I'm Frozen.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!! :)

I gave a talk in Church this past Sunday! It was on missionary work. I think it's because last Sunday the second counselor in our ward found out I was going on a mission... Which means that within 5 months I'll be giving 3 talks...
My roommate told me she hasn't given a talk since she was 12... How is that even fair!? 

Well... More blessings for me, I suppose!

Anyway, Sunday morning I found out none of my roommates were going my ward and I couldn't find a ride, which meant I had to make the half-hour walk to campus. In single-digit degree weather. In a skirt. I was terrified.

Terrible, amirite?

You can bet I am eternally grateful that I'm going to Mexico rather than Canada or Russia for my mission. I was pretty convinced I was gonna get frostbite as I was walking through the snow in my flats! But here I am, somehow having managed to keep all my fingers and toes.

It has actually been ridiculously and unusually cold here in the Provo the last week! I don't even understand. It's been zero degrees a few times when I've gone to class in the morning, but it says that it feels like -8... 

When that happens, you just gotta wonder if since it's zero, does that mean that the weather doesn't even exist? I am not kidding you, when the sun shines on your body, you can't feel anything. It's like the heat waves from the sun disappear into the void of empty coldness that is Provo.

I dunno about you guys, but I'm pretty sure that is DEFINITELY not normal.

This is basically my daily routine for the past week:

In the morning, it is so gosh dang cold in my apartment that I don't even wanna get out of bed.

Once I finally get outside, if my hair is wet, it instantly turns to ice (creating a form of icicles in my hair, which I have decidedly named ici-curls. Quite dangerous really. I could accidentally stab somebody!). 

I start billowing smoke columns out of my noise every time I breathe out (Mormon-style smoking. I like to pretend I'm a dragon! :) Too bad I can't breathe fire!). 

Then my nose-hairs freeze. Actually, all of me freezes.

The air then begins to suck the moisture out of my body, leaving me feeling so dry that I'm going to poof into dust!

I waddle like a penguin to try and retain my heat, but can feel my body slowing dying.... 

And finally I make it into a building and thaw out.

Basically, I wish I could be living in the tropics right now... Or at least in my hometown where it's 30 degrees warmer!

I also found out it's snowed TWICE in Oregon this past week. What is this ridiculousness?! It hardly ever snows there, much less in December... Why did it have to do it while I was in Provo?! Not cool, weather. Not cool.

So finals start next week at BYU. This is my least favorite time of every semester... It's just awful in every way.

I keep seeing all my friends on Facebook saying, "Just one more final, then Christmas Break!"
GAH STOP RUBBING IT IN MY FACE!

Every time I see someone say that, I sit here grumping that BYU has school for a week longer than any other college in the country. Boooo. What's with all this injustice in my life?! Multiple talks, snow in Oregon, having school a week longer than everyone else... I feel jipped!

Haha so I always do a terrible thing right before finals... Online where we can check our grades in our classes, we have something called a "what if" calculator. This calculator allows you to check what your final grade will be in a class based on a hypothetical final test score that you give yourself. So I always go in and calculate the lowest scores I can get on my finals while still getting an A in the class...

I don't know why I do it. But I'm pretty sure it's bad. I think it makes me feel like I only have to study so hard. I really shouldn't be so focused on my grade... I should be grateful for everything I've learned in the class, right? But none of these classes are pertinent to my future career, so I'm sure that's okay... Ohhhh welllll :)

Since finals are coming around, that means I have just over a week 'til I get home, then I'll be home free from school for an entire year and a half!! I've been going to school for 14 1/2 years straight... I think a year and a half break is a much needed break indeed :)

OH MY GOSH I HAVE EXCITING NEWS! This past week I found out a girl in my Spanish class from my first semester at BYU is also going to the Puebla North mission.
This means there's three girls, all in the EXACT SAME Spanish class, who are going to the SAME mission, and will be there at the SAME time.

What are the chances?!? This means I'm going to know 3 people in my mission before I even get there! (Including the boy from my home stake!) GAH I'M SO PSYCHED!!!

I seriously can't contain myself. I'm so excited for my mission!!! 56 Days... Not quite 2 months! And then Elder Gibby will have been out for almost an entire year. WHAT?! This is crazyyyy!!

You wanna know what else is crazy? This Friday night at midnight will mark a year since my first kiss. I can't believe it's already been a year. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! This is awesome! :)

Anyway, I won't be posting next week, seeing as how I'll be taking finals and packing up my apartment... Shoot, I should probably have already started packing... Oh boy, this next week's gonna be insane! Haha well I'll catch ya later, in two weeks! :)

627 Days Left! :)

Reception of Package = Complete

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I relished in the break, but it just wasn't quite long enough... Lucky for me though, there's only 3 more weeks 'til I'm home! :)

Enough of that though. I have big news!

IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

After a long drought without a flake of snow, we have been blessed with inches staked on inches here in Provo!

When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, no, I didn't see popcorn on an apricot tree, but I saw SNOW! 

There was tons of it! I'm sure you could imagine my face...

I was so dang excited! I hadn't seen snow on the ground for over HALF A YEAR! More like three-quarters of a year!

On my way home, I was blissful as I enjoyed the snowfall. I was standing about 3 feet away from the curb, waiting to cross the street at a traffic light. 

Suddenly, a van speeds through a red light, going through a bunch of slush, SPRAYING ME WITH IT IN THE PROCESS.

It was one of those moments where you can totally see it coming at you in slow motion, but you don't realize what's happening until it's too late to avoid it. 

I'd seen stuff like that happen in movies, but I didn't know stuff like that happened in real life! 

I WAS THREE FEET FROM THE CURB. THREE FEET.

I managed to cover my face with my arms, but the rest of me got covered in slush. I was so appalled at that van-man!

And since I was drenched in slush, I shivered the rest of the way home :( 

Jerk! I hope that van-man slipped in the snow and fell on his butt as karma! Okay, not really, because that'd be sad...

Moral of the story: You're never safe when you're walking next to a road. You could be splashed by a puddle or sprayed by slush at ANYTIME and ANYWHERE. Even three feet in they'll get you! So much for playing it safe...

Anyway, I got over it quickly though because of the pretty nature-walk I got on my way back :)

Just look at that beauty!

So obviously it was a great day at BYU, full of fluffy snowiness! :)

But that's not the only cause of celebration!

Guess what I found out yesterday… 

ELDER GIBBY GOT THE PACKAGE!!!!!

And I kept it a surprise the entire time! YESSS!!

I don’t think you can fathom how paranoid I was that it wasn’t going to get to him because there was chocolate in it… I was told by my friend that on his mission in Mexico missionaries got chocolate all the time, and that I just had to make sure not to put it on the customs form… But still! I've been internally panicking, hoping with all my heart it would make it to him unscathed!

I was really surprised too, since it got there in record time! It didn’t even take quite 3 weeks! And it sounds like everything made it too... THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROTECTION, VIRGIN GUADALUPE! Bahahaha :)

Funny story… Back in May when I sent Elder Gibby his first package out in the field, it had a box of cheesecake mix in there. Back in June he told me that he had a story to tell me about it, but never got around to telling me until yesterday!

So Elder Gibby and his companion had made the cheesecake and put it in the fridge for while they were out for the day. When they came home, it turned out the fridge had peed all over the cheesecake (he said it had a good centimeter of water sitting on top of it... yuck). They then decided that to help soak up the water they would use toilet paper… But toilet paper and lots of water doesn’t mix very well, so it left chunks of toilet paper all over it. 

But that's not all folks. Next, the pot they made it in broke, and the cheesecake fell all over the floor. 

... I think this cheesecake really didn't want to be eaten or something. 

After all this, the normal thing would be to give up and throw it out, right?

Not for Elder Gibby. He picked it up, put it in a bowl, and ate some of it anyway.

Ew. That’s disgusting.

In his words:

“It was kinda nasty watered down with ants and toiletpaper chunks but I couldnt let your Cheesecake go to waste!”

I really wish he would’ve just thrown it away!! He was being considerate I guess, but seriously, that's so gross. It gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about what it must've tasted like... Bleeech. 

Let’s hope the one I sent him this time around doesn’t decide it wants to have the same adventure… hahaha... Knock on wood.

635 Days Left! :)

Buddy the Elf, What's Your Favorite Color?

I’ve been waiting for this all semester.

Words cannot express my joy.

It’s Thanksgiving Break!

This year I’m staying in Provo. Quite literally EVERYONE is going home or traveling somewhere this year, so I’ve got my weekend chalked up to be full of work and Netflix. OH YEAH!

Speaking of movies, I watched one of the greatest ones ever this past week. And since the holiday season is upon us, and you've already been given a hint from the gif above... YES, IT'S ELF!

Elf is pretty much my most favorite Christmas movie ever. That and It’s a Wonderful Life. If you haven't seen either, STOP READING THIS AND WATCH THEM RIGHT THIS SECOND! You won't regret it! Guaranteed or your money back!

Okay... Can I just dedicate this entire post to Buddy the Elf? He's so great that he deserves it.

I wish Buddy was my best friend. Or my spirit animal. Okay, I'd even settle him being the guy who lived down the street who didn’t know my name and had witnessed all of my embarrassing childhood mishaps. SOMETHING!

Buddy is SO fantastic. He's like a puppy, he just enjoys the little things in life (like ginormous toilets), and he is just so happy! All around he's the greatest human raised by elves ever! Plus he's friends with a Narwhal.

Who doesn’t wish they were friends with a Narwhal?!
I have an unrealistic dream to see a Narwhal... And if Buddy was my friend, that'd be no problem!

We'd actually make pretty good friends, since we have a decent amount of commonalities!

1. Buddy likes hugs. Even if it’s from a rabid raccoon. Hugs are the greatest!

2. He loves sugar. After all, candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup are the four main food groups!

You should have seen me go to town on some chocolate earlier today... hahah... We could binge eat on yummy sugary goodness together!!

3. He hates jack-in-the-boxes. And that's because they scare him. So he hates getting scared! We're like two peas in a pod!

4. He’s terrible at flirting and expressing his like for someone. We'd support each other in our awkward flirting encounters and eat more sugar to help us feel better! Hahaha

Have I ever mentioned that I’m terrible at flirting? Well, when I like a guy I just get nervous and awkward, then say dumb stuff or just stand there staring creepily at the guy. One of the benefits for me of having a boyfriend on a mission… First off, I don't have to worry about trying to flirt with anyone, and second, he doesn't have to witness it. uahahaha :)

5. Our greatest commonality of all: He loves to smile!

I could quote this line every single day!

So because we have these five things in common, basically we'd be best friends. It's destiny!!

But really, this movie is super great. It has a good message, it's hilarious, AND it's expanded my bucket list with doing the four following things:

One day I'll have accomplished these. And I'm sure I'll be able to recruit some people to do them with me! BWAHAHA >:)

Anyway, I know this post had nothing to do with Thanksgiving... Sorry, I got a little taken away with my desire to have a friendship with Buddy the Elf... Don't think I forgot about it though! Happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots of food, have a food baby, and be grateful for it! :)

642 Days Left! :)

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Pennies Could Probably KO Someone...

When I was younger, I used to LOVE exploring. My family would always go camping, and I'd always go wandering in the forest by myself playing make-believe and singing to the animals...
I promise you, I was mentally healthy! I just really wanted to be a Disney princess...

Anyway, now I'm not so much of an explorer. Like if you got Dora the Explorer and me in a room, I'd end up breaking down.

Okay, maybe not that bad. :)

Sadly, I haven't even done any good exploring of BYU Campus! I spend the least amount of time on BYU campus as possible. You know those people who spend 3+ hours daily in the library? Nope, not me. I've only been in the library a grand total of 6 times!

As a result, I don't know about secret passageways or cool spots on campus since I just go to my classes then scat. Fall semester due to a friend I discovered Skyroom, the restaurant on the top floor of the Wilk. But that's pretty much all my cool happening upons... Before today!

It was about time to fix my non-exploration of BYU Campus. It's my third semester here, so I should find some cool stuff around here, right?
So today instead of going to the forum, my friend and I decided to do a little exploring!

Have you ever been in the Widtsoe? I've never had any classes in there, but I'd heard there was an aquarium in the basement.
THERE IS.

They had a turtle!!!! I don't know if that's legal or not, but it's AWESOME!

We also went to the SWKT. I've only been in there twice. It never sat well with me because it's just soooo... High.

So of course the first thing we do is get in the elevator and try to go to the highest floor. Floor 12. Buuut we knew it probably wouldn't work since it's the Psychology Behavioral lab or something, and it turns out you need a card to access it. So we settled for Floor 11.

We then took the stairs from Floor 11 up two flights to see if we could get onto the roof, but that was locked too. I'm actually glad, because I swear I could feel the building moving. Just KNOWING I was that high up made me anxious! I was kind of internally panicking...

As we walked up, my friend had come across a few pennies on a few of the steps. He picked them up, and once we were up at the level of the roof, he hovered over the railing of the stairs. 

Then he dropped one down the stairwell.

He dropped the penny.
From the highest point on BYU campus.
All the way to ground-level.

I stared at him wide-eyed.

 "Did you just drop that penny down the stairwell?"

He took another penny and held it over the railing, about to drop it.

I would've vocalized my thoughts about it possibly being a bad idea, but I know what he would've said...

He asked me if I wanted to try. I wanted to appear mature, but... I just ended up like this:

C'mon, who could resist trying something like that?!?

So I dropped the penny, and down the stairwell it went!

We began walking down the stairwell to make our way to ground-level when we noticed there was an abnormal amount of pennies scattered throughout the next flight of stairs down. We gathered them up and down down down they dropped from the 11th Floor.

OHMYGOSH IT WAS RIDICULOUSLY FUN.

We continued this process all the way to the 5th Floor, admiring the distances they fell.

Afterward, we decided to collect all the shiny pennies for keepsies to save for another day.
We ended up with 43 fun-filled pennies!

A strange activity, I'll admit... but super fun! We're lucky there wasn't anyone in that stairwell though, otherwise it's quite possible that they may have been knocked out by one of those pennies...

Looking back, it probably wasn't a great idea, but...

That was probably the most fun I've had this semester!! Hahahaha. Good memories in the making :)

Okay just a quickie update on Elder Gibby for those of you who've been wondering!
Everything's going well! This last week was super successful for him! He and his companion met/surpassed all their goals for the week, which is pretty much unheard of! He's also going to be playing a harmonica duet in the Christmas program! How fun is that?!
I'm so happy things are going good! :)

Okay, 'til next week! :)

649 Days Left! :)

The Package of All Packages!

Guys, I am so gosh darn excited.

Normally I'm the worst person when it comes to keeping surprises. Whenever I get someone a present, I just wanna tell them because I'm so excited about giving it to them! Or if you wanna plan a surprise party, you better make sure I don't see the surprise-ee or I'll probably ruin it. Hah. It just KILLS me because I want the person to be as excited as I am!

BUT THIS TIME I'M KEEPING A SURPRISE AND NOT SAYING A PEEP TO THE SURPRISE-EE.

I'm sending Elder Gibby a package without telling him. I don't think you can even fathom how badly I want to tell him! But this time I am going to CONTROL MYSELF!
So I made up a Christmas/New Year's/Birthday/One-Year mashup package and sent it off today! And I'm pretty happy about what I got in there for just under 4 pounds! Yep, 3 pounds and 15 oz. Awesome!

Shall we take a looksie?

PS - I apologize ahead of time for the pictures… I had to use flash cuz it gets dark so early now!

Okay! First off, Christmas!

Just look at that stocking! Is that not adorable?! It looks like a little missionary! And I'm so proud since I made it myself! Teehee.

Basically I just bought a stocking, a baby tie, and wrote out a name tag and glued it all together. It was super easy! And I'm pretty much the most arts and crafts-impaired person you'll meet, so I mean it! Haha :) I highly recommend making this for a missionary if you have one you want to send something Christmas-y to them! For a sister missionary you could even put a bow or a flower instead of a tie! So adorable :)

Inside the stocking I put everything else that was his Christmas present. Some goodies like gummy bears, a giant candy cane, and a pillow tie!

OH MY GOSH have you ever heard of pillow ties?? The idea is hilarious! It's basically a tie that you can blow up with air and use as a pillow. I thought it was so great, I just had to get it!

As for the Christmas tree... Unfortunately I couldn't send it cuz it weighed too much :'( But that's okay! I guess I'll just have to keep it here for decoration in my apartment!

Also pictured above is what I'm sending him for New Year's. It's a little box full of Hershey's kisses. I figure it'll make up for not being able to have a New Year's kiss, right? :)

OKAY NOW FOR HIS BIRTHDAY!
Oh my heck this is the part I'm most excited for!

So every year my dad makes each of us kids a candy bar card for our birthdays, so I thought it'd be fun to do one for Adam! He talks about missing American candy so I thought this was perfect! A candy bar card is basically a regular letter/card, but you replace words with candy bars! It's so fun!
Unfortunately the card I made wouldn't fit in the box if I taped the candy bars straight on it, so I had to put them in separately, but that's okay :)
Here's the card:

I also put two inflatable light sabers in there for him, a box of cheesecake mix, and the cutest blue and yellow tie you'll ever see! … Over half of the ties I've given him have been blue. I think we all know what my favorite color is… Hahahaha. He's pretty much set for life with blue ties...

Alright, now what I did for our one-year of dating!
I got a deck of cards and wrote 52 things I love about him on them. He's not supposed to open it 'til January 30th, so there will be one thing for each week until he gets back from his mission! That was honestly just luck :)

So the cards in the following picture are the ones were some of my favorites that I did. Lots of the stuff was goofy ;)

Yup, still struggling in the artistic area, which is plain to see hahaha.
It was super fun to make though! And a really cute idea, right?
Pinterest, my friends. That is the answer.

Anyway, I hope everything gets to him alright! I put pictures of Guadalupe on the package as a hope for extra protection… I felt so self-conscious walking around campus today with a package with pictures of Guadalupe on it. People kept giving me weird looks... Why can't I just walk in peace with the Virgin Mary on my package!? Hahaha. Let's just hope that it was worth it and that the people handling the package keep out! :)

Oh and I gotta tell you one last thing!
Remember back in June when I told you about my fear/dread of needles/shots? (You know, the Scary Scale? If not, you can be reminded here). 

Well guess what?! On Thursday I was a big girl and got my flu shot without anyone to pinch me or anything! Well, there was a guy in front of me in line who stayed nearby for moral support, but I did it all on my own! And I only winced a little bit and got this awesome Snoopy bandaid!
Look how proud I am of myself! Hahaha

Told you guys I wouldn't be a baby when I got my next shot! Huzzah! :)

656 Days Left! :)

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He's Coming for You... SANTA CLAUS!

I’m going to tell you right away…

Sorry to disappoint, but no, I don’t have any horror stories regarding Halloween, thank goodness!!!

There really isn't anything much to tell about my Halloween night...

I spent six hours of my night writing an essay, and after I finished it at about 11, I did attempt to watch the first episode of The Walking Dead out of Halloween spirit... 

Buuuut I got one minute into it and I just couldn't handle it, even though nothing had even happened yet... 

I was just sitting there on my bed, telling the screen:

It's the anticipation! IT WAS KILLING ME. I just knew something was gonna jump out and eat the guy alive!

I'm a baby, I know… But I didn’t get any nightmares that night, so HA! :)

In all seriousness, Halloween is one of my least favorite days of the year. I can't stand scary, gruesome, evil things. Like spiders. GOSH, on Halloween there’s spiders galore! Who in the heck thought of that terrible idea!! Whenever I see them on tables or whatnot, I always think they’re real and get disgusted from the potential ickiness!

However much I dislike the day though, there is one redeeming quality about it…

Halloween is the greatest day on BYU Campus.

Period.

Case Study 1:

I witnessed a zombie attack on the Wilk.

There I was, walking out of one of the buildings, when I see a huge group of costumed people imitating zombies, limping toward the building. They proceeded to grab someone and wrestle him to the ground, the man screaming for a good ten seconds, until he turned into a zombie himself. They all then continued their limping, making it to the front doors, moaning and groaning as they hit the doors, trying to get inside and eat everyone else’s brains.

Case Study 2:

Whilst sitting in the JSB waiting for my class to start, three lads came clip-clopping down the main hall, dressed up in armor as characters from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Alongside them was a squire, strumming a guitar.

Case Study 3:

In the middle of lecture during my Marketing class, suddenly we were interrupted by a guy banana suit entering the auditorium, booking it to the front exit of the auditorium. Not even three seconds later a man in a gorilla suit entered, right on the heels of the banana-man.

Did any of this happen on your campus? I highly doubt it.

And that was only a snippet of all that happened on campus that day! That’s just what I witnessed!

And thus we see that yes, indeed, Halloween is the greatest day on BYU Campus.

And do you know what it means now that Halloween is over?

It's November.

Yes, yes it is.

Which means IT'LL SNOWSTORM HERE IN PROVO SOON!!!!

It started snowing here on Sunday. Not a full-on snow, but little flakes. And it’s been “flaking” every day since. 

I sat in Church on Sunday, looking at the falling blessings from heaven above, as I evilly cackled to myself.

Do you know what these flecks of everlasting happiness are a sign of??!

CHRISTMAAAAS!!!!

I know, I know, Christmas shouldn't take over Thanksgiving, and I know what some of you are thinking... But.. But... Christmas is just so fantastic!

I don't care what you say about not being able to start Christmas music until after Thanksgiving! IT’S CHRISTMAS FOR GOODNESS SAKES! Less than 30 days of Christmas music is NOT ENOUGH! Although I do feel bad for Thanksgiving. It kind of gets lost in the midst of all the Christmas joy...

I found something pretty funny on Pinterest, and I thought I'd share :)

And I think we all know which one I am... :)

Don't get me wrong, I respect you if you like to give Thanksgiving amble space to be celebrated! 

I LOVE me some food. I think I've made that pretty clear in the past! Well, actually, it's more of that I lust food. It's kind of a problem, really. 

Anyway, give me a day where I can eat delicious food until I'm filled up to my throat and my stomach is bursting with a food baby? 

SIGN ME UP!

Oh, and let's not forget the being thankful part. I really love that part :) :)

... But Thanksgiving is no Christmas. Christmas is where it's at! You can't beat the hot chocolate, candy canes, Christmas music, snowmen, carols, celebration of Christ's birth... 

IT'S JUST THE GREATEST, OKAY?!

Okayyyy, big change of subject!

GUESS WHAT.

I SAW SAVANNAH (er, Hermana McBride) ON FRIDAY NIGHT DURING WORK!!!! 

It was so great!! She introduced me to her companion, and she's going to Puebla Norte too!  I'm so excited to finally be able to join them in a few months! YAYAYAY! :D

They've moved all Spanish-speaking missionaries to West Campus, so it's a done deal that I'll be living there when I'm at the MTC, which I'm really happy about! That way I can see my co-workers at the Creamery and be able to live at Wyview again :) I AM SO READY TO BE A MISIONERA ALREADY!

Speaking of missionaries at Wyview... Elder Gibby's new companion just came from there this last week! And you'll never guess... HE MET ME.

YESSSSSS.

Another success made by Chanel!

Have I told you that I love my job?!?

I can't believe the last two companions that Elder Gibby's had have met me. It makes me feel so accomplished... But I feel like it's harassing Elder Gibby a little bit. Oopsie... Hehehe :)

Elder Gibby's doing well! In his new area they got a fantastic number of lessons this week and had a less-active member come to Church on Sunday and bear his testimony! That's the power of the Spirit and missionaries. SO COOL :)

651 Days Left! :)

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