I Feel Pretty

I'm just going to resurrect two of my favorite commercials. Aren't days when you feel like this the absolute best?

No-Money November

Pinterest

"One of the better ways to simplify our lives is to follow the counsel we have so often received to live within our income, stay out of debt, and save for a rainy day. We should practice and increase our habits of thrift, industry, economy, and frugality. Members of a well-managed family do not pay interest; they earn it." L. Tom Perry, "Let Him Do It With Simplicity," November 2008 Ensign

I think I've mentioned this before, but for the last couple of months I've been taking care of myself financially (except for my foot. Thank you, parents, for paying that little medical bill). But school, gas, food, and rent have come out of my pocket. And while it can be tough, it's been really fun! I feel like a real adult, learning how to budget and save. My Personal Finance class has definitely been a huge help, as well. Because of this, I decided to do a little challenge next month. I'm going to call it No-Spend November. I'm not going to buy anything except the essentials: food, gas, and rent. No clothes, no toys, nothing. I want to see if I can do this for a whole month. Want to join me? Leave a comment at the bottom and we'll work on it together. I'll even post tips and tricks I've found to help you save some dinero every day. Here's to saving!

Awkwards and Awesomes

I've always liked reading the Awkward and Awesome posts that other bloggers have done in the past, but I've never really jumped on that bandwagon. Until now. My life has been so great/bizarre/scary/uplifting/confusing that I have to share. Drumroll please.

Awkward:

- Catching two people you know make out in their car. In the parking lot. In broad daylight. No dears, don't stop to wave to me. As you were.

- Walking past a couple breaking up in the library. THE LIBRARY? Honey, if he's going to break up with you in the BYU library, where everyone can see you, you don't want to be with him anyway. Although in his defense maybe he decided to do it there so she wouldn't cause a scene.

- Falling asleep in my Linguistics class (after a night of 8 hours of sleep, mind you), only to wake up because my leg twitched and kicked the seat in front of me. Hard.

- Learning how to walk again after removing my medical boot FOR GOOD. I walk like a duck now.

- Making a phone call at work to a person named "Charles Sheen" and wanting really badly to ask if he was winning.

- Having a girl from my home ward come up to me on campus and calling me "Whitney," who is my sister. I didn't correct her and pretended, in fact, to be Whitney. Guess that's more awkward for her than for me.

- Rocking out to Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" in my car at a stoplight, only to realize that a group of guys in the car next to me were pointing and laughing.

- Speaking in Sacrament Meeting with my Relief Society presidency, all of us with the same topic. And then realizing my entire talk was given before I even got up to speak. I don't do well making things up as I go.

Awesome:

- Going to a Stake Relief Society fireside only to be told exactly what I need to hear. Life is good!

- Discovering WinCo and all the money it saves me.

- Getting the afore-mentioned medical boot off FOR GOOD!

- Costa Vida dinners with my friend Kaitlin. And opening up a Costa Vida points card because we all know I keep them in business.

- Knowing that my mom and little brother are coming to visit me this weekend. Hooray! I need my mom.

- Finding the best place to buy clothes. Maybe if you're nice I'll share my secret.

- The Fall leaves in Provo Canyon. I don't think I've ever seen anything as beautiful.

- Halloween is 11 days away! What are YOU going to be?

There you have it. My life is awkward and awesome. I would say about 60% awkward and 40% awesome.

Of Being Happy

Here's to another week of being happy.

1. Packages in the mail from Mom.

2. General Conference.

3. WinCo. It's a bit of a drive, but definitely worth the savings every once in a while.

4. After today, I won't have to speak in Sacrament meeting for a long time to come. Hopefully.

5. Stake Relief Society firesides in which the speaker says exactly what I needed to hear. There's nothing wrong with being unmarried at 22!

6. Knowing that I might get to visit Washington, D.C. in the Spring. D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival, here I come!

7. Knowing that Thanksgiving in Lake Tahoe is getting closer and closer by the minute.

8. Internship interviews! Not so happy: waiting to hear back from them.

9. Father of the Bride parts 1 and 2 on Netflix.

10. Finally being able to exercise again after this darn foot injury.

What makes you happy?

I'm a Mormon

This is great.

To find out more about what I believe, visit mormon.org

GC Weekend

I had a lovely little weekend. I spent the majority of it watching General Conference. It was perfect. Cinnamon rolls, warm Fall weather, and even a session at the Conference Center made it the perfect weekend. I think the most exciting thing, however, is that President Monson announced that Provo will be getting a second temple! The Provo Tabernacle, which burned down last year, will be renovated and turned into a new temple. Here's what it is supposed to look like:

Isn't it beautiful?

Here are a few other images from the weekend. I wish General Conference was held four times a year instead of just twice.

Stowaway

Hi there folks,

I want to take a quick second to tell you about the magazine I'm working for this semester, called Stowaway. This is a completely student-run magazine, and it's for my editing capstone class. Stowaway is a travel magazine for college students and young adults, and let me tell you, it's a really cool magazine. We feature stories from places all over the world as well as cool ideas for what to do in those places. I'm currently working as a writer and as the Senior Features editor, and it has been an amazing experience so far.

The Stowaway staff is really trying to push our advertising for it, so if you like me, please take a peek! Visit stowawaymag.com and like it on Facebook. The Fall issue will be rolling out next week, and it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. We're also holding a photography contest. If you have any neat travel photos, submit them to stowawaymag@gmail.com by October 14, 2011. If you are selected you'll be published in the magazine next year!