Mono, and Rush week!

This has been such a crazy, busy week! One of my roommates was diagnosed with MONO last Monday and she went back home for the week. This gave us all a scare- I seriously thought I had it, but really I just have an overly active imagination! We have been scrubbing our side of the apartment and the kitchen trying to rid it of any germs that may still be lurking around! It has been weird not to have my roommate around- it is like a member of my family is missing!



It has been Rush week here on campus for the Sororites and Fraternities. I decided to rush for Alpha Phi, and after a busy week I received a bid from them! It is going to be a great way to be involved and meet more people!

Happy 12th Birthday Emily!

Happy 12th Birthday Emily! Here are a few of my favorite things about Emily.....

1. She has a great singing voice.
2. She is a fabulous baker!
3. She has a strong testimony.
4. She is willing to try new things.
5. She is a great helper.
6. She is an awesome tap dancer.
7. She has a good sense of humor- and says things that make me laugh.
8. She does really good impressions of people- especially Hermione from Harry Potter.
9. She is a hard worker.
10. She loves High School Musical just as much as me.
11. She is figuring out the crazy world of Middle School.
12. She is growing up into a beautiful young woman with so much to offer!

Emily- I hope you have a wonderful 12th Birthday! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you! I love you- have a great day!

Happy New Year!

These are a few pictures from New Years Even and also New Years Day! I hung out with my Best Friend on New Years Eve and also went to her family's New Years Day Open House on New Years Day!

High School Musical

Going to High School Musical was a highlight of my break but I decided it deserved its own post! I took Emily, but I think (I know) I liked it just as much as she did! It was a really good performance and since I have actually been in High School I feel like I can actually connect with them! That is just my excuse for being the oldest/non-parent there! Here are a few pictures from the evening...

Some highlights of Winter Break!

A fun family tradition- bowling! We went duck pin bowling this year- I am not any better at duck pin bowling than I am at regular bowling!
My family went out to sushi with my best friend and her family! This is a picture of a few of us at dinner!
We got Taboo for Christmas which was a lot of fun to play! Cara and I make quite a team!

Merry Christmas!

I know it is way past Christmas but I decided to give a quick Christmas up-date! The first picture is kind of crazy so do not look at it very closely! I am wearing my new pj pants, ugg boots and hat! The second picture is of us cooking on Christmas Eve! Christmas was a lot of fun- unfortunately I did not finish my A-Z scrapbook for my family- I will definately blog it once it is completed (in May)!

FINALS...

I actually have not had a final (mine begin tomorrow) BUT I have been studying the past few days. I am looking forward to taking my tests and going home! I received this Finals Survival Kit the other morning. It was such a fun surprise, (sent by my wonderful mother)! It had scantrons, pencils, and of course a ton of so good (so bad) for you food! Thank you mom for thinking of me- you are awesome (and all of my roommates think you are too!) Alright... back to studying!

Secret Roommate!

I just finished making my gift for my "Secret Roommate". I painted a picture frame and then added some rub-ons! The pictures are not the best- but you get the idea! We all drew names a week or two ago and gave each other a $10 budged. We are exchanging gifts on Thursday, before we all go home for break! It should be a fun night, The Office and a gift exchange! For roommate fhe tomorrow we are making a Gingerbread Dorm- it should be fun!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We attempted to take a Christmas Card picture tonight. Unfortunately this is the best one on my camera- it is actually sort of cute! Notice the lights in the background. I now understand why my parents refuse to put them all around the outside of the house! It is a lot of work, and only put them around three windows! It is weird not to be at home and getting out all of the advent calendars and fun decorations! I guess this is when I start to begin my own traditions... how weird! I am getting so old!

Pictures from the best weekend ever!

I absolutely love this picture of Cara, my mom and I!

The happy couple to be- Eliot and Tracey

This is team TOG, aka "The Old(er) Guys"

These are just a few of the tangelos we ate over the past five days! My mom absolutely loved them too! (NOT)

This is a picture of me and my very best friend at CiCi's Pizza

Thanksgiving!

I think this picture pretty much sums up what a wonderful week it has been! So many fun things happened that it would take me forever to write about each of them, but here are some of my memories from the week.

Surprising everyone with my new hair color, seeing friends at Cici's Pizza, seeing Elaine and causing a scene because we were so excited to see each other, finding all of the changes in the house, McNeil Family, reminsising old times, sharing a room with Emily for a few nights, NERTZ, Tog dancing, Cara turning 16, cake, pies, orange rolls, 7 boxes of tangerines and Diet Coke, TOP TIER ONLY, El and Tracey getting engaged, laughing, singing, and of course more NERTZ!

Happy Birthday Cara!

B

Today is not only Thanksgiving but also my sister Cara's Birthday! Happy Birthday Cara! I am so glad that I am able to celebrate her SWEET 16 with her!

A few memories...

Wanting to name her dough dough head and telling my moms OBGYN (sorry mom), sharing a room with bunk beds, borrowing clothes, homecoming dress shopping in NYC, shopping in general, Driving to school together- I was a Senior when she was a Freshman, she helped me with homework once (only once) online conversations, watching her dance- she is amazing!, fishing for boys, and the list goes on!

Cara you have become such a beautiful young woman, I am so proud of you and all of your accomplishments! I hope you have a wonderful 16th Birthday!

There's No Place LIke Home!

I am so excited to be going home for Thanksgiving! Do not get me wrong- I absolutely love it out here in Utah but I am ready to see my parents, sisters and friends for a few days! I have one more day of school and then Tuesday morning I am out of here! There are a bunch of things I still need to do between now and then but... Maryland here I come!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I really love Autumn- I think it is my favorite season. It isn't hot and it isn't too cold (knock on wood)! The leaves are falling and it is just so pretty outisde. It has been a slow week, everyone is sick or getting sick in my apartment and I am learning that it only takes one person to make everyone be in a not so happy mood! I think it goes the other way too, one happy person can change everyone too! I gave myself 5 minutes to be negative (thanks for listening mom) and after my class I decided to start listing the things I am thankful for... and it really helped to put me in a better mood! Here are just a few from my list...


1. My family-mom, dad, cara, emily, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
2. The Gospel
3. My friends- near and far
4. Morals and Values
5. Technology
6. My cell phone
7. My education
8. Books
9. Hugs
10. Cute little kids- they are so innocent and adorable
11. Inside jokes
12. Ribbon
13. Pictures
14. Journals
There are many many more... these are just a few! One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is going around and telling what we are thankful for- I am going to try and be more vocal about what I am thankful for, all year round!

Happy Birthday Aunt Cristin!

My Aunt Cristin is one of the most amazing people I know! She is my mom's sister and they have such a neat relationship, I hope that my sisters and I can have that same kind of relationship! She is so talented and is such a wondeful example to me. She can do just about anything, has a great sense of humor, is an amazing mother, and the list goes on! I have had fun getting to know my Aunt Cristin especially when we both lived in California. I have many fun memories of my Aunt! Here are a few....

Being a flower girl at her wedding- I got to pass out favors to the guests, playing school in her apartment with little plastic chairs, staying with her in California for a weekend, introducing me to scrapbooking- she helped me scrapbook my very first pages (she was so patient and encouraging when I was not so sure what I was doing!), she took me to get my first set of acrylic nails... and really the list could go on and on!

I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to get to know my aunt, not only as my moms sister, but as MY aunt and friend! Happy Birthday Aunt Cristin! I hope you have a fabulous day!

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I have decided that Halloween changes greatly once you are in college! We all celebrated last Friday at The Howl... it was basically a big dance and some carnival games. It was a lot of fun to get all dressed up! My entire costume came straight from my closet, and most of (or at least pieces) of my roommates costume's are from my closet too! I hope that does not mean that my clothes look like they should only be worn on Halloween! Tonight will be a little different, my Trick-or-Treating has been replaced by my Nutrition study group, turning in a paper and finishing up a presentation for tomorrow morning!


Here are a few of my Halloween Memories!..

Halloween Parties-with Sister Dayes coming to help, School Halloween Parties and Parades, planning my costume for next year the day after Halloween, My mom making a rule that we could not talk about costumes until October, Being Tinker Bell and Eliot being Peter Pan, Trick-or-Treating, Grandma doing my hair one year when I was a hairdresser (she did a wonderful up-do!)

I hope everyone has a Fun and Safe Halloween- I am looking forward to seeing all of the cousins costumes!

Weekend Fun!

I had a wonderful three day weekend, thanks to many people! (Darin and Elisa, Gpa and Gma and my other Grandparents) Thank you for picking me up/dropping me off/ feeding me/ and everything else in between! It was so much fun to talk and catch up with everyone! This is a picture of my cousins (on the Janes side) and I at lunch on Saturday. I think you can tell we are all related in this picture!


I also had fun eating and visiting with my G'ma and G'pa on Sunday! It was so nice to be in a calm and quiet house! I especially had fun with my cousin Miriam- she is so cute! I am glad that I live a little closer and can see her more than once a year! She was nice enough to take me to Gardeners Village and show me the witches!

It was such a great weekend it is hard to be back in school again! My next break is Thanksgiving- and that means I will be home in 29 days! (Not that I am counting or anything!)

Snow!

It is only October and we already have SNOW! It was quite a surprise this morning when I looked out my window to see everything white! I went from wearing flip-flops yesterday to having to wear boots! Of course my roommate and I went outside and took pictures. Not everyone was excited about the snow... I am not sure how I feel about it but I have made a list of some of the positive things:

1. I get to wear all of my fun gloves, hats and scarves

2. I get to break out all of my sweaters

3. I get to drink hot chocolate

4. It reminds me of Christmas (I listened to Christmas music today- it is never to early for Christmas music, right dad?!)

Those are all I have... and it does not look like I have to worry since tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 50's. It was kind of a fun preview of what is to come later on this semester...

Chef Alicia

My roommate Tessa and I decided to be big and brave and use a recipe to cook our dinner tonight. We both were sort of hesitant at the beginning- but now that we successfully cooked a meal we can't wait to cook again next week! We made chicken alfredo- and it was delicious! It is a good thing we both liked it so much because we have left overs for the rest of the week! I figure if we choose a recipe each week to try out, by the end of the school year I will be quite the cook!

I look up to all moms who have to cook and make so many different people happy. I took living at home and my dinners for granted- I still have so much to learn!

Are you engaged?

My dad gave me some silver rings in 6th grade that he bought for me on a business trip. I have worn them ever since, and for some reason they are really great conversation starters. When I moved to Maryland in 8th grade one of my friends asked me where I got them. In a desperate attempt to make friends I told her that my boyfriend had given them to me. I came clean with my story at the end of the year, and every once in awhile they bring up that story!
A few years ago I found another two rings and started to wear them on my left hand ring finger. Randomly people at work or school would ask me about them, but since they knew me they knew that they were just decorative rings- not an engagement ring! Not everyone here knows that they are just decorative rings! The other night this guy came up to me and asked me if I was engaged. I looked at him like he was crazy, and told him that I was not engaged, and why on earth did he think I was? He looked at my rings and I started to laugh! I took the rings off the other day but it feels so weird that I am thinking about putting them back on!