New Year's Eve

This one goes out to JR, I hope you're having a great New Years in Wyoming!  New Years by myself just isn't the same...

Les Miserables

I got excited for this movie a few months ago when I, like the rest of the world, saw the explanation of the live singing.  Cool.  But I didn't know the story, I had never seen the play or movie and I had definitely never read the book.  I was pretty much unprepared.  

Now, having seen the movie, I'm disappointed.  To me a musical means talking, then singing, then some more talking.  No talking?  After about 15 minutes I was sick of the singing.  Don't get me wrong, it was all very good and the main songs were incredible, but they didn't have to sing the whole script, sometimes words are more powerful without a tune.  I get it though, that's how it's always been done and some people love it.  Just not me.  

As for the story, it was touching and I loved it, but it wasn't as good as The Count of Monte Cristo.  So I'm really struggling to understand why this movie "is the best movie to ever hit the theaters."  That's all.

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Christmas

What a great day.  As most people know, I love christmas.  I love wearing red and green, I love drinking hot chocolate out of my santa head mugs, I love watching all the holiday movies on hallmark and ABC family, I love getting new pajamas, I love wearing my christmas sweaters, I love the snow, I love being with my family, I love eating delicious food, and I love the feel of waking up on christmas morning and seeing the tree (it seems to be prettier on christmas morning).
This Christmas did not disappoint me.  The highlight of my day was going to my brother-in-law's family's christmas party and being able to talk to Elder Sani Mauigoa on the phone for a few minutes.  He's my brother-in-law's little brother and one of my good friends.  It put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
Now Christmas is over, and we get to look forward to the new year.  Also full of traditions that I love.  Usually they include my friend Jessica and my sister Jessica, but the friend is on her mission and the sister is married so it will be different this year.  Party at my cabin anyone?  It will be a blast!
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Writing never takes the place of living

I'm listening to Sherwood right now and that line in I'm Asking Her to Stay really stuck out to me.  Today I was at work and I was talking to a kid that I feel like I know really well because we've worked together for 7 months now.  I was telling him about a dream I had and he asked me if I would actually do that in real life.  It dawned on me that he really doesn't know me at all.  Hardly anyone that I've met in the last year really knows me.  I spend a lot of time and effort writing letters to people because I don't want to lose any friends, but apparently I should be spending more time with people here that I thought I was friends with.  I have the next two months to prepare, relax, and vacation and by the end of it, these people will know me
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The Search for Tim Tams

The day before my birthday I was working with the fire alarm crew and we had to go to the creamery at Helaman.  While we were there I saw a stack of my favorite treat, Tim Tams.  Unfortunately, I didn't have money on me to buy some right there.  So when I got home, I told me roommate and we decided we'd get some later on in the week.  By the time we got around to it, all three creamery's were out.  Those darn freshman should worry a little more on their freshmen 15.  But we weren't done searching yet.  That night we also took a trip to Smith's and Macey's.  No luck.
So we gave up that night.  Last night we tried again and went to walmart.  We still couldn't find them!  Walmart has had them for the past several years!  What happened?  Are we all of a sudden on bad terms with Australia?
So we decided to just go to krispy kremes instead.  When we got there the drive thru line was so long that we couldn't even get into the parking lot so we could go inside.  After waiting a good 20 minutes, we finally made it into the store and stood in line.  A girl then told us that their machines can't keep up with the deal, so we couldn't get two dozen donuts, but we could still get one.  Apparently, for 12/12/12, krispy kremes was doing a buy one dozen get one dozen free deal.  So we took the rain check coupon and left.  Why would we just get one dozen when we could get two today, even if one was our original intent.  So we went to farr's instead.
Shams promised to look for Tim Tams for us, but we'd also appreciate anyone else that's willing to help.
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My Birthday

I woke up super early so that I could run because I knew that I would be eating a lot that day.  I then had scones with my family and opened presents.  I got the unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook!  Exactly what I wanted!  So now in my two months of spare time before my mission, I will be cooking and preparing myself for a life without Harry Potter.
After scones I went with my mom to the temple and then the rest of my family came later on.  It was an amazing experience and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to go through for the first time on my birthday.  I can't think of a better present!
After the temple I went to Wingers.  It was on my bucket list of things to do before I left on my mission.  I had never been there before but I loved it!  And I got an asphalt pie because it was my birthday.
Then I had some spare time before I went to my New Testament class so I watched the Once upon a time episode from this week.  It was fantastic.
After my class I went to dinner at home and had lasagna and apple pie.  And then I went back to my apartment and Annie came home with a Marie Calender's razzleberry pie already made.  She put 20 candles in it and I blew out all of them.  When we were taking the candles out we discovered that the pie was so hot that a lot of wax was left melted inside.  Yum.  But that is my favorite kind of pie and it was excellent.  Basically, I have the best roommate and if you want to live with her next semester, please let me know.  My contract it for sale.
And that ended my excellent day.  So glad I'm not a teenager anymore!
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I made it through the day!

You know those days where you're half asleep, you're hair isn't done, and you're wearing an extra large christmas sweater?  Well I sure do because it seems to happen a lot in college.  I've been lucky enough to have classes that haven't required a lot of work this semester, but this week I had to do a lot.  This week was hard but it's finally over and when I get home I'm going to take a well deserved, long nap.  I've calculated my possible grades and they aren't nearly as good as I was expecting or hoping for, but my overall GPA shouldn't change so I'm pretty pleased.  Here's to the weekend!
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I see the light at the end of the tunnel

This week has actually gone by pretty fast.  Probably because I've been dreading Friday, tomorrow, so it seems that it came quicker this week than most.  Last year I had a 10 page research paper due, but it was due at the beginning of november.  This year all my assignments have come this week or next.  And I'm drowning.  But the end is near.  If I can just live off of no sleep for a week I should be good to go.  This song is stuck in my head at the moment, listen to it, it's good.

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Getting Ready to Go

These past two weeks have been crazy busy.  On top of the end of the semester projects and tests, I've been working on mission things.  Mostly just shopping but my visa requirements came in the mail while I was in California, so now I'm working on those as well.  Today I went with my mom to get fingerprints and copies of my birth certificate.  I also went to the doctors and I got 4 shots- 2 in each arm.  My arms are hating me right now.  No matter how many walk the dogs I do, I have a feeling they are going to be hurting tomorrow.

The good news is I have my temple stake president interview tonight!  I could possibly be going through the temple for the first time on my birthday.  That would be pretty sweet!

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Argentina here I come!

So yesterday I got my mission call.  It was a day full of emotions and by the end, I was exhausted.  I had to wait until 7 to open the big white envelope that was sitting on my kitchen table at home because my sister couldn't make it any earlier.  So all day long I was feeling nervous/ excited/ anxious/ worried. The guys at work all made their guesses and were giving me advice and it wasn't helping me get my mind off of things.  They kept telling me things about postage stamps and that $1.90 meant that I was going foreign, but I'm pretty sure that's not always the case.
By the time 7 came around, I was more calm than I thought I would be.  More calm than my mom was at least.  She tried to open the corner just enough to peak inside.  It didn't work.
When I pulled out the letter addressed to me my eyes instantly found the place I was going.  Oops.  But I played dumb and read the letter as if I didn't know where I was going.  After I said Argentina the cheers were too loud for anyone to hear what mission.  So I had to repeat it several more times throughout the night.  Rosario!!!!  I'm reporting to the MTC February 27th and I cannot wait.  I've already started researching Rosario and it sounds like a great place.  Everyone keeps asking me if I wanted to go to Spain.  Spain would have been cool too, but it wasn't my first choice.  Argentina was actually really high up there on my list so I'm extremely excited.  I'm excited that I get to learn about a whole new culture that I've never experienced before, and while doing that I get to share the gospel and bring joy into people's lives!  Dream come true!  And...  I get to speak Spanish!!!!!  Wahoo!!!!!!!
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Christmas is Here!!!

This morning as I was driving to school Cozy 106.5 was playing christmas music.  When I finished work and I was on my way home, more christmas music was playing.  I took this as permission to play my own christmas music.  Finally!!!  So Annie and I sang along to some songs while we ate dinner tonight.  All I want to do now is make some hot chocolate and watch The Santa Clause.  I have two months of this and I'm super excited.
This song has always made me laugh.  Yes, my mother gets mad that I make fun of this song, but really?  The kids really had to join in and sing?  It's just a tad bit cheesy.  And it's my favorite.

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Another Half? Why?

As many of you remember, last weekend I did the Halloween Half Marathon.  I had fun while doing it and it was fun to look at everyones' costumes.  I decided a long time ago that I would only do unique races.  Not the traditional, the gun goes off and everyone starts running.  The Halloween half was pretty traditional, but the costumes made it unique.
Except that decision didn't hold up this weekend.  Friday I had planned to go camping with Annie and a club at BYU.  I scrambled to take a test earlier in the day and I skipped work and everything.  And then Annie and I decided that we'd much rather relax and go to St. George.  Well then I found out my family was staying until Sunday, so we'd have to miss a ward activity.  I thought that would be OK but Annie wanted to stay.  So I ended up going down to St. George with my sister, her friend, and my parents.
On the way down McKenzie and her friend convinced me to do the half marathon with them and my mom the next day.  Without thinking it all the way through, I agreed and signed up for late registration. I then told my mom and she thought I was crazy for A) spending the money and B) doing another half when I really didn't train all that hard for the first one.  But it was too late.
The next morning I knew it was going to be a bad race.  I have some messed up system in my body and I can tell when it's going to be painful to run.  I was right.  The first three miles were miserable.  I really thought I would have to quit and just lose my money.  But then it got sort of better and I ended up finishing my first traditional half.  And... I didn't do any better this week than last week.  Everyone else did but not me.  I did the same.  I'm kind of disappointed but if I'm not gone before february I'm doing another half over valentine's day and I will beat my time.
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My Dad's Cooler Than Your Dad

He's 54 and he still loves being a kid.  This week he decided that he wanted to be a pioneer.  So he packed up his bike and rode from This is the Place Monument and headed towards Martin's Cove.  What?  Who does that?  By themselves?  But he couldn't find a trail to get past Evanston and then he crashed.  So he was with us for Halloween!  And... he dressed up.  He's 54 people!  His costume: Lance Armstrong.  He had the yellow jersey and a needle sticking into his arm connecting to an IV bag hanging around his neck full of blood.  Yep, he was a doper, and he's a bishop.  Sometimes I wish I could get more into the spirit of halloween and be as cool as my dad.  Or, all the time.
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Halloween Half Marathon

This half was actually pretty fun.  I dressed up as Luigi and my sister was Mario.  She's way faster than me and so is Mario so it worked out perfectly.  But hey, Luigi didn't do too bad.  I was faster than my goal... sort of.  So that was good. I had a wardrobe malfunction though that lost me about 5 minutes.
Now that it's over, I don't feel so good.  There's a point in running where you actually don't feel good afterwards.  You feel terribly sick.  Not sore, but sick.  For the last half marathon, we got home at 1:30 in the morning so I just showered and when I finally fell asleep, I slept off the sickness.  Not the case for this one.  All day I've had stomach cramps and they won't go away no matter how much advil I shove down my throat.  At first I thought I was just hungry, so I went to Panda Express with my little brother and boy did that make things worse!  Then I went with some people in my ward to a corn maze tonight and I was in pain.  Also, I had to burp a lot but I refrained, which probably made my stomach pains worse.  Ya, so I think it's time for bed and hopefully I'll feel better in the morning.
The End

Missed the Snow

This morning I woke up and by the time I went to class, the snow had stopped and the remains were on my car.  Then I went to my lab and when I came out there was more snow, but again, I had missed it.  When it starts up again I will be outside ready to go.
I'm ready for a snowy year.  Last year was sad, the year before was ok, and the year before that I was in Spain and it only snowed once.  It was freezing and rainy but no snow.  This is why I love Utah most of the time.  This state knows that snow is way better than rain.
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Fire Watch

For the last couple of days I've been in training to be a secretary at work.  The secretary job isn't better than a fire alarm student, but it is something different, so it's been fun.  But I'm still a fire alarm student so I still get to do fire watch every now and then.  Basically, we turn off the alarms when there are big events and then someone has to sit by the panel and make sure no alarms come in that the rest of the building can't hear.  Let me tell you, it's really exciting.  Today's the blue and white basketball game and they wanted us here five hours before the game actually started?  It's a little excessive.  No one's here except a few people preparing for the game, and the players.  Oh and me.  I have a fantastic job.

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Was it the sugar?

Nope because I definitely didn't have enough sugar to get me this way.
From the moment I woke up (5:30) to about an hour ago I was a little bit crazy.  Today was a dancing, singing, saying what you mean sort of day.  Sorry if I offended you.  I think my roommates were a little freaked out, they haven't yet learned how I get when the pressure's on.  One of them said she'd like me when I'm dead?  Don't know how I feel about that...
And this is golden so please watch it.

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BYU culture

Everywhere on campus has its own culture.
The HFAC is full of artsy people that like to be unique.  They push the BYU honor code the most by hiding their longer hair (if a boy) and colored hair (if a girl).  They're often seen carrying art boards or musical instruments around and they are usually the most into fashion.
Then you have the Wilk.  The people that eat here during lunch are either the "cool" kids, the ethnic groups, or the ones not looking to study but need a place to stop on their way to work.
You can always find good looking boys in suits in the Tanner building.  Careful though, they are usually the most serious ones on campus and look only at their futures.  It's go go go with them.
The HRCB has political science nerds.  A bunch of used New York Times papers in this building.  Lots of lectures go on here so unless you want to get dirty looks for talking and disrupting the educational opportunity, I would suggest avoiding this building.
The Talmage is full of NERDS.  It has its own kind of odor, a mix of frozen pizza/ burrito with BO.  Because math and computer science are such hard majors, the kids never leave and I think some of them don't like to shower.
The Benson is the chemistry building and you can find a handful of attractive pre-med students, but it's mostly full of chemistry enthusiasts that don't know anything about enjoying life.  They often change the subject back into why that aspect of life relates to chemistry. Weird.
The Marb/Widtsoe is an interesting one.  So many people have classes here that you get a good mix of personalities.  However, the Widtsoe has some crazy experiments going on in it, and a lot of animals so whenever I go in there I smell formaldehyde.  I'm pretty sure there's also a fair amount of asbestos in the air as well.  Probably why no one enjoys these buildings.
The RB/ Smith field house/ Student athlete building are intimidating.  Lots of tall and large athletes hang out here.  Also, the dress code is a little more relaxed for athletic wear so you'll often see athletes in short shorts and tank tops.  Some of them are cool, but most have a big ego.
That's what's been running through my mind today.  You're judged based on where you spend most of your time.
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Hello World

I've turned into a new person.  Not really, but I'm getting there.  I still don't feel the need to be social, but I've realized this past week that there are some great people in this world that can definitely lift your spirits.  For example, after the game today an old asian lady, who goes to every game, started talking to me.  I couldn't really understand her but her enthusiasm for BYU football made me laugh.  As we were walking, she fixed the boy's jacket who was walking in front of us.  I could tell he was a little surprised and somewhat scared, but she thought nothing of it.  She then put a brick back into someone's garden.  Helping the world one step at a time.  I want to be her.
Here's an old favorite...

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Can TA's be attractive?

Is it bad that I think my TA for my bio class is really cute?  Extremely nerdy but awfully cute.  He has a dorky laugh and gets way too excited over teaching our class but it's slightly adorable.  And I've seen him outside of class, outside of school even.  He was hiking Timp the same day we were.  His extra credit quiz question for today was, "if you were a member of the phylum mollusca, what would you be?" He's basically a keeper.  Too bad he's my TA...
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Ultimate Creeper

Winter semester I witnessed a relationship start and blossom.  Two kids in my bio 130 class (and I do mean kids because the girl looks 15) met towards the beginning of the semester and I was sitting right behind them.  Slowly but surely they began to flirt more and more and then date.  By then I had already made friends with the goofiest, funniest kid in the class and we often commented on their relationship.  We made bets on how long they'd last and what they'd tell their kids when they were married.  Every day they would come in holding hands and then share notes in class and we creepily watched from behind.
Well I didn't know what ever came of that relationship until tonight.  I was at the game and it was during a time out so everyone was sitting down, except one group of people in the next section over.  As I looked closer I realized the two kids in my bio class were in that group.  So I watched them and it was obvious what had happened.  Especially after I saw the giant diamond on her finger.
I feel special, like I was part of this successful relationship, even though I was definitely not.  I don't know their names and they don't know mine, but I remember the day they met and the first day I saw them holding hands.  And I saw from a distance their new marriage (or soon to be marriage).  I feel like the ultimate creeper, and I love it.
The End.

Success at the Testing Center

I've taken three tests this semester and all were taken in the testing center.  Winter semester, and spring term I had to take billions of tests, so I've developed a fine relationship with the testing center.  Instead of going to the library or the writing center, or wherever you poor english majors go to write a paper, I get to spend hundreds of hours taking tests.  Yay for Bio!
Anyway, two of my tests weren't even biology tests this year so I don't know what I'm talking about.  The first one: New Testament the second week of school.  I got an A, but so did everyone else so this was less exciting.
Next was molecular biology and I studied for several hours because I thought it was going to be extremely hard.  Turns out I picked the right professor and it was fairly straightforward.  Several questions were "check all that apply" questions so the testing center didn't grade it right.  They said I got an 81.  And then last night I got my real score.... 100%!!!!  I couldn't believe it and I definitely screamed and danced and celebrated by buying candy corn at maceys.
After that high I was ready for my third test, which I took today: Spanish 321.  100 questions and I got a 92.  I missed way more than I should have but I'm pretty happy.
Next week I have my animal diversity test which I'm less than thrilled about.  The professor is scatter brained and so we don't learn anything in class.  And to make matters worse, he got surgery so we had a sub on monday and no class on wednesday.  I went to the review today and the TA is a PHD student from Peru who's really hard to understand.  Also, he didn't have any information from our professor so it was kind of a mess.  Hopefully my success at the testing center wont end here!
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Feelings of Confusion

Poor Annie, boys get in the way of everything.  They are super confusing, especially when you yourself don't know how you feel.  Right now she's going through a situation that I once was in.  Mine was more extreme on one side and not as extreme on the other.  Am I making any sense.  Nope.  I know, I need more sleep.  But let me try again...
I think what this all boils down to is our age.  Boys leave on missions at our age and you may have feelings for those that are gone, but returned missionaries are there ready to date and they don't care about the boys on missions.  As some boys I work with informed me, when a girl says they have a missionary it encourages the RM.  Instead of what it should do, the RM somehow takes it as a challenge.  I'm convinced their goal in life is to make life harder for girls, more complicated.  Now, I don't have a missionary, and I never will have one and most girls technically don't have a missionary, but they write to one.  What's the difference?  I don't know.  Anyway, so when a nice RM comes along, the girl often finds herself trapped.  Shoot, now she likes both and what to do what to do?  Naturally, she dates the RM and wonders what she will do to make it last without getting married before the missionary comes home.  Girls are awful too, but the main source of the problem are those RM's.
Now Annie and I were/are no where near that.  But we share a common characteristic: we're passive when it comes to relationships.  Except this summer I did something towards the end that I'm proud of.  A boy was looking for a rebound after a relationship and I was the convenient choice, but I successfully avoided it.  Success!  Sorry, back to the important thing, I've never regretted having any kind of a relationship.  All were good.  I wish I could still be close friends with all of them (because I've had oh so many), but we all know that doesn't work so well.  So now Annie has to make a decision.  Either way she loses a friend and it kills me to see her go through it.  Well, I sort of know her decision already and it's the one I'm happy about, but it's still hard and I feel bad.  But I probably shouldn't have written any of this, so I'm gonna stop now.
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Muddy Buddies

It's a special day: the beginning of a new weekend full of fresh possibilities.  This weekend is especially exciting for different reasons, but it's also slightly tainted by the fact that I have a test.  Darn BYU (just kidding I love BYU because I've gotten free food almost every day this week).   Anyway, I'm gonna celebrate tonight with Annie and Carson and Muddy Buddies.  And then Annie and I are hiking Timp! Anyone want to join us?
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Spanish 321

So at first I hated this class because I am the only one who hasn't served a spanish speaking mission in there.  On the first day of class our professor was explaining how the class was going to work and everything was pretty simple, but these boys kept asking question after question. After a while I got annoyed and I thought they were idiots that just hadn't been in school for a while so they had forgotten how it works.  But the more I thought about it the more I realized what was up.  They were speaking super fast (faster than the professor) and they were using vocabulary from the countries they served in.  They were trying to show off.  To impress the professor.  So then I just thought they were arrogant idiots who didn't understand that almost everyone gets full participation in those kinds of classes and your grade depends on the exams, not in class work.
That was my original impression, but the more I go the more I like it. I sit in the back corner with two volleyball players that I don't talk to but they make me laugh with their side comments.  Don't worry, I fully intend to become friends with them because I need them to introduce me to #5.  I made a step in the right direction though: wednesday I brought cookies for my presentation and that won them over and then today I made a comment that made them laugh.  Success.
In front of me and to the corner sits the two boys I did my presentation with.  One is super smiley and loves learning spanish and the other one is super grumpy.  They're both nice guys though so I like doing my in class activities with them because I know they wont judge my non-perfect spanish.
On my other side sits B.  Yes, I'm cautious of saying his name.  He's the other way too happy boy that at first drove me insane but now I'm starting to like sitting by him.  He has a baby face and when I told my brother about him (I told my brother about everybody and everything the other day, I've been deprived of talking to people) my brother said I couldn't like another baby face because they all look younger than him.  That's not true, but I never told him I like him.  It's just nice to sit by someone nice who seems interested in my life for non-dating reasons.
Yes, so now I like the back corner of my spanish class.  I'll work on liking the rest of them but it might be hard because I still consider them arrogant.
And for fun... it's brilliant


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Red Rock Relay Part 2

So I got lazy and didn't want to write the rest of the post for the red rock relay but here it is...
Basically my second leg was awesome!  I felt really good and it was nice that it was in the middle of the night because it was cool and the stars were really bright.  I don't remember what my leg was called but it was right after the Spooky Leg, or the leg that runs through where the mountain meadows massacre was.  So I was a little bit spooked out because there were no runners by me, but I just turned my music up really loud and it worked out.  It was slightly downhill, not enough to hurt your knees, but enough to make you go fast.  Yes people, I ran that in just under 8 minute miles.  4.5 miles of it.  For me, that's a big deal because I usually run really slowly.
My last leg didn't go so well.  For those of you that know Zion's really well, you'll know what road I'm talking about.  My leg was 6.2 miles and it was about 90 degrees at 10:00 am.  The first 2.5 miles were all uphill with no breaks.  Every time I  turned the corner I just got more depressed.  It was the road out of Hurricane that leads into the canyon road to go to Zion.  You can ask my family, I was not a happy camper, still happier than my sister McKenzie who yelled at us during her leg, but not happy.  My van stopped about every mile to give me water and to pour it on me.  Right after the last stop, I threw up so I had to flag them down so I could get the taste out of my mouth.  And then I threw up again so it didn't even matter.  The important thing is I did it and I did it faster than I was expected to do it.
Overall, the Red Rock Relay was awesome.  I was really sore and I developed rather painful shin splints, but I had a blast with my family, Annie, and Jonny.  It's my favorite race and I look forward to it every year.  Hopefully next year I won't have to run as far...
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Red Rock Relay

Ok first off, last weekend was amazing!  Friday I went to the Swiss Days with Karli, saturday I went to the story telling festival with my sister and her friend and we listened to lots of great stories while cross-stitching.  I'm an old lady sometimes.  And then Sunday and Monday I was at my cabin.  I read and four wheeled.  Always a good time.
This weekend I'm running the red rock relay with my family and Annie.  We just got done with our first leg and I'm already tired and sore.  I only ran 5.4 miles, but it was mostly downhill and I ran hard, so I have a feeling these next two legs will be tough.  But to keep us going my brother-in-law made us butter balls.  They sound as good as they taste.  Hopefully I'll update on saturday and write about the next two legs.  If I'm not dead that is.
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First Week of School

So the last couple of weeks I haven't had the best luck.  Some may say it's not luck, and it's all because of my stupidity, but to make myself feel better I call it luck.
Two weeks ago, I dropped my camera over a cliff.  It's broken.
On the first day of school I dropped my phone.  The screen broke.  But we sent it in and got a replacement for free by wednesday.
My check engine light went on in my car so I had to get around without my car for a few days.
I got hit by a car on my bike yesterday, so now I'm bikeless.  Also, I ruined that pair of shorts I was wearing and I'm a little bit ticked about that.  And I'm sore everywhere and my knee hurts.
Some guys treated me like dirt because I'm the only one in my spanish class that didn't serve a spanish speaking mission.
I forgot my iclicker on the first important day and had Annie (bless her heart) bring me it.
I almost had to pull an all nighter to get homework done only to find out that the homework's not actually due until next week.
And to top it off, our microwave stopped working yesterday.
So it's been a lovely week.  Hopefully this weekend with bring my spirits up.  Bring on swiss days, story telling festival, and my cabin!
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August of 2012

The last few weeks have been crazy packed with summer activities.  Since one of my sisters is a Jr. high teacher and another one is a grad student/ english teacher at the U, we try to do as many family things as possible in the weeks leading up to school.  Not to mention I'm still in school and so is my little brother.  Unfortunately I didn't get a lot of pictures of the things we've done, but I can briefly update this neglected blog.

At the beginning of August I did my first half marathon with my brother-in-law, Ladd.  It was a night one where we started when we wanted and the goal was to be the first one to finish after midnight without using a clock or timer.  It was a blast and I finished 23 seconds after midnight.  I was the 7th person to cross the finish line after midnight.  Pretty lucky.

Then the olympics started (well actually it started before this but I wasn't being too picky on my timeline here) and I constantly watched them.  Except I was often too tired from work to stay awake until 11 so my brother had to throw things at me to keep me awake.  While watching the trials in June I picked out my favorite athletes and so it was fun to see how they did in the big times.  Pretty great actually.  Nathan Adrian, you are a cutie, and Jake Dalton, I don't care what people say, you're not gay because one of your two events is floor, I know that girlfriend of yours isn't just a cover up.

During those two weeks I also went boating and hiked stewart falls with Carson, Jake, and shams and hiked baldy with Annie and my host brother from Spain.

And then I took a day off of work to hike Cascade Peak with Annie.  Let me tell you, I thought I was gonna die.  Seriously, the hardest and scariest hike I've ever done.  The first half is just a steep hike but then you get to the saddle and climb (without a trail) to the summit for the second half.  Cliffs on both sides.  I ended up with a numb toe (still numb by the way), way too many scratches, and a swollen ear (I think it was an allergic reaction from sap).  I'm surprised we didn't have more severe injuries.  Let's just say I wont be hiking that one again.

After the olympics came shark week along with education week at BYU.  Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to enjoy shark week as much as other years because of that horrible week that BYU loves enough to not allow its students to have spring break.  Seriously, I hate education week with a passion.

This past weekend I went backpacking with some friends from work.  I was really nervous to go because none of them had been before, but it was actually a lot of fun.  I ended up being the mom of the group (even though I was by far the youngest).  I cleaned up after them, I told them what to bring, and I boiled their water and cooked their food for them.  By the end I accidentally called one of the boys "honey" just like a true mom would.  On the second day we decided to explore so we hiked up to some cliffs that overlooked the lake.  I was sitting there with one of the boys and we were timing how long it took a rock to hit the bottom of the cliff when my camera fell out of my lap.  It probably would have been ok if the tree hadn't ripped it out of its case.  It bounced several times.  I about cried.  When we rescued it (which was not an easy task) it was pretty banged up.  And now I'm camera-less for a while.
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Fire Alarms

Oh how I'm ready for school to start so I can stop working full time.  I'm getting sick of doing the same thing every day.  For those of you who don't know, I work at the electric shop testing fire alarms and smoke detectors.  Snore.  But I have met some cool people so far.
Today we got here at 6:30 and we had to test all of wyview.  That means every building, every apartment.  But we surprisingly finished before lunch so now we don't really have anything to do.  I'm up next for fire watch which entails me sitting in the Marriott center trying to ignore all the people here for education week.  Only 7 more hours today though!  Ya, it's been a long day.
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Missionary Letters

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote, but I'll catch up some other time.  Right now I want to talk about an activity that has occupied my time for the last year.  Writing missionaries.  I need to start photocopying my letters because it takes up all my time and I have no time left to write in my journal.  So what I'm trying to say is, these missionaries know more about my life than my future self will.  Sad sad sad.
I often wonder how much money I've spent so far.  All of those stamps... not to mention paper and envelopes.  Luckily, most of my friends have gone state side or to Mexico.
Total number of missionaries I've kept a steady contact with: 9
Total number of missionaries that have ever written to me: 13
Total number of missionaries leaving in the next month: 4  And yes, I will write them.
I'm somewhat drowning.  But the sad part is, I enjoy all of it.  It's my time to write everything that's happened to me and not be interrupted.  I love talking and talking and talking and telling my stories and it's perfect for me to actually write them down.  And the worst part of this is, my friends know I'm like this.  So when they ask me to write to them, I can't say no.  Now I can't promise writing to them once every two weeks as I used to do, but once every month and a half or so, unfortunately yes.
I think it's time for people to start getting back so I'll have more real friends to talk to again.  I'm getting a little overwhelmed.
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My Good Friend JR

 Where do I even start with this girl?  Me and Jessica have been friends for as long as I can remember. My family moved into the house we live in now when I was six months old and her family had been living in the house across the street from ours way before that.  My whole life I've tried to be as good as she is.  When she did pre-school, so did I (even though that made me do 3 years instead of the average year of pre-school).  When she did spanish immersion, so did I.  When she won the hope of america award, so did I.  And the list goes on.  I loved growing up next to her.  We made countless movies together, we had tea parties at a neighbor's house, we rode bikes, we sold pictures that we colored for candy, we "survived" off of fruit in her backyard, we broke into each others houses, we went on trips together, and much more.

Now she's going on a mission and if I continue to follow her footsteps we will not see each other for three years (our birthdays are two years and a month apart and she's leaving a little over 6 months after her 21st birthday).  I'm going to miss her a lot.  But as she reminded me we've spent two years apart before, one year when her dad taught at princeton when she was in 4th grade, and the other year when I was in Spain and she was at BYU.  I know our friendship will survive the time apart.  We have too much history for it not to last.  

Here are some pictures of our childhood...

Weren't we just adorable? I love Jessica's sweater

Hogle Zoo

My 10th Birthday
She surprised me by decorating my room

Pioneer Day 10 years ago
I don't know why we wanted to be Maori for the kids parade

2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake

Toys R Us in New York

Going to see Beckham at the Real Salt Lake vs. Real Madrid game

Fun with a Cookie Monster Cake from Macey's

Preference my sophomore year (her senior year)

Laurels Lip Sync.  We were the spice girls

Stewart Falls before Spain

New Years 2012

 This is a video my sister made of Jessica and I dancing.  To be fair, we've gotten better over the years

Thanks for being such a good friend Jessica.  Sorry I posted the video but I figure it's been long enough that it doesn't matter as much anymore.

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Rain and More Rain

This past weekend I went backpacking.  It was a blast.  We got to our destination, set up camp, ate some mountain house lasagna, and relaxed a bit.  I was reading in our hammock (that Izzy, our dog, carried in her pack) when the rain started.  So I quickly jumped into my tent.  By that time it was already 8:30 and time for bed so I changed into warm tights and fell asleep.  I'm not quite sure what time it was but late in the night the rain started to come down hard.  All night long.  Until about 8:00 when I woke up.  I ate oatmeal and hot chocolate and then started to pack up camp.  Right when everything was packed and we were ready to go, the rain started again.  Perfect timing.  By the time we got back to the car we were soaked, but we had fun!

Packing up

Alvaro, my host brother from Spain

Izzy looked adorable all weekend with her pack

I had my favorite hiking pants, shoes, and socks on

I know my pack looks short, but I promise you it was wide

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Ride, Eat, Ride, Eat, Ride

The 7th of July was the tour de donut.  Yes, you read right, donuts.  Let me explain... the tour de donut is a bike race put on by the rotary club.  It's a 21 mile ride that's split up in three laps of 7 miles. The first 7 miles my mom met up with me and I really didn't push as hard as I should have.  Then come the donuts.  After one lap, you get off your bike and shove as many donuts as you can into your stomach.  Every donut you eat is three minutes off of your time.  The tricky part is the time is still going while you're eating, so you have to be fast to make it worth it.  I personally ate four donuts on the first lap and my dad ate seven.  Then you ride another 7 miles and eat donuts again.  I was on my second donut when one of the volunteers asked how many I had eaten (they marked the number on your bib).  I told him it was my second but I was going to eat one more, so he put three down and walked away.  The problem was, after the second donut I hit the wall.  So the last donut was painful.  And then came the last 7 miles that didn't seem to end.  Overall, I ended up eating 7 donuts which got me 2nd place in women general A (or women under 35).  And I got a cool trophy with a silver donut on it.  Probably the best race I have ever done.  My dad, who ended up first in his age and ate 10 donuts, also said it was a blast.  Definitely a keeper.
Just to gross you out, the overall winner ate 33 donuts for a total time of -22 minutes.
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My Summer Has Started

I've finally reached the point where I don't just sleep after work!  I think my mono is finally gone!  But it is a possibility that I have more energy because I took a few naps in the library at work.  We're gonna go with the first statement though.

So this week my brother and my dad went on trek and my mom and two sisters went on a road trip to see the track and field olympic trials in oregon.  By the way, my cousin Jill won the shot put and she's headed to London to place.  This left me all alone.  But I was never bored.

Tuesday: Jessica's bridal shower

Wednesday: hiked up battlecreek canyon with Annie.  We realized that there's not much to see after the falls.  Made peanut butter cup cookies. Ate dinner with the Ransoms

Thursday: Early morning testing got canceled so I marinated some chicken instead. I made island chicken, a fantastic fruit salad, and just a regular salad.  Karli came over to eat it with me and then Ladd, my brother-in-law, came over later and so did my grandma.

Friday: Again, no early morning testing so I went on a run before work. Watched Jill on TV. Slept until the spanish girl, Silvia, showed up at our house. 

Saturday: Hiked Squaw peak with Annie. Made cinnamon french toast. My dad and Weston got home and we went to Taco Amigo, I think Silvia liked the name more than the food.

Pretty eventful week.  I think it's more the hiking that's making me believe it's summer again.  Annie and I still have our walk from American Fork to Provo along the bonneville shoreline to do and we're looking for sponsors to meet us along the way and feed us.  If you're interested, please call me.

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Three More Friends Leave

I feel like this picture says it all about James

I went to my friend's farewell a couple of Sundays ago and as I was sitting there listening to him speak my friend Sharissa leaned over and said, "I can't believe our little James is all grown up."  Exactly what I was thinking.  Where has the time gone?
I first met James on the bus ride up to Lagoon for science day in 8th grade.  On the way home, my friend Karli and I, and somewhat Mireya, became good friends with him and his friend.  The next year we had AP human geography together, along with the rest of the gang.  James kept the whole class laughing.  Sharissa and I used to tease him by giving each other looks and pretending to have conversations.  James would try so hard to understand what we were saying.
That year we also became better friends through track and science demo team.
The next year we started high school and we stayed friends. He took me on my first date the day after I turned 16 and he also took me to prom that year and I had a blast.

Our junior year I was in Spain and James was one of the only ones that actually sent me letters.  They always entertained me.  One time he asked me if I was the only white person in Spain.  He's been teased plenty since, but really, that's why we love James.
When I got back James had become too cool for me.  No, he's still my friend.  It's been way fun to see him change through the years.  He still catches me by surprise sometimes with the things he says and I love him for it.  You will be a great missionary in New York James.

This past Sunday I had two farewells to go to but I only went to one.  The one I didn't go to was for one of my friends that I made at college.  I wish I could have gone, but it was a little too far for me to go (ok so it was only 30 minutes away and I know that makes me look like a bad friend but I had seen him a week before).

Mikey and his step sister at bowling.
Yes, I realize it's creepy I stole this from facebook but he needed a picture

Mikey, you will be missed especially this upcoming year when bowling starts again.  Thanks for being such a good friend and good luck in Chile.
The next one was for my good friend DJ.  DJ is one of those friends that you keep for years and years.  He's been with me since second grade.  Almost as soon as he transferred into Señora Petrie's spanish immersion class we became friends.

I'm in the front center and DJ's two to my left in the blue shirt
And yes, out of all of these years, this is the only picture I have of both of us

In Jr. High we had some good times in Señora Silito's class but once he gave up on spanish we sort of lost contact for a while.  However, senior year rolled along and we once again had a class together and DJ became my study partner.  We made bets on the outcome of the end of the year tests and I won so he bought me costa vida and an apple pie.  He's basically the greatest.  Even this past year when he was 3 hours away, we stayed in contact.  Every time he came up to visit his family, we would go get ice cream and we would talk about my bubble, calculus, and his tutoring.  Once school ended we attempted to have a harry potter marathon but we only got to number 4.  And then I got sick and now he's leaving.  But it's alright because when he gets home I fully intend to start on number 5.  Since this is a monster post, the last thing I want to say is (as cheesy as it is), those Filipinos are lucky to have you DJ.
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A little bit disorganized

My life has been a disaster lately.  Normally, I tend to focus on one aspect of my life at a time.  Last summer I focused on my social life.  I hardly worked and I spent everyday either training for my triathlon, hiking with Annie or just watching movies with friends.  Once school started I almost entirely dropped my friends and I focused on school (to be fair, a lot of them moved away).  Now I'm just kind of floating around.  This spring term has really messed me up.  The classes I took really didn't require me to study, so I didn't spend a whole lot of time focusing on school.  My friends are either gone or busy, so they're not taking up a lot of my time either.  I have another triathlon coming up but since I've been terribly ill for the past month, I haven't trained at all (which is actually a big deal because it's next saturday and since I'm still weak I can barely run 3 miles).  I do work but it doesn't take a lot of brain power so I'm not putting a lot of effort into working hard.  Basically, I'm lost.
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The Kissing Disease

Yes, I've had mono for the past 2.5 weeks and it's been horrible.  Spring classes are already fast paced, but add work and mono to the bundle and they seem impossibly hard.  That aside, I do have to say that I only missed three classes and I got in all my homework on time.  But let's start from the beginning...

A couple weeks ago I went and saw the avengers with my friend Carson.  It was a friday night and it was a blast.  I went to bed that night with a lot of plans for the summer in mind.  The next morning I wasn't feeling my best but I had promised Karli that I would hike stewart falls with her so I made the trip despite my illness.  When I got back I felt very achey and fevery so I took a nap.  That was also the day of the national rugby championship.  When I woke up from my nap, I still didn't feel well so I stayed in bed while my family went to watch the game.  By monday I thought I would feel well, but my symptoms had only gotten worse.  Because I had a spanish presentation that week, I went to school anyway.  On wednesday I finally went to the doctor because four rather painful lumps had appears on the back of my head and I had a severe headache because of them.  Within one minute, the doctor diagnosed me with mono.  So I got a B-12 shot and I was on my way.  I thought that was the end of it so I agreed to go to St. George with my sister that weekend, and that's when my sore throat started.  I honestly thought I was going to die.  But after lots of advil, vitamin C, B-12, excedrin, and an allergy pill, I went to Zion's with my sister and hiked 8 miles.  Let me tell you, they aren't kidding when they say mono makes you tired.  Within the first half mile my body was done.  It was awful, but the view at the end was nice.
So then I got home and school was no longer an option.  Swallowing was excruciating.  Hey!  I lost five pounds!
Thursday I got home from work and my mom brought me a juice press.  After I drank it, I went to sleep and I woke up at 4:30 the next morning.  My throat felt raw, but not swollen.  So now I'm just tired all the time, but I feel much better.  I was even well enough to go to my cousin's baptism on saturday where I met his primary teacher, Sister Kitty Butt.
And that's my story.  Long, but I have nothing else to do right now.
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Dreams

So I did get a job.  I think this means I have to cancel my Lake Powell trip which I'm way bummed about, but it's worth it.  I just have to keep the end goal in mind... Spain next summer.  Yes, I'm planning on doing a study abroad somewhere in europe in the spring and then taking a train to Spain and traveling with my friend, Zuriñe.  That's my dream when I'm conscious.
But lately I've been having horrific dreams when I'm unconscious.  Like last night, I had three dreams and in all of them someone who I love died.  They all start out great and pleasant and then right at the very end something tragic happens.  It's come to the point where I think my mental status needs to be checked.  The one last night where Josh died was the most realistic, so please Josh, don't die on me.  If you have some life threatening disease, now would be the time to tell me.  That goes for all of you.
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Jobs

I'm not a returned missionary.  I don't have experience other than Tomasso's.  I am a freshman. Still.  I'm in class at inconvenient times. I don't have connections. Anywhere.
When you don't have any of these, you're out of luck when it comes to finding a job.  Even if you have other qualities that are pretty significant, like an amazing GPA, or a billion credits that show you're willing to work hard, or knowledge of a language, or really good references.  It doesn't matter how close I am to graduating, or how badly I need money, or how persistent I am.  All that matters is if I've been on a mission or if the boss, sorry not the boss because he's my neighbor, if the grouchy man hiring people is your friend. Job hunting is the worst.  I'm starting to think that going to Hawaii with my sister right before my other sister's wedding is the better option here.
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Dear Runners

If you're going to run on or near BYU campus please put on some clothes.  I get it, it's hot outside.  So run at a different time.  If you can't, then continue to wear what you want, but run somewhere else for goodness sakes.  I'm not trying to be overly BYUish but when it's bad enough that even I notice it, you know it's bad.
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I haven't done one of these in a while...

I forgot about my music video obsession for a bit there.  Sorry about that.  But I do want to make a few comments on my recent love of foreign music.  Don't ask me why, but I've been listening to all kinds of languages recently and it's making me want to learn another language.  Yes I know that I've been at Spanish for almost my whole life and I still can't speak very well, but I'm getting tired.  I love spanish and I always will, but I feel like I've reached the point where a classroom setting wont make me speak better.  I do really well on paper and with listening, but speaking?  Nope.  I wont get any better until I go back to a spanish speaking country.  So in the meantime, why not learn another language?
Anyway, here's two songs that I fell in love with this week

The first one is Ricardo Arjona and Gaby Moreno.  They're both Guatemalan.  My spanish teacher showed our class this and then I looked him up on grooveshark for more songs and that just led me to more and more artists that I didn't even know existed. Thank you Guillermo (and credit also has to go partly to my speaking partner, Catalina).

Ok so my brother makes fun of me for the second one, the Il Volo song.  He called me a 70 year old cat lady.  It's fine.  Yes, my mother owns their CD and I listen to it every time I know I'm going to be in the kitchen for an extended period of time.
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There's always something good amongst the bad

The past couple of days have been traumatic to say the least.  And this time it's not about school, though this religion class of mine isn't exactly a walk in the park which disappoints me.  But as my life's been focused on the bad, I've forgotten to look for the good.  So instead of naming off the bad things I want to make a list of the good things that have happened in the last three days:

1. I got to see my cousin before she leaves on her mission to Honduras

2. I talked to Josh on skype

3. I didn't sleep in at all and I got all the work I needed to get done done

4. I got two letters and a package yesterday in the mail! One from Covey, one from Sean, and the package from Josh.  Ok ok so the package wasn't exactly addressed to me, it was for my family so my dad made me open it in front of them, but it was still the highlight of my day.

5. My golf teacher told me I look like a pro and then asked me to help him demonstrate an exercise we were going to do.  Yes.  That's right.  It's beginning golf, but we can look past that right?  He also told me that I must have had an amazing coach.  Thanks Coach Kelley!

6. I randomly saw four friends on campus.

7. I finished my book

8. I finally took a nap today

9. Jessica R is back and I found out she's not going to the single's ward so I will have a friend

10. There is juice in the fridge!!!

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Update

The class isn't going to be as awful as I thought this morning.  Most of the kids in the class are girls that are preparing to go on a study abroad to spain in the fall.  Been there, done that.  I did not inform them that they are a little late though.  No, I kept it in because I definitely do not want to be called on more than others.  I hate participating.  Luckily everyone's about at my level so that makes it more comfortable to speak.  But, the class is going to be a lot of work.  Six tests, one final, two oral tests, three papers, countless grammar assignments, 26 quizzes, 22 Yo Soy Betty, La Fea episodes, two hours of conversation a week, I don't even know how many journal entries, and three presentations.  Sounds fun right?  All I can say is I'm glad my other two classes this term are marriage and family prep and golf.
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Span 206

I have five minutes until my class starts and it's going to be awful.  I can tell already.  The two boys sitting down when I walked in were rather strange.  And I think it's going to be a 15 or less person class.  Those are always fun.  I'll keep you updated.
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I'm Back!

So I'm back home.  It's pretty much great and horrible at the same time.  I no longer have to worry about getting food or doing my laundry, but my brother's already talked my ear off.  That boy sure loves to talk.
But it's almost like I never left campus, because I have been back everyday since.  School starts on tuesday and I'm going back to campus both today and monday.  Joy.
Saying goodbye to my neighbors in the freshman living quarters wasn't too bad either.  Probably because I just left without saying goodbye.  Oops.  I didn't even say goodbye to my roommates.... sorry about that guys, this year really was great.  But I did say goodbye to Josh.  We went to breakfast on wednesday and then we both packed and cleaned and then he came back over right before he left for the airport.  I miss him.  But at least I have these lovely pictures to enjoy. Ha. We're really photogenic.

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100 Posts

When I was in Spain I kept a blog to share pictures and stories of what I was doing in Spain with my friends and family. It was a huge pain to keep it up because the internet was so darn slow so updating pictures took all day. So when all my friends started blogs last year I was against it. But after thinking about it, I eventually followed the crowd. Do I write interesting things? Nope. Do I seem way more depressed than I actually am a lot of the time? Yep. But I enjoy it. So here's to 100 posts and the end of freshman year!

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What Thinks Christ of Me?

Today has been quite the Sunday. It was my last week in my singles ward and so we had a two hour testimony meeting. This whole past week I've been complaining about the idea and I knew it was just going to be the same kids that get up every time, getting up again and telling stories. But it turned out much better than that. Everybody that bore their testimony, bore testimony of Jesus Christ, our Savior. It made me think a lot about my own feelings towards Christ and all he's done for me. When I got home from church, I watched two conference talks (I have to watch them now because I slept through them two Sundays ago). One really hit me and it was exactly what I needed to hear today. You can watch it or read it here. The talk is called "What thinks Christ of me?" and it was given by Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I just want to share a few thoughts, but mainly I want to encourage everyone to read Elder Anderson's words and reflect upon your own feelings of Christ and all he's done for you.

Lately I've been worrying. Worry worry worry. I've stressed about my future plans and how my classes now will shape my future, I've stressed about finding a job for the summer, and I've stressed about friends situations. But the main thing that's caused me to look down on myself is knowing that I'm not doing as well as I can. I've been making tons of mistakes lately and I feel less and less worthy of the gifts of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. So right from the beginning when Elder Anderson asked himself, “Does my life reflect the love and devotion I feel for the Savior?” I knew this talk was meant for me at this time. As I listened, all I felt was hope and happiness. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and that I am his daughter. I know that Jesus Christ atoned for my sins and that I can make it back to my Heavenly Father through him. He is the light of the world. He knows what I'm going through and what I've already been through and he is there to help me. I've grown a lot this year, but I know I have a lot to learn, but I also know that by keeping His commandments, I can grow closer to God. I'm so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I know it is the true church. I testify that these things are true in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Some parts of the talk that really hit me hard:

"I witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He suffered and died for our sins and rose the third day. He is resurrected. In a future day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ.³³ On that day, our concern will not be, “Do others consider me Christian?” At that time, our eyes will be fixed on Him, and our souls will be riveted on the question, “What thinks Christ of me?” He lives. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

"I testify that as you love Him, trust Him, believe Him, and follow Him, you will feel His love and approval. As you ask, “What thinks Christ of me?” you will know that you are His disciple; you are His friend. By His grace He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself."

We may not be at our very best every day, but if we are trying, Jesus’s bidding is full of encouragement and hope: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”^{24(Matt 11:28)}

^{the Lord blesses us with customized direction through the gift of the Holy Ghost. These feelings turn us even more toward God, repenting, obeying, believing, and trusting. The Savior responds to our acts of faith. “If a man [or woman] love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”20(John 14:23)}