Oh Lovely Apt. 1149...

I know I already blogged today...but stuff has been going on tonight at apartment 1149 that must be documented. I no longer have facebook....yes oh your followers of my blog...I deactivated my facebook account...and for many reasons. Since I can't post this as my status...why not blog it?? Let me start out by saying how much I love my 5 roommates. We are all SO different...but when we get together it's a party and we all enjoy each other's company! Hoa is from Louisiana. She is an amazing cook! One of my favorite things about her is that she says "Ya'll" ALL the time. LOVE HER! Katie is from Orem. She dominates at Zelda. Her and I like to watch Halloween movies together and bond. I adore this girl! Kat is just hilarious. She likes to hide in her room sometimes and so we never know when she is home. Kat is a hoot! Elise is pretty freaking awesome! She and I like to joke around with each other. I love Elise! Then there's Aubrey. Oh Aubrey! It's because of her that I decided to come here...k not 100%..BUT she did put the idea in my head. I am forever grateful for Aubbie Jo.

Okay so tonight...I was going to go to bed like an hour ago, but why not hang out with the roomies for a bit??? We are all doing our daily routines...

Hoa is cooking...amazing food. (By the way...I feel more at home here because it always smells like my mom's cooking...thanks HOA!!!)

Katie is playing Zelda and dominating.

Elise is in her room...probably sleeping or studying.

We don't know where Kat is...

Aubrey is attempting to do her homework..

and I'm just sitting here next to Aubs blogging.

Typical us!

Best quote of the whole day:

"Umm...can someone, like, show me how to load the dishwasher?"

-Hoa Tran
 Hoa hand washes all of her dishes...she's amazing!

All I have to say...is that I ADORE my roommates! We haven't gotten a picture of all 6 of us together...but we'll get it! I'm truly blessed to be living with 5 fantastic girls!

25 days!

I love Christmas! I love the feeling in the air. The snow. The radio filled with Christmas music. The lights. Everything. I'll be home for Christmas! I love that I can actually say that this year! Yes, Orem is my new home and I LOVE it down here. But there is an amazing spirit at my home back in Salt Lake during the Christmas season. My mom decks out like none other! She makes our house look beautiful and our tree is incredible. There are a few things I am really excited for during this Christmas season:

Snow angels

Skiing

Sitting by the fire

Decorating the house

Ginger bread houses

Seeing the lights on Temple Square

Doing fun things with Els

Watching the Grinch 17 times

And of course...being with my family!

Yep...tis the season! I love Christmas! We've already hung up our stockings and put up Christmas lights in our apartment! AND we are going up to Park City to get a REAL Christmas tree from the forest. Oh I love this season! Now LET IT SNOW!

One of my favorite souvenirs from Mexico...

**25 days until Christmas**

Guardian Angel...

I have a guardian angel.
I am a lucky girl.
It's taken me a while to find one.
But hey....better late than never.
My angel is someone I can talk to about ANYTHING....literally...anything.
My angel calls me just to see how I'm doing.
My angel shares some of the same talents as me.
My angel and I have a long special list...29 items so far.
My angel and I like getting to know each other...even though we already know a lot about each other.
My angel gives me things I don't deserve.
My angel and I like to eat on the floor in my room.
My angel and I sit on my bed for almost 5 hours at a time and just talk.
No music.
No movies.
Christmas lights are on.
Talking...Laughing...Teasing...Sitting in silence even...but it's a comfortable silence.
My angel lets me call to complain about work or anything else.
My angel gets me.
My angel let's me cry on their shoulder.
My angel wipes my tears away.
My angel comforts me when it's needed.
My angel makes sure that I'm okay before we do anything else.
My angel can make me stop crying faster than anyone I have ever known.

Ya....I'm pretty lucky.
My guardian angel is better than yours.
My angel is an angel to others too.
I'm just happy right now.
Today has been an up and down kind of day.
But I'm happy that I get to go to sleep now with a smile on my face.
And I know I'll wake up with that same smile on.

I love guardian angels.
Everyone deserves one.

P.s. I had a dream last night that I was Katniss and Haymitch and I were on a team fighting against random soldiers...we dominated. I woke up a tad bit exhausted. What a rush!

Hold On...

Her life was more than mine, 
Like a proud shooting star into the night, 
She crashed through the airwaves and ripped like a knife. 
It was a bad disease; her searching was over, over. 
Hold on to the light that guides you, 
Hold on to the air that cools you, 
Hold on, hold on to me 

Her mind steadfast through time, 
Her family stood by trying hard not to cry, 
With patience and virtue, kept strong through the night, oh. 
She never fell to her knees, her searching was over, over. 

Hold on to the light that guides you, 
Hold on to the air that cools you, 
Hold on, hold on to me 
Hold on to the light that guides you, 
Hold on to the air that cools you, 
Hold on, hold on to me 

And then my eyes stretched out, 
As I saw her hand slip away 

Hold on to the light that guides you, 
Hold on to the air that cools you, 
Hold on, hold on to me 
Hold on to the light that guides you, 
Hold on to the air that cools you, 
Hold on, hold on to me

"I have confidence..."

The sound of music is one of my favorite movies.
Yes I'm a musical nerd sometimes.
But I like it.
I love the song, "I Have Confidence"
Julie Andrews is amazing when she sings it!
It's been stuck in my head all day.
I. Have. Confidence.
Right now....I feel out of place.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Physically.
This song put a smile on my face.
I have confidence hat school and work will be good this week.
I have confidence that all will go well with my family.
I have confidence that friendships will continue to grow.
Having confidence is something that I'm working on this year.
I still have a long ways to go.
But I'll get there.

Music...

Day 17...

Today I am grateful for music. There is nothing better than driving in the car by yourself while listening to your favorite artist. There are people that hate driving...I LOVE it. Especially by myself. I am my own DJ. Today I listened to Taylor Swift while I drove to and from Salt Lake. I have realized that I can relate to every one of her songs. That's when I realized that I am grateful for music. I love listening to music anytime of the day. It puts me in a good mood. I can't help but be in a good mood when I listen to Natasha Bedingfield...I can't help but sing along with Taylor Swift...I can't help but melt when I listen to Michael Buble...I can't help but sing at the top of my lungs when I listen to Wicked...I can't help being happy when I listen to Sophie Barton...I can't help but smile when I hear Mindy Gledhill's voice...I can't help but calm down when I listen to John Mayer...I can't help but reflect back on my childhood when I listen to Billy Joel...all such different music....but all so meaningful to my life. I'm happy to say that I like all types of music. Country. Rock. Pop. Rap. Indy. I love it all! Music has played a huge part in my life ever since I was 5. It speaks to me. It understands me. It gets me through hard situations. It makes me happy. Music is well said to be the speech of angels. Music should never be harmless. Where words fail, music speaks. Music is LOVE in search of a word.

Bottom line...I LOVE MUSIC.

Some of my favorite songs and artists...

Mindy Gledhill-Whole Wide World

Trent and Annie-Fast Car

Natasha Bedingfield-Strip Me

Taylor Swift-Story of Us

Billy Joel-We Didn't Start the Fire

Day 16...

Today I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon.

Trent and I decided to start reading the Book of Mormon together. Book club!

It's been really good for me.

I finished the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and so I decided to start over.

It's easier to read it when you have someone reading it with you.

We read 3 chapters a day and share our favorite scripture together.

I just started reading it on Sunday and I already feel a huge change in my life.

Some stress has gone away and I am more happy.

The Lord works in mysterious ways...I've learned that this year.

Day 15...

Today I'm grateful for laughter! I love giggling to myself about stupid things. I love giggling on the phone  with friends. I just love laughing. Laughing is the best medicine :)

Marcel the Shell is my all time favorite YouTube video. I'm so happy they made a second one! So thank you Marcel the Shell 2 for making my giggle and be happy! And thank you Trent for telling me a funny story about his dad and making me laugh on the phone! Man I love laughing!!

P.S...Happy 1/2 birthday Aubbie Jo!!

"You don't have to be a Mozart.."

Day 14...

Ahhh the piano.

The piano the piano. How I miss my shiny black Yamaha back in my living room. With ivory white keys and charcoal black keys. I remember my first piano lesson. Age 6. In the basement of Marlene Larsen's home. I fell in love with that instrument. I learned a lot from those lessons. My dance schedule was too busy to allow me to take lessons after school. So 6:45 AM lessons it was! Every Wednesday. Did I dread waking up for those lessons? Yep. Did I ever feel like giving up? Yep. But I didn't. Ya, I quit taking lessons in 9th grade...but I never gave up playing. I found myself on that piano more after I had quit lessons that while I was taking them. I was my own teacher now. I wanted to learn. I just didn't have the time to balance dance AND lessons. All of my church callings have been involved with music. From YW pianist...to ward choir accompanist...to Relief Society pianist...to ward chorister...to ward choir accompanist...yet again. I love having these callings.

Today, I needed to escape my apartments...my homework...my stress...my life. I didn't know how I was going to do that. I looked down at the sheet music for my ward choir that was sitting on my desk. Without even thinking, I picked it all up and walked out the door, got into my car and headed over to the ward building. Lo and behold... it was open. All I needed was the piano to be free. Amazingly enough...it was. I played and played and played. Mostly the choir music. But I started playing Jon Schmidt's "Waterfall". I forgot about the world for that period of time. I forgot about school, drama, stress and life in general. For that moment, it was just me. The piano. The music. The spirit. I needed that. I was bummed to look at the clock and see it read 7:20...time for 7:30 class. But I was just happy that I was able to have my own personal time for that hour. I LOVE playing the piano at home when no one is there. I open the piano lid to the highest level and just play my heart out. If I'm angry...I let it out on the piano...(without breaking it of course)...I play what my mood is and the piano plays along with me. Now I wouldn't say that I'm Beethoven, Mozart or Yanni. I just enjoy the passion I have for the piano. I'm so blessed to have music in my life.

"You don't have to be a Mozart...if you just play it from the heart..."

-Natasha Bedingfield

Standing in need of comfort...

Day 13...

I stand in need of comfort...Aubrey Jo to the rescue!

She knows just what to say to make me feel better.
She knows when I'm upset.

Even when I'm not verbal about it.

It's kind of freaky sometimes.

But I like it.

Last night and today were hard days.

She hurried home from Salt Lake last night.

Just so she could help me.

She asked if I needed anything.

All I wanted was a hug.

She gave me a big one.

Aubrey put everything aside so that I was okay.

She made things okay today.

She just made me happy.

I never realized how grateful I am for her.

Known her since 4th grade.

We met on escalators at Trolly Square.

I got her to join Clayton.

According to her..."She owes her Clayton life to me"...hehe

We share the passion of singing and dance together.

We say roomie prayers together at night

and end it with a hug.

Never get in any arguments.

We share closets....literally.

We do photography homework together.

We read books and take naps.

We dress up together for Halloween.

We have shaving parties together.

We enjoy Sunday naps.

We make each other stronger in our weakest points.

We leave post-it notes for each other.

We have the same S.R.B. necklace.

We make each other's beds.

We make videos for each other.

We have push our beds together & have sleepovers.

She wakes up first on Sunday mornings so

I wake up so we attend church.

She gives the best hugs.

She listens.

She snuggles with me when I'm sad.

She wipes away my tears.

She suggests a funny movie to watch so we can laugh.

She sits on the piano bench with me at choir practice.

She makes me gluten free brownies.

She lets me know she loves me no matter what.

She is unselfish.

She is humble and spiritual.

She is beautiful.

She is pure and smart.

She knows how to turn my frown upside down.

She lets me cry when I just want to cry.

She cries with me.

She is HILAR!

She is true to herself.

She is a loyal friend.

She's the greatest and I love her.

We cry together...laugh together...sing together...eat together...

lots of things together.

She 'likes' everything on my profile :)

Not one ounce of me is sick of living with this Aubrey Jo Nilsson.

She looked heartbroken when I joked around about getting married at a young age.

That's when I knew that we still have a lot of time to live together and make even more memories as roommates...

best friends...

and sisters...

Today...I'm grateful for Aubrey Jo Nilsson.

HECK! I'm grateful for her every day.

But today...she did a lot for me.

I never thought I would end up living with her.

Never thought about going to UVU.

I owe this year to her.

She has helped me in so many ways and she doesn't even know it sometimes.

I guess you could say that God knew that I would

struggle with some things living on my own.

He put me with a roommate that could make those trials easier...He did a good job.

A Dream is a WISH Your Heart Makes...

So 11-11-11 was one MAGICAL day!

Addison surprised Aubrey and I with Disney on Ice tickets!

Aubs and I went last year.

Time to make it a tradition.

Add was soooo amazing to let me tag along with him and Aubrey and buy my ticket.

Trent came too! Doub Date!

We grabbed Cafe Rio before the show.

The show started....MAGIC.

All 4 of us were children for 2 hours.

I've never seen Addison and Trent get so excited about something.

It was kind of funny :)

Aubrey and I FREAKED out when "Someday My Prince Will Come" started playing

and ALL of the Disney princesses came out with their prince charming!

Aubs and I are princesses are heart..

We went back to Trent's and watched Emperor's New Groove...we were in a Disney mood.

Yes we all had a MAGICAL experience at 11:11 PM.

This day was really special to me.

I got to be a princess for a night and experience an amazing day with Aub, Add and Trent...some of my most favorite people.

It turned out to be an amazing, MAGICAL, wishing day.

I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

I guess you could say that today I am grateful for a lot of things.

Cafe Rio...for always satisfying my tummy.

Disney...for bringing out the little girl inside me.

Addison...for providing the tickets.

Aubrey...for being my roomie and best friend.

Trent...for being my date and for always being there for me.

and....11-11-11 11:11 PM

Dreams really do come true...

11-11-11...11:11

Today I am grateful for 2 things...

#1: 11-11-11!!!! MAKE A WISH! Facebook is loaded with statuses about this. I love how exciting people get about it! I know I do! We all made wishes at work today the second the clock hit 11:11. Me and Aubrey are going to stay up late to witness another 11:11!! I never fail to make a wish when the clock is 11:11...today is more special though... 11/11/11...11:11!! LOVE IT!!

#2: In honor of Veteran's Day, I want to express my gratitude to those who are serving our country! I only know a few men and women who are so courageous to stand up and fight for America. Adam Green is one of them. His wife, Sara Stevens Green is my friend Spencer's sister. I was able to play the piano as Sara walked down the aisle at their wedding. So I have a special place for Adam and Sara in my heart. I am so grateful for America and the freedom in which we all get to enjoy.

Aubsie and Fann...

Not only am I grateful for "Annie Time"...but I'm also grateful for "Aubrey and Annie Time". After I was done with Annie time...I thought it would be good for me to stop being a loser and hang out with Aubrey. What did we do?...we read books. Who would have thought that reading a book next to your roomie would be so fun?? We sat next to each other on Aubrey's bed...we didn't take a picture because we fell asleep. So nappy time it was for us! I love that Aubs and I take naps at the same time. Bonding. Then we woke up..missed institute...oops..But hurried and got ready for our lady date. That's right people...a lady date! We went to Zupas for dinner. I got the BBQ chicken salad while Aubrey enjoyed her favorite TBA!

We Love Mocks!!

We downed that meal and hurried off to UVU's Synergy Dance Company concert...it was good...we left at intermission...we love dance. Trust me. We LOVE dance. This concert was 100% modern..NOTHING wrong with that...but it's hard to sit through any sort of concert with a throbbing head ache. So we left. I went to bed while Aubrey went up to hang out with her bestie, Addison. I LOVE AUBREY AND ANNIE TIME!

"Annie Time"

Day 10!

Today I am grateful for alone time. I didn't have a very good day at work today and all I wanted to do today was take a nap in my comfy bed and be alone for an hour. Came home..no one was home. I was really happy. I just snuggled up in my bed, popped in a movie and made myself some popcorn. I do wish Aubrey was here though. But ya...today was "Annie" day and I'm grateful for that!

Day 9

Today I am grateful for popcorn and milk duds. Aubrey, Carlos and I wanted to watch a movie tonight. I love watching movies! Especially when I have popcorn and milkduds...anyone who knows me knows that I love eating a milkdud and then throwing some popcorn in my mouth..hello!! Carmel popcorn! So we went to Walmart and got me some milkduds while Carlos got himself some Oreos...I'm sad to say that I cannot eat Oreos anymore...but I did...don't tell anyone. But we came back home and watched Robin Hood Men In Tights....(TIGHT tights) It was so funny! But ya...I'm grateful for popcorn and milkduds....and the fun night that I had with Carlos and Aubbie.

Elsa Marin

Day 8!!

Today I am so very grateful for my best friend and sister Elsa Marin Jensen! We met about a year and a half ago at Zupas. Ya I've only known her for a short period of time..but it feels like I've known her forever! We have had some pretty amazing memories together...working at Zupas...picnics...gLee concert in Vegas...Lagoon...Park City...Taylor Swift...Idaho visits...babysitting the twinners...Wally world trips...Cafe Rio runs...Zupas runs...nights with Blake...blasting music in the car...the list goes on and on!

I love my Elsa! She lives in Idaho and goes to BYU-I. She is going into photography and I am so proud of her! It does stink having her live 4 1/2 hours away...but it has made me appreciate her so much more now!

Ya we have had some low points but the high points TOTALLY outweigh the low points! I am so grateful for Elsa for many reasons. She has brought me up in my lowest times. She makes me laugh. She knows how to make me happy. She will do anything for me. She is smart and works hard in school which helps me works hard in school. I'm just grateful for my best friend and sister Elsa Marin!

Chad James & Anna Marilyn

Day 7!

Today I am grateful for a very special person. His name is Chad James Nilsson. He has been one of my best friends since the 4th grade. We met in "Good News" at Clayton Productions and we have been best friends ever since. He is my roommate, Aubrey's, older brother. We both miss him like crazy!

5 things you need to know about Chad:

1. He is the biggest BYU fan I know.

2. He LOVES Vanilla and Oreo ice cream...from Smith's.

3. He is serving a mission in Romania.

4. He has 9 fingers...that's right...9.

5. He is one of the most genuine and loving people I know.

Oh..and he comes from a wonderful family. Today I am grateful for Chad for many reasons. He has gotten me through some of the hardest times of my life. He has always been there to talk to and give me advice. His letters are full of funny comments and a strong testimony. He has always been there to make me laugh when I'm on the verge of tears. I remember the last birthday I had before he left on his mission, he called me and said, "Annie! Are you home? I have something for you for your birthday!"...literally 3 minutes later, Chad pulled up in my driveway. He walked out of his car holding a balloon, a 2 liter of Dr. Pepper and a big bag of harvest cheddar sun chips...my favorite snack. Along with a Hoops and YoYo card. Hoops and YoYo is our favorite! It meant a lot to me that he remembered my favorite snack!

He sent me this picture on Thanksgiving!

Chad and I have traveled the world together!..okay...maybe just San Francisco, Branson, San Antonio, Denver, Chicago and Orlando...but memories beyond this world were created. Chad is like an older brother to me. We've had quite the history and according to Laurel Clayton Dowse...he's my soul mate.

At the BYU-Utah game, his older brother Jace asked me, "Annie? Who is your favorite Nilsson?" That is probably the hardest question I have ever had to answer. They are all my favorite! But I just said, "Chad...since he's not here! haha!" Then I really thought about it...Chad is just one of my favorite PEOPLE! He has supported me at EVERY dance concert I've been in. Whether it be, Clayton Dance Company, Olympus High School Dance Company, all of my school musicals or Synergy...he was there. He has been my dance partner in crime since "Good News"!

Man I miss that boy! I have Kim Clayton to thank for putting us in the same group together at age 10.

I just love the Nilsson family and am so grateful for their wonderful example and hospitality!

I'm so grateful for my 9-fingered friend Chad James Nilsson!