Virginia Slims

I'm sitting on my bed, my legs and feet are on fire, and I can't even begin to count or organize the emotions in my body right now. Tonight was the opening ceremonies of the 2011 Utah Summer Games. Nothing went as planned, and let's be honest, nothing ever does. To give you an idea, it down poured during pre-show on all our lovely brand new video equipment, the torch didn't have gas, my headsets never worked, and the wind was too high for our sky divers.

And I LOVED every minute of it. I wish I could explain in words the adrenaline it produces. I saw a boy who has spent months on this, stressed to the max, on an injured knee, jamming out like there wasn't a care in the world. He understands the adrenaline.

But as it wound down and the crew started to leave, it hit me. This is most likely the last time I'll work with these people. From the grounds crew, to facilities, the fire marshall, the electrician, Poll Sound, the Advancement and Summer Games staff, and most important, Dennis Effing Busch. The last four years these people have taken care of me, taught me, and become my family. We really do have to most amazing crew.

What am I going to do without them?

Triple Deuce

The 222nd division of the National Guard is based out of none other than Cedar City, UT. When I was a freshman they had just returned from a tour Iraq and that's all I really knew about them. Throughout the last 5 years I have learned more about them, met people who served, and heard stories of their families. Cedar has become my home in those 5 years and even though I don't know most of the men in the 222nd I love them because they are Cedar City. This past year a boy named Sam joined SUUSA and he was also in the 222nd which we found out in December were being deployed again. They leave on Saturday and last night I went to a send off for them in the Centrum. It was pathetic. They hadn't advertised the event at all, it was horribly produced, but worst of all no one was there. It made me think a lot about my profession of choice and how big of a difference a good event can make. I felt bad for those soldiers and their families who were giving so much and had to sit through that pitiful event. Then I started thinking about how much they were really giving up. It's one of the most selfless acts they can do on this earth and I am so grateful for the men and women who serve in the military everyday.

I'm obsessed with this country. Have you ever really thought about how absolutely wonderful it is to wake up in the morning and know you can express yourself however you want without fear of prosecution? As a very opinionated women it's something I can't be thankful enough for. I know this country was founded by divine revelation so that there would be a nation where Christ's true church could be restored and thrive in. I feel so blessed to be a citizen of that nation. So to the men of the Triple Deuce, come home safe. And to everyone else who has served and is currently serving, thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

I'm a big kid now....wow.

When I was sixteen I was going to go to college, go on a mission, and then attend law school. By the end of that I figured I'd be 28ish and have a family. I'm one for four right now. I have no more desire to practice law, the mission never felt right and I haven't met the lucky man yet. But there's a plan right? For the last 23 years of my life I've always believed He had a plan for me. Yet here I sit at one o'clock in the morning, on the roof of my apartment in my SUU sweats I bought as a freshman with no life plan. None of the jobs I've applied for were even interested in interviewing me, the only home I have to move back to is in a city with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, I still haven't passed that stupid math class, and I feel like all of my friends I graduated with already had their life plans or are having jobs fall into their laps. There is a plan for me right? Right? Bueller?

Commencement

I have attended and worked at commencement for the last three years. I always thought it was a nice thing but not that big of a deal. The fact that you were done was the big deal. The only desire I had to walk and partake in the commencement exercises was so that my family could see. I want to set the example for Michael and my mom loves that kind of stuff. Then due to circumstances beyond their control the family couldn't make it and I lost all desire to walk. I knew my friends wouldn't let me skip out so I put on a pretty dress and some heals and went. It actually shocked me how much I loved it. I never really understood ceremonies for ceremonial sake but being at commencement, having that huge celebration (and I know what goes into from the event standpoint) just made all of my trials and accomplishments during my time here at SUU so real. One more class this summer and I will be a college grad. So weird.

A Weekend to Remember

This weekend was Crazy!!

Friday was the day we've been counting down to for 4 months...Brian Regan. He came, he sold 3000 tickets and we ate about $20,000 totall which I'm quite happy about. I see it as subsidizing the student discount and creating a definite wow factor on campus.

This is me in front of 3000 people thanking everyone for coming...


It was terrifying. But he was great! The crowd loved him and his touring manager gave us rave reviews for our production. Here's a picture of him at our show taken by one the University Journal photographers:


Then Saturday night was the 61st Annual Tbird Awards, which we were also in charge of. Run throughs in the Randall Jones theater all day, and then Lo did my hair. Came out mighty fly if I do say so myself.




Then we held a reception for the finalists and their guests at the Alumni House, this is me with the girls from StAB:


After the reception we got the awards show underway. The activities VP and StAB are ineligible from winning, since we put it on it would look sketchy if we won. Well, in the middle of the show Cody gets up to podium and asks me to come on stage. He presents me with these beautiful flowers and talks about how much I've done this past year. I wasn't going to cry, until he did. Jerk.



At the end of Tbird Awards we gave it one last go as an EC to get a normal picture of all four of us. In failing, I realized that this is a normal picture for us. Love them.



Just two short activities from being done....

Michael Spencer

Two blog posts in one day....I know, epic for me. But nothing motivates me more than my little brother, meet Michael Spencer Burt:


I was the youngest until he came along, we were instantly besties. I realize this is an awkward photo but what kind of 11 year old boy is photogenic?

Today I found out some boys in his class were writing really mean things about him on facebook. Come on people! We're talking about 6th graders, why do they have facebook in the first place?! It breaks my heart, I've been emotional all day about it because he is truly amazing. I get that he doesn't get along with his peers, but you have to understand the options are few. In El Centro you're either very well off or very poor, and when you're the child of two school teachers and you don't speak spanish, you don't have many kids who want to be your friends in the first place. I get that, I grew up with it, but I didn't have to in the digital age. He has no self esteem and I pray every night that he sees himself as his Father in Heaven does. I wish he knew how awesome he was. So if you're reading this, do something to cheer up that awkward kid that just needs a little self esteem boost, I'm sure their older sister would be eternally grateful.

Feet

I have a lot history with my feet. The go everywhere with me. When I was little they braved that hott El Centro asphalt on my way to Allyson's house because I was too stuborn to put on shoes. They've been all over California, Arizona and Utah. They've been to Boston, Manhattan, St Louis, Chicago, Dallas, Albuquerque, and Ensenada. They've been in the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. They even still treat me right after I rocked to hard to Hannah Montana and broke one, or after I decided to go ghost riding and one got ran over. I love my feet, I'm ocd about my toe nail polish being chipped, they have to look like rockstars. So when I had the chance to go barefoot for a day as part of the Toms Shoes "A Day Without Shoes" campaign I couldn't wait. So today is the day my feet to explore campus barefoot. I think they're pretty happy about it.