Hello, everyone! It’s Lily here, ready to tell you about how I was doing all the way up in Rexburg, Idaho! I had a super-fun semester, and there’s so many fun adventures that I get to share with your guys!

4/19/25

The semester started with a bit of a bang, specifically a musical bang. I was able to get tickets for my friend Jacob and I to go see the Hatsune Miku movie! (If you don’t know who or what Miku is, don’t worry, all you need to know is that she’s a Japanese singer.) We had an awesome time, I got to teach Jacob about all the characters, and the ending actually brought me to tears. I really hope I’ll be able to watch it again at some point.

4/28/25

About a week or so later, I was able to invite my Aunt Cheryl up from Idaho Falls to have lunch with me! My roommate hadn’t shown up for the semester yet, and I was feeling both really lonely, and like I was actually losing my mind, so it was nice to be able to have some company. I brought Cheryl to this nice local restaurant called Red Rabbit Grill (no, before you ask, they do not serve rabbits), and she really enjoyed it! While we were eating, she also invited me to come down to Idaho Falls that weekend to come see a play with them…

5/2-3/25

…And I accepted! I got to head down that Friday evening to join Cheryl and Scott in watching a local production of Fiddler on the Roof, and it was so much fun! The stage was one of those where it’s a square with seats on all but one side, so they were out dancing in the middle of the room! Everyone in the production did so well, and, while it wasn’t Derek’s production from last year, I at least got to see the show live at all!

Then the next morning, I was able to join Scott and Cheryl to do some Sealings at the Idaho Falls Temple! I’d forgotten to bring a regular dress, but Cheryl let me borrow one of hers, and it was so nice to go to the temple with family!

5/9/25

The next week, I was able to invite some people from my Family Home Evening group over to have some delicious fried chicken! I pride myself on how good I am at making fried chicken, and it was such a treat to get to share it with other people. We also were able to play some card games, and it was nice to not be alone in my apartment.

5/13/25

During the Weekly Devotional on May 13th, I was able to meet up with Sister Whiting, my old companion from back when I was a Service Missionary! We had a great time catching up with each other while listening to the talk, and it was just awesome in general to see her again.

5/17/25

For my 22nd birthday, I went down to Twin Falls to spend time with my grandparents! I had cake and dinner with Grandma Lynn, and I was also able to swing by my Grandma Valerie and Grandpa Dennis during the afternoon to spend time with them too. I had a wonderful day! It’s been so nice to be so close to family during my time at college, and I was able to take full advantage of that this semester.

5/27/25

I also got to spend a lot of time with my Family Home Evening group in my ward! We had a ton of fun activities, and I was even able to help provide things for some of them! One of the most fun activities we had was doing a cookout by our housing complex’s fire pit. Other people brought stuff for s’mores, but I was able to pick up not only some roasting sticks for all of us to use, but I also bought hot dogs for us to roast as well! I even was able to whip up a fun cinnamon sugar cake from a cake mix to share. We all had a blast sitting around the fire talking and cooking!

6/5/25

I also made sure to keep an eye out for different spirit day events! I was able to get treats like donuts and snow cones, and I even got to run through an inflatable obstacle course one time, and I won against my opponent!

6/5/25

I’ve also gotten really good at shopping for myself! I’m good at making a list and sticking to it, trying to stay within a budget, and only occasionally do I get tempted to add a couple extra things to my cart. I got to do a ton of cooking this past semester, so staying stocked on whatever I needed was an absolute must!

6/6/25

Recently, BYU-I put up a fun statue memorial thing of the university’s logo that people like to hang out around! I was able to have someone take this fun picture of me sitting inside the U.

6/6/25

One fun event that came during one spirit week was a High School Musical Sing-Along! They had a standee of Troy Bolton out for people to take pictures with, and I got to answer some fun trivia for a popsicle. I knew I had to make it that night.

6/6/25

And I was able to meet up with Elyzabeth, a girl from my ward, to go watch it! We had a super fun time talking, even though she had to leave before the movie actually started.

6/7/25

I made it a habit to go walking on occasion, and I’ve made some fun discoveries some of the time! One such discovery was an ice cream place called “Cripsy Cone”, who serve ice cream in these fun baked cinnamon-sugar cones! They spread a filling over the inside, and it was super tasty! I highly reccomend the place for if you want to get a special treat while passing through town.

6/13/25

My housing complex had a music night in the park one week, and it was super fun to go! There were some fun vendors there, a bunch of people performed, and I even got to meet Spider-Man! Indeed, Spider-Man was also hanging out at the show, and I even got to take a photo with him!

6/14/25

I was also able to snag a ticket to a school production of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella! This musical, especially the Broadway version from 2014, is one of my favorite versions of the fairy tale and holds a special place in my heart, so it was awesome to be able to go see it again! The cast did a wonderful job, and I loved getting to see the people sitting next to me react to all the twists and turns that this version of the story holds. My only regret is that, given I’d long outgrown it, I was unable to wear my shirt from back when Mom and I got to see the play on tour back when it first ran.

6/19/25

Our ward had a super fun activity out in the middle of nowhere one evening, and while it was a bit hard to find my way, it was absolutely worth it for the beautiful double rainbow I got to see when I arrived.

6/19/25

As for the activity itself, it was paddleboarding! We got to hang out at a super small lake, and though I was fairly unsteady at first, I was able to slowly get the hang of my board until I was moving around the water like a pro! Don’t ask me to stand up on the board, though, because I’m not quite that confident yet. But it was a super fun evening and I had a blast!

6/28/25

Speaking of the water, did you know that Rexburg has its very own mini waterpark? Because I didn’t! At least, not until my housing complex threw an event there. Welcome to Rexburg Rapids, a cozy little park right there in town! I had an awesome time swimming around, going down the slides, and lounging in the lazy river. Maybe I’ll be able to head there again sometime! It all depends on when I would be in town.

I’ve also had plenty of other adventures I don’t have the time to share here, like a pool party at my bishop’s house that I had a blast at but also left me super sunburned. I sadly forgot to get any pictures of the event, but at least I’ll always remember to put on my sunscreen now! I also had plenty of other fun hangouts with people, small discoveries, and even some adventures with cooking stuff for a class! But all in all, it was just a really good semester, and it even had me feeling more like myself than I’d ever felt in maybe even years. I’m so glad I’ve had this time at college, and I hope that my final semester, whenever it will be, will bring me just as many joys as this one did.