AHHHHH April 20-26

On Monday after all our classes a group of us headed to Walmart to basically get finals week essentials. We got stuff for final projects and a whole bunch of junk food! After that we drove to a storage unit. Daphne and I have a unit for the summer! YAY! After we got back and ate dinner Genny and I went on a drive and found a really pretty road so we came back and changed and then went on a walk/run. My FHE got canceled so I ended up going to this activity that turned into a combined (everyone just started showing up) activity. They were watching the Penguins of Madagascar... so after a little bit I left and came to FaceTime Alley. I then got a text from Savannah saying I could come up and do homework. I went up there and let Alex and Savannah draw me for their drawing class. I then got a text from John John asking if I wanted to go help him with an act of service. John John, our friend Rebecca, and I all went and picked up a shake for our student body president who was really stressed out. It was a lot of fun and I was glad that he thought of me to come and help!

I was pretty nervous for Tuesday. I went to all my classes and then at 5 I had my first RA interview. I came back up to my room and got all ready and then went down to grab a grilled cheese sandwich from Jonzzeys for dinner. The interview was with the senior HRA's and the Dean. It went really well! I finished right in time for my first shift. The shift was pretty slow but afterword I came back to the Lofts and got talking to some people. At work Brendan and I decided we would go buy a whole bunch of shakes at Cook Out and go give them to people we knew were stressed or would like one. John John, Jared, Savannah, Anna, Bryson, and Brendan all got one. It was run to continue to do small acts of service for everyone!
I was at breakfast telling Jared that I was taking food to Nicole.. so he wrote a little message for her!

On Wednesday after classes I sat and talked with Lauren and Jared after lunch. They were making fun of my guilt problem.. That night, the choir and orchestra had to drive to go to Sweet Briar to perform at there school. It was a really pretty drive but on a super windy road so we got a little sick. The rehearsal was long.. and the lady in charge of the choir kept treating us like we were six.. but it was good. Savannah got pretty sick at the rehearsal so when we got back Genny and I ran to Walmart and got her some soda crackers and some sprit. We made sure she got a priesthood blessing and it was amazing. The spirit was so strong and I couldn't help getting a little emotional at the power and blessing of worthy priesthood holders on campus. At midnight I got a text from one of the HRA's for next year and they set up another interview with me! AHH

Thursday was another crazy day. My classes were full and it was our last choir rehearsal till the performance and for the end of the semester. Professor Carter also made us this really good dessert! After the rest of classes and lunch I came up to my room to try and start a little bit of homework.. It was sort of successful. I did start to clean out my room! I have soo many walmart bags! I then got ready for my second interview and grabbed my choir dress. I had my second interview with two of the HRA couples and I felt good about it again! I grabbed a bagel for dinner and then ran up and changed with Genny. We got on the bus and headed out to Sweet Briar again. This time they let us watch the whole concert and the orchestra sounded really good! We all felt a little bad because it was there last concert (sweet briar is closing after this year). It definitely wasn't our best performance but it went well.

 Thank you siblings for your hilarious snap chats!

Friday I went to my first classes freaking out about finding out about RA... It was killing me! I get out of my last class and I am heading to forum when I look at my phone. I have a message from one of the HRA's asking if I could meet them for them to ask me one more question! AHH! I ran into forum and found Reva (The wife in the HRA couple) and she said "So, do you want to be one of my RA's?" I was freaking out!!! The worst part was that I couldn't tell anyone! Then during forum it was announced that I received one of the scholarships I had applied for in February! It was a good day! Then I had to go work on microeconomics.. and I was in there for almost three hours! It was awful!! I walked out of the library and saw Jared, Brendan, and Nicole. They were heading to the institute building to make cookies. I stopped and talked to Erika and Anna outside the dinning hall and then went and met them. At 4:20ish I went and talked to John John in the dinning hall because he actually found out Thursday night that I got RA! I was so mad! But we sat and talked about RA stuff for a little while and Reva came in and talked to us! It doesn't feel real! Im soo excited! We had our last choir concert that night! They gave us 7 songs and they were a little rough but overall I think it went really well! The concert choral performed Praise to the Man but in the original way it was written! It was amazing! After the concert we ordered pizza and cheese bread and watched How to Train your Dragon Two.

Here is the trash I picked up after dinner!

Saturday we woke up and it was cold! I finally got to sleep in and then I went to lunch. I started to have a panic attack that I really am going to be an RA! AHH! I ended up talking to John John again and after his shift we went to the game room and I sat and helped him work on his 3000 word paper. It worked well because I could help him read all the books and find information and keep him on track. We worked for a few hours and that at 4:15ish I went to Alex's room. Genny got off work and told us she hadn't ate anything. So us three and Anna hopped in my car and went to Cook Out. Then at 5:45 we were all ready for the annual Knight 5K. It was still raining and cold but we did it! Genny and I ran solid the first two miles and then walked the last one. We did sprint the ending though! It was great! The Multi-Cultural club holds this big Luau after the run. They had a buffet of polynesian food and then a performance of many different culture dances! It was awesome! There was such a fun energy and I loved every minute of it... even the flame dance when I thought we were going to die.

Sunday we had our regional conference broadcast. Elder Kacher, Sister Reeves, Elder Neilson, and Elder Hales spoke. It was so good! After the conference they had a linger longer with a nacho bar! It was delicous! I came back and was talking to my family when John John texted me asking if I could continue helping him with his paper. We worked from 1:30 to 5:30 then went to dinner. After dinner I went back up and changed and then went to the institute graduation. I came back for a hall meeting and then started a paper of my own. Savannah and I then went to Hymns on a Hill. We walked via Jonzzey's because I had a feeling John John was back to working on his paper. I went in and he was a little bit lost. So I sat for another two hours and helped him. Luckily I am an english major and don't mind writing papers :) I like editing actually so it was fun! I called Camille and we talked for a minute and then I finished up my homework.

The Performance Chaos begins April 13-19

Monday it was beautiful outside! For FHE we all met on Chandler Field and first we were all just goofing around. I played "two square" for a little while and then we split up into two teams and played a giant game of KickBall and Baseball. It was really really fun and it reminded me of our family fun on New Years Eve! I remember looking around and realizing how much I was going to miss all these amazing people in my ward!

Tuesday it poured rain!!! I absolutely love Virginia when it rains! I was walking to my last Review meeting, with my dress getting all wet at the seam, when I ran into John John. We talked for a minute and then I went to my meeting which was actually non existent.. I then went and hung out in the dinning hall (yes.. like always). John John and Ewa and I just spent time there until Ewa and I had our work meeting. The meeting was the fastest work meeting ever because Jeff (my boss) wasn't there. Right before work I had sent Alley a text that said "Guess What".. Well when I got off of work I had 169 messages from her! Oh how i'm going to miss her when she's on her mission!

Wednesday was a long day! I went to all my classes and then got to take a little break. I went back into the dinning hall after I had ate to talk with Jared and Stephanie. I got talking to Stephanie and the next thing I knew we were driving up on the park way. We just parked the car and talked for a little while! When I got back I worked on essay and then at 5 I ran to dinner. I then worked for an hour and twenty minutes and then headed off to a choir and orchestra concert rehearsal. We were combining with a nearby college called Sweet Briar. They are an all girls school and they have about the same size women's chorus and orchestra as we do. We were only singing one song with them and it is by Debussey and it is HARD! We started rehearsal at 7:30 and ended at 10:15. The rest of the orchestra was there another hour! After the practice, Genny and I decided we needed to talk and eat a milkshake so we drove to Cook Out. That led to us just sitting in the Lofts parking lot talking till almost midnight. It turned into a spiritual discussion which was really cool.

Thursday my classes went pretty well. I had a very entertaining lunch with Spencer, John John, Genny, and Candace. I had to work a double shift that night because I helped cover someones shift. I love the people I work with, but working at the call center is a tough job! I always come out of a shift smiling from ear to ear though!

Friday was a pretty rough day. My classes went well but then after lunch I was just having a hard time getting my brain to stop over thinking! Genny and I went and "practiced" for choir and then just played hymns for a little while. After I went and sat with Stephanie in the dinning hall for almost two hours. I walked back up the Lofts with Genny and once we got back in my room she flopped on the ground and almost fell asleep! I finally got her to go up to her room and take a nap. I then grabbed two conference talks and my scriptures and headed up to the park way. It was so beautiful and a good spiritual break. I came back on campus and then went on a walk and I ran into some people who were looking at this baby duck that some guy just bought! We then were just enjoying the weather and then we headed over to the Multi-Cultural activity at the institute building. They had missionaries make a whole bunch of food from different places (there was some chilean food, Go Peter!). It was awesome. We then had our performance with the orchestra. It was long and didn't go perfect, but it was still good! After the performance we ended up going and getting shakes for people at Cook Out and then watched a Psych episode.
Our senior missionaries are from Utah so they had a whole bunch of yummy jello stuff and my favorite orange salad!

 Genny's first time trying it! It was a hit!

 This is Bryson... he's 6'7.

Saturday was a day I was looking foreword to for a couple of weeks! Back story.. One day I was sitting at lunch and my friend comes up to me handing me a card about a local sheep farm. They said that on April 18th there was going to be a sheep shearing festival! We marked it in our calendars and today was the day! Genny, Savannah, Erika, Anna and I all piled in my car pretty early in the morning and stopped at Food Lion for some muffins. The farm was in this middle of nowhere that even google maps could not find it. I honestly still don't know how I managed to get us there. It was a really cool little farm though! They had about eight sheep and you first watched them get sheered. Then you could see how they get all the sticks and other stuff out of the wool. They had booths set up and I learned how to use one of those old fashion spinning wheels from this 12 year old girl. It was hard! There was such a sense of pride at the farm from everyone and we all just loved it! We hurried back to the dinning hall for lunch and then we all ended up just going back to our rooms. Alex, Savannah, Erika and I also went and sat in the shade down on campus and did homework. I decided to relax and just read my favorite book! At about 4:30 Alex and I went and met Savannah with a box of dillybars at the mens spring soccer game. We also went to dinner and then just hung out as well. There was a dance that night so everyone left to go and I helped do Genny's hair for a date she was going on. I guess I was super tired though because while I was waiting for Genny to call me I fell asleep for half an hour. Alex and I, instead of going to the dance, watched the Hannah Montana movie with popcorn and nutella!

Sunday was our last day in our wards. It was really sad. We all got released from our callings and everyone kept reminiscing... I didn't like it! After church we went on a little walk before dinner and before the rain started to hit. After dinner it was raining and it was so pretty so Savannah, John-John and I went and sat on the rocking chairs outside main hall and watched the thunder and lighting storm. We all then went to the missionary fireside and then I came back and talked to my family till pretty late at night! 

ITS FINALLY SPRING! April 6-12

On Monday for FHE we played this game called "he said, she said". It was very entertaining! You write one part of a story and then pass it to the person next to you. We had some very interesting stories come from this... After FHE Savannah, Genny and I went on a night run! It was super pretty outside and a good break!

On Tuesday I went to my first two classes and then went to Monticello with my America and the Enlightenment class. It was super fun and the perfect weather! Nicole and I hung out and it was fun to just sit and talk to each other on the bus ride. We did the slave tour and the house tour. Our house guide was this cute lady who thought our group was the funniest group. She loved how involved we were because we were genuinely interested and kept asking questions. I think my favorite moment is when she was showing us these doors that Thomas Jefferson invented that when you pulled one of the doors the other one closed. We kept asking if they worked the other way. Could you push it open and have the other door push open. She wasn't really answering our question so Nicole grabbed the door handle and the doors banged together and caused this super loud echo through the house! We all freaked out because it sounded like she broke the doors! It was super funny! We got back in the middle of dinner so we decided that we would just go pick up Chinese at a local Chinese restaurant. I came up with the idea that a picnic would be fun, so we brought it back to school and ate it on one of the picnic tables. After we went to the two of the senior theatre showcases. It was fun!

On Wednesday our weather couldn't decide what it wanted. I woke up and it was raining, then after institute it was super foggy, and then it got semi warm. I tried to work on my philosophy paper for three hours! Lauren and I signed up for the writing tutor and then sat in what we called the proposal point.  I finally went back up to the room and got ready for work. At 5 there was a torrential down pour. I came into dinner and I was dripping! I looked like I had stepped right out of the shower. I went to go get a plate and when I reached down, a flood fell from my body. I worked a double shift and then came back home.

Thursday I knew I had to buckle down and write my essay. After lunch I went to the library and wrote my philosophy essay! It took another three hours but I did it! I printed it off and went to dinner. I hurry and ate and then Nicole and I went back to the library to work on a different essay. At 7 I went to the writing tutor and then booked it over to watch the other two senior theatre showcases. My brain was soo fried!

Friday after Forum I had to take Savannah to a bank in Lexington to pull out money. We got back and ordered sandwiches at Jonzzeys. Mine was super good! Savannah had to go to class so I went in and finished eating in the dinning hall by Stephanie who was swiping cards. We ended up hanging out the next 4 hours with one tiny break while she went and did room checks and I practiced choir songs. We went on a walk and hung out in each others rooms and then went to dinner. After dinner I had a quick break and then went to the flute concert to support Savannah and it was the last one because Professor Whitehead is leaving after next year. Her birthday is also on Tuesday so we had a big finale birthday party. They had cake and made a thank you video. It was awesome! What other school do you have a big birthday party after a concert!

Saturday was a bit crazy. I got ready and then went to go pick up Alex and Erika who were at a service project. I picked them up and we went and got lunch at cook out. We then drove to the baseball game where Alex was singing the national anthem. We felt very American eating hot dogs at a baseball game. I got back and ended up having a two hour philosophical discussion with Anna. Then I worked on my gospel doctrine lesson. I went to dinner and then ended up staying down here because the Fading Point concert was happening shortly. I did take Anna's and Erika's keys to go fetch sweatshirts and blankets because of course the day we have something outside is the one cold day! The concert was really good and then they played the third Hobbit outside on the big blow up screen!

Sunday we had a funny lunch with Anna and Jared. I then taught my lesson which I think went pretty well. Sam also taught Relief Society! So that was fun. After church I worked on some stuff and then went to dinner. After dinner we went on a walk and then I FaceTimed by family. At 9 we went to hymns on a hill and we had a ton of people there, it was awesome! After we always go and get candy from Lanie's candy drawer. That turned into "Story Time With Lanie!" It was super funny! I finally got back in my room at almost 11. I was working on an essay when Alley FaceTimed telling me she was actually buying a ticket to be here on my birthday and drive home with me! AHHHHHHH!!!!! I am sooooo excited!!!!!!