Long string of goodbyes: The best family ever

I have an amazing family, they really are the best. But here at school, I’ve had a pretty amazing substitute family. FHE seven, or The Jaredites as some like to call us, is seriously the best. Every single member of our family is awesome and I am so sad that I have to say goodbye to them. Our last family night is tonight, and I really don’t even want to think about it. We’ve had some awesome times together, and I am going to miss every single one of the people that have become brothers and sisters, or mom and dad, to me.

So family, here’s to ugly sweaters, the boys always being late, crazy games of spoons, amazing testimony meetings, hide and seek on campus, hanging out together every day, way too many Oreos, the Jesus mosaic, our hilarious Valentine’s excursion, fighting over Skittles, In the Arms of the Angels, dead puppies, interpretive dancing, being the Shiz, priesthood blessings, not being able to make it through a song or prayer without laughing, singing the Primary songs for Marissa, our AWESOME funeral, nuggeting someone every single FHE, never telling a lie, endless YouTube videos, even more Oreos (yes I already said Oreos. We ate a lot of Oreos.), amazing temple trips on Thursday nights, the lady that told us we were not dressed appropriately, and yet again, Oreos.

Here’s to Ian, one funny guy and an amazing dad. Ian always knows how to make the girls feel special and says the craziest things that keeps our family laughing. I’m going to miss him and I wish him all the best in California on his mission!

Here’s to Jack, one classy guy who loves to crack jokes and keeps our family on their toes. Jack is one of my very best guy friends  here at school and I’m going to miss him like crazy. Jack knows how to get the party started and is such a good friend to everyone. Love you Jack! Good luck in Argentina!

Here’s to Kurtis, one of the funniest people I know. Kurtis is crazy and unique and never afraid to be himself. He’s genuine and real and when Kurtis says something nice to you, he means it. Kurtis is one of those people that you love having as a friend simply because you have no idea what he’s going to do next. I love you Turtis! (Don’t hate me:)) and good luck in Brazil!

Here’s to Lincoln who is so confusing, but funny and sweet at the same time. Lincoln and I could have deep talks about anything, and then the next minute he would be making fun of me or cracking jokes. Lincoln is going to do awesome things with his life simply because he goes for what he wants. Which is something I really admire about him. Love you Lincoln! And good luck freezing in Russia!

Here’s to Cole who has become one of my closest friends. Cole is quiet at first, but once you get to know him he’s cracking jokes or voicing his opinion about everything. He’s so smart and so caring of others, and honestly doesn’t really care what people think about him. He’s always himself and that’s more than enough. He’s one awesome guy and I’m going to miss him! I love you Cole and have fun in Brazil with Kurtis:)

Here’s to Dylan. Basically I don’t know where I would be without this kid. Dyl is probably my best guy friend here at school, and he is like a big brother to me. He’s so sweet and fun, and is always looking out for me. He brings me food and notes just because, and treats me so much than I deserve. He’s such a fun loving guy who is mature and ready for the next adventure in life. He’s one of the most spiritual people I know and those great folks in Guatemala aren’t going to know what hit them! Dylan Sawyer is going to do great things, mark my words. I love you Dyl and I am so lucky to call you my best friend.

Here’s to Marissa who was absent a majority of the time (boyfriend or something…) but when she did come to FHE she made it so much fun! Marissa is sweet, smart, and ambitious. That girl is going places. She’s confident and absolutely beautiful and I have loved having her as my FHE sister. I love you girl and I’m going to miss you!

Here’s to Cadedra who was always ready with a witty remark or a funny thought. She’s fun and sweet and really cares about people. Cadedra has one of the biggest hearts of anybody I know and is very sure of herself, which is something I love about her. I love you hon and I better see you next year!

I’m not going to write huge long things about my actual roomies yet, even though they’re in our FHE family. Don’t you worry, it’s coming:)

Sorry this was crazy long, but you probably just skimmed it anyway;) I just had to document these important people so that I would always remember. Anywho…

I’m done with finals. Happy Monday everyone!

News April 22, 2013

New York Times: Suspects Seemed Set for Attacks Beyond Boston

The two suspects of the Boston bombings, one of whom was killed in a chase and another who is now in police custody, were suspected of having other attacks planned. Police and FBI also are working with the Russian government to see if the two acted on their own, or if they were working for a group or individual

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Cancer Centers Racing to Map Patients’ Genes

There seems to be an arms race over cancer. Competing companies are spending millions of dollars, finding new recruits every day, and spending time and effort mapping patients’ genes, hoping to crack the cancer mystery before their competitors. 

Click here to read the full story. 

Long string of goodbyes: the best ward ever

So today was the last Sunday in college. It was probably one of the saddest things that has ever happened to me. I honestly love my ward so much and I am so sad to say goodbye to these people. They have become some of my best, closest friends in the whole world and I wouldn’t be the person I am without them. I have become closer to these people in the past few months than I could have ever imagined, and I am proud to say they’re my ward family. We have our disagreements and fights, just like any ward, but in the end I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to spend my Sundays, and lots of days in between, with.

We have the best leaders and advisers in the whole world and I love each and every one of them!

So 55th ward, here’s to date minutes, the gift of tongues, success, Santa Baby, the Hulk, pictures of Kurtis, break the fast, the wiggley microphone, our family being the Shiz, spoon assassin, finding the right shoe/tie, singing happy birthday in the weirdest ways, snaps, ALOHA, testimony bingo, jars of beans, ward council, pulling talks out of our sleeves, Nebraska being nothing (not really Sar. Love you!), the Dastrup’s cute love, grounding Rachel from snap chatting, singing with the ward choir (once), setting up chairs by myself before Relief Society, presidency meetings, claiming our rows, late night talks, ward prayer, one and fun, and a million other things that I love about the 55th ward.

So here’s to you all, and all the amazing things you taught me. Trust me, this isn’t a ward I will ever forget.


Presidency:) Love them


At the ward day trip!


Family:)


 Bishop’s house


My people:)

Happy Sunday everyone. And goodbye to the best YSA ward imaginable.

Long string of goodbyes: goodbye classes

So today I say goodbye to my classes. I have loved going to school at BYU. My professors, classmates, and even the homework, have been wonderful. I’m going to miss the classes I’ve been taking and the people I’ve met. I’m going to miss Dr. Parry’s lectures and Dr. Gee’s iClicker quizzes about which celebrity he looks the most like. And Brother Walz, the man who made me feel confident about going into broadcasting. I’m going to miss him too. A lot. Having Brother Griffin teach me life long lessons from the Book of Mormon is something  I’m going to miss so much too.

Classes at BYU are hard. The tests are hard (as seen by my score on my Book of Mormon test….I mean it’s the Book of Mormon. I thought I knew it….) but so rewarding. There’s something so exciting about spending the good part of an evening writing a news conference and having Brother Walz tell you it looks awesome, or walking into a physical science test and actually understanding the questions!

So the moral of the story is, I am glad for my four month break from school, but I know that after a few weeks I’ll miss the large auditoriums and small cozy lab sections and asking the same questions to the person you’re sitting by, since you sit by someone new every single time. I have loved my classes at BYU this year, and I’m excited to see what next year brings!!

Long string of goodbyes: goodbye apartment

So today is the first day of finals. Bleh. Even more bleh? Having to move soon. I’m not going to be permanently back in Kaysville for another week, but I wanted to start my long string of goodbyes now, so there isn’t a huge blog post of all the things I want to say! So instead, you lucky readers get a few shorter blog posts all charged with emotion and mostly sadness.

Today, goodbye to my apartment. I love my apartment so much. I love my room and how it feels like me, I love how messy the vanity is with six girls getting ready every day, I love how Rachel’s room smells, I love our kitchen with the dishes never done and something always smelling good, I love our living room and borrowed furniture, I love our not tacky TV stand, I love our quote wall and the posters of other countries, I love our $400 dollar chairs that look like they’re from the D.I., I love our elevator and Sylvia the lady who talks to us, I love the scary hallway to the laundry room, I love that our apartment is home to lots of other people, how it’s always full of life, I love the magnet (if you know what I mean…. :)), I love stairwell where we fall over and laugh way too often, I love the activity room where we all met after school and started becoming friends, I love the hallway where we go after curfew, I love the cut out door where I had a few goodnight kisses, I love turret window where we people watch WAY too often, I love the memories that fill this apartment and how he is literally everywhere, I love the way it feels to walk into the building early in the morning and how sleepy it is, I love the sleepovers we’ve had in the living room and in Rachel’s room and in my room, I love how on Sunday while we’re all getting ready there’s church music playing, I love the deep discussions we have early in the morning, I love all the dinners we had together, I love the laughter that echoes off the walls early in the morning, I love the broken stools, I love my desk and how it’s happy and full of love, I love running down the long hallway after something great happened, I love getting picked up by Randy in the front of the building, and how Gabe and Cade would pull over the curb in the back to pick us up, I love the courtyard where we lay out and play games, I love the music that is always playing in this apartment, I love the feeling of perfection for two minutes after cleaning checks, I love that I can walk into the living room and 99% of the time someone who doesn’t live here is out there, and I love how this has become home.

That was long….whew! But really. I love this apartment and how safe and comfortable I feel here. It’s going to be weird moving back home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited, but there’s something about this place that’s home. And it’s weird to think about leaving.

Stay tuned for tomorrow where we say goodbye to…classes!

News April 19, 2013: Mostly Boston updates

New York Times Headline: Dragnet Shuts Boston; One Suspect Is Slain but Second Man Is on Loose

A police officer and a Boston bombing suspect are both dead after a chase this morning. The streets of Boston were in a state of emergency as police officers require residents to stay indoors with the doors locked. Police believe the other suspect is the dead man’s brother and are on the lookout for him.

Click here to read the full story.


New York Times Headline: Brothers Seen as Good Students and Avid Athletes

The brothers that are currently suspect of the Boston Marathon bombings, both immigrated from Kyrgyzstan or another country in the region.  Police are trying to figure out how two quiet immigrants evolved to terrorists. Now that one brother is dead, that may be even harder to do.

Click here to read the full story.

100 days

My best friend has been gone for 100 days. And it’s been some of the hardest days, but also some of the best days, of my life. Hard because I can’t pick up the phone and tell him every funny, weird thing that has been going on, or make him take me to Chili’s again for chips and salsa and cake, but good because I’ve learned so much about myself and I love watching him grow and watching myself grow too. Sometimes being independent is nice. I’ve gotten to go on some awesome dates and meet awesome people that I may not have met otherwise. And who knows how it’s all going to end up, but right now I know that everything that has happened and everything that is going to happen is the right thing, and in the end everything will happen how it should.

I feel like I post something about Randy every other day and some of you are probably sick of it or think it’s crazy. But I’m going to brag about him because he’s my best friend and I am so proud of him and what he’s doing!

So here’s to Randy and his first 100 days as a missionary. He’s done some crazy things, and already has blessed so many people’s lives, including mine.

Happy day 100 Elder!
And happy Thursday everyone!

News April 18, 2013

New York Times Headline: Ruins Searched for Firefighters After Blast at Factory Kills as Many as 15

A huge blast in a Texas fertilizer plant killed as  many as 15 people and injured more than 160. Experts are unsure what caused the blast, and will do more investigating after the search and rescue has been finished.

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Boston Mourns Victims; Break Is Seen in Inquiry

President Obama spoke of undimmed hope and undaunted spirit at the interfaith service for those who were killed and injured in the Boston Marathon blasts. Experts are still searching video recordings in hopes to find some clues as to who is responsible. 

Click here to read the full story.


Not Settling

I had an experience over the past few days that made me realize a few things, things I wanted to share.

Girls, this is especially for you.

You don’t have to settle. And you may think that all guys are a certain way and you have to put up with them. That’s not the case at all. Yes, you will have to compromise and learn to love their flaws and things like that, but you do not have to settle. You don’t have to be with someone who doesn’t treat you right. Ever.

I have the most amazing guy friends in the whole world who are constant reminders to me that I can be with someone who respects me, wants to do things for me, wants to listen to me, wants to cheer me up, and wants to be there for me. So thanks Spencer and Dylan and Trev and Jack and Dillon and Cole and Lincoln and Kurtis and Gabe and Cade and Michael and especially you Randy Low. And all you other guys that I didn’t mention. Thank you for being the reminder that there are good guys out there.

So ladies, don’t you dare waste a second with someone who doesn’t treat you the way you deserve. You don’t have to be with a guy who makes you feel bad about yourself, and more importantly you SHOULDN’T be with a guy who makes you feel like that. Guys are always saying “Nice guys finish last” and if we show them that the nice guys are what we really want, they’ll all have to start being nice, right?

Wait for the right guy, and don’t settle for anything less.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

News April 17, 2013

New York Times: Background Checks in Peril as Reid Backs Gun Curbs

Nevada Senator Harry Reid, the majority Senate leader, said today that he would vote for a ban on assault weapons, breaking his long ties to the NRA. He said that there needs to be a balance between the right to have a weapon, and the right for every child in America to be safe. This changes the gun debate and the outcome is now very unsure.

Click here for the whole story.

New York Times: Secret Service Cites Suspicious Material in Letter to Obama

A suspicious envelope addressed to President Obama was intercepted by the secret service yesterday. The envelope which is now being tested for suspicious substances, looked similar to a letter addressed to a Republican Senator that tested positive for ricin. 

Click here to read the full story.