Hellooooo Out There!

Oh hey, it's me. You know, that one blogger who loves blogging/blog stalking and always has cool ideas for posts but then feels guilty that she hasn't updated the past month (or five's) happenings yet? So then she feels like it would be lame to post about something meaningless and random when she's doing such a horrible job documenting her adventurous married life? No? That's ok, I've almost forgotten I exist too.

So... here I am. Just thought I'd pop in to say hi. As mentioned, there are so many things I feel I already should have put up here, but I just haven't yet! All the way back from October. (Truthfully, probably long before that, but that's about the length of my memory right now.)

Someday, I hope to update on, at least, major happenings during these past several months. Does anyone know, is there a way to insert blog posts into your blog under past dates so they look like they've been there all along and I don't feel like a nerd putting up our Halloween costumes in February? But, no promises. I think every time I say I'm going to catch up on here, I never do. We'll just see how things go I guess.

So here's what's going on now. Seth graduated from BYU (finally!!!) and looking for a job. That's all. As you can probably guess, his days are action packed...

I'm Still in school, and doing pretty well so far in the semester. I'm totally staying up on my workload for the first time since I've been at BYU! I submitted my applications to my major last Friday. I'm finishing up the last few steps of the application process tomorrow and next week. So keep me in your prayers and fingers crossed! Maybe try both at the same time? 

I'm also working, and have a million different projects around our house, and bigger projects elsewhere. I'm pretty busy, but doing well so far! (Besides this blasted cold and constant fatigue... go away already!)

On a more exciting note, we went to this fun little place called Slab Pizza on Friday. You literally get a slab of pizza. 1/4 of a twenty inch pizza to be exact. Wow. And the flavors are fantastic! It's just around the block from our house and it may just be our new dinner spot. If you're ever in Provo, GO! It's in the bottom of a gross apartment complex and looks totally dinky, but so worth it, I promise.

Seeee???

Seth got Chicken Club which totally tasted like a chicken club sandwich with lettuce and everything. I got Rosemary Potato with Bacon. Why did I never know about potatoes on pizza? With the olive oil and goat cheese, just let me tell you... incredible.

And finally...

Today, Seth got his diploma in the mail! Yipee!!! Now he's all official and we have to buy a fancy frame so we can display that impressive piece of paper in our future study. I'm so proud of him!  

 :)

Good job sweetheart.

Well, I have a lot to study for, so that's all for now. I'll try to check in every now and then. Maybe. If I get around to it. Until then, I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this new year! 

Oh my gosh... when did it become 2011???

*amber*

Enchanted

Some of you may not know that I started my college career as a dance minor at BYU. Dance has always been an important aspect of my life, but I found the dance program here missing something. If you're a BYU dancer, I have nothing against you. There are many amazingly talented dancers here. The problem was I just didn't feel the sense of artistry that I so love in dance. I didn't feel, in my experience, that any boundaries were being pushed.

That is why I was so delighted when I saw this. It was a collaboration between BYU animation professor Ryan Woodward and dance instructor Kori Wakamatsu.

(Please watch in full screen.)

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

At last! That was beautiful. No, it wasn't the most technical or challenging dance, but it is so refreshing to see someone stepping out of the normal bounds of the art of dance, and taking it to a new medium.

You can read the whole story here.

And here some behind the scenes footage:

Thought of You - Behind the Scenes Preview - ROUGH CUT from Cambell Christensen on Vimeo.

Bravo BYU! You've made me very proud. And inspired.

*amber*

Dear Santa...

For Christmas I want:

1. Long luscious locks.

I miss the feel of my hair whipping in the wind. Like this.

Or this. Actually, if you could just insert my into this picture, I wouldn't mind. The hair, the dress, the cardigan, the scenery... take me there.

Or, if you can't just give me the hair, can you at least make mine grow faster? It takes FOREVER!

2. Cozy sweaters and boots. To keep me warm. 

Like this.

And these.

3. And finally, could you please just slow time down? Or maybe stop it altogether?

I need a good long vacation in Italy. So I can pass my Italian final tomorrow morning! Really, it's not a want, it's a need!

And so I can have time to work on all the projects I have planned in my head. Like making amazing reversible sweater stockings, inspired by these.

And do this to our bedroom wall.

That's all, ok? Simple requests, really. Ready... Go!

*amber*

Announcement! With some visions of sugarplums on the side.

Ok, are you ready? Here it is...

We're going to Disneyworld for Christmas!!! 

I seriously cannot wait. This is going to be me.

Yes, the one on the left. Furreals. She is my idol and I've wanted one of those dresses since I was 3. I'm determined to find one in my size this time.

We're smack in the middle of finals, but all I can think about is, "Florida, here we come!" It doesn't help that I've had major travel fever since this Summer. I've never been to Disneyworld (or Florida), so if you have and have any good advice, please share!

* * *

In other news, because of finals and the fact that we won't be here for Christmas, I decided I didn't feel like decorating. Not even our tree! I don't know if you realize how big of a deal this is for me. I'm a decorating freak. Seriously. Any given day, you can ask me what decorating projects I'm planning or thinking of and I'll talk your ear off. So it's no wonder that when I told Seth I didn't feel like putting up our tree, he asked me what I did with his wife.

Anyway, that's just how I felt this year. Then, last Saturday, I went to the Festival of Trees with some friends from work.

Yes, Seth was photoshopped in hehe. He couldn't come because he had too much homework :(

The Festival of Trees is a charity event where people donate decorated trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, quilts, and other crafts to be silent auctioned and all of the proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital. It's a fun Christmas event. They have some of the most creative trees I've ever seen there.

So I started getting into the Christmas tree spirit. Except, I still didn't feel like doing it. Mostly just thinking about Christmas trees. (Still weird. In my mind, any form of creativity or expression is totally worth the work.) So I decided to post some pictures of our lovely tree from last year. So I can still look at my beautiful tree. Maybe I can't bask in the warmth of the magical glow it casts throughout our house, but at least I won't be lint rolling fake snow off my clothes for the next three months.

Here you are.

Mmm... lovely. I love Christmas trees.

Merry Christmas everyone! And if you have a tree, enjoy it for me!

*amber*

Oh Ingrid...

How do you always write songs that fit me so perfectly?

Dearest Seth,

We might not have any money, but we have our love to pay the bills.

So... 

Let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France,

Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance,

Let's get rich and buy a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants,

Way up there, you and I... you and I... (will actually have time to spend together!)


* * *


Ok, I'm not that superficial or money obsessed... but wouldn't it be nice? Seth is two weeks away from graduating. I, on the other hand, feel like I will perpetually be haunting the BYU campus. We are both going crazy. Seth, because he has 5 days of classes left to finish about 3 weeks worth of work. Me, because I just want to graduate, get a wonderful job in public relations, and start living a normal life. The college student life can really wear on you.

Perhaps this isn't the best time to be feeling this way. Finals are a week away. But I just can't help thinking of the day when I'll be free and we can do what we want with our time. Maybe I feel like this because my week has been ridiculous and Wednesday night I got a grand total of 2 hours of sleep, because I spent all night putting together two group projects. Ugh.

Yesterday, I felt run down and burnt out. Seth totally didn't have time for it, but he took the time to take me on a date. We went wandering through a thrift store, then got frozen yogurt. It was wonderful to spent time with him, because we hardly have time for date nights anymore. Now today is one of those days where I just want to snuggle under the covers all day. Unfortunately, that is SO not an option.

Blah... but listening to this song over and over seems to be helping some :)

Also, we are going on an amazing vacation very soon. More on that later.

*amber*

Don't Say Nothin'

Today I took three tests.

Tomorrow I have another one.

And a big project due.

The next day, another test.

I have 4 classes and 5 tests this week. (?)

And I have work and class during the times I should be doing my normal homework.

We don't have any food at our house.

I haven't slept for days.

Among other things.

So...

no comment.

*amber*

Restless

Tonight, I'm feeling restless. 

And I'm totally feeling this song. It was one of my favorites way back in the day.

So maybe all the words aren't applicable to me right now. But I do feel restless tonight.

I want to go somewhere.

I want to do something.

I want to make something.

I want to learn something new.

I want to try new things.

Or maybe I want to relax.
I don't even know what I want to do.

But I just can stop moving long enough to do anything. 

Do you ever have those days? It's gonna be a looooong night.

(especially because I have 7 papers to write... ugh)

*amber*

Finals Ninja

Whoosh.....

* * *

Did you see me?

Didn't think so. That's how stealthy I am. Only two finals left. 

Tonight I will smoothly debilitate my Doctrine and Covenants final with merely a touch to the right nerve. And tomorrow, I will flying roundhouse kick my Italian final in the face. All before they even saw it coming.

* * *

Um... this week really needs to end...

*the finals ninja*

The "Official Wedding Pictures"

The pictures of Seth and Amber at the Temple have now been uploaded to facebook. Feel free to view, them for NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE, here!Also, classes are over. WOOHOO! Now if we can make it through the next week, all will be well.

Also, I was just asked to choreograph a lyrical dance for some girls from my old studio. I'm psyched! I haven't choreographed a group piece for a long time so this will be fun. If you have any good song/artist suggestions, please give me a shoutout.

LOVES!

*amber*

Yes, we fell off the face of the planet. But we're back!

Where to begin, where to begin. Well, since I haven't posted anything since the day before Thanksgiving, perhaps I shall start there. Thanksgiving was a lovely day. Seth and I drove up to my Grandma and Grandpa Nelson's house for dinner at 1. We ate and ate (although the food was put away too early in my opinion,) Seth tried to get the antique tv to work so he could watch football, took a nap, woke up and ate dangerous amounts of my mom's chocolate mousse and frozen strawberry pies, chatted with the aunts and uncles, watched my baby cousins wrestle for awhile (best thing ever! I wish I had taken a video,) tried to talk over 5 screaming babies and toddlers, then everyone started trickling out. Then it was time to go see my dad's side of the family but apparently they finished sooner than they had thought so we just followed my parents to Pop and Babe's (my dad's parents) house. We chatted for a bit, my brother got into the endless stash of soda and candy, I started craving mashed potatoes because apparently that craving hadn't been fulfilled earlier, couldn't find any, finished up at their house, and we were on our way home. And it was only about 7 or 8! Everything went so fast; usually my family takes their sweet time but this Thanksgiving was very efficient. But we were ok with that because we got to head home earlier. We went on a quest to find mashed potatoes but alas, every grocery store in Provo was closed. Finally we found one box of instant mashed potatoes at Rite Aid. Then we went home, made the potatoes and, I think we watched a movie or something? I can't remember.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was the Holy War! (aka the BYU Utah rivalry game.) I had never been to a BYU football game before this year so Seth made sure that didn't happen again by getting season tickets. He is slowly trying to turn me into a football fan. (to be honest, I don't think it's my thing, but we have fun. And I like seeing him get all excited about it.) At first it looked like we would win for sure but then they cought up and tied the game at the last second, taking it into overtime. However, BYU came out victorious and we rushed the field along with a million other people. I tried to take a picture of the scoreboard to show my dad (a hardcore U fan) but it was shaky because people were going crazy! It was really fun though. Very exciting and, seriously, when would I have ever done something like that on my own? Thank you honey :)

The next Sunday at church, two exciting things happened. First, we actually made some friends! We love our ward but it has still been a little hard to get to know people. It's a family ward (not a byu married student ward) so there are a lot of families and older people that have been there for a long time, but there are also a lot of college students coming and going so it's sort of hard to get used to it and feel established. However, in sunday school, this couple started talking to us and asked us if we would want to hang out sometime. Their names are Mary Elizabeth and Adam and they were really outgoing which is good because I tend to be shy and have a hard time opening up to other people like that. We decided to have family home evening at their house the next day. It was really fun because fhe with two people can be a bit odd sometimes... plus they have an Adorable little boy named Kasan (sp?) who has the most expressive face. We watched an inspirational video about gratitude (watch it here, I love the guy with the long hair!) then made gingerbread (or graham cracker) houses. We made ours the two story dollhouse kind. Upstairs, sever gummy bears danced around a gummy tree but ended up looking like a cult. On the bottom floor, Seth created a lovely fire out of an orange gummy bear and three other orphan bears shivered around it in the barren room. What a lovely house.

Ok and the second thing that happened at church was we got a calling! It was very exciting. We are teaching the 12-13 sunday school class! We'll definitely be the coolest teachers ever. (candy bribery galore.)

When we got home, we decided it was time to put up our Christmas tree! Woohoo! Here is Seth with the tree.
This is what the tree did to our floor. All over the room. We got to have a lovely vacuuming party afterwords :) Usually I'm not a fan of the trees with fake snow but I don't think this one looks too bad because the snow is realistic looking. Plus, it was free! Thanks grandma.
And here it is all done up! Only problem: we live in a basement and our ceiling is very low. The tree barely fit (we had to bend the top branch down) so there is no room for my pretty star on top. I'm thinking maybe I'll make a pretty bow or something for the top but life is too hectic right now so we'll see if I get around to it. Just maybe, no one will notice there is no topper!
And here it is all lit up! I love Christmas trees..... ahh. So magical.
Here are some closeups of some of the decorations. Here we have the lion and the lamb. Aren't they darling?
Next, we see the lonely top branch of the tree and one of the big turquoise ornaments.
This is my favorite ornament. Such a pretty sparkley snowflake! And the glittery ball ornaments are pretty too.
Here is a nice sampling of the ornaments. Blue, green, silver sparkle, little wooden nativity, glass ball with sand and seashells, and pine cones.
And last is just a closeup of the picture before. I like the pine cone in this one. It almost looks like a drawing, not a real pine cone!
So that was great. I LOVE decorating (as anyone who knows me already knows) and our tree now casts a lovely majestic glow around our living room. Now all it needs is a topper and a few peacock feathers sticking out. We also got to put out our two nativities. The first is a tiny one carved out of olive wood (you can see it on the little table in the whole tree shot) and the other is the Willow Tree nativity. We got the first set for our wedding and hopefully throughout the years, we can collect the other pieces until we have the whole set. It Love it.

Since then, we've just been trying to finish up the semester, prepare for finals, make final arrangements for Christmas, and Christmas shop on our tiny budget. We're finding it can be a bit tricky to be sneaky when we both spend so much time together and have a tiny house with no place to hide gifts. But I'm managing :)

Now, we finally make it to this week. Sunday, we were asked to sit in on our new sunday school class combined with another one, just so we could meet them. Then we'll start teaching next Sunday. Sunday morning, we woke up to Seth's phone ringing at 8. It was his boss Edwin telling him that the snow had finally come to Provo and, guess what? He got to go in for snow removal! If you didn't know, Seth works for BYU Grounds and they are basically subject to being called in any time of the day or night (or usually wee hours of the morning) and any day for snow removal. So he left and I got up and got ready for church. Finally I realized he wasn't going to make it home in time so I left without him. After sacrament meeting, I called him and he said it was still going to be awhile. He worked longer than his normal shift and missed all of church which was sad because he didn't get to meet our class. It consists of three 12-year old boys. Mark, Christian and Christian. I don't think we'll have a hard time with names.

Sunday night we went to bed and were awakened at 4:30 by Seth's phone again. Guess what? More snow removal. I drove him down the dangerous streets (more so because we REALLY need new tires) to work and then came home. I went back to bed but realized I can't sleep without him because it's too cold. I ended up watching Lord of the Rings until it was time to get up. I went to school and gave the car to Seth so he could go home because the ceiling guy was coming to fix our bedroom ceiling (long story short: there was a leak in the sink upstairs and it soaked down through and our ceiling started sagging. Kinda scary.) Then, he came back to campus and we got our swine flu shots, then drove back home for lunch. After lunch, I drove him back to work for his normal shift because the snow still hadn't let up. It was a crazy day and we hardly got any schoolwork done. Not good because this is the last week of classes.

Yesterday, we were woken up at 4 for another day of snow-filled adventure. Usually I love the snow but this is getting out of hand. I miss my husband, I can't sleep without him, it's SUPER cold (-4 today) and I woke up sick that morning. I was hoping it was just side effects from the shot but I'm still sick today and it seems to be getting worse. Great. Luckily, one of my classes was canceled so I took the opportunity to stay home sick. However, I wasn't really at home much because after work, Seth and I went to get him a new phone and plan. He got a really cool new phone and it's his new toy. He's having WAY too much fun with it :)

Some big news came last night as well.... I got a new job!!! I will be working for BYU Broadcasting. I've been applying everywhere all semester but hadn't gotten even a call back from anywhere. However, this was the job I really wanted, and it's the one I got! I'm excited because I'm a Journalism major and, even though it's broadcast and not print, journalists today have to be extremely well rounded so I hope to learn a lot!

Today has consisted of: snow removal at 6, staying home sick again, trying to overdose on orange juice and anything with vitamin C, ceiling guy coming to work on our ceiling again, trying to take a nap but not being able to breathe=no sleeping, and now I'm just waiting for Seth to come home from class.

WHEW! That was a lot. I'm sorry if you read the whole thing, that was probably WAY more than you wanted to know. Sorry I just had to vent. Fun times. Now I think I'm going to start working on my Comms final and get some dinner going. Love you all and... CHRISTMAS IS SO CLOSE I CAN TASTE IT (not well however because my stuffy nose makes things taste funny.) We wish you all a happy season and, although I COMPLETELY understand that it's very busy and stressful, promise me you'll take some time to relax and listen to Christmas music, drink some hot chocolate, and give some good hugs.

Love Love Love,
*amber*

I've put up some wedding photos

So it's been a while since I've written anything. Needless to say, life has been CRAZY now that we've made it to finals. I promise I'll get everything all updated and put up new pictures as soon as possible but for now, here's something I just finished doing. I posted a very select sample of our "coming out of the temple" wedding pics on facebook. Yes, it's select and there are still a ton. Sorting through our over 1000 wedding pictures has proven quite the daunting task. And I'm still not done! But I put up some of the good ones from right after the sealing. If you'd like to see them, click here.
Have a lovely evening. And if I don't get around to finishing the update tonight, I will as soon as possible. Love you all! And for those of you who are also in the middle of finals, hold in there! We'll make it!

*amber*

:) Thanksgiving Eve

Yesterday was the last day of classes before Thanksgiving break. However, this morning, Seth and I woke up at the normal time so I could get him to work by eight. The whole campus was closed so he had to sneak into his locker room through the pool. Then I went home, showered, and started studying. At noon, I met Seth on campus, we ate lunch, he showered, then we started studying. Seth is at the end of his major so he is very busy, and I am too because I'm taking 15.5 credits. At BYU 12 credits is full time so this is quite a full load for me. However, I do have friends who take 18 each semester and I don't get how they do it... all I do is study and I always feel behind! Hence, today has been spent in the Talmage Building being a busy little bee.

Seth is in a computer lab working with his group and I am out in the hall. No one else is out here and the building in feeling very lonely and empty. It is now 5:45 and I've been sitting here since about 1. That's a long time. I miss my husband. This would be a very good time for me to start complaining (ok so I've already kind of started...) and feeling sorry for myself but... TOMORROW'S THANKSGIVING!!!

I seriously cannot feel down today. Which is strange because I feel that I would be completely justified if I did. But I found a cozy little corner where the sun shone on my face (until it set) and today has been lovely. I've gotten a lot done and I know it will help me have a less stressful holiday. Plus I know as soon as Seth is ready to leave, we'll be out and having a wonderful relaxing rest of the evening. And tomorrow we will just eat and lounge ALL... DAY... LONG. Oh bliss. I cannot wait. I think at this point, I am expected to write my list of things I'm thankful for. This is so hard right now because I'm so thankful for so many random things. The big things are obviously Seth, my family, my new family :), my wonderful friends who have helped me throughout my life and the newer ones I've made in Provo, the temples (Seth and I went to Bountiful on Saturday after my Great Grandma's funeral. It was so beautiful. That was a good day.) sunshine, heaters that work, feeling healthy, yummy food, our own apartment, school (sometimes) my dreams for the future, and... I think I'm going to start getting carried away. So there you go. There are a few things. Maybe someday I'll do just a thankful post. For now, I'm going to get my husband and go do something fun and worry free. Have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone!

*amber*

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... Sleepy Heads

Some of you may be wondering, why am I up writing on our blog at 7:20 on Friday morning? Do not worry my friends, your question will be answered in time. I told Seth the next blog post was his. But as it has been an insane week (that's an understatement,) I thought I would fill you all in, in case you think we've dropped off the planet.
The main thing that has been weird about this week is my sleeping pattern. You must first understand that usually, I am ALWAYS sleepy and most nights fall asleep on the couch or love sac and Seth has to drag me into bed. And of course, as college students we never get enough sleep anyway which probably makes it worse. Well Saturday, Seth and I stayed up pretty late. Maybe 3 or 4ish? At the end of the evening, Seth was sitting on the couch reading his book, so I went and sat down next to him; expecting to fall asleep as I always do. However, when he was finished reading and said my name, I was surprised to find that I had not fallen asleep. We got in bed and soon, Seth was breathing deeply. I was still wide awake! It was the strangest thing because I knew I definitely had not slept enough the week before. I should be exhausted! The rest of the night was spent with my eyes wide open staring into the darkness. It felt like I was thinking deeply about something but I could never figure out what that something was. I may have drifted out a few times but they were only for a few minutes each. When Seth got up for church, I hadn't slept the whole night. I think he was a little worried but I felt fine!
We went to church and even when Seth's eyes were drooping, I was completely awake and alert. When the closing hymn started, I took a deep breath to start singing. Suddenly, I couldn't get any air. My lungs closed up and for a minute, I was in shock. For those of you who don't know, I have asthma. After the hymn, Seth asked me why I hadn't sung. I told him I thought I'd had an attack and it was still a little hard to breathe. Now, this is strange because usually I have attacks from exercising or when the air quality in Utah is really bad. I've never had one from trying to sing before. At the same time as I was trying to get some air back in my lungs, my head and stomach started hurting. Seth suggested we go home so I could use my inhaler. I did and started shaking. He was worried but that's what the medication does to me, especially after an attack. Then, since we had been fasting, Seth got me some food in hopes that it would help my stomach. It did. Thank you sweetheart. However, the headache was still there. It was in the same place as where I get my tired headaches; right above/behind one of my eyes. Weird stuff.
Later that night, my old roommates invited us to dinner. It was so good to joke around with them again and we had a lot of fun. They made us salmon with pasta (SO GOOD,) salad, biscuits, and choc chip cookies with caramel for dessert. It was a great Sunday night.
When we got home, it was later than we'd anticipated. I still had quite a bit of homework to do since I knew the next week would be crazy so we went to bed and I set my alarm to get up really early to do homework. Four hours later, I was up and going and not the least bit sleepy. Mmmm, this was getting a bit strange. But oh well, I wrote my paper and then went to school.
A similar thing happened on Monday night. I got a little more sleep but when I woke up, I was not at all tired. this equaled approximately 10 hours of sleep for 3 nights. Strange. And day by day, I was becoming more awake and alert to the point where I was getting a little hyper. On Tuesday, I dropped Seth off at work and had an hour or so before I had to meet in the library to prepare for a group presentation. I realized that my current situation probably wasn't healthy so I decided to just put the seat back and take a quick nap in the car. It took a while to fall asleep but finally, I crashed. My body had finally had it and I slept through my group meeting. Woops. I drove home, emailed my group, and went to bed. I didn't wake up until I had to go get Seth. Woohoo, I was finally sleeping again! Although now, I was SO tired. It seemed impossible to get out of bed in the mornings.
Wednesday was a crazy crazy day for me. I had a paper due in my first class, a group presentation in my second, and a speech to give in my third. I did all I could to prepare the night before but by the time I went to bed, I hadn't really gotten anything done. The next day was going to be interesting...
I went to my first class and although I was not fully prepared, we didn't even go through the things I hadn't done. What a blessing. AND I found out I didn't have that class on Friday! (Which is why I'm still home. It usually starts at 8.) For the group presentation, the was a lot of craziness. The group before us had presented what we thought was our chapter so we hadn't known what to do. Apparently, none of the group members had met so we had not decided what to present or how to split it up. So we met a half hour before our class started and put together the random resources we had all collected in hopes it might pass for a real presentation. Luckily, my portion was just questioning some of the traditional ethics of journalism which started a long debate and my professor became very involved in the discussion. This took most of the time and finally, I had to cut it off so the rest of the group could present. At the end, my professor told me great job and he really liked the discussion I provided. YES! This day was going great so far!
The next task, my speech. I was to give a four minute informative speech, mostly from memory, to my public speaking class. Problem? I hadn't yet prepared my speech. The week before, my instructor had informed us that he hoped we'd all practiced our speech at least a few times. I hadn't even picked a topic. By the day of the speech, I had finally picked a random topic about a modern cultural trend, but I had not put together my research, let alone written out the speech or practiced. I finished writing about an hour before my class started. While I was straightening my hair, I had the speech on the mirror and tried to memorize it as I worked. This wasn't really that effective. By the time I went to my class, I had not practiced my speech out loud. Oh great, this was going to be good. To make matters worse, we were being filmed which made me all the more nervous. And when I got to class, I realized I'd left my visual aid at home. With shaking hands, I gave my speech the best I could. I am sure it wasn't great but I did my best. Good news? I finished exactly on the 4 minute beep. Perfect timing! And now it's over so I've decided not to worry about it any more. *sigh of relief* I made it through the impossible day!
Now on to the latest installment of the story. I woke up and it was really dark. I knew I didn't have to get up for class but Seth did. He was moving so I asked him what time it was. He started laughing and I was really confused. He asked what time I thought it was. I didn't know and he kept laughing. This was getting frustrating, why was he laughing? Finally he asked me if I remembered going to bed last night. I didn't. Then, I remembered that we had both been so tired that we'd decided to take a nap. We knew we wouldn't be very productive when we were that tired. That was at 5:30 on Thursday night. Now, it was just after midnight, Friday morning. Holy Cow! Seth had gotten up at 10:30, thinking the same thing, that it was morning. Once he realized that, he got up and did some homework, then came back to bed around the time I woke up. He'd gotten about the same hours of sleep that we usually get, and I'd had more. We turned on the lights and read for a bit, then went back to bed around 1:30? 2? I woke up at 7 and couldn't get back to sleep, which is why I'm writing on this blog. Seth is still in bed but will have to get up for his class in a little bit. But what a crazy night! Great finish to such a crazy week haha!
Sorry if this was really confusing and hard to understand. I am still a little bit in sleep mode so my brain hasn't quite been activated for the day. And you lucky readers have the pleasure of seeing how I think when I first wake up! Lucky you!
As for this weekend, this is what I want to do:

• RELAX! Hardcore.
• Go to the temple (last night was ward temple night which, guess what, we slept through!)
• Go up in the mountains. Autumn is my favorite season and going up the canyon to see the leaves is one of my favorite things in the world. I love just walking through the trees and watching the leaves float down. It is so serene and breathtaking.
  

Also, for those who don't know, Where the Wild Things are came out this weekend! I think it was last night. That was one of my favorite books as a child (like many people) and I am super excited to see the movie. The New York Times gave it a great review this morning so I cannot wait!!!Well that's about it. Now you've had an update on our lives. At least my side of the story. I will try to get Seth to write on here soon. I hope you've all had a great week and happy weekend!!!

*amber*