Martial Arts...uhhh cool I guess

So...I'm here...at school...at BYU...this summer. You gotta love BYU in the summer! It is a lot of fun...and pretty chill if you ask me. Well, it was pretty chill spring term, which we just finished up. Now I'm going into summer term and I have quite a bit more on my hands, but I'll do my best to make it as chill of a summer term as I can. Summer's the time for play, not school...right?? Ya, Ya, who says that anymore. Not me!!! Oh well, it's for the best! I really do enjoy school...just not all the papers and the readings and the tests and homework and quizes...do you catch my drift?? So I like school, but I don't. This summer I'm taking 6 classes. When I tell people that they always look at me with wide eyes and exclaim, "Wow! That's a lot!" This is how I respond. "Well I'm kind of used to taking so many classes. Being a dance major requires you to spend much time in classes that offer little credit hours. That's okay though b/c I enjoy it...or else I wouldn't be doing it!" And that's how I respond.
So I guess a lot of the time though I really don't have to take so many classes. Although what I said is true, I do get gypped with the credit hour thing in my major, but I think I also just like to learn different things. As if trying out for the tennis team or the basketball team or running track wasn't enough to satisfy my craving to try new things. I still got it team! I keep finding myself wanting to experience new arts...and when I say arts I mean anything that requires you to learn. So this semester, one of my new experiences was to try martial arts. Haaa!!! Funny right?! I had no idea what martial arts was...well I did, but I had no idea what to expect I guess. I saw the class and was like "hey, martial arts, that sounds cool!", and then I added it. That's the thing I love about personalities like mine. It's just so interesting to try some of the things that I don't even think twice about trying. You get yourself in some real interesting situations if you ask me. For some reason I just thought it was going to be tricks or kicking my legs at an opponent or playing with swords or something...obviously I knew I didn't know exactly what to expect, but usually I don't really think about what it is that I won't expect until I actually get myself rapped up in the situation. So when that situation came around (the first day of class), I found myself walking out feeling very sheepish and laughing at myself and what I had done. Well first of all it was a class full of almost all boys, so that made me feel kind of embarrassed! Gotta love martial arts though that's all I have to say. Okay here's the thing...it is full on fighting guys!!! Like wrestling...on the ground, laying on top of your opponent, pinning them, smashing yourself in their face!! Wow, was I surprised when I walked out. Our instructor even mention something about how we will be choking each other and possibly passing out and how we have to "tap out" if we find ourselves passing out. I didn't even know what that meant, "taping out", until I came to class that day, but apparently a lot of boys know what that means. Anyways, it's all fun and games, right? Ya, I'll say so...I'm going to have a lot of fun in this class, I can already tell. It's been pretty interesting so far. There's 4 other girls in the class and we all take turns pinning each other and so on. Good times, good times! When I was in China I did have the opportunity to see Martial artists first hand. I think that's probably why martial arts caught my eye on the class lists. Obviously, I forgot all the fighting I saw there and just remembered seeing all the cool tricks I saw. Haha, ya I now am going to be a fighting/wrestling queen!!..............Bahaha!


This is the part I obviously overlooked when I was in China...just picture me doing this...winning!!!

The cool tricks I thought I would be doing


Playing with the cool sword I thought I would be playing with

The cool nunchauks I thought I would be playing with



So I did have a funny experience the other day. I encountered a very competitive "fighter" girl the first day of class. We were supposed to be working slowly on a move that the teacher just taught us and the girl I was working with got a little scared I think when I was pulling the move on her and she jumped the gun and put me in a head lock really fast. That was a lot of fun!

Carrying On the Banner

So I know this has become a family tradition, but I decided to carrying on the nose tapeing banner to my fellow HLRC co-workers. WE WERE REALLY BOARD TODAY. Good thing there were only like 2 customers/HLRC visitors in the room today.

Classic Skating Rules!!!!!

This weekend was probably the greatest of my life. Maybe that was a bit of an overstatement but I do believe it was fun filled and jammed packed full of good times. Seriously though, the weekend never stopped for me, it was busy but fun! I'll give a brief overview of it. Friday : 1) I had a tap performance with the tap dance company that I'm involved with here at BYU. We performed at an elementary school here in Provo. It was great! The little kids loved us. 2) I had a dinner reunion with my lovely study abroad friends. We had the reunion in light of the earthquake which happened exactly a year ago from this past Tuesday. We ate at a pretty nice Chinese restaurant...nothing like the authentic Chinese food we had though. It was great to be able to get back together with them. I miss all of them so much! I felt a little out of place because all of the girls that ended up showing to the reunion are either married, pregnant, or dating someone pretty seriously...and they all brought their men!! Ya, now you know why I felt a little out of place. But that's okay because we all still let the good times roll. 3) Then I went home to our back porch party that we had. As some of you may know I moved out this semester to a house that has a pretty large back porch. My roommates and I decided that this back porch is too great to not make any use out of it so we've decided that we are going to keep throwing these parties because it was great! We had a pretty good turn out and we met a lot of new people. Here' a picture of our fabulous back porch!


Saturday: 1) I picked up a few extra hours at work. Not too exciting but I made some extra money. 2) The best part of my weekend starts now! My next door neighbors and my roommates and I went to DI and bought outfits. Now these weren't just any type of outfits. These were disco/80's outfits to be worn later that night. Let me tell you, good times at DI, good times! We found some amazing items. I think I had the best find. Well...just scroll down to see. You'll know what I'm talking about. 3) And drum roll please!!! The moment we have all been waiting for! To top the weekend off we made our way over to the Classic Skating arena for Disco/80's night! It was the best! We wore our outfits, put on some roller skates, and had a ball! I documented this event quite well (Mom, you'll be proud of me). Actually, the outfit I had kind of qualified me to be the mother of our happy little classic skating group, so I just told everyone I had to document because I was the mom and that's what mom's do right? haha! Anyways, you will see from our family pictures that I was pretending to be the mom. I kept all my kids in line at the arena. Don't worry, no broken bones, just happy faces. So ya, now you can look at my amazing pictures. Pictures say a thousand words and these one definitely do! It was so much fun!




















This guy had killer moves

Today Is a Special Day!!

Today is a special day. Can anyone guess? Seeming since everyone is here on this earth, they all should have reason to be celebrating today also. It's Mother's Day!!! I feel like I need to give a little props to all the Moms out there...Props to all you mothers out there who sacrifice so much!! Motherhood is not an easy job. Whoever said that the woman who gives up a job or an education to become a mother is looking for the easy way out...they don't know what they are talking about! Not that I'm experienced in this area, I just know from watching my own mother and my own siblings raise their children how hard but rewarding the job can be. I'm sure it's better than any job that any person could take. It's not for whimps!
At church today we talked a lot about mothers. I think most of us did...and I'm sure most of us heard a lot of the same things. Things like Motherhood is a divinely appointed position. Mom's are knowledgeable. Mom's love their children so much and through that love their children more accurately learn how their Heavenly Father loves them. Mothers help their children come closer to Christ by their example. And many more things. Through all these speakers I had time to reflect on the things my own mother has done for me. Let me tell ya...I love my mom so much! I hope that some day I can be at least half the lady she is. She has taught me so much! I feel like I should be able to say a lot more about her and what she has done for me, but I can't. Words can't express how much my mom has done for me and how much I love her. I know I chose her to be my mom for a reason in the pre-mortal life. We get along like two peas in a pod. I knew I would learn so much from her. She had to be one of my best friends when I chose her because she is one of my best friends right now. Mom's definitely have a unique role and I'm so grateful for my own mother. I glad it worked out the way it did. She's the greatest! So here's to all the moms out there, especially one in particular! I love my mom!!

Happy Easters Everyone!

I had a grand old time with Alissa, Andrew, Talon, and Lisa this Easter! Seriously though...it was a lot of fun! I met Andrew and Alissa at their apartment and then we went to Talon and Lisa's for dinner (if you don't know who Talon and Lisa are they are some of Andrew and Alissa's friends that we eat dinner with every once and a while). Lisa and Talon were great and hid Easter eggs for everyone to find, which ended up being just Andrew and I because we got so excited that we ran through the house before anyone else could and found all the Easter eggs. I'm rich now everyone! I found an egg full of pennies...that's right full to the brim with pennies! Man, am I one lucky girl! Actually I think Andrew stole my eggs so he now has all my money (Dang it!). Anyways, dinner was superb! We had lots of good stuff! And then Alissa and Andrew gave us our Easter baskets! They are too kind, too kind! I loved my basket! My favorite part though was the kite! Yes...I received a Dora the Explorer kite from my favorite brother named Andrew (my other favorite brother is named Zach!). So cool!!! Andrew also got Alissa and himself a kite so we went and flew them! It was so fun! I was telling Andrew that I think the last time I flew a kite was when I was like 9 years old and Dad got me a Sailor Moon kite, Andrew a Pepsi kite, and Zach some cool kite that I can't remember. Anyways that pretty much made my day. Then Alissa, Lisa, and I played frisbee while the boys went in and played the Nintendo Wee. And then we went in to join them. I took a few pictures, but the best pictures I don't have! Man! We took some sweet pictures with Lisa's camera while we were outside playing in the grass like little kids. I'll have to get those sometime and post them. Alissa and I did some sweet jumps in our pictures! So here are the poopie pictures anyways.

Best Date Ever!

This was the best group of kids to get together and create a music video with b/c they were all so into it! It was so fun! It's kind of a small screen, so if you feel so inclined to, you can check it out on my facebook and it's a little bit bigger screen there. Anyways, all I have to say is Just call the GHOSTBUSTERS okay!? Yaaaaaa!!

What Will Mary Say Next?

So Suzanne and I...ya know, we've been livin' together for quite sometime now. We pretty much know all about each other by now. We're planning on living together again next year! That will make 3 solid years together by the time next year is done. Anyways, by now, you should know, that it is very well discussed between the two of us how much I like to talk in my sleep. It seems like every other morning Suzanne walks into the bathroom while I'm getting ready and says to me with sleepy eyes and messy hair, "You were talking in your sleep again last night" and then she proceeds to tell me what I said. My sleep talking has gotten pretty out of control if you ask me. Most of the time I just talk in jiberish, but occasionally I say something that sounds pretty coherent and Suzanne has to think twice before she realizes that I really am sleep talking and not awake talking. Usually when I say something, it's only a few words at a time. Like I've been found to say things like "Peeeee" or "Becky" or "Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays, birthdays". These things don't make any sense!!! Who knows what message am I trying to get across or even if I am trying to get a message across?! If only I had some kind of sleep talking decoder maybe I could figure out what messages are flying through my head as I sleep. Anyways, a few nights ago this is what Suzanne tells me I had to say. Restfully I move around in my sleep and in a very mumbled tone I say, "You're the top tops". Suzanne proceeds to ask me what I said because she couldn't totally understand. So I sit up in my sleep and say, "I just think you're the top" and then I lay back down. Man, those are wise words...wise words! Suzanne was really appreciative about what I said though. I think I touched her with my kind words. I really hope that my sleep talking doesn't get as bad as to me starting to spill the beans now...like my true feelings on love!!! Because heaven forbid if any of my roommates find out that I really do have a crush on George Bailey from "It's a Wonderful Life" or Bert from "Mary Poppins"! Oops! Did I just say that out loud. So I guess what I'm trying to do now is pose the question "what other weird things will Mary say next"???