Merry Christmas!

Well it's Christmas Eve. Another year is about to come to a close. December is always a very reflective month for me. I turn another year older, Christmas is celebrated, and the end of the year comes around. 2010 has been one of the best years of my life, I really do have to say. I've learned a lot about myself and have had the opportunity to do a lot of great things. I am a little reluctant to even let the year end- not that I even really have a choice! I've had such a great year and a part of me thinks that a new year means it all must come to an end. And a lot of things will change in 2011. I'm a little nervous about some of them, but I know I will make it through. 2010 definitely taught me that. I can do hard things- and I can do them well!

I've been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life that I met this year alone. And everyone has enhanced my life greatly. Angela, Emma, Elise, Emily, Shelly, Janna, Tasha, Auralee, Levi, Tay Tay, Evan, James, Kjerstin, Chris, Bryce, John M., Jonathan, Joel, Jacob and Pam- you guys have changed my life for the better and I know I'll never forget the impact you have made. If I didn't mention you and you are reading this, that either means I met you before 2010, or I'm just an idiot and forgot to write you down, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful for you! I love you all and here's to another year of friendship!

Now that the sappy shout outs are done- here are some highlights of the year (I'm kind of copying you, Elise :) )

1. Truffle Love Shuffle

2. Taking a picture a day

3. Scrapbook nights

4. San Fran trip

5. Going on a lot of walks

6. Spending time with Pooky before he left on his mission

7. Playing The Great Dalmuti until 6am... multiple times...

8. Arts and crafts time with Elise and Tay Tay

9. Going on tons of picnics this summer

10. Sleeping outside with Angela, Emily, and the occasional special guest, Kjerstin

11. Going to the rope swing in Mona and Big Burger

12. Touring Las Vegas with Angela and Dave- where we had the BEST slurpees ever!

13. Going to Hawaii

14. Throwing an EPIC Halloween party

15. Our circus party

16. Having the best FHE group ever!

17. My family coming out to visit for Spring Break

18. President's Day Jeopardy with costumes

19. The Blog Song by Evan and Tay Tay

20. Going down to my grandparent's farm with my friends and riding horses

21. The institue dance with Levi, Tay Tay, and Evan!

22. Hiking up a mountain in sandals to stargaze in the freezing cold

23. Riding the scooter with John!

24. Seeing Emma perform in a girl band!

25. Levi and Evan getting their toenails painted by adorable little girls

26. Going to the Backstreet Boys concert!!!

27. Having multiple secret admirers stop by

28. Volunteering at the MTC

29. I know I already said Hawaii, but the PCC deserves its own highlight! It was that good!!

30. Shopping in Park City with Auralee

31. Rekindling old friendships

32. Going to the dollar theater with Emma

33. Eating the best sandwich ever at Stellina Pasta

34. Surprising Moo for her birthday

35. Making a movie with Ethan

36. An amazing institute class with Bro. B. I know so much more about the Old and New Test!

37. Attempting the Cornbelly's maze multiple times and failing

38. Going to Portland for Thanksgiving

39. Staying at Evan's grandma's in Idaho on the way back because of the snowpocalypse

40. Making gingerbread houses for my birthday

41. Playing Just Dance on the wii

42. Writing Parker every week through emails

43. Coming home for Christmas earlier than normal

44. Eating Dad's delicious cooking

45. Having the best friends and family ever.

I think that's about it! Thanks for all the good times 2010! Hopefully 2011 will just be even better!

Suspense

For those of you awaiting the start of my new blog, and trust me, I know you are on the edge of your seats, don't worry, it's coming! (that sentence had a few more commas than I would have liked, but you get the point.) Anyway, I'm currently computerless because I recylced my old one and am awaiting the purchasing of a new one. I can assure you that once I get my new one, I will begin the fashion tips pronto. On another note- I went to Portland for the Thanksgiving weekend and it was incredible. Once again I don't have a computer, however, so I have not been able to upload any pictures and put them on the blog. I'm just borrowing my roommates computer right now to write this post. So pictures to come soon. Probably around the end of December/beginning of January. But just know that I haven't forgotten about my blogs and that my new computer will probably mean more blogging! So yay for that! I hope you all had great Thanksgivings and will have great Christmases in case I don't write before then. (It's highly possible). Well until next time!

Fashion- or something like it

So I would like to classify myself as a pretty fashionable person. Or at least I have the ability to know what is fashionable. Don't get me wrong, I just have those days that I want to bundle up in a hoodie and jeans, and so I do it. But in general, I like clothes. And trust me- I have a lot of them. This brings me to what I am really trying to say/ask. Should I start a new blog? Don't worry- I would still keep this one. I just think that I would enjoy having a blog that was strictly about clothes. It could offer tips on how to be more fashionable, where to find good deals, or just commentary on what the trends are currently. Plus I feel like the art of looking good and dressing appropriately has been lost. Don't people know that it's not ok to wear jeans to a wedding reception?? Do they have no shame? So in my new blog I would also want to discuss appropriate times and places to wear certain apparel. Yes, I know, I'm not the fashion God, and I don't have the say in what everyone wears (even though I wish I did sometimes) haha. It would more just be a place for people to come and read my opinions on fashion and share their own. Thoughts? And boys this doesn't exclude you- fashion is for all sexes! :) I'll let you know what I come up with for a new blog- and I'll post the link up if I decide to do it. In the mean time, let me know what you guys think of me doing a new blog!

Paul

Paul, as in the guy that wrote the latter half of the new testament, is one legit dude. Yes, I just called him a legit dude. Learning about him LITERALLY blows my mind on a daily basis. It's epic, man. (Shout out to E & S- you know who you are!) more thoughts on Paul coming soon. Brace yourselves.

Halloween

So I threw this freakin awesome Halloween party over the Halloweekend. My roommates and I were planning it for weeks in advance and I feel like it was my more than full time job for a while, but it totally paid off!! I was Hannah Montana for Halloween- which I think turned out pretty good. Most people got it, but there a few people that thought I was Lady GaGa? haha. Practically everyone was dressed in costume and it was great. I painted some cardboard cutouts for the entry way photo booth, and they turned out so freakin sweet! It was better than I could have ever imangined. And I had some great friends that helped me out- which was fantastic! Here are some pictures of the event:

Miley Cyrus....

turns into Hannah Montana!
An attempt to show how many freakin people were at this party!! It was out of control!! Head count so far is a little less than 300!!
Roommate picture!
The phantom made an appearance and he looked great!!
The birds we cut out and put on the ceiling- they looked soooooo tight!!
A picture of the cutouts- I wish I would have got one of their full length. They were larger than life!
Overall a great weekend!! Hard work pays off in the world of party planning!

It's Fall, Ya'll

It's FINALLY fall. There is still a warm day here and there, but overall, my favorite kind of weather has finally set in. Chilly enough for a jacket, but not so cold that there is no possible way to get warm. Awesome. I'm also feeling very festive and in the mood for Halloween!! My house is throwing a crazy Halloween party that is going to EPIC. I can't wait, and I know it's going to be nothing less of a success. To show my festive spirit, I present to you a picture of myself and roommate with pumpkins. And I was having a good hair day that day!

A Good Book

So I don't read often, I'll admit it. But my roommate recommended I read this one, so I agreed to. Mainly because it is super short and a really quick read. And it was really really great! It talks about the most successful salesman of the time (think around the time of Christ) and the different tricks that he used to become so successful. He has these scrolls that are the secrets to being happy in life. The story of the book was fine, but that's not really the point. The point is what is inside the scrolls. The wisdom is great and if mastered, will lead to true success and happiness. All in all, I'd say it's life changing, and a super great book. So go read it, dang it!

BYU vs UTAH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaiZsKJJlRE

American History

So I'm in an American history class right now. Yes, I am pretty knowledgeable about American history, but for some reason or another, I have just been absolutely horrified at some of the things we are learning about. I know that I am living in a different time and culture, but I'm just surprised at the lack of compassion that went on in the early beginnings of this country. America should be a place of refuge, but instead we enslaved black people, threw Native Americans off of their lands or killed them, and were just awful to immigrants or any other type of minority anywhere. How can people feel ok with enslaving another human being? How can people feel ok with pushing natives off of their lands, putting them onto reservations and then beating their culture out of them until they decide to become more "white"? And then I start thinking about all of the injustices that have happened in the world and are STILL happening! When will we ever learn? Is that day ever going to come? Like I said, I know I am living in a world completely different from even 10 years ago, but at the same time, I honestly just don't understand. How can you belittle a human life so much? I guess I will just never understand completely.... Compassion is the key. I'm convinced. Let's get some, shall we?

And then Hawaii was a blast

Well we did a ton of awesome things in Hawaii, I must say. I'll let the pictures do the talking, however.

We went to Waikiki beach and rented out some kayaks and an aqua cycle and took them out on the ocean. It was awesome to take on the waves with the kayaks. And the aqua cycle was a lot of fun and relaxing to take out on the ocean.

We also went out and got Shave Ice at Morimoto's. It's a snowcone on top of ice cream, and it was delicious!
This is my FAVORITE picture of the entire trip. Isn't Tay Tay a heart throb?
We watched the Sunset on Sunset beach multiple times because it was just that good. Angela, Kjerstin and I all posed for a fabulous shot.
Tay Tay and I had an epic reunion hug... even though we hadn't really been apart... haha
We went to Turtle bay and saw sea turtles- so cool!
We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which my favorite part of the trip!
While there, we went to a luau, where they gave us fresh flower leis and smoothies in a pineapple!
We went snorkeling at shark's cove
The house we stayed at was a block away from this beach
While at the PCC, we got some sweet tats
We went cliff diving off of this cliff, which was awesome!
That little dot in the middle is a tiny jelly fish- which stung me by the way! It really stung for a while, but it was horrible. It went away after about an hour.
We went jumping off of some sand dunes on sunset beach
We went and saw the Laie temple
The whole group at the luau
I tried my hand at poi balls
This is us at the rental house, right before we checked out, eating chocolate haupia pie, sooooo good

And we went horse back riding on the beach! Which is absolutely gorgeous. So amazing
So yeah, needless to say, it was a really good time. I'm glad I had the opportunity to go

We began in Vegas

I went to Hawaii a few weeks ago and it was a ton of fun. We flew out of Vegas, however, and had a little adventure there first. Angela, Dave, and I all went together and we had a really great time exploring the different sites of the city before flying on to Hawaii. Here are some pics of our time there:

We went to Coke world

We shopped around at the Venetian, which believe it or not we are inside in this picture! The whole interior makes you feel like you are on the streets of Italy at dusk.
We enjoyed the night lights
We went to M&M world
We visited the Flamingo and their "wildlife habitat"
We got ready for Mardi Gras
We took a spin at gambling
And we just enjoyed our time in general!
More pics to come soon- and don't worry, they will be of Hawaii next time! For now this will have to do. Later

Update

So it's been a while since I have updated you on what I've been up to. I haven't uploaded all of my pictures from my camera to my computer, but here are a few from melon ball. Melon is pretty much just a really intense version of water polo without any rules. haha. And I'm borrowing my brother's underwater camera for when I go to Hawaii, so I took it for a spin!

And then obviously I went to St. Louis, as I mentioned before. All of us minus Dad went to Ted's- the best frozen custard ever!! Can you believe my baby brother is taller than me?!?! It's insane.
Other than that I've just been working and counting down the days until I go to Hawaii. And I leave on Wednesday! It still doesn't feel real to me. It's quite ridiculous. I'm sure it won't feel real though until I step off of the plane. Either way it will be exciting! If you have any fun suggestions of what to do in Hawaii, let me know!

Nochie

I've been thinking a lot about my baby brother lately- Ethan aka Nochie. I just miss him sooooo much! Seeing him in St. Louis was a lot of fun, even though it was only for a short time due to his scouting trip. He's the happiest person I know and being around him makes me happy in return. I don't know what I'd do without him. We laugh all the time and have the best inside jokes. Playing wii and doodle jump with him is always a blast. I love living on my own and in Utah, but the ONE thing I HATE about it is that I don't get to spend more time with this little (yet taller than me now :( ) guy. Like I said in my last post, I don't know how I got so lucky to have the best brothers ever!

Goodbye Pooky

Well the time finally came this morning at 6AM. Parker left to go into the MTC. I can't believe that he litereally ON his mission at this very moment in time. I know he is going to be great, but it is just so sad to not be able to see him for 2 whole years! At the same time, I am almost looking forward to the bonding we will be able to have over written letters for the next 2 years. Is that weird? This is all assuming he will write me! haha. People express themselves differently in letters. I almost feel like they are more open and willing to share what they are really thinking. I guess because they can really think about what they are writing before they send it. Every time Parker has had something on his mind that he really wants to talk to me about, he has always written me a letter or email about it. So I feel like us communicating through the written word will be a good thing, even though I will definitely be missing him. He is such a special young man (cliche, I know). He loves everyone, he puts everyone at ease when they are around him, and he radiates with spirituality. He is ready to serve the Lord for 2 years. Although it is very emotional for everyone to see him go, I know he is doing the right thing, and that brings me peace and comfort. It pains me that I'm going to have to say goodbye to another one in a few years!! But I know that Parker is setting a wonderful example for Ethan, whom I also love. Ethan, if you ever read this, know that I love you and although you are terribly homesick at the moment (he's at scout camp), I am thinking about you constantly and praying for you. I have been blessed with the world's best brothers. Seriously. What did I do to deserve this?

Danggggg

They made me change my blog background. Dang it. I don't like this one as much. Boo.

Meet me in St. Louis

Yes, I am in St. Louis. It has been wonderful to be home. Even though it is so humid that I can hardly breath and my hair is ridiculously out of control when I go outside and the heat index is over 100 degrees, I still love being home. I can't believe the time has come for my brother, Pooky to go on a mission. Has it really been 19 years since he was born? Am I really old enough to have a younger sibling this old? Is he really going to be gone for 2 full years? Blows. my. mind. I suppose we all have to grow up at some point, right? Well it's been a lot of fun being out here, even though it has been emotional with Parker leaving and all. I guess more details will have to come later- just know that I miss you Utah people- and gosh dang it, I miss Utah! Who'da thunk.

Summer nights

This has been my night every single night this summer. And oh how I love it.

Girl talk, cool night air, fenced off back yard, waking up with leaves in my blankets, ah the sweet life.

Fortune Cookie

So this is my testimony of fortunate cookies. I have always loved fortune cookies- and I love even more when they come true!! Check out this fortune that I got a few weeks ago:

And then about a week ago, this note appread in our mailbox:

And THEN a few days later this showed up in my mailbox..... from the same person, I'm assuming.

All of my roommates got one as well. And surprisingly none of them care who this "secret admirer" is. So I've been doing some detective work, trying to figure out who could possibly do this. I have a lot of wonderful people in my life that WOULD do this. But the question is who actually did it.... Slowly but surely my roommates have found out who it is, but everyone seems to think it's funny that I don't know! haha. I suppose it is. Either way, I'm pretty sure I know who it is, but I'd like to keep my suspect options open.

And here are the suspects:

John- he's such a sweetheart and does the nicest things all the time for my roommates and I. So obviously a clear option.
Jonathan- also another option. He's the romantic, thoughtful type, so this is definitely something that he would do. And look- he's crafty with the construction paper.
Levi- this really doesn't seem like something he would do, but still a suspect since he spends a lot of time with my roommates and I. And although he likes to come off as a jerk, he's totally not. In fact, maybe he's trying to surprise us all by being the secret admirer.
Evan- He seems the type to write notes to us. He's a huge fan of the written word... and also very thoughtful and sensitive
Tay Tay- he is my leading suspect. Because he is such a sweetie and the most thoughtful guy ever! Let it be known that he is so kind and SUCH a gentleman. His momma raised him right! :D (Taylor will kill me for saying this on a public blog, since he reads it and all....) But that's ok with me... He looks like a rebel on the outside, right?
And James- also a suspect.... very kind, and loves the Manor house girls... need I say more?
So there you have it.... the search goes on for this "secret admirer." I love you secret admirer! It brightened my day. You're the best.