Well, the end of the school is year is fast approaching. It feels as if it were just yesterday when I stepped onto this campus for the first time. This semester has been very challenging for me in many ways. The classes were tougher than previously expected, but I have worked extremely hard and for that I am proud. I watched some people flake off into the distance, while also watching others shine even brighter than I. Just a tip for anyone out there who's not a morning person…if you plan to thrive at college do yourself a favor and don't schedule 8 am classes. Bad idea. But on a serious note, there are so many courses and majors available here at MSU that you will most definitely find a perfect fit. I hope that everyone has had a good year, it may not quite be over yet, but summer shall shine soon. Hmm, say that 3 times fast.

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Whether it is sports, music, art, or anything else, we all must find something that pushes us to be all we are capable of. It may not be so obvious, but your calling in life will find you; you just have to pay attention. Ever since my sophomore year of high school, I have wanted to be an elementary education teacher so choosing my major at MSU was easy. It came to me when one day a friend said I would be good kindergarten teacher. "Ha!" I said, "Sure, so I can finger paint and play with blocks all day!" But later on that day the conversation came back to me and I thought about it again. Well, I do love little kids and whenever I see one it just puts a smile on my face. I guess it brings back memories of the good ol' days way back when. Those kids don't have a care in the world. They go to school so they can take a nap, play outside, socialize, and hopefully learn a thing or two. I feel that I can make a positive impact on those children that they will stay with them forever. I guess what I am trying to say, is that there is something out there for you that is a perfect match. Find it, love it, live it.

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Well, I think that ski season is pretty much over. Bummer. It was a fun-filled voyage hoping, praying, and eventually riding. Although the season was short lived, I had a great time. It was the first year for me at Bridger Bowl, and I was definitely impressed. It's only about 20 miles from Bozeman to the base, and there's plenty of convenient parking. Plus it's not a huge mountain and has plenty to ride on. I'm thankful for progressing and living through the season.

Now that the weather is nice outside, I'm going to be playing a lot of paintball. If you've never played before, I highly recommend it. It's great exercise, and it really is a great sport. Talk about an adrenaline rush! I hope that everyone at school is studying hard and doing well, along with having a blast. There are only 7 more weeks of classes so we are almost outta here! This year went by really quickly. Keep it real.

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Today was the first day that the sun truly shined in the last few weeks. It was about 50 degrees, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I could feel the glee that everyone else was experiencing. It is amazing how the weather truly does determine someone's mood. Today was sunny, and the smiles on everyone's faces were just as bright. I felt motivated to go to class, get outside and exercise, and to just chill and enjoy this day. No wonder Montana is called the Big Sky state! I have a feeling that pretty much everyone else on campus felt the same way about today as I did. I hope these gorgeous days keep coming, but I also hope we get some more snow in the mountains because I'm not ready for ski season to be over just yet. I hope that all the MSU students out there are at least trying to learn a thing or two, and that everyone's semester is going well. I'll be back next week.

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Everyone finds themselves at one point in their MSU career perched in their room while it is bitter cold outside. The sun is gone, clouds are in, and the temperature has dropped. What is a college student to do with this "valuable" time? Well, for this blog I am going to inform y'all on ideas for a dreary day, with all of my expertise. These thoughts may or may not be useful, but who knows, maybe someone reading this is experiencing the bitter cold right now and trying to soak up every bit of information I have. Now, I am just a college student, so in no way is this totally accurate data, or even true statements, let alone good advice. Ha,ha…enjoy!

#1 Watch a movie. Now this idea is always good if you have a significant other. If you are a guy, try a horror flick. If you are a guy that has no say in a relationship, you might end up with a 'Chick Flick'. Now, it could be worse, just try and pick the least horrible one. Either way, it is not the movie that you watch, but the priceless time you get to spend with your lady friend or hunk.

#2 Curl up by the fire. This idea is again good with a significant other. If not though, grab a book or magazine and enjoy the down time. Everyone enjoys taking some time off. Make sure not to fall asleep to close to the fire.

#3 Play a board game. These are always fun to reminisce about back in the day. When was the last time you played Scrabble or Snakes and Ladders, or the ever so thrilling Monopoly? These games are great for taking your mind off of the time and day, so you can concentrate on important things… like getting all the railroads or finally finding the elusive 7-letter word.

#5 Study! Ironically, sometimes this is a very hard thing to do for a college student, but it's a good idea to get ahead of the game and start off on a good foot. Who knows, maybe at the end of the day when you finished your homework you can go out and play in the snow. After all, learning is the main reason we are all here.

#6 Make hot cocoa. It will warm you up and hopefully make you a little happier. The warmth running down your throat is truly a wonderful sensation on a cold day.

These are just a few of my suggestions for a dreary day. There are tons more things to do, but I only have so much time and space. Just remember that whatever you do, be safe. We have to be smart about the stupid things we do. Sometimes a typically 'ugly' day could turn out to be a truly beautiful day!

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I hope that everyone is having a great winter but let me ask everyone to pray for snow. I am a freshman, so this is my first season at Bridger Bowl. It is a cool mountain, but come on, where is all the snow? Apparently, last season was "epic", but as far as this season goes, it's not. I think if everyone thinks about snow at the same time, then maybe our collective brains will help bring the coveted Pow. I would think that all of y'all would want snow as well if you're interested in Montana, so let us join forces and bring an end to dry roads and rocky runs. I know I would enjoy some freshies.

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Famous Dave's is the best restaurant in Bozeman. This is, however, just my opinion but if you are looking for some finger lickin' chickin' BBQ then this might just be the place for you. A nice log cabin type building encloses this haven for BBQ connoisseurs. For all the males in college, the waitresses are very attractive, and yet the service still stays high.

The best meal to get involves some fresh corn, a hot corn bread muffin (which must be eaten first as they are still fresh and warm), a meat or two (brisket and BBQ chicken for me), some fries, and a nice array of 6 types of custom barbeque sauce. My meal is eaten slowly as my little stomach expands from this heavenly bliss.

Overall I rate this restaurant not a 5 out of 5, but a 6…one for each of their delightful sauces (except for the mustard one, I don't like mustard).

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This blog is going to be a little different. Here is something to ponder. It is a riddle, one that will tease the brain, making it churn. After reading this, y'all won't be able to get it out of your mind. You will say, "Forget it, who cares." But as you go to sleep, it will still be bugging you. My advice is to give it a try. See if all those years of schooling worked. I'll post the correct answer in my next blog. Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do twice.

There is a common English word that is nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word - from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time?

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Well, let me begin at the beginning. My name is William Hammel Monroe, and I enjoy long walks on the beach, a nice pair of slacks, wonderful sunsets, and in my free time I enjoy making authentic papyrus manuscripts. No, no, I am just kidding… except for the slacks part, that's true. I am known by some as "Delicious Stevens", don't ask why, I just think it's kinda catchy. I really am glad to be here at good ol' MSU. Yeah Bobcats.

Well, how about a little run-down on myself. I am originally from the great D-Town (Denver), but have moved around quite a lot. When I was in 4th grade my family and I moved to Florence, Italy for a year. It was a great time, a totally different world over there. Yes, I used to speak Italian, but now all I can remember are the useful words, you know the curse words. Gosh do I have many memories; most vivid were when I was hit by a car on my bike, and when I watched Ronaldo (when he was primo) score against Florence. If you ever find yourself amid an Italian soccer game, make sure that you don't boast if your team wins. I watched people get bottles thrown at them. I came back to Denver after that year, but it will forever be with me. When I turned 13 my family and I moved to New Orleans, which was again, a totally different world over there. My mom is originally from there, and my parents met at Tulane. Yeah Greenwave. I lived in the French Quarter for a few years, one block off of Bourbon, which was fun for about a semester. I attended Newman (for those of you who like football, the Manning family attended, even Archie). My sophomore year of high school, I decided to go to an all boys boarding school. I just thought leaving home would be fun. This school was, unfortunately, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. No offense to anyone, but I called it "God's blind spot". I actually had a really good time over there, except for its location. The school was challenging, the guys were cool, some with accents that were not even in the slightest bit understandable. I graduated From McCallie a semester early, because I had completed all required classes, and felt that I was done with the high school thing.

While at McCallie, I got into the whole deciding on college deal. I was thinking about schools in the Midwest like Colorado College and CU at Boulder. My college counselor mentioned to me that MSU would be a nice fit. I thought about it, came and visited, but only while on the tour and seeing the giant spinning penne noodle statue, did I decide on this place. Once seeing that raw beauty, I asked 'Where do I sign?' So, here I am. I am currently majoring in Elementary Education. I mean, who wouldn't want to finger paint and play with blocks all day? Just kidding. But seriously, I really think I could be a good teacher. Not only do I love kids, but also I am just as mature as they are so we can relate. Seriously though, I think this world could use some more good elementary teachers, plus I am a guy, which there are not many of.

Well, I hope you don't feel like you wasted 7 minutes of your life reading this and that you enjoyed yourself, even a little. I will be writing something about once a week, so keep coming back for more. This should be interesting. For the both of us.

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