Fall Break

First thing I did for Fall break was go out with some classmates and celebrate:

 Then I went on a hike with Dad up Big Cottonwood Canyon:

After hike #1 with Dad, I went on a second hike with Mom up Millcreek Canyon:

 On Sunday a best friend had a homecoming from her mission, she did so well!

 Alyssa and I took a pic to show off our matching navy and green bags

 I also got to babysit my cousin's baby, Nixon. 

what a cute hipster baby. 

also I am the first one who has ever babysat him - honor!

 random: but check out this beautiful tree by my clinic 

23rd Birthday

For my 23rd birthday I took my first ever graduate school midterm. 

I brought cupcakes to celebrate. 

then that night mom and miriam took me out to dinner:

THEN WE HAD TO RUSH HOME BECAUSE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SHOW PARKS & REC'S SEASON PREMIER WAS ON

Mom got us all shakes while we watched- i chose bubblegum. it was heaven. 

That weekend a few friends and I went up Millcreek Canyon for a birthday bonfire. 

My friend Paige had her birthday around mine so we combined and blew out birthday doughnuts together. 

 My FHE brothers from BYU drove up from Provo, wasn't that nice? 

Skjelse, Alyssa and Payton came over to Miriam and mine's apartment for an epic sleepover. it was the beginning of starting a whole new click, which is always something special. 

it was a wonderful birthday- I am always so happy I was born in Autumn. It is the prettiest time of the year. 

the start of an era

Well I have officially made it through the first half of my first semester of grad school. 

It was and wasn't what I thought it would be. 

It is as hard as I thought but I love it more than I expected. 

Trying to explain graduate school would be like trying to explain the flavor of salt. Those who have done it understand but those who haven't, its hard to explain it fully.

Grad school requires more time. Time, time, time. It is a full time job. You don't show up for an hour lecture and go home to work independently. You go to class for 3 hours, have patients to see, and assignments that are big group projects that take days. You also make friends on a whole new level, its a whole different type of bond which the people in your program. I am spectacularly lucky because my class is all the same age and we are all very good friends already. Some other upper classes are not as close. 

I got my white coat- super cool and scary. 

 This is my class. May seem small but it is very large for Audiology classes. 

I got a job within my department to work on special projects and our offices are on the top floor of a building on main campus. These are the views I have: 

 Miriam and I got a townhouse and it is fabulous. Living with 6 girls and always sharing a room at BYU has made living with 1 girl and having a private room feel luxurious. 

I also had a Jerusalem reunion - we are going on 3 years and we still are close and love to get together. The other semesters there had a weak turn out, Fall semester 2013 for the win!

summer in a movie part 2

Zions

summer in a movie part 1

Well its been nothing but crickets over here on this blog and I don't think anyone (myself included) minded. I have just been really enjoying the summer and taking it EASY. 

Earlier in the month I flew to Santa Barbara and visited my fabulous friend Meghan. 

It was seriously one of my favorite Cali trips I have taken. ever. 

New York babies

After graduation Mom and I headed to New York to babysit my brother's kids. 

He and his wife went on a trip to Canada so my brother could present some research at a medical conference. 

I was mostly in charge of the younger two- Adelaide and baby Everett. 

I am just in love!

 we went to the local family dairy farm for chocolate milk and cookies

When JR and Angie got back from Canada Stefi also came into town. 

Then we celebrated and went to JR's graduation from Medical residency - we are so proud of him!

After coming home from NY I got a job as an art and dance teacher for cute preschoolers.

SCORE

oh anne

one time Mom and I took my niece Anne to McDonalds.

she was brave and went down the big slide all by herself for the 1st time. 

she came out with a look of terror/excitement.

so she did it again. 

for some unknown reason on the third time we hear her screeching.

she got scared inexplicably. 

she was so scared she become frozen and couldn't move. 

we told her didn't have to go down the slide but to just climb back down the tube. 

she kept yelling and crying at the very top. 

we were the only ones in the place so there were no other kids to help her out.  

guess who mom had go climb up and get her?

you guessed it.

MOI.

since it was Conference Weekend i was still in church clothes aka A DRESS crawling bent over up the playplace. #classy

so i worm my way up and fish Anne out. 

when we get to the bottom Mom took this candid photo on the right: 

note that rotten pea pod's face - so happy and proud of herself of what a good joke it all was- when seconds before she was hysterical

i asked Anne what happened, why was she so scared on the 3rd time?
this was her answer:
"there were too many colors."

fair enough. 

Peace out Provo

for our very last night in Provo Miriam and I threw a grad party

our Mom's got together and did the whole thing basically.

once they got each other's emails it was a run away trian

compared to what normal Provo parties are like 

(aka no decorations, zero drinks and a half eaten bag of Doritos

 and a hand full of starbursts - with only orange left)

 it pulled out all the stops. 

it was real rager.  

it was the best way to say good bye to our favorite college town. 

thanks to everyone who came!

Graduation

this blog post is brought to you by the newest BYU aluma 

that's right - I graduated Cum Laude from Brigham Young University 

(funny thing was I didn't know I was Cum Laude until my friend texted my during the ceremony and told me to look in the program. what a happy surprise!)

here are some pictures from the big day:

 the graduates

favorite boss and professor 

 with Brigham Young himself

 freshman year friends

 ^^^we started and ended BYU together

 walked in an undergrad and walked out a graduate

 love these girls

 ringing the victory bell 

we did it!

I love BYU more than I could every say and my whole life was made better because I went there. 

It has been the most wonderful adventurous chapter in my life so far. 

I will forever be a proud Cougar- RISE AND SHOUT