Cocoa Puff Cookies

I'm pretty sure this has been the longest week of all time. I don't even know exactly why it was such a long week; busy, to be sure, but just interminable. By Wednesday I felt like I was running through molasses, so I turned to the best comfort food I had: Hurst cookies smothered in peanut butter. It didn't make the rest of the week go any faster, but it did make me feel better. Weird how some weeks hit you like that.

So, now to detail the week that never ended.

School has been a beast. Not necessarily hard, just busy. Plus, seeing Thanksgiving just around the corner makes it hard to buckle down and study. Don't worry, I'm doing well. I nailed my two midterms, and I'm hoping that will carry onto the two I have this week.

Then socially this week has been packed too.

Tuesday night I attended my first BYU baby shower. I told you about the quilt already, but Tuesday was Charlotte's official shower. It was a very pleasant evening despite the fact I only knew Charlotte. Her friends are easy to talk to and welcomed me in and we all enjoyed just celebrating the next stage in life. The only thing that was really weird about the evening is the thought of how quickly Charlotte and I moved to completely different stages in life. She began dating Jonah, her husband, a few weeks after Austin and I started dating. Then, they got married the week Austin entered the MTC, and here we are 13 months later. I love it though. I would not ask for anything different for either of us.

Wednesday night we had a Relief Society meeting (formerly known as Enrichment) Jessi is on the planning committee and helped put together a meeting on "Feasting on the Sabbath". I really appreciated it. Jessi, Ashlan and I went and purchased six loaves of Great Harvest bread then went and set up tables and chairs for the 30-ish girls that showed up. After chatting and eating bread and butter Jessi gave a well prepared lesson about how to make our Sabbaths more meaningful. She presented lots of good ideas and led a very personal and well-participated in discussion. It was exactly right for the setting and the people.

Can I pause my week and tell you how much I love my roommates? They are unbelievable. Incredible, really. Maria, Ashlan and Jessi are all so strong in different ways, hilarious and caring. Basically, they make my life so easy and fun and exactly what anyone could want.

Back to Wednesday: After RS we headed downstairs to the Acoustic Explosion. Our three friends, Kevin, Anthony and Zack played three of their songs in the Varsity Theater. Here it is in simple terms: Three silly friends, two guitars, one awesome musical show.

I wish I could link the video, but it's on a secure Facebook profile, sorry.

Saturday we drove up to Salt Lake for Hailey's baptism. It was really nice. Watching Grandpa sit Hailey on his lap and honestly tell her his feelings hit my heartstrings. I have a lot of respect for Grandpa and for some reason he seems to understand me. Plus, I've had tender moments like that one with Grandpa before and I hold them close to my heart. Basically, I love my family. I can't express it better than that.

I love you all. 8 days of class until Thanksgiving.

LOVE.

Click Our Way Through the Weekend

Some pictures from this last weekend:

McKenzie's surprise birthday party:

Pumpkin Carving Group Date / Halloween Night:

Preston's Baptism:

McKenzie's Birthday Dinner at The Pie in SLC:

I love you all so much and I love spending time with you. If you want more pictures or whatnot email me and I'll forward them to you or I'll burn you a CD.

Purple Elephonkey

Disclaimer: Dad, this will be centered. Sorry. The next one I'll L-align it for you.

A few weeks ago I decided to be artsy and make something.

As I rifled through my talents, desired outcomes

and possible projects I came up with:

Jonah and Charlotte Barnes - Currently pregnant with Baby Boy Barnes (aka O'Barna)

Birthday sewing machine still unused

Oncoming cold months and depressing weather

Plus: I'm mormon and I've never made a quilt.

I figured I should change that.

So I busted out my sewing machine, took a trip to Walmart and concocted this quilt.

Yup. Republican and Democrat cloth. Ballin!!!

Here's the inspiration:

I met Jonah through Austin Secrist. Both are avid Conservatives/Republicans. (Avid isn't strong enough. Fanatical would be more appropriate.) Charlotte comes from a liberal background, similar to me. They are currently expecting their first child, a boy (who will be named Barack Barnes or Hilary Barnes. Or both.) and so I figured a blanket representing the dichotomy he will be born into would be perfect.

I love the quilt and I'm really proud of how it turned out.

But I love Jonah and Charlotte more. I am so excited to meet the newest little one in a month.

Petri Dishes.

Hey, I'm just getting ready to head up to class and I thought I'd send a quick hello. I'm doing well despite the fact BYU's PR representative came to my Teachings of the Living Prophet's class to say our entire class has been exposed to whooping cough. Then, our professor said we have two people in our class with confirmed swine flu cases.

So... I'm a ticking time bomb basically.

I love you all, whether or not I contract one or all of the diseas

es flying through campus and die. (More likely I'll die from my two exams and two papers) I can't wait to come home to San Jose this weekend! I love you all!

And Dad, in response to your email from my last post:

"what is the deal with the center alignment? i had to copy it into a word document and L align it be be able to read it comfortably"

Haha, you would. The man who edited Philip's emails from Brasil. (Did you notice I left it L aligned for you this time?)

The reason I put it in the center is because it is more aesthetically pleasing. Yup.

All my love and none of my sicknesses to all of you!

P.S.

I found this sweet photography blog. Check it out.

chromasia.com

There are some awesome portraits of kids, like the one here,

as well as some amazing scenery shots from

wherever they live in Europe. Love it!

I am my mother's daughter

The past three weeks that I've been up at school I've been sustaining life.

Meaning? Peanut butter and crackers.

I'm glad I'm an obedient child and

took my mother's warning to heart at the tender age of 18 months.

"Listen kid. If you're going to survive in this family then you better learn to like peanut butter."

It's just helped me survive, period.

But that's changing. I bought some stuff to make fun food so no worries. I won't be mal-nourished or anything like that. Lots of veggies and fruit and cheese. Mmmm... : )

In class today people kept asking me about my weekend and I honestly had a hard time remembering everything I did. (By the way, I wore my cameo to class today and it's amazing.) Besides BYU's devastating loss to FSU it was a fun weekend! The most interesting thing was visiting Mark and his boyfriend Mike up in Salt Lake.

Thursday after class I drove up to SLC to visit my long-time friend Mark and meet his boyfriend of a year, Mike. It was a big deal that I was meeting the boyfriend, but it all went very smoothly. Honestly, the entire experience was fabulous and Mike is so very pleasant.

For dinner they made me curry and cheesecake and then we went to a gay bar.

Yes, a gay bar.

Now, I know the stereotypes that immediately pop to mind, and this place was nothing like that. I think the fact it's a private bar, so you have to be a member to go there, helped make it less sleezy. The entire night I felt neither uncomfortable or compromised. We played pool and darts and sat out on the patio and talked. It was definitely something weird, but at the same time very low-key.

How can I best describe my emotions from the evening? Happy.

Being with and talking to Mark has always, ever since we met at EFY, set my head strait. And then Mike has such a happy feeling about him that I was immediately enveloped in his caring love. I wish I could accurately capture the fabulousness of what most people would find to be an uncomfortable situation.

Saturday morning McKenzie, her roommate Britteny and I went with Austin Hyde to ride his grandpa's horses. Now, knowing that I was the biggest horse nut growing up, it won't surprise you to know it was blissful for me. Getting out at 8 am up in the hills near Springville where I could ride up and look out over the newly emerging fall colors of the valley I was so relaxed and free. I know I got past the horse-nut stage, but I still do want a horse. I'll be honest.

School's crazy but I love it.

My New Testament class blows my mind. My professor, Camille Fronk Olsen, has so much knowledge and explains things perfectly so that I wish I could just soak in every word she says! Plus, I'm blessed to take the class with Kyle and Ashlan and their comments and insights are always inspiring. I have the best friends in the world, hands down.

My Teachings of the Living Prophets brings back truths that the spirit reaffirms and it's a pleasure basking in the passion of my professor Sister Wyne. Accounting is tough but I understand it. English is frustrating because I feel like the information could be so interestingly presented but my professor just kind of Blahs it all up. And Business Management is full of friends and so directly relates to public relations.

I love learning. And reading. And I'm going to learn a Rachmaninov piece this year in my piano class. I can't wait!

Crimson and Gold

Saturday, after watching BYU destroy Tulane, was the USC vs. Ohio game. So we drove up to Eagle Mountain to watch the game at Kyle's friend's house.

"We" =

Hilary

Kevin

Naomi

Kyle

Ashlan

Jessi

Trevor

Zack

Ashton

Nick

Anthony

"Eagle Mountain" =

USC won the game, bookended with a fabulous start and tense ending. I obsessed with McKenzie's camera, taking pictures. The following pictures are a taste of our fun.

Ashton and Kevin celebrating USC's touchdown.

Kyle consuming. Of course we had food.

Ashton and Zack.

I love this picture. Just because.

Reunions and Scrabble Night

Sunday marked the official, "I'm back at BYU" point with the revival of Sunday night Scrabble. We weren't able to finish because our Home Teachers showed up and then I had to leave for dinner with Chip&Debbie but it was a good warm up.

Here are my friends whom I love dearly.

Kinsi

(not living with us this year)

She drew all the Scrabble Girls on her fingers.

Trevor & Jessi

[SherKahn & Andaconda]

(He's from St. Louis. Served in Russia. Knows the Hannah Montana characters.)

(She's from Springfield, VA. Public Relations major. Looses backs to left earring constantly.)

Ashlan

(From Dos Palos, CA. Theatre Ed Major. The Scrabble Queen.)

Kyle

[Kobra]

(From Los Alamitos, CA. Served in Pennsylvania. BFFL.)

Kevin

(From Agoura Hills, CA. Served in Brasil. Loves USC.)

Nick

(From Phoenix, AZ. Served in Iceland. Refreshingly realistic.)

Disclaimer: These are NOT all of my friends.

These are all the pictures I could post so I

have to wait until later to introduce the rest.