Holiday Break!

This Thanksgiving, Austin came to visit me all the way from the land of ice and snow that I call Rexburg, Idaho. :) We (Austin, me, and my mom and dad) had an amazing time at the beach down in Corpus Christi for the holiday break. We flew kites, fed the sea gulls, swam in the ocean, played board games, and just generally had a good time. Here's some pictures!



This picture was taken in the car as we were travelling home to Dallas from Grandma's house in Austin. Yea for the comics! :D

This is one of my favorite pictures that was taken during our vacation, minus the kite string interrupting the picture.

Happy Holidays! I know it's past Christmas, so this Thanksgiving break post is "late", but I still enjoyed having Austin here, so I thought it deserved a post. :) Happy New Years!!!

2008 Election

Well, this week Early Voting was open for the Presidential Election this year. Today I got to vote and have a voice in my nation for the first time ever! :) The picture above was taken right after I got home from voting.The officials handling the proceedings were really nice, and very friendly. I hope that everyone else has as great an experience voting this year as I did! :) Happy voting!

"What are you gonna be on Halloween night..."

"A witch, or a goblin or a ghost? What are you gonna be? Now don't tell me...wait till Halloween and let me guess!"

I was a bunny! :) The song I quoted was one of the songs that my mom and I listened to when we were in the car when I was little. Halloween is just around the corner! :D It is so nice to have a Halloween that isn't H-O-T this year!!! It has been sooooo nice outside, I have really been loving all this fall weather! Happy Halloween, y'all! :D

It Starts...

So I have officially lived through my first week of college in Texas! The summer is pretty much ended, and except for this coming Labor Day Weekend, I'm all done with lifeguarding (until next year, that is). :( That's okay, I think I got as dark as I possibly could this summer. :)

Leah has already come to visit from Utah, and gone back to school for the fall semester again. :( Taylor leaves me on Tuesday, and then I will officially be alone once again (this time in Texas instead of Idaho)...well, except I'll still get to see my family and live in Carrollton. :) Make way for change!!!

I love my "new" room...if you check on Momma's blog you'll see what I'm talking about. I have been reading, taking quizzes, and writing notes like crazy this week! Luckily I will get a break this weekend--I have a date tomorrow afternoon, and on Saturday night! So that should be pretty fun. :)

It's strange for me to not be going back up to Idaho, but I know it's hard for Momma and Daddy too...but at least I get to enjoy the great Texas heat for another year! :) I like the snow, but sometimes it would just get so cold up there! Here's to hoping it will be a GREAT (A+) school year, and a fast one too! :) Only three more months until Christmas!!!!!! :)

Girls Night Out!

So, for the past several weeks, Thursday night has been my Girls Night Out with my best friend Taylor. :) We both work together on Fridays, so we decided to get together every Thursday night at either her house or mine, and have the night to relax and talk and just have fun being girls. :) This is what we did last night:

First we started out with a to die for foot scrub--the only word that can describe the way our feet felt afterwards: AMAZING. :) The scrubbing stuff looked really gross, though. Then--after our foot scrub--we did facials (a self-heating clay mask thingy that felt great and was way fun to do together!) to finish it off. I'm so glad to be a girl, and have Taylor for a friend! :)
YAY for friends and fun! :)

Only in Texas...

Okay, so today's my day off, so I thought I would post a blog. :) Yesterday it was 100 degrees outside, and today it's 72 outside, and it's been raining off and on. Sometimes I am amazed at the crazy weather here in Texas! Hot and humid one day, then rainy and cool the next...good grief! Too bad we didn't have this weather yesterday when I was out lifeguarding! Oh well...

Also, today I got a haircut! It's been really long for a while now, so today I got up and Momma took me to get it cut!!! Yay! It's shoulder-length now, and it feels GREAT! :) Thanks Momma for taking me to get my summer cut today! :)

Oh, and I keep forgetting to post some pictures of my bedroom. I moved it all around! I took down the canopy, and moved my bed against the other wall with a window, and shifted my little dresser to where my bed was. There is so much room! I also got a new picture to put up on my wall for $3 at Garden Ridge! It's so pretty, I'll have to post pics of my "new" room's look soon! :)

Happy Father's Day!

I just wanted to post saying HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! to a wonderful Daddy. :) For the past (almost) nineteen years of my life my daddy has held my hand when I've been scared, given me Father's blessings when I've been sick, and made me pancakes on Sundays (until I was big enough to do it myself...and even then sometimes he still makes me pancakes!). :) He is such a loving and wonderful daddy, and I'm so glad the Lord sent me to him and Momma! He is a one-of-a-kind Daddy, and I'm so glad he's mine. :)

Late Night Surprise!

So, last night around 11:00 pm, Taylor Bluth and I snuck over to Leah's house for a little bit of fun. :) Since Leah is leaving for school up in Utah tomorrow (Saturday), we wanted her to leave with something to remember us by. So we had decided to sidewalk chalk her front sidewalk and decorate her door (Taylor also t.p.'d her tree a little bit).

Well, Taylor and I were all prepared to be sneaky undercover agents...we drove up without the lights on, and VERY carefully parked farther down the street, so if anyone happened to be up, they wouldn't recognize the car. As Taylor started the t.p.ing process, I began furiously decorating the sidewalk as fast as I could, while still trying to make it look cute. :) All of a sudden, Taylor and I see President Blake coming! He turned on the front porch light, and Taylor and I just about DIED!!! We ran pell-mell for the side of the house to hide behind the bushes. And let me tell you--there were some VERY prickly leaves in that grass that absolutely stuck into our feet like burrs! :(

So there we are, crouching down behind the bushes, trying not to be seen, and trying not to breathe too loud if someone were to come out to check out what all the movement outside was about. We probably we making tons of noise anyways, but it was so much fun. :) After what seems like forever, Taylor decides to go check out if the coast is clear so we can finish the job...and gets caught!!! Hansen had seen us running away when President Blake turned on the light--if we hadn't run, they wouldn't have even seen us!!! Lol, oh well. We came out, and laughed it off (but practically the entire family came outside to see what was going on). :) So much for being sneaky!

We made Leah promise not to look at anything until the next morning, but went ahead and gave her the brownies we had baked for her (which were still warm). She was really happy though, and I was so glad that she liked our surprise (even though she found out about it earlier than usual...). :) After everyone went back inside, Taylor and I made the sidewalk look really cute, and put up a sign on the door ("We Love Leah!) for her to see the next morning. What a night!!! :)

A-Z All About Me!

Attached or Single? Most definitely single...

Best friends? Leah and Taylor are my BFF's and always will be! :)

Cake or pie? Well...both sound pretty darn good right now. BUT--if I had to absolutely pick my top choice of each, I would say Momma's strawberry cake is TO DIE FOR :) delicious, and Daddy's apple pie is pretty good too.

Day of Choice? Sunday...it's so nice to relax and enjoy the spirit. I love the peaceful days full of love that Sundays bring. :)

Essential Item? I would have to agree with Kristie...my scriptures!!!

Favorite color? Pink!!!! :) I love being a girl... :)

Gummy bears or worms? I love both, but would probably choose the gummy worms, because they are just a little bit softer. :) Plus, I always like singing the song "nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat some worms..." :)

Home town? Carrollton! (Good ol' C-Town, as friends from high school use to call it)

Ideal vacation? Any place warm and by water. I couldn't be able to live for long without a place to swim, and I can only take so much cold! :)

January or July? July, of course!!! I love the summertime--that means swimming!!! :) My favorite thing besides reading as a hobby...

Kids? Nope.

Life isn't complete without... family. Friends are wonderful too, but there's nothing so wonderful as family.

Marriage date? Who knows? Not anytime really soon, though...

Number of brothers and sisters... 3 brothers and 1 sister.

Oranges or apples? Apples...but it's definitely a toss up. I'd probably grab an apple given the choice, but I really do like oranges every once in a while.

Phobias-- I DO NOT LIKE SNAKES!!! I just have to get that one out in the open. I don't really like spiders either, but I cannot stand snakes...even if they're dead. :( Those things give me the willies!

Quote: I couldn't find just one quote to put on here, so I decided to put my top three here:

"If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me."

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday."

Reasons to smile: I'm alive and healthy with a wonderful family, true friends, and the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. What reason isn't there to smile?

Season of choice? Summertime!!! :) Although if I lived in a place where fall produced gorgeous leaf colors, and divinely wonderful temperatures, that would probably come close to tying for first...

Tag people: I'll tag...Amanda!

Unknown fact about me: I went on a date in a teeny-tiny, puddle-jumper style airplane. It was really fun (but my Mom would have died if she knew what I was doing at the time...) and we actually did tricks where you can experience zero gravity...FUN! But, realistically, something that I'll probably never do again.

Vegetable? I love brocolli ("trees")! I also like corn, though. :)

Worst habit? I'll just leave this one to the imagination...

X-ray or ultrasound? Neither, please! :)

Your favorite food: PANCAKES, OF COURSE!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

Zodiac sign: Well, this isn't the sweetest one to end on...my sign is Cancer...oh well! Signs are signs! You don't get to choose them... :)

Home, and all those kind of things :)

Hi! So apparently I have not posted in too long, as my parents tell me. :) So this is a post to tell everyone that I am home, safe and sound. I got back April 12th, and lazied around for a week (getting lots of rest until I was bored with it). Then I started helping out with people from the ward, so lately I've been doing lots of house cleaning and babysitting. :)

However, danger looms on my horizon. Aaggghh! I have to get my wisdom teeth out this upcoming Friday, and am very nervous and kinda scared. Oh well, I will survive (I hope). Then I'm going with momma and daddy on a family camping trip! I'm really excited, since it's been a long time since we went camping together...and since school's still in session in here, we'll probably have a lot of great open space all to ourselves! Yay! :) Campfires and roasted marshmellows, here I come!!! :)

LEAH AND TAYLOR VISIT!!!!

Yay! So, Leah and Taylor came to visit over a week ago, and I promised myself that I was going to blog about them, especially seeing as how I had not blogged in over a month...
So, even though it took me forever, thought that I would post some fun pictures that I took while they were here to see me. And I forgot that you have to be dyslexic to do blogger, because when I started uploading pictures they're all in the wrong order, but oh well. :)
We had the best time ever! When I got home from class on Monday, there was Leah and Taylor!!!! We all started screaming, and they jumped up from the couch and ran over and pretty much attacked me. :) lol, I almost fell over trying to stand up with both of them hugging me. :) Then that night, they went with me to FHE and then the three of us went out to ice cream afterwards on a triple date...I set them up (to their surprise) with my FHE brothers Anthony and Chris, and I went with Austin.
It was really hard to say goodbye to Leah the next morning, but she left around 9:30 Tuesday morning and so the trio became a duo...just me and Taylor. I took her around campus after my classes were done for the day, and then we went to devotional at the Hart at 2 that afternoon. We had a great day going around together, and she got to visit her cousins up here as well, so I think that she had a great time. :) Then, all too soon, the next day came, and Wednesday morning Taylor left me as well. But, I had the best week ever, and I just wanted to tell them thanks for the best week ever! :) I miss you Leah and Taylor!!!!!!!

Sadie Hawkins Dance

However, this is the picture that I got Jenelle to take of Austin and I at the Sadie Hawkins dance, and I thought that you all might like to see it. This picture was taken right outside of the Manwaring Center West Ballroom (where the dance was held at). We had a great time at the dance, and had a fantastic weekend! I hope that everyone's Easter weekend was as fun as mine was! :)

Rexburg Temple Dedication

Have you ever had such an amazing experience that you knew that you needed to write it all down right away, or you might forget how wonderful it was? Well today, I have experienced one of the most wonderful things on this mortal earth. I went to the Rexburg Idaho temple dedication.

There aren't really words to describe it. First of all, I was truly blessed because I was able to go inside the temple for the dedication. Yesterday, the stake president pulled me aside after a training broadcast since I had been looking at my dedication ticket. He asked me what stake and ward I was in. Since I was in his stake, he asked me if my ticket was for inside the temple for the dedication, and I told him that it wasn't. He then proceeded to ask me if I would like a ticket for the dedication inside the temple! He said that he had just been given a few more, and was wondering if I would want one. Of course! Darci came up to me just as he was handing me one (there were perhaps only 15 or so of the tickets in his hands to give out). I told him that Darci was my roommate, and so he asked if she would like a ticket as well! :) It felt as if Heavenly Father was shining the sun down on me; I couldn't have been more happy! :) Darci and I couldn't stop smiling all the way home! :) :)

We were going to get up really early this morning to go camp out a spot for the dedication so that we could get as close to the prophet as we could. However, we found out that there was a session before us, so we had to get there after 9 AM. So, instead of getting up at 6 AM, we got up a couple hours later, and left around 9, and got there a little bit before 9:30. However, there was almost no one there...we were the third "group" to arrive...as in, there was a mom and daughter sitting in there, and a family that kept getting up and going somewhere (I don't know, one would get up and leave then come back, then another one, then another one--I think there was someone out in the hallway they were talking to maybe?). Anyways, around 10:30, when the chapel had started really filling up, an usher makes the announcement that because of weather conditions, President Monson arrived about an hour late this morning, so they had pushed back the sessions about 30 minutes. So Darci and I look at each other and think--ok, so now we will have been waiting to go inside for two and a half hours! Needless to say, we were very excited, and weren't very patient with the hurry-up-and-wait, but it was still nice--a guy had been playing really pretty prelude music the entire time, and it was really gorgeous. It felt kind of like the Mormon Tabernacle choir was right there with us, singing.

Then comes the announcement that we will be starting an hour after time (12:30 instead of the original 11:30). Aaaagh! But then an amazing thing happens...an usher comes in and says that the session ahead of us is just saying the closing prayer, and to get ready to move! :) Darci and I jump up, and race to the front of the doors, and start heading out with the front of the line. We're going!! :)

Once inside the temple, we go up three flights of stairs, and end up being seated in the waiting room for the youth being sealed to their parents. It was so beautiful. It was a wonderful ceremony, and it gave me the goosebumps during the last song when everyone was singing "The Spirit of God", and I just knew that if I were standing right then on the stairway, that I could hear the echoing of all three floors of latter-day saints singing the exact same words that I was singing, and that we were all there in the Lord's house united in the Spirit of the Lord. It was very moving, and I don't think I will forget that feeling for the rest of my life.

We left the temple, and the sun was shining (remarkable instance, because that just doesn't happen that often up here). I felt like the heavens were shining on us today, pleased with the work that's being done, and for the great accomplishment that today's dedication was, for all who are in the area, and those who have passed beyond the veil. I know without a doubt that it is the Lord's house that I see sitting upon the hill, and every time I look up I can always be reminded of how great a gift it is to be alive to see the Lord's work spreading forth over all the earth, and get to be alive to help it grow. I know that this church is true, and that this is Christ's church here upon the Earth. I know that He lives, and loves each one of us, and that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are His words to us today, and I bear testimony that temples are His way to allow us to be forever families and return to Him again, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Snow Video

Winter Blizzard!!!

Sorry this first picture is kinda fuzzy...this is what it looks like right outside my apartment tonight! We are currently under a winter storm warning, and let me tell you, it was VERY hard facing into the wind when I was walking back from swim practice tonight! :( They were actually snowplowing the walkways as I was walking home in this crazy blizzard weather, so that people who were out on campus could walk to places without having to borrow snowshoes to survive the walk! :) Anyways, this is my dorm.This kinda shows the snow outside, but not very well. It snowing REALLY, REALLY hard out there, and I'm betting that we're gonna be snowed in at least part-way in the morning. :)
You can see how high the snow is, and it's still going strong out there. A couple of girls I guess decided to try out the slide down the hill...you can see the difference between the snow level up top, and where they packed it down a little above ground level.
I got a really good picture from just barely inside my apt. door here of the snow outside...the only reason it looks clear is because I wasn't out there in it--hey, I'm not crazy!
This is a picture of the snow starting to pile up in front of my door...you can sort of see the dark green of the door on the far left. I actually stepped through this when I came home from swim team, but it had already snowed so much when I took the pictures, that you can't see my steps anymore.
Here's a better picture of the doorway--and the snow all around it. :)
This is what it looks like from the inside of my dorm...if you look closely, you can see my reflection in the window! :) This was taken from inside the kitchen, at the window looking out. And you wouldn't believe it, but I saw some girl running up those stairs you see to go do her laundry! I would NOT choose tonight to go anywhere, not even if it was just across the way! Just stepping out of my apt. door is bad enough!!!
More pictures...I thought it looked really pretty with all the apartments lit up from the inside while the storm howled outside. Really, if there was such thing as a snow tornado, this would be it!

Oh, and here's a really short video that I took on my camera. I'm not sure if it will work or not, but I tried. I didn't stay outside for too long, and I really never stepped outside the protection of the doorway, so that I didn't freeze to death, or get buried in snow, so I don't know how much of the snow you'll see whipping around like little snow darts! I hope you enjoyed Idaho's crazy weather post!

My Living Room, Meatloaf Dinner, and the I-Clicker...

Here are some pictures of my living room that I thought you might appreciate...the blanket and pillow I brought up here are on the right hand couch. The blue blanket is Elisabeth's.This is what the table looked like right before dinner! I set the table for everyone, and Jenelle and Elisabeth's fish bowl was our lovely centerpiece. :)


Here's my meatloaf! I cooked it all on my own...I also made biscuits, baked potatoes, and snicker doodles for dessert! Mmmm, mmm! Everyone loved them! And it wasn't even all that hard to do!
Here is what the table looked like right as I was calling everyone for dinner. Bon apetit! :)
These last two pictures are for Momma, since I was telling her about the I-Clicker's the other day...and this happens to be mine! :) But boy, are they EXPENSIVE! Sorry about the last picture, I accidentally took it the wrong way, but it is a little more clear.


I actually posted more pictures of the living room, but I messed up while I was doing this post and deleted them...sorry! :( I'll get those posted sometime later if you still want to see them.

NEGATIVE TEN!

Sorry, Momma told me I should DEFINITELY post about the weather here, but I've been busy, so I'm just getting around to it. However, on Wednesday when I went to class, guess how cold it was outside? Yep, that's right, -10! I wore my BIG coat, but wore a short-sleeved t-shirt underneath, and was getting hot on my way to class...I know, weird! But, the cold wasn't too bad. :) Oh, and it snowed ALL day yesterday!! :( I love the snow, but NOT when it's blowing straight into my face!!!! :( But it looks really pretty outside! :) And on another side note, guess what? IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!!!! AND, this weekend is a three day weekend, because I get Monday off for Human Rights Day (aka. Martin Luther King Jr. Day). Yea!!!!!! :)

SNOW!

Okay, so I keep thinking about posting about all the snow here, and I still hadn't, so now I'm finally getting around to it! Here are some pictures of what I look at everyday when I'm walking around campus...endless amounts of snow! This is what it looks like right outside my dorm in the front of the building, and a little bit of our courtyard. :) Hope you enjoy!

New Roomates!

Okay Momma, I promised you I would post a picture of my two new roommates, so here it is! On the left is Jenelle, who is from Spokan, Washington. On the right is Elisabeth, who is from Utah, and who brought a car here! :) Yea! Anyways, they are really sweet. Jenelle took over my old bed, and both of the girls are still getting used to beds that are several feet up in the air, haha. Anyways, we're all getting along pretty well, and tomorrow we will all be starting off the new semester! I was also gonna blog about the mind-boggling amount of snow here, but I'll do that later...I forgot to take pictures of it, but there is SO MUCH of it! I'm having a good time up here, and I hope that this semester is awesome!

I Love Holiday Bargains!!! :)

I brought a lot of hot chocolate up to Rexburg this semester to enjoy on those cold days that I know are ahead. There was only one problem...I didn't have a mug!!! Momma and I thought about packing one to bring up here, but I didn't want it to get broken on the flight up here. So I decided to get a new one up here for as cheap as I could find. :) Well, I went to Walgreen's first because it was close, and started browsing. I went and looked in the kitchen section and couldn't find ANYTHING!!!! Darci had come with me, and so we were both looking to make sure we hadn't passed up anything that could possibly be a mug. Then I decided I would go and ask someone who worked there if they might have any mugs in the back, just on the off chance that the mugs weren't out. So we started walking up the holiday aisle...and all of a sudden Darci says Look! and low and behold, there are three Christmas mugs the PERFECT SIZE!!! :) Yea!! I looked on the bottom and it said 2 for $1, so I thought, Hey! This is a pretty good price! Only fifty cents!! :) Well, I took it up to the register, and when the lady rang it up, I found out that the mug, besides being fifty cents, was also on a 90% off holiday sale!!!!! Yea!! So guess how much I got the perfect mug for??? ONLY FIVE CENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, pretty amazing, huh? I'm pretty excited, so I thought that I would blog about it and share my excitement with everybody!! :)