2011 Year in Review

For so many reasons this year has been one of the greatest of my life. Here are a few reasons why...

Best friends.
(need one of Kelsey too)

The many adventures of babysitting.

Welcoming my grandparents home from their mission in Vietnam in March.


Going to San Diego with my Grandma and Grandpa Jackson.

Being the Editor in chief of Golden Leaves, and being in Advanced Creative writing.



Graduating High School!!!

Going to my last Youth Conference with the adorable Oak Hollow ward girls!


Swimming and working at the Farmington Pool.


Watching Gavin in Marching Band for his first time.

Ending my childhood with the last Harry Potter movie.

Riding a dinosaur.

Building the Pantheon.

Starting college


Going to the games.

Seeing a LIVE broadcast of the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Phantom of the Opera at the Albert Hall in London.



Celebrating Diwali.


Becoming a Pirate.


Having great Roommates.

Surviving.

Friendship for the Holidays

Yesterday I got together with three of my very best friends, Jennie, Kelsey, and Aspen. We did a great little gift exchange, and watched a sketchy copy of Breaking Dawn. It is a darn good thing that I didn't watch that movie in the theaters, because I would have been laughing way too hard. Did I mention how much I love these girls?! One of the hardest part of being away at college is being away from these three since they all go to school downtown. Jennie and I have been best friends since the ninth grade, and even though we now live and hour and a half away from each other our friendship is still going strong. Kelsey and Aspen became two of my best friends in our French class, which Jennie was in as well. I guess when you are in such a spectacular class together there is no way that you cannot come out without being best friends.

Me and Jen

Kelsey and Me

Jen and Aspen

And by the way, how spectacular are the stockings Kelsey made?! One other thing that makes us best friends is our mutual love and passion for all things Harry Potter. Can I also point out how much I love my Neville stocking! These girls spoiled me rotten for Christmas this year, I am still in the process of making their presents, but it's going to be good.

Haircut Time

One of the things I love most about being home, is being able to proposition my Aunt Becca for haircuts! We have a nice little system where she gives me haircuts and I get to babysit her kids. And of course I always end up on top of the deal, because I absolutely LOVE to watch her kiddos!
So yesterday I went down to the Nu Trends salon in Centerville, and Becs gave me a MUCH NEEDED haircut! Now I also get to watch Bentley, Ayden, and Ireland on Saturday night. Seems like a good deal to me.

College: The Wonderful Land of Oz

One of my favorite television shows is Dawson's Creek. As cliche as many people may think this show is, I find it to be heartfelt, and it often resonates with my life. I have gained many a life lesson from this show. As I was chilling in my room today, I rewatched an episode that holds one of my favorite quotes. And it seems to connect nicely to my feelings about college.

Gretchen: You know Dawson, it might interest you to know that I did take one film class in college.
Dawson: Was it a monumental waste of time?
Gretchen: No, it was great actually. But you know what my teacher said was the most bogus line in Hollywood cinema?
Dawson: What?
Gretchen: "There's no place like home."
Dawson: Wizard of Oz.
Gretchen: Exactly. It's what everybody remembers about the movie, but it doesn't resonate with the rest of the story. Think about it. You know home is this desolate, gray, dust bowl of a place where some nasty old lady is trying to kill your dog. And Oz is ...
Dawson: Technicolor.
Gretchen: And sure it has it's problems. You know, poppy fields, flying monkeys, ...
Dawson: Talking trees.
Gretchen: But along the way you make friends. Good friends. With people that you never even knew existed when you were growing up. Straw people, tin people, ...
Dawson: And lions.
Gretchen: [laughs] Exactly. And you help each other realize that all the things that you want to be, you already are.

So as I celebrate my first semester of college, I have been able to look back on the incredible growing experience it has become for me. I have met so many people, made tons of new friends, and learned not just an enormous amount from my school work, but about myself as well. I feel that through college, or if I may the Wonderful Land of Oz, I have discovered a lot about myself, who I am and who I want to become.

Sweet Victory

Took all of my finals today!! I am officially done with my first semester of college! And to celebrate I made a victory dance video!!

Day Before Finals

Today is the day before finals...all three happen to be tomorrow. These are just a few examples of how I am feeling at the moment.

Missing My Girls

My family is extremely close to my mother's side of the family. We all spend so much time together, in particular I spend a lot of time with these two girlies, Bentley and Ireland. We are the only girl cousins, and I absolutely love them to death. One of the hardest things of being up at college is being away from them. I used to babysit them all of the time, and now that I live up in Logan not so much. But I always make sure to spend as much time with them that I can.

Ireland (I.I)

This is Ireland. She is just about the cutest little munchkin ever! She and I like to have funny face wars. Sometimes she likes to pretend she is a puppy and put things in her mouth. Ireland is probably the biggest fan of Rapunzel in the world. One night when I was watching her we watched Tangled three times consecutively. All the while she was brushing my hair with her Barbie brush, making me sing the song from Tangled that makes Rapunzel's hair grow.

Bentley

This is Bentley. She and I are great pals! During the summer we have weekly 'Bentley and Danielle Days.' Somedays we went to the swings at the West Bountiful Park, others we went to get shaved ice, or got ice cream at the Dairy Queen. This girl is probably the most flexible girl I have ever met, she can do back bends, splits, all of the works. She has the most feisty personality of any 7 year old girl I have ever met. Don't anybody mess with this girl, because she has FIRE!

Next Tuesday I can go home for the first time in three weeks and finally see my girls! And I cannot wait!