teenage DREAMING

this is my last day as a teenager.

when did this happen?!?

 dramatic? maybe. but I still can't believe I'm almost in my twenties. gross.

earlier today I finished up the last of my finals...ok I only had three...one was online/open book...the other was take home/open book...but who's complaining??

now I'll officially enter my senior year of school in the fall! I've had senior status all this year, but now I literally have one year left. I can't BELIEVE how fast time goes. it seems like just yesterday I was a little high schooler! I never, EVER thought I'd miss that. but sometimes I miss it bad! those were some fantastic years and I definitely took them for granted!

and then there's my two years at BYU. they're seriously over? I've had so much fun, worked so hard I thought I might die and everything in between. but this year will be the best yet.

in the meantime, I'm just going off to DC in 23 days!! look out east coast!

i'll enjoy these last few hours, cause in the morning I'll be an old lady. :)

"how can I be anything but?"

This past week I went to a documentary that Mark Williams, a graduating broadcast student made. It was about a little Romanian boy named Marius who was severely burned on 75% of his body during a house fire that killed both of his a parents. It's a pretty intricate story, and you should definitely read about it here. (Warning: It's pretty graphic!)

I just couldn't believe the strength this little boy had through it all, and he's still going strong! He was there for a Q&A afterwords, and says he wants to be a motivational speaker when he grows up. If anyone could be perfect for that job, it's him!

There are so many things we take for granted every single day, such as having 10 fingers and toes. The documentary was so well done, even if it was really hard to watch at times. It was so inspirational, but there was one part that stuck out to me the most. 

After Marius has undergone several reconstructive surgeries and was living with his new family in the US, someone asked him if he was happy.

"How can I be anything but?"

Wow. He's incredible. I'm so touched by his story and hope that I can be a little more grateful for the millions of things I'm blessed with every single day.

I swear it's always the people who have every reason to be mad at life are the ones that remind us how amazing life really is.

Thanks Marius!!

Cowboys Like Us

Concert from the King of Country? Check.

It's George Strait y'all!


I've always thought if I see Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and George Strait, my life will be complete! It's funny cause Tim has been my favorite the longest but he's the only one I haven't seen yet! I can't believe myself sometimes. I'm even seeing Kenny twice before I see Tim! 


I would go this summer when he comes to SLC, but he comes literally THE DAY before I get back from DC! Darn you flight schedule. And he's not playing in DC like Kenny is. Look at me refer to them like I know them. Whatevs.


Back to George, I got to last weekend with my awesome aunts, Julie and Wendy, along with Julie's friend Amber. 

We almost got in a fight with the people behind us because they wanted us to sit down. Umm hello have you ever been to a concert? If you want to sit back for a nice little show then at home on your TV is a nice option. But I go to concerts to do what I wouldn't do every day. Well I could do it every day, but that could be a little weird.


Lee Ann Womack and Reba opened the show, and they were both awesome as well! 


But here's a little taste of what we all came for:

Love it! Hooray for finally getting to see him!

Sweet Sixteen is just some extra frosting...I do like frosting.

So here's the thing.

Would I have loved Elite 8 for my Cougars?

Of course.

Am I extremely happy with this season and loving the fact that I'm actually a student at BYU during Jimmertime?

Oh yes.

The Florida game was close, even when Jimmer had a "off-night". Yes, 32 points in 29 shots isn't great, but the fact that they forced overtime with a big, athletic and talented Florida team is very impressive. Jimmer didn't even score the first 15 minutes of the game and BYU took that Florida team to OT? Dang.

A lot of memories this season that I'll never forget. Thanks for the memories, Jimmer.

Bring on the NBA draft for this boy.

So the other day when I was driving home from my internship, I got past Lehi and drove for a while before thinking to myself...

"Man, this drive seems longer than usual...oh well."

A few minutes later, I think...

"Why is this drive so long??"

It finally occurs to me to look up and see where I am.

I see Provo Town Center.

I usually exit at University Parkway in Orem.

For those of us keeping track, that's a difference of 6 exits.

6!

And I have absolutely no memory of anything from Lehi to south Provo.

Although I was extremely tired, it's not like I fell asleep or anything. I even remember singing to the radio and all.

It made me think of my senior year in AP Psychology, we learned about how if you go a certain route often, sometimes you'll end up at your destination without remembering actually getting there.

I just missed my destination by the entire length of Provo.

nbd.

remember this?

well oh yeah it's about to go down again with those gators. just in case you've been living in your closet and haven't heard.

this time, it's sweet sixteen time! and here's to it ending with the same result as last year...minus double overtime. please and thank you!

what I wouldn't give to be in New Orleans right now.

this season has been incredible and I'm incredibly lucky to have witnessed every game in one way or another.

I called this Jimmermania from a mile away, he's been my favorite since the beginning of his freshman season. I've got some journal entries to prove it, which I'll have to post some time. I promise you'll get a good laugh.

But here's this quote from the end of this freshman season from yours truly on the good old blog:

"He will do great things with his three remaining years..."

K so maybe it's the understatement of the century, but I can still say I told you so. So...


i told you so.

and although any school Tim Tebow graced with his presence is a friend of mine...Florida...

it's jimmertime.

baby i'll be outta here

Has it really been over three months since I've posted?

It's not like I've been busy or anything...

Oh, wait.

But thanks to the beautiful Hailey Randall, I've been pushed to post again! (Check out her cute blog here.)

I've been busier than ever before and haven't even posted about all the craziness that's gone down. This may be the first 30 seconds of free time I've had all semester.

Or not. Thanks to the Bachelor, Psych, and the Biggest Loser. The latter, by the way, makes me want to cry... or actually tear up a little...just about every episode.

It's my first semester in the broadcast program! Super time-consuming and stressful are two adjectives that describe it well. But I don't regret it for a second. Just getting closer to living the dream! (In the South if I have anything to do with it...hellooo southern accents, country music, heat and fried food. Sounds like heaven to me!)

I'm also interning at ABC 4 in Salt Lake this semester. Working over 20 hours a week without getting paid for it (not to mention driving to SLC three times a week...) is not always ideal...but I enjoy it and have got to do some really cool things and meet great people. I really wanted to intern right away, cause the more internships the better! Speaking of which...

I'm off to live in DC this summer! I decided I wanted to do something crazy this summer because maybe I'm a little envious of all the adventures in Connecticut and DC Amanda and Dave had the past two summers. Am I crazy for going off to the big city by myself? Maybe. Am I excited? Most definitely.

And as much as it makes me want to cry just thinking about it...I will be the big 2-0 soon. gross. but my point is, that's old enough to handle it.

What on earth am I going for? The National Journalism Center. Sounds pretty rockin', I know. :) I'll be there one day out of the week and will be at another media outlet..yet to be determined...another three or so.

I have one thing lined up that could already be the highlight of an awesome summer:

His name is KENNY CHESNEY.  Yep, one of the first things I did was buy tickets to his show at FedEx Field (home of the Redskins baby!). I've already seen him once but have never seen one of his famous big-stadium shows OR ever been to an NFL stadium! He's no doubt the best entertainer in music.
and i love him and his hot 42-year-old self. ok he'll be 43 in a few days...

Cheese-ball as this sounds, his music is such a big part of my life. Seriously, I have so many memories associated with his music, and I know every song he's ever recorded by heart. 13 of my 25 most-played songs are his (the other half is very Tim McGraw and George Strait heavy).

moments with her, they're all a blur

except for every second, every word

every drop of rain, every single grain of sand...

--Seven Days. you have to check it out. listen to it all while you're at it. k thanks :)

I don't all the details of my summer yet, but it'll be amazing. I'll make sure of it.