and so life changes..

the past few months have brought very hard decisions for me.
i have been horrified of the changes that i knew i had to make.

i am a planner.
not only do i own and faithfully look at a planner,
but my life is always planned out.
from one activity to the next, and even from one month to the next.
for the past two years of my life and even more in the past months...
i thought i had figured out a fool proof plan.

the only thing that i couldn't determine was me actually getting into byu.
welp, that happened so obviously i "knew" that my plan was perfect.
wrongo.
stupid me.

it is a peculiar thing when the answers to your prayers completely change the course of your life.
never have i had such powerful feelings of the spirit as i have in these past few months.
through the guidance of the spirit i have said goodbye to certain parts of what i thought was perfect.
let me tell you, i fought those goodbyes like nobody's business.
and then one day i let go of my pride and realized what was happening.

my father in heaven was trying to reveal to me a tiny part of his plan for my life and i was rejecting it.
i took a blind step of faith.
it was one of the hardest things i have ever done.
IT WAS THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE.
and i was stubborn about it.

growing up and even until now it has always been easy to listen to promptings and go with them.
now i can say that i have a better understanding of having to accept a "no" when you really want a "yes"
let me be plain here, it stunk.

but, here comes the part as to why i am writing this.
along with said step of faith came another huge "alteration" to my plan.
an answer that i was not expecting.
an answer that i ran from for a month.
an answer that came from my father in heaven.

through many times on my knees praying for guidance i was prompted that i should serve a mission.
never in my life was serving a mission a part to my plan.
in fact, i told everyone i knew that i never would serve a mission.
but, never in my life have i had such a strong prompting.

now i am submitting my papers to serve a full-time mission.
and i could not be more excited to serve!
excited because i have come to know something very powerful.
i always knew that my heavenly father had a plan for me.
i have always known that he loves me unconditionally and wants the best for me.
but, what i didn't understand until now is that he loves me enough to guide me towards that plan.
even when i thought i had it all figured out by myself and didn't think "my plan" should change.
i don't think it is possible for me to be filled with more gratitude and humility than i have right now.

although it is still really hard and extremely scary to move forward and add in this new part of the "plan" i know that everything is and will continue to work out just how heavenly father wants it....even if i don't quite understand right now and know that i might not for a very long time. i am so lucky to have the people in my life that i do and the examples and support that they provide to me.

...and so...life changes.

speaks to the heart.

i love watching mormon messages on sundays and ran across this one today...

it made me cry. in a good way of course.

i am so grateful that we have a loving heavenly father that has a plan for us...even if those plans sometimes don't seem to be what we want at that exact moment. 

around these parts.

if you come to my apartment anytime in the next six months i will be dressed like this...

or this...drinking hot chocolate...

it snowed again today. actually, it snowed four times to be precise.

the clouds kept teasing; start, stop, start, stop....

it isn't sticking quite yet but it is still dreadful. 

thank goodness i am going home tomorrow. 

whoooo hoooo!!

my only fear is that when i come back to p town it will be even colder.

brrrrrfreeezing. 

how do you make it through these northern utah winters? i would love any tips!

lets get physical

remember when i posted about how i hate when my plans in my planner can't answer all the questions.
wellll.....i have accepted the fact that sometimes change is good.
i know that i should have accepted this some time ago.
i probably have but i always seem to revert back to not loving it.
this post isn't exciting or fun so if that is what you are looking for...feel free to skip right on by!

my changes:
i am no longer a dietetics major.
i think exercise science and wellness is where my devotion lies now.
oh yes, with a minor in nutrition.
i have a complete exercise science schedule for this upcoming semester.
i am still a little nervous about the change.
but, i want to help people change and feel good about their body through fitness and healthy eating.
dietetics is more meal planning and food service.
i want to be going and moving, not spending most of my time studying meals for different diseases.
who knows....i might switch back after a semester of classes if i don't love them.
for right now though....i am jumping in head first!
and i am more than excited about it!
i mean...i am only twenty...i am in no insane rush...right?

in other news...have you listened to t-swift's new album? it is g-double-o-d good. it makes me want to dance around the office. sometimes i do.

in other, other news....it snowed in provo yesterday. this morning it snowed again and it is sticking to rooftops and cars. nothing has stuck to the ground yet but i can just feel it looming. the air has turned bitter.
i almost cried yesterday when it was coming down...not even a joke. i was on the phone with my mom and she was laughing at me as i talked myself out of tears. it might be a long winter. wish me luck!

almost a month ago...

..we went to the big a show at the gallivan center

imagine dragons was playing. we love them.

while there we also found that we really like the band Grouplove.

...prior to the concert we shopped and had lunch at the blue lemon with a mission companion.

after the concert we got lost while looking for a pit stop place, shared a gospel message with a homeless man, ate at bucca di bepo in downtown, walked around temple square and stayed up way too late. 

it was a good time.

ps....i suck at blogging right now. (as if you haven't noticed)

hopefully i will get things caught up soon.....in december...when the semester is over. 

a love like this

be prepared to get a warm fuzzy...

his flirty little sideways looks kill me.

...they are five and i am already hoping they get married. 

play this at their wedding? presh!

when even my planner can't solve it.

Sometimes....okay all the time....I am OCD about how things run.

they must...

run smoothly...

exactly how I planned...

exactly when I want...

yada yada yada... 

crossing things off in my planner or seeing that i am exactly fulfilling what my "plan" is brings me great joy.

I know, I know. That is a completely unreasonable way to live. 

I guess I just like being unreasonable?...don't read too far into that one.  

Welp......this semester so far has shot that all the heck. 

Enter Brigham Young University.

Someone forgot to tell me that I probably didn't want to take statistics, accounting and organic chemistry at the SAME TIME oh yeah and Book of Mormon too.  

Possibly common sense could have told me that?

 it didn't. 

I blame it on the fact that every semester at Dixie I took seventeen credits at the very least.

My last semester there I was enrolled in twenty-one credits and still got a 4.0.

Oh how I love you Dear Dixie School!

To put it quite frankly...I was getting spanked with all of those classes. 

So I decided that I needed to re-evaluate my plan a little bit.

Yesterday I said adios to chemistry for the semester. 

It just needed to happen. 

I am quite positive that if someone captured a picture of my face when I hit the withdraw button that they could have sent it in for some money. 

It was ugly with a heavy dose of tears. 

Surprisingly....this little interruption in my "plan" could not feel better.

To replace the time that chemistry was holding I will be spending more time volunteering for Dietetics and working on my oh so painful application. 

Of course I prayed about that decision like crazy and also consulted my amazing mother.

The poor lady has been in the hospital all week by her dad's side and has also been dealing with my multiple breakdowns. 

Yes I said multiple.

It was a rough week....and that's putting it plainly. 

ANYWAYS....

here are a few pictures that prove that I am still loving college and living on my own. 

They have no real relevance to each other except for the fact that I like them.

 we looove trespassing and loving on indian statues.

 We found this huuuuge TV on the side of the road by the entrance to our complex!

It took us thirty minutes to get it to apt. 114.

Probably one of the funniest times of our life. I am going to upload the video sometime when I am not at work (oopsie) it was like christmas morning at UAC.

 trips home for weddings and to see these beautiful dancers!

I sure do miss my dancing sisters.

 As if finding one huge TV wasn't enough. Our neighbors came and gave apt. 117 a free huuuuger TV. 

watching The Notebook on that thing is spectacular.

Facetime with my loves back home!

 multiple trips to the Creamery for Graham Canyon ice cream. it is #sinfulllygood.

 Beautiful hikes to Stewart Falls up the canyon!

So regardless of the fact that it isn't going exactly as planned...the BYU life is treating me pretty dern good. 

a very special family

this is the beautiful and oh so entertaining Truax family.

two of the darlings in this picture are orphans from ukraine that also have a little brother.

and guess what?

these amazing truax's are going to adopt them and bring them home to a loving family.

awsome right? right.

shelly was the young women's president when i was a laurel and her girls were all in young women's with me.
i know without a doubt that they will be the best thing that has ever happened to those three beautiful orphans. the truax's have hearts the size of elephants full of love to share..so...lets help them!

as you can imagine...adopting three children from a foreign country is more than pricey.

please, please, please go and check out their blog here: Truax Adoption Adventure.

while there go ahead and donate. you know you want to!

or...if you can't donate be sure to click their fundraising links in the sidebars of the blog. 

even just a couple dollars can help them on this journey of bringing these kids to a happy loving family!

if you are visiting from a blog, or if you have a facebook page, please share this link!
it will only take a few seconds for you to share.
and it will make you feel good too!
the more people that know about this the quicker albina, alina and maks can come home to be loved on!

in my brain today.

1. i really want to go back to bed.

2. should i ditch my stats class?

3. i can't wait to go home on friday.

4. facetime is the best invention ever.

5. i wish that it only took one hour to get to st. george

6. how in the heck did i do so bad on my test last night?

7. imagine dragons is fantastic.

8. man i am excited for their concert in two weeks!

have you heard this song? you will probably love it. 

a bit better than fantastic.

there is a mess of thoughts in my head today. this may bore you but don't say i didn't warn you!

i have been feeling overly grateful for the life that i have.

regardless of the hard decisions that i have to make and the bills to be paid ...life is great!

the beautiful alicia wilcox has coined a little phrase for life.

it is perfect for all situations and will help you to find a smile even when the bad is about to eat you up!

it goes a little something like this,

this life is so (insert descriptive word of current situation here) BUT we are so blessed.

for example:

this life is hard and sometimes sad BUT i am so blessed!

seriously though....adopt this phrase into your daily routine. you will find yourself noticing the good.

i pinky promise.

most mornings in the office i get a visit from a certain professor who is one of my favorites.

he is a very chipper english man that has only live in the states for two years.

i would like to think that santa claus is as jolly as he is. 

when he walks in i ask him how he is doing and he always answers the same way,

a bit better than fantastic!

today was different, since it is friday he answered that he is a bit better than a bit better than fantastic.

think about that in a jolly english accent and then try to tell me it doesn't make you cheery.

this daily exchange from him is something that i look forward to.

this girl is a firm believer that we are all as happy as we make ourselves out to be. 

....and there you have it. 

nothing very profound but that is what has been hanging out up in the old brain area!

i hope your weekend is a bit better than fantastic!

it's what fun is.

next on the agenda for the week before school starts was a trip to lagoon!!

my family used to go all the time when we were little so it holds a dear place in my heart.

this lagoon day was spent with these boys from back home.

they sure are great pals!...and they keep us always entertained. 

the ongoing mountain dew battle.

i tell them it hurts their heart...

they tell me it is the nectar of gods...

i never give up...

they never give up...

because i made kyle drive they got to drink it in the golden carpet.

they know it was a once in a lifetime event.

i don't believe that i have formally introduced brittany.

brittany griffiths is the fourth rookie to alicia, laura and courtney.

i absolutely adore her. 

not only is she a sweetie and saved my 'burned by curling iron finger' once upon a time...

we get along great and i feel perfectly comfortable and confident in calling her a true and wonderful friend!

don't be deceived by my face...

tilt a whirl with five college aged kids=one painful ride.

perhaps jordan's face (on the far left) is a better representation of how the ride made our hips feel.

ever since i was a youngster i have wanted to ride the sky coaster.

it never felt right to ask my parents to pay an additional fifteen bones on top of the general ticket.

well...on account of it being 2for1 week at lagoon it was finally time.

it was worth every dollar! 

if you are an adrenalin junky you must do it. must i say!

kyle said i shrieked like a child the entire time but i thoroughly enjoyed free falling this hundreds of feet

this pic is blurry but the story behind it had to be shared for the records.

britt asked these random people to take a picture for us

the lady asked her if she was serious and they gave britt the weirdest look.

they then explained that they had never touched an iPhone nor did they know how to use it.

at this point i am half feeling bad that they were so confused and half laughing because britt was seriously second guessing handing over the phone.

watching them take the picture was just as hilarious as their initial shock. 

besides the little blurry i feel like the clicked that button pretty well for first timers!

great day...with great friends!

even when things don't go as planned...

the week before school started courtney and i decided we would hit seven peaks to catch some rays.

we rode every slide in the park. it was a great day there!

it.was.CLOSED.

i mean come on...who closes it the week before cougie school starts?!

it broke our fragile little hearts.

we were looking forward to it so much that we skipped to the car from the apartment. 

we were not about to go back home without getting any sun.

so we set up shop right behind that trusty electrical box.

it hid us perfectly from the road so most people passing wouldn't see us and wonder if we needed help.

after all..who in the right mind lays out in the middle of a grass field in their actual swimmers?

sorry folks, looks like court and i are not in our right mind?

 can you really blame us though?

'twas a beautiful day and mr. golden sun was calling our names. 

next time you are bored go and lay out somewhere weird...add a little different spice to your life ;)

a visit from belle.

last weekend my dearest hailey came to visit!!!

yes, that statement needs three exclamation points.

while i was home for tay's homecoming she told me she was coming up.

i counted down the days all week long!

i triple hate not having her just two minutes away.

we started the night eating at this darling new restaurant on center street.

it is called the old town grill and is yummy+adorable. 

the decor and atmosphere just stole my heart.

i will be going back for sure! 

after dinner we headed to blickenstaffs. 

this store has found a special place in my heart. 

we are college students and more often spend friday nights than we do at college events.

once again, the atmosphere stole my heart the first time i went in. 

if you are in provo please take your kiddies, or even just yourself.

you will not regret it!

 i absolutely hate hate, double hate snakes.

naturally hailey found one and came after me with it.

call me a wimp but even a rubber snake makes me get the chills.

gross.

 we spent a good hour and a half in blickenstaff's playing with the toys and games.

we had lots of fun all day saturday.

on sunday craiger and marsh babe even came to visit.

they came at the perfect time because i was feeling extremely homesick.

i stole more than a few parent hugs from them before they left!

it was a great weekend!

come back soon belle. 

miss you like crazy!

the worst haircut ever.

i have plenty of updates and pictures to put on here 

but...for the time being please enjoy this hilarious little clip

the worst haircut ever.

i am quite positive that as a youngin' i cut my hair plenty of times.

definitely more than once or twice too...sorry mom!

home sweet home.

last weekend courtney and i ventured back to our home land.

the dear old saint george.

oh how i miss that place. 

i actually don't miss the town that much.

mostly i just really miss the people that i had to leave there.

the main reason for this little weekend trip was that our dear friend taylor got home from his mission.

we were more than excited to see him!

before i moved to college i did a very bad thing to the golden carpet (my car).

i didn't check the oil. 

it ran bone dry.

the guy at the car shop said i was lucky golden carpet didn't burn up.  

poor little car.

dad was pretty upset and even more concerned that i was going to fry my car up when i moved and didn't have him to check it for me.

so.....for the two weeks leading up to me moving i received the same "check your oil" lecture almost daily.

i guess you could say it stuck.

even the mazzarati (court's car) benefits from those oil lectures.

 our drive was full of singing and heartfelt talks.

 goodness sakes i love this girl!

ok, ok so i don't know all the words.
throw a tomato at me if you want.


one of the other very important things on our list for the weekend was to meet a special little lady.

baby taisley rae. 

she is perfect in every sense of the word.

her mother, tessie is a dear friend of mine. she was on jetettes (the drill/dance team) in high school and then tried out for rebelettes and danced with me this past year at the college.

she welcomed taisley to this world three weeks ago.

i fell in love with her the minute i saw her. 

she is teensy tiny and oh so precious.

annnnd.....tessie already looks absolutely amazing for just having a baby.

this picture.....is too precious for words. 

feel free to get a warm fuzzy inside while looking at it.

looking into such pure eyes cannot be beat.

after meeting baby taisley court and i went on a date with her cousin and one of his companions from the mission. 

no pictures were taken but it was surely a date to remember.

we got stuck in traffic on our way to mesquite for over an hour. 

you may be thinking that this would be irritating but we just all chatted jammed and chatted some more.

finally an exit came, of course we took it.

headed right back to saint george and continued our chatting and jamming at dixie bowl.

everyone said i lost.

they just forgot that bowling is scored like golf.

lowest score wins. right? right.

as soon as the date was over we went and picked up tay!

holy cow it was good to see him.

we basically ran to his front door and attacked him when he opened it.

here we are back in the high school days....

seems like only yesterday that we were saying goodbye to him.

it went by pretty fast but now that he is home we can't get enough of him!

having him home makes me that much more excited to have all our friends home.

court and i have already been writing them all telling them they have to move to provo.

with tay in stow we headed to menchies to meet up with a bunch of other friends.

this stud is troy ogilve.

he was on ambassadors at dixie state with me, is an absolute sweetheart and i just adore him!

 sunday was taylor's homecoming talk. 

he did amazing, even got me to tear up a little bit.

can't wait to be to all of their talks and have a picture with us all together again.

until then court and i will just smother tay and keep in tough with their mothers like we have for two years.

 we love our boys and we love their moms almost as much as we love them!

samuel wade platt even came and visited me after the homecoming.
we went outside and did handstands on my front lawn in the pouring rain.
now that my dears, is a good friendship!

and of course the time i spent with my family was fantastic.

it was really hard for me to leave them this time. 

i haven't been very homesick at all while living up here but it really hit me sunday when i left.

i started crying the second court told me she was on her way to pick me up.

being with my brothers was wonderful. 

i feel like every time i leave and come home they grow so much. 

when i first graduated high school i wanted to move out so bad but i am so glad that i didn't because i built such a great relationship with my brothers those two years extra that i was at home.

now if i think about them too long i get all emotional and start sending them annoying big sister texts.

goodness sakes i love them.

 needless to say...it was a very busy but oh so rewarding weekend at home. 

can't wait to go back!