Long Time Coming

Man oh man it has been a long time since I've posted. I'm sorry to my diligent readers who have missed me...oh wait...I don't have any diligent readers ;). But seriously I promise I will be better. It has been a great few months. I'm really starting to settle into my life here in Provo. The first few months I lived here I pretty much hated Utah but it has started to grow on me. I'm starting to establish who I am here and the shape that my life is going to take. I have also made some amazing friends. To start out...my roommates are great each one of them has their unique personality and they all bring something different to our apartment. Don't get me wrong it's not always roses and we butt heads sometimes but that's what makes us great :) We seriously have so much fun together. Sometimes there is just those nights where we can't stop laughing and the next morning I can't even remember what was so funny. Secondly, there's our FHE guys. They are seriously great. We have been getting to know each other better and better as the week goes on and I really love hanging out with them. They are great friends and great guys to have around. I've also been getting pretty tight with some of the girls who live next door. They are way fun. Most of the time the door between our two apartments is open and we just go back and forth and hang out :)

I had quite the adventurous weekend these past few days. It's actually a pretty funny story so I think I'll share :) On Friday night we had a wishing party because it was 11/11/11. It was so much fun we each had cupcakes with a candle and at 11:11 we all made a wish...and then we had a dance party :) As the party was winding down Kennedy and I were talking to Sam and he invited us to go to Kaysville and watch Fiddler on the Roof at his high school so Kennedy and I decided we would do that. So we woke up Saturday morning and we wanted to go do baptisms at the Temple. It took 3 hours!!!!!!!!! 3 freaking hours!!! So because of that we were kinda late leaving Provo. So we drove to Grandma CC's house and dropped off our stuff and rode to the Trax station. As we were riding the train we figured out that there was no way we were going to make it to the Farmington station in time for the show to start. We felt so bad cause we were totally being an inconvenience to Sam. But we got there and Sam's sister came and got us and we got to the show only a half an hour late. The show was amazing!! I mean for a high school play it was freaking legit!! They did such a good job. So when the show was over we were talking and we realized we needed to book it back to the frontrunner station in order to catch that train and make it to where we connected to the Trax. So Sam dropped us off and as me and Kennedy are standing there looking at the time we realize there is no way we are going to make it to the Trax station so we call Sam back and he had to come get us. So after a few minutes of driving we decided that we were going to go to the Trax station at Temple Square. So we drove to Temple Square. Sam's dad works for the church so we got to go into the church parking lot where all the General Authorities park...yeah I felt really special... :). But luckily we made it to our train. When we got onto the train there was this homeless guy that totally smelt like pot and he was in a wheelchair. He wheeled over near us and said "can you ladies spare something for an old Marine that is eating out of the trash?" Kennedy and I looked at each other and said..."uhh....nope." Thank goodness he got off the train at the next stop and the Real Housewives of Salt Lake got on ;). So after a lot of stress and running around we made it back to Grandma CC's house. From there David picked me up and I spent the night there and went to church with them this morning and hung out with them most of the day. It was way fun. My little cousins Jackson and Sophie are so dang cute. It was the funniest thing. Sophie said, "1. you walk away....2.I walk on your face." hahahaha I totally busted up!! It was the best!! Over all it was a really great weekend. I hope all is going well. I promise I will be better about updating as long as I still have readers :)

Love you all :)

Homecoming Weekend

This past weekend was homecoming here at the Y and what a festive occasion it was! Friday night I took a trip back to my swimming roots. Ryan and Christine were here with their kids and I got to go watch Christine swim in the alumni meet. That was a ton of fun and really made me want to get back into the pool. It really needs to happen soon. After the meet Kennedy and I had to get to bed early because we were going to run the homecoming 5k the next morning. It's been very cold here and we felt in the morning of our run. We wore several layers and went out the door with our other roommates to do the run. I finished the race in 29 mins and 52 seconds. It was my goal to finish in under a half an hour and I just barely made it!! I was 10th in my age group and 93rd overall...no not out of 94 :p. After the run I went to go hang out with Ryan and his family again. We went to lunch and I finally had fish!! Being in a landlocked state has really made me appreciate the fresh fish of the pacific northwest! But I satisfied my craving and I think I'll be OK :) After lunch we walked around campus the kids had a blast in the Science Center hahaha. Saturday night was the homecoming game. It was a great game for BYU. We had 6th row seats so we were right up in the action. We had a ton of laughs at the game. Our football group is great :)

Well it's just about time for mamma to go to FHE! Love you all :)

Dear Old Dad

Today is my Dad's birthday and I thought that I would take this opportunity to mention just a few of the things that I love about my Dad.

1. Kind: There is no other man on earth as kind as my father. He never misses an opportunity to put his arm around you and just chat.

2. Example: My Dad is such an amazing example to me. Everything he does in his life is done with dignity and class. He is sophisticated and lives his life in a way that earns him respect from everyone he comes in contact with. I want to be able to live like that.

3. Caring: My Dad calls me several times a week and I love it. He just likes to hear what I've been up to and how my life is going. Although it is a small act it means so much to me because it shows that he cares about me.

4. Encouraging: My Dad motivates me to be the best that I can be. Even when I don't achieve exactly what I had hoped for he has a way of lifting my spirits and putting me back on my feet and back on track.

5. Supportive: In every activity that I have been involved in my Dad has been there. He sat through never ending choir concerts, all day swim meets, voice and piano recitals, and so much more. He gives up his time to be there for me and I am so thankful for that.

Happy birthday Dad I love you!

The weekend is here!!! I just love the weekend it's always a well needed break from the go go go of life. This weekend has been great so far. Yesterday was the BYU vs UCF football game and BYU finally pulled out a win! It was a good game it's a totally different feeling to be in the stadium watching the games with all the students. The excitement and the energy is contagious. I love it!!

Today I slept in which was really needed. I really don't sleep enough. I seriously can't make it through a single class without falling asleep. It's not that I'm not paying attention but I just can't stay awake. Anyways....today I went to lunch with Uncle Dave and Aunt Melissa. It was so fun!! It is always so great to be with people that I know and that care about me :)

The rest of my Saturday will pretty much be spent studying...fun I know :/ Next week is going to be crazy. I have three tests so that should be interesting...

Well that's pretty much it sorry there's not much to report. Love you all :)

Be Still My Soul

Every Sunday here at BYU there is tunnel singing. A huge group of students gathers in the tunnel outside the Marriot Center and sings hymns. I have been going to tunnel singing for the past few weeks now and it is something that has been really good for me. I'm a lot like my Dad, we both are greatly inspired by the spirit through the singing of hymns. Each time I go a different hymn sticks out to me and the words are exactly what I need to hear. "Be Still My Soul" was particularly powerful tonight.

Be Still My Soul

Be still my soul: The Lord is on thy side: With patience bear the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change he faithful will remain. Be still my soul; Thy best thy heavenly Friend Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still my soul: Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past. They hope they confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still my soul: The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still my soul: The hour is hastening on When we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still my soul, When change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Love you all <3

You Must Not Know Bout Me

So I'm not gonna lie...this weekend has been hard. I've felt homesick. Weekends at college can do that to me sometimes cause my mind is not constantly occupied with classes and the go, go, go of everyday life. But it's these kinds of feelings that make me stronger and a better person. I woke up today and decided that I was going to take my swagg back...and I did. I've learned that you always feel better when you look good. So even though I probably won't be doing much more than homework today I put a cute outfit on and did my hair. I've got my pump up music going and I'm good :). It's my Beyonce attitude ;) "you must not know bout me".

"The Future is as Bright as Your Faith"

Well it's the end of my first week back at BYU. It has been a great week. It felt like I never left. There are somethings that are different from summer though. There are so many people here! During passing time I feel like a sardine. You are walking shoulder to shoulder with everyone on campus. It's crazy. I love the new atmosphere. Everyone has come together in a common goal which is to learn and gain as much knowledge as possible. Everyone is striving for success. Pretty much every moment of everyday is dedicated to learning and study. Which is what it should be. That's what we're here for. I have found myself becoming more engaged in my school work and in the subjects that I am studying this semester. I have a desire to absorb as much as I possibly can. I can see now why they church stresses so much that education is critical.

We have a long weekend and I am so happy about that. I have and eight o'clock class every morning which means that I get up around 6 and my average bed time is around mid night. I was exhausted at the end of the week. It's nice to have this weekend to relax and catch up on some rest and sleep.

I went and watched the BYU football game yesterday. It was so intense! I was on my toes the who time. It was such a different feeling to watch the game with a bunch of students. There was so much pride and excitement. Before BYU has been my team and I have been a fan but now it's a part of me. It is my school.

I've got church today. It should be good. I like this ward so much better than my summer ward. It just seems so much more organized and put together. I need organization in my life or I just get stressed hahaha :)

I love you all :)