Even though we are into December now, I neglected to say that the games we played for Thanksgiving were fun!! We laughed a lot during Dad's game and I can say that we are a pretty competitive bunch! The first game was a "roll the dice" game, where the first person had to put on a hat and tie and then use just spoons to open a wrapped up gift- no hands! The second person was rolling dice and when they got doubles the first person had to pass on their role to the next person around the table and start rolling dice. That poor gift was pretty beaten up by the time it was open! The next game was Thanksgiving bingo and we were sitting next to Matt and he had decided to double up on the bingo cards and it was fun watching him when Mom started to read off the words a little quicker!

This past week has been busy. Some things I have learned are to be able to say sorry and ask for forgiveness. Its something I have been taught all my life but I think it is something we are always tested on! Rocky is a great example of this for me and also for not holding grudges and not get upset quickly. He says that when we have grudges or jealousy or hard feelings, those take up the space in us that we could use for good feelings of love, charity, kindness, and happiness. I see this through his actions and that makes me have a greater desire to work on my weaknesses.

Last week I had the most amazing vegetable soup…maybe that doesn't sound so exciting, but it now ranks up there in my gold star soups. I will have to find out how it is made and get the recipe so I can make it in the future! A little background…I go get lunch Monday-Friday at the restaurant. They have a "lunch special" Monday through Thursday which includes soup, a main dish, and a drink, like lemonade. It is different each day and lately I have been on a soup kick (probably cause of the cold weather!) and would just get soup instead of soup and the main dish. Most of the soups are pretty hearty so I can get filled up just on the soup. I think it was Wednesday or Tuesday when I stopped by like regular and I saw a smooth and creamy soup on the stove, which was a new one! I got a spoon and dipped out a taste and I think time might have frozen right then. I asked Rocky, "What is in this soup?" and he said it was a veggie soup. That's what I had guessed, but I didn't think it was possible for veggies in a soup form to taste sooo good! (I like my soups to have some kind of meat in them usually). I took mine back to work and the day seemed brighter. Because of soup. (And of course seeing Rocky!) It's the little things that make me happy! (When the soup was served they added some chopped chicken and homemade croutons so in the end it was "veggie" soup alone. However just the soup alone without the add-ins was amazing as well! ) I called Rocky later in the day and asked him to bring some home if there was any left over at the end of the day. There was and I brought it to work the next day. Good thing too cause the next day the soup of the day included fish and I'm not a fan of fish!

Speaking of being in the month of December, it's the Christmas season!! I am trying to get into the holiday season more. It's a little difficult with our current living situation first of all and also our schedules. However, I am determined to have some good memories to look back on, so its just going to take a little more planning this year. I was thinking back on our family Christmases in California. Some of the things I remember are:

~making Christmas goodies to deliver for Family Home Evening to families we knew.

~Acting out the Christmas story and then sitting around the tree with just the tree lit and all the other lights out.

~Decorating the tree and putting on the ornaments that had special meaning and remembering them after not seeing them for a year. And our stockings! Mom made us each Christmas stockings and we hung up all 10 (eventually 10!) across the fireplace, which were filled little by little throughout the days before Christmas.

~The chocolate advent calendar that we would have, everyone taking turns opening the little doors/windows getting the chocolate inside (l always felt it took forever to be my turn!);

~Christmas music…especially being played on the piano! I remember James always played the loudest and with a lot of spirit!!

~On Christmas eve it seemed like we always had soup for dinner…and I was always so excited that I didn't have an appetite!

~Watching Christmas movies.

~Christmas shopping, and helping wrap gifts!

~Remembering the real reason of Christmas by looking at the nativity set that was always displayed either on the counter by where we ate or on the mantle of the fireplace.

~Christmas morning at home and then to Grandma and Grandpa's house later in the day.

~Dad reminding us to start thinking about new year's resolutions.

~The talks about Christ during Sacrament meeting at church.

And many more…when I start thinking about them I think of more and more; this list could go on for a while! There are many traditions we had (and still have, just that not all of us are living at home right now to celebrate them together through the month of December). Plus new traditions that were made when my family moved and Stace and I were living together in California and our wonderful friends involved us more in their Christmas, as well as having extended family close by. I'm sure you have many great Christmas season memories as well, don't forget to take a moment to think about them!

 

Thanksgiving pics!

Above: Hailey was the star of the show...her favorite was uncle Rocky (even though her parents claim she doesnt have "favorites" we know her favorites are uncle rocky and aunt laura!


Above: hmm...Tony tried to escape the picture!! We know its him because of the wedding colored shirt he has on!


Above & below: With everyone! (we convinced Dad we could put the timer on the camera...hahaha...he escaped one but not the other!)


Above: With our favorite little family of three!

Above: With Mom & Dad!

Above: With Matt & Evan...Evan grew even more and is now taller than me by a LOT! But not as tall as Matt yet! I wonder how they will compare in height with Jeff when he gets home?

Above: with Stace...we have fun with her when we are with her and when we are not with her (just thinking about her!)

Above: ahh...little Allison (who is now also taller than me, although i cant remember if she had shoes on?? I will say she did cause I need to be taller than at least ONE person in my family!! ;)


Here are some from Thanksgiving! We had so much fun that we didn't take many pictures until we realized some family was going to be leaving and so we took some real quick! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving surprise

I'm at working waiting for my car to be returned to me so I thought I'd write real quick.

Rocky and I went to Idaho for Thanksgiving at my parents house. It was a lot of fun!! The drive wasn't too scary (the way there we encountered more ice/snow than on the way back). We had been planning on going for a while and when it came down to the day to leave it was getting later and later and I had to go back to work (I went to my 2^nd job that isn't really my job anymore to help out in the middle of the day) because of some things that needed to be finished up. When 7pm rolled around I was sad cause it was the day before thanksgiving and it was late if we were going to leave!! I got home and Rocky was there and we were talking about our options. My dad had said maybe we should just buy a turkey and have our own Thanksgiving (although I could tell in his voice he really wanted us to be there with everyone!) As we are talking Rocky suddenly says, "Lets go now! Why are we waiting? We can do it!" I love him! I was a little uncertain still 'cause it was late and it's a 5-6 hr drive and we didn't know what we would run into as far as the weather goes. And we were going to rent a car because my car we weren't sure was up to making the drive. He upped my enthusiasm and we packed real quick, filled up on gas, and took off! (We didn't mention to my family we had decided to leave that night…we like the element of surprise!!) Rocky was an amazing help in keeping me calm when we ran into snow and ice. We stopped off in Burley for the night and then drove the rest of the way in the morning (once we passed Twin Falls the roads were great!) We got more and more excited the closer we got and it was a big surprise for the family!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving day with lots of good food (I brought white chocolate chex mix, although it needs a new name because it doesn't have chex in it! I also attempted making rolls but they didn't rise. Luckily mom made her famous rolls so we were okay). Also hanging out, watching movies, playing, doing some black Friday shopping (although not as early as planned). The best part was seeing almost everyone together (we missed James and Jeffrey!) I love my family and its fun when we have the chance to get together. We headed back Friday evening and made good time back to Salt Lake City. And…as I usually head back Sunday night instead of a Friday I felt like I had a double weekend because I still had a Saturday and Sunday.

Now its on to Christmas and we have more surprises planned! I have some, I know Rocky has some up his sleeves too! We really do like surprises. J And we are looking forward to starting some old (passed down) and new Christmas traditions! What are some of yours?

Life has been busy...
I'm now working full time because my supervisor is going on maternity leave next month (leaving me in charge, yikes!).
I started an institute class...and am planning the classes I'm going to take next semester (to finish my degree, just 2 semesters left!)
This week I need to get a haircut!
My friend Nicole and I have had some fun Saturdays hanging out, she is the best! I haven't had a lot of time to do all the normal "social" stuff so its so great to have a friend here that I have known almost forever.
The weather is starting to get colder at night but during the day its still sunny and warm...well mostly warm!
General conference (the twice a year conference held by my church) was amazing and I loved listening to it at home, on temple square, in the car. I twisted my ankle Sunday so most of that day I listened to it at home. It was after we tried to get into the conference center with our tickets but they were full (us and a lot of other people with tickets weren't able to get in...and we were there on time!) so we were super bummed about that because Rocky has never been to conference in the Conference Center (where the prophet and general authorities are). I am going to see if we can get tickets for the Christmas devotional.
And I can't forget to mention my mission reunion which was also soo fun because I saw some of my bestest best missionaries from the mission!!! Some were old companions, some were missionaries I served with in the same zone or district for a while and we all got along great and had our ups and downs that we love talking about now! Memories! :) It seriously made me so happy to see them!!! I miss the mission so much!!!
Well a lot of day to day stuff happens but this is a quick update to those of you who take a stop to see if there is anything new on my blog!
Oh, and we are planning on going to Idaho for Thanksgiving and CALIFORNIA for Christmas!!!! Super way super excited!!!! Our plans changed a bit because until the process of residency goes through and is finished for Rocky he can't leave the country w/o having to reapply from the country he goes to and that can take a lot longer.
Well thats about it for now!
Some pics from lately....

Edith (still Hna Diaz to me! ) came for my wedding and we got to hang out as well! Love her!


Disneyland? Yes please!!!

Claudia (Hna Nepo!!!) I have missed you!!!

A night at Sampans...(yes, he has since gotten rid of the facial hair!!! lol)

Can I just say how much I love everyone in this picture??? Yes please, thank you. I love you all!!

The problem with not blogging as often is that when i go to blog I feel like I have sooo much to say that in the end it probably wont make a whole lot of sense! But here I go... ;) and I will have a post just for all the wedding details (this one is more about what has been going on since then). If you want to check out some of the wedding pics on fb let me know (if you need the link).

We have been married a month! (and 2 days!) and it is the best. When i think about it, it is the best because I am married to Rocky and for me he is the best ever! He is so thoughtful, fun, communicative, caring, and so much more. Every day we discover new things about each other. We work together part of the day at the restaurant- he is there all day because the other chef that was working (until a week after we got married) quit. That has put some plans on hold- like to have our california reception, because if he leaves they'll have to close the restaurant for the time we are gone. We are in the process of hiring though, because it is a lot of work for one person as well, espcially on the weekends and Mondays, which are our busiest days. There are times when we get home and he is soo tired from working all day and even though we want to go out and do something, sometimes its better for him to relax because the next day will be a lot of work as well. So hiring someone will give him more free time eventually and be a great help in the long run. I can see so many blessings from the Lord in strength and health for both of us, as well as for his sisters who live here as well.

Speaking of work, I am still working at Varsity during the day and then I work at the restaurant in the late afternoon to close. My schedule has just changed (because of school and all that) but I will still be working both jobs. Working at the restaurant is good (although it can get way busy sometimes!!) because Rocky is there, and besides learning about each other in a work environment, we get to see each other more than just a little in the morning and evening.

Rocky's family was here until just last week when they left to go back to Japan (his dad had to leave earlier, but his mom and grandma were here longer). We are planning on visiting them in December-January! I'm really excited to travel and learn and see more about a different culture. Also, Rocky has a ton of family in Japan so it will be nice to meet more of them. He also wants to meet more of my family...aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins. Right now there are some time constraints that we are working with but hopefully we'll be able to visit everyone soon! He encourages me to see my family & friends whenever it works out, which right now isn't very often, but now that my schedule is changing it should be a little easier. I miss my friends and i wish family was here (even though one of them will be soon! ahahaha!) I also want to do more as far as service goes and going out with the missionaries on splits, exploring more of utah, doing my internship etc. There is a little magazine here that is delivered to the restaurant called "Discovering Utah" and that has given me some good ideas and we have tried some new restaurants. Even in my "free time" it is scheduled but I think that no matter what you are doing, whether it be working, running errands, with family, in the middle of a crisis, or driving in your car, there is always something you can be thankful for and time goes by so fast that I realize now more than ever that there is something to learn from each experience in life and if we can learn in a positive way we ourselves grow, as well as that we gain the oppourtunity to teach others through our experiences and through our words and actions.

overall, thats just a little about life in general, there are many details but hopefully i will get to more of those in another post!!

Today my suegra (mother-in-law) and la obacha (japaneese for grandma) left to go back home to Japan. It has been great having them here, they have been a great help and it has been fun getting to know them better, as well as Rocky's dad, who was here for 2 weeks for the wedding.

Speaking of the wedding...its never to late to post about it! Luckily it has only been a little while, even though time is flying by!

Planning for a wedding is a lot of work~ We definitely saw different sides of each other and gained more patience, realized the importance of a sense of humor, and more of our strengths and weaknesses. Rocky is the best and I know through it all he wanted me to be happy and I found there were some things he wanted for sure as well. The most important part is that we got married in the temple, which means we got married for time and all eternity, which means our marriage won't end with death. I love the gospel and knowing that I will be with Rocky forever! Thinking about that really helped to put things in perspective when things got overwhelming!


Our wedding day was beautiful...we knew it was going to get hot because it was July, but the morning was nice and cool and we headed to the temple in a silver convertible that Rocky's sister Roxy had rented for our special day! We met up with our families but inside the temple I lost my mom, but in the end they found her. I love the beautiful spirit that is in the Salt Lake City temple. It was great having all my brothers and sisters there (except Jeff!) and a lot of Rocky's family as well.

We spent time after our ceremony taking pictures and video until we were ALL famished and it had gotten pretty hot so went over to Thaifoon in the Gateway for lunch. We were quite the group, all 16 of us! The food was great as always, and I love going there because it was where Rocky and I went on our first date.

We had our reception in the evening at The Woods on Ninth. They were so super helpful in decorating and providing the appetizers and we had other food as well. When we pulled up it was great to see friends and family there waiting for us. I was missing a lot of my friends and the relatives in California who weren't able to make it and I knew Rocky was missing his family who weren't able to come as well. We are so grateful for all the support from our friends and family who were there and those who were there in spirit.

There were so many special moments throughout the day and it all went by so fast! We love having our wedding pictures displayed and remembering our day and each day I love Rocky more! He is everything! He is very patient and caring and fun and adventurous and we have so many plans for our future. I think about how we met and know it didn't happen by chance. He is who I need~ he helps me grow and face challenges and achieve my dreams. I want to do the same for him always. I love surprising him, our conversations, how he tells stories, how he loves his family. He really is the best!

updates coming soon!!!!

Wow, 2 days till our wedding day!
Time is flying by!
Yesterday Rocky's parents and his grandma flew in from Japan. It was great to meet them, Rocky and I went to the airport to pick them up. I was a little nervous, because it was my first time meeting them in person, but I had talked to them before and they are soo nice! I love them!
Today we are doing a lot of the last minute details...
1. meeting up with our photographer-Amber Shaw photography is doing our photos and after feeling unsure about a few others that we were debating on, I came across her website!
2. Picking up my bouquet
3. his parents want to see the reception place.
4. the food...there are still a few details on that to work out!
Fun and crazy and I am taking in every moment! And trying not to feel too stressed.

Yesterday I went and did the alterations on my dress and it is beautiful! I love it! I got it at "Gowns by Pamela" and they have a mix and match dress selection so i picked the top and then the skirt and it has a sash that ties it all together...love!
Thursday my family gets in (tomorrow!)
I can't believe the time is almost here!!!

Everything is good to go for next Friday! I'm soo relieved and so is Rocky. He doesnt show as much stress on the outside (I do) but he was really worried about the whole situation. But everything is straightened out and today is our last Friday unmarried! :O

One week!!

8 days???

Eight days till Rocky and I get married...hopefully. I guess the hopefully part isn't what you were expecting to read, right? Well it wasn't what I was expecting either. We are having some problems with extending Rocky's vacation visa (that he is here on right now) and we need that documentation for us to get married. Why don't we still have it? Long story...

There are so many more details but thats what it comes down to, that we are still watiting on the visa extention. I will keep you updated! Our famililes (those that can make it) and some friends are coming out from out of state...I dont know what to say. We are in the process of doing a few different things so that next Friday we can get married as planned. If not, well we will get married at a later date. I just feel so bad because of those people who are planning on being there but we are hoping for the best! I will keep you updated...

On a lighter note...last night we were together and he had been looking for a document and in his things he found a letter he had written to me but had never sent....he didn't say anything about it at the moment, he just had it sitting next to him on the couch and when i came into the room and he was on the phone I just random picked up the folded piece of paper to see what it was...and...it was one of those things that just makes your whole body smile, not just your mouth but in your eyes, your heart, it warms you up inside :) In some ways it was better to not get that letter in March but to get it now instead.

Ok i'm going to see if i can do a post a day (except the weekends bc of lack of internet) until the wedding.
So last night i was addressing envelopes to send out invites and was doing california ones (sorry they are going out so late!! we had some issues :/ ) and i got so sad. i am so happy that im going to marry rocky and all- thats not why i was sad. its because I want to have it where the people i know are...the ones i grew up with, the ones who have been such a big part of my life. it was sad. i told rocky i wanted to get married in california, not in utah anymore to have everyone there. well, i know not EvErYoNe will be there but its more like home to me. And i was thinking about my aunts and uncles and grandparents and FrIeNdS and the people from my ward and stake who i miss a lot.
The nice thing is that my family and some of rocky's family are coming and it will be great that we can all get together. So i will focus on the positive. Because rocky is also here in utah with most of his family and friends in other places even farther away.

And...

We will be doing a roadtrip to california afterwards (probably the next weekend?) and will have a reception/open house. I have ideas on this but nothing planned so far just because we weren't sure WHEN it would happen. But its really important to me and rocky says if it is important to me its important to him and we will make it happen! He loves california as well :)

So, the california invitations will go out today ( I will have to contact friends individually to let
them know when we will be there) and the other invitations we still need the inserts because the reception place has changed.

Today im working and then im meeting with a coordinator at the reception place and then i have an interview and then we are going to the gym.

Today is also one of the days i have off from working at the restaurant so im taking advantage of that to work on some more wedding plans ( meeting with the coordinator for example).

Ciao. I will try to post some pics soon!

A post is looong overdue. Sorry. I have limited internet access plus more limited time recently. However, I will do some quick catching up!

I did move to Utah. I am working 2 jobs, one is in the accounting department of a company called Varsity Contractors and the other is working at my bf's restaurant, K-Rico Peru, waitressing in the evenings and some Saturdays.

I'm getting married July 23rd and we are having a reception that evening at a place called The Woods on Ninth in Midvale. We had some problems planning the reception so the location is changed, so the invitations are with the previous place but the new place is so much better. However, that caused a delay in the invitations and dont get me started on the invitations. Thanks to my brother and my dad they helped me realize once again what is important in the big scheme of things even if everything doesnt turn out how i would like it to.

We are still w0rking out a date of when we are going to have our california open house/reception because to me everyone there is like family, the friends and family i have grown up with. I miss them all a lot!! I know when I go back it will be great and I want everyone to meet Rocky and then when its time to leave i'll want to stay.

Most of my time is taken up with work. Wedding plans are worked in and there are just a few more things we need and then we'll be ready. I cant believe its less than a month away. And that i'm getting married! It wasn't in my plans for this year or in Rocky's plans either. But I guess life isn't always how you plan. But you can still achieve your goals and make new goals as well.

I miss my friends and family a lot :( Being here and being so busy hasn't left a lot of time for meeting new people or hanging out with the friends I have here and in the last few weeks I have missed that a LOT.I have been able to a little bit and my friend Nicole threw me a bridal shower and we went wedding dress shopping together too.
.
It has definitely been good that I have been here for the last few months though to have time to get to know Rocky more and to strengthen our relationship. He is amazing in so many ways!

A quick update....since i last blogged I have gotten engaged, am in the last week of the semester here at byui and am moving to utah later this week and will be transfering to school there to finish up my last 2 semesters! His name is Rocky Chamochumbi and words can't even describe how amazing and wonderful he is! We feel like we have known each other forever and we are getting married July 23rd of this year and we met at a dance in salt lake when I was here to visit for a 3-day weekend and he had only been in utah a few weeks himself (from japan). There are so many more details of how we met that I'll have to share at a later point!

After a couple weeks? maybe three? I thought I should probably do some kind of bloggy update on mi vida. So, school is good, it is keeping me hopping! Things with the roommies are great and we have had our late night chats, decorating the apartment which now looks super awesome 'cause of all the color that is in here, going to a couple dances. Speaking of dances...beware (note to self). My life has taken some interesting turns because of them (dances, not my roommates haha) or maybe its just Utah that always seems to take my life in unexpected directions. Haha...is that vague enough for you? Sorry...if you want to know details just call me because I srsly need advice right now. bueno. well I'm going to utah this weekend (am I a glutton for punishment when i know what has happened in the past?) although I always have so much fun there and get to visit so many amazing people that I love every chance I have to go back! My friend needs a ride to her cousin's wedding and she is one of my fave ride compas so i was down for it! oh and a couple of my fhe bros are hitching a ride too. fun times. i'm leaving friday after classes and coming back sunday night (no 3-day weekend this time around). sooo that leaves me with a lot to do before then and time is flying by! como siempre. and tomorrow i should get my new cell (thanks stace!) but i'll keep the same number. i am not going to say anything about the weather because i dont want to jinx it but i will say that each day that goes by is a day closer to spring/summer!

Some pictures of lately....enjoy!! they are of when i went to utah and also of julianne's birthday!



mmm tacos! so betty's (sanchez) boyfriend has this taco stand so of course we went to eats some tacos!!

and of course i'm going to see my daughter while im in utah!! love her!

hailey enjoying mommy's birthday candles!


shawn surprised julianne with a cake!


she is growing sooo fast! love that adorable face!!

Do you feel like time is flying by? I do! I felt like that again when I got to utah and felt like i had just been there! I love it but its so crazy at the same time!
highlights from utah ('cause to write about all of it would be sooo much and probably not as interesting to you as it is to me haha).

Went dancing with friends friday- met some new ones and got to see some old ones! my friend amanda totally saved me that night. I also ate something that my stomach did not like so i didn't get much sleep that night. But i didnt really get a lot of sleep the whole weekend but thats what vacations are like sometimes!

Saturday i got my hair fixed!! The thing is...well sometimes i dye my hair and i was trying to go lighter but it ended up making it worse (i am tired of the dark) but luckily i did that right before i went to utah so amanda, who works in b space salon, said she could fix it for me. She took out some of the dark (I dont know all the terms), and she ended up weaving in 3 colors, including highlights and so i am on my way back to being my natural color! she did an amazing job and she works at a cool salon.

I also got invited to try peruvian food and omgosh you will have to go to this place, it is really good, it is called k-rico peru and is in SLC off 2100 S and about 280 W. This guy I met on friday invited me to come and eat there because it is his restaurant! It is peruvian food with japaneese fusion. I recommend it!

SO...lets see. I went to stake conference on sunday in the area that my last companion is serving in, which is also an area I served in my first transfer! I love her, she is amazing and it was great to catch up with her, which is kind of rare because they are missionaries and have their schedules and all that but it worked out really well. It made me miss the mission even more!

Sunday I hung out with some more friends and went to visit some members and recent converts and also had a cupcake making party! I helped with the cupcakes but also made cookies! srsly after making all that stuff I didn't even want to eat it...there was soo much sugar in that kitchen! it was fun though and I got to just hang out and talk to some of my friends and it was really laid back Sunday.

Monday...well i got some wifi, a DI trip was made (also one on saturday! love thrift stores!) and then when i got back my friends were up and super excited to head out to IKEA so we went and that was fun looking around at all the home decor and it made me want to have my own place to decorate!! haha.

This trip there were a lot of late nights! its funny thinking about that because I wasn't that tired even with getting less sleep (but i know that only lasts so long! and it was good to come home and sleep). There were some adventures involved too. Ate a lot of good food. Overall it was great to just get away and have a nice little break. The weather was great too btw. i am seriously wanting spring to come now!! SLC is getting it before us. California too...from what i see from FB from all of those who are raving about the warm and sunshiney weather. Send some to me please?

So that was Utah. Highlights at least. I was happy to make some new friends as well and I realized again how blessed I am.

Well I've been sick the last couple days but I'm feeling better tonight. I slept a lot later in the day on saturday and on sunday which kind of blew off my weekend but at least I didn't have classes (I did meet up with a study group and do some work at the library before taking off to visit a couple sisters from my mission for a little bit).

So I discovered this site today: www.livestrong.com which tracks your eating and exercise for those days when I want to see how many calories I'm actually eating (I'm trying to eat healthier and exercise more!) and my exercise, but I didn't really care for how the school does it because even though you write down everything you eat and they give you a "calorie plan" I was more about seeing how exercise is helping me, although I know eating healthy is part of it too. Its a really cool site, you should check it out even if you don't want to use it.

Hopefully I'll be heading to Utah for this upcoming 3-day weekend! Sometimes I just need to get away...and utah is a good change and not too far, plus I get to see so many great friends and remember my mission :D

I'm just trying to balance everything out this week in the different responsibilities I have and things I need/want to do. And this week is mid-terms! I can't believe they are here already! I feel like its still the first weeks of the semester in some ways.

I am excited to feel better and have all my energy back- its at those times when I don't have it to its fullest that I realize what a blessing it is!

You know what else energizes me? Getting an email from a certain someone! I love that feeling!

I was also studying about the immune system tonight to prepare for tomorrow and now I know what my body needs to be doing (or probably is doing) to help me get better! Yay for the lymphatic system!

Today I had a presentation in my family interactions class about homeschooling. Five of us presented and it went well...we did a powerpoint and then incorporated all the info into a jeopardy game, adding "are you smarter than a 5th grader-type questions" and it was fun to see how everyone got into it, including our teacher. At one point when one group got the answer wrong and any of the other groups could answer and they were all putting their hands up, our teacher shot his hand up and then when we called on him he turned to his group and said, "I just raised my hand because I thought you had the answer!"

I can't wait till we have WARM weather! My sandals and warm-weather type shoes are taunting me from my closet!

I can't believe january is gone and we are already in the month of February! Time is flying by!!

I've been really busy these last couple weeks. Stace noticed because of a lack of blogging...so, here are a few things that have been going on. Kind of but as I think about it, it would take way too long and a lot of it are things that to anyone else would seem insignificant (thats why I sometimes wonder why I blog!)

There are a ton of projects and work for school and that takes up a LOT of my time. I feel like I am memorizing more this semester than for any other so far!

This week I am focusing on looking at ideas for internships for sometime between August and December.

On Saturday i saw the movie "When in Rome" and it is a cute one! And pretty funny too! Def one to see with friends (like I did) or w/ a bf or husband (as Julianne mentioned).

I don't feel like working out is doing anything for me so far, just using some of the precious time during my day!

And, once again...I have the cutest niece in the world! We had some hailey & aunt laura (or aunt lala) bonding time today! Babies change so quickly! Love her and I wish my whole family could see her more often!

Ok so this is a quick post...this week is going to be another busy one!
I have 2 tests on thursday and another that opens Wednesday.
Tonight Brittany and I made snow angels! The snow was soooo deep outside our apartment! it has been snowing on and off over the weekend and today as well and it was soft and powdery and SO COLD!!! ok, of course snow is cold but try being almost completely covered by it! BRRR!!! we were walking home from FHE and decided to do it 'cause Brittany is from Florida and she has to experience all the snow-type activities! The best one is breaking icicles!! and we are going to go sledding. build a snowman. make an igloo. snowboarding maybe. other suggestions? I am definitely a fan of WARM weather but since the snow is here we can have some fun with it! my favorite is being outside either while it is snowing and watching it cover everything or just after it has snowed and it is silent and totally white and it feels like you are in a different world! ok, now its starting to sound like i really like snow (like how it sparkles at night when the light hits it!) so...moving on...soon there will be SUNSHINE that feels warm (instead of just looking warm and being freezing outside!) and I won't have to wear a million layers of clothing!

otras noticias...

I got 100% on my test today!
I came home to a letter after classes and studying and studying at the library. LML
I am starting to relearn to play the guitar (building on the little I learned before my mission!) and I am excited 'cause i have some new ideas for songs i'm going to learn on the piano. i LOVE music!!
Life is such a blessing, each day I am trying to take advantage of all the opportunities I have because some I will only have once. The time I have with friends and family passes so quickly (we are almost in february!!) and even if its just through a phone call or a txt or a visit, I love it because they are amazing! come visit me!!

Here are a few pics from the weekend! It doesn't capture everything I did, but a few of the highlights! Next time I will take more pics! Besides what is below, it was great to drive there and back with my friend Saini, see some members and recent converts in the Salt Lake area, and also have dinner with my friend Nicole.

Elder Flores...ok JOSHUA...(I'm still getting used to calling him that! He was my DL/ZL for like 7 or 8 transfers!) and he made us dinner~chilies rellenos texas style and we also hung out and went to the Creamery. He is the best! It was so great to see him and also to stay with Sanchez and Fulk at their place while I was there.







One is me and Hna Johns (one of my MTC companions!)...her first name is Lauren...it was great to see her and talk about the mission (of course!) and catch up on whats been going on in our lives.



These two are Hna Hernandez (my mission daughter) and then of her and my new granddaughter, Hna Taylor! They are serving in Rose Park 14 which was my first area in the mission! It was so great seeing them! I miss the mission!

Defining moments. I think a lot of them come when you least expect them.
I have had a few recently and they have made me change a few things.
You know how to know when you are getting good advice?
its when you KNOW that what you are hearing is right even if it is hard to accept, even when you don't completely agree, and then when you can't forget about the advice you were given. and then you start taking some baby steps and experimenting with the advice and testing it out to see what the results could be.
And then you realize that that person was right in part. WHAT. You were for sure that what you were doing before was the best but its true what they say, "you can't see the forest for the trees."
And the advice you got in the beginning you didn't even ask for! but it rarely comes that way...

I say this because I did get some advice, or more of an opinion a few months back and it wasn't what I wanted to hear. After we were done talking, what this person said kept coming back to me again and again and I pondered about pros and cons. It bugged me because I felt that things were good where I was but this person saw more than I could, saw more into the future than I could. Because I can see a little better now a few months later which has helped me accept changing. its kind of liberating in a way. Kind of hard. But it will be fun!

L.M.L.

Well I also went to utah for the 3-day weekend!
It was just what I needed!!
then i got back to this week which has been super busy and kind of stressful.
but as for the weekend...more of a post and pics to come...

This has been SO busy! Especially from the time on that I decided to to go Utah for the 3-day weekend. I am so excited about this! Utah feels in some ways so much like home-because of the familiarity from my mission and my friends who are there! I feel so blessed to be able to go and see some of them in 2 days! We (me and two friends) are driving there friday after classes and coming back Monday evening. I.cant.wait. Am I maybe a little tooo excited about this? Nope! ;)

This is only the first full week of school but I have been bombarded with work--I think that is why I am so excited as well for a change of scene.

I have a new calling, I'm the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society. I was the first last semester (in charge of teachers, lessons, music) and now as 2nd I'm in charge of planning the activities. I didn't even know there was a difference until I got into the calling last semester! I've been thinking of some possible activity ideas but any ideas you'd have I would love to hear!

I have found some good work out buddies (starting next week)...my roommates!! They have a ton of free classes and tonight they are at yoga (the starting next week is me because I have extra to do now because I'm going to utah friday) and along with yoga they have kickboxing, cycling, step, arobics, hip hop, zumba, advanced yoga..etc..they seriously have a ton of classes!

Thank goodness for Sunday! My ward meets at 9 now and i love coming home afterwards...and sunday I went to see julianne, shawn, and hailey and can i just say i have the cutest niece EVER!!! i love that little girl! she is starting to CRAWL!! love it. love her! (she is going to learn to say "la la"...I just need a little time...julianne? you want to go out? I'll babysit! :D

Today was my first day of school (for winter semester)!
I had a criminal justice class and biology. both will be really interesting!
wanna see my books??? (plus one extra for a class tomorrow)



look close to see the sticker on all of my books which signifies they are "textbook rentals." Probably the best thing ever for a college student (if you don't have time to wait for shipping by ordering online, which can also be cheap). I got a really good deal on these three. I'm waiting until my other classes tomorrow to see if the books are really necessary. These three are so rented them for so much cheaper than what i would buy them for, even used.

I feel so blessed to be able to be going to school and furthering my education and to be able to do it at this school. Its hard work and I'll get stressed but the blessing are so much greater than the frustrations or stresses that I have in the moment.

In other news...
The first day of school lunch (its a tradition!) ended up being a dinner instead of a lunch and it was soyummy. I made soup in the crockpot and if you ever want to eat some delish soup let me know. I'll a) make some for you and we can enjoy the amazing goodness together b) send you the recipe and you can make it and then call me and i'll tell you to send me some or something...like that...anyways...I love soup in cold weather!

Julianne gave me an extra blender they had and a pizza stone they weren't using sooo I'm excited to make a pizza soon. Maybe for them. Or for me. And my roommates 'cause I have 2 new roommates and they seem pretty cool so far! So we might have to have a pizza night.

Wednesday is my longest day of school because of my biology lab (till 5:15). Today went by super fast. It was funny, I went to go get my books and I saw julianne there and she left before I did and then after I got my books I had to go to walmart and i was about to go in when i got a supergreat phone call and i was outside talking when julianne came out of walmart! so we were just following each other around ;)

well i have some more homework and some other reading to do as well. g'night!

Stace suggested I blog about this (when I called her on the way to church this morning) and thinking about it right now, why not?

Last night we found out our church hours had been changed from 1pm to 9am. I set my alarm to have enough time to be up and get there in time to play prelude music (I was asked to play the piano for sacrament meeting because about 80% of the ward is new and they weren't sure who played the piano yet).
so...this morning i wake up at 7am and I think to myself "good, i still have a little time to sleep" because I felt incredibly sleepy. next thing I know I open my eyes and see that my alarm clock (which i dont think ever went off!) says 9:02.
Panic!! so...basically there goes playing in sacrament meeting, plus being LATE (i really dont like being late!)
I hurry and get ready and walk to church (about a 10 min walk). I was sitting outside of the door for a while because I didn't want to disrupt going in but still wanted to hear the testimonies (fast and testimony sunday). Then a nice girl come out and when she returns to go back in she invites me to go in and sit with her so i walk in with her and the key is to just act normal...a mistake is a mistake...getting up late happens...its embarassing sometimes...but life goes on! I apologized to the bishop afterwards and he was fine and said i could redeem myself at ward prayer tonight haha. the guy who ended up playing the closing prayer was amazing (the girl in relief society too) so I think the ward got the better end of the deal with me being late!
I really enjoyed talking to some of the ward members that are here again from last semester and I also met some new people who seem really nice.
So. that was my morning. I'm home now and have the rest of the day, which is a lot different than last semester.

How was your Sunday?