Half Pints Only

This past week was a good one! Tuesday I got to go down to Salt Lake for The Lumineers concert and this weekend my home girl Emily came up to visit me (:

So the concert. Now that's a high and a low. It was The Lumineers so obviously it was a fabulous show... but unfortunately they only played about 5 songs :( It ended up being canceled due to the weather. It was only sort of windy...I didn't think it was bad but they have to be cautious to keep us safe. Safety takes priority over good music I guess. Dang it. But it was alright because the songs they played rocked and I got a super duper comfy cozy band T which is always a good thing!

Here we are at the concert! 

And then this weekend I had some nice quality time with emmydubs. She came up Friday and we went  and got some delicious Indian food! Okay, this place sounds sketch.. it was in a gas station... haha but I swear it was soooo stinkin' good! We got chicken curry, naan, and a mango lassi! Mmmm mmmm mmm. This place is like rated #1 in Logan and it's no joke either. The place was packed. Seriously every seat was taken. So moral of the story, if you want some Indian delicacies, check out your local gas station.  You may be surprised.

We also went and got Coldstone because that is our place! We go pretty much every time we hang out and let me tell ya, we hang out very often. I'm crossing my fingers this ice cream keeps finding somewhere to go...

In addition we went to the mall and got some real treasures. First, we found the cutest slouchy cardigans at American Eagle for a steal! It was originally priced $50 and we got them for $20! Holla! I almost didn't get one because they were gone in my size but as we were walking out I saw one of the mannequins wearing it and it was just the one I was looking for! The second thing we got was most definitely the best 50 cents I have ever spent. Check these guys out.... 

Right to Left: Ralph, Pocket Pig (Em already had him) and Gunther. <3

Ralph belongs to me. Gunther belongs to Em.

The rest of the weekend involved these guys immensely. What can I say, we love to spoil our pets!

Also, the Cache Valley Mall is cool because the play area is completely dedicated to sweets and treats. If you know me well, you know that I have the sweetest sweet tooth. So naturally when I saw this place I freaked and me and Em had a lovely photo shoot atop a cupcake with sprinkles. On another note, me and Em have a thing for the self timer app. We like to take really heshy, candid photos. Heres a sample:

Did I mention this picture caused us to get kicked out of the mall? Yeah, apparently the mall cops don't like it when you stay past closing to take selfies on cupcakes... weird, I know.

In case you were wondering, this post is titled "Half Pints Only" because that was what the sign going into the play area said. Although most of our weekend revolved about the type of food we were going to eat next, I would say we fall under the category of "Half Pint". 

Saturday was a lovely day because we explored Main Street (which I have to say, walking around I decided I have fallen head over heels in love with Logan). This place is way to cute. I love all the vintage shops and the people you meet. Needless to say, even though we didn't get around to getting an authentic fountain drink at the BlueBird (I told you all we did was cared about was our cuisine) it was an afternoon well spent. After that we rolled on over to the DI- I found myself an excellent Christmas fleece- went to Al's Sporting Goods- got an awesome deal on some new climbing shoes! yay!- and then of course we ended up at Olive Garden. Sheesh we are fatties sometimes. Oh well YOLO right? Carly came to this part and while we were there she was feeling left out without a puppy of her own so after pounding down some pasta we went back to the mall and got her a puppy[puppies]. See, first she got a Gunther, then two Ralphs, then a chubby wiener dog, and eventually ended up with Henry. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the whole gang, but they do now sit on our TV amongst some army dudes Carl found. 

All in all, when I see Emily twice in one week, it is a good week.

in my life i love you more

Friday is always good because Friday is the day I go to Institute.

Today our speaker was a very sweet lady and the topic she spoke on was charity.

I am constantly thinking about, and missing, my friend Becky Smart. Becky passed away this summer and these past couple months have been the hardest months I have ever lived through. No one would ever know though because I have made a huge attitude adjustment since it happened. I have never been so smiley, or outgoing, or caring. When she passed I quickly realized how short life is and that every moment and person has to be cherished completely because you honestly never know when it will end.

The reason I'm combining the devotional and Becky is because Becky embodied charity more perfectly than any one I have ever met. I don't know where to begin or where to stop when describing all the flawless memories I have of her. Becky embraced the idea of selfless service and acted on it whenever possible.

Here are a couple examples that come to mind right away:

• Picking me up for school every day my sophomore year. This may not seem like a huge deal, but to me it was a blessing. She dealt with me running late practically every day, our slowwwww gate we used to have at the beginning of our driveway, and going out of her way to be at my house on time during snowy cold days.
• She always wrote people notes, just because. I still have a note from her I read as often I can. One Sunday she just decided to give me a long letter and framed picture. She was always so complimentary and made you feel so warm and fuzzy inside.
• Whenever she came home from school on the weekends, she carved out time of her busy schedule just to come and visit or take me out to lunch or buy me hot chocolate.
• During movies, she always offered everyone neck rubs and back massages. And they weren't lazy ones either! She got all the knots out and put all her strength into them.
• She was the most helpful person I have ever invited to go boating. Most of them time when you invite people, they just sit around, get in the way, and don't pay attention to anything happening. Becky on the other hand, never hesitated to ask what she could do to help. She was such a hard worker and always exceeded the expectations you had for the job you gave her.

I miss her more every single day. People say it gets easier with time, but that is so not true for me, and I don't see how it could be true for anyone. Its so hard to not be able to text her whenever, snap chat her any time, and its especially hard when I am back home and I don't see her at church and she isn't over visiting with my family. 

Most of the time its easy to just smile it off when I feel myself choking up, but today in the devotional or last sunday in class when I can't crack a joke to distract myself are when I really start thinking about how much I miss my friend. 

Even though it hurts more than I can describe, I still feel so much gratitude. Knowing I will see her again takes away some of the pain. Knowing she is happy and finally reunited with her Dad takes away  some more of the pain.

All I am saying is love everyone. And don't do it half heartedly. Give it all and don't expect it to be returned. Love selflessly, just like Becky did.

Appreciate the smallest details of life. I will never forget the last night Becky, Beth and I were together. We had the time of our lives being our goofy selves. The next morning, Becky posted a novel on Facebook with all the memories we had just created. Most people would overlook small details like "jumping on sleepy heads" but that is an example of how Becky appreciated every second we spent together.

I have taken so much from her. I never realized until she was gone how often I think of her. There are so many things that remind me of her. I want to be able to love the way Becky loved everyone. 

Ok so I realize this is kind of a heavy post but hey! Not everything is going to be peaches and daisies. This is real and this is what I was thinking about today during Institute.

If you take away anything from this entry, remember to serve your family, your friends, your roommates, the random guy on the street, the girl you sit next to in the library, your teacher, ANYONE AND EVERYONE. Because when you serve selflessly, you will learn to love that person more than you ever thought you could.

Have a good weekend!

Becky Smart

May 31

So AMAZING! Stuffing our faces at dinner and being psychos a.k.a. being ourselves, attempting to get on a fake horse while people are staring, reminiscing about the good ol' days, jumping on sleepy-heads, watching an intense movie with noooo happy ending, making a one o'clock 7-11 run for hot cocoa and goodies, doing a little jig/acting like a drunk causing to spill that cocoa all over, Zoolander it up, giggle in bed til our tummies are not too happy, sleeping in, girl talk, having delicious crepes for breakfast and then sadly we say our goodbyes. Yeah I'll say that we know how to live!  — with Beth Hansen and 2 others.

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This is the post she made about our last sleepover. Going through the history of our friendship on Facebook I notice how often she wrote me a message on my wall just to remind me of a funny time, tell me she missed and loved me, and and of course she always made me feel special when she said I was beautiful. It is always nice to hear that from your grandpa or mom (haha) but Becky was just so genuine and sincere. Man I love her.

The last picture we got together. All smiles (:

 Always laughing. We had the best times. No, we didn't hang out every weekend. No, we didn't have the same friend group. But when we got together we were a group made in heaven. Seriously you would think we would be inseparable when we got together. We all shared the same sense of humor and understood each other %100. I miss these moments a lot. Becky, I hope you are laughing at my awkward moments in heaven ;)

A silly pic of us going down to Lake Powell. This year and the year after that were the best two trips to Powell I have ever had. (and I have always had the best times there so that is saying a lot ;))

This is the picture she framed for all of us. Right now it is on its own shelf in my dorm room reminding me of the best ward crew EVER.

(Becky was always the picture taker, preserving every silly moment we had)

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

If you are interested in more fun stories about this amazing girl, check this blog out    http://beckysmart.blogspot.com

Happy Tuesday!

It is 12:07 and I am already declaring today a good day. And why shouldn't I? You make the decision every morning whether or not the day its going to be good. Happiness is a choice. (: 

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY.

Reasons why today is a Happy Tuesday:

1. I got a goodnights rest... for once in my 1 month college career!
2. This morning was nice and laid back. Rachel and I got to talk about life and such while I got ready for school. Our class wasn't until 10:30 so she came into my room and told me all about her previous night. Then I made myself cheesy eggs, ham, and a tortilla.
3. My journalism class had a speaker who works with PR. She told us all about her experiences, tips for us, and she was seriously hilarious! I stayed after to introduce myself and thank her for her time and presentation. She was so cool! For real, she talked me into a major. I have been undeclared, thinking about journalism and maybe broadcasting. But after listening to her talk I feel inspired to follow that inking and pursue journalism!
1. One of the reasons I came home and immedatily started blogging was becasue on of her tips was to WRITE WRITE WRITE. No matter how you do it. Blog, write in a journal, write a letter, ect. Just write!
4. When I came home I had a letter on my bed from my Daddy. Sometimes he sends me mail just because and this was one of those times. Sometimes it's nice to know someone loves you, is thinking about you, and is grateful for you. 
5. And these four things bring us to now. But the happiness continues because tonight is The Lumineers Concert with my BFFFFFFF Emily! Woohoo!!!

My mom is going to pick me up which is nice because its been awhile and when she calls I am typically busy so the conversation isn't too long. But now we are going to be in the car for an hour or two and I can tell her all about life and what not! Hopefully we can make a pit stop at Rio for Taco Tuesday on the way home. I am telling you, concerts and tacos can really make a day exciting.

I am currently jammin' to The Lumineers while I type this entry up! Seriously I am getting so pumped! I will surely be writing an entrance for that because I know its going to rock my world.

And that's what I have so far. Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope the day will measure up to you as it is measuring up for me.

True Aggie Night.

Friday the 13th. Weird things happen on this infamous day right? Right. Because on this Friday the 13th I became a True Aggie. What is a "True Aggie" you ask? Well, at Utah State University the tradition holds that if you stand on the block "A" in the quad at midnight under a full moon and kiss someone who is already a True Aggie, you become a True Aggie as well. The two exceptions to the full moon and the kiss to someone already a True Aggie are 1) Homecoming and 2) A-Day. Last Friday happened to be Homecoming Weekend.

Now, I was not planning on becoming a True Aggie that night. In fact, I vowed I wouldn't do it because my roommates weren't going to and it was after the Homecoming Dance so I would be all sweaty (YUCK). All my roomies bet on me that I would cave and do it but I seriously wasn't feeling it. BUT when we found a good spot to watch all our fellow classmates become True Aggies I got a text from one of my friends asking me if I already had a date. I wasn't opposed, BUT I didnt want my roommates to be right so I ignored the text. About 5 minutes later, Kameron came and found me and so sweetly said, "If you don't already have someone to become a True Aggie with tonight, I would love to be yours." Okay, I don't exactly like him that way but did that make my heart melt? Yes. BUT I wasn't going to let me roommates win the bet so I said I wasn't going to do it tonight. As he was walking away two of my roommates were like "Claire! How could you reject that offer?! That was so cute!" So after some convincing I let one of them text him back saying I would take him up on his offer. In a moment he came back for me and we walked to the back of the huuuuuuuuuge line together. We were talking and such and we realized the people getting the biggest applause's were obviously the people proposing. So being awesome like we are we decided hey! go big or go home... lets get engaged! ;) Rachel gave us one of the rings she was wearing so it would look legit. 

Before I knew it we were next in line! We walked up the stairs, I turned around, and Kameron got on one knee. I am soooo not a good actor whatsoever. So it was clearly fake. But we sure got some cheering and being completely unlike myself, went PDA to the max in front of hundreds of strangers! And just like that, I became a True Aggie! [and an engaged woman ;) ] 

Just in case kissing in front of hundreds of people wasn't enough, I posted this video to the internet

Kameron Quaid Drage and I.

 Just getting engaged a couple weeks into freshman year ;)

True Aggies Baby!