It's the Most Wonderful Time...

Wow! Time has flown by! Life at BYU has been crazy, lovely, difficult, and utterly, well, indescribable.  I sat here for 5 minutes trying to think of another adjective, but I couldn't!  I loved all my classes, and all of my finals went really well.  I have discovered an amazing friend, my roommate Kaitlyn.  She is the best roommate I could ever ask for.  She puts up with everything from talking about boys to late night adventures, even my sleeptalking*, which, according to her stories, gets pretty wild.

BYU has really made me appreciate the gospel even more, which surprised me.  I worried that if I was surrounded by people of the same faith, we would all take it for granted and almost forget about it.  But I have learned far more than I imagined I could attending that school.  Having everyone (nearly) believing in the same things allows for deep discussions and a general acknowledgement of the goodness it has blessed our lives with.  I have one friend, Lauren, who isn't a member, though she attends BYU, and I love talking with her about different aspects of BYU and getting her take on them.  She has amazing insight, and I am so glad I met her.

I have made some amazing friends that I am going to miss very much next semester because they are leaving, mainly to go on missions.  They are going all over the world! Japan, Idaho, Colorado, Spain, D.C., the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and more!  It makes the idea of going on a mission even more exciting!

I could probably go on for pages about my many adventures, but I will spare you and go over a couple more of the highlights.

-Went to a Tuba Christmas Festival... that was interesting :)
-Performed in a Song-writing showcase on the violin.  It was written by my friend Taylor, and it sounded incredible, if I do say so myself :)
-My brother Doug got engaged to his girlfriend Holly (I may have already mentioned this...)
-Discovered The Piano Guys on youtube
-Passed all my classes, despite lack of sleep and sleeping through my ballroom final** :)
-Spent an afternoon with my awesome cousin Emily and my Grandmother making a scrapbook for Emily's husband, Dan
-Went to the midnight premier of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with my family, Quinten, and Kaitlyn
-Drove home through some scary snow and made it - alive!
-Got the stomach flu...and then gave it to my sister, my niece, and my mom
-My sister and her husband and my two nieces came into town

There is more (isn't there always?) but I will leave it for another post :)

Love,
Miss Lauren Leigh

*Sleeptalking does not explain it.  I also sing, dance, and give narratives, all in my sleep.  I have stories I could share! If you want to hear them, let me know! :)

**Don't worry, I had taken another exam earlier that could count as my final, I was just hoping to dance again for a better score :)