used to spend sooooo much time here with some of my 8th grade homies. It was a fun nostalgic time for us (me and Dave, not me and my homies).

Yeah, this happened. I had a great game and Dave tried to switch up his technique. The result = Dave's worst nightmare.

Then we went to Great Falls Park for approximately 5 minutes before running back to the car because it was SO HOT.

We snapped a few pictures, ate some pizza at Santini's, and headed to the airport.

Such a good weekend! Way to go, Dave. You did it!

New favorite tweeter

2011-06-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Alec Baldwin. Gems:

My first tweet. Maybe I needed a glass of wine beforehand. I feel....so shy.

I tweet @SteveMartinToGo ONE PICTURE in my "jammies" and I'm, like, a Congressman now?

Doe-eyed school girl

2011-06-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

This was the e-mail Cat wrote to our VT supervisor today. I have her permission to share it. It was too awesome not to share.

Hello again Melody,

It seems like just yesterday that I was sending off my email for May. Here we are in June, when the sun shines nonstop and the smell of freshly cut grass is so potent that it could be packaged up and sold to the nearest doe-eyed school girl.

Yes, Samantha has left me for the summer. She has been sorely missed. I attempted to fill the void with gallons of fried ice cream but that ended up just making me nauseous.

As coincidence would have it, I couldn't stay in Provo for the summer with out her sandy gaze. I am in Vegas until the end of July but I have been coming back to Provo on the weekends. So, without further ado, here is my report:

Lyndsi Godfrey has been taking June by storm. She never quits while attending many social gatherings, entertaining suitors and, when the occasion calls for it, fighting fire with fire.

Caisa Brooks, while elusive, is also welcoming summer in with full force. You say relief society president? I say luge aficionado and Jimmer enthusiast. Caisa is about to leave for Georgia for the rest of the summer so I will make sure we keep up our correspondence remotely - just like Jane Goodall did when she changed the world from Tanzania.

I hope you are having a great summer!

Cheers,

Cat Harrison

Pictures from the last few weeks because I've been lazy with the camera

2011-06-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

Rooftop BBQ for FHE:

Allison!!

Austin is in town:

WWII memorial

Korean Memorial

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

2011-06-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Because my Dad sounds like George Costanza. And because it's June!

I'm feeling like a feminist today

2011-06-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Why? First of all, I think I will barf if someone ever calls me a "wifey." Just something I keep seeing zoobie guys from freshman year say, and I really don't like it.

Also, because I feel like articulating a pet peeve that many girls in grad school have, which is: girls who are in grad school hate it when girls who have husbands in grad school say things like "we're going to law school at BYU" or "we're going to graduate from law school in April." No you are not! Brian (made up name) is going to law school at BYU and you are _____! Working? Staying at home with your child? Both awesome things, of which you should be proud! Say those things!

Next time someone says they're in law school when they're not, I'm going to ask them what they thought of the LSAT. Seriously, though. It negates a lot of others' hard work when these chicks own something they haven't earned. We all sacrificed a lot of money and time in order to get to grad/law school. No fair, ladies.

Oh, facebook. Making me have to vent late at night. But can I get an amen? I've heard more than a few other girls at school complain about this.

Sara Vranes, am I a feminist now?

On a happier note, look at my cool view as I walk to work. It's awesome!

Obviously, I didn't take this. I got this off the world wide web. But I walk along this road, Pennsylvania Avenue, to work every day, and I love the view of the Capitol.

2011-06-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

I finished up my first week of my internship and am really loving it. I went to the DC 2nd ward for the first time this week and liked that, too. From across the chapel, I saw a one, Blair Wu, who I hadn't seen since this special day (below), so that was pretty great.

I've become completely obsessed with Parks & Recreation. How have I never been into it before? I laugh out loud on the bus sometimes.

My niece Brynn's birthday party was this weekend. It was carnival themed and perfect. My sister-in-law did such a great job. Pictures to follow, but let's just say that my other niece Lucy might have had so much fun running around in the heat and eating pinata candy that she threw up. A lot. Occupational hazard of being a party animal for a living.

I had dinner on M Street (Georgetown) twice this week - once with Allie and once with Heidi, my friend from law school who I'm sure I'll be mentioning a lot this summer. Did I already put on here that I can actually walk to M Street it's so close? It's awesome! Allie and I got some good old Johnny Rocket's and I introduced Heidi to the scrumptiousness that is Clyde's. Too bad I am the worst at taking pictures. Also, too bad the humidity makes me look like Monica from Friends when they go to Barbados. So... not much incentive to document my happenings.

Finally, this is awesome:

Hulu Plus

2011-06-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hulu Plus is the greatest thing to happen to my summer. I signed up for the free trial on Tuesday and I am already writing this blog post to sing its praises. I can watch shows ON MY PHONE on the bus, to and fro wherever I go. I am finally watching Parks & Rec from the beginning, and to say that it is not awesome would be a lie. Because it is really, really awesome. The guy who plays Ron Swanson is a comedic genius. GENIUS! I just about lost it today in the episode where he has a hernia and doesn't move all day/night. Bus-people were looking at me funny.

Also excellent:

Eventually I will post more about the bus. It is interesting. Before this week, I had been on a city bus exactly one time, and it was in Paris. So... it has been an adventure.

Day One

2011-06-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am buzzing on America right now.

Things that remind me I'm back in DC, and not in Utah:

1. I'm in a land where people honk again! People are so touchy in Utah when you honk at them.

2. I got two bug bites waiting for the bus today.

3. I find myself relaxing behind the wheel (less defensive driving necessary).

4. Fireflies at night.

5. No point in straightening your hair because the humidity will do weird stuff to it within 5 minutes.

6. The radio stations are not great. The only real alternative station became a Spanish station (El Zol), and then now I've discovered that 94.7 The Arrow (which was classic rock) is a pop station. They were playing Rob Thomas on 94.7. It was gross.

Happy of myself

2011-06-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

I start my summer internship tomorrow. I'd like to tell you I'm cool as a cucumber, but I definitely have first day jitters. Luckily, I've got this kid below who knows I can do it. He knows I can believe in myself. He knows I will get the hang of it, if I keep practicing.

Thanks, Dan Snyder, for showing me this gem. I am now happy of myself.

Casey Anthony trial

2011-06-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

This trial is nuts. Girl is soooo guilty. Sorry liberal friends, but I really hope she's convicted and gets the death penalty. I think my compassion for criminal defendants has only risen since coming to law school - "everyone deserves representation" is really drilled into your head - but it's hard to feel sympathy for someone who would kill their own child and then party it up for a month afterward. What a terrible, disgusting human being.

Second time = just as good

2011-05-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Bawled like a baby again. Woke up with swollen eyes today.

Happy Memorial Day!

Movie snob

2011-05-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

We are currently watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua. It started out as a joke, but it's been on for a while and Dave is now reading me the "goofs" from the movie from imdb.com, which he looked up on his phone. And now he's reading the trivia. And he hid the remote when I tried to change the channel.

Party May

2011-05-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Party May - as I dubbed this month, in the throes of studying for crummy April finals - is almost over. In the month of Party May, I read 5 books and logged numerous hours at the pool (not nearly enough, though, given all this rain). In the month of Party May, I deep cleaned and organized my room (closet, storage bins, dresser, desk), bathroom, and car. In the month of Party May, I watched every episode of My So-Called Life, every episode of How I Met Your Mother (yet again), and an embarrassing amount of Beverly Hills, 90210. In the month of Party May, I shopped in Park City, fell in love with The Voice, rode on a short bus, and met David Archuleta. Party May also brought attempts to cook and two sleepovers with Dantzel (one tie-dye, one not).

This month has been a sort of suspended reality where I have no real obligations except the few imposed by Law Review. While it’s probably time to start being a contributing member of society again, it sure has been nice to take a break. I’m sad to see Party May end. Luckily, the month will go out with a bang: Memorial Day, The Tree of Life, and Les Miserables all in one 3-day weekend is a hearty recipe for fun.

Then it's on to Serious June, Buckle Down July, and You’re In The Home Stretch August. I’m so excited to go home for the summer and I’m so excited for the work I’ll be doing, but it will definitely be a change in pace from the leisurely schedule I’ve been keeping.

The Girl Next Door

2011-05-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

Kelly Kapoor channels Taylor Swift in her latest music video.

Thanks to Caisa for showing me this gem. In terms of gem sizes, this is like a Kim Kardashian engagement ring (20.5 carats).

What things look like lately

2011-05-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

Intense teenage drama makes this happen:

Terribly inaccurate rape trial on teenage drama show makes this happen
(those are the Federal Rules of Evidence):

The shakes at JCW's are huge (this is the small):

Get the Kit-Kat flavor.

Dave is nice as usual:

Terra Mia:

Tie-dye sleepover at Dantzel's house looked like this:

10 days left in Utah, and then it's DC til mid-August. I will miss all these peeps.

Summer goals

2011-05-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

My summer goals are two-fold: to take more photos and to learn how to cook things in the kitchen. Soooooooo......

Creation number one: cantaloupe. Baby steps.

In case you were questioning exactly how inexperienced I am in the kitchen, I had to ask Cat how to cut a cantaloupe, and then, upon hearing her first explanation, had to ask her to "dumb it down" for me. Did you know cantaloupes have seeds in them? I totally did...n't.

Creation number two: lemon pepper chicken and broccoli.

Handling raw meat is not an easy thing to get used to. I still move it around with two forks. Quinn taught me to make broccoli 2 years ago, about 3 times, so that was like, a total breeze. (I still stressed out over it.)

Creation number three: banana bread.

I made this banana bread. I don't think I could love a human baby as much as I love this banana bread right now. I am so proud.

Totally candid.

100% real. He's wondering where this banana bread has BEEN his whole life.

"This is (the best) banana bread." -Lyndsi G.

So there you have it. Reach for the stars.

blog help please

2011-05-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

I need a new blog name. Mine started out as a frustrated joke that has stuck for 2 years. Help! Marissa, Jaclyn, Lindsay, Allie... whoever else reads this? You guys are all creative. I'm sure you can come up with something great. I have been stretching my mind grapes, and nothing.

Also, I want to figure out how to change my template so that my videos and stuff don't run into the stuff on the right side. That would also be nice.

I will jimmer Jimmer into taking a picture with me

2011-05-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

I am going to the Utah Entertainment Awards tomorrow night with Dave since his company gave him tickets. I know nothing about it. It looks kind of like the Utah version of People's Choice Awards.

Alls I know is my sole goal for the entire night is to get a picture with Jimmer. Or David Archuleta, or Chelsie Hightower. Each a Jimmer in their own field. A trifecta of talent.

For those of you who haven't seen probably everyone's favorite dance from So You Think You Can Dance, this is Chelsie (otherwise known as my soon-to-be Best Friend Forever):

Surprise party

2011-05-18T00:54:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite Kristen Wiig (SNL) skit. Still. I say "ohhhh myyyy gossshhh" like Sue all the time, and no one ever gets it. Maybe now you will get it.

"I'm sorry, I... didn't know this was gonna be happening today. I am ecstatic to be a part of this."

Today Mike and Lauren told me that Amy Poehler reminds them of me when they watch Parks & Rec. It felt better than getting into law school.

Security risk

2011-05-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

So, my background check for my summer job is taking some time (not all that out of the ordinary). I had to list references, one of which was a one, Andrew Ludlow. Drew has just informed me he is the reason I am still waiting for my clearance.

His alleged words to the interviewer were "she would frequently lose all control of mind and body when his visage would come on screen....displayed a definite lack of judgment...."

Anyone who lived at Lanai circa 2007-2008 knows to whom he is referring. It was too good a comment not to be shared. Oh, David...

I will hear the people sing in TWO WEEKS

2011-05-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

I saw Les Miserables last summer in London and it was, as expected, incredible. I'm an easy crier - no doubt about that (Lindsey? Hunchback of Notre Dame?) - but this show will make your tough-as-steel war veteran father sob. The story is so moving and the music is beautiful and addictive. It might be set during the French Revolution, but you can still relate to all of the characters. Without getting too awkwardly personal, I'll say that there are parts and relationships that really hit home for me. I'm sure there are parts like that for everyone, which is probably (definitely) why it's such a beloved musical.

I've wanted to see it again pretty much since the show ended. Unlucky for me, the only city that still regularly shows it on a Broadway-comparable level is London. Lucky for me, the traveling tour is coming to Salt Lake in two weeks and Dave and I have tickets. I really hope the traveling tour measures up -- the tickets were almost impossible to get, so I'm taking that to be a good sign.

Alright, I am done gushing. But if you're reading this at work, I recommend listening to a few of these songs while you're typing away (gchatting). Even if you've heard them before and you're like "eh," you'll get sucked in again. These are a few of my favorites, but really it's hard to choose. I like Who Am I the most because it's such a pivotal part of the show, and I always imagine the courtroom scene when I'm listening to it. I like it more sung by the original Valjean, but this was the best one I could find on Youtube. Also, A Little Fall of Rain is great because Lea Salonga was Eponine in the 10th Anniversary show and she is unreal. In a good way.

Who Am I:

Do You Hear The People Sing:

One Day More:

A Little Fall of Rain:

Hallelujah

2011-05-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

Guess what? The pool at the neighboring apartment complex is open. Open for biznaz. I've been three times already since learning about it on Thursday (thanks Caisa). I also scored this wicked cool sunburn on the bottom half of the right side of my face. Yep. That's what you get for doing a sloppy job of sunscreening your face and then lying on your stomach for a while: a quarter-face burn.

After today's bust of a pool visit (about 45 minutes in, it started to storm), we moved the party back to our apartment. Which is a sexy way of saying we ate funfetti cake with chips and salsa while sitting on the floor and talking about life things.

Here's to hopefully many more photos like this one next week.

Pool time is a welcome addition to what was becoming my daily routine of watching Beverly Hills 90210 and cleaning.

Photos

2011-05-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

I am terrible at remembering to take pictures these days. But here are some of my favorites lately, half of which I didn't take:

Dave and I might have mastered the art of the homemade nacho.

If you know of any other easy dinner recipes... send 'em my way. Right now, this is the standard.

My newest niece, already in Redskins attire. She is my brother's daughter.

My administrative law professor was interviewed and filmed by mormon.org as part of their "I'm a Mormon" campaign. She's really smart and has a very cool life story. Here's the link. My side of the room was filmed for exactly 1 second, so I sent this video along to my family as proof that I really am in law school and really do go to class. My brother made the above photo.

Bored bored bored

2011-05-12T00:49:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty slow around here since I finished school. I'm in limbo before I start my job, and everyone else currently works 9-5. So naturally, I have organized almost everything I own.

Storage bins: organized and labeled, including an itemized list of each bin's contents.

Closet: switched out winter clothes for summer clothes, took a bunch to DI.

Bathroom: cleaned everything and organized cabinet contents by frequency of use.

Car: cleaned outside, emptied inside. Definitely going to get better gas mileage now that I'm not toting around a huge case of soda.

Desk: meticulously organized and awaiting the fall (when it will take me exactly 1 day to mess it up again).

My jeans have been hemmed, books have been sold, towel rack has been fixed, and rent has been paid for the summer. I watched the first and only season of My So-Called Life, read a few books, and learned to make four new smoothies. I've also planned out the law review assignments I have to make for pretty much the whole summer.

Now what? Suggestions? I'm dyin' here. I'm thiiiiis close to joining a gym.

Having a mustache is like...

2011-05-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Credits to Dave for this one.

Tulip Festival

2011-05-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Tulip Festival - CHECK. One more thing off my Utah bucket list. I have to say -- at first glance, I was a little underwhelmed. I was hoping for big fields of flowers instead of a walkway lined with them. After a few hours there, though, it ended up being a really fun time. I still want to see a huge field of tulips like here, here (both Netherlands), here (Oregon), or here (Washington), but those will have to wait until I'm no longer a poor student. For now, Lehi, Utah will do just fine!

Dave might have been popping his back when this was taken. Our stranger-photographer might not have been great at following directions.

Excuse the squinting. It was officially 80+ degrees this day. It will likely snow this week.

America.

Happy Joanne Day!

2011-05-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

I love my mom! I think my best write-ups about my mom can be found in this older post (or this one). I write about my mom a lot on this here blog because she's always making me laugh.

A few extras about Joanne:

- We love watching crime shows together, and we run the full gamut on quality: Criminal Minds, Law & Order, Monk, Psych... we watch them all. We also try to guess who did it within the first few minutes of the show. She's usually right.

- I love talking to her about books I'm reading or movies I've seen because she actually listens and then wants to read/see them. I talked her ear off about Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The King's Speech this weekend. Both winners, by the way.

- She's so in love with my nieces and nephew. It makes me excited to have my own kids that she can fawn all over someday.

- She is excited about EVERYTHING. You can tell she's excited because she'll clap her hands together with her mouth open. I know, because I do the exact same thing.

- She is my biggest fan. I feel like I can do anything because she's always telling me I can. She also prefaces everything she says with, "I'm not just saying this because I'm your mom...," which is funny since she's clearly biased. But I still believe her!

- She's up on politics and doesn't sound like a doofus when she talks about the government.

- She learned how to use a ton of computer programs this year for her new job. She felt overwhelmed at first, but I've been so impressed by her hard work in learning something that intimidated her.

The list goes on and on. My mom is a real gem. Happy Mother's Day, Mom! You are the best!

2011-05-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Here is where my pictures from the Tulip Festival would have gone. Except I couldn't get to the Tulip Festival because traffic was so bad on I-15 today due to some dumb construction. So, no tulips for me. You win, construction workers, you always do.

Palm Springs

2011-05-04T12:42:00.002-07:00

After finals were over, I headed out to Palm Springs with Lyndsi and Cat for some de-stressing. We stayed in the Harrisons' condo and spent all our time hanging out at the pool, shopping, watching movies, and oohing and aahing over the Royal Wedding. It was pretty perfect.

Some cool shades at the street fair

We are just like Kate Middleton with our classy style

The Harrisons own a golf cart, so we rode around the resort where they live, picking grapefruit off of neighbors' trees. Given that I'd been west of Ohio exactly once in my life before coming to BYU, I had never seen grapefruit growing on trees before last week. Who knows why I was geeking out so much over grapefruit - but I was - and 9 of the 15 pictures I took last week are grapefruit-related.

Cat was really good at climbing the trees

Check out my wicked tan, right?

The spoils

Lyndsi "Royal Wedding expert" Godfrey

I also read three books while I was there! I finished up the last Hunger Games book, read a book on the 50 most famous crimes in the U.S., and read Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (which I loved - already ordered the second book from Amazon). Warning: GWTDT can be a bit gruesome, if you decide to read it.

On our way back, we stopped in Baker where they loooove aliens.

All in all, Palm Springs was excellent and I am happy Cat and Lyndsi are my friends!

DC apartment!

2011-05-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

The second best news of today, falling short of Osama getting shot in the head (awesome), is that I have an apartment in DC for the summer! It's in the city, in a neighborhood just north of Georgetown (a half-mile) called Glover Park. I can walk to some excellent shopping for some exercise, and my commute was just cut down to at least a third of what it was going to be if I lived at home. Win-win! If anyone has friends in the DC 2nd ward, tell them to be my friend this summer.

Great day.

Heaven

2011-04-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

I finished finals, and am currently in Palm Springs with m'roommates. The best things about Palm Springs so far:

1. Grapefruits grow on trees on the side of the street. We have eaten MANY grapefruits so far.

2. The pool is 10 feet away from the house.

3. BUNNIES in the backyard. I took a video. I love bunnies.

Also, I finally got to read the third Hunger Games book (thanks Lauren!). Depressing, no? Then we went and saw The Conspirator. Also depressing. Them's the breaks, I guess.