What I'm Thankful for This Thanksmas

Yeah, I normally do this on Thanksgiving, but I got pretty lazy this year. So let's just call this a Thanksgiving/Christmas list. A Thanksmas list. So without further ado, here's a list of some things I'm thankful for:

• Not having much snow this year. I know, it's bad for global warming and the Utah economy, but I got to walk to school in that crap.
• Also, having NO snow last year for the same reason.
• But having enough snow in the mountains right now to go skiing
• My calling in church. Seriously, Ward Prayer Co-Chair is the best thing ever. It's a ward leadership calling in my ward, but I have to do next to nothing. And it's a pretty social calling too.
• The Wendy's near the Tanner Building. I've been eating there 2-3 times a week. The cashier knows me.
• The free Frosty key chain I have. I think I've gotten about 100 free Frosty's this year.
• The fact that I can get about 2,000 calories off the dollar menu for $5 at Wendy's.
• Group members who do good group work (evil stare at one group member from this last year).
• The fact that I survived spending 16 straight hours on campus one day late in November.
• Getting a 97% on an Art History final and beating the art majors at their own game. Suck on that, liberal arts majors!
• Lists. 
• That my major does not require me to write giant research papers for classes like certain Art History classes do.
• That I have a job offer. Related to my major.
• Facebook friends that tag me in photos (my parents are grateful for that too, beeteedubs. It lets them know that I actually have friends).
• Disneyland.
• That we don't live in a zombie apocalypse,
• but that I'm prepared for one in case I ever have to. Thanks, Walking Dead.
• People who are engaged, but don't feel the need to be constantly touching each other.
• Chester the Molester.
• Chester the Molester not dying this year.
• Surviving my first car accident in TLC, the other car I drove this summer.
• As well as the time TLC somehow had one of its tires impaled by a set of pliers while on I-15. Literally impaled.
• And the time the hood on TLC decided to flip open while driving on I-15.
• That I don't have to repent for hating a car.
• My bishop.
• My ward.
• Not getting hit by cars while riding my bike in Provo. . .Yet.
• The friend who convinced me to run a half marathon.
• The friend who introduced me to Doctor Who.
• The friends who didn't get all political on Facebook this last election.
• The friend who always invites me to dance parties.
• The friend who says she loves my laugh, in spite of how obnoxious it is.
• The friend that was willing to be dragged through the BYU Art Museum and look at all the works of art with me.
• The friend that always lights up when people she knows enter the room.
• The friend who introduced me to frappes.
• Friends in general. Good grief I'm blessed.
• The roommate who did my cleaning check for me.
• The roommates who are willing to listen to my dating stories and gripes.
• My roommates in general.  Seriously, they're great.
• Sunlight
• That time late at night when everything becomes hilarious.
• Sunday dinners.
• Stargazing.
• Frozen food.
• Family.
• Kittens.
• The fact that I can list this many things to be Thankful for.
• The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for the great year everybody!

 

Christmas + Thanksgiving Wrap Up

So I'm still fairly behind with blogging since I did such a crummy job at it for a good six weeks, so here's a bit of a quick update of what's been going on lately.

First off, our family once again did a lot of pies on Thanksgiving. It was amazingly delicious. We usually get tiny slices of each pie so we can sample them all. In the future, we may have to vomit the pies halfway through so that we have enough stomach space for all of them. Sort of like the spitting up whine thing you do when you go whine testing.

Also, my grades just came back, and I received my all time lowest grades ever in all of history. A C+ and a B-. And you know what? I don't even care anymore. I graduate in four months, I have a job offer, and I don't have to worry about keeping my GPA up for scholarship anymore. So why worry, right?

In related news, my brother who just returned from a mission in Japan has informed me that I'm taking a giant dump on every last vestige of Asian left in my blood. I should note that my other younger brother, who I've been living with for the last semester, has just barely received his mission call to Japan. For those keeping score at home, here's where we stand:

• Dad: served in Hokkaido, Japan
• Mom: from Tokyo, Japan
• Younger brother 1: served in Kobe, Japan
• Younger brother 2: going to serve in Fukuoka, Japan
• Younger brothers 3 & 4: almost certainly going to serve in Japan. Probably the Nagoya and Sedai missions, so that we end up covering the whole country with Low family shenanigans.
• Me: Little Rock, Arkansas.

Am I ashamed? Of course not. I learned how to deep fry stuff. And as any stateside missionary will tell you, "stateside is the best side."

Now, for Christmas, I got a graphics tablet. I'm really excited about it, but I'm still learning how to draw things. You might think that art skills would translate to drawing on a tablet super quick, but it doesn't. You have to look at a computer screen instead of your hand, and you still have to learn how to do Photoshop and stuff. I'll probably be illustrating this blog using the tablet from here on out. Even though I'm fairly slow with it, it's still faster than MS Paint or using the sketch app on the iPad. Hey, here's a picture I drew earlier for practice!

"I AM ZIIIMMMM!!!"

As you can see, my drawing on the left is kinda sloppy when compared to the source material on the right. So we'll see what happens from here on out.

Finally, I think I would be remiss if I didn't put up a list of what I was grateful for this last Thanksgiving. I've done it for the last two Thanksgivings, and I feel like it's a good tradition. I know it's super late, so maybe we'll just call it a Christmas List of Thankfulness. A Christfulness? Thankmas?

I'll figure it out. It will be its own post though.

Bake ALL the Pies!!

So, my family always makes great Thanksgiving dinners, but there is one thing that we do exceptionally well.

These pictures are from last Thanksgiving, but I think you get the picture. 

What I'm Thankful For

I'm thinking of making this a yearly tradition for my blog.  Since I didn't join the trend on Facebook, here's a list of 30 things I'm Thankful for:

1. I'm thankful that I haven't been involved in a car accident yet.  I fear for my life every single time I walk to campus.
2. That we haven't had a serious snowstorm yet here.  One thing that always makes my morning walk to school more hazardous is the complete loss of traction.
3. My ward.
4. My awesome bishop.
5. Sunday nights spent chillin' with friends.
6. Sunday afternoon naps.
7. Redbox.
8. Nostalgic moments.
9. The Lovesac in our apartment. 
10. Roommates that let me eat their leftover pizza.
11. Roommates that do the dishes.
12. That the people living below us decided to stop shooting their potato gun.
13. Puppies and kittens.
14. Tuesday Devotionals at BYU.
15. The guy who came to BYU dressed as the Sexy Sax Man for Halloween.
16. Professors that remember what it's like to be a student.
17. People on Facebook that aren't annoying.
18. The triumphant return of the XXL Chalupa at Taco Bell.
19. The fact that I have never broken a bone.
20. The feeling I get when I submit a school paper.
21. When I meet someone and they tell me that they love my blog.  It makes me feel famous.
22. Girls that still believe they can be attractive without dressing like sluts.
23. Couples that keep their PDA to a minimum.
24. That President Monson and the rest of the brethren decided not to hammer the young men to get married at the last General Conference.
25. The fact that I haven't pulled any all nighters yet.
26. I'm thankful that Maxibus the Man Van is still running. It was most recently nicknamed "Chester the Molester." 
27. Grandmother's pie. We enjoy about 12 of these gifts of heaven every Thanksgiving.
28. My mom's homemade rolls.
29. That moment at Thanksgiving when a family member says something that makes the rest of us laugh like hyenas for five minutes straight.
30. Everyone that reads, comments, or follows this blog.  Y'all rock!

P.S.You know what? It just doesn't feel right to post something on my blog anymore without a picture.  So here's a photo I found that I'll post for your enjoyment:

Thanks

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us.  I'm really excited about it.  I love spending time with the extended family and overeating.  Well....I can and do overeat all the time--Thanksgiving is just the day when it's socially acceptable and I can do it with style.

Last year, my little brother blogged about some of the things he's grateful for.  It was a wonderful list, and I figured I ought to follow his example and jot down some of the things I'm grateful for.

Thank you to:
-The BYU 65th ward
-The Arkansas Little Rock Mission and my wonderful mission president and companions.
-All the opportunities I ever have to testify and share what I believe.
-Anyone that invites me to get out of the apartment and do something with them.  It's greatly appreciated.
-The people in our military who serve our country.
-All the cars that give me the right of way while I'm on my bike.
-All the cars that don't run over me while I'm on my bike.
-That person who paid for my breakfast over two years ago when I forgot my wallet.  I never got the opportunity to repay him or even get his name.
-YouTube.  You make me smile.
-Chalupas
-People who laugh.
-Thanksgiving pies.  Yes!
-Leftover Thanksgiving turkey
- Anyone that comments on my blog, posts on my Facebook, or sends out a text every now and then.
-The free single of the week on iTunes.  That's $52 a year worth of songs that Apple doesn't have to give us.
-Warm sunny days (you'll be missed for the next six months)
-A day that isn't warm or sunny that reminds us how nice other days are (as long as it doesn't overstay its welcome).
-BYU
-Art
-The Carl Bloch exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art.  Amazingly inspiring.
-Any teacher or professor that has made me want to go to their class everyday.
-A person that knows what their standards are and won't budge when given the opportunity to lower them.
-Talented people that share their talents.
-Sign shakers on street corners that dance.
-My little brothers who are such good examples to me.
-My parents who still care about how I'm doing.
-Friends that stop and say hi when we pass each other in the hallway or on campus.
-People that give compliments.

On that note, I wanted to share a video that a couple of my friends posted on Facebook.  It's a short film that 15 minutes long, but totally worth every second.  You won't regret taking the time to see it.

Now go out there and make someone elses day!