Hello, Goodbye

Things on my mind lately:

Thanksgiving. Zac, Sarah, Logan, Jonathan, and I all went up to Paul, Idaho for Thanksgiving. It was absolutely fantastic and relaxing and heavenly. I didn't think/worry about school the entire time we were up there. I was able to finish a book (Mr. Darcy's Diary) that I started before the semester even started - I'd been about halfway through the book for over 3 months, and I finally had time to sit and read. :) We also went and saw the new Disney movie, Bolt. I enjoyed it; Jonathan fell asleep about halfway through - Ha! Mostly, it was good to just relax and spend time with my AWESOME family! I love laughing at the hilarious/stupid/absurd things my family says/does. It's one of life's greatest pleasures.

Christmas. I think I LOVE this holiday! Last weekend, I put up our Christmas tree. Matt and Erin gave it to me (Thanks guys! I love you!) when they moved back home this summer. It's awesome, and it certainly adds some Christmas cheer to our apartment. While I was walking home tonight, I could see it in the window from the other side of the block and it made me really happy. :) Also, on Sunday night, Melissa, Brent, Jeramy, Mike, and I went up to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. It was my first time going, and I absolutely LOVED it! If I had to describe my feelings in one word it would be joypeacehopeloveChristmasTempleAWESOME! Yay!

Grad school. Umm...I think I want to go to grad school? Or rather, I think I'm supposed to go to grad school. So, through that whole "aligning my will" thing, I WANT to go to grad school. Right? Isn't that how it works? Ha! Call me crazy... Better yet, give me advice, pray for me, and support me as I try to figure this whole thing out. Yikes!

Boys. Always. Always, always, always. Tonight I was with two different groups of good guy friends and, by some random coincidence, they both asked me for relationship advice. Weird, right? Since when am I the queen of relationships? Since, uh...the 12th of Never. Right. But anyway, we were able to have some good conversations, and I feel better about this whole feeling-like-I'm-eternally-single thing. It'll happen when it's supposed to happen, and until then I just need to hold on to my britches and enjoy the ride.

Finals. Yes, there are officially 7 days of classes left this semester. Hallelujah! Finals will be over in 2.5 weeks. And, though it's weird, I'm entirely not stressed out or worried or nervous. I'm just kind of rolling with things and loving it. I feel like I'm kind of cheating the system because I'm not going school-crazy like every other person I talk to. It's a strange/new/unreal feeling, but I like it. :) Still, wish me luck and pray that things will work out well.

And...that's a wrap. I'm off to bed.

Defying Gravity

Man, today was fantastic for a Monday. I don't think I've had a Monday this good in quite awhile. :) I got to watch Logan, and work with some students for 2 and a half hours, and I cooked for dinner group (which consisted of making a frozen veggie lasagna...I'm not normally that lazy, but man was it nice!)... Tonight a few friends are coming over and we're watching Kung Fu Panda. It should be fun - I only hope I don't fall asleep. Ha!

My weekend was pretty fantastic, too. It started off with skipping class on Friday afternoon. We're working on group lesson plans, and we were supposed to meet for that, but the other two group members and I decided we could spend our time more productively doing other things. After all, we all had to prepare for Saturday's test, right? So...I went home early, finished some assignments, bummed around, and took an AWESOME three-hour nap. It was fantastic! I'd stayed up really late the night before preparing for my History of Math lesson [I'm so glad that's finally over...], and I was tired. I was all resolved to study for a few more hours after my nap, then get all ready for my test and get to bed early. Fortunately, I was saved from my responsibility by my awesome roommates. We decided to go out for ice cream, then we had some friends over to play games. We played a few rounds of Whoonu, and just generally had a super fun time. Then the guys broke out the Nintendo... Awesome! They ended up staying til 1:30. I still had more studying to do, so I was up til after 2. It was great... :) But overall, my test on Saturday morning went well, and I feel confident in how I did. We'll just have to see in about four weeks, though...

Anyway, the rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing. We had Ward Conference on Sunday. The theme was Helaman 5:12, and it was a good reminder of the priorities and supports we need to establish in our lives. On Sunday afternoon, I had a few meetings. My AWESOME home teachers stopped by to say hi (If you read this Matt or Cameron, you guys are fantastic!), and my visiting teachers came to visit, too. It was good getting to know them and talking about the super General Conference talks. :)

Well, friends are getting here to watch the movie. I'd better peace out...

Waiting

I've been fairly overwhelmed lately. Schoolwork has been piling up, and it all just kind of exploded in my face earlier this week. On top of that, I've spent some time with some GREAT friends, and we've had some good, deep conversations about life. Which, you know, only served to have some deep thoughts and emotions surface. Like the fact that I'm graduating in 5.5 months and I have NO idea what I'm doing afterward. You know, no biggie. Ha! And I do realize that graduation isn't the end of the world - far from it, actually. But, honestly, I get so involved and so rooted in my schoolwork that I won't know what to do with myself when I'm expected to be even more responsible. Yikes.

BUT, I ran into a professor (whom I greatly respect and admire) yesterday. She told me, quite convincingly, that she'd really like to see me go to graduate school. It's been a thought I've been entertaining for a while now. The prospect of more school, however, makes me want to throw up a little bit in my mouth. I think it's probably the burn-out talking, and I know grad school will be new and different and a great experience - yadda, yadda, yadda-, but right now I don't know if I can stomach it. As far as other options go, I could always teach here in Utah. I could get a job at a local school, and stay in the area (I know Zac and Sarah are big fans of any plan that keeps me close...) with friends, family, and an abundance of single guys (Ha!). I could move back to New York and teach there (but the qualifications for licensure are a little more stringent there, so I'd have to jump through a few more hoops, take a few more tests, and be working on my Master's), though that option just doesn't feel right to me. I've also entertained the idea of going on a mission, but that doesn't quite feel right either. Hmm... I've got faith that it will all work out in the end, but right now my "natural man" is screaming at me to get my rear in gear and figure out my life and just go for it despite my other feelings.

I have to teach a lesson in my History of Math class tomorrow. And Saturday morning I have to take a big fatty math teaching licensing and certification test. It's four hours long, and starts at 7:30 in the morning. On a Saturday. That, my friends, is disgusting. Anyway, wish me luck! Put in a good word for me with the Man Upstairs...

In other news, I had to use brown chalk in my lab (I freaking LOVE my job. Seriously.) earlier today because it was the only chalk in the room. Brown chalk = dirty fingers = sicknasty.

Amen Omen

On Thursday, I taught a class of 26 7th graders. It was only one class, only 45 minutes long, and their normal teacher was in the room (as well as my practicum teacher and two of my classmates), but it was still terrifying! I think it went well overall...though I'm sure their teacher had to do a lot of damage control once we finished our little unit on solving and graphing inequalities. But, even though it was hard and scary and nerve-wracking and I'm SO glad it's over, I'm glad for the experience. It seems like I go into things like this feeling so inadequate. Yet, I always look back and can see how I've grown and how I've changed. I can see how the Lord has blessed and prepared me, has given me the experiences and opportunities I need to have, and how He is guiding my life (even when I'm stubborn and think for some reason that my way is superior to His...). What a sweet blessing to have that guidance that I so need in my life right now!

Also, totally random awesome story: Today, I had TWO separate guys who, upon learning my name, told me I have a beautiful name (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) and then went on to talk about the city of Savannah, Georgia and how it's a gorgeous city. One of them was a guy in the class I TA (though he's not in the section I TA - he was just sitting by me during the big lecture), and the other was some guy who came to my door trying to sell magazine subscriptions. It just really made my day! :) I love the little things like that.

Anyway, I'd better go do something productive... Have a super day!

We Might As Well Be Strangers

So, you know how sometimes when a friend or roommate goes out and you say something like, "Hey, have a good time! Remember who you are! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Well...Sometimes I say, instead, "Don't do anything I haven't done..." It doesn't leave much room for, well, anything. Ha! Anyway, that's what I was thinking when I saw this on a friend's blog. Thought it looked fun...

Bold the things you've done:
1. Started your own blog (Yes!)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (Kind of...)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

That's 35 out of 99... I guess that's not too horrible. I'd like to travel more, do more, experience more. Someday, right?

Fearless Heart

This is why I love my life:

-My family is fantastic.

-My roommates are awesome.

-Daylight Savings Time = An extra hour of sleep last night! :)

-Halloween was super fun...Not one, but TWO haunted houses. And totally talking to a cute BYU guy at one of them to boot.

-I got to spend an hour yesterday morning picking up walnuts with a contraption designed to pick up golf balls. Believe it or not, it was actually really fun. Kind of like treasure hunting, only for walnuts in a yard full of leaves. And I got a big bag of fresh-picked apples.

-I love my TA job. Seriously, I look forward to my labs on Tuesday and Thursday, and they never fail to make my day. Last week, I had two students in my office during one of my office hours, and one of them got so excited for me because the vending machine had the pretzels I sometimes get. Apparently he'd been in my office earlier that week when they hadn't had the pretzels, and I said something to him about it. When he saw I had them, he said, "Hey, they had your pretzels! Awesome!" And then, turning to the other guy, he was like, "See, I even know what kind of pretzels she gets." It was phenomenal. And, another one of my students brought me a granola bar and dinosaur fruit snacks (Yes, you should be jealous...) because I help him out with homework. I love the students in my labs - they're great! :)

-The "S" key on my keyboard has begun to stick the past month or so... This means that sometimes I accidentally type s twice instead of once, especially at the end of words. So, you know, sometimes when I type the word "as" it turns into something a little more profane. And, quite frankly, it makes me giggle because it's completely innocent.

-Last Sunday, Elizabeth went up to the canyon with a Melissa, Becky, and I, and she took some awesome pictures of us. The leaves were really pretty, and we were being total goofballs. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

Over-Rated

Now...On to the update about life lately. School has been overwhelming. It's hard to believe it's halfway through the semester! My block class (Classroom Management) ends on Tuesday. I'm glad about that. It's been a really fun and interesting class, but that extra two hours on Tuesday evenings will be fantastic! I had a big paper due for that class last Tuesday. I decided late on Monday night that I should start it. Ha! I ended up staying up almost all night working on it. I did get an hour or so of sleep at least... But I think it turned out okay. Overall, it was 24 pages long - a cover sheet, an About the Author page, a Table of Contents, 17 pages of the actual paper, 3 pages of appendices, and one References page. Yikes! It was kind of beast to put together, but I'm finished! Hallelujah!

My other classes are fun, too, but still keep me extremely busy. I am taking two classes that are offered at the same time. That's a bit of a challenge only attending one of them (I have a fantastic friend in the other class who lets me copy her notes so I don't miss too much! Thanks, Cassidy!), but hopefully I'll be able to keep up with it throughout the whole semester... I'm also in a really awesome Church History class. My professor (Susan Easton Black) really knows her stuff. She's quite the engaging speaker, and lectures are never boring. I'm glad for the friends who encouraged me to take her class.

I'm also working as a TA this semester in addition to transcribing for the Calc Research. I teach two lab sections every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. We discuss homework questions, and I administer a quiz every Thursday. It's a really great job - I love it! I look forward to going to the lab sections, and it makes me so happy to have students come in to my office hour to get extra help! :)

Anyway, it's my last real semester of classes! How crazy is that? I've already applied for student teaching next semester, and for graduation in April... I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do after I graduate. I could stay in Utah and teach... I could go to grad school, or on a mission. I could move home and try to get licensed to teach in New York... Who knows? Right now, it's all up in the air. We'll just have to roll with the punches and see how that turns out.

In other news, I'm an aunt again!! Congratulations Matt and Erin on your beautiful daughter! :) Ella Michelle Steele was born on October 2nd, and she's a beautiful baby (from the pictures I've seen). I'm excited to meet her for the first time in December when I fly home for Christmas.

And...other recent happenings:
-Went down to Vegas for William's wedding three weeks ago! I loved seeing family, staying with cousins, and getting out of Provo. Thanks so much, Rachelle, for letting us crash at your place. :) I had a fantastic time!!
-General Conference was sweet. I ended up going up to the Conference Center for Saturday afternoon session with some friends from freshman year: Jeramy, Owen, and Mike. We had a great time! I love spending time with my freshman friends - they're great guys. :)
-This past week, most especially yesterday and today, I've been kind of sick. My stomach's feeling gross, and it's been no fun. I've lost my appetite and my energy. Hopefully things will get better soon! I can't handle feeling like this....Yuck!
-And...I was playing catch with a friend on Thursday afternoon. He threw the ball low, and as I stepped to catch it, it hit me smack in the foot. It hurt real bad, and I kind of rolled my foot awkwardly. I have a big fatty bruise on the side of my foot, and it's still a little sore to walk, but it's getting better. Oh well. It was fun to play catch at least...

Anyway, I've gotta go get ready for tomorrow (Saturday is a special day...) and finish up some homework for Monday. Have a great day! :) I can't promise I'll write soon, but I'll try!

Oh, what do you do in the summertime?

Hey guys! It's been awhile... So life lately has been okay. Summer was tons of fun. Pageant was phenomenal, and it was great to have Sarah and Logan in town for a few weeks. It was definitely weird not to have everyone in the family in cast though... The rest of July and August kind of dragged on. I was anxious to get back to Provo and back into my own apartment.
In the middle of August, mom, Jon, Nic (my cousin), and I left town for Omaha and (eventually) Provo. We drove through the night to Nauvoo, getting there around 4:30 in the morning. We parked in the Stake Center parking lot and got about two hours of sleep in the car. We ended up walking around Old Nauvoo for part of the day, seeing the demonstrations and taking the little tours. It was really interesting, but Jon and Nic were frustrating. We got information about family members who used to live there, then left earlier than planned. We drove straight to Omaha, and it was nice to have a break there. We spent the night with Aunt Janele and their family. The next day, we saw the [tiny!] Winter Quarters Temple, and walked around the visitor's center and the cemetery there. We found (kind of) where one of our relatives is buried. That was a really neat experience. That night, mom, Aunt Janele, and I went out and got Mexican at a place called Hector's (I think?) - Yum! Late that night, we left Omaha and headed to Provo. We figured it would be better to drive through the night and get to Provo midday, and it worked great! Jon got tired after about an hour of driving, so I took over. Mom was completely out in the backseat, and Jon was snoring next to me. I had had a caffeinated soda, and was popping sugar candies in my mouth every 10 minutes, so I was wide awake (ask mom- she thinks I'm hilarious on caffeine...). I cranked the music and sang along, and all was well. Around 3 am, we drove through an awesome thunderstorm! It made me jealous that we don't get them like that in Provo. Anyway...It was great to finally get back to Provo and to my own apartment. I slept so well that night!
Summer ended well. It was great to be back with so many friends, to be able to have mom in Provo for a little bit, and to not have to stress about school for a little while. :)

Write You A Song

I'm home! Yay! :) These past few days have been pretty busy, but completely fun (and the teensiest bit depressing). As luck would have it, I actually did have a way fun date this past weekend. My friend Steve asked me, and we doubled with his roommate Dan and my friend (and neighbor) Elisse. We went hiking up past American Fork to a place called Silver Lake (I think?). It was way up in the tops of the mountains, and it was absolutely GORGEOUS! We saw a deer and a moose and a bunch of smaller animals. The views were incredible, and we were high enough up that there was still snow on the other side of the lake. At the top, we all enjoyed a freezing wade in the water, and sat on the rocks by a beasty waterfall. It was tons of fun! When we got back from hiking, we cleaned up and went out to eat at Red Robin (Thought of you, Mathieu, with the bottomless fries and topless drinks). Yum!Other than that, my past few days in Provo were filled with just having fun and visiting with friends who I won't see for the next month and a half. Friday night, I went to Muse Music to hear By The Exit play - three of the four guys (Mika, Steve, and Jordan) are in my ward. They played a good show, and afterwards we all hung out at their apartment. We watched Orange County on their lawn, then Mika and I stayed out til after 3 having fun with window paint and his roommates' cars. ;) Haha, it was hilarious!

Monday and Tuesday were busy with packing and saying my goodbyes. I talked with Kelsey, which was awesome - it was good to catch up. I felt like I hadn't talked to her in forever! My friend Barrett came over and talked for awhile, too. Sarah and Logan came over to pick up some stuff from my apartment, and Jose came to catch up and say goodbye. I was able to hang out with my neighbors quite a bit (Elisse, Hayley, Becky, Rachel, Tammi...Awesome!!), and I went to visit some of my favorite guys in the ward (Mika, Steve, Jordan, Dan, David, Steven, Robby, Andy...Sweeeeet!). On Tuesday afternoon, Mika took me to dinner at a place that sells New York Pizza ("Made by real New Yorkers!") - huge slices, super thin crust, sweet sauce - delicious! It was a great precursor to coming home where the pizza and wings are tops. I'm looking forward to enjoying some yummy Rochester food while I'm home (Country Sweet, anyone? White hots? Salt potatoes? Wegmans?). Anyway, that night I went to a Canada party in honor of Canada Day, then Sarah picked me up around 9. We headed to the airport, she dropped me off, and I was on my way. I was exhuasted, having lost a lot of sleep due to packed days and fun nights. My flight from Salt Lake to Newark was long, but not too bad. I did almost the whole crossword (I only left four squares blank), as well as both Sudoku puzzles. I listened to my iPod, and finally I was able to fall asleep for probably about 45-50 minutes. We finally made it to Newark, then I just chilled there for two hours and listened to my iPod while I waited to board. I watched the first half hour of Finding Nemo on my iPod, but got bored. On my flight to Rochester, I was pretty much out before we even took off. I woke up right when the plane lifted off the ground, I think, but fell back asleep immediately. It was great! I pretty much slept almost that entire flight, so that brought my sleep total for the night to about two hours. Rock on! :)

At the airport, Mom and Mad picked me up. Remington was the only other one home when we got there, and he and Mom left for the Hill. That left me home to watch Mad for the rest of the day. I showered, then came downstairs around noon and promptly fell asleep while Madison watched the Disney Channel. I slept for nearly five hours! I was exhausted! This evening, Mad, Hunter, and I went and picked cherries in our yard. A bowl of sweet cherries, and a bowl of sour cherries. We walked to the library to check out Planet Earth, then I came home and made a cherry pie while we watched an episode. Laura came over and we were able to catch up on life. It was interesting to talk about high school and college and realize that, you know, the more things change the more they remain the same. It's weird...Anyway, it's late, and I've been sleep deprived for far too long. I'd better head to bed. I'm excited for Pageant rehearsals to start on Friday! Anyone who's able to should come see it - shows are July 11, 12, 15-19, and they begin at around 9:15 pm. :)

Love Love Love,
Savannah.

Square One

So, you know...I go home in less than a week. How weird. How bittersweet. Melissa left this afternoon, and that was more depressing than I thought it'd be. I won't see her until the middle of August when I get back to Provo...

Anyhow, I'm super excited to see my family! It's been so long, almost six months, since I've seen them. It'll be hard to leave Provo though. I find that I call Provo "home" more and more often these days. And though it'll never be my true home, it's weird to think that I do live here for about 10 months of every year. And I've got tons of great friends here. Sometimes I wish I could take all of the good things about Provo and all of the good things about New York and just mesh them together to create my own perfect world. Because, you know, that's what it would be - perfect. All my friends and family in one place, and we'd all have the time of our lives! That'd be sweet.

Wow, I'm rambling. Anyway, on a [brief] brighter note, I was a Y-Group Leader for New Student Orientation this past weekend, and it was so fantastic! I really appreciated the opportunity I had to make friends with some of the new students, and to help them to love BYU as much as I do. I loved being able to show them what it's all about, and I'm especially glad I had no problem totally rocking out in front of them. It was great! I was able to let loose and show my true colors, and I had a blast!

Well, I just wanted to give a quick update on what I've been thinking/doing the past few days. I'll be sure to let y'all know how my last weekend in Provo goes. Maybe I'll get a hott hott date. Bahaha....

You're the Devil in Disguise

Just a brief addendum to my earlier post [as if I didn't already write up a whole novel and a half...]. I just wanted to share with you three things about tonight that made me happy:

For FHE, we played four-square. Despite having never really played it before, I made it to the first square - yeah, that means I was the queen of the game [even if it only lasted one round]. Sweet.

I appropriately used a semi-colon. I felt so awesome! Who even cares that it was just in talking to my sister in facebook chat?! I mean, how often do people use semi-colons? It was pretty great.

I officially came to the big fatty realization that life was a little bit better back when I thought boys had cooties. Now, they're just too much of a hassle, too much of a distraction. And yet, there's always at least one that gets me every time. Lame. Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame.

Happy Birthday, Hunter!

Happy Birthday, Hunter! Little buddy, I can't believe you're already 12 years old! You had only just turned 9 when I left to come to BYU. I love your spunk and your sense of humor. You are a really awesome guy, and I'm proud to call you my little brother! I hope you're as excited to see me in a few weeks as I am to see you. I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time with you this summer when I'm home! Stay cool, kid. You're awesome and I love you!

Happy [Late] Father's Day!

Dad. You're a pretty cool guy! Thanks for all you do for me. I'm grateful for the memories I have with you. Thanks for pushing me to be my best in all that I do. Thanks for supporting me in my school work and for providing me with valuable advice about life [Look, I'm 21 and not even close to being married! You don't have to disown me!]. Thanks for adding an irreplaceable dose of spontaneity, character, and hilarity in my life. You're a really great dad, and I'm so grateful for everything you have done and continue to do for me. Stay awesome! Can't wait to see you in a few short weeks!

A Hard Day's Night

Hi friends! How's life? What's new and exciting? As for me, I fly home in 15 days! I'm pretty stoked about that. I get to see my totally rad family, and I get to once again participate in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Rock on! I'm excited to spend time with my awesome siblings who I hardly ever see anymore and to enjoy the blasted heat and humidity of an Upstate New York summer.

Life lately has been, you know, alright. I guess nothing TOO exciting has happened. About a week and a half ago, Melissa and I made sugar cookies in the shape of dinosaurs! [Thanks, Matt and Erin, for those fun cookie cutters!] We decorated them all cutesy, and it was a lot of fun, if not completely dorky.

Last week I went on a fun date. My roommates and I decided we needed to go on a roommate date, so we roped our neighbor Becky into joining us and we all asked guys out. We were going to go to the lake and have a bonfire and make s'mores. However, the weather turned cold and windy that evening, so we stayed at our apartment. We made s'mores and roasted Starburst over our gas stove. Then we played some fun games and enjoyed each other's company. We played Nurtz, and my date and I totally rocked it - we beat everyone! It was great!

So, there are a couple new guys in my ward who are in a band called By The Exit. On Wednesday, they were in a local Battle of the Bands. Melissa, my neighbor Elisse, some guys in the ward, and I went to support them, and it was a lot of fun! Unfortunately, they didn't win, but we still had a lot of fun and enjoyed their music. It was really a blast to get out and do something I don't normally have the opportunity to do.

On Friday, I had the opportunity to watch Logan while Sarah was in class and Zac went to see a movie. He's getting so big now - I can't believe he'll be 1 on Saturday! He can now clap, wave, and point on command. And, of course, he loves me so he smiles every time he sees me. We'll play games and he just cracks up at some of the things I do! I love it. It sort of validates my, uh, craziness...

Saturday was a lot of fun, too! I had Y-Group Leader Training all morning, and I was running on 4.5 hours of sleep, so that was fun but seemed to drag on forever. You know, getting up at 6:30 on a Saturday is not something I find completely ideal. Haha. That afternoon, my friend Erica called me up and we went over to Rock Canyon Park to another friend's ward activity - a giant slip 'n' slide! It was a lot of fun! I only went down a few times, but it was refreshing on the hot afternoon. That evening, Melissa and I went to a Kalai concert with some guys in my ward. I had a spectacular time! It was awesome!

Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting, the speakers finished up a little early. I knew when the third speaker was about halfway through her talk that she would finish early...Yeah, so when that happens, Bishop gets up and calls people up to bear their testimonies and say a few words. I knew, before the talk was even over, that Bishop would stand up and call me up. I just knew it. Funny, since the talks were about faith in following the Spirit. Haha, how ironic. But, yeah, sure enough Bishop got up and called me up. I was grateful that it was Father's Day so quite a few people were out of town. But it was cool - in hindsight, I'm grateful for that opportunity.

Anyway, that's all that I have for now. I've been busy with work and just having the time of my life every day! I'll be sure to post pictures and give new updates on my life soon!

Things That Rock My World...

So, the title of this post is Things That Rock My World, and that is exactly what I'm going to write about. Because, let's be honest here, I kind of have a great life and sometimes it's nice to acknowledge a few of the things that make it so great. The following is a list of things I've been grateful for lately:

Milk
Due to a great comment my roommate made last week, I've had a beasty craving for milk the past few days. Now, just to give you a picture of the relationship I've had with milk in the past: I normally buy a half gallon of milk (the one with the latest expiration date, mind you) and struggle to use even 3/4 of it by the time it goes bad. However, some friends of our ALWAYS have milk at their apartment, and it ALWAYS looks so good. So, on Saturday, we went to the creamery and I bought a whole gallon of delicious creamery milk. Don't even worry about how I have less than 1/3 of a gallon left of that milk after 2 days. I think I've drunk more milk these past two days than I have for the past year. Yum!

Rainbows
Today after FHE, there was a HUGE rainbow that arched over the whole sky and came down right in front of Y-Mountain. It was GORGEOUS and I LOVED it! Simply beautiful.

Washing Machines
Yes, we have a washing machine and a dryer in our apartment. Yes, I love the ability to do laundry any time I want. In fact, I did three loads today. It kind of made my life.

Comfy Shorts
On Saturday, Melissa and I went to Target. I found an awesome pair of black sweat shorts. I got home and put them on and they were pretty much the most comfortable thing ever. I decided this morning that I should probably take them off finally (Okay, I didn't wear them that WHOLE time, but I did put them on whenever I was relaxing. It was great!), and Sarah and Elizabeth and I went to Target this afternoon so I could buy two more pair: a gray pair and a pink pair. Rock on!

Pushing the Cart
When we went shopping this afternoon, I got to push the cart. That is, in fact, one of my favorite parts of shopping. LOVE IT!

Nintendo
So, on Saturday, we finally got a TV courtesy of Stacie's grandpa. It's old and beasty and awesome. Yesterday, Melissa and I hooked up her DVD/VCR Player and the Nintendo. Yeah, like, old school Nintendo NES. Rock on! We played Super Mario Bros. all afternoon. I pretty much suck at it, and it's fantastic! Check it out:

Sleep-talking
Sleep-talking is hilarious. Especially when you're not the one doing it. Especially when it's one of your good guy friends who is sleeping on the couch and may or may not say, "Hey! You don't have all the qualifications to be a dinosaur!" Hilarious.

Domesticity
I love being domestic. It's so great! On Saturday, I made three pies. That's right. Three. One raspberry cream, one peach, and one apple (with a lattice top, of course). They were delicious. Also, on Saturday, Melissa and I went to her old apartment to visit with friends and make earrings. So, I made some pretty nifty ones. I like them. Check out all my domestic skills in the pictures:
Borderline Maternity Shirts
On Sunday, I was having a ridiculous fat day. So, I wore a borderline maternity shirt to be comfortable. Don't even worry about how numerous different people at church told me they loved my shirt and they thought it was so cute. Rock on! There's nothing so great as compliments on fat days.

Good Hair Days
More often than not, I have bad or so-so hair days. You know. Nothing special. Sunday, I had a great hair day. Also, my hair is getting so long. I love it! Check it:
Right on, friend. Right on.

Big Windows and Mountains
I'm sure I've said this before, but my apartment is awesome, and I absolutely love the view of the mountains from our beautiful big windows. In fact, I even changed the orientation of my bed, so now my head is right next to the window. When I wake up, the very first thing I see is the mountains and I LOVE IT! Yesterday, I woke up at 5:34 in the morning to see a beautiful sliver of a silver crescent moon hovering right above a dip in the mountain peaks. It was gorgeous.

IKEA Pillows
I have recently acquired four green throw pillows from IKEA. They reside in our living room, and they are great.
Pets
We have a pet fish. His name is Manfred. He's kind of great - he's a blue betta fish, and he eats a beasty lot of fish food.
Anyway, that's about all I have for now. My life is FANTASTIC! Don't be too jealous. :) But really, let's face it, I've got so many things that rock my world right now, I can understand if you're a little bit jealous. Haha. Have a super duper day!

Pictures!

There's me, sitting on the elephant's trunk. Sweet!
BABY! I love this picture. It's just so fantastic!

And, sitting on the lion drinking fountain. Sweet. They have these same drinking fountains at the zoo in Idaho Falls...

After our picnic, at the This is the Place Monument. Awesome! Check out the beautiful mountains and clouds in the background!

Dinner today. My rolls were so yummy, and the chicken was great! Mmm...

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

So just a quick update on my life... It's been pretty grand lately! For Memorial Day weekend, Melissa and I had grand visions of going down to St. George, but that fell through. Melissa worked in Price all day on Friday, and didn't get home 'til quarter after 8. But she, her brother, and I went to see Indiana Jones that night. I thought it was pretty good, but I had to call a friend today and yell at him because he said that there wasn't any parts that would make me jump - he was wrong! :) But it was still fun.

Friday morning, while Melissa was at work, Sarah and I took a fun trip up to Draper to celebrate IKEA's first birthday! It was great - I love that place! We had so much fun shopping and, as a rule, tried to pronounce the Swedish names of some of the furniture. It was super. :)

On Saturday, Melissa and I decided to take a fun day trip up to Salt Lake to go to the zoo and have a picnic! It was so much fun - we took some awesome pictures, and ate dinner at the "This is the Place" Monument. On our way home, we stopped at IKEA because Melissa had never been. Yeah, that's right, I went to IKEA two times in two days. Amazing! When we got home, we made mint brownies, picked up a friend, and headed over to Melissa's brother's apartment to play Nintendo Wii. We did bowling and boxing and cow-racing and Mario Kart! So fun! We stayed til midnight, dropped off our friend (and stayed outside talking, while he showed us his dinosaur bone, til nearly 1), and came home and talked til 3 am. That was all fun and stuff, but then I had a beasty meeting at 8 this morning. Haha, needless to say, I was a little exhausted, but church was great and I was able to take a nice long nap when I got home. This evening, Melissa and I made dinner and had a friend come over and enjoy it with us. I made yummy rolls and salad - awesome - and Melissa made potatoes and chicken. :) I made sure to take a picture of our sweet meal.

Anyway, that's what's new and exciting in my life. Tomorrow Melissa and I are going to try to drive down to Zion National Park for a fun little day trip. Should be a blast!

Well, I tried to upload some pictures, but it's not working for me right now...Maybe I'll try it in a separate post...

Banana Pancakes

So, I figured since I'm about four months overdue for an update, I might as well post a little something. Life has been really fantastic lately - my earrings even say so:Well, they're not actually MY earrings, but my AWESOME roommate Melissa was kind enough to let me borrow them. Sweet.

So anyway...my life has been great! Winter semester was probably one of my funnest semesters at BYU. It wasn't my greatest semester school-wise, but I had a blast anyhow. We went down to St. George in February for President's Day weekend. It was great to see Grandma and Grandpa, Zach and Kate, and William. I love my family!

In more recent news, at the end of the semester I moved into a new apartment. I'm still in the same complex, but I moved three doors down so I could stay in the same ward. It's awesome! Melissa, who lived with me last spring, is my roommate again. We are living with Amy (who moved into this apartment in January) and one of her mission companions, Stacie. It's a lot of fun! I have awesome roommates, and we have fun all the time!

I've had a lot of time to do fun things lately. Baking, cooking, quilting, and visiting friends are among my favorite things to do. Melissa and I are out almost every night being friends with different people - it's great! We like to go swinging at the park, too. That's always a blast!

On Saturday morning, we had a Stake Activity. We hiked up at Rock Canyon. It was a nice, warm day, and I got a lot of sun! Yesterday, at church, we had the Area Authority Seventy over BYU come to our Sacrament Meeting and speak. He spoke about several "key indicators" we can strive for in our lives. He also talked about increasing our capacity to love others, and the connection between love and correction. It was great! For Sunday FHE yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving by having a potluck feast. I made some rolls, which got rave reviews! It was a lot of fun, and great to spend some time with people in the ward. We also watched Amazing Grace with some friends in the ward - it was a great movie!

Tonight for FHE, we are going to Bishop's house and going street bowling. It should be a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to it. We're combining with another FHE group, too, so hopefully I'll be able to make some new friends. I love new friends!

Anyway, I'd better stop babbling. I'll post again soon - That's a promise! Hopefully I'll have some interesting and exciting things to write about. And maybe some sweet pictures, too. That's always fun.

Have a fantastic day!

Hot Cakes and Hooker Boots

Hello friends! Life has been pretty busy lately, and just so amazing. School is a bit stressful, but I'm just taking it one step at a time, and it really hasn't been too horrible. I'm taking a lot of reading- and writing-intensive courses, which are quite different than the proof and theory-heavy math classes I'm used to. And it helps that all my classes are condensed-- I only have class from 9-2 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No Tuesday/Thursday classes. It's such a blessing! :)

As far as my social life goes, it's pretty amazing. There are so many awesome people in the ward that I'm getting to know and be great friends with. We split the Relief Society at the beginning of the semester, which has been rather bittersweet. On one hand, it's hard not seeing half the sisters in Relief Society every Sunday, and I haven't had a chance to get to know the new sisters in RS East (I'm in RS West). But on the other hand, we have had an amazing time getting to know all the sisters so much better. I have really enjoyed our visits with each apartment, and working to reestablish all our committees. Our Sunday meetings have been phenomenal because we have only 60 sisters instead of 120, and it's such a different setting--more conducive to spiritual discussions and getting to know and love one another.

And then there are the boys... There are a few guys in the ward who, uh, kind of want to love me. It's quite flattering, and I've come to be extremely grateful for it (I was a bit frustrated at first, because I don't exactly want to love all of them back). I've been asked on a date by a different guy every weekend since I've been back. It's been so much fun! Before my date this past Saturday, Kelsey and I wanted to go shopping just for fun. We ended up going Friday afternoon, and it was such a blast! I picked up a few new shirts, and then we found the ultimate buy: Hooker Boots!! They're so hot. They're brown, and they have a ginormous heel on them. It's so great. I'm so glad I have an awesome roommate who's willing to do crazy things like that with me. :) Oh, and then we went to Bath and Body Works because, let's face it, that place is rather amazing. We each picked up some Hot Cakes flavored lipgloss. Don't even worry that my lips smell like syrupy waffles when I put it on... Delicioso!

In other news, we just had the funnest MLK, Jr. Day ever yesterday. We made cookies and watched Pride and Prejudice, and went sledding!! :) It was TONS of fun. And I got my friend's brother's number and called him to join us. Unfortunately, his phone was off and he didn't get the message until it was too late. But he called me today and asked me out for Friday. I nearly wet myself -- I'm so stoked! I don't know how I'm going to concentrate on all my classes and work this week....Oh well. Oh, and I got a letter from my not-missionary today. Don't even worry that he said he misses me. And don't even worry that he signed it "Love-". And don't even worry that he's home in a little over 5 months. I don't think I could wipe the smile off my face if I tried...

Anyway, I guess that's all the exciting news for me lately. I'll be sure to keep y'all updated. And I'll try to post pictures real soon! Lovey love loves LOOOOOVE love, Savannah.

PS- For those of you who are interested, and as per our discussion over Christmas, we have started a Purdy Good Cookin' 2 blog - a sort of e-version, an online second edition, of the original cookbook. To be added as an author, just shoot me an email and I'll invite you to join. Sweet.