Friend-Shippin'

"I'M WAY UP I FEEL BLESSED"

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I am blessed to be able to say I have whole bunch's of best friends.
 I have friends: the friends I have had in the past that I still consider my current friends even if I haven't seen them in years. Friends that I currently have which is basically everyone I meet as soon as I meet them regardless of age gender or even IQ (A little iffy about the IQ one;) the friends I haven't met yet, and my current homies that I would consider my besties. My sisters.
 MY BEST FRIENDS.
You have already met three but the introductions have been a little hazy.. My fault I apologize though! I have six. So. I'm going to do a brief introduction to all of them... For journaling purposes, and to hopefully create a small window of understanding for everyone, especially them, as to just how much I love and appreciate each and every single person I am about to mention.

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The Trinity/Murder/Pride

Homecoming parade 2k14

We could never decide. Most people like to have their crew or their gang, we wanted something different. First we came up with the trinity, but then I had the idea of the Pride. Like a pride of lions. How sick is that? Then I read somewhere that a flock of crows is called a Murder. So basically we had to settle with all three. But mostly The Pride, if you ask me.

"IF YOU'RE IN THE PRIDE YOU'll BE BY MY SIDE" 

*This is how we find each other in a crowded room if we are lost. And sometimes in a non crowded room just for fun

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Lindsey Rendon:

selfie at the rodeo

 I met this lady in Jr. High but our friendship didn't really start until Cheer in ninth grade. We never hung out, we didn't know each other super well, but for some reason in some way or another we decided that we were going to be "Picture Buddies"

We took a bunch of hilarious pictures all of the time. By hilarious I mean, super weird but kind of endearing, in a goofy way. Sophomore year went by and our friendship was sort of missing in action, then junior year Lindsey decided to try out for the drill team which I had already been on for my sophomore year, and she made it. Not too long after that we were basically inseparable and she means the world to me no lie. We are going to take over SUU this fall, I am so excited to be her roommate. We decided that to avoid conflict.. we would make some ground rules. I will kill all of the mice, (she hates mice more than anything) and she will do laundry. I feel like I have the less difficult job, but I will not complain about it. Some fun facts about Lindsey: If you put your hand on her shoulder she will freak out because one time, she swears she had a skeleton hand squeezing her shoulders and she turned around to see.. nothing. So now it always freaks her out which is great because if she is doing something I don't want her to like embarrassing me or stealing my phone, all I have to do is squeeze her shoulder and whatever was going on will end because she is more likely than not cussing me out and dropping whatever it is she was doing at the moment.. ;)

She loves ice. Can't get enough of it. We already know if we are out to eat one of us is going to order a separate cup just for ice just for her. She is also one of the most kind people I have ever met. She is a sweetheart and always on the go to serve. She is Christ Like and the amount of spiritual growth I continue to see in her all of the time is astounding. We always end up having an adventure no matter what we do, even if it's to go pick up wings at BWW.. somehow it turns into a crazy memory that I will never forget. I am so excited to head to southern Utah with this chick, and I'm so grateful to know her and to have become so close. Something that blows me away about Lindsey is her testimony of the priesthood. Wow. She is one strong girl. Names Lindsey goes by other than Lindsey: Lindsbae, Jeanie, Jessica, and Ren-done

Hair Twin Pic when were were just babies aka 14 and 15

Taking a seat on our rival college mascot. GO T BIRDS

Jr Silverline game night 

Blue Lemon date with our moms after Women's General Conference

Senior week 2k15

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Maddie Massingill:

Maddie is strong to say the least. I remember one of the first few days of drill practice sophomore year sitting with her because both of my feet were in braces.. long story.. and I remember thinking this girl has the light of Christ written all over her countenance. Watching her testimony blossom these past couple of years has touched my soul among many other things she has taught me and I am so grateful I was able to be apart of it. Going to the temple with her, Walli, and the boys for her first time was something I will never forget and hands down my favorite memory with her. Maddie has a way of touching peoples live that you would just have to know her to understand. It doesn't take long, because she is always on the go to talk to someone that needs a lift, make someone smile that is different, and just in general love everyone no matter what. This girl is tough as nails. A few years ago she broke her tail bone.. when I say broke her tailbone I don't mean a little crack or sliver. It is completely detached from the rest of her spine and is hanging on by some muscles and nerves, which makes movement painful. She always has her doughnut with her (and inflatable tube) so that she is even able to sit down. Surgery right? No the healing process of a surgery like that is way too long, and if she were to do that she wouldn't be able to dance. But she can't dance anyway because of the pain right? Nope. Nothing could stop this girl from doing what she loves and that is dance. I have met a lot of dancers in my life, I am a dancer, but never one who is as hard working and passionate about what she/he does as Maddie Massingill. She is an inspiring person to say the least. She has taught me to dance through pain, endure well, and be happy despite everything there is to complain about.
Not just in dance, but in life. Another of my favorite memories was a campout in one of our team members backyards, Maddie, Lindsey, Walli, and I went out to someone's car to get something and ended up talking for hours about everything under the sun. Fun facts about Maddie: Unlike most, she doesn't crack under pressure, she shines because of it. She likes to pretend sometimes that she isn't as goofy as the rest of us, but in secret she is the most crazy goof of us all. She is talented to say the least. She eats like crap.. like candy bars for lunch, and still looks amazing, and is almost as bad of a driver as Walli. ;) and she is obsessed with F.R.I.E.N.D.S and Beyonce. Names by which she is also known: Mass, Madswag, Maddie-Mass, Elizabeth, and Beyonce.

g

We created the next Avatar The Last Airbender on the day of Region Competition.. Pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Beyonce 

Last region dinner

When we went to nationals in California and had a couple of Disney Days.

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Walli:

Fundraising Five K for Silverline 2k14

 This girl and I met and also became friends my junior year on the drill team. Only, she was/is not my same age.. it was her sophomore year and she is a youngin' even for her grade. It's no big deal because as soon as we all hung out at pineview one day, we were road trippin' soon after that to Bear Lake and best friends ever since. The three of us were always together back in high school. So like.. A month ago;)  Especially with all of the practicing we do. Walli is one of my favorite people on this planet because she is just as deep spoken as I am. We have conversations late into the night about the most random things. She has the ability to make everyone laugh. That is one of my favorite things about this young chick. She is beautiful inside and out, thoughtful, and always looking for an adventure. Her spirit has touched my life in so many ways and I am thankful to call her my Wall-Dog. Oh yeah! Her actual name is not Walli, but her last name is Wallace so it just stuck. Just last night she called me and just listened to me talk about my latest adventure here on the island for a good hour or so. Someone like Walli is hard to find because she is selfless and willing to just simply listen. I am thankful for that. Fun facts about Walli: She is a terrible driver. One of the worst. Ever. And that's saying a lot because most of my friends are horrible drivers, Walli is on another level. One more fact: her father does not like to be called Papa Wallace. :) Some nicknames other than the main one: Mikayla (who knew the actual name on her birth certificate would turn into a nick name) Kayla, Mikbaela, and Wall-Dog. I am missing this chick like crazy rn, and I will miss her as I go to college, but through whatever comes my way I know she will be there for me and I will be there for her when she is having any difficulties in life. I look forward to seeing what this girl does in life, she is going to do big things whether she believes me or not. Walli, You Are One Of The Noble And Great Ones.

My favorite laugh out loud best snaps come from this girl on the daily.

Winter Ball Senior Year (For me;)

Is Winning

She was a little sleepy at drill

This is a precious moment captured at our Drill showcase was with my father and Walli. We were all crying because this night was the last night that Walli and the rest of us Seniors would ever dance together again. 

Right after the team (besides seniors) performed the goodbye dance for us, they all ran up and hugged us.
Sad night to say the least.

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These ladies have seen me at my worst and my best, it sounds cheesy, but even through everything they have seen me go through (mostly physically) they stick by my side. For those that don't know, Drill team is hard. It is time consuming. We are at the school practicing more than any other team, at least at FHS, and that is no exaggeration. There have been times when I have thought "I cannot do this anymore. I am so done. This is hard. I am going to quit. I am so sore. I have been here for seven hours and we still have two more. It is too early. I am too sick." And those girls got me through every last mile everyday. Every conditioning sesh I thought would never end. And even when I was puking and had to perform minutes after I was done being sick, they were all talking me through the performance, and cheering me on. Coach Misty always says
"Drill is like having a baby, its hard and there are times that you think to yourself, there is no way I am ever doing this again. But then the payoff outweighs the tough stuff and you find yourself pregnant again."
lol;)
 Everyone on that team works so hard and many have had all of those negative thoughts at one point, if not all of us. But we got each other not just through it, but on top. After ten years, our team won region. First in ALL THREE DANCES!!!! There is no way for anyone but us, and the competition, and maybe our parents, to know how big of a deal that was. It was incredible. The best feeling, the most exciting and incredible moment of my life thus far was hearing "And your 2015 region first place goes to,
FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL"

 Despite the blood sweat and tears,looking back these have been some of the best years.

Homecoming week bonfire senior year

The Halloween Mask Dance. Oh your drill team does thriller like all the rest? We missed that memo. ;)
Yes, the masks are on the back of our heads.
 Yes, the crowd went wild.

We made it a goal to take our wolf head to as many high schools as possible and kiss our mascot to become true... whatevers. Always an adventure to say the least.

From last summer when fundraising was actually a blast! We did concessions from a Pepsi truck at Hooper Tomato Days

After Practice on not only or home floor, but our home period. I lived on that floor for three years and wouldn't trade a single second of it. :)

We met such an inspiring lady. She is a professional gymnast with no legs.
~Follow Your Dreams~ 

What time is it? Game time. Our Girls Basketball kicked some major hiney. 

Region dinner. 

At region about to be announced as Region Champions ft. The Sea Of Blue in the stands.

Sorry for my lack of editing the pictures from insta..

Supportin' our cheerleaders at their competition. 

Ice Cream and Temple Walks.. Probably my favorite memories with these people.

Bear Lake

Our last region dinner and Walli's last region dinner with us. I sure do love these girls.

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Triple Trouble 

The "Shine The Light" Ogden Temple Celebration.. We were Nephite Warriors. Fetch Yes.

Triple Trouble. Some of the least troubling people to be honest. THESE two girls and I have known each other for a long fetching time. My favorite thing about these girls, is that they one hundred percent allow me to unleash every weird silly part of my personality. The amount of nerd rants about superheros they have listened to and not judged me for is just a small reason as to why I love them so much. Between cheer, church, school, life, senior trip, and now Marthas Vineyard, my time has been well spent and I am lucky to have friends like them.

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Mary Mikinon:

 So her name is Mary but she goes by Miki which is a shortened version of her middle name which is Mikinon. confused yet?
This girl is so talented. She can sing, and she can cook like an angel. I swear there were times when I used to pretty much live at her house, she would find three random ingredients in her fridge, and somehow create a gourmet masterpiece that tasted like it belonged in a restaurant in Italy. I'm partly convinced she is magic. I was super good friends with her in first grade, I switched schools, then she moved into my ward when we were eleven and were best friends since then. I know it seems like I drop the best friend bomb a lot, but what's wrong with having more than one person to be your soul sister? Like I said, I'm just blessed. Some of my favorite memories with Miki, include church, when I write music and she tests it out, movie marathons: We watched every disney princess movie oldest to newest. I was prince hungry for weeks. Another time we watched all Harry Potters. Another time we both had whooping cough and watched all six Star Wars. It was great even though we couldn't hear most of it. The most recent marathon was with Chancey, and we attempted Lord of The Rings.. all extended additions.. that ended when nine hours into it we were only half way done with the first movie and there was still no story line.

 NEVER AGAIN.
Mikinon is caring, funny, and supportive. I cant even begin to explain how much it meant to me to have her at my dance competitions whenever she could. I can't count all of the times she as maybe disagreed with some loser boy I was ga ga over, but she let me tell her all of my stories and she supported me even when she could see what I couldn't. And when things have gone down in flames, she never says I told you so, she always puts an arm around me and let's me figuratively
 (okay more than I'd like to admit, literally) cry on her shoulder. 

 Some facts about Miki: Her family is my family. She is hands down the most positive human I know. She has big dreams and an even bigger heart. She loves giraffes. Names she also goes by: Bass. Mikiloo. Minitoka.

At the Ogden Temple open house

Giraffes bc they are her fave

We always take church selfies when we match because, why not?

It's tradition.. We always dance in the rain 

At the play "Bandito Rides Again" In Bear Lake at Pickleville Playhouse

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Jacquelyn Chancey:

 This chick and I have kind of a hilarious background to be honest. In ninth grade when I was a cheerleader, I am pretty sure I had seminary with her and she had just moved into my ward. I tried to talk to her and she was quite the hard shelled person to be honest. I was pretty sure she was bugged by my efforts to talk to her and I didn't want to be a pest, so I did the wrong thing:

 I gave up. Miki did not give up. Later we learned that Chancey was somewhat blocked off to us because she felt like a charity case. Like we were just trying to do the right thing, be the good samaritan or something along those lines. I had no idea however of the trials or rather huge trial she had had when she was young, neither did Miki. We simply wanted to be her friend. Finally after some persistence on Miki's part, she broke through the shell, she could tell that we cared and we became really great friends. It turns out, Chancey is one of the most intelligent people I know. She is also extremely talented at piano, like wow. Facts about Chancey: Big hair, big eyes, huge example of strength. She also exaggerates 90000000% of the time. ;) "We are literally ten feet away from the beach." Classic Chancey quote because.. contrary to the exactness of what she said, we are half a mile away from the beach. She is one strong person in my life as I have mentioned before, I think that it is because some of the trials she has had in her life. I find the more people I meet that are courageous, strong, and able to take on the world, the more I realize there is a reason. She has taught me this, the best people have been through the hardest things. What makes them the best kind of people is not the trials themselves, but their reactions to them. There is a choice, to take it and learn and grow, or to shut down. Chancey's wisdom is definitely beyond her years for many reasons, but one is her ability to take the tough and endure well. To learn, to become, to be refined. I hope to be like her someday.

The only time I would consider her weak is when she is anywhere near a moth. Those things freak her out. Or maybe her weakness for pineapple, but as far as weaknesses go that's not a bad one to have. Other names she goes by: Chan-Chan, Jacky Chan (Get it? her first name is Jacquelyn;) and Chancey (said in a British accent)

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Here is a story to illustrate our personalities to the T. 

A few days ago we were on the phone, it was a three way call, and the subject of the conversation, was the fact that we had just been notified that our flight to JFK was going to be delayed a few hours. The problem at hand was that because of the delay, we would miss our connecting flight from New York to Boston.. So our fathers were calling a bunch of people and we found out there was another flight that we would be able to catch to Boston.. but the person on the phone did not know for sure if there would be room for us. Or at least all of us. Our reactions to this problem basically sum up our personalities and the exact way we either clash with each other or compliment each other, depending on your perspective. Or our perspective because you can't find three perspectives on life that are any more different than ours. 

Chancey: "Oh myy gosh. We are going to have to split up. I already know it. You know what? I will do it. It sucks but there's no other option, I'm not walking from New York to Massachusetts. This is literally the worst day of my entire life."

Miki: No! We can't split up, and we won't even have to. They have to take care of us we are their priority. If not we stick together we will find a way. It will be alright. Everything is fine, and it will all work out somehow, someway."

(Me) Ryanne: "Guys if we have to, we will have to split up. We might not have to worry about it though because there might be room. The fact is that we have no idea and no control over it, so let's just chill and find out later what needs to happen."

Basically describes our reaction to everything. It's what makes us... us and I love it.

The night that we almost got drugged by a Russian pimp at The Red Iguana in SLC

My surprise birthday party #HappyEighteen

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My Older Friend

Shaylyn Jessi Steoger:

Now unfortunately I haven't seen this girl in about a year in a half due to the fact that she is a Sister Missionary right now, so all of my pictures with her are outdated to say the least. I am excited however to make new memories with this girl as soon as she's home.

Sorry, I know.. I need to edit my pics. But this was clear back when I was in ninth grade, she wasn't allowed to go on single dates so I tagged along #thirdwheel #Istilllovehertho

Shay is the big sister I have never had. When it comes to advice, solving life problems, or just doing random crazy things.. she has always been there for me and continues to be so believe it or not. She is in Mexico for the moment serving a mission. She comes home pretty soon and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am going to cry the first time I hear her voice because unfortunately, I won't be able to be there to welcome her home. Being two years older than me, when she moved in three doors away I was bummed because I didn't think she would think I was cool enough to be her friend. She was in seventh grade and I was still a little fifth grader. ;) Lucky me, through young women's, we became sisters. Shay is one of the most talented creative and smart people out there. It doesn't matter what I do with her we always make it a good time. Some of my favorite memories with this girl include: Chalking people and getting yelled at by an old lady in curlers that thought we were taking pictures of her house... The neighbors pool incident when they went out of town, but I won't go into too much detail about that ;) Mac n cheese in the boat, the true silverwolf trunk incident, playing the piano together in church every week, dancing together in the show "Hollywood" and about a million more. Before she left this girl was such a light and example to everyone. Her happiness is contagious and her gospel strength beyond compare.In her weekly emails she talks often of how much she is changing from day to day for the better, and how she is being refined into the person she wants to be. I can hardly even imagine her being any more outstanding than before she left, so when she is home.. I know I will be absolutely blown away. Something else about Shay: She is thoughtful, genuine, and always serving others. Randomly once in a while I would find a treat on my door step with a note for no reason from her, or another day when I was sick she brought a huge get well soon package with herb tea, hot cocoa, cough drops, tissues, and more. I can't leave out the hand written letters, and the advice and help through email even now and throughout her mission in Mexico. She truly is such a great example of a disciple of Christ. 

This was at her farewell January of 2k14 We all look so different!

The night with the stalking and chalking ft. Levi. Our fave neighborhood boy

Boating Boating Boating

Trek with a side of attitude ;)

Tubing and currently laughing out loud because look at Shay's face ;)

Our little neighborhood friend. 

When we made mac n cheese and ate it in the boat on my driveway

With gibster 

Found this note on the doorstep with a lemon bar from
 Great Harvest from Shay, she is simply the sweetest.

See you soon Sister Steoger

Thankful to the friends I've had, I do have, and will have throughout life, both on and off of this post.

I love you.

xoxo

Trippin' Into Martha's Vineyard: Week One

This First Week Includes: 

How It Came To Pass, A Car A Plane A Bus A Ferry, Dock Street, A House Of Light, Every Hour, Bombs At Sunset, A fist Fight, and Fathers Day.

Almost a year ago, Chancey and Miki came to me with a dream. 

Chancey told me about some island I had never heard of, and how her mom had grown up there. She told me her grandparents continue to live in this place called "Marthas Vineyard" on and off, and that they knew a man that owned businesses there that liked to hire from Utah for the summer, their touristy "on season." 

I am a realist.

And sometimes a skeptic.

I told them there was no way, and I said this is too good to be true, but yeah that would be fun if fairies were real, and unicorns granted wishes. But everyone knows fairies are not real, and never, out of all of the Unicorns I have come into contact with, has one been able to grant wishes.

Preposterous.

BUT SHE HAD THIS GUYS EMAIL

She emailed him and he set up a time to face time us because he lives in California.

As quick as that we were sitting huddled around Chancey's phone in the shortest interview of my life.

We learned a few things from Bryan, our future boss.

1. Starting wage on Martha's Vineyard and in the East in general, is much more than Utah's.

2. There would be an apartment provided for us right above one of their businesses.

3. Living expenses for this job: None.

4. Ice Cream Shop, Cafe, and Pizza Place.

5. ON AN ISLAND

We were sold. Bryan is so chill he was just like

 "Sweet I look forward to seeing you in the summer."

After this interview we all freaked the freak out, and googled until the cows came home to see what our future island home would look like

. (Chancey being the only one of us that had been there)

This is what we found:

Fast-forward several months and here I am off of the East Coast of Massachusetts on an island called Martha's Vineyard, residing for two months in the city of Edgartown.
What I learned about having big dreams: Sometimes the only thing keeping us from a plot twist or an added measure of adventure in the story of our lives, is ourselves.
That's why we have friends to help us live the dreams we never knew we had.
MoNdAy:
Well it actually started super late Sunday night. Our flight was delayed so we we left at two a.m. from SlC to JFK. The layover was literally as long as it took us to speed walk around the corner at JFK to our next terminal and walk right on the next plane.
 We flew some more, arrived in Boston, and then came the choice of a lifetime...
We planned to take a shuttle bus from the airport that would go straight to the ferry port, the one we had planned would be there in about an hour. But we were a little early and as it turns out the next shuttle time would be about fifteen minutes after we walked out of the plane.
Problem: we were hungry and all of the places to eat are inside security.
 So if we missed the bus we would be sitting ducks for an hour with no food and hungry having not eaten since twenty four hours before.
 (Besides a bag of pretzels. Thank you Jet Blue.)
So the question was, can we get our bags that we have to pick up outside security aka the point of no return.. and get to the bus stop of which we have no idea the whereabouts of.. in fifteen minutes?
 No. I said no there's no way.
And I really wanted FOOD
But we had some faith and walked down the stairs to the baggage claim, our bags were among the first fifteen that came out, while we grabbed them, Chancey went on a mission to find the bus stop, finding it just outside the doors to our left and returning thirty seconds later to find us with almost all of our bag. We grabbed the last one and we then proceeded to make it to the bus stop EARLY.
wut. wut.
So thankful for the help sent from up above to the three teenage girls that have never traveled alone in their short lives and had no idea what they were doing.
The Peter Pan bus was awesome. Our particular bus was called "Hook's Revenge" but the bus line is called Peter Pan Transportation and the bus-i
(for lack of a better way to write the plural version of the word bus)
 are all green. Super Sick.

"Thanks for traveling Peter Pan"

After looking out of the window in awe as we drove through Boston..
 Like Holy Cow Boston Is Incredible
we slept the rest of the way to the ferry. We then took the ferry to the island, and then a taxi to
Dock Street where we had instructions to talk to Barbara because our boss had not yet arrived on the island and Barbara knew where we needed to go. So I found her in this cute clothing store called Rags and she showed me the stairs around the corner that lead to our apartment.
Our Den Father, as he is now nick named, Thomas who is kind of like a landlord, gave us a tour and the place is the cutest thing you can imagine. Our room has a bunk bed and a twin bed. There are seven rooms two bathrooms one kitchen/laundry room (they share) twelve girls and two boys.
IT IS A BLAST
The boys each have their own room, Aaron, the one our age just got home from a mission to Argentina. Aaron is the designated cook at the cafe and can whip up some fantastic food. He came with his sister Brittany who came because she heard about it from Mckell who told her other friends Caroline and Tessa as well because her cousin did it a few years ago. Confused?
 They are all going to BYU in Provo and they are some of the cutest girls ever.
I could never leave out Morgan and her sister next door. They are from California and they actually know Bryan personally because Morgan's sister is his nanny. These sisters represent everything you can think of that would make them deserving of #sistersgoals
They are so adorable and I want to be them when I grow up.
Other next door room is a girl from Romania but we hardly see her unfortunately, and upstairs two girls one from China and the other from Mongolia. I have no idea how to pronounce their names and unfortunately we don't work with them either so I don't know them super well yet.
 And Thomas who does a little bit of everything and when he talks he has a super thick
"Bwoston Accent"
If he gives anyone crap that means he likes them we have found out. He calls us the Mormon Mafia which is Thomas language for "Magnificent Mormons" ;)
He says that he doesn't have an accent because his ancestors were here first over here to the East and the West screwed everything up. I wanted to point out the fact that England was here first and no one over here still sounds like them sooo..... but I let him have his rant.
It is super cramped in here but it's so darn cute! We have two ocean views from our room where we cans see sailboats sailing on the daily because the harbor is about two hundred yards away. The beach is a half mile away, but the harbor/dock where we sometimes go to sit on the roof is a two minute walk away.

Kind of hard to see in a picture just how much of the ocean we can see, this doesn't do it justice.
 Plus the first day was super rainy and foggy. 

There is a sail boating excursion place across the street, it's usually around sixty dollars but if we tell him who we are we get to go on a sunset cruise for little next to no cost! Super excited for that. It's called Mad Max

Unpacking on my cute little bed bottom bunk.

One more notable thing about Monday, I went grocery shopping for the first time on my own as a bird that has left the nest. Super weird to think about.
TuEsDaY
We met B-Mac the Boss Man aka Bryan MacPhail. He is awesome I cant even tell you.
We toured the cafe and the Scoop Shack/Pizza place.
 (they are adjoined but pizza operates through a window in back of the Shack)
We cleaned stuff then took a walk to see the rest of Edgartown. The three of us walked to what I call
The Path To Paradise
There is a pathway that leads down to a semi island piece of beach with a lighthouse on it.

So beautiful.
 Another thing we noticed Tuesday was that it didn't matter what direction you look on the street, there is going to be a beautiful house that you want to stare at for another fifteen minutes.
We then walked to the dock that has stairs leading to the roof of the dock.
The view up there is amazing.

The roof. Miki captured this of me walking over there to see the smoke and figure out that it was the traditional sunset affirming cannon we heard, not  WWIII
The Ocean To The Left Though <3

 It was when we got back home that we heard a loud sound that sounded like a bomb or a gunshot. We were momentarily scared for our safety... We also noticed that at every hour of the day a church bell can be heard ringing. It dings once for every hour, so at one in the morning if I'm still awake its a little bit funny because it gongs one time then there's nothing.
 That's definitely one of my favorite things about where I live.

And I wasn't even to the island yet... #CueTheHomesickness

WeDnEsDaY
The first super sunny day, we helped out our boss for a while setting up, and went to the beach. I jumped in, it was cold.. but I had to do it :)
ThUrSdAy
Same deal, except that night we bought some cookiedough and had a Psych Movie Night. Fetch yes.
On the roof watching the sun set the night before, we heard the loud noise again only super loud. Looking over we saw smoke and figured out that a cannon goes off at sunset and 8 in the morning everyday. I really look forward to things like that, the simple things that make where we live different.
FrIdAy
Candy Day.
We stocked all of the shelves with loads of candy.. it was awesome.

SaTuRdAy
Preparations for opening later that night which we did and it was fun as heck. I loved it. There is nothing quite as satisfying as handing a little kid an ice cream cone and making their day. Or better yet, handing the huge foot ball player buff crossfit black dude his cotton candy ice cream on a sprinkle dipped waffle cone and watching his day turn from good, to amazing.
That night, there was some huge wine party here in Edgartown and everyone was drinking. Being right in the middle of everything as we are, we can hear just about everything going on outside. Around two in the morning this girl comes out of the Seafood Shanty (the bar across the street) super wasted and yelling at her boyfriend. She was yelling at him to let something go but he wouldn't have it. I'm pretty sure he shoved her and then got into a fight with some other drunk guy. We were watching the scene down below as soon as the cop pulled up, and I don't know for sure.. but I think the guy was arrested.
 LOL DRUNK PEOPLE
the other night kind of the same thing happened, only this guy was singing at the top of his lungs about how he wants nothing in life except some chowder soup.
It was hilarious. He was yelling/singing chowder over and over again and other drunk people were chiming in and adding their own singing.
 His girlfriend presumably (also suffering from.. 1 too many) started yelling at him to shut up because
 "ADAM YOU ARE MAKING A FOOL OF YOURSELF BE QUIET YOU ARE DRUNK"
funny joke: she was yelling even louder than his singing about chowder. HAHA
This is why everyone: "Why can't mormons have any fun?" I as a mormom can/do have tons of fun actually. If you are referring to the part of being a Mormon that abstains from addictive substances that result in lack of bodily control.. as a lack of fun, then a reason among many is because I don't want to look as unintelligent as you when you are having your version of the word "fun." And then I don't want to look as unattractive as you with a hangover and throw up all over yourself.

but peace okay? :)
I will happily continue to listen to and smh at the "fun" outside my window because let's be honest, it is pretty entertaining.
SuNdAy
I was fortunate to be able to go to our branch of about thirty people. One room for the nursery, one room for the primary, and the chapel room splits in half to become relief society and priesthood hour. So cool to listen to these people's testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel Is True no matter where I go, it shouldn't surprise me anymore but every time I travel to another ward/branch I have been amazed at the same spirit I feel.
I had to work that night, but luckily it was only a four hour shift.
OH YES
Sunday was also Fathers Day I got to facetime the fam which was really fun. I also sent my dad some fathers day cards which that were also really fun.

"Some dads are so great they'll blow up your planet just to teach you a valuable life lesson"
*cried from excessive nerdy laughter bc Star Wars>>>>>>

Recap of my favorite things here on the island and some new ones as well:
The cannon twice a day
The bells every hour
The acapella group of about six or seven boys our age that do shows and just sing all over the island to advertise all day. Side note. The first time we saw them they were advertising by singing to people right under our window. We hung out the window and took videos.. They are super attractive and they sing amazing. When they were done they walked over and told us they expected to see us at their show. I asked the cutest one where he got his black eye, and he told me he was saving orphans in danger.. hahaha :)
Okay Next
The general friendliness of people. No one locks doors, car or house doors. Probably because lets just say, year rounders on the island and also summer home owners are "doing okay financially" so none of them are desperate enough to steal. But "steal" ;) They are super friendly.
The Patriotism is insanely awesome here and the rest of the country needs to get on board. The fourth of July here is going to be madness. In a good way.
The rain.
The smell of the salty air.
The humidity and low altitude so that breathing is possible.
EVERYTHING IS SO GREEN
The beautiful houses.
Nautical everything: boats anchors lighthouse's and everything else
The sunrise because our windows face the East and it comes up right over us

Senior Trippin' Part 3

Day Five: The Singing Circus Bus, An Egyptian Queen, Actual Fish Food, and a Game of I Spy.

Next Stop: St. Thomas. I don't know a whole lot of historical background when it comes to the island of St. Thomas, so sorry, but I do know that Coki Point Beach is the most beautiful cove/point/beach I have ever been to. I was lucky enough to go twice, once with the entire Saunders side of my family when I was about 12, and now again for my senior trip. 

Holy Shhmokes. It is absolutely gorgeous. 

The water is clear the sand is white this beautiful place is out of sight. A poem for you all. 

I think I will call it: Coki Point Beach. ;)

EXCEPT IM GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF

What good would my deep creatively thought up section headers be if I didn't even use them? For those of you that are super concerned with hearing about The Singing Circus Bus, you would all get to the end of this post and be like "Wait.. there was nothing in there about a song, or a bus.." Or if it was mentioned.. but out of order.. you'd be like.. "Wait.. The Game Of I Spy was supposed to come after the Actual Fish Food, so why am I playing that game right now?" 

I apologize. That will never happen, so let me back track just a smidge. 

Fun fact about the word smidge that I am just now figuring out thanks to the red line under that word: People use it all the time, but it's not an actual real word recognized by Webster, or even Google. Smidgen however, is very much a real word. Feel free to use both because it makes no difference to me or anyone else. I will continue to do the same.
To dissolve any confusion, I have taken the liberty of defining both. 

Smidgen: N. A small amount of something

Smidge: N. The same thing as Smidgen.
ANYWAY
BACKING IT UP A SMIDGE: We get off of the boat and these cute little open-air buses were out front ready and willing to take us to our favorite beach ever that I had been dreaming about since the last time I had been there. These busses are special, let me tell you. For whatever reason, when I went with my family, we named the bus "The Circus Bus" because why? It just fits. On the way up we sang songs, and my friends and I continued the tradition by singing all of the way to the beach which was about fifteen minutes away. This bus has no glass in the windows, so everyone on the island got a wake up call, and the other passengers on the bus (from Bulgaria if I remember correctly) enjoyed a full fifteen minute ride of three 18 year old girls belting the heck out of "Rude" by Magic.
"Why you gotta be so rude?"
It was ironic because the passengers, bus driver, and half of the island were thinking the same thing.
;)

We got to the beach. We looked at the beach. We looked at the ocean.
Refer to my new poem titled "Coki Point Beach" above for further detail.
Just then, a woman who introduced herself as Minty, came up to us and told us to get some sweet braids from her as soon as possible. Of course we were all sorts of gung-ho about this idea, and we let her practically pull out all our hair in a painful way, in order to look like the whitest island girls you've ever seen.
Pain = Beauty
More examples of this: High heels, waxing, poking your eye with mascara, flat iron burns, ear piercing and child birth.
A super cool thing about Minty, she was way nice and she had a sister named Nefertiti, after the Egyptian Queen famous for achieving the status of a Pharaoh, which is insanely impressive for the times, her being a woman. I don't have a middle name, so I can choose my own right? My full name is now: Ryanne Nefertiti Saunders. The sister of Minty's was there with us the whole time that we got our hair braided, and she was just as awesome as Minty. When I asked about their sisterhood, Minty told me that they are sisters in spirit. Their friendship reminds me of my own friendships, sisters in spirit. After we got our hair braided we hit the beach and got some sweet snorkeling in.
My dad decided to do a dive and I was lucky enough to go with him. We were super excited because Miki and her dad also decided to come with us on a discovery dive.
Some cool things about this dive: The tiny crab I got to play with, the fish, more fish, coral, a stingray, and thousands of sea urchins.
While we were down there, the other dive guide gave us some dog snacks to feed to the fish. They were literally eating out of our hands, it was super sick to be able to feel them nibble on my finger at the dog biscuits and much more enjoyable than my homemade fish food.

STING RAY PIC
We went back to the boat and ate food. It was fantastic, and so was that day.

DAYS 6 and 7 and a Few Here and Theres Just For Fun: Shut Up Adam, Dive In Movie, DANCE, That One Girl Lives On, and Groovy Tunes With Keith. 

The rest of the days on our senior trip were at sea. Basically I can sum most of it up like this: Napping on deck with a margarita in one hand, pizza available all day until two in the morning every day not just the last two, reading, eating, all you can eat burger bar and taco bars, sleeping, pool, and a whole bunch of other really great things. One thing that we all agreed throughout the week that was not so great, was how many times the director of the ship, Adam, would make an announcement. IT was honestly about every half hour that we would here an annoying musical sound over the intercom to let everyone know that Adam was about to say something pointless and loud, or repetitive. Every time we heard that musical signal we felt the need to almost yell SHUT UP ADAM. He meant well maybe, but those announcements woke us up periodically... which was not super cool Adam. I think Adam just really loved to talk.. a lot. A couple of nights during the week we went to what was called "Dive In Movies"

Get it? lol.

We saw Captain America: Winter Soldier one night and it was fantastic, how could it not be I mean

 Captain America>>>

One night we went to a musical//show, it was pretty entertaining and we got to stand up and dance with the cast. 

One of the most hilarious nights on the ship, was the night we went to the comedian show. Now I know what you're thinking, of course it was one of the most hilarious nights.. It was a comedian... but he was not the one that made us laugh at that show even though we were hysterically doing so. 

What happened was that we hurried out of dinner to get to this show, but we were still a few minutes late. We sat down in the back and a few minutes into his joke, we started to pick up on the fact that it wasn't a joke.. yet, but he was in fact asking a young girl about the huge bandages on her leg. She then proceeded to tell him of the incident she had had on Half Moon Cay when her bike tour somehow left her failing to notice that she had crashed and scraped up her leg pretty badly. The entire room was laughing, and saying "aww the poor dear" and the comedian turned her story into a few different jokes and moved on. Meanwhile we were dying of laughter and humiliation because That One Girl was now a source of entertainment because I failed to notice her crash.. Poor sweet girl. What kind of animals would leave her behind like that? 

Who knows.. but it must be a crazy world out there to not know for sure if your bike tour group has your back or not if you were to accidentally crash. 

Everyday the ship gave us these news papers to tell us about the activities that were going on all day, there was some pretty wacky ones. Chinese acupuncture, Starwars trivia time, bingo, other shows, but our favorite one was Groovy Tunes With Keith. Every night. We didn't go, but it was still our favorite because we got to imagine just what it would be like to meet this Keith dude, and experience his tunes that legend has it.. are groovy to the maximum level. Imagining that every time we read the itinerary and it had Groovy Tunes With Keith on it.. was way more fun than the actual show could have been, but we still wish to this day that we had gone to at least one.. Keith could have signed something for me. Or gave me a lock of his silver hair. It changed everyday as we argued about what color or if he had any hair..

 I think we decided he has silver dreadlocks but none of us actually have a clue.

There was a hairy chest contest... Nuff said. No I didn't win.. It was boys only, and it was gross.

I hope you are enjoying these splurges as they come to my head.

Ice Cream machine 24/7

I practiced my solo for dance a few times in the work out room in front of the mirrors, and one of the dancers on the ship was in there for a jog. He came over and watched my solo and gave me some pointers and asked me which fancy shmancy New York School of Dance I went to... I told him the truth.. Highschool Drill Team in Plain City, Utah. Not quite as exciting, but the surprised look on his face was a great compliment.. It was interesting. 

The treadmills were super tech. 

Okay I think I have explained just about everything about my adventure aboard the senior trip express.. ship. I would and will have more pictures but it just so happens that as I am writing this, I have just started a new adventure.. I am currently on an island. Arrived yesterday and will be here for two months so lots of adventures to come. Not lots of pictures for this post because.. my pics are at home seven hours away by plane. I will edit it later! Anyway that senior trip was fun to say the least. Stay tuned for my new adventures as a new adult that has just left the nest for her first time.. Scary. She is also on the island of Marthas Vineyard off of the east coast for two months.. she has a view of the ocean from her apartment and she is writing in third person which is super obnoxious and scolding herself because she is me. :) 

ALRIGHTY FOLKS

xoxo