Lately.

BYUSA RETREAT
So I've been helping out with BYUSA and I'm an event lead which is kinda a big deal so I am in the office from like 3-5 every day! It's so fun and definitely keeps me busy so thats good. I get to work with a lot of really great people. Im planning an event that we are doing with UVU in march. Its all in the works right now so Im not exactly sure how to explain it to you but just trust that it's going to be amazing and you should go! Since I am an event lead, I got to go on a retreat with all of the other event leads, the executive directors, and the vice president over activities. It was the best. Probably one of the first times I actually did something on the weekend this semester. Yay! haha. So we stayed in a cabin up in the canyons by Sundance. We goofed off, made a fire, roasted marshmallows and starbursts, had a variety show, played group games, and stayed up until 4 listening to Robert serenade us on his guitar. He is seriously SO good. He had a concert last weekend that I really wanted to go to but I couldn't make it (which I will explain later). This retreat was like 2 or 3 days after I got started with working with BYUSA so I really only knew like 2 people. I just got thrown into like everything! It was the best and I feel so lucky to have been able to go! Im so glad that I decided to get more involved. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Expect updates on the event! It's going to be awesome, I can feel it!

I REALLY don't like this picture of me but the B/W version looks a little better,

PUMPKIN CARVING

So about a week before Halloween, Lindsay, Spencer, and I drove up to Aunt Martha's to carve pumpkins! The trip there didn't turn out how we expected. We had been on the freeway for maybe 20 minutes and there was a ton of traffic, and all of a sudden my car shuts off. Let me remind you that this happened about a month prior while Aliese and I were in the In N Out drive through which I told you about already. Freaking out, I pulled over, put my car in park, turned it on and kept driving. We were able to make it to Martha's. My whole family was sitting outside getting the pumpkins ready to carve. We went inside and snacked on some bean dip that my aunt made and Lindsay's amazing pumpkin cookies! Then we got started on our pumpkins! I don't remember the last time that I carved a pumpkin and apparently it's a big deal in this family. They had all the fancy tools and books full of designs. I chose Chester the molester...at least that's the name we gave him. It was a lot of fun but took FOREVER. I love my family and I am so glad that they are just a 30 minute drive away!

My amazing family.

Brody loves me.

Chester is on the top right...just so you know :)

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

So this is the weekend that Robert had his concert that I couldn't go to! Saturday we had Stake Conference and after that Aliese, Kyle, and I were either going to go to the concert or Zombie Fest. Right after conference I got a call from my friend Sam asking if I wanted to go on a date to a corn maze at thanksgiving point! Obviously I said yes, so I didn't get to go to the concert but the corn maze was super fun! After the corn maze, we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner and then went to the other guy Steven's apartment and played catch phrase, It was a really fun night. Probably one of the best dates I've been on (there haven't been that many to compete with). So that was saturday. On Sunday, we had Stake COnference again but Aliese and I went to the wrong building because we assumed it was at the same place as it was on Saturday. We walked into the wrong stake conference looking everywhere for Kyle and then realized that we were in the wrong place. So we walked into our conference late, which wasn't a big deal, it was just funny. Sunday night I spent the night at Lindsay's. I had to stay up until midnight to register for my classes for next semester but in the end I was able to get pretty much everything that I needed! I couldn't decide between Mission Prep and Survey of World Religions, but its pretty much impossible to get into Mission Prep with the awesome teacher that everyone wants so Im taking Survey of World Religions with Taylor! Im actually really excited for this class. I've heard a lot of really great things about it. MOnday was Halloween and I had class. That night, we (me, Aliese, Kyle, Brandon, and Kara) went to Kyle's family's house in Salt Lake because they were making donuts! They were so good! Then we watched a couple episodes of The Munsters and then drove back to Provo. Thats pretty much the gist of Halloween weekend. A lot of spontaneity but thats the way to live! No pictures from this weekend :/

SNOW

So it's pretty much officially winter. It snowed today and its been snowing at night a lot but mostly in the mountains. AND THERE'S CHRISTMAS MUSIC ON THE RADIO! I love this time of the year. My family is driving up (in my new car :) ) in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving and Im seriously so excited to see them! All of my cousins will be there too! Im exciting for my new car too since my current one is obviously not safe to drive. I love the car...like a lot, but its old and starting to break down and it's not a good car to have in the snow. I honestly cannot believe that they got me a new one. It's not brand new, but it's a 2008 Nissan Versa. Its cute and I feel so lucky and blessed to have such amazing parents! I don't feel like I deserve such a nice car, considering my family like never has really nice cars, but it is what it is and Im so grateful for it! I believe thats it for the updates with me!

Quotes of my life.

Couldn’t agree with this more. I have to constantly remind myself that everything happens for a reason and there is no use n trying to force things to happen such as relationships or anything else really, because everything is going to work out the way its supposed to. Its not worth it to get stressed or worried about things because chances are that it wasn’t a problem in the first place. We tend to over think a lot. Get your mind out of it and live life freely. Everything worlds out the way God has planned it for you.

Another good one. You will never be put through anything that you cannot handle. Always keep that in mind when you are struggling through something. Know that you will get through everything that comes your way.

This one is just funny.

Withdrawals.

My girls.

I miss cruising with reggae blasting in the background.

THE Karla Antivilo.

Free matsumotos anyone? Thanks Olson and your himsh child!

Instead of updating you on all of the things that have happened recently here in Provo (which will happen soon, I promise), I've decided that I need to vent my Hawaii withdrawals to this computer screen. I miss hawaii so much. It's a Friday night and all of my roommates are gone, so Im left alone to think. And we all know what happens when I think too much. I got looking through all of my pictures, and the ridiculous videos I had to take for my online bio class with a couple friends. It brought back so many amazing memories that I wish I didn't have to leave in Hawaii. I was so comfortable with myself there. My hair was always perfectly curled and volumized from the humidity, I never had to wear make up, I was always tan, I had amazing friends, loved school, and had the best, most rewarding job anyone could ask for. To this day I often wonder and wish I would know what would have happened if I had stayed there. I would have continued to make wonderful memories that would last a lifetime, while living on a beautiful island with nothing to worry about. The culture made me feel so welcome, wanted, and loved. I miss that. Provo is wonderful, but I don't get the same feeling that I did there. Although Hawaii was great, it's not where Im supposed to be right now. There is a plan for me, and I believe with pretty much everything in my heart (there is a little bit of doubt, since BYUH will forever hold a place in my heart) that this is where I need to be. Yes, Im sure I would have survived in Hawaii and found an amazing career and possibly a husband several years down the road, but why settle when I know that having faith in my decision of coming here, knowing that  its God's plan for me, will provide a life 1000x better than that I could get from being anywhere else even though it's not the easiest option to be here. I am SO grateful that I am able to make my own decisions. It has made me grown in ways I didn't even know possible. My life continues to change every day, and continues to surprise me as well. Despite my withdrawals, I feel so blessed to be able to attend such an amazing University with other students from all around the world. I hope and pray that BYU will greatly influence my life, and my schoolwork will go as smoothly as I hope it to go. I am blessed with a lot of things and couldn't be more grateful for the friends and family that I have that have supported me through everything in my life starting from day 1. Life is beautiful and I cant believe where it has taken me. One day, I hope that I can return to Hawaii where I spent a year of my life learning to become the best that I can be.

Eyebrows. You kind of need them.

Dating vent session.

Ok. So problem. Guys don't ask me on dates. I've been on one blind date this semester and thats it. As great as they are...they're not. To me its like 'Hey! No ones asking you on a date so Im gonna have my friend take you on one.' I don't find blind dates flattering because it's not like they asked me on a date because they think Im cute or they like my personality...they don't know anything about me! So thats blind dates. Now theres the ward date box. Can you say desperate?! Someone put my name in the date box which to me is kinda degrading. Sure, it might go really well, but still. Its like ok... I cant get dates on my own so people decide that it's their responsibility to find people to like me. Awesome. Why cant the guys that Im actually interested in take a hint? Im sure they do sometimes, but they don't do anything about it! This needs to change. Saaaave me.

HELP NEEDED!

I really, really need help finding a good haircut! Im getting it cut on saturday and I have no idea what I want to do! If you have any thoughts or ideas of what you think would look good on me, let me know! You can send links of pictures too!

Update overload.

Its been too long. Oh gosh, I don't even know where to start. The farthest back I can think is last tuesday when Aliese, Adam, and I hiked the Y for the "Hike and Light the Y" homecoming event that has been a tradition for 90 years I think. We booked it up that mountain no joke. We didn't really stop ever. We got to the top and ran into some friends from the ward.

Thursday I woke up and was walking to class FREEZING. Ok, I wasn't freezing. I kinda actually like the cold. It's really refreshing. Anyway, it was like 37 degrees or something and I was wearing a long sleeve shirt. I went to Spanish and then I studied for a bit then I went to my Spanish conversation lab. The whole morning there were just grey clouds all over the mountains. Didn't think anything of it. I walk out of class and BAMM! This is what I see...snow. Let me remind you that I was on that 'Y' on the mountain less that 48 hours before this happened. It also actually snowed on the ground that day too, not just on the mountain.

That same day, I was talking to my mom telling her how cold it was and she told me to go shopping...so I did. Never would I ever turn down that command. Aliese and I went shopping for winter clothes but weren't very successful, however I did find some lovely jeggings and a blue and white striped cardigan (cougar pride). We were going to go to Mr. BYU but that plan failed miserably. We were hungry and decided to go through the In-N-Out drive thru. We didn't make it that far. We ordered our food and then my car just shut off. We were both really confused. I turned it back on and it shut off. So I got out of the car and went to the people behind us and they said to put it in neutral so that they could push me out of. I did as I was told, got out of the turned off/in neutral car and it started moving without anyone even touching it! I started to freak so I jumped in and put it in park. The whole time, the workers in in-n-out looked super confused and were all sticking their heads out the window. It was pretty funny. It all of a sudden started working again so I got up to the window to pay, got our food and it turned off again. The people behind us pushed us out while I steered into a parking spot. HILARIOUS. It was actually more difficult than you would think. The steering wheel wouldn't turn like at all. Anyway, thats the story of the week. It was an exciting 5 minutes of my life. Oh and then there was this random man who apparently was a know-it-all about cars that explained what might be the problem and then left. Aliese and I just sat in the car and ate while we waited for Kyle to rescue us. The man appeared like 10 minutes later to tell me to go to the Japanese auto shop on center street and then left again. Umm....ok?? haha.

My car works now. Don't worry.

Thursday night was Devery's surprise birthday party. We had cake and played the game of things. If you know what it is, cool. If you don't, I don't know how to explain it but its hilarious haha.

Friday I have no recollection of what happened. Saturday...all I can remember is that we went to the football game. Oh, just kidding. Saturday I went shopping with one of my roommates Jessica and another friend Alena to make up for not being successful on thursday with Aliese. I found a really cute pea coat at Costco for $50. It was more than I wanted to spend but for a Michael Kors red wool pea coat, it was definitely a $50 well spent. MICHAEL KORS people. Designer. Yes.  Wait. Shopping was Friday. Maybe not. I don't remember now. Anyway. Saturday night was the homecoming football game against San Jose State. We dominated. I went with a bunch of people from the ward and then Aliese and Kyle showed up later. They went to the outlet mall in Park City before. Heres a picture from the game!

Since True Blue was cancelled during homecoming week because It was so freaking cold and snowing, it was postponed to yesterday. Aliese and I helped out as part of BYUSA. We stood at the top of the slides to hold them down so that they wouldn't fall down the hill. We were next to the DJ so I had my own little dance party the whole time. After everyone left, all of the volunteers got to have our own time on the slide. It was a ton of fun. 

In the moment of taking this picture (below) I was just thinking, 'man, life is good'. My days just get better and better and I love being here. 

I couldn't be happier with where my life is at right now. Everything seems to be falling into place. I have great roommates, I love being around my sister and Spencer, I love having a car and being independent. Im so excited to be more involved with BYUSA. I got a call from a girl today asking if I would like to work with her in Admin. Im official now. Legit. Watch out everyone, Im taking over! Also, I got an email back from the Graphic Design head professor and got an appointment with him for next week to talk about my portfolio! So pumped! Everything is coming together so nicely :) I love my life.

On a more spiritual note. Keep the faith rollin' people. It will change your life immensely if you rely on the promptings of the spirit. Wouldn't be where I am now without it!