Here's to the Future!

I literally haven't blogged in almost two years... but I have been feeling nostalgic lately and decided to try my hand at this again.

I've reached the end of my college life and I'm moving on to being a grown up with a full time job! I'm excited for this new journey. I have started working for Conservice as a Software Developer. I LOVE it! I'm excited to stay in Logan and I'm enjoying the new apartment with a few new roommates and a new ward.

I decided to make my "pack" a little larger and get myself a puppy! Her name is Kya :) she is a beagle/mini Australian shepherd mix with a bit of either pointer or blue heeler. She's my little shadow. I love her and I'm excited to have her as my companion for the next part of my life!

A lot has happened in the past four years of my life. Just remembering myself my freshman year of college and looking at myself now is crazy. My friends that have known me since freshman year can attest that I have changed a lot since then ;) I was pretty naive. I have been contemplating what I have learned over the years and started  to formulate a list in my head and transfer it to paper. Here are just a few:

1. It's not about how many friends you have, it's about how many "true" or "good" friends you have.
2. Keeping an eternal perspective can help alleviate stress.
3. Don't forget about your Heavenly Father when times are good.
4. Have an attitude of gratitude. 
5. Rejoice in the little things that make you happy in life.
6. Learn how to be happy and content when you are single.
7. Do things for yourself. 
8. Follow your dreams.
9. Trust in God's timing.
10. Listen to spiritual promptings. 
11. Pray and read your scriptures because the little things make you strong.
12. Don't be afraid to be yourself.
13. Don't sell yourself short of anything.
14. Spending time to get to know YOURSELF is important. 
15. Don't be afraid to try something new :)

It's already July?!

Summer is FLYING by! It can't be July! School is going to start in less than two months, and I'm DEFINITELY not ready to go back.

Even though Summer is going by too fast, I've had such a fun time! Here are only some of my adventures:

I went and saw Avengers for the third time with Christy, Skyler and Amanda. Only Christy and I wanted to take pictures... ha ha.

Visited my Daddy for Father's Day :) I got my dad the hat he's wearing. It has the new Utah State logo and the new bull on it!

Had a play date with Anna! She did my glitter toes and she showed me this really good and super cheap Chinese place in Logan called Wok on Wheels! It's so yummy!

Hung out with Carlee several times :) she asked me to be her model for her photo-shoot she had to do for her photography class!

I went to Hyrum Dam with Nate and Aaron and we tried to look for the place that these crazies did this. We hiked around and we think we found it, but we weren't sure. We decided that when they shot this, the water was a lot higher than it was when we were there. After exploring for awhile, we just decided to swim and have a sand fight. It was a blast!

Sara Giron, soon to be Sara Wells, came up for a night and hung out with me! The night she came up here, Aaron, Nate, Whitni, and Sara and I hung out and were crazy. It was so much fun to bring a few different friend circles together that night! We had a blast! The next day, Sara cut my hair and then we went shopping and watched Brave! I was so happy I got to chill with her like old times before she gets hitched! ;)

Amanda went to New Hampshire for a week and I got to drive her to and from the airport, so while I was in Salt Lake I got to visit Aunt Dana and Grandma! That was so nice to see them. I hadn't seen them for awhile. It's fun to catch up and visit.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but I had a lot of fun celebrating the Fourth of July! I learned this year that Logan does their fireworks on the third, so I got to watch half of those fireworks from Taylor's apartment with Taylor and Rachael. It lasted for quite awhile and, like I said, I only watched half of them! I was impressed.

On the fourth, I worked during the day and then Rachael, Taylor, Nate and I met a big group of people at the park to watch the Hyrum fireworks! It was so much fun! We went early to the park, so we played all kinds of games and visited before the fireworks and then while we were waiting for traffic to die down so we could leave, we played more games! After we finally got out of there, Nate, Taylor, and I went and got slurpees and then we called it a night. I felt like a little kid and was tuckered out by the time the night was done, but it was SOOO worth it! I had a blast!

I went to Sara's Bachelorette party! It was a blast! We had Sushi for dinner and then we went to see Spiderman at the drive-in theater! SO much fun! I LOVED Spiderman. I thought the originals were good, but the new one is SUPER good!

Like I said at the beginning of my post, those are only a few of the fun adventures I've had! This summer has been such a good balance of work and fun. I've LOVED it. I just don't really want it to end, but I'm going to soak up as much fun as I can while I still have time!

Summa Livin' :)

I haven't updated my blog in forever. My life has been super duper busy, but school is finally done and I have a four month break!!!!! Well, now it's three months, since we're already a month into it :) I've already kicked summer off in such a good way!

Starting clear back to finals week....

Thursday of finals week, Christy and I decided that because we had no food, we'd go out to eat at Noodles and Co. I LOVE that place and just found my favorite plate. It's delicious! After dinner, we walked around Best Buy and Home Depot and just talked. It was really fun!

After we went on our little adventure, I came home and finished cleaning the apartment for the cleaning inspection. When Lauren got home, we went to wait in line to see the midnight premiere of Avengers!! :D

Lauren, her good friend Kaitlyn, and I went to The Antics together about a month ago. They had a raffle and I won Avengers Premiere tickets, so Lauren and I got to go for free! We ended up sitting in the third row from the front, but it was still good! :) I loved it.

Friday of finals week I had my last final and finished moving all of my stuff out. I got lunch and hung out with Amanda for a few hours while she was packing. I got home and visited with the fam for awhile and then decided to go visit James Marriott! I haven't seen that man in forever. His mission call came and he is going to Guatemala at the end of August! I'm so excited for him! James, Mike Cevering, and I had a wonderful time that night. We watched some really interesting tv and talked about college and missions. It was good for me. :) I miss spending time with the Marriott family.

I had fun with the family the weekend after finals when I didn't have a home in Logan. :) Amanda stayed with us for most of the weekend as well. We had a blast!

I moved into my new place on Tuesday, May 8. I was exhausted by the time we got everything into the apartment and a lot of it situated. I was ready to crash.

Since I've moved in, I've had all kinds of adventures! I work a lot, but I find time to do some fun things! Here's a picture "slideshow" I guess you could call it, of only some of my adventures:

Brenna and I at our first Home Evening at our new ward :)

Manda, Brenna and me having a girls night doing facials 

Going to lunch with Sara while she was in town for the day

Coolest standee I've ever seen. The seat is so comfy! I love my job. :)

Visiting and watching Tangled :)

Trying on hats at Walmart- Brenna's hat and my hat were fuzzy!

Taylor, Nate and I being dorks at 2nd Dam

That's only a fraction of the adventures I've had :) I've met a lot of new people, spent time with other friends and family, and have had time to just forget about school for awhile! I feel so lucky and so blessed! Life is great right now and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible! Summer choir starts this Thursday, and I can't wait to start singing again!

I also want to bear my testimony. I know that my Redeemer lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, He lives who once was dead! He lives, my ever living Head. He lives, to bless me with His love. He lives to plead for me above. He lives to calm my troubled heart. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the Restoration. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today. I know that the love God has for us is immeasurable and His atonement is infinite. I know that if you put your faith in Him, you will always be better off. I know that nurturing your testimony is so important, no matter if you're in a large trial or out of one. I know that the commandments are there to protect us and not to limit us. I know that temples are so important and the ordinances that are performed within are sacred, holy, and intimate. I know this church is true with all of my heart and I say these things in the name of my Brother, my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

An Update on Life... and the Fireside Elder Holland Spoke At! :)

Holy cow! I realized I haven't written on my blog forever! Life just gets so busy!

Christmas break was even more amazing than I could imagine. I worked, watched three seasons of Castle, some Vampire Diaries, all kinds of movies, and spent all kinds of time with family and friends :) It was the break I needed from such a tiring semester. I've learned that the words of Kelly Clarkson are true. "What doesn't kill you makes you STRONGER. Stand a little taller. Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone. What doesn't kill you makes a fighter. Footsteps even lighter." :)

Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger"

I'm back in school now! It's been almost a month since it started! CRAZY. I'm taking MGT 3110, MIS 3330, ECON 3400, ACCT 2010, Gymnastics, and Weight Training! It's been a pretty fun semester so far! MIS 3330 is a Database class for my major and I absolutely LOVE it. It's so much fun! I've been able to catch on pretty fast and it's been such a blessing for me to know that I'm in the right major for ME! :) I've enjoyed taking Gymnastics and Weight Training, because it has boosted my self-confidence and has strengthened me more than just physically. This semester has been a blessing!

LDV has been wonderful! :) I don't know what I'd do without it in my life right now! I got to perform in a fireside for Elder Holland! I can't tell you how AMAZING that was, to prepare the people to hear a prophet's voice and to be an addition to his testimony that night. I was so filled with the Spirit. It was the annual Joseph Smith Memorial Fireside that he spoke for. His goal that night was to educate us more about the wonderful person Joseph Smith was. I can't express how amazing the experience was to have an Apostle that close. The whole feeling of the room changed as he walked into the Spectrum. It was remarkable. Some of the stories he told of Joseph Smith's life were new to me. It was amazing to see how I can apply Joseph's example in my life today. I know just from that talk that Heavenly Father looks out for me. From the choir seats, I could see the laptop that communicated with the teleprompter on the stand. It was amazing to see the teleprompter stop and to hear Elder Holland speak with the Holy Ghost and "stray" from his original talk for a moment. Elder Holland set the closing song up so well. The Spirit was SO STRONG. I was bawling by the time "Praise To The Man" ended and couldn't stop until a few minutes after the closing prayer had ended. I will never forget that day.

Maggie, Amanda, Sara, and me at the Elder Holland Fireside :)

I can testify to you that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the one and only true church on this earth. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the Restoration. I know he saw and communed with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that the prophecy will be fulfilled that "millions shall know Brother Joseph again." I know that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today and speaks with authority and truth. I know that Jesus Christ bled and died for us so that we might live with Him again. I know that the power of the priesthood is real. I know that trials are a blessing, although they may just seem a pain in the moment. I know that we have angels helping us all the time. I say these things humbly, in the name of my beloved brother and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

FINALS ARE OVER!

I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW HAPPY I AM THAT FINALS ARE OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to...

1. PARTAY HARDAY!!!!!!!!!!
2. sleep... you can't forget to make up for the lost sleep.
3. lounge around in pajamas watching Vampire Diaries.... :)
4. make money for next semester
5. enjoy Christmas
6. rejoice for a new year
7. write my missionaries :)
8. study and take the math placement exam
9. marvel that I'm almost half way through college
10. be amazed at the fact that I've been graduated from high school for a year and a half. Woah. it seems longer than that, but it also seems like yesterday... ha ha.
11. and many more amazing things :)

I'm SO EXCITED that I don't have to work until 5 on Monday.... so I'm gonna party it up (and sleep, don't forget sleep) before then!

Thoughts :)

I feel very much like a typical college student right now. I'm laying in my bed with these things on it: my 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper 3/4 of the way gone, my Psychology textbook, my cell phone, my Patriarchal Blessing, a big bag of Sour Patch Kids, three jackets, two stuffed animals, a bunch of blankets (my heating blanket is turned on), the towel I used as a cape this morning to dress up for my English class, (yup, it was a requirement that I dress up as a superhero today) and about four pillows. I'm super comfy and I don't want to leave this spot. :)

Holy cow, do I feel so blessed despite my trials this semester! I've learned so much. Heavenly Father has blessed me in so many ways- a lot of which I probably don't even recognize. I'm so grateful for the wonderful support system I have and for the wonderful spirit of the Christmas season.

I'm very relieved that this semester is coming to a close soon. It's been a rough one. I'm excited for the holidays, new classes, and more people to meet! I feel that I've grown a lot this semester. Latter Day Voices has been such a blessing as I've gone through these challenges. I've gained some great friends and have fostered relationships that I gained last year from it. I'm so grateful for Latter Day Voices in my life.

Good luck to my college friends on their finals! I hope things go well for you!

My Grandpa Hall

Who knew that within a month, both of my grandpas would have been gone? I wouldn't have guessed it. I don't know why this happened, but I know I'm supposed to learn something from it. I have been tried so much this semester. It's been so hard to try to juggle work, school, deaths, emotional breakdowns, and everything else that comes with life. It's been so overwhelming, but I've felt the Lord by my side. I know he's there even though sometimes I feel so alone. He sends me angels when I start to feel alone.

The night my grandpa passed away, I was basically alone in my apartment. I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I hadn't showered all day, I couldn't get a hold of my best friend, my other best friend is on a mission and my other best friend just moved out state. I was so emotional and lost. I felt as though Heavenly Father was taking all of the people away from me when I needed them most. The Lord took care of me though. A sweet friend of mine in LDV called me at just the right time. I told her what was going on and she came and picked me up right then. It was an answer to my pleas. She took me out and we had fun that night. I was so grateful for that phone call. I honestly have no idea what would have happened if she hadn't called me. She was my angel that night.

As my dad sad, my grandpa's 6'3" giant frame was hard to miss. He was one of the most faithful men I have ever met in my life. He loved his family dearly, was passionate about our country, and stood up for truth and righteousness. He was a great example to me, and I can't wait to get another great big hug from him when I see him again! I love you, Grandpa!

Time Is Flying Shockingly Fast!

I can't believe that I basically only have a month left of school. That's just weird. WEIRD. I feel like we just started school.  My best friend, Carlee, is getting married on Saturday and I'm in shock. I remember when she told me she was engaged, and it doesn't seem like that long ago. I'm happy for her!

I have another friend getting married too! Angie Holdaway! We've been friends since high school. I love her to pieces. She found her prince charming too. She's getting married on December 9. I'm really hoping I can be there for her, cuz that's my last day of classes and I have a choir concert that night!

Halloween was weird this year. I felt like by the time Halloween was here, it was over. I celebrated it the week before twice, once with the ward and once with LDV, and I just kinda felt like it was done. When I got to campus and people were wearing costumes, it dawned on me that it was actually Halloween. Ha ha. Here's a few pictures from the LDV party we had :)

 Amanda, Madison, and me :)

 ha ha, this picture makes me giggle :)

 Oh James Harris, ha ha. He's so awesome!

 Angeles, the mime and me. :)

Matt, Amanda, Kerstin, and me :)

My grandpa passed away on Halloween. Little trickster, my mom and my aunts and uncles wanted to be with him when he passed and he chose to pass when everyone but my grandma had left the hospital room so they could change his sheets. I think he decided to pass on Halloween because he wanted to play tricks on everyone in heaven and watch everyone on earth be crazy. Ha ha :) I'm gonna miss him a lot. He's in a much better place now though, and he's not in pain. He's happy and he can see! :) I'm so grateful for my knowledge of eternal families. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't know I could see him again!

Grandpa and me :)

I know the Gospel is true. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven that loves me. I'm grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement that I have. I know that my Savior loves me and is there for me always. I'm grateful, despite my weaknesses, that there is a way back to our Father in Heaven. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that Christ will come again on this earth. 

Update on Life! :)

So.... I fail at blogging this semester. I've been super busy!

I no longer work at Payless... but I work at Kmart as a Cashier now! :) YAY! I started on October 22 and it's been wonderful! I started using the register on Tuesday and I'm getting the hang of it! It's a seasonal position for now. I'm hoping that they'll hire me on as a permanent employee after the season.

Latter Day Voices is great :) Still loving it! I'm taking an institute class with Brother Salmond as well and I'm learning loads of stuff I didn't know about the Gospel before! It's been such a great experience!

My schedule has NEVER been so demanding in college! This semester has been CRAZY. So much homework! I'm definitely learning how to utilize my time. I've been able to fit a lot of fun things too. Here are some pictures! :)

USU had Ag Week. 'nough said. ;)

LDV parties :)

LDV Retreat :)

Surprise Spoon with the roomies ;)

Carlee came to Logan and we had a fun sleepover :)

Dance parties in the car on the way to Ward Prayer :)

Caramel Apple Cider :)

Christy and I visited Carlee so I could try on my bridesmaid dress and I got my pillow pet, Geoffrey the Giraffe, from Carlee :)

Stake Halloween Activities

And those are just some highlights :) I've been a lucky girl! So much fun! I have a bunch of Latter Day Voices things this week and Carlee's wedding next week! Life only gets busier! I'm enjoying the journey!

Living Life as an Aggie :)

This semester has been more demanding than anything I ever had last year. It's still been quite the ride! :) I've learned a lot! Not only have a I learned secular things, but I have also learned a lot about the Gospel and have increased my testimony.

I've been learning a lot about revelation. It's something the Presidency and Brother Salmond focus on a lot in Latter Day Voices. I've learned to how to be more receptive to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. I've also learned the importance of writing your promptings down. Not only does it help you remember your promptings, but it also helps you in times of need and opens the door for more revelation.

I also recently bought a $2 copy of the Book of Mormon from the Institute store and started reading it. It has been such a blessing to me to start reading it over again on a clean slate, without all of my previous markings. It's allowed me to search for things that touch me and highlight  them and write promptings in the margins instead of reading over my already highlighted Book of Mormon. This is only my second day doing this, and I can already tell it's going to help me out a lot. If you've never done this, try it. It's already starting to strengthen my testimony!

Writing missionaries also strengthens testimonies. I just wrote a letter to a dear friend of mine and shared my testimony and some spiritual experiences, thoughts, and quotes with him.

I've had a lot of fun the past couple weeks! We had Latter Day Voices Retreat and our very first fireside! Such a BLAST! I can't wait for our fireside this Sunday and I hope I can attend the Seminary we're attending on my birthday!

Today was a rainy day in Cache Valley! We had some really bad rain and snow storms last year and I never got soaked through. But.... today was my lucky day. I got SOAKED. My sweats were all wet, my RAIN coat was sticking to me because of the rain, and my socks were soaked. I should have taken pictures, it was hilarious. I had my hood on and my bangs were crazy curly by the time I got to class and the front of my hair was soaked. I do have to say though, having short hair does help with the whole hood thing. You don't have to work as hard to get it all back in the hood. Ha ha :) I need to find my umbrella.