Finals Week, Soup, and Christmas Programs

So our heater is not working...This isn't the first time either. But it was working this morning. But now it only turns on for like 3 minutes and then turns off and during the time it is on it only spews out cold air. So we are basically freezing. My roommate's currently jumping and spinning around the room to stay warm. On another  note, church was lovely today. We had the Christmas program, which I sang a solo in. The Christmas stories were beautiful and touching, and the choir did very well (at least I thought).

Just a suggestion though to, well, everyone. When you are sitting in the audience, try to at least look complacent while someone is giving a talk or singing. Because some people look grumpy or depressed when they relax their face muscles. I used to notice that my old bishop in my home ward looked angry when he would sit up on the stand. He wasn't angry, of course, but that was just what his expression looked like when he didn't put any expression on it. So just a suggestion, smile at speakers, or at least try to look a bit more bright eyed and complacent when someone is speaking/singing. Helps them out.

It's finals this week, which means I won't be getting on facebook again until they are all over. I do this every time I take finals. I'm kind of really superly stressing about this (meaning finals). But I made a promise with Heavenly Father that I wouldn't study today if he would help me pass my finals. It's seriously taking a lot of will power not to break out my notes and start making flashcards. My instincts are telling me that it just makes sense to utilize this time with studying. But recently I read a quote by some apostle that promised that if you keep the Sabbath day holy and leave your studying for the rest of the week, you will do better on your tests. So as much as my heart is hyperventilating over this, I am going to have faith that the Lord will bless me if I wait until tomorrow to study. So I guess I'll let you know how that goes.

Well last Friday I had work and then went to a friend's house to study. After a while of studying, we went to the store and everyone bought food to get them through finals week. Except me, because I forgot my wallet. But I have discovered something about myself. Grocery shopping stresses me out. Or really any sort of shopping just for myself. Part of the reason I have not gone grocery shopping this semester is because it seriously stresses me out so much. When I am at the store, all I can think about is "I can't afford this. I am so poor. Is it worth it? I have food at home. This is only going to make me fat." I will literally pick something off the shelf, stare at it in my hand for a minute, and then put it back on the shelf. BUT yesterday, I found something that I didn't mind at all buying in abundance. Okay so it stressed me out a little bit. But I bought a bunch of cans of soup to get me through finals. Some people prefer ice cream. Some people prefer food for munching, like cookies or chips. But what gets me through finals however is soup. That's what I ate last year during finals, and that's what I'm going to do again this year. Why is this significant? Because I have finally found my comfort food! Because honestly, when I am stressed, eating sugar usually makes it so much worse, because all I can think about is how unhealthy I am being and then it doesn't comfort me at all. But I don't feel guilty about eating soup!

Anyways, sorry for boring you all with that bit of news. What I really want to write about was the beautiful Christmas program I went to tonight. It was for my friends' stake. Two of my friends were singing in the choir, so we (myself and two friends) came to support them. It was so beautiful! I felt the spirit so strongly, and I want to tell you why. Haha I sound like a salesman. But every time the choir sang, this girl who was deaf got up and signed the words. My eyes were fixed on her. And not just because her hands were moving. Think about it. Imagine not being able to hear. This time of year is such a beautiful time of year, with songs everywhere, rejoicing in Christ and his birth, in family and love, in this gospel. Music touches us in ways nothing else can. It expresses our deepest feelings. I do not think I could every truly comprehend how it would be to live in a world of silence, but as I watched this girl sign the words to these Christmas songs, I imagined what it would be like to stand up on that stage, with a choir singing behind me, but not being able to hear them. To be full of emotion and love of the gospel, and want to show it to all. To pour my heart out into my hands. To sing with my arms. As I watched this girl signing, the spirit touched me so strongly. Her silent song was the most beautiful sounding song I had ever heard.

Our heater's working again! Hopefully it stays working during the night. Well, wish my luck on my finals. The semester is almost over. My sister and I have been counting down the days until it ends, as it has been an extremely stressful semester for the both of us. I am very impressed with the work load my sister has. She has a job, is part of a choir, has a church calling, has three little boys, is pregnant, and is trying to finish school. Crazy! I am so excited to go home and see my nephews and watch Christmas movies and eat real meals and hug my mom. It's going to be a good Christmas.

Well, I am going to bed early tonight. Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmastime is in the air

It's been a good weekend. I guess it's preparing me for a tough next two weeks. With finals approaching I have SO much to do. I can't think too much about it, or I feel like my heart starts hyperventilating. I should have done so much homework this weekend, but I didn't. But this weekend was still magical for me. Friday night, I went to dinner with friends for a girl's night out. It started off with running through the rain on campus to get to the ATM machines. There were Christmas lights on the trees and the lights glistened off the wet ground. Something about running through the rain with friends and with Christmas lights around you is just magical feeling. We then went to dinner and laughed and acted like our crazy selves in between worrying whether or not our waiter hated us. After dinner, we went back to their apartment and laid down in their hallway. How I love my friends!

The next day, we had our pictures taken so that we could make Christmas cards for our friends on missions. That night, I went with my friends Lexi and Becca to a concert outside in the cold. The concert wasn't exactly my type of music. And I wasn't wearing a sweater with sleeves, so I froze. But still it was nice to be with friends, and to meet new people, and to eat cookies afterwards while watching Mulan.

And then today was church which was very good, and I just got back from the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. It was lovely. The music was beautiful, the talks were touching. And to top this wonderful weekend off, I was able to get a sub for my shift on Tuesday, which I am SO happy about, because that means I get to go to our ward's Christmas dinner and special program in Aspen Grove. I felt so bad because I told the bishop I was going, and they paid for the tickets, and then I got called in to work. But all's well.
So hopefully this will be enough motivation to get me through the next two weeks. Those 5 essays I was going to write last week? Yeah I only finished two. And tomorrow is cleaning checks. Who does that? Make us clean on a Sunday?

Well anyways, as it is now December, I would like to say my words on Christmas. Christmas is magical time of year, but only if you make it so. One thing I have learned over the years is that you can't say "It doesn't feel like Christmas" or it REALLY won't feel like Christmas. You have to just start saying "It feels like Christmas" and pretty soon it will. Because each Christmas is unique, and you can't expect it to be the same as last year's, especially since our memories tend to distort things from how they really were. No matter if it is raining instead of snowing, if it is hot instead of cold, if you are the only one in the apartment who will decorate for Christmas, if you are far from home, if you just haven't had time to watch your favorite Christmas movie, if the gingerbread cookies burnt, you can still make it feel like Christmas!

Here's how:
1. Sing Christmas songs.
2. Read the Christmas story during your scripture study.
3. Serve someone. The more you serve, the more you love. The more you love, the more it feels like Christmas.
4. Make a new friend.
5. Every time you see a Christmas tree, take a second to admire it's beauty.
6. Wish everyone you meet a Merry Christmas.
7. And (again) tell yourself that it feels like Christmas.

Because in the end, it's not the place you are in that makes it feel like Christmastime, it's your own attitude.

With that, Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!
Celeste

It's almost Thanksgiving

It's been a good week. It started off with last Saturday. I competed Samba in DanceSport. We didn't get very far, but we had fun and I thought we danced our best. My sister had come in to town, and so after DanceSport I spent some time with her. Then I had work which was my last football game of the season and last time working in the President's Loge. It was a lot of fun. Our Events Coordinator is so nice. She got us all gift baskets. Sunday I had dinner with my sister and her husband at my cousin's house. It was nice to spend some time with family. On Monday, I had my Waltz test for Dance 380. I had fun with that and think I did very well. And we started learning Tango. I am very excited about Tango. Tuesday I had my Samba test for Dance 185, again I think I did well, and I worked the Basketball game. Basketball games aren't as fun as football, but we got to eat some good cake afterwards. The rest of the week just went by as normal. It wasn't very busy. It was nice to take things at a slow pace.
Friday night I watched Hocus Pocus with friends. Saturday I spent with more friends, eating ice cream, going to a poster sail, going Christmas shopping, watching Nightmare Before Christmas, and decorating for Christmas. It was a ton of fun! But I had wanted to buy Christmas decorations, but kept deciding against it, and in the end, the only thing I bought was a cheap Christmas tablecloth. There was a prettier one, but I thought "Nah, I'll just get this, it's cheaper." Unfortunately, it's too small for my table! I don't know what to do with it now! That's what I get for being cheap. ;)
Well Thanksgiving is almost here! Tuesday I get out of class at noon and then Lexi and I are going home!! I am so so excited to see my family. I have missed them so much this semester.
Well, I have started to write a list of things I am thankful for. These are things I have never really thought of before to be thankful for until this semester. It is inspired by the classes I am taking as well as other experiences I have had this semester.

I am grateful I have all my limbs.

I am grateful that my family has routines and rituals.

I am grateful to not have a vitamin deficiency (well that I know of).

I am grateful to not have vitamin toxicity.

I am grateful for plant hybridization, otherwise we wouldn't have most fruit

I am grateful for beautiful music like on “How to Train Your Dragon.”

I am grateful for the trust my parents gave me and also the boundaries in my family.

I am grateful for ChooseMyPlate.

I am grateful the FDA regulates foods and drugs to keep us safe.

I am grateful that my family tells each other “I love you.”

I am grateful that my family discusses our losses.

I am grateful that my family can evolve.

I am grateful that my parents got college educations and made it a family goal that we all do the same.

I am grateful that my parents, my sisters, and my grandparents were married/sealed in the temple to set the example for me.

I am grateful for beautiful dances like the cha cha, waltz, tango, rumba, and samba.

I am grateful that my parents have allowed me to grow up to be an adult.

I am grateful to have finally chosen a major.

I am grateful that my family didn't force me to do things with them growing up, but instead made it so that I just always wanted to.

I am grateful for family outings and picnics in the cold.

I am grateful that my mother fed me vegetables.

I am grateful that my family read scriptures together every night and I learned to read through this process.

I am grateful that the age requirement was lowered for women missionaries.

There is so much more that I could write. But these were things that became especially significant to me this semester. Usually when you list the things you are grateful for, you list your family. But this semester, while taking my Family Processes class, I have realized just how much I am grateful to have my family and not any other family.

Happy Sunday!

Today was a good Sunday. I went to the Temple Prep Class for the first time and really enjoyed it. I don't know what it is, but I have just not enjoyed Sunday School very much. I feel like something is missing from it. But whatever that missing thing was, I found it in Temple Prep. It felt very right to be there, very peaceful, and for the first time, I didn't look at the clock even once. I was very surprised when I realized it was already time to go.While sitting in that class, I knew that this was what I was supposed to be doing: preparing to go through the temple and serve a mission.
School has been going a lot better for me. Things have really slowed down since I dropped my Spanish Class. I'm still busy a lot, but I no longer feel like I'm drowning. I took my second midterm for my Living with Plants class and did SO much better. I have my Family Processes midterm tomorrow. No, I'm not ready for that, but I'm also trying to not stress, because I also have my nutrition midterm later this week, and I know I will stress about that later as I always do.
Halloween was fun. I went to the Social Dance Lab and had a blast. Then Lexi and I made mummy dogs and smores and watched "Elf." We were going to watch a Halloween movie, but then decided we were really in the mood for Elf. Tehe :) The weekend before, my family came to visit me. We went on a picnic and saw the movie "Hotel Transylvania" which was adorable. Sunday morning we went to a park and talked and ate snacks and I played in the leaves while my family watched me. It was very hard to say goodbye to them. I missed them so much, and was so excited for them to be there. But I've only got two weeks and then I can go home for Thanksgiving! And this week is bound to go by fast. Two midterms, and I work a basketball game and a football game, and Saturday morning is DanceSport which I am dancing the Samba in. I really enjoy the Samba.
Well the CES Fireside is about to start, so I will say goodbye. Happy Sunday!

Trusting in the Lord

So if you have talked to me recently/read my blog at all, you know that I have been over-the-top busy and stressed. As I have mentioned before, I have felt like I am drowning in school and work. But last week, I started to feel like I was getting a little bit more control over my life. Granted I wasn't scheduled to work at all last week, so maybe that was why it was less stressful than usual. But while I was still busy, I was starting to have a more positive outlook. Friday night, I stayed home like a good girl and studied until almost one in the morning for a Doctrine and Covenants Midterm. It was a lame Friday night, but I actually felt good, because I knew the material pretty well after studying for so long, and I was positive that this would be the one midterm I absolutely aced. I got up Saturday morning, reviewed the material once more, than headed to the Testing Center thinking "I am going to rock this test, and I am going to have a great day!"

And then that beautiful morning turned into a nightmare.

I was told that there were no Doctrine and Covenants tests being handed out that day. I couldn't remember my professor's name, so I went to the computer to look his name up and decided to triple check that the midterm was able to be taken today. Yes, it said in the syllabus that it was open Oct. 16-20. I double checked the date. Yes today was the 20. Kay good, I can take the test. I went back up to the lady to ask once more for my test. "Oh no, sorry, that test closed yesterday" was the reply I got. What? Are you kidding me? It says in the syllabus on LearningSuite that it is open today. "Well you'll just have to email your professor about that, and maybe he'll let you take it in his office, but we don't have any tests here for you to take." I felt so sick. How could this happen to me? I was so upset with the Lord too, I am sorry to say. I did my part! I studied for hours on a Friday night and I was so sure I was going to do well, but now I can't take it?!

I emailed my professor, but you know professors, they don't check their email constantly like I do, and thus I waited all day for a reply, worrying, stressing, unable to enjoy the beautiful day because of the awful morning I had. I went to a Relief Society activity where we carved pumpkins. That was fun, but in the back of my head I kept worrying about that test. I went and spent the evening with my friend Erica and we made very yummy food and talked for hours and I had so fun and felt really happy there, but once I came home, the gloom returned. I checked my email. My professor had written me back, but it wasn't good. I was the only one who had missed the test, everyone else had seemed to get the memo that the dates were changed, and he said we needed to talk. From the sound of the email, it didn't sound like I was going to be able to take the test.

I sat on my couch, too upset to go to bed, even though it was late at night. If only I could withdraw from the class. I had had the thought before, but I was pretty sure I had missed the withdraw deadline. I decided to check for sure. Wow I hadn't! And suddenly the beauty of it lay before my eyes. If I wasn't able to take the test, I'd probably only get a C in the class, which isn't terribly bad, but I want a good GPA so I can get scholarships. That's mainly my biggest concern. But if I withdrew from the class, not only would it not lower my GPA, but it would free up some of my time! I could have more time to get stuff done!

So I looked up the process of how to withdraw from a class. I wasn't going to do it yet, not until I knew for sure that I couldn't take the test. But here is where the REAL blessing came in. I happened to notice while looking at my schedule and the calendar, that because my Spanish class was a block class for the second half of the semester, it could still be dropped. I didn't even have to withdraw from that class, I could just drop it.

I was in shock and suddenly felt such love from my Heavenly Father and such guilt for thinking he had abandoned me. This wasn't a punishment or anything from the Lord. He hadn't abandoned me. He was giving me the opportunity to drop a class-which I prayed would be Spanish and not D&C. If I hadn't missed my test, I doubt I would have discovered that I could drop my Spanish class, which I needed to do. I had been complaining that the Apostles teach us that we should not make our lives too busy, but there was just no way for me to make it any less busy. I couldn't eliminate my classes. I couldn't eliminate my job. But now here was the chance to free up an hour of each day for a class I didn't even need.

In the end, my professor let me take the test, which I did end up acing. I don't know yet what my score was, but I am positive it's an A. I whipped through those answers with utmost confidence. I didn't need to withdraw from the class, and I right afterward, I went and dropped my Spanish class. I am so grateful that I ended up missing the deadline to take that test, because it turned out to be such a blessing! The Lord is looking out for me, but his plans are different than mine, and sometimes don't make any sense in the process, but in the end, he really does know what's best for me, and if I give him the reins, he will lead me to the best  possible outcome.

Learning a new lesson...the hard way of course

So the past few weeks have been stressful to the max. I've barely had time to breathe. I felt and still somewhat feel like I am drowning in school and work. There is just so much to do. Sunday I had a nervous breakdown. Thank goodness for my roommate Lexi to hold me while I cry and to make me pumpkin muffins the next morning. This semester is definitely different than last year, though I was equally busy and stressed. The difference between last Fall and this Fall is that last time, I knew that if I did my very best, the Lord would make up the rest. And it always happened. Somehow, I always managed to get everything done, even when it seemed impossible, and I grew so close to the Lord because of it.

But this semester has been different. I don't get everything done, and I'm not doing as well as I want to be doing. I didn't feel like the Lord was helping me like he had been last fall. I felt forgotten and alone. And to add to that, I STILL don't know anyone in our ward. It's getting to be in my opinion ridiculous. We don't have Home Teachers, we don't have Visiting Teachers. We finally got an FHE family, but it's so big, there's no way I'm going to get to know anyone unless we break it up into smaller groups. So yes, Sunday I had a nervous breakdown, wishing I had a friend, wishing I had my mom, and crying out to the Lord in my head "Lord, why hast thou forsaken me? Why haven't you been there for me like you always have?"

Well yesterday I realized something and I would like to share with you. Sometimes, we are going to fail. We are going to mess up, and we cannot avoid it. And sometimes, the Lord lets us fail. Not because he is punishing us. But because he is trying to show us that we can stand up again after we fall. He doesn't always pick us right up, because he wants to show us that yes, we fell, and maybe we scraped our elbow, and maybe it hurts, but we can still get up and start again. Last year, I learned to trust in the Lord that he would always get me through the hard times. It was a wonderful experience for me, a great lesson. But now I'm learning a new lesson: to trust in the Lord even when it seems that he is not there. It is not that he has left you. It is not that he is punishing you. He is helping you to grow, and his love is all around you. But sometimes he lets you fail, so that he can show you what it is like to get up from the fall. It's a hard lesson to learn.

Well I better get back to studying. I just wanted to share this because I thought there might be someone in the same boat as me. Good luck on midterms everyone!

The Best News I Have Ever Received

I would like to share a little story with you. Saturday morning I woke up refreshed but cold. We keep our window open at night and there was a lovely autumn draft blowing on me. I watched my roommate move about the room, thinking to myself I needed to get up and get ready, but it was so comfortable in my bed and it was so cold in the room. Eventually I got up and dressed, cold, but enjoying the crisp autumn-smelling breeze. I walked to my old roommates' apartment to watch General Conference with my friends Becca and Carolina. It was quiet outside, the birds were chirping, the leaves were turning brown. I already knew that it was going to be a good day.

The three of us sat on Carolina's bed, each readying ourselves to take notes on the Conference Session. The internet was being slow and so we were actually behind in the session. Suddenly a roommate of theirs came bursting into the room exclaiming "did you just hear that?!" We had no idea what she was talking about. President Monson was talking, but as of yet it just seemed to be the normal welcome he gave us. Something big was coming. We knew it and we tensed for the news.

Temples, President Monson was talking about temples. Was the news about temples? He announced two temples being built in Peru and Arizona. Okay, great. Was that supposed to be the big news?

Missionary work, he's talking about missionary work. Numbers have gone up. Is that the big news? Their roommate assured us that the big news had yet to come.

President Monson started talking about boys in other countries serving missions at age 18. And even though my whole body was tense, waiting for the news, I still didn't see it coming.

The age for boys to leave on missions was officially changed to 18. The three of us were in amazement. This was spectacular! What amazing news!

But the best was still to come.

President Monson started talking about women.

My stomach started doing somersaults. Could it be....?

Yes. The age for women to go on a mission was lowered from 21 to 19.

"OH MY GOSH!!!" the three of us started screaming.

In case you didn't know, I am 19.

We had to pause Conference SEVERAL times after that so we could scream some more. There were a little bit of tears and a great deal of stunned silence when we turned Conference back on. It was so overwhelming. Suddenly, all of our life plans were in shambles. I had my next two years completely planned out. I figured when I turned 21 I would decide whether I wanted to go on a mission or not. And now suddenly, I could go now. I wanted to go now.

I am going now.

We had such a hard time paying attention to Conference after that. Sunday, however, Lexi and I drove to Salt Lake, listening to Conference on the radio as we did. Boy did we feel the spirit. I actually cried while in the car. Just that morning I was having some pretty selfish and superficial thoughts, and President Eyering and Elder Holland just wiped those thoughts of mine away. I know what I'm supposed to do. We then watched the Sunday Afternoon session in the Conference Center. This was my first time going to Conference and it was so powerful and beautiful.

I'm sure plenty of girls had a similar experience to mine. And I know that every girl is going to make her own decision and that whatever she chooses will be for her own reasons and that the Lord's plan is different for every girl.

But here is what I have decided. I am going to get my papers in this semester so that I can be available to leave for a mission next semester at the earliest. And then it will be up to the Lord whether I go next semester or I get the call for 6 months later. That will be his decision when he needs me most.

What is absolutely amazing, is the past 2 weeks or so, Lexi and I have been complaining about the age for women missionaries. "Why can't we go now?" we complained. I don't know where I will be when I am 21, but I know where I am now. If we were allowed to leave at age 19, I would, I had told the Lord. I had other intimate discussions with the Lord that are private and so I won't share, but it made it so that when the Prophet made this announcement, I realized that I had already made an agreement with Him. I had made him a promise without even realizing it, and now I was expected to live up to it.

I'm going on a mission guys!

Zero Time

I haven't written in a while because I have simply been way too busy, too stressed, and pretty much just in over my head with work and school. I have not been this busy and stressed since last fall, infamous last fall when I took 17 1/2 credits and only barely survived to tell the tale. Somehow, I haven't seemed to have learned my lesson yet. I really did try to take less credits this time, but my schedule just would not cooperate, and now with 16 1/2 credits and an on-call job, I feel like I am drowning. In the past week I have taken the majority of my midterms and yesterday was my last big midterm. I only have dance tests and my Doctrine and Covenants midterm left. But yesterday...let's just say I walked away numb. I never get grades like that. Even last fall when I was so stressed and busy and I had several mental break-downs, I didn't get any grades like that.
And I'm really not loving where I live right now. I don't know anyone yet. We don't have FHE groups, we don't have Home Teachers, we don't have Visiting Teachers. FHE is always with the ward and it is at the same time I have class on Mondays. I am getting really frustrated with the fact that I don't know anyone. And I'm really frustrated with the fact that I haven't gone running in over a week and I'm supposed to be training for a half-marathon. And I haven't played the piano in weeks! That really really bugs me. I miss it so dang bad, but I haven't had time to play. I am only writing right now in this blog because I found some time before my next class starts.
I refuse to give up though. Everything happens for a reason, and trials are there to make us stronger and help us learn. I will get through this. So far, I have learned that I need to start studying for my botany test weeks in advance and not try to rely on the book to explain concepts to me. One thing I have a real big problem with, is prioritizing which things on my "important list" are most important and need to be done first. You see, when it comes to school work, I consider everything to be most important, even if it is a five point assignment. I try to get every assignment done and on time and perfect, but it simply isn't possible all of the time. I really need to learn to say, "okay this test is much more important than this homework assignment, so I am going to study for my test instead of doing my homework." Instead, I usually try to do everything and stress myself out and freak out when I can't get everything done. When will I learn?
Probably the most stressful part of my schedule is not knowing when I work ahead of time. I am the kind of person who must plan out the entire week well in advance in order to get everything done because there is so much, and not knowing when I work, or knowing when I work but not knowing how long that shift will take, really throws me for a loop because then I can't plan how much homework I will be able to get done that day (which usually tends to be very little). And I HATE it when teachers say "oh by the way you need to do this assignment for homework and it's due tomorrow." NO NO NO! You have to tell me about homework a week in advance. You cannot spring something on me and tell me it is due tomorrow. I have not scheduled to do this assignment today, and therefore have ZERO time to do it.
One good thing in my life is that I have some amazing friends. My roommate Lexi is awesome and is always doing stuff for me and cheering me up. Yesterday she did my laundry! I was so shocked and grateful when I came home, I was close to tears. Saturday I got to spend some time with my roommate from spring term as we made pumpkin roll together. We laughed and I said stupid things, and it was so much fun. Lexi and I still see our roommates from last year occasionally too and that is always fun and exciting and just gives me a feeling of home when I am with them. Yesterday I also got to see my very good friend Erica, and that was so refreshing to talk to her. I love it when you can talk to someone you haven't seen in months and nothing has changed and you can just keep talking on and on about everything. You can really tell who are your true friends from such encounters. I just wish I could make friends at King Henry now. I suppose I'm so busy I wouldn't have time for them anyway, but still it would be nice to feel like I knew just one other person in the ward. I don't feel like I belong at all.
Well I hope this doesn't put me further behind in homework today, but I am planning to go to the temple this afternoon. Hopefully that will calm my frantic mind.
Well that's been me for the past oh three or four weeks. I just keep trudging along and keep praying that things will get easier soon. I am very excited for General Conference this weekend and I am very thankful to be here at BYU and to be learning the things I am learning.

The Wonderful Land of Provo

Well two full weeks of school have gone by. I moved into my new apartment at King Henry. Our room is so tiny! It was kind of a shock when Lexi and I walked in with our things and realized that we actually had to fit all of our stuff in there. But we made everything fit and we have decorated our walls with pictures and the apartment is really nice. We have a living room and a larger kitchen and it's just a lot more cosier here, more like home. My roommates are all really nice. My classes all seem interesting. In fact, I am loving my classes. Except my Spanish class is kind of a dull one. I've realized that I do a lot better when my Spanish class is not my last class of the day. I am constantly watching the clock, waiting to get out. But I am also taking Social Dance 3 and Latin Ballroom Dance 1. Those are so much fun! I absolutely love ballroom dancing. I am going to the Social Dance club again and this Tuesday I had a blast! It's so much more fun now that I am in the upper level class and I actually know how to do the dances.
I also have a job now with BYU Catering. So far it's really fun. My favorite part is the food. We eat so good at Catering. It is really going to help out with my groceries and the fact that I really don't want to buy any. So far I have worked two football games. They are so much fun! I work in the President's Loge, which is pretty much the best place to be at a football game. Reason #1: it is the only place in the entire stadium with air-conditioning. Reason #2: Our events coordinator, Lynn, is so nice. Reason #3: we get to eat fantastic food. Reason #4: I am serving the top people at BYU, like the President, the Deans, and any General Authorities. I love my job so far.
Friday night was party night for Lexi and me. We went to three different parties. That's right. Three. We went to a Las Vegas Reunion where I ate a ton of pizza. We went to the Fall Back into School Party at the Wilk where we met up with our old roommates and some ward members and danced the night away. It was incredibly fun. However, it was also sad in a way because our boys weren't there. We had fun, but there was definitely something missing we felt. When that was over, Lexi and I went over to the King Henry Poolside Party. We actually didn't stay very long. We staid like maybe 5 minutes. But still we counted that as our 3rd party of the night. We left not long after we got there, because we decided we wanted to go get ice cream instead. Tehe
Yesterday I worked pretty much all day because of the football game. My feet were exhausted when I came home. I did my homework, and then I walked to the Y and hiked it. Except for the fact that I got lost coming home from it, which scared me since it was also dark by that time, it was a really great experience for me. I felt a lot closer to the Lord and felt that I had a better vision of what I should do with my life. I officially decided on that mountain that I am going to switch to the family life major and then do the masters program for Social Work. While on that mountain, I knew that that was what I was supposed to do. So tomorrow, don't know how, but I am going to figure out how to switch my major.
One thing I have been learning during this past two weeks and that I am working on, is that I need to be positive no matter what happens to me. Everything has a reason. Every bad experience is a learning experience. All of my hard times have made me stronger. I am who I am because of both the good experiences and the bad ones. Thus, I need to remember to stay positive no matter what comes at me. Because something might happen in the future, something really tragic or trying, and I do not want to be depressed no matter what. I am thus working on being positive now, learning to see the bright side of things no matter what happens (like last weekend when I flew for the first time). Everything that could go wrong pretty much did. But I look at that now as a learning experience. I know now what to do in all of those incidents. I look at this what could have been a frustrating experience as a learning experience, because someday an even more frustrating experience might come my way, and I want to learn now to stay positive.
And so I challenge all of you to learn to be positive now. Do not wait to learn to be positive. Practice now. Smile, since an uplifting song, and write a list of things you are thankful for. I am so thankful for every experience in my life, and I am so thankful to be here at BYU and to finally realize what I am supposed to do with my life.

Drawing an end to the Summer

Well it's my last week (or rather half a week) in Vegas. I leave to go back to Provo on Wednesday. My mom and I staid at my grandma's house in Lompoc, California for two weeks. It was beautiful there. I went running all the time, even in the middle of the day, and didn't have to worry about the heat. I am no longer training for a triathlon, I am training for a half marathon, and I managed to run 7 miles, so about half way to my goal. My family and I then spent a week in San Diego. That was a blast. We visited Old Town the first day. The second day we rented and rode bikes to the Aquarium at Scripp's and my sister and I splashed in the ocean that night. Wednesday we went to Sea World. Thursday we went kayaking and snorkeling, and that evening my family and I went to the San Diego Temple. And then Friday we went to the San Diego Zoo. It was such a fun vacation. We were all very disappointed to come home to hot and ugly Vegas.
And now the summer is already over and I'm about to start school again. I am very excited to go back, but I am also kind of weary of how busy I know I will be. I am taking 16 and a half credits, and I will be starting a job with BYU Catering, I want to keep exercising and training for the half marathon, and I would still like to have a social life.
Coming home has been good for me. I really did learn more about myself just by coming home. I'm starting to realize the effect I have on people, and how I can influence people to do good. So many people need me in their lives I'm realizing. I realize that there were people in my life that fell away, that made wrong choices, and I never said anything because I didn't want to hurt their feelings. But now they are gone from my life. I could have said something to them, and I probably wouldn't have really changed them, but I could have set them thinking in the right direction. I don't know if that really makes any sense to any one else, but I guess I've just never really thought about how much I affect people, or how much I could affect people if I opened my mouth more.
I need to be a role model for my siblings, but also for my cousins, and the younger girls in our ward. I know that my coming home for the summer has been a blessing to my mom, that it really helped her. I love my family so much, and I am so glad that I got to spend the summer with them. And now I am going to go spend some time with my mom, since this is my last Sunday at home with her.

Beautiful California

Guess where I am? Lompoc, California! It is so beautiful here. It's in the seventies. My grandma just had surgery so my mom and I are here to help her. We got here Monday. Yesterday I helped my aunt set up her classroom, and today I ran six miles. 'Twas quite an accomplishment for me. I can no longer do the triathlon I was going to do, so instead I am going to do my first half marathon. It's going to be hard, but now that I am in an environment where I can actually exercise outside, I am going to be training every day for it. I really want to push myself and become good at running. Throughout my life, I participated in lots of activities and sports. I never did any of them for very long, but I think that was good for me. It made me well-rounded. I would get good at something and then decide I was ready to try something new, develop a new skill. Well now I feel I am ready to try something new, and that is a half-marathon. So a good portion of my time here in California is going to be training, utilizing the good weather while I can. I will be in Cali for three weeks. Two weeks in Lompoc, and one week in San Diego.

Last Thursday, my friend Lexi and I drove up to St. George and we spent a day in Zion on Friday. We did three different short hikes, and then on Saturday we drove up to Provo to see some friends. We stayed at our old roommate Alicia's house. It was so nice to see her. We had so much fun. I am sad that we won't be rooming together again in the Fall, but we fully plan to see each other all the time. We also saw another friend Daniel and then went to a missionary farewell for our friend Michael. It was great to see them and just hang out and eat good food. Lexi and I were very sad to say goodbye.

I am excited for the Fall because I now know people at college that I can go visit when I want a break from studying. It will be very different from last year, as I am staying in a real apartment and with all new people, and I will probably be super busy again with 16 1/2 credits and a job, but I am very excited to go to King Henry. I am even ready to start classes again. Not ready for the homework load, but I always enjoyed going to my classes. I like learning.

Well I am going to go outside and enjoy more of this beautiful weather. Ciao!

Summer Days

Days go by pretty slowly in Vegas. It is so dang hot out. I don't know what temperature it is today, but for a couple days it was 115 degrees out. We don't dare venture outside during the day because of the heat. I teach swim lessons in the morning and the rest of the day is spent indoors, cleaning, watching movies, scrapbooking, or reading, until it's dark and I can go on a walk or run. Yesterday my sisters, mom, and I went ice skating. I got a real good work out then. I used to ice skate back in high school, and I was getting pretty advanced, but I haven't skated in years, so it was really nice to push myself to go faster and faster and to practice my jumps and spins. I was never very good at spins, but I used to be really good at jumps so it made me sad when I could only remember how to do two different jumps. My arms are all scratched up, my knees are bruised, and I've got a blister on my toe, but I don't care. It was so much fun to get back on the ice.
I've gotten used to being home. I miss BYU and my friends, but it's definitely nice to not have a busy schedule and lots of homework. Next Thursday, my friend Lexi and I are going up to St. George and spending a couple days in Zion national park and then we are going to go up to Provo to see some friends and a missionary farewell. Then the day after we get back, my mom and I are driving to Lompoc, California to see my grandma. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the car. But my mom and I are thinking about taking a detour to San Diego and maybe Los Angeles on the way. That will be fun.
Well I have been trying to train for my triathlon. Occasionally I will wake up early to go running or bike riding. But unless you want to wake up at 5 am, you really can't do anything outside in this heat.By 8am we are already in the 100s. It's a good thing my triathlon is a short one, because I am not getting very much practice in. I'm debating whether or not to go running tonight. I don't like the idea of running in the dark, especially in Las Vegas, but I can't go during the day. Hmmm...
I got an infection where they took out one of my wisdom teeth. Lucky me. Everything was going great. After two weeks of intense pain, I no longer had chipmunk cheeks, I could eat normally, and the pain had been reduced to a dull ache. Then I woke up one morning and my left side of my jaw looked like I had a golf ball in it and I was in intense pain. The dentist ordered me some more Loratabs, but unfortunately, they upped the prescription, and so when I took a whole one like I usually did (instead of half of one which I was meant to have taken) I got extremely sick. When I finally went into the dentist office, I must have looked either really sick or really loopy. They said I had an infection and gave me antibiotics. On the way home though, the Loratabs were making me feel even more sick. I almost passed out as I came in the house. My brother helped me lie down on the couch and I slept for a long time. My mom gave me my antibiotics and then I slept some more. That night I only took half of a Loratab.
Since I have been taking the antibiotics though, the pain and swelling has gone significantly down, to which I am very grateful. In a way its a shame that that bottle of Loratabs went to waste as after the first day I didn't need them any more, but I am also glad that I no longer have to experience that horrible nauseous feeling nor the pain I had in my jaw.
Well, that's all I have to write about. My days really just haven't been that interesting. But maybe soon I will have more to share.

Hurray for the Red White and Blue!

Happy Fourth of July! This was a really great Fourth of July. It is one of my favorite holidays. I have so many great memories of Fourth of July's. There is the memory of lighting sparklers on my nana's trampoline. The summer my mom made a bunch of fourth of July crowns and we went around door to door selling them. The Fourth of July in Lompoc with my extended family, watching the fireworks display and playing at the carnival. And then the many Fourth of July's where I like to ride my bike, no matter how hot it gets. Here in Vegas, July is the hottest month, and so it is usually blistering hot outside. But no matter how hot it is, I realized that it has kind of become a tradition for me to ride my bike of the Fourth of July. I haven't done it every year, but I have several memories of doing it when I was younger. I liked to ride my bike around my neighborhood, just smelling the barbecue and other smells of summer.

Today I realized that I kind of picked up that tradition again. Our stake was having a Fourth of July 5K run/bike ride early this morning. My mom, dad, and me were planning on riding our bikes for the 10K. So we headed out at 6:30 following all the other bikers. Little did we realize that we weren't in the race for the 10K, we were doing the 25 miles. I got ahead of my parents and was by myself, so I didn't have anybody to ask, but I kept thinking, surely we should be turning around soon. And then I passed the turn-off to Mt. Charleston. That's when I realized I had to have gone more than 10 miles and I STILL wasn't to the half-way point yet. And I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning...or drunken any water...and I didn't have any water with me...

I prayed that I would stay hydrated and I would reach the half-way point soon. I stayed in good spirits though. I kept giving myself a pep-talk the entire time and felt really great when I finally reached the half-way point. Thank goodness some other kids had stopped there too and so they gave me some Gatorade and water. Took a breather, and then I was on my way back. I met up with my dad and then he led me through a short-cut so I ended up only riding a little less than 23 1/2 miles instead of the full 25. It was the best work out ever! I really felt great afterwords. Sore, but so energized.

And then we went on a hike. Haha I sure got in my exercise today. We hiked big falls, but we didn't make it to the top because a boulder had fallen in the path. But it looked like the river and waterfall were dried up anyways, or at least only trickling, so it didn't matter and we had already had a pretty good hike, so we headed down. It was perfect timing too, because it started sprinkling on us, and just as we reached the bottom and got in our car was when it really started to rain. It's a shame it's raining here and not in Utah or Colorado where they really need it. The rain water will just sit on top of the ground and then evaporate and do us no good here.

Anyways, we got home and it was raining at home too, so I decided to go swimming in the rain. It was such a magical feeling. Then my family barbecued and ate lots of good food and then watched fireworks in the park. My nephew Hyrum was so cute running around flapping his arms in excitement at the fireworks. Later, we did sparklers, and my brother and I ran around in the park grass with the sparklers, spinning and jumping and yelling "Hurray for the Red, White, and Blue! Hurray for the Fourth of July!" just like little kids. I probably looked so silly, but I didn't care what people thought of me. We had fun and it's the Fourth of July so you are supposed to celebrate.

So basically, this was an awesome Fourth of July. Much better than last years which I spent at work as a lifeguard, wondering why in the world anybody would want to go swimming at night in an indoor pool when they could be watching fireworks outside. This year's was spent with family, fireworks, good food, good exercise, swimming in the rain, cool air, and overall just a magical feeling in the air.

And now I'm off to bed because I teach swim lessons in the morning. Happy Independence Day!

Home Again

I'm back in Vegas again. It was a hard decision to come home for summer term. But I decided I really needed a break from school, I was getting burnt-out, and by staying at school I wasn't really getting ahead. So we had finals last week, that wasn't too bad, and then my parents came and picked me up on Thursday. I realized then how much stuff I had as not all of it would fit in the car. Our car was completely stuffed, I felt like a pretzel, and we couldn't see each other, there was so much stuff in the way. But I am home now. My parents and my brother and I went to the temple on Saturday and we are going to try to go once a week, but since the Las Vegas temple will be closed for a month, we are going to drive up to St. George on Friday. I'm excited for that. Saturday we also went to my cousin's graduation party and a wedding reception. Sunday was Father's Day and it was nice to have good food and play games with my family again. I've also been reunited with my best friend Lexi and so we worked out together today. We are training for a triathlon.

It feels extremely weird being here though. I already miss Provo. I got here and it felt like waking up from a dream. For a little bit I wondered if Provo really happened, because everything was the same here. The sights, the sounds, even the smell of everything was the same. Like I had stepped into the past. It was so strange. I'm still not used to it. It's like, I've left that part of me behind, and I don't want to go back to it. I like it here, but I don't want to go back to the way I used to live, to the old Celeste. I learned so much in Provo. I felt like I became someone.

You see, at BYU, the majority of students go through an identity crisis for a period of time. Because you get there and those things that define you in high school-suddenly everyone has those. Everyone plays the piano, everyone's smart, everyone's friendly, everyone's spiritual. And you wonder "who is me? What makes me different?" And the beautiful thing is, you find out just what does make you different. The high school definitions are gone, and you really see who you are. You become someone. I realized that I am more than the shy girl who played the piano and got straight A's in high school. I realized that there is so much more to me than that, and I shouldn't limit myself to that definition of myself.

Not only that but I gained so much confidence in the process. I was always so scared of what people thought about me, but having roommates who were wild and crazy made me realize that the people who really matter in your life, your true friends, are the ones who don't care how weird you are. The more I acted myself around people, the more I realized that everyone has their own bit of crazy, their own weird, their own awkwardness, and so if someone can't get over my weird, then they just don't matter.

It took me a while to come to that conclusion winter semester, and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to be myself with my Spring term roommates. But right from the start, as soon as I met my roommate Ashley, I decided I wasn't going to care about what she thought, and I wasn't going to beat myself up every time I thought I said something stupid. I was just myself around her, and immediately we hit it off and became like sisters. I couldn't have asked for a better roommate.

So you see, I feel like I became someone at college. I have posted plenty of things that I have learned at college on the blog before. And now that I am home, I hope that I can just keep progressing, keep becoming the person I am supposed to be. I am looking at this as a new challenge: being able to face the past but not become the past.

With that, I shall end with Disney's famous and beautiful saying "keep moving forward." And to myself I say "welcome home."

My Testimony

Well lots have happened in the past two weeks. Midterms, ward activities, relief society activities, fire alarms, temple trips, running in the rain, drawing projects, spying on and making fun of EFY kids, preparing for a triathlon, getting a sunburn. Mostly all fun stuff, but nothing too terribly exciting to report about that anyone would be interested in. Except spying on the EFY kids was super fun. There was a little couple right outside our window and all of us were crowded around our window watching them awkwardly get closer and closer together, while we screamed at them to just kiss already. When they finally did, all of us cheered. It was SO funny. It's become our new favorite thing to do: creep on the EFY kids, naming them and narrating their week-long relationships.

Yesterday I was fed twice! Lunch at the Relief Society Activity, Dinner at the Ward Activity, and then today was fast Sunday, so no breakfast, and then there was a Break-the-Fast, so free lunch! I haven't had to make food for 4 meals in a row!

Spring semester is almost done. Only one more week of classes and then finals and then I move to Wyview for summer term. I'm starting to get pretty burned-out of school though. I so want a vacation. I like all of my classes, except for drawing, but I just really want to take a break. My drawing class isn't bad, but it's so boring! And my teacher really wasn't meant to be a teacher. Sure, he's a great artist, but he's not very good at teaching.

Yesterday I had a pretty weird dream. I don't really remember the beginning, and what I do remember doesn't make much sense (most of my dreams don't) so long story short, this man had captured me and I knew I was going to die, but I was calm. I knew without a doubt in the dream that I was about to go to my Heavenly Father. I knew that even if he killed me, I would simply be passing on. And I was struck with wonder in the dream, because I knew it with all my heart. I didn't die in the dream. I actually got away from the man. But that's not the point. I woke up and thought, "it's true. I do know that. With all my heart, I know that there is life after death, that I would go to the spirit world, and someday I would be with my family again."

I've always believed that, but I remember times when I've said my prayers late at night and not felt like anyone was listening. I believed, but a little part of me wondered "what if it's all fake? What if no one's there? What if I really am all alone?" It's been a long time though since I've wondered that. I noticed yesterday when I woke up, that I no longer ask myself that question. This past year has been filled with so many wonderful experiences, my testimony has grown so much, I know now without a doubt that there is a God and I am his daughter. There is no way I could question that.

My testimony has grown so much here at BYU, and I knew that and I have said that before, but it wasn't until I had that dream where I stood death in the face and was totally calm that I was able to measure just how much my testimony has grown. Why am I sharing this? Because I was told to bear my testimony as often as I could, and so while I bore my testimony in church today, I'm going to do it again.

I know that there is a Father in Heaven. I know that Jesus Christ is his son and he atoned for all of our sins and our sorrows. I know that he will always be there for me when I need him. I know that we will all live again, and I know that families can be together forever. I know that there are prophets on the earth today, and I know that Christ loves me and that I will return to live with him again.
This is my testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Epic Falls, Ward Reunions, and "The Best Two Years"

Weeks go by so quickly in Spring Term. Already we are halfway through. Let's see, this week I had my midterms for my folk dance classes. I had more projects for Drawing. Friday night my roommates and I watched "Aladdin" and made smores in the oven. We made them with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. So good! Oh and Friday right before my my dance class, I had the most epic fall ever. So there is this hill right outside my apartment, and instead of going around it on the steps, I usually skip down it because it is faster. Well, Friday it was raining...So I took about two steps and all of a sudden I was on my back and I slid all the way to the bottom. It hurt pretty badly, and it was pretty embarrassing, but also super funny.

Unfortunately, my hip hurt pretty badly from the incident, like I pinched a nerve in my hip, and I was limping all the way to Dance. I wasn't able to dance, and afterwards my teacher took me to the physical therapist for the dance majors and she said that my hips were out of place and a fall like mine could have pinched a nerve. So she put my hips back in place. So weird feeling, let me tell you.

Saturday was a mini reunion with all the people still around from my previous ward. That was so nice to see them again! Two of my old roommates, Alicia and Carolina, came down and it was so great to be reunited again, to listen to the crazy. I seriously got in the car with Alicia and Carolina and felt this overwhelming feeling of "home." We all went up to some canyon and roasted marshmallows over a fire. It didn't last very long though. It seemed like we had barely been there and then a park ranger told us it was almost curfew. So we had to pack up and leave. But Alicia, Carolina, and I went back to our old apartment and we just stood outside it and looked up at our window. It was so weird, because that had been our home for a year and it felt like we were supposed to go up those stairs and all would be back to normal. It was hard to say goodbye to Alicia and Carolina again.

Well today I gave my first Gospel Doctrine lesson. I think I bored them all. I tried to make it interesting and to keep everyone interactive, but only the same couple people would participate. I could see some people asleep in the back and others doing the bobble-head. One girl told me she really enjoyed my lesson, so I'm glad at least one person seemed to get something out of it. I enjoyed learning about the lesson, I just think I bored everyone else.

After church today, my roommates and I watched "The Best Two Years." I'd never seen it before. I really liked it! And it's gotten me thinking a lot about missions. I think it would be really cool to serve a mission. Super scary, but so rewarding. I always thought, oh if I decide to go on a mission, I hope I go somewhere like temple square, because the thought of going tracting, and in a different language in a different country, would be terrifying. But watching "The Best Two Years" made me excited to share the gospel like that. I live in pretty much an All-Mormon society at the moment, living on-campus, and so I don't get the opportunity to share the gospel. Watching the missionaries go door to door and preach the gospel made me want to do it too. I wish I could go to a foreign country and learn another language and immerse myself in the Lord's work. I don't know if I ever will go on a mission, but I definitely want to at least go on a couple's mission, and I encourage all young men to go on a mission. It is seriously one of the greatest decisions you will ever make.

Well, that's all I got for tonight. Goodnight world! Hope you have sweet dreams.

Happy Mother's Day

Aren't mothers awesome? I want to be a mother some day. Some people say they never want to have children, and that makes me so sad. I love children and I especially want to have my own. To be a mother is the most noblest calling a woman could ever have. And you really don't realize how much your mother does for you until you move out either. I don't say that because I miss her doing things for me. You know how some people say that and what they really mean is "I miss my mom cooking dinner for me and folding my laundry and making my bed." But instead, having moved out, I have become very independent, rarely do I ask for help with something. So when someone does something for me, I immediately notice and feel extreme gratitude. And so with this new sense of independence, I look back and realize how much I used to be dependent on my mom. My mom did so much for me and I am so grateful to her, and I almost feel guilty. All those times she kindly made my bed, or cleaned up after me, or made me dinner, or took me shopping, when you are so dependent, you don't realize just how much of a sacrifice it is for the other person, just how thankful you ought to be. And then you move out and you have to do all of those things yourself and realize how spoiled you have been. I am eternally grateful to my mother and love her so much!

As for my week, it was busy but not too stressful. I just feel like I'm constantly doing something. Social Dance Club, Recreational Night for Folk Dance, projects for my Drawing class, studying for tests. Yesterday I took an online test for my Joseph Smith and the Restoration class. Took me like 4 hours. Bleh. I could have saved it and continued working on the test later, but I just wanted to get it done. I also went to the temple again yesterday and finally went shopping (I'd been putting that off for several days) and worked on writing a song. So this song, I started writing it a long time ago. I don't even remember the last time I worked on it. It was a long time ago. I play it every once in a while, and then I get to the end and just don't know what else. It's been a major case of writer's block for over a year. But yesterday as I was playing it, I thought it would make the perfect lullaby, and all of a sudden I knew what should come next in my song. And guess what? It's finished! I still need to finish writing the lyrics, but today I finished the piano part. Personally, I think it's really pretty too. It's titled "The Maze." I'm quite proud of myself.

Well that's really all I can think to say, so happy Mother's Day and I hope you all have a good week and remember to stay optimistic and grateful.

I've decided I like Spring Semester

Well I've decided that I am officially very glad that I staid for Spring. I still miss my old dorm and roommates and ward like crazy, but I am really liking my new roommates and FHE brothers. For FHE tonight, we played sardines in the HFAC. My roommates have told me before that you can get lost in the HFAC. I learned tonight how very true that was. The HFAC is huge!! For those who don't know, that is the performing arts building on campus, and there are five floors, and the two bottom floors are like a maze. I felt like I was in the phantom of the opera, because it just kept going on and on. We paired up, thankfully, for the game that way we wouldn't get completely lost. The first round, my partner and I never did find the group. They eventually called us and told us where to find them. That meant the second round it was our turn to go hide. It was so funny, because we just started running down hallways and climbing up and down stairs and going through doors getting ourselves completely lost until we figured we were far enough into the maze of the HFAC and we could let them come find us. It was by far the best FHE activity I have ever had.

Last week wasn't too stressful, just busy because I have afternoon and evening classes. But Saturday night was way too much fun! There was a dance, and although it was combined with all on-campus housing, it was still the smallest dance I have ever been to. There was barely anybody there. But it was still a blast because I got to see quite a few people from my old ward. That was exciting. And on the way home, my roommate and I randomly decided to run up a hill singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music!" It was really nice to do something crazy and spontaneous. Previously, I had been feeling like I was going to go crazy inside, but the dance combined with randomly running up the hill screaming the sound of music was a nice way to let out some of the craziness. :) Oh and then we bought graham canyon ice cream. Yummy! I don't like graham crackers usually, but I love graham canyon ice cream! So basically it was really great night.

It's just really weird to be here during Spring because there is barely anybody here. My ward's really small. All of my classes are really small. I walk into the WILK and there is no one there, unlike during Fall and Winter when that building is usually packed. Old Heritage is like a ghost town. New Heritage feels like a hotel and it is not nearly as sociable as Old Heritage. But my roommates and I still find ways to have fun. We have movie nights. We creep out our window. We make people food. And I continue to go to the temple every week. I love that place. :)

Well that's all I have to say really for an update. And I can't really think of anything inspirational to say this time other than "be patient with yourself" but I took that from President Uchtdorf. I've just been thinking about that a lot lately. We know we should be patient with others, but we should also be patient with ourselves. Sometimes we mess up, sometimes we do something stupid, sometimes we embarrass ourselves and want to crawl into a hole. We need to remember to be patient with ourselves. That has been on my mind a lot lately, so I guess that is my thought for the day. Have a good week!

Goal Reached

I reached my goal :) I am feeling back to normal again. It's still slightly weird to be in this dorm, but I am much more used to it now, and I love my roommates. I still miss everyone a lot, but I am feeling happy and bubbly and back to my old self again. Just so many great things have happened this week that I feel so bubbly now. I planted seeds in my little flower pot next to my window and they are starting to sprout! I have so many little shoots of green now! I'm afraid though that I might have drowned them this morning because I think added way too much water. I hope they survive the flood.

I also saw President Uchtdorf in the BYU bookstore the other day! It was so cool! I have never been that close to an apostle before, and President Uchtdorf is my favorite! I didn't get to talk to him, but I walked right past him on my way out the store, and he smiled and nodded at me! I was practically skipping the whole way home.

I am also loving my classes. They cancelled my country dance class (not enough people enrolled) but I am in World Dance I and II and it is so much fun! I am learning about folk dances from all over world. I'm learning dances from Armenia, Norway, England, and Croatia. And I got into a religious class about Joseph Smith and the early years of the church. It is so fascinating! I am learning so many cool things I never new about Joseph Smith and I am loving it!

Well I don't really know what else to say, so I will end here. Have a good Sunday!

All moved in

Well Winter Semester is officially over. My roommates are gone, my friends are gone, my ward is gone, I'm all moved out of my old dorm, and all moved in to my new dorm. Last Friday was one of the longest and hardest days I have ever experienced. I won't go into much detail, but just know that I had to say goodbye to a lot of awesome people. I now live in New Heritage and it is huge! We have two closets, the kitchen has SO many cupboards, we actually have a living room for once, there are two bathrooms, and over all there is just a lot more space. There are some drawbacks though. Where are we supposed to put our bathroom stuff? There are no cupboards or cabinets in the bathroom. And we don't really have closets in our room so very little place to store things in our room and there are no mirrors in our room. So there are pros and cons to living here. I think I am going to eventually like it and my roommates are super nice so I'm sure I will have fun. But right now it just feels so weird to be here. Everything is unpacked and my walls are decorated, but it doesn't feel like home the way my old dorm did.

Last year, I felt the same way about my old dorm. I felt uncomfortable there and lonely and like I didn't belong, but eventually I came to love the place and it literally became my home. Lexi and I stopped saying "okay I'm heading back to the dorm" and started saying "okay I'm heading home." It feels so weird to be here and to know that I can't ever go back, that it isn't my home anymore, that next year different girls will be living there. It is a really really strange and sad feeling. I know that I will probably feel the same about this dorm at the end of the semester, but right now, I've just barely moved in and I don't feel like I belong yet.

And classes don't even start until Tuesday, and even then, the only class on Tuesday I have is my dance class, so the next couple of days are sure to be LONG days. I just want the semester to start so I can lose myself in homework. I'm actually really craving homework that way I can have something to keep my mind off of the fact that I've lost everything from last semester.

Well I've tried to make this post seem not too sad. I really am grateful for so many things. I'm grateful for the best year of my life, and I'm grateful for another two semesters to make more friends and have even more fun. I'm grateful that my new roommates seem so nice and I am grateful that this new building is safer than the last one. I don't feel like it is going to topple to the ground. I'm thankful for the help I received yesterday moving out and moving in. And I'm thankful for all the little things that God has placed in my life to make it more bearable. Coming to BYU really was the best decision I ever made.

Oh and if anyone is still around/nearby and wants to come visit in this upcoming week, please do! I'm going to be very bored I think.

Saying Goodbye to a Great Year

It's the last week of winter semester. It's also finals week so yes I am stressed. But I think the hardest part about this week is having to say goodbye to everyone. I have made some of the greatest friends here at college. I have learned so much from them and they have made me feel so loved and I can't stand the thought of never seeing some of them again. I thought last semester was hard when we had to say goodbye to half of our FHE brothers, but now that we've lived through another semester, there are certain people I've gotten even closer to and it breaks my heart to have to say goodbye. And it frustrates me because there is so much I want to say to people but I just can't put my feelings into words. The English language really corrupts what you are feeling. And I am really awkard at saying goodbye. After someone leaves, I usually break down and start crying, but while I am saying goodbye to them, I'm really quiet and barely say anything other than "goodbye" and it sounds so awkward.

One thing I have learned though is that the hard times in our lives are put there to make the good times seem even greater, even sweeter. Growing up I had a hard time making friends, or at least making good friends, and so now that I have these wonderful friends, it makes the experience even greater to contrast it to what my friendships used to be like. I am able to really appreciate the experiences I have had here. Another example, one of my favorite memories of last semester started off as one of the most stressful nights last semester. I was so stressed out and upset, but then someone came to my rescue and the contrast between the before and after was so great that it made the experience so much sweeter and it became one of my favorite memories of last semester. It's why we love fairy tales so much, because the "Happily Ever After" is only sweet and triumphant because the story plot was so treacherous. If everything was happy and smooth sailing, we would be bored and the ending wouldn't mean much to us. So the times when we are most upset or stressed are the times when we are battling a dragon or we are locked in a tower, and someday we will have our happily ever after. In fact we see little pieces of it every day. So I thank God for all the wonderful experiences I have had this year, and I thank him for all the bad experiences I have had as they make the good ones even greater.

My Dorm Smells Like Butter

My roommate is making Greek cookies and they require two pounds of butter. Needless to say, our dorm smells a lot like butter.

Well last week was fantastic! My mom came on Monday and she spent the whole week with me. We did a lot of shopping and eating and we visited my cousin's house and I got ballroom dance shoes for my birthday present. Then Friday the rest of my family came up and we spent the weekend together. Again we did a lot of eating, and we went bowling and I got my very first ever strike -extremely shocking- and we saw Divine Comedy and ate a five-minute Easter Dinner Saturday night and then saw the Ballroom Dance Concert- which was so amazing! Sunday morning, I got up to watch the sunrise with the girls in my ward and then I went back to bed until my family came and they made me Crepes for my birthday. They went to Sacrament Meeting with me, but they had to leave right after that. I loved having them there for my birthday.

My roommates continued to make my birthday special by singing to me pretty much every time I walked in the dorm and they made me a cake, even though I had already made cupcakes, and yesterday they made me brownies also in celebration of my birthday. We have so much junk food now. We have like four cartons of ice cream, cake, brownies, cookies, and cupcakes. And my roommates are making more cookies and two more cakes tonight. Oh dear...

But my birthday was so great. I have never had this many people tell me Happy Birthday before. For the past couple of years, people always forget it's my birthday despite the fact that I start talking about it a month in advance and keep talking about it until the day before. But this year pretty much everyone I saw wished me a happy birthday. I felt so loved! It was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. And it was on Easter!

Well today was pretty much my last day of classes. The only class I have tomorrow is Dance and we are having a party, so I'm pretty much all done. Then I just got to worry about Finals. I'm going to do what I did last time again and not eat ice cream or get on facebook while Finals are going on. I've also got to worry about getting all of my things packed up for Spring term. Everything has to be moved out of my dorm by 10am Saturday morning next week, but I can't move it into my new dorm until the afternoon. But they are letting us put our things in the central building during the time in between. Well that's just great. For those of you who don't know, the central building is kind of far to be carrying that much stuff. I'm probably going to be making a bazillion trips back and forth. And all of my roommates leave that Thursday, so I'm also going to be alone for two days until I move into my new dorm. : (

I'm excited for a new semester, for the change and all, but I am seriously going to miss my roommates and my ward. This semester has been so much fun, way more fun than last semester. I have really been blessed. Thank you to everyone who has made this year so great. Good luck with finals!

What I have learned this semester

First I have to say, wasn't General Conference wonderful?! I loved it! So beautiful. My favorite talk was Neal A. Anderson's about the three kids that were trapped in the ruined building after the earthquake in Haiti and the father prayed that at least one of his children would be alive and then they heard a baby crying and then they heard his son singing "I am a Child of God" and they dug through the wreck and found all three children still alive. BEAUTIFUL! I was literally bawling. My roommate came in the room to find me sobbing. I turned to her with tears running down my cheeks and cried "you just missed the most beautiful talk."

It has been a good week for me as far as spiritual experiences go. I went to the temple on Friday and it was so peaceful and so beautiful and I was able to really put my life in perspective. I walked out of the temple beaming and humming. And then we had General Conference. It's just been great.

During the week it was kind of stressful because I had a lot to do. I had Geology, English, and Spanish tests. I had an English project. I had my medals exam for Dance. I had a Book of Mormon essay. I went to the induction banquet for Phi Eta Sigma...yeah busy. But I'm not sick of school yet, which is good since I will be staying for Spring and Summer terms.

I just wanted to talk about some of the things I have learned at BYU so far though. You know, as far as life lessons go. Because as I am coming to the close of my first year at BYU, I have been looking back at who I was when I first came here, and how much I have changed, how much I have learned. There's the basic things, like how to live on my own, how to cook my own food, how to live with roommates...but it's more than that. I've learned to absolutely love my roommates. I've learned that some things really aren't that big of a deal. I've learned that mistakes happen, and you shouldn't be afraid of making choices and making risks just because there is a chance that you might fail. If you want to do something, you should go for it, and then if it doesn't work out, then you learn from it. My dear roommate Becca has taught me this.

I've also learned that the saying "you can do anything" isn't true. I definitely cannot do "anything" I  want on my own. But with the Lord's help, I can. I should always trust in the Lord and he will get me through. He always has. My testimony has grown so much this semester as I have learned to rely on the Lord in everything. I have learned also that every day is a bad day...but every day is a good day. Every day something is going to go wrong, and you can choose to be pessimistic and ungrateful. But the Lord always gives us something each day to be thankful about, and as long as we remember that the Lord loves us and we count the blessings in our lives, every day becomes a good day.

I have learned, thanks to a friend of mine, that mornings are a gift from God. I have learned that I love geology and I now want to major in it. I have learned to love and appreciate simply learning. Getting an education is so important, and you should not limit yourself to learning only what you think you want to learn. Take new classes, explore other options, and just appreciate the ability you have to learn.

I have also learned that part of getting an education is being involved in activities. When I graduate, I do not want to just walk away from BYU with a diploma. I want to have become a better person. I want to have made a difference. I want to soak up my experience here. When I was in high school, my focus was all on grades, and I joined very little clubs because I was afraid they would interfere with my homework. I have learned here how to prioritize and manage my time so that it is possible to do other things than homework. This is why I am in dance, I am in clubs, I am in Phi Eta Sigma, I go to dances, I do service projects, and why I want to do Study Abroad, eventually be a part of the women's choir, serve in a leadership position in Phi Eta Sigma, and maybe in a few years I can join a Ballroom Dance team. That may seem like a lot, but I will take things one at a time. Because, as I said, I am going to soak up my experience here at BYU. I am not just going to get a diploma. I am going to get an education and become someone.

One of the other things I would like to share that I have learned, although it is kind of personal, I feel it can apply to many people. In high school, I did not feel like I had very many friends. Of the friends I had, I didn't feel included. I tried really hard to be their friends, and while some of them were really great, many more of my friends I just felt like I was trying to gain their approval. Then I came to BYU and I made the greatest friends I could ever ask for. It was as if the Lord was saving me for these friends. During high school, I wondered why it was so hard for me to make friends and why I wasn't included. But if I had known that I was going to make such great friendships in college, it would have made it totally worth it. It DID make it worth it. I just didn't know it at the time in high school. A lot of things are like that in life. Dating is the same way. Again, I wasn't asked out on dates very much, and I'm still not. But it's okay, because I know the Lord is just saving me for the right person. He has plans for me in the meantime. The Lord has plans for all of us. So if you ever feel like, why is this not working out? Why can't I make any friends? Why won't anyone ask me on a date? Remember, you are loved by the Lord and something great is in store for you. That's my thought for the day.

A Lovely Sunday

What a lovely Sunday it has been. Church was so nice. I think that was the most spiritual Sunday I have had since I came to BYU. I felt the spirit so strongly in every single meeting. And I learned something about myself in each meeting. I received answers to questions, and the whole time my heart felt so big and so full of love for everyone around me. I have come to love my ward so much and I am so sad that this was our last testimony meeting and that we only have a couple more weeks together.

And to make this Sunday even more lovelier, someone left me a rose outside my dorm that was addressed "Dear, Beautiful Celeste." How sweet is that?! I absolutely love flowers. Seeing the flowers blooming on the trees outside, and the daffodils planted by the Creamery, and the new flowers outside the Conference Building all made me so happy. When I have my own home, I plan to have a flower garden because I really love flowers of all types. So you can see how happy receiving that rose would make me. I really wish I knew who left me the rose so I could thank them.

Well this weekend was nice and relaxing, compared to the beginning of the week. I haven't been getting very much sleep in lately, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was so busy and stressed out with school, that by Wednesday I was exhausted. No joke, I literally felt fatigued. I fell asleep in all of my classes except for Dance. It would be pretty hard to fall asleep during Dance. And I had no energy when walking around campus. I came home and even though I knew I had to study, I fell asleep the instant I put my head down on the pillow. I took an hour-long nap and it felt so good. After that, things went by a lot better. I was able to get my homework done quicker- probably because I finally had the energy to do it. And then Thursday I finally got to slow down with my work load. We had cleaning checks, I finished my homework speedy-quick, and I took some time out for developing my talents, namely drawing. I haven't done too much drawing this semester, so I drew a picture from the movie "The Princess and the Frog." Friday was a very productive day for me and the first day that week where didn't feel exhausted. I went to class, did laundry, wrote a letter, took pictures of flowers, went shopping, got quarters for laundry, did my geology homework and studied for geology a bit, cleaned my room, went to a practice for my Medals Exam next week, and then that night my roommates and I went and saw "The Hunger Games" movie.

First I want to talk about my Medals Exam. Medals is where we are tested to see pretty much how "proficient," I guess you could say, we are in dancing. I didn't do it last semester because I had three other things going on the same night as Medals. But I am doing it this year and I am really excited. Medals is on Tuesday, so Friday I practiced with our TA and he gave me some really good tips. He said I'm pretty good on all of my moves for the Cha-Cha, it's just cleaning up a couple of things. He said my waltz was really good, that I've got it pretty much down. I really just need to work on taking longer steps and keeping good posture during a couple moves. It's Triple Swing I need to work on the most. He FINALLY taught me how to do the Triple Swing correctly, so I've been doing a lot of bouncing around my apartment lately and I will continue to do so until Tuesday. I'm happy to have gotten some one-on-one attention so someone could tell me exactly what I am doing wrong and how to make everything better. I love ballroom dancing!

Well yep I saw Hunger Games. I did read all the books, but it's been a while since I read number one, so as far as I remembered, I thought the movie stuck pretty well to the book. I really enjoyed it and loved it a lot. I actually cried at one part. The only thing is, it's pretty disturbing. There is a huge difference between reading something and imagining it and watching it before your eyes. Watching children kill each other was really quite disturbing.

Yesterday we went to the Festival of Colors. So weird! And it was hard to breathe with all the chalk in the air, but it was fun and we looked very colorful afterwards with chalk covering every inch of us. In the pictures, we mainly look brown, but that was because the colors started to mix together. We were very colorful though. And last night we went Country Dancing. That was...interesting. It was really fun, but I danced with some pretty strange and awkward guys. One guy told me I had pretty eyes like five times, a pretty shirt, and pretty earrings, all to which I said "thank you," and then he told me I had pretty lips, to which I replied "oh." I felt really awkward to say the least.

But that was my week. There is only one more thing I would like to write about for this week. I love it when boys use their priesthood, and I love that we have a whole building full of worthy priesthood holders if we girls ever need help. Monday I was already feeling stressed out and super tired from schoolwork and then my ear starting hurting me. I've had kind of an earache for two weeks now. It's not very serious; it just feels like I have a lot of pressure in my ear. I thought it might be fluid in my ear so I put alcohol in it since that is supposed to get rid of any extra fluid, but that didn't do anything. And since I was already tired and stressed, my ear just made everything worse. So I went to the Creamery to finally buy me some medicine. On the way there however, the cold air actually made my ear start to really hurt. I was almost in tears by the time I got to the Creamery. I tried calling my mom to ask her what medicine she recommended for my ear, but she had already gone to bed. I literally started crying in the store. I was so embarrassed, but I was stressed out, my ear hurt, and I couldn't even talk to my mom. I bought myself some medicine, hoping it would help me, and told myself that if this medicine doesn't work, I would ask for a blessing. But then I thought, why am I putting medicine before a blessing? I haven't had a blessing since I came to college and the Bishopric had recommended all the girls to get blessings. So I made up my mind. I would go home, take the medicine, and without waiting to see if it worked, I would get a priesthood blessing. My roommates were so great too. As soon as I told them I wanted a blessing, they ran and got my home-teachers.

It was amazing! They were so ready and willing to give me a blessing and the words they said were exactly what I needed to hear. I felt so much better afterwards. Guys, you don't know how great it is when you use your priesthood. It is so comforting to know that even though we don't have our dads with us, we still have a building full of guys that are worthy and willing to help us any time. And the Church must be true because there is no way they could have known that those were the words that I needed to hear. And it helped! While I still feel pressure in my ear, it doesn't bother me any more and it doesn't hurt when I go outside anymore. I love this Church and I love my ward. I am sad that this semester is ending, but I'm glad to have had so many spiritual experiences to help me grow.

Getting a sunburn and loving it

This has been a great weekend! The weather in Provo is beautiful! It feels like spring! Yesterday, Lexi and I studied outside in the sun and it was so nice. And today some more friends and we had a picnic outside and laid in the sun for hours. I got so sunburned! It's actually kind of painful, but I don't mind it. It was just so nice to be outside in short sleeves. We had Stake Conference yesterday and today and it was so good! Really felt the spirit. And I got to skype with my family and that was so much fun. I love family :)
Well it's really surprising how fast this semester has flown by. Only one month left! I'm starting to get sad, because I love my roommates and my friends so much. I'm really sad to be leaving them, especially my roommates. It has been a blast living with them. They are so funny and entertaining. Every day is an adventure with them.
Well I have decided to stay at BYU for the Spring and Summer terms. That means it's going to be a long time before I go home to Las Vegas again, but I feel like I made the right decision. And I have decided that I am going to do a Study Abroad program somewhere Spanish-speaking in the future. Don't know exactly when, I still need to look up when the next one is, and I'm not sure exactly where either, just so long as it is safe and Spanish-speaking, but I really feel like I need to do it. I have progressed so much in my Spanish this past year and I feel like I really need to immerse myself in the language so I can finally master it. I've always wanted to do a Study Abroad, but I wasn't sure about the Spanish part, because living in a country where the people don't speak English scares me, but now that I've made the decision, I feel really good about it and I'm excited. My parents really support me on it, too. They agree that I need that experience.
I am excited for next semester too because I'm finally going to be taking a drawing class (always wanted to) and I'm going to take a country dance class. Country dancing is so much fun I have discovered! And for those of you who do not know, I love to draw, especially Disney pictures. My bedroom is covered in my Disney drawings, and I finished a drawing of Rapunzel not too long ago. So I'm excited to further my skills. I hope this means I will be able to get real pencils and erasers and all the special stuff that real artists use. I just hope I don't have to read too much out of a book, because I have a hard time doing that with art. My dad gave me a "How to draw faces" book, and instead of reading it, I just flipped through the pages and found faces I liked, then copied them. haha I suppose I would get better if I actually read the advise it gave me.
Well, that's all of the update I have for now. About to go to ward prayer and then have a desert party. Yay! I made really good cupcakes. They are really fun flavored. I hope people like them. :)

Missing my family but staying optimistic

Lately, I've been missing my family more and more. Part of it is talking with my brother on the phone and laughing my head off at how hilarious the two of us can be once we start going. Part of it is my job since I have to listen to conversations about parents and their involvement in their kids' lives for hours on end, remembering all the wonderful memories of elementary school with my mom. Part of it is my roommate's family came down for the weekend and so of course I was reminded of my own family. Part of it is that they brought me a package from home that was full of random stuff from the pantry that my mom grabbed for me, reminding me of how funny and sweet she is. Part of it is that my family is coming for my birthday in April and I seriously cannot wait. Is it Easter yet?

Well here are my words of advice to all you who have your family nearby: enjoy every second of it! Because more than likely, someday you will not live nearby and you will miss them. So hug them every chance you get, tell them you love them every time they walk in the door, be patient with them when they can get annoying, and act totally crazy with them. Because when you can't, you will miss that. I sure miss driving in the car with my dad listening to the radio. I miss acting absolutely crazy with my brother and sister. I miss curling up in my mom's bed to talk to her. I miss reading scriptures as a family and acting out the words and laughing so hard we can't even get through prayer.

Even though I miss my family, I have managed to stay happy and optimistic. Because I have been so blessed to come to BYU. I have an amazing FHE family and we were lucky to play soccer last night with one of our brothers from last semester. We missed him so much and it was great to hang out with him. And two Saturdays ago we went to a dance that BYU put on for Heritage Halls and YView. It was AMAZING!! The best dance I have ever been too! Seriously, the decorations were beautiful! I have never been to a school dance that was as beautiful as that. And it was FREE! Didn't have to pay a dime. And they had catering and Italian sodas and carriage rides and caricatures and it was CLEAN! Clean music, clean dancing, modest clothing. It was awesome! And it didn't matter that I didn't have a date. I wore a gorgeous dress of my roommate's, did my hair all pretty, and went with two of my very good friends. Most of the slow songs I had to interpretive dance again, since most guys came with dates, but I did still get asked to dance a couple times. I was seriously flying that night I was so excited.

Last Friday, a large group in the ward went ice skating and that was so much fun! I seriously love ice skating. I used to take lessons way long ago and I still remember how to do some tricks so that was so much fun to practice my moves again. It's sad though how much I've forgotten how to do. It's true when they say if you don't practice, you'll lose it. I felt like flying on that ice though. I want to go ice skating with someone who is really fast though because I love going fast and I wish I could race someone. Maybe someday.

And today we had a real dinner for once! Like with multiple courses and all the food groups and everything. We had lasagna, green salad, fruit salad, seasoned bread, and jello. It was so much food. We loved it! And later we played makeshift baseball in our FHE brother's dorm with plates and water bottles. Oh yeah, we can be pretty creative.

Well, bottom line is, I love my family, and I love BYU. I truly have been amazingly blessed. And now I am going to bed, because I am so tired. Good night!

And Things Start Falling Into Place :)

I am amazed at how amazing my life is. I truly am so happy right now. Shall I list the amazing things that have happened/are happening in my life?

1.       Last Saturday I went to the most fun dance I have ever been to. Lexi and I danced crazy as can be, letting out all of our energy and not caring about what other people thought. I was asked to dance every slow song-a first ever for me. I think part of that was because whenever a slow song came on I started interpretive dancing. Then I think the guys felt sorry for me and so they asked me to dance. Although, to be honest, I was having fun interpretive dancing and I would still have been happy had I not been asked to dance (although being asked to dance will always better). Then at one point during the dance, Me, Lexi, and our friends Erica, Michael and Justin went outside to cool off since it was so hot inside. On a whim, Erica, Lexi, and I started running around in circles with our arms held our like airplanes. It was just like being little kids again. SO MUCH FUN! And we played ninja with a random stranger. And after the dance Lexi, Michael, Justin, and I ran to the Creamery to buy jerky before the store closed. Pretty much, a fantastic night.

2.       Sunday, it snowed all day and I took pictures of the temple in the snow. So pretty. Then, my roommates Carolina and Becca and my FHE brothers Justin and Kenny and I made snow cones out of REAL snow from the front yard. The first batch we made tasted really good. The second batch tasted like dirt. So we used the remainder of that batch to make a decapitated snowman. Yeah, we’re real mature. ;)

3.       The highlight of my day on Monday was calling my brother Preston to wish him a happy birthday and then having quite an extensive conversation about trash bags. That was really entertaining. Oh how I miss him.

4.       Tuesday=the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had. Why? Because we made valentines for the boys’ dorm. One of my childhood friends came over and celebrated with Lexi and me being single. We made broken-heart cookies and gave them to every boy we met in the boys’ dorm. We heart-attacked boys by running and taping a heart to their head/body. It wasn’t until the very end of the night that I realized I hadn’t received a single Valentine. And I was okay with it! I was amazed at how completely fine I was with not getting any Valentines. I had way too much fun giving people broken-heart cookies to expect anything in return. But just as I voiced my opinion, I was showered in hearts. They were all in my hair and fell around me-a great feeling to have love rain down on you. And to top it off, at the end of the night, a boy gave me a rose in thanks of the Valentine I gave him. That is the first time I have ever received a flower from a boy. It was so sweet! Definitely the best Valentine’s Day ever.

5.       And today I got a job!! I have been complaining for a long time that I need a job because now that I’m only taking 13 credits, I’m bored. And I need money. But today I had an interview and she didn’t even really ask me any questions about myself other than what my major was and how fast I can type. She told me they were ready to hire me, she just wanted to make sure that I wanted to do it. Um of course I do! So I now will be working as a transcriber, listening to audio recordings of interviews and typing down absolutely every sound I hear. Exciting huh? Actually, I am really excited.

6.       I have finished my application to become an American Heritage TA and I shall be turning that in tomorrow. And then I will start working on my application to become a conference assistant. Oh and filling out scholarships. My hope is that I will be a conference assistant for Spring and Summer and next fall I will be an American Heritage TA. So cross your fingers!

7.       I have decided on a new major and it is a great feeling to have made that decision. I have not officially switched it from English yet, but I am not going to do so until I finish my GE’s since I change my mind so regularly. But here is the new plan: Geology. I know that doesn’t really sound anything like me. Celeste Keeler, the writer, who all her life made up stories and has already written 5 books and didn’t want to do anything but stay at home and become a world famous author, has decided to become a geologist. It especially doesn’t sound like me because this means that I have to take calculus and anyone who knows me knows that I swore to never take a math class again. But I am in love with geology! And if it means that I have to take calculus (and get a tutor, because I won’t pass on my own) than I’m going to do it. Remember how I said I really wanted to be able to help people? This is how. I want to study natural disasters and work with different countries to prepare against natural disasters. My teacher has told us so many heart-wrenching stories and I feel like this is my calling. This is where I am needed. It is a great feeling.

8.       I have also maintained the past few days a very positive outlook on life. I have come to the conclusion that things are ALWAYS bad. But they are also ALWAYS good. If I wanted to, I could choose right now to be sad about something. But instead, I am choosing to remember the blessings I have. If something is meant to be, it will happen. If something doesn’t work out, than it wasn’t meant to be and something greater is coming along. All of my trials are simply preparing me and making me stronger, thus I am going to not look at them as trials anymore.

It’s amazing how things just start to fall into place once you have this outlook on life. There is so much more I could say, but this is already very long so I will pause for now. I hope this little post brought some sunshine to your life however and reminded you to think of the blessings in your own life.