Life is wonderful.

Cue the Jason Mraz song.


Out of the many disappointments, there are even more miracles that happen every day. Here's what I've been in love with lately:

• The fact that I live across the street from the temple. And I got to go this morning!
• It snowed last week. Timp is covered with snow, but even better--Deer Valley is too!
• I only have two more full weeks left of Fall semester. And no homework over Thanksgiving or Christmas.
• Looking through newfamilysearch.org, and finding out some pretty cool things. I love being a Wells/Hawkes!
• I get to try as many Pinterest recipies as I want over the break(s). Thanks to my wonderful mother who told me she would buy ingredients to sponsor my newly-found domesticity. 
• I get to sleep in a warm bed. And a queen size, at that!
• My professor emailing me this morning, telling me she thinks I'm responsible, and wants me to run class on Monday and Wednesday. Sheesh, I've got her fooled! 
• I actually got all of my laundry done in the past 24 hours. It just needs folded.
• BYU.edu made my life easier by having all of the classes I need next semester. And at much needed times!
• My best friends still love me regardless of what I complain to them about. You know who you are.
• I have 100% in one of my classes. No, not my weightlifting or cooking class! Make that THREE 100%-ers!
• Speaking of weightlifting, I'm getting really strong. Amazing what 20 minutes/three times a week will do.
• I'm doing a good job of keeping my car clean. Now my dad just needs to read this so he will believe me.

Let's talk about my friend, Jessica. Now she is one girl that loves her life.  I hope and pray that I find my children doing this daily...mostly just so I can get thousands of dollars from YouTube. And of course for the satisfaction that my kids are happy. What a way to wake up every morning. You go girl.

"It takes no time to fall in love,

but it takes you years to know what love is."

-Jason Mraz, Life is Wonderful

Hometown glory.

Well that completes another great weekend. My sister Nicole came home from BYU-I-do to party with us...a.k.a. hang out with her high school friends...but it was really good to have another weekend in the house we grew up, as the Bob and Sharlene Hawkes family. It always hurts a little to drive out of the driveway to go back to Provo, but the thing that keeps me going is knowing that I have a fantastic family to come back to whenever I want, and they're only an hour away. Anyway, this weekend Sarah reminded us that she was growing up too fast by going out with another guy this weekend, and Jake (the quarterback) rocked his football game. I guess "rocked" isn't the best verb I could use because his team lost, but he played really well considering the fact that he had nails put in his wrist at the beginning of the season. It was cold. Go Vikings!

Isn't he handsome?

Shall I have another countdown to Christmas break? Two more full weeks of school. TWO. Then off to Thanksgiving break, then off to Virginia to shoot/produce a project with Rebecca, my mom and aunt for the Navy, then best friend gets home (!), then finals...and then...dun dun dun...christmas break. The official week count: 5 weeks. Then I can go skiing everyday if I want to. And speaking of friends getting home--it's been long enough I say! I'm proud of them, but I'm ready for them to be back in good 'ole Davis County. 

Aren't they handsome, too?

I better start pullin' out the ugly sweaters for the Christmas parties coming up. Any good white elephant ideas?

Twenty.

You're not a child, teenager, OR an adult. But, you're treated like you know what you're talking about. When people ask me my age and I say "twenty," they look at me almost waiting for the other number to follow. But nope, just twenty.  I'm in this awkward stage where I don't really know where to categorize myself.  I can run from a meeting with international businessmen to a dance party up in Salt Lake with no thought of, "was that weird?" I feel like it should be weird. But it's not. Because I'm twenty.

Being a mature 20-year-old.

The pros of being twenty are simple. People take you seriously when you say you're in your "twenties," although, lets be honest, they probably will more so when I'm in my thirties. Anyway, I can start thinking about career jobs because I'm almost a college graduate, my friends are coming home from their missions (finally), I have a couple of "independence years" under my belt, and I know how to successfully put air in my car tires without male assistance. (If you didn't get the sarcasm in the last one...it's in there.)


The cons aren't that bad, but they are limiting. Say for example, I want to go on a cruise. I can't go unless there's someone goes up with me that's at least 25. It happened to me this summer and it was possibly the saddest day of my life. But say on that cruise I wanted to rent a car. I couldn't have, again, because I wasn't old enough. Renting a car and going on a cruise are obviously two things that hinder my life. (Again, with the sarcasm.) Although not being able to go to some concerts makes me feel like a 12-year-old. Not like I've tried to go, just simply the fact that I can't bothers me a bit.


Okay, so the moral of the story is--age doesn't matter. Just because I'm twenty doesn't mean the world stopped or started. It just means that I'm growing up and realizing I'm becoming an adult. WEIRD. I still feel like I'm a senior in high school, and probably will until I have a kid. However, the thing I've learned is that it doesn't matter how old you are, it's how mature you are. What's the definition of maturity you ask? My 20-year-old answer: act like you know what you're doing, until you actually do know what you're doing, or in other words, "fake it 'till you make it." Maturity can get you a lot more places than age, that's for sure. But just think of what I can do when I'm 21...i'll let you know.

Thought of you.

Another wonderful production from the BYU College of Fine Arts & Communications. This video would appeal to the SYTYCD audience that is obsessed with Jeanine and Jason's If it Kills Me.


Today we had a college meeting about our new collaborative efforts between majors in our college, and this is what they showed at the beginning. Animation teamed up with our dance department and created this amazing video that's gotten 1.8 million hits on youtube already. Presenting, Thought of You.

I can't wait to see what other stuff we do...Rebecca and I were talking about a documentary we could do for our animators. I'd love to see what goes on behind the scenes--they've won numerous Emmy's and are ranked nationally. We're awesome. Go Cougars.

Dream job...coming to life.

So I have to start small. But doesn't everyone? I've got to get there somehow. 


Yesterday I spent a few hours in our new BYU broadcasting building during the pre-pro and taping of TrueBlue. It was AWESOME. TrueBlue is the BYUtv sports show basically summing up what happened in BYU sports throughout the week. Highlights are pulled, feature stories on big athletes are written--it's sports 24/7. I got to sit wide-eyed in Production Control Room 1 with all of the producers, watch them yell out commands in their headset, and see it actually happen on the huge bright screens that were all over the walls. This was the real deal, they aren't students anymore! (Well, Elevennews is the real deal...but you know what I mean.) So basically, I was in heaven. This is exactly what I want to do. And I get the chance when I'm only 20 years old? Another reason why my major, specifically at BYU, is arguably the best. I mean, who else has their own state-of-the-art building right on campus?

Cross your fingers...I hope I get to be their production assistant. Oh, and I also get to produce CoogTube next semester. BOOYAH. CoogTube is our student-run sports show on channel 11, Fridays at noon. I'll give a shout-out to Briana, she's one of the anchors this semester, and does a fantastic job! 

Briana and I. She's anchor of CoogTube, AND our football secretary.
Samantha Steele and Hannah Storm, anyone? We love our job.

As one of the first female sportscasters, I may be following in my mom's footsteps, but let's be honest...what better footsteps could I follow? 16 years at ESPN did my mom wonders and brought our family a love for sports I don't think can be measured. Here she is in her "golden days" (get it...that incredible 80's jacket) doing a promo for Scholastic Sports America. She also covered College GameDay, World Cup Skiing, World Cup Soccer, the Kentucky Derby, etc. 

 

My mom back in her ESPN days. I think she looks even better now! 

Visiting mom at work. Bristol, CT

So what if my ringtone is the ESPN theme song. What else do you expect?