We Can't Do It Alone.

We truly need God in our lives. We cannot do anything alone.

May we all have even a little faith in our loving God.

Winking Attacks.

It has been yet another long day in the day of a college student, so I feel the need to share some lessons learned. Here we go.

If you want people to notice you, get a haircut. It's the easiest thing to compliment someone on.

Getting someone to talk is as easy as mentioning something they love.

Bald people are funny. 

Today felt like yesterday. It was almost exactly the same.

When you understand Calculus, you feel like you can rule the world.

I'm not cleaning my apartment anymore. Unless it's my mess, I refuse to clean it. 

I love drawing buildings, especially the cute old ones.

You never know how much you appreciate something until you draw it.

Brains aren't exactly VCRs...more like hyper-sonic BluRay players on steroids.

Some teachers just rock. Seriously. They may be old and strange, but that makes them even better.

There exists in life people whose entire purpose is to annoy me. Or so it seems...

I have friends who I enjoy being around, but make me feel conflicted about myself later on.

Why do English teachers always tell you different ways of writing? I should only need one.

Having three bloody noses in 9 hours is not fun, especially when one occurs at 2:30 am.

I think I'm gonna make cookies tonight...maybe.

Maybe is a very subjective word.

Bones is a super interesting show. Dain might have gotten me hooked...

If I winked as much as I did in real life, I would probably be arrested for harassment.

Everyone is getting into a relationship. Holy cow.

Life is wonderful. Have I ever mentioned that?

I love you all! Keep being stellar!

[Insert Emotion Here]

I know this isn't the place for my emotional rants, but there are just a few things that I feel the need to say.

1. I miss my cousin, Laura. Whenever I was having a down day, I could go and say hi to her and she'd fill my heart with warm laughter and smiles. When she was having a down day, we could hug each other and cry. If she reads this, I want her to know that I love her and think about her constantly and wish her the best at home!

2. Once high school ended, I've became distanced from some of my closest friends. When you don't spend time with someone, it's amazing how quickly the gap of friendship widens. I miss these friends even though I realize I've made tons more at school. You can never replace someone you love.

3. I love being busy. With my recent self diagnosis of slight to moderate clinical depression, I've found that keeping myself busy stops my mind from wandering and starting to feel down on myself. It's a great blessing (even though to most people, 20 credit hours is not their cup of tea).

4. I think I want to be a landscape architect. That combines the best of both worlds in my case. As I continue my studies, I'm definitely going to look into that.

5. I love life, especially right now. College is great. Ephraim is the best. Knowledge is amazing. It's just so spectacular!

I challenge you all to love everyone, no matter their circumstances. Everyone needs to know that they are loved.

I love you all so so much! Keep being stellar!

Burning Marshmallows.

This post seems to be coming from another time or another place. For who would be burning marshmallows in the winter? That usually happens around a campfire on chilly summer nights and half the time it only happens because someone isn't paying attention to their marshmallow and it catches on fire.

Well it did happen. Tonight for Family Home Evening, our ward built marshmallow castles. We stabbed big and small marshmallows with toothpicks and shoved them together in a hope that we could make a shape that somewhat resembled a castle. Our objective was to make the most indestructible towers that could withstand even the most brutal attacks. Little did we know how brutal they might be.

As we headed to the parking lot with our castles in hand, we were pitted against another castle armed with a pair of dice and instructions. If you rolled a 1, you would stick a cotton ball in the other person's castle. If you rolled a 2, 5, or 6, you would hold a lighter to the opponent's castle for a maximum of 15 seconds. If you rolled a 3 or 4, you would take out one of the toothpicks that held together the castle. The war was on.

As we aimed to destroy the other team's castle, we soon discovered that the only truly menacing weapon was the lighter. As it became apparent that no one would win due to the significant amount of marshmallows each castle contained, we decided to just burn both castles as much as we could. So we stuffed cotton balls everywhere and lit them all. Soon both castles were in flames and the smell of burning marshmallows was in the air.

It was great fun. I learned that even though it's cold outside, there is still great fun to be had!

I love you all! Keep being stellar.

Wrong Time for Me.

The year is 2013.

It should really be 1930.

Why? Because I don't belong in 2013. I don't belong with all this technology, governmental corruption, and instant gratification seeking. I'm not someone who drives around to see the sites. I walk on my own two feet and live on what I can provide myself with and what I can survive on. I should have been born at the time when letters were written instead of emails sent. I should have lived when there was no computers or TVs, only books and God's beautiful world to learn from.

There is something about the past that fascinates me. People cared about what they made and what they did. They were respectful and kind. No one is like that today. People don't care what others say, only that they get in their say when they want to. We are so obsessed with money and time that we don't live in the moment.

I don't want to ramble so I won't. I guess I've got to learn to love the time I live in. I will make 2013 worth it to live in.

I love you all! Keep being stellar!

Boo Ya.

I'm pretty sure I passed my first Calculus test of the semester.

Not only did I pass, but I got an A! 93.8% is pretty dang good.

I'm happy. I mean, who wouldn't be?

I love you all! Keep being stellar!

Walk It Out.

Do you ever have those days when you have no motivation to do anything? When you sit on the couch and think to yourself, "Why don't I have a life?" Well, that was today. After I got all my homework done (Calculus...woot) I sat on the couch and was lazy for an hour, and may I tell you that sitting down staring at a computer screen for a few hours is torture! I felt like I was gaining pounds and increasing my risk for a heart attack by the second! Gross...

So I decided to take a walk. I had already taken a walk earlier in the day, but I figured since it was dark, it was time for another experience. So I bundled up and put on my raincoat and ventured out into the rain. I am super glad I did.

I hardly met a single person on my entire walk. Campus was completely empty and dark. The rain fell and embellished the silence of the night. The bell tower rang out on the hour and added an eerieness to the calm scene. I let the rain fall on my face and I splashed in puddles. On my walk back to the apartment, I spotted a gentle stream of water running next to the snowbank. I pulled out my camera and snagged this picture.

There's a certain beauty to the rain. It's like everything is being given a gigantic shower. If only the water was a little warmer.

I love you all! Keep being stellar!

And a special shout out to my cousin Michelle, who recently had a new baby boy, Packer. Best wishes and congratulations!