Be Grateful

I tell my family how grateful I am whenever I skype or call them. I show my gratitude through action: "reaching out" texts, doing well in school, attending church activities, and making time to talk to them. I told my family how much I appreciate them because it makes me feel less in debt and because they are so appreciative of my expressions of gratitude. I love how much support I feel from them at all times, even though they are across the country. 

Hungarian Dance: Why So Serious?

I am flattered by the cute way Lowell asked me to the Hungarian Dance, very sweet.
He asked me through a puzzle message which means that he spent time putting together the puzzle so he could write on the back! I love puzzlessss and it was fun putting it together with some roommates and friends. There's a dress swap going on tomorrow which will be nice because I LOVE my royal blue satin dress but I would love to wear something different for another formal dance. My roomies are all going to look lovelyyyy and it was fun trying on their dresses today and all deciding who should wear what dress.

I need to stop being so sensitive to the fact that girls are competitive. Just because I wouldn't suggest things that have potential to make someone sad doesn't mean that they've necessarily thought through all of that also. The fact that the puzzle was the evil queen wasn't a negative thing, it was part of his question. I love my roomies and that's the most important thing.
Next, I want my hair to look fabulous because it's currently the longest it has ever been in my entire life and I have this window of opportunity while one of my roommates is a fresh graduate from Marinello's School of Beauty and she loves playing with hair. Let's get braid-crazy, shall we?
By the way, I started writing a book that I'm going to keep completely to myself for a few years, possibly. I just want to nurture and prune it based solely on my own opinion until the very end because people are not always tactful and I don't want this to cause me anxiety.
Exciting news: got a letter from Jerr-Bear today. :) (please ignore how crazed I look, it's almost 3 am) It was a great letter and he was so thoughtful to send me a row of stamps so I don't have to go crazy looking for stamps to mail his letters!! He's currently in the city of Gaoxiang which he says is one of the most polluted cities in the world, so he can barely see an 85-story tall building that is within view of his apartment. It made me really happy to get his letter & it makes me feel content to type out all of the above information also.
I really must get some sleep, I'm waking up tomorrow to work-out (probably just Abs Core Plus because I want my waist to look fabulous for the dress) and then go to the TA lab for Finance and have an overall relaxing day. Love, Courtney

Well If This Isn't Nice, I Don't Know What Is

Things that I really love:
tie dye clothes
spectacular photography
fall asleep in the sun
wearing trendy clothes
reading books that I can't put down
long talks
taking showers
painting my nails
good hair days
compliments
making plans with my family
making money
white, flowy sheets and blankets
long, descriptive words that mean exactly what i need
speaking Arabic
hearing people laugh
wedding dress shopping
BYU
the smell of leather
the smell of paint
pyjamas
wondering if I have a soulmate
anything romantic
animals
kids with personalities
making something new from random ingredients I have
news reports on the middle east
hugs
my visiting teaching calling
thinking about my mission
the color sage green
saying "I love you" to people I love
thinking about good book ideas
having time to ponder
reading scriptures
sharing my testimony
the color silver
clunker cars
bohemian culture
England
Germany
Mexico
Australia
North Carolina
France
clean socks
flat stomach
snuggling
boys who talk
expressing myself coherently
Enya
sleepovers
blanket forts
strings of lights
nerds
being nerdy with people
my glasses
helping other people
intelligent people
bonfires
the night
the day
having people appreciate me for who I am
kissing
getting back massages
the movie Warrior
when I'm witty
reconnecting with old friends who act like no time has passed at all
dreaming
<3 Court

Valentine's Day, A History

Valentine's Day doesn't have to be a sad thing if you're not dating someone. I love having this day as a marker to evaluate the people I truly love who are in my life. I have a beautiful and fabulous family, caring and supportive extended family, successful and fun friends, and I have a pillow pet named Raja who has never misplaced my trust and is the best listener a girl could ask for.
Do you know the history of Valentine's Day? I didn't really know, so I googled it and now I do.
There was a Catholic priest who served during the third century in Rome named Valentine. Emperor Claudius II was the ruler at this time and determined that single soldiers were more effective in battle than married soldiers so he outlawed marriages at this time. Valentine thought this was really dumb, so he kept performing marriages secretly. When Claudius II found out, he had Valentine put to death (martyred).
So there you have it, love prevails.
I truly need to spend more time on my blog because there is a lot going on right now. But for now, I must attend to school and dressing for a wedding. xoxo Court