Wednesday, April 29, 2009

FReSHMaN YeaR!!! {a brief history in photographs}

these are just photos that represent a small portion of my crazy first year as a college student... maybe some explanations are needed but I think it's more fun just to make you try to guess what the heck we were doing... =) I miss good ol' Provo already and all my friends but I'm so happy I'm home for a much needed break!




























Friday, April 24, 2009

so i guess this is it...

Have you ever had that feeling that as you are doing something that it couldn't possibly be actually happening? Well, I am packing up. My freshman year of college is done. This is nuts. I look back on this past year and it seems so surreal that a whole year ago I was graduating high school and waiting so impatiently for COLLEGE! I was emailing my roommates and feeling so "grown up". I am here to tell you that I am still a kid, I have learned some seriously tough lessons, and I still have a whole bunch of growing to do. This year has been a fantastic one though and I can only think of a few small things I would have changed. Real life is rough, but amazing at the same time. I have decided to compile a small list of the "Big Lessons" I have learned this past year and if you have any further advice or tips go ahead and let me know... I can use all the help I can get! =)


BIG lesson #1
You cannot choose your roommates; however, you can choose how you interact with the ones you get...*

I can honestly say that this was my biggest trial of the year: roommates. I didn't know any of the girls I would be living with and it turned out to be quite the interesting experience. I lived with a girl I shall call "E". We were polar opposites and it was clear from the beginning that we would have some problems. This girl was all those bad roommate stereotypes rolled into one. She had poor hygiene, she was extremely passive aggressive, and she blamed all of her problems on us. I am ashamed to admit that for the two semesters that I lived with her I never dealt with the problem like I probably should have but I learned a great deal of patience from E. I discovered that even when I get frustrated to the point of tears I can still hold my tongue and walk away from the problem.

BIG lesson #2
Friends will show up in unexpected places...

I have never been one to worry about making friends since I grew up in such a small town but as I came to BYU I became extremely aware that nobody knew or cared who I was. I was scared of becoming the lonely girl that sat in her room every night but through unexpected events I found several friends that I absolutely adore. My very first day of school I met Jon when we were both lost for the same class, Amanda and I bonded because as it turned out Stephen (Elder Sparks) took her friend to prom in New Mexico, Megan and I bonded over a mutual dislike for a certain teacher, Torri and I could have sworn we knew eachother from somewhere besides our Communications class but still haven't found a connection... The list goes on. I'm so glad I have met these people and can call them friends!

BIG lesson #3
Money does not grow on trees...

I think this one is pretty self-explanitory. Being a full time student without a steady income and a tendancy to shop when I'm stressed is a real eye-opener in the "real world".

BIG lesson #4
My family is the best support system EVER...

I can't express what a great feeling it is to be able to call any one of my parents or siblings and just talk. I love them ALL. I never thought I would miss Idaho but I had those moments when I just want to hop in the car and drive 'til I got home... so instead of burning all that precious gas I would just pick up the phone and instantly be reminded of the wonderful family I have that was so proud of me for being in college and loves me unconditionally.

BIG lesson #5
It's OK to be confused...

I'm one indecisive little girl... I came here with the dream of being an Engineer and about two weeks in I decided I wanted to pursue Graphic Design. Once I let that idea sit for a while I changed my mind yet again to Advertising which is where I am now but there is no telling when I might switch. At first this panicked me. What kind of person doesn't know what kind of major suits them best? Oh, guess what... a large majority of college students. Whew. Good thing i'm not crazy.

BIG lesson #6
Studying ACTUALLY pays off...

Yeah, another obvious one... but really, back in high school there was no study technique involved. I could cram for a test 5 minutes before and get that A that I thought I deserved. Boy, what a shock when I came here and actually had to put forth effort to even obtain a B! My first semester's GPA was disappointing to say the least but this last semester I really kicked my bum into gear and I think it paid off!



Well those are the big ones I can think of for now. I loved almost every minute of my Freshman year and I can't wait to come back next year! Tomorrow I think I will try to do a little "memories" post of all the good times this year so make sure you check it out... I'm sure I can find some pretty wicked sweet pictures! =)



*even though I didn't pick her... I couldn't have asked for a better roommate than Brittnee. Proof that sometimes you can get an awesome stranger! I guess it's just all about luck...

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I am warning you right now, this post will be long, and there will be lots of pictures involved and if you're anything like me and you HAVE to read the whole post I apologize.

Right, now that I have warned you I shall begin sharing all the details of my wodnerful LOOONG weekend. (think like 5 day weekend). It started out with a wonderful Thursday, I went to Kylee and got my hair colored. I was looking for something a bit more "spring" so she gave me all over highlights with my pink strip chnging to PURPLE. I absolutely love it! If you need color done, Ky is the person to see! She amazes me. After my hair appointment I met up with Lindsay, one of my best friends, and we headed over to the classic Civic Auditorium (if you didn't sense the sarcasm there, I am pointing it out now. I hate the Civic.) Now I am going to share a little secret with you... if I were to make a list of my favorite things to do, going to concerts would be right up there with breathing and sleeping. No joke. I absolutely adore going to concerts. Anyways, so yes, this trip was all about a concert. Jack's Mannequin to be specific. Jack's Mannequin is AMAZING.

Linds and I waiting in the rain! Ugh... only for a concert...

This is Thriving Ivory, the band that is touring with Jack's Mannequin (hereby referred to as JM) they were GREAT. I had heard them before but I wasn't too crazy about them but wow, when a band can win you over at a live performance... that is impressive.
AHHHHH. Meet Andy. lead singer for JM. He's absolutely 100% amazing. Pure talent. He makes me melt like a popsicle on the 4th of July.

(my apologies for the grainy photos.)




OK, Ashley is oozing with talent. It drives me nuts because I wish I could be more like her but I don't mind the perks of having such an amazing friend at times like this... YEAH, SHE MADE THIS PURSE JUST FOR ME.

This is my favorite detail of the purse, the lace on the inside pocket. It's very "me".

Ben and Jenny and I got to have a night to just hang out while Dad and Lis were celebrating their anniversary. It was great, we even had a "4 Dollar Night" where we went to the grocery store and we each got 4 dollars to spend on any dinner we want. Ben is the funniest boy to shop with, everything he saw he would grab and be like "How much would I have left if I bought THIS!?"

Saturday I took Z to McDonalds and that little goober, when he opened his cheesburger he looked down and in the cutest nine year old sarcastic voice I've ever heard he goes, "Well, THATS not a totally squished cheeseburger." What a little dork!

Saturday night I spent with A-Dub (also known as Ashley) and it was way fun. I love that girl.


our friendly form of graffiti


Monday, April 6, 2009

taggity tag tagger

8 People I Tag:
1.Amanda
2. Rebecca
3.Brittnee
4.Ryan
5.Ashley
6.Amber
7.Nancy
8.Tracy

8 Things I am Looking Forward to:
1. THE SEMESTER BEING DONE in 2.5 weeks.
2. Making Money this summer
3. Having time to take naps
4. The Jack's Mannequin/Thriving Ivory concert on Thursday
5. Getting my next letter
6. Wedding season! Haha, I love looking at everyone's announcements
7. Being home for the summer
8. My Sephora package to get here


8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Woke up... (super important)
2. Made German pancakes
3. Watched Conference downstairs
4. Showered
5. Ate salmon that Rebecca made. mmm
6. Wrote papers for Marriage Prep
7. Wrote a Religious Speech for English
8. Texted

8 Things I Wish I Could do:
1. Krump (hahaha Aunt Tani)
2. Go tanning
3. Concentrate
4. Find a decent boy
5. Sleeeeeeeeeep
6. Sew
7. Write cuter
8. Pass all my finals =)

8 Shows I Watch:
1. Lost
2. The Office
3. ANTM (America's Next Top Model)
4. Engaged and Underage
5. uhhh.... I don't watch anything else...

Sunday, April 5, 2009

you'd think i had time for this...

Ok, just a quick weekend update since I have homework to be doing...

Dad, Lis, and the kids came to Utah to see me on Thursday night/Friday. It was lots of fun, we had dinner at Aunt Tani's Thursday and then Alicia came to spend the night with me in Provo. Friday we did a little tour of my cute town and went to lunch. Thanks for coming to see me guys! It was tons of fun and a much needed visit!

Saturday morning Jamie's dad got tickets for Amanda, Jamie, Brittnee, Rebecca, and me to go to General Conference in Salt Lake. It was my first time ever seeing Conference live and it was amazing! I love feeling the Spirit so strong that it gives me goosebumps... such a great feeling.


It's probably not the best thing for me to take pictures of the protestors but I couldn't resist, I just don't understand their mind-set...