Life as of Late

Bruges Waffles and Frites in Salt Lake City...

spending time with jen

weekends....

so.... almost three weeks into the semester and i am not sure how i feel about it. logan is cold, i have one class and i spend all my free time applying for jobs and attending work out classes with my sister stace. we recently got a sports academy membership and have become a little obsessed with fact that we can attend unlimted excericse classes. last week we went to three in a row. we were so sore afterwards all weekend long we were walking around like pregnant people. but it is all going to pay off right? spring break is just around the corner. spring break is my motivation. it is what is going to get me through this semester. i mean besides the fact the winter can be a little long and unbearable life is good and i am trying not to wish life away. this is my last semester of college and even though i am ready for the next step i always want to enjoy where i am at.  eventually i am going to look back on this time in my life and remember not what i didn't like about it but rather all the good things about it. i know for a fact i will look back on this year and remember how much i have enjoyed getting close to my sister. we have really helped each other she has been an example to me and i have hopefully been an example to her. 

maybe it is winter or maybe i am burned out from all the parties i through last year, but this semester i have been in the movie watchin puttin on my swaets kind of a mood. stacey and i make daily visits to the video store and of course movies are always better when you have a plateful of cookies next to you.  i have also been making frequent visits to slc to spend time with jen before she leaves on her mission. i am going to miss her of course but i am use to her living in a different state. she has been attending boston university for the past 3 years. i think what is going to be hard is that i can't call her whenever i want. we have been so good about calling each other weekly and she was there for me whenever i needed her. for this next semester i have a few goals....

1.) find a post graduation job/internship (preferably something that is outside of utah)

2.) keep updated on current events

3.) find a tv show to get addicted to

4.) get good at yoga

5.) find a hobby

Congrats to my Sister

i am so proud of my sister jen for her decision to serve a mission. anyone that is willing to take two years out of their life to serve the lord is a saint in my eyes. when jen knew she wanted to serve a mission, she didn't let anything stand in her way. i admire her determination and desire. i will miss having her around to call whenever i need advice on something. i have gotten use to her being away in boston for school but this will be different in that i can only write emails and letters to her. however, i know she is doing a great thing and her already strong testimony of the gospel will grow. congrats jen! so happy for you!

Final Days in Paradise

okay... i wish i could say that i tried out surfing because i feel like it would make me sound really cool but we actually went paddle boarding. it was my mom's idea and i first i was like what is so fun about paddle boarding? i mean you stand on a board and paddle... coooooool? haha but i surprised myself by how much fun i had. we all went out together, paddling our way out in the ocean, trying to keep balance and knocking each other over. eventually i just sat down on my butt and paddled my way back to the beach. so much more efficient. 

olivine pools

hawaii has the MOST beautiful sunsets

this trip was really hard for me to come home from. i guess it is hard whenever breaks end but i especially did not like the idea of leaving warm weather and coming back to snow. i was talking to my friend julie on the phone over the break and when i asked how logan was she straight up told me it was awful. in decemeber all i want is for it to snow snow snow! nothing is better than a white christmas! but.... once decemeber is over it's like alright ready for spring break! the long winter months of january, feburary and march seem unbearable at times, especially in logan.

this year,  i told myself before i went to hawaii that i wasn't going to lay out as much. i mean what is the point? no one can see your tan when you come home because you are covered from head to toe is pants, sweaters, scarves and a hat! plus a tan last two weeks tops and it is depressing watching it slowly fade. but.... whenever i am out in the sun i just can't help myself. it seriously makes me happy as i gradually see my skin go from white to brown. not to mention hawaii's temperatures are amazing. it is like 80 degrees all the time and it didn't rain once.

yes, i did other things besides laying out. i get bored easily and i am always looking for some sort of an activity weather it is surfing, swimming, running or paddle boarding. i really enjoyed this trip because we had a good balance between relaxing and activity. one of my favorite things that we did was swim in the olivine pools which are shown in my pictures above. my family is so fun to be with. i can't believe how happy they make me and how well we all get along now that we are older. it still feels like we are kids as we piled into our mini van each night to go to dinner. seriously though i swear nothing as changed. my parents in the front seat navigating while we are shouting orders in the back. it is hilarious when we get hungry and grow so impatient with each other. 

obvisouly from the pictures i have some great memories from the trip but there are defintely a few that stand out in my mind. one is from the last night of our trip. we went to a little itlian resturaunt in lahaina. it was my mom's idea to all go around the table and say our news years resolutions and then also say something nice about everyone in our family. usually i hate doing stuff like that. it is so awkward to me and it puts so much pressure on you to say something nice but this time it meant something different to me. it was like i was so excited to tell my family members how much they meant to me and how much i love them. i have learned that you can't hold back your feelings. if you feel something you need to say it! becuase people do not give enough credit to the power of a compliment. people thrive off positive encouragement. the best way to motivate someone is to compliment them. 

another memory that really sticks out to me is the night that we all came back from dinner and it was still pretty early in the evening. we all (and i really do mean all of us) were in one room on one bed watching food network. i don't know why it is one of my fondest memories. maybe it was because we were all together, happy and doing something so simple as watching tv. it really is the simple things in life that make it so great and i can truly attest to that. it never matters where you are or what you are doing but rather who you are with. "collect moments not things"  happy new years everyone!