Studying.

This is how I feel about studying. And the library. And college.

The Best Two Times of the Year.

So I know I’m a week late but I can’t let Conference pass by without saying something because the first week of April and October definitely qualify as two of my most favorite times of the year Ever.  Nothing beats the combination of good friends, mommy made food, and sitting on a couch for hours but not feeling guilty because you’re getting a constant stream of inspirational goodness :)

On Saturday some of my roommates, my momma, and me went downtown and watched a couple AWESOME sessions of conference and ate at the Garden.  I branched out from my usual Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes and got Lasagna, which could possibly become a very memorable moment of my life.   And after Conference I had a much needed shopping trip with my roommates, along with a movie night where we watched 17 Miracles. Watch it. Love it.

So then I wake up on Sunday morning…the best feeling in the world has got to be waking up to the smell of hot pull apart rolls coming out of the oven :) And eating endless food and watching conference with my roommates and family is just exactly the sort of break any hard working college student needs (which ya know makes sense because that DEFINITELY describes me and my roommates to a tee. Ha.).  But basically laying there made me realize this thing I’m living called life is pretty great.

Also, more importantly, I had a good reminder that I am part of a REALLY neat church.  I am addicted to that incredible feeling I get every time President Monson stands up and bears his testimony of the Savior and the truthfulness of this church.  And the incredible love that I feel from the prophet and each of the apostles for me individually is something that is incomparable.  Moral of the story there is a church that is growing every day and is spreading to the every corner of the world and I get to be a part of it.  I definitely have moments sometimes where I feel small or insignificant, but remembering the immensity of the work that goes on in this church and the purpose I have here on earth just changes everything around. And THAT is why every day that I’m living now is really so beautiful and full of sunshine and love. And I really hope I can become the sort of person that doesn’t let a day pass by without being grateful for it :)

Pushing Myself One Step at a Time.

Mmmk just so it’s clear to everyone, I’ve never been what some like to call athletic and I don’t think I ever will, which is okay with me because I can do other things, but it’s just one of those things in life you appreciate in other people.

With that being said, my roommates and I decided to run a 5k last Saturday and I ran the ENTIRE time.  We’ve been running most school nights these past couple weeks and ya know I ran it in a fairly decent time.  At least by my standard :)  And I decided that I’m not destined to be a runner and, pathetically, the 5k definitely pushed me, BUT I did it.  I said I would and I did.  And watch out…this time next year? 10k ;)  

PS...Note to self.  Blogging and college?  Bad combination. 

PSS…Second note to self.  Be a better blogger.  Even with college.  

Why I Love My New Apartment.

      So I guess I’m an official blogger now because the past couple weeks things keep happening and I’m like "Oh I should blog about that!" Ha. But there’s really not time for everything so congrats to you Claire.  Love you. Love marriage.  And friends reading this, I made a purse.  Yup sewed one all up by myself.  And eventually maybe I’ll get a chance to write about that too but…

Today’s little note is about my new apartment.  Because everything about my apartment makes me happy.  It means being back together with best friends, taking a step up in everything from last year’s dorm, AND school hasn’t started yet so absolutely nothing stressful and hard.  Yet :)

The biggest reason really is the difference between Heritage Halls and my new apartment.  I wouldn’t trade where I lived last year for anything, but it definitely makes everything seem pretty dang nice in my apartment now.   And I could probably go on and on to list everything that I love about it but I’ll try and narrow it down into the top 10 best things…and maybe they mean nothing to anything else but compared to what I’ve had they are all pretty exciting things for me :)

1. Entertainment center for the tv.
2. Actual separate area from the kitchen and family room.
3. Nice big kitchen with new cabinets AND a pantry.
4. Black leather couches that match with basically ANY pillows and decorations we get!
5. 2 bathrooms.  2 showers. 2 toilets.
6. Big mirror to get ready and spot to hook in my wonderful little zoom in mirror for doing my make up.
7. 6 deep bathroom cabinets. 1 for every person so no more transporting bathroom stuff back and forth!
8. My closet….ha which actually is smaller than last year and was a PAIN the first day but I hooked in this cool little second rack for more clothes and it fit perfectly with my shoe racks and it just all squeezes in there so nicely and now it’s just perfect.
9. My new pink and cream damask bedspread and my little black flower pillow. 
10. 5 best friends to live in it with me :)       

There were a few small things that held me up a little bit setting up but really I have NOTHING to complain about and I can’t even express how excited I am to start the new year.  In my cute new little apartment where everything just has worked out so well...guess I'm just one lucky girl :)

Family room.

Bedroom door.

My bedroom.

Best Sister EVER.

Alright so today’s little page is about my sister Mary.  I’ve never met a more thoughtful and selfless person and I definitely have her to thank for the best parts of my week.  And I guess the best way to sum her up is to explain the way she lives her life so here’s a quick rundown of the past few days:

Wednesday night I went to bed super tired and just hoping that I’d be able to get up and get going in the morning before a long day at work.  Then Thursday morning comes and, 5 minutes before my alarm goes off, Mary comes into my bedroom with breakfast in bed.  And it’s a HUGE plate full with french toast and hash browns and bacon.  And a fruit bowl.  And juice.  She didn’t say this, but I know it must have taken her at least an hour to pull it all together and she still made time to get it all done before she left for an 8:00 class. 

Summer 2011 in California.

And then on Saturday I had a really long shift and didn’t have a chance to grab dinner.  Mary had a full day of work too, but she remembered that I would be working through dinner and came into work with Wendy’s chicken sandwiches, a huge drink, and chocolate muffins.  And she brought the same thing for the other girl on my shift that night…a girl that Mary doesn’t even know and hadn’t even met, but she thought she’d probably be hungry too.

Last night Mary helped me look for my cell phone charger, which took forEVER and then we spent the night catching up on the Glee Project…which I LOVE watching every week but I know is really not Mary’s first choice.

And about 30 minutes go she was about to eat the last chicken sandwich but found out I was hungry and then wouldn’t eat it so I would.

I could back up and talk about every other week too because they’re all pretty similar.  My sister really truly knows how to look for someone else’s need and make them happy.  I’ve never seen a better example of someone who really lives a life of service and, even more than just happily does things for other people, she insists on it.  I don’t know how I got so stinkin lucky to have a sister like her but I sure am So grateful and I know I learn new things from her every day about the person I want to be.  And I get her forever! :)   I guess having Mary around is the thing that helps remind me life is good.  And FULL of blessings.

Goodbye Grandpa.

Last week my grandpa passed away.  He had been having a lot of health problems, but it still was surprising news that it was bad enough to be a life or death situation.  The whole funeral service turned out really nice and every part just made me think about how neat of a person my grandpa was.  My whole family also put little notes inside his coffin at the funeral and I wrote mine, but then I forgot to bring it with me when we all said the last goodbyes.  But I know he’s still here with me so here’s my letter to you grandpa :)

Dear grandpa,

Thank you for taking the time to be a part of my life.  I know it’s not easy to be a big influence on all your grandchildren’s lives, but you really made a point of being there and it made a difference for me.  I loved all the times we spent together and grandpa time tickets were the best thing EVER.  The Tran Siberian Orchestra concert was probably a little louder than you thought it’d be and it probably wouldn’t have been your first choice, but you told me you had a good time anyways :)  The plays we went to at Hale Center Theatre were all so much fun and I loved being able to get lots of treats during the plays because my mom never let me when I went with her.  And I loved that whenever we went out to eat, you always let me choose where I wanted to go most.

You were always so easy to talk to, and mainly because you genuinely cared about me and what was going on in my life.  You knew a lot about what was going on with me, even though I didn’t see you a lot, because you took the time to listen.  One of my best memories of you was going over to your house one day to drop off something, and I ended up staying for an hour or two just talking with you.  After the usual update on my life, we somehow ended up talking about how you met grandma and how you fell in love.  It was so fun for me to hear you talk a little more about your life when you were younger and I related to you in a new way after that.

Anyways, there are so many other memories that I could talk about, but grandpa just know you really were an incredible person.  You made a difference in a lot of people’s lives, including mine.  I’m going to miss you a lot, but I know you’re happy and with Heavenly Father.  I love you so much and I’ll see you again soon :)

Love, Annie.

Little Note to the Mailman.

Today I went out to the mailbox not really expecting anything, but hoping, and hoping more than I thought I guess because I was fairly disappointed when I opened up the mailbox and saw a stupid ad postcard and a home magazine.  Both for my mom.  How lame is that??!!  I mean I can’t always get the letters I want exactly, but at least a coupon or wedding announcement or SOMETHING would be nice. 

But anyways it just got me thinking.  It doesn’t really seem fair to give all that power in the hands of one person ya know??  I remember one time specifically a few months ago when there was one certain letter I wanted SOOO badly and my extremely frustrating college dorm mailman didn’t come till 8 p.m.  8 AT NIGHT!!! 

And there was definitely more than once last semester where I sat out in the kitchen doing my homework right by the window where I could watch exactly when the mailman came and then creepily waited right by him until he finished putting the mail in each of my dorm’s mailboxes.  And then after all that I sometimes still wouldn’t get anything.  Pathetic?  Probably.  Controllable?  Definitely not. 

But I also guess, in the mailman’s defense, I should say that the mailman has been the one responsible for making my day more than once too.  There’s been times where a letter was all I needed to turn my day around and I have no one but the mailman to thank for that.

So with all that being said, just a quick note to the mailman.  Please keep in mind how much you affect this little girl’s life.  Please be considerate of how it makes me feel when I get your mail after dark.   And ya know if you don’t see anything for me, you could always just write me a quick note to say hello.  But also thank you.  Thank you for all you do to deliver those wonderful surprises, because whether it’s a package with something new, a letter from my family saying that they miss me, or a letter from a close friend or a cousin on a mission letting me know they’re still okay, each one makes me strangely happy in a way that nothing else really can.