One last post.

Well friends, tomorrow's the day. I'm hopping on the wedding wagon! Which means that as a result, this blog is going to become obsolete. It's been a great three and a half years of sharing my college experiences with you, and now I am headed off onto a whole new stage of life! But the good news is: I'm also going to have a new blog! So don't just sit there crying, head over to www.lifethehallway.com and give me a follow there! I don't want to lose you!

I won't be posting anything there until I get back from my honeymoon (shocker) but you have to make sure you're ready when I do. You can also follow @lifethehallway on Twitter and Instagram for updates. Thanks for sticking with me through the years! You're the best!

Graduated.

I've been putting off writing this post for a while because I knew how hard it would be for me to write. My time in Cedar City and in my undergrad has come to an end. Graduation was May 2nd and it was all over so fast.

The night before, Colby and I went to an Ellie Goulding concert in Salt Lake and we didn't get back until 3 am (so worth it). So when I woke up at 6:15 on graduation day everything was kind of a blur. I got to school and found my friends and took pictures, and then we were walking under the bell tower like I've said in all my tours for the past two years and wow, I was finally doing it. And then we were passing all our professors who were cheering us on and hugging us and I was holding back tears for some reason and then I was in the Centrum and it hit me that this was it. All the essays and late nights and tubs of ice cream and karaoke parties and panic attacks and bad dates and best friends and math problems and crappy apartments and summer hikes and everything else was all summed up in that one moment. Every single amazing experience and all the hard times that made up college were coming to an end. I sat in my seat between some of my best friends and listened to Ann Romney but really, it was all too much.

We went to Centro after the first session and then the bookstore and the communication department open house and then it was time for me to receive my diploma. I found some of my communication department friends and we sat together and watched to see if our classmates caps would fall off when they hugged their professors. When it was my turn, I tried to take everything in and I remember hearing my name whispered to me from my favorite French professor and hugging my mentors that have made such a difference in the past three years of my life. I took a picture in front of the American flag, which was an interesting choice, and then I was whisked off to see my great grandma and then to pack up my house and leave Cedar City.

Everything went so fast but on the drive down to my new temporary home in St. George, I couldn't believe that I would never again go back to those little apartments I've lived in the past three years and shared with some of my absolute best friends. I'd never again trudge into the computer labs last minute before class started. I'd never again don a red polo and show a nervous high schooler around the place that has been my home and helped shape me into who I am today. I'd never again play intramural soccer outside the PE building with barely a full team. I'd never again pose for a picture with 80 of my closest friends.

I know I have a lot of exciting things ahead of me but I truly am going to miss Cedar City and especially Southern Utah University. I'm so thankful for all the lessons I learned during my time there and all the incredible friends I made. I can't wait to keep in touch with all of you and share my life with you for many, many years to come.

All I can say is... I loved college.

On being the Easter bunny.

Over the past few weeks in my PR class, we have been planning and promoting an event called Glow in the Park: a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt for high school aged kids, featuring carnival games, a blowdart arena, a DJ, and of course a massive Easter egg hunt after it got dark. As part of this event, we had to recruit sponsors, plan all the games, and work with the city to pull it off. Originally, I was part of the sponsorship team, which meant I just had to go talk to a bunch of businesses and ask for money/coupons/pizza.

One day, the city representatives came to our class with a huge box. Out of the box they pulled two things: a gorilla costume and a bunny costume. "We want you guys to be in charge of the mascots," they said. "Who wants to be on the mascot team?" asked my professor. No one volunteered. Suddenly my hand was in the air and I was on the mascot team (along with a few other hesitant classmates).

A few days later, I got a phone call. "Hey Shannon, are you on campus?" I was. "Can you come to the comm office? We need help with some promotion stuff." Sure. I showed up to find a few of my fellow PR students and a girl already dressed as a gorilla. (Why there was a gorilla involved, I still don't know.) "Will you put on the bunny costume? We just need to take a few pictures so we can promote the event on Instagram." Next thing I knew, I was walking all over campus as the Easter bunny during lunchtime: chasing the gorilla outside the student center, arm wrestling in the rotunda, and sunbathing on the quad. Kids were excited, Snapchats were flying, and my cheeks were turning more red than a pomegranate (mostly from how hot that costume was).

The second time I was recruited to wear the bunny costume was a few days later, when the mascots were set to make appearances at a few of the local businesses as a way to promote the event. This entailed another walk across campus, a car ride, and traipsing up and down Main Street as people stared. We tried on clothes, took pictures, and made a few children cry (whether from excitement or fright, it's still a toss up). An hour later I was dripping sweat and when someone gave me a bottle of water on the way back to the school, I had to ask her to open it because I couldn't hold anything with my bunny paws.

Luckily, I was not involved in the bunny's third appearance: the two high schools in Cedar City. However, the night of the event came, and guess who was the adorable mascot? You got it - yours truly.

I came prepared this time. For the heat of the fluffy costume, I wore a work out tank top and shorts. Because of how big the costume was, I tied a pillow around my stomach and brought safety pins to help hold the back together. I brought rubber bands to help hold the huge gloves on. I put my hair in a bun, pinned it back with a headband for good measure, and I was off: Shannon, the Easter Bunny for the next hour and a half.

At first, it was easy. Kids wanted to take pictures with me, moms were pumped, the pizza and bird mascots from Pizza Hut were excited (?), and everyone wanted to hug me. But then, Emily (my "handler" - they need a more demeaning term) told me I was going to be in a a dance-off with the gorilla. A what? *NSYNC started blasting from the DJ's speakers and then there I was, trying to dance in a mascot costume. If you have ever seen me dance, you know that all my moves are in my hips, which is not easy to portray when you have a pillow strapped to your tummy under rolls of fake fur. I did my best but the gorilla definitely won that competition. Talk to Colby for the video.

Next up was my trip through the blowdart arena, but this time, no one told me what to do. I was on my own in the inflatable maze, so I stole some girl's gun but considering they were blowguns (emphasis on the "blow") (lol), I couldn't do anything with it through that bunny head, so I gave it back and just took some of the darts to throw at people. However, as I already mentioned, the mittens were huge and I could barely hold the darts. When I tried to throw them, they went straight to the ground. The struggle is real, people.

I followed the gorilla over to the carnival games where he did the ring toss and I tried to swat down all the rings (due to my jealousy that the gorilla could actually hold and throw objects). I did the bottle toss through and knocked down a few bottles. I'll take my wins where I can get them.

Finally, it was time for the egg hunt. I followed Emily onto the playground where she had me sit in a swing and hold an egg as all the kids ran through to look for over 2000 eggs that we hid earlier in the day. It was dark by then and I couldn't see anything other than silhouettes and flashing lights through the mesh eyes of the costume. I felt pretty helpless: huge feet making me walk super slow and carefully, no use of my hands, and barely any sight. When the egg hunt was over we went back to the pavilion and I held up a sign for one of the high schools so they could return their empty eggs. One kid walked by and made fun of me so I chased him and tried to steal his candy (heh heh).

Then, it was all over and the bunny head finally came off. Luckily, since the whole thing was at night this time, I wasn't too hot. My debut as the Easter bunny was successful and actually way fun, despite my limited mobility.

However, the story doesn't end there. Until this Easter, I had no idea that people thought the Easter bunny was creepy. But then I saw this Buzzfeed article. Apparently, Easter bunnies all over the world are literally terrifying and more frequently cause tears of sadness in children than tears of joy. Luckily, my bunny costume was adorable... or was it? Note the comments in the following picture:

I was shocked! How could a cute and cuddly bunny be "soooo creepy?" But then another comment followed, this time from my own mother.

How rude. I refused to be brought down by the haters. I was an adorable Easter bunny and that was the end of it. (Although I did think the comments were funny.) And then, today on Instagram, I saw this:

So yeah. That's all.

Hashtag questival.

24 hours. 183 challenges. Over 300 teams. Winner gets a trip to Machu Picchu. This is what I spent this past weekend doing in a crazy event called the Cotopaxi Questival.

Basically, there's this new brand of outdoor gear named Cotopaxi (also the name of a volcano in Ecuador, so they say). For their brand launch, they created this event called the Questival. They explain it better on their website, but pretty much you make a team of two to four people (we had four: me, Colby, Gab, and Bri), check in at a location (ours was a Provo apartment complex), and then try to complete as many of the challenges as a team that you can in 24 hours, which are all worth varying amounts of points from one to 30. You had to post to social media to prove that you were doing the challenges, and all of your team's backpacks had to be pictured in each post. Challenges could be anything from hiking the Y (10 points), to eating a bug (3 points), to doing an hour of service (12 points), to "clocking" in a public place for 15 seconds (5 points). We had to Google that last one.

Upon arriving in Provo, we started out with a bang, immediately heading to a film festival at BYU for a cultural event (3 points) and to visit a museum (2 points). In the car on the way there we ate a few chocolate covered bugs, supplied by Bri, since we could eat up to three for up to nine points. I ate a cricket and it was gross. We then practically ran to the top of the Y which I definitely would not recommend. Thirteen switchbacks is twelve switchbacks too many. At the top we did some yoga and some yodeling for a few more points. Clearly Colby does not understand yoga.

From there we booked it to a Peruvian restaurant and ordered an appetizer for four more points. It was amazing and I need more Peruvian food. Unfortunately, this adventure set us back on time more than we had planned, so we rushed to the top of Provo Canyon with two longboards, a scooter, and a pair of rollerblades in tow. The challenge was to ride any human powered vehicle for 30 minutes, and we did that in style with phone flashlights and glowsticks on the Provo Canyon Trail. We even managed to warn strangers of a broken bridge (random act of kindness: 5 points) and climb to the top of an avalanche to get a picture of a waterfall (3 points).

We were planning on hiking the G in Pleasant Grove that night as well, but circumstances led to us ditching that plan and going straight to my parents' house to camp, where we started a fire without matches or lighter fluid and Colby made some pretty bomb tin foil dinners (reason number 242 to marry a chef). We set up a hammock and some sleeping bags and by the time we woke up, we had obtained about 150 points and had nine and a half hours left to go.

The first thing we did on Saturday was hike the G, also at record speeds which I double don't recommend. Seriously, that hike is straight uphill and it doesn't help at all when you have sore glutes and calves from riding a scooter for an hour. Plus, I'm pretty sure the G itself is made of recycled lawn furniture. We were all pretty happy when we finished that hike.

After the G we went to Thanksgiving Point to join a "service flash mob." This new challenge was posted on the app by Cotopaxi while we were on the hike - to spend half an hour picking up trash along the Jordan River Trail between the hours of 11:00 and 12:00, and it would earn us ten points. While in Lehi we also made a quick stop for a picture of Colby and Gab making the letter "L" with their bodies.

Next was Cotopaxi Headquarters in Cottonwood Heights. They had ski lift chairs and a bouldering wall in their office, which was pretty cool. We also got to look at some of their gear that they released on their website that day. Proceeds from every purchase go to help people in some part of the world. For example, every Cambodia water bottle sold helps provide someone in Cambodia with clean water for six months.

From there we went to hike the U. Thankfully, the U barely qualifies as an actual hike, which was good because all of our legs were screaming for rest. We hiked over to the letter in spandex to earn more points, and we were pretty pumped when we got there because it also meant we had spelled UGLY: the U in Salt Lake, the G in PG, making an L in Lehi, and the Y in Provo. A bonus of 20 whole points! (See what I mean about lawn chairs? Top right in the picture below.)

The State Capitol Building was next up on our plans, also known as the perfect place to do handstands, as well as plank and clock on top of beehives. Okay, doing it on top of the beehives wasn't a requirement but it was still cool. We saw a few teams there picketing for llama rights even though that wasn't a challenge (it was on the original released list, but then got removed for unknown reasons). Llamas are people too, obviously.

Following all this hiking and running around we were literally starving. Cotopaxi had been posting the top ten teams every two hours or so and we were not part of that list, and then after some social media stalking of the teams that were in the top ten, we determined we weren't really close to being on that list, so we decided to take a lunch break. We went to City Creek and devoured Chick-fil-a, and may or may not have stopped at Vans and H&M as well. When in Rome...

By this time it was about 3:30 pm and we had to be back to Thanksgiving Point by 6:00 so we decided to make one last stop in downtown and get a few more challenges done, starting with taking a picture in the elevator at the Salt Lake Library and donating a dollar to the Leonardo. When we came out of the museum we saw a guy planting seeds in a little planter box. Since planting a flower or tree was one of the challenges, we asked if we could help him plant a few. He was pretty pumped and proceeded to give us some seeds, let us choose where to put them, and tell us all about the yellow olendorf beets we were planting. So, if you're in downtown SLC in the next few weeks, check on my beets for me, eh?

For one of the last few challenges, we had to observe nature silently for 30 minutes. Being in the city, this wasn't easy, so we observed human nature as well. We also silently set up a slackline and did that for a while for a few points, and then made a rope swing out of it too. I ate a dandelion (horrible) and we took a picture on Trax. It was time to head to Thanksgiving Point and check back in for the end of the Questival.

When we got there, we realized there were still a few more challenges we had time to do. One was to take a picture in front of the waterfall at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. When we got there, we saw the perfect opportunity to complete the challenge to jump into a body of water with all your clothes on (10 points). We were at 290 points so it was the perfect way to end with 300! What we didn't know is that one of the best Vines ever created would emerge from it. If you haven't seen it, look it up on my Vine feed by clicking here. (You can also watch a few of our other Questival videos... Entertainment at its finest.)

We got to the finish line just before six and did one final challenge - take a selfie with a llama for 5 points - before checking in and submitting our score. Come to find out, we only got half the amount of points that the winning team got (I blame our lunch at Chick-fil-a... worth it) so we let ourselves relax and enjoy a few of the bands that Cotopaxi brought in for that night. And of course, to take a few more pictures with llamas, which are the company's mascot and symbol.

Even though we didn't even come close to winning, it was one of the most fun weekends I've had in a while and definitely the perfect way to end my college days with a bang. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Long live team #gethitched.

On being in an LDR.

LDR: long distance relationship. Usually an intimate relationship in which the two partners are separated by a considerable distance (for example, 54.9 miles). LDRs are most common among college students and "continue to be an understudied phenomenon," according to Wikipedia.

When Colby and I met, I lived in Cedar City, UT and he lived in Lehi, UT, a distance of 224 miles. However, soon after we started dating, he moved to St. George in order to decrease the L part of LDR. Honestly, it hasn't been too bad. During the summer we hung out all the time, and once school started for me we continued to see each other every weekend, switching off between St. George and Cedar. It also helps that we both work at the same place and get to see each other for like, 10 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday. It's even kind of fun getting to Skype on weeknights and sometimes communicate solely through Snapchat.

Since getting engaged, though, the distance has become much more of a nuisance. According to Wikipedia (don't ask me why I researched this), some of the most prominent difficulties for LDR couples include: increased financial burdens to maintain relationship, difficultly maintaining geographically close relationships, difficulty judging the state of the relationship from a distance, and high expectations from both partners for the quality of time they spend together.

I don't think Colby and I have much trouble with the last two seeing as how we're getting married, but I do know my gas expenses are through the roof. Also I'm currently writing this at like 10 pm on a Wednesday alone in my dark bedroom so it might be safe to say I don't have many "geographically close" interactions. But that's not really the point. The point of this post was for me to complain about being in an LDR while being engaged.

Cons:
• I want to be with Colby all the time and I can't.
• Texting, Snapchatting, and Skyping are just not the same as being face-to-face, no matter how fun the advertisements for Google Hangouts make it look.
• Wedding planning is just that more complicated and stressful.
• During the week I have nothing to distract me from doing homework other than daydreaming about the upcoming weekend.
• If a weekend happens when one of us is busy and can't go see the other, it's pretty much the worst thing that can happen.
• Constantly weighing the pros and cons of driving to St. George and back on a Wednesday night.
• Gas prices are literally my biggest enemy.
• Not having someone to cuddle with while I watch Netflix and eat Oreos.

I know what you're thinking. "I can't believe Shannon is complaining about her love life when she is engaged and almost married. It must be So Hard." (Capital S and H for sarcastic effect.) You're right. My life is actually pretty good. Which is why I also have a Pros section about being in an LDR while engaged.

Pros:
• Getting to spend all of every weekend with my favorite person in the world.
• Never having to make Friday night plans.
• Having a good reason to spend 10 days in St. George for spring break and just go hiking the whole time.
• Going on trips to Salt Lake for wedding planning and engagement pictures.
• Finding reasons to stay on Skype way after we should have gone to bed even though we aren't even talking about anything.
• Getting way too excited when Colby got a new phone because we can now send emojis and his camera is way better. Aka our text and Snapchat game went up to the next level.
• Going on trips to Flagstaff and LA to try to plan our future... which deserves a whole separate blog post.
• Knowing that we are both going through the same things and that we are there to support each other through it all.

I know what you're thinking this time too. "Awwww. Shannon really turned this one around." I didn't, though, really. Life is full of lots of pros and cons which is what makes it so flawed and perfect at the same time. I know I'll find the strength to survive through the last nine weeks of being in an LDR until I finally make it the amazing day where 54.9 miles turns into zero.

Engaged.

On the day I got engaged, I took three showers.

The day before I got engaged, I didn't shower at all. Which posed a problem because I have class at 9:00 am on Friday mornings and I was not about to get up early to shower even if I hadn't bathed for the previous 48 hours. So instead, I took half a shower (read: didn't wash my hair) and headed off to class at 8:45 on Friday, January 24.

When I got home from school around 11:00, I was greeted by frantic texts from Colby that said, "Make sure you're in St. George right at 4:30. Gab and Bri want to go hiking in Snow Canyon and then go to Benja for dinner." Man, Gab and Bri sure were on a tight schedule.

I worked out, took a real shower, packed, and messed around on Facebook for a while or something (this part of the day is all a blur really). I was starving but I waited to eat since we were apparently going hiking and you know how mad I can become if I'm in nature with no food. Around 2:45 I went to the kitchen and heated up some ratatouille that Colby had brought me the weekend before (reason number 241 to marry a chef) and talked to my roommate Marissa until I realized I had no idea what time it was and oh no I need to go and what if I'm late for this hiking trip which seems to be extremely important. So I threw all my stuff in the car and headed to St. George.

At this point I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen so all the way to St. George I was freaking out. One minute I was super happy, the next I was a nervous wreck. It was like a mini Utah weather forecast in that Honda. "The high for today is 74 degrees and it's currently sunny, with a very strong chance you will be snowed into your home by this afternoon." You get the point. On the way there I got a text from Colby saying "I'm leaving work!" and another one two minutes later that said "Tell me when you're here and I will help you bring your stuff in!" Since he has a thirty minute drive home from work and had apparently just made it home in two minutes this whole thing was seeming a little weird, but who am I to judge. Maybe my concept of time was way off due to the hurricane going on inside my heart.

Anyway, I got to Colby's house and texted him "I'm here!" but after waiting patiently for around 20 seconds he was nowhere to be seen so I grabbed my stuff and proceeded to the front door, where he ushered me in. Gab and Bri arrived out of nowhere and we were off to Snow Canyon.

We went to the petrified sand dunes and chose one with a simple walk to the top to behold gorgeous, almost extra-terrestrial views of the canyon. It was a little cloudy and windy but we took some pictures and started heading down.

Then Colby was like "Let's go climb that one," gesturing to an even bigger sand dune that was going to lead to the exact same view but we all humored him and started climbing. This time, instead of a nice stroll to the top, our adventures included scaling a wall and hiking up an incredibly steep incline that left us all with burning calves and out of breath. Like I said, I had already worked out that day so I was pretty much done at this point. Then Colby: "Let's go up there." "There" being a slightly higher point across a little ravine. "No, no, I'm okay." - me. "Please? Come on?" - Colby. "Fine." - me (bitterly).

Gab and Bri hung back while Colby and I jumped over the ravine and hopped up to a little platform above where we just were. Well, I hopped up to the little platform while Colby got down on one knee. I was taken completely off guard, my hands flew to my face, and before he said anything I blurted out, "Wait, what?!" Colby started laughing and stood up. "Yeah, I'm just kidding," he told me. I'm just kidding. "What?" I demanded. Colby: "Yeah, I'm not going to do that right now." He could not stop laughing. This is when I became angry slash thought it was hilarious but didn't want him to know that. "You are the absolute worst!"

I believe the above picture features me trying to shove Colby off a cliff. Clearly I'm winning.

I managed to hold a grudge for at least half the walk to the car which is probably a record for me. When we got back to the house, Gab and Bri left to get ready for Benja and I reluctantly took my third shower of the day. Colby was being very mysterious until he showed up with a blindfold and told me to close my eyes. "I'm just going to take you across town. Is that okay?" he whispered in my ear while tying the blindfold. I nodded and he began to lead me out of the room.

As I walked, I began to realize that we weren't going across town and I thought he might be taking me to the backyard. This became evident when I tripped over the metal strip that separates the house from the back patio and almost face-planted. "This isn't across town," I mumbled. "I know," Colby said softly as he took off the blindfold.

And then all of a sudden, there I was. I was standing on a pathway lined with candles, twinkling Christmas lights were strung above my head, lanterns were glowing from tree branches, and the man of my dreams was kneeling in front of me with the biggest smile on his face. It was all so surreal as he pulled the ring out of his pocket and said, "Shannon, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you. I love you so much. Will you marry me?" I was so incredibly happy when I quietly said "yes" and he slid the ring on my finger. Everything was perfect as he led me to the candlelit table in the center of it all and served me the dinner that he made while I was in the shower. All my senses were full to bursting and I wanted to take it all in but all I could focus on was Colby, who couldn't stop smiling and I couldn't either and wow, I was engaged. We're engaged!

Afterward, I was pretty confused about whether Bri and Gab were at Benja or not, but they ended up coming over and taking pictures and Colby fed them too, don't worry. (Side note: amidst the whole proposal being very intimate and romantic, I'm pretty sure that when I took the first bite of the pasta Colby made I said something like "Wow, this is the best part of the night!" Classic.) I called my mom and she said "Well it's about time!" but of course she was really happy.

Finally, Colby and I got to hang out alone and we ended up watching Dan in Real Life and talking about how awesome it is that we're engaged. I told him that I imagined our proposal story to involve a helicopter. Granted, that would have been pretty cool, but I wouldn't change anything about the way January 24 went. And, since you're reading this post of your own free will, you can't even get mad at me for saying the most cliché thing there is: I can't wait to marry my best friend!

Stop the madness.

I truly believe the ultimate plague of this generation is spam email.

When I was bored between classes the other day, I decided to open up my old email on Yahoo. I made the switch to Gmail about a year ago (as everyone should) but I still have to open up the old one every few weeks just in case someone still hasn't gotten the memo. To my horror, when I finally made it to my inbox (which took a while since I forgot my password... again) there were over 300 unread emails and only, like, two of them were actual emails. The rest of them featured everything from the American Cancer Society, to iTunes, to Indoor Soccer, to The Yoga Shop. There were things in there I have never even signed up for or heard of in my life.

So, I decided to spend the next hour going through every single one of those emails and clicking "unsubscribe." Sometimes all I had to do was click one button. Sometimes I had to put in my email address. Sometimes I had to click a list of things I wanted to be unsubscribed from and explain why. Other times I had to put in a code and then do all of the above. Overall it was awful. But I did it. I refuse to be one of those people with 6204 unread emails piling up in my notification center. (On that note, if you are one of those people: How do you do it?!)

The worst part about it all is that I'm still getting spam. I unsubscribed from every single one of those blasted email but I'm still getting like three a day. Which I admit is a lot better than 20 a day but still. Why?!

How to impress boys.

As you probably all know, my boyfriend is a chef. (A good one. Come to our parties.) Well, let me tell you about one of the most terrifying things you could do if you were me, which is: Cook for your chef boyfriend. Normally, I just make him make me everything, including the easiest things in the world (quesadillas and cereal) (entitled girlfriend alert). But this past Sunday, I decided to face my fears and make him real food. So I downloaded this awesome app called Yummly (it's also a website, you should check it out) and got to work making two delicious dishes, pasta and a salad.

I have an obsession with avocados, so when I saw this salad recipe I was all over it.

Buttered crouton salad with avocado and smoked salmon:
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. champagne vinaigrette
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tbsp. capers (coarsely chopped)
pepper
salt
1 baguette (small)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. olive oil
salad greens
1/2 avocado
smoked salmon

So basically you're supposed to combine the first five ingredients to make some kind of fantastic salad dressing, but I'm a poor college student and also I have no idea what the heck capers are, so I got rid of that part and just bought honey-dijon dressing from the store, which I'm pretty sure was equally as fantastic.

Next step is you slice up that baguette, throw some butter and olive oil in a pan and toast those slices into croutons. Then get these croutons, the avocado, and the salmon, and put some salad under them, Sprinkle with some pepper and you're done. Full recipe here.

Pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella:
1 lb. bow-tie pasta
1 pt. cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
1/2 cup pesto
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup parmesan (grated)

All you do in this one is cook the pasta and barely undercook it by a minute. Then drain it, put it back in the pot, and mix in everything but the parmesan and the basil. Cover it and wait for the mozzarella cheese to melt, and then toss in the other two ingredients (side note: I could not find fresh basil anywhere so I just used the regular basil that you buy in the spice aisle). Full recipe here.

Voila! You just made the meal of your (and your chef boyfriend's) dreams.

Just be warned: after doing all this out of the kindness of your heart and doing your best to make it beautiful and thoughtful, your boyfriend will probably eat it and be impressed. He might even ask you to make it again in the future, or even later that night. But what you won't expect is that the only thing he actually wants more of is pieces of bread cooked in butter. Go figure.

Beginnings: 2014.

This new year's eve was spent on top of a mountain in St. George, listening to music around a glowing fire with the best company. At midnight we joined in with the echoing countdowns from eager people on nearby streets, and shared in a long moment when fireworks exploded all over the valley. It was better than any party.

Ever since I started posting my new year's resolutions on my blog, I've gotten exponentially better at keeping them. It's incredible and you should all try it. Or, if you don't have a blog, just write them on your arm every morning or something (free tattoo). I recently learned that to really round out your life you should set goals in four categories: mind, body, spirit, and personal. Consider it done.

Mind
• Work on keeping my knowledge of French intact by watching one French movie a month and reading something in French at least once a week. Speak French (or French/Creole...) with someone twice a month for at least 20 minutes.
• Lower stress, produce creativity, and increase knowledge by practicing the guitar at least twice a month for at least 30 minutes.

Body
• Increase physical strength by working out 5-6 times a week for at least 15 minutes. This can include strength training, running, yoga, biking, swimming, hiking, or any other strenuous physical activity.
• Improve overall well-being by drinking lots of water, eating well, and getting enough sleep. Carry a water bottle everywhere possible and plan out meals the day before. Don't skip meals and get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

Spirit
• Study the scriptures for 10-15 minutes every day. Set aside time to do this and be present during these few minutes.
• Visit the temple at least 6 times this year.
• Spend at least 5 minutes a week in meditation in order to let go of stress and be grateful.

Personal
• Become more present by leaving my cell phone in my bag and on silent in social situations such as parties, group conversations or one-on-one conversations, and church or school whenever possible. When I get the urge to pull my phone out (or distract myself any other way) because I feel uncomfortable or awkward, resist that urge.
• Celebrate small victories such as getting a good grade on an assignment, submitting applications, getting a to-do list done, or making it through the day. A celebration can be a private dance party, making a sparkling cider toast to myself, finding someone to high-five, or anything else that makes me happy. Do this at least once a week.

Let's do this, 2014.

Endings: 2013.

Time for that annual blog post called "see how I failed at my new years resolutions." This past year's resolutions, big and small, were as follows:

• Do 30 minutes of cardio at least five times a week. This definitely didn't happen. But I'm not super out of shape either, so I can't complain.
• Only drink soda on special occasions. Done. Pretty sure I only drank soda for headaches or 16 hour shifts at work. Plus a couple Martinellis at Christmas or something.
• Spend less time on my computer and phone and more time in real life. I probably did okay with this, especially in the summer. I definitely underestimated the amount of time I would spend writing papers this past semester.
• Eat healthier. I did this a lot more than I have in the past. Basically I can't afford to eat out all the time so I got forced into this one. 
• Visit my great grandparents once every two weeks. Ugh, I'm the worst.
• Take time to do things for other people. This one is a struggle because I'm so busy (which is not a good excuse), but I did pretty well overall!
• Take risks, come out of my comfort zone, and grow as a person. I've done a lot of this, especially with my job at a treatment center. I've made a conscious effort to work on my communication and be more open in relationships. It's hard for me as a quiet, independent person, but I'm doing well.

You win some, you lose some. Resolutions aside, though, this year has contained some awesome memories and amazing lessons, every minute of every day. Here are the best memories and the most important lesson of each month, along with some of my favorite pictures.

January

Memory: Reuniting with my Plato's Closet friends for dinner before all of us went our separate ways again to missions, college, or [real] jobs.

Lesson: Don't ever curl your hair with straws.

February

Memory: Ellie Goulding concert! (The first of many.) She's amazing. I'm so in love with her.

Lesson: Trying to trick your friends into giving you birthday presents four days early doesn't work. Especially if the day four days before your birthday happens to be Valentine's Day.

March

Memory: Spring break in Bear Lake with old and new friends, where we pretended to have fun on the beach but it was actually covered in snow and we weren't prepared. So we went back to the cabin and played "gang up on Shannon in ultimate spoons."

Lesson: March Madness is the worst thing that can happen to your life.

April

Memory: Meeting Colby at Smashburger when I was the biggest nervous wreck imaginable and therefore managed to say phrases like "oh good, you're a real person," "did you know they sell key lime pie at the Dollar Tree," and "one time I had to book an event for a porn author." Glad that turned out.

Lesson: Don't ever trust anyone with the name soulfulofluv on OkCupid.

May

Memory: Getting a new car and sadly saying goodbye to the old reliable Darth Evader. And then going to the Real game and eating cake.

Lesson: Save room for cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory.

June

Memory: Going to California with Colby which entailed going to a wedding, hanging out with his nieces, and playing on the beach. Aka five days of heaven.

Lesson: Don't let me get starving-level-hungry and then drive around for an hour before finding food, because I will rage. Who knew.

July

Memory: Governor's Honors Academy for sure. Ten days of life lessons, spending time with the coolest kids, touring national and state parks, and making lasting friendships.

Lesson: Getting very little sleep and working from sun-up to sun-down for ten days straight will cause you to get bronchitis for the next three weeks, stomping on your dreams of running a half marathon this year. Take care of yo'self.

August

Memory: Spending a whole carefree day hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park with Colby. Despite some weird old man stalking us through the whole thing without us knowing, it was one of my favorite days of the whole summer.

Lesson: College goes by way too freaking fast.

September

Memory: A very eventful scavenger hunt in Kanab with the girls I work with. And throwing my awesome roommate of three years a surprise [sober] 21st birthday party.

Lesson: Going for a lot of bike rides and runs to avoid stress about graduate school does not actually avoid it. But it does help a lot.

October

Memory: Colby's mission reunion and a haunted house made for one very interesting and fun weekend in Salt Lake City. Plus, later in the month was homecoming containing Hellogoodbye, the roughest 5K in my lifetime, true t-bird night and my last football game as a student at SUU (sad face).

Lesson: If you're going to Colby's mission reunion with him, don't expect to ever come back.

November

Memory: Is there really any better memory than Thanksgiving with my family? If you haven't heard that story, read it here. Plus there was the jazz game and playing pranks at Temple Square. Good times, good times.

Lesson: If you get embarrassed or offended easily, don't ever meet my family.

December

Memory: Lots of Christmas parties, especially one particular ugly sweater karaoke party where I [badly] sang Adele, Justin Bieber, and Britney Spears. Followed by multiple family Christmas parties which are a whole other story.

Lesson: Writing all those papers would have been worth it if I actually got the 4.0 I wanted. But since my senior transcript is stained by one sad little A-, I should have thrown in the towel long ago. (Jokes... I love that A-.)

Overall, 2013 has honestly been the best year of my life to date. I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store. I think it's gonna be good.

Wish list or something.

Are you sick of aimlessly Christmas shopping with no idea what to get for your friends or family? Does the prospect of ordering another lame tie from Amazon make you ill? Is your mother tired of receiving lotion or soap every year in her stocking? Well ache no longer, gifts.com is here to help.

On gifts.com, there is an incredible feature called "Personality." Yes, just Personality. Calling it something like Personality Gift Finder is just too long and would make too much sense. "Personality" is an amazing service that can help you find gifts for your loved ones by simply answering a few questions about the person. Personality will then accurately find gifts that this person will love.

When I heard about gifts.com, I just had to try it. So, with my mother in mind, I answered all the questions for a middle-aged woman. Unfortunately, my mom is a cool, down to earth person who actually does not need another pair of ear buds or a personalized birthstone dog tag. However, when I decided to answer the questions for myself, gifts.com hit it right on the nose.

My own "Personality" results were just what I thought they would be, with 35% professional, 35% spiritual soul, and 30% hipster. And luckily for me, gifts.com suggested (multiple times) the exact thing I've been missing from my life: a novelty tea infuser.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I saw the one thing they could never have suggested unless they knew me and my Personality on a deep, deep level.

Wow. Just wow. If you need to find the perfect gift, I recommend gifts.com every time. It's truly incredible how well a website can know you, just from a few simple questions. I hope your holidays and merry, bright, and gift-shopping-stress free.

How to survive finals week: A guide.

Supplies:

• healthy snacks (granola bars, veggies, trail mix)
• water bottle (reusable - save the environment)
• scantrons and $0.50 to buy extra scantrons in case you lose/bend yours
• Indie Holidays playlist on Pandora
• textbooks and all your notes from the whole semester
• scratch paper to doodle/plan your ideas on
• tbirdnation.org or SUU Confessions open in a tab for your study break distractions
• ugly sweater

Step One: Go to the library. You can't get studying done outside the library. Trust me, I've tried. Set up your station on the third floor with your computer surrounded by notes, books, snacks, and water. You'll probably see your friends there but put in your headphones (playing Pandora of course) to get rid of the temptation to talk to them.

Step Two: Actually study. Bury yourself in those notes and learn, learn, learn. Or, if you're writing a paper or doing an assignment, make yourself work on it for 30 minutes before taking a break. Repeat.

Step Three: Take a break. Read tbirdnation.org or SUU Confessions to entertain yourself, walk around, say hi to one of your friends who is also taking a break (don't distract your friends who are working). Give yourself a time limit on your break and then get back to work.

Step Four: If you find that you can't concentrate at all and you're getting nothing done, head over to the PE Building and go for a jog. It will relax your mind and make it easier for you to concentrate when you return.

Step Five: Chances are, during finals week you'll be invited to at least one ugly sweater party. (I'm going to one tonight.) Allow yourself to go, at least for a little while. Ugly sweater parties are awesome.

Step Six: Get enough sleep. Then study some more.

Step Seven: Ace that final! You've done all you can and there's no reason to stress about it now. Don't forget your scantron, be confident, and walk out of there with your head held high. You did it!

Lessons learned on turkey day 2013.

My family has no shame.
It's Thanksgiving morning and the phone rings.

      Me: Hello?
      Grandma: Shannon! Oh, thank goodness! I need help! Bring Colby! I ruined the stuffing!
      Me: Oh, um, okay. We're about to leave.
      Grandma: Hurry!

Upon arrival in Bountiful, we are ushered inside to the helpless stuffing and my boyfriend goes on to not only fix the stuffing, but also carve the turkey and make gravy from scratch. Cue my cheeks to flush from embarrassment.

When the turkey is finally carved (and seasoned), it's time to eat.

      Grandpa: Shannon, you can say the prayer since you and Colby are running the show. (?)
      Chorus of children: Yay Shannon! Woohoo! Go Shannon!
      Me: (prays)
      Mom: (after the prayer) Did you even bless the food?
      Me: (blushing again) Oops. Don't tell anyone.

Thanksgiving dinner, luckily, goes smoothly. But next is the family Minute-to-Win-it tradition, except without the timer. Last three people to complete each game are out.

Game 1: Toss marshmallows into your partner's mouth. Colby and I win in two seconds flat on the first try.

Game 2: Slide a cookie from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands. I beat this one in about a minute. Everyone else slowly makes it in. Colby is still struggling. Blake is yelling pointers at him at the top of his lungs. It comes down to the last four. Finally he does it. Isn't even happy.

Game 3: Blow a bubble with really crappy bubble gum. I'm around fourth on this one. I learn that Colby doesn't know how to blow bubbles with gum (at all). He's out.

Game 4: "Water pong." (self explanatory) I win this one easily.

Game 5: Move sixlets by sucking them in with a straw from one cup to another cup on the other side of the room. I'm the last person to qualify on this one. Literally cannot breathe by the end and have to sit down because I'm so lightheaded.

Game 6: Hold a popsicle stick in your mouth and stack 6 die on top of it. I own this one. On to the final round.

Game 7: Hold a tennis racket between your legs and move a bead into a marked square. I get destroyed by my aunt who does this before I even move. Kiss the fame goodbye. I still can't breathe thanks to game 5.

At this point, Colby's pretty upset because he can't blow bubbles, I'm about to pass out due to lack of oxygen, and the day is only half over. I get dragged into a game of children's bingo while everyone else gets to relax. "Pay attention Shannon!"

Finally, we eat pie. Chocolate is greater than pumpkin.

Can't forget the other family tradition of adult bingo, though. I already won a Duck Dynasty novel from children's bingo but oh, that's not all. Adult bingo is still on the schedule and destined to last at least 14 hours. Children keep talking over the numbers being read, "prizes" are being rapidly traded or given away, and rules are changing by the second. At the end, I have acquired salt and pepper shakers, a fake rat, and a Post-It note handbag. Colby has a diary, a foreign sun hat, and a women's RSL shirt. (I was pretty stoked about the latter.)

It was definitely time to go. Thanksgiving was a pretty wild time.
And the fact that I still have a boyfriend amazes me.

How being a senior is not like being a freshman.

Sometimes I wonder how I ever became a senior in college. And then I look back at my life as a freshman and I'm like "oh."

Freshman year:

• Somehow have all the money in the world even though you have no job. Let's totally drive to Vegas, back to Cedar, to St. George, and then to Salt Lake all in the same week and pay for all the gas.
• Craziest social life ever. Stay up until 2 a.m. watching your friends play Call of Duty until they finally let you play and then ridicule you the entire time and then never let you play again. Or watch all the Paranormal Activity movies in a row on the floor of a dorm room. Or wander around Walmart in the middle of the night for no reason.
• Be an idiot about dating. But all the older guys are into you because you're so cool (*clueless)!
• Never have homework. Or maybe you do have homework but you never do it? Or you just have no recollection of doing it because you spent too much time watching Call of Duty and now your brain is fried.
• Don't go to class but also don't fail class. Freshmen never go to class and they're totally fine! How is that even possible? Also what do they do when they're not in class?
• Eat a ton of food but never gain wait. Freshman 15 is a total lie. I could eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I felt super great. Dining hall all day every day.
• Go home in the middle of the school day and take a nap. After all, you just live right across the street! And what else do you have to do?
• Keep the same backpack all year. You don't have any heavy books to carry. Most of the time you barely need a notebook, let alone your laptop. Sometimes you use your backpack to hold an apple you took from the dining hall.

Senior year:

• Work two jobs and never have money. Oh, you're going out for ice cream at Carl's Junior? Let me see if I have an extra 50 cents in my budget this month.
• No social life whatsoever. Sleep, eat, school, work, homework, sleep, repeat. And on the weekends, watch an entire season of New Girl on Netflix and don't talk to anyone unless it's your neighbor's cat.
• The only person you think about talking to is your boyfriend. At least you're not that clueless about dating anymore, I guess.
• Do nothing but homework. Write eight essays in two weeks. Oh and do a project, and write a speech, and then two more projects. But hey, also don't forget about your grad school apps.
• Go to every single class and have a full fledged panic attack if you have to miss a class for any reason even if it's valid. Oh my gosh did we have a pop quiz? What if I don't have the notes for the next test? Maybe the essay was explained and now I'm going to have no clue what to write. Life is over.
• Eat nothing but healthy food and work out for an hour every day and still gain weight. I swear I just ran fourteen miles so it's all muscle weight right? I knew I would never recover from eating all those crepes in France. But also... worth it.
• Stay at the school for at least 12 hours every day. There are a million essays to write and also who can afford the gas it takes to get home and back an extra time?
• Break two backpacks in the first three months of school. I don't understand why this $15 Urban Outfitters bag can't handle holding my laptop, five textbooks, and a massive planner. What a rip-off. 

Okay, okay, senior year isn't as bad as I make it out to be. It's actually a lot of fun! But it's definitely no care-free freshman year. I can't believe I only have one semester left.

College. Yikes.

This time of year can get crazy. Finals are coming up, projects are due, and you're trying to apply to college. Here's a list of ten pointers to follow when you're getting ready to submit those applications.

• DON'T panic. Deciding to go to college is a big step, especially if you're not sure exactly where you want to go. But don't worry, it will all work out. The more you panic, the more unnecessary stress you will put on yourself.
• DO apply to more than one school. Even if you do know exactly where you want to go, it's not wise to put all your eggs in one basket. If you don't get in to your dream school, you will want to have other options.
• DON'T only apply where your friends are going. If you actually want to go to that school for good reasons, go ahead and apply. But don't just set your sights on a school that might not have your hear just because all your friends want to go there. College is a new start and a good time to expand your circle of friends.
• DO apply to schools that you love. Even if it's not your parents' top choice for you and even if you won't know a single person going there. My choice fell in both of those categories and it worked out pretty well. In the end, where you go to college is about you and your life.
• DON'T wait until the last minute. Applications take time, and the sooner you get yours in, the better chance you will have of getting scholarships and other opportunities. SUU's priority scholarship deadline is December 1st, which is just around the corner.
• DO take your time. Most schools require essays as part of the application, and you definitely want to take the time to make sure you write a quality paper and don't just throw it together to get it over with.
• DON'T only look at schools online. Call or email your admissions counselors, talk to your teachers at school, learn from people in your community about their college experiences and what they recommend. 
• DO visit the schools you are thinking about. Take a tour, attend a class, get to know current students and what their life is like. At SUU, you can sign up for a campus tour any weekday and there are tons of upcoming events for high school students.
• DON'T worry about committing yet. Applying to a school and being accepted isn't a commitment until you make it one.
• DO attend events to gain more opportunities. For example, SUU has leadership weekends that showcase all of the leadership organizations on campus, and just by coming you will be placed in one. Many other universities have similar opportunities.

I know applying for college can be crazy and overwhelming. The thought of moving out and leaving your home and your comfort zone can be terrifying, but I promise it is worth it! I wouldn't change or take back the experiences I have had at SUU for anything. Don't worry. You'll make it.

On fire.

I have so much to do.

Two jobs, eight essays, two books, one project, two events, three tour hours, three grad school applications, two tests: one girl named Shannon. And that is just all I know of so far this month.

At work this past week we had a meeting about burnout and how to avoid it. Contrary to stress, which is mostly physical and involves trying to do too many things in a short amount of time, burnout is mostly emotional, more gradual, and involves not wanting to do any of the things you need to do. I'm not one to get stressed or burned out very easily, but I just wanted to share some of the ways I prevent it... for the rest of you who are in the same boat out there on the rough seas.

1. Exercise. I talk about this all the time but honestly I don't think there is any better way to combat stress and burnout. A lot of people think they don't have time to fit in a workout when they have mountains of homework and classes and meetings, but it doesn't even have to be long! You can find a million 15 minute workouts on YouTube or even get a free app like Nike Training Club that will guide you right through short exercises that can be as simple as stretching. I'm one of those weirdos in the library that always gets up to stretch because just moving your body for five minutes helps you focus better for the other 55 minutes of the hour. Plus, it keeps you healthier which makes it even easier to study!

2. Eat right. You have to fuel your body to be able to get everything done without becoming sleepy and lethargic. And that doesn't mean drinking two bottles of Coca-cola and eating a granola bar. It means taking time out of your day to prepare yourself an actual meal that will make you feel good. Just like exercising, this doesn't have to take a long time either. There are plenty of things you can make quickly that will end up making a huge difference in how you feel and perform. Here's a recipe I got from the Biggest Loser that is amazingly good - and good for you! Even though it sounds like it would be weird.

     1 sweet potato

     4 ounces ground turkey

     1/3 cup fresh salsa

     2 tablespoons jarred green salsa

     2 tablespoons fat free Greek yogurt

Poke the potato on all sides with a fork and microwave it for 6 minutes, 3 minutes on each side. (May need to be longer depending on the size of the potato.) Meanwhile, cook the turkey over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until it is brown on all sides, breaking it into bite-size chunks as you do this. Then, cut open the potato and load it with the fresh salsa, then the turkey, and then the green salsa. Top with the yogurt and enjoy!

3. Get enough sleep. I know that when I don't get enough sleep, not only am I cranky but I'm also super unmotivated. All I want to do is go back to bed. However, I have found that if I make myself get eight hours of sleep every night even if my homework isn't all the way done when I go to bed, I always have the energy and drive to get it done the next morning, plus I do a way better job on it than I would in the middle of the night. Sometimes when you're stressed it can be difficult to get to sleep, but there are lots of apps that will play soothing sounds for you to get your mind off of things. Or, try this website and add music in the background as well. It's so nice.

4. Budget. Money can be a huge stressor when you have to pay tuition, rent, car payments, gas money, feed yourself, and maybe have a little fun every now and then. Studies have shown that people who budget their money are happier, and probably less stressed as well! I'm all about apps today but there is this awesome one I found called Mint. Now that I can see where my money is going and plan how much I'm going to spend and save, life is so much less daunting.

5. Breathe. Just remember, you'll end up getting everything done, and even if you don't, life will go on. I find it helpful when times get tough to spend a few minutes breathing, stretching, or meditating. The best thing ever to do is look up a guided meditation on YouTube. You feel amazing after and they don't even have to be long. Plus, it can put you right to sleep if you have too much on your mind. Here is a short one and here is a longer, but good one.

Stress and burnout are real things that are definitely affecting me, and I'm sure it's the same for a lot of you right now. But I know that by taking care of yourself you can make it through... and even make life a little easier in the process!

We'll make it.