Christmas

yes it is indeed 3:40 in  the morning on Christmas day!  Of course my parents are still awake but I'm going in to sleep with TJ in just a few minutes.  I love being home for Christmas. My mom is crazy about holidays and traditions and it's great. We always frost cookies, always look at lights, always have a big Christmas eve dinner, go to midnight mass, play games, and stay up super super late wrapping presents and finishing the final touches on presents. I love it! 
    Bill, Allison, Karen and Matt came over for dinner before mass. It was good to hang out with them and be friends. Then Derek Montgomery and James Carrigan came to Midnight Mass with us.  I was happy they came. I think they enjoyed it. I hope they did anyway. They came back with us and frosted some cookies before going home.
    Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight :)
~Erin

growing.

I no longer like the word "change".  I like to think of people as they are "growing".  and part of that growing means that my best friend is ENGAGED.  Tiffany Earl is engaged to Mark whom she's been dating for over 2 years now. It's crazy to look back on the past 14 years of our friendship and see how we've grown as girls.  I really do love her no matter what and I want the best for her. I'm so thankful that I'm not at that point in my life but I do wish them the best and am so happy for them. Cheers!!!

the last three days

           It was a great weekend. I worked for Grant Friday morning baking 16 batches of sugar cookies, 6 batches of mint brownie cookies, 6 batches of shortbread cookies and did more chocolate dipped pretzels.  So much baking! Good thing I don't eat white flour our I'd be HUGE working for him. After that I went to Park City to babysit. The family had a boy and girl but the girl had 3 of her ice skating friends over for the evening.  Their dad built a little ice rink in their back yard. I happened to have my skates in the car so the kids begged me to skate with them. I got on and spun them around. They loved it and seeing their faces was priceless. I thank God for letting me stay healthy and skate all these years so I can play with kids like this. The girls talked all night about skating and it made me think of all the sleepovers, camps, competitions, clinics, movies, practice sessions, seminars and classes that I have experienced with my best friends Angie, Caitlin, Kylee and Tiffany.  Some of us have known each other since we were 5 years old and have experienced so much together. The girls I babysit have no clue where there life is headed the next 11 years.  Skating is incredible and has taught me more about life than anyone or anything could have. Determination, persistance, dedication, passion, and love are just some of the qualities I have learned from the sport. Thank you to my parents for always supporting me through my journey as a figure skater.  After skating outside with the kids we went in to make Ginger Bread houses.  Their dog had thrown up twice so I had to clean it up. Yuck. Those of you who know me know that I do not like dogs/animals for that matter. I don't mind throw-up so I just took care of it.
        After babysitting I went to Yogurt Stop to meet up with Steph, Miranda, Katie Tominoga, and Anna Cassell.  It was so so good to see Steph and Miranda. I gave them big hugs! Allie Thorpe was also there with her ring. So insane that she's getting married. Grant was there too and they've set a date for their wedding in June. Us five girls went to see New Years Eve. It was an awesome movie. We all liked it a lot. I always snort when I laugh so I had to plug my nose during the movie to be sure not to upset anyone.  I want to start a list like they did in the movie.
      Saturday I went to the ice rink for a little bit and then went to get my car washed. It was super dirty and Tyler Gee was so nice and said he'd wash it for free. So nice of him!  It's now clean.  Saturday night I babysat for a different family in Park City. Their kids are so cute and they went to bed really early. 
      Sunday I baked a lot with my momma.  We made caramels, fudge, cookies, and truffles. Hopefully everything tastes great. I ate way too many sweets yesterday and had to take a break today. I also babysat yesterday for a little while watching a 4 month old boy. We took a little nap which was nice.  I baked once I got home until 1am just listening to some good old Keith Urban.
       Today I worked for Grant for a few hours putting together pretzel boxes. I then went and babysat the 4 month old again. Tonight mom and I went shopping and I got more cute clothes at Old Navy. It's great because I got lots of sweatshirts and coats.     

Tonight.....I cut 10 inches off my hair.  It was the first hair cut/trim since July 15, 2010 when I cut off 12 inches.  I donated it to Locks of Love.  There are so many people in my life who have lately been affected by cancer and this is the least I can do. Cindy Wallace, Richard Tamburrino, Julie Overholt, Jolyn Hansen, and more.  It seems like more and more each day I hear of cancer patients and my life is so good. I don't have any major problems and I thank the Lord for that. This is my way of hopefully being able to brighten someone's day.

great day

Yesterday was a great day....
       I got to sleep in until 7:30 ha and then went to work for Grant (the caterer).  I made gift boxes and delivered them to a restaurant.  I came back and finished up a few things and had teriyaki  chicken and rice for lunch.  I came home to hang out before going skating.  Tiff came and skated! So much fun since I haven't skated with her in months.  We're going to do a show program with us 2 and Angie at Park City's Christmas show which will be loads of fun.  Tiff and I went shopping at Khols, Dollar Tree and then the good ol Thrift Town.  Kohls had some great deals. I never fully appreciated all that Dollar Tree has to offer and am definitely going to go there more often.  At thrift town I bought an awesome sweater that I'm stoked to wear and a really cool windbreaker.  Life is good.  I'm excited to do more thrifting over break.
      I got to hang out with Cole after that and that was really great. It was so so good to see him and his family. We went to Mocha Salsa, well it's called Hector's now, and ate.  I was supposed to buy him dinner for his birthday since when we skyped he was eating a burrito but the silly boy bought. What a good guy.  We drove around aimlessly after sitting at Hector's for awhile and then drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon.  I haven't been up there since August so that was cool and the sky was so clear. It was 16 degrees though so we didn't really walk around, just sat in the car and talked. It's crazy to think that we've been friends since 7th grade and to see how much each of has grown is really cool.  Considering this break is the last time that I'll see him in at least 2 years makes me realize how much some people mean to me.  I can't believe that we're to the age of him going on a mission.  We've done such fun things in the past 7 years and they're memories that I'll never forget like prom, jumping on the tramp, celebrating my 16th birthday, Sweethearts, lacrosse state games, AP American online tests every Sunday, driving around in the jeep, MUN.....So many fun times.

It was a great day to see 2 friends that I haven't seen in awhile; two friends that I really like and wanted to see.

  Me, Tiff, and Ang...friends forever

 

I miss.....

Maybe I should start posting on here more often since I don't always get around to writing in my journal and I'm so much faster at typing even though no one knows about this blog.  

Anyways....

   I am home and have been for 2 weeks now. It's still pretty unreal. I go to the ice rink, the post office, Smiths or anywhere else and it's weird because it seems like just yesterday this was my normal routine when really this hasn't been my routine for 3 months now.

   Basically I

     MISS

       SCHOOL

            A LOT

I knew I didn't really want to leave. I mean I wanted to see my family and some of my friends but I really truly have never felt more like I belonged at a place than I do at school. The people make me feel great. Everyone there is committed to improving themselves and the world and I truly feel that.  Even though people smoke and drink and party they manage to get their schoolwork done and community service, or at least donate blood, or money to charity, or sign a petition.  I have no doubt in my mind that future presidents of companies, lawyers, doctors, roller coaster engineers, leading psychologists, professors, data analysts, ministers, quantum physicists, celebrity wedding planners, and world savers are at my school.  My classmates are incredible. I love that each one of us come from such a different background and the one thing we all have in common is the fact we're at the same school.  From there it is easy to learn all the commonalities we have.  I miss the days of 10 of us sitting around listening to Garret play country songs on his guitar and all of us singing.  I miss Billy picking me up for no reason and carrying me down the hall on his back while I laugh.  I miss late night study sessions with Landan until we fall asleep.  I miss playing lacrosse with Ali and Susie. I miss baking with Allison. I miss Scotie picking on me. I miss cutting Jordan's hair in the bathroom after going to the gym. I miss riding bikes with Annie to South HS to tutor. I miss building a crane with Ali and Irene. I miss sharing cds with Dylan. I miss editing Conor's essays. I miss face massages with Claire. I miss seeing Hannah E. and giving her a big hug. I miss making smoothies with Wes. I miss telling a bedtime story to Nick Y. I miss going on runs with James. I miss late night talks with Cody about life goals and dreams. I miss Brittney's crazy great drama. I miss younglife Hannah B. I miss hiking with Annie. I miss Target runs with Austin. I miss eating mangos with Ryan. I miss 7-11 hot chocolate runs with Lizzie. I miss Ab Blast with Alex C. I miss brushing my teeth with Jill.  I miss Gage's big hugs. I miss Tatered Cover with Mia. I miss Safeway runs with Richard. I miss talks with Abhi in the hallway. I miss Keiryn's smiling face. I miss Megan N. randomly visiting our room. I miss ice skating with Mallory. I miss Schutte's Mumford and Sons music. I miss Jessie's sweet voice. I miss Darla getting into football. I miss being up at pi am with Jolysa. I miss Trey coming back after a late night, having a smile on his face and talking to me. I miss seeing Mike before early morning class look 3/4 asleep. I miss Megan M's drawings. I miss Kristen saying "good morning." I miss eating ice cream with Becky. I miss talking about baseball with Nick T. I miss going through rush with Alex J. I miss Zach and his smile. I miss doing dishes with Emily Y. I miss seeing Max freak out about his owl being missing. I miss seeing Chris B. asleep on the couches. I miss saying hi to my neighbor with the same name, Aaron, and eating Baskin Robins. I miss hearing "Honeybee" and rushing to tell Chris S. that I just heard it. I miss Sophia's gorgeous smile. I miss always seeing Jenny with food from restaurants. I miss Constantine coming in to talk or say hi. I miss retreat with Chelsea. I miss going to the La Quinta with Collin. I miss spending 24/7 with Paul fighting like brother and sister. I miss Quinn always helping me with engineering. I miss hearing Clair's crazy stories from her nights and laughing with her. I miss surprising Anna in her room when she's always busy. I miss Matt I.'s positive attitude. I miss Alise jumping up and down the hall. I miss Thomas being studious and proactive. I miss Tahia's accent. I miss seeing Raine asleep at 8pm. I miss Alec watching sports. I miss Matt A. having peanut butter pretzels to share. I miss Connor being so patient with engineering homework. I miss Brendon driving around his robot. I miss cracking Casey's back. I miss making healthy sandwiches for Silas. I miss seeing Elizabeth and giving her cookies while she studies. I miss eating at the pub while writing a 17 page research paper with  Julia and Charlie. I miss skating pictures with Sam I miss listening to Trevor Hall with Tyler. I miss Benny’s Mexican dinner with Libby. I miss going to engineering club with Wyatt.  I miss Joi at retreat always being positive. I miss listening to Jared say something awkward. I miss celebrating as Matt A. became a black belt. I miss being a sorority sister with Blair. I miss Michaela blasting her music.  I miss seeing all of Taylor's beautiful scarves. I missing seeing Aihui in the library in the wee hours of the morning. I miss watching movies with Ciera cuddled under blankets. I miss listening to Mike play viola. I miss trips to Wendy’s and Nuva with Maddie.. I miss zumba with Taryn. I miss talks with Rylie on the ice. I miss pasta dinner with Alex M’s house. I miss sharing a bed with my incredible roommate, Rachel, who’s seen do yoga on our floor, bake cakes, read stories, cry over not wanting to leave, try on a million outfits and laughed until I cry. I miss everyone more than words can describe.  These people have all inspired me and made me a better person. We’re all so different and unique which creates for quite the mix of attitudes, interests and opinions.   The 11 weeks while I was at school were the best of my life. I hope the rest of college is like this.

It's 2:43am before finals

It is 2:43am and I'm lying on the PLP lounge floor studying calc.  It sucks that this is my last night here. My emotions are crazy; I want to go home, no I want to stay, I need to do amazing on this calc final, I don't need to study for engineering, I want to not look like an idiot on engineering, I hope I did great on Anthropology this morning, I haven't started packing, there are people I don't want to leave, the dishes aren't done, I don't have time to rest when I get home, I feel sick from all the crap food I've eaten lately and the amount of food I've had, I want to skate.  Ahhhhhhhhhh.  Basically I'm going to miss so many people here it's unreal. I'm so sad to leave and it sucks that tonight I've had to spend it studying.  I hope everything is fine.  I know that everything happens for a reason so I'll keep thinking that. off to more studying.....

Be nice

 I have struggled with this concept my whole life.  Why can't everyone be nice to one another?  Why did God create some people that aren't nice?  I hate when people say mean comments to one another or about each other. Aren't we all here for the same purpose? To be happy, healthy,  satisfied, and loved.  So if we're all in it for the same reasons than why are some people not very kind?

Always Awake

Most people swear I never sleep.  It's 1 am.  Last night I went to bed at 2:30.  I can see why this is true.  It was a Friday night and I stayed at the dorms to get stuff done.  I went to the gym though and it was glorious.  I'm reading a book called One Day and I read it while on the elliptical.  I took a shower and got some homework done but now I'm redoing essays that are due tomorrow.  We leave tomorrow morning to go on our PLP freshman retreat.  I'm really excited for it it's just it's in the middle of midterms so it's stressful, but it'll be a good stress relief. I am working on a paper for my First Year Seminar Class about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that has been in the military for 17 years saying gays could serve as long as they don't act on their feelings.  I can't believe I'm always doing homework.  Hopefully it pays off.  I love it here though
         I found out tonight that Allie Thorpe is engaged! Yep she got engaged today to Grant.  So insane to think about.  I've known her since I was 5.  I'm really happy for her.  I'm glad I'm not getting married but I am excited for her.
          I also met a guy today who is from Salt Lake and played lax at Waterford.  I've met him before but never asked where he was from.  He knows a bunch of people from Brighton so we talked and it was funny.  Small world.
     I'm off to fix my papers.  Night night!

late night at the library

So basically it's 1am and I'm in the library.  There are actually about 15 people here.  I am overwhelmed well actually I just feel like I don't have a purpose in this life right now.  All I want is to be helping people. Send me to Haiti right now to play with orphans, let me go teach in the Mississippi Delta, allow me to make blankets for Shriners Hospital.  Anything to help people.  My life has been filled with so much great fortune and there are so many people who are trying to feed a family for $1 a day. There are millions of people world-wide without a roof over their heads and here I am spending $50,000 a year on school.  What am I getting out of it? Sure a ton of lifelong friends, relationships, fun, learning about myself, gym time (oh wait I never have time for that because of homework), baking cakes, celebrating for birthdays. What more could one need right? Well I need more than this to feel like I'm doing something for the greater good.  I sit in class and hear lectures about topics that aren't very prevalent to my tastes. I ask God for an answer of how to guide my life.  I'm drained because I don't feel useful.  
1:49am- I am still here.  I started falling asleep but now I'm wide awake.  I'm sitting next to a man who is blind.  My life is so incredibly great and full of opportunity and hope.  Why do I need to write this paper about Gay and Lesbians and the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law?  Why can't I just talk with this man, or make blankets or tutor people?  
3:05- well now I think I'll go take a nice nap for 4 hours before the day starts again.  How long am I going to do this to myself?  I am so fortunate to have this education sometimes it gets tough though.  I'll have a nice walk in the 50 degree weather back to the dorm. Time for a little bit of sleep. Nighty night