Oui, oui, mon ami, je m'appelle Lafayette

Presidency Dinner from last Sunday. It was chilly. 

Did you know Monday was George Washington's birthday? I did. That said, I've listened to quite a bit of Hamilton and Stephen Colbert's parody, Button. I also realized that I really like rap. I memorized both the linked raps (in addition to a few others), wrote an impromptu rap on Growth Hormone for a class presentation, and apparently was rapping to myself when I met my new friend, Jarom. So that's all he remembers about me. (That's ok, I only remember where he lives because I was at his apartment.)

A postcard I received after our postcard-writing
FHE from Benson. Made me chuckle.

Tuesday providence smiled upon me, as I happened to run into my good mission friend and chauffeur, Cameron Johnson. He told me Thomas Bonnamy, from Lyon, was visiting. We met Carolyn and Will and Thomas for lunch later that day. Et quel plaisir! Because then I spent nine hours watching mediocre basketball games at clinicals.

Because if you have only one day to see America: Taco Bell.

Wednesday I was trying so hard to do my HW, but was somehow persuaded to hang out with Lindsey and Thomas. They showed me Collapse, a game where you are infected with a new disease and it rapidly infects the whole world. The fastest world collapse I've seen took 21 days. Can you beat it?

And I did it.

Then Lindsey, Clayn, and I met with Mama and Papa Smith to get ice cream. (I've insisted that I am the replacement for their missionary son, Jake. Lyndsie claims we have the same sense of humor. Call me Jayqueline. Jake for short.)

Meet the Smiths. Lovely, aren't they?

Thursday was our clinical preceptor Patty's birthday. Matt and I arrived early to streamer the training room and insist that all of its occupants wore party hats. We ate cupcakes and cake and partied all day.

Birthday girl, dead center.

Fail cakes: "Fial (written in white)".

On the way to Institute with Sister Proctor, Christina and I saw a great poster of my friend Corbin, announcing the basketball game that night. Since they no longer needed the advertising and Christina offered me $20 if I sent a selfie with it to Corbin, I snatched it right up. And then enjoyed a lesson on individual worth and pulled pork sandwiches.

Give me a real challenge.
Although the picture was suitably terrifying.

Friday was the day my class presentation (rap) earned a standing ovation. And also the day Matt tried to take a nap on the floor beforehand and woke up to our teacher spooning him. Not even surprised.

Welcome to AT. We love jokes.

And just for kicks, here's the class president.

Saturday morning we began filming our Divergent parody. It was a blast and well-organized. I'm already almost done with it. Lyndsie, Christina, and I went to Chick-Fil-A to celebrate.

Don't tell Alexis. 

Our ward has several members of the BYU gymnastics team, so we met up for pizza and poster-making before going to the meet. I couldn't actually attend the meet, but I traded them a poster for a box of pizza and rootbeer.

Made Christina color it in for me. Slave labor.
And by that I mean delegation.

Lyndsie was directing a work scavenger hunt party, so I helped keep her company and assure that everything ran smoothly. It did. Mostly.

Try eating a pudding cup through that.

Afterwards, we ate orange juliuses and got an invite to the EQ Meet, meet, & meat activity. (They went to the gymnastics meet, met each other afterwards, and ate meat). Matt told me all week I wasn't invited, but turns out they had way to much meat for those meeting to eat. I gotchu, fam.

Also I can cheer really loud when people try to lift heavy things. 

Rounded off the evening by attending the BYU/Gonzaga game with Clayn. I like basketball and being at games, but I don't like other people going. They're too loud and hot and close for comfort. And usually don't know what they're talking about. I hate that. I treated myself to DQ afterwards and went to bed earlyish.

There I am. All the way on the left.

HBD: George Washingpuns

Happy birthday to one of the great fathers of our nation! We love your contributions and your sass.

 

Feel free to play the above musical masterpiece straight from the history books. And by that I mean the new Broadway play called "Hamilton". Which is wonderful and so lyrically clever. (Don't tell Lyndsie I said that.)

Q: Why did George Washington have trouble sleeping?

A: Because he couldn't lie. 

 Q: What do you call George Washington's false teeth?

A: Presidentures.

Q: What do you get when you cross our first president with an animated character?
A: George Washingtoon.

Q: Was George Washington handsome?
A: Yep, he was George-eous.

Q: How does George Washington speak to his army?
A: In general terms.

Q: Which of George's officers had the best sense of humor?
A: Laughayette.

Q: What was George's favorite tree?
A: The infantree. (Obv not cherry...)

Q: What's George's favorite tea?
A: Libertea (Obv not the kind they dumped in the ocean...)

Q: What do you get when you cross George Washington with cattle feed?
A: The Fodder of our Country

Q: Where did George Washington buy his hatchet?
A: At the chopping mall.

Q: What would you get if you crossed George's home with nasty insects?
A: Mt. Vermin

Q: Why did Washington use his hatchet to chop down a cherry tree?
A: His mom wouldn't let him use a chain saw.

Q: What did Washington say when he was crossing the Delaware?
A: "Next time, I'm going to reserve a seat."

Q: Why did British soldiers wear red coats?
A: To hide the tomatoes.

Q: What did King George think of the colonies?
A: He thought they were revolting.

Q: What do you get when you cross George's head piece with a teepee?
A: A powdered wigwam.

Q: Did you hear about the cartoonist in George's army? He was a Yankee Doodler.

Q: What was the craziest battle of the Revolutionary War?
A: The Battle of Bonker's Hill.

 Did you hear the one about the Liberty Bell? Cracked me up.

The Air Smells Like Warm Rootbeer

SNL Kylo Ren

 Our FHE is actually pretty solid this semester. It helps that it's basically just the people I decided to be friends with already. This week we finger painted. Which is a lot harder than I remember it.

Monday was also a holiday, which meant no school or clinicals. But lots of HW. I had to take several tests this week, so I prepared slowly for them. Which is preferable for long term memory maintenance, I think. I went to the cadaver lab and made banana bars (a mission favorite).

Mission comp's Mom at the games...

Wednesday was waffle night and rootbeer float night. Our RS presidency, in an attempt to get to know people, and also eat delicious food, has started hosting a couple apartments each week for a snack and spiritual thought.

This is us at clinicals. 

Cynthia, a student of ours.

Thursday, Matt and I were at clinicals for ever because of all the games. Good news is that the moms started making gourmet dinners for us. We had sandwiches and chips and really good guac/pico/bean dip and chocolate chip cookies with oreos in them. (And carrots). We are very happy campers on these days.

Then Matt and Benson came over to my house and studied until midnight.



Friday I got to visit my mission friend, Alisa and I got to longboard to her house. I was rather gruntled that the weather was so nice, thus permitting both activities. I also took three tests that day and a nap. Although I had options to go to my water polo game and my stake ice skating / broom hockey activity, I did neither because I was headed to Emarie and Christian Covey's reception!!


I wore this pretty, but restrictive dress and kind of curled my hair and hung out with all the people I love. PRoney, Sister Roney, Carolyn Carter, Abby Luthi, Lyndsie, Sarah, John, Corbin, Thomas, Ben, Emarie and Christian, Mama Covey, etc.

The reception was conveniently in the library just two blocks from our apartment. There was delicious food and tasty bevs. There was a live band that tried so hard to play Party Rock. There were real trees strung up with lights and lots of flowers everywhere.

I like the Coveys because they go crazy and just dance. That's what I've needed. I met and befriended some more of the family. (Hoping to one day get invites to family reunions - there will be great food there.)

Afterwards, we stayed and helped clean up, which was really hard with restricted shoulder flexion and abduction. Eventually Lyndsie and I ran home through a secret passage and changed our clothes. We broke down trees and unstrung lights and moved boxes and swept floors and ended by getting slurpees at the 7/11 next door.

Saturday was my chill day. I woke up at eight and just stayed in bed because I purposefully planned nothing. I watched parts of Slipper and the Rose, I read scriptures, I wrote in my journal. I cleaned my room and hung out with Lyndsie for a bit (eating the delicious fruit snacks she bought me).

Matt hadn't seen the open house for the Provo City Center Temple yet, so I made him go. PRoney helped us skip about four hours worth of standby lines. And I actually looked at the posters and info after the tour.

My favorite pose. 

Later, Lyndsie, Matt, and my new roomie Christina, all went to the BYU game vs. San Diego. It was a blowout (in comparison to their game two days prior against the same team....) I wasn't mad though, because they scored over 80 points, meaning bogo Malawi's pizza. Matt and I split a Chicken Bacon Ranch and we saw Cousin Dink & Wife for the first time in months. 

Christina, Hutch, Matt, Lynds. 

Today all the presidencies went to the Bloods' house (bishopric member) for dinner so they could get to know us better. They do work with us quite a bit, so I guess it's important. The other RS has been throwing shade for days, so we all dressed the same to show them up. It worked. 

Give it up for presidency unity. #FlannelPannel #ChicFilBae
#SurvivorsInZion

The Friendship Games : Survivors in Zion

That's real and I'm not even mad. 

Monday I made raspberry sweet rolls with real yeast and everything. Add domesticity to my list of desirable traits. They were dang good, except that I left them in just a little too long. (Also I cut a good chunk of my finger off when I accidentally bumped a knife into the running garbage disposal. If you're wondering why I can't have nice things.)

Raspberry rolls + vanilla frosting = love.

My family kidnapped my for FHE and took me to the MOA for the Norman Rockwell exhibit. (Again). Funny thing is, if Lauren actually went to her FHE, I would have seen her there. Good thing Greg wasn't on duty guarding his multi-million dollar pieces of art, because I like to touch things. And I do what I want.

I liked this one. Reminds me of the Phantom Tollbooth.

Afterwards we ate ice cream and taught our FHE brothers how to turn off the power. By doing it to them. We walked in and they're holding candles. 

Who wouldn't want to be in this fam?

I finished the new and improved Boost Rap for Trevor. I've even mostly memorized it. Now I just need to get a background track and pull together a sweet music video. 

This will be the album cover of my hit single.

 Tuesday. Matt and I returned from an intense rivalry game at clinicals just in time for our water polo game against my RS President's team. I spent the night shooting leftie with no contacts and still crushing. They had a super competitive kid on their team that kept acting stupid, so three or four times I actually shot it. Get away from me, kid, you're bugging me.

Join the club. 

Wednesday. Clinical hours are decreased a bit this week because the actual AT is away at state wrestling competitions. Matt and I can pretty much handle ourselves, though. But I appreciate the free time, which permits me to do RS stewardship interviews and go to waffle night.

And that would be a crying shame. 

Thursday our clinicals were completely cancelled. So I did some VT and went to Institute (where there was free pizza, just sayin'). Institute was lovely - we talked all about the Spirit World and Jesus establishing his missionary efforts there. Our teacher, who is heading the archaeological dig of Nephi's Bountiful in Oman, really brought the Spirit. (And the pizza helped.) Then my gal ACon came over to watch the basketball game and eat cookies.

BOM Valentines, anyone?

Friday. I had my usual cadaver lab at 7, and then all but one class was cancelled for the day. Which was good, because I had a wedding to get to. That's right - Emarie & Christian Covey were married in the Payson temple by D. Todd himself last Friday! Holla back, winners.

I like them. A lot. 

The sealing was lovely, the pictures were frigid, and the luncheon was awesome. We went back to chez-les Coveys in Provo for a super posh buffet (with entertainment). I made some friends switch their assigned seats so we could chill together and we ate mashed potatoes for dayysss. It was so good. I missed most of the entertainment because I had to go to clinicals, but I heard some Romanian dancers were threatening to pick D. Todd up in his chair and dance him around the room. (But picked up Emarie instead). I like the Coveys. They are a riotous bunch. Almost at my level.

So much girl. 

Clinicals included an away game at Orem. Some Moms provided a dinner for players and coaches and trainers, so I got double duty. Spike, who professes to not look anything like Kylo Ren, actually put his temporary tattoos on, but they only lasted for a day.

#Boudoir #HotTimes

Thomas came over to watch Kora with Lyndsie and I. I painted a little bit and we talked in French (because he served in Paris), and we also reviewed some of my films in which his friends acted. Fun times and Lynds owes me fruit snacks.

All the thols.

Side note. All I wanted from this RS calling was a ward dance. Due to the fact that I could not represent myself at ward council (being specifically uninvited), the dance was warped into speed dating and dinner and salsa instruction, with no actual dance. But it was cancelled last minute because they couldn't find a venue. I called dibs on the next effort.

...fellas?

Saturday. Team Jordyn Enos won our basketball game. By quite a bit. We had no subs and I managed to hurt my knee in the last five minutes, so I just sucked it up. Ho'o got punched in the face and there were a ton of rough fouls that the refs just weren't calling because we were winning by so much. Yikes.

You know it's beautiful....I mean the poem!

Cam and roommate and I went to the temple and ran into our old friend Hannibal. I love the temple. It's a wonderful place.

Roses are red, owls are wise...

Galentines for days. I met Mandy, Lauren B, Lauren R, and Ho'o (who was working) at Brick Oven. Then we played the accordion and Rack-o chez moi. When Ho'o got off, we played Hand and Foot while eating spicy doritos until 3am, when we walked them home. We traded off wearing the infamous pink sweater. We played Marry-Date-Dump with men and with countries. Lauren B and I still consider ourselves unbeaten at Hand and Foot.

...I like your butt; it's a pretty good size. 

Sundays are always good. The meetings were good, the classes were good, the snacks were good. I did only get four hours of sleep, so I was a wee bit tired, but ca va. Afterwards, I went to Hannibal's house in Eagle Ridge for their Valentine's Day party. I'm a fan of Uncle Travis. He kills me. We had delicious pizza and a dance competition (that I only lost due to my broken knees, ok?).

Ho'o didn't want to wear the sweater.
Lauren R only wanted to copy our country preferences.

Josh came over for smoothies and a free styling game. We're both really bad, but it's getting there. One day. We also started working on some background jams for my rap. We also ate chocolate and exchanged candy heart conversations.

Serious photo. (Five years later...)

I have a new roommate, Christina. She's nice. So far...

Happy Galentines Day.