...IM IN LOVE.

I am in love with my sweatpants. I have been for as long as I can remember, but they have been out of my possession for a year! Can you believe that?! A whole year without seeing them and my feelings haven't dwindled a bit. They are my lacrosse sweats from sophomore year and they are the most comfortable things EVER. Hands down. My volleyball sweats from 8th grade with my last name across the butt come close, but they don't have cinched ankles. These do :) Cross my heart, hope to die, I will not let them out of my sight for such a long period of time ever again! I promise to put them to good use from here on out. No more textile neglect, you have my word.

SCORE

My last post was at 11:11. It's lucky when you make wishes on it and stuff, but I'd like to think it's luckier when you unintentionally do something cool on that minute. I made a good wish too though. No fear!

DarknessFell

The eyebrow waxer lady burnt me.

That is two times now. TWO TIMES!!

No more.

(No more freaky light action either. I thought the power went out. No...? It came back on right after.)

Number One Nails, I'm sorry, but we are through. 

Who knows a good place to go? 

Does one exist? 

I almost want to boycott eyebrow maintenance all together. 

If men can let their facial hair run amok, so can I. 

Joke.

I couldn't do that.

Fun fact, Lauren's "thing" is eyebrows. 

Bad eyebrows are a no-no. 

No weird shapes. 

No penciled lines.

No uni-brows.

Here's to the woman of the world and the pain we endure in order to look our best. 

CHEERS!

Spiritual Nuggets

As I was cleaning out my room I found notes I took during the October 2006 session of general conference! Here are some of the spiritual nuggets I had written down:

"Service is the perfect antidote to self indulgence."-David S. Baxter

"We are required to live for the church, not die for it."-James E. Faust

"Feast on the scriptures, don't nibble."-Robert D. Hales

"When you are worthy to enter the temple, you don't just enter it, it enters you."-Elaine S. Dalton

"The appearance of opposition changes but does not end."-Boyd K. Packer

"God gave us memories so we can have June flowers in the Decembers of our lives"

Home sweet home.

From one house to another, this is what I have to deal with.

Step one: Pack

All the clothes that didn't have a suit case to go in were exiled to the empty bed. 

Desk full of random crap...

Closet full of suit cases, backpacks, purses, anything that could hold my stuff was put to use.

Step Two: Clean

Ugh. I had to clean EVERYTHING even though I had my own room!

My desk was so empty! The only things I didn't pack: Stereo-I needed it to listen to the songs for my Music 101 test, computer-also necessary to study, phone and grapefruit juice-necessary on any given day, and text books to sell back. Time to jet :)

Step three: Unpack

Since I am re-doing my room the only pieces of furniture I came home to were a desk and chair. Needless to say it made unpacking a little bit difficult.

Minus the storage bins my closet ended up looking pretty good!

As of now I have 5 lists.

"Things to do with Evan"

"Things to get done"

"Things to buy/do for room"

"Where is my stuff?"

"It's June! Don't forget it!"

Lists are just the greatest aren't they?

Your older than my mom. Shouldn't you have manners?

Uhm...okaaaaay? I just don't understand some people.

I was eating my pineapple and frosted mini wheats (Final meal in the canon. I went all out :P) when this middle aged woman walked over and placed her plate of half eaten mac and cheese bites on my tray. What. The. Heck. Does my half empty bowl send some foreign signal that I'll put away your dishes too? Am I a garbage disposal? Do you want me to eat them...? I'm sorry they didn't measure up, but if I wanted some of my own I could have gotten them. I looked down at my plate and then proceeded to stare her down. All she did was look at me and then go get line for salad. No joke, I thought I was being punked and it was one of my friends moms. I glanced around to see if anyone else noticed what just happened and the girl next to me was busting a gut. She asked if I knew her and I just shook my head with a look of bewilderment on my face. I kept watching mac and cheese lady to see if she would look back or offer any sort of explanation for her behavior, but no. She just chatted it up with middle aged woman #2 leaving me more than slightly confused. Joke's on me. No one gets punked in Provo, Utah. 

Meet my new arch nemesis. The leopard sweater, khaki pants and cute satchel are very deceiving. 

Because I have been given much

The other day I was joking around with some friends and mentioned that coming to BYU has given me a heart. Before coming to college, I would only cry if I was really mad and they were tears of frustration, or if I was hurt. Now everything makes me cry. Everything. It is ridiculous! On Sunday I realized why. It is not because the Canon Center spikes their food with absurd amounts of estrogen, or the air in Provo is so polluted my eyes water uncontrollably, it's because of where I am. Not necessarily Provo, Utah 84604, but where I am in life.

These past 8 months I was blessed to live with the least dramatic, most sincere, loving girls I could have possibly wished for. They have set the bar high not only in their actions towards me, but in the way they live and bear their testimonies. Because I have been surrounded by such righteous sweet spirits these past 2 semesters, I have become more aware of the Lord's hand in my life and the companionship of the Holy Ghost. 

During testimony meeting on Sunday, a girl in my hall made a point that I loved. She relayed an experience she had while in one of her classes: Before taking a test the professor reminded the students that even if they got all the questions right, there was still one thing they could do to fail. By forgetting to write their name on the paper they would fail to get credit, and would discount themselves of the rewards for finishing the course. She then went on to relate this principle to Christ. How often do we do all that is required of us, but we do not write Christ's name upon our hearts? It was at this point that the cogs started turning, and the tears started flowing. While being at BYU students are expected to obey the honor code, attend church, fulfill callings, get good grades, have a job and maintain a stable social life. At some point during this past year I started doing these things not because it was required of me, but because I wanted to. I found enjoyment in reading the scriptures; it became more than an assignment for a class. I didn't mind following the dress and grooming standards; I found a new confidence in myself and was able to look upon others less critically. When I found myself looking at others in a derogatory light, I tried my hardest to revert my thinking and pick out only those things that were nice, and that I wouldn't be embarrassed to say out loud. At some point in this past year, I truly wrote Christ's name upon my heart. As I came to this conclusion while sitting in the BYU 250th ward's final fast and testimony meeting, I was extremely humbled and glad to be in the position I was. Humbled to know that throughout the year I had become increasingly receptive to the spirit as I would act upon the guidance and direction I was blessed with. Humbled to know that as you strive to be accepting and care for those around you, God will send immeasurable amounts of love that will fill your heart. Glad that the meeting had gone 25 minutes over just so I could hear what I needed to hear, and glad to know that there is nothing wrong with tearing up every now and then. It's what I do. 

As we sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" I began to tear up. Again. Leaving the dorms will be a bittersweet experience! I have made so many great friends and memories it is difficult to imagine that things will never be the same. Our boys are headed off on missions all over the world leaving the girls with nothing but off campus housing and RMs to get by. They are spiritual power houses-every one of them! I can honestly say it was an honor to befriend the boys of Budge 3200 and 3100. As they go off and serve missions, they will bless not only the lives of individuals, but entire generations to come. The knowledge of the restored gospel is an irreplaceable gift just waiting to be given. To close relief society we sang "Because I Have Been Given Much" and once again, I got teary eyed. After just contemplating how much I have been blessed with these past 8 months, this hymn really hit home. I have been blessed with a wonderful family that loves me more than I can imagine, the opportunity to attend the most unique uplifting university, and the example of friends, acquaintances, and even strangers who give me a yellow brick road to pattern my life after. Even though life goes on and things change, I will never forget the people I met, the memories I made, the lessons I learned, and the impact you have had.

Don't know what testimony meeting, relief society, a mission or the Holy Ghost is?

Check it out here! :)