Fun.

The Rules : post the rules (obviously) : post of photo of yourself : write 11 things no one wants to know about yourself : answer the previous questions the prior asked : create new questions : tag, tag tag.

one : Once, I threw up out of my nose at these guys' apartment. It was lovely.

two : The first thing I do when I wake up, besides pray, is pee.
three : I used to pee in my shower in high school.
four : I brush my teeth in the shower, now. It's a great feeling.
five :  If I have a wedgie, I am going to pick it.
six : I don't PMS. At all. You will never know when it's that time of month for me.
seven : I am no longer a nervous pooper.
eight : I know this all sounds so gross, but I'm actually such a clean freak/germaphobe. I am always washing my hands or using hand sanitizer.
nine : I never sleep on the same side of the pillow more than twice, so I change my pillowcase every 3 or 4 days.
ten : Leggings should NEVER be used as pants; leggings are NOT pants.
eleven : If I hadn't chosen to attend BYU, I might have dyed my hair cotton candy pink, gotten dreadlocks or shaved the bang-less side of my head.

1: If you met yourself this day two years ago, whats the number one piece of advice you'd give yourself? 
"Stop trying to hang out and be best friends with your ex (Mickey), Melissa! You will forget him, don't worry. Remember the one boy (Marky Mark) who's been there all through the years since sixth grade. Focus on your Savior, Jesus Christ."

2: What is your ideal, go-to outfit?
My black or red skinny pants, black and white polka dot shirt, black knee-high boots, and MAC Russian Red matte lipstick.

3: If your life were made into a movie what actress would play you? Or more importantly, what actor would play your spouse?
I personally think Kirsten Dunst would be perfect. If you watched Elizabethtown and know me, you'd agree.


Also, I made this fun and asked people what they think-
Stepdad: Taylor Swift
Mickey: Scarlett Johansson
Chris: "Cat Woman. Fierce."

4: If you had one million dollars whats the first thing you'd buy?
A CAR. A CAR. A CAR. Not three cars, of course. Just one.
It would either be a red Mazda 3, a red Jetta, or a yellow X-Terra.

5: If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would you meet?
Hayao Miyazaki (alive) and Fyodor Dostoyevsky (dead). I would love to prod their minds about their art.

6: Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe?
I am not particularly a huge fan of either.

7: Favorite Dr. Seuss book and why?
Horton Hears a Who! 
It teaches about the worth of every soul and the worth of unborn children/it's anti-abortion.
"A person is a person, no matter how small!"

8: First kiss story, let's hear it.
After a youth temple trip to the Orlando temple and Islands of Adventure in sixth grade, Rio gave me a kiss on the cheek as we were getting out of the van in the church parking lot. I was so incredibly giddy, it was silly. He pop kissed me later that week or so, and I was also giddy.

9: Your wedding day is tomorrow. What are your colors, your dress, and the temple?
Orange/coral and teal/turquoise. I would have a J.Crew wedding dress made modest or a lovely, knee-length, 3/4 sleeved dress with a bow and lace. I would be sealed in the Orlando, Florida or Portland, Oregon temple.

10: Whats the best advice you'd give to a girl who is trying to forget a boy who she reeeeeaaaallly likes?Don't bother trying to like boys that like you just to get over the boy. Have patience in forgetting the boy; you WILL forget him (stop hanging out with him and it will help).



New questions for the next person:


1. What should you be doing right now rather than here, reblogging this?


2. "Worst date ever" story, let's hear it.


3. If you met yourself this day back in your senior year of high school, what advice would you give yourself?


4. Tell us about your absolute favorite pair of shoes.


5. Imagine you were stranded alone on an island. You see a golden lamp peeping out from under the sand. You rub it and it turns out to be a food genie! He will give you with unlimited supplies of your three absolute favorite dishes (entrees, desserts, junk food, whatever they may be)- essentials like water are not allowed. What do you ask for?


6. Stripes or polka dots?


7. If you could magically attain a single talent overnight, what would it be and why?


8. Be specific & detailed: What/where is your favorite place to be and why?


9. What is the best way for you to relieve stress and re-center yourself?


10. Favorite thing to cook & favorite thing to bake:

I am a Child of God.

The first installation of my Portrait class theme project.

Part I: Sarah

♥ Melizza.

Guess who's going to be a certified Zumba instructor in April?

THIS GIRL.


I haven't been this ridiculously excited about something in a while.
I'll be showing people how to be fit in the most fun way, like teaching this dance:

I AM SO EXCITED.


♥ Melizza.

Photography update.

I'm currently taking Classical Portrait Photography and Intro to Color Photography with Val. These two classes, particularly the Portrait class, cause the most stress in my life but are also the result of crazy growth and discovery.

Portraiture: Low Key {Bronte}

Color: Contrast of Hues {Bronte}

Note: I received my first A in the class with this photo. You cannot imagine how ecstatic I was about it. Val was so pleased with it!

Portraiture: On-location Ratio lighting {Heidi}

Color: Saturation vs. Desaturation {Heidi}

Note: Val called this one "Dynamite!"- it's his thing to say when he's especially pleased with a photo. The only negative was that he wished the eyes were more in focus and that he wants me to re-do it. Don't mind if I do.

Can I just say that I love my two Washington women? So very much.

♥ Melizza.

P.S.: "Nothing worth having comes easy."

I was inspired by Tori to do this.

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Living in the apartment on the water in Miami.
2. Admiring my super-long, super-slender fingers. Not kidding. They have not been so slender and slim since then, though, as I have picked up a nasty habit of cracking my knuckles 24/7.
3. In fourth grade, in my second year the gifted program in my elementary school.
4. Hiding in the bathroom for a whole class period because I didn't know my times tables.
5. Watching The Ring. Bad idea as a kid. Totally scarred me for life. I will never have a TV in my room again.

Five things on my to-do list today:

1. Sing some electro-reggae tunes for Cory and Jordan
2. Write up my Color Photo class Theme Project Proposal
3. Fill out my two homework sheets for Contemporary Dance
4. Study for my Jazz Listening exam tomorrow
5. EAT DINNER.

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. ANYTHING peanut butter-related. Seriously.
2. Special-K blueberry bars
3. Bananas
4. Wheat Thins
5. Chocolate-covered pretzels

Five things I'd do if I were a millionaire:

1. Pay tithing if it was money I earned.
2. Buy a butt-load of food, clothes, Bibles and copies of the Book of Mormon and do homeless outreach.
3. Buy a car for myself.
4. Buy a butt-load of things on my wish list: a new camera body and camera gear, an iMac, a new guitar, maybe a Macbook Air.
5. Pay off and/or buy each of my sets of parents (my mom and Rich, my dad and Zulay) their/a home.

Five things I'd never wear again:

1. Belt bottom/flare jeans
2. Wiggly, butterfly clips in my hair.
3. Eyeliner on my bottom lid.
4. Colored pants with ridiculous, white fade effect.
5. Gel ALL throughout my head while wearing a ponytail.

♥ Melizza.

Because I can.

♥ Melizza.

P.S.: Today, I watched Giuseppi Verdi's opera, La Traviata, with Dania and her roommates. 'Twas BEAUTIFUL.

P.P.S.: Waking up at 8a tomorrow for 8.45a Zumba. Woo!

P.P.P.S.: Currently obsessed with Miyazaki's Spirited Away right now.

P.P.P.P.S.: While walking to school, this random, super-friendly animation major started talking to me. We actually have Dania as a mutual friend! Small, small world at BYU.

P.P.P.P.P.S.: Look how beautifully my favorite yellow rose has bloomed! I wish I could freeze it to be like this forever. Maybe I should try it...

P.P.P.P.P.P.S.: Life is so good.

Who needs a boyfriend on Valentine's Day when you have the sweetest stepdad ever?

Ever since my stepdad, Rich, and my mom have been married, he has always given all the girls in the house roses on Valentine's Day: red for my mom and pink for my baby sister and me.

Me being away at college has not changed a thing. I received roses in the mail last year and an especially gorgeous, colorful bouquet of roses today.

• Me: Got the flowers today; thanks so much!
• Rich: Glad you like them. I look forward to sending them to you each year.
• Me: Hahaha, even when I'm married?
• Rich: As long as I'm alive.
• Me: -cries-

Is it weird to say that I want to marry a man like my stepdad? Too late.

Rich is honestly the most dedicated, thoughtful, faithful, accepting, nonjudgmental, fun, loving, honest, kind, PATIENT man of God I've ever known. No shame.

♥ Melizza.

P.S.: Disregard the demonic look on my face. And the floating head among the roses. I'm happy, really.

EDIT*

I do love getting Valentine's from other people, too. Aaron and Stephen cut out a paper heart and wrote: "Roses are red, violets are blue. Latinas are awesome and so are you!". So great.

I'm such a bad person.

It has been exactly two weeks since my last update; shame on me!

• Three weekends ago, I asked Derrick Hall (our ward's choir pianist; I'm in ward choir) to the girl's choice dance. Friday, January 27th was the actual dance! I went with my classic red dress, diamond grey tights, straightened hair and new suede wedge heels. I was please. It was a group of us, about 8: McKenzie and Todd, Emily and Jordan, this other couple whose names I always forget, and us. We all met up and drove over to The Thai Kitchen; DELICIOUS food but ridiculously SLOW service. We literally waited OVER an hour and forty minutes before we got our food and one of the girls got her check BEFORE she got her food. Needless to say, they didn't get tipped very well. It wasn't all bad, though, because we were talking the whole time and it was great. We then went to the dance. Derrick and I aren't very big on dances, but it was still fun! There were chocolate and caramel fountains (more like slow cookers filled with chocolate and caramel) and delicious Rice Krispies squares to dip with, among other various, dip-worthy sweets. There were A LOT of people from the ward and it was just fun!
• This year has been SUCH a good year health-wise. Last month, Sarah, Liz and I (roommates) got/renewed memberships at Gold's Gym. We got THE sweetest deal: $320 for 14 months, which ends up being $21/month. Unlimited everything: machines, classes, Cardio Cinema (a movie theatre with treadmills, ellipticals, etc. instead of seats), pool, sauna, etc. So I usually go to the gym with Sarah Monday for Cardio Cinema, Tuesday for Zumba, Thursday for Zumba, and Liz joins us Saturday mornings for Cardio Cinema. IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE ACTIVE. I definitely feel those endorphins release! Not to mention I have my Contemporary Dance class Tuesdays and Thursdays at school for an hour each. I LOVE DANCING. I LOVE ZUMBA. I LOVE THE TREAD MILL AND ELLIPTICAL. I LOVE THE GOOD KIND OF PAIN AND SORENESS THAT RESULTS FROM ALL. It really just does feel good. Not to mention my legs are getting so tough and toned and nice from it all. And I have loads more energy.
• I've signed a contract for next Fall/Winter! Sarah, Liz and I will be moving into condos across the street, so we'll still be in the same ward. I really DO love my ward. I also love the place we live in now; Liz and Sarah aren't fans of the thin walls and noise pollution, though. I really don't mind. We've gotten way close this semester, though, so we totally want to live together! 
• Our condo for next semester is WAY sweet; I have the private room, Sarah and Liz are sharing the shared room. I ADORE the private room so much; SO much closet space and it's just going to be so nice to have my own space, again. I've had my own room since seventh grade, I had the private room at Wyview freshman year at BYU. This year is the only year I've shared a room with someone for months at a time since who-knows-when. I cannot WAIT to have my own room, again. It's pricey but it WILL be worth it. Words cannot describe how psyched I am to have my own room, again.
• Our condo also has two floors, two bathrooms (a full upstairs and a guest downstairs), a washer and dryer (hurray for not having to pay to do my laundry, anymore!), underground parking (not that I have a car to park), storage space in the underground parking lot, a new dishwasher (good for Sarah and Liz who always use the dishwasher), a legit, working fireplace (I've never had one), and the most adorable landlord ever, George. It's going to be nice going back to only three roommates total (including myself, as it was at Wyview); MORE ROOM IN THE FRIDGE! I really am excited for this place and really am glad we're staying in the ward :)
• So I'm only working five hours a week, now, which I am SO happy with! Now I can actually hang out and do stuff Saturdays and Friday mornings; I used to work all day Friday from 10a-9.45p, and Saturdays 4-9.45p. Now I only work Fridays from 5-9.45p. Did I mention I'm working with my roommate Sarah? I am and I love it.
• I super duper very much adore my class schedule. It is the best thing.
• Besides Indian and Thai food, I have added Pho to my favorites. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle dish. I got the chicken pho with Heidi and Liz at the Pho Noodle House. IT IS SO RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS. I also had Boba tea, which actually isn't tea AT ALL. It's just a slushie-smoothie kind of drink. So I got the mango boba and it literally tastes like a slushie.
• It's been really odd this year. Like Spring. Very, very, very little snow.

♥ Melizza.

I was feeling red.
I was also wearing red skinny pants with knee-high black boots.
It was a great day.


♥ Melizza.


P.S.: It's MAC Matte Russian Red ;D

Random news:

• Two days ago, I was approved for a student credit card! Woohoo for building up credit and growing up!
• I can't believe we've only been in school for two weeks.
• I ADORE MY SCHEDULE SO MUCH. There is not a single class I am taking that I don't love.
• LDS Marriage & Family with Brother Goodman (with whom I took Mission Prep freshman year) is my teacher and wow. Just wow.
• I love being sore. Is that weird? No. Sarah (my roommate) agrees with me. It's that good sore when you know you've been working hard. In my case, dancing hard. I LOVE my Contemporary Dance class. I am always sweating bullets afterward. And sore.
• I am working ALL day Friday. And I mean ALL day: 10a-9p and that isn't even including closing, which takes longer.
• I am working Saturday night, too. With Sarah, of course! I work Fridays with her, too.
• Liz, Sarah and I are absolutely LOVING living together. Now that we know each other, we are getting along ridiculously well. I love them so much. We're praying about finding an apartment (staying in the ward boundaries, hopefully) where we can all three live together (but we want to move out of this one).
• Speaking of praying, we've started apartment prayer. Sarah and I thought of it. Our minds are ridiculously in sync this semester, it's weird. Apartment prayer usually only consists of Sarah, Liz and I because Ashley's always with Oliver (they are dating).
• I have been eating peanut butter sandwiches every night for dinner the past few nights. And no, I'm not going to plead the lame "I'm a poor college student" excuse; I have money to buy food and I buy good food. PB sandwiches are all I want to eat for dinner! It's weird! It's because I eat two granola bars throughout the day as lunch; my body, however, craves PB sandwiches for lunch, and me not giving my body PB sandwiches results in me eating them later in the day.
• Today, I forced myself to eat broccoli-cheddar soup, though. Yay me!
• This Portrait Photo class is DEFF pushing me out of my element; it's all in the studio (for the most part) and working with lights. BUT IT IS SO, SO FUN!
• I should probably go to sleep. It's 12.30 am, I still have studying to do, and I have to wake up for a 9 am class. And no, I will not plead the lame "I never get any sleep because I'm a college student" excuse; I SLEEP WELL! Minus Tuesdays and Thursdays, my long days.
• I need to buy more milk, more orange juice, more bread, more granola bars, more grapes and tomatoes, red and green peppers. Hurray for healthy eating!
• It really is SO important to whole-heartedly do daily scripture study and pray on your knees multiple times a day; I have been finding myself relying on it more than ever these past two weeks- not because I have some major issues or problems and not because I need to check it off my "list", but because I want to. I sincerely want to and it's filling my heart with that desire more and more. God is just revealing such amazing, great things in my life and teaching me so much. It's unreal.
• I adore Indian food. It's probably my favorite.
• "Because I have been given much, I too must give."
• I just really love my life.
• It's ridiculous how much I love my life.
• I am so thankful God gave me life.

I treat this blog as a journal of sorts, if you haven't noticed. I enjoy it very much.

♥ Melizza.

Definitely missing my best friend right now.

Elder Mark Daniel (or, Elder Marky Mark Daniel as I like to call him) has been serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the past eight months and has about sixteen months more to go. He has been doing ridiculously amazing work for the Lord and I am so, so proud of him.

I sent him this big package for his six months in that included: two GIANT jars of JIFF peanut butter, a bunch of candy, Oreos to dunk in the peanut butter, EFY/Church music (he totally needed it), a card/note of awesomeness, little cut outs of him and me attached to orange straws, and a few other little things. Gotta start planning what will be in his twelve-month package (with time so it actually gets to him on his year mark)!

But really, he is so focused on the work. He is so focused on our Savior, Jesus Christ, which is what life is ALL about. He has always been such a man of God and such a righteous Priesthood holder, ALWAYS upholding his callings.

I miss him. So, so much.
I have always said I have wanted to marry a Mark.
I look forward to him coming home May 2013 :)

April 2010. ATL, Georgia. MoProm.

He made this for me about a year ago and put it on my desktop before he left.

♥ Melizza.

New job!

Saturday night I officially worked for the first time at my new job: Tokyo Sweets.


Located in the Provo Towne Center's food court, it serves Japanese desserts that are DELICIOUS.


We have banana tempura (tempura: Japanese battered and deep fried goodness), Oreo tempura, cheesecake tempura, brownie tempura, tempura ice cream, mochi ice cream, Ramune, Hello Panda, Hi-Chew, Calpico, Pocky, Milkita pops, regular ice cream, and tons of other stuff.


It's extra awesome because:

1. My sister and brother-in-law own the place.
2. I took all the photos hanging up on the wall, serving as the menu.

In all seriousness, though, I really do enjoy working there and I really enjoy working period. It feels good: I'm being productive, I'm helping a business out (specifically my sister and brother-in-law), and I make money. I haven't worked a consistent, hourly-wage job since I worked at Cold Stone back home for a year and a half... a year and a half ago. It's been a while.


I'm also working with my roommate, Sarah, so that makes things extra awesome.


Now, what to do with this money? I can:


a) Save up for a car.
b) Save up for a mission.
c) Save up for a new camera body/lens.
d) Save up for a wedding/honeymoon (not that it's happening soon, but I should still probably save up hahah).
e) Save up for an iPhone (although this is most likely not the wisest of the five).


♥ Melizza.


P.S.: COME VISIT ME! I work Friday and Saturday nights after 4 pm.

Surrender.

The thought of surrendering to anything/anyone is seen as a sign of weakness, but I beg to differ.


I think in many cases, surrender is a sign of STRENGTH. This is not true when people surrender out of fear- this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the people who surrender, that know themselves SO well and have their heads well on their shoulders, because they see the bigger picture.


Before I go on, let me declare one thing: Art is in everything. Art is everything. When I say this, I go beyond the general idea of art that involves stages, scripts, violins, paintbrushes and cameras. I am also talking about doctors, teachers, lawyers, paramedics and anyone else in a career.


To me, surrender is a sign of SELFLESSNESS, or the desire to be so. As an artist, you HAVE to surrender. If you are selfish with your time, you can make decent, good art, but you cannot make REAL, TRUE, GREAT art. You cannot truly progress and grow. I know this from personal experience. The artists I look up to give up whole days and days to their art. Even a few hours isn't enough. The artists I look up to aren't perfect, they DO mess up, but they take extra hours and days out of their time to make improvements and alterations. They stand in front of a sheet or sit in a library with their noses in books for hours upon hours to try and learn, become better. They surrender to become better.


To go even further, I think surrendering to someOne, the One and Only God, takes even more strength and eternal perspective. This is the ultimate, great surrender. There is no single thing a person can do that takes more courage, strength and selflessness, nor is there no one thing/person that can provide greater happiness than when you surrender to Him. When you surrender to Him and truly surrender to Him, you love with His Love. Unconditionally. You put your family first. You serve your family. You seek the weary, the poor, the broken-hearted and tend to their needs. You think less about yourself and more about Him. You think less about yourself and more about His children, His work.


In a world that screams that people should stand upon a mountain proclaiming their individuality and greatness, with all else and all others beneath them, the world is ever in need of more people that are willing to lie low (figuratively-speaking and spiritually) and under those at their lowest to tend to them, LOVE them, lift them, encourage them, unify with them. It's easy to be high and mighty; it's harder to lower yourself. A lot of times, what is easy also tends to be the cheapest. Don't go for easy. Don't go for cheap. Humility is the greatest strength. Loving is the greatest thing we can do in that strength. Loving like He did is going the extra mile- like Jesus Christ always does for us.


Status: currently trying to embrace all this in my own life.

♥ Melizza.

Random news + Love plans:

• Jonathan Canlas is teaching a photography class at my school. NBD. 
• On that note, I would take it if I was a Photo BFA student. I can next semester! SO blessed to be at my school.
• My school's photo studio is SO sick. Our equipment is ridiculous. I can't wait to get my hands on it all and experiment Saturday!
• I am now officially certified to handle food at restaurants. My new Utah Food Handler's Permit says so.
• Everyone in Utah: COME EAT AT TOKYO SWEETS AT THE PROVO TOWNE CENTER. It's delicious. And new!
• I just realized that I LOVE history. Not the general history classes like "History of France" and "American History", but SPECIFIC history classes. I have taken History of Dance and History of Modern Civilizations through Literature in the past here in college and adored them both. I am currently taking History of Music and History of Jazz and I adore those even more. It's unreal. I have goosebumps the whole time. No joke. History minor, anyone?

My Love plans?

I am going to see about getting a group of people to do some outreach here in Provo. Back home with Mickey (a few years back), I would sometimes participate in what they called "Love Bags"- packing sandwiches, notes, water and such together to hand out to the homeless back home in downtown Ft. Lauderdale where there is a BIG homeless population. Well, I know there are quite a lot of homeless here in Provo, too. And they need love. REAL love.


I remember one time in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, Mickey and I spoke to a man named Cliff for two solid hours. I wish we had more time to speak with him. I wish I knew where he was right now. I know there are thousands upon thousands of people like Cliff: without food, without a home, without a family, without hope. I want to help introduce love and Christ into the lives of people like Cliff.

"Jesus said to feed the poor, not donate.” I read that here on Keegan's blog a while back and it really struck and remained with me.


We have been commanded to unite with our fellow brethren; how can we possibly do that by writing out checks to charity efforts? I mean, it's still an awesome thing to do, of course, but with God and His work, we must go the extra mile. We must LOVE His children personally, individually, as He loves us.


"Because I have been given much, I too must give."


All for His glory, all for His children.


less of me, more of Him.


♥ Melizza.

Winter 2012

I have been feeling so unsettled for the past week because I have not been 100% sure or happy about my schedule for this new semester. I have to take a minimum of 14 credits to keep my scholarship. At first, I was planning on taking 7 classes which was a ridiculous idea because I usually take 5 classes a semester. 7 would be suicide. I have now changed it up and I am for sure, finally taking:

• Color Photography
• Classical Portrait Photography
• Intro to Jazz
• Intro to Music
• Contemporary Dance
• Marriage & Family

Six classes. AND they are only M-Th. Hurray for three day weekends!
I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT MY SCHEDULE.
I love being an art major :')

♥ Melizza.


P.S.: I also changed my layout, yay!

Buckeye Balls!

As requested by Shannon :)


The original recipe is from allrecipes.com, but I've made alterations as seen fit while baking. Trust me on this! 


This recipes makes a little more than two dozen, but they definitely fly! THEY ARE DELICIOUS.


Buckeye Balls


Ingredients


1 toothpick
2 cups creamy peanut butter (the sweeter, the better!)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 6 ounces Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips*
• 2 tablespoons shortening**

*Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips are a personal favorite. You can use whatever you have/like.

**I would up the amount of chocolate chips by an ounce or two. I felt as though the 2 tablespoons of shortening made the chocolate mix too liquidy with only 6 oz. of chocolate chips. I added more and it was way better!

• 
  

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside (In case you don't have waxed paper, no worries! I didn't use one and it all went well).
2. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar with hands to form a smooth stiff dough (Seriously. Use your hands. It's fun. And don't be discouraged if it seems as though it's too dry/there's too much flour; if you use your hands to mix it all up, it will come together. Promise). Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball. Place on prepared pan, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Melt shortening and chocolate together in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat. (I think it's much easier to melt the two together in a microwave, in 30 second increments, in a plastic container like Tupperware or Glad and use the lid over it).
4. Remove balls from refrigerator. Insert a wooden toothpick into a ball, and dip into melted chocolate (DON'T cover the whole ball in chocolate; the point is that they look like buckeye nuts ;D). Return to wax paper, chocolate side down, and remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set (I would refrigerate them for more than 30 minutes; the chocolate was still a little soft when I took them out.
5. Enjoy!

Real Buckeye nuts

Buckeye Balls!

♥ Melizza.

Since I've been home for exactly a week,

I have:

• gotten my hair trimmed. I desperately needed it.
• taken Christmas photos with my family (not all of it, but the ones I live with most the time at my mom's house.

My baby sister Monica (7) and I

Bottom: Monica. Middle (left to right): Joey, Mikey, me. Top: Michael.

• spent tons of quality family time... with my family, of course.
• gone to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP) @ Universal Studios' Island of Adventure for the second time. MY SIBLINGS DIDN'T REALLY LIKE BUTTERBEER. IDK what's wrong with them. I can't get enough of that stuff.

• bought my roommates their Christmas gifts from WWoHP. They're going to love 'em! I also bought us a bottle of pumpkin juice to share in our apartment :) It's so yummy.
• gone caroling with the ward and ward member missionaries. It was super fun, touching, AND we handed out about four or five Book of Mormons/Books of Mormon (ever since the movie "The Best Two Years", I've seriously questioned what the right plural form of the "Book of Mormon" is, hah).
• seen Joeffrey, Josephine's older brother! He returned from serving a full-time, two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in NYC, NY. It was SO good to see him! He's changed so much :)
• read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (by Suzanne Collins) in their entirety. I've started Mockingjay. I'm seriously in love with these books and I can't WAIT for the movies to come out. My mother's read 'em, my brother's read 'em, my other brother's reading them. They all loveeee 'em! They are seriously such a good read and I would highly recommend them to EVERYONE.

• fallen head over heels for Peeta Mellark (if you've read The Hunger Games and are a female, you'd understand). I think them picking Josh Hutcherson to play Peeta for the movies was an absolutely perfect choice. I'm so psyched for the movie to come out!

• thought about what I'm making/getting my family tomorrow while I go shopping for Christmas gift-making supplies! I'm excited :)
• discovered that the Double Tree hotel gives you fresh, warm cookies whenever you stay there. SO YUMMY.
• found out that DAVID ARCHULETA IS GOING TO SERVE A MISSION! Watch the video of him announcing it this Monday at his show in Salt Lake City, UT:

Cool story: my mother knew about this a week before he made it public. My mom is friends with his aunt, who was the one who told my mom. She told her to keep it under wraps until he announced it, though. AND I've met David Archuleta. My double claim to fame! hahah not really.

• made delicious Buckeye Balls with Jackie and Manda!

• Received pretty swell gifts from Nelly and Jackie:

From Nelly: this adorable purple bow headband and equally adorable coconut piggy bank (it has shells for hooves and its butt/tail unplugs to take out the coins)!

From Jackie: this super awesome "I am T-Pain" mic (I've promised to record and dedicate a song to Jackie and her sister Johanna with it) and Awkward Family Pet Photos (from the same guys at http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com).

I've had a pretty swell, wonderful Christmas break with my family and Nelly, Jackie and Manda thus far :) I can't believe it's already been a week! Two more and I'll be thrown into a super busy schedule of making art and working at Tokyo Sweets at the Provo Towne Center!

♥ Melizza.

Finals week update:

Monday:

• I FOUND OUT WE DON'T HAVE CLEANING CHECKS. MY STRESS LEVEL WENT FROM 8 TO 2. SO SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT! That means I can actually SLEEP well today, Tuesday night :3
• I was in the print lab from 1 to 5.30 pm. That is a LONG time to be in one room. Staring at a screen. I spent $41 on nine 11x17" prints.
• I took my D&C final which was online on Blackboard. We had a time limit of four hours (not much of a limit hahah), it was 50 questions, open scripture. I took two and a half hours taking it! I got an 89% on it, which KILLS me because if I had only gotten one or two more questions correct, I would have had the A. Oh well! C'est la vie :)

Tuesday (today):

• It snowed early in the morning. It was snowing when I was walking to the testing center at 8 am. And it was sticking the ground. It HAS stuck to the ground. I think this is the first time this semester it has snowed and stuck for more than just a few hours in Provo. It's still out there. It made walking up the hill pretty unpleasant, especially when I had an 11x14" final portfolio, my laptop, textbooks and such in my backpack.
• The Bookstore didn't buy back my Bio textbook and CD. I was kind of bummed about that. I was hoping to get some money back- it was $100 and brand spankin' new. I literally only opened it once this semester. I never unwrapped the CD at all. I hate it when the Bookstore doesn't buy back your books -_-
• I took my Tagalog final and got a 75% on it. I was kind of hoping for a B, but I definitely think I got the grade I deserved for how much I DIDN'T study. I know I did well on half of it.. it was the other half (more grammar-related) I knew I deff didn't do so well on. I most definitely didn't put the time and effort into studying for it as I should have. It's okay, though, because I've done very well in the class and in every other assignment. I was just so exhausted to the point where I didn't really care about the final or doing well on it.
• I auditioned for the BYU Women's Chorus today. She definitely liked me much better as a soprano 2 than an alto 1. I think I have a 50-50 chance of getting in. I KNOW my voice/vowels/intonation wasn't nearly up to par as it could have been; I should have practiced, slept and eaten more and better. She'll post the list of those who made it in after the first day of class next semester (so Wednesday, January 4th) and I will know then. I really hope I made it in!
• In our three-hour critique, I presented my twelve-image final portfolio for my class with Paul Adams, the Intro to Digital Imaging class. He told me that I was one student he couldn't put his finger on; "decipher" was the word he used. He couldn't tell where I wanted to go with photography because my portfolio is so very diverse and there aren't very many "photo habits" of mine showing through. All in all, I think he was pleased with my portfolio. He said he'd like to see where I go with my photography. I thought I did very well and I was pleased :) I'm guessing a B+ or A- on my final portfolio.
• I don't know where I want to go with my photography, either. Don't know what field or what I want to shoot exactly. I just like photographing a lot of things.
• I need to study and take my Bio final. I'm kind of really tired, though, and don't know if I care enough to study that much for it. I have a 92% in the class, so if I want to keep that A I should probably try a little bit. I'm just so tired and so ready to go home!
• I need to do laundry and pack when I get home!

Tomorrow:

• I GO HOME.
• I GO HOME.
• I GO HOME TO SWEET, SWEET, WARM, SOUTH FLORIDA :)

I CAN'T WAIT TO GO HOME ON WEDNESDAY.

When I'm home, I will:

• finally get my hair trimmed. My hair has grown a ridiculous amount in +four months and my ends are dying to be cut.
• go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the second time- this time with two of my brothers and a baby sister. I'll get my roommates' Christmas gifts from there, as well :)
• go to my brother's EHS Legacy Choir Winter concert.
• sleepover my dad's house.
• see Joeffrey, who's been on a mission for the past two years and has just returned!
• go to the beach at night (my favorite thing to do).
• see my best friends.
• read the Hunger Games series while I have some free time to breath.
• hug my dog Brandy lots and lots.
• go to Santa's Enchanted Forest.
• RELAX.
• give and make gifts for my family and friends.
• show Jon every single Remi Gaillard video on Youtube and play Rockband.
• spend Christmas with my family, remembering my Savior's coming to earth and all He did for me.
• BE WITH MY FAMILY :D

But this is on Wednesday.

First I need to get through finals, packing, and cleaning the apartment.

Oh, and I need to find a ride to the airport, too.

That's kind of important.

Wish me luck! :)

♥ Melizza.