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!

you're never fully dressed without a smile

Random things that have made me smile over the past couple of weeks:

{one morning I walked into the bathroom to find this over the toilet}

{my goofy little brother}
[us, being goofy, together]

{this is the sign my cousin Marc met me with at the airport when I came back from Thanksgiving}

{my (slightly blurry) puppy}

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Finals week is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I am home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(not that I'm really excited about either of those things...)
The rest of finals week was a nightmare a breeze. On Wednesday I really buckled down and studied for New Testament then went and took it. New Testament exam = success. Test #5 = terminated. Thursday was a great day on account of the fact that I no longer had any tests hanging over my head. I finally made it over to the gym (I told myself I was going to go everyday during finals week...yeah, totally didn't happen) so it felt really awesome to go. Even though all my tests were done, I still had a paper left, so I figured that I had better write it. 2 hours later = paper done. With everything finals related out of the way (and my GPA safely intact), I finally had time to head over to the bookstore and get some presents for the familia. On my way home, I stopped at the creamery to get my celebratory, finals-are-over scoop of BYU creamery ice cream.

{caramel cashew and coconut joy}
[I demolished it. just like my finals]

For dinner that night I walked down to Bahaar's apartment and Jacob made us some yummy Italian food.

{Bahaar, Jacob, me}

Friday morning I got up and went to the MTC TRC where I got to see my favorite sister missionaries before Christmas! Then was our Christmas staff brunch/party! I absolutely love the fabulous people that I work with. The other RAs in my building are amazing and my boss is awesome. For breakfast I made a batch of cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins and then Becca, my boss, made the most delicious fluffy pancakes with buttermilk syrup. They were so yummy I just couldn't get enough of them. Luckily, she gave me a recipe so I can make them for my family during the break :) Break was finally coming! I got my textbooks for next semester (most of them used! score!), cleaned my room, and said good-byes. My cousin Richard was kind enough to pick me up and take me to the airport. Unfortunately we decided to leave at the same time that the BYU men's basketball game got out...so much traffic. It took us 45 minutes...just to get out of Provo. We were running quite late and I wasn't sure if I was going to make my flight, but, magically, security was practically deserted so I sailed through there and got to my gate with a few minutes to spare. whew.

{cloud-filled Salt Lake valley}

My plane ride was mercifully short and soon enough I was with my family, on my way home for two glorious weeks :) Sunday was a great day at church. I got to hold a baby, which isn't something that you really do in a young single adult ward :P I forgot how much I like babies and small children. Then Sunday night we decorated our Christmas tree and watched "It's a Wonderful Life."

{our Christmas tree!}

{the mantle with our stockings :)}

Monday was a good but, to be perfectly honest, I do not remember what I did. I know, sad. Tuesday was a  busy day with my mom :) I liked getting to spend so much time with her. We went to a brunch and then to target and such to do some shopping. Then that night was the little bro's choir concert. Today was a good day. I meant to get up at some reasonable hour and exercise, but suddenly it was 9:30 instead of 7 and I just couldn't reasonably take the time to exercise anymore (at least, that's what I told myself... :P) I just had too much else to do... Anyway, so by the time I did actually get up, I didn't do a whole lot of anything until I treated my parents to a special homemade lunch by none other than...myself. I made some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches with italian bread (fresh from the bakery), fresh mozzarella cheese, roma tomatoes, and some traditional basil pesto.  Just assemble, put a little olive oil in the pan, and cook those suckers until  they're a toasty brown. So yummy. Definitely a repeat recipe.

{mmm}

Today was a momentous occasion in my life as a baker. I finally made up and baked my very own recipe. We had some very ripe bananas and I wanted to make some banana chocolate-chip muffins but I couldn't find a recipe that I liked. I thought "what the heck, I'll just make my own". so I did. And they turned out pretty darn well (good enough that I ate like three of them :P). The best part is that there's no oil or butter in them, not a drop. So they could almost be considered breakfast and not dessert :P

I was rather proud of myself at how well these turned out. 

Since Christmas is approaching, I found another quote to provide some food for thought:

"What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps."

                                 -President Thomas S. Monson

Christ was the first gift of Christmas. The ultimate Christmas gift. Shouldn't we give what ever we can in return for the gift of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. So little is asked of us. What will you give for Christmas this year?

I realized that the new year is just around the corner, so I've started to formulate my goals for the new year and review the ones that I had for this year. Stay posted for that post. It's gonna be a good one :P

{my cuddle buddy :)}
[oh how I miss my dear puppy when I'm away :(]

It's the most wonderful time of the year...finals week

So, it's december (I know, old news). The last post was from Thanksgiving (like, three weeks ago). This means: a) time flies when you're having fun, b) school is just more important or c) I'm a huge blog slacker (or how about d) all of the above). I vote d. Anyway. so, back to Thanksgiving. The rest of my time home was fantastic. That  Saturday was Matthew's open house so I spent most of the day in the kitchen making some yummy stuff for it. I got to go grocery shopping with my mom, which, for some reason, I really love doing.  I'm not really sure why, but I always have and I always look forward to it when I'm home. We made pizza for lunch, which is also something I miss about home. It's hard to beat fresh, homemade pizza. At the open house I got to see some fantastic people from high school that I hadn't seen in forever and that I really enjoyed seeing. Sunday was a great day together with the family and then ridiculously early Monday morning I flew back out here for the remaining weeks of school and finals.

{Matthew and I at the airport}

So I got home (Provo) safe and sound and ready for the last two weeks of class. Monday was a flurry of playing catch-up and getting things done. Then was FHE, where I realized that two of my FHE brothers won't be here next semester because they're going on their missions! But it was a really good night, I think we got some good bonding time as a family :P Tuesday night for staff meeting I made a new recipe of cookies:

{chocolate mint-chip cookies}
[boy were they good :)]

Friday night I had a fantastic dance party with Kelli, Mandy, and Magin. Super fun time with really awesome people :) Then Saturday morning I got up to bake these muffins for the bridal shower of Shelly, the first of my freshman year friends to get married.

{cinnamon donut muffins with cinnamon vanilla glaze}
[moist and delicious and deceptively not-so-bad for you]

It's weird to think that we're the same age and yet she's getting married next week and I'm no closer to getting married than I was when I was like 15. I find it interesting to look at where life takes people, to see the different stages that each of us are in at any given moment in life.
I also got a letter from Kade on Saturday! He finally got his visa to go to Brazil! He left on the 5th so now letters are going to take an eon to get there and back :( But I'm glad that he's finally there :)

{Kade and his comp. in Brazil}

Last Monday was our ward trip to temple square. I always love going to temple square at Christmas to see all the lights and the nativities and to watch the Joseph Smith movie in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It definitely brought back a lot of memories, so I definitely appreciated the company of one of my FHE brothers who hung out with me all night so I wouldn't be lonely.

{what a beautiful sight :)}
[Salt Lake City, UT temple]

On Tuesday, University Chorale sang at Devotional which was way fun and then that night I went on a double date. The guys were really fun and they surprised us by making dinner!

{Melody and I; lookin fine for our date}

{the doubles}

Wednesday and Thursday were the last days of classes. It's so weird that another semester has come and gone. Thursday was also a ridiculously busy day. That night I had four things on the schedule and by some miracle I made it to three of them. First was my University Chorale concert! The concert was great and sure was glad to get it over with.

{Shawni (one of the girls on my floor) and I; gettin ready for the concert}

Next on the list was our 3200 third/second Thursday so I ran home, changed, and then ran over there for like 10 minutes. Then it was time for Invitational! Which is the formal dance that Helaman Halls has at the end of every fall semester. The theme this year was "Winter in London" and the decorations were ridiculously awesome! I regret to say that I do not have any pictures of myself or my dress, which really is a pity because I really felt beautiful and thought I looked pretty darn good (if I do say so myself :P). Anyway, it was a really fun night dressing up, dancing, eating, and hanging out with friends :)
Friday and Saturday were reading days (which are supposed to be used for massive amounts of studying, but I'm pretty sure they usually end up being more of  thank-goodness-I-don't-have-class-anymore-do-nothing-days). Sunday was the Christmas program in church. It went well but I sure am glad that it's over. I made some yummy cookies for floor meeting, during which we at the cookies and read the Polar Express because that's what cool college kids do: eat cookies while reading an awesome children's book.

{peanut butter blossoms}
[I definitely ate like 10 of these, they were just that good]

And then commenced...finals week...duh...Duh...DUH... which actually isn't turning out to be so bad. I took my Spanish oral final last week and then the Spanish written exam on Saturday which only left me with 3 exams and a final paper. Yesterday morning I got up at some horrendous hour to study for my history of interior design and architecture class and then had to go take it at seven...am....yep. One down, two to go. The rest of Monday was supposed to be spent in diligent study for my test today but that didn't quite happen (it's the thought that counts...right?). So I spent all a few hours of this morning studying and then I went and took my human development test. Two down, one to go. Only one test and one paper standing between me and my Christmas break...prepare to be annihilated. There's a little saying that I think is important to remember in stressful times such as these: "Study like it all depends on you, then pray like it all depends on the Lord". Believe me, it works. Like nothing else. Sometimes our best just isn't quite enough, but if it truly is our best the Lord will help us and we will succeed, He did not send us here to fail.

So, in honor of Christmas the girls on my floor decided that we needed a floor Christmas picture:

{I know, it's like the cutest thing ever}

And a quote to start off the Christmas season:

"As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day a year, but as a companion always."
              -President Thomas S. Monson


Remember this. Because who doesn't want to have the Christmas spirit with them always? For the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit.