Alaska Cruise!

Wow. What a trip.

My pictures say it better than I can.

Here's all 25 of us on the way to the cruise terminal.

Almost to the boat!!

First stop.... FOOD.

Grandparents were on a different cruise to Alaska at the same time as us, so they were able to see Brandon for the first time in Skagway, AK

We took a train ride up into the mountains in Skagway.

Some cool hats our waiter made for us.

MINNIE!

Relaxing!

The fam by Tracy's Arm, AK

Out on the balcony reading a book with hot chocolate! Definitely my favorite part haha

Our awesome waiters, Gyula & Baha. They were the best.

 Pirate Night! With Meg, Trenton, & Baha.

 Trevor & I in Victoria, CA!

Baha! :)

The Boat!

Eskimo kisses! I love my baby sister.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip. Alaska is BEAUTIFUL! Words and pictures are nothing compared to being there. I had so much fun with all of the Orr family. 

Other notable things: 

• It was COLD, which was a nice change compared to the 100+ weather in Oklahoma. 
• Which... by the way.. we were gone the week Oklahoma had it's hottest weather (over 113 degrees!) Great timing on our part.
• We ate a ton. 
• The food was fantastic, and we had a lot of fun with our waiters. 
• Austin had over 50 ice cream cones in one week.
• My cousin had over 70.
• We had a cute, Turkish waiter named Baha. He was great. Let's just say.. he made the trip a little more entertaining for everyone hahaha (or should I say.. BAhaha..!)
• When I get older, I wouldn't mind living in a place with mild summers.
• My hair lightened up some more. I think I'm starting to get used to it.

Wait... what?

Did you know I'm already a sophomore at BYU??

Where did the time go?? 

I know you're thinking... "Shelby, you said in the last post you wanted time to speed up so you could get to Utah!" 

Yeah.. well.. I have been journalizing my scrapbooks that mom finished and realized.. time is already going by fast. 

I think it hit me today that.. I'm living my dreams. Riiiight... now! 

I remember when I was 14, I went to EFY for the first time. It's a week-long summer camp my church has. It was the first time I had been around such a large group of Mormon kids my age. It was then that I realized... Mormons aren't too bad :) And... maybe someday... I should go to a school full of them! BYU was my goal from then on. 

Fast-forward to when I'm 17, the night before my brother leaves to serve a 2-year mission for the Lord. It's probably 2am, he's laying on my bed and we are talking about all the things that will happen while he's gone. I would graduate from high school, go to BYU, and finish my freshman year of college before he came home. I remember saying that I hoped I'd make good friends in college. But Brandon was always more worried about the boys. Before he received his call, he told me that he was going to serve in Provo so that he could keep an eye on me. After he was called to Salt Lake City, he said "See, I told you!" :) 

And now.. I'm 19. Brandon comes home in 18 days, and all of those things have happened!

It's crazy how fast the time goes. Before I know it, I'll be turning 30 with kids running around the house and a sweet husband by my side.

I'm excited for what's going to come in the many years ahead, but right now...

I'm going to enjoy where I am now :)

College Fun

Can I just say... I love college.

I love my classes; the professors are all amazing, and really care about their students. I love my hall, my ward, my roommate, my best friends, and really... everything. Everything that is, EXCEPT for Finals Week, and the days leading up to it.

Needless to say, a pretty stressful week, but that doesn't stop us from having fun. Last night, about 7 of us decided to tie girls' doors together. We would knock and then watch and laugh as they couldn't get out of their room. I know. It sounds pretty dumb, but it was one of the most entertaining things I've done here. (Besides taking the dividers in the bathroom stalls down. That one takes the cake.) We got a few really good reactions, and were possibly chased by an RA who doesn't know how to have fun.

BUT... was it worth missing an entire night of studying for?

Yes. Forget studying, I'm making memories.