new years resolutions

I had a whole list of things that I wanted to resolve to do in 2017. Now it's the end of January, and not only have I not written about them, I've kind of forgotten what they are. But I've had some time to reflect this weekend and here's a few things I want to work on this year.

actually cook

Even though I don't eat much, I'm definitely one that loves good, healthy (and not healthy) food. I always tell myself I'm going to be better at going to the grocery store, meal planning, and then making meals. But by the time I get home from work, I usually just go to the most simple, time-saving, low energy meal which is just so BLAH! So I'm going to work on that.

study the scriptures

Like a testimony, our scriptural knowledge only grows when you use it. I have spent a lot of my time being educated in many different ways of the scriptures and the gospel. I'm afraid some of it is slipping though! So I want to actually take time to study instead of just reading. I committed to reading the Book of Mormon every. single. day. this year but that takes like 5 minutes so I want to spend the rest of my scripture study learning more about the Savior or covenants. I also want to supplement my study with church books and general conference talks.

less social media

I often find myself checking social media for no reason at all. Simply out of habit or being lazy or not choosing to do something more beneficial. I have decided that there's really no reason to check it more than once a day. I do want to post more though! Just because I want to fill my space of the internet with more wholesome, lovely things. There's lots to celebrate about life and sometimes I fail at taking pictures and writing about my memories on my blog or even sharing uplifting thoughts.

reach out to others

This past year has been interesting for me because I have kind of been removed from a lot of the Provo social scene because of having a "big girl job". My friendships have always been very important to me but I used to be better about reaching out to all my friends and finding time to visit with them or spend time. So even though we're all busy I want to find ways to strengthen those relationships and find ways to serve those I love!

be more proactive

I love the feeling of being done with things early or actually having free time. I try to convince myself that it's ok to procrastinate because I work really well under pressure, but I wish I took more initiative with my time so that I wasn't wasting it with things that are seemingly unimportant and so that I had more time to do the things I love! With teaching there's always so much to do, it would be nice to make the work load more manageable.

keep things tidy

I absolutely love a spotless room that smells nice. Sometimes it's not always easy to keep things that way though. So I'm going to try to keep my room and my car that way. Do laundry and put the clothes away right after. When you use something, put it back in its place. Put shoes back in the closet. Vacuum when necessary. Throw away garbage in car. Get rid of unnecessary items. Make bed. Light candles. Dust and wipe down. Clean spaces can really be a safe haven of sorts. A place where the spirit dwells and motivation can be found.

As with all resolutions, it can be difficult to stay on track and continue throughout all 12 months of the year. But I feel like these ones are not only doable, but will also lead to a more productive, happy, stress-free life that is well-balanced! I'm excited to put more effort into accomplishing them!

christmas break

Christmas Break has been a dream. I have just loved it. It has been a much needed BREAK.

First of all, the decorations are gorgeous.

Christmas morning was so fun! I racked in on some great presents!

George Foreman grill and a Costco membership. I'm set in the food department.

Right after church on Sunday, we left to go to SEASIDE. There is nothing like being at the beach. Here's some highlights. 

I'm all about traditions so these places are a must. Spinning the wheel and getting ice cream here.

Yummy pizza at the arcade!

Jacob won the 200 tickets!! He was pumped!

We went to see grandpa on the way home and of course stopped at Burgerville. It was fun to see him. He was on a roll with his jokes. We were dying!!

We then had Sarah's wedding on Thursday. She looked gorgeous! And some bomb teriyaki with the fam right after the temple. 

We LOVE cute baby Mak! All *heart eyes* over him. 

Two cute boys! And ginormous sparklers! One of my top faves. 

New Year's Eve I started to get sick (bummer!) but the day was spent watching sports, playing games, and of course staying up until midnight. It was a struggle this year! I wanted to go to bed way before haha! But the traditions were complete with pancake throwing on the roof, pots and pans, sparklers, and toasting with Martinelli's.

I had the opportunity to teach Young Women's the next day at church. It was so fun to put together the lesson. I did something called a silent lesson where you make a powerpoint with questions and videos around a certain theme and hand everyone a piece of paper to take notes and reflect on. It's super powerful and kinda fun to mix things up!

But mostly I think my Christmas break could be summed up with this.

You could always find me curled up with a book. I NEVER take time to read in real life so I took full advantage of my break.

The Shepherd's Song - (don't know the author)
The Orphan Keeper - Cameron Wright
The Mistletoe Secret - Richard Paul Evans

I highly recommend all these three!

Although it was a bit short, those 10 days without  r e s p o n s i b i l i t y  were much needed!

best nine

This is the best nine that instagram picked for me. Obviously a certain someone was the highlight of all those so I decided to make my own and even it out with my own memories of the year. 

In January, I returned to Provo from Jerusalem and moved OFF-CAMPUS. It was quite the adjustment at first and I wasn't a fan of normal school, the cold weather, and a new place but it turned out to be one of the best things. Susannah and Taylor finally came to Utah to visit us and it was a blast! We went to the Provo City Center Temple Open House, took a tour of Temple Square and the Conference Center, made a trip up to the ice castles in Midway, and made a stop on campus, especially to get some creamery ice cream. It was a short trip but we packed in as much as we could!

In April, I went on a first date with this cute boy and a month later we were officially dating. We made a ton of memories in the past 8 months and have had a ton of fun getting to know each other, playing and watching lots of sports, hanging out with our amazing group of friends, and traveling a bit. Throughout the summer we went to California, Idaho, Washington, and Arizona. Looking back on it, I can't believe how much we've done because I was crazy busy with school.

I spent the spring/summer terms taking 18 credits, doing my second practicum, setting up my classroom, and getting strep throat. It was a lot a lot of work but we finally completed our last semester of college and it was so surreal and exciting!

I had super cute roommates and we had a lot of fun too when we saw each other! Now Alissa is off in Michigan at grad school, Chels started grad school at BYU, and Kenz is off traveling the world. Still haha!

August I started teaching! My very own classroom. It's been quite the experience and a lot of work ( I think that's what I learned this year. WORK. haha) but it's also a dream come true! They are bundles of energy and so much fun. I love being with my little second graders every day!

In October, my parents came down for conference and we had an amazing weekend going to mission reunions, a football game, my classroom, conference, and celebrating my birthday. It was so much fun to have them here. Now I'm 24! And feeling a little bit old and doing adult things like buying cars!

November, Jacob Mitch, and I decided to surprise my mom for Thanksgiving. It was one of the best decisions. She did find out on our way up but it was still worth it.

2016 was one of the most exciting years! Lots and lots of good things! I'm so so grateful for all the opportunities I've had and for all the wonderful people I met this year. I feel like I've become even more grateful for my family and it has also been a year of dreams coming true. Here's to 2017!