Scrollie for life

I now interrupt the flow of Montana pictures to share our trip from this weekend: the Scroll reunion! While we didn't intentionally do it this way, June turned out to be our month of travel -- and is probably the last of our road trips for a while, since Andrew is sadly out of vacation time.

After leaving Thursday night and getting to St. Anthony about 1:30 a.m., we got up early and drove to Yellowstone (a few photos of that will be coming soon -- after I finish with the Montana pictures) to finally catch Mammoth Hot Springs with water. I am sad to say that after driving clear up there, Mammoth did not have water. My plans of taking photos of it with water were frustrated. Sigh.

Then we drove back down to St. Anthony, changed our clothes and went to the Scroll reception in the Spori building. I got to talk with my old Scroll advisors at BYU-Idaho, show Andrew the newspaper office and eat some of Brother Warnick's famous salsa. And our brother-in-law, Daniel, gave us a tour of the new BYU-Idaho Center, which is enormous. He even took us underneath the building to show us the ventilation system (huge tunnels that force the air up). We also walked around the MC and saw all the changes there. It's a totally different building. I can't believe how much BYU-Idaho has changed in just the three years since I graduated. It actually made me kind of sad.

From Rexburg we drove to Firth and had a campout with my mom's side of the family. Andrew and I got runny noses and watery eyes from an ill-fated hay ride through the weeds of Goshen (yes, that is actually the name of the area) and then drove back to Rexburg to go to lunch with his sister Mary and her family. Craigo's (now with the stupid name of Pizza Pie Cafe) is still as great as ever.

And we finally headed up to the Scroll banquet in the MC that evening, where I got to reconnect with many of my old co-workers and share a lot of memories from the incredible four years I spent at the Scroll. I didn't take any pictures there (partly because I was so emotional the whole evening and partly because I am still self-conscious about the braces and felt awkward seeing everyone with the awful addition to my mouth), but my advisor, Brother Warnick, posted the pictures from fall 2005 and winter 2006 semester on Facebook and I thought I'd share them. This is how I'll always remember the Scroll anyway -- when everyone was so young!

I'm in the middle of the third row from the back.

Again, I'm in the third row from the back, but on the left this time.

While I was there, the Scroll went through a major transition and lost more than half of its staff because they created a new program, iComm Student Media, that allowed students to participate in advertising, broadcast journalism and design, among other aspects. So, unfortunately, these are the only photos I have of everyone together on the paper, and I cherish them.

My time at the Scroll was one of the best of my life. I made the greatest friends there, learned from incredible teachers and discovered that I really was born to be a writer. I got amazing hands-on experience with writing, editing and design that I still use every day in my job, and I have connections with my advisors and teachers today. In fact, they asked me to come back in the fall and talk to current communication students about my experience. I am beyond thrilled to come back, especially since I've wanted to teach journalism ever since I graduated but had a change of plans when grad school fell through.

If any of you are former BYU-I students who haven't had a chance to go back and visit, make the time to do it. I was never a big fan of Rexburg and was happy to get out of there and on to bigger and better things, but I miss my teachers there and am so glad I went back to see them and let them know how much they meant to me.

Andrew was surprised to find out that members of the paper were known as Scrollies, but I absolutely love the name -- and I will be a Scrollie for life. That's just how it works.

The five worst campus jobs

Looking for employment at BYU–Idaho? Why not? Who wouldn't want to answer phones, clean toilets at 4 a.m. or plant ferns in the frigid Rexburg weather? Here is my list of jobs to avoid while attending this school, but who knows? They might be up your alley.

1. A food services employee who pushes catering carts between the MC, the library and the Taylor Building. In what world would that job ever be fun? With my luck, I would hit a bump in the sidewalk and salads would go flying. Or, even worse, I'd probably end up beaning a general authority with a grapefruit on devotional day.

2. A body model in the art department. Maybe it's because of my weak ankles, or perhaps because the idea of sitting in my skibbies in front of a bunch of artists gives me the shivers. Whatever the case, no Picasso is going to be sketching my nose anytime soon. Kudos to you if you help those artists become the Rembrandts they're destined to be — I'm just happy to leave that $7 an hour to somebody else.

3. Answering phones at the MC Info Desk. Since I've called this desk before with the most random questions about finding teachers or events, I know I'd staple my fingers for fun after a few hours of fielding phone calls or pointing out directions to bewildered students (Just walk up those stairs, no, not those stairs, the other ones, and then turn left...oh, please don't start crying) and community members who just haven't been to BYU-Idaho in awhile. The only redeeming quality about this desk is the candy jar. Actually, no. I think they got rid of that now.

4. Security! Securrutee... I know, I know. They're the only employees who actually get full blue uniforms and walk around like they own the place. It probably makes them feel a little bit like CIA agents or something. But really, looking at a screen in the library for hours and occasionally kicking students out of the Scroll office at 11:30 (I'm not bitter) could not possibly be that thrilling. And honestly, it's got to get a little tiring to glare at latecomers to concerts and make them feel as guilty as possible for jeopardizing the safety of the university. I mean, I'm just saying.

5. Repairing computer problems at the underground desk. After my poor little Mac spent the day at the computer help desk last week, I realized that I'm grateful I know very little about electronics — because otherwise, I would have to help poor, unsuspecting students who have corrupted their hard drives or ruined their speakers to calm down and realize that the world will go on. I just don't know how I could feel good inside.

There you have it. Sorry if I burst your bubble about BYU-Idaho employment — but hey, I'm graduating, so I won't be doing any of these jobs. Real world, here I come.

three inches tall

Have you ever come back from somewhere feeling great about yourself, only to realize that someone else is prettier, more talented, more athletic, and wittier than you? I'm kicking myself for feeling like this, but I feel about three inches tall.

I'm a senior in college now, and I feel like I've missed out on the "college experience." I never stay up until 2 a.m. eating pizza and playing video games. I don't cut class to go to a concert in Salt Lake City. I never go to big events on campus, and I always seem to be doing homework at my apartment. I'm 21 years old, almost done with school, and I feel like I've squandered my time here. What a horrible feeling, to feel like you're boring and uninteresting because you've never really done any of the typical college things.

It's good for me to write this, though. Maybe I'll feel better if I order some cheap Little Caesar's pizza and stay up till 3 in the morning watching SNL reruns.

Naw, probably not.