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A smile is something you can't give away; it always comes back to you.  ~Author Unknown
 
you know how they say a smile can brighten someones day?
today, i accidentally smiled at a stranger i passed on campus.
he smiled back.
 
i started smiling at everyone i made eye contact with &
i've never been so happy walking to class.

2 things that i love?

firefighters & free stuff!
(the reasons why my last couple days have been super cool.)

wednesday night, the fire alarm in Hinckley Hall went off (good work, girls having a hairspray fight).  my awesome friends and i decided to do the most logical thing in that situation... break back into the building (after we evacuated), grab money/coats, and go to Costa Vida.

however, we soon realized that fire alarm=firefighters, so we hung around and got pictures with the guys and trucks that saved our building. 
(and hit up Costa Vida after)

thursday was the housing fair, and one thing that i've learned at BYU is that fairs guarantee free stuff.
so, some friends and i went twice. our spoils include:

(two t-shirts, two pens, a new kind of vitaminwater, & a manicure.  not pictured: popcorn, gelato, and countless pamphlets)

oh, what an exciting life i live!

cool people

last week, condoleezza rice spoke at byu.  i never realized how much i like her until then! she was really funny, really inspiring, and really interesting to listen to.  i am pretty sure that i want to be exactly like her. 

oh, and i want to be an ambassador or something too.

(yes, i may have stolen this from someone's facebook)

another woman i just think is really cool is megyn kelly.  she is an anchorwoman for fox news, ridiculously smart, funny, and super beautiful.  i want to be like her too.
(unfortunately, i have yet to see/meet her)

can you think of any way to be the national security advisor/secretary of state and a successful news anchor?

if you do, let me know.

oh, and i also met a little someone known as jimmer fredette over the weekend.  he's basically king of byu, going to be an nba star, and is super nice.  i may be in love.

(also in this picture: charles abouo, brenda strong, and jessica campbell)

don't jimmer and i make a cute couple? :]

♥

rememberies

"Living is like tearing through a museum.  Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering- because you can't take it all in at once."

-Audrey Hepburn

 the little things that I miss about living in london:

-european tailored suits

-running through 2 tube stations, 1 train station, and a random little city in heels to get to church (and always being late due to Boy)

-my little window nook over the street

-meeting people from all over the world all the time

-waking up in a small room every morning with 5 of my best friends

-long, lazy coach rides (and sing-a-longs in France)

-frog and gelato mio

-student discounts everywhere

-compliments from strangers (brits are the nicest people ever)

-markets (portobello, camden, jubilee, and borough)

-street performers

-trafalgar square, picadilly circus, and the south bank

-making fun of Boy and his many quirks

-primark and european fashion

-having people guess my nationality wrong (usually australian or swedish)

-pounds and pence
-people watching
-queensway and notting hill gate

-learning about things in class and then seeing them in real life

-accents

-the tube (better than ny's subway and paris's metro)

-special k berry bliss, nandos, giraffe, digestives, and lion bars

-being referred to as "love" by strangers

When 2010 began, I told myself it would be the best year of my life.

One thing is for sure: it was a year of change.

My home changed (3 times):

Mesa, London, Provo

I graduated high school and headed to college.

My friends changed with each location:

My family changed with the addition of this little man (I'm an aunt!)

I had to sell my awesome horse Dollar:

 My wardrobe changed:

And I changed.

Let's be honest: I still have a lot of growing to do.

But, with change comes growth, and I did a lot of growing this year.

I began to find myself...

And I've never been happier.

So here's to the best year of my life...

and to topping it.