Oh what a year.

Dear Reader,

Well, it looks like 2010 is just about over. Yeah, you know what's coming. It's flashback time:

1. At the beginning of the year, in February, I hit up Vegas with some friends. It was my first time.

I loved it.

2. I went to Park City during Sundance season. Also a first. Didn't see a movie, but we did have a great photo shoot with Natalie's amazing camera.

3. The Festival of Colors. A lovely, chalky mess.

4. I interned at Deseret Book over the summer. I worked on 55 books, including President Monson's biography!

5. In May I turned 22! And I got to go home to Michigan for a few days.

6. Over the summer I went to Arches with some friends. And yes . . . it was another first.

7. I was called to be the Relief Society secretary. Best. Calling. Ever!

8. Cousin Cami got married. Cousin Laura and I took pictures of ourselves while we waited outside the Salt Lake Temple for the wedding to be over.

9. I hit up Michigan again at the end of summer (thank you frequent flier miles). Seriously, I haven't been to Michigan this many times in a year in like forever.

While I was there we saw Lake Michigan.

10. Drama, drama, drama, and . . . at the beginning of September I moved! I like my new bed a lot. But I didn't spend nearly enough time sleeping in it last semester as I wanted/needed to.

11. During the fall I interned at the Friend! And I loved it.

12. I also became a baking fiend. You may have picked up on that.

13. Halloween rolled around and Natalie and I carved pumpkins. And I dressed up as Lois Lane.

14. Concerts, concerts, and more concerts. The favorite being: Ingrid Michaelson.

15. Diwali, festival of lights, happened too. Of course, Natalie and I were there.

16. Last week I got endowed in the Detroit Temple! It was a good day. :)

17. So now I am home again in Michigan, ringing the new year in with this lovable fur ball.

It's been a . . . productive year. Very stressful. Very educational. But in the end it turned out wonderful!

So here's to 2011. My last semester of college. Graduation. Getting a real job.

Yeah . . .

Please don't be as scary as I think you're going to be.

Just call me Charms

Dear Reader,

Yesterday was our last day with BP, future Elder Parker. Pretty much the best Sunday School teacher I've ever had. And he hasn't even been on the mission yet! Milan, Italy, watch out. This kid is ready for you.

Anyway, we went bowling as a final activity all together. The first time I went bowling with this crowd I was given the nickname "Charms." Clearly this is not because I am any good (because I bowl quite inconsistently: one time I bowled a 116 and the next time we went bowling I bowled a 54). I like to think it's because I'm a lucky charm to the other players. But if that were true, maybe BP and JBray would have bowled 200's.

In any case, we went bowling and it was fun.

The man of the hour.



I think Ashley may have gotten a strike or something. She's pretty excited.



Ashley and Bay--Bay loves having her picture taken. Can't you tell?...

Randomly some news anchor from channel four came to interview BYU students about the Utes getting into the Pac 10. None of us had any idea what that was, except for JBray, so he was interviewed.

Uh...and this is my desk at Deseret Book. Not bowling related, but I took the picture today. Please note how my chair looks like someone got hungry and started to devour it. Clearly it didn't taste good, seeing how the rest of the chair is still there.

Please, thoroughly check your sources

Dear Reader,

I've officially finished my first week interning at Deseret Book.

It. Is. Awesome.

I've essentially been source checking all week, which basically means I look up the author's sources and make sure punctuation, spelling, word order, and citation is all consistent with the original work. Sound boring? Nerd alert: I love it. I am so excited to be an editor. Even though I haven't been working with kids books, I've still been having so much fun.

Also, John Bytheway sits in the desk next to me at work. Random.

This is a picture of where I work.