Smile!

Ha. I know myself too well. Remember how I said in my first post that I'd post every week? .....that didn't happen. Whoops! Here's the low-down:

I tried to post a "30 Days of Gratitude" at the end of November but my computer/internet kept shutting down when I'd get about half way through, so I finally gave up after 3 or 4 tries. Then midterms happened. Then finals happened. And my internet was completely down for the last 2 weeks of me being in Provo. So now, I'm back in AZ. Living at home, hanging out with my family, not doing much, working from home, and...ya. Had a good Christmas, am counting the days till I leave for Florida, etc. etc. etc. nothing exciting. Ha.

Honestly, had kind of an off day. I'd write about it, but this is a happy blog! So I did an experiment instead :) I posted a status on Facebook asking my friends to tell me the best thing that happened to them today. I feel like people just need to share their good news with someone else sometimes. While reading through my friends' happy thoughts, it reminded me of some of the tender mercies I've experienced today. My day is better because of them. Moral of this story: if you're ever having an off day, think of the little things that were good. If you can't think of them, ask to hear someone else's. They'll more than likely inspire you to think of yours. So, go. And be happy. :)

Happy Quote of the Day:

"Smile, it looks good on you!"

Service is Wonderful!

A few weeks ago, I was asked to collect 500 beanies and blankets for Hurricane Sandy victims. A few days later, I was asked to make Christmas cards for soldiers. Yay, service opportunities! To get these done, I spread the word and made a Facebook event to invite people over to my apartment to tie blankets, make beanies, and color Christmas cards. My room-mates and I included, twelve college students were in our apartment last night--busily working on these different service projects. In the span of about five and a half hours, we managed to cut and tie 11 fleece blankets, knit 17 beanies (and start 3 more--which were finished today), and color about 50 Christmas cards. (We also watched "Elf" & listened/sang along to Christmas music!) So. It was productive. And fun! :) And I can already tell how much happier I am now that I've done some service. It really was a good pick-me-up. Do some service! If you need ideas, let me know! If you want to get involved in our beanie/blanket/card collections, PLEASE do! We would love any & all donations we can get!

Thought of the Day:

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

--Mahatma Gandi

Surprise! :)

This last weekend, I had the privilege of surprising my family and most of my friends by going to Mesa for the weekend! It was SO fun! The only people I told were my friends: Kelcie, Nick, & Nick. (And Spencer...who told Hamilton. Who told Kyle. Anyways...ha) So, when I arrived in Mesa Thursday morning (about 11:45), I got dropped off at MCC & just called my mom. The conversation went like this:

Me: "Hey Mom! Funny story! Guess where I am right now."
Mom: "Uh...BYU Bookstore?"
Me: "Nope. Kind of aaaalmost close. Try again."
Mom: "Uhhmm...the Hinckley Building?"
Me: "Nope. Come on. One more try. You got it!"
Mom: "Your apartment? I have no idea. Where are you??"
Me: "Nope! I...am currently walking across MCC campus, headed to the music building!"
Mom: *Starts balling* "WHAT!!??!?!?! YOU'RE HERE?!?!?! OH MY GOSH, ERIKA!!! HOW?! WHY?! I'm at home right now!!! I don't have to be there till 12:30!! Can you just wait there until then?! I'll hurry!!! All I have to do is drop off Joseph at pre-school then I'll be there!! I LOVE YOU!!!! See ya in a bit!!"

We hung up & I got to the music building to wait. Saw my friend Joe, who didn't even seem to notice I was there. Ha. "Hey, Erika. How's it going?" "Good! You?" "Good! Nice shirt! See ya!" "See ya!" *kept walking* Haha it was great! :)

Anyways, long story short--sent out a mass a text, told the majority of my friends that I was in town, posted it on Facebook so the rest of them knew, and had fun the rest of the weekend!

Highlights of the weekend:
-Surprising my Mom
-Surprising the rest of my family
-Got to hug all of family (especially my siblings--I love those kids!)
-Saw Mesa High's "Oklahoma!" (which won STATE!!! AHHH so cool!!)
-Got to hug a lot of my friends! (Didn't realize how much I missed hugging people...is that weird? Haha)
-Hung out with my best friend!
-Hung out with a BUNCH of my friends! (I think I counted like 26?)
-Saw Spencer before he left on his mission
-Had friends come over for breakfast
-Got to cook/bake in my own kitchen
-Got to go to Wal-mart (THREE times!)
-Went to Target
-Got to shower in my own shower
-Slept in my own bed
-Visited Mesa High
-Visited Poston Junior High (& saw Mr. Bisanz)
-Saw "Wreck-It Ralph" (SUCH a cute movie!!! Go see it! Seriously!)
-Got to DRIVE!!!!! (Felt SO good!!!)

Anyways, there was much fun to have in Mesa! :) Loved every minute of it! So grateful to the girls I drove down with--that was an adventure in and of itself!

HELLO Fantastic Week!

So remember how I said I'd post once a week? Ya. That will probably change. Ha. This last week has been INCREDIBLE! And I've wanted to post something every day, but I didn't. Now I'm realizing: hey, it's my blog. I can post whenever I want! Haha. So prepare for more posts! :) Warning: this one is going to be kinda long...and it'll probably sound like a journal entry. Ha. Believe me, these are just the highlights. The last few days have been AWESOME! :)

Highlights of the week: on Thursday, it SNOWED!!! AH! Yes, I am nineteen years old. No, I have never experienced snow. (I'm from Mesa, Arizona. Give me a break!) And I LOVED it! I was the crazy person out there bare-foot, wearing a T-shirt & jeans taking pictures and catching snow flakes in my hands. It was SO exciting! If you've never seen snow fall, you're missing out. It's incredible! GREAT testimony builder too. Snowflakes really DO all look different--and they're each beautiful! God is amazing--he loves us enough to create something so beautiful! Anyways, it's great. :)

On Friday, I got a letter from my friend Mike who has recently joined the Army, a graduation present from a sweet family friend, and a wedding announcement for my friends, Kenzie & Todd--it was a GREAT mail day for Erika! I also got a package from my sweet Mom that had my ballot, some candy, and some extra spending money. (She really loves me! :) ) I was so excited!! I LOVE getting mail! (Seriously, if you ever want to write me a letter, let me know--I'll send you my address. Ha) I also had to go take a test that day. It was a math test so I didn't really study--math comes pretty easy to me. Walking down the stairs after my test, I found a sweet [anonymous] note that turned out to be from a friend in my ward. Seriously, made my day! :)

Friday night, I hung out with Marlee & Missy--two friends who go to BYU-I & come to visit every so often. Marlee's one of my best friends so I love seeing her! I'm just getting to know Missy, but she's pretty cool too! Haha. I finally got to see Thor that night--it was AWESOME! Now to watch Iron Man movies... After I got home, Rachel made tortillas for a work potluck the next morning & I made Maple Bars immediately after (for the same work party). Note: do NOT start making maple bars if it is past midnight. Because it takes FOREVER. Though they turned out really good, I was up till 4am. And I skipped a bunch of steps. It was awesome. But I was super tired the next day...(and the day after...) Haha.

Saturday, nothing super cool--went to work & had fun as usual, took a 15 minute power nap, then spent the rest of the day with Marlee & Missy. Twas fun :) Finally got some boots! NOW I'm ready for the snow! AND I went to the Disney store (DANGEROUS store for me...good thing I have a little self control and a little budget. Ha)--found a Mrs. Potts/Chip tea set!! I was SO excited! Buuuut it cost $35. Sad day. That money can go else-where...but it was cute! Mrs. Potts even talked!

Sunday, went to church, had home teachers & visiting teachers over, got my visiting teaching done, went to a meeting, then went to a VOCAL POINT FIRESIDE!!!! AAAAHHHHH!!! Loved it! My friend's stake was having a special fireside featuring Vocal Point & he half-invited us to go. So we did! :) Towards the end of the "concert," I got a special phone call from my good friend Spencer. I ran out (missed the last 2 songs :/ Oh well. It was worth it. Just wait!) It only rang once so it went to voicemail & I called him back a few seconds later. I asked what was up & he said he just called to see how I was doing & how life was going. *So nice of him* :) We talked about BYU, him getting ready for his mission (he leaves next week!), his farewell [that I missed], weather differences, mission calls, life in general, etc. Ten-ish minutes into the call, he  said "Actually, there is a reason I called you. During the Priesthood session of this last General Conference, Thomas S. Monson--our prophet--gave us Priesthood holders a special obligation--to make sure the girls around us know that they are beautiful. So, Erika, I called to tell you that I think you are beautiful. And that I'm so grateful to know you. Just talking to you, I feel happier. I'm so glad I called you! You're amazing and beautiful and funny and just so sweet. I'm glad we're friends and I miss you a lot. Glad to hear you're doing so well. You're amazing!" *My jaw dropped. Haha* Seriously, made my night. Best. Phone. Call. Ever. Made me realize just how great my friends are. Who else does that?! I LOVE random texts, phone calls, and letters (especially phone calls!) and I've been getting several recently. So thank you, all. I'm so grateful for the wonderful people I'm surrounded by! I'm the luckiest girl on the planet! :)

(Old picture, but these are them!)

Anywho, this is long enough. Sorry. I'm going to start posting more often so the posts are shorter....ha.

Happy thought of today: 

"As long as you live keep smiling because it brightens everybody's day." - Vin Scully.


[PS--This week is going to be SUPER RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!!!! You'll have to check back next week to see why!] :)

Welcome!

 Hello! My name is Erika--I'm currently a freshman in college and LOVE all things happy. (But who doesn't?! Ha). I'm from Mesa, Arizona but currently live in Utah for college. So don't be too surprised when you see lots of posts about cold weather...I'm finally experiencing it. Ha. I'm currently studying Marketing Management in hopes to become a Marketing Specialist/Events Coordinator someday. (And before you ask, no--I don't want to be a wedding planner. I want to plan events like benefit concerts, parades, community events, large-scale fundraisers, and other corporate events.)

Something else you'll notice about me is: I LOVE Disney. Disneyland. Disney World. Disney movies. Disney workers. Walt Disney. Mickey Mouse. Every bit of it. :) My dream career is the Disney Marketing Specialist/Events Coordinator (plan the amazing parades, firework shows, Make-a-Wish Foundation trips, etc.). My road to this career is off to a good start--in January (2013), I will move to Orlando, Florida to be part of the Disney College Program!!! What this means is: I get to work at Disney World (as a Custodial Cast-member! Woo hoo!), live on Disney property, and take classes at Disney University!! *Dreams DO come true!*

Anywho, life is good. And wonderful. I love it a lot. Hope you do too :)

Today's Happy Quote is:

Got this gem from: http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=32890926