"did you like your freshmen year?"

I can't even count how many people have asked me this in the last couple weeks. And here is my {attempt at a} short blog post to explain why I had the greatest 8 months.

Brigham Young University. 
It's my favorite place in the world, thanks to all the memories it now holds!

First off, I made the most amazing friends. In high school I had a really, really close group of friends. I went to college thinking "oh, I'll make lots of friends but nothing can compare to the awesome girls I had from high school!"
And the number one thing I learned at college is that all friendships are different. They depend on where you are in life and what you need. Kayla and Cady were everything I could have asked for. They are the absolute greatest and without them, freshmen year would have been pretty darn dull!

Look at these two! How could you NOT just love them??

KAYLA:
Another question I get is "did you like your roommate?"

Yeah. Yeah I really did. I lucked out! We had so many crazy memories and deep talks. She is hands-down the most caring person I have ever met. She is always there to listen and has great advice. She will be the best missionary ever and her testimony is so strong! She was such an awesome support to me, from cooking me pre-econ-test breakfasts {I'm not exaggerating} to making fantastic posters for my ceiling to motivate me in econ { (; } to being the biggest birthday planner ever. From the first night bawling about wanting to go home to the last day bawling in the SLC airport because we didn't want to go home... this girl became my best friend! I mean, you should have seen some of our crazy nights in 2116.

CADY:

I'm not sure when it happened, possibly after the M&M mess or the random late night talks that started at the beginning of the year, but somehow the girl across the hall from me became my diet-coke-loving, library-going, daily-running, advice-giving, speed-walking, loud-talking partner in crime! {no, actually some people, cough cough, couldn't comprehend that once in a rare while, Cady and I weren't together!}

CADY & KAYLA:

Where do I start about the three of us? Dance parties at two a.m.? Good night talks that lasted a minimum of two hours EVERY SINGLE NIGHT without fail? Our epic social plans? Our lists? MOA cafe lunches? Our addiction to subway cookies? Our endless laughs?

THE HALL/RELIEF SOCIETY:

from the very first night at college^^^

our epic music video

to our sleepover/girls night^^^

1. There was NO DRAMA in my hall. unbelievable right?! We all got along! (:
2. It's fun living in the dorms because it also means you have 40 closets. I'm pretty sure I never wore my own clothes. ever.
3. My hall was also my relief society. It's hard to explain how fantastic it is to see these girls every single day then see them at church. You watch them live their standards. You know that they actually care when they ask what's new. just... ahhhh I loved my hall! These girls were SO FUN!

MY WARD {YSA 114}:

These people. ahhh. so great. Every single Sunday was amazing! You learn so much just by listening to them! And ward prayer?? One of my favorite parts of the week.

MY HOME:
I never thought that I would consider a 20 x 15 ft room, a bathroom shared with 40 girls, and a kitchen shared with the entire building as my home. But I do!

please excuse the mess, we were in the middle of packing to come home.

Coming home to that little dorm room every day was great. Taylor Hall really did become my favorite place. LIVE IN THE DORMS, PEOPLE. DO IT.

THIS AWESOME GROUP OF PEOPLE:

look at these studs! Also, please note that dylan and I were the intramural champs if you don't remember :D

BYU social life is crazy, guys. First of all, it is perfectly normal for social things to begin at 11 pm. Also, it's perfectly ok to schedule multiple social things in a row. Like, oh, I'll go to lunch with ..., then the library with {usually cady or by myself}, then meet everyone for dinner, then go on a date or something, then meet everyone in the lobby at 10:30, then maybe watch a movie with Cady and Kayla at 1 or 2. I'm telling you, I considered going to bed before two a.m. as "early". From crepes and in-n-out at midnight, to capture the flag, to the trampoline place, to dollar movies, to 80s nights, to card games, to spur of the moment adventures these people made my freshmen year. It was fun knowing that any time, these guys were ready for fun!

Within months they will be across the globe! From Canada, to Japan, to the Philippines, to Panama, to Chile, to Belgium, to Mexico, to who-knows-where-else, I can't wait for missionary mondays!! They are amazing and freshmen year would have been no where as fun without them!
{also, I wouldn't have gotten any birthday cards without them, so that's a plus!}

Ahhh... freshmen year was the greatest!

I won't be back at BYU for 2 years, but hey, this last year was a good way to say goodbye!

-Erica

mother's day//birthday.

Have I told you how awesome my mom is?

She is the absolute best! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful example in my life. She is the most selfless woman I know. I couldn't ask for a better mom!!

Today we celebrated mother's day AND my birthday with lobster {they said it was my birthday dinner so I could choose!}, ice cream cake, and cinnamon rolls. Honestly, what would be better??

Also, there's only one candle because HAVE YOU EVER TRIED GETTING CANDLES INTO A FROZEN ICE CREAM CAKE?? Yeah. Also, are you proud? I've graduated from birthday chocolate pie to ice cream cake! Whooo! ...mainly because regular cake is nasty.

Hello there 19!

Wait, Kayla also got me a pair a jandals. I may never, ever wear other shoes again. never. jandals are THE greatest. and so is Kayla! Thank you girl (:

So, SURPRISE!!

I'm starting my mission papers. If you're still reading this post, I feel like you deserve to know! It's something I've been thinking about for a few months now, and I officially decided a couple weeks ago.  I can't turn in my papers until right before I go to London since you have to be 120 days before your availability date. I'll probably tell the whole story of why I decided that some other time, but yeah. I'll put my date as December 31st {a couple weeks after I get home from London!} Reason 1945468757 why I have to work a lot this summer. Guys, I am too poor for this! But SOOOO excited!

Who knows where I'll be celebrating my birthday next year!

-Erica

the last bonfire!

Hey there! I am actually alive, surprising right? I took a little break from blogging, but I'm here to say that my freshmen year was the greatest year of my life so far {there'll be a post for that}

But first, I'll tell you about the last little bit of the year!

Our last bonfire:

and I burned my aplia subscription!

And I'll save the rest for my next post! Have a great Sunday and Mother's Day! Oh, and we get to talk to Zach {WHO WILL BE HOME IN FOUR DAYS!!!} Happy birthday to me! ...actually it is my birthday today! This girl is finally 19 (:

-Erica

home...

that's right. finals are done, a few days of goodbyes {and also a bit of stomach flu... sounds fun right?}, plus a weekend in Rexburg and Emily's baby blessing...

and I'm finally home! {although that is truly bittersweet} We got in a couple hours ago.

Here's what's new:

Before:

After:

If the 'after' picture doesn't make you want to cry, I don't know what will. It was seriously a rough few days of goodbyes.

Anywho.... I start work tomorrow! Full time, folks + the theater! WHOOO. But that means that I have a ton of unpacking to do and not much time. Expect quite a few posts about the last couple of weeks plus BYU in general plus who knows what else. {in a couple few days}

Adios!

-Erica

...and she's off!

Jamaica bound! {with a ten day detour to the Provo MTC that is}

Sam is going into the MTC today, and trust me when I say, I could not be happier for someone! She will be the greatest missionary. Her testimony is so sweet and powerful. She has so much love for everyone she comes in contact with and she's such a hard worker. She and her family spent the night in Provo so I was able to go to their hotel and say goodbye and chat for over an hour {even if it did end in a lot of tears and about 50 hugs before I could leave}

Being best friends with this girl since she moved to Montrose in 8th grade has been the best! We have so many hilarious memories together- from open hour adventures to EFY to girls camp to movie nights and beyond. Her friendship throughout these last few years has been such a blessing in my life... over the last month or so she has given me some of the best advice I've ever gotten. Literally, my prayers have been answered through her tremendous support and advice and friendship! I can't believe that she's already headed out, it feels like she just barely opened her call!

I can't wait for missionary mondays! I'm excited to watch as she progresses through the next 18 months and I'm excited to see where the next few months/years takes us... you never know where we'll end up! Heavenly Father chose the right girl to send to Jamaica!

EFY back in 2010!

girls camp is best when spent with your best friend!

you're looking at the world's best snipe hunters (;

See ya in 18 months or so!

-Erica

freshmen year: check.

I'm officially done with freshmen year! I just finished my biology final {also, please note that I will NEVER have to take another science class. done.} I still have a couple of days until I move out, but the academic aspect of this year is over.

Finals were rough guys... some of them went ok, others not so much. but hey, it's a sunk cost right? {hello there, applying econ to real life} Kay, that actually makes it sound like I did a lot worse on them than I really did. Other than econ and book of mormon, all my grades were exactly what I wanted! It's weird that I won't be studying in the HBLL for at least 8 months... I mean, that place was basically my second home {Kayla can attest} College is just a tiny bit crazy amount harder than high school.

However, in the midst of all my studying I also got to have a little bit of fun! {but the picture aspect doesn't prove it since we really didn't take many pictures...}

Sunday I got to celebrate Easter morning at Danielle and Jayson's! I drove up to watch Caitlin and Evan do an Easter egg hunt then have brunch! {by the way, Jayson's french toast + Danielle's homemade syrup = delicious. Jayson shared the recipe right here!} I'm so lucky to have an awesome family so close to me here at college! Plus... it makes it better when these two kiddos are the cutest kids in the world! {p.s. I guess 2 month olds aren't really into Easter egg hunts since Emily slept through most of the morning...}

Happy late Easter! I was going to do a special post but I got caught up with all the craziness of finals week... but my church put out this video which I thought was awesome!

Waffle Love is a must-do in Provo!

P.S. I'm not joking about the amount of studying I do... that being said, it's understandable to be emotionally attached to this semester's index cards, right?? I put a lot of work into these guys and they helped me out. Throwing them away just seems so sad... anyone need index cards for geography, sociology, biology, or econ? maybe I should try to sell them with the textbooks... (;

sadly, that picture doesn't even do justice to how large that stack of cards truly is...

We also have had bonfires, movie nights, nertz games, study parties and so much else! Sunday was our last day at church, and let me tell you, I am NOT ready to say goodbye! {that'll be another post though}

Speaking of goodbyes, Sam goes into the MTC TOMORROW! I get to say goodbye tonight, and it's so bittersweet! I'm going to miss that girl!

Happy tuesday!

-Erica

could life get any better?

no. I really don't think it could, in case you were wondering. and because we only have a week left of freshmen year, we've been living it up!

Here are just a few of the most recent activities! {in no particular order}

Capture the Flag {boundaries: most of main campus}

This isn't quite the whole group, but still a fantastic picture. What did you do with your friday night?

Hot Springs

The hot springs were quite... hot {shock, yes} but the water fall was freezing cold. Hence the awesome look on our faces in the second picture. This place was so much fun and definitely worth the hour hike in!

General Conference in SLC!

A big group of us went to the Sunday afternoon session of Conference in Salt Lake! {I know... there's only two people in the above picture. I don't feel like downloading and uploading the other pictures}. I'm so grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!

the Temple Square flowers though...

Giant Cardboard Castles.

BYU built the world's largest cardboard box castle again this year. Have I told you that I go to the best university in the world? Oh ok, yeah I do. {ok, so I may be a little biased but it's true!} Also, I made the cougar tweet beat about it. I'm sorta disappointed because none of my good tweets make it, then my sub-par tweets make it #disappointment

just a few quick and recent bragging links {not that I personally have really contributed to this BYU awesomeness, but I still like to brag about it. kay bye}

>>>BYU Mathletes beat Yale and Princeton.
>>>BYU is the #2 school for Entrepreneurship 
>>>Just appreciate how cool this link is.
>>>Also, Provo, UT was ranked the happiest city in the US
>>>Andy Grammer is coming to BYU tomorrow. $5 a ticket. but I forgot to buy a ticket until they were sold out soooo oops. oh well!

Rent-a-Puppy {times two}

Sorry for the picture overload! But guys, you literally pay $15 and someone brings you a puppy then comes back in an hour to pick it up. Whoever came up with the idea is brilliant. So we spent Friday afternoon laying on the grass and playing with puppies. BEST DAY EVER.

Also, are we talking about my love for BYU and the dorms and freshmen year? Because it's real.

The last couple of weeks have also consisted of plenty of In-n-Out, Denny's and Crepes runs, along with HumorU dates {by the way, my sociology TA is in Humor U and he was hilarious. high five for me having a cool TA}, games, late night talks, oh and homework. I know, right? Surprisingly, I've done a ton of homework lately too. And by lately, I mean the entire semester. But that's ok {insert thumbs up emoji here}

Finals start this week! 2 down, 5 more to go! I'm pretty dang nervous for them, and now that I just spent a good 30 minutes on a blog post, I should probably get back to studying {everyone needs a break though, right?!}. Have a great week! (:

-Erica

p.s. I have just over a week left of freshmen year. I would say that it's bittersweet but that's lying because it's really only bitter. I am sooo not ready to go home for the summer without all these awesome people I've become friends with... seriously though. don't make me go. I would almost rather go through another 14 weeks of classes and constant homework then have to go home for the summer and not be able to have all these crazy adventures.

Last night we took ward pictures at ward prayer {yes, ward prayer is a thing} Photo credit to Zack!

what do you mean there's only one Sunday left in my freshmen year? Where did the time go??

80s, hiking, conference.

80's night round three! {it seriously gets better every time we go}

hey hey hey... do you see our shirts?? Yep, Cady and Kayla got me an early birthday present since we'll be home for the summer by my real birthday! This song is basically our theme song and we can sing every single word of it. These girls are the best, what am I supposed to do this summer??

Hiking {more like nature-walking since it was a paved road...}
Cady and I had a goal of going on a girl-ask-guy date so yesterday afternoon we hiked to Bridal Veil Falls with Ryan and Dylan! We also learned that the boys can skip rocks about a thousand times better than us. But, you win some you lose some, right?

Like I said in my last post, Kayla and I watched conference today! It was just fantastic (:

A few days ago the BYU wifi crashed. So there was basically a massive BYU party at McDonalds full of students trying to finish papers and register for classes at one a.m. You missed out if you weren't there...

For the last couple weeks of school I fully plan on living the motto "you don't remember the nights you get enough sleep." I'd say it's going quite well, so far.

-Erica