God Be With You Til We Meet Again

Today my dear, dear friend Lauren Claspell enters the MTC and starts her Anchorage, Alaska mission!

I am so very excited for her! I know that she will have a great experience on her mission and will love it so much. I also know that she will be an amazing missionary. She is so sweet and kind and genuine and her testimony and love for the gospel shine through her constantly. I know that she will be able to touch a lot of hearts up there in Alaska.

I am a bit sad that she is leaving and is not up here in Rexburg, Idaho to room with me again this semester. But once I put these selfish thoughts away, I know that she is going where she is supposed to be and doing what is right for her. I admire her courage to leave her friends and family and her life here to give a year and a half to the Lord as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

So good luck to you Sister Claspell! You'll be great and we will be thinking of you and missing you constantly!

My Week in LA :)

I was lucky enough to go on a very last minute trip down to the LA area with my friend Katie and I am so very glad that I decided to go! Three of my roommates live in the area (Lauren, Karina, and Rachel) and it's been a long time since I've seen any of them.

 This is the night I got to Lauren's house. :)

 Love my Karina twin

The drive down to LA took less time than I anticipated which was really nice, and it was a fun drive too! We got to Lauren's house in Cypress on Monday afternoon. We got to go to Lauren's sister-in-law's house and meet Temah and her two adorable sons! They are even cuter than Lauren describes them. Then we went to grab some dinner at this little drive-thru place called Albertacos. It was quite delicious...even if they did put onions on my tacos and their stupid intercom scared the crap out of me and Lauren. 

Tuesday Katie and I spent the day with Lauren while Karina worked. We went to a place called Buffalo Exchange (basically a Playdoh's closet for all my Mantecans here) to go shopping and I got some pretty adorable stuff. Then we grabbed some Italian for lunch and some frozen yogurt. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the rest of Failure to Launch and eating Mama Claspell's super yummy tortilla soup. :)

Wednesday I had spent the night at Karina's house. We woke up at 5 am to get me registered for classes and I got all the ones I need! Of course we went back to sleep for a few more hours before waking up and eating delicious omelets made by Karina for breakfast. When Katie joined us (Lauren was working this day so it was just the three of us) we decided to go to Color Me Mine in Huntington Beach only to discover that it no longer is there. Major bummer. So instead we walked on the pier and ate at Ruby's Diner that overlooks the ocean-so good and so pretty! Then we got Leah (Lauren's little sister from school) and took her to the mall to get a dress for her big party coming up. Later that night Karina, Lauren, and I went to this place called Claws for shrimp. Ohmygosh. It was so good! It kinda freaked me out at first because you have to rip the heads, legs, tails, and shell off the shrimp before you can eat it, but after the first one I was totally on board. It was such a fun and delicious place!

Thursday was just Katie and I because both the girls had to work. We went to El Torito for lunch because Katie's brother told us we had to eat there. It was pretty good. Then we went to Downtown Disney to explore all the shops. Later that night, I went with Lauren, Karina, and their friend Scott to pick up Rachel in Fullerton. Then we all went out to Claws again (that's how good it was-two nights in a row!). I'm so glad that I was able to extend the trip a day so I could see Rachel for the night. I haven't seen her since last July when she graduated and I've missed her dearly. 

Friday was the end of the trip. Katie and I started off spending some time at Seal Beach collecting shells for me. Then we walked around the adorable shops and bought a few little trinkets. After we visited all the shops we decided we better start the drive back home. I seriously would love to live down there and own a cute little shop by the beach. I can think of no better place! You have tons of beaches all over the place and Disneyland right there! What more could I want in life? Beautiful. 

Happy [late] Valentine's Day!!!

First off, I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day...and no it's not because I've never had a real Valentine. I just don't get all the hype about it. Sure, it's sweet and cute and romantic but I think I've decided I don't want to celebrate Valentine's Day when I'm married. Just a nice yummy dinner at home, watch a movie or play a game and just be with each other. Oh, I'll spring for some sparkling cider because that stuff is delicious but other than that I think I'm good. I think that is what Valentine's Day should be like. You don't have to do all these big romantic gestures-don't get me wrong...they are cute and appreciated. But I'd be much happier just spending a nice one-on-one evening with the one I love. Doesn't really matter what we're doing.

Anyway, that's not the point of this post. I'm writing because today I got a package from my Kylie:

Happy Valentine's Day to me! She sent me a sweet little ornament that says be brave on it and a wonderful card that reminded me why I love that girl so much. It literally made my day today. I think that the only good thing about not living with her is that we try every so often to send each other a package or a card or at least an email. It's always a really nice surprise and it always leaves me smiling.

EFY Counselor

I have applied to be an EFY counselor for three weeks in Rexburg this summer and I really hope I get this job! Moriah and I went to our interview last night and I think that we did pretty well. It was a group interview with about 15 people there. We had some group discussion questions and a few activities to do and I had a really good time. Probably the most fun interview I've ever been to. 

I so want to have this opportunity. After the interview last night, Moriah and I were both so excited for EFY. I think that it would be a great experience to have and an awesome way to start off my summer. I have applied for the three weeks in Rexburg right after Spring semester ends, so I wouldn't have to worry about traveling anywhere. I would get $375 a week which would be way awesome for my other summer plans. Plus, I never had the opportunity to attend EFY as a youth so I really want to at least experience it now as an adult. We won't hear back until mid-March which seems like so far away to me! Until then, my fingers will be crossed that both me and Moriah get this job.

Kylie Jo

I miss my dear sweet friend.

A lot. 

:(

I Have A Dream Of Success

 WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!

We completed our Lazy Man Iron Man! 112 miles biking, 26 (not 36 like my last post says) miles running and 97 laps swimming. I'm so glad that Carlee talked me and Afton into doing the Lazy Man with her. It was so great to have some workout buddies this semester and to have something to make me actually keep going to the gym! I really think that I will try and do the Lazy Man again in future semesters. I had a great time with it and I lost up to 20 pounds this semester! (not sure exactly, but around that). 

I Have A Dream of Afton

Meet the roommate...Afton Cecil :)

I love this girl so much. She is an amazing friend, roommate, and overall person. She is so fun to be with and keeps us all happy and laughing. Afton and I are always together (that is, when she actually gets to come home). She's one of those people that if you're laughing with, or having a serious conversation with, it's always a good time. She knows how to laugh with you and she is a great listener who understands you. 

Since the beginning of the semester, our other roommate Kristina has been calling us an old married couple. At first we laughed and thought it was silly but then we realized how right she is. Afton and I started out the semester by going to the gym every morning at 5:30 and reading scriptures together every night. We have since been less than excellent at these goals of ours, but we try. We enjoy many of the same things and have similar senses of humor. One of my favorite little quirks about the two of us are that we are so in sync together! We'll pass by each other and automatically either high-five or fist bump each other. We also start/stop singing to the radio at the exact same spots. It's kinda creepy actually, but so fun. 

Well, our OTHER roommate, Carlee, talked us into doing the Lazy Man Iron Man that the school's gym hosts. At first I was a bit nervous about it-112 miles biking, 36 miles running, and 2.1 (97 laps) miles swimming to be completed in a month's time...are you kidding me?!?!?!?! I am not the most fit person in the world and I am not blessed with a love of exercise. But I have to say-it has been one week out of the month and I have quite enjoyed it so far. It has not been the easiest, but I have done 2 miles running, 21 miles biking, and 14 laps swimming so far. It makes it a lot easier that I have two amazing ladies by my side to encourage me and keep me going. 

I am so blessed to have Miss Afton as a roommate this semester. I was a bit nervous when the semester began, just because I had never roomed with Afton before so I wasn't sure how it would work. But it has worked out beautifully. I never am upset or irritated with Afton. I'm always happy to see her when she comes home or wakes up in the morning and she always leaves me smiling. I am truly blessed to know this girl.