grateful.

I am so grateful for the many loving friends that I have.

Katie and Mayra deserve a shoutout for helping me feel a bit more normal :) even though I am still freaking stressed. haha

really though, I am so happy.

walmart

Last night, I had the best time ever at Walmart.

we tried pretty much every perfume/cologne they had to offer.

we stared at the candy for hours.

we took our blood pressure.

we laughed and all the "value packs" that weren't actually cheaper.

we smelled every type of candle you could ever imagine.

we looked at all the Christmas decorations.

we laughed at the college girl being pushed in a cart. (weird)

and then we came home and played gamecube. then we tried to break in to the pool and walk on the ice. but we couldn't.

now I have a lot to do. :)

the closing of another semester.

I just realized that I had a lot of cool experiences this semester. Okay, I always do, but I had a chance to get involved in so many things. I had a class with 10 other passionate and smart people studying to be science teachers. I taught 15 of the cutest kids science every week and they love me so much. I met so many new friends that taught me about life and helped me to learn more about myself.

We launched off hot air balloons today in Physical Science 276.
One of the most fun things we have done so far.
too bad they all landed on the roof.

All the kids were getting me to take crazy pictures.
this is Caroline.
She is quite the spunky little girl.
She quotes Kid History and Divine Comedy like crazy.
and it's so cute.

we got to pet turtles in science club.

This is Olivia.
She is a little bit quieter than Caroline.
but clearly still loves to have fun.

we also got to pet a snake.

we all had doughnuts afterward.
definitely the kids' favorite part.
they bought me this donut. so cute.

I got this note from one of the kids.
his mom does host the club, but still.
I love it.


bonus of the day.
my sister came and surprised me with Christmas cookies

Tomorrow is the last day of classes. Joy and happiness :)

Patience

um, how do people handle waiting? really? and not knowing if things are going to happen. It's really driving me crazy.

I'm just being a drama queen. typical. and it better stop soon or things are going to be interesting.

The funny part is that was all that was said during fast and testimony meeting. Learn to be patient and wait. Find joy in the journey. I'm going to work on that this week :)

No Shame.

I am always learning new things about life every semester. I think what Heavenly Father is trying to teach me this time around is that it's okay to ask for help when you need it. and it's okay to open up to other people.

I'm usually a pretty closed off person and I don't like to share my feelings. and I NEVER like to ask for help. but this semester I have seen that I feel so much better when I talk to other people about what I am upset about, what I need, or if something is bothering me. It helps so much.

I can't do everything on my own. It has taken me a long time to realize that it is perfectly fine to ask others if you need something. This semester has been pretty stressful with all my teaching hours, and one time I just could not get everything ready for science club that I needed to. (Wednesdays I am ridiculously busy.) I had no clue what to do so finally I just asked my roommate if she could help me prepare the stuff for science club since I would not get it done before class. and of course she said yes! so, it's good to let others know when you need help.

Learning this lesson really parallels with knowing that I cannot do anything without Christ. I have also learned this semester that I need Him in my life. He's the one that I tell everything to and he knows ALL my struggles. I think that Heavenly Father needs me to know that I need to depend on others more because I can't do it alone. It might have worked for awhile, but I will have trials where I will absolutely need the support of others, and most of all I need to depend on my Savior.

Here's a great quote that emphasizes this. It was on my kindness quote of the day calendar and I LOVE it.

"Independence? That’s middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth." – George Bernard Shaw

need a laugh?

I definitely do. I am so counting down the days until finals are OVER!!!

best part of the movie

The next blog post is going to make you laugh. but I am still working on that.

science club

One of the best parts of my semester has been science club. Although it has been stressful to plan experiments for every week and try to keep these crazy fun kids paying attention for even a few minutes to learn science, I have so much fun when I am there!

these pictures show us using mentos to make diet coke spray everywhere, shooting off rockets, and learning about scientific observation and inference. We have also learned about surface tension, how quicksand works, and the force of gravity (making parachutes). The kids love to do the experiments, and they also love Bill Nye.

I am definitely going to miss not going next semester!

right now: Thanksgiving preparations are under way. It's going to be so delicious and it's so fun to have my aunt and uncle here. We are also having the missionaries over and apparently they are hilarious. It will be a fun day! Mostly, I have just been doing homework so I could get it out of the way and now I am giving myself some time to relax. I am hoping to hang out with some old friends this week too :)

and maybe get ahead on making flashcards for my last physics test and finals.

I love break!