I just wanted to say...

Thanks to everyone for all of their support from the show.
I am so blessed to have such great friends and family.
My heart is bursting with love for all of you.


Here are a few pictures to keep you occupied until a big long post about the sing off...it's coming i promise...maybe not till after christmas though. <3

The sing off

Alright so here are a ton of things from the sing off last night.
enjoy

This is us on the front page of byu's website...this will only be up for a day most likely

http://www.byu.edu/webapp/home/index.js\

here's us on primetime in no time Yahoo review. this will also only be up today

http://primetime.tv.yahoo.com/

here's our number "think" on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgJpmv-VP-8

here's the big group number "under pressure" on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaHvu-TywxI

here are some photos from last night

http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/photos/gallery#item=111419

and that's all for now. after the show is over i will be able to post pictures and such. i can't right now because of contracts and such. but enjoy these. :)

I'm having a realization...

as to why britney spears went crazy
and why many people in the media go insane

after watching the sing off tonight...
i was dumb and started reading reviews.
there are so many people out there who like to comment and just be rude.
so many people talking about how we're Mormon and saying terrible things about us.
things that aren't in any way true.

and i realize that the media is one big joke.
people find it entertaining to ruin other people's lives by starting rumors because for some reason it makes them feel better about themselves.

i'm not saying i'm in any way a celebrity or anything, but i got a little taste of how terrible it feels to have people saying such awful things about you.

the sing off has been a great experience for us, and so i will not be reading anymore reviews because i don't want that to be ruined by ignorant people who speak without thinking.

those are my thoughts of tonight.
i love you all. :)

OH and also...

Here are some picture updates. :)

Noteworthy Photo Shoot (Molly Hunter Photography)

Recording Studio
Vocal Point Concert

KSL Studios

IN-N-OUT

I have this problem called i can't focus on my assignment until it's the last minute...

does anyone else?
i swear every time i try to get a paper done early i just can't focus on it. nothing comes to mind and i find that i just sit there and do nothing for hours and end up giving up. I'm trying to get ahead because I'm going to Burbank on Saturday and will likely be there for a lot of the month of December. i have a lot of papers due in my intro to family processes class as well as my D&C class. i know i need to finish most of this stuff before i leave but i just can't bring myself to do it. it's a problem.

i admit that i think i do a lot better when i know i HAVE to get it done that day. mostly every paper i have written in the past year and a half of college has come back with an A or B...so it's not like my procrastination is bad for my grades when it comes to papers...

but i really should be getting these papers done...

AH




P.S. I saw courtney on tv today! After watching TV for 2 days straight i finally saw the Sing Off commercial that she's on! woo!!!

THE SING OFF :)

Okay...so here's the big news that noteworthy has been waiting to talk about for the past few months!!!

we are going to be on the new reality series on NBC called "the sing off". this is a mini series of only 4 episodes with a sort of american idol feel but for acappella groups. the first three episodes Dec. 14-16 are done by judges votes, and the finale Dec. 21st is done by america's vote. We have been working really hard to prepare for the show and we are so greatful for this opportunity. we leave for LA on saturday and we will be there for most of december! crazy!! we will definitely keep you updated on how things are going. but i hiope all of you will watch the show because it's going to be really fun!! :) here's some info on the other groups and such.

LOVE YOU ALL

The eight groups in NBC's The Sing-Off—competing for $100,000 and an Epic Records/Sony recording contract—will be: The Tufts Beelzebubs from Boston, Massachusetts Brigham Young's Noteworthy from Provo, Utah Face from Boulder, Colorado Maxx Factor from Baltimore, Maryland Nota from San Juan Puerto Rico The SoCals from Los Angeles, California Solo from Omaha, Nebraska Voices of Lee from Cleveland, Tennesse It's on. NBC will premiere its new singing competition special The Sing-Off on Monday, Dec. 14. The four-night show will feature a cappella groups from across the country competing for a recording contract with Eric Records/Sony Entertainment.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20091123nbc01

YEEE.

Exciting things are about to happen...

Can you feel it?!

The Best 24 Hours EVER

The power of positive thinking...Is quite amazing.


Yesterday Courtney, Cassie (one of the Noteworthy girls), and I went grocery shopping in between classes. None of us were really having a super great day. So on the way back we just decided that we would stop by the newly opened IN-N-Out. [I'll admit, i was not fond of the idea of in-n-out being built in Utah. First of all, it's like bringing the beach here...you just can't do it. It's MY thing...MY California thing, the thing that i get really excited for when i go home, the first meal i have once i get close to home, the place we went to after high school football games and dances, the place where i have so many memories...having it so readily accessible here just didn't seem right.] ANYWAY that was a big tangent. So we went into In-n-out...and all three of us just looked at eachother and almost started crying. It turns out that having a little piece of home here is Provo is just what we needed to start the best 24 hours we've ever had. We got through the line pretty quickly, and after we got out we started formulating a plan to make that day the best day ever. Starting at 1 p.m. yesterday, we decided to have the BEST 24 HOURS EVER. and to change our normal, boring days into something exciting. So after a wonderful round of in-n-out burgers, we went home, put away our groceries, and headed to the dollar theater. We were too late for harry potter so we decided to see love happens...it was about 3:30 and the movie didn't start till 4:50...so the three of us sat around in the movie theater for an hour and a half just messing around. it was great...from that point on...the day just seemed to get better and better. and to be honest...nothing REALLY exciting happened. we just decided to make it a great day, and it was. So i think the moral of the story is: your attitude really is everything...you can make ANY day the best day of your life as long as you put your mind to it.

Here's a list of some other things that made the day wonderful:
*hide-n-seek in the movie theater
*leaping down the theater isles
*old man Lyle giving me a grocery cart
*Love happens (great movie)
*The song we'd been listening to in the car all day (Dream by Pricilla Ahn) just happened to be in the movie!
*We got a good cry in during the movie
*Mr. Napkin Head
*Cassie's in-n-out bag throwing up on her
*my wonderful reflexes to catch the burger before it fell into a million pieces
*perfect seat placement for feet
*Cassie Matching our theater
*Singing Listen at the top of our lungs in the car
*Exciting new movies coming out (it just so happens that the last two books i read by Nicolas sparks are both coming out next year :))
*9 Days till Kelsey's wedding
*5 Minute interval Texts
*Wonderful Intro To Family Processes class
*Best Chicken Nuggets, and Sundae ever from McDonalds
*New Moon
*Courtney sitting by herself in the theater
*free Popcorn
*PB&J in line for the movie
*me and amber getting lost for about 15 minutes tryin to find our line for New Moon
*Hot Tamales
*Good rehearsal :)
*NEWS

It was just a wonderful day. and i needed it...badly.

P.S. there will be pictures/ videos soon...i feel like my posts are so boring lately without them.

The Many Faces of the Testing Center

So today I went and took a test in the testing center. Before i took it I thought i'd get a little studying in. So I sat in the hall right by where people come out after they are done with their tests. As i was sitting there...i didn't really get much studying done because i kept looking over at people as they looked up onto the screen that tells you how you did on your test.

This screen is both loved and hateed by every student at BYU. It's the screen that'll say "GOOD JOB" if you got an A, but it's also the screen that will display your 42% for all the world to see. I realized that you can tell a lot about how a person did just by the look on their face as they leave the testing center. So here are the many different faces i saw today:

First, we have the "ignorance is bliss" crowd. Those are the people who don't even glance up at the screen. After all of their studying (or lack of studying), they'd rather not see what they got on the test.

We also have the "everyone should know how good i did on this test" crowd. These are the ones who's facebook status's will probably change in the next few minutes to "so and so got an A on his/her test!" or "so and so is a genius". Mass texts are about to be sent to everyone they know. You can see as they stand there looking at their score that they feel like they are on top of the world, and would like everyone passing by to ask "how'd you do" just so they can yell out "I GOT AN A!!".

Then we have the "i wish i was a magician" people. These people stand in the hallway gazing at the screen as if they are thinking "if only i was harry potter and could change my test score with the flick of a wand from a 40 to a 95". Or maybe they are hoping if they stare long enough the screen will blow up into a million pieces.

We have the "i am a failure" category. This was probably the category I fell into most of last year haha. These people stare at the screen...trying not to look sad so that people don't know they failed, but secretly on the inside a few tears are falling. These people try not to make eye contact with anyone so that no one will ask how they did, BUT if anyone asked they would merely say..."eh i did alright" while knowing that they failed epically.

Then there's the category of "whew, thank goodness i didn't fail". These people glance up at the screen for approx. 2 seconds. They look up...see that there are no happy words by their score...but also see that they didn't fail...and walk out into the world no different than when they walked in.

Finally, we have the "I DID IT" category. These students went into their test KNOWING they would fail, but somehow came out with an A. These are the students that every other student who is not in this category hates. The look at the screen and their whole face lights up...these people know that miracles DO happen, and suddenly everything that was sad about their day is now wonderful. :)

So i know you're all wondering which of these i fell into after my test today. I would say i fell into the "whew, thank goodness i didn't fail" category....I ended up with a pretty good score for how much studying i did...which was not very much. So my day hasn't really changed because of my score. I'm okay with that.

My goal of this year is still to have happy words by my score. This has never happened...i got about 1% away from happy words on my Family Processes test the other day so it's coming soon. I feel it.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for today.

Love.

Thought for today

"Whatever you focus on expands whether it be positive or negative"

Let's try to focus on the positive today :)

Biggest Reason why i love Biggest Loser

So i don't think many people quite understand why I have this HUGE love for the Biggest Loser. It's actually kind of pathetic. I can't NOT watch it. It's kind of addicting and i'm pretty sure it's for a different reason than most TV shows. If you've ever seen the Biggest Loser and not cried...then you weren't really watching. Not only is this show helping people to change themselves for the better, but it is probably one of the most inspiring things i've EVER watched. That may sound a little stupid considering it's a TV show about overweight people learning how to exercise, but it's SO TRUE.

(IF you haven't watched biggest loser yet this week, and you really care about the results you probably shouldn't read the rest until you watch it)

For example:
This season on the Biggest Loser there's a woman named Abby. Abby is a woman in her 40s who came in weighing about 250 pounds. 2 years previous to being on the show, her husband, daughter, and 2 week old son were all killed in a car accident. Now i don't know about you, but if this happened to me I would be a complete mess, and when Abby first came on the show she was a little bit. But as weeks went on you began to see how amazing this woman is...Not once did she stop working out because she was too depressed to do that, and NOT once did she sit there trying to feel sorry for herself. She took this terrible thing that happened and turned it into a reason TO live...not a reason to be sad. Then, when her team had lost the weigh in she told everyone to vote her out because she had discovered her purpose and realized that she didn't have to use food to be happy. She could be happy because she has been given the chance to help others. If that's not inspirational then i don't know what is. I think we should all take a little of Abby's advice and turn the bad in our lives into something good, a reason to help other people. Because even if something terrible happens, there's a reason for it. And if she can keep going when everyone she loved died...then we sure as heck can keep on going when bad things happen to us.

and that is why i love Biggest Loser.
If nothing else...it gives me a little inspiration for the week.

FACT:

Fact: School is SO Much easier when you are actually studying something you ENJOY
Fact: Being home alone for days at a time is not fun
Fact: Being sick WHILE being home alone for days at a time is even more not fun
Fact: Nyquil tastes Disgusting
Fact: Learning about how families work is So interesting i could do it all day
Fact: There are A LOT of spiders around here
Fact: I HATE spiders
Fact: The walls in my apartment are really thin
Fact: I enjoy hanging out with boys more than i enjoy hanging out with girls. and not just because i'm a girl and i like boys...but because i don't enjoy the drama that girls bring with them.
Fact: I DO however love my noteworthy girls, and could spend countless hours with them without getting bored
Fact: I tried 5 Guys hamburgers - don't tell in-n-out - but i think they might be better
Fact: I love online tv shows. I'm addicted
Fact: I got my first A on a test in the testing center today...sad that that was my first A in there...but it was a happy day.
Fact: I am not excited for the cold that is coming in the near future.
Fact: My internet isn't the greatest and really annoys me most of the time
Fact: I can't think of any more facts...so that is all for now.

You learn the most about yourself when you're sitting at home doing absolutely nothing.

I'm sure you've all realized this...that when you sit at home by yourself for too long, you start to think a little TOO much. You start to think about everything that's going wrong, things that need to be getting done that you AREN'T doing, reasons why everyone else seems to be busy while you sit there bored out of your mind. And you start to wonder...why am i alone? And then, most of the time, those thoughts start to take over you...and you end up getting depressed about something or other, or maybe about nothing at all.

So you try to keep yourself busy - cleaning everything in sight, wasting away on faceook, farmtown, blogger, or whatever you can find. But eventually there is nothing more to clean, no status updates to read, or pictures to tag. So now what? What do you think about when you have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do? Well I'll admit. I'm usually one to do as most people do - sit there and think about how pathetic I am.

I only go to school Tuesdays and Thursdays so that i can work on Mondays and Wednesdays. My work was closed this week so I've had a few days where i haven't really had anything to do. Most days like this i just try to keep busy by sitting around on Facebook and turning on some Missy Higgins. But today was something different...I thought to myself, what good am i doing just sitting here like a bum when i could be doing something productive? The answer is obvious...I'm not doing ANY good.

So today I decided that while i had nothing i HAD to do...there were plenty of things that i COULD do. So i cleaned my entire apartment, looked up some conference talks just to get a little spiritual uplifting, went through my e-mail and sorted everything out, and then did a little studying. And even though none of things things are necessarily making the world a better place, they all helped to make it so that when i DO have tons to do...my life will be that much easier. And more importantly than that...i feel great. I feel like even though i haven't stepped out of the house today, i have accomplished something. I think I'm starting to realize that sometimes doing absolutely nothing is more tiring then getting up and doing little things around the house.

So next time you are going to have a "relaxing" day. Don't just sit around doing nothing. Because even though we think this is going to make us feel better. It will most likely lead to depressing thoughts and make you feel like you did nothing productive. Let's all try and do at least a little something everyday that will help to make us feel better about ourselves and that will help to make those busy days a little less stressful.

Those are my thoughts of today.
<3


"You need to know that there is nothing that can separate you from the love of Christ."
-Barbara Thompson

Well...Time to Update.

So i don't really have anything exciting to report, but i figured since i don't have too much going on today i should at least blog a little something. :)

Everything is still great here in Provo.
I keeping busy with Noteworthy rehearsals which we now have 12 hours a week. It's gotten to the point where we all can't handle being apart for more than a day. We are pretty much together every spare moment we all have. It's great. We have some exciting things coming up in the future. You should all be really excited! I know i am.

School is...well school.
I love my Family Processes class
i'm learning SO much...but i've started getting to the point where i analyze people A LOT.
it's probably rather annoying, but i think it's so interesting to dig into people's lives and to see why they are the way they are.
It really makes you think. You really have NO idea what people have been through and so we all have no place to judge. Even though someone could be a jerk to you it could just be that they can't help it. Things in their life have been hard and that's all they know. It puts things into perspective and makes it a lot easier for me to be able to see things as other people see them.

However, it has also made me think a lot about my future family. I've been trying really hard to start changing negative things about myself so that i don't do things that could potentially negatively affect my children. It's really weird thinking that i will in the next few years probably be raising another person. I'm not too worried though. I think as long as i focus my life around the gospel then it will be just fine :)

Also something great that my professor talked about the other day was revelation. He was talking about how we all need to be in tune with the spirit for personal revelation as well as for revelation about our children and such. And something that really struck me was a quote by President Hinckley i believe:

"We cannot afford to do anything that could put a curtain between us and the ministering of angels in our behalf"

He then proceeded to talk about some TV shows that we could all do without. Nothing i watched was on that list, but i can certainly think of a few that i watch that aren't the most wholesome shows. It really is true though that all of these little things that really "aren't that bad" can get in the way of personal revelation. I think I personally will start to be a little more careful about what I spend my time doing. Because really, God wants to help us, he wants to be able to help us know what to do, but when we are spending all of our time focused on other things, we can't hear what he has to say.

Oh and i just realized...i haven't ever blogged about Natalie's wedding. I drove down to sacramento the other weekend with some people from BYU-I to go to Natalie's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and even though i was only home for about 48 hours it was still great to see everyone. She was married in the Sacramento temple. It's so crazy to think that one of my best friends is married now. I remember talking about these kinds of things in high school and it seeming so far off, but it was really right around the corner.
I got to hang out with my family a little bit, got to see some old friends, and just had some good ol california sunshine. I really do love being home and i love that most of the time it's like i never left. :)

Anyway that turned into a way longer post than i thought it would haha. Sorry about that. Here are some pictures and such to make it a little more exciting :)

Life is a Beautiful Thing.

It's funny how things can be totally the same, but when you have a different attitude about them they seem completely and utterly different. I'm not sure if that makes a lot of sense, but that's how life is at the moment. It's not much different than it was a year ago, I'm going to school, working, doing noteworthy....and that's about it. The difference is that now i actually am trying...and I'm actually working hard to be happy...and the best part is it's working :)

In my D&C class a week or two ago my professor said this:

"God can not direct your steps if you aren't moving your feet"

that really hit me because that's exactly how things were for me...i was asking for direction but i wasn't moving anywhere. How is God supposed to tell you if you are doing things right if you aren't doing anything at all? So that is my piece of advice for today...always be moving, always be striving to grow, to learn something new. Even if life is hard there's always a bright side to things...ALWAYS.

This is what I've learned from a year of crap...is that no matter what there's always something good to be found. I have grown in more ways than i could've imagined this past year...and now i feel like i actually have a direction that my life is going in. That's the best feeling in the world...feeling like you have a purpose, and just doing things for yourself...and not depending on other people to be happy.

I just love life.

And you.

Drumroll Please...

After a very long day of callbacks and a very emotional few hours of deliberating we have chosen the 5 new girls for noteworthy this year. Call backs were amazing and we thought we were going to have such a rough time choosing girls this year, but having prayed many times throughout the past week we knew things would work out perfectly. and they did! These girls are so amazing and they are exactly what we need this year. If i have ever questioned whether god answers prayers...today shattered any of those doubts. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in noteworthy. Last year was a hard one for me and i don't think i got out of noteworthy what i could've. I'm so ready to go full speed ahead into this next year and to really find my potential as well as the potential of the group as a whole. Not only are we going to have so much talent this year, but we are going to grow such a strong bond and i know my testimony is going to grow immensely. SO anyway without further adieu...here are the names of our new girls :) love them.

Siri Alemany
Lizzy Early
Amber Catherall
Cassie Crabb
Laina Walker

Life for the past month :)

Okay once again, time for a much needed update.
Now that i am finally moved into my apartment and i finally have working internet.
I'm back in provo again, and wait for it....

i'm actually enjoying myself.
who'da thought huh? haha
i'm sure you were all preparing yourselves for another year of depressing blogs about trying to have fun when i really wasn't.
but i don't think we have to worry about that this year.
me and courtney are rooming together
so we don't have to worry about bad roommate situations.
and all of my other roommates are nice girls too
so this is looking up.
i'm only taking 3 classes this term.
*Intro to family processes
*D&C and
*Nutrition
i'm not one of those people who can focus on 50 things at once.
so i'm taking it slow for a bit.

i'm also in the process of looking for a job.
i applied to be a dish washer and pot washer today...didn't know there was a difference but apparently there is...we'll see how that goes. hah

and also NOTEWORTHY auditions are friday
i'm really excited to be on the other side of the auditioning process
being the auditionee is definitely scarier than being the one who listens to the auditions. :)
i'm really excited to be doing noteworthy again.
we're competing this year so that will be intense...in a good way

anyway, i miss my friends from home but i think this year will be a great one. :)
yay for that.

anyway here are some pictures from the past month.
Beach
Nat's bridal shower
and such.

P.S. so weird that 2 of my best friends are getting married in the next month or so. AH

Me and Lexi at the beach

ME and Ashlie at the beach

Me and my sammy

My dad wanted to take a picture during my last week at Raley's...awkward but that's okay :)

Nat's Bridal shower...and no we didn't plan the whole matching thing. it just happened.

Past 2 days at BYU =

better than all of last year combined. :)


That's all for now.

more later.

LOVE LOVE

Mormon Times Summer Showcase + Some things i've pondered.

Hey, so one of the Noteworthy girls, Rachel Sonderegger, is taking part in a summer showcase. it's a competition each month and the top four go on to the semi-finals, and then the finals and the 1st-3rd place winners get some money...if you saw any of our shows last year you probably heard "Step Outside". It's an original by her and that's they song she's using for the showcase. She's in 5th place right now and she's only behind 4th place by a few votes, so i was thinking it would be wonderful if everyone would go and vote for her. This song is A-MAZING! and i LOVE it. and I'm sure you will too if you haven't heard it. You can vote once a day. It'll only take about 30 seconds out of your day so you should DEFINITELY do it. I love you all...and here's the link:

http://music.mormontimes.com/contest.php?id=3563&nocache=1




P.S. some things i have discovered recently:

1. If you want things to happen, you can't just sit around waiting for them to happen...you have to MAKE them happen
2. This goes with prayer. If you ask for something you can't just expect your prayers to be answered if you aren't trying your hardest to get that answer
3. Boys should ALWAYS tell you what you're doing on your date or else you don't know what to wear...and if it's a surprise, they should at least tell you if it's casual or not. (But IF they don't tell you it's best to wear a nice shirt, dark jeans, and flats...not too casual for a restaurant and also not too fancy for a movie.)
4. It's annoying when you're meet a person and the only thing that person does is talk about themselves while you sit there listening for an hour or two - make sure you ask the other person about themselves too.
5. Sometimes you don't HAVE to be talking in the car. Silence isn't ALWAYS awkward... sometimes it's nice. and relaxing.
6. It's hard to work in a grocery store and not buy food...even though you should be saving your money for your future rent.
7. Life is full of hard choices. The hardest ones are the choices between two potentially good things.
8. Some things AREN'T worth waiting for...sometimes you just have to realize that it's not that important and you'd be happier if you weren't constantly thinking about the possibilities...if it happens in the future...it happens. but don't dwell on it if it's bringing you down.
9. But also...a lot of things ARE worth waiting for. You've just got to decide how important it is.
10. A LOT of people buy alcohol at the grocery store...seriously I've discovered this the past few weeks working at Raley's. i would say that about 85-95% of people who walk into the store, walk out with some form of alcohol. That is disturbing to me.
11. It takes a lot of hard work to get good at something...but if it's something you love, it will always be worth it.
12. Guitar playing will get out any frustrations you may have - it's therapeutic
13. Music can be the most powerful art form if you REALLY listen to it. Even I'm a little tea pot could make you cry...
14. Keebler's Fudge Stripe Cookies are quite possibly THE most addicting cookies I've ever had.
15. No matter how hard it is to read the scriptures every day...it will ALWAYS, ALWAYS make your day THAT much better. and help you get THAT much further on your way to happiness
16. Smiles from strangers may be more wonderful than smiles from those you know - so take the time to smile at those around you.
17. AS long as it's taken me to discover this...i finally have realized the point and truth in visualizing...if nothing else...it gives you the hope and confidence you need to do your best.
18. It's not always a good thing to try and make everyone happy...especially if it causes people to walk all over you - It's sometimes appropriate to just stand up for yourself.
19. Farm Town on Facebook is addicting...even though i feel there's no real point to it.
20. Love the life you live. Live the life you love. Smile daily. and remember the song i learned in 1st grade: "4 hugs a day, that's the minimum, 4 hugs a day, not the maximum".

i feel like i need to post something.

Since it's been 5 weeks since my last post i feel like i should post something to let everyone know how life is...but i really can't think of anything to post...right now my days consist of work, and hanging out with friends from my singles ward. not much else. I'm loving the summer, loving the heat (to a point), loving everything that is happening right now. So i'm just posting to say that life is a beautiful thing. We should all enjoy it :)

That is all.

Then Sings My Soul.

I have an overwhelming amount of gratitude today....for music and the power that it can have, and for the talents i have been given to be able to be a part of the beauty of it. I have sung my whole life, and I've always known that the BEST feelings come from hearing/singing a heartfelt song, but i don't think I've ever truly known the power that a song can have until this past year in noteworthy. I have seen how one song can affect the lives of SO many people, and can turn nonbelievers into believers of Christ. I have also seen how this song has made myself grow stronger in the gospel and made my faith grow more than i thought it could. Music is one of the few things that can tap into any and every emotion that we have, and although i feel that music can do this even without a single word being sung...when it is paired with such powerful words as these...you can't help but feel how wonderfully Amazing God's love for us is.

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made.

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin:

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration,

And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

How lucky are we to have the gift of music? And how lucky are we to have the great opportunity to partake in the joys that come of it?

Wow. Time to catch up.

Okay so...it's been a really long time...SO since I've got a while on this beautiful Sunday i thought I'd do some catch up on everything that's been going on lately :)

Well right after finals in Provo me and the other girls in Noteworthy were able to do something that i have ALWAYS wanted to do...Meet the prophet. and not only that, but we also got to sing for him. He shook my hand as well as 3 of the other girls in noteworthy. He talked to us for a minute or two and even though it wasn't a "church" event, he has such an amazing spirit about him and i couldn't help but let a tear or two fall.

Amy, Me, Courtney, Cooley...right after shaking the prophet's hand

The prophet...and a man blowing his nose...

After leaving Provo i went to Oregon with my noteworthy girls. We spent the week with the AMAZING ladies of Divisi. The are Noteworthy's Lost half...we are the same in every way and we LOVE them. we performed in a bunch of places around Eugene and Portland, Did a News Appearance, and sang on a radio show, had a tour around UofO campus (which is BEAUTIFUL by the way), and hiked up by some waterfalls. Divisi was generous enough to let us stay with them and follow them around for the weekend...it was SO fun. Definitely an amazing experience. Oregon is so pretty and if i didn't like california so much i would probably live there. :) Here are some pictures from our trip there...and a video of Divisi and Noteworthy's combined song "If You're Out There" i had a solo :)



After Oregon i flew home and i've been here for a few weeks now. I LOVE IT!! I love the sun, I love having friends, I love having my family around, i LOVE california :) Since i've been home i've just been doing a lot of stuff with my friends in my singles ward and people i've known forever, and with my family. Some days i feel like a soccer mom driving ciara and david around...but i don't mind. It's been amazing. But i still can't find a job...i'm doing some odd jobs...delivering flowers, feeding people's dogs, roofing with my dad (and getting 2nd degree sunburns on my ears)...but i still can't find anything. hopefully something will come up soon. i'm trying for khols so we'll see how that goes. But until then...i'm okay just having a little break...even though i despereately need money for next semester...AH





LIFE IS WONDERFUL :)

<3

Starting Over

Okay guys so...since my past year of college was a little less than amazing i have decided to move into a different apartment complex for fall...by myself. I think it's time for me to get some new roommates, and start over. So if anyone has any idea of an apartment complex near BYU that's basically as cheep as they come...but not falling apart...let me know...cuz i really don't even know where to start looking haha. Nothing over $300 a month...i'm going to try to make enough money over the summer so that i don't have to work all year at least. anyway that is all.

Love you all

New Fad?

Really though?
what is this new fad with getting tattoos?
and not just little tattoos....HUGE COLORFUL tattoos.
ones that will get all nasty and wrinkly when you get old...
ones that you will hate when you are trying to get a job in the future...
ones that are really just not very attractive...
HUGE FLOWERS on your back?
WORDS on your wrists?
i dunno i'm just feeling like it's much better to spend that money elsewhere
like maybe on your COLLEGE TUITION?
and i have friends who have spent even more money to redo their tattoos when they fade away...AHH...it just seems like a waste...
and honestly...tattoos just aren't something i see and think...wow that's a great piece of art...
at least i don't think so anyway...

EXCITING NEWS :)

Just thought i'd let everyone know of some exciting news that noteworthy got last night.
The other day we had a gig for BYU Philanthropies...which was a bunch of older people who seemed kind of bored by us...but anyway hah.
So after we sang for them a man comes up to us named Ray. He told us that he LOVED our version of "How Great Thou Art" which we had just sung for them. He said that he was in charge of some big press thing...At the Marriot Hotel that was going to be happening April 21st. It's a big celebration type thing honoring people who have worked for the deseret newspaper and press. He asked if we would be willing to sing "how great thou art" for this big thing, and told us that the person who they'd be honoring is PRESIDENT MONSON. At this point we were all secretly screaming inside...but trying to keep it professional..we said...yes i think we are available that day (HOW COULD WE NOT BE?!). So the man said that he would go to his meeting tuesday and talk to everyone else about it. (after this we all went outside and had a crazy screaming/dancing party in the parking lot hah.)
Well tuesday came and went...as well as wednesday...and we hadn't heard anything...so i kinda started thinking that maybe it wasn't going to happen...but then last night at rehearsal Erica came in and had us listen to a voicemail message she'd recieved earlier that day...and yes it was from RAY!!! :)
He told us that they would love for us to sing. and we'll be singing RIGHT after President Monson speaks....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :)
I'M SO EXCITED!
We had made it a 10 year noteworthy goal this year to sing for a prophet, and we did it in just ONE year. That is AMAZING :)



YAY

Patience is a Virtue

For A long time now I've been praying and searching and hoping and wishing for answers as to where the heck my life is going...wondering if I'm at the right school, what I'm supposed to major in, if noteworthy is the right thing for me to be doing, what classes to take, and just if I'm doing the things I'm supposed to be doing at the point in my life...and i will admit...patience has NEVER been one of my virtues...although I've been really working on that lately. But there comes a point...after months and months of prayer when i begin to wonder if answers will ever come...or if maybe I'm missing them. Maybe i haven't quite figured out how to understand the promptings that I'm getting...or worse what if I'm doing something wrong? I always have faith that things are going to get better and that i will eventually know what i'm supposed to be doing with my life, but i hate the waiting. I hate feeling like i'm not going anywhere...I want to be doing something worthwhile with my time...I want to have a direction that i'm going in...not just this awkward stage between high school and a career...I want to find those lifelong college friends that everyone seems to be finding except for me...I want to be able to look at my life and say...yeah i like where this is going...
I just wonder if maybe i'm looking in all the wrong places for these answers...or maybe i already have them i just don't see it. Lately my goal has been to just "enjoy the journey" of life and try to be happy...but shouldn't happiness be something that i shouldn't have to work so hard to find? I know that there are always bumps in the road, but there should be smooth patches too right? I'm not saying that my life is all bumps...I do have fun and i do love a lot of great things in my life and I'm SO blessed, but I just wonder when i will actually feel good about what i am doing here and now...and when i will feel content and not feel like I'm just...waiting...for something to happen. Because i keep feeling like something is about to happen...and then...it doesn't.



I just have to say...thank goodness for mothers and their words of wisdom...my mom sent me an e-mail a little bit ago with some quotes...they help me get through the days. and maybe this is my trial for now...to learn patience...why can't i learn it now and be done with it? haha


"When we seek inspiration to help make decisions, the Lord gives gentle promptings.. These require us to think, to exercise faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act. Seldom does the whole answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at once. More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight" Elder Richard G Scott, 1989 Ensign


Elder Boyd K Packer - "Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer. What could be wrong? It may be that you are not doing anything wrong. It may be that you have not done the right things long enough. Remember, you cannot force spiritual things. Sometime we are confused simply because we won't take no for an answer... put difficult questions in the back of your minds and go about your lives. Ponder and pray quietly and persistently about them.The answer may not come as a lighting bolt. It may come as a little inspiration here and a little there, line upon line..."

As mom says...updating time

Fab 5...our last time together for over 2 years!

:)

Adam's Farewell

Oakland Fireside

Singing in Gerber Ward Sacrament Meeting

Covey Center Show

Nocalpointy!

Working in Connie's Classroom :)

FESTIVAL OF COLORS

My Hair after the festival

Noteworthy girls at festival

Before the Festival

Here we go. time to update.
Recent happenings...
noteworthy show in sacramento :)
noteworthy show at covey center
many other noteworthy shows.
adam's farewell
working at connie's classroom
festival of colors.
less than a month till i go home
a free facial today! :)
la la la la la

Vocal Point Show, Sammys, Noteworthy <3

Saturday was amazing...Full of Noteworthy fun :)
Had reahearsal, went to Sammys (P.S. if you've NEVER been there...you should definitely consider it...let me just say...they have pie shakes...with an actual piece of pie in them! SOOO GOOD!), then we went to the vocal point show (also AMAZING!!). Here are some pictures and such from the weekend :)