Christmas and... oh what?? It's cold? That's right.

Hey! So I know you are just DYING to know what I got for Christmas. What's that? You really are? Well, who wouldn't be, right?

Okay. Here it goes.

A Cricut! This was definitely the biggest item. Want to know a secret? My mom and I got this for me together and I used it before I 'got' it (by my mothers request). I'm kind of a Christmas Cheater like that. Don't hate. (P.S. If you want vinyl words for your walls, I'm you're girl!)

I LOVE reading. There is nothing better, so of course I got lots of books. A few days ago I finished I am Number Four. It definitely wasn't what I expected, but it was really good and I definitely recommend it.

My parents Santa brought snack-sized Bugles bags and put them on our Christmas tree. Awesome. Oh yeah, except for the part where they don't fit on my fingers... Or my cousin's 2 year-old's finger. That is just wrong.

I also got clothes and scarves and gift cards and the coolest alarm clock of my whole life, so pretty much I now have a lot of cool stuff. And how could I possibly forget the best part... a phone call from my brother who's in Brazil on an LDS mission. He comes home in 12 days! Aaaaahhhh!!! I can't wait! This Christmas was the TOPS!

So... not to switch topics or anything (I'm totally switching topics. Hah!) Do you remember that time that it SNOWED in Mesa?? Oh yeah. That was today! Unfortunately, I didn't see any of it! Dumb!

Anyways, needless to say, I am freezing here. Please don't make fun of me. I have lived my entire life in Mesa and I enjoy spending a day in the snow MAXIMUM. I hate feeling cold especially when my toes are cold because it takes forever before they are warm again. Seriously. 34 degrees here? Not acceptable.

So I woke up this morning and I had 'Far Away' by Ingrid Micahelson stuck in my head all day. I was definitely not mad! You should watch it and enjoy. (I tried to upload it on here, but guess what... I am stupid when it comes to most forms of technology. True story.) I figured the main reason I have been singing this song all day long is because it is so cold here and I like to keep my mind on the 'island in the blue bay.' Can I please live there? Yes? Okay!

Words of wisdom.

You thought I was dead, didn't you? Well, I am was. Not only was it FINALS time (gross.), but I was also sick. Like nasty lie on the couch and cough-a-lung-up/blow-your-brains-out-your-nose sick. It was bad. I may or may not have thought I was going to die, but I'm better now.

Anyways, things have been a little crazy, but super great! Especially today when I found out my semester grades. Two B's and four A's! I'm definitely okay with that!

Seriously.

Well, besides finals, I've been busy getting ready for this Christmas concert, making Christmas presents, getting texts from strangers.... Oh, wait, what is that about strange texts? Well, let me tell you.

So on Thursday, I get a text from a number that I do not recognize inviting all "U5"-ers (people in my ward) to a party at their house that night. This isn't too uncommon... I mean I DO go to a singles ward and there are lots of parties and we DO have a ward directory so it is possible that this person got my number from the directory, so I'm not too worried. Well, I text back asking who's texting me. His name is Jake Lastname... No idea who this guy is. Still not a problem, I would just ask around and see if any knows him. Turns out NOBODY does... Freak-y! So my friend Angela and I decide to go to the house just to find out who the heck this guy is. We get there and this is in front of their door.

What the what?! Don't they know it's Christmas and not Halloween?!!! Well, Angela and I were dumb fearless and went up to the house and rang the doorbell and... nothing. We heard voices, but no one answered the door. Angela deemed this the perfect creeping spying opportunity and peeked through their curtains to see if we recognized anybody. Seeing how this story is going, is it really a surprise that nobody looked familiar? Of course not.

So what do we do? Hide in the car and spy on who is going into the house, of course. Every time a car passed we'd lie on our seats and peek out the window so we woudn't be detected. We looked stupid, but it worked. Unfortunately, we didn't recognize anybody. Are you surprised? Yeah... neither am I.

Well, we decided once more to be stupid brave and go in. As we get out of the car, the car alarm goes off, and blows our cover. After everything we had done to stay hidden... Freaked out, we decide to just leave and go to a friends house and watch Prince of Persia. Which I was definitely okay with... Yuuum... Jake Gyllenhaal... Just don't look at his greasy hair... Yeah.

So anyway, the moral of this story is do not go into a house with a freaky inflatable cat in front of it ESPECIALLY if it is Christmas and not Halloween and if the person that invited you is a stranger then that's a triple no.

The End.

Life update and a gratitude check.

So I have been busy, busy, BUSY with school and life, but it has been just fantastic. What have I been busy with, you may ask? Well, let me show you!

On Veterans Day (Yeah, remember that day so long ago?) I was able to hang out with my fam. We went to Maine street/ downtown Mesa for a look around. Did you know that they had an auction place there?!? I sure didn't!

After that, we went to this place(also on Maine street):

It was so cool! They sell their goods based on how much it weighs. It was so fun to walk around and see all of the cool things that they had there. I'm definitely gonna have to go back soon!

After that we went to a yarn store which was a tragedy because I RAN OUT of some of the yarn that I was using for my slippers and I can't find it any where! RIDICULOUS!!! Seriously! I went to several Michael's I went to Joann's I went to Wal-Mart I even went to Target and NONE of these places had the black and white yarn that I needed. Of course, they had two different kinds of brown and white, a blue and white, even a grey and white, but no black and white. Whatever. I'm over it. I just had to substitute with a white yarn and a black yarn that I knit together. *Sigh.* Let's just not mention this ever again...

ANYWAYS... so the weekend after wonderful Veteran's day, I went to a wedding reception in Peoria with my good friend Blake. It was ridiculously long and we may or may not have gotten lost 4 or 5 times, but we had lots of fun and afterwards we went to a place called Paragon to dance. This isn't like turn on a rap and we'll just jump up and down for a ridiculously long time... No. This is legit dancing. We danced the Salsa, the Meringue, the Cha Cha, the Rhumba, the Tango and East Coast Swing. I have to go for my dance class, but it was SO fun and it only costs $5 to get in with a dance class included at the beginning! If you like dancing or even want to learn how to dance AND live in the valley, you should definitely check it out! Google "Paragon dance Tempe" and click on the first link for details.

The very next day was the Gilbert Temple Groundbreaking. What a great experience and it was so fun to be there with my friends!

Afterwards, we went and played mini golf at Golfland and it was super fun, but let's just say that if you want to feel REALLY good about your golfing skills, you should definitely take me along... The highest that my friends got was a 55. Mine? Yeah... it was a 75. Awesome. It really was so fun, though!

I also went to... THE MIDNIGHT SHOWING OF HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART I. (Dun dun dun!)

I loved it! Seriously! If you have not seen it, I would definitely recommend it! Also you should tell me when you're going so I can tag along... I would love to see it again! :)

So that's been my life so far, but it would be amiss if I just stopped there! It is nearly Thanksgiving and I have so much that I am thankful for! In Sacrament Meeting today there was a talk on gratitude and one of the speakers said this quote (I don't know who it's from please forgive me)

"Having gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it."

I loved that, so I decided that I should probably follow that advice.

1. I am grateful for my family. (Who isn't, right?) I seriously love them, though and I'm so happy to be sealed to them for eternity!

2. I am grateful for music. I love music! I am grateful when I hear good, clean music and right now I am especially grateful for Christmas music! 99.9 baby! :)

3. I am grateful for my ward. I have never felt the Spirit so strongly and consistently as I do in this ward. It also seems like I am meeting someone new each Sunday. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I love it!

4. I am grateful for my friends. I talk about them so much, so I'll just leave it at that.

5. I am thankful for missionary work. It has been such a blessing that I have been able to have a mini-mission while all of my close friends are all over the world serving their own mission. I love telling them what's going on and I LOVE reading their stories!

6. I am grateful for uncooked tortillas! Seriously! Go to Sam's Club or Costco (They're at both... that's how good they are!) and buy a package. Cook it. EAT! They are my favorite thing ever!

7. I'm grateful for my body. Isn't it weird that we don't fully appreciate something until we don't have it anymore?! I have been feeling sick the past week. You know, headaches, aches everywhere, sore throat... The whole deal. I am so grateful that I am able to get better!

I am so grateful for so much more, but I am also exhausted, so maybe you could help me out! Leave a comment and tell me what you are thankful for and why. It could be something serious... or not. It could be original... or not. Just let me know! :)

The attitude of gratitude.

I am so grateful for so much, but I want to write about what I'm most grateful for today and it's this...

Weird right?! I'm sure you're scratching your head and thinking, "Why the heck is this girl thankful for a jury summon?!" Well, to be honest, I'm not. Actually, when I got it in the mail about a month ago, it took me two days to have the courage to open it. Yeah...

So being the busy college student that I am, I kept wondering how on earth I was going to fit jury duty into my 7:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. schedule... and that's only for school! So today I called the number that tells me where I'm suppose to go, what I'm suppose to do, blah, blah, blah. Well, when I called I was informed that my group was dismissed! DISMISSED, I TELL YA!

I am so grateful for tender mercies that are a small reminder to me that my Heavenly Father does know and love me.

I'm am also so grateful for my sweet elderly neighbor who just called up my mom and asked if we wanted some bread that just came out of the oven... Yes, please and thank you!

Warning: The following pictures may cause covetous thoughts.

Don't say I didn't warn you!

What are you most recent thing that you are grateful for?

'Tis the season... and a weekend update.

Can I just start off by saying that I love my stake and I reeeaaally love my ward? Well. I do. This past weekend we had a MAG (Multi-area-group... or something like that...) activity. What did we do? We went to

Camp Lomia of course! I forgot how much I love that place...

You're probably sick of hearing about them, but Blake, Dayton and Jessica are my road trippin' buddies so of course we went up together! We listened to rap on the way up like the true gangsters we are (Hah!) and we all got ring pops on the way back. Yeah... we go to college.

Although it was pretty cold up there (Born and raised in Mesa, I'm kind of a cold wimp...) It was really beautiful! The leaves actually change colors! I love it!

On Monday, for FHE my ward hosted a Halloween party for the stake! Supreme dance party! It rocked!

This is me and my good friend Charlynn. She was a ringmaster (although some people thought she was Lady Gaga... What??) and I am Perry the Platypus. If you don't know who that is... well, first you should shed some tears and then you should watch this. Basically, he rocks.

What did you do this weekend?

As it is now November, I thought it'd be suiting if I started giving thanks for all that I have. It's never too early to start, right??

I am so grateful for the Gospel. I don't know where I'd be without it and I know for a fact that I would not be as happy as I am if I didn't have it in my life.

I am so grateful for missionaries. Having an older brother on a mission in Brazil (Who comes home in January! That was fast!), several friends on missions (and some that will be leaving soon), and a calling as a ward missionary, my heart has been filled with love for the missionaries. They do so much and it is so fun to read about many of their experiences and watch how it helps them grow in the Gospel.

What else am I grateful for? You just might have to wait and see...

What are you most grateful for?

Adventure time!

Hello again! Can I just say that life has been so great?! A little crazy, but I can handle that! Want to know what I've been up to?? Well, I'll show you!

I went to my very first circus! Besides the fact that it wasn't in a tent (not cool) it was really fun! The best part was definitely watching the elephants. I want one!

So mostly I just wanted to show you those two pictures... What I've really been doing is spending time with these wonderful people.

Dayton is one of those sarcastic-funny people who always keeps me laughing.

Blake is a super-quiet-until-you-get-to-know-him-and-then-he's-hilarious type of guy.

Jess is one of my most favorite people ever. Serious. She is always so happy and bubbly. I can't help but be happy when I'm around her.

The four of us have some crazy fun adventures. The most recent one was two weeks ago when we went to conference. I still can't believe it happened! The Thursday before General Conference, I get a text from Dayton asking if I wanted to go to conference. Of course, I said yes and 24 hours later, the four of use are making our way up to Utah.

Utah is so beautiful. I really wish the leaves changed colors like they do there! Seriously! Look how pretty this is!

It was a successful trip filled with LOTS of driving, lots of laughing and very little sleeping. Good thing I resourcefully used the time in my classes the next day to catch up on my sleep. Kidding! But seriously, it was hard to come back! I have the best friends ever!

Have you been on any adventures recently? Tell me about them!

Blogy blog blogs.

So I'm sitting in my computer literacy class and we're talking about blogs. Don't ask me why, I don't know, but since I have about an hour left for this class (yeah, it's THREE HOURS!!!), I figured I should probably do something useful... like update my blog! :) Yeah, yeah. I know this post is WAAY past due... well, sorry.

So, guess what... I am a sophomore... in COLLEGE! Woah! When did that happen?! Well, it's actually been really fun! I spend a lot of time in the institute so I've made a lot of new friends and this year has just been great so far! I am taking 4 (yep, FOUR) institute classes and it has been just great!

My favorite non-institute class so far is LATIN/SALSA DANCE!!! It makes me excited to just say it! I have learned so much already and I'm becoming less awkward at dancing. Ha! Who knew??

There's so much else that's going on right now, but it needs a separate post. So for now, just know that I am alive and well... oh! and happy! (:

Success!

Yesterday was great! I was a little worried when things didn't go according to plan, but I did it! I sang in church and it wasn't that bad!

I'm so excited for this week! ASU starts on Thursday and I am taking some great classes. I'm even taking a Salsa/Latin dance class! Ooooh! We'll see how that goes, but I think it'll be fun! Besides dance, I'm also taking elementary math, second language learners, computer literacy, and geology classes! Oh! And don't forget the 4 institute classes I'm taking as well. This year is going to be super fun!

On another note, I wanted to talk about my dear, sweet grandma. Her birthday was yesterday and we had a family dinner to celebrate. She has 5 children and their 5 spouses, 21 grandchildren (including spouses), and 1.5 great-grandchildren. That's 31.5 lives that she's touched just within her own family. She is an incredible lady and I love her very much! Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Uh... help!

I don't know what got into me. Maybe it was guilt, but whatever the reason, I am SINGING in church on Sunday and I am kind of freaking out! Any tips that you have used that help? Please let me know!

On another note, I got this book

I thought the name was hilarious!

And I am knitting these slippers! Yay!

Considering that the last time that I tried to knit something I was about 10 and it turned out to be a lopsided, sad excuse for a washcloth, I am very excited to try. Hopefully this time, it will actually look like the picture...

What have you been up to lately?

Check it out!

All these sounds are made from the jeep. Pretty cool, right?

Heber-Overgaurd. Who knew it was so beautiful?

So a few weeks ago I went to Heber-Overguard after visiting some of my friends in Showlow. Here are a few pictures that I took up there that I love!

This is a real restaurant in Heber-Overgaurd. I wish I had eaten there, it looks so classy!

These ones are actually from my backyard. I guess I was feeling artistic that day.

Okay, okay. I know I have been a slacker with my blog, but life is pretty slow right now... it's probably of this ridiculous heat! It's basically impossible to feel comfortable, even inside my house. It needs to stop! Oh wait. This is Arizona, the heat never stops! Bummer!

Well, anyway, I was looking through the list of blogs that I read daily and I came across this:

It is a paper cake treat box! Such a cute idea! If you want to make it as much as I do, go here. If you end up making it/ want to make it, but need some help/ want me to make it, let me know! Have fun!

Summer in Sedona

So this past week, I went with my family to Sedona to celebrate my grandparent's 50th anniversary! I love spending time with my extended family and since some of them live in Nevada and California, this week was extremely special because I got to see them!

My camera is a little bulky so I didn't bring it everywhere we went, but here are a few pictures that I really loved!

Isn't it beautiful?! This picture doesn't do justice to how bright and colorful the mountains were. It was truly breath taking!

Gene and Jackie Williams. Aka: My Grandparents! I love them so much!

My grandpa is a major tickler! If you get within arms length of him, he tries to tickle/poke you! It's a little annoying, but really funny... when it's not you!

I actually wasn't there for this picture, but I think this is way too cool to leave out!

Some of my cousins and siblings before we went to slide rock. No, my cousin isn't smoking, she just wanted to look like she was. Rebellious.

I don't know if you've ever been to Slide rock, but there's about a 5 minute walk from the parking lot to the actual site. On the way there are all of these old buildings. As I was looking at this building this elderly woman walks by with some other people and she said that when she was a girl scout she stayed in this cabin! How cool is that?!

This is Slide Rock. It is a naturally built slide that pushes the slider along with the current. The water comes straight from the Rockies so it's pretty freezing, but super fun!

These are my two adorable cousins! They absolutely loved slide rock and they refused to get out of the water. Here's a better picture of them.

Tyler is 11 years old and he is the sweetest kid ever! He doesn't care what others think of him and he'll even give me hugs in front of his friends. Aw!

Spencer is a stud! He's already been kissed by 2 girls! (They kissed him not the other way around... ) He is as cute as can be! Each night we would get everyone together and eat dinner and each night he would ask me if I would sit by him. It made me so happy that he wanted to spend time with me even though I'm 10 years older than him!

I think this picture is hilarious! My cousin Courtney and I both got holes in our water shoes and we spent the rest of the time there pretending to be hobos.

This is the cutest little girl ever! Allie is one and a half and she has an attitude like no other! Up until a few weeks ago, she would not talk to or smile at anyone but her parents. What a funny little girl! I love her and I can't wait until her little brother comes in August!

Sedona was absolutely amazing! The days were packed with games and swimming and hiking and swimming and eating and watching movies and laughing... oh yeah, and swimming! What an amazing week!

p.s. Isn't this dress uber cute? I think so! (: