PEOPLE

Hellloooooo blog world,

I've been out of commission, I know. But, I have acquired a journal and have been writing in there a little bit so I'm pretty happy about that. Anywho, I wanted to take a quick second and say something I'm very grateful for right now:

People.

Life is all about the people you surround yourself. Especially for me. And right about now, I'm surrounded by amazing people and I'm so grateful. I love being around people that you can laugh your hardest with, be your weirdest with, be your best with, be your saddest with, be your most spiritual with and be the happiest with.

So happy that I've had a lot of time in college with those two boys up there.

My family are some of the best people around. My siblings are all such amazing people. I look up to them a lot and I'm so lucky that I had such good examples to watch. I love all of the nieces and nephews my siblings have brought into this world. I am so grateful that I have Spencer and Ashley up here this year. I really miss having Stephen up here but guess what?! He's here right now! Wahoo. I love that I am such good friends with them. We all hung out tonight and it was a grand time. I love spending time with them and they seriously do so much for me. I don't know what I will do without Spencer and Ashley next year. I am definitely the closest with Spencer that I have ever been and I love Ash.

I love that I have a good relationship with my parents. I love talking with them. They are so funny, supportive and wise. I'm so grateful that they decided to buck up and handle all 9 of us. Good call Mom and Dad, good call.

My roommates are a real dream to live with. Seriously. Everyday I'm so excited to come home and just talk with them. We all get along so well and I'm so grateful for them. I'm glad this whole last minute moving thing really was meant to happen for me.

I would also like to mention some other quality people: Alexis Flake-words cannot describe how much that girl means to me. Erin Riggs-again, indescribable. I'm kind of going through relapses without her. My old roommates Maddie and Mindy-miss them.

Last, but definitely not least-my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. I almost didn't mention them in this post because I didn't want to make light of them. But please understand that I mean mentioning them in the most respectful way possible. I'm grateful for the constant friendship and love I have from them. Even when I'm not the best or most consistent with them they are always the best and most consistent with me.

Aren't people the greatest?

-Liese-

Why I Love Best Buddies

Quick note because I don't want to forget this haha.

So Erin and I were just eating in the Cougar Eat and the cutest down syndrome girl comes up to us. So I started talking to her and found out her name is Nancy. I asked her if she was in Best Buddies because I've never seen her before and she hadn't signed up for this year yet. I gave her my number because she wouldn't give me her number because she said it wasn't safe to give it to strangers (her mom is teaching her well). She's going to sign up for best buddies this year. Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is she said two super funny things. Haha I loved talking to her because she was so sweet and so funny.

Funny Thing #1:

• Erin was trying to say something to her and Nancy asked her to repeat it. Then Erin said it again and Nancy looks at me and says, "Is she speaking German or something?!" hahahaha so funny. For some reason she could not understand Erin at all.

Funny thing #2:

• She works at the Cougar Eat so I asked her about her job and then she asked if I had one. I told her I worked for a pest control company. She was kind of confused until I explained that pests are bugs. I told her we kill bugs. Then she says to me, "So what do you do with the bugs, like communicate with them?" Hahahaha it was so funny because it was so unexpected. I've never had anyone ask me that and it is such a funny thought in my head.

Hahaha I love Nancy. So cute and so funny. So much fun to be around. She is a perfect example of how fun it is to be in Best Buddies. This was mostly for my personal reference so I could look back and remember when someone asked me if I communicate with bugs. haha love it.

The Best Month

October is my favorite month of the year.

(despite my lack of love for the colors of black and orange and anything scary)

There are several contributing factors, including:

My birthday

My mom's birthday

Halloween

Fall-Fall in Utah actually exists and it's beautiful

The smell-I swear that there is a smell to fall.

(not just the typical smell of manure from the winter lawns in AZ)

The mountains-they literally change colors daily in fall

The weather-it is still sunny and a little cooler so it's perfect to hang out outside.

So what's been happening in your life since the last post Anneliese? A valid question to ask since I am not the most frequent of bloggers. I'm lucky I have roommates who love taking pictures because it documents my life quite nicely. Let's get started. I went to Utah lake for the first time. Shelby invited Mindy and I to go with her and her family. So nice to meet the people that raised that one of a kind shelbster. It was a blast. That was also the first time I've been to the lake in about a year. I didn't wakeboard though because it was soooo cold (I'm used to Saguaro-spoiled) but I did tube. Here are some pictures from the day:

442

haha this one cracks me up.

(pun not intended but I'm leaving that there anyway haha)

All three of us in one quick pic!! Mindy rocking it

In other news, we went disco skating (of course) and had a movie night:

all the roomies with Andrew creeping in the background.

the crew.

Next, we went to RASCAL FLATTS!! I've been really into them this summer so that was perfect timing. I loved it soooo much! They are so good live and he has a really amazing voice!!

button up

We had the most ridiculous like 3-4 hour long drive home from Salt Lake.

Out of control construction on the freeway (weird for Utah-construction?)

So what do you do when you just drove on what you thought was going to be a short cut and then you find out that the road is closed and you have to turn around and you actually ended up wasting time?

Get ice cream from McDonald's, naturally.

Ha, it was too long but it was fun at the same time.

Also, I only drank a little bit at the concert ;) haha.

Spencer got married 2 weekends ago and that was a blasssst. I think I'll dedicate a whole post to that on another day. Considering I have a test to take that I need to study for. But, school has been insanely busy. I'm not used to school, work and this much stuff for Best Buddies (it's not that much, but it adds to the already craziness). It's taken me a while to adjust and come to terms with the fact that I know spend 4 out of 5 weeknights in the library...ugh. But, I can do it! Haha. I really am loving school and my new responsibilities-it's good for me. Also, my roommates are awesome and I love them.

Happy Fall!
Anneliese

Home Again, Home Again, Lickity Split

Hello!

Well kids, I'm finally back in Provo and it almost feels like I never left! Minus the fact that my apartment is different and basically remodeled because of "The Fire". We have new tile flooring all throughout the kitchen and family room, which I'm not ecstatic about having tile in the family room. I just love to come home and lay on the floor and talk or watch movies so we'll definitely be getting a rug or something. Then, we have new cabinets, fridge, washer, paint job and microwave. They're all actually really nice and our sink even has one of those little sprayer things! Living the dream! I only wish we got a new washer and dryer because that dang dryer has burnt so many items of my clothing! haha. The place actually looks pretty good! In Mesa the fire was pretty surreal to me and almost funny but it all became a little more real to me when I pulled out some of my clothes that were in a plastic container with drawers and they had soot on them. It's really fine and black and it gets into your nails and fingers. Luckily it came out of all of my clothes but it did make me realize how bad it would've stunk for Erin to have to clean all of this up.

My new roommates Mindy and Maddie moved in and I'm soooo excited to be living with them! I hadn't met Maddie until yesterday but I already felt like I knew her just from all of the millions of stories that Mindy has told me. She is so cute and so fun and I can tell we are going to get along so great! I feel like this is a dream team of roommates this year and I'm so very happy about it. Haha.

Our house is still completely chaotic and I really should be cleaning it but I just wanted to blog really quick about being back in Provo. I love it so much! I'm so lucky to be going to school here. It's such a great atmosphere with lots of great people around you doing great things. It's wonderful. Now I just have to worry about the going back to school part which I definitely do not feel ready for! ugh. Kind of dreading it now that it's so close. I love learning and think it's great but I'm now remembering how stressful it can get some times. Also, I have a job this year so I'm kind of nervous about that time being taken out of my day. I'll just have to be a little more focused and use my time wisely which I think will be a good thing for me.

I'm grateful today for the life that I have.

Lots of love,

liese

It's Been A While

I decided it's about time to do my monthly post..haha. Man, I really am bad at this. Let me give you a summary of what's been happening:

• Courtney is pregnant! I'm so happy for her and Andy and even though she's mortified that their baby will be a giant I think it will be adorable. They are an awesome couple. Even though the only times they call me is to tease me I still love the calls. I realized that while I haven't even spent that much time with Andy I feel like I know him very well and love him a lot! He treats Courtney so well and they're really cute together.
• Alexis is no longer going to be my roommate next Fall and Winter which I am actually very sad about. I love living with her. She's one of the best people I know and she always makes me happy. However, the only good part about her not living with me is that I will be living with Mindy Westover and Maddie Bodine. I cannot tell you how excited I am to live with them! Mindy is one of my all time most favorite people and I just already love Maddie and I don't even know her.
• Erin set our Condo on fire-it's still in the process of getting fixed. I went up there and saw it when I was in Provo and it looks really awesome minus the fact that they tiled everything, including our family room. We'll have to get a rug or something.
• Stephen moved home-it's been really fun to have him around, he keeps everything more entertaining and I like hanging out with him.
• Went to Carlsbad over the 4th of July. I invited a boy to come for a little bit...stressed about that one for like about a month and then he didn't even end up coming. Haha
• Erin got engaged while I was in Carlsbad...WHAT?! I can't believe my little girl is growing up. Haha. But seriously, I'm not going to lie, I'm not ready for this step in her life. This was not part of my plan-she was supposed to be my roommate all 4 years of college! I'm going to miss her desperately but couldn't be more ecstatic for her that she is marrying such a good guy. I love Billy and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to watch their little love story unfold. But if I do say so myself, if it wasn't for me supporting and pushing Erin a little bit, I don't think they would even be together! Only kidding. But he is so lucky to be marrying one of the best people I know. She has been one of the biggest examples and blessings in my life-I'll miss her when she's all the way over in Virginia-maybe I'll visit?!
• Went back up to Provo before going to my family reunion and got to hangout with some great friends. Being there in the Summer made me realize I MUST stay there next Spring/Summer. The only way I'm not going to be there then is if I leave for a study abroad or something great like that. Who knows. Stayed with Erin and Kat, her and I all slept on the tiny bedroom floor in the condo right below ours. I actually think it's the exact condo and room that Courtney lived in! We went to 7 Peaks with the Brintons and rode down the scary tall slides face first on a mat. SO SCARY! Stephen coaxed me into doing it and I was terrified but really happy afterwards that I did!
• The family reunion was a blast! I cannot believe how blessed I am to be in such a fun/wonderful family. I tried to spend some time with cousins that I don't see as much and ended up spending a lot of time with the Pelfrey's. They are so much fun to be around!
• On the way to the airport I drove with Courtney and Andy and we were literally 3 seconds from pulling over and Courtney barfed in the rental car. Pretty gross but mostly I felt bad for her. She's been throwing up a lot! I'm scared that's what I have to look forward to as well when I get pregnant..
• I read The Hunger Games in 2 days. Loved it. I cannot WAIT to read the next one-the movie will be so great too!
• Spencer and Ashley got engaged while he was in California before her birthday! He did it with a cute little scrap book. Right now they're looking at either October 8th or the 22nd. Tyler is even going to make it all the way from Brazil even though he just came in July and is coming back for Christmas. They were kind of in a tough spot planning it because Courtney can't come at Christmas because it's too close to her due date and Tyler didn't really want to come again in between (for obvious reasons). I would be very sad if either Courtney or Tyler weren't able to come to my wedding so I'm really happy it worked out for them!! It will be fun to have the little baby dinosaur as a sister now!
• At the beginning of the Summer I was probably the most anti-social I have ever been in my life but now I've started to try and hang out more. I've been hanging out a lot with Mckay Hatch, Emily Nance, Jamie Lunt and my brosky. It's been lots of fun. I haven't been interested in one boy down here but that's okay. You win some you lose some right?! Haha. And I have a feeling there may be a reason I haven't..
• I've been looking for a job for next year so that I'm not just draining my bank account all year and so that I can hopefully stay up in Provo all year. I'd been applying around and my brother-in-law Nate offered to have me work remotely for them in Utah. $12 an hour-much better pay than most jobs I could get in Provo. And I get to work from home-so nice! It fits right in with my schedule and doesn't set me back at all. I was thinking about graduating a semester early but now I definitely still have 2 full years left. Which is fine with me because I actually love going to BYU. I am really going to miss it when I graduate. It is such an amazing place.
• I'm getting reallllllly anxious to go back up to Provo. It's definitely going to be another wonderful year. We're down to less than a month! (hopefully, but unlikely) I will post again before I get up there. If not, I'll have to update you there.

YAY!! Cannot wait to go back up to school.

P.S. sorry for my usual overload because of not writing for so long-I think that was a pretty good, pretty short update for the last 2 months of my life.

Love,
Liese

You go to BYU?!

Do you know what I'm sort of getting sick of? Every single boy that I meet/know that lives in Mesa giving me a hard time about the fact that I go to BYU. Soooo annoying. And it never fails. Every.Single.Boy. I don't understand why they feel the need to tell me how lame it is that I go to a respected university for school. It's not like I'm just up in Provo hanging out. I'm actually working towards a degree and then on to a Master's degree. Most of these people haven't been to Provo let alone even gone to the school. So I've decided to start defending myself and asking them if they've ever been there. They tell me everyone's a stereotype there and I ask if I am and then they have to awkwardly back-track and try and back up their theory about people they don't even know. I don't tell them that MCC is the same as High School or give them a hard time about that...why do they feel like they even have anything on a university? Plus, what's more unattractive than telling a girl how lame her university is? Basically nothing! haha just kidding, but it really is getting to be quite a bother!

Well that is my venting for the day. I'm sure I'll laugh at this in a little bit.

On a funnier note...yesterday while I was driving along University on the way home from the gym I had to slam on my breaks because a chicken was crossing the road. Then I found myself wondering why the chicken crossed the road and then I realized what I was wondering and laughed really hard. It made my day.

On a cooler note...a few friends and I made a Chinese Lantern last night and it totally worked! It was so cool to watch. It got really high though and started floating away from us (we were surrounded by a grove of trees) so we ran after it and my friend lifted his little brother up on the roof that it landed on to grab it before it possibly set the roof on fire. Pretty entertaining! Ha. My friend has a video of it so maybe I'll post that later!

-Anneliese-

Christmas Vacation

So today on my way to work I passed a semi on the way to work and I REALLY wanted to do this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGtrud7KZo

Don't mind the birdie at the beginning and skip forward to about 1:15.

I really think I could've fit and I almost tried it but I didn't want to ruin Mom's Malibeamer! haha

I'll write more later and give an update on my life but in short I am back in Mesa working at Blue Sky in inside sales and it's going really well! I'm missing Provo and some of my friends but I'm having a lot of fun spending time with Mom and Dad and the rest of my family-I've missed them!

Well, got to go back to work (it's just my lunch break)

Adios Amigos!