how i spent winter vacation.

after being home for a day it went from relaxing to frantic. we had to get ready for Erika and Brads wedding!!!! christmas flew by before i knew it mom and i were spending every possible moment down at the church starting to decorate it for the reception. even though i was glad to help my mom and dad out, i really just wanted to spent time with heidi and nick. on tuesday we got up and went to the church to decorate, then took of to Boston for the wedding. Brian, Dad and i rode together in the van. brian and i put in the 25th anniversary edition of Les Miserables and 2 and a half hours later we had 30 minutes of driving left. we stopped at wendys for a quick dinner then headed over to the hotel. Erika, Margie, Becky and i shared a room, and Mom, dad, and the boys shared another room next door. Brad and the Gibbons family were at another hotel down the road. we went to sleep at about 11pm. i was awake he whole time. becky was snoring, loudly. so i texted mom to let me into their room, i grabbed my pillow and went next door to sleep on their floor. peace and quiet. perfect. the next morning we all ate breakfast, got dressed and beautifed and left for the temple. Brian, Bradley and i watched Jack and Emma in the waiting room. it was actually fun. jack slept while we played with emma, then emma fell asleep and jack woke up, so we played with him. about 35 minutes later they were done and Erika and Brad were Happily Married. then it was time to take pictures. it was cloudy, cold, and windy, and the VanDerwerkens looooved to take pictures... oh boy. about an hour and a half later, we were finally able to go to lunch on the outskirts of Boston. it was delicious. then we made or way back home again. i fell asleep haha... always. and woke up in Schoharie on I-88. the next morning, mom, dad, and i were down at the church again. we got a huge chunk of decorating done with the help of the vanderwerkens, shaffers, styles, harveys, nanny, becky, poppy, and coopers. Gibbons were supposed to be coming to our house to sleep later that night. they had two young boys who were going to sleep in the boys room on the floor, the parents were going to sleep downstairs on the big air mattress, and erika and brad were on their honeymoon on the coast of massachusetts. oh yeah, and the other small detail that brad had 4 sisters who ranged in age from 17-26. 4.... four.... sisters. they were staying in my room. we pulled the extra mattresses off of each bed to make 4 beds... there was absolutely no room whatsoever to fit another person. the basement was occupied, my room was occupied, and i was not going to sleep in the bath tub. so after much convincing, mom and dad let me escape to heidi's house. i was so happy and relieved to have a night full of everything but wedding talk. we watched movies and caught up on everything we had missed in each others lives for the past three months. we stayed up almost all night. in the morning mom( dale) had french toast and bacon waiting for us. it was delicious. i spent all morning with them, and most of the afternoon... i came home at about 2:30 to find my house completely filled with people. 8 gibbons, 5 mclaughlins, and 3 careys... that's 16 people in our dinning room/ living room/ kitchen area. holllly molllly! mom and becky were trying to cook pasta, red sauce, rolls, alfredo sauce, and make and chop veggies for salads. the gibbons left to go explore the town of cobleskill and mom and i left around dinner time to go back down to the church to decorate some more. we went home and back to bed. we were eating, sleeping, and breathing this reception. the next day was the of the blessed event. mom and i were down at the church early again so we could put the last and final touches on the gym. it looked absolutely beautiful and at that moment i think i realized just how talented my mother really is. it was a beautiful wedding and i felt that the week of wedding stuff had paid off nicely. 

 the gym... transformed

 the cake my mom made herself!

 gym from the front

 the tables

 the centerpieces!

 more centerpieces!

homecoming

well. i pulled an all-nighter from thursday to friday... wished off Lauren and Glorianne at the bus stop at about 7 am... then Janae and Eric helped me finish packing, we went to Erics to help him finish packing, then we spent the rest of the night being together, it was a little grim since we were lonely without three of out six. but being with each other was enough. i fell sleep on their couch before being woken up by eric.. it was curfew. we said our good-byes... sadly... and quickly so as to not inflict too much pain. :( i went home and watched movies with erika and did the final cleaning touches to the apartment. then said my final good-bye to Emily Hayes... it was teary but not sobbing. erika and i watched another movie then i.. totally exhausted, fell asleep at about 3am. three hours later erika woke me up and we walked our luggage down to the bus stop and hopped on i texted Heidi so i could keep her updated on where i was. i was so excited to go home and see her again. the bus had tangled playing... but i was still so tired so i fell asleep almost immediately. i woke up about 30 minutes away from the Salt Lake airport. Erika and i waited with Mary-Kate Wilding, Marie Andrew, and Colin Selin in the terminal for about 45 minutes, i texted heidi again to let her know, then we were called to board. Erika and i were in the first section so we boarded relatively early. We sat in a seat soon to be joined by a young college student who was studying computer science at BYU-Provo. he was very nice, and willing to have a full-on conversation with Erika and I... ohhh the things that happen in the mormon world. the plane took off and i again, almost immediately fell asleep. when i woke up we were somewhere over North Dakota. so... 3 hours left. i watched a little bit of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince then fell asleep again. so i let Erika watch Phantom of the Opera on my mac. when i woke up again we were about 45 minutes away from Baltimore. finally. so i continued to watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince until we landed. we then got off the plane and headed for the next terminal. we used the free wifi for about 45 minutes. i let erika go on as well since she left her laptop in rexburg for the break. i texted heidi to let her know i was finally on the final flight to come home. she said she was excited and that she'd be waiting at home for me. Erika and i (and the rest of the Albany Stake People)  boarded our final flight from Baltimore to Albany. it was supposed to take 45 minutes, so Erika and i started to finish watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, but 26 minutes later,  we were there! whoo-hoo! i texted heidi to tell her i made it home safely... she was like  "YAY! can't to see you!" Erika and i walked through the terminal. We looked up to find Brian and Bradley waving frantically at us from the top floor... then they disappeared. we met them at the bottom of the stairs, i was really really happy to see them. Brian let out "look who we found waiting for you..." i looked over to where my parents were and to my surprise, Heidi, Nick, Larry, and Dale were all there too! i couldn't even describe it. i thought i was dreaming. i ran over to heidi and burried her in a hug. it was awesome. then i attacked nick, dale, and larry. then i realized how awful i must have looked. i hadn't showered in about 2 days, i was wearing a sweater and some leggings, no make-up and i had huge bags under my eyes from lack of sleep.. haha charming. i was so happy to see heidi and nick again. they left early so they could get home. while mom, dad, erika, brian, bradley and i made our was to baggage claim, where we claimed our baggage then drove home. i was so tired i fell asleep again! i woke up in the garage. walked my suitcases and stuff up to my room, showered, changed, ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich, then went to bed. at 7am the next day i was up getting ready for church! it felt like 5am... oh wait... it was in rexburg time! haha. it was nice to see everyone at church. but i was just glad to be in a place where there was hot showers, my own room/bed, free laundry, and unlimited delicious food. i was home!

BYU-I Fall Family.

other than shawn and emily, i was able to create an entire family that i spent everynight of the last month of the semester with. weather it was watching modern family or glee, or roaming around the streets of rexburg, finding something to do next, every moment spent with them was a moment i will never forget. on any given night you could find us rocking out in the kirkim theater, where a stage and sound system became our match maker. after one night i knew these friendships would last forever. they are such talented people in their individual ways and i'm not sure what i would have done everynight without them! so even though i'll see some of them in 3 months, some in 6 months, and some in 2 years, i'll never forget the friendships we created, memories we shared, and the many more to come in the future. 

from left to right, Lauren Maxwell, Glorianne Hefner, Janae Rich, Jared Orr, Eric Gaspar, and Me. 

"those who truly live the gospel know they will never truly see each other for the last time."♥

Saying Goodbye

Well, i obviously made it through the end of my semester. i thought the jury was going to be the hardest part. but it turns out parting itself is the hardest part. i've made the 2 best friends anyone could ever ask for and i'm devastated at the thought of being apart of 4 months! but i know seeing them in April will make the wait worth while. 

               Emily & Emily.... pretty much sisters. she's just too funny and i honestly am still wondering what i would have done without her this semester.    ♥

                 SHAWN LORDS! hysterical young man! sweetest ever! brother and partner in the music theory crime world. he never ceases to make me smile. he reminds me so much of my brother brian. ♥

Overcoming my Jury.

at the end of every semester, it is necessary for every music major, be it instrumental, percussion, or vocal, has to go through what they call a jury. now, it's different for brass, woodwind, strings, vocal... etc. being a vocal, i was to partake of the great experience. i was required to learn, memorize, and stylize three different italian pieces throughout the semester, to later be performed for some of the music staff. today, was the day. i woke up a nervous wreck, went to basic musicianship, ran through my three songs in a practice room, then went to calm my nerves by talking to Jacob Fowkes, Emily Roberts, and Tyler Carlisle. then, jacob, emily and i went to music explorations. afterwhich, i came home to shower, re-apply make-up, blow-dry and straighten my hair, get dressed, grab three bottles of water, and head back to the snow. it was about 1:15pm when i met Charlotte Goga there. she stayed with me for the entire 2 hours and 24 minutes we had to practice before i went in for my jury. she encouraged me, gave me helpful advice, coached me, and most importantly was just there for me. it was a huge help. when the time came, i went down the Barrus Hall, where the juries were taking place. there was already a crowd of 155 vocal majors who both had already gone, or whom were waiting in anxious anticipation to simply get it over with. I had O Cessate Di Piagarmi, Nel Cor Piu Non Me Sento, and O Del Mio Dolce Ardor on my repitoire sheet. Erin McMahon went two slots before me... O Cessate was chosen for her... i was SO thankful. This was my worst song, the only one i did NOT want to be chosen for me to sing. she sounded wonderful and her bright smiling face greeted my nerves as she skipped out of the Barrus Hall. Next in line was Emily Roberts. Nel Cor Piu Non Me Sento was chosen for her. i was a little disappointed. that was the one i was really hoping for, but nontheless, O Del Mio Dolce Ardor was one of my best, and i was thankful i was left with that one and not O Cessate. the funny thing about this is that Emily, Erin, and I had completely different song lists.... they just both ironically had songs form mine on theirs... haha! well, the Lord blesses those who ask for comfort! they chose my best song, and i performed it to the best of my abilities at that moment. Sister Ashby simply smiled at me the entire time, Brother Kempton had a pleasant look about him, and Brother Olsen simply smiled at me as well. My Voice coach Erin, was also present, as was Charlotte who was my focal point. i looked at her the entire time, telling the stories of my songs to her as best as i could. when it was done, my piano player, Melissa Fitzen and i walked out. it was a HUGE sigh of relief. i felt sooooooooooooooo stress free and light. i had been so happy about anything since the day we picked up Max. i was soooo happy to know that my jury was over. now... we shall see if my performance was up to par. for now, i have a piano final, and a basic musicianship final, both of which i am extremely excited and well-prepared for. thursday is when it all ends... and i am so excited to spend my last three days here with the people i'll be sad to leave during the winter semester. :( and then saturday morning! erika and i shall make our way up to salt lake to begin our journey home to NY.... SO EXCITED!!!! (:

Karma

oh. my. lanta. i honestly am not sure how this semester was able to fly by as fast as it did. i'm glad and sad. go figure. all summer i did nothing but complain about coming out to Idaho, because i didn't want to leave my family, friends, school district, or pretty much the east coast in general. i remember talking with my dad and saying "i wish i could just stay home, i already know i'm going to hate it out there." he responded with "be careful what you say. you're now going to go out there and absolutely love it, just for saying that last sentence.... it's what we call karma." well... as usual, my daddy was right... and karma has come back to bite me in the butt. i've achieved new levels of mental, emotional, physical, and most importantly spiritual growth, that i thought were not possible. i've been able to cultivate my talents, up to a level that will be able to help build the kingdom of God. i've made the most amazing friendships with some of the most amazing people. their testimonies of music, and the gospel, have been able to stabilize my own testimony. they have all brought me laughter, company, encouragement, music, inspiration, good times, early mornings, late nights, study groups, movie nights, temple trips, pre-jury bonding sessions, and love. lots and lots of love. although i am SO SO SO excited to get on a plane and come home this saturday, i am devastated at the thought that i will not be seeing some of these people until april, and even more of them until next september. holy cow, that seems like an eternity. a truly amazing woman, Erin McMahon told me today, "Those who live the gospel understand that they will never see each other for the last time. "‎♥ ... how incredible is she? this has brought me the most comfort as i spend my last few days as a first semester pre-music major at BYU-Idaho. 

                                 Two of the world's greatest FHE brothers. Damion and Carl.

                                                    Emily, Austin, and me... (:

                                           Tyler Beesley, you could call him my second brother.

                                      This is Jordan, i sat next to him in band... he is a cool kid!

                    Savannah, Me, and Mandilyn at kiwi loco after our wednesday 155 lecture.

                                           Me, Sleigh Bells, and Shawn... HAHAHAHAHA!

                                          Jacob Fowkes and I, i LOVE this kid... a lot <3

                                           This is Emily Hayes, she is literally my best friend.

                                          Sam, Me, and Spencer... blind date at Walmart. hhaha.

                                               TY & I.... love isn't even the right word for him.

                                            ooof... eric,..... we're really attractive. :)

Eric Gaspar and i... yeah... we are really attractive. 

 Me, Emily Roberts, Christian Holden, Mandilyn Sorensen, Meagan Spencer, and Erin McMahon, Kiwi Loco after 155 again... i'm really gonna miss this. :)

Devotional Adventures.

as part of our women's choir duties, we are lucky enough to sing in devotional twice or three times per semester. This past tuesday, 11/08/2011, we had this opportunity. This time, in particular, was quite the adventure. Ashley, Myself, and Emily, sat next to each other. the are both about 2 inches taller than me. we were seated in the back row, not expecting to end up on the camera shots. however, in the middle of the song, the screen showed a horizontal pan of the back row. i couldn't tell for sure if it was on the three of us, so i quickly stood up on my tip-toes and sunk back down... an action that only took about 3 seconds. however, the camera was on me, and the simple action of standing up on my tip-toes then coming back down was visible to the entire campus of BYU-Idaho. HA!... oh well..... i was bound to be well known at here at some point! after the song (which was beautiful) was finished we sat down... and then... they turned the lights down on us, so on screen we looked pitch black. the devotional speaker had a mono-tone voice which was all-too relaxing, and because we were seated behind him, all we could hear was an echo. it would take extreme focus and practice to even try to figure out what he was saying. so, being exhausted from the lack of sleep i have been getting, i climbed onto the carpeted riser behind be, stretched out flat, and fell asleep. i was out stone cold. i was so deeply asleep, that the only thing that could possibly wake me up was a loud noise... leave it to emily to cover that. apparently when she silenced her phone, it did not silence the media sounds. being bored, she decided to play a game. upon clicking on the app, the i-center stage began to echo with a song, a simple jungle that a normal game would have, i shot right up like a rocket, she tried to absorb the sound by pressing it into her stomach, which seemed to work for the most part, after the song stopped, she turned her phone off, and threw it under her chair. i lied back down and not even 5 minutes later i was out like a light... again. until the speaker closed and i woke up to sing the closing song, and pray. it was a devotional i will certainly never forget, even though i slept through most of it... but i must say, that stage is much more comfortable than people give it credit for. (: