Crashing Dishes

I just want to say that I love BYU. So much. I loved getting to hear the excitement of my friends that the First Presidency of the church was there yesterday for President Worthen's inauguration. I love seeing pictures of FOL, campus, and my Student Alumni group. I also love getting to watch the football games with my family, and seeing BYU crush Texas for the second year in a row. 41-7 was the final score, and my love for BYU just grew as the game went on.

This past weekend I also got to go to Time Out for Women with some of my family. I had so much fun, loved the lessons, the music was great, I got to see Brother Smith, and Sister Dalton was there which, as you might have guessed, made the weekend for me. I will write about it later, but there were multiple little tender messages that I felt like were just for me. So, until I write that post, here are some other things I have learned lately.

All too often we go through changes in our lives. At those moments we have feelings of fear. We are leaving what we feel comfortable with for something that is unknown to us. In those times of vulnerability we let our guards down and Satan attacks. The worst thing is that he knows how to get to each and every one of us. I will admit, my weakness is feeling that I am just not good enough. Not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not good enough to find a good job, be a good daughter and sister, be a good mom to my beautiful and spunky puppy, make new friends, and certainly not good enough to get into grad school. 

I've said it before, and I'm saying it once again. The Atonement is real. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know exactly what I am going through and feeling at any given moment. If I have learned anything this weekend it's that it's okay to cry. If you know me you know I always try my darnedest to not cry. In Relief Society today the teacher said Heavenly Father doesn't want us not to feel it. He wants us to experience it. Part of experiencing something is going through the hard parts whether they last for a few seconds or years. Those hard parts help you experience life and they will be for your good (D&C 121:7, 122:7). Neil A. Maxwell said, "you can't have a faith filled but stress free life." As much as we wish we could, that is not part of the Plan.

Church today wasn't so great for me. I was tired. I was grumpy. I missed having friends to sit in the meetings with. All the anxiety about having to go to the singles ward next week came all at once in the middle of sacrament meeting. Sunday school wasn't much better. The whole time I just thought about all of my friends sitting in marriage prep laughing, commenting, and having fun while learning. I sat and listened to adults argue and try to be the smartest and "most spiritual" one in the room instead of trying to learn. Then, I went to Relief Society with one of my best friend's moms. I kind of sat there not wanting to talk to anyone, but everyone kept talking to me or drawing attention to me. When the teacher got up I tried to zone out, but I couldn't. She had a plate on a stand, and that plate had the smallest chip in it. I watched that plate and thought how I felt like that plate right now. She then told a story about a china factory. All of their dishes have to be perfect. The dishes go through multiple phases and then are scrutinized to see if there are any imperfections. If they find even the smallest mistake at any stage they throw the dish in a discard pile. As she finished, she picked up that dish with the small chip and compared herself to it. Then, she slammed it into the the trashcan. At the factory in the story no dish was wasted. If it was not perfect it was ground up with all of the others and given a new chance. Because of the Atonement we each have another chance. We are imperfect now, but through the Atonement we can become perfect. We may crack under pressure, get a chip here or there, or our paint may get smudged, but we always have another chance to become better. Then, the teacher did something amazing. She took out more dishes and let the women smash them. All the hurt and frustrations came out in that moment. Broken dishes everywhere!

It was after that story that my weekend all came together. Time Out for Women, the BYU win against Texas, and that lesson were all Heavenly Fathers gentle reminders of who I am and Him showing me how much he loves me, and I am so ever grateful for Him and His tender mercies.

The Best of the Best BYU Experiences

I know everyone thinks I raced through school. I know. I've heard it. Over and over and over again. I've heard it from my mom, my dad, my aunt, my grandparents, my friends, people from my ward, people from my old ward, and people from school. I. Have. Heard. It. It makes me upset not because I think they are right but because they don't understand. I do not feel like I raced through. I feel like I went at a good speed and I happened to finish early. I am sad that it is over now, but sadness often comes with change. I, however, do not feel like I missed out on anything. Not long before graduation, I went to dinner with Dani and her husband Tyler. One of the questions Dani asked was whether or not I felt like I got the full BYU experience. I smiled and felt my eyes sparkle as I answered with a resounding yes. Yes. I feel like I got everything I wanted out of BYU, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to go there. Let's start at the very beginning because as we all know it's a very good place to start.

Leading Up to College

First, the year before going to BYU, I went up to Utah with my family and Kaitlyn's family. We did the BYU tour on the golf cart, and our tour guide had an English accent. So, it started well. Fast forward to the application process. So stressful. I would have been able to get into any university in Texas automatically, but we all know I did not want to go to one of those. All of the girls in my seminary class and I anxiously awaited that acceptance email. The day finally came and I was screaming at 5:00 in the morning. It had been a hard choice deciding between BYU and TCU since I got a hefty scholarship from TCU, but I feel like once my decision was made no one was going to change my mind. I went to seminary that day, and Kaitlyn and I got out of our cars, looked at each other for a minute, and we both smiled because we knew we both got in. We were going to be Cougars. I will admit I creeped on my roommates once they were assigned. I couldn't decide if I was going to like them or not. Meghan was a track star and looked fun but a little crazy. Was she going to be loud and always have weird friends over? Makenna had only just gotten a Facebook and there was nothing on it. That was a little weird to me... Emilee I seemed to like when I talked to her as I anxiously awaited the time for me to be able to sign up for my first classes. And then there was Dani. Cute, beautiful, and pictures of Europe on her Facebook. I was jealous and wondered if she was going to be amazing or one of "those girls." I was just going to have to wait and see how two Utah, two Washington, and two Texas girls were going to get along.Senior year of high school flew by along with my summer, and all of the sudden I was in the car with all of my stuff on the way to Utah. I threw everything in my room as quickly as I could and kind of introduced myself to my roommates before I had to go. My mom signed me up for Foundations of Leadership. I did not want to go. I was already nervous enough about school without having to go to a leadership conference beforehand. I went and loved it more than any HOBY conference I had been to. Not only did I love it so much, but I met Rachel there and was introduced to BYUSA. Little did I know how great an impact this would have on me, but more about that later.

Fall 2011

I got back from FOL and hiked the Y with my cousin Becca since we went up to BYU the same year. How we managed to get up there without acclimating ourselves first I will never know, but we did it! Going back to the dorm I slowly got to know the roommates better. I loved all of them! I still spent plenty of time with Kaitlyn going to football games, tracing our faces on the mirror with an expo marker, hiking and lighting the Y for homecoming, being part of the homecoming parade, going to conference at the Conference Center, doing the blue foam slip and slide down a hill at Helaman Fields which is a homecoming tradition, laughing at the plastic wrapped statues on campus when the Utah game came, and took walks in our cowboy boots, but spending time with roommies was always fun. We played spoons in the elevator, ate cookies from our FHE brothers, got candy when someone (Dani was first) went on a date, watched a crane collapse, went to devotionals (especially the one with President Monson), went to the football opening party at which I won a sweatshirt, going out to play in the snow that had the biggest flakes I had ever seen, and having sleepovers in our living room.

Winter 2012

I didn't go home for Thanksgiving, but I got to go to Washington to spend some time with my favorite aunt (don't tell the others) and her cute family which may have been the best thing I could have done. I loved going home for Christmas, but it was even harder to go back to that winter semester. I think I lived off of tortillas with butter, hot chocolate, and Jamba Juice. I am not a winter fan, but when I came back I had fun roommates to look forward to and a class by Hank Smith. Winter was filled with time with FHE brothers that included shoving 13 people into a car and having the cops show up at the park we were at, walking to the temple with Kaitlyn, planking in the elevator and down the stairs, more sleepovers, spending time with a friend from FOL and heart-attacking our peer mentor's door, roommate shirts with individual quotes from our song "Party Rock Anthem", blanket forts, room decorations, snow, snow, and more snow, and of course the festival of colors. Yes, all this time I was in classes and doing presentations for BYUSA. Those presentations are where I met one of my best friends. Eric. That boy always made me laugh. I eventually made a point to go to devotionals early so I could sit in the front row because he was on the stands. Apparently he noticed because one day he texted me and asked if I could come meet him in the office. He offered me a position on his team the coming school year. I didn't really think about it before I said yes because I loved BYUSA and he was pretty great too. My mom did take some convincing though since I would be coming back to BYU for summer. I won her over. At the end of the year we had a BYUSA retreat and a BYUSA party where I beat Eric on a blow-up obstacle course, and I was in heaven!

Spring/Summer 2012

Mom came to pick me up after winter semester, but I had to go to my first friend's wedding reception first. One down! When I came back to school for summer the fun really started. Friend dates with Eric were like once a week whether we went for crepes, J Dawgs, or frozen yogurt. I lived with Meghan this summer which was easily the best choice. We went to Seven Peaks almost every day, started a Fourth of July tradition that continued every year, and became even better friends with Janessa who had lived across the hall from us freshman year. Janessa, her roommate Leah, Dani, Meghan and I had watched "When a Stranger Calls" together during the school year. After that we slept on the living room floor falling asleep to church music because we were so scared. Anyways, Jan, Meghan and I watched scary movies all summer at Jan's house. :) That summer I also was in the Fourth of July parade and made s'mores on the belltower lights with Meghan and Mallory and Jessica from BYUSA. That summer I was also a peer mentor for FOL and had a blast with my BYUSA team every single day.

Fall 2012/ Winter 2013

Fall came around which lifted some responsibility off my shoulders since I was acting as VP in BYUSA. Eric was done with his internship and took over. I had new roommates but lived in the same building as most of my old roommies so we still did stuff together all of the time. We went to the stadium party and got pics with Van Noy and Brandon Davies. #winning. We also played in the park at night and went to the Brigham City temple open house. For football games this year I had 50 yard line seats on the front row with BYUSA. Best thing ever. Seriously. BYUSA took up most of my time, but I had fun with my roommies too. I even dressed up with them for Halloween (which I NEVER do). I spent Thanksgiving in my apartment this year with Becca. We made a delicious dinner and even had a meringue war when we were making the pie. The trees with red and yellow leaves somehow changes to bare branches with snow overnight. Christmas came and went. With the snow we made giant sculptures on the patio of our apartment. Michael came to visit and Becca and I took him to Temple Square, Hogle Zoo, and the This is the Place monument with about a foot of snow on the ground. My roommates and I also went to the Festival of Colors again this year. Why miss the chance to become a rainbow? This year of BYUSA included even more adventures such as a day at Boondocks with go-carts, bumper boats, an arcade, a batting cage, and laser tag, a luncheon in the brand new convention center, a leadership ceremony where I won the BYUSA dedication award, our final winter retreat, and multiple fun, random days, events, and activities.

Spring/Summer 2013

This was the year I also dated a boy for the first time. Andrew. It lasted for one month which makes me laugh, but it obviously just wasn't meant to be. That spring I got to see Wicked for the first time for my birthday, and I spent my last birthday taking pictures with my best boy. That summer he died which took me what felt like forever to stop crying about. Needless to say I didn't get the best grades in my classes that summer. Oh! And the first of my roommates got married. Emilee got married!!! I made some of the best friends at BYUSA, and I applied to be the VP like Eric was. I didn't get the position, but I realized why later. That summer my best friend, Eric, got married, I made my first solo road trip, spent more time with Meghan (we enhanced our 4th of July tradition by going to the fireworks and concert at Thanksgiving Point on the 3rd as well as the Stadium of Fire fireworks on the 4th), made a trip to Washington with the roommates, got to see the Manti temple pageant, fell head over heels for a boy that moved away and suddenly stopped talking to me, went to a hot air balloon festival, went to the rope swings in Mona, saw a Pioneer Day parade, went to another wedding reception, got showered in glitter on a rough day, got a job, made a new friend (Julie Anne), and did the ropes course at the Olympic park. And, at the end of the summer, I was once again a peer mentor at FOL (I loved it even more this year) and was roped into being a peer mentor for New Student Orientation. 

Fall 2013/Winter 2014

This semester I roomed with Dani, Kaitlyn, and Makenna again, and we went back to our fun shenanigans and adventures which included wedding ring shopping one night. My new job was with the Alumni Association planning events. I mostly worked with the Student Alumni. It was a lot like BYUSA, but I got paid for it and worked in the Hinckley Center! This job had its perks. I got to watch the BYU v. Texas game in the President's Loge with the First Presidency of the church and the head honchos of the school. I drove the Alpine Loop in the fall, had picnics in the park with Meghan, drove in the convertible with Kennedy to the pumpkin patch, went to football games with Dani and her boyfriend/fiance Tyler, and was Becca's companion for a day before I dropped her off at the MTC. Jan, Julie Anne, and I made a trip to Park City in a blizzard, my roommates and I saw the Catching Fire midnight premier since we had seen Hunger Games together the year before. I made a trip to Arizona where I got sick for the first time since going to college, but Ami, her family, and I still ended up going to Cali anyways (my first time!). Dani and Ty got married and I got to be a bridesmaid! I survived winter once again and saw the lights on Temple Square and drove through the Thanksgiving Point lights with the top of the car down. I went on a retreat with my Student Alumni group and got to go tubing at Soldier Hollow. I went to the hot springs, planned and attended Traditions Ball, got to see Andy Grammar in concert, met and hugged Sister Dalton, and just had fun! 

Spring/Summer 2014

All of the sudden my final terms at BYU came. James and Kaitlyn got married, and I was the Maid of Honor! I finally went to Arches National Park, I hiked the Narrows at Zion National Park, Meghan, Janessa, and I went to the actual Stadium of Fire concert where Carrie Underwood performed, I spent most of my time with friends, I made a 4.0 for spring and summer, I had an internship with the Department of Child and Family Sservices, and I had almost a week long vacation where I missed class and went to California. 

So, I had good and bad roommates, I was in love and heartbroken, I had good and bad wards, I had fun and worked hard. I was involved. I made friends. I had adventures. I went to football, basketball, and even some volleyball games. I had experiences that most students don't get to have. So, thank you to everyone who made my BYU experience a FULL BYU experience. Roommates: Kaitlyn, Dani, Emilee, Makenna, Meghan, Jenn, Alanna, Melissa, Mallory, Alexis, Maren, and Ashley, their husbands, my BYUSA team: Bryon, Angela, Kennedy, Austin, and Devon, Eric Cecil, Angela Blomquist, Amanda Nuttall, my favorite teachers: Anne Hodge, Erin Holmes, Justin Dyer, Hank Smith, and Katie Isaak, my bishopric members, the Bishop's wives, the Student Alumni team: Flint, Michael, Mady, Christina, Brett, and Brody, Curtis Isaak, Julie Hatchett, my internship mentors: Liz and Kobie, Janessa, Julie Anne, Justin, Andrew, the best visiting teachers ever: Brooke Ellis and Blythe Beecroft, Alyssa Harkness, Becca, and Aubryann McClune. Thank you for allowing me to say that I had the best of the best experiences I could have ever asked for at Brigham Young University. I am thankful that I could leave my mark at BYU, but I am even more thankful that it left its mark on me.

So Much On My Mind

I love it when I have weeks where I feel like I learn in and out of the classroom. Quality education I tell you. I have refused to accept that it is winter, and I have been wearing little dresses with cowboy boots or capris with boat shoes. Texas girl for sure. I refused to accept it was winter until Thursday when it snowed. Right when you think it is almost spring and get a little too confident Utah puts you back in your place. Back to the sweaters and boots for me! Don't worry though. I was back in Sperry's by Friday. 

Tuesday's devotional was amazing! It was about making a difference in the world. It is hard to beat that. The speaker gave us four things we could do: we could make our world bigger, not think or talk but act, have passion and courage, and bringing our best effort every single day. She shared a quote by Calvin Coolidge that said, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." She talked about how balance was found in meaning not time. I love that. Balance is found in what I find meaningful rather than the amount of time I have. Lastly, she mentioned that measuring progress is like keeping score, but we need to beware of the illusion of progress v. true impact. I loved it all. 

I also got to read a few articles in BYU Magazine. One article was about the Sacred Gifts exhibit that is in the Museum of Art right now. It is a beautiful exhibit. If I could live there I would. Most of these paintings have never left their homes before and probably never will again. One painting I love in particular. It is an angel leaning over Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. BYU gave the permanent homes of all of these paintings filler pieces so their halls wouldn't be empty while we borrowed them. All spaces have been filled except the one of this picture with the angel and Christ. The museum that owns it said to leave it empty because it meant the angel was out protecting someone else right now. That angel is protecting BYU. Beautiful. The other article just made me happy. It is definitely worth a read. Click here if you have some time and want to make your day a little brighter.

This week I answered over 900 emails. I went into work and typed the entire time I was there each day. By the time I went to my classes my fingers and sometimes hands were sore. Each day I woke up dreading having to go to work. One morning when I woke up looking like a lion even when wearing a ponytail I knew I was in for a long day. I am sure I will have more emails when I go into work tomorrow, but I think I'm ready. I had a good week. I finished it off with movies with Julie Anne and Janessa and a party with Meghan. I love spending time with these girls. Tonight I am watching the Super Bowl solely for the commercials. The Cheerios, Coca Cola, Heinz ketchup, Audi, Doritos, and Budweiser commercials are my favorite. And, I broke out the Toblerone I got for Christmas. Yum! 

 Oh! And my mom sent me pictures from over Christmas break. So, one picture is me at almost 20 years old. The other... 1 year old. Nothing has changed. At all... 

Fall and Some Football

It is fall! It's been fall, but I know it's fall now. I used to take the shortest route to school. Now I take the one with the most crunchy leaves. Yes, sometimes it takes me an extra ten minutes to get to school. I love it! And you know with fall comes pumpkin, caramel apples, and other yummy treats. 

I got to go to the Boise State football game last night. Boise isn't a state... They killed us last year, and we just repaid the favor this year. Someone told me they have not lost to a Utah team in 20 years. Well, sorry Boise. BYU is on a role right now! I love dem Cougs! Also, going with Dani, Tyler, Jake, and Anna made it even more fun. We did make one mistake though. It has been unseasonably warm here in the sixties and seventies. Because it has been so warm we didn't think we would need jackets. We needed them. So cold! Good thing we went home to watch Monster House and curl up in blankets!!

Can I Be Done Now?

It feels like a lifetime ago that this week began. I mean seriously, Tuesday my beloved roommate Dani got engaged! The night before, Kaitlyn and I scampered over to Tyler's backpack when he left for a run with Dani to marvel over the ring. Tuesday night, he proposed, and some friends and I met at Farr's Fresh to greet her as she walked in after becoming a fiance. This of course only occurred after grocery shopping and an SFLSA event. Dani is officially engaged! I love it!!!! Wednesday and Thursday I just prepared for the upcoming Parents Weekend. Kill me. Friday the insanity began at six forty-five in the morning. I had to be at the Hinckley to start with registration. Holy cow. So busy. Picking up cashiers, checking in parents, driving a mini van through campus (like on the sidewalks), Brimhall Essay contest essays, dealing with the website going down, eating tons of food in the MOA, going to a luau, picking up the cheerleaders (yes, I am going on a date to Lagoon with one of the guy cheerleaders), and running around all of the time for thirteen hours was great. When I got off work, I went to the football game with Dani and Tyler. We left at halftime because I was tired, it was cold, and it really just wasn't a super exciting game. We won though! We came home with crazy bread and cheese bread. I had another early start today, getting up at 5:30 to be at the RB between 6:30 and 6:45. Picking up the cashiers again, setting up for the 5k, going to the Y for hike the Y, and working at the cougar family dinner filled my day once again. I finished my 40 hour work week, did my homework, still went to the temple, and I am exhausted. I tried to go home and take a nap, but with the Relief Society broadcast, there was no chance of that. I'm still awake, I lasted through the entire thing. I need sleep. Last night I would have slept earlier, but I had to clean at least a little bit for cleaning checks. I survived Parents Weekend. In two weeks I have to do it all over again for Homecoming. I love stuff like this, but man does it wipe me out! Also, I got to drive a minivan all weekend!! Talk about the best thing ever. #MegantheMormonMominaMinivan

What the Hail?!

So this one time, I had a Relief Society breakfast, a pie night, and a dessert night all on Sunday. I also got to hang out with Kennedy. I seriously love her. We laughed and let everything that was stressing us out school-wise behind. I smiled which doesn't sound like a big deal, but when I am at home, it hasn't been coming out quite as much as it usually does. Monday I woke up so tired, and it proved to be the stereotypical Monday. Tuesday was like a Monday too though. I ran all over the place and went to devotional where the speaker gave us "the talk." He compared sexual sin to a warm, moist cookie. Why moist?! He said holding hands was like being in the same room as fresh cookies, kissing was holding it up to your nose to sniff it, and making out was nibbling the cookie. I agree with Michael (the officer I was sitting by for the whole thing) when he said, "Dang! Just give me a big chewy brownie! I'm so done with cookies!" It was just a weird hour of my life. Hump day was amazing though. I started talking to Justin more an more throughout the week which means the smile is back, eyes glitter, and I radiate sunshine whether it is out or not. I love on Wednesdays when my teachers tell me to have a great weekend. That makes the crazy week even more worth it. Thursday is the true Hump Day for me. I am already in the weekend mindset, and I am so tired from the insane week that I go through. I think this was the day it rained/hailed. I missed it by a matter of minutes, but my coworker came in drenched. I went home later that night for Kaitlyn to say, "What the hail!" I laughed so hard. So, next Friday is Parents Weekend. Ah!!!! Not ready! So many things to do that we didn't know we had to do. Not enough time... That night, I got a software update on my phone. After playing with my phone, learning to work everything again on it, and talking to Justin all night, I was so ready for Friday. My phone told me I had an early start and my alarm was set for seven in the morning. Okay great. At 7:57, I was woken up by a text from my friend asking if we were still going out to breakfast at 8. I responded and was at the restaurant by 8:05 dressed, hair in a ponytail, and ready to go. We had a wonderful breakfast and a good talk. I always love my dates with Christina. I am glad I get to work with her again so we can still have them. I went home to look a little more put together, and went off to work. Work was wonderful, and even my boss commented on how productive I was with absolutely no direction since he was gone the whole time. I got this. Having an interview with my teacher right after work threw off my groove a little. I was flustered from the crazy day at work, and then she sat so close to me that her knees were touching mine and she leaned in even closer to my face. I like her but not that much. I came home to talk to my momma, and then finally decided to go to the temple since I made the goal to do so once a week and hadn't gone yet. Driving somewhere the other day, I saw a sign that said how many lives were lost each day because of smoking. When I was in the temple, I thought, "One life saved. Two lives saved." and so on until I got to five which is how many people I did temple work for. It was an amazing feeling. Later that night I went to our stake ice cream social, tried a new kind of ice cream, talked to friends, and ran into Kennedy again. We planned a date to go drive the alpine loop when the leaves have changed a little more. It is always beautiful in the fall. Then I got to spend some time with Kaitlyn, James, and Mak. I did a color personality test. Justin guessed what color I was when we went on our first date, and I wanted to see if he was right. I am mostly white with blue and yellow tied closely behind. He was... Reading the book it came from was really interesting. I loved it. I stayed up late again and watched "Sleepless in Seattle." Saturday morning a boy outside was singing a little too loudly and all too obnoxiously and woke me up. Oh well. After spending some time waking up more, I went out with my roommates. I love going out with them We always have so much fun. When we came home I rushed off to go to Julie Anne's. It amazes me that we were in freshman ward together and never said a word to each other, but now, two years later, we are such good friends. Anyways, we made a dessert called everything right and wrong with America and watched "The Emperor's New Groove." Good laughs, so much chocolate, and long talks filled our time together. Okay, a water fight and a rolled up towel war may have also been involved. Then I rushed home to go to the BYU/Utah game. It was a rough loss, but I got my first cougar tail! I will probably never get another one, but it was a good experience. I believe every BYU student should get a cougar tail at a football game. It is just part of being a Cougar. Like I said, it was hard to lose, as it usually is when we play Utah, but football isn't life... It was fun just being there with my friends.
Bragging moment: I pointed out a ring to Dani in a magazine and told her it looked like her. She had others picked out, but she got that one! Called it. I know my girly!! And.... a shout out just for Tyler. This kid is amazing. I am so glad that he and Dani are together. They are perfect. I know I always tease them about being all cutesy, but I love it. Tyler is hardworking, caring, patient, and just a great guy.So, here is the spotlight of the day. There you go,Ty.

I Survived Hurricane LaVell

This week was amazing. I mean, I survived! Monday, my eyes were the prettiest green, and there was the most amazing sunset. I don't remember when Mak and I went to Costco, and I found a giant thing of Nutella!!! Last Sunday Kaitlyn and I made a birthday dessert for Tyler. We had extra brownie batter and we  ate it! Friday, I saw the most beautiful sight on my way to work, and there was the biggest rainbow over Y mountain. And... I had my first temple trip of the semester with Makenna and Meghan. I love to see the temple. I am going to try to go once a week. 

So this one time I had the opportunity to go sit in the President's Loge for the BYU v. Texas football game. I may or may not have gotten a new outfit for the occasion. Getting ready was an adventure. I straightened my hair to perfection in preparation for the big game. I also did my make-up like a pro (after a mascara mishap). I got to the Hinckley feeling like a model. When all of the Student Alumni officers and their dates showed up, we headed to the stadium. 

We walked outside and someone said, "That clouds look ominous." I told them we should maybe walk a little faster. We didn't. Then, the wind picked up. With my hair blowing every which way and my ankles stinging with all of the twigs hitting them, we started walking a little faster. Not fast enough. I got a flash flood warning on my phone. They weren't kidding. All of the sudden we were in a torrential storm. We took off our shoes and started sprinting in our pencil skirts... By the time we got to where we picked up our tickets we were soaked to the bone. We got up to the loge and briskly walked through it since the women's bathroom was on the other side. We dried ourselves the best we could, but not long after, the lion mane started, and we had to go back in. 

We had a catered dinner by Tucano's and plenty of treats such as popcorn, caramel corn, candy, and apples with warm caramel to dip them in. Then, at half time we got our choice from four flavors of cheesecake and four sauces. Yum. So, I was soaked, I had a ton of food, and there were general authorities there! That is always a fun experience. Elder Holland is so nice and loves loves loves his caramel corn. Elder Perry is one of the sweetest old men ever. He offered me his suit jacket if I got too cold. What constitutes as too cold to ask a general authority for their suit jacket? And, President Uchtdorf is kind of hard to understand but a cool guy. President and Sister Samuelson are cute, but they don't come up and talk to you like the general authorities do. I kind of wish they did. 

And, the game was AMAZING. Texas didn't know what hit them. The cougs actually played well!!! With all of the excitement, I was so hyper. I enjoyed every minute of the game. So much cheering. So many off-tune fight songs. So many fist bumps. I talked and snapchatted a friend the entire time. That brought on a ton of laughs, and with Julie Ann by my side everything was even better. I loved the game! BYU pulled a win over the Longhorns 40-21. I have never seen a game played that well. Then, I got to drive home with Makenna so I wasn't all alone! Perfect beyond perfect night!!!