2012.

This year has been full of wonderful things. So many wonderful things in fact that I don't know how to start to count or list them. However here are some of the highlights... and by highlights I mean favorite things that come to mind quickly...

• Deciding on a major and absolutely loving it (after trying a few wrong ones...)
• Finding a job in the field that I want to end up in
• Loving my job more than I ever would have imagined
• Making it to nationals with the BYU lacrosse team
• Getting to have my whole family visit and watch me play lacrosse at some point
• Loving my ward
• Watching one of my best friends get both engaged and married
• Watching one of my cousins get married
• Watching Julia play soccer in Italy
• Going to Lake Powell
• Currently being in Puerto Rico
• Spending Thanksgiving in NYC (and maybe, might have seen Snoop Dogg who now is apparently going by Snoop Lion)
• Discovering new bands/music
• Jumping out of an airplane
• Loving (and being extremely humbled by) being Relief Society President
• Getting to go home
• Went to the Bountiful Temple open house and dedication
• Surviving anatomy - and being surprised by how much I loved learning about the human body
• Survived getting hit by a car
• Didn't finish my first triathlon
• Dyed my hair a few too many times
• Went zip-lining for the first time
• Spent many Sundays playing with my adorable cousins and getting fed by my wonderful grandparents
• Watched my cousin play in the State Championship lacrosse game
• Went to General Conference at the Conference Center for the first time
• Grew and learned in ways I'm sure I don't even know yet

I'm 99% positive that I'm forgetting lots of things, but these seem to cover things pretty well. To anyone who was a part of this year and everything it involved, thank you. I was so blessed to meet and grow closer to so many people and I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store :)

Blickenstaff's

So the other day I went into Blickenstaff's to visit my roommate Brittany and I had SO much fun!

They have a huge bulk candy section which I obviously loved and a bunch of cool old-fashioned sodas.



We LOVED the peach gummies and I can't wait to have more.

They also have tons of fun toys you can play with. There's a rockboard, easy rollers, fun board games and so much more.

It's the best place to escape from finals and act like a little kid again :)

PS - If you write a blog post about them too before Dec. 31st you get a free pound of candy!

Christmas Spirit

Let me start by saying finals are rough. Even when I think I'm going to be super motivated and want to study for hours it somehow doesn't quite happen. Which is unfortunate because it's made enjoying the gorgeous snow that we've had a little bit difficult. Yes, finals are easier than midterms in that I don't have to go to class at the same time and that people understand when I have to say no to things better, but there's really no true escape from finals... or so I thought.

I have the pleasure of working at the New Haven residential treatment center as a PE Teacher. Now some mornings are harder than others, but honestly who really wants to get up and work out at 7:30 in the morning? I don't hold it against my girls at all that they don't always want to be there, but it sometimes makes my relationships with them interesting (I'm not sure anyone's their best at that hour...). Between school and lacrosse and living half an hour away from where the girls do, I don't get to see them outside of class too much.

Today I got to go ice skating with them. I should probably admit to the fact that I'm not nearly as coordinated as I should be for being a PE teacher, and skating does not come naturally to me. I had girls skating in circles around me almost the whole time. Then I got to watch while the girls did a gift exchange with the staff that's with them almost the whole time. It was so fun to see the little things that they got so excited about.

In the two hours that I spent with them I saw more of the Christmas Spirit than I have in a while. It was incredible to watch them help each other gain confidence in their skating, while they danced, or even just connected more with the people around them. I caught myself just watching them multiple times as they'd grab another girls' hand as they skated by to include her in the group and helped someone get up after they fell on the ice. The generosity and thoughtfulness of the girls in their gift giving was incredible. I was so impressed. At the end of the gift exchange I was getting up to leave with everyone else and was kinda distracted (even though I couldn't tell you by what). One of the girls came up to me, put something in my hand, gave me a hug and wished me a Merry Christmas. As I looked down I realized she had opened up her own gift and had given me part of it. I was blown away by her attention to the things going on around her and the kindness she showed in sharing with me. It wasn't expected of her to do anything like that and definitely wasn't necessary - which made it that much better. 

Along with the rest of my girls, she was such a great example of what the Christmas season is and what it should be all about.  

I love my job. 

I love my girls.

I love the Christmas season.

I love seeing Christmas Spirit in the least expected ways.

I want to challenge you to surprise someone with the Christmas Spirit and share any cool experiences you have, I promise to do the same. Merry Christmas everyone! 

Giving Thanks

I was lucky enough to get to go home and to NYC for Thanksgiving Break and got to do so many incredible things... Here are a few:

• Saw Lincoln in the brand new theater back home
• Went to seminary with two of my siblings - so great
• Worked out with Til (ouch but thank you...)
• Watched J-Fly play basketball
• Saw two Broadway plays (Newsies and Annie - SO good)
• Had the "best Thanksgiving steak dinner EVER" - direct quote from Papa Haws
• Ground Zero memorial
• Museum of Modern Art
• Helped Julia with her photography project (flashback to me doing the same thing four years ago)
• Warm, pretty, long drives up and down the east coast (passing TC Williams High School - which my dad was incredibly excited about)
• Stayed/shopped on Times Square
• Saw Old Towne Alexandria
• Got to catch up with my mom and picked up a small supply of her secret brown sugar
• Talked to my grandpa on the way to and from the airport

I feel so blessed and so lucky to have gotten to spend my break the way I did.

And just because November isn't over, here are a few more things I'm thankful for:

• Girls that I teach that say thank you
• Every girl participating in class today
• Jokes that the temple workers make to me
• Snapchats with my siblings
• Leftovers
• Teammates
• Roommates
• Christmas music

I apologize for the lack of pictures... I can't seem to find my phone cord (which might have something to do with the fact that I haven't unpacked yet. Oops).

Two Cents From the Haws Family

"I could take your car because it's Tuesday and I don't like your clothes."

"Nice grammar."

       "Yeah Grandma loves Mountain Dew!"

This is the nonsense I've come home to and I love it.

Happy Monday :)

I hope some things never change.

Getting into the Thanksgiving spirit

Now that we're less than two weeks away from Thanksgiving, here are some things I'm especially grateful for today:

-- Girls that make me love my job
-- Caramel hot chocolate
-- Having time to get all my homework done before class
-- A sore body that lets me know I played hard this weekend
-- Technology that keeps me in touch with my family
-- Diet Coke runs drop-ins
-- Hysterical teammates that make me drop to the floor I'm laughing so hard
-- A good study spot (that wasn't right next to a door letting in freezing cold air)
-- Not spraining an ankle or face-planting because of the ice today
-- Seat warmers in my car
-- Patient people willing to teach me things I don't understand
-- The nice person who gave me Jolly Ranchers to wish me luck on my test
-- Homemade bread (made by people with talents I don't have)
-- Trips to the temple
-- The cute old men that work at the temple and ask me the same questions every week without fail
-- Seeing the Lord's hand in my life in both small and big ways
-- Good examples all around me
-- The realization I had that I will be back in Charlottesville in less than a week

"Much More To Come"

I feel like this is especially pertinent to my life after watching one of my teammates and good friends open her mission call last night. So proud of her (and all of my other friends making the same decision). I'm so proud to be a part of this church.

"Mormons rise in this life because it is what their religion calls for. Achieving. Progressing. Learning. Forward, upward motion. This is the lifeblood of earthly Mormonism. Management, leadership, and organizing are the essential skills of the faith. It is no wonder that Mormons have grown so rapidly and reached such stellar heights in American culture. And there is much more to come."

Read the whole thing here...