yet another nighttime adventure

My first nighttime adventure up AF canyon consisted of a 10 hour hike in the dark with my best friends. This time was slightly different yet just as cool! As a ward, we went showshoeing under the moonlight! It was absolutely beautiful. Even though no camera could capture the beauty, just imagine this: snow laced on the ground, trees and bushes all around, silence, a clear sky, seeing all the stars, then being pleasantly surprised and excited when the moon comes up and lights everything up. Man, something everyone must do in their lifetime.

I'm glad I got to go, even though it was VERY last minute, because I met some new friends! I'd been having a hard time getting to know people in the ward, but I just clicked with a few girlies. They're really great. And live in the same building as me! Hopefully we become good friends.

Here are some pictures of the evening!

The group at the top of the ridge. It was a gorgeous view!

Bishop literally plopped right on top of us! It was funny.

L-R: Aubrey, Kelsi, Amber, and me

Then Soo decided to pop in!

"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.

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.

pardon the pictures.

Viewer discretion may need to be advised.

And please don't judge.

But I'll have you know, these pictures are the first ones of my freshman year at BYU!

And they were all taken on my ipod. So the quality is bad.

But nonetheless, they show that I am having a great time.

And honestly, I am.

BYU is going to rock my life.

I'm terrible.

I know, I know. I haven't blogged in over a week. BUT, I do have a good reason!

My favorite cousins in the entire world are in town! Minus one, who is off adventuring in the high mountain terrain of Colorado bringing people to our faith. At least the other one, who recently returned from his two-year excursion to the exotic country of Guatemala is here. He's my new buddy now.

Needless to say, we've been pretty busy. Especially late at night, which is when I find time to blog. We play games too much, that's all.

They arrived Friday while I was at work, and surprised me when I walked in the door.

Saturday consisted of Park City, the Alpine Slide, and some wicked sweet deals at Banana Republic. And we played badminton! We had a total of about 8 birdies. Needless to say, 3 ended up on the roof and 4 others were blown to pieces. Haha. And we also demolished two rackets so we sent my aunt to the store to buy more!

Sunday, we attended church. And played games. Of course :)

Monday, we played games. And saw the movie 17 Miracles. Definitely a good one to see. We also barbecued, played some serious badminton, and watched the aerial fireworks from our driveway.

Tuesday, we went to the temple in the morning and did upwards of 80 names total between the 6 of us. And that night we had a wicked rainstorm with crazy lightning and thunder! It was awesome.

Wednesday, the adults went to the temple again while I taught in the morning. We played games. In the afternoon, we went to Bridal Veil Falls and then to the Creamery for some awesome ice cream :) And then we played badminton outside again and then games after it got dark.

We convinced them to stay another day because they really didn't have to be home too early. So today, I taught 3 lessons and afterwards we went to the AF Steel Days art show where my sister took 3rd place and got an honorable mention. Great job, Bianca! Unfortunately, I did not take this day off so I had to go to work for 5 hours. Afterwards, we went to Olive Garden where we waited for like an hour and then another hour inside the restaurant. We didn't play too many games after we got back... too tired... yet I'm still up. I somehow can't get to bed!

Anyways, you probably didn't read through all that. But it's okay. Because it's for me and for the future because I really stink at journal keeping and it'd be nice to know what we did while they were here.

This was definitely the best time I've had with them. It's always fun, but this one was especially fun. Even if our missionary wasn't there, we lost Kaile to trek on Tuesday, and then my dad and sister to trek this morning. It's okay though. It was still worth it.

I love my family.

The perfect day.

First of all, I've decided that I absolutely LOVE teaching violin. Much more than piano. I'm so glad I got two violin students for the summer!

Date 1 (the real one):

Consisted of being picked up in his sky blue 1990 Honda Civic. We drove to his house, piled two kayaks on to this tiny Civic and one canoe on his Suburban, and headed up the windy roads into the beautiful nature that surrounds us, aka AF canyon. We parked at the nearly overflowing Tibble Fork Reservoir, and exited the car and were welcomed by gusts of cold wind. We unloaded. We carried everything down. And he and I went first, he insisting we use the kayaks. Out on the lake, we discussed things. He discovered my love for longboarding and said we're going to go soon. I cannot wait! After heading to shore, we ate some lunch. Yes, the boys had packed a picnic. Ham and cheese sandwiches! Mmmm. I actually like those. And Oreos are always a must!

I'm rather impressed by this young man. He had been promising me a date for months now and finally, after enough razzing, he took me out. It was absolutely the most pleasant date I have been on. He even made sure I got home early enough to make it to work on time. What a gentleman! Thank you, Kyle, for a marvelous date! And now, we must longboard :)

Date 2 (the spontaneous one):

Began with a jam session. It had been a long time since we had jammed last. Again, he amazed me with his incredible talent. He played and I sat and listened. He taught me how to improvise better. He showed me how to increase my ability with perfect pitch. He quizzed me to see how close I could get. I only missed one and even got F#! After jamming, we got in his truck. By this time, it was 10:00 at night, maybe a little too late to begin a date, but whatever :) We headed to Wendy's for frosties and fries. After purchasing our wonderful meal, we drove to the AF cemetery (of all places!) and parked to enjoy. We talked. We talked about everything. There was never a dull or silent moment. We laughed. We got serious. After about 15 minutes, he drove me to his house and escorted me (yes, escorted!) to my car. We talked for a few more minutes, and then I left.

Thank you, Matt, for making our evening a spontaneous date. Thanks for jamming with me and being my inspiration in piano. I am so excited I got to go on at least one date before you leave on your mission next week, and I'm so excited for you to go out! You'll be a fantastic missionary. Thank you for everything you have been to me--an inspiration and a great friend.

Wow, who ever thought to score two dates in one day? I feel very blessed and honored to have spent my day with such wonderful boys! Here's to plenty more dates this summer :)