january update

i do have a life and i do have some thought provoking (hopefully) posts coming up. but here's a quick update on my life! i'm taking five credits-- Chem 285 and voice lessons. so far so good. i'm excited to sing some Nora Jones and Adele in voice lessons. as for Chem, it's pretty easy so far. i'm working between 20-40 hours a week, trying to pick up as many shifts as possible without going insane. i like the big paychecks (and the fact that more money= paying back my parents sooner).
weekends are different now. i usually work Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening. but i still have tons of fun! especially this weekend.

thursday afternoon after class (and getting a free manicure c/o BYU Women's Services and Resources), i went to the temple. geez, i love that place. even when my hair freezes during the walk from the temple to my car. later that night i went to institute with jenny. afterwards we joined Klemme and the Metz to go get sushi! we are making thursday night, sushi night.

we ended up at Osaka on center street in Provo, laughing, chatting, and pounding down sushi. i lurv me some sushi! can't wait for future thursday sushi nights! friday afternoon i went to lunch with mom at Zupas. i really love Zupas food, but i feel like they keep the place a little too cold. i would rather just get it to go and then eat it in the comfort and warmth of my apartment (where i can be wearing sweats and watching Lost and no one will care). jenny and i went over to the Smith Fieldhouse at five in order to get the best seats possible for the volleyball game against Irvine. guys, i had literally been looking forward to this the entire week! so what if i'm obsessed? we ended up in the standing student section (aka the ROC ... i think) which was a blast! our blind dates got there around 6:30 and that was... nice. (i have opinions about blind dates that will not be discussed in this post.) ok ok ok, the game was AMAZING!!! i have not screamed that hard or been so invested in a game in a long time. i love our boys!!! they beat Irvine! (for those who are illiterate in sports- Irvine was number 1 and we were number 3.) I am so proud! oh and we got a picture with Cosmo. he's cool, except he tickled me and jenny. i felt a little violated. but whatevs, i guess.

after the game, and i'd screamed myself almost hoarse, we headed back over to jenny's to meet up with ward friends and have a Seinfeld marathon! the best ever. serenity now!! Saturday morning i slept in. our stake had a Relief Society fireside and lunch with Hilary Weeks. i was so excited because she sings one of my favorite songs (that has gotten me through a lot). jenny and i went and sat with some girls from our ward. it was a beautiful fireside and i am so grateful i got to go! i worked all afternoon and evening. sunday was maddie's farewell (i worked with maddie at the Skyroom). she gave an awesome talk! she is Elder Holland's granddaughter and he spoke a few words in the meeting as well. it was such an incredible feeling to be in the same room as one of the Lord's servants!

sunday afternoon i made homemade pasta for the second time in my life. i lurv pasta and i lurv making things! perf! Strobelt, Ryan, Jenny and I made and let me tell you it was quite the job! it took us about two hours to get the pasta made, but it was so worth it! those people are quality. and, how have i been missing italian food? good thing i don't live in italy or i would probably weigh 200 pounds! i just wanted to sleep after eating, but i had to go to work. boo. luckily work was pretty chill. today has been a lovely chill monday. happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! he was pretty amazing. his "i have a dream" speech still gives me the chills. i went to lunch with cousin Rachel at Pizza Pie Cafe. it was foolish though because half of Provo was there and they kept running out of pizza. they didn't even have Oreo pizza, which is the whole reason i go! whatevs. it was good cousin time.

tonight i'm going with jenny and ward friends to see Perks of a Wallflower. i am so excited! emma watson is my girl celebtrity crush. i want her hair and her style and Rupert Grint. and the movie just looks overall adorable.

here's to life! and adventure! and friends! etc!

senior game

****dear friends: if you commented on my post on friday, or made kind comments of relating to my situation and wanting to help, please do not feel like i was peeved or upset at those comments! i truly appreciate your friendship and kindness! so keep commenting :) you are all great.****

last Saturday was my "senior game." in other words, it was my last home BYU football game as a BYU student. granted, i will still be here next year and i hope i can buy a guest pass for the games, but i won't be a student. weird. i remember the last football game i went to as a high school student. i cried afterwards. i didn't cry after this game. probably because my tear ducts were frozen shut. but still.
it was also the senior game for two friends- Preston Hadley and Brooke Renslow (cheerleader). they are both from my home stake and are awesome people that i have loved watching on the field each game. we made a sign for Preston because really he is such an amazing player! and also a great person.

the weather was freezing cold! like below freezing. i was totally bundled up and was still cold! we played idaho which really was an easy peasy team to beat. i left during the third quarter because i was so cold and had a long sunday the next day. however, for half the game we had awesome front row seats! (thank you people who left before me so that i could enjoy those seats for my last game.)

do you watch college football? 

who do you cheer for?

what are your favorite memories of BY football?

what i love about fall

where has time gone? life is so crazy and then one day i realized it was october and that i was a major slacker in blogging. let's be real, on my list of priorities, blogging is near the bottom. i am working super hard at school and my new job is keeping me really busy too. i have lots to do for my calling as well. but i am just loving life! i feel so blessed right now that it is almost overwhelming! i am so grateful! but now that it's october and fall is officially here, i wanted to share with you some of my favorite things about fall (my second favorite season).

*hot chocolate season starts- i had salted caramel hot chocolate Thursday and it was divine! i love trying lots of different flavors. there is something about having a warm cup of hot chocolate wrapped in your hands that is just wonderful.

*boots, scarves, jackets and cardigans! it's so much easier shopping for fall clothes because i don't have to worry about it being immodest ha ha.

*football season- i live for my BYU games on the weekend. and we stomped on the Aggies last night which makes me super happy.

rachel, hyrum, me and spencer at BYU vs. Hawaii

* halloween- i know halloween is creepy and involved massive amounts of candy, but i love it. i love getting dressed up and going to all the parties. i love scary movies and corn mazes. i love it all. (except candy corn.) i want to have an awesome halloween costume this year! and my friend Natalie is having a Harry Potter themed halloween party. so psyched!

*pumpkin everything. carving pumpkins. pumpkin pancakes. pumpkin pie. pumpkin bread. pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. pumpkin shakes. roasted pumpkin seeds. pumpkin curry. and of course the pumpkin smoothie from Jamba Juice. if you have never tried it then go get it now. seriously. it will change your life.

*driving Alpine Loop. i have driven up provo canyon every fall for the past three years and it is beautiful! it is wonderful to get away and view some of God's most glorious work! i hope i get to go soon this year.

*turning on the heater. now i have a real excuse to be cold and turn off the a/c. when you think anything below 72 degrees is freezing, you look forward to the time when you don't feel guilty about turning off the a/c.

*finally, General Conference! [i mean i have to put this in because it's today, right?] but i do love me some general conference. i love listening to the Prophet and Apostles and receiving much needed counsel and guidance in my life. if you want to watch or listen today and tomorrow click here.

on top of the world

loving this song today. because i found out that i got an A on my music theory test which means. . . i get an A in the class for the semester and don't have to go to class ever again! here's to two more hours for studying or working out!
and i just feel like life is good.
i started my final year of school. finally. i feel like this has been years in coming! i guess it has. these two stud-muffins started their first year at BYU with me. it's been great/weird to have younger siblings here with me. i suddenly feel like i have huuuuuge shoes to feel to be an awesome older sister.

football season has also started! byu has not lost a game yet and i am loving watching them play- as usual. we've got an awesome group for football too. it's so fun to go to the game with "my boys"- Jake, Spencer, and Hyrum. it's never boring where we are.

i feel so blessed this semester. i know there are trials ahead, but at the same time i am happy. thursday was institute kick off and we had a wonderful speaker come talk about scripture study. i know that i this semester i want to improve and strengthen my relationship with Christ as i try to figure out what i'm doing after i graduate. i know that as i diligently study my scripture i will be able to fulfill my goals. i went to the temple on friday and was able to study and ponder the scriptures and my patriarchal blessing for almost two hours. it was wonderful!
so far this semester i've already been able to meet some wonderful people. there are a lot of new girls in the ward and my calling is allowing me to get to know them. i hope that i can be the best 1st counselor in the RS that i can be! i've met other great people through friends and i hope i can get to know them better as well.
i've made changes in my life too. good changes. things that i had been praying about for a long time. some of them were hard changes but i have felt so at peace about the decisions i have made.

Sunday dinner with the bros

i don't know what the semester holds in store for me! i won't be the richest girl ever. but can still be happy and succeed in my classes. it may not be the best semester in my life, but it will be the best semester for my life!

weekend rewind

last weekend was the first weekend of my birthday month. since it is my birthday month i want it to be amazing. so far it's fun, but . . . emotional. that's all i want to say about that. but i did have a wonderful (albeit) very busy weekend last week.

i like to think my weekend starts on thursday since i only have one class on friday. thursday night my dear friend Shaunzi took me to dinner at Cafe Rio because she felt i needed picking up. i did. it was wonderful to be with an old friend! i love it when old friends see your change and love you all the same. after dinner i went to insitute with miss erin barrett where we were entertained by a lesson on dating (such an original topic, but i mean it was the marriage prep class). i did learn some things, especially about integrity and making decisions now.

on friday i awoke feeling somehow sick, and used that as an excuse to not do more than two hours of studying the entire day. oh, and i ate about six oatmeal raisin cookies. (am i the only person who could eat these all day? they are delicious, and sort of healthy right?) After getting off work at 6 i booked it home to get ready for a date at 6:30. i got home with three minutes to spare but luckily my date was a little late so i wasn't completely frazzled looking. we went to Pad Thai Siam in Orem and got Thai food. i lurv Thai food. it makes me think of (a) freshman year when we would fight (but not really) over who Heather would be bringing home Thai food for; (b) dear Shalise and Bre who are in Thailand preaching the Gospel (you two better learn how to make Thai food while you are there!); and (c) how much i want to go to Thailand! we got massaman curry (i'm gonna try to make this) and some kind of noodles with beef, veggies and sauce. yummy yum yum. after dinner we went mini golfing. (sometimes i feel like guys take girls mini golfing because they know the girl is going to be horrible and therefore it become a chance for them to show off their manliness by being amazing at mini golfing. i don't think this was my date's mindset though don't worry. mini golfing is one of the top 3 most frequent date activities in provo. the other two are probably country dancing and bowling.) anyways i stink at golfing. like bowling i try to avoid it. but this adventure was actually pretty good! there was only a few times where i had to take about 15 tries to get the ball in. luckily i didn't feel too stupid. i embrace my poor lack of aim, and blame it on my hyper-extended elbows.

on satuday i slept in until 10. this does not usually happen. but, due to the fact that i didn't sleep well until about 5 am, i would say that it was much needed. i ended up not going to the Bridal Fair with shaunzi (which made me sad but there are some things that you can't plan). at noon i went over to the gymnastics meet with my friend Evan. i've always thought gymnasts were the bread and butter of athletes. don't worry track & field and cross country always gets my top vote, but gymnasts are legit. they are powerful, flexible, and graceful, all in one tiny package! secretly i think i should have been a gymnast (i mean, i am 5' 2") but since i can't even do a cartwheel it obviously was not my life calling. my friend Mickell is on the gymnastics team here at BYU though. and i love watching her perform! it's thanks to her involvement that i watch gymnastics and love it as much as i do. she performed on vault and floor. i was bummed with her floor score and thought the judges were wack, but whatever. BYU lost to Boise State by one point. (i wish i could go to every home meet, but next week i have a ward dance so i have to miss it. poop.) after the meet i went home and was very productive all afternoon. really i truly was. that night i went to Becca Clyde's birthday dinner in Springville. Becca's parents made us a wonderful dinner of fajitas. now i see where she gets her amazing ability to throw dinner parties! it was lovely spending time with some guys and gals from my ward and celebrating with Becca. after the dinner i went out (with a boy) and we got ice cream from sonic. i'm not a huge sonic fan, but the oreo shake i got was quite delightful (of course, if you know me, you know i love anything that involves ice cream).

i do not have photogenic fingers. but isn't the heart cute?

sunday was Super Bowl Sunday/ the Sunday where i blissfully am unaware of what is going on in the sporting world. people ask me why i don't watch the Super Bowl. i don't really care about it, but the biggest reason is that i don't watch sports on Sunday. it is just something i don't do. so there you have it- the truth. after getting out of Fast and Testimony Meeting right after the sacrament (due to the fire alarm unceremoniously interrupting us) i went home and promptly hung out with miss erin barrett. if you didn't know we are soul sisters and have twin lives. it's cray cray. we tweeted back and forth with the indubitable cameron collins and then proceeded over to c209 for the puppy super bowl. (note: puppy super bowl does not count as a sport because it is mostly just adorable puppies romping around. not exactly as intense as eli manning. yes, i do know what goes on with the Super Bowl i just choose not to watch it. is eli attractive? double yes. ) watching puppy super bowl with three boys made me wonder a little bit about the sanity of animal planet (and the sanity of cameron, kevin and andrew). the remainder of the day was spent making cookies, Breaking the Fast with the good old 174th ward, planning Heather's baby shower, writing and skyping siblings, going to Ward Prayer, making Valentine's decorations, painting my fingernails festively, watching Gilmore Girls, making homemade granola bars, and chatting with a good friend. i got to bed at midnight which is not the smartest thing, but it was worth it.

after seeing the length of this post i have decided that maybe i should blog over the weekend instead of putting it off until monday. because who really reads these novels? i mean. . . no one comments on them. . .  (do you like how i basically am begging for comments? share the love people!)

weekend rewind

this weekend was a busy one! but it was so good. every day when i go to work i pass some construction near the Marriott Center, and this.

i hope i never have an emergency near this area. good thing i run so i can just keep running! on friday night i went to the BYU hockey game on a date. of course, we lost the game (we aren't the greatest team) but there was still some excitement. ok, get this. . .  a girl got hit in the face with the puck! no joke! what a horrible shot right? everyone was staring and she had to be helped out by personnel. secretly i thought she should have just manned up and covered her nose (since that is probably what got hit) and walk out. i mean it's only blood. after the game Amberly came over and slept over! the great thing about my friendship with Amberly is we don't have to go out and do something to have fun. we watched Biggest Loser and she played minesweeper. then Jonny came over and we ate ice cream and talked about everything under the sun- meaning, of course, dating. i attempted to sleep on our Lay-Z-Boy but it hurt my back so i was a wimp and went to my own bed (sorry Amberly!).
Saturday morning i woke up early-ish and went running with my friend Matt. it was our first run as running buddies and i think it is going to work out great. it was raining when we left and by the time we got done with the 4 miles (and a 9 min/mile pace woot) i was soaking wet! i don't mind too much though. after getting soaking wet during rainstorms in Uganda, i don't mind the rain. in fact, sometimes it is very welcome. and i love running in the rain!

i showered and then lounged around in sweats- and by lounged, i mean cleaned and did laundry.  i'm so domestic. i went over to Amy's and helped her address invitations for Heather's baby shower. i am so excited for the shower and the baby! walking to Amy's though was ca-razy. the streets pretty much become a lake when it rains here. sounds like Africa except here the roads are paved. saturday night i went to Sarah and Paul's wedding reception. they were both on my team in uganda and started dating there. cutest. love story. ever. anyways i drove up with fellow africa peeps Andy, Remmik and Lindsay. it was fun to catch up with everyone on the way up! it was snowing pretty bad and i was so glad it was Andy driving and not me. what a trooper. the reception was beautiful and the bride and groom were radiant.

i love weddings and love!!! (except sometimes when i want to gag over the huge emphasis put on marriage here in byu town. ew.) when we got back to provo it was snowing pretty hard. welcome winter. you are a little late. i went out and watched a friend shovel tons of sidewalk space. can i tell you how attractive i find service? very much. ok that's all on that. also he has really cute puppies. i approve of those too.
today church was amazing as usual. i love my ward, my RS, my old FHE family, and all my friends here! i have a new calling on the music council that i am super excited about because i have never, never, ever in my whole life had a music calling- which is surprising considering how big of a role music plays in my life. i went home for dinner of steak and potatoes. mom, dad and ben made valentine's cards while i made decorations (post on those to follow). i love my family! i am also so grateful for my friends who are always there for me and who are willing to come over and listen to my troubles no matter what troubles of their own they may have!
let's make this monday the best one yet!

weekend rewind

this weekend was awesome! definitely one of the best i have had in a long while. after studying my behind off all week, this weekend was a blessed break. as i was super stressed about my paper(s) i went down to my normal spot in the library- first floor, the "cave." no cell phone service. usually not very many people. i sat down at a cubby and found this nice little note from a fellow student.

 thank you, that made my day soooo much better!

friday:
friday and saturday seemed like one big long day. but a really awesome! my english lit class was cancelled so i was done at noon! i took kendra to the skyroom for a birthday lunch. i'm pretty sure i was more excited about this than she was because we took the day off (of our 21 day challenge) and so that meant i could have the desserts there! lunch was good. but we ate way too much! when you don't eat junk food, you start eating much less. i felt pretty full and sick after we were done. it was crazy. it was like we were training for thanksgiving.

after consuming massive amounts of food

side note: KENDRA'S BIRTHDAY WAS ON FRIDAY!!! she is 22! woot! i'm waiting for her assessment to see if it is better than 21. i just need to make a little shout out about this girl. she is awesome. i didn't think that we would become this good of friends, because we weren't really freshman year. but i am so grateful for her friendship! she is always willing to hang out with me and she gives me great advice about relationships. she is always up to do something fun and random- like 21 junk food challenges, getting pizza, or going to see Cowboys and Aliens at midnight (even though she thought it was dumb). She gives me rides places which i hugely appreciate. she is super creative and comes up with great ideas (ie. the goldfish costume). she likes to cook just as much as me, and guess what? we are going to make homemade ravioli! possible date idea- we will probably invite boys too. i am really so grateful for kendra and i hope she had a wonderful birthday!!!

after lunch, i went home and died for a couple hours. i just had to let everything digest. later, Kendra and i ran errands-- mostly to the mall to get her a birthday outfit. i must say that she got a stinkin cute outfit! i also found some gems of clothing. while at american eagle one of the workers said, "i love your outfit! it's so j. crew!" best. compliment. ever. my shirt was from DI, pants from old navy, boots from target girls section. ha! win! then we ran (literally) to costco and maceys to get stuff for fondue and a cake.
i got home and made the cake in 5 minutes. then i went over to Heather's baby announcing party. pretty sure i was the only single girl there. psh. oh well. heather knows how to throw a party! she made tons of food and had a cute cake to reveal the gender. i guessed boy (i had guessed that like two months ago) and well, i was right! go me!!!
after Heather's party i ran home, frosted the cake, and went over the Kendra's. it was snowing!! first snow of the year!  kendra's party was fun. we had a lot of food and about 27 people came.

kendra's cake

there are definitely more than 22 candles on that

after everyone left, we watched Patch Adams with Kendra's cousin and his friend. the movie was a pretty serious one, but such a good movie! i quite enjoyed it :) then after they left, Kendra and i stayed up until like 4 just talking! i know. we are insane. i slept over and didn't wake up until 9 (which is late for me).

saturday: after sleeping in uncharacteristically late (i didn't actually get out of bed until 10), i got ready quick and then went up to campus for some hard core studying. at one i went to earthfruits yogurt with Hannah and Emily. i didn't take any pictures but it was delightful as usual. these two girls saved my life last fall semester when there was so much drama in my dating life. i also had a free yogurt thanks to my "tribe" membership. sweetness! when i finally got home from studying (around 4), Kendra texted me wanting to have a tea party. what a fabulous idea! the tea party turned into tea+pizza. we had a half off coupon to blackjack pizza so we ventured down there and got the Mediterranean chicken pizza. it was really quite good- feta cheese, peppers, olives, chicken, and no marinara sauce, all on a thin crust. yum. we ate the whole thing (don't judge).
after dinner we bundled up for the game- our last football game as byu students! :( i really wanted to be there for kickoff because they were honoring the seniors and i happen to (sort of) know one of them- Fangupo. he was my brothers mission companion- he thinks my brother is the bees knees which is pretty accurate. however we missed it, even though we ran like half the way there! when you are wearing 5 layers of clothes, running makes you super hot! i had 8th row seats which provided an awesome view!

now get ready for some really good lookin' pictures of me and kenj.

everyone looks really white next to jose

we be lookin' good!

kissing the cougar!

the game went super late and we sure killed new mexico state! i got a little teary eyed as we sang the fight song at the end of the game. i better come back next fall with spencer and hyrum! i can't say good bye to byu football quite yet!

ps. has anyone else noticed that on pinterest there are a few pins that say "healthy is the new skinny" while prominently displaying a stick thin girl???? i find this odd and ironic...

hibernation is OVER

HOME OPENER

tonight.

will i be there? you better bet your bottom dollar. i can't wait to see these guys play!

Davies

Hartsock

Abouo

Collinsworth

and i can't wait to see what the rest the team brings!

get ready. . .

because until the end of march madness, this will be a BIG part of my life.

get ready for BYU Basketball

weekend rewind

it was another great weekend. not quite as awesome as conference weekend, but nothing really matches that does it?
thursday:
date night again. the weather failed and so we couldn't go on a picnic. however i did end up having a really fun time! we went to rubio's grill [please, if you go, get the cilantro lime salmon burrito. it is divine] for dinner. then we got hot chocolate [the first of the season!] at the starbucks in barnes and noble, and then perused the bookstore for almost 2 hours. anyone who knows me knows that i should probably live in a bookstore. it was heaven. and we barely scratched the surface. i had a blast, and the company was really awesome as well!

friday:
i was a bit of a loser on friday. when the weather gets cold and the air pressure changes my head [?] freaks out and so i get migraines. its fun. not. i was a loser for the afternoon. that evening i went to cafe rio [my dinner was sponsored by daniel ostler- thank you] with the mbale gang! it was awesome to see everyone looking so normal! it was especially nice to see jenner and lindsey whom i haven't seen since africa!

after dinner i went to work. the "gang" came in to visit which was really nice. i wish i could have talked to them more but we got slammed for like 3 hours straight and i almost shot someone. 

saturday:

i blessedly slept in. very much needed. then i proceeded to study for 4 hours. i love studying on saturdays! no really i do. the library is so much emptier and less distracting. [for a pathological people watcher, like myself, the library can be very distracting.] sarah came out in the afternoon and we had kaitlyn waters  do a little photo shoot of us. it was so fun and i am excited to see all the pictures! after the photo shoot we got mom a little bday present from Bed Bath and Beyond. then we hit up Zupas for dinner. i'm a little obsessed with that place. you should know that their thai lobster curry is delicious. ok after dinner we went to the BYU football game. it was sarah's first game [ever] and so i was pretty excited. she isn't a huge sports fan so i wanted to see if she would have fun. i think she did.

dee dee found us free vitamin water after the game, which made the evening exponentially better :)

sunday:

it was nate jensen's homecoming! quite delightful! i haven't seen pretty much everyone who came home this summer because i was in africa. i was especially excited to see Nate and Steve.

they are cool and i am glad they are home. please guys, lets play a lot ok? after the homecoming i went home for mom's birthday party. she always has apple crisp [she doesn't like cake] which i think is the perfect fall treat.

so the weekend was pretty good. i hope this week isn't too stressful and that i have some fun times. i guess i will if i make it happen! peace out kids. i'm goin' to bed.

weekend rewind

this last weekend was fantastic.

but let's rewind to thursday. [i like to think that my weekend really starts on thursday because i don't have class that day. it's brilliant.]

i was sick tuesday, wednesday and thursday. but i had a date thursday night. i was excited but not happy that i was sick. going a date when you are sick is laaaame. however the date was the perfect "sick date"! not to mention it was great company. we went to zupas [secretly i was hoping we would go there because there is no comfort food like zupas] and then yogurtland. if you live in orem/provo area and have not been to yogurtland then i highly suggest that you drop everything and go there- tonight. my favorite yogurt flavors (so far) are oatmeal cookie dough, pistachio, and lemon blackberry mint. yum. we took our froyo to rock canyon park and just talked. plus, my date was nice enough to give me much needed cold medicine. thursday night was the first night i had really slept all week. hooray!
date night= success.

friday night was football again Utah State. please, my aggie friends, allow me to be loyal to my school. k thanks. i think a lot of usu fans think that there is this huge rivalry between us and them. there isn't. we have lost to them one time in the last 11 years. and yes, although i am aware that friday's game was close, byu football is known for their fabulous come-backs. so, although i wanted to win and i was more than thrilled at the miraculous win, its not nearly as ecstatic as i would have been if we had beat u of u. ok, back to the game. i hung out with kendra. it was pretty awesome. we got foam fingers and screamed a lot. at separate time in the game i: cried, almost had an aneurysm, shook like a leaf from anticipation, and yelled my voice hoarse. my favorite part was yelling "riley! riley! riley!" [bronco- i think it's time we let riley start. what d'ya say?] after the most epic win of the season i went out and watched Megamind with some really fabulous people.
game day+movie night= epic.

saturday i was at home for GC [General Conference]. general conference weekend is always awesome. i am thrilled beyond belief for the temple in DR Congo! that is so close to Uganda and i think it will make it a lot easier for members in Uganda to attend. yay! all my mbale branch friends will be much closer to the blessings of the temple! in between sessions i went to a student council reunion. not everyone was able to make it but it was so fun to catch up with Chan, Josh, Michelle [and hubby Justin], Heather [plus bf, Justin], Chelsey, Kayci, and Jen. pretty much everyone is all grown up! crazy. saturday night, during Priesthood session, mumsy, sarah and i went to Draper, to have a girls night with the Olsons. the view where they live is gorgeous so we had to stop and take a few pics. i forgot to take my camera off landscape setting so some of them are blurry. my bad. at Olson's we had peach pie and watched the movie "17 Miracles." i was skeptical about this since its not really a "girls night" type movie. but it was actually really good! it made me want to go back to martin's cove! [good thing my home stake is going there for youth conference next year and i hope i can go with.] we got home around 11 but that didn't stop Sarah and i from staying up until 3 am. we were talking- about everything. hey, if she is gonna be gone for 18 months, i gotta get all the talking in before she is gone!
gc+stu co reunion+girls night= fun fun fun.

sunday was another blessed day of conference. the weather was glorious so after the last session i convinced joseph and ben to go on a short walk. we took mikka too. it was beautiful! i went home [to provo] that night which is the only down side of the great weekend. sitting in my apartment editing pictures is not exactly an exciting way to end the weekend. but that's ok.
blessed day of rest= relaxing.

the first weekend was awesome. i hope that the second weekend is even better!

the first

byu football scores and my dating life

i have noticed something very interesting. the scores of byu football games and my dating life are connected. connected. this is a true, scientifically proven fact. when my dating life is going good, we win. when my dating life is horrid, we lose. we lose worse depending on how sad and pathetic my love life is. so, either byu needs to start winning and then i will start dating more. or some awesome guy needs to fall in love with me, so that byu starts winning. i mean, really? 54-10? really? thats all.

ps here is a cute pic from the disastrous football game last saturday.

a final ode to Jimmer

a picture is worth 1,000 words

so i didn't go to the festival of colors

but my weekend was quite eventful.






BECAUSE

i met jimmer

nbd.

i still don't wanna talk about the game on thursday. a tear or two may have been shed by yours truly. i get really emotional over sports.

i'm a jimmer-cen-ary

like a missionary. but a jimmercenary. the lingo for this guy is ca-razy. please, i beg of you, read this hilarious Deseret News article.

this is a diversion and really has nothing to do with March Madness...
[why yes, i did wear my no. 32 shirt today. tucked into my favorite skinny jeans, with a green cardigan over it. i was going to take a picture but i forgot. i also did my hair in a high braided bun. i could never be a fashion blogger. 1. i hate taking pictures of myself- i never look as cute as the other fashion bloggers. 2. i always forget to take pictures of my outfits.]


5:27 pm. begins an epic battle against the Florida Gators.

will i be watching? um duhhhhh. it's the sweet sixteen!

we better slaughter them the way we did last year. 

Jimmer has taken over campus. unless you attend BYU (or are a die-hard fan) you will not understand nor appreciate the Jimmer-mania. everyone is wearing the game t shirts. even my professor reminded us to pray for the team to win. if you aren't watching the game you either are a social reject (because you don't care) or you are devastated because you are too busy/ have class. dude, if it's a good game, i'll miss class!

but, it's not just Jimmer either. it's Abuou. Emery. Hartsock. Collinsworth. (let's not forget the guys who stepped it up last game to beat Gonzaga- Rogers. Magnusson.) these guys are my heroes. so, don't be a hater. mmmkthanks. 

there is 1 hour and 4 minutes until the game starts. my adrenaline is already pumping. i can hardly wait. but don't worry, i'll be ok. i'll just be chillin' here- with Jimmer. nbd.

the view from my desk. he's watching over us.

march madness + estrogen

you know i love Jimmer. (if you don't, shame on you.) i LOVE Jimmer. but... did you know?  the BYU Women's basketball team is also in a tournament? yuppity they sure are. they are in the 3rd round of the WNIT tournament and play USC tonight here at our very own Marriott Center!

I just think it's pretty sweet how great these girls are doing. and i feel a teensy bit bad that jimmer and the boys are getting all the attention. (for example, have you heard of Miles Batty? i'll write about him later.) i hope the girls win tonight! it's awesome to have winning teams all over the place here at the Y!

mid-college crisis slash twirly chair thoughts

you know how when you play the game of Life and you land on a spot that say "mid-life crisis. choose a new career." lately i've been feeling like that- except, thankfully, i'm still in college. before ya'll freak out (because i know you are all so interested in my future plans) no i'm not changing my major (again). yet. i've just been wondering.

in my d&c class we talked about aligning our will with the Lord's. i thought to myself, "i want to do that! i want to know that my life is 100% in line with what the Lord wants me to do." ever since i was 14 i've known i wanted to be something in the medical. 9th grade- paramedic. 10th grade- ER doctor. 11th grade- heart surgeon 12th- NICU doctor. now my goal is to be a PA (physician's assistant) working somewhere with children- pediatric oncology or maybe the NICU. however, i've been thinking and wondering: what if this isn't what i'm supposed to do? that kind of freaks me out because for 6 years i've planned on doing something medical. it's my dream. and i don't like giving up on dreams. i feel like if i don't do PA school it will make me somehow less accomplished,  not as smart, etc.
some people get huge spiritual manifestations or confirmations that their career choice is the one for them. others, have to pave their own path and wait to see if it turns out. if it does- then it's right. if it doesn't- time to start over. i think i'm a second type. it's frustrating sometimes. [geez, wouldn't it be easy if every time you had to make a life changing decision you got the answer clearly? yes, you should be an exercise science major. you should not go to that university. this is the man you are supposed to marry in the temple. no, you are not needed to go on a mission. yes, you should move to this apartment complex.] most of my life i've just gone with the flow. i do what feels right at the time and then watch to see if God puts any stumbling blocks or walls up in my way. if he does, then maybe it isn't right. or sometimes i just get a feeling like something isn't right and i need to change.
anyways....
back to real life.
in school i feel alright. i am working way hard and i am improving in areas that have been rough for me (ahem, genetics and physiology). i love my classes for my major and am learning so much! also, i can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. i will graduate next year! either april or august, i'm not sure yet. so, if i do decide that i need to change my career path, well that will set me back quite a bit. but if it's what i'm supposed to do i will do it.

since this post is already novel-esque, i will wrap up. but not before i tell you what i've been thinking about while sitting here is this twirly chair.

- i bought a Jimmer shirt (this is not a normally crazy thing to do, but i probably should save the $10 i spent for Africa. psh Jimmer only happens once in a lifetime right?)
- why couldn't i breathe during the entire devotional today? sometimes i had to consciously remind myself "beka, breathe in. now, breathe out." this is not a normal occurrence and although most people might not find it pleasant, i would not mind being in that exact situation again. sometimes being breathless is good.
- i want my husband and me to be one of the cute old couples. the ones who you see decked out at every BYU game (even though we are 90). the ones who still hold hands and kiss- in public. the ones who wear outrageously awesome out of style clothing. the ones who buy a mustang because, heck, we're old and we don't care. the ones who give treats to all the neighborhood children because we just love them.
- man am i glad for the five girls who lived with my in E Richard 2110 in the not-too-distant-past. they are gems.
- i keep feeling like there is something missing in my life. i am not quite sure what though.
- my thoughts while watching the weather pass by through the glass double doors: great, it's snowing again. its just so ironic that the day after spring "arrives" it gets all cold and stormy. a bajillion times more ironic since i just got a bike and have a hankering for a nice afternoon in a skirt and sandals. 5 min later... it's sunny! hooray! my walk home today will be exponentially better than my walk here. i looooove the sun. 5 min later.... what the? its like blizzarding outside. i feel sorry for any **poor fellow who is driving, all alone, to salt lake right now. and freak, it's march. did mother nature not get the memo? you get the idea. i hate utah weather. can't spring, simply be spring? (sorry KJ for ranting about the weather. but after living here for 21 years i feel i have the right.)
- why am i constantly thirsty? i think i have diabetes. nope, i have no hypochondriac tendencies at all.
- i think i'm gonna take these khakis home and try out the tucked-in-shirt style that is apparently en vogue this spring.
- sometimes i think about how brandon called me "hipster" and i laugh inside. i mean who uses the word "hipster" these days?
- i wish people would e-mail more. facebook is taking over the world!!! (i've even heard of people making profiles for their pets. their pets.)
- Africa is like a month and a half away. and i still have so much to do! however, the excitement is overpowering the stress.



yeeeeah i think that's all for today folks. [don't worry about me and the state of my brain. i've had 2 people in the past 24 hours ask me if i was ok or if something was up. nope i'm fine. i'm still feeling like i was friday and i have four tests next week. so i might be a little distracted and stressed. but life is great!]

i am byu

i love our team. we, as loyal fans, stand behind them. through good and the bad. tonight- Gonzaga. bring it.

the JIMMER show (aka not your typical st. patrick's day post)

for the record- i did wear green today.
no: i did not deck out and proceed to eat only green food. i also refuse to color any food green that is not meant to be green. i figure that since my ancestors were mortal enemies of the Irish (i am part Scottish) that i might get struck down if i participate in festivities of such a holiday.[besides i'm pretty sure that everywhere outside of utah, st. patty's is just an excuse for a parade, lots of food, and lots of beer. correct me if i'm wrong.]

if i hadn't had to wear green today (for fear of getting pinched- is that harassment?) there is no doubt i would have worn byu blue. because, despite how fun st. patrick's day is, the start of March Madness is oh-about-five-bajillion-times more exciting. i've been anticipating this all week. [i'll be watching the blessed game in the clyde building with a bunch of electrical engineering students. i'm a nerd. nbd.] i made my bracket (through a very scientific and accurate method) and i'm ready to go! i'm not gonna tell you who i picked as champion because some people dislike the school i chose. [no, it wasn't my dear bYu.] if you are in need of some pre-game excitement i suggest you jaunt over to the Deseret News and read this article. Jimmer really is awesome. now, my lovelies (whoa that sounds weird coming from me) it's back to work, but if you dare contact me in 45 minutes i'll be at tip off!

weekend update: crazy cravings and fighting cancer

remember how i decided to go off sugar for the month of March? yeahhh.  i was doing so great at it and then Friday night i got these cravings for something sweet. i decided that i could eat treats on weekends and on dates [because that is rude to turn down stuff like that on a date ya know].  so i went to Brick Oven with friends on Friday and got a delicious cookie monster. I didn't feel guilty either. BAD. after splurging a little this weekend on treats (ok not like a ton) I've taken back my decision to have treats on the weekend. I can have treats on dates and I will not be going to the end of March because we are celebrating Adam and Sarah's birthday's on the 27th. deal?

this is about what the cookie monster looked like

on another note, i did do something really cool and health related this weekend! every year BYU Cancer Research Society holds the Rex Lee Run. All the proceeds go to research to find a cure for cancer. I got extra credit in physiology for doing the run, but I was planning on doing it anyway. Over the past few years it has become more and more clear to me how prevalent cancer is in our society and how it affects young and old. I was proud to run in honor of those who I know have fought cancer. It was also exciting because I PR'ed! I was hoping to do so and I was thrilled when I crossed the finish line!

i didn't take pictures at the race but my friend Emma did so
 i'll get them on here soon. this is the t shirt and bib!

every weekend i think i'm going to have tons of time to sit around, take a nap, and watch Gilmore Girls. and every weekend, i am dead wrong. but, it's ok. this weekend had a mixture of good and bad. [the bad was mostly the BYU vs. SDSU tournament game. i don't wanna talk about it.] good things included:

an epic winning game against UNM
lunch with one of my most favorite cousins
hanging out with Andrew, Nate, and Tessa Friday night
seeing Letters to Juliet (i actually truly loved this chick flick)
Rex Lee Run
Costa Viiiiida (i may or may not be addicted)
Spoon it Up
seeing Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs for the bajillionth time
laughing with Sam
baguette with nutella and laughing cow cheese
making new friends
cooking a home made meal
talking with Shalise

this is from Shalise's birthday breakfast, but i just want to say how
awesome she is and it is amazing how alike we think!
 i'm going to miss her while she is gone!

Monday's are such blah days especially when your roommate doesn't have school and gets to do fun things all day. how lame is that? oh well, i'll get over it.