See you in May.

The day has arrived and I cannot believe it.

Time to fulfill another traveling dream and take off for a while.

I am so very fortunate to have the opportunity and cannot wait to see what the next few months have in store.

[Rough itinerary for the next little bit:]

China (1 week)

Thailand (1 month)

India (2 months)

Kenya (2 weeks)

Tanzania (1.5 weeks)

Europe (Undecided and to be determined by the remains of my wallet at that particular point).

Very much excited to share the things I see, taste, encounter, and learn.

Happy New Year to all and a HUGE thanks to all of my friends and family who

have continuously supported my hobbies and passions. Thank. You. So. Much.

With Love,

Brookie Shoko

Merry Christmas Baby

Christmas vacation was swell! Jake, Mom, Dad and I did the Temple Square visit on Christmas Eve after sushi.

This was their 30th Christmas together. Sweet right?

Also threw a Christmas get together with the one and only Sarah Busk. Congrats to Reagan's recent engagement. Whoo!

Friends.

More Friends.

Perfect turnout.

And a couple of WONDERFUL surprises from the 435.

Hola.

Couple of gems in this photo.

Sr. Class officers reunite!! We also all agreed to wait til the 10 year to have the first reunion. (SWEET.)

Jack loves it when we visit the cabin!

Took a hike with the fam in the snow. Loved it.

Pretty pretty.

Jake was hungry, so I recommended the nearest tree with the most nutrients.

Best part of the holidays- being able to Skype with Elder Foster! We love these Skype family photos.

Semester in "summary".

This is a lengthy post on events occurring from August until now.

There are several pictures with captions.

My mother took captured many of the photos.

Grazzi, Sayuri.

August: Summer ends (boo), but my sister meets a guy and decides to start a family (yay!).

Her wedding was beautiful. This is us with the rest of her bridesmaids. (In case you hadn't gathered that.)

The appointed Christmas card photo this year.  

Did I mention that my family is UTE OBSESSED? My decision to transfer to the U this semester was, needless to say, a good one. This precious photo of the young Foster children is a reflection of our early university influence. Red=Happiness.

Without Sarah, Jocelyn, and Jessica, I would have died this semester. Although though, as pictured, we did want to pull our eyes out more than once. Sarah is pictured on the left, and Jocelyn on the right. (Keep reading for more on them . . .)

Jessica! What a smile.

Just getting comfortable in our second home. Food-check. Whiteboard-check. iPod-check. Larry-check.

And once in a while we DID have some fun. This is at the last game. That we lost. Anyone know of a good kicker??? MUSS= Mighty Utah Student Section. Thus, Jocelyn's oh-so-clever MUSStache!

Enjoying some pre-game traditional grub at HIRES.

Continued hearing lots of great updates from brother Stephen! Who is absolutely loving his mission, btw.

PIE NIGHT! The holidays most definitely kept things upbeat throughout the semester.

I love it when my best friend and her husband come and visit me.

Glad you kept reading, because this photo is of Jocelyn, Sarah, and me outside of the library. Miracles happen.

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Thanksgiving the next day- oh my. My mother kills it! Every time.
Corriney, Aunt Sheri, Madre, Grandma Japanese, Me,

Chatting with my pops on his couch.

Sayuri got things rolling in the kitchen this fall! Here she is, getting ready to demo some fudge making on 2 News.

She started up a fantastic cooking program at South Fork Hardward in North Salt Lake. She was constantly cooking for some of the classes (allowing me to act as her assistant), and bringing in several others to share the secrets of success in the kitchen. Curt Cutler's cookie class was easily my favorite. A) He is hilarious.  B) His family owns Cutler's Cookies! I needn't say more.

Gingerbread cookies with butter cream frosting. Click here if you want the recipe. You're welcome.

The craziest event of this fall: "the" storm. Destruction, power loss, and an incredible amount of uprooted trees.

Sooo many trees destroyed.

Coming home to Mother and a candle lit house? Priceless. Isn't this adorable? It is.

Hanging out with Jake after not seeing each other for literally days at a time. 

One of my dearest friends in the world leaves for an 18 month mission. Goodness I miss her.

The disgusting bruise she had the day we said goodbye. You'll have to ask her how she got it.

If you're wondering what a typical night in the Foster home looks like, there you have it.

Jack's been a real good friend to me this semester.

Also, he successfully learned how to use his iPad last month. Gooooooood dog!

A visit up to the cabin with friends for a weekend getaway. 

One of the absolute gems I captured that weekend. 

I also held two jobs this semester. Job number one: clean a doctor's office five nights a week. The job was super flexible and so convenient for my schedule at the U. This Sobe water bottle was there on my first day and was still being used when I left. I resisted the temptation every day to throw it away and replace it with a new one. Whatevs.

Job number two: hostessing at Settebello Pizzeria. Decent pay and delicccccccious food.

Another female friend has decided to serve a mission! She leaves this spring and will be serving in Vina del Mar, Chile! Took a visit down to P-Rove to say our goodbyes for the next 18 months. There were quite a few lovely photos, but this one was the true reflector of our friendship's reality. Love to you, Nattles.