from garth

Now for the hoe down on what Garths seeing around here

As you can all see im blogging.. dont be hatin aight!... this is my first time haha well all i have to say is that there is no fishy up here in alaska! You wanna know our work scheduel we work one day on and six days off its quite the working days around here and it doesnt help that Katherine is always having poop attack!! 

I just also want to say that i love Brinlee!! even though some times she beats me up with her crazy fighter skills!!! BING!!!!

revenge round two...

as cath and i were leaving work we saw that mark and shelby were right in front of us.

which means that it was the perfect opportunity for us to get our second round of revenge. 

we watched them walk into their rooms and as soon as they entered we got to work.

step 1: fill up the garbage can with water.

step 2: lean it against the door.

step 3: knock on their door and enjoy.

see for yourself!

poor poor mark and shelby...didn't even see it comin'!

and the video is sideways, i apologize, i can't figure out how to switch it!

bored...

so today we were bored.

really bored.

and sometimes when you're bored photobooth can become really entertaining.

so here's what ashton and i did for a good hour and a half today.

enjoy!

and then cath had to join in because seriously, it's funny!

so ash and i hope that you enjoyed these photos half as much as we did.

and if they made you laugh, well you're welcome!

have a great day! [:

revenge...

at approximately 12:36 last night, or this morning i guess, our down the hall neighbors, mark and shelby, woke up to this lovely surprise.

harsh?...not if you know the whole story.

recently mark and shelby have thought that they were super funny by placing fire extinguishers in front of our door then banging on our door and running away. which is a funny prank but there's one problem. mark and shelby love to party which means that they knock on our door at 2 or 3 in the morning.

when cath and i are asleep.

this little prank has resulted into quite the struggle. cath sleeps with her head phones in so she usually doesn't hear the banging. i on the other hand can't sleep with my head phones in because it hurts my ears. oh yea, and i'm a wimp. so at 3 a.m. when they bang on our door it usually results in me frantically waking up, heart racing, and jumping up into the top bunk with cath. which wakes her up and all i can say is, "cath please tell me you locked the door!" 

then it hits me.

it's just mark and shelby.

little bums!

so cath and i have been plotting a bit of revenge. i wanted icy hot on the toilet seats, because due to personal experience i know that it hurts, and it lingers on the seat even after you've wiped it off. but due to the public restrooms that little plan wouldn't work. so this is the beginning of our revenge.

also getting these two little stinkers back is quite the struggle because

a. they're usually out until ridiculous hours of the night and

b. catching them when they're sober poses quite the challenge.

so last night we got lucky with them going to bed early and sober. and we took full advantage of it.

[don't mind our crusty selves, it was getting late!]

so there is phase one of our revenge.

[yes there will be more to come.]

but you're just going to have to stay tuned for that!

i dare you...

so tonight we got a little bored. nelson, ashton, and garth were in cath and i's room and we were skyping with george to pass some time. i decided to skype my family because i wanted them to meet nelson so that they could see just how funny he was. after the skyping was over we all just kinda sat around bored out of our mind when ashton spotted some icy hot. he picked it up and i told them about this awful experience i once had when i accidently got icy hot in my armpits.

let's just say icy hot in the armpits hurts.

bad.

so i said i dare you to put it on your armpits and ashton and garth being the geniuses they are did it. five minutes later they realize that i was right, icy hot in the armpits hurts dearly. so they start jumping around their arms flailing around when out of nowhere nelson jumps on ashton's back and yells, "i holding your arms down to make it more worse!"

[notice garth in the background with the horrified face and grabbing his armpit!]

but watching nelson jump on ashton's back was way funnier than watching ash and garth put on the icy hot.

they finally couldn't take it anymore and they took off on a dead sprint down the hall. which then had everyone opening their doors trying to figure out what was going on.

which left nelson in our room laughing so hard.

the best part about it was that he was standing on the bed jumping up and down on it.

oh he is way too funny!

hopefully garth and ash learned their lesson about icy hot, and if not that's just fine because they were great comic relief tonight!

one month...

it's official, i made it one month in alaska.

which to some may not be surprising, but i would just like to say that there were a lot of people out there betting on how long i could make it in alaska and i think the highest bet was two weeks.

so i proved you wrong, and yea, i'm kinda proud of myself.

but anyways, i'm done talking about all you non believers. my month in alaska has definitely been one to remember. i've laughed, cried, made new friends, and learned a lot of new things about myself.

some things that i love about alaska...

-i love that i can be whoever i want up here. nobody here remembers the awful picture i had in second grade, or my awesome poofy bangs. (which i rocked by the way.) nobody here cares and it's like having a new start.

-i love taking runs in alaska. it is so pretty.

-i love that i can now officially say that i have had a "real" job. (sarah, i totally consider you a real job but some didn't...a.k.a. my parents.)

-i love the fact that i am living with cath. (she just told me to put that.) but in all reality i am glad that i got to come up with her. it's been a blast. she's taught me a lot and helped me with even more.

-i love that i've finally learned to speak up for myself. usually i just do what people want unless i get super mad, but up here that has all changed.

-i love that i have become somewhat independent. i've been scared to go anywhere alone, i even make my mom return things for me because i get too scared. alaska has changed that...kinda. when i first got up here i followed cath everywhere. yes, i still follow her around a lot, but i am getting so much better.

-i love that i can manage my own money. i've learned the importance of saving instead of spending.

-i really love these guys.

i love the friends i've made up here and i will definitely be sad when i have to say goodbye to them.

-and most of all i've learned to appreciate them.

and i really cannot wait to see them again.

some things i don't love so much about alaska.

-the food. it's fish, or deep fat fried. and i miss my mother's cooking.

-the public bathrooms. (i bet nobody saw that one coming.)

-the fact that i miss my heels, nail polish, and hair bows every single day. because i know that these little babies are missing me just as much as i am missing them.

-i hate that i can't go on the river to jetski and boat everyday.

-i hate missing my friends.

-i hate that alaska has no taco bandido.

-i hate fish.

-and most of all i hate that i can't talk to my mom everyday face to face.

but even though i hate and miss a lot of things i am grateful that i had the opportunity to come to alaska and experience all of the things i was able to.

so all in all one month down...29 days to go.

but who's counting? [: 

catchin' up...

so it really hasn't been too long since the last time i posted but it really seems as if an adventure happens everyday day here in alaska, so i've got a bit of catching up to do.

to say the least this week has been a bit sad, ok really sad actually. things have happened that have changed my life and really made me want to become a better person which brings me to talk about church. i LOVE church here. back home i lived in "mormonville." now don't get me wrong, i loved living in my sheltered protected little town, a lot actually. being here in alaska has done nothing but made me appreciate it even more, because alaska has been a MAJOR culture shock. people party and drink here every single night. payday actually means party day. the language up here is like nothing i have ever heard before in my life. i could probably count the times i've ever sworn on one hand. people up here can beat my all time record in just 3 minutes. because of this i find that i am actually anxious to go to church every sunday. i love it. sometimes we have to work on sundays and so i've only been able to go to church twice but both times have been fabulous. not only that but it has seemed like each week the speaker said exactly what i needed to hear. not only that but the members are fabulous!

just on sunday one of the members invited us over to their house to play games and have treats. basically the best sunday ever! we had caramel corn and played a good three hours of scum! thank you allie and trey smyer for making me into one fabulous scum player! 

on monday cath and i had the raking shift together. i love when cath and i have the same raking shifts! we pass the time by singing songs at the top of our lungs. yes we sound beyond awful and yes, we have a fabulous time. also we get to spend good quality time with this great guy:

[no i am not becoming morbidly obese, the sweatshirt is just WAY too large.]

anyways, on monday cath and i were raking when nelson runs up behind me and yes, we had another fabulous conversation. 

nelson: so when we gunna' play basketball?

brin: tonight!

cath: yea! when we get off work we will play!

nelson: oh no! i be sleeping!

cath: oh nelson, you'll only be sleeping because you're scared we will beat you!

nelson: oh no, i not scared! because i play like kobe bryant...but better!

brin: oh no i hate kobe!

cath: he's a rapist! go rajon rondo!

nelson: oh no! rondo is gay!

brin: nelson, rondo is not gay! he's my boyfriend so he can't be gay!

nelson: i know he gay, cuz he just called and broke up with me!

oh i love him. and i am sure going to miss him. because how can you not miss this?

i told him we were going to take a "best friends" photo and that's what i got.

such a gem.

moving on. today tiff, cath, and i headed to the store to spend all of our money on treats.

yes, our stomachs needed it.

so we decide on what we're going to buy by finding the cheapest snacks and splitting them three ways when our friend lillian tells us that she has a club member account and that we can borrow it because it gives her points. which means, good treats for an expensive price instead of a ridiculously expensive price.

we were this excited...

and we came away with some fabulous new treats!

another fun thing that happened today was we got to ride with tami to see if we could find a bear. we went back to the fish hatchery and it was low tide so it was really fun. this fish swam up this hill thing and then got stuck in this wiring.

it was a great time with these two.

cath and i finally got ready for once and so we decided to document it.

as soon as we finished taking this picture preston ran over to us yelling that they had found a bear. i was expecting to see a bear like up in the mountains but boy was i wrong! the bear was actually RIGHT across the street!

then it crossed the street...

and it was soo close to us!

then the bear went into the water and we watched it catch fish.

pretty cool if you ask me!

it was a fun day!

also, kinda random but in case you're ever in alaska,

the speed limits are 29 and 11.

weird...

quite a week...

so to say this week has not been my week would be a bit of an understatement. its been one of those weeks when i feel like the whole world is just crashing down around me. its been a rough week, but one that i have learned so much from. i want to remember this week. i would write about it in my journal, but i don't have paper or pens/pencils and i'm too cheap to go buy them (i know...pathetic right?). nothing has happened directly to me, but to those i care so much about.

it is not my place to share whats happened.

however; i will share what i've learned.

i've learned that heavenly father knows exactly what is the best for us. he knew that me coming to alaska was the right thing for me to do. i'm so thankful that i came. i've already had the best time and learned so much about myself.

i've learned what it means to hate the sin, but love the sinner. that is something i never understood until this week. it is so hard to do, but it is so important. going along with loving the sinner is also not judging--something i've always struggled with. i judge almost everyone i meet right when i meet them. i've learned in alaska that that is not the way it should be. i've meet some of the best people and i never would have gotten to know them had i let my first judgement get in the way. its not my place to judge someone when i don't know anything about them.

i've also learned the importance of the simple stuff they teach us in church: praying, reading your scriptures, eternal families, temple marriage, word of wisdom, honesty, etc. i've learned this stuff since probably nursery and now i'm just barely learning the importance of these (i know...i'm dumb right?). we have these guidelines to help us, not to restrain us. they are there to protect us from the stupid things in life that will never help us.

i've learned how truly blessed i am to have the family i have. like i've said this has been a rough week, but it could have been much more rough had my family not been there for me. everyday i've had either a text or call, sometimes both, from my mom and sisters saying they are thinking about me and hoping i'm doing ok. those small things have helped so much--especially when i know they all have much more important things to worry about. those three women are exactly how i want to be when i grow up. they are so caring and loving, and i hope to be just like them. i like to appear tough to others, but i love that i can call my family in tears and not be embarrassed. i love that just hearing my mom or dad answer the phone makes me feel right at home.  i also can not say enough good things about steve. he has been wonderful up here. i'm not sure i could have lasted this week without him here talking to me and giving me hugs when i've cried (which has been more times than i care to share). 

so yes, it has been a tough week. a kind of week i hope i have very few of in my life. but i am grateful for this week. i've learned so much!

Breaking Back

So I (Catherine) may or may not have an obsession with books written by or about athletes. If an athlete wrote it; I'll probably read it. A couple months ago in my Mental Aspects of Sports Performance class (sounds like a super cool class right? IT WAS!) we watched a documentary about a tennis player named James Blake. In the documentary he talks about his career and a really sad event. He also goes on to talk about a book he just finished writing. So of course after class I went to amazon and bought that book (along with a few other athletes' books). I finished reading this book the day before I came to Alaska. But here is the story: in 2004 James was practicing in Rome for the Masters when he slipped on the clay court and collided with the iron poles of the net. He ended up breaking his neck. On his way back to the US two days later he learned that his dad had been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. He was able to spend the last two months of his father's life right by his dad's side. In the book he says that breaking his neck was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. If not for his injury he probably would have never taken that leave of absence from tennis and would have never gotten that final time with his dad. He never realized how amazing his dad was until he got to spend all that time with him.

super awesome book. i would definitely recommend this book!

Anyways the reason I'm blogging about this is because I feel a little bit like James. Don't worry I didn't break my neck and my dad doesn't have cancer, but it did take me coming to Alaska to realize what an awesome brother I have. It has been so great having Steve here with me. I always tease him about how he follows me everywhere, but lets be honest it is me that does all of the following. I followed him to USU and now all the way to Alaska, and not once have I heard him complain about having his little sis follow him around. I seriously could not have asked for a better brother. When we were younger we used to fight like any other brother and sister, but things have definitely changed in the past couple of years. The only fighting we do now is when we have box out matches on the way downstairs to see who gets control of the TV. And can I just say that I put up a pretty good fight :) 

So here are all the reasons why I think Steve is pretty great:

•  He is seriously probably one the funniest people I know. He can lighten any mood with one of his jokes/ office quotes. 
• He knows almost everything about any sport. Even sports he doesn't play he can tell you a bunch of stuff about it.

• He is quite the peacemaker at our house. He doesn't like tension and fighting and he is usually the first to apologize if an argument breaks out. He is not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong and I've overreacted (which I never do :)) And he usually tells me when I need to apologize too. Earlier this week we got into bit of a disagreement, and now I'll admit he was right. He came and apologized to me even when we both knew he was right. He is amazing!
• He runs almost everyday; which is something that we Blakeslees hate doing. The past couple of months he has wanted to get into shape and he is doing a fantastic job. He has starting eating healthier and he really is such an example in fitness!
• He has such a strong testimony of the gospel. He served a very faithful 2 year mission and still lives his life that way. He has been talking to one of the kids we work with about the church. 
• One of the best uncles I've ever seen. He watched the movie 12 dancing princesses once with my niece Paige and that is quite the accomplishment since that movie was so awful! He loves to play cars and manly things like that with my nephews. He is always willing to watch my nephew Carter while we're at school (I'm not sure if thats for Carter or the fully stocked fridge). 
• He is one the smartest people I know, little bit of a nerd, but thats ok! 
• He has the best attitude of anyone I know. He never complains when he is asked to do something. He sings and does the funniest dances at work to help the time go by faster. When I complain about the job he usually tells me to be glad I have a job or something along those lines. 

here we are in new york

Steve at the wax figure museum doing what Beyonce told him. "if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it."

like I said he's pretty funny!

 he calls this "the thinker"

and this is "the stinker"

and I know this picture has been on here twice now, but seriously its funny!

seriously I have the best brother in the world! I'm so glad I came to alaska and realized this!

 

i'm cheap and a bit random...

so the worst part about alaska has got to be the fact that everything is so expensive,

and i'm so cheap.

and since we're not working a whole ton up here it leaves us all with a bunch of free time, which would be fabulous except nobody wants to pay for anything.

so we go for a lot of walks,

seriously A LOT of walks.

mess around with my camera.

yes, i have about a jillion pointless pictures like this on there.

we watch movies

and talk,

and just about anything else that is free.

so yesterday we were talking and i said man i feel like doing something. ashton then popped his head up and said hey i heard about free swimming at the pool for an hour tonight.

this summer i have seriously been river deprived and so when i heard swimming i was instantly game. plus, it was free. oh yea, i was so going.

one problem, i didn't pack a swimsuit, and i only packed two pairs of basketball shorts, my most favorite pair and a pair that is completely white.

but i just had to go swimming so i went through my sweats and luckily for me i packed my sweats that i just so happened to have a paint fight in this last year, so they were nasty anyways. so i went and cut my sweats into shorts.

ashton, steve, and i were the only ones that were wanting to go so we started off to the pool in our white trash swimsuits. really we were a sight to see!

(i forgot my camera, and i know that everyone is shocked that i didn't bring my camera somewhere for once but it is true.)

anyways we started walking and ashton said that he seriously was not against hitchhiking to the pool today and five seconds later guess who drives past us...my homey!

best day.

he was totally game to giving us a ride to the pool so we hopped in. and honestly you can never talk to nelson without laughing at something he says. yesterday the conversation went like this:

ashton: nelson, where did you get this car?

nelson: i stole it.

ashton: haha from where?

nelson: oh you kno, dis place.

oh nelson, i love you.

so we went to the pool and swam, for free, for a whole hour! and it was fabulous. and then our hour was over and we had to walk the two miles back home.

did i mention that i was the only one who thought to bring extra dry clothes? the boys had a fun walk home...

i did bring my phone and so i snapped this quick photo:

i love free swims now. and i'm anxiously awaiting the package my mom is sending with my real swimsuit in it.

also....

 hunter's baseball team made it to state today. and i am so sad i missed it. but at the same time i am so excited for him.

because that's when we made it to state this year. and it is seriously one of the best feelings in the whole world.

so hunter good luck at state baseball, i am so sorry i am missing it and trust me if i could come home and watch i totally would do it in a heartbeat  because i miss watching you play. you will be fabulous because you always are.

and even though you are one legit baseball player...

i'm still going to tell people that you learned it all from me, and that i'm still just a tad bit better. [:

but in all honesty we all know that this kid is the real master at baseball...

even if he is a bit goofy.

and one more thing just to make this post even more random than it already is,

i painted my nails.

i couldn't resist.

on the second day i arrived in alaska ashton asked if he could paint my toes and i , thinking he was kidding, said sure why not. so the next day after work ashton ran to the store and bought some nail polish, and polish remover.

so my toes were already painted,

and i knew we had the next three perhaps four days off,

and my nails were begging for it

and i had all the supplies

so i did it.

and i love it.

so thanks ash, you're a gem.

and my nails and i thank you!