For Lindsay

Gayla's Brownies-a.k.a. probably the best brownies in the world! Sorry Kneaders...

1 1/2 C. flour
10 TBS cocoa
1 C. corn oil
2 C. sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Mix all together. Grease 9x13 and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. I always check them every couple of minutes so I'm not sure exactly sure how long, just watch them.

A-MAZ-ING Frosting

1/2 C cocoa
2 3/4 C. powdered sugar
-mix together in separate bowl.
1/3 C milk
6 TBS of butter (or nasty margarine) SOFTENED
Cream butter. Add milk and dry mixture alternately with milk.
Beat to spreading consistency.
Blend in 1 tsp Vanilla

Makes 2 cups of frosting.

ENJOY!

my arch nemesis

ello!

It has been a fabulous week so far and I can't wait for it to continue on! Sunday was a brilliant day filled with naps, family, homework and some cricut-ing. Monday was the beginning of another busy school week with lots of class and homework. After work I ran/walked 2.34 miles. I went over thirty minutes because my running playlist is so good that I didn't want to stop. Tuesday started off with a good two hours of sweating my brains out! I stunk so so bad after Tae Bo and Kick boxing, but it was so worth it! All day today I have been feeling the pain from working so hard. I love it when my leg, arm and ab muscles hurt because I know I worked out good.
I went to bed with a headache and woke up with a migraine, not the best way to start the day. With a little medicine, my headache has been masked a little. I have been doing homework for two hours now and have one more hour left until my next class. I need to work on my speech for class tomorrow. 3-5 minutes of me talking about myself. No bueno? Is that right? I don't speak much Spanish other than EL TACO and EL CASIDILLA. Natalie taught me those. I consider myself fluent if I just add EL before every word. Back to EL homework-o.

view from my desk

really good idea

I think the library should be equipped with a twirly slide so I can just slide down 5 floors instead of walking down the boring staircase.
And on the days I'm feeling more adventurous I could slide down the long fireman pole. That would make my day.
Maybe we could have mini rock walls instead of so many stairs.
College wouldn't be so horrible if there were more exciting things to mix up my mundane routine.

picture of the day

look what I can do

(title is to be pronounced with the whinny voice of Stuart from MADTV)

I got a Cricut machine for Christmas.
I wasn't sure what I was going to make with it at first, but the wheels in my head have been turning and I have come up with a few pretty cute ideas. I have gone a little over-board with quotes, but I like them.
Crappy picture warning...

This one is my favorite...

it is part of this wall
I like to add a little more to it every once in while.

I randomly came up with this for my door...

This is on Natalie's wall

I have made some other vinyl cut-outs and a sign for the Finster. I could just make stuff all day but there are more important things to do like school and work. More crafty Crystal projects to come.

6 left feet

sometimes Natalie and Dash dance.

wonderful weekend

This past weekend was fabulous and extra long. I got a lot accomplished and spent many hours with loved ones and family! Couldn't ask for anything better!

Here is my weekend in pictures...

Saturday was my hot date to the car show with Reese. We tripled with Brady & Marcee and Jeff & Rachel.
We saw this...
And this...
And this...(someday I won't have to leave my Audi A5...someday)


And this...(Reese's favorite)


Marcee liked this one...
We look super good next to hot cars...
We had so much fun going on a group date with my brothers, we will definitely be doing it again!

Sunday
I couldn't get enough of this...
I love me some Finley Mae...

Monday

Mr. Charles decided to get into some rodent killer Sunday night so our Monday started off with a trip to the vet...
He is pretty cute.
Next item on the agenda was painting my parents room. We make a good team and got the jobe done fast. We're awesome. I thought the doors looked cool with the tape...

So that was my splendid weekend. My pictures aren't the most amazing but I love them anyways. I just finished some yoga, it helped with my sore abs from intense tae bo and kick boxing yesterday. I felt pretty good today. My jeans were even a little baggy :).

all in a days work

defying gravity

New favorite song- Defying Gravity, originally from Wicked, but also from Glee. Lea Michelle has an amazing voice! This song is definitely going on my "Running" play-list. Speaking of running, I finally hit the 2 mile mark. Monday I ran 2.09 miles in 30 minutes. See...
I'm quite proud. Tuesday was aerobics, where we do Tea Bo. I loved it! It's so different to actually be in a workout class versus just buying a dvd and working out at home. It's a lot harder to just sit down and watch when you are in the front row by the instructor in a room with mirrors for walls. I like being able to just focus on myself and accept my flaws and be proud of the things I can do. I feel better about myself everyday. Realizing that everyone else in my class is only their for themselves helped me to make the conscious decision to not worry what any one else thinks of me. I'm getting healthier for myself and that what matters. Kick boxing is so so so fun! Tuesday we worked on technique and introduced new kicks and punches. It is awesome.

I didn't work out yesterday. Let me rephrase that: I didn't put on workout clothes and run or do yoga, but I'm SO counting the hike to the top of campus with 6 flights of stairs as a workout. Today Tea Bo was intense. Sweat was POURING off my face. YUM! Kick boxing was excellent as well. We got out the punching bags and Reilly and I BUSTED A MOVE!

This week I want to make some more fun stuff on my Cricut. Maybe another wall quote or name plaque. Saturday is the Car Show and I'm so excited for that! I have the cutest date ;)see...

regina radio

Dear Pandora,

Please play more Regina Spektor on my "Regina Radio." I need her to get through this huge file.

Thank you.

sometimes...

Sometimes I take the file at the bottom of my stack of files, scan it, then put it back. Then when I get to the bottom I am surprised that it's already scanned. Then I think, "Wow I am so nice to me!"

learning

Today I learned that I do not have my 8 AM health class on Fridays which means my first class is not 'till 10. I wish I had learned this before getting out of bed at 7. On the bright side, I got a good parking spot and I won't be late for math!

I had my first class of Public Speaking yesterday and it wasn't too bad. The teacher seems cool and I'm going to try and keep myself from freaking out at the thoughts of giving several speeches to an audience. So you know when people talk a lot and get those yucky spit accumulations on the sides of their mouth? And all you want to do is tell them to go like this (fingers wiping corners of mouth)? Well, my speech teacher had one right, smack dab in the middle of his bottom lip. I couldn't stop staring. I hardly remember a thing he said for like twenty minutes. He would occasionally pick up his Pepsi bottle and I got hopefully that after having a drink that annoying little spit spot would magically disappear. He never had a drink! He would pick up the bottle, hold it for a second or two, then put it back on the desk. It was driving me nuts! That, combined with the squeaky whistling of the air vent, was too much for me. I was probably the second one out of that classroom.

Maybe if these type of distractions continue I won't ever have to sit and worry about the speech I have to give. Maybe.

I ran 2 mile yesterday. Well, 1.93 miles or so. I had about 3 minutes left of my 30 minute run, when my clumsy arm bumped the emergency cord. That cord that you are supposed to attach to yourself in the event that you fall off the treadmill and the machine will immediately stop. I hate that stupid thing! I never use it, instead I have it sitting in the cup holder. Anyway, I bumped the cord and it came unhooked, erasing my entire work out and infuriating the runner. I showered and felt much better!

Today I am feeling my aerobics class and my run. It feels good!

day two

Yesterday was a complete success! I liked every class and even got a nice break in the library to relax, snack and study for the Praxis. My favorite class was definitely Exceptional Students. I will learn how to work with students in my classroom who need a little more attention than others, whether they are a little slower than others or a little above average. The teacher for this class seems really fun and I am really excited to get started!

My short ride home was accompanied by my new favorite Train song- Hey, Soul Sister, on replay. I really like that song. Alot. I ate some dinner, watch some tv with Ethan, then did some yoga and read my scriptures. I am reading the Pearl of Great Price, probably my favorite. I read Joseph Smith History, it was glorious.

Today I have already attended my new 7 AM Aerobics class, during which we did indeed work-out. I guess everyone else was thinking like me and didn't think we would exercise, and therefore was not dressed appropriately. I figured we would go over a syllabus and kind of introduce the class, but I was wrong. Dead wrong. We got right into kicking and punching and abs and all the other super fun stuff. In jeans. So much for showering and doing make up this morning.

And the best part of my new class: the class before is a yoga class. Not any yoga class, but a HEATED yoga class, where they room is about 90 degrees. So yeah, that was super fun working in jeans and a sweater inside a 90 degree room. Next week I will be prepared.

Speaking of prepared: I'm going to be prepared to kick some serious butt by the end of this semester! Me and Reilly, my bestest friend, are taking kickboxing together. LEGIT kickboxing! I have to go buy gloves, shin guards, and a mouth guard next weekend. I'm freaking excited! watch out for me!

well hello there

I have contemplated this whole blog idea alot lately and finally decided to just go for it. So here I am awaiting my next class and posting my first official post. It's going to be epic, I can tell...

2010 is going to be a good year filled with so much new. New semester, new goals, new workout plan, new and improved perspective on life. This semester I have a full load of classes, 17 credits to be exact. I'm taking health, math 2010, meteorology, aerobics, public speaking, two elementary ed classes and hopefully kick boxing, and of coarse institute. I'm going to be busy.

Lucky for me, I have a great job that works splendid with my school schedule. Although the idea of sitting for 5 hours and scanning file and after file doesn't seem too glorious, I love it. I get to work with some fun people, including my wonderful mom, and I couldn't ask for anywhere better to work. (More posts from The Life of a Scanner to come...)

So there we have it, my first epic blog post. It's not much, but it's a start. I'm still a little nervous to click the PUBLISH POST button because I have a lot of mixed feelings about this blogging thing. In the past I have always started a new exercise plan or set new goals, but like many I don't usually follow through. I hope that with this, I will feel accountable to myself and stick with what I have started. So far I have ran, done yoga, and read my scriptures everyday this week. And I am proud of that, even if it is only Wed. I have the mindset that this blog is for me, myself and I. I'm not writing to amuse others, even though I can be dang funny, but rather to be committed to myself.

Well that was fun! Math time, woot woot.