ALIVE!!!

In case you've been worrying, I am not dead. 

Just starting another semester...

                 which is kinda the same thing.

I'm taking a random smattering of classes, since I am STILL not in a program. I thought about starting the Elementary Ed. program so a couple classes go towards that, but really, I have no clue. So I've got German 101, Human Development 210, New Testament 211, BYU Singers, and Children's Literature. Woot.

Good news! I did move from my summer apartment into a new condo! Love it! and love the ward! The first night I was here moving stuff in, a group from the Elders Quorum came to help unload the truck.

Lesson learned: I have a LOT of crap. It took a few days for everything to find a spot. Of course, it helped a lot that Chelsea and Maddy's moms came up and helped put things together. Especially Chelsea's mom. She does interior design, so our condo is the envy of everyone else in the complex. She de-junked the whole place and decorated everything. Unfortunately, Piper the Purple Rubber-Duck sitting next to the kitchen sink mysteriously disappeared during her stay here. I rescued him from the stream up on campus, but apparently, she didn't feel like he fit with the decor. I may or may not be slightly bitter.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the place.

Welcome to Santa Barbara Villa!

Down the stairs and to the left...

And here we have the living room. The front door is right next to the couch on the left.

More living room...

Around the corner, moving our way into the kitchen.

The funny thing about not having a dishwasher for 3 months is that you actually forget when  you do have one.

Turning back around to face the living room and front door.

The opposite wall with our TV and....

THIS!!! I LOVE this red chair with all my heart. And, it secretly rocks.Why yes, that is my bedroom door open in the back. We'll go right down the hallway now if you'll follow me.

To the right, we have the bathroom, all decorate-y and whatnot.
Funny story: the fluffy, red towels are my new ones. Yes, they have been washed, but I still come out looking like Elmo covered in red fuzz after using them.

On the perpendicular wall to the bathroom is our bedroom. Chelsea's room is right next to ours. Maddy's bed and desk are exactly opposite mine in the room. Her stuff is more...coordinated...than my random array of treasures. Oh well. Also, kindly ignore the pile of dirty laundry in the corner.

My bed is giant, and yes, I need a step-stool to get on it. Tacky? Obviously. Useful for storage? Heck yeah. I've got my guitar, uke, winter wardrobe, tool kit, T-shirts, kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies, an extra suitcase, art supplies, an entire pharmacy, bathroom stuff, AND holiday decorations ALL stuffed under that there bed. Not counting the drawers and cupboard that are actually part of the bed. Those take the place of a dresser and also hold extra laundry stuff, old text books, a duffle bag, etc. Impressed? Probably more like disgusted. Thought so.

Like the box of White-Cheddar Cheez-Its? Also, that wicker basket was an AMAZING Walmart find. Those desk cubbies are so deep that they're kind of impractical for keeping anything you want easy access to. Luckily, that basket is EXACTLY the right length to fit in there.

Aaaaaaaand the closet. Dad removed the closet doors so my desk could fit there instead of crowding the space between our beds. The short window curtains are a temporary fix until I can find some better long ones.

And now directly opposite the bathroom, next to Chelsea's room, my favorite room in the entire place....

MY VERY OWN LAUNDRY ROOM!!!!!!! No more $2 loads of laundry! And these babies can hold huge loads, lemme tell ya! Behind the door, we have a big bookcase that holds all our cleaning supplies...

And toilet paper...
I don't think we'll be running out anytime soon. Just a thought.

So that's what I've been up to. The owners are an old couple who pretty much stay out of our business and let us do whatever we want as long as it improves the look of the place. If I end up liking it, I may stay here for longer than a year. We'll see.

I'm glad school has started. All my teachers are great, and I think I'll really like my classes. Should be a fun year. I'm just not ready for it to start getting cold again already. I'm takin' advantage of the glorious sunshine while it lasts!

And in case you were wondering, we're more than 100 days down. Flyin' by!

               ...not like I'm counting or anything.... ;)