Jessica Charters

Home Sweet Home - Provo Style

For those of you who have been following what I've been up to for the past 2 months know I'm living at Liberty Square. An apartment complex just 3 blocks south of the beautiful BYU campus. I've loved every second of living here. {Well all except for when dealing with difficult management sometimes.} I've learned a bunch and grew a ton. I've now switched apartments! But luckily I'm still home at Liberty. Unfortunately I'm losing some dear friends to a different ward but we will still have many fun adventures, I'm sure.

Anyway, wanna see my apartment?!

So there ya have it. The complete tour. Well kind of.

I'm loving it.

So I feel like I haven't really blogged in some time so I'm going to attempt to record some of the cluttered thoughts I've had in my head over the past few weeks.

First, gratitude lists are the best. Pretty sure I blogged about this just a few weeks ago. But I'll say it again because it's the truth. They will change your mood so fast. I am so blessed!

Second, my desire to go back to school is overwhelming. I can not wait to be back in a classroom with a crazy brillant professor and wonderful, fun classmates. BYU is seriously the best. I was talking to the girls the other night and we were all having a miny pity party about how freshman year was hard in many ways. Then Sam began talking about how wonderful freshman year was, in regards to the education we recieved. We all agreed on how happy we felt as we walked around campus. Since our talk I can not help but count down the days until fall semester starts. I can not wait to learn again. The book "Outliers" Malcom Gladwell quotes a man who said:

"I even noticed that kind of intellectual energy in the year and a half I was in college. Ideas are in air constantly. It's such a stimulating place to be."

I could not agree more.

Third, I've learned a lot this summer. My friend, Bergen, just wrote a blog post in which she listed the lessons she learned this summer. I thought it was a great idea so I'm going to list out a few that I've learned. Also, I did this last summer and it's cool to see how much I'm learning and growing.

1. Life is what you make it. Life doesn't just happen. You have to make it happen.

(And making it happen a week before finals is not good timing.)

2. People don't have it together. For some strange reason I've been under the impression that everyone else in the world besides me has it together. I feel like I'm the only nervous one in new situations or I'm the only one feeling lonely or out of place sometimes. This summer I've learned this is most definitely not true! I hate to do this, but Justin Bieber says it best. We are just "seven billion people in the world trying to fit in." No one has it together 100% of the time. So there's no need for me to be intimidated.

This week I went back and re-read "Jessica's Survival Guide to BYU" that my parents wrote for me before leaving home a little over a year ago. {Can I just say I have the cutest parents, ever!} Anyway, my dad wrote:

"Look for opportunities to meet new people. Everyone will feel just about like you do...and they'll appreciate someone who take the initiative in starting up a conversation...even if it's only to crack a silly joke!"

Welp. Once again my dad was right. It took me this summer to really figure it out for myself.

3. People are nice. Especially at BYU. The first time I realized this was when I went out to interview students for my Media Writing class the first week of summer classes. Everyone I stopped was so friendly and willing to help. After talking to each person I thought "Hey, we could be good friends!" I wouldn't have known that if I never went out and talked to people in the first place. There are so many friendships out there waiting to be made. To quote a wonderful previous roommate of mine/friend, Margo, "There are two kinds of people in this world. Your friends and people you've never met." I love that.

Lessons have been learned this summer. Most definitely. (Totes most def as some here in Utah may say.) :)

Also, (Amanda if you're reading this you may want to skip this paragraph) I think that October is my hands down favorite month. I used to LOVE July with all my heart. Amanda, my cousin, and I always have the most fun, random, crazy summer days and nights. We love summer. The 4th is our favorite holiday. The day of the winter solstice we begin our countdown til summer because it means the days are getting longer. We have the entire Phineas & Ferb theme song memorized (Kels, Race, Ray, and a few others can attest to this). Yeah we are kind of, sort of, reaaaally obsessed with summer. Now I still do love July so, so much, but I think I like October more. There is something about the crisp air. The light jackets. The chilly breeze for the first time in months. The smell of pumpkins. Leaves changing colors. Friendships being secured. Glowing jack-o-lanterns on the corners. I think I'm in love, with October.

Plus, this October I'm lucky enough to go home for half a week to spend time with my sweet family and hang out with my adorable 11-year-old sister as my brothers and parents brave the trek. I haven't been home during October since 2010! This will be so exciting! There is nothing quite like being at 573 S. Kenneth Pl. during an October evening. I just love it!!

Memory Lane trip: Last October I remember rolling down the windows at night in the car getting the faintest taste of cooler weather (which doesn't exactly hit the 480 until beginning of November). We were coming home from the tri-stake halloween activity. I remember Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" album had just come out. Me and the girls (Helena, Whitney, and Megan) were blasting "Mean" and yelling out our hearts. Pretty sure we were all seriously hating on boys this month, haha. Oh I loved senior year. Those are some wonderful memories. Mmm can't wait to be home again!

Also can I just say I had the best childhood, hands down. Sure I had some tough times in high school but I wouldn't change a single day of it. I smile whenever someone mentions Chandler. My heart belongs there.

Okay. Sick of reading yet? Well I'm sure sick of writing. Pretty sure this is the longest blog post ever. If you read through it all, congrats! Come over to my apartment and we'll celebrate by eating knock off brand Captain Crunch cereal and drink orange soda, both of which I bought at Walmart tonight. Some of many nonessential essentials that me and Berg-a-bee bought. Haha, life is so good sometimes.