It's Been Awhile...

I feel like I have been seriously slacking!!! In my defense though life has been just a tad bit crazy. I had finals, packing, cleaning checks, Utah misadventures (more on that in a bit) Christmas shopping, Christmas and then Family Reunion to sort through, so as much as I love writing and blogging and making a record of my life, this blog kinda fell by the wayside... sorry... :) However I've repented of my ways and I intend to keep up with blogging better this next semester. Hey New Years is coming up so I think I sense one of my New Years Resolutions!!!!!

Anyway, if I tried to tell you everything that's happened to me since I last wrote, this would be a very long post. I can already tell this is going to be lengthy, so I will try to just include the important things and keep everything straight and to the point.

So Utah Misadventures, let's start there!

It all began when I tried to get home for Christmas. I got done with finals early and was excited to fly home Thursday afternoon instead of waiting till Saturday like most of the other college kids I knew. I boarded the Salt Lake express early Thursday morning after packing and cleaning the night before and then slept through the long four hour ride to the airport. However when I got there I was dismayed and slightly horrified to discover that all the flights had been cancelled.

But that wasn't so bad right? I mean delayed or cancelled didn't mean I was stranded in Utah. I figured the airline would just wait for the bad weather to pass and then pick up were they had left off and I'd be home just a little later than anticipated.

 But I was wrong! (It's been known to happen from time to time)

The Salt Lake City airport was shut down and the soonest flight I could probably get on was Monday.

...Wait a Second!!! Monday!?!?!? I was planning on flying home Thursday and now I couldn't even get out of Utah for FIVE MORE DAYS!!!

I was heartbroken (to put it mildly) and yes I'll even admit that I might have teared up a little bit! I'm a home sick 18 year old girl so of  course I was going to cry.

So there I was, stranded with my two bags, a backpack and a cell phone. Thankfully all was not lost because I was able to hitch a ride with my friend Christy, stay the night at her grandparents house and then catch a train in the morning to my cousins house. My dad was also able to get online and get me  a sooner flight, so instead of Monday I was scheduled to fly out on Saturday. Things were really looking up! Sure I wanted to be home and sure I didn't really have any clean clothes since I had only packed my dirty laundry, and sure, maybe I didn't have toothpaste or a hairbrush since I was planning on being home where hairbrushes and toothpaste just magically appear in the bathroom drawers, but at least I wasn't sleeping in the airport and at least I would only have to deal with no clothes for three days instead of five.

Friday Morning I woke up and took the Front Runner train all by myself to my cousins house. That was an adventure just by itself simply because I couldn't figure out how to read the train schedule and then I witnessed an arrest on the train. I'm not even kidding. And then I even kinda got a debriefing about the whole thing because I happened to be on one of the elevators with two of the police officers while they were talking about what happened. I just kinda stood awkwardly in between them not saying anything while we rode down from the train platform.  Fun Right!?! :)

My Aunt and Uncle were kind enough to take me in for a night and make me feel very welcome. We even drove to Salt Lake to Temple Square simply because I'd never seen Temple Square at Christmas. We walked around, looking at all the beautiful lights and admiring the various nativities. I just love Christmas. Oh and then we met a Youtube celebrity Stuart Edge! He does prank videos and card tricks and has a ton of viewers! So that was pretty cool! We even took a picture as proof! :)

I got up the next morning, boarded my flight without incident and then headed home to good old Washington! Mom picked me up at the airport which was wonderful because I haven't seen her in 3 months! And then Christmas was able to commence! 

We went caroling, made cookies had advent, read the Christmas story, had dance parties and then opened up presents Christmas morning. 

The other really awesome thing about Christmas is that the missionaries get to call so we got to hear from my Brother Jake who is in Samoa and then Skyped with my sister Jessica who is in Alabama. 

Then we packed that night, and flew to Southern California the next day. 

Whew!!! It's been just a crazy crazy past few weeks. 

Oh and here's a video I made of my crazy Utah adventure and family time! :) 

~Keep Smiling~ :)

The Lampost

The Lampost: 

A Historical Fiction Novel 

(Which basically means it's based off actual events that  have been slightly dramatized because, let's be honest,  who would actually read historical novels if they weren't dramatized?!?) 

Starring:

The Beautiful Toni

And...

The Lovely Anise

Once Upon a time there was a lamp post, reminiscent of the one in the Narnia movie (you know, the one with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe... :)

Toni: "Hey! A lampost!!!! Can we do the Narnia thing? I call being Mr. Tumnus!!!"

Toni: "NO ANISE!!!!! I called Being Mr. Tumnus!!! GET DOWN!!!! MY LAMPOST!!!!"

Anise:" But I happen to quite like it up here!"

Toni: "Do I look like I'm joking here?!?"

Toni: "You can be Lucy if you really want to, but you have to go stand over there!"

And they all lived Happily Ever After

The End! 

~Keep Smiling~ :)

Christmas Letter

So, it's been awhile.... Yes I realize that, but with finals coming up and a million and a half other things going on, it's been just a little hard to find time to sit down and write about our crazy fun lives! But I am still alive, just in case you were worried, and I even found time to write up our roommate Christmas letter. 

Merry Christmas!

This semester has been full of fun, friends, ice cream, running, dates, roomie lunches, late night boy talk... oh and some studying... Library exploits begin with the best of intentions but usually turn into people watching or flirting. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried and with a bunch of crazy schedules, sometimes it’s difficult to find all six of us crazy girls. More often then not, locating our roommates turns into the Rexburg edition of “Where is Waldo.”

Where is Vanessa? Vanessa is the romantic of the bunch. With her love of disney, coupled with an adoration for Mr. Darcy, she can definitely be found figuring out her happily ever after as she reads Jane Austen classics or watches disney movies. She is currently working on getting into the nursing program so we find her studying and dutifully completing her schoolwork. If she isn’t in our apartment or at school, we need only venture out a few steps into the cold Rexburg wind to find her happily sitting and socializing with our next door neighbors. Though there are places Vanessa usually frequents, she has, on occasion, gone off grid (which freaked Hannah and Alina out one Friday morning when they discovered that she was nowhere to be found. Though it turned out she was simply taking a test at the testing center, Alina and Hannah endured a few hours of anticipation and uncertainty! Alls well that ends well! :)  Vanessa adds excitement and fun to the apartment with her electric laugh and bright smile. 

Where is Anise? Anise is the hippy. Follow the sound of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd straight to her authentic record player. If Anise could be anywhere, it would be the beach, but since Idaho is just a little bit landlocked, she has to settle for seashells and jars of sand to keep from missing the Cayman Islands and California too much. This semester we’ve grown accustomed to the excitement she brings to our apartment, for life with Anise just wouldn’t be complete without backflip competitions, late night guitar jam sessions, her hippy fashion sense, crazy dancing, and her blunt sense of humor. Anise is a biology major so you just might catch her studying in between her numerous social escapades. 

Where is Kacee? Kacee is the spunky one. In between her time spent as a clinician aid at the student health center and studying to get into the nursing program, you might find Kacee firing nerf guns at unsuspecting roommates, dancing like crazy, chauffeuring her roommates to and fro (she’s the only one with a car, so she patiently puts up with the Walmart runs and Cocoa Bean ventures) or running laps at the I-center. This October, Kacee drove  all us girls to Utah for General Conference and opened up her house to us for a weekend. Kacee has an infectious laugh, and can often be found cheering up her roommates with her jokes and adorable smile (And if you’ve checked the library, the student health center, the crossroads and still can’t locate her, you might try looking in Hannah and Alina’s room, for she can often be found sitting in Alina’s bed, pretending to be Hannah’s roommate :) 

Where is Toni? Toni is the realist. Like Kacee she has joined the rest of the working world and spends many of her Saturdays working for Student Food Services at the Crossroads. Toni also has family nearby and so we are graced with frequent visits from her triplet brother Troy. To find Toni, follow the sound of music! Toni has the best dance moves of all her roomies, which basically means she can actually dance while the rest of us just... try... :) Toni also has the best hair, which is not only gorgeous, but doesn’t ever shed (which her roommates greatly appreciate) As an English major, Toni frequents the library often and has a habit of running into the most attractive boys, a talent that we like to call “black magic!” Toni is an avid movie watcher and graces us all with her knowledge and movie critique. 

Where is Alina? Alina sometimes wonders how in the world she ended up with such amazing roommates at such an amazing school! To find Alina look in the Snow (that’s the music building! :) The majority of her time is spent practicing voice, singing opera, writing songs, playing guitar and listening to classical music for such is the life of a music major.  Alina also can be found in the kitchen baking delectable concoctions, running laps in the I-center with Kacee (to work off those delectable concoctions), faithfully attending country swing dancing every Wednesday (still working off those delectable concoctions), taking naps in random places on campus to catch up on sleep, or socializing... when she probably should be studying. If none of those places work, you might try looking for face cards and skittles, for she recently discovered a love for skittles poker. 

Where is Hannah? Hannah is the most mature of the group (though we must not confuse maturity with uptightness, for she also knows how to have a good time) To find Hannah, follow the dulcet tones of Frank Sinatra, and he will lead you straight to the kitchen to find Hannah in an apron playing the part of a perfect fifties house wife. Frank’s not the only man in her life though, for she also has a great love for Louis Armstrong and can pull off quite a convincing Louis impersonation. If Louis and Frank don’t lead you straight to her, you might try you luck looking for empty bottles of cheerwine, one of her favorite drinks. In between music and schoolwork Hannah can be found fulfilling her calling as relief society first counselor, giving date advice to her roommates, participating in Kacee’s nerf gun wars and joining the various random dance parties we roommates have. And now the real question: Where will Hannah end up, for she is putting in her papers and will soon be receiving her call to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  If anything notable happens, we will keep you posted.

Thank you all so much for the positive influence you have been on our lives. We truly appreciate the love and kindness we have been shown during our first semester here at BYU-I 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Love, 

Vannny, Anise, Kacee, Toni, Alina, and Hannah

Weekend in Wyoming

So I didn't get to go home for Thanksgiving, instead it seems that home came to me :) My extended family (so lots of cousins, aunts, uncles plus one set of awesome grandparents) and I chilled (literally, since it was kinda snowy) in Wyoming and had a lot of food and a lot of fun :)

~Keep Smiling~ :)