Life rocks!

This week was bunches of fun, much like the whole college experience in general has been. Monday was our first actually serious family home evening, not just playing around or anything like that. We had a lesson and talked about spiritual things and it was a nice change of pace. Granted once the lesson was over and we had closing prayer, there was a fierce ping pong tournament to be had, but that was just a little extra on the side of a very good night. Tuesday was one of my homework days this week, just chugged away at it for hours and hours and hours. Trying to finish everything that I needed to finish because no matter how much I get completed, the teachers stack up that much and more by the end of the next school day anyway. But Im never too terribly far behind, I keep on top of everything and get it all done to the best of my ability. Wednesday night was opera night! First opera I have ever been to and almost completely converted me to the whole opera spectacle thing. My only issue with it was is that they repeated everything 3 or 4 times each, would have been much shorter and more exciting if they only sang everything once. It was call Don Giavonni and it teaches the prinicple that no one will get away with their sins, we have to repent and try our hardest to remain clean from the evils of the world or the devil will come and claim us in the end and drag us down to Hell. Which is exactly what happened in the play. Really kind of a cool effect to watch, let me tell you. Oh, most of my roommates and I went as a huge group date and that made it even better. We dressed up all fancy and I even borrowed Samuel's cane and top hat for a few poses with the camera. My date's name was Amanda, she and I are just really good friends and it was a blast to go with her. She is one of those people who is just as random and spontaneous as me and so that works out perfectly. After the opera, we came back to the apartment and ate the berry ice cream and ginger snap cookies I had made. They all turned out really good, so thanks Mom and Uncle Joe for sending recipes up. Even if I do modify them a lot to fit whatever ingredients we have and what I think will taste better. So far everything I have made turned out awesome, except for one banana bread loaf that just kind of collapsed in on itself. Thursday is my other major homework day when I go over to Uncle Karsten's and Aunt Julie's and eat lunch, do laundry, and do homework. But it helps to be away from the campus to concentrate sometimes and I get lots of work done. Thursday night I hung out with some friends and played some games and chatted. Friday I cleaned, because I am the only one that ever does and everything was just filthy. I made the kitchen spotless (another thanks to Mom for making me do that for years and years and years goes here) and then went to work. After that I watched Independence Day with Aaron and Joe. I forgot how funny that movies was and it was good energizer to go play games for the rest of the evening. I introduced some more people to Quelf and got them hooked on it to, it is just the most fun, random game I know of. Perfect for completley letting loose and relaxing and laughing and having a good time. Saturday I got to attend my first BYU football game, it was awesome!!! It was probably the best game so far of the season and our seats were right on the endzone 3 rows back. It wasn't even cold or anything, just a perfect day, perfect game. This picture was taken by Jared so he could show me how cool he thought my glasses were. You can see the entire stadium reflected in them which I admit is really pretty cool. I also had to buy a hat to stop from sunburning, so Im still one of the whitest people you will ever know. After that I had to dash off to work and then came home to an empty house. But it was soon invaded by a pretty decen group of people and we set to work making some delicious breakfast burritos for dinner. Apparently Im the only one who has ever thought of putting peppers in my burrito though because everyone thought that was strange at first and then thought it was an amazing idea as soon as they tried some. After that we played Carcossone which is a crazy strategy game kind of like Settlers of Catan. Im not exactly the best at those but by sheer dumb luck of placing the pieces in the right places I managed to get 2nd. After that we just sang and danced and messed around till the girls had to go home. This upcoming week is going to be stuff full of trying to fit in Halloween ward things and then homework and tests and life in general. We will have to see how it goes...

Every week just seems to keep getting busier and busier. More stuff to cram in, less sleep to have, things both good and bad just taking away time. So much stuff to do and having to choose what is the best decision for that moment. Anyway, this week my body finally decided it had enough being abused from lack of sleep and healthy food and decided on Monday night that it was time to crash and burn. I made it through the day just fine but as soon as I got home, I started a fever, massive headache, the whole nine yards. So I gave up on homework and fun and just went to bed and slept and rejuvinated. And it worked. Lesson learned was that my body does still need enough sleep to live off of or I am going to start being very sick and having all sorts or problems. Im making it my goal to be in bed around one-ish at the latest. That gives me enough time to have a couple hours of fun and then just crank through 5 or 6 hours of homework. Besides that the beginning of this week was just not the highlight of my life. I had 3 major tests to study for and try to finish to the best of my ability. Because my brain was so divided between humanities, dance, and economics - the tests did not go as well as I had hoped. Just to much information to study for all three. I ended up with an 87.5% on the architecture test in humanities, 89% on the foxtrot test in dance, and 78% on the midterm test for economics. Kind of disappointing after I spent the hours and hours studying or practicing for each one. But what else can I do? I did my best for that time with the preparation I could get and that is about all I could ask for. Those took up all of Tuesday and Wednesday - I would go to class and then study and then eat something while studying and then just keep studying. After the final test was done on Wednesday around 5 PM, I was just so happy to be done I decided to take a break and head with Joe and Samuel down to the thrift store. We decided to try Savers this time instead of DI and found that the selection was much better, albeit more expensive for most items. I found my heart's desire in several different things and since I had just survived through the week of death through testing, I decided to reward myself by getting some posters and Halloween stuff and really old, classic novels. The posters were mostly religious like a picture of Christ and the Provo temple. I had been looking to get pictures of those for a long, long time to put up and I finally found the ones I really liked at the price I could afford. After that, we went to Burlington Coat Factory to find the rest of Joe's and Samuel's Halloween costumes. Instead of that, I found a sweet leather jacket and hot aviator glasses that match nicely with just about anything. They just exude coolness and confidence and they were on sale! I think Wednesday was the night we also started our notable quotables wall (or ceiling as I guess it turned out). I wrote up a bunch of the most funny things people have said since being up here and then finding nowhere else to put them, stuck them to the ceiling. After that fills up, which is actually quite likely to happen, I don't know what we will do. But so far they are great and funny and each one has an inside story or joke about it. Wednesday night was also something pretty terrible because we thought it was the night Joe was going to die on us. He came out about 1 or 2ish in the morning holding his stomach in the most pain I have ever seen anyone in, ever. It about scared me to death. Joe and Greg quickly gave him a blessing (both their first) and then we rushed him off to the hospital. We were at the hospital all that night waiting for news of what was going on. They couldn't supply us with anything and released him around 5 for us to go home and try to get a few hours sleep. Joe went back in at 8 on Thursday and was there until Friday afternoon when he was finally released to grateful and loving parents. It felt so weird and empty with him gone. Like our room was almost like a hollow, rotten log just waiting to collapse. That is about all I can remember on Thursday is running between classes and then checking up on Joe through word-of-mouth whenever I could. As well as repeating the story over and over and over of what happened to everyone that Joe knows (he knows a lot). Friday was finally another happy day that returned somewhat to normalcy. I finished Brisingr much to the delight of about the dozen or so people that wish to borrow it. I should charge 2 or 3 dollars for every 5 days they want to read it and I would have it made. Friday night was one of the best nights of my life just because it was so random and fun. We started out with making flour bombs, which is nylon filled with flour and then tied shut. We used them to have the most amazing fun flour war. I got completely covered (which I probably deserved) but I dished my fair share out back. Courtney got me all over my face and hair and I had to get her back - hence this picture of us with her facing me about to pommel my face in with one of the flour contraptions. After that we played random outdoor group games like dippity, dippity, dip; or ninja signs, or all those other fun, loud, obnoxious ones. When we looked like we had all just risen from the grave or something, we went to this dance in the hall next to ours where they had put up blacklights. It was a really fun dance, especially wearing a white shirt because it glowed bright. Following that, we played some Quelf. My favorite board game ever invented and one on which I blew quite a bit of money to get. But its amazing. I don't think I have laughed so hard in months. If anyone is interested, go check it out in Barnes and Noble, its the only place I have ever found that sells it. Its the greatest party group game in the history of party group games. When it was time to get all the girls kicked out of our lobby, we went and roasted marshmallows on the lights of the bell tower. Suprisingly it worked and they came out that perfect golden brown color. It made for some pretty rad s'mores. Me being extremely exhausted at this point, being around 3 in the morning, I went to bed and decided to ditch hiking the Y that most of the rest of the group went on. That just meant on Saturday morning when I woke up around 9, I had the apartment pretty much to myself to do some homework and do some baking for the first time in a few weeks. I made Uncle Joe's oreo ice cream (which is pretty much to die for) and then some spice cake for the fall season. Both turned out pretty good and the recipes both made a lot more of both then I had really been planning on. But there are enough people running through our apartment everyday that I am confident they will get finished in a shockingly short amount of time. That took up all the way until I had to go to work, which was pretty much the worst day of work ever. I love manual labor and so I love my job doing dishes for the MTC, but it just got so backed up and hectic last night that I even found it hard to smile at everyone which is what I got the employee of the month for September for. Not my abililties or speed or anything, but just for smiling for work and helping to lift the mood and attitudes of others. Who thought someone would actually recognize me for that? After work got out late, I ran home and showered and changed into my costume t-shirt and went to the Halloween dance that our stake was having. The dance was amazing, pretty much like every other dance and it was a blast to see all the crazy cool costumes. This is what everyone in the group I hang out with now was wearing.

Time flies!

It is finally Sunday and I get to a breath and relax for the first time all week (well except for having to work today but oh well). Things are still going awesome, they just keep getting more and more crammed in. Time goes by so fast it is ridiculous, but I don't think I would really trade it for anything. Monday night we discussed general conference for FHE, each of us saying our favorite part and why we liked that the best. I went with the story of the blind date fiasco, that one just can't be beat :) After that we played around on the playground of the park we were at, which had some of the most amazing toys ever! Utah adds so much more stuff than Arizona and it makes it much, much more fun. There was a spinning thing that you could grab onto and make yourself dizzier than anything and there was a pleathora of monkey bars to hang upside down from and just about everything else in between. I finally got a haircut on Thursday and apparently for Utah people I waited much, much too long. The lady who did it was schocked and amazed that I would let my hair get to such an unruly state. So I guess I will have to visit her more often in order not to cause a scandal at BYU, the MTC, or just with the people around me haha. Thursday night I also threw an Iron Man movie night with the projector. It is such an awesome movie, one of my favorites. Interesting fact: I think I finally learned how to work all the gadgets on the projector after having it for years and years, probably because people use it a lot more up here than I did at home. One of my roommates or I is always using it for this assingment or because this friend is visiting from out of town or just for random fun. I love Fridays. I only have one class and its later in the morning so I can sleep in till around 9ish and get semi-caught up on my enormous sleep deprivation. Ok, so not really caught up at all because I am way too far behind but it feels great to be able to take one morning off at least that I still have school during. For Humanities (my Friday class), we started studying musicals. Amazing topic to actually study for a class and then take a test on that counts towards your grade. Wish it would happen more often. All we did for most of the class is watch lots and lots of different musical clips. After that, I had to go do an architecture walking tour for an assignment in that class. It was a lot of fun but extremely freezing for parts of it. But I actually know reasons why building look the way they do now. Its all for specific reasons and to get people to have certain emotions and connections. Who knew so much could matter about them? Other than the fact they give us shelter from the elements of course. I also tried out Brick Oven Pizza after the tour was over. Delicious. I am going to have to go back again whenever I just want a really nice meal that isn't too expensive. After work that night, I went to the Homecoming spectactular with a bunch of people. It was fantastic to see all the different acts. On Saturday was Homecoming everything else. There was the parade that we watched in the freezing cold and snow. So many beautiful cars drove by from all the different colleges that is was ridiculous. Plus we got buckets full of candy and a stress ball from everyone throwing stuff into the crowds. After that, we decided to make an extremely grandiose breakfast with omelets, homemade waffles, and bacon. Everything had a little something added extra by whoever made it to make it taste better and they all turned out delicious. I did the waffles, thanks to Mom sending up the recipe, but I did tweak it a bit to make it taste even better. After that Jared, Greg, and I started our homecoming date. We first went to DI to find old looking clothes from different decades because we bought tickets to the Blast from the Past dance. I took Allie Davis, Greg took Kelly Ann, and Jared took Courtney Dickson. Allie and I had so much fun messing around in DI looking for stuff and we pretty much decided right away to do 80's and 90's neon stuff that made us look like jazzercise instructors (or thats how she described it).

Then the other couples chose the 50's and the 60's to emulate. But I think Allie and I made the best choice because we were comfortable, styling, and easily stood out in the crowd. (I was the only one out of everyone there to be wearing highlighter yellow pants). For the dance we had to drive down to the Heber Creeper which is this really old historic train about a 45 minute drive away. Like typical college kids, we got pretty hopelessly lost about 5 minutes out from our goal and barely made it in order to board the train before it left. But we did make it. The dance was actually on one of the cars in the train and since the train was moving the whole time to begin with it was like you were dancing just trying to keep your balance in the huge crowded car. It was a lot of fun though, one of the best nights I have had since being up at college. We danced and danced and danced and sang our hearts out and played games. Needless to say, by the end of the dance we were all starving and dead tired. So we made a quick stop at Wendy's and then made the journey back to BYU and went to bed.

Holy crud!!! This week I think I barely blinked twice and it was already over. It flew by me. So much stuff happening, and yet so much stuff left to do. Monday was just work and school like usual. Tuesday I took my first test at the testing center. Its quite the most fascinating spot (not). Waited in line for probably longer that I actually took the test. It was for Psychology and I nailed it! :) Got a 93%, so I must be studying enough I guess (plus the Lord blesses me wayyyy too much on tests to remember everything). Gave me hope that maybe I am doing this college thing right, haha. I spent that night messing around playing sardines in the HFAC, that was a world of fun. You could explore for hours in there and still never see everything and check out every room, nook, or cray Wednesday was my first orchestra concert. The stage is just incredible, there is no way to accurately describe how amazing the acoustics are and the sound quality it produces. We got a standing ovation so we must have done pretty good, even though we were only the second of four groups to go. Thursday was hard core write a 5 page paper day over The Kite Runner for humanities. I finally got back into my writing groove and wrote the way I used to write. That was a very good thing, very good. Friday started my no sleep, all action packed weekend. I played volleyball with M'Lisa (I still am not very good yet...oh well). Then one of my best friends from Mesa, Sterling Tracy, came down from BYU-I to stay the weekend with me. We played with Mesa people, namely: Chelsea, Maureen, Becky, Melodie, Perry until 2ish in the morning and then played card games and talked it up until around 4 in the morning. Grandpa came and kidnapped me around 9:30 the next day (to my credit, I was already up, showered, dressed, and ready for a busy day). IHOP followed and watching the first session of General Conference at Aunt Kayla and Uncle Eric's house. Then came a Target trip where I finally spend my grad gift card (thanks so much Kyle and Jill :) I got a volleyball (so I don't have to check out the flat, dead ones anymore), the game Imaginiff, and Iron Man. Im planning on having some fun this week with all of them, tons of fun. Then we headed off for the priesthood session to watch in the Conference Center. It is such a clossal buidling, it takes my breath away every time I go inside! I think it was the best session to go see live too, they had some of the best stories and lessons to teach in the talks, or at least thats the way it seemed to me. Then to Olive Garden (still some of the best food of my life...but way too much. I couldn't even finish half of the main course, filled up on breadsticks, salad, and appetizers. but yay! for leftovers this week!) After that I came back to BYU and met up with all the Mesa people again. We had fun just talking and catching up on reports from everyone from Mesa or here or Idaho. Everyone seems to be doing fairly well. Today was watch the first session with Mesa people then have lunch with the Walker clan. They really know how to make good food. Best pumpkin delisciousness of my life, no exaggeration. So, thats only scratching the surface of everything I did this week, if I went into actual detail I might be just writing for the next week, which although tempting just isn't going to happen. But I will add that I got to meet Uncle Perrin, Aunt Charlotte, and Mike and his wife. They are fun people and it was great to have a night out with them! Signing off till next week!