Last Week

Last week of RELAXATION! I can't believe I start my last semester tomorrow! Crazy! I am happy to report I did great last semester—pulled 2 A's and 2'A-'s!!! I don't know how I did it but it truly was a satisfying moment for me! It was one of the hardest semesters and not only did I make it through, I learned so many profound things!

This week was perfect—eventful yet relaxing. We had Mikes family over to play games and eat dinner at our home on Tuesday, which was a blast! On Wednesday Mike and I went to lunch and then I finally used my spa certificate he gave me LAST Christmas, and went and got a facial and a massage; both were amazing! I needed that pampering session after getting through this crazy semester. The massage was so good that I booked Mike with my masseuse the next day, which he loved!

New Years Eve we went out to dinner and went to the movie Invictus, which truly has to be one of my all time favorites; so incredibly inspiring!! Then we watched the ball drop in my favorite city in the world—NYC!!!

Dave, my bro, came into town to go boarding this weekend and Mike was fortunate to go with him. I was happy they could spend some one on one time and get to know each other since we don't get to see Dave that much. They both have such similar personalities so it was easy for them to hit it off. They had a blast boarding together; Mike taught him how to do a 360 and he nearly landed it! Then when they were finished, Dave came down and we met up with Donovan and Mindi and had dinner at one of our favorite places to eat: RIB CITY! YUM! Seriously the best ribs!!! It was so much fun being together and catching up with everyone.

We came back to our place after dinner and I was able to share with Dave some of the things I learned over the semester and to have some good conversations about some deep questions I had been having since. I am so grateful for him and his listening ear, his comments, his advice, and for being someone I can relate too. I honestly feel like out of everyone in my family we are the most alike just with the way we think about things. It was nice, as well, to have someone that knows what I am going through me tell me to be proud of and embrace my accomplishments, especially when it comes to working so hard towards attaining my degree, and to be confident in my intellectual abilities. Although he did mention, after listening to all of my deep inquisitiveness, that he can see how I don't relate to 95% of girls and don't really relate on the same level as most of the LDS "community," he encouraged me to be confident in who I am and the way I am. "You are very unique, not a lot of a people think the way you do," he said, and he encouraged me to find a venue where I could interact with people that I can talk to on a deeper more philosophical level. I know there is a part of me that needs that kind of fulfillment in my life and I wish I had taken more opportunities to get involved with programs at BYU that offered such venues.

I am so grateful for Dave. He truly means so much to me. He is the reason why I decided to pursue an education. I remember when I went to his graduation, seeing him stand there on that BYU platform and being overcome with pride and emotion for being the first graduate in our family. I remember saying to myself at that moment, "that will be me one day, no matter what I have to do, I will get my degree." I used to keep his graduation picture on my mirror my first few years of college to inspire me to keep working even though half the time I wanted to give up and felt so defeated. And even though it has taken me 10 years to do it, being set back by so many obstacles, stupid decisions, pain, defeat, trial, and hard work, I will accomplish that goal in 4 months! Dave said something so important to me, he said that no one can take that feeling away from me—standing there in my cap and gown knowing I worked so hard to get something that 90% of the population in the world either never has the opportunity of achieving or can't make it through it, is something to be proud of and embrace. I love my bro! I love my family so much! They have been such an amazing support in my life!

Oh I chopped my hair on Saturday! Thanks Tracy! I love love love it! It is the shortest it has ever been but it is just want I wanted—super sleek, kind of wild, and sexy!

Oh and one more thing: MIke got called to the nursery with me!!! :) So now we really have the perfect form of birth control! :) HAHA