Joy to the World

Merry (late) Christmas!! My mom was sort of sad that I didn't post yesterday and told me I should, even though I'm living at home and she knows what I'm doing...oh well.  Maybe someone else besides her reads this too xD

So, obviously, my parents did make it back safely (3:00 am Monday morning but safe enough...) Thanks to them, I have now officially been on vacation.  Staying up late (mostly Skyping to friends in California.  The 3 hour time difference is kinda lame) followed by sleeping in way later than necessary (10:00 at the earliest, 1:00 at the latest).  This last week has actually been a huge blur.  It really seems like the only thing I did was sleep, clean and pack my room, mess around on my computer and hang out with the family.  But that's not a bad way to spend vacation :)

I guess I did do a few "exciting" things this week...I went to the annual Christmas party for my group of friends and I went to early morning seminary (it was just like nothing had changed :)

Decorating cookies at the Christmas party

Me and Kelly being Kelly ;)

Typical Seminary: Food (today it happened to be ice cream) and no one paying attention!

On Christmas Adam (aka Christmas Eve Eve)/Festivus (depending on what you celebrate), I had a baking and hanging out day with my sister and mom.  We made chocolate cake, an assortment of muffins, sugar cookies and Hannah and I decorated gingerbread houses.  It was a really fun day.  I loved spending time with my sister.  She's super crazy but what else can you expect from a seven year old?

The DELICIOUS muffins we made :-d

The front door of my gingerbread house.

Bridger and his Festivus pole

Me with my cookies :)

Christmas Eve we did our traditional reading of Christ's birth from Luke 2 followed by opening pajamas from our parents, then running to various bathrooms and bedrooms to change.  Next we congregate back in the family room to open one more present.  After the second round of presents, we kids sit down and watch A Christmas Story on TV.  The four of us all sleep together in our basement family room on Christmas Eve night.  As we sleep my dad sets up "traps" for us (usually pots and pans connected to a string connected to the door handle so that they make noise when we try to come upstairs).  This year, we almost made it all the way upstairs without a peep because we disarmed the traps! Then Hunter kicked a pot and it fell down the stairs waking up our parents.  After the traditional jumping on the bed to wake my parents up, we line up at their bedroom door from youngest to oldest and march out to the family room to see what Santa brought us and to open the rest of our presents.  

My Christmas was fantastic this year.  I think my favorite three presents were a new digital camera, a waffle iron (now the Breakfast Club can have waffles! Yes, that really was my first thought as I opened it ), and I also got a new pair of boots that are super cozy and warm :)  I loved spending the day with my family just relaxing and hanging out.

Church was wonderful.  I love my home ward in Marquette, we are really one big family and it is awesome :)  I got to play piano in nursery this week and the kids were extra sweet.  I then spent the rest of the day reading (it was WONDERFUL! I can't remember the last time I did that).  I helped de-decorate my house and we had a family cancel (not council, but a cancel, long story...) After our family cancel, I Skyped my friend from California which was also wonderful.

I woke up this morning and went to breakfast with the girls from my ward who are back from college and their moms.  It was really fun.  We were loud and obnoxious but if you know the group of us you wouldn't expect any less.  After breakfast I came home and read again, followed by shopping with my mom and sister.  Then our family, including Maggie my puppy, went to get pictures taken.  It went by quick and wasn't too painful ;) After we dropped the dog off at home, we went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Casa Calabria.  Now, I am in a food coma and don't want to do anything but my room is in need of serious work...

The former Young Women of the Marquette Ward :)

Finals and Family

Oh what a crazy and relaxing week this has been.

This is what happens during finals!

Monday I took THREE finals! I took Book of Mormon and Physical Science before noon :D Then later in the afternoon, I took my Child Development exam.  Monday night was wrapped up with a white elephant gift exchange for part one of FHE followed by going over to a bishopric member's house for FHE with another family.  After we got back I stayed up until 1:30 studying for American Heritage.

Tuesday I woke up and studied a few more hours for American Heritage, then I went and bombed it :P Oh well, it was my last exam and I was over it.  I spent the rest of the afternoon packing and the evening hanging out with a few friends before my grandparents picked me up to stay at their house for the night.

Wednesday I woke up at 5:00 am to two texts from my littlest brother saying how excited he was that I was coming home that evening.  My grandpa took me to the airport and I got on my plane and waited for an hour while they de-iced the plane.  I landed in Detroit and found my mom who also had a layover there at the same time.  After I got to my gate I talked to Jordan before getting on the plane to fly home to Marquette! I flew home and was greeted at the airport by my friends, Meagan, Maria, Dilaine, and Nichole :D We went to Jilbert's to get some ice cream and then I went to watch Hannah at her swim practice.

Here is the sign that my mommy left for me

Hunter and I :)

 Thursday I got the siblings off to school then slept until noon (jet lag and I do not get along well.  It usually takes me 3-4 days before I get used to a time change) and I played the piano for a bit.  After picking them up from school, I went with Hannah and Hunter to see Tangled.  It was super cute :)

Here is my accomplishment of the day.  I relearned "Crush" by David Archuleta

Friday was more of the same.  Hannah had her Candy Cane Olympics for her swim team so my brothers and I went to go watch her swim.  My friend Kelly was also on her team and it was super nice to be able to see him for a few minutes before I left to take Hunter to the Northern v. Tech hockey game.

My little fishy :)

Hunter and I at the hockey game

Saturday was our ward's Christmas party.  It was so fun to catch up with some of my other friends who are off at other schools and just to see the people in my ward :) Marquette definitely is one of the best wards I've EVER been in.

Hannah and I getting ready for the Christmas party

Today I went to church in my home ward.  It was so good to be home! I got asked to play the piano for Primary.  It was so nice to actually play and feel useful again.  I went to go pick up my parents at the airport but their flight got canceled.  Now they are figuring out something to do to get home.  Hopefully I'll see them tomorrow!

Four Words For You Finals: You. Are. Going. Down.

Yup, I'm in the homestretch of my first semester at BYU! Finals start tomorrow!! Gah!!!!

Since I am a slight slacker and am only taking four classes, I am taking three finals on Monday (hopefully) and one on Tuesday and flying home to Marquette Wednesday morning!! I'm super excited :D I'm hoping I will do well on my exams.  I made it through my last week of classes in one piece, now I just need to get through finals.

Over the course of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I spent close to 15 hours with my good buddy Harold (aka I was in the library being anti-social for the past three days.  I seriously do not know how I still have friends).  I went to the library on Thursday with the hopes of getting a study guide filled out and my reading for my Book of Mormon exam done.  I didn't get everything done but I got most of it done on Thursday at the library.  My friend Jordan came to study with me for an hour or two before our brains were too fried to do much else so we headed over to the Cougareat to grab some dinner (neither one of us were able to function enough to actually cook something back at our dorms).  After letting my brain rest by going to a cookie social for Relief Society, Jordan and I studied some more for Book of Mormon later that night.

Friday I went to a Physical Science review from 10-11 followed by being invited by Emily to go get ice cream.  How could I say no to Creamery ice cream? Especially their peppermint ice cream! YUM!! :-d We proceeded to talk for 2 hours.  That was not what I was planning on doing but it ended up being very good and a nice way to make my brain stop hurting.  Then I was off to set up camp again in the library.  By the time I got home, Heather was just leaving for a concert so I sort of chilled and ate dinner.  Sydney and Alex came over for a chick-flick night.  We watched 27 Dresses while eating lots of chocolate and cookies.  Following the movie we ran outside barefoot in the rain because we were filled with euphoria and on a HUGE sugar high.  We came back in FREEZING and watched Leap Year while eating Graham Canyon ice cream.  After THAT movie we of course had girl talk :) They ended up leaving at like 2:30 in the morning but that's ok because we had fun and it was a good way to let my brain rest (again).

Saturday morning I headed to the library at 10:00! and was there until about 2:00ish.  When I came home, Heather and I were being filmed making Christmas treats and interviewed for a bit that is going to show on BYU-TV (I'll put up the link next week hopefully :) After we cleaned up our destroyed kitchen, we re-arranged it and had a little dance party before our friends Alec, David, Jordan and Emily and their friend Westin came over for a movie/game de-stress night.  Even with all of the guys voting, we ended up watching "She's the Man" It was SO funny! It is even funnier when watching that movie with guys because it is so AWKWARD!! David's comments through the entire thing made it one of the most entertaining nights ever.  After the movie we played a game and everyone left a little before midnight.  It was a wonderful night :)

Today we had our Christmas program for Sacrament meeting and it was super good.  I also taught in Relief Society and apparently did very well.  Sunday School was Sunday School.  Then I had tithing settlement followed by our home teachers coming over followed by dinner while Skyping my family.  Then I went to hall meeting and Ward Prayer followed by a visit from our visiting teachers (can you tell that it is the last Sunday of the semester ;) I Skyped with my dad for a little bit before my friend Alice came over for ice cream.  Then I called my friend Brittony and we talked for a good hour.  Now I'm writing this and will soon be studying a little more for my Book of Mormon exam and going to sleep.

I get to see my brothers and sister in THREE days!! I get to see my parents and my best friend in SEVEN DAYS!! I can't believe I'm so close to going home! I really cannot wait! I just have to make it through these STUPID exams >:-O

Oh well, it's all part of the BYU Experience, right?

Just a Quick, Random Re-Cap

Sorry I didn't write last week but I was not feeling so hot and was so exhausted that I could not stay up to write.

Thanksgiving break was fantastic! I loved spending time with my family :) I ran a 5K and did pretty well considering my ability and the fact that it was 5 degrees when I was running.  I went Black Friday shopping and lost my voice due to the fact that I was out from 11:00pm Thursday night until 5:00am Friday morning.  I could not talk all day Friday or Saturday, and if you know me well you know how hard that must have been for me.  Sunday it snowed! I drove my grandpa's truck down to Provo to attend church in my student ward and then I grabbed my two friends Jordan and David to join me at my family's for Sunday dinner/birthday party for my cousin Madison who turned 12!! It was lots of fun and my family was pretty normal, which was strange...

This week flew by! Monday and Tuesday I did a whole lot of nothing because I was so miserably sick.  I didn't eat voluntarily until Thursday when my stomach actually growled for the first time that week! I was very excited at that fact.  Another thing that made Thursday fantastic was that I got a phone call from a guy and got asked out on a date for Friday night.  So my date on Friday was amazingly fantastic! My date took me to see the Celebration of Christmas which was a concert by the various BYU choirs and the Philharmonic Orchestra.  It was AMAZING! People are so talented and I love watching them share their talents.  My favorite songs were when the orchestra played Sleigh Ride (my favorite Christmas song ever!) and the Women's choir sang Silent Night.  After the concert we went to the Creamery on 9th and got peppermint ice cream.  We were in a very Christmas-y mood as we walked around campus eating our ice cream and just talking.  It was a very fun, nice date :) Saturday I spent a lot of time with Harold (meaning I spent a lot of time in the Harold B. Lee Library) followed by coming home to an empty apartment.  So I hung out with a few friends and had a wonderful evening.  When Heather and I got back to our apartment a little after midnight we decided to have an art party on our kitchen floor until 2:30am.  We then "went to bed" which actually consisted of us lying in our beds in the dark and talking until 5:30am about anything and everything.  Since we were up so late, we slept through our morning meeting :( then I attempted to make rolls for our break the fast and epically failed so we ended up making breadsticks instead and they were quite yummy.  After watching the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional, I Skyped part of my family for a bit before Jordan and David came over for pie.  It was good just to chill and talk with them for an hour or so.  Now I am sitting here typing this wondering how much longer I can keep my eyes open.

This week is my last week of classes! It's even a short week because Friday is a reading day to prepare for exams which means no classes.  The next week is exams and I get to fly home! Since I only have 4 classes, I am taking my exams on the Monday and Tuesday of finals week and then flying home on Wednesday to spend the holidays with my family in Marquette.  When I talked to my sister tonight she was so excited to tell me that it was only 10 more days until I come home! Where has this semester gone?!? It seems like just yesterday it was August and I was starting my first class here at BYU.  It is so crazy how fast time goes by here.  I wish it would slow down just a little bit and that I would take the time to enjoy it a little more.