last day of my first semester

I had a final at 7 AM. NO FUN! Whoever decided that finals should be at 7 is crazy and probably related to the one who picked that we should have church at 9.  Luckily I had the best professor ever and she brought in several boxes of poptarts and a few toasters for us to use if we got hungry during the test. It was also my only scheduled final so I really can't complain. Finals week was tough but honestly easier than I was expecting. I think that finals at Worcester Academy were actually harder.

After my exam a bunch of kids from my ward all went to the Skyroom (the fanciest restaurant on campus) for lunch. It was fun and yummy but also kind of sad because we had to say goodbye to a few kids who are going on missions next semester  I'm really excited for them though, and they will be great missionaries!

our group at lunch

After lunch I had a presentation for my writing class. The presentations in my class were actually really incredible and uplifting. Several different groups did projects about using the internet to share the gospel.  They included quotes from general conference, scriptures, and testimonies. It was so cool to be able to have a really spiritual experience in an environment that is usually considered completely secular. Some people chose to create mormon.org profiles, but my group did something a little different. We wanted to show how we can share the gospel through social media. There were five of us in my group so we each took a social media site to tell about. They were: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and blogs. I got to do my portion of the presentation about blogs (That's why I wrote a Christmas post before I got caught up. I needed a newer post to use as an example in my presentation). It was a really neat experience. It made me realize once again how fortunate I am to go to BYU and be able to learn about the gospel in places I never would have thought I'd get learn about the gospel in. And to top it all off I got a really great grade on the project!

Sadly, my last day also meant that Hayley would be moving out :( She has been such a great roommate. I honestly don't think it would have been possible for me to get a better one. I am really sad that she is moving to an apartment, but I'm glad that she will be able to save more money for her mission. I know that we will still be seeing a lot of each other anyway.

She wasn't quite ready to go yet though :) We were really sad when we had to rearrange all of our furniture. It made the room look a lot smaller too. Right before I left I had to put the couch on top of my bed so they can clean the carpets over break, and then the room just looked ridiculous.

My friend Kim has had this poster hanging in her room all semester. We all have added drawings and written funny things that people have said through out the semester. There are a lot of great memories on there, especially all of the things Hayley drew in the very early hours of the morning. I think we finally filled it completely, so its a good thing Kim is getting a new one for next semester!

A lot of us were flying out of Salt Lake Friday morning so we got a hotel room to share and spent the night out. It was really fun. We went shopping at City Creek and then went to see the lights at Temple Square again. They are so beautiful. It was even better this time than the last time. It was much less crowded because it was a weeknight, and the visitors' centers were still open. The last time the whole square was full of people and it was harder to see the lights.

City Creek Mall

Our hotel was really nice, and we could see the temple out the window. We went in the pool for a little while and then finished of the night with Martinelli's, popcorn, and a Christmas movie. 

They went downstairs because we couldn't open the Martinelli's and the guy at the front desk said "you must be from BYU". He also gave us fancy glasses to toast with :)

 The view from our room!

more BYU fun!

I know I am the worst blogger ever (I should probably be fired), but the weeks between Thanksgiving and Finals at BYU were totally crazy. There was so much to study, papers to write, and of course a social life to be had. Needless to say that's my excuse for not updating my blog in so long. Here's a quick list of some of the highlights of my last few weeks of my first semester.

My ward had an indexing competition for the entire month of November. It actually turned out to be really fun. We had indexing parties, and every time I wanted to take a break from studying I would index a batch or two and then go back to my home work. My hall lost the contest, but I still reached my personal goal! We are having a rematch in March so the 3200 hall better watch out!

We went to the Killers concert. They are just as good live!

 Then we had our own rock band. Unfortunately we weren't quite as good as the Killers. 

 There was a big formal dance in Helaman. A large group of kids from my ward all went together. It was really fun!

 roommates!

 The whole group from my ward. 

 This is the signature pose of our hall. There's a long story that goes with it too....

funny faces

 all the girls

Some boys from my ward dressed up as Santa's elves and came over with a shopping cart covered in Christmas lights and full of presents for all the girls in the ward. They got all the gifts from someone's attic and then wrote silly notes and attached them to the presents. We then each had to pick one randomly out of the cart. It was a really fun surprise. 

 One day during finals week it snowed a few inches. We ditched our studying for a few hours and went sledding instead. It was really fun, and we weren't the only BYU kids there. We met some kids who carried a mattress all the way up the hill to try and sled down on. Unfortunately for them it didn't work-at all. We ended the night with a huge snow fight. This picture is terrible but its the only one we took. 

home for Thanksgiving

I'm lazy and way behind on my blog so here are just some pictures of my trip home for Thanksgiving. And yes I am aware that I posted about Christmas before Thanksgiving. 

I got to see:

my family 

and my dogs

we really do consider our dogs to be a part of the family

and my pony

and my city

I LOVE Boston

and my high school friends

I've learned from a lot of my new friends at BYU that they had a really hard time making friends in high school if there were from an area without any members in their high school. I'm glad that was not the case at all for me. I was blessed with many wonderful friends in high school and I hope to continue those friendships for many years. 

and I ate in the North End 3 times (I might be addicted)

and cut down our Christmas tree

my dad always brings an electric saw :)

I had to say goodbye to my house :(

We lived there for 12 years. I'm totally sad. It will always be the first place I think of when I think of going home. 

I went TPing

and I got an awesome welcome back to BYU

My friends are the best. They covered my car with paint, and my roommate even cleaned our room (which is a huge deal for us) and put up Christmas decorations while I was gone. I definitely felt well loved.  

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love Christmas time! In my opinion it is truly one of the best times of the year. When I came back to BYU after Thanksgiving break there were Christmas decorations all over campus! Christmas trees, Christmas lights, garlands, and Christmas wreaths. My roommate even brought a mini Christmas tree to our room and made a wreath for our door. Last weekend we also got to go see the lights at Temple Square. It was my first time, and I loved it! Everything looks beautiful, and to make it all even better it snowed a few inches this week so the mountains are white again. That adds a lot to the Christmas spirit. I have spent all of my Christmases in New England so it never truly feels like Christmas time unless there is snow. 

While I do love the music, decorations, and parties what I love the most about Christmas time is that it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a time when we can turn to Him and remember all that He has done for us. 

Last weekend I had the opportunity to watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional with the members of my ward. It was a great way to start the Christmas season. The members of the First Presidency of the Church discussed ways that we can be good at both giving and receiving. I especially loved how President Uchtdorf talked about being better at receiving gifts. A lot of times I can get so caught up in getting presents and thinking about which ones were my favorites; I can forget that sometimes a small gift to me can be a big sacrifice for the person who gives it. So this year I'm going to work on being more grateful and recognizing the thought and effort that goes into the gifts I receive. 

my FHE group at our ward Christmas Party