Sights and Sounds

Last night I had the great privilege of attending a broadway production with my wonderful friend and cousin, Kristi. We saw "Fiddler on the Roof" put on by Broadway Across Canada. I can't even begin to describe how AMAZING it was! It felt like being in New York City for a night. I enjoyed every second of it and can't wait until I'm rich enough to actually GO to New York and see more broadway plays (a girl can dream!)
P.S. Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for letting me choose my husband :) lol

Time For School!

I never thought I would be so happy to go back to school, but the last week has been the most fun I've had in a long time. I started at Mount Royal University. I wasn't exactly nervous about going back, but I really didn't know what to expect or if I would like it. However, by the time orientation was over, I knew I had made the right choice.

Getting to class was another thing...

I'm sure we've all had that dreaded nightmare that comes when you start at a new school. You know, the one where you're frantically running through the halls looking for your classes. Well, my nightmare became a reality on the morning of January 8th. I was standing at the bus stop when to my horror I realized I'd forgotten my class schedule. I had no idea where my classes were or even which ones I had! I was with my roommate Whitney who has the same classes as me, but she assumed I had brought my list and therefore did not bring hers either.

We thought: "Ok, no biggie. We'll find a computer at school and print it off there." 5 minutes before class started, we realized that was not possible. So we ran all over looking for someone to help us. Talk about embarrassing. We eventually found a nice lady at the registrar's office who wrote down our classes and pointed us in the right direction. PHEW! Made it with 2 minutes to spare.

I love the smell of new books! And all my professors are so great! I'm taking an English class, an Anthropology class and a Computer class. I'm dusting the cobwebs out of my brain and filling it with new and exciting things. Wish me luck!

I Love a Fresh Start

I sat and sat trying to think of a good opener for my first post in almost 3 months, but alas, I cannot. So that's it, I'm back.

I have mostly my wonderful Aunt Jeanette to thank. She sent me a nice little email the other day encouraging me to get back on here. So Aunt Jeanette, this one's for you :)

I spent the last little bit catching up on a few of the blogs that I follow and noticed that many of my friends and family have a word that they will use as their theme for the year. I think that's a great idea! I started reading a book a few weeks ago called "Surround Yourself with Greatness." It's written by an LDS NFL player named Chad Lewis. I highly recommend it. It's got me thinking about what kinds of things I allow into my life. Do my friends lift me up or bring me down? Do I want to be a better person around them? What kind of messages does the music I listen to say? or the books I read? What kinds of activities do I occupy my time with?

I'm not necessarily thinking only in terms of good or bad, but also good, better and best. After all, "greatness" is not a mediocre word. So for 2010, I have chosen this to be my theme. I will strive to surround myself with greatness and share with you the things I learn and the great things I discover. If you know of anything that will help me, please share.

Not Just for the Youth

Despite the beautiful snow I was so happy to wake up to this morning, I can't help but feel like I'm dragging a little bit. I've felt this way for the past fews days so this morning, I decided to read one of my favorite talks. It was given by President Gordon B. Hinckley to the youth of the church but I feel it applies to everyone. Men or women, young or old, can be benefited by the uplifting words of this prophet of God.

It has reminded me once again that the Lord is my strength and I will gain eternal happiness by putting my trust in Him and living the teachings of this true and everlasting gospel.

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=0735a1615ac0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Turkey, Please Be Cooperative

Today is the day.

A few weeks ago, I agreed to spend this and last weekend at my parents house while they and my grandparents are in Utah. My younger siblings are all at home, so I got to play mommy for a bit. It's been fun. We got to all snuggle up on my parents bed to watch general conference. Remember Elder Bednar's talk? "STOP poking me!"...... "Get your foot OUT of my back!"....... "stop HOGGING all the blankets!"....... "can you PLEASE move?! You're PUSHING me off the BED!"

All in all though, I'd say it was an enjoyable experience and while I'm sure we heard MOST of the talks amidst all the chattering, I am very glad they print conference issues of the Ensign.

We were also able to have plenty of movie nights (our favorite.) Lots of popcorn and snacks. Throw all the blankets and pillows on the floor and jump in. So fun.

Anyways, today is the day I have been a little nervous about. And by nervous, I mean tossing and turning in the night, dreaming about burnt turkeys, undercooked potatoes and the disappointed expressions on the faces of my family members. Yes, that's right. I am in charge of this year's thanksgiving dinner. I do like to cook, but have never taken on a challenge quite this big before. I always imagined starting off with thanksgiving snack or thanksgiving brunch. Thanksgiving DINNER is the HIGHLIGHT of the weekend. Everyone talks about what delicious entrees they expect to dig into. Thanksgiving memories always include thoughts of dinners past. Everybody loves that feeling of finishing off their third helping of turkey and stuffing.

Okay, I need to calm down. My fingers are shaking. You should see how many typing errors I have made so far. On the bright side, I don't have to make the pies. On the instructions that my mom left me for the weekend (thanks, Mom. Love you), I read the following:

Please go to the store for the pies:

2 pumpkin

2 apple

and 2 cool whip.

Now I will tell you a story.

Saturday comes and I realize I probably shouldn't wait until Monday to buy the pies. (Are the stores even open on Monday?) So, while I was out with my roommate, we stopped at Superstore to buy said pies. I pick up a green box and head to the bakery section. There is a big table with apple pies and a little ways off, one with pumpkin. Perfect. I proceed to fit one apple pie in my green box and realize the the pie is too wide to fit flat in the box. No big deal, I'll just turn it on it's side. Apple pie no. 2 goes in in the same manner. Then I find that I can't fit the pumpkin pies in beside the apple. No room. Okay, I'll just lay those flat on top of them. I go grab some cool whip and rush over to the self checkout. I set my basket down on the floor and wait my turn. My turn comes and I go to lift my box but I accidentally lifted one end up too high and the pumpkin pies do a front flip onto the ground. I grab them as fast as I can and see that no serious damage is done. We're putting whip cream on top anyways, right?

Then I go to ring in my apple pies and see that they have slid down to the bottom of the boxes and are totally crushed on one side. There is a little filling coming out of the box.

So this year, we will be having apple crisp. Not apple pie. Now I must go and prepare the turkey. Wish me luck. I need it.

*WELCOME FALL*

It's finally here! My most favorite season. Ahhhh.....

I finally feel like I am in a position to start blogging again.....

I have been unpacking and organizing and unpacking and organizing, etc. etc. for the past month! I can't STAND clutter, so any spare second I had has been spent unpacking and organizing...

First off, here is a shout out to Corey!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! If you were smaller, I'd give you birthday beats. I don't think that would go over too well now.

Okay. I've applied for school! I can't wait. It's taken nearly 21 years for me to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, so I am happy to finally have made a decision. *drumroll, please*..............................................

A TEACHER!!! (pause for effect)

I will begin in January at Mount Royal University. My roommate, Whitney will be joining me. Turns out we wanted to do the same thing, so why not apply together, right? Actually, I shouldn't really be announcing this. Technically, I haven't been accepted yet, but I can feel it in my bones :) Why would they reject ME? lol

And just to specify, I would love to teach elementary. The younger the better.

Now, I am just anxiously waiting for general conference. *It's the most wonderful time of the year*