Ha Birt.

Today's my half birthday. No one has even told me "Hap Birt, Carl." 

I'm really upset. I'm 18 and a half. This is a big deal. I have no true friends. 

Oh. Just kidding. Madi Webber just wrote on my facebook wall. 

I have one friend. Shout out to Madison Webber. 

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, CARLIE HANSEN.

Thank you, self. 

It makes me wanna wag my tail....MAAAAAIIIIILLLLL.

Yes. I know what you're thinking. Her LAST post was about mail! Well....sorry. I just keep getting great things in the mail. Thank you, government.

So on Friday I came home to find another little something for me in the mail. When I opened it up, it said, "Welcome Hansen Family! We hear you're planning a Disney Vacation!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? First a letter from Hogwarts...and then Disney?! Oh the world is a good place, my friends.

I opened up the fancy, blue, Disney envelope to find a DVD. I'm pretty sure fireworks went off and confetti exploded everywhere and "Its a Small World" started playing as I opened it.  Does Hogwarts send complimentary DVDs? No. They don't. So of course I sprinted to the TV and popped it in. Most. Magical. DVD. Ever. Created. Don't judge me, but I literally spent 3 full hours playing around on this thing. There was so much on there! You can explore all the parks, learn insider tips, or just sit there and listen to the inspirational banjo song play over and over and over and over again on the main menu screen :) 

Here's just one of the many clips on the DVD. 

If you aren't crying by the end of that video... something is probably wrong with you.

If you didn't even click play...something is DEFINITELY wrong with you.

Ok. Also, on the magical, informational DVD I learned about this really cool cell phone app. So I downloaded it. Do you want to know what it does? If you answered "Yes, Carlie! I would love to know what the app does"...then finish reading this paragraph. If you answered "No.Why in the world would I want to know that?"...then skip to the next paragraph. It's the mother of all Disney Apps. If you're in one of the parks it tells you where the different characters are and can locate you on the Disney park map. It has a schedule of when all the special events are going on and has games for you to play. I may or may not have played the Disney character quiz and puzzle game millions of times already. Tyler and Madi have also helped me to dominate the Disney park quiz.. Booyah. AND every morning at 8am my phone buzzes to tell me a helpful Disney park tip. My life is complete. 

If you want to receive this life changing brochure in the mail, I can probably hook you up :)  But only if you're really nice to me and say please....with a cherry. I don't care if the cherry is on top. Just as long as there is a cherry. 

The countdown to Disney World vacation begins. 4 months, people!! 4 MONTHS!! WOOOOOO!! 

Here's the thing. I can't wait 4 months. My little Disney heart is starving for some princess interaction and maybe a churro or two. Luckily I am a doctor, and I self-diagnosed myself. I found that I have I-Really-Need-To-Go-To-A-Disney-Park-Right-Now-Before-I-Explode-Syndrome. Other wise known as IRNTGTADPRNBIE Syndrome. I found the cure though. It has its own website. 

 http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/one-more-disney-day/?CMP=KNC-DPOMDD|G|4121000.DM.AM.K2104.01

BAM. The perfect cure. 24 HOURS IN DISNEYLAND. This is the best thing I have ever heard. The park will be open from 6am to 6am the following day. Not like its a big deal or anything...I just...Who am I kidding!? This might not ever happen again! At least not until the next leap day! MUST. GO. Who's with me?!! We have one week to plan. It's go time, Mouseketeers! :)   

Meanwhile I'll just sit here listening to the Main Street U.S.A. music on repeat. 

Feelin fly, like it's Quidditch.

Bloggers of the Muggle world,

I have some very exciting news. VERY exciting news. You may need to sit down...and put a seat belt on....and a life jacket...and have a paper bag ready in case of hyperventilation. It's THAT exciting.

Today I came home from a long day of work and classes to find a letter sitting on my desk. It looked like any other letter...but was it?? NO. Obviously not, or I wouldn't be posting about it. Actually, I would probably still post about it. 

So here's the play by play. 

I opened the big envelope.

Inside was a smaller envelope....

the front of it looked like this.

 

Then I started to cry. 

Notice the stamp in the upper right hand corner? It says Ministry of Magic Dead Letter Office. MINISTRY OF MAGIC, PEOPLE! THE MINISTRY OF STINKING MAGIC!!!!!!! 

Then I turned over the envelope to find this. 

At this point I had probably peed my pants....twice. The beautiful Hogwarts seal nearly made me go into a coma. I couldn't bring myself to break the seal so I VERY carefully cut open the top of the precious envelope.

....5 minutes later.....

Inside I found the 2 most beautiful pieces of paper I had ever seen. 

The first looked like this.... My acceptance letter to Hogwarts.

And the second looked like this....the list of supplies I would need :)

That's right! THAT'S RIGHT! HOGWARTS, BABY! As much as I have enjoyed my time here at BYU, the time has apparently come for me to move on to bigger and better things. I will be wholeheartedly accepting this call to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Term begins on September 1st and I can hardly wait. I know that most witches and wizards receive their Hogwarts acceptance letter on their 11th birthday.... obviously there must have been a glitch in the Owl Post system or something. I don't care how late this letter is though cause I AM GOING TO HOGWARTS!!! The Wizarding World is always in need of powerful witches and wizards and I think I have what it takes! Not to mention the fact that I am a most excellent Quidditch player. I'll admit that I am a little nervous about being a 19 year old first year.... but I have a feeling that I will be a part of the Hufflepuff house, and from what I hear they are very warm and welcoming. Well, I don't have much time to write more. It's off to Diagon Alley for me to get my supplies!

One last thing....You muggles aren't exactly supposed to know about Hogwarts. I hate to do this to you, but the Wizarding World must be kept secret. For your own protection.

OBLIVIATE! 

February the 14th....and the 15th.

Yesterday was  February the 14th....Do you know what that means?! HUH?!!? DO YA!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YESTERDAY WAS?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!? Yes. You guessed it. Yesterday was Arizona's 100th birthday! That's right everybody. The wonderful state of Arimazonica was "born" 100 years ago yesterday. Let me tell you how glad I am. For nearly 12 of those 100 years, I lived there. For all you math kids out there...12% of Arizona's life I, Carlie Dalene Hansen, inhabited that wonderful place. There's nothing quite like the feeling you get in Arizona when you walk out of a cold room and into the warmth. For the English majors...It's like someone just attacked you with an electric snuggie. Then you get into your car and it feels like you've been dropped into a volcano. There's nothing quite like it. I'm proud to be an Arizonimerican. Where at least I know I'm frreeeeeee.



You want to know what else is really exciting about Arizona?! The fact that there is a temple being built in Gilbert right now. You can see it from my high school! A friend posted this picture yesterday....I CAN'T WAIT!




Well kids. It's been real.

Oh. And yesterday was also Valentine's day.... and I was as single as ever. Like if I got any more single, I'd be twins. That doesn't make sense. Ok. ROCK ON. This year Valentine's day meant one thing for me.....SUGAR. My dad and I have been going without sugar/desserts since January 1st but we decided that one day a month can be a "free day." So naturally, I chose yesterday as my free day. I ate some very delicious Graham Canyon ice cream. I felt so sick afterwards but it was totally worth it :) MAJOR sugar rush. Phew. Last night as my roommates and I were just hanging around the apartment we heard a guitar playing outside our door. We opened the door to find Brigham and Sascha serenading us! Made my day!!

Sorry it's sideways. 

A little while ago, Aubrie called and asked me to sing with her at her Young Women's New Beginnings activity tonight. They themed the whole night on the movie Tangled. Aubrie and I sang "I See the Light," but we changed the words to "I Shine the Light." Afterwards we all got to go outside and light the floating lanterns just like the movie. SO STINKIN COOL. 

That's all for now, folks. 

Have a good Wednesday night, you 9 people that follow my blog. 

College is weird.

I decided that being a freshman girl at BYU has to be one of the weirdest experiences ever. 

Think about it. You leave the comfort of your home and all your family and friends....

You come to BYU to live with 5 other strangers who, like you, know nothing about living on their own.

 You learn the difficulties of actual school work, providing for yourself, and how to manage all the hairspray and hormones floating around your little apartment. 

Your crock pot becomes your new best friend.

You spend more time at the library than you do at your apartment...well if you're me then your time at the library is spent dancing on the tables for the last 15 minutes before it closes...but that's another story. 

You make lots of new friends....most of which are in your ward and are little baby freshmen just like you.

You make dishes charts that wear off within a week and find that living with college girls comes with a lot of hair. Hair everywhere. 

You get put into a new "family" that meets together once every week. Your family consists of a mom, dad, and brothers and sisters.....all of which are your same age and look nothing like you. Heck, you might even have a black brother! ;) 

The initial excitement of being at college and the millions of awkward "meet and greet" events eventually wear off and then you start skipping classes and failing exams.

You go on dates. Good and bad ones.

You encounter some weird colleges experiences...Like kids running through your lecture playing the saxophone. Or people singing at the top of their lungs in library rooms that they think are soundproof. Or opening the washing machine to find pasta. Yes, cooked pasta.

You spend your evenings doing stupid things with your roommates who are now your best friends.

You find out all sorts of new things about yourself. For example, maybe you giggle in your sleep. Or maybe you cry like a baby every time you talk to your mom on the phone. Or maybe you aren't actually that good at the things you thought you were good at in high school. Or maybe you really like peanut butter. Or maybe you you hate the cold. Or maybe you find that buying a Beauty and the Beast bedspread isn't actually what all the cool kids are doing. Or maybe you really like learning about Geography. Or maybe you like to take naps with your roommates in their beds.  All hypothetically speaking, of course. 

You blow through the rest of the semester and bomb all your finals.

 Then some of the boys you became good friends with leave at the end of semester on their missions.

You go home for a couple weeks and reconnect with the family and friends you left behind.





 While home you realize that things at home didn't stay the same while you were gone. Your brother started to sleep in your room, the kids you babysat can now babysit, and your parents decided to move the Christmas festivities downstairs...big deal.
You realize how much you actually love college and your roommates and you miss them. Maybe even Skype them once or twice.

You come back to P-town.

Second semester goes similar to the first except this time everyone pretty much knows each other and friendships are pretty well established....so if you don't like the friends you have, then WHOOPS!

 Also as a girl during second semester you have to choose where and who you are going to live with your sophomore year. I have 3 words to say about that........Actually, I don't. It's just a stressful experience.

At the end of your second semester, 99.99 percent of the boys you became friends with will leave on missions. So there you are.....Male-friend-less. Except for your dad...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA had to throw that in there.

So then when you finish your freshmen year you have to start ALL over again and make new boy friends. Boy. Friends. Not boyfriends. I mean, unless you want to make new boyfriends too then.....whatever.
Go for it.

You're faced with all sorts of big decisions to make. There's no more hiding from picking your dreaded major. You're officially at the point of no return (Cue Phantom of the Opera music).  You're a big girl now...what are you going to do next? Study abroad? A mission? Marriage? 

Nationwide is right...life does come at you fast.
 Just remember...if you give a girl a pancake, she's gonna want some syrup to go with it.

happy friday. 

 

Oh, you wear a North Face jacket?? You must go on so many adventures.

I may not have a North Face jacket...but this weekend I went on some adventures....kind of.

 Friday night I was feeling rather stay-home-ish. I did join the ward kids out in the lobby for game night briefly but then Rose and I decided that making a fruit smoothie sounded much more appealing. Then....I did something spontaneous. Yes. Me. I, Carlie Hansen did something spontaneous. My sister had let me borrow Lola the Corolla for the weekend so I decided I needed to make the most of having a car. Soooooo my roommates all piled in and we drove to Vegas. Just like that. Ok. Good joke. I'm not THAT spontaneous. We all piled in the car and drove to IHOP at 2 in the morning :) I love my roommates. And IHOP at 2 in the morning. What a great combo.

We like to laugh. 

We also played "Quarters" while we were there. Probably drew a lot of attention to ourselves but it was fun :) 

So on Saturday, my wildest dreams came true. I FINALLY saw Beauty and the Beast in theaters. My. Mind. Was. Blown. I'm normally not a huge fan of 3D movies but HOLY COW. SOOOOOOO GOOOOOODDD. I wanted to go back and watch it again later that night! Madi and Jeff were kind enough to join me for this truly momentous occasion. The memories just kept flooding back. I'm proud to say I remembered every single word. Beauty and the Beast, you've done it again. Great movie. 50,0010209409 stars and 3 thumb up. 

Even though they might kill me for putting these pictures on, I've had some fun Skype dates with my family recently. These are too good not to share with all of my imaginary friends that follow my blog. 

The apple obviously doesn't fall far from the tree...if you know what I mean.

Sorry for all of you that think you have a cuter dog than me because clearly, you don't.

 I miss these crazy people. One more thing. This picture almost made me pee my pants. If you're a Disney channel kid you'll do the same...you're welcome.