Family White Elephant

This last semester we had a pretty good home evening group! For our last home evening we decided to do a white elephant gift exchange... There were some quite interesting gifts given.

Not everyone could make it to the last home evening... But it was super fun!

"Everyone laugh really hard..."

End of the Toilet Paper Roll...

Have you ever heard the toilet paper analogy? It goes something like: the closer it gets to the end the faster it goes... Well, I'd say that this is incredibly true! The closer it has gotten to the end of the semester the faster it has gone! Today is the first day of finals week and I'll be home latest Saturday night! Am I excited?! HECK YESSS! 

Things to-do before I can leave:

Finish eating that 50 pound box of potatoes (my roommates have been a HUGE help!)

Finish my Book of Mormon homework

Return the book I rented for my Family Relations class

Take pictures down (I'm avoiding this one)

Pack, Pack, PACK!

Move the stuff I'm not taking home with me to my new apartment: Tuscany Place Apts.

Pray for clear (no snow) weather

Spend time with roommates (three are leaving on missions!)

Get my iPod from Kory

Buy stamps

Re-do my white glove clean check

Pack my car

Get plenty of sleep (haha)

Check out of my apartment

Get really excited to see family and friends!!!

Gas my car up, pick up Brian and make the 11 hour journey HOME!

They Never Cease to Amaze Me

Idahoan Sunsets...

How can you see this beauty and not believe in God?

Winter 2013: part 2

I would say that I'm a pretty organized person... And a bit of a perfectionist. :)

Today I printed out my class schedule for the winter 2013 semester! Added a little color and such and wa-la! Here she is: she's a beaut!

Obviously I don't have to do my online classes only at that specific time but I needed a reminder that I will have them to do! I'm so excited!

Home Evening Brothers

Believe it or not finals are just around the corner! We have one normal week and then finals week and then I get to go home! I'm very excited!!! (If you couldn't tell) Haha.

I wanted to do something cute for our home evening brothers this semester so I made some super cheesy one liners to go along with some candy! It was super easy and so fun!

Okay. Some of the pictures would not turn the right way to save my life and I'm sorry! (I'm a little (LOT) frustrated!) But you get the idea. :)

Winter 2013

Since I declared my major "Marriage and Family Studies" I found out that I only have THREE semesters of college left! WOOHOO! I'm incredibly excited and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a list of only 18 classes and one internship to graduate with my bachelors degree. It's about time, right?!

Next semester is winter semester and since it'll be freezing and I won't have the desire to "play" outside I figured I could cram a bunch of classes into that semester so I can have a lighter load for my last two semesters after winter (spring and fall semesters). I decided to take 17 credits/8 classes. I feel pretty good about it because one of the classes is only the first block and I'm taking one sewing class and one culinary class so I'm hoping that I'll have a little less homework than usual. I'm also taking two online classes: Book of Mormon 2 and my Capstone class. Here's so a fun and crazy busy semester!

College Christmas Decor

Well, let me get it out there... I'm a poor college student! Being a poor college student I have to come up with thrifty ways to make my my apartment a home. I get really home sick when I don't have things on the walls. Pictures make a house a home to me.

Since it's almost Christmas I was thinking of inexpensive ways I can decorate the living room and kitchen in my apartment to bring in the holiday cheer! What better way then to to wrap the cupboards with wrapping paper to bring the Christmas spirit in?! I bought two rolls of paper, some ribbon, and some bows at the dollar store for $4! I don't think it gets better than that! I think it turned out pretty well!

Tim Tam Slams?

What is a Tim Tam slam you ask? Well, it's what Heaven will be like... Absolutely amazing! Haha. I learned how to do these from two of my good friends that serves their missions in Sydney, Australia. One served in the north mission and the other served in the south mission. Needless to say, if they learned one thing really well it was how to partake of Tim Tam slams! ;) Haha. YUM!

They're these cookies that are amazing! You bite off opposite corners and then stick one bit off end in a cup of hot chocolate and slurp the hot chocolate through the cookie as if it were a straw. Once the hot chocolate hits your mouth you throw the cookie in your mouth and it melts. It's HEAVENLY! My mouth is watering just typing about them!

Click HERE to watch my two friends that served in Australia do their Tim Tam slams! Most people don't make it slide down their face, they usually just eat the cookie but if you wanted to spice things up a little bit then do it like this! Enjoy!

...It Was One Hour LATE!!!

My roommate Trisha has been waiting to receive her mission call in the mail for what seems like an eternity! We checked the mail everyday this week hoping and praying it would come. Today, the day most people get their mission calls (Thursdays), she checked the mail at 1pm (the time we ALWAYS get our mail) and there was nothing in the mailbox. She walked about to our apartment with her head hung low. We all figured that she would end up getting it tomorrow. Maybe it just took a little longer or something.

Her and Katie went to Taco Bell and on the way back she saw the mail truck and thought it would be funny if it came into our complex next... IT DID! She started freaking out and patiently waited for the sweet mail man to hand out all five mission calls that he was holding. There were that many girls waiting by the mailbox waiting for their calls too! He called out Trisha's and she fumbled over the bikes and grabbed it and literally ran to our apartment! TRISHA FINALLY GOT HER MISSION CALL!

Her being excited was a complete understatement! She was ecstatic and her entire body was shaking! I had to "coach" her to get her computer and call her mom and make sure that everything was together so we could make the opening of the mission call as smooth as possible.

We got her parents and sisters on either Skype or the phone and she was incredibly excited and nervous to open it! Click HERE to watch her opening her mission call! Trisha has been called to serve in the Texas San Antonio mission speaking English and she enter the Provo MTC on April 17, 2013! She's incredibly excited and I'm so happy for her! Congrats Trish, you will be an incredible missionary.

BYU-Idaho Reunion

I was so blessed to have been able to spend a couple of days with Lizzie, Bryan, and mini Bryan(Eli)! They invited me to have thanksgiving dinner with them and Bryan's family and it was so much fun and I felt comfortable (something I was a little worried about, feeling awkward or out of place). 

Lizzie and Bryan met here at BYU-I, fell in love, got married in the Rexburg temple, graduated, and then moved down to Utah because they both got job offers. They miss this place and the small town feel and being close to family. They would love to move back and I would love it if they did too!

They wanted to reminisce and take a little tour of the changes that have happened on campus since they left. They haven't been back for two years! A lot has happened in those two years, including about 4,000 more students enrolled! We're up to 16,000 students and have been approved for 20,000. BYU-Idaho is growing faster than ever and it's exciting. They miss the smallness of it here but without change life is boring.

Here are a couple of pictures from our little adventure today...

Lizzie forgot how to put her coat on... Silly Lizzie. Haha!

Love you Lizzie!

Overnighted Mail=Mission Call in Spokane!

Yesterday I was reminded to check the mail precisely at 1pm because that's when we get our mail. Katie has been waiting a couple of weeks for her mission call to come and of course it would come when she's at home with her family for Thanksgiving break! When I opened the mail box I saw the big white envelope!

She was freaking out! (I would be too!) She called the Rexburg post office and they said I had TEN MINUTES to get it there before the truck was leaving to get it there by the next day! I rushed to the post office and paid $20 to get it there overnight. Haha! It was stressful. They had to keep the truck waiting on me so it would make it. Talk about a lot of pressure. Phew! I'm glad that's over with. Now, we just had to wait 24 hours until she got it.

I got a call around 1pm, my time and she said she was going to call me when it was time to open it. I was stressed out and nervous and anxious all at the same time. Finally, she called and we begun Skyping but there were issues so we had to resort to a phone call. But here she is waiting patiently on Skype...

I quickly got on the phone with her and recorded it via phone call! She's been called to serve in the Florida Orlando Mission speaking English and she enters the Provo MTC January 30, 2013! Crazy soon! But she's so excited. Fun fact- her older brother, Brad, served in the same mission just two years ago! How awesome! Click here to listen to her opening her mission call!

Let Us Walk with the Spirit of Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day and gobbled until you wobbled! I know I did!

I wasn't planning on going home for Thanksgiving so my friend Lizzie invited me to spend it in Rexburg with her in-laws. They live in the more quiet part of Rexburg. Visiting their home really made me want to live here when I'm married and start settling down. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE Oregon. I probably have the most Oregon pride out of anyone I know but I also love Idaho. It's amazing here and I would love to live here and raise a family in this cute small town! 

We had plenty of food to partake of! I feel like it's not a real Thanksgiving unless you feel uncomfortably full and of course get seconds or thirds. Ha! Also, you have to have that delicious pie (even though you're already stuffed to the max. There's always a second stomach for dessert!)

And I got to snuggle with the little human all day! What a pleasure! He's the only boy who has my heart. ;)

I'm thankful for:
my health
food in my tummy
friends
family
Jesus Christ
President Thomas Spencer Monson
temples
a strong testimony
the scriptures
a roof over my head
BYU-Idaho
a car
missionaries
service men and women
the priesthood
my body
agency
my freedom
and many more!

306 Babes!

Can I just say that I have a bunch of hotties for roommates?!

Top (left to right)- Trisha, Emily, Me
Bottom (left to right)- Hilary, Lana (photographer), Katie

Yesterday after the temple re-dedication we drove to a random cellar
and took some pictures. It was INCREDIBLY windy (Our wind blown hair) and freezing! BUT, it was really fun and we got some great shots! These are the individuals that Lana has put together. More to come. :)

Mission Papers Submitted+Lana=MISSION CALL!

I live with some pretty incredibly strong members of the gospel! All of which have considered serving a mission. I am so blessed. After this last general conference President Monson announced some life changing things for many young members of the church...

After this announcement I'm most positive that there were many prayers made and answered about whether or not they should serve a two year (men) or 18 month (women) mission. THREE of my roommates have decided to serve missions! They sure are incredible. Lana, Trisha, and Katie all got there papers submitted within the last two weeks.

This last Thursday I was sitting in the living room and Trisha came running in (literally) and asked me if Lana was home. I said that she was in her bedroom. Trisha runs to her room screaming, "YOU GOT YOUR MISSION CALL!!!" Immediately there was freaking out, screaming, and total and complete excitement in our apartment! Lana had just submitted her papers about eight days previous and didn't expect her mission call for about another week! She was elated (to say that least) to find out where she would spend 18 months of her life which could be anywhere in the world!

The next 30 minutes we were trying to get a hold of our roommates, friends, and Lana's family so that everyone would be there to hear here read her mission call. We had people on the phone, Facetime, in person and Spirit. It was incredible. I can't wait for Trisha and Katie to get their mission calls!

We finally got everyone situated and she opened her call (click "her call" to watch it)! She's serving the the Canada Calgary Mission! Speaking English and entering the Provo MTC on February 27, 2013! Lana is originally from Brisbane, Australia and then moved to Texas when she was nine and now she's going to spend 18 months in Canada! She's so excited! 
Congrats Lana Banana!

 

Reunion with Blogger.com

Hey all!
It's been a (long) while since I've written in my blog. March 29th to be exact. I keep thinking that I need to update it but there has been so much that has happened since I last posted that I would need to catch up on. Well, I'm not going to do much updating but I'll just start where I'm at now.

Where am I?

What am I doing?

Who do I live with?

What have I done to keep my sanity?

What I can't live without?

Who came to Idaho to visit and got engaged?

Where and who have I visited?

What keeps me going everyday in Rexburg?

What's the most recent book I've read?

Well folks, there ya go! My "mini" (not so mini) update on my life!