Jerusalem

Ok People.
I leave in 6 days to go to Jerusalem.
What the????
It has come up so fast!
I am only partly done with packing...
I still have to buy more stuff...
and I still have to get my self back up to Utah.
NOOO FUN!
Seriously.
The dress code for Jerusalem is more stringent than for girl missionaries, we are talking
ankle length skirts here.
Ya.
It was so not fun looking
for those yesterday.
Hello homely!!!
I told Grant at least there won't be a problem
with any boys liking me.
Haha
But really its been fun preparing to go to Israel.
I am getting more excited but it feels way
surreal.
One week from today I will actually be in good old Jerusalem!!
WOW.
Life is good, I am happy.
Christmas was great.
Ciao

Arizona

Right now I am leading a life virtually void of responsibilities.
It feels so weird.
Last night Grant and I were watching TV at his house
and I remarked, "Isn't
it so weird to not have to think about oh I need to do my math assignment,
or finish my paper, etc"
He said, It's great! Enjoy it while you can.
It is just way odd to me right now that I have nothing looming over me.
No due dates, nothing.
I should unpack my room and do my laundry and start getting
stuff for Jerusalem but I will put that off for a little bit longer.
While I may not have academics to worry about, I do have a whole host of other things
that are on my mind.
Like, why are the d and c keys on my laptop not working right or why are my eyes hurting or
I really should unpack my room.
Well right now I am going to get my hair done. I always have plenty of time to
think at the hair salon.
It is like torture.
Seriously, it takes sooo long!
I love the end result but the process, not so much.

Leaving

Finals are over but I don't feel any particular relief, I never really do.
Finals end and then I am just so tired by the time its all done
that I don't have any energy for rejoicing.
I am leaving for AZ in about 20 minutes, that is if
my landlords decide to be on time to check me out; cross your fingers.
Grantler is here and I am excited for a day of us in the car!
It will be fun, I am sure.
I am excited to go home and just relax and get ready for Jerusalem!
I have alot to do ha.
First step: getting all of the stuff bought and ready to go for the trip.
Second step: figuring out how to fit it all into one suitcase :(
I have a giant pink suitcase that is the love of my life.
It could easily hold 75 pounds, or more.
I have to be super careful when packing in it because the 50 pound limit goes so quick!!
Wish me luck!

Contract

Let me just say I am sorry for subjecting you to so many
random posts!!
Would you like to know why I have posted so much?
Procrastination!!
I am totally procrastinating studying for accounting, hardcore.
So now I will tell you about something great that happened
a few days ago!
The girl that said she was going to buy my contract actually bought it!
We are talking dotted her i's and crossed her x's. It is done.
I am so happy.
:)
Oh and I found out my flight plan for Jerusalem.
I get to fly into JFK which I am sort of excited for.
I arrive back in the states at 9:43 am on April 22nd.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!

Hot Cocoa

Let me just say one more thing.
I love hot chocolate.
Like eat 2 cups a day love.
Put 4 marshmallows love.
Know how to make the perfect cup love.
I now drink it out of those small stryrofoam cups, it makes
me drink less than what I would out of a 4 inch in diameter mug.
I also use water these days. I used to refuse water based hot cocoa but I never buy milk
and water has no calories, so yay water.
I hope you like hot cocoa too.

Bobby Pins

One more thing.
Today (or really any time I look at my floor), I realized
how many bobby pins I have, my life
depends on those things!!
Bobby pins are essential to my well being, they
are so handy with hair, especially hair with layers, like mine!
Let me just say,
I LOVE BOBBY PINS.

Uptight

So I have had a few comments in the past few days by a few different people
referring to how I am not fun anymore, I am too uptight, etc.
Is this true??
Am I reverting to my old, high strung ways??
I thought I cast those tendencies aside years ago...
Well, I am making a resolution to be less serious and more easy going.
I don't want people to think I am uptight!
So here is to being better
at being fun!
Also, I just think people don't get my sarcasm sometimes.
I can have a very dry sense of humor.
Someone told me that it means you have good sarcasm when people can tell
you are being sarcastic.. hhmmm... I guess that means
I am bad at it.
Well on a happy note I only have one final left.
Accounting!
Now if I could only feel motivated to study for it..
Another happy note,
Grantler flies in tomorrow at 7:40!
Yippee ay yay!
Another happy note,
I got a check from my summer employer for my last bit of
cash that she owed me. I didn't think she would ever
get it to me and I didn't expect her to
since I stopped working for her on short notice. But she did!
It was quite the pleasant surprise.
Also, I sold back my books today! YAY!
Although I will say; curse new editions!!
I could have made WAY more money if there wasn't new editions coming
out next semester but I will take what I can get.
I also cleaned for 4 hours today and passed my check out.
Yay.
I was super thorough at cleaning. I mean I only cleaned 3 rooms; bedroom, bathroom, and
laundry room, four hours is a lot for those things!
But it is done.
Lets give a hip hip hooray for productivity!
Oh ya today was my moms birthday.
She is the most selfless and busy person I know, straight up.
She does so much everyday, all for her family and she never takes a break; except for last week
when her and my dad came to Utah, but even that was for my dad!
Do you think mama loves snowmobiling or skiing? NO!!
But she knows my dad does.
I hope I can be as selfless as her when I grow up.
I love her and can't wait to
spend the summer with her in Arizona :)
Love you mama!!

Work

Today was my last day ever working at the Cannon Commons.
I worked there since before my first day
of my freshman year of college.
That is 2.5 years.
I left work feeling a little sad.
I was a permanent fixture at the Cannon, an original. Now
I am no longer.
I remember the day I applied for the Cannon and got the job.
Dad and Mom said I had to get a job, we set aside a day just for job searching.
I was pretty grumpy, I really hate job searching.
I called on a few on campus postings and the positions had already been filled, I was
feeling dejected.
I remember my dad looking at the student employment board in the WILK and
seeing a sign about the new Cannon Center and
all the positions available.
It said to go to the center and stop in for an interview.
My dad suggested we do this so we did.
I was unhappy, I did not want to work in the food service industry.
I called the center and they said to just come right in for an interview, so I did.
The manager, JC, looked at my schedule and said the only
shift that would accommodate it would be a t/th/s shift, t/th in the grainery from 5:15 to close and Saturday 7-11:30am in the dishroom. My eyes started to get watery and all I
could say was ok, and ya.
I did not want to work in the dishroom on a Saturday morning!
I walked out of that place, newly hired and went and cried to my parents (sooo dramatic). They were happy I got a job and after I was dramatic for
a few more minutes my dad said we
could go shopping for snowboarding clothes since we had
accomplished the goal of getting me work.
So the day ended up ok and I survived working in the dishroom at 7 am in the morning.
I can now tell my children that I worked in a dishroom in college. I feel
like they can't ever whine to me about their horrible jobs, nothing to compete with.
haha
Ok life at the Cannon wasn't that bad.
It was the perfect college job and I am so thankful that my parents
made me get a job there that day.
It has blessed my life and taught me valuable lessons.
Now on to bigger and better things. :)

Finals and FHE

So today I took two finals and I aced both.
Yay.
I am shooting for straight A's this semester. Ok one A- and the rest real A's.
I haven't got straight A's since high school, for real.
I am really excited and committed to making my dream of straight A's a reality
this semester.
I will let you know how it ends up.
So tonight for FHE we are having a pizza party and singing around the piano.
I am really excited.
You know how in lots of Christmas movies they have clips where the family is standing around the
piano singing Christmas carols?
That is like my dream and tonight it is going
to become a reality.
I seriously can't wait.
If only Grantler were here to hold my hand while I sing :)
PS
Today is my last FHE with my girls.
I will miss them.
Yesterday Amanda and I (mostly Amanda) made dinner for all of us
and we all ate it together. We
had Cafe Rio salads.
It was so good and I am so thankful for great roommates
who made the effort to make my last Sunday with them a great one :)
We also played Spot It, which is my new favorite game.
We were screaming and becoming competitive and having a good old time.
I loved it.
I am determined to buy that game someday and play it with
Grantler.
It would be a blast.
So my new thing these days is to Skype with my sister Jasey.
It is really fun, I enjoy our Skype dates.
We just chat and catch up and do whatever. It is way better than calling because then we can see each other and it is more fun.
I used to only talk to Jasey like once a month and now I talk to her everyday!
I wish we had started Skyping earlier though because now I am leaving and will
be restricted to emails basically.
Jasey said something nice today,
she said I am basically her best friend, and Abbey too.
It made me happy because I have always
wanted to have that close bond with my sisters
and I feel like we are getting
to the age where
we can start having that best friend relationship.
It makes me happy.
Have a great night :)

Reminiscing

right now i am listening to celine dion, because you loved me, to be exact.
i love celine.
i have loved her since i was a little girl.
i remember dancing around our family room, singing with all that i had.
i would occasionally run into the shutters because i was so
caught up in song.
right now i am just singing at the top of my lungs, in my room, probably loud
enough for the whole house to hear.
ha

Pictures

Here are 2 pictures of our Ugly Christmas Sweater outfits. Ignore the fact that I look like a giant.

Christmas Party

So we had an ugly Christmas sweater party tonight, it was my first and let
me just say; I loved it.
Mostly because I had the best outfit ever, no worries I WILL
post a picture or two.
Let me just give you a small taste of the awesomeness that
I deemed "Danielle's white trash Christmas."
First, old raggedy, not form fitting, makes you look fat, black cable knit sweater.
Second- red streamer tied into bow around my waste.
Third-sparkly snowflakes hung around my neck with dental floss.
Fourth-rhine stone jeans with red heels
Fifth-homemade earrings our of candy canes (the mini kind),
I tied dental floss to some candy canes and then put an old
earring post on each and wa la! Dangly candy cane earrings!
A random boy at the party said those could be very tempting
for a date, Grantler....
haha that'd be so funny.
Here babe, you are hungry? Have some of my candy cane!
I don't think he would go for it..
The last part of my outfit
My curly hair pushed back with a head band with a HUGE
black flower on it. Seriously,
biggest flower headband you will ever see.
I will post pictures tomorrow, I promise.
Anywho, I knew no one at the party,
except my roommates and like 2 other people.
I played catch phrase for like ever, screaming the entire time,
and probably annoying everyone with my loud voice/loud outfit combo.
Oh ya- I had bright red lipstick on too! And green and red eye shadow but I don't think
that was very noticeable.
It was fun and nice to have the house full of chatter.
I definitely bought too many cans of hot cocoa though.
Us at Creamery, 3 cans already in hand.
Me:
"Guys shouldn't we buy one more? I mean the serving sizes
are never really what they say."
Haha at least we didn't run out.
That's all I have to say about the matter.

Bored

It is freezing in Provo today, totally disgusting.
I had my last 5 hour accounting review and while I should
be rejoicing, I'm not.

I really liked my teacher and his wisdom.
My parents came and picked up my boxes today, that was nice to get done.
I bought Grant's ticket to fly out here
to drive home with me and I bought
my ticket for flying back to Utah after winter break.
I land at 10:55 pm, only that late because my other roommate lands at 11 pm so
I wanted to make the times close.
Right now I am thinking that may have not been a good idea, I will be
in a world of trouble if my flight gets delayed because
I have a mandatory meeting.
for Jerusalem
on Monday.
OOPPS.
Pray for good weather.
I have my stress management and marketing study guides complete.
I am going to finish them within the hour.
Tonight we are having an ugly Christmas sweater party.
I am pretty excited, hot cocoa, people, music, holiday spirit, etc.
It will be super.
Yesterday I learned that laughing is super good for you.
There are tons of benefits.
I need to laugh more.

Changing

Sometimes I am not very nice to the people I love the most.
I get in a bad mood and then I just stay
in my bad mood even though I want to be nice.
I feel like I have to prove my point

or something by not changing my attitude.
It is a really weird thing that happens but I have always
struggled with it, since I was little.
I remember getting mad at my parents and being
really upset then them getting mad
at me because of my behavior. They would send me to my room
and I would cry in my room because I wanted to be nice
and happy but it was just so hard
for me to suck it all up.
I don't know why I have issues with this but I do.
I am going to try harder from now on to turn my frown upside down
if I feel myself slipping into an angry slump.
I will not let myself stay in that
unattractive, ridiculous state.
I will suck up my pride and be the bigger person and be nice and not let
stupid things get to me.
I don't want to make the people I love sad and
I don't want to be disappointed in myself because of the way
I handled a certain situation.

YAY!

So I knew you all wanted an update on how productive my day has been so
I will tell you!
I definitely finished packing up my room
and I took all my DI stuff to DI and
Kelsee came and picked up all her stuff that has been at our house.
So basically I am getting ready to go!
Mom and dad are going to drive a bunch of my boxes
back to AZ tomorrow, so I will not
have too much stuff to lug home in sylvia (my car).
I will still have quite a bit but it won't be too bad.
Anyway, I need to study or something.
Oh and if anyone needs any hangers, I have a million.
Not even joking.
I have so many hangers,
I don't know what I will do with them all...

Feeling a Little Stressed!

So today I am feeling a little stressed out! I have a lot to do between now and next Friday.

Let's make a list.
So I made a list but I thought everyone would
get really bored reading it so I deleted it.
Let's just say I have lots to do.
My rent check never got to my landlords and neither did almost all my
roommates.
What the?
We even sent them in separate envelopes.
Best thing ever just happened.
So Grantler is going to fly up to drive home with me and
I got a sub for Thursday, the 16th so that
he can fly in that night!
Yay!
I love that everything works out.
So yesterday I got to spend the day with my parents in Park City!
WOOT!
I got to snowboard all day!
It was really fun.
I love snowboarding!
I am sad I won't be here this winter to snowboard,
I guess Jerusalem is worth it! :)
It was fun to spend some one on one time with my parents.
Dad took us out to dinner on main street in Park City last night, we had the best
barbeque ever.
It was so delicious.
They had nachos with tri tip on them.
I love tri tip, it is my favorite thing ever.
On top of nachos it is even better.
YUMMO.
Seriously.
Mom, dad, and I were all in love with the food.
It was delightful.
I will definitely try to go back someday.
It is really warm in Provo today.
I mean, I am just wearing a cardigan
over my long sleeved shirt.
I am a little cold, but it isn't bad at all.
Yesterday, when I was on top of the mountain at Park City
I was astounded by the beauty of the little town below me.
It was so pretty to see the snowy mountains surrounding the valley with the houses all over.
I loved it!
The view was great!
I am going to be so productive the next few days, I will be,
I will be!!!
Right after school today I will finish packing my room and then
go to DI.
It will be so good to have that all done.
Wish me luck!

The Selfish Pedestrian

Dear Pedestrians,
Stop and let cars pass, then walk across the street. When a long stream of 20 of you continually flood the cross walk, you make cars wait way longer for you then you would have to wait for them if you just let them go first. Seriously, I am not a fan of your selfish ways.
Thanks,
Danielle

The Postmart

So Grantler told me I should do a special piece
everyday where I talk about one random thing.
I figured I should heed his advice since he is my biggest and maybe only reader!
So today I will talk about the Postmart.
What is the Postmart you may ask?
Not to worry, I will enlighten you.
The Postmart is honestly one of my most
favorite businesses ever.
First off, it has this
yummy smell.
I can't describe it, but it is so welcoming.
And lets not forget to mention the owner, Randy who
is always wearing his wrangler jeans
and Postmart shirt.
He is so nice and helpful.
My most favorite aspect of the Postmart?
Let me tell you.
You can put all the stuff you want to send in a package on the counter and then
Randy, or an associate will put it in the perfect sized
box and pack it all up for you.
It is amazing.
I naively thought that all mail sending businesses did this but I was wrong.
I made the mistake of going to the US Postal Post office one day,
I put all my stuff on the counter, smiled,
and asked if they could help me find a box to ship it in.
They pointed to the wall behind me and said those are our only
shipping materials, good luck.
Huh?
I was confused.
So I left and headed to the trusty Postmart.
Randy packaged my breakable item all up so it wouldn't break and then, because
he didn't already have a box that was the perfect size
for my item, he cut a box
down so that it would snuggly fit my item and reduce my costs.
It was lovely.
I love the Postmart and will remain
its loyal customer until I leave Provo.
I wish all mailing places had the services Randy provides.
Seriously.
OH ya they even have Grantler's name and address
in the computer already since I have mailed to him from
them so many times.
It is very convenient.
I love that place.

Sunday

So it is Sunday and I am totally
bored.
I miss my mom, dad, sister, brother, and of course Grant.
Today I have been packing my room up and going through old stuff,
you know, letters, pictures, jewelry, etc.
I used to have this quote box; I officially retired it today.
Anyway,
while looking in my quote box I found this personal
progress thing that I had gotten my senior year.
I had written
Danielle+Grant on it
and Danielle Smith + Grant Farnsworth.
It was so cute.
It made my heart happy.
It is so awesome that I used to write those things
3
years ago,
and now I still
do.
I am still writing Grant+Danielle all over everything.
I love it.
I also saw the letters he sent me in the MTC and
the letter he sent me in Latvia.
I love letters.
I have saved almost every letter I have ever received.
There is just something amazing about writing a letter
and something great about receiving a letter.
Letters make my life happy.
I love them!
So I love when I go through my things and get to
reminisce over all the letter I have saved.
I enjoyed church today.
Our lesson in relief society was about the Savior.
I didn't bear my testimony in sacrament or relief society so I will
bear it here.
I know that my Heavenly Father lives and that He loves me.
I know that even when I feel alone He is there beside me.
I know that He has a plan for each and every one of us. I know
that Jesus Christ is my savior and He is your savior too.
He loves every single person in the world. I am striving
everyday to remember that we are all
children of God, that we are
all beautiful and unique.
We each have special gifts that we can use to
help people and in return we can learn from them
because of the gifts
they have to share with us.
I know the atonement is real, our Savior took
upon every pain, sorrow, heartache, sin,
and loneliness of every single person
who has and who will walk the earth.
Joseph Smith is a true prophet.
I am so thankful for his commitment to the gospel and
for his unwavering faith.
I am also so thankful for Emma Smith.
I know that without Emma, Joseph would have not been able to accomplish
all that He was able to.
I desire to be the kind of companion to my husband that
Emma Smith was to hers.
I am so grateful for prophets and apostles.
I love to learn from them and hear their inspired counsel.
If we listen to them we will be able
to be safe, we will be saved from transgression
and saved from the terrible pitfalls of life.
They are inspired servants of our Heavenly Father.
I am so thankful for the programs the church has established.
I know they are inspired and that they are real.
I love the gospel.
I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
I hope that someday I will be inclined to share my testimony in sacrament meeting
every fast Sunday, that I will
feel completely comfortable with
that public display.
Whenever I go up, I get soo nervous.
I start talking a 100 miles a minute and I get breathless.
These are bad reasons to refrain from sharing my
testimony, I know but they are my stumbling blocks.
Thank you for allowing me
to write my testimony on this blog.
I wrote it without back spacing or thinking.
I just wrote what came into my head and I left it at that.
I hope you have a wonderful Sunday.
Thanks for reading :)

Love!

Ok can I just say how much I love my parents, cause I do.
They are the best.
My mom and dad showed up at my door today
around 4:30.
Mama was decked out in a track suit, you know the kind
made of terry cloth?
Ya.
The best part,
it was highlighter pink.
I definitely made sure to make fun of her.
It was so great!!
Mom and dad were soo happy.
They were like little kids or love struck giddy teenagers,
take your pick.
Either way, I loved
seeing them so carefree and happy.
They are so lucky to be able to take a week off
together and play.
I hope they have so much fun on their snowmobiles!
Daddy is gonna take my snowboarding on Wednesday.
I cannot wait!
I wish we could go Friday, like we had planned before, but
I have my accounting review that day so I can' t miss that.
SOOO sad!
Oh well.
Atleast I get to go on Wednesday and spend the day with them!
I hope it is great.
Now I just need some great powder that day!
SNOW Utah, SNOW!
Anyway,
this post was inspired by how great my parents are.
They are great examples to me of being in love even when
you have been married for 20 years.
I have friends whose parents
aren't in love anymore and it is sad.
I am so thankful for parents who are in love, and who make sure
to show their kids that they are still in love.
I miss my mom and dad and am
so excited for the chance to spend the summer with them in
AZ.
I hope it is wonderful.
I am so thankful for an amazing life and for amazing parents
who always provide me opportunities.
They are truly the best, at least for me :)

HAPPY!

Ok guys!
Guess what???
A girl came to look at our house today and she
LOVED
it.
Yay!
Oh man.
She even had her dad with her and he loved it too. I think I got my
contract sold!
I feel so good.
I am just hoping and praying that it goes through.
It would make my life a hundred times better!
Oh man!
YES!
Can this day get any better??
YES!
Mama and papa are coming to Utah!
They will be here around dinner time!!
WOOO!
Maybe they will take me out!
mmm!
Today has been great.
I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday :)
Ciao!

Library

currently i am sitting in the Harold B Lee library doing homework, sort of.
mel and i came together so we work on our
assignmentsn and chat too, its the best
way to do homework!
today has been a pretty good day.
i cleaned out my bathroom junk drawer, woo.
i had a box of nyquil an dayquil.
hhhhmm??
i don't know where those came from...
my parents are coming to Utah tomorrow.
yay
i am hoping to spend sunday with them!
i even got work off so i could, hopefully they let me join in
on their fun trip!
i want my dad to drive my on the snowmobiles!
can't wait.
you know what i really can't wait for?
going home after finals.
i am like running all these crazy situations through my head.
like get 2 finals done monday, go to my scheduled final tuesday,
my scheduled final wednesday, and take my accounting exam on wednesday too so i can
leave for home on thursday.
i just wanna be with Grantler!
i miss him.
so much.
all the time.
24/7
if you are one of my roommates you will
constantly hear my
mumbling under my breath, i miss grantler.
true story.
i love him.
it hasn't snowed in a while so that means the air is stifling.
its so gross!
it gets so heavy and full of disgusting fumes, i just can't stand it.
it needs to snow to take down all the crap in the air.
i could use some powder right now.
no not baby powder, or face powder, or powdered milk but..
SNOW POWDER.
please dad, let me go snowboarding at park city with you :)
thanks!
ok i am going to write my paper now, do my marketing assignment, and do my
accounting quiz, for the lesson
i definitely didn't understand.
yay school.

Contract

So it is the end of the semester meaning finals meaning i should be totally stressing out about ending my classes well and acing my finals, i'm not. yes, i do care that
i get good grades but i am not worried about it, i know i will be
fine.
what i am worried about it selling my contract.
i am obsessing.
hardcore.
i come home from school and i stare at my email,
hoping that someone has replied to my Craigslist ad or Ksl ad.
i seriously leave my gmail open just hoping for an email.
i replace the ads every 2 days about, sometimes everyday. i am freaking out.
if i don't sell my contract what will happen.
there are 3 scenarios i would like to present.
scenario a- i still go to Jerusalem and my contract
sells in January or February
scenario b- i don't go to Jerusalem
scenario c- i go to Jerusalem and my contract never sells,
25o0 dollars down the DRAIN
None of those options are really great.
scenario a takes a huge risk, what if the contract doesn't sell in January or February? then we will be stuck with scenario c which really sucks.
scenario b is just sad.
but the plus side of scenario b is that i would be done with school in
April.
that means i could move to AZ with Grantler :) and then
do my internship and get my degree.
i don't think i am willing to take the risk of losing 25oo dollars
if my contract doesn't sell.
i think i will not go to Jerusalem if
my contract doesn't sell by December 22nd.
December 22nd is the day that is 2 weeks from departure.
if i cancel 2 weeks from departure
than i just owe my deposit and flight cancellation fee.
i just wish my contract would sell.
i have been trying to sell it since
September.
WOW.
my landlords aren't being very helpful about it either.
people are selfish, especially landlords.
they don't care about circumstances, they
just want your money. end of story.
anyway sorry for being a downer.
the good news is that i met with my epidemiology group tonight
and i feel good about our group presentation.
my group members are nice so that was good.
and it only lasted like 45 minutes
tonight i made chili for dinner with a lime squeezed in it.
my friend, Hayden, from my freshman year
would always make that.
it makes canned chili 50 times better.
i like chili.
and chile.
especially the green kind!
ha
today i made a hot fudge pudding cake.
yummo.
it wasn't as good as the cannon centers though ha
surprisingly.
still delish.
i probably gained 10 pounds from it. oh well!
i think i will go eat more....
hhmmm
i love blogging.
it is my journal.
it doesn't make my hand hurt though when i type at a billion words a minute like it does when i write by hand, i always get a cramp in my hand!
i am sorry i don't put many pictures up but i just don't take many,
i only take them when grantler and i are together, and
besides it takes so long for them to load.
not worth it.
i wonder what my Heavenly Father has planned for me.
is my contract not selling a sign that i am not supposed to
go to Jerusalem?
it would be really wise to get my schooling done.
or maybe it is a trial of how much do i really want to go to Jerusalem.
i can tell you that i don't want to go wasting 2500 dollars
worth.
that is just insane.
insane.
i want to go home for the summer though.
so i would have to get someone to buy my summer contract which is really hard.
but who knows.
i hate when my life is up in the air, it is the
most uncomfortable feeling.
i need to trust in my Heavenly Father.
i feel like i am taking action, i am doing my part;
i just need to keep being proactive.
we will see from there...

Construction and Epidemiology

There is construction next door and i hate it!
The last few weeks have been pretty peaceful, no big trucks blocking the driveway,
no rumbling engines waking me up at 6 am, etc.
But today everything changed.
There were rumbling trucks waking me up at 6 am, which is a good thing,
considering i had school, but still!
Also, as i was walking home from my class i noticed
the line of 3 cement trucks on my street.
wooo.
Now i am in my room and i can hear the annoying construction noises,
loud and clear.
At least the house isn't shaking.
Epidemiology:
I really don't like you.
I am so over epidemiology.
Thank heavens today was the last time
my teacher will ever lecture us. YIPPEE!
Next week we just get to listen to case study presentations, woo.
That means i have to present though, not woo.
But in a week from today I will be done with classes for the semester!
YAYY!
Then i will be home to my Grantler!
That in and of itself is enough to make me happy and content.
Only 17 more days (if i leave Sunday. I have considered leaving Friday which means... only 15 more days!)
I couldn't be happier.

Christmas

So today I caught myself, multiple times, humming
to Christmas music and you know what,
I loved it!
I used to not be the type that
was into Christmas music. I never intentionally
switched my radio
to a Christmas station and
I never sang loudly to the tunes, but now I DO!
I chalk all of this up to Grantler.
When I was at home he always put the Christmas station
on when we were in the car
and, he sang along!
I loved it.
(well except for when a song would come on
and he would tease me for not knowing it, give me a break;
I am new at this embracing Christmas music thing!)
I am really getting into the holiday spirit.
Today, I read the December Ensign and I really enjoyed the
articles that were written.
There was a section that talked about the members of the seventy's Christmas
traditions. I was impressed with several
of the men who said that Christmas can last all year
when we remember Christ and are always striving to be obedient to him.
I loved that.
Another member said that we can have Christmas every week as we partake of the sacrament.
We are able to renew our covenants every week.
Part of the sacrament prayer is that we will "always remember him."
Everyday we can celebrate Christ's
life by remembering Him and
striving to be like Him.
There was one other part of the Ensign that struck me.
It was about remembering Easter when we celebrate Christmas; if Easter had not happened there would be no Christmas. If Christ hadn't atoned for mankind, died for them, and then be resurrected, His birth would have been
just that of another child. It is because
He took upon the sins, heartaches, and shortcomings of the world
that we celebrate His birth.
I love my Savior and I am so grateful for Him. I
hope that this Christmas I can focus on Him, and His life.
I hope that I can be like Him in all that I do and that
I will always celebrate His birth, because of the gift of eternal life,
which He has made
possible for me to someday attain.

Why BYU is the School for Me!

BYU has its own creamery.
that means they make their own dairy products.
that means they have every kind of cheese imaginable for purchase.
that means Danielle is a happy, happy girl.
I live for cheese. It is sooo good!
I totally justify my excessive cheese consumption
because I don't drink milk, due to the fact that it makes
my throat phlegmy
and gives me sore throats.
i like cheese on nachos, burritos, chili, tortillas, salad, hamburgers, chips,
plain, sandwiches, with meat, fried on the stove, stick style, etc etc.
so I know that BYU is the school for me because
they help to support my
cheese habit.
thank you BYU!
ps
i just discovered something.
today my first aid teacher was saying something about Chile, the country, and how he doesn't
know the right pronunciation.
after he said that he was like i do love chili/chile, the food.
because I am from az, i automatically thought of green chile.
i am now thinking he meant chili, chili.
hhmmm
sort of funny i thought of green chile right away.
i do love that stuff though.
it tastes good with cheese too.
you may be wondering why i decided to post about cheese.
there are a few reasons.
a-i am super bored right now
b- i was in the kitchen a few minutes ago, obsessively staring at the oven waiting for my turkey breast roast to be done when i decided to
sample some of the muenster cheese i bought today.
c-eating the muenster cheese made me want to blog about it
because i have nothing else to do and because i
LOVE
it so much.

Icy

It is official.
I have started using the snow shuffle; for those who aren't sure
what the snow shuffle is i will
elaborate.
The snow shuffle is very very handy when the sidewalks are icy. My version
of the snow shuffle is that every time an
ice patch comes along i just scoot my feet across it, i don't pick them up
i just shuffle them across the icy surface.
i may look weird, and you may be able to hear me from
20 feet away, but my falling record is beautiful.
i don't even remember the last time i fell on ice; yep
I'm that good.
In the winter, in Utah, people drop like flies because of icy sidewalks.
Seriously.
I never go a day without seeing someone
slip on an ice patch.
it cares the bajeebers out of me!
SO i practice safe walking.
Thank you snow shuffle.
ps- i do remember one nasty fall i had my freshman year.
i was late for the bus so i was walking fast and i decided
to cut across the street by
walking down a small grassy snow covered hill.
I slid right down that hill.
The whole side of
one pant leg was soaked. i was late for school though so i just
hopped on the bus with wounded self esteem
and a very wet leg.
I was such a committed student back then!
If the same were to happen to me now
i would have turned on my heel and walked straight back home, grateful
for an
excuse
to not have to go to class.
How times have changed! ;)
ha!
I am still a good student, meaning i get great grades. I have
just learned the amount of effort necessary
to generate my desired grades, and
It is very efficient if i do say so myself.

Pictures

i am in love with pictures of Grant and i. Basically all i have done today is stare at the pictures that got taken of us from this last trip home. It isn't that i am obsessed with our beauty or whatever, (although we are quite lovely) but it is just that when i am looking at the pictures of us i feel like Grant is with me, i feel like we aren't so far away from each other. I can see from our pictures how much fun we have together and how happy we are when we are in each others presence. I am so grateful for photography, for the chance to preserve little moments in time. I will always turn to pictures of Grantler and i when i miss him or need a pick me up. He is my best friend and seeing us acting goofy in the middle of the sand dunes helps me to remember how i can always be myself when i am with him; it helps me to remember the joy and feeling of lightness i feel when i am enjoying his company. So, for now, i will comfort myself in our photos, i will dive into the memories that we created together, and I will be happy, like i am when i am with Grant.

Full Body Scanners

Oh ya! Guys!
I was just reading through my old posts and realized I had said I would update on the airport security scanners!
I can't let my many readers down! (ha, just let me feel important)
So to my dismay they didn't use the full body scanners a the SLC or PHX airports. What the?
I don't know why. But I was slightly disappointed.
Oh well.
I probably should be thankful.
But seriously.
I wanted to know what all the hoopla was about. I guess I will have to wait!

Break Continued

So I am back to business here at BYU. Time away from Grant feels like I am just going through the motions. It is not very exciting. It is all
snowy here now;
today I definitely practiced the ice shuffle as I walked to school.
Slipping on ice is a serious thing!! I always take precautions! ;)
So lets get back to Thanksgiving break.
So Monday I hung out with my parents while Grant
fulfilled his school and work responsibilities. It was really enjoyable. i just love my mama
and papa. It was fun to hear them banter
at the office, I love that my parents are in love with each other.
It makes me so happy.
Tuesday I went to lunch with my friend Mercedez, I got to hear
all about her trip to Utah to see her honey.
I loved seeing her and catching up. Wednesday, Grant and I made coconut basil curry and lavash, a yummy flat bread Grant would make in latvia.
It was DELICIOUS.
Oh my gosh.
One more thing I love about my Grantler; he loves to cook and loves to eat.
I am not talking about just burgers or spaghetti,
we cook weird exotic things like curry! We love it. It is so fun for us.
So after we made the whole house smell like curry we went country dancing.
It was a blast. I wish we lived by each other so
we could make country dancing a weekly event!!! Seriously.
Over the summer we are going to make it happen, wooot.
On Thursday we had Thanksgiving!!
We went to Grant's grandmas house and Aunt Stephanie did an
impromptu photo shoot with Grantler and I!
Oh my gosh.
The pictures ended up looking sooo cute. I am in love.
Thank you Aunt Steph!!
All I do now is just stare at out pictures. How can I not? Were pretty cute.
Just sayin.
Friday we went to the sand dunes! The drive was so quick, only 3 hours.
It was great. We got to ride in the sand rail multiple times and oh man there is nothing like it. You feel like you are flying across the desert. It is beautiful. I love it.
Andddd Grantler loved it!
He said it was better than any roller coaster he has ever been on! Yay!
Grantler also drove me around on our Commander. Its like this sand toy that is not a quad
or a dirt bike or a sand rail. It's like the SUV of sand toys.
Grant loved driving it and I loved looking over at my man looking adorable as
we sped through the desert scenery. His hair got all fluffy and he was all smiles. I was all smiles too :)
It was the perfect weekend at the dunes:)
My sister even took pictures for us in the middle of the dunes while we barrel rolled down a sand hill, jumped off hills, and just played in the sand. I felt like
a little kid, it was absolutely divine.
Thanks Jasey for being the best! Her and I decided to shove our faces in the sand and make face imprints. Well that didn't work; all we were left with was a face full of sand!
It made for a great picture though.
I am so thankful for my lovely family. They are so good to me.
I am also thankful for Grant's family and for the kindness they show me.
I felt so welcomed at their Thanksgiving celebration and I always feel welcome in Grant's home.
Saturday night Grant and I just ate dinner at the mongolian grill and watched a movie.
Sunday was church and the airport.
Grantler always walks me in the airport and then be stays with me till I go through security.
My flight was delayed so we sat on a couch in Starbucks and just chatted.
It was great. I love that boy.
That was my trip. It was my favorite trip I have taken to AZ.
Only 20 days and then I will be back! Hopefully that trip will be even better!

Ten Days of Bliss

HELLOO WORLD!!
I am so happy.
I just had the most blissful ten days of my life. Seriously.
I had such a good time in AZ!! Lets recap.
-Grantler picked me up from the airport as usual.
*side note- i will now use lower case i's. it takes to much time to capitalize. *
-i love when Grant picks me up from the airport. Every time I get all excited and breathy when i leave the airplane. i made sure to sit right at the very front this time so i could be one of the first ones off. i was number 3. it was great. so anyway, Grant and i left the airport and after our usual getting lost leaving the airport spiel (we never take the right turn out of the airport, ever) we were on the open road headed to Chandler. we headed to the Chandler mall and after some deliberating we decided on eating at The Cheesecake Factory. it was gooood. so much food and the ambiance of the restaurant is super. it was so nice.
-Friday we went to a play and Bing Soo with my sister. it was rather enjoyable.
-Saturday i didn't see my baby till like 6! but i did get to spend a lot of time with my family so that was really nice. i went to my little sisters softball game where she totally owned and then i got to go grocery shopping with my mom! then i got ready for my big date with Grant! we went and painted at the pottery painting place, my fave and then we got dinner at Z Tejas. it was delish. Grantler always spoils me :) it was a lovely day to celebrate our 6 month anniversary.
-Sunday i got to join Grant at church! i just love going to church with him! mama made green chile just for me and it was good. Grant came for dinner too so that was a plus!
*i am sooo tired! i am feeling a large wave of tiredness crash into me and i am not going to fight it. i will continue posting tomorrow!

2:58 AM

Its 2:58 am and I am laying in my parents bed in my empty house basically shaking in my boots except I am not wearing boots and I am not shaking but I am scared. First things first, I have doubts about Floyd in the guard dog area. During the day he is pretty alert and ready to defend but at night, no way. He is snoring peacefully beside me while I jump at every sound. All I can say is that I wish 5:30 am were closer! Grant and I are leaving for the dunes tomorrow at 6! I can't wait. It will be so fun to show him a little bit of family tradition and introduce him to the sand rail. I hope the weather is perfect and delightful.
Thanksgiving was way fun yesterday. I spent the majority of the day with Grantler and it was just perfect. Last night after dinner, chatting, and watching the boys play basketball we played a few great games of catch phrase. I love that game so much! I get wayyy loud though, hhmmm definitely something I need to work on! I feel like it is the perfect opportunity to yell and be expressive though. hahah
"Hi I am Danielle and I use CatchPhrase as an outlet in which I can be expressive and loud."
Totally makes sense.
I hate being alone at night. Seriously. I love my room in my house in Utah. It is tucked up on the top floor, 2 other rooms right next to it. I never feel unsafe. I am thankful for daddy's. I don't think I would have ever slept a wink of sleep growing up if I didn't know that my dad was around to protect me from the noises I deemed to be scary. Right now I have no protection from such noises. Well except Floyd... I seriously want to leave for the dunes right now. Just up and go. gahh. Grantler didn't answer my text ha. I figured he wouldn't but I had to try right?
I love Grantler. I love him because he lets me call him Grantler and likes it.
I love him because he always lets me choose, even though I say I don't care most of the time.
I love him because we have fun cooking together.
I love him because he balances me out when I get a little high strung.
I love him because he is patient.
I love him because he uses this tone of voice every once in a while that I just melt over.
I love him because he likes to play with little kiddies.
I love him because he tries new things with me- we went country dancing Wednesday and yesterday he led me into a little dance in the living room, he totally remembered the moves he learned!
I love him because he loves me!
I can't wait till be get to be with each other all the time- come quickly April 21st.
Right now would be the perfect time for me to do some black Friday shopping huh? Seriously. I have never been up at 3:24 am on black Friday before. Maybe it is a sign.
CIAO

Hhmmm

I have lots of things on my mind.
-I am not sure if I like my new blog name hmm
-I love Arizona
-I am not sure if I will have an indoor dog when I grow up. My parents dog, Floyd is so hairy!! He is adorable though.. I guess that is a bridge I will cross when I come to it!
-My sister and I went to the big desert park across from our house today. We were on a mission to release their beta fish into the open. Ha! It was pretty fun actually. My sisters let them go at the top of the water fall and then we followed them down. We found one at the bottom, I have no idea how we was still alive but he was! We tried catching him but couldn't, it was fun trying though.
-While we were on our walk Floyd saw a rabbit and he really wanted to chase it, I could barely hold him back. It was sort of scary!
-It is really fun having my sisters be older. I am really enjoying spending time with them :) I think we will have a fun summer together!
-Today is Grantler and I's 6 month anniversary. YAY! It seems like it has been way longer than 6 months. In five months I will be back in AZ, permanently. (at least for the whole summer) I can't wait.
-I feel really good about going to Jerusalem. I think I need it. It will be a good time to reflect upon my life and the things I am doing. I am getting excited.
-I need someone to buy my contract.
-I am sleepy.
Ciaoo.