Old Friends...New Memories!

Last week my roommates and I decided to watch a movie together. We picked the movie Little Women which was a movie that I hadn’t seen in a while. My roommate Shelby asked if I had ever read the book and was shocked when I hadn’t. The next day she brought me the book from her house so I could read it.  I absolutely loved it, It was so much better than the movie. (I may or may not have finished it in 3 days…) It is definitely a book that sucks you in and makes you empathize with the characters. But above all, it made me want to be a better sister, a better daughter, a better person.

On Thursday, I went bowling with a small group from my ward. In all honesty I am not the best bowler. In fact I’m quite terrible. But it was still fun J I still have yet to get a score of 100 or higher. I was SO close! I got a 98….maybe next time J I was a little intimidated because I was bowling with Kim and Ryan. Ryan has bowled a 300. He even has a ring to prove it. And Kim, she just has skills! But it was fun.

On Friday I went to see the Hobbit with a few friends. LOVED IT! Seriously, I’m so excited for the next movie. It reminded me of when I went and saw all the Lord of The Rings movies with my family in theaters. The theater transports you into a WHOLE different world and maybe I’ve inherited it from my dad, but I LOVE it! Also, the main dwarf, is Mr. Thornton on North and South. I had to keep from swooning the whole movie. it was ridiculous J

On Saturday, after work my ward was having a ward activity in  Salt Lake City to see the lights at temple square. I had just gone the week before, but there was free pizza! And my friend Kim got us tickets to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert later that night, so of course I went to Salt lake. The entire time I was at Temple Square I was determined to find my old roommate Elise Laporte  who is serving her mission there. I went up to several sister missionaries asking them if they had seen her. They all said they hadn’t but said I could leave her a note and they would get it to her. That's not exactly what I had in  mind so I continued to search. Just when I thought “there are WAY to many people here. Im never going to find her” I heard someone call my name. And low and behold….it was ELISE!!! We screamed and hugged and laughed….and screamed some more. It was wonderful! It was so nice to see her again and to catch up on one anothers lives.

After I visited with Elise for a few minutes, Kim Shorts, Julie, Kim Smith and I went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert which was absolutely lovely. Tim Brockaw and  Alfie Boe were special guests. The music was lovely and touched your heart. On top of that, they shared a Christmas story of the man who started  giving the German children chocolate right after the war. The man was talking to a group of children that waited behind a barbwire fence. They were fascinated with the plane he drove and asked all sorts of questions. He said he was used to going all over the world, and having people asking him for food,  but these children were happy with just talking with him. He was so impressed with the fact that they had nothing, especially after the war. He felt the need to give them something, especially since it was Christmas time. All he had was two sticks of gum in his pockets. He split the gum in to 4 pieces and handed it through the fence. The children continued to split the gum until they all had teeny tiny pieces of the wrapper and they could smell the mint. He then felt the need to give them part of his candy rations. He got his group to help and they flew above Germany and dropped candy bars on handkerchief parachutes.  Children would write him letters of gratitude and sometimes even directions of how to find their homes. His sacrifice brought tears to my eyes. And then, after telling the story and watching the pictures, they unveiled the man who did all of this. I was crying so much at this point. It all started with two pieces of gum. Its just proof what difference small acts of service can do.

yay...i took a picture on my phone!

On Sunday,  Katrina, Casey and baby Carson came to visit me. I was singing in sacrament and it was so  great to have them watch me. It was the cutest listening to Carson babble throughout sacrament. In my opinion Young single adult wards are sometimes too quiet so It was nice to listen to Carson laugh and play and flirt with people in my ward. And then as I Stood at the front singing the duet “ O come O come Emmanuel, Carson looked at me and grinned the ENTIRE time….SO ADORABLE. I was happy that all my roommates came to church as well. It was comforting to look over at them and see their smiling faces.

That night, Katrina made a delectable dinner. Normally I cant stand alfredo sauce but the sauce Katrina made was so delicious and quite filling. Little Carson and I played and then I took them to their hotel.

On Monday Patrick came to visit me!!! We had dinner and then he came to FHE with me and we made a tiny graham cracker  gingerbread house.  Afterwards we went back to my place and watched as my roommate Alivia dyed Shelby’s hair. We also did a late night snack run to Walmart J

The next day Patrick, Shelby, and I went to Smith field Emporium ( A place that Patrick remembers form his childhood) and then to Hastings bookstore where I had to practice self control and NOT buy anything. So hard. I LOVE books! I love buying books…clothes and shoes will wear out over time. Books last lifetimes J

I had to go to work at 1:30 and Patrick said he was going to leave soon after that, so I was surprised when at 5:00 patrick visited me at work with my two roommates Alivia and Maddy. They brought me Aggie Iceream. I was so shocked! I thought he was already gone…but no…he just hung out with my roommates while I was at work. Which I think is funny…but understandable…I mean I DO have kind of cool roommates J

After work I raced home to get my luggage and head to salt lake. My friend Jessica had given me an Owl shaped rice bag  Christmas Present. So super adorable, I wish I was crafty like that! What a sweetheart!

Patrick also left me a note...and chocolate...he knows me well!

I drove to salt lake last night ( I was surprised with the great weather…I was nervous it would be snowy and a miserable drive) I got to see my old roommate Morgan. It was so great to see her. I just love catching up with old friends. It reminds me that I have people I love and that love me all over the place. Morgan was nice enough to take me to the airport early this morning which is where I am sitting as I write this blog….I am Ohio bound. J

Anyway, that’s the end of this blog update. I wish you all a Merry Christmas full of laughter and cheer and family and yummy treats and of course the Savior. And to all my Jewish friends…I hope you had a happy Hannukuh. J

Sparkles, Lights, and Friends...a few of my favorite things :)

Last week...
So last Thursday, my friends Skye and Jessica (Smith) had a girls night at their house. They invited a group of girls from the ward and we watched a chick flick and ate yummy treats :) Jessica Kleven invited me to go to the Musical "A Christmas Carol" the next day with her and her sister and mother.

So on Friday after work I went to Smithfield to watch the musical. Both Jessica and her mother BOTH had never seen any version of A Christmas Carol...I was shocked...and happy that I got to be with them while they watched the story for the first time. I just LOVE musicals! Jessica got these delicious Cinnamon roasted nuts that they sold outside the show...I had never had those before so it was a new experience for all of us.


On Saturday I helped clean the church building, went to work, and then my friend mike invited me to go to the movies with a group to see Rise of the Guardians. I really liked that movie. It was a good cartoon i think... :) I recommend watching it!

This week:

On Monday I got 2 NEW ROOMMATES!!!! Their names are Alivia and Shelby. They are cousins and they are SO fun. They have the cutest pink bunkbed you ever did see.

On Tuesday we decorated our apartment for CHRISTMAS! Maddy's parents got us a little tree and decorations. We decorated the tree and the window hanging  in our apartment. We have beautiful rainbow colored decorations that are SPARKLY!

On Wednesday Skye invited me to watch the 2nd Harry Potter movie at her house. After a day of working and studying...it was the PERFECT way to relax. Harry Potter is kind of my inner nerd....don't judge. :)

Thursday was the Christmas party for my ward. There was delicious food and Santa came. He gave me TWO Candie canes...I felt so special. :) Our ward choir did a flashmob singing thing during dinner....it actually turned out really well considering we only practiced one night....and we didn't really do what we practiced haha

On Friday I worked all day because Maddy went on a sort of retreat with the girls in her family to Salt Lake. Sounds fun huh! And it was good because I needed the hours since I'm leaving for OHIO in less than 2 WEEKS!

After work, I went to take my LAST final for the semester. Woohoo!  Then right after my final, my friend Skye invited me to go to a Gallery walk. I wasn't quite sure what a gallery walk was, but it sounded fun. For all of you who have no idea what a gallery walk is either...I will tell you :) Its when the small businesses on main street hold works of art, whether they be artwork, pictures, or crafts that people make, or music. You go from store to store to look at all the art. When we went into the bookstore, William Joseph just happened to be performing there. I went to one of his concerts at BYUI and he plays on my Pandora station pretty much every day at work...so I had a little geek out moment :)

The last place we went was this art gallery here in Logan. They had some beautiful paintings there. There was one painting of purple and yellow Irises that reminded me of my mom. ( her middle name is Iris and she LOVES them...that's why we have Iris pictures all over our house). There was also this painting called the Spirit of the Louvre. The artist painted on top of pages from a french book. The painting showed the Louvre, a picture of Mona Lisa in the corner and a picture of a painter painting a little girl in the other corner. If you looked closely at the picture you saw ghost like figures hidden throughout the picture...it was neat.

BUT my FAVORITE painting was this painting displayed in the middle of the gallery. The painting was of the Savior passing the sacrament to a family at church. The father of the family has his head bent down as he reverently takes the tray and touches the Saviors hand. The mother is looking at the savior wide eyed with a look of surprise and awe. The baby is running toward him with open arms and the little girl is smiling up at him. You cant see his face....you can only see his wounded hands holding the tray of bread. It was beautiful. I think that was when I was most moved.

I ended up leaving early ( before we went to get hot chocolate) because I was exhausted...both mentally and physically. It was a long day...but a fun one :)

On Saturday I woke up early to clean the church building again and then I went to work. I stayed at work late (because its our busy season) and then I went straight from work to Salt Lake with a group from my ward. We went to see the Christmas Lights at temple square. I have wanted to go for years so this was pretty exciting. The lights were beautiful and I went with a fun group. :)
 There was this choir concert going on that I watched for a few minutes that was pretty cool. The voices were beautiful and their were dancers that stood motionless while the choir sang. I didn't stay for the whole thing because I didn't want to lose the people in my group.
We toured Temple Square, looked at all the lights and nativities around the world and then went into the Joseph Smith building to warm up. :) It was even more beautiful because it was snowing the entire time we were there. It felt like Christmas. AND i think Temple Square just has a special spirit. :)
 Afterwards we went to 7 Eleven and got hot chocolate and donuts. yum. :)

 I tried to look for my roommate Elise who is serving her mission at  temple square....I didn't see her...but on facebook she was tagged in a picture with someone else from yesterday...so she WAS there.  I'm going back next weekend with my ward and I am determined to find her! haha

This picture is dedicated to Caitie Metts, Meagan Cobia, Sarah Carlson, Stephanie Bradford and all my Asian loving friends. :)



So yeah...this week has been busy... with finals and craziness at work and whatnot...but fun:)

Tonight Shelby's niece Westley is spending the night....she is four years old and such a cutie! It makes me excited to see my nephew...in 1 WEEK! :) OK...that's all for now...until next week...XOXoxoXo :)