Hello Kitty

Amber and I returned home from California a few weeks ago to discover that we had two new additions to the family - baby kittens! (that is kind of redundant isn't it? baby kittens?) Anyways, they are sooo cute!
We immediately vetoed Colter's choice of names - Stripes and Tiger. So unoriginal. But that's Colter for you. All the fish are named "Swimmer" and all the frogs are called "Hopper." That's just the way it goes with him. . . But we refused to let out kitties live out their lives with boring, traditional names! After trying out at least a dozen including Zeus, Marshmallow, Puffy, and Triton we decided upon Corduroy and Mercury (like the liquid metal, not the planet).

Although I don't like to say that I have a favorite, I'll admit that I am partial to Corduroy.

I would say that out of all pets, I would consider myself most to be a cat person. I especially like big, fat, fluffy cats! Like my grandparents' cats for instance. They are huge, and so soft and cuddly! I want one just like them someday. It will be a boy and he will be gray and I will name him Aristotle.

back to school bonfire

So I have been slacking a little in my blogging since school started. I'm a busy girl. What can I say? Plus, I have still been sick so that definitely doesn't help my energy or productivity. School started on a Thursday this year (weird) and so by the second day of school it was already the weekend! Some friends and I went to a bonfire out at the sand dunes and had a great time! Here are some pictures . . .

Hannah and me on our way to the sand dunes!

This is the best picture in my opinion! Aren't they cute?

These aren't the best pictures of me, but in my defense, the reason that I look prego is that my camera case was in my front pocket.

Constitution Day

I just found out that today is Constitution Day! The Constitution of the United States was signed exactly 222 years ago today. Cool huh?! I have always loved learning about U.S. history and the process by which our nation was formed, and being in Washington, D.C. only enhanced that love. While I was there, I read a book called Baptism By Fire about eight American presidents who took office during times of crisis. It was so amazing to read about these men and then see where they lived, to walk where they walked, and to even visit the oval office where they worked! One day I read the book while sitting in a park right across the street from the White House. How cool is that?!

As I have probably mentioned before, the National Archives is one of my favorite places in D.C. It houses the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and several other important documents. These are all viewed in the large rotunda in the building where you can't help but feel a sense of reverence. I am the kind of person who gets teary eyed in a place like this. Even the building itself is amazing and I just stare at it in awe of the architecture.

Anyways, I just wanted to express my appreciation for this great country that we live in, and for those who brought about our nation and the freedoms that we enjoy each and every day.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I just wanted to take a moment and tell everybody how much I love school! I can't even begin to explain how happy it makes me to walk on campus or to enter my classes for the first time. It's like something has been missing from my life for the past five months. Hello BYU-Idaho! How I have missed you!

Forget Christmas, or my birthday, or the summer break; to me this is truly the best time of the year! It's the time when everybody comes back to Rexburg, a time of buying school supplies and figuring out schedules and meeting new roommates. I just can't get enough of it!

Today was possibly my last first day of school, but somehow I don't think it's the end. Sometimes I think that school and I are MFEO (made for each other). We shall meet again! Regardless of what happens after I graduate this December, I intend to keep on learning for the rest of my life.

The Golden State

Here are the rest of my California pictures. Like I said, I didn't get too many. I did take more pictures with Stacie's camera so I will just have to wait until she sends them to me. They are all pictures of the marina where I went for a bike ride with my Aunt Josiane. The marina just happens to be one of my most favoritest places ever! It is so beautiful down there by the bay. I am sure a blog post about it will come in the near future. :)


So here's a little more about California . . .
Monday night was perhaps the highlight of my trip. We went down to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz for 75 cent night. (Is there really no cents sign on the keyboard?) All the rides were 75 cents. Amber and I jumped right onto perhaps the most exhilarating ride in the park called the Fireball. After almost peeing our pants, we decided to cool down and ride the roller coaster. And I'm talking THE roller coaster: The Giant Dipper. It was the first roller coaster either one of us ever rode and it continues to be one of our favorites. It is an old wooden roller coaster and, I learned that night, the 6th oldest in the nation. Pretty cool. I find that roller coasters are one of the few places where I can really let out my emotions. There may be times when I feel like yelling and screaming and laughing simultaneously, but only on roller coasters can I actually get away with it without drawing attention to myself because everybody else is doing it too! I wish that I lived closer to a roller coaster. . . And to the beach. That was another highlight of my trip. The beach is about a 15-minute walk from Stacie's house. You get to walk down this path through a wooded area that smells of eucalyptus. I love it. It's so nice to pack a lunch, a towel, and a good book or crossword puzzle and just relax on the shore. Heat emanates from the sand underneath your feet (yes I go barefoot) and the sound of the waves lulls you into a sweet state of contentment.

Aside from that, we did the traditional California trip activities: get a haircut, watch "What Not To Wear," go to a movie, and eat corn dogs and chocolate-dipped ice cream cones at the Boardwalk.

Unfortunately Amber got sick toward the end of our trip. After sharing a room and being cooped up in a car with her for about 16 hours on the drive home, I guess it's to be expected that I would get sick too. I thought that I was strong enough to avoid the infectious transmission, but alas, here I am with a sore throat, cough, and stuffy nose. And I start school this week! What a way to start off my last semester of college. (My last semester!)

We all got matching "tattoos" of a lotus on our hands. It's the new Rodrigues Family gang symbol.

Someday when I'm rich . . .

. . . I am going to have a Japanese garden.

My family and I visited the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park last Saturday while in San Francisco. I had been there before and I had seen other Japanese gardens, but this visit sealed the deal. My mind is made up!

Nothing says beauty and serenity like bonsai trees, ponds with coy fish, waterfalls, bridges, pagodas, and stony walkways. Just feast your eyes upon it!




It may look like Amber and I are hugging in this picture, but she was really just trying to push me off the bridge. True story.




Amber took most of these pictures so I unfortunately cannot take credit for them. But I think she did a great job.

The Capitol Building

Ok, I was getting tired of looking at my trail mix entry, but since I left my USB cable and camera battery charger at home, the California pictures (what few there are) will just have to wait. . . Instead, I'll show you more of D.C.!!


It has now been exactly three weeks since I left. Every day that goes by takes me further away from that space in time which I spent there. Looking back on it, it seems like such a brief moment and I have to remind myself that it really happened.

In commemoration of hitting the three week mark, I have posted every picture I took of the Capitol Building. . . and there's a lot.

Me with a yield sign coming out of my head.