2008 in review

It's hard to believe that this year is over. I probably say that at the end of every year, but really time always seems to fly by so quickly that's it's really hard to believe!!

The year 2008 brought many interesting things to pass and I've had fun reviewing my year. Join me as I visit the past 12 months. :-)

January

I celebrated the new year twice, (i think that might become a new tradition with my family in one timezone and me in another...) explored choreographic avenues, got sick, went shopping, said goodbye, found music to calm my soul, mourned the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley, and got sick again. eek! What a month eh? I can't believe that was a year ago...wow.

February 

This month of love had me discovering how much I loved a codeine cocktail for a cough. I also celebrated Lent, my 3 year/300th post blogiversary, and leap year. I also found connections with friends, went to Vegas, beautiful, warm Vegas, thought about emotion causing motion and vice versa and we can't forget how my roommate almost became royalty.

March

This was a pretty good month!  It started out with a little bit of frustration, led to some calming words from a newly sustained Stake President and then continued an upward climb with my birthday! i met a new boy at my awesome birthday party and he quickly became a thing of the past. i took my favorite roommate to the MTC , heard the music for the first time, and had an awesome show with Ballet Showcase and proceeded to chop off inches of my hair after said show. I finished the month off strong with loads of amazingness in every direction. I really enjoyed the month of March.

April 

April dawned with former boy being ridiculous.  I reached some new understandings, enjoyed General Conference, and tried to say good-bye to a loved one.  I finished my semester with a bang that included moving and helping out at convocation for work. My grandmother passed away, I started anew and spring finally hit cougartown.

May 

This 5th month of the year began with snow. It was followed by a fun little road trip to Arizona.  

I was a stupid girl and gave in to giving a stupid boy my heart yet again. Met a new boy dancing, we went on a date, and I discovered the wonders of Dating Without Drama.

June

The halfway marker of the year.  It was also probably a huge turning point in my life. I had doubts, I bought a car, I hit my 400th post and I met/remet SwingKid. I had a new zest for life, gave a talk in church and saw an iPhone. It was quite the eventful month.

July

July dawned hot and full of summer fun. I was in love with my finance class, was hanging out with SwingKid, and was wishing I could perform magic. I performed professionally with a dance company that gave me battle wounds, I kissed a boy (and i liked it) and I found the best thing ever created. OH! and let's not forget the lies of the testing center.

August

Lots of change occured in this eigth month of the year. Let's begin with the fact that my family found out they were going to move. I found out I was going to be an instructor with BYU, I went on a mini-vacation, and SwingKid met my family.  Then I said good-bye to my family. that's pretty much the month of August. 

September

ah...fall. how I love thee. As I look back on Septemeber, I was doing a lot of tags and Friday fill-ins...but! There was also lamenting at my family being gone, eating eggo waffles for the first time, and new roommates. That pretty much sums up September. Moving on...

October

Started off with questions on apathy and was quickly followed by General Conference and amazingness.  I was a little vain and even posted pictures to justify my vainness. Also, I decided to make a bazooka and posted quotes that I liked. 

November 

Started off with NaBloPoMo that I decided to participate in. I then did hard things which led to more hard things. My mom rocked my socks off and I baked pies for a party. :)  Then there was my mom setting me up on a blind date and the Elite Hall Benefit dance, both highlights of the month of November. Then there was confusion, fatherly advice, a mission, and the best moment of November, hands down. All-in-all, I would have to say that November was probably the biggest roller coaster of my life so far.

December

All of this leads us to the twelfth and final month of the year 2o08.  December began with me awarding brownie points and deciding that I hate doorstep scenes. I then began a countdown until I arrived in Virginia, but before I arrived in Virginia, I had an awesome weekend, got surprised, had my car die and finished my last Fall semester of my undergraduate work. Then I arrived in Virginia where I spent some awesome 2 weeks (give or take) doing fabulous things. Even though I missed SwingKid like crazy, he was awesome in all the right ways.

Whew. What a year this was! I'm still having a hard time fathoming the fact that 2008 is ending. I wonder what the year 2009 will bring? I hope loads of festive fun!! Stay tuned for the many posts that I'm sure will come in the coming year. I have good feelings about this new year.... 

Last Day

Today is my last day in Virginia. Crazy how fast time has flown eh? Yesterday we went to Washington D.C. I had never ever been to the nation's capitol, and it was really cool!! I promise a future post with pictures, but I don't have them on my compy yet. :-)

I fly out in less than 24 hours. eeek!!! However, I do look forward to the time when I land in Provo. SwingKid is picking me up and that is happyness. It will have been 13 days since the last time I saw him. That's a long time. However, we have talked practically every day. I think the time away was good for us, but I am so ready to be in his arms again. I hope he feels the same way. :-)

Stay tuned for some awesome posts in the near future! ciao!

Virginia is for lovers

or really, i love Virginia. at least, I love it right now. Today the high has been 72+ degrees. My mom, Sister B and I all went to Staunton to go shopping in the Historic Downtown area. SOOOO much fun! It was really quaint and I really enjoyed walking along all sorts of streets. Plus, the weather was GORGEOUS. it was a little windy at times, but overall the weather was simply fantastic and I loved it.  It was a great day to go shopping in such a place.

this was a really cute little courtyard thing next to the shakespeare theater. my mom and i both thought it would be a great place to take pictures. :-)

we loved this. 

this was a really cool bank. seriously awesome architecture.

a lot of the buildings had this sign . it was awesome!

this is the ORIGINAL train depot. it was really, really cool. 

a little something.

1. Have you had any relationships this year?
two-ish

2. Have you had your birthday yet?
yup! march! i have another one soon-ish!!!

3. Cried yet?
oh yah.

4. Been on a diet?
sort of.

5. Pulled an all nighter?
never in my life

6. Drank Starbucks?
not recently.

7. Went Camping?
not this year. :(

8. Bought something(s)?
oh yeah!!

9. Met someone special?
yes ma'am. i have. love the special someone.

10. Been out of state?
it helps that my family moved out of state. :-) 

12. What are you thinking about?
my boy. i miss him!!
___________________________________________
1.) Hugged someone?
yup! love the hugs!!

2.) Slept in someone else's bed?
he he he. i've been sleeping in my sister's bed for the past week. so the answer is yes.

3.) Got a job?
three of them. :-) i teach dance at a studio, on campus, and i'm a secretary. wahoo!

4.) Loaned out money?
sort of, yes.

5.) Gotten in a car accident?
nope, never.

6.) Gone over your mobile phone bill?
a few times.

7.) Been called a slut?
in a way. yes. but only in the most lovingly way. ;)

8.) Done something you regret?
once or twice, but i try to not regret the decisions i make in lilfe.

LAST :

_________________________________________________________
Last Person you hugged?
um. my mom or dad.

Last Person to call you?
SwingKid!! love him.

When was the last time you felt stupid?
all the time.

Who did you last yell at?
um. who knows.

What did you do today?
went shopping, played a new game with the family, and then went to a YSA activity with my sister....that was festive. (not really.)

TEN FACTS :
___________________________________________________________
01. Name?
Alishka Babushka

02. Natural hair color?
light brown

03. Initials?
AB

04. Hair style?
short. i flip it out occasionally - sort of Alice Cullen-esque from Twilight.

5. Eye color?
hazel

06. Height:
5'5"

07. Pets:
i have a fish! named bob!

08. Mood?
chill

09. Where would you rather be?
with SwingKid. even if it's full where he is is full of snow.

10. What was the last thing you drank?
weird soda stuff.

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE:
01. Have you ever been in love:
yuppers

02. Do you believe in love?
yes i do.

03. Why did your LAST relationship fail?
well...the timing was off. and then it got back on track. interesting things.

04. Have you ever been heartbroken:
yes

05. Have you ever broken someone’s heart?
i tihnk so.

06. Have you ever fallen for your best friend?
hmm... nope. She's a girl, and I'm just not into that...

07. Have you ever liked someone but never told them?
who hasn't?

08. Are you afraid of commitment?
not at all.

10. Have you had more than 5 different serious relationships in your life?
not serious ones.

3 EMOTIONS
___________________________________________________________
01. Are you missing someone right now?
yeah, i am. 

02. Are you happy?
yes yes yes!!

03. Are you eating anything?
not right now.

Friday in Virginia

Happy Boxing Day all y'all! Here's the friday fill-in from Virginia. It's the last Friday fill-in you'll get from Virginia for a long while yet. :P

1. I must (well, want) to travel the world before I die.

2. You can't stop the music, or the dancing. Not in my living room you can't!.

3. I wish I never had to buy toilet paper again. seriously. toilet paper is just one of those things that i wish you didn't have to keep buying every __ weeks. blah.

4. There are so many things that have helped me change my life. It's hard to choose just one.

5. I know the song twinkle, twinkle little star by heart. ha ha ha. that's the first song that came to my head. funny no? I'm sure I know other songs...but that was first so I put it up. he he he.

6. If I weren't so afraid, I would go skydiving in an instant.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the YSA party here in Virginia. Even though I don't know anyone...new friends!!, tomorrow my plans include making a purse (i think) and Sunday, I want to enjoy my last Sunday in Virginia!

The countdown is on folks. I leave Virginia in 5 days. Which means I only have the rest of today, tomorrow, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to spend with my family before I get on a plane. However, this means I only have that many days until I see SwingKid again. He won more brownie points last night. I texted him goodnight (we talked earlier in the day) and what does he do in response? Calls me. We only talked for a few minutes, mostly because he was at work and I was sleepy, but the fact still stands that he CALLED ME BACK. He's so sweet. I can't wait to run into his arms in the airport. Airport scenes are always the best in romantic movies.  Sort of like this one! sigh. I can't wait.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

It is currently a sunny 52 degrees here in Harrisonburg, VA and life is happy. We had a very good Christmas this year. I got a new mp3 player that will actually allow me to make play lists and such so I can use it to teach with and whatnot. I'm rather excited about it. :-D I also got a giftcard to Old Navy and one to Wal-Mart as well. This is so I can buy the rest of the things off my list. See, my mom is smart and knew that I wouldn't be able to bring lots of stuff home with me.  So I got lots of gift cards and that, my friends, is really happy.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas and are remembering the birth of our Savior this beautiful Christmas day. :) LOVES!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at my house is full of awesome traditions. We always have our big dinner on Christmas Eve. This is for two reasons, 1) we all just want to munch and mingle all day on Christmas day, and 2) my mom only really cooks one thing Christmas day: Breakfast. Much easier that way. :-)

We also play lots of games, watch football, open a present and read a story (it varies from year to year. Most years it's the Luke 2 story, sometimes it's a new book we got for Christmas. It's always a Christmas-y story.) And don't forget the traditional sibling sleep over! I just realized just now that this very well could be the last time that happens. Cause if I happen to get married in the next year...I don't know if 1) we'd be here for Christmas and 2) if we are, would we really want to sleep in the same room as my siblings? lol...guess we'll see what this next year brings.

Oh! Speaking of Christmas stories, I was talking to SwingKid the other night about our Christmas tree. We have an artificial tree, and had to leave off the bottom layer because otherwise the tree wouldn't have fit in our living room. (we've had this problem before, but with a real tree) Well, telling him about our bottom-less tree (well not really...) made me think of a story I remember reading when I was little. Mr. Willoby's Christmas Tree. It's a really cute story about a man who buys a tree, but it's too tall, so he cuts off the top and the top of the tree keeps getting cut off and passed off from person to animal to animal until a little mouse who lives in Mr. Willowby's house get's the tippy-top which fits perfectly in his little house. It's so cute! I definitely want to have it for my own children!

Christmas Day is usually fairly boring after all the opening of presents happens. Which always seems to happen so early in the morning. No matter how much I try to convince my siblings it should be later...blah.  anywho....i plan on sleeping a lot tomorrow afternoon since on Friday we're going to DC! We will be leaving early in the morning for a full day of sightseeing and what not...but it should be loads of fun. I'll post pictures later. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!!

Wanting to win

I really want to win this gift card. So i'm telling you about it. Merry Christmas.

one-way or crazy-way?

tonight my family and I went looking for some lights in Staunton, VA. (pronounced stanton) During our little trip we came across/drove through SO many one way streets. Got me thinking. Who created one way streets? Why in the world would one create such a thing?  So of course I Wikipedied (is that a word?) it. Guess what I learned? The first one-way street was created in Lima, Peru. They supposedly create a smoother flow of traffic...ha ha ha. right. More confusing is more than like it.  

Anywho...it was the inspiration for a dance. Someday it will go on stage. Go me. Now...I'm off to watch Neverwas with my family. loves!

A meme from Chilly

Thanks Chilly! you are awesome sauce!!

1. What is a nickname a former (or present) lover gave you?
he he he. SwingKid's favorite for me is "temptress" although he does call me "leesh" all the time. I love that. Also..babe is a frequenter that I happen to enjoy. 

2. How do you style your hair? If you just would say “cut” what style is it?
i style it flipped out. or straight down. it's a short cut...sort of Alice Cullen-esque. from the movie. ;)

3. What’s your least favorite Christmas song?
I'm not a fan of the "Holly and the Ivy" song. It's lame. 

4. How many colors are you wearing now?
Four! Pink, cream, green, and blue. 

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
I am so definitely an extrovert. definitely.

6. What was the last book you read?
That I finished? Um...a textbook, but that sounds horribly boring and LAME. However, I'm currently working on one on-fiction book and one fiction book. I plan on trying to finish them before school starts in January.

7. What’s one piece of fiction that changed your life?
hmmm. I have read so much fiction, I'm having a hard time coming up with a book to put here. I really don't know if there's a fiction book that changed my life. Guess we'll be leaving this one up in the air. 

8. If you are attracted to someone who is already in a relationship (or married), what might do you do?
moan and groan. dream. move on (Eventually).

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently?
not seeing SwingKid. 

10. What’s your favorite dessert?
ummmm....cheesecake. easily. YUM.

11. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
well, when necessary i can get ready in 5-10 minutes easy. however, i normally leave 45 min - 1 1/2 hours. ;-) Depends on how "ready" I'm getting.

12. Name one website that you visit daily. Why do you read it?
hmmm. one? i guess the most necessary one would be my gmail, but very closely would come my google reader. not reading either of these daily = a build up. build ups are hard to push through on occasion. so...i visit both daily. mulitple times daily actually.

13. What was your last job before either you are at home or at another job??
this one. ugh. but...one of the good things about that job is it's how i met SwingKid. Sort of. ;)

14. Do you like to clean?
When i'm in the mood. Then I just go at it and everything is suddenly clean. poof!

15. What was the last song to get stuck in your head?
the "I'm leavin' on a jet plane" song. 

16. What’s the last movie you saw?
um. I watched Pirates 3 with my family the other night. The last one I saw in the theater was Ghost Town with SwingKid. :-)

17. Pirates or Ninjas?
I'm thinking Pirates.

18. What is your least favorite thing to do that you have to do everyday?
Say goodnight/good-bye to SwingKid. It sucks kids, sucks I tell you.

19. Best time of your life?
I think right now has been the best so far. 

20. What are you most looking forward to in the coming year? 

GRADUATING!!! Also, helping to run a company, taking little to no credits, possibly seeing Virginia in late spring/early summer and having wonderful adventures with SwingKid.

Sunday

You know what's weird? Going to a ward that should be now dubbed your "home ward" that you've never actually been to. That was me today. Since my family moved clear across the country my home ward is my family's ward....but today was the first time I've ever attended. I have never seen any of these people before in my entire lifetime. It was kind of crazy. However, one of the things I love about the Gospel is that it's the same no matter where you go. I still had lessons on the teaching of Jesus Christ and his restored gospel. It was a wonderful thing. Just weird to be going to church with my family and people i've never seen before. 

hmmm..

So... Nothing really exciting has happened in Virginia. Granted, I think I like it that way. I've slept in past 10 for the past two days and enjoyed spending time with the family. Tonight we'll be watching the Las Vegas bowl (or perhaps it should be called the Cougar bowl? It's our 4th time going!). I'm sort of excited for church tomorrow. I guess my mom has told everyone about me so they all are super excited to meet me. lol. Hopefully I meet their expectations. I better look cute tomorrow, or something like it.  

Anywho, I'm getting excited for Christmas. We're going to be making treats this afternoon and that's always fun! Other than that, life here in Virginia is quiet, but it's a vacation for me. I don't have to do anything!! Enjoy your Saturday!

Friday Festivities

A twist on Friday Fill-ins!

Fill in the lyrics...with the correct ones or ones of your own :-) Have fun with this, don't worry if you don't know 'em...just make up something silly or do a silly one and a serious one! The most important part is to have fun with it.

Here we go!

1. Said the night wind to the little lamb, do you hear what i hear?
2. The first Noel, the angel did say, go to bethlehem!
3. In Virginia, there's no snow just grass, Over the hills and everywhere.
4. It came upon the midnight clear, that something something tale of old (obviously I can't remember it...).
5. All of you who are stressed, Let your heart be light.
6. And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing or not. since you can't sing.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to who knows what with my family, tomorrow my plans include the Vegas bowl? if I get it in Virgina and Sunday, I want to my family's friends at church!

and....

I’m leaving….on a jet plane! Actually, I already left. See, I would have posted earlier, but with the my last minute packing, the yucky weather, and the fact that I didn’t have any wireless in the airport (at least, not without forking out $8) we’re posting this post flight. J Getting through security at SL Int’l was a piece of cake. I got to the airport at 7:25 and getting through security took me 30 minutes. So I sat at my gate for an hour and a half people watching, taking pictures and talking to my parents and SwingKid.

 

Speaking of SwingKid…get got me a great Christmas present. I was really happy about it. He got me these sweet slippers that have little heat packs in them that I put in the microwave so that my toes can be all toasty warm during the cold months. I put them in my bags for Virginia and I’m sure they’ll keep my feet extra toasty warm in the really cold, old house. J In any case, my feet will never be cold again and I have a sweet boyfriend to thank for that. He loved his present y the way. I got him an awesome Threadless T –shirt and the Dr. Horrible’s Sing A-long Blog Soundtrack. He’s going to love me forever. He he he.  We watched two awesome movies yesterday. One at the dollar theater : Ghost Town. Really super funny and had me wishing I had an awesome English accent. However, SwingKid did favor me in his rendition of  his English accent. It was really cute.  Later that evening we watched Hero, an awesome martial arts kind of film. Slow moving…we fast forwarded a majority of the movie. Then later that night I said good-bye for the next 13 days. L This was sad, but it will be good for us to be apart for a little bit, and let’s behonest; I’m going to have so much fun with my family! Also…he’s picking me up from the airport when I come back and that’s going to be the most awesome thing ever! J

The flight was fairly uneventful...the only thing i ever really noticed was ascent and descent and that felt like an amusment park ride. Which was fun and festive.  I cried when I saw my mom and dad and we went to Subway after finally finding my duffel bag. I am now sitting in my house in Virginia. it's cute and quaint. I'll post pictures later...for the meantime, enjoy your fun times! Loves!

fini!

HURRAH for ALISHKA! The semester is over! well...minus my interview at 2:40...but other than that I'm done. And really, I consider myself done. :-) My flight for Virginia leaves in LESS THAN 24 HOURS! GAH! I still need to pack...eek!

an update on senor guapo....he's going to need some belts replaced and a new water pump...which Buddy has to move the timing belt to get to all of that...which equals a lot of labor. We're talking $580 to fix my little car. sigh. I hate fixing cars. Oh well...it must be done!

SwingKid has been marvelous though. He took me to Springville last night to teach and was such a sweetheart. We watched a wonderful movie last night: 84 Charring Cross Road. Such a wonderful movie. I loved it. :-) He and I are exchanging gifts tonight, and I'm really excited to see his face with his presents. :o) sigh. he's awesome.

Now to finish up my last 3 hours of work before my Christmas break begins!

senor guapo

he's sick. oh so sick. he's currently on the side of the road. :( we're praying my wonderful mechanic Buddy can fix him. Poor, poor senor guapo.

reason # 452

SwingKid told me he'd be on campus Monday afternoon.

He told me he would visit me at work.

But when he showed up at my desk at 3:15 that afternoon I was totally surprised.

And that is reason #452 why I love him.

Weekend in review....

Hey y'all! This is your favorite Alishka here. I'm sitting at work where things are super duper quiet due to finals. Speaking of finals, I took one today. It wasn't too hard and it means that I am done with another class. Therefore, I am done with 2 of my 5 classes. I'll finish another one tomorrow and the final 2 on Wednesday before 3pm. Wahoo!

So...my weekend in review. Nemesis did an absolutely fantastic review of the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert. Let me just add one little thing. Besides the fact that Brian Stokes Mitchell was there, Edward Herrmann was there...aka Mr. Richard Gilmore. I LOVE Gilmore Girls, and seeing him IN PERSON was on of the most wonderful things I have ever experienced. All in all, the evening was wonderful, even if I did run downhill from the Capitol building in 3 inch heels. It certainly helped that SwingKid looks freaking amazing in a suit and tie.

Next up for review is Saturday's Iron Man event with SwingKid and friends. A bunch of us went up to his parent's house to see the wonderful Iron Man on a HUGE HD tv in blue ray format. Seriously, it was absolutely incredible. Truly magical. Better than the theater.

Sunday came and went. I really wonder what happened to my Sunday. I was so busy! My favorite part though was our roommate Christmas party that was had. It was so much fun and I got some really fun presents, my favorite is definitely the skittles flavored lip smackers. yummy!

This weekend was truly amazing. Stay tuned for next weekend....a weekend in Virginia!! (only 3 days to go folks!)

a fun christmas meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? gift bags are cute...but i love wrapping paper! So much fun to wrap gifts up under the tree.
2. Real tree or Artificial? well...i do love a real tree, but i'm okay with artificial. As long as I have a scented pine candle. :)
3. When do you put up the tree? Sometime between the weekend after Thanksgiving and the the first weekend in December. It really depends.
4. When do you take the tree down? um. after Christmas. At some point.
5. Do you like eggnog? I really do love eggnog. but only in small amounts.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? um...i think my favorite gift from childhood is the porcelain doll my grandma gave me.
7. Hardest person to buy for? um. my parents. usually.
8. Easiest person to buy for? my littlest sister.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? it's small, but adorable.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail. definitely mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? my brother once gave me this really funny looking reindeer. i had no idea what to do with it.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? my new favorite is Christmas in Connecticut. It's a girl's night in tradition.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? whenever i find something that works for a gift. Once I bought my parent's gift in August.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? um...not that i can recall. but who knows, maybe i have.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I love my mom's frozen pumpkin ice cream pie. yummy yummy yummy.
16. Lights on the tree? yes. especially white lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells and Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? this year i'm traveling!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? i think so.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? angel.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? we open one on Christmas eve. the rest on Christmas day.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? when Christmas music is played non-stop too soon.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? non in particular.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? HAM!
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? my family! also...I want an iPod so I can use it for teaching. :)

an early Christmas?

so...there are giveaways galore out in the blogging world!

let's start with TAMNers....she's an amazing writer with fun(ny) ideas and she has GOOD stuff...so be sure to stop in at her blog and enter.

next we have...Design Mom! She's doing 12 giveaways for the 12 days of Christmas. Awesome stuff guys. really awesome.


Next on the list is Kami over at It's No Biggie. She has a really fun giveaway asking for your favorite Christmas story/song. So fun!

Last, but not least, Gretchen is hosting a giveaway of beautiful vintage cards. They are absolutely gorgeous and I would love to have those to use!!


So go my friends. Wander out into the blogging world and enter into some giveaways. They are all fantastic. I hope I win!!

Reading Day Friday!

1. Friends help the world keep going.

2. Good health; it's still here. Thank goodness.

3. I'm ready for December 18th!!!

4. Black Amethyst and Orange Ginger are two of my favorite perfumes or smells.

5. The oldest ornament I have is from the year I was born.

6. Take some faith, hope and charity, mix it all together and you have my senior project.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert with SwingKid, tomorrow my plans include Ironman with SwingKid and friends and Sunday, I want to celebrate Christmas with my roommates!!

ONE WEEK

in one week i will be officially done with Fall 2008. The Last Fall Semester of my Undergraduate work.

in one week i will be 2000 miles away in Virginia

in one week i'll be with my family for the first time since August 25th.

in one week i'll have to deal with being away from SwingKid for 13 days

in one week i'll never have to take a modern class again

in one week i'll be done with choreography classes - minus my senior project class

in one week i can have a REAL vacation that's longer than 3 days for the first time in my life since I graduate from high school

in one week i can breathe. 

counting down....

I love countdowns. LOVE THEM!!!!

I have one for when I go to VA to see my wonderful family. We're at 8 days friends. 8 days. I cannot believe that in just about a week, I get to see my family. I am super duper excited.

In 7 days (one week) I will be completely done with my last Fall semester at BYU.

Also! My senior project proposal...the new one...was ACCEPTED! YAY! I really WILL graduate in April!!!

15 days until Christmas...

In 21 days I will be back in Cougartown. Now, this is exciting and sad....sad because then I won't see my family for a long time again, but exciting because SwingKid will be picking me up from the aiport ON New Year's Eve....thus guaranteeing me being able to spend New Year's with my boyfriend for the first time in my life. I rock.

I think that is all of my countdowns for the time being...enjoy your Wednesday!

doorstep scene

"You know I can kiss you tommorrow right?"

"right..."

I hate saying goodnight. Doorsteps suck. I cannot wait until the day when I no longer have to say goodnight on my doorstep.

orange rolls...yum...

I made my mom's really easy orange roll recipe today for a little party we had here at my apartment. We ate orange rolls and watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional followed by A Christmas Story. A few of my good friends came, including SwingKid. sigh. It was a good Sunday. Hope yours was just as fulfilling. 

My Inner European

Your Inner European is Russian!

Mysterious and exotic. You've got a great balance of danger and allure.

Who's Your Inner European?

so happy

i am so happy it is friday. so, so, so, happy.

1. Snow is currently non-existent in Cougar Town. I'm okay with that..

2. I'm looking forward to seeing my family in Virginia. 13 days y'all!!

3. SwingKid is the best boyfriend ever!

4. One of my favorite old tv shows is Darkwing Duck and Duck Tales (woo ooo!).

5. I'm done with my Somatics class. Go me!!

6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is the smell, the spirit, and the sharing of love.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____and Sunday, I want to _____!

exhausted

staying up until 12 with your boyfriend and then having to drive 20 min. to get home is not always smart when you know you'll be up for at least another 30 min. after that w/your roommates and then you have to be up to teach beginning ballet at 7am. not smart at all.

but it was totally worth every minute.

:-D

Christmas Decor

I love decorating for Christmas. I did it Sunday for my apartment and today for my blog. I hope you enjoy the new look for the holiday season!!! Loves!

Brownie points for SwingKid

So, even though I am SUPER excited about SwingKid and I getting back together, I still have my reservations. (which I think are totally justified btw) We talked on the phone for about 3o minutes on Sunday night and at the end of the conversation SwingKid told me he'd call me "tomorrow" (aka last night). Well...he knew my entire schedule. He knew when I'd be done teaching, that i'd still be in the studio, etc....and I went all day without hearing one little peep come out of my phone from him.  I stayed strong and did everything I could to not text/call him first.

Well, my class got over at 6:15 and I went to work on my homework that I had waiting me, mainly choreographing 2 pieces to teach today. At 6:45 I sort of wondered why I hadn't heard from him yet, and almost called him. Instead, I sat down and wrote a few things down for my classes and the next thing i know my phone is going off. It's SwingKid. This is what went down:

SwingKid: You finished?

Alishka Babushka: :) i am done teaching. Now i'm just getting some stuff done in the stuido before FHE. Do you have plans for FHE?

SwingKid: I do. I'm hoping in vain that i can work tonigght. I'll call later.

Alishka Babushka: :) awesome. I hope you can get a shift in too. I am giving the lesson and I just realized I left it at work. Guess i'll be swinging by there before going home. :P

SwingKid:Dang. well, have fun.

Alishka Babushka: I will :-) you too!

(i think i like smiley faces. :) )

So....waiting for him to text/call first was totally worth it! PLUS he did call tonight and we talked for about half an hour or so. I plan on calling him tomorrow when i'm done teaching. I want to practice giving my presentation to him before I actually present tomorrow morning. This presentation is my final in this class...so it's a bigger deal than my presenation yesterday. Go me! :P

Almost successful...

Okay. So. I had a mission this Thanksgiving. The mission wasn't quite the success I was hoping for, but part of that was because of my adventures...however, the mission was mostly successful. So...here's my list. I've italicized what I have done, bolded what I'm doing today/tomorrow, and everything else will just have to wait. They weren't the most important things anyways. :)

• write one 6-8 page research paper
• create an 8-minute presentation on said research paper
• choreograph 1/2 of my modern composition piece
• create a 12-minute presentation for my Somatics class
• choreograph 2 minutes of choreography for my ballet composition piece
• Finish Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
• Visit/hang out with SwingKid and see Quantum of Solace
• create a study sheet for my D190 class' final exam
• decorate my apartment for Christmas
• Dye my hair (it was a great success!!!)
  
• go to my old parent's house in payson, do my laundry
• update my Modern journal
• Hang out with Doctor Teeth
• create lesson plans for my ballet classes
• go to d.i. (probably won't happen until finals week...)
  
• go rock climbing
• Finish my Christmas shopping (later this week!)
  
• don't die....

I am really happy with what I accomplished, and now I'm off to complete some of my bolded items. he he he. loves!!