You are B-E-A-UTIFUL!

I am in big support to this campaign, and this is something I think everyone should get on board with. I'd seen a couple magazine ads for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty but never had paid attention to it until my bishop showed us this commercial in Relief Society on Sunday...

Short, but to the point. And the message really made me think. It's taken awhile, but I'm finally comfortable in my own skin. I don't need anyone to tell me I'm beautiful, I know I am. Not in a conceited way. Everyone should feel like this. I've found that the key to being able to feel like this is to not compare yourself to anyone else...just think about you, as an individual. And we're all beautiful. It's sad that we live in a world where young young girls are already seeing what society's perception of beauty is, and they already want to change so many things about themselves...

Sad, huh?

LOVE WHO YOU ARE! Heavenly Father would want you to!

The Home Teachers.

I have the best home teachers of all time. Seriously. I love them. They really genuinely care about me and are pretty much my only friends in my ward besides my roommates. They came to visit me yesterday, and at the close of our visit, asked the usual question: "Well Leah, is there anything we can do for you?" and I answered with the usual response: "No, I think I'm okay, but thanks." But Jon and Matt, just being the amazing guys that they are, respond by saying, "Well that's too bad, because we really want to do something for you, so you better think of something." They are really enthusiastic about serving people, which is something I really like about them. Anyway, I had just finished rearranging/decorating our living room, so there were marks on the floor from where the furniture had been. So I told them they could vacuum if they wanted. They were so excited and immediately said, "Oh awesome, we'd love to!" But then I remembered it was Sunday, so I told them not to worry about it because I didn't want them to do work on the Sabbath. They told me to just hold off one more day with the vacuuming and they would come over today after FHE to do it. I thought they would forget, but at 8:45 on the dot they arrived, eager to clean. Here they are...

Matt did the first half...

...

...and Jon did the second half.


I love Matt and Jon! Thanks for making my life a little bit easier!

I have no life.

I was on this site, Yearbook Yourself, where you upload a picture of you and you can put that picture on any face going back to 1950 until 2000 to see what you would look like in a yearbook from that year.

This is the picture I uploaded...

...and this is supposedly me in 1976.

See any resemblence to anyone else you know?

Oh my goodness, I look like my mother.

And P.S.....everyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE and ADORE Paul McCartney. Well, I found on Google that his song "Silly Love Songs" was the #1 song of 1976 according to sales, so of course I put it on my playlist! Just an interesting side note.

First-time Voter.

I have been legally eligible to vote for the last year and 8 months, but today was my first voting experience! I was a sophomore in high school the last time there was a presidential election. So I was super excited to finally have a say in not only who will run our country for the next four years, but for local things in Utah as well. I was so excited that even though it's freezing and the rain is pouring, I walked to get to my polling location while getting soaked and being super cold. It would've been a shorter walk had I not walked in the complete opposite direction for about 10 minutes and then had to turn around. See, I mixed up the correct address of 100 N 600 E with 600 N 100 E. Yep, I'm a smart one. Anyway, here's the documentation.

Me ready to go with my Utah Voter Registration Card.

Let's get a close up of that.

Me walking to the elementary school to vote. Well, at the time, this was me walking in the wrong direction. Oh well, it's a good picture of me.

My amazing and super cool purple boots...it was a special occasion, I had to break them out! And they're really warm. I love them.

And of course, my "I Voted" sticker. I've wanted one of these forever! Yeah, I'm kind of a dork.

Well, there you have it. I'm officially an adult. Be scared.

I ♥ Halloween!

I dressed up as Dora again this year! It's definitely my favorite costume. I even had Boots with me. Well, I had to improvise, so I put a sticker of him on my hand. I had to work that day, so I put "Dora" on my name tag. And then later that night I went to Paul's house to see his little sister and nephews in their costumes and then to a party in Spanish Fork. It seriously was so much fun. I love Halloween!

That's what she said!

So after work last night, I made my way back over to Parkway Crossing to stay the night at my friend Emily's. She lives 2 doors down from the apartment I used to live in. My old roommates Melissa and Dani came over and the four of us and Emily's roommates Michelle and Alyssa joined us and we had a girl's night. I really needed it.

Em and I are pretty much the best of friends. It's one of those relationships where no one gets anything we do except us. We have an obsession (and when I say 'obsession' I mean OOOBSEEEESSION) with Wild Cherry Pepsi, so we stocked up on that, ice cream, and lots of candy. But don't worry, I made sure we had our dinner first (and they say that kids don't listen to their parents when they're in college!), I made tacos. Yum. And then we got a little crazy.











Haha, we're so weird, I love it. Then we spent today at the mall.


I love my BFF Emily! She also blogged about our night, and she dedicated the post entirely to me. It's really sweet. To read it, go to Em's blog.

Ocho.

8 Favorite TV shows:
1. The Office
2. Arrested Development
3. The OC
4. What Not To Wear
5. Storm Chasers
6. Around the Horn
7. Pardon The Interruption
8. E:60

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Tucanos
2. Taco Bell
3. Panda Express
4. Space Aliens
5. Texas Roadhouse
6. Applebee's
7. Red Robin
8. Little Caesar's

8 Things I did Today:
1. Made cookies
2. Went to the mall with Paul
3. Went to work
4. Facebooked/blogged
5. Decorated my apartment for Halloween
6. Read scriptures
7. Watched old Office episodes
8. Ran

8 Things I look Forward to:
1. Thursdays (it's my day off, meaning going to the temple and watching The Office!)
2. Halloween
3. Voting for the first time
4. Going home for Christmas
5. Getting hugs from Paul
6. Going back to school
7. Getting married eventually
8. Listening to my iPod curled up under my favorite blanket after a long day

For Paul.

Our favorite song. "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" by Death Cab for Cutie. Absolutely beautiful.

The lyrics, written by Ben Gibbard of DCFC.

"You may tire of me as our December sun is setting because I’m not who I used to be.
No longer easy on the eyes but these wrinkles masterfully disguise,
The youthful boy below who turned your way and saw,
Something he was not looking for; both a beginning and an end.
But now he lives inside someone he does not recognize,
When he catches his reflection on accident.

On the back of a motor bike,
With your arms outstretched trying to take flight;
Leaving everything behind.
But even at our swiftest speed we couldn't break from the concrete,
In the city where we still reside.
And I have learned that even landlocked lovers yearn for the sea like navy men,
'Cause now we say goodnight from our own separate sides,
Like brothers on a hotel bed.
Like brothers on a hotel bed.
Like brothers on a hotel bed.
Like brothers on a hotel bed.

You may tire of me as our December sun is setting because I’m not who I used to be."

Read if you would like. It's just some crap that is only important to me.

So, I got a little bit lazy again. The Sox won game 6, but lost in the 7th, meaning the Rays went on to the World Series. Deeeeeeeepreeeeeessing. I know.

In other news, I have had a super hard week. I don't really think I should go into details, but I am very grateful to all my family and friends (Paul especially) for trying their best to pull me through it. Paul, I want you to know just how much you mean to me, and thank you so so much for how absolutely understanding you are. You are my best friend, and I love you completely.

I'm trying hard to keep a smile on my face, but sometimes you just have to cry until you don't have the ability to do so anymore. Which is what I've been doing.

Things will hopefully look up soon. I'm going to try to get to the temple this week (my recommend expires the end of this month, so I need to use it up as much as I can in the next 5 days!), so that should help a little bit. Oh, and I also want to tell my home teachers (Jon and Matt) just how thankful I am to have guys as diligent as them! They are there every month, they're so much fun, they've really helped me feel welcome in the ward, and they're just about the two kindest guys you'll ever meet. We didn't even have an appointment today and they stopped by just to chat and bring me a bag of candy and a loaf of banana bread (which they made themselves for the first time). And it was delicious.

What else, what else. OH! I am sooooo excited for Halloween! I really don't know what my plans are....I might be going to the haunted house at Lagoon, but I'm not sure. But I plan on dressing up as Dora the Explorer. "Weren't you already Dora once?" you might be asking yourself? Why yes I was. But guess what....I'M A POOR COLLEGE STUDENT THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY EXTRA MONEY FOR A COSTUME SO I HAD TO GO WITH WHAT I ALREADY HAVE! I have shorter hair this year though, so it'll probably look a little bit more legit. I'm changing it up a bit by adding a cute necklace. And Dora wears white shoes, but since I don't own any plain white shoes, I'm going with my super cute yellow flats that are absolutely a-DORA-ble. Haha. Yeah I just thought of that one myself, go tell a famous comedian. So I'll try to get pictures of that up this week! Hope everyone has a great week, I'll be trying my hardest to have a great week as well.

Game 5

Game 5: Win, 8-7

Starting Pitcher: Dice-K Matsuzaka

OH MY GOODNESS! What a comeback! The Sox are still alive! A very, VERY big thank you goes out to David Ortiz...

...and J.D. Drew.

The games continue Saturday...DON'T STOP BELIEVING!

NLCS

Well, the Phillies won the NLCS, which means they're going to the World Series. Yes, that's right, the Dodgers lost. Oh, too bad for you, Manny Ramirez. That's what happens when you treat your Boston team and fans like crap.

We didn't need you anyway. WE LOVE JASON BAY!!!

Well, I hope everyone will be out there supporting the Red Sox tonight! Good luck boys!

Game 4

Game 4: Loss, 13-4

Starting pitcher: Tim Wakefield

Dear Wake: I am going to be very honest with you. I WAS SOOOOOO NOT IMPRESSED WITH YOUR PITCHING TONIGHT! What a GREAT job you did letting the Rays score 3 runs in the first 2 minutes of the game. Thank goodness for Justin Masterson, who let us at least walk away feeling a little bit better about ourselves.

But what another depressing night. I really want to see that light at the end of the tunnel, but I'll be honest, I'm losing a little faith. Prove me wrong, Boston. Thursday is your last home game, and your last chance...

Game 3

Game 3: Loss, 9-1

Starting Pitcher: Jon Lester

What an absolutely depressing game. :(

Game 1 and Game 2

Game 1: Win, 2-0

Starting Pitcher: Dice-K

Game 2: Loss, 9-8

Starting Pitcher: Josh Beckett

It's time for the PLAYOFFS!

I can't hold in my excitement any longer! Tonight is Game 1 of the ALCS series between Boston and Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field! Sadly I have to miss some of it because Paul and I are going to my friend Reagan's wedding reception. But I will keep you updated throughout the playoffs...we're hoping it gets to Boston from ALCS and LA Dodgers from NLCS so the Sox and Manny face off in the World Series! I LOVE OCTOBER!

Gotta love those Swiffer commercials!

So yes I am kind of lame. But everytime I see a Swiffer commercial, I can't help but laugh!
1. Swiffer Starter Kit


2. Swiffer WetJet


3. Swiffer Sweeper Vac


4. Swiffer 360 Duster

I love it!

General Conference just ended. I feel so uplifted. It was so great! I found myself a little sad, however. For one, I still miss President Hinckley a little. I loved hearing his voice and feeling the comfort that he brought me. He will always have a special place in my heart.
When President Monson was ending this afternoon's session, tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't want Conference to end. I always look forward to Conference, and I think it just really spoke to me this time, more so than other times, and I didn't want it to be over.

I love this gospel, and I know that this church is true. I sustain Thomas S. Monson as our living prophet and Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as his counselors. I look forward to April. I can't wait to hear what counsel is going to be given.

Jessica comes to visit!

Every September, my cousin Jessica comes to Utah from Liberty Lake, Washington for a weekend. I was so excited for her to come! She got here Thursday afternoon. So I gave her a quick tour of my new apartment and then we drove over to Monica's boyfriend's apartment. Jess, Monica, and I sat out on the patio talking and eating some delicious and freshly-canned peaches. Mmmmmmm. Then we watched the highly-anticipated season premiere of The Office (so funny!) and ate some amazing chicken tortilla soup. Aside from all of that though, I was kind of having a hard day, so after dinner I went to sit outside for a little bit. I ended up being kind of emotional, and I'm really glad Jess was there to comfort me and know what to say. After all of that, I got myself together and we went over to Wal-mart, where we met my boyfriend Paul and friend Taylor and got ourselves new toothbrushes. I'm sure it was the funnest part about her weekend! She stayed that night with me and then left for Salt Lake the next day to meet up with her friend Kerry.

Saturday we met at the conference center in SLC for the women's broadcast.














The meeting was so good! The General Relief Society Presidency spoke, along with Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency. I love him! His words are just so kind, and you know you are loved when you hear him speak. Everyone left feeling a little more uplifted and inspired. Well, at least I did.

There's the First Presidency leaving. Not very good, but the best shot I could get from how far back I was.
None of my pictures of the Salt Lake Temple turned out very good, the settings on my camera were being stupid.

After the meeting, we all went out to eat at Tucano's at Gateway. It was my first time eating there, and oh my goodness it was absolutely delicious! I loved it. Probably my new favorite restaurant. We skipped out on dessert, hoping on getting a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. BUT IT WAS CLOSED! Poor Jess was a little depressed, it's her tradition (and probably what she was looking forward to most). So we decided next time we'll get an apple before the conference to tie us over until dinner (that is, if Monica and I can ever make it anywhere on time). Sadly, after that we had to say goodbye. Jess left to go back to Washington today. Our visits are never long enough! But Jessica, just know you are loved and I appreciate everything you do for me! Thanks for coming, and I can't wait until next year!