21 Things Learned 2010

Tonight is New Years Eeeeeve!!! Whoooo!!! Also one of my favorite holidays and some day I'm going to do something AWESOME to celebrate it. Haha So weird that next year will be 2011. We're well into the early 2000s. Anyway, it's cool to me.

In honor of the holiday, I decided to wrap it up with a 21 (big year for my age!) lessons I've learned this year. Most of them are cliche statements, but they say it much better than I could. They aren't in any particular order or anything, just thoughts that have been flowing today...

1. Working on yourself takes work.
2. But! You always need to make time for a little fun.
3. It's much better just to laugh at yourself.
4. Taylor Swift's album, Speak Now, totally clicked for me. Speak now!
5. Your family contains the people blessed to be around always and forever.
6. I actually believe Henry Ford's saying "Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right." [I read this on the board in the dance room before a class one day and it stuck with me the entire semester]
7. I take lots of pictures because I know that someday, I'm going to thank myself for it.
8. No one gets excited about failure. We're all in this together and we all get stuck.
9. Repentance is very underrated. I've understood it the most when I've gone through it.
10. The times I've felt the lowest are the times where things have become the clearest.
11. There is no rewind button for your life. (I know, I know. Cheesy, but true right?)
12. I'll never change, but I'll never stay the same either.
13. See people for who they are and what makes them, them. It makes all the difference.
14. You don't need to see someone every single day to know how much they mean to you.
15. "You find the strength of the wind by standing against it, not by laying down."
16. Watch out for the Spirit of Entitlement.
17. I definitely take the harder route sometimes. Don't forget about simplicity!
18. There's a reason we have two ears and one mouth.
19. EVERYONE deserves not just one chance, but a few.
20. Most of the time what you are looking for is right in front of you. (True for me literally & figuratively!)
And to top it all off...
21. Reading your scriptures and praying everyday DOES make aaaall the difference.

I can't believe all that's come my way this year!! I've made new friends, new memories, tried new things. To all the weddings, the trips, the talks, the tears (both from laughing and crying) the all-nighters, the people, and all that was in between...Here's to you!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Nothin On Us

Okay, can I just say how amazing BYU-Idaho is?! I think everyone underestimates it as a school. People always say how lame it is and you only go there if you "can't get into BYU-Provo" which is so dumb. We have some amazing people attending this school. I love it so so much. And this video makes me even happier and more proud that I go there!!! Watch it. It's one of the coolest things you've probably seen in a while and it shows the super talented people we have at our school. You definitely can't see me, but you better believe I looooved doing it!! I LOVE BYU-IDAHO!!

Boom Boom Clap

So today is my VERY best friend, Sibonet Elizabeth's, birthday!!!!! She is officially married so it's not longer up to Alex and I to make sure her birthday ROCKS (Good luck Cam!)!! So instead, it's tradition to give a birthday post. But. I am going to list 22 of my most favorite things about Sibonet-it'll be hard to cut them down from my list of thousands, but I'm going to try. Here we go!

1. Sibonet is freakin hilarious. Even through text message. I am never left dry-eyed with her.

2. Sib ALWAYS lends a listening ear, and not only that, but she works you through your problem and gives GREAT advice. She's definitely going into the right profession.

3. I LOVE that we have the exact same things in common: music, food (except she likes olives. Right?! Barf.), movies, pet peeves, colors, clothes-my favorite is our love for all things Disney.

4. Sib always laughs at my jokes, whether it's one of my good ones, or bad.

5. She has all these little catch phrases and you can't help but want to copy her.

6. Sib doesn't try to embarrass you. In fact, she's 99% of the time on my side (except when I am just being ridiculous. Which is okay)

7. I love that she is always up for an adventure! Bear Lake, Disneyland, the beach, food, almost getting arrested, duck feeding, exercising, anything.

8. Only through her was I able to go to my first AA meeting. Haha (Inside joke)

9. SUCH an amazing roommate. And even when she couldn't move into the same room as Alex and I, she still came over for sleepovers in there. SO great.

10. Speaking of, our sleepovers were always the best. :)

11. Sib is so great at keeping secrets.

12. She taught me how to make fish, I taught her how to make enchiladas. Great teamwork, right?

13. Sibster, Sibonnie, Sib-oh-net, Sib, Steven A-love that she lets us give her endless nicknames.

14. Facebook stalker.

15. Sib always keeps me up to date on all things celebrity, or social. I honestly would be lost without her.

16. The radio game.

17. She introduced me to the world of Applebees.

18. We literally could talk for hours and never get bored of each other. Never.

19. Sib is the BEST keep-in-toucher I know!!!! And everyone loves her for it. :)

20. The quote wall. The inside jokes are endless. "Scarves." Haha "You spin my head right round, right round!"

21. We talk on facebook or on messenger from the other room. Just one more reason I look up to Sib and she's the standard of cool.

22. I really can't say enough. Can't believe it's already number 22! Dang it! But. To sum it up, Sib is the best acquaintance, teacher, sister, wife, student, relative, daughter, comedian, fashionista, therapist, roommate, and BEST FRIEND I know.

I love you to pieces Sib! I don't think I have to remind you how much I creep on you because of it! :) I'll text you another happy birthday from the bathroom later, but thanks for always being there for me, by my side through thick and thin, laughing along with me!! You're my best friend! (And I win on blog today, so HA!) Haha Loves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Random Thoughts

I. Love. Zumba.

I have been going every week (twice) with Heidi and Karlee and I have to say, I NEVER get bored. Ever ever ever. It is SO much fun and the music is so great and I really do sweat!! The girls showed me another class where there is a guy teacher and he is a serious Latin groover! It was SUCH a tiring workout, but those are the BEST kind!! Anyway, that was a random thought on my mind. If you haven't tried it, you should. Especially you BYUI kids.

The other random thought is that the semester has FLOWN by and is coming to a close SO fast!!! For some reason, I feel like things will be different when I come back, but in a good way. That's the prediction for now.

Aaand the last one is that, lately, I am OBSESSED with home decorating! It's a problem. Haha I spent probably 4 hours yesterday just looking things up? Yeah, sad. I know. But! Look how pretty they are!!

Want to see some other cool things?
Click for a painting
Click for me in Movember (yes, MOvember)
Click for projects that I WILL do someday
Click for BRAND NEW POSTER that I've NEVER seen!
Click here (Alex only) for a laugh
I've also had this weird obsession with recipes lately. I know, a little crazy. But I can't WAIT to have my own selection someday...Ah...

L is for the way you look at people

As I was thinking today about all the different things I've learned about, one keeps coming back into play: love. It's a pretty simple word, and really, it's simple to do.

I think one thing I've learned over this semester is to actually see people as people and learn to love them as the Savior would. I'm not saying it's been super easy, but just something I tried in the beginning and am continuing to work on. It's actually made my life so much greater and I've made so many more friends and great relationships than I thought I would! Every person deserves to be loved and respected, because every person is a divine design of my Heavenly Father and they are going through the same kinds of things that I am. It's so easy to be judgmental and critical of others. However, when I find myself attempting that, I just remember that I have no right, in my flawed self, to ever say anything negative about anyone! So I stop and actually get to know the person, and it's never failed me yet where I walk away having learned or gained nothing about that person. Everyone has something that they can teach me, and I hope that maybe there is something that I can teach them!

There is this book that I want SO badly for Christmas called "Love As a Way of Life" (who also wrote "The Five Love Languages"-also on my reading list, but later) and yes, it's mostly for people who have some sort of serious relationship going. BUT! It also is about developing and attaining qualities that make up a good person, basically. And I want to try to be the best person I can be! I just think life is too short and moves too fast for everyone to be so harsh and negative to each other! Why make enemies when you can make friends? It also came up in the Christmas Devotional from the First Presidency. That in love, you find the true meaning of Christmas. And in relief society today, Alex told us about an experiment that she got from Bobbi-every time she passed someone, she secretly thought of something she liked about them. Alex said that at first, it was little things like "Oh, I love her shoes!" but then, they started to turn into things like "Wow, she looks really confident! That is so cool!" and she started to notice that change in herself. That really struck me-how great is that?! She also said Bobbi became so overwhelmed after a while because she was finding all these amazing things about people she didn't even know! It was very cool. I hope to find those same things in myself. I love Christmas and the reflections and self-evaluations they bring. I can't wait to serve people and to go home and show my family how much I've missed them and love them! But. I will miss the people up here. I've learned so much and I hope they know that they've touched my life. Happy holidays!

Never do today what you can put off un..

Ok, so I'm getting a little scared that if I keep doing the blog challenge while my life is still interesting, I'll have nothing to write about later, when it's not. So I'm going to maybe do this last one (because I'm a little addicted) but then stop until like February when my blog will be boring and about nothing. Haha That way, I'll have SOMETHING to write about. :) Gosh, a little part of me misses my life before. When everyone was preparing for missions, because back then, that's what it was about so they'd spend more time at home and I was hanging out more! But now, everyone wants to get on with their lives. Don't get me wrong-I'm super excited to have my life continue, but at the same time, I'm all about living it up in the moment and taking life slow so that I can savor every minute of it! I don't know why everyone is in such a hurry. Oh well. Ok. Challenge.

Day 04 - A habit you wish you didn't have.

This picture was taken when we were supposed to
be studying for finals in AP Psychology

That would be procrastination.....Whoa! Speak of the devil, I'm writing this blog post putting off my research paper. Haha It has killed me so many times. In all aspects of life too, not just school. In high school, I'd wander all around my house doing ANYTHING that would keep me from doing chores because it was always so boring! So I'd always be late meeting up with my friends. It was terrible. I've tried to do this whole thing where I save little rewards for myself when I get something crossed off my list. I'm getting to write this because I did my first paragraph. Workin pretty good so far! I just hope I don't look like/do this when I'm actually into my career...

Silver Shadow Believer

Day 03- A picture of you and your craziest friend.

Oh freak, this is a tough one. But if I had to pick one right now, I would have to say this guy.I'm not kidding when I say there is NEVER a dull moment around Spencer Perkins. It's been a little sad because he's been on his mission (North Carolina, coming back soooo soon!) and I haven't really had the chance to talk to him recently. BUT. He is the craziest person I know, the most fun, and the most outgoing. He will literally walk up to a stranger, come back, and tell me that he loves that person. Haha He's not afraid to yell, and there have been many a time where I've said "Oh my gosh Spence, be quiet!! Someone is going to hear you!" but it never bothers him a bit. He's totally himself all day, everyday, anywhere. And he always just lets me be my crazy old self. I love our "fights." They are usually completely ridiculous and over before we even really agree that we're officially fighting. I've never gone away from hanging out with him being like "Oh....that was mellow and okay." Never. He's the craziest, funniest, coolest guy I know.

Hahaha You get it then, yes?
And yes Al, you were a close second. :)

Memory Lane

Alright. Day 02 of blogging challenge: A really good memory.

Easy. 19th Birthday. It was the best day ever. Alex (bestest friend in the whole wide universe), Spencer, Ryan, and I first started out the day with breakfast at Spencer's house-which I loooove. They made breakfast for me (including the traditional orange rolls that I get on my birthday every year!) with eggs and bacon and the whole enchilada! (Well, not enchiladas thank goodness) and then we all drove down to Hollywood and listened to all our favorite songs (thanks to the cd Al made), especially Manchester Orchestra since we were going down there for their concert! we walked around the whole day and just ate, hung out, and Ryan and Spencer actually snuck backstage to the concert because they said they were roadies for Manchester and the security people believed them!! So they got to meet Say Anything and hang out back there while Alex and I walked around and went shopping. The concert was amazing too. They played all my favorite songs, Andy was smokin hot, and after, I got a picture of Robert and Freeman from the back!!


We even left a little early (we didn't really care about Say Anything) and were walking back and saw their VAN parked like blocks over!!! So Spencer and Ryan left a note. We're always going to wonder what happened to it. Haha But yeah. Cheesecake Factory, train, music, dancing, lights...It replays in my mind all the time. It was a perfect day. Best friends in a great place. :)

If you don't know Manchester, here is the reason I love them.

Wanna know too much?

Yes, I cheated and switched this out for a later one. Oh well. I love it!

The other day, as I was blog-stalking, I found this challenge on a blog of a friend of my sister's. It's a month-long thing and I'm trying to entertain myself, while making sure it's not a bore-fest for others. So. Why not start the very first day of December? Why not!? You can follow along if you want! I found the same blog post here.

So the first one is: Day 01 - A recent photo of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

15. Yellow is my favorite color. It's the happiest one.

14. I absolutely LOVE Crystal Light's raspberry lemonade. LOVE.....love...it.

13. I take serious pleasure in school. I love always having something to do, deadlines, writing papers, researching, forming lists, projects (♥), being forced to expand my little cranium...so great.

12. Me in one word: Indecisive. It's the key to flexibility though!

11. I think super high heels are a biiit pretentious. I mean really. Why do you need to walk with your feet vertical?

10. I actually am pretty passionate. Once I feel strongly about something, you'll change my mind when I'm dead. My mom calls it being "stubborn," but I felt a little negative connotation.

9. I will watch a scary movie ANY time, any place, anywhere. I love them. They are my favorite.

8. When I exercise, like running on a treadmill, I do it picturing I'm running on the beach or in a park somewhere. Every time. It's less boring that way.

7. I have this weird obsession that I HAVE to remember everything that happens in my life. So I'm constantly saving things, writing little notes around my notes, taking pictures, etc. Haha

6. I have a tiiiny bit of OCD. Especially about public bathrooms. I'd almost rather pee in my pants than use one. I bet my pants would be cleaner.

5. I'm exactly like my mom. I've tried to avoid it, but now I embrace it. She's awesome. And I get my sense of humor from my dad. He's hilarious. I've always tried to keep things light and funny in any situation.

4. This is my lucky number. I was number 4 on my soccer team for 4 years.

3. My tongue is split in a weird shape, STILL, from having to wear an expander for my braces. They said it would go away. Ha.

2. My greatest desire in 7th grade (but I would've never done it) was to get my belly button pierced like my best friend. I was sooo jealous for some reason. Now I think the only people who do it are those trying to hold onto youth. Puh-lease people. Who are you trying to fool?

1. My best friends know this, but I am TERRIFIED of mascots. Holy smokes. A little embarrassing, but true. Seriously, giant costumes walking around trying to give me hugs or whatever? I'll pass thanks. I've had nightmares about them-true story.

Buon Compleanno!!!!

So I have been super bad about my lovely roommates' birthdays!!!! Ok. Here is post for each of them. I love you guys! You are the greatest roommates a girl could ask for! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love birthdays by the way. I'm going to be a crazy mom that goes ALL out for birthdays. I want people to wake up and want to cry they are so excited. Anyway.

Kim's birthday was today (November 30) so we'll start with her!! She turned the big 22 today! Fun fact about 22: There are 22 stars in the Paramount Films logo! It fits because she's a star!!....I'm so cheesy sometimes. Haha Oh well.

First, top 10 reasons no one's grim around Kim.
1. Kim is always willing to help, no matter what!2. She always is SO positive!
3. She knows just what to say when you're talking to her.
4. Red hair. Nuff said.
5. Kim is so smart-the kids that get her as a teacher should
consider themselves VERY lucky!
6. Kim has the biggest heart.
7. There is never a dull moment when this girl's around!
8. She has such a strong testimony. The Italians betta watch out!
9. She makes me laugh ALL the time (this picture? So great)
10. Kim is always up for anything and is so adventurous!-inspiring. :)

Ok, now for Camille! Her birthday was Thursday, November 18th, and it just happened to be the same day she got her mission call! Yes, you can call that divine design. Haha But she turned 21 (obviously) and fun fact: there are 21 dots on a standard dice! Isn't that nice!?

Top 10 reasons Camille is the real deal!
1. Camille always laughs at my [hilarious] jokes.
2. And her laugh is contagious, so it cracks ME up too!
3. Camille takes care of EVERYONE. No seriously.
4. Camille wears her heart on her sleeve-something most aren't
brave enough to do. You go girl.
5. We always come up with the greatest inside jokes.
6. She is a GREAT roommate in every way!
7. Camille is always ready and willing to talk anything out-
even if it does take hours and creeps into the next day. :)
8. Camille keeps you calm. I haven't seen her REALLY stress out.
9. She loooooves her family and friends. I mean really loves them.
10. Camille is always thinking of others. It's my fave.

Once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE BABES! I'm so so so glad I've got to know you two this semester and that we can be so close. I love you both!

Keeping Up With the Martins?

So, as we all know, Keeping Up With the Kardashians is in my top 3 favorite shows ever. It doesn't matter WHAT I am in the middle of, if it's on, I'm taking a break. Ok, well this is why. Sometimes I seriously see my own family in them. This clip is TOTALLY something I could see us all doing. I would be Khloe, Mom would be Kris, Dad would be Bruce, and Rachel would be Kiley. And depending on who I liked more at the time, my "favorite" sibling would be Rob and win. It's sooo funny! I love it. This is one, and here's another. If you don't just love them, you got it all wrong doll.

Thanks for "helping" us out!

Holy SMOKES!!! I haven't blogged in ages!!! I miss it. But good news! I have cute pictures and a great day to talk about. So grab a seat buckaroos.

How great is this holiday?! I had SO much fun! The Griggs invited us over to their house for a little shindig because they are just the greatest ever, and there were some of us who didn't really have a place to go. Well, back up. Originally, Karlee and I had an idea (thanks to Heidi) that everyone who was going to be left here should just have a dinner together! But then in relief society, Sister Griggs announced that who ever didn't have a place to go was definitely invited to their house for Thanksgiving! So we went with that.

But we all took Camille's car down to Idaho Falls which was actually kind of scary. We had been in the middle of a blizzard the last couple days so the roads were TERRIFYING. But Karlee knew what she was doing and when we got there (after NOT getting lost, thank you!), the Griggs gave us a tour of their house (SO cute-Heidi and I couldn't get over how adorable and homey it felt!) and then we just sat and talked for a little while and had a-MAZ-ing appetizers-shrimp (how many college kids can say they've had shrimp just to munch on!?), crab, veggies, crackers-basically a schmorgesborg of good food. Well, then their daughter Mindy came over with their family, which was so fun to meet all of them and meet the little ones, and then we all sat down to Thanksgiving dinner! Turkey (of course) AND ham, potatoes, stuffing, Sister Griggs' signature rolls, gravy, corn...it was so so awesome. I was stuffed by the end! (Get it? Like how the turkeys get stuffed?) Then we all sat down to enjoy being filled to the brim and watched Reflections of Christ. We were getting a little nervous though, because we all agreed it would be in our best interest to leave a little early so we could make it home safely and everything ("Dessert was great!" haha) and plus we needed to make a couple stops. So we were getting a little ansty when 3:00 rolled around, but they understood so we had pie, and took some pictures, then started the drive home! It was SUCH a fun day!!! And afterward, Heidi and I went to try to make a snowman. We failed. Haha The snow was way too soft and it was freezing and we didn't have a way to roll it up. So. Instead we just carved BYUI into the snow in front of the library. It was great. Haha Then we finished the night by watching Elf and drinking hot chocolate. :) It was so so so great to be able to feel like I was part of something when we were all so far from our families. So I'm thankful for my wonderful friends, leaders, ward, and the chance to be up here at all. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Jessica, Ryan, Sister Griggs, Karlee, Amber, me, Heidi

I'm glad they called them on a mission!

MILAN, ITALY

Yes, it is official. BOTH of my amazing roommates are going to the most beautiful place (says me) in the world. Of course, I am jealous. BUT. I am mooore boiling over with excitement for both Kim and Camille!! How funny is it that they both got called to the same mission while living in the same apartment!? Kim is reporting February 2, 2011 while Camille will be reporting on March 16, 2011. Both are going to the Provo MTC to learn ITALIAN!! Just thought I should share. I am sooo excited for the both of them to start this new chapter!! Congrats my favorite "sorella"s!!!

Do sheep say "Fleece Navidad"?

So I haven't really blogged in a while...a couple days. But still. I was doing so well!

Well the countdown is officially on until Thanksgiving Break! Aka: my catch up week! I will be spending that week in the library. That way, when I get back, I will be doing 50% less homework! Whoo!!!Oh yeah! And we set up our Christmas tree yesterday! We were feeling very much in the holiday spirit and Camille had brought it back from her house, so we set it up!! It was so much fun! And it look beautiful!! Everyone gets so excited when they walk in our apartment. Haha Bring it on Holiday Cheer!!!

Me, Ally, and Kate showing off our cute little tree

And, just for fun, a hilarious joke...
What nationality is Santa?

A. North Polish.

And a little funny Christmas quote: "I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph." -Shirley Temple

The Spirit Rock

Who says that you can't have a GREAT time just enjoying other people's company?! That is so not true! And I can prove it because tonight was just so much fun! Kim and I went over to Ryan's house and we just sat and talked with him and Jordan and we even made a pizookie! We just talked about high school, breaks, their missions, Kim going on her mission, and just life. It was so great. AND! We played bang. I lost. What else is new. Haha

I'm so glad I have such awesome friends (and roommates) here and that we can have low-budget fun. Yeah, I'm cheesy, I know.

Ready, set, snow!

Oh man. It's here. The Infamous Rexburg Snow.

I'm not kidding when I say that Rexburg looks just like this.

I know I should be used to it by now, but I never am. It's fun for like...2 minutes. Once your body actually realizes that it has no blood flow, that goes right out the window. However, I will say there are some great things about snow: snowmen, hot chocolate weather, snowboarding (not that I can go, but still exciting!) and I love seeing little snowflakes on everyone's eyelashes. Drawbacks? Me slipping like I've never walked in my life. I guess that was only the first say when everything was slush-but quite embarrassing seeing as how I had to grab onto random people to keep from falling. Then you have to do the whole embarrassing "Oh! Thanks!...Er, sorry!" and everyone's like "Whoa there! You okay?" Oh jeez.

BUT! The number one best thing about snowfall? Goodbye Fall, hello CHRISTMAS season!! :) Yes, our apartment is already playing Christmas music and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. But if you wait until after Thanksgiving, that really only gives you 22 days! That's not enough! There are like a million Christmas songs and I want to hear em all! I love Christmas. Can't wait to spend it with my awesome family and friends....and then be stuck with them for 4 months. :)

"Anyone Else" would be a bummer

So today was pretty great day if I do say so myself...

First off was the COLLIN RAYE CONCERT!!!

I went with Camille and Andrew and we had a BLAST!! I'm pretty sure we were the craziest ones there because my throat was SO sore the next day from all the screaming I did! Haha We were singing, dancing, clapping, and during one of the songs, a couple went out to the middle of the floor, where there was a little space, and were swing dancing!! So romantic. But yeah. It was SO much fun! He played almost every single song I wanted to hear (the only one he didn't play was Couldn't Last A Moment, but it's still newer and I'm glad he stuck to the older hits!) and we were all singing along to every single one! He was so nice and so funny too!! I was so happy he wasn't like "Oh lame, I'm at a college campus." He kept saying how great we were to play for and just how excited he was to be back here (after like a decade. Haha) and he was just so great. So fun. I can't wrap my brain around why some people don't just adore country music. It is SO upbeat & fun! I had a new appreciation for his music again at the end of the night. He's awesome.

Then the three of us met up with Ryan and Jared and all went out to eat at Sammy's!! Sammy's is the coolest. Seriously. I'm going to miss their sweet potato fries and burgers and GREAT live music when I have to go home. So depressing. But we all went and ate and had a great time! Then Andrew had to leave, so Camille & I went back to their house and just sat and talked with Ryan and Jared. They are so much fun. Hanging out never gets old. We were laughing all till curfew and then, the gentlemen they are, they walked us home. I just love my life. To death. (Get it?)

Bugs and Hisses!

Twist the bones and bend the back

Trim him of his baby fat

Halloween was SO much fun!!! Melissa and I really wanted to be festive, so we went to the store and found the scariest/grossest things we could to make an awesome dinner for our room

mates! I dressed up as an investigator and we all just had a good time sitting around talking and watching Hocus Pocus, which I have watched every single year since freshman year of high school. It was so awesome. I love that we were all quoting it. Plus we had a few people over, including a couple people who scared the CRAP out of Kim & I with their dang masks!! But it was fun overall. Mellow, and fun. I have to say, I was quite alright eating my gross dinner while watching Winifred sing I Put A Spell On You. :) I love Halloween.

We had human inners (lasagna)

Witch's Toes (Breadsticks)

And Graveyeard Dirt for dessert!

Flugelhorn

How I Met Your Mother is ALWAYS right!! In every theory, philosophy, explanation, and law. I always watch it thinking, "Oh my gosh, in honor of my most favorite show, How I Met Your Mother (duh), I have composed a couple lists of my own.

First, the Murtaugh List. This is a list of things I am too old to do.
1. Eat sugar with every single meal.
2. Say or write “LOL”
3. Lay out in the sun without sunscreen
4. Wearing bright sparkly eyeshadow, animal prints, platform flip-flops
5. Skipping school because I feel like it
6. Dressing in one color from head to toe (especially pink)
7. Baby talk
8. Being uninformed. Wearing shirts with witty sayings on them
10. Embellished jeans – embroidery, blinged-out pockets, bleach spots, fabric insets, purposeful holes and tears, etc.

Second, the Cradle List, or in other words, things I want to do before having awesome kids.

1. Travel the world ♥
2. Pay off my loans
3. Go on an awesome road trip somewhere
4.Stay in a hostel
5. Camp out on a beach

It's the Freakin Weekend, baby!

So I guess I have a bit of catching up to do. I was on a roll, dang it.

Thursday: Guitars Unplugged!!!! Congratulations to my most favorite neighbors!!! Aimee and Amy were AWESOME!!! They did such a great job and I was so excited that all of us were able to come and support their amazing raw talent! Someday when my computer isn't crap, I'll have to load the video of their song. Gosh. SO much fun! And the whole show was awesome too, don't get me wrong. We all had a BLAST!!

Friday: Best of Guitars Unplugged (so all the people that got the most votes from the two previous nights get to perform on the big stage in the Hart for everyone. It. Was. AWESOME. (I know, I use that word too much. None of my roommates went (well, except Kim who worked the show) so I got to sit with Levi, Amy, Aimee, and Grandon! And not only was I obsessed with getting as many glowstick bracelets and I could, but I caught a free t-shirt that was thrown to the crowd and with it came a free cookie coupon!! So great. And we stood up, danced, sang. It was awesome. THEN! There was a dance party right after. I ended up leaving to come back and check on the roommates, since I promised a girls night right after, but in the end, when Kim came home, her and I decided to go back to get our grooves on. And I'm SO glad I did!!! I never ever get tired of dance parties. And I never will! But afterwards, our sweet FHE brother Justin (who is going to the Albuquerque, New Mexico mission! WHOO!!!) bought us chocolate milk and we walked back to my apartment. Well then I decided I hadn't seen Ryan in way way too long so I invited myself over to join in on their game night with their FHE sisters. We played Girl Talk Jenga, followed by Truth or Dare Jenga-much more interesting. Haha At one point, we had Jordan over at the girls' house next door, complimenting a complete stranger on her eyes. Turns out, she was visiting and doesn't even go here! It was so much fun though. There are such great people attending this school. Anyway, you better believe I slept well that night!

I was clearly in love with my 36 bracelets
♥

Saturday: Well it turned out to be a bust until the night. We were supposed to go to the Straw Maze-that didn't work out. Instead, we decided that it was the perfect night to have cookies and milk. So, off to the store we went and we all chose one box of cookies and came back to watch Letters to Juliet. Of course we got in our jammies, they laid all the different boxes out on the coffee table and grabbed & munched on different cookies while we watched the movie. It was so much fun! Yes, we had a few guests too. I love it when people stop by. It's my favorite.

We love being goofballs.

I'd say we're definitely mid-great weekend. :) Stake Conference is tomorrow too; it will be the icing on the...cookie.

"Never deprive yourself of your personal destiny"

So yesterday, I went to the Thursday forum (yes, mostly because I had to for my Comm 100 class) but I am SO glad I did!!! John Huntsman came and spoke and he was seriously so amazing. He has a rags to riches story, and not only is he a billionaire (you heard me! A BILLIONAIRE), he donates most of his money to his cancer research fund!! He is so amazing. Here are some of the things he said (I couldn't write things down fast enough!)

• "God did not put us here to fail."
• "Life has little regard for those who waste time." (My biggest problem)
• "We receive inspiration from the mountain tops, but we achieve our maturity through the hills and valleys."
• "No is only the beginning of the conversation." (This was a funny story, but his point was that "[he] was adamant that no one else was going to determine my personal destiny."
• "Difficulties are intended to make us better, not bitter. Better. Not bitter."
• "Stay true in the dark, and humble in the spotlight."
• "Have faith in yourself- each of us have something great to achieve."

And those are just the direct quotes. I had 4 pages of notes by the end! He was so amazing.

One really cool story he was telling us is that he had applied for this job to be the head of Medicare in the 70s. He was 1/14. He had to go through 2 days of intense interviews and on the last day, the man was interviewing him said to him on his way out, "Are you a full tithe payer for your church?"
(Confidently, he answered) "Yes, I am."
"..No one here in the white house is a member of your faith, but I know enough about your religion to know that if you're a full tithe payer, you are an honest man. Therefore, I am recommending you to the President to become his right hand man."

And he got it! Isn't that amazing!! Gosh, I can't wait to read his book. I wish I would've asked him a question because he gave them a free, autographed copy of it to them!! Blast.

Ben Harper while writing papers

First things first. YAY for midterms being done!!! The bad part is that now my credits will drop from 17 to like 13 or something. Oh freak. I may have to try to get into another class. We'll see. And I finished another video for I-News! Want to take a gander?

Big plans for the weekend (yes, I am already looking forward to the weekend. I need a break!):
-Justin's birthday!!! WHOOOO!!!
-Straw maze* (and I get a package for I-News out of it!)
-A whole lot of catching up on sleep

And something else I want to try is making a french macaron!! (I hear they are so mcuh better than normal gross macaroons you eat at Passover?) I'm dying! Look how delicious these look! I know, right?!

*Also, is anyone else getting sooooooo excited for Halloween!?! I know I am!! I have found the most fun things to do, including what I want to make for breakfast and dinner!! I know. I'm a freak, but seriously, Halloween is SO much fun! This one blog has a million things you can make-I'm doin em. You can take a look here if you want! There's some super fun stuff!

Well. That's all for now....I can never do homework in the library too long without something distracting me. It's a curse.

P-Night

Tonight was SO awesome!! After a really rough week, I was ready to just hang around and relax around my apartment. Well the amazing thing is my roommates had that very same idea! So we got pizza (with crazy crust of course, my favorite) and while we ate it together, we watched all kinds of wedding shows (Say Yes to the Dress is our favorite. We love Randy). Then once we had digested it, Melissa and Kim went out and got cookie dough and ice cream to make a pizookie!!! So we ate that up, hung out and cracked up a ton, then all got in our pj's and watched the Notebook and cried together. Awwww, I know. We're adorable. It's been SUCH a fun night. I really have been so stressed lately & busy so I never even get to hang out with my roommates and see who they are! So it's nice to have a break. And I really love my roommates. We get along so well and just have fun hanging around together. Not many people would want to do, but we love it! It's so fun. Oh, it is love. Haha

And on a side note, Melissa and I were almost killed tonight. Consider yourself lucky we're still around. We were just sitting there, enjoying the wonderful movie, when all of a sudden, at the same time, we noticed this HUGE black blob crusin around the floor RIGHT by our feet. There was a fly in our apartment, so we thought that's what it was. When we realize it's CRAWLING and not FLYING, we veeery loudly say "Whaaat is THAT!?" almost at the same time and we both JUMP UP offf the ground and scream and run around onto the couch. Camille saved the day and killed it with a shoe, but we had quite a long laugh after that... :)

The pizookie made only with love

Nothing like chick flicks in your pj's, let me tell ya

Recap

Just so we're clear, I DO wish I wrote more on my blog. Dang it. I just NEVER seem to have the time! With 18 credits, friends, projects, tests, sleep (wait, what am I talking about?! I don't get sleep. Ha. What a joke) it's a lot to handle, but I'm just gonna keep chugging through. Although, I DID finally pick a major! I am majoring in Communications with an emphasis in broadcasting. Whoo hoo!! And so far, it's been a dream. I love it and I love my classes and I am so excited to finally be focused on doing something I love and am excited about! I can't wait to start my career!

The basics I should post about the semester are the things that have been fun. That includes trips with my roommates, random stop-bys by fellow students, exercise, bonfires, educating myself in the world of underground music, socials, motorcycle rides, treat-making, editing with friends, the unofficial karaoke, movie nights (especially outside), food runs, game nights, the long talks, the birthdays, the parties, the birthday parties, conferences...I think I've covered all the basics. But that doesn't mean that I don't put my head on that pillow every night thinking "Wow, I only did one fun thing today." Because not everyday is going to be filled with exciting, completely out of control fun activities. When you love your life, you love the day-today things about it too. And those are just as good to me as the ones that happen on occasion.

Showstoppers

So every now and then, people like to blog about what fashions they are obsessed with. Well. it's my turn. Here are some of mine. ♥

I am OBSESSED with this headband.THIS is how you wear a scarf.

How amazing is this dress with these shoes!? The belt
and the ring match perfectly too. Loooove.
I LOVE her leather pants. When I lose a little from my
top half and a bit off the bottom, consider this me.I think I have this weird obsession with lace and
lacy tops. You can see why, yes?The ratted
shorts and bracelet add the finishing touches.Dresses with jackets...
...and without. Both are soo elegant
and classy.
And now, my MOST favorite
I don't think I have to say anything. But if
you miss the hat, you're missing the point.

Smithsonian Craziness

So my teacher showed me this website for the Smithsonian Magazine's 40th Anniversary. It's awesome. So I'm posting it on my blog to make sure I don't forget about it. It's about all these crazy things that should be happening or at least an issue in the next 40 years. I'm in love. Haha Did you know jellyfish are starting to overpopulate the oceans!? Anyway. Maybe it's the science nerd in me, but I think everyone should take a look. Click it. You know you can't resist.

You're the Inspiration

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

This woman is amazing. I've been watching the Mormon Messages today, just out of habit of loving them, and even though I've seen some of these a few times, they never seem to leave me unaltered. This woman survived a plane crash that literally destroyed her face, but she continues to stand strong as a testament that with the Lord, anything is possible and as I heard once, "If got brought me to it, He can get me through it."

This other one is clip that made me break down in tears. This man is absolutely incredible and a HUGE example of the kind of person I want to be someday. I know myself well enough to admit that I would not come to that point of being so forgiving for a very very very long time...He's such an example of what Christ and the Atonement can help get me through. I'm so thankful he shared his story....

A "primary" reason I had a great Sunday!!

Oh my gosh! I got to teach the little Sunbeams today and they were just absolutely ADORABLE! I forgot how cute little kids are when they are learning new things!! They were singing in primary and wanted to volunteer for EVERYTHING and the leaders kept saying "Okay, if you want to be called on, you have to be reverent." so they'd compose themselves immediately but some would still whisper "Pick me!" soo quietly. It was so cute. Gosh I love little kids. And I think the Sunbeams were perfect for me to teach because they are very honest and not judgmental and love to tell you everything about their lives and themselves. If I asked them a question, they'd try so hard to answer. I asked what they liked to pray for (our lesson was on prayer) and got a hundred different answers, from how they love to pray for their families to whales and dolphins. It was so sweet. I LOVE teaching little kids and trying to be an influence. I hope I get called to be in the primary or something someday! Not now, of course, but someday. It was so much fun. Thank goodness for Rachel though. She was taking them on "potty" breaks and for drinks and even cleaned up the piles of squished Goldfish crackers from snack time. It's a lot to handle all at once, I won't lie. So I don't blame her for saying "I don't think I'm cut out for this." But it was so so cute to see all the little adorable kiddies excited to learn...and color...and eat. Haha Gosh. I should say a prayer about how thankful I am for them!!

How Close is Too Close?

People no longer seem to really like or enjoy personal communication. It seems we have developed this bubble and don’t allow anyone inside of it unless they are introduced through a mutual friend. We now see friendly people as “creepers” and if someone were to randomly come up and introduce themselves to someone, it is likely they are either going to feel like they are about to receive a business proposition, or uncomfortable. The most common thing people feel especially here at BYU-Idaho, is that if someone comes up to you to chat, the conversation is going to end in being asked out on a date, fated to become that person’s image of their future spouse.

I’ve noticed as I was walking around campus that people really only stop to talk to their immediate friends. Now this could be because they don’t want to be bothered or because they feel they have no time-they have places to go, people to see, assignments to terminate. But a lot more people either have their ipod buds in their ears, or they chose to look straight forward. My roommates and I have discussed this and sometimes, you just don’t feel like doing the Stop-and-Chat. No one wants to be forced into listening to someone they don’t care about blab on about their day and their frustrations, and no one likes to act fake and pretend they have serious concern. So most of the time, people will walk either looking down, looking at their cell phones and texting, talking on their cell phones, or just pretend not to notice the person waving their hands frantically.

Some people I noticed as I was walking on campus also do the “false glance” where if they accidently meet eyes with someone they aren’t supposed to, they will quickly turn their head and act like they were looking anywhere around the person, except directly at them. Then it becomes up to the other person-are they looking at me? Did they notice me? Should I say hi? And will either “bump” into them (to which the false glancer will say “Oh! Oh my gosh, I didn’t even see you there!”) or pretend they didn’t see them as well.

All in all, we do seem to be a friendly campus. However, are we lazy? Yes. Are some of our fears supported? Sure. It’s not unusual for someone to become your friend here if they think there is potential and that is the only reason they strike up a “casual” conversation. On the other hand, people who choose to get involved or are just social people are not in few numbers here either. I admit, I’m guilty to sometimes pulling these social moves on other people. I even have been in such shock and need to be avoided that I pull out my ipod and pretend to be searching for a song-everyone knows that takes a millisecond, not 30 like I pretend. The solution is simple-if you are asked out by a creep, say “Thanks, I’m flattered, but no thanks.” If you don’t have the time to talk, say so! We don’t have to step around everyone’s toes, but we should know to whose feet those toes that do get stepped on belong. We shouldn’t be hermit crabs-leave that to the crabby people. If we’re a happy bunch, generally, we’ll make someone else’s day just by being happy to them as well.

Career clusters get me flustered....

Oh my gosh, this is so nerve-wracking!! I basically am trying to decide what I want to do with my life starting tonight so that the classes I'm going to register for aren't going to be a waste. There are so so many things I love learning about (I'm kind of a nerd and I really do love to learn) but I'm going to stick with what I love, what I know, and what I'm good at. And that's English and Science.

So what should I pursue... a career in Marine Biology? Something I've loved and wanted to do since I was 2 years old? There's nothing about the ocean that bores me. I would LOVE to work with marine animals someday (the ultimate dream come true would be to be a trainer at SeaWorld!!) The question is though, what can I do with a degree in that? I don't want to write lab reports all day long which is what I know is like 80% of that job. I want to be out there doing field research!! So that is a little scary.

I also really love learning about cells and what falls under cellular biology. Ever since I took my first class about biology in high school, I've found that not only does that kind of thing come naturally to me, but I find it super interesting! I could see myself in a lab looking under a microscope all day! But then again, do I really plan on becoming a scientist and curing cancer? Maybe not. Eventually I want to be a mom, but I do want to help the world in one way or another.

Then, there's English. Something else that comes really natural to me, and yet I can't seem to find a career I'd be satisfying. Except for journalism. How AWESOME would that be to write for magazines!? Everyone says I should write for science magazines so I could have the best of both worlds! Oh jeez. I just don't want to throw away my love for science though. I want to be out there, learning with my hands, not my words.

So there I am. Stuck in a career rut that really hasn't even happened yet. I'm probably worrying more than I should. But. I just don't want to throw away my education just to pass the time until being a mom becomes my full-time career! I want to actually do something important ans impress myself! Aggh. I guess I just need to think about it a little more. Weigh the pros and cons. I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks like this! It seems like everyone else seems to know what they want except for me! But then again, being sure (NOT over-analyzing) has never really been my style... I'll keep you updated.