Raw

I've been crappy at blogging lately, but I've been rocking at emailing Tessa on her mission!  I figured I'd just copy and paste part of the letter I wrote to her.  It's a little more raw than my blogs normally are, more personable.  Life's so great :)  

  Tami came on Friday and it was so fun having her!  I just love her!  We had so much fun shopping and talking all evening Friday.  We went to dinner at Zupas and then to Cold Stone where we met up with Mary and Ryan.  When we got home we talked with Ashlee and her sister-in-law for quite a while and talked about how we wish we were as good as you at turning awkward situations onto the other people around you!  Haha!  Every time you get in an awkward situation, you are so good at getting out of it!  Example A: Your birth control shot and Toomer and Thompson.  Example B: When you farted on that date.  I literally have NO examples of getting myself out of humiliating situations.  I normally just make it worse.  haha! Anyways, we were talking and laughing our heads off!  I seriously haven't laughed that hard in quite some time!  Then Tam and I came into my room and talked for far too long!  I slept on the floor and her in my bed.  I love that us sisters all have such awesome relationships.  Seriously.  Taffy is 12 years older than me and Tami 10, and they both have come and had sleepovers with me this semester.  I'm so lucky to have my sisters as my best friends.  

  We shopped all day again Saturday.  It was so fun to shop with her because all I ever shop for is clothes, and I have done NONE of that this semester. (I'm so poor!)  We shopped for all of this fun home decor stuff and storage and home improvement stuff!  So fun!  I just dreamed of how I'm going to decorate my log cabin some day ;)  We left Provo around 3:00 and parted ways.  I went to Taffy's and she went home. 

 I went to Taf's to babysit her kids Sunday.  Her and Tone are in New Zealand and Mom was in charge of the kids.  Well Mom needed to go to Mya's blessing, so I went to get the kids up and dressed and to church and then took them to Angela's.  There's a reason why we have children one at a time.  Zero to 5 overnight probably isn't the best way.  haha!  They were really good though!  We had a little birthday party for Mariah (she turns 8 tomorrow?!)  It was fun and the kids were just so cute!  They were excited to see me, which always makes ya feel good ya know?  Us adults need to love more like kids do.  

  Anyways, I sure love ya Tess!  Sorry there's not much about school, but I figure it would be super boring to you.  My brain is going a million miles an hour about a million things right now though.  Boys, school, future teaching plans, January plans, my next trip, how I'm going to have $5 after I pay rent next month, ya know, all the things :)  I do know that my Savior loves me though.  He wants me to be happy, and he's trying to help me continue to love life!  I'm not sure what He's got up His sleeve on this next one, but it's gotta be good, I'm sure!  In Relief Society today it just really hit me that I need to just rely on him.  I'm just so dang independent that it's killing me to not feel good about what I WANT to do and that I actually NEED to do something else.  I'm going with it though Tess.  I'm taking a leap of faith!  Look out world!  Thanks for always walking by Faith.  Thanks for serving a mission.  I am just so proud of you!  You are definitely toppy on my list of awesome/best people and I feel so blessed that I get to be so close with someone as great as you!  Love you Sis!  Can't wait to hear from you!  Have the best week!!  

Love, Livi :)  

Student Teaching

Student teaching is well under way and I honestly just had to look at a calendar to tell you that there's only five weeks left.  It's going great! Since my last blog I've switched schools AND grades.  Now I'm at Art City Elementary School in Springville and I'm in 6th grade.  I love 6th graders!  I'm just having so much fun with them!  And what makes it even better is that I totally didn't expect it?!  My mentor teacher, Mrs. Bird, is amazing and we get along so well!  We're all just hitting it off so well!  I'm loving teaching and that's a good thing, cause at this time last year I was thinking the exact opposite!  I definitely needed this teaching experience.  

Along with student teaching comes this monster project that BYU requires you to do.  It's called your Teacher Work Sample.  I won't bore you with the details, but here's the project in all it's glory:

65 pages people.  I hope and pray to never have to do another assignment as long as this one.  Thursday night I finished it up, printed it off, and bought the folder.  Friday morning I turned it in.  Nothing like waiting til the last minute :)  True Livi fashion.  

Life continues to be charmed with multiple trips home, fun nights with friends, lots of time with family, good workouts, great students, fabulous mentors, and decent amounts of sleep.  

p.s.  I've always wondered how parents kept track of their babies exact ages until recently I realized that every time someone asks me how long Tessa's been gone I know the answer right down to the day.  I save myself the embarrassment and tell them the most accurate month count.  I think I need an intervention... 

Back At It!

I just started my fourth week of my last semester at BYU.  So crazy to think about that.  I don't say my last week of school, cause who knows?!  I just might be crazy enough to go back someday, but probably not to BYU.  So I feel like I'm safe to say that.  I'm really loving school.  More that I thought I would.  My last in the classroom experience was hard.  Really hard.  And I questioned if teaching was for me or not.  Well, I've been through 3 weeks in a second grade class at Barnett Elementary School in Payson, UT, and I'm loving it!  I feel like I'm thriving down there instead of just surviving!  I'm excited about my lessons and I LOVE those kids!  Who knew you could love a bunch of 7 year olds in such a short amount of time?!  I'm also loving actually getting ready and wearing teacher-y clothes :)  Still had to take a first day of school pic to send to my mom!  Ha

While I'm loving my schooling part of being back at it, school most definitely does NOT rule my life!  I've been loving the things of my single/college/BYU/Provo life.  

One of my favorite things of being back is the gym.  I got a pass to VASA this semester and it's been so nice!  I don't ever have to wait for weights or machines, and it's literally a block and a half from my apartment.  

I'm loving my roommates!  I knew Ashlee (the super cute blonde on the left) a little bit, and we both met Jessi (the babe on the right) when we moved in.  We had a fun ice cream party on Wednesday night with a bunch of our friends, and it was a hit!  It was so fun for me to meet more of their friends and to see some of mine.  We're definitely doing it again next month :)  I also really love our apartment and ward.  Everything about it is great!  

My mom has already been down to visit twice, and there's no complaints here!  I LOVE when she comes!  This past weekend we hiked Timp and did our center street walk.  We found this fun bookstore down there!  Pioneer Book.  So great!  I'm not a lover of reading, so for me to say that is a pretty big deal...

I'm enjoying concocting my own meals again.  I've had some interesting ones.  The most random one was probably taco meat with spinach, brown rice, and plain greek yogurt.  It was actually quite a bit better than in sounds!  I also have no clue what I would do without eggs.  I've eaten at least one every single day.  

I've also just loved being back at the Y.  I really do love BYU.  I love the campus, I love going to the games, I just love the spirit of this place.  I'm not like a psycho fan or anything, but I'm so so glad I came to school here.  I've met so many good people here and while I'm not going to stay here forever, I'll forever be thankful for the time I have spent here.  It's definitely special to me.   

My cousin Sadie is finally down here at school too, and it's been fun to do some things with her!  I just love how comfortable I can be around here and we've had fun on a few hikes.  I've also been able to do some things with Liz Dayton from Cokeville, and that's been fun for me to get to know her better.  She's a great girl!  

Life is really good right now.  I'm really feeling content with what's happening, and I feel like it's God's way of letting me know that I'm on the right track.  I'm thankful for that.  

A Year Ago Today

So right now Facebook does this awesome thing where they remind you what happened on this day a year ago, or two, or seven years ago.  It's really fun, and you have the option to share it.  I don't think I've ever shared one, but today one put me in tears.  

This picture was taken the week Tessa started her mission papers. I hadn't completely come to terms with the idea, although I knew that that's what she was supposed to do.  I was determined to be supportive and help her in any way I could.  We spent this whole day together, just the two of us up in the mountains.  We hardly crossed paths with anyone, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.  We just talked and talked as we enjoyed being out in God's beautiful creations.  I just wished the day would never end.

 So, you can imagine what happened when I opened my Facebook this morning (which I rarely do before I leave the house).  I immediately started bawling.  All those emotions from that day came back.  A year ago I honestly had no idea how hard it was going to be for me to have Tessa gone. I knew it would be hard, but wow!  She was my workout partner, my grocery buddy, my conversation at dinner, my confidant, my best friend.  It's definitely been another adjustment to be at school without her.  Obviously I'm doing it, and it really is going well, it's just different.  And I miss her a lot.  

Fall Loves

There are so many things I love about fall.  The cool crisp air.  Sleeping with the window open.  All of these things: 

All things pumpkin.  Even if it's your stairwell.  haha!

Hikes.  The colors are unbelievable! 

Homemade salsa.

The cool, crisp air.  On bikes.  

Football season. 

Colorful sunrises and living with these girls. 

Parties on parties on parties.  

Fresh apples and Farmer's Markets. 

Homecoming at BYU

This week was Homecoming at BYU.  So much fun!  There's a lot of fun stuff going on all week, and everyone just seems a little more excited about life.  The fun started on Tuesday when instead of devotional we had a Homecoming assembly.  It was really fun and exciting with a performance by Vocal Point (the acapella group here at BYU), and then David Archuleta.  So much talent!

Friday my parents came down and we went to the BYU Spectacular.  Here I was able to see some more amazing performances including some dance companies, choirs, the orchestra, and once again, David Archuleta.  My parents and I went together, and we were so impressed by all of the talented individuals and groups that performed.  Afterwards we went and got some blizzard's at the DQ :)

Saturday was so great!  Having my parents in town is always fun!  We started out the day with a fun bike ride on the Provo River Trail out to Utah Lake.  

The Y, the Temple, and three of my favorite people.  What a view!

After the bike ride Tess and I had our Saturday session of Stake Conference and then a kickball game.  My parents met back up with us at the kickball game (which we won!) and then we went and caught the end of the Homecoming parade.  That was fun!  Afterwards Mom, Tess, and I went to go and hit up my favorite antique store, Block 100.  It's the best you guys.  I'm pretty obsessed with almost all of the stuff in there.  We got some fun purchases, and then met my dad for lunch (he opted to go up to campus and watch some football games instead of come with us.  After lunch we headed to the Bean Museum and the Museum of Art.  Both have some pretty great exhibits up right now.  They're both free ALL year round, and if you're ever in Provo, you should go and visit one or the other.  If you have kids, definitely go to the Bean Museum.  It's full of taxidermified (is that even a word?!) animals from all over the world and is so cool!!! Finally, Tessa, Dad, and I headed to the football game.  The Cougs won, so that was good!  And the sunset was beautiful!  

This weekend I decided that I think Homecoming week would be a good time to try and come and visit my Provo.  Although I know that I don't want to live my whole life down here, this place definitely has a piece of my heart.  When I leave here, I definitely don't want to leave here for good.  I want to be able to share some of the magic of BYU and Provo with my future family.  

Back to School

   Well, I'm back to school at BYU for my final year.  

We just finished our second week, and I'm feeling pretty comfortable again.  Let me tell ya though, those first 3 days were tough!  I know there's not that much distance between Cokeville, and Provo, but I was experiencing some culture shock!  There's people everywhere.  I don't know like anyone.  I can't ride my bike through all these cars.  It's so dang hot.  It was just a little bit of an adjustment.  When I got back home on Tuesday after school I was about to have a breakdown and I decided that I just had to get out of town for a while.  So, Tess and I hopped on our bikes and headed out to the lake via the Provo River Trail.  I really love that little trail, and it's super easy to access from the house I live in.  Getting out for a few hours was exactly what I needed.  I'm so glad I have my sis here who understands me and is willing to help me out.

   School is going super great though!  I loved it from my very first class!  I'm in Social Studies Methods, Science Methods, Literacy Methods (3-6), Math Methods (3-6), Integrating Technology, Practicum Seminar, and Beginner Tennis.  

They add up to a totally of 16.5 credits, and all of them are really interesting, exciting, and fun!  Along with it comes a pile of homework and reading, but so far I've been able to handle it because I'm really interested in it.  I really do love school.

   I started work up again at the Upholstery Shop, and of course it's going great!  We've made some cool things, eaten some delicious desserts, and had some good laughs.  I seriously work with some of the funnest people in Provo!  My bosses teach me something new everyday, and I'm so thankful for their patience with me.  I feel like they truly care about me and want me to learn all I can while working in their shop.

   I got a second job (huge answer to prayers!) as a tutor for a family.  One night the first week of school I was online for about an hour and a half looking for something super part time that I could do in the evenings.  I was thinking maybe cleaning someone's home or something, but I just couldn't find anything.  I had decided that the next day I was just going to go around to some businesses and see if they would take me on to do whatever they needed done.  Then in my math class my friend Jenica said that she didn't have time to tutor this family anymore and asked if I wanted to do it.  OF COURSE!  I was so excited and feel like it was a direct answer to my prayers.  Heavenly Father is always helping me out.  I really don't know what I did to deserve all of His help, but He just keeps giving it to me.  Anyways, I went out and met the family and everything and it's going to be a great situation.  They have a 3rd grader, 7th grader, and 8th grader who I tutor in math, and then a 4th grader that I tutor in reading.  They're the sweetest kids, and their parents are great!  This job is just perfect for me!

   College just wouldn't be college without fun!  So, we've tried to have plenty of it mixed in with all of our real life work and school stuff.  We've golfed and machete chopped pop cans, played volleyball, basketball, and kickball.  We went to the river rope swing.  We watched some BYU women's volleyball, and a football game.  

I'm a true believer in making the best of what you have.  Even though I would probably rather be enjoying a more summer-like life in Cokeville, I'm so glad and feel very blessed that I get to be here in Provo, studying at BYU, living with the amazing girls I live with, and socializing with some fun friends.  Life is just so, so good!

Lessons From My Days in Peru

Today marks two months since I got back from Peru.  I've been back for almost as much time as I was gone (not very long) and it's about time I reflect on some of the things I learned from my trip.  

1. The Church is TRUE!  Some of my most special times while I was in Peru were while I was at church.  The curriculum, the order, the sacrament, the happy people--it was all just like it is here and it was so refreshing. While there I gained an even stronger testimony of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson and his apostles and how they are called of God.  I also gained a greater appreciation for the Hymns and the power of music.  My favorite part of each meeting was singing the hymns in Spanish.  So beautiful.  

 (Where's Waldo?! With the YSA from the San Jeronimo Ward)

2. Kids are the best.  Saying goodbye to these cute little rascals on November 27th was possibly one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  Knowing that I probably wouldn't see any of them again just broke my heart.  They are so full of love and patience.  They never got frustrated with my bad Spanish.  Each time I lost my patience with them, they quickly forgave me.  Their warm hugs and shouts of "Profe-Tee-chair" greeted me each day.  We had so much fun together learning, laughing, brushing our teeth, reading stories, dancing, and so much more.  I understand why the Savior teaches us to become like little children.  They are just so pure and genuine.  I hope to become half as humble, kind, and pacient as the kids at Nuevas Americas.  

3. Everybody has something to give.  The people of Peru work for what they have.  Everyday I saw grandmothers, mothers, and young girls walking up long hills and hopping on and off busses with giant packs tied around their backs.  They did whatever it took to get to the market to sell their goods.  Everyone down there had something to offer.  Husbands spent months and even years working away from home to help support their families.  The youth worked after school was out, earning money to help buy food.  For the most part, people gave what they had to have a good life.  I was very inspired.  

(Her dry, cracked heels were on countless other hard workers as well)

4. I love my family very much.  As I was saying goodbye to my parents in the SLC airport I was somewhat shocked to find myself fighting back tears.  I had been looking forward to this trip for so long!  Why in the heck was I starting to cry?! That was when my mom said, "Isn't it nice to have something so great that it's hard to leave?"  She was so right.  Even though I was setting out to fulfill one of my dreams, it was hard to leave my family and friends.  They're just so great.  While I was gone I got excited about each FaceTime call, each email, and each Facebook message.  Family really is everything.

5. Be thankful.  We are so blessed to live in America.  We have drinkable water.  We have carpet.  We have pretty good sanitation systems.  We don't have a million stray dogs.  We take care of each other.  We have nice vehicles.  We don't have to worry too much about food poisoning or parasites.  We have great hospitals.  We have a great life. 

5. There's more adventurer in my soul than I thought.  While I was down there, I kind of thrived off of doing new things.  Everything around me was new, but I could have easily gotten into a routine and not tried new things.  I tried to do the exact opposite.  I took the public transportation everywhere!  A little sketchy at times--yes!  Culturally educational--you bet ya!  I would try different routes walking home from preschool each day.  I got pretty lost a few times, but I always managed to find a familiar landmark and I got to see a lot of the city that way.  I tried to see all of Peru that I could while I was there (money and time allowing...). I didn't care if I had a buddy to go with me or not, I was going to make the most of it.  At the time, I didn't feel too adventurous, but looking back I figure a young blonde girl, going to Peru --by herself--, finding her way around Cusco, visiting ruins, taking tours in Spanish, and just flat out living in a different country is pretty darn adventurous.  

6. I can do hard things.  You guys.  Learning a language is hard.  It can be frustrating.  It can make you want to cry.  It can also make you cry.  It can also be rewarding.  Spanish is beautiful.  

7. Let your heart love people.  Even though I knew I was only going to be in Cusco for a short time, I decided to love the people I was with.  I grew to love the other volunteers, the people in my ward, the family I lived with, and mostly the kids and Flor.  Putting my heart out there made saying goodbye so much harder, but made my time there so much more worth it.  

This list is not all.  In fact, I'll probably think of 5 more awesome things I learned tomorrow, but it's a pretty good summary.  The trip changed my life.  While I'm still the same Livi, I've learned so much about life, about friendship, and most importantly, about myself.  

Cuscotopia!

Well folks, the time is almost here!  I fly out for my next big adventure (well, my biggest adventure probably EVER) on Saturday!  

So here's a little Q and A about what I'm about to do!

Q: Where are you going?

A: I'm going to Cusco, Peru.

Q: Is this for school?

A: No. It's not through BYU or any university and I will not be receiving any credits.  I'm going with a group called International Volunteers HQ.  

Q: What will you be doing?

A: I will be doing service with children in a setting like an elementary school, orphanage, day care, etc.   

Q: Where will you be living?

A: I will be living with a host family where I will be immersed in Peruvian culture and the Spanish language :)

Q: How long will you be there?

A: My volunteer time is 12 weeks, but I'm going to stay an extra week to make sure I do all the things I want while I'm living among Incan ruins.

Q: Are you nervous?

A: Yes and no.  I'm nervous of the unknowns (which is just about EVERYTHING!), but I'm not nervous about loving it.

Q: Are your parents nervous about it?

A: I think they are more nervous than they let on.  They are excited that I am excited to go. They're the best!

Q: Do you know Spanish?

A: A little bit.  I've taken Spanish in high school and 5 semesters of it in college, so hopefully I can conversate.

Q: Is it close to Machu Picchu? 

A: Yes!  And I'm definitely going to hike it!

(Isn't it beautiful?!)

Q: What made you decide to do this?

A: My sister Tami and cousin Camille went to Ecuador and worked in an orphanage when they were about this age, and ever since them I've dreamed of doing this!  Now is just the perfect time to do it.

Hopefully this answers some of your questions about my trip!  Most of you probably already know about it cause I'm so excited I have to tell everybody!  I feel so blessed to have the opportunity and ability to go and do this.  I can't wait to see how it all goes!  

Half-way

Last night I was discussing with my roommates how strange it is that we PAY money to put ourselves through the things that come with being enrolled as a full time college student: 

-stress

-sleep deprivation

-homework

-deadlines

-the list could go on, but I have more homework to do :) 

  Everyone always says that college is SO fun.  Tell me one fun thing about that list above. 

I have come to realize--THANKFULLY-- that the fun part of college isn't necessarily school (although I really do love my classes).  The fun partS are:

-living with friends

-fun late nights

-finding food

-becoming your own person

-learning new things

-meeting people

-becoming self-reliant

-intramurals

-visitors

-and this list could go on and on as well :)

So, really, college isn't that bad!  A wise brother once told me, "Don't let school get in your way of your education."  I believe it!  I'm learning a heck of a lot more down here than what they're teaching me in the classroom.  

People, don't give up!  All you BYU kids, we're officially half-way!  Keep it up!  All you other kids, you're farther than half-way, so you really better not give up!  Happy college days :)

The Internet

What are you doing with the internet?

Isn't he great?!

Whether you decide to participate in Socktober or not, do something good on the internet this month :)

The sun was bright...

...but we were at Kneader's! 

Mom and Dad came down to visit this weekend and it was such a good time!  It was mom's birthday Friday, and it was so great to be able to spend some time with her on her day!  She's so great!  She's the best mom ever!  Dad came to the football game, but sat by himself, because for some reason, standing in the middle of a couple thousand BYU students didn't sound that fun to him... So Tess and I sat with some friends.  They played Middle Tennessee and won!  It was a fun, cold time!

I ate GOOD this weekend!  Mom brought down a bag of cookies, cinnamon rolls, and 2 loaves of zucchini bread!  Don't worry, I'm sharing with my roommates :)  They also took us to the Creamery for dinner, Kneader's for breakfast, and Cafe Rio for dinner again!  I hadn't eaten out yet since I'd been down here, so it was kinda nice!  Needless to say, I didn't eat a single thing out of my fridge/cupboard all weekend!  Thanks so much Mom and Dad!  

Saturday morning we went on a bike ride out to Utah Lake via the Provo River Trail.  It was a great time!  If any of you are in the Provo area, or ever come down, I would definitely recommend a bike ride or run on the trail.  It's great!

I did mom's hair, as in highlighted it, which is always fun for me!  We also ran a few errands and went to the Relief Society Broadcast.  It was so much fun to just spend time with Tess and my parents!

Taffy and Tony came down Saturday afternoon as well, saw our places, and then we met back up with them to go to the BYU Women's Volleyball game vs. Pacific.  It was so great to see them as well!  Thanks for coming down!  

Life's pretty darn good down here in Provo!

People, People!!

I'm so happy because...

It's a gorgeous day, and I'm going home in like 15 minutes :)  I'm pretty excited!  It is going to be a great weekend full of family, friends,  food, and fun!!  

Happy Halloween!!

I know most of you have probably seen this video, but it's one that I could watch a bunch of times and never get sick of it.  So, have a Happy Halloween and enjoy a good laugh :)

Homecoming at BYU

This is the view I have everyday walking to school.  Today I took a second to enjoy it and took a picture.  I truly am living the dream.  

On my way up to observe/help/play at music preschool (which is AWESOME by the way), I got FREE BLUE Pancakes from BYU/SA.  It's been homecoming week here at BYU and lots of awesome stuff has been happening for free, so I finally took advantage of one.  I had to eat them on the run, but I was a lucky winner and had chocolate chips in mine, and they were nice enough to give me two!

At the game, we were on the 7th row.  It was pretty sweet.  It was also a black-out so everyone was wearing black along with the team.  I think our colors should be switched to black and royal blue like the uniforms were.  They were legit!  We played pretty good until the 4th quarter, and then we kinda fell apart, but the game was a total blast until then!  Here's us about to score our first touchdown :)

Last, but not least, James Harden from the OKC Thunder was at our game!  Say What?!  (jk, but that beard is crazy, huh?!)

Fall

So I love the fall.  I don't have a favorite season, pretty much whichever one I'm in is my favorite.  But how can it not be when you get to see the beautiful colors.  

I love Y-mountain.  I just think it's cool, especially with the fall colors mixed in.  I went on top of a building to take this panorama.  It was pretty awesome!  Happy Fall everybody :)