Life's Delights.

Ain't she purty??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANNAH JO!!!!!! I cannot believe that you could possibly be old enough to have your permit! You have grown up to be such a fantastic person! If I ever start talking about you to anyone up here, I just cannot stop raving about how great you have become. Seriously, I am basically your biggest fan. I look up to you, and not only because you are a tiny bit taller than me, but because you are such a wonderful example to me and to everyone around you. You keep it UP, Girly!! I love you so very much!


We have so much fun together and we often pretend that we are twins instead of 4 years apart when we're on vacation. We even pretend to be from England sometimes. We always sing and make funny faces. I mean, is there any other kind of face to make for a picture anyways?


I know it is Hannah's Birthday today, but I hope she doesn't mind sharing a little bit of the grandeur of her day on my blog with Lizzie. :) I don't think she will. When I saw her in April in between my semesters, I could not believe that this was the same Lizzie that I had left! What happened to the little girl that we always sang that song about?? "Elizabeth, Elizabeth, goes doodly doodly doodly down her dress!" Lizzie will always be the baby of the family, but she has become quite a grown up tween. She even rides dirt bikes! (Jealous) Lizzie is one of those special people who is always willing to give you a hug when you need one. (Even if you think that you don't want one. She'll prove you wrong!) I sure love you, Cheekie! Thank you for chatting with me this morning as I walked to class. You never fail to make me giggle. :)
Lizzie has a lot of examples to look up to, but she makes her own impressions. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that she can't hold her own in a discussion with the whole family. She is so spunky and silly. :) And... She also has inherited the fortunate gift of funny faced pictures. :) I wonder where she learned that from.....


What are sisters for? What AREN'T sisters for!?!? I miss you guys so much!



Both of my little sisters are such great examples to me. I am always amazed with the great choices that they make in life. They are on the path of life that will lead them to happiness and I couldn't have asked for better younger sisters.


And don't even get me started on my older sisters and brothers and definitely not my parents. (I will have to take these blogs in strides because I do have a pretty large family... Haha) I think I must have done something right to have earned such a fantastic family. Where would I be without you guys?
It all started with these guys. We owe them so much. :)

On a side note...
Dain, my sweet, Korean room mate has been teaching me Korean. She wanted me to be able to have something to contribute when all of the Korean girls are over. I am practically fluent. (Kind of...) Last night as I was trying to stay up till Midnight so I could be the first to wish Hannah a happy Birthday. (Dain told her Happy Birthday in Korean, by the way. No worries.) Dain and I were talking about the facts of life and Korean. She informed me that all of her friends (We consider them our room mates as well because they are always in and out of our apartment.) call me "doll." They think that my curly hair and little self make me look like a doll! Bahaha I think that is funny. She taught me how to say it... But it is a hard word and I don't remember it. I do know how to say Hello and Goodbye, No, I love you, and I don't know, shut up. (My personal favorite...) She told me to tell them that one whenever they ask if she is home. Haha They crack me up. I have so enjoyed learning all about the Korean culture.

11:30 PM
Last minute update! FHE got a little crazy tonight and we got the excitement of getting to take Emma to the ER tonight. She got hit really hard in soccer and hit her head. She has a mild concussion, but she is doing alright. So we have an alarm set for every two hours, and we get to wake up and check on her. She's a trooper though! How great is it to have so many priesthood holders to give blessings nearby? We literally could have walked in any direction for 10 seconds and found several willing men. Quinci's brothers came and took care of her before we went. So many blessings. We are glad that it wasn't any worse. We sure love Emma.


Life is looking up! It always does if you choose to zoom in close enough.
Sending all of the love that I can fit in this meager post!

Much Love!!

My Knight on Shining Bike!

One song comes to mind. "This is the first day of my life. Swear I was born right [on that sidewalk.]"
Tonight was a fantastic night! Sarah, Jake, and I went to get some Mexican food. (Which was great in and of itself.) On the way back, these boys were pulling out of the Hart parking lot on their bikes. Jake yelled that we wanted a ride. (Thank you, Dearest Jacob.) Oh Jason. What a Sweetheart. He gave Sarah and I both a ride around a few blocks. He went fast too! He said he'd gladly give us a ride another time too.
But oh my goodness. This was one of my few goals for this semester. (The others shall only be revealed if they are accomplished, of course!) Although my life feels much more complete... I just feel like I want to ride it again!!! I certainly hope that I meet the knight on shining bike that is Jason again and sooner rather than later. ;) Not only because he has a bike. He really was a very nice boy.
The responsibility of mowing the lawn was officially passed down to Hannah today. She mowed for the first time! I hope that she has as many great adventures with Lawnie as I did. :) (And I hope she documents them. Hint, hint.) Oh Lawnie.
Today I was so blessed. I was able to get a new phone ordered and on its way to me, score an A on my science test, greatly improve my long boarding skills, and RIDE A CROTCH ROCKET!!
And I know I say this all the time, but I truly do have the most wonderful people in my life. I am so grateful for every moment I get to spend with you guys, even if it is just a phone conversation. If memories or love could be stolen, I am pretty sure I would need one of those really prestigious vaults in a Swedish Bank. Yes. You're that good. I love you guys. You make life fantastic. :)

Here is to an even better tomorrow! Let's, you and I, make it great. :)

P.S. I miss you, Quinci! Your weekend had better be AMAZING! :)

Much Love!!

Prep time: 30 seconds Marriage Prep time: 3 hours

Prep time today= 30 seconds. (That means that I woke up at 7:56, threw clothes on, and ran out the door and ran up the hill for 8AM class. I wasn't too late either. That's impressive if I do say so myself.)
So in my oh-so-exciting math class (the 8AM one) there is this boy that sits one empty seat away from me. I think I have talked to him once. But for whatever reason he loves to look over at me a very lot. I can't figure out if I have something of interest on my face everyday, I completely charmed him with my "Hey, I'm Michelle. What's your name? [Insert math question here because my sort of tutor wasn't there that day]" the one time I talked to him, or if he is terrified of me and is watching me to make sure I don't try to slip a knife in his ribs. It's most likely the last option. I even asked Blake (my sort of tutor) today and he assured me that he looks over an abnormal amount of times. I mean, come on. We're talking like every 30 seconds. Maybe he has a nervous twitch.
Marriage Prep time= 3 hours. (4 including class)
Quinci and I wrote our midterms for Marriage Prep today. 10 pages of glorious lovey stuff. I finished in 3 hours. It did help that we had some ice cream and Celine Dion to get us through though. :)
Up until about 5:30 today, I didn't even have time to tie my shoe. (Literally. I walked all the way to the library and back with my shoelace untied.) But it is days like these that the very small things become really noticeable. (At least for me.) It's almost like my senses are heightened in all of the rush and I notice them and then just like that, they are over and I am on to the next thing. I can't remember a single specific thing, but I do remember a smile on my face for the little things today. Thank you for the little things.
Also, I just finished Sarah Dessen's latest book. I may or may not have shed a little tear.
This morning when I thought of this blog, I had a lot more in mind to write, but that was 10 pages of marriage prep ago.... so this will have to do. Brain=fried!!
Thank you for being extra raisins in my life. Don't forget to remember.

Much Love!!

Don't forget to Remember.

My high school graduation ceremony was completely wasted on me. High school was just not my favorite thing in the world to begin with. The salutatorian gave a speech that was quite 'way of the world-y' but there were a few good points in with all of the mush. His speech was all about 'being fluid.' He took it a little to the extreme, but mellowed out, this is a great concept. Being able to accept and embrace challenges and change that comes our way.
Today at devotional, Sister Nyland explained that while planning is important, you have to leave room for serendipity. I loved that she said this for two main reasons. I love the word serendipity (hehe) and I do not like to plan out my day. Sometimes life doesn't go as planned. Actually.... Most of the time life doesn't go as planned. But God's plan is always, always, always better! If only we were better at accepting it and following it with more grace.
Sometimes, for instance your goal at the beginning of the semester is to Be kissed in the rain.... By the middle of the semester, the goal has been shifted to Be kissed period! (Just kidding. But seriously. ... I'll just let you guys take that one however you choose. I hope the mystery doesn't keep you up too late at night. Bahaha. :)
Planning ahead and having goals is an excellent thing, but sometimes we (or at least I) get so caught up with things that we (I) want to do, that we (I) forget to live in the present, too. Remember that great quote "Make/Find joy in the journey." ? I'd like to try to remember to live in the present, too.
Spencer W. Kimball taught that one of the greatest mistakes we can ever make in our daily lives is not to remember. Just try reading Helaman 5 and count every time the word remember is mentioned. If only we could always see life through the eyes of remember.
I may not always remember, but for right now, this one post, I remember. I remember that I am such an imperfect person (and so is everyone else that I encounter on a daily basis, so I should really give people a break or simply the benefit of the doubt). I remember that every little trial will seem so small in a few days or weeks. I remember that God has the best plan ever planned out for me! I remember that without Him, I am nothing. I remember that I am so so so blessed with so many extra raisins that I don't even realize. I remember that I am loved.
I also remember that these things are true for every person who will ever read this. :)
I love all of you so much! Sorry about the whole super churchy blog. I go to BYU-Idaho, it's bound to happen. :)

Don't forget to remember.

Much Love!!

When life is too much to stand, kneel.

This week has a been an interesting one in our apartment. Emotions are running high in anticipation of our long weekend. (And maybe our utter shock that the world didn't end after all!! Bahaha. We will still go to the store and buy Tang. Apparently it is a necessity for the apocalypse. Tell your friends! It might be your only hope for survival.) Despite everything, this week has also brought so many great things into our lives.
It has been rainy, rainy, rainy up here lately! But yesterday was one of the most beautiful days I have seen in a long time. And thanks to the rain, it was super green! I particularly love how all of the trees are blossoming with flowers that you can smell as you walk by. It's enough to make you want to sing and skip around. ( Or at least me... cough.) I don't know about anyone else, but yesterday was exactly what I needed to keep me sane. A little vitamin D can go a long way, in my opinion.
In my stage of life, the in between stage, it is easy to feel homesick. But that is why I was put in an apartment with dear Quinci. She drew me a lovely picture of a fire that I hung by my bed. (Because we want to have a bonfire, but we have to wait till the weekend.) It doesn't really have much to do with home, but it made me feel better. She also has taken to sitting on my bed every night so I can talk to her in German for about 3 minutes while she translates it into English. The translations go something like this:
Me: Ich weiss nicht was zu tun ist.
Quinci: The cat has a purple robe.
Me: Mein Kopf ist kaputt.
Quinci: The cat stepped on your ball. No... cheese!!!
It makes me laugh so much and I get to practice my German again!
I continue to be so blessed in ways that I can't even begin to count! So maybe my eggs did magically disappear this morning. But I got to have some delicious freezer jam on toast (courtesy of Quinci's mom) and I wasn't eating an unhealthy amount of cholesterol! This event might have just saved my heart. (Yes, this week in Nutrition Class I am learning about Heart disease. How'd you know??)
Announcement: Please drink red grape juice and eat some fish to get your omega 3's in! And please read some good scriptures too! I want everyone to have a healthy, happy heart. :)
And as always. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE IN MY LIFE!!!
So I could sit here forever long and type up all of the small and simple things that have brought a smile to my face this week, or I could just get to the point right now. Why do I write these crazy, dumb little posts about 'Extra Raisins?' I write them because if I didn't, I'd go insane. There is so much good in the world and we can't let it get overrun by all of the bad things. As soon as we focus on one little, small thing, it gets a little bit bigger. So this is my attempt to focus on the positive small things rather than the negative ones. :) I hope they get so big that they explode!

Remember to see the fridge half-full and thank God for all He sends your way. That's a pretty good recipe for a dang good day!

Much Love!!

More EXTRA RAISINS? Fancy that!

Our life is so exciting!!! ...Kinda. :) We pretend.

I am overcome with gratitude for my many many blessings as of late. In my Book of Mormon class this semester we have a semester project. Ourselves. We have to choose one aspect of our lives that we could use some improvement on. I chose gratitude. It has been really cool to read through the second half of the Book of Mormon with an attitude of gratitude. It really shows me how MUCH I have to be grateful for. I take so much for granted.

The last 2 days have been SO BEAUTIFUL! For those of you who have never lived in Rexburg, I'll tell you that this is a wonderful blessing and very rare!!!! I hope it decides to stick around for this Summer. :)

Emma feeding me her custard. (Messily.)

I am so grateful for this weather! It came with such perfect timing! We even got to go play outside at the park last night with no sweaters or anything! That's amazing! We are looking forward to a great weekend in IF with the boys.

Sooooo nice outside!!!!!

I am also grateful for modern medicine. My good friend Sterling had major surgery this week and seeing how much inconvenience and pain already went into it, I am so grateful to live in this time of great medical discoveries and technology. Meem is also about to have a brand new baby boy... Enough said. :) (Can't wait to meet you, Thatcher!!!!)

There are SOOOO many things I could list, but that would take a very long time.
And as ever, I am grateful for the numerous people in my life that make it worth living! :) I love you guys. Thank you for being extra raisins in my life!

Classy, right?
Me, Emma, Quinci.

Much Love!!

It's Love!!

We were introduced on a Saturday. I'd seen types all over campus (and all over the world for that matter.) But nothing could have prepared me for the day when our paths finally converged. Star crossed lovers, finally facing one another in a daze. That day was something of a dream, a dream that passed far too quickly but will linger on forever. The thought of meeting again fills me with excitement. And I am in love.

















Yes. I went 4wheeling. And yes. It's love. :) Did I get ya?

This is me driving. And probably almost killing us.

This is Jake and I when I let him take over again. I was worried about dying. He flipped it showing off earlier. (Don't worry, Mom. He was careful when we were on it.)

This is Emma and Jake. Emma likes the speed. (Say it like Massimo from Wedding Planner)

This is Sterling. He loved it. Like a kid in a candy store. :) (But he wouldn't let us get pictures.)

We had a blast! Thanks to Jake's family for letting us play around on their land for the day. :) We also shot some guns and went to Big Jud 's!

Massive 1 Lb burger, big basket of fries, and a massive waffle cone! Thanks, guys. Soooo delicious!

I couldn't even eat a whole 4th with all of the other food.

Mmm... Not only are they big, they are TASTY!!! Sterling used the 'dancing tactic' to make more room for the food. Hahaha (And we got it on video)


Jake poured plain fry sauce in his mouth! Yuck!


Emma did us proud by eating a whole 4th and by driving Jake's car home. (And almost killed us)

Have you ever noticed that no one looks good while they are shoving a massive burger in their mouth? You might now! Haha All in all, this day was fantastic!

Thanks for being extra raisins in my life. :)

Much Love!!