The Anticipation is KILLING ME!!!

This whole waiting game is a killer.

Two.More.Days....

I can do it! 

I am just a LITTLE ok.. maybe REALLY excited!!

A Letter From C. Vaterlaus....aka Clare :)

I couldn't be more excited when I woke up to having a letter on my desk from my dear Friend Clare Vaterlaus. Who just entered the MTC to go to Albania! :) She is going to make such an incredible missionary.

If anyone knows clare, just knows that this is SO her!

Glad she could spice up her letters with some creating drawings! 

im taking my medicine and going to bed....

I feel like this little girl....

sick. and tired.

Im taking my nyquil and going to bed...

Yes Early on a Friday night

I got exams to take, places to go and shows to see.

Dear Saturday,

Please allow me to feel better than I did today. On Friday.

Love ,

Kait

When it Doubt...

This is where I have been Living ...

In the library.

Sometimes on the 5th Floor..

Other times on the 1st...

and 

everywhere in between.

If you want to come visit me and dont know where to find me.

Your best bet is

La Biblioteca (studying spanish)

p.s. if you want to send me a letter you should probably address it to

the Harold B. Lee Library :) 

It happens :)

You know when you have those days when EVERYTHING seems to go wrong? When nothing goes the way you planned?

Well....

Today was one of those days :)

* I woke up Late.

* I showed up to Class Late.

* To find out that my class had been moved.

* My phone went off during Class.

* I am now sick... (dance partner was sick and I got the bug) 

* My dance review was 45 minutes late. Meaning the line was backed up.

* I found out that I have an exam tomorrow that was last minute.

*I forgot my key and had to wait out in the 12 degree weather for my roommate to come save me.

Well....When you have days like these all you got to do is ...

Smile and Laugh! 

" Come what May and LOVE it!" ~ Elder Wirthlin

Hope you all had a great day, and Don't forget to Smile :) 

Remember that one time?

Remember that one time that I told you that almost all the snow was melted?....

Well yesterday it was a DOWN pour!

and when I mean down pour, I mean it snowed like alllll day! 

So now the ground is white as snow! (well it is snow)

Gotta Love Provo :) 

from Ali :) 

P.s.

Almost all the snow is melted...hm.. Weird.

I dont presume that this will last too long.

Well I like living in the snow. I mean..Its pretty to look at. ha 

Ok its fun to get all cute and dressed up..until you get to class and have to take off all of the million of layers.

ha Did I mention that I LOVE Provo? 

Cause I do! 

*********

On a side note...People are SOO nice here! Infact too nice.

So today I woke up late..and well did not have time to pack a lunch and I could not find my wallet. And I had school until 6:40 at night... so long day!  I went to the Cougar Eat to go and buy a burrito. When I got in line I realized that I was a LOT hungrier than I thought. I then asked the guy next to me if he had an extra dollar, and explained to him that I forgot my lunch today. He said, " Let me just buy your lunch"! I insisted on giving him the dollar and fifty cents that I had and he would not take it. Instead he just kept talking to me and asked me lots of questions about my life. Turns out we are both from Arizona and have some mutual friends. 

CRazy! 

Yay for new Friends, Nice people and Taco Bell :) 

Do you Ever?

Do you ever?....

Get so happy you want to scream!

Dance around your room and hope not one is watching :)

Skip for Joy?....and dont know why?
Smile so wide your cheeks hurt?

Well I do! 

I am SO HAPPY! 

Not sure why...

But.

I 

LOVE 

it!

Sunday is a Special Day :)

I just really love Sundays. It is a day to reflect. A day to Ponder. A day to go to church and be spiritually Fed and Uplifted. Sunday was great today! I loved the lessons. We learned about Education in Sacrament Meeting, and the importance of gaining an education. ( will post more later)

****

After church I made the Famous Kaitlin Grays Salsa!! (okay its really not famous, I just like to think it is) I ate some muddy buddies that my roommates made. mmm! Then took a wonderful nap, and read some articles from the New era. I was able to talk to my mother today, I could take to her for the whole day if she would let me :) Then after that I went to Tamara's for a game night! That is always fun! Then me Tamara, Jayne and Katie stayed up talking really late just about life and such. I love those girls! They are so nice, sweet and inclusive. Now its time for bed. 

****

I am ready for a new week! Bring.It.On!!

Hot Tubing, Hawaii Lu'au,Swing Dancing fun!

Today was an adventure! I woke up bright and early on a Saturday....and by early I mean 8 :) and walked to School. Now you might be wondering why on earth I was going this early and to school. Well ill tell you! I am in the BYU Lu'au. I made it for Samoa, Tahitian, and New Zealand. Can I just tell you how Happy and Excited I am for this?! Well I am! It reminds me of Hawaii and makes me want to go back soooo bad! I love this culture! They took me right in and measured me right away, even though I was out of town for the first two practices. Then after that Laura Garcia and I went to study and do homework together. She helped me with Spanish and she studied as well. After that I got invited to go Hot tubing with Cj,Tamara,Boston,John,Jordan and Andrew. It was really fun! We played colors and just chilled. Then some girl came and told us that there was a Lu'au in the Smith Field house with FREE food. Yes you heard me correctly FREE food :) Ha we were on that one real quick. So we all went home and showered as I tried to quickly finish some Laundry that I had started. Then we were on our way. It was so much fun! I seriously felt like I was in Hawaii all over again. Free Food, People dressed all Hawaiian like, they even had lays for us,and not to mention a wonderful show that they put on. We were able to participate as well. I felt like I was at the PCC watching a show. They represented all of the Countries. I loved it! Then after that we all went home. Tamara and I had some laundry to finish so we did that. Then Kristen Lee called me and we went swing dancing together. That was really fun to be able to start that back up again. I have really missed that. Then we got a ride home from a new friend we met. And then I came home and my roommates and I started watching Disney Channel. Hannah Montana forever..(dont judge) haha Then it was off to bed. Very Successful first weekend in Provo! 

I love it here.

 We even got to go up on stage!

 The Haka, Cj was really good at it haha

 The Island of Samoa

 Beautiful ladies :)

 Groupy!

Tiki Man :) 

First FULL Weekend in Provo!

Tonight I went with my Roommate Christine,Ashley and Sydney to go and see Peter Pan! And Let me tell you! It was absolutely incredible! They set that they had was awesome! Not to mention Peter Pan herself :) This might confuse you, but Peter Pan was a girl. I am impressed and continue to be impressed by the fine arts here at BYU. I loved it! After that Christine and I came home and just chatted away about life. I am so lucky to have such a cute,sweet roommate :)  

 Peter Pan! 

On the Balcony :)

Temple :)

This morning I woke up early and went to the Temple to do Baptisms for the Dead. It was such a wonderful experience. I could not believe how many people were there bright and early on a Friday Morning, taking time out of their day to be able to partake of the sweet spirit that is at the temple. I felt a sense of peace when I was there. I was able to sit peacefully and read my scriptures while waiting in the chapel. The baptisms that we did that day were from the 1700's from Hungary. I thought that was so neat. The temple President spoke to us about how thankful he was that we were there doing the work of the lord, and told us how important it really was. I feel so blessed to be able to enter into one of Lord's Homes. I love the Temple so much and the ability that I have to feel so much closer to my Savior and Father in Heaven.

I love Temples :) 

I was reminded....

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. The brave my not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey." ~ Princess Diaries

B-Ball!

Today I had School. Who would have thought! The usual. Spanish,Jazz, Devotional (which was fantastic! Will post later) Tap,Ballroom, then some more Espanol. Oh did I mention I bought a BYU Basketball T-shirt...and then some ice cream from the BYU Cremery. I had to! Then my lovely friend Michelle said that she got me an all-sports pass! Boy was I excited! So on my way home I saw a ton of police and ambulance and I guess some kid was long boarding and he got ran over...yikes! I was walking when this guy asked me what happened. I told him, and then we continued walking. He then asked me if I wanted to be friends. My first reaction was,"Facebook friends?" haha he then said, well no Real friends! I responded yes! I like that better. He then asked me I wanted J-Dawgs. I kind of Hesitated, because anyone that knows me, knows that I absolutely HATE hot dogs. But I said that I would go, and he said that he would not be offended if I did not eat the whole thing. So here we go! I got a polish dog with the special sauce and some banana peppers. And to my surprise it was DELICIOUS!! I actually would like to go and get another one! Mmmm..After that I sped walked home, because I needed to get ready for the Basketball game! I went over to Michelle's, then we hopped in the car and went to get Chloe and her roomate :) Then we rushed to the game to get a seat. I ran into Melanie Mills, she is such a cute cheerleader! Then we got our seats. I ran into Rachel and Hannah Marsh at the game. I love those girls. The game was awesome! I forgot how much I really enjoyed basketball games. The ballroom dance team performed during half time. It REALLY made me want to be on the team, it looked like so much fun. After the game we rushed to some Cake store, because I guess we get free cake if the Basketball team scores over 80 :) By the time that we got  there, it was closed :( After that we all went home. It was a lovely night, I really look forward to hanging out with those girls more often. Good night World :)

 Melanie and me :) 

 Lovely Ladies! 

 Michelle Sandwich! 

 Cosmo and me! Somehow I always manage to get a picture! 

 Love all the girls

These boys wanted to jump in our picture, so I said why not :) 

Thank You Martin Luther King :)

Today was a great day! I slept in until about ten. Then got a text from a really good friend Michelle saying that they were going to go to her Cabin and go Tubing, I jumped on that bandwagon in a second. So at 1 oclock I headed over to her apartment. We then celebrated her roommate's 20th birthday by eating cake balls. They were super yummy! We then played some games; would you rather, and truth or dare, as we waited for the roads to open. Then at 2:30pm we hit the road. We drove up to her cabin which was absolutely beautiful! It was right by Sun dance. We all went inside and got all geared up. I mean snow geared of course. After that some people took the tube up and then Michelle, and two others proceeded to make a snowman :) And let me tell you, this was NO ordinary Snowman! He had a whole top hat and everything made out of snow. We even had some sweet buttons to put on him. After working really hard on our snowman we then got the tubes and began tubing down the hill a couple of times. We all really enjoyed playing in the snow, making snow angels, throwing snowballs, and tubing. After we were all tired out and as it began to be dark we all went inside. We were awaited by some Roast right out of the Crock bot and some absolutely delicious bean dip! mmmm I felt like a Queen. After we ate we all got in car and headed home. We were all so tired, I think the car ride was almost completely silent. I was all ready to just jump into bed. However I still had some homework to finish :( SO my friend from my Spanish Class came over and we did some finishing touches to our Homework. Now its really time for bed.

Good Night World.

Thank you MLK for this super fun day off!   

 Our super cool Snowman :) 

 Had so much fun with these girls! 

 The whole gang ! 

 Get your Helmets on :) 

 Were going tubing! 

Enjoying the Snow :) 

 SNOWMAN :) 

 There we go! 

 FLYING! 

Love Them! 

Weddings..planes...luggage..

This morning I woke up bright and early..ran to church just in time to make it to partake of the Sacrament. Then ran home, finished packing and then rushed to the airport, made it just in time. Well I did check in late, but I did not miss my plane. I arrived at the Salt Lake Utah airport and waited for my good friend Ryan who picked me up. Then we waited for my luggage to come, he grabbed one of them as we anxiously awaited the other luggage. I somehow managed to only get one of them. We went to the lost and found and they said that it did not make it on the plane. I was lucky that one of them did. My other bag had all of my food storage aka ( the food I could scrounge up from home) and more importantly my backpack with all my homework I intended to finish while being home for one day in AZ, that did not happen. So we then drove down to Provo where he dropped me off and then he ran to church. Then an hour later he picked me up and we headed back to the airport. (I am so blessed to have such amazing friends)He dropped me off as I ran inside to catch the carousal from the next flight from Phoenix, which was at 3:40. I watched,waited, looked and no bag was to be found. I then went to the lost and found and a cute old man said that he would help me look. We looked and nothing. We then went back to the lost and found and he said that he would look in the back. And lo and behold it was there! yahoo! It had arrived on the plane that came at 2:00. Thank goodness. We then drove back to Provo,and checked the oil in my car. Good to go. Then I took a 3 hour nap or at least it felt like it. Then went to my good friend from home Boston's apartment where I met tons of new friends, as we played games. Now time for bed..... not sure what tomorrow will bring, but hopefully something fun..after all NO school :) 

P.s.

I am so thankful for modern technology. 

I had the opportunity to look up and read conference talks. I am so thankful for this opportunity, for I felt a part missing for not being able to attend all 3 hours of church. We are so blessed to have Modern Day Apostles and Prophets who can help lead and guide us through these modern days. 

Erikas Wedding Reception

I flew in Yesterday for my Beautiful Cousin Erika now Thompson's Wedding reception. It was absolutely beaUtiful! She looked so happy! I am so glad I was able to be apart of this special day for her. More pictures to come :) 

Condeleeza Rice

" It doesn't matter where you came from, but where you are going"

Condeleeza Rice is my hero. She came and spoke to us all at BYU today. We were so lucky to have her. Here are some quotes from the Forum given today.... (to be continued)...

I'm a Fan

Of these ear Muffs :) They really work ! You should get some.

Sunday is the BEST day!

Sydney and me in the Snow :) 

Today Sydney came to Church with me before she headed back to Salt Lake City. It was so much fun to be able to meet my ward and to also see so many familiar faces. The lessons were JUST what I needed to hear. Its amazing how that always happens :) 

1) The first speaker in Sacrament meeting talked about Obedience and the blessings that come from being obedient. D&C 130:20-21. He talked about the stripling warriors and how they obeyed with exactness. The gospel is a new found happiness. 

            "Happiness is the design of our existence."

If we keep the commandments of God, we will find everlasting Happiness. We can be happy because we have the gospel. Unless we do the will of the lord, he can not help us. The lord is just waiting to pour these blessings upon us, we just have to be obedient.

******

God loves us, and wants nothing more than for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father in the Celestial Kingdom.

It all depends, on Where we Stand!

******

2) In relief society we talked about Change. With the New year there is a new You! We have to be Constant, we need consistency to make those changes bearable. 

Ways to Deal with Change

1. Follow the Prophets - They know whats best for us. They can see things and they know things that we do not. If we have a testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ, then we know that what the prophets are telling us are true.

2. Keep an Eternal Perspective - I can't help but think of one of my absolute favorite scriptures in Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-9. It talks about enduring our trials/change well, because when we think about it, it is only a tiny change in our lives that is nothing when you have an eternal perspective.

3. Have Faith- We need to move forward with faith, we do not always know what trials or change lay ahead of us. If we did then we would not do those things to grow closer to our Heavenly Father by relying and putting all of our trust and faith in him.

4. Be of good Cheer -If we do not look at the bright side of our lives, then we will never be happy because we are focusing on the negative. 

They also talked about having consistency in the little things. I know that it is those primary answers but it is so important to make sure that we are saying our morning and night prayers, having daily scripture study, attending all of our church meetings,  and attending the temple as much as possible.

Something that a stake leader said in a lesson has always stuck with me. He said something to the affect of,

 " Never miss an opportunity to feel the spirit." 

Yes this means going to firesides, and any other additional church meeting, or just anywhere where you have the chance to feel the spirit. Even if you do not think that you have time, I know personally that if you make time for the lord in your life, that he will help you make time for other aspects in your life.

I am so thankful for Sundays. I love going to my church meetings, and it really is amazing how much you can learn. I know that a lot of the times it may seem like the same thing over and over again. There is always something that we can learn if we just open our heart and listen :) 

Back to the 801 to see my 808 Girls :)

 My little sister Courtney and me eating lunch right before my flight left. It was hard leaving this little one but Ill be back next week for my beautiful Cousin Erika's Wedding! 

 Right before I went through security...There were no lines!

p.s. not sure how I feel about the whole body scan and pat down thing....haha

 This cute girl Daniel Griffith who I met and sat next to on the plane. We had a wonderful discussion about the Church :) 

 Sydney and I :) She picked me up from the Airport and we were so happy when we finally made it to Provo!!

 Were able to meet up with Jessica Crandall and Ali Fredrick, our lovely friends from BYU Hawaii! It was so good to catch up with them and enjoy some yummy frozen yogurt! 

 we licked them clean :) 

 Afterwords we went to Ali's Apartment and just had girl talk. Trisha Zemp joined us and let me tell you, she was the life of the party. haha We all had fun catching up with each other on our lives the past what like 6 months, and talked about our life ambitions,dreams, and goals in life. We lost track of time and ended up talking and laughing till about 1 in the morning! 

 I love these girls so much! They each have something special about them that they bring to the table. They are all such beautiful, talented and loving girls. I am so thankful for my Hawaii experience and being able to meet these lovely ladies. I can't wait for our next little Hawaii Reunion!  Until next time.... Aloha Oye!

Stephany Goit's Wedding!

I am so happy for Mrs. Stephany Goit! Her wedding was today and it was a lovely ceremony! I was so glad to be apart of this special day. She looked absolutely beautiful! Stephany and Daniel just looked stunning and SO happy! I loved that you could see the glow in Daniels eyes every time that he looked at her. What a lovely couple they are. I couldn't be happier! 

I love you Stephany!