MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

but what would my blog be without something at least somewhat random?

Merry Christmas to you: from me and baby Kai! :)

Now I can't wait, to see you again. ;)

Can I just tell you about my day? Here are the main events:

I got a 90% on my terrifying Book of Mormon final!!

I studied for like 4 hours and 45 minutes for my Humanities final... the only studying I did for that test... I don't recommend it. I got an 80%, which is ok... but short of my goal for acing all of my finals... meh.

"Well it looked like a backwards i." "...a backwards i is still an i, Melissa..." hahahahaha!!!

While studying I saw a guy I used to work with, and then this lady came up and complimented my jacket AND hair! :)

I saw a dead bird...

The bookstore wouldn't take back ANY of my textbooks... grrr...

Then I saw Shelley! :)

And then Kaisha! :)

Texted some friends. :)

Went to be a good daughter and pay for my own gas (NOTE: this is the first time I have EVER fueled up by myself!! Like, not even my dad came with me! He didn't even know I went! This is kinda a big deal for me!). So I pull up at Smiths, turn off my car, get out, and then realize I pulled up on the wrong side. oh geez... MLIA. haha!

My car now has fuel. :)

My little brother is going to Preference!!! FUNNY story!!!!

I'm done with finals!!! Time for Christmas! :) ...and four hours a day on the piano... oh man... wish me luck!

Don't Forget to Look at My Christmas Countdown Below!! :D

Ok.

Stop.

NOW.

I can't take it anymore. PLEASE. Please please please just be yourself. Stop being someone else. Stop bowing down to the people in life that you feel the need to impress. Stop making yourself a show to watch. Step away from the mirror, your pictures of you, your videos that show off "your" style. You're becoming superficial, and I hate that about you. Where are you? That's who I want to see. That's who I want to talk to. That's who I want to be around. Look around you. You're not the center of the universe, and everyone is not always watching your every move. Ok? Be YOU. And not the you that you think you are. You need to go back and find yourself, because you don't remember what it's like to have a genuine personality. I can't express to you the intensity of this tension that I feel inside knowing that you're out there planning your next "natural" move that, in all honesty, is not going to really do anything. Because you don't deserve it. People can tell that you're being fake. No matter what kind of mask you put on, if it ain't genuine, then it's transparent. And people can see right through it. Take it from someone who knows.

Listen – when you decide to be the real you, the genuine you, you won't have to put on this show. Trust me. Do you? You're worth so much more than this. Every day, we look for truth. Do you understand the warmth and comfort that we feel when we're around you because we know that you you know who you are? Because you are true to yourself? Do you understand the strength we feel when we're around you?

Stop trying. Start doing. Don't be afraid, just take the plunge. Because life is too short to play it safe. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding." The Lord will help you. Do you know that? He loves you so much, more than my words can tell. Do you remember the Atonement? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ suffered the sins of the world, yes. But do you know what that means? Yes, he knows your pains, but he also understands them. He understands you. He knows exactly how you feel, and he understands why you are hurt so much when others play with your fragile heart. He also understands why you make those mistakes that eat at your soul. And yet he still loves you. And he's always so willing to take you from where you are right now and lift you higher. He wants so badly for you to return to him. He understands you and loves you; don't you ever forget that.

So please. Please, please, please, please, please. Find yourself. Find that genuine you that is inside you. K? Will you promise me that you will? I need you to. I promise – you'll stop drowning in the expectations of others. It will feel so amazing to finally be you. And don't forget: God is with you every step of the way, if you'll let him be. D&C 84:88. Read it.

I love you. :)

ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas

UP!

Thanksgiving! This is me and crazy Luke... ;)

ooooh..... My mom's pumpkin pie!!! :)

My first bite of my whole Thanksgiving meal!

I took this when my family went to see the lights at Temple Square!

Jenny and Tom dancing in the background.

Part of the centerpiece that was on all of the tables at the reception.

Classic Jenny. ;)

"I love to see the temple..."

The water fountain!

This is one that I kinda took with my own creative juices. Elise had the idea to focus on this statue (Emma and Joseph Smith) and have them in the background, and instead of focusing on Emma and Joseph's faces, I chose to focus on their hands, cause I thought it would be a cute picture. :)

This is another of my creative juices- the photographer was taking pictures from above and I thought this one would make a good picture!

The Temple!

Just walking along...

Go Deeper.

So my family and I went to Temple Square today to see the lights! They were so pretty!! I'm thinking that my husband is DEFINITELY going to propose to me here. Just watch. ;) (haha, jk!) This was my favorite picture that I took tonight. :)

Except Maybe Not That Short... at all. ;)

Shawty's like a melody in my head

That I can't keep out

Got me singing like:

Na na na na

Everyday.

Like my iPod's stuck on replay!

;)

I don't know, but...

I think I may be

Fallin for you,

Dropping so quickly.

Maybe I should

keep this to myself-

wait until I,

I know you better.

;)

Down like she's supposed be.

She gets down low for me.

Down like her temperature

cause to me she's zero degrees.

She's cold-

Overfreeze.

I got that girl from overseas.

Now she's my Miss America

Now can I be her soldier please?

I'm fighting for this girl

On the battlefield of love.

Don't it look like baby cupid sending arrows from above?

Don't you ever leave this side of me.

Indefinitely,

Not probably.

Cause honestly I'm down like the economy.

;)

haha- some of my favorite songs right now!

Purple Nailpolish. :)

She got married last Wednesday.

I'm so happy for her!

But I still miss her...

She's my sister. :)

Rollercoasters.

I

keep spending all my

time

Just thinking 'bout you.

I

don't know what to do.

I think I'm just missing you.

I

know you've been waiting all your

life

And now you've found him.

But I

don't know what to do-

I think I'm still missing you...

Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires.

Yay for cousin adventures!

And awesome friends who work at the places where cousins go to have adventures. ;)

I feel... cold...

So we were feeding Kai Cheerios and my little brother threw one at his face and it stuck! haha! So I started to take pictures and Kai would smile for the camera! It was super cute! :)

This one is my favorite!

One week for Family Home Evening we went to Gardner Village. My sister and I wanted to take lots of cool pictures but... we were unsuccessful. So I decided to take fun pictures too! Here's me "waiting" for someone... looks like I'm stood up. (hahahaha!)

This is me driving my wicked sweet ride! I don't think we were supposed to get in this now that I think about it, but it didn't break so... awesome! That pumpkin by my foot was mushy, just fyi. ;)

This witch sits on a bench with her arm outstretched, so I like to sit by her! haha! (last year I took a picture with this same witch!)

After Gardner Village, we went to Chili's. This is me and Enoch hanging out while waiting for a table. yeah... we're buds. :)

awwww... I love this one! :)

And at the Trunk-or-Treat!

Sammie was bored out of her mind. haha, jk! She actually liked all of the little kids. I tried to keep her contained. Silly puppy! ;)

Me and Jennie Bruns!! We're basically awesome. ;)

KAI!!! I just love him. :) He was a monster- just like the one on his pajamas!

Kai and his mommy. :) awwww... how cute!

Watch out...

...someday I'm going to be a rockstar. ;) *insert dramatic electric guitar chord here*

Please forgive the awkward smile at the end... there were some technical difficulties... (and the timing... when I post it onto blogger the audio and visual get off from each other... haha!) ;)