Roomies!

Disclaimer: I LOVE my husband. He is the best thing to ever happen to me and I am so grateful he is my best friend. I am happily married and seriously cannot imagine my life without him.

However, moving to Salt Lake has been very hard. I am a social person. I thrive off of relationships. I crave spending time with people, especially with my girlfriends. I know SLC isn't even that far away from Provo, but it's far enough that I can't see my friends as often as I want to, so sometimes I get a little down. Poor Alex has to deal with it and when I get sad...he gets sad. So he just holds me in his arms while I cry and then tries to make the rest of that day/evening all about making me happy. One night when we climbed in bed he held me tight and said, "I wish your friends could see how much you miss them." I seriously am so blessed to have such an amazing husband. I also am so blessed to have lifelong friends come across my path before BYU and during my time at BYU.

So I decided to think about each of my years down in good 'ole P-town and what I cherish most about those years in college.

Freshman year, August 2005-April 2006

I lived in Deseret Towers, T-Hall, 5th floor, room 522.

My roommate was one of my best friends growing up, Brittany Balleck who is now a Malouf. (We missed our Katie Claire! :)

This first picture is us at our first BYU block party so we were pretty excited!

Highlights from that year: Book of Mormon classes, becoming a part of Club Style, my Freshman ward, under-roo runs around our floor (yeah, that's where all you wear is your underwear/bra and run/dance around the 5th floor), dance parties, tubing at Soldier's Hollow, football games, dressing up as a duck on Halloween and then looking like I had jaundice from the body paint not coming completely off for a few days, Britt and I throwing our rock hard Peeps out the window at people, food fight in the Morris Center, eating Subway EVERY day, my first trip to California, Britt talking in her sleep and me singing in my sleep to her, late night chats with boys over the dryer vent so it's warm while you're out in 15 degree weather, sharing a 15 X 10 feet block with another person, becoming addicted to BYU Creamery chocolate milk, jumping from bed to bed with Brittany and then me shimming down her like a fire pole, making lifelong friendships.

This is Britt and I on our last night in the dorms together. We each attempted to drink a half gallon of chocolate milk and then climbed up into our closet just for this picture. Now we're both married. How far we've come....haha

Sophomore Year August 2006-April 2007

I moved in to The Glenwood, Apartment 165.

My roommates were: Beth Shultz (now Dorsey) (freshman ward), Natalie Ginos (freshman ward), LeAnne Bennion (freshman ward), Alyce Allen, and Shauna Booher (freshman ward, only for 2 months because she got married and moved out.)

L to R: Alyce, Natalie, me, Bethy-poo, LeAnne

Highlights from that year: becoming the Club Style VP, getting a larger living space and sharing that with Beth, football games, dance parties, my first time in the Homecoming parade, painting our living room and kitchen, doing baptisms in the San Diego temple, Carrie Underwood/Brad Paisley concert, going to Mesa for the first time, Justin Timberlake concert in Vegas, roommate dinners, beating Utah in football, Rascal Flatts concert, my first pudding wrestling event, doing cartwheels/wheelbarrow races in our hallway, doing Luau for the first time, spending whole days scrapbooking/eating/watching movies, sleepovers, making lifelong friendships.

This picture is of Bethany, me, and Amanda. They lived directly above us. They basically were our roommates. We always joked about creating a fire pole so we could go from apt to apt without having to go out the front door. I'm so grateful for them too!

Junior Year August 2007-April 2008

I moved to The Crestwood, Apartment 304

My roommates were: my sister, Karly, Ciri Putich (friend from home), and Shilo Ward.

We also acquired Wicked, the cat, who we successfully kept from the office managers knowing about until the last 2 weeks.

This is us before Christmas break, including Wicked. :)

Highlights from that year: living with my sister, having my own room, becoming the President of Club Style, my 21st birthday party (80s party at Krista's), throwing SO many things off of our balcony just for fun (including a watermelon and an old stereo), getting NEIL (my 4Runner), true blue football, letting Kari dye my hair green, then being the color green for Halloween, sleepovers with Amanda & Bethany, snowboarding for the first (and only) time, beating Utah in football, trying out for SYTYCD and then making it 4 rounds, Colbie Caillat/Trevor Hall concert, doing Luau for a 2nd time, tons of baseball games, 2nd pudding wrestling event, Karly graduating, my World Religions and Mission Prep classes, deciding to switch my major, having Wicked, my amazing Bishopric, making lifelong friends, knowing my life was going to change but did not realize how or to what extent at the time.

Kar, me, Ciri, and Shilo at Magleby's Fresh!

Senior Year August 2008-April 2009

I stayed in The Crestwood, but moved apartments to 134.

My roommates were all random: Leah Siebach, Lindsey Nielsen, & Ashley Wolff.

Leah and I became the best of friends...fo' real. Our other roommates were alright, but she was the glue that held me together.

Highlights from that year: bonding with Leah once we found out we both did EFY, baseball games, our TV being taken from us in the MIDDLE of a World Series game, staying President of Club Style, football games, going to Denver for the first time, seeing the SYTYCD tour, meeting all the SYTYCD dancers, final Homecoming parade with Club Style, dance parties, shooting a bow and arrow for the first time and getting a bullseye, sleepovers at Kari's, making smores over a candle indoors, 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional, basketball games, meeting my future husband and not knowing it, getting up and dancing with a belly dancer at a Moroccan restaurant in Denver (who really needs to hang up that hat), Trevor Hall concert, getting a Valentine's gift from Leah, going to Rexberg for the first time, becoming friends with McKell, Karly's bridal shower, Britney Spears concert, my Chinese dance class, my New Testament class, causing trouble with Leah in the library, starting to work at Charlotte Russe, Leah leaving 50 balloons in my room with each one saying a reason she loved me, going to the gym with Ashley, sleepovers in the living room with Leah, countless tears into Leah's shoulders, learning a lot about myself, going through a trial I would have never imagined being grateful for, making lifelong friends.

So this one time Leah and I had a photo shoot. We got the mooooves.

Super Senior Year August 2009-June 2010

I moved to Old Mill, in 2 different apartments due to a mold issue.

My roommates were: (1st apartment) McKell Forbes (for 3 days because she's allergic to mold), Sarah ?, Tasha?, (2nd apartment) Leah Siebach, Jen ?, Becca ?...we were obviously close.

Since I wasn't all that tight with my actual roommates (until I finally got to move back in with Leah), Kell & Leah were my psudo roommates. (And Ash was there a lot too!)

This is us up at McKell's family's cabin about to go four-wheeling!

Highlights from that year: FINALLY letting go of someone, driving across the country with Ashley, going to Lagoon with Kell, winning my first horseshoe competition, football games, an epic win over Utah, being in the Homecoming parade with the folk dance team, seeing "Thriller" in SLC, doing floor sets at Charlotte Russe, crafty days with Ashley, my amazing home teachers, being in Christmas Around the World, started dating my husband, road trips to Rexberg, finding out Karly was pregnant, Trevor Hall concert, Winter Olympics, my 23rd baseball themed b-day party (that Alex surprised me for), dates with Alex, my last Club Style performance, going to San Diego for Kate's wedding, falling in love with Alex.

Leah and I on my first trip up to Rexberg to see Alex!

Super Duper Senior Year August 2010-April 2011

I moved in to the "Green Gables" house.

My roommates were: Ashley Sant, Suzanne Whitehead, Megan Sollis, Brittany Dahlin, & Amelia Wallace.

Here we are having pancake breakfast (Megan and I in our newly acquired onesies).

Highlights from that year: only having one semester of school, starting my job at New Haven, getting to know my amazing roommates, sharing a room with Ash, Braves playoff game in San Fran, baking with Kari, "warm treats," roomie photo shoot, making fun of our landlords, watching a meteor shower with friends and Alex, slurpee runs, Alex moving to Provo, going to my first rodeo, John Mayer concert, Sara Bareilles concert, knowing without a doubt I wanted to marry Alex after some soul searching, our house Ugly Sweater Christmas Party, getting to know Alex's family, throwing Alex a surprise b-day party, dance parties in our vanity room, my niece being born, Jimmer-mania, Just Dance on the Wii, being obsessed with Texas Roadhouse, getting the Justin Bieber cutout, getting scared by said Bieber lurking in the shadows, Tangled, trip to Santa Barbara, Festival of Colors, getting engaged, buying my first adult onesie, the dishwasher exploding bubbles everywhere, tanning parties on our porch, Celine Dion Vegas trip, getting LASIK, walking for graduation, my bridal shower, living with Leah for 6 weeks, taking engagements, having an epic last year as a single lady.

One of our roomie photos. They're so pretty. :)

After going through allll that, I'd say I'm one lucky girl.

None of that would have been possible without amazing friends and family.

So to my friends: I miss y'all dearly. If you're married, I'm sure you understand. If you're not married...you will. You truly cherish friendships more when you get married. Know I think of y'all often and wish we could all just live in one place and have it be one, big party all the time!

Here's to living with my eternal roommate! I love you, Alex.