Christmas Break

I didn't realize until today how long it has been since I posted. I'm a slacker, I know. I can't believe how busy life has been!

Finals were good. Ok, overall finals were terrible. I struggled this semester when I didn't need to. But I was able to finish all of the projects I had talked about before, plus see Dustin during all the craziness, so that was really nice. He helped me move back home the weekend of the 15th and I'm still trying to adjust to life with parents and siblings. But it is so nice to be home with my family. We've had a lot of fun. Plus, no rent! I love that part.

On the 18th Dustin and I drove my roommate Katie down to Salt Lake City to catch her plane back to Kentucky. We left my house in Idaho Falls at about 2:30 am and ventured our way down to Utah. It was so great to see Katie again! I didn't get the chance to say bye to her the day I moved so it was nice to see her one last time (or at least for the time being, I'm so going back to Kentucky). I feel bad now after the fact because I was so quiet going down to the airport. Katie carried most of the conversation, but not because I didn't want to talk about anything. I'm going to miss talking to Katie about everything: boys, school, Rexburg...And I wanted to take in everything I could and let her tell me about her life. I miss Katie like crazy!

Dustin left back home to California on the 20th and he has been there since. Yes, I miss him like crazy and no, I haven't had a nervous break down from not seeing him for over a week. He comes back on the 1st so I have less than a week before I get to see him again. I've talked to him on the phone a couple of times since he left and he's really enjoyed spending time with his family. I'm glad he was able to go home for Christmas. The missionaries spent their Christmas at Dustin's house where they played games and also had the opportunity to call their families back home. I bet that was really neat for Dustin's family. He was originally supposed to be back in Idaho on Dec. 26th but he was able to extend it and spend a little more time with his family. He has a had a great time with them.

On Christmas Eve it snowed like crazy. We received at least eight inches. It just kept coming all day long! Dad had to run to the store to get a couple of last-minute things and the roads were terrible. People had slid off the road and wrecked all over the place. A news reporter even stopped Dad and interviewed him about the weather conditions and advice he had for those who had to drive. So we spent 10:00 pm that evening watching Dad on the news. He did a great job and gave excellent advice: "Drive slow and keep your eyes pealed." Che' and Amber came over, along with Aaron, and we spent the evening playing Mexican Train Dominoes and Five Crown, and pretty much vegging out like crazy. It was a lot of fun. We ended the evening with a Christmas discussion and scripture reading.

Christmas day was great as usual, except for the fact that Mom was sick with the flu. Not fun at all. She was able to get better quickly though. Amber, Che' and Aaron spent the night so it was fun having the entire family home for Christmas. We had a great day of relaxing and enjoying one another's company.

The snow continued for a day or two. The day after Christmas Amy and I decided to take a couple of things back to stores and we didn't even make it out of our cul-de-sac in our neighborhood in my Toyota Camry. We had to pile into Mom's 4-wheel-drive Honda Pilot if we wanted to get out. It was rediculous. Amy and I both caught the flu from Mom and spent most of the day in bed today. Good times for sure. We are both feeling a lot better now.

I Love to See the Temple

I'm moving in the morning. I hate that thought. I've loved living in this apartment with my amazing roommates, and having Dustin across the parking lot. It's going to be hard not seeing him every day. I'm going to miss my bedroom. I've been one of the lucky ones in our apartment who had one of the two back rooms; mine has been the one in the very back corner. And the view is amazing. I look out my window and the first thing I see is the Rexburg temple. The temple is beautiful, and it's completely finished. And it is lit up so bright. There were nights where I woke up and was startled because the first thing I saw was an incredibly bright building. It's beautiful. For some reason, the lights aren't all on tonight. Infact, it's pretty dark. I like to say they are dim tonight because it is my last night in my apartment. And it makes it easier to leave. I hate getting used to something then having to leave it behind. I don't expect to ever have a view like this ever again, let alone this room if I come back to the Ridge in April. But for now I can say that this has been my favorite semester, and having that awesome reminder of why we are really here just sitting outside my window has helped make this semester an unforgettable one.

This is How Busy I Am!

I woke up this morning thinking about everything I need to have finished by Tuesday and how little time I have to do it in: one 5-page research paper, one "amazing" feature story, a two-page spread for the New Era, a class lecture about media bias, and a public relations campaign for Carino's. I'm a little overwhelmed right now but I think I can finish it all by Monday night if I get going on it right now. So I guess that means I should probably end this post. Immediately. I'm so excited!

My Buddy Ashton

This is my little pal Ashton Bond. I used to baby sit Ashton when he and his family lived in Idaho Falls and we had a lot of fun. It was more like hanging out with a little buddy instead of babysitting. I actually took these pictures at my apartment when I was hanging out with him for an afternoon. These were taken in my kitchen with my twin sister. Back in these times he really liked watching "The Wiggles" on the Disney Channel. I remember hanging out with Ashton when he had just gotten his Wiggles couch. Oh, did he love that couch. We'd pop in a Wiggles DVD or pick an episode from TiVo (which he knew how to work better than I did). I'd get him his sippy cup and he'd just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. He was so fun to play with. But he's gotten older and probably doesn't like "The Wiggles" as much anymore. Ashton and his family moved away a while back so I don't get to see them much. I did, however, get one of the best surprises ever when Courtnee brought the kids into the restaurant and they sat at one of my tables. They completely made my day.

I've been thinking a lot about this little guy and his family lately, and I'm not really sure why. Its probably because I miss them like crazy and the holidays make it hard not being able to see loved ones that are far away. The Bond family is absolutely amazing. They are the type of people that come into your life and never leave your memory because of their great examples and constant love for the people around them. I'm truly blessed to know them and have them in my life. And I'm also glad that they are being so great to some other friends that recently moved out there. It makes me feel at ease to know that they are being watched over by the Bond family. They will definitely be taken care of.

Ashton doesn't remember me much anymore. But the memories I had with that little guy and his family are treasured ones.

To close this post I just want to tell Jon, Courtnee and the kids that I love you guys so much and I am grateful to know you and have you in my life. Thanks for being such great friends!

My Roommates

These are my roommates. I will only have the opportunity to live with these girls for a little over a week more so I wanted to tell everybody about them.

The first one, with the dark hair, is Sydney. She's from Las Vegas and she's one of the funniest people I know. But not funny jokester funny. She's incredibly witty and chill. She doesn't care what people think of her and simply moves with the flow.

The third person in (because I'm the second) is Kayla. She's from Mud Lake, Idaho, and one of the sweetest people in the world. I've only lived with her since September but I feel like I've known her my entire life. She isn't in school right now so she basically spends most of her time working and hanging out with me. One thing I love about Kayla is her taste in music. We basically like all of the same kind of music with the same distaste for country. It's not easy to find somebody that likes what I do in music, so this was a match made in heaven! Kayla has also been somebody I have grown very close to and can call one of my best friends. She's a great listener and also gives some of the best advice I have ever gotten from somebody. She'll be staying here until next April when the winter semester ends.

Next in line is Julia. She's from Las Vegas as well. She and Sydney came to school together. Right off the bat in April Julia and I became close friends. We've been able to share personal experiences and relate to each other more than I can say for a lot of my close friends I have. She's been somebody I can go to when I need some advice, have something to share that's exciting, or simply a listening ear. She is definitely somebody I call a best friend. She's one of those people that was placed in my life to help me along the way.

The one of the end is Katie from Lexington, Kentucky. Katie is the craziest of the bunch, she's absolutely hilarious. Katie is one of those people you just can't hate because of her bubbly personality and her love for everybody. She has been such a fun roommate and an awesome friend during the good and bad times of the last couple of semesters. Her room has been right next to mine in the back of the apartment so we've had more opportunities to stay up late and talk. Katie and I have a special bond that isn't like the other girls. We understand each other on a different level. She's moving back to Kentucky next week and I'm going to miss her like crazy.

The longest I've known any of these girls is since April but I truly feel like these girls are my family. I have had more fun this semester with these girls than any other time of my life. I truly feel like they were placed in my life for a reason, and I am so grateful for every single one of them.

Long Time No See

I created this blog quite a long time ago and haven't known what to do with it at all. In fact, I don't even know if this is going to work. But if this does happen to work and I actually published my first blog, then I'd like to say hello to the blogging world and tell you how happy I am that I finally figured out how to do this! (If I can even remember what I did.) We'll see how long this lasts!