HOLIDAYS ARE ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!

This has been the busiest semester of my life! Project after project, field trip after field trip! It's been insane! I only took 15 credits, but it was quite the load considering that half of them were project intense classes. Through all of this craziness, I have been able to learn the following:

• The Lord truly does want you to succeed and is willing to help you in any circumstance even if it doesn't happen when you want it to. 
• Taking 4 classes that require a lot of projects at the same time probably isn't the best idea ever.
• Online classes should never be an option for me. 
• I shouldn't underestimate myself with anything. I am better than I think I am. 
• Don't procrastinate a big cake assignment until a few days before it's due.... you wont get any sleep the night before it's due. 
• Using a calendar is a great idea! 
• Sometimes it's ok to take a breather and be with family. 
• You can't do it all. 
• It's ok to say No. 
• My life doesn't revolve around swing. Homework should come before swing. (This was a way harder concept to get than I thought it would be.)
• It's important to broaden your talents.
• I love photography! 
• Running a foodservice type of business is a lot harder than you would think. 
• AND NEVER EVER EVER EVER PROCRASTINATE A 50 HOUR PROJECT 
• It is possible to do a 50 hour project in 3 weeks..... you just get a few nights of no sleep. 

I could seriously go on forever, but those are the main things. This week is the last week of school, but I am basically done. I have a few flowers to make and a few online things, but other than that, I am done! After that I only have one more semester and then I will graduate! That is a little far in the future though. Right now I can't wait to go home! You might think, you are only 15 minutes away from home, but I still get homesick every once in awhile. I don't see my family as much as you would think. 

Here are some pictures from this past semester. It should give you a good idea of what I've been up to the past 4 months:

I got a new camera. However, after I got this one, I had to exchange it for a different one that had the settings I needed for my class. I now own a Cannon PowerShot SX150 IS. I love it!

This was the first cake I did for my advanced cake decorating class.  

This was my final cake! It was a pumpkin spice cake. It was also my first topsy turvey cake! 

This is the scarecrow I made for the top of my cake.   

This is a picture I took on a field trip to Bannack, MT for my digital imaging. 

This is also a picture I took at Bannack, MT. 

I love the Holidays! I am so excited to be with family and do our usual traditions. My sister posted on her blog some of the traditions that we did through our childhood and I kind of want to share them! They are wonderful! These traditions just remind me of how magical Christmas was in our house growing up! I love it! It always seems to continue to be more and more magical every year because of the love we feel for everyone and being able to have all the smells and music around us. Here are the traditions of my childhood:

• Pajamas
• Read Luke 2
• Watching Mr. Krueger's Christmas (If you haven't seen it, you need to! Jimmy Stewart will make you cry.)
• Watch Luke 2
• Muppet Christmas Carol
• Taking fresh salsa and chips to neighbors
• A new ornament every year
• Christmas music, especially the Harry Connick Jr. album
• Staying up most of the night with my sister in anticipation for Christmas morning
• Wrapping Dad's presents for mom (even though she already knew what they were)
• Knowing where all the presents were "hidden" but also knowing if we got in to them Mom would know and return them all!
• Dad not wanting to put up lights
• Sorting through all the Christmas piano music
• Caroling with the church youth group
• Eggnog and rice pudding for breakfast
• Going to Grandma and Granddad's house
• Sledding down Granddad's hill and trying to get as close to the river without falling in as you could all while avoiding the tree (that is not a fun thing to run into)!
• Wearing a new outfit
• Playing games and watching movies all afternoon
• Going down the stairs youngest to oldest
• Dad checking to see if Santa came and telling us he didn't and to go back to bed!
• Lots of good time with family!!!

I wish I had some pictures to show you, but I don't have them on my computer. Maybe I will post them another time after I've scanned them. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!! Here is a great video to help you remember the true meaning of Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

If you would like to check out my sister, Heidi's blog, click here! She is the one that came up with the list of Christmas Traditions! =) 

Cakes and Breaks! =)

So school is finally done! I have been looking forward to this break for the past two months! Well... after I was done with clean checks and finals on Friday, I got to go home, but I started to get sick. Just my luck. It turned into a nasty cold and then I finally started to feel better on Tuesday. Well Wednesday night I started having this really bad ear ache. I was up half the night because it hurt so bad. Well in the middle of all this, I was working on my friends wedding cake that had to be done by Friday. Well my mom made me call in sick on Thursday and I went to the doctor. The doctor told me that this is usually something you see with toddlers, not 21 year olds. He told me that I needed to take it easy and not do anything strenuous for the next couple of days. I said ok, all I have to do is this huge wedding cake haha. Wedding cakes always stress me out because they are so much work and I always worry that the bride wont like it. I truly believe I had help from on high because there is no way I should have been able to push through getting that cake done on time like I did. I was able to stay up late and work on the cake without feeling absolutely horrible. I never had to take my pain medication which was a very good thing considering the fact it knocks you out for hours. The cake took a long time and a lot of work, but it turned out beautifully and the bride absolutely LOVED it! =)

1 MORE WEEK AND I'LL BE FREE!!!!

So as you can imagine, it's been a CRAZY, BUSY, HECTIC semester..... to say the least!  I have learned a lot, mainly the fact that fast grad wears you down FAST! I was ready for the semester to be over about a month ago. I have got to the point where I just am dragging and it is taking all of my energy to keep up. We are now down to just one week! YAY!!!! I will then get an 8 week break! Just what I need! This summer is going to be busy with weddings and family reunions and lets not forget the trip I am planning on taking down to Utah! I plan on meeting my new nephew Edward Lawrence Stone. I am so excited!

Since it will be a break and a rather long one at that, I am planning on reading some books this summer because I can. =) Any suggestions on what I should read? I am for sure planning on finally finishing Harry Potter 5. =)

I will fill you all in on my life in a week! HOOOLLLAAAA!!!! =)

How lucky am I?

Yesterday was such a sweet, testimony building day. Sunday's have always been one of my favorite days of the week because you get the opportunity to go to church and spend 3 hours learning about the gospel and Heavenly Father's plan for us. I am so blessed to be brought up into this church. I had the opportunity to attend my friend's mission report. It was so neat to hear him speak and to be able to see that change he had while in Argentina. It was cool to hear these stories of him spreading the gospel and how they changed his life. I really am grateful to have the Holy Ghost with me and to be worthy enough to hear the spirit whisper to me telling me that all this is true.
I just want to bare my testimony that I know that this church is true. I know that I will be able to return to live with Heavenly Father again and that I will be able to be sealed to my family for all time and eternity. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that President Thomas S. Monson is our living prophet of today. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the power of the priesthood is real. I know that it can heal us when we have the faith we need. I know that I am a child of God and Heavenly Father knows me and loves me. I know that Christ atoned for my sins as well as everyone elses. I know that when we pray to Heavenly Father with a sincere heart, we will recieve answers in His time. I bare this to you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

"All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." Abraham Lincoln

Mothers day is coming up and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate my mom. She is truly my best friend! I'm so grateful for her and know for a fact that I wouldn't be the person I am today without her. I know that my grandma and all the other mother-like figures have something to do with who I am today as well. A big thanks goes to all you mothers!

THE FINAL CAKE!!!!

I just finished my final cake for my cake decorating class! I am so excited to have it done. I feel very proud of myself as I look through the pictures of all the cakes I've done so far. I have improved so much from the beginning of the semester. So I guess I will do a little less talking and and more showing. So enjoy!

This was taken before it was finished. 

The final masterpiece! 

Bet you can't guess what I've been up too....

Well you guessed it, I have been doing more cakes and baking. Pretty much that is my life right now with all my other school work. Here is my latest cake. We had to do a basket weave on the sides of the cake with some flowers made out of royal icing and butterflies made out of colorflow icing. It was a lot of fun to do.