Merry Christmas

Christmas came way too fast this year. none of us were prepared. I wish it went slower, but.. oh well. So, each year, my parents always ask what we want. wait. that's how it's supposed to work. it works with my brothers. with me, i just start asking way before Christmas. and the conversation is kind of the same every time. let's rewind back to 2011 and listen to the conversation.

Me: hey Mom, Dad. I'm almost 14 and a lot of my friends have iPhones. and since I've had my phone for a year now and no one has that kind of phone anymore, could I please get an iPhone?
Mom: well an iPhone would be nice. I'm okay with it. go ask your dad.
Dad: You haven't even had a cell phone for a year yet actually. and actually, most of the year you've had it, you've been getting grounded. How will having an iPhone change this? and smart phones cost money that I don't want to pay.
me: well all my friends have iPhones and they don't have to pay for their phone!
Dad (the classic pissed-off parent response): Well, I'm not your friend's dad. I'm your dad. You're fortunate enough to have a phone. some people in your ward don't even have a cell phone and they're in high school.
me: well, my friends have iPhones. and with an iPhone, you can do so much more than just call and text. there's Instagram, FaceTime, and you can play games. and it's just so much better. and if I get an iPhone, I promise I won't be a brat! I won't get grounded.
Dad: Miriam Elaina Castle. You are not getting an iPhone. end of story.
me: well could I at least have an iPod touch? it's not an iPhone but it's almost as good.
Dad: No further discussion.

so I got the iPod touch, which I love dearly. I was so happy that I got something I wanted. but fast forward to a year later, and I have the same conversation with my parents. the only difference is
me: dad, I'm in high school now. I need a new phone
Dad: I don't want to pay for it. it costs money. name 5 friends who don't have to pay--
me (names all my friends)
Dad *sighs*, same pissed-off parent response, but this time adds: You need a job to pay for it.
me: that isn't gonna happen.
Dad: Miriam Elaina Castle, if you ask for an iPhone again, you're grounded. end of story.

so to make things simple, I asked for clothes and nothing else. on Black Friday, I picked everything out. but how fun is it knowing every single present you got? so, I hoped my parents would slip in some surprise (er, an iPhone 4S).

we got a Wii with Just Dance 4, Zumba, Mario and Sonic Olympics, and I don't remember the other games. Just Dance 4 is really fun though. Justin is the high-scorer, even though he's sick with the flu. We all enjoy our new Wii, I love my new clothes, and I admit, getting on Facebook and Instagram and seeing endless posts of "new iPhone!" did make me jealous. but hey, at least I have an iPod and a phone and that will do for now.

Christmas is about more than just...... stuff. it's about service, it's about Christ, it's about celebrating His birth. this year, I made a ton of Christmas cookies. it took a whole weekend, but it was sure worth it! I took a plate to the Special Ed class at Timpview that I peer tutor in. they were all really happy! and since I had leftovers, I just randomly handed them out to my friends. they all looked really happy! it felt good to know that I made other people happy. also, our elderly neighbors needed people to shovel their driveway. normally their next door neighbors do it, but they were out of town, so our family volunteered. Let me tell you, my whole body kills from shoveling their driveway. but after I finished, heck did it feel good.

so, I hope you all had a merry Christmas. new post coming soon. and I'm sorry if this one was full of complaints!

overheard from the bros

 these two stud muffins are my brothers. they're the cutest, right? I love each of them unconditionally and they make me smile everyday, and they say the craziest things! Sometimes, I pee my pants laughing! (that doesn't really happen, but I've cried before). so, for your enjoyment.....

"Miriam, is it normal for girls in high school to like boys? It seems kinda strange to me."
-Wesley

"Sure, girls have drama and stuff, but boys get hurt more because we play sports!"
-Justin

"I love One Direction. They are my favorite band. I like all their songs and I love singing. But I don't want to be a singer when I grow up because... I'd rather do sports."
-Justin

"So that one Skrillex music video with that magical 2 year old dancing and doing magic.... what's that song called again?"
-Wesley

"Guess what I did? I watched the Utah Valley Sympathy Orchestra at Timpview!"
-Justin

"Why do I have to dress up to see the sympathy orchestra? It's not like they're gonna see you in the audience? They'll only see the first 2 rows or something! It's too dark to see me anyways."
-Justin (later on)

"What goes up.....must come down. Miriam, I had no idea!"
-Wesley

"Imagine Dragons are Chinese, right?"
-Justin

"Cookie soup is the solution to everything."
-Wesley

"One Direction took Human Biology because they're singing about anatomy!"
-Wesley

Justin: DUH, everyone likes Subway, Wesley!
Wesley: You don't.
Justin: Yeah, I don't. Everyone but me.

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only normal one in my family. Everyone's too goofy for me."
-Justin

Wesley: Justin, why are you screaming in the shower?
Justin: I'm singing a song about cleaning my feet!

"We aren't eating at McDonald's! That place is for losers!"
-Wesley

"Miriam, everyone likes boys. I like boys. I am a boy!"
-Justin

"If artichokes are chicken, how can they be a vegetable?"
-Justin

'tis the season for decorating your house and wearing ugly sweaters

December came way too quickly. actually, right after we returned from our Thanksgiving break in Arizona, it seemed like Provo had transformed into Wonderland. all the lights were up on the houses, Christmas music was playing everywhere, trees were coming up, and it was just crazy. I really like fall, and sometimes, I wish it would last until November actually ended. I'm not saying I don't get excited for Christmas (I really do), it's just that I don't usually start getting in the mood until after November ends. But on the other hand, it did snow in November, and it hasn't even come close to snowing in December!

Ya I know, we're pretty cute :) anyways, we started decorating the last week of November. I love decorating, even though we don't go crazy on the outside! but we do have some pretty cute things!

 my favorite, the lollipop tree! (with fake lollipops!)

our front door

.......the inside is where all the magic happens. (again, we don't go all out for it, but at least it's something! I'm actually quite proud!)

 our Christmas dishes and every single Santa picture we've ever taken

 the tree

 Mom embroidered this cute little snowman family a few years ago. can you guess who's who?

and then, comes my favorite part. crazy socks and ugly sweaters.

"That is some beautiful ugliness you got there!"

".......and you still look gorgeous, even though it's ugly!"

"Wait...... that's supposed to be an ugly sweater?!"

"You better be wearing that everyday!"

"NO WAY. Did your mom really paint this?! This is the greatest thing I've seen all day."

"That is one sexy sweater! It's so ugly it's beautiful!"

so yep, I have some pretty great friends. before stag, I had to go to a ward party that I didn't want to go to, and then, I went back to Timpview to go to the Basketball game! We won, and I was able to see all my friends and hang out before the dance started, which was pretty great. Everyone had some pretty....beautiful sweaters. and really, who doesn't want to show Christmas spirit by going to an Ugly Sweater Dance? 

sometimes, I just want to go back.

I just had to choose the silliest pictures to put on here. we went a lot of places this summer, and we were able to really enjoy ourselves and just have a great time. and I just miss it. so much. and that's all I'm gonna say.

Thanksgiving in the desert

so........... there once lived a girl named Miriam Elaina Castle and she was a freshman in high school. in spite of starting 6 weeks late because of an extended vacation in Japan, life was going great. there were cute boys, football games, good friends........nothing was better. then, when 2nd term started, all of that changed. all her teachers would be giving her credit from that point on. and that's when all the homework started piling up like crazy. not just in academic classes, but electives as well. the dance concert (which is tomorrow and saturday in the THS auditorium at 7, please come!) was approaching quickly, so after school rehearsals added to the stress. in addition to all this, piano practicing (which sadly, she has neglected on the most part) was taking up a majority of the time. so, in the rare free time, it was spent resting and sleeping and being with friends. so, that's what's happened to the blogger here. but hey, she's back for a little while!

somewhere in the middle of all this stressful business came thanksgiving break. so, the Castle crew packed their bags with......... 3 outfits because this wasn't tokyo where you had to pack 1/2 your closet, snacks, CDs, and the eldest girl was forced to bring the Utah Drivers Handbook (at the rate this is going, I'm not going to get my permit until I'm out of the house. most boring book in the world!), a 100 pound math book, the Japanese Vocabulary notebook, and other stuff that she didn't accomplish over the break, and we headed down to Phoenix to see our cousins! sure, there was a 12 hour drive, but we were too busy sleeping and blasting the new One Direction CD! (The first one is way better.) I'm not saying that we had fun in the car. I, for one, get a little queasy when it comes to long drives. my brothers get restless and either try to kill each other, or try to kill me. and I can never fall asleep in a moving vehicle unless it's a train. but where are you going to find a shinkansen (bullet train) in the desert? see, that's the question. (I want to go back to Tokyo i think right about now.) but we arrived in Phoenix without too many problems.

we stayed with my dad's sister Emily, her husband Cody, and their 2 beautiful boys, Jackson and Tyson! it was our first time meeting 8 month old Tyson, and we hadn't seen Jackson ever since he was 18 months, and now he's almost 3. how do these kiddos grow up so fast? that's the question. Tyson is adorable and was so close to crawling! once, we were both laying on our bellies and I decided to try to get him to crawl. he was trying to imitate me, pulling himself into position and kicking his feet, but he never made it to crawling. but he was so close and it was darling watching him imitate me! Jackson.......what can I say? he's crazy and energetic and never gets tired. as soon as I came in, he said, "Hey Hey! You're my cousin right? Guess what? I have all these toys! This is my car! Oh, and you guys are sleeping in my bedroom! Look at my bed! Look at this, look at this!" he has the cutest laugh, and gives the sweetest hugs and kisses. I miss them so much already!

on thursday, we went up to Uncle Cody's brother's house in Queen Creek. our grandparents drove up from Sierra Vista, Arizona to come see us. but the only people I really knew were my Mullenaux cousins, my grandparents, and my family. everyone else was related to my cousins, but not me, so they were my cousins cousins. they already knew each other, so it kinda felt a bit awkward, but I made some new friends and we had a great time stuffing ourselves, playing soccer, and having Wesley kick the ball over the fence! and it was our first time seeing Grandma and Grandpa Castle since before we left for Japan, so we had a lot to tell them! and the food was amazing. after settling down, at around 10:30 pm, I was hungry again so...... more turkey!

 me, tyson, and justin. ya i know, i don't look my best in the mornings!

 grandma castle and me

 our closest attempt to a family picture..... my brothers don't know how to smile.

 tyson and me!

 Jackson and me!

wesley and Kennedy, his new girlfriend who happens to be 4 years younger...... ;)

Friday, the girls went shopping and the boys (besides Tyson) went hiking. Tyson came along with Mom, Grandma, Emily, and me. we didn't wake up early, so our Black Friday shopping started at 11 am. at Kohls, we had to wait in line for at least an hour just to get to the cash register! after that, we needed a break so Mom met some of her cousins at Pita Jungle. not really my type of restaurant, but it was fine. when we finally got full, we headed down to the Arizona Mills mall in Tempe. I got a lot of stuff there, but I didn't have any money, so they're all Christmas presents! finally at around 6, we pretty much shopped til we dropped, so we headed back to the Mullenauxs to eat turkey sandwiches, play games and bond with the cousins.

unfortunately, on Saturday, we had to leave sunny Phoenix and go back to freezing cold Provo! our cousins were probably really confused when we left, and we will all miss those cute boys! I am so thankful that we were able to see them. and to end this post, I will now state things I am thankful for.

family... all of them. my mommy, my daddy, Wes, and Justin, and my cousins and grandparents!
every single one of my lovely friends!
music
shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
clothes!
crazy socks
my house
my school (because all my friends are there)
dance
tennis
the church
our adventure in Japan
FOOD!
sumo wrestling
One Direction (even though their old style is better)
my iPod
my phone that I wish was an iPhone
everything

it all started with a pair of socks.

{photocred to Justin C. Castle, aka Boobear, aaka the best photographer ever}

this picture says a lot about me, without even showing my face.
i love crazy socks more than anything in the world.
so much that when i grow up, i might want to be a sock model.
red is my favorite color.
i love lacy things.
i love stripes.
orange is my other favorite color.
october is my favorite month of the year.
fall is my favorite season.

I just really love fall. it feels so cozy. for me, wearing jeans, a sweater, boots, the occasional scarf or crazy socks thrown in, is the best. I love walking home from school and hearing the leaves crunch underneath my feet. the colors of fall, red, orange, and brown, are my favorites. the smells of fall are delightful. Halloween..... let's just say, I love it, even though I'm keeping things simple and probably just dressing up as a hipster or something like that. oh, and football! 

must I even explain? I love fall so much it's insane.

but mostly just wearing these socks again.

re-FRESHED.

you know what this means! On Tuesday, I returned from my teeny shack-of-an-apartment to my cute little house. all the flowers are still in bloom, which made me even happier to be home. and to see real grass. Tokyo is such a big city, it's impossible to find grass anywhere. and when I walked inside, my house just seemed sooooo..........big. before I left, I complained about how "small" our house was. a lot of my friends live in the Riverbottoms, the "rich, wealthy, loaded with money, big-no-wait-just-kidding-huge house" area. (which isn't a bad thing, it just makes it seem like I have much less. but I love all my friends, regardless of where they live. that doesn't matter at all.) and I was a bit jealous, even though I tried not to show it. but after being in Japan, my house just seems huge. we all have our own bedroom. we have a big kitchen and 2 living rooms and my room actually has decorations, as opposed to the drab walls in the living room in Tokyo with only a painting of Mt. Fuji on the wall. and even though the whole house looks like a tornado hit, it feels soooooooooooo good to be back.

Wednesday I was supposed to start Timpview High School as a freshman. not very fresh after coming back a month late and being on a plane for 12 hours and suffering from jet lag. I'm still adjusting from the 15 hour time change! but when Dad and I went to the counseling office, we waited for like 40 minutes only to find out that my counselor was in a meeting and would not get back until 11:30. since it was an early out day, I would miss all of school. but as dad and I were about to leave, I saw my cheerleader friends in the commons, eating breakfast before first period ended, so I told Dad to leave so I could catch up with them. after reuniting with the cheerleaders, hugging, Instagramming, and catching up, 1st period ended and I got to see even more friends! i got attacked, strangled, and hugged to death. and it felt amazing. this was the life I'd been missing for 4 1/2 months! and this was the school I'd been missing for 6 weeks! i was slipping right back into my "normal, new" life. after 3rd period started (we have an odd-even day schedule where we only have 4 periods each day for 87 min. odd days are 1, 3, 5, 7; even days are 2, 4, 6, 8), I walked home, went to Costco, and Mom took me back. while she registered, I saw even more friends! then I did some online math, had Raquel over, and went to mutual to see my old wardies again. It was nice, but I still wish that my Tokyo wardies would come here!

Thursday I actually started school. it was an even day, so I was supposed to go to my 2nd period, Algebra 2. but I had no idea where any of my classes were, so I went in the counseling office and asked for help, and 2 really nice juniors gave me a tour of the whole school, and let me tell you, it is huge. I thought that CMS was big when I went there! I guess I'm growing up, because when the tour was done and I got dropped off at Algebra 2, I heard a junior whisper to another junior (or maybe it was a senior)? whoa, look at that hot sophmore. this was something I've never heard in my life. I just barely hit 5'0, and everyone thinks I'm younger, not older. and I wish I had 1st day of school pics, but I was too lazy. I had a pretty good day and got to all my classes okay, and the only homework I had was Japanese and disclosure signing.

Friday was Wesley's birthday, and he got the traditional birthday waffles. but mom wouldn't let me have any because I had to leave soon and I wouldn't have enough time to eat them. So unfair! but we wouldn't be celebrating until Sunday, because Friday night Wes had a scout campout, and Saturday night I had a babysitting job. friday was also my first odd day, and I was kind of lost again. my first was peer tutor, which was pretty easy to find. there were a few freshman from last year's class at CMS, and they remembered me! they were very happy to see me, and I met the older students as well. they are all so sweet, and I'm glad I got put in that class, even though i didn't even sign up for it! my whole odd schedule got switched around from its original state, so my 3rd was Dance & Pop Culture, which is fancy for "hip-hop." I wasn't supposed to take that class until the next semester, so the teacher had no idea I was coming in. but we got it all figured out, and even though I was lost, I had fun. Fashion Strategies I had a ton of friends in, and Seminary I only knew like 5 people in there, and only 2 of them were freshmen! But I made really good friends with one of the seniors (yes, I already have a senior best friend) and we talked even more at the football game!

 Sydney and me. she claimed that she had to take the pic because she has longer arms than me. obviously, she does, because look at how taller she is than me! 

 you've probably seen a gazillion photos of Callie on here. but we're still pretty tight, and will always be! and she's only gotten prettier since I left! and again, like Syd, she said she had longer arms so she had to take the pic, and of course, like everyone else, she's taller!

 Haley and I have been best friends since kindergarten, and 9 years later as freshmen, we're still best friends! we've grown up a lot since we were 6. but Haley didn't used to be that much taller than me. I guess I'll never grow. 

and of course, like every year, I have to decorate my notebooks. or else it won't work.

and just because Teal likes to steal my iPod and instagram stupid pictures of me. I guess I make retarded faces when I sing to her, and I hadn't played piano at all in Japan except for church, so I wasn't playing as well as I actually do. but I guess I'm not too bad, because guess who's playing piano for Seminary and Young Women again? you got it.

after school, I went over to Teal's house to catch up because while I was in Japan, she was in London! after sharing our summer stories, all we did was chill on her couch and tell juicy secrets about special someones, and I serenaded her a bit. then there was the football game! actually, there were 2 football games going on, 1 was Hawaii at BYU and the other was Orem at Timpview. Justin went to the BYU one with a friend while I met some friends at Timpview (Lynley F., Madi W. Brooke C., Brooke O., Kaitlyn H., Brady K., Gabe M., Colson S., and others) and they introduced me to a ton of new people! at the time, it felt really awkward because I wasn't the new girl because I've lived in Provo for most of my life, but then again, I was to them. and for the first time in my life, I felt a little shy because I was meeting so many people I should've known before I came back, so I kinda left, talked with my cousin Morgan, then he left, found some 8th graders that I knew from CMS, mingled, and found Josue from Peer Tutoring with Ava, my favorite senior as of now. we went on a little walk and talked, and then, I sat down with some of my guy friends and watched the rest of the game. we won, 38-12! take that, Orem! it was such a great night. and to make it even better, BYU also won their football game, 47-0!

Saturday I slept in, brought Raquel a Jamba Juice because she got her wisdom teeth out, chilled at her house, and had my babysitting job. Today, I saw Wesley for the first time in 2 days because I babysat so late that everyone was already in bed. we went to church, both Mom and I bore our testimonies (which I felt kind of pressured to do so because Mom kept on mentioning me in hers), and she took way longer than I did! I mostly talked about being grateful for what we already have and not to be unhappy (look at this post and this one here) and I didn't even cry! so proud of myself. after church, Wesley got the priesthood! I can't believe he is a deacon now, passing the sacrament! we celebrated at Grandma and Grandpa Wendelboe's house. it was also Torben's 5th birthday, and my other cousin Marky's 12th as well (unfortunately, he lives in Oklahoma and couldn't make it), so that was super fun!

so, overall, it just feels amazing to be back. I feel like I never left, because I'm fitting right in! everyone remembers me and has missed me, and while Japan was legit and I miss some things about it, I have missed Provo so much and we came back at a good time! for the first time in my entire life, I was excited to get back to school. (well, homeschool sucked and I am never doing that again.) and to sum it up, I just feel all.... refreshed! wait. make that re-freshed. I wasn't officially a freshman in Japan while I was doing homeschool! but just wait, things are gonna get pretty busy around here. Piano will start up again, I have to get my whole braces redone because I broke tons of brackets, snapped my chain, and broke one of my springs in Tokyo, the homework will start piling up on me fast, I will be babysitting more, and even though I wasn't able to do the tennis team this year because I missed the tryouts, I will start playing tennis at least twice a week again. so, I hope you enjoyed my frequent Japan posts. but now, because I'm in high school, I won't post nearly as much as I used to. there isn't really anything exciting to post about because I'm not in Japan, but I will definitely keep updating you guys, just not as often as I used to because I'm gonna be really busy!

but again.... there's no place like Provo.

Sayonara.

"there are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
-C.S. Lewis

"You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one."

"Promise you'll never forget me, ever," said Pooh. "Not even when I'm a hundred."

"I saw a flock of birds flying north today. If they can move on from summer, so can I."

well, fine, Pinterest. if you want me to forget the best 4 1/2 months of my life, then good for you. unfortunately, my adventure in Japan has come to an end. I'm all packed up and ready to go. all I need to to is get on the plane tomorrow, and then I'll start the next chapter in my life, which is called "for real highschool." homeschooling is one of the things I'm not going to miss about Japan. I'm flying away on Tuesday in Japan, cross the international dateline, and land in Provo on Tuesday. so, in 2 days from now, I will be back in the same house I've lived in for the last 8 years. I will have my own bedroom again. my cellphone will finally start working. I'll have all the food that I have missed. I will be able to see all my friends again, start school, and get back into a normal life. I will be able to walk to school and church. I will finally be able to practice piano after a long 4 1/2 months with only playing in church. and most importantly, I will be able to read and understand what everyone's saying!

but I have got to admit that I will always remember my adventure in Japan. I have changed so much while I was here. I have grown up. I have learned not to take everything for granted. I have become closer to my brothers and my parents. I have been more motivated to go to church and seminary because I've been socially isolated all day with my brothers, and it's good to get out of the house and see real people. because of that, not only have I made so many new friends, but also strengthened my testimony. but most of all, I have learned to appreciate Japan.

On my last Saturday here, our ward had a Country BBQ party with line dancing, sheriff badges, and dessert. not a ton of my friends came, but at least some of them did! I hung out with my favorite Aussie of all time, Scarlett. we had a great time talking and eating and playing with the little kids! we helped all the young ones make sheriff badges and played with them. my favorite family ever, the Gottfredsons, especially enjoyed this. Kylie and Renae, ages 6 and 5, made about 100 badges each for themselves, me, Scarlett, Liam, their parents, and everyone! and because both of the girls look up to me as their fashion idol, Kylie turned 2 of her badges into "big earrings like Miriam's." she drew me a picture of a basketball and said, "if you are ever sad, look at this picture and make a wish that you will see me again!" Renae wrote me a little note that said "I love you." and Liam, being cute little Liam, just ran around and went crazy! he did make a badge for himself ("just as long as you write my name, Miriam! I'm only 3!"), said thank you, and said, "You can have it! Your name can be Liam!" I will miss all 3 of them soooo much! In the summer, all my friends were on vacation, and my main motivation for going to church was to see the cute little Gottfredson gang!

oh, and cute little Isaac the Cowboy wanted a picture of him because he was "just so cute!" I told him he was the rootnest, tootnest cowboy of all of Japan, and he said, "Thanks, but I wanted to be the rootnest, tootness, cowboy in the wild, wild west!" he's darling, I know.

when we weren't entertaining the kiddos, Scarlett, India (my other favorite Aussie of all time), a few other girls, and the bishop all did the Footloose dance together! it was soooo fun!

Sunday, everyone in Sunday school and Young Women said goodbye, and in YW, we got treats. All the girls gave me a Sayonara Doll, which is a farewell custom in Japan. if you untie the ribbon around the doll's kimono, it opens up as a huge roll of paper where everyone writes their wishes to you on your next journey. all the girls and the leaders signed it! I named it Takeshita, because it needed a Japanese name, and Takeshita is a street in Harajuku where all the crazy dressed people march around on weekends. kind of like New York. and also because I just like that word... (I won't even go there).

after seminary, I went to my friend Jayne's house for one last lunch. this time, our whole family ate lunch there. it was a nice way to say goodbye! after lunch was done, Jayne did some homework, my family walked to the train station, and Mary May gave me a little keychain and a card to say goodbye. she said that I was like her older sister, which means a lot! she has become a younger sister to me! when Jayne was done with homework, we went to seminary for one last time. everyone was sad about me leaving, so to "celebrate/mourn", they made me play piano and say the prayer! all the boys wanted to sign the Sayonara Doll as well, so Takeshita took a long journey around the seminary room in the hands of many teenage boys with handwriting worse than mine. (which isn't too bad.) a few of the best notes in there (won't be saying any names; these aren't all from boys):

"I love you, even though you like BYU! PS. GO UTAH!"

"It will be soooo much more quiet when you leave :("

"Don't hit your head with a bird and don't laugh at the buffalo!" (I love you, Sarah.)

"We may have only known each other for a few months, but those months have seemed like FOREVER, and they were the best few months ever!"

"Hope Provo treats you well again!"

"You are LEGIT!"

I will miss going to seminary and mutual and sunday school and Young Womens! everyone in the ward is soooooo nice, outgoing, and friendly! I will miss everyone more than I can even explain! from all the girls who have reached out and made me feel at home to the crazy, cheeky boys in Sunday school, I just love my ward so much! Church will for sure be different without all my best friends!

 Amanda and me! this is a weird picture. but we have become great friends while I was here! she is one of the sweetest girls ever!

 me, India, and Scarlett Aalders. both the Aalders sisters have been like sisters to me! They always look so cute, both of them are super friendly and happy all the time, and have wonderful Australian accents! (Justin said that India is Australian, and Scarlett is British. Well, he got that wrong!). India was one of the first to reach out to me, and is always so nice to everyone. Scarlett and I just immediately clicked, and is very bubbly, energetic, and super talented! She also adores my brothers and can't stop talking about how cute they are! Oh, how I will miss these girls!

 This lovely girl is Savannah Napierski, the first friend I made here! We met at the first ward party (before church!), and I thought she was 16 instead of my age, she's so gorgeous! and also extremely tall... she is absolutely amazing in every way, and we will for sure have to see each other again the next time she comes to Provo!

Oh, and we can't forget Sarah! she has been around all summer, and we really got to know each other at youth conference, camp, and riding the train together from seminary! she is absolutely hilarious and super smart, and we talk about the ramdomest things! I am so glad that we were able to bond over the summer when no one was in town!

to anyone I haven't mentioned, it's because I don't have a picture with you, and this post would last for eternity. I love you all, and thanks to everyone who made Tokyo the best time of my life! The next time I will post, I'll be in Provo. It's crazy. and you better be reading this blog, Tokyo people!

Sayonara,