Brought to You by BYUSA

Like I said, last night was our Leadership Ceremony. Before we went, Andrew and I met up to go and watch the basketball game. Baylor was a worthy opponent and Matty F. Carlino, B. Dave, and Craigory Cusick the 15th just didn't pull through. We were winning until Andrew and I stopped watching together so we could go get ready. 

Then came the ceremony. I knew I would get an award. Don't get me wrong it isn't like I expected it, but Eric and Angela have been being so suspicious. Eric wouldn't even let me help set up which is unheard of. I picked out the flowers for the floral arrangements, and that is it. He took me with him like he always does but I sat there and watched. Anyways, Andrew makes me so happy. Yesterday he asked me what my favorite color was. I told him it depended on what it was for, but I really loved sunshine yellow. So, at the event he wore a yellow tie. We had fun eating, talking, and dodging Angela with the camera. Then, the video yearbook started. I am in half the pictures! How did that even happen?!
 After that, they passed out the awards, each with an explanation as to why this person received the award. I nominated one of my School Spirit girls for Optimism. She got it! Way to go Mckenzie! Kennedy got one for inclusiveness. She by far deserved that one. I thought I was fine when they got to the last one, and then Eric got up there. Andrew just looked at me and smiled. Eric read his part, and I was almost in tears. I got the Dedication award. Then, he called my name, Andrew nudged me, and I went up to accept my award. He gave it to me and we took a picture. Once we walked off the stage we hugged. I really am going to miss my big brother when he gets married and leaves. When it was all over, everyone came to hug me, I got a letter from the new Executive Vice President whom I have never met but really like, and we took a ton of pictures. I dropped Andrew off at his apartment so he could do his homework that I am pretty sure I have been distracting him from for the past couple weeks. I am so glad he came with me. 

After getting home I was kind of in a happy daze for a little while. I went to my old roommates' to talk to them. We ended up talking about boys which didn't help me out of my daze at all. I went back to my apartment to work on homework and read scriptures. Then, Andrew and I started texting. That boy can make me grin from ear to ear within .001 seconds. Reading a couple chapters in my scriptures usually takes about five minutes. It took me 15 last night. Our conversations are really funny, and when I go back and read them I realize if it wasn't me in this situation, I would think it was kind of mushy. Right as I was going to bed I put my phone down and got comfortable. When my phone buzzed again I knew it was him. I let out a little, "He!" My roommate burst out laughing and we laughed for a good five minutes. 

Eric also texted me telling me congratulations and how honored he was to present my award. I told him I only learned from the best and I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to present it to me (which is genuinely true). This morning I woke up to a text telling me he appreciated it, but I was like that last year and that is why he wanted me to serve this year. I went into my eight o'clock class and my teacher told me I was radiating light. We were talking about happiness and families and he told everyone to turn around and look at me if they needed to see what happiness looked like. When class was over he pulled me aside and told me I was far too happy to be in an eight o'clock class. Honestly, when I woke up this morning I had to ask myself if this was real life. It is! 

I thank all of my BYUSA friends for all of the tears, hugs, smiles, and laughs we have shared. I am going to miss it, but I am excited to see the some of the changes that will come. There is one other thing I will always remember... Pinkies up!

Mountains to Climb

"If you want something to happen in your life, make it happen. You are the children of a Creator-- he expects you to create."

In a time of year that comes with so much stress, I needed to hear this. This is election week which means active campaigning, booths, flyers, calls, and knocking on doors. I do not know how this is all going to turn out. This means my interview is coming. My last midterm before finals is here. I have activities and a retreat to plan for. All of this, and I am just now realizing it is already March. How did that happen? Didn't I just come back from winter break? So much is going on that I lost track of time, but I will never lose my faith that everything will work out for the best according to my Heavenly Father's plan. 

"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent, can hinder, or can control the firm resolve of a determined soul."

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Finer Moments in Life

So much has happened. I have not let my sinus infection get the best of me. Thanks to a good friend, I was not homeless. She let me stay at her house. So much fun. Thank goodness for good friends. We went to Seven Peaks one day. When we got to the bottom of one of my favorite slides, we kept going. The lifeguard was holding back a laugh because of our faces. We were seriously surprised with how far we went. After going on this same slide, Janessa got out of the tube first since she was in the front. As I went to get out, somehow I rolled off and landed flat on my back, and the tube ended up on top of me. At this point, it was all the lifeguard could do to not burst out laughing. Not one of my finer moments. That same day I went to get some sinus medicine. A cute guy kind of pushed the lady at the counter aside so he could be the one to help me. He flirted a little and I may have as well, but all I wanted was medicine. You are cute, but hand over the medicine and stop flirting and creeping on me using my ID. I also lost my credit card. Again, not one of my finer moments, but I stayed calm. It is all worked out now thank goodness. This week I also got to finish all of the new Batmans. Eric made me watch them. We watched the first one a week or two ago. This week, we watched the second one on Tuesday. After that one I happily complied when he said we were going to have to go to the movie theater the next day. They are so good! Those are ones I will now watch with my little brother. He said now we have to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy so we can watch the Hobbit when it comes out. Oddly excited about that one.

I am now moved in to my new apartment. I do not know how I feel about my roommate yet. Things are still new. I had an FOL meeting today. It was long, but I really enjoyed it. Here's the thing. I am extremely nervous about this. Not only do I have to lead a group, but you go on little sleep, you have to be outgoing, and you have to teach lessons. Ah! Why did I agree to this?
One more thing, if I cannot say I am in BYUSA because I love it, I am in BYUSA because it is an instant self esteem booster. I love the people in it like I have said so many times before. I love it when people tell me that I am a "tan goddess" or yell across the office that I am a babe as I am leaving the office. You just have to love it. I know I do.
Now for my thankful post for the week.
1. I am thankful for talks on CD by Hank Smith. He is my favorite teacher. Seriously. I was listening to his new CD, and I was laughing so hard tears were rolling down my cheeks. I was worried that I may have to pull my car over so I could wait until I could see again. On as stressful a day as moving day, he had me laughing. Hard.
2. I am thankful for cough medicine, cough drops, hand sanitizer, cool to the touch tissues, and Advil cold and sinus. You all knew this was coming because of my sinus infection, so here it is. I am so glad for all of these things in my life. I am almost over all of it. The last thing for me to get rid of is my cough. I have FOL in a couple days so it better hurry up.
3. I am thankful for being able to laugh at myself. When looking back at my week, if I was not able to laugh at myself, it would have been a lot worse than it panned out to be. I could have freaked out when I lost my credit card, lost it when the guy at the pharmacy would not stop flirting with me and give me my medicine, been embarrassed when I fell out of the tube, be in a constant state of worry about my roommate situation, freaked out about moving by myself, and even go in my shell at the meeting today instead of breaking free and having fun.

Sinus Infection

Apparently a whole bunch of water going up your nose is bad. I guess after all of my trips to Seven Peaks and tubing, my body gave out. So, naturally, I got a sinus infection. It is not fun. On Saturday night I got no sleep because it felt like I was still on the water from all of the nastiness built up in my head. I had a really bad headache, and I felt like I had to blow my nose every couple of minutes or I felt like I was drowning because I could not breathe. Other problems include nothing tasting right, I am always thirsty but even water tastes nasty, I get dizzy and feel like my balance is off, I have a sore diaphragm from coughing, and my nose is getting chapped from blowing it so often. The good thing is, a roll of toilet paper, a box of tissues, two hot and steamy showers, and numerous Motrin later, I feel a little better.  I haven't had a dizzy spell yet. I even slept all the way through the night after falling asleep during "Gone With the Wind." I just have to get better before my second Batman movie night, before having to move in to my new apartment, and before I go to FOL. All of those would be miserable with me coughing and having to blow my nose all of the time.