It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! (Conference Time!)

This week really wasn't that eventful, but it was a good week (: I got a package in the mail from my sister and then the next day I had a present waiting from Lauren. And thank goodness! It snowed here this week! Too soon. Way too soon. Also, Hannah- I do not plan on gaining a freshman 15! But it was a nice thought (;

Then on Thursday, Lauren, Nahiomi, and I decided to take a quick trip to the temple before class. It was a bit of a sacrifice to wake up earlier than usual, but I can't complain because we have a temple 5 minutes away! What an amazing blessing! I love that I can start my day off like that and I love having roommates that help me become a better person every day. I have learned SO much from them already and I can't wait to keep learning from them this semester.

Also, thank you Bishop for posting this picture of the progress of the Indianapolis Temple! I can't wait to see it in person!

Now, for the highlight of my week. General Conference! This was just such a great weekend. My roommates and I pulled our beds out into the living room, had a sleepover, and watched conference together. After hearing the words of the Lord's prophets, I was reminded of exactly how inspired they are, and I'm not very good with words, so the only way I can explain how I feel about this weekend is by quoting Joseph Smith, the first modern day prophet. "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives (exclamation mark)! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father— That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." -D&C 76:22-24

Getting the Hang of This

I can't tell if it seems like I've only been here for 2 weeks or I've already been here for 2 whole weeks. The days are so long, but the weeks are flying by! I miss home so much, but I love it here at the same time and I'm learning so much from how to transpose hymns into 8 different key signatures, how to make my own dinner, how to get out of a straw maze in the freezing cold, and so much more! So as I'm sure you can imagine, a lot has happened in the last 2 weeks! One of the first things that I did out here was audition for choir. I've auditioned for choir tons of times, so I thought it would be a piece of cake. Wrong. Long story short, I apparently have a LOT of improving to do...so I'm in the lowest choir, Women's Glee, this semester. And not only that, but I was the only one who made choir callbacks that didn't end up making it into the final group. When I first got this news, I was crushed. This might sound totally spoiled, but I'm just not used to being in the lowest of anything, especially anything related to music. After a lot of tears and help from awesome friends, family, and roommates, I decided to stop thinking about everything that was going wrong and remember how lucky I am to be here in the first place. I have a temple 5 minutes away from my apartment, I have professors that not only care about me and my education, but that pray about me, and so many other things. So I went to my first day of Women's Glee with a good attitude and so far I love it! The choir may not be as good as my high school choirs, but it is way better than any other non-audition choir I have ever heard and the director is so nice! I know that it will be a good learning experience for me and that even if it isn't what I have chosen for myself, there is a reason I was put there.

Last week I got a message from a friend that I went to church with at home saying that her niece, Kenz Hall, who is pretty well known in Utah and is getting more and more well known, was performing in Rexburg on Friday night. I looked her up on youtube and watched some of her videos and thought she was pretty good so I decided to go. I ended up going by myself, so I felt pretty awkward, but by the end of the night, I was so glad I went! She was AMAZING and I went to talk to her afterwards and we talked about her cousins that I used to babysit for a while. I had a blast! So when you get the chance, look up Kenz Hall! You won't regret it!

One thing I was not expecting here at all was how fast it got cold! It's only September and 50 degrees is considered a warm day. Part of the reason it's so cold is because it's super windy all the time. I also didn't think to buy an umbrella right away and that was a mistake. 40 degrees + wind + rain + class on the other side of campus = really cold Coley! Luckily I have an umbrella now and my winter coat came in the mail just in time! So for all you guys who have been complaining because it's hot in Fishers, I will trade you in a heartbeat! This is definitely going to be hard to get used to. I do not do well with the cold!

On Friday night we decided to go to a Straw Maze and we got there and they had...wait for it...CAMELS! Crazy right?! Camels...in Rexburg, Idaho! They were a little feisty though haha. One tried to bite my head and eat my phone. And one head-butted Lauren in the butt. So that was a really fun surprise. But in the maze it was a little more complicated than I thought it would be. We ended up getting split up so Lauren and I were all alone and we were about to give up when we saw this guy on top of the bales of straw and he helped us out a bit (thank goodness) but we still got lost again and somehow came out some side exit. The rest of our group said we cheated, but we were just glad to be out! Haha it was still fun though and we got hot cocoa and scones at the end (:

Also, I just need to give my girl Hilary Duff a shoutout (: Yesterday was her 26th birthday so we had a little mini Hilary Duff movie marathon. Obviously we couldn't watch all the movies, but it was a fun little flashback to the good old days (;

Here at Last!

After saying a lot of VERY hard goodbyes, I finally left Fishers and drove out to Idaho on Wednesday morning and got here late Thursday night. I absolutely love it here! But before I get into all the details of what I've been up to out here, I have to fill you in on all the fun stuff I did before I left home.

So since everyone else in Fishers has been in school for a while, I had a lot of free time at home...and when I have a lot of free time, I guess I make stuff! Haha I made a baby cardigan for my Sunday School teacher, a canvas for Stirling's sister, Camden, who is having a little boy next month, and I made myself a little headband. Fun stuff, huh?

I also went to the Fishers vs. HSE football game and it was a pretty eventful game! Fishers and HSE are rivals, so the game is already a huge deal as it is (basically the whole town of Fishers is there), but there was a storm coming so the game was delayed. Twice. The first time we had to all go sit in the gym until it cleared up, and the second time they decided to reschedule the rest of the game for the next morning. Fishers ended up winning 51-31. Once a Tiger, always a Tiger!

On Labor Day, Stirling and I had our last big date before I left and went downtown to the Star Wars exhibit. Obviously that was more his thing than mine, but I still had a lot of fun! We also walked around downtown, went to lunch, and to Circle Center Mall. Later that week we made breakfast for our parents and his sister and brother-in-law. It was super fun and super tasty! (:

Now I'm sure most of you know that Idaho is VERY far away from Idaho. It's a 24 hour drive, so we took a little break in Minnesota to visit my "twin" Britney and her family. I also got to meet her boyfriend Drake and have dinner there. We laughed the ENTIRE time! It was great (:

Once I finally got here, I got to set up my apartment and I'm in love with everything about my apartment! It's super cute and my roommates are so awesome! Lauren was in my stake at home and we share a room, then we also have Alexa who is from Hawaii (so jealous), Elyse and Nahiomi who are both from Kentucky, and Haley who is from Colorado and just got engaged last week!! So exciting! So basically, I absolutely love it out here! It's gonna be hard to take care of myself, but my awesome mom stayed out here for a couple days and made a bunch of freezer meals for me, so that will be a HUGE help! (Thank you again mommy!) I also had church yesterday and there a TON of freshman girls in my ward. There aren't very many guys and most of the guys are returned missionaries haha. Then last night we watched 17 Miracles and Insidious, which are to verrrrry different movie. One makes you sad cry and one makes you cry in horror haha. Luckily we're all still alive! Today was my first day of classes and so far they all seem good! So I hope everyone in Fishers is doing well! I miss you all a ton!! Have a great week friends (:

I Swear I'm Still a Kid

So since I am just about the only person from my class that hasn't left for college yet, I've been pretty bored at home, and when I get bored, I make random crafts! The one on the left is a canvas of my friend Julia's favorite scripture and on the right is a journal for my friend Allie. If you have any projects you would like me to do, I have PLENTY of spare time! (;

On Friday I decided to go with my brother Ben and Julia to the Fishers vs Noblesville football game. I thought it would be an easy win considering we (yes I still consider myself a Fishers Tiger) had never lost to Noblesville before...but I spoke too soon. The game was close the entire time and with 2 minutes left on the clock, we had the ball and could have been ahead if we got a touchdown, but Noblesville intercepted the ball and we lost 24-27, but that's ok because next weekend is the game that really matters! We'll be playing our rival team, Hamilton Southeastern, next Friday and practically the entire town of Fishers will be there.

On Saturday Julia and I went to Castleton Square Mall because a group called Cimorelli was having a "meet and greet" there. If you don't know who that is, they're a group of 6 sisters who sing together and their last name is Cimorelli. The oldest sister is 23 and the youngest is 13. Here's a link to my favorite cover they sing --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie9-Dm1KpTU

Horses and Monkeys and Birds...Oh My!

Well Thursday I had to say goodbye to my boys. I loved spending my summer with them! I learned so much about how to take care of kids and myself! So here's my Top 5 list of what I learned: 1. I can actually sorta draw! (What? Me? Crazy, I know.) 2. Kids pick up on the things you say...and repeat them. 3. It's really not that difficult to eat healthy food once you've got it in your fridge. 4. Identical twins DO NOT have identical personalities! 5. Washing the dishes isn't that bad if you don't let them pile up! (;

On Friday I went to the State Fair with my friend Amanda and it was so much fun! Maybe a little too much fun... (; We saw lots of animals and we (mostly Amanda) fell in love with the bunnies. "They're so fluffy I'm gonna die!!!" The horses freaked us out a little...long story haha...and the pigs were just really fat. Cute fat...but still fat. Then we had some fair food including (heavenly) chocolate covered oreos. If you haven't had one, get one from the South Bend Chocolate Factory downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circle! I was gonna try some fried cookie dough but I couldn't see the end of the line. Not worth it. So I stuck with an elephant ear (: Now if you know me well, you should know by now that if it's past about 8 o'clock and you put sugar in my system, I turn back into a child...so what better way to end the night than riding a kiddie ride?? It was a blast to say the least. I'm gonna miss that girl!

Then on Saturday I went to the zoo with my friends Jake and Misato. It was super nice out which was great, except it was super crowded too! So we tried to take a weird route through the zoo to avoid the crowds...it sorta worked haha. My favorite was actually probably the birds. Because they actually moved...haha. I love zoo animals as much as the next person, but they're a lot cooler when they aren't sleeping! (; I also found out that Misato never learned what sound a Sea Lion makes because when it started barking (or whatever you call it) she started getting worried asking me if something was wrong haha. Feel free to make fun of her for that (;

Now the highlight of my week. Elder Holland came to our stake! If you're not Mormon you have no idea who that is, so I'll explain. Our church has a Prophet and 12 Apostles (like the Apostles from when Jesus was on Earth). The Prophet and Apostles can receive revelation from God for the entire world, and Jeffrey R. Holland is one of them. I think that's a pretty big deal, and it's an even bigger deal if you get to be in the same room as one of them! So this weekend our local church leadership was being reorganized for the Indianapolis area which only happens about once every decade, which has to be done by the proper authority, which is why Elder Holland came! I feel so blessed to have been able to hear from him! You can tell he has a testimony of the gospel the second he walks in the room. Above are some of my favorite quotes from him this weekend (:

Sunday night, to end an amazing weekend, I got to watch the "Whodunnit" season finale...all by myself. While the rest of my family was sleeping because they had to go to school or seminary in the morning, I cuddled up with my only friend for the night, my teddy bear, and watched my favorite show! If you haven't watched "Whodunnit", it's on Hulu! Watch it!

One More Month!

So even though I still have a month left until I leave for college, a lot of my friends left this weekend which really made it start to sink in that I'm actually moving soon! It also made me really sad because I had to say goodbye to a some of my best friends that I have known for years. Sarah, Megan, and I were our own little therapy group throughout all of high school during our homeroom class each week, so it's going to be hard not having my girls to go to when I have problems, but I know they'll do amazing things at Purdue and Ball State. And Konrad been my "Wisconsin Badgers" buddy since we met freshman year in Biology. Too bad he's going to Purdue and will have to play against the Badgers... (;

Friday night the choir Seniors/Freshman got together for "Rib Night" so we could all see each other one last time before we go our separate ways, and what better way to say goodbye than by letting loose and covering ourselves in BBQ sauce? (; We have been through a whole lot of craziness together and even though we didn't all get along perfectly, we're all family and I'm gonna miss them a ton!

As I've said my goodbyes, it's given me the chance to reflect on the past four years and how much I've changed and I have realized how much the people around me have shaped me. So I just want to thank everyone in the class of 2013/2017 for the impact you have made on my life. These next four years are going to be full of even more adventures and I have never been more scared about the future, but I have also never been more excited! One more month!

Let the Countdown Begin!

With only 39 more days until I head out to my first semester at BYU Idaho, I've decided to start getting into the habit of blogging every week. So here goes post number one! This week I had a family reunion in Utah but to get there we had to drive for 24 hours straight...not the most fun, but I made the most of it!

Once I got there I ended up spending most of my time with 3 of the most adorable babies in the world. Ruby (left) and Lucy (middle) are twins and William (right) is the youngest of 5. They are all so precious and I miss them already!

On Thursday we went to Bear Lake and I got to drive my cousins around on Jet Ski's for 2 hours straight! It was so fun, but I was having so much fun that I forgot to put on sunscreen...I'll be feeling that burn for a few more days, but I learned my lesson. WHITE GIRLS ALWAYS NEED SUNSCREEN!

Finally on Friday I got to go up to Rexburg and visit my future home! I fell in love instantly. My apartment is BEAUTIFUL along with Elyse, one of my roommates that I finally got to meet. Every day I am getting more and more anxious to start my adventure in Idaho.

Isn't it adorable?! I can't wait to see what kinds of creations come out of this kitchen...especially pies (;

Another plus, the Rexburg Temple is right down the street! I will definitely be taking advantage of this blessing at every opportunity I get.