2010 in a nutshell.

This is Stephanie's version of the year. I like it better than mine because she went into more detail. A lot of the things she mentions are things she did with Camille and I and I had forgotten them so I didn't mention them on my blog. 2010 was pretty awesome I must say.

Here's the link to her post.

Goodbye 2010.

The year is almost over and all in all I'd say it was a pretty good one. I am excited for 2011 though.
Here are some of my memories of 2010:
Holi Festival in March.

In April I went to my first Il Palio and Stephanie got her appendix out.

In May my cousin Sunnie came to visit for the first time in forever and Camille and Stephanie went on their first prom.

In June I turned 19, Stephanie adopted two cats, and my family and I went to Monterey and San Francisco.

In July my family participated in a 10 k run (walk for some of us), watched lots of fireworks, I went to Twilight Concert Series to see Beirut, and we discovered our favorite cupcake cafe.

Also in July my Aunt Karon and cousin Chris came to visit so we were able to see the extended family a lot which was fun.

And Tate, Stephanie, and I hiked to Escalante cross and watched the sunrise.

In August I went to a pretty fantastic birthday party, went on a girl's trip with my sisters and friends, and moved out.

In September Jamie and I went to Tyler's birthday party where he broke his head open.

In October I became a sub for a bowling league team, fell in love with Cafe Rio, went to church with dorky glasses on my face, and took pictures with some college friends.

In November I had a lovely Thanksgiving with my family and went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter 7 with my sister and friends.

In December Jamie and I had a dress up party at Claire's (in the mall) and I celebrated Christmas with my family, and I found out I actually passed my biology class. Yay!

The end.

Once upon a time...

I made a poster of Andrew Bird for a birthday present awhile ago. It's not amazing or anything but I stumbled on it today while I was bored at work and decided I wanted to post it on my blog. It's based on one of his songs that I really like so.. yep.

Christmas.

I love Christmas. And breaks from school. And being home. So, as you can probably imagine, I'm pretty happy with life at the moment even though I do still have to work. It has been a really good week though.

Every year for Christmas Eve all the Utah family members from my mom's side get together at my grandparents' house. We play ridiculous games, eat delicious food, open presents, and talk.

Then we celebrated Christmas day just as our own little family thing and it was really nice and relaxing. 

Also, I received this wonderful thing from my parents: http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/design.html and they even personalized it so on the back in tiny letters it says: "Allergic to washing machines." (referring to what happened to my last ipod). I love it! And the other gifts I got were fantastic too.

But really my favorite thing about Christmas is being able to hang out with my family so much. It sounds cheesy but it's true. So there.

Mall Adventures

 This is what happens when Jamie and I are bored...

College.

It's finals week. The semester is almost over and I am so excited. I just have to make it through the next two days first. My friend sent me this picture and I thought it sums up college pretty well. I think, in most cases anyway, adequate sleep is the first thing to go.

Anyway, time to get back to studying. Have a good week! 

Thanksgiving Break/Birthday Post

Thanksgiving Break:
We were lucky and had blizzard warnings so the university closed a day and a half early. I was so glad! I didn't have to go to work Wednesday or to my three hour class on Tuesday. Instead, I packed my bags and went to my Spanish Fork home on Tuesday.
Here are some highlights from the break:
-Saw Tangled with my sisters and mom. It was pretty good actually!
-Had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and triple chocolate pecan pie.
-Went Black Friday shopping.
-Saw Inception for the second time with some friends.

And that's pretty much it. I don't want it to end though. But thankfully it's only like three weeks until Christmas break. Thank goodness.

And I know thankful lists are cheesy and perhaps you might be bored by mine but I am going to write one anyway.
I am thankful for:
-My mom--Her ability to make the best lasagna ever, how she listens to me when I really need a friend, and that she's just basically the best mom ever. Really.
-My dad--He's just so happy most of the time, or at least seems to be, it makes me happy too. He's the best dad ever.
-My sisters-- They're hilarious and I love them.
-Stephanie--Best friend anyone could ask for. (See birthday post below)
-Jamie--Best roommate ever and amazing friend. She goes through so much but is really strong.
-My church
-As much as it doesn't feel like it sometimes, I am grateful for school. I just can't wait for it to be over.
-Music
-Delicious food
-My house
-Summer
-Snow when it's falling and pretty.
-Rain
-Books
-Chocolate
-Sleep


Those are just a few but there you go.

Birthday Post:

Thursday was Thanksgiving day but also Stephanie's birthday. So here is my little tribute to her for her birthday. She is basically like a sister to me. She, Camille, and I had so much fun over the summer while she was living in Spanish Fork. One thing I really like about being friends with her is that she always inspires me to be better. Not in a condescending way or anything, just the way she tries so hard to be a good person and to be healthy and smart, etc. etc. Stephanie is one person I can have philosophical discussions with and she's really respectful of other people's opinions so it's easy to talk to her about anything even if she doesn't agree. Don't be fooled by her apparent shyness though, she can actually be very crazy and fun. A lot of the time even. She has excellent taste in music, is very talented at drawing, very pretty, smarter and wiser than you'd expect from someone her age (I'm lucky to know two exceptionally smart 17-year-olds). She is a really good friend because she's always there if someone needs her and she's really caring when it comes to other people. Even though Camille, Stephanie, and I are all living in different places now and don't see each other as much we manage to stay close friends and I am very grateful for that. A lot of friends don't stick with you for that long. SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE!!!! I love you!! 

I am bored.This is a terribly long post. Just warning you.

Photo Credit

Thursday night was the night that I went to my first midnight movie at a theater. It was pretty eventful... I guess, well, at least once the waiting-in-line thing was over. After work, Camille came over and she, Jamie, and I got pizza and then Parker picked us up. While Camille and I were waiting in line (it took forever to find the end) we made a new friend. And then we three proceeded to have one of the most nerdy conversations (all about Harry Potter) that I've been involved in for awhile. I've certainly sat in on many recently though just none I was interested in... haha. And although I almost hate to admit it--I thoroughly enjoyed our Harry Potter discussion. Parker and Jamie found us and then we also ran into Jamie's sister, Sam, and a boy named Stewart. (He went to Walden with us for awhile). So they joined our group and we started playing card games which was pretty fun and it helped us sort of ignore how cold we were... But after two hours of that, we were allowed to go inside (thankfully) and we got pretty good seats! And the Scera is huge... it surprises me every time. So, we still had two hours to go but at least we were warm and a little more comfortable. But card games weren't really an option anymore because of the seats so Camille and I started listening to her iPod. Yeah... I listen to one earphone and she listens to the other. This wouldn't be the case if it weren't for the washing machine incident of '09, but my iPod is long gone. Sad, sad. Anyway, but we also were watching random videos on her phone, and found it was actually quite entertaining (this shows just how bored we were) to watch a video and then pick a song to go along. It was really really funny. Especially if the video had Stephanie in it and the music was dramatic... they just go together well? We laughed a lot, but it was probably one of those you-had-to-be-there-moments. So after about two hours of doing that, people started counting down for the show to start. It was very exciting...
The movie was good... I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would. There were some parts that seemed kind of irrelevant? Like Harry and Hermione's little dance in the tent. I'm pretty sure Daniel Radcliffe doesn't know how ridiculous he looks when he dances.. or all the time. Camille and I were laughing through that whole part. And I was terribly sad when Dobby died. And now I want to watch all of the movies over again. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed them. 

I've almost made it to Thanksgiving Break! I am so excited. It feels like it's taken forever to come. And school has been too crazy. A break sounds kind of amazing.
Oh, yesterday Kristy brought home a bunch of Christmas decorations from her house so we put them up around the apartment. It was actually really fun! Even though Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet... Now we are all in a Christmas-y mood and we made paper snowflakes to hang on the ceiling and I love them. Haha, I love my roommates. I can't wait until we decorate at my real home though. I miss my family which is one reason I am so excited for Thanksgiving. Also, delicious food. Family and food, need I say more?

Okay I'm really done now.

You've had a birthday shout hooray...

 My mom and Aunt Karon this past summer.

Saturday was my mom's birthday! We celebrated it by going to the Carl Bloch exhibit at the BYU art museum. It was pretty much amazing... and then we went to the cheesecake factory which was delicious, of course. I'd never been there before but I definitely enjoyed it. I thought it was a pretty great day so I hope she liked it too.

My mom is one of the very most amazing people I know. I only wish I could be half as dedicated and motivated as she is. She's always trying to do better in her life in all areas no matter how great she is already doing. I really admire that and try to follow her example (it's really hard haha). She's witty, fun, intelligent, beautiful, and basically our family would be nothing without her. She does the best accents and we all still love when she reads books out loud to us even though we're all old enough to read on our own. She's always been good at story-telling and reading out loud. I'm really grateful for her efforts in helping our family to be as close as we are. She has taught me more than anyone else has and she definitely inspires me to be a better person... all of the time. I love my mom so much and I hope she knows that we all really really appreciate what she does for us even though it may not always seem that way.

Happy Birthday!!

 Provo River Trail

 We all wore funny glasses to church for Halloween. (Jamie did too but not in this picture.)

Happy Halloween! And just fall in general... the leaves are beautiful.

I love Cafe Rio.

                                

I was having a pretty tough morning yesterday, and as soon as Stephanie found out, she came down here (from Lehi, so it wasn't easy and she had to pay) but she didn't even waste a second and I didn't have to ask her. She just came down and we decided to see "Despicable Me" at the dollar theater. (Mostly because Inception was sold out). We got soaked in the rain as we ran to Shopko and bought delicious treats for our movie experience. The movie was funny at some parts and the girls sitting next to us laughed hysterically through the entire thing. Then after that, we ate food at Cafe Rio (my favorite place these days) and then she had to leave for her bus pretty soon after. And, even though it was really short, I felt a lot better. It was nice to just hang out with a good friend for awhile. And it was sooo nice of her to just come down without having planned it beforehand. I'm really lucky, and grateful that she is my friend.


So thanks, Stephanie. :)

Also, I love the movie "Anastasia." Kristy was watching it the other day and afterwards we just played the songs over and over on Youtube and sang along. It was fun, and brought back good memories of Camille and I watching it when we were little and then dancing and singing along to the ending credits.

So yeah. I think I'm sick. Ohhh well.

That is all.

17 Things

I know it sounds kind of funny, but I want to grow up to be like my little sister. She is just really amazing! And her 17th birthday was last week so here are 17 things I love about Camille (not in any particular order though):

1. She is selfless. She's always been really giving and generous. Any time I am sad she is right there to help me out and she does that for everyone around her.
2. Intelligent. Sometimes I am surprised at the things she says because they seem so wise and insightful. She really knows what she's talking about.
3. Dedicated. I really want to be as motivated as Camille is. She goes to a really hard school and I know she gets overwhelmed by the homework load sometimes, but she keeps trying her best even when she's discouraged. She always does what she knows she is supposed to do and I think that's really admirable because sometimes it's just easier to slack off or give up.
4. Funny. Sometimes we are the silliest people I know. It's really fun and I feel really lucky to have two sisters that I get along with so well and can laugh with so much.
5. Bakes delicious cookies. Enough said.
6. She's so pretty. I am jealous haha.
7. A chocolate lover.
8. She's very inclusive. She always makes sure that no one is lonely or left out of social events. She is pretty popular because she is so willing to go out of her way just to talk to someone who looks lonely or sit by them in class.
9. Reads faster than anyone I know. And she comprehends more than I comprehend when I read slowly...
10. Reads her scriptures like every day and gets so excited about seminary.
11. She has good taste in music.
12. Good at writing, despite the fact she thinks she isn't.
13. She and I have great homework parties. Best ones I've been to.
14. Patient.
15. She watches chick flicks with me. And BBC films like Pride and Prejudice, Emma, North and South, etc.
16. Crazy.
17. She's my best friend. I can talk to her about anything and I never get sick of hanging out with her. I am so lucky and grateful to have her as my sister!

Why Read?

"What then is the good of--what is even the defence for--occupying our hearts with stories of what never happened and entering vicariously into feelings which we should try to avoid having in our own person? The nearest I have yet got to an answer is that we seek an enlargement of our being. We want to be more than ourselves... We want to see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts, as well as with our own... In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself, and am never more than myself when I do."
~C.S. Lewis from the Epilogue to An Experiment in Criticism

I can't believe it's not gutter...

So I've never been good at bowling... or terribly interested in it... but suddenly I am kind of on a bowling team. Yes, an actual team for bowling. A couple of the girls in my building at Wyview (including Jamie) joined BYU's bowling league that is on Wednesday nights. I just became the official sub if anyone can't go. So we had our first one this past Wednesday. It was actually really fun! My high score was a 45... but still we all just had a good time and made new friends. And we had a midnight Taco Bell run right after which is definitely the best time to go to Taco Bell. Oh and we decided our team name is "I can't believe it's not gutter" because we thought it was pretty applicable considering our bowling skills.

Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care

Goodbye to Summer...

I already miss it. 

(click on the picture to make it bigger)

Fourteen Staples and a Birthday Wish

Fourteen Staples:

Well, it's been a little while since I last posted something on here but that is because I have been crazy busy. So much has happened! But I don't think I can put it all in one post so I'm just going to tell you about last Saturday even though you've pretty much all heard the story...

So, Saturday morning Jamie and I got up early-ish because it was Tyler's birthday. He wanted to go dune-buggying so we had to leave early since it took awhile to get where were going to drive it. It was really a lot of fun. Tyler could drive it pretty fast and Jamie learned how to drive it. I couldn't reach the pedals so I couldn't learn... that's okay though. I loved just riding though and looking out at how there were no buildings or houses around. There were just fields and fields and blue sky and sunflowers lining both sides of the road. It was beautiful so of course I had to take tons of pictures.


The last time Tyler and I took it out though we rolled the buggy on accident. Which was pretty exciting... and scary. I thought we were going to die but I was just overreacting. Poor Tyler got a head wound and was bleeding all over the place. The buggy was too damaged to drive so we had to just start walking. I was panicking because Tyler started blacking out and there was blood all over him and we were miles from his dad and Jamie but Tyler was actually very calm and handled it really well. We found a campsite and just started yelling for help and finally someone came out of her trailer and saw what was going on. So someone took me back to Tyler's dad and Jamie while they took care of Tyler's head. (Apparently he had to tell them how to do first aid but it was nice of them to help). And everything was okay. It was really really scary though. I only got a tiny bit hurt and Tyler is doing a lot better. He had to get fourteen staples though...

Yeah.. pretty disgusting... But kind of interesting at the same time. It kind of makes me cringe to look at it and so I apologize if it does that to you too..

But anyway, I never did a blog about Tyler for his birthday... so now onto part 2 of this post.


Happy Birthday Wish:

Tyler's one of the most loyal friends I've ever known. He's always there for any of his friends any time they need him. He's willing to go out of his way to give up some of his time to give the person a hug or just let them talk it out for hours and hours. I know a lot of people, including me, really appreciate that he's willing to do that even though I know sometimes he doesn't realize how much it means to his friends.

Along with being an awesome friend he is really really smart. He teaches himself piano (and is actually pretty good at it), his vocabulary is much larger than an average 18 year old's, he's especially good at science, he understands a lot of things that make no sense to me, he's an amazing writer both in wording and in the content he writes, and he has a vast knowledge of random facts.

 I'm really glad I have Tyler for a friend and I hope he had a good birthday even though he now has fourteen staples in his head. He's a great person and I don't know what I would do without him. I hope he knows that a lot of people really are grateful for him in their lives and so many people really care about him. So.. Happy Birthday Tyler!! (and Jamie and I still have a present for you we just need to get it to you sometime.)

Happy Birthday!!

 

Photobucket 

Wednesday was my dad's birthday. We went out to eat at Los Hermanos and it was really fun. I just love my family... I know I say that a lot but it's because I just really do haha.
But anyway, this blog is about my awesome father. He's one of my favorite people for a lot of reasons. First of all he's part of my family so he automatically is up there on the list, also he is really good at guitar and is so motivated to keep learning and that's pretty impressive I think. In fact, he taught me how to play guitar a little and he showed me how it was like a piano and it made so much more sense than it ever had before! I was excited haha. He has taught me so much about the scriptures and I'm really glad for all the insights and knowledge he has and shares. He's usually very happy and laughs a lot. He really is just nice to everyone and I really look up to him for that. He is very intelligent, he has a Phd and teaches at BYU and has written articles and books and gets to look at old manuscripts for research etc. He's been to places all over the world and when he went places he would always bring back something for Camille and I that are from where he went so we have souvenirs from all these random places and I think it's great haha. We have some very important common interests like: Ice cream, chocolate, and music. Yep, so that is just a short summary of my dad! He's amazing and I'm pretty sure he's the best dad ever. :D

Sophmore year here I come

Well I am getting ready for school to start on Monday. I am kind of nervous because I'm taking some hard classes this semester but I think they all sound good so hopefully I will like them. I moved out yesterday... It's kind of strange and it doesn't really feel like I'm moved out but more like I'm having a sleep over or I'm at EFY or something. The apartment is really nice and my roommates are cool and my RA (resident assistant?) seems really nice too. Today Jamie and I went shopping and had to take the cart back to out room with us because we don't have a car and we couldn't carry all the groceries. I think we probably looked kind of funny. But we did return it afterwards. I miss my family but I think I will miss them more next week. I am so lucky that I only live like 20 minutes away from them though!

Our living room.

Kitchen

Me and Jamie's room.

Lovely desk.

One of my roommates :D