Things are really starting to look up!

I joined 4, yes a total of 4 clubs today: BYUHSA, Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan. By joining both the Samoan and Tongan club I apparently committed high treason, but that's okay. As Brittany put it, "Samoans are nicer, but Tongans are hotter," so I decided to get the best of both worlds. This semester is going to be pretty intense. I have 20 units (which will hopefully soon be down to 14), 4 clubs, choir, a TON of performances, 16 hours of voice and piano practice a week, and much more. I can totally handle this!

Recent news!

I made it into the choir which means I get to go to China and Taiwan in the spring. Downside: I won't be able to come home during the summer. I'll have to wait until next Christmas. It's all good though! :-)

BYUH Idol. So I tried out on a whim just for fun and to support my roommate. Totally botched the words and didn't make it, but that's okay, China's better.

Hot men. According to Brittany, a super cute Samoan guy checked me out the other day thrice! t doesn't happen often, so it totally made my night. And what does she decide to do?! Sit by him. I protested, but it was awesome. Thank you Brittany!

Super Awkward Dane. That would be the Welcome Social. Looked fun, but felt awkward. It was outside with all sorts of fun things to do, but for some reason it still felt awkward. I think its because we didn't know anyone....

E Komo Mai and PCC. For orientation we got to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), the night show and was invited to President Wheelwright's E Komo Mai Lu'au. It was really fun! I met a lot of nice people and got to see the Fiji Club do an intense performance which I will try to post on here.

Overall: Good people, good roomies, good classes, beautiful location.

I'll keep you updated. :-)

Send Me Stuff! Any Kind of Stuff!

So lots has been going on, which I will tell you about later. :-)

The topic of today however, is I have an address!

BYUH #1192
55-220 Kulanui St.
Laie, HI 96762

Topics of later conversations include:
BYUH Idol
Super Awkward Dance
New Friends/Hot Men ;-)
Choir
And Much More!

New Student Blues...

So Hawaii is awesome, but its also been a big eye opener. I don't know if I made the right decision. Especially the "music major" part. I love music, but I don't know if that's what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm kind of torn and it seems like everytime things start to look up, there's a roadblock. It's just starting to get really frustrating. I'm also feeling a little mixed......I mean take a part homesick, a cup of frustration, a touch of culture shock, a pinch of TOO much Mormonism, a cup of an identity crisis, a bag of confusion, a teaspoon of insecruity, 4 cups of unprepardness, and a HUGE helping of regret and you get the lovely Caley soup. I'm sure it will get better or at least I hope so........

On a happier note, my room and roommate is awesome, the PCC is awesome, the people are awesome, but the classes and auditions suck butt.

I did however get a super cute call from my family including my mom, sisters, and little cousins and it made my day. That and the oh-so-inspiring words of wisdom from my cousin Michael made me feel a bit better.

When I get a few more and better pictures I'll post them. :-)

I don't want to give up.


But I may reconsider when I come home.

I'm here!!

Well my family and I finally made it to Oahu. It's so beautiful! I really can't believe that I get to live here. Well, the flight went well, the hotel stays have been good, and so on. We got an awesome rental car: VW version of a minivan, and we're staying in the beautiful Turtle Bay Resort. We even took a mini-trip to see where the BYUH campus is located. Oh, and we found the BEST place for shrimp and fish, but.......I can't remember the name of it...... We also went down to the pool, to the beach, and watched some hotties perform native polynesian dancing down by the resort pool. So far so good.

Tomorrow brings shopping for the dorm, TB tests, and meeting with Katie Beesley to get a tour of the campus. This is just the beginning of my adventures!

Luaus, Yardsales, and Cleaning, Oh My!

I'm waiting for the pictures, but last Friday, my family and I (with the help of my slave-for-a-day Rachael) threw a pretty awesome Luau-themed going away party for myself. We had food (lots of food!), swimming, mingling, games, and a hilarious men's hula competition with the fiercest competitors: Wyatt Griffith, Dallin Swainston, and Brandon Meng. Brandon stole the show with his vibrant shaking and chair routine and won the competetion. It was pretty intense AND we had a lot of fun.

Today we had a yardsale for 3 reasons: Hawaii money, to make more space, and to get rid of crap. Went pretty well though! I made about $200 and my mom ended up selling her car and made $1500. So overall a yardsale that makes $1700 isn't too shabby.

As for cleaning.................I need to clean. And pack. And get ready to leave. Other than that, everything is set and ready to go.

Oh my.......

Fun week!

So this week was quite interesting....

For starter's, I went to Pismo Beach for the first time in ages. My cousins and my sister went on a little vacation on the dunes, so I leached on. Just so happens my mom needed my car to go to Paso Robles for work, so we saved gas and went together. It was a blast. It was Rigby's first beach trip! (My super awesome dog.) So my mom, Rigby, Meredith, Rachael, and myself went on a mini road trip. Random tidbit: I don't think Rigby's going to want to go back to the beach. She liked it, but wouldn't eat, wouldn't poop, and for sure didn't like how a beagle tried to rape her. Just sayin'. When we got to the campsite, thanks to my cousin Michael and his Samurai, we played in the sand, made failed sandcastles, buried Rachael (and gave her tig ol' bitties), and buried Riggs! I'll put up pictures when I get them. On our way home, we went to the Splash Cafe (yummmm!) and got clam chowder. There was NO line. Score! Anyway, awesome trip.

I also found a new guilty pleasure. His name is Shane Dawson and he is hilarious.

Occasionally........actually frequently inappropriate, but if you're into inappropriate humor, you'll like it, if you're not, you won't. Period. If there were edited versions, I'd watch him 24/7 and shout his name from the mountain tops, but they're not......bummer. He's still pretty cute though. Bonus!

Lastly, I had to teach the lesson in Sunday school last Sunday. It wasn't bad and sucked butt all in one. Funny thing is, sense I'm leaving, I think they're trying to get the last few miles out of me. So that Sunday I also got slapped with a prayer, threatened to sing in Sacrament Meeting, AND I have to give a talk on Sunday. Go figure. It's alright though. I don't really mind. As you can tell, I like to talk. :-)

Lil' Tidbits.....

1) I took a nap. No big deal, accept when I woke up there was a 2-inch long cockroach on the ceiling. That thing could have laid eggs in my brain! Anyway, when my mom got back I showed it to her and she and her brilliant imagination came up with this contraption:

The only problem is she trapped him, but didn't CATCH him. When she moved the cup the roach fell and we couldn't find it................until the next day. The end.

2) My car hit 33333 miles on Wednesday. Thank you Brady for pointing that out. Important? No. Do I like it? Yes. =)

3) My friend Scott has past the half-way point on his mission. Go Scottie! (He's the brown one.....)

I think that's it. Random Sunday thoughts for you.......

Tubing with the Griffiths!!

I am so sore today...........and this is why.

I went tubing with the Griffiths yesterday and it was awesome!! If you don't already know, Rachael Griddith is my partner in crime and my B.F.F.F.E. (Best Friend For Freakin' Ever). I LOVE her family. We're both "adopted daughters in each others' families and let me tell ya, her family is so good to me. Well, Rachael's dad has a fishing boat and is not trustworthy with it. =) He had us flying and bouncing like no other. At one point I think I actually flew. (Who says black people can't fly?!) I loved it. I was so fun!

So Far This Summer....

.......has been a blast!

First there was Molly's awesome TOGA party. It was so much fun. Caroline and I dressed up as toga-clad-harlots, bells and all. I also learned that night that cell phone towers are now being disguised as trees. Who knew?

Then there was the road trip I took to a resort in Escondido with my friend Meredith. Also an awesome trip where a lot of relaxing and a trip to the San Diego took place.

Then there was the beach trip to Morro Bay with the family.

This also included a trip to a little town called Harmony, population: 18. It's a cute little town with a glass blower, a pottery shop, a chapel, and a post office. I got to sign a petition to "Save the Post Office!" Apparently the goverment doesn't want to keep it open.....

Then last Saturday, Jimmy Bunting hosted his 2nd annual "Casa de Mustachio" Party. Oh yes, it was a moustache party and yes, it was excellent. Jimmy never ceases to amaze me with his awesomness and party-throwing skills. This party was fully equipped with moustache wearing Smith's cookies, lots of root beer, and other goodies. For that night, I officially went by the name Tank.

Yesterday I just got back from San Diego, which included my first trip to Sea World. I <3>

When we drag my grandma to places like Sea World (she knows she loves it....) we rent a wheelchair so she doesn't get too tuckered from walking. WELL, the aquatic shows have handicapped seating which worked out for the both of us. The Dolphin Stadium's hanicapped seating was located towards the far left of the tank (in the "soak zone," but not probable). So we parked Granny and sat towards the middle of the arena since there was no place to sit by her. This huge baluga whale decides to do a round of splashing. I think you know where this is going..... Well it doesn't look like there's enough room for this whale to do one more splash, but......he does it! A HUGE wave of water pegs my grandma right in the face! If the brakes weren't on on her wheelchair, she would've rolled backwards dow the ramp! She was soaked all the way through. All you could see was her hair slicked back and the back poofed out. It was HILARIOUS! I couldn't stop laughing for days.

We also have brand new kittens. A stray, whom my sister has now named "Freddie," decided to adopt my Grandma and sister. Well, a few weeks later she was pregnant and a few weeks after that, she had 4 cute little kittens. Now I'm not a cat person, but I do like them if they are not mine, so I'm quite fond of these kittens. There's Billie, Sadie (from the Beatles' "Sexy Sadie"), Max (Beatles' Maxwell's Silver Hammer), and Ringo. However, since Ringo is probably going to my cousins, he has been renamed Alexander. The only problem I have with that is now all the grandkids don't get the Beatles references. Now they think, "Hey! Max and Alex are on Wizards of Waverly Place!" I didn't even realize it until my little cousin Kacy pointed it out.

Donating Blood....

So today I had already plans of going to donate blood. I've been trying for years and every single time my iron is too low, so I was hoping the 5th time would be a charm. Then my friend Whitney texted me and said you can get a free jamba juice if you donate at the actual jamba juice. Score! So Whitney and I went. I also called my sister April to see if shee wanted to do it. (She wasn't too sure.) Anyway, she ended up going. Whitney went first and was able to donate, then I went. What happens? Same as usual....REJECTED. My iron was too low...again. So I went to Wal-Mart. See, this is how it happens. My sister Jennifer and I wanted to give blood, my mom was working, and April originally didn't want to. Well, Jennifer doesn't weigh enough, I have low iron, my mom can't because of something to do with my dad being from Africa, and April, the one who originally didn't want to. She got to. Lucky! That's okay though. Since I tried and she did donate, we both got t-shirts, a coupon for a free Jamba Juice, a coupon for a free pizza, and a coupon for a discounted car wash. Sweet!

Everytime I Turn Around.......

Everytime I turn around there's something else I have to do. I'm talking about college stuff and life in general. Not that I'm saying my life if so interesting I don't have time to fit anything else in, it's just 24 hours a day is not enough. I have less than 2 months until I leave and I still:

-Have to figure out financial aid (send in a thank you and tie up loose ends AND find that darn authorization form...)

-Pack (more like figure out what I'm going to take, what I'll buy while I'm over there, if I can store stuff between semesters, how much shipping is and if that's even an option since the airlines just decided "Let's charge for EVERY single bag they take!" Jerks.)

-Finish registering for classes (My counselor never e-mails me back, except for this last time telling me she was on vacation and to get help from someone else...)

-Pay for everything (please refer back to financial aid bullet. This will be difficult considerring I have no money whatsoever. Oh the life of a college student...)

-Figure out insurance (my own=lots of paperwork. BYUH=$600-800 a semester....)

-Find some kind of income (I'm sensing a recurring theme...)

-Get a passport (In case I go to China with the choir)

-Finish the vaccinations, dr.'s appts, etc...

-Get a TB test (when I get to Hawaii...)

-Orientation, Multiple Auditions, ID Card, Club sign-ups, Dorm stuff (all that jazz when I get there. I just can't forget about it or I'm in deep doo-doo.)

There's also lil' random things to do (like move a TV), errands to run (like pick up almonds), church callings to uphold, mandatory things to finish before I leave, family trips (SAN DIEGO!!), One of my BESTEST FRIENDS COMING INTO TOWN, etc. I'm also trying to plan a farewell luau while considering every one of my friends schedules and trying to do it before THEY leave. I also recently became my mom's personal maid/slave to help with my financial deficit.

Fun stuff! Like I said its not too bad, just a lot to do, most of which is hurry up and wait. I can do it though.

Institute......

I am going to miss going to Institute so much! Not only does Brother Williams give awesome lessons and is HILARIOUS, there is also the little element of Hollis.

This is Hollis.
He dances everytime after Institute and is in the ZONE. He loves it and we love to watch him. It all started after he saw Riverdance live and then it morphed into different genres. I don't know well they will show up because they were recorded with a cell phone. If you want to see a better cersion come see me 'cause YouTube doesn't upload right....

This is Hollis.
Good times.
I'll miss it.

"Riverdance"


"Ballet" (Sorry for talking in between....)


"Britney Spears"


Singing to "Celtic Woman"


"Single Ladies" (Rebecca and Berlin are going to KILL me)

Yay!

I got my room assignment! I'll be in 2nd Ward (I think...) and Hale Pukuniahi or Hale 2. Translation: "Cannon Dorm." I also got my roommates information who I'm hoping will be able to deal with me......for those of you who don't know, I am VERY happy when I wake up in the mornings and I moan in my sleep. I've never had a roommate before, so this should be interesting. All I know so far is that her name is Kohanna and she's from Chicago. It also gives other information, but that wouldn't be very nice to put her address or phone number up on a blog, so too bad for all of you.

Like I said.......hopefully she can deal with me waking up looking like this.

as well as the likelihood of my post-it noting something.

Update!

GOOD NEWS!

I got housing! I'll be living in the dorms, so now I just have to wait until I hear who my roommate and room assignment is. Although, sometimes the rooms aren't available until a few days before the semester starts, so I might have to campout in the lobby............SLEEPOVER! Woo!

I also got financial aid! Thanks to a college account my grandma started, I have enough for tuition. I also was approved for a federal loan, so that should cover my housing for 2 semesters.

Thanks to Brother Williams (he's the owner of the "post-it" van), we talked to BYUH and got my status problems resolved. I AM a junior (0.5 more credit and I'll be a senior). My evaluation said otherwise, but according to her my AA is like a packaged deal, so Gen Ed is covered except for upper division courses. Just one problem.........I tried to register for those classes and I can't because prerequisites weren't met. I think I just need a signature.....at least I hope that's all I need. Now I just have to hear back about my MUSIC classes. I don't think that will be a problem though. At least I know its not going to be a waste going over there.

Its just a matter of calling my counselor and tying up some loose ends.

Let's see, what else is new...
Oh! I got a new phone, same number. Other than that, I'm just getting ready for an awesome trip. We did get our tickets though. Instead of me taking myself to school, I get to be escorted by my mom, my sister, my granny, and my aunt. Yay! We leave September 9th and until i check into the dorms on the 12th, we'll be staying in the Turtle Bay Resort. FUN!! I'm so excited. I feel like there's so much to do.

I feel like I'm rambling. Since this a "My Trip To Hawaii" Blog, at this point there's not much to say. Just wait until I get over there. AWESOMNESS.

Well I'm officially done at BC, done working with Dr. Kean (which was Awesome), and just trying to tie up some loose ends. Now all I have to do is get a job for the summer and get ready for my excellent journey to Hawaii. I wish someone would've given me a heads-up on how much stuff there is to do when going away to college though. There's A LOT to do.....

Oooooooo, just a note. I get to go to The Price is Right on June 3rd! Hopefully I'll win something!

Finally...

Well, a couple of weeks ago I finally heard from my advisor. She did what she was supposed to do, but now it's in the hands of the music department.....

On the other hand, it's FINALS WEEK!!! 5 down and only one more to go! So far so good! AND I only have a few more days to work with Dr. Kean....Then I'll be DONE......at least with my A.A.

You know I never really realized how much I am going to miss BC. (Mainly choir...) College is so tough because the people you grow close to slowly grow apart. It kind of makes me sad 'cause there are people I met this semester that I wish I would've talked to earlier or hung out with more. Going across the sea to go to school seems like forever and a lifetime away from family and friends........THANK GOODNESS FOR FACEBOOK AND BLOGS!!

Choir has been my 2nd family and I'll miss all of my friends, old and new, even Matt.

Don't get me wrong though, I'M SOOOOOOOO EXCITED to be going to BYUH! Go Seasiders, but I'll always be a Renegade......and a Star.........and a Bear........and a Cub.

I guess I'm just stuck in a bittersweet moment. I'll never forget all these people that touched my life.

By the way, I was a part of something very fun, and a lil' sneaky........

Bro. Williams was a great sport!