"Loni This, Loni That"

Sawyer

2010-01-15T07:40:00.000-08:00

The storks dropped by last night and Nate and Shanny ended up with this cute little guy! I think this is the most homesick I have been since we moved to Tucson. I want to hold him!

My Design Blog

2009-12-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

Hey friends!

I decided to start a blog where I just blog about my random design stuff. Now this blog will just be about me and JB and the other blog will be all my design and art posts.

That's all.

Here and There

2009-12-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

The weather today Here (AZ):

The weather next week when we will be There (UT):

Man. I could get used to this Arizona stuff.

Gift Tags

2009-12-11T08:46:00.001-08:00

I made these gift tags today and was way excited about how cute they turned out so I wanted to share. I used a grocery bag from trader joe's with a great winter pattern on it and cut out the tag shapes on my silhouette. Then, I stitched them all together on my sewing machine!

Joy!

2009-12-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas is going to be here soooo soon! I still have a million things to do. Oh well.

I just stumbled across this link to Scrapscription, a scrapbook kit company. They are using my "Joy" artwork as part of their kit.

Etsy Shop

2009-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

I just opened an etsy shop last week called Cactus and Olive. It doesn't have much in it yet, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of my items was picked to be featured on the the etsy homepage yesterday! I didn't get to see it, but the person who bought it emailed me and let me know. It was these snowflake gift tags:

I am planning on posting more later today!

Pumpkin Dinner

2009-10-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

There is a somewhat-tradition in the Pilcher family to have meatloaf dinner in a pumpkin around Halloween time!

JB and I are having a few friends over on Saturday night for dinner and this will be the main coarse. What else is there to do on Halloween if you don't have children? I am attaching some photos from my sophomore year at Utah State when we made it as roommates!

After looking at this photo of the pumpkin in the oven, it has made me wonder if maybe I should draw a really sad face on the pumpkin this year... the smile just doesn't seem to fit!

RECIPE:

8" pumpkin, cleaned out
1 pkg. hear and butter stuffing mix
1.5 lbs ground beef
3 eggs
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2.5 Tbs chopped onion.

Make the stuffing as directed on package. Mix the rest of the ingredients together (except the pumpkin, of course!) Mix that with the stuffing and put it the pumpkin.
Cook for about 3 hours at 350 degrees. Don't forget to put the pumpkin on a cookie sheet!

Decoration for the party? Still haven't quite decided but will probably consist of cut out leaf shapes from my latest submission for the Silhouette.

Where's Waldo?

2009-10-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend JB and I made a quick trip to Blanding for the opening weekend of the deer hunt. We, with our nephew Derek, headed out before dawn.

I have an analogy. Looking for deer is like looking for Waldo in a Where's Waldo. Only you don't know if they actually put Waldo into the picture. You just keep looking and looking and hope they did. Obviously, I get very bored and distracted while doing this. So... I played with my camera! The sun was just coming up behind us and it was sooo beautiful!

I am still alive.

2009-09-16T17:51:00.001-07:00

Pictures of our latest adventures:

ALSO! Quickutz used my "baseball design" on their company blog for a tutorial. The funny thing is, last week I did the same thing with a volleyball version of the design, on t-shirts with spraypaint. it turned out pretty cool.

Tucson!

2009-08-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! JB and I are now living in Tucson. So far we really like it!

Sad thing is, as I was "pretending" to hug the cactus, but I ended up really getting stuck by one of the needles. I would.

The photo is from the Tucson Botanical Garden . My dear/sweet mom drove down with us to help move, and before she flew back to SLC we went to the garden. It was cool to go there and learn about the vegetation in this area. I never knew there were so many different kinds of cacti. My favorite was the "Old Man."

After that, we spent a little bit of time shopping at 4th Avenue in downtown Tucson. My favorite shop was Pop Cycle-- Everything in the store was either remade from other products or vintage. For example, she took old Arizona license plates and cut them into strips, making them into pieced together plates that spelled things. Very cleaver! I plan on going back and buying one as soon as I save up enough "allowance." (Sometimes I feel like I'm still a little kid.)

Leaving Cache Valley

2009-08-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

One of the last projects that I have been working on here at USU before we move is a day-to-night shot of the valley, from the top of the business building.

Everytime I have opened it to work on it, I can't help thinking, "What are we doing leaving this place?! It is so beautiful!"

This is real life.

2009-07-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

It is official. We are moving to Tucson, Arizona.

JB flew down there and interviewed with a company on Monday and they offered him a job!

We are heading down there in two weeks.
Now we just have to figure out where to live...

JB likes to tease me about my initial reaction to us moving:
"THIS IS BIG! THIS IS REAL LIFE!"
Because before this life was fake, or something like that.

(photo via tucson daily photo blog. I found it when I was trying to decide if I wanted to live there, and the images on it were much more appealing then when you google image search "Tucson.")

ps did I mention how long it took me to remember how to spell Tucson?

Quickutz

2009-07-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have recently started freelance designing for the Quickutz Silhouette. The silhouette is a digital craft cutter-- it cuts shapes out of paper from your computer. And I design those shapes. It's been a blast. Basically, I doodle, then scan it in and trace it out. Who ever thought I would get paid for doodling?

Here are some of my favorite designs that I have done.

Finally!

2009-07-19T11:34:00.001-07:00

A reality show I am excited to watch!

The show premiers in 2010.

I wonder how many average americans will tune in to watch drama over typefaces, picas, color pallets, layer masks, layout and logos? I sure can't wait!

roadtrip!

2009-06-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow morning JB and I are headed out on a road trip.
Some of our stops include:

Lake Tahoe

Disneyland, the happiest place on earth (or so we shall see). I have NEVER been before, so I talked JB into going on my 22nd birthday. I'm pretty stoked. When I ask JB if he is excited, he says, "Well, I'm excited for you!" haha.

I love this image i found here of a vintage disneyland shirt.

And, our final, most exciting stop is definitely going to be in Bakersfield to see these little stinkers:

Please! 5 o'clock get here faster!!

Up

2009-06-14T20:06:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this movie.

We have seen it twice and I am not ashamed to admit that I cried 5 times.

"Dear Google,

2009-06-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you get bit by a stray dog?"

Yes, JB was riding his bike past Adam's Park this last week, when a stray dog ran up and bit his calf. I waited to post this until I was sure he didn't get rabies, because he wouldn't go to the doctor (even though google said to). He called animal control and reported the dog, google told us to do that too.

JSYK, he is all better now-- no infection or anything. No need to worry.

USU Backlit Signs

2009-06-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

When I was first hired at USU, my boss told me that my first project would be these gigantic backlit signs in our student center. Two years later, after the project got put off over and over, they finally got installed today!

funny...

2009-06-01T17:29:00.001-07:00

when your own blog pops up on your "google reader" recommendations!

Nice to meet'cha!

2009-05-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

i just saw this video on youtube. it's probably bad that i think it's so funny. but, this guy sat on top of a bridge in china for hours, contemplating suicide and backing up traffic. So, an angry pedestrian climbed up, shook his hand, and pushed him off!

(If you fast forward to about 40 seconds, that's when all the action happens)

Wedding Reception

2009-05-16T19:13:00.001-07:00

oh hey! here are the pics from my reception. A family friend, Sarah Jones, took them. I was really happy that she took a ton of detail shots of the decorations, because we probably spent way too much time on them!

Happy Morning!

2009-05-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

Even though I have a million other things I have been planning on blogging (ok so i don't have the internet at home yet because JB and I have moved a kagillion (no, i'm not exaggerating) times in the last month, but we do have a house now, and all my pics are on my home computer...)

I had to post this gem that my friend Sarah showed me!

Happy Mornings - The most popular videos are a click away

Whahoo! We got married!

2009-05-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

I just got our wedding pictures back from the photographer. I am really happy with how they turned out! More from the reception to come...

Furlough: The best thing that I ever learned about this month.

2009-03-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

About a month ago I didn't even know how to spell it, but now I am counting down to it!

FURLOUGH!

Because of budget cuts in Utah, every USU employee is required to take a week of unpaid time off... which week happened to fall on the exact same week that all of my family is going to be in Island Park, Idaho on a snowmobiling trip! I wasn't planning on going because I didn't have enough vacation hours... but now that isn't a problem! So, JB and I are packing up tomorrow and heading up there.

We will be spending the next week chilling in the condo with my grandparents, Nate, Shanny, Rori and Gracie (Who has a huge crush on JB and calls him "Uncle JJJJJJJ-B!", it's so cute), riding snowmobiles, feeding fish at big springs, making forts out of snow, and just taking it easy.

Also, for lack of a better picture to accompany this post, I am thinking about buying this shirt. What do you think? :)

Engagement Pics

2009-02-27T08:13:00.001-08:00

JB and I had our engagement pics taken a week or two ago. We just got them back and so I thought I would post a few. A family friend of ours took them and did a great job!

Now I just have to finish designing the invitations...

Color Pallets

2009-02-17T08:45:00.001-08:00

Ok-- I just learned about this on Stephmodo's blog and I love it already.

It's a color pallet generator!

For example, I uploaded a pic of my friend Jeremy's wedding that I got off his facebook because I liked the colors. ...And VOILA! It makes instant color pallets for you. So cool.

My font! and easy!

2009-02-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today on Design Mom's Blog I discovered a link to make a font of your own handwriting. And it was free, fast and easy! The site is your fonts.

Pattern Swatches

2009-01-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

In my portfolio prep class, we are doing a project that I am loving! One of the grad students here at USU has a ton of experience in product design, and so she was asked to teach a section of our class. Yesterday we went on a field trip to where she works right now, as a designer for s.e.i scrapbooking. We got to look at the trend/inspiration boards and the resulting line of scrapbooking paper that was designed, see their studio, and visit with their design team.

Also, I learned a new illustrator trick that I am loving called making pattern swatches.

I played around with it today for a little bit when I got antsy at work and I can't wait to go home and try it out even more!

Here is my quick, ten minute pattern. It, of course, needs a lot of perfecting but i am so stoked that it was so fast. Before, something like this would have taken forever and not matched up at all!

ps. JB and I got engaged yesterday. Just thought I should mention that, too. :)

Blogs I heart.

2009-01-13T09:54:00.001-08:00

You may or may not have noticed that I am not very good at posting on my blog. I will explain why.

I am addicted to google reader. Reading other peoples blogs is much more satisfying than posting myself. I get really caught up reading blogs and looking for new blogs to read.

Today, though, I have decided to share the love by highlighting some of my faves and why I love them.

http://www.designmom.com/
Who knew that so many motherly things could be so cool?
Example: these blocks that are featured on her blog.

http://lovelypackage.com
This is a recent find that I heart. I am really interested in packaging and product design, and on Thursday I am doing a product design assignment in my portfolio class! I am stoked.

Lovely bottles:

http://www.iamagreedygirl.com/
Greedy Girl. She has great taste AND ambition. She organized a calendar swap between all of her readers, where they gave her their addresses and she coordinated who would send a calendar to who. Wow, who has time for that? I love the calendars she posted on her site as inspiration for her readers.

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/
Too bad I am a poor college student and could never afford to hire this photographer! Instead, I can just ready his blog and lust after his photographic skills and ability to capture "that moment..."

These are a few blogs that have random/cool design things they find and post:
http://simplelovely.blogspot.com/

http://www.stephmodo.com/

http://www.ambrosiagirl.com/blog/

http://randominspiration.blogspot.com/

Of course, all these blogs are people that I don't know. But, I do also love my friend Adrienne's blog. She is cool.
http://adrienneisfullsized.blogspot.com/

Don't Apply to Utah State

2008-12-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

I have been excited about this for quite a while and it is finally here!

And the Sequel:

My favorite part: "You pass this on to five people, and then they will pass it on, and then they will... so on, until it gets to Kevin Bacon. Because Kevin Bacon needs to know how to apply."

Awesome.

The Dentist

2008-11-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

I went to the dentist this morning. I don't particularly hate the dentist, but I don't really like going to the dentist either. I'm indifferent.

However, after today, I think I am leaning toward the "not like" side of things.

First of all, I have a cavity and I have to go back! What a pain!

Second, and most importantly, they put this weird fluoride varnish on my teeth. I am supposed to leave it on for 4-5 hours, and it feels like I ate paint!! Also, it looks like I have a ton of plaque.

Every time I move my mouth I feel like I drank a glass full of varnish for breakfast. This better be worth it...

Not to mention I got put into the one room of the dentist office that didn't have a TV screen in the ceiling about the patient chair!

Blanding

2008-11-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been meaning to post these pictures for a while now. Two weekends ago JB and I drove down to Blanding where he is from so that he could kill a deer. I have never been hunting before. I kind of liked it (Even though I thought it was fun I also feel a little bit mean to the deer saying that I liked hunting. Don't get any crazy ideas, like I am going to shoot one next year or anything). Mostly I liked hanging out on their farm and riding four wheelers and all that kind of stuff. We did lots of man activities... (see pictures)

We went fishing the day before the hunt opened. See, I told you that I did all kinds of manly things.

JB caught a little one!

This is the face that JB makes when he is concentrating really hard.

More man-activities. I shot a gun!

JB and the Victim. I have many more pictures, but this one was the least-gross. I have decided to spare you all from the rest. You are welcome.

These last three shots are their farmhouse, the sun setting one day, and a pond in front of the farmhouse. It really is beautiful there!

Go Aggies

2008-10-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sarah shared this gem with me.

I DEFINITELY have problems!

2008-09-22T15:24:00.001-07:00

So, at work just barely, I was emailing this person that I don't even know and have only emailed 1 or 2 times about some letterhead. She had laid it out and sent it to me for approval. I didn't like the way it looked, so I decided to forward it to my co-worker, Sarah, to get her opinion.

BUT, because I try to work at a speed that isn't healthy, I accidently hit, "reply" instead of "forward."

SO, thinking that I was replying to my good friend, I sent this message:

"Do you like the way this looks? I have problems making decisions."

and sent it.

So, I just told a complete stranger that "I have problems making decisions."

And I am sure on the other end that she thought, "You have more problems then that!"

But then she replied something very kind and pretended that I wasn't a psycho or anything. How kind of her.

In tribute to Grandma LaRue

2008-09-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

I am taking a web design class this semester. For our first project, we are supposed to pick a topic of our choice and build a 15 page website about it. I randomly decided on the topic of "Spoonerisms," which is when you accidentally mix up the letters in words when you talk, like instead of "take a shower," "shake a tower." Or, "Better Nate then Lever," instead of "Better late then never."

First off, for my visuals, I decided to just do random silly pictures. My little brother T-Y just happened to be in town, so I made him and his friends pose for a few of them. I really like how this one turned out, plus Ty looks like an old man and so I decided to post it as pay-backs for his illiterate comment last post!

More importantly, I ran across the spoonerismed-version of "Cinderella," aka "Rindercella" and it instantly brought back memories of my grandma LaRue. She had a copy of this story and she used to TRY and read it to us, but she would laugh so hard that she couldn't get the words out. As I have been working on this project, I have thought about my grandma LaRue a lot and (consequently) have caught myself laughing out-loud quite a few times. Watching her try to read this was a million times more hilarious than the story itself.

Once apon a time, in a coreign fountry, there lived a very geautiful birl; her name was Rindercella. Now, Rindercella lived with her mugly other and her two sad bisters. And in this same coreign fountry, there was a very prandsom hince.

And this prandsom hince was going to have a bancy fall. And he'd invited people from riles amound, especially the pich reople. Rindercella's mugly other and her two sad blisters went out to buy some drancy fesses to wear to this bancy fall, but Rindercella could not go because all she had to wear were some old rirty dags. Finally, the night of the bancy fall arrived and Rindercella couldn't go. So she just cat down and scried. She was a kitten there a scrien, when all at once there appeard before her, her gairy fodmother. And he touched her with his wagic mand ... and there appeared before her, a cig boach and hix white sorces to take her to the bancy fall. But now she said to Rindercella, "Rindercella, you must be home before nidmight, or I'll purn you into a tumpkin!"

When Rindercella arrived at the bancy fall, the prandsom hince met her at the door because he had been watchin' behind a woden hindow. And Rindercella and the prandsom hince nanced all dight until nidmight...and they lell in fove. And finally, the mid clock strucknight. And Rindercella staced down the rairs, and just as she beached the rottom, she slopped her dripper!

The next day, the prandsom hince went all over the coreign fountry looking for the geautiful birl who had slopped her dripper. Finally he came to Rindercella's house. He tried it on Rendercella's mugly other ... and it fidn't dit. Then he tried it on her two sigly usters ... and it fidn't dit. Then he tried it on Rindercella ... and it fid dit. It was exactly the sight rize!

So they were married and lived heverly ever hapwards. Now, the storal of the mory is this: If you ever go to a bancy fall and want to have a pransom hince loll in fove with you, don't forget to slop your dripper!

Thanks, Grandma for all the laughs.

Things I learned about myself today.

2008-09-10T16:20:00.001-07:00

Today I googled "Loni."

I found out some new things about myself.

I am a place.

"Louisiana has made great investments through the creation of LONI."
also, "The institute uses LONI to drive research and education"
I had no idea!!

This is another Loni that has a blog.

And then there was a bunch of crap about Loni Anderson.
Mostly, I'm excited that I am a place in India.

But, I emailed Ty and told him that I am a place, and this is what he said back,
"you're only 49% literate, and you are also a dwarf from Lord of the Rings."
Kinda burst my bubble. Thanks Bud.

The End.

I'm losing my brain but the weekend is coming.

2008-08-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided that I need to not only obtain a planner, but use it. I have had lots of planners in my life, but I have never really used them past the first week after I buy them. However, this was the first week of school and I already forgot three things... including going to a class. One of the other things I forgot (to put on mascara yesterday morning) isn't something I can write in a planner to remember. But, Rhonda-Mom told me that if I write down everything else then I won't be stressed and forget to do things like put on mascara. She is smart, I think I'm going to try it.

Oh, by the way, I dreamed that I performed heart surgery on my mother last night. It was stressful, too. And weird.

So, things are pretty crazy right now while I am trying to adjust to working full time in a fast pace job and go to school at the same time. But I do have one good thing to report-- the viewbook is done and printed!!! After working on it for 2 months, I held the final product in my hands today and it felt so good!

Creative Block

2008-08-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Things I do at work when I need a break and can't work any longer:
-check all three of my emails.
-check facebook.
-check facebook again.
-facebook spy when I don't have any more notifications.
-check google reader and read the blogs of the fam.
-start reading random people's blogs.
-read the Herold Journal online news.
-chew gum.
-chew a new piece of gum.
-try to find the top of my desk under all the papers.
-clean all the random file off my computer desktop.
-water my plant.
-gmail chat cali.
-research the design of other universities.
-reseach random website's design.
-go talk to sarah.
-last resort: blog.

If I knew how...

2008-08-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

If I knew how to make my own blog layout and make it work, I imagine I would make it look something like this... Instead I just design fake blogs and then make incoming freshman tell me their goals so that I can fake-post them on the blog! I love my job... :)

Fortunately, I am taking a web/flash class this coming semester (school starts on the 25th... where has the summer gone?!), so maybe in a few months I really will know how to publish my own blog layouts!

Lastly, I think It is appropriate that since I am making the new students post their goals, I should post a few of mine... but first I will send ten of then to Sarah, let her edit them, cut out the 5 that are most lame, re-write them, make them better, make me sound more ambitious then I am, and then I will post them... or I might just go through all the incoming freshman's goals that she has already gone through that process with, and steal the goals of theirs that sound pretty fun to me. Either say, stay tuned! My goals are going to come soon!

Work

2008-07-31T15:03:00.000-07:00

Cali told me to blog and I told her that I couldn't because I have been way too crazy busy with work! So I decided to export a couple pages of this book that I have been working on and stick it on here. This is what I have been up to lately! It's called the viewbook-- the Universities recruiters take it around to all the high schools and junior colleges in the state and show potential students!

Photography Class Final

2008-07-19T13:17:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to scanning prints from the final project in my photo class last semester. It was a way fun project to work on-- you wouldn't believe how many funny looks and random comments we got while hauling that giant stuffed horse (platoon) around Logan!

Random Pictures

2008-07-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

I have been really lazy lately and haven't uploaded pictures from my camera for about a month, until now. So, I just picked a few of the random things on my camera to highlight...

Ty-Bee graduated from high school! I was so proud of him.

Crystal and Dave at SOAR. How adorable.
I'm still new to blogging and don't know how to make the picture rotate.

I hand picked these last three out of a series of about 50 pictures that were on my camera, taken by Kaleb! Joel and Tammy and their kids came and stayed with me at my house in Logan (aka the blue cottage bed and breakfast) while Joel had a booth at the arts festival up here. Kaleb got a hold of my camera one night and went crazy taking pictures. It was really cute. There are about ten of that dinosaur!

My dear friend, Noelle, whom I shared a room with (and practially a bed as well) got married. It was a way pretty reception!

I went boating with the ward, here I am wakeboarding.

I unsuccessfully attempted to do a flip.

JB and Brian on the shore of the lake. JB is rockin my aviators-- which he broke when he hit me in the face with a frisbee!!

I picked up my 15 year old cousin, Abby, from EFY and took her boating with my singles ward. She was getting hit on right and left! it was hilarious!! We thought the braces would be a dead give away of her age. I guess not.

Oh, cousinly love. How adorable.

I'm SOARing. Flying. There's not a star in heaven that I can't reach...

2008-07-07T11:46:00.001-07:00

Ok. Sorry for that cheesy intro. I just couldn't help it, what with Troy Bolton on the mind (Shout-out to Geoffrey!! haha) and being at SOAR today-- it seemed appropriate.

Another side note: my roommates last year were in love with "high school musical." It seemed like everytime that I walked into our living room they were watching it. That's how I know the lyrics, I swear!

Ok, I am finally getting around to the point of my blog today. I decided I need to talk about SOAR. SOAR stands for Student Orientation, Advising and Regristration. I am on this thing called the "A-Team" (Inspired by, but not the same as the 70's TV show, which i have never seen). On 12 separate days during the summer students come up to Utah State and get oriented to the University, and I get to help them. My responsibilities during the day include but are not limited to: teaching students how to set up their aggiemail accounts for two hours every morning, fetching sarah bagels, giving a really boring presentation about how to register, pay fees, buy parking passes, etc. to a group of about ten students an hour and a half (I had a student fall asleep once), emptying garbages during lunch, helping students register for classes, becoming an unoffical advisor when the students actual advisor didn't tell them what to take, and (my favorite) setting up the aggie ice cream. Setting up the aggie ice cream is by far my favorite part of SOAR days. Dave Nugget and I are the lucky individuals who were given this responsibility every SOAR day. After lunch we get to sanitize the tables, and take the ice cream scoops to the hub where the send them thru that really hot high pressure dishwasher thing. We also get to have some one-on-one Dave and Loni time, which we call "freezer talk," were we counsel each other about life's problems while we are in the walk-in freezer. Most importantly, we get to pick the ice cream flavors that are served that day. With a lot of power comes a lot of responsibility. Its harder then you think to pick a just three flavors of aggie ice cream to serve and try to please everyone. What we usually try to do is pick a chocolately flavor, a fruity one, and then either aggie blue mint or a vanilla based flavor. People get very passionate about there ice cream flavors. Sometimes when we don't pick well enough there is a huge line at the aggie bluemint bucket and no one is wanting any toffee crunch or lemon custard. It's harder then you would think. That's why Dave and I were trusted with the coveted ice-cream-set-up-job. GO AGGIES!

Oh ps-- I forgot to mention the real best reason why I like being on the A-Team: All the great friends that I have made who are on the A-Team too! They are some of the best people I know!

"I've had worse sores..."

2008-06-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

I got hit in the face with a Frisbee yesterday. I am currently 2 of 2. I have played frisbee twice this summer. I have been hit in the face each time. I think it's time to put the frisbee on the shelf for the year. or forever.

I am publishing this picture so that you may all see that horrific mark it left on my nose. Note the green circle and arrow that I have added to the picture so that my sad scratch can't be missed. Ok, it isn't that bad, but it did bleed for a few seconds!

All growing up my dad used to say this phrase, "I've had worse sores right between my eyes!" So, this one is for you dad! Go ahead, say it. (Actually, Mom, go get Dad and tell him to read my blog so the he can say it. Thanks Mom!) I know it's only a wimpy scratch. You have had worse!

Also notice my mile long To-Do List on the whiteboard in the background of the picture, with none of the squares checked off. I wonder why...

One week 'til my birthday

2008-06-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

Dear World (aka the 5 or so people who read my blog),

I am quickly approaching my 21st birthday. It is one week from tomorrow, on July the 3rd. In reference to my birthday, my mother always likes to tell the story about how her and I watched fireworks from the hospital after I was born. That's why I have changed my blog layout to have a little picture of fireworks in the background. Plus, I just like fireworks.

So- back to the topic of my 21st birthday. I feel like I should be doing something crazy to celebrate my last week of my life as a twenty year old. Instead, I'm... blogging. oh well.

So, basically this is a blog about nothing. I keep on writing, though.

So. Let's see how many paragraphs I can begin with the word "So" without realizing it. Oh, three!

Maybe instead of doing something crazy in commemoration of my birthday I should have a little reflection on the last 20 years of my life.

It was good.

The end for today!

I feel like a million bucks.

2008-06-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

I don't have any exact reasons, but I feel like a million bucks. I go through phases. I'm never not generally happy. But sometimes I feel extra good about my life and myself. Right now is one of those times. I am very thankful for everything in my life-- my family, friends, my job, my cute plants that sit on my front porch, my ghetto blue house, my aggie blue bike, my japanese eggplant that I accidentally bought, and those fluffy clouds that were in the sky today, that I got to spend the afternoon outside at the lake today, Morgan's headstands, and pretty much everything else.

Right now Morgan and I are sitting on our beds that we made in my living room and blogging. We went to a show earlier and saw a few of our friends play (good job adam and jordan, I especially liked their song called "plunge"). Then we ditched out on a campiing trip, planned a campfire in my backyard, cancelled a campfire in my back yard, had story time/show and tell in the living room which included walmart stickers, extra-high-slit skirts (volleyball accident), back bends, songs about Zazarra (Tennile's made up word for the hair that grows on the back of your neck), Box Elder/Fire bugs, and Elbows that bend in ways they definitely shouldn't, and then after getting so much done today, Morgan and I decided that we would wrap up the day with some blogging while we sit next to each other. So here we are... but now I'm definitely falling asleep...

Big Girl.

2008-06-16T08:29:00.001-07:00

It's official. I'm a big girl now. My mother has kicked me off of the family health insurance (and she decided to inform me in a text message, no less!), I haven't lived at home for more then two years now, I get announced as a visitor in Sunday School class every time I go to my home ward, I am just weeks away from my 21st birthday, I own a crock-pot, and I bought my first ever car!! Yes, that's right, I bought a car. A 2007 Nissan Sentra. It's adorable. (see pic below so that you can agree.)

I am driving down to Salt Lake tomorrow night so that I can pick it up. Now I just need a name for it!

Hammer Pants, Ice Party, and Keytar

2008-05-28T17:35:00.001-07:00

Love You Long Time, MC Hammer, and Vanilla Ice are coming to the McKay events center this october! Who would have ever thought? Best news all day (except Ty-bud's story about running over his computer)-- I am in heaven! And tickets are only 15 dollars or so the rumors say!!!! I love my life.

A real job!

2008-05-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's official! I interviewed last Wednesday for a graphic design position. I will be designing for the Public Relations and Marketing office and Admissions office at Utah State! On Thursday we had a ribbon cutting and name plate unveiling before we went out to lunch for JonAnn's last day.

It was really official. Here are the pictures to prove it...

The moment of the unveiling.

Ribbon Cutting

The whole office (almost).

Did I mention the job title also includes Vanna White skills?

And it wouldn't be complete without the "grab and grin."... I think that's what it's called...

I made a blog.

2008-05-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

So, I am supposed to be packing and moving and cleaning my apartment, because I move to a new house tomorrow. But for some reason I'm sitting on Morg's bed listening to her and Tamara fight about Morgan using words like "vay-cay." and so I decided to start a blog! So, here it is, the Lon Blog. It seemed like the cool thing to do.

And then I wanted to put a picture on my blog. but since my camera is downstairs, and Morgan's Family is way too entertaining to go down there and get it, I decided to search through my old pictures on my camera and just choose one of those. Now they are talking about Heath Ledger and how playing the part of the Joker drove him insane so he had to OD.

So, anyway, back to my picture. I found a picture of my fish's grave. RIP Neil. Neil was actually not my fish, he belonged to my friend Matt Bury. Matt gave me his two fish, Neil and Gill to take care of when he went on his mission. I took care of them for 6 months (that is WAY good for two goldfish!). And then he died. So last spring semester Halie and I took a spoon out of the drawer in the kitchen, and buried Niel in the dirt by the fence inbetween Pineview and Garden Court. We had a funeral. We even played Taps. (side note: Neil is named after Neil Diamond). And it was really sad. I really actually felt remorse that I didn't keep Matt's fish alive until he came back from his mission. So long story short, Neil and Gill really hadn't been the same fish for 6 months. They had already died and Matt had replaced them right before he left on his mission and I didn't even know. I felt deceived.

(now Tamara is getting mad at Morg for saying "P.S.")