Of Farkle, Spray Butter, and Sweet Kisses

Sorry for my disappearance... I had so much to do last week, and this weekend was just insane. I honestly do not remember my Friday night. At all. I just remember being up until two in the morning. Saturday I worked on research papers. Yes, you read correctly. That was plural. By six in the evening I was braindead. Oh! I know what I did Friday! Jan and I started a Harry Potter marathon. So, Saturday we finished #2 and started #3. Then David and his roomate came over and we switched to 17 Again. Bad choice. I was tired and grumpy, and that was a terrible movie. Dave and Jan laughed at me the whole time. Rude. At midnight when I finally got to change out of my jeans I felt much better. Then, it was Sunday. Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest. Why do I have sore abs once again after another Sunday? Well, let me tell you. First off, Ashley's friend from Mexico came to church with us. He has no filter and said whatever came to his mind. So darn funny. At church Dave sat with us the whole time. Random? In between two classes, the first counselor of the bishopric came over to talk to us. After about 30 seconds there was an awkward silence. He says, "So..." as he kind of ducks down, turns, and walks away. What? After church we had break the fast. I made 15 scrambled eggs, you guys. Wow. Then Jake came and sat with us. He may be the cutest boy in the ward. He felt my pants like everyone else wanted to since they have a cool pattern, offered to get me more food, and laughed with us. So great. Also, at one point Jan had gone to get cups for us. Two of them were stuck together, and no matter how hard the boys tried they could't get them apart. I got them apart right away. The boys' pride was gone. After break the fast Dave came over to play Canasta. Who plays that? We ended up playing Farkle instead. I am not sure which is worse. So funny. We ate some banana bread that Jan made, but we didn't have soft butter. So, we used spray butter. Dave's face was indescribable. Ward prayer was next. I didn't know a ton of people there (sad, I know)  so I sat with Jan on the couch. Dave said I looked miserable and asked if I would feel better if he sat by me. I guess? So he did most of the time. After the prayer, the oddest boy in the ward came and sat cross-legged in front of us. It was remarkably hard to carry on a conversation with him. I quickly felt awkward and didn't know what to say or do. Thank goodness we had to go soon. Jan and I came home to just laugh about our day. Another knock on the door startled us. When Jan answered it, someone had written us a nice note. Instead of giving us the note and leaving, Garrett stays to introduce himself. Jan freezes so I talk to him while he is still standing outside and she is holding the door partially open. She finally comes to and says, "Sorry, I couldn't make this more awkward." He politely responds with, "Probably not." We hear a laugh from downstairs. Who is it but Jake. They then came in to eat some cookies we had made and start giving us decorating ideas. Hold up. What is going on? I talked to them the whole time. When they left Jan couldn't believe how much I had talked when she was the one that froze. I don't really know either. When they left Jan and I ate chips with different flavors of BBQ sauce such as "slappin' hot" and "sweet kisses" as well as no bake cookies. As we sat and laughed at the table we marveled over the weirdness of our weekend. Today carried on the greatness. Michael brought us all Wendy's to the office. Full of nuggets, fries, and frosty, I was ready to go to my social work class. I will write about that tomorrow because I am exhausted right now. Even though my phone somehow broke and I had to wait to get it fixed I am happy to say today was pretty amazing. I am done with all of my homework for the week, I have an email from Becca waiting in my inbox, I am going to the temple with Meghan Wednesday, and I just don't think anything could ruin this week. Okay, well maybe snow could, but let's hope that doesn't happen.

Slice and Share

For Christmas I got a giant Snickers bar. It says slice and share on the package. I hadn't opened it yet so I took it to movie night for Julie Anne and I to share... and slice. So, about fifteen minutes into Runaway Bride I open it and slice a piece for me and a piece for her. She didn't want any more after that, and it was far too hard to slice. So, you end up with something like this as you sit watching the movie trying to nom on a giant candy bar.

Then, you have a queen of the couch war, Hershey kiss wrapper war that soon leads to Hershey kiss war. That then escalates rather quickly to a ninja fight and somehow cashmere glow spray comes out. Now all of my clothes smell like cashmere glow, my sides hurt from laughing so hard, my makeup is smeared from my eyes watering from laughing so hard, I have a few welts that may or may not decide to turn into bruises, and I am so happy.
I came home and didn't feel like I was walking on glass. I came home and still felt so completely happy. This is real life. I forgot I could feel like this all of the time. After laughing more with Janessa (really she was laughing at me as I told her how happy I was) I sat down to watch another movie that I will probably fall asleep to.
No matter if I have the weirdest dreams on the planet or if someone calls me at 2:30 in the morning telling me I was the last one to see some guy alive and to call them. I am so happy. No matter if your boss said he sent that picture of me eating the snickers to be made into poster size for the office. I am so completely happy. No matter that I have a crap ton (that's a lot for those of you who don't know) of homework tomorrow. I am so genuinely happy.

The Moments That Make Life Worth Living

Last night I came to a terrible conclusion. I have continuously been saying you get what you give to someone, but I have not been giving anything that I would want back. For the past week and a half I get home and go right to my room and stay there until I have to come out to get ready for the next day, and then it happens all over again. I don't talk to people very often, I have been dressing in baggy clothes, I haven't been doing my hair much, I do minimal make-up, I don't wear jewelry, and more often than not I was in my room in the corner and probably asleep by ten. I know that is sad, but last night I decided I needed to change all of that. I went out with my roommate Makenna. We went to the basketball game. We left at half-time because we were crushing the other team. I got one of the giant cardboard cutouts of Matty C's head! I was a little excited. After the game we went to get free mini frostys and then ventured to the Riverwoods where we saw so many beautiful Christmas lights, heard Christmas music, met Alex Boye, saw ice sculptures, stood by the fire, and took so many pictures. We went home to warm up and I fell asleep to a movie. This morning I woke up early because I was so excited about the adventure I was going to have today. I went to Park City with Julie Anne and Jan. It snowed the whole way up, the whole time we were there, and the whole way back. I am so thankful that I drove because I am a calm driver. Even in the snow when you skid sometimes I did not worry while Julie Anne and Jan held their breath and silently (or not so silently) freaked out. When we finally got there lunch was up first. We went to the Red Banjo which is a little place my family and I went a couple of times on our family vacations to Park City. It made me a little nostalgic thinking of the times I spent with my family. Then we went up and down Main Street exploring all the shops and taking so many pictures. We had so much fun. After getting home through the blizzard we were happy to have gotten back safely so we went to Starbucks for caramel apple ciders and peppermint hot chocolates. Yum. I am so grateful that I have amazing friends. Also, I have decided that this winter I really want to go snowboarding just once. I know it is expensive, but I believe it is something I need to try before I leave Utah, and I really want to do it! 

Little Nutter Butter

So, this one time I was talking to my momma on my way home from school. We were chatting when all of the sudden she said, " Guess what?" I knew what was coming. Yesterday we had been talking and my Little Nut wasn't feeling well. I could tell that she was trying to hold back the tears as she told me that she had died. Now my puppy and bunny can play up in heaven together. When Fenway was younger he never liked Baby Nut like spotted dog did. Any time she walked by him he would chase after her. Maybe they were just playing... Anyways, I know they are so happy together now. I loved my little bunny. How many people can say they have had a bunny since she was two weeks old? When I got Nut she fit in my little fifth grade shoe. She grew fast and soon became Fatty Nutter. She had her own carrier, toys, stocking, and even had her own personal slaves. When her slaves went out of town, her good old friend Grandpa Gary spoiled her even more! He would sit outside and talk to her sometimes! She was the cutest when you would put her in the backyard to play. She would sneak under the fence, but once you figured it out and called out "NUT!!!" She would come back. And every time you went outside she would hop up on the side of her cage and beg for treats whether you had just given her one or not. Here's to the bunny who would steal my oreos and run, eat the barbecue sauce I left sitting on the porch when I went to grab something, chow down on anything sweet and turn her nose up to vegetables, and of course the one who would fetch sticks and every once in a while growl at you because she thought she was one of the cool kids on the block (our dogs). After a long line rabbits, I am surprised she lived as long as this little rascal did. The picture below is from her photo shoot my friend Alexis did for her AP Photography project on Alice in Wonderland, and the one under that is from a photo shoot Kevin did for the same project but his was on the tortoise and the hair. Stay fluffy my little fuzz butt Nutter!

Laughs and Lessons

After church on Sunday I came home and actually made dinner. I made butternut squash pasta sauce with whole wheat noodles. So good. So filling. Afterward I took a picture for a snapchat and realized I looked like a little kid with my messy hair, tootsie pop, funny face, and cupcake apron. I promise I looked like a grown-up at church... 

I went to a fireside last night... I usually don't go to firesides. Like ever. Funny thing though. This one was not even for my stake. This one was in Springville, but my favorite teacher was the speaker so I figured it could be fun. Disclaimer: I am a senior at BYU, and I have never been to a dating fireside. Well, I had never been to one until last night. It would be on dating! Anyways, I was worried about getting lost so I left early only to get to the fireside over twenty minutes early. It was a good thing though because I actually got a seat on a pew (man do I miss those). We started the fireside by singing Love One Another. I knew this was going to be good at that moment.

I was laughing so hard the entire time. I started to worry that I was not going to make it home because for over an hour there was such a lack of oxygen getting to my brain. I made it home! Not only did I make it home, but I realized that I learned valuable lessons even though I was laughing the whole time. Brother Smith said that children laugh an average of 400 times a day. Adults laugh 15. Lesson #1: I need to laugh more. Brother Smith made me go over my limit for the day. His talk was called "Do's and Don'ts of Dating." He talked about how important men and women are to our Heavenly Father. He said every time girls say, "All boys are stupid" or "All guys are jerks," we are not only generalizing that to every guy, but we are generalizing that to Heavenly Father's creations. He said that probably makes our Heavenly Father sad. They may not be the smartest, but they are still His creations. Lesson #2: Boys, even the dumb ones, are Heavenly Father's creations. He then went on to talk about women. He gave the quote from President Hinckley that says, "His Father, first divided the light from the darkness and then separated the land from the waters. There followed the creation of plant life, followed by the creation of animal life. Then came the creation of man, and culminating that act of divinity came the crowning crowning act, the creation of woman." He pointed out that man has to be born twice. They are born physically and then born of the Spirit through baptism by immersion. He said that women are symbolic of Christ. They represent him when mothers have children. Through blood, water, and the Spirit, they bring new life. Christ does the same through the atonement and baptism. Therefore, any time we look in the mirror and instantly wish we hadn't we are degrading Christ because we are degrading ourselves. Lesson #3: Satan tries so hard to desecrate women because we are symbols of Christ. Brother Smith closed with a quote on personal purity from Elder Holland. It says, "On your wedding day the very best gift you can give your eternal companion is your very best self--clean and pure and worthy of such purity in return." Lesson #4: I need to be my best self. Always. In every aspect of my life. 

This was a perfect way to end my Sunday. Laugh and lessons all around. 

When I Was on the Bus, I Found a Nickel! I Wish I Had Pockets...

Yesterday I got to go and spend time with Dani before going out to Spectacular! with Jan. Today I got to go to the temple with Mak. Then, after a rather calm day, I got to spend time with Meghan. We had lunch and then went to the park, burrito'd in a blanket, and did absolutely nothing for over an hour. It was beautiful and somewhat perfect. Then, I got to go out to a movie with Mak, Jan, Dani, Tyler, Jake, and Anna. I love the people in my life! Monsters University is one of the cutest and funniest movies I have seen in a while. I was a little skeptical about it, but it was a quality movie, and the Pixar short before it was just as cute. It was perfect that they came out with this movie while I am in college. I was young when the first one came out, but now I am in college at the same time the monsters were. It made some things a lot funnier. Also, Summit (my high school) won their homecoming game tonight. Do you think BYU has a chance tomorrow? Let's hope so! I have never been to a homecoming game in which my school won. Sad. I know. Let's go Cougs!!!

And.... A late slug. :)

Raising My Ebenezer

Yesterday I finally finished a piece of art that I started in the middle of spring semester. Honestly, it was so detailed that it was hard to find the motivation to do it, but I am so glad I did. I feel accomplished. Then, last night Dani, Tyler, and I watched the first Harry Potter. We are going to watch all of them. It would have been interesting if you could have been a fly on the wall for our conversations during the movie. We talked about everything from memories of when it came out in theaters to picking who in our ward would be which characters. It was the best.
Today I went to devotional with them. I was kind of listening and kind of not, but I learned some amazing pieces of information. For instance, in the song Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, when it says, "Here I raise my Ebenezer..." that is a real thing. Ebenezer means "stone of help." To raise your Ebenezer means to remember. It was a stone set up by the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament as a token of gratitude for deliverance from the Philistines. The people of Joshua also raised a sort of Ebenezer. They crossed the Jordan River on dry land much like when they were being led by Moses and he parted the Red Sea. When they crossed, the Lord commanded one member from each tribe of Isreal to get a stone and create a monument  to commemorate their crossing. This monument of twelve stones was their Ebenezer. It was in remembrance of what the Lord had done for them so they would not forget. The speaker said that we need to have our own Ebenezers to remind us of the hand of God working in our own lives. I have a few things, but I know that I need to start writing down spiritual experiences more thoroughly in my journal so if I ever come to doubt what I know, I will be able to look back and remember. This is going to be a new goal of mine so I will be able to raise my Ebenezer to help me, those around me, and my future family.

My Week in Review

A lot has gone on this week. It all started on Monday... Monday I went to Seven Peaks in the morning, came home and did not feel well (I think it was from being in the heat for so long) and took a nap. My nap with a warm pillow and blanket did not make me feel any better. When it was time for FHE, I was really not feeling well. I went to the opening part of it, but when they left for the park to play capture the flag with a greased watermelon, I went home. Mallory and I decided to watch "Mama." This movie does make you jump and worry somewhat about what in hidden in the darkness of your closet or the other side of the room. We were both jumpy throughout the movie and ended up curled up on the couch each with a blanket. All through the movie, I kept hearing a rustling in the blinds, but I thought I was just scared because of the movie. I told Mallory about it, and she thought I was making things up. When the movie ended, I heard it again, and so did Mallory. We turned on the light, and what popped out from behind the blinds? The king kong of all moths... Moths were a key part of the movie so when he emerged, we both frantically grabbed all of our things, screamed every time it moved, and ran like the wind to our room where we safely stayed until morning. 

Tuesday I went to Seven Peaks with Dani and Tyler. We had a blast! I loved getting to spend my afternoon with those two. Wednesday I was exhausted and did not wake up until 11:30. I groggily got up and went to Seven Peaks once again. I was fine until I got a text from Andrew. Brain overload. After talking to my mom and watching a movie, I realized that I had to be a grown up. As much as I hate it, I take too much pride in people thinking I am older than I am. I have to keep that up. Thursday I got to have some fun. I got all dressed up with my hair and makeup done and went to the Hinckley Center. Then, I had to get ready for our ward activity. Dani and I should be on a professional rowing team. We swam, rafted, played games, ate pizza, sang Pocahontas songs, and had fun with the ward. We stayed out until the water got too choppy and we were sore and tired. I love being at the lake. It reminds me at home. It reminds me of when I was little and we went to the duck pond, the times we went to the park near Lake Arlington, and the stake lake activities. I went home, took a shower, and went to bed. I was so tired. I woke up this morning with more sore muscles not just from rowing but also from laughing. It was raining outside, but Dani and I decided we were going to have an adventure to the Mona rope swings anyways. By the time we got there, it was no longer raining, but it took us forever to find the swings. We finally did and I braved the cold water to swing it. As scary as it was at the top, it was a blast. This summer bucket list item has been crossed off, but I will be returning on a warmer day. Dani and I left wrapped in towels and jackets. On the way home, we stopped by the San Francisco Sourdough Eatery and then the Red Barn. I want everyone to know that chocolate chip ice cream is my absolute favorite. Simple and delicious. It was a fun week. My tan is coming along nicely, I had some fun with friends, and I spent most of the week in the water. There's nothing better.