back 2 school.

OHHHHH MANNNN. is all i can say. haha. no it's gonna be good though. it's just gonna be a little kray. Hopefully after the first month when my audition's done I'll be able to keep my head above water a little bit more.

Mk, enough with the being emo though. Cuz I had a GREAT and HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE day! I woke up at 5:30 this morning and practiced for 3 hours before going to French 102 at 10. It was good. The class is like all girls. Which is weird. but I'll get over it. My teacher seems pretty cool. So as long as I do my part and work hard and put the work in it should be good! After that I went to devo. It was really good! President Samuelson and his wife spoke. President Samuelson spoke on what we could do to make our experience at BYU the best that it can be! And Sister Samuelson spoke on remembering to keep our baptismal covenants! It was good. After that I went to Psych 111. It's like an hour and a half class, but it's fine i took classes longer than that at the Salt Lake Center. And Jadeyn's gonna be in that class with me!!! So. I am SUPER STOKED!! So yah, after that I went to History 202. I think that class will be fun :] it's a bit of reading, but it's history, so that's nothing new. Then after history I went to Women's Chorus and we sang! and it felt sooo good!

I realized something today. Like I always knew it, but today it kinda just slapped me in da face. I don't like change. At all. It's baddd. And I need to embrace it I think. Cuz w/o a doubt women's chorus was my fave part of the day and I don't think it was cuz of the music... I think it was cuz everything was the same. The people, the procedures, the teachers, the place, etc. It felt sooo comfortable. So yah. I needa learn how to branch.

But yah, after Women's Chorus, me, Elise, Becs, Melinda, and Jonathan went and took flowers and a balloon to Florence [this lady we sing to every Sunday in the retirement home] for her Birthday! It was fun, but she wasn't feeling very well, so we basically just left them there. After that I came home and did some hw until work. Work was fun! I love being a host! I getta move around a lot! The cleaning up part is less fun but it's ok. I worked from like 6-10 and then did some hw while hanging out with maello.

And so day one is complete. And I'm already exhausted. But. I KNOW that I can do anything with the Lord's help! And so I will survive not only this first month up through my audish, but this whole crazy semester! As long as I put the Lord first, everything will work out.

I love life! The Church IS True!!

~Pono Santos

p.s. I LEARNED TO PRAY IN FRENCH TODAY!!! ISH. SOOOOO STOKED! I'M TRYING IT TONIGHT. butttttt I'll needa keep my eyes open :]

Christmas Break.

Break this year was therapeutic for me. Almost every second of it i LOVED being home. I loved caroling with my family. I loved the Seattle gloom that drives most people crazy. I loved hanging out with Pup. I loved practicing my crappy cello that I borrowed up there. I loved running on the WA trails. I loved laughing with my siblings and shopping with my mom. I loved not having to think about boys. haha.

family.

One of my favorite things about home was caroling with the family. One of the phrases we heard a LOT was, "NOW Christmas can start cuz the Santos family came and caroled." It's amazing to know how one little act of service can impact people's lives so profoundly. I never even thought about caroling as service until this break, but I guess it is. And i LOVE it. I used to think it was a drag, but now I love it. I love spreading Christmas cheer and spending time with my family. Now if I could only convince mom to get rid of the sweaters... bahaha.

me and maello.

Christmas day was way fun too. We read Luke 2 and then opened presents. I got new cello strings!!! And new running shoes! And Beauty and the Beast and Toy Story 3 on dvd. It was fun to be with family.


bffs!

Christmas Break. A time of family, shopping, singing, laughing, playing games, eating, reading, writing, being together, worship, love, service, giving, receiving, and pondering.

new strings!

For New Years I went to the YSA dance at the Seattle Center. It was a masquerade and it was really fun to dance and be with friends! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Now to get back into the swing of things. January's gonna be double O C. I have my audition at the end of this month. but I am super stoked. It will be great!! Anyways, until next time!

me and case. new years.

The Church is True!!!

The Things of Which I Know.

Soooo this is actually just a recent Christmas letter that I sent to my cousin who's on a mish in Boise, Idaho, but it's basically just my testimony, so i thought i would just scan it and put it on the blog. These are the things that I KNOW are true. I love this gospel, heart and soul. It is the reason I am where I am in my life. I am extremely blessed to have it in my life. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who cares about me and wants me to inherit all He has. I also know that My Redeemer LIVES! I know that through the Atonement we can repent and become perfect through Him. May we remember the real meaning of Christmas this beautiful season. I love you all. The Church IS true :]






Love, Pono Santos

oh there's no place like HOME for the holidays :)

I'm back in WA! For the first time since August. and I love it sooo much! It's THE BEST. I love being home with family. Me and pup have been partying it up, and Maello just got home yesterday. So that's just added to the party :] haha. Kalei and Elaine get in on Wednesday and I'm super stoked to see them. I have yet to go running, which i really want to slash need to do. I can't waste anymore days of this wonderful WA running ;) And we're gonna start caroling soon too! Which I CANNOT wait for. I love caroling with the fam! Even if we do have to wear our dorky matching sweaters. haha. Also, I'm not 100% sure yet, but I'm pretty sure that the Pacific NW is just the habitat that I need to live in when I grow up cause it's PERFECT. I just love it. The rain, the green, the mountains, it's fantastic. So yah. Home's fantastic! I just needa do a little more running and a lot more practicing and it will be perfect :] Anyways. here's a pic of outside my room window! I've missed it.


Enjoy :]

The Church is True!

it's the most wonderful time of the year?

you guessed it... FINALS WEEK. BAM. i guess you could say i'm a little frightened. here's the thing though. i HAVEN'T started studying yet. and our first reading day is almost over. i know. it's dumb. but i feel like if i study it will have really started. and i'm SCARED OUT OF MY MIND. ESPESH for history. 35% of my grade will be determined on Thursday. meh. Anyway, besides that final i think it'll mostly be ok if i study. which has yet to happen. I had a pretty productive day though! just little to no studying. hah. i went on a 7 mile run, studied PMG, and practiced which was good. Next week looking like this. I have a GROUP Discussion 50 T/F final in psychology of performance Monday night. Then i'm gonna take D&C on Tuesday. Wednesday is French! And Thursday is History. I fly home Thursday night. CRAZY. but yah. it should be good! In other news. I really, rEaLlY, REALLY wanna be a cello performance major. LIKE SOOO BAD. the audish is on January 29th. I'm gonna do it. I know I can with Heavenly Father's help. So I'm gonna practice like CRAZY and pray even harder. We'll see what happens :] I'm excited.


And this is just a fun pic from last weekend. LB and J-Dawg came to the Celebration of Christmas where I sang! i have BOMB best friends :]

Now Glad of Heart.

This is a song we've sang at a couple concerts this year in women's chorus. With the other choirs actually. And I LOVE it. So yah. Here are the words. Enjoy!

Now glad of heart be everyone!
The fight is fought the, day is won.
The Christ is set upon His throne.

Who on the Rood was crucified
Who rose again, at Easter tide,
In glory to His Father’s side.

Who baffled death and harrowed hell
And led the souls that loved Him well
All in the light of lights to dwell.

Then rise, all Christian folk, with me
And carol Him who made us free,
That was, and is, and is to be.

Now glad of heart be everyone!
The fight is fought, the day is won.
The Christ is set upon His throne!

The Church is TRUE!

THANKSGIVING festivities.

So sorry it's been like a year since I've posted anything... haha life's kinda been double O C. In a good way. but still. So I'll start with Thanksgiving. This year mi madre flew down here for Thanksgiving. And it was sooo funnn!! She stayed with J.J. and Megs so I gotta hang out with them as well as Kalei and Elaine a lot for a few days, which was wayyy fun :] And yah. For Thanksgiving we went down to South Jordan to celebrate with my mom's cousins and all their fam. Not gonna lie. it was a little bit outta control. I kinda felt like i was in my Big Fat Greek Wedding. But it was fun, none the less ;) We ate lotsss of food and talked and sang so yah. good stuff. Here are some pics from Thanksgiving day!

me and my little candy turkey :]


Kalei, my bro.


J.J. and a baby!


family :]

The day after Thanksgiving of course is THE BEST DAY OF THE YEAR!! You called it! BLACK FRIDAY!!! and i gotta go shopping with mom for about 10 hours. haha it was sooo fun!!! So yah. I unfortunately didn't take any pics. We were to intensely shopping. haha. but yah. fun fun fun!!!

And on Saturday of that weekend we went to the Temple Square Christmas Lights in Salt Lake. It was a little cold, but sooo fun! Here are some of my fave pics from the night!


The temple!!


J.J. being awk... haha


Smooz trying to be G.


Smooz and Megs :]


foot pop!


Kalei and Elaine!


Smooz and the 2 most important women in his life. [besides me of course.] haha


reflection pond!


accidental close-up of me and smooz.


the gang in front of the HUGE Christmas tree in the JSMB. [after Kalei and Elaine left]

Anyways, it was a FANTASTIC break! CAN'T wait til Christmas!

The Church is True!

Love, Pono