Hey guys! Remember how I have a blog? Probably not.....our memory doesn't go that far back.

I do have a blog, and I have a goal that once I am married I will blog more regularly because that's what married girls do, right? They blog away about how exciting their life is.

Well, I've got news for you, people! My life is exciting RIGHT NOW. And that is why I don't have time to blog about it! How about a few brief updates since I last wrote......in October or November.

So Thanksgiving was lovely and Christmas break was amazing. I saw James for most of it both in CO and UT. For Christmas he gave me a "coupon" to teach me how to ski with a "handsome instructor named James F. McKean." I'd never been skiing before. I'm NOT a loser, I swear. So he took me and it was amazing fun and I veered off a green course onto a blue one and almost died and then cried like a little girl, but other than that....actually....including that....it was perfect.
                                           


James and I decided over Christmas break that in 2013 we wanted to set the goal to be married and we needed each others' help with that. So we went ring shopping and all the fun began!

I saw him every second or third weekend for a few more weekends after that, and then on February 22nd, WE GOT ENGAGED! You probably knew that from facebook though. And you probably knew about it February 22nd so this is super duper old news to you. Go you.

      

More like GO US! James and I were busy with wedding plans this whole semester....the least of which included engagements with my awesome Aunt Natalie, who did a fabulous job and we had so much fun!

                         

I'm about to wrap up an 18-credit semester. I worked 20 hours a week, and still made sure I made time for exercise and socializing. James has worked about....26 hours a day, but somehow still exercises and talks to me every night for a good while. It has been nutso. Wonderfully nutso trying to make time for everything.

So here are the coming weeks:

April 14-20: Last two days of classes, finals begin, and James moves into our apartment in Houston
April 21-27: Finish up finals, graduate college (well, walk....I technically don't graduate until August), and drive home to CO with the fam
April 28-May 4: Finish up final wedding plans in CO and drive back out to UT because that weekend we're getting MARRIED!
May 5-May11: Honeymoon (James won't tell me where we're going) and CO reception
May 12-May 19: Road trip down to TX and I move into our apt
May 20-May 27: I start an internship down in Houston with MediFit and start on my last two classes (through Independent Study so I can get my diploma in August) and James goes back to work.

And now that I've updated you through the end of May.....don't expect another blog post for a while....hehehe.

Last weekend (Oct. 26-28) I went to Texas, ya'll. And I did not want to come back home. Mainly because of THIS GUY, but also because I left all of my responsibilities and homework in Utah!

Doesn't James look dashing in this pink shirt? I'll take credit for that....

This picture was taken after we went to James' awesome work party in a mansion home on Friday night. The "mansion" used to be owned by an NBA player and looked and felt more like a museum than a home. There was a shark in the pool in the backyard, and even though I never saw it move I know it was real. They had a name tag especially for lil ol' me, everyone was dressed up, horderves were served (shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, fancy thangs), and everyone had a wine glass in hand (well, most everyone). The new guys were introduced, and James was introduced as the smartest new BA this year. He probably doesn't like that I put that, but it's probably true, so oh well. Dinner was awesome: steak, chicken, fish, eggplant, crabcakes, salads, asparagus, green beans, and then later came dessert: cake, brownies, and creme brulee. I really liked the people James works with; they're all very down to earth and personable, and it was nice to get a glimpse into his new life in Houston. It's easy to see why he's happy there. :)

The rest of the weekend was much more laid back. And that was perfect. It went too fast though.

He showed me his office! It's on the 26th floor and the view is awesome, minus the no-mountains part. When I asked James where the mountains were he said "they knocked them down for other things." I do not like the flatness of Texas.

Random walking lady took our picture. She almost didn't know how to use it because it's a camera and not an iphone.

I posed exactly the way that sign is telling me not to pose for a picture. Such a rebel.

This is personally my favorite. I love parks. and James. and not coming home. But I did.

Oh, and I would post the picture of us when we went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, but the waiter.....kind of caught us by surprise and we both look....well, bad, for lack of a better word.

I cheat on tests. Or at least I did this week. Makes for a great blog-post, huh? Bet you're thinking there's a catch, but I'm just that bad folks...bad to the hueso.

The best way to cheat on a test is to try and be so obvious about cheating that no one would ever guess you're cheating. I've got it down to an art. I refer to the calculator. Good ol' TI-83 Plus. You know him, I know him. Just luh dat guy. Got to a really hard math problem on my nutrition test...ya know, something like 7 times 75 and you bet I pulled out a calculator! I ain't doin' no LONGHAND. And what's shorter than longhand, ya'lll? Cheating, ya'll.

So anyway, I pulled out Texy (that's TI-83 Plus' real name) and he helped me out like he do and I was on my way like I is. I finished the test, completely dissatisfied with the lack of confidence I felt with regards to my score, and to make matters worse....as I handed over the bubble sheet I read these two words up in the right-hand corner:

NO CALCULATORS.

Oops.

Okay, well that oops gives away my "intentional" cheating.

So it was unintentional after all, but I decided it would be best just to try and get away with using a calculator on a test I wasn't supposed to use a calculator on since my score was going to be low enough anyway.

And now you know how bad I am.

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Actually, truth be told I was just horribly embarrassed. Really, Aleisha? You used a calculator to solve problems like "7 times 75"? Did first grade do NOTHING for you?

I came home and wrote a huge email about my huge saga to my professor, asking for partial credit because I at least knew how to solve the problems even if I didn't solve them LONGHAND. I worded everything perfectly and re-read the email a dozen times, making sure to leave nothing out.

3 minutes later my professor responded saying he didn't care one bit that I'd used a calculator; he'd never intended for it to be a "no calculator" test. Okay, now I'm embarrassed about writing that mammoth email apologizing and begging for partial points. And then, to add to my embarrassment, the professor mentions that he didn't think there were any problems hard enough to even need a calculator. So essentially, I'm dumb.

Embarrassed times three, dumb, and not really hard core bad girl after all. What a disappointing Monday.


Morals of this story: learn LONGHAND in case you ever take a NO CALCULATOR test. Always check the top right-hand corner of your bubble sheet just in case. If you have no morals and want to cheat, you can probably get away with it in the testing center because I just pulled that calculator out STRAIGHT UP in the FRONT desk right in front of one of them wandering "cheat-catchers," and they did not catch my unintentional cheating.

And I didn't do so bad on the test after all.

And then school happened....

You people probably have about as much time to read my blog posts as I have time to write them. That amount of time is NONE. I have lots of time to entertain a smorgasbord of interesting thoughts in my head all day long, but to barf them out into a crafty blog post is entirely different.

I went from having more time than I knew what to do with to having more things than I have time to do. And that is school's fault. Let me give you sips from both a glass-half-full and glass-half-empty perspective:

School is awesome because learning is awesome. I feel cool when I know new stuffs. Who doesn't want to learn that the three desserts you're eating a day are steering you down the yellow brick road to type 2 diabetes, a disease which is somewhere around 92% preventable?... said my Chronic Disease Prevention professor. Now I can keep eating those three desserts but with an extra dollop of guilt. I learn about how 1/3 of Americans are obese and I roll my eyes in disgust and shame at our fatty habits. And then I pick up some Taco Bell on the way home. And hate myself for being the "stereotypical American" who my classes are teaching me not to be. I'm obviously not in a writing class right now.....okay.....

And it's always good to know that if I divide one polynomial into another I get some absurdly ridiculous variable-infested radical that means absolutely nothing to me and looks messier when the problem's solved than when it was started. Glad I know that. I feel cool on the rare occasion I get the answer right the first time and a little bubble pops up that says "excellent." What it means by that is "Excellent job getting a 2 on your AP Calc test Senior year so that now you can take baby math with all the freshmen and feel smart for solving easier problems than you solved 5 years ago." Smart-mouth bubble.

But I really do like being back in school. After little brain activity for several months it's refreshing to have mini mind explosions anytime I open my physiology book and read about neurotransmitters and depolarization and antagonistic control of the heart....and then study it until I understand it. I enjoy being in so many core classes for my major (Exercise and Wellness) and find myself thinking about, applying, and sharing my new-found nuggets o knowledge with others.

It's satisfying to learn and progress and be busy. I love the challenge of learning how to micromanage the minutes of my day, savoring and relishing moments of rest or fun like you can't in the summer because the summer is in large part rest and fun. There's the thrill of never knowing who you'll run into throughout the day as you try to doggy paddle your way across the raging rapids of people right thur between the JFSB, the SWKT, and the ESC. You know the place. If you're not careful you'll get trampled like Mufasa. Mufasa. Mufasa. But seriously, the longer you're here the more people you know and the cooler you feel giving them the head jerk nod thing as you walk by. I don't do that, by the way.

There is a satisfaction from crawling between the covers and mashing your face into a cold squishy pillow after a long and productive day on campus that doesn't come when you're not in school.

And speaking of how much I love school, I should get back to my homework.

And it came to pass...

that Aleisha created one of these guys.  Welcome to the beginning of me tripping through all the crooks and nannies of the blogging world, friendlies.