What's up, Utah?!

Hey guys! I wrote this post a week ago and failed to post it, so here it is... just a little late.

Hey guess what guys?! I'M AT BYU!!! Pretty exciting, I know. I have been told by a few people that I haven't updated them on what's going on. Really I didn't think people were all that interested, but since people are then I am willing to share how my first couple weeks have been here in Provo.

Well, I moved into my apartment on Thursday (August 28, if you want dates) and that was a lot easier than I expected. I was really scared, to be honest. I couldn't eat and I felt sick because I was so nervous. First off, I met my roommates the night before when I dropped my stuff off before going to see some more family. Let me just tell you, they are the bomb.com. There is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father made sure I was in the perfect apartment. It's only been 2 weeks and I have already danced in the kitchen, done “parkour” in the parking lot, and even sung Hannah Montana, all things I would only do in front of people I am comfortable with. It is pretty great. I really like my apartment and the whole complex. I definitely picked the right place. (Go me!) My ward is really great and can I just say that being in a Singles Ward is amazing! It is so much more reverent and the hymns sound so good because all these young people have good voices. It's pretty crazy! The whole living situation is great and it is such a comfort to call it my new home.

Now school is another whole thing. To say it has been overwhelming would be a bit of an UNDERstatement. I am just now getting to the point where I can get to my classes without having to look up the room number and looking at the campus map on my phone to get to the correct building. Yeah, I had to do that my first week, no lie. I only had to turn around two or three times and I have not tripped, fallen, or run into anyone... yet. (I am sure my time will come soon. I pretty much just jinxed myself right there. OH well!) My first week was a bit much for a transfer student from little ole' Roxboro. In that first week I managed to move to a new state with all new people, start school, question my major, drop two classes, add a new class, and change my major, all of which were not stressful at all. I can proudly say that I did all of that without shedding a tear. I thought that was a bit of an accomplishment. With a little help from my mother, sisters, my roommates, and my patriarchal blessing, things are good now. Everything has been figured out and I am beginning to really enjoy some of my classes. I legit got to take a nap in one of my theatre classes the other day! Yeah, my professor said it was okay and even good if we fell asleep! (We were doing some relaxation exercises, so sleeping was acceptable... amazing.) My major is now just Theatre Arts Studies compared to Pre-Acting and I am happy with that for now. Knowing me, I'm bound to change my mind sometime along the way, but not for a good while. I really love that some of my classes begin with a prayer and spiritual aspects are brought into almost everything we learn. That makes me feel so much more comfortable and just makes me happy! I also love hearing the choir singing hymns while I do homework, or hear them being sung in different languages in another building. Now it's not like that everywhere. They were playing some dubstep on the quad the other day, no joke. My mom said it right, there is no place quite like BYU and I am really loving it.

As for the social and adventure aspect, I am a failure. JUST kidding! I have done a pretty good amount of new things in the past couple weeks. I hiked up to the Y, which I see every single day and I love it, and that was pretty much death. Seriously, the altitude difference is killer you guys. I felt like a bit of a wimp because of how much I struggled. I also hiked up to a little waterfall with some people. Went to my first college “party,” which is not ANYTHING you would suspect. We seriously went to another apartment and had ice cream... total rager! Had Hot Tub Monday, which is just my roommates and myself chilling in the hot tube at like 9:30 on Monday nights. This week we had lots of people join us and I swam in our freaking cold pool in like 50 degree weather, and I loved it! (I seriously did.) We went to a rooftop concert this past weekend, which was pretty cool. I have even gone on a date, so I think I can say I have been pretty social and adventurous in the past weeks. I still have a lot of improving to do when it comes to just putting myself out there and meeting and talking to new people, but I have time... plenty of it.

All in all, things are great. I have only had one little hour long spout of homesickness talking to my mom on the phone, but other than that I have been good. I am finally getting to the point where I can stop freaking out, relax, and just enjoy myself. Well, that is all for now! I will have to post pictures of my apartment and such once I actually put pictures up in my room and decorate. I'll get to that... one day! Anyway, I will keep you updated! :D

- M. Philly

FAQs

Hey everyone! I apologize for the plainness of the page. I will just say it's "under construction." Well, it's been a year since I posted and what a year it has been. A lot of things have happened and a lot of things have changed for me. It's pretty crazy what a year can do for a person! I have had a bunch of people basically asking me the same questions about what's going on, so I thought HEY, why don't I just answer some of these questions on here!! Plus, a few people have told me I should give a little update, so I thought, great idea peeps!

1. What have you been up to these days?!
Well, I graduated Piedmont Community College back in May with an Associates of Arts and I am going to Brigham Young University in the Fall! Go Cougars!!!! I am working at Electronic Solutions and Carver Agency Insurance for the summer. Both jobs are fantastic and I am quite enjoying them!

2. Brigham Young... Where is that? Why there? What are you studying? When do you leave?
It's in Provo, Utah. I used to say that I didn't want to be like every other Mormon and go out out west for school, but after much thought and prayer, I realized BYU was the place I wanted and I needed to be. Thankfully, Heavenly Father felt the same way! I am going to study Acting, which I am very excited about. I was going to go for Communications just because people told me a Theatre degree would be stupid, but I decided not to listen to other people and study what I really love and I am very happy with that decision. I am leaving August 21. (40 days, but who's counting?!)

3. That is pretty far from home. How do you feel about that? Do you know where you are living? Roomates?
Far from home? It's only about 2,000 miles away! It is kinda the point though. I have lived in Roxboro my whole life, so I am excited to get away... far away. I love Roxboro and of course I am going to miss being in the South, but it will be nice to be somewhere new. I'm actually not too worried about getting homesick. I mean, I am going to miss all my friends and my family... a lot, but I have family and friends out in Utah and Idaho, so if I do get homesick I have people out there for me. Overall, I am stoked... a little nervous, but stoked! I am living in an apartment off campus with 5 other girls, who I will not know until the day I move in. That is a little scary, but I have faith that they are going to be awesome and that they will love the fact that I'm from the South! (Counting on that actually!)

4. What are you going to do without your best friend?!
I don't like to think about that. Every time I bring up leaving to her, she says "You're not leaving." I keep telling her to just come with me, but she won't do it. I am going to miss her a whole freaking lot, but I will be back at Christmas and we will talk all the time. I keep joking with her that she is going to forget all about me as soon as I leave, but I know that's not true. I will miss her, but we can survive being 2,000 miles away for a while, I just know it. Ereline for LIFE! :)

5. You are going to keep us updated on all your adventures, right?!
I sure hope so. I plan to post about what's going on and let you guys know that I am alive and well. Sorry to be the stereotypical Mormon girl with a blog... actually, I'm not sorry. I enjoy it, so I will post as much as I can.

Well, I think that is about all the questions I can think of that people have been asking me a lot. I hope I did not bore you and that you are feeling like you know me a little better. Anyway, that is all for now! Thanks for reading and have a fantastic day or night. :)

-M.Philly

The teacher ALWAYS learns more than the student

I feel like that is a valid statement. If you have ever taught anyone anything, you will know that this is true. You always end up learning more about yourself from your "student." I could also have titled this post something else, but I didn't want to give everything away so easily. I just want to talk about one of my "students" and my absolute favorite one at that. I cannot put my feelings all in this post because it would be absolutely impossible and I could never express everything as eloquently as she could, because she is quite a genius and has a way with words. All that aside, here I go....

For Darby

A name as unique as the girl. Probably one of the greatest people you will ever know. If you know OF her, but do not KNOW her, you are truly missing out. She is quite tall, taller than me. She is beautiful, with a beauty all her own. She is smart, probably smarter than you (definitely smarter than me). She is funny, without even realizing she is. She is just Darby and that is something really spectacular. I don't think she gives herself enough credit because she really is amazing. I met Darby when I was in 11th grade and she was in 8th. My band director introduced us and told me that I would be teaching her how to read music and play the xylophone/marimba/piano. Honestly, I was terrified because I didn't know that much myself and to have to teach someone the basics of music didn't sound like any fun at all. I had a hard time interacting with new people and I was not looking forward to helping this little 8th grader. I can say that I am so grateful that  I was given that wonderful opportunity. After we warmed up to each other, I realized she was a quick learner, and by quick I mean road-runner fast. I was amazed at how fast she picked things up. As we got done with the basics we actually got to know each other. She told me of her crushes and I laughed as she blushed. I told her my stories and she laughed as I blushed. We laughed, probably too much for band class. We got to the band concert and she outplayed me and that is a fact. We spent the summer apart, but there were Facebook posts and messages exchanged. There were jokes of Mick Jagger/John Mayer and Stephen Spielberg. Once we started marching season, I got to watch her play that bass drum (like a boss) while I waved my arms around on a stand, which I still don't think I ever deserved. I encouraged her and told her that she as awesome because she rocked sunglasses on the competition field because she got kicked in the eye the night before and STILL competed. She boosted me up and hugged me as I cried after those disappointing competitions. After all that was over, it was back to concert band and she was beside every single day. We were lunch buddies. She ate those dang pizzas every day and got me addicted to them. I would make her go the vending machine to get me fruit snacks that never came out. (EVERY TIME) During band, she would tell me of her boy troubles with boys that were not good enough for her. I listened, tried to advise, and she still knew all her music better than I did. Besides the  boy drama, we had fun and lots of it. Whether it as laughing at Swanson or dancing to Celtic Ritual, which still makes me giggle, there weren't many dull moments... besides me occasionally falling asleep on the marimba. That freshman became my best friend. She pushed me to better because she was better than me. She outplayed me at EVERY single concert and that made me really happy. As my senior year came to an end, I was saddened that I would not get to stand next to Darby everyday and watch her play that marimba with ease. This year, Darby got to conduct (my) group of 7th graders and that made my heart so happy that I could burst. Darby is also going to the NC School of Science and Math, aka a school really smart peoplez. I couldn't be more honored to call myself her friend. So Darby, Darbles, Darbster, my apprentice, my right hand (wo)man... thanks. Thanks for making me laugh and cry. Thanks for listening to me and letting me listen to you. Thanks for always being there for me. Thanks for teaching me more about myself. Thanks for being you. You are and will always be one of the coolest most amazing people I know. Never think you are not good enough because you are. You are wonderful in every way possible. You are my hero and I mean that. Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.  I love you and will love you forever.

-M. Philly

In Erin's Dreams.

That was the title of the document saved on my USB... I thought I would share the raw thoughts of my bestest best friend. I laughed quite hard at this and she is possibly going to kill me for posting this, but it was just too good not to share. Excuse the lack of grammar and spelling... This was from a couple years ago. (11th grade I believe) There are 2 different stories, so be prepared for the awesomeness... you may want to put your pee-pants on.

"I dont have dreams about you i dream about puppys and bunnys floating in the clouds and they say to me ERIN ELIZABETH HICKS ur are the coolest person i have ever met and your freaking amazing then they fly away. after they leave than this pink bunny with lime green ears comes hoping along and says to me erin i wish i could be like u, oh and ur friend madeline is a loser and she is JUMBO SIZE. but wait there’s more................. Then i grow wings and fly all around the world and u will never guess what i see???? i see a statue of me in every state and people were mesmerized at how beautiful and AMAZING this statue was!"


"so the other day i was you know just walking down the street and minding my own business and taking my sweet little ole time when I suddenly came upon..... dun dun dun aaaaaa rhino. i was like really a rhino thats AWKWARD. so i just kept on walking... u know like any normal person would do. than out of the corner of my eye i saw cupid flying through the air and he looked so perfect and beautiful i was MESMORIZED i mean people dont see cupid everyday. Than out of no where a gangsta with a JUMBO SIZED attitude rolled down his window of his bat mobile and shot cupid all the way ^
down down down down
i started crying and just didnt know what to do people would never believe me if i told them that i saw cupid die I mean come on now this just doesnt happen in everyday life to a regular person.
than his body floated up to the sky i looked at the gangster with my stink eye and ran away of course i didnt want to get shot like an arrow (do you get the symbollism)
welll anyways i ran all the way home and on my doorstep was an easter basket and i became a liitle suspicious considering it was not easter time. i looked inside the basket and than i grabbed the blue easter egg and BBOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!
hhahahahah just kidding silly i didnt die or anything because im the one telling the story i wouldnt kill myself are you like retarded. how could i be telling you the story now if i was dead
or maybe just maybe.........
IM A GHOSTTTTT!!!! BOO!!!!
and i will haunt you in your dreams and i will be able to see you drool in your sleep all over your jumbo sized pig tattoo
welll thats the end of my story just thought i would tell you"

I hope you enjoyed Erin's dreams... I know I did! Now, I will leave you with my favorite picture of her... that she happened to take with my laptop...

She is pretty precious. Well, I hope we have provided you with a laugh or at least a smile. Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon, oh and tell your friends, too!

-M. Philly

Live, laugh, love

Today has been a little unusual. I am on spring break, so it's has been very nice to sleep in, but it is throwing my brain off from my usual routine. I woke up at about 11:30 to my mom calling me to clean out the microwave, which is probably my least favorite thing to do, but I woke up to find something that made my heart a little weary. I check Facebook to find a status saying "RIP Jesse." For those of you who don't live in the Boro don't know Jesse, but he was an a young man who lived in Roxboro a year or two ago and he was diagnosed with Leukemia in December of last year. Truth is, I don't think I ever met Jesse, but I knew who he was. (That's how it is here in Roxboro... everyone knows everybody even if they haven't seen them.) I don't know all of the details of how his condition was, but I knew that not too long ago he decided he didn't want anymore chemo and decided to just live his life why he was still here. When I woke up to find those few statuses, my heart sank. I quickly went to his blog and read a post that said he had been watching the ‘Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives’ and was researching some of the hot spots and his mom said maybe they could eat at some of those restaurants. I just thought to myself, he wasn't be able to do that and so many other things. I thought of all the students at RCS and knew that the school was just at a stand still. I kinda just sat and thought for a minute and then went about my day, but he just kept popping into my head. I couldn't quite grasp how I was feeling. Later on I went to practice for "Pirates of the Chemotherapy," an absolutely life-changing and beautiful show that I am so thankful to be a part of. I shared the news with my fellow cast members and I was amazed at how quickly they wanted to help or to do something, seeing that the show is about a cancer support group. After we went through a scene, we took a break and we were talking about death. Sounds lovely doesn't it, but it actually was. They were all talking about losing loved ones, but how peaceful it was because they all knew God was real and that He was going to welcome their loved one's with open arms. I was overwhelmed with the spirit and peace. I knew that today was Jesse's day and that he is happier now than he has ever been. God has a plan for us and he knows exactly how our lives are going to pan out and when we are going to return to him. That is the beauty of the plan of salvation. I know that when we die, we will still be with our family and loved ones and we will have the opportunity to learn and teach about Heavenly Father and Jesus. It is such a comfort to know that.  I am so blessed to have an eternal family that I know I will have with me forever because my life would SUCK without them. I know for many people, Jesse's passing is going to be hard to deal with, but you just have to think about how happy he is to not be suffering anymore and that Heavenly Father needed him right now. God works in the most mysterious ways, so make sure to listen to the promptings of the Spirit and live for Him. Live today like you are going to die tomorrow, because you never know when God is going to call you home. There are so many things I need to work on to become the person I know Heavenly Father wants me to be. I need to act now. I need to live every moment trying to do His will, not my own because I KNOW if I do that, then I won't have to fear death or anything at all. The Lord will take care of me and you if we do that... I promise.

http://jessesjourney.wordpress.com/

This is the link to Jesse's blog and it is something to read. That family is an inspiration and their faith amazes me the more I read. I will be praying for his family and friends and I hope you will be too. Just remember to be like Jesse and celebrate life every single day.

-M. Philly

Celebrity Love

Oh hey there people! This is yours truly, M.Philly reporting from my new laptop! I kinda really love it. It's just really nice to be able to do my homework in my room and mindlessly watch stupid YouTube videos. OH and I forgot how much I love Pandora. It's pretty great. Anyway, having the convenience of a laptop, I have some big plans to make my blog even more awesome! Don't get too excited. I am still brainstorming everything I want to do, but once I figure it out, I will let you guys know!

ANYWAY, with this laptop, I have been "surfing the web" more and more. I forgot that my guilty pleasure is reading celeb gossip sites. For anyone who REALLY knows me, you will know that I am slightly obsessed with Spider-Man... slightly meaning completely obsessed and I am not ashamed to admit it. I really love the newest movie with Andrew Garfield, who I think was made to be Peter Parker because he plays him flawlessly. If you haven't seen The Amazing Spider-Man, SHAME ON YOU! You should drop whatever you are doing (after you're done reading) and go watch it because it is just amazing. One of the most amazing parts of it is the love aspect of it because, let's face it... Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were meant for each other. I don't think I have ever been in love with a celebrity couple as much I am in love with them... (and I was REALLY in love with Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus when I was about 13.) I mean, just look at them!

Can you say perfect couple?! They are too adorable for words. If they don't get married then something is wrong with the world. I fell in love with them when I saw Spider-Man because they are so awkward, but they are awkward together which makes their chemistry absolutely explosive. I just can't handle them and their amazing love. I would let them adopt me... as like a sister because they are too young to be my parents... Sorry, I am getting a little carried away.

Ok, I am getting off my first thought. Celebrity gossip sites are everywhere, but I really only look on Oceanup, which basically only talks about the younger generation of celebs. I have been keeping up with it for the last week or so and a new celebrity couple is on the horizon and I kinda really like them. Can you guess who?! They are both huge stars... both attractive people... she likes to write songs about her ex's... he's in a boy band... I bet those last 2 gave it away. YOU GOT IT, T-Swizzle and Harry Styles. I am sure that 565168168 One Direction fans would kill me for even saying that I like them as a couple, but good thing they won't see this. lolz For serious though, they are pretty precious. I usually don't like young celebrity couples. I never really like Selena and Justin, and I was never a big fan of Miley and Liam, but I quite fancy "Haylor." I have a good feeling about them, which I could be terribly incorrect about, but they look really nice together. Let's take a look.

Look at how happy the young chap is! 

 Precious moments...

I don't know... I think they are pretty cute. She likes the younger boys and he likes the older ones, so they are basically perfect for each other. What made me like the idea of "Haylor" so much is this video of Harry talking about her. It's pretty precious, so I you should watch it. You must got to second 52 and watch from there. This video also includes Jason Mraz trying to be a peacemaker. He is pretty great.



DID YOU BEHOLD HOW BASHFULLY HE SAID THAT? I couldn't handle the cuteness... so I had to behold it 3 or 4 times. I think they are cute... end of discussion... but no one will beat Andrew and Emma in my book. 

I'm sure you are probably judging me at this point and I am ok with that. I wanted to keep you guys in the know of the cutest celebrity couples on the scene right now. Just trying to help you out here. I'll be back soon to reveal my plans to make this blog the literal bomb.com... I appreciate your visit. Do come back soon!

-M.Philly

PS... This blog has officially gotten over 1000 views! I'm am pretty excited! :)

Exciting

I apologize for about the 338416946th time for not writing in a long while, but I have good reasond. I don't know if you people understand how incredibly slow the desktop at my house is and how busy I have been. Really, I haven't been too busy, but busy enough that I don't have time to sit down and write! Seriously though, I blame it on the computer because it is so slow and annoying and makes me want to cry every time I use it. That's the main reason I haven't blogged is because it's not very convient. I know, dry your tears people because I am going to get better and blog way more. Why, you ask?

I JUST BOUGHT A LAPTOP!

Brand spanking new, baby!!! I am completly overjoyed, even though I paid for it with my own mulah. It will be here in a few days and then I will be blogging all the time. I have a few ideas swirling in my head of what kind of things I want to start writing about, but you are just going to have to wait and see what I come up with.

For now, I have to go do some math homework... online. Another reason having a laptop will be glorious. Get ready for the future people, because it's looking bloggy!!!!

-M. Philly