happy grad-iversary

It is so strange to think about, but this time one year ago I was GRADUATING from COLLEGE.  I'm still not used to the idea of being a college alumni, of being old.  My laurels laughed when I told them I turned 23 this last week - they couldn't believe I'm that young.  Truth be told, I'm only five or six years older than them, which seems like nothing and a lifetime all at the same time. 

We're throwing our caps in the air in case you can't tell...

Since graduation we've started "real life," with our first "real" apartment, "real" jobs, "real" ward etc etc.  Everything's gettin' "real" around here, and even though it's hard sometimes, we're having a great time and trying to always look for the best in our situation.  Dave's nightly routine lately has been to come home, kiss me, and tell me that life is so sweet. 

Sometimes I agree with him more than others, but he's right.  Life is so sweet.

go cougs

Two constants of my college career were BYU football and my game day buddies, neither of which changed much over the years, as you can see.  Along the way we added a 5th roommate to our group (who is now my permanent roommate), and thanks to him (or more specifically his parents) I started sitting much closer to the field and enjoying free ice cream during the 3rd quarter.  These are good memories . . .

Tonight we're eatin' pancakes and watchin' the first BYU game of the season. 

It feels weird not to be at the stadium with rest of our Cougar fans, decked in white to cheer on our team.  It feels even weirder to say that David and I are watching our Alma mater play tonight.  Gosh, when did we do all this growing up?  College always seemed to be something I was looking forward to or was in the thick of, but now.  Now, all of a sudden, I'm on the other side of it.  Done.  Graduated.  Moved out and on. 

I'm sure I'll get used to the idea of being an alumni instead of a student, but for now it's still comforting to hear David yell after each down, and know that every fall I'll still have BYU football to look forward to.

Go Cougs.

on to the next

Well friends, we finally did it.

We graduated from COLLEGE.  Crazy right?

It's been a long, lovey, family filled weekend and now we're all grown up.  Well, at least we're all educated and have a piece of paper in the mail headed our way to prove it.

 Yahoo!  Now on to the next adventure.

keep calm and...

but mostly...

We're down to t-minus 5 days folks.
Let the countdown begin.


Cupcake via Etsy
Write via Etsy
Summer via The Curious Brain
Cary Grant via Pinterest
Graduate via Pinterest

fin

Yesterday was both of our LAST, last day of school.

This picture is actually completely misleading.  While I was appropriately giddy to be done with my semester classes, the whole ordeal was more bittersweet than anything else.

I honestly stayed on campus from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm trying to prolong the inevitable (in which time I successfully studied for and took the final for my online class this semester - a feat I've been trying to muster up the motivation to accomplish for two weeks now).

The truth is I'm really going to miss BYU.

I'm not going to miss homework, heavy backpacks, and final exams, but I'm going to miss my classes.
I'm going to miss the commrodery.
The belonging to something.
The friends and the acquaintances and the professors.
I'm going to miss driving home to California for Christmas, and then driving back to Utah, a place that has started to feel very much like home.
I'm going to miss the campus life, our tiny south campus apartment, and our married-student ward.

I'm going to miss a lot of things.

I've decided I'm not going to cry at graduation (just like I decided not to cry at our wedding - and it almost worked), but you can bet yourself a pretty penny I'll be shedding a few tears come the end of May when we drive away in our U-haul...

It's been fun BYU, thanks for the good times.

and then there were three

Three days until the end of college.

And today was my last day of Monday classes.  EVER.
Well, at least as a student at BYU.

This is pure and utter craziness.

Who decided I was old enough to graduate from college?


Picture via BYU

decorating

Have I ever told you my floral design class is the best?  I'm pretty sure I have (like 15 times), but it's still true.

Our latest assignment was to make an "everlasting design," aka a fake flower arrangement, and I've had my eye on THIS DIY for a while now.

Hellooo excuse to decorate the apartment.
I love it.

David has deemed them a little Dr. Seuss-esqe (specifically something out of The Lorax), and I've decided to take that as a compliment.

P.S. We're seeing The Hunger Games tonight - so excited.

compliments

Yesterday a boy in my class told me that I remind him of Kate Middleton.
(you know, when I don't come to class with a big bun on my head)

Cheers to you Recreational Law & Liability boy.  You sure know how to compliment a lady.

the little things

Another reason why I love floral design:

Don't those flowers just make you smile?
Good.  Me too.

P.S. it's been in the 60's all this week...and today it's supposed to rain.  I'm not even going to mention the weather report for tomorrow.
See ya later spring fever, we had a good run.

notice something...?

...like a vase of fresh flowers perhaps?

Yep, after 4 years, I'm finally taking floral design and we just had our first lab yesterday.

Cheers to having fresh flowers in the house in the middle of winter (probably the biggest perk of the class).  Plus I can name every flower in that bouquet. 
I'm feelin' pretty legit right about now.

Class tidbit:  did you know that if you don't have that little purple packet of floral food to put in your flower's water there are two at home solutions you can choose from?
(a) any lemon-lime soda pop
(b) an anti-bacteria mouth wash

Say what?

They help kill the bacteria in the water, thus making your flowers live longer.

Now you know.

P.S. our tiny apartment smells deliciously of fresh flowers right about now.  Plus plus.

the last

Today was my last first day of school!

And yes I had David take a first day of school picture to commemorate the moment:

Bah!  Can you believe it?  I'm graduating from COLLEGE at the end of this semester.  This is all sorts of ridiculousness.

Bring it on 2012!

priorities

I've been craving a map to put up in our house for a while now.  I thought about buying one off etsy, but, lets be honest, with Christmas around the corner I'm a little tired of watching funds fly out the window.  SO...I googled.

And guess what?

Turns out  you can download all the state's shapes straight to your photoshop from Adobe.com for FREE!

All it took was a little (lot of) time and waahla!  My very own little US map made by yours truly.

Note: Yes I'm aware the states don't exactly all fit together just right, but I think it sort of adds to the charm of the thing.  Don't you agree?

Now that this is done I probably should start studying for my marketing final..

monday

Chocolate mustache?

Check.

Finals here I come.

wintertime

The clouds are trying so hard to snow around here.  It's going to be in the low 20's every morning this week - we're talking the kind of cold that makes you feel like your nose it going to fall off by the time you get to class (thank goodness I get to cut through two buildings on my way to school)

However (I really can't believe I'm saying this) I'm almost rooting for there to be a good dumping of Christmas snow in our near future.

Perhaps it's because I know I get to go home to sunny, lovely southern California in 11 days (who's counting?  not me.)
Or perhaps it's because classes are over in two days (two days!) and then I won't have to walk to school in the wee hours of the morning anymore this semester.

But mostly I think I'm just in the mood for a good snowstorm - we're talking the kind of snow that makes you want to grab a cup of hot chocolate and just watch it fall all afternoon...which could give me another excuse to procrastinate studying for my finals...

Picture source

causation

FACT: the closer we get to finals week the more often we have breakfast for dinner.
Also Lucky Charms are, by far, my favorite cereal.

hunkering down

 

This is my mantra this week.

The lineup:

• Finals are just around the corner.  
• I've got three rather large projects due this Tuesday and Wednesday.  
• Group meetings are scheduled at 8:00 PM tonight and tomorrow night.
• Also, Senior-itis set in over a month ago. 

And really, all I want to do is hop in the car and drive as fast as I can to California for Christmas break.

I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.  I LOVE HOMEWORK.

I LOVE HOMEWORK.

Picture source.

the end of the beginning

So, I did something on Tuesday that made me feel incredibly

...old?  

...mature?  

...like I've been living in Provo for a really long time?

What did I do, you ask?

I signed up for my last semester of college classes.

Wait.  What??!!??!?

I know.

This is ridiculous.

Who okayed this?

Wasn't it just yesterday that I had to get myself a cap and gown to graduate from high school?

Well, I apply for graduation in November.

As in NEXT month.

Life is going by in blinks and fast forwards.

I need to take more pictures so I don't forget all the good stuff.

p.s. I am most definitely signed up for floral design this winter semester - can you say stoked?  'Cause I am.

please?

Dear everyone who reads this blog and is a college student in Utah,

Could I ask you a tiny favor?

I'm taking this marketing class and I needed to gather some primary data - meaning it would be the best thing in the world if you could take this survey for me:

https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9BLv0GvvgEotnms

It's painless, I promise.

And it will take you all of 1 minute to complete.

Thank you thank you thank you

the pig skin

Some girls might call me lucky.

Some girls might pity me.

But I have watched every BYU football game for the past 2 seasons...

Away or home,

I haven't missed a'one.

I'm pretty sure...

 

I happened to have married a man and into a family that loves BYU football.

Bleeds blue.

Go Cougars.

All that jazz.

And I've become pretty savvy with the all this football lingo.

I can tell you what a safety is.
When somebody is off-sides.
How many points you get for a field goal.

And which one is Bronco Mendehall again...?

Alright.
Sometimes I haven't got a clue what's going on down there, but I never turn down the chance to eat a hotdog and don some school pride.

Plus it's a great excuse to take pictures...lots and lots of pictures.

Go Cougs!

P.S. Somehow Dave doesn't own a single BYU shirt...how on earth did this happen? 

discovery

While doing my marketing homework I ran across this sentence:

"One source compared the workplace to a swiftly flowing river clogged with the flotsam and jetsam called data..."

wait.

what?

I was under the impression that flotsam and jetsam were these guys?

Dictionary.com to the rescue.

(we don't own a Websters yet...)

flotsam [flot-suhm]

noun

1. the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating in the water

2. material or refuse floating on the water

jetsam [jet-suhm]

noun

unwanted material or goods that have been thrown overboard from a ship

Check.

Learned something new today.