In the Past Year...

I just realized a few days ago that I have been at college for a whole year now. It sure doesn't feel like it, but when I look back at it a lot has happened. There are a lot of things that weren't true about me a year ago, but are now.
I now:
scrunch my hair almost everyday,
wear eyeliner, but no eye shadow,
initiate conversations with people I don't know very well,
chew gum regularly,
prefer water over any other beverage,
am a sophomore,
love lotion,
know how to straighten my hair and then do something with it,
can stick to a weekly budget,
use a jump-drive regularly,
take my cell phone with me everywhere, no matter how long I'll be gone,
live off campus,
look forward to Sunday more than any other day of the week,
wear contacts,
know sign language,
wear perfume most days of the week,
have a bunch of friends who are engaged/married,
can be in and out of the shower in 5 minutes,
have my hair cut shorter than "shoulder length",
no longer chew on my fingernails,
can recognize singers by their voices,
know how to play DDR and Guitar Hero,
have written to a missionary,
can't fall asleep at night if I don't have my retainer in,
have played the flute in a recital,
can write a research paper without becoming hysterical,
walk at least three miles every day,
have asked a guy out,
can usually tell you what the date is and what day of the week it is,
quote Bill Cosby and Brian Regan at least once a day,
remember to take my vitamin most days,
have an 8:00 class,
I am not afraid to give blood anymore,
and last but certainly not least: I now write on my blog regularly!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Waking up in the morning just before the alarm clock goes off
The smell of freshly baked bread
Having time to read a good book
Flowers
A tall glass of ice water
When my hair is really curly
The smell of irises
Marking off the last thing on a list of things to do
Playing the piano and flute
Sunshine
Cute socks
Having an intelligent and deep conversation
Puppies and kittens
Cinnamon gum
When someone opens the door for me
Makenzie's laugh
Finding a good seat in the movie theater
Friends
Wrestling with Heidi
Good-smelling lotion
The sound my phone makes when I get a text message
Ward prayer
Long hugs
The color blue
Blowing bubbles
Realizing that I already did all of my homework

A good fencing match
Late-night talks

When someone drops by just to say "hi"
Photo albums
Making banana bread
My family
Getting to sit up front in the car
Lasagna
A new journal
Painting my toe nails a new color
Having someone tickle my back
Sitting by a fire
Frontroom dance parties
Long walks
Playing with babies
Catching something that is tossed to me
New shoes
When chocolate makes it all better
Getting a note from someone I care about
Walking while it snows
Taking pictures with friends
Listening to music
Doing Sudoku puzzles
Going over a high jump on a horse
Finding a $20 bill in my coat pocket
My friends' and family members' voices
Laughing so hard my sides ache
Making people happy
and when they all live happily ever after!

It was snowing while I walked home from school today. As I walked, smiling at the beautiful world around me it seemed that little bits of poetry were falling from the sky, rather than crystallized water molecules. I managed to catch a few of those bits and pieces, take them home with me, and write them down before they melted away into nothingness.

Down
Swirling, twirling, gliding, falling
Gently coming down
Powdered sugar dusting Earth
Ever coming down
Touching fingers, ears and nose
Covering hair and boots and coats
Each small flake the Lord God knows
Swirling, twirling down!