YES PLEASE

I have so many thoughts lodged up in my head. And I don't really know where this post is going but my goal is as I type this post it will direct itself to where it needs to go.

One thing I do know is where I want to start. And while it seems like this starting point has nothing to do with the potential ending point, it all relates. Trust me. It all relates because it all has to deal with life.

Thought #1

#RECTREK15

The deed has been done y'all. The last study abroad post. Ever.

Lots of helmets and lots of animals. 

And if you want to travel down memory lane and have extra time to kill, feel free to check out last years study abroad video here.

xx, 

m.

P.S.
I recommend watching the video in HD on my Vimeo account

UNFORUM

Life has been so crazy busy these past last weeks of the semester. But even though I've been swamped with final exams, graduation, and prep for the South Pacific study abroad, I knew I had to make time to recap my favorite event from my year as an Executive Director in the BYUSA Activities area.

CON-GRAD-UATION

I am so overwhelmed by that amount of love and support I have received during graduation. And I know people use the term "overwhelmed" as a common figure of speech but when I say I have been overwhelmed, I have been. Because after all the graduation ceremonies I came home, sat on my bed, and started to cry.

DEAR FRESHMEN

Dear Freshmen:

Quite honestly this is a blog post I have thought about for a very long time. And now that my finals and presentations are all over *cue the cheers*, I finally have time to write this letter to you. Because with graduation literally tomorrow I feel it is absolutely necessary for me to pass forward the wisdom I have collected from my four long years here at Brigham Young University.

To start...

PASS THE TORCH

Guys, I used to not like BYU.  

But this year, I have grown more than ever to love and appreciate this wonderful university that has given me so much. Because I am a BYU student I have been able to gain a phenomenal education in the Marriott School of Management, rub shoulders with incredibly talented individuals, develop my own talents, strengthen my testimony, explore the world... the list never ends. 

I never thought I would feel this way but I am beyond proud to be a Brigham Young University cougar. 

Hoku

Last Wednesday night, 1:30 AM, I'm at VASA gym walking on the treadmill while on the phone with my mom. And I'm bawling. It was one of those moments when you just wanna throw your hands up in the air and yell "You win. I give up."

Senior year is legit crazy guys.

And I know I've posted comments about senior year in the past so like blah blah blah y'all get it by now. I guess I just feel this responsibility to prepare my readers for their senior year because I'm feeling like nobody ever prepared me.

MIDWAY

I go through this constant battle every day I walk into the Tanner. I'm at this point where I can't help but think "Man, I can't wait to finish these business classes!"

And even though its only the first day, I pull out my planner and count the 14 weeks till it will all be over. Till this semester full of financial forecasting and risk management plans has passed.

And then I think "dang! I'm only halfway through the academic year!"

And then my second thought is " dang... I'm already halfway through this academic year!"

And although it is so hard and more than anything my strongest desire is for it to be break again, I don't want it too pass too quickly.

Because Senior year flies bye.

Sometimes you want it to go faster and sometimes its a "hey, wait. stop going so fast. wait."

Guarantee I'm going to miss it all. Miss being in school. Miss walking across campus. Miss the library. Miss BYUSA. Miss the cramming.

I know I'll miss all of it, even the parts that I hate.

And so for now I'll strive to enjoy it. Because all too soon it will all be over and I'll be walking across that stage in my cap and gown.

xx,
m.

P.S.
I mean... I am stoked because at least I made it through my last first day of a semester without being given a wedgie or shoved into a locker. So that's an accomplishment.

I AM

A favorite quote of mine attributed to Diane Von Furstenberg is:

"I didn't always know what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be."

I have grown up in a world that values love, adventure, creativity and strength. From a young age I have strived to be a woman of these values. Knowing the type of woman I aspired to become was a compass guiding my life path. It has shaped my dreams, aspirations and goals to embody love of all types, to seek the unknown, to have creativity flow through me and to be an example of strength.

The Halloweenie Monster Mash

Oh Halloween! I have this theory that Halloween is one of those holidays where it is fun during different phases of your life. Well at least that is how it has worked for me. To me Halloween is a lot like a pair of overalls. Overalls were all the rage when I was a child, totally uncool when I was a teen and have made their comeback during my time as a college student. As a child I looked forward to Halloween, I mean free candy right? In Jr. High and High School, Halloween turned into that awkward holiday where I was too cool to dress up, too old to trick & treat and at that point, no one really knew how to throw a good party. 

First Flight

First of all I love Lydia and I love fancy-spancy events! For those reasons, and others as well, I have been stoked to plan the Homecoming Formal since July. A lot of factors went into this event and considering BYU's Homecoming theme of "Take Flight", Lydia and I made the decision to do a 1920's themed dance. Our inspiration came from the Wright brothers "First Flight". The 20's is such a fun time era and this theme made the event enjoyable to plan.

True Blue

True. Blue. 

Let's address how my hands were stained blue for days after this event. I was practically a member of the Smurfs family! But can we also address how incredibly FUN this event was!! True Blue is a huge event due to its high attendance, popularity and scale. This event is unlike any other BYUSA event and I feel so lucky to have been in charge of this one. True Blue pushed me as an event planner in many ways. Since True Blue is so unique I had to deal with crowd control, risk management and grounds issues that I normally never have to face. Luckily I had Rachel Swendsen as my Event Lead and she was AWE-SOME. Seriously so on top of things. Not once did I have to send her a reminder, she always had everything done before I even knew it needed to be done! Because of her hard work, True Blue was a huge success and ran so smoothly. 

This year we were able to do three slides instead of two. We created t-shirts to hand out to the first 350 students in attendance. The shirts were white with white printing on the front with a logo spinoff "Do The Blue" inspired by Mountain Dew. We wanted to do the white on white printing so when students slid through the blue foam the shirt would dye blue and reveal the secret message. The shirts were a hit and everyone loved the creativity. We had around 1,500+ students at the event, everyone enjoyed the blue dye! I know my favorite part was being able to play in the foam with all the volunteers before we had to clean up!

xx,

m. 

Location: Helaman Fields

Provided: 3 blue foam slides, DJ, 350 free t-shirts, water station, shower station

Oh, What A Weekend!

When I was a sophomore my mom came down for BYU's Parents Weekend. At the time I desperately needed her and she came running to my side. We ended up having a lot of fun that weekend so she came again for my junior year. Now as a senior, having my mom for BYU Parents Weekend is a tradition. This year we have had the most fun. This years activities definitely topped the last two years. In prep for the weekend I cranked out all my homework and two midterms so when my mom arrived Friday morning, we could start the party right away.

The weekend started off with a bomb lunch from Aubergine & Co. If you haven't eaten here yet it is an absolute must. It is a flawless, healthy cafe where everything is perfectly spiced and absolutely delicious. Plus it is seriously the cutest inside, like really, you must go a-sap. After lunch we headed down to Sundance. The past two years we would ride the ski lift together but this year we decided to not only ride the ski lift but also hike over to Stewart Falls. The canyon is absolutely stunning this time of year and it was so enjoyable to be outside and breathe in that crisp, brisk fall air. After the hike we shared a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We ran over to 3B Yoga so my mom could see the studio and being the dear sweet mother she is, she treated me with the cutest yoga top from Lululemon * THANKS AGAIN MOM! * We live life with the motto "dessert before dinner" so after our caramel apples we had soup from Zupas. Following we headed over to the BYU vs. Utah State game. Sadly BYU lost but hey, I'm still confused for who we were actually cheering for!? The day ended with some late night grocery shopping.

On Saturday morning, my mom and I had the best of intentions to run the BYU Parents Weekend 5k together. But yeah.... that so did not happen, haha. Instead we were able to score tickets to the Saturday morning session of LDS General Conference. My mom has never been to general conference before and she was beyond thrilled and thankful to have this opportunity. When we finally got inside and in our seats my mom started to cry because she was so happy to be there! It honestly was such a tender moment and really made me realize how many things I take for granted. Conference was amazing like always. I love love love Elder Uchtdorf's talk!

"God cares about you, He will listen and He will answer your personal questions."

-Uchtdorf

"The Church is a place for people with all kinds of testimonies. “There are some members of the Church whose testimony is sure and burns brightly within them. Others are still striving to know for themselves. The Church is a home for all to come together, regardless of the depth or the height of our testimony. I know of no sign on the doors of our meetinghouses that says, ‘Your testimony must be this tall to enter.’” - Uchtdorf

After the session was over we had another delicious, healthy lunch at Blue Lemon. We picked up some perfume and makeup at City Creek and then headed back to Provo. After the second session we ran a few more errands. At that moment my mom went to spend the night with my aunt and uncle. I drove up to Park City with Brandon. We had tickets to see Brett Dennen's acoustic show at Park City Live. Can we talk about a phenomenal concert? It was all so perfect: the acoustic music, the venue, the company... basically the entire atmosphere just fit and worked. Brett Dennen was amazing live and with a crowd of 50 people or so, it made for such an intimate concert. 

Today has been a beautiful lazy Sunday with fall scented candles, pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and the uplifting words shared in both sessions of general conference. I've loved it. 

And overall, I LOVE fall. 

xx,

m.

P.S.

I think it is safe to draw two conclusions:

1. Hands down BEST weekend of the year thus far

2. My mother is absolutely STUNNING

Boys of Fall

Dear BYU,

My freshmen year I hated you.
My sophomore year I appreciated you.
My junior year I began to like you.
And now as a senior, I am in love with you.

I guess you could say I'm oddly into school spirit now and with every passing day I am prouder and prouder to be a true BYU cougar. But ya know what they say, 4th time around is a charm right?

And since this year is my last round of firsts, I am determined to make the most of each moment. So here is a quick memoir to my last first BYU football game of year and what is even better is BYU had a solid win against Houston, 33-25. Needless to say I am looking forward to a full season of cougar tails, tailgating, corn dogs, and those Friday night lights. So rise and shout because these cougars are out.

By the way, my boys better play football. Just saying.

xx,
m.

CLASS OF '15

 It's my last first day of college. Crazy to think that I am already a senior. Boy, does time fly!

I don't know but today has been such a day of reflection. I have just been thinking over and over again of my years here at BYU. How they have blessed me, tried me, pushed me and strengthened me in more ways that I could have ever imagined or knew was possible.

And like everyone else out there my college experience has been trying. It has been so hard. Really, so very very hard and difficult for me. College has brought some of the darkest days of my life but also some of the happiest days of my life.

And of course a lot more goes into the story than a simple blog post. I don't know if I will ever be able to write all of it down, but then again.... I don't know if I want to. I have definitely learned from my experiences and although I wouldn't trade them for a thousand dollars, I would never buy them back for even a penny.

They are what they are. And I understand and accept it. But I choose to learn and to move forward.

I know a lot of people in my life don't really know everything that has happened. It's funny to think how we can know someone so well but still have no idea about their history, where they've been... those experiences and moments that have shaped them into the person they are today. Because I know - like so many - that the experiences I have had during college have molded me over the years into the individual I am. And I like the person I have become, because I have fought to be her.

So here we go, an attempt to briefly recap every year.

To start, freshmen year was a mess. I think I spent more nights in the ER than I did my own apartment. Not because I personally was sick, but because so many people close to me were. I invested a lot of time into a friendship that eventually had a falling out. And for the girl who had a solid group of friends in high school, I struggled making new friends in my freshmen ward and in my classes. But a blessing came into my life, I won my first local in the Miss America program and competed in Miss Idaho that spring. Looking back now I see how being Miss Tri Counties saved me. It gave me a sense of self-worth. It made me feel as if I had a purpose and gave me something great to look forward to. Miss Idaho was an amazing experience and I grew so much as a contestant.

The summer after Miss Idaho I lost myself. Freshmen year had been pretty scaring on me and as a result I lost sight of who I was. I struggled to say the least. It was during this summer that I developed an eating disorder. I lost respect for myself and for the beautiful body that God has given me. I remember very distinctly laying on my parents bed sobbing to my mom begging her to please not make me go back to BYU in the fall. I was scared because I think deep down I understood how unstable I was and I knew if I moved back to Utah things would only get worse.

Sophomore year began and boy, did I spiral downwards. I lived a very unbalanced lifestyle over scheduling myself with prerequisite classes for the business school and countless rehearsals for BYU's ballet company I was a member of. During this time my eating disorder escalated and soon I was 25 lbs underweight. But with the help of loving, supportive individuals by my side, I was able to recover and slowly gain a healthy view of my body and a healthy relationship with eating. All in all, sophomore year are some of the darkest days of my life. But it was during my loneliest times that I grew closer to God. The conversations and prayers I had with Him during this time are truly what carried me.

That summer two of my very best friends, Madie Stone and Kathy Collette, moved to Provo. We had the summer of a lifetime. We became friends with an amazing group of boys and went on spontaneous adventures, had way too many dance parties and became volleyball pros. This summer brought happiness into my life that I had been missing. I always found myself laughing, something I had forgotten how to do the past year.

My junior year was better than my prior two years at BYU. However, it brought a new set of challenges to my plate. At the beginning of Fall semester the relationship I had been in over the summer ended and as a result I was left distant from all the friends I had made. In the winter I moved from Chatsworth Town-homes (I had been here for the past year and a half) and moved into The Village. In the moment living at The Village seemed like a huge mistake but I'll admit, now that time has passed and I have more perspective, I see that living there was a huge blessing. Specifically, I believe that Rachael and I truly needed each other. We didn't even realize it then but our mindset and similar feelings of detest we felt internally brought us closer together. I needed that rebellious semester to let it all out.

In the spring I left on my study abroad. My study abroad flipped my life upside down. I found that part of Mikyla I had lost. And in so many ways, traveling and seeing the world healed me. I found myself overseas. I will forever be grateful for all of those who made this experience possible for me. To my parents, to my teachers and all the students that I traveled with. I would be nowhere near where I am today if you hadn't influenced me the way that you did. So thank you. You have no idea how much I needed you.

I did not want to come back to the states after my study abroad. Still I knew I had something exciting to look forward. That something exciting was competing in Miss Idaho Falls. It felt so right to be a contestant and I put my all into the competition. And I feel at peace with the outcome. The entire summer I was constantly on the go, traveling back and forth between St. George (to be with my family), Idaho Falls (to prepare for competition) and Provo (for BYUSA office hours). I joke about it all the time but seriously, I was never in the same place for more that 4 days. Yikes, was my gas bill high! But this summer has been good to me. It has reassured me of the person I am and the path that I am on. It has confirmed the confidence I have gained in myself. And at the close of this summer, all I can say is that I feel like something exciting is going to happen. Something good is in my path and I am so ready to find out what it is.

This all leads to this very moment. So here I am sitting in my house the night before I start my senior year of college. It is so interesting to look back and think of all I have experienced. And looking back I can say I am so happy for the extremely hard moments and the beautifully happy times because they have lead me to exactly where I am at today. And I like the person I am becoming.  I can't wait to see how this year will continue to shape and mold me. How living with seven stunning young ladies will influence me, how being a part of BYUSA will help me grow and how being a senior in the business school will prepare me.

I'm nervous to say the least. But, I'm excited. In fact.... I am stoked.

So senior year, here I am.
Bring. It. On.

xx,
m.