There is Always Hope

okay, so it's been ridiculously kind of crazy around here lately. Two weekends ago was Martin Luther King Day weekend. long weekend = awesome. work all weekend = not so awesome. I got less sleep that weekend/ week than I have gotten so far this school year. It totally messed with my sleep equilibrium. But I'm slowly regaining that (thank goodness) :P  Monday I go to make arepas for the first time with some awesome girls from my Spanish class. That Tuesday Sister Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came and spoke for devotional. I always love listening to Sister Beck's talks. For staff meeting that night I made these delicious specimens:

{chocolate-chip muffins}

Wednesday brought the dreaded first exam of the semester. After that I had the opportunity to go to the TRC and then I went down to a friends apartment to keep her company and slept over there. Thursday was...THIRD THURSDAY!!! wooooo!! so fun :) I made s'more cookie bars for the occasion and Jill and Bahaar and I got together for dinner beforehand. I just love those girls so much and I'm so glad that we all stay in touch.

{ooey-gooey goodness}

Friday I went to the TRC and then went to donate blood. I get in there, they prick one finger, not enough iron...boo. They prick another finger and there's enough iron! so I wait and this other guy comes in to finish up the stuff and then he hears that I have a "sniffle" and decides that I can't donate. I totally wasn't sick. I didn't have a fever and I felt great, but he wouldn't let me donate...I was so mad and disappointed that I started crying. I know...how embarrassing, but it takes a lot for me to get myself there in the first place because donating blood kind of terrifies me. I was just really frustrated that they waited until after they stabbed two of my fingers and wasted an hour of my time to decide that they really didn't want my blood after all. And then he went and told me to come back when my cold had cleared up. yeah. you know, the one that I DIDN'T HAVE. there's my little rant for the week. so...anyway... that incident resulted in me skipping my next class because I really wasn't in the mood to go.

Last Saturday night I headed on over to Jill's for the remainder of the weekend. Bahaar came over and we watched Pride and Prejudice and painted our nails (so typical... :P). It was way fun. Oh and it sort of rained/snowed all day Saturday so it was a bit of a wet walk there (like ridiculous). The best part of that was that 3 different guys pulled over and asked me if I wanted a ride. I love living in Provo :)

{the giant lake that covered a corner of this intersection on my walk to Jill's}

{it's a tree (and snow). obviously.}

Sunday I went to Jill and Bahaar's ward for church. It was so nice to be at church with them and in a ward with a lovely selection of RMs :) We had curry for dinner...yum :) and them made brownies and strawberry cake mix cookies for dessert night. I slept over again that night because I really didn't feel like walking home in the slippery darkness (a very dangerous combination). It was so nice to have a "roommate" again, even if it was just for two nights. It was so nice to have someone around to talk to and to just be with.

Monday was Chinese New Year, which I love, because it gives me a really good excuse to eat Chinese food, which I love. Tuesday was pretty great. That morning I had my interview for the study abroad program that I applied to. I was nervous, but the professors were super chill and I really connected well with them. They asked me random questions like what my favorite movie is and if I like Jane Austen and which of her's is my favorite book. Going to the interview made me even more excited to go. This week I made some good old chocolate chip cookies for staff meeting:

Wednesday was super awesome because I found out that I GOT INTO THE PROGRAM!!! I'M GOING TO LONDON IN THE FALL!!!!!!! WOOOOOO!!!!! yeah, so I'm kind of excited. and by kind of I mean  really really really really really really excited. pretty much.

One of the teachers of the missionaries that I get in the TRC on Fridays is in my Spanish class and on Thursday she told me that they were so excited for me to come back, that they had a lesson planned just for me. It was so awesome to know that my volunteering there actually does help them and to know that they put that kind of time and thought into the lessons that they teach. So when I went to the TRC Friday morning  I was really excited to hear this lesson. It turned out to be just what I needed to hear. They taught me about receiving revelation in connection with serving others. This was something that I had been thinking about lately and their lesson really helped me. Friday night was our RA movie night! It was really fun! I made french toast cupcakes with maple butter cream frosting  and we had pizza and watched a movie.

{I'm afraid the frosting looks a little funny, but all I had was a ziploc bag}

After that I stayed up far too late doing laundry and eating cupcakes and talking to some fantastic girls. I spent all Saturday morning getting ready for our floor activity making brownies

{they were moist and chewy and irresistibly chocolaty} 

and baked mac and cheese and whatnot. For the activity we made friendship bracelets and just had a really good time. There was a quote that I found about friendship that I really liked:

This semester I'm taking the second half of the New Testament from the same professor that I took the first half from and, therefore, have another personal project to complete. This semester I decided to pick a few topics that are really important in the second half of the New Testament and study each of them more in depth. Right now I'm studying about hope. This has been a really interesting topic so far and I have definitely learned a lot. In a scriptural context, hope is much more than a passing wish or half-hearted desire. Hope is sure and unwavering. It is confidence and trust that God will fulfill His promises and can only come through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Hope is a commandment and we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and to overcome the temptation to lose hope. As said by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in his talk "The Infinite Power of Hope":

And to all who suffer--to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely--I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in.
Never surrender.
Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow and gladdens every heart.

Note to self: There is always hope.

{I ate this beautiful piece of fruit for breakfast on  Thursday}
[the color was so cool that I just couldn't resist taking a picture of it]
(and then I had to share it on here because it just makes me happy)

My Life is Awesome

Anyway. I just want to start out  and take a moment and say how grateful I am for the awesome people in my life. I am so grateful for everyone who drives me places or picks me up, who are worthy and ready to give me Priesthood blessings, for listening to me ramble and rant about my stories and troubles and worries, for thoughts and prayers, for hugs. I appreciate the patience, compassion, interest, and love that I have been shown. It really means a lot to me.

The first week and a half of classes have gone quite smoothly. Last week was rather uneventful. It was fun seeing people after having been away for break, I got a long-awaited letter from a missionary friend, and tried a new recipe for flour-less chocolate cookies.

{they turned out kind of weird looking}
[but still chocfull of chocolaty goodness]

Last Sunday was the CES Fireside by Elder Jensen. It was such a fantastic and inspiring talk about "the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost". Something that I really got out of it is that we need to create an environment conducive to having the spirit with us. Sometimes we just need to be still and listen.
The rest of this week has kind of flown by!

This weekend has been one of the best that I've had all school year. Friday night I headed to Jill's apartment for dinner. She had invited some new guys in her ward over to join us. We made tacos and then I made chocolate chip cookie dough brownies for dessert.

{by the time I managed to snap a picture, this was all that was left}
[brownies from scratch with egg-less cookie dough pressed on top = pretty intense]

The food was so good and the company was even better! After dinner we played a few rounds of scum (all of which I lost :P) and then headed to classic skating for their ward activity. I hadn't been roller skating since elementary school, so it was a bit rocky to start, but so fun!! I was steadily getting better but then towards the end I lost my balance and totally biffed it in a major way. Someone kindly stopped to help me up and after assessing the damage I decided that it would be most prudent to call it a night. On our way back from skating we spotted a giant owl statue and, of course, had to stop to get an "owling" picture.

{if you don't know what owling is, look it up :P}

We ended up going back to the guys' apartment and just chatting about movies and music and stuff. All the guys were so nice (and good looking :P)! I was very impressed. Eventually Jill and I were getting a bit sleepy so we decided to head back to her apartment. It wasn't in the original plan, but I ended up sleeping over because I didn't really feel like walking home and she had a free bed anyway. It was so nice to not be alone again. I miss having a roommate a lot. It was so nice to just talk as we got into bed and were falling asleep. We didn't set an alarm for the morning (love) and just stayed in bed until we darn well pleased. Breakfast consisted of breakfast burritos made from leftovers from dinner...haha. We ended up walking up to my place and then up to the temple. It was super crowded, but it was so nice to be there.

{and what a gorgeous day it was too :)}

We had dinner at the cannon and our time-together marathon was brought to an end by the oh-so-joyful prospect or work. Best 25 hours ever. No lie.

Such an awesome time. Made some great food. Met some awesome people. Had some fantastic conversations. Spent some quality time with one of the most amazing people I know.

My life is awesome.

Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away?

So, this is the post that I promised to do in my last post about the rest of my Christmas Break!
First off, my family and I had the opportunity to go down to DC for a wedding and we were able to be at the temple and the visitors center there. It was a great day spent with some wonderful people.

{I sure love my family :)}

It was at the wedding when I realized that I really do love being  home in my home ward and with people that I grew up with. They are so good to me and they make me feel so great when I'm around them.
I also love temple weddings because they just make me so excited for that day when I get to be sealed to my best friend for all time and eternity. There is nothing I want more. I can only imagine the kind of happiness that comes with it.

Christmas Eve eve found me making some yummy sandwiches and playing guitar hero with my dad:

{we beat the game on easy :P go us!}

On Christmas Eve my mother and I did the classic in-and-out-of-the-grocery-store-a-bazzillion-times deal until we were sure that we did in fact have everything that we needed before we finally went home. We had stir-fry for dinner, one of my favorite dishes :) I also made some yummy spritz cookies in fun Christmas shapes:

{they have a lovely vanilla-almond flavor and are just plain cute}

We went to a Christmas Eve party then came home and watched "White Christmas" which is most definitely my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time. Whilst watching this delightful movie I made some more cookies. Typical. But these cookies were of the most delicious variety. I made them because my mom wanted something with pumpkin in it. They were sooooooooo good and I will most assuredly be making them again. Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies. Yes, that is right. They were lovely and cinnamony and stayed nice and soft for days.

They look pretty yummy...don't they?

And they taste sort of like these:

(But a million times better. Obviously.)

Then...CHRISTMAS!!!

{me lookin' groggy with my stockin'}

Christmas breakfast is always the best. Breakfast is already the best meal and then combined with Christmas...yeah. We always do something scrumptious. This year we had a breakfast strata and cinnamon rolls...yum :)
I got some good stuff for Christmas including a new cookie sheet and this awesome oven mitt:

My mom bought a plain one and then added the awesome argyle detail at the top herself. She's got some crazy crafting skillz.

The Christmas program in church was great. I love when it's very music heavy :) Nothing beats Christmas hymns. As usual, we had the missionaries over for Christmas dinner. It certainly was a good Christmas

On Monday I dragged Daniel out of the house to go on a run with me. It was a great run, we went about five miles (which was more than the 3 miles that I told him we were going to do...oops...). Tuesday night I went to Green Door ( a swing dance club) for the first time in forever to celebrate the birthday of my dear friend Danika.

{me and Danika <3}

Saturday was New Years Eve!!!
I spent a good chunk of my day making this bad boy:

Three layers of deliciously moist chocolate cake with mint white chocolate mousse filling, topped with dark chocolate mousse, and covered with chocolate ganache. That's right.

If you're not drooling yet, you should be. It didn't turn out as aesthetically pleasing as I would have liked but it sure did taste good. That night Matthew and I went to a YSA dance to have a good time and bring in the new year. Luckily, Amber was there, so I had someone to hangout with.

{Amber and I}
[happy that it's finally midnight and we can go home :P}

It's a funny thing. Every time I go to a dance I just remember why I don't really like going to them, yet I continue to go. Silly me. I mean, I really like the dancing part but, it's not so good for my self-esteem. No one asks me to dance which leads me to wonder what it is that's wrong with me that causes boys to not ask me. It's one question that I so far have not been able to answer...sigh. So, in short, dances just kinda make me feel crummy.

Sunday was New Years Day! Nothing too eventful. We had the missionaries over again for dinner. That night my mother and I made some yummy coconut nut toffee. Monday was my last day at home so for breakfast I made fluffy pancakes and buttermilk syrup for my family! I also made lunch (edamame lo mein...yum :). In case you couldn't tell from the rest of this post, my family gets spoiled when I'm home :)
I packed and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (which I quite enjoyed and was surprisingly good) and then, all too soon, it was time to go to the airport. And now here I am in Provo with a new semester of classes staring me in the face. Bring it on.

Oh, and something else...I kind of chopped my hair off today:

So, it's kind of really short. Shorter than I've had it since I was like 5. Yeah. 

We'll see if I still like it tomorrow :P

I think that concludes this installment. Classes start tomorrow...wooo. Wish me luck! 

2011 => 2012

whew...2011 is over! What a fantastic year it has been. I have been so incredibly blessed. Though, not gonna lie, this year has probably been the most difficult year of my life thus far. There were a couple walls that I had to climb over, dig under, or blast through and, I must admit, I stood there and stared at some of them for quite a while before I managed to conquer them. But, I know I ended the year a stronger, more experienced, better person than I was at the beginning. Here's a quick rundown of my year:

1. I finished my freshman year of college. What an experience that was. I am no longer surprised that many people say that the best time of their lives were their college years.

2.I learned what it felt like to get your heart broken. Not fun. At all. But I also learned that it does get better. Eventually. Sometimes it just takes a while, but life will go on.

3. I had my first full-time job. Great experience, but I think I'd rather just go to school forever. Just sayin.

4. I developed a unfortunate baking hobby (in case you couldn't tell). I love baking, it's just unfortunate because then, I eat it.

5. My older brother finally got back from his mission and now it's a party eryday :P

6. I met some wonderfully amazing, fantastic people and started a job that I absolutely love :)

So yeah, pretty great year :)

And now, 2012!!!!!!!!!!
wooooooooooooo!!! I am so ready for this! got some goals and everything :P
so some new years resolutions...

-run a half marathon. (I really want to be that cool)
-work on my baking skillz.
-become fluent in Español.
-grow closer to my Heavenly Father and to His son, Jesus Christ.

And there's a whole bunch more, but I will not bore you with them. I think these ones are a good place to start. I love having goals but, more often than not, I expect too much of myself and find myself getting discouraged. Being kind to yourself is so important. Don't have ridiculous, unattainable goals for yourself, have a little self-compassion and make them realistic. If, at some point, you have to stop and re-think, don't worry about it. You'll get going soon enough. And sometimes you even have to do a little backtracking. Backing up is good for you! Just step back and reevaluate. Sometimes life just doesn't go the way you're hoping it will, but remember, God is in control and His plan is much better than anything that you could ever dream up. True story.

I hope ya'll had an amazing year and that you have another one ahead of you. Make some goals, get out of your comfort zone a bit, just go for it and see all the wonderful things that life has to offer! I'll keep you posted on how my goals and the year progresses :) and I'll be sure to post about the rest of break as soon as I find some time.

Happy New Year!