Wisdom Teeth Extraction with Laura

Jan 13th Laura and I went into the oral surgeon together to get our wisdom teeth out!! haha it was actually quite a fun experience! Going into it with her made the experience so much better. One of the craziest things was being put under and then waking up to what seems like a second later, even though it was like 25 mins later. My mother has been absolutely amazing! She took videos and pictures of us before and after the appointment. Laura and I were on one! To describe Laura she was constantly trying to figure out her blood pressure, laughing, looking happy/content, and trying hard to keep her head up. For myself, I was just always laughing and trying to keep my eyes open! haha my favorite part that I saw in video was when laura and I saw each other for the first time. I honestly cannot understand what we were saying to each other.
It has been so much fun! I also want to thank my mother! she has been nursing us all day long! I absolutely love her !
Laura! I have loved getting my wisdom teeth out with you!! I will remember this forever!!!

Christmas Eve Traditions

Traditions in my family definitely exist, especially for Christmas eve. Below are some traditions that we have every year for Christmas Eve.
Every year on Christmas Eve, my family and I all go to the "Little America" and have there breakfast buffet. It's absolutely incredible!! Their fruit, omelets, bacon, sausage, etc are all incredible! I leave that place every year completely stuffed. Afterwards we all went to the Grand America to look at their window displays and to complete a little game. At each window we had to find a star and match that number with the description on the card. There were about 18 windows to look at and at the very end we all got a cookie! hahaha it was funny to see these 20 + year olds asking for a cookie after completing the game.
Afterwards we took food, clothes, and blankets to the homeless center downtown. It was a very neat experience to be able to serve those who don't have homes. It makes me very grateful to be where I am in my life and the wonderful home I have to come home to.
That night the whole family was together for dinner. It's a tradition to fondue chicken and steak for christmas eve dinner. Afterwards, we had the funniest conversation ever! Having everybody gathered around the table, talking for over an hour, and all laughing till we were crying was probably one of the greatest memories I will ever have. I love my family SO much!!
The final tradition that we have on Christmas eve is opening new pj's, singing hymns around the piano, listening to the Christmas Story, and watching either a "White Christmas" or a "Christmas Carol." This year we watched a "Christmas Carol"

This Christmas was by far the best Christmas I have ever had. It was SO great to be with the entire family! I love them all SO much!

Date with my brother Spencer!

Sherlock Holmes 2 came out and for a date, I went with my little brother Spencer. I had so much fun with him! I love him so much and am so grateful to have him in my life. His example in my life is truly inspiring. The movie was absolutely incredible!! We both loved it and are hoping there is going to be a second one.

Happy Birthday Nick Nelson!

Dec. 22nd was Nick's Birthday!!! To celebrate it, Noelle boss and I made a wonderful Brownie cake for him! I must say, we did a phenomenal job! We had a cute little house, santa, and candy canes on top. We are quite the cake decorators! I had so much fun hanging out with Noelle; she is such a great friend. After making that wonderful cake, we went to Iggy's to eat dinner with Nick and a bunch of other friends. It was super fun! I got teriaky chicken, very yummy! After that, we went and watched "Jingle all the Way" at Noelle's house!
I had a super fun night with the friends! They are all great!!
Pictures will come soon :)

Time to Catch Up....

I have come to the point in my life where I need to catch up on things that I was not able to do in Chile. For example, wisdom teeth, braces, getting moles removed and getting hair cut/colored. The beginning of my break I spent in doctor offices getting appointments set up to get my wisdom teeth out, braces on, and a very big mole removed.
On January 13th I am going to be getting my wisdom teeth pulled out! I was quite nervous for this procedure until I figured out that Laura is going to be getting her wisdom teeth out the exact same day, exact same place and 30 mins before I get mine out! We actually planned this so that we can be miserable together. haha I'm really excited cuz apparently people are really funny after they get their wisdom teeth out due to the anesthesia. haha so it's going to be hilarious to see what laura and I do.
On January 30th I'm going to be getting braces!! yes, I am a 19 year old, sophmore in college with braces! It's quite depressing, but it's so worth it so that one day I can have pretty pearly white smile! :) It's estimated that I will have them on for about 2 years, but it's usually shorter than that. Luckily, I'm going to be having the clear braces on top that way it doesn't look like I have braces.
Then on Dec. 20th I got a mole removed on my back! haha but hilarious story to go along with this appointment. I was for some reason terrified of the shot they would use to numb my back. So I was sitting on the patient table talking to the nurse while she was putting in the shot when all of a sudden I wake up on the floor with aching pains on my head and knee. You might ask what happened...well, I most definitely passed out!!! hahaha thats right! I fell 4 ft off the table and hit my head on the floor. If you have ever seen "Tangled" and saw the part where flynn falls out of the closet on his face...thats exactly what I looked like. It was absolutely hilarious! I now have a huge goose egg on the right side of my forehead. Getting the actual mole removed wasn't bad at all. I just laid on my stomach while he cut it out. Hopefully it's not cancerous. I'll be calling in tomorrow to get that checked. haha so yeah, I go into that doctor's office with a mole to be removed..and come out with a goose head, major headache, and a crater in my back due to the mole being cut out.
The only good appointment that week was getting my hair cut and colored! I always love getting my hair cut and colored! I got bangs and put an auburn color in my hair this time! I absolutely love my new hair. Amy is absolutely incredible !! Thank you Amy!!!

After this break, I feel like a NEW WOMAN!!

Mission Farewell of a Very Good Friend - Austin Argyle

On December 18th Alyssa and I went to Elder Austin Argyle's Farewell! He is going to be serving in Madrid, Spain. haha on our way there we accidentally went to the wrong Church and were put on the spotlight during their sacrament meeting; it was quite hilarious! Austin did a very good job on his talk. He is going to be an incredible missionary! Thank you Austin for always being such an amazing friend!

Good Luck Elder Argyle!

The end of another Semester

Fall 2011 Semester was absolutely incredible! I grew so much physically, mentally, and most importantly spiritually. I think back on this past semester and all I see are times of laughter, adventure, smiles, growth, and friends. This has probably been my favorite semester here at BYU. I also have the best roommates anybody could ask for! We all got a long SO well! I don't think I went a day in that apartment without laughing myself to tears. I'll never forget the mornings where all we do is blast the music and dance! I'll never forget the sleep overs I would have with Laura and Alyssa! I'll never forget the moments where Lindsey teaches me some new crafty craft! I'll never forget rachel laughing at me when I'm trying to find my pen that I have probably lost about 100 times. I'll never forget Stefanie and all the times she has been there for me! I'll never, ever forget the countless amount of adventures I would have with Alyssa!
There are a countless amount of memories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. To name a few:
1- Football Games with the roomies and rushing the Field with Lindsey! OH! and we cannot forget, getting a picture with Riley Nelson.
2-The many car adventures with Alyssa
3-Dance parties in the morning
4-getting locked out of the apartment
5-Making our own Haunted House
6-dishwasher flooding
7-Aceing a Chemistry Test
8-Getting called as Compassionate Service Leader and making wonderful Christmas Goodies with Alyssa
9- Relief Society Meeting with my wonderful Mother and Sister
10- Late night Bonfires that turn into a Marshmellow fight
11-Weekly "Greys Anatomy" and "Vampire Diaries" on Thursdays
12- Late night talks with Alyssa
13- Carving Pumpkins for FHE and with the Jonestroops
14- The many adventures of Grocery Shopping with lyss
15- Ice Skating with the Family at the Gallivan Center
16- milkshake runs with lyss
17-Forgotten Carols
18-Temple Square Christmas lights with the roomies

The list could go on and on!! I have the greatest of times with my roommates! I hope they know just how much I love them and how grateful I am to have them in my life! They are all truly inspiring!!

As I said earlier, this semester was a semester of growth mentally, physically, and spiritually.

I mentally grew in the aspect of handling my stress better and actually "learning" stuff in my classes. For the longest time it was just my goal to memorize the stuff for the grade, but this semester I really tried to learn the material and that change made the biggest difference in my education. I thoroughly enjoyed school and that I feel like was one of the main reasons. One class in particular I was really proud of myself for "growing" so much in; that class was Chemistry. I have never put forth so much effort into a class in my life! And it was all worth it in the end!! School was very fun this semester and I can't wait for the next.

It was my goal this semester to work out more! And alas, I did!! I saw improvement in my health! however, towards the end of the semester I got lazy in exercising because school was getting pretty tough. However, I got a gym membership to Gold's Gym with Alyssa and Laura! I cannot wait to start using this for Winter semester! We have all made it our goal to become fit, hot BABES!! haha we are all quite excited!

My last area of growth was spiritually! BYU is the BEST place to set personal goals and to have the ability to obtain them. I have the greatest roommates in the world! They all want to live a righteous ambitious lives which makes living my life that much easier. It was my goal this semester to wake up every morning a half hour early from when I had to get ready to read my scriptures and have a little "personal devotional". I can honestly say that by waking up earlier and reading my scriptures a new "light and happiness" was introduced to my life. It's incredible to look back and see just how much Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ played a role in my life. One of the greatest moments when I felt Christ's love for me was when I got an "A" on my 2nd Chemistry test. The first one I got a 61% one and about balled my eyes out. I was so down in the dumps. But I knew that I wanted to succeed in that class and with more studying and relying on the Lord I could accomplish that. I was terrified for the 2nd exam so I studied super hard, prayed, fasted, etc. I took the test, walked downstairs and saw my score on the screen. I almost fell over in tears when I saw that I got an "A". At that moment I felt Heavenly Father's love for me and just how much he truly cares! The little and simple things that matter to me do indeed matter to Him! That little story is just one of many that happened to me this semester! I love my Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ! And knowing that has changed the way I look at this Christmas season. I always knew the meaning of Chritmas, but this year I feel like I truly to KNOW the meaning of Christmas. I have been learning more about Christ this semester in my New Testament and it is incredible to see just how much he truly does love us. There is no greater goal in my life than to become like our Savior Jesus Christ! His unconditional love, never ending service, and his atoning sacrifice is truly inspiring. This Christmas season, I want to grow closer to them and I cannot wait to do so! Just typing this brings a smile to my face. There is no greater joy in this world than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also grew to love trials and challenges that come my way because they give me the opportunity to come closer and become more like Jesus Christ. This past semester was amazing in so many different aspects but by far it was the growth I obtained spiritually and feeling myself progress to bigger and greater things.

One of the greatest feelings this semester was finishing up with my finals!! There is no greater feeling of accomplishment when you fill in the last bubble on the last final and then turning it in. I love BYU and I cannot wait to see what the next semester has in store!