How To Walk in a Toga

I thought spring break was enough to carry me through the end of the semester. Yeet. Two days into the week, I was done. Luckily, most of Tuesday was cancelled in favor of a scandalous board meeting ("I have to wait a month for the next episode??), which was unusually short. So we got off early and finished a lot of HW that would have been hard to do otherwise. We also hit up a poster conference and 3MRP competition in which our classmate was a competing finalist. Apparently you're not supposed to cheer at those, but I was never one for inane tradition.

On occasion, I get a solidddd breakfast.

Caleb and I went to the family food warehouse this week for some service. We did an assembly line box packaging thing that was fun and then we had to prep a huge box full of cabbage. A delightful old man named Jack told me all about how I'm going to do PT on a rich athlete and then we'll get married, and next thing you know I'm vacationing in the Bahamas every week. I like Jack.

Our own toga continuation.

We spent our free time on Thursday studying and I drew some gruesome pictures of what happens when you have endocrine disorders that nobody liked, but everyone found useful. (Also I literally aced this test, so take that mockers and ridiculers!)

Brandi and I invited the missionaries, Sam, and Alex over for breakfast (for dinner). One of my favorite meals and it was delicious. We also made them eat more of the ice cream leftover from Pi Day.

Literal goddesses.

Roger made a bad bet against me (that he lost), so he bought me ice cream and he didn't stay for the toga party. Which was actually a pretty big hit, I think. We had various bougie Olympic style events that you could participate in at your leisure, including Plato Pong, Trivia, Javelin (straws), Discus (plates), archery (rubber bands), foot race (with 3 books on your head), and a chariot relay (scooting on a towel across the floor). Prizes were given to the winners, but everyone got cheese and grapes and wore a toga.

We made sure our missionary couples participated in this one.

Then we watched a movie, still wearing our togas. It was The Mummy 3 and I didn't love it. Why do they change Evie every movie.

We are the muses. 

I studied a lot on Saturday and went to an Argentinian dinner with Tom and the crew. He fed us several kinds of empanadas, cilantro rice, homemade tortillas, and dulce de leche cinnamon rolls with crushed almonds and caramel. This man is a miracle worker. Then we saw VICE for free at ThemBoyz Center (aka Dubois) which was bizarre and I don't really recommend. The wigs looked great though. 

Spring Break

Let the record show my participation in the first ever spring break of my college career. I loved it and I really did need it. Undergrad was fine without it, but I needed a minute to reset my brain.

I did a lot and also nothing. I slept in a real bed and finished a book I've been reading and caught up on some studies. I ate free dinner with the Brewton's and some friends and then with Mason and the missionaries. I worked on my short story again and accepted an internship for 2020.

Taking after my old man.

I hit up the gym with a new Captain Marvel-inspired workout (which Mason and I saw in theaters). And I played some ball with the usual crew. I learned a new thing to cook which is basically just another way to make Mexican tacos. And I got to hang out with Jason at his PT clinic and remember what I love about this job.

At the end of the week, I drove down to Mesquite for my contacts and a temple trip. Then I drove up to Mesquite for Hannah's baby shower. I stayed in my first successful AirBnb with Michaela and took some time to go running - and saw the commencement of the regional old people Olympics right down the street.

This is the weirdest kind of decorating to me.

We had a decent turnout, with one friend from UT dropping by. There was food, minimal decorating and a cage surrounding Hannah's chair so nobody would touch her. (We offered Markies a spot in the middle, but haven't his people already suffered enough?) We decorated thousands of gray onesies and played a version of scattergories where you have to come up with a name for each letter of the alphabet. Highlights were obviously Ochocinco and Rasputen.

Don't zoom in too close.

Hannah and Markies got to speak in church, in hopes of encouraging them to be active. Hannah told some good stories and bleeped out the swears and left the rest to Markies. Who had me worried when he threatened to sing, but ended up being very engaging (just ask any old woman there). Also I learned that if Hannah doesn't talk to you, it's not because she doesn't like you, she's just shy.

Can't even tell.

Luck of the Irish

I don't know if Moriah caught any leprechauns, but I certainly didn't. It was a mess of testing and my brain hurts and so do my grades, but it's over. Also several people have commented on how tired I look and so I'm really glad NAU has an actual spring break because it'd be a rough time otherwise.

Basketball was cancelled all week due to MORE SNOW. I would say it's my least favorite form of precipitation, but it's offset with windy hail that pegs me straight in the face the whole time I'm walking to school like a machine gun for icy pellets with impeccable aim.

The good news is that the week is over. AND Lindsey came swimming with us. Showed us a few things and still looked cute, but it was a good time all around. (Didn't even end up in Mexico). Also for real pi day, we went to Your Pie and got a personal pizza for 3.14 AND JJ fed us real authentic enchiladas. (Still somehow slithered out of our rap battle yet again).

MGH, MVP. 

Moriah and I had a delightful chat, Grampy called ME, and everything is coming together for baby shower numero uno in Mesquite. Also, Caleb and I went on Fatman's Trail, got lost several times, climbed a tree, and found a nice rock to sleep in just in case we never found our way out.

It's All Worth it if it Ends in Pie

Lest any of you forget, let it be known that Lauren Gertrude Bellon and I are still best friends. We don't get to hang out nearly as often as we would like, but our actual 7 year anniversary of friendship is fast approaching - and Facebook would agree if Lauren hadn't defriended me 1 year in for experimental purposes.

"And this spot is important" -L, taking a man on a tour of PG
"Why?" -man
"Because it's where we kiss. For two hours." -L

Somehow we still had 7 hours of classes to make up after the snow day 2 weeks ago, so that happened, in addition to 2 tests. Both of which actually went decently, I think. But Brandi and I squeezed in more school by attending the PT/AT journal club - a 7am (free donuts) discussion on the validity and applicability of a research article. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Good vibes. 

I had competency checks for clinic this week with my 2nd year buddy, Kat. And I did fine. Sometimes other people stress out about stuff, which gives me an inflated idea of what to expect and I forget that I am actually irl competent.

This is where I live. 

We lost both our volleyball games this week, but Sam and I played in between games for another team and we won if that counts for anything. Also, I've been getting some good hits, which makes the whole thing more fun.

Somehow I convinced Alex to expand his dinner for the missionaries to also include myself, Caleb, and Brandi. So we enjoyed a Mexican feast and never did end up getting to the pool. Tant pis. We did get Roger and Mason to go hot tubbing with us, so we were in water at least.

One of my new favorite memes.

Oscar Night was a bit of a disappointment with only 3 video submissions - and a clear winner, aka us. The Book of Job was a huge success, 10/10 would recommend for any FHE. I also got a Moriah-level salute in one of the other two videos. Loved it.

Saturday was a study in procrastination. The sun was shining and I was feeling good. That is, until I went to a free workout at Evolve Flagstaff for Women's Day and got my booty and quads kicked. Then I had to crawl everywhere, which made our early Pi Day celebration a bit inconvenient.

NAU DPT representing. 

Apparently, this day was a mess for everyone. Brandi got a ticket for fishing without a printed license. And Caleb got locked out of his apartment. So it took us 2 hours to make it to our own Pi Day party - and it was probably a good thing everyone else backed out on us. But we had pizza and 3 pies and watched a few episodes of Pushing Daisies in honor of math.

Worth it?

Nobody's Mad, But Everyone Is

I played basketball on Friday and left with absolutely zero pain in my L knee. I can't remember the last time that was a thing, but I just spent the next 30min in awe, wondering at how good I have it in life.

Apparently we need to take more pictures. This is the beginning.

Volleyball also went well this week, because without Sam or most of the normal players, we are now 1-1. We've got some work to do, but I was super aggressive and did some work. I felt good about it because some days I feel like I contribute less - but at least I can consistently serve over the net.

Best pose we could think of.

School is a madhouse. I'm to the point where I'd rather get out sooner than get a few points better on a test. Is that bad? We have to make up so much time we missed for the snow days AND more. Which means it really is 9 to 5 every day PLUS studying.

We had a couple extra labs this week that also kept us longer. My favorite was NOT the one where we were exploring the pelvic floor, if you were wondering. And I am only marginally disappointed at the lack of appreciation for my meat-themed puns during out ham hock debridement lab.

Brandi appreciates my puns. Only reason we're friends.

Steph and I are working in the Pro Bono lab together this month and we started with our patient last week. He's a cool kid with an intriguing case that I'm excited about. Clinic makes all the didactic worth it.

Roger, ever the ladies man.

JJ and the EQs pulled off Knights for our Ladies - an evening where the men just treat us. They escort us to our chairs (although I skipped that part by busting through Red Rover-style) and feed us dinner (I did double duty on this part). Benjy, a classical piano expert, accompanied the evening until the talent/variety show began, which was hilarious. Critics are raving, v well done.

"The Brunch Club" who dinners. 

Afterwards, I grabbed Caleb and we headed to Brandi's for a viewing of Top Gun, which I had never seen. I am Goose, that's all I know. Loved it.

A sneak preview of the new YouTube hit: The Book of Job.

Saturday was spent studying and finishing our interpretation of the classic Biblical drama "Job". We made a dinner of potato bowls and chicken and then headed over to the Fisher's for dessert and games. There was a lot of cheating and cahooting and laughter. Nobody's mad and everyone is.