Sleepover

Hey Jessica,

I had my first sleepover this week. I know, it took 18 years for me to have a sleepover. But you know, parents, rules, yaddy yadda yadda. Now that Keturah and I are 18 the rules no longer apply! (Of course Cami and Kirsten could have sleepovers before they were 18. They had to wait on us.)

It started off at noon. Well it was supposed to start at noon, but Kirsten was late. Really late. So while the rest of us were waiting for her to show up be watched two episodes of "Gilmore Girls" (we're having a marathon). Once Kirsten arrived, the sleepover really started. It started with . . .

WON TONS!

We went to QFC to buy the ingredients for won tons. It took a while because we couldn't find the won ton wrappers. The people weren't much help there, they directed us to the sushi bar. (I can't believe they have a sushi bar at QFC.) We had to call Mom, she told us were to look. If you were wondering, it was by the produce. Then we had basically an extended phone call. I was calling Mom to ask what ingredients we needed and then Cami was calling her mom to find out if they had them. She had most of the stuff.

Once the shopping trip was over we went back to Cami's house and made the won tons. We even made dessert won tons by filling some wrappers with cherry pie filling. They were hot. But the won tons were very good. I ate too much.

We then proceeded to play Last Word and Rummikub. I lost at all of the games. However I was not the ultimate loser at Last Word although I'm pretty sure I was every time we played Rummikub. At least for this portion of the event we were outside. It was a very pretty day.

After that we played Mario Kart (something I did not loose at). Then we ordered pizza. We tried getting it delivered but while we were trying to get my gift card to work the store closest to us stopped accepting delivery orders online. So we ordered online but then had to go pick it up. Thanks Pizza Hut.

We ate our pizza, bread sticks, and cinnamon sticks while watching a movie. We watched Sleepover. It seemed appropriate and relatable. Except the girls were 14 years-old, had enemies, and Cinderella stories. Basically it was a stupid preteen movie. Oh well. We had fun.

We then started to play a game of Monopoly. We only played for about an hour and a half (1:30 in the morning). We stopped playing when we bought all of the properties. I knew I was going to loose from the beginning because I only had four properties. They were lame properties too. How do you only land on four properties that weren't already purchased?!? So the next morning, after breakfast, we finished our game. I lost. It was sad.

I had a lot of fun though.

Keturah leaves for college on Thursday. It's quite sad. I will miss her.

See you on  Friday!

Melissa

Cousins and Dancing

Melissa,

So last week, I went to a mini-family reunion! Cami and I took the front runner partway, and then were picked up by her parents and taken to Uncle Alan's to see everyone. There were a lot of people there: the Grand-parents were visiting for pioneer day; Uncle John's family was there on their way to move to Virginia; Kailey, her husband, and her baby were visiting her parents; and Cami's parents and sister were there to bring Lauren to Athletic camp. So we had dinner and played Apples to Apples and talked and it was lots of fun. Jayden is adorable, I can't believe how much he's grown! He's crawling everywhere now and can even stand up with some support. I helped feed him, and of course he got baby food on my shirt. This was probably the last time I'll see Erica for a while, since she's going on a mission in September, but Danica is coming here in the fall! Chadley was super excited to learn I am a My Little Pony fan, and Kailey introduced me to Friendship is Witchcraft, a fan made spoof of My Little Pony; it's funny, but it has some rather dark humor. It's strange to see these cute ponies portrayed this way!

So for the past few weeks, each Wednesday I have been volunteering with BYU's dance program to help Special Olympics kids prepared for Dance Sport. Dance Sport is a ballroom dance competition for students and it's coming up next week. I'm volunteering to help teach these kids how to dance, and then to dance with one of them so that they can compete. It's been a lot of fun, these kids are sweet, funny, and absolutely love being able to dance with someone. We're doing waltz and meringue and despite how simple the steps are, in some ways it's more fun than dancing with really good dancers. There's this one boy, if I just put on a huge silly smile, he'll just start laughing and he has the funniest laugh! I'm excited for Dance Sport and I'm really glad to have this opportunity to serve.

That's really about it, except for my research paper. It's coming along, but I really need to put some work in today before Rachel gets here!

- Jessica

Do it Yourself

Hey Jessica,

I've been pretty bored lately. In order to combat my boredom I've been on pinterest and have been doing various "do it yourself" crafts. Here's what I did this week! (Or watched my mom do for me.)

Mom made me two skirts. There were based off the pattern we got here. The second skirt we changed the top a bit.

Skirt number 1

Skirt number 2

I also upcycled a t-shirt. See, for the first skirt I had to dye the elastic and since we were already dying something I thought I would dye a t-shirt just because.

I got the idea for part of the shirt on some website that I don't remember. So here's the steps!

Step 1: Draw a line, extending the seam from the top of the shoulder, all the way down the sleeve

Step 2: Down an inch from the top of the sleeve, place a pin

Step 3: Cut up the line until you reach the pin. Stop there.

Step 4: Tie the ends together

 This is what it looked like at that point.

I decided that wasn't cute enough so I went farther.

I then added lace to the sleeves. With Mom's help, I sewed lace underneath the hole. (If we were to do this again, we would've done that before cutting the sleeve.

Then I traced the neckline of a cuter t-shirt and cut so that I have more of a boat/swoop neckline.

Mom then did a double stitch about 5/8 inch from the top to give it a more finished look.

Yay!

But that's not all I did this week. I made another earring frame hanger thingy for college. I used a lot of duct tape on the back. Good thing you can't see it.

I also made a coin pouch! I used leftover fabric from skirt number 1, a random zipper we had lying around from some sewing project that was never finished, and my imagination! Cute, huh?

So that's what I've been doing to stay busy. It's amazing, so much of it involved sitting around watching Mom sew. I should really start actually learning how. There's still a lot of summer left, so if you think of any crafts I could do, pin them or send them to me because even though I'm not bored at the moment, the boredom will come.

See ya!

Melissa

Top Tips for College

Melissa!!!

Well, you are growing up and heading to college soon, so here's my top tips. Some are quite random, some you've probably heard before, but here's what I've learned from 2 years of college:

1. Know the Climate

Nothing's worse than being stuck on campus wearing the wrong kinds of clothes, so know the climate and prepare for it. For me, this meant following Sunny's instructions and buying a nice, warm, stylish pair of waterproof boots. I wear those things so often! For you, this will probably be less about cold and snow and a lot more about wearing cool clothes to survive the heat.

2. Keep the Scholarship

College is expensive, so put your classwork first and get the grades to keep the scholarship. I believe that you can do great in any class as long as you put in the time. So give classes the time they need and get those grades!!!

3. Talk to people who know about your major.

This could include counselors, teachers, and most importantly, older students. They are the ones who know about good teachers, bad teachers, hard classes, easy classes, and when you should start looking at jobs and internships. There is no better resource for finding out exactly what you need to succeed in your major.

4. Take advantage of on-campus jobs

This is something I didn't do. In today's economy, every employer expects you to be overqualified for even the smallest job. Finding a job at home for the summer is extremely difficult if you don't have any work experience. However, on-campus jobs aren't as picky. My job in the math lab didn't even ask about job experience. So start working early and get plenty of job experience before you start looking for internships. I didn't do this, and now I'm looking for internships and will only have a few months to a year of work experience to put on the resume. Start working early, even if its only working 10 hours a week or less.

5. Go to Activities Alone.

This one also took me a while to get used to. Freshman year, I didn't feel comfortable to activities or clubs without dragging one of my roommates along. Well guess what, they were busy a lot of the time I wanted to do things, so I stayed home. DON'T DO THAT!!!! Go alone, it will let you meet more people, cause guess what? If you always go with someone you know, you will only stick around them and never meet anyone new. Find clubs your interested in, go to ward activities, go to institute, go to everything! It's a lot more fun than sitting at home.

6. Take Fun Classes.

Take that hula class, take that bowling class, take that social dance class. They're easy, fun, and that's where you meet a lot of people. Guess where most of my dates sophomore year came from? My social dance class! You don't get know people sitting next to them and listening to a professor, you get to know them trying something outside your comfort zone and by actually talking! So have fun, learn a new talent, and meet people.

7. Always, Always, Always, do your Dishes

Freshman year, I heard a lot of drama about roommates because that was when everyone was just randomly put together. But the one thing I learned is that almost every argument boiled down to one thing: cleanliness. If one person didn't do their dishes or clean up their stuff from the living room, the whole apartment was mad and no one was able to be friends. It doesn't matter how kind or interesting you are, if you don't clean up after yourself they won't see you as anything but a slob. So for roommates, the first step to being friends is cleaning up after yourself. (Even if this means making a pile of stuff on your bed everyday. Just keep the community space clean)

8. Boys

I guess they need their own category, huh? My friend Wilson pointed out something quite strange about BYU culture: people look at meeting the opposite gender purely as a way to find their next boyfriend/girlfriend, and if it doesn't work out they never see each other again. Well, that's just stupid. Look for friends first, of both genders! Being friends first is a lot simpler, easier, and more fun. If something develops, great! If not, you have a new friend to hang out with.

9. Be Prepared

Always have the ingredients for your favorite treat on hand. For me, it's chocolate chip cookies. You never know when you'll have a bad day, some free time with a friend, or someone to thank. Having the ingredients on hand for something delicious and simple is a quick fix for any of these. The only hard part is not making them too often! (Also, have a can of chicken soup in the cupboard for those lazy days, those sick days, or for a friend in need. Thanks to Dad for that tip)

Wow, I'm kinda surprised I came up with that many! You've probably heard some of these before, but it's what I thought was worth repeating. I hope it's actually helpful!

-Jessica

So Much Stuff!

Hey Jessica,

So much stuff has happened in the long time since I've written last, so I'm just going to post some pictures with brief descriptions.

 I went to the Priest/Laurel Formal with some friends. I reused an old formal dress. It was a ton of fun!

 I also went to prom! I had a lot of fun going to Stanford's to eat, going to Target to get mints (inside joke), being all fancy at prom, and having good treats at a friend's house afterwards. I got my hair done at a fundraiser at Sunset High School then Sister Densley did my makeup. I felt really fancy.

Kevin came home from his mission! It's exciting to have him around again. He's engaged now. I've forgotten what it's like to have a guy in the house besides Dad.

I graduated! With an "A" in calc. (That's because of all your help.) The red sash is for being an Academic Scholar and the white cord is for the Instrumental Music Career Pathway. The medal is because everyone gets a medal. Guess what! I got a 5 on my AP Psychology exam! I'm so happy! It's my first 5.

I went to New York!!! This is a picture of the Statue of Liberty

 This is a panoramic shot from the boat I took to the Statue of Liberty.

This is a panoramic shot from the top of the Empire State Building at night.

This is a panoramic shot of Central Park.

Obviously I love the panoramic shots.

I got to see the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the New York Public Library, the Guggenheim, Carnegie Hall, Julliard, the Manhattan Temple, The Lion King (Broadway), Matilda (Broadway), Times Square, Tiffany's, Grand Central Terminal, Brooklyn Bridge, and lots of other fun places. And I was with my best friend (and her mom) the entire week!  I'll never forget that experience.

Anyway, I'm not being very descriptive so I'll stop shoving my good fortune in your face. However I hear you have your room up in Provo, which is more than I can boast here. I'm not the only lucky one.

Love you!

Melissa

April

Melissa!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, April was the best name I could think of for a title.

Well, its been quite a long time since I've written, sorry about that. This semester has been crazy though! Great, but crazy.

First classes: I have absolutely loved my "Old Testament Roots of the Book of Mormon" class. I have never worked so hard or been so satisfied with a research paper before! It is insane how much I have learned.

Second, I have a growing entourage of Doctor Who friends. They just seem to pop out of the woodwork! We haven't been able to watch any together, but it is so nice to have friends that get my Doctor Who references. I haven't seen the new episodes yet, and it's driving me crazy! Did you guys record them? Please save them till I get home!

Third, lately I've been reading a ton. All of my classes basically had everything due a few weeks ago, so it was completely crazy, but then I didn't really have much to do till finals. So I read Pride and Prejudice, then Emma, both by Jane Austen, and then Graceling by I forget who (that one was good, but not spectacular. Eventually it just felt like I was just reading about the Hunger Games characters put in a different world. Their names were even Katsa and Po. Sound like Katniss and Peeta, anyone?) Then I read Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind, the first of the Sword of Truth series and Hood by Steve Lawhead, the first of the King Raven trilogy. Both were great, but I don't think I'll read the rest of Sword of Truth, however, I do want to read the rest of King Raven.

Fourth, 12 DAYS TILL KEVIN COMES HOME FROM HIS MISSION!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to see him again! (for everyone out there you can see his letters home here.)

Fifth, I had Easter dinner with cousins and friends. Ellen and I made a big ham, as well as scalloped potatoes and carrot cake! Then other people brought sides. It was such great food and great company.

Sixth, I went to the French Club Cheese Night! I got to try like 6 different cheeses. I liked most of them, but the Bleu D'Auvergne was much too strong for me. And that's also the only name I remember, so that's what you get to hear about!

And that's some of the recent highlights of winter semester. It's been a lot of fun, and I'm a little sad to see so many of my friends leave on missions. I'm excited for them, but sad that they won't be here. Now it's just finals and then I get to head home!

- Jessica