I've Got the Swagger of a College Kid

So last Monday was my first day of school! It was interesting, to say the least.
I woke up pretty early* to get ready so I could get on the train at 8:23 to be at my 9:40 class on time.
My mom left me a real cute note in my bathroom and it totally made my day :)

She thinks I'm awesome :')

Thankfully, I knew where my first class was and walked right to it with no trouble at all *applause*. I have writing 2010 with about 23 other kids in this super old looking building for fifty minutes. It's kind of awesome :) I love how short class is. It is about as long as my attention span and we mostly just sit and discuss the reading that we had for homework.
After that is my LEAP 1100 class. I'm still not 100% sure what that is but I like it. LEAP is this program that the U does to help kids with the same goals get together and learn. It takes care of your diversity credit for your general education but the content of the class focuses specifically on your major. So since I plan to major in business management one day, I  am in business LEAP! We also have a peer adviser who brings us candy and keeps us updated on things happening around the school. It's almost like a homeroom class where you can actually feel comfortable as a stupid freshman! And we learn about things that are actually interesting :) score!
After my classes ended I went to the no good very bad bookstore (not really. It's actually like the coolest place ever! They have so much great Utah stuff! I want all of it!) to get my textbooks. I was only able to get two of them and I spent $98. Then I went back to the store the next day and spent $93. Also, I bought two books online for $120. Needless to say, my poor little bank account is mad at me for having to spend $311 on textbooks for one semester. Hopefully I'll be smarter next time. Ha. :)
Anyway, day two was less exciting. I have Nutrition at 9:10 and it goes until 10:30. I get kind of bored in there and it's hard to sit and pay attention to a lecture for that long. But, I know I need to listen and learn because I'm definitely not healthy. And it beats biology or chemistry for a science credit any day! :)
After that I walked over to the Institute to sign up for class. I hadn't really met any people yet and I felt so weird sitting alone in my classes and was feeling kind of lonely. But, as soon as I walked into the Institute, I felt so peaceful. I felt like I was back in my Seminary building with all of my friends and a million people who loved me. Everyone was so nice and said Hi to me. It was the BEST! I decided to take New Testament since I haven't had that for a while and I went to class. Brother Paige told us that we would be studying the life of the Savior in chronological order. He told us how important it is to learn about Christ so that we can come to know him and gain testimonies of him. My Tuesday/Thursday schedule was so freaking hard to plan out. I worried and worried about it all summer until I finally fixed it the Monday night right before my first day of T/TH classes. And now I am able to take the exact Institute class that I need in my life right now. I really do believe that our Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us and is always going to help us out, no mater what! :)
After that I get a little break to just chill and do homework. Then it's off to Music 2100, History of Rock and Roll :) I've said it before and I'll say it again. I absolutely adore music. I love it! It's pretty much my entire life. Last year I took Music 1010, which was just music appreciation and history. It was kind of a hard class but I loved learning about the history of music and why things are the way they are. Now I get to move to a more modern time and learn about legends like Elvis and Jimi Hendrix and the influence that they had on society and the entire music world. It's really great :) I think it'll be a fun class!
Riding the train to and from school is quite the event. I spend two hours a day commuting to/from school. In some ways it's nice because I can just read or sleep or write papers. But at the same time it's annoying because uh who likes sitting with a million strangers on a freaking train with no wifi for an hour? Yeah. Exactly. I've met some interesting people though. It's nice to have chats with people much older than me who give me advice about my future. A lot of them have said don't try to do too much and remember to have fun. I really take that stuff to heart. After all, strangers know best! :)
All in all college is pretty cool. It's nice to have freedom and responsibility. But it sucks having no friends and doing everything alone. Oh, and being hungry all the time isn't really that great either. Hopefully I can meet some super hot guy who is about ready to graduate and has a good career in mind so I can marry him and have one major life event that I always worry about out of the way ;) Or maybe we can just be friends or something. Haha :)

Well that's all folks! Have an excellent week!

*So pretty much every night this summer I went to bed at 2:30 am and woke up around 10. So when I say "pretty early" I mean like seven. Because seven IS early to me :P

Also, I miss my friends. A lot. We had so much fun this summer! So many great nights and adventures! So many laughs and pictures and good times. Two of my favorite people ever now live in Logan and are attending USU. I have two other friends who moved out, one is at Snow and the other SUU. And we can't forget my best friend in the whole entire world, Elise! She's now in Orem attending UVU. It's just weird having everyone gone. I miss being able to just round everyone up to watch movies or go to Denny's or whatever. Thankfully they are coming back this weekend to work and hopefully this time I can give them all proper goodbyes. They're all really awesome kids and I appreciate the good times we've had together! Anyway, enough ranting. I know friends don't really matter that much but I still get sad when I see a day dot or a punch card with someones initials who has already left. It kind of breaks my heart a little. Haha Kara you're such a baby :P

Now, for your entertainment pleasure-

Peace out, girl scout!

Gnats

So this one time my family went on a trip to Yellowstone. It was right after my sister got married. Her and Shane came along with the Fab Five and we had a real good time :) Yellowstone is one of my favorite places to go camping. It is HUGE and there are tons of different things to see. But the animals are probably my favorite part! We get up super early and drive and drive and drive until we get to where the bears like to hang out. It's usually still a little dark and you have to search them out but when you find one it's so exciting! We stop off on the side of the road and run out to take pictures. This is definitely not a "safe" activity but it sure is fun! I love being the start of a bear jam ;)
My family and I have been to Yellowstone quite a few times. Every time is a new adventure and we always have so much fun! But this particular time stands out to me. I don't know if it's because my brother-in-law was there but it just seems to be different than all the other trips we've taken there. Maybe it's because of this beaut of a picture...

We were hiking around looking at different hot pots or something and were being eaten alive by gnats. They were awful, terrible creatures and were so obnoxious. They fly around your head and buzz in your ears. It's so annoying! Luckily we all had nifty jackets to protect us! So we walked around just like this for quite some time and Shane documented this moment. Aint that just special :)
I love my family and I love our camping trips. I've been so many amazing places over the years. I've seen some pretty incredible stuff!! It just proves to me that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he wanted to make some parts of this earth extra special. These National Parks are not accidents of nature. They were created to be places of wonder and beauty. I'm so glad my parents have taught me and my siblings how important it is to appreciate them. I'm glad they are protected and preserved by the NPS so that future generations will be able to enjoy these spectacular sights. I mean can you imagine if someone decided to start building houses along the Grand Canyon? It would totally ruin it!
So today I am remembering all the nights I've spent sleeping in our trailer listening to the sounds of the wild right outside. I remember one day I woke up to 9 massive Elk right outside my window. I remember playing in all kinds of rivers and lakes. I remember being up so high in the mountains that I felt  I was on top of the world. I remember having a snowball fight with my brother on the side of a volcano in the middle of July. I remember campfires and smores. I remember being able to see stars. I remember hours and hours in the car with my brother and sisters. I remember classic rock music blaring as we drove. I remember sleeping bags and cold pillows. I remember singing and laughing and gift shops. I remember ranger shows. I remember animals, particularly the time we watched a fox and a grizzly bear chase each other around a meadow. I remember hiking and getting dirty. I remember picnics. (Like in Yosemite when my dad practically cut his finger off and we sat at the only table in the shade for hours while he was getting stitched up. People were so mad at us. We were just four dumb kids sitting around with no parents... hahaha) I remember staying up late and waking up early. Camping is the BEST. It's the time when you can just get away from it all and enjoy the  outdoors. :)
Happy "So this one time..." Sunday everyone!

"So This One Time..." Sunday

I love memories, stories, and pictures. And I've got TONS of them. Problem is, most people don't really want to hear them. So yay for blogging! :D
I have decided that every Sunday (or whatever. You know how good I am at remembering to blog...) I will write about a memory I have of something awesome!
I have also decided that the first one shall be about The Lid Box War of '12. It was quite the event and it always makes me laugh so hard when I think about it. So here goes...

I was scheduled to work one night with Elise, Taylor, and Jason and I was quite excited because Elise and Jason are my favorite people ever! But when I got to work everything was weird. But I kept working like normal and then things got super slow so we decided to sit in the office where this event took place-

Elise was GLARING at Jason. (And I thought it was kind of funny so I documented the moment.) For some reason unknown to me, they were in a fight and both of them were angry. I had no idea what was going on until we were out in the kitchen later...
We have this wonderful thing at pour station called the lid box. When you are getting ready to pour a smoothie, you are supposed to take the tag off the lid, throw it away, place the lid in the lid box, and then continue to pour the smoothie into a cup and hand it out. Seems legit, right? Wrong. Sure it's fast and easy but if you get rushed and then run out of clean lids, you have to stop and dump them in the sink and wait for one minute for them to sanitize and it's inconvenient and kind of sucks. So anyway Jason feels that the lid box is an unnecessary and evil thing for those reasons. His philosophy is basically throw the lid at the sink before you pour so that someone can wash it and then you've always got clean lids ready to use! (which I also kind of hate because I have been hit by so many freakin' lids! Also, if it doesn't hit me it scares the crap out of me when I'm on dishes. So I just put them on the counter and carry them to the sink with the dirty blenders. Stupid lids...)
I was on pour and threw a lid in the lid box just like I always had and looked up to see the most terrible look I've ever been given. Jason was standing there and was like, "DON'T USE THE LID BOX!" and Elise was like, "USE IT!" and then they glared at each other and didn't speak for a while. I kind of just rolled my eyes at them because this fight was completely ridiculous and was disturbing our happy work environment. Taylor and I laughed and we all went in the back and discussed the problem. Elise admitted that he was right about the inconvenience of stock piling dirty lids. But she didn't want to say sorry so she continued to be mad. Jason tried to have group hug with us in hopes for forgiveness but Elise just would not have it. Thankfully Taylor took pictures of the event with my iPod :)

Our faces KILL me

hahahahahaha

Us being mad at Jason...

 I still don't know what was happening right here but it makes for an awesome picture 

:)

 And eventually I gave in but Elise stayed true to her anger and refused to participate in group hug.

And the first thing she did when we got back in the kitchen was throw a lid in the lid box. 

So, naturally, Jason freaked out and threw everything he could find in the lid box.

 And he did it with the straightest face and without saying a single word. By then Elise and I were rolling on the floor laughing. He had clearly won the war. And I have never put a lid in there since.
Long story short, I love my friends. And even though we do ridiculous stuff at work that we should probably get fired for, we have a lot of fun. Our staff is like no other staff. We are a family. Best friends forever. We care about each other and spend a lot of time together, especially outside of work. I couldn't ever ask for cooler people to work with!
And now it is time to say goodbye to six of them. Calvin, Kathy, Elise, Eric, Karley, and Jason (who technically already quit but still). They are my FAVORITE. I love every single one of them so much. They are all so fun to work with and make me smile on the daily. We've all had a lot of fun times together and I look forward to them coming back to work/visit on the weekends and summers. And every single time I pour a smoothie and set the lid on the counter instead of the box, I think of this day and the wrath of Jason. I look back at it and laugh. I'll miss him. I'll miss everyone! They've all been so good to me!

Well, that's that. My first really lame story that means a lot to me. I'm looking forward to every "So This One Time..." Sunday in the future :)

10 Days

That's when classes start. In TEN days.
Ten days left of summer.
Ten days left of freedom.
Ten days left until I won't see some of my best friends for a while.
Ten days left to get ready for this exciting and terrifying journey.
It's here. I can't believe it.

In Loving Memory

I don't even know where to begin this post. I have so much to say.

Earlier this week one of the greatest men I have ever known passed away. I was at work ready to end my shift and leave for the day when my dear friend Elise came in. She was getting ready for her closing shift and we were just chatting as normal when she was like oh by the way... Brother Timothy died this morning. 

I wasn't shocked by the news since he has been battling cancer for quite some time, but I was still sad. I was  glad I was done working for the day and could just go talk to my sister. He meant a lot to me and has really had an impact on my life these past 3 years.

Let me start from the beginning. Like, primary. The boys and girls my age in the Welby 3rd ward aren't exactly...friends. We've never ever gotten along super well and definitely don't hang out. We never sit together at activities and have separate sides of the room in our classes. When the Timothy's were called to be our teachers this all changed. Craig had this lovely idea of giving us a seating chart. He made us get to know others and sit with people we didn't know so that we would actually listen to our lessons. Also, for the first 15 minutes of every class we would go around the room and share one thing from the previous week. This gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other. Sometimes they would have us say one thing we learned about someone that we didn't know before. They unified us and made us feel more comfortable talking to each other. It reminds me a lot of the movie Freedom Writers. (Way to go Mr. Olpin. Something you taught me in my English class actually applies to my life) When people start to have a better understanding of the people around them, incredible things happen.

They helped us understand the scriptures and always gave us quality lessons. We studied the Old Testament,  New Testament, and The Book of Mormon with them. Craig always gave us a challenge to be better in our lives. He made us report back to him and follow up on the things we had been learning. 

We had our own Sunday School Facebook group and had parties from time to time. We had lessons over Skype when Craig went out of town and Janet was still there to teach us. I mean who does that?! Most people just get a sub and forget about their class when they leave but not him. He made sure he could at least call and listen to our news of the week when he was gone. They really did genuinely care about us. Plus they ALWAYS gave us treats which was awesome. Even on Fast Sunday Janet would pass around the bag of assorted gum. I can't even tell you how many cinnamon rolls and choco tacos I ate before Sacrament Meeting. It was the best :)

When we found out he was sick it was hard for all of us. He still continued to come and teach us even when I know he felt like crap. He was the ultimate example of sacrifice and priorities. He always had a good attitude and made sure that we were being taken care of. I really appreciate all the words of wisdom he gave us. The last week he was able to come to our class he thanked us for all we'd done for him. He told us to keep our testimonies strong and to be nice to everyone. All I could think was how on earth could we have possibly done anything for you? You were the one who taught us and stayed with us until the very end. He never asked to be released and give up. I'm so very thankful for him and his wife. His children as well. That family rocks and I'm so glad that I have gotten to know them so well over the past few years.

Brother Timothy will always be someone I look up to. I miss him a lot but I know he's happy in heaven. And I will forever be thankful for the things he has taught me. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Winter

8.4.12

Draper Utah Temple

It was a lovely day full of happiness and smiles.

Congrats you guys! :)

Dear Boys Part 7

It's back to nicknames ;)

Dear Elder,
We're headed downhill! You'll be home in less than a year. I miss you a lot. But I know you are doing awesome things right now. Keep up the good work. :)
Sincerely, Pen Pal

Dear Boy,
Always remember who you are and what you stand for. Don't forget about your friends. They really do love you.
I miss the way you would smile after you kiss me. It's was so adorable. Sometimes I can't help but wish things had ended differently.... I know I can't change the past. But I sure would like to.
I hope you are happy, I know you've got a lot on your plate now... Don't forget that I'm still here. Just because I graduated doesn't mean that I died. You can always call me if you ever need anything. Be good.
Sincerely, Girl

Dear Bingham,
Oh. My. I love being with you. LOVE it. Call me maybe?
Sincerely, CH

Dear KB,
I really don't even have anything to say to you. It's awkward and hard to deal with. I hate seeing you so upset knowing that I'm doing just fine. Maybe one day life will get better for you. But this is the only way I can be happy. Sorry for everything and thanks for always being my best friend.
Sincerely, KJ

Dear Hopeful,
Remember when we went to Vegas with Anna? hahahaha. Sometimes I look back and have the hardest time  figuring out why you put up with me every day. I would have most definitely shot myself in the head if I were you. I love being able to talk to you about anything. Ever. No matter where we were or what we were doing you would listen to me and give me the best advice that you could. I love you to pieces. I miss you a lot and can't wait to see you again!
Sincerely, Also Hopeful

Dear Trainee,
I'm going to do my best to be nice to you. It's just very, very hard.
Sincerely, Dude, His Name Is Not Justin

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the kitties. I love them. Sometimes I think you invented them just for me.
Sincerely, Daughter

Dear Dad,
I really like you a lot. Thanks for being so patient with me. I bet it's frustrating to have kids that come home so late all the time. But hey, you've raised me to know how to make good decisions. So you have no need to worry. :)
Sincerely, Janester

Dear Mountain,
You make me smile :) I like your stories. I'm gonna miss you when you leave. A lot.
Sincerely, Don't Be Awkward ;)

Dear Indy Dog,
I love babysitting you. You are so cute and fun to play with. I sure will miss waking up at 7 every day to go let you outside. Okay, no I won't. But I will miss you sitting on my lap and letting me pet you for 45 minutes. You are just the greatest little dog ever!
Sincerely, The Neighbor

Dear Leo,
I watched The Vow today. You are a hottie. Oh yes.
Sincerely, In Love

Dear JJ,
Thanks for being my LIFE. I love it so much <3
Sincerely, Employee

Dear Sharpie,
Seeing you in my daily life is so flipping awkward. I know it is for you too because YOU won't look at ME either. What would life be like if we still talked? I doubt that I would get this rush of nerves and inability to act like a human every time I see you. It's so strange. I hope life is good though? I hear it's spectacular.
Sincerely, Kizzle

Dear JB,
I JUST NEED SOMEBODY TO LOVEEEEE.
Sincerely, I'm a Belieber <3

Theee Enddd!

Buying Things

Okay first of all- I love this picture. It's great.

Science ftw!

So yesterday I made my first "big" purchase. 

I say this because I've never spent more than 50 dollars at a time, EVER.

But yesterday I got my laptop!

I loveeeeeee it.

Mostly because I don't have to blog from my ipod anymore. Which is awesome.

So here's the story- because I know you are just dying to hear it ;)

Sunday the ads came in the paper and my dad said hey, Best Buy has a deal going where you can get a laptop, mouse, case, flash drive, and antivirus for a year for $400.

And I was like schaaa-wheeeeat. (I love Julie Blake)

So after doing some research I decided this was the best option for me. I went to bed in hopes of getting my computer in the morning.

Well, morning came and I realized I needed to hurry over there because they had "limited quantities" and I was like D:

I got there at 9:57 and they opened at 10. (yessssss) When they finally opened I just walked down to the computer section and told the guy what I wanted. He got it for me and was super nice. He obviously knew that I knew nothing about computers and was very patient with me. Finally it came time to pay for it and my debit card was denied. DENIED people! I knew I had more than enough money in my account and I just felt so dumb. I told him that I was super sorry and I would just go to the bank and get cash to pay for it. I just didn't want him to think I was some low life who steals other people's debit cards and buys laptops and sells them to buy drugs.

Because obviously that's a legitimate fear.

Not really though.

Who does that?

I went to the bank and was helped by another really nice lady. (People at Best Buy and the bank are really nice) She gave me my money and I raced back to the store. He was standing there waiting for me and said he was thankful that I came back. Aw. I told him he is a very nice guy and he needs a raise. Because he does. Everyone needs a raise. Duh.

I left the store with my cute new laptop and a happy smile! Then I went to work to take my last test. (Which I passed with *almost* 100%. I forgot to put the fruit amounts on the MIL Razmatazz. But that was purely accident and Em understands. So she passed me. And I'm officially NOT a trainee anymore! Woooooooo! Which means I get a raise! Maybe the guy at Best Buy should get a job at Jamba Juice....) Wow that was long?

I went home and set up my laptop and everything was super great. I'm so excited! :)

I love it a lot and I can't wait to take it to school with me!

 Loveeee it!

:)

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

:)

Graduation!!

A little late...but hey that's just me :)
So a week ago on May 31, 2012 I graduated from Copper Hills High School.
*applause*
It's actually not that big of a deal considering how easy high school is... but nevertheless people make a huge fuss about it so I'm totally down for all the attention :)
Lots of very nice people have sent me cards and money to help get me started. I've decided to spend the money on a laptop for school. It's something every college kid needs and they aren't super expensive. Plus I'll even have a little leftover to buy like half of a textbook! Yay!
So anyway I had to work the night before and it was AWFUL. I didn't get home until eleven because it took me so long to close and I just felt so crappy. I was angry because I knew I'd be tired the next day and it finally hit me that I'm never going back to CH. It was just a really bad night.
Thankfully I slept well and woke up with plenty of time to get ready. I went upstairs and my parents let me open my present from them. They gave me a beautiful set of pearls because they know I love them. I was ecstatic! And they matched my dress perfectly. How did they know ;)

Necklace, bracelet, earrings, and ring :)

And they're REAL!

I went and took pictures with my best friend Elise and that was fun :) I know I couldn't have gotten through the last 9 years of school without her!

Then I went home to see my grandparents, Natalie, and Kolby. We took more pictures and I know you are just DYING to see them ;)

Eventually we drove to the Maverick Center and took SOME MORE PICTURES!
It's okay I had lots of people there to support me... I had to remember the moments ;)

Mom and Dad :)

The boy I spent every minute of every day with.

Jay managed to have all the same classes as me and not even kill me out of annoyance.

He deserves a medal.

:)

The Orchestra President, The Band President

I really like her :)

My cute and rather large family

Kyle's BFF, Uncle Homer :)

The girls lined up and they had the band/speakers/choir/senior class officers go take their pictures first because we were sitting in the front. I went and visited the band and talked to some of my friends for a while. This one flute boy who I thought hated me told me I looked stunning (in my freakin' graduation gown?!) and that he would really miss me next year. Wow. It totally made my day! I love when people are nice to me! I made sure Kristianna had remembered to bring my clarinet and went back to get in line. It was about 500 degrees and I was super thirsty and nervous that I would trip because I had to walk on/off stage four times more than everyone else. Finally they started playing Procession of the Nobles (my fave) (even after playing it every year for 4 years and listening to it a hundred thousand times) and it was time to walk out! I felt like such a boss! And Anna was sitting on stage right where I could smile at her as I was walking to my seat! It was wondrous. Plus I got to sit by Ham. Who I love to death.

We got up and played the banner and some other things. Battle Hymn of the Republic is another one of my most favorite songs and I'm super happy I got to play it at my graduation! We also did For Good from the musical Wicked. I absolutely adore that song. The words in it describe perfectly how I feel about my band friends. My life really has been changed for the better because of them. And they have definitely changed me for good. I love those kids so much and I have been honored to play with them for the past 6 years. We've just been through so much together. I'm gonna miss it so much. In fact, they are having summer band rehearsal RIGHT NOW but I'm not there. And they are doing just fine without me. Hmpf. ):

So uh anyway after that we went back to our seats and listened to Mr. Q talk forEVER. Okay it was only 30 minutes. Bingham's principal talked for 45 minutes according to Jason so count your many blessings. Whatever it was still a long time. FINALLY it was time to get our diplomas and such :) I got to be one of the first people which I was thankful for because people really only pay attention until their kid gets announced so everyone in there got to hear my name ;) Oh man the things I worry about...

Side note story- (I need to write this down anyway so just bear with me)

They had Jaxen's parents walk and receive her diploma for her. That was an emotional time for all of us. I wasn't by any means friends with the girl. In fact, I kind of avoided her because she really wasn't that nice to some of my friends. I figured if she didn't know me she wouldn't have a reason to make fun of me. Anyway the day she died we were having rehearsal and Kristianna was at the dentist. She was coming back to the school after her appointment and came into the school crying. She told me she saw the accident and knew someone was dead. It really shook her up and mostly because if she had left just a minute earlier she would have been part of it. I was very thankful she hadn't. I don't know what I would have done with myself if she hadn't ever come back to school... but since I knew how hard it was on Copper Hills to lose students, I got really upset as well and we just hugged and tried to calm down. Eva came over and talked to us for a minute and then it was time for band.

Well, school the next day was hard. Everyone was super sad, including me. We had our SemCo meeting and I was informed that we were expected to attend the viewing. I. Hate. Viewings. Dead bodies freak me out no matter how much I loved someone. When I went to my grandpa's I had to sleep with Kaylee for 4 years because it just freaks me out so much. It's just this weird thing I have. Anyway I had to fulfill the duties of my calling and Ashley, Megan, Jacob, and I went. We talked to her mother for a while and she was the sweetest lady. I felt so bad that I had never taken the chance to get to know Jaxen. I'm sure she was awesome. She had tons of friends that still really miss her. Anyway the viewing was really hard for me. And I got scared. And I had to sleep with my little sister for a while. Thanks Kaylee...

So long story short, I feel like even though I didn't know her, I feel a part of her because of everything I've been through because she died. And I'm really glad that we could take a minute to honor her at our graduation. She got a standing ovation and I'm not even going to lie to you guys, it made me cry a little.

 So thanks Jaxen, for being such a huge part of my life without even knowing it. I hope you are happy in heaven and I can't wait to actually talk to you one day.

The end. Sorry for the depressing story. Like I said, I had to write it down eventually.

Ham and I cheered when there were only green people getting diplomas because that meant it was almost over! When everyone was seated again Tyler had us move our tassels and yay we were graduated!

 As soon as I got back into the hallway I ripped off that awful robe and went to get my real diploma. I said hi to my band once again and hugged everyone at least 36 times. I got my clarinet back from Anna and went to go find my parents! I felt so bad for the massive mob of children waiting to get their stuff. Yay for being first!

Once I got out to the car we left for Golden Corral and I was one happy camper. I was starving and so excited to see all that food and an empty restaurant! Plus that ultra awkward run-in with CB made the whole day suppppper great. Apparently he kept looking at me while we were eating. Wonder what would have happened if we hadn't been so stupid and refused to ever speak to each other again....

fooooooooooooooood.

So all in all it was a pretty awesome day! I'm very happy I finally have the stress of school gone. I really will miss the good old CH and all my awesome friends. But..

"We cannot discover new oceans without first losing sight of the shore."

Copper Hills Class of 2012

I did it! :)

Reminiscin'

So today is the "last day of school". But not really cause they keep telling us we have to come to classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Whatever. Anyway we had our goodbye assembly and it was really great. :) We did pep band before it started and then played the fight song just like we do every assembly. Then Anna, Katie, and I put our stuff away and went to watch the rest of it. When Ham did bear chairs and HEY COPPER HILLS I got all sad and realized that this was the last time I would get to stand up and cheer and clap as a GRIZZLY. People danced, did skits, talked, stuff like that. When the SBOs sit on the stairs and say goodbye to everyone, that's what gets me. They stand up and flash their college shirts and jump behind the curtain. Everyone cries and they play touching music. It's TORTURE. Anyway when that was over the madrigals sang the school hymn and I couldn't even finish it because I just put my head down and cried. :( I don't want this to be over. I love high school!
Last night I was thinking about all the great things that have happened over the years. And I would like to write them down so I can remember them forever. So here goes :)

Sophomore Year: Leave a Legacy
First day of band. First day of school. Oakland. Movie on the court. Football games. Football hall. Practice field with all the holes. West Side Story show. Scotty. Geremy. Malcolm. Concert band. Competitions. Bus rides. Boy and Girl. Taylor Swift. Region dances. Pep band. TOUR. Disneyland. Seniors. Freshman. Learning to eat lunch alone. Driving around and just talking with people. World Civ. Chemistry. Seminary. English. College prep. Drivers Ed. CIS 1020. Lauren sharing her locker with me. Killer Bunnies. Book of Mormon. Band pajama days. Jewlie my love. Happiness.

Junior Year: The Impossible is Possible
Band council Librarian. Styx show. Us history. Math 1010 and 1050. Government. College boyfriend. Utah band obsession. New instructors. Jacob Bradshaw teaching me about life. Babies. Mission farewells. Doctrine and Covenants. Reading. Seminary. Vacations. Hymn singing. Missing the seniors. Kayla, Jess, Kara. AnnaBomb. Dances. Homecoming. Sadie Hawkins. Sweethearts. Prom. MORP. Dates. Concerts. Movie nights. Ducky. Parks. West Hills. Texting. Being looked up to. Symphonic band. Research paper. German exchange student. Carpool. Graduation. Rehearsals. Banquet. Parties. Looking forward to senior year.

Senior Year: Creating Heroes
Band council PRESIDENT. Meetings. Callings. Seminary council. To The Summit and Beyond. Missing Scott. Letters. Writing. Friends. Living at school. October 8th. :) <3 data-blogger-escaped-1010.="" data-blogger-escaped-3rd="" data-blogger-escaped-:="" data-blogger-escaped-afraid.="" data-blogger-escaped-all="" data-blogger-escaped-alone.="" data-blogger-escaped-applying="" data-blogger-escaped-at="" data-blogger-escaped-awkward="" data-blogger-escaped-back="" data-blogger-escaped-band.="" data-blogger-escaped-bank.="" data-blogger-escaped-basketball.="" data-blogger-escaped-being="" data-blogger-escaped-best="" data-blogger-escaped-besties.="" data-blogger-escaped-blizzard.="" data-blogger-escaped-blog.="" data-blogger-escaped-br="" data-blogger-escaped-bronco.="" data-blogger-escaped-change="" data-blogger-escaped-churches.="" data-blogger-escaped-classes.="" data-blogger-escaped-college.="" data-blogger-escaped-conversations="" data-blogger-escaped-crying.="" data-blogger-escaped-dance.="" data-blogger-escaped-day="" data-blogger-escaped-dinner="" data-blogger-escaped-dismissal.="" data-blogger-escaped-driving="" data-blogger-escaped-drops="" data-blogger-escaped-english.="" data-blogger-escaped-every="" data-blogger-escaped-everything.="" data-blogger-escaped-experience="" data-blogger-escaped-football="" data-blogger-escaped-for="" data-blogger-escaped-friday.="" data-blogger-escaped-friends.="" data-blogger-escaped-games.="" data-blogger-escaped-goodbye.="" data-blogger-escaped-graduation.="" data-blogger-escaped-haha.="" data-blogger-escaped-having="" data-blogger-escaped-homecoming.="" data-blogger-escaped-hopes.="" data-blogger-escaped-in="" data-blogger-escaped-it="" data-blogger-escaped-jamba.="" data-blogger-escaped-jay="" data-blogger-escaped-job="" data-blogger-escaped-last="" data-blogger-escaped-late.="" data-blogger-escaped-living="" data-blogger-escaped-long.="" data-blogger-escaped-meetings="" data-blogger-escaped-music="" data-blogger-escaped-of="" data-blogger-escaped-parking="" data-blogger-escaped-place.="" data-blogger-escaped-primary.="" data-blogger-escaped-prom.="" data-blogger-escaped-realizations.="" data-blogger-escaped-red="" data-blogger-escaped-riding="" data-blogger-escaped-rocks="" data-blogger-escaped-rooming="" data-blogger-escaped-saying="" data-blogger-escaped-school.="" data-blogger-escaped-seminary="" data-blogger-escaped-senior="" data-blogger-escaped-sick="" data-blogger-escaped-state="" data-blogger-escaped-staying="" data-blogger-escaped-sunshine.="" data-blogger-escaped-sweethearts.="" data-blogger-escaped-that="" data-blogger-escaped-the="" data-blogger-escaped-time...="" data-blogger-escaped-tour.="" data-blogger-escaped-trials.="" data-blogger-escaped-twitter.="" data-blogger-escaped-up.="" data-blogger-escaped-up="" data-blogger-escaped-werewolves.="" data-blogger-escaped-winning="" data-blogger-escaped-with="" data-blogger-escaped-worrying.="" data-blogger-escaped-worthless="">
Wow. What an experience this has been. I love looking back but I can't look back wishing I could still be there. It's time to move forward. So here's to a new life!

:)

Facing Fears

So as most of you know, I'm super afraid of spiders. Like, I hate them. I always cry and make my mom kill them for me when I see one.
Well, ever since last year I discovered this excellent thing called "kill them while they are still babies and then you don't have to deal with as many big ones" because then they never get the chance to grow up into those giant beasts I have nightmares about.
So in the springtime when the new babies are born and I find one in my bedroom or something, I kill it. I used to get all scared to do that but now it's like nothing. I'm so proud of myself. I'm slowly working myself up to killing bigger ones and I know it's because I've decided to face my fear. :)
I know that this may sound lame to some people but for me it's a huge accomplishment. And I'm super happy about it. :)

Funny picture time!!

Senior Dinner Dance

Last Friday (the 11th) was Senior Dinner Dance! I went with Elise and Emery and we had a BLAST! My mom is really nice and bought me the red dress I've always wanted to wear to it!
I came home from school and took a shower and got ready for the dance. I curled my hair and waited for the time to pass...
We decided to take the train up to the U so we left around 5:30. We had a lot of fun on the ride there. Emery brought her nail polish and painted her toes. That was quite the funny time :) It took all three of us to help complete the task, but the results were worth the struggle.

So freaking great. :)

Just waiting for the train :)

Getting Elise to take a picture without making some sort of face is nearly impossible.



We talked and laughed and reminisced on the past years of High School. We took a lot of silly pictures and tried to contain our excitement for the dance!

Again with the faces...



 All of our class rings!

When we got there we walked across the giant parking lot over to the stadium. We went up the elevator and waited at the top of the tower until it was time to go in. There were quite a few people there already and we had some super legit awkward conversations with people we kind of know but not really. It was most excellent! We enjoyed the view of basically the whole valley and watched the sun being to set. :)

Finally it was time to go in and we were greeted by some very nice waiters and beautifully set tables. It was like being on a cruise only not as great. hahahaha.

Our cute table :)

Some girls came and sat with us and we made some more awkward conversation.... I really wish I had more senior friends.... But it was still nice! The food was delish and we were all so flippin hungry! After we finished eating we took a trip to the bathroom to take some more pictures :)

I finally got Elise to smile!

#winning

Eventually it was time for us to go outside and wait until the tables were put away so that we could have our dance!

We went and sat in the seats overlooking the whole stadium. I looked out at the campus and I had this heart-wrenching feeling that I needed to be at the U this fall...I love it there. I've been there quite a few times for various band events. I had flashbacks of doing pregame in the blizzard and being in the stands with the Marching Utes. I thought of Corps Encore last summer, cheering on the Cadets as they bossed up their show. I have memories of Youth Conference and staying up until 3:30 a.m. chatting with Elise. I thought of the field house and running over to hug Caleb, Eva, and Andrew. Playing games and having clarinet sectional with people way cooler than me. I thought of doing Ute Walk and visiting the drunk tailgaters. I thought of the drumline and their total legitness. I want so badly to be a part of that...

Plus it's an excellent school with tons of options. I got accepted to go there this fall and I would absolutely love to go and live my college dream... but at the same time it's expensive and I just want to do my generals at SLCC until I can figure out what to do with my life. One day The University of Utah will be my school... I just wish I had the guts to make it sooner....

Anyway- I just have quite the emotional attachment to that place. :) So we were finally invited inside and our dance began! They had a live band consisting of people who graduated last year. They were pretty good but it was also nice when the DJ took over and we had stuff we could really jam to! :P

After a long time of dancing and walking around and taking pictures and talking to people, we decided it was time to leave. So we went to the elevator and as soon as we stepped outside we heard the train coming. Elise, Emery, and I ran for our lives to the end of the parking lot where the train was. I thought we were going to die. hahaha thankfully we made it on just in time and Emery and I had a nice chat on the way home.

Tired smiles :)

All in all it was a pretty great dance. I didn't have as much fun as I thought I would but looking back it was still a good time! :) I really loved being up at the U with people I'm never ever going to see again for one last party.

Senior Dinner Dance

Class of 2012

"Mission Accomplished"



Dear Boys Part 6

Today I feel like being bold. So I'm going to use real names.

Dear Kolby,
I wish I could spend more time with you. I hate that I don't ever have a free day to just watch movies and eat crackers. Maybe when school gets out my life won't be so insane... Anyway thanks for being my best friend. I love you.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Layson,
I'm really going to miss you when we graduate. I'm thankful for all the times you've saved my butt this year. I couldn't have done any of it without you.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Scott,
I miss you a lot. More and more every day. But you're almost to the year mark! Congrats :) I need to write you back... I'm just not entirely sure what to say.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Geoff,
You are gonna rock it so hard next year. I'm really going to miss seeing you all the time. You still give me butterflies... :) But at the same time I'll be glad to get away from you. I'm sure my confidence will increase when I don't have to spend every second worrying about you.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Daddy,
Thanks for picking mom. I'm glad you guys decided to get married in the temple and give me a forever family. I'm so blessed to have such a good example as a father. Happy 30th anniversary to you :)
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Nathanael,
Stop trying to hold my hand all the time. It bugs me how you think you can ignore me for all of senior dinner dance and then be all friendly the next day. It's not okay. And I don't put up with that.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Kitty,
Oh my gosh you are precious. Come live with me :)
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Brother Johnson,
Thanks. :) I can't even being to express how much I'm going to miss your seminary class. You have changed my life so greatly. Also, good luck with the new SemCo. You're gonna be an awesome advisor :)
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Brother Waite,
You'd be a great coach.... Oh wait a minute.... :)
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Malcolm,
So many people remind me of you. I hope Canada is treating you well. Miss you Elder.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Kameron,
STOP IT. JUST STOP.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thanks for never giving up on me.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Van,
I'm glad you still talk to me even though I'm a freak who says things she shouldn't. You really are the perfect example of unconditional love.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Satan,
I hate you. You destroy families and make people so selfish. You have absolutely nothing going for you. Get away from me.
Sincerely, Kara

Dear Garrett,
Thanks for sending me nice texts every day :) I love them.
Sincerely, Kara

The end :)

Band Council 2012-2013

Yep. It's already time to find a new BC. I can't even believe it! These past 2 years went by so fast. When I started band in 7th grade I never ever imagined I'd turn out to be the Copper Hills Band President. :) Last year I served as Librarian with one of my best friends, Jay. It was a blast and I loved keeping all of the sheet music in order. This year I had the excellent opportunity to be the President. And I had the world's greatest VP, Layson. He was ALWAYS right there every time I needed. He always did the things that I forgot about and I think we balanced each other very well. Despite his crazy life, he never flaked out on anything. I really appreciate the dedication he put in.
Anyway since he and I basically run the band council entirely by ourselves, it's time to chose a new council. We got tons of applications and we were so excited! We sat down and read through them all and discussed over and over again who would be best for what.
Then we decided we should interview the people who wanted to replace us. We had 2 applications for President and 3 for VP. My best fiend in the whole world applied for President and I was just thrilled. :) She's a great girl and I know she'll do a good job if Mr. Simpson decides to chose her. Except he WILL chose her cause she's obviously the best. Shhh don't tell anyone I said that.... :)
Layson and I had a lot of fun with the interviews. We heard some pretty interesting things and I really wonder if they will live up to the things they said to us :P
Thankfully we are almost done with our decision making process and it's gonna be so great. I'm so excited for these guys next year. I know that whoever is chosen is gonna do an excellent job. :)
I freaking love band. I'm so thankful to have been involved in it all these years. It has really made high school quite the experience :)