Ghosts and guns.

I guess I will keep up my habit of writing every ten days and crank out a few more stories for you before January is over. 2012, almost one twelfth gone.

I think I left off two weekends ago, so hopefully I can remember that far back! If I remember right, the night of the day I wrote my last post was the night of the BYU gymnastics meet or something like that, which we lost, but it was still fun. After that we went to the food fight dance for a little while and then played some blackjack in Tyler's room. It was fun, but I gambled away all of my chips so after that it wasn't that fun.

The next day I slept all day, hit up the Pizza Factory for dinner, and then went to the basketball game. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of watching basketball, but it was still pretty sweet. Also, it was basically a GHA reunion so that was cool too. After the game, Mike, Dylan, Marissa, and I went to Denny's for some smoothies, then Mike ditched and the rest of us went to an awesome party. We went back to Mike's after and talked for a few hours before hitting the hay. That was one of my favorite days in college, I think.

That Sunday was the usual: church, indexing, brunch, followed by "family night" in the evening. We went to Mike's that night to play Family Feud and make cookies before coming back to get our weekly fix of Modern Family.

I don't really remember what I did this past week. A few trips to the gym, some homework, and movies. On Thursday I went with Dylan and her roommates to the St. George temple to do baptisms. It had been a long time since I had been to the temple, at least since last summer. It was definitely what I needed this week.

We also went to Texas Roadhouse while we were down there, where I ate way more than I should have, but I couldn't stop. It was too good. Then we visited the cute little mall that basically consists of a Pac Sun, American Eagle, Buckle, and an Asian Gifts that's going out of business. But I did use that to my advantage to buy this elephant statue 50% off. It brings good luck if it faces the door. 

Dylan and I also found fur hats that we wanted to buy, but they were $35. So we contented ourselves with taking a picture.

Friday night we had a ton of time to kill starting around 5:30, so Marissa, Dylan, Tyler, and I played a few (last) games of Family Feud (because that game is a letdown) and Halo, which I am terrible at. We went to "Pie an RA" and played more blackjack, but then we wanted to check out the Institute dance so we left early. That turned out to be less exciting than expected, so we ended up at Mike's again for a movie. Upon leaving Mike's house, we were being followed by some unknown white car. However, thanks to my driving skills and the experience of the Darth Evader (that's my car's name, by the way), we lost them and our lives were spared. Tyler and I watched Facing the Giants after all that, which we were surprised to find was a somewhat cheesy Christian football movie. It was still good though!

Saturday was a super fun day. I slept in while Marissa went running because I had already worked out my four days that week (I'm so on top of my new year's resolutions it's ridiculous), and then Tyler took us shooting. It was my first time ever shooting a gun and let's just say i don't have the most skill. It was super fun though! Especially watching Marissa try to throw the clay pigeons.

That night we had a Paranormal Activity marathon, which was not the best idea because my back was extremely sore the next day from sitting on the floor for five hours. I did manage to scare Tyler when he came in the door once though so it was worth it. We finished off the night with a game of mini golf on the Xbox, where I came in second only because Tyler has probably played that game a million times. 

Sunday was just another normal day where I procrastinated my homework, played some games, and watched some MF. I didn't waste all my time though - I spent two hours of my day constructing this tree on my wall.

It still needs birds flying out of the cage, but I'm quite happy with it. 

Goodnight friends.

Loving your tie.

I just learned a cover of a cover of Super Bass on guitar, and I can't stop playing it! Or I just can't stop playing guitar period. Thank you Drew Tabor for your inspirational YouTube channel.

Lots of fun things have happened since my last post, so I thought I should make an update at least for my own records. It starts right where I left off: Last Wednesday, casino night.

I do not play card games, ever, because I am incapable of playing them without making a fool of myself. But I did want to go to casino night so I forced Marissa and Tyler to teach me blackjack on Tuesday. Of course I forgot it by the time I got there... but I remembered it quickly and managed to make $500 more than what I started with!

I didn't win anything in the raffle, but seeing Starms freak out and run up to claim his bag of Jolly Ranchers was almost as good.

Thursday was the club fair, nothing too exciting other than some free candy.

Friday I got out of my photography class at 4 and ran into Lance, and then ended up spending the entire afternoon playing Hanging With Friends (which I am incapable of losing) with him before going to the gymnastics meet. We lost, but it was still sick! I love those meets!

Later that night was magician Mike Super as part of Welcome Week. Honestly, the best part was when he drew a picture of a card and before we even knew if it was the right picture, someone said "Oh my gosh!" like it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. Then Marissa, Tyler, Dylan, Jennifer, Marcus, and I watched Fired Up and Sydney White before hitting the hay.

The next day we slept in and then got up to go running. I didn't realize how much I missed running on the track! I only ran for my sophomore and junior years in high school but I forgot how fun it really is. The weather was perfect, too. Amazing. That night we went to the "Unbirthday Dance", which was super fun too until a metal pole fell on Jennifer's head. But she was okay and went to watch a movie so we went back to the dance.

Sunday was full of interesting things, including Marissa bailing on the stairs and face-planting into a wall at church, playing Game of Things, and watching Modern Family late into the night since there was no school on Monday.

We woke up semi-early (ten o'clock) on Monday to go running again, and then I went to visit my great-grandparents that live just around the corner from me in Cedar. My great grandpa will be 94 this year and they just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Needless to say, every visit is a new experience.

This week, apparently they had been getting calls from numerous scammers that told them they were eligible to win some large amount of money. My grandma had been getting more and more frustrated with each call (I think there were three of them), so by the time the third guy called she just answered by saying "Go blow it out your ear!" and hung up. I was dying laughing when I heard this story, and it gets better.

I was telling them about how Christmas was, and how school was going and everything. Honestly, I didn't even think my grandpa could hear/was listening to what I was saying, but all of a sudden he pipes up with "Oh, to be young again. I would love to be young again just for a little while."

Grandma: "Yes, but what you have to think about is - would you live your life the same way, or would you change anything?"

Grandpa: "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I would become a polygamist."

Grandma: "What?!"

I literally was crying at this point it was so funny. I'm pretty sure he was joking. Hopefully Grandma knows that...

That night Tyler, Marissa, Dylan, and I went over to Mike Lee's house for a game of Curses, which just never gets old, and Ice Age. ("You better watch your back... because I'll be chewing on it.") Since then I have just been playing guitar, bowling, watching YouTube videos, and doing homework. It has been a good couple weeks for sure though, and now it's the weekend again! Yes. More great things to come.

Tuesday.

I am currently sitting on the floor, surfing Tumblr, and eating a bowl of Reese's Puffs.

Some people like to judge me because I don't drink the milk out of the bottom of the bowl when I'm done. I think it's gross. Bite me. Who wants to drink peanut butter flavored milk?

Spring semester has started and so far it is just fantastic. The lineup includes: Communications 1010, English 2010 (Writing about Big Brother. So excited.), Photography, Human Sexuality, and of course French. But I'm sure you are beyond tired of hearing me talk (Or watching me write?) about French so I'll spare you. Oh, and I have the next University Whatever one. I'm pretty excited about my classes though! I thoroughly enjoy them so far.

Keiranne and Soojin, unfortunately, moved out of our room. It was a sad, sad day when Marissa and I found out our dear friends were no more to be called "roommates". I will fondly remember the days of Vegas trips, door decorating parties, and startling late night rendezvous.

However, I have a cool new roommate that goes by the name of Jennifer! She had already seen the movie "The Roommate", so my genius plan of watching that movie together and then acting like a schizophrenic psychopath for the next week to freak her out was a fail. But, we still watched that movie and ate some popcorn, and it was still fun, so I guess it's okay. We just played a game of Boxers and Briefs during which I found out she doesn't like clowns, so I can hatch another evil plan if I want.

We're also getting another new roommate, but who knows who she is, where she's from, or when she's moving in. I guess we'll find out soon!

Anyway, so far what I have done since returning to Cedar includes:

• unpacking
• eating at Subway
• watching "The Roommate"
• going to class
• reuniting with my friend Dylan
• eating at bread and soup night
• listening to great music
• visiting my good friend Mike Lee
• going to class, again
• eating a brownie at a tea party
• going to the Red & White gymnastics meet
• joining the RHA Senate
• playing Boxers and Briefs
• eating Reese's Puffs

It's been pretty solid so far, and from what I hear, this week is supposed to get even better.

Before you go, make sure you listen to the song "Ain't No Reason" at the bottom of the page. It's my new favorite!

Beginnings: 2012.

It's the first day of 2012.

A new year has always been a symbol to me of a new start, and a chance to improve myself. I have never really made resolutions in the past, but I decided to give it a try. They say it helps if you write down your goals, so here goes.

• Work out for 30 minutes or more, at least four days a week.
• Don't drink soda, ever.
• Visit my great grandparents once every two weeks for at least an hour.
• Be more outgoing and take more risks.
• Be positive and nice to everyone I meet.

And most importantly,

• Take chances. Never settle. No regrets.

Here's to hoping that this year will be better than the one before. That it will be a year of firsts, and of lasts. That it will teach me things I need to know. That there will be new friendships, and continued old ones. That it will be a year of life, love, and opportunity. Here's to the faith that 2012 will change our lives for the better.

Happy new year, with love overflowing.

Endings: 2011.

It's the last day of 2011.

Looking back, it hasn't been the worst year, but it hasn't been the best. There definitely were some highlights though.

January: Bringing in the new year in downtown Salt Lake. Making it to the halfway point of my senior year. Winning the awards for "Best Style" and "Staying most calm in a crisis" at the Plato's District Party. Going to the Sundance film festival with my friends from France.

February: Competing in Sterling Scholar, foreign language division and moving on to the finals. Turning 18, on the 18th, and celebrating by going to see Ke$ha.

March: Joining and playing on my mom's women's league soccer team. Going on an amazing prom date for the first and only time in high school. Making the top 15 Sterling Scholar finalists.

April: Going rock climbing for the first time. Going to Bear Lake for spring break and spending the whole time watching old Disney movies on VHS in the loft. Singing in church. 

May: Taking the last AP tests of my life. Spontaneously taking a trip to Moab, sleeping in a land cruiser, and showering in a hostel.

June: Graduating. Going to the Bahamas for my senior trip. Parasailing, swimming with dolphins, and going down the steepest slide at Atlantis.

July: Discovering geocaching. Finding out I passed all my AP tests, even French. Going to REAL games. Spending a night in Cedar for orientation.

August: Working my last shift at Plato's closet. Seeing Hot Chelle Rae, The Summer Set, and We The Kings. Going to the hot air balloon festival. Starting college. Making amazing new friends.

September: Going to St. George and Zions National Park for Labor Day weekend. Seeing Tyler Ward and becoming a true T-bird. Going to Las Vegas for the UNLV football game. 

October: Seeing Yellowcard and Go Radio. Coming home to see my friends get married. Going to the Howl. Having a very interesting and eventful Halloween. 

November: Another trip to St. George for a cute little art's festival. Coming home again for Thanksgiving with the whole family. Going Black Friday shopping. Watching The Muppets movie on a whim in the middle of the night. 

December: Finishing my first semester of college. Going to Temple Square to see the lights with amazing friends. Celebrating a simple Christmas with my family. Seeing old friends and going on fun dates. 

2011 has taught me important lessons, showed me who my true friends are, and will be a year I definitely won't forget. I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me. 

Sometimes.

This week. There are so many things I want to say but don't know how to explain, and I don't even know where to start. I'll do my best, so just bear with me.

It's weird because you would think that since it was finals week, it wouldn't have been that great of a week. But it actually was one of the best weeks I can remember having in a while.

I went to the Messiah on Monday night, which definitely started me out on a high note. For the past few years, I have gone to the sing-in performance at Abravanel Hall with my dad and it is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. I was sad that I wouldn't be able to this year because I wouldn't be home. Luckily, Marissa is in the Orchestra of Southern Utah and she informed me that they were doing a free performance of it, so I could go. There is just something about the Messiah. I love it so much.

Fast forward to Thursday, when I got done with finals. I rocked my communications one, and I can only hope the same for my other ones! I got back to Draper that night and went to Temple Square with some friends from school. I absolutely love it when all the lights are up and the candles are floating in the reflection pool. It is so pretty and so humbling.

On Friday I went to the J.Wride Christmas show with Melissa. I don't know if I have said anything about them before but this is one of my favorite bands! Jesse has come to SUU twice but this was the first time that I got to see the whole band together! To put it simply, it was amazing. Plus, my friend Lance's band, littlebigheart, opened for them, and they are wonderful too. So much feeling and humanity in their music. Check both of them out.

Sometimes I have a really strong sense of intuition, or at least that's what I call it. I don't think it is necessarily just that. It's how I make a lot of important decisions. It's the reason that I transferred schools in the first week of my sophomore year of high school, why SUU was the only school I applied to, and why I chose journalism over public relations. Sometimes something makes perfect sense logically, but I just can't do it if my heart isn't in it. It has to feel right.

Anyway, lately I've been having the feeling that there was something I needed to detach myself from. For whatever reason, I needed to leave this piece of me in the past for now. It was a difficult feeling for me to understand because it's not a bad thing. I had been putting it off for a while.

This week, though, I realized that I wasn't the only one feeling this way, and I was able to let go. It is the most freeing feeling. I don't know what the future has in store for me, or why I needed to do this, but in the words of Marilyn Monroe: "I believe everything happens for a reason. People change so you can learn to let them go. Things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they are right.

"Sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together."

Sunday.

It's been a mostly typical Sunday.

I spent the first half of my day looking for my ID card which I lost for the third time this semester (not to mention the time earlier this week when both me and Marissa got locked out). It is the key to my house and my way of obtaining meals. I can't live without that thing. After checking everywhere along the hall, my car, Roberto's, and tearing my room apart, I finally found it outside in the parking lot. I believe in miracles!

The second half of my day was spent listening to French pop and drifting in and out of sleep on my bed while I attempted to do my homework, which I actually did get mostly done! Now all I have left for this week is making a resume, writing a letter of introduction, and studying like crazy for my finals in PR and Geology. Yay. Kill me now.

Once I make it through all of that, though, I can go home for three weeks! I don't know what I'm going to do there, other than Christmas of course, but at least I won't be in school. Maybe someone will take me on a date to Temple Square to see the lights. It's my favorite thing!

Tonight I am probably going to procrastinate everything else I need to do and watch the Virgin Diaries instead. It is just the greatest show ever. Last week I literally almost threw up watching that couple kiss for the first time on their wedding day. I don't even know how they have faces left after that. Seriously.

See you after finals week, friends.



Revision: Literally ten minutes after writing this post, I got locked out of my building again. And then found out Virgin Diaries isn't even on tonight. C'est la vie.