Paul Stratton

I have the world's cutest nephew. I love getting pictures of him from my sister, Melanie, as well as seeing them on Facebook. Living on the opposite side of the country from this sweet face is pretty hard, especially when I realize that he is already 2 months and I have yet to meet him in person. I am hoping to take a trip out to Maine soon so that I can finally meet him! I can't wait for when he is older and I can start interacting with him, even though I am so far away from him. Even though he is already 2 months, it is so crazy to think that I am an aunt and that my big sister is old enough to be a mom...time seriously does fly by!! It definitely makes me excited to see what the future holds!

 I love you, Stratton!!

COLOR EXPLOSION

This past weekend, we went to Spanish Fork, Utah for the Festival of Colors. This is a Hindu tradition that is held at the Hindu temple, where thousands of people come each year and throw dyed chalk at each other. It was so much fun, to say the least! The streets surrounding the temple where lined with cars and people walking to and from the temple. I have always seen the pictures of friends who have gone to the festival and thought it looked like so much fun...I was definitely right! I have never seen so many people in one spot in my life. I would definitely recommend going to the festival to anyone that wants to have some fun and is okay with getting a little dirty! (The chalk came right out of my clothes, so no worries there!!) SUCH A FUN WEEKEND!

9 Days!

It is crazy to realize that I will be home in 9 days! We had our check out meeting for our apartment tonight, which means the next 9 days are going to be spent cleaning, studying, packing, taking tests, making a final last memories and saying some pretty tough goodbyes. iTunes cleaning play list is in full effect! It will be nice getting out of Rexburg and seeing my friends that I have missed, but it will also be weird turning my key in and saying goodbye to my freshman year of college. Goodbye windy Rexburg, hello rainy Bellevue!

We went to Utah this last weekend for the Festival of Colors and had a BLAST! Pictures soon to follow!!

Go SHS Drill!

This weekend my little sister, Cadison, will be performing in the Washington State Dance/Drill Competition. It is her senior year of high school, which means that this is her last and final performance of her high school dance/drill experience. This is her fourth year of being on the team, and her third year being in one of the leadership positions of the team. She's really enjoyed the time she's spent being on the team despite some injuries and early morning practices.

It has been really fun being able to go to her competitions over throughout the last 4 years and cheering from the sidelines. I am bummed that I will not be able to be there to watch her perform at state, but I can't wait to see how well her team does and watch the recorded performance when I get home!

Hearing about all of the drill excitement that has happened this year makes me miss high school swimming so much! I miss my teammates, my crazy coaches (...just kidding Zachy-Poo!), tiring workouts, time cutting goals, lane meetings, swim meets, championships, pasta feeds, cheers, broken caps, lost goggles, and much much more. 

~SHS here we go, here we go...ahhh ooooohhh eeeeee!~

~S-A-M-M-A-M-I-S-H LETS GO!~

~Yell out your colors Totems: RED, RED, RED...BLACK, BLACK, BLACK, BLACK~

The semester is coming to a close...

I cannot believe how fast this semester is coming to an end. There have been so many super fun and exciting times, but also some times where we wondered if the end was ever going to come. Gallons of laughter have been laughed (Mikele....haha) and feelings have been hurt, but in the end it all happened for a reason. Everyone has definitely grown and learned a lot about themselves throughout these past four months. I am so grateful to have had a chance to meet some pretty amazing people and make some life long friends that I hope to have many more memories and adventures with.

 

Goodbyes will be hard to say the least. I am excited to be done with school and to go back home but there are definitely a few people that I wish I could avoid saying goodbye to altogether. But for now, I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet them and hope nothing but the best for them in the future. Thanks for making my semester so eventful (to say the least) and one that I definitely will not forget.

<3

3...2...1...Action!

Lately, I have been all about watching movies. I am such a sucker for chick flicks and am always up to watch a good tear jerker! I love most kinds of movies but I really enjoy the movies that make me feel like I am there in the movie or are relatable. I love that you can just relax and forget about everything going on around you when you watch a movie. I'm not by any means a movie buff, nor can I quote every line of my favorite movies, but I definitely love a good movie. Movies are an excuse for me to lay low and take a  little while to be lazy...who doesn't love an excuse to be lazy for an hour or two?!

Here are some of my favorite movies:

I love Channging Tatum and the plot! Most people don't like this movie, but I can and have watched it a million and a half times...Alex can attest to that one and makes fun of me for it all the time!

This comes out in 3D on the 4th of April and I CANNOT wait! I'm going to see it with Jake and then again with my family when I get home in 3 weeks. Seriously, ecstatic about this!!

What is there not to love about Pocahontas?! Such a great Disney movie!! "Run, Pocahontas, Run!" - me as a 4 year old...

LOVE this movie! Such a classic. I get crap for watching this one over and over again too, but it's way too good to only watch once!

This is one of my new favorites. It is so well put together and is so funny! I definitely recommend it.

Gotta love a good movie :)

Happiness is a CHOICE.

I've learned a lot about myself over the past few weeks and have come to the conclusion that life is what you make it to be. If you want it to be less than what it should be, then so be it. But as for my choice, I am choosing to make the most out of what I have right now. 

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.  ~James Openheim

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.  Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.  ~H. Jackson Brown

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier.  The way it actually works is the reverse.  You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.  ~Margaret Young

There are two things to aim at in life:  first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it.  Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.  ~Logan Pearsall Smith

"How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again from the scriptures: 'Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.'" - President Thomas S. Monson

"None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges - and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, we are told, 'Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.'" - President Thomas S. Monson

I could go on and on with quotes by people that definitely have it right about happiness being a choice. I am so blessed and thankful for the people that I have in my life that have stuck by my side and continue to help me out every step of the way. 

Whoopsy Pupsy!

This weekend has been a very chill and relaxing weekend! Friday consisted of roller skating in Idaho Falls and watching Fast Five with Jake, Mikele, Josh and Christine (Mikele's roommate). Roller skating was so much fun! I haven't been roller skating in years but it was super easy to get right into it again and I only fell twice (both times where just because of failed attempts to do some pretty cool tricks haha). The parts of Fast Five that I watched were pretty good...I fell asleep after a few minutes as I do in most movies these days. On Saturday, I went swimming with Jake. It has been such a long time since I have been in the pool, and I forgot how much I missed it. We swam a few sets and then Jake showed me some water polo tricks. Then, we (Annie, Mikele, Jake, Josh and I) decided that we were going to enjoy the beautiful sunny day that we were having by walking from subway to Porter Park...which ended up as us eating our sandwiches in the Georgetown lounge. Our plans changed more times than we can count, but it still ended up being super fun! Then, Mikele, Jake, Josh and I went to the hip hop show on campus, which was pretty fun to watch. After, we decided that we were up for an adventure and made some cookies from some nice neighbors of ours.... ;) haha it was definitely a fun memory!!

I love that we always end up having so much fun with whatever we do these days. There isn't a whole lot to do in good old Rexburg...google it...you won't find anything, I promise! But luckily, we always find some way to get creative and have fun. I can't believe that the semester is almost over. I am excited for the school aspect to be over with, but I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye to some pretty amazing people that I've met and become pretty close with in just these past 3 months. But until then, we still have time to have many more adventures and good times ahead of us!

Feliz Cumpleanos Erica!

Happy 63rd Birthday Erica!! Whoops! I mean...Happy 30th Birthday Erica!! I hope you are having a great day and are doing something fun to celebrate the big 3-0! Thanks for all the fun times we have had over the years. I am so lucky to have you in my life and to have you as more of an older sister rather than an aunt. I am excited for all the crafts and food and projects with mason jars that we will be doing when I get home next month! Don't have too much fun on your birthday without me! Schmappy Schmirthday Schmerica!

SUN!! SUN!! SUN!!

It is so nice in little old Rexburg today!! Last week we had a snow storm and I started wondering if winter had finally made an appearance...guess I was wrong!! It's 52 degrees outside and the sun is shining with a bright blue sky! Although it is only March, seeing the sun and feeling the heat when I walk to class, makes me SO excited for summer to be here already. Summer is my favorite time of the year and I'm so excited for the long awaited flip flop and sun glasses season to begin! It is probably a good thing that I am on the Fall/Winter track because I would not be able to be here during the summer months and not wear flip flops everyday (Flip flops are against the Honor Code here at BYU Idaho). My summer break begins next month and I am crossing my fingers that the Seattle rain is put on a hold and the sunny days begin! I start coaching swim team in May and can't wait to see all of my little munchkins! I'm a little nervous because we are moving up a division, but it will be fine. My pale skin is so ready for the sun to come out and for the weather to be nice so I can get my tan back!!

NINJA Power

This weekend, my roommates and I decided to dress up like ninjas and pull a few pranks on our Chilean friends! Dressing up and making fools of ourselves was definitely half of the fun!

They had dates for Saturday night, so we decided that it would be funny to rearrange their apartment, swap out their DVD's for a few of our chick flicks, and leave them Annie's game of Skip-Bo (which they hate playing) while we took their stack of games.

While we were out sneaking around the Apline apartments, we noticed that one of our friends had left his jeep unlocked...so us being us, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and take some pictures! I guess Chad will rethink leaving his door unlocked the next time he parks his car :)

It turns out we ended up thinking the joke was way funnier than the Chileans thought it was...but hey, we still had fun and that is all that matters!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Today is my Grandpa's 75th birthday!! He is one of my favorite people ever and I don't know what I would do without him. He is such a kind hearted person that would do anything for anyone. I have been so fortunate to have him in my life and be as close to him as I am. 

My Grandpa is definitely one of my heroes and someone that I look up to in all that I do. I love more than anything that I have so many memories with him and can't wait for the fun times that we will have down the road! I love that he always has a smile on his face no matter what the situation is; he is such a positive person and always has the best to say about other people. I know that if I can be half the person that he is, I'm doing pretty well in life.

He is one of my favorite people ever and I don't know what I would do without him. He is such a kind hearted person that would do anything for anyone. I have been so fortunate to have him in my life and be as close to him as I am.

He has supported me through so much throughout my life and I can't express how grateful I am to have had him by my side. He has always encouraged me to get out there and be the best that I can be; and I know that his support, encouragement and love has helped me get through so much in my life.

Happy Birthday Grandpa! I miss you like crazy and cannot wait to see you in a month! Have a great day and don't work too hard. Thank you for everything you have done and taught me over the years. You truly are one of a kind and I am so blessed to have you in my life. I love you!

I will always be your little girl.

<3 Flight Fly