confessions of a now college junior..

oh hey blog world. sorry i haven't said anything interesting lately, i don't blame you if you forgot about me. finals week + raleigh's wedding + moving out = disorganized chaos, much worse than my usual organized chaos. i successfully failed a couple finals, forgot half my possessions in madison five, ended an old job and started a new/old one (good old ace!), turned grandma j's house into my closet.. not a room the whole house, and got my first tan lines of the summer.
this semester was a beaut, with all i could ask for in a winter semester- having close friends and a chance to be really comfortable being myself around them. so far both my years at byu have followed the same pattern. first i make friends and my social life is somewhat all over the place and i wonder what is going to come of it all, then i settle down and have a group that i always want to be with.
now that i may or may not be half way through my byu education (pending my major and determination).. there's some things i wish i would have known two years ago.

-start off strong, and it will be easier to finish strong. 
i wish i would have gotten more involved in the beginning, because now i feel like it will be harder to establish myself. really, this is just fear, but for my personality i would have thrived if i would have jumped right into things.

-don't be afraid to ask for help. 
i think this semester particularly taught me that i can't do everything on my own. my last day of this school year i spent ten hours, almost straight, in the math lab studying. i studied for every test in there and i was able to not only do better, but make some random friends along the way. it's just easier to get things done in those horrible things.


-introduce yourself.
don't be a wallflower and wait for people to come to you. if you're at a party, go make friends. simple conversations starters about names, hometowns, and majors can be the start of friendships. or if nothing else you may see them on campus and be able to say hi. if you don't know your neighbors.. get to know them. sometimes you don't really care, but sometimes you'll regret not branching out at the end of the year.

-make a friend in every class. 
it makes studying and missing notes so much easier. just do it. 

-get your crap figured out. 
go to an advisement center and get on a track. even if you don't know your major, have a goal and take classes that matter. this past semester i'm like the business advisement center's #1 client i swear.

-be open minded. 
to everything- you major, friends, activities, dates.. try everything and have a good attitude. i used to be so sheltered and i never wanted to venture out of my comfort zone. i didn't like things i wasn't good at and i never wanted to even do some of the things i was good at because i didn't want to disappoint if i wasn't as good as people expected. now i just do them, because who cares? no one is good at everything and no one expects that from you. new hobby this year from doing this- long boarding. thanks for teaching me kenz!

-financially have goals. 
sure, you're a poor college student, but you could probably be poorer. i wish i would have taken better care of my money, starting in high school. i would have saved more and spent less. and remember that $2,000+ i got at graduation? i would have put it towards something real. not to say i wasted that money.. i used it for my computer and tuition, but now that i'm going on a study abroad i wish this would have always been a goal of mine and i always would have been putting away a little bit at a time so now i wasn't so desperate to make it work.

-get a mac. 
i understand a mac isn't a reasonable computer for everyone, but i know i've had far less problems than friends with pc's. i'm hard on computers and use them a lot so it was an 100% worthwhile investment for me.

maybe you agree, maybe you don't.. but that's what i've learned so far.
viva la summer baby!

things that made me happy.

this week brought the potential of five tests, reviews, work, and minor dramatic moments. i'm mostly just happy i got out of it alive.

passport application: submitted! the line was long and the conversation was, well, post office line conversation. but it's done!

celebrating bryn's birthday din din. then watching her get her ears pierced. twenty years old and her piercing viriginity is finally stripped!

having a really rough night and having my grandma call me and make everything seem okay. my grandma is better than your grandma. i love her lots.

passing my calc test with one try left. and getting exactly the 80% necessary. goodbye 9 am class! proud to say i only skipped once. (don't worry those lower scores don't count on my grade, it's pass/fail and all you need is one 80) :)

noticing i have homework for my study abroad prep class. tell me that isn't exciting? tell me i'm not lucky to be excited about homework? yeah. thought so.

seeing a best friend find her wedding dress. i may or may not have teared up. #iloveweddings

talking to my brother sam and asking, "is there anything else you need to tell me?" and him responding, "just that i love you."

splurging and getting a new skirt at h&m. no, it was not necessary but yes, i am very happy about it.

finding the silver lining in this week.. i have many blessings to be counting :)

amore.

v day. you either love it or hate it. i'm not sure if i have enough unbiased experience with the day to choose my side, but this year i enjoyed valentine's day completely. no, i don't have a lover.. i have lots :) this year surprised me and made me realize you don't need a boyfriend to like v day, all you need is love. (yep. i just said that tacky statement.)

v day kinda started monday night, when we threw jaxon a surprise birthday party. he was completely surprised (my favorite thing) and it was a lot of fun. he even got lucky..

i love this boy lots. he's one of a kind.
then after a long day i came home to a package from my awesome family/mother. yes please. the usps delivered this time.

i slept in the living room (don't ask questions) and listened as one of my roommate's secret admirers taped a rose and note to our front door. i then woke up to these beauties on our kitchen table. 

i assumed they were for my roommate alex, who is engaged. nope. just from the boys/jaxon, who provided a gerber daisy for every girl in madison five. try and tell me my friends aren't the best.

the rest of the day was filled with ding dong ditching and pleasant surprises all around.

i doodled this in class then realized i didn't have anyone specific to give it to. disappointing? surprisingly not. :)

and nothing's more festive then some heart nails! yeah, i went all out.

bryn my forever valentine surprised us all with these bows and notes. she's the best. (how do i keep up when i have so many cute friends like this? it honestly is rough. i feel so inadequate.)

who needs a valentine when you can have lots? i think i'd prefer it this way for now. it's safe to say this one goes down in the books as one of the best valentine's day. it was ended at the vow. how did you feel about it? i liked it, but i was so mad most the movie.. it was depressing. oh well. we all know i'll see it again.

hope your v day was filled with lots of v's and lots of love. :)

the sleepover.

this girl looks peppy and thrilled. 

but if only you knew what it took to get that girl to third row of the byu v. st. mary's game. 

cue end to annoying third person talk. 

meet my home last week. i slept here, in that tent, more than i did in my own bed i believe. wednesday, thursday, friday night.. all were spent in that tent. surprisingly it progressively got better, even as the temperatures dropped and dropped. 

meet the crew that is crazy enough to see four tents at the marriott center at midnight and decide to join them. believe it or not, it was us girls who got the ball rolling. (did i really just use that phrase?)

here's almost everyone. and our attempt at a one tree hill picture. did i mention we watched a whole season in a week together? well.. we did. we were kinda obsessed. i'm peyton. the confused, dark one. perfect right? 

this is basically how we slept every night to keep warm. rach and i are all time cuddle partners. you make think that's weird.. but you try camping out in the winter. body heat.. duh. 

occasional late night trips kept us sane, or insane. oh yeah nasty energy drinks. nassssty.
shout out to rose stewart who brought the last night crew wendy's. can you say an angel from above? yeah she is. nuggs and a frosty were EXACTLY what i needed. i kid you not. 

then when the time came we lined up at our door, got instructions on the best way to hold our all sports passes for the quickest scan entry, and we were in. 

cute little bows kept us classy, despite the embarrassing show of sportsmanship and composure shown by the byu student section. 

the game was disappointing, and ridiculously emotionally draining. but the three nights prior made it worth it! 

needless to say, or maybe not so obvious, i will not be camping out for tomorrow's game vs. gonzana. as much as i wanted to, the group could not muster the strength for another week long sleepover. i will happily watch it from my couch. 

oh ps.. charles abouo tweeted me back again. 

SO WORTH IT!

just call me lilly.

yep. it's finals week. yep. i leave tomorrow. yep. i still have one more test to take. yep. i still have to pack. yep. i still have to do my job for cleaning checks. yep. i'm blogging and using my time wisely. 

(side note- i did half of this post and then actually focused when i was done packing, and now am en route to HOME. currently in denver!) 


things you should know: 

i just cleaned out my backpack and stored old books and notebooks. i sold back one book, and got $3. SCORE!

i'm a member of a new exclusive harry potter club. i'm lilly potter. everyday we pick a new spot to study. details in a sec. 

i underperformed on every single one of my tests. that takes skill. 

i made new friends. they are also apart of the HP club. i would like to blame them for my lack of sleep this week. (bed times: sunday: 3 am, monday 2:30 am, tuesday 5 am, wednesday 3 am)

i CANNOT wait to see my family. they are so cute. every day my mom tells me how excited she is an usually something that a sibling said about me coming home. abby sends me emails and that make me even more excited. 

i have not been home since july, and that was when the flood was just about to get done "peaking," so i'm excited to see my house/community/state not in a state of disaster and my backyard filled with snow- not sand bags!

monday study- 4th floor of the JKB. it was one of the better spots.

tuesday- 2nd floor of the JKB. chamber of secrets. first official meeting of the club.

wednesday- 4th floor of the JFSB. dumbledore's office. real official. favorite spot. 

study activities:

library. where we went to study play football. see video below.

posed harry potter character pictures

if you're not done with finals, i'm so so sorry. i suggest locking yourself in a room for a few hours to study. i kindaaa wish i would have done that. bad idea to have friends finals week. what was i thinking? 


happy christmas, muggles!

life of a college student.

i have had less than ten, even five dollars, in my account on multiple occasions this month.
boys cooked for us today, its the most nutritiously balanced meal i've had all school year.
i avoid homework like the plague.
i'm constantly setting goals, but sometimes it takes a while..
my gas tank usually only receives a couple gallons at a time.
i had pasta five nights in a row.
right now i'm craving st. george. i need to get away. i miss my grandma! (ps call out to the stgeezy girls.. i think i might go down in two weekends.. who is down? split gas?) :)
apparently the new software update for my iphone was the coolest thing since sliced bread, but i was too busy to really notice.
tonight i got ready for bed and quickly noticed my shorts (running shorts, the kind with the built in awkward undies) were on backwards. i was too tired to care.
the dollar menu almost too expensive for me.
the idea of being in a house is extremely exciting, even if its just for the night.

but- the life of a byu student is all of this and more.

the boys are nice and complimentary.
students and professors alike are teaching me things i haven't even thought about.
this week i found out the Christmas story is a fraud. (did you know Jesus was actually born in a cave, and wise men didn't come for a reallly long time after?)
i have a reason for being here and i know what i need to do to better myself.
where else can you feel the Spirit so strong you are about to cry?
there's something about those white shirts and ties on sundays that you just can't beat..
even though i do horribly on my New Testament tests, i still am grateful for all i learn.
i'm still poor, but still lovin' life.

stop. press play. smile.

i have so much to do, my priorities were wack but they're starting to find their correct places, and everything seems to be happening at once- a calling, a job, midterms, and a very messy apartment. feeling the same way? watch this now. it will make your day so much more worth it.

introducting my sophomore year.

roommates: kimmie, alex, rachel, samantha, (me), hayley.
location: liberty square.
stats: one freshman, four sophomores, one junior.
two showers, two sinks, one big mirror.
an oven, fridge/freezer, dishwaster, sink.
additional appliances purchased. (including my ice cream maker- stay tuned for details.)
two tvs, one mine, one borrowed and bigger.
alrighty. moving on.

there's a couple things you should know about our apartment. we have a couple honorary roommates.

one being j beibs. no one's complaining.

we had a ward activity. we fled to the swings. nothing personal.. but byu has made me not care at all for ultimate frisbee. it's so annoying how convenient it is to play it EVERYWHERE.

class started. so did the big bucks being spent on books. i feel bad for the people who had to buy this book.. i can't even read the title.

being a byu means multiple things, but the things i had forgotten about were:
the couples
the foreign languages
the waaaay happy people
the everyone randomly being connected
the cute boys you check out, then see the ring
the people who give their introductions in class and you already know they're messing up your curve.

last, but not least i have another intro.
introducing: "the" roommate- hayley.

 i'm loving this picture. it's on top of the jfsb. we didn't have devotional today so i met hayley up there during our down time. i forgot how cool it is up there, and hot this time of the year. but.. the view is spectacular. note the "y" on the mountain. and just the mountains in general. oh, and the girl with me.
hayley is a california girl. i scored. so far, so good. she has put up with me and we have already "clicked" and made some memories. she's a chemistry major, aka way smart. she's so cute and gets along with everyone. she fit right in with our apartment. and, she is better at going to bed than me. i know it sounds weird but i really need to do better, and she's helping me get out of my night owl habits from last year. so.. if things continue like they've started this will be a great year.
i'm happy with the girls i'm with every day, my classes, my school, oh yeah, and i need a job. i have an interview on thursday. keep your fingers crossed for me!

the end.

i'm not going to lie to you..

i want to be in love after reading/watching this post. such a cute blog, such a cute story.

and it is extremely weird of me to even talk about love. so.. there you go.
its THAT cute.

as for me:
1 day to apartment move in/living
2 days to being unemployed
3 days to friends reunited
5 days to a new ward
6 days to classes

now that looks like a dang good week. eh?
to all of you that started school this week.. that really stinks.
kidding.. hope it's going well! i'll be right with you soon.

more?

i had to say more goodbyes today. NOT FAIR. 

seokhee's mission farewell is my first of a close friend. all i've been to is a random friend of friend's farewells. 

242 4 LIFE!

even though a lot will change in two years, i still can't wait until we're all reunited.

hope your easter was filled with what's important. 

i had to return keys for to my aunt while she was at church and as i walked out i heard my uncle (who is the bishop) say this:

"on my mission we often had to respond to the comments that we were not christians, because we did not have crosses around our churches and in our homes. but the reason for this is because we don't focus on the cross because we believe he still lives."

it gave me food for thought on my drive today. hope you think about it a little as well. 

happy sunday :)

this is what i did my freshmen year.

these were my first friends at byu. minus mckenna, not to be a hater but this is the only time i've seen her :) haha. 

this was the first football player i met at byu. he's great with names :)

this was a late night adventure, and eric was the first boy i let drive chuck the truck. these two helped name him :)

we danced lots. (cue random boys.)

ward dances ..

even at paint dances

even fancy dances

this was my first road trip. i loveee these girls

random floats pop up sometimes, so we climbed them

freakin' awesome football seats.. this happens when you are friends with michelle wood

this is when we went to a movie two hours early, and had sooo much fun while waiting. aren't these boys cute?

oh yeah, random gorillas pop up sometimes at byu too

chocolate milk pong anyone?

AHH! i saw HP7 before the midnight showing! HIGHLIGHT

ps this is my roommate, we're perfect for each other, right?

i got to be closer to my fam.

ps kate's getting MARRIED!! AH!

oh yeah. byu basketball.. kinda a big deal.

yeah, i caught jimmer mania too..

you wouldn't believe the things i did for a seat at the basketball game..

this is the christmas party i threw. bomb. love these girls.

my first concert here was with this girl. DASHBOARD. SOOO GOOD!

roommate.

gotta decorate the space.

fun dates.

my baby wesley. now lives with rachael kohler. thanks chaych :)

this girl is a best friend. the best friend. i'm going to miss her so much next year. but we'll still be close.

oh yeah, more family :)

i got rich at nickle city on my birthday.

there are fun things to do in provo.. like the tumble gym. so naturally we went there.

crazy girls get married their freshmen year, so we threw a bridal shower :)

froyo..

and more froyo..

and more :)

oh yeah. my friends? they're winners. (and the boys are losers.) ps we LOVE spazz.

this girl and i are just going to get closer this summer. love stg girls :)

oh yeah. and i pulled the most legit april fool's joke you'll ever see/hear/experience

studying stinks, but doing so in forts with a sleepover helps we found :)

oh yeah. we're dirty girls ;)

AND I GOT TO SEE FAMILY :)

and i faithfully attended ward prayer. because i love being around these people.

and here comes the shout out i could not do this blog post without.
to the people of my freshmen year.
where to begin?
i came to byu not knowing anyone. i was psyc'd about my roommate i got to know throughout the summer, but from there i wasn't quite sure what was going to happen.
from there its all an answered prayer.
i met raleigh, who was cutest girl around and went spring/summer so she had the hookups.
oh yeah, and guess what? hailey and elisa, some of my best friends, i met them the moment i checked in. it was great, hailey was your classic bubbly orem, utah girl. it kinda scared me at first, but then i noticed how awesome of a person, and even better a friend, she was.
then i got to know the girls on my hall. turns out they're all pretty rad and we all get along great.
on the side i also got to know some st. george girls. turns out this summer will be bomb :)
and then came my ward. and here are my friends freshmen year, give or take a few.
but really, what i'll miss the most is my ward. this may be because its a big group and thus contains most my friends, but seriously. they are the BEST ward. it is the best ward. our bishop even said so :) our bishopric was released on our last sunday. the last sunday was perfect! with different quirks that come with our ward. and our bishopric even said we're the best ward they've ever had :)
my best friends come from my ward. and now half of them aka the boys are leaving.
i'm going to miss them SO much, but at the same time i've never been so proud of a group of boys. guys. men. whatever. :) haha. seriously though. they're devoting two years of their life to the Lord. and they've been preparing all year for it. they are great examples to me. and its the cutest thing to see them get their mission calls and see how freakin' excited they get. ah. they're so cute. i love every one of them. and the girls? holy cow they're going to be something awesome. each of them is special. yeah i know that sounds tacky but there are so many talented girls. i look up to them too, and i just hope that we will all stay close. so. with that. my freshmen year was perfect. my grades sure weren't, but the year was. they temporarily filled the place of my family while i was away from home. and they did a dang good job. they made church, prayer, fhe, really anything with them SO much fun. anyways. so here are some pictures of the crew. we're hot. admit it.