Mid-September Thoughts

Weirdly, I feel like this semester has been going for ages, yet I can't believe September is already half over. Like what? Didn't we just start this? Anyway, I'm NOT one of those girls who goes ga ga over fall. I actually really hate fall. It's cold and windy and all those "pretty leaves" get mashed into a pile at the bottom of the stairwell. It's dark in the mornings when I go to work (and sit there for 2 hours because WHO NEEDS SMOOTHIES AT 7 AM) and dark again at like 6. So, yeah. Not too pumped to say goodbye to summer because I adore summer and fall is meh.

This is from Thanksgiving last year since I don't have a current fall picture.

This is also one of my most favorite regular pictures of Scott and I.

That porch is just our place, you know?

Scott and I bought another car last week. When we bought our Accord in May we knew we would be back to the dealership very soon. It's not my favorite thing in the world having to buy two cars so close together but it was fun to go through the excitement of getting a new car again. And it was also cool to see our savings plan actually work. We made a pretty tough goal to save X amount of dollars in 3 months for a down payment and we DID IT! So go us.

Scott really wanted the Accord and so this time it was my turn to pick. I wanted a family-ish car because that seemed like the most sense since we're hoping to start our family in the next few years. I had been researching and was sort of bummed that we probably couldn't afford the type of car I was wanting but lo and behold I found something perfect for us. Kind of.

The dealer we went to has their whole inventory online and I was checking it about 3 times a month. Lately I haven't been checking very regularly but the other day I had a feeling to get on their website. I found a 2011 Ford Escape that was in our price range so I started reading about them. The more I read the more excited I was and I sent Scott to go look because I was sitting in class at the time. He said he liked it and after I got home from school I went to look at it and we decided we would put a deposit on it to hold it for the next day when we could go sign together. We went back the next day to finalize everything and ended up seeing another one in the lot that was better in every single way than the one we were originally going to buy. We changed our minds at the last minute (the workers were so very nice and patient with us) and ended up with a shiny black 2012 with only 19,000 miles on it. It's so beautiful and I love it so much. It was a crazy couple of days but it was all worth it. And now I have a mom car that belongs to me and not my parents ;)

Guess who doesn't have a picture?

Google one cause I definitely don't want to go out in the rain to take one

Ziggy is doing well. I don't know how I ever lived without him cause he just makes my life so happy. I love coming home and having him by the door meowing at me. He probably just wants food but I still love to see him. I lay on the floor for an hour and pet him and he doesn't run away. It's the best.

Scott and I are also doing well. Scott got a promotion at his job a couple months ago and it's been an adjustment. He is now an operations manager and he's liking it so far. He's definitely more stressed than he was before as a trainer but he enjoys being in charge of people. But he's on salary now so he works long days and doesn't get overtime which is a real bummer. SAY NO TO SALARY!!!

Other than that everything else is the same as it's always been. I feel like I need to write more so I can go back and read it in the future but I'm just so lazy. And none of these things seem important, so there's that. Also this picture is from the last day of summer school when I had to present what I had been working so hard on all semester. Woop.

DFTBA

It Came and Went

When I was contemplating summer school ALL I heard from people was "the time is going to pass whether you're in school or not, so you might as well get some credits". Yeah. Easy for them to say. They didn't have to waste sunshiny days inside doing homework. But, I signed up (and PAID FOR IT. I PAID ACTUAL MONEY TO BE MISERABLE FOR 3 MONTHS) and took 3 classes.

In an attempt to free up July so I could work more hours when my boss got married, I signed up for a 5.5 week class called intercultural communication. It was 3 hours every Tuesday and Thursday morning. That class was KILLER. It was super hard to keep up with all the reading and homework. I ended up getting an A- though and I was so happy when it was over. As hard as it was, it was nice to be done so fast. By June 24th I had completed one third of my summer school workload. Happy happy happy.

My next class was COMM 5515, usable web design. I had taken the two other web design classes from the same teacher the previous year and thought this class would be a cake walk. It was once a week for 3 hours on Wednesday nights and she's the kind of teacher who usually let us out early. WRONG. It went until 9 EVERY TIME and was always so long and boring (read: I wasn't smart enough to understand what was happening so I was bored out of my mind). It started off  pretty rocky trying to adjust working with my group members. After being in 5510 with two girls I absolutely adored it was a hard change working with 3 people 100% different than me. But,we got through it and ended up being the best group in the class. Our final presentation is tomorrow night and I can't wait to never have a job in web design EVER. I was a little hopeful the first two semesters but after this class, no way no way no way.

I had one online class called modern family. It was super interesting and not too hard. Every week I read 2 chapters of stuff I was actually interested in, took a quiz, and participated in a discussion with 5 other ladies. In addition there was a midterm and a final (that I'm procrastinating taking..). It wasn't bad at all and I learned a lot. It was my first ever online class and I was very satisfied with it. I wouldn't want all of my classes to be online, but I liked being able to choose when I did my work and not have to leave my couch. I will definitely be taking more online classes in the future!

So, to sum things up, it was hard. It was hard having to worry about homework and not be able to go on vacation or do fun things. I had to miss Corps Encore for my stupid web design class and that was sucky. But, like everyone said, the time passed and I got 9 credits out of it. I have just TWO MORE semesters until I never have to write another paper or take another test or pay thousands of dollars to cry and be anxious. I can't wait.

Pros:
10 weeks instead of the usual 15 weeks
My 5.5 week class was early but the sun was always up so it didn't feel as early
Don't have to walk through snow
More laid back atmosphere
Less people on campus, less people on trains

Cons:
Can't go anywhere
Less weeks = bigger workload each week
HOT walking to class
Homework in the summer. :(
Less classes offered, limited schedules
No break between semesters. I will have done 6 consecutive semesters by the time I graduate

I mean, I don't know if I would ever do it again but I'm VERY glad I don't even have to make that choice. Also Scott did summer semester as well. I don't know if that made things better or worse, but we suffered together and it was nice.

Okay byeee I promise I'll write about something more interesting another day. I just felt like I needed to write this so I could remember it one day :)

DFTBA

Two Years

I've been feeling pretty sentimental the last couple weeks because my Timehop has been full of emotional things. Scott leaving on his mission 4 years ago, coming home 2 years ago, and planning for Alaska 1 year ago. June is a happy month and I'm so glad it's June! As I've been reading statuses from "this day in history" I can't help but just want to cry. I can feel all those same feelings again and it makes my heart pound. I have loved Scott since he was 17. I won't deny that. I was totally obsessed might have dreamed of our future together and still don't believe it's actually happening.

Right before he left we had a band council party celebrating the new council with the old one. I was so excited (and nervous) to be president and I knew Scott would have advice. For some reason he was at the party and ended up driving me home. It wasn't anything super special until we got to my driveway and we just sat there. I talked about my nerves for the coming year and he told me about never really having a "best friend". He said so many things I had never even considered being concerns of his. It really felt like I was talking to him for the very first time. And funny enough, there was a song that described exactly how I was feeling.

"We're smiling but we're close to tears, even after all these years, we just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time."

I posted that on my Facebook later that day and it came up on my Timehop a few days ago. It struck me and I felt everything all over again. I've always known that Scott was special. I really didn't understand why, but he was just different to me. I cared about him so much. I still do, obviously, but I'm glad I can look back at those times and realize that the friendship we had was so, so special. I wish we could go back to those days sometimes. I wish we could be young and free again without tuition and rent and a car payment. But, this stage is fun too and I'm grateful for it.

Today marks two years since the first time I saw my boy as a returned missionary. I could not believe he was actually back again. I missed him terribly and it felt so good to hug him again. But, things were different. He was so much more serious and ready to finally love me ;) We walked around Jordan Landing at 10:00 at night because that's when I got off work. He held my hand and talked and talked and talked. It was nice to finally feel like "his girl". There weren't 300 other babes I had to fight off anymore. It was just me and him and that was it. It was definitely worth the wait.

I am so glad to have had the last two years with Scott. We've had so many fun times together and I am looking forward to more. He's the best and I love him so much. I don't know where I would be without my little muffin :)

Our first picture together on our second date :)

DFTBA

Love Your Choice

It's no secret that life is hard. It's so easy to look at others and wish that you had their hair, clothes, shoes, talent.... the list goes on. I am definitely guilty of this. I wish so badly that I could change my hair to be thicker, my calves to be thinner, my face to be less round, my skin to be tanner, my torso to be longer... it never stops. Well, I guess it stops somewhere.

Of all the things I am jealous of other people for, the ONE THING I am completely satisfied with is my husband. I don't know how many people can honestly say that. I mean, really.

Every day I am amazed by him. Not even just in an "I am blinded by love" sort of way, but just as a person in general. I've known Scott for a while and I've been stalking observing him since we became friends. He's different than everyone I know. He looks out for me constantly. He always thinks of something nice he can do for me and others too. He works so hard every single day and I don't know how he does it. He has always amazed me and continues to do so each day. I could never dream up a better man to spend my life with. He's not perfect, but he is so wonderful. 

Of all the things I wish I could change, I am grateful to report that my husband is not one of them. The choice I made to marry him is the best one I have made yet. He is absolutely everything I could have ever dreamed of in a spouse and in a best friend. 

On a scale from 1 to 10 I love him 1,000. 

photo credit

365 + 2

I could never, ever find the right words to describe how amazing this last year has been. But, I would be ungrateful if I didn't try.

Scott and I were sealed in the Jordan River Temple on February 15, 2014 and it was such an excellent day. Our wedding was perfect for us and I loved every minute of it. But, The 364 days that followed were even better than our one special day.

I've known Scott for about 8 years, and really well for almost 6. He has been one of my best friends and has stood by me through a lot. I never knew he would be my husband one day. I always hoped, but I never knew. Scott is a person I wish everyone could have. I know a lot of girls married to people like Scott. I see how happy they are and I'm grateful because I know I have that too.

After Scott and I started dating, I learned a lot more about him than I ever knew. I thought I knew him before- nope. As we spent more and more time together, I fell even more deeply in love. I've always been in love with him. He's always made my heart pound and my cheeks red. He's always given me fluttery, nervous feelings of excitement. But, when we started dating, that love turned into so much more. I started to care for him even more deeply. Everything I did was for him. Some people might think it's ridiculous to tie yourself down to one person at the age of 19, but I was happy to do it. I knew my life would never feel complete until I was sharing it with someone who wanted to be with me just as badly.

Scott and I dated for nine months before we got married. That was probably way too long, but that's what we did. By the time we moved in together, it felt like our lives were already combined. The transition into marriage was not difficult in the slightest. Sure, communication wasn't perfect, and it still isn't, but I've never, ever thought to myself "oh what have I gotten myself in to?" I really believe that the time we spent preparing to be married was precious. It was necessary. I am grateful for every single night we had to say goodbye at the door because it makes me appreciate crawling into bed with him so much more.

Marriage is about learning. I'm definitely no expert, but I can say that my husband has taught me a lot. And in turn, I've taught him how to eat vegetables and save money. We build each other up. I think it's awesome. I want someone that challenges me and continually makes me want to be better. Not just for him, but for myself.

I have loved this last year so much. I can't believe how fast the time went. I really, really don't know where I would be without Scott. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he saved my life and I could never thank him enough for it. I appreciate that he pushes me to stay in school and get my homework done. I love that he encourages me to go out and make friends. I admire that he works so hard every single day to build up our savings accounts for the future. I know I can rely on him. I can't wait to see what our second year of marriage is like.

I love you, Scotty :)

Keepsakes

If you know anything about me, you know I love to save literally everything. If it is even remotely important, I stash it somewhere and stumble upon it years later when I'm cleaning out my car/wallet/nightstand and smile and then continue holding on to it. Maybe it's a problem... who knows. My very first grown up temple recommend was no exception- I really wanted to keep it. I had worked hard for it and it had the signatures of two men who mean a lot to me. Plus it's a cool keepsake for my wedding album. But, the policy exists that when you are issued a new temple recommend, the old one is turned into your stake president and destroyed. I'm sure it's for security purposes, but I hoped they would bend the rules for me just this once.
A couple months ago I went to get a new recommend because I wanted it to be from my current stake and have my new name on it. As I sat and waited for one of the members of the stake presidency, I thought about how I would go about asking if I could keep my old recommend. I figured it was a dumb idea because I knew the rule, but I just wanted it so bad. Then I realized that it doesn't matter if I keep my first recommend because I'm always going to have one. Sure, they might change the design of the paper or make them a different size, but I'm always going to have a temple recommend. I never have to be without it and I can hold it dear to me.
I went in to my interview and handed my old recommend to President Peterson. I mumbled "I sure wish I could keep it..." After taking a long look at it he said, "I sure wish I could let you keep it." And then I said "It's okay, because I know I'll always have one." It felt good. It feels good knowing I'm worthy to carry around my recommend and be in the House of the Lord.
I had the opportunity to go through the temple for the very first time a year ago yesterday. It was a sweet day and I'm so grateful for that experience and the blessing that have come from that decision. I'm grateful for Scott for sticking by my side and helping me prepare for the most important thing in my whole life. I'm grateful for President Chappell for pushing me and making me work so hard to get my first recommend. It truly made a difference. I love the temple and I am so grateful to be surrounded by so many beautiful castles.

If I had seen this picture five (or even two!) years ago I wouldn't have believed it. 

Seriously, #lifegoals

DFTBA

You Make My Dreams Come True

You know those pictures of your grandparents

where they are sitting on the porch 

in chairs holding hands,

just like this one?

Last October we took this picture

so that when we are old

our grandchildren could have a picture of us 

just like that.

We want to look back at this picture and

think of all the wonderful things that

we have done together.

I already look back at this and

think about what has happened

in almost a year.

I could never say enough times

how grateful I am for a man 

who makes my dreams come true

every. single. day.

I don't feel like I have given up

anything to be married.

I still get to go to college,

pursue my career,

spend time with my family,

and be lazy sometimes.

I don't have to give up on my dreams.

Scott is only here to help me accomplish them.

And even better, I get to

come home to the most handsome man,

eat, sleep, and live with a companion,

plan for the future with one constant in mind,

and laugh and cry and play

with my best friend

every. single. day.

I love him so much.

I could never, ever

say that enough.

Spring 2014

Can we just have a moment of silence for all the times I just wanted to give up, quit going, and drop out... but didn't?

I. SURVIVED. THIS. SEMESTER.

I can't say it enough. I can't jump up and down enough.

All those 14 hour Wednesdays.

All those late nights writing papers at the last second that I magically got A's on.

All those tears and fears and worries.

I made it.

Oh, and I got married in the middle of February. 

So there's that. 

My four classes were actually really good though! I learned so much. I really feel like I'm gaining knowledge and skills that I will need for the future.
News writing turned out to be pretty great! I ended up with a B+. But! It wasn't because I was lazy or negligent... I just suck at journalism. So at least I know I shouldn't pursue that as a career. But I'm glad I took the class. I learned a lot about writing and the way the news industry works. I appreciate it so much more now. Scott and I have a subscription to the news paper on weekends and it makes me happy. I feel like a real grown up.

Living in a media world was a freakin cake walk! I only had formal class once a week. The busy work was obnoxious but certainly not hard. I got an A and enjoyed having an easy, entertaining class to help me get through Wednesdays.

Communication theories was the most terrible experience of my life. I spent the whole semester with a 59% average and I panicked. There were only 5 assignments, 3 tests and 2 papers, one of which got dropped and the four remaining scores averaged out to our final grade. I thought for sure I'd have to re-take it. But! My teacher showed us some mercy and gave us a stellar study guide for the final, WHICH I GOT 90% ON! Thankfully I got 80's on my papers so I ended up with a B-. I cried. I feel like I conquered the hardest grader I've seen yet.

Visual communication was super interesting. It was supposed to be a three hour lecture every Wednesday night but my teacher was a cool guy and made sure we only went two hours. I was thankful for that. I learned a lot about advertising and how different languages and cultures play into visuals. I did really well on all my tests/quizzes/assignments! It was a lot of work but I liked it. I never knew I would find visual comm so interesting. Plus who doesn't love another A? :)

These were definitely the hardest classes I've taken so far. I know it's only going to get harder, but I've only got five more semesters *hopefully*. I know I shouldn't be so excited to rush through it and graduate, but I am. I like school, but I really just want to be done and start real life. As much as I love living in this basement apartment I would rather own a house one day ;)

I'm so glad I had Scott by my side to help me through it. Even though he worked twice as many hours as I did and took just as many credits, he still helped me with homework and proofread papers for me. He stayed up until the wee hours of the morn with me while I panic-wrote last minute essays and such. He was a really good sport and he did really well in his classes too. Go us! We definitely proved that we can do basically anything. :)

Happy summer! I know this is the last summer I'll ever have, so I am going to live it up!

Don't Forget To Be Awesome

Word Vomit

Would you like to hear about something that makes me want to cry?

TALKING.

I'm bad at talking.

Really, really, really bad at talking.

That's the #1 reason I write this blog. I hate talking. When you write, you get as many chances as you need to make the words sound right together. But when you talk, it's one and done. And then people look at you like....

"what. the hell. just came out. of your mouth?"

Or maybe that's just me.

Once upon a time I was sitting in my communications class when I blurted out this gem....

And I quote: "Matt how do you talk so well? You always have a word for everything. I wish I could take a class on talking so I don't sound like an idiot all the time. I'm just really bad at talking."

I SAID THOSE EXACT WORDS TO MY COLLEGE PROFESSOR IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE CLASS.

That, right there, was a perfect example of why I need a class on "talking".

He told me to read more books. The more words you know, the easier it is to find them.

I've always been told that if you hate 10 things about yourself you should pick one and work on it until you've either fixed the problem or learned to be okay with it and then move on to other things.

Well, folks, I need to work on talking. Or, rather, NOT talking. Sometimes word vomit is my hardest battle to overcome. I need to shut the heck up and think about what I'm saying to people. I've done enough damage in my *almost* nineteen years of life where words are concerned... It's time to be different.

Here's to growing up!

DFTBA

Learning to Be Content

I think this is something that everyone struggles with. It's hard to live here, today, in 2013 with such a crazy world around us. Everything is new, everything is fast, everything is "I must have this right now or I can't be happy!". It's a little bit ridiculous. But, I definitely fall into these traps and have a hard time being thankful for what I do have. Because heck, I have a lot.

So anyway, let us begin with when I was eight years old. Elise moved in to the house on the corner and we became best friends. We went for walks, played barbies, built blanket forts, had sleepovers, and had so much fun being kids. But, all we could ever talk about was teenagers and how bad we wanted to be teenagers. I think we underestimated how hard growing up would be... because I specifically remember writing her a note in eighth grade that outlined all of the difficult times we had overlooked as children and how badly I wish we could go back and just enjoy the time we had as kids. As a result, we wished that high school would hurry on up and be our lives. We dreamed of cars, boys, dates, dances, make up, jobs... all the things that did nothing but stress me out for three whole years. So of course, we dreamed of college. Interesting classes, bigger schools, being away from home, freedom, parties... you know. The basics.

But the truth is, college really isn't all that great either. It's a hundred times more stressful than anything I've ever experienced in my life. And as much as I'd love to be married with a family and a career, I'm sure that is even more hard to deal with.

So, my friends, I would like to share with you my epiphany I had today. Are you ready? Okay.

"You are never going to be content with life, so you might as well just be content with life."

And I quote-

"You are never going to be content with life, so you might as well just be content with life."

ONCE AGAIN-

"You are never going to be content with life, so you might as well just be content with life."

Seriously though. I just need to take a step back and appreciate the stages of life that I'm in while I'm in them and just be content with life.

Here are a few examples of things I'm rather content with! :)

-I've always (obviously. like did you even read the beginning of this post?) wanted to go to college, and here I am. And not only that, but here I am at the school of my dreams. Every (other) day when I get off the train (sometimes I get off at the hospital and walk down the giant snow hill...which is mighty pretty), I look up at Rice-Eccles stadium and admire how cool it is. I think about how lucky I am to be at a Pac 12 school. I walk by the old buildings and think about how many great names have walked those halls. I admire the huge trees, sometimes covered with snow, sometimes with leaves, but always beautiful. I watch as students of all races, ages, shapes, and sizes walk around, chattering away. It's amazing to me how different that campus is from where I live. I never knew Utah could hold so many kinds of people. I love it. I absolutely love it.
-I've always wanted a car that I could jump in and go do whatever I want/need, and here I am, with a 18 year old Bronco that I have to put a lot of money in to but it still runs like the dickens! It has only failed me a few times, but she always pulls through! I don't know what I'd do without her!
-I've always wanted a job and a paycheck, and here I am, working somewhere I absolutely love with people that I absolutely love. And even though I feel like every penny I make has to be spent somewhere really lame, I'm glad I have it. And even though my job isn't really one to brag about, it makes me happy, and that's all I care about right now.
-I've always wanted a lot of good friends that I could turn to for anything, anytime, and here I am with a whole network of people who have my back no matter what. I appreciate their kindness and love for me and  the fact that many of the biggest decisions of my life have led me to those people.
-I've always wanted a big family to sit and laugh with about silly things, and here I am with three great siblings and two great in-laws that complete our family. I absolutely love when we all get together and have a good time. Even if it's just a few of us, it's still awesome and it's what makes home, home.

There are just so many wonderful things I have in my life right now. I'm so thankful for everything that I've been blessed with and there is no way I could name all of it. I know I have a long way to go before my life ends, but I still feel like I've come so far. Growing up is scary (and expensive) as crap but I really do love it. And I know that every single day I learn something that is going to help make me into whatever I become.

Although I am very excited for the future, I'm happy about the present. I'm content with my life.
:)

DFTBA!

DFTBA

So I have this friend called Rachel. 

I met her via marching band a few years back. She's in colorguard and a very talented girl. And she likes cats so I'm instantly attracted to her.

 Anyway, she ends all of her blog posts in DFTBA. It took me a while to understand what she was saying but eventually I got it! It's an acronym  that stands for Don't Forget To Be Awesome. How great is that!? Awesome is practically my favorite word! And it's a super great message! 

Don't forget to be awesome. 

Life can get hard, and boring, and stressful, and monotonous, but don't you ever never ever forget to be awesome. It's just so simple. 

So, since I've been searching for some sort of closing words for my blog posts for over a year now, and I'm a big fat copycat, I'm gonna use DFTBA.

Thanks Rachel for your inspiration and awesomeness.

:)

DFTBA!

Ready Or Not Here It Comes

I'm definitely in denial about 2012 being over. I was going to write a post reminiscing on my year and how great it was but then I started writing it and got super depressed. 2012 was by far the best year of my life. I loved it so much! It was extremely difficult and I went through a lot of new challenges, but it really was awesome. I had so much fun and built a lot of really good relationships with people. I had some awesome experiences and learned so much. So if you wanna know what happened in 2012, read my earlier posts. I talk about most of the big stuff that happened and that's good enough for me.

So as I was saying, I had a hard time seeing such a great year end. But, ready or not, here it comes. And here it is. 2013 is a crap number but hopefully it won't be a crap year. I won't let it be a crap year! haha

My New Year's Eve was quite interesting and eventful. I'm a firm believer in "go with the flow". I hate, I repeat, HATE making plans. For anything. Ever. Something always comes up or something more exciting always happens. I just hate knowing I'm locked into something before I know what my real options are. Anyway, since I had no plans, my day turned out awesome! Anna called me and asked if I'd go shopping with her. We went around Jordan Landing and she got some real cute stuff for the coming year :) And I only bought one pair of pants. It was a Christmas miracle. :) 

Elise called me and asked if I wanted to go to the party that UVU throws every year. We discussed a few different options and eventually I decided that I would just drive down there and stay the night with her. She was working so I shoved my Jamba clothes in my backpack and set off for Provo. It started snowing while I was on the freeway but I didn't die. (Another Christmas miracle) I got to the Jamba in Provo and put my uniform on. I helped them close and it was so weird to be working in another store. I felt like I was cheating on JJJL. hahahah. Elise accidentally flooded the place and I had my very first cheddar tomato twist. It was heaven.

We went to Elise's apartment and got ready for the partay. We drove over to the school and after another trip back home and several minutes of stupid wifi we got in. It was basically a region dance on steroids. We danced and ran around and hug out with Ashley and Liz. (Elise's boss and my future boss :P) They left before midnight so we hung out with Emery and her roommate Hannah for the rest of the time. We spent much of the night trying to get people to dance with us and trying to find some cute strangers that would kiss us at midnight. Finally the countdown came. It was 2013 and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. My year was over and another one had began, just like that. I sat there in awe thinking about what this year would bring.

Suddenly Elise went into panic mode and she was like I MUST KISS SOMEONE AT THIS PARTY. So, she walked up to some innocent guy who was walking around by himself, grabbed his face, and kissed him. Lots. Emery, Hannah, and I stood there in total shock and laughed forever. I couldn't believe Elise was just making out with some random guy. Then they hugged and said happy new year to each other and went their own ways. It was absolutely hilarious and I thought I was gonna die. Hannah found some stud muffin and Emery had a guy ask her if she needed someone to kiss. Then all eyes were on me and I was like um hello? No way. 

Being the brave girl she is, Hannah walked over to some cute fellows and was like, "hey do you wanna kiss my friend?" to one of them. Then he smiled and walked over to me and kissed me. I smiled back and was like hey thanks happy new year! and then he hugged me and walked away. OH MY. hahahahah it was the weirdest thing I've ever done in my life. None of us even know their names. But whatever cause YOLO. And not only that but, you're only young once. And you have to do stupid stuff sometimes simply because you are young. And it might make a great story one day. Who knows. 

About 1:00 I was about ready to crash so Elise and I left and went to Walmart to get some pasta and alfredo. We went home, made dinner, watched Friends, and chatted about how incredibly fun and crazy our night was. We finally went to bed at 3 and woke up at 10. I showered and we went to Village Inn and ate a delish breakfast. Then it was time for me to go home cause I had to work. I told Megan and Rachel about my weird as crap night and they laughed with me. We had sisterly chat in the office for 45 minutes and it was great. I love those girls :) It was just a really great way to start a really great year!

GOALS FOR 2013:

• Get good grades
• Meet new friends
• Spend time with the boys coming home
• Be even more awesome at my job
• Read a book every month
• Eat breakfast every day
• Read scriptures more often
• Save money! Open a savings account!
• Participate more in Institute
• Quit freaking procrastinating
• Write more, shorter blog posts
• Work a shift at the Draper store
• Be more friendly. Enough of this sleeping on the train business.
• Don't gossip 
• Memorize all of the secret menu recipes
• Not worry so much

And more to come. It's gonna be great. :)

And after all these years, we're still best friends. 

Still.

I love her.

*Does Cartwheels*

Look at dem grades doe.

I'm so happy.

So, so, so, so, very happy.

I did it. 

And I did gooooood.

And even though it was hard,

I survived.

Bring on next semester :)

Also,

 

Notice anything different about my clock in receipt?

Probably not...

So I'll give you a hint.

It says MANAGER.

(and of course I kept it and hung it on my bulletin board. duh.)

I'm now officially a Team Lead.

Well, when I finish my book work I will be. 

But still, I get to manage my own shifts now!

And when I assign a cash drawer to my name, I'm a manager. 

I can void stuff and edit people's clock in/out times and such. 

I can do the safe count under my name.

 I can check hourly and labor and whatnot.

When I clock in the screen says, "SMILE! Have a great shift! :)"

I'm finally allowed to have that key Emily gave me in July.

And know the security code that I've also had since then.

I'm basically the boss. ;)

Hahahaha

But really though.

Getting promoted after working at Jamba for only 8 months is incredible.

I don't think it's happened before and I have a lot of pressure to do a good job.

But, Emily says she knows I can do it and I'm really excited.

Yay for my life!

:)

That's My School

When I was four years old I did a commercial for Challenger School (where my mom taught back in the day and is now a headmaster of). Their theme song was like, "Teachers who care a lot, good friends who share a lot, Challenger that's my school!" and at the end of the commercial I would say, "That's my school!" and my entire little face would take up the entire screen. It was quite cute... or so I've been told. But mostly not. Whatever.
Anyway, that was when I was in preschool... and I just graduated from high school. Which means that it's time for college.
I've been thinking long and hard about where to go. I was considering Utah State because I really wanted to be a teacher. When I realized that I'm definitely NOT teacher material, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. So I considered SLCC because it's cheaper and I could just get some generals done until I figure out what to do with my life.
But the whole time I knew where I needed to go. I knew good and well where I needed to go. I prayed about it when I applied and I knew it was the best decision.

One small problem. It's expensive.

But it's my DREAM school. I mean seriously you guys I really dream about this place. I have tons of friends who go there and love it to pieces. I want to be like them. I want to wear red and sleep in the grey chairs in the library. I want to ride TRAX to class and get a quality education. I want to get chills from watching the drumline at football games. I want to BE there.

And the best thing is....


I can.


Because.


I'M GOING.


:)


My parents are great and have agreed to help me out. They know that I know what is best for me and so this is my decision.
I'm going to the University of Utah this fall and I am STOKED.
I can't even begin to explain how happy I am.
I registered for orientation today and they still had spots so it's not too late.
I can't wait until fall. I want to go NOW!

*Disclaimer: I know college is HARD. It's a lot of work and it's not all fun and games. I know I'm probably going to be stressed to the max ALL THE TIME about tests and studying and stuff. It's actually probably going to suck. A lot. But whatever. Today is about happy things*

But I guess I can wait. I'm excited to live my last few months of freedom. To work a lot and save money. This summer is already awesome. My brother is getting married in August, I'm turning 18 in July, and there are lots of other cool things to look forward to.

Anyway I just wanted to share this great news. Because I'm so excited.

That's My School

:)