How to survive the last few months of high school

As per request, here is my “how to survive the last few months of high school” checklist. Let me be honest, the last month of high school was brutal. AP tests, stressing about college and what to bring and how to pay for it, worrying about my friends and teachers and spending time with them, spending time with my family, getting ready for prom and worrying that every single second wouldn’t count. So. For all you stressed out seniors out there, this is for you. If you’ve done the whole high school graduation thing, please add and give your words of wisdom!!

  • Stop stressing. Easier said than done, I know. But seriously, life has a way of working out and it’ll all be ok. So take ten deep breaths, and read on.
  • Write down all the important dates. Dates of your AP tests, final paper due dates, graduation meetings and what time your nail appointment is for prom. I promise that if you are organized things will feel less crazy.
  • When you’re doing something fun, have fun. You’ll look back and regret that you left something early to go study for an AP test an extra hour. Now, I am not promoting not studying or doing homework at all!! But if you’ve given yourself the Friday night off, really take it off and have fun with your friends. Who knows how often you’ll hang out after this.
  • Find out what study method works best for YOU. Start studying for your AP tests early, figure out if you study best in a group or alone, with flash cards or just reading the book, things like that. 
  • Don’t wish that you were out of high school already. I love college SO MUCH. But those last few months of high school hold some of my favorite memories. Don’t wish it all away. Real life isn’t always as fun as they say it is.
  • Save some money! Don’t blow all your money. Of course go out to lunch and go crazy for prom and graduation, but if you can save some money, do it. You’ll end up needing it in a few months, promise!
  • Take mental pictures, or real ones if you can. Document these last few months. It’s really important for you now, and it will still be important for you later in your life. 
  • At senior cotillion and prom and graduation, take a moment and revel in the fact that you’re there. You’re there with a senior class, you may not know everyone, but you are a senior class. And that counts for something.
  • Spend time with your family. Sometimes take off a Friday night from homework and friends, and just be with your family. I promise you’ll miss them more than any of those friends.
  • Have fun!!! This is the most important thing of all. You only go to senior prom once, you only graduate from high school once, you only go to the senior all night party once, LET LOOSE. Who cares who sees, who cares what other people think, be yourself and LOVE IT. These last few months of senior year can be the best of high school if you let them be. They were for me. So go to all the boring scholarship dinners and AP study sessions, go to the soccer games and the dances, everything. I promise it’s all worth it.

News April 4, 2013


New York Times Headline: Power Struggle Is Gripping Iran Ahead of June Election


President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran only has 3 months left in his presidential term. Surprisingly, he has been using these last few months to change his public image through a series of controversies that many believe are to help gain support for his handpicked successor. 

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Japan Initiates Bold Bid to End Years of Tumbling Prices

The new Bank of Japan governor announced changes that would hopefully double money in circulation over the next two years. The bank plans to buy longer term bonds and double its holdings in government bonds to help end the financial downturn of recent years.

Click here to read the full story.

Something Sweet

Yesterday was a day full of sweet things. The sweetest of all? A letter from Japan. It took two and a half weeks to get here, which was expected, but it was still so nice to FINALLY get more than a paragraph email. Japan stamps are really cute, P.S. Also, that best friend of mine is amazing. He somehow knows EXACTLY what I’m going to need to hear….and he wrote it two weeks ago, thousands of miles away. I don’t know how he does it, but he’s the best.

Another sweet thing? Driving my new car, Edna, around:) I am basically IN LOVE WITH IT and SO THANKFUL to my parents for getting it for me. They are also the best:)

Another sweet thing that happened was doing crazy fun things with my friends, as well as doing homework (we do good in school sometimes.) A trip to JoAnn’s to get stuff for me for Relief Society resulted in fabric paint for Lauren’s pants, Rachel and Alli running around taking pictures and blowing off steam, and all of us car dancing at stop lights. Good times:)

Another sweet thing that happened was my mama’s DELICIOUS cake for breakfast:) Sue me for eating chocolate cake for breakfast. I had strawberries and milk with it. I feel no shame. But seriously it was really good. Chocolate cake with chocolate cool whip frosting? Divine. Maybe one day I’ll post the recipe.

Another sweet thing was having a good, Gospel talk with two of my very good friends. I love that I have so many close friends that I can have these deep, good talks with. It’s the best:)

So yes, yesterday was full of sweet things. And today will be too:)


No this isn’t Edna…camera broken remember? But she looks just like this:)


This is where Randy is…the Hawaii of Japan. Yes, I’m super jealous. Aren’t you?

Happy Wednesday everyone!

News April 3, 2013

New York Times Headline: Retailers Track Employee Thefts in Vast Databases

With employee theft at an all-time high, retailers are working together to keep thieving employees from ever being able to work in the industry again. Through databases shared by many retail stores, employers are hoping to lower the almost 15 billion dollar loss due to employee theft from 2011. 

Click here to read the whole story.

New York Times Headline: North Korea Blocks Workers From South at the Border

As South Koreans tried to go to work at a jointly operated industrial park, they found the border was blocked and they had no way to get through. This block is due to the UN sanctions and the military drills the U.S. and South Korea have been doing as of late. 

Click here to read the whole story. 

Top Knot

So I was pinning and blog stalking yesterday, and among the stalkage that was going on I found a bun called a top knot that was super cute that I actually liked! Back up….I am not a huge fan of buns. To me they are for ballet or dance or something like that. Some people totally pull them off, other people I’m all…ehhhhh better not. But after seeing this, I had to try it. And I gotta say, I really like it! Plus….after sleeping on it, it left me with the cutest waves and curls in my hair! I would TOTALLY recommend this top knot.

Now these pictures don’t do it justice. Just trust me

How to achieve this top knot? It’s seriously so easy I almost cried. You pull your hair back into a slick tight pony-tail, but don’t put the elastic around it. Then you begin twisting your hair into a coil until it starts wrapping around itself. You let it wrap around itself until you have the end left, then you just tuck the end through the middle and pull it tight! SO EASY right? 
And I promise the beachy wave look that taking this out gives you is super cute! Unfortunately my camera died and I can’t show you:( But just trust me, you don’t want to miss it! Happy Tuesday everyone:)

News April 2, 2013


New York Times Headline: U.S. Arrests Lawmakers, Claiming Bribe for Spot on Mayoral Ballot

A New York State Senator and City Councilman, Democrat and Republican respectively, were arrested along with a half dozen other people on charges of trying to get the Senator on the Mayoral Ballot as Republican.

Click here to read the full story.

New York Times Headline: Unemployment in Euro Zone Reaches a Record High


This one is pretty self explanatory. Unemployment rates in the Euro Zone, or the European Union, hit 12 percent this week, the highest it’s been since the creation of the EU in 1999. 

Click here to read the full story.

April 1

So I’m not a major fan of huge, mean pranks. When people start doing crazy April Fool’s Day pranks, I get a little upset. I just feel guilty when I do mean things! Sue me! So today in honor of April Fool’s Day, I wanted to make a list of pranks that I think are good, but not too mean.

  • Make brownie batter, put paper inside, and watch your friends’ confused looks when they take a bite!
  • Put toothbrushes in an ice tray overnight, then take them out and put them away right before everyone wakes up!
  • Put your house up for sale.
  • Put a friend’s car, bike, pet on KSL Classifieds and watch them get texts and phone calls all day inquiring after their item!
  • Take pictures that make your hair look drastically shorter and put them online.
  • Put a PULL sign on a PUSH door or vice versa.!
  • Serve cupcakes that look like hamburgers for dinner, and meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting for dessert! Looks yummy right?
  • Change all the clocks in the house to crazy, random times.
Happy April Fool’s Day everyone!

News April 1, 2013

New York Times Headline: A.D.H.D. Seen in 11% of U.S. Children as Diagnoses Rise


Concerns are growing among some doctors that A.D.H.D. is being over-diagnosed and that medications are being overused in the United States. Over 6.4 million children ages 4-17 have received an A.D.H.D. diagnosis in their lives.

Click here for the whole story.

NBC Headline: US F-22 fighter jets set to join South Korea military exercise

The United States sent fighter jets to South Korea today to help with their military work to stop North Korean threats. South Korea’s president said they take the Northern threats very seriously and gave permission for South Korean violence in self-defense at any time.

Click here for the full story.

Easter

Sorry there was no news yesterday or today! I’ve had a crazy weekend but it’s been so much fun! I loved getting to spend time with my family and some friends that I haven’t seen in a while. And after spending time with my family and these friends, and celebrating Easter, I learned a few things.

  • Changing who you are when you’re around different people is really ridiculous. Stay true to yourself, whoever you’re with.
  • Complaining about literally everything will get you nowhere, and you’ll have no friends while you’re there.
  • Four kids ranging from 21-12 can still go crazy over a bottle of bubbles.
  • Hunger Games Easter egg hunts are the way to go.
  • My mom is the best cook in the world.
  • Cars from this century are so nice.
  • My family is the best and I love spending time with them.
And the most important thing I learned, well not learned, but recognized, over the weekend? The Church is true. The Savior atoned for ME and MY sins, weaknesses, trials, temptations, and pains. I would be nowhere without this Gospel. I am so blessed that my family knows it, that my friends know it and are out teaching it to others, and that I know it. Happy Easter everyone.
My family watches this video every Easter. It’s a good one.

Holy Thursday

This week is the week leading up to Easter. In some religions it’s called the Holy Week, in others it’s not mentioned at all. Yesterday was Holy Thursday. Yesterday was the day of the week, that thousands of years ago, Christ held the Last Supper. And then went to the Garden of Gethsemane. In the past this hasn’t really had that much of an effect on me. So I decided earlier this year, that I wanted Holy Week to have more meaning for me. And folks, it’s made all the difference.

Yesterday I decided to get my sorry behind off the couch and go to the temple with my FHE family. PAUSE STORY. My FHE family ROCKS. That is all. Carry on. UNPAUSE. So we went to the temple. And there isn’t a better way I could’ve spent Holy Thursday than by being at the temple. I read scriptures from the four gospels about Christ and his life, and his death. I spent time looking at paintings of him teaching, and got to be baptized for people that can now accept him as their savior and redeemer. It was a wonderful, amazing day.

So, yes this blog post is more religious than most, but I would feel very ungrateful if I didn’t tell people what I know.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church on the Earth. I know that more than anything else. And this week especially, I am so grateful for the Atonement. I know that Christ has felt absolutely everything I have ever felt, and will ever feel. He chose to die for me, and he also chose to live for me. He could’ve given up, had the cup removed from him. But he didn’t. He thought I was worth living for in that moment. And that’s something pretty amazing. So today I am rededicating myself and my life to him. I don’t want to cause him any more pain than I have to. So I’m going to try and be better, so maybe he didn’t have to suffer as much for me.

Happy Friday everyone!