Moonlight!

This year being an Advocat has paid off way more than I expected it to. We have gotten two free ski days at different resorts. Moonlight gave us a free day on Sunday which turned out to be the perfect day to do it! We had to meet up there at 830 so it was an early morning but that was ok because when we got up there it was snowing and there was tons of fresh snow. 

They started the day off by giving us a guided tour of the mountain which was great because we learned lots about the events they put on and their great deals. Students ski for $39 Sunday through Thursday. They also have a great deal for next years season pass. It costs $450 but you only pay $250 now and then you have until the end of September to pay the rest.  Which being a broke college student is AWESOME. 

Anyway, I got side tracked. After our guided tour they brought us back down to the lodge and fed us cinnamon roles the size of my head! I ate the whole thing and could not believe it. We all decided that we were going to gain ten pounds. Luckily we went out and skied the rest of the day which I hope burnt off all of those calories.

The rest of the day was amazing. It snowed until about noon and then the sun decided to show its face. Perfect timing in my opinion because I was getting a bit cold. 

We stopped for lunch and to meet some friends who had luckily brought leftovers from the giant Thanksgiving feast we cooked on Friday night. Not only did I get a free ski pass but I didn't even have to pay for lunch and I ate the best turkey- potato salad-sandwich ever. 

The day was full of fresh snow and great people. Except for how sore I am today from falling so much, I have nothing to complain about. 

Thanks Moonlight for being such great hosts!

Mama comes to town!

Since my mom took an extended spring break I told her she should come to Bozeman and take my roommates and I to dinner. Considering that she is their landlord and they are my friends and she had never met them she agreed it was  a good idea. We went out to Ale Works which is my favorite restaurant in Bozeman and it the one that we always go to when people come into town to take us out. It was great to have my roommates finally meet my mom. I have met all of theirs and I feel like I learn so much about someone by meeting their parents. I don't know what my roommates thought, but maybe they understand a little bit better now why I am the way I am. They have known my brother since freshmen year which is explanation enough... but meeting the mama was great. I even got to share my bed with my mom and snuggle!

Stuck in Billings

Two extra day's of spring break was alright with me for the most part. I had to miss all my classes on Monday due to my grandpas funeral which was very sad and tough but I was happy to not have to go back to school. My cousin Christy and I were planning on driving back on Monday night but decided we were having fun hanging out with all the family that was in town, so we would drive back in the morning. To our dismay we were stopped by a blizzard at 6 in the morning. We were heading west toward Columbus when we saw two snow plows sitting between the interstate and they seemed to just be waiting for a storm. Christy and I looked at each other and said "that can't be a good sign..." not three minutes later and it was a white our blizzard. The snow was so heavy and wet that we were hydroplaning on slush. We made the decision that we didn't want to risk our lives just to make it back for class. We found out we made the right decision on the way back when we heard that Reed Point had school canceled and then Big Timber had a snow day as well. The Bridger snow report kept coming on saying there was 8 new inches of snow and it was still coming down! At that point we were just pleased to be headed safely back to grandmas house. It snowed pretty much all day in Billings so we went to a coffee shop and did homework like good little girls. Later in the day we heard that Bozeman was sunny and the storm was moving east. We decided to give it another try around 5. The first part of the drive to Reed Point was a little scary but after that it was like mother nature had one of her bipolar fits and we had a beautiful sunny drive back into Bozeman. It was such a relief! At least we made it to 3 our of 5 days of the week after spring break :)

Spring Break College Tour with the Sis

I SURVIVED A TEN DAY ROAD TRIP ACCIDENT FREE!!! 

For those of you who don't know me... this is an amazing feat. I have the worst luck when it comes to cars. From speeding tickets to hitting deer to getting them set on fire, you can count on me to damage a car when its in my hands. Thank goodness the curse wasn't with me this trip. I am convinced its due to my good luck rock I purchased at the dollar store that I wear every time I get into my car.

With lack of accidents or tickets, not counting my mother, the trip consisted of tons of great stops. 

I began my trip driving to Spokane and stayed with some friends I played Volleyball with in High School. As I have said before in my blogs it is SO good to see old friends. It brings a happiness to see people from home. The next day I went to pick my little sister from Whitworth University and we started our journey! My little sister Sonja is in search of the school she is going to attend next fall. We hit up four great schools. After Whitworth we headed down to Moscow Idaho where we stayed with another friend from home and toured their campus which great, they showed us the dorms and brought us into the labs where their engineering students were working with large machines. Exciting stuff to see! 

From there we hit the road for the seven hour trip to BOZEMAN!!! Being an Advocat here of course I was trying very hard to get my little sister to come here so I took her around and showed her every cool thing I could think of about Bozeman. Which is a lot! Unfortunately we didn't get to stay in Bozeman as long as we had hoped due to our grandfathers passing so we headed to Billings to support the fam instead of hit up the hot springs and go skiing. 

We didn't let that kink in the road get in the way of seeing all the schools though! We spent two days in Billings helping out with funeral plans and then headed down Colorado School of Mines. Seeing as my little sister is a genus and super nerd (I just like teasing her because Im jealous) she got accepted and offered the most money they give out to freshman for test scores. My mom tagged along on this leg of our road trip which was great because she paid for everything! Of course we also enjoyed having mother daughter time. All three of us fell in love with School of Mines right off the bat. My mom and I both decided we wanted to start over and go to school for engineering. This part of the trip was super quick, we drove down on Thursday and back on Friday so that we could get to the first funeral of two in three days... A bit rough but we all made it though together and got to see lots of relatives and friends that we hadn't seen in sometime. 

Saturday morning we headed to Wibaux Montana for my Great Uncle Leroy's Funeral which made my trip milage pass 3000 miles!!! 

I have decided I am done being in a car for a while now. 

Being in the car for so long made me feel like I aged 40 years and became bent over and arthritic. It was so good to get back to Bozeman and sleep in my own bed!

Preparation for Spring Break

There seems to be a secret pact that professors have to get together and plan when they want to load on a bunch of test on students all at once. This week, right before spring break, seems to be one of them. This morning I have an art history test which are always miserable. I studied my little butt off and still got to the test and played the hit or miss game on weather I happened to come across certain silly little details in my studies. It's very frustrating to me because I feel that I have learned a lot and know a lot but my grades on the multiple choice never reflect that. I can only hope that this time it will be different. Monday I had a test in my Exceptional Children class and we already got our tests back today! It was awesome. I went to class just excited that my art history exam was over and then got my test back and I got 51/50!! It made me feel like I was back in high school. I used to get grades like that all the time and really took them for granted but not anymore! It feels great, and better yet I got a better grade than my roommate who still gets the perfect grade overtime. I think she was a little jealous... which is fine with me! :) 

Now that I am done with my two tests and had my sculpture critique yesterday, all I have to do is cruise through the next two days of classes and then I am off!!! Road Trip with my sister!! Who hoo!

Rail Jam

Every year Bozeman has their annual Chamberlain Rail Jam event which consists of a snowboarding and ski competition in the evening, followed by a concert at night. This is a really cool event because there are a lot of MSU students that compete in it. I knew a few of the guys who competed and did very well this year. After the competition there is the concert which is always a good time. It only goes till ten o'clock which always feels like they cut the night in half but it is still a blast. They changed the location this year from the Fairgrounds to a cow pasture... which made the whole experience kind of stinky. It also made the parking experience seem more like we were cattle being herded through a small gate rather than cars leaving a concert. It took us an hour of sitting in our car alongside two hundred other cars waiting to get out the one exit. This part wasn't planned out very well but that just gives them something to work on next year. 

Intramural Volleyball!

I finally got myself on a volley ball team! I played volley ball in high school and have missed it so much. I have wanted to get a team together for three years now to play intramural but haven't been successful. Two weeks ago I got an urgent call from my brothers best friend-

Isaac-"Hey Britta we need people to come play on our volley ball team can you come?" 

Me- "umm sure I'd love to when do you need me?"

Isaac- "In ten minutes."

It was very short notice but Im so glad he called. I ran up to the gym and made it just in time. I am now an official member of the team and it is a blast. We haven't managed to win a game yet but I feel it coming on. Tonight! I did however manage to hit a girl in the face with one of my serves and she was not happy at all, understandable but she was really rude about it even after I apologized. After that I had no sympathy for her anymore especially because I have been hit in the face with a volley ball before too and it really is no fun but it is no reason to be unsportsman like. 

Norris Hot Springs

Norris Hot Springs is one of the greatest activities you can do with a group of friends on a weekend night, especially after a long day skiing. It forty miles out of town so it is a bit of a drive but it is completely worth it when you get to sit in the hot springs while listening to live music that they have every night. They have a sweet deal where if you tell them in the beginning of the night that you are a designated driver then you get a coupon for a free entrance next time you come. I really like to take advantage of this because there is nothing wrong with a good soak and good music especially if you aren't 21! They most often have folk music playing which is my personal favorite and is the perfect music to relax to. And if you are lucky, which in the big sky is quite often, you may just get a clear sky that provides you with a beautiful starry sky to peer up at. As they like to put it, It's the water of the gods! I like to agree. 

REACH Art Program

Through most of the departments at MSU there are tons of great opportunities to get out into the community and get hands on experience relating to your major. I got the opportunity to help out every Monday afternoon working with adults with disabilities. Every week we have a new project that we work on and they are all so great and have pumped out some amazing works of art! It is so much fun to get to know them from week to week and see how their personalities are reflected in their art work. We are almost done with our six week class and at the very end we are going to have an art show where we will invite people from the community to come and see what we have all been working so hard on. 

This has been such a great opportunity for me going into education because I have never worked in this field before and I don't think I could enjoy it anymore! Today we painted watercolor flowers and they turned out beautiful. We all have a grand time enjoying great company and doing one of the most fun things in the world... ART!!!

OOOH Canada...

For one  night durning my trip out west (see below for more information) we decided to turn right and head up to our friendly northern neighbor, Canada! Vancouver is breath taking the second it comes into sight. We drove over a huge bridge and at the top the city scape of Vancouver appeared. The sky scrapers are scattered into a few groupings of tall white buildings that seem to mimic the vast white Canadian Rockies that provide a beautiful back drop. As for big cities I'm usually not a fan but Vancouver changed my mind a bit. Maybe Im just becoming more open minded in my old age :)  

I have a friend that plays basket ball for the University of Alaska Anchorage and they were playing at Simon Frasier, a college in Vancouver. This was actually the reason the whole idea of this trip came into play. We went to the game and just happened to be the only four girls in the stands cheering for UAA as well as the only fans with a big sign saying GO ALYSA!! We only got a few dirty looks from the little girls basketball teams that came to watch as well. It all turned out great for us because UAA took the win so we didn't look so stupid in the end. I got to talk to Alysa for a total of about 8 minutes after the game but it was so good to see her play that it was all worth it. 

Another girl from Kodiak wrestles for Simon Frasier so we crashed in her dorm room. Before which we headed down town for the thrill of being allowed to drink in the bars at 20 years old. 

There were a few strange things about canada. Their money is all multicolored as well as their coins being called loonies and toonies. Their green traffic lights blink half the time which was so confusing and I could not figure out why this was happening. I came to the conclusion that until I figured it out they meant to watch for moose. So I did, until I asked our cab driver and he told me it meant watch for pedestrians, which was a big disappointment. 

 

I want to send out a big old thanks to my father, Papa Bear himself for providing me with the gas funds! Your a peach dadio!

To the Ocean and Beyond!

We just recently had a three day weekend so I decided to get out of my normal groove and head west! I have some friends from high school that go to school in Bellingham Washington and I have been dying to see them so that is where I headed. My roommate Liz had never been to Idaho or Washington so she decided to tag along and we also got to make a new friend Quin who wanted to go see my friends as well, she went to Western Washington for the past two years and was roommates with one of my friends. Small world! Having grown up on an Island where the ocean is a constant presence, living in Montana, where the water is much more scarce, makes me feel like there is something missing. So you can imagine my excitement when I finally got to see the big old blue again!! My goal for the weekend was to jump in but I epicly failed which makes me embarrassed to even say that I had the plan in the first place. Despite my failure I still had a blast and got to see my amazing friends and smell the sweet salty scent of the ocean air. After twenty four hours in the car in four days it was definitely a relief to see the gorgeous Bridgers shining in the moonlight once again. 

Sculpture

This semester I have one studio and it is sculpture. I wasn't so excited for this one because I had never made a sculpture before. Once we got started though, I realized that it is actually amazing and I am loving its. Surprise! I always end up being really excited about whatever class I am in at the time. Eventually maybe I will need to stick with something for a while. 

Our first sculpture assignment was to pick a story of any kind and choose one feeling that describes that story. Our sculpture had to be made out of wood and depict that feeling. 

I chose to use wood that I found outside like dead tree branches and rounds of wood. I ended up cutting the rounds into disk shapes and cutting those in half and then attaching those to the wall all around the top of a staircase and creating an environment that you walked into. My original idea was not even nearly close to this idea but my feeling of confusion may still come though if you think very conceptually... ;)

I was only allowed to keep it up for a week so it no longer exists but I think I'm going to make some shelves out of the left over parts. 

MSU Friday

I'm sure I'm not the only one to write about MSU friday this month considering that most of us are highly involved in the activities. For me the day always starts off super bright and early to help set up at 7 am. The one thing that always gets me going is the thought that as soon as I get there there will be a plethora of donuts, coffee and even orange juice.  Now this is not the point of MSU fridays by far but it definitely doesn't hurt the early morning mood. MSU fridays are awesome and I enjoy sharing my love for the school with students who should come here!!! Our next MSU friday is actually this friday coming up, March 4 and I am super excited to mold these little minds yet again!

Earrings!

Lately I have been having a blast making cool earrings in my spare time. I have been trying new things and messing around with different materials. I made one pair of earrings our of the heads of a spoon and a fork. They are my funkiest pair I have made yet. I sat down and made about ten different variations of this style with wire and some wooden beads. I think they turned our really fun and I have gotten lots of complements. So far I have only used them as gifts but I have plans to make enough to sell any put together my own booth at the summer farmers market. Its a quick and fun way to make and extra buck, or get on your friends and family's good side!

Finally! A clean room!

The first few weeks of school are over and I feel that I maybe am getting a handle on this thing they call being a student again. Today something strange came over me and I decided I wanted to clean. On these rare days I have to take advantage of it because cleaning my room is never on the top of my priority list. I must say though that having a clean space to be and do homework and come home to after school and relax is very nice and soothing. If there isn't clutter in my room then there isn't clutter anywhere else in my life. I can't even explain how nice it feels to sit in my room right now and look at my clear floor, counters and a bed that is freshly cleaned and made! It's a marvelous feeling and I hope that I can only keep it this way for some time. Wish me luck!

Ski Class

I have made a big decision in my life and have chosen to learn how to ski! Luckily my wonderful university offers ski classes each spring semester. With all of my Christmas and Birthday money I collected over winter break I headed down to the local used sports equipment store and purchased myself my first pair of ski's! I was a bit wobbly the first few times I headed up to the hill but we have had three classes so far and I feel like I have improved ten million times since the first day up. My ski teacher is hilarious and a great teacher so every class is a whale of a time. He always makes us bring a joke so last week I told the first joke I ever learned... What's the difference between boogers and broccoli? .... Kids don't eat broccoli!! :)

<----- I don't have a picture of me skiing yet... I will have to work on that!

Free Ski at Big Sky!!

Being an Advocat definitely comes with its advantages! Big Sky Resort came to the admissions office and offered a free day at Big Sky for all of the Advocats, Orientation leaders and employees of the Admissions office. This was sweet because it just happened to me on a beautiful day that wasn't too cold at all. We got up there early, waited in the long line of MSU students and got our free pass. The slopes were great and it was so much fun to get out there with friends. By three o'clock my legs were killing me so my roommate Liz and I decided it was time to go check into our hotel that we got for the night in order to attend that Snow Bar. The Snow Bar is an annual thing that Big Sky puts on where they build walls out of snow and have a stage for a DJ and a bar for everyone 21 and over. It was a great time especially after the much needed hot tub!!

Its Been A While...

Soooo... I have been a bit of a slacker in the past few months. My Dad has been on my case quite a bit but didn't work until this last email I got from him when he asked me if I even remembered what a blog was. Well father I do!! and I have decided that it is my New Years resolution to stay on top of it this year so if I get to slacking keep on my case! 

There has been so much happened since my last blog I can't even recall everything I should have blogged about so I will try to hit the most exciting points. 

Lets see... My last blog was October 27...

Halloween!- For halloween this year I was a gypsy which was a blast because I wore my old belly dancing costume and got to some belly dancing which I haven't done in for ever! I dressed up a total of three times and one of the times one of my roommates and I decided to dress up as future versions of ourselves, I dressed as a crazy hippy art teacher and my roommate Hillary dressed as a crazy cat lady. 

Volunteering at Art Day- There was an Art Day put on at Bozeman High school for kids from ages 5-11 which was a blast! They asked for volunteers to present the workshops so I decided to teach the kids how to make lanyards because I remembered having so much fun as a kid making them. 

Cat/Griz- CATS WON!!!!!!!!! This was one of the best days of 2010 due to the fact that the Cats won a long over due rivalry against as my father would say..."the lower learning establishment"  (only thats what he called MSU... but he is WRONG! take that Dad!) My favorite part of the whole story was that there was a wild bobcat that was wondering the streets of Missoula the Wednesday before that game. It was an omen that we were taking over their territory and it became true!!! The saddest part was that I didn't get to make it to the actual game due to prior commitments to teach children how to make Lanyards. I still was able to watch the amazing feat go down on TV with some friends and it was just as exciting!

My 21st- This is a big milestone in a young persons life and as my mother warned me many times before hand not to get to out of control and stay safe I surly did and remember the whole evening. Mostly due to that fact that my older brother came in the night of my birthday so I had to go to the airport at 11 which made the drinking get cut short a bit, never the less my brother got into town and got to buy me a beer at the bar on my 21st birthday after we hadn't seen each other for four months. It was a great reunion indeed. 

Family Time- Three days after my brother got into town my mom dad and little sister all flew into Billings where my whole extended family on both sides of my family were meeting for Christmas. The best part of my Christmas was that I got to spend it with my family and I can't even express how excited and how wonderful it was to be with them all. I got many great gifts including 3oz of silver from santa and sweet pocket knife from one of my uncles. I also acquired a large some of money between my birthday and Christmas which I bought a pair of skis and boots as well as a big new fluffy coat that should keep me super warm all winter. Over all it was an amazing winter break!

Skiing- Over break I managed to hit up four different ski resorts. Bridger Bowl of cource because I have a season pass. Big Sky because I have a frequency pass and lots of my friends ski there. The day after Christmas my family took a trip up to Red Lodge which was awesome because I got to teach my cousin how to snowboard and she was basically a pro by the end of the day. I was super impressed. And the best skiing of all break was the trip my immediate family took up to Discovery Basin where I had never been before and it was a great find as well as an awesome time hanging out with my family, skiing, hot tubbing, and ice fishing.