This is College.

I’m officially done with my first week of college, and it’s been amazing.  How can I even begin to describe all the things that have been happening this week?  Let’s start with classes.  Since its summer, and there aren’t very many people, my classes consist of about 20 to 30 people.  I really like it that way because you get to know the professor and the other students better. I also only have 3 classes, so the workload isn’t too hard.  Now let’s talk about my roommate.  I was always worried about this, because what if you don’t get along? You have to stick with them.  But my roommate is awesome, so no worries there.  She basically completes me.  I’m neat, she’s messy.  I’m quiet (at first) and she’s super outgoing.  I have curly dark hair and she has straight blonde hair.  And although we’re complete opposites, we get along so well.  We also have fun together, and although it’s only been a week, we already know each other so well and I know it’s going to be an amazing semester with her.  Now let’s get to fun stuff.  Every night is a new adventure and an opportunity to meet new people.  Throughout this week, I’ve watched movies, played games of volleyball, bowling, ultimate spoons, capture the flag, apples to apples, uno, and done lots of walking, talking, and laughing, arranging furniture, making attractive noises with my roomie, shopping, eating ice cream and other yummy food, and basically having a blast.  I’ve also met lots of awesome people.  College is such a great experience and I look forward to my next adventure!

Life in a Box

So, I’m going to college.  Wait, what’s that you said? Yeah, I’M GOING TO COLLEGE.  TOMORROW.   Tomorrow, everything changes…

Yeah, so I’ve been packing for college, and I’m realizing how hard it is to pack my whole life into a box, well, several boxes, but still.  I’m deciding what to take with me, and what is getting left behind.  And who is getting left behind.  There are so many people I have to say good bye to, and it’s probably one of the hardest things I have to do.  I'm going to miss all my amazing friends, and my supportive family, and this town that I've grown to love.  With all of the packing and saying goodbye, I’ve barely had a moment to just, take it all in.  Everything is moving so fast and I feel like I barely have time to breathe.  And don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited to start college, but I’m also kinda scared.  I keep telling myself it’s going to be so much fun, and it will be, but I also know it’s going to be really hard.  And I’m going to tell you about all the fun times and the hard times and the awkward times, ‘cause let’s face it, we all know it’s going to happen. 

So here is where the journey really begins.  As soon as I get into the car and drive off tomorrow, there’s no turning back.  And like i learned in Arthur, when one door closes, another door opens.  So although my time at home may be ending, but my life is really just beginning. 

Reflections on High School

Guess who's officially a high school graduate? This girl right here.  And now this is where I’m going to tell you about all the things I learned in high school, but ironically, none of it has to do with actual school or anything from class.  Here’s what I mean.
1.      You are never alone.  I actually learned this in my health class my junior year.  We did this activity where we wrote down on a piece of paper our problems or anything that was going on in our life or how we were feeling or something like that and we crumbled up that piece of paper and threw it around the room, then everyone picked up one, and we read them aloud.  And after each one we’d raise our hands if we had ever felt that way.  Some of them were like “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t fit in” or “I’m struggling with this or that” and afterward when everyone raised their hands, it opened our eyes to realize that everyone else had at some point felt the same way.  We’re all in this journey together folks, remember?
2.      True friends will be there for you no matter what.  I know this seems cliché, but in high school, you really find out who your true friends are.  True friends put up with your weirdness and they stand by you and they lift you up and make you laugh and you can trust them, and if they don’t do these things, then they aren’t a real friend. 
3.      Don’t stress about the little things.  I was a big stresser in high school, and I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time stressing about things that didn’t really matter.  Life is to be enjoyed. 
4.      Do your best.  Again, this is kinda cheesy, but really, if you try your best, you will be happy with the outcome.
5.      Be yourself.  Honestly, there is no one else you should be, than yourself.  I struggled with who that person was, but after many experiences, I think I finally found out.  Don’t take till your senior year like me to really discover yourself.  And then once you know you are, don’t change who you are, because you’re awesome.
Those are just five things I learned, and I could go on, but that’s the advice I will give for now. 

Caught up on Life

So it’s been a while.  Life has been really crazy, but now that I’m done with high school, I finally have time to write.  Wait, what’s that you said? That’s right; I’M DONE WITH HIGH SCHOOL! WOOT! Let me tell you how the past three months have been. and get caught up on my life. 

March: We had Sonous tour, which was the most AMAZING EXPERIENCE EVER.  We went to Seattle and Portland and sang at ACDA Northwest, which is kind of big deal.  It was one of the most fun, inspiring, exciting, truly amazing experiences ever.  Also practically all of my friends were there, so that made it extra awesome.  Especially ‘cause we got to see WICKED on BROADWAY. Yeah, be jealous.
         Then for spring break I spent a week in Coronado with my family.  We stayed in a time share that was just a block away from the beach, where we went almost every day.  Also, all of my mom’s side of the family lives in San Diego, so I got to see my grandma, my aunt and uncle and cousins, which was a lot of fun.  Between enjoying the sun, seeing my family, going to the beach, shopping, eating out, and just relaxing, it was a great Spring Break!

April:  Let’s see, there was my Senior Prom!  It was one amazing day, and certainly a night to remember.  I had the movie moment where I walked downstairs with my hair done in an elegant up-do, my makeup salon-done, and I wearing a gorgeous purple ball gown, and my date dressed in a tux, looks up at me, and doesn’t say a word, because the expression on his face said it all.  The dinner was great, and the dance was really fun, and pretty much everything that it was supposed to be. 
           Then in April there were also senior projects, which was less exciting.  But then after senior project was done, we had senior skip days!  One day my friends and I went out to breakfast for delicious French toast and then had A Very Potter Musical marathon, and it was epic!  Then the next day we all went and had lunch at a park, and enjoyed being out of school for the day.  Then I had a girl’s night sleepover at my house, and one of my friends put chocolate across her face for war paint, and craziness just ensued from there.   It was a super fun day. 

May: This is when all of the fun senior perks go on.  No one really does homework anymore and don’t bother coming to class on time, and teachers just have to accept it.  We’re seniors, and we can do whatever the heck we want.  Everyone is counting down the days.  I had my last choir concert, and it was a sad but happy moment at the same time.  I remember the end of year concerts from years before, and after the last song, everyone is crying and hugging and it was a special moment for the seniors.  This time it was my turn to cry, but for some reason, the tears didn’t come.  It didn’t really sink in that it was the last time I would sing on that stage. 
             Anyway, then life got really busy with the stress of AP tests and finals.  Then , I blinked, and school was over.  I’m now done with high school.  Let’s say that one more time with feeling.  I’M DONE WITH HIGH SCHOOL.  On the last day, we had our senior picnic at a park, and there was lots of food, bouncy houses, the playground, music, and lots of excitement and joy in the air.  Then later that day, all of my girl friends got together at my best friend Macey’s house, and we had a camp out in her backyard, which was seriously one of the most fun nights of my life.  I can’t wait for more adventures this summer with my friends. 

Leap Day

EXCITEMENT.  That is the emotion for the day.  I even would say that is the emotion for this month.  I'm excited for March, because so many things are coming up.  Our choir, Sonous, is going on tour for 4 days to Seattle, and I can’t wait!  And then for spring break I’ll be going to San Diego with my family to see all of my mom’s family and spend my days lounging on the beach.  This month is going to be full of travel and fun!
Anyway, I realize it’s not March until tomorrow, but still!  Today is leap day, and this day doesn’t come around every year, so I figured I should post J
I’m also so excited for college.  I'm excited for classes, for new roommates and friends, for parties, for late nights, for adventure!  I will be sure to keep you updated on all of my upcoming adventures. 

           

I'm a cougar!

Life is good.  I am so happy to be alive.  As a dear person once said “I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friends.”  This weekend has been of the best weekends ever.
On Friday afternoon, with trembling hands, I typed in my username and password for the BYU website to check my application status, and up at the top, under BYU Provo, it said one word: Admitted.  I clicked on the link next to it, and the first thing I saw was “Congratulations!” I could barely keep on reading the rest of the acceptance letter before I started screaming.  “MOM! MOM, COME HERE RIGHT NOW! I MADE IT!!!”  That moment was possibly one of the happiest moments of my entire life.  Everything had been leading up to this very moment.  BYU Provo is the only school I’ve ever wanted to go to, and I’m so grateful to have been accepted. I called my best friend who is currently attending BYU and told her the good news, and then I drove over to my other best friend’s house to tell her that I'm now a BYU cougar!
That night, I had one of the most fun girls nights with three of my best friends.  We went and saw The Vow, and sat up in the front so we could see the glorious Channing Tatum up close and personal.  Then we went to the grocery store and got cream sodas in bottles that looked like beer, and we went back to my friend’s house and sat on top of her car and we drank our cream sodas.  We looked up at the stars while we talked about college and marriage and that scary thing we call The Future.  It made me think about everything ahead of me, and to be grateful to just be living in the moment. 
Then on Saturday, it was a momentous day.  First of all, Saturday was February 18^th.  It may not seem like a big deal to you, but from that day, I have exactly three months until my last day of high school, and four months until my first day at college (I’m taking summer session at BYU).  Everything now seemed to be coming so close!
Also, I got to see three of my best friends that had left for college and were home for the weekend.  It made me so excited that in only a few months I would be going to college like them.  We all exchanged stories, talked,  laughed, watched a movie, and it was such a great night.
Monday, we had off of school because of President’s day, so it was a par-tay!  Sonous, the top choir at our school, had a get together at someone’s house.  This was the first time I was able to go one of these, so I was really excited!  We ate food, talked, play games, and had a ton of fun.  It was great to feel like I was a part of something awesome.     
Anyway, tonight marks the end of an amazing 3 day weekend J

This Road

It’s been a stressful couple of weeks.  Today though, gave me a new perspective.  We had a guest clinician come into choir today and he worked with us on our songs.  But it wasn’t the songs, or the technique, that I got out of it.  It was what he said to us.  He said “Where is your soul? Is it in a good place? What do you feel?” And that made me think, is my soul in a good place?  And then he also had us snap.  And he said, ok, that was the past, now let’s live in the present.  He talked about how we get so caught up with thinking about the past or thinking about the future, that we forget to live in the now.  We are reaching for the destination, but we forget about enjoying the journey, and the road we're on to get there. He talked about how we sometimes get worked up about what college we get accepted to and where we decide to go, but he said all that doesn’t matter.  It’s not about the place we go, it’s about the kind of person we are.  All of this hit home to me, because that is exactly what I'm struggling with right now.  I'm so focused on getting into college and worrying about where my future will take me, but I should be enjoying right now, living in the present.  I want my soul to be in a good place.  And if it’s not, then it’s up to me to change it. 

A song we're singing:

The Road Home

Tell me, where is the road
I can call my own,
That I left, that I lost
So long ago?
All these years I have wandered,
Oh when will I know
There’s a way, there’s a road
That will lead me home?

After wind, after rain,
When the dark is done,
As I wake from a dream
In the gold of day,
Through the air there’s a calling
From far away,
There’s a voice I can hear
That will lead me home.

Rise up, follow me,
Come away, is the call,
With the love in your heart
As the only song;
There is no such beauty
As where you belong;
Rise up, follow me,
I will lead you home.