I'll Be Home For Christmas

12 Days till I fly home
11 more nights in this lovely abode for fall semester
10 more school days (including finals week)
9 days until Amy and I are reunited
8 times will Cassie scare me today. And the next. She has discovered my inability to control the noises coming out of my mouth when frightened.
7 days until the last Monday of the semester
6 baked goods needed to be made. For taste testing purposes, of course.
5 finals
4 versions of "The Christmas Song" on repeat
3 days until the final cleaning check of the semester
2 essays
and a partridge in a pear tree.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

I just wanted to write this down before I forget about it. Friday and Saturday was the Christmas Concert with Men's Chorus, Women's Chorus, BYU Singers and Concert Choir. And we even got to perform a couple of songs with the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra. Holy cow. So fantastic. Their sound gave me chills. Every time. 

One song in particular that I had a great experience with was "Candlelight Carol" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eME_gxZRDxo&feature=related

One line in particular stuck out to me: "Nations proclaim Him their Lord and their Savior, but Mary will hold Him and sing Him to sleep."

I love how well that portrays Christ and His mission; He didn't come in glory, but His purpose was glorious. He was a personal joy to Mary and Joseph in addition to being the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. 

He came to save mankind from the sins of the world, but He also came to save ME. While the Atonement applies to everyone, I know that He would have done it just for me if that's how it was. That's how much He loves me. I know He loves me. And the more I think about this unconditional love, the more I love Him. No matter how many stupid things I say in a day, no matter the fact that my no-bake cookies didn't set right, no matter how many times I'm tempted to fall asleep during classes, no matter that I get angry sometimes, He loves me just the same. How does that fact get pushed aside sometimes? Honestly. Sometimes I feel inferior because a boy might not like me, or a certain group didn't ask me to hang out with them. It's the material and carnal man; the desire to be accepted by man. I feel so silly now, after making this realization that Christ will always love me. He has always loved me. He always will love me. What greater gift can there be? To have someone understand you completely, who gave their life so you can achieve the ultimate happiness, who has been there every step of the way. How many people can we say about that? 

I feel so grateful tonight for my Savior. I am grateful that He is my brother. I'm grateful for my heavenly family. I'm so eternally grateful that my earthly family can be an eternal family. I love my family with all my heart. I'm so grateful for the example my siblings have set for me, staying true to the gospel. I'm so grateful for my mom and dad- all they have given me, all they have sacrificed, how much they love me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel so incredibly blessed. I realized that during the concert as well- how incredibly blessed I am and how many people do not share those same blessings. I need to be more kind-hearted, more generous, more willing, more Christlike. 

I hope this finds you all on a midnight clear, for it is just that for me tonight- a night of clarity. 

Merry Christmas. 

Holding Out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dWz0BOdK94

I like the original, but also this one.

There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays

There really isn't. Simple as that. 

I've been shopping, eating, sleeping, playing, watching movies, playing some more, tree picking, pie baking, chocolate making, sleeping, chocolate eating, dancing, not doing homework (though I can do that anywhere, apparently), eating some more and relaxing with my family. It's been a fantastic week. I somewhat miss the college scene, but I totally appreciate being at home more after being away for an extended period of time.

Papa Wride moment tonight:
While attempting to tickle my mother, (who was yelling "NO. DON'T YOU DARE" while gripping his fingers so tightly he was yelling "OW, YOU ARE SO STRONG") he says "Porque dijiste esto?!" [talking about a secret pet peeve mom had previously let slip to Adam, Marie and I while watching the BYU basketball game] to which I replied, "Dad, we all speak Spanish here. That didn't mask anything."
His reply: "I didn't have time to say it in Pig Latin!" 

Thank goodness I only have to endure 3 weeks more of the semester before I'm home for Winter Break! Concert, a research paper, and 5 finals. I can do it. I CAN DO IT. Then Amy, Kasee and Heather will all be home. And all of my siblings and nieces and nephews will be here for Christmas. Goodness gracious, I can't wait. 

What I Like About You

Probably one of my favorite FHE activities thus far: Jell-O War.

We were pretty dang messy. We keep finding Jell-O all over the walls of our kitchen.

This picture is just so terrible of all of us, it's hilarious.

My fantastic FHE Family (-1 SARAH!)

Pink Notes #5

(I love this picture)

Dear sweet Emma Marie. This girl has it all- talent, kindness, curiosity, beauty, sass. She doesn't care who knows it!

She gets a special mention today because I talked to her for a couple of minutes on the phone, and I can't even begin to say how much I miss her and how much that short conversation meant to me! Our conversation went a little like this: Emma: Hello! This is the Wride's, can I ask who's calling? (Granted, she is 4 years old.) Me: Hi! This is Laura! How are you, Emma? E: *gasp* Hi Laura! ... we talked about the dinner she was about to partake of... E: When are you coming home? M: Next week! Can you believe it?! E: I love you a lot!! Emma was the first grandbaby I was around to see in the hospital, straight from heaven. :)

We even lived in the same house for the first years of her life! She is an absolute joy. She sounds so grown up now. I'm so proud of this young lady. And those sassy new bangs? That face, too! Gotta love this girl.

I miss this beauty, but I can't wait to see her (and everyone else TOO!) next week.

La Vie en Rose

It's been a while since I've blogged, so I guess better late than never! I've been pretty busy with homework and tests and all that great stuff that goes hand in hand with college. Tests were pretty brutal, but I think I know what to do for next time, so I guess that's good! I've got some pretty good friends that I hang out with regularly, who are in my FHE group, so that's fun. I love my roommates, in spite of their dirty habits. At least I keep telling myself that...:) They are all just really good girls. Our neighbors are super cute too, and my roommate and I have gotten to be pretty good friends with them too. One of the highlights of the past month was just this past weekend: Kasee and I went to Salt Lake to see Matt Nathanson in concert! It was a blast! Good music, and it was so fun to catch up with Kasee.

My FHE group has gone to the Bean Museum now, and YES, I survived having a snake around my neck. It was terrifying. For proof:

Another HUGE highlight, a guy in my ward had two extra tickets to General Conference, so I lucked out and got to go to the Sunday morning session of Conference. That was an amazing experience, to be so close to the stand, to be in the same room with all twelve apostles, the first presidency, the Prophet. Absolutely amazing. The talks were so great this session, right?!

(Cassie [Super awesome roommate], Geoffrey, Moi at the Conference Center) BUT, about two weeks ago, it was Amy's (my best fran) birthday, and her family asked me if I wanted to go with them to visit for the weekend, so I got to go to Rexburg to see Amy and Heather. Oh my goodness can I just say how good it was to see them? I had seen them only two weeks before when they both came down for Conference weekend (Which I'm pretty sure I started crying when I saw them that time. Haha, just like I cried when I saw Kasee for the first time out here. Geesh mom, you've got strong genes.) But anyways, I spent that weekend with Amy's family and it was so fun. I absolutely love the Carpenter family- they are hilarious, and I can tell how much they love each other. I just felt so much at home with them, a home away from home. I know this experience is good for me, to meet new people, but honestly, I've found my best friends and I'm pretty sure they will always be my best friends. I'm open to new friends, always, but these girls have such a special place in my heart- I love them. Anyways, it was a really great weekend, to say the least. IN SUMMATION, I love college. I love my family, and miss them DEARLY, but, I am enjoying my time, regardless. Can't wait for Thanksgiving! (PS. The title is my ringtone at the moment, because for some reason, I am obsessed with it. ATM.)