Great Day!

Today was a simply beautiful day. I got to do some great things with some great people.

So the morning started out with me waking up an hour later then I had planned and finding my roommates also sleeping. We are supposed to leave by 6:15 but I woke up around 7:30. Normally that would have stressed me out and put me in a bad mood but yesterday I decided that today was going to be a great day so I did my best to not let it bother me. I woke up my roommates, grabbed my stuff and a bagel and headed out the door. We easily made it to where we were supposed to park, quickly checked in and had plenty of time before the race started.

We were the last wave which was the best wave. We were in no rush to finish the race and didn't feel pressure to keep a quick pace. We danced our way through the race. Once we finished we headed over by the stage to join the party. I let loose. I danced my little heart out. I had a lot of pent up stress thanks to Anatomy and just let it all out this morning. It was so fun! Pure joy is the only way I can think to describe it.

After the race was over and we got some free stuff we had to stop by Chipotle. We made it safely home and I immediately uploaded my pictures. Since I took the time to upload the pictures I had to endure a cold shower. It was rough. But luckily I got all the chalk out of my hair. It is still on my back and armpits because I had to give up on the ice cold shower. 

After we were all showered and bundled up we decided to rest while watching Lord of the Rings. I promptly fell asleep once the movie started. Twas a nice nap. But I awoke to my friend Conner calling to invite my roommates and I to go offroading! Naturally I had to accept and Kenzie came with me. I hadn't ever really been offroading before and so I was super excited and not sure what to expect. It was one of the greatest things ever. So much fun. I'll be honest and say I thought multiple times "my mom would be so worried if she knew what I was doing." haha Don't worry mom, Rico was a good driver. Kenzie and I stood up in the back. So so so fun. And the views. The views were simply amazing. Pictures cannot capture how great the views where. 

Overall super, super fun day. And exactly what I needed. School had gotten me super stressed out so I'm glad I could have great friends and awesome things to do. YAY LIFE IS GOOD. 

Little Ones

My roommate had her little cousins over the other day and now it's got me thinking about kids pretty much non-stop. Not having kids of my own any time soon (you can exhale now everyone), but just how much I love kids in general. I guess I'm going through withdrawals from not being surrounded by kids 5 days a week.

I miss their stories. They would tell the craziest stories that you knew were not even close to true but you would pretend to believe them anyway just to hear all they could muster up with their wild imaginations. My mind is drawing a blank on some of the stories right now, I just remember the faces of the kids as they told their outlandish tales.

I miss their sweet comments. (Let me assure you they didn't just have nice things to say. They would ask me, "What are those red dots on your face?" I would respond, "Something I hope you get a lot of when you grow up." Just kidding..I wouldn't say that....) One of my favorite campers would say, "Miss Annie, I like your freckles." And then I would ask, "What else do you like about me?" Then she would list all the things she liked about me, "I like your hair, I like your shirt (the camp shirt that I wore everyday and every other counselor would wear), I like your shoes..." You get the point. She had a little St. Louis accent and I adored her.

I miss their competitiveness. Probably because I was one of, if not the most competitive girl in my grade. I was always trying to beat the boys at whatever I could. To this day I still remember beating Marshall Findley by one pull-up. One of my proudest moments. But anyways back to the kids, they would get that competitive juice flowing in me which probably isn't always good. But I loved how excited they got about games and how seriously they took them. Until it became a problem and they would argue with me that the other team stepped over the line, or the winner had been hit 6 times before they won, or any number of ways the winner "cheated." I miss playing dodgeball and kickball with them!

Ok. I would be lying if I said that all this kid talk didn't make me think about my own kids. I am just so excited to meet them. Is that weird? What are they going to be like? Will they be sporty and an extravert like me? Of will they be shy and quiet? Could I handle a shy kid? I hope so. But if my Grandma's predictions are right I'm going to be "blessed" with a daughter just like me. She predicted the same thing with my mom, and here I am, incredibly similar to my mother.

got this from pinterest. such a cutie!

As I was sitting in the CougarEat one day I heard this little girl say (or rather yell), "It's time to eat everybody! Close your eyes and fold your arms, it's time to pray!" I immediately thought, "I hope I will be able to be an example to my little ones so they will one day say the same thing."

Return to the Bubble

It has been quite a triumphant return to the BYU Bubble, let me tell you. Everything has been going so well. (I'm hoping I'm not jinxing it by writing this blog..) Let me tell you everything that has been happening this first week of coming back to the Bubble.

Let me start with the way I got here. I drove. Well, my Dad drove. He never let me drive even though I'm an excellent driver. (My dad would probably chime in here and say that He offered, I just didn't care to. Which is true. I just like to give him a hard time.)

We started out Thursday afternoon and made it to Kentucky. We stayed the night in Kentucky and then started again at the crack of dawn (thanks Dad) and headed west. I drove that morning while we listened to Dad's super sad, slow music. Then after we, or should I say I, got sick of the sadness, we switched drivers and thankfully, music. That night we made it to somewhere in Kansas. I'm sorry, but Kansas is the worst state to drive through. This was the view the whole time-

But the next morning, we woke up with even more determination because we had to get out of Kansas. Dad drove the whole 3rd day. I slept, sang, chatted, and sat. In fact I sang so much I began to lose my voice. I'm sure my dad enjoyed that. haha We finally made it through Kansas into Colorado and the further west in Colorado we got, the more beautiful it got. I loved Colorado. Especially Vale. I forced my dad to stop in Vale and we had lunch and snooped around a little and we loved it! Colorado was great. 

We kept going and drove all the way to my sweet Grandpa's house. We got there pretty late so we when to bed soon after we arrived. The next day we broke the Sabbath and went to lunch at Olive Garden and bought Grandpa a whole bunch of food he didn't eat. It was great. Then we stopped quickly by my cousin Teresa's house where she welcomed me with some fun gifts for school. We got to meet her fiance too! They are such a cute, great couple and we couldn't be happier for her. Then we headed down to my Grandma Snow's for Sunday dinner. It was fun to see all the family again. I'm so glad to be back in Provo!

After making many trips back and forth from my car and a couple meltdowns, I am finally moved in. I absolutely love where I am living. Yes it's not the nicest place in Provo but I love my roommates and my ward. Everything has been going so well for me this semester. I know school is going to kick my butt but I am so exited for all this year has in store for me. :) 

All my roommates except Kyla! We will get a complete picture soon!!

The Long-Lost Roomate

So my mom and I bought this book called 642 Things to Write About and one for the prompts is "The Long-Lost Roommate." Since I will be reunited with my roommate Makenzie next Monday I thought that was a perfect blog prompt. So here is the story of Makenzie Curtis and me.

It all started last April while I was at the Beach with my lacrosse team. I was anxiously awaiting picking where I was to live in a few months and to find out who my roommate would be. I quickly picked a room and the immediately began stalking my roommate. Makenzie Curtis. Normal enough name. Then I began to look at her pictures. Which now that I look at them I honestly don't know what made me so scared of her. But I freaked out and thought she was the worst ever and traded roommates. But then the new roommate didn't have a facebook..I decided that was worse. So I switched back and hoped for the best. Which turned out to be the smartest decision ever. 

So then our first meeting. I was awkward and shy. I was in the Cannon Center (our cafeteria) with my mom and my Aunt Sallie and I saw Kenzie getting salad. I whispered, " I think that's my roommate.." My mom and Aunt immediately said, "Well get up and say hello!" But I was too scared. They threatened to get up and say hello for me so then before they got up first I hesitantly got up and quietly said, "Hey, Makenzie? I think I'm your roommate.."With complete confidence she put a huge smile on her face and almost yelled, "Annie! Hey!!" and then she bent down to give me a big hug. We continued to have an awkward lunch together thanks to me. Later Kenzie told me that she was so confused because from her stalking she thought I would be this bubbly almost annoying girl who couldn't stop talking. She later found out that was pretty accurate. 

After our awkward lunch the rest is pretty much history. We remember there was a moment where my walls came crashing down and we became instant best friends but we can remember it. I'm pretty sure it was some night when it was late and I was tired and just became weird. It happens. 

Now as we get closer and closer to our Roommate Reunion I cannot wait for all our late-night giggles, crazy adventures, and most of all her whit. Seriously when we are about to go to bed, we get crazy. These next few pictures can only begin to explain how crazy. Man, I love this girl. The world will be a happier place when we are together. 

Love you Kenzie. <3

It's Decided.

I'm going to be a Gym Teacher. 

I don't care that people make fun of it.

And I don't care I'll make very little money.

But I do care about the kids I'll be able to influence. 

I care about the lives I can hopefully change for the better.

I care about teaching kids that being fit can also be fun.

I care about providing at least one good example to that child that may have none. 

And I care about having a flexible job so I can be there for my family.

Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. 

This summer working at the kids camp has helped me see what my 

life would be like if I were to become a Gym Teacher.

Even though there are tough moments during the day at the end of each day 

I leave happy and feeling good about myself. 

I leave hoping that I helped at least one child find joy in their day. 

And that's what I'll strive to do, 

help others find the joy in life. 

Working at this camp has opened my eyes to how tough and 

just downright tragic some children's lives are.

It breaks my heart to hear how broken some homes are and how it affects the children involved. 

I had one girl at camp say to me, "Wishes never come true and prayers are never answered."

Immediately I responded with, "That is not true!"

She rebutted, "Well my wishes never come true and my prayers are never answered so I've just stopped wishing and stopped praying."

It took everything in me to not go all preachy and tell her every instance in my life when my prayers have been answered and my wishes came true. It just wasn't the time or place.

I just kept trying to tell her that she should never stop praying and never stop wishing. 

I can't stand to think that this little 8 year old girl's conclusions about prayers and wishes wasn't unique. 

Knowing that, I don't know how I can sit by and not do anything about it.

These kids deserve the best, and they deserve more then anything to know that wishes come true and that prayers are answered.

So I'm promising to work my best to be the best for these kids that 

have such great potential but don't see it.

Even though I'm fully aware that my life plan could change, there is one thing that I've decided for sure:

I have to do something to help these kids with such tragic stories see their great potential. 

Or at least help them believe that wishes do come true and prayers are answered. 

Finally Some Free Time!

My summer has been such a busy one. I love it. The only down side is that I haven't been able to keep up with my blog. So now that I have some free time on this lazy Saturday here are some updates on my life:

• I've started using Spotify. I don't know why it took me this long to start using it but I love it. If you are also a late bloomer and have been wondering about it but never did it, do it. It's great. (For those of you who don't know what it is it's a music thing where you can listen to full songs for free, basically like iTunes but better because you don't have to pay)

• I love my job. I need to devote a whole blog to this because there are just too many good stories but it's been so fun. I work at the Herndon Community Center doing the kid camp called Summer Fun. I'm a counselor for the 3rd and 4th grade group and it's really fun. Some days are rough and some children are more difficult than others but I'm learning patience and it's overall a great learning experience and just a lot of fun.

Me and my work shirt! 

• I love my family. We have been lucky enough to be spending a lot of time together doing various things. Our favorite things include, Nationals games in DC, seeing the latest movies, and just casual family dinner together at home. Sometimes the weeks seem to zip by without spending time together but we always seem to be able to catch up on the weekends. I have been so blessed with such a close, strong, loving family. 

on our way to a Nats game!

• I am starting a Lacrosse League in Utah with Tina. I am so excited about it! We are going to call it reLAX Utah. I'm having the beautiful Victoria make the logo for us and I'm figuring out all the logistics and all that just gets me so excited! So if you are going to be in Utah in the Fall and you love lacrosse contact me! It's going to be a really relaxed league (hence the name) and it's for all levels of play! There will probably be a small fee because the field will cost something and hopefully we can get pennies! It all depends on how many people show up and are interested! But I'm super excited. I really hope this works out the way I see it working out in my head. Tina and I are going to be a great team to get this going. I'm the planner and organizer and Tina is the go-getter who will spread the word and get people involved. SO EXCITED! YAYYYY! 

yup. i love lacrosse.

Ok anyway. That's pretty much my life update. So many exciting things! 

My 4th of July

(better late then never right?)

So this year I had to work on the 4th which I was fairly bummed about because I was missing out on celebrating with my friends. But it turned out to be pretty great.

Well first off I made a last minute decision to go to the Nationals game which was a great decision. I am so blessed. Who else gets to celebrate the 4th of July in the Nation's Capitol with the number 1 baseball team, and not to mention with family and close friends? Not many. It was a great experience. 

Since Sara and I had to work we left the game early when the Nats were up. We made it to work with plenty of time to spare. We got our jobs and I was assigned to the "Info Tent" in which I was to give away free stuff. Which is amazing let me tell you. We had people spinning and "Wheel of Fortune" like wheel for a free t-shirt. I was so fun to watch their anticipation as the wheel spun and then the excitement on their faces when they won. Giving free stuff away is the best.

Then after we ran out of shirts we all gathered up to go to the golf course to secure the perimeter. The fireworks are shot off the golf course so it's unsafe to have people on it while the firework show is going off. So it was our job to make sure no one snuck on. We were all assigned different spots on the course and I had the best spot ever. I was right behind this house that was having their own party with karaoke, live music, and tons of food. There were people from Maryland, DC, and of course Virginia. (This happens to be Mr. Abney from Herndon Middle..weird...) Most the people singing were professional singers and they were all singing R&B, it was so great. So Maddie and I were just enjoying the entertainment. Then someone came and brought us some cake! They were so nice! Then the fireworks started and they were amazing, we had the best spot for watching them, they were directly overhead. During the fireworks the party people were singing Amazing Grace, America the Beautiful, and even Yankee Doodle. Maddie and I were so happy we couldn't sit still. I just kept thinking, "I am experiencing pure joy right now."

I love those moments. I'm trying to be able to recognize them and take note of them as they happen. This summer has been such a fun-filled, exciting, and all-too-busy one. But I'm doing my best to record all the fun memories, there are just so many I need to try harder.

firework pictures provided my Maddie :)
thanks Mad!