the key to motivation

1. Come to know the love that our Heavenly Father has for you.

2. Come to know yourself and who you are.

3. SERVICE.

4. There is opposition in all things. If you have no ups and downs in life, you are dead.

I have the BEST friends and the CUTEST little sister. I'm so stoked to be a member of the LDS church and I love love love the chances I get to attend meetings and devotionals where I feel a little bit closer to my Heavenly Father. And a special shout out to Justin Osmond for giving one of the best firesides I've ever been to. The church is true and the book is blue. 

We can do this, people. This life can be a piece of cake if we let it. 

Do these 4 things and I promise you will make it.

 We got this.

ps...... click here

a week in the life

So basically I had the coolest week ever. I was given the opportunity to visit SVU again for a second recruit trip. So DUH I jumped on that! I was so nervcited. It was gonna be a blast! And my whole goal for the trip was to experience what it would be like if I were to go to school there in a year. I think I accomplished that pretty well.

So here's some handy dandy highlights (and lowlights) of the week:

I had to get up at 3:50 IN THE AM to catch my flight out of IF. That was a struggle and a half for sure.

//the view of the sunrise from the plane\\

Virginia was absolutely B-E-A-Utiful!Like for real. Reds and Yellows and Oranges all over the place. Love Love Love.

Bugs=bad. There was the biggest bug in our room right above my bed. It was sick nasty. But don't worry. I slayed that beast like a knight in shining armor. (that's funny because the SVU mascot is the knights. HA!)

//no joke it was like three inches long\\
//don't leave the windows open at night time kids\\
//especially if you're in virginia\\

Everyone was sooooo nice! After I met someone, it wasn't like, "oh you're a soccer recruit. cool." and then they left me alone. People talked to me and asked me all kinds of questions. And I felt like I made some friends! I got to hang out with some of the freshman girls on the team and some of their close friends all week. We just chilled and played ping pong and watched the World Series (go sox) and it was so awesome. And completely weird at the same time because halfway through talking to a really nice guy, I'd find out he was an RM and my mind would be blown. Like holy crap. I'm having normal conversations with returned missionaries who are like 5 years older than me. And I was fitting in. AND ENJOYING IT. Holy poop. I must be growing up or something. 

//some of my new friends\\

Watching their girls team play was the bomb.com. Okay, I'm the type of player that when I'm watching a game from the sidelines I analyze everything. I think to myself ohhh pass it there and this will happen, or dribble through and cut a pass back and you could create an awesome goal opportunity, or even jog back to that gap so when this person gets the ball you're in the perfect position to make a play. Yeah. Some call it crazy. I call it passion. So that's exactly what I was doing while I was sitting on the sideline with the team. Holler atchya gurl. It made me so fetching excited to play, I just can't even put it into real words. (i guess i just did buuuuttt yeah....) (awkward).

//my view of the starting line up\\

//this was me watching them practice\\

Okay the food situation sucked. Because of all my lame allergies I legit ate nothing all week. The cafeteria at SVU is beyond pathetic. It's so small and the options are so weak! Let me just say that the freshman 15 is real..... Unless you're Sierra. Then it would be the freshman -15. Or -50. Give or take. I'm just glad that my sweet mommy packed enough food for me to survive for four days. Hallelujah.

I got to go to class as a college student! It was like high school on steroids. Especially since it's such a small school, there were no joke 16 kids in one of the classes. It was a grand time.

//this was a philosophy class. is it weird that i was enjoying it?\\

College kids are weird. Especially weird Mormon ones. (i mean that in the most loving way possible). We went to FHE on Monday when I got there and it was hilarious. It was like a lame mutual activity times 10 but everyone was way into it. Seriously I died. But on the flip side... the LDS environment was flippin awesome. You could feel it everywhere. The team said prayers before their game and their practice, I went to institute, seriously all the guys were RMs or planning on going on a mission, and one of the four main questions I was asked when I met someone new was "are you a memeber?" I was so proud to be able to answer yes to that question. And way stoked that the head coach told me to pray about my decision again. Seriously it was so awesome to be in that kind of environment. The church is so true.

//me and mah roommate killin it at FHE\\

The dorm life is a cool life. Two Chainz.

I've never panicked more in my life than when I had to make a flight connection coming home. I flew in to Chicago from Roanoke and had 3 minutes to get from one gate to the next. Or. That's. What. I. Thought. We hadn't even parked at the gate when the boarding time for my other flight started. AND I had to wait for my stupid carry on bag because they had to put it under the plane because the plane was so stinking small! GAY. So after saying like 50 prayers (some of them out loud), and sprinting--LITERALLY SPRINTING--to my next gate, I made it. Barely. So close that I'm pretty sure I was the last freaking person on the freaking plane. I was running on pure adrenaline and when I finally sat down in my seat and could catch my breath I was sweating profusely and my hands were shaking like mad. It was nuts. All I know is that prayer works and I made my flight. WHEW!

//during all that panic i somehow managed to snap a pic of the final boarding sign....?\\

So that pretty much sums up some of my favorite parts. But guess what peeps. We're not done! I made a video!!! Get excited everyone. It's the most amateur thing I've ever done in my life (besides redo my room) (if you missed that whole ordeal and you're dying to know what the heck i'm talking about, go find that post because i'm too lazy to find it for you) I lost my train of thought..... Oh yeah.... It kind of shows my week in a nut shell. So take the next five minutes of your life and watch this bad boy.

HERE's THE VID HOMIES.
disclaimer: you might get motion sickness. deal with it.

(hold on. the vid is coming. computer is being dumb. like a lot. and i'm sad. and i just want to be done working on this post because i've been sitting here for over an hour(s) and Gabe is waiting for me and this is turning into the most marathon post of my life and i'm dying of heat because my sweatshirt is too hot and my fingers are cramping because i've been typing so i'm going to be done now. the vid is coming) i promise.

the most beautiful time of the year

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." 

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Guys. 

I'm in love. 

I've completely fallen for fall and I can't get enough! There's just something about bright yellow and orange leaves set against a bright blue sky that gives me butterflies. Seriously it's my favorite thing ever. Top ten FOR SURE.

These iPhone pics just don't even do any justice to the beauty of Freeman Park right now. I went on a little long boarding excursion the other day and was able to snap a few shots of the best parts of fall. 

We've had the most perfect October this year. Especially this past week. Weather in the 60's, no wind, what else could you ask for?! It makes me so happy.

I love crisp leaves, I love fresh air, I love a colorful October, and I love fall sooooo much.

and we danced...

So here's the deal. I got asked to homecoming. And I was so stoked. And then homecoming happened. And it was awesome.

// "no monkey business... i'd go bananas if you didn't go to homecoming with me" \\

//probably one of the best ways i've been asked. well done jorge\\

So I get home from a football game one Friday, and as I'm snap chatting my cute friend Jorge, he nonchalantly hints that I need to go look at my front porch. BAM. Let the butterflies sink in... (I may or may not have known what was about to happen...).  I slowly opened the door and... NOTHING. Nothing was there! I was super confused. So I told Jorge nothing was there and he got really mad. Like, REALLY mad. So I felt bad. Like, REALLY bad. Until  the very next day when I walked into my kitchen and saw this massive monkey surrounded by bananas :) My dear, sweet sister moved everything inside for me. HA! Mystery solved.

And since he asked me with monkeys, I obviously had to reply with a monkey.

// "i'd be a fool to not say YES" \\

So basically I had never been as excited as I was for a school dance. Normally I'm dreading it all week. But nope! Not this time. I was oh SO EXCITED. So that was really fun.

For our day date, we played the game "bigger or better". It's where you start with a pen and go house to house, knocking on doors, and asking people to trade something with you that's bigger or better. And whoever gets the best item at the end of the time limit wins! We lost. But on the other hand, the other team won with a dishwasher?!?!?!!!!! So go them. Way to be awesome and get a freaking dishwasher guys.

Then it was time to get all dolled up! Not my favorite part but hey! At least I can still wear spandex under my dress.. Madeline did my hair this time (since i suck). And she did it perfectly! Check it.

//i basically belong on pinterest\\

Then it was picture time! So here. Just take a nice long gander at these beauties.

//this one is my absolute favorite\\

//this one is my absolute second favorite\\

//i would be the one to ruin this picture haha...\\

//i just can't get enough of how freaking perfect we look\\

//such a gentleman, helping my poor crippled self down the rocks and what not\\

//this. pic. is. so. perfect. i. just. can't. even handle. it.\\

HOT DANG WE LOOK GOOD.

Then we ate at Red Robin (yuummmmm). 

//here's another\\

AND WE DANCED (and we laughed. and we cried. and had a really really really good time)

Seriously it was so fun! By the end of the dance, I had sweat probably three gallons, my hair was a complete disaster, and I was thoroughly exhausted. Just like I like it. And I'm so glad I got to go with such a cute boy. He's the perfect gentleman and one heck of a sweetheart. So shout out to you Jorge! Thanks for the best last homecoming ever :)

Just thought you might want to see this one again. You're welcome.

P.S. If you're wondering why I'm wearing a medical boot, you'll just have to keep wondering because I'm writing about that later okay? Okay. Good talk. Ready..... BREAK.

emotion week

So basically I suck at keeping my blog updated during school and soccer and the rest of my busy life and stuff. Maybe it's because I broke my laptop and have been waiting for it to get fixed for the last three weeks... Either way I'm making a pact with myself right this very second to do better. So here we go.

Last week was emotion week. Only the most intense week of the year. Yes people, it's a freaking huge deal. It's the week where our super studly and totally awesome football team plays our arch rivals--The kitty cats of IF high. Everyone goes absolutely crazy with school spirit and it's the funnest week ever. 

To kick off the festivities, all the girls at Skyline play a nice game of flag football. aka powder puff. aka its not even nice at all. aka kids get hurt. aka they made us wear mouth guards this year. And normally the refs are supposed to cheat the system so the seniors win every year, but for some strange reason, this year they decided to be fair so the seniors lost! We were all pretty upset at that display of a lack of bias. C'mon refs. Do your job.

//post loss\\

Then on Wednesday (after we beat century for the first time since i've been playing high school soccer and i had the winning goal) there was the tiger stomp. WOOT WOOT! The student body banned together as one and gathered around a huge bonfire where we sacrificed and burned stuffed tigers. You can only imagine how totally awesome this was.

The best part of this week were the pranks. We were some naughty kids hehe. We painted car windows with blue and white, we painted the beloved tiger rock (it's painted to look like a tiger. but not anymore because now it's blue), we trashed the IF courtyard with blue and white streamers, and WE STOLE KIRK. Who is Kirk you ask? Well.... Kirk is this mannequin that IF dresses up and drags around to all their games and stuff. It's seriously their most prized possession. They love Kirk and we straight up walked into their school and stole him. Even our teachers said it was the best prank they'd seen in a really long time (and our teachers are old so they're knowledgeable in the world of pranks). It was the greatest thing of my life! The only bad thing was that we couldn't keep our mouths shut about it. So when IF came to our Skyline to get him back, they knew exactly who done it. So after being threatened with suspension, we had to give little Kirky back. But it was okay because we freaking stole him. And it will always be the best prank ever known to history ever. So there IF. 

//this is what we looked like while pranking. ninja status\\

//this is kirk everyone. he's so happy to be liberated from IF\\

That Friday was game day. Everyone was super pumped up and ready to get our cheer on in the student section. We were all squished along that senior fence like a giant pack of sardines. It was nuts! But oh so fun. 

Guess what everyone. We lost. The goal posts that have remained a beautiful color of light blue for the past two years are now a nasty shade of orange. It's a struggle to look at... Our boys fought hard but it wasn't enough to pull out a win (ps our football team is really struggling this year so i was kind of expecting a loss... not gonna lie).

Oh well!!!! It was a way fun week full of really fun activities and the craziest of crazy school spirit. I'm proud to be a grizzly and I always will be until the day I die!!