SUPER GIANT MEGA UPDATE!

I'll mash up the last few weeks in this whole post!

• Over a month ago, McKenzie and I both went on a double date to one of the Homecoming dances, where Dylan had asked her and Tony had asked me. They even made us breakfast for dinner (including delicious banana french toast), since Tony knew breakfast was my favorite food. That's where McKenzie and I first met and we've basically been inseparable ever since.
• Over four weeks ago, McKenzie and I decided to double again but THIS time, WE asked the guys on a date! She asked Rick, a family friend that goes to UVU, and I asked Lauri, a friend from the ward. He's Finnish, teaches Swedish at the MTC and is the Elder's Quorum president in our ward. I swear he's going to be a General Authority one day, hahah. Anyway, we "picked them up" and brought them over to McKenzie's apartment, where I had made this DELICIOUS chili for dinner and McKenzie made equally delicious witch finger breadsticks (she even put almond chips at the ends of the breadsticks to look like nails. So legit). We then had a graham cracker-haunted house-making contest between the couples! Rick and McKenzie made a classically awesome, two-story haunted house and Lauri and I made a super awesome coffin with fingers sticking out of it. To wrap it all up, we visited Rick's HUGE house (that he owns!) and went to my favorite spot in the canyon to tell scary stories. It was freezing, but it was fun :)

Lauri and I

McKenzie and Rick

McKenzie and Rick's Haunted House

Lauri and I's haunted coffin

• Three weeks ago, I photographed Jess + Adam's wedding at the Mt. Timapanogos temple. It was my first time there and it was absolutely gorgeous! I also photographed their wedding in Highland/Alpine, Utah, where the fall trees, leaves and colors are DIVINE! Emma (who was second shooting for me) and I ran into a Jake, a friend from the ward, who apparently is Adam's cousin! I also ran into Stephen Fabiano, a friend from back in Florida who knows Adam from when they lived in Georgia.

Jess and Adam.

Jess and Adam.. and Jake.

• Two weeks ago, I photographed Jordan + Blake's engagement photos up the Provo temple and Provo canyon. I LOVED this photo session! Jordan is also from Florida and was my roommate at the last EFY I went to in St. Petersburg the summer before I started here at BYU, so over a year ago. They are SO adorable and I LOVE Blake! He's a convert and he's on FIRE. She did well :)
• I went to the Men's and Women's Choir concert two Fridays ago. It was amazing! Men's choir killed it. I went by myself, too. Weird of me to say, but I've always wanted to go to a show/movie by myself just once to see how it's like. It was not bad at all, nor did I feel lonely in the slightest. I've mostly always been comfortable on my own :)
• Two Saturday mornings ago, my Elder's Quorum and Relief Society went skeet shooting. It was my first time and it was super fun! I didn't hit any of the clay disks, but it was still way fun. I hope to go again sometime this year!
• That same Saturday night, McKenzie, Val and I went to a Mocktail Masquerade, where we met up with Lauri, Spencer, Emily, Tori and Lawrence. 'Twas fun, though we were barely there for more than an hour. McKenzie, Val and I had SUPER sweet masks we had bought earlier that day at Taylor Maid, the super awesome costume store in Provo.

Val, McKenzie and I (in the red, of course).

I'm silly.

Look how much my hair has grown!

These are my new favorite tights.

• I don't know if you all knew, but I'm a FHE "Mom" in my ward. Halloween happened to fall on a Monday night, so I was super psyched because I KNEW what I was going to do for my FHE "kids": I was going to make them Butterbeer (you can find the recipe at an older blog post of mine here)! Everyone loved it, of course. It was extra creamy and delicious this time, if I do say so myself. I had all the Harry Potter soundtracks playing in the background as my kids walked in my apartment for FHE that night and all throughout the lesson and Butterbeer drinking. For the lesson, I had cutely typed out and printed quotes from the Harry Potter series and had us all give "mini lessons" about how each one applied/tied into Jesus Christ and His Gospel. It was SUCH a great lesson! I was dressed as Hermione, wand and time turner and all. I'm so cool, I know.
•  This year, a goal of mine has been to send my family and close friends back from birthday packages. My brother's 18th birthday was first, on September 3rd, and he loves to read so I sent him a card and two of my favorite books: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. My mom's birthday is on Halloween and she turned 46 this year, so I mailed her a birthday package complete with: tiramisu hot cocoa mix (she loves tiramisu), a cute Willow Tree journal (she loves Willow Tree stuff), a Halloween-birthday card, a bag of candy corn (her favorite candy), a bag of Kit Kat (her other favorite candy), real Fall leaves from around campus in all different shapes, sizes and colors (she LOVES fall and the leaves- the red are her favorite).. she LOVED it! :)
•  Goodbye, October. HELLO, N O V E M B E R! 
• Where did the semester go!?
• Last Friday night, I went on two dates with the same guy in the same day. We had a lunch date at the MOA (BYU's Museum of Art) where we shared a fontina cheese panini and each had our own bowl of pumpkin-squash soup- which reminded me of Indian food in that it was oddly sweet, but delicious all the same. Then he asked me to go to the Planetarium on campus that night for the November Sky Show. It was all fun!
• This past Saturday, my brother-in-law Kanta picked me up and I spent the weekend at my sister Raiza's apartment with her three kids, Kayla, Mia and Kai. They also have a new cat whose name is Kevin and he is the MOST adorable thing ever. He is so funny and fixated by running water- he will sit at the toilet and watch it flush, then climb up to the sink when you're washing your hands. It was a crazy weekend but so fun and so nice to be with family! I went shopping at the Gateway (best mall in Utah) by myself Saturday night and helped make delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and it was all awesome. The reason I went was to photograph some food for Kanta (which I happened to eat while photographing). I guess I ate wayy too many sweets, because I woke up in the middle of the night only to pass out and throw up twice :/ I hate throwing up. But I DID watch Something Borrowed with Raiza! I LOVED the movie, despite it cursing lots and being very suggestive. 

Kevin the kitty!

My niece Kayla, Kevin and I!

Dat kitteh <3

• I received two Priesthood blessings in two weeks. First I was sick with a cold, then I was sick with the upset stomach I mentioned above. I am SO grateful to have the Priesthood in my life and worthy Priesthood holders to give blessings! My home teachers Aaron (also my FHE son) and Stephen (they're actually cousins) gave me the first and Tony and Matt (they both served in Tampico, MX) gave me the second about a week later. They're all from my ward and I'm SO grateful for them!
•  My voice teacher, Joseph, was saying how when we first started voice lessons, he couldn't really tell where my voice would go, but now that he's heard it he can see my voice filling up auditoriums; it has a lot of color and overtones, apparently. That's one of the best compliments EVER!
•  I'll be sending in my audition CD to the School of Music December 1st! Wish me luck!
• I'm SO psyched that there's only a week left of school until Thanksgiving Break! I'll be spending Thanksgiving at Raiza's :)
• Also, country/country swing dancing has become one of my favorite things to do every Saturday. It's super ridiculously fun.
• Also, it's Veteran's Day today.
• Also, it's 11/11/11 today. REMEMBER TO MAKE AN EPIC WISH AT 11:11 pm tonight!
• Also, I turn 20 next Friday. Nine days. Isn't that insane!?

Thank you all for bearing with me and this insanely long post! You all are great. Happy weekend :D

♥ Melizza.