My Christmas Break!!!

Well, I definitely haven't posted for a while, and so I thought that I would get on and post some pictures that I took this Christmas break. I had a fantastic time getting to see all my friends and almost all my family (since Kristie and her family are in Kentucky), and overall had a wonderfully enjoyable and relaxing Christmas holiday!!! :) This first picture is of Leah and me at the movies last week at our TML party. :)

This is a funny picture that we took of us three looking "tough". Well, Leah and I look tough and Taylor is being funny. :)
This past Tuesday Vanetia and I (Vanetia's a friend from high school band) had lunch at IHOP and caught up on life. We had a great time, and I got to see her new hairstyle!! :)

I feel like I've done pretty much everything this Christmas break. I also got to spend the night at both of my brothers' houses and play with my Pierce, Ansley and Hailey! :) I had a fantastic time talking to Steve and Amanda, and Michael and Heather. And, when I went to see Steve and Amanda, I got to have the grand tour of their "new" house that they bought around the time that I left for school! :) And believe me, it is gorgeous!!! Also, I celebrated New Years with some old friends from high school band at Roberto's house, and went bowling and to the movies with Adrian! There's DEFINITELY no place like home with family and friends around you. :) And, since I can now officially keep up with Momma walking (well...sort of...) since I've been walking everywhere around campus this semester, we spent a lot of time shopping around, hitting all the good stores in Carrollton during the break, and just generally having a good time. I sure will miss having our time together when I go back.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2008!!! Can you believe that time has passed so fast? It seems like only yesterday that people were worrying about the turn of the century and Y2K and about the world's end in the year 2000. Wow! And now here we are, eight years in! Well, I guess this is my goodbye to Texas until the good ol' Summertime (when all the trees and leaves are green...). Until then...see you in Bloggerland! :)

Guess What??!!! I can post pictures now!!!! :)

Hey guess what?? I finally figured out how to get my pictures on here!! :) So here are some pictures of the people from swim team with me!!!! :) They were all taken at either Championships for the semester (which we won, by the way!!!) :) or at the Swim Banquet which we had the Tuesday following. I'm so excited that I can finally post pictures on here again!! :) Yea!!!
This is a pic of Katy and me. We became really close friends this semester, and I don't know what I would have done without her!!! She is such a fantastic girl, and a great friend!! :)
Okay, so this isn't the best picture of Damien, but he was a really nice guy that I swam with in my lane quite a few times this semester, and he's a great guy, and a great swimmer!
So...this picture HAD to get on here, because this is Andrew Sturgess (we all call him Andy on swim team) and he is one of my swim coaches. I didn't ever get a chance to get a picture of Joe Free, who is my other swim coach of our team (but he did just get engaged over Thanksgiving break!!!) and he's a really nice guy too. I got such a good break on coaches this semester! :) Oh, and by the way, you probably couldn't tell, but to be in the picture with him, I had to stand on my tippy-toes, cause he is REALLY tall...lol!
Haha, so this is a cute picture of Katy that I just HAD to post here. Isn't she funny? :)
Here's a picture of Kendall and me. He's another one of my friends on swim team!
Yea!!! Me and Katy again...we had a great time at Championships.

Here's Tyson, another friend of mine, and also Kendall's close friend on the team.
HAHAHA!!!!!!!! Here's me and Katy again, being REALLY silly! :) We took a lot of pictures together at the swim meet!
Here's a picture of Stephen and me at Swim Banquet on Tuesday night. He was also on my team this semester.
Here's my table at Swim Banquet! I'm actually sitting in Katy's spot while she takes our picture, and for I did the same for her. From left to right are Susan, (I don't remember the other girl's name...I know, I'm so bad!! Sorry!), Ariel, Kendall, Melissa Dean (the other Melissa on the team), Andy, and me!!! Yea!! Go Spartans!!! :)

Ok, and finally, here is Alix. He's definitely a character. He would dress up in this costume he made himself to be the self-imposed "mascot" for our team. He's a really good swimmer too, but when he would dress up in between his races, he just cracked me up, so I thought that you guys would like a picture to see what our mascot looked like, lol. :)

Anyways, those are all the pictures from my swim team!!!! I hope that you enjoyed getting to see pictures on my blog again! Cause I sure enjoyed posting them!! :) Have a great week!

Tag--I'm It!!!

1. Best thing you cooked last week:

I would have to say that the best thing I cooked last week was on Sunday when I cooked roast, potatoes and carrots, and made a fruit salad and jello for when everybody came home. It was delicious!! :)

2. If money, time and babysitting were no object, where would you go and what would you do?

Well, at least one of those can be x-ed out, since I don't have any kids for which to need babysitters, haha. :) If I could go anywhere and do anything, I think I would choose to go somewhere along the Atlantic ocean and just relax on the beach with my body soaking up WARM sun rays! I probably would choose Leah Blake and Taylor Bluth to go with, since we all know that Melissa is most definitely single. :)

3. When was the last time you cried?

I always think that questions like this are kinda strange, cause you never know if the question means a lot of crying, or just a little bit. Probably the last time I really cried was when Aaron died when I was 15.

4. Five things you were doing 10 years ago:

Um.........that is a really, really good question! I got the not-so-good end of the gene pool when it comes to remembering things...hence the reason Momma and I always joke that if you put our two low-memory brains together, you just might get a whole brain, and we just might remember what it is we're supposed to remember, lol. However, how old was I even 10 years ago? Um, let's see...I guess I was about 8 1/2, so I had just gotten baptized, and was therefore also going into a new school called McCoy Elementary (where, by the way, I got lost my first day trying to go to the restroom and back to my classroom...another thing I didn't get good on...I'm seriously directionally challenged).I don't remember much else, because, well--geez! I can't even remember what I'm doing from second to second, or even what I'm saying sometimes! never mind 10 years ago!! :( Oh well.

5.Five things you were doing 5 years ago:

Okay, I might be a little better at remembering here. :) (Hopefully, lol.) Let's see, so this would be freshman year of high school...hmm. Well, I suppose the biggest thing of the year besides going to high school for the first time EVER, would be my appendicitis. I had to have surgery...YIKES!!! Also, I had just begun high school band, and begun playing the flute for the first time. Also, I had stopped piano lessons, which is something I had been doing for SEVEN YEARS!!! But, I also was doing club swimming, swimming for school, lots of hard classes, and marching band to boot, so I didn't have time to continue on in lessons. :(

6. Five things you were doing 1 year ago:

Well, this will probably be even easier!! :) So, it was my senior year of high school, and I kept thinking, this is the last time I'll ever march a band show again, this is the last time I'll go to Homecoming again, this is the last time, this is the last time...you get the point. It was an exciting year, but a sorta sad one too. I was the lead oboe player in my section in band, I was swimming my heart out for my last year of high school swimming, and I was DIVING too!!! :) I do miss diving, that was really fun!I was also applying to BYU, and BYU-Idaho trying to get in to college. Also, I was getting to spend TONS of time with my best friends Leah and Taylor every day at school at lunch. And, I also went toPROM!!! It was so fun!

7. Seven of your favorite hobbies:

Reading has DEFINITELY got to be in there, and also swimming, for sure. I also like to paint figurines on occasion, and if I'm in the mood I like to cross-stitch or make hats, (as in the kind that you wear up here in Idaho since you're cold) :) and I like to spend time with children, friends, and family. :) I do have to say I also enjoy playing the piano, whether for church, or for myself or my family and friends. :)

8. Five favorite foods:

*PANCAKES!!!!! :) yummmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*French bread
*Brownies
*Cookies
*Garlic Bread!! (I just had to add that one, even if it does drive away company who don't like smelling bad breath, lol) :)

9. Five places you've been:

Um...let's see here...I've been to Adam-ondi-ahman, I've been to Nauvoo, I've been to the Gateway Arch (I've been up IN the Gateway Arch). Also, I've been to Florida, North Carolina, and Washington!!! :) (Sorry, I know that's more than five, I just couldn't help myself once I got on a roll...haha.)

10. Five favorite memories:

Well, one would have to be when I got baptized by flashlight (not too many people can claim THAT one, lol). Also, I always loved daddy-daughter days, and I would have to say that when I was little, riding horses, and helping daddy drive the car (aka steering the wheel) would have to be pretty high up there in my favorite memories. I also loved the summer that Momma and I lazied around and read the Chronicles of Narnia. :) One of the neatest memories also is of watching the snow come down so thick up here like I couldn't believe, and watching it carpet the ground. :) My next favorite memory will be when I finally get to come home for Christmas, and see my family, and Leah and Taylor again!!! :) I miss all of you guys SOOOOO much and am excited to be seeing you again soon!!!!!!!!!

Well, looks like that's all! I hope that you enjoyed hearing about me! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

Yea!!! The Christmastime holiday is almost upon us!!!! :) I think that I love Christmas most of all, because it is a time to be with family and friends, and to enjoy the gift of our Savior's birth. Christmastime always puts me in mind of fragrant Christmas trees, and our old record player singing out the old Perry Como (I don't know if I spelled that right or not...) tunes, and the songs from the King family. Ahhh, good old Christmas! :) I remember when I was little, looking forward to Christmas eve, and thinking about what Santa might leave me. I loved the light-looking tradition every Christmas eve, and especially the family tradition of reenacting the Christmas story with Kristie playing piano afterwards and all of us singing the Christmas carols, gathered around the piano, with only the Christmas tree lights on.

Times have changed; I'm not that little girl anymore, and little nieces and nephews have been added to the Christmas scene, but it only makes me think even more happily on this time of year. I love singing an playing all the Christmas carols, and smelling the great Christmas morning breakfast that Momma still makes for everyone. :) Seeing all the Christmas wreaths up here, and the Christmas lights beginning to go up, and seeing the remnants of the last time it snowed on the ground make me wish for the Christmas season to always be here. But I guess then it wouldn't be as special, huh?

Well, I wish everyone the best of the Christmas season!!! Merry Christmas! A new year is just around the corner!! :)

My Thanksgiving

So this year I was all settled, ready to make myself a yummy roast for my thanksgiving dinner, and a fruit salad to boot. :) However, my FHE brother had other ideas. He invited me over to his family's thanksgiving day, despite my assurances that I would be just fine on my own. After his 117th insistence that I come with him (slight exaggeration, but you get the point), I finally gave in with a smile and told him that I would come. (By the way, I should probably mention that my FHE brother's name is Aaron.)
So Aaron and his dad picked me up around noonish on Thursday, and headed over to the junior high for a day of thanksgiving with his family. His family was all really nice, and there were only a few "interesting" comments made (by his grandpa, who is actually really funny). :) I played some basketball, dodge ball, and volleyball (I played volleyball with his younger sister, who is nine, and who stuck to me for the rest of the day...she's really cute). After that, we went over to his aunt's house in Rexburg, and played a game and then watched a movie. It was so fun!!!! All in all, I would have to say that I had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving day!!!!!! I hope that everyone else's was as good as mine was (I didn't get home till around eight or nine), and that everyone is doing well! Love you!!!

The Nicest Guys Ever :)

Hey guys!! I know that I haven't been blogging for a while, but Momma told me that I should blog about this. I still can't get my computer to put the pictures on anything, so I'll put my shopping backpack picture up when that happens.

But that's not actually what I was going to blog about. So, here in Rexburg I would have to say that I don't think I have actually opened a single door (well, except for my apartment door, of course) since I've been here. Guys here do everything for you!! :) I feel like I don't even have to lift a finger to do anything. Going to classes they open doors for me. Going to church they open doors for me. It doesn't matter if I know them or they know me...they just open the doors! (I must admit, I like this version of getting spoiled, haha.) I feel like I'm gonna be soft when I finally get back home!!!

It's not just doors though. Last night I went to the Galley (the school cafeteria) to eat dinner. I didn't know anyone there, so I sat down by myself and was planning on eating quickly. Then this guy came over to my table and said, "Hey, you looked kinda lonely, would you like to come and sit with me?" He then proceeded to help me put my dishes of food back on my tray, and then carried it for me over to his table when I agreed. He was really nice, and from Hong Kong, China! Wow! Talk about a long ways from home!! But he was genuine and nice, just like what seems to be the general standard for all the guys that are here at BYU-Idaho. :) I must admit, it's a nice thing that a girl can get used to VERY easily. :)

Well, all my roomies have left for home, and now I have the nice, big apartment to myself. It's actually kinda nice. I took the best-ever nap today, and I'm gonna go to bed early tonight. :) I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving break!! :)

Shopping Backpack

Hey! This post is so Amanda and all you guys can see what my super-amazing shopping backpack looks like! J Here is a picture that Mandi took of me today to display for the blog. Sorry that I don’t look all that great, because I felt really sick today, but I’m sure I’ll get better soon. I hope everyone had a great week! Love ya!

...Hey, I actually can't post the picture, so if you want, I will send you the pic that Mandi took of me. Sorry! I seem to be having a lot of technical difficulties with my computer tonight. Love ya though!