Could this weekend get any better?

So...this weekend was simply amazing. Want to know why it was so amazing? Well, besides the amazing dinner we partook of on Thursday...WE WON THE GAME AGAINST UTAH! Nothing gets better than that, let me tell you.

I have always been an avid fan of Cougar football (even though I still have trouble following the rules, but I am getting better at it!), and every season I anxiously await this game. This game is very important. We don't wear red for at least a week prior to it. That would be unthinkable. So you can imagine how excited I was that this year's BYU/Utah game (my first ever at college) was a home game, and I had a ticket. Granted, my seat was at the very top of the stadium, but at least we had a good view of the entire field. Watching that game was so much fun--my friends and I were standing and screaming at the team the entire game; my thought hurt afterwards, and I sounded like I had been sick for weeks. Good times, good times.

My roommate was amazed at how deep the hatred runs between the two schools. She's from Alabama, so she didn't grow up with it like I did. I guess it is pretty shocking. Take Max Hall for example. Who would have thought that this nice senior would so vehemnetly bash Utah in post-game comments? ("I hate Utah. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, I hate their fans, I hate everything." --Max Hall) Of course, Max Hall did have some pretty rough experiences with Utah fans, which could explain his attitude toward them. Anywas, my point was that this rivalry isn't just some rivalry. It's The Rivalry. It's The Holy War, as my friend Levi Selway put it. It's the be all and end all of the Utah football season. And I got to be there for it. I think the look on my face says it all:

This picture was taken right after Andrew George made the winning touchdown, and just about every fan ran onto the field in celebration. The field around the 30 yeard line was pretty clear, so we decided to take pictures.

In the words of Cassandra Ball...

..."Happy Turkey Day!" (I know it was yesterday, but give me a break; I was helping with dinner) Yesterday was amazing, partly because of the DELICIOUS food that Dad cooked up. Let me just break down the menu: smoked turkey, cheesy mashed potatoes, rolls, artichoke dip, green beans, sweet potato casserole, a cheese roll, shrimp scampi, tri-tip steak, Waldorf salad, Caesar salad, and home-made cranberry sauce. And for dessert: strawberry pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, and turtle cheesecake--all home-made, of course. Can you say YUM?!

While it was delicious, Thanksgiving wasn't just about the dinner, and I wanted to give my thanks. First off, I am incredibly grateful to my parents. I owe them basically everything. I'm grateful for their support (both emotional/spiritual and monetary, ha ha) in everything I do, especially in my schooling decisions. I am grateful for my sisters--I know that they're always there for me. I'm grateful for my amazing friends, especially Hannah and Maddie. You guys are practically my sisters, and I wouldn't be the same without you. And, most importantly, I'm grateful for my knowledge that the gospel is true. That knowledge changes my life every day, and I know it changes me for the better.

So that's my short list of what I'm most grateful for. What was on your mind this Thanksgiving? Let me know.

College

http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/Fun/jokes/college.htm
I'm sad to say that sometimes I feel like this is true.

The First Snow of the Season

Winter is finally here! Have I ever told you guys how much I love snow? Because I really do. Of course, I hate that gross grey-brown slush that ends up on the roads, in the gutters, and on the very edges of the sidewalk. But actually, new fallen (or still falling) snow is one of the most beautiful things in the world, in my opinion.
I remember when I had to go to Middle School at 7:00 in the morning--which was not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. My first class in eighth grade was Spanish with Senora Sullivan. Her classroom was in one of the few Porta-classrooms outside the building. In the winter, it was always dark and depressing when I went out to Spanish. Every so often, though, snow would have fallen the night before. I would walk outside and look over at the track field that was right next to our school and see this incredible blanket of pure, untouched snow. It always took my breath away for just a second, and I would just stand there until I saw the first kids coming out of the neighborhood adjacent to the field.
I don't what it is about snow, but I just wait for the first snow of the season. It makes me feel all light and bubbly inside. Maybe it's the first sign that Christmas is coming, which truly is the most wonderful time of the year. It doesn't really matter; I'm sitting here grinning like an idiot and worried a little less about my impending exam all because of a little frozen water. It's awesome!
I'll probably be whining in a few months that winter has gone on forever, and it needs to be spring, but don't let that fool you. I love winter--and snow--with all of my heart!

The Obama-ization of our country is almost complete

Now, I got this news article from the front page of Yahoo, so I don't know how completely accurate it is, but it was an interesting, and slightly disturbing, story.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090926/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_school_song
Hmmm....teaching school kids to love their president, no matter what....sounds a little bit like communism...just saying.

Let's Talk Football

Usually, I don't approach this subject because I don't feel that I have quite enough knowledge of the game to provide compelling arguments. But I'm learning. Slowly. But still learning.

One of the reasons I was extremely excited to go to BYU was because my family and I have been die-hard fans of Cougar football since...forever. And now that I was an official Cougar, I planned to go to as many football games as possible during my college career. The future of the 2009 Cougars looked bright as they came away from the OU game with an unexpected, and totally sweet victory.
Then came the Tulane game, where we whipped the poor guys. I actually felt kind of bad for them.
And then came Florida State. I was so pumped--it was our first home game, we had started off the season incredibly well, and Florida State wasn't even ranked. This was going to be an awesome game. I was so wrong, and SO disappointed! My amazing team failed me, and they failed miserably. What the heck happened? Our defense failed, and our offense was completely ridiculous (I mean, really, how many times did simply hand the ball to Florida State?).
I do have faith in our team. They are amazing--they showed us that in both the OU and the Tulane games. Let's just hope they just pull up their pants and get the job done this Saturday in their game against Colorado State.

New Favorite Quote

I just found the most amazing quote online. And I love it. And I thought I would share it with all of you.
"Who has never killed an hour? Not casually or without thought, but carefully: a premeditated murder of minutes. The violence comes from a combination of giving up, not caring, and a resignation that getting past it is all you can hope to accomplish. So you kill the hour. You do not work, you do not read, you do not daydream. If you sleep it is not because you need to sleep. And when at last it is over, there is no evidence: no weapon, no blood, and no body. The only clue might be the shadows beneath your eyes or a terribly thin line near the corner of your mouth indicating something has been suffered, that in the privacy of your life you have lost something and the loss is too empty to share." — Mark Z. Danielewski (House of Leaves)