Happy birthday Elder!

So lately I've been really REALLY missing my best pal Dallas. Man, this guy is great. He is so funny and genuine and just an awesome friend. He's the sort of guy you can talk to about anything.
He's been serving his mission in Roseville, California for almost a year, and he's INCREDIBLE. Seriously. Reading his weekly updates is so inspiring. He is one of the hardest workers I have ever met and definitely a fantastic missionary.
I have SO many fabulous memories with him. I really miss just talking with him on the phone about everything, or coming over to his house so he could serenade me on his guitar and read me his journal. I miss his awkward jokes, his infectious laughter, and his total disregard of social norms. This guy is basically a brother to me, and it's so weird not being able to just run over to his house to watch youtube videos or play mini golf or step on zucchini! It's crazy how someone can be such a huge part of your life, and then you don't ever see them, and only hear from them in a letter every now and then.
Anyway, today is his birthday (technically, I mean, it's past midnight, right?)
I sent him a package a few days ago and I'm really hoping he gets it on time.

So happy birthday Elder Hileman! I'm so proud of you, and I'll see you in a year and a few :)

I'm baaaaaack.

So it turns out you get to college and suddenly have NO TIME. I'm not even sure where my time goes. Sure, plenty of it is spent doing homework, catching up with folks back home, and hanging out with my roommates, but I find myself going to sleep at two o'clock in the morning thinking "What the heck did I do with my day??" Needless to say my blogging has suffered.

Life has been so incredibly topsy-turvy. I honestly feel like I'm on a rollercoaster, constantly going up and down, feeling like I'm going to hurl if it all doesn't stop soon, but somehow still enjoying it.

There have been some MAJOR adjustments in my life recently, and I've sort of been thrown for a loop.
I'm homesick, heartbroken, and extremely sick of eating nothing but cheerios, fruit snacks, grapes, and quesadillas.

But I have some hilarious, kind, incredibly patient roommates and somehow we're all getting through this together, even if it means the occasional low-fat brownie and "hard serve" ice cream.

BYU is better than I could've imagined, even if my experience hasn't gone quite like I planned.

My classes are interesting, my ward is great, and my roommates are family.

I think I'm going to like living this Cougar life.

So it's official. I'm at college.

I can't even believe how weird that is. I still feel like I'm just pretending, just playing at being a student here. But tomorrow I start classes. I can't even comprehend that yet. I'm going to college?

So far I have absolutely loved it. They sure do a lot here at BYU to make sure the freshmen feel loved :) From free food to t-shirts to karaoke to dances to tours to dating games, there's a ton going on.

I started off my BYU experience at a Foundations of Leadership conference that I loved. We spent almost all day every day taking classes and listening to lectures and having discussions all about being leaders and how our LDS faith can help with that. That probably sounds super boring, that I really had a good time and I'm sure it was the absolute best decision I could have made to start off my college years.

The next few days were filled with New Student Orientation. I ditched my group and went along with my sister Melissa and her roommate Brianna who were Y Group leaders. It was great! I finally feel like I sorta kinda know my way around campus, and I definitely had a lot of questions answered.

Today was my first day in my student ward - YSA 128. I met lots of people and I can't wait to get really involved.

That's the thing about BYU. It really does make me want to be the best person I can be. I know that sounds absolutely crazy and disgustingly cheesy, but it's actually really true. There are so many service opportunities here. Everyone is incredibly friendly. I'm surrounded by unbelievable examples.
BYU really does make me want to study harder, serve more, be a better friend, and really make a difference in this world.

Isn't that what college is all about? It should be.

Don't worry, be happy :)

Today's been a little melancholy for me.

It's been a lot harder to say goodbye to people than I would've thought. I'm really going to miss everyone I'm leaving here in Bountiful, even though I'm really only a forty minute drive away.

Also, today we found out that my Papa (my mom's dad) has pancreatic cancer. It wasn't really a surprise (he's a Vietnam vet and this is an effect of Agent Orange) but it's still hard to hear.

But as easy as it would be to let this get me down, I still have so much to be thankful for! I'm leaving early tomorrow morning to go my dream school. I'm going to make new friends. Because of modern technology, I can still Skype, text, and facebook my old friends. And of course there are a million tiny miracles to go along with the story of my Papa and his Med-Evac from the Air Force base in Germany (where he was serving an LDS mission with my Mutti) to Walter Reed military hospital in Maryland.

Right now things are tough, but I really don't have it that bad.

So today, I choose to be happy.

And it's pretty easy when you watch this video :)




And if you could, any and all prayers/thoughts/good vibes sent Papa's way are really appreciated. He's a great man and one of my heroes. I love him a lot.

Ouch.

Today I woke up and realized I have FOUR DAYS until I leave for college. That's less than the fingers on my hand. Yeah, you could say I'm a little spooked. I still have a kajillion things to do.

I need to pack up everything I own.
I need to purchase books and notebooks and pens and kitchen supplies.
I need to finish up my FOL readings and pack for the conference.
I need to finalize everything with my job in Provo to make sure I'm ready to start next Saturday.
I need to possibly register my car for Wyview parking.
I need to finally get my laptop and luggage and BIA grant money.
And I need to say goodbye to my baby brother, my parents, my puppy, and my best friend.

It's scary.

But I can't wait to move into my dorm, meet my roommates, get to class, live my life.

I'm growing up! And growing pains hurt, but I know I'll come out bigger, stronger, and ready to take on what life throws at me.

BYU, here I come!

I have joined the 21st century.

For FOREVER I had the world's worst phone. It was a brick, but I'd dropped/kicked/thrown/drowned it so many times that it had quite a few bugs. It turned off randomly, would send texts days late and to the wrong person, and needed to be charged several times a day even though it didn't even use data. Yeah, it was pretty much the worst.

BUT THEN.

Yesterday I went to the Sprint store with my dad and my bestie Tyler and picked out a brand new phone to take to college! A Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

I'm smitten.

The Swype text, awesome 8 megapixel camera, fantastic apps, super fast internet. Why oh why did I not get a big-kid-smartphone before?

I heart Sammy.

This is Tyler.

She's pretty cool.

She's also my best friend.

It's her birthday.

Here's to you, kid.