Expect the Unexpected

I like to plan.

Anyone who knows me well is well aware that I like be in charge of myself and in charge of my schedule. I have had my life mapped out to this point since... well, since I could read a calendar, I suppose. I always knew I would graduate high school in 2013 and begin my university studies at BYU. I would then spend Fall of 2014 on the study abroad program in London. When I came home I would then allow myself to start dating people, be an efy counselor summer of 2015, and get married summer of 2016 right after I turned 21--just as my mother and sister had done. When you are young it does not seem so silly to plan things such as when you are getting married, or the exact time and place you will do a study abroad. I did not consider factors such as "What if I don't get into BYU?" or "What if I can't actually go on study abroad? It's competitive and expensive" or, the real shocker, "What if I have not yet found a person I want to marry/a person who wants to marry me by the incredibly young age of 21??" No. Haha, those thoughts did not come to me until applying to colleges, interviewing for study abroad, or getting to school and realizing how many relationships fail. Call me naive, but I prefer to call myself a dreamer. Even more and a dreamer, a doer.

You see, all my life my parents have taught me that if I want something bad enough, plan for it, and work hard, I can have it. Here I am, days from turning 21, in complete awe of the path my life has taken.

Yes, I have been at BYU these last few years and am whole-heartedly in love with my university and the unique opportunities it provides. There is no where else I would rather spend my days studying and growing.

Yes, I did spend four months living in London last fall, but I have dedicated enough posts to that incredible experience.

Yes, I was an efy counselor for the summer. It was awesome. And hard. But mostly awesome.

Yes, I am getting married in two months. June of 2016, just as I always planned. What?!

And what have I learned through it all??

Expect the unexpected.

While these major events in my life have (miraculously) all gone according to plan, I have found that it is the minor details that have made all the difference. For instance, what am I actually going to study at school and do for the rest of my life? Or why spend copious amounts of money for four short months abroad? What's the point? Oh. Also, turns out it is really competitive to be an efy counselor and they prefer RM's.. Which I am not. What if I don't get the job? Or the real big one: who am I going to marry and spend the rest of my life with?!

I have found over and over again that Heavenly Father is willing to work with me. A few weeks ago at General Conference, something was shared that has stuck with me since.

"You can have what you want, or you can have something better"

That has been my overwhelming experience these last three years in college. I NEVER planned on being a nurse. Not in a thousand years. Never planned on the lessons I learned in England or the ways I changed. Never expected the heartbreaks and miracles of efy. Above all, I definitely never planned on marrying Austin. Those things were not part of my plan. Lucky for me, Heavenly Father is patient. He loves me, stubbornness and all. He has lead me by the hand and said, "Look Aimee. You can have what you want, or if you will just trust me and let go of some of your need for control, you have have something infinitely better."

Gaye Ray fan club

Love me my Ellen

Santa Barbara for life

(I said yes)

Today as I sat with friends from elementary, jr. high, and high school and listened to my closest childhood friend speak of her experiences these last 18 months in Africa as a missionary, I could not help but marvel at how much we had all grown up and changed. From returning from missions, studying in college, marriages, and even babies, big things have happened for each of us. Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each of us. Now, that does not mean we have to give up all our dreams and goals. Not even a little bit. I have done everything I hoped to in my life! But Heavenly Father knows I am capable of so much more than I think. He has stretched me and pushed me farther than I could go alone. He has led me down paths I was much too terrified to follow. He has strengthened my faith and enlarged my mind and world. Everything He does, He does to benefit me. Simply because I am His daughter and He loves me with a perfect love. It is not because  I am somehow earned it; I am far from deserving the beautiful life I live. It is there purely because He loves me.

Nursing cohort - love these fools.

Looking for Mr. Darcy...

Oh wait. Austin is better than Mr. Darcy.

I know God lives. I have seen his hand in the small details of my life, day after day. All He asks is that I have the faith to follow Him. That I will allow Him to bless me, to lead me, to guide me to the wonderful life He so desperately wants me to have--and above all, the life that will bring me home to Him. I am so grateful. Grateful that He trusts me enough to become a nurse and care for His children in need of healing on this earth. Grateful He let me go to my family's 'homeland' and meet some of the most influential and lifelong friends there. Grateful He allowed me to spend my summer learning from the incredible youth and working with amazing people. Grateful He led me to my best friend; someone who loves me even knowing I am imperfect. More than anything, I am grateful that I can be with my best friend and family quite literally forever. 

God is real. God is good. It is a beautiful life, and I am so lucky to live it--even (and perhaps especially) when it does not go according to my plan. 

Love Always, Aimee 

I am in love with life.

Finale

Monday and Tuesday were spent taking finals. I would just like to say I do not think there is any feeling quite at great as walking out of your last final. Can I get an amen? The relief and pure joy felt is unreal.

We took four finals in London; Shakespeare, Humanities, British History, and Church History in the British Isles. It went down much as finals do on campus. Hours and hours of studying, reading over notes, looking over the class slideshows, and asking every person who walks by what they are studying because there's just so information you have no idea where to start for a thirty question test. Half the Centre was up well into two am together holding reviews and talking over Shakespeare's plot lines and characters as well as the last three thousand years of Britain's history. They went well! I think? I guess I will find out when grades are released. Either way WE WERE FREE!

Wednesday we had the whole day to ourselves and our dear city of London. Me, Ellen, Addie, Zoe, and Lexie decided we wanted to see as much as possible so starting lunchtime we walked essentially the entire city. Beginning at Marble Arch we walked all the way down Oxford St. admiring the lights and window shopping as we went, then through the back streets around Tottenham Court and Charing Cross. When we reached Trafalgar Square we went inside the National Gallery one last time. Inside we just sat in front of Monet's Water Lilies and let the impressionist art in the room speak to our souls. I love art. I walked through a couple other rooms to say goodbye to Constable, Renior, Van Gogh, and Lorrain's beauties. Walking out of the front doors of the National Gallery is one of my favorite scenes in London. It gives you a view of the whole square and all the way down the street is where I caught my first glimpse of the beautiful Big Ben.

In Trafalgar Square we had the genius idea of climbing on top of one of the Lions for a picture.
Needless to say this quickly turned disastrous when I ripped my pants climbing up. *insert annoyed and embarrassed face here*. They were my favorite pair too... Lucky for me I was wearing a long coat that covered said damage because we had ZERO time to go back to the Centre and change or even buy a new pair. At this point we were supposed to be meeting at the London Eye in the next fifteen minutes. Whoops. Haha. (No fear everyone; I found the same pair of pants in my size on clearance yesterday so I once again have my favorite pants.)

*picture wasn't worth the pants, just fyi*

We walked from Trafalgar down to the Houses of Parliament, Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We snapped a last picture and walked across Westminster Bridge to the Eye.

last visit to Ben <3

There we met up with the other 10 ladies of Room 2 for our farewell ride over London. We timed it PERFECTLY. With a pod all to ourselves we watched the entire sunset over our city. It was absolutely perfect. I wouldn't want to watch my last sunset in that city any other way. We were able to see essentially everything and get one last view of the place we had the privilege of calling home these last four months. Obviously it was a little bittersweet, but we kept it light hearted by having a dance party to Imagine Dragon's "On Top of the World" at the top. Ha, it was only near the end of the song that we realized the pod next to us had been watching and recording us... Glad we could improve their experience on the Eye I guess.

isn't he perfect? 

Following that we just went together up the South bank a mile or so. We strolled through Christmas markets and walked under light-strung trees taking in the magic of London until we reached our favorite Millennial Bridge. That took us across the Thames to St. Paul's where we hoped onto the Tube for a stop or two to Covent Gardens and then walked to Leicester Square where we had dinner at THE BEST indian restaurant. It was a Michelin Star restaurant and had a line outside the door so we knew it had to be good. We only ended up waiting about fifteen minutes for a table due to a cancellation. That is what we calling winning at life, folks. Our waiter did not realize we were familiar with Indian food; he kept warning us that things would be "spicy" and told us the right half of the menu was probably too "heavy" for us to handle (admittedly we did not order from that half. BUT I did get chicken labeled spicy and it was not anything spicy like the last spicy indian food I ordered).

After dinner we split up because everyone had a different idea for how they wanted to end their evening. I headed alone (don't tell my parents) all the way to Tower Bridge. I wanted to see it one last time all lit up against the black sky. The excursion did not disappoint in any sense. The overwhelming feeling of love and appreciation for London I experienced as I sat on a bench outside the Tower of London cannot described. Visiting the Tower of London was our first 'London Excursion' on study abroad and therefore my first real taste of the city. It felt just right for it to be my last view as well and have a sense of closure about leaving.

I took the long way home just so I could walk one last time down Oxford Street because it is pure magic at Christmas time. 

At 22:00 (10 pm for those of you who are following along at home) we all reconvened at the Centre to head to our last Snowflake Gelato run up the street. I went big this time and got TWO scoops (and then immediately realized why I normally get one... They're decent sized scoops. Oh well. YOLO). I got their signature Snowflake flavor, coconut, white chocolate, and vanilla perfection with mixed berry that was absolutely heaven. The combination of sweet with tart goodness? Killer. Ten out of ten, would recommend. We took over the whole joint and overwhelmed the poor italians one last time and it was so bittersweet to all be together one last time.

Late that night the whole Centre said goodbyes and then spent half the night packing. I was up until 3 am and then woken up at 4:30 by a girl leaving, then slept again from 5-6 am and then I could not sleep any longer and I was up until after 8 am the next day by the time I made it home!

London fam selfie 

my wonderful professors and their wives 

Packing and packing and packing all the night long + my photo wall at the foot of my bed.

It's hard to believe my adventures in London are over (for now). That city will forever hold a part of my heart, but lucky for me I took so much more away from it than I left there; it has changed me and my life for the better. London, I love you.

last view of Palace Court before jumping in our taxi..

Love Always, Aimee

goodbye for now, England :( xoxo - Aims 

Lucky for me, Hanman was on the same flight home! And how else can you leave school in England except by reading Harry Potter the whole way home? 

(This is just from the mentioned finals above.. Sometimes it hits 2 am studying and you may or may not feel like your brain is going to explode so the only solution is to take a break and give the professor's son cornrows. Nice to know if I fail out of school I can fall back on a solid hair-stylist career, right?)

God Works in Mysterious Ways

Remember how my wish was to go home for Father's Day?

Well. I did!

On Friday night Heather and I decided we wanted to see Divergent (OH MY HECK GO SEE IT GO SEE IT!! So good. Plus it's in the dollar theater so.. why not see it?). Last minute we invited some guys from our old ward. They came with their friends from BYUI who were here for the weekend and just found out their sleeping arrangements bailed. Naturally Heather and I said it wouldn't be a problem for them to crash on our couch for a few nights.
Sunday it hit me. They were driving back to Idaho after church and leaving at the exact time that would get me home in time for dinner at my Grandma's.

Dad's present was too big for one roll of wrapping paper.. 

So yes, I rode with basically complete strangers that had been sleeping on my couch to Bountiful where Ash picked me up and I surprised everyone for dinner.
It was fantastic and most definitely a tender mercy from The Lord. Nothing special happened, but he knew how badly I wanted to be at home with my family that night so he provided a way for it to happen.

I don't believe in coincidences; I believe in a loving Father in Heaven who knows our every wish and every need. He watches over and is with us constantly. He is found in the details of our lives; in the little things that make all the difference. I am so grateful this Father's Day for not only the most wonderful Dad in the world who loves me, supports all my dreams, and taught me all the important lessons in life, but also for my Father in Heaven who is thee perfect Father in every sense of the word.

Me and my dad on my dream trip to Italy <3

Take the time to talk to both of your Father's today and show them how much you appreciate and love them, okay? Okay great.

Tomorrow I will be taking my bio-organic chem final. Yikes. Wish me luck? I am so happy to be (almost) done with chemistry for a while. Huzzah!

B-Kasp (one of my very best friends) is also leaving the MTC (finally.. 11 weeks later) tomorrow and is going to call me when he's in the airport. I seriously hope he doesn't call during my test.. Ah. But I am so so excited to get to talk to him! He is such an example of what a missionary should be like. He's had a lot of unexpected events happen and some would get discouraged or frustrated or complain or just quit; not him. He has such a good attitude and always says it's in the Lord's hands (and he's right!). Love that kid. In a friendly way. Haha.

God is good to me.

Love Always, Aimee

How to Succeed in College Without Really Trying

I am sure you are all dying to know the fool-proof, no fail, guaranteed way to breeze your way through college and do well in all your classes with minimal effort on your part.

Well folks, you are in luck.
I am here tonight to share my secret with you. You ready? Because I don't think you are. But here we go anyways.

How to succeed in college without really trying:

you can't.

There you go; I said it. You cannot succeed in college without really trying. Or if you can I don't know what type of university you go to.. But it probably is not a very good education so you are wasting your time.
Anyways. My point is college is hard. Seriously. And this is coming from someone who is good at school! Not in a cocky, I-think-I'm-the-shiz way, but in a honest to goodness, some people-are-better-at-sports-and-I'm-good-at-school way.
Now, I am in no way saying college isn't worth it or isn't fun. Don't misunderstand me.

I LOVE GOING TO COLLEGE. I LOVE BYU. I LOVE LEARNING.

However. I am not as much of a fan at spending 9 am to 12:30 am the next day in the library, studying for finals nonstop, for two+ days. But that is sometimes what it takes to succeed in college.
It is 11:25 pm and I am still at it (except for this minor break to type this up so I can digest info and not go crazy.. ha)

I just thought I would do you the favor or warning you now, you know, for the emotional preparation it requires.

BYU Library at 11:30 on a reading day (open until 2 am. yikes. That is def more hardcore than me).

The other half the periodicals..

Other things I've discovered this year?
PLAN YOUR TIME. Serious. There are 24 hours in a day. Know what you're doing with them, but don't forget to include time for yourself! You need a couple breaks to keep yourself sane and healthy.
 USE THE TAs. They are so so helpful and know exactly what you need to know! Don't waste time guessing.
DON'T PUT OFF TESTS AND PAPERS UNTIL THE LAST DAY
I know this is cliche and you have heard it a million times, but guy. Get your act together.
Honestly it is kind of a joke how empty the library can be on a reading day, designated for studying, and then jam packed while finals are going. Heellllloooo people. Study on the study days, test on the test days. No need to stress. There are no lines the first few days so you save a ton of time, plus the finals aren't getting any easier so why wait?
BRING A BIKE.
I brought mine two weeks ago and it was the best decision of my life. If I could redo anything from this year it would be have brought my bike at the beginning. I am being dead serious. I don't know why it makes life infinity times better, but it does, okay? Just trust me on that. You get wind through your hair and can get everywhere at least 7 times faster. Plus you get some killer thigh muscles.
EAT WELL AND EXERCISE
This is self explanatory.
Eat mainly fruits and veggies with whole grains, eggs, and lean meats. Oh and dairy. But not in the form of ice cream. All things in moderation. Word of Wisdom, you know?
Let's just say I am thee ONLY one of my roommates that has not gotten sick even once this entire year. They have all been sick like 3+ times.
You know who eats the most fruits and veggies?
I rest my case.
And go to the gym or go running or play some soccer! Just use your body and appreciate the cool things it can do. It's our greatest gift from God! Love your body.

And last, look good.
I mean, don't be obsessive of your appearance of judgmental of others, but for your own sake. Get up every morning and get ready. Make yourself presentable and feel confident so you can talk to people and people will want to talk to you and you will just feel better at life. DITCH THE SWEATPANTS. Besides, did you know you focus better and test better when you are dressed up?
True story.

Well. My ten minute break is up. I have a good 45 minutes left of studying before calling it quits and going home. The goal is to be in bed before 1 am. Wish me luck!

Tomorrow I am taking three tests. Saturday I am taking two and then I AM GOING HOME! For Easter, my best friend's farewell, Sunday dinner, and something else..
Oh yeah.
My birthday! woot woot. 19 and going strong.

Love Always, Aimee