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