late night thoughts

well, clearly school has been taking up way too much of my time recently. and honestly, i feel like so much has changed in my life in just these short couple of months that have passed. where do i start?

missions. its been the topic of discussion for many weeks now. well, at least at byu campus. it was like a huge shock went though the lds community. soo... to answer those of you who are wondering...{you might be shocked} no, i am not going on a mission. why? its never been in my plan. and at this point in my life, i honestly feel like completing my education and getting a degree is what is most important. i feel good about my decision. yes, three of my best friends/roommates are going. my roomie, morgan, has her call and is called to serve in the chile, concepcion south mission. she reports to the mtc decemeber 19th. wow. fast huh? i am going to miss her bunches but she is going to spread the gospel to those wonderful people of chile (and trust me, they don't know how lucky they are...yet). shaylee just got her papers turned in yesterday! hooray! i can't wait to see where she goes. and haley is planning on starting her papers very soon.

so let's be honest.. ya? i am so extremely proud and excited for these three ladies that i love dearly to be serving the lord for eighteen months. but {this is where the honesty comes in}that doesn't mean my heart isn't totally breaking. seeing steven leave to go on a two year mission was hard enough. after i spent an amazing summer with this boy and practically spent all day, everyday with him, it was heartbreaking to see him leave. i didn't know saying goodbye was going to be that hard. and now.... all my best friends are leaving too? just rip my heart why don't ya! its true, a part of me will be missing until all those i love will be back... but. i realized that the lord needs those i love more than i do at this time. the work of the lord needs to go forth. and let me tell you... it's going forth in full force with all these sister missionaries storming the field!

so congrats, morg, haley, and shay. i love you more than anything and i am over-joyed with your decision to sacrifice eighteen months of your lives and give it over to the lord. you are truly needed where the lord asks you to serve and i can't wait for each of you to discover why. each one of you are an example of righteousness and obedience to me everyday. i feel so extremely blessed to call you my best friends and roommates. in the past year and half you have helped me grow, mature, learn, and become a better person. you have been my shoulders to cry on, my support team, my counselors, my partners in crime, my goofy best friends and my family here at college. now, i can't imagine my life without you three. how did i get along before you were there? thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for me. i love you. let the letters begin. {the post office will learn to love me}

is it pathetic that i am bawling like a baby now? probably. but everyone should know that i am emotional by now. so although this past month has been difficult, long, and sometimes depressing.... i finally feel content with life. i don't know everything that is going to happen in the future. i don't have everything figured out {like i usually do}. each day brings surprises. sometimes bad things happen. sometimes i break down and cry. sometimes people hurt my feelings. sometimes i get a bad grade. sometimes it's too cold here and i miss my az sunshine. sometimes i miss my family a lot. and sometimes i miss steven so much my heart aches. but everything is going to be okay. life throws you some crazy turns and obstacles but in the end, you get through them and come out stronger. so continue onward with a smile on your face and think of all the blessings you have. all the people that love you. and how much heavenly father wants you to succeed. life is good.

life update

i think i need to make a goal to write in my blog more often. i haven't been too good at it lately. so lets go through a few updates on my life. ya?

• summer is over and my tan is fading :(
• my missionary has left. 36 days down. 
• i am back in provo with my girls.
• i have two new roommates (jen and amberly).
• classes at BYU have begun (i am in love with my ASL class)
• i hiked Mt. Timpanogos on monday... thats around 16 mile hike for those of you who don't know (ya it was the hardest thing).
• i really miss Elder Stapley. 

so now you know it all. my life in 7 bullet points. haha okay... so there may be a little more to me than that, but that is the gist of it. sometimes days go by so slow and i wish i was back in gilbert with my family and my mom to cook me meals when i am lazy and don't want to do anything. but other times i couldn't be happier with my best friends, who make me laugh harder than anyone, and enjoying the freedom of living on my own.  But for now... life is good and everyday is a new adventure!

Yay reunited! love these girls with my whole heart!

first day of school!

i love this quote!

summer lovin'.

so.... i haven't written in my blog for over 2 months... for those of you who follow me at all...i apologize. i just have been having way too much fun! no really. you are probably thinking "i have had the best summer ever, better than hers" nope, sorry. you are wrong. i really don't want it to come to an end.. well mostly i just don't want my boy to leave {sigh}.

so here is what i have been up to.....

working. can i even call it that? i LOVE my job.

love these guys i work with

Zombie picture day at the pool

lifeguards are crazy

spending time with this guy at work :)

family time. what is better?

my birthday and this cute guy 

fathers day

fourth of july at the dbacks game

he is so stinkin cute

friends. i love em.

always the besties 

shopping with kylie

Lisa's baptism 

Lifeguard Olympics 

Sushi time with erin

my birthday. yay i am 19

surprise party from kylie with a surprise bunny!!

lots of good eats with the day ending with presents and the bachelorette

steven. this boy... <3 i am so blessed to have met him

we love monopoly deal

sparks fly :)

moviess

baseball game

sleeping. 

he gives me roses.. i love it

who knew mint chocolate chip oatmeal cookies were his weakness??

his first pedicure!!

we usually go through a lot of silly before we get serious. i love him

i just got back from an awesome cruise with my family... i will be sure to make a new post about that shortly.... my free time is about to greatly increase as Steven is leaving in just one day for his mission :( im sure i will post a lot about that too...

let go...

sometimes it's hard to let go of the people that were so influential and (at one point) so important in your life... but when all they do is hurt you... it's time to let go. i know that certain people are placed into our lives for reasons: to help us grow, mature, learn, and develop but that doesn't mean that they need to stay in our lives forever. some people will always be in our lives like our families or our best friends, the ones that we can't imagine life without. you know.. the friends that will have your back no matter what and answer your phone calls at 2 am just because they love you. those people are there to stay. although you may grow up, move far away, get married and be busy with kids, a husband, and life, they will be there when you need them.

so for today, i am turning over a new leaf. i love the people in my life and the awesome relationships i have that are based on trust and understanding. for all of you... thank you for touching my life. i love you.

home and its simple pleasures

back in good ol' gilbert for the summer. my how i've missed this place. don't get me wrong, i miss provo and all the amazing friends and the spirit of BYU but some things at home are just so sweet and i have come to appreciate all the things that i have missed about home:

• my loving family and the great times we have together (including my adorable nephew)
• driving around in my jeep
• late nights with my favorite girls from high school
• my mom's cooking
• my home ward with people that love and care about me
• babysitting for adorable kiddos 
• my job as a lifeguard and all my co-lifeguard friends
• watching pretty little liars with my mom 
• seeing the gilbert temple being built
• my bedroom

some simple pleasures at home i have definitely advantage of and its so good to remember how blessed i am

the gilbert temple is looking awesome

this cutie is so fun

ah mom's cooking.... 

ive missed the Bates kids

isn't my bedroom a haven??

Freshmen year is over!

where did the time go?? i cannot believe that my freshmen year at BYU is done. finished. completed. what? i couldn't have dreamed of all the experiences, struggles, memories, friends, hard times, and opportunities that would have come my way during this first year. it was unbelievably amazing. i still can't believe i am sitting in the airport waiting to fly home to arizona for 4 months. i really did it.

for a recap on a lot of my first year at BYU my roommate and best friend, Shaylee, made an awesome post. click here to read some of our many adventures.

well after school (and the awful finals..blahhh) were finished.... i had some great times with my best friends!

hiking the Y on the last night in beautiful Provo

sleepover in the living room on the last night at wyview

Morgan slept on the couch 

My roommates, my best friends, my beautiful girlies in Heber  for the weekend :)

goodbye utah. i love you. see you in 4 months. xoxo

What to do.

So it was that time of the school year last night at midnight to sign up for classes {deep breaths, trying not to hyperventilate} yes, it is extremely stressful. At just about 11:50pm the count down begins. You seriously have to prepare yourself to be ready to get to the first class you want to add and click that little 'A' as quickly as your fingers can manage and then repeat for the next class. Luckily i got all the classes that i wanted {blessing} but just not at all the best times. Oh well.

At this point in  my life i'm confused. i know what i want to do (get into the nursing program here at BYU and then become a pediatric nurse) but it's easier said then done. For all of you who don't know... the nursing program at BYU is extremely competitive and hard to get accepted into. So i guess only time can tell what will happen but i am praying that by some small miracle i will get accepted. i am also taking an ASL class next fall which i really love so we will see how that goes. All i can do now is put it in the Lord's hands and trust that he knows exactly what i need to have happen in my life. i trust him with my whole heart.