Happy Holidays To You

Happy Happy Holidays!
It's true what they say, this really is the most wonderful time of the year!
Being able to spend time with my family and celebrating the birth of Christ, is always a highlight for me.

A tradition my aunt, grandma, and cousins have had for a while is a little sleepover called, "Auntie Claus"
Basically, we wear our jammies, eat dinner, drink hot chocolate, and watch "The Polar Express." This year definitely did not disappoint.

Precious.

On Christmas Eve, I got my favorite present!

We got to skype Elder Boyd (!!!!)

It was amazing to finally see and talk to him after six months.

He's doing so well, and had some great stories to tell.

My favorite part was singing "Silent Night" right before he got off.

The spirit was so strong, and I was reminded that families really are forever.

Like, how cute is he?

Christmas Day was lovely.

Having little kids in the family really brings the magic and spirit of Christmas in the home.

They were so excited. 

And let's face it, I was too.

The Gram Gram and I took some Christmas selfies.

We just couldn't help it.

So grateful for this beautiful woman.

I am so grateful for Jesus Christ, and for the ultimate sacrifice He made by coming to this imperfect world and atoning for our sins. What a blessing it is to know that through Him, we can all return as perfect with our Heavenly Father someday.

Merry Christmas!

♥ Bekah

Finally Done With Finals Week

Finals Week: Gets a whole new meaning in college.

Hello and goodbye to the craziest week of my life.

Seriously, in high school finals week is a joke.

In college finals week is, well, not.

On top of that, we had to move out of our lovely Old Heritage Halls into the New Heritage Halls by Saturday morning.

Bio, Mission Prep, Sociology were the only tests I actually had.

Then I had presentations for Book of Mormon, Voice, and Writing.

After finishing everything by Friday afternoon, I then had to go work from 4-8.

When I FINALLY got home, Sean, Joy, and I set to work cleaning out beloved Horne 55.

At first it wasn't too bad.

We even got some Martinelli's to celebrate.

After Sean went home, Joy and I continued moving.

Here we are around 1:00 AM

...

And 2:00 AM

It snowed about an inch in an hour. Wowie.

We eventually found ourselves, exhausted, lying in the middle of our New Heritage living room, at 3:30 AM, eating a whole package of chocolate covered pretzels, saying to ourselves, "How have our lives come to this?" 

At 8:30 AM, our alarms went off, and so we continued.

I was not in any mood to get dressed or look cute, so I spent the rest of the morning dressed like a hobo:

It's fine.

To make this long story short, we ended up successfully moving out on time.

Joy didn't miss her flight, and I made it safely home.

Saying goodbye to our favorite Horne 55

The lovely Lady Horne in the flesh.

So there you have it.

Until next semester, then.

♥ Bekah

If Only For A Second.

Carefree: Lighthearted, joyous, elated, cheerful, gleeful, blithe.

Oh my.
Just watched this video.
It is the loveliest thing.
It gave me chills and put a smile on my face.
I promise you want to watch it.

♥ Bekah

Opportunity

Fear: Something that causes feelings of dread or apprehension.

So here I was, writing my sociology essay, when this lovely little song came on.

It took me a minute to listen to the lyrics.

And now, frankly, I'm obsessed.

"Don't be scared of what you cannot see

Your only fear is possibility

Never wonder what went wrong

Your second chance may never come around"

I think that I feel this way too often.

I get too afraid of the future: of unseen possibilities.

But just imagine what those unseen possibilities have in store for us.

So many amazing, wonderful, exciting blessings,

experiences,

and opportunities.

I definitely needed this reminder today.

Happy Friday!

♥ Bekah

Accidental Phone Calls

Mother: A sacred title referring to a woman who bears or adopts children.


Today while I was in the library, my mom called me.  Excited to hear from her, I quickly answered the phone, then realized she hadn't meant to call me.  But to my delight, I could still hear her and the kids as they were on their way to the store. I decided to eavesdrop on the cute little fam of mine.

I listened to my mom talk to the kids, ask them some really cute questions, and sing Christmas songs with them.  The way she responded to the kids when they asked questions, or asked for candy canes, or fought over a certain toy, reminded me of how wise my mom is. I am so grateful I WAS SENT TO HER FAMILY.  I really could not have been luckier.

To the beautiful, elect, noble woman who taught me everything I know: I love you.

♥ Bekah

Hello There, Elder Boyd.

Missionary: Someone who leaves their family for two years, so someone can be with theirs for eternity. ♥♥♥

Because he sent me an email, and I'm really emotional, AND I JUST LOVE HIM SO MUCH, I'm posting this picture from my favorite missionary.

Cheers from Taiwan..

Love, Bekah. ♥

So This Is What Nineteen Looks Like?

Nineteen: The year between eighteen and twenty.

Wow, I can't believe it's been a year since I started this blog.
Laughing Hippos? Not sure why I called it that. But it stuck, and I think it's going to continue sticking, if you know what I mean.

A lot has happened this year.
And yet, I still feel very much the same.

I'm grateful for the amazing experiences I had as an eighteen year old, some of which include
starring as Ophelia in Hamlet,
participating in Student Council,
being a part in POW, the beautiful, original play about Corbin B. Willis,
graduating from high school,
saying goodbye to my twin brother for two years while he serves as a Missionary in Taiwan,
and attending Brigham Young University as a freshman.

Honestly, the list goes on and on.
But, I think the most important part about my transition from eighteen to nineteen is my growth.
(And I just don't mean growing older and wiser)
I mean that I have grown emotionally.
I've learned how to be self-reliant. (Although I still do rely heavily on my roommates and parents.)
I've learned to manage my own schedule. (Sometimes staying up way too late, but it was definitely worth it, right?
I've learned to be responsible for my homework, my grades, my calling, and my job.

And not only have I grown emotionally, I've also grown spiritually.
I've really felt my faith in Jesus Christ grow stronger.
My testimony has been strengthened, and deepened.
I know that I have a Heavenly Father in heaven who truly loves me.
I know that He is looking out for me, waiting to help me.
I know that I am a divine daughter of God, and if I can see myself as He sees me, I can find confidence, peace, and joy.

Cheers to nineteen!

(We went ice skating for my birthday. My absolute favorite. ♥♥♥)

♥ Bekah

Goodbye, eleven inches.

Hair: The substance that looks like a mass of fine threads growing especially on the head.

Hi, I cut off eleven inches of my hair this week.
So that's cool.
I woke up on Wednesday morning, and felt that it would probably be good to donate my hair soon.
Then for lunch, I walked into the wilk, and a hair salon was there cutting hair for Locks of Love.
Coincidence?
I think not.
I was having a really good hair day too, with long, beautiful curls.
I sat in there for about an hour, telling myself that I could just cut it over Christmas Break or something.
But as I got ready to go, I couldn't leave.
For whatever reason, maybe because there's a girl who desperately needs my hair, or maybe to simply humble myself, I felt very strongly that I needed to donate my hair right then.
I knew I would regret it if I didn't.

So I got up.
And with my heart beating fast, and my palms sweating, told them I wanted to donate my hair.
And now I have eleven less inches of hair.
And I love it.
And my head feels lighter, and my heart feels happier.

For some reason, Heavenly Father was prompting me to donate my hair that lovely Wednesday afternoon.
I don't know why, but I knew I needed to follow that prompting.
I'm so grateful for a father in Heaven who knows me better than I know myself.
Who understands the whole perspective.
Who helps me become refined and become a better person.

Before:

After:

I truly hope you are having a lovely day.

♥ Bekah

Corner of Your Heart

Falderal: Mere nonsense; foolish talks or ideas

Life is beautiful,

painful,

confusing,

and amazing. 

It's overwhelming,

terrifying,

puzzling

and exciting.

It's full of love,

sadness,

happiness,

longing,

hoping,

waiting,

crying,

and praying.

It's the best thing that's ever happened to you.

But also the scariest.

I will never get over how complex, extraordinary, and lovely this life is.

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall day. ♥

♥ Bekah

Hello, Sunday.

Sunday: The best day of the week, obviously.

Hi, I just really like love Sundays.
The peace,
the spirit,
and the calm that they bring helps me relax from the week before,
and prepare for the week ahead.

It's been a lovely week full of friends, food, and studying.

It's fine that I went to the MOA twice this week.
The first time with Nathan...

And the second with our newly established lunch group..

I was also a regular at the library as I studied for midterms and worked on papers.

This is me and Amy last night when we first got to the library:

And this...is after a few hours...

We found the weirdest little studying place, and had the whole thing to ourselves.

It was pretty nice.

We established that we were SNLs.

Either Saturday Night Losers, 

OR Saturday Night Learners.

It's likely that we were both.

Other highlights of the week included:

• Visiting my lovely grandmother (she gave me a ring that she got from Florence Italy when she was just sixteen. ♥♥♥)
• Thrifting at Savers. (Well that's always a highlight.)
• Driving up the canyon for a photo shoot with my peeps.

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot.

Amy, the leaf princess.

Love these cats ♥

Such a beautiful family.

Just observe the pure joy on their faces. ♥

And finally, Becca frolicking in the back ground.

It was such a good Sunday. I felt like the talks and speakers were speaking directly to me.  

I especially loved the talk our bishop gave about Faith. He quoted Hebrews 11:1 - 

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

He said we could substitute ASSURANCE in the place of SUBSTANCE.

As we have faith in Christ, we can have the assurance that He is there for us.

That He knows us, and hears us, and loves us.

I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.

I know that He is aware of our struggles, our pains, and our suffering.

I know that through faith, we can escape this mortal world and live for eternity in a state of perfection with Him.

I hope you had a great Sabbath Day too. ♥ 

♥ Bekah

Let's Eat Food and Be Happy

Pinion: A gear with a small number of teeth.

Soo if you haven't eaten at the Cafe in the Museum of Art on BYU campus,
you should.
Right now.
No, seriously go.
YOU WON'T REGRET IT.
Frankly, I'm obsessed.
It's like Zupas, but cheaper.
And cuter.
And quieter.
It's also extremely delicious.
Which is a very important aspect.
I mean, look what I got today.

The "Very Berry Salad" with Tomato Basil Soup, and a piece of bread on the side.
So good.
So very good.

It's been a rough week.
I have a really bad cough.
It's been three weeks since I got sick.
I couldn't sleep last night because I was coughing so much.
My poor roommates.
I think I'm going to head over to the doctor today or tomorrow and see what's wrong with me.
So that's fun.

BUT, we did have a great discussion in Book of Mormon today about receiving revelation.
It's interesting that every person receives promptings and inspiration from God in their own, personal ways.
We talked about how it's okay to pray about the things in our lives that may seem small, but to us they're very significant.
Heavenly Father wants to hear from us, no matter how small, and He ALWAYS has time for it.
He is our Father, and He loves us.
How comforting is that?

On another note, I came home at midnight last night to see that my roommates had made chocolate cake.
For no reason.
So I guess you could say I was pretty happy.
I love my homegirls. ♥♥♥
Have a lovey Wednesday.

♥ Bekah

Happy Days Are Here

Autumn: The beautiful season where leaves start to change, people fall in love, and pumpkin bread is sold in stores.

The other day, one of my friends pointed out that if I were a season, I'd be fall.

I can't help but agree.

I love autumn time.

I love the sweater weather,

the changing leaves,

the pumpkin spices.

I love walking in boots,

putting on scarves

and drinking hot chocolate.

I love rain puddles,

warm blankets,

and layers

upon layers

upon layers.

Isn't this time of year just fantastic?

Call me biased, but I think autumn is the season that God puts extra time into.

The beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows are painted by His careful fingers.

Yesterday my friend Amy and I made a little friend.

His name is Hector Atticus.

A darling little Preying Mantis.

How cute is he?

We fell in love.

But when he started climbing up the walls, we had to recruit a brave boy to come help us get him down.

Life in college is great.

Trying to balance grades, a job, and somewhat of a social life can be hard.

I am having such a great time, though

I hope you are having a lovely autumn season.

♥ Bekah

So College Is Pretty Cool.

College: Less class time, more homework, and a whole lot of fun.

I've been trying to get this post up for so long,
but I just never seem to find the time.
So here I go.
FINALLY.
Posting about my lovely little life here at BYU.

Moving in.
August 28th was one of the weirdest and most surreal days.
Leaving home (even if it was only thirty minutes away) was a big step with A LOT of stuff.
I didn't realize how much stuff it takes to move.
I mean, you need more than just clothes and shoes to move into a new place. What would I have done without my mom?

Saying goodbye to my family was definitely the hardest part of the day.
Again, they are only thirty minutes away, but the idea of it was still hard.
My dad carried the stuff from our cars, my mom helped me unpack, and my little brothers collected sticks from outside as a goodbye present.
Then with tight hugs, and reassuring words, my parents drove away.

After the initial shock of living on my own, I can honestly say I was okay.
I think my dad was more traumatized than I was.
He kept calling and asking if everything was okay.
He almost sounded surprised when it was. Like something had to be wrong, didn't it?
And kept referring to me as "College Girl."
I felt so much love and support from my parents during this whole moving out thing.
They are the best things that have ever happened to me, and I am so blessed to have them. ♥

My roommates.
Call me vain, naïve, or just selfish, but I was so afraid of getting roommates who I wouldn't get along with.
It was probably one of my biggest worries about college.
Lucky for me, I got THE BEST roommates around.
This is not an exaggeration.
The first few days that we moved in and got to know each other, we instantly clicked.
We were all instant friends, and we have so much fun together.
I have not gone to be earlier than midnight since I've been here.
But the thing is, we have so much fun talking and hanging out that we don't want to go to bed.
Oh the struggle.
I couldn't be more grateful for the beautiful girls who have become my family here in Provo. ♥

My classes.
I'm taking..
Biology,
Sociology,
Writing 150,
Mission Prep.,
Book of Mormon,
and Voice.
The work load isn't too bad, yet.
My professors are all very different, but I'm learning a lot from them.
I think it's going to be a good semester.

Our ward is awesome, our FHE group is fun, and our neighbors are the best.
My job at the MTC keeps me busy and happy while serving food to the missionaries.
Serving young men and young women who are truly disciples of Christ is one of the best feelings.
I really don't have any complaints other than the fact that our fridge broke last week, and we had to throw a lot of our food out.
So that's cool.

I feel so blessed to be at this prestigious university where it's normal to listen to Elder Holland for a Sociology lesson.
Or start a Biology class with a hymn.
Or have a hundred girls to thirty boys in a ward.
^^^Maybe not so much on that one.

Well, time to do more homework.
More to come later.
But here's this darling picture to leave you with.
The cutest roommates.

 

 

Hope you've found the laughter and the happiness in your day today.



♥ Bekah

Hello, darling.

Meandor: To proceed by or take a winding or indirect course.

Today is my last day at home and I REALLY NEED TO BE PACKING.
But, as always, I procrastinate everything in life.
Tonight is no exception.
So here I am, FINALLY blogging again.

I wish I had time to write about how great this summer has been.
I've gone on so many wonderful adventures:
I've swam in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans,
taken thousands of pictures,
sung songs,
eaten snowcones,
milked cows,
laughed,
cried,
performed,
and relaxed.

When I get settled into the dorms, I'll find time to dedicate some posts to the magical summer that it's been.
For now, here's a few golden pictures from today's adventure with Mitch and Brenda:

These are a few of the funny ones that I liked.
More to come later. ♥♥♥
Have a lovely lovely evening.

♥ Bekah

Young Folks

 Sunshine: The shining of the sun; brightness or radiance; cheerfulness or happiness

New day;
new week;
new post.

Good morning!!
Or should I say afternoon?
I woke up this morning at 11:40 which is rare for me.
It was beautiful.
I love sleeping in.

I have a feeling it's going to be a good day.

Yesterday was a great Fast Sunday.
It hit me in Sacrament Meeting that it was my last Fast Sunday as an official member of the 26th Ward.
The spirit was really strong and I was reminded again of the incredible ward I have grown up in.

I had the chance to go to a Preach My Gospel night at a friends house where we discussed pages that we read, and experiences that we've had.
Talking about the Gospel and sharing my testimony with some of the best examples in my life never gets old.
Call me cheesy, but I think that every time we do that, we get a small glimpse into heaven.
And I can't get enough of it!

Life is good, my friends.
Three more weeks until I move into the dorms with six of the coolest girls around!
I am honestly so excited.

Just a reminder to:

 

Have a lovely day.

♥ Bekah

Not Too Late

Footle: To waste time.

Hey,
hi,
hello!

You know what shocks me,
but also amazes me?
The luxury we Americans enjoy.

My family is definitely a Middle Class family.
We own the average sized suburban house.
My dad makes an average yearly income.
We drive cars that were bought used, yet run very nicely.
 But, gosh, life rocks for this average-very insignificant-middle class-weird in their own kind of way-family.
Think about it,
I fell asleep on a Queen-sized mattress last night with beautiful flower sheets, snuggled in a bedspread that matches.
Laying my head on a fluffy, feather pillow.
My bedroom was cold because of the over-sufficient supply of AC.
My floor was scattered with clothes because I have too many to choose from.
My mouth was filled with retainers that keep my teeth straight.
My iphone was charging on my nightstand.
My stomach was aching from eating too much chocolate.
My laptop was hibernating on my beautiful white desk.
My closet was cluttered with my fifty pairs of shoes.
And all this is from the girl in the middle class family, mind you.

Did you know that about one billion people go to bed hungry each night?
There are seven billion people in this world.
You can do the math;
that's a lot of hungry people.
But that's not even counting the other millions of people living in poverty,
or struggling to keep a roof over their head,
or who have to walk far to find clean water,
or are introduced to disease at a young age,
or live in the humblest of circumstances.

Obviously, this naive eighteen year old girl from a small town in Utah doesn't know anything about the suffering other people in other countries and even our country are going through.
But I do know that in my life, and the in way I'm living it, I don't have anything to complain about.
In fact, my problems should really be called "First World Problems."

I know there's not a lot I can do.
But I guess the point of why I'm even writing this post is to try to express my bewilderment at how this world works.
Why can some people live in such luxuries that other people can't even imagine?
It comforts me to know that Heavenly Father has a plan for everyone.
That after this life, there's a beautiful, perfect place for us that is unimaginable to every human being.

And maybe tonight, when your feet are cold from too much Air Conditioning, can you try to be thankful for the fact that you have cold air blowing through your entire house with the sole purpose of keeping you comfortable and cooled off?
Just think about it.
I know I will.

Have a lovely day, everyone.

♥  Bekah

Hello

Elation: A state of great happiness or joy.

Don't mind if I do!

You too, folks.

♥ Bekah

The Sound of Sunshine

Popsicle: A brand of flavored ice on a stick.

I think I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have such a darling little baby living in my home.

She's eighteen months old.

And so tiny.

And so precious.

I am so grateful Heavenly Father chose to send this little angel to our family.

We are honestly so blessed.

How has life been lately?

Good.

It's been good.

I volunteered at the Stadium of Fire for four days.

That was fun.

It really was an amazing experience.

I met some incredible people,

did some hard but satisfying work,

and watched the concert from the ten foot yard line.

All-in-all, it made for a very memorable Fourth of July. 

I love summer.

It's been nice to work 

and relax

and sleep

and eat LOTS of ice cream

and watch too much TV

and sing 

and take pictures

and spend time with my family

and play in the rain

and hang out with great friends.

We have a Chinese exchange student coming tomorrow.

AND MY MOM IS TAKING ME TO DC IN TWO WEEKS.

She told me yesterday and HI, I'm so excited.

Life is good, my friends.

Hard, but also so amazing.

Nighty night.

♥ Bekah

The Best Two Years

Missionary: Someone who leaves their family for two years so that others can be with theirs for Eternity.

It's official.
He's gone.
My twin walked into the MTC at approximately 12:45 today.
He looked so confident and happy that I couldn't help but be excited for him.
But shoot, I'm going to miss him.

It just feels so surreal.
Where did all the time go?
It feels like just yesterday we were eating in our high chair,
and riding the teeter-totter,
and playing with Bionicles,
and peeing on the sidewalk while our mom tried to potty train us,
and going to the zoo,
and riding two-wheeler bikes for the first time,
and playing in the sandbox,
and jumping on the trampoline,
and taking crazy pictures,
and dressing up for Halloween,
and surviving our awkward stages,
and going to stake dances,
and learning how to drive,
and going on our first dates,
and fighting over having the radio on in our car,
and staying up late to play just one more card game,
and hanging out in the New York City subway while on vacation,
and laughing at the dinner table because of how crazy our siblings are,
and making funny videos,
and playing or singing music together,
and graduating from high school.

Two years is a long time.
It'll be 2015 when he comes home.
Who knows what the world will be like in that time.
Who knows what I'll be like or what I'll be doing in that time.
All I know is that Michael is doing the right thing by serving this mission.
I know he will be blessed, the people of Taiwan will be blessed, and our family will be blessed.
I am so eternally grateful for that.

Good luck, Elder Boyd.
See ya in two. ♥ 

 

♥ Bekah

Maybe

Alexithymia: Inability to describe emotions in a verbal manner.

Maybe it's one o'clock and I know I'll have a sleep hang-over tomorrow,
but I just don't care.
I have this desire, this urge, to write something.
Anything.
But I don't know what.
I can't really put into words the mood I'm in right now.

In a little over two months I will be moving out of my house and into the college dorms.
I will be leaving everything I've known, for the last twelve years or so, behind.
This prospect is terrifying to me.
Most teenagers are ready to "leave the nest" and "FINALLY get more freedom and independence."
But me, I'm content living in my cute little corner room in the basement.
Falling asleep with cold toes and a squeaky bed is just fine with me.
But then again, how can I deny myself the exciting experience of college?
I get to have my own little adventure.
I get to meet new friends and new people.
I have have the opportunity to educate myself at one of the best universities in the country.
I should probably learn how to
manage my money
wash my clothes
cook my food
get a long with people
go to bed on time
change a tire on my car
pay my bills
and all the other responsibilities associated with "growing up."

Oh boy.
It's going to interesting.
To say the least.

Goodnight. Goodnight. Goodnight.

Ps, I went to California. It was amazing.

♥ Bekah