One day at a time.

A new semester started. One with different difficulties and stresses than the last. There is less focus on class work and more focus on clinicals. Sometimes I feel like I'm running around with no idea of what I'm actually doing. It's exhausting. But I am learning so much. And this coming week the semester will be half way over!!!! Thank goodness.

With all the different things to work on and worry about it, I have just as much free time as last semester. So basically no social life... But I REALLY do try to reach out as much as I can.
My roommates and I planned a roommates night out (we have to plan things well in advance because we are all so busy and we are never all home at the same time)
We went to dinner at Cracker Barrel and then went to see a play "The Foreigner" at Hale Theatre. I had never heard of the play and I was pleasantly surprised with how funny it was.

The roommates (and kelsey) at Hale Theatre. Oh and an old fashioned looking candy bar that I bought at Cracker barrel. Its the simple things like that old fashioned looking candy bar that  make me happy.The simple things...and chocolate. :)

I have been trying to balance my hectic life with more uplifting activities to help ease the burden of stress. (Like trying to be a better visiting teacher, serving others,trying to actually read the chapters for institute each week, listen to better music...etc.) So when there was an opportunity to donate blood...I jumped at the chance.

Donating blood...saving a life. :)

 But the most important goal that I have been trying to keep is by going to the temple each week. The Salt lake Temple was closed for a month for renovations and cleaning, so I had the opportunity to go to a few other temples in the area including the beautiful Bountiful temple with Anne Marie (a girl in my ward)

I forgot my camera...so this is a picture I found online. It really is a beautiful temple!

I also had the opportunity to meet up with Kelsey at the Jordan River temple. It was so nice to see Kelsey again. I just love her.

Kelsey and I at the Jordan River temple. No makeup. No worries.

A few weeks ago, my friend Julie came down from Logan. She took me to Pei Wei ( a delicious Chinese restaurant that I had never been to before). I got to try their delicious lettuce wrap...which I'm pretty sure changed my life. ;) She and I also went and watched her nephew's volleyball game and then went and got ice cream after.It was so nice to see her and catch up. I really love when friends come to visit. 

Oh and speaking of friends in the area, an old roommate of mine (Alysia) moved to Layton and invited me over for a movie night at her new apartment. It was nice to be able to catch up with her and meet the fun people in her ward.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to rexburg for the long weekend to spend time with my "little family" as well as my best friend maria. Maria arranged a double date (which turned into a group date) on Valentines Day to a masquerade dance. I hadn't been  to a dance in a while and I had SUCH a good time. And it was so fun to see maria. I love how much she makes me laugh.

Date night with my favorite maria!!!!

And of course I got to see my "little cuties" while I was in rexburg. Grace and Carson are just the cutest. The first morning Carson tried to wake me up early to play with him by saying "wake up kitty...its church day". It was Saturday. Carson made me laugh so much and grace was as cute as always.
Unfortunately I got pretty sick over the weekend...so if didn't get to do as much cuddling and give as many kisses as usual. But I got to play fun new games like "keeping Carson from drinking out of my cup" (which was quite the task) and "pretending to squeeze Gracie from afar". Carson even mimicked me as  I crawled from the bedroom to the bathroom...I was a little too sick to laugh...but now I think its pretty cute.
Oh and then there was the time where I was napping in Carson's room (because i wasn't feeling well) and Katrina told Carson that he could go into his room to grab his toy but HE HAD TO BE REALLY QUIET. Carson ran into his room, sat by my bed, and said "kitty be quiet!" and then ran out of the room with his toy. I was a little too out of it to understand what had just happened but Katrina told me later and we both laughed about it.
 Also on my last day there (last story i promise!) Carson brought me a cookie that he had decorated for me. I set it down for two seconds (literally like two seconds) to pick Gracie up off of the floor and turned around to grab my cookie only to find that Carson had just licked all the icing off and was currently working on licking the icing off his own cookie. Little sneak! haha  Those kids always make Rexburg so fun!

This week, my stake had stake conference. On Wednesday we had a stake temple night which was nice to be able to go do baptisms with people my own age. Afterwards  my visiting teacher (Liz Moffit) and I went and got hot cocoa and walked around city creek. It was a nice break and I just love spending time with Liz. I like to listen about all the trips she has planned and her philosophies on dating as well as our similar love of reading. She is a free spirit and I admire that.

Sarah and Natasha had convinced me to go to provo on friday night, but due to some last minute changes, sarah and I ended up spending our friday here in salt lake. We went to dinner (Cafe Rio)and then went shopping/window shopping at city creek mall. We then came back to my place and watched a movie. It was so fun to have a girls night with sarah just like old times. I'm usually so busy (even on the weekends).

Sarah and I at the mall. Because we always have to take at least ONE crazy glasses picture at the mall :)

Last night, before the night session of Stake conference, a few girls from the relief society got together to go out to dinner beforehand. That was so much fun. I hadn't done anything like that for awhile so it was nice to be able to meet new girls in the ward, AND try out a new restaurant. We went to the Neapolitan pizza place which is right here in sugar house. I had the most amazing Caesar salad (yes I got a salad...at a pizza place. Don't judge.) ;)

Another image I found online...

And of course stake conference was just so wonderful! Both last night AND this morning. I  love being Mormon. I love knowing who I am and that I have a divine destiny. I know that Christ lives and that he loves us and that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each of us. A plan of happiness. A plan of so much incomprehensible joy. I am grateful for the peace that the gospel brings in my life. It is the main thing that gets me through the loneliness, stresses, and trials of this life. That...and chocolate. But mostly the gospel. :) And honestly I have had a pretty hard time lately (i know the pictures and stories make it sound otherwise) but its true. I'm just grateful to know that the Lord knows me personally. He knows how best to comfort me in the middle of an emotional breakdown. haha Grad School is hard. There. I said it. And I'm just taking it one day at a time. Thank goodness I have Him on my side to help me get through it. I guess I'm pretty blessed :)