bloglovin'.

today is google reader's last day... that means that bloglovin' is the new way to go! So here's the link if you'd still like to keep up with my blog: http://www.bloglovin.com/ericamichelledecker

Hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday!(:

Sincerely,
Erica Michelle

the last post about FCCLA.

This post is dedicated to Moses Hunter!

*please note: Moses took first in his event and is going to nationals!!*

Next week is FCCLA Nationals in Nashville, Tennessee. And it makes me soo sad that we're not going. Katie and I took first place {and Sam and Caitlin took first in their event too!} meaning that we qualified for Nationals. {I blogged about it here and here} Qualifying for Nationals is sorta, kinda, a really big deal. Ok, no, but seriously, it's really awesome. But Katie and I decided not to go due to a few reasons. First of all I'm working two jobs so I was worried about taking off too much work {wanna know the sad part? I HAVE NEXT WEEK OFF OF ONE OF MY JOBS.} also, Katie spent three weeks in the Dominican Republic for HEFY {yes, it was very sad not being able to talk to her for 3 weeks}, and Nashville was going to be expensive. Both Katie and I are trying to save for college, soooo...

So we decided not to go, and I'm sad about it. I think I can honestly say that last year at Nationals in Orlando, Florida was one of the best weeks of my life. {read about it here}

But here we go... the little sentimental, "I love this club" part of the blog post!

FCCLA stands for Family, Career, Community Leaders of America. FCCLA was possibly one of the biggest parts of my high school experience. Through this amazing club I got to hold leadership positions both within my school and chapter, and within the Scenic Country District of Colorado. I got to go to National Cluster meetings in Salt Lake City, Denver, and Albuquerque, state competitions in Denver, and Nationals in Florida, plus district meetings every year. I got to meet so many amazing people and make so many friends (like Moses!) But most importantly, FCCLA taught me more about leadership then I would have possibly thought the day that Ashlee told me to join before Freshman year. If I can give one piece of advice to anyone: JOIN FCCLA during high school. It was the best part of high school {seriously}. Do it. I'm going to miss those weekly after-school baking fundraisers, and those hilarious car rides, and all those trips. FCCLA made memories that I will never forget! {here's all of my blog posts about FCCLA}

Dear Moses,

Go to Nationals and represent Colorado FCCLA. You deserve it! Go take gold and show everyone whose boss! It was awesome going from enemies, to frenemies, to friends! {inside joke.} I'm so grateful I got to meet you last year and good luck at Nationals and at college next year! You will do great, I just wish I was there to cheer for you as they give you gold!!

Sincerely,
Erica

p.s. are you taking yarnmione to nationals?!?



Well... people... that was it! I think I'm officially done with my "goodbye to blah blah blah from high school" posts! 59 days until move-in day at BYU.

Sincerely
Erica Michelle

I can't believe I'm saying this.

but I adore working. I love it. I love my jobs, I love the people I work with, and I really adore the fact I have something to do {even if some days I wish I had a little bit more time}. It sounds crazy, but I get really excited that I get to go to work. First of all, my day job is super great. I get to work with a bunch of really cute little kids... heck, today I got paid to tie dye shirts, fill up water balloons, and play water balloon dodge ball. Not to mention that I get paid to eat a snack and talk to little kids EVERY SINGLE time I work. my job is the best ever. I wish I could just post a million pictures of how adorable these little kids are! I will admit that there are some days that I come home exhausted from chasing 6 year olds around for 5 hours, and sometimes I complain about some of the little kids never listening, but don't get me wrong: I wouldn't trade this job from any other summer job!

Then I get to work with some amazing people at my other job. plus I get free movies. and so does my best friend. What the heck could be better?!?

I think that's about all for now. Just thought I'd stop by and brag about me having the most wonderful summer jobs ever.

Sincerely,
Erica Michelle

well then.

I don't know where to start! As you can tell, I redesigned my blog... which included learning a lot about customizing my HTML and getting really, really frustrated about the fact that my blog buttons aren't working (so I gave up and I'll try again tomorrow, they just won't work. I've done tons of buttons before and I don't think I'm doing anything wrong!!)

But in the last week I...

*went to an adorable new pizza place and then Superman {man of steel} with some friends

*worked a lot 

*and ate french toast with my friends {including Sam}

*house sat

*went to Relay for Life with my mom

*practiced a lot of violin // got my violin polished and refinished // i'm trying out a carbon fiber bow {it's awesome. i want it}

and now I'm looking forward to a yet another wonderful week of summer! Ahh... it's going by so fast! I hope you are all having a wonderful summer (:

Sincerely,

Erica Michelle

under construction.

I'm so excited to announce that...

I can no longer stand the look of my blog! 

Therefore, over the next few days, I am going to completely redesign my blog. Pages, tabs, links, sidebar, buttons, pictures, everything.

So, if you visit my blog and it looks a bit disoriented, that's why! I most likely won't be blogging about anything else before then {not to mention the fact that I'm behind on blogging anyways} so this will be my last post for a few days! I blame my blogging absence on the fact that I worked 33 hours this week. That's right folks! It may not be quite full-time, but that's the most I've ever worked in one week!

See ya later!

Sincerely,
Erica Michelle

step one: done.

Last night {or this morning} I registered for my fall 2013 classes! I spent all afternoon yesterday deciding what to take... and trying to get both my music and humanities classes in the schedule without killing me. Well... I finally decided that I'm leaning more for humanities, but I'm still going to do either an orchestra or choir {auditions are the day after I move in!}... well, I'll see where that goes! So I stayed up {and watched another 2 episodes of Downton Abbey} until midnight so I could register the instant it opened! And now, that picture- stolen off the BYU Facebook- represents my future life. One of the 30,000 students wandering around, getting to class!

Just thought I'd let you know. Butttttt... as it is, I am once again failing at blogging and my laundry desperately needs to get done. Oh, and much, much more. Hopefully I'll get everything figured out today, and then it'll be back to normal! Hope you all are having a fantastic monday!

Sincerely,
Erica Michelle

why I've disappeared.

Today has been insane. It started at 5:45 when my dad woke me up because my room wasn't all the way clean (sadly, I had been warned that that would happen) and it was crazy all day. Between working every afternoon//all afternoon (plus a few nights), and addressing a million thank you notes, and cleaning, and whatnot, it's been insane.

By the way, today is my mommy's birthday! (More on that tomorrow when I can get pictures from our computer... what's a post without any pictures??)

But, in other news... this past school year my mom and dad started watching Downton Abbey (starting from the beginning of the series). I was too swamped with school to watch with them, but last week I watched the entire first season- it's not exaggerating to say that I think I'm obsessed with it. Today, just in the couple hours from my mom's birthday dinner, my mom and I have watched 4 episodes of the second season... it is killing me. I'm watching it as I blog, I just felt like I needed to explain my lack of... well, doing anything. (please, if you ruin this show for me, I will bawl.) Anyways, I don't think I'll be doing anything productive until I'm done with the second and third season. And it is taking every single ounce of self-restrait to not just google what happens since everyone has told me horror stories about the last episode of season three. And it is stressing me out. So very, very much. ugggghhhhh.

ok, sorry. today has been crazy. and so I'm behind in blogging. and laundry. and every thing else. sorry. kay, as soon as I'm done with the stinkin show I'll blog, and thrift shop, and think about my life (which is complicated enough... but not what I want to blog about at this time, or ever). Just.... yeah. So much and so crazy busy. But tomorrow I don't work, so hopefully that'll help quite a little bit. Well, time to go watch another episode...

Sincerely,
Erica Michelle

temple trip.

my last youth temple trip... and it sure was a great one! The girls of my ward left early thursday morning to go hike Arches {I didn't get to go with them because I had an orientation for my new job} however, I met up with them Thursday afternoon. Yep... my mom drove me halfway, thank goodness for wonderful parents (: Thursday night we had a campfire and roasted marshmellows. The best part, though, was that Makayla came that night. Makayla was one of my closest friends, who moved to Provo about 2 years ago. We toured BYU together last fall. Since it was the two of us and then basically all beehives, we got our own room and spent a good 4 hours just talking! Then friday, we went to temple square. We just walked around all morning {oh, and watched Clay Christianson play an awesome Organ concerto... BEYOND amazing talent I tell you}. After lunch, the boys met us and we got to do baptisms in the Salt Lake Temple. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. {Oh, and my YW President TALKED TO Elder Holland in the temple. No big deal.} Then that night we went to a barbecue with another ward. After the barbecue, all of us girls just sat and talked for hours. I am so blessed to be in the ward I am, I know I complained right after the wards were split again, but I realized that it really was for the best.
Saturday we went back to temple square: I got paid five bucks to ask a kid to give me "the shirt off his back" {my YW leaders > your YW leaders}, we had a backstage tour of the Tabernacle... including seeing the MoTab dressing rooms, recording studio, and the THREE PRACTICE organs {picture below}, and we went to the Church History Museum. Which I had never been to, so that was an awesome experience. Oh, lastly we meet Bonnie Goodliffe. And she played the organ for us. I sorta was amazed beyond belief. {She was the first woman organist in conference... not to mention just an awesome organist.}

Oh, ya know, just a PRACTICE organ underneath the tabernacle. No big deal really.

Overall, just one more amazing experience to have before college... although, driving by all the BYU stuff and seeing all the church stuff made me SUPER amazingly excited for when I move there in exactly 2,000 hours. (seriously, two thousand hours... that seems so soon!) I am so amazingly blessed to be in a ward with these wonderful youth and leaders, and for the opportunity to visit such wonderful and inspirational places as the Salt Lake Temple.

Sincerely,
Erica Michelle

blogging challenge.

I found this little gem on Pinterest awhile back and decided to take the challenge (anyone care to join me??) I think it'll be fun, and I've really only used my new{ish} camera a few times. Soooo, I'm starting it on Wednesday!

You see, I still have a post about Utah and my temple trip, and an after-work out smoothie I have fallen in love with (yep... I ran 5 miles today!... actually "ran" is a loose term, more like attempted to run but walked like half) and I must blog about those things. Today will be the temple trip post, and tomorrow will be my smoothie! Oh, also, this girl and I had a cooking day last week, so I have a delicious award-winning apple pie to show you too! Coming soon.

Sincerely,

Erica Michelle