They're Back!!!

On my way to my first class today, the early spring morning pleasantly greeted me with the song of birds in the trees. When most of the world is still sleeping and the sun has yet to rise, it is the sound of lively birds that makes me smile and reminds me to give thanks for the beautiful world we live in. I love the birds. From ducks to parakeets, and from peacocks to canaries, I think all birds are magnificent. BUT, according to my boyfriend who is sitting here with me, I have more birds to see. And I quote him, "If only you could see all the birds I've seen". So my new goal is to become more aware of all the different birds I really do see :) Chances are I've seen more birds than he thinks I have! Take that hun ;) See the birds. Hear the birds. Love the birds. Cherish the birds. Birds. :)

birds 1 birds 2 birds 3

Mmmmhmmmm

Valentines Day was a few weeks ago, ha. Here I am, finally blogging about it :) Let me tell ya... this Valentines Day was extremely different compared to those in my past. Number one, I actually had a boyfriend this year which has never been the case before, ha. Second-- I felt like an idot the whole day! One would think it natural for one to get something for their "significant other" for Valentines Day whether they talked about plans or not, right? Yeah.... well.... basically I failed! After classes that afternoon, I went back to my apartment to find a big white Teddy Bear, 2 gorgeous flowers, and a heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates. With these items was a note from my boyfriend with the time "7pm" written on it. There I stood, a look of shock on my face, and a pit in my stomach for I knew that I had done nothing to prepare for this day. Well, basically I continued the rest of the day feeling like an idiot as I ate a Thai food lunch with my boyfriend, and then had dinner with him and his mother that evening. It made me feel more lame when his mother gave me gifts!!! It was her first time meeting me, yet she was prepared to shower me with gifts!!!
Okay, so I really did have a great time on Valentines Day :) But I definately learned my lesson, and I will do better next Valentines Day whether plans are discussed or not. Thanks to my boyfriend for the bear, chocolates, roses, and for letting me know that I am cared about :*

Once Upon A Mexico

Over Christmas Break, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Mexico with a group called Builders Without Borders to build homes for members of the church in Tecate. I went along with my father, younger brother, and younger sister. I went to Mexico a couple years ago to do the exact same thing, so I was extremely excited to go back!!!
There is a family in Mexico that I became very close with the last time I went to Mexico (I helped build their home), and the family actually came to help us build homes this time!!! I was so, so, so happy :) The person that I am closest with in the family is named Francisco. Francisco and I ... we are so close :) While building homes, I would help Francisco with his English (which is coming along super great!) and he would help me with my Spanish in return (which still has a looooooong ways to go!)
Our group was able to build 3 homes, repair a few roofs, visit a couple orphanages, help at a food shelter, and do other types of service for the people in Tecate as well as Tijuana. I love the people there. They are always so kind, and I could feel the spirit so strong with every member of the Church that I came in contact with. I pray that I will be able to continue going back to Mexico to do this type of service for as long as possible! Worth every penny for the travel and building expenses. Life changing experience.
So here are only a few of the pictures that I took when in Mexico. Out of the 333 pictures I took, these may not be the best ones, but they protray enough of the trip to satisfy me :) Enjoy!

To All, I Give Thanks

Thank you to family for love and support.
Thank you to teachers who inspire and encourage me.
Thank you to roommates who supply laughter and smiles.
Thank you to friends who give hugs and keep in touch with care.
Thank you to the boyfriend who brings peace and cuddles.
Thank you to co-workers who understand and give help.
Thank you to strangers who leave long-lasting imprints unknowingly.
Thank you to all.
Thank you dear Father for everyone in this world who has touched me in some way or another, and has made me a better person since the day they found me.
Thank you.
To All, I Give Thanks.

Here-- Have a Dancing Doughnut!

I just had a lovely night! After getting out of my last class of the semester, I went to what we call a "Doughnut Break". Finals are upon us, and sometimes we humans just need a break, and some time to just eat a doughnut and drink hot cocoa. And that's what we did :) Because I am a Residential Assistant, I helped hand out doughnuts. But guess what else we had..... MUSIC! So pretty much I was there handing out doughnuts and dancing. It was legit. I had a ball. So every now and then, I'd be dancing and handing off a doughnut to a resident, and the words "Here-- have a dancing doughnut!" would pop out of my mouth. Oh well :) All in all, it was a lovely time. What more could I ask for?! :)

"Best Day Ever!"

Question: How ya doin?

Answer: Best day ever!

Life can be overwhelming sometimes, but what makes it the "best day ever" is the way you look at. :) So go ahead, make today and the rest of your days the "best day ever"!

In The Leaves of Autumn

There's nothing like a beautiful fall day when you can walk around wearing some of your favorite fall time clothes, and carry a pumpkin carved to look like an infant Harry Potter. Nothing like it at all :) About a week or so ago, one of my lovely roommates took these pictures for me. We got a few funny looks from people walking by, but in the end it was completely worth it!!! Later this day, some men came around and vacuumed up all of the festive leaves... We were very lucky we took the pictures when we did!
I love autumn :D

Flying Ballerina's

Leaping. Soaring. Extending. Floating. Fly ballerina, fly.
Today I am merely a student of dance. In the tomorrow's of the future,

I will fly as the great ballerina's do fly.

Happy Hershey

In my room, I currently have three bags of Hershey Kisses. Of course, I am using these yummy chocolates to encourage the girls that live in my building to be involved in our weekly discussions. However, I find myself sneaking some of these treats for myself throughout the week. I love Hershey Kisses. They are like a little piece of happiness. Of course the fact that they are chocolate is an impactful factor, but also the shape and size of the chocolates is delightful.

I am starting a new habit. Every time I eat a Hershey Kiss, I like to think of one moment that day that has brought me joy, or a time that day that I was able to bring joy to another person, and then give thanks to Heavenly Father for that experience. When I do this, I am able to more fully see how many blessings I really do have in life. Of course, I don't eat Hershey Kisses all throughout the day, but it does make me think of happy things when I do eat one.

So the next time you are eating a Hershey Kiss, think of at least one happy moment that you have had that day personally, or a moment that you were able to make another person happy. Then you will enjoy that delightful piece of chocolate so much more!

As they tip-toed through the pages of my life, everything turned into a dance party

Two people...

Emily

Samuel

My life is so funny. Serious. Last night, I went to a dance party, and there I got to party with a group of friends, including Emily and Sam. It had been a while since I had danced with these two angelic people, but I'll tell you what-- it had been far too long!

(Dance History: Emily taught me how to dance. Sam is my soulmate in dancing. The end.)

Years ago, I would not have been able to tell you that these two beings would be stars in the plot of my life. I would have never considered them 'extras', but who knew that they would be such bold characters? Needless to say, I love them to pieces.

After spending a healthy amount of time at the dance party (actually, I don't know if it was that healthy-- there were people smoking close by and it make my throat burn...), we made our way to a friends apartment where we took pictures of everyone holding hands and jumping on mattress's so conveniently placed in the living room. Epic. Simply epic. And of course, we spent some time playing with silly string and boogying to music.

So this is a shout out to Emily and Sam. Thanks for being such awesome dance buddies and hand holding friends.

(Hand-holding history-- Emily taught me how to hold hands. Sam is my soulmate with hand-holding on the beach and at other select locations. The end.)

Dancing, hand-holding, Emily, and Sam. What else do I need in life? ;)

Much love ())-%--

It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life. For me. And I'm feeling...... good :)

I've been trying all day to upload a video from my dance class, but it just won't work! Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to share that :)
Instead, I guess I will be posting about my high school dance company my senior year :) Here is just a pictures of all of us at the beginning of the year. It was such a joy dancing with all of these girls! They are all so talented, and it was wonderful learning from all of them through the school year. Each girl brought something unique to the group which made it so exciting. Go SFHS Dance Co.!!!

99 Red Balloons.... ?

I ...... love ....... balloons. They are so fun :) On my birthday a week ago, my mom came over early in the morning to bring me muffins and balloons. The balloons are still floating around in my room, and they just make me so super happy :) There's just something about balloons that just immediately lifts my spirits when I see them. A girl in my student ward talked about how when she was having a bad day, one of her roommates went out and bought her a balloon of her favorite color and then gave it to her. How happy!!! If only everyone had that experience whenever they were feeling sad. So the next time one of your friends or a family member is feeling bad, consider going out and buying them a balloon of their favorite color ;)
Much love!

World of Dance

Tonight I attended BYU's World of Dance concert. It was wonderful! I did not go with anyone; just me, myself, and I. It was great to sit there, and embrace all the different styles of dance! From Ballet, to Folk, and from Tap to Contemporary. It was beautiful. I have always been deeply inspired by girls on Pointe, and I hope that one day I can master it.

Dandelion in the Grass

I recently started another year in my life, having successfully survived 20 of them. While I have another blog (The Little Blessings of Life), I felt that it was about time to try and become better at blogging by taking what I have learned through my other blog and applying it to this one. Perhaps I will run both blogs at the same time... we'll see :)
I have many passions. My top ones are dancing, singing, and traveling. I love my family and friends, and I find joy in sunflowers, birds, rain, and photography. No, I am no photographer, but I like to pretend I am! One day I hope to own an SLR Cannon Rebel. That'll be the day!
Now about the title of this post: Dandelion in the Grass. My best friend introduced me to a book over the summer: The Hunger Games. This book was followed by Catching Fire and Mocking Jay. In the story, the main character suffers through many horrific trials (I would try to go into detail about this, but I would probably end up writing a summery about the whole series!) After surviving one of these trials with the help of a boy that was practically a stranger, she found there was still hope in life, and that things would eventually get better. On the day of recognizing this, she came across a dandelion outside her school. While this dandelion may have merely been a sign of the end of winter, it came to symbolize the hope that she had found.
I am hoping that when I have those days when life seems to be crumbling apart, I will be able to use this blog as one of my resources to dive into my untainted passions-- that it will be a dandelion in the grass. Whether it is a bad day or a wonderful day, I hope this blog will bring joy to myself as well as others!
Enjoy :)