Dallin had volleyball practice on Valentine's Day, and I had a ton of homework.  Katie, Rachel and I celebrated Rachel's acceptance into BYU's Psychology PHD program with smoothie bowls, but by the time Dallin came over at 11 PM I was pretty grumpy.  When I walked to the Amanda Knight parking lot and stepped into his car, where we always sit and chat when curfew is past, he surprised me with colorful flowers and chocolate.  "You are so gorgeous," he said, even though I was in sweats and really didn't feel all that cute.  But that's what Dallin always does-- make me feel beautiful and help me snap out of my moods. It was past midnight when we decided to part, but just as he pulled out of his spot, the Bricklin ran out of gas.  He tried to turn it on and back off, but that didn't work.  All we could do was put the car in neutral and have me steer as he pushed the car in the back back into the parking spot.  Then we found an empty gallon and a funnel and rode my car to the gas station to fill the little jug.  It was almost one by the time we got back and manually refueled the car. 

For our makeup Valentine's Day, Dallin and I did our homework together, exchanged our plans of a fancy homemade meal for a freezer lasagna, and saw our queen Gina Rodrigues in Miss Bala at the movie theatre.  It was probably one of my favorite action films I've ever seen, and since it was the first time we've gone to the movies together in a year, it was especially fun. When we walked out afterwards, my phone had blown up with messages saying that our Arches trip had been cancelled due to snow... so I turned off my 5 AM alarm and went back to Dallin's house till 1. 

I am so fliiiippppiiinnnng excited to not have to say bye to him every time it's time to go to sleep. We are so ecstatic to live together in a few months. 

      Being a teen...  Does that tell you all?  I feel like I'm in one of those cliche movies, and guess what.  I'm totally loving it.

      I mean first off, my first date will be Homecoming.  I'm a cheeleader, and I was asked with a rose by a football player, David.  Of course I said yes {my cheezy response?  "It would be sweet to go with you," as I handed him a giftbag with a cupcake and a caramel apple.}  My birthday will be ten days afterwards, but I figure that "sixteen" isn't a number, but a level of maturity, and I seriously doubt that my personality will spontaneously and drastically change in just a week-and-a-half.  

     Except of course, just a matter of days after I get asked, I get a phone call from a girl who was on my cheer squad last year.   She apparently was going out with David before and is curious if he and I are going to pursue a relationship after Homecoming, because she still has a thing for him.  And not only this, but I have another guy trying to go out with me too.  How great it is when both guys coincidentally run into you within just twenty seconds of each other after a football game.  Yikes!  Yeah, we'll have to see how this all works out with the four of us...  {I don't like drama.... I don't like drama....I really don't like drama....}

 

      Did I tell you how freaking scary cheer can be?  Dude, I'm not all that afraid of heights, but when your life is in the hands- and I mean this quite literally- of the girls standing beneath you, holding you up...  I'm sure you can imagine.  But it is fun to be the center of the stunt!  And it's also fun to visit your old elementary school in your cheer uniform, because all the little girls stare and point and gape at you because for some reason, they are under the impression that cheerleaders only exist in fairy tales, or so it seems to me.  I'm not even kidding you, this one group of girls looked up from a cheer-leading catalog in time to see me.  When they did, they got all excited and started flipping through the pages frantically, asking me what page I got my uniform out of.  They were disappointed when I answered, "Oh, I'm sorry honey!  I got mine from the high school!"

  After all the tests and and work of school, the girls and I all met up at Chelsea's before going to the mall to get some icecream and then- heck yeah!  Watch House at the End of the Street on its opening day!  Guys, why do I like scary movies so much?  We were seriously cuddled up in less chairs then there were of us girls!  Some of my friends closed their eyes and screamed while everything happened, but I never blinked as I clenched their hands and kept my feet up off the floor.  It was so intense!  And Jennifer Lawrence once again kicks butt.  Except I'm pretty sure the previews for some of the movies beforehand freaked me out even worse- plenty enough of a reason for me to obey the no-seeing-rated-R-movies rule.    

      On Saturday, I was thrilled to meet this new baby.  You see?  A Saab, actually assembled in Europe, that looks brand-new and is so fun to drive around!  I guess I probably shouldn't call it "mine," since I guess I'm not the one paying, but if Mom already has the Excursion/Big Green Machine... and Dad already has his little stick-shift Mini Cooper... and no one else in the family can drive...  Can't wait to actually get me license.  October, here I come!

      I also had the opportunity to visit a nursing home with AYT.  Back last spring, Rachel and I joined a ground called Flashback, and with a group of about ten other girls we got to create a short show about a group of reporters in the 1930's.  Together we learned lots of old-time songs to dance to as well as history.  We had no rehearsals than for about three months, with summer and everything, so by the time we got back together, cheer had started for me and a bunch of other girls didn't even try to stay involved.  It was kind of hectic.  But we managed to get things partially back together and performed.  So even though we were missing half our group and a lot of lines were forgotten, it was really neat to do it.  The folks there, though many have sadly reached a point where they can't hear well or speak well or their minds aren't as quick as they once were, many sang along to the songs they had known back in the 1930's.  That enough was worth it.