Summer of 62

Living with all my friends has made this summer so exciting and there is never a dull moment. Sadly we all have such different schedules and I feel like we hardly see each other but that makes living together so much more worthwhile. Needless to say we do not sleep much because by the time we all get off work it is pretty late and we are dying to have a little fun with each other. I love the girls I live with and am so thankful for them in my life.

7 peaks

BYU soccer game

We got to see Meggie!!

How pretty are these two?? Flip....

Getaway

Mckell, Cass, Nate and I packed up and headed to St. George and Vegas for a few days. It was a needed vacation and we all had so much fun. I loved spending one on one time with Mckell again and am so happy we got to bond once again.
I love being with Cass and I am so lucky to have her as my sister. She is so fun to be around and all I do is laugh when I am with her. I love being able to hang out with her and spend so much time together.
Nate is just so much fun. I got to know him so much better and appreciate him so much more. He is such a respectful guy and someone that we were able to have so much fun with. He was so nice to help plan the trip and make it all happen. Thanks Toad!

Scoot Scootin

St. George

Road tripin to Veggassssss

Serendipity. The best.

High Rollers while staying in the Trump hotel.

Nate and Cass

Round 2 of Serendipity.

Recap

Its me again!
Life has been crazy!

After spring break it was time to hit the books.

I studied and studied and studied.

I finished my first year of college! Woot!

I was so happy with my grades and test scores.

I moved back to Utah County.
It was so hard to leave all the people I've grown to love behind. I can't believe I am not going back.
I made that drive so many times and I am done making that journey.

Utah State was so good for me.

Leaving my friends and family behind was so hard. I never thought I could move away and be okay on my own.

I learned so many new things and had some amazing experiences in Logan. 

My testimony was strengthened and I was able to make some important steps in my life. My relationship with my parents become so much stronger and I was able to become more independent.

I learned a lot about myself and realized I have a lot to work on. I am far from perfect and have had to accept things I don't necessarily love about myself. 

I moved into an apartment in Provo.
I share a room with Rach and we are fulfilling our dream of living together.
I also live with Cam, Lexi, and Meg and we NEVER have a dull moment.
Mckell lives across the hall from me. I miss her like crazy but am glad we still live relatively close.

I got a new job.

I work at Desert Book and I really like it. My testimony has already been strengthened in the 3 weeks I have worked there and love incorporating the gospel into my job.

I got to go to St. George with Lexi and Cam a little bit ago. It was so much fun. We decided to leave one night and called and made hotel reservations packed up and left the next morning. It was so spontaneous and a much needed mini-vacation.

I am going to St. George/Vegas on Monday with Cass, Nate, and McKell. I am so excited!!

Life has been jam packed and I am enjoying every minute of it! 

Here's to a busy rest of the summer!

Spring Break

This year for spring break Meggie, Sam, Mckell, Meg, JD, Tavaris and I drove down to Huntington Beach, California to stay at JD's house for a week. It was so much fun!! JD's family was amazing!! They made us feel so welcome in their home and they were so nice to us. We went to LA one day, and Catalina Island for two. It was a much needed trip and I had so much fun!

Sam, me and Meggie

Meggie, Me, McKell, Tavaris, JD, Meg, and Sam at Huntington Beach

shopping at Fashion Island!

Me and JD

The group at Venice Beach

Catalina Island!!!

We rented bikes and rode around the island. So much fun!

Bonfire on the beach!

A lookout in Laguna beach called "Top of the World"

Dinner on the pier!

This trip was so much fun! It was such a bonding experience for all of us and I am so happy we had the opportunity to go. The weather was so warm and we tried to soak up the sun as much as we could! The Ogilvie family was so amazing and I am so thankful they let all of us crash there for a week! Now back to real life..

Summer Lovin'

Today we made huge plans!
Me, Rach, Cam, Lexi, and Meg signed up for an apartment this summer!
I cannot wait to live with my friends this summer!
We are going to have so much fun!
We are living in the King Henry apartments in Provo.
Here is to sleepless nights and amazing memories this summer!!

Called to Serve

Missions are amazing.
They give up two years of their lives to serve our Heavenly Father.
I love this quote: " A missionary leaves his family for two years so that other families can be with theirs for eternity!"
I firmly believe in this quote. The work the missionaries do is amazing and so selfless.
My two "brothers" recently got their mission calls.
Cody got called to serve in the Malaga, Spain mission leaving February 23rd. 
Clint got called to serve in the Rosari, Argentina mission leaving June 15th.
I am so proud of these boys! I love them so much!
I do not know what I am going to do without them for two years.
I know they'll be amazing missionaries!

Cody and I :)

Clint :)

One Word: Obsessed.

I got sick during Christmas break. 

After being sick for a few days I had watched all our new movies. 

I was in need of something to watch. 

I got on hulu and chose One Tree Hill.

That was all I needed. 

Since then, I have watched the first three seasons and am halfway through season four. I watch it every chance I get. 

Needless to say, I'm obsessed.

I believe in Me

For my English class we had to write an essay about what we believed in. This is what I came up with:

I believe in various things. For example, I believe I have a Father in Heaven. I believe in my family and friends. I also believe in love and happiness.  The list could go on and on. I believe in so many things, but I think they all are contributors to one belief. Most importantly, I believe in me. Believing in yourself is the foundation of life. Thankfully I have so many things that have helped me learn to believe in myself and have reminded me why I believe in myself.

            Growing up I have always struggled with having self-confidence. It was hard for me to put myself out there. I was always so scared of being judged or labeled. Until I finally realized that I am me, and that no one can change me, I came to see all the things that shape me.

            I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe in the gospel. I have always believed in it, but until March of 2010, I finally realized that it is truly what makes me who I am. By living the gospel, I have set standards. These standards affect what kind of friends I have, the parties I go to, and how I want others to think of me. At a church meeting last March, Elder Uchtdorf talked to the young women about their futures. He went on to talk about how we are living in our “once upon a time.” We, as daughters of God, are living the fairytales we have always dreamt about. He told us how much our Heavenly Father loves us and that we are special. Lastly, he told us we deserve to have a “happily ever after.” If we work hard in our lives and live righteously we will be blessed to have a perfect ending. This talk meant so much to me. I realized that I am special and that I deserve so much. My Heavenly Father believes in me so I need to believe in myself. If I can learn to believe in myself than I will have the life I dream about.

            My family is so dear to me. They have had a big impact on my life and who I am today. Having a family that loves and cares about me has been a big boost in my self-esteem. I have always known how much my family loves me, but recently is when it was proven to me. Life has given me its fair share of hard times and my family has never let me down. Having the support and back up from my family during all the rough times is what keeps me going. I have come to realize that if you mess with a member of the Christiansen family, you are messing with all of us. Watching how protective and caring my family has been for me is eye-opening. Knowing they love me gives me the boost I need to keep going through the hard times and appreciate them more during the not so hard times.

            Sometimes I forget that my friends are not my family. I have been lucky enough to be blessed with such amazing friends. These friends of mine are the people I can rely on for anything. I can cry on their shoulders, laugh until we cry, and lastly, they are my partners in crime. These friends of mine are such examples to me. Throughout high school, I had two best friends, Lexi and Rachel. Nothing could come between us. The fall after we graduated, we all went our separate ways. Each of us were going to different schools, and had very different lives. I was crushed. I was not sure what I would do without these girls. After moving away, I gained two new best friends. Utah State has shared its fair share of hard times for me, but it has also pushed me so close to McKell and Megan. Even though I am far away from Rachel and Lexi our friendship has not faltered. We are still close and I have the privilege of having two more friends I cannot imagine life without. These girls have pushed me to be the best I can be. They all are examples to me and I try to live up to them. Watching them progress in life makes me want to progress. These girls have never judged or labeled me. They have gotten to know and love me for who I am. I can truly be myself around these girls and I know that they care about me. The examples they set for me, and that they love me for who I really am reassures me that I am special and deserve so much. These girls have been so good for me and they help me stay focused and reach the goals I have set.

            Love is a complicated thing. It is hard to tell love apart from infatuation. Love is hard to find and takes a lot of work. No matter how hard love is, I firmly believe in it. I believe in loving who you are. Once you can learn to like yourself then you can learn to love others. You have to nurture yourself and care for yourself before you can take care of anyone else. Loving who you are is the most important thing.  Love is a beautiful thing and I have seen the benefit of love through family members. I have seen how hard you have to work to stay in love and to make love last. I believe that love can truly be long-lasting and that everyone deserves to love and be loved. All we have to do is learn to love ourselves and then we are ready to take the next step and love others.

            Happiness is so important. To be happy is something everyone deserves and strives for. Audrey Hepburn once said: “The most important thing is to enjoy your life- to be happy- it’s all that matters.”  We all work so hard to find the things in life that truly make us happy. I think happiness is different for each person. It does not matter how you find happiness as long as it is true happiness. In my life I have taken for granted the things that make me happy. I never realized or appreciated how happy the gospel, my family and my friends make me. They have all played a great role in my life. They have all given me the boost in self-confidence so that I can believe in myself. When I believe in myself I am truly happy.

            I am so thankful for the wonderful people in my life that love and care for me. Without the gospel, my family, friends, love, and happiness, I would not believe in myself. I have to work very hard at my self-esteem and I am so lucky to have so many things that help me see who I really am. I have to learn to believe in myself if I want to be happy. Life is really hard and can really tear me down. During the hard times, I need to remember who I am and what I stand for. By doing that, I can work on myself.  The most important thing in life is to remember that I believe in me.

Meet My Roommates

Me, Mckell, Sam, and Meggie

We even work out together :)

I was lucky enough to have these girls as my roomies. The four of us get along really well and I'm so happy we have gotten so close. We realized we had like no pictures together so one night we decided to start taking some. We decided to take funny ones because none of us were in the mood to try to take cute ones. All in all I am so happy that I lucked out with my roommates and I can't wait for the experiences we'll have this next semester!!