This year (month) has been freaking awesome!

I am loving 2015 already, and hope it just keeps getting better! January was a month full of snowboarding and I was not complaining! First trip, 7 of us went up to sunrise and it was snowing all day and it was cold, but that meant fresh snow so it was worth it! We went up the night before and stayed at Audrey's families house and played games and watched How to Train your Dragon 2. Then the next day we helped Audrey feel more comfortable snowboarding and she killed it out there. Jake, Adrian and I then stuck together for a while until Jake crashed and hurt his shoulder! Thankfully he was okay and a good sport and let us finish out the day and not making us go home early. Overall the day was saweeeeet and got me stoked for our Colorado trip!

The next weekend 10 of us went up to Durango, CO for two full days of snowboarding. Our car left at 9:00pm thursday night and drove to Gallup, NM where my cousin Stephanie lives and she let us crash her house at 1:00am and sleep for 5 hours so we could be on the road by 6:00am to get to the mountain. We got there and found the rest of our crew and were in HEAVEN with the fresh powder, and the fact that it was a HUGE mountain. It seriously is amazing how much difference it makes to be on a real mountain where you can do all sorts of good runs. After 1 successful day we went back to the hotel to hot tub, and then went to eat some food. We called the night early since we didn't want to be exhausted for our second day of snowboarding. Day 2 was just as wonderful and no injuries for anyone was a big deal. We all dreaded when 4:00pm hit and didn't want to come to reality that our time was up!

It was suuuuch a sick trip. That night we hot tubbed again and did some dares in the snow, then went out to eat and searched for a place to dance. We hit up a country bar first and there was all old people there, two-stepping & waltzing. Our group was doing swing dancing and it was not favored by the others since we kept bumping into them. We kind of chilled and played some pool for a while until 10:00pm so we could go hit up the "underground" where the hip hop music plays and where there are "younger people". We were excited for this and when we showed up there were only 3 people.. haha. Luckily, we had 10 in our group so we didn't really need much more to have a good time. Most of us were going crazy and dancing like freaks (which is my favorite kind of dancing) and it definitely made the trip that much better. We requested songs and just went wild and I felt like I was on the cruise again. :) The next morning my neck was sooo sore and I felt like I got hit by a truck, but it was worth it to have those memories. We drove back Sunday and took a site seeing stop at the Four Corners!! I was expecting there to be like a little town around the monument... but NOPE it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Very well kept monument and it was a great $5 spent to get a picture in all 4 states!
                         
While I was In CO, I got an email from the director of HEFY saying that the next set of group interviews was January 15th, (that NEXT THURSDAY). Please let me know if you can make it. Obviously they didn't know that I lived in AZ, and I guess I should of asked if there was a Skype option, but I immediately looked for Allegiant airline prices and it was only $50 one way so I figured might as well go up there, and visit my best friend and go snowboarding! That week I had to crank out 3 projects that needed to be done by the weekend I would be gone. Luckily I completed all of them by Wednesday night and was off to Provo early Thursday morning! Haley picked me up and we went to Kneaders and then she went off to go Snowboarding while I hung out with Taylor Olson, then I took a power nap, then met up with Tori Nixon until it was interview time.

I was pretty dang nervous for this, as I knew they would be giving us hypothetical situations to analyze and solve and I had no clue how difficult the situations would be. Turned out to be one of the most chill interviews I have ever been in! There was about 20 other people there and we started off with introductions and then played get to know you games which was super rad. Then they split us up in 2 groups and gave us a scenario that we all worked on TOGETHER to come up with the best solution, which was a HUGE relief knowing we had time to analyze it and then present our answers. So there really wasn't a way for anyone to look bad during this. Then we got split into partners and had a different scenario to solve and that still wasn't even bad and I felt like my partner and I gave great answers and solutions. Then they let us ask any questions we had and then it was over! Not bad right? I was grateful for the setup of the interview and felt confident leaving it.

They said we would know by now whether we have been accepted or not, but I still haven't heard anything. Its killing me! This is something I have wanted to do for a couple years now and it would be the best way to spend this summer. I was glad to get the interview over in the first day so I could relax and enjoy the rest of my weekend there. Friday I went to breakfast with Lauren & Camry then worked on a mission HC, then Haley got home and Olivia Bell came over and we went to eat & then shop, then Haley and I went to get dessert and snacks for snowboarding

Saturday we went to Park City to Snowboard and HOLY COW was it amazing. I thought Durango was the best thing ever, but then Park City just proved me wrong. The snow was perfection, and the mountain had so many sweet runs and I was snowboarding with my best friend! That night I met up with some Belize friends and we did karaoke at Randy's and caught up on life. Sunday was church and when we were driving there, I was watching everyone walk and I felt like I was at EFY... watching the boys and girls walking in lines and being all BYU like. I turned to Haley and said "yeah I could never live here"... I felt like I was at EFY again.

That night we met up with Belize friends again and made fry jacks and watched some of our videos, and played settlers. It was soooo great being able to talk about those experiences and laugh about the good times we had together down there. Wish I lived closer so I could see them more often. Monday we were leaving later in the day and Brad and I couldn't leave without having the full Provo experience of eating at JDawgs. Which did not disappoint. That sauce was goooooood stuff. Then we got ice cream at the creamery. Finally we took off around 1:30pm I believe and it was a long but fun 11 hour drive home.
                         
The next sunday Nanna spoke in STAKE CONFERENCE. She did AMAZING and they definitely saved the best for last. She is a celebrity now in the Gilbert area, people are coming up to me all the time now saying how awesome she did! Every day I am blown away with the excitement my Nanna has for this gospel. She is not afraid to tell anyone that she is a Mormon and that they should really listen to what the missionaries have to say. I love that all the energy and enthusiasm that she already had is now being put into sharing the gospel. She is the best missionary and I am trying to be more like her everyday. Still blows my mind that she is LDS. Last week, Dad took me on a date to the PHX open and we had skybox tickets for the 16th hole and it was really cool! We also saw Larry Fitzgerald and my dad did a really great job getting a picture of me with him! 
 
Alright last exciting news is... I am going through the TEMPLE! February 27th is the date and I cannot wait. I am more than ready to enter the House of the Lord and make more covenants with God and learn more about the purpose of life and progress spiritually. I just want this month to fly by so I can go through already. I love this gospel and the peace & happiness it brings into my life.