The Hope of Christ

Finally, the first snowman of the season. I'm finaly getting into the Christmas spirit this year, even with it being finals week. With one snowman made and one final down, I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. This year, for me, Christmastime is about the hope of Christ. The hope that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings into my life and the hope for Eternal Life. I'm so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that if we submit ourselves to Him and come unto Him with all our heart, we can be made perfect through Him. I'm grateful for the time that I will be able to spend with my family this Christmas. Being at college makes me so much more thankful for them since I don't get to see them everyday. I'm grateful that we can have hope that we will have eternally many more Christmases to come together. This hope that I feel now gives me so much joy and happiness that I want to share it with everyone. This semester has been a tough one for me but I know that life is full of trials. Sometimes I feel that the Lord may let go of us for a little bit so that later, we can know who we are coming home to. So 1 week to go and I am so happy to be able to spend time with my family, and of course, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!

Ruler of the Elves

There was no Santa this year, so my brother got to dress up as an elf for the kids and hand out presents at my families Christmas party. I decided elves need more credit. They're so cute and plus they do all the work too! My favorite is Bernard, fondly known as Barabus, on The Santa Clause. Also, the coolest thing is that my name actually means Ruler of the Elves. Now Bernard points out in the movie that the ruler of the elves, the guy in charge, is Santa, so the name Aubrey means Santa. How incredibly cool is that?!

Thanksgiving Break

This Thanksgiving I got to go up to my Grandparents farm in Buhl, Idaho. It is the

coolest place ever...it has the best cows, horses, hay, tractors, farmers, ponds, canyons, fish, fun, and family you could ever ask for. My grandparents are hilarious and I could laugh forever with my aunts and uncles and cousins. Here's my cousin, Raychel, and I making Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations, and Raychel again modeling a John Deere tractor! This year, my Grandpa let me help him move cows across the street to another field and it was so much fun. We were acting crazy, yelling at the cows, and smacking their butts to get them to move! At first I was scared of them but then they were scared of me. mwhaha. They also just got the cutest new dog, Lady, and have two horses, Dude and Sadie, and one cat and two kittens plus a bunch of cows, which is the best part. After waking up early on Black Friday to go shopping, I did my brother's hair and my Grandpa was shaking his head in disbelief the rest of the night! I guess it really hurt too when I was taking it out because of all of the little rubberbands. Also some of the boys went shooting and my little cousin Tanner was so proud of himself when he broke the orange shells on the ground! The farm is the funnest place to be and I'm excited to go there again when my family comes out for break. 17 days and counting!

Reasons I don't want to go home

1. I want to go to Greece.
2. Someone probably ate my mint brownies.
3. I left my winter coat at my grandma's house and it is freezing cold outside.
4. High-pitched attempts at singing.
5. Dirty dishes galore.
6. I would be tempted to get catch some Z's.
7. I have to turn the volume all the way up on my iPod and its starting to hurt my ears.
8. My hw/exams/finals are screaming my name.
9. It's not Christmas yet.
10. My family's not there. :(

Tired

Tied together with a smile
Wincing from the tight ropes.
Trying to keep up with the tempo
Always a beat behind.
The tears don't show
but I struggle for breath.
It's easier just to be alone.

Romeo, Save Me!

Romeo, save me! I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you but you never come. Is this in my head? I don't know what to think. He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said Marry me, Juliet. You never have to be alone. I love you and that's all I really know. I talked to your Dad. Go pick out a white dress. It's a love story. Baby, just say yes.

These are lyrics from my new favorite song "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. Seriously I love it and I listen to it all the time! I just like it because of the irony. What does Romeo save Juliet from since eventually she dies? I guess you can die happy but it still didn't make her free. I'm not a pessimist, I do think that love can save you if you act on it, just not stupidly. Love is a two person commitment, which Romeo and Juliet do play out quite nicely in the end, but I guess I think it means planning and trusting that the other person loves you too and that they will come through for you. Do you think that if Romeo had just waited a little bit longer for Juliet to wake up, they could have eventually proved their love to everyone else and they could have had their happy ending? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like this as an alternate ending for Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers and I want this kind of ending for my life too. See I really am an optimist....or maybe just a romantic?