surreal.. but nice.

11:00 am Wednesday

HOLY CRAP. 

i'm in rexburg. 

i'm on byui campus.

i can't wipe this ginormous grin off my face!

As I was driving up here last night, i got right near the Utah/Idaho boarder and i nearly started crying! the last time i did that drive (either direction) was december 18, 2011. i can remember that day like it was yesterday. I couldn't believe i was going up there again. i have done the drive from UT to ID so many times, but that drive felt so different. 

I left Layton at 5:15. (pretty terrible time, rush hour!) and the sun was definitely starting to set. it was at the level where no matter how hard you try, the sun visor thing will NOT block the sun without blocking the road. and as i drove north, the mountains to the east of me were turning a deeper red. at one point i thought 'the mountains are on fire!' and then i headed north east after tremonton and i got between mountains. so the sun was setting where i was driving, but the sky was still light cuz the sun hadn't actually set beyond the far horizon. i got up past Malad and as i drove down into a valley i saw that to the right of me the sky above the mountains was yellowish blue, and to the left of me the sky was pinkish orange. it was BEAUTIFUL. i kept driving, the sky kept getting deeper. and THEN i hit pocatello, the sky was starting to get dark. i get right past poci and BOOM to the west there was this stunning orange stripe right above the horizon. i seriously had 3 hours of sunset. as i was driving and realizing that, i couldn't help but feel like Heavenly Father was blessing me for coming up ere to visit my friends. Like somehow this was were i was supposed to be going. 

I pulled into Rexburg and was immediately shocked by how different things are. yet driving up E 7th S next to the temple, felt so normal. like i was coming home. I feel more at home here, than i do in Centerville. I really do feel like i'm home. Homeless and out of place, but still home. ironic how that works, isn't it?

 Last night i got to see nikka, tiff, em, matt, and jess! and i met jess's ryan! it was all so exciting. i sat in jess' kitchen with her, nikka, ryan, and a few of jess' roommates. we were just laughing and telling stories. that is what life is all about. laughing, enjoying your friends company. i'm so happy i be back here visiting. 

last night was a rough one not gonna lie. i ended up watching all of Jane Eyre. by myself. the couch really is unbelievably uncomfortable. i tried to sleep on it until about 1:30. i moved to the floor with jess' extra egg crate. and finally fell asleep about 3. and some of nikkas roommates got up at 5. so really, i'm running on very little sleep. :-/

but i slept in nikkas bed till 8. yesss. i got up, tried to go for my run. A. the altitude different was even worse for me than SLC. B. it was a lot LOT colder than i thought it was. 

i picked my car up from matt and ems. 

i went and got jamba and $1 oatmeal. things have changed so much there!! the redid that strip mall area. Hollywood is gone gone. and jamba, the dental place, and hair we are have replaced it. Broulims took over the space of all the old places. and jamba has a drive through now! brilliant!!!!!

came back and got ready for the day. 

i walked up the bookstore. it is so CRAZY to be on this campus! the stairs just north of the MC (under the walkway to the library) i walk up today.. for the second time ever. the first time was the day i graduated. hahaha. i had the BIGGEST grin on my face as i walked up those stairs and into the new part of the MC. and then i walked in the bookstore and saw all these familiar faces. i was so stinkin happy. i got to catch up with all the buyers and cashiers. it was so great to talk to them. i miss them so much!! Herman noticed i had a backpack on and said 'so what does that mean? goin back to school?' i just laughed 'no, just carrying my laptop around.' haha and one of the current b-store workers kept lookin at me funny cuz i was going around talking to everyone! he's just jealous he doesn't know everybody like i do! and that i'm their favorite more than him!! :-P

Sorry for the break you didn't know just happened. I just talked to my awesome friend Angela! it was SO awesome to catch up with her, and share stories about what is goin on in our lives. So many things have happened, changes have happened, experiences have been similar. its was neat to talk to her. 

So hear i sit, people watching in the Crossroads, drinking a Jones Cream Soda (the cap says: Saturday and Sunday stack odds in your favor; my guess is something great is gonna happen at stake conference!! haha) 

Well, after i typed that i talked with my old friend Soren. we got to play catch up on everything that has been going on with us. and then we just sat and talked for quite a while. that was really fun. 

two Jones Sodas later.. my throat was still raw. i haven't talked this much in months i swear! (and my day isn't even over yet!)

and then i went and saw my little sister!! i got to brighten her day. got to hear how she's doing, how her fam is doing, talked about boys a little, and she went to help me pick out my hair dye! i love that girl. she makes my heart happy in so many ways. i miss being able to go on adventures to IF with her. and have nail painting, movie watching adventures. 

next, i got to hang with Tiff and Nikka! mcw00t! the only thing on my schedule for the whole trip was tiff dying my hair. so that DID get done. i was going for  light/medium (natural-ish) brown. with a dark brown shadow box underneath. well. i got a dark brown on top. with a dark brown underneath. it's not quite as dark as it was when i went for black and red. but it seems dang close! when i get home tomorrow.. i'll be jumping in the shower first thing. gotta get some shampoo on this stuff and see if i can lighten it up. PLUS we accidentally got hair dye on my jeans. so now i have an excuse to buy a new pair of AE jeans! :-P

While tiff was dying my hair, nikka made us french toast, and i edited tiffs wedding pictures. but mostly.. we just listened to music and laughed. a lot. 

next i was supposed to get together with ferg, but dying took too long. and then he had stuff goin on. So i went back to tiffs and finished editing the pics and put them on her external. while we watched Criminal Minds baby! w00t w00t. nikka came. and it was just like old times! we discovered that we were all 'closet geeks' while we lived together, and we again... laughed.... a LOT. i can't believe how much fun i have with those girls. life is nearly perfect when i'm with them. 

after bein with my girls for awhile. i finally got together with Ferg! we tried to get ice cream. but the place was closed. so we just sat on a picnic table in freeezing weather instead. we talked for an hour and a half. my toes are just getting tingley... so i should have feeling back in them in a few hours. haha but nah, it was really so SO great to catch up with him. a lot has happened in a year. i can't believe we started dating a year ago. i can't believe i ever broke up with him. well, i can. but i can't at the same time. he's such a great guy! dang. but it was fun to see him and hear what's going on in his life. he's made some pretty big decisions and he's got a great plan for himself. he's goin places. doing things. i held my hugs with him a tad longer than i probably should've. but i couldn't help it. and man.. he still smells way good. cuz i know you were wondering. :-P

it was so weird to feel rushed to be home by curfew! i haven't felt that way in... well, 9 months i guess. :-P 

alright, i think i'm gonna try to go to sleep. try being the key word. i also need to figure out if theres anywhere else i need to try to go before i leave. i'm thinking maybe a stop at rami's? can't decide. i kept feeling like i needed to go to Original Thai and Fongs but i didn't. may regret that later. i can't find tacky chinese at home anywhere. I also just kinda want to go back up and sit in the cross roads for awhile! it was just so fun to people watch!. but my boss at worked called this evening so i need to find out what's up with that. maybe i need to be home tomorrow afternoon. well, i should be for tony anyways. but meh. we'll see. 

alright world. sorry that was such a long post. and i'm ULTRA sorry i didn't grab a picture with each person i got to stop and see. i hate myself sometimes. and that's one time. but i'm over it. promise. it would've made this post a lot more exciting to look that though, you can't deny it. 

kk. love you! sweet dreams. and know that you are loved. 

12:25 am Thursday