what?

Disclaimer: this is not a common occurrence. at all.

I went to the store today with the intent of getting milk, butter, and tortillas. That's it. Yet I came out with much more...

Besides the Sunny D and 3 boxes of pasta roni, I bought produce. Yes, PRODUCE.

I had an insane craving for healthy food. I got home and pretty much opened everything I bought (produce-wise) hence the pictures.

My evening snack: celery with peanut butter, a gala apple, a banana, and a kiwi.

And YES, mom, I DID eat it all. Proud? I thought so.

"i get by with a little help from my friends"

Food for thought:

If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.

Although friends may be miles (and even countries) apart, the images of memories made will always stick.

And even if those friends return for a short time, it's like they never left.

Friends are the people that stick with you through thick and thin. They're there to see your successes and failures. They're there to share in incredible experiences. The way you make memories is by making an effort to do so.

It took effort to plan a way to ask boys to a dance over a 1 week period, 2 months in advance. It took effort to practice hard and participate in a music festival under the direction of our Church's most famous music director. It takes effort to practice and take first place in competitions in Disneyland. It takes effort to have fun. It takes effort to mend broken hearts and fix relationships. It takes effort to find the perfect dress. It takes effort to get together and have Star Wars marathons. It takes effort to ask a friend to borrow a dress that would make you feel stunning. It takes effort to get past your fears, audition, make it, and play with 9 other friends in the top orchestra in the state. It takes effort to study calculus and help others understand. It takes effort to bring milk and cereal every Thursday. It also takes effort to put on a Star Wars shirt and parade around the school with your best friends beginning a tradition. It takes effort to bring a lightsaber to school and battle on the front lawn. It takes effort to make it to the end of high school, sit on the stage with your best friends playing the best music in the world, then walk across the stage to conclude the best 3 years of your life.

But was it worth it?

Oh yes.

If you haven't played a game of miniature croquet, I highly suggest you do. Because 1. you don't get penalized for the amount of strokes you use (hallelujah) and 2. it's a great activity to do with friends and much less cliche than miniature golf.

After making the mistake of watching Dear John with my roommate last night, I texted a dear friend asking him if he wanted to do anything cause I was extremely bored (having already done my homework for next class). He immediately called me:

"We're going to play miniature croquet at the Riverwoods in Provo, do you want to come?"

Oh boy, did I. Afterwards, we got Little Caesars, came back to my apartment, and played Phase 10 for like 2 hours. I'd forgotten how much fun I can have with friends that I don't see as often.

And for those friends that aren't with us, there will come a time when we will reunite again. We have to. I mean, we have to make new memories. Even though the experiences of high school are gone and fading, we can remember them. And we can have more.

We just have to make the effort.

moving

First off, my best friend of all time did a lot of moving today. He woke up at 4:20am, got all his suitcases in a bus, drove to the SLC airport, and flew to Dallas. From there he flew (or rather is currently flying) to London where he'll have an hour layover and then will be off to the Netherlands. He'll be there before I wake up in the morning.

His life for the next two years is in 3 suitcases and a backpack. After living his entire life in the United States, he will now reside in Belgium and the Netherlands for the next 22 months.

That's a rather big move if you ask me.

But he is so excited! He just can't wait to be over there and begin working. He's always been an example of a hard-working, dedicated young man.

Today I got to talk to him. Although I didn't get to personally talk to him, it was just incredible to hear his voice.

His wonderful family invited me over for the call, for which I cannot be more thankful. I am grateful they allowed me to share that with them. We talked with him for almost an hour and a half. He gave us a little taste of Dutch and he and his brother talked cars. Things haven't changed much, but he has grown spiritually and is ready to take on the next challenge in his life.

Kind of ironically, I made a move today as well, though not nearly as exciting and far out as his.

I packed up my bedroom along with plenty of kitchen supplies and food, and headed to Provo, Utah where I attend school. I now live in my own apartment.

I have moved out from under my parents' roof to live on my own. Quite an exciting move, for me at least.

Let me give you a tour of my apartment! It's not much and isn't decorated either, but it's nice and clean. Just the way I like things.

Upon entering for the first time, I found this sweet note my roommates left for me!,

Living room! Pretty bare, but notice the TV. Awesome.

Kitchen! My stuff is open ;)

Closet! It doesn't look like much, but I also have 4 drawers full of folded stuff.

Desk!

My bed is the top one. Now you have to know me, I HATE the top bunk. But I really didn't have a choice...

And last but not least, the stuff on top of my dresser. It's not completely decorated how I want, but it's got the most important thing on it :)

yesterday

Yesterday was a very fun-filled day. I awoke and was busy from the start. First a lesson and then off to Amber's to create this:



This is us drawing on a big piece of butcher paper. We made Elder Stoddard a poster!


The finished product... I am dang proud of my Star Wars logo btw.


And I just love these girls so much that it really isn't funny. Words can't describe how much I love them. They are some of my best friends!




After this little adventure, I headed over to his house. While at Amber's, his sister texted me saying they had a present for me. SAY WHAT? So I headed over there on my way home to pick it up. And needless to say, I spent about 4 hours there. I just have too much fun with his little siblings! And we talked (his siblings and mom) for about 2 hours. It was so nice. That was the very first time I had been to his house and hung out with his family since he left. And honestly, it made it feel like things hadn't changed. I love his family as my own! They make me feel at home. They make him feel close and make things feel like they are bearable. I am grateful for them.
Except I'm not so grateful for his little brother, Wilson, for setting an insane high score on fruit ninja on my ipod. Just kidding! I still love him anyways.



Following this party, I headed home. About 10 minutes after arrival, Kari Kane (blog here) called me and said she was at my house to pick me up. The reason? This:

AN EPIC DECADES DANCE PARTY. Observe:






Kari and Lindsey (blog here) dressed up as 80's punksters. Dylan is, well, from the "cowboy" era (no one knows). And I chose to dress up as my most favorite era, which is the 40's. But really, I could be anywhere from the 20's to the 40's. Anyways. Here's us, just before we headed to the party.


And this is my getup. I couldn't help but snap a few pictures because I found myself to be very ridiculously good looking. Am I right?



What a day! Seriously one of the best yet. I got to hang out with pretty much EVERYONE that has a big impact in my life. From 2 incredible girls to my best friend's family to plenty of friends from high school. It was an outstanding day. And ending it with dressing up and dancing the night away was perfect.

well well

Today was a rather... interesting. It goes like this:

9:00 -- wake up, help mom frost cookies for a wedding, shower, get ready.
11:20 -- get picked up for a date with Tyler Johns (age 21), Jaclyn Johns' older brother.
12:00 -- finally head down to Provo after picking up another boy and his date.
12:30 -- lunch at Zupas.
1:30 -- head to BYU to watch The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in the planetarium. Yes, the planetarium.
3:30 -- drive home and find out he wants to ask me out again in a few weeks.
4:30 -- arrive home, touch up, change top, fix hair, etc.
5:15 -- get picked up by a family friend whose children will be babysat by my little sister because her and her husband are taking me out on a date.
5:30 -- arrive at Chili's. To meet him. Yes, this was a blind date. First one of my life. We ate at Chili's for about an hour. Hardly talked to each other but fortunately I went with people I knew and he went with his brother and sister-in-law. So it works. His name is Richard and he is 23 years old.
6:30 -- head to Jack and Jill's for some bowling. Lost twice.
8:00 -- start leaving but realize that we wanted to try our luck at winning an iPad from those machine things. We tried probably 15 times.
8:30 -- make it to Orem where we doorbell ditched 3 cardboard cutouts at his friend's apartment and then ended up stealing one of his friend's cutout and replacing it with Tiana from Princess and the Frog.
9:00 -- stop by his apartment in Provo to pick up a video game.
9:30 -- go to his brother's house and play Just Dance and Fruit Ninja on the Kinect.
11:30 -- head home. Doorstep scene was an exchange in numbers and a hug goodnight. Again, keep in mind I had just met this kid tonight.
12:00 -- he texts me: "Hey Vanessa thanks so much for going out with me tonight, it was honestly one of the best dates I've ever had! I know it's kind of close to Christmas and probably super busy but would you like to do something next week?"

I said sure. This date will entail dinner and seeing Sherlock Holmes.

Two free meals and plenty of free entertainment in one day is something I'm not gonna turn down! So all in all, I had a fun day.

Just didn't expect to get another date (or two) out of it.



Don't think I'm quite ready for this yet. But here goes nothing.

and so it ends

The first semester of "higher education,"

...

the first time not going to school at dear old AF High

...

making memories with the incredible friends whom I love and miss so much.

...

And so ends the first time being in classes with over 100, and occasionally 600, people.

...

The first semester where grades didn't matter to me so much

...

where I learned what it was like not to always do well

...

and I got my first C.

...

And so ends the semester of way too many tears

...

prayers of despair and loneliness

...

and facades to hide the hurt I was feeling.

...

So ends the semester of losing my best friend

...

to the Lord

...

but still feeling hurt and sadness.

And here's to the beginning of a new semester.

One in which I will try even harder to do my best.

One where I'll study more because I actually know what I'm doing

because I've done it before.

And so begins a semester for which I'll enjoy being on campus because my best friend will no longer be a 5 minute walk away yet there is a bajillion feet high brick wall separating us.

A semester where we'll both be living the lives we're supposed to live yet remaining best friends.

And so begins a semester of living in a new home away from home.

Where I'll be on my own.

Living the life of a college student.

Living like a real adult.

Buying my own food.

Going to bed whenever I want.

Doing whatever I please whenever I please.

And best of all?

Writing my own, new story.

this week.

Full of ups and downs, for sure.

My mom and I have been on the hunt for items for my new apartment--aka real world stuff like pots, pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups, cutting boards, etc. Mainly kitchen stuff since I have basically everything else I need to move out.

Yep.

To move out.

Needless to say, I'm a little nervous to leave the comforts of my own home! But I know it's for the best because I won't have to be called around 11 o'clock and be asked when I'm coming home. So ready to be done with that.

The past few days have been rough. I mean, I've passed the one month mark, so that's exciting, right? Well, yeah. But it's also depressing because it's making me realize how long of a time I have left until I see my best friend. I've cried a lot lately. I've thought about how it doesn't seem real that he won't be showing up at my door with his funky two-sounding knock with his mexi-truck parked out front. It's so weird that he's not mine anymore, that things have changed so much and will never go back to how they used to be.

I miss my best friend and reality is hitting me.

I can't wait for this to get easier.

epiphany.

So in American Heritage (the infamous death of a class at BYU), we are working on our final paper. A few weeks ago we had turned in an outline and were getting feedback from peers in our class. I was unsure about my topic, and as classmates reviewed and critiqued it, I realized it was way too broad of a subject and I didn't even know where I wanted to go with it.

Today, in class, a kid in front of me told me and a few other girls he was going to write on the public school system.

*LIGHT BULB*

Last year, in AP language, we were assigned a research paper. It was death. But I ended up really liking it and got a great grade on it.

Hearing that kid say what he was writing on gave me the idea to use that research paper for this class! Why did it inspire me to use it, do you ask?

Well, I wrote on merit pay for public school teachers. "Public school system" just sparked that memory.

Epiphany if you ask me!!

Now, my research paper was 11 pages long. This one has a 900 word limit. Psh. I've already got the work done, now it's just condensing it.

Oh man.

I can't tell you how excited I am for this paper now.

It's going to be cake.

{disclaimer: I know this isn't totally morally and ethically correct... but I really could care less! I'm actually going to change quite a bit of it to make it fit the criteria, but it's nice to already have the work done. So don't judge. Too harshly, that is.}

weekly gratitude.

I nearly forgot! Good thing I remembered :)

This week I am grateful for:

{1}:

And most important... GENERAL CONFERENCE. Even though I often fall asleep, it's one of the best weekends ever. I love it.

{2}:

Having my cousin over here for Conference weekend. He moved out from Ohio to go to BYU and we're his only family out here. So he spends a lot of time with us. He's so fun!

{3}:

BYU football. And 15 second miracles.

{4}:

The beautiful fall colors!

{5}:

My best friend who always puts up with this time of the month so well.

{6}:

Having another best friend come down from USU to visit. Man, what a great weekend with her and everyone in the "group".

{7}:

Stretchy pants. They help me play the cereal box game well. And I win.

{8}:

My strong piano hands. Because that way, everyone complains when they get in my chair because they can never get out. I'm too quick and strong. Muahaha!

{9}:

Kind friends who offer me rides to school every day so I don't have to ride the bus and get there half an hour later.

{10}:

A possible 6 extra weeks with my best friend.

I'm loving this! It really makes me think hard about things I'm grateful for and then notice all the blessings I have. I am so blessed even though I don't always see it!

my friends are my enemies.

Well, last night was the BYU vs. Utah State game. Not much to say about it except for two things:

{1} I have so many friends that are up there, thus making it weird to play against their team when we were all on the same team in high school.

{2} WE WON! Holy crap that was the most insane and lucky last 15 seconds ever!! And guess what else?

I STORMED THE FIELD.

Yep, be jealous. Here's proof:

didn't I tell you?

Remember Jared? Yeah, we met up and he bought me a Jamba Juice. yadayadayada

You've heard that one.

But now there's a new kid in town.

His name is Jordan.

What's with all the J names??

Hey, his middle name is James so that means something, right?

Anywho, moving on.

Sunday, I went to church. I came home and immediately dropped my skirt and put on my most comfortable sweats. It was not an hour later when the doorbell rings. No big deal, right? People always come over on a Sunday.

HA.

My dad walks down the stairs:

"Vanessa, Jordan's here for you."

Me (thinking what the heck?): "Dad, I don't know a Jordan..."

Dad: "Blonde hair, blue eyes...?"

Me: "Nope."

Dad: "Well come up anyways!"

I trudge upstairs in totally mismatched clothes to see a stranger standing in my doorway.

Jordan: "Hi Vanessa, my name is Jordan."

Tell me something I don't know.

Long story short, he asked me on a date.

I've never met him before in my life. Granted, I've seen him at church (he's in my singles ward) but I didn't even know his name.

And now I'm going on a date with him.

The stories keep getting better and better...

Stay tuned! I'm pretty sure I'll have something more exciting next week.

p.s.

I just thought of something remotely interesting I could blog about!

So, with this whole "living at home" and "little brother wanting the desk I use" business, I decided it was time to venture out and find a new desk.

So I did!

I took my mother and my dear friend to Ikea (pronounced EE-kay-ya) and we searched out a desk. There were many great ones but I didn't have a lot of money to spend.

So we found this one!

Ikea is so great when it comes to cheap yet awesome furniture.

And yes, I bought it with my OWN money.

I'm feeling more like a grown-up every day.

Don't you love how busy I look?

4-0. yeah you heard me.

Today, BYU Women's soccer CRUSHED the University of Utah.

We scored 4 points.

And one of their players got a red card.

All in all?

A pretty awesome game if you ask me!

To top it off, the gang (consisting of Ben, Jenny, Trevor and Jason) headed over to the creamery for some laughs:

Ben's pick-up face. Which is obviously the next best thing to pick up lines.

"HE'S GONNA DRIVE AWAY! NOOOOO!!" Then realizing the door was unlocked.

Checking out the new Heritage Halls apartments and watching Robot Chicken and then finding out that the boys read my blog. (wth?)

And much more.

I've also decided on something.

No matter HOW hard it is going to be to watch my best friend leave me behind to serve his mission, I've got something incredible to do and keep my mind off his absence.

I've got Brigham Young University. And everything it has to offer.

While it may be the absolute hardest thing I've ever done in my life (and it won't help that he'll be less than a 10 minute walk away from campus for the first two months...dang you MTC), I know I have something to look forward to that will keep me entertained, busy, and uplifted.

Today was absolutely crazy. Not to mention barely making it in time to get my student ID before the place closed at 6 so I could then get my all-sport and guest passes so we could make the game at 7.

The end result?

I'M OFFICIALLY A COUGAR!

And it doesn't get any better than that.

A deep-down ambition.

Well, not that I want to copy anyone, but I want to become a photographer. I feel that I have the eye for it... or maybe that's just me being conceited. Either way, I want to become one.

Only problem is buying a super nice camera. I hear Canons are good, right? Yeah.

Too bad I have to pay for college. But maybe I'll start saving soon so I can buy one in a few years or something.

Or maybe I'll just find and marry the man of my dreams who will just happen to be rich and he can buy one for me!

I'm counting on the latter.

Early Grad Gift

Yesterday, my dad and I went shopping.

That never happens.

But this time, it was for something other than clothes or makeup. It was for my graduation present.

Which is a laptop! And I'm blogging on it right now :)

A New Life

Even though I have not graduated yet, I feel that it's time to begin a new blog. This one will be about my new adventures as an adult college student. I'm excited! Join the fun and enjoy the ride :)

Okay. The truth is that my old blog died. The email account I had been using to sign in had to be verified but hotmail wouldn't let me verify it. Oh well. Gives me a good excuse to start a new blog!