Understanding life.. Sept 14-Sept 20

I finally posted last week, so you can read that one too!

This week was a complete blur...

I was so nervous all day Monday because that night was the first FHE I had to plan and pull off. We went to the fire pit behind the Lofts and had smores! We had a lot of people there and it turned out really fun.

Monday night I found a talk by Elder Holland called "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence". It made me soo happy! I sent it to a few of my friends to read and then all day Tuesday I just kept trying to get people to go and read it! So all y'all GO READ IT! Tuesday was also a day of stupid jokes that I could not stop laughing at! At lunch I walked over to get a plate and said "Oh look. We have clear forks today." I looked over at John John and he looked back, threw his fork at the plate and then said "Where'd my fork go!" .... so dumb but I still am laughing!!!

Wednesday's are my hardest day because I don't have a second to stop! For my literature and film class we watched The Natural with Robert Redford in it. It was good and better than the book! After I got home from that class at 9:45 I had to go meet with Reva to discuss some RA stuff. Then I cleared the lobby at midnight and went to bed! I was exhausted!

Thursday I had a good two classes. Art History was great and then Spanish was just review jepordy for the test on Friday. They have started to brick the new dorm and it looks really good! I had an RA meeting that night and they brought us cupcakes. Mine had carmel in the middle. I cried from its goodness!

Friday was fun because Grandma and Grandpa D came to visit! They got her around 3pm and I gave them a tour of the school. They really enjoyed it! After they left to drive to Roanoke, I went and sat in Kadee's room for a few hours. Then Kaylee and myself got invited to the Krites house for dinner and two episodes of Doctor Who! Alison made us some delicious homemade pizza.. YUM! Once we got back home we went and painted our nails in Kadee's room and talked to everyone in there!
Here's Genny, me and Grandpa

Grandma got me a sheep :)

Saturday was a lot of fun! Except for the part where I was trying to be a good RA and update my white board right before I left to go meet Grandma and Grandpa, and resulted in locking myself out. Emma and Desi were gone and I didn't want to bug Reva and Cody, so I ran down to Genny's room and said "Hey can I borrow your shoes?" So yes. I wore Genny's shoes and ran down the hill to meet them! We ate lunch at my favorite bakery in Lexington and then took a tour of Stonewall Jackson's house! We drove around Lexington and VMI campus and then went to Cook-Out for a yummy shake! It was a really hot day on Saturday so the ice cream was more than welcome. I then had to say goodbye :( once they left I talked with the Stiles sisters and then we all went to dinner. I saw Kadee walking up as we walked down and she looked really sad. So after dinner I ran up and sat with her for a few hours. We talked everything out and then just started laughing at all the ridiculous things that happened that week! There was a lot we had to deal with RA wise and we just couldn't stop laughing! Genny came to my room at 9:30 to watch Pride and Prejudice but right before we started it, Kaylee knocked on my door and said "Hey do you want pizza? We are ordering pizza!" So they ordered pizza and stayed and watched the movie with us!
This is what was on the bored when I got locked out.. haha! See I was trying to change it!

Sunday was super great!!!!! I had a meeting at 11, Visiting Teaching at 12:15, church from 1-4, a meeting after church till like 4:30 and then a fireside that night at 7 that I had to say the closing prayer at. I didn't eat one thing all day until 5 but it was one of the best Sunday's ever. I just had this pure feeling of contentment and peace about everything going on in my life. I loved it! I just kept laughing and smiling and I was so hyper all day! I am so grateful for this gospel and the power of prayer!

This is Kadee. She is amazing!!!! I can't put into words how grateful I am for this girl! She understands me completely and knows how to calm me down in a second. She is great at giving advice and helping me discover and become who I can be. God places people in your life for a reason and I know that she is one of those tender mercies from him!

                                           

I hope everyone has a great week!!!! 

Emotions, Parties, and Shakespeare Sept 6-13

Sunday was a really good day. Church was awesome! I love testimony meetings. I had a stake training for my calling and the stake president spoke for a little bit of time. It was really enlightening! My calling will be a bit crazy, but it will be really good. I went to Hymns on a Hill and then went to Cody and Reva's apartment. They were a small group of people in there and I just went and sat down. We watched Mulan, but then I had to leave to come up and visit a girl. It was a great day!
I love seeing all of us walk down the hill to church!

 This is cake in a mug. It is the greatest thing ever!

Monday I woke up early to cover someones shift in the dinning hall. I then went with Genny and Anna to go walk in the Labor Day parade. The float turned out really well and it was perfect weather. After Lunch a big group of us went to a place called Cave Mountain Lake. Its part of a national forest so you pay to park, but they keep it up really nice and its gorgeous! The water felt AMAZING. Anna and Kaylee and I went to a store and Walmart then came back home. They shoot of fireworks from the park nearby but Anna and I ended up just watching them from our window.
Here were deer that greeted me in the morning!

 Cave Mountain Lake!

 Yes. That is me on the right... in the water!

 Here was our hiking adventure.

 Seconds before Catherine fell..

 I love these people!

 ...And my school!

Tuesday was an interesting day. I was in such a bad mood... It turned out I wasn't the only one. Everyone was having a pretty off day. I am very thankful for nice people though. My friend Lainie went and bought Jared and I a whole bunch of candy. It was very nice! Later that night I went and hung out in Cody and Reva's apartment. After being mad all day, I had this moment where I realized that life is good. Its hard and bad days come, but life is good!

Wednesday my classes went well. I spent a lot of time in the dinning hall. Okay lets face it, when am I not in there! After my spanish class I worked on homework and hung out and then I went to my Literature and Film class. We watched The Birds. It was scary.... haha! I came back and one of my girls scared me and she just kept laughing. We had a little party in the hall. My girls and I just sat and had a lot of fun. I did get a call from one of my girls saying that there was a poisonous snake in the parking lot. I hung up the phone not really understanding what she told me, but then, through some other people, we figured it out. A guy hit it with a rock and then hid it somewhere. I hate snakes....

Thursday my art history class was really good! I was really tired, but it was good. After class I sat with some other RA's in the dinning hall for like an hour and a half. HAHA! I went to Spanish which I always dread going to, but don't mind once i'm there. After class I called Grandma D who will be here at my school in a week! I went to the dinning hall to talk to someone, and then stayed and worked my shift. I ran back up to my room to do room checks and went to dinner! After dinner I went to the library to get some homework done then went to the Spanish Tutor with Daphne. Then I went to Cody and Reva's apartment again and sat and did homework in there for about two hours. I actually got a lot done! I feel like I can think and take a little break in there room. I would have stayed longer but I got a text from a girl who was really sick and I ended up getting her a Priesthood blessing. I am so grateful for the men here at school that don't even stop for a second when I say that I need a blessing!
Sooo pretty!!!

Friday was a good day! I worked the dinning hall in the morning, went to my classes and went to forum. My bishop was the speaker and so of course it was really really good! After Spanish I just stayed down on campus. I bounced from a couple different places and ended up sitting on a bench outside Chandler Hall for two hours talking to different people about life. Dinner was good and then Catherine, Alex, Genny, Anna and Lainie and I went to the play. It was The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. It was hilarious!!!! There are only three guys in the show and a lot of it is improvised. So good! After we came and talked in my room for a while and then had another hall party.

Saturday was one of the most relaxing days ever! I woke up and did laundry (which I love) went on a 2 mile run (well 1.5 and then walked the last .5) and then sat and watched Grey's Anatomy and took a nap! It was the BEST. After Lunch it was super nice outside so Alex and I went for a walk. Later that night we had a Lofts activity. Reva made a whole bunch of pizza dip and we watched The Lion King. I then helped clean Reva's apartment because her and Cody were and still are really sick. Which led to me not leaving their room till midnight... whoops! Then I cleared the lobby and sat and talked with my friend Daphne till 2am!

Sunday was crazy! I had a meeting at 10:30, Ward Council at 11, lunch, church at 1, a linger longer, and then the World Wide Devotional at 8. It was kind of crazy! I seriously love Sundays. It is the greatest to know that you have a day that is dedicated to the Lord and to spiritually uplifting yourself! Its a much needed day! Also one of the best parts of this Sunday was going outside and it was a little cold! It felt like fall, which was the most exciting thing ever! It did result in getting pretty cold while sitting in front of main hall for an hour after dinner... but it was so great!

We Survived August! Aug 31- Sept 5

Monday= School. I am really enjoying all of my classes! I feel like I am really focused this semester, well more than last, and am loving the types of classes I am in this semester WAY more than last. Our ward didn't have an FHE because I had only gotten called the day before... so I decided it would be good to have a hall FHE. This way they are still getting in the habit of coming to FHE and it was a hall bonding activity. I focused on the topic of Service. So there were three activities. A service for the hall, a service for someone of their choice, and a service for themselves. It turned out really well! I love the cute girls that I am over! They are in my hall for a certain reason and its so much fun discovering that! I then had an RA meeting that went way late.. because we all love each other and none of us stop talking!
Here is half of my super cute hall!!!

Tuesday we had an adventure that involved Walmart and the storage unit. I filled my car to max capacity and we went to Walmart. All of us bought a lot of things so that filled up the car. Everything had to be out of the storage unit by September 1st but we discovered that one girl didn't get everything out. So we drove to the unit and picked up all the rest of her stuff. So we played some tetras and managed to have 5 people, all of our Walmart things, two fridges, a box, an organizer, and some boxes. It was pretty crazy! I also got to talk to Ryan on the phone before he left! He is crazy and will be a great missionary!
Yup! Thats my window :)

 This is Courtney! She is super cute!

 This was our tetras game!

Wednesday is my longest day class wise. I have Institute, Theatre, Choir, Spanish and then my Lit and Film class at 6:30-9:30. It was actually a really fun day, I was just pretty tired. At about 5pm we had a massive rainstorm!! It was crazy with super loud thunder! Half of the campus lost power and didn't get it back on till about 11:30pm. In my Lit and film class we watched and read "A River Runs Through It." The book and movie were both FANTASTIC! I really loved the symbolism and the writing. After I got back late and then I had to stay up till Midnight so I could kick all the boys out of the lobby. Oh the life of an RA.

Thursday was a really good day! Im not sure exactly why.. it just was! I had Art History and then had a two hour break till Spanish. During that time I helped print out some ballots for class elections and ate lunch. I then had to run up to the lofts to let two girls into their room because they locked themselves out and then run back down for class. Yes I know I have a car, but there is no where to park! After spanish I went back to the library to help print things again and then carry stuff to the Executive Council's office. I then had to work the dinning hall for an hour. After that I went back up to my room and then had to do room checks. I ate some dinner, went to the spanish tutor (thank you Jared!), and then sat and talked to Nicole outside for an hour till my RA meeting at 9! It was a crazy day! But I was just happy all day :)

Friday we had a wonderful Convocation to kick off school. The Concert Choral sang a song and I am actually quite sick... so I just mouthed the words. I had my first test of the year in Spanish. I feel like I did pretty well. There were a few I had no idea about. I actually went to the library but I kept having coughing attacks that echoed through the whole building so I left! The whole day the weather was right on the point of pouring rain. Nicole and I sat on a bench talking, waiting for it to rain.. but it never came! I went to dinner and then came and took medicine and took a nap! The school played the new Cinderella which I went to with all my friends. I love that movie!

I slept in Saturday to try and work off more of my sickness. I sounded a lot better and I could actually breath through my nose! I had a long to-do list which.... well.. didn't really get done. I went to lunch and then Genny and I went on a 1.5 mile walk through town. Then we ended up in Reva and Cody's room for like two hours! Then I someone got wrapped into going to Roanoke with someone else to pick up a trailer that was being used for our schools float in the Labor Day parade. So I then spent from 5:15 till 8:30 going to Roanoke. We did get Chick-fi-la though! Then we went to the women's soccer game. They played awesome!!! We won! After that I went and helped John John and Sam finish making some of the decorations going on the float. We worked till 12:15ish, but got almost everything done.

 This is one of the banners we worked on for the float. Our theme this year is "All In".