bad news- it is officially freezing here in Happy Valley. Today I sported the sweatshirt AND the winter coat.

neutral news-I register on Sunday night meaning I have some serious schedule jitters. Spanish 206, BOM, Art History 202, Chem 101, and Essentials of Human Nutrition 100 is the plan. And I won't have class before 1 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. (but plan on working 10-1 every day) I don't know what to think about all this.

good news- I did some of the reading I told myself I would finish... yesterday. Looks like I have a date with the Law tonight.

better news- I spent Sociology finding more cooking blogs.... this one and this one are good. I want to cook everything.

best news- tomorrow is FRIDAY. & it is dinner time.

dragging. and Wisdom Wednesday

I am really tired right now.
I am attributing this to the fact that I've been kinda too busy for much sleep the last few days... but it's been worth it. The highlight of my Tuesday/Wednesday? Volunteering at the MTC speaking Spanish.
So in my ward I'm on the Missionary Council, and since we've got 100% conversion in our ward, there's not much for our council to do except coordinate temple trips and get people to volunteer at the MTC. When the sign up sheet came around on Sunday to work in the TRC having missionaries teach you, the "investigator", the discussions, I glanced over it, and none of the sections worked for me in English. Thinking I should probably do something for my calling, I thought, what the heck! Spanish might be fun! So, I signed up and decided to worry about it later. ...and worry I definitely did. All day Wednesday that was all I could think of- all the things that could go wrong with me and the TRC. It's ok, though! Because my wisdom for the day is
WW34- Volunteer at the MTC
I didn't die at the MTC! Things actually went really well. For the first hour my role was a storekeeper selling the missionaries clothesf, and then we talked about the church, I made up questions, and they taught me. I had been worried that they wouldn't understand me or I'd say the wrong thing, but as we talked, I realized that they didn't even know when I was messing up, seeing as they've only been learning Spanish for 7 weeks! And for 7 weeks, I was pretty amazed at their skills! It was so refreshing to be in the MTC- to think thousands of guys my age go there and not learn how to teach the gospel, but in a language they'd never even uttered until arriving at the MTC. it's so amazing! For the 2nd hour, I talked to missionaries who had only been in the MTC for 5 days. Oh, they thought I was so good at Spanish! Each missionary bore their testimony in Spanish, we prayed, and then they taught me a lesson in English... which they were very excited about doing! I would write something deep about missionary work, but I am way too tired for that. So you'll just have to settle for this- missionaries are great and I am going to volunteer at the TRC every Tuesday now. Who knows? Maybe I'll teach guys I know sometime!

All I want to do lately is cook. In class I search recipes, I live for grocery shopping, and the thing that got me to run my 5 miles today at Gold's was the company of Barefoot Contessa and her mushroom lasagna demo on Food Network. All I want to do is go to Borders, sit in the cookbook section, find vegetarian recipes, and drink hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream!

And now I am finishing this very choppy entry cuz I told Cory to make me go home and go to bed at 11:30, and he just informed me I have 9 minutes. He is such a good mom!

Daily Woe & Rant

if I have to buy one more tube for my bike this month I am buying a scooter.
This is RIDICULOUS!

Maybe One O'Clock Church Isn't Such A Bad Thing...

It gives me time to explore.

Maybe I am just a true Provo Newbie, but I experienced Rock Canyon for the first time this morning.

Why hasn't anyone ever let me in on the absolute splendor of this place?

This morning I was feeling a little bit restless and like I'd eaten one too many cookies the day before, so I pulled out my hoodie, turned on my iPod, and set off in the direction of the temple. My feet did their own thing, and the next thing I knew I was two inches tall compared to the towering cliffs of Rock Canyon. It seems I am experiencing the most in Provo by myself, and I probably looked pretty ridiculous standing in the Canyon grinning like an idiot. I've come to the conclusion that there are few times in a day when both your face and heart smile genuinely. Seeing the leaves fall, feeling the brisk morning air grazing my face, and hearing the crunch of the gravel under my feet are the things that made me feel so good- I am just kicking myself for not taking my camera with me... And I am hoping that the leaves will stick around another week so we can do a photoshoot next Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed!

Wisdom Wednesday

there are fewer things I like more in this life that sweats.

there are even fewer things I like more than cheap stuff.

That is why when I went to DI the other day looking for a Halloween costume and found a pair of 4 dollar Diadora soccer sweats, I almost died right there somewhere between the racks of women's maternity and sportswear.

Since that fateful moment, I have worn them at every chance. Oh, and did I mention that everyone is jealous? I mean, who knows? Beckham could have sweated in these bad boys!

And to think I was sitting in American Heritage the other day, online shopping, of course, and wrestling with myself over a pair of 60 dollar Asics running sweats. If there's one thing I have learned, it's that you should always Thrift First- WW33

Today I miss everything Boise.

Ok I am ready to come home- I like this college thing, but it's time for a break. I want to go eat at Lucky 13, take a long run on the greenbelt over the Friendship bridge with my mom, get White Chocolate Mousse and Reeses from TCBY, and ride my cruiser. I miss him. I want to drive my little pick up on Amity and see downtown in the distance. I want a back massage. I want to hear Griffey bark. I want to ride the motorcycle with my dad. I want to laugh with Lindsay, laugh at Kourtni, and beat up Payton. I want to hear the squeaky pantry door. I want to smell my own house.

To cope with my loneliness I made Sunday dinner for lunch. Potatoes, peas, and rolls from Grandma's on Sunday... it wasn't as good as Mom's. Yet, I am full and thinking about paper chain-ing the days away til Thanksgiving.

... and with that little soul leak I think I should go do my homework.

Random moment for blogging

So I'm sitting in the hall waiting for Corey to finish his test so we can go back to the bike store so I can get my flat tire fixed. Ah it feels like pseudo Friday, and I like that. The week is winding down, and for that I am so GRATEFUL. Why? I had the pleasure of getting to take a whopping 4 midterms in the last 3 days. Oh man... the new things I am experiencing here. But, they're finally over and I can breathe again. Feels good, that is for sure.

... and the fact that the Office is in 5 1/2 hours makes everything that much better!

Wisdom Wednesday

I used to hate buying food... college has changed that. One of the highlights of my week now is going to the grocery store and buying basically the same thing every week- frozen rasberries, yogurt, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, corn, refried beans, granola bars, my favorite guilty pleasure- milk chocolate chocolate chips, and cereal. And finding the cereal I want is always the hardest part. The other night while at Walmart, Logan and I paced up and down the cereal aisle for a good 10 minutes while I weighed all my possible options... did I want Life? The 8 dollar must-be-laced-with-gold-flakes- granola, or something else? Logan helped, throwing suggestions back, but nothing seemed to work. It was so hard to make a decision... but maybe I should account for the fact that it was midnight. Anyways, Logan got sick of me staring blankly at the Kellogg varieties, so he did something that everyone should do. He walked up the the Walmart stocker and said, "Hey... do you have any cereal recommendations?"

Stocker- "What?"

Logan- "my friend can't decide what cereal to buy, she's been standing here for like 20 minutes, and I thought it might be in your expertise. What do you suggest?"

It is now that the stocker understands and gets all "knowledgeable" about his cereal. He talks about his favorites and then BAM like a bolt of lightning it's clear.

Stocker- "Well, I really like Raisin Bran... have you ever had Raisin Bran Crunch? It's delicious!"

I decide to take a leap of faith with Walmart guy and get the Raisin Bran Crunch. And guess what? It is the best cereal ever. I love it. Where has this stuff been all my life? I am seriously wondering if everyone has known about it this whole time and no one bothered to tell me about it's deliciousness. Walmart guy and I recommend it.

WW32- Ask for Walmart Employee Recommendations. and if you're feeling adventures go here and laugh a little. :)

Quote of the Day

"Alyssa, you're more revolutionary. You'd be the kind of person to stand with a picket sign and take out police."

-Corey Crellin

Oh the Irony.

First, go read the post I wrote earlier yesterday.

Read it? OK. Funny how things like this work out... I actually did run til I couldn't run anymore.

Why can't I run anymore? I am chafing. In fact not only can I not really run, I can't really walk.

Why am I in such pain? I accidentally just ran 14.5 miles.

How did I accidentally run 14.5 miles? It's a funny story, really. So yesterday I was feeling pretty antsy, so I figured, what better way to get rid of all my energy by running. The initial plan was to run to Springville, which I thought was about 5 miles away. I'd get to Grandma's, grab a drink, and then run back to Provo to get my bike from Shane's house, which I figured was about 3 miles away. Riding the other 2 miles would be fine, and it would be a good 10 mile workout to help me put off studying for my 4 midterms.

Things started out great- the sun was bright, the cars on State Street didn't run me over, and I was only honked at one time. 311 and the Killers helped me make it all the way to Grandma's. I'd been going for 50 minutes, so I stopped my watch, grabbed a drink and chatted with the family, and then I set off for Shane's house.

Even though Provo has a grid system, I still got lost. I ran around Provo for a good hour until I finally found his apartment, stepping foot in an area of town where the street signs are written in Spanish before English, and where there are more boarded windows than actually businesses It was an adventure to say the least!

The Omni Apartments seemed like Mecca to me as I ran up the sidewalk. Tired and ready to be done running, I dialed my combo, and started wheeling my bike down the sidewalk. But there was a problem. A big one.

Flat tire.

I let out a loud, "NOOOOOOOOO!" and hated the world for a minute.

A little dishearted and dreading the run back to campus, I relocked Silver Bullet and restarted the timer. I'd now been running for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Lovely.

I hate the word, "jog". The connotation reminds me of the movement of an old woman trying to run with 2 replaced hips, and I hate being referred to as a "jogger" or anything of the like. Except I think the imagery of an old lady ambling across campus is exactly what I resembled at this time, and therefore the word fits. Perfectly.

As I ran across campus, all I could think about was writing this blog, and how ironic this whole ordeal was. It is what kept me going until I reached Heritage... oh, and the multiple spoonfuls of peanut butter I indulged in as I sat in the grass recounting my story to all my roommates.

When I finally found the strength to inside, curiosity got the best of me, and I just had to find out many miles I'd actually ran. With the help of this website, I routed my run, and came up with this little map of my mileage.

... and I still have not studied for my tests.

A Beautiful Day

means that I am going to run today until I cannot run anymore.

After a morning of cleaning toilets and sinks with a toothbrush (literally) at work, and then sitting for 2 hours in a cramped lecture hall for American Heritage midterm review, it is time to get OUT.

Current City: Provo, UT

Current Temp: 53 degrees

Current Condition: SUNNY.

.. and a special thanks to Shaun for the new music... it's gonna make a great running playlist. :)

So This Is Entertaining.

So I think this is old... but that just shows how college hinders my up-to-dateness with everything cool that doesn't pertain to Biology or Mormons.

Fantasy football makes me laugh. One night one of my friends was on the phone all night drafting his players, and I thought it was hilariously dumb. ... this changed my mind a little.

PS. Mom, show this to Payton. He'll like it :)

Wisdom Wednesday

First off, I hate the BYU Creamery. Hear me out.

1. Dental Floss is either 1.99 for the gritty generic brand or 4.99. Ummm... we're college students, people!

2. Produce sucks. I don't think fruit flies hovering over the peaches is a good sign

3. They run out of cinnamon. What kind of a grocery store runs out of cinnamon?

WW31- Pumpkin Cookies

The inspiration for this post comes from the latter of my list. Why was I looking for cinnamon? Well, continuing with the October theme from last post, I have had the urge to make something pumpkin for the last week. Living with my own kitchen has made me domestic, and once it got cold that is all I've wanted to make! Anyways, last Saturday night I go down to the Creamery to buy the ingredients, and what do you know- they've got all the paprika you could ever want to own, but no cinnamon. This little setback forced me to wait an entire weekend before I could make my cookies. Good thing Sam's mom made us all sorts of good food for our Conference party, or who knows if I would have survived. Anyways, I finally made it to the store, got my cinnamon, and the cookies are made. And they're delicious. I urge you to make some.

October

On Tuesday night I made Steven and Corey study outside with me, because I knew it would be last night we could comfortably sit outside without freezing.

On Wednesday morning I woke up to cold and rain. (and proceeded to go out in no jacket and forget my apartment key. It was a wet walk to the ESC, but Broccoli and Cheddar soup at the MOA with Emily at the end of classes made it all better)

I have a sound intuition.

I forgot what it feels like to have your legs be cold through you jeans, but I'm remembering how nice it feels to run in the autumn air.

Me and Corey discussed it- October is basically the best month. Plus winter clothes rock.

You all should see how pretty the mountains here in Utah look, and the other night when Shane, Parker, Logan, Corey, and I drove to Park City, I could barely contain my excitement for the changing leaves and pretty colors of the Canyon.

I'm thinking Conference Weekend = pumpkin break making

and TGIF. seriously