(That's French for "My roommates," in case you're wondering.)
I'm pretty sure that I have lived with the most amazing girls in existence. Seriously, I don't know how I would have made it through the last three years of college without my wonderful roommates. So this blog post is completely devoted to all the beautiful, amazing ladies that I have lived with so far.
We'll start with the freshman roommates:
First and foremost is Meghan.
This girl and I have done everything together since we were 6 years old. We only lived in the same city for two years as kids, but, thanks to great parents who recognized how good of a friendship we had and who refused to let it die, we stayed in touch for the next 10 years. She is and always will be one of my closest friends. We've never fought and she's always been there for me when I've needed her most. I'm sad to be losing her as a roommate at the end of this semester, but I am so excited for her and Jared. I couldn't have picked anyone more perfect for her.
Then, of course, there's Ali.
How do I even begin? Ali and I have been roommates for three years, but we didn't become best friends until our second year living together. And I'm so thankful we did become such good friends. Ali is always up for a trip to Café Rio (which is an essential quality in a best friend), she reads all the same sappy, romantic, young adult novels as me, and she's just amazing overall. Also, she has a pretty awesome family that has taken me in for the last three Thanksgivings. And, possibly most importantly, in April, she and I will be the only ones left from our freshman apartment. I don't know how I would have made it through the past couple years without Ali and I'm so very glad we're going to be roommates for our final year of college.
Rebecca, oh how I love Rebecca.
Rebecca is probably the smartest person I've ever lived with. She speaks Arabic, she's a wonderful cook, she plays the viola quite well, and, well, she's just great. She even spent a semester in Amman, Jordan! If you don't know her, it's your own loss. She was the first of our roommates to get married and for good reason. Carl is one lucky man! Basically, I miss her a ton, but I sure am glad we were roommates for two years and that I got to be a part of her wedding. My very favorite memory with Reb is represented by this picture of us. We (and Meghan) packed up one 3-day weekend freshman year and road-tripped all the way to Rexburg, stopping at all the temples along the way. It was an amazing experience and there are no two people I would have rather shared it with!
And the lovely Brooke.
Even through Brooke left us after freshman year, we still love her! She's probably the reason I survived freshman year. We had so many great moments and experiences together that year, from General Conference weekends at her house, to walks in the canyon, to dressing as old and young Bellatrix for Halloween. Brooke loves all the right things, like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Oh, and music! Brooke is the best when you need some good music suggestions. I still listen to the mixed CD she made me freshman year.
Nat, nat, not fat!
Natalie is so stinkin' fantastic! She folk dances all the time and she's the best clogger I know. She lived with us for two years before leaving last December to serve the people of Argentina on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The people she serves are going to be so lucky, because she has an amazing testimony and has always wanted to serve a mission. She was always a wonderful person to just sit and talk to. Which reminds me, I need to write her soon. We sure do miss Natalie, but we're so proud of her for living her dream and serving the Lord!
Which concludes the freshies. Then there were the sophomore roommates, a pretty dynamic group of people:
Jenna was the new roommate.
Jenna, the Alaskan! Poor Jenna moved into an apartment with 5 girls who had lived together for a year and were already best friends, but she adapted quite well! We were so glad to get such a great new roommate. Jenna makes delicious baked goods, such as elephant cakes and cinnamon rolls. She understands the value of a bar of chocolate (or any form of chocolate that you can find) on a bad day. And she really knows her Disney. Basically, Jenna rocks, even if she did leave us last semester for the love of her life.
Summatime! Rebecca got married right after sophomore year and Natalie left for folk dance/London study abroad/mission. Madison moved in and we had a pretty chill summer.
Madison's the creepy stone angel and I'm the lumberjack:
Madison spends her time digging in the dirt and studying dead people. She's practically Indiana Jones, or even better, Daniel Jackson (if you don't know Stargate SG-1, I pity you). She drives a scooter, which I could never do. She's also the oldest of NINE kids, with a cute baby brother who was born last December (I still want to meet him, by the way). Basically, I can never be as cool as Madison, but I've come to terms with this.
Fall semester, junior year, which ended with wedding #2
Sophie! Sophocles!
What can I say about my lovely New Yorker roommate? Now, some people would say that a Southern girl and a Yankee couldn't be friends, but I love this girl. Sophie is always up for an adventure - be that a hike, midnight Twilight premiers, 8-minute abs, or a late-night Denny's run. She has so much energy and always keeps our apartment exciting. One of the things I love the most about Sophie is that she isn't like everyone else out here and she's okay with that. She doesn't mind being a little bit louder and more irreverent than other people. Oh, and she's a great aerobics instructor. Soph-aerobics!
Winter semester (a.k.a. the here and now).
Hey Shaunz
Shaunzi moved into Jenna's spot after she got married and we couldn't have asked for a better new roommate. She's crazy and fun and bold. She's confident! And she has really good taste in clothes. Most importantly, I feel like I've learned a lot from Shaunzi in the short time we have lived together. First, she's taught me that it's ok to be more open about my life. Secondly, she's been through some things that I could never imagine going through. The way she has come back from her trials and the testimony she has of the power of the Atonement amaze me.
And that's it! Goodness, this took me weeks to do but these girls are all do great and have all shaped my life in profound ways. I love y'all!
