Another Ending.

Today was my last day at BYU until August 2016. It's a hard thing for me to do. I love that place with all my heart. The past year and a half have been the very best years of my entire life, I have never been happier. I have never felt as good, and as wonderful as I do there. Walking through campus, going to classes, going to church feels just right.

I know I am about to start another wonderful and amazing chapter of my life, but right now I am still a little bit sad that I have had to say goodbye to all of the friends I have made in the past semester.

I am especially sad that I have had to say goodbye to my roommates from this past semester.

I really have had the most fun in the world with these girls. They are all so amazing, talented, and kind.

Ashley is sassy and hilarious and is never afraid to say what needs to be said.
Hope always surprises me with all her different sides. She is so talented and down to earth and always knows what to do in any situation.
Krista is my best friend in the world. She knows me better than anyone else and will always be there for me. I love her.
Rebecca is a saint. She is the most selfless and generous person ever. She knows when people are sad or down and finds a way to cheer them up in the simplest ways. For example, the other day I was feeling down and untalented and within half an hour she had written down a list of some of my talents for me and wrote me a sweet note at the end. She also is the best listener.
Camille is smart and dedicated and when she decides to learn how to do something, she learns it. She is also extremely generous and always prepared.

This past week has been so hard for me as I've tried to prepare myself for saying goodbye to them. I love them like sisters and I wish I could just bring them along with me on my mission.

Sadly, I cannot, but I know they will always be here for me, so that makes it okay, we will always be friends, no matter how far apart we are.

Also, I wrote this poem for them and left it on the door when I moved out. I wrote it at 3:30 AM the other night/morning when I couldn't sleep so don't judge it, but I thought it was pretty good.

There once was a girl,

Her name was Kinsey,

She loved her roommates,

More than fish love the sea.

She had to leave,

To serve the Lord,

For eighteen months,

To serve the Lord.

It broke her heart,

To say goodbye,

Since she loved them so much,

It made her cry.

The week before,

She cried each night,

And woke up some mornings ,

With tears in her sight.

She was so very grateful,

For such wonderful friends,

Who loved her and served her,

With love that never ends.

So thanks, beautiful,

Sisters of mine,

You've been like my family,

For a short amount of time.

I love you so much,

please don't forget about me,

When I come back home,

We'll have to catch up in a jiffy.

We'll watch sweet movies,

And dance all night,

To fun silly music,

And all will be right.

We'll write funny poems,

We'll sing out loud,

We'll laugh till we cry,

And walk unique from the crowd.

We'll always be close,

Because that's what best friends do,

Because that's what we are,

So, for now, until later, I'll say adieu.

Nuggets of Wisdom

This is a blog post I have been thinking about for a little while. I have all these things that I am learning, and all this advice I want to share. So, this is a list of things that I have learned that might help someone else.

Random Advice That May or May Not Be What You Need To Hear:

- Loving people hurts, and not just like dating-wise, but like family, friends, and all the other people you care about. Loving them will hurt because you will watch them do things they shouldn't, you will worry about them, you will miss them, you will wish you could help them. Just because it hurts to love people doesn't mean you shouldn't. Don't miss out on opportunities to care about even more people for the fear of the pain. Because the amount of love that you will get back will make it all worth it.

- Sometimes the nights you stay up the latest will be the most fun. You might miss out on some sleep, but the memories you get will be way better.

- Write a bucket list. Then make plans to fulfill the things on that bucket list.

- Have at least one good thing to look forward to a week. That will make getting through the week worth it. It will be your motivation.

- Look up. The sky is never ever the same. I personally have a hard time staying in a bad mood when I look at how beautiful the world is around me.

- Look for Tender Mercies from the Lord. They are ALL OVER THE PLACE. For me it's the sun, the sky, the flowers, the leaves, my roommates, the funny things people say, compliments, chocolate, things that make me smile.

- Don't wear clothes that are uncomfortable. If you feel uncomfortable all day, then whatever it is that you are wearing is not really worth it. Don't dress like a slob, but find clothes that you like, that make you feel good.

- DON'T LOOK AT YOUR FACE 2 INCHES FROM THE MIRROR. Nobody stands that close to you, so why does it matter what your face looks like that closely? When you get ready for the day step back, and look at yourself as a whole. Then turn around and stop looking at yourself.

- Keep a journal of important things. When you are feeling really upset, write about it. When you are really happy, write about it. When you go on a date, write about it. When you meet new people and make new friends, write about it. You'll be grateful when you can go back and look at how you felt and what has changed.

- Say your prayers and mean them. Think about what you are saying and who you are talking to. It makes a big difference.

- Don't do things that make you angry if you don't have to. If you do have to, then step back and try to figure out how to not get angry.

-  Sometimes your eyes think you can eat more than you can. It's better in those instances to listen to your stomach.

- Try not to get offended. People mess up when they are talking. Sometimes words just tumble out, sometimes you aren't even understanding right. Be forgiving.

- Be open minded to new things. Life is more fun that way.

- Try new ice cream flavors. It will surprise you how many good ones there are!

- Don't do things that you wouldn't normally do to try to make someone like you. First of all, you will look back on that and be embarrassed about all the dumb things you did. Second of all, if you have to try to MAKE someone like you, then is it really worth it? Wouldn't you rather wait until a person comes along that already likes you the way you are?

-  Be nice.

- Eat chocolate.

- Go outside to work on homework. Then you are getting homework done AND getting fresh air! (Killing two birds with one stone!)

- Anonymously make cookies or write notes for people. It's fun.

- Dance in the rain.

- Make sure you take a few fun classes or uplifting classes as long as the classes you need for your major.

- Take time to do things you love.

- Do hard things that challenge you. When you do something hard, you become a little bit better, a little more awesome, and grow a little bit more. It's kind of like ballet. When you start off you can't do anything very cool. Then you practice and you do things that hurt a little bit, but because of that you learn to do a fun jump. Then you practice a little more, do some harder stretches and learn how to do the splits. When you stick to it and keep doing harder things, the things that were hard become easy, and you do something new. It keeps going and going and going until you are a pro! Life is like that. Do something hard and conquer it! Then try something else!

- Write letters.

- Sing out loud.

- Write silly, ridiculous poems.

- Allow yourself a bad day every once in a while.

- But choose to be happy the rest of the time.