sue sue sue

I am one day late... but happy birthday to my mom!!!!

what an amazing lady.

I always knew I loved and appreciated my mom, but I don't think I really truly loved and appreciated my mom until I got here.

I look forward to talking to her on the phone every single day.  Even if it's just for a few seconds.  It gives me a boost to finish off my day and give me hope that no matter how stressed or frazzled I am, everything is going to be alright.

She makes me laugh.  On Sundays when me and Court skype our families, Courtney always makes sure to come and say hi to Sue because she always knows she will get a song, or an eyebrow dance, or a funny story.  It's great.

She has recently taken in a good friend of mine and given him a home to stay in and a meal whenever he needs it.  Doesn't get much selfless than that.  She will never really know how grateful me and him are to her for that.  But that is just the type of person she is. Giving giving giving.

I was sick for about two weeks while being here and it really made me realize how much easier it is to be sick when you have a mom always shoving medicine down your throat and going and buying you treats while you layed on the couch and going to the doctors office with you.  These are all things I wouldn't have learned if I never came here to school.  Court did a good job, but nothin' like the comfort of your own mom.  Courtney woke up sick this morning and I can only hope that I can take good care of her and think to myself "what would sue barton do?" 

Sue and I went through a bit of a rough patch through my high school days, but eventually worked things out and from the summer before my senior year, up til now, I look forward to every little second I get to spend with her. We could seriously lay on her bed for hours and hours and just laugh and make fun of each other.

She was able to come over to Oahu with me and Court to get us settled in and it was soo much fun!! She sure made us laugh.  

Not being able to figure out the one way roads.

Thinking one of the buildings at the school was the temple and had been painted.

Not being able to find the lever to open the gas pump.

Telling us that being in our room made her feel like a fuzzy bunny.

I could go on and on. But I won't.

So happy late birthday to ya, Sue!! Thank you for everything that you do for me!! I love you sooo soo sooooo much and can't wait to see you in 17 days!!!!!!!!!!!

waikiki

this past weekend, the girls and I decided to get a hotel room in Waikiki to get away from campus and not allow ourselves any time to wallow about not being home with our families.  we had SOOO much fun!!! I am sad to be back and having to do school again.

after having the most fabulous thanksgiving day with the Peterson family, we woke up early friday morning and headed over to waikiki.  We spent the day shopping.  Let me tell you- FOUR LEVEL MALL!!! it was insane.  SO many people for black friday.  took hours to walk the entire mall. it was crazy but SOO fun!! I saw the sephora and the MAC stores and thought of Jazzy the whole time. You would have loved it, girl! Spent way too much money, but loved it. That night, we were exhausted.  Just played some cards and ordered at pizza at 12:30 and giggled and giggled.

Saturday we got up and walked a mile to mail away Tessa's laptop and then headed to the beach.

where we got rained on....
Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready and lay down for a bit.  This was the point in the day when Tessa's new creep asked her on a date.  Through the course of the rest of the night, he called her to ask if she had a boy friend and if she could go on a date, then to ask if he could add her on facebook and ask why she was in a civil union with a girl on facebook because he was deeply concerned about it, and then called multiple other times just to chat. We went and got dinner where I made sure to take 34 pictures of myself of Tessa's phone, and made her awkwardly get a picture with our waiter. I love being so weird sometimes. Then we went back to the hotel and watched the TV show "lock up"... which I am semi addicted to now. Then off to mickey d's for a yummy orange shake that tasted like a creamsickle and I loved it.  Went back and redid our glitter toes.  I now have pink nail polish and glitter.

We sadly had to come back home today to face the last 2 1/2 weeks of school :( 

what a wonderful weekend! getting excited to see sue and the clan. love you all. happy school. yuck.

p.s...... I get cold when it is 70 degrees here.  I have no idea what I'll do in Utah.

happpyyyy thanksgiving!!!!

this is a new experience for me.

I've never been the one away from home missing out.

It's hard.

It sucks.

I wish I could be joining the festivities, memories, and laughter.

BUT I have never been so grateful for good family and friends ever before.

Without this experience I wouldn't have ever gained that.

It makes me that much more excited for next year when I get to sit around a table with my entire family (even Michael) and just be able to say to myself that I am apart of this and think back to being here at school and wishing I was with them.

The Lord has blessed me this year with an endless amount of blessings......

I was able to pull myself through an entire senior year and got that diploma.

I was blessed this past summer with jobs that I absolutely loved and children I adored.

I have parents that love me and support me in everything I do, even if they didn't like the idea of having the pacific between us.

I have siblings that are my best friends.  They are so fun and I miss them more than anything.

I have friends back home that still try so hard to keep in touch with me even though we are so far away and they have so many other things going on in their lives.

I was able to come to school in HAWAII. How lucky is that?

I was able to come with a girl that I knew nothing about and have her become one of my best friends in this world.

I was able to meet a group of girls that I can't ever imagine losing contact with.

I get to walk for 8 minutes and be on the beach whenever I want.

I have a close friend, Brooklin, that is here for the holidays that has offered to give me and Court a fun, family thanksgiving dinner.

I have a boyfriend that I am so deeply in love with that I will be married to in just 6 months...... okay that's a big joke.......

I have been able to gain a great love for running and have a healthy body that is capable of running long distances without any complications.

I have friends that will wake up early on a holiday to go run the bike trail 4+ miles with me just because.

I'm happy. I'm healthy. I have good friends. Good family.  A roof over my head.  And 3 meals a day to eat. I don't need anything else.

Hau'oli La Ho'omakikia'i to everyone.  Have the greatest day ever! I will be seeing you all in 23 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't even contain myself.

11/11/11 11:11

"this only happens once ever 100 years!!!" -James Jordan Clay

I heard this phrase multiple times on Friday night by my good friend James.

We all decided we wanted to spend this momentus occasion in a classy and memorable location.  SO we went and bought some fine sparkling cider and some "challuses" and went up to the point. I wish I could describe this location to you.  it is breathtaking!! It over looks the ocean and when you go out there at night you can see all these lights lit up across the way and you can watch the waves hit up against the rock and burst.  It's amazing, truely.  We made a toast at 11:11 and each made our wishes then we sat and enjoyed each others company while eating chocolate chip cookies.

Such fun innocent fun we have here at BYUH!!

Despite how bad it sucks to be away from family and my best friends in the entire world, I am having a BLAST!!

I am so happy.

I have met the most amazing people here.

I have learned lessons that I would have never learned anywhere else.

I am in the right place.

 the crew minus Christian

 the best of friends!

the crew minus Tessa.. I wish you could see the ocean and the waves!

Hoping this school week goes by quickly so that I can have another weekend and then an easy week before THANKSGIVING!! :)

*today I am grateful for technology...even though it usually gets the best of me, I am SO lucky to be able to talk to my best friend of a mom every single day and be able to see my family every single Sunday over Skype and friends randomly through the week.  A true blessing!

HB CLVW

today I am grateful for my best friend Christina.

It's her 19th birthday and I am sad I am missing it. 

Steena is my partner in crime.  We could spend any amount of time together and never get sick of each other.  19 favorite memories with Steen dog:

1. SENIOR TRIP. Carribbean cruise.

2. California trip. August '10.

3. Spring Break in Cali. April '11.

4.  Lake Powell.  July '11.

5. Having most of our classes together for a tri senior year and never being separated.

6. Monday night bachelor nights.

7. our lithp.

8. adventure up to the Montgomery cabin.

9. Taking the van to WA and spending the night at Little America.

10. Visits to electric beach
11. Car problems (the do not pull lever in my car, and the random stop workings of hers on the freeway).
12.  Lunch at the Barton's senior year.
13. Me being the 3rd wheel in all her relationships.
14. How Taylor Swift ruled our lives for 6 months.
15.  Jack Johnson concert.
16. dancing on the kinect
17. going to the pool 4 days a week summer before senior year
18.  laying on her kitchen floor when we were having a dull friday/saturday night
19. laying in her bed and talking for hours and hours and hours

I love you a lot, Steena.  It'll be so so so great to go home in 5 weeks and see her along with many other friends.  Being here has made me realize what great friends I have been blessed with the past 2 years... her definitely being one of them.  She knows just how to make me laugh all the time.  She's beautiful inside and out!! I couldn't be luckier.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NINA!!!!!

whale sighting

Today... I found a whale.  She was sitting next to me in the laundry room.

I was calmly studying my biology homework while sitting in the laundry room (there was this blonde, normal looking chick next to me) when all of a sudden I hear these noises that sounded much like that of a whale... like when Dori on Finding Nemo is speaking whale.

This chick is full on making these moanish/whale noises while studying her notes....

Next thing I know, I hear her whispering things like "we'll get you..." "aahhh yeaahhhh that's right! here we come..." and then just mumbles that I couldn't make much sense of

At this point, I am trying to look at her without making eye contact but I'm getting seriously worried that this girl needs some help. Before I know it she slams her notebook down on her lap, puts her head between her legs and lets out this huge "aaahhhhhhh"

Forget the biology that I thought I was going to be studying... I was stickin' around to watch this girl study.  I had to figure out what was going on.

I had gotten to the point that I was pretty much just staring when she goes off into these whale songs again "ooooooooo aahhhhhhhhh mmmooooooowwwww" weird. so so weird. I didn't even know how to handle myself. This last whale call I start chuckling to myself and she looks over at me and all she says is "sorry, I'm a pretty verbal studier."UMMMM!!! I'D SAY SO!!!!

bizarre.  she has got to come up with better study techniques than these.

lovin' life over here in La'ie.  biology test this week that I would rather have to get eaten by a whale than take... wish me luck. happy studying.

november.

It's November.  The feeling of thanks is in the air and I certainly have much to be grateful for!!

Today I am extra grateful for Courtney Jane Ingalls.  My life would be 6432432584295203 harder than it is if I didn't have her here with me.  She knows just what to say and when to say it.  When I come home crying after a biology test, she gives the perfect amount of comfort.  When I am screaming songs off of the top of my lungs, she knows just how to tell me to shut up cause I'm being obnoxious. When I crack a joke, she is able to understand how funny I am and she laughs at it. Not to mention the fact that she can work my computer when I can't (which happens often).


She is so great.  I have no idea how we weren't closer friends in high school.  We have SOO much in common- its crazy!

Court probably doesn't know it, but she is an example to me every single day.  She is strong. Smart. And funny... (just like me).  I could go on for days and days and days about what am awesome person she is.  I think the world of this chick and am soo lucky to have her in my life almost 24/7.  She will be the first person I think of when I look back on my experience at BYU-Hawaii. She has seriously turned into a sister. LOVE YOU COURT!!

its raaaiinnninnnggg its ppoouuurriinnngg

It's been a rainy rainy rainy week!! It downpours for about 10 minutes, then gets really hot and sunny for 15 minutes, cloudy for 8 minutes, downpours for 12 minutes... this happens all day long. It's quite strange. 

SO when I woke up this morning it was a downpour, of course... but by the time I left for class, it was sunny.  Well, class on Tues/Thurs mornings is usually cold so I decided to grab my gray jacket  anyway (Haven't worn it yet, really haven't needed any sort of jacket around here).  I get to class and put on this jacket..... EMBARRASSING!!  When I was packing up my stuff to come her, I had accidentally packed Mary's gray jacket.

It looked like an adult trying on a child's coat.  The arms were all tight. My wrists were on the virge of popping out, and it was exteremely short.  I couldn't take it off because I had just finished explaining to my neighbor how freezing cold I was and how excited I was to have brought my jacket.  I sat in class for an hour and a half stiff as a board in my little sisters jacket.  Oh and did I mention I had to go up infront of the whole class and to present something? Oh did I mention there is a super attractive young man in that class? 

silly silly things.