I just want to say...

Have a really great weekend everybody!
I'm happy today and I love you all.
ok bye.
ps- it's raining in vegas today. just thought you might want to know.

AHH!!!!

OHMIGOODNESS!! You have no idea how excited I am! Glee is bursting forth out of my soul!!
In just 24 hours from now I will be in Reno preparing for the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE TOUR!!! AHHHH!!! Seriously, you do not even understand how excited I am about this!
In preps for tomorrow night I've been watching some of my fav performances. Enjoy! By the way, did I mention that we'll be sitting on THE FOURTH ROW?!! It's totally ok to be jealous of me right now.

paparazzi

so basically i'm famous...

check THIS out.

i'm the one in the gray shirt dress at the very beginning.

help

ok, i need your help.
my best vegas girlfriend just got engaged.
she was the one who always had the cute bridal shower ideas when all our other friends got married. so now i'm a little panicked that she's left me in the dust to plan hers without her.
here's where you come in:
bridal shower ideas. i need some.
and let me clarify... there will be NO CHEESY GAMES! i need theme/scheme ideas- food, decorations, invitations, favors, etc.
the wedding will either be in late february or march. come on now... time's a tickin'!

each life that touches ours for good...

They say you can judge a person by their friends. If that's true then I am amazing. The Lord's hand has constantly been at work in my life creating for me a network of amazing friends, some lifelong, some recent.

While I was at home for Thanksgiving I got to spend some time with 2 of my best friends, their husbands and kids. It was a pleasure that I know will be repeated in the years to come because those friendships will never be taken for granted. Now, that I'm back home I'm looking forward to spending time with my day-to-day friends, most of whom I've only known for a few months. And no matter the time of day or where I am in the world I can create and cultivate friendships with those I've never seen face to face.

While some are lasting and some are temporary, I've always counted myself blessed to have great friends in my life. I've often thought that if I had one wish for this world it wouldn't be the cliche wish for world peace. It would be that every single person have a friend. Because no joy and no sorrow is complete without a friend to multiply or divide it. So, here's cheers to you, dear friends!

"It is one of the blessings of old friends
that you can afford to be stupid with them"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It is not so much our friends' help that
helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us"
Epicurus

i never thought i'd say this but...

go cougars!

i am NOT a cougar (at least in the alma mater way... otherwise, yes. yes i am a cougar) and most of my friends know that i have a history of cheering against them... mostly just to be annoying but also because the whole cougar-mania thing can be a little (read: a lot) over the top for someone who didn't attend the b.y.

my dad has had byu football season tickets for as long as i can remember and in my youth i spent many a saturday on the metal bleachers of Cougar (now Lavell Edwards) Stadium. however, my loyalties faded when i became an aggie (utah state! hey, aggies all the way! go aggies! go aggies! hey! hey! hey!*) and i could never bring myself to cheer for "that school down south that doesn't believe in agency"**.

but, "train up a child in the way [she] should go: and when [she] is old, [she] will not depart from it" (prov 22:6). on saturday i found myself cheering the cougars on to victory, jumping and screeming at "4th and 18", a moment that will go down in history. i don't know what happened but it felt so strange yet so natural. it's true. i never thought i'd say this but... go cougars!

*congrats to my aggies who won their second game this weekend, thus upping their record to an impressive 2-10. i am proud.
**(almost) direct quote from one of my institute teachers at usu. best thing i ever heard.
***claim to fame: i totally know (read: met once) austin collie. we'd call him a family friend. every play in our play book would be "give it to austin!"

we've only just begun...

happy thanksgiving everyone!

i'm headed home to happy valley where it is, as my dad said, "cold as hell". i hope i survive.

it'll all be worth it because i'm hungry for thanksgiving. it's my second favorite holiday.

my holiday wishes to all of you: travel safe. eat lots. enjoy some football. shop 'til you drop. whatever you do, have fun.

bon appetite!

i love you all...

when i'm elected i'll have you all killed.

and they pray

you know when you say you're going to do something then you forget about it? that's kind of what's been happening with my weekly sabbath post. doh! but, since i was on vacation the previous 2 sundays of this month i figure it was ok to vacay from the posting thing. but, now i have no excuse. anyway... on with it.

i've had my current church calling for the past 2-1/2 years (i know, tell me about it!) and i still have no idea what i'm doing. in anything else in life i'd think 2-1/2 years is plenty of time to figure things out. but in this case, i'm totally fine not knowing what i'm doing because it's not really my call. it's the Lord's. this is His business and the only thing i need to know is what He wants me to do. so, i pray. hard. everyday i ask Him to guide me to do whatever it is that He needs me to do that day. this is what i've learned: it works (at least in this instance... i still have yet to figure out how prayer, faith & the Lord's will for my life all work but that's a different post for a different day *sigh*).

it wasn't the first time it's happened, but sunday i had 2 separate moments at church where i knew what was coming out of my mouth wasn't coming from my brain. those words were the Lord's and i was extremely humbled and grateful that i was able be an instrument for Him to bless others (i hope).

as i was leaving church i joked to one of my favorite sisters that she needs to start praying for me. at this she replied, with a straight face and a serious tone, "i pray for you every day. and every time i go to the temple i put your name on the prayer roll." to which i replied, "....." i was speechless. i finally uttered a "thank you" which seemed entirely not enough for what i felt. even now, after having time to process it, i still can't even put into words how much i appreciate those prayers- hers and others- and why. especially why. it means everything.

i certainly don't serve in my calling for laud and honor. in fact, some might say it's a thankless job. that's not true. there are plenty of sweet rewards for what i get to do. but i'm not going to lie. it does feel good when people tell me i'm doing a good job. i know i'm not the best at what i do and certainly there are many others who could be doing a much better job than i'm doing. but the thanks, encouragement and especially the prayers i do get are sweet rewards that help me remember to do my best. and that's all the Lord has asked me to do. my best. not some one else's best.

through humble prayer, diligent preparation, and faithful service, we can succeed in our sacred callings
~thomas s monson

i have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that i had no where else to go
~abraham lincoln

BWAHAHAHA!

i just got this email from a friend:

Just a friendly reminder to visit the temple this month.

a duo of devils

oh crap

i just made a deal with my boss that i'd come to our company christmas party only on the condition that my (2) 22 year old coworkers- who i lovingly encourage (read: nag) to date every weekend- bring dates. catch is... i have to bring a date too. oh crap. only one month to find a suitable date. i hate christmas work parties. they ruin the whole holiday.

i'm baaaack!

did you miss me?
i know you did.
sorry i was gone so long... ok, not that sorry. i just spent 10 days here:

and here:

wandering around with crazy hair like this:

swimming with turtles and getting attacked by a shark (ok maybe it was a rock):

enjoying beautiful scenery such as this (not just myself. the trees, beach and sunset too):

there was also snorkling, tanning, CEO, eating, surfing, shaved ice and great times with the fam involved too. i love the motherland.
today it's back to life, back to reality and i miss my family, hawaii and especially the shave ice.

Happy Holidays indeed!

HALLOWE'EN WAS AMAZING!!
I'm not even kidding, it was like, the best ever!
2 house parties, vampire cupcakes, apple bobbing, pinatas, costume contest, mad dancing, tons of photo taking. This is why I LOVE this holiday.

I'd post photos but I'm way too tired. So you can check them all out here.
But just so you know what I was:











OK, no one else really figured it out either.
See, Ms Geography was a modern Dorthy and I was the modern Wicked Witch. Get it? Totally brill if you ask me.
Also... I forgot to wish everyone a happy nevada day earlier. Hope it was as good for you as it was for me.