Snowy Days

I am a Texan through and through. I love warm weather, the hotter the better! Sunny skies, breathtaking sunsets, open fields stretching to the horizon... that's home for me. Here in Provo, it is snowing right now, and has been since last night. The sun is nowhere to be found, and my fingers, toes, and nose are icy cold. Days like these I just want to wrap up in a blanket and watch a movie, maybe doze in and out of a nap. But alas, instead I am going to 5 hours of classes, starting at 9am and going till 6:40pm, and am working on schoolwork in between. This kind of weather really makes me think about things. I am a thinker. It is one of my best qualities, as well as one of my worst. The conclusion I have come to with my thinking, is that I need to focus it on things that I can fix or work on, rather than worry or get confused about. Life just happens. Good things happen every day, and bad things happen every day. But in my book, every day is a good day if I want it to be. So regardless of the snow, regardless of my sleepy eyes, regardless of the daily stressors, today is a good day. A little hot chocolate or a good backscratching would be great, but I'll settle for a blanket and some productive studying.

Where I wish I was right now...

Reality.

Happily Ever Afters

I... love watching chick flicks. I watch at least one a week with roommates and friends, and I never tire of them, whether they are ones I have seen over and over or ones I am watching for the first time. They all follow roughly the same plot, where there is a girl with potential overcoming some very real trials in her life, when along comes that special guy. You all know what is going to happen, but still stress during the movie when they are not together and things are not working out, even when you KNOW things work out and they will be with that person that they are supposed to be with! I am a firm believer that happily ever afters do happen. At the right time, things will fall into place with the right guy. It may not be how we want or when we want, but it's going to happen! It will be stressful during the journey, with lots of questions, doubts, and thankfully hopes and dreams. But in the end, you know it's all going to work out for the best. My happily ever after is a work in progress. It's coming!  :) Find joy in the journey. Don't count the days, make the days count.

Peace and Blessin's

Alright y'all, this week has been pretty great, with so many good and exciting things happening, and I'm gonna share with you my top 8 blessings of the week! (note-I have had MANY more blessings than these, these are just some of the highlights!)
1. I got rejected from my dream job of being an EFY counselor. (Yes, this is a blessing, because now I can go home for the summer!)
2. My dear roommate Christina scratched my back (which is probably my favorite thing in the world!) while we watched this, which is JUST what I needed to hear!
3. I got a wonderfully inspiring letter from my grandparents for Valentine's Day!
4. My family sent me a package of chocolates and medicine and some really stellar poems for Valentine's Day!
5. Levi took me to play tennis AND get hot chocolate, which was way fun (even if my win wasn't valid) and it was the best hot chocolate I've ever had!
6. Kristin and I made a delicious pasta that has lasted us almost half a week, but cooking with Kristin (or just being in her presence) in general is a blessing!
7. There have been some pretty warm days lately, at least as far as Utah goes!
8. And now for the grand finale... I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM!!!! Yes folks, it's true! I will be leaving the country on September 15, and won't be back till December 14th! It's going to be scary, and I'm going to leave some people/things behind I wish I could take with me, but it will totally be worth it! Going to Europe baby!!!

Peace and Blessin's!!! :)

(And as a bonus blessing for my family, my little sister won the district spelling bee yesterday, and will be competing in regionals the first weekend in March!)

A Listening Ear

I think one of the best qualities a person can have is a listening ear. I am in college, states away from home, doing almost everything on my own. I have lots that goes on in my life. Good things, bad things, exciting things, boring things, things that make me laugh, and things that make me cry. Every day is a journey, every day I learn something new, whether it be about myself, or about something academic. Sometimes, I just get to thinking about things so much, and I just want to tell people about my day and what I'm thinking! But, what fun is it to tell someone who doesn't care to listen? Someone who rarely asks how you are, or barely gives a response when you talk? Let me tell you, ZERO fun. Today, I got to talk to my mom. I haven't talked to her in a while, and it was SO nice! She asked me about everything, and responded in a way that showed she was interested and listening, and it has made today a wonderful day, and it is still morning! I got to tell her about my schedule, the stressors of school and college life, my plans for the next few months, new people in my life, old people in my life, and about my very great weekend! It was great. I love my mom, and her ability and desire to listen. I hope to become half as great as her one day! Love is spelled T-I-M-E, and I know that she loves me a lot and is teaching me to love in that same way.

Jipped on the Athletic Gene

This week has been absolutely crazy, with lots of exciting happenings, but probably one of the most exciting parts happened today. It is early February, and it was around 70 degrees today!!! That just DOESN'T happen. Kristin and I were walking to the gym, enjoying the weather, when we decided it would be great weather for tennis! We went and rented the equipment we didn't have to play, and when we got to the outside courts, we found out all the gates were locked! What the heck, right?! (yes, people were inside playing, so they weren't off limits, just locked!) So come to find out, we had to jump the fence to get in, and let's be honest... I'm lacking in athletic ability, ESPECIALLY when it comes to climbing! So, Kristin and I slid all of our stuff to the other side, and she shimmied on up and over, dropping gracefully to the other side. My turn! Well, EPIC FAIL. First try, I climbed about halfway up, then slid back down, and not gracefully I might add! Second try, I made it to the top, but slammed my chest down hard on the top of the stupid fence, and fell all the way back down, yes, on the outside, not the inside. So I went wandering around the courts for a better place to climb, but not finding one, I returned back to the original spot with determination to make it over. So, I clumsily get to the top, and have one leg over, but as I try to swing the other leg over, my shorts get caught on the top! So I'm just laying on top of the fence, clinging on for my life, trying to get my dumb shorts off the stupid fence, and I finally do, with people watching from near and far, and slide down all the way to the ground on the inside, finally! We had a great time playing tennis, but then it was time to leave. Time to climb the fence again! (Have I mentioned I'm NOT athletic?) Once again, Kristin just glides up and over, while I took 3 or so tries again, getting my shorts caught AGAIN, but this time scratching myself up pretty badly, then fell on my butt/back once I finally got off the fence! I waved to the group of people up the hill laughing at me, and went on my merry way! It wasn't exactly how I pictured my tennis playing experience, but I think it was worth it. :)

P.S. This is Kristin, for all those of you wondering who this amazing girl is! (Sorry guys, she is taken!)

M-E-M-O-R-I-E-S

I grew up in a family of spellers and vocabulary words and lots of competition. My older sister Kristen participated in the school spelling bee in 3rd grade, and did not last long due to the judge that misheard her. Two years later, my 4th grade year, I won my school spelling bee. I was pretty proud of myself, as my sister and I studied hard throughout the years, competing against each other, neck in neck with wins. But, of course, she HAD to beat me, but not just a win, she had to win the regional spelling bee (which is very hard because they ask random words from the dictionary) and continue on to nationals in Washington D.C.! That is the family I come from. My last year of eligibility to participate in the spelling bee, I tied for second place in regionals, missing nationals by two words! (My brother Elliot also made it all the way to nationals, and made it farther than my sister, and my youngest sister has been studying year round and we are expecting her to go to nationals this coming summer!) Well that covers the spelling side of my family, but what about the vocabulary? My mom is a very avid learner of new words, and would post them on a huge white board in our kitchen, with the word, definition, and the word used in a sentence, and would try to use that word as much as she could during the week to integrate it into her vocabulary, as well as all of her kid's vocabulary! She would put them in silly little rhymes and sayings, some of which are:

"It's not salubrious to be lugubrious!"
"Do your chores with alacrity and we'll all have a halcyon day!"
And my personal favorite, "you insipid lipid!"

Why this random post you might ask? I took a test today, 90 multiple choice, 3 short answer, and 2 essay. Towards the end of the test, the answer choices started to get a bit ridiculous, and one of the answer choices was "insipid lipid," which of course sparked my memory, and I told my mom about it as soon as I got out, and we reminisced for a bit. I have a great family. :)

Have an auspicious day!

The Waiting Game

Isn't it funny how things rarely come when we want them to, and even how we want them to? I feel like my life is just a waiting game! I am waiting to hear back for becoming an EFY counselor. (Especially For Youth, and LDS church week long camp for youth!) I had an interview on Friday the 13th of January, but still no news! I would love to know if I got the job, to know if I need to go job hunting, stay in Provo, or head back to Texas! Just waiting! I also had an interview a week ago for a study abroad in Europe! I would travel through France, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, and Scotland! I would be gone from September to December, while finishing up my GE's and seeing the world! But, once again I haven't heard anything back. I have a very dear friend on a mission, who has been out for 6 months, and I have to wait for letters, which isn't too bad, because I know roughly when they are coming, but it is still a waiting game! But amidst all this waiting, things right now are going well! I am loving my classes, especially my drug abuse class. Drugs are so fascinating to me, and I get funny looks when I am walking past people while I am on the phone, expressing how much I love drugs! Oh well. :) Right now, I am living with some amazing girls in a nice apartment. No waiting there! They are such blessings in my life, and are my family here. Right now, I have so many things going for me. Yes, I may have to wait a bit to find out my plans for the rest of 2012, but for now, life is good. :)

Welcome To My Life

Well hello! I have finally joined the blogging world, and I find it quite appropriate to start with an introduction! I am Lindsey Hanna, born and raised in Texas, but have found myself in Utah for school! I am in my second year at Brigham Young University, and may have finally decided on a major, which is health education (aka teaching health classes). I have the best family in the world! My dad is the funniest and smartest guy ever, with a huge heart and an amazing work ethic, while my mom is the kindest person I know, dedicated and hardworking as well. I have an older sister who just got married in December, which also means I have a brother in law! I love them both very much, and they are my only family here in Utah! I have 2 younger brothers, who are smart little studs, and one of those brothers will hopefully be joining me at BYU next year! I have a little sister who is the cutest thing, and I love spending my breaks with her! I have been playing piano for 13 years now, and I was on the drumline in high school. I love playing tennis, but other sports are quite a challenge for me! I absolutely love dancing of any kind, whether it be freestyling in my bedroom, ballroom, country dancing, or zumba! I am a huge sucker for animals, especially dogs, and I absolutely adore children. I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ, and have a testimony. I hope to one day serve a mission, whether it be in a year or so, or when I am old. This year has been quite the experience! I have been going through spiritual growing pains, thus the title "Ready, Set, Grow," but it is helping to shape me into the person I want to become! Aaaand that is pretty much me! More to come, with more exciting things! Stay tuned! :)