So we went to Barcelona...

So so much has happened since I last posted in February. 

Basically I am the worst at multitasking and when studying and tests start consuming my life things like taking photos and posting them online tend to take a backseat... so this poor little corner of the internet has been severely neglected. 

But not anymore! I am back and have so much to update on here, including but not limited to:

>>> the 2 week road trip through Europe that we just finished

>>> our 3rd and final law school prom

>>> our 1st med school prom (that I was in charge of! Yikes.)

>>> a certain someone graduating from law school

>>> lots and lots of delicious new restaurants to share

>>> also, family pictures! Woohoo!

But to begin, lets talk a little bit more about this European road trip, shall we?

JP first found these AMAZING tickets to Europe (think $650 roundtrip! eee!) and then we figured we would need to go on a graduation trip for him anyway (because that's mandatory, right? ;) and then we got our BFF's on board and voila! 

The 4 of us left for Europe the day after I finished taking finals. 

We began our trip in Barcelona and let me tell you, that city is a dream!!

Here are the quick and dirty must-do's (and must-eats!) 

>> see all of Gaudi's awesome architecture and also his park guell (and definitely go inside the Segrada Familia)

>> Eat at Foc i Oli (best burgers EVER), get dessert at Escriba

>> Walk through the old town and shop at all the cute amazing shops

We didn't get to visit the Tibidabo amusement park this time around (but it's good to leave stuff for the next time you're there, right?!)

PS- huge thanks to those who gave us fabulous recommendations!

Things that happen when I should be studying:

Hello!

It's finals week, which means I'm basically a hermit. I wake up early, study, go to class, study, eat, study, and stay up late studying more. 

I eat terribly, consume wayyyy too much caffeine, and discover weird things online when I'm taking studying breaks. 

(I also do things like design and order Christmas cards at 2 AM.... so that happened).

BUT, some good has come of my mindless web browsing that occurs when I can't remember even one more equation or commit one more metabolic pathway to memory and they are THE YEAR-END MASHUPS. 

I live for these. December rolls around and random awesome people combine all the top songs from the year into one song and it's PURE MAGIC. 

So, without further ado (and because the allotted time I've given myself for a study break is up) here are my favs thus far!

THIS ONE is my favorite - their talent is unbelievable. 

THIS ONE is a classic. 

And THIS ONE might be a 100% Taylor Swift mashup but.... It's amazing so you should definitely listen to it. #1989

Also, here are some medical school pictures, because I'm almost 1/8 a doctor and I haven't posted any proof at all on my blog:

#picsoritdidn'thappen

^^^ we learned how to put casts on each other! 

^^^ this was probably the coolest day of my life 

^^^ I have a friend who takes pictures of me every time I fall asleep in class.... 

Guess What I Was Doing 1 Year Ago Today...

I was on a plane, flying to AUSTRALIA to meet JP's extended family and celebrate Christmas with them!

Want to know what I'm doing this year?

Studying for finals.

Well not right at this very moment, funny how blogging suddenly became very important to accomplish at 10 PM the night before finals week starts... But I guess maybe that's a side-effect of GRADUATING?!

Yep, that's right. I celebrated my last day of undergraduate classes last week!

There's a post coming about that, don't you worry haha. 

Speaking of, sorry for the two-week absence!

Real life started piling up, combined with a little medical non-emergency and trying to get the most out of my last few weeks as an undergraduate at BYU and somehow blogging got pushed to the back burner. 

But I'm back now! With a whole slew of posts ready for the next week and some very exciting news coming right this way (is your interest peaked yet? ha.... ha...)

But in honor of me wishing I was on an airplane instead of filling out a google doc, here are a few pictures from Australia last year:

If you feel like reminiscing with me, feel free to read my Australia posts here:

1   2   3   4   5

Waffles

Weather is starting to warm up around here finally. 

And so, to celebrate the appearance of Spring (and maybe to postpone studying for finals), JP and I visited the waffle truck  with Shayla and Nick!

PS - one final down!

A Picture-less Weekend Re-cap:

Friday night:

We did homework. Isn't that exciting?! Lots of studying up in here. 

Oh, JP and I also went and volunteered at the juvenile detention center here in Provo (we've been doing it for about 4 months now) and can I just tell you how much I love it?! 

We help out with the 16-17 year old boys and they are really something. They've made mistakes and lost their way a little bit but their perspectives on life and why they are in jail are so interesting, not to mention a lot of them are hilarious,  so it's really been one of the best things JP and I have done together since we got married!

Saturday:

Saturday morning I had to take a practice MCAT (party time) and then decided that the best way to spend the next three hours were by laying on my couch watching 'Legally Blonde' (now that I actually know how law school really is/works, that movie is even funnier).

Then it was back to the library. 

BUT we did manage to break away for a dinner date with my parents and little brother woot woot!

Sunday:

Sunday was fabulous, full of church and teaching my little 6 year olds (love them). 

After a relaxing Sunday dinner (one of the many perks of having family in Provo) it was decided that applying for 'Amazing Race' with my older brother was next on our life to-do lists, then it was back to studying for a bit until I remembered that MAD MEN IS BACK AIRING ON SUNDAYS NOW!!!

Remember how I'm obsessed? Yep. Good thing the semester is ending soon because Sunday nights just got a lot less productive. 

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Also, can we talk about how precious my new little 5-day-old niece is?!

Lilian Laurie Smith. 

She's a doll. 

Biggest Cram Sesh of My Life

I'm sort of drowning over here. 

After a whirlwind week of finishing massive class projects, taking two exams (that aren't even finals!), and hosting/attending Christmas parties, finals week is upon me and I somehow have less than 24 hours to study for two scheduled final exams tomorrow morning. 

Our apartment looks like a bomb went off, I'm crossing my fingers that I have enough clean clothes to last me through the week, and don't even get me started on how atrocious my eating habits have become in the past 72 hours. 

Can you say d i s a s t e r?

Whew. But hey, I sort of live for this. I have a weird love for it all -- the tense atmosphere plus the complete lack of sleep plus massive amounts of pressure everyone is under eventually all comes to a head and results in some pretty hilarious things happening, especially when you're in the library past midnight every night. 

And then come Friday, you've done it and it's over and your body sort of breaks down (I always get sick the week after finals) and you can sleep in and actually have time to go to the gym and eat three meals a day. 

But whoa, lets not get ahead of ourselves there. That glorious freedom is still five days away!

Wish me luck, I'm certainly going to need it. 

That being said, I do have some catching up I need to do on this blog here, so a bunch of new posts are slowly but surely coming in the near future :)

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger...

HOORAY!!! Finals are OVER! 

I could NOT be happier about it! 

I just couldn't be happier that this whole semester is over! I have so many projects I want to do around our little apartment that I haven't had time to get to.

 I averaged out how many hours I spent at home per day this last semester, it was less than three. Less than three! Can you now see why I am so thrilled to be finished with it?

Anyway, I walked out of the testing center at 2:00 PM this afternoon and was handed this:

 Which was awesome.

Then I went and picked up Mr JP for a little celebratory lunch at Which Wich! 

Wait a second...

Today felt nothing like a Saturday. 

I woke up early, had to run into work, and then went straight to campus where I studied for 8+ hours and took two finals. 

I was legitimately surprised when I finally came home this evening and Mr JP reminded me that I needed to prepare my lesson for church tomorrow (wait... you mean tomorrow is Sunday?)

So, here is a very lovely video that gives me hope for next Saturday, when all these tests are behind me. 

Enjoy!

Finals Start Tomorrow:

This is me. 

In my cubicle. 

Where I've been for the last two days and will be for the next 6. 

I emerge either to eat, or when my mind loses the ability to memorize anything else. And when the library kicks me out at 2 AM.

And speaking of eating, that includes mostly bags of Chex Mix and Dr. Pepper 10. 

I know, I'm a paradigm of healthy living. 

But here's the upside: in less than a week, this hellish semester will be over (pardon my language, but really this semester has been the roughest yet of my college career) and I am probably going to sit in a semi-comatose state (either from lack of sleep or caffeine overdose...) for four days. 

Oh, and then Spring Semester starts! Hooray! haha.

A Cup of Tea

This is one of the few things getting me through this hellish week (if you will pardon my language). 

Jean Paul is from South Africa so he grew up drinking rooibos tea and although it has taken me quite a while to get used to it (read: a solid year and a half to acquire the taste...), I really like it now! 

Especially with lots of honey...

Oh and the end is in sight! Only one more final left!

And When The Going Gets Tough...

...the tough make crepes, at midnight!

Because studying for finals just wasn't quite fun enough.