Unwilling Sunshine

Today I just want to be in a bad mood. I'm incredibly disappointed with myself and certain situations going on. It's just a blah day and has been a blah week. However, that just gives me all the more reason to look for sunshine, right?

1. I like these shirts, this program, and everything about it. This week I was able to facilitate interviews for new student volunteers. I forgot how much you can feel the spirit in those interviews. I forgot how much my heart swells with a knowledge of my Savior and his love for all of us, and how he would have us serve one another. It was a lovely reminder.

2. Turns out I can write in spanish. In fact, I wrote an entire essay in spanish. It makes me laugh every time I look at it, I feel like I just let my fingers stroke the keys and produce a bunch of gibberish. Not that spanish is gibberish...it looks cool, that's all I'm trying to say.

3. Richard Alpert has a sweet love story. I want to share the gospel with him. I want him to know about sealing power, and celestial marriage, and eternal families. True, he's a fictional character and so really none of that matters to him, but I think he would appreciate the gospel.

4. Pi Sigma Alpha is doing really well. We had another event this week and had a great turn out and great discussion. I'm so glad that this society is getting back on it's feet.

5. My todo list has lots of pink lines crossing out things. This is happiness.

6. The Devotional DVD is all done. It's beautiful. I am so grateful for the testimonies that were given in it, and the invitation that it extends. It's powerful. It's done. It's time to make a difference.

7. Rexburg is pretty. I've been walking all over it just loving how beautiful everything is with the sun shining and the birds singing. It's great. I love you, Spring, even if you make my nose run.

8. I cut off my hairs, and I didn't even cry. (excuse the funny face, I don't know how to take myself seriously)

I guess you wouldn't call it short, but it's definitely not as long as it was.

Sunshine

It's spring time. The sun is out. I write my blog like a "See Spot Run" book.

Really though, I don't require much to be happy when the sun is out. But hey, it's been a good week and deserves to be noted.

1. I have a wildly unhealthy addiction to LOST. I cancelled a date so that I could sit home, alone, and watch it. Close friends of mine have come to terms with the fact that in order to be able to understand me in conversation they should probably watch the show, and one friend has even dedicated himself to getting completely caught up. Right now he is in the midst of season 4 and should be caught up in time for Tuesday bliss. I know it's stupid, and silly, and ridiculous how much I love this show. I also don't care. It will be ending soon and then I will return to a normal functioning pattern...or I'll start flash forward...whichever.

2. Contrary to popular belief, I'm a good cook. This week was evidence of that. My favorite concoction was the banana bread, and really why wouldn't it be? But yes, I like to cook. I like it even more when it distracts me from doing homework. Yep.

3. Todo lists. They bring peace into my life. I have 25 todo's left on my list for the semester. I think this is accomplishable, we shall see.

4. I have an awesome mentor partner (we will be training student leaders together at the beginning of next semester). He made me dinner this week on a night I thought I was going to go hungry. This made me happy. He also has a lot of insight as to what we should teach our students, I love working with him. I'm lucky to be surrounded by such awesome people.

5. Timber makes me happy. She and I had necessary girl talk this week. Complete with reading through middle school journal entries, and more junk food than any person should consume on a Thursday night.

6. Pi Sigma Alpha (the Political Science Honor Society) is finally up and running! I love that I am able to be a part of this. I love my major, and I love being president of an organization that caters to my major. I love that we finally have guest speakers scheduled. I love that we finally have events planned and are executing them. I love it. I hope it lasts.

7. The devotional promotional DVD is finally finished. We filmed our last segment on friday, the editing should be done sometime in the middle of this week. I am SO excited to see the final product. So many people have put so much work into it and I'm so glad that it's finished and ready to be seen!

8. Only 20 days until the end of the semester. Only 34 more days until I leave for Mexico. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

9. I'm planning the most epic trip ever for this summer, and I have awesome people on board. This might actually happen. I am stoked out of my mind.

10. I hit an awesome sale yesterday, and now own a headlamp, a camelbak that I've had my eye on for months, and some chacos. I am ready to adventure!

11. For the first time ever I finished a Sudoku puzzle all by myself! It's taken a while, sure. But I'm proud of myself!

Banana Bread and the People Watching Place

So, I'm all about having good things to look at while I study. I generally try to find a good window to sit next to and prop up the laptop...then I usually fall asleep and no homework gets done. All the same, I like having good scenery, I'm not one to be locked up with just white walls to look at, no fun. So today I found myself a cushy chair that overlooks one of the main walkways of campus, why I haven't known of this place before beats me. Anyway, So I started to think about doing my homework but then decided that people watching was much more fun. So here I sit, eating my banana bread, looking out the window (which the bars kind of make it look like prison), and photo-documenting the whole thing. Creeper status?

Now this random underline just showed up and I can't make it go away...awesome. In other news, I was talking to one of my more favorite professors today and mentioned my frustration with my grade in religion class. I said that I was getting graded on my testimony, and that the teacher gave me a C-. My professor started laughing hysterically and then just walked away. Life fail.

Sunday Sunshine

Imagine that, Sunday Sunshine on a Sunday!

1. There are only 4 weeks left in the semester, that is manageable.

2. Alexie Lawson sent me a care package, it seriously made me smile and laugh so hard. And I got some much needed chocolate! I adore that girl, I'm excited I get to see her in a little over a month.

3. I can see the floor of my room again.

4. I started using stickies so that I don't have to write on my hand as much, there is still a blackish/bluish hue there...maybe another week of washing will make it disappear completely.

5. Ryan Bruce started watching LOST and is catching up fast! Which means I'll have a Rexburg LOST buddy soon. This makes me smile.

6. Breakfast study parties, it ALMOST makes having homework fun, it definitely makes it more tasty.

7. Going to bed early, I managed to get 8 hours of sleep every night this week. Happiness.

8. I finished all my makeup work from when I was in Florida.

9. Oh, and I was hired as an EFY counselor. I'm DYING to find out which sessions I was accepted for, but I'm glad I was hired, the paperwork is in, now I just wait some more.

In a state of SUNSHINE

Monday through Thursday of last week are pretty insignificant to me. I woke up, I did homework, I ate, I spent time with people I love. They were days, they were good days, but they were in the way of something much more exciting. . . a mid-semester trip home!

Friday afternoon I boarded a plane, read a wonderful book the whole flight, and 6 hours later was picked up by one of my most favorite people in the whole world, Brandon. We talked, listened to good music, got food, and then met up with Drew and Blake. I love all of these boys. They make me laugh so hard. They make me think. They make me realize my potential. I really would be completely lost without each of them and am so grateful for having them in my life.

Then, the main event!

My mom is my hero. I absolutely love her and am so incredibly proud of her. She has worked over a year preparing for this half marathon. Her sister flew out to run it with her and I am so impressed by both of them. They are wonderful women, and will always be examples to me. Annalee is also an awesome lady, and she ran too.

Rochelle and I were given the honored roles of cheerleaders. We yelled "caw-caw" as loud as we could and dutifully followed our runners around the disney parks to cheer them on. We even got cool shirts. I couldn't have asked for a better cheering buddy. I learn so much from her every time we talk. I hope I can emulate her. Really my mom and aunts are some of the best women to walk this earth.

The finish was kind of emotional. Annalee and Char did terrific! We are all so happy and proud of both of them. Mom, after all her hard work, got a stress fracture. She was picked up after pushing through a little over seven miles. I am still so proud of her, and I love her stubborn nature and that she wasn't giving up with out a long hard battle. She's going to keep training, and next year I'm running it with her. She'll do it, I know she will. She is strong, beautiful, and determined. Nothing stands in-between her and her dreams. I admire her for all that she does, and that I've learned from her, and all that she inspires me and others to be.

The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the beautiful sun, napping, long wonderful chats with family and friends. AND I got to go do wedding shindigs with Annalee, I have pictures. . .but I'm not sure that I'm allowed to post them. Let's just say that the girl was made to wear a wedding dress. She looks like a princess in every single one. I am so excited for her and for this new step that she's taking in her life. She is smart, beautiful, and so full of life and Blake is lucky to have her. We love Blake too, and are so happy to have him as part of the family. So without further adieu, I present the first Santos Family picture that includes the Russ addition.