Birthday Celebrations Part 2

When I got home after school on my birthday, I discovered my bedroom had been birthday-ified by my roommate, Utes.

That night, my visiting teacher treated me to a movie! It was such an amazing movie. We went to see Invictus, and I haven't enjoyed a movie so much in a long time. It's a really uplifting movie about the South African Rugby team and their win in the 1995 World Cup. The story is very powerful and moving, showing that people can move past differences and come together. I highly recommend it to everyone!

What movie would be complete without treats to enjoy during the movie? None. I felt so loved by my visiting teacher because she payed for the movie and for our treats. She even bought me my favorite movie snack: chocolate covered pretzels!

Friday, my sister-in-law and I celebrated our birthday by going out to eat. We chose eat at one of the only Outback Steakhouses in Utah. I'd never eaten there, and the food was FABULOUS!! Outback Steakhouse is my new favorite restaurant as of that meal. Here is a picture of our amazing salads and the Bloomin' Onion.

 That was honestly one of the best salads and steak dinners I have ever had. They can expect my business again!

My last birthday activity was a movie marathon with another of my friends. We watched The 10th Kingdom, or at least most of it. That movie is one of the best epic fairy tales. I enjoyed having WinCo muffins, hot chocolate, and pizza during the five hours that we watched of the movie. We haven't finished it yet, but I already know the ending. I'm not chomping at the bit to find out what happened.

All in all, my birthday this year was quite a birthday! I don't think I could have asked for more. Thank you to all who were involved in celebrating my birthday!

Love you all!

Birthday Celebrations Part 1

Wednesday was my birthday. The celebrations started Tuesday when I picked up my flute from the shop. Such a good birthday present. Tuesday night, I was invited to Hagmoth's house after school, and I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped inside the door to find a plate of cupcakes and a beautiful card waiting for me on the table. The birthday serenade from Hagmoth and her husband is something I encourage everyone to experience in their lifetime. Thanks!

Wednesday morning arrived, along with me accidentally sleeping in a little later than I intended. I got a shock of the morning when Hungry gave me a birthday hug with her cold, wet hair. If that doesn't wake a person up, I don't know what will! It was fun to eat breakfast with Hungry and get ready for the day. I even got to start my birthday service early by dropping her off at school on my way north.

Speaking of birthday service, I began a birthday tradition last year that I hope to continue for the rest of my life. On my birthday, I do some kind of service. It is my gift to myself and to my Heavenly Father. Last year, I went on exchanges with the Sister Missionaries. For this year, I discovered a service I have wanted to do for a while was available at my school on my birthday! I was so excited about it!! I decided to give blood for the first time as my birthday service.


I will admit that I was a little nervous to give blood for my first time, but the experience was wonderful. I answered some questions, had my finger pricked, sat down in a chair, watched my arm be covered in iodine and then felt the small stick of the needle. Other than the sting from the iodine, giving blood wasn't bad at all! I will definitely make it a regular occurrence in my life. I even go to drink one of my favorite kinds of juices after I was done. Here is a picture of me with my bandage of honor!


This concludes Part 1 of the celebrations. Please stay tuned for our next episode.

Landlord to the Rescue

Our landlord arrived in all his shining glory to fix the bathtub Monday! The drain was clogged with a ton of hair. I could have made a small critter with all that hair. (I saved you the gory sight!) My landlord was going to pour Drano down the drain after removing the hair, but I insisted on using the homemade remedy found in the amazing cleaning guide I received for Christmas! All it takes is baking soda and vinegar. My landlord was quite impressed and commented that vinegar smells better than Drano. Personally, I love the smell of vinegar, so I'll use that over another cleaner any day. Plus, it is inexpensive and usually on hand when you need it!

Instead of taking a shower while our feet take a bath, we now have a drain that drains! Ah, it's the little things in life!