Crunch Time!

TWO.FIVE WEEKS until finals = three weeks 'till I'm home!

I can't wait to go home and be with my family for the summer.

This semester has gone by incredibly fast, but looking back on it I feel like the events that took place in Jan and Feb happened so long ago.

I've met tons of people, made new friendships, new LOADS of cool facts in many of my classes, and have also learned more and more about myself.

BYU has until the end of this month to respond to my application. Keep your fingers crossed 'cause I'd really like to get in! I'll be moving to Provo this fall regardless and starting classes either as a full time student or a visiting student. It's going to be an interesting new chapter in my life.

This is a photo of my friend Heather and I at guitars unplugged (last guitars unplugged at BYUI I'll ever attend!)

Also, I thought I'd include a photo of Heather's little doggie. We call him Bear. He has crazy fur and when you throw a little dog turtle neck on him, he looks like a Barenstein Bear!

Bear has gimpy little back legs. Once you get past how sad it is, his little handicap makes you love him more. He was born with the joints in his back legs backwards. We thought that it could be surgically corrected, which it could! The surgery would involve clipping all of the tendons in his hind legs and reversing them so his knees and ankles bent the right way. But since he's not in any pain and the surgery is so extensive his little body couldn't take it, it's useless. No worries though, he hobbles around just fine. He's just about conquered his disability, he's greatly loved, and he's a very happy puppy.

Anyway, I miss my home and my family. I can't wait to see everyone!

Midterms, Here I come...

Low of the week, I miss home. I miss my family, salt water, warm water in my shower, rain, and cultural diversity.

(Luckily my low isn't really all too low.)

High of the week, Heather and I are taking a trip down to Utah this weekend. It will be nice to escape the subzero temps and be able to lay low at aunt Julie's house for a few days. And! I'll have all of my tests taken before we go so the only thing I'll have to do for school while I'm gone is a bit of reading. It feels really good to be caught up/ahead of my assignments.

I've had a few heavy spiritual experiences this week. Some good, some challenging. I'm grateful that God knows me so well, that even when I can't quite grasp new principles, He eventually provides a way for me to understand. 

I know that God is real, He is my Father in Heaven, and that His son, Jesus Christ atoned for all of man kind. That without this sacrifice, we would be lost. God's plan is simple, complete, and perfect. 

The stress is building.

School started out really well,
but slowly I'm feeling the weight of school work on my shoulders.
Some one this semester told me there are three S's to school:

Sleep
Studies
Social Life

..and you can only have two, which I'm finding is very true.
Currently I'm maintaining sleep and studies, but as the temptation of social activities creeps into the picture, I'm noticing sleep is becoming less and less of a priority.
Uh oh!

MY, Oh my...

School has started! And I'm already getting my butt handed to me.
Luckily, I still feel quite motivated to do very well this semester.
Here's a quick over view:

Advanced Writing: Joke, lots of busy work, do-able.
Career Exploration: Hopefully I'll actually figure out what direction to take in my education..
Chemistry: Love of my life.
American Foundations: To get through this horribly boring class I'll just have to keep telling myself the start of our nation was a miracle and very necessary for the Restoration of the Gospel.
FA 100: terrible use of time.
Doctrine and Covenants: Lifechanging already.

That is all!

Yep, you guessed it..

It's happened! Packed up all of my essentials into a few big tubs and moved back to Idaho. So far so good!
I'm living in a new house that's very neat. I've only met two of my four roommates but we tend to miss each other a lot. I haven't seen them much.
Classes start on tuesday. I'm nervous.

Also had to throw in this pic of my new years eve outfit...

...or at least, my favorite part of it.
My new Jessica Simpsons.
I wore them to church today in the snow! They worked nicely.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas isn't typically my favorite holiday. The stress of it all is what I think tarnishes the whole idea. As the 25th comes closer and closer, the tension gets tighter and tighter. Our minds are on shopping, presents, parties, cookies, christmas lessons at church, burning the overload of calories being consumed, travel plans, weather, budgets, vacation days and more...As Christmas Eve knocks on our door, we scramble to tie together all of the loose ends. Through out the day, as we prepare the big meal our family has, every once in a while someone snaps. Glares are given, words are said, deeds go undone and the occasional tears are shed.

Though there are those few moments when we let the stress get the best of us, I cannot go to sleep with out thinking through all of the beautiful moments of the day. My dad takes so much pride in the prime rib he prepares, Carly and Chad peacefully coexist and spread their heartfelt feelings throughout the family. Rachel and Jake bring so much warmth to our home as they share their kids, Cooper and Jack, with us. Our family loves each other so much.

A little blog can't describe all of the things my mother does to bring Christmas cheer into our home all season long. She bakes never ending supplies of cookies, plans and buys glorious gifts, she makes the most amazing caramel apples to share with countless friends and family members, she prepares and sends out seasonal greetings, attends chior concerts, cleans, cooks...she's super woman. What makes me happiest is knowing my mom does so much for all of us because she loves us.

When Christmas morning rolls around, it's peaceful and calm in our house. Chad wakes up the family to get things started and we all stumble into the living room. We're blessed with a large and comfortable Christmas each year by our loving parents and our Heavenly Father.

Today, as we enjoy the warmth of the fireplace, the comfort of our couches, the tasty treats and fun conversation I think of my Savior who was born. I remember that if it were not for his Atoning Sacrifice, Christmas would mean nothing at all. I know that Christ lives, that He loves us, and that He is always waiting to bless us.

I hope that everyone has a loving holiday!

What's New?

Ooopsie! I'm getting a little lazy on this thing.

I promise, once I get my new camera for christmas I'll have loads more to add.

Until then, I promise you aren't going to hear much from me.

This Christmas season has been busy but it has been a good one.

I love it when old friends come home for Christmas break and we all get together. It makes me feel more at home.

I've been doing lots of socializing the past week.

I'm also preparing to go back to the terrible cold in Rexburg, Idaho!

It's like Magic!

Last week my sister Rachel and I decided we wanted to make some hair flowers on our freeday. We spent hours doing it but it was so fun! All it took was a little fabric, some quick hands with a lighter, lots of hot glue and there it is!




I love discovering new fun things to do that are cheap, easy, and rewarding!

Unhealthy Fictional Character Obsessions..

Last night my sisters, my mom and I went to see NEW MOON. I'm completely obsessed with the Twilight series! What a dream...and JACOB, holy cow. I was skeptical when he was introduced as Jacob in the first movie and even as I learned he'd beefed up enough to still play the character in New Moon. But when he walked on screen in the pooring rain with his hair cut and no shirt my jaw dropped. For a few seconds I traded teams and definitely cheered for team Jacob! However, Edward is just undeniable.

After my sweet sleep last night, I woke up and watched Star Trek for the first time. I fell in love with that movie too! Apparently my life isn't exciting enough to want it as my own. I keep craving fictional stories to be my own day to day reality.

This can go two ways:
Either I'll totally commit my life to wishing it was someone elses and have lots of cats...
OR
I kick it into gear and spice things up!

Fort Worden, what a bust.

I had high hopes for our Fort Worden adventure last night.
You can imagine my disappointment when, as soon as we parked our cars, we were kicked out of the park.
Why is it that the parks supported by our taxes can have a curfew?
And who voted for 'dusk' to be that curfew?
They obviously weren't single, 20 year old students, mourning for danger and adventure.
After our dismissal, we wound up at a beach some where near Fort Flagler (which we couldn't find).

It was totally dark outside, no moon, and when I aimed the lens at the ground to capture what I was trudging through, I got a little surprise...