Week One

Well, this week has been interesting. It starts off on New Years Eve. That was such a fun night! Seth, Morgan, Chris, Jimmy, Breanna, and Marcus all came over and we partied it up! We went and planked a few places, we went to a dance, and then we came home to Madi's and played Wii and hat charades. It was a blast! Totally took my mind off things. We were up till about 5, slept for an hour, woke up at 6 to see Morgan and Seth off (they had to go back to Idaho to go to church because Morgan was suppose to see some people) and then went back to sleep at 7 only to wake up at 8:30 to take me to SLC to meet up with Clawson. Then I stayed with the Clawson's Sunday to Monday and at 4am we hit the road to come back to Rexburg. Geeze. I had maybe four whole hours of sleep between Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. But let me just say: totally worth it.

On Monday I didn't have much to do because all of my stuff besides my clothes were at Jedi's and they were still in California and I didn't have a key. So as I piddled my thumbs trying to think of what to do, I decided to go over and visit my old friends in Academy Apartments (where I use to live). Eventually, I got bored because we were just watching TV, so I went down stairs to see if apt 5 had any games we could play. They didn't have any but they said that the new guys in apt 1 (my old apt) had games. Sooo, I went over there. And made new friends. And they're cute. And friendly. And fun. So yeah, what a good way to start the semester:)

My classes today were pretty cool. One of my classes was cancelled, so that was cool. Kind of annoying because it's the first day of class. But whatever. I have one class tomorrow: science. It shouldn't be too bad. This semester shouldn't be too bad. My teachers seem fun. The kids in my classes seem nice. So yeah.

Buh-Bye 2011, Hello 2012!

Finally, this hellish year is over! And yes, hellish is how I'd explain it.

The beginning of the year seems so long ago. I've changed so much! I've lost friends, found friends, and made friends... Yes.. Made friends. Out of paper.. It was a low point for me. 

Here are some things that happened:

I fell in love. That was fun. While it lasted. My first love. And from it I learned about the kind of person I want to be and the kind of person I want to spent the rest of forever with. It wasn't a complete fail of a relationship. It taught me what love it all about. It also taught me that I can trust someone, even when I shouldn't. 

I got a real job. Not that working at the pawn shop wasn't a legit job, but this one just seems more legit.. Probably because I actually worked. And I drove myself to and from. And had work friends that weren't at church on Sunday. I'm not going to lie, as hard as being a maid is, it had it's fun parts. I made some really good memories and friends. The ladies I worked with are in a league of their own and it was great to be a part of it. I got to learn about hard work and sticking it out to the end. And honestly, it's probably the best job I could have had over the summer. 

I came back to school. It was a tough decision. But seriously, a wise one. As much as I love Alabama and all of my friends and family there, I couldn't see my life going anywhere there. I needed to get out and what better place to go to than a church school where I can feel the Spirit all around me. I get to go to the temple every week. Have FHE with fellow students. Have awesome roommates. Meet amazing people and learn from some awesome teachers. It's hard sometimes. And really lame. But the highs are the highest and the lows aren't even that low. I love it and I couldn't be happier to have come back.

Madi and Katie

Katie and Jessie.. The Hobbits

Katie

Michael and Janessa

Colten

Me and Madi eating a delicious crepe made by Jimmy

Michael and Katie and their disgusting fruit casserole thing

We finished the puzzle!

The Handy Man:)

I made some awesome friends. Now, the friends I had in 2010 were great. But they didn't make it very far into 2011. The ones I have now will last a lifetime.. And then some. I love them. They teach me so much about myself and the gospel. We've had some serious gospel discussions just because in our apartment and it's been wonderful. I love being able to just share my testimony and not get funny looks. We have had the most wonderful conversations about life, love, church, school, boys.. Everything! It's been the best semester and just what I needed to come back to. I just hope that the people who have befriended me this year have benefited as much from me as I have from them. 

I ate bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. We did something called Epic Meal Time with some guys in our complex and it was awesome. Disgusting, but awesome. We made something called Fast Food Lasagna. It consists of hamburger, Baconators, bacon, and a Martinelli's/Jack Daniels BBQ sauce mixture. So good. But way too much meat.

Bacon Weave

Seth and the meat loaf about to go in the oven

Yum!

 

 

Finished product

And we made ginger bread houses and exchanged presents. That was super fun. The six of us were given Secret Santa assignments and the last day we were all together we made gingerbread houses and exchanged gifts and had so much fun. 

Charlie got a PeeWeee Giraffe Pillow Pet

I got the award for Awkward Neighbor. Th triangle and the outhouse are mine:)

Jessie's scary Santa

I took this at the same time Madi used her camera and it looks like the house is on fire.

Madi, the gingerbread house queen

Left to right: Al, Evan

Our awesome houses

Our tree and fireplace. Presents and sticks and all

My "outhouse"

Too Much!

So for Christmas, I came down to Utah with two of my most favorite roommates, Katie and Madi. I stayed with Katie in Orem this whole week, and then today (Friday) I came to Madi's house, where I'll be until January or so. Not really sure. I have a bed waiting for me in Sandy, and I just might use it. We'll see.
Katie Jensen. What can I say about her? She's fabulous.We got to her house kinda late on Saturday, mostly because we went to a Jazz game as soon as we got into Orem. Sunday, we went to church and then took some amazing Sunday naps by her fire place. We ate dinner and then watched Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers until about 1 am. It's the extended version, so it was about 5 hours long. Two discs. Amazing. We finally got into bed and slept in. Katie was up at 10:30 and I rolled out of bed at 11:30. We made some delicious breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, and toast, and then watched a movie. Wanna guess? Lord of the Rings:Return of the King. Extended, again. So that was another 5 hours. Then we went shopping for Christmas presents for her family and let me just say, we got some awesome stuff. Jimmy texted and invited us to a movie, so we went out with him. We actually ended up missing our movie and decided to go back to the house and watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It's a pretty funny movie. Around 1, again, the movie was over, Jimmy left, and we hit the sack.
On Tuesday, we woke up, made another delicious breakfast of pancakes and bacon, and then sat down to watch TV. I'm pretty sure we were going to make a video, but Katie ended up falling asleep, so I went downstairs and watched... Dun Dun Dun.. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Extended, of course:) I hadn't seen it yet, so I wanted to watch it and see all the cool extra stuff. When I finished the first disk (about 4 hours) Katie was waking up from her nap. Then we worked on a puzzle and watched some movies. Oh, we also stayed up super late and made paper snowflakes and then strung them on some fish wire and hung it across the living room. It looked like snow flakes were falling form the ceiling, like in Harry Potter in the Great Hall. It was so awesome, and so worth staying up till almost 4 am.
Wednesday, we didn't do much. We went to the mall with Kaite's mom and her brother's girlfriend to Christmas shop. After that, we were worn out! So we took a short nap. Then Jimmy came over and we went to Target to make a video for Katie's sister's Christmas present. We interviewed a bunch of random people about Janina, Katie's sister. It was hilarious, because none of these people knew Janina and they just made up their answers. After getting kicked out of Target, we went to Shopko and Smith's. I'd say it was a pretty successful and fun night. But it doesn't end there. Of course we came back to Katie's and watched Adjustment Bureau. Such a good movie. Love Matt Damon. The best part: Jimmy fell asleep. So we messed with him. We took eye liner and drew a very French mustache on him, goatee included. And then when the movie was over we tried waking him up. Like.. 20 times. No Lie. He kept falling back asleep. And when we did eventually get him to get his shoes on and stand up, he was so totally out of it. I was scared for him to drive all the way back to Murray! That's a long drive! But, after a good laugh at him, some ice down his shirt, and some water on his face, he was finally out the door. I've never had more fun waking someone up than I did just then. Finally Katie and I were able to go to bed and I sure wanted to.
Thursday I went to breakfast with a good friend of mine from Alabama, Elizabeth. It was nice to get together with her, as I haven't seen her in over a year. After breakfast, I went home and napped. I was so tired! When Katie got home from lunch with her mom, we continued to nap. Once we woke up, we ate some dinner and then worked on another puzzle. This one was hard because the pieces were all cut the same and the picture we were trying to form made it difficult to discern what piece went where. But, after three hours of hard work and one headache later, we finished it and called it a night.
Today we cleaned. I was leaving and Katie had family coming over, so we did laundry and cleaned up the living room and kitchen. Then we were off the SLC to meet up with Madi's parents. When I got to Madi's house in Kaysville, my friend Breanna came and got me (Madi was one her way back form California) and I went with her family to Temple Square to see the Christmas Lights. It was freezing but beautiful. Jimmy met us up there and we just cruised around town. We almost got to meet David Archuletta. Exciting. Not. Breanna is like in love with him, but I don't see the draw. Yeah, he can sing. Sure, he's pretty attractive. But he's famous. I've always kinda viewed famous people as untouchable. So I wasn't too let down when it turned out he wasn't home. (Back story: Jimmy use to work with David over the summer and I think their sisters are best friends, or something.) Then we finally made out way home. So here I am, 12:30 in the morning, waiting to go pick Madi up from the train station.
This week has worn me out! But, it was totally worth it. I'm totally glad I decided to come to Utah instead of staying in Rexburg alone.
Side note: There was this missionary that served in my ward back in Alabama a couple years ago, Broc Pendleton, who lives in Alpine, which is right next to Orem. Well, he was at the mall the same day I was and I totally spent like, ten minutes staring at him trying to decide if it was him, and he was doing the same. Small world!

I'm Thankful For...

A great many things. First and foremost, I'm grateful for the gospel. I know most people say family and friends, but from the gospel, I can have the most amazing family for time and all eternity, and I can have some spectacular friends who help strengthen my testimony and are wonderful examples to me. I'm so thankful for the wonderful joys the gospel brings to my life. My roommates left me alone this year and as I was sitting here thinking of something to fill my mind, I was able to make s a list of things in my life I wouldn't have if not for the gospel.
The Atonement. The most wonderful and awesome part of my life. The ability to recognize my sins and repent and be cleaned. The comfort that it brings in times of hardship. The peace it brings when all I can feel is anguish. The Atonement is truly a blessing in my life and I'll never stop being grateful for it.
Eternal families. This concept is hard to grasp in the human mind. We think of life on earth incredibly long, when really, compared to the eternities, it's amazingly short. I love my family. So much. More than I tell them. So of course I'd want to have the blessing of being with them forever and ever and ever! And when I'm sealed in the temple to the man of my dreams, a worthy priesthood holder who will love me forever, I'll start my own eternal family. When I think of having kids, my heart swells with joy that I'll be able to raise God's children. But mostly, I'm excited to get to know them and to love them and spend forever with them. Why have a family if it's not going to last forever? Mortality is so short! Definitely not enough time to share with the people I love the most. With an eternal family, I'll have forever. It's a comfort.
Temples. The House of the Lord. What a better place to be than there? The peace and comfort and pure joy it brings into our lives is beyond measure. So many wonderful things happen in this amazing place. My favorite being sealings, and a close second is baptisms for the dead. Every time I go do baptisms, I can feels heavenly Father's approval and love. I know that those I am baptized for are present and I can feel their gratitude. It's such a wonderful feeling. The temple is a great place to be. I love love love that I can literally look up the street and see it. White and pure and beautiful. The temple is my favorite place in the whole world. No matter where you are, if you're in a temple, God is with you. Where else would you want to be?
My family. My parents. My wonderful brothers who look out for me and my heart when I'm stupid and careless with it. My sisters who are more of an inspiration to me that they know. I love them. So much. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father's infinite wisdom in putting me in this family. Oddly enough, they made me into the person I am today. They strengthen me and love me without end, regardless of my mistakes. They don't care. I couldn't have asked for better parents to lead me in this mortal life. They are shining examples in my life and they love me. It's hard to grasp sometimes how much they love me. I don't think I'll ever really know a parent's love until I have my own children. And I hope that when I do, I'll be just as amazing parent to them as my parents were to me.
My friends. I probably have the most amazing compilation of friends anyone could ask for. Sure, I've had friends that come and go in my life, who doesn't? But even then, I've learned from them. I've grown with them. Some have brought me closer to myself, and others have brought me closer to Christ. I am so thankful for their influences and guidance. Once again, Heavenly Father's wisdom proves itself.
I'm grateful for this school. BYU-Idaho. It truly is the Lord's school. So many things have happened that have opened up the path for me to be here today with these amazing people. All because it's what the Lord wanted. I love that I can open class with a prayer and feel the Spirit touching my heart as I study and learn. The proximity of the school to the temple is another blessing in my life. I love that I can walk up the hill before class and do baptisms and receive inspiration.
All of these things have been brought about because of one simple farm boy. I'm so grateful for the prophet Joseph Smith and his sacrifice. I once heard an apostle say that the greatest sacrifice was that of Christ. And the second was that of Joseph Smith.  He laid down EVERYTHING for the word and the world. For me. He didn't know what kind of impact it would make on my life and billions others. But he knew what was true and he didn't let anyone tell him differently. And for that, I'll forever be grateful.
And last but not certainly not least, I'm thankful for God's love. It brings me to tears every time I think about it. In this world, we're led to believe that unless we're perfect, we aren't loved. But in the gospel, we're taught that we're loved because we're not perfect. We are His children. Every single one of us. He loves us so much. It pains Him to see us here going through such trials and hardships, but He loves us, so He let's us endure such things. But he sent us the gospel. He sent us His Only Begotten Son to die for us so that we can live with Him again. It's an amazing thing to feel God's love for us and know that no matter where we are or how we feel, God loves us and wants the best for us. So many times in my life, especially lately, I've had the chance to feel this amazing love and I'll never get use to it. I'll never stop being grateful for it. I only wish everyone knew what I know.

These are just a few of the things I'm grateful. If I tried to write all of my blessings down, it'd take me a few hours. And even then I'd be leaving things out. I hope that this holiday season you've been able to count your blessings. You'll see that even with everything, life is an amazing journey and it will all be worth it in the end:)

A compilation of some awesome pics:)

Halloween

I tried to open it.... Yep..

Me and Evan. My pillow pet my wifey got me for my birthday:)

Me and me when I was a baby. For reals. We look exactly alike. It's odd,

I wanna see your peacock:)

I will eat you. Zombie apocalypse here I come:)

This Is The Oldest I've Ever Been:)

Well this has been an exciting month! I can't believe it's almost over! So weird! Let's start at the beginning:
My birthday.
It's only the best part of the month... Besides General Conference. Which was great. Loved it. But back to the point. For my birthday, my roommates and FHE brothers and sisters threw me a surprise party. Complete with a pinata. Do I have awesome "family" or what? I have probably the best friends out here any girl could ask for. I truly enjoyed my birthday, one of the best I've ever had this year. 

Dora

 

 

Killer Dora

You can't see it, but Bryan (FHE Dad) added the mean eyebrows to dear Dora and then we put some scissors in her hand. I guess she got tired of helping other people find their crap. (Direct quote the the lovely Miss Madi.)
Midterms came and went and I finally got my financial aid. Now I can pay all of my bills and have no more money left over. I AM accepting donations in the form of food, winter jackets (cute but warm), and money.
I just can't believe I've been twenty for two weeks! It's crazy how fast time flies when you're old! But really, I've been having a blast this month.
Last night, Madi and I decided we weren't going to stay in on a Friday night when there were parties to be partied. So, we did our make up kinda funny and headed out. We hit up a party in Hemming Village, but it was pretty lame, so we went to the cheap theater instead. Ryan met us there and we watched The Help. Awesome movie. I suggest you see it. Then we came back here and stayed up till... 3:30 vowing to wake up at 9 to get some work done...  Did that happen? Not really.. More like 11 to eat some cereal and watch TV.

Before the movie

After the movie

Today, Katie and I went with some kids from our complex to shoot guns with our bishop. All together there were 11 of us. Katie, Colten, Ryan, Nick, Ashley, Michael, Janessa, Corbin, Josh, Bishop, and me. It was so fun. We were out in the middle of nowhere Rigby for like three hours shooting at flying targets, dinosaurs/squirrels/gophers, and washing machine doors. I also think there was a bed pan out there that I managed to hit. I also managed to hit the tiny green dinosaur thing from a good 100 yards away and a flying clay pigeon. Go me! We then literally raced home. Well, partially home. On the dirt road back to the paved road, Colten, Bishop, and Nick had a contest to see who could drive the craziest. Yep. Bishop was fish tailin' everywhere, Nick almost t-boned us, and Colten was driving backwards! It was awesome! I felt like I was in an action movie! Haha.

Ryan and I getting thrown around in Colten's truck

Thankfully, Colten was keeping his eyes on the road when Katie and I took this

Me, Ashley, Janessa, Micheal, and Corbin in the back photobombing us

Waiting in line to shoot:)

This is when I hit the clay pigeon Katie threw

He does the signature Pixar face really well, Corbin does

I don't know why he is making that face...

Us girls:)

After that, Ryan and I went for a quick run to Walmart which turned into an hour and a half run to Walmart, D.I., Walmart again, Albertson's, and then Broulims. But! I managed to get this amazing costume for Monday and also some ingredients for some delicious cookies I'm going to try and cook tomorrow. Super excited for that. Then, I wound down the night with a good movie and some good friends.
Some pretty crazy stuff has happened this month. It's been a blast and I hope the rest of the semester is as amazing as this month has been.

Singing in the Stadium

What a trip! I love stadium singing! For those of you who don't know what it is, basically, students and locals gather under the stadium at 9:30 on Sunday nights every week and sing hymns a Capella for half an hour. It's so awesome. The Spirit is so strong there. You don't have to be a good singer. You don't have to know the songs. As long as you have access to a hymnal, you're good.
I love starting my week like this. It's such a high. I just come out of there feeling good and I go to sleep with hymns buzzing around my head. It's such a great experience. Last fall and winter I wasn't really in to it. I kinda wanted to go, but no one wanted to go with me and so I never went. But now, the kids from the complex all go and it's a great way to get to know each other. You grow so close spiritually to these people you are singing with. Tonight, we actually had a random girl come and start singing with us and then she gave us all hugs when she left! It's was so weird, but not weird at the same time. I love it.
So far I've been pretty amazing. My roommates are such a great support for me, even though they don't realize how important they are to me. I've made some great friends with the people in my complex and with the people from my ward. They are all super awesome.
I love that I can walk up to the temple whenever the heck I want and do baptisms. It's such a great privilege to have a temple so close to the school. I'm definitely taking advantage of it as much as I can. I love looking across town and seeing the temple there standing like a beacon to us. It's beautiful and peaceful. I love the blessings it brings to me.
I'm going to hit the hay while I still have "If You Could Hie to Kolob" stuck in my head.