Operation: Something's Fishy

No one knows how funny my apartment really is.  We're hilarious.  The problem is that we do funny things that we really can't tell other people about...  Fortunately, the funniest thing we did all semester was let out of the bag this past week so I can FINALLY blog about it.  It was killing me keeping silent!  The story is kind of a long one and I want to record it all so this post might get a little lengthy....

Where to start??  Well, to summarize, my roommates and I pulled a prank on our fhe brothers one night and they never found out it was us.  We ended up telling them on Monday night since the semester ended this week.  It was the funniest thing I've ever done in my life.  I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.  It was uproariously funny but at the same time, I've never pulled any sort of prank before so whatever I did was bound to be funny.

Now for the long version.  It all started with Alexis and I in the car on the way back to Rexburg from Rigby.  We were talking about pranks in general and somehow got to the idea that we wanted to prank our fhe brothers.  We love them to death and always have fun with them and it just seemed appropriate!  We decided to "water cup" their apartment.  This meant filling hundreds of dixie cups with water and putting them all over their floor, thus preventing them from walking anywhere until the cups were picked up.

Now, how did we carry out such a magnificent feat?  Well the only time we could guarantee that all six of them would be out of their house was during fhe on Monday nights.  So we found an activity that they could do at our apartment that would take a decent amount of time...making pizzas.

I couldn't be at the apartment when they got there since our cover story was that Alexis and I were in Rigby, so I went to the Clarke basement next door around 6:00 to hide out for an hour.  My friend Garrett (who lives in the basement) came to get me at my apartment since I was also bringing the goldfish and a bunch of pitchers.  I pretty much just sat around for an hour, waiting for the signal that the coast was clear.  At 6:45, Garrett and his roommates had to leave for their fhe which left me alone in their apartment (I have no idea if that's technically allowed at BYUI) except for the guys who live upstairs.  They kept coming downstairs to do laundry and I was freaked out that they would see me sitting there and wonder what in the world I was doing and I couldn't think of a good excuse.  Thankfully, I went unnoticed.

To get to the basement I had to walk right past their apartment...hence, a disguise was needed.

 Once I got the go-ahead from Alexis (who was watching the apt from across the street) I ventured up the cement stairs with the pitcher of goldfish in one hand and three other pitchers in the other.  I tried hard to be careful and graceful but sometimes grace escapes me at the most inconvenient times.  I tripped up the stairs and was unable to brace myself without letting go of a pitcher of fish so I ended up dumping half of the water on me and a few of the fish on the ground.  Try picking up a goldfish sometime.  The little buggars just flip and flop and are literally impossible to grab off a cement step.  So I had to sweep a few fish back into the pitcher before finishing my ascent.  Let me take time to mention that right after I fell, Alexis decided to yell at me to hurry up...she got a good laugh when she saw me soaking wet and definitely not standing on the stairs.

The 17 unwilling participants.

Wet from spilling water all over myself...

 We knew we had to work fast so I started setting cups out around the edge of the room and Dustin (Alexis's boyfriend who happened to be in town) and Alexis started filling them.  It was quick and continuous work.  We didn't stop moving for an hour and a half.  Every once in a while I would stop setting out new cups and help fill or place some goldfish but for the most part we stuck to our jobs well.  The entire time we were in touch with Hillary at our apartment to make sure the guys weren't going to come back before we were done.  It was stressful but once we realized we were almost done and the pizza's weren't even in the oven yet we started to breathe a little.

We used about 1600 cups.

After finishing, we gathered all of our supplies and headed back to our apartment.  It was SO HARD not to laugh as we were walking in (at least for me).  Plus, our roommates wanted to see the pictures of what had happened so they rotated to the back rooms every few minutes to sneak a peak.  Mad props to them for keeping the guys entertained and out of their place for so long.  They had to do some serious story telling.  They ended up staying at our apartment for another hour and a half which worried me slightly because I didn't know if the paper cups would leak water or not.

Finally, they got in their cars to head home and as soon as they were around the corner we jumped in a car to follow.  We parked in a lot across the street and watched the ensuing chaos with girly giggles, high fives, and pure joy.  Here were six guys just standing in the doorway because they couldn't walk anywhere.  As we were sitting there I got a call from one of the guys accusing us of the prank but I obviously denied any wrongdoing and he believed me enough for the moment.  We circled the block a few times and then switched cars and went around a few more so that they wouldn't get too suspicious.

The guys in their doorway

 When were getting ready to switch cars, Lauren decided she wanted to go in undercover and see what they were saying.  So she and Brittany gathered their backpacks and headed past their apt "to the library."  Lauren, being the genius she is, remembered a voice recording app on her phone and turned that on.  The conversation that she recorded is HYSTERICAL and indescribable.  We listened to the recording so many times we must have it memorized by now.  Brittany and Lauren did a great job and feigning innocence and their reactions were even somewhat genuine because they hadn't seen the room full of cups in real life until then.

The following weeks consisted of numerous inquiries by each of the guys trying to get us to admit that we did it and none of us cracked.  They interrogated so many other people and I think the idea that they weren't positive it was us helped us stick to our story.  We were lucky that they have so many other friends and family members that potentially could have done this that we weren't singled out.  Sure, we were number one on their suspect list but the key point is that were weren't the only ones on the list.  Personally, I had to lie to each one of them numerous times...and honestly, I felt bad.  I really did!!

Once we even heard them accusing some other girls and the girls acted so guilty we couldn't help but be pleased with ourselves.  Not that we like that others were bullied because of us, but we pulled off the perfect prank!  We didn't leave any clues behind, we went back to the scene of the crime and didn't get caught, and we stuck to our story so well they actually started to believe us.

Finally the end of the semester came and we knew we had to tell them.  I mean, we couldn't go forever without getting credit for this!  There was a ward bowling party and after that we went back to the guys apartment.  I had put together a slideshow of all of our pictures from the semester for us to watch and it was really fun to reminisce about all the good times.  Some of the "last" pictures were from the pizza party that night.  After those I stuck in a slide that said "meanwhile...." and the next picture was one of Alexis and I standing in the middle of all of the cups.  SILENCE.  Oh my goodness, not the reaction I expected at all.  I wish we would have had the lights up so we could see their faces!!!

I think it took a while for the information to digest and then as the night went on and we started explaining what happened we could see all sorts of light bulbs going off in their heads.  It took them a while to grasp the amount of deceit we actually employed and the amount of spying we did after the fact...from keeping them at their apt to make pizzas (they wanted to go get ingredients at their place so many times but the girls would just convince them to use something we already had), to every time we denied any wrongdoing, to watching the entire thing unfold from across the street, to Brittany and Lauren recording their bewilderment, to anything and everything in between.

I may be wrong about this, but I feel like they gained some respect for us.  We pranked them.  They got pranked by who they thought were the sweetest, most amazing girls at BYUI.  I don't know if there can ever be full trust between our apartments again but hopefully there can be.  From this stemmed yet another story that relates the cunning and hilarity of our apartment but sadly isn't bloggable quite yet...maybe someday.  I wish I could write about every moment related to this story but there would be way too much and no one wants to read all of that.  Heck, I'd be surprised if someone is still reading this which is only a hundredth of all the things I could write about! 

There are a few videos we took that night (and tons more pictures) so if you're interested in seeing those you'll have to look on my facebook page.  If you aren't my "friend" then you probably don't know me and I'm wondering how you even found this blog.  Thanks for reading stranger!

Life is good :)

Please pass the Afrin

Ugggggggggggg.  Being sick is no fun.  Especially when all it is is a sore throat and stuffy nose.  The rest of my body is in tip-top shape and I'm ready for the day!  Too bad I can't stop sniffling...

I missed a fun dinner out with our fhe brothers.

I haven't been to the gym since Saturday.

I haven't been out of the apartment in more than 24 hours.

I'm still in my pjs at 11:00.

I thought I could make it through the night without Nyquil...woke up thrice to blow my nose and had to go in the hall so I wouldn't wake Alexis up.

I actually watched a movie all the way through (not a bad thing I guess).

Okie Dokie, I'm done complaining now.  At least I don't have real classes to go to.

I'm on a sugar high

Some days I have random thoughts and think to myself "I should blog!" ...and then I don't.  And I feel kind of bad because I don't want to write an entire post of completely weird and unrelated stories.  And then I remember it's my blog and I can do whatever I want!  Here goes....

A few weekends ago I went to Utah with Kadi, Alexis and Hillary.  We went to Provo Friday afternoon and I got to have ice cream with my best friend growing up, Heather Millett.  Friday night we drove back up to SLC and stayed the night with Alexis's brother and sister-in-law.  Saturday we went to Temple Square, saw seven brides in less than 20 minutes, got lost, and ate at Olive Garden before heading back to Rexburg that night.  It was a quick trip, but a good one.

At the BYU Mens' Volleyball game

 
 Last Saturday we had a non-Monday fhe activity at Alexis's house.  Her parents have a pool and racquetball court in their clubhouse so we went back there and had a little party.  We had pizza and cake (it was Travis's birthday that week),  sat in the hot tub, played water polo, watched the guys beat each other in racquetball, and had a blast!  It was amazing because we got ALL TWELVE of us there.  I don't think I've ever had an fhe activity before where absolutely everyone came.

Valentine's Day was spectacular for me this year!!!  No, no boyfriend BUT that just made it even better.  I got up at 5:30 to cook my roommates breakfast casserole.  Alexis got up a little later to make pancakes.  We even decorated the table cute.  So at 7:00 am we had a lovely roommate breakfast!  Later, Alexis and I baked some cookies that Lauren had made the dough for the night before.  Then Lauren and I decorated them for our Visiting Teaching sisters and they turned out excellent.  It was like a double whammy because we put them on top of cupcakes.  Lauren and I also made some V-day cards.  I quite enjoyed doing a craft since I don't do them that often anymore.  Monday night we went to our bishop's house for fhe and then I went to our brother's apartment to watch the old musical, The Band Wagon.  I much prefer Singin' in the Rain...this one was a little out there.....

SUPER-

BOWL... The Packers are in the Superbowl again!!!  The last time they won, I was in first grade and in second grade they went but lost.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's our time again!!!  Usually I couldn't care less who was in the Superbowl and wouldn't waste my time watching it but I think this year I will make an exception.  I mean, I lived in Green Bay for eight years so it's hard not to.  I miss the craziness of that town.  Our McDonalds has a green and gold roof instead of red and yellow, players would routinely come to our elementary school during lunch and give us trading cards of themselves (even though I had no idea who they were), and Friday's were green and gold days where everyone would dress up.  I just got a letter from my grandma telling me that when the Packers were in the Superbowl in first grade she was babysitting me and I tried on a bunch of different green and gold combinations and couldn't find any that I liked so I sat down, cried, and refused to go to school.  She did finally manage to get me to wear something and go but I think it's funny that I cared so much about looking cute on green and gold day.

FHE ACTIVITY...  I played in the snow for the first time in a few years last night and it was wonderful!  Ohio is not too conducive to sledding (you can go to the reservoir or....the reservoir) so I haven't gone in a while.  BYUI is on a massive hill so if you want, I'm pretty sure you could sled from the top to the bottom of campus in one long ride.  I only went down the hill once because there were massive jumps at the bottom and I'm a scardy-cat.  BUT, I kicked some butt in the snowshoe races...kicked my own butt that is.  I raced three times and I fell three times.  More like totally biffed it three times.  Running in snowshoes is much harder than it looks.  You can't put your weight forward like normal racing, you have to stand straight up and run...it's hard.  I raced Jamie so that I could beat her at something and we were neck and neck until the very end when I started pulling away so she tried to push me down.  But I outwitted her and dove for the finish line!!  Yeah, that was funny.  Needless to say, I was sore the rest of the night and today I don't have full function in my neck back.  But it was worth it for the hour or so of fun I had.

TARDFRAG*...  Dear Tardfrag,  Do you know how big of an idiot you are?!  Do you realize how lucky you are that you picked the sweetest, more forgiving girl at BYUI to play?  Because had you done to me what you did to her, you wouldn't act so happy and you would be scared to show your face anywhere near our apartment.  Love, your secret dis-admirer.

This is the only picture that google images came up with for "tardfrag"....

 ROOMMATE...  I have been so blessed to have four awesome room-roommates since being at school.  Castellia, Audra, Whitney, and now Alexis.  This is my third semester living with Alexis and we decided we liked each other enough to share a room.  What an adventure it's been so far!  You know what's weird?  We're practically opposites in everything.  If someone asks which pair of earrings we like better we choose different ones.  We have opposite tastes in boys (ahem)...men.  We get along fabulously but just can't seem to have the same opinion about anything.  I think it affirms the law that opposites attract.  The one thing we agree on is Steve.  No worries, as I said before, we don't like the same guys and will never have that fight.  Steve is a pillow.  A long, slender, cozy, fuzzy, practically-perfect-in-every-way body pillow.  His permanent residence is on Alexis' bed but sometimes he comes to mine for sleepovers :P  Speaking of bedtime, it's going to be bad next semester when we have to get up early for classes because we spend an hour every night before bed just talking...about anything and everything.  That's what roommates are supposed to do, right?  Oh, and we spy.  A LOT.  So if you see four eyes through the blinds of 217 they're probably ours.  You wouldn't believe all the stuff we find out just by watching people late at night (or early in the morning, or in the middle of the afternoon...)!!   

    
TIRED...  Goodnight all :)

*Note: The phrase "tardfrag" is used with permission from Whitney Nebeker.   

A post for the sake of blogging

I will apologize a head of time for this post...there's really nothing funny about it.  Usually I wait until I have something important to say before I blog.  Actually, looking back, I rarely have something important to say.... interesting? naive? time-wasting? completely random?  That's more like it.  But since I am also trying to use this blog as a journal of events, I feel I should write for the purpose of writing and recording my happenings.

I'm back in Rexburg after a two week vacation at home (well I got back on the 5th).  School is wonderful!!!!  With two religion credits (and ONLY two religion credits) my work load has been quite a bit lighter than last semester.  I've had a lot of time to do things that I only dreamed of doing in the fall.  I've been to the gym almost every day (one day I worked out next to Jack Weyland (a well-known LDS author) who wrote Charly which has been made into a tear-jerking movie) and my muscles yell at me constantly for not using them the past few months.

I've cooked a few meals although I hope to do more as the semester goes on.  I still enjoy my calling in Relief Society and am looking forward to getting to know all of the girls better.  I baked delicious polar bear cupcakes!

 
Last Wednesday I was dragged to country dancing by my old roommate, Lexie, and have decided to go back every week.  I'm pretty awful at it at the moment but I'm really hoping that if I keep going I'll someday figure out what I'm doing.  Hillary and Alexis came to the instruction with me last night and we learned a few things.  The problem is that more girls show up than guys so I didn't have a partner for most of the instruction which complicated things only slightly.  I was the stereotypical bad dancer who stepped on too many toes and could not follow half of the twists and turns I was supposed to do.  But I will get better and by the end of the semester I will rock the country dance floor...or at least not break as many toes.  

Alexis, me, and Hillary all ready to rock the dance floor!

We had our first FHE (Family Home Evening) on Monday which was a blast and a half.  Usually the first one is super awkward because you don't know many people and no one knows what to say but this time we all hit it off right away!  It felt like an fhe from the last month of the semester.  This is good news and hopefully we'll all enjoy going and getting to know each other.  

I'm an usher for devotionals again this semester.  We're in the new BYUI Center which makes it a much more difficult job because there are new rules and most students aren't aware of them and when they are made aware they don't want to comply.  I still love doing it and I feel like I'm able to give back to the university by volunteering some of my time to make it a better place.

BYU-Idaho made an amazing lip-dub/ flash mob movie at the end of last semester that I was able to be a part of.  I got on a committee to organize another one for this semester and am really excited to get to do something like this!  I miss theater productions from high school and making movies with Eli so by helping with this I am able to get part of that back and enjoy the creative process again.

Last weekend I got a surprise visit from my Tucker grandparents and cousins from North Carolina.  My cousin, Kimberly, left on her mission to California for two years on Tuesday and they stopped in Rexburg so she could say bye to a bunch of friends.  I loved seeing them all and even got to give them a tour of the new parts of campus.

Today I've been so lazy it's embarrassing.  Alexis just took a picture of me writing this so I thought I'd post it...for memory's sake....

Thank you, Alexis, for reminding me how pitiful I look today.  I promise that this is the only day I've been in my pjs at 11:30 am!!!!  I'm usually up before 8:30 and headed to the gym.  Today was just not my day I suppose.

I'm getting my butt in gear now.  There's real things I need to accomplish today that require exerting energy.