Remember When: Florida

Hullo Liv, Jackie and Christine :) I am posting this list just for your enjoyment. Thanks for a wonderful semester!

Remember when.....

-We met Olivia and Jackie went to work out immediately and then ate prenatal vitamins, and I called my family to tell them all the groceries I bought....

-We went through lines our whole first day and no one even fed us :(

-Olivia and Jackie jumped in the pool and Liv had Relief Society arms

-***** was in love with Liv and **** was in love with Christine and ***** was in love with me

-.....and then we left Florida and.....nothing

-Liv bought red high heels

-Liv made up a love song about ****

-I went to work out because of the beautiful boy and I never saw him again, but still worked out occasionally

-Christine's coordinator called her out for calling in when she wasn't sick, just joking, and she said, "I'm on my period, so BACK OFF!"

-Jackie needed to not be so guarded and stop caring about what Bruce thinks

-**** wasn't into the whole "makey-outty think"

-But **** was

-"Leeeett'sss, getitonnn"

-We got lost looking for Twisty Treats and went to McDonalds instead and Liv got us free lemonade because she was barefoot and pantsless

-Liv and I watched Last Song and I cried

-We went to Expedition Everest and I looked like a retard in the picture!?

-"I'm sorry??"

-Liv greeted the morning with no pants on and the girl looked at her weird, like that wasn't normal

-We danced in the tornado rain in our swimsuits

-We made that delicious cinnamon streusel cake with ****'s pan and he hated us. Specifically Liv

-Liv straddled James the British man on the bus ride home

-We went for an ice cream run and everyone ate their ice cream in 3.672 seconds.....I mean, a week....

-Except the nasty berry granola kind.

-Jesse though Liv and I hated Jackie??

-***** said Liv was loud

-We went to the hoedown and witnessed a proposal, complete with blue flowers, a defective microphone, and mackin with cowboy hats on

-We laid out and listened to conference

-We didn't have a tv :(

-We wore biks and nobody judged

-the only time Sean saw me was when I was immodest....

-Dallin took Olivia and I on a motorcycle ride after church and we looked hottt in our dresses and heels

-I turned into a lobster at the beach and hurt soooo, frickin, ba-ad

-Olivia and Christine didn't have nearly enough cocoa butter / lotion (for jokesies)

-the lady at McDonalds recognized Jax and Liv

-We went to Chick-Fil-A three days in a row and did not feel regret

-Olivia stole the tabletoppers from all the restaurants and Jackie called Jimmy John's to apologize

-We all called in to lay out by the pool and go out to eat and see Elder Bednar (does that last one redeem us?)

-Brad got an awesome island condo and everyone was going to call in and go and party and get tons of action......but it never happened?

-Brad made plans and followed through with no hassle! - wait, don't remember that.

-We listened to Avril Lavigne's song 42,836 times a day.

-Olivia had never heard of a cock block

-But **** was the very definition of one

-Olivia found a crab claw on the beach, and she accepted it

-And Heather found a dead and decaying sea turtle and 381 cigarette butts

-The French boy got my number at McD's and wanted to go to Bliss with me, but I didn't know his name, so we decided to "keep in touch, kiss!"

-Jackie was in love with a black man (surprise) and a Mexican named Joaquin

-I was in love with.....everyone else

-Sarah (my sister) said to Sean, "Oh I see, you're crushin' on my sister?"

-but that was inaccurate, since he was actually crushin' on random guests

-We spent money at the outlets and we were poor! but happy :)

-Chris did not see Christine's boob! (yeah, okay)

-Chris had prickly chest hair and Olivia loved it when he hugged her goodbye

-Jackie was flirting with Brad and then saw Sy's roommate....tots awk

-Nobody held a candle to us in our red high heels

-We got hit on my Moroccans in Epcot and they gave us food and took our friend Kelsey

-We thudded. (Downstairs mixup, part 2)

-I learned how to surf!

-We got donuts and hair products and bread from our church

-Correction: Liv got donuts

-Liv ripped her pants cheerleading

-Smelling feet was normal

-Olivia and Jackie were wrestling when Sean came over

-Heather dumped Prince Eric, married Flynn Ryder, and dated Hercules.

-I had an entire drawer full of nail polish

-Everything we said was amazing and earth-shattering, according to ****

-Olivia and I played soda pong and Liv had to drink my soda, too

-Jackie probably caused a heart attack with a single txt

-Heather just wanted a "K"

-Eric Mullen was our (IDIOT) busdriver

-We rode in a taxi home from Walmart

-that BOY! told us that BYU and UNLV were rivals. Who knew??

-Heather was making a mistake because he was "worth it"

-We all hated Goodings. Stupid Goodings.

-Jackie and Heather paid $2.50 to make a circle and go to Walmart.

-Twice.

-Christine had more fun dancing than the drunk people did

-I was fluent in French

-Christine got a hottie-bo-bottie boy to pay for her to go to Universal Studios

-More Moroccans hit on Jackie and Heather in the parking lot and Heather gave them the wrong number on accident.....on purpose

-We went to House of Blues and Jackie and Heather were the only blondes and one of 4 white people in the whole place

-We decorated our apartment with a hair flower and a green dish towel in a water glass

-the apartment uniform was no pants, a purple silky work shirt, and TAN

-Heather didn't give her number to a Yankee's fan driving next to her

-Everyone loved my driving

-I had really embarrassing fairy godmothers

-Aladdin was dating Prince Charming :(

-Everyone was a gourmet chef except Heather

-We watched the fireworks whenever the heck we wanted

-Liv was the luckiest girl because she got to watch the parade every day

-Jackie had a sexy costume and needed to leave something to the imagination

-We had the absolute best time ever!

Creepers in Idaho

do exist. I met several of them in Idaho Falls after the fireworks.

Here was my situation:

-armed with about 1/8 of a phone. (It randomly broke on Monday morning. Still do not understand why. I could still call some of my speed dials and answer some calls, but couldn't see anything on the screen.)

-I had made it made it to Idaho Falls by finding my friend Sean's number on facebook, calling him from Nicole's phone, having him call his roommate, who then called me, and then gave me a ride to Idaho Falls.

-I was planning on getting back to Utah by way of Ride Boy, who was also going to be at Idaho Falls for the fireworks.

-Nicole didn't go with me to the IF fireworks.

-I did, however, find Olivia and hung out with her ward. We played Uno, walked around looking at the food, and then went back to Sean's car to get my stuff, since Olivia's spot was closer to the Phillips 66 gas station we were going to be meeting up at.

So to summarize, after the fireworks when I split from Olivia and her group, I found myself walking all alone through the business district of downtown IF, carrying my backpack, purse, and a lunchbox, unable to contact anyone on my phone. You can accuse me of being addicted to my phone, and I won't even argue. I kind of am. So I was a little nervous.

Especially when I reached the end of the business district (the road dead-ended at a museum) and I still had seen no sign of the Phillips 66 gas station or the Olive Garden it was supposedly next to. I stood on the street corner, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, trying not to look too lost or vulnerable.

The police officer directing traffic looked at me inquisitively, ready to stop traffic in whichever direction I wanted to go, but I shook my head and shrank away from the curb. I called Nicole, who called Ride Boy, who called me. We figured out that he had told me the wrong way to go, and I started walking back along the same street.

Here are some of the unsavory characters I encountered during my trek:

1. the longboarders with colorful mohawks who were smoking behind the portapotties and called out to me as I passed. Did they think I was somehow similar to them in any way?? Because I do not.

2. the policeman who leered at me as I crossed the street and said, "Be careful, it's dangerous," with a wink. .....Ew. That's not in your job description. I just said "yeah, thanks" because I think he's the kind of officer who would let you off with a warning if he pulled you over and you were cute enough.

3. the (intoxicated?) hicks who honked at me for a solid 30 seconds and then practically fell out of their ridiculously jacked-up pickup truck laughing.

4. the car full of boys who rolled down their windows when their car got close to me and called out, "hey, pretty!" "Dude, she's a lady." "Hey lady, do you need someone to carry your backpack?" "I'll carry your backpack..." "Is that a euphemism?" "Dude, you sound like a creeper right now." I actually think I would have thought they were funny under any other circumstances, but I just shook my head and said, "no thanks," and kept walking.

Here are some of the savory ones I met:

1. The cute family who told me which way I-15 was from the museum.

2. Yep.

By the time I got to the Phillips 66 gas station, I thought I was going to cry with relief when I saw Ride Boy's (kind of) familiar face. He smiled at me as I approached his car and said, "Garhett. That was like, a freaking creeper-fest!"

"Oh man," he said mildly, taking my backpack. "I'm sorry about that, getting you lost and everything."

I waved his apology aside. I really couldn't have asked for a better Ride Boy. We left the gas station ten minutes later and arrived in Salt Lake in under 3 hours.

Under the Influence

You know how sometimes, someone says something, and it is said in just the right way and at just the right time, so that it has an everlasting impact on you?

Here are some things that people have said that you might not think would influence me so strongly, but they did.

1. "Time to wake up and get pretty for school!"

My Aunt Carol said this to me one morning when my parents were out of town and she was staying with us in their absence. Something changed in my brain right then. I thought, "Oh. Getting pretty? I love getting pretty!" I realized then that I have the opportunity to get pretty every. Single. Morning. I jumped out of bed and made my way over to the mirror, beaming. Getting ready for school was no longer a chore, because I wasn't just getting ready; I was getting pretty.

2. "'Will you marry me' should be the easiest question you ever answer in your life. If it's not the easiest question, it's either the wrong guy or the wrong time."

My Miamaids teacher, Sister Obering, said this in one of our many many lessons on marriage. It gave me a good deal of comfort, because I always thought that getting married would be such a stressful decision. But really, shouldn't it be easy? Shouldn't you just know that you are saying yes to the right person, and it's the right time? I like that idea a lot.

3. "You're just so comfortable in your own skin."

My roommate Olivia said this to me a few weeks ago. I'd never thought of myself in that way, and when she said that, it made me think that maybe other people don't think I'm as awkward as I think I am. Not that I think I'm so awkward or anything....I just never realized that people might think of me as someone who was obviously confident and comfortable.

4. "Heather. What if, tomorrow, you get all ready for church. And you have a beautiful dress, you do your hair all pretty, everything. And you sit down with your family and you're waiting for the meeting to start, when in walks Prince Charming. And he is so handsome, and so perfect. And he sees you and just thinks, oh, that is the most beautiful girl. I must have her. And he starts to walk towards you. And you see him coming towards you and you just think he is the best thing since toilet paper. And you can't wait to meet him. And then, right when he's about to get to you, you smile at him, and your teeth are all black, and they're falling out of your head, because you didn't brush them. And that perfect Prince Charming just thinks, Oh my. What a mistake. And he walks away. Wouldn't that be sad? Don't you think you ought to brush your teeth?"

My dad said this to me when I was about four years old. I might have been five. Regardless, for some reason that night, I didn't want to brush my teeth. And after that, I never didn't want to brush my teeth again. I mean, how traumatizing! What if my teeth did turn black? What if Prince Charming did walk away when I smiled? How awful!

I've also found myself subconsciously applying this to other things in my life. Like, when I don't want to shave my legs.

5. "You'll want a pair of headphones."

My sister Kelly said this to me when we were stuff-shopping when I first arrived in Provo for school. I didn't have an iPod then, and still don't, and I never listened to music while studying, so I didn't think I would need headphones. But hooooly cow was she right. I got a pair of headphones and used it every single day of my life after that.

6. "Sometimes, it's best if you've gone on a few dates with someone and you still don't really like them, it's best to just tell them, 'you know, maybe we shouldn't go on any more dates, I think it would be best if we were just friends.' That's okay, you know."

Sister Giles, another one of my Young Women's leaders, said this when she and her husband participated in a panel about dating for one of our activities. Sister Giles was beautiful, intelligent, and sweet, and I remember thinking that she must have had millions of boys wanting to date her at college. Of course she would have to come up with something to say to eliminate a few of them.

I was certain then that my situation at college would be far different, that I would never utter those words. I couldn't imagine that many people were as popular as Sister Giles had been. Maybe one of my friends would be that popular and I would hear stories about her turning down dates. As for myself, it didn't seem very likely that I would ever avoid a date, much less tell someone straight out that I wasn't even interested in being asked out by them again.

But now I understand that it's not even really a matter of popularity. Everyone doesn't always want to go on a date with everyone else. It's not a big deal if you realize that it's not going anywhere with one person and you tell them so. You'll both just move on and get over it. Now I think it's funny that at one point, this was such a foreign idea to me.

7. "You've got a good sub-conscious."

My Grandpa Hammer was everything from a teacher to a military man to a scientist to a hypnotist. Obviously, my brothers and sisters and I were the most intrigued by his history as a hypnotist, so we all let him hypnotize us when he came to visit us and was feeling up to it.

After one time of hypnotizing me, my grandpa said those words and gently tapped my arm, where he always tapped me to get in contact with my subconscious. I was immensely pleased, and since then, I have felt an impressive sense of control over my thoughts.

If you ever have the opportunity to be hypnotized, I highly recommend it. Your brain is capable of so much, and exploring that is a unique and invigorating experience.

8. "No projects."

I think it's pretty safe to say that this is my dad's favorite thing to say. It's the one phrase thing I've heard him say with the most frequency, other than like, "I love you" and "What's for dinner" and "Oh! Girls....Stop it. Now I mean it. Oh.....MELODY!" and stuff like that. It's in reference to boys, and the kind of boys he wants us to date slash marry.

A project is someone who you talk about and you say, "Oh he would be so perfect, if he would just stop smoking," or "control his temper," or "go to church." And then you date them with the intention of being so good and perfect yourself that you can get him to stop smoking, or control his temper, or go to church. Girls sometimes get this "Beauty and the Beast" mindset that has us convinced that the beast we are in love with will miraculously become a prince. But that isn't really true most of the time, and it causes a lot of heartache for girls who believe that they are the exception.

He started pounding it into my head at such an early age that now, I don't even consider dating boys who would be "projects." Sometimes I see my friends dating "projects" and it stresses me out.

Last year in my mission prep class, Brother Bott put a little addendum on this mantra. He said, "We are all works in progress, and we are all going to marry a work in progress. You just have to decide if this person is someone you want to work with as you both try to attain perfection." I think that is quite profound.

9. "Everyone is a potential friend."

This was my sister Nicole's piece of advice that she said when I was about to go to college. It changed my life! I got on the plane and saw potential friends. I got off the plane and saw (30 hot Utah boys and) potential friends. I went to Freshman Orientation, where I met one of my very best friends to this day. My classes were chock-full of potential friends.

I've learned to remind myself of this idea whenever I'm about to embark on a new adventure. Coming to Florida was hard, because I was leaving behind some really good friends, but it was easier, because I just reminded myself that everyone is a potential friend. Since being here, I've made friends with the people I work with. I've become friends with the people in my ward. I've met people on the bus, at the pool, and in the parks who are now my friends (on facebook, at least).

So remember this, whenever you are about to go to a party where you don't know anyone, or you are about to start a new job. Everyone is a potential friend. You never know where a friendship might form when you have this attitude.

Please don't be offended if you didn't see yourself on this list! It's just a short list, and I'm sure it is incomplete. In fact I know it is, because I don't even have anything that my mom said. My point is, you have all influenced me in more ways than I could even begin to enumerate here. Thank you :)

A Balmy 68* F

Friends, I now live in Disney World. In Orlando, Florida. It was 68*F when I got off the plane in the most beautiful airport I've ever flown into. I took off my jacket and put it in my suitcase. Then I took off my other jacket and put it in my other suitcase. Then I stopped taking off clothes.

I arrived at check-in. Our bus driver, Eric Mullen, dropped us off at the front of the complex, so we had to drag our luggage (2 huge suitcases, a smaller suitcase, a backpack, and a purse for me) all the way to the other end of the housing complex. We got our pictures taken. We got assigned our apartments. They are beautiful! We learned who our roommates were. They were also beautiful! I am living with Christine, Jackie, and a girl from BYU-I named Olivia. She is so fun and we love her already. I will post pictures soon.

I moved into said apartment. I started figuring out the bus system. We stood in line, starving, for six hours, filling out paperwork one person at a time. I bought groceries. I rode in a taxi for the first time (with my roommates). I saw a little green frog. I wore flipflops. I ran on a treadmill for the first time, because I saw a beautiful boy working out in the fitness center right next to my new house. He was gone when I got there, but Jackie still made me run on the treadmill. And I loved it. And I didn't even fall once. And I went 1.8 miles. And I liked it! And I'm going to go back again!

I went to Downtown Disney. I rode in a complimentary water taxi. I didn't see an alligator. I fell in love with a talented musician playing the drums for an electric violinist. I saw where I'm going to work. I hated my costume on sight. I cheered up because I am living in Disney World.

And because I split a Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae with my roommates.