- Downloading Owl City's album Ocean Eyes (and getting it cheap using Amazon store credit)
- Eating a volcano double beef burrito from Taco Bell for lunch
- Watching this video
- Finding out that they're remaking my favorite generation of Pokémon games for DS
- Seeing a good friend from work who I haven't seen in over 3 months
- Seeing someone on campus wearing the Red vs Blue shirt that says, "It's not pink. It's lightish red."
Monday, September 28, 2009
Things That Have Made My Day Today
Friday, September 25, 2009
Back to the Grind
My last few weeks at home were awesome. I had a lot of fun with my family, and got to see David and Sammy (and of course, Ashton and Hannah) a couple times before I left. I didn't hang out with a few of my friends as much as I would've liked, but hey, nobody's perfect. Also... Chanelle turned 13! It's just insane! My little sister, and baby of the family, is now a teenager. She is growing up so much faster than I was prepared for. :P (And even more recently, Cody just turned 18. Crazy, I tell you.)
Sarah got married on the 28th... will the insanity never end? I was lucky enough to get out of band rehearsal that night to go to her reception. It was sweet. :)
Once school started, band became much easier - only two hours a day, three days a week. Classes are another story... but all in all, things are going fairly well here. My job is awesome, and I frequently hang out with people from work and play games until the late hours of the night/early morning. Not to mention, my roommate Jessica is awesome. We met at work during the Spring term, and living together is really fun. On top of that, our other two roommates, Serena and Lyssandra are also super fun. We all get along, we all love being crazy and having fun... what more could you ask for? :)
Preparations for my mission are going well; I've done everything I can do, and now I pretty much wait until it can all be submitted in early October. And then I have to wait for the call to come. :)
I have my moments that feel like I'm riding an emotional rollercoaster, but things are going overall pretty well. And that's what life's all about.
This is how Ashton says "Cheese!"
Me, Chanelle, and Ashton. He's got such a cute little grin.
And adorable Hannah. She's a pretty happy baby.
A week before school started, I had marching band. And don't get me wrong, I love marching band, but that first week is killer. We have rehearsal from about 8 in the morning until 10 at night, with breaks for lunch and dinner. Not only that, but it's a 30-minute walk from my apartment to where we practice. Needless to say, I didn't do much that week besides eat, sleep, and marching band.
Sarah got married on the 28th... will the insanity never end? I was lucky enough to get out of band rehearsal that night to go to her reception. It was sweet. :)
Once school started, band became much easier - only two hours a day, three days a week. Classes are another story... but all in all, things are going fairly well here. My job is awesome, and I frequently hang out with people from work and play games until the late hours of the night/early morning. Not to mention, my roommate Jessica is awesome. We met at work during the Spring term, and living together is really fun. On top of that, our other two roommates, Serena and Lyssandra are also super fun. We all get along, we all love being crazy and having fun... what more could you ask for? :)
Preparations for my mission are going well; I've done everything I can do, and now I pretty much wait until it can all be submitted in early October. And then I have to wait for the call to come. :)
I have my moments that feel like I'm riding an emotional rollercoaster, but things are going overall pretty well. And that's what life's all about.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Mission Prep
So, I've recently decided that I want to serve a mission. This is news to some, and old news to others, but now it's official. For those who are unfamiliar, I would serve as a missionary for my church for 18 months, most of which would be spent in whatever location in the world that I'm called to. It's been on my mind from time to time for the past few months, and I've decided that it's something that I want to do. As I'm working on the paperwork, I'm getting excited about the whole thing. ^_^
But the preparation stage has its downsides.
Today I had my physical examination, most of which wasn't that bad. But I had to have a couple shots, as well as get blood taken. And anyone who knows me really well knows that I absolutely... hate... needles. Call me a baby, but I just can't stand them. *cringe* Needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasant experience. My mom can testify to that, too; I was very dramatic about it afterwards. :P
Aside from that, things are running smoothly- I'll be receiving my passport in a matter of weeks, my dental stuff is done, and I have most of my paperwork done; now I mostly just need my interviews. I'll be leaving for BYU in about two weeks and I'll be up there for Fall semester, and then I'm hoping to leave for my mission in January. Time sure does fly! :)
But the preparation stage has its downsides.
Today I had my physical examination, most of which wasn't that bad. But I had to have a couple shots, as well as get blood taken. And anyone who knows me really well knows that I absolutely... hate... needles. Call me a baby, but I just can't stand them. *cringe* Needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasant experience. My mom can testify to that, too; I was very dramatic about it afterwards. :P
Aside from that, things are running smoothly- I'll be receiving my passport in a matter of weeks, my dental stuff is done, and I have most of my paperwork done; now I mostly just need my interviews. I'll be leaving for BYU in about two weeks and I'll be up there for Fall semester, and then I'm hoping to leave for my mission in January. Time sure does fly! :)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Vacation and Reunion
Alright, so I'm not the best at updating regularly during the summer. But hey, it's been a busy several weeks.
Finals went alright, and it was really nice to get it all over with and out of the way. I had a lot of fun with the friends that I made during the spring term, and I'm looking forward to hanging out again, but I'm now thoroughly enjoying life at home. I've had a few babysitting jobs since I've been home, which I enjoy.
At the beginning of July, we left on family vacation. We first visited Poppy Jake in Utah. While we were there, we visited Temple Square, which was very cool. We got to see the Salt Lake Temple and the Conference Center among other things. The temple is so pretty.
In the North Visitors' Center on Temple Square we went to see the Christus. It was so cool, the walls and domed ceiling were all covered in stars and everything, and the statue of Christ was standing tall in the middle of it. Being in that room is so peaceful and the spirit is very strong. It was a great experience.
Following our stop in Utah, we proceeded to Idaho to visit Nana Raine and Poppy Ralph on my mom's side, and after a few days with them we all went to the Ball Family Reunion.
The Reunion was tons of fun; the house everyone stayed in together was huge and very nice, and I had the chance to see a lot of relatives that I haven't seen in years. Jeffrey and Debbie came for a couple of days. It was great to see them again while I'm not in Provo. We took family pictures, went to Bear Lake, had a skit/talent night, sang karaoke and just had fun together.
That last picture was a hilarious synchronized swimming skit performed by my dad, cousin, and a few uncles. It was put on Youtube (The Ball Family Swimmers), and I suggest watching it and letting the hilarity ensue. (My dad's the one in the back with the red cap in the picture, and the last one to enter in the video. He makes me so proud.) :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xMSeD2hh7Y
After the reunion, we went back to Utah to visit for a bit longer with relatives from my dad's side of the family. We got to see Trevin, Jeffrey, Debbie , and of course little Knightley once again during our stay in Utah, which is always a treat.
Our trip was unexpectedly extended due to my cousin Jason's death, sadly, and we stayed for his funeral. Jason was a really cool guy, and very loving to everyone. I didn't know him as well as I could've, but it was hard to see him gone, and hard to see the impact it had on everyone. But as much as he was loved here, I know that he's doing Heavenly Father's work now.
After all was said and done, I had a lot of fun seeing and spending time with family, and the trip was a great experience.
Finals went alright, and it was really nice to get it all over with and out of the way. I had a lot of fun with the friends that I made during the spring term, and I'm looking forward to hanging out again, but I'm now thoroughly enjoying life at home. I've had a few babysitting jobs since I've been home, which I enjoy.
At the beginning of July, we left on family vacation. We first visited Poppy Jake in Utah. While we were there, we visited Temple Square, which was very cool. We got to see the Salt Lake Temple and the Conference Center among other things. The temple is so pretty.
In the North Visitors' Center on Temple Square we went to see the Christus. It was so cool, the walls and domed ceiling were all covered in stars and everything, and the statue of Christ was standing tall in the middle of it. Being in that room is so peaceful and the spirit is very strong. It was a great experience.
Following our stop in Utah, we proceeded to Idaho to visit Nana Raine and Poppy Ralph on my mom's side, and after a few days with them we all went to the Ball Family Reunion.
The Reunion was tons of fun; the house everyone stayed in together was huge and very nice, and I had the chance to see a lot of relatives that I haven't seen in years. Jeffrey and Debbie came for a couple of days. It was great to see them again while I'm not in Provo. We took family pictures, went to Bear Lake, had a skit/talent night, sang karaoke and just had fun together.
Mom and Dad. (Aw, cute.)
Me and my awesome cousin Brianna.
Jeffrey and Debbie singing karaoke.
Dad, my cousins Jesse and Dan, and uncles Mark and Troy.
That last picture was a hilarious synchronized swimming skit performed by my dad, cousin, and a few uncles. It was put on Youtube (The Ball Family Swimmers), and I suggest watching it and letting the hilarity ensue. (My dad's the one in the back with the red cap in the picture, and the last one to enter in the video. He makes me so proud.) :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xMSeD2hh7Y
After the reunion, we went back to Utah to visit for a bit longer with relatives from my dad's side of the family. We got to see Trevin, Jeffrey, Debbie , and of course little Knightley once again during our stay in Utah, which is always a treat.
Debbie and my adorable nephew Knightley.
Our trip was unexpectedly extended due to my cousin Jason's death, sadly, and we stayed for his funeral. Jason was a really cool guy, and very loving to everyone. I didn't know him as well as I could've, but it was hard to see him gone, and hard to see the impact it had on everyone. But as much as he was loved here, I know that he's doing Heavenly Father's work now.
After all was said and done, I had a lot of fun seeing and spending time with family, and the trip was a great experience.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Leavin' on a Jet Plane
...well...I'm leaving soon enough, anyway. Spring term certainly does go by fast. I have 6 more days of actual classes, 2 days of finals, and a total of 12 days until I go home. I feel like I just started a month and a half ago. Wait... I did. Insanity.
As different as it is keeping up with classes that move twice as quickly, it's awesome how soon these classes will be over. Especially technical communication. I'll say three words about that class: I hate papers. And guess what? Two weeks from now, I will never have to take another English class again. Ever. Sure, I'll have the occasional paper to write in a few of my major classes, but it's different. I'm excited, anyway.
And speaking of excited, I am so excited to go home. See some friends, be with my family again... it's gonna be just awesome. And did I mention how excited I am to go home? :)
A few weeks ago, Mom was kind enough to buy me a new outfit "for Easter," even though it was well after Easter when I got it. But I promised I would post pictures of it, so here they are. Aren't I cute?
As different as it is keeping up with classes that move twice as quickly, it's awesome how soon these classes will be over. Especially technical communication. I'll say three words about that class: I hate papers. And guess what? Two weeks from now, I will never have to take another English class again. Ever. Sure, I'll have the occasional paper to write in a few of my major classes, but it's different. I'm excited, anyway.
And speaking of excited, I am so excited to go home. See some friends, be with my family again... it's gonna be just awesome. And did I mention how excited I am to go home? :)
A few weeks ago, Mom was kind enough to buy me a new outfit "for Easter," even though it was well after Easter when I got it. But I promised I would post pictures of it, so here they are. Aren't I cute?
A full view of the outfit.
And a closer shot.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Little Things
A lot of the fun in life is just finding those little things that make us happy. Here's one of mine.
Whenever I'm walking somewhere and someone's coming from the opposite direction, I usually firmly designate myself to one side or the other of the sidewalk (or hallway, etc.). When I do, even from a distance, it causes the other person to automatically drift to the other side, whether subconsciously or not. When I take my position early on, the other person will go to the other side. This is one of those little joys in life, for me - knowing that I have that little bit of momentary power over another person. (Especially when they're about twice my size, 'cause heaven knows I'd lose a real fight to them.) :)
Whenever I'm walking somewhere and someone's coming from the opposite direction, I usually firmly designate myself to one side or the other of the sidewalk (or hallway, etc.). When I do, even from a distance, it causes the other person to automatically drift to the other side, whether subconsciously or not. When I take my position early on, the other person will go to the other side. This is one of those little joys in life, for me - knowing that I have that little bit of momentary power over another person. (Especially when they're about twice my size, 'cause heaven knows I'd lose a real fight to them.) :)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Women's Conference
A couple weeks ago, Mom came to Provo for BYU Women's Conference. It was awesome! Her flight was supposed to arrive on Wednesday (the 29th) at about 1:30, but due to a string of events, some of which weren't even related to each other, she didn't get here until about 6:30. And almost the entire time, she was sitting on a plane. Not even in the airport. I felt bad for her - the only things she really could do to take up time were read, go to the bathroom, and talk to me on the phone. Which was fun, but it did end up using a lot of battery power from my phone. :)
So I picked her up Wednesday evening, and we stopped by Jeffrey and Debbie's apartment to see them and Knightley, which was great. Eventually, Mom and I left, and grabbed some food at Taco Bell before going back to my apartment. Luckily I have that extra bed in my room, since no one else is sharing it with me, so Mom got to stay with me!
On Thursday, I didn't go to any of my classes (any meaning Calculus), and instead went to Women's Conference with Mom all day. The opening session was amazing! They had some entertaining stuff. But the best part of it was at the end of that session, when they had all of the women standing up and singing together... it was incredible. I started crying right away. It was a great emotional and spiritual experience.
The workshops that we attended were about replacing fear with faith, making the most of an empty nest, and not neglecting your gifts. The second one, while the least relevant to me of the ones that we went to, was co-taught by Nana Raine (Mom's mom). And it was really good. Even I was able to take something from it, though the general idea of the lesson doesn't really apply to me yet. Nana did a great job.
That night, Mom and I went grocery shopping. Which was awesome - it was like Mom wanted to buy me the whole store. Practically everything we saw, she offered. There are sometimes benefits to being a poor, starving college student. Then we went to Jeffrey and Debbie's again for dinner, which was great. The next day, I went to classes, while Mom attended the rest of Women's Conference. Afterwards, we did some quick shopping in the BYU Bookstore, and went to Jeffrey and Debbie's place again. We all had pizza for dinner. ^_^
On Saturday and Sunday, we stayed with Aunt Carisa. It was fun. I love staying there. We got to chat with some relatives, stay in a really nice house, and have a good time. Mom and I left late Sunday morning, came back to my apartment for a while to pick up a couple things she forgot, and left for the airport. It was hard to see her go, but I'm so glad she came. I want to go to Women's Conference with her every year. It's awesome.
Knightley and his great Nana Raine.
Mom and Tawni, while Carisa weasels her way into the picture.
Knightley and Mom, or his Nana Jake. So cute. :)
So I picked her up Wednesday evening, and we stopped by Jeffrey and Debbie's apartment to see them and Knightley, which was great. Eventually, Mom and I left, and grabbed some food at Taco Bell before going back to my apartment. Luckily I have that extra bed in my room, since no one else is sharing it with me, so Mom got to stay with me!
On Thursday, I didn't go to any of my classes (any meaning Calculus), and instead went to Women's Conference with Mom all day. The opening session was amazing! They had some entertaining stuff. But the best part of it was at the end of that session, when they had all of the women standing up and singing together... it was incredible. I started crying right away. It was a great emotional and spiritual experience.
The workshops that we attended were about replacing fear with faith, making the most of an empty nest, and not neglecting your gifts. The second one, while the least relevant to me of the ones that we went to, was co-taught by Nana Raine (Mom's mom). And it was really good. Even I was able to take something from it, though the general idea of the lesson doesn't really apply to me yet. Nana did a great job.
That night, Mom and I went grocery shopping. Which was awesome - it was like Mom wanted to buy me the whole store. Practically everything we saw, she offered. There are sometimes benefits to being a poor, starving college student. Then we went to Jeffrey and Debbie's again for dinner, which was great. The next day, I went to classes, while Mom attended the rest of Women's Conference. Afterwards, we did some quick shopping in the BYU Bookstore, and went to Jeffrey and Debbie's place again. We all had pizza for dinner. ^_^
On Saturday and Sunday, we stayed with Aunt Carisa. It was fun. I love staying there. We got to chat with some relatives, stay in a really nice house, and have a good time. Mom and I left late Sunday morning, came back to my apartment for a while to pick up a couple things she forgot, and left for the airport. It was hard to see her go, but I'm so glad she came. I want to go to Women's Conference with her every year. It's awesome.
Knightley and his great Nana Raine.
Mom and Tawni, while Carisa weasels her way into the picture.
Knightley and Mom, or his Nana Jake. So cute. :)
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