As it comes to a close...

My first semester of college ends in a week. This week has been so stressful, finals, packing, the sadness that comes with saying goodbye to my amazing roommates. Especially Andriene, because she's not coming back to us! :'( Our bedrooms look so lifeless with everything off of the walls. Although we liked the apartment that we lived in this semester, Crystal is most likely moving to The Pines, and Erica, Anna, Alli and I are looking at moving to Hillcrest Townhouse apartments for the next school year. I was looking at a study abroad for next fall, but I probably won't get to go because it's kinda pricey and I'm not sure how my credits would work out. That is what was really upsetting me last night because it is to the British Isles, and I've been dreaming of going there forever. I'm also stressed because I'm looking for a job and it's so hard to get one. It's so frustrating! It's hard packing, because I don't know how I brought so much stuff with me and I don't know how I am going to leave this place that I have come to love. Our apartment took Christmas pictures and they are hilarious! I'll attach a few to this post. I am so excited to go home and sleep in my fantastic bed and to finally get to paint again! I miss doing art sooooo much! I finally bought all of my family members Christmas presents! :) I need to go edit my English paper that's due tomorrow, so I'll leave you with some interesting Christmas pictures!

Merry Early Christmas!

Love, Sydney and Apartment 313

A nice break!

So today around 2 Crystal, Andriene and I left for Utah! We had such a fun time driving down together! I love those two girls! I am so excited to be with my family again! After not  seeing them for around 2 years, it's nice to be so close to them. I do miss MY family and I hope they pick a GREAT Christmas tree this year without me... I don't know how they are going to manage pick a good one without me! ;) I am so excited for Thanksgiving! I have no homework over the break besides interviewing my little sister Jordan for an English paper, but that's not really homework! While I am in Utah I really want to go to Temple Square! I love it there and it's all dressed up for Christmas! I can't remember the last time I saw it all decked out for the Holidays! I can't wait to hang out with my Aunts! They are all amazing and I have missed them soooooo much! The girls and I went bowling after FHE on Monday. Needless to say, I am much better and Wii bowling. But we had a great time! I am so going to miss Crystal and Andriene when we all go home! Especially Andriene, because she is not coming back to BYU-I! :( These two girls have become two of my very best friends and whenever I get married, I can guarantee that they will be in the bridal party! Speaking of getting married, I totally pranked my friend back home! I convinced him that I was engaged! That's crazy, I am not getting married at 18. Well I better go to bed!

Love

Sydney

And so the nostalgia starts!

Being at college has made me realize several things. First, I have a fantastic family. They are so amazing! Second, I am so grateful for my chores at home. Third, food is dang expensive! Fourth, I am  not good at staying stress free. I need to relax a bit. Fifth, I have come to appreciate how hard my parents work. I never had to worry about anything growing up. Sixth, high school was easy, in the way that I never had self esteem issues and I had good grades. I know I am pretty and that I am an amazing person, but there are so many amazing and GORGEOUS people here, that sometimes it's hard to feel fantastic about yourself. I have also realized that the gospel should be first in my life. If I put it first, everything else will fall into place. I have strengthened my testimony so much in the last 3 months I have been at school. It's amazing! I really do love Rexburg and I am sad to be leaving my friends! Especially because Andriene is not coming back to BYU-I after this semester. She is moving on in her career and going to a different school! I will always love her though! I am so excited to be going home to Wenatchee in less than a month. It's crazy to think that my first semester of college is nearly finished! Time has flown SO fast! I don't want it to end! I have had so much fun and I can't wait for my second semester!

It's been awhile!

Hello!

It's been awhile since I last wrote. Well I finally got my temple recommend! And it has been snowing on and off here for the last couple of days. My roommates and I decorated our apartment for Christmas and we have assigned Nov 8th to be our apartment Christmas day. I got sick again. Just barely after I got over my sinus infection, but it is just the flu. Last night Andriene had to go to the hospital for pain in her stomach. I think she is ok though. On Sunday I made dinner for us and our FHE brothers. I made a lasagna and rolls and candied squash! Yesterday we had FHE at the first counselor in the bishopric's house! He is super funny and his family is really nice! I'm doing alright in my classes. At this point I just want to go home. I miss my family and my home. I do really love it here, but I want my family. I am really excited to go back down to Utah for Thanksgiving! It will be so much fun! I can't wait! This Sunday we get to watch the re-dedication of the Boise Idaho temple! Well I am going to listen to my Mom and get something to eat so I don't get more sick than I already am.

Love,

Sydney

There's no place like home, and I'm feeling it.

I just want to go home. I miss my Momma and my Daddy and my little sisters and my big comfy bed and my annoyingly cute dog and cat. I miss my home. I don't want to be sick anymore. I want all the aches and pains to go away, as well as the horrible cough that attacked my lungs after I told the doctor I didn't have a cough. I want to cuddle up in my bed with my Momma's cross country quilt and pet my kitty and watch a movie on my laptop and just lay in my bed for hours. Then I want to hug everyone in my family and tell them how much i love them. I really miss my sisters. I want to be able to yell at them and tease them and hug them. I miss them so much! I just want my family. I want Jordan to glare at me for something I said, and I want Shelby to cry at something I said, even though I didn't mean it that way, and I want Kacey to say something that is so funny we eventually forget what she said, but we never forget how funny it was. I want my Mom and Dad to hug me. I just wish that I wasn't sick and that my family lived closer to me.

Sydney

And so begins the Winter season.

I have a sinus infection!! WHOOP WHOOP! I started feeling like crap the day before Halloween and then on Halloween life just sucked. So yesterday I went to the Doctors and finally got some antibiotics! I have to take three different kinds! Life is just fabulous right now! I'm  at the stage of being sick where everything aches and I'm shaking all the time. Last night I didn't have any homework (WHAT?!) so I went to be around 8:30 after I had taken like an hour long bath. I'm starting to feel a bit better with the help of my meds, but would you all keep me in your prayers?

On a happier note, I was Wendy Darling from Peter Pan for Halloween! Crystal was a Ladybug, Andriene was a Bumblebee, Erica was a Wizard dressing like a Muggle, Anna was a doll, and Alli was a Jack-o-lanter. We went and got Froyo in our costumes and then watched a scary movie called The Haunting in Connecticut. It was supposedly based off of a true story, but I didn't see it. It was good! And at night I'm a little freaked oiut, but I think that I'm getting used to scary movies! Which is weird! I'm growing up! I can go all the way to Utah by myself, I'm in College, and I can watch scary movies! Man! What an adult!

Today is great because my English class got canceled (that's not great) because my professor (I love saying that!) is going to a wedding in SLC. So that means I only have one class! But I do have to take my American Foundations test today... I am not looking forward to that! There are 70 questions and all of them are on the Constitution. Sitting down for that while I am sick is going to be hard.

Yesterday before my math class I was talking to a kid that sits behind me, and I'm not sure but I think he asked me on a date, but I already had plans. I felt bad, because he is super nice, but I guess I just wasn't supposed to go to that concert with him, because I got sick.

But while we're on the topic of dates, everyone back home who thinks I am going to get married soon, I haven't even been asked officially on one date yet, and I've been at BYU-I do for nearly 3 months! You better start praying for me! ;) Just kidding! I don't want to get married yet!

Well, I'm gonna go eat some delicious "I'm sick" food for breakfast and then drag myself to class!

I hope you all are feeling much better than me!

Love, Sydney

ughhh!

Now is the time of the semester when grades start to slip and you want to do anything but your homework. I think part of it is the colder weather. For me, all I want to do is curl up in a sweater with a cup of hot chocolate and read a book. Or, you know, take a nap. Yesterday Erica, Anna, Andriene and I went to a pet shelter to go volunteer. Really all we wanted to do was play with the kitties! But they were closed! :( There was one cat outside so we got to pet a cat! I really miss my kitty! This past weekend all my roommates (minus Alli) and I went down to Utah! It was so great! I surprised nearly all of my family, which was really fun! I can't wait to go back down for Thanksgiving! I realized the other day that last year at this time I was in way better shape than I am now, because of cross country. I really miss X-C. I do miss the running but I miss the team most of all! I can go running on my own here, but it's not nearly as fun, nor do I get to race!

Well, I'm cutting this short, because I have to go to Math! YAY! My class is 1 1/2 hours long, and it is my longest class, but at least after it I get to go to Devotional today and then go home! :)

Love,

Sydney

Who's there?

I am so glad that it is the weekend! I have something super fun planned! I stayed up way to late these last three nights. Last night Erica and Anna and I watched My Little Pony around midnight. I should not be allowed to talk to anyone past 10:30 at night, because I say weird things that are confusing and embarrassing. Mostly to me. I don't feel tired during the day, but I need to start going to bed earlier. Yesterday Anna, Erica and I went to go play laser tag, but we got lost and decided to just got get hot chocolate instead! That was still super fun! Anyway I was just wondering who, if anyone, is reading this? Is there anything you want to hear about?

Love,

Sydney

Stressing out!

Monday night was a horrible night. I was doing my math homework and I didn't understand any of it, I was freaking our because MyMathLab (online homework) rounds weird, so I didn't do well on that part of my homework, and the internet cut out in the middle of a quiz! Then to make matters worse, I was going to take my math test the next day. I cried myself to sleep I was so stressed out. But once again, my FHE brother has amazed me with how in tune he is with the spirit and it's promptings. I was just DONE with homework, I had given up, I was frustrated and angry, so I was watching Wall-E with Anna and Erica. And out of the blue I get a text from him asking how I was and we proceeded to have a very good conversation, which cheered me up. I am taking my math test today, I found the note card I thought I had lost, I am banking on the prayers that everyone has me in, and I am CALM. I am calm. I just have to keep saying that. CALLLLM.

News besides Sydney is freaking out, it snowed yesterday, but it didn't stick THANK GOODNESS! It should NOT snow until after Halloween! My goodness. Devotional yesterday was amazing and just what I needed. I love how things just seem to fall into place so often here, and I know it is because the Spirit is so strong here.

Well I should probably leave for my Book of Mormon class! I hope ya'll have a great day!

Love,
Sydney

Mittwoch! (means middle of the week auf Duetsch)

Hello! Today my roommates and I went to my friend Devon's soccer game! His team lost, but it was really fun! It is defiantly Fall! I wore my amazing yellow scarf and my pea coat! I love the Fall! The leaves are always so pretty and I love pumpkin a spice foods! This Saturday my roommates and our friend Emma are having a spa/girls day! It is going to be so good for us! We are all at the point of crankiness and we just need a day to pamper ourselves! I might be getting my hair dyed... We will see. Harry Potter is on ABC right now, and I couldn't watch it because I had to finish my Math project. I have to take an American Foundations test tomorrow and a Science test on Friday! We had our 3rd cleaning check today, and we pasted with flying colors! I am writing a paper on something that has changed in my lifetime, and my topic is. How has Harry Potter changed society? When I am finished writing it I might post a link on here! I am very proud of my rough draft thesis statement! Well I should probably go to bed because I have class at 9 tomorrow! Can you believe that is the earliest I have class? Thank you Dad for being a PRO at scheduling!

Love,

Sydney

P.S. I sent in my ballot today! I have voted for the first time! I feel like such an adult!

And the weekend is over...

Yesterday was really amazing! It was great just being away from Rexburg for awhile. I probably spent too much money, but I think I needed it. We went to Olive Garden when we got there and I had the yummiest food ever. It kind of reminded me of my favorite German Dish. It was spicy sausage and bell peppers and penne noodles with a creamy sauce. SOOOOO GOOD!!!! Then we went to the Grand Teton Mall and went shopping for 3 hours!! I had forgotten that I have been to that mall several times before! It was really fun! I bought 4 new books! The Selection by Kiera Cass, The essential tales and poems of Edgar Allan Poe, The Children of Odin Nordic Gods and Heroes by Padraic Colum, and Beowulf. I got three shirts at Hot Topic! One is Sleeping Beauty, an Avengers shirt, and a My Little Pony/Doctor Who (it is the pony Doctor Whooves.) I also got a super cute navy blue dress from Old Navy, and at Clair's I got a headband with a very large bow on it, some gold button-like earrings, and a sweet tribal like necklace. I got some new perfume at Bath and Body Works, and a super cute blouse with woodland creatures on it from Macy's.

It is always a great sight when we drive back into Rexburg, seeing the Temple set high on the hill! I love it! When we got home we had to rush to Saturday's Stake Conference session. It was pretty good. Then when we got home we watched The West Side Story and then Erica and I watched My Little Pony!

Well I should go get ready for Stake Conference now!

Happy Sunday! Love, Sydney

Weekend!

So yesterday three of my roommates went back to the haunted maze. I didn't go this time, because I was to afraid that the chainsaw guy, who called my name out creepily whenever he saw me, would be there again. Then when they got back my roommates watched a movie called The Unborn. We have been watching a lot of scary movies (It's October!) I didn't watch it though because I was sleeping. Yesterday I slept for 13 hours (A nap and then bedtime!) I think I finally flushed out whatever sickness I had! WHOOP!

In about an hour and a half we are going to Idaho Falls! It will be nice to get away for a bit. Yesterday night our YSA Relief Society President got engaged! Congrats Krsytal! I was going to buy J.K. Rowling's new book The Casual Vacancy. But I was reading some reviews on it, and apparently it has a lot of "adult themes". I know that it is an "adult book" but honestly, I get frustrated by all the JUNK that people put in their books. I also understand that she is trying to separate her new writing from Harry Potter. But one of my roommates compared it to when a Disney Channel star tries to get rid of their Disney Image. And the only way that they are doing that is by going completely crazy with "adult themes". 

Well that's enough ranting! Tomorrow we are having our stake conference! We have a session at 6 tonight! So that will be fun!

-Sydney

It's FRIDAYYYYY!!!!

I love my Friday schedule! I only have two classes and the first (American Foundations) is 11:30 to 12:30 and the second (Writing and Reasoning) is 2-3! It's great! I got a package from my Momma today! Which was perfect timing because I was just talking to my FHE brother, Braedon about how I just wanted my mom. He was making sure that I was ok, because I have been sick this week. It was really sweet. And I LOOOVED my sisters' school pictures! They are all so beautiful and I miss them all sooooo much! I miss the banter we have and the snarky comments we have for each other. I miss hanging out with them. I miss the silly things Kacey says and how driven Jordan is and how sweet Shelby is. Yesterday was my roommate Anna's 24th Birthday! We had a party for her and cake and tomorrow we are going to Idaho Falls to go shopping and we are going to take her out for lunch! It's going to be so much fun!

Today I have to give a presentation in my English 101 (writing and reasoning) class, and I am a little nervous, but my group has worked really hard and we should be prepared!

Well on that note I should go print out my stuff for our English lesson!

I hope ya'll have a great day!

-Sydney

College Life...

So I am still getting used to actually being on my own. I love it though! I miss my family and my fabulous bed, but I really love being at BYU-I. My roommates are my best friends and they are like my sisters. I absolutely love them. I also love our FHE brothers! They are so fun and it is nice to have someone teasing me. If I can't have my Daddy teasing me, my FHE brothers fill that spot nicely! I love campus! It is so beautiful and you can really feel the Spirit there. I love going to Devotional on Tuesdays! My classes are pretty good. Talking about classes I skipped mine today because I have come down with the flu. I was getting better, but then I stayed up way too late trying to finish homework and that just kicked me while I was down.

I'm still getting used to cooking for myself. I refuse to eat junk food. It makes me sick. So I have been eating fairly healthy, I just really miss my parents' cooking. I also get annoyed by doing laundry here. Lots of the time girls forget to come take their stuff out, so we wait and wait and wait. IT'S RIDICULOUS!

This last weekend we went to a haunted straw maze, I did okay for someone who gets scared really easily. Until the guy with a chainsaw started calling my name out really creepily. That just pushed me over the edge! I lost it. I sprinted away with my ears covered, and when we got cornered, I ran away, everyone behind us fell on Crystal and Andriene and I was in the corner with my ears covered crying/laughing hysterically.

Since I introduced two of my fabulous roommates I will tell you about all of them!
There are 4 of us from Washington! We are all in the same stake. There's Me, Alli, Erica and Arianna (Erica and Anna are sisters) and the other two wonderful girls are Crystal and Andriene. They are in the same stake in Connecticut. We get along fabulously. In fact we say mean things to each other and we aren't afraid of being ourselves! ;)

I received a calling in our YSA Ward. I am the Ward's Compassionate Service Coordinator. I'm not entirely sure what I am supposed to do, but I am willing to do what ever the Lord needs me to do. Speaking of the Lord, My roommates and I watched conference together and we were all pleasantly surprised at the Missionary age announcement. Anna is a return missionary and the rest of us are all freshman so we are thinking about serving. I would love to go on a mission but if that is not what the Lord has in store for me then that is perfectly fine. When I first heard the announcement I had been thinking about going on a mission about the week before. And then after conference it just hasn't felt as right as I think it should feel. That doesn't mean that I won't go on one later in life. Even if I don't go on one as a sister missionary, I want to go on one later in life with my future husband.

Now that the topic of boys has popped up, I will tell you that I have my first college crush. I am not saying who, but he is pretty awesome! You can text/facebook/email me if you want to know more!

Well, Alli and I are off to the store to get stuff for Anna's birthday and to make Sam (our FHE brother) some treats, for giving our cell phones back.

-Sydney

What I Wore: Friday August 10!

Today I recieved this AMAZING shirt in the mail from Forever 21 as well as an awesome Black Widow shirt! I love them both so much!

Shirt: Forever 21
Tank: Target
Shorts: Thrift store
Shoes: Urban Outfitters

P.S. I saw The Bourne Legacy today! AHHH IT WAS FANTASTIC!!! And I LOOOOVE Jeremy Renner so he made it that much more exciting!

What I Wore: Monday August 6th

Today was very eventful! I woke up around 10ish (oops!) and I went on a very nice run! My Dad's best friend and his family are here visiting, so we (the ladies) went shopping! I bought a lovely striped dress and a very cute yellow sweater with stars on it! I also got the cups pictured at the top of this post! Then my Momma and I went to shopko and bought a couch to put in our exercise room (ironic right?) And there I got a very nice backpack for college as well as a lovely leather jacket and AVENGERS PAJAMA PANTS!!! WAOOOOHHHH!!!!! So this was the outfit that I wore while doing all of this! And I must say this is one of my favorite outfits even though it's very VERY new! And my earrings match my shorts PERFECTLY!

Outfit Details:
Black tank: H&M
White top: Old Navy
Shorts: Target
Belt: Shopko
Shoes: Boutique in Germany
Earrings: Old Navy

P.S. sorry for the location! When I got around to taking these pictures it was dark outside and I didn't want to bother with my flash... so you get a tiny glimpse of my bedroom!

What I Wore: Sunday August 5th

I bought this dress this week and I love  it so much already! It is casual enough to wear on its own with a pair of sneakers, but it is also dressy enough to wear to a party or to church! I adore the color! Red, any shade of it, makes me feel so confidant! I especially love the persimmon-y shade that this dress is in. The dress also comes in white, black, dark jade, and cream.

Outfit Details:
Dress: Target
Shoes: Payless
Necklace: Rue 21
Earrings: Mueller (a FABULOUS store in Germany)

Hair Details: French braid with bangs clipped back in a snap barrette.

A Good Pair Of Heels Can Change Anything

Being 5'2" has one advantage, I get to wear heels nearly all the time and not be taller than my date! It's fabulous for a girl who has more heels than her father would like. I love the power a good heel gives. They make your legs look long and endless and beautiful. They also give the illusion of me having pretty ankles. I am a runner so my calves kinda take up my ankles! :(  These three pairs are some of my favorite heels! The gold glittery pumps are from JC Pennys, The open toed ones are from Payless, and the Wedges are from Old Navy!

WOW!! Blast from the past!

This picture is at least two years old! Judging by my hair cut it was my junior year in high school so... 2010!
Outfit Details:
Shirt: H&M
Tank: H&M
Necklace: Walmart (WHAT? I know right!)
Skirt: Mom's closet
Headband: Clair's
Belt: Little sister's closet
Shoes: Old Navy
bracelets: Clair's, Italy, San Fransisco, made by my friends!
Vest: Target

Prom!

 This is me, my exchange sister Nina, and my best friend Alli! This was taken before our senior prom! My dress is a thrift store find that my mom bought to use as a Marilyn Monroe costume! For my hair I Wave crimped it and then tucked it into my headband, with the aid of nearly 40 bobby-pins! I wore earrings and a bracelet from Payless which is where my shoes were also from! My headband was from Clair's.

What I Wore: Saturday July 28th

Sorry about the location... I was so busy today that when I *finally* got to take pictures it was dark outside, plus I was home alone so I didn't want to venture further that my front yard! Today I wore A LOT of Old Navy! My shirt, pants and earrings are all from there! I'm not sure if you can tell, but my earrings have HORSES on them!!! My shoes are by the Buffalo brand and they come from Austria! When I was in Germany last summer I tried to buy some, but I couldn't find the right color in my size! Luckily I have an AMAZING exchange sister who bought some for me! LOVE YA NINA!!!

What I wore: Sunday july 29th

 I got this skirt at target last spring and I just adore it so much! it has pockets and it is a light silky fabric that is sooooo nice for summer! It is a beautiful indigo color and it has cute little magenta keys on it. My shirt is my mothers, that I will dearly miss when I leave for college in the fall. My earrings look vintage, but in all truth they are from... OLD NAVY! And my shoes are several years old and from Payless. I have had a lot of good times with those shoes! And I rocked a top knot bun today! And let me tell you, taking my hair out of that bun felt wonderful! Today was also the first full day I was on my own while my family is on their camping trip ( I couldn't go because of work... but I did finish cherry season on Monday!)

cookie dough!!!!

look what my lovely mother made for me to eat on this fine summer afternoon!!!

Movies

All right people, name some movies that you think I would enjoy watching... I need to educate myself in the world of movies seeing as my answer to the question "have you seen this?" is usually "No..." and GO!

What I Wore last week

Last Week

This outfit was a YAHOO I HAVE NO MORE WORK FOR TODAY! outfit!

This shirt is the softest fabric I have ever worn! It's from Urban Outfitters

This Headband was given to me by my aunt, she got it in Italy!

This is my watch, I always wear it! And the leather bracelet is from the same aunt from the same trip to Italy!

Bracelet: Boutique in France and  Ring: H&M 

What I wore today! (Sunday July 22)

 So my birthday was on the 14th! And I got a bunch of new clothes! YAY!! The shirt is from Old Navy, the Skirt is also from Old Navy and the Scarf is from Germany (I got it at H&M) and the Sandals are from Target... I got them from the kids section...  :)

This location is in my backyard under our deck! I thought it was a very nice place! And it was really cool which was nice for the hot summer day that is today! :)