Today I am grateful for chocolate. I ate a lot of it today. And I love love love love it. Chocolate and I have been best friends ever since I can remember. It was probably even in the womb. Chocolate has yet to let me down. It’s so warm and melty and delicious and it’s one of the best things that has ever happened to me. True story.

On a side note I got flowers today. They are pretty.

On another side note I made soup today. And it was really good even though the rolls turned out funny. They were still yummy.

It’s been a fairly average Monday. But I like Mondays in Provo. 🙂

Today I am thankful for answers to prayers. There are lots of ways in which Heavenly Father answers my prayers, and I am grateful for each one of them, even the ones I don’t like.

Today I got an answer I’ve been asking about for almost a month. When the announcement was made that girls could go on missions at 19, I started thinking about it for the first time in a few years. I had thought about it before and felt like it wasn’t for me, and then with the new age change, I thought about it again. A lot. I prayed and read my scriptures and tried really hard to figure out what course my life needed to take.

So after lots of prayer, fasting, and study, I have reached the conclusion that I’m not going on a mission. I would absolutely love it and I know I would be blessed for it, but for some reason I’m not supposed to go. At least not any time soon. Who knows maybe when I’m 23 and single I’ll rethink it again. But right now I know there are other things I’m supposed to do. I am just so thankful that I had the opportunity to study it out in my mind and make a decision, and have that decision confirmed by the Spirit. I can’t tell you how many times a mission would be on my mind, and I would flip open my scriptures to a random page, and the first verse I read would say something about “remain where you are” or “stand fast in the place you are” or “establish your home first” or something like that.

Anyway the long story short is that prayers are answered and I am so grateful for that. Especially today.

So like some of my other blogger friends (cough cough Ashley cough cough) I think I’m going to try this daily thankful post. I have so so so many things to be thankful for so I want to have a record of them. For posterity.

November 1–The Gospel. I would literally be worthless without the Gospel in my life. I love it with all of my heart. I love knowing that I have someone who loves me enough to live and die for me. I love the knowledge that there is a plan for me and that at any time, I can find help and comfort.

November 2–My family. My family is absolutely wonderful. They’re my best friends, most trusted advisers, most honest critics, and the people who love me the most. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my amazing parents, and my fun siblings. I am the luckiest person in the world to have the family I do. I tell my mom everything, my dad is so good to me when I don’t deserve it, my brother looks out for me and is always ready to help, my little sisters make me laugh, are always there for me and are such great examples to me.

November 3–My best friend. Randy Low is literally the best friend a person could ask for. He forgives me when I don’t deserve it, he looks out for me more than anyone else, he makes me laugh when I don’t even want to smile, he does the sweetest things for me on a constant basis, he literally gets more more than anyone else, and he makes my heart stop. I could go on and on and on about him but let’s just say, that boy has been there for me through everything and I am lucky to be able to say he’s my very best friends.

So stay tuned for more thankful posts 🙂

I’m not a huge Halloween fan. But it’s weird how one of my least favorite holidays can make me miss home. At home the house has smelled like apple cider and cinnamon for a month. At home there are cute decorations everywhere and soup for dinner most of the week. At home my sisters are buzzing around figuring out their costumes and what to wear tonight. At home there is candy everywhere. Literally everywhere. At home they carved pumpkins and they’re sitting on the front porch. There’s a bowl of roasted pumpkin seeds next to three bowls of candy. I don’t even like Halloween! Yet it’s making me feel all nostalgic.

I guess it’s a good reminder that these are the kinds of memories I want my kids to have.

As much as I miss home I love college. I love my friends and my roommates and my classes (even when they’re hard) and my college family (bless their hearts….) and everything.

On another note. I was having a rough night the other night, and decided to go listen to some music. So I pulled up Youtube to listen to the deluxe T-Swift CD (I’m buying it soon. Don’t worry.) And then for some reason clicked on a song by Lady Antebellum I had never heard. This is what I heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY2Yct8LjOo

The Lord is looking out for me.

So while I’m missing home and the angels that I call my family, it’s wonderful to know that I’m not alone here.

So this weekend I became a beauty school wannabe. Not meaning that I want to go to beauty school, rather I pretended that I knew what I was doing (along with Alli and Sarah) and we dyed Rachel’s hair. Basically it was one of the funniest weekends of my life.

On Friday I went to a Haunted House, a stake dance, went and watched As Time Goes By with Randy, went shopping for some new clothes, did homework, “helped” dye Rachel’s hair, went to Lauren’s dance competition, and had a sleepover with three of my favorite girls.

Randy finished up his papers and just has to have the Stake President hit “submit” which makes the whole mission thing more real. Hailee is getting her call on Wednesday. Which makes the whole mission thing more real. I’m so excited for all of my awesome friends who are going out to serve the Lord.

ALSO for the past week I’ve listened to Taylor Swift’s new album on repeat, alternated with Christmas music coming from Rachel’s computer.

My cute roommates make me so happy, the girls in my ward are so fun, college is hard and I had several melt downs this week trying to figure out what classes to take and trying to get a scholarship next year. But. Life is good.

I’m realizing this post is all over the place…so sorry about that.

But I just had a thought of something I should post on here. My awesome BOM teacher taught a lesson about the Nephites getting into the Promised Land and such. And in that lesson he told us this….

Faith in the Lord also means having faith in His timing.

So I just thought I’d leave that last thought on this wonderful Sunday afternoon. 🙂

Randy is super into lists recently, so I thought I’d make a list of things I love about Provo…or my life in Provo!

-I love the mountains. Seriously. They are the most beautiful mountains in the whole world. And they are literally in my backyard.
-I love my apartment. Our beautiful window where we creep on people, the comfortable couch with the bloated chair, the kitchen which is always messy because we’re always baking something, our tacky TV stand, our post it note wall. All of it.
-I love the weather. It’s cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. Rainy and sunny and cold and warm. GAH it’s all the weathers at once.
-I love that I’m close to my family. Yes, I’m an hour away. But it’s still close 🙂
-I love my walk to campus every day. Long enough to make me enjoy the nature, short enough that I don’t die and I’m not late.
-I love the temple. It’s a weird, 70’s temple, but it’s amazing. And it’s always packed.
-I love going to a devotional every Tuesday. It’s awesome to get that spiritual pick-up once a week.
-I also love the spiritual pick-up I get in Book of Mormon every other day 🙂 Gah and my teacher is amazing.
-I love that everyone on campus is so friendly. I think I’ve never had to open my own door to the library and everyone smiles when you sit down at their table in the library.
-I love the grocery stores. Yes. The grocery stores.
-I love the quick drive to Orem or Lehi or Downtown Provo or anywhere.
-I love that my best friend in the whole world is so close.
-I love my ward and the girls in my Relief Society.
-I love my cute roommates and my brand spankin’ new best friends. Those girls are literally too nice to me and make me laugh so hard.
-I love my room. It’s not like my room at home, but as my grandma said when she came to visit, it’s me. And she’s right.
-I love the laundry room in the basement. You can slide around in your socks. Which I do. Frequently.
-I love the BYU bookstore.
-I love the library. The big glass case that let’s you feel outside, but still be warm? Genius.
-I love the football stadium and feeling a part of that huge crowd.
-I love the short walk to my church.
-I love breakdowns in the activity room.
-I love BYU

There are literally five million other things I could put but I have to go to school or whatever. So. Have a marvelous day!!! As you can see, I probably will too 😉

I haven’t posted in a while, college is just busy! Who would’ve guessed right? Today I want to give a shout out of sorts. So here’s a thank you to the people who bring me hot chocolate or muffins just because they care. The people who send me texts telling me I’m doing a good job when I feel like I’m failing. The people who ask if I need anything when they see me. The people who tell me I look pretty when I don’t. The people who are so excited to see me every single day. The people who tell me I’m making the right choice. The people who go on long rambling walks and listen to me give long, rambling speeches. The people who listen to my stories even though they probably don’t care. The people who send me links to my favorite music so I can listen before I buy it. The people who send me emails reminding me they love me. The people who always love seeing me when I come home. The people who put for the effort to spend time with me. The people who just want me to be happy. The people who love me.

This list could go on and on. But…for the sake of time (meaning I’m supposed to be getting ready for school…) I’ll cut it short.

Basically the moral of the story today is that people can be absolutely wonderful. Sometimes I know I let the few bad things that happen, that people say or do, dictate my whole day. I kinda did that yesterday. Now looking back at all the wonderful things that people did, it was a great day. So that’s the goal I guess. To look at the good things people do for me and forget the not so good things.