Look how cute he is!

Thanks to this girl's tweet this morning around 10:30, I learned that president Thomas S. Monson was speaking at the BYU devotional at 11:00. I stayed at work until 10:58 and then rushed home to watch the devotional on TV. Fortunately, I made it just in time to hear the choir sing "Nearer My God To Thee" and hear the prophet begin his talk. It was exactly what I've been needing lately. Although his entire talk was amazingly sweet and special, here are just a few of my favorite quotes.

If we change our lives and our hearts and take advantage of the atonement, our sins and our shortcomings will be forgiven and forgotten.

Light: something that illuminates

It is up to each of us to develop the necessary faith.

Our opportunities to shine are limitless.

"Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than you have become. Remember who you are. Remember." --The Lion King.

You wanna know something funny? As a little girl, I used to not like President Monson, because I thought he was trying to steal President Hinckley's spot as prophet. It's so wonderful being older knowing without a doubt that our prophet(s) are called of God. I absolutely love being a Latter-Day Saint.

Gosh,  love our prophet.

The one with the update.

If an "update" is what you want to call this. 

Basically, here's what you've missed/what I've neglected to blog about as of yet.

1: Papa had his gala for Mentors International. I wish you could all hear my dad ask billionaires for money. He is the most eloquent, classy guy that I know. The benefit show was amazing, complete with Elder Oaks daughter on the violin and some other fantasticly talented woman whose name I can't recall.

Matthew won this plant, and he was one proud father of it.

2: I hung out with all of my roommates for the first time! All four of us are crazy busy and I'm never ever at our apartment and this was the first time we all got to hang out together. We went to dinner at the cutest restaurant in the Riverwoods and we saw that actor from The Best Two Years! I really, really like my roommates. I know that in some other life, if I wasn't juggling school, work, AND a boyfriend, that we could have become really great friends.

3: Matthew and I went to Hee Haws. haha. I was craving a hayride, and Matthew enjoys all things haunted, so we went down the street for a haunted hayride at Hee Haws. It was the scariest one that I have ever been to, and we really enjoyed it.

 

4: We also carved pumpkins! We took Nathan down with us to Maceys to pick out the best pumpkins in the bunch, and carved away. It was the first time I've ever carved something other than two triangles and a jagged mouth into a pumpkin, and I was pretty proud! 

5: and last, but definitely not least, we all flew up to Disneyland for my birthday! This girl has now entered a whole new decade of life. Disneyland was so much fun. I got to go on all of my favorite rides and spend time with my favorite people. I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Oh, and p.s. For my birthday, Matthew gave me two good books, and a deep tissue massage at a local spa! I just got to go to the massage today, and it was my first real massage. It. was. glorious. I'm thinking I'm going to need more of those in the future.

Adam and his fiance, Kenzie. She's hardcore, as you can tell.

Hopefully I'll be blogging more often!

Tonight I'm off to see Footloose with the boyfriend!

What are your weekend plans?

The one about Thursday's Hero with the BYU football team.

Did you guys know that every Thursday the BYU football team celebrates a "Thursday's Hero"?

They nominate special needs ladies and gents and then they get together and celebrate them.

It is the sweetest thing ever. 

One of our family's close friends is Rory Eyring. He used to work with Nathan, but he had to quit because he is now the BYU football team's go-to guy for if they get hurt on the field at practice or a game. You may or may not have seen him on TV. 

Anyway.

He nominated Nathan to be a Thursday's Hero.

Let me tell you a little bit about this privilege.

First we all toured the student activities building, looked around Coach Mendenhall's office, sat in his chair.

  

We watched the short video about Nathan that the football team got to watch to learn about Nathan and his life.

Then we watched about an hour of football practice, and then the guys came over to meet Nathan.

It was so adorable.

They just all started clapping for him and giving him presents. 

Nathan got BYU stickers, hats, shirts, posters, flags...they spoiled him.

But I know that Nathan completely loved it. It was so cute seeing those big football boys getting all 

excited for Nathan. I'm really glad that he got to experience that.

The thing is, Nathan really is a hero

You can catch family interview and see the whole thing on Monday at 6:00 or 9:00 in the evening on the BYU channel. :)

The one about my first two days at BYU.

I get up at 6:00 a.m. and don't stop until 9:00 p.m.

It's work from 7-4, class from 4:30-9.

But it's okay because my physics teacher plays jazz music for the first five minutes of class.

And the seal on the refrigerator in my apartment makes the most satisfying noise when you close it.

Today I broke a string of 256 consecutive days of seeing Matthew.

& I don't like that one bit.

Honesty is the best policy.

Once upon a time, 14-year-old-Kalynn thought it would be funny to try to sign up as an EFY counselor. So she got on the BYU website, filled out the application, and simply changed her birth year to an older one. A few years later, 18-year-old-Kalynn decides that BYU is the college for her. She sends an application: denied. She felt like she had done well enough on the ACT and in high school to get in, so she appeals her application. She gets a letter from BYU: "It looks like we switched your ACT score with another Kalynn Eve Petersen who has your exact birthday, except a few years older. However, we have received a record number of applicants this year, and we still cannot accept you. Please re-apply again next semester." Being the stubborn woman I am, I just decided that I wasn't supposed to go there, and went on down to SUU.

Fast forward to present.

Yesterday I went down to BYU to see if they had received my transcripts yet. I'd sent them about 4 times, but BYU kept saying that hadn't received them. So I went to see what the big idea was. When they said that they still hadn't gotten them, I told them about the mix up that happened the first time I tried to apply there, and asked them to check if my transcripts were sent to that other mysterious Kalynn Eve Petersen. Guess what? MY transcripts WERE sent to her! My counselor thought it was so weird that there was this other girl with my exact name and birthday, that she asked me what the last four numbers of my SSN were. Hm. Same as this other Kalynn's. 

Here's what's going on. TWO versions of ME exist on BYU's records. I was competing with MYSELF to get in the first time! One of my records applied to BYU without any ACT score at all, the other applied with my ACT. The half of me that I didn't know about got accepted! boo, huh?! 

all because I told a lie.

Welcome to your new old life.

I am finally home for the summer!!

It's truly fantastic.

It's wonderful knowing that never again will I have to return to crazy old Cedar City for my education.

See, I wasn't liking SUU, so the options were...

-attend UVU, USU, BYU, or THE U.

-run away and get an education in Spain

-OR. stay at SUU...

Don't get me wrong, SUU itself wasn't really the problem. But I'm bad at Cedar and I'm bad at roommates and I'm bad at not having money. But I kept talking to myself and my parents about these problems. I felt like I should leave Cedar, but I was so confused. Why did God feel that it was so necessary for me to go to SUU if I was only going to stay there for a year? But my college ward's bishop's words kept coming back into my mind, which were simply to "keep praying." I did so, and soon after, I opened up to: 

D&C 30: 1-4.

I was amazing how every word was for me. I have such a testimony of the scriptures answering our prayers. And although I had always wanted to go to BYU, and I was still a little upset the first time about not being able to go there, I am so glad that I am finally receiving the opportunity. I'll be where God wants me to be.

You all knew my plans, but this is how they came to be. And I am so excited about them. I am going to live with my very most best girl {emphasis on the "girl" so Matthew doesn't pee his pants.}  friend in the entire world, Miss Brielle Porter. We go way back, and we've ne'er had a quarrel. It's cause we're both honest and open. More Girls really need to learn those skills.

Anyway, so here's to being home, summertime, finding a job, having money, getting tan, watching Matthew play baseball in his hot baseball pants, and spending a lot of time with old friends and family.

I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as well.

 Love, Kalynn Eve.

love, Kalynn.

Dear Brielle,

You are my BSFF.

You are trying just as hard as I am

to get me a job. 

Therefore, I love your guts.

<3, Kalynn. 

Dear Next Week,

I can't wait to go to the temple

and have a slumber party with my sister.

I'm not looking forward to losing a quarter of a tank of gas...

but at least I don't have to walk.

<3, excited Kalynn.

,

Dear Satan,

You are a douchebag.

I want to kick you where it counts

and throw gummy bears at your head.

Good thing I already know some people who 

are taking care of that.

no <3, Kalynn.

Dear Cell Phone,

If you dare allow the stupid back thing of you

to fall off ONE more time, so help you.

<3, Not happy Kalynn.

Dear Tad R. Callister,

Thank you for writing such a beautifulbook.

"The Infinite Atonement" makes me happy.

everday.

<3, Kalynn.

Dear Mama,

It's weird that I'm not home this weekend, isn't it?

<3, Kalynn.

Dear BYU computers,

please accept the transcripts that I sent you

in January, so that I don't sign up for credits

that I have already received. 

much <3, Kalynn.

10 things that made today a good day.

1: I got to see Brielle for the second day in a row. I love my BSFF. :] :]
2: Brielle took me to see the apartment we're going to be living in this fall. I adore it. It's so cute, it's got new carpet, tile, and cupboards, the kitchen is big, and decorating will be fun and easy.
3: The boyfriend took me to Jamba Juice. mm.mm.mmmm.
4: I went to a movie. I haven't been to a movie in AGES. Ages, I'm tellin' ya.
5: The movie was "Just Go For It." It's a fantastic comedy and I highly recommend it.
6: I went to said movie with my friend of 15 years, Tristan Winterton. oh, how I miss that girl.
7: I got to eat leftover steak for lunch.
8: My bracket is doing well. woot, woot!
9: I got home before 11:00, which means I might just get to bed at a decent hour tonight!
10: I get to go see my newest nephew tomorrow: Mr. Cole Nolan Johnson.

Other important matters:
--Can I just inform everyone how terrible of a song "Friday" is? What is all the buzz about it? It's not well written. The music video is completely ridiculous. And it doesn't even make me excited for Fridays.
--The boyfriend is on a camp out and I miss him...wah. poor me. boo.
-- seeing my future apartment and being around my future roommates made me way too excited for fall. It's going to be such a fun, good atmosphere!
--One of my favorite cousins is having his farewell on Sunday. I'm sad I won't see him for two years!

kay that's all. :)

-- Kalynn.

Guess who *finally* got their acceptance letter?

Can you say "I'm getting out of Cedar!"?

I can.

I'm getting out of Cedar!

Love, Your excited Kalynn.