Daddy, can you help me?

Okay. This is kind of a tradition, mixed with a memory, that I really only remember because of a home video.

Tomorrow morning when my family wakes up, we won't go directly to the stockings and the tree. Tradition dictates that Christmas breakfast has to be eaten first. For as long as I can remember we have had bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, and pancakes on Christmas morning. We would have to walk past the living room with our eyes closed, to the kitchen. Where mom would have prepared an AMAZING meal. Some people would find this frustrating, but its a family tradition that I love, and when I have kids of my own will continue with them.

Here is where the memory comes in, though as I said, it was captured on home video and that may be the only reason I remember it. One year the rest of us had finished breakfast, but Sarah had taken more than she could handle and still had quite a bit left. With David and I waiting on her, and herself wanting to see the presents just as badly, she turned to Dad and said, "Daddy, can you help me?" as a request for him to eat some of her food. For some reason that has struck us all as funny over the years, and its a quote we recall when talking about home videos.

Thank you all for reading about my Christmas memories and traditions, and for your love and support. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that it is a good one what will add to your own stock of Christmas memories.

Santa's Elf

Okay, I guess I should have said that each day I'd tell you about a Christmas memory, or a Christmas tradition. Because today I have another tradition for you.

My family does something a little strange, though maybe not since all of us are too old to believe in Santa. Instead of leaving treats for Santa, he leaves us goodies. Well, a few years ago, I asked Dad if I could tag along when he bought the goodies. We decided that Dad and I made a good team, and ever since then I've played Santa's elf. Each year as Christmas draws nearer I turn to Dad and ask, "when are Santa and his elf going shopping?" and we pick a day to go goodie shopping. We make a list each year, and sometimes it gets quite difficult to find an item or two on our list. But even if it takes us 4 stores to find it, we do just that. And that my dear people is another Christmas tradition for you.

Stockings

Okay, this is the entry for yesterday.

Of course with Christmas you have to have stockings for Santa to fill. My family had some when I was younger made out of yarn, knitted or something. Somewhere in our house we still have those, but they aren't the ones we use anymore. While we lived in our first house in Layton, so when I was between 5 and 10, we made new ones. Each one of our stockings has a unique puppy or puppies on it in a little circle of fabric. I remember picking out our favorite and which one was going to go on whose stocking. Once we picked them out, mom cut them out and ironed them onto our stockings. Then we got to decorate the top of our stocking with our name, and other things. It was a really fun activity for the family, and each year when we pull out the stockings, its a memory we have together.

Decorations, Christmas decorations to be exact.

Okay, obviously I am a slacker/ busy getting back home and I missed another entry. So here is another double for you. Both of these have to do with Christmas decorations we have in my house.

1. The Tree- here's the deal. My Dad is REALLY picky about how we decorate our tree. It has to fit the color scheme and elegance to be allowed on the tree as an ornament. As children we had our own tree for the decorations we made, and I've loved it that way. Our tree is beautiful as a result, but we love to tease Dad about it. As part of our teasing him, we like to hide things on the tree that don't belong there, and see how long it takes him to find it. One year, David hid his Yoda action figure on the tree...and we never found it again. And that is one of my favorite stories about our beautiful tree.

2. The Christmas count-down calendar: Our family has this awesome Christmas count-down calendar. There is a pocket for every day of December up to Christmas, and each day you move the little mouse from pocket to pocket. It's been around for as long as I can remember and as children we'd race each day to be the one to change it. Now the challenge is to keep up with my Dad. He likes to move it to the wrong day of the month, and we have to move it back.

So, there are just a couple of Christmas memories/traditions of mine. 4 days till Christmas!

mmmm delicious

I am so sorry that I forgot to do an entry yesterday! Today you get to have two memories. And actually...they aren't really memories, but traditions. Both food related.

1. Grandpa's fudge. AMAZING in a square of goodness. He makes multiple flavors and I love them all, but the best has got to be mint. And it is even better because they are usually the green ones!

2. Hot chocolate with Dad. Dad and I both love hot chocolate, so a lot of the time, one of us will make some for the other along with our own, and we'll enjoy a delicious mugs of hot chocolate together.

If You Like Pina Colada....

Then you would love my family's Christmas tradition. Of course, they are virgin, alcohol free pina coladas, but every Christmas eve we have pina coladas! In all honesty, the last few years it doesn't always happen on Christmas Eve, but we always make sure to have it some time during the holiday season. Its another family Christmas tradition that I love!

And they were sore afraid

This story cracks me up. Sadly people usually don't' find it as funny as me, and I guess it was one of those "had to be there" moments. However, I want to share it anyway. As I'm sure many of you do, our family acts out the Nativity scene on Christmas Eve. We do this with the extended family at Grandma and Grandpa Hirschi's. A couple years ago Sarah, Liesel, Abby, and myself were assigned to play the shepherds. Now, for those of you who don't' know, we girls tend to get a little silly when we're together. Specifically Abby and Sarah....no offense to them. Well, this happened to be one of those nights. I believe my father, or Grandpa was narrator that year, well, whoever it was got to the verse where it says the shepherds saw the angel, and they were sore afraid. Of course, Sarah and Abby got the brilliant idea to really act afraid. And it was hilarious. Of course, those two acting afraid would have been funny in and of itself, but this also happened to be the year that Uncle Clark, as the angel, leaped over the corner of a small table type thing to get to where he wanted to go. Who wouldn't be afraid of furniture leaping angels? It really was quite an entertaining Nativity that year, and if I recall correctly somebody has it on tape somewhere....so if you ever get the chance to see it, you'll know why it was so memorable to me.

The Long Way Home

Okay, the count is now down to TEN days till Christmas. My memory for today isn't really one memory, but a combination of many. Or really I just want to share with you an old family tradition that I love. My family loves Christmas lights, who wouldn't right? Not only do we love putting up tons of lights on our own house, but we always loved going for drives to look at them too. Most often our yearly lights drive would occur on a Sunday sometime in December, after a visit to Grandma B in Centerville. Instead of going home on the freeway we would go the backroad, or as we called it "the long way". It's really not that much longer of a drive, but when we made it a Christmas light drive, it became much longer. We'd spend an hour or so in neighborhoods on the way home looking at lights and singing Christmas songs together. My favorite parts of this tradition were the houses that had the "special" decorations we would notice. The house with the HUGE pine in the front yard, completely covered in lights. But especially the word NOEL on the side of the hill. We spent some great times as a family on those drives. They don't' happen as much anymore, and usually not for as long either, but they will always be a special Christmas memory for me.

Sing Choirs of Angels

Or more like, sing angelic choirs. Today I went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert, and because the tickets I got were for this morning it was combined with music and the spoken word. The guests this year were Brian Stokes Mitchell and Edward K. Hermann. Everything was simply amazing and it was fun to go with Nathan, Brittany(Nathan's friend/girlfriend), and my friend JPo from my ward. (Just friend) I loved it all so much I can't pick a favorite song at all.

So, now that I've told you about my day, let me connect it to a memory for my twelve days of Christmas;

Because of friendships my grandparents have, my family has always found it easier than most to get tickets to the Motab Christmas concert. One year, my family went to the night they were making sure everything was recorded, so they didn't' do the program exactly in order or smoothly. At one point we as the audience were left waiting for like 30 minutes. I was wearing a scarf, and so I turned to my Dad and said, "Dad, teach me how to tie a tie. We can use my scarf" So, that is what Dad and I did for the rest of the break. I learned how to tie a tie, or should I say a scarf. To this day, my skills aren't amazing, but I know the basic steps. It's a small memory, but one that I enjoy. One of those seemingly meaningless moments that build up a lifetime.

12 Days of Christmas

That's right folks, there are only 12 days before Christmas! YAY! So, I have decided that on each of the twelve days of Christmas I am going to share one Christmas memory with y'all. So, here is number one;

12 Days of Christmas to Grandma Ruth

I don't' remember exactly what year we did this, but I was quite young and my Great Grandma Hirschi lived in Apple Tree Assisted Living Center in Kaysville, Utah. My parents decided that we were going to do the Twelve Days of Christmas to her. So, each night, my father would pick one of us kids to go with him. That was a special privilege. Then, we would sneak into Apple Tree, at the side door of her hall. We would leave a small treat or gift for her outside her door and knock, and then hide. We'd check back to make sure she'd gotten our gift and then leave for the night. Because I was so young, I don't' remember anything that we gave her, but I remember cherishing the time with dad, and doing something special for Grandma Ruth.

Just to Name a Few

I thought I'd list just a few things I am grateful for on this Thanksgiving Weekend:

1. That I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the many blessings I am given as a part of that

2. That I have a family here on earth that loves me, that supports me, and will always be there for me, and I know that families are forever, and that my family is more than that, they are my best friends.

3. For friendships I built years ago that have lasted till today, and the times when I get to catch up with those friends of the past and find that the bonds we made are still there.

4. For new friends who already do so much to make my life brighter and bring sunshine into it.

5. For the roommates I have, for the memories we make daily and the patience they have with me.

6. For the roommates I had my first year of college, that taught me what kind of love can be formed between strangers who grow to be your family.

7. For my parents, who have taught me through love, example, and word in the best they knew how. That love me despite my imperfections, and who would do anything for me.

8. For a brother and sister who will always have my back in the important things in life. For the memories we've made together even though we've had our rough times, and for loving me in spite of those times.

9. For my dog Aussie, who although he is not around anymore was one of the best friends a girl could ask for, and of whom I have so many sweet memories.

10. For the love of reading I have, and the knowledge I've gained from it. For the adventures I've experienced without leaving my room and the bond that books have given me to my grandmothers who share that love with me.

11. For the love and examples of grandparents and great-grandparents who have taught me what it is to live a righteous life that you can be proud of.

12. For the many teachers who taught me to love learning and to try my hardest.

13. For the opportunity I have to study at a University where I can gain more secular knowledge in a spiritual setting. Where I can learn to increase in knowledge and wisdom, and in standing with God.

14. For the beauty that surrounds us every day in nature, that can bring joy in the tiniest ways, but also in grand displays of splendor.

15. For the senses I have been given to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, color, taste, sound, and so many others

16. For the power or music, for the peace that can be found in a simple melody, and the joy that can be found in a simple song.

17. For the country I live in where I can worship as I please, and where my life is largely under my own control, where I have a say in the way the country is run, and where I am free to be me.

18. For a body that is in most ways healthy, for my sight, the ability to walk, to breath on my own, and to free of any disease that keeps me from enjoying the wonders of life to the extent that I choose

19. For the Atonement of my Savior that can heal me from the pains of sin, but also of any other pains I might suffer. For the gift of eternal life that has been given to me through my Redeemers sacrifice for someone as undeserving as me.

20. Last of all for a loving Heavenly Father who has given me these things and so many more. For his patience with me when I make mistakes, and his support of me when I am facing my hardest moments. For his unfailing belief in me when I can't believe in myself, and for his ability to see and love me for what I have the power to become, instead of focusing on the mistakes I make now.

I love my Parents

So, Halloween was my Daddy's Birthday, so happy late birthday to the best Dad in the world.

I really am so grateful for my Mom and my Dad. Yesterday I went and saw Mama Mia, and since I'm an emotional person, it made me miss my parents. The girl has never known her Dad, and her Mom has to watch her get married...emotional. For me.

So, I just want to take the opportunity to say thanks to my parents. They've always been there for me through everything, with love, patience, and support. I couldn't ask for better parents, and if I have any good qualities it is because of the way they taught me in word, and through example. I am one lucky girl ad I love my Mommy and Daddy very much.

Anything and Everything

So....I have realized a problem, when I have stuff happen worth blogging about, I don't have time to blog! It's quite a sad thing, because I want to tell you all about the wonderfully fun things I am doing, but I'm too busy having the fun to tell you about it! So, I'm going to summarize some of the fun things in my life lately.

1. Weekend Trip to Amanda's.

Last Friday, Kiera and I spontaneously went to Amanda's house with her for the night, and came back on Saturday. It was soo much fun. We watched a movie, played Apples to Apples, and just partied it up. Then on Saturday before heading back, we spent about two hours around the neighborhood taking pictures. It was soo much fun to just relax with those two wonderful ladies. I am so glad that they are my roommates this year, because they make me smile and laugh, every day, even the worst ones.

2. Oktoberfest

Apparently this party of the Villa's is quite well known, but all I cared about was that if was so much fun. It was great to just spend some crazy time with friends in the ward, and dance the night away.

In continuation of the festivities we headed to the apartment of Debra and Maddie, some girls in my ward and watched a movie. There were about 7 of us there who enjoyed the hilarious comedy of Much Ado About Nothing. There are so many awesome people in my ward and I really enjoy spending time with them.

3. Family Dinner

Last Sunday all the family down in Provo, along with my family and some of the cousins from Layton got together for a dinner at Sarah and Matts. It was my first time seeing the newest addition to the family, Jack, and all around it was just great to be with family and catch up.

4. The Fish Pumpkin

My hometeachers are awesome and carved a pumpkin with Amanda and I this past Thursday. I guess that you might not be able to tell from looking, but its a fish, and it was sweetly awesome. Sadly, somebody was jealous of it, and it was murdered.

5. Halloween!

So, an hour before the stake party Danielle helped me decide on a costume, and I was the Night Sky, or a Starry Night. It was awesome, and I got a lot of compliments on the creativity, which i couldnt' even take credit for. And so the night's festivities began; Destination 1; the Stake party at the bowling alley on campus. It may have been really crowded, noisy, and one of the worst games I've bowled in a while, but it was still so much fun! Destination 2; Doing Bart's costume makeup at Sara and Kaitlin's. So much fun, and it led to Destination 3; Dance party with the boys of 45. Sara, Amanda and I tagged along with them. The dance was a little too crowded and crazy for me, but it was still fun. Destination 4; Kiwanis Park with Bart, Amanda, and Sara. Possibly my favorite part of the night, the four of us had a leaf fight and played on the playground. After which we came back to the apartments and changed into different clothes for Destination 5; Rock Canyon Park. At this point the party was Bart, Ryan, Megan, Corin, Sara, Amanda, and myself. We had way too much fun sliding down the wet hill in our bare feet thanks to the rain. This idea was basically awesome and I had way too much fun. The only problem was the cold, so we came back to Destination 6; the hot tub. Nice and warm. Then to wind things all up, I finally reached the Final Destination; My BED!! it was nice to get to sleep after so much fun and craziness, but it was possibly one of the best Halloweens I've had in a while.

6. Library Card!

That's right folks, I now have a card for the Provo Library. They arent' as cool as the Layton one though, the rules are stricter. Sad day. But thats okay, because its still a LIBRARY! with BOOKS!

7. MAMA MIA!

Yes folks, yesterday I finally saw the movie. Kiera and her friend Sarah decided to go see it at the dollar theater and invited Amanda and I along. I LOVED it, and being with some of my favorite girls just made it all the better. The movie is a a great one, albeit there are some awkward scenes. But, if any of you like musicals, the music of ABBA, or any of the actors in it, its totally worth seeing.

8. Ward Party

So, because the Stake had a party on Halloween, our ward had ours the day after. I Love my ward. I dont' think I can say it enough, but its such a fun ward, and I love the friends I've made in it, as well as old friends who I get to enjoy it with. We danced like crazy, played hilarious games and all around had a good time.

9. Dinner for Jared

This was probably the most bittersweet event of my weekend. Jared Bell is one of my awesome FHE sons, but sadly he has to move back home to Washington because his work cut his hours. I am pretty heart broken about it, and he is on his way to airport now. I'm going to miss that boy tons! But, to say goodbye, a few of us got together to go to dinner at T. G. I. Friday's. It was a lot of fun, even if it was for a sad reason, and while we were waiting to leave, we took some fun pictures of course!

10. Random fun last night

I stole Jesse's sword, and fought Laurien with it. Jesse sent her after me because he said he couldn't' kill a lady.

Hot tub again with people in the ward

Life in general is awesome.


So people, there is a slight update/ not so slight. Life has been wonderful lately and I'm still surviving school and work. Life IS GOOD.

A Response

A response to the comments on my deer post. Melanie, I'm not silly! In Utah, the deer stay in the Mountains! Usually. When there isnt' snow. I'm not crazy, this much is true. To those of you who were excited with me, thank you very much. I appreciated it.

And today, you can share my excitement again. Thought I contained it today, because apparently its not as exciting as I thought. When Kiera and I were on the way to work, there was a deer on campus! Eating the grass at the base of the RB stairs. It made me happy.

Thats all.

400

Approximately the number of stairs I went UP last Wednesday. Just up, not down.

My Spectacular Weekend of Fun

Okay people, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Life has been good, but nothing SUPER exciting has happened. Then, I had a fantabulous weekend, so I decided to tell you all about it!

So here goes;

Friday I of course had work, but it wasn't so bad because it was a "training" day, that means we get to be done cleaning early, we have breakfast, and read a page worth of training stuff. That usually only takes like 10 minutes, and we just get to talk with the other workers for like 20 minutes. Its a good thing. Then I had classes, and I can't say that I can complain about my classes, as I've said before, I enjoy them all. So, I got home and I had a message from Sara! She had this brilliant plan to take homework to the park, and do it there, because it was a beautiful day outside. So, we did that. Except we didn't' get left as early as we would have liked, and of course, we talked while we were there, and it got chilly. So, we didn't get as much homework done there as we would have liked. Then we went back home and I did homework for a while before I headed back over to Sara's for a SLEEPOVER! Kaitlin, bless her heart, was home for the weekend, so I just slept in her bed. It was fun to spend time with Sara, though I must apologise to her for being half asleep most of the time.

Okay Saturday. First, I woke up at 8 and headed back to my apartment to get ready to leave with Sarah and Heather at 9 for breakfast at Grandma and Grandpa's. We got there around 10:30 and I got to see my cutest cousin ever, Easton. I was so excited to see him, and the rest of the family too. It was so great to be with them all again, and enjoy some delicious food as well. Abby was even up from Dixie, so we got to see her. The only damper was that Liesel was at work, so she wasn't at the breakfast. But, don't worry, because after going home for a bit, Mom, Sarah, and I ran some errands, and stopped by Liesel's work, so I DID get to see her. Not only did I get to see her, but I also stopped by Apple Tree (where I used to work) and saw my old boss and a couple of really good friends and got to talk to them. So, happiness!

After some more time at home, and some homework, we headed back down to P-town. Because we had dates! That is right folks, I went on a date this weekend. Sarah and Matt set Heather up with Logan, and I got set up with James. They were both roommates of Matt his freshman year. So, no offense to the other guy I've gone on a date with since I've been in college, but this one was a lot more fun. Since we all were around enough people we knew it wasn't awkward at all, and the boys are just as crazy insane as Heather, Sarah, and I are. So, we were able to just have fun. I really felt comfortable just being myself, and that is what made it so great. James was way nice too, and fun, so he was good date. (and yes girls, I will admit that he was good looking too) We went to the Corn Maze in Pleasant Grove and after finding our way out(and having way too much fun in the process) we took their Hay Ride too. It was a fun, and James and I talked about school and stuff, and the 6 of us just had fun. Then we went back to Sarah and Matt's where we had delicious caramel popcorn and watched an episode of the Twilight Zone, and then most of Night of the Living Dead. All in all, a really fun night for me.

Sunday: I love Sundays. Just a fact. My ward is amazing, the Sunday School I went to was really good, I mean really good. Then we had this awesome Sacrament Meeting about a tutoring program we are doing with a Spanish Family Ward. A couple of the kids came and played the piano and sang for us, and it was amazing! They were so cute, and I am really looking forward to helping out with the tutoring.

So, Sara had another brilliant plan for our Sunday and it was a PICNIC! At the park. So, we fixed us some amazing egg-salad sandwiches, got some other things together, and headed to the park. It was a lot of fun to just spend some time relaxing and talking, though we both agreed, it would have been a little bit better with a guy. :) After our lovely picnic I took a good power nap and then went to ward choir. Then later, Jill asked if Sara and I wanted to go for a walk with her, to the park. So, we went to the park again. This time we remembered cameras! (I would post pictures with this, but I'm on campus and don't' have any with me.) After the walk I wrote a letter to missionaries, and some love notes. Then it was time for ward prayer. Can I say once again that my ward is amazing, so ward prayer is always fun. Then, perhaps the best part of the day came; LOVE NOTES!!! I got 4 hilarious love notes this week, and they were fantastic!

So, that's all folks, an update on the life of Lydia. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed my weekend!

DEER!!!

OH MY GOODNESS! Here is my story of the week. I think its a pretty amazing occurrence, and nobody seems to be as surprised as I am, which is a little sad. Here goes;

Kiera and I head out for work yesterday morning, and for some reason I decide to look down the road. And guess what, crossing the road down by Freedom Blvd. I see like 10 DEER!! In the middle of PROVO! Before there is snow on the mountain! I mean, last year I saw them around Heritage, but that was when there was SNOW! So I kind of freaked out and was like, "Kiera, Oh my Gosh, LOOK! So she looks, but she was not as surprised/excited as I was. Which made me sad. So please be excited about this with me.

The end.

Our Mini Picture Adventure

So, the other day, Sunday to be exact, I'm sitting on my bed. And I think to myself, what I really want to do right now, is go for a walk! So I turned to Amanda, and I said. I want to go for a walk, are you busy or do you want to come? And I was so happy, she said she DID want to come. Last year we would always walk to the Bell Tower, and so we thought, what the heck, Bell Tower it is! So we set off, and.....then turned back around to get my camera. We had a mini picture adventure on our lovely walk to the Bell Tower and it was fantastic! So I just thought I'd share with you some of our excellent pictures.

P.S. DO NOT try to slide down the stairs by the RB. You might die. They go incredibly fast, its quite scary. Especially when you have a camera in one hand that you do not want to drop and break.

Stay Tuned

For

An Ode to my Flip Flops

and any other random blog entry I may have in my head right now that is not coming to the surface due to yet another headache.

I LOVE Missions

I think all of you know this. I love missions. I love having friends on missions, I love to write them. they are just awesome. yay for missionary work.

So this next Wednesday I have two good friends going into the MTC! YAY! They are Caleb Cox and Travis Lund.

Caleb is my cousin Brian's best friend, and we've known each other for about two years now. He is awesome, even if he is unnaturally tall. (actually he is just a heck of a lot taller than me so I don't' like it) Last weekend he was in Provo, and so he spent some time visiting Amanda and I. I was so happy to get to say goodbye to him and take some pictures. Good luck in Guatemala Caleb!

Now Travis, sometimes I feel like I've known him forever and a day. But really I've just known him since 6th grade when he was one of my best friends. We had our little group of six, myself, Travis, Josh, Kelcey, Lauren, and Heidi. They were awesome and I still love them all to pieces. Today was an exciting day for me because I got to go to Travis' farewell! Something I knew I'd want to go to for like 7 years! He did and awesome job and I am so glad that I got to come up to Layton to see him and say goodbye. Good luck in Dallas, Texas Travis.

To both of them, good luck with the Spanish, I'll be practicing mine in my letters!

P.S. Travis is also much taller then me, but I am wearing hills, and he is bending down, a lot. and in the one with Caleb, I am on my tip toes, and he is also bending his knees.

About Ten Years Later...

So, I have a story for you all.

Once upon a time there was a little girl names Lydia. She was about 8 years old, and a wonderful little girl. Her mother had a cousin who owned a sand and gravel company, and at a family reunion he gave this little girl a hat. Although it had a picture of a gravel truck on it, she loved it. because it was pink! And she liked pink like most girls of that age do. So, a few months down the road, the little girl went to Disney World with her family. She took that hat and wore it everywhere! Then one day she took it on the Star Wars ride, where they ask you to put your hats under your chairs. And tragedy hit! The girl forgot her hat, and when they went back to find it, it was gone! She was heartbroken. Her parents got her a new hat in Florida, but she still missed her hat she had lost.

years passed

Lydia's mom's family had not had a reunion for years. Then they decided to have one. As they waited for others to show up and talked about who was coming, Lydia remembered her long lost hat from her mother's cousin. She asked her mom if this cousin would be coming. When he got there, her mom told him the story about the lost hat, and that even ten years later, Lydia remember the hat he gave her. And then the best thing happened! he said he had some hats in his truck and Lydia could have new one! They were different hats now, but Lydia was a different girl, so she didn't' need a pink one. She just thought it was awesome that ten years later, that hat she'd loved so much and lost would be replaced.

P.S. If any of you have not been smart enough to figure out that this story is about me, here are some pictures to show you of my new hat!

The Fortune

Last Friday when I was working, I found a fortune, like from a fortune cookie. It said, "tomorrow will be a lucky and memorable day for you" Well, guess what happened the next day. BYU totally whipped UCLA at the football game. Now, our team is so amazing, we probably could have and would have beat them anyway. But I like to think that my finding that fortune helped just a little bit. The score was 59-0 and the game was superb. I felt a little bad for UCLA, but that's okay.

It was a lot of fun to be there with the girls. Kaitlin came to this one, and Amy even came with us for a bit. We even all shared a delicious snowie that Kaitlin bought and then was kind of enough to share. Football games are a lot of fun, especially now that I understand the basic rules. However, the best part is just being with my friends and having a good time. So, here are some pics;

Big News!

My cousin had her baby on September 13th! (I'm pretty sure I remember the day right)I am super excited because Jack Gordon Taylor is the first great-grandchild in the extended family. It's cool. I haven't seen him yet, but I can't wait to. Congratulations to Ben and Ally, and welcome to the world Jack!

I'm Not Dead Yet

Due to my previous warning that my homework load might kill me, I'm sure some of you have been getting worried by my lack of blog entries. Don't' worry. The homework hasn't killed me(yet) though it is sucking away my life one fun thing at a time. I'll try hard to fight against it, because I know none of you could live without me in your life. I even know that life has become dull and boring without my blog entries to read, because I know you all read them all the time. Because of my love for you, I will try to keep up on my blog, if only to tell you my sad demise into my misery as a college student being eaten alive by homework.

You Know the Phrase;

Walk down Memory Lane, right?

Well last night I got to "sit on Memory Couch" so to speak. Since Sara and I are both not nearly as social as we wish we could be, we never did much on weekends last year. But that was okay, because we still had each other. It's kind of lame that we spent so many weekends watching T.V. shows and movies. But I don't' really care, because Sara and really got to be good friends by doing so. Maybe we weren't out doing all sorts of crazy things and meeting new people, but we still enjoyed ourselves. Those nights are some of my best memories from last year, because we could talk about anything while watching movies.
That is why last night was so wonderful! I went over to talk to Sara real quick about something, and ended up watching a movie with her. I was sitting there and I realised how much I missed that! Over the summer I hardly watched any T.V. at all, and I think that's because I didn't have my Sara to watch it with! So, I'm grateful that Sara and I could become such good friends while sitting on a couch. I'm especially grateful that she lives close enough to me this year that I can still do that(and I can still work on cleaning my room during commercials, I just have further to run to do it.)

The Ward

The new ward I'm in is BYU Second Ward. I'd heard a lot of great things about it before coming here, and I am happy to say, I was not disappointed. The ward so far seems like a really great one. Today was Regional Conference, so I've only been to church with the ward once, but I really enjoyed it. The Bishopric all seems awesome and the people are great too. The ward has a motto, "No one sits alone, No one stands alone." I've seen proof that the ward really tries to include everyone. It's a really social ward and they do random crazy activities all the time and invite everyone! Last Sunday, we went to Denny's at 12:01 so it wasn't Sunday anymore. It took forever to get seated, etc. However, I got to know people, so it was really great.

This weekend we had the Stake Opening Social, and also our Ward Opening Social. They were both a lot of fun, because I've already made a few friends from the ward. At the Ward Social they played water games,which really turned into: lets make sure everybody gets soaked. So yes, I got held in one place so that a HUGE bucket of water could be poured on me. But, that's okay. Because I really was having a good time. I have high hopes that this ward will help make my year a great one. I hope that I can do my part to help others have a good time too.

First Week

Well, the first week of class is over, and in case you weren't sure, I did survive it. It's hard to get back into school mode, but being back in Provo, it just feels right to do so. Work hasn't' been too bad, though I will admit that I am going to have a hard time staying awake in my classes. Speaking of classes, I am celebrating the fact that I got the two classes changed that I wanted to. WOOHOO! Plus I think I am really going to enjoy every class I am taking this semester. My professors all seem pretty awesome too. I just have one problem with my classes; the homework load. As if two English classes with their subsequent papers were not going to be bad enough, it turns out that my Spanish class is going to require hours and hours of homework time. Evil. Plus, I pretty much have an assignment due every time I have a CHUM class, and although I think they will often be pretty easy, they are still going to take up time. So, I want to give you all fair warning that due to my homework load this semester, I might be dying sometime soon. Please send flowers to my funeral, and perhaps offer to help make the funeral potatoes if that is the case. I really like snap dragons because you can play with them, so if you can get those for the flowers, I'd appreciate it. On the other hand, if I can survive the homework load, I think this year is going to be a great one, in which case sending me flowers for celebration would also be welcome. Or candy, because I seem to crave that all the time lately, and I don't' have any to speak of in my apartment.

PLEASE!!!!!!

Please take a look at my blog for my writings. Read something, even just one thing, and leave a comment? PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE?

Labor Day fun

So, I was very happy to have Mom and Dad come down yesterday for the Holiday We got together with Matt, Sarah, and Nathan to have some fun. We thought about going to see a movie, but everything was sold out. Sad Day. But then, we decided to go to dinner, and I was the only one who really made a suggestion, so we went to Brick Oven( I like it okay?) I guess that'll be tradition now, because last year Mom and Dad came down to see me on Labor Day, and thats where we went. After the Brick Oven we came to my apartment, because I had to change close since I got root beer spilled on me. Then we went to Matt and Sarah's and played Phase 10. Sometimes I forget how much I love that game! I wish I had it. Also Sarah mixed up some Sugar Cookie mix and we had yummy cookies with frosting on them. Chocolate frosting for me. MMMM. After that broke up, Dad and Mom ran with me to Radio Shack, to get a cable connector for the T.V. Kiera brought. Sadly, it is broken, and so it still doesn't work. Sad day. I also got new headphones for my CD player because the one side on my old ones kind of only works half the time, and is annoying. The guy who helped us there is the assistant manager and is very talkative. We kind of felt like we knew his life story, but at least he was nice and helpful. Then before Mom and Dad could head back, I remembered that I still needed my back to school blessing. I am so grateful to have a father who is worthy of the priesthood at all times and can use it whenever it is needed. It was a beautiful blessing and I love both my parents so much. I was so grateful to see them, and miss them until I get to see them again.

Oh, the only other thing I did on Labor Day was read Breaking Dawn (finally) and I quite enjoyed it.

Happy Day!

So, after going to the first half of a fun football game, I had the perfect excuse to leave and get out of the heat. Amanda Larsen and her family were in town, and invited Kiera and I to join them at the Brick Oven for dinner. So, we went and met them there, and it was delicious!!! Thanks much to her father for paying for it all. Then to make things even better they let Amanda come hang out with Kiera and I at the apartment for a bit. Poor Amanda though, we were in the middle of a movie before the game, so we had to finish it (North and South) It's not really Amanda's kind of thing, and she fell asleep. After the movie I just let her sleep, cause she's always so tired all the time. But it was still fun to see her. It was a happy day!

First Game

This Saturday I went to the first football game of the season, or at least the first home one, I don't' know. Amanda, Sara, and I went over to the game together, and them Nathan and one of his roommates were there too. It was fun to be sitting by people I know, and figure out where I'll be sitting for all the games this year. It was fun game to watch, and great to be back in that atmosphere. There are a couple of REALLY enthusiastic fans that are sitting kind of close to us, so I hope I don't' get annoyed by them in the games to come. The only part I hated was the two injuries there were, one on each side. Both players were able to walk of the field though, so I guess they were okay. Also, I forgot how HOT it can be, and I thought I was going to die of thirst. Luckily I had a good excuse to leave early, so I left at half time. Sara came with me, since she was so hot as well. But be proud of me, because I remembered the sunscreen. Poor Sara was not wise enough to use some. But her face has recovered nicely. Here are some pics;

Just Keep Swimming

Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE swimming? Because it's true. I LOVE it. I have missed swimming so much ever since I quite swim team, since the coaches drove me crazy. So of course I love the fact that there is a pool in the University Villa complex, and it's even quite close to my apartment. I can see it out my bedroom window. So, I dragged Amanda there with me a couple times last week. OH, HEAVEN! Just swimming to be swimming. I loved it. We also met some interesting/nice people that way. So, here is a picture of Amanda and I with our swimming hair.

Salt Lake with Sarah

Yesterday, Sarah had a brilliant idea, that may have turned out to be not so brilliant. We decided to ride the bus to Sandy, and the Trax to Salt Lake and then meet Dad and Brad for lunch. (Brad works with dad.) So, we found a stop and thought we had figured out how much money we would need total and headed to Salt Lake. Of course, we happened to get on the bus that makes a million stops. So, it took us like an hour to get to Sandy. Then it took like another thirty minutes to get to Salt Lake. FOREVER. The lunch with Dad and Brad was delicious and fun, but our troubles weren't' over yet.

So, we bought a ticket for the ride back at the Trax thing, and then when we looked closer it said the thing we had could not be used to get you on the bus too, which is what we thought would work, because going up the ticket had gotten us on both. Well, lo and behold, we didn't' have enough money to get us on the bus home. We owe a lot of gratitude to a gentleman you gave us 2 bucks so we could back to Provo. He wouldn't even let us write him a check to pay him back. So, the first part of the ride home we were both exhausted and no fun at all. But then we got slap happy and coudln't stop laughing about the pictures we were taking and texting to each other. The people on the bus probably thought we were crazy or drunk or something.

So, it was quite an adventure, and the stress of the bus was worth the fun we had.

The Search for the Trash Cans

So, the story begins with three girls in their apartment with not trash cans for their bathroom or kitchen. Such a tragic beginning. (let me explain further, those three girls = Kiera, Amanda J. and myself). Out of desperation I called my mother. She loves me so much she sought near and far (or the first store she went to) to find us two trash cans. Luckily her search was not in vain, and in handing them over to my cousin Megan, they began their journey to Provo, and to our apartment.

And this is where the real adventure begins. After Megan reached her apartment she gave me a call, and I told her I would come retrieve the life-saving trash cans. Enlisting the help of my two faithful sidekicks(roommates) we headed to the other side of campus in search of Megan's new living quarters. Luckily Kiera knew of the location because of previous visits to this place. We reached the abode of Megan in safety and found our prize: two trash cans! But he had walked far in hot weather, and decided we needed a sweeter award.

We looked around and lo and behold we spied "Smart Cookie" having treated myself to their deliciousness before I insisted we stop and get ice cream cookie sandwiches. Of course Kiera and Amanda agreed and so our adventure took another twist. Now these ice cream cookies sandwiches are hugely delicious, and if you have a chance to try one, do not hesitate. After our treats and some water from the refreshing water fountain, we continued on our journey.However, Kiera in all her wisdom had retrieved us a magazine full of entertainment for the long walk back. So, the three of us walked back, Kiera with magazine in hand, reading out loud. I myself was carrying my purse within the two trash cans. Lucky Amanda, she got to look normal. Anyway, let me share some wisdom fro the magazine. If you are single, try being yourself. Also, don't' propose at temple square, its too cliche. I totally agree with both pieces of advice.

So, that was the search for the Trash Cans. They now reside in our happy abode and are much appreciated. The search was worth it, especially with the ice cream and cookie additions.

Lost In Provo

No, not me. I know the area around campus well enough I wont' get lost but the other day mom got lost. On Monday after we got everything unpacked, the air conditioner did not work, so we decided to get a big box. I however needed to go to campus and print some things for my new work, so mom decided to go to the store without me, and I went to campus. So, I got done and tried to call mom, and she did not answer, for like ten or fifteen minutes. I figured she had left her phone in the car, but by this time she should have been done buying it. So. Sarah and I got worried. Well, mom had some delays at the store so she was okay. But, when we finally talked on the phone, we needed to find each other again. Mom doesn't know campus or Provo very well. So basically, she got lost. At one point and time though, we had a plan for where she would turn and come up to campus so I started to walk that way. However, (and this was partially my fault for getting a road name wrong) she did not end up coming that way. So, we were on the phone with each other for like 10-15 minutes while mom tried to find her way to campus per my instructions, and I turned around and walked back to where she actually ended up. It was quite and adventure and very entertaining. I told her by the end of the year we will have her more knowledgeable of the roads around campus. So hopefully this won't happen again. Though I didn't' mind the laughs.

New Home

So, Sunday night Dad and I packed my life into the Camry. It was so full that if I'd had one more box, it would have been on my lap for the drive down. Monday morning mom and I took off on our way to Provo. Last year it was just mom and I moving me in, and so the car year this year was quite reminiscent of it. But, we had help moving my boxes in because Sarah and Matt both were off work. After we brought everything up here we went shopping for food. mmmm, food. Then mom and I came back here and worked on unpacking some of my stuff. That night we had dinner with Sarah and Matt before Mom headed home. Kiera, Amanda, and Sara all got here Monday as well, so it was happy to see them here. Especially Sara whom I have missed so much since April. I am also impatient to see the other old Penrose 87 girls. But Rachel is probably too busy for us now. (congrats on that Rachel!)

So, I got partially unpacked on Monday, and decided I better try to get some sleep. But due to a broken air conditioner, it took forever to fall asleep, and I had to wake up at 4 am. However, I survived yesterday without a nap and was able to get most of my unpacking undone. It's great to be back in Provo, and although the Villa isn't' amazing beyond all belief, its not too crappy either. So, I'm happy in my new home, though I miss the fam.

How To get a Connect Pass

Simple, check out this website:
http://www.visitsaltlake.com/visit/connect_pass_attractions.php

Salt Lake City Connect Pass

Sometimes I wonder how in the world I got so lucky to end up with two such good friends as I have in Amanda Larsen and Kiera Beddes. Especially because it's kind of strange we are such good friends anyway, since we are all kind of different. I am super excited that Kiera will be living with me this year, and wish that Amanda could do the same, but since she is not fond of BYU, I doubt that will ever happen. I am going to miss her tons and tons, and if I come home often at all this year, it will be to see her. So, for starters, I love both those girls with all my heart.

That is why I had so much fun yesterday. The three of us spent the whole day together, starting at 8am and not ending until 11:30ish at night. But don't' worry, we love each other so much, I never even got tired of them. Hopefully they will say the same of me. So, let me tell you what we did, and tip you off to a great deal. You can buy a thing called the Connect Pass for only 20 bucks. this Connect Pass gets you into such places as Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway, The Living Planet Aquarium, The Lion House Pantry Restaurant, Red Butte Garden, Snowbird's Tram ride, Thanksgiving Point, This Is The Place Heritage Park, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Utah Museum of Natural History, Utah Olympic Park, and Hogle Zoo! All for TWENTY BUCKS! The only downer is that you have to use it one day, which means you don't' have time to do it all, and definitely no time for a breather.

So, we left Layton shortly after 8 and headed to the Zoo. I have not been there for years, and it was kind of fun to go again. Since you're in such a hurry, we were only there for like an hour, but you really don't' need much more time than that, unless you want to watch a show like the bird show or something, and those don't' happen till later in the day. I always love all the monkeys but it was cool to see the White Alligator, and everything else too.

After the Zoo we headed down to Sandy to the Living Planet Aquarium. I had never been there before, because my family just doesn't do a lot of the little things like that, and I really enjoyed it. It was cool to pet the Manta Rays and the starfish and sea urchin, etc. I also loved being there with Amanda, since she knows a lot more stuff about fish then I do, and could tell me what kinds of fish they were. My moment of glory came when I saw the fish that looked like coral, and she didn't' notice it was a fish.

Lunch time in the gateway came after and I ate delicious Panda Express, foregoing the packed Lunchable, for which I must apologise to my mother, because it got melted and hot and we had to throw it away today. It was fun to just enjoy some time to sit and relax while we ate and enjoy the atmosphere at Gateway. I've been there before but not a lot. After lunch we headed to the Planetarium and we watched Deep Sea 3D in the Imax theater. Kiera is pretty darn jumpy, something I found out during that film. It was fun to experience, even if I did have a tall bald headed due in front of me so his head was always in the middle of the ocean for me.


After that, our schedule kind of got thrown off so we could go visit Steve. He said he couldn't' join us for the day, and I guess I forgive him, he had already moved down to the U, so we went to see his new house. Then we wend to Jim's. Amanda and Steve met him last year, and Kiera and I heard a lot about their friends, so we figured we should meet him. Heather, one of Amanda's roommates joined us too. From there we went to the Fine Art's Museum, there were some good pictures there, but it was pretty crowded, and nothing that I was really drawn too. We weren't' there too long, but we did look at the entire exhibit they currently have.

Then we headed to dinner. So, the way the pass works for the Lion House is that it is good up to $9.95 and then you pay what you owe over that. So, I had some delicious chicken and potatoes, and beans, and an amazing roll with heavenly honey butter, and a big piece of chocolate cake. And I only payed $1.02. It was tasty, and their water was wonderful after running around all day.

We finished dinner around 6:00, and by then most of the places we could go were closed. So we spent some relaxing time walking around Temple Square and enjoying the beautiful gardens. We even went to the Church History Museum for about 20 minutes. the new exhibits on the Tabernacle and Relief Society are pretty interesting and I think we would have stayed longer, but we waited too long to head there, and they were closing soon.

After that, we headed back to the Gateway and just wandered into some stores there before we headed back to the Planetarium. We played around there for about two hours before going to the Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon laser show. I had also never been to the planetarium before, so it was a fun experience for me to be there and have some fun. We took a lot of random pictures there due to the extra time but it was still fun, and good to be off our feet too.

After the laser show we headed home, I know I was exhausted and I'm pretty sure the other two were as well, but it was day well spent, mostly because I was in such great company. Once again I love Kiera and Amanda greatly and couldn't' ask for better friends.

P.S. I also played with my camera and found my black and white/sepia/cyanotype settings. Sweet.