A Much Belated Valentine's Day Post...

I know it's almost March and Valentine's Day was like... 2 weeks ago. But, that is beside the point.

I got on and read Susan's blog about the cookies she had made and that quickly jogged my memory... I forgot to blog about... THE cupcakes.

These aren't your average cupcakes. Nan ordered "the pinkest icing you have" from the store. Not a tiny carton but, a giant tub. And I mean giant. It weighed easily 5-10 pounds. Anyway, it came and I was astounded. Nan asked Leslie and me to go ice the cupcakes for the Colloquium tomorrow.
*side note. Colloquium is like when a speaker from another school comes and gives a lecture on something to the graduate students and any physics professor who wants to join. We normally make lunch for all of them. It's every Wednesday.

Anyway, she asked us to ice the cupcakes that would be the dessert. I had the honor of opening up what the store had labeled "neon pink" icing.

It was neon. It stained my hand in seconds. It stained anyone's mouth who even thought about eating one. The pictures really don't capture just how BRIGHT this icing was. I tried really hard. But, it was just SO bright. I mean when you blinked or looked away you saw it's negative. It was so crazy!

I can't imagine how much food coloring went into the tub of icing. Or how many of those graduate students are going to be diabetic after eating one of those.

I took plenty of pictures. So... enjoy. :)

Oh. And Happy Late Valentines Day.

The Icing!

Thanksgiving Break!!

I want to be more creative and less "loggish," but how do you tell about an elapsed period of time without it coming off as a planner or schedule of your day to day life? Easy, you post pictures and tell a story about them. Right? I dunno. But, who cares that is how I am doing it!

The above pictures are of my mom, Marissa, me and my Aunt Brenda. :) We all were wearing black except Mariss who must not have gotten the memo ;) and took some pictures. Someone had the brilliant idea that our heads should all touch... so you get the first picture of me making it so each of our heads touch. Those 3 women are some of my closest family, friends and supporters (cheerleaders?). I love them more than I could ever write about.

Oh brother! Oh brother. Oh brother. I have to say it 3 times because... I have 3. I love these guys! Having Hayden and Blake out for even just a short period of time was much needed! I miss them all the time! They are wonderful boys. We toured Rexburg because Hayden may be at school there next year! He already got in! Stud huh? And Chase, is one of my best friends. He is always there when I need him. I loved having Living Prophets with him and being able to hear his testimony on a daily basis. He is an amazing man!

Me and my dad got to bond on Tuesday! I took a nasty fall snowboarding. First they thought I had a concussion, then they suspected a fractured C2 on my spine. All jibberish to me... but, it was enough to land me on a backboard and a fun ride in the ambulance! Party! :) My dad was so sweet and stayed with me the whole time. He has always been such a wonderful example of the type of man I hope to marry. He is also the very best man I know. And, I am sure he is up there on most everyone's list! I love him. I was able to receive a priesthood blessing from him and Chase. Afterwards the doctors came back... said "Wow! Nothing is wrong. We can give you the all clear!" And thus ended the bonding time that Chase, Me and my parents had shared. 

I guess the first picture should have come a little sooner. But, that is us snowboarding. It is missing Terry and Hayden. I know Terry took the picture... so I am confused as to where Hayden went?

I got a cute new sweater from H&M from my Mom. :) She's the best.

I went out for a night on the town with Mariss, a boy she "met" snowboarding and Tim. Tim and I went as friends, and guardians to protect my cousin if he turned out to be shady. Tyler was actually quite nice and the 4 of us had a good time. It was very bittersweet. I did have fun. But, memories came flooding back of William and our adventures at the Nicklecade and gallabanting nonsensically throughout Provo. Anyway, it was way fun! We went to dinner and I had greek for the first time... it was pretty good. Then we went laser tagging and played arcade games. It was actually a really good date idea for those of you who are looking to take that special someone somewhere fun for the holidays. ;)

I loved having my family come up. It's really sad without them just around the corner! I love being at college but, I do wish that they were closer than a 3 day car ride or a 300$ plane ticket away. Kinda stinks. They are amazing!! 

I loved having my mom there. Even if I was second best to someone else (sorry low blow? ;)  ) I absolutely loved every minute I had with her alone. 

I concluded my break with a trip to Salt Lake City to see the lights. It was for FHE on Monday night. I took these pictures cause they reminded me of my family. Because, at one point we were going to go see them together. They were beautiful!

The annual pink lights that remind me so much of my perfect mother. :) 

Other random facts from my break:

• The Gantts and Martins also came and spent Thanksgiving at the Millgates. 
• I got to meet Mariah for the first time!
• The Gantts brought Georgia.
• I was sick most of the break. Boo.
• My mom made dumplings for the first time... they sound better than they look. And I am sure tasted amazing!
• I went bowling, mini golfing and drove bumper cars... all in one day. A marathon event... yes. Well worth it? Strictly for the company!
• I got to see Chantelle and her cute apartment.
• I got to tour BYU-I and saw, kensington gardens and the mayan ruins. Didn't know they had those there did you?
• I GOT TO SEE MY AWESOME FAMILY!!!

Christmas break can't get here soon enough! :) I miss them already. 

October... Oh how I HaTe Halloween...

October is a wonderful month for fall, scenic drives and cute Fall clothes. It's also a month of midterms and the dreaded (probably only by me) tradition... Halloween.

Halloween brings about unneeded stress of picking out a costume.

I don't ever know what to be. Because I'm not creative and not innovative. especially where clothing and costumes are concerned..

Any ideas?

Luckily my mom sends me cute decorations or I would be even more out of luck! :)

This is a quick post and I have 2 pictures. I have 3 decorations... But, Jenna was sleeping when I left so I could turn on the light so you can see the third.

The third item is a cute wooden standup thing that says Boo! And it's straddles a bucket of chocolates me and Jenna bought for the room.

Here are the first 2:


Jealous? :) so cute! I love my mom.

Ps did anyone else watch the presidential debate? :)

Post 2 for the day.

The. Chase. Giler's Birthday. Not just any birthday... his 22nd Birthday. We celebrated it the way all birthday's should be celebrated.... with some of our favorite people. We drove up Friday night and went out to eat in Ogden. Cafe Rio. It was my first experience there... I prefer Costa Vida. Chase prefers Qdoba. Haha

Then we met up with our WoNdeRFuL Aunt B. :) The two of us sang to Chase and watched as he opened his presents. It was good to be with them. It was a much needed break from the chaos, confusion of stress that Provo and BYU seem to tag along.

I took pictures as he opened each gift. But, he's a goof head so not all of them turned out... good for the public eye. So, here is a collection of the better ones.

Eating. And opening the long awaited box of gifts!

His birthday Cupcake! (Our favorite muffins ever!)

Mom and Dad's letters.

Dad's... on Gexpro stationary.

Mom's covered... so no one can read it. 

Water.

Last night we had pancakes with our FHE brothers. We postponed FHE from Monday to Tuesday because all the girls were going out. We had pink pancakes (courtesy of Sam's mom) and pink hot chocolate (courtesy of my mom). 

The Pink pancakes. :)

Ariana with the pink hot chocolate!

Both of them together. Ha

We were hanging out and talking afterwards when Alex pulled out his laptop. He pulled up a website with a hydration calculator on it. 


For those of you who don't know what that is (I didn't really know what he was talking about at first) it's a calculator that takes your weight, exercise, elevation etc... into effect and tells you how much water you should be drinking everyday. 


I was interested. Thinking along the lines of I would have to drink like a liter a day or something I said "Do me!"


I was told that because of all of my factors I was to drink... 2.2 Liters a day. Of water. That is a LOT of water! I calculated it out... and that is 4.4 of my little Dasani water bottle I refill everyday. I don't think I drink 2 liters of anything ever in a day. But, I decided I would try it out today because it's supposed to help you lose weight, stay awake, and just be healthier! Wish me luck. I've had 1.5 little water bottles to drink so far and have had to pee just once. I'm dreading that part of this experiment.


I have also developed a dislike for plain water after chugging the first one bottle to get it out of the way. And now. Some cool facts about water and the body! :)


Water's effect on the body:

1. Brain. Brain cells that have plenty of drinking water are able to circulate fresh, oxygen-laden blood more readily. The brain remains fresh and alert. Even a small drop in drinking water levels can make your brain's performance level drop as much as 20 to 30 percent!

2. Muscles. Muscle cells with a ready supply of drinking water are able to work longer without tiring. Water delivers a continuing supply of oxygen to muscles. If you are exercising in warm weather, your muscle will need more drinking water every 15 minutes to remain strong.

3. Cooling system. Your body's temperature is maintained through drinking water. The water regulates body temperature through sweat. To maintain a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days, or when exercising, the body sweats. Sweat cools the body, but sweat uses up water. We must have a lot of drinking water to replenish the supply.

4. Nerves. Nerve cells transmit messages to and from the brain. To do this, they must use electrolytes. Drinking water is an important way to maintain electrolytes at the proper level so that the nerves can do their work.

5. Stomach and Intestinal Tract. Our bodies use drinking water to digest food in the gastrointestinal tract. Insufficient drinking water will slow the process, resulting in constipation and other medical concerns.

6. Eye and Mouth Protection. Water keeps your eyes and mouth moist. It washes dirt and dust away from your eyes.

7. Joints. Drinking water is like oiling your body's joints. Water lubricates the joints, keeping them flexible, and ensuring smooth motion.

The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water depending on body size. A rule of thumb, 2/3 of body is consists of water, and it is the main component of human body. Did you know that your tissues and organs are mainly made up of water? Here are the percentages:

• Muscle is 75% water.
• The brain is 90% water.
• Bone is 22% water.
• Blood is 83% water.

And now. Just some interesting facts about water. Sorry this is probably boring. But, it's interesting to me because I am drinking my weight in water (or so it feels).

1. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
2. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.
3. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
4. The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.
5. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
6. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
7. The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
8. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
9. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.
10. I love water! ;) http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm That is the link for those of you who want to find out how much they should be drinking! 

Valentine's Day! :)

So... Valentines Day was technically yesterday... but really and truly my Valentines Day started... Thursday. :)

There I was walking into my dorm after class when Marie tells me that I have a package waiting for me AND that it's in my room. Excited, I rush to see who it's from. AKA my WONDERFUL and loving mother! :)

I was having an off day! I went to my 10am class and
came home to get ready for REAL. But, Jenna was sick
so Nikole and I took her to the health clinic instead. :)

Me Posing with the box of goodies. :)

I thrust open the box and took out the bag to see all SORTS of awesome treats! :) There was my clothes, a new straightener, nail polish, jewelry galore and more love than a person could ask for! :) So, I had my Mom as my Valentine. She is the best and I love her more than all else! I am sure Susan helped pick out a lot o fthe stuff that was in there, so she too is a Valentine. :) There was also...

The most BEAUTIFUL wreath in all of BYU.
Courtesy of the lovely Jessie, and mailed to me
from my Mother. :) It is hanging next to Jenna's
Jackson Emery poster. 

So, yes, Jessie was also a Valentine as well. :) Thank you Mom, Susan and Jessie. All women who I look up to and admire.

Then today, I came home around 5pm to find a single rose sitting on my kitchen table addressed to me. (It's on the laptop in the picture but it originally was on the table).

Ignore the screen saver slideshow in the background. 

Needless to say at 6:25 I grabbed my coat and started on my "scavenger hunt." I wanted to take my camera and take pictures of each rose but, I forgot! So when I got home I arranged them in order and took a picture of them all.

There is a spot missing. It was one that was placed by a stop sign.
: / I guess I lost it in Anthon's car. (Anthon let us borrow the car to go out).

I followed the clues (I missed one the STOP look over there one). So, we had to go back and grab it. Ha anyways he was at the very end holding the 12th rose. After that we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. There was a little bit of a wait (20 min) so, we walked around the mall. After dinner we drove back, exchanged gifts and watched the movie 500 Days of Summer (part of my Valentine's day gift from him). I really REALLY did like the movie. It's not your typical love story, I mean it has a twist. But, it's good nonetheless.

Sam also came home sporting a FAKE engagement ring. She pulled a fast one on me and Jenna. I was in shock and could NOT believe he proposed and how crazy that was until she told me it was a joke. Jenna was also left an anonymous Valentine's package and a bouquet of flowers. We still don't know who it is from.

 Here is our combined flower arrangement:

Mine are on the right, Jennas on the left. 

My 12. :)

It was a good day and I so enjoyed gifts from all my Valentines: Mom, Susan, Jessie and Will. :)