Wedding Bells and Sad Goodbyes

Surprise!!!! HA...No, this is NOT me. This would be my best friend Xanthe trying on a wedding dress because SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!!! Her date is July 25th (also my little brother Jesse's 4th birthday). I can hardly believe it. I have never had a close friend get married before, let alone one of my best friends. I'm so grateful to have her home for the summer (and I'm secretly glad her fiance is still in Idaho so I can spend more time with her lol). We decided that we are going to get together once a week and cook a meal. She will learn to cook and I will have leftovers :). She came over on Sunday and we cooked a chicken vegetable dish. She is coming over on Thursday so we can make poppy seed chicken, which is SO good. It's fun to talk and be together.
The day after school got out, I had my Concert Choir closing banquet. It was so much fun to be with everyone for one last time. We have built the greatest friendships and I am so excited for choir in the fall.

My dear Alto friends :)

This was such a fun/sad night. I went over to Apt. 29 on Saturday night to watch a movie and hang out. Dusty and Adam left for Alaska early Sunday morning, so it was fun to spend time with everyone before they all went their separate ways. Adam didn't get home until about 2:00am, so we all hung out until then. These are the greatest guys and I'm so lucky to know them!
It doesn't work to fake sleep when you can tell that Jesse is laughing. :)

Now I am just gearing up for school to start. Classes started today, but when I went to my lab this morning, there was no teacher. I guess they just assumed that we knew there wouldn't be class. So I will start tomorrow. Yesterday I was so excited because I got my Anatomy grade. Keep in mind that I worked harder in this class than in any other class in my life. I was so happy to find out that I got an A-!!!!! All of my hard work paid off and now I am even more prepared for Physiology this term. I will have to report on my final G.P.A. for this semester as soon as I know all of my grades.

I've been working a lot last week and this week. I am really enjoying it. I worked so hard yesterday on personal stuff and work stuff and it feels so good to be productive. I love checking things off of my to-do list. One long-time needed thing that I checked off yesterday was getting my hair trimmed. I hadn't gotten it cut since October, and my roommate is in hair school! So yesterday, Alex cut it at night and I am so grateful that she took the time to do it.

Yesterday I had a Graden Family Home Evening and it was great being with my family. I love them so much. We celebrated Liz and my birthdays (mine is coming up next Wednesday, May 6) and played some games. I'm grateful to be a year older and I'd like to say I'm wiser since last year ;). God blesses us in ways that we can't even imagine. We should always thank Him for giving us life and the wonderful opportunities that come with it.

Easter fun.

Last week was amazing. My performances went so well and I feel so grateful that I had the wonderful opportunity of being involved with such a great production. Friday night I didn't get home from my concert until about 11:00pm. We had to do a couple of recordings right after the concert. Saturday, I woke up bright and early to get ready for my filming interview for choir and my Anatomy TA interview for next fall. Sadly, even though I felt that I had a great interview and did well teaching, I didn't make it as a TA :( . Oh well, I guess God has something else in store for me next fall. The filming interview went well, but it's such a tense environment for me. It was weird because I imagined myself sitting in a room with a backdrop and the camera just from my waist up, but it was much different. I was standing in the middle of the huge stage in the de Jong concer hall and the cameras were moving all around me while I talked. It was fun to work on my public speaking skills since that's a class I am taking right now. At 4:30pm, Concert Choir met for the sound recordings of our songs. Then we had pizza together before our call time for the concert. The concert went really well and then after, tons of people from choir went to get gelato at a cute place right next to Los Hermanos on Center Street. It was SO fun to be with so many friends and laugh together. It's really weird that today is my last day of choir for the year and lots of people won't be in Concert Choir next year. I wish we had more time together.


Yesterday was Easter and it was such a wonderful day. I had church in the morning and all of the lessons were so good. Testimony meeting was really good too. I bore my testimony which always makes me feel happy. It was the last testimony meeting for the school year. It's really weird that everyone is going to be moving out soon. My roommates and I have year-round contracts, so we aren't moving, but it'll be weird to get all new people. My brother will be in my ward spring/summer too because the wards combine. Anyway...yesterday...I spent the day cleaning my apartment and it was SO great! I deep-organized my room. I got rid of tons of papers and clothes. I just got so sick of the clutter. I had family dinner at 5:00pm and it was so fun to see everyone and eat delicious food. Ward prayer was fun, as usual, and then when I went back to my apartment, the ward missionaries came over to teach Erica a new member lesson. The lesson was so great. It was on the priesthood and eternal marriage. They made it really clear and understandable, which was good. I hope this week can be as great as last!

Blessed.

Now that school is almost out, I'm excited that I can have some time to blog! Warning: this may be a long blog because I've got a lot to catch up on. I'll look in my planner and write about my adventures (that are oh, so adventurous hahaha....not) since the last time I blogged.

First of all, I converted to eating healthy and exercising. Then I converted back to junk and not going to the gym. But starting Monday, I am converting again :). I ate so so so healthy for about a week and a half, went to the gym every single day, AND went to bed early each night. I was feeling so good and happy all the time. Then I knew this week would be super hectic and I wouldn't have time to go to the gym, so I figured I would at least enjoy eating yummy food too (translation: junk food). Starting next week, I have time to go to the gym again, so I will re-start my healthy eating. My meals consist of anything from brown rice and greenbeans (So good!) to salad with corn and blackbeans. It's amazing how once you start eating that way, you crave it. I never really craved cookies or candy (even when Erica proudly tempted me with her cookie that had ice cream and hot fudge all over it). Moral of the story: when you hear that eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep will make you feel better, it's not a lie. It changed my life! Everyone should try it.

On March 5, Erica and I went to the Draper temple openhouse. It was SO beautiful. I hadn't been through a temple since the Timpanogos Temple in 1997, so it had been far too long. I'm not gonna lie...I cried in the sealing room. It is SO beyond beautiful and there is not a single place on the whole earth that is more holy or wonderful. On March 22, Alex and I went to the temple dedication with a couple boys from our ward. The broadcast was in the Marriott Center and it was so amazing to walk in and have silence when there were thousands of people seated. I took great notes. I love the temple and will have more to say about it below when I talk about General Conference.

Last weekend I went up to Idaho to visit one of my best friends ever. I drove up with Erica, Jenn, and Mike (one of the Elders that taught Erica). We dropped Jenn off at her friend's house in Idaho Falls and then Erica and I stayed at Xanthe's in Rexburg. It was so beautiful because we got there at night and the first thing we saw in the city was the new Rexburg Temple. It was fun to see the little town so often talked about. Everyone says it's so boring and all I hear is complaining about it, but I think it's really cute. It has lots of stores and good food places. Friday night Xanthe and I stayed up until about 4:30am talking. We hadn't seen each other for a couple months and had LOTS to talk about (*cough* she's probably getting engaged this weekend.........WEIRD!!!!!!!! I've never had any of my close friends get married and it is just weird. Weird weird weird. I'm going to not think about it now!). Saturday night we went to Xanthe's boyfriend's play "Rainmaker," and it was SO good. I really enjoyed it and though it was very well done. Erica and I woke up early Sunday and left for home, picking Jenn up on the way. Here's where the main story of the blog happened:

We were driving on the freeway and were still in Idaho, close to the Utah border. It wasn't snowing and there was maybe less than 1 cm of snow on the ground. As we were driving, Erica saw a patch of snow on the road, so she started to slow down. We were going too fast when we hit the snow and started swerving all over the freeway. Then we did a 180 and landed in the left lane...facing on-coming traffic! The first car to come up hit the snow patch too, so instead of trying to correct their car and hitting us, they drove into the steep ditch inbetween the two freeway roads. It was terrifying sitting in the left emergency lane, watching each car head toward us, knowing that any one of them could hit us and kill all of us. We finally got clear and were able to turn back on the freeway (and get back headed in the right direction). The greatest thing about it was the feeling in the car. At any other time, we'd all be screaming and really scared. But it was amazing how calm we were. It was pretty much silent. I know for a fact that God took the wheel. He protected us because we have a purpose on this earth. I had witnessed a miracle that made me even more grateful for my wonderful life and I pray that I will never forget it.

Mike (Elder Parker) drove up with us.

The Rexburg Temple was so beautiful!

BFF!!!! (I look like a horse!)

Erica and I thought it would be funny to pull over on the side of the road and take our pictures next to random signs. :)

General Conference! What a magnificent time of year! The messages shared were so touching. It is so special to hear the prophet's and apostles' voices. The main thing that stuck out to me was the counsel to attend the temple. Elder Scott said to make a time to go to the temple and never let anything get in the way. I need to take this counsel. I need to stop putting school before church, which is kind of ironic because I go to a religion university. Right after conference was over, I made my goal sheet. I started doing it after last conference in the fall. I like to look through my notes and make about one goal for every talk. Then each Sunday, I look over my goals and pick a couple to work on in the week. It helps me to work toward becoming like Christ and remembering Him always.

Sister Hall (Concert Choir conductor) was telling us how she thinks it is so sad that as Latter Day Saints, we don't celebrate Holy Week. I haven't been able to forget that thought since she told it to us on Monday. This is such a "Holy Week" and it has been so good. I cannot think of a great week of the whole year. Tuesday was the Choral Department devotional and each choir performed a variety of songs. Today and tomorrow is our concert titled "A Pilgrim's Journey Home." There is much to be said about this concert. It is a huge production that they have been planning for years. They haven't done such a production for about ten years and I feel so blessed to be a part of it this year. We have had rehearsals all week (last night we had a recording session with dress and make-up until 11:00pm) and tonight and tomorrow are out concerts with an audience. I pray that the audience will hear and feel our message. I was chosen to share my feelings about the concert in a filmed interview that I will be doing on Saturday, so I'm excited about that. In filming last night, there were many times when I got chills all over my body and tears came to my eyes. I have been so blessed to be a part of this choir. We truly are part of the choir of heaven. I'm excited for my two concerts and recordings. I feel so blessed!