The Bio-Science Experience

As a college student it is quite common to be a little short on cash. An excellent solution that I have found to this problem is to be part of the wonderful world of medical experimentation. Down town in Bozeman there is the Medical Arts center where they have studies going on constantly and are always in need of guinea pigs. One study I was a part of I made $350 dollars! Granted I had to go on a product restriction which meant I could only use the products they gave me for two weeks and I had to avoid all anti-bacterial cleaning agents. I then had to go a week without showering and two days wearing patches in places that I won't mention... I got a little stinky and had to lay on a lab table and get poked and prodded but all in all it wasn't half bad and I came out a happy camper. The best part is when you are done and you get to go home and take a shower!! The worst part by far is if you go in to get tested after a week of not showering and you still don't have enough bacteria so you get payed $25 dollars instead of a few hundred. I guess thats just the risk you have to take for a little extra easy money. 

Intramural Softball

This semester I was asked to join an intramural softball team which has been nothing but a blast. Its super easy to get a group of kids together and play two games of softball a week just for the fun of the game. Most of us have had some experience with a bat and ball but there are a few kids who are just trying out for their first time. It was really exciting yesterday seeing my tiny little friend, who has never payed in her life, hit a ball right past second base and into the outfield. She got out on the next play but hit two runners in. She didn't realize that she had even done anything good but we all made sure she knew it. Intramural sports are a great way to get involved, meet new people and play sports that you maybe have played once upon a time but aren't fortunate enough to continue playing into college. Luckily MSU offers tons and tons of different intramural sports so everyone can have something just for them!

Hiking in Bozeman!

As I have previously stated in this blog, Hiking is amazing in Bozeman! We just happen to sit in the center of about four mountain ranges which provides for so much great outdoor activities. Recently I made the trek five miles up to Emerald lake and five miles back. It sits far up in Hyalite canyon in the Spanish peaks and has some of the most astonishing views along the way. Hiking is one of the greatest things to do with a group of friends and its awesome if you have a dog to bring along too! I am planing on indulging myself in the wilderness this weekend seeing as right now the weather is beautiful and knowing Bozeman it could be May before we see another weekend like this one is suppose to be. For the daring people, like myself, it is a vary large rush to jump into a cold mountain lake on a hot day. So if you get the urge go for it! You won't regret it. 

Advocat Retreat!

I am an Advocat at MSU which is an awesome group of kids that give campus tours to prospective students and parents when they come to campus to visit. Every year we have a retreat in the fall to kick off the year and get to know everyone. This year we went up to Bear Canyon and stayed in a cabin with fifty college kids sleeping on the floor. We played lots of fun games through the night and I made tons of new friends. My favorite part of the retreat was when we had a competition to see which group could make the best impression of a college student out of a potato and a bunch of other random vegetables for eyes, nose and ears. I also met Ronda Russells daughter, Maggie, who I have been hearing how much I look like since I started school at MSU. We are both red heads and Jen Dunn, another admissions representative has beautiful red hair as well. We all go together to document the photo op and it turned out adorable!

Wild Clay Intensive

I took a two week class at the end of June where we had class from 8-5 Monday through Friday. It felt a bit like summer camp. The main focus in the class was to collect local materials from around the area and make our own clay and glazes.  It turns out its one of the greatest learning opportunities I have ever had, not to mention the most fun. I made myself a cereal bowl out of a clay sample from up in Bear Canyon and added a glaze we made by grinding up recycled glass. There is no better feeling than eating out of a bowl you made from scratch with your own two hands. 

If I ever teach an art class as phenomenal as this class was I would be very happy with myself. 

The picture is of all our glaze sample we made from different minerals and ROCKS! that we found along the way. 

The best thing about the whole thing is that I'm taking up a minor in Earth Science so learning about the geology behind making clay and glazes really made a connection for me. It got me excited to go onward with my studies in that area. 

Yellowstone Park Trip

My brother, his girlfriend and myself all took the Monday after the 4th off of work so that we could make a day trip through Yellowstone. I haven't done it since I was a little girl. It was beautiful as I expected. We did however get stuck for 45 minutes in Construction but I got a lot of states on the license plate game watching all the cars pass, so it wasn't time lost. It was a great day to spend in the park, beautiful and sunny with a thunderstorm that rolled in right when we were arriving back in Bozeman.  My dog, Bubba, was the perfect pup which is a new concept for him. He may be getting old, just don't tell him that. 

Fishing With Dad

My dad came down from Alaska to visit this week and I got to go fishing up in Martensdale MT with two of my uncles and my good old dad! I drove up there after Clay class was over on Friday and we camped out in my uncles trailer. Quite luxurious camping if you ask me. It was more of a fishing trip anyway. We got up at the crack of eight or so and headed out to do some fishin'! We caught 7 rainbows and 1 brown trout and filled my freezer with some good food that should last me a while. 

The greatest part about the trip was getting to spend some good fishing time with my dad. We usually go fishing up in Alaska and catch big salmon and halibut so fishing down here is a lot different but fishing is fishing and a day spent sitting around with great people either catching fish and having fun, or sitting around chatting and wishing the fish would bite. Which is fun in its very own way. 

If you ever wants to take me fishing, I would love to! ;)

Farmers Market

Every Tuesday night during the summer in Bozeman there is a small farmers market in Bogart Park. I had never been to a farmers market before and it was one of the coolest things ever! Everyone had there own little booths set up full of things from tomato plants to wool sock or even wind chimes made out of flattened silverware! Seeing everyone's creative ideas and inventive nature, inspired me to want to make a bunch of my own stuff to sell at these places. Just think of all the money you could make! I plan on buying some tomato plants next week along with some candles to go in my new living room. I just have to make sure to limit how much money I take with me. It's a dangerous place!

Hiking!

The sun finally came out for a change and allowed my friend and I to go for a little hike. Since its been raining sooo much lately I haven't been able to get outside much and play. Everything is sure looking green though! We took a hike on the hill across from the M which I had never done before. It was a short hike but pretty steep so I definitely broke a sweat and enjoyed the nice morning sun! The view from the top was gorgeous as it usually is from the top of anything but the best thing about the Gallatin Valley is that it is literally surrounded in mountains so when you get to the top of anything you can see the whole valley along with all the mountains across the way. The hike got me really excited for a summer of exploring the mountains and getting outside to enjoy our mother earth!

Refurbishing my living room!

This summer I have a lot of spare time on my hands and a very old, large, run down house. So what better to do with my time than to fix it up?! I started with the living room which used to be dark dreary and not very fun to be in. Now it is bright cheery and my favorite room in the house! Due to HGTV, which I spend a lot of time watching at work, I have learned lots of great tricks and easy ways to make your house look a lot better without doing a whole lot to it. I've managed to keep it pretty cheep too!! Our main ingredient is paint, it's a miracle worker! We took one wall and painted it red to add some excitement to the room. We have a nice fire place that was hidden behind a couch all year last year so I decided to bring it out and make it the focal point of the room. (that sounds almost exactly like something that would come out of Genevieve Garners mouth on HGTV... but shhh.) 

Its fun and exciting to make over a room and is totally worth every minute of work put into it. 

Sasquatch Fest

This weekend was memorial day weekend so I decided to head west and see what all the fuss about Sasquatch was. Turns out that it was an amazing weekend that I got to spend with dear old friends. There were somewhere around 70,000 people in attendance which made it feel a bit like we were in a large ant hill. I have never seen that many people in one place at one time and I kind of hope I never do again... but it was totally worth the experience. Everyone was there to have a good time so the spirits were up and laughter could be heard coming from any camp site. I can speak for myself when I say that a short time with great company makes the long times apart seem not so bad. 

Transportation for this trip was an issue but I figured it out and ended up making it home safe and sound! I caught a ride to the concert with Karen, one of the other bloggers, but she was heading all the way back to Alaska so I figured I would just ride the Grey Hound back. I got on the bus at 5pm on Monday night and slept the entire trip back to Bozeman. Bus rides sure go quick when your snoring the whole way! It was an awesome weekend and I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Climbing in Hylite Canyon

A sweet opportunity came upon me last Friday that I just couldn't pass up. My cousin invited me to go climbing up in Hylite Canyon with her and a few of her friends. I was hesitant because I had never gone climbing before but she ensured me that her friends were really nice and they didn't care that I was a newby and they were actually really excited for me to tag along. Turns out it was one of the best adventures I've been on in a long while. I can't believe that I have been missing out on this great outdoor activity my whole life. I loved climbing straight up a cliff and all the sudden you are at the top and have a birds eye view of everything that you had no idea was there ten minutes earlier. Not only is it a blast but it was the best work out I have had since high school basket ball. I am still sore from the climb. I can just see myself six months down the road with ripped arms and abs of steel!!! I've heard that Bozeman is the perfect place to be as a climber because there are endless possibilities of where you can go. I was so surprised at how different each climb was when you just moved over twenty feet to the left. 

My favorite part about it was all the great butt shots you get when standing at the base... ;)

Summer is upon us!

Summer time is finally here and hopefully the snow will leave us alone! The weather has been gorgeous and hot which is awesome because there are so many fun things to do outside! I love being able to just hop on my bike and not have to worry about getting snow in my eyes or getting soaked by the rain or blown over by the wind. Bike rides are at the top of my favorite things to do as well as hang out in the yard and play yard games like bean bags, frisbee and baseball! 

This summer I have decided to stay here in Bozeman. I have a job at a little alteration shop down town and I am going to be taking summer classes as well. Along with school and my job I plan on doing lots of fun things too! I want to go hiking and camping as much as I possibly can. I also want to paint and fix up my house! I have a feeling its going to be a fun and wonderful summer. I just hope I don't get to sun burnt!

My Finished Ring!

I told you about the ring I was working on earlier in my blogs and I have the finished product, so here it is! I decided to have the theme of my ring be home so I set some beach glass and engraved Kodiak into one side and mountains on the other side. I was originally thinking that the colors of the beach glass could represent ocean, mountains, and sun but then I realized that there really isn't that much sun in Kodiak so the yellow now represents rain gear. I had a lot of fun making this ring and it turned out pretty cool, I just wish that it was a little smaller so that I would actually wear it. I also wish that the computer wouldn't flip words around when you take the picture.

Silly mother nature, snow is for winter...

I've been warned a time or two about Montana's weather and it's turning out to be true. The weather here can never seem to make up its mind. A few weeks ago we were starting to see the first signs of spring and so everyone started pulling out their shorts and sandals and strutting their white winter touched legs all over campus. Little did we know that we were being pranked... I walked into my class at 3:30 with the sun shining high in the sky, sat day dreaming in class about what fun activities I could do later in the sun, walked out of class at 4:45 and the snow was falling so hard that I could barely see across the street! My walk home was really cold and wet. 

So it just goes to show don't think you can predict this kind of stuff, although people do expect it to happen. Late snow storm in April, probably may and wouldn't be surprised if we see a little snow into June.

Preparing for Finals

So the week before finals is called Dead Week, someone told me that that was because it is suppose to be dead and you aren't suppose to have a lot of homework and things to do but I think that is wrong. I think its called dead week because it kills you... Its the last week of real class and so all your big projects are due and professors that want to take the stress off of finals week just have their tests the week before! This happens to me every semester and I always end up with practically nothing to do on actual Finals week. Which I guess is nothing to complain about its just seems silly to me. I am looking forward to finals being over which will be on Wednesday for me. All I have to do now is write an essay for 19th Century Art History and finish my necklace that I'm making in metalsmithing. Look out summer here I come!

Bobcat Fest!

Once a year the Alumni Association gets together to put on a huge extravaganza down on Main street. It happened this Friday and was a huge success! They cook FREE hamburgers and hot dogs and the first people there get FREE T-shirts. I waited in line three different times to get second and thirds ;) Several bands shared their music with us and we hung out in the middle of the street with hundreds of other Bobcats! It was a great celebration for the end of the year and I always will look forward to it. I can only hope that it won't snow on us again next year. 

Mustaches and Apples to Apples

One of my favorite times in college is when friends from out of town come to visit me. This past weekend on of my friends that goes to school in Missoula came to town for the Rail Jam and gave me a surprise visit on saturday night. She brought Apples to Apples, Mustaches and some new friends. We spent the night wearing fake mustaches that look super silly and played what is possibly one of the greatest games ever. 

Nothings better than making new friends and playing games with them!

Condom Fashion Show!

Friday night was the condom fashion show which was an event to promote National Sexual Health Month. Student organizations from all around campus had some brave and daring soul to design an outfit out of purely condoms. To me this sounded very difficult but like it would be a very fun challenge. The outfits they came up with were so incredible and intricate that I could harley believe that they were all made from condoms. The condoms were used in many different ways. Some used them to make frilly skirts by grouping hundreds of condoms and letting them hang and some people chose to keep them in the rappers. One girls outfit even used the condoms stretched out and laid next to each other as part of her shirt. Since condoms now come in fun and crazy colors, color was definitely a big part of the designing process. What I wanted to know what how the heck did they get them all to stay together?

Each model strutted their stuff down the raised walkway to show off their clubs rendition of a condom outfit. There were boys and girls and even a few sets of twins. In the end the judges chose winners from three different categories; Most Creative, Most Wearable, and Most Unique. 

This has inspired me to want to create and outfit for next years fashion show. I already have some ideas brewing! 

At the event they gave out tons of free condoms and did a very good job of promoting safe sex. They even had a 'guess how many condoms are in the jar' which a girl got to take home for guessing the closest to the actually number, 189.

Metalsmithing

My art studio class that I am taking at the moment is metalsmithing. It is so much fun! Right now we are working on making rings which is turning out to be more difficult that I thought it would be because we have to make a hollophorm ring which means that the ring is hollow. It would be so much more simple to make a plane old ring that sits flat against your finger but no... we have to make things difficult. Today I did make a plain old ring and it was really simple and quick which was amazing. 

The last project we did was making a belt buckle. This was a long process but we finally finished and I got and A!! My belt buckle has a tree and three stones which we had to set onto it. 

Right now my buckle is being displayed in the case outside the medalsmithing room but I can't wait until I get it back so I can sport my sweet new bling!

Fresh Pow Day at Bridger Bowl!

Last Saturday was probably the best day I have had a Bridger. Despite the very crowded lift lines, due to all the new snow, it was a perfect day. It was great to see so many people out enjoying the very thing that brings most of us to Bozeman in the first place. By Saturday morning we had 23 new inches of snow and we could tell on the drive up. The normal 20 minute drive took us 35 minutes because half of the way up the traffic was nose to trunk. On the chair ride up we looked down at the beautiful untracked snow and new that it would be a great day. We rode until our little tummy's rumbled then headed to the lodge for lunch. On our way in the door some Health and Human Development Majors were doing a hydration survey outside the lodge and asked us if we would like to participate for a $5 dollar lunch voucher. Being college students and not having a lot of cash flow, we agreed and took the survey. Once we had finished our surveys they handed us each a cup to pee in and told us to go to the bathroom and then a women would trade our pee for five dollars. I was a bit hesitant at first but decided that it was a pretty good deal considering that at the doctor you usually have to pay them to pee in a cup and here I was being paid. So we all did it and lunch was a bit cheeper. The rest of the day was great as expected and we headed down the mountain with a sense of enthusiasm and accomplishment. We then proceeded to sit on the couch and watch the Olympics for 6 hours. It was in the end a perfect day. 

MSU Friday

Last Friday MSU held MSU Friday up on campus. MSU Friday is a chance for all prospective students to come and check out our school. I am in Advocats and as an Advocat we help put on this huge event. I spent my friday waking up at 6:15 to be on campus by 7 to start the crazy day of fun. I love MSU Friday because I get to show people the school that I attend and love so much. I gave tours of campus and got up in front of 500 people to tell them why I came to MSU. 

I came to MSU because it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We are snug right in the middle of big mountains. I also came because I felt that the people at MSU and in Bozeman itself are super friendly and welcoming. I am so glad that I chose to come to MSU and if you haven't had the chance to check out our great school you should take up our great opportunity that we offer through MSU Fridays!

There is no shortage of Hot Springs around the Bozeman area and there is no better thing to do after a long hard day up on the mountain. Soaking in the nice hot natural springs is so relaxing and tons of fun. 

My all time favorite hot spring is The Boiling River which is about 90 miles from Bozeman so its a longer trip but totally worth it. It's inside Yellowstone National Park and is the most natural hot spring you will ever come upon. There is a hot river that is more than 200 degrees that comes straight out of the earth and runs into the cold Yellowstone river. Where the two rivers meet is right where you sit. The hot water runs off rocks and you can sit under the hot waterfalls and relax in the beautiful Yellowstone wilderness. Its a great day trip!

My second favorite hot spring is Norris hot springs and it is about 40 miles out of Bozeman. Its just one pool but they have live bluegrass music every Sunday night. Nothing is better than being able to sit in a hot pool listening to great music and looking up at the stars all while enjoying company of friends. 

Hiking the Ridge

Bridger Bowl is a super close and awesome ski area. It sits only 16 miles out of Bozeman and has tons of great terrain for anyone from beginners to experts. 

Most of the mountain is accessible by chair lifts but for the expert terrain it requires a bit of a hike up to the ridge.

I Hiked the ridge for my first time last week and oh my goodness it was definitely bitter sweet. Once I made it through the horrible straight up hike carrying a snow board and dressed up in snow gear, It was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. Looking east you see about three other mountain ranges around the area and looking west you see the entire Gallatin Valley and you can see over where the Big Sky Ski area is. I knew that once I got up there it would be worth is and thats what I kept telling myself the entire hike up. 

The ride down was just as worth it too. It had just snowed like two feet the weekend before so there was some nice powder and open terrain that hadn't been completely tracked out yet.  Once I was done and made it to the bottom I was exhausted but it was that good accomplished exhaustion. It also was a gorgeous day all around which happens quite often up at Bridger. 

Star Gazing!

Bozeman is a perfect place to star gaze. The city lights aren't too bright to pollute the light from the stars so pretty much anywhere you are, as long as its a fairly clear night, it's the perfect time to look up and see the pretty sparkling stars above. 

One of my favorite things to do is climb up on my roof with blankets and my roommates and lay and try to find and many constellations as we can and also wait for shooting stars!

Last spring semester I took a class called Mysteries of the Sky and it really got me into learning about space. I have bought a few books on star gazing and have learned tons about our night sky just by looking up!

A great site to check out every day is the Astronomy picture of the day. They have a new picture up every day, sometimes its of the moon and it will give you a little blurb telling you what's so cool about it and then other days it will be a picture of a white dwarf star the the Hubbell space telescope took a picture of. Check it out and learn about the Universe!     http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Ski Premiers

A very popular and fun thing to do in Bozeman is go to Ski Premiers. They are put on frequently by different organizations around town. Usually they range from 7-12 dollars and you get to go see a sweet ski film where they give out lots of sweet prizes. I was sitting by one of my really good friends at one and she won a really nice backpack which made me really mad because I went and picked up her ticket for her and it could have just as easily been my ticket as her but thats just my luck... 

These events are always supper fun and a great thing to go out and do with a group of friends!

Belly Dancing!

Here are Montana State the gym is awesome! They offer semester long fitness classes of all different sorts. You can take any class from Ab Lab or Boot Camp to Belly Dance or Yoga. 

These classes are not only fun but they also are a great work out and help you stay in shape and not gain those extra pounds your first few years of college. 

The belly dancing class was just added to the schedule last semester and I just started taking it this Spring. I belly danced for a while in high school and got really excited when I saw that it was being offered at the gym. Taking this class gives you a little bit of an insight on the different cultures around the world and is a fun taste of Arabian dance. 

I also very much enjoy the Yoga classes that are offered. Yoga helps keep your body flexible and it is also a great stress reliever. If you are a skier Yoga is a great way to ensure yourself a safer season because your muscles will be stronger and your body more flexible.

Back at it again

Back to school, Back to school, to prove to dad that I'm not a fool...

So New Years Eve and Christmas seemed to fly by and now I’m back in Bozeman regularly attending classes. I must admit that my schedule this semester does indeed rock. I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then I have a snowboarding class on Friday afternoon which I really wouldn't even consider a class except for the fact that I get a credit for it :)
So far my classes are going great. I have Medalsmithing on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and then a three hour nap break followed by 19th Century Art History in the afternoon. Tuesday mornings I have an 8'oclock and Thursday nights I have a night class from 6-9 which could be killer. For the most part though, I am going to have a laid back semester with lots of fun up on the slopes! My one goal for the semester is to shoot for straight A's in classes due to my light load.