Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving I hitched a ride back down to Colorado to surprise my family! I am so glad that I had the opportunity and the funds to do so. It was a long drive but it was well worth it . I got picked up around 1pm on Tuesday and then arrived at home a little bit before 11pm that evening. So pretty much a 10 hour drive.

When I first walked in everyone thought it was my older sister returning early from a date. But as I walked further into the house, my mom leaned out of a room and saw that it was me.  Soon after, my younger sister Kiki came downstairs and started crying. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WE COMING HOME? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME!" Then the other younger sister came down, "I heard someone crying" she said mockingly as she walked in the room.

Once my older sister got home we played Just Dance 3 all night then watched a movie and fell asleep on the couches. My dad was already in bed when I got home. So the next morning he came downstairs and saw me on the couch. Only he thought I was Kiki, who was beginning to look exactly like me. Until he saw he on the other couch...

So nothing too exciting happened after that. I just hung out at home, it was as if I never left. Except that my sisters were willing to do things for me...

On Thursday morning I went over my Emily's grandmother's house for Thanksgiving breakfast with her family. It was fun. We played tennis with her siblings and cousins. I then returned home to spend the rest of the day with my family.

Then came black Friday shopping. WOOO! I love seeing so many crazy people. It was fun. I went with Emily and her Mother and Sister. It was fun. We got matching waffle knit pull over sweaters. All four of us. Two green, two grey.

I got the sweater, a couple of long sleeved shirts, skinny jeans, and an awesome pair of boots. It was a successful day. I also got Fantastic Mr. Fox, I love that movie. 

Then came Sunday and it was time to head back to Rexburg. Boo. This time we left at 11am and made it back around 9:30. I just slept most of the way. I did all of my homework before I went down on Tuesday so I didn't need to do anything, which was nice.

So while it was a rather uneventful trip, I had fun none-the-less. I am glad that I was able to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends, rather than alone in my apartment in Idaho. I am truly thankful for so many things in my life. I have an amazing family and wonderful friends. I am able to attend a great school. I live in a decent apartment and have a great home to return to. I am thankful that my father has a job that can support our family. I am thankful that I was able to work all through high school. It has not only provided me with the funds necessary to attend the school that I am at, but has helped me with time management. I am thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am thankful for everything that I have learned here at college and really, throughout all of my life. I am thankful for everyone that has been apart of my life thus far.I have so much more that I am great full for, I could really go on and on, but I will end it at that.  

Birthday.

This past Monday was my first birthday away from home. Whoa. It was weird. On Saturday I got my first package. It was from MEAGHAN! I waited to open it until Sunday and we Skyped while I opened it. She made me pumpkin muffins and banana bread and huckleberry jam and got me a Gonzaga sweatshirt! It was so exciting. I've been eating banana bread for breakfast every morning since.

One Sunday I talked to both of my grandmothers and they both told me that I had something coming in the mail. Luckily I woke up Monday morning and everything came! I had two packages and a letter! It was so exciting. I am so blessed. People love me.

One of my roommates decorated the apartment

One of my roommates baked cupcakes!

I got a signed Brooke White CD

Here are my boxes! Those boots are super cozy. I also got Utchorf's book "Your Happily Ever After", it's so sweet. I love it. 

Since it was Monday we also had FHE. Everyone sung to me and it was at someone from the stake high council's home. It was fun. 

Halloween

Last week was Halloween! I didn't bring a costume up to school with me. So I had to improvise...At 7 o'clock Friday night my roommates and I headed over to the thrift store. DI. The place was packed. Fortunately I ran across a lovely star shirt that could be modified to look Ke$ha-esque. 

There were three days of partying. Thus three variations of make-up. Friday night we went to this dance party in the basement of the strip mall. It was really fun!

Night two was Saturday night. Tonight there was an event at the school. There were games, a haunted house, the river of styx, and a dance! It was alright, not as fun as the night before but oh well. We ended up leaving early, checking out a concert at Sammy's but leaving cause it was strange, and going home to make a Christmas countdown chain. Later that evening, about 20 minutes before it ended, one roommate and I headed back to the dance at the school. 

Night three was Halloween! Monday night! First we went to our ward party. It was alright. Really awkward for the first hour...but it was alright. There was a pinata contest. People thought I was Miss America...no. What ever. There aren't many Ke$ha fans here, so I wasn't too surprised. Plus I wasn't dressed like a hooker. I had pants on. After the ward party we went home for a little bit then headed to a party at another apartment complex. There were some nasty girls there. Skankin' it up. I got a free shirt.   

So those were my festivities. I am now half way through the semester! Woooo! I got my midterm grades. Lowest grade is an A-, that is unacceptable. I need a 4.0 so I can get free tuition next semester. 

Visitors

This past week has been super busy. By far the busiest week up until this point. I've had two exams in the testing center, two papers, an interview, the leader of an online discussion board, a frisbee game, and plenty more. I was super nervous heading into this week.

Somehow I pulled it off. I started the discussion board Monday morning and have been checking in daily and commenting on people and keeping the conversation flowing. I turned in one paper Tuesday, for my B.O.M.  class. I played super good in the Frisbee game Tuesday night, I even got one of those epic scores where you jump and catch it with one hand over someone's head. I then went home and wrote my paper for my education class. I took the first exam Wednesday after class. I didn't do too well, but I didn't do awful either. It was a science one, I got a 76% so it was pretty bad. But I have a good grade in that class regardless. Thursday I took my math exam and got a 92% That was super good, there was only 12 questions so to get that score I've only had to have missed one. I also did my interview that night. Typed my notes and submitted them to the teacher.

After the interview I was skyping with Emily who told me she was driving up to West Yellowstone with some friends on Friday. What the! I'm right on the way! Emily said she was trying to get the boys to stop but they didn't think there would be time. How disappointing.

So Friday after classes I head home. Watched 17 Again with some roommates, did some homework, went to the gym took a shower. Sat around not doing much. Then I got a text. Emily convinced them to stop! They were 20 minutes away! Once they got close and saw that I was for real right there - they decided to stop. I was so excited. My roommates commented on how happy I was. I was freaking out. For real.

Unfortunately, it was the lamest weekend for them to stop by. Honestly nothing was going on. But they got here around eleven, we went and saw Captain America then walked around town and just talked and hung out. So BYUI has a curfew of 1am on Friday nights, we stayed out until 6:30, the gym had already reopened for the day. I am such a rebel...sike. I wasn't doing anything bad. I was able to give Emily her birthday present. It was a little big, but I think she liked it. I am incredibly thankful that they stopped by. For real. So thankful. I didn't even realize how much I had been missing them. I hope I can get a ride home for Thanksgiving. I want to see them again.

Adventures

Last weekend I went to the Get Connected Outdoors program. I loved it! I had to wake up at 6am but it was totes worth it. I wanted to go but none of my roommates were interested in going so I didn't think I would make it. But one day in my math class my friend brought it up because she too had no one to go with! So we did it, we bought tickets right after that class period.

We drove about 40 minutes to BYUI's Badger Creek facilities. There were all sorts of activities. I went geocacheing, canoeing and did a ropes course. There are unfortunately no pictures of the ropes course. It was fun. I slipped at one point and got this nasty rope burn bruise combination. I looked abused. I honestly wore long sleeves for a week. But it was worth it, whateva.

At the end of the day as we were eating lunch I got light headed and my vision was blurred so I sat down and drank tons of water and put my head down. I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before and I only drank one water bottle, so I was probably dehydrated and tired.

Later that  night I went to the Relief Society Broadcast. I slept through the first three talks...I was tired. But I listened to President Uchtorf's. I really enjoyed his.