10.26.2012

OH HAPPY DAY!


today's friday, friday! -- and i couldn't be happier!

i'm not sure why today is such a good day.  could it be my green smoothie, orange, and toast for breakfast?  could it be the sun is back today {and even though it's chilly, the sun makes me 5000 times happier!}?  could it be that i am all done with my mission papers?  could it be that i have the best friends in this world and the best family to boot?  could it be that i straightened my hair for the first time in weeks?  could it be that i've been listening to t-swift's new album non stop for the past 5 days?  could it be that it's finally the weekend and i don't have to go to school or work for the next 2 days?  could it be that halloween is in just 5 days?

it could be.  it most definitely could be.

happy friday, everyone!

and here's the song of the day:

10.23.2012

MURDER MYSTERY


so we wanted to do a murder mystery dinner this year.  julia had the genius idea and got us all thinking.  it was hard to find one with enough couples for us all to be included {actually, it was impossible.  there is no murder mystery with 9 couples. sad day} but we found one with 8, invited our boys, and we had a BLAST!! it was 1930's and all the guys got way into it.

love my friends!

the boys: parker (the captain), brett (the hick), weston (the german), adam (the englishman), mikkel (the womanizer), collin (the jounalist), evan (the movie director), and tom (the ship owner)

the girls: melina (the rich girl), aubrey (the maid), jess (the heiress), julia (the singer), me (the gypsy), haley (the drunk), ashley (the artist), shea (the actress)

we like to be silly :)

the group! love em all!

the setting -- all thanks to julia!!

the gypsy and the ship owner

such a fun night with fun people! :)

10.18.2012

FALL TO WINTER & OTHER CHANGES


it's funny how life changes, isn't it?

the leaves on the trees are falling off now.  it's chilly outside.  for the first time walking home yesterday, i was cold.  

my priorities have shifted and my perspective has changed.  it's no longer all about getting dates, wondering if the cutest boy in the ward will ask me out, worrying about next semester, getting up to date on everybody's drama, checking facebook, writing papers, doing homework, looking at pinterest... i'm not saying those things are bad. but for where i'm going in my life -- preparing to serve a mission soon -- i just have found that i don't care as much about all that.  i care more about people and relationships.  i care more about my scripture study, and my spirituality, and working hard.  i care more about my family.

i'm sad to see the leaves go.  i'm sad to say goodbye to the sun, and the warmth, and no jackets, and my sandals.  but i'm also excited for the snow.  i'm excited for thanksgiving, and christmas, and scarves and coats and boots.

i'm sad to leave this school and these people that i love so much.  my roommates are my sisters.  it'll be hard to leave my family and harder not to be able to talk to them whenever i want.  but i'm excited to start a new adventure.  i'm excited to spread the word of God and put my life in His hands and do exactly what He needs me to do.  i'm excited to touch people's lives and see their lives change as they come unto Christ.  i'm excited to go through the temple and make sacred covenants with my Father in Heaven.  i'm excited to start anew.

and so although these changes throw a new twist on life, i think the pros outweigh the cons.

don't you?

10.17.2012

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER


last night, haley and i just couldn't take it anymore.

WE ARE EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS!!

never mind that it isn't even halloween yet.  we busted out the christmas station on pandora, closed our bedroom door, and rocked out hard core to feliz navidad, oh holy night, santa claus is coming to town, rudolph the red nosed reindeer, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and of course...

... all i want for christmas is you.  baby.

enjoy!


10.11.2012

IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE


today is the day of sunshine in the sky and fall leaves crackling in the trees.

today is the day of pranks, laughs, and going out in public in our pajamas.

today is the day of birthday surprises for good friends.

today is the day of pouring water on each other in the shower, standing outside and throwing ice at windows, and being loud just because we felt like it.

today is the day of smiles and belly laughs.

today is the day of high side ponytails, no makeup, and t-shirts.

today is the day of fun and friends.

today is a good, good day.

10.10.2012

MEETING THE BIG WIGS


today i got to eat lunch with the prophet.

okay, so it was in a banquet hall with other people.  president monson was sitting at table 1 and i was squished at the very last table, 27, in the corner.  so not technically WITH him.

BUT!

i got to shake his hand :) and president eyring's, and elder holland's, and elder oaks', and elder andersen's, and elder christofferson's, and elder nelson's.  i feel pretty important.

see, i've been involved in this big international symposium at work, right?  well today, it ended.  and it ended with a bang on the top floor of the church office building with a luncheon for all the delegates and all the general authorities. and the people that work at the international center for law and religion studies {aka me}.

it was a great day!!

jessica {the other student secretary} and i on the top of the church office building

i can't remember what was happening.. but it was apparently funny!

beautiful view of the capitol building from the church office building!

10.08.2012

QUOTE OF THE DAY


"to the youth of the church rising up to missions and temples and marriage, we say, 'love God and remain clean from the blood and sins of this generation.  you have a monumental work to do, underscored by the marvelous announcement by president monson...

...the voice of Christ comes ringing down through the halls of time asking each one of us, while there is time, 'do you love me?' and for every one of us i answer with my honor and my soul, 'yea, Lord, we do love thee.' and having set our hand to the plough, we will never look back until the work is finished and that love of God and neighbor rules the world."

--elder jeffrey r. holland, conference address, october 2012

10.06.2012

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6


10:00 AM - general conference.  i, unfortunately, was not snuggled up at home in my pajamas watching the tv.  i was at work.  luckily for me, since i work at byu, someone turned on the tv in my office.  i sat there, listened to the opening hymn, and felt grateful for being a part of this gospel.

10:05 AM - president monson came on.  {i love that man.}  he made the most astonishing, stunning, amazing, incredible announcement i have ever witnessed.  young men can now serve missions at age 18!  how wonderful for them!  my brothers can now go right out of high school.  i was absolutely thrilled at that.  and then... he made another completely stunning announcement.  young women can now serve at age 19...

immediately, i started bawling.

there i sat, tears streaming down my face, sitting in an office on the 4th floor of the law school.  it felt like my world had come to a shuddering halt.  i can now serve a mission.  i can now serve a mission.  i can now serve a mission.  my brain was on repeat.  the tears kept coming.  i felt the spirit more strongly than i ever have in my entire life.

12:00 PM - i walked home from work.  the second i got out of the law building, i totally lost it.  i had tried to keep my emotions in check while at work, but this was just too much.  i called my parents, totally overwhelmed.  "i could serve a mission!"  i'm sure people walking around me thought i was crazy, but right then, my world consisted of myself, a mission, God, the Holy Ghost, the tears streaming down my face, and my parents on the other end of the phone.

i'm not sure what i felt -- fear?  yes, definitely.  serving a mission scares me.  anxiety?  yes, definitely.  i'm not sure if i can be an adequate missionary for the Lord.  excitement?  possibly.  although it could have been overshadowed by fear, for sure.  a sense of right?  not yet.

12:30 PM - i got back to my apartment.  my roommates had the press conference turned on.  i started crying again and sat down to watch, eager to hear what changes were being made.  as i sat there and watched these inspired brethren talk about this decision, i knew.  i KNEW.  it was time for me to serve a mission.  it felt so right.

so many things came to my mind at this moment in time, and it all seemed so simple.  like the little voice inside me that's wondered why i haven't found a guy that i'm interested in at college yet.  or the fact that i'm really worried about making it through next semester because i have absolutely NO money.  or the two jobs that i'm trying to decide on for next summer.  or the decision to stay and go to school for the summer or not.

it's clear to me now that it is time for me to serve a mission.  the Lord has prepared me to serve at this time in my life.  i know there are a lot of people that feel this way.  but it's not a matter to me of "jumping on the bandwagon" or doing it because i feel obligated.

the choice to me is simple now:  i'm going.  and not for me, either.  if i was going for me, i wouldn't be going.  and not for my parents or my friends or my leaders.  i'm going for the Lord.  and i'm going to bring people unto Christ.

the Lord works in the most mysterious ways.  this was a day in history.  i feel so much peace and so much gratitude for the Lord.  truly, He knows me.  He has a plan for me.  He is guiding my life.

and now, it's time to trust Him.
i'm serving a mission.
i'm so excited!

10.03.2012

FRIDGIN' IT


so many aspects of my life feel so crazy right now.  sometimes i feel like i can't handle everything that's being put on my plate!  for example,

at work, we've got an international symposium this weekend.  for me, that means INSANITY.  i just started here in august and have had to learn the ropes quickly.  the past few days, i've felt like a chicken running around with its head cut off!

at school, i've got a test this week, two tests to study for next week, tons of chapters to read, and daily assignments/quizzes that are constantly there.  talk about STRESSSSSSSS!!

at home, i was running out of food.  like, i had nothing to eat on monday night.  so last night, 4 of the 6 of us went grocery shopping.  none of us had been in a long time.  so when we put everything away (which wasn't easy!) our fridge looked like this:


 i'm pretty dang sure you couldn't fit one more thing in there.  and look at all that yogurt!  hahaha obviously, we're yogurt fans in apartment 54. 

so, with everything going on, i feel like i'm going to burst.  you could say i feel like the fridge.  one more thing, and i won't be able to handle it. 

but, just like the fridge, things go away.  after i take tests, i don't have to worry about them anymore (sort of... just roll with this analogy. i'm stretchin' it here).  most of my stress will go away, just like most of this food.  and then i'll be better prepared to handle the next time i go grocery shopping... aka pick up another full load of stress. 

10.01.2012

PRANK WAR


dear bloggers,

are you sick of hearing about our prank wars with apartment 82?

i'll make it short then.

we like to call this picture: "the church meets the chollos"

the geniuses that we are, the girls of apartments 54 and 55 decided to use the trojan horse method.  we stationed ashley in the boys' apartment, with the ruse "she had to do her piano homework." then the boys all left.  we snuck over, ashley let us in, and we all hid around their apartment.  when the boys walked in, we blasted chollo music and partied hard!  they think they're going to plan something better... no way! :) it's now a full-on prank war!!

dude.  my friends ROCK.