The True Princess

I saw this picture and immediately thought of my cute little nieces. This picture is dedicated to all of the princesses out there, myself included, who have a hard time always acting like one. This is also to contradict the saying of "Act like a lady" I hate that saying.

"Hair" is my new do

So I made a pretty rash decision this week, and just decided to chop off my hair. Why hold on to it... right?

Happy Birthday Madre!

Mom I hope that you had a fantastic day! I love you so much and am so thankful to have a mom like you.

Baby Everett Meet Aunt Kell

I went down to SLC on Monday to finally meet my newest, tiniest little nephew, Everett Creed Murdock. To be completely honest the whole pregnancy and birthing details kind of creep me out, and well... scares me to death! But I can't deny that the finished product is amazing. He is so tiny, soft and warm. I love that he can barely open his eyes, but when he does everything is new to him. I love that he wants to be wrapped up so tight, and when he can move he yelps. I love the cooing noises that he makes and even his little cry is adorable (although in large increments, probably not so cute).

Snowly Cow!

This weekend my environmental education class took a little field trip to the Grand Teton National Park. I think we were doing "research" but nobody was really sure. We stayed at the Teton Science School, explored the park, and snowshoed a little. The snow up there was INSANE, the pictures don't do it justice. There were times when the snow was as tall as me.
This is normally a great view of the Grand Tetons, but the clouds didn't leave the whole time we were there. Bummer.

Corona Arch

Last weekend we went to Moab to visit Bri and Alina. We went on a hike to Corona Arch. It was a little chilly but felt quite a bit warmer than Logan. It was a good break from the below zero temperatures.

A pain in my neck

So this week (today in fact) I had to take the Praxis. The Praxis is a content knowledge test that you HAVE to pass in order to student teach, and then again as a real life teacher. So this was kind of a big deal. Not only does it cost $$$, but you don't pass you don't student teach (until you take it again... and pass). So my good friends Constance and Candace came over to study this week. Since studying was kind of boring we ended up taking pictures of ourselves studying (or pretending to studying and making Pazookies).

After taking the test at 7:30 AM, I treated myself to a trip to the DI. Now I know that chances are, nobody really cares what I got at DI. BUT I was so proud of this trip that I took a picture of all the good stuff I got. I know I am a nerd, but I can't help it. I got 12 good books, a cute wallet, a wooden necklace, 3 Chinese lanterns (that actually light up), awesome shoes and an electronic Catch Phrase for a whopping total of......(drum roll please)........ 26 DOLLARS.


I forgot to tie in the title of the blog. When we took the practice test my head was tilted a weird way that made it hurt for a while. Then I spent so long looking at books at DI with my head tilted to read the titles, it was hard to straighten my neck. It is hard being a college student.

Back to school...Sniff...Sniff...

Well the holidays have come to an end and that means that I am back in Logan. Don't get me wrong I do love Logan ... now, I used to not so much. But nothing is quite like being at home when the whole fam is gathered together, doing nothing productive, laying in front of the fireplace, never really getting out of your pajamas, eating more junk food than anybody ever really should, and having it be perfectly acceptable.
I think it is quite funny that I am posting a video of the holiday extravaganza when most of the people who will watch it, were there and experienced it for themselves. The game playing was out of control and I am happy that I could snap some photos, the awkward hand hold is a part of the new cranium that includes puppetry, lets just say that some people felt uncomfortable. And my dad on the floor, don't worry he is not dead, just skydiving.
I can't complain too much though because Logan did welcome me with open arms. Today some guy told me I looked "Spiffy", which I think is a good thing, but am not sure. Then in environmental ethics I saw the best balding student with a LONG ponytail that was parted in a comb over to cover his shiny white head. Thanks Logan, you always seem to cheer me up.

White Hairs and Gingerbread Houses.

So I guess last semester really took its toll on me. While studying for a singing test, yes you read it right, I had a singing test, my good pal Constance pointed out a glistening white hair a top my head. At first I didn't believe it, but it is true. I guess I should just succumb to the fact that I will be dying my hair for years to come. Although I usually try to stay away from taking pictures of myself I thought this was a worthy cause.
On a more holly jolly note, we made Gingerbread houses last week. I think the activity was supposed to be for the kids, but somehow it ended up being Miranda, Jen, Tyler, Hatee and myself decorating.

Only At Christmas Time

Tis the season for creativity! Our decorations this year certainly are far from ordinary, which we ourselves are also becoming. Because of lack of funds and "real" decorations, we had to put our heads together (and steal some ideas from Alina) to make our apartment glow with Christmas goodness.
We started by covering our windows with shrink wrap, which I think is usually the best place to start the winter festivities. You may also notice that while inside our little apartment we are all wearing scarves (which Jen, I don't own one of my own ;) ), our heat is not working and we are FREEZING! Anyways, we ended up cutting a branch off of our neighbors pine tree (shhh, don't tell). We then grabbed one of Michelle's real skirts and used it as a tree skirt, then hung a star from the ceiling down to the tree. When we realized we had no lights for the tree we strung popcorn, and with no ornaments we hung our ear rings, no Christmas stockings we hung our own socks. Needless to say we are proud of our humble abode.

A new low

Well I'm not really even sure how to start this post. I want to think of something witty, maybe even funny to say, but am just speechless (which is saying something). Just click this logo or go to www.mormonsexposed.com, to see what I'm talking , or not talking, about. Once at the website click on "Meet the Missionaries", then choose a missionary, when his picture comes up, put your mouse on him and see what happens.



I thought that we had hit an all time low with the new LDS BMX'ing missionary movie (extreme mormons), but I was wrong, this is the new low. By putting this on my blog I am in no way promoting or condoning the morons that put this together, the exact opposite actually. hmmm....I guess I wasn't so speechless after all.

Time to grow up?

I think not. Yesterday I officially turned 21, I can now legally buy... well lots of stuff. The party started at midnight and lasted 24 hours. We had drinks, cupcakes and some very entertaining gifts. The girlies gave me a very intriguing calendar and The Planet Earth! Not literally the planet Earth, but the BBC series which I am super ultra (as Rowan would say) excited about. The twins gave me an anatomically correct model of a man, which we proceeded to put together last night. We thought it would take 15-20 minutes, well 3 HOURS later he was put together. It was a long night, but well worth the wait.

I am apparently a fan of slide shows, so here goes number two within a week of each other. Oh and we were arm wrestling to see who had to go on a mission, it wasn't just for fun, it was serious business. Good news, I am off the hook ;)

Halloween Logan Style

I know the rotting pumpkins on the porches mean that Halloween is over, but I didn't get a chance to post this until now. So put down your Christmas lights for just a second and revert back to Halloween mode. We had our 2nd annual Halloween party this year and boy was it smokin'. We were all a little melancholy for our childhood so decided to re-live it at the party by eating donuts off a string, dropping Jello and stuffing our mouths with marshmallows. On a more mature, but also more eccentric note, we also had an Edgar Allen Poe reading contest. I know, who does that, right? Well we do, so back off. The contests were of course backed with prizes which mostly consisted of over sized t-shirts and trophies we found at DI. Overall I would say it was a huge success.

Holding Down the Fort in Logan

Well I just thought that I would put some perspective on the phrase "mundane life". I feel like people have been throwing that term around a little too loosely. To demonstrate here is what I did this weekend.
Darci followed me around with her camera. I was a psuedo model for her art project. I look particularly homeless in this one, good thing I don't normally sit alone in alleyways.

In front of the cool Utah theater, standing in the middle of the road, hoping not to get hit by a car.

Alina, you can paint gourds.... but can you STACK them? And yes that is my Arthur coloring book in the corner, that was last weekends entertainment.

It took a lot of determination and time, but I finally got ALL of the gourds stacked onto one pumpkin. You may hold your applause. I hope you all had a great weekend.

USU students at their finest

Disclaimer: Do not judge all USU students by the actions and/or words of one.

In my health education class, our professor chooses a couple of people each day to answer some random questions. It is his way of making the awkward first day of school, last ALL SEMESTER. People usually say ridiculous things and make fools of themselves, but last Wednesday one girl one-upped everyone. Her question was "If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?" Her answer "ummmm, probably like mmmmmm, Justin Timberlake..............or like Jesus." Seriously, as if the answer Justin Timberlake wasn't embarrassing enough.

It's not easy being green (or is it?)

In honor of Blog Action Day, which is dedicated to the earth, I thought I would leave you all some tidbits of information.

-If everyone in the US refused their ATM receipts, it would save a roll of paper more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the equator fifteen times!

-If every American changed out just five regular light bulbs for more energy-efficient compact fluorescent ones, we'd keep more than one trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of the air - equal to emission of eight million cars.

For us ladyfolk...

-Opt for foundation in simple recyclable glass container over one sold in non recyclable plastic tube or bottle. If one in twenty women chose glass over plastic packaging for her next foundation purchase, the energy conserved could fill a twenty-gallon gas tank once a week for twenty-four years.

All of this came from The Green Book.

Nobody says it quite like Xavier Rudd.

The Center of the Universe

This past weekend we, as my brothers would say "Didn't let school get in the way of our education." We went down Cataract Canyon and lived to tell the story.

Bre and Myself hanging out on the party barge and actually reading something I wanted to read, instead of lame textbooks.

And the Gloria award goes to........One afternoon we all hiked to "The Dollhouse". Before hiking back down we sat down for a rest when I heard the soft clank of a ski pole. To all of our surprise, Gandolf comes walking around the corner. It seems that if you tell my dad he might not be able to do something, it only makes him want to do it more. Hmmm, I don't know why us Murdock kids are so stubborn...

I feel like this picture looks like a weird time warp, like we are climbing through the hole in time. But don't get confused, it is just a big hole in the wall.

Oh Tommy Boy

Yesterday I was running late and was booking it to my guitar class. As I am going in the building who should come out, Tommy Emmanuel, the guitarist that I had tickets to see that night. He said something to me about a fellow guitarist, to which I replied a smile and a half hearted laugh, because I didn't recognize him. Anyways long story short, he is the mother flippin', I know Germain is not gonna be pleased, but it is true. Just imagine him in a black velvet, yes velvet, top: That is what he wore last night.

Mi casa es su casa

The outside (our front yard if you will) is decorated with some simple but classy, cultural decor: the authentic Brazialian hammock (which is rarely empty) and Tibetan prayer flags. We have, by far, the coolest apartment in Logan and possibly West of the Mississippi.


On the inside you will find Stan the studley bike on the wall, Owlbert, the owl in dangling from the ceiling, and Alfred and The Lionness adorning the wall. Some people might think that naming inanimate objects makes you crazy: we beg to differ.

Wild Life

So I guess I am making up for the pictureless blog by having way too many on this one. This is from our trip to Jackson Hole, where apparently people think it is okay to have arches made of antlers.
This is Bjorn the bear, he decided to join us on our hike for a second or two. He looked all soft and cuddly until you saw the 4 inch claws coming out of his paws.


This is the sign coming into Yellowstone, don't worry we all giggled (even the tough guys).


Just hanging out (I know I've used the joke before) in my trusty hammock that goes everywhere with me...


One morning two HUGE moose came trotting into the campground. Although you can't see it, there was a trailer parked behind Bullwinkle with a 10 ft. satellite dish , classy campers I'll tell ya.


Everyone waiting for Old Faithful to come through once again.


A picture as good as this one can not be hidden away. Our bagels were so hard it was like eating cream cheese on a slab of wood (not quite concrete)