I'm a fan

Now I know I'm a often a sucker when it comes to cartoon movies, but along with a few movies I have caught up on during this break, I saw the Muppets today at the theater and loved it. There were many things that I laughed at that nobody thought were funny, but I didn't care because it was a happy, feel-good movie. There are moments in it where the characters break out in song and dance, which would normally be weird, but hey they pulled it off in this movie. Anyone reading this should go watch it when they have the chance :)

Tis the Season

Here are some re-caps from this winter break

After moving into Wyview, I was finally able to go home for a while. Kara was about to get married, and so we had about 14 people staying at our house. Haha it was crazy but fun! Our younger cousins were over along with aunts and uncles, grandparents, Alicia, Josh, mom, and I, and of course Oscar. 

Our grandma gave Oscar the left overs after a dinner. She said she "only gave him a little bit" haha oh well :)

my aunt is also having her first baby soon, so the younger cousins decided to be silly by taking balloons to make themselves look pregnant too

Then the wedding day finally came. It was very cold and there was a slight breeze that blew around, but Kara and Kasey still looked stunning. We all could not stop gawking at them as they had a glow about them. Their happiness radiated and I am so happy for them :)

My cousin and I were desperate to keep warm

But look at these pictures because you will see what I mean :) 

After the wedding, there were was a 24 hour flu that spread through my family. It was not fun at all but luckily it did not last long. Afterwards, Christmas came quickly. When I woke up and came into the living room, there was a beautiful Christmas tree standing with our family's pictures (baby pictures, current pictures, and family pictures from Christmas's and different seasons) perched on top of its branches. On top of the tree was a picture of the Savior.  I was very touched as Josh said that it was his Christmas present to our family. He bought the tree himself and printed off the pictures to surprise us on Christmas morning.

 I'll admit, it was very hard Christmas as our grandpa's dimentia reached its peak later that morning. There was a lot of screaming, yelling, and much more, so my siblings and I headed over to our dad's place. Our mom decided to join us later on, so it was a little awkward with everyone over there, but we enjoyed watching classic Christmas movies and had a lovely dinner. I'm so glad they let us all go over there for the whole day

Afterwards, we came home late at night as we were glad that things had settled down. We were glad that we could spend time together as a family, and on the way home, Josh told a little more about his present. He felt inspired to do this for our family, and said that he placed Christ at the top of the tree because he is the head of our home and is always watching out for us. I know that what he said is true, and we have seen his tender mercies branched out to us throughout our lives. We were reminded on this Christmas day that families may sometimes go through tough situations, but they don't last forever and our Savior is always there for us. He brings us happiness and joy to us as we feel his love and accept the great eternal blessings that he offers. It's important to remember that Christmas is a time to remember his birth, but we need to continue remembering the miracles, grace, and light he brings throughout the year.

A new start :)

Having:
pure water so I no longer have to buy gallons of distilled water for my treatments
enough electricity to do treatments in a single room
great roommates
my coolers will be shipped to my door
and much more

Yes, those are a few things that will make a Cyster go bonkers over once she has them. New Heritage was wonderful and I already terribly miss my roomies and wardies, but Wyview has already been a great experience. I never would have thought I would move here. New Heritage was gorgeous, but I realized I really didn't care about things such as granite countertops and lights turning on when you walk in. Since it was new, there were maintenance problems that made treatments even more complicated. Unfortunately my roommate and I did not get along at all. I eventually found out it would yes best to have my own room, which would help with having more privacy for treatments and such. You can keep reading if you'd like but the story behind it is long (but awesome):


     My mom and I decided to look for the best option so I could escape the drama I was trapped into where I was living. We said a prayer, asking for the best option to open up because the Lord knew what was best. I knew the Lord knew what was best. I had been praying for ages and wasn't getting an answer, but I knew my prayers would eventually be answered. After my doctor suggested having my own room after I told her about my roommate situation, she wrote a letter saying I needed my own room. We went to the head of my dorm, the accessibility center, and the head of housing. I'll just say it was a very long day of trying to come up with a solution.
     As the accessibility center and the head of housing were talking about Wyview, I started to have a great feeling about it. It was cheaper, there were apartments that had single rooms, my packages would be sent to my door, and much more.  My mom and I knocked on doors to ask what people thought of Wyview, and possibly find a room to move into.
     I felt terrible about the first door we knocked on, but then we decided to go to another building the head of housing said had many spots open. We knocked on a door, and my (now) roommate-who I had never met before-and I got along very well and had a lot in common. I then found out she had a single room that would be open for winter. I mentioned my CF with uneasiness, but she said she knew what it was because she played the main role in a play- a girl who had CF! We continued talking and then my mom and I headed over a building and up a flight of stairs. Turned out the girls there were her FHE sisters, one of them is in my major, and much more. So many more "coincidences" were taking place one after another, and when I signed up for switching rooms, I was able to get into the right spot.
     Ok, the moral of the story? One of my favorite quotes is: "God always gives his best to those who leave the choice to him." by Jim Elliot. I know my Heavenly Father answered my long-anticipated prayers. This is just another beginning and I feel good about it :)

Finals Survival Kit

Finals preparation: days of non-stop reviews, study groups, individual study sessions, and more. Here are a few pick-me-ups to relieve a little stress in between


Watching Youtube videos, like these few:

When I was in Arizona, Caryn, Carly, and I got a kick out of this Scare Tactics Video.There's one part in here where we couldn't stop laughing. I know it's pretty ridiculous but hey you have to admit they played a good prank on this guy.

Another was this baby who, I'll just say, loves yogurt

I know there are a lot of animal videos out there, but this was adorable (watch how large his eyes get).

And I won't forget this video that Kara and her roommate showed me a while ago. Haha this boy has the moves, there is Moses, and some spiffy outfits :)

Well so other than Youtube videos, other pleasures:
Christmas music, Christmas lights, just everything Christmas
Calling home
Visits with friends
Good Sleep
Good treatments
Cookies and ice cream
A mug of hot chocolate with vanilla ice cream in it
A trip to the gym
And much more

I have my final completed for my voice class, half a final completed, and 4 written tests to worry about next week. Then there is moving time (which I will talk more about later). Hopefully it all goes well

Thanksgiving in the AZ

I have been spending most of my time studying and going to reviews lately so I haven't been able to post anything.
So last week I was able to go to Arizona for Thanksgiving.

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with extended family, including our Great Grandma who is still as funny and sweet as ever at age 95

It was also fun playing with our younger cousins, like Carissa's hubby with the girls here

Then Caryn and I had a few nights with random events such as Spongebobing and surfing on our laptops

And then after we took pics on the mac...Black Friday time! We headed over to Macy's first and the line was not too long, but as soon as we were let in, people were everywhere! We headed over to the boots that we were determined to get for $20, and white boxes were flying in all directions. We realized they were the boots and then picked out our sizes and bought the pairs we liked. We waited in the check out line, but unfortunately the cash register was not reading the sale prices so it took 10 minutes per customer. When you get bored in a line, you can play games like ISpy and the question game to at least keep a little bit entertained.

trying on hats at American Eagle

After then we headed to American Eagle and Target and then got home around 3. After 4 hours of sleep, we headed out to the outdoor mall. We enjoyed awesome weather and our tradition of Wetzels while looking around. Carly had lost her shopping bag but luckily it was returned by an honest person to the lost and found. I also ran into my friend Paige from Brighton (now in college) which just proved that the world is small after all. We literally shopped until we dropped

We had many other adventures in Arizona as well. After some mini golf we had our tradition of going to Main Street and taking pictures with the random objects and statues

Like this yellow door :)

Or this statue of a guy giving an orange to a girl (but he had a knife)...

And we planked the large pink chair

Over the trip we had so much food including Thanksgiving food, Blue Bell ice cream, pie, pizza, and more. By the end of the trip Caryn and I were craving veggies so we rushed to Walmart. That night a few of us older cousins devoured the fresh veggies. Hopefully we are not getting too old :)

Anyways it was a really fun trip and I already miss my cousins and relatives and hopefully Caryn will be able to come to BYU for this summer. Since the break I have been trying hard to study for finals, and let me tell you I am trying so hard to focus. I will often be in the library and realize I dozed off once I wake up with people giving me weird looks. Hopefully I can at least pass some of these tests and do well on others.

Positive energy

     Ok, so this article has been on my mind for the past while. When I was 14, I had an incredible Sunday school teacher who taught me important lessons about life, especially since it was during one of the hardest times of my life. One thing she strongly believed in was the effects of what positive energy can do for us, and she told me about this experiment.
     In summary, Masaru Emoto was a researcher took water samples from around the world, slowly froze them, and then put them under a strong microscope.
     After that water sample experiment, he tried exposing each water sample to different types of music.
     And then finally, he experimented by (yes, this may sound absurd) by typing positive words such as 'love and appreciation' and 'thank you' and putting the words on each glass bottle that held the forming water crystal. While he had the positive words, he also typed negative words for the other water crystals, such as 'hate' or 'you make me sick' or 'i want to kill you.'

     As for the results, the water crystals that had positive words formed perfectly and were beautiful. As for the water crystals that were given negative words, they were morphed into a disgusting looking glob.
Now, isn't it interesting that our bodies are made of 70 % water?


     I strongly believe that positive words and thoughts affect everyone. Masaru also had an experiment later on where he took 2 jars of rice, and labeled one with a positive word and the other with a negative word. As time went on, he would set a certain time in the day where he told one jar things such as "I bless you" "Good job" and "I love you." Where as for the second jar with the negative label, he said things such as "I hate you" and "You stupid fool."
     What was the rice's result? Yes, both looked a little gross because it is still food sitting over time, but the positive jar's rice was much whiter and whole. The negative jar was disgusting, moldy, and lumpy. My family actually tried this experiment last year as we would tell one jar good words and negative words to the other. And guess what? It actually worked.


Unfortunately, the pictures are copywrited so I can't post the on here, but here are the links to the articles:

http://www.unitedearth.com.au/watercrystals.html

http://www.positive-thinking-principles.com/positive-thinking-power.html


(On a second thought, the last post was about negative words homework, but we all hate homework. haha jk) :)

Homework Oh Homework

I remembered this poem. I have found that many here at Byu feel the same way because of all the homework before thanksgiving break....


Homework! Oh, Homework!
I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink,
if only a bomb
would explode you to bits.
Homework! Oh, homework!
You're giving me fits.
I'd rather take baths
with a man-eating shark,
or wrestle a lion
alone in the dark,
eat spinach and liver,
pet ten porcupines,
than tackle the homework,
my teacher assigns.
Homework! Oh, homework!
you're last on my list,
I simple can't see
why you even exist,
if you just disappeared
it would tickle me pink.
Homework! Oh, homework!
I hate you! You stink!
Jack Prelutsky

Of course it is a dramatic poem and I wouldn't do some of the things mentioned, but on the happier note, after working on homework for hours this week...I am finally almost done!! And what's even better? My last dose of Tobi was today!! Well, until around January or February, but still! My voice sounds absolutely horrible right now, and I really miss socializing how I did before this month when I could talk. But now my voice will come back where I can talk and sing again :) And what's better than getting more sleep from not washing the Pari pieces so frequently??

Anyways, I am ready for Thanksgiving. And may I give a warning?? Pinterest is addicting :) I got an account last week and cannot stop gawking at pictures, ideas, and recipes. Luckily I have been able to try a couple of recipes, like these two that were posted. They were awesome

terriyaki chicken (it was soooo easy and yummy)
http://whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com/2011/03/20-minute-teriyaki-chicken-rice.html#axzz1RfrNvijN

pumpkin pie croissants
http://shakentogether.blogspot.com/2011/10/taste-this-tuesday-fall-baking-series_10.html

(of course I would try the pumpkin croissants. I guess my craves for pumpkin haven't gone away yet)

This is Halloween

part 2 of the post:

For the most part, it was a great Halloween! I loved walking around campus while seeing the different costumes. There was a dementor with 3 guys standing on top of each other with a large black cloak covering them. There was a  shark with a guy's legs dancing out of his jaw (one person was standing upside down with his legs out inside the costume to look like he was being eaten. There was a 'sexy saxophone player' that ran around shirtless playing the saxophone. Oh my Halloween is just so great! haha

Tonight we had our ward trunk-or-treat. I was dressed as a nerd on Saturday but I had to wash my costume from the dance that night, so I went with being a cowgirl tonight instead :) I loved getting candy and we all enjoyed hot chocolate, but here is a story, which I will skim through because it was so embarrassing and humiliating, but it happens....
So once upon a time Rachel Marie decided to try making chili. Even though she cooks often, she thought she would give this a shot. Since the crock pot was not cooking fast enough, she put it in a large pan and turned up the heat before heading off to the trunk or treat (very very very stupid idea). She lost track of time until she decided to go turn down the heat (finally) when she ran into her roommate who said something along the lines of "you almost set the house on fire, and the smoke alarm almost went off"as Rachel ran into the room and yes it smelled awful. She about broke down when a calm, reassuring voice came in her head, "Rachel, I know you have been stressed. It's ok. The Lord knows how you feel and you don't need to prove him as much because he knows how you feel and that you are trying your hardest." I then realized how stressed I had been after not doing well on tests, complications with peers, along with taking Tobi for a couple of weeks to keep away the deadly common cf bacteria pseudomonas that I've been fighting off. I'll be honest that it has been stressful with hour long treatments twice a day, cleaning pieces once a day, and usually carrying 2 gallons of water from the creamery to wash the pieces with because of our hard water, along with the awful taste (sort of like rubbing alcohol) and my voice being very hoarse and not sounding the same. I have especially been paranoid lately because a few days ago I heard of a local 20 year old Cyster who passed away about a week ago. I remember thinking how incredible she is for all that she has done and for her passion of dance and following her ambitions despite CF. I felt more than honored when I saw her at a state drill team competition. My determination to survive has become even stronger since I heard of her passing, but I am having to trust the Lord in everything and remember his promise that if I try my hardest to follow every medical directive then my life will be extended.
Anyways, the point is, this horrible experience was an eye opener at the same time. I know with a sure knowledge now that our Savior does know how we feel and wants to help us. He cares for us and is concerned with how we are. He knows us so much better than we know ourselves and wants to help. Tobi will not be for much longer and it's really not that big of a deal, since a lot of CF patients take it. In fact I am so grateful for it because it really has extended the expected lifespans for cfers. It amazes me what technology is doing and it doesn't stop getting better! :) So yes it was a stupid story to talk about, you know, a girl who almost set the apartment on fire because of chili because she didn't realize how stressed she was, and how it was an eye opener. Luckily I can now look at my pan and laugh while saying "Wow that looks awful!" but otherwise...
Happy Halloweeeeen! I hope you all had a great one :)

MJ at trunk or treat-NBD :)

cowgirls

love these girls

Rod and I

I think I'm FALLing in love

There is nothing like fall time. I love the feeling while walking on campus while being so close to the mountains while watching the colors of the leaves change. It's stunning and there's nothing like it. :) Not to mention that I've been falling in love with choosing cute outfits in the mornings to go with the slightly chilly weather and almost everything that has to do with pumpkins. Unfortunately I haven't carved a pumpkin this year, but you can't go wrong with seeing jack-o-lanterns and smelling pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in the oven. It's horrible to think how much I have become addicted to pumpkin flavor.

Not to mention that it's great to have your voice go hoarse from screaming while watching scary movies with friends or getting a good ab workout from laughing while watching scare tactics :)

It's also enjoyable to see some of the most fantastic costumes in public once it reaches Halloween time, like this guy we saw at Wendy's dressed as David Bowie. He even bought his coat from Europe and his brooch is an antique! Some of the costumes we have seen have been a little too much to handle but it's funny at the same time :)

And yesterday I was able to go over to Kara's fiancé Kasey's house, where we made some of the most delicious caramel apples for the first time

I am excited for Halloween tomorrow and the homework I have procrastinated is calling my name so I will post more later

Natural Highs

Things that I discovered are a few simple natural highs (no particular order):

-A bowl of BYU ice cream (yes, I finally trying to use a tiny cup to cut down on the amount I have each time)
-Seeing the fall colors spring up with perfect weather. We have had some crazy weather this past week and today was beautiful :)
-Making a new friend
-Temple Tuesdays
-Shuffling to Rock Party Anthem
-Doing better on a quiz
-Getting a good score on an essay
-Passing an exam
-Washing the pari treatment pieces in distilled water and vinegar every once in a while. They look stunning after being washed in the terrible hard water!
-Trying a new recipe and it turning out delicious
-Even better: having people come over do share left overs so I don't have to dump them out
-Yes, as a CFer it is nice to digest food well. You cfers would know what I'm talking about :) Otherwise it can be a little painful and distracting when trying to study
-Sleeping in on a Saturday morning
-A call from family telling good things going on at home
-A call from my grandma or grandpa just asking how my day has been
-Buying a new pair of comfy shoes
-Laughing to videos on youtube with friends as your abs hurt
-Catching up with old friends you don't see as often
-Curling up in sweats after coming home
-Sipping hot cocoa and talking with girlies from down the hall after a cold night

There are many things that are simply satisfying, especially as a college student. It's surprising how many small things you can miss while in college, so the small natural highs make life even better :)

Love me some general conference

I hope this doesn't sound like a Sunday talk or a soap box, but conference time has become one of my favorite times of the year. I am so grateful for the chance we have to listen to our incredible prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know that he is the leader who is there to help us in these latter days. I look to him as an example with as he strives to reach out to people around the world with a smile. I was also glad for his talk he gave today. We must keep the commandments and keep a strong relationship with our father in heaven.

 I am so glad to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to stand as a witness of our Savior and Redeemer of the world. As M Russel Ballard said, "He broke the bands of death. We need to stand as a witness of him at all times, in all things, and in all places." 

I also loved Robert D Hale's talk. There have been moments in college lately where even though it's BYU, I sometimes have felt life has thrown me buckets of lemons. So many of us feel this way, where we can't control what life throws at us. I hope I can strive to be more charitable, loving, forgiving, and patient during times that seem very difficult to endure. As Robert D Hale mentioned, tribulation worketh patience, and we continue in patience with a perfect brightness of hope. And as Carl B. Cook had said, it's always better to look up and obtain optimism, wisdom, always be willing to seek those in need, and have an attitude of can do and will do. We must look up and cheer up because God wants us happy :)

I promise I have been happy in college, but everyone has their moments of hardship. I thought some trials from my senior year would go away, but they haven't, and I know the Lord is trying to teach me something. There have been several times during conference where they have mentioned we must remember our Savior's life and example, his patience and love during hard times. This conference has helped me have a mindset to keep trying and never give up and that we are not alone in our Gathsemane's. We need to be real in every aspect of our lives and pray often to become closer to our Father in Heaven so he can guide us more easily. I really liked J Devn Cornish's quote, "Much like medicine, prayer only works when used as directed."I hope everyone who has watched it has felt the same as they have felt the strong, testifying spirit this weekend that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church to lift ourselves and each other up to become closer to Christ, and we have a prophet who loves and is there to help us. The ancient prophets Book of Mormon fought diligently to always stand as a witness while serving and obtaining hope.  We also promised to be charitable, always stand as a witness, keep the commandments, and be guardians of virtue as we go forward in our lives. 

I have two personal goals that I am going to try to work on: Work on family history more often (it sure helps that we are learning how to index in FHE) and visit the temple once  a week. I am bummed that this conference is already over because it has been awesome :)

family+friends+food+football = :)

This week ended up being superb. Yesterday was my 19th birthday, and I feel so privileged to have such an incredible family and friends.

On Wednesday my dad carried on a tradition of taking the son/daughter having a birthday out somewhere the night before their birthday. He traveled down to Provo that night and picked me up from my dorm. We were going to go to Olive Garden since I was craving Italian food, but then he said, "Why don't we get real Italian food? We googled restaurants in the area that are not chain-linked, and found one that received good reviews. We ended up going to a small, but fantastic restaurant named La Dolce Vita owned by a family that had lived in Napoli for a while. It was at the very end of a small road so not many people know about it. Mama mia the food was spectacular! I was able to try minestrone soup, cannellone (very much like a rolled up lasagna,and the noodles were homemade), and Italian soda (who knows if it really exists in Italy, but it was sooo good!) My dad and I felt as if we ate an elephant by the end of the night. 

Peach Italian Soda

My birthday was incredible on Thursday. In between my classes, my mom decided to drive down to Provo to take me to my absolute favorite restaurant-Tucanos!! We enjoyed a delicious salad bar and unlimited meat. Oh, and you know that humiliating feeling you get when the servers come up to you with instruments while they sing? Yep that happened. They came right up to our table playing bongos and singing loudly, and handed me a tambourine to shake. At least when it's your birthday they give you a dessert.

Once again, I was as full as ever, but I love my parents so much. It was very thoughtful of them to come down to Provo to wish me a happy birthday and take me out for a treat :) When I came home after some study time, girls from my ward were there to wish me a happy birthday with a  few treats. And after I came home from my 7 o clock class later that night, my fhe family was there making cards and had a chocolate cake that we all enjoyed. I know I just talked a lot about food, but nobody can argue that food is just so good! But it really was such an incredible birthday and I cannot even express my gratitude enough for such wonderful friends and family around.

As for tonight, BYU won against Utah State, and we were able to storm the field after. This weekend I am headed back to my good hometown to watch General Conference, which will most likely turn into another blog post on here. It's been grand and that's all for now :) 

What the September??!

Since when is September cold season? For some reason a whole bunch of sickness has flown around, and I'll admit I started to fear for what may come later this fall and in the winter.
Which is why I have already started to:

Use hand sanitizer every couple of minutes
Stock up on yogurt for the probiotics
Set a goal of eventually doing 3 treatments a day, and keep up with active cycles in between each 10 minutes
Set a goal to get more sleep
Run more often every week (I haven't been keeping up with exercise)
Taking in more vitamin C every day
Not touch my face so germs don't spread
And have my nurse and pharmacy on my contact list

Yes, This is what happens when a cf girl hears sniffles everywhere, blowing noses, coughing, and much more. I feel for those who are sick but am praying I don't end up in the hospital this fall or winter. This morning I read a scripture I had posted on my bulletin board earlier-Joshua 1:9:
Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord God is with thee withersoever thou goest.
It was a simple answer. By reading this I was given the comfort and assurance that everything will be ok. There may be hard times coming, but it will only be temporary and the Lord will help out as long as I do my part. This can apply to anyone, so as long as we try our hardest, the Lord can help us when we need him.

It's been 5 years

Sept 17-the 5 year mark.
A day to remember the good times we had, whether it was dancing around in your basement to "I drove all night" by Celine Dion. There were times I would show up at your door and we would work on a craft or eat junk food until we about puked.
And then there was Beehive Camp when all the girls stayed in tents, but we stayed in a luxurious cabin, and we believed that were rattle snakes in the bushes in the back
I won't forget the time you made Alicia and I believe your elevator really shut down, so there we were, eating Doritos in your pitch black elevator for 2 hours, until you told us it never broke down...
And then we would play on the XBOX
And have debates over which was better-Harry Potter or A Series of Unfortunate Events
The times we talked about our trials and helped each other smile
And the many more times, but during these past 5 years you still have been one of the best friends I could ask for as I have felt your presence during hard times in my life.
Time has gone by and I have moved on, and I am definitely not the same person I was, but looking back at it, a lot of it was because of your influence in my life.
Shanna I still wear your necklace you gave me on my birthday that says Smile, which was the song you were known to sing.

So I am amazed how fast time has flown by. I am loving life but I still think of you Shanna and you will always be remembered :)

Love, Rach

Well, it is school after all

Lately I have realized that there really isn't much to write about while being in college. A lot of times college life pretty much looks and feels like this:

                                          

Yes there is a lot of work to do, with many trips to the library or quiet places while studying for classes. On the other hand, college can have moments like this:

Like watching football games. I am very excited for our first home game this Saturday-against Utah! It's going to be epic

 And then there are random dance parties, like if there are 6 guys in your ward who have one in their living room, where you can jump up and down to songs by Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson, Cascada, and more. There were strobe lights and music was blaring while a few girls and I ran down the hallways, knocking on doors and telling people to come. Unfortunately an RA came in later that night, glaring as it fell dead silent, and he said it had to end because students were outside the room in the hallway and the guys couldn't have their dining table standing up to hang a decoration on it. But at least we had a kick awesome time! (Sure, you may laugh because that's how we have parties at BYU) :)

Not to mention that on Monday, our ward got together at one of our leader's homes for a combined FHE activity. We were able to play volleyball and chicken (I've had bruises all week and our bishop was saying he was stiff as a board afterwards) in the pool, enjoyed soft serve ice cream while in a hot tub where the water changed colors, and roasted smokes over a fire as we got to know each other. It is a fantastic ward and it definitely wasn't a normal FHE activity :)

College is a lot of work (I promise) but it can also be fun! That's all for now folks

The life of a college girl

I guess I haven't posted in a while, huh? College has been great! It's definitely had its rough areas, though. I've learned that it requires reading many chapters a day and homework assignments that can be thrown at you before you know it. I am hoping that I will have time to also read over my notes and not just the 10-20 page chapters for each class every day. I am usually doing my vest treatment (that means I am shaking in a blue vest haha) while reading the small text in the Book of Mormon, which we are having to finish half of it by this Tuesday! Yikes that's not much time at all! But it's been great and I have learned so much from reading it. I love this precious book with all my heart and wish I had more time during this assignment to read half of it in two weeks so I could throughly study it. I may have mentioned this before, but I always have more energy every day that I read my Book of Mormon in the morning. And if I don't, they usually end up being worse days and I feel as if I am dragging my feet more.

Along with studying, I am having to remind myself to keep up with exercise. Yes, there are the many stairs to climb around campus, but it felt so good to go running last Saturday and this Wednesday before class. And not to mention I this last Sunday I was called to be 1st counselor for our Relief Society. I am so grateful that I have the chance to get to serve and get to know the girls in my ward and am loving my calling so far :)

Other than all of the fiasco for college life, I have learned the importance of having fun! I learned that your day can feel so imbalanced without more laughter or simple fun every day. It made me think of a quote by Mary Poppins "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap! The job's a game!" Yes we wish this would always be the case but it's true that you need to have fun every day

On top of all this, here are a few highlights from the week:

I was able to go home over the weekend for labor day with Kara and Kasey. I enjoyed seeing my family and relaxing. My grandpa still didn't stop with his jokes and my grandma didn't stop offering food. Same as always :)

And on Monday I relaxed, did some homework, and then was able to go on a hike with my daddy. We decided to take a short hike, but ended up going for a little bit longer on a path that we discovered. It was beautiful! We are so grateful to be so close to the mountains

It was then time to go back to school. When I was in Book of Mormon class on Tuesday, I looked across the row and my jaw dropped. One of my best friends from my childhood in Arlington was sitting there! I couldn't focus as well during the rest of class because I knew it was her. She came up to me and asked if I was Rachel, and I asked if it was her, and it sure was! We caught up a little bit and it was weird because we hadn't seen each other in so long but it was really neat!!

Later in the week on Thursday, I was thrilled because I was able to help Kasey propose to my cousin Kara. He took her on a scavenger hunt so I was dropped off to I awkwardly sat on a bench at Trafalga with a rose and letter for Kara from Kasey. She finally came after being lost and I gave it to her. We got lost on the way back to BYU, but eventually made it. I walked back to my dorm as she continued with the clues. I will just say that I am soooo happy for her! (I love you Kara!)

So tonight I went with a couple of girls to a day care with children with disabilities. Haha yes it was a little chaotic as most of them had down syndrome or severe autism, but we had a lot of fun bouncing around in a bounce house, jumping around outside, and keeping an eye on them for a few hours. Yes most of the pics are blurry, but that's only because we were moving around a lot. They were so cute and we couldn't stop laughing because their smiles are contagious