After all this time.....

If you are just beginning this blog, I think it's only fair to warn you that this one is a novel.....so either come back when you have the time or print it out and take it with you lol. It's been WEEKS since the last blog and although I'm still just doing "highlights" there are quite a few from the past couple weeks.

Think wayyyyy back....we left off the last blog with me visiting my family for the harvest holiday, during that whirlwind of a weekend I ended up getting swine flu.....which is awesome because I was vaccinated against it.

Swine Flu:
Swine (formally H1N1) is like the regular flu, sinus infection, strep and mono all got together and made a baby. To tell you that I can't remember ever feeling that miserable would be a lie.....but I hope that I don't ever have to feel like that again! Or at least for a while. It takes you OUT. The best part is that I had to drive back to cedar with this lovely disease....super achy body, exhausted, coughing, nauseated, feverish miserable me....driving. For those of you who don't know. I HATE DRIVING DISTANCE. Seriously, anything that passes the 45 minute mark is pushing it. Road trips? I'd rather die. In fact please just pre-emptively execute me so that I don't have some kind of psychotic break during the "super-fun road trip" and endanger the lives of everyone around me. In order to get from cedar back to Salt Lake, I would rather wait an hour in the little airport, fly for 45 minutes and then have to wait another hour in SLC than drive. Granted it's not AS bad if someone else is driving, but none of my friends have cars, or at least cars/driving skills that I would trust to any lengthy driving.

Needless to say, I was out for the next week; sleeping 18 hours a day.....and that drive was one of the worst I have ever had to endure.

Midterms:
A word second only to "Finals" in the kind of anxiety it instantly creates. At this point I had missed an entire week of school, meaning that not only had I missed classes, but I didn't even have notes to study from. The problem with being a science or any "hard-core" major is that, if you miss class....you will have absolutely no idea what's going on. Such was the case with me. I did my very best to read the chapters, catch up on lab work and borrow notes from friends....but in the end I epicly failed my midterms. Some of them I didn't fail, but all of the scores were low enough to drop my class grade by an entire letter. Which means that I will now have to spend the rest of the semester acing EVERYTHING in order to fix those.....as if there's already not enough pressure on me to do well.....thanks swine flu. *sobbing sounds.....*

Ballroom:
You knew this section was coming. Don't act too surprised. Basically the past several weeks has been all about publicity for our upcoming show (it's this weekend!) and lots of little shows in an attempt to get the word out. Including but not limited to.....

• The Howl: the university's HUGE Halloween party where we were dressed up like zombies! Check the pictures out on facebook if you get the chance! We looked sooooo eerie!
• The Homecoming Parade
• The Homecoming Game Halftime show- country western line dance, fully decked in cowboy apparel
• Bread and Soup Nite- a monthly food bank event, students get in free with a can of food. And there's always live entertainment
• The 158th Cedar City birthday party, prestigious!

We have been practicing tons and tons, and then when you feel like crying, you know that you've made it about halfway through Saturday rehearsals. Oh yes my friends. Last Saturday we danced 8 hours straight....and then my friend Brenna made cake, and I didn't feel bad about eating it haha. Burning SOOOOOOOO many calories.
After the performance at the Cedar City birthday party there was a huge party at Ariel's house for the entire company and it was so fun! It was really nice to see everyone outside of a rehearsal environment :)

True T-Bird Night
Funny/ridiculous story of this blog. Okay, so every year there is a school sponsored event/tradition called "True T-bird Night" where you kiss someone, on a full moon, at the stroke of midnight in front of this statue and then you are dubbed a true-suu-thunderbird. Kind-of ridiculous....but hey it's a tradition. I had no intentions of going until Lizzy invited me to go with her and Megan. One of the things on Lizzy's bucket list is to kiss a complete stranger....and true-t night provides the perfect opportunity for something like that. Basically this event is like the mardi-gras of kissing.....
Okay, so at TTB (sorry I'm already tired of writing it out lol) we were just kind of standing around and then all of the sudden the countdown to midnight begins.... 10.....9.......8.....Lizzy finds her stranger...and I am still standing there awkwardly when one of my best guy-friends on ballroom approaches me and says, "You and me Lycia".... and in my mind I think, "Why not?" this guy is nice, this kiss means NOTHING, and then I'll have taken part in this tradition. Yay college experiences.

So I end up kissing previously stated friend. And life moved on from there. Was it kinda weird the next day? And in ballroom after that? oh ya. Not even gonna hide. But we're such good friends...that both of us were just glad that we hadn't ended up kissing creepy people haha. It was our little secret. We knew that if anyone on ballroom ever ever ever EVER found out, it would cause some serious drama.... so we had a firm "no tell" policy, which was working out great UNTIL.....

The school newspaper had covered the event, and on the back page of the next week's edition was a picture..... and yours truly leaning in to kiss friend truly..... and all hello broke loose. Even now I can laugh and just think how completely ridiculous it all is....but man -there were some people that were not happy about it. Why they care so much? I have no idea. But I felt like a celebrity for a day....you know? When celebs have something personal that they didn't want anyone else to know about put all over the news? yup. Moral of the story, don't kiss people if you don't mean it....or at least make sure there aren't cameras to bear witness to such an exchange.   

The Six Chicks:
Oh drama. So Brenna was getting into all of these spats over stupid things with the other girls and keeping things from them, which just led to her feeling bad about it.....basically an absurd lack of communication led to Brenna moving out of the apartment and into a different eccles unit. I think the entire thing is really stupid. Brenna started dating this guy and right as she was about to tell the girls, Megan expressed her disdain for said guy and so Brenna, not wanting to have this budding relationship kaboshed, decided not to tell them. Pulling off of history, I can't blame her. The Six Chicks never liked Adam (my boyfriend all last year) and it put a major strain on the six chick dynamic and on Adam and my relationship. I could never be around my boyfriend with my friends, and I really hated that. Brenna didn't want the same thing to happen to her....
And then there are the basic roommate things of not helping out around the apartment enough, and personality differences that led to head butting. Anyways, Brenna no longer lives there....and as of right now, it feels to me like she's being exiled because everyone is still so upset about this that no one has really moved on...... it's ridiculous.

Dating:
Yuck. Here's where I'm at. I want to either....

1. Haul off and get married
2. Forget about boys and dating until after I finish school
3. Find a meaningful-no pressure relationship

I learned something about myself during my dating escapades last year, when it comes to relationships I need consistency. The whole, "I like you- now I don't-oh now I'm going out with this other girl- but I still want us to be friends- let's try US again- one date here - great afternoon together here- deep conversation- and then ignore me for two weeks- flirt with you constantly but never ask you out- ask you out and then stand you up.... etc..... It's exhausting and instead of it making me feel good about the fact that I'm "dating" it completely drains me emotionally, and leaves me feeling more hopeless than before.

There is this crazy idea I heard of, where people date to get to know one another, to see if they're compatible. Where you're in a relationship for the sake of the relationship. A person that you care about who cares about you, and extended support system. With no pressures to immediately get married..... Maybe it's an "outside of Utah" perspective.... but even my marriage prep-class (LDS institute) says that time is your best friend. When I first started dating Adam, I thought I was going to marry him.....but after eight months we both realized that we weren't the best match. Can you imagine if I had done the "utah-wedding in three months" plan? I would have married him, and been stuck for time and all eternity to a man that I didn't even know, that I would've ended up hating.

I would really love to be in a relationship again, just for the companionship aspect. But if people can't figure that out than I'd rather just be alone. Heaven knows I'm busy enough already haha.
Just this semester I've been stood up, I've dated a man who was MARRIED.....ya didn't know about that, a guy that had a girlfriend and was just looking for his "other woman," been flirted with a ton by nice guys who never have the guts to actually ask me out, and have been avoiding my everpresent ex, while all trying to stay positive about the dating experience. Eff the dating experience. Forget the games. If you like me, then like me and do something about it. If you don't, then please just go away.

What I've learned: Buckle your seatbelts kids....this is heavy stuff.

On my last shift in OB, I watched a baby die. A pre-mature boy with underdeveloped lungs was delivered at 21 weeks (that's not even halfway) he tried to cry, to start breathing on his own, and his lungs collapsed. From there the baby went from respiratory arrest to cardiac arrest and died right in front of me....and there was nothing I could do. Harder than that, was watching his parents fall apart after witnessing the death of their new son. I literally had to excuse myself from the room to do "paperwork" so that I didn't break down with them.

I never understood the saying, "Life is fragile," until that exact moment. And watching their despair I wanted more than anything to give a part of my life so that they could have their son back.... they could have twenty years of mine....they could have it all.....but then I rememebered that we all die, and timing is never good for tragedy. I saw an amazing play at SUU recently called "Our town" and in the third act, the heroine is dead and watching over the world she barely left and she says, "Were we all that blind? We don't even take the time to really look at each other anymore, to see anything in our lives for what it is, until it's too late." This line hit me like a ton of bricks....and I realized that my life is just going through the motions.

I feel like everytime I try to do something "bucket-list" worthy or something that I'll remember and can talk to my children about......I get scolded because it's "not in line with what I should be doing." Let me ask you readers, when is the last time you took the time to actually live you life? The kind of living with the no regrets policy? The kind of life that makes you happy? That makes you, you? That separates your human experience from everyone elses?

Call me melodramatic (trust me it wouldn't be the first time) but I'm talking stargazing, roasting marshmallows over fires, dancing in the rain, impromptu trips to wherever, staying up late to talk to someone you miss in a different time zone, trying something you've never done before, singing in the shower, calling someone just to remind them that you care about them, going to a rally, attending an opera, playing in a park, volunteering in your community, laughing so hard that you cry, reading a good book, listening to your children, picked up a new hobby, been in a religious meeting that really moved you, done something that scared you.......
                            
                                 L    I    V   E   D

Can you remember a time recently? I'll bet you anything you're willing to lose, that those parents of that baby...if they were given only five years with him....do you think they'd waste it? What if you only had five years left to live? Do you think you'd do things differently?

I know that we have to work, go to school, become educated, pay bills and all of those "responsible things." I'm not saying throw that out and begin a hippie lifestyle of peace, love and poverty. Instead, I'm challenging you to enhance your life by actually living it.

Until next time
Bon Voyage

Leading up to Harvest Holiday weekend!!!

I am currently sitting in the comfort of my family's kitchen because it is a lovely holiday weekend! I think the college just makes up holidays at crucial points in the semester so they can avoid a student revolution.... but whatever the reason I'm so grateful for the time off!

Monday Oct 12th
No ballroom practice in the morning because the entire team (except for me) was in California.... I enjoyed the sleep in time! Basically all that happened today was classes and studying.... and P90x cardio workout! Which I really really like... I think it's too soon to say that it's my favorite, but I really enjoyed the routine.

Tuesday Oct 13th Hospital Shift
The best story of this blog and probably makes the top ten most ridiculous stories of the semester.... So I'm at my hospital shift, and part of my job is to help new/first time mothers learn how to effectively breast feed.  But before I continue, allow me to fill in some of the backround.

1. It's breast cancer awareness month and so all of the staff in the hospital are wearing the pink breast cancer ribbon pins....
2. When women lose weight, (super unfair) one of the first places they lose fat is their bustal region.
3. Alycia has been losing weight....make the connection......
4. Alycia was working out right before her hospital shift and is wearing a "strap-em-down" device as opposed to"show-em-off" equipment....okay now we're caught up 

So I go in to help this woman breast feed and I hand her baby to her and I'm getting everything in position and walking her through it, and then while I'm helping her breast-feed she asks me...

Woman: "Are you a breast cancer survivor?"
Alycia: realizing the pin on my vest, "Oh, no. I'm not."
Woman: "Oh my gosh.... I totally thought you'd had a mastetomy...." (For all of you who don't know/remember what that is, that's when women who've had breast cancer have their breasts surgically removed....awesome...)
Alycia: "oh....." awkward silence....
Woman: "It's just that the rest of your body is really curvy, and your chest...........I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

I walked out of that room so stunned....absolutely speechless.... Ladies, you know when people ask you how far along you are...and you're NOT PREGNANT how awkward, embarassing and insulting that is? This totally trumps that!
What she had really said to me was, "Oh your bust is so disproportionate to the rest of your body that you look like you had your breasts cut off."....how do you recover from that? haha.
As offended as I was by that, the humor of the situation overshadowed any real feelings of hurt or embarassment.  I've never been busty, EVER, it's just not in the genetic cards for me....and I've tried to come to terms with that for....well....since I understood that I wasn't in "proper proportion" lol.

Wednesday Oct 14th
Had a great day! Ballroom in the morning, classes all day, workout after, then homework.....
The student senate is voting on a bill that determines the amount of funding that will be given to the BDC (ballroom dance company) and that funding determines tour team's financial ability to compete at Nationals in November.... but omg. Senate is ridiculous, and it's modeled after the US Senate...and now I finally understand why our country cannot make any decisions or come to a concensus on ANYTHING.....needless to say, our bill was postponed for yet another week....which is lame sauce to the nth degree.

Then the highlight of my entire week. watching GLEE. That show makes my life worth living lol. I seriously plan my week around NOTHING getting in the way of me watching that show! I just tell myself, "Make it to Wednesday." And then Glee gives me the motivation to make it through the rest of the week..... And the songs they have picked continue to follow perfectly along with what's going on in my life....
This week's rendition of "Keep Holding On" couldn't have been more timely!

I was over at Ariel's house watching Glee with her, her roommates and all of their love interests.... And then my lovely friend Becka had made an adorably decorated cake for her boyfriends birthday and so we spent the rest of the night having an AWESOME birthday party...

Basically sleep deprivation isn't even a big deal anymore.... And seeing as our (the BDC dancers) days are so packed, the only time we can be with friends is at night, meaning that we trade our sleep for the stress-relief of a social life :) I think it's a good trade....cuz seriously, we're tired no matter what lol.
watching glee

Thursday Oct 15th
I returned home from the epic birthday party extravaganza at um....3 a.m. so the 5a.m. wake up call wasn't necessarily "welcome" but practice went well, seeing as I was in a great mood from having so much....dare I say it......FUN.......it's a rediscovered thing for me *wink*
After practice I went back to bed. Oh story!
So apparently on Wednesday, my roommate threw a huge dinner party and used...basically every dish in our house, and a bunch of towels were on the floor, there is stuff (I say stuff because I couldn't positively identify every substance) all over the kitchen floor. There are dishes piled in the sink and overflowing piles on all the surrounding countertops and the bathroom.....please, don't even make me relive that with a description.....But because it was so late (early) I tried to ignore the developing biohazard and sleep for the allotted 2 hours.

Anyways, here's where this gets juicy.... my roommate who was responsible for this debauchery left for the weekend before cleaning any of this up.....
What I really want to do after a day of studying chemistry and anatomy is spend three hours cleaning up after someone elses party...so I'd just like to take this chance to express to the cyber world my appreciation for that little stunt my roommate pulled. note: sarcasm

Loaded and unloaded the dishwasher 4 times, 3 loads of laundry, scrubbed down the bathrooms, and swept and SCRUBBED the kitchen floor......best day of my life.

By the time I had finished all of that, it was time for all of my evening plans to begin....this is what a typical night looks like for me, and the plans for thursday..

• Attend the first hour of the girls' volleyball game
• Then ballroom practice for several hours
• Then the Institute social and dance

Friday Oct 16th 
Today was quite the whirlwind.... Class, Class, Anatomy lab practical exam, Chemistry exam, running home to pack as fast as humanly possible and being at Lizzy's apartment building in time to be able to eat lunch, fill up the car with gas and get on the road.

Anyone who knows me knows....I HATE DRIVING DISTANCE. Ten minute drives, no big deal.... but you start talking into the 30+ range...and I am no longer comfortable with said plan..... And even though I love coming home, I would honestly rather sit in an airport for an hour, take the forty-five minute flight, and then wait another hour at the other airport than drive for 3 hours.... but luckily, today the drive felt like it took no time at all :) We just listened to music and talked the entire time...and it was almost nice...

Arriving home.... it's so weird to come back to your house when it's not "your house" anymore.... it's like seeing an exboyfriend with someone else, or someone wearing your hand-me-down clothing.... something that used to belong to you, but that you can't really ever get back. And even if you had it back, it's still never going to be the same....sigh.....
It's great to see the family, and as soon as I got back I had to get ready for one of my childhood friend's wedding reception...

Holy surreal.... Whitney and I have talked about marriage since we were eleven years old.... and when I walked into that reception center and saw her dress....I couldn't believe it, and I almost started crying! I'm so happy for her, and deeper down, I'm a little jealous...
It's always at these receptions where all of the sweet old folks ask inappropriate questions and assume that something must be wrong with you if you are approaching 20 and still have no marriage prospects...
But I am that young lol. Maturity doesn't change the fact that I still have a "teen" attached to my current age... and contrary to popular belief, YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE, A FREAK, OR A SPINSTER IF YOU ARE NOT MARRIED BEFORE YOU'RE TWENTY-ONE.

Overall the reception was really fun, and Jaime and I spent the entire time making fun of things and laughing about nothing. Afterward I was able to spend time with two of my best guys Bryant and Blaine. We spent four hours talking about books, attraction theories, genetics and politics.....sigh.... I love intellectual conversation! It's like a breath of fresh air when I say something generally considered 'geeky' and people not only know what I'm talking about, but can continue the topic! *big smile*

Saturday Oct 17th
Slept in my own bed....even though it's not really mine....in my old room, which has very little resemblance to what my room used to look like.....
Not knowing quite what to do with myself. I promised myself nothing academic all weekend because my brain is fried from studying.... but I decided that blogging isn't really academic...so I compromised!

I ran errands and was treated to lunch with my parents, and then went on a group date with Lizzy's younger brother....which was super fun, but a little weird because he's younger than me....and I usually refuse to date boys who are my age lol, my policy is usually 3 years up.....but whatever exceptions can be made!

Plans for the rest of Saturday

1. A date that my cousin Brittany is setting me up on..... which should be fun :) It's dinner and bowling! Dinner is usually good, and bowling is just a great excuse to look like an idiot and wear ugly shoes.
2. Hang out with Jaime, hopefully have our own little dance party!
3. Maybe see Blake? If he ever calls me back....jerk face.....

Now you are current! I know that I try to blog more often so that it stays informative and fun....instead of like reading for homework haha.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Until next time,
Bon Voyage!

Blah Blah Blah....

So much has happened.... and I know I say that every blog post...but I seem to keep topping my own stories! haha. And it only becomes more true.... even though it's only been a week since my last blog, it feels like its been a month. Longest. week. ever.....well until next week ;)

Even though I have the time to go into super-details about last weeks happenings... I'm going to give highlights because frankly, the week wore me out to the point that I'm too tired to even blog about it!

Basically the big things are as follows....

• Drama with ballroom....
• Classes
• Coming home next weekend
• P90x

Ballroom, a word that has become nearly synonymous with drama. The latest news is that Alycia had this idea that quitting/leaving the ballroom team would solve all of the problems in her life.... and then as she's tried to pursue that, everything keeps getting in her way...
I'm so frustrated with this right now. As soon as I make up my mind to not be a part of ballroom, EVERYTHING, and I mean everything combines to tell me NO. Which is hard because I honestly don't know where to go from here. There are people who would entirely support my decision one way or the other...and then obviously it's those same people who cause problems when it goes one way instead of the other.
My director is desperate not to lose me as a dancer. Meaning that he will basically compromise on anything that I put forward right now in order to keep me on the team.... but does that mean I should stay? If all of the things I was worrying about in conjunction with ballroom are changed.......then isn't that enough of a reason to stay? It's like I can actually have my cake and eat it too. I was worried about how expensive team was and the traveling....and he told me that I didn't have to pay those fees if I wasn't traveling.... which takes the pressure off financially, and I don't have to worry about traveling.

I feel like such a Diva. making all these demands..... but I guess if the ballroom shoe fits..... diva it is. 

Classes: this was one of the main reasons if not THE reason for wanting to leave the team. My grades are great....but great isn't good enough. They need to be brilliant in order for me to get into Nursing school.... and obviously ballroom competes with academics for attention. Like I said in a previous blog, I'm married to my major and having an affair with ballroom....and they are both jealous, possessive lovers.
Overall things are going well, it's just the constant dull throb of pressure to do well.... which is heavily self-inflicted, and then when anyone else adds to the pressure it nearly sends me into a nervous conniption.

Next Weekend: So the weekend of Oct 16th-19th I'll be back in SLC, and my weekend is already packed.... but it'll be really nice to have my time filled by fun things versus the usual serving of stress with a side of anxiety and exhaustion for dessert. I'll get to see my family, and visit friends that I haven't seen since the summer... I honestly can't believe it's already the middle of October.... I just hope that the rest of the year flies by this quickly....that would be GREAT.

Don't get me wrong, I love where I'm at and SUU was a perfect fit for me and my academic goals... I just feel like I'm in limbo right now....stuck inbetween the "fun college days" and nursing school. I just wanna get into nursing school and haul headfirst into health-science oblivion. Those days will come soon enough.... I'm just trying to live in the now and pay attention. I don't want to miss out on my life right now because I'm always worried about the future. If you take care of all your 'todays' then you set yourself up for a bunch of great 'tomorrows'....

P90x: Okay, Alycia is in TERRIBLE SHAPE. Yes it could be worse. Definitely. I could weigh 500lbs and be confined to an over sized bed, watching reality TV for days on end, eating deep-fried chocolate covered bon bons dipped in cool whip and have cellulite in places that I can't even see....because my mid section would be too big for me to see over......... but wow. I had no idea how NOT in shape I was. There is this concept called "skinny-fat" where people look skinny but are actually out of shape. I used to tease my super thin friends in high school because, although they only weighed 110lbs, they'd be winded after going up a flight of stairs.....
In my mind, I thought, "You dance 15hours a week...you look great....." but oh HALLO. I definitely look more in shape than I am.......So.... In an effort to fix this skinny-fat problem that I have, I ordered p90x after seeing a bunch of my friends achieve amazing results.

Oct 11th is today and was my first official day on P90x....
Another thought I had, "All the people in the before-and-afters are major flabby-fatties when they start out...you should have no problem getting through the workout." I am here to admit to the cyber-world, that that workout kicked my trash.

Problem 1: The history of Alycia's ability to do push ups.... non-existent. I don't think I've ever done ONE successful push-up...in my entire life.... and there are 5 different variations of push-ups in the first workout haha. F A I L
Problem 2: I was trying to do this workout in my room....which was waaaaaaaaay too small to facilitate such an endeavor...so I kept knocking things over and hit my elbow at least 7 times during the workout.

Just thinking about how pathetically out of shape I am, and how funny I must look attempting this workout made me laugh at myself and roll my eyes during the entire video..... I think I got a bigger ab workout laughing at myself than I did from the video....since I'm not even in shape enough to do the workout full out yet....


At first I was discouraged and didn't know how I was going to get through 90 days of having my butt kicked, but then I thought...."If I can really do this workout at the end of 90 days, then it will be so worth it to be in such great shape!" Yay inspiration/motivation! I LOVE the diet.... although it's gonna take some force feeding for me to get that much protein...and some serious willpower to only eat the recommended number of carbs....

But I am excited to get healthier :)


That's all I have to say for today.... or at least all I feel like writing lol. Stay strong, I love you all!

Until next time,
Bon Voyage

Monday. Enough said.

Should I be writing this blog right now? Probably not, but I wanted to take a bit of time for myself today and try to clear my head and organize my thoughts. Writing this blog has become therapeutic for me.... and I look forward to sharing my life....even if it's only me communicating with this keyboard.

The rest of Friday Oct 2nd....
Chiropractors....basically I want to propose marriage every time I get adjusted by one of these magnificent creatures. If heaven doesn't have Chiropractors....I'm going to strongly consider the alternative eternity! Last year I found an amazing chiropractor who has gained my business for as long as I am in cedar city! So I decided that this was the man who I would trust with my defective shoulder.

Drum roll please...... turns out that Alycia's little fall caused her to dislocate three different bones.... :) yay! I had a partial dislocation of my "shoulder" (the humerus dislocated superior to the glenoid cavity for all of ya'll who speak my nerd language) And that dislocation had pushed my collarbone forward. I also dislocated my forearm at the elbow (The radius dislocated at the capitulum) Lucky for me, all of these bones were easily put back into place and I was on my way to a speedy recovery.

I came home and attempted to rejoin the female gender by actually taking time to get ready.... before heading off to have dinner with the six chicks, and seeing Macbeth in our outdoor theater for.... FREEEEEE!!!!!

Things Alycia loves:

1. When you feel like you look good, and so you are twice as confident and people spend all of their time reveling in your beauty and showering you with compliments.
2. How having a student ID in college makes you feel like an F.B.I. agent, because all you have to do is flash that "badge" at the door and you can get in anywhere!
3. Making inside jokes with old friends and laughing constantly about absolutely nothing.

Okay, Macbeth....crash and burn. Like that plane hit the ground so hard that not only were there no survivors.... but everything went up in a fireball of failure.....there weren't any identifiable remains. It was THAT BAD. Not only was Shakespeare turning in his grave....he probably wanted to come back from the dead just so he could kill himself again over the massacre of his play....

First off, calling that "acting" would be a little too generous.... so it was more like watching a bunch of creepy theatre majors play dress up, except for the fact that 2) They decided it would be a "cool" idea to make their version of Macbeth "Punk-Rock-Goth" and had succeeded in simultaneously destroying all three of those fashion trends with their (again being generous) "wardrobe." I could have stuck it out....if it weren't for problem number 3.... Macbeth is really-super-dooper-excrutiatingly-painstakingly-undeniably-unequivocably-and all together TOO LONG.

After an hour and a half of thinking of ways to put me and my friends out of our lack-of-talent-induced misery, we decided to ditch out of the show at intermission.We'd all had more than enough "culture" for one weekend.

Saturday and Sunday Oct 3-4th
relatively uneventful....watched conference, which was a great spiritual "pick-me-up" and spent the majority of my time lounging about in pajamas. Glorious, glorious pajamas, full of glory. Make-up? No way. Hair done? You've gotta be kidding. Hygiene? Well....I even let that one slide lol. I was dead set on not doing ANYTHING this weekend.

Everything was going great....up until the point when I realized on Sunday evening....hmm....you have 8+hours of homework that you haven't even thought about doing..... lovely.

I proceeded to stay up until 2 a.m. finishing only HALF of the workload.... This weekend the ballroom team is competing in California, and so I'm trying to finish everything for this week and for next week in two days in an effort to stay on top of/ahead of things.

Monday Oct 5th
After only 3 hours of sleep, waking up was the last thing I wanted to do. Team was lame because I was there for two hours but only danced for 4 minutes of it....come on now! Let me sleep crazy director!!! I take responsibility for the fact that if I had managed my weekend better, than I wouldn't have had to stay up so late....so that's my bad.....but at the same time, don't require us to be at a ballroom rehearsal that we don't have to be at.

Classes seemed to drag and drag today. OMG. In my Human Developmental Psychology class we were talking about child abuse, and I almost went on a bloody rampage killing every ignorant, insensitive idiot in my class....which would have been nearly the entire class. Child abuse is one of the ZERO TOLERANCE subjects in my life, I cannot handle people making jokes about it, or saying idiotic things like,
          "I don't see why everyone makes a big deal about this. Parents are just trying to discipline their children." and
          "Abused children just need to get over whatever happened to them because it makes it harder for the rest of us to deal with them when they have so many issues.",.....

and the comments like these just kept on coming. Needless to say, my blood was boiling in my veins, and at one point during the lecture I literally excused myself from the class.

I've known way too many people who have been victims of child abuse to not see it for the severe issue that it is. It's one of the most, if not the most degrading and damaging thing that a person can experience. And children have to live the rest of their lives being haunted by the shadows of that abuse. Even with the professor giving example after example of how abuse affects children's development, the general attitude was that they should "toughen up and get over it." I. Was. Furious.

So after that emotionally  draining escapade I still had three more hours of classes.....
Immediately following classes I went back to the Chiropractor to check on my shoulder and everything is back to normal! : D
Then I got to experience one of my favorite things ever.... more shots!!! Yay needles! I actually don't mind the needles that much, what freaks me out is when I can feel the vaccine going into my body.... that is WEIRD. The volunteers at the hospital have to be immunized against everything, for the safety of the patients and for us. Working around newborns, it's especially important for the volunteers in my unit to be immunized and to stay really healthy.

So now I have a semi-dead arm...which is oh so ironic considering I just barely got the bone range of motion back! oh well.... it'll be fine in a day. And then I'll be more protected from sickness.

Plans for the rest of the day....

1. Get some food....
2. Go to make-up Anatomy Lab
3. Finish Chemistry Lab stuff
4. Take a mini nap
5. Scheduled phone conversation with Blake
6. Stretch time with Ariel
7. SLEEP

 Mondays only come once a week... so both you and I still have that to be grateful for!
Until next time,
Von voyage

It is amazing what can happen in less than a week....

Hello Lovely people!

Aren't you proud of me for blogging like I'm supposed to? Instead of waiting 4 years to write stuff down?! Well, I am, even if you aren't :)

Wow I have STORIES for ya'll.... so let's pick up where we left off.

Tuesday Sep 29th
Tuesdays are entirely lab days for me, chemistry lab, we did the most complicated experiment EVER, just brace yourselves for this one.... we put a thermometer in water and had the record the boiling temperature. Now, I know you are all soooooo blown away by my scientific prowess, but try to contain your awe.

Ugh, I CAN'T STAND THAT LAB, I hate it, with the passion of a thousand fiery suns! I spent 2 years in a genetics lab in high school....dealing with DNA typing, gene manipulation, protein synthesis and all sorts of totally awesome experiments... and honestly I'm bored out of my mind and insulted by this lab and the fact that although it's supposed to "go along with the Chemistry lecture"....it has nothing to do with what we're learning....

Physiology lab, is great because it actually is the practical application of what we're learning in lecture! This week we learned how to use this fancy-pants computer system that measures the electrical impulses throughout the body which means we can measure just about anything.... When it came time to learn how to read heart impulses I wanted to be hooked up to the machine! My family has a history of heart problems and defects and I've been having trouble with my heart.... so I wanted to see what my readings would look like. Um, turns out that Alycia's heartbeat is FOR SURE irregular.... the professor was stunned by the read out, and I was too once we compared what my heart looked like compared to everyone elses! Another cool thing, is that one of the married girls in the class is pregnant, and the machine could pick up the heart rate of the baby! Yay miracle of life!

Okay, so today was haircut day. I try to be really good about trimming my hair every six weeks, and I change the color all the time too lol, which I'm sure anyone who knows me....knows that my hair will be different every 6 weeks without fail.... Okay, so one time, I thought it would be a really fun idea to perm my hair... worst idea ever. It fried my hair, and I've been growing out the damage for the past year and a half... well the stylist today told me that if I gave up three inches, I would be done with the damage..... so I said go for it before I change my mind. This is the shortest my hair has ever been....but I LOVE IT. It's cute and sophisticated and so much easier to care for! And get this..... people have been taking me seriously...... like changing my hair added two years and made me respectable lol. It's also dyed red still, but way closer to my natural hair color than it's been in a while. I will post a picture on here when I can get a good one :)

Immediately following getting my hair done, I had my hospital shift in OB. and holy craziness! We had 3 inductions scheduled for the evening, 3 women postpartum, and get this, 4 women who came in after going into labor. It was NUTS. So we have one side of the hall full of families and women welcoming babies and raising all kinds of issues, and then the postpartum ladies needed something every 5 seconds.... my shift is usually scheduled for 4 hours.... I was there for six, they needed that much help! In the 6 hours that I was there, five babies were born :) And so I got to see lots of behbies!

Wednesday September 30th
By FAR the funniest story of this blog!
After classes, I realized that I didn't really have any food....or gas in my car....or an assortment of other things because I hadn't had time to run errands in a while.... so I decided to take care of that....

I have a hidden talent. For picking out the WORST possible shopping carts. Today's model.... sounded like I was running over a small dog with a weed-whacker, shook uncontrollably and wouldn't steer straight. I know- you're impressed *wink* So I'm attempting to drive my abomination of a shopping vehicle through the aisles at Walmart when my cart decides to veer off into a febreeze display....and proceeds to introduce the ENTIRE display to the floor. Like it collapsed the display. Cans roll everywhere, some from the top part of the display hit the ground and explode, and needless to say, Alycia drew plently of unwanted attention to herself. It was one of those moments where you stand there in complete disbelief thinking, "Did that really just happen?" All I could do was laugh at how ridiculous the situation was. Seriously, Who does that?! Oh, I do apparently....haha The walmart workers were super sweet about it, and I was able to help them clean it up and make jokes, I think it was a start of a beautiful friendship haha.

The rest of the evening I spent with the six chicks, watching the best show ever. GLEE!!!! It's my favorite!
And then I got to do more homework and unwind with the girls.

Thursday October 1st
Slept in, sweet sweet justice!!! I love sleeping more than four hours! It's the best! I was taken out to breakfast by someone who means very much to me... and I'm just gonna let you all make up whoever you think that person is ;) haha. I went to institute, which was great, as usual. Then Megan, Lizzy and I stayed at the institute to practice piano and sing.
I've always loved singing, and in the past year my voice was dramatically improving, and then this summer I got my tonsils out, and it completely changed my singing voice... Alot of singing technique has to do with how you utilize the space in your mouth, and now without tonsils, my "mouth-space" is totally different. So it's like I have to learn how to sing all over again. So I've been working on my voice, and Megan and Lizzy are working on their piano, so it works out for all of us, because I sing while they play. :)

Today in singing, I was able to get some of my richness back! (Richness meaning tone quality) And even though is a long process, I'm still grateful to be able to sing and that my voice is coming back!

Ballroom practice=fun! Mucho bonding with the team, I love them sooooo much! The past teams have had to deal with a lot of drama, and I'm so happy/relieved that our team is full of chill people who just wanna dance and make friends instead of causing problems :) I'm in a waltz number, and there is this beautiful lift...which my partner and I have been able to hit flawlessly....up until last night. He totally tripped over his own feet and dropped me...from the height of his shoulders... he tried to catch me, and grabbed me by the arm... which has ended up in an injury....

Friday Oct 2nd
I wake up, and my shoulder HURTS, the kind of hurt that makes you want to cry. And i can't really lift it or rotate it in any direction. great. I go to classes, and my lovely professors canceled some of the classes today, meaning I got out early.... So I'm going to the chiropractor and seeing if he can fix my shoulder...
It almost feels like something is out of place...which I'm crossing my fingers for. Because if I injured my rotator cuff....that's major recovery, we're talking physical therapy recovery.....sigh.... I'll let you know as soon as I know!

Plans for the rest of the day

1. See the chiropractor and pray that he can fix me!
2. Take a nap, yay fridays :)
3. Clean room, do laundry
4. Get ready and go and see Macbeth with the six chicks

I'm so excited for conference this weekend, to be able to sit and do NOTHING except be inspired! I never used to like conference because it seemed so boring to me, but last year's october conference changed my entire perspective when a talk that President Uctdorf gave in the saturday morning session seemed as if it had been written for me....and I finally understood that conference was literally what God had inspired these Men and Women to say.... those words are God's words, and by listening to them there is only one person bridging the gap between me and my maker. That my friends, is a beautiful thing.
I'm so excited to hear what God has to say to me this year :) I could use some help right about now!

Moral of the blog:
Make sure that you can learn from your mistakes and laugh about your embarassments. Don't take yourself so seriously, trust me, no one else takes you that seriously.... Well unless you have an awesome new haircut WINK hahaha.
Love you all!

Until Next time,
Von voyage

Yes I know.... it's been FOREVER

Yay I found the blog I thought was deleted! :D

It's been far too long since I've blogged last, but I've been so busy that I seriously can't think straight... Needless to say, blogging is at the bottom of the priority list.... not that I don't love it.... just that other things have to be done before I can ever dedicate an hours worth of time to writing down my life.

K Again, we're gonna have to do highlights seeing as too much has happened in the past 2 weeks to allow me to go into extreme detail about everything....so here we go.

School is INTENSE.... motivating yourself to attend class is a problem for most students, but having every class blow your mind everytime your there...that's another experience entirely. I feel like I finish my endless day of classes and have to sit down and try to process all of the information that was forced into my brain.... and there's ALOT to sort out, not to mention, HEY Alycia would like to have a life outside of school...novel concept I know. I try to do three or so hours of homework a day just to keep up with the material, but some days I can't dedicate the three hours, causing me to have to spend saturdays and sundays, and yes, even friday nights with my textbooks and flashcards. I'm literally married to my major. And that relationship takes EFFORT.

If I'm married to my major, then I'm having an affair with ballroom....lol Or at least that's the way I look at it. My committment is to Nursing, and I love nursing, nursing and I will have a very good life together, but my passion is for ballroom hahaha. I love dancing and being on tour team has been so challenging....but so rewarding. And I'll admit, it's not easy trying to balance out my schedule with everything that I've managed to cram into it, but I feel that it's worth it.

Hospital Shift September 22nd,
the night was S L O W we had two nurses on staff and me, and only two women in rooms. Both of the patients were in pre-labor, meaning the portion of labor that can last anywhere from 12-14 hours....so there wasn't much going on. Right as I'm about to clock out of my shift we receive an emergency code from one of the women's rooms. Basically this woman is giving birth....RIGHT NOW-she went from just chillin, to crowning....her labor progressed super rapidly. The nurses bark at me to contact the on-call pediatrician and OB and to gather an assortment of medical supplies. Lucky for all of us, I had been stocking rooms on my previous shifts so I knew what all of the medical equipment was, even if I didn't know how to use it....
Upon returning, the nursed ask me if I knew how to give injections..... mind you I have ZERO medical training.... so I said that I didn't, but they said that it didn't matter at this point. So they walked me through giving this woman 3 injections, and we literally were tying tubes, cleaning off the baby and taking family photos before the OB even walked in.

I helped to deliver a baby....wow. I know I said in a previous blog that, "One of the most surreal things you'll ever experience is tangible evidence of a dream being realized." this was another one of those moments. I've talked about working in health care for as long as I can remember.... Dance was always the dream and Medicine was the practical career option.... but wow, it was an amazing moment when I realized how close I am to actually working in the profession that I want. It's like, you spend the first part of your life planning the rest of your life....but now it feels like I actually get to live my life, and it's a great feeling :)

Tour Team show in Panaca Nevada, September 26th
Basically had a great time traveling and performing! I was given one of the solos in a Cinderella number, where I got to be Cinderella and choreograph a ballet solo....sigh....it was incredible to be really, truly dancing again. I was nearly drowned in compliments about how beautiful it was, and how no one knew that I could dance like that.... and it made me super emotional and so grateful to my father in heaven that he allowed me the opportunity of dancing again. I gained MAJOR respect from my ballroom director, who apparently didn't understand that when I said I could dance....it meant I CAN DANCE. And even he was impressed.... which made me feel even better about the performance I gave.

Well those are the two major stories worth telling. There is always little things that come up, little stories, little miracles, little bits of drama scattered throughout.... but in order to do those justice, I need to keep with this blog better lol.

I don't believe in men right now. I like all the wrong ones, as evidenced by the recent string of guys I've dated. Remember Shawn from the last blog... k, NOT ENOUGH MAN FOR ME. I honestly don't think he could handle half of me. his friends said that he would date me, if, "I wasn't so smart and driven".....really? really....did he just say that.....? wow. If that's intimidating enough for you to make it a reason for you not to date me....seriously grow a pair. Stand up and be a man. Oh well, guys who don't like smart girls would NE-HE-HEH-HEVER get along with me...so move along pansy.
Plus I'm already married to Nursing and having an affair with ballroom...where would I fit a real man into all of that?! I can just imagine the conversation....

Man: Hey Alycia I think we should go out sometime....when are you free?
Alycia: Do tuesdays from 4-5 work for you? Or maybe I can fit you in friday nights inbetween ballroom and friends and sleep....in fact maybe if I don't sleep on thursday night we can have a date from 2-5am.... but I have to be home by 5am because I have ballroom practice at 6am....
Man: What about Christmas break....? Will you be less busy then....?
Alycia: hmm, as a matter of fact I think I'll be free Saturday December 19th. So if you'd like to pencil that in... that would be great.
Man: (Has already lost interest by this point in time and is moving on to a more available girl.)

See the problem? I've booked myself to the brim. and it's actually easier for me to plan big things ahead and then fill in fun last minute when I find the time...but who knows, sigh....

Anyways, Thanks for reading! Sorry I couldn't be more profound, or inspiring, or whatever :) haha. I hope that this blog finds everyone in high spirits, and that everything is going well for you guys! Love you all!

Keep your chins up! Things are never as bad as you dramatize them to be!
Until next time,
Von Voyage

Grrrrr

I basically just spent an hour writing an amazing blog for all of you.... and then my internet shut off, causing me to lose the entire thing.... I am ANGRY.

FOR SHAME

Here I am blogging after almost a week, and I have so much to tell you and not enough time to write it all down..... I'm sorry for the ridiculous delay....I've wanted to blog and just haven't gotten around to it.

Okay, so I usually try to go day by day but because it has been a week and I couldn't possibly give you the detail that I want...I'm going to give "highlights."

My Chemistry lab professor is AWESOME he turns on music during the lab, is super laid back and is an actual human being! Which is a difficult thing to find in a science professor. Physiology lab was cool....we got to do all sorts of mini-experiments on our lab partners to test their reflexes :) After Phys lab I made a mad dash home to shower before going to the hospital...

This year I decided that I really wanted to volunteer at the hospital that is literally right across the street from where I'm living.  And so there was this huge orientation thing where all of the volunteers had to get "informed" about all the policies, get uniforms and get to know their assigned area. I get to volunteer in the OB department, meaning that I'm working with women who are having babies!!! I got to meet a baby that was 15 minutes old!!! It's so exciting for me to get a taste of what it's like to really be a nurse! I've been in school forever "planning" and preparing for a career, but now that I actually get to enter into that field... it's like an adrenaline rush everytime I think about it! Just being in that hospital and learning about all of the responsibilites that I will have only reaffirmed that my decision to be a nurse was right :) And I honestly can't wait to finish school and officially enter the field.

I've been teaching the beginning ballroom team a routine that I learned originally last year...and it is my favorite thing! It's been so much fun! I decided that I am going to continue dancing, even while I'm a Nurse and that I'd L O V E to teach.... even if it's just little workshops! I've had so much fun with this, and I finally feel like I've found my niche in life. I was designed to help people and to teach them. Now before you think that sounds egotistical.... just step back..... I am the absolute happiest when I am reaching out to the people around me. And whether that is helping a new mother understand how to take care of herself after delivery, proving to a friend that she truly is beautiful, or watching a person's confidence grow after they've mastered a dance step....I would be honored to be a part of that :)

Friday night was the Institute Opening social...and there were HUNDREDS of people there...it was PACKED. It was luau themed, and we had fun at the begining but unfortunately the dance was super lame because the DJ kept playing these terrible songs.... the songs that you can't really dance to....that are great for driving in your car or playing in the backround while you do homework....but totally NOT BUENO for a dance....

Saturday I had more ballroom practice....and my director told me and three other girls that we needed to lose weight....which made me kinda upset....because I have been losing weight....but apparently it's not enough for him...grrr..... the best part, is that he said he wanted us to lose 10lbs....by the 26th.... pretty sure that's NOT even possible....unless I cut off my left arm.....

After practice I went swimming to try and calm down (the Practice was super frustrating and draining) and then I met up with my friends and went to a fireside. And although the fireside really didn't change my life or create any "awe-inspiring" moments....I knew that I was supposed to be there even if it was just for obedience sake.

The six chicks then proceeded to watch a movie and make bread while laughing and playing insanely intense rounds of "In a Pickle" and "Pit" games ya'll should definitely check out if you haven't played them before! I highly recommend both of them...but moreso for groups of friends instead of families.... playing with little kids doesn't work so well (or at least that's what I've been told)

Oooo k, remember Shawn ? From the last post?....or he might have even been in the post before that.... Okay, well I have this RIDICULOUS kindergarten crush on him....it's kinda sweet, but mostly pathetic haha. He was at the dance on friday,.... and had ample opportunity to ask me to dance with him...and DIDN'T. Sad.

But on sunday, he said hello to me in the sacrament meeting, sat by me during sunday school, and then came into the relief society room when church got out and hugged me and wanted to make sure, "I didn't leave before he could say good-bye." Promising?.... I think it may be too soon to tell.... but I was really excited about it :) He is a beautiful piece of human and so genuine....

This leads us up to today...
Monday Sep 14th....
Ballroom was....exhausting and classes were the same as they always are. Brimming with complex, often overwhelming information and me pretending to be super interested so that I make sure that I pay attention and take the best notes possible.
The usual walmart run, kitchen stock, room tidy up, internal battle of whether or not to do my homework....always resulting in me doing my homework. And then if I'm lucky I get to blog to all of you beautiful people!

Plans for the rest of the night:

1. Attend bread and soup nite with assorted comrades
2. Finish lab assignments
3. Watch a movie....just for me!!!!
4. Get to bed early

I hope that all of you are doing well and I look forward to your comments and hearing from you!

Until Next Time
Von Voyage

God is aware of each of us.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for God's influence in my life. Even if I get to the end of this life and find out that the entire "God" concept was a sham....I will find my peace in knowing that because I trusted in something bigger than myself, I became the best version of myself and gave life my all. That believing in that higher being allowed me to call upon strength that I didn't know that I had, to be able to do things that are beyond my average ability. To be better. To be more.

Sunday Sep 6th

I attended a GREAT fireside with my best friend Lizzy, and I'm so glad that I went! The speaker was actually my institute teacher, he is an amazing man and a very talented speaker. The fireside was inspirational and exactly what I needed to hear to provide me with inspiration for the next week. He said something that has stuck in my head ever since I heard it, he said, "When we acknowledge God's tender mercies in our lives, we increase our faith in him."  Ever since arriving at school, I've felt continually that Heavenly Father was guiding my life....and hearing that made me think of all of the tender mercies the Lord had already provided me with.

At the fireside, one of my friend-boys from ballroom sat next to me....and this one definitely deserves some contemplation....His name is Shawn...and I'm pretty sure that if he asked me to be his woman I would say yes lol. He's an amazing guy, and nothing like any of the other guys I've gone out with.... (trust me, that is a VERY good thing) He's quiet and soft spoken, but not shy. He's a REAL man....like the kind of man you want your little brothers to be modeled after. Kind, dedicated, ambitious and full of integrity....
Anyways...before I really start gushing, he's great-and I wouldn't mind if he asked me on a date.... ;)

Lizzy and I went back to her apartment and proceeded to have a dance/kareoke party with the rest of the six chicks. There is nothing more uniting then singing broadway music, in all different keys, at the top of your lungs with people you know will love you no matter what!

Monday Sep 7th  Happy Labor Day!

The morning plan had been to attend a pancake breakfast courtesy of the six chicks....but my body had a different idea.... I woke up feeling S I C K, the kind of sick where you're afraid that if you change positions, you're gonna throw up.... In an effort to sleep off this feeling, I was still in bed until, I'm gonna say 2 pm....

When I could finally get up and eat something, I felt much better and was able to dedicate all my energy to understanding the inner workings and structures of the Integumentary System....(thank you Anatomy). After several hours of homework....which is the usual average..... I remembered that there were a couple items that I had forgotten to pick up at Walmart....so I sallied forth!

My car had other plans.... During the summer, my car made the executive decision to have almost everything in it go wrong at once....after 1300+ dollars of repair-work, everything seemed okay.... but just now, my check engine light came on and the car started snarling into a frenzy....

My first thought was that the breaks (which I had just replaced) were mad at me.... so I took the car to Big-O-tires.... they couldn't take my car in, but they made an appointment with me for wednesday....awesome....
They said they couldn't check the engine, but that there was an Auto-Zone down the street.... Come to find out, this Auto-Zone was just a parts shop and actually didn't do the repairs.... While in the shop, trying not to freak out.... (Mind you I live off campus....and me without a car makes my life impossible....) I get this inkling to talk to this guy stocking shelves, he tells me to go to a Shell Gas station that apparently does repairs, and he said that they were the only repair shop open on labor day....

As i was driving, I prayed to God....so hard....I know it may seem like such a silly thing to pray for your car... but I didn't know what else to do. I pull up to the Shell station....and it's like a hole in the wall....family owned and operated....like outhouse bathrooms.... and I'll admit I was skeptical. This super nice guy comes up to my window and asks what he can help me with....

He takes a look at the engine, and while he's repairing, I got to play poker with his son, who was manning the register. He comes back in and explains to me, that a part in my engine had come lose, and he's surprised that I was able to drive the car at all....(miracle #1) He tells me that he fixed it, and that there's also a leak in my air conditioner that he can fix for around $50.00, if I wanna come back, but that the car will drive fine without it being fixed.... I ask him how much for the repair work....
Smiling, he says, "Don't worry about it. Just remember us next time." (The Biggest Miracle of all)

At this point in time, I am S T U N N E D....and I don't know whether to cry out of gratitude, hug him or propose. I managed a simple and quiet "Thank you."

The car drives like a dream, and for the rest of the day, my heart expressed gratitude to my Father in Heaven for loving me enough to answer such a simple prayer.

I challenge all of you who don't think that God knows you're there, who think that he doesn't play a part in your life, to start paying attention to all of the ways God makes your life a little easier. All the "nudges" in  the right directions, and all of the people who say the right thing, and realize that that is God's way of reminding you that HE IS THERE, and that he is aware of who you are and your life.

I love you all, and I thank God everyday that I have been so blessed with such wonderful people in my life!

Until next time,
Von Voyage.

This Holiday weekend couldn't have come at a better time.....

So we left off Thursday morning.....

The rest of thursday went by relatively uneventful. I went home after running errands on campus, took a much needed nap, did some homework and was able to talk on the phone with my Ma....which was nice. I went to institute class....which is turning out to be my new favorite thing! One of my guyfriends from ballroom just recently added the class, so I got to sit with both my BFF Lizzy and ballroom man. The lesson was about dating standards, and how we shouldn't date people outside of our faith....but the topic was approached from a different perspective....

The teacher told us that we shouldn't date people outside of our faith because it's not fair to them. I had never looked at it from this point of view... But when we date people outside of our religion, they get left out of so many things, and they sacrifice just as much as we do, if not more.... It puts a huge strain on the relationship or marriage.... There had been several guys on campus who had shown interest in me since the beginning of the school year, but none of them were LDS.....and I never felt right about it....and everything in this lesson just reaffirmed my decision to not date people off different religious groups.

After institute I went home to do....surprise surprise MORE HOMEWORK!!! I know, you're jealous.
Thursday evening plans consisted of dinner and X-files night with the six chicks, and it was so nice just to do something mindless and fun!

Friday Sep 4th,

In team, we got our dance assignments for tour shows and my list is as follows...this list will make more sense to those who have seen the ballroom showcase....
Opener (Which I get to do crazy lifts in!)
Charleston
Harry Potter V-Waltz
Hustle
Waltz
Zorro part 3
Salsa
Comedy (this number is replacing "Too Sexy")
Standard Medley (Competition piece)
Finale

Mark (our director) is convinced that I should be a standard dancer.... even though I've always competed Latin.... so he's assigned me to a majority of the standard dances.... but I guess it's good to get training and experience in all the styles....

Funny story.... k so in the Harry Potter V-Waltz I'm partnered with the guy who plays "Harry Potter" so because of my red hair, everyone decided that I am now "Ginny Weasely" haha perfect right?! So I am now called Ginny.... which is good because there is another Alicia on team, and the name mixups were already getting ridiculous.

Physiology, we took another test THAT I OWNED!!!! I aced that thing! I'm so excited :)

Most embarassing moment of the semester so far..... Okay, so today in my Human Developmental Psyc class, we were watching the film "The Miracle of Life" which features a live birth amongst it's many scientific explanations.... Well when the film first starts out, the scene is set on a Miami beach..... and the narrator says, "You may think that these people are here to enjoy the day, work on their tans or get away from the stresses of everyday life, but really they're only here for one thing.....to reproduce." Me thinking that this was quite possibly the most ridiculous line I've EVER heard BURST INTO LAUGHTER.... like the kind of laughter that fills the room, cannot be stopped, and echoes even after you stop laughing......
Everyone glared/stared at me....and there was no escaping it..... I was worried that the professor might kick me out of class....he didn't thank goodness! But oh my gosh.... I cannot believe that I was the ONLY ONE who thought that was funny.... needless to say....it was embarassing and is now an excellent story :)

Anatomy lab, we got to play with microscopes! THANK YOU ITINERIS!!!! I have had tons of microscope experience and looked like an Einstein when compared to all of the other students fumbling to focus their slides.... I was really excited about my magnifying skills and the professor was impressed too! Which is good news for me!
Chemistry and Anatomy lectures went by, informative as ever....

Evening, the BDC bbq....so fun! We salsa danced in the rain, which was like a scene out of a movie! and played ridiculous games like Dippity dippity dop, monster tag, and big booty.... :) And after the bbq I played with Annie and then hung out with a group of friends at Jesse's house.

Saturday Sep 5th

Slept in....glorious glorious morning full of glory!!! The rest of the day, I organized my room....which was reaching hazmat-suit worthy proportions, did laundry and organized my schedules for the rest of the semester.
On saturdays the six chicks have a tradition of "Do whatever you want Saturdays" meaning that on saturdays, we are not required to spend time getting ready, wear real clothing, eat "diet food" or do anything productive.  Some of the girls even go without "feminine upholstery" meaning that the bustal region is free of wires and anything else detaining haha....but don't tell them I told you that! *wink* We look at saturdays as our only true day off...which is such a beautiful thing....

So prepped in sweat pants and ponytails, the six chicks spent the day watching horribly cheesy movies, and eating chips in salsa and macaroni. All without make-up, pressure to look good or expectations! *sigh* basically this is what life should be like....

Sunday Sep 6th
Slept in again....waaaaayyyyy too late, ended up waking up when church was starting.... FOR SHAME. Did my best to be religious, worked out, and am now typing le blog :)

Plans for the rest of the day:

1. Complete the process necessary to look like a girl
2. Dinner
3. Fireside with Lizzy
4. Running with Annie

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend!
Love you!
Von voyage!

Catching up....

Hello everyone! Okay, so I realize that the point of a blog is to keep people updated.....but my trick is to find the time to actually update this crazy thing! So here we are.... I'm gonna give you guys a quick-ish run-down of the week since my last blog...

Monday Night:
Attempted to attend FHE....but when I arrived at the building it was locked, and I couldn't find anyone, and I didn't have anyone's number from the new ward.... FAIL. So I ended up spending time dance training with my friends  to prepare for auditions....because I had already finished all of my homework. Yay effective time management!

Tuesday, September 1st:
Slept in.... due to the beautiful fact that my chemistry lab doesn't start until  next week!!! Physiology lab was super boring....all we did was computer simulations of how different stimuli affect Nerve impulses.... which sounds really intense and complicated....but IT'S NOT. We literally clicked buttons as we were instructed and filled out a worksheet.... I know.....just try to contain your enthusiasm. (note: heavy sarcasm)

Inbetween Classes and  ballroom auditions, I was in a mad dash trying to get campus business/books/banking stuff figured out, wrap up some studying and get in top beauty condition as to impress at auditions.... I had dinner with Lizzy, which is one of the best stress relievers EVER.... and then was on my way to auditions!

When I arrived in the room, there were only a couple of people there....I used the time to warm up, stretch out and try to calm down... I'll admit I was pretty nervous. These auditions proved to be the biggest turnout that the ballroom company has ever had....over 215 people auditioned! and though the girls FAR outnumbered the guys, the amount of people was still a milestone for the BDC (Ballroom Dance Company). Learning the routines again was so boring.... and I remember just one year ago, at these auditions, not even being able to remember the steps, and after one year of intense training and classes, I realize that those were the most basic aspects of cha cha.... and it was really rewarding for me to see how far I've come, and how much I've improved :)

They had the advanced girls (I was one of them) Dance with the new boys who were auditioning, and then the advanced guys lined up to audition the masses of girls. After we had gotten through all of the newbies...Mark (the director) announces that there will be a dance off for the girls who were on the team previously.... and this dance off was literally a fight for your spot. Proving to the board of judges that you WERE the best, and that you deserved to be there.... because no one is safe at auditions, not even the veterans. Sure as veteran BDC members, we have an advantage....but someone could come and take your spot at anytime...even one of your "friends" from team....

I cannot remember the last time I was this nervous.... I was shaking, and felt dizzy, and really thought that I would throw up, pass out or fall prey to some form of an anxiety induced coma.....
But I gave it everything I had....and ended up surprising even myself....
You never know what you are capable of until you believe that you are capable, and then do it.
My heart was on that dance floor. Mark called me back to dance 3 different times in the "face-off" and each time was better than the time before!

At the end of the night my feet were bleeding, I was shaking uncontrollably and my legs were cramping.... but I can honestly say, that I have never been prouder of myself. No one really took me seriously when I said I was going to ballroom dance....not even me. But walking out of that audition, I felt so proud of myself for working so hard, and so grateful that God gave me the opportunity to dance again.

Wednesday September 2nd:
Up early, Physiology we reviewed for the test and I found out that I scored a 90% on my first quiz!!! Yesss!!! The morning was off the a great start! In my human psyc class....I was taking notes, but all I could think about was the posting list for the ballroom team.... I kept telling myself  that I would be happy with whatever happened, and that it would all work out..... but the butterflies in my stomach WOULD NOT let me focus.... As soon as the professor dismissed us, Annie and I booked it to the tap studio where the list was posted..... I got right outside the door and froze.... I almost couldn't walk in; I took a deep breathe and approached the lists....

Alycia S. .....TOUR TEAM

These were the words I had been waiting to see since I had learned about the ballroom team my junior year in high school....and now here they were. One of the most surreal things you'll ever experience is tangible evidence of a dream being realized.... I've always loved dance, and ever since seeing the movie "dance with me" when I was nine years old, I wanted to ballroom dance.... and now here I am, on the elite team of a college ballroom company.....

At this point, I had to walk outside to hide the fact that I was now in tears. So grateful, so blessed and so excited! And so happy! I immediately sent out a mass text to everyone who wanted to know the results of the audition and was able to talk to my mom on the phone really briefly. Thank you to all of you who have supported and inspired me, it means more to me than I could ever express in words!

The rest of the day's classes went by as usual....but BETTER. I was able to focus more, understand concepts more completely, and did it all with the biggest smile on my face. After classes came the usual three hours of homework...and then comes the FUN!!!

Mark had asked several of us who were experienced Salsa dancers (me!) do come and help him with a salsa workshopping class that he teaches on wednesday nights, and in exchange for helping we would get lessons of advanced steps! I say yes! IT WAS THE MOST FUN I HAVE HAD DANCING SALSA EVER.
The people in the classes were so excited about dancing and it was great to meet so many new people! And then the new moves that Mark taught us are AMAZING!!!! they are so fun to do, super flirty and basically my new favorite thing! After dance we were all soooo hungry from burning massive calories and so we all went to eat!

It was so nice to be with people from team again....they are my home away from home! After dance I came home and CRASHED.... my poor feet....sigh....they are so sad right now lol all blisted and cracked and bleeding....

Thursday morning, September 3rd:

Woke up at 5:00AM....which is gonna be my new favorite thing....because we have tour team (I smile everytime I say it....haha) practice at six a.m. At practice we basically went over the schedule for the semester and discussed touring options.... k how awesome is this..... depending on fundraising and everyone's budgets....we could tour JAPAN next june.... shut up! I know....

I don't really see us going to japan, just because of expenses....but other options included, France, Italy, East Coast (including New York) West Coast, California/Arizona and even Canada.... I'll be excited about it no matter where we go....but I sincerely hope that it's somewhere interesting!

Now I'm sitting in the ELC typing up this blog... so that all of you beautiful people can read about my life if you care to :)

Plans for the rest of the day:

1. On campus business....
2. Workout at home
3. Homework and studying....approx 4 hours worth
4. Go to institute class
5. Finish studying
6. Dinner and X-files night with the "Six Chicks" (Lizzy, Kylie, Brenna, Megan, Cambria & Myself)

I'm so excited about my life! Thrilled in fact! I've aced every test so far and have straight A's in every class.... I get to dance on Tour Team (SMILE) I'm volunteering at the hospital, I have great friends, an amazing family, a great ward, and zero boy drama! haha. I put my life in order, and now everything is falling into place.

IT IS TRUE when people say that when you put God first, everything else in your life will either find it's spot, or drop out of your life.... and now I get to live that :)
I hope you're all having a great day and that this blog finds you in high spirits!
I love you all!

Von Voyage!

The Monday of all Mondays.....

It's monday....which you think would be self-explanatory, but seeing as the whole point of blogging is to explain it....here I am.
I stayed up too late creating this blog, so the morning came way to soon... I got ready and did a mad dash to the ELC to print off my note outlines for my Human Developmental Psychology class...sounds riveting doesn't it?... and then it was off to Physiology!
Today in Physiology we continued to learn about nerve synapses and everything that can and will go wrong when your nervous system is trying to respond to stimuli...I never imagined there was SO MUCH involved with something that seemed so simple on the surface. Our bodies are works of art! And God is a genius to be able to think of things on such a small scale... We had a quiz today, and even though I've been studying the material everyday and felt really confident about my knowledge, some of the questions were worded weird, and that may have gotten the best of me... I have until Friday to master the material up until this point, and I'm hoping to get my quiz back and fully understand any of the mistakes that I made.

Human Developmental Psychology...this class is going to be the death of me.... Not that it's not interesting....because the subject matter is actually pretty cool stuff....but you could sum up an entire lecture's worth of material in a one paragraph explanation.... So because we are taking little amounts of material and dragging them out.....this class feels like and E T E R N I T Y and it's only fifty minutes... but the best part of this class is that I get to sit next to one of my very bestest friends from ballroom, her name is Annie, and she is one of my favorite people. I feel like we're not very close, and I'm not sure what she really thinks about me....but overall we have a good laugh and enjoy each other's company....so I'm just gonna stick with that for now.

I'm T.A.-ing social dance as part of a large attempt to earn brownie points in ballroom...and I really really love it :) I'll admit that originally it was all about stacking politics, but then.... sigh, I wanted to be a professional dancer growing up and the "plan" after I retired was to open a dance studio and teach young people how to dance! That dream obviously is out of the question now, but still, being able to teach ballroom, even as a TA on a really small scale, is like fulfilling a part of a dream that will never be realized....
So my secret in all of this is that I'm TA-ing just because I love it.... shhhh ;)

So I have an hour between social dance (TA-ing) and my chemistry class, and in this hour, I was determined to go to the bookstore and NOT LEAVE until I had everything I needed. Major complaint of the day...the vast majority of the people working at the bookstore are completely incompetent! No one knows where anything is, no one can really answer any questions, and they all just tell you to go ask, "Jane" or whoever....and you never get the materials you need. k, My anatomy lecture class has 200 students, just in my section, and there are four sections.... do the math. The professor requires this lecture outline that containes all of the notes, handouts, study guides and misc class materials for every student....the bookstore decided that they only wanted to print 100 of these....TOTAL..... so while the bookstore keeps having to order re-prints the unlucky students who weren't at the doors when the original 100 copies came of the printer were left unprepared for class, and with a very angry and uncooperative professor.....
How about a little foresight bookstore???!!! You can see how many people are registered for that class....you know that they all are required to have the lecture outline....why don't you just save everyone the trouble and print out the 400 copies neccessary....

Another gripe...my chemistry professor uses this computer program for homework, which is cool, I don't mind, it makes our homework really easy to keep track of for both the student and the professor, win-win. Oh but at the bookstore....it's like some kind of Urban Legend....no one knows what this "mysterious" software is all about.... people look at you like you're crazy, like you've just confessed to a big-foot sighting..... and these people probably aren't even Santa believers!! It's ridiculous.

I finally found someone who knew about the software and told me that for the convenient price of my first born child, she would get me the program that I needed....sigh.....

By this point in time, I'm ten minutes away from Chemistry, and was still on the opposite side of campus. Oh Alycia's major mistake #1 Wearing new, cute shoes, on the day that requires the most walking..... bad bad plan.... So I also have massive blisters on my heels. What a day.

Chemistry goes by super boring....but during class this guy named Akeem texted me....(backround knowledge, Akeem is a beautiful black man that plays on the football team and asked me for my number....so now we are friends :) ) Anyways, apparently in my haste to get to Physiology this morning, I totally walked RIGHT PAST HIM and didn't even acknowledge his presence. 10 jerk points for me!  I apologized and really couldn't figure out how I didn't manage to see him....considering that my school is....90% caucasian,....he kinda stands out.... And NO that is NOT rascist to say that....

Okay, so well all remember Adam? My ex-boyfriend of eight months? Who none of my friends or family like?....Anyways...in the past I've managed to keep a really good relationship with all of the guys that I've dated, seriously all of my exes, or even interest-exes and I are friends...which I really enjoy because it eliminates the possibility of crazy ex-boyfriends hating your guts and trying to make your life miserable....
Adam and I cross paths inbetween our classes.... He's going from accounting to marketing, and I'm heading from Chemistry to Anatomy.... the most direct route for both of us makes us cross paths at the exact same time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.... Today when I saw him, he was talking to Annie, (which is great cuz we're all friends...) and he's nice to me, but as soon as we start walking away from Annie, get's totally cold, and weird and treats me like he really doesn't know me....

You know that tone of voice people use when, they don't really want to talk to you, or they don't really like you....but talk to you anyways? And the entire time they are using that voice you feel like more of a leech than a person? ya. that voice. THAT my friends was the was he was speaking to me.... whether or not he noticed that he was talking that way...I don't really know....but it was enough to make me mad/feel low all in one fail swoop.

Anatomy was complex as ever....there is SO MUCH MATERIAL. Everyone said, "Oh my gosh Alycia, there is so much material in that class, you're gonna drown yourself in terminology!" And I thought they were being melodramatic....but now I can see that they didn't drive the point home enough....
When I sit down to study this material, I literally take ten minutes just to figure out where to start.... You have to use every method of study for these kinds of classes... flashcards only work for terminology and definitions, but you need diagrams for some things, written out explanations for others and sometimes you have to use all three just to get the concept across... its intense....and it's only the beginning of week two.

After having the remaining part of my mind blown by Anatomy, I went over to the Institure to figure out THAT separate class schedule, and finally got that sorted too...

I feel like I'm living several different lives..... It's like multiple personality disorder......
Life #1 Classes, Homework and the friends I have in those classes. Being a dedicated student, a bookworm and a study buddy.
Life #2 Ballroom: Here I'm a performer, the center of attention, constantly surrounded by people and music and laughter. I become this hyper-confident girl who is strong and graceful and talented and beautiful.
Life #3 The planned life: The parts of my life that revolve completely around things that haven't happened. Like always worrying about getting into nursing school and scholarships, and when I'm getting married and all sorts of future things. This life is entirely hypothetical.... I find myself saying things like, "If this....When this happens.....During this time in my life....."
Life #4 The Six Chicks. The six girls that I lived with last year who all became one entity. In this group I'm the street smart one who always has a story to tell.... I'm the most "ME" when I'm with these girls, we all just love to hang back and laugh about how stressed out we let ourselves get. But along with all the good, there can be so much drama with six chicks.
Life #5 My Home-home life: My family, friends and everything else that is still in my hometown..... things I am trying to keep up with, but seem to have very limited time for. Things that I feel I'm missing out on....but can't do anything about.
Life #6 The Spiritual me: The girl at church, in institute and staying up late reading scriptures just to feel some peace....The one who needs God's powerful influence in her life, and is doing her very best, and wants to make him proud.
Life #7 The Woman in me: Believe it or not....there is this MAJOR part of me that just wants to get married, have a family, decorate a house and be on the PTA at my kid's elementary.... All of the other things in my life become meaningless when compared to how much I want to have a family, and be a wife and mother. This part of me gets super impatient with being single, and wants to adopt/kidnap every child she sees....this part is also having a difficult time fighting all of these "maternal instincts" 

So there I am in a multicolored nutshell.... I feel divided between all of these things. Together they are all parts of the life I'm trying to create for myself, but they don't blend well.... and I don't want to have to choose between them. How do you pick parts of yourself to throw away? That's even worse then picking a favorite child! lol Sigh....so we will leave my very mixed up thought processes for another day....

So there's my day so far.... what happened, and what I think about it all.....
Tonight's plans:

1. Finish Anatomy Homework
2. Make Dinner, partake of said dinner
3. Go to Family Home Evening at my student ward....scope out the man-scene there....
4. Work on Cha Cha technique with Teresa and assorted ballroom comrades

Love you all....
Von voyage!

So it begins....

I have been brainstorming of ways to keep my family and friends updated on my life, seeing as I never remember who knows what, about what.....and then people get confused and hurt when they aren't included, and then I get so sick of telling the same story over and over again....

Basically it's a big mess and I'm tired of dealing with it....

So...I decided to join the increasingly popular trend of blogging....and hopefully it works out....
The plan is to blog about whatever comes to mind, as often as time allows and then let the world take a gander...
This is the first of many to come, and I look forward to comments and questions!

All the best,
Alycia