Saturday, December 20, 2008

There's no place like home...There's no place like home..

I love, love being home. There really is no place like home especially during the holidays. I think I am more excited for Christmas then I have since I realized Santa didn't exist. I was able to go shopping with Saydie today. It was fun to walk around the mall with her and talk since we don't get to spend as much time together as we used to. I also have been able to spend loads of time cooking with mom. We have made more candy delights then I have the whole time I was at school. Our poor chocolates had a meltdown and the divinity only worked once, but it was very fun (and very tasty:). Sometimes I wish that time would stop on the moments you enjoy and make it last forever, but then I remember that if I look for the silver lining then I will always have moments like these that I enjoy. They will just be a little bit different. Only five days till Christmas!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Lost and Found

Sorry I know two posts in one day is a little overkill, but I wanted to add one thought. In college it is very easy to get lost in the crowds especially at a big campus. I feel like a little fish in an ocean. Then finals come along and I essentially become a hermit because I'm bad at balancing friends and school. So then there comes the stress and feeling of being lost, as I mentioned earlier.
Then out of the blue someone steps out of their comfort zone and shows that they notice you and care. I had a friend like that today. Her name is Maveny and after class she just walked and talked with me. A simple thing I know, but I felt noticed and not so lost in this big sea of college. So if you don't think what you say or do affects someone, it really does and they really appreciate it. Even when life is crazy try to take a moment and look outside yourself to someone else they need you as much as you need them.

The Bark Yorkshire

I love surprises, so it is good that life is full of them. My surprise happened the other day in the family history lab. I have been given the project to learn about a family in my history that had a child born before 1900 so kind of randomly I chose to search for my Grandma Carter's Father's family. I had to find dates of birth, marriage, and death and record them for the first few projects.
This final project, though, had me searching for the actual story of the family. This has been really neat because there is so much to find, it is a lot of work but I love it! So anyway back to the family history lab. I was trying to find information about Walter St. John (my great great grandfather) and I couldn't seem to find very much so I decided just to go back a little bit further and see what I found. At first I didn't find very much then like buried treasure I found that Walter's father and immigrated to America in 1843 and then I found his immigration records from the boat The Bark Yorkshire! I found some of his family and learned more about his story.
He and his family had been converted in England by some elders and had promptly left for America. On the way they hit a storm that broke the foremast, mainmast, and mizzenmast! So they came into the port in New Orleans with just the hull of the vessel. They lost two children on the voyage and the mother and another daughter died on their trek across the plains. I can't even imagine the hardship they went through and my Great great great grandfather was only 4 years old! I am so grateful for these ancestors who sacrificed so much for me and made it possible for me to have the gospel in my life! So now I am happily addicted to genealogy. :)

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Snow, Stress, and Sleep

It snowed on campus the other day and I loved it! I wanted to run around with my arms spread wide and my face up toward the sky, but of course there were classes to get to and the little problem that people might think I'm crazy. My goal is to be able do what I want without caring about what other people think..someday. So I didn't run or jump or play, but I loved the snow anyway.
Finals are coming up and I am stressed out so pray for me, please. The good news, though, is I get to come home in one week and then I can sleep! See you all soon!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

My BIG Announcement







Oh how I love Thanksgiving! This year it was especially sweet since I was able to truly appreciate being with my family because of being away at college. The fun part about visiting them is they believed I had a BIG secret. Let me explain and show you how my crazy family loves to blow things a little out of proportion.



I have never been the one to pamper myself, go shopping, or get my nails done (I'm too busy playing basketball or reading:). So I decided to surprise them and get my hair done- highlighted and cut. It was a perfect plan, they wouldn't know that I'd stopped by sister Peck's to get it done and she wouldn't tell them. Then poof! They would see me on Thanksgiving with a whole new hair style.

Well as anyone knows plans don't always work out. I decided to head home a little early and say hello to my grandparents the only problem being that my Dad was visiting them because of the infamous BYU vs. U of U game. He saw me and asked why I was there. I of course couldn't tell him. He then proceeded to jump to conclusions ( I was engaged, going to soon be engaged, I had a secret boyfriend that I was secretly visiting or something along those lines). He then called mom and my other family and it became this big fiasco over a silly hairstyle. Needless to say I didn't tell them why I was there and they continued to fret over what my BIG announcement was. I think they felt a little silly when they found it was just my hair:) I fear for my family's sanity when I do have a BIG announcement to tell them.

I also learned to make the famous Carter pies as you can see from the pictures. I was tempted to add another picture because of the warmth it brought to mine and my mother's hearts, but I fear Saydie might shave my eyebrows off if I post it :) so these will have to do.



Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Precious Moments

Right now I am pretty happy with who I am. Of course I would like to be a little bit better ballet dancer and I would like to be able to resist ice cream, but other than that I have only one thing that really bugs me. I have trouble living in the moment. There are times I wish I could go back to moments in my life and enjoy them more. If I had maybe they would have lasted longer or I could have appreciated them more, but then I lose moments that are happening right now. Like last night when I was able to school some guys in my ward in basketball (not really, but I didn't shame the family name so I think I did ok:). So I guess there is only one solution and that is to not dwell on the past and make my own moments that I can cherish without worrying they will end too soon.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

You actually think?

One thing I love about college is it actually teaches you to think. Crazy huh?:) But really, when you are in elementary through high school you are given theorems and rules that you have to drill into your head. Your taught, in a sense, to act like a parrot. Say what everyone wants you to say. In college I am actually invited to share what I think about the subject the class is discussing and I love it.
In a way it helps me to open my eyes. I especially love my writing class for this reason. There are people in my class who paint amazing pictures with words; not just of subjects and scenery, but feelings and life in general. The colorful trees of fall are no longer just stark images on the horizon, but splashes of color on a canvas that give off the aroma of a crisp Thanksgiving morning and glisten like colorful diamond tiaras in the dawn.
Another amazing thing about college ( I know the mind reels that there could actually be more) is that I have come to realize that nothing in this life is simple. Think of a table. A boring, brown, square table. In reality, though, it is very far from boring. It is constantly exerted on by forces and gravity, it is made of wood which is made of molecules and atoms and quarks that are constantly moving, but you can't see them. Then you add the chemical reaction of the staining of the wood and so on. It never ends.
I know your thinking "It's a table...so what?" But what boggles my mind is that this complexity goes for everything. Nothing in the world is simple and that is what makes it wonderful. You can constantly be discovering new things the only problem being we only have a lifetime to learn and discover all these things.
All this thinking makes me so awed and inspired by my Father in Heaven and that he has created such an amazing world, and even our own bodies, so that we are constantly learning and growing. Again the only draw back being we only have this life to discover it; so why not live it to the fullest?

Saturday, October 25, 2008

THRILLER!




Right now I am involved in a mentoring program called 4H. It is where we, as mentors, get involved not only with the kids but their families as well. My mentee is named Alex. She is really sweet and has an endless amount of energy, oh and she likes to talk...a lot. :) Once a month their is an m and m activity where we meet with the entire group of mentors and do an activity. Since it is Halloween this month we were able to go down to Salt Lake City and see the dance performance Thriller by Odyssey.


Unfortunately one thing I did not realize was that Alex does not do well with scary stuff. So when we got to the building a dressed up dead girl started following us and Alex freaked out. Luckily the dead people went away if we told them to. The performance was actually really good (except for the dead girl part. But the best part had to be the crazy ride to and from Salt Lake. Here are a few of our awesome pictures. I think we should be models:) We also drove all the guys crazy on the bus with our continuous singing of Taylor Swift so now we are known in infamy as the girls with the Taylor Swift cell phone that never ends.

G.S.N.S




What do you get when you have a chick flick, a room full of dateless girls, and food? Guys stink/stupid Nights of course! A few of my friends and I have decided that since no eligible bachelors had asked us on dates this weekend we would have a guys stink night and watch chick flicks (a.k.a The Runaway Bride). This entails talking about how guys stink, trying to figure out why they stink, and wishing we were out with a guy that stinks/is stupid. Apparentely, though, this night wasn't nearly as exciting (maybe it has something to do with our love lives) as you can see from the picture. So we will have to see if more G.S.N.S nights continue or not, but if we don't have dates and we get to eat food why not?:)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A Wave and Fudge Brownies


Who knew a simple wave and brownies could make a person so happy? My neighbors in my apartment complex always have their kitchen blinds up so you have a clear view into the guys apartment across the street because of course they have their blinds up as well. The only problem being they never look out their window. It got to the point that we began to wonder if they even realized they had a window. My friend Melissa made a bet with me that they would never wave back to me. So of course I continued to wave....and wave....and even dance around the kitchen trying to get their attention to no avail.

Today, though, was different. I continued to wave like an imbecile, but this time a revelation came to one of the guys that there was actually a girl waving to him in the apartment across from him. You'd think he'd been struck by lightning, then he gave the head nod and waved back. Oh but it doesn't end there. I celebrated my success with a few turns and a lot of jumping up and down with Kathy and Melissa. Then testing my luck I waved again..and again. Then more success! I got not only the first guy to wave, but his dumbstruck roommate as well. I felt pretty cool.

How do the brownies fit into this you may ask. Well I had another movie night with my friend Alyssa (watching the wonderful Sydney White) and we made the most delicious fudge brownies with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting on top. As you can tell from the picture they were too good to waste. So it was pretty much the best way to end the day...with a wave (actually two waves) and fudge brownies.

Monday, October 20, 2008

My Magic Word

I love to run, sometimes I wish I could run forever without getting tired. I have a friend who had a dream where she ran so fast she flew. That would be part of my dream, but basically I would like to run as fast as the wind. One thing I'm confused about, though, is why guys decide to hit on girls while they are running. Do they think that this is the time they are weakest and the most willing to agree to a date?
Boy: Hi my name is Tom
Girl: Hi (I don't really want to talk because I can't breathe)
Boy: So...do you like to run?
Girl: Nope, it is the bane of my existance
Boy: What are you studying?
Girl: Nothing I'm running.
Boy: I'm going to be a bio chemical nuclear physicist engineer and minor as a lawyer.
Girl: Fun
Boy: That way I can provide for my future family...you could be a part of that family.
At this point I usually use my new magic word.....Freshmen:). Then the attempting charismatic fellow uses the favorite word of most of the BYU male population, "Oh". He then makes a hasty excuse and sprints away, just like Hermes with a new pair of winged sandles. It is amazing how much energy that little word gives them. It's not that I don't want to go on a date with the guy. Just at that moment I would much rather run then make small talk with a guy who only sees me as a potential mate. So for right now I will keep running until eventually I can run as fast as the wind. Maybe then I can catch up with Hermes.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Chemistry Night Owl




When I first moved into my apartment my roomates joked about how they were going to convert me into staying up late. I thought they were kidding, but as you can see it is 12:21 and I don't really want to go to sleep. Oh well writing is a lot more fun anyway.


I love my chemistry class, but when it comes to the actual work I get a little frustrated. So I was able to visit my friend, Alyssa today and attempt to figure it out. I think we did more talking then actually figuring it out, but it was way fun. I even got to watch 'Penelope':). It is this really cute chick flick where the girl gets the guy in the end (of course) even though she has a pig nose.


Very cute show. One thing that's funny though is that Alyssa and I were friends in elementary school (awww recess..the good old days:) and then she moved away, but now she is back at BYU and amazingly we are still friends. Well I should probably be doing my child development review so I'll write more later.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Oh!


I just thought I'd add something funny that I just remembered. I was talking to my friend Hope and we have decided that we are both cursed when it comes to relationships. She has never had a relationship for more than three months (her current guy is leaving on his mission on the exact day of three months..creepy) and I haven't been on more than four dates. So we have decided that that is the reason we are friends. Ha ha no she is one of my really good friends because she is just awesome. :)

Brrrr BYU

It is freezing! I was able to go to the football game on saturday and it was so cold and so fun. Since I went to the game in the cold weather I am now a true BYU fan (or so says my dad:) We of course kicked butt and it even snowed a little bit! I love the snow I just wish there was enough to make a snowman or have a snowball fight.
I have a pretty exciting FHE group we decided last night that we are going to have spy wars with the other apartments with marshmellow guns. I'm way excited. We even have a water balloon launcher. :) But I think we are going to save that for the summer because it is a little too cold to get soaked.
I also was able to go do baptisms for the dead at the Provo temple this morning. It was really neat because I haven't been in a while and a few guys came with my group of girls and they baptised and confirmed us. I need to go more often, I just need to find the time.
Well that is about as exciting as it gets for now, except for more tests....yaay tests.
Oh and barbecue sauce and cheesy macarroni don't go together. :)

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Busy at BYU


Hello sorry about slacking on my blogging. I've decided I am going to try really hard to keep up:).
Well I have made it through an entire month of college. Can you believe it? I've come to realize I can actually play soccer, but have a tendency to foul (possibly a side affect from churchball:)), hot dogs and maccaroni actually go really good together as does pasta and salsa (weird), and apparently I have the marriage vibe.
I have three apartment mates. Amy who is from Fresno, California and has a missionary in Minnessota. Bridget who is one of Amy's best friends and is from Texas (I forget which part, but it is a pretty big state so I think I'm ok). She might be getting married in the summer, but the guy hasn't proposed yet, so we'll see. Finally we are down to my roomate, Sara. She is from Layton, Utah (yeah Utah!) and is the craziest person I have ever met, but a good kind of crazy. All in all I love my roomates and I love living off campus so I don't feel like too much of a scared, little freshmen.
Well that is about it for now. So far no proposals yet so I think I'm circumventing the marriage vibe.:)

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Life's a Racetrack


I can't believe how fast time flies, one moment I am trying to make a decision between a purple or green popsicle and the next I have to decide my future. I am going to head off to BYU-Provo on August 16th and nothing has ever been so exciting and terrifying at the same time. I actually have to learn to survive on something other than poptarts and pizza pockets:).


This Picture is of me and Hope in 'our' apartment. We actually didn't get to share an appartment because I didn't get registered in time so that kinda stunk, but oh well. Now I get to stay at the Riv with a bunch of unknown..possibly crazy..roomates:). It should be pretty exciting. I guess it is off to the unknown for me so hopefully I survive, I was able to visit me rooms today and apparently I have a pretty good ward so that will help:)