Month: December 2013

Cards and candy bets

December 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

Family time rocks. As you can see.

This break has been so fun and full of games and food and movies and more fun. Now I have a few more days of relaxing and then back to reality.

Cousin game night? Heck yeah

Also, Chinese night? It’s almost more popular than Christmas dinner with our family.
Friends, sometimes things happen. Things change. People realize things and learn about themselves. And that’s ok. It’s good. It’s hard, but it’s good. The best thing to do is embrace it and move forward. On the same page, happy, and content with the fact that the future will happen and that’s ok. 
Anyway enough of my vague ranting. 
Happy Sunday everyone!
Also: Randy Low has been out for one year, in two weeks. I KNOW RIGHT?!?!?!?!?!

So this is Christmas, I hope you had fun…

December 27, 2013 — Leave a comment

I didn’t take enough pictures this Christmas. I think I was just trying to live in the moment instead of snap a million photos. Which is ok too, I think. Luckily I have just a few to show you what Christmas in my house is like!

We ❤ the snow

First of all, there was Christmas Eve. Which was full of games and movies with Drew, food and family, singing Christmas carols in candle light, opening a wonderful new book, an email from my favorite missionary full of the sweetest things, and a package from him too (he still knows how to shop for me!) and finally, having a good spiritual moment with my family before Santa came.

Then Christmas morning was full of tears as my dad read his favorite Christmas book, matching Nativity sets, laughing and yelling as presents were opened, hot chocolate and candy, and of course the Stocking Exchange. Basically I love my family and this time of year, and the chance we get to spend it together.

My cute sister got me a blazer that I’ve been DYING to have. My sisters are the best!

Next T-Swift right here

Merry Christmas!

And happy Friday everyone!

Eve of the Eve

December 23, 2013 — 2 Comments

It’s Christmas Eve Eve. I try to be funny sometimes.

Basically the weekend has been a whirlwind. I’ve shopped FAR too much, ate a lot, spent time with Drew’s awesome family, saw a movie with mine, made a sassy snowman with my sisters (his name is Pauool. He’s great) and a million other things I can’t even remember now.
Basically being home from school is the best. Now all I have to do is bake cookies and wrap presents and figure out my schedule for next semester. Nothing big;)
With Christmas coming on so fast, I just wanted to share some thoughts I had on the season. We hear all the time that we need to put the Christ back in Christmas. This year, Drew really helped me do that. He wanted to give service to someone else every Monday in December. We had so much fun serving others. And it was even more fun to look forward to the next service experience. It made me realize how important it is to do things for others, and not just this time of the year. So maybe one of my New Year’s Resolutions will be about serving others so I don’t lose this awesome feeling. 
On another note, Christmas Eve at my house means one of my favorite holiday traditions, which you can read about over at Hannah’s blog, Words as Palindromes. BUT also, books. I love  that we get a book every Christmas Eve. It’s something exciting that I love and my mom is brilliant for starting this tradition.
So the tree is trimmed, family’s are gathering together, and life is good. 
Happy Christmas Eve Eve, and happy Monday!
P.S. In two weeks, Randy will have been gone for a year. GET READY FOLKS.

VICTORY

December 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

I have conquered finals.

You heard me.

They’re done, over, finished. And I think I did ok to be quite honest.

Finals are hard. There are projects to be turned in after hours spent in the multi-media lab, trying to remember how to use a video program I haven’t used in years. (Thanks Terri, I owe my final project grades to you!)

There are hours spent studying or complaining about studying.

There are hours spent in the testing center or the Wilk or the JSB, crammed next to a bunch of other people.

There are the blessed religion finals that you know you should ace, but they’re still more difficult than you could’ve anticipated.

There are presentations with food and awards and clapping at the end.

But it’s not all bad.

There are mega-beds in the living room with fans running all night, there are Frozen Hot Chocolate runs and surprise french toast breakfasts, there’s a sweet boy who puts up with tears and loud music and yelling, there’s homemade fudge and Oreo balls at work, there’s encouraging words from my family, especially my mama, and there’s always Priesthood blessings and prayer.

So finals week wasn’t all bad. Now I just have to erase all the footage I don’t need, figure out my minor/classes for next semester, pack, help Dubes through his last finals, figure out how to live without my roomies for two weeks, and wrap a million Christmas presents.

Also I don’t have any pictures. So enjoy this song instead?

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/dlFEJ-Ctpjc&source=uds

Happy Thursday everyone!

In which I win an award

December 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

In my English 311 class there are only about 20 people. Which is incredibly small for a BYU class. This class fulfill a general requirement for advanced writing, and most of the students are juniors and seniors. We grew close as a class, and I really enjoyed my time learning and laughing there.

Yesterday we did final presentations, ate food, and got class awards. The awards part was probably my favorite.

I am incredibly proud. I never thought this day would come. But it came. I texted my mom immediately after to tell her the good news. What a day.
Also, one final and one final project down, one final project and two tests left to go. That was very long winded but you get the idea.
Currently indulging in:
Frozen hot chocolate. Ok it was last night but whatever.
Us. Best band ever.
My Snuggie.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

Guest Post!

December 16, 2013 — Leave a comment
Hello everyone!  It’s Hannah again over at Words as Palindromes!  Maddy is super busy with exams and presentations this week, as I was last week, so we decided it would be fun to guest post on each other’s blogs.  So here it goes!
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Hannah and I blog over at Words as Palindromes.  I am a senior in college and attend school in MN.  I am studying to be a Speech-Language Pathologist. I blog about everything and anything that happens in my life, sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s lame, and sometimes it’s just great!  But you should definitely check it out!  


Christmas is coming up sooner than any of us can imagine, right?  I mean I still have to wrap all my presents and find a few yet, but I don’t want to go to any of the stores because they are SOO CRAZY. So today we are going to talk about some of my favorite Christmas traditions. 
1. Decorating Christmas cookies
Usually, my mom would always bake the cookies and would always have all my siblings frost them when I was at school or at work…but last year it was a day when I was off!  I was so excited! My siblings and I listened to Trans Siberian Orchestra Christmas music while attempting (attempting is the key word) to decorate the cookies professionally.

2. Christmas Trees
I guess this really isn’t a tradition, but no matter where I am, whether on campus, at home, at my grandma’s or at a coffee shop, you will always find me by the Christmas tree.  There is just something so peaceful about the bright lights and looking at how each and every person decorates the tree so beautifully and differently.

3. Christmas Lights
In my town in WI there is a large park at the end of a big lake in WI.  Every year they completely deck the whole park out with lights and it is so beautiful!  Within the past couple of years they have a light show.  Every year after the Children’s Christmas Eve service at my church, my family and I get in my car, still in our dresses and ties, and drive to the park, despite the craziness and enjoy the light show.
4. Christmas at Granny J’s
Let’s preface this and say my dad is the 9th of 11 children.  Yup, I did just say 11 kids.  That means Christmas is crazy.  Every year since I was born we have gone to Christmas at her house on Christmas Day.  There have been some years when there have been over 70+ people at her house between all the aunts, uncles, grandchildren, their children, boyfriends & girlfriends, and more.  It is a blast.  Usually we don’t eat until almost 7:00PM at night.  Then we open presents.  Recently, Santa has been coming. 🙂  Then the best part of the night.  We all sit down in the living room and sing Christmas carols for over an hour with my uncle playing them on the piano.  Nothing gets better than that. 

5. The awkward Christmas Family Photo
This one is not actually too awkward, but every Christmas Eve before we open presents we attempt to take pictures in front of the Christmas tree.  It really has not worked too well in the past few years due to the fact that Josh is about 8 million feet tall now and we are all too big to fit in a picture. 

Sure there are more traditions like my favorite peanut butter cookies with the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the ranch oyster crackers, seeing my cousins who I like to call my best friends, and hoping that even though I live in WI, the weather is not too cold.

I hope all of you have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and remember to stop over at my blog, Words as Palindromes.

Currently needing:

December 16, 2013 — 1 Comment

Finals week is upon me. The horror…the horror. (Name that book and I’ll give you cookies. Look it up online and I will beat you up.)

All of you lucky kids who are done with finals already, don’t rub it in.

Currently needing to do well on finals:

A good night’s sleep.
A large tube of cookie dough.
Fuzzy socks.
A Christmas movie ready for in between study sessions.
Healthy food for dinner.
Scriptures.
A temple trip.
A shopping trip.
Best friends to spend hours with laughing while we study.

Happy Sunday everyone, and happy beginning of finals week for me.

The Stocking Exchange

December 13, 2013 — Leave a comment

Reading day started for me at BYU today. That means finals is next week. Now, I realize that most people are finishing up their finals today and heading home for a lovely Christmas break. But starting a week later than everyone in September means I get to stay a week later in December. Which I think I’m fine with…but I’ll let you know soon. Anywho I realize now that a post about how to survive finals may be a little late in coming. So instead I’m posting about something else! Get ready for it…..

The Stocking Exchange.

Every year my brother and sisters and I do the Stocking Exchange. This is a sacred ritual that my brother and I started probably when I was five and he was seven. Yes, he’s always been a genius. (And has been accepted to law school with scholarships at BYU, Duke, and UCLA. We’re waiting to hear from Harvard!) So anyway, here’s how it goes.

We wake up early on Christmas morning and read our books that we got the night before. We go upstairs at 7 AM and not a minute earlier, and grab our stockings. We then sort the candy, and trade it. After we properly open the Stocking Exchange with clapping and a gavel. So here are the rules so you can make your own Stocking Exchange:

Big items may not be traded! All non candy items are non-tradeable, gum is not tradeable, and larger candy items like raspberry or orange sticks, or orange chocolate balls, are non-tradeable.
Small candy items are generally traded on a one to one basis, i.e. one cherry Kiss for one Butterfinger Bell.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are generally accepted for a 2-1 ratio instead, i.e. two cherry Kisses for one Reese’s Cup.
Milkyway Reindeer or Marshmallow Santas may be traded and generally at least five small candies must be presented for the trade to be acceptable.
Candy Canes are like pennies, can be used to push a trade slightly over the edge but traded by themselves they are worthless.
You may not take advantage of younger children. A witness must approve a trade by a child ages 7 and under to make sure all is fair.
More expensive chocolate, such as Lindt or Ghiradelli, is worth more Hershey or other small candy, generally at least a 2 to 1 ratio depending on sizes
Reese’s Trees are worth at least 3 regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
All trades are final.
Once the Stocking Exchange is closed, no more trades may take place.

Yeah, my family can be nerdy sometimes. But I just love them:)

Here’s a fun little video that reminded me of my family. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. THERE IS SOME SWEARING AND SOME INAPPROPRIATE STATEMENTS. But really it’s way funny.

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/wGdYhmFH-DQ&source=uds
Also, yesterday at our Relief Society Activity my creative roommates made this. They’re the greatest:)
Happy Friday everyone, happy end of finals for some and start of finals for others! 

I’m a redhead

December 11, 2013 — 2 Comments

As a redhead, I have to promote one of my very favorite companies, since it’s all for redheads like me!

The other day I had the chance to interview Adrienne and Stephanie from http://www.howtobearedhead.com as part of BYU Radio. I am a huge fan of these girls and their work, and as a thank you for their interview, they sent me a package!

Are they not the cutest? They sent me their signature redhead bobby pins, redhead hair ties, coupons, and a shirt! They’re basically the best, check them out!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…:)
So finals week is coming up, I am stressed out of my mind with a zillion things to do, and I just want to be home for the holidays already. BUT the fact that our dorm is a little Christmas-y looking helps a lot! You’d be amazed what a little tree and some lights can do! But don’t take my word for it, try it! I promise you won’t be disappointed. Stay tuned for some finals-week tips, Christmas traditions, and LOTS more blogging once finals are over!
Happy Wednesday everyone!