Out of State Schools Trump Instate Schools For One Reason

I don't play "high school" all over again. I don't have people going through the motions of seeing me on campus from high school and being like "omgsh heyyyy! how are YOU?" as though we're long lost BFFs. Nope, don't have to do that or put up with that. Now that I'm home...well let's just say, it becomes more apparent that I made a good choice going to BYU. I'm several miles away from the people I, quite frankly, don't care if I ever see again. Why do I sound so cold? (haha) Well, lets just say, I want to see my few close friends. No more than that...too bad I'm the only one who thinks that.


Anyway, I hope your days are merry and bright and that your new year will be full of family and CLOSE friends. And no more than that. ;]

A Christmas Update

Some things that have happened since I've been home:

• Got a hair cut
• Seen Melissa, Nikki, Skelly, Grant, Harrison, Court, and a bunch of church people
• Had several late nights
• Pretty much got kicked out of the park with Grant by the popo (when being questioned by a power-seeking police officer, just smile like an idiot and they'll keep it short and feel stupid)
• Shopped for two hours with my siblings. Worst experience ever, considering my shopping was done, but I got to see Emily G., Sarah R., Yasir, Taylor B., Sheridan, Ethan B. and Mr. Smith...all in one store.
• Got several presents.
• Had a movie marathon with the family
• Learned how to play a billion games with the Kidds

Things I want to do:

• See my friends I haven't seen in ages
• Keep seeing my close friends
• Go to the D.C. Temple
• Drive as much as possible

The end.

Kicked Finals In the Trash

I survived FINALS! I survived my first semester. I'm done and it's never felt better. I survived AMERICAN HERITAGE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND COLLEGE ALGEBRA! Honest to goodness, those classes I was freaking out about those finals. And I passed!

2 more days until I see my family. It's been since mid-August. I'm sooo excited. I've definitely missed home on more than one occasion. Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Update on Finals.

I'M PASSING ALL MY CLASSES! So far...I have two more finals to go. American Heritage and College Algebra. So everyone, keep praying, because it's working. :]

The Week I've Been Dreading Has Finally Come.

Finals week. I could pretty much leave it at that, but for the sake of my audience I won't haha. I'm pretty confident on my Book of Mormon and Fitness and Lifestyle Management final. The other three, not so much. So basically, I'm more stressed than not, but thanks to a bunch of prayers and a blessing from my cousin's husband, Kaleb, I feel much better than I normally would. So everyone reading this, let us pray and keep our fingers crossed.

One more week until I come home and see my family and friends after months of not seeing them! Almost too good to be true! :]

Automatically a Year Older and Wiser...

That's what birthdays do to you. You go to bed the day before feeling kinda average, and then you wake up the day of your birthday and you feel like you could come up with a brilliant plan to solve world hunger or something...not really haha. But still. Feels good being older...even if I still have my babyish 18 year-old ways. :P But let's backtrack to get a full day-by-day description of my birthday gone WEEKEND.

Saturday was so much fun! I got to ride a bus up to Salt Lake with my friends which made it feel almost like a high school field trip...but to a place you actually wanted to go! When we got up to SLC, my friend, Court, from back home met up with us. Then we watched the Joseph Smith movie and I loved it. It always amazes me of the strength Joseph Smith had. He truly was led by God...no man could have withstood all he did without the help of the Lord. When the movie was over, Stephanie, Jonni, Court and I walked around Temple Square taking a billion pictures.

Sunday was my birthday! I figured it was going to be like any other Fast Sunday...but Aunt Vickie surprised me, asking me if I wanted to come over for dinner and birthday cake! YES PLEASE! So Uncle Chris picked me up after Sacrament meeting and I celebrated with my birthday with them, their kids, Brittany, Jordan and their neighbor, Sunny. It was amazing. The food was great, my cake was glorious, and I loved spending time with the family. They made my first birthday away from my family so memorable. Thank you, Aunt Vickie and Uncle Chris. I love you!

Monday consisted of all my classes, plus a Physical Science review (which didn't really help me on the test...ughhh. Everyone, do me a favor. Pray I rock the final and that the final does not rock me haha). Tuesday (today) consisted of me working on math with my professor, going to Fitness and Lifestyle Management, then going back to my math professor's office to work on more math, then go to math class and then lab...so I had 4 hours of math today.

So basically, this week will be torture. It will be pain. It will be the worst week and a half of my life if you include finals. I will not be social. I will be a creature that only ventures out of its den to go to the bathroom, eat, and take tests. I might lose a little humanity. Wish me luck!

Happy (Almost) Birthday, Self!

The big 1-9. Its coming up. This Sunday to be exact. The first Sunday of the month of December, which means Fast Sunday and the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. Yes, I'm always thrilled to have a dinner feast for my birthday and yes, I'm always into extra ways to feel spiritual, but it does not enhance a party atmosphere (sad, but true). So I decided why not spread out my birthDAY to be a birthWEEKEND...or WEEK if I feel like it. We'll see haha. But anyway, my mom had sent a package a few days ago and I GOT IT IN THE MAIL AND IT MADE MY WEEK! It was my party in a box. I got two fabulous CDs (Josh Groban and the Christmas Glee), body spray, candy, jewelry, games and more. I was so happy! Then my roommate suggested, "Why not celebrate your birthday today?". And why not? No reason not to. So we (my roommate, Alison N., Alison L. and my cousin, Sam and I) went to Earth Fruits Yogurt (I got vanilla with a bunch of fruit--so good!) and then went to the dollar theatre where we watched Despicable Me (super cute!) and Easy A (very funny and Penn was so cute haha--but to my family and friends reading this: it is PG-13 for a reason, but let's add an additional 4 or 5 years onto that 13). Then we got cut-off by a car full of cute boys...so we followed them and talked to them at a stop light...haha. All in all, it was a fabulous kick-off to my birthDAY gone WEEKEND.

Tomorrow I will be heading up to Salt Lake with my ward, where we will spend the day at Temple Square. I might even see my buddy, Court. Yay!

An Attitude of Gratitude

Of course I'd be writing about gratitude considering Thanksgiving Break just ended...just when you thought we were done with this whole grateful shpeal...I bring it up again haha. But there's nothing wrong with that.

So this was my first time spending Thanksgiving with my grandparents who live in Idaho (my dad's parents). It was just what I needed. I needed to relax, to be "mothered", to have hugs and be looked after. It felt so good. My grandparents were the best. My grandma even made me a billion Japanese things--Miso soup, rice, takuwon, yakisoba and gyoza. I was in heaven! And their dog, Koko, reminded me a lot of my dog Sophie. I'm so glad I went to see them...It was perfect!

Well now that Thanksgiving is over, I really decided that I should focus on being more grateful and not just on one day of the year. So here it goes!

I'm grateful that...
1. I got into BYU
2. That I've made some amazing friends
3. That I've survived college this long haha
4. I have family members close by
5. The Lord has placed certain people in my life where we are good influences on each other

Well everyone, I hope we all can have an "attitude of gratitude" in our every day lives and not just on Thanksgiving. Now, time for homework :]

I Can't Come Up With a Creative Title...

Basically this week has been crazy.

But here's a story I forgot to write about last week. So I was walking up the stairs and I needed to get my cellphone out of my back pocket. As I was pulling my cellphone out, my elbow slammed right into this poor girls face. To make matters worse, my elbow hit her hand, which was holding pizza before hitting her face, so the pizza slammed into her face as well. Shocked, I turned to her and was like, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" But she ran away...Oops.

Other stories, I stayed the night at my aunt and uncle's house. I was stressed most of the week. My friend, Skelly, helped me with my essay for 6 hours and stayed up until 4 o' clock his time (thank you, thank you, thank you...times 108243723 haha). I got to see my friend, Tazh, who came out to Utah. I got to see Harry Potter (omgsh, Rupert Grint became a MAN this movie. I am seriously in love with him and Tom Felton haha).

Now that my stressful weeks are over, hopefully this week will be very relaxed. I have 3 more classes until Thanksgiving Break, which I'm spending with my grandparents. I'm so excited!

Sorry For the Long Wait, But the Worst Week of My Life Finally Ended...

Okay so I'm just going to cover the beginning of the week to now, because I don't even remember last week details (that's how fried my brain is haha). So this whole week consisted of three tests (American Heritage, Book of Mormon and Physical Science...the worst combination of tests to take in one week, if you ask me). This whole week was all work, no fun, panic attacks, stress, prayers of desperation, late nights, early mornings and so on...I never want to have another week like this again! Haha. But besides all that stress, here's good news: I got an 88 on my first American Heritage essay (and first college essay in general) and it was 7 points above the average, so that was pretty sweet. I got an 80 on my Physical Science test (main reason for my panic attacks, I was that worried). I meet the funniest/cutest/smartest TA in the world...who just so happens to be my friend's cousin (she'll definitely have to hook me up). My friend got the package I sent her--a Book of Mormon and a letter...although the letter really helped her, I know the Book of Mormon will help her as well. She said the package couldn't have come at a better time and that she's willing to read it. I couldn't be more thrilled. When she told me that, I almost cried tears of joy...Now I can see and feel a fraction of how God feels when one of His children receives the gospel. It's a wonderful feeling. I got to volunteer at the nursing home twice this week. Geri has made my visits wonderful, as usual. Every visit she repeatedly says how pretty we are, how lovely my long hair is and how beautiful our smiles are...and when she gets the answer "no" for if we have boyfriends, she's always shocked. "No?! Well what the hell's wrong with ya?", she'll say...She doesn't mind a little language, I suppose. This week we brought our guy friends too and she basically said we should go out with each other...ummm, embarrassing and awkward? YES! But that's Geri for ya. I also got to talk to Russ on Friday...and by talk, I meant had my hand kissed three times...if only teenage boys were more like old people haha. I guess that's it for my week!

Tonight (and the rest of the weekend) I'll be spending it with my Aunt Cindy and Uncle John. Yay for family!

Time Has Flown By...

Okay so my last entry was Wednesday and you know what? I can honestly say I forget what I did on Thursday. All I know is that it was stressful and I cleaned my room...but if you looked at my room now, you wouldn't have guessed we did haha. But anyway, Friday was another fun family adventure. My cousin, Sam, and I needed to buy things at Target, but we got lost. So we decided to head down to our Aunt Cindy's for directions...we ended up not going to Target that night and stayed watching "The Ghost Writer" and something "Wright" and spent the night.

Saturday morning we went to Target, bought make-up, headed back down to Provo, got ready for life in general, then headed up to Highland for an official family gathering. We celebrated Halloween with Trick-Or-Treating and delicious soup. After that, Sam and I headed back home and I hung out with Alison L. and Jonni the rest of the night...and my cousin, Josh, and his friends swung by to say "hi" from their party.

Sunday was Stake Conference.

Monday and Tuesday were rough days.

Earlier this morning (12:00 A.M.) I had to pick my classes for next semester. Let's just say, my schedule is less than satisfactory...If classes don't switch around, I will be stuck with a 7 A.M. class, Monday through Thursday and I won't have my PDBio class...which I unfortunately need for my major. The rest of the day consisted of my normal schedule (my American Heritage teacher dressed up as a Confederate soldier for the lecture...Jonni and I laughed so hard).

For the rest of the day, I plan on reading my American Heritage and going to an intramural basketball game with Stephanie, Jonni's roommate. Woot wooo!

Having People Read Your Blog To Keep Up With Your Life Makes You Feel Like a Celebrity

Let's see...last time I wrote was Thursday. Lots has happened since then. Here we go!

Friday ended up being a long day/night...but in a good way. It started off rough, but with good friends, it got better. I had lunch with Sammi and Miles...they asked me out on a date haha. And we watched "Corpse Bride" and later went to see "Salt" with Jonni, Alison L. and Michael F. It was so good. I did not see the ending coming at all haha. Then we walked two miles to some park near Provo Temple. We just sat there and talked and sometime in the morning we headed back home.

Saturday consisted of laundry and watching "The Pursuit of Happyness" for my essay. Then I went to my Uncle John and Aunt Cindy's to celebrate Uncle John's birthday. Home-made pizza and root beer were on the menu. Delicious. All the cousins were there, as well as Grandma! Then Sam and I left to go to a party...which I didn't go to. Alison L, Jonni, Stephanie and Michael F went though...Sam and I felt like watching a chick flick...we were too tired to dance.

Sunday I had to get up so early for a Visiting Teaching meeting. Following the meeting, I made some hand-outs for the Visiting Teaching Supervisors, went to the hall meeting, and went back to bed...it's Sunday mornings like that that made me grateful for 1:30 church. Following church and dinner, I hung out with Alison L, Jonni, Michael F. and Jonni's friend Emily. Despite the lobby hours, we still hung out (minus Emily) under the bike rack...sometime in the morning there was a freak of nature rainstorm. It was practically going sideways.

Monday dealt with normal classes. I went to a Fitness and Lifestyle Management review. I worked out. I went to FHE. AND I got a small package in the mail. My friend had given me a few CDs and wrote me a letter...it made my day. Even though that day was pretty much the same as normal, it was incredibly stressful and that package made the whole stress of the day worth it. Thanks, friend. :]

Tuesday was rough. Fitness and Lifestyle Management is now giving lectures on emergency procedures and first aid...let's just say the visuals are too graphic for my body to handle. I nearly passed out...several times in class. It got to a point where I wrote, "Get notes from Miles", because I had to put my head down...the instructor even gave a "mini-lecture" on how to prevent passing out before he started the actual lecture...yup, it was that bad. After that class, I worked on my essay. Then I had math. And then, I met up with my peer mentor...it took too long for my taste, but she's nice. Then I headed to math lab, where four problems on the homework and a quiz took me a stinkin' hour to finish. Darn those questions that have multiple answers. But then I went to the nursing home--made my day! I was told "you're so pretty" at least ten times. They're so sweet...this lady, Geri, asked if I had a boyfriend. I told her I didn't. Her response--well what's wrong with them?! Haha, oh Geri, I have no idea. :P And it snowed! Just throwing that out there.

Wednesday. Today! First off, this morning, it was covered with snow! It was incredible! I had classes like normal. My Book of Mormon homework had a malfunction though, so I had to print it off and hand it in...thankfully, my teacher is very understanding. Then I went to the Review Room for American Heritage to review my essay...fifty minutes later, I still was not seen by a TA (Teacher's Assistant) and some guy who had waited ten minutes got seen for me. I had my hand up and everything...three TAs passed me. That moment was the last straw for me, so I left. But then I remembered--my RA (Resident Assistant?) LOVES editing essays. She helped me several times and now my essay is beast. Who needs TAs when you can have an RA like mine? Thanks Amy!

Tomorrow's agenda--classes, another Fitness and Lifestyle Management review, intramural basketball game with Stephanie, and possibly buy snow boots. Who knew I'd need them in October? Bye for now!

Two Bad Days in a Row...No Big Deal. Thank Goodness They're Over.

Tuesday was a normal class wise. Miles and I studied our butts off for Physical Science and went to a review for our test. Alison N and I also studied and quizzed each other before we went to bed...you might wonder why I have such a heavy focus on Physical Science...

I focus on PS because Wednesday was the day I took the test. After 5 hours of studying, I got a very upsetting grade. Honestly, I got a better grade on the last test where I studied 30 minutes...and even that grade wasn't the best. So I basically sulked the whole day. That is until Alison L. gave me a "pep talk" in American Heritage. She wrote, "PEP TALK: I'm gonna tell you girl: You are not stupid. You can do it. So you got a bad grade...okay. Nothing to change it now, so you need to be strong and decide you CAN do it and you WILL succeed. You know you can, I know you can. You have friends and family who love you and know you can. So just decide you will do better and you will. DON'T GIVE UP. I love you. Alison" After reading it, I cried. In class. I love her. And I guess I'll just have to study more than 5 hours next time.

Thursday, same old same old. But I stayed after on my math lab and got another homework assignment done. I felt so accomplished. And now I'm in Alison L's Book of Mormon review, chillin' in the back, reading my other homework. Good use of time.

Later on this evening deals with dinner and a library study/homework session. Long night. Friday deals with one class, laundry, more homework, and a video session (Pursuit of Happyness for American Heritage). Saturday's agenda deals with football and my Uncle John's birthday celebration...pizza party! More later. :]

Aggie Invasion, GNO, Temple Prep, Long Day of Class

Friday was a good day--my friend Julia came down from Utah State! It was so good to see her...I've missed that girl. She's absolutely hilarious...

Saturday was a very productive day. Way more productive than usual. I got two loads of laundry done and I read my American Heritage for five longgg hours. Emily K. joined me...she had to read a novel by Sunday. To make sure neither of us burnt out and quit completely, we'd allow each other to take 15 minute naps or have "facebook breaks". I was amazed at how much I got done...so I rewarded myself by going on a "Girl's Night Out"/Date with my friend Alison L. We walked to the dollar theatre (even though it costs a $1.25, but I'll let that slide) and we went to see Salt, but it was sold out. So we saw the next best thing: Eat, Pray, Love. I thought it was pretty cute. Then Alison and I headed back to our dorms...at 12:30 am. Lets just say, Provo at night with speeding/honking cars equals a terrifying experience. So I put the hood of my jacket on and pulled my jacket outward...to look like a big bulky guy. We also decided to call Sammi as we walked back. Turns out Miles and Jonni were at her apartment and we were close by. So we swung by and walked back with Miles and Jonni. Lets just say we felt safer.

Sunday was a good day also...Instead of going to Sunday School (to learn about the Old Testament), I went to Temple Prep. It was amazing! I loved that class so much.

Today was Monday...is Monday? Oh well, anyway, we didn't have Physical Science today because my teacher had surgery. So instead Miles, Alison N. and I went to the library and studied. It was as productive as it can be...studying boring material/reading boring material/writing notes on boring material is very hard haha. But then I had American Heritage and Book of Mormon and I worked out for an hour and a half with Andre and Miles. Miles and I also tried to go to the Physical Science Review Session...but it was so packed there were people flowing out of the doorways. So we're going to go tomorrow. :]

"Screw World Peace. Let's Try World Laughter."

Basically, on Tuesday, Miles was on a roll today at saying the funniest things. Seriously, I had not laughed that hard...ever. Take my title for example. Busted out laughing. And I went to the nursing home...the old people were so cute! I got hit on my an 80-some year old man...again. They would constantly say "your hair is so beautiful", "your teeth are so straight", "your smile is so pretty", "you girls are so sweet, don't ever change"...It's official. I love Tuesdays.

Wednesday was the day my roommate and I decorated for our hallway competition...Winners got to go on a date with these two guys in my ward...needless to say, my roommate and I got way into it. One, because they were cute. Two, pride was involved. haha

Thursday was the day Andre discovered a new level of respect for me. Why? Because I lifted weights with him and Miles. For a solid hour. I was dying. But I kept going and I totally shocked them both...Miles called me "boss" even. Yup. Girl power. And Thursday was also door judging day...and we got second place. I was kinda shocked, but second place gets a party in their honor...so since it's our party, we'll just invite those boys over haha. And the first place winners said they were going to hook us up with their new dates's friends. Tall, attractive friends. So things worked out. Also, Julia is in town! That means, party it up this weekend for sure!

Mothers Know Just What to Say...

Well today was another long day. Add homesickness to the mix (yes, I had another moment), it was a very slow, mellow, half-empty day. That is until my mom's "spidy" senses kicked in...looks like I'm not good at hiding my emotions. She could tell something was wrong...and she knew exactly what to say. One thing she said that stuck out was when she said that "failure and struggles are part of the plan. If we didn't have them, we'd be perfect, and if we were perfect, we wouldn't need the Savior. Everyone has struggles and failures; everyone needs the Savior.". College failures--my test scores--and struggles--living on my own, eating right, exercising, studying the perfect amount, having "me" time, having a social life--have been quite a burden. But as my mom reminded me, everyone goes through this in some way at college. All this time, I thought my mom was the epitome of college perfection...I never heard about her failures...only her crazy roommates! haha. I didn't hear about my dad's either, or my cousin, Lindsey's, or my several aunts' and uncles', or really anyone's failures or struggles. I thought I was just alone--the only one to have failed a test (at least in my family) or gotten a test that wasn't an A or high B. It all sounds silly, thinking about my feelings and typing it all down...but to be honest, that's how I felt. But my mom reminded me something I'd lost sight of. No one's perfect. And I'm not expected to be perfect. Turns out, she wasn't either, which to be honest, set my mind at ease also...She simply told me that whenever I feel that way to just turn to the Savior and "stand in holy places, even if that holy place is in myself". I hope that when I'm a mom I'll have that ability to somehow know exactly what to say...love you Mom!

Other less depressing sides of my day (haha), I got to spend an hour and a half coordinating visiting teaching companions and their sisters...you'd think it would be easy, but its not. When you hold stewardship over people, you have suddenly a lot more pressure about their salvation and overall well-being haha. I also had Family Home Evening (or as we call it, Home Evening Group...I'm more of a fan calling it FHE, but whatever haha) and we played poker. I am not good! I lost all my cookies and Andes Mints...oh well.

Agenda for tomorrow: classes (obviously), visit the nursing home, pick my bundle for next semester...it will be another long, busy day. But that's college for ya.

Goodnight Weekend

Right now, its technically Monday. Very early in the morning. But I'd like to give a quick summary of my weekend. Friday night, I went to see BYU Spectacular with my friends Alison L. and Jonni. It was amazing! Everyone was fantastic, but my favorites were the Cougarettes and Young Ambassadors. Then we headed off to Sammi's place for Alison L's surprise party. I kinda gave it away, but it was still a lot of fun. We watched Star Dust (that movie makes me want to name my son "Tristan", no joke) and tried to pull an all-nighter...we failed. haha Then Saturday came and I celebrated Alison's birthday (again) with her brother, sister-in-law, niece, Jonni, Kirsten, and Liz. The food was delicious and we played Life...I got into so much debt because of student loans and home insurance and car insurance...The game of Life sure was living up to its name. And by the end of the game, I didn't even break a million. Oh well. Then my cousin, Sam, and her dad, (my uncle) Arnold, picked me up after the party and we spent the night at Aunt Cindy/Uncle John's house. It was so nice to see family Sunday was a big family get-together day. Our grandma was in town and we had a huge feast of glorious food...mmm-mmm-good.

Now I'm off to bed. Goodnight weekend.

It is Friday...

Basically, this whole week was fairly normal. Got my butt kicked with my American Heritage test, but I've heard that's pretty normal haha. Thursday was stressful as usual, but the day ended on a high note! It's homecoming week at BYU, so yesterday we went down a huge slip-n-slide of blue foam. It was freezing, disgusting (too much grass and mud mixed in with the foam) and completely awesome! Everyone was just tackling each other and going crazy. So much fun!

Today's agenda--go to class (check), laundry (half-check...its washing right now haha), homework, small nap, workout and get ready for BYU Spectacular! I'm so excited! It will be an amazing night...and tomorrow is Alison L's birthday! She'll be 19...so old. ;]

Great Weekend, Not-So-Great Monday

But I guess thats the norm, isn't it? This past weekend was amazing! Friday was Jonni's birthday. We celebrated by talking...haha we had so many plans, but really it all boiled down to us talking. Which all of us were a fan of, so that was totally fine. Tyler (a friend from EFY years ago) came by to visit, which was nice. Saturday was amazing! It was General Conference weekend and I got to go to the Saturday morning session. It was so cool! I loved it. I got to see my friend, Court, too, which was nice. I ended up spending the whole day up in Salt Lake, because our (Alison L. and Jonni) ride forgot to mention they were staying up in SL for the Priesthood session. But it was totally fine because it got us to meet Jericho Road and David Osmond and get their autographs and we got to see our friend Julia from back home. She took us to her grandmother's where we feasted on German food...they had a family reunion the previous day and were having left-overs but they were delicious. And, turns out, Julia's grandma is first-cousin's with President Eyring. Small world! When we heard that, all three of us squealed a little bit haha. On Sunday we also listened to General Conference.

Today, Monday, was another tiring day. After my classes, however, I was surprised by getting mail. Two letters from my two brothers. Both made me laugh so hard. I loved them. I also worked out today and it turns out the clouds of Utah can't really make up their mind on the weather...because one moment, its cold, the second, its sunny, the third, it's pouring! And it just so happened that when I finished working out, the clouds decided to create a monsoon. So I ran/walked through the most bone-chilling rain of my life. It was fun though, just because I miss the rain so much...Utah does not get enough of it.

The rest of my schedule consists of studying, taking a math test, eating and studying some more. Wish me luck on another stressful week! Oh, and my grandma comes in today! I'm so excited! Just throwing that out there.

Happy Happy Birthday, From All of Me to You

It's Jonni's birthday! She's finally 18 and so Alison L and I stayed up making signs for her...I mean, how else are we going to decorate when we have no money and no car? haha We made the cutest "Happy Birthday Jonni" sign and then we printed off some of our favorite celebrity men and had them say "happy birthday" also. It was so cute.

This past week has been normal, yet hectic. I went on a date with Harold...meaning the Harold B. Lee Library. I had to fight my way to wash one stinkin load of laundry, because 6 washers is not nearly enough for our hall, let alone the whole building. I went to "Recapturing Beauty" with Stephanie Nielson as the speaker--look her up! Her story is amazing. I was disturbed by a girl's shirt that said "I eat boys" and had blood splatters on it...let's just say, I did not sit next to her in math class. I had an "a-ha" moment about why my back hurts sometimes...thank you Fitness and Lifestyle Management! Our window blinds got cleaned...and the cleaners had to come into our dirty room...Alison and I were mortified when we found out. So I wrote "Dear Window Blind people, please excuse the mess. Its been a rough week. And thanks for all you do." They wrote back saying, "No problem! <3, Adam and Steve". haha...It gave me a good laugh.

Boycott Mondays.

Mondays are so dreadful. Its the start of another week of being responsible...no more fun on the weekends. But honestly, sometimes you need to have a weekend from your weekend, meaning, you need another break from your super crazy, fun weekend. But anyways, today was yet another day of classes. The only thing different really was that there was a F&L Management review. So that was...nice. I was going to say fun, but it really it wasn't. But it was a good review. And I met someone new today...we both were trying to find the review room. We got lost a lot haha.

Other than that, I saw my cousin Sam, studied for a test and that was basically my day. Fun stuff...for a Monday.

Oh Wow, The Weekend Is Almost Over...Darn It!

Despite the craziness on Thursday (aka, my torture day and the day where everything had to get done), it made my Friday amazing. First off, I had a sleepover with my friend Sammi. I passed my Book of Mormon test and I ran for thirty minutes straight for my homework...but I've never been a good runner, so I was shocked. Some friends and I (Sammi, Miles, Alison L. and Jonni) went to the library and played "Sardines"...I hid in the elevator. No one found me haha. We also watched Modern Family and Project Runway. Great shows.

Saturday came and Sammi and I ran for thirty minutes without stopping. Yay us! Miles and I studied for Physical Science...we didn't do so hot, but it still went well. Then I went to the football game with Alison L and we sat with Liz, Andre, David M and Jonni. We lost the game but it was super fun. Then we all hung out. Had a music party, met new people, got some numbers...haha no big deal.

Today is Sunday. But nothing has really happened obviously. So more on that later.

Can Friday Come Faster?

After Fitness and Lifestyle Management, I had my math class and math lab...not every exciting haha. But after that, I got to skype my friend, Tyler. Turns out, he's going to come down to Provo for General Conference, so we might see each other! Exciting! I also did some laundry and homework. Night time was rough though...I had a little homesick moment. I'll admit it. So I talked to my mom on the phone and then got some running clothes on and just ran on the track outside. Not very long, mind you, but just enough to relieve some stress. Then when my brain decided to stop (because my body wanted to stop...15 minutes before I actually stopped haha), I sat down on the hill with Jonni, who had just finished writing in her journal, and listened to Josh Groban on my iPod. Talk about a soothing voice. I could've fallen asleep, it was that peaceful.

Today, I had Physical Science (a review, and a boring one at that, but what can you do? It's a GE for Pete's sake), American Heritage (we listened to an American Revolution video...in the tune to "Apologize" by OneRepublic haha), and Book of Mormon...let's just say, by the end of it, I was mentally done for the day. After a quick lunch with Jonni and dodging the raindrops on the way back to my hall (yes, it actually rained!), I skyped my friend Jameson, which was nice. Then after reading some homework assignments and getting sustained, Jonni and I headed up to Alison L.'s room, where we read some more and ate pizza. Delicious. And to make my parents happy (who I know will be reading this), I decided to set up my printer! And it works! I'm a genius...haha.

That's all for now! Tomorrow will be Thursday, aka my torture days. But Friday will be amazing! One class, a dance and sleepover with Sammi. So excited! :]

College > High School

Its the fourth week of college and even though the homework kicks my butt, and I'm tired, and the classes are demanding, it is way more fun than high school. Just sayin...

Sunday was a good day. After church, I went to a family BBQ. All the aunts and uncles were there (except for my aunt Karen) and my cousins, including the ones from Kentucky and Ohio, were there. It was so much fun to see everyone...there was also a huge wild fire off in the distance. It looked like a volcano.

Monday was exhausting. But then again, all Monday's are. I didn't feel well, so I skipped FHE. I got to talk to some good friends though, so I guess it was okay.

Today, so far I've had Fitness and Lifestyle Management and now I'm off to math. Fun stuff.

Too Early in the Morning to Think of Something Creative or Clever

I am going to keep this short. One, because I'm tired and need to go to bed. Two, because my eyes are struggling to stay open. So here it goes! Something I forgot about my Thursday: my lovely roommate brought me back some Costa Vida...I forget what it was but it was gloriousss! Friday: I had my class, I cleaned my room, found out my pipe was leaking, got that fixed, turned in homework, watched a movie with some girls from my hall (and cousin!) and then more of us went to the dollar theatre (Knight and Day). We got back around 3 in the morning. Then my cousin, Sam, slept over at my dorm and that was good. Saturday: Woke up at 12. Walked over to Sam's place and then came back to my dorm and got ready for the day. Sam glammed me up with eye make-up and curly hair. Then Sam, Jonni and I walked over to Sammi's house to have a tie-dye party! Besides us (and Sammi) there was Miles, Alison, Andre, David and Sammi's roommate Jessica. After food and tie-dye, we had an unexpected movie night. And we just got back...over all, it was a fun night and overall fun weekend...well worth the wait. :]

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Yesterday was Thursday, aka my super hard, super busy, super stressful days. Why? Because I have two classes and three labs. It's pure torture for the brain. But remarkably, I was able to make it through all my classes, not to mention getting 100s in my math and American Heritage classes. Yup, Lady Luck was on my side today. I also had dinner with my friend from back home, Tess. It was good to just have dinner and talk and catch up with each others lives. It made home that much closer.

Today's agenda: Physical Science class, clean my dorm, get ahead on homework and possibly see my cousin Sam...and partyyy! The weekend has finally arrived! :]

Same Day, More Shenanigans

So after running and getting ready, I left for my classes. Today I had Physical Science, American Heritage and Book of Mormon. Physical Science was the same...meaning I was fighting to stay awake. This class is going to kick my butt...but lucky for me, I have at least four people to study with! Alison N., Miles and Sammy! In American Heritage we watched a lot of clips, which I love! They make the lectures so much more interesting! Book of Mormon was the same as usual--sing a hymn, say a prayer and dive into the lesson.

Funny story though! One the way to Book of Mormon, I went to the bathroom and this girl who I knew was going also. As I was finishing up, she asked for me to grab a tampon out of her bag. So I went to go grab it and I started searching through her laptop bag and backpack to try to find her tampon. During the search, a girl beside the bag suddenly said, "That's not your bag!" I was a little stunned, but I calmly said, "I know, I'm just grabbing my friend a tampon.". When I said that, her attitude suddenly changed and she started rambling, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I feel so embarrassed. I'm sorry..." over and over again. I laughed and told her it was no big deal. "You were just being a good samaritan, I would've done the same." Little did I know, after I found the tampon, tossed it into my friend's bathroom stall, and found a seat in BOM class, I found that same girl walk in and take a seat...awkwarddd. haha

Another fun moment, I went to the store with Alison today. We bought a few product items and a dry-erase board...so now people can write us cute notes! I'm excited.

It's Amazing How Many Things One Can Do in a Matter of Hours...

Since my last blog post, so many things have occurred, that I'm just gonna blog now. My day hasn't even technically started yet...my first class begins in an hour and a half. Aren't you curious on what I accomplished in that short of time? Thought so, so here we go. :]

After talking to some of my family and a couple of hours of homework, Alison N. and I decided to step up our physical health. We were completely honest about everything, from our weight to what we ate that day. We then created a healthy eating plan (we will concur the overly-delicious Canon Center!). We also created "Megan and Alison's Food 10 Commandments". Here it goes:

1. Thou shalt love thy bodies.
2. Thou salt not eat past the 10th hour.
3. Thou shalt quench thy thirst 5 times daily (meaning water bottles haha)
4. Thou shalt elongate thy limbs before retiring.
5. Thou shalt commit thine self to 30 minutes of cardio.
6. Thou shalt exercise thine self EVERYDAY. No excuses (with two underlines under "no excuses". Yup, we're that serious).
7. Thou shalt not eat thine emotions.
8. Thou shalt learn and aquire the strength to say no to adverse foods.
9. Thou shalt not stuff to gain they money's worth.
10. Thou shalt be honest in all thy doings (meaning, with exercise, our food intake, etc...as well as just being honest in general haha).

If thou breakest these commandments, serious consequences shall follow...
Steps to repentance--(1) Confess; (2) Exercise of partner's choice; (3) Recommit

And that's it! Simple on paper, but we'll see how well this goes. I'm excited! Then we woke up at 5:45 in the morning and started running at 6...Thirty minutes later, I thought I was either going to throw up and/or die (we sprinted the last part), but after a couple of minutes, it felt so good. And I finished some homework, where normally I'd be sleeping. Seems like a good change in my book.

The rest of my day's agenda: going to classes, homework, cleaning my room (our first cleaning checks are this Friday!), and going to the store with Alison to get healthy alternatives to follow our newly created "10 commandments". Today's going to be great!

Tuesdays are the New Mondays

What I mean by that is that with new classes and a new day schedule, you're pretty much starting from scratch. Hence, "new Monday". Today, I had my Fitness and Lifestyle Management class. We learned about cardiorespiratory fitness...it made me want to buy a bike and just go bike around Provo all day haha. I'm putting that on my "Things to Buy Next Year" list--a bike! Then I went to my first devotional! Elder Robert D. Hales was the speaker and he primarily talked about how the things we choose can either "lead us to a door full of opportunities or keep us trapped in a corner with few options"...thank you, free agency! After the devotional, I headed off to math class...rational functions haven't changed. They're still just as boring as when I learned them the first time haha. But hopefully the intense boredom level won't prohibit me from continuing to brush up on my Algebra skills. To make sure I wasn't enjoying myself too much, I had to go to math lab not long after that class haha. But my TA is very nice and I got a 100% on the quiz and the homework. So far, so good.

Today I also had a new change...a visit to the health center to be exact. I had been feeling weird sensations in my chest. Afraid it was asthma or a heart murmur or some odd disease (trust me, I had a couple of weeks to worry about this and my imagination was running wild haha), I decided to walk all the way to the health center with Jonni. After a visit with the doctor and a breathing test and a heart test, the verdict was that it was anxiety and stress haha. Kind of lame and slightly embarrassing, but honestly, knowing what was wrong with me makes me feel so much better. Gotta love nice doctors and nurses.

Now I will be finishing up homework and just getting ready for tomorrow. Exciting!

Oh and yesterday, after my previous blog, I had my first Family Home Evening...it was interesting. But I'm glad my roommate and I will be going together. I'll just leave it at that. haha.

I Miss the Weekend Already and Its Only Monday

My whole weekend for the most part was quite enjoyable. On Friday, there was a 70's dance/event, which was pretty fun. Even though they ran out of tie-dye, Alison L., Jonni and I got two free white t-shirts...so we'll be having our own tie-dye party soon. We also got our faces painted and then danced the night away (a guy from my ward Sammy and a friend of his joined us). Then after the dance, we all got ice cream (despite the cold) and headed over to May hall where we hung out with other people as well. I learned how to play signs...seems to be a cut-throat game. Either that or the people who I'd send the "sign" over to wouldn't pay attention so I'd get tagged haha. But no hard feelings.

Saturday was a good day. I got up early, studied some math, and headed down to the testing center, only to find it was closed...so I spent a few hours doing homework and then my roommate Alison N. drove me and Jonni down to Riverton, where we saw our relatives. It was so good to see them and to have a home-cooked meal. My aunt Vickie found out I forgot to buy computer paper when I bought my printer last week (oops...), so she gave me a whole pack of it. That was very sweet of her. And later on, my uncle John took me and Jonni home.

Sunday was a fantastic day. We had Regional Conference and we got to hear talks from Brother (or should I say Elder?) Snow of the Seventy, Sister Beck, President of Relief Society, Elder Holland of the Twelve, and Elder Packer, President of the Twelve. I loved every single talk. The only downside was sitting on the uncomfortable bleachers for more than an hour haha. But actually listening to them and being in the same room with them (a plus to being in the same state as the General Authorities for sure) outweighed the seats. After R.C., I invited my cousins Sam and Lindsey and her husband Kaleb to have lunch with me. It was good to see them and talk to them. It lasted two hours, but it was very enjoyable haha. After lunch and Book of Mormon homework, I headed out to the Fireside, where Elder Scott would give his talk. It was so beautiful, hearing him talk so sweetly about his wife and children (yes, the talk was on marriage), it made me cry. I love it when General Authorities talk about their wives...you can tell they still love each other, if not more than they did as newly weds. I want that in my life. I told Jonni, "We need to find 'Apostle Potentials" as our husbands"...and we will someday! haha

Later on in the evening, I had some girl talk with Alison N., Alison L., and Jonni. Never have I laughed so hard in those short hours...haha. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.

Today is Monday and besides classes, I took my math test...it was open this time! haha. I did pretty good for my first college test. I was exhausted though...but my lovely roommate bought me a little drink to help me wake up haha. So sweet of her. And later on today, my plan's to work on homework, do some laundry and go to Family Home Evening! Busy, busy!

Zzzzz....

Exhaustion has settled in. The past few days have been me trying to keep up with homework. Late nights required. But tomorrow is Friday, thank goodness. That means one class and one test at the testing center and then I am free.

Other mentionables: Watched Legends of the Fall (edited of course) with Emily K. and Jonni...I liked it surprisingly. haha I have a calling. Can't say what it is right now, but I have one...Other than that, life is pretty much school related and that's boring to read/write about. The weekends are way more exciting. :]

Girl Talk and Catch-Up Days

It's days like today that make me so grateful for the girl friends I've made. They know just what to say and they know what you're going through in all aspects--new place to call home, experiencing being an adult, balancing homework and church callings and not to mention a LIFE. They're the ones you can talk about boys and drama and boy drama haha (we're girls who love boys, of course we're going to talk about them!). There's nothing better than having that one friend you can depend on (and I'm lucky to have more than just one haha)...quality over quantity is a must in this aspect.

Today was Labor Day--no school! This day consisted of me cleaning my room (vacuuming made me miss the vacuum back home, as sad and slightly pathetic as that sounds--our vacuums are ancient!), eating, doing homework and going to FHE. All in all, a productive day. :]

Rise and Shout, the Cougars are Out!

Friday night = first college sleepover! haha It was so awesome...there was Alison L., Jonni and Emily K. and we were watching She's the Man. Then we heard a knock on my door--a special delivery--by Cat and Emily V. Special delivery meaning Panda Express. So delicious. Once the movie was over we crashed...we know how to throw sleepovers I guess haha.

This morning (Saturday) I had to go off campus to grab my glasses and buy a printer. But once I got on campus, it was packed with BYU proud fans and...the other team. haha But Alison and I didn't have our tickets for that game. So we spent that time at Alison's brother's house and watched Center Stage and ate ice cream and quesadillas...mmm delicious. And we won, so that made it even better.

After the game, we left Alison's brother's place and wanted to do something fun. Add Jonni, Michaela, Sammi, Miles, Andre, Jimmy and Ryan to the mix, we all headed up to Brigham Square (I think?) and played "Soldier". It was the most intense game I've ever played...and it made me realize I would make a horrible soldier haha.

Then we all headed back and that left Alison, Jonni and I chillin' in the Helamen square area. Emily joined us and eventually two other guys did...no big deal or anything... ;]

Well, tomorrow is Fast Sunday. Again. Write back later!

"Friends are the Family We Choose for Ourselves"

That phrase comes from a set of friendship rings I own, but now that I'm far away from my family, this phrase holds so much truth. I love the friends I have made and I love spending time with them. They're my sisters when I need them and they're my support system while we're all thousands of miles away from home.

Today is Thursday but we (Alison L., Jonni, and Emily K.) all decided to start our weekend early and head to the Miller Field to watch "Remember the Titans". First off, that movie is a classic. Second, it was even better because it was outdoors and it was with some girls I have grown to love. There's nothing better than friendship.

Tomorrow, I have one class and its at 10 am. Thank goodness! Once class is over, I'm going to get as much homework done as possible, because this weekend is going to be insanely fun and packed. Super excited.

I Believe I'm Not In High School Anymore

Just like Dorothy realizing she wasn't in Kansas anymore, I'm realizing that I'm in a place much different than high school. For one, the homework load has more than doubled its normal time length. Its stressful, but that's the price college students pay, right? Besides my Fitness class and Math class/lab, I went on a run with Jonni. By the end of it, with the combination of not running in months and the altitude difference from back home, I'm surprised my lungs stayed inside my chest. Talk about heart burn. But other than classes and the workout, there was nothing but homework...gotta love college.

Little Fish in a Big Pond--First Day of Class

Talk about intense. Not so much the class itself, but trying to juggle getting from one class to another, trying to find a seat, trying to stay awake haha. Today I had Physical Science (and my teacher turns out to be from a different faith--at BYU of all places, go figure!) and American Heritage (it did not sound interesting at all...thank you GE's) and Book of Mormon 2 (my teacher wasn't the main Book of Mormon teacher, but he edited and wrote for the Ensign, Liahona, New Era and Friend and edited the Hymn book...sounds legit to me!). But like all colleges (or most, its not like I'm staying this from experience), I had a ton of homework. No fun haha. But it's gotta get done. Work hard, play hard, that's what I'm gonna try to live by.

Today was also FHE. We got to speed date. So I know more about the guys than the girls, but we seem to be a really sweet ward. :]

More classes tomorrow! Fitness and Lifestyle Management, math and more math (thank you labs). :P

I Love Bee-Why-You

Yesterday (Saturday) was quite a handful. I was sick Friday night (darn allergies) and slept for 11 hours and work up around 11ish. After showering and getting ready for the day, I had my "breakfast" with a hall-mate, Jonni. After a glorious breakfast (seriously, so delicious), we decided to go all around campus to look for our classrooms, not just the buildings they were in. This proved to be very helpful because most of the time it took us at least 5 minutes to find a certain class. But after that and after relaxing a bit (our feet were killing us at that point), we headed out for some dinner. Again, it was glorious. Then we came back to our hall and got ready for our first college dance. If you took out the slow dances and the swing dances, it was actually a lot of fun! Then all of us (Andre for a little bit, Alison L., roommate Alison N., Jonni and I) all hung out. We spent most of the evening dodging sprinklers, going lobby-hopping and then watching funny YouTube videos. All in all, it was a fun Saturday night.

Today will be my first church meeting in my BYU Ward. I'm really excited! :]

And it's official. I want to try-out for the BYU Women's Rugby Team. There's an interest meeting Monday. We'll see how that goes. Alison N., Jonni and Liz (a friend from my stake who lives in Heritage) wants to join the team too. So excited!

"Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve"

This is one of the most inspiring phrases I've ever heard and it just so happens to be the BYU motto. I love it. It makes you want to make a difference in the world, big and small, a change for good. I guess that's why I wanted to be a speech therapist (or just recently added, special education teacher--thank you David O. McKay School of Education for having both of them in the same section). I want to make a difference in the lives of young children, when developing social and academic skills are crutial. I want to inspire them to dream a size bigger than what people expect from them...kids that are slow mentally or talk differently and stuggle. To me, the size of a paycheck won't matter--the growth and happiness of a child will.

I've been thinking a lot about my future lately...I suppose college can do that to a person, weird haha. Today the biggest moment for me was when we visited our "schools" that hold our majors in NSO. My lovely school is the David O. McKay School of Education. President McKay said "I think it must be apparent to every thinking mind that the noblest of all professions is that of teaching, and that upon the effectiveness of that teaching hangs the destiny of nations.". That quote was, in a way, my "A-ha!" moment. It's everything I want to do and be. Brother Brad Wilcox (one of the professors in the school) said, "I'm so glad you aren't here to 'enter to learn, go forth to earn'." haha It's so true though. For professions as crutial as teaching, they don't get paid very well. But in my opinion, teaching is a great sacrifice (financially) but also one of the most rewarding professions. I never considered teaching, but I guess now I will be, just in a different way.

I'm very excited for my future. In my mind, there will be nothing better than helping the lives of young children. I hope it all works out. Keep your fingers crossed that it does!

Sticker Shock, Check-Ins, and NSO--So Many Things To Do!

First off, I would like to apologize to the blog stalkers (haha, just kidding family and friends!), turns out you need a special cord to get on the internet...so there's a lot of stuff to catch up on! So let's start with the day before yesterday! :]

The day before yesterday (Tuesday) was another sticker shock day. Honestly, you think tuition and housing and meal plans are crazy expensive...add books and more supplies (yes, our first day wasn't quite sufficient for the demand of college life and preparation) and you feel like you're digging yourself into a pit that could soon make you unable to get yourself out. Debt? No...not yet. But it does make one slightly worried. I went to a Financial Survivor lecture today and the lady said, "It is socially acceptable to be below poverty level as a college student". Truer words were never spoken. :P haha

Yesterday was check-in day. Talk about long and exhausting. We (Mom, cousin Bailey and I) got into my hall and spent four hours organizing and sanitizing and whatnot. Later Aunt Karen joined in. It was getting a little crazy haha. But we finished and my room looks great! Thanks everyone! :]

Today was the first day of NSO (New Student Orientation). Honestly, it seemed way "EFY-ish" to me haha. Not that EFY is a bad thing (trust me, I loved EFY), but I don't know...it seemed a bit much in my opinion. But the most useful thing (for me) was the financial lecture meeting thing (yes, Mom, I did go! haha). Very informative. After all that jazz, my cousin Lindsey picked up my friends Alison L. and Miles and took us over to our friend Sammi's house. We then went to dinner and (Alison and I) walked back home. Alison and I learned to one, get better acquainted with the campus (We got lost haha. Thank you, random biker who gave excellent directions!) and to not walk back from Sammi's house when the sun is setting...haha lessons learned.

Tomorrow's agenda: NSO...and who knows what else after that.

Knowledge Is Power, But It Comes At A Price

Today was the biggest "sticker shock" day of my life. I had to buy my books, my packets, my pedometer, my Iclicker. I had to buy laundry soap, bed sheets, hangers, dorm room supplies galore. I had to buy new glasses. Something I learned very quickly was that money goes fast! And the sad thing is that we're still not done.

But lucky for me, there were some new bits of "knowledge" that were free. Aunt Karen decided to give me a hair lesson and make-up lesson after my trim. Not to toot my own horn, but once she was done, I looked good haha. Now hopefully I'll be able to maintain it! Another tid bit--my throat started hurting...slightly paranoid that it was strep throat or something, I was worried. But Aunt Karen whipped out her special oils and prepared a remedy that could cure whatever was in my body and just to be safe, she wrapped cabbage around my throat (after putting some essential oils on) and told me to have it on for 45 minutes. "It'll hurt like the demons," she said, "but it works." And she's right. It feels like my throat is on fire. But if it works as much as it hurts, then I'm sure I'll be fine.

Rolled, Sprained, or Twisted, Doesn't Matter What It Is, It Hurts

Literally ten mintues before we were going to go to the family dinner, I was going to take out Uncle John's dog. His dog is a big dog and as I was going out the door, so was she. The combination of the dog blocking my sight and my weak perscription in my glasses made me mistake the step for a flat porch. One second you saw me, the next you heard a big boom with me on the floor. My ankle failed me haha. It hurt a lot, but it wasn't bad enough that I couldn't walk. So we all got in the car and drove to Aunt Karen's and Uncle Bob's house, where I grabbed some ice and wrapped it around my ankle and did "RICE". Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. This required me to lay on the floor and prop my foot on a couch armrest. I was quite the party pooper haha.

But, on the brightside, the food was delicious and the company was good. Mmmmm. Nothin' better, my friends.

Tomorrow's agenda: heading out to BYU to buy books and get my ID; order glasses; get hair trimmed; get school supplies. Very hectic.

The Great Laptop Search and Other Bits and Bytes

Yesterday was pretty fun (and somewhat stressful). The stressful part happened in the beginning of the day. After going to bed around 2 and waking up around 8, I got ready for something I've been dreading for a long time--laptop shopping. Laptops are amazing, don't get me wrong. But trying to buy a laptop for the best price with Best Buy guys trying to convince you that a certain $400 dollar laptop (with a $200 dollar warranty) was the best deal ever (not), and having a variety of laptops at Sam's Club and Costco makes you completely overwhelmed. Lucky for me, I have an uncle (John) who is a complete genius in this computer field (he doesn't think he is, but compared to me, he is the Einstein of computer knowledge). With his help, I got a laptop for a decent price, a very nice warranty, and some peace of mind. Thank you, Uncle John!

The fun part happened afterward. My mom and I met up with Court, my good friend and my mom's "third son". We ate at Cafe Rio and after lunch, we headed towards the University of Utah campus, where Court showed us around (it is quite beautiful, regardless of the BYU/U of U rivaly haha). After the campus tour, we went to the Gateway (the mall). It is much better than our mall back home, if I do say so myself. And then we went to see his new home where he's staying with his grandparents and aunt. It was very beautiful, the home and the view. Then Aunt Vickie picked us up from Court's and we said goodbye.

Later on in the evening, we (Uncle Chris, Aunt Karen, my mom and I) went to my Uncle John/Aunt Cindy's house, where my mom and I would stay the night. Never have I laughed more in a couple of hours in my life. When my aunts and uncles and my mom get together, they are absolutely hilarious. It makes me very excited for when my siblings and I meet up together.

Today is now Sunday and later on, all the Utah family (minus Aunt Vickie and some or all of her family, because of another thing) will get together for our big Italian family feast. I can smell Uncle John's sauce and meatballs from here...it's going to be sooo good! Ciao!

Pools, Drive Ins, and Lunch Dates, Oh My!

So yesterday, after waking up from the tent, my aunt had an idea--going to the pool! Fun going with your cousins, right? Yes. Fun going with your cousin's cousins, who aren't really your cousins, so its like you're one step above strangers and you have to hang out with them a bunch?...Debatable haha. The one "cousin" who was closest to my age and also going to BYU (Taylor) left to play Fantasy Football (or was it baseball?). The other "cousin", Megan, was hanging out with her younger cousins. This left my cousin Jacob and Brayden and my Aunt Vickie, who I spent most of my time with.

While we were there, I got Brayden hooked onto the diving board (Although I got yelled at by a psycho lifeguard for still being at the edge of the pool just in case Brayden needed to be pulled up. In my eyes, she should thank me. I was closer to saving a potential life than she was and I wasn't even getting paid for it. Punk.). After a couple of dives, Brayden seemed to get the hang of it. "I'm gonna do a front flip!" he said. "Brayden, I don't think that's such a good idea. You might smack your head or your stomach." I warned. Brayden then said, "Megan, I'm not gonna hit the bottom!" I left, telling him to be careful and highly suggested he just stuck to running off the board. Five minutes later, Brayden came back to where we were staying, crying and the side of his stomach bright red. Even though he went back to the boards and stopped crying, I still felt bad.

Later that evening, Aunt Vickie and her sisters decided to go to a "Drive In Movie". It must be a dying breed, because they don't even have those in Northern Virginia. So I tagged along with some of the Filoso clan (Aunt Vickie, Ali, Noah) to the movies where we met up with the "cousins" we'd seen earlier. The movies? Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me. Best two movies ever. By the time the movies were done, it was past midnight and by the time we got home it was 1 in the morning.

Today's agenda (that I know of) deals with going to buy a laptop with my uncle, John, and my mom, and going on a lunch date (again with my mom) and also my friend and my mom's "third son", Court. I haven't seen him in ages, so it should be fun.  :]

Tupperware, Tents and Trampolines

Even though only a few days passed since my last blog, so much has happened! So I guess I'll start from the moments after I made my first blog post. I was just relaxing with my cousins. My mom and my aunt Karen had already gone to Education Week at BYU. My uncle Bob had already left for work. My cousin, Josh, had gone to his job. Emily was gone (she did a night hike up to Mt. Timpanogos...I think) and was going to come back later in the morning. That meant that only Katie, Jared, Jacob, Ali, Justin, and I were at the house. But eventually Emily joined the home-bound ranks and we all just went about our morning business.

Not long after Em got home, my mom called and told us that we should help my cousin Lindsey and her husband, Kaleb. They had to move all their stuff into a new apartment. Not too hard right? Well, after Katie's ortho appointment, and Lindsey measuring someone's driveway for Kaleb's job, we finally headed towards the apartment. A bunch of lifting, organizing and disinfecting later, we hit a stopping point around 7 o' clock.

That's when Linds told Kaleb they had to meet up with friends...and that we had to stay at the apartment until Mom and Aunt Karen finished Education Week for the day--"around 7:30 at the Marriott Center" Lindsey said. We were told to wait in her old apartment until they called for me to pick them up...pick them up? Is she serious? I was to go to BYU campus and navigate my way through the streets of the campus I've only been on one time to pick them up? A little panicked, I was relieved to find out Katie knew the way and let Lindsey and Kaleb go off to their next destination.

We were pretty calm and okay with the whole situation...that is until we found out that to get on the computer you needed the manager password. The password Lindsey forgot to mention. I looked at the time on my cellphone. By then it was around 7:15...might as well leave to pick up Mom and Karen right? So we all headed in the car and I drove off. This drive proved to be more stressful than when I was trying to learn how to drive back in my permit days. Not only was I driving in a new place, my "co-pilot", Katie, couldn't tell her right from her left and Ali kept screaming "we're gonna die" about every minute or so. When we finally got to the Marriott Center, it was a little past 8, my nerves were raw, I was hungry and my patience was just about empty. When I called to let my mom know where we were, I discovered that Education Week wasn't over...the last lesson ended at 9:20. This meant that we had to wait until then to leave. And to make it worse, they weren't at the Marriott Center...they were at the Wilkinson Student Center. My mind was sarcastically saying at this point, "Welcome to BYU campus, where we love to keep you hostage".

After finding a new parking spot closer to the Wilkinson Student Center, we found our moms waiting at the cafe area. My mom handed us some money, and with my $8 in hand, I bolted to the shortest line in the room, only to satisfy my hunger pains with Japanese take-out (that was nowhere near as good as my Japanese grandmother's, but beggars can't be choosers). Dinner ended, so Katie, Ali, and I went through the bookstore, where Katie and Ali bought (in my mind) candy that was too expensive. That only killed about 15 minutes, so we left and sat in an open seating area. Eventually 9:20 came around and so did our moms. We finally left BYU and got home around 10:30.

The next morning, my cousin, Brittany, and I decided to go to Education Week for a few hours. The lessons were pretty good and the speakers were great which made walking up and down BYU's freakishly tall and long stairs worth it, one of which is called "God's Stair-Master"--even if we both had lung burn and "jello" legs by the end of it. I joked with Brittany saying, "if I don't have nice legs by the end of my first freshman semester, I'm going to be so upset".

When we left BYU, we headed back towards my Aunt Vickie and Uncle Chris's house. I stayed there my first night in Utah and was eager to see them again. A short visit became hours and by the time evening hit, Brittany's boyfriend, Noti, was at the house, as well as my aunt's family. By the time they left, it would've been a pain to drop me off back at Aunt Karen and Uncle Bob's. So my other cousins, Jacob, Noah and Brayden set up a tent on their trampoline, grabbed a bunch of pillows and sleeping bags and slept outside in the tent on the tramp. It was surprisingly comfortable and fun. Ali (there are two Ali's--a Karen/Bob Ali and a Vickie/Chris Ali) was just getting over a sickness so she stayed inside.

Now all of us in the tent, except Jacob, woke up from our sleep. I'm not sure what the rest of my day has in store, but if it was just as fun as yesterday or as eventful as the day before, I'm sure it will be "blog worthy" and I'll let you know.

Peace out boy scouts.

Fresh Start in Utah

Yesterday I arrived in Utah--my new home for the next four years. Crazy! I decided to create a blog, one because it's probably easier than writing in a journal every day and two, anyone can read it. So this will be used to write down all my adventures in Utah at my dream college, BYU.

So far, I have said goodbye to my family back at home and now I'm staying with my Utah family who I haven't seen in five years. Right now, I'm in love with the Utah mountains and air--no humidity. Yesterday, it was 90 degrees but it felt better than Virginia in 80 degrees! I also got to go see the BYU campus (first time ever) and I loved it. The campus was beautiful and I got a lovely tour from my Aunt Vickie haha. But the only confusing thing are the names for the buildings...too many to memorize! So I'm going to have to study the buildings before I go or else I'll get lost! But I'm so excited to go there! Only a few more days! :]