Merry Christmas!

This'll be short-- I still don't get letters very often at all from Eric, but he's been writing them every week. Got to briefly talk on Skype yesterday with him, and my sisters and brother in law are all home, which has been awesome! Got all As this semester. The end.

Semester almost over

Lots of stuff has been going on, but I just haven't had enough motivation to write! I guess all I can say is, no letters from Eric for the past three weeks :( Starting to feel a little detached! Oh well, at least I've been busy.

--Sannah

One very fine night on September 23, 2011

Today, October 23, is the one month anniversary of my engagement to Eric. I figured I should tell the story before I forget the details...(Sorry if the writing-style is a little weird!)

So it was a month ago, on a Friday evening. It was the second-to-last weekend before Eric would leave for his mission, and so we had planned to go to the Kansas City Symphony's opening night at the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Helzberg Hall. Eric and I had been to several Kansas City Symphony performances in the past, and this was one of our favorite activities, so it would be a nice thing to go to before he left.

I met up with Eric after class in Columbia in the "Steak and Shake" parking lot, and we headed to Kansas City. On the way, we listened to Andrea Bocelli's Christmas album (yeah, I know it was only September, but we loved listening to that when we'd drive around Logan last year!) We were kind of hungry, but didn't have a ton of time, so we drove through McDonald's and got some sandwiches, hot fresh fries (they aren't always like that!), and some surprisingly good root beer! We had a nice drive :) Eric was wearing a dark blue, long sleeved shirt, and black dress pants, and I was wearing a maroon-ish sweater dress that Eric really likes and heels. You dress up to go to a Symphony!

I couldn't believe how beautiful the Kauffman Center was!

Eric looked nice in his dress clothes!

We got there about an hour early, and as we walked in, we saw lots of people dressed up even nicer than we were. I mean, formal dresses and tuxedos nice. And the center was BEAUTIFUL!!! It looked like something that belonged in a bigger city than Kansas City, that's for sure. And everyone was just dressed in fancy clothes, and holding little glasses of champagne... Eric and I had fun exploring the new center, and then we got the student rush tickets discount (tickets for $10 each... bargain!)

Helzberg hall was really neat looking, and Eric and I had a seat to the right and above the musicians, on the very end of the row. Just about every seat was filled. The way it looked reminded me a bit of Utah State's performance hall, except much cooler. Everyone in attendance was so excited, and the night opened with lots of thanks and acknowledgments for making the new center possible. (As much as I loved performances at the Lyric theater, this was a whole new experience entirely).

Outside the Kauffman Center during Intermission

Michael Stern then led everyone, orchestra and audience, in "The Star-Spangled Banner"... Eric and I thought it was kind of fun to be conducted by a world famous conductor! We then heard a short, but really fun piece by Stravinsky, "Fireworks". After that, we heard Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 5 "Emperor", played by the master pianist, Emanuel Ax. His fingers played SO FAST! I don't know how it is physically possible for fingers to play that quickly in a controlled manner. After that was the intermission, and so Eric and I walked around the gift shop, outside the building, and even had our programs autographed by Emanuel Ax himself! (His hands must have been so tired after that piece...) We waited a until the last minute to go back inside, because we didn't want people in our row to have to walk over us to get in their seats.

Next, we heard the world premier of "Fountains of KC (Kansas City/Kauffman Center)", by Chen Yi, who was the first female Master of the Performing Arts in China. It was quite intense, and pretty avant garde... just a bunch of random loud noises. (On our drive to the Plaza afterward, Eric was kind of making fun of it... he didn't think that the music sounded much like Kansas City, more like big, tall, dark, scary mountains. I agreed. It was funny to hear his imitation of the song!) After that, was Respighi's "Pines of Rome". I liked that piece before (I had seen it in the Whale sequence in "Fantasia 2000"), but there is nothing like hearing it live! Man, was it AWESOME! That was without a doubt, my favorite live performance of anything I've ever heard. And the in the third movement, they had some of the horn players in the side balconies and front balcony, and so the effect was even more "surround sound"! The acoustics were already amazing, but that was just so cool. After it was over, the audience applauded for minutes and minutes! I was really hoping for an encore, but Michael Stern just invited everyone out to the lobby for a free glass of champagne. He said that the orchestra would be playing something to encourage everyone to head out to the lobby, and they started playing some classical piece and the audience laughed. Eric and I didn't have the musical knowledge to get the joke, but we left and decided to walk around the Plaza.

The Plaza had lots of people (even though it was close to 11:00 pm), because that day and the next was "Art on the Plaza". The booths and tents were all closed, but a lot of people were still out walking and shopping.

Eric and I went to Starbucks, and he bought a large Salted Carmel Hot Cocoa (I wasn't sure how it'd taste, but it was DELICIOUS!! It wasn't super sweet or chocolatey, but it was so good), and a pumpkin spice cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

We ate the cupcake inside, but because the temperature and atmosphere outside was PERFECT, we decided to drink the cocoa outside as we walked. It was so pretty out, and Eric and I were so happy because we had had such a great night! Eric knows the cool places on the plaza better than me, so when we'd get to a corner, I'd just let him decide which way we should go. Even though the temperature was nice, I wore Eric's jacket because he was just a little warm, and I was just a little cool. 

We eventually made our way to the edge of the plaza, near a man-made river called "Brush Creek" (so I guess it's a creek...) Eric asked if I wanted to walk by the water, and I said "Sure!", because I knew that Eric loves that walk. As we walked down the stairs, I remembered the other times we had walked by the water... the first time I visited him in Kansas city when I was checking out UMKC three years ago, we walked there, and because I had unknowingly worn some unsensible shoes (they hadn't seemed that bad! They weren't heels or anything...) we just sat for a while on a bench, looking at the water while I rested my feet. Another time was Eric's last night living in Kansas City (two summers ago), when we had eaten at Cheesecake Factory on the plaza, and then afterward his car wouldn't start, and so we had to walk by Brush Creek to his apartment to get my car. I remember him talking to his dad on the phone on that walk about how to start the car again. It was an kind of an annoyance that car problems took up time on our last evening in KC, but at the same time it was kind of funny because Eric was mad (he doesn't get mad very often) because the reason the car was dead was because someone he had given a ride to had turned on the inside light for no reason... it was especially dumb because Eric had given him a ride during the day, when there was no reason to turn on the inside light.

Anyway, I was just commenting about the different times we had walked along Brush Creek, and how there were a lot of memories. As we walked I thought about everything that had happened that evening, from the wonderful performance, to the perfect weather, even to the nice food we had eaten, I was thinking that there couldn't be a better last visit to Kansas City before Eric left on his mission. I said "This has been a perfect night!" Eric said, "A perfect night? ...I'm going to make it better." It didn't take me a split-second to know what was coming next, although when he reached into his pocket I was just thinking "No way!" and already in a state of shock... he got on one knee, opened the box with a beautiful ring and said, "Sannah, will you marry me?"  I just kind of weakly said "yes..." because I felt a little dazed. Eric said that I just had really wide eyes lol. I felt pretty shaky after that... after all, it is a big moment! Eric said that he had felt nervous, even though he knew I was going to say yes! He said that he somehow always knew that he would propose to me on Brush Creek, because it's such a pretty location, somewhat private, but very close to the Plaza. It was such a pretty ring, too!! It was a little big (it has since been refitted), and Eric told me all about when and how he had picked it out... we both had a lot of energy after that, and so we went back up to the Plaza and kept walking, happier than ever! We decided to get a snack at Cheesecake Factory since it was still open, and we ate outside (again, wonderful atmosphere!) I had a bowl of Edamame (I wasn't very hungry for too much... it was late!) and Eric had I think Clam Chowder. It was great to just sit and talk, and I had fun unshelling the beans and eating them!

When we were ready to go, we drove to Olathe where Eric's brother Mike lives, and stayed at his house. It had been a magical night! :)

Eric is currently serving his mission, and I am going to school, and we can both focus on our respective goals and activities without worrying or wondering about what will happen when Eric comes back. I am so blessed to have found such a wonderful person, and someone who I get along with so well! I'm excited for what will happen in the future, both while we're apart, and when we can be together again. When it comes closer to the time that Eric comes home, I'll plan more about everything :)

Brush Creek the next day. It's prettier at night, with the lights reflected on the water. Also, those are plants over the wall, not pollution... it kind of looks like pollution in the little picture...

--Sannah

Correction: I actually said that "This night has been a dream come true!" Not that other thing. I just remembered!

Letter From Eric :)

Today I got a nice surprise in the mail-- a letter from my very favorite Elder! He's had some neat experiences in the MTC, and I'm glad he's been able to grow so close to the Lord in this amount of time. I always knew he would love being a missionary! Church 24/7! Eric LOVES anything about the gospel, so I hope he has a most wonderful two years. In the meantime, I'll be trying to be a good student, find a job, and learn better time-management skills. I have a few other goals of self-improvement along the way as well. Anyway, I have studying to do and a paper to write, so adios!

--Sannah

First email From Eric from the MTC!

I've been quite busy lately, and I still have lots to do, but I thought I would give an update. This morning, Eric's mom forwarded me an email from Eric. He's doing very well, he made district leader and loves everything about the work. (The selfish part of me wished that he had said that he misses everyone at least once in the letter, but I'm glad he's doing so well). I hope to hear from him again soon!

--Sannah

Sad Day

So today was my last day of seeing Eric for two years. It was SO HARD. I've cried four or five times today. He is my closest friend, and I loved sharing experiences and things I learn with him, and I just love him. I know it'll be different for him, but for me it feels like he, who other than Christ's gospel was the center of my life, has just dropped out. Life isn't as vibrant or enjoyable without him to share it with.

Luckily, I was able to talk to Olivia today, who cheered me up a lot with fun stories about Air Force ROTC. I wish I had a place where I belonged like that, though that sounds so hard! I'm still feeling overtones of sadness, though it'll be easier once I've cleaned my room and what-not. I really would like to have a job! Anyway, I have a longish paper to write, but I just miss him so much. It's hard knowing that my phone won't be getting texts or phone calls or anything for an extremely long time. It's hard knowing that I'll be missing two years of experiences with him. I didn't feel a sense of panic like I thought I would, just sadness. I hope so much that he stays safe and well, and that we can both become happy and fulfilled, especially as we rely on Christ more and more. I love Eric.

--Sannah

I probably don't have time for this... (09-2011)

Another unfinished draft... I had completely forgotten that I had ever even started to take precalc. I took regular calculus the next semester anyway, so I guess it all worked out!

All the same, I feel like writing a bit. Today, and this week, have been kind of bad. I've been overwhelmed all week (and last week) by the amount of papers, readings, and tests I've had, every, single, day! All I do is run from class, run to class, sit at the library, sit at my home computer, sit in bed, constantly doing homework and not getting sleep. I decided yesterday to drop my precalculus class so I could have enough time for my other classes (especially International Trade/Finance). It was SUCH a good decision, because I can't believe how busy I still am. Actually, I can, because I was just letting precalc slide while I tried to focus in the rest of my classes. It's a bit of a shame, because I liked the teacher, and I bet if I weren't taking International Finance, I'd be fine with the subject. It came down to the fact that something had to go, and I had the least invested in precalc so far.

But last night I was studying Economics

Had a wonderful visit with Eric!

I am so blessed to have Eric! He was very nice, and came last Friday evening and just left today at noon. The week felt like it went by so quickly, but when I think about it we did a lot. We

• Watched "My Fair Lady".
• Watched "The King's Speech".
• Went to Nauvoo!
• Went mini-golfing in Columbia. It was a great game!
• Walked around the mall.
• Ate at Beks!
• Went to Church
• Got mini-oreo Blizzards at Dairy Queen.
• A lot of other things I can't remember right now. 

It was a blast. I love just spending time with him and talking with him. School this week was kind of blah. I had many surprise quizzes, but it's still early and so I'll do fine. I feel like I have had so much to do! I know I'll get to catch up this weekend. I'm excited because Sunday is my dad's birthday, and we are all going to hear Eric's talk about Christ's Atonement. I need to figure out what to get dad...

Later!

--Sannah

Excited for this weekend and it's only Tuesday!

It's ok, though-- I have plenty to work on so I can be ready. I really want to get caught up with homework (I even want to work ahead!) and have my room cleaned and organized, not to mention finally buy school supplies. It feels good to have a lot to do and a good challenge! :) Can't wait to go to Nauvoo with the family and Eric!

Today's writing prompt:

Why do you think some people don't exercise their right to vote?


I think some people don't exercise their right to vote because they are disinterested or don't have enough information to pick a candidate, or they dislike them all. That's why some people don't vote anyway. My feeling is if people don't care enough to vote, they probably shouldn't.

I miss across-the-street neighbors

For whatever reason(s), today was just a lonely downer of a day for me. I just feel as if there are weights on me. I guess one of the prices you end up paying if you decide to be a money-saving commuter student is that you feel alone some of the time.

Yesterday I had a nice breakfast with one of my friends who I very seldom see, but then the rest of the day was spent sitting and working on homework. I got through the readings ok, and I wrote a not-very-good paper for a class, but the bulk of my day was spent working on these pre-calculus problems, which were supposed to be review of things we already knew. I literally spent hours and hours working on that assignment, from not too long after breakfast until dark. I had to give up on a lot of them, too. It's a very frustrating experience to struggle with something that's supposed to be easy, but I guess I've had several of those experiences.

My parents suggested I drop the class and switch majors... I guess to political science? What am I going to do with a Political Science degree? I have some talents (underdeveloped as they may be at this point,) but they aren't in anything useful, so I feel stuck and worthless. Why am I even in school? I'm just going to study something that isn't going to help me get a job. Last night I thought about it and decided to just try to help people, even if I'm not the person who could do the most good. I've been blessed to be born in the US, and that's advantage enough for me to try to help the less fortunate. I just need to think of how, so that even if my degree ends up being worse than worthless, I won't be held back from making a positive difference.

So anyway, today I'm just really not feeling connected to anyone. Everyone has their own lives they're concerned with, and I can just wander around the house. And now I'm up at 11:18 pm, not really tired, and still feeling down when I start reminiscing.

When I was in Elementary School, Sarah and Olivia were around to play with. But when we were bored, we would just wait and see if the Zoellners were home. Olivia and I would even wait in our driveway, trying to send telepathic messages for them to come home. And when they did, we would do all kinds of stuff!

We'd play in the creek, play "Military", ride our bikes around, have a "funeral" for Josh, sled down the stairs in a blanket, find creative ways to wage war on the ants, drag each other in a wagon, build dams, picnic on the roof, make orange juice with a power drill, climb trees, and much, much more! For some reason, one of the funnest things I remember is when there was a rain-storm, we just opened the garage door, had a radio on, and used nets and cups and other random things to "predict/measure" the weather. We just had so much fun, acting like we were doing any kind of real work while the storm was going on. We also acted like the weathermen didn't know what they were talking about, and that's why it was up to us.

But Olivia, Sarah and I all had fun a lot of the time by ourselves. We'd always be outside playing games we made up, throwing gravel into the creek or looking for frogs, swinging, pogo-sticking, playing with our animals or with some electronic toy we'd gotten for Christmas, and making little videos. It was a blast. I feel sorry for Laura, because I know her childhood was (and still is) spent with people telling her what to do, or telling her "no". We live in a different house, and there aren't kids her age for her to play with; just old tired parents and a mopey older sister in college who never want to do anything.

My childhood was carefree, at least it seems that way in hindsight. There wasn't too much indecision over what to play or how to spend my time, and it seems like today most aspects of my life are paralyzed with fear of making the wrong choice. Even doing things that have value feel pointless to me in the scheme of things, and too often it's hard for me to be motivated. It's ironic that in the electronic age, I feel less connected to people than ever I did when I was a kid. I would pay a lot to get to experience a week from my childhood again. I'd be perfectly content to wait with Olivia in our driveway for the Zoellners to come home.

--Sannah

Thoughts on Sociology-- From 2011

I've been going through my old posts, and found this unfinished draft. Enjoy?

I had a few minutes, so I thought I'd jot down some thoughts while I was at the college library... apparently no one's used this computer since I was here yesterday evening. Anyway, some notes on the classes I've had so far today:

International Trade/Finance:

• The class was very quiet. I think we were expected to finish the professor's thoughts/sentences, but we didn't always know where he was going with his thoughts.
• I need a quick review in basic economics. I don't know why, but I just was not following what he was talking about.

Sociology:

At the beginning of class, the Professor had one student spit in a cup, and then asked if anyone would volunteer to drink it. She then said it was an accepted cultural norm for us not to want to drink spit out of a cup, even though "when you kiss someone, you're swapping spit. When you share a toothbrush or drink out of someone else's straw, you're swapping spit. You wonder, who makes up these rules? It's not ok to ingest someone else's saliva from a cup, but fine to do it straight from someone's mouth... One of the things us sociologists do is to take something normal, and then make it look weird!"

I understand the point she was trying to make, but I see that as more of a cost/benefit kind of thing. There is usually nothing to be gained from drinking someone's spit out of a cup, whereas in all of her other examples, there was. People get over the fact that spit is gross and move on with their lives.

First Day of Class

Summer vacation is officially over. Some highlights from the first day of class, since I am too lazy to be a good writer tonight:

• My expository writing professor seems nice. I learned about H. L. Mencken today because I signed up to write a paper about one of his essays... he seems like an interesting character. My dad apparently has a few books by him.
• Western Civilizations II seems ok. We'll see how that goes...
• My library employer Cindy Schoolcraft is an awesomely nice person! She gave me my own orientation today, and I found out that Kat Barden (another awesomely nice person) had created a "spiritual space" in the library, with nice pillows and a prayer list, as well as a holy books bookshelf, among other things. The bookshelf had several Qur'ans, Bibles, and the Torah, but no Books of Mormon. So I think it'd be a good idea to get a nice copy, maybe even put "Westminster College" on the front. And since Westminster has a high international student population (from 65 countries), I even think it'd be neat to have some in different languages. Just a thought :)
• I finished buying my textbooks. I hope the ones I ordered online come in soon!
• I finished scheduling my library hours, and soon I'll post my schedule.
• Dance was all right. We learned the Electric Slide, the Waltz, Fox Trot, and Rumba. I'm not a natural dancer, but it was fun.

Dinner was delicious. We had Macaroni and Cheese, and Bacon Wrapped Green Beans with a garlicky onion sauce, and then strawberries filled with sweet cream cheese drizzled in chocolate. It was WONDERFUL!

Also, Eric got a call from the MTC today. It was an over-the-phone Spanish test to see where he was as far as language fluency, and it sounds like he did pretty well! I'm so proud of him :)

Later,

--Sannah

P.S. Eric and I made the Brazilian Lemonade, and boy was it great. We also made pudding hot cocoa. Mmm mmm! I drove to see him on Monday night and stayed at his parents house till I had to go to Library training the next afternoon. It was a spur of the moment sort of thing, but it was so worth it! I got to surprise Eric on his one break at Walmart (I was lucky to arrive just as he went on break), go on a walk with Debra and her friend, watch Home Alone on a 1996 tape, and make some good food! I love him.

Oh yeah, and writing prompt:
 Imagine you had a hundred dollars, but you couldn't keep it. You had to give it away to a person or charity. Who would you give it to? What would you want them to do with it?
(Another money-related one?)
This one is easy. I would a) Give it to Eric for his Missionary Fund, or b) Give it to Matt and Sarah to go eat at a nice place a few times, since I don't have enough money yet to give them a decent wedding present. (It'll come once I start working, I promise!) I'm not a very good sister :(

Elderberry Jam

Today was spent from the time I woke up this morning helping my mom sort out the green elderberries from the dark ones, because the green ones have cyanide in them. Laura just said she would like for me to add that she helped as well, which is true. Mom is now jarring the elderberry jelly, and it is delicious. I am very much missing Eric right now, and if it weren't for gas money I'd probably go see him and watch Home Alone with him! I had a nice time at Missouri Botanical Gardens with him and Jon yesterday, even though it was hot. Tomorrow I'm going to be called as Ward Assistant Librarian or something, which will be nice :)

Today's writing prompt: If you won the lottery, what would you do?

I don't gamble, but if I did win the lottery somehow and there wasn't a moral problem with me accepting the money (I don't know if there would be... probably not?), I would pay the tax on it, pay 10% for tithing, pay off my loans for school and use it to pay off school. If there were savings left over, I would put it in an interest-earning account for my later years.

--Sannah

P.S. There's this great book I want to buy called "Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen". Dad checked it out from the library, and all of the recipes sound tasty and simple! I would love to cook out of America's Test Kitchen Cookbook for everything, but there's something to be said for time savers, especially when it's not very unhealthy and it tastes great! Dad made Brazilian Lemonade (recipe here) today, and it was  very good, and dad said it was as easy as opening a can of limeade to make, believe it or not!

Even the blogs are multi-tasking!

In order to make My Mountaintop a little more interesting for me to write, I think I'd like to write both whatever's current in my life, plus a response to a writing prompt, and maybe several writing prompts if my answer is short/boring. Maybe that'll be a good exercise as well for creative writing!

In other news, I'm going with Eric and Jon's family tomorrow to the St. Louis temple, and afterwards we'll be going to the Missouri Botanical Gardens! I'm looking forward to that, I hope we drive safely. For the past couple of days, I've mostly read, gone swimming, and tried to play "The Morning Breaks" on the piano. (Here's the Tabernacle Choir singing "The Morning Breaks"). It's slow going, but I think it'd be great to learn how to play the piano a little better. Still not sure exactly what I'll be doing for school, but I guess for now, I'll just keep studying Economics with a bit more emphasis in law/politics. That seems like a fine plan to me.

And poor Eric! He's had to work so hard, because the managers at Walmart keep scheduling him to work entire shifts by himself in the middle of the day! And it's a huge Walmart, too. He finally brought it up to the managers, and they just completely blew him off, like it wasn't a serious concern. It makes me really mad! But anyway, I'll get to the writing exercise.

Spoonbricks*

The spoonbricks were so excited for the family reunion! Spoonbrick family reunions only happened when they had to build a house for someone, and then they all stayed in the walls until someone decided to tear them down. In fact, they actually were a little in denial when someone wanted to tear down their building.

They would wait for the construction crews and equipment to arrive, and only when a wrecking ball and crane drove too close to the building would one of the spoonbricks would yell "Run for it!" and they'd all chaotically bounce out of the wall. Since the spoonbricks made up the wall, the roof would soon collapse after they bounded out of the scene in a big cloud of dust. But all of that would happen years down the road, if ever, and today was a joyous day to build!

"Come on, spoonbricks! We've got a job to do!" Said one of the brave spoonbricks. The excited spoonbricks gracefully hopped and leaped the long distance to the open lot where the house would be built. As they traveled, they all sang "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," starting at a mid-range pitch and ascending, kind of like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, but it was a whole group of them and they weren't always in unison.

When they finally got to the building site, the brave spoonbrick said "Happy family reunion, everyone! Let the festivities begin!" All the spoonbricks began stacking themselves into a wall. Even though no one was directing them, they all knew what to do. The spoonbricks also had this classic prank to play on the top row of spoonbricks.

When the first spoonbrick on the top row jumped up there, the whole wall jiggled and quivered. "Woah!" It shouted. Then the second landed next to it, and the building wiggled and wobbled like Jello. "Uh oh, I don't like the looks of this," it said worriedly . By the time the fifth spoonbrick tried to get on top, the whole building was violently swaying and lurching back and forth so hard that half of the spoonbricks were flung into a nearby field. "Haha, good prank, everyone," the seasick spoonbrick said as he threw up. "Yes, yes, that was awfully funny, but we're behind schedule, so let's move!" the brave and slightly cranky spoonbrick from the nearby field said.

The spoonbricks worked quickly and made up on lost time. It wasn't before long that they had built the new home and were singing their song that they always sang when they completed a building:

"We are fam-i-ly! I got all my spoonbricks with me! (Repeat Chorus many times)" 


And they were family. And sometimes, that's all you can say.

THE END

 

*Spoonbricks are pretty much how you imagine them. A brick that has a spoon in it. Or on it... or something.

Middle School

So, the Public Schools started today, which means that Summer is practically as good over. And Laura just started Middle School. I just realized it's been about nine years since I started sixth grade (but not quite). I remember everything pretty well, and although I didn't really like many things about middle school, I get a kind of nostalgic feeling when I think about it. I can remember the teachers from each year, and in a lot of cases the people who were in each of my classes, and what everything was like. I walked to the public library after school for a lot of sixth grade.
 
I really loved being in band when I was in middle school, and I probably had closer friends back then too (not to mention my sisters were around). I went to several of my classes in temporary trailers, and Laura is going to class in a renovated building. One of my favorite parts of middle school was going to Fayette for the percussion solo contest.

I don't know, I just remember the people I associated with and where they are now, and it's very different.  

Wishing Summer Would Last Forever

Things I've done recently:

• Went on a fun little shopping trip with Mom, Dad, and Laura and found an awesomely cute dress at Goodwill for only $6.00, as well as some shoes. Maybe I should take/post pictures, but I don't have a camera other than my phone...
• Watched my cousin Kelly and little sister Laura. We watched as little TV as possible, which was a goal of mine :)
• Visited Eric! We ate at China Garden, bought silly stuff at Walmart, shot some basketball hoops, played croquet with his parents, watched Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows: Part 1, made chocolate pudding, played with water balloons and washed Eric's car! 
• Got pulled over for the first time because of a broken back brake light. Didn't get a ticket though!
• Started reading a biography on Brigham Young. Quite the interesting man!
• Had to deal with a dog killing eight chickens in our back yard. More of a sad thing for Mom.

I wish that I had other things to report, but I guess not much has been happening. School's starting on the 24th, and I don't know if I've got everything quite figured out yet as far as that goes. We'll see! Looking forward to getting some sleep!

Back to Plan 'A'

As of now, I don't think I'm going to be continuing my major in Economics. Even though I used to think that planning on going to law school was naive (it's such a crowded field!), I'm just more built for that kind of thing than pursuing a business-related degree, as much as I wish I could. I asked several of my Econ professors why they went into Economics, and I repeatedly heard, "I really enjoyed mathematics..." which unfortunately isn't a strength of mine. I liked Economics because of Thomas Sowell. So, I'll talk to a career adviser and find out the best way for me to go right now.

In other news, I talked to both of my sisters who are in Utah, and they both sound like they are doing well, which makes me very happy. I gave a family home evening lesson about how keeping the commandments brings freedom, which is such an obvious basic thing to me, but when you look around the world, SO many people will say, "Religion restricts my freedoms. It tells me what I can and can't do. I should be free to make my own decisions." Seldom do the same people complain about how traffic laws similarly hinder their "freedom". God gives us commandments because He ultimately knows what will make us happier and freer in the long run, and He loves us. We can choose whether or not to obey, but we cannot choose whether or not to take the consequences of our actions.

And Walmart has Eric working long shifts almost every day of the week, lately by himself. I just read that pavement can get up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days, and boy has it ever been hot lately! I can't believe they're scheduling him by himself...

Saw "Captain America" earlier this week. Overall, it was a pretty ok movie, but I noticed myself scoffing at many of the parts, because they had a few very predictable characters and plot sequences. It was fun to get to go to the movies though. Finally finished Parley P. Pratt's autobiography, and I can't believe that a life could be so full of so many great and horrible experiences, and he only lived to be 50! (He was murdered on the way back from one of his missions). He was an amazing, amazing man.

--Sannah

Lazy days of Summer

Poor Laura. Only three weeks for her until school starts. Oh well, it's much too hot to really plan much of anything anyway; heat indexes well above 100 degrees as far as the forecasters can see! I feel the most sorry for Eric, who has to work close to full-time outside in this insane weather! Poor guy. I have no excuse to complain about the heat.

Here's a list of books I've read this summer, since that's about all I've done besides eat and occasionally swim:

1. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination

2. Thomas Sowell: A Man of Letters

3. Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America

And right now, Parley P. Pratt's Autobiography. All of the books have been very good and insightful :)

In other news, Josie is now a married woman! Congrats, Josie and Ray :) May your marriage be a happy one, filled with love and laughter! The reception's tomorrow. I think it's so cool that Sarah and Josie's anniversaries will forevermore be one week apart exactly. Until next time,

--Sannah Bailey

UPDATE: I forgot that the first book I read this summer was Bob Bennet's "Leap of Faith: Confronting the Origins of the Book of Mormon".

Things I'm Grateful for:

1. The knowledge I have in this life about who I am and my relationship with God.

2. My wonderful family. I cherish the many memories I've had with them, and am so thankful that they're all still in good health!

3. Eric, who is the best man I've ever known! He's such a optimistic, extraordinary guy, and a great example to me. He has such a positive outlook on life!

4. That I've been able to read many great books this summer. I haven't had time for so long!

5. My good experience of living in Logan last year. I had a blast!

6. Eric's family. They have been so welcoming, kind, and generous to me and my family. They're also a lot of fun to be around! :)

7. All of the beauty found in nature! I love the changes of every season :)

8. My sister and good friend Josie's marriages this summer! SO HAPPY FOR THEM!! 

9. I'm grateful for the blessing of living in a free and prosperous country. It's something I too often take for granted.

10. And finally, endless possibilities for the future! I'm looking forward to all the things I'll learn and experience.

Utah and Sarah's Wedding

This past week I was able to once again visit one of my favorite places on Earth-- Utah! Goodness, I missed that place. It was a weird feeling driving into the valley, because I just felt like I was coming home... even though I knew I had to leave. Anyway, between dropping Olivia off and Sarah getting married, it was a jam-packed week. Sarah looked beautiful, and I'm happy to have a brother-in-law. Now to wait for the pictures!

--Sannah

Fourth of July weekend!

I had the fun surprise of getting invited to take a trip with Eric's mom and little sister Sam to visit their relative in Indiana for a little celebration. It was a long drive, but we had a blast :) It was good to stay with Jan and her husband Jerry again, they're very nice people. It was my second time seeing them, because we had visited two years ago with the whole family (minus Mike). That was a great trip, because we also went to Chicago and got to go to "The taste of Chicago" and the new sky-boxes in the formerly-known-as-Sears tower! Those are great memories.

After our visit, we drove back and I was able to spend time with Eric and the rest of his family (including Mike), and we ate great food and watched fireworks. Eric drove me home and we went swimming and shot off little fireworks. I think they must have legalized regular fireworks within city limits this year, because I noticed plenty going off close by. Today, we relaxed and watched some movies before he had to leave for work. I miss him so much. I know it will be a while, but I'm excited for the day when I won't have to say goodbye anymore! :)

--Sannah

Lake of the Ozarks and a haircut

On Father's day and the day after, I was able to go with Eric's family to the Lake of the Ozarks  for fishing, swimming, going on a pontoon, and other fun! It was a nice time, and the weather was beautiful! I've also been getting to hang out with Josie periodically, which is great because in about a month she will be married and living in Illinois! I've had lots of fun talks with her lately... it's been good to get to catch up. 

In other news, I got my hair cut shorter yesterday, a little bit longer than shoulder length. My hair feels much softer, and it looks better in a ponytail! It hasn't been since middle school that my hair has been this short. I can't wait for Eric to see it! I have two years to grow it all out again anyway.

--Sannah

Birthday Stuff

Well, on Monday June 6th I left my teenage years and turned 20. I celebrated with my family and Eric by getting a swimsuit, and going to St. Louis to the Zoo, the Basilica, and the Chesterfield Cheesecake Factory. The night of my actual birthday we went to Beks and had the awesome Artichoke Dip that I love.

On Wednesday, when Eric had to leave :(, we had Olivia's friend Dustin over. The next day, Alex and Sam came over and we went swimming in the pool and had a little backyard camp fire. Then on Friday, we went to the Steam Punk thing, where poor Olivia got stung by a huge hornet and we had to leave, even though she had spent lots of time and money making very creative costumes for the festival.

I've been reading a book that Eric's lent me, Bob Bennett's "Leap of Faith". It's pretty good, it's just hard to find enough time/privacy to read it sometimes. Anyway, tomorrow or the next day I'm going to hang out with Josie. I think that'll be fun :)

Until next time,

--Sannah

Family Reunion!

This past weekend I went to my first ever family reunion! It was Eric's Dad's side of the family, the McDonoughs. It was fun getting to meet all of Eric's relatives, they're a nice bunch. We got to stay in an upstairs apartment over night with Eric's brother Mike and his girlfriend Brittany. The car rides weren't too bad at all, even though on the way back Eric and I had to drive for eight hours. It was a good time.

Now that they're Facebook official, I suppose now is as good of time as any to say that Sarah and Matt are getting married on the 21st of July. I'm excited for them! I just wish I were in Utah so I could help Sarah with Bridesmaid stuff... oh well. Also, I HATE the humidity here. It's disgusting. Anyway, I have more to write about later!

--Sannah

Tired but can't sleep situation

Today was pretty ok. I watched the first three episodes of the show "Sherlock" with Olivia, which was really good. I love the editing, most of the characters, and the music. The dialogue's pretty good, too. (Hmm, I just learned that "dialog" is apparently the American spelling... how have I never picked that up?)

Also, I got to talk to Eric today twice on the phone, and both were really good, interesting conversations. That's how most have been lately, and it's awesome! We talk about the Gospel, politics, family stuff, and it's all so interesting. It was a little late when we quit talking tonight, and I was just going to go to bed, but all the sudden for some reason I just started imagining the last time I knew I would be seeing him for two years. Just thinking about how I would be feeling made my throat feel tight, and my heart start pounding faster. I can't imagine seeing him and thinking "This is the LAST time you will be able to hear his voice, or wrap your arms around him, or anything. He's going to be gone."

I think I'll kind of be in a panic at that point, just thinking "NO! I've gotta hang on to every moment, and stop time somehow! He can't ever leave today, because when he walks out the door, that's IT for two years!" I think I'll be some kind of collapsed pile after he leaves.

Now, don't get me wrong! Eric and I both feel that it's God's will that he serve a mission, and that is FAR more important than a temporary, personal break-down. Eric has a burning love for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know he wants to bring that same knowledge and joy to others so badly, and Piura, Peru is where he's needed now. It's just that I've grown so close to Eric over the past two years. We've talked, danced, laughed, cried, cooked, cleaned, read scriptures, prayed, played, shopped, walked, sung, told stories, watched movies, worked, traveled and have been an embarrassing couple on purpose together! He's the best man I know, and my best friend. I hate to imagine life without him, even though I know in the scheme of things it's not that long.

I just hope neither of us changes too much (you know, in a bad, grow-apart sort of way). And, there are always good ol' one-page computer-paper folded up pouch mail letters once a week. Much better than nothing. Sigh... maybe dear elder has some options I'm overlooking. Anyway, as always, much more is going on in my life and in my thoughts than I ever have time to write, but this'll have to do for now. I'm going to my youngest sister's award thing tomorrow morning, Eric's coming over and then after my other sister's high school graduation (congrats, Olivia!) I'll be probably going to Kansas City and then Eric's family reunion. Yay!

--Sannah

Mission Call!

I got back today from a lovely visit with Eric and his family. Eric got his mission call on Friday, after I got registered at Westminster. He'll be serving in Piura Peru, and he leaves on October 5. I'm going to miss him SO MUCH!!! At least I have a long summer with him though. More later.

--Sannah

I've been home for a full week.

Quick Updates:

• The drive back from Utah through Colorado was fun!
• I've been able to hang out with one of my friends from band (Sam) which was awesome!
• I got my grades back, and I had three A's and a B- in Accounting!
• On Friday, I'm registering for class at Westminster.
• Today, I'm going to Eric's so I can be there when he gets his mission call tomorrow!

Fun times. I have to clean and unpack today, so I'll tell everyone where Eric will be going next time!

--Sannah

Done with School!... almost.

I finished my last final yesterday afternoon... BUT I have to figure out whatever happened to my third Economics exam because apparently scan-tron didn't record it. Eric submitted his mission papers yesterday, and got all of his sizing and everything done for the clothes. His dental work by his stake president was free (he even gave him a small filling!) Sarah, Matt, Eric, Jon and I are heading out today for a few days at the San Rafael swell... should be fun. I found out I got a really bad Accounting grade, but I passed... mom cheered me up by reminding me that she didn't always do well in her classes in college either, even when she was really trying. I'm going to really miss Utah and all of the awesome people I've met and made friends with. Also, Chopped is an awesome show, from the Food Network. So much going on right now... it's overwhelming but exciting! Have a good weekend, all, I'm off to search for my Economics test!

--Sannah

Finals week and moving back to MO

Today was the last day of class. Eric came by this morning and was nice enough to drive Sarah and I :)
True to Logan form, it snowed today. Next week should be BEAUTIFUL though!
I have quite a bit pf studying to do, so I'll keep this short. Last night was very fun with Eric. He just turned the TV on, and we watched the Food Network for longer than we thought we would, first with some show about opening a restaurant in 24 hours, then "Chopped" and then Iron Chef America. It was pretty late when we turned the TV off, but it was very fun. It's going to be sad leaving Utah, I've really enjoyed it.

--Sannah

Weekend Recap

Friday, Eric and I did go to Salt Lake and had a wonderful, wonderful day! The air was a little cool, but the trees were in blossom, and there were colorful tulips everywhere! We walked around Temple Square, visited some church buildings, had a delicious dinner at Thaifoon where Eric got a free birthday dessert, walked around The Gateway, and went to see the new movie "Atlas Shrugged", which was not too bad. The casting was good. Saturday I gave Eric his other present, which I'll talk more about some other time. Today, I've been trying to study for Economics, and I hope that test goes well tomorrow. Yesterday, I was able to talk to Olivia, Mom, Laura, Sarah, and Matt, which was fun :)

Lately I've been reading from the Missionary Handbook Preach My Gospel, and it's given me something to be excited about when I go back to Missouri.I can't wait to study more and be able to share the Gospel with others. Anyway, I have work to do, so later!

--Sannah

Eric's Birthday and Easter!

I'm so excited for Eric's Birthday! It's on April 22 (Friday), and so I have to work hard on HW this week so I won't have to worry as much if we end up going to Salt Lake or something. There are quite a few options of what we can do, but I think for sure we're going to dinner and "Atlas Shrugged". I already gave him one of his presents, "the Obol". When I very first saw it, I was like "Who would want that?" But then I actually read what it was, and got really excited, because just that morning Eric had been complaining about soggy cereal! It was kind of an impulse buy, but ever since he got it, he hasn't eaten cereal out of any other bowl. It made me happy :)

For Easter, I got a little bag of Jelly Belly's and some Cadbury chocolate mini-eggs. Those are the best Easter candies, even though there are a few others I like. It isn't Easter yet, but the candy has been out for a long time at Wal-Mart. It's been a little rainy, but that's ok because April is rain-season. And everything's very green, which is pretty. Off to do homework and work on Eric's other gift!

--Sannah

Catch-up

Hey everyone, it's been a little while since I've written. Last weekend was General Conference, which was MARVELOUS! Sarah, Eric and I had a little General Conference miracle: The TV, which hadn't been working for weeks before, started working the morning of General Conference, and lasted until a day or two after General Conference, and then just quit working. I'm grateful it worked when it was important for it to!

After the last session, I went with Eric to Kenneth Godfrey's house for Eric's patriarchal blessing. It was a very wonderful way to conclude the very spiritual weekend. I was also able to talk with Olivia, which was way awesome and fun :)

Church was good today, I'm excited for all of the things I plan to do in the next little while, and I can;t believe there are only three more weeks of school! Time sure flies. Can't wait for Easter! In other news, Sarah and Matt are back together. And I was able to write that Accounting paper. It was about Lifeway Kefir, and it was my favorite part of that class.

Until next time,

--Sannah Bailey

P.S. This week Eric and I are going to attempt a "Missionary Schedule" of waking up early and going to bed early.

Can't wait for General Conference! (03-2011)

An unfinished draft from March, 2011

Update: I wrote the paper, slipped it under the professor's door, and he only took off two points. The next day, I took a test for accounting and did the worst that I've ever done on a test in college, and maybe ever. To add insult to injury, I found out that the class average was very high for that test, and that most people had done well. That's life! At least I gained something valuable from the paper; I now have detailed knowledge about Lifeway Foods Kefir's business structure.

So much for a good grade in Accounting...

Today was the day to turn in a 20 point Accounting Paper. The good news is that if you turned in the paper, you got full-credit automatically. The bad news is that I wasn't in class the day he announced the paper, and so I had no idea. Serves me right for missing.

Spring Break Summary

Things I did over spring break:

• Went to Pita Pit
• Watched movies with Eric
• Went to The Crepery
• Went to St. George with Eric and Sarah. Warm and awesome!
• Went to Las Vegas.
• Went on an unintentional ten-mile hike.
• Went to Zion's National Park.

It was a blast. And it is almost three in the morning. Good night.

--Sannah

Things I like about living in Utah*

I've been meaning to do a post about this ever since I started this blog, so I guess now is as good of time as any:

*Disclaimer: This list will probably not be exclusively about "Utah", but will also probably include things about Logan, USU, or this semester in general. This is a really long note, and because I didn't proof-read before posting there are bound to be mistakes... sorry if the format isn't reader-friendly.

In no particular order...

1. I like that the milk is over a dollar cheaper here than it is in Missouri. One of the nice things about having 62 dairies within 15 miles of Cache Valley. It's especially nice for me, because I eat a lot of cereal.

2. I love how nice people are here. Not only that, but I love that partying really isn't a big activity around here, and people who do "party" are way in the minority, which was totally not the case at Westminster, as nice as everyone was there.

3. I like getting to see Sarah on a daily basis. She's really fun to hang out with, and it's much better than talking on the phone.

4. I like not being in a long-distance relationship with Eric, as fun as it was to go visit him in Kansas City. It's great having him live just across the street.

5. I like all of the churches everywhere... it's hilarious and awesome all at the same time. (I like going to church. I've always been that way, but it's really fun with all of the people here you can meet.)

6. I love that there's LDS stuff EVERYWHERE... Wal-Mart, the public library, Deseret Book and Seagull book, the list goes on. It's pretty great.

7. Deseret Industries is the nicest second-hand store I've been to. I haven't gone there too often, but I do have some really cute clothes from going there at the beginning of the school year.

8. While it doesn't look like much on the outside, Logan's public library has the best selection I've seen for a city library. They have a wide selection of movies that Eric and I have checked out over the year, and they have books by every author I like, which I can't say for many other libraries I've been to.

9. "Books of Yesterday" cracks me up. They have SO many books, all over the store in random piles. It's seriously hard for me to describe how many books they have. Also...

10. The video section of "Books of Yesterday" has an extensive edited movie section, so if you wanted to watch Christopher Nolan's "Memento", but you didn't want to hear the F-word 74 times, you could get the edited version (which also takes out any graphic violence or trashy sex-scenes). It does a really good job, and you don't even notice anything's missing. I've heard that it's no longer legal to edit films like that, which is a shame because I really liked "Memento" and would have bought an edited version.

11. I LOVE the view! The mountains always look really cool in the different times of day (when I can see them anyway... not a fan of inversion.) But the city just looks so nice year-round.


12. I love living so close to the Logan Temple. It's a really magnificent building, and, like the mountains, it looks awesome in different lighting. It makes the whole town look nicer.

13. I like living close to a Pepperidge Farm factory, because they have a surplus store attached where you can buy cheap goldfish and Pepperidge Farm cookies in bulk. Also, there are a LOT of Ice Cream stores around here, even though it's cold most of the year. (Aggie Ice Cream!)

14. I like sledding on Old Main Hill! It makes the snow something to be excited about, instead of just something that makes your walk to class miserable.

15. I like living so close to Salt Lake City, because that place is awesome. Also, I like living in the same state as so many Church leaders. These are great, great men, and it's crazy for me to be so close to people who are almost celebrity-like in my mind (except better, because they have outstanding character).

16. I like the sidewalks everywhere, so when Eric and I decide spur of the moment to go for a walk, we aren't really limited by much except time. The Logan Zoo is also a fun place to walk.

17. I like Shangrila Health Food Store, and a gas station of Main Street I can't remember the name of, because those places are where Eric and I get our special ginger sodas. On a somewhat-related note, I like all of the Subways around here. There are I think six that are in Logan or right outside of Logan.

18. I like the mall in Logan. Even though its little, it has a really funny arcade that Eric and I went to once.

19. I like the walking/hiking trails nearby in the mountains. Lots of options, though now that it's snowy it probably would be too treacherous to attempt any of the really cool ones, so we just walk around downtown. Logan's downtown area is really nice, and it has the beautiful Logan Tabernacle where we've gone to Stake Conference.

20. I think Logan attracts quality entertainment (Brian Regan, B.J. Novak, and many others). The city, like Columbia MO, is a big supporter of the arts, but unlike Columbia, it does not attract crime and other problems that liberal cities tend to have. I also think the Ellen Eccles theater downtown is a beautiful performance venue.

21. I like that Sundays actually mean something around here. Streets aren't as busy, campus is dead, and all of the churches around here are full of people, mostly college-aged people. There are so many that for each building, different full-sized congregations will come in for services throughout the day. It's really nice that people care.

22. I like Old Main. It's a really pretty building, especially so when I'm walking there from the Business building, and it's just standing there majestically looking like a castle with the snow-covered mountains behind it. Also, the upstairs area where my class is has a really cozy, home-y feel about it.

23. I like the Institute of Religion program on campus. So far, last semester and this semester, the classes I take there end up being my favorite ones out of my schedule. Not only that, but there is a huge selection of classes of can take, and it's free. It's a great blessing.

24.  I like the greenhouse on campus, because even when there's a thick blanket of snow on the ground, it cheers me up to see colorful flowers in bloom through the window. Another building that's great is USU's library. That actually might be the coolest building on campus.

25. I like living close to Bear Lake, even though I haven't visited since the summer. Heck, I like living close to the West Coast, even though I've never visited! It's just fun to imagine and talk about the possibility of visiting, because before these places were a little out of reach.

Even though I can think of a couple others, 25 is a nice, round number, and so if I ever think of anything big, I'll make a Part II.

Spring Break!

What I've done since classes were over on Friday:

• Ate at Pita Pit
• Watched "101 Dalmatians", the silent film "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and the first and second "Indiana Jones movies" (AWFUL)
• Had breakfast at The Crepery (DELICIOUS... we also had a chocolate-toffee steamer)
• Walked around downtown
• Checked out/read out of some books. 

Sarah's been camping. Church today was good, but what was ESPECIALLY good was Elder L. Tom Perry's CES Fireside talk. It was very touching, and the choir was good. I think I'll continue waiting to share my plans for Spring Break until they've happened... that'll be easier, and probably smarter, internet safety-wise. Off to read Thomas Sowell's "Intellectuals and Society"!

--Sannah

Sacrament Meeting Talk

Sunday marked Eric's very first Sacrament Meeting Talk. He was told that it was going to be over the Holy Ghost, and that he should plan to take up about 12 minutes or so. It turned out that he had 25 minutes to fill up. He did an excellent job, and focused on the Holy Ghost's role in testifying of all truth and of its power to change hearts. He ended by relating the spirits in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" to the Holy Ghost (the spirits were subjective and personal for Scrooge, but they had the power to dramatically change him).

There was an incident during the sacrament, where Sarah unintentionally made me start laughing, which was really bad because we were sitting in the front, and we were the only ones sitting in the front, right where the Bishop and Stake President could clearly see us. I wasn't noisy or anything, but I was turning red from the effort of trying not to laugh. It was so quiet that it just made everything worse, plus it was super irreverent. I couldn't look at Sarah at all for about half an hour after, it was awful. Oh, the joys of having sisters make you laugh at church.

In other news, I haven't talked to Olivia in quite a while. I sure hope she's doing well.

--Sanah

Accounting Test and Excited for Spring Break

I found out it is possible for me to get an A on an Accounting test. I studied hard for over two days, came up with a different test-taking strategy (skip all "Use the following information to answer questions 11-17" until you're done with all of the stand-alone questions... they can really drain the time away), and ended up only missing two questions, which did bump me down to a 92%, but that's an A! Sarah had two tests that day, and she got 100% on her Fluids test, which is awesome. We were talking yesterday about how we had both developed test anxiety since being in college.

In other news, it snowed a TON last night! Eric had taken me to Hastings because I wanted to see if they had "Hercules", and when we got out, the car was completely covered. We were driving back home, and the car was slipping and sliding all over the place, and I was kind of freaking out. Eric was calm, because it was controlled sliding, and it was all under control. Still very scary. We couldn't get up the hill by my house, and so we had to turn around and try the next street over. Although we were driving diagonal the entire block, we somehow made it home safely.

Unfortunately after that, I wasn't in any kind of mood to go out and see The Antics or really do much of anything. Eric had been sitting around for two days reading while I had been studying, and so he did want to do something, but we couldn't decide what there even was to do. At 11:00 PM, we decided we should go sledding on Old Main Hill. We bundled up and walked to campus, and the snow was SO deep! It was up to my knees in places. We went to the quad first, which was so big and flat that it looked like a frozen lake. It was a lot of fun running and jumping all around the new snow, and it was so deep that it was really fun just to fall over and feel how soft it was.

When we walked over to the hill, there were plenty of other college kids there... it sounded a lot like a theme park from all the screaming, yelling and laughing.  But the snow was perfect for going really fast, much better than last time. The only problems were snow getting plowed in my face, and that the air pump didn't work for blowing up the inner tube.  It was a lot of fun, though, a really nice memory.

Spring break is in a week, and I'm happy to say that Eric, Sarah and I have some fun plans. I'll talk about them closer to when they're happening, but let's just say that it's going to be awesome.

--Sannah

Getting life into order, one step at a time

This past President's Day weekend was good in the sense that, little by little, I'm gaining control over my life.

Friday, Eric and I went to the temple again because we had felt so great the day before when we went. After that, we went to Arby's and had medium roast beef sandwiches, which left such an impression that I'm including it in a post four days after the fact... they were really good, though!

Another thing that happened this weekend was Eric and I finished the Twilight Zone, season two. It would have been really cool if the first disc for that season hadn't been scratched up, but we were lucky that the Logan library had the collection in the first place. The last disc had some bonus features, one of which was an interview with Rod Serling and Mike Wallace (See part one out of three here).  It struck me about how articulate and genuine Serling seemed; they don't make celebrities like him anymore. It doesn't surprise me at all that a great series like the Twilight Zone came from such an intelligent and principled man.

On Saturday, I spent a lot of the day cleaning. I ended up cutting my finger on the mop and accidentally spraying bleach in my eyes, not to mention discovering a LOT of some nasty yellow powder that's under the big rug in our living room (from the nasty rug... it smelled awful. And got all over my pants. I don't know what it is). Our friend Jon came over, and cooked a delicious lunch of mussels and mustard greens, and later Sarah's old friends Nick, Jeff, Ryan, and a girl named Crystal came over for games and stayed for about four hours or so. Sarah seemed to have a lot of fun, which is good for her. After everyone but Ryan left, Eric and I played learned how to play Spades with Ryan and Sarah. Ryan and I (or should I say, "Team Glasses") lost, but it was a lot of fun.

Sunday, I went to Eric's ward, and for some reason we were both extremely tired. The Relief Society lesson was about Service, and I really liked it a lot. Serving others is something that I'd like to do a lot more of! After church, we went to his stake president's house for a Missionary Fireside. In attendance were a few recent converts and investigators. President and Sister Lambert are extremely nice people, and it was a very comfortable get-together. Eric and another recent convert shared their conversion stories and testimonies, and afterward President Lambert served Aggie Blue Mint  ice cream, which was delicious and one of my favorite flavors (Aggie Bull Tracks might be my favorite). Eric did a really nice job on sharing his testimony, and it was an overall enjoyable meeting.

Yesterday, Eric and I had fun going sledding down old main hill, and then I spent the rest of the day helping Sarah clean Matt's stuff out of her room. Everything looks really nice in the basement now, and there are only a few things left to do before it's completely clean. It's very exciting and a relief all at once. Now I just have to straighten my room and study my butt off for my Accounting test on Friday. Eric was nice enough last night to cook macaroni and cheese for Sarah and I, and I made the mistake of giving a few little noodles to the cat, who was yammering its head off. I assumed that like the other cats I've owned, it wouldn't really be interested in human food. I was VERY wrong.

After gobbling up those pieces, it refused to eat its own food. It balanced on its back legs, looking in every pot and pan for some more macaroni. When I got a cup to get some juice for Eric, it stood in front of me, looking at the cup and meowing. "Look," I said, tipping the cup upside down so it could see it was empty. "I don't have any macaroni." It promptly hissed at me and clawed my leg. Sarah later found it on our dish-drying rack licking the wooden spoon that Eric had used to make macaroni.

Thanks to its little kitty over-reaction, we now know it can't handle itself, and so there is now a new rule in this house: NO MACARONI FOR THE CAT.

--Sannah Bailey

Engagements and Break-ups

One of my best and oldest friends (although in recent years, we haven't been QUITE as close, just because life gets in the way) got engaged. I was extremely excited and shocked all at the same time. I've known Josie for such a long time, have lots of fun, hilarious memories with the girl, and this is one of life's BIGGEST events. Once she's married, things won't ever be quite the same again. It's awesome though, I always knew she'd find a great guy. I really wish her all the best.

Because Eric is considering serving a mission, it'll be at least two and a half years before we get married, so Josie will have been married for a few years by then. The awesome thing is that the Kansas City temple will most likely be completed when he gets back, which is awesome because Kansas City is a place that has special memories for both Eric and I.

Two days ago, my older sister and her boyfriend Matt broke up. It's been a little weird, but I definitely think it's something that'll be good for both of them. I hope that they're headed in the right direction... Eric and I prayed for them a lot that God would lead their relationship to where it was supposed to be. Sarah and I are going to clean out the basement this three-day weekend, and it'll look marvelous.

In other news, the weather has been BEAUTIFUL!!! It was t-shirt and shorts weather for about four days, until noon yesterday when we got a thick, soft blanket of snow. It hasn't been cold, and the snow is really pretty, so I'm perfectly fine with all that.

Eric, his roommate Ted, and I went to the Logan temple today. It was Eric's first time going to any temple, my first time going to the Logan temple (the only other one I've been in is the St. Louis one), and Ted's first time going to do baptisms for the dead at the Logan temple. It was uplifting, and it felt like there wasn't anything else better that I could have been doing.

I think it's a big blessing to know that just because someone didn't have the chance in this life to learn of Christ, there's still a chance for them to learn about Him and his gospel, and to choose whether or not to accept Him, even after they've died. That is a truly inclusive and loving truth that I strive not to take for granted. Eric and I are fortunate to live so close to the  temple, we've made the goal to go every week. (Go here to learn more about baptism for the dead).

In not so good news, my grades so far are as bad as they've been since I've been in school. I've been trying to study a lot all week, and I'm getting burnt out. I'm used to being at the top of my classes (not just cake-walk classes, either), and so it's really unnerving to me when I'm getting such low scores when others around me are getting perfect scores, and I've been studying a lot! We'll see if I have any improvement over the next couple weeks.

Tonight, I'm gonna kick back a little more than usual though, just to take a break from the stress I've felt every day this week. Maybe do a little homework, have a specialty ginger soda and watch the Twilight Zone once Eric gets back from class. (He has late classes). I'm looking forward to it :)

--Sannah

P.S. In sad news, I found out that this kid who I knew from band in high school named Zackery Oliver slipped on some ice and slid in the way of a bus and got ran over. He's in critical condition, and hasn't woken up since the accident. He was always a nice kid from what I could tell, and it must be very hard for his family. Any prayers would be appreciated.

Playing Catch-up

In the spirit of procrastinating my homework, I've decided this is a great time to add another (short) entry. My plans of doing lots and lots of homework this weekend was sabotaged by the beautifully warm weather and season 2 of "The Twilight Zone" that Eric picked up from the library. Pretty sad stuff... now I'll be forced to have a full week of non-stop homework and studying. Probably for the best. Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day!

--Sannah

P.S. One of my good friends got engaged last night!!! Exciting news, but so crazy...

Two-year anniversary and Banjo

I haven't felt quite as much motivation this past week as I did the week before, but I've still been working ahead in homework and keeping my room clean, so I haven't been losing all of the progress I've made. Missouri has been getting pounded with snow storms, and meanwhile here there's hardly been a flake. I suppose I picked the right year to come to Utah.

On Tuesday Eric and I went to Cheesecake Factory near Salt Lake City to celebrate our two years together. It's amazing when I think about the fact that if I had been busy the day his friend Stephen had invited me to their prom, I would have never met him. It was truly a life-changing night, and I am very blessed. I ended up getting him an iron skillet, some awesome fancy ginger sodas for us to share, and some pepperjack cheese-its for his present :)

Anyway, we dropped off the necklace Eric bought for me last year for its bi-annual cleaning included in the warranty at Jared's, and went to dinner. I got a California Cheesesteak, and Eric got some Mexican dish... it was a LOT of delicious food. Then we had some Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake that we could barely finish. I had a lot of fun getting to enjoy the evening with him. When we picked up the necklace it looked brand new, so I was glad to get that done. I hadn't even noticed the change from when I first got it, but after the cleaning it really looked a lot better.

The rest of the week was basically full of school. Our institute teacher, who's this hilarious nice old guy, was going off at the beginning of class on Thursday about how our generation is crazy to think that holding hands is more intimate than giving a hug. It was funny, because when we were talking about it, Eric pointed out that if someone came up to the teacher after class and gave him a hug, it would just be, "Oh, that's nice." But if someone came up to him after class and just started holding his hand, it would be really, really weird. The class is interesting though, the teacher teaches it like a history course analyzing the Book of Mormon, and he has all of these advanced and well-thought out theories that give me new perspectives, if nothing else. In another entry I might try to go over that more.

Today was a sad day, because Eric's dog Banjo got hit by a car and had to be put to sleep. He was a really nice, friendly dog who LOVED being petted by everyone. He liked everyone a lot, and he was a beautiful dog. It was really upsetting, because Eric's family has rarely had a dog last for longer than three years, and Banjo was such a part of the family Eric was hoping he would get to see him get old. When Eric and I would go on walks near their house, it was fun to just have Banjo running alongside and exploring everything. We talked about the pets we'd grown up with, and their family has had quite their share of dogs not lasting long. I'm glad Banjo is in a better place now.

This evening we treated ourselves by getting French dips at Arby's, delicious ice cream at Cold Stone, and walking around the mall, and playing a round of skee-ball at an arcade. Pretty good evening. We'll be doing LOTS of homework and studying tomorrow, so we got all of the relaxing for the weekend out of the way nice and early. Anyway, very excited for church on Sunday, it'll be a good one, I know it.

--Sannah

"Utah accent"

Before I started living in Utah, I didn't really believe my dad when he said that people had a "Utah accent". I had visited before, and I hadn't noticed anything. But now that I've lived here for a few months, here are the slight differences I've picked up on:

Note: Similar-sounding words to the ones listed have the same mispronunciations...

both=bo(l)th

important=impor-an

peel=pill, and feel=fill

sale=sell

tour=tore

shouldn't=shou-nan(t)

false=faltze

across=acrosst

things=thingks

And from Matt, I found out that instead of saying "squeezed", it's a Utah thing to say "squoze" (like "froze").

I know don't pronounce every single word correctly, and not EVERYONE in Utah speaks like this. I've just heard the above pronunciations here way more than anywhere else. When I was having this conversation with Matt and Sarah, I found out that I (and one of Matt's mission-companions from the Midwest) both say "whenever" a lot of the time when we really mean "when". I wasn't sure I believed that at first, but since that conversation I've noticed that it's true. I'm not sure if that's a Midwestern thing or if it's just poor word-usage on my part...

Anyway, I've had a nice day so far, I think getting up a little early to make a nice breakfast helped. Also, I found my best friend from elementary school on facebook, which was really cool. She's getting ready to have a baby... I'll pray that all goes well for her. Off to do homework!

--Sannah

This year seems great so far...

For the most part, anyway. This past week has been nice especially, namely because I found a system for keeping my room clean that seems to work well. This past week was not so nice in the fact that I got the worst grade on a college exam I've ever had, and that it was completely unexpected.

Wednesday morning I had an accounting exam, and in the class immediately after I had to give a presentation to the class. In preparation for all that I stayed up till four in the morning working on the presentation, and then I took a short nap and woke up early to study for accounting.

When I was actually taking the test, I caught myself making stupid mistakes in problem after problem because I was so tired and unable to focus, but I felt like I figured everything out by the end of class and left thinking I had done ok. The fact that I didn't do well was made worse by my professor going on about how that was a "gimme" test, and how "if you didn't do well, you just didn't do the homework, and I as your professor have no control over that."

I did all of my homework, actually, and so I just felt really bad and stupid because I got such a bad grade after studying. Oh well, I now have motivation to work harder than ever in that class.

Other than that though, it's been fun. I watched silly movies with Eric, Sarah and Matt, (my sister and her boyfriend), and have felt far more organized and productive than usual. Right now I'm working on getting homework done today because a) it feels like I get more out of my Sundays when I can just focus on God instead of schoolwork, and b) I want to make sure Tuesday, February 1st is as free as can be, because that's my two-year anniversary with Eric! I think we might be going to Salt Lake city or something, we haven't quite decided what we're doing or where we'll be going... it'll be really fun!

I'll end with things I liked about this past week:

• I liked having my window curtains tied back every day to let the light in.
• I liked having my bed made and my room clean.
• I liked going to the fieldhouse.
• I liked Eric laughing at Mr. Bean episodes :)
• I liked one of the days it was snowy outside stopping by the greenhouses and looking in at all of the bright colorful flowers in bloom inside. It lifted my mood! 
• I like this cute cat that's been hanging around our house that Sarah and Matt have named "Duster".
• I liked picking out a ridiculous number and variety of movies out at the library (the best of which so far was a Tyler Perry movie, "Madea Goes to Jail". The parts with Madea were hilarious, I got a good laugh out of it! "Singing in the Rain" was fun too.)
• I liked the "buy one, get one free" coupons for Arby's Roast beef sandwiches.
• I liked going to "The Taste of Logan" thing downtown last night. Restaurants and stores were giving away free samples, which was really tasty and fun, Eric and I loved getting to see the different restaurants. The most fun thing about the night was annoying Eric by my goofy behavior in public. He gave in by the end of the night and just started acting crazy along with me! It was a great night.

Anyway, I need to get all of my homework done. If Eric and I get everything done soon enough tonight, we might check out the Creperie downtown tonight!

--Sannah

First Post

I'm betting that this blog will be pretty unorganized most of the time, but the worst of it will be in the first couple posts. I'm going to talk about memories and things that have happened, as well as my goals and plans for the future. There will probably also be lots of whining about my immediate tasks. For example, this week I have accounting homework and studying, economics, religious studies notes, signing up for an institute class, cleaning my room and finishing an application. Also shopping. I guess it's more about me not forgetting what I have to do than it is about actually complaining, but it's just boring lists. Also, I'm not too worried about having spot-on grammar or being entertaining. I hope as time goes on, my writing will get better. This is kind of a journal but better in some ways, since this takes less time than physically writing, plus my handwriting is awful. Anyway, welcome to the blog.

Today was a good day at church. The talks and lessons were about becoming more Christ-like and developing his attributes, which put me in a good frame of mind for the beginning of the week. I was feeling inspired to do a better job to not waste my time this week. These are what I consider worthwhile uses of time:

Every day, I will...

• Get up early (I haven't decided how early 'early' is, but I usually sleep in as late as possible)
• Read at least one chapter of scripture
• Keep my room clean
• Go to the Fieldhouse to work out
• Keep up with my homework and assigned readings
• Keep track of what I'm spending/how much money I have left

As I get these basics down, I'll add more things to my idea of a good week, but this is a rough list that I'll try out starting tomorrow.

Last night was sad because Eric was sick with some kind of headache/stomachache (food poisoning I think), and couldn't get to sleep for a long time because every time he laid down he felt like he was going to throw up. I sat up with him until until he was feeling ok enough to lay back down. I had been praying that he'd feel better, so I was really glad when he could go back to sleep. In other news, this past week I learned about a company called "Southwestern Company", which recruits college-aged students into going to a random city to sell educational books for $100 apiece as an "internship". I had a problem with that because these days if kids need extra help, they can use FREE resources like the internet, or books at the library. Apparently it's a pretty successful program for some students, but there are a few websites out there that exist to spread "the truth"about the company. Like most "anti" websites, they are full of misspellings and generalizations, but they are still pretty entertaining. Anyway, I have lots of neglected accounting homework, so until next time!