As a future math teacher I am always looking for real-world example I can give my students when they ask me the question "how will this apply to me in the future?" Personally, I think that is a dumb question. You are in the class so you obviously need to know it. However, this weekend I found a wonderful example.

On Saturday I spent 11 hours (it was my day off Lin's and heaven forbid I actually get a day off) creating patterns to use for our samba dresses. Keep in mind these dresses have to be done by Wednesday and we have to make 12. We didn't have a pattern so I had to create a pattern. I followed the instructions of the costume design major in charge of the project, but once I was done she realized that people have a larger hip measurement in the back than in the front (go figure). After running into many problems with the asymmetrical hem and other things, I spent another few hours designing another pattern. This one was perfect. Perfect in a geometric, math-nerd sort of way. Even though this pattern was very difficult to come up with out of thin air, it would have worked. Then we asked our lovely costume design major/ballroom dancer (Chelsea) how much fabric we had. 13 yards. 13 yards of fabric to make 12 dresses. Is she insane? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

Then Alli and I went home and spent a few hours looking at the old dresses that we were trying to recreate. After measuring and studying them, we came up with a new pattern (Alli did the top and I did the bottom). This pattern is simple, easy to use, doesn't use a lot of fabric, and is also geometrically perfect. Chelsea hates it. Why? Because there is a seam down the back to allow for darts so the dresses will actually fit girls. Heaven forbid we put a seam down the back of the dress right?

I don't care though. I'm proud of myself for being able to create 4 patterns in one day. I think it was the combination of math skills and having my mother's genes. She is great at sewing. She was proud of my pattern-making skills as well. :)

Ok so lately ballroom has been crazy, hectic, and full of drama. I've spent most of my time helping plan events and running the team. While I have been dancing, I forgot for a while why I'm doing ballroom. Then my dear friend the samba came around. My team was supposed to do a west coast swing, a tango, and a night club two step, but due to a change in personnel, we aren't doing the night club two step and we are now doing a samba!!

When I had first found out this year what dances we were doing I was so disappointed because I really just wanted to do a Latin dance. Now, Latin is back! I missed it so much!

This is our samba from last year:


it rocked...

We learned the choreography last night and then had a practice this morning to clean the dance and it felt so good to do an upbeat dance again and move my hips!! If you are ever in a bad mood and just feel like dancing (I don't know why you would unless you are me), I would definitely recommend the samba...it can make everything good. Yay for samba...it reminded me why I love dancing!!

There are lots of things that I need to post about from the last week. It seems like months ago that I went home because so much has gone on since then. Lots of crazy things are happening...but I'll post about those later.

I just wanted to post about Lauren. She is reporting to the MTC tomorrow before going to California for her mission. I'm so proud of her. She is going to be an amazing missionary. I can't believe we have been friends for 15 years!! That seems like so long and I'm so blessed to have such an amazing friend in my life for so long! Even though I'm going to miss her, I'm so glad she gets this opportunity to serve the Lord for 18 months. I love you Lauren!!

After a very long, intense, stressful week I got to go home this weekend. The reason for this trip was mainly to see my family since I can't go home for Thanksgiving and to see Lauren before she goes on her mission. It also ended up that one of my really good friends, Bryan, got home from his mission on Saturday, so I got to see him too which was great!

My trip started off with a 3.5 hour drive to Salt Lake and then a flight home. I was SO tired when I got off the plane that I tried to go down on the up escalator. Yeah...it was pretty embarrassing. Saturday I spent the morning shopping with my mom and then I met Lauren and Rach for a while at Starbucks to talk and catch up. I then went home and ate my dad's world famous tacos and spent some more time with my parents before meeting Bryan and Cameron at the Stake Center. Bryan was his normal self but had just gotten released from being a missionary, so he was in a little bit of a culture shock when Lauren and I went to hug him.

Sunday, I went to church to hear Lauren speak and then had brunch with Lauren and Rach. It was so fun to spend time together like we used to, but it was really hard to say goodbye knowing that I wouldn't see Lauren again until I'm graduated from college. We haven't gone that long without seeing eachother since we met (we met when we were 5!). I'm so excited for her to go on a mission though!! Then I hung out with my parents some more and they took me to the airport. It was really hard for me to leave because I felt like I hadn't been home for long enough and I just wish I could come home for Thanksgiving. I'm honestly not sure how I'm going to handle being in Cedar for such a big holiday.

My flight was delayed in Denver so I had to sit in the airport FOREVER next to this guy who I'm pretty sure was high. He kept telling me about all the drugs he invents and how he can't go a day without drugs (I didn't say anything, I was just thinking wow this guy is gross). My ipod was dead but I put in my headphones to pretend I was listening to it so he would stop talking to me...he didn't but at least I had a better reason to ignore him now other than just that's he was creepy. After finally getting to Salt Lake I headed back to Cedar and didn't get in until 11:30, but I was surprisingly awake on the drive.

I'm so glad I got to go home. It was just the boost I needed to keep me motivated in school and everything else going on in my life. I love the comforts of home and being with my parents and my kitties. I love eating tacos and spending time with friends. I just love Colorado. I can't wait to go back on December 19!!

Randomly tonight Alli and I decided to make a list of all of our favorite things starting with each letter of the alphabet. It is much harder than you would think...but it's so much fun!! We are going to get pictures of all of them and make a scrapbook so that we always have something to cheer us up! Here is my list:

A: Aeropostale
B: BMWs


C: chapstick (light blue is the only real kind!)
D: dancing

E: earrings
F: family and friends

G: Gilmore Girls
H: hugs
I: ipod
J: July
K: kitties

L: laundry
M: math
N: nests (this is the name we gave to those pillows with armrests...)
O: oreos
P: Dr. Pepper
Q: quotes (we have a quote wall)
R: road trips

S: shoes
T: tacos
U: underwear
V: very hot men (Twitch Boss comes to mind)

W: white cheddar popcorn
X: xtra polka dots (this was a stretch, but I love polka dots and what really starts with x?)
Y: yummy food

Z: zip-up hoodies

So there is my list from A to Z of all my favorite things. What are your favorite things??

Ok, so I haven't posted in a long time again, but I've been so busy with the various activities going on in my life that I'm going to attempt to catch up right now! This first post will mainly be about my trip to California, but I'll try to post on other things as well.

I got to go to Newport Beach, California for a ballroom competition with the tour team, since my competition partner is on tour team and it was so much fun!! I stayed in a huge beautiful house and the owner of the house owned a BEAUTIFUL BMW, which has been my dream car for forever! We spent time dancing and hanging out on the beach in between the competition, so we had tons of fun. My partner and I danced well (other than completely messing up our cha cha...but that's ok because our rumba was HOT!).

This is me and Chelsea on Newport Beach. This was my proof that I actually went in the ocean, which was needed because I hate being wet. So yes, everyone, I went in the ocean!


This is Colt, me, and Charles hanging out at the beach. Colt is my dance partner, and I was basically with these two the entire trip!


We all decided that we are going to buy a beach house together so we can live there because it's so beautiful. These are the beach houses we were looking at! If only I really could do that...


This is me and Jose at the competition. That is my amazing bright blue samba dress that I wore to compete in. He is an amazing dancer and he and his partner got 2nd and 3rd in their events...so this was us celebrating!

That was basically my trip...lots of sitting in vans, not eating, dancing, not sleeping, dancing some more, playing on the beach, driving...good times!!

I absolutely love conference weekend!! General Conference always seems to come right when I need it. There were so many messages of hope and happiness in this conference, which was definitely what I needed to hear. I have been so discouraged with school and other things lately, but now I feel refreshed and ready to tackle this semester! General Conference is so amazing!!

I also love that it finally feels like fall. I love the smell of fall and the crisp, cold air! Last night some friends and I curled up under blankets and drank hot chocolate and ate the fresh batch of caramel popcorn that I made and watched a movie and it was perfect. I'm so excited to wear sweaters and hoodies and see the leaves change again!! Fall is such a great season!

On top of that, Alli and I decorated for Halloween today. We put up my Halloween Mr. Potato heads and the pumpkin lights my mom sent me. My roommates family came over today and I think they thought we were crazy because we were so excited but I don't care because I absolutely love decorating and it makes me feel like I'm at home again :)

Speaking of home I get to go home in 19 days and counting! What a great weekend!

I've decided to post a few of the things I have loved about the last week (I would post pictures too, but my friend borrowed my camera):

• I LOVE surprise packages from my Mom. Especially halloween-themed packages with brownies involved!
• I loved passing my advanced calc test (that gives me hope for passing the class!!).
• I love having a best friend who cares enough about me to point things out that I need to change in myself.
• I love dancing in ALL my spare time to practice for team and prepare for our competition in California next week.
• I loved going to Salt Lake to see one of my best friends get married.
• I loved that my life-long friend got her mission call!
• I love that my Dad is back from China, so now I can talk to him again and my Mom isn't stuck alone with our cats.
• I love having a family that prays for me and looks out for me.

Life is so amazing when we take the time to recognize all of the great things that happen everyday!

After not blogging for a while, it's time to dive back in again! So, we will start with my weekend. Friday night consisted of me working (yeah, that's a really lovely way to spend your Friday night), and work ended with me crying and going home to watch Gilmore Girls in my room. Good night.

Saturday was somewhat better. This weekend was our homecoming so as a ballroom dance company we had to dance in the parade. We danced and then sprinted, and then danced and then sprinted. All while wearing black shirts and trying to smile and breathe so we didn't pass out. haha No one passed out, so I think we did well! After the parade, Alli and I came home and watched Gilmore Girls and took a nap. It was needed after the long, hot day. Then, at 10:30 at night we left with a bunch of our friend for St. George to find a really cool cave. After wandering around a dark field for a while, we found our destination and had to jump off ledges and climb through tiny spaces to get into the room of the cave that we wanted, but it was all worth it! After arriving in this room we cut open glow sticks and spread the stuff inside all over the walls and floor of the cave and ourselves. (Just for anyone who was wondering...if that stuff gets in your mouth your lips turn numb for a really long time. Not that I would know or anything.) Anyway...we then played hide n' go seek in the cave which was so fun because everyone looks like a rock! Yeah...it's definitely the coolest thing in Cedar.

Sunday, Alli and I went to church and then I was scheduled to work (I HATE working Sundays), but Alli is amazing and she took part of my shift so that neither of us would have to work a full shift.

Now I'm just trying to study for my huge advanced calc test on Wednesday. We asked our professor what would happen if we failed the test and he responded that none of us would fail. (I'm not sure why he thinks that because we all currently have a C or below in his class.) So yeah...crossing my fingers that I don't fail. If I don't I will definitely write a good, long proof about it later!

For the last few semesters all I have taken is education classes and lots of math. This semester, the only classes I have are upper-division math classes. It is only the third week of school and I'm just about ready to die. Everyday I come out of my Advanced Calculus class wanting to cry and asking myself why I picked this major. That class is HORRIBLE. There are no numbers, just proofs. I have taken classes like that before, but this is a whole new level of hard. I don't understand a word the professor says and I'm so lost that I wouldn't even know how to ask a question. Everyone in the class feels that way, which does give me some comfort. After attempting to do the homework tonight I was asking myself why I put myself through such agony. Then I remembered how much I love math. I love the feeling after I have solved a difficult math problem or finished a long, complicated proof. I love the way math makes me think and the reasoning behind it. I love having nerdy math discussions with my family when we all get together and actually being able to understand and keep up with them. So I guess even though I hate this particular math class and the horrible proofs that come with it, I have to just suck it up and take it because it will be worth it in the end.

One of my favorite meals from home is tacos. Every time I go home, my mom asks me what I want to eat and my first reply is always tacos. My Dad's tacos are honestly the best tacos I have ever had and I wish that I could make them too, but all of my attempts have failed. A few weeks ago, Jose and I tried to make them, but the tortillas were wrong so they just were not the same (and then Jose spilled oil all over our porch haha). Thankfully, I have a roommate who is just as taco-obsessed as I am and I would say we make taco runs at least 3 times a week. We have a "taco jar" that we put our change into so that whenever we crave them we can go get them. We have been known to go to Del Taco at 2am just to get tacos. Yesterday, we got tacos on our break at Lin's and it made the whole day better. Tacos are therapeutic food. So if you are ever having a bad day, just remember to turn to the tacos...they will make everything better!

This weekend at work was not a good one. Working as a checker in a grocery store you learn to deal with lots of people. However, after messing up more in two days than in the other four months I have worked there combined and dealing with the guy who was so high on drugs that he literally couldn't move, and of course there is always national if you don't speak English, go through Karen's line day (I was yelled at in THREE languages), dealing with people can get a little old. This was also not a good weekend in other respects which we won't even go into right now.

So, this morning Jose and I had a "homework party" aka Karen gets mad about her math and Jose gets mad about his useless assignments, and after the homework party was over we decided we needed something to cheer us up before we both had to go to work. We decided to learn the dance Bleeding Love from SYTYCD. (For those of you that didn't watch SYTYCD, bleeding love along with many other dances from the season must be watched...go to youtube, you won't be sorry). Anyway, we learned the whole dance and after getting it down and doing it together several times we both went to work in very good moods. The next dance we are learning is No Air, and I'm way excited!! It's so fun to make a fool out of myself with my best friend!

On another happy note...Alli came back from Sandy today, so now I have my roomie and other best friend back in Cedar with me. Yay for my two best friends!!

I am so excited because tryouts for ballroom are on Thursday! After taking the summer off of dance I'm dying to dance again. The beginning of ballroom also means the beginning of endless practices, late nights making posters, phone calls from Mark Baker at all hours of the night, living in the EB, having disgusting dancer feet, and basically my life being taken over by the ballroom dance company. And yet, even with all of this, I absolutely love it and cannot wait for it to start. Because I have been dancing since I was five, it is kind of a part of me. I don't do well in other things when I'm not dancing. Dance (of any kind) keeps me going and motivated. If I had to only go to school and work and not dance at all I don't know how I would survive. I'm SO SO excited to dance again!!!

My biggest pet peeve EVER is when people say times when they should say multiply. I know that's weird, but it's really true!! Now, I'm horrible at English and I know that I use improper grammar constantly, but how hard is it to say multiply?? Come on people!! Today in my math class people were putting their homework problems on the board and they kept saying and then you times it by 3. Keep in mind this is a 4000 level math class so these people are math MAJORS. I think what pushed me over the edge though was when my professor said it at least 4 times in class today...."and then you just times it by 2." Well, no. You don't! You can multiply something by 2, or you can do 2 times 2...but we don't times things. You would think that someone who has their phd in math would know that by now...but no...we have to sound like second graders who are still learning what multiplication is. I don't mind as much when non-math people say it, but my professor should know better. Anyway...speaking of math I need to go do the hours of math that I have ahead of me tonight...I hope I get to MULTIPLY lots of things!

So...I know that breaking and entering is a felony, but is it ok if it is to give your best friend his birthday present??

I think yes! That's probably because I did it today. Tomorrow is my best friend's birthday and he is sad because he has to go to class and then work. I don't blame him...who wants to do that on their birthday? In order to cheer him up and give him the happy birthday that he deserves, Alli and I decided to go to his apartment while he was at work today and decorate his bedroom. After making a trip to Walmart (we didn't see any polys this time!) we went over to Jose's apartment. We knocked and knocked and none of his roommates were home so Alli whipped out her credit card. I just want to make it known that if I was ever going to rob a bank it would be with Alli. Anyway...after a few seconds she had unlocked the door and we were in. It was exhilerating!! Then we went into Jose's room and blew up tons of balloons (ok, ok...Alli did a lot of them...I struggle to blow balloons up and we both got light-headed). We hung up a cars happy birthday banner and put his presents on his bed. We locked the door on our way out so his roommates will never suspect a thing! haha We are so tricky!!

I love that I have a friend who will break into an apartment with me just to blow up balloons and decorate someone's room. Thanks Alli cat!

So, after reading the blogs of my friends and family I decided it was time to start one of my own. I have no idea when I will have time to update it because I have school, work, and ballroom, but knowing me, this will be a good distraction in between the hours of math homework I will have this semester. Probably the only person that will read this blog is Alli...but that's ok because now we can keep track of each other (not that we live together or anything). Anyway...I would like to officially welcome myself to the blogging world that I never thought I would join!