Happy

My last post was about being home from school for the summer, and although it is no longer summer, I am still at home.  I’m not back at school because I have decided to serve an LDS mission, so I will go back to college after I get home.  I leave on November 6^th, to go to Columbia MTC, and then I’ll be in the Bolivia Santa Cruz North mission.  I get to learn Spanish, preach the gospel, and serve the people there for 18 months.  I am so excited! So until then, I’ll be working to earn money for my mission.  I’ve been working all summer at a daycare, and I love being able to spend all day with children. 

            Although I’m excited for my mission, I really miss being at college.  I miss my roommates, the social life, and the overall environment of BYU, and of college life in general.  It’s exciting to be on your own and always having new adventures.  But I know that putting off school is only a small sacrifice for something greater that is in store for me. 

            Being at home has really made me appreciate simple things.  Like family.  I am so blessed to have my family and their constant unfailing support.  And friends.  I love my friends!  I have many friends who are currently on missions, and they are such great examples to me.  I also have made one friend recently who has become one of the best friends I’ve ever had.  This friend has really made me realize that God has a plan for me, and knows exactly what I need.  He’s also made me appreciate the little ridiculous things in life that make me so happy. 

            Right now, I feel so blessed and so incredibly happy.  I’m excited for life- for what lies ahead.  There’s no reason not to smile J

            This will be my last post for a while, because I will be starting a missionary blog.  Check that out to read of my adventures in Bolivia! 

Summer Lovin'

I’m home for the summer, and as much as I miss college (I really do), I’m feeling really good about this summer.  College has made me more confident and adventurous and sure of myself.  I’m excited for the possibilities of this summer.  I have applied for 17 jobs, and so far I have two interviews set up, so we’ll see how they go.

This past week I spent in Arizona soaking up the sun, seeing my family, and spending time with my best friend Kourtney.  We went swimming, did a neon race, went shopping, went out to eat, watched movies, took a ton of pictures, went mini-golfing, and stayed up late laughing and laughing.  It was so much fun, not having a care in the world.   And I’m going to try to make this as fun a summer as possible (although I don’t know if I can beat last summer).  All I know is that when the sun is shining, and I’m smiling, there is nothing that isn’t possible- there are no limits.  Here’s to a great summer!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Since I started this blog with a Lord of the Rings theme, and I just finished watching all three LOTR movies, I think I’ll tell you about some things I’ve taken away from them, and how they apply to my life.

            First, it feels good to have accomplished something.  I finished my first fall semester at BYU, and it’s been quite a journey.  Not quite like Frodo’s journey, but none the less, it’s an accomplishment. 

            Second, true friends and family are there till the end.  I’m so blessed to have a family that have been supporting me from the beginning, and friends that are there to stand by me along the way.  I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful family and friends.

            Third, the Lord carries us through our trials.  There is a part in the 3^rd movie, where Sam and Frodo have almost made it to the top of the mountain, but Frodo is too exhausted to keep moving.  Sam looks at his friend and says with courage “I may not be able to carry your burden for you, but I can carry you.”  I think that the Lord hears our prayers and says “I can’t take your trial away, but I can lift you up and carry you through it”.  He strengthens us and helps us to make it through.  Just like Frodo could not have done it on his own, we can’t do it alone either. 

            Fourth, trials make us stronger.  At the time the road may seem tough, and we feel like we can’t make it, but we can.  And once we’ve made it through, we come out so much stronger.

            Fifth, it is nice to be home.  Whether in the beautiful green Shire or Idaho, land of the potatoes, home is home.  Today, I spent a relaxing and fun Christmas without a care in the world, other than to enjoy the time with my family.  I may not remember all the presents from years past, but I do remember all of us gathered around the tree-together.

            As the year is coming to a close, I can reflect on this past 2012 year with joy.  I had an amazing experience on choir tour to Seattle, spent spring break on the beach in Coronado, enjoyed the end of high school with my best friends, graduated high school, had the best summer of my life, and finished two semesters of college, and then returned home to spend the holidays with my family and friends.   Yeah, I’d say it’d been pretty good.  But the journey does not end here.  It is only just beginning. 

Bleeding Blue

I’ve made it through the first half of fall semester.  So much has happened, and I don’t even know where to begin.   It’s been really hard, but I’m still loving it.  I feel like I’ve grown so much throughout these past few months, but I know I still have so far to go.   I’ve had a lot of challenges, but as I’ve made it through them, I know I have come out stronger.  Classes have been hard, but manageable.  I’ve started a job, and it’s been fun, but tiring.   And my days are so busy with school, work, and then when I have time- hanging out with friends.  I barely have time to write anymore, thus why it’s been a while since I’ve posted.   I could tell you about the hard things about college, but I’m going to reflect on a few of the fun things I’ve done recently.

            During Homecoming week, there were lots of activities throughout the week, and I went to True Blue Football with my best friend Kylie.  Basically it’s a huge slip n’ slide down a hill filled with blue foam.  Afterward, you were literally completely blue.  It was a ton of fun, especially trying to get it off…

            The first weekend in October, one of my best friends’ Spencer from high school came to visit, and one thing led to another, and my absolute best high school friends Preston, Spencer, Macey and I all went to the theme park Lagoon.  It was THE BEST day I’ve had in a long time.  Riding roller coasters, laughing with my best friends, and just enjoying the day not worrying about school for once, was such a relief. 

Then this past weekend, my best friend Kourtney came and visited from Arizona, and I spent the most amazing weekend with her.  On Friday, I got to be reunited with Brynne, Erin, and Kourtney all together for the first time since middle school.  And on Saturday, after Kourtney spent the night, Preston took us to City Creek mall in Salt Lake where we met up with Macey and spent the day shopping.  I’m so lucky to have such amazing friends. 

I’m so blessed to be at this university, and there are stories to come.  

Back to BYU

Today marks the end of Labor Day weekend, the end of the first week of fall term, and the beginning of a new week.  This past week has been full of ups and downs, and everywhere in between.  Last Friday I arrived at BYU and moved into my new apartment, still in the same complex.  The familiar kitchen, cozy living room, bathroom, and bedroom felt like home to me.  After settling in, grocery shopping, walking around campus, spending a frightful amount on textbooks, and bidding my parents goodbye, I finally felt ready to start the semester.  I met my new roommates, who seem really nice, and saw my friends from this summer.  Then on Monday, I started classes.  And let me just say, in comparison to summer term, campus was packed.  And then I remembered that this was college.  For real.

            Tuesday was a momentous day, the biggest day perhaps in history.  Yeah, it was my birthday.  I woke up as an 18 year old, and I walked into the living room, where my roommates had put up a colorful “Happy Birthday” sign.   On the table was a plate full of pancakes and strawberries – how sweet! I dressed up cute for classes, and received many birthday texts and Facebook messages, and even got sung to in Spanish.  When I came home, there was another sign outside my door announcing my birthday, and then a pan full of frosted brownies sitting on the counter for me.  Needless to say, my roommates are the best!  Then later that night, I got the best present ever.  My friend Brooke from summer invited all of our friends from summer term over, and it was so great to see all of them together again!  I’ve really missed them, and I wish we all still lived next to each other.  I also receive two more cakes from my friends, so there was a lot to go around.  So my birthday was a good day.  No, a great day!

            This week of classes was stressful for me, because I was taking more classes than I wanted to take, and I couldn’t decide what I wanted to drop and take next semester instead.  Finally I figured out my classes, and then I could breathe a little easier. 

            On Thursday I attended my first BYU football game! I went with my roommate from this summer, and it was a blast!

            This weekend was pretty good too.  Friday night was movie night.  Saturday night I went country dancing for the first time, which was way fun.  Sunday night I had dinner with my brother (who also attends BYU), and then went to a dessert social with my two friends from summer.  And today I went to Salt Lake with those two friends.  We had the best, I mean, the BEST Belgium waffles I had ever had in my entire life.  Then we went and walked around Temple Square and took pictures, and it was a really fun day.  Since my roommates went home for Labor Day, I’ve had the place to myself, and a while to relax before life starts getting crazy!  I’ll keep you updated on my future endeavors. 

Home Bittersweet Home

I’ve been home for almost two weeks, which means I’m getting ready to go back to Provo tomorrow.  This is my last night at home, and I’m feeling nostalgic.  Being at home has been such an emotional journey, and I’ve come to realize some things.  First of all, change is hard.  It’s just a fact; life is full of changes, and change is hard, which leads us to the conclusion, that life is hard also.  And everyone knows this of course, but sometimes it just hits harder at times than others.  When I first came home, I actually came home a day earlier than planned, and I didn’t tell my parents.  It was so good to see my family and to surprise them with my early arrival.  The next day I saw my friends at a get together, and it good to see them too, but I felt like things had changed.  It was a slight change, but it was still there.  Everyone was talking about how excited they were to go to college and I was totally there with them (college is great!) but it just felt strange.  Was everyone really going off to college in a matter of weeks? Would this really be it?   These friends that I had gone through high school with, who I had come so close to and shared so many wonderful memories with, would all soon be in different states.  And I knew this time would be coming.  I guess I just realized that it was time to move on, and that scared me. 

Anyway, so the next couple of days at home were really boring, because all of my friends were busy.  And in that time that I spent alone, I was just sad.  Sad because I missed my friends from BYU, and sad that the friends I had here would soon be gone.  And sad because the one person I wanted to see and talk to, wasn’t the same person anymore.  Or maybe I wasn’t the same person.  When I came home, I was suddenly surrounded by all these places and memories I had with this person, and I realized how much I missed him.  

So anyway, I went shopping, and had a sleepover with the girls, went on a fun blind date, and all was well. Deep down though, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. And finally, I got to see him.  That Saturday night, I invited everyone over for a movie night, just like old times.  Most all of my friends were there, including him.  And seeing him just made me want to run into his arms, and think that everything would be ok.  But I knew that wouldn’t happen.  Before he left, I gave him a hug, and for a moment it felt like old times, but it ended too soon. 

Tuesday night was the most epiphanous night for me (yes I just made that word up).  After talking to my best friend, I realized a lot of things, like that everything I was feeling was completely normal, and that it would get better.  But also I realized I needed closure.  For me, I just wanted to see him one last time before I left for college again.  So today, after spending the day saying good bye to all of my close girl friends, I saw him.  We swinged on a swing set and talked about college and classes and change and squeaking swings.  And after talking to him for a while, I knew that there weren’t any hard feelings between us, and that we could be friends.  I got the closure I needed, and now I feel like I can move on.  In fact, with everyone going off to college, that seems to be the motto for the day.  It’s time to move on.   I love all of my friends here, but I am ready to make new ones.  BYU, here I come!

A BYU Summer

Can it really be over already?  This summer has gone by soooo fast.  And this has probably been the best summer of my life.  I met so many great friends and had so many fun adventures with them.  Here is what a BYU summer looks like, for me at least.

25 things I did this summer

1. Hike the Y
2. Fright night Fridays
3. Volleyball games
4. Dance parties
5.  Sleepovers
6.  Road trip to St. George
7. Spelunking and night driving
8. Cliff jumping
9.       Double dates
10.  BBQ’s
11. Temple trips
12. Shopping
13.  Sushi dates
14.  Midnight movie premieres
15.  Paint twister
16.  Swimming/ hot tubbing
17. Girls nights
18. Eating lots of mint brownie ice cream
19. Jumping fences and jaywalking
20. Spooning
21. Baking cookies
22.  Stuffing 8 people into a 5 person car
23.  Dinner with friends
24. Dollar theatre
25.  Being crazy!

So there’s a good list.  I’ve made so many wonderful memories with so many awesome people.  My first semester at college has taught me so much about friendship, and staying up late, and doing the dishes, and procrastination, and having fun.  I’m sad to say goodbye, but I’m also excited to go home for a bit.  And then I can’t wait to come back and make new friends and have more adventures!