For Me This is Heaven

Better

2012-01-29T00:18:00.003-07:00

While I'm still far from being the best friend I can be, I can say that I'm doing better already. After hearing that my dear friend was moved from the Provo hospital to the hospital at the U of U, I took a trek up to Salt Lake to see her. I even brought her flowers and chocolate, except I didn't actually give her the chocolate because I don't think she can eat it. She's got a nutritionist who's all strict about her diet. Boo. Anyways, I don't say this to brag. Really. I just want to redeem myself a little bit, and let the world know that I'm not as awful of a person as I seem to be. Hey, I even threw in a random visit to my cousin, Cat, while I was up in the city. I didn't have to do that, either. But, I love them both. Lots. So see world? I can be nice. I want to be nice. And I can do it always. In fact, starting tomorrow, my roommate and I are starting the rubber band project. You know that crazy idea where you snap your wrist with a rubber band when you do something that you don't want to do anymore? Well, I'm doing that whenever I say mean things about people. And I will succeed! (But I wouldn't mind if you wished me luck; I could always use more of that).

I'm Officially the Worst Friend in the World

2012-01-26T20:46:00.004-07:00

Okay, remember how I was venting about how I'd been a bad friend lately? Example #2. And this one's way worse. Today, pretty much my best friend in the entire world got admitted to the hospital. She told me about a week ago that she was having some serious health problems, and what did I do about it? Nothing. Gah! I'm so selfish! Why didn't I go see her? Why didn't I bring her a present, and offer my love and support? I don't know... and now I feel absolutely horrible. I didn't even call her! We just texted. I'M THE WORST FRIEND EVER!

I only have the smallest of defenses: I do leave the apartment at 7 in the morning and return at 7 in the evening because I am student teaching and trying to keep a small job on the side. Then, I get home, plan lessons, and grade homework. If I have a spare moment, I make small visits to people in the ward, go to the gym, or work on things for my calling. Life is pretty insane right now, but that's no excuse for not taking care of someone who means so much to me. She probably doesn't even know it, but she's such an anchor in my life. Hopefully a bouquet of flowers and a present or two will make up for things when I go visit her tomorrow.

Note to self: Seriously, be a better friend. Starting this minute.

You know that feeling?

2012-01-25T20:18:00.002-07:00

No, not that feeling. I mean the one where you kind of know you did something wrong, and you can feel it in the pit of your stomach. And you feel really bad, and like you should do something to fix it because you may have hurt someone's feelings. But, you don't know what to do about it? (Dear students, please ignore the fact that those sentences are all fragments. I know we just talked about fragments last week, but I'm allowed to use them because I'm the teacher).

Well, I have that feeling, and I hate it. In high school, I faithfully followed the motto, "don't go to bed angry," and I literally couldn't. Just ask Tate. I always had to apologize or clarify or explain or whatever before I could sleep, and he would know best since he was usually the one I was apologizing to. I don't know what's happened in the last 4 years, but my heart has hardened, and usually those things don't bother me anymore. I just let things slide and figure them out later.

But this time it's different, and it does bother me. Probably because this friendship's already on the rocks, and this only makes things worse. I should just tell the truth, but I think the whole truth would do more harm than good. I've already tried apologizing. Twice. But saying I was sorry didn't really get to the root of the issue, and I left the apartment knowing he was still upset.

All in all, I just haven't been a very good friend lately- to anyone. And that's something that needs to change. Stat. And it's going to start now, with a real apology. Here goes nothing!

Mylo Xyloto

2012-01-23T22:11:00.003-07:00

This post is a tribute to the album Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay. I have listened to this album to and from school and work every single day since student teaching started twenty days ago. And I listen to it when I go on errands. Or any time I turn the car on pretty much. In summary, I love it. It never gets old. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend you youtube it right this instant. It's catchy, upbeat, and there are some pretty tight harmonies (which is the number one thing I look for in a good album, actually). Seriously. This CD rocks.

The Future of the World, Part 3

2012-01-20T19:00:00.003-07:00

I know I just posted a teacher story yesterday, but these were just too good to pass up. I must share. Today, the students took their unit test on astronomy, and we got some pretty hilarious answers. Again, they seriously make me question the future of the world (Perhaps you'll finally see that I'm not joking when I say these kids have almost no ability to reason through things), but it made grading a little bit more enjoyable :)

Question: What are 3 tools used in space exploration?

Student #1 Answer: push, pull... I don't know the third

Student #2 Answer: a foot pedal

Student #3 Answer: a big boost, a big push, a big lift (I'm not sure where they were getting this whole push, pull, lift thing, since they studied this topic with a different teacher, but I'm surprised at their inability to deduce what a "tool" is).

Student #4 Answer: eyes, hammer, things to pick up with (huh?)

Question: How does a rocket work?

Student Answer: It goes in space and pieces fall off. It goes faster and another piece flies off, then another one. Then the little pieces land on the planet it's sent to.

Question: What date did man first walk on the moon?

It was multiple choice, and one student picked July 4, 1776. Seriously.

Question: What has dust coming out of it and an ion tail?

Student Answer: Uranus

(You may need to read that one out loud to fully appreciate it)

Other highlights of the day:

One student did the matching portion of the test using the first letter of each of the answers instead of the letters provided for the answers. As a result, several of her answers were M and one answer was U, even though the options ended at P.
One student came up to my mentor teacher and said this, "This question says "What galaxy do we live in?", but on the page before there's a question that says "We live in the ______ galaxy" and I'm confused. They sound like the same question to me, so I don't know what to do." (Maybe sixth graders aren't old enough to appreciate freebies).
And my personal favorite, one student misspelled the word asteroid. How did he spell it? Asstard.

The Future of the World, Part 2

2012-01-19T23:22:00.002-07:00

Here is a conversation I had with one of my students last week.

Student: Can I ask you a question about the moon?

Me: Sure!

Student: Because, I've heard this lots of different places, and I just want to know if it's true.

Me: Okay, what is it?

Student: I heard that when you go to the moon, if you were to stand on it, and look at the earth, you would see dinosaurs.

Me: Wait, say that again.

Student: Like when you stand on the moon, you can see dinosaurs on the earth.

Me: You mean the continents look like their shaped like dinosaurs...?

Student: No, you see actual dinosaurs.

Me: Um, no. You can't see dinosaurs from the moon. They're extinct.

Student: Okay, I just wanted to check because I've heard that like lots of different places.

Okay, WHAT?! She'd heard that lots of different places? Where on earth is she getting her information from? I'm pretty sure Wikipedia doesn't say anything about that. I still don't even think I really understand what she meant, or how she even thought that was plausible. Dinosaurs? From the moon? I would really like to know who told her that...

Success

2012-01-18T20:20:00.005-07:00

Okay, I know I haven't posted since Friday, but I have a perfectly good excuse. I was off in Arizona having one of the best weekends I've ever had. I love 3 day weekends- especially when I spend them travelling. So, that being said, I'm not sorry at all that I didn't post. If I happen to run out of things to say, I will do a recap of the weekend. But today I want to talk about a quote:

"Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there." -Bo Jackson

Now, I've done my fair share of goal setting, and this is most definitely the recipe for success. I feel like one of the most important things you can do in life is to aim high, to always have faith in yourself. Then work and persevere until you make it to where you want to be. I feel like my students don't understand either of these concepts. They don't aim high, and they certainly don't want to have to work to do anything. It's been frustrating to deal with, but I'm making it one of my goals now to help them recognize the importance of this. Looking back on the success I've had in past teaching experiences, I know that if I persevere in this, I will succeed.

Now for the real point of this post. I just wanted to give you all a sample of how good I am at making my thoughts seem deep and well put together when really I just made it up on the spot for my own amusement. The real news here is this:

I stole another poster from them. I'm awful, I know. It's like all of a sudden I've become a compulsive kleptomaniac. I haven't, I promise. But if you look really closely, I think you'll recognize the quote...

Prayers are Answered

2012-01-13T12:21:00.001-07:00

Today, as usual, I was running late for my flight. Every time I have a flight, I'm running late. It's genetic or something. Anyways, I hopped right onto the I-15, and just as I rounded a bend, I slammed on my brakes. Traffic was at a complete standstill, and I couldn't believe it. Why the HECK was everyone driving north on Friday night? I freaked. I said swear words. Okay, I didn't actually say swear words, but I did say the phrase, "swear words!" really loudly because I was angry. So, I did the only thing I could think of doing: I prayed my little heart out quietly enough so that Brian couldn't hear me. I probably looked like a crazy person, sitting there in traffic muttering to myself, but let me tell you, it worked! About 15 minutes later, I got a text from the airline- my flight was delayed 40 minutes. I have never been more relieved in my life. My flights are never delayed! Seriously. It was a small miracle. Thanks, Heavenly Father, for listening to my pathetic little prayers.

Awkward Teaching Moments

2012-01-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

I'm certain this won't be the last time I have an awkward moment while teaching. The kids are just so innocent (well, some of them), that sometimes it's just a recipe for disaster. Today, a student came up to my mentor teacher and said this-

Student: What does conceived mean?

(I thought nothing of this. Apparently I'm naive, too).

Teacher: What's the context?

Student: Let me go check (she brings back the book and reads from it) "a child conceived in sin."

Teacher: Can I see that book? (she skims the text). Um, it means that... uh... a woman is pregnant, and...uh... the baby isn't going to be born into a normal situation where there's a mommy and a daddy that are married.

Student: Okay

Nice save, Mrs. Mason.

100 Posts Later...

2012-01-11T20:50:00.002-07:00

This is my 100th post.

Hooray!!!

Okay, it's not that big of a deal, but it's kind of fun to look back over the last four years and see where I've been and what I've done. Again, I'm not much of a journal writer, so this is the best record I have. Unfortunately, it's not a very exciting post. I (as usual) am exhausted beyond all reason after a long day of teaching, working, pranking, and making recompense for said pranks, I just don't have much to say. I'm excited to be going home this weekend, and that's about all that's on my mind.

I miss you already, Mesa.

"'Cuz I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah"

2012-01-10T19:04:00.002-07:00

For anyone who's heard that song, it's a great one. If you haven't heard it, I'll play it for you someday. It makes me laugh every time. So, today I am dedicating this post to my hair. In case you haven't seen me in awhile, I am now a brunette. Yes, I was tired of being blonde. I've always been blonde- boooorrrriing! So, I took the leap and had Brandi color it for me just before Christmas (I only trust one person other than Brands to ever touch my hair, and they both live in AZ, so it was an absolute necessity while I was in town). I was shocked by the change, but I loved it! It was just the difference I needed. I would post a picture, but I look gross today and I have yet to take a picture of the new 'do.

Anyways, now it's been three weeks, and I miss my blonde. Don't get me wrong, it still looks great (Brandi, I'm not criticizing you. You're amazing, doll face). But, I startle myself every time I look in the mirror. I keep forgetting about it, and I don't expect my hair to be brown. And I keep looking at pictures of blonde me. So when I look in the mirror, I expect my hair to look like it did a few months ago, and I'm getting tired of it.

I'll probably get over it soon enough, but today I'm hair-sick. I want my blonde back.

Yes, I'm a Hyprocrite

2012-01-09T22:49:00.009-07:00

Now, I'm not going to brag about how skilled I am at prank wars, but I will say that I enjoy them. And I'm not officially in one yet, but I'm currently in a situation that could potentially lead to one, and that's always exciting.

See, I did a very bad thing today. A thing that, in fact, I spent at least an hour ranting about today. I ranted about how horrible it was and how I didn't understand why people did it because it's just so icky and rude and mean. And then I did it. What was I thinking? In my defense, my intentions were good. Sort of. They usually are. It's not as though I go around plotting malicious things with the intention of doing people wrong and hurting them. No, in this case, I just wanted to teach a valuable lesson. I am, after all, a teacher by nature.

As Brian learned today, there's a lot of false security in Provo. You just feel safe around here because everyone's Mormon, right? Wrong. They're not. And it's not as safe as you think. So, as I was helping Bri clear up the last little bits of his possibly-lost-but-probably-stolen-wallet fiasco, we stopped by another apartment in my ward because Bri had been there with me last night. We thought we'd check and make sure his wallet wasn't there. So, we knocked. No answer.

Now, normal people just walk away. But, I'm not normal. We all know that. I remembered vaguely that gym buddy, Tyson, who used to live there last semester, told me that they don't lock their door very often. So, I tried the handle, and it was unlocked. My thoughts were these, "They're probably at work/FHE, so it's no big deal if we just look around for the wallet and leave." Again, not normal thoughts. Well, except the guys are all sweethearts, so I knew if they found me in there, and I explained what I was doing, they would probably just laugh it off.

So, we went in. We looked for the wallet. We didn't find it. But, I thought it was so funny that I was in there. I was almost giddy. I just couldn't leave without letting them know I'd been there. So, I took a poster off the wall and ran back to my apartment. Then, I hung it on my wall. (Let's just note here that it goes better with my decor, and that I'd told them weeks ago that I wanted it). That's right. After ranting about the horrors of theft, I stole something. This thing:

Am I a hypocrite? Maybe. Probably. Okay, fine. Yes, yes I am. But really, I just wanted to teach them a lesson. They should be locking their doors!!

I didn't think they would figure it out so fast. But, I got a call about an hour ago. It was Jordan, the owner of said poster. He left me a message, asking if I'd stolen it and threatening me if I had. I figured he'd seen it through our window, but apparently he hadn't. He honestly just guessed it was me. Am I really that transparent? I'm sort of ashamed of myself. Oh well. If this means a prank war is ensuing, then I say bring it on!

Would You Rather- Cooking v. Weather?

2012-01-08T23:00:00.005-07:00

Yesterday I was with brother Brian and friend Carter when they started to discuss a question: Would you rather make it so that the weather was always warm and sunny, or always have someone around to cook for you- whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted it. Being young, single males, their choice was obvious to me: they picked the food. But they seemed blown away by the fact that I would choose the weather.

Honestly, I hate the cold. More than just about anything else in the whole entire world. I don't think I even knew what hate was until I moved away to college and experienced the bitter cold. It makes me less-than-amiable on a daily basis. It makes it so hard to wake up in the morning. I have zero motivation to ever leave my apartment. It's just such a buzz kill. Cold. Bleh.

Not only that, but I actually like cooking. I still have a long ways to go before I would consider myself any good at it, but it sure is fun to experiment with. I wish I could be one of those people that just knows everything about cooking. I would make up my own recipes and eliminate all traces of garlic in anything. And mustard. And pickles. Yuck.

Yep, I don't think cooking's so bad, so I wouldn't really want someone else doing all of that for me. It would take away all the fun of experimentation! And all of the happy faces you see when you cook something yummy, and that's one of the greatest feelings ever :)

Eyelashes

2012-01-07T12:30:00.002-07:00

I have a confession. I don't really have long eyelashes. I mean, at least not compared to like my little sister, Alison. Or my old TA, Irene. Or this lady:

Seriously? What's that lady's problem? That's borderline freaky. (Also, let me just say as a side note that if you happen to Google "long eyelashes", you get some pretty disturbing pictures. Just sayin'). Anyways, it's late, I don't really have a lot of time to write, and I'm exhausted. So, I just thought I would clear this up once and for all. I use good mascara. And sometimes, I even use two different kinds of mascara and double coat. That's why my eyelashes look long. I just felt compelled to share this truth because my mentor teacher looked at me the other day and exclaimed, "You have such long eyelashes! Lucky you!" And I've had other people tell me similar things. So, world, I'm not actually that lucky. I just know how to work make-up to my advantage. Now you know.

The Future of the World, Part 1

2012-01-06T23:10:00.002-07:00

These days, being a teacher and all, I'm a little bit concerned for the future of the world. Seriously. There are many reasons why this is true, but here's just a small example:

Student: Is 242 prime or composite?

Me: Well, what do you think? What makes a number prime?

Student: Uhhh

Me: It means that the only numbers that go into it are 1 and itself, right?

Student: Right.

Me: So if we find one other number that goes into 242, that automatically means it's composite. Think really hard- can you come up with another number that might go into 242?

Student: No.

Me: Okay, is 242 even or odd?

Student: I don't know.

Me: (a little shocked) You don't know?

Student: Yeah, I don't know how to figure that out. That's like fourth grade math.

Me: Well, you're in sixth grade now, so you should know how to do fourth grade math.

Student: But that was a long time ago; I don't remember.

Me: Okay, an even number ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8. So is 242 even?

Student: Ummmm

Me: Does it end in a 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8?

Student: Yes?

Oh boy. Normally, I wouldn't have been bothered by this. It's typical of teaching to have students who are behind or who don't remember previous concepts and you have to work really hard to help them find the answers. However, I didn't have this conversation just once. No, I had it, or a similar conversation, with about six students today. Six students in my one classroom didn't know how to tell if a number was even or odd. Really? Really?!! How did they miss out on learning that? It's not a very difficult concept to master. But hey, at least I know that these sixth graders really have a deep understanding of descriptive words.

(In case you were wondering, stupid, retarded, ugly, dumb, and idiotic are all adjectives).

Co-Chair

2012-01-05T22:55:00.004-07:00

This post is dedicated entirely to Co-chair. Why? Because he's great. And he puts up with me. And together, we have a pretty awesome co-chairship. But let's tell this story right. See, here's how the story of me and Co-chair begins:

Once upon a time (a year ago), in a faraway land (Provo), my apartment was assigned a new FHE family (FHE family: a gathering of young adults who meet every Monday evening for activities, lessons, games, and treats in substitution of your own family home evening). In this new family was a boy named David. David came to FHE once or twice, and then got a girlfriend. For the rest of the semester, he popped up here and there, but essentially he disappeared. Come summertime, David left the country for a few months, and when he came back, he was my home teacher. He taught me once. Then, I rarely saw him again.

At the end of July, I was called into the bishop's office to receive a new calling. I was asked to be the Communications Committee co-chair, and I was stoked! I was now in charge of doing the sacrament meeting programs, the ward flyers, the ward email, and the ward directory. The possibilities were endless, and my creative juices immediately began to flow. Then they dropped the bomb: I needed to find myself a co-chair. Their rules: It had to be a boy, he had to be staying in the ward all year, and he had to not already have a calling.

Let me tell you, I was pretty bummed. If you know me at all, you know that I'm not a good team player. I like other people to have input, but I also have this overwhelming fear that things won't get done, or they won't be done "right", so I tend to take control of everything in order to prevent that from happening. I have issues, I know. Anyways, after stepping out of the meeting, I just happened to run into David again. We said hi, chatted for a second, and then went merrily on our ways. As I walked away, the thought popped into my head, "I should call David to be my co-chair." But I promptly dismissed it. I didn't want a co-chair, and I was going to drag my feet for as long as possible in order to avoid having one. Plus, David was never around, and that was just not good co-chair behavior.

That night, I went over to my friends' apartment and I had all 3 of them scour the ward list with me for possible co-chair candidates (Ty, Robert, and Michael- bless your hearts). At the end of the night, though, I had rejected every guy. Well, except David, because he wasn't on the ward list. Nobody held up to my insanely high expectations for what I thought would be the perfect co-chair. So, weeks went by, and I took over the committee. I did everything on my own, and I loved it. I was in complete control. But, the beginning of the semester came, and I was given an ultimatum by the bishop: Choose a co-chair, or we'll choose one for you. Having just rejected every guy in the ward as possible co-chairs, I frantically blurted out, "David! Does he have a calling? Is he even in the ward anymore?" Honestly, I didn't know. I was just going on that brief little thought I'd had weeks before. As it turns out, nobody else knew if David had a calling, either. In fact, nobody else had even heard of David. So, after some research, the matter was cleared up (thankfully he was in the ward and didn't have a calling. Oh, and he's a boy, too. So he fit all the criteria), and David became my co-chair.

Now, the road to our awesome co-chairship has not been an easy one. Just because he was called and sustained didn't mean that I thought we were a good match. I'm bossy and take a lot of initiative. He's a teensy bit passive. I care way too much about our calling, and he's got a lot of other things going for him in life that he spends time on. He's this mysterious, only-sometimes-present person in the ward, and I'm always there, talking to everyone. We've had our moments (and by we, I mean me). Sometimes, I get frustrated at his lack of initiative. I hate when he's playing on his phone while I'm trying to talk to him (seriously, that's one of my biggest pet peeves). It bothers me that whenever anyone has a problem or assignment for the committee, they automatically bring it to me instead of him. I don't like having to be the one to explain things to each of the new committee members. I get upset when he misses Sunday meetings so that he can go home. Our only saving grace seems to be that we have pretty much the same sense of humor, but even that occasionally fails.

So, at the beginning of Fall semester, the future did not look bright. But despite my sarcasm, nagging, bossing, disappointment, meanness, and sometimes downright bratty behavior, David has been an absolute champ. See, I don't trust people very often (never). But working with David, I've been able to overcome that a little bit. The process has been slow, and it's been painful, and sometimes I still mess up and try to be the boss of everything because I lose faith. And David remains a saint, and just works with me. We're even kind of friends, I think. Maybe he puts up with me because he doesn't care as much as I do. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to be the boss anyways. Or maybe I scare him too much and he doesn't want to have to confront me. Perhaps he doesn't even realize he's being a saint. Honestly, I don't know why he puts up with me. But I do know that every time I work with David, I'm reminded that the Lord is looking out for me. He wants to shape me into the very best person I can be, and He puts people into my life who will help me to accomplish that. I'm still learning to be a team player, and to not be so hard on other people, but I'm trying.

I know I criticize, but David is amazing at what he does and he contributes so much to the committee. I couldn't do it without his support. In fact, I've started calling him Co-chair on an every day basis, and though it's become a joke to most people, it holds a lot of significance for me. It's my reminder that we're partners. It's my reminder that we're equals. But most importantly, it's my reminder that I trust him completely, and he has lived up to, and exceeded, the expectations I had for a perfect co-chair in the beginning. Working with him is better than I ever could have imagined.

Co-chair, thank you. You're the absolute best.

Last First Day

2012-01-04T23:33:00.002-07:00

So, today I officially started my last first day of school (however, let's disregard the fact that I'm going into education, so it's not actually my last first day. In reality, I'll likely have many more of those). I mean it more in terms of my own education (although, I guess I'm just assuming here that I'm not going to go on and get a Master's degree, which is a silly assumption. I could very well go on and do that). In other words, today could very well have been my last first day of my undergraduate degree. There. I officially started student teaching, and I can already tell that I'm going to have a very colorful group of kids. Here's a small sampling: there's the girl that wants to be a boy (and she's pulling it off well, let me tell you. I thought she was a boy until the teacher called her name- and it's definitely NOT a boy's name), the kid who, at age 12, has already been in and out of juvie (really, he seems like a sweetheart, though), the girl who is a compulsive liar (she made up a story about how she was almost kidnapped and got in REALLY big trouble. My mentor told me to just watch what she says. My reaction? WHAT?!!! How in the heck am I supposed to know when she's lying???? I'm the worst detector of lies in the world! I guess now's the time to improve that skill), the boy with a growth disorder, causing him to be about a foot shorter than most of his peers (he seems like a sweetheart, too), and the girl who used to beat people up and likes to argue with the teacher (I'm trying really hard to think of a positive here, but really, nothing's coming to mind. Oh wait! Nah, I've got nothing). Anyways, it's good to be the one handing out grades and tests this semester without worrying about any of my own. Graduation, here I come!!!

Roommates

2012-01-03T20:42:00.003-07:00

Here are my thoughts on roommates (having had 20+ roommates now in my life, I feel my opinion is well-supported): In Provo, Utah, they pack as many girls as is legal into one apartment in order to force them into matrimony. Seriously. That's the only reasoning I can see for the misery that is roommates. Don't get me wrong, some of my roommates have ended up being my very best friends, and I will love them forever. But, when you get that many girls into one small space, there's bound to be drama. It's unavoidable. Here is just a sampling of some of my own roommate experiences:

The roommates that refused to turn the air conditioning on in the summer/the heater on in the winter, the roommate that threw away my food because it was taking up room in the fridge, the roommate that talked in her sleep, the roommate that had no social skills whatsoever, the roommate that talked about herself and her problems all the time, the roommate that woke up if I breathed the wrong way in the night, the roommate that never came home at night, and the roommate that would eat your food.

And that, folks, is just a small sampling. Let's just say that for some people, maybe these things wouldn't be a problem. For others, they're a huge deal. It's kinda like the whole dishes debate. I personally don't mind if the dishes pile up a bit before I load them into the dishwasher. For other people, that's the eight deadly sin. What this all boils down to is the fact that six girls (with their emotions and cattiness) should never ever ever live in one apartment. And I think that's what pushes girls to matrimony at the age of 18. Heck, they had me convinced for about a minute. Then I decided to beat the system and not give in. That's the rebel in me, I guess. So, in case you were wondering, that's why I'm not married :)

New Year's Eve

2012-01-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve. It comes around every year, and the older I get, the more I seem to dread it. Let's be honest here- it was a blast as a youngster. You got to stay up until midnight. MIDNIGHT! That's way past bedtime. But let's be honest again- when was the last time I went to bed BEFORE midnight in the last five years? I don't even know (Oh wait, I remember. It was that one night this semester where I was practically dying because I was so sick. So, I chugged some Nyquil and hit the sack at 8 pm. But that doesn't count. I was ill. And drugged). Anyways, now I look at New Year's Eve and I think, "Gee, I'm tired. And it's a holiday tomorrow, so I don't have work or school. It sure would be nice to turn in early tonight." But guess what? That's socially unacceptable. So, just how did I spend New Year's Eve this year? In just about the second best way possible (second only to sleeping, in case you didn't catch that earlier). I camped out at my apartment in my pj's with six guys (okay, okay, two of them were my brothers, but it was still a great ratio...) and watched Mission Impossible 3. It was excellent. There weren't exorbitant amounts of food that made me feel icky. There weren't children running around screaming. There wasn't that moment when it's midnight, the moment you've been waiting for all night, the absolute climax, and you don't really know what to do with yourself, so you awkwardly go around and give hugs and high fives to people. In fact, I didn't even know it was midnight until my dad started calling me. So call me the Scrooge of New Year (or whatever the proper name is), but I think from now on, I'll pass on the New Year's celebrations.

2012

2012-01-01T22:35:00.004-07:00

So, hi. It's been awhile. I know. Truth be told, I hate journaling. It's the bane of my existence (bane: A source of harm or ruin; curse- definition courtesy of merriam-webster.com) because everyone's always telling me to do it and I am constantly failing at it. And since I typically have an "I can do anything" kind of attitude, failure's really hard on my ego. So, gosh darn it, I'm going to get this record-keeping thing down once and for all, and 2012 is the year. I can feel it. The focus of my blog, though, is going to change a little bit. I hate travel logs and all that jazz. Especially because it helps me justify not blogging. My logic: If I didn't do anything exciting, I don't have to write. And then I never write. So, instead, I'm going to just write my thoughts on things. And I pretty much always have thoughts on things. I may tell an occasional story here and there (let's be honest, I'm starting student teaching this semester and I'm bound to have some gems from those little kiddos), and I may share a picture every once in awhile. But for the most part, I'm just going to share my thoughts. I know I'll never be as successful as this guy (my blogging idol, seriously), but it'll be fun. Here's to 2012!

Another President's Day Adventure

2011-02-26T11:12:00.004-07:00

Okay first things first. Look at this picture:
Adorable, right? I can't believe how cute she is. Like I said before, I'm kind of obsessed. Anyways, on to other news. Last Thursday night, I got a text from my good friend, Jacob. His message was simple: "Come to Disneyland tomorrow." Naturally, my thoughts were bombarded with every excuse I could think of to not go: I can't miss class and I have lots of homework to do, I shouldn't spend that much money, I had volunteered to do something on Saturday, etc. But, in all honesty I wanted to go so bad. I love Disneyland. And I'd previously been looking forward to Jill, Jackson, and Lacey coming to visit, but due to sickness, they'd had to cancel their trip. So, in a fit of complete spontaneity, I went! The drive was long, the car was small, and I've never eaten so much peanut butter and honey in my life, but I had a blast! It was just the break I needed. And to top the whole thing off, I had a stroke of genius and decided to let my cousin, Cat, know that I was going to be in Cali. I didn't know where in California she was living, but I thought I'd give it a shot, and it's a good thing I did! She ended up coming with us to Disneyland and it made the day even better. We were occasionally able to slip away from the others and have a few cousin adventures. Thanks, Cat, for coming along :) I wasn't as good about taking pictures this year as I was last year, but here are a few photos of the day:Now that I'm back in Provo-land, I'm looking forward to the next month where most of my classes are canceled so that I can go and spend all day in an elementary school to observe and do a little bit of teaching. It's going to make for some long days (being at the school all day, coming back to campus for class, and then going to work for a few hours), but I hope that being with the kids will make it all worth it!

I'm Kind of Obsessed...

2011-01-12T19:48:00.004-07:00

...with how adorable my niece is. Seriously, just look at her:

First off, how can a baby even be that cute? It shouldn't even be allowed. Second, why did Jill and Seth have to move right before this little bundle was born? Seriously guys, not cool. I could have given you free babysitting every day. In fact, if you want to just ship her up here for a few weeks, I would be totally cool with that. I'm just sayin'....

In other news, I will be heading to Reno on Friday to visit this lovely girl,

(Sorry the pictures really old)

whom I haven't seen in what feels like decades. It should be a nice way to celebrate one of the two 3-day weekends I get this semester. Let's just hope that Reno isn't as cold as Provo has been lately (temperature window yesterday in Provo: between 1 and 12 degrees all day long....brrrrr)!

Looking Back...

2011-01-11T20:19:00.005-07:00

I don't know how this picture has never made it on the Internet. But here's an old school gem for all of you to enjoy. This is me and one of my favorite people in the whole entire world, Kamarie, doing what we do best- being ridiculous. I love you, Kam :)

My Little Lacey Lynn

2010-11-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

Guess WHAT! I have a niece! And she is the sweetest, most adorable, teeny little thing you've ever seen. She was born on Sunday November 5 at 7:13 in the morning. She weighed just 5 and 1/2 pounds. It breaks my heart that I couldn't be there, but the first thing I'm doing after I finish my finals in December is flying out to Albuquerque to experience the bliss of being a new aunt all over again. But that's enough gushing from me. Here are the real goods:

I love this picture because Jackson just looks so eager to have a turn holding the baby. I can just hear his little voice saying, "Shh! Mom, be verrry careful!"

A proud big brother

Seriously, that headband is adorable!

Um, don't I have the cutest niece and nephew ever?

Looking pretty in pink :)

Sooooo sleepy...

Oh, Hey There...

2010-11-17T22:10:00.003-07:00

So the word on the street is that I should probably update this thing since, let's face it, it's been ages since Tate came home. I've moved back to good ol' Utah and I almost have enough credits to qualify me as a senior in college. Yeah, let me say that again. A senior in college. Yep, it still sounds weird. My life consists of homework, teaching, grading, more grading, a bit more homework, and spending time with Brandi. Exciting, right? At this point, I'm super excited to go home for Thanksgiving next week, I'm super excited that more of my friends are coming home from their missions (welcome home, Justin!), and I'm super excited that I'm one semester closer to being done with school. And that, in a nutshell, is my life right now. Hopefully more excitement to come in the near future :)

He's Home!

2010-07-27T23:57:00.001-07:00

Two years ago today, I was released from the hospital and began some very long months of recovery. But that's not what this post is about. Today, one of my favorite people in the whole entire world, Tate Michael Brinton, came home from Honduras, where he's been serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Let me just say that two years is a really, really long time, and I'm so glad that his are over. I managed to convince my friends Justin, Spencer, and Landon to come to the airport with me so that I wouldn't have to stand amongst his family members alone, and I'm so glad they came. I didn't want anyone getting any ideas since going to the airport was a very girl-friendish thing to do, so they made it seem more normal. And when he came to say hi to us all, I felt better that I wasn't being singled out. The best part was right when he walked over to us, he gave Justin a hug, he gave Spencer a hug, and then he kind of paused in front of me for a second. We made eye contact and I thought I saw his hand move up a bit like he was going to shake it, but then he shrugged his shoulder and said, "Ehh" and gave me a big hug! I was pretty shocked since I'd been counting on a hand shake, but I'm glad he didn't make it awkward at all. And I'm glad I was the first non-family member girl that he hugged when he got back :) Overall, he was pretty normal, too. I didn't notice any weird behaviors at all! I'm just so happy that he's home and I can't wait to spend the next few weeks with him!

Two Years Ago Today, Part 5

2010-07-26T17:32:00.002-07:00

Two years ago today, I threw the biggest temper tantrum I've ever thrown. Okay, maybe not really, but it's the biggest one I ever remember throwing. I was finally allowed to get out of bed and walk around after surgery, so I'd taken a trip around my room. In order to do this, the nurse had unhooked me from my IV. So, upon returning to my bed, she tried to hook me back up. And it hurt. And I was already in enough pain to begin with. So, I told her to stop. She insisted that I wasn't allowed to not have an IV in, but since I wasn't going to back down, she said she would try again later. Fast forward a few hours, and the nurse came back in and announced that it was time for me to get my IV back in. She tried. And it still hurt- it was cold and it stung and I told her to stop. But this time, she wouldn't. So, I started to cry. And I screamed. And I kicked my legs. My mom was in the room, and she tried to calm me down, but I refused. Finally, the nurse gave in (I'm positive she hadn't expected me to make such a scene) and left the room. I was a little ashamed afterwards- I was 18 years old after all. I'm sure the nurse thought I was the biggest brat in the world! But hey, I couldn't help it. I was on drugs :)

Two Years Ago Today, Part 4

2010-07-24T16:05:00.005-07:00

Two years ago today I went under the knife for the first (and hopefully last) time. I don't really remember much about that day, to be honest. We reported to the hospital at around 8:30 in the morning and I laid in a bed for a long time watching TV with my mom and trying not to cry. I think I did a few more tests. I remember wanting to text my friends really bad but Janell and Cortney were in California spending the day at the beach. And Tate was gone. That was hard to get used to.

The anesthesiologist came in, stuck a needle in me, and left. I don't remember losing consciousness, but the next thing I knew, someone was trying to force my eyes open. I resisted for a few seconds, but they manged to pry open one eye and they shined a bright flashlight in it. I heard strange voices calling my name and telling me that I needed to wake up. They lifted me off the surgical bed and moved me onto a bed in the intensive care unit. They smashed my needle-bearing hands in the process and that finally woke me up.

I couldn't breathe through my nose and then I remembered why- it was stuffed with cotton. My throat was dry (I found out later that was because of the breathing tube that had been stuffed down my there during surgery) and I desperately wanted water. I begged and pleaded. The nurses wouldn't bring any. Finally, they gave in, but they warned me that the drugs might make me throw it all back up but I was it hurt so bad, I didn't care. I learned the hard way that they were right and I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening (I'm still not really sure what time I got out of surgery, but it was dark in the ICU room, so I'm assuming it was evening) with a bucket on my lap. I dozed on and off, I think. The drugs made me a bit woozy.

Here are the only pictures (thankfully!) that exist of me in the hospital post-surgery. I look gross and I hate looking at them. I also have absolutely no recollection of them being taken, which amuses me, and that's why I'm posting them.

Look at my beautiful nose-stache! I had to wear that thing for like 2 weeks after surgery to catch all of the excess drippage- ewwww!

Don't I just look so comfortable with all of those tubes coming out of me? Or maybe the pain meds just gave me the illusion of comfort. I guess I'll never really know which of those statements is true.

Two Years Ago Today, Part 3

2010-07-23T13:57:00.002-07:00

Two years ago today, I spent the morning getting all sorts of tests done at the hospital in preparation for my surgery. I spent the afternoon being scared out of my mind because, well, brain surgery is a scary thing. Over the years, I'd kind of developed a distrust of doctors- they always promised that this medication would stop the symptoms or just a few more blood tests and MRIs would help them figure things out. They also never seemed to believe me when I would talk about how I was feeling and what was going on. So, that didn't exactly help my feelings about surgery.

On a side note, two years ago today was also the day that Tate entered the MTC and I wrote my very first non-family-member missionary letter.

Also, today is my parent's anniversary, so I would like to give them a shout out and thank them for getting married. Because if they wouldn't have gotten married, then I wouldn't exist. Happy 28th anniversary mom and dad!

Two Years Ago Today, Part 2

2010-07-21T13:25:00.003-07:00

Two years ago today, Brian left the MTC in Provo, Utah and flew to South Korea. I remember talking to him on the phone while he waited to board his flight and being so scared for him (although I obviously wasn't as scared as when Jesse was flying out to Mexico). I'm glad he's home safe and sound now. I remember thinking that his two years would never be up, but it came much quicker than I expected.

Two Years Ago Today, Part 1

2010-07-20T22:13:00.001-07:00

So, I feel weird because I now have less than a month left of summer and I don't really know where the time has gone. I spent the last 3 weeks up in Provo helping my sister Jill while they were getting ready to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I had so much fun while I was there, spending time with Jackson and visiting my friends that are still there for the summer. I still can't believe it went by so fast and I am going to be leaving my beloved Mesa once again. At the same time, I'm really excited to be back out on my own and to be able to make new friends and spend more time with the friends I made last year. While I'm thinking about Mesa, though, and the memories that I have here, I thought I would make this week a tribute week. The week of July 20-27 in the year 2008 was one of the most difficult and eventful of my life thus far, and it's certainly hard for me to forget everything that happened. It all started two years ago today when one of my best friends, Tate, left for his mission. Two years ago today was the last time I saw him and to this day, I miss him. I can't wait for him to come home in 10,099 minutes (or next Tuesday, whichever way you like to think of it). On that day, I went to two missionary farewells and then to Tate's open house, where I spent a good portion of the time crying. Here's a picture of me and Tate just before he got set apart (and literally minutes before I burst into tears):

I can't wait to see this kid again!

Busy-ness

2010-06-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been awhile since I've updated, and to be honest, I don't have time to update much now. But, here's what I've been up to.

Brian came home on May 28th and it was a joyous reunion. Here are all of the Woodbury children in front of the beautiful banner that we made for him.

That weekend, we had lots of family time while Jill and Seth were still around. Here's Seth, Brian, Jesse, Alison, and I going down the slide at my sister-in-law Michelle's uncle's house. It's one of the coolest pools I've ever been to!

Then, I helped Karissa's sisters, Kali and Kelsey, plan a bachelorette party for Karissa. Here's Courtney and I with the decked out bride to be.

Here's a picture of the lovely bride and groom. They were married on June 10th in the Mesa Arizona Temple. I still can't believe my little Karissa is married and all grown up!

And I got to see these girls. I miss them lots since Janell is in Utah and Amber is a busy wife and mother-to-be now. I really wanted Kissa to hop in this picture, but she was busy. I love you girls!

And of course in between all of this, I've still been working at Downeast. I've finally mastered the cashier/checkout process and I've made some friends, too. And, another bonus, they are going to hold my position while I go to Utah to help Jill out for a few weeks! I leave Monday, so the next time I post, I will probably be in Provo again. I hope it's finally warmed up there!

Just 11 More Days...

2010-05-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

So, I've been home for a few weeks now and I can't believe how time is already flying by! Brian comes home in just 11 days and the whole family is ecstatic. We are prepping the house for another resident by cleaning out all of the junk that has accumulated in Brian's empty room over the last two years and arranging for house guests. Jill, Seth, and Jackson are preparing themselves for the long drive down here from Provo. And Jesse and Michelle are going on a ten day Mexican vacation in celebration of their one year anniversary, set to return a mere 2 days before Bri. Luckies.

In other news, I started working part time last week at a store called DownEast Basics. They are a company based out of Utah and they specialize in modest clothes. My parents aren't exactly thrilled with the job, but it's given me something to do, and the discount isn't bad either. If they have it their way, I will find a full time job at some place that just happens to be 5 miles from our house. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I'm going to keep counting down the days until the brother comes home (Did I mention that it's only 11 days away?)

A Visit With Friends

2010-05-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, my friends Jessica, Melissa, and Lynzi came down to Arizona for their roommate, Savannah's wedding. It's only been a few weeks, but it was so good to see them! Just being around them made me miss being in Provo. Don't get me wrong, I've had some fun times here in Mesa. I just miss the predictability of my life last semester. Anyways, we didn't get to spend a ton of time together because they were helping out with the wedding and I had work, but on Thursday night, I went to Savannah's reception and spent the time socializing with them. Afterwards, we didn't want to waste their last night in Arizona, so we opted to go to the midnight showing of Letters to Juliet. It was actually a pretty good movie, and since it's PG, it was pretty clean, too. So, we got back around 2:30 AM and by 6:45 AM, we were off to the airport for a final goodbye. I'm so glad they were able to come down for a short visit and I can't wait to see them all again in September!

We're really excited for this movie to come out

Bride to Be and Other Mesa News

2010-05-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was Karissa's bridal shower. It still hasn't quite hit me that she's getting married next month, but I'm starting to get more and more used to the idea. It was fun to see her open all of her presents (especially since our sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Lenz, got her lingerie haha), and it was even more fun to see some people that I hadn't seen yet. The beautiful Mrs. Aleece Martinez was there. She and her husband are moving to San Diego for the summer, so it was a good chance to catch up with her since I probably won't see her again for awhile. And of course I loved seeing the lovely Mrs. Amber Payne who had announced just the week before that she is going to be a mommy! It still weirds me out to call these girls by their married names, so it's going to take some adjusting now that they are going to start having children. But I'm so excited for Amber and Erik and I'm kind of sad that I won't be in Mesa when the little darling's born.

Today, I also got to go to Karissa's dress fitting. I'm the first person, other than her family members, to see the dress, so I felt extra special. She looked absolutely gorgeous in it. She's going to be such a beautiful bride! I've been trying to help her out as much as I can, but she's just so darn organized! For now, my task is to sew her little sister, Savannah, a dress. It will be quite a task, but I feel up to the challenge! It's time for me to sharpen my sewing skills again!

The Crowd

2010-05-02T18:08:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I've only been home for a few days, but I'm finding that, already, I'm missing my friends. And then I remembered that I've never formally introduced any of them. So, here's the crowd:

Janell

Janell and I had the lucky privilege of sharing a closet, ahem, I mean room this year. We've known each other since we were six when I moved into the neighborhood and we've pretty much been friends ever since. It was refreshing to have a Mesa friend around all the time this year and we had lots of adventures. I am going to miss her next year, but I know that no matter what, we will always stay in touch because that's what Mesa people do :)

Tori

When I first checked into The Colony in August, Tori was the girl standing in front of me in line. I was wary at first (making friends has never been my strong point), but we've become amazing friends. I think I was cautious at first because she was the one that bought Kamarie's contract and I was still a little bit sad about that. But Kamarie (my roommate from last year, just in case you didn't remember) couldn't have picked a better person. Tori is gorgeous, smart, and so much fun to be around. She's like a sister to me now and I love her (even though she goes to UVU haha just teasing). I'm so excited to be her roommate next fall!

Brian

Brian, aka B Shizzle/The Computer Bender, was really our first friend in 444. One Sunday in September, we were talking to him at ward prayer and he started talking about how much he loves cake. I mentioned that I just happened to love cake, too, and Janell suggested that we have a cake day every week. And, for the most part, we did. All year. Every Wednesday, to celebrate the week being halfway over, we would have cake day. We ended up being in the same FHE group, too, so we saw each other twice every week to begin with. And thus, our friendship with 444 was spawned. Brian is amazing with computers and I would have had a meltdown without him this semester as I dealt with all of my computer issues. He also knows how to download any movie from the internet for free. So, we had lots of fun with that.

Jacob

Jacob, aka Cosby, gets two pictures because they both describe his personality so well. He served in the same mission as Brian, and so the two were roommates. Although he was the second person that I met in the ward, I never had a conversation with him until about December, when we decided to be friends. Before that, I'd thought of him as one of those popular kids that I always wanted to be friends with, but never thought I would be. Guess I was wrong :) Jacob is an amazing runner on the BYU track team and he's one of the smartest kids I've ever met (even though he doesn't always act like it). I've spent many hours watching Avatar, The Office, and Arrested Development with him when we got bored. Even though we didn't always get along, and not everyone liked him, I love the kid to death, and I'm very afraid that I won't ever see him next year since he's opted to live with his track friends.

Matthew

Matthew also served with Brian and Jacob in Florida and lived in 444. He wasn't around a ton, but we don't hold it against him since he was busy getting himself engaged to Audrey. They are two of the nicest people I have ever met and I'm so happy for them. My goal for the summer is to make it back up to Utah for their wedding in July. Just as a side note, Matthew gives really good hugs. And he sometimes smells like vegetables because of his job.

Blake

I'm going kind of out of order here, but I think Blake fits best here because he also served in the same mission as Matthew, Jacob, and Brian. The first time I met Blake was at an impromptu ward party after church the first Sunday. Janell and I walked in and were deciding who to talk to when we spotted Blake standing alone in a corner looking really lost. So, we went to talk to him for a few minutes, but we never really talked to him again that semester. He, like Jacob, was one of those popular kids. The first time he said hi to Janell and I on campus, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Blake and I bonded this semester over the fact that he was taking political science from the same professor that I took it from last semester. He will be living with Brian next year, so hopefully I will see him around.

Scott

Scott was the new guy this semester since he took Marcus' spot when he left, but we quickly absorbed him into our group. He liked to ask me to edit his papers for him since I tend to be a bit of a grammar/spelling freak. When he first moved in, Tori and I always had the urge to call him Scoot. And so we called him that behind his back for a few weeks. One day, we accidentally slipped up and called him Scoot to his face, but he didn't seem to care for it, so we dropped it. He was hopelessly in love with Tori for the first few months, but she went for Richard instead. Poor kid. He finally got over it, though. I think....

Melissa

I love Melissa so much! She was one of our FHE sisters, but we really didn't get to know any of the girls in 435 until the Disneyland trip. On the road trip, we all naturally bonded and we found out just how cool they were. Melissa is also majoring in Elementary Education, but, sadly, she is a semester ahead of me, so we won't ever be in the same classes. But, she was a great resource as I was signing up for next semester's classes. If things work out, then she is going to still live in The Colony with Lynzi and Janell in the fall before possibly going on a mission.

Lynzi

As was mentioned before, Janell and I bonded with the girls in 435 on the Disneyland trip. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that Lynzi and I have the same birthday! We'd known each other for four whole months and we'd never had that discussion. She's a year younger than me, but we still went to the Bishop's birthday dinner in April together. I was so relieved to have a friend there because I didn't really know anyone else there. That's where we took the above picture, with our Bishop's pet duck, Christopher. And, it gave us twice the reason to have a big celebration on our birthday. I can't wait to hang out with these girls in the fall (and when they come to Mesa in a few weeks to visit :))!

Jessica

Jessica is another girl from 435 who sadly won't be living in The Colony next year. But, we had some good times this year. She was invaluable as we maneuvered through Disneyland and she knew exactly how to work the Fast Pass system. I loved when she would tell stories because she had some really funny things to say. I still can't believe how many papers she had to write (she is an English major at Weber State), but I guess to each his own. I am going to miss her next year, but at least she is coming to visit in a few weeks!

And that, my friends, is the Crowd. I know that was long, but these people were like my family this year and it was really hard to leave them behind because I don't know if or when I will see them again. This whole year really made me realize that no matter where you are, you will find people that will enrich your life if you take the time to get to know them and let them in.

Tulip Festival

2010-04-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Jill and I took our mom to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point to celebrate her birthday. There were more colors of tulips there than I ever knew existed. It was a beautiful day outside and even though Jill's shoe broke right when we got there, we still managed to have a good time! Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

What's New With Me

2010-04-18T00:34:00.001-07:00

So, I bet you're all wondering why I disappeared off the face of the blogging planet. No worries, I am ready to make a reappearance as we head into summer. So, here are some highlights of the past month or so of my life. First, I had a visit from my little sister at the beginning of March. I loved having her here and I had lots of fun introducing her to my friends and showing her around a bit, but she seemed to think my life was really boring. Oh well, I tried.

Alison, Jill, Jackson, and I at University Mall

A few days later, my friend Brandi came and stayed with me. She, unlike Alison, did have a good time and we had some memorable adventures. One such adventure involved some scissors and a whole lot of hair. Yep, that's right, I chopped off my hair in preparation for the summer. On the 20th, I took Kamarie out to lunch, too, so that we could catch up before she gets married this week. The rest of the month of March was fairly uneventful.

My beautiful new haircut

April came around, and on General Conference weekend/Easter weekend, my computer died. Luckily, my friend Brian is really good with computers and he was able to take it apart and kind of figure out what was wrong with it. This is what it looked like:

Unfortunately, the part he needed needed to be shipped from Hong Kong and it still hasn't arrived yet. So, I bought a new one. It was kind of a quick decision, but I couldn't head into finals week without a computer. So, this is my new baby. It doesn't have a name, yet, but I'm working on it.

For my birthday, Jill, Seth, and Jackson took me out to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. Later that evening, I had ice cream cake with my friends and then we went up to the canyon for a bonfire. Then, we built a fort in our living room again and had a slumber party with the girls. It was a great day! Yesterday, I took my first final and I only have six more to go! Add that to the fact that I need to pack up all of my stuff and clean out my apartment, too and I am going to have a very busy week!

Jackson and I with the balloons he brought me for my birthday

Building the fort- complete with mattresses :)

Getting ready for the bonfire

Dana and Lynzi- birthday twins!

Wistie showed up just in time to join the bonfire party

Roommates!

The boys building the bonfire- Matthew, Brian, Blake, and Jacob

Blake jumping over the finished product

Hello World....

2010-04-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not a teenager anymore as of right now.

March Madness!!

2010-03-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

For the first time in eight years, BYU has advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament! My geography professor even stopped class 30 minutes early and turned on the game. I was so mad that I had to go to a TA meeting at 11. Luckily, a few of the other TAs felt the same way, so we kept our meeting short and I only ended up missing about 15 minutes of the game. Celeste, Ally, and I wandered around the Eyring Science Center and finally found an empty classroom, so we went in and turned on the TV. By the time the game was over, about ten other people had joined us :) Every time the door opened, we thought it was someone coming in to tell us that there was a class in there or that we were being too loud, but they just kept asking if they could join our party. It was a pretty intense game, but we managed to pull through in the end- 99-92. Go Cougars!!

Letters

2010-02-26T13:01:00.001-07:00

Dear World,
I would like to announce the engagement of my very best friend, Miss Karissa Pauline Jarvis (soon to be Mrs. Brown). I can't believe it, really, but I'm so excited for her! I wish I could have been there to freak out and be excited with her, but I had my own little party last night when she called me at 10:30 to tell me! So, even though I'm not there now, I am looking forward to going home in April so that I can help with all of the crazy wedding details! Yay for weddings!

Sincerely,
Dana

Dear Kissa,

I am going to be available 24/7 for you when I get home, okay? I can't wait to help you get everything organized so that you don't have to worry about anything on your special day! You are going to be a beautiful bride, darling, and I'm so happy for you and Barry! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!!!
Love,
Dana

I love you babe!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-02-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

Exactly a week ago, I was at Disneyland. I wish I were still there. It was pretty much the most fun I've had in my adult life. I ended up riding a total of 19 rides in 16 hours. For the first time in my life, I spent $32 on a large pizza. I never left the park the entire day because I wanted to be hardcore. My first ride was Space Mountain (which I rode a total of 3 times) and my last ride was Peter Pan, where my friend Blake and I flew off to Never Never Land. I spent $3.50 on a churro, and it was delicious. By 4 in the afternoon, I was ready to collapse. I was at the very height of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when the finale of the fireworks show was going on. And I got in for free. Amazing :) I even got a little pin that says "Honorary VoluntEAR" and I wore it proudly all day long.
Saturday, we went to the beach. I forgot how much I miss the sun. I got a small tan (yes!!) and I even braved the freezing February water. We also built one of the most amazing sand castles I've ever seen (but I might be biased). I can't think of much else to say, but it was an amazing weekend and it was really hard to come back to Provo. Here are some pictures of it all:

Blake was so cute- he'd never been to Disneyland before and he was so excited

Roommates!

Most of the group

The girls just outside the gates

Teacups with Melissa and Lynzi

The classic place to take pictures

Splash Mountain!!

I MET MICKEY MOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dumbo- I almost didn't get to go on this one, but luckily some other people realized that it was a priority

The beautiful Santa Monica beach- look! I'm in the water :)

Blake and Scott as sand mermaids

Building our Aztec sand temple

The completed temple

This is the picture on our door now

A Marathon For My Heart

2010-02-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, I had a test yesterday that I was in no way prepared for. I stayed up until 2 AM studying and woke up again at 5 to finish before my 8 o'clock class. In reality, I fell asleep at 7 and ended up missing my class, but that's life for you! Anyways, 6 PM rolled around and I knew I just had to get it over with. So, I crammed every last bit of knowledge into my brain, apologized to my FHE mother, Tori, because I knew I wouldn't be back in time for the activity (see, this test is just of the devil- I missed a class AND family home evening...), and walked to the testing center. After a grueling hour and a half of bubbling and fudging my way through the ten short answer/essay questions, I walked down the dreaded stairs to see my score. I opened the door and looked up at the screen.....and saw that it was broken. So, I walked down the hallway to the other TV, all the while, my heart beating faster and faster. When I reached my destination, I quickly spotted my number and my heart sank to the very tips of my toes. 52? 52? I've done poorly on tests before, but I've never done that bad. Visions of losing my scholarship filled my mind. I imagined having to call my parents to deliver the bad news. I scolded myself for my recent behavior, which included frequent visits to my friends' apartments rather than studying. "Look at where that's gotten you now, Dana," I mentally chided myself, "You have got to change!!" I'd been thinking this for weeks, but spending hours with people is so much more fun than spending hours with books. But, there was no way I was going to let this happen again.
Discouraged, I took one last glance at that cursed little black box and my heart jumped right back up to where it belonged and then came to a complete standstill out of shock (yes, at this point, I'm pretty sure that my heart had done the amount of work typically required to run a marathon). I had looked at the wrong column! I'd gotten a 52 out of the 58 possible points, which translates to an 89%. I was elated! I almost got an A! And that didn't even include my essays, which I felt pretty confident about. How did I pull that off? To be honest, I have no idea. It must have been all that silent praying :) My confidence was only boosted when I went to class today and heard that the average score for the test was a 71. So what did I learn from this? Well, if any of you think that I am actually going to study instead of socializing now, you're mistaken. I still need to find a better balance between work and play, but I'm feeling pretty unstoppable right now, so change can wait....

Why I Love President's Day Weekend

2010-01-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

So, guess where I'm going to be over President's day weekend (which, by the way is in two weeks/14 days/342 hours/20,564 minutes/1233882 seconds)? Just guess. Okay, so the picture is a dead giveaway, but I am going to DISNEYLAND!!! I'm so excited!!! One night, about two weeks ago, Janell, Tori, and I were sitting around thinking about how we wanted a vacation (I know, we're pathetic. We'd just gotten back to school and we were already counting down the days until we could have a break again). We decided that it would be really fun to plan a trip to Disneyland and go with a bunch of our friends. Especially with the whole "Give a day, get a day" thing that Disney is doing. So, a few days later, our friend, Jacob, started talking about how he wanted to go to Disneyland. Well, we jumped on the chance to bring up our idea and here we are, two weeks away from our epic trip. Because of the way we decided to do it (driving up on Thursday, going to Disneyland on Friday, coming back to Provo on Sunday), we only have about ten friends going, but I'm pretty happy we even got that many. Last weekend, we did our service (we made hygiene kits), and just today I was emailed my official ticket voucher. It's amazing how much brighter these next two weeks seem now that I have something to look forward to. California, here we come!

Pouch

2010-01-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was babysitting Jackson and we were watching the movie Horton Hears a Who. I'd never seen it before, but it's a pretty cute movie. After a few minutes of watching, it became clear that Jackson's favorite character is a little baby kangaroo named Rudy, who isn't allowed to play with the other children because of his strict mother. Instead, Rudy is stuck in his mother's pouch all the time. In the middle of the movie, my dad called, so I was busy talking to him. After a few minutes, Jackson climbed up on the couch next to me and said, "Pouch." So, I just nodded my head and said, "Ya, the kangaroo has a pouch." Then, Jackson grabbed the neck of my shirt and pulled it out and said, "Pouch!" I laughed and started telling my dad what Jackson said. But, Jackson hadn't yet made his point. Before I knew it, he somehow managed to shove both of his feet through the neck of my shirt so that he was completely inside my shirt (or should I say pouch?). At this point, I was doubled over in laughter. Man, I love that kid.

Also this week, I took Jackson to his very first college party. My friend Jacob was celebrating his birthday on Tuesday and I'd promised Jill and Seth that I would watch Jackson that night. So, since I didn't want to miss the party, I compromised and brought Jackson with me! Let's just say, he was the life of the party. Everybody loved him and he loved the attention. He is definitely not a shy little boy!

Jackson in his happy place- by the cake and cookies

Jackson right before his duel with Jacob. Yes, Jackson chose to fight with an orange recorder, while Jacob had a plastic sword.

That's My New Philosophy...

2010-01-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

So I got this wonderful perfume for Christmas and it's from the store philosophy. I love the smell, and I like the name of it, too- unconditional love. So, today, I went to throw the box away and I just happened to read the back of it. I was surprised by the message. It said:

"Consider the opportunity to love the greatest of all blessings. The love you give is the love you get and it is all good no matter where love takes you. Let the ability to love another belong to you forever and ever because real love stories never end."

I kind of like that. No, I love it. And I want to model my life around. In fact, I guess you could say it's my new philosophy :)

2010 or 2010?

2010-01-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

So, I was thinking about it today, and is it "two thousand and ten" or "twenty ten"? I can't decide which one I like better. Just a thought. I guess I have a whole year to make up my mind.

Mom, aren't you so proud of all this deep thinking I'm doing now as a college student? :)

Note To Self: Flights

2010-01-03T20:11:00.001-07:00

1. Don't ever book the last flight of the day.

2. Don't ever fly on Delta. They have horrible customer service and the people at the ticket counter don't have any idea what's going on.

3. Even when the computer tells you that your flight is delayed, arrive at the airport with enough time to make the originally scheduled time. Just in case they decide to un-delay the flight.

When all else fails, call dad. After 15 years of working as a travel agent, he has the airlines numbers memorized and he knows exactly what to say to the reservation people to make them give you a seat on the next available flight at no extra cost. Thanks, dad.

Just in case you didn't guess, I missed my flight back to Salt Lake City tonight. I'm still in Mesa.

And A Happy New Year

2010-01-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Happy 2010, everyone!!

Here are all of the exciting things I have to look forward to in 2010:

1. I turn 20 and leave behind my teens forever

2. By next new years eve, I will be over halfway done with my bachelors degree

3. Brian coming home from his mission

4. My friends coming home from their missions

5. Visiting the East coast with my family this summer

6. A trip to Disneyland

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there's a lot more that I have to look forward to. I love starting a new year :)

Business Genes, Part 2

2009-12-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Jesse is determined to start a business. Like I've said before, he has the entrepreneurial spirit. Anyways, he has finally picked what he wants the business to be: aprons. The problem with this? Jesse can't make aprons. He got the idea while I was making my friend, Kimber, an apron for her wedding and he wants me to make aprons for the business. Other problems include the fact that I live in Utah, go to school full time and work part time, and the aprons I make don't exactly have a set pattern. My mom wrote a rough outline and I change it around every time I make one. Despite these problems, we've started brainstorming ideas for the business. Here are some of the names we've come up with so far:

Supper Wear

Dinner Wear

Kitchen Wear

Cook Wear

Bake Wear

Wear to Bake

I'm not sure we've quite hit on the perfect name just yet, but we're working on it. If things actually work out, then that should be really fun. I love sewing aprons! I'm just not sure how much I will like it after being forced to make them.....

Remembering the Reason for the Season :)

2009-12-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the Reflections of Christ exhibits, then I highly recommend following the links below. If you have seen them, then I recommend looking at them again :) Mark Mabry is a genius when it comes to photography (I bet it's because he's from Mesa). These photographs serve as a great reminder of what the Christmas season should be all about. Merry Christmas everyone!

Reflections of Christ

Reflections of Christ: Another Testament

Oh and happy birthday tomorrow, Jill! Christmas won't be the same without you. Have fun in Texas!

Daddy-Daughter Date

2009-12-20T14:14:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I got to spend the entire day with my dad. We started out shoe shopping since I discovered that heels + ice= disaster. The only problem with this, of course, is that I have an obsession with high heels. I think they are way more comfortable than flats (I'm weird, I know). Anyways, I walked into the store with every intention of getting a pair of flats to wear to church and ended up walking out with an adorable pair of black heels. I guess I will have to deal with flats later :)

Next, we went to one of my favorite stores of all time: Milano Music. Talk about musician heaven! We were looking for a new bow for my viola since mine isn't very high quality. So, we went into the string room and I got to test out different bows on one of their really nice instruments (it was worth about $5,000, so it made me sound 10x better than I actually am haha). Even some of the bows were just a little out of our price range (okay, the most expensive one was priced at $900- ya right), but it was so much fun to play with some really nice stuff!

Following all of that, we were positively famished, so we went around the corner to Pete's Fish and Chips. I don't think I've eaten there since I was ten, but their fish and chips were pretty good and it brought back some good memories. I love being back in Mesa and I was so glad that I was able to tour the town on my first day back. Thanks, dad, for a great day!

Merry Fort-mas!

2009-12-16T10:55:00.001-07:00

So, it's finals week. Joy. I have taken 5 finals thus far and I have one more to take in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow before I head off to my home sweet home. In order to cope with all this stress, Janell, Tori, and I did what any college student would do. We spent two hours on Saturday (the day set aside by BYU for studying) building a fort in our living room. It uses all of our blankets and sheets and even includes our our coffee table, a desk chair, a kitchen chair, and our broom. And lots and lots of tape. And thumbtacks. We moved our mattresses into it and Saturday night, we had a house-warming party. We invited some of our friends over and we watched a movie and talked about how awesome the fort is. Since then, everyone that walks into our apartment says it's the coolest thing they've ever seen (thank you, thank you very much). Basically, I love it. It's one of the most awesome things I've ever done with my time. And, I hate to say it, I am going to be really sad when I won't get to sleep in it tomorrow night. I love going home, and I can't wait to sleep in my own bed, but I will miss this fort. It is the only thing I will be sad about leaving. Well, the fort and Tori. I will miss them both. However, I think this may be a new tradition for many finals weeks to come.....

Our beds

Here's the entrance to our fort

That's our coffee table up on its side :)

Ward Christmas Party

2009-12-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

We had our ward Christmas party last week and I'm not gonna lie, it was a little lame. The only cool part came in the form of a round little man with a long white beard. You guessed it. SANTA!!!! I love Santa..... and we got to sit on his lap. Aren't we cute?

I just realized this one turned out blurry....but it's still cute anyways!

Roommates+Santa= Best Christmas party ever!!

'Tis The Season

2009-12-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

This year, my ward decided to donate money to a single mother that couldn't afford to buy Christmas presents for her kids. All the money collected (around $1200) came from members of our ward. Then, the money was divided up and given to each family home evening group and we were given the task of buying specific things for a member of the family. After that, we gathered all of the presents from each FHE group and brought them over to the family. Because Janell is a member of the committee in charge of it, I got to go along and help deliver the presents. Here's the back of Janell's car just before we unloaded it into the apartment- full of presents!

This whole project has helped me to look at Christmas in a different light. This family was so happy about the small little thing that we'd done as a ward and it made me so grateful that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is an amazing church that is founded on the example and the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love that I am given the opportunity to be selfless almost daily because of the Church. Sometimes I'm not very good at thinking of others, but I'm definitely working on it.

This experience also made me extremely grateful for all that my family has been blessed with. With so much going on in the economy, my family has been very fortunate. We have so much and I know I take it for granted. I know that I owe all that I have to the Lord and I'm so grateful for this time of year because it helps me to always remember Him and all that He has done for me. I hope you all enjoy the spirit of the holidays and take the time to do something that Christ would do. Merry Christmas!

In N' Out Utah Style

2009-12-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, Utah has finally entered the cool crowd because they opened an In N' Out. Janell and I were absolutely thrilled! Despite the insanely long lines, we went last Monday night and it was absolutely delicious. For all of those people out there who think there is nothing special about In N' Out, you're wrong. Their burgers and fries are amazing! Mmmmmm..... It actually made me think of home (haha what doesn't make me think of home?) and for a split second I thought I was in Mesa again. But I didn't get too sad because I will be there again soon enough- two weeks and counting....

Tori's first experience with an animal style burger. Epic :)

Winter....

2009-12-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and looked outside my window. This is what I saw. I'm gonna go cry now.

My Fake Family

2009-12-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of the way BYU wards are set up is family home evening groups. Some people might think they're lame, but I think they're awesome! Last year, I was the FHE mom and it was the best calling I've ever had. Even though I'm not in charge this year, I still ended up with a pretty awesome family.We were at the ward Oscars night where the movie we'd made as a family won best editing. The best part- our prize was Play-Doh! I'm so excited to play with it...

The fam. Well, most of them anyways.

Me, Janell and Tori with our brothers Brian (on the left- he did all of the editing on the movie so we owe our win to him) and Matt (on the right, obviously). Aren't they studs?

Roommates!!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I've just returned from an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving break that was 11 days long. In a word, it was amazing. Marvelous. Fantastic. Stupendous. Magnificent. Relaxing. Blissful. Okay that was way more than one word, but I've never really been good at being concise. So anyways, after Kimber's wedding, I spent a few days hanging out with friends and just chilling in Mesa before my family hit the road. Thanksgiving day, we drove to Durango, Colorado to stay with my grandparents. Durango is tiny and isolated and not really where I wanted to be for Black Friday, but I love it there. I think it is the one place that I actually enjoy the cold. I know, I said it. I enjoyed the cold while I was there. Try not to die of shock :) It's beautiful and peaceful there and I just don't think I could ever hate anything in that kind of environment (except dog hair. Ick). Anyways, I had a great Thanksgiving and I'm thankful that I got to spend it with so many wonderful people. Here are some photos from the trip.

Jackson cuddling with Aunt "Shell"

I don't care what Alison says, she could NOT drive this thing and it was frightening.

Durango has a train that goes to Silverton every day. We woke up one morning and took Jackson to see it leave and he loved it!

Jackson and Breck. After the vacation, just as we were getting into Provo, Jackson turned to me and asked, "Are we going to Breck's house?" He cried when I told him no.

I take all the credit for teaching him the "fishy face". Isn't it adorable?

All bundled up for our "Durango safari" in which we stole the golf cart and toured the neighborhood.

Golf cart ridin'

Jackson and Breck- BFF

Family photos by the river. Alison and I had to be a couple since we aren't married...

Jesse and Michelle

Jill and Seth

Mom and Dad

Siblings minus Brian :(

P.S. Speaking of Brian, he only has 175 days left of his mission!! Can you believe it? I can't wait! And after that, my high school friends are going to start coming home. Weird....Two years went by way too fast!

Mr. and Mrs. Cutler

2009-11-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my good friend Kimber married Casey Cutler. They met (surprise!) in a dance class at BYU last fall and have been pretty much dating ever since. They are such an adorable couple and I'm so happy for them. I'm secretly sad that I won't ever see them anymore since they have now entered the "married people" world of BYU, but I hope that we will still see each other around campus every once in awhile. Congratulations Kimber and Casey! I also finally bought a new camera, so now I can finally put up pictures! Here are some from the reception:

Courtney was one of the bridesmaids

Kimber and Casey concentrating really hard on cutting the cake

Me, Karissa, Amber, Janell, and Aleece

Mr. and Mrs. Cutler's first dance together

Mesa reunion! Or should I say Brimhall reunion?

Courtney caught the bouquet and Mitchell caught the garter. Brandi also half caught the bouquet, so she's trying to grab them away from Courtney :)

I love these girls!

I'M HOME!!!!

2009-11-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd let everyone know. I'm home. I'm home. I'm home. I just love saying it. I'm home.... *sigh* I love Arizona :)

The Business Genes

2009-11-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

So today I officially decided that my brother, Jesse, got the business genes in the family. When it comes to being successful in the business world, Jesse seems to have a special instinct. So, to add to his list of achievements, he is working on starting a small business that helps people find jobs. So, if you guys wanna help him out, then go ahead and visit his page by clicking right here. The web address will also be on my sidebar from now on if you want to visit it any time in future. He would really appreciate it if you all gave him support by contributing to the blog or even just by looking at it. Thanks!

Five Days!!!

2009-11-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well November is almost halfway over and I can't believe it! Time is just flying by so fast that it's kind of frightening. But the best part of all this is that I go home in FIVE days for a nice long Thanksgiving break that will last a grand total of ten days. I am so excited to see everyone again. Oh, Arizona. How I miss you..... On a similar note, it snowed pretty much all day today. Depressing, you say? I have to agree with that. And it just added to my excitement about going home.
Other than that, my life is highly uneventful. I go to class, I work, I do homework, and that's about it. I still love my job and I have officially decided that being a TA is the best job ever. Not only do I love teaching (obviously), but I get to set my own office hours and, if nobody comes in for help during office hours, then I just get to work on my homework. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get better than being paid to do your homework. The other five TAs (Suzy, Irene, Lori, Sarah, and Celeste) are all amazing girls, too, and I love the good times that we have together. I'm pretty sure that most of the students think that we are crazy, but that doesn't ever stop us from making our job as fun as we possibly can. Utah may not be my most favorite place in the whole world, but I'm trying really hard to have enjoy it in every way that I can.

When You're Fifteen....

2009-10-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today my baby sister turns fifteen and I can't believe it! She is growing up so fast... I can't believe that in seven months she will be getting her drivers permit and in a year she will be dating up a storm. And, to top it all off, she is getting her first cell phone today. Despite my mixed feelings about this, I am really excited that I am going to be able to text her whenever I want now (be prepared, dear. When I need someone to talk to at 2 in the morning, I'm texting you first. Hehehe). So, Al, have a good year and keep being the amazing young women that you are. Remember that you are beautiful and talented and enjoy being 15 while you can! I lurve you, darling!

MLIA

2009-10-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

My Life Is Average. Check it out. You sometimes have to search for a really good one, but it's worth it. This website is hilarious and it's my new life goal to make it on there someday.

Another Summer Day Has Come and Gone Away....But I Wanna Go Home...

2009-10-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, as the weather turns cold here, I find my mind turning, too. Where exactly is it turning? To home. So, I've compiled a few pictures of some random things from good ol' Mesa that just make me smile.

Even though these signs are really ugly, it made me happy that someone thought to post a picture of one on the internet.

The Bank of America building- Mesa's tallest building. I have most definitely been to the top floor and it was awesome.

Downtown Mesa- If you look closely, you can see the sign for Milano's Music. I love that store more than any other store in the whole wide world.

Sure, some of these statues are kind of creepy, but hey, they're also unique to Mesa...hopefully.

So, I've never actually stayed in this motel, but doesn't the cool sign just make you really want to stay there? Or maybe that's just me....

BEST. COOKIES. EVER. 'Nuff said.

Carry on Jackrabbits!

This is the best freeway exit in the whole entire world! You can even see Dana Park in the background :)

And, of course, the best for last. It may not be Mesa's tallest, but it is definitely the most beautiful. I can't wait to see it all lit up again this year!

50 days and counting

Red Day!

2009-09-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

So, last Sunday, my roommates and I showed up at church and noticed that four of us were wearing red (Apparently Stacey and Sarah didn't get the mem0). So, of course, we just had to take a picture. Aren't we so cute?

Amy, Tori, Me and Janell

It's OFFICIAL!!

2009-09-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone, I made it official today. I am now an Elementary Education major and I'm so excited! I know I procrastinated the change because I wasn't sure I wanted to be a teacher, but I'm in it for good now and I can apply to the program in January.
On a side note, I am really stoked to start my new job next week as a Physical Science teacher's assistant. We had our first meeting yesterday and, while it seems like a lot, I think I will have lots of fun with the other TAs. They seem like really fun girls. I also was really surprised when I got a phone call from my friend, Kimber, on Tuesday and she told me that she is taking my class! I had no idea she was going into Elementary Education. I guess that's what happens when your friends choose to get engaged and then stay in Utah all summer instead of coming home. So, she's not actually in the lab I teach, but she will be able to ask for my help whenever she needs it! We also found out that we have the same Physical Science 2 class and we will be able to enter the program together next fall. I'm so happy that I have a friend in the major that I can take classes and study with! Yay for teachers!

Home Teachers to the Rescue!

2009-08-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

So, tonight something happened that I didn't think was possible. But obviously, since it just happened to me, it is quite possible. I was locked inside my apartment. Yup, I wasn't on the outside. I was actually inside. Janell and I had just gotten home from her aunt's house and Amy, Stacey, and Sarah's home teachers had just left. So, Tori came home from her parent's house and she seemed to be struggling with the door. Since she'd gotten a concussion last night, I figured that maybe she was still just a little out of it. But, we soon found out that it wasn't just Tori. She had managed to unlock the deadbolt with her key, but the other part of the door- the part attached to the handle- was somehow stuck inside that little hole in the wall. We all took our turn twisting and pulling the knob, but it was to no avail. So, after some unsuccessful attempts at calling maintenance and trying to use a credit card, we did the next best thing- we summoned the home teachers. They aren't personally my home teachers, but those boys certainly helped us out tonight! After having us remove the door handle, they coached us through the workings of the inside of the handle. I had the privilege of using the screwdriver to pop the little thing out while the home teachers pushed the door open from the outside. It was quite an adventure and personally, I'm glad we didn't wait until our apartment was in flames to find out that the door was broken! And, of course, I give a special shout out to the home teachers for being there to calm down an apartment full of frantic girls. Thanks, guys! And actually, now that I think about it, these boys (Marcus and Jacob? I think those are their names...) get a double shout out because they drove Stacey, Janell, and I to chuch today. So technically, they saved us twice in one day. I think they might just be my new favorites!

This is Stacey trying, once again, to call maintenance to come help us and of course the missing door handle is a sign of our beautiful handiwork.

Janell managed to remain calm by eating her yummy macaroni and cheese.

She's Real Fine, My 409

2009-08-25T18:43:00.001-07:00

Well folks, I am once again an active blogger. I know exactly what you're thinking- "my life just got ten times better!" So, I will do my best to keep my family and friends posted on my oh-so-exciting life here in Provo. But that is not the point of this post. Rather, I would like to inform the world that I have the coolest apartment number ever! Yes, that's right, I live in number 409. In honor of this, I have already dubbed the song "409" by The Beach Boys to be my song of the year. And because it only seems natural, I will only be using 409 to clean up around here. I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't :) That's all I have to say for now, but rest assured that there will be many more stories and adventures to come. After all, how could I not have an amazing year when I've been blessed with this amazing apartment number?

You Know What Rocks?

2009-08-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

CWP. Creative Wrapping Paper. You know why it's so cool? Because where else can you get specialized LDS wrapping paper and gift bags for every occasion? I'm not an expert on wrapping paper or anything, but I would say that wrapping paper this cute is hard to come by. And you know what's even cooler? Take a look at those bags. I made some of them with my own two hands. Yep, that's right folks, I did the gluing and the folding and all that jazz. Trust me, it's a lot harder than you might think. And hot glue guns aren't exactly a person's best friend. But, they bags are cute, right? If you wanna know more, you can check out their website. I have a handy little link right over here --------->.
Or if that's too difficult, you can just click here.

Teaching

2009-08-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like teaching. Especially substitute teaching. This past week I have been helping my mom out around Legacy Elementary where she works and today, I was assigned the task of substituting for the Preschool teacher. My thoughts on this: "I can totally handle a few four year olds for three hours." In hindsight, I can see that I may have been a tad overconfident. They weren't that bad, but it was still a lot harder than I expected. Those kids don't know ANYTHING! I couldn't even get them to play the quiet game. After like two seconds, the first one started talking again and then they all started and I was like, "Heeellllooooo! You guys just all lost because you talked!" And they just gave me blank stares and began to protest, "No, we didn't lose! We didn't lose!" Sigh....Oh well. Maybe that was asking too much of them. Then of course there's the constant, "Teacher, he hit me, " "Teacher, she took my crayon," "Teacher, he has too many crayons," "Teacher, will you tie my shoe?" It was exhausting. There is one thing I know for sure. I definitely will NOT be teaching Preschool or Kindergarten when I become a teacher. I can't handle the babies. Too frustrating.
On the other end of the spectrum, I had the chance to teach a music class at the end of the day. This time, they were sixth graders and let me tell you, they weren't much better. They were they were so rude! They never stopped talking and they most definitely didn't listen to me. By the end of the class period, I just felt horrible because I knew they'd brought out the absolute worst in me. So, if anything, this experience simply reinforced my plans to teach like third or fourth grade. I think that age will be perfect- not young enough to be babies, but not old enough to be rude. To all of those people out there who choose to teach any other grades- bless your hearts.

Start of School

2009-08-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year- the smell of freshly sharpened pencils is in the air and I can almost taste the chalk dust. Yep, it's back to school time! Personally, I 'm a little glad that that I still have two more weeks before I have to start thinking about my classes, but it's always exciting to see everyone else in my house running around like crazy people while they try and get everything together. I think the worst part about going back to school for me will be leaving Mesa. I've finally achieved somewhat of a tan and my hair has definitely lightened a bit, so my summer goals are complete :) but I will miss AZ so much. Nothing can compare to the family, friends, familiarity, and sunshine that I've enjoyed in these last four months (sorry, I tried really hard, but just couldn't come up with another "f" word to add to the list). On a brighter note, though, I am determined to actually have a social life this year so everyone up at BYU better be ready to party! Utah, here I come!

Bee Stings

2009-08-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

You know what really stinks? Getting stung by a bee. You know what really really stinks? Getting stung by a bee while you're at the lake. Of course it was just my luck to have this happen to me while I was at the lake last weekend. Go figure. Turns out I might be allergic, too. It's been six days now since I was stung and it's still red and swollen and itches like no other. I should probably do something about it, but I've never really put my health as a high priority in life. We will see how long I can stick it out before the itching drives me insane :)

Where has the time gone?

2009-07-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I honestly don't know where the time has gone. I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted! No worries, though. I haven't just been sitting around. At the end of June, my mom and I took a little trip up to Provo to help Jill out for about a week and a half. It was very relaxing and it was so much fun to see little Jackson again. Here is a picture of him saying, "Dit Day! Buggy!" He is getting to be so big!

While we were there, my cousin Brenna brought over her daughter, Meghan, a few times. They were so cute together! She's a few months younger than Jackson, but they just loved playing with each other.

And of course while I was there, I went up to Aspen Grove with Cortney to visit two of my friends, Janell and Kimber, that are working there this summer. It was a Mesa BYU girls reunion and we had such a blast! I miss these girls!

Here are a few other highlights from the trip:

Jackson shooting

Going out for Korean food. Definitely not my favorite....

My mom stuck these on Jackson's forehead and when he came out to find me, I said, "Oh, those look very nice." He looked at me with the most sincere look on his face and said, "Dit day, pretty?"

We went out to eat at a place called Kneaders and Jackson found a little friend in the window that he spent quite some time "playing" with

Jackson playing with me on the "puter"

I took his "binks" out for this picture and, as you can see, he wasn't happy. He covered his mouth and said, "No, no!"

We went to the park to play and Jackson really, really wanted to go swimming at the pool next door.

Playing "keekee leekee" (tickle, tickle) with mom

Right before we left town, I stopped by to see Kamarie and Jacey in their apartment

It was strange being in Provo and not having classes to go to and not having my own bed to sleep in, but I'm definitely not ready to go back to school yet, so I guess that would explain those feelings. It was such a fun trip, though, and I loved getting to spend time with the Stokers.

The Bachelorette

2009-06-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a confession to make. I love watching The Bachelorette. I started watching The Bachelor last season while I was away at school and I absolutely loved Jillian. She seems like such a nice girl and so of course I couldn't pass up watching her as the new Bachelorette. For those of you who are also fans, I am totally rooting for Reid. He is so cute- especially when he wears his glasses. I don't know what it is, but those glasses just make him so much hotter. I really like Jake, too, (I mean, what girl doesn't) but I don't think there's any way that he is going to make it the end. He is too perfect and I think it makes Jillian uncomfortable. For those of you who aren't fans, you should be :)
At least as I've watched the show, I've learned two things: 1) The Bachelorette is so much more fun to watch than The Bachelor because there are a ton of really attractive guys on it. I would much rather watch them than lots of pretty girls. 2) Watching the show is so much more fun when you watch it with someone else. I've gotten my little sister, Alison, addicted, too and we love watching it, talking about it, and analyzing it together. Sure, it's probably not the best way I could be spending my time, but at least we are building sisterly bonds. Doesn't that count for something?

Ode to Pie

2009-06-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, who writes about pie? Seriously? I do. Especially this pie. I just don't feel right NOT writing about this pie since it is, after all, the only thing I truly miss about Provo right now. Other than my roommate, naturally (Love you Kam!). So I'm sure many of you (Am I allowed to say many? I don't even know if many people read this blog. But I suppose that's besides the point...) are wondering what exactly is so amazing about this pie. Well, I will tell you. Inside the pale brown, warm, flaky crust is a substance that, to me, is pure heaven. Cookie dough. Smooth, rich, gooey, buttery, sticky, chocolate chip cookie dough. I still to this day don't understand how they cook the pie crust without cooking the cookie dough inside, but they manage somehow and, in the end, that's all that really matters to me. Whether it was our dessert day or not, Kamarie and I would never pass up a chance to eat this wonder. And, unlike other desserts, we would always start out with two of these babies. We'd learned the hard way that if you wait to go back for seconds, it was usually all gone by then. So, my Pillsbury Pie, I miss you. And someday, yes someday, I will brave the Cannon Center once more so that we can be together again. ♥

Light Keepers

2009-05-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

This past week, I had the chance to go with my stake to girls camp- my seventh year. Woohoo!! At first, I felt like I didn't really want to go. It was CJ's last full week before he left on his mission and of course I wanted to be able to spend as much time with him as I could because I'm gonna miss him. Elder Richard G. Scott was coming to the valley to give a fireside for the young single adults, too, and I really wanted to go. But, as it turns out, I had a blast at camp and I have absolutely no regrets. The theme for camp was "Light Keepers" and the scripture that went along with it was the mutual theme for this year, Timothy 4:12, which talks about being an example of the believers. It was really neat this year because, as a junior staffer, I was actually one of the leaders, so it was my job to help inspire and encourage the younger girls. I remember being at camp when I was younger and the girls that were YCLs and junior staff members were like the coolest people on the planet to me. So, I kind of took advantage of that and I tried my best to let the girls know how important it is to keep the commandments and to keep their standards high. I can only hope that maybe I made an impression on a few of the girls.
As far as learning things myself, there was one little phrase that was used that I really liked. It was, "A candle loses nothing when it's used to light another. " I thought that was such an interesting thought. When we share the light we have with others, we don't lose a single thing. Rather, the world is filled with more light. Overall, it was a great theme, and it really inspired me to be a better example to those around me and to try and share my testimony with those around me. Especially since so many of my friends are on missions now. Surely if they can preach the gospel, then so can I. After all, I've got nothing to lose. If anything, I might just make the world a brighter place.

Home Again, Home Again

2009-04-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back in good ol' Mesa, Arizona and I love it!! Basically, I spend my time reading, tanning, and occasionally running errands for the wedding, which is coming up rather soon. Doesn't that just sound like a blast? It definitely is, but the reality is that I just can't seem to find a job. I've spent countless hours looking online for openings, but it seems that by the time I apply, most jobs have already been filled. Bummer. But, I'm definitely still looking, so if anyone hears of anything, let me know. In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy the time that I have left with some of my friends. My friend Justin Adair leaves on his mission to Omaha Nebraska on May 20th and my friend CJ Griner leaves on June 3 to go to Baton Rouge Louisiana. It will be sad to see them go, but that's what I get for making sure that all of my friends go on missions. I suppose it's for the best. At least I'm back in Mesa. I can't help but be happy when I'm in Mesa :)

March Madness!!!

2009-03-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

So this month has been a little crazy, hence the reason I haven't done any blogging in the last month. But since I have some extra time today, I figured I would just give some highlights from this month.

On March 4th, Janell, Cortney, Kamarie, and I went to a We Shot The Moon concert. I love that band! They are one of those bands that sound just as good on the CD as they do live. One of the best parts was at the very end, when the band walked off the stage. Of course the crowd kept cheering, so the lead singer, who also used to be the lead singer for Waking Ashland, walked back out and told us that he was going to play one last song for us that he wrote. I thought it was strange because he was holding a sheet of music. So he puts the music on the keyboard stand and starts playing it. It was "I am a Child of God"! Everyone started laughing and cheering and he stopped and said, "Nah, I wish I could write music that good" and then he proceeded to play "Hands on Deck". I LOVE that song so much and I still can't believe I got to hear it live from the person that wrote it. After the concert was over and we were hanging around, Janell, Cortney, and I decided we wanted to get our shirts signed. Kamarie didn't buy a shirt, so she looked around and noticed that the sheet music for "I am a Child of God" was still up on the stage, so she took it and we got Jonathan Jones to sign it and and our shirts. Here's a picture:

That night, after we got home, I got a phone call from Janell. She was going to Mesa the next day with Kimber and she asked me if she wanted to go, too. Like I would pass up the chance to go home :) So, we embarked on the twelve hour drive to Mesa for a quick weekend getaway. It was so nice to be in the sun! I didn't ever want to go inside. I got to spend some time with Karissa and Courtney on Friday night, I got to walk through the house that my parents want to buy, I got to visit with my aunt Marla for a bit, and we even took a trip to Main Street where I ate at my favorite little sandwich shop, Sweet Cakes, and I got to enjoy Milano's extensive music collection. Sigh. I love Mesa :) I also got to see the lightrail thing for the first time. That thing is shiny! I will have to ride it sometime this summer, but I've heard there are some sketchy characters on there. Here's a picture of Alison and I in front of our house :

We left Mesa the morning of Sunday, March 7th and drove back to Provo. Karissa also left Mesa Sunday morning and flew to Salt Lake. So Monday morning, she came over and stayed in my room for a few nights and it was so much fun to have her here. It was so good to just talk to her again! I felt bad because I was super busy that week, but I hope she had some fun while she was here. Wednesday night, we went out to eat at Brick Oven with Lauren Inglish, Justine Szendzielorz, Cortney Saunders, and a few other people that I didn't know. Here we are at the restaurant:

Before Karissa even left, my family came up for a weekend visit, too. Michelle stayed in my room for two nights, and Ali stayed with me Saturday. Technically that was breaking the rules because guests are supposed to be 16 or older, but if you don't tell, I won't ;) Al even got to come to church with me on Sunday and that was lots of fun. I love that girl.
Jill and Seth were going to Vegas for the weekend, so my parents had Jackson for the whole weekend and they loved every minute of it. He is getting to be so big and he can say so many things now! Basically he just repeats what everyone says, but he's learning, I know it. We had some fun times going to the mall and walking around campus. Oh and of course we can't forget eating in the Cannon Center. Nothing beats walking in the Cannon Center doors and telling the worker to swipe my card eight times. Sunday, after Jill and Seth got back, we took a trip up to the new Draper temple. We didn't get to go inside, but we took some pictures outside:

Even though the trip was short (my family left on Monday, March 16th), I was glad that I got to spend some time with them. I can't wait to go home again (26 more days!) and spend even more time with them!

On Monday, March 23, my ward had a roller skating party, and the theme was 80s. At first I didn't want to go because Kamarie had to work, but my friend Jacey and I decided that we would go together and we wanted to go all out on our costumes. What do you think? Did we succeed?

We had so much fun getting ready together- spraying tons of hairspray and putting on layer after layer of eyeshadow. It was really entertaining. We definitely don't understand why people would actually have done those things to themselves every day. Oh the 80s :) Once at the roller skating place, I learned a very important lesson. Roller skating is so much harder than roller blading and ice skating both. Luckily during the first hour and a half, I only fell once. I have a nice big bruise on my left knee from it, but it doesn't hurt too bad. The real pain came when I was skating with my friend Kenneth and he tried to do a trick, fell, and pulled me down with him. I hit the ground hard and my tailbone still hurts, and it's been three days. It's been an interesting experience and sleeping is definitely not as easy as it used to be, but I'm enduring. It will go away eventually.

Finally, I woke up this morning and looked out the window and saw this:

Snow. On the ground. On March 26th. DISGUSTING!!! Why can't the sun just come out and visit for longer than two days at a time? I am so sick of this weather!! Every time I put all of my winter clothes away, it starts to get cold again. I am definitely not used to this bipolar weather. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Mesa?
Just following this depressing moment, I walked out into the hallway to go to the bathroom and blow my nose (I also tend to get sick when the weather turns cold again and I've used up like four boxes of tissues by myself in the past few months) and I noticed there was someone standing at the far end of the hallway. And it definitely looked like a boy. At first I thought that I just wasn't seeing right because only the emergency lights were on and it was 8 o'clock in the morning, so I was definitely tired. But as I walked closer, I realized it definitely was a boy and he just kept knocking on some girls' door. I didn't know what to do or say, so I just went and blew my nose. I was just thinking that no one was ever going to believe me when I told them this, when I walked out of the door to the bathroom and saw Kamarie. She just gave me a really strange look like, "What is he doing here?" and I just shrugged. I got back to my room and waited for her to get back. When she did, we decided that I should probably text Jacey and have her deal with it. It turns out he doesn't go to BYU, so he didn't know that boys aren't allowed in our hallways, and he left. Kind of suspicious since there are signs ALL over that say that men aren't allowed without special permission, but maybe he can't read or something.....ya. So he left, but it was definitely something that was out of the ordinary. Days like that are always interesting.

March was definitely an eventful month and now that it's over, I have General Conference, my birthday and home to look forward to! Yay April!!!!

P.S. Here's what I was doing exactly one year ago:

Yep. I was with my best girlies in Baltimore/Washington D.C. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! This seems like it was just a few months ago....

My Nephew, The Musical Genius

2009-02-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry Stokers, but I'm pretty sure that Jackson is destined to become a musical genius, not a sports star as anticipated :) Okay just kidding, I don't really know. But I'm not kidding when I say this kid has talent. He's not even two yet and already, he has a knack for remembering tunes and singing them back to you. His personal favorite, the them from the TV show The Backyardigans. He loves to sing it to grandpa Woodbury over the webcam. The other day I was watching him for a little bit and I decided I would "teach" him how to lead music. I've tried this before with little kids, but usually they just get annoyed that I am holding their arm, so they pull away. After awhile of leading Jackson's arm, I let go and he grabbed my hand and made me start leading again. Twice. Don't believe me? I got it all on video. I'm telling you, musical genius.

On the video, just watch. I had just let go of his arm to start the camera, so I had already been leading him for awhile. You will see him dance for a little bit, then kind of try and lead on his own. Then he touches his hand for a second and then turns and reaches for my hand. After I let go so he can go get a ball, he reaches for my hand again. Then he goes and shoots hoops. Okay, okay, he has athletic tendencies, too. Maybe he will just be one of those kids that is amazing at everything. That wouldn't surprise me one bit :)

Also, just for kicks and giggles, here's a video of Jackson watching a video of, well, Jackson. I decided to see what he thought of watching videos of himself when he was younger and boy did he think they were funny! He watched them all like ten times. To see these videos for yourself, you can go to my December 5, 2008 post.

Kamarie, you asked for it!

2009-02-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

So even though this was done forever ago (and sadly, I never noticed) Kamarie tagged me to do this little activity. These are the directions:

1. Go to your pictures

2. Go to the 4th file & upload the 4th picture

3. Post & tell about the picture

4. Tag 4 friends

So here it is:

Now. We vowed that we would never ever share these pictures (because there are quite a few more than just this one) with anyone. However, I feel justified because Kamarie made me do it by tagging me.

So I bet you're probably wondering what the heck we were doing. Well, this picture was taken on September 21, 2008 back when Kamarie and I barely knew each other. So, I had just started writing a paper for Human Development that was due the next day (of course, my procrastination just keeps getting worse...) and I was having a hard time focusing. So, I don't know why, but we decided to put on masks. I'm sure that Kamarie suggested it, but I honestly don't know why. Maybe it was to help me get un-stressed. Whatever the reason, we did it and we took lots of pictures. And I mean lots of pictures. Later on, we went even further and dressed up like...well you guys don't need to know that. Needless to say, we were acting pretty goofy. But I'm sure that this night was kind of a turning point for the two of us. For the first time, we were just being ourselves and acting downright silly together. It was the start of what is now a great friendship :) Thanks Kamarie for being a great roommate this year. I can't wait for the fun times we'll have next year.

I tag Heidi, Janell, Karissa and Tannis. Those are just the first four people I could think of with blogs. If anyone else wants to do it, feel free :)

Denver!

2009-02-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

So, for the long weekend, Kamarie and I bought tickets to Denver. We figured that there couldn't be a better time to go since it was Kamarie's birthday on Saturday and Kamarie's younger sister, Kaylee, was starring as JoJo in her high school's musical, Seussical. We flew up Friday morning and spent the day just chilling. We visited Kamarie's old choir teacher at Grandview and I got to meet a few of her friends. I met Kamarie's dad and brother, Connor for the first time and that was fun. Kamarie's dad took us out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and he gave me the nickname "Carnita" because I knew what that was on the menu. I thought it was funny, but he felt kind of bad later on when I told him that it meant pork :) On Saturday, we did some shopping and hung out some more, nothing too exciting. That night, we went to the musical and Kaylee did a wonderful job! She has a beautiful voice and it looked like it was a lot of fun.

On Sunday, after church, we had a big dinner to celebrate Kamarie's birthday (a day late) and she opened her presents. Her parents surprised her with the chance to go indoor skydiving with me and Lacee, another friend of Kamarie's who goes to BYU and came with us to Denver. Not long after that, Kamarie drove me to Chili's, where I met up with my aunt Alayne, my cousins Grace and Amanda, and my grandma Sharon. I haven't seen them in four or five years, so it was nice to do some catching up. I decided that visiting family is so much more fun when you are older because I could actually be a part of the conversations. I had a great time with them and I was sad when it was time to go our separate ways. Hopefully, we will get to see each other more this summer. Thanks Alayne and Sharon for making time to see me!

So, Monday, we got to do our indoor skydiving. Basically, you are in this little glass room and a huge wind current that comes through the floor (the floor looks kind of like a chain link fence). Prior to stepping in there, though, we had to watch a video and learn the proper body positioning and the hand signs that the instructor would give you. Then, we put on knee pads, elbow pads, jump suits, earplugs, and helmets. It was quite a process, but it was totally worth it. It was really cool to just be floating in the air without touching anything. Each of us went for a minute, then after everyone in the group had gone once, we got to go for another minute. It was so much fun and now Kamarie and I want to go real skydiving :) We will see if that ever works out....

We left that night to come back to Provo. It was a fun, relaxing weekend and I am so glad that I had the chance to meet Kamarie's family. I made Kamarie promise that sometime next year, we will fly down to Phoenix so that she can visit my home turf.

Lacee, her sister Nicole, Kamarie, Me, and Kaylee

The roommates with our instructor, Dan

I'm flying! Look at my pretty purple nails :)

At the end, he grabbed onto our arm and leg and spun us around and we got to go up and down. It was fun!

Apartments!!!

2009-02-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

I SIGNED MY CONTRACT FOR AN APARTMENT IN THE FALL TODAY!!!! I am so relieved because the process of picking an apartment in Provo, Utah is VERY tedious! There are like sixty apartment complexes that are BYU approved and there's no way to know which ones are the best and which ones aren't any good. I studied each complex based on the information I could find online and on what people said about them, but that only gets you so far. So, after all that, i went to the housing fair put on by BYU on Tuesday and listened to all of the managers try and sell me. After going, though, Kamarie, Janell, and I felt really good about The Colony. So, we went there today, took a tour, and signed the papers. I am super excited because it seems like a really nice place and I will get to live with two of my favorite people in all of Provo- Kamarie and Janell! We won't know our other three roommates, but at least we will have each other :) Yay for apartments!

Oh What a Sledding Experience... :\

2009-02-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

So I was at FHE last night (of course, because I'm the Mom) and everything was going just fine. Then, my husband (ha) mentioned that he was trying to plan a sledding activity. I just offhandedly said that I'd never been sledding before. Well, a few boys from my ward (come to think of it, they aren't in my family, so I don't know why they were there) overheard and demanded that we go sledding right that second. I was wearing jeans, my Woodbury University jacket, and Converse. Not exactly good sledding clothes. But, they basically wouldn't take no for an answer (even though I insisted that I had a bunch of homework to do). So, Kamarie and I went and they promised that it would only take 20 minutes. They took us to a place called The Bowl. It was Danny, one of the R.A.'s in May hall, and then Kenny and Austin from our ward.

So, I borrowed one of Kenny's jackets and Austin's gloves (both were huge on me) and went down probably three or four times before I got freezing cold and said I wanted to go back to the dorms. Kenny decided to go down one last time before we left and the results were basically disastrous. As he was heading down, he almost ran into Danny, but Danny jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, Kamarie was right behind Danny and hadn't seen Kenny coming. So, Kenny hit Kamarie's knee and she fell onto her back. When Kenny stood up, all he said was, "I think I broke something." So, he walked up the hill to the light and sure enough he was bleeding from a little cut under his eye and his eye was starting to turn purple and blue and it was swelling. He put some ice on it and we started to drive back to the dorms. As we were driving, Kenny just kept saying "I think we should go to the emergency room," so we decided to humor him, even though none of us thought it was very serious.

Well, we sat in the waiting room until about 12:30 while they gave him a CAT scan and checked out everything. Boy were we wrong about how bad it was. I guess he fractured his face in three different places. Poor kid. I guess it's a good thing we decided to take him to the hospital after all. He might have to get plastic surgery to fix it. Hopefully he will start feeling better soon. I think I learned two important lessons from this experiences. First, I learned that I'm not a huge fan of sledding because it's cold and dangerous. Second, I learned never to trust these boys when they set a time limit. Ya right, 20 minutes....

A Weekend Away

2009-01-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Kamarie, Lacee, and I went up to Kaysville to stay at Kamarie's grandma's house for a few days. Kamarie's mom, brother Carson, sister Kaylee, and their foreign exchange student Lujing also drove down from Denver. It was so nice to just get out of Provo for a few days. Plus, it helped that Kamarie's grandma has a large selection of movies and Rock Band. We certainly stayed up late every night watching movies and rocking out :) On Saturday, it was a beautiful rainy day and drove down to Salt Lake and visited Temple Square. Lujing is from China and she had, obviously, never heard of the Church before. We had one of the sister missionaries give her a tour of the visitor center in Chinese and Lujing was very impressed that on Temple Square, there is something like sixty countries represented and sixty-eight languages spoken. We took her to see the movie The Testaments, and I think Lujing was very touched by it. I hope that her curiosity was piqued enough for her to look into the Church further.

While on Kamarie, Lacee, and I were wandering around, one of the sister missionaries stopped us and asked us about ourselves. I thought it was funny that she was the one to stop us since she was from Korea. She was very sweet, and after talking for a few minutes, we walked on. About ten minutes later, another sister missionary stopped us to talk and I noted that she was from Mexico. What are the odds? They are the only ones that talked to us and they just happened to be from the two countries where my brothers served. As we were getting ready to leave Temple Square, we saw some protestors marching to the capital building. Kamarie's uncle, Brandon, asked Lujing if she had ever seen anything like that and it was kind of sad that she hadn't. She said that nobody in China ever challenged the government. From the stories that Kaylee told and from spending time with Lujing, here are some other things I've learned about China:

Most parents have to work really long hours so they can pay for their children's education. In Lujing's case, her parents worked in Malaysia.

Children literally live at school and are allowed to go home ever weekend. For Lujing, she only got to see her mother on the weekends because both of her parents couldn't come home from Malaysia every weekend.

Children don't ever talk to their parents. The only time they are allowed to talk to their parents is if they are seeking advice about something. When Lujing called China every night, she mostly talked to her friends and her teachers.

Children are especially never supposed to laugh or talk at the dinner table.

The Chinese are kind of obsessed with the way they look. Lujing was so cute because when she smiled, her eyes were literally just slits. She said her friends call her "smile, no eyes" and she is very self-conscious about it. I guess in China if you expect to move up in your career, you pretty much have to have plastic surgery to fix any imperfections first, or you won't go anywhere.

China hate Japan. Well at least Lujing does.

The Chinese people really have no idea how sheltered they are. Lujing wanted to bring home a Chinese version of the Book of Mormon. Kamarie's mom warned her that the government might take it away when she entered the country because it was a book from outside of China. Lujing didn't understand and she said that the government would never take a book away from her, especially not one that is in sixty-eight different languages.

It was pretty sad to see how little she knows about the way her own country is run. By far my favorite story about Lujing, though, happened at dinner that night before we went to go and see one of Mrs. Lindahl's old students in a production of Peter Pan put on at Weber State. So, as we were eating, Brandon's girlfriend, Meg, came over because she was going to the show with us. She also brought her sister along to see the show. They introduced themselves to Liujing and then went down to the basement where Brandon was. Kaylee turned to Lujing and said, "They are dating." Lujing looked confused for a minute, so Kaylee elaborated. "We talked about dating. When a boy and a girl like each other, they date." A look of understanding crossed Lujing's face, and then she looked bewildered and cried out, "Two of them?!" I guess she thought Brandon was dating both of the girls. It was really funny.

Weddings and Engagements

2009-01-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well I know it's been awhile, but I've been back home in Mesa and I wasn't going to spend my break blogging :) I had a wonderful time being with my family and friends and I'm all geared up for another semester.
Last Friday, was an interesting day because one of my very best friends from elementary school got MARRIED! I'm officially old now. My dear little Amber is now married to Erik Payne, a returned missionary from our home ward. I always knew that she would be one of the first girls to go, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. I was lucky enough to be one of the bridesmaids along with Janell Haws, Kelly Allen, Karissa Jarvis, and Amber's three sisters. Amber looked absolutely beautiful and they had a lovely reception at Regency Gardens in downtown Mesa. I still can't believe that she isn't going to be there in Dana Ranch ward when I go back in the summer, but she's a married woman now and she has her own apartment. Congratulations Amber and Erik!
I guess that Jesse got a little jealous of Erik or something (Erik is one of his friends from high school), so he proposed to Michelle the next day. He and Michelle went to Rocky Point with her family and he figured that would be the perfect place to propose. So, he popped the question while they were sitting on the beach in Mexico at sunset. So romantic :) He even had the ring in a seashell. Pretty creative, huh? I am really excited for them- they are such an adorable couple! They are looking at getting hitched around mid-May. And I get to be a bridesmaid again! This will be my third time...not necessarily a good thing (three times a bridesmaid, never a bride), but I'm pretty sure that that saying is kind of out of date. Michelle (from what I know) is the seventh girl from my graduating class to get engaged. I'm pretty sure there must be something in the water down there in Mesa because the girls are dropping like flies! I wonder who will be the next to go....

School's OUT!!

2008-12-13T16:01:00.001-07:00

So, I have successfully turned in my paper and gave a lovely presentation on it, just in case you were wondering. Of course, I realized later that I will never find out what I got on the paper because we don't have class anymmore and my teacher doesn't put grades on the schools website like every other teacher that I have. I am kind of bummed. Other than that, I had a really fun night on Thursday- there was a dance for the people in Helaman, Heritage and Wyview. I spent the time with some people in my ward and got to know a few people that I hadn't met before. Afterwards, Kamarie and I hung out in our lobby with Tyson until midnight. Then around 12:30, we decided to start doing our laundry (which was getting to be disastrous) so we watched Step Up 2 while we waited. I'd never seen it before, but it was a pretty good movie. The main guy is REALLY attractive, so of course that made the movie so much more enjoyable :)

Last night, Kamarie had work, so me and Ali decided to go on a walk with our friend Natalie. After a random encounter and a few phonecalls, we found ourselves headed to a place called Velour to see a battle of the bands. The place looked a little sketchy and the first band was, well, horrible so we were a little mad that we'd paid $5 to get in. The last three bands were really good, though. Like if they ever made it big, I'd consider buying their CD. After that, we went to take pictures on the giant cougar statue outside of the football stadium. We got some great shots :) It was a good way to wrap up the semester and hopefully I won't get too bogged down with finals next week!

Fun with Jackson

2008-12-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

I watched Jackson on Wednesday night. Since Jill was working, I invited Seth eat with me at the Cannon Center. Jackson was being adorable so I snapped some cute pictures of him.

I also watched Jackson today while Jill was at work and Seth was giving plasma. We had so much fun. I tried to capture some of the things he's picked up lately like standing, walking, and saying the words "football" and "baby".

Research Papers.... :-\

2008-12-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the semester, my Women's Studies teacher told us that at the end of the semester we would have to turn in a ten to fifteen page research paper. My thoughts on this: "Alright, I'll log that information away until I actually need to work on it." Bad idea. Especially since she didn't ever mention the paper again until a few weeks ago. Shoot. Luckily, all I had to do at that time was pick a topic and I was free to forget about it again. Don't get me wrong, I went to the library and got some books on the topic and I had a rough outline of the paper, but I just figured I could work on it over Thanksgiving break. Well, unfortunately, I ended up going home and didn't have any free time to work on dumb homework. So, I made it to this week and realized that my paper is due next Tuesday. And I still had yet to start it. Did I mention that it had to be fifteen pages? Ya....I knew I was in trouble.
So last night, Kamarie told me that she had a huge paper that she needed to write, so we weren't allowed to distract each other. I agreed to the rule because I had a paper to write, too. So after about fifteen minutes, I had an ADD moment and decided that I wanted to fix the lights on our Christmas tree so that they would blink. Kamarie turned around and started laughing and I apologized for distracting her. But she just said that she had spent the last fifteen minutes rearranging the icons on her desktop. Our conclusion: We have serious attention problems!!!!! We couldn't focus. At all. So, I asked her about her paper. Come to find out, she had to do an eight to ten page research paper on eating disorders. Did I mention the topic I had picked? It was women's nutrition and eating disorders. I'm not kidding. So we came up with a brilliant solution- to write our paper together! It is probably one of the best ideas I have ever had and it made things go so much faster! She had to turn a rough draft in by 2 o'clock today and we managed to get together 8 pages by then. And the best part is that we have so much more to say and it's almost long enough! Even better, her teacher loved the rough draft, which means that we make a pretty good team. Granted, I was up until 4 in the morning working on it, but that's better than spending all day today and all day tomorrow working on it. And the paper's pretty dang good, if I may say so myself. Now if only we can just arrange to have the same topic on every paper that we write for the rest of our college career, that would be really nice....

Thanksgiving Surprise

2008-12-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

So I didn't have any intention of going home for Thanksgiving. My parents and I decided that it would save money if I just had Thanksgiving with my sister's family and I would get the added benefit of having a lot of free time to catch up on some of my homework. Sounds like a thrilling weekend, right? Wrong. About a week before Thanksgiving, my friend Janell informed me that a kid from our high school was driving home and he had a few extra seats. So, I decided to look into it. I got ahold of him and worked everything out, which left me with just one more thing to do- tell my parents I was coming. The more I thought about it, though, the more I didn't want to tell them. I mean, how many kids have the opportunity to completely surprise their parents? Not many. So, I didn't tell them. I did, however, tell Alison that I was coming because one night as I was tossing and turning (I literally couldn't sleep because I was so excited to go home) my mind reverted back to sophomore year when I was getting home late one night and someone had locked me out. I went to try our side garage door and apparently startled my dad. Long story short, he scared the heck out of me when I walked into the garage. That wasn't exactly the homecoming that I wanted, so I figured that Al could keep the secret best.

So, the day before Thanksgiving arrived and I drove the twelve hours to Mesa. The timing worked out really well because my mom left to the store right before I got there, leaving Alison home alone. It just got better when my mom called me right as I was walking in the door. I had so much fun talking to her on the fun as she described the rainbow that was out (I had just seen the rainbow while I was driving). My favorite part was when she asked, "So are you just hanging out at home?" and I could safely answer, "Ya, I'm just hangin out at home." It took so much self control to not start laughing! Then when she came home, I told her that I had a surprise for her (we were still on the phone) and I told her to look at the front door. As she did, I opened it and she was so stunned! It was classic!! And then because I couldn't wait, I called my dad from the house phone and told him that I was home. I tried really hard to think of a creative way to tell Jesse, but he came home sooner than I thought he would, so he just caught me sitting at our kitchen counter. He just stopped in the doorway and started scratching his head in confusion. Man, I love surprises.

Later that evening, I went over to my friend Karissa's house and hid in her closet while Janell and Corntey sat on her bed. I was supposed to pop out after a little bit, but she actually startled me by opening the closet to put her purse away. Then we went on to surprise Amber and she had much the same reaction that Karissa did- they both jumped up and down screaming, "You're not supposed to be here!!!" It was great and boy do I miss those girls! So, while I was down there, we tried to spend a lot of time together. Amber went through the temple on Saturday night, which was really special and Karissa and I stopped by to see her afterwards. I also went to a wedding reception for a girl in my graduating class. It was bizarre to see her married, but it won't be long now before everyone else starts getting hitched, too.

I also got to see the Mesa Temple lights and enjoyed hearing FOG sing. I also ran into Tate's sister Heidi while I was there and I met up with Courtney McAferty and talked to her for a bit. I also helped my family put up some of our Christmas decorations and I got some amazing deals while shopping on Black Friday. I even bought myself a little mini Christmas tree for my dorm room. And of course, I enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at my grandparents house in Scottsdale. I love seeing my cousins and I it was really special because my cousin Bryce was there. He got off his mission the day before and it was fun listening to him tell stories.

Overall, I had an amazing, fun-filled weekend with family and friends. Going home was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Just being back in Mesa was so rejuvinating. I love it there so so much. It was amazing how good I felt just driving into Mesa. I think i take for granted how much I hate not knowing where anything is in Provo and not knowing anyone. Mesa is the best, hands down!

Mesa Visitors

2008-11-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

On Thursday some boys from Mesa came up and I was SO excited because I miss my Mesa friends! It was Kevin Lussier, Josh Brooks, Nathan Carroll, Thomas Brower, and Mitch Kroll. Even though I was really excited, we had some scheduling conflicts, so I didn't get to see any of them until Saturday night. Josh, Nathan, Tyson, Thomas, Kamarie and I went to Brick Oven for dinner with some of the boys' other friends and it was so much fun! It was cool to have Kamarie meet some more people from back home and I hope she had fun with them. After eating a lovely chicken artichoke pizza, Kamarie and I ran home (literally) because Kamarie had to go to work. I spent the rest of the evening playing Apples to Apples and Mormon Bridge with Tyson, Nathan, Josh and Kevin, who finally showed up. Even though I only got to see them for a few short hours, I had such a blast! Thanks guys for the fun night!

**When the boys got home, Josh had received his mission call. He is going to the Colorado Denver South mission. He reports on February 4th. Ironically enough, while we were talking about missions before dinner, we had mentioned a kid back home- Kevin Mickelson- who is going to the Denver North mission. Come to find out, Kamarie lives right on the border of the two missions and so sometimes her stake has missionaries from both missions. She might see one of them when she goes home for the summer! Crazy small world!

Tyson's Mission Call

2008-11-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Today during halftime, my friend from Mesa Tyson Anderson opened his mission call. He got called to the Toronto Canada mission speaking Mandarin Chinese! Crazy, huh? I never would have guessed...He reports to the MTC on March 4th, 2009. I am so excited for him! Congratulations Tyson!

Before Tyson had opened his call. Also in this picture: my friends from Mesa Michael Fleming (in the white) and Blake Lesueur (his face is actually covered by a camera but he is sitting next to Michael). Blake got his call last week but I wasn't able to be there to watch him open it. But he is going to Brazil. I believe that he leave in February. Good luck, boys!

Me and Tyson- Mesa buddies :)
I actually kind of look weird in this picture, I don't know why....

Probably the best part of the whole day was that LIGHT just happened to be in town! Tyson's girlfriend Brittany and Nick Johnson snuck over to hear Tyson open his call. Nick is going to the Washington Kennewick Mission on December 17. If he doesn't stop by the dorms on his way to the MTC, then this will be my last time seeing him in two years! By the way, Nick has been in my ward since we were like 7 so that's how I know him.

After talking for a little bit, Nick and Brittany had to get back to their workshop. Turns out that the workshop was just over in the RB on campus. So, me and Michael went back with them to say hello to a few other Mesa people. This picture is with Chandler and Adrianne Dugger. They are both also from my home ward and it was so fun to see them! I also got to see Nolan Johnson (Nick's brother), my friend Thomas Brower, Carrie Whiting, and Lauren Filichia (Lauren actually goes to BYU, but I've only seen her once since being up here).

It was just a fun little Mesa reunion and I loved it!

Halloween '08

2008-11-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Okay so to be brutally honest, I had no intention of doing anything for Halloween. Kamarie had gone back to Colorado for the weekend and I had a lot of homework to do. BUT my friend Ali called me up and asked me to go to the Helaman Halls Halloween party (Helaman-oween) and I agreed. Especially since I really wanted to see her all dressed up. Her mom had made her a dress made completely out of Juicy Juice boxes. How cool is that?! Everyone kept coming up to her and asking her about it. The top two questions were "Did that take a long time to make?" and "Can I touch it?" Really people. Have you never touched a Juicy Juice box before? Towards the end, Ali got pretty sick of it. Overall, it was pretty fun. Not anything like Halloween at home, but fun in its own way. We finished off the night by going up to Ali's room and watching a couple of episodes of Gilmore Girls :) Fun times!

Kelsey, Ali, and I. Don't ask what I was because I really don't know. It was thrown together in about five minutes. It was supposed to be like a thug costume but I don't have a whole lot of thug-like clothes.

I ratted Ali's hair and then we stuck a plastic tube in it so that her hair was shaped like a box and the tube was like a straw. I am drinking out of her in this picture haha. Be sure to check out my pawprint tattoos- compliments of High School Musical 3. Go Wildcats!!

The day before Halloween, the lights went out in our elevator. This is a picture of me as we were riding down to the first floor. I love glow in the dark sticks!!

Jill and Seth dressed little Jackson up as a tiger but he had such a big day that he fell asleep by abou 5 o'clock. They stopped by my dorm really fast so I could see him all dressed up. He is so adorable! I actually had seen him all dressed up earlier in his stroller at the Cougareat with his Grandpa Stoker, but by the time I realized who it was, they were walking away. It was strange seeing Jackson with someone else!

Smilebox Online Scrapbooking

2008-10-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

A Blog of My Own

2008-10-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided that my previous blog had become somewhat ridiculous this year since I hardly see Janell and Cortney anymore. But I didn't feel right posting things on that blog that didn't include them. So here I am, breaking free.

It also helped that I had to read a chapter on the importance of keeping a journal for my Strengthening Marriage and Family class. I have always been a terrible journal keeper. Writing hurts. But typing...I can handle typing :) So hopefully, this will be a good enough outlet for now.

Meanwhile, I am going to re-post some of my old blogs. Just because I like them so much.

Dana

The Coolest Glasses in the Whole World!!

2008-10-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, Kamarie and I are currently in possession of the coolest glasses in the world. We picked them up for about $5 at a store in the mall called Deb and they are pretty much amazing! Just see for yourself.

See?I was totally right. The coolest glasses in the whole world.

Dana

General Conference Weekend

2008-10-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was most definitely an interesting day. In sacrament meeting, I was supposed to get called to be the "Mom" of my FHE group, but as Brother Kiriyama was announcing callings, he called me as the Relief Society pianist instead. I didn't know what to do, so I stood up and got sustained anyways. Then, a few minutes later, he started a new list of callings and called my name again as the FHE Mom. So, I stood up again. Luckily, though, he noticed something was wrong and was like, "I think I might have that name wrong..." So, I went up to talk to him afterwards and his solution was simple: I got to keep both callings. Whoopee!! Haha. Then, he took me and three other girls aside and told us that he had four tickets to General Conference to give away and asked us if we wanted to go. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this past weekend, my older sister, Jill, let me and my brother Jesse borrow her car and we drove up to Salt Lake City with the other girls (Ali, Tasha, and Chelsea) for the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference. Once we were there, we met up with Kamarie and a boy in our ward named John. It was an amazing experience and I was so grateful for the opportunity to go. It was a wonderful session full of some really touching messages.

Chelsea, Tasha, Ali, and I

d IThe only downfall was driving back to Provo. Jesse also had tickets to the priesthood session, so we left him in Salt Lake and I had to drive myself home....in the pouring rain! Not only did I feel so turned around, but I am from Arizona and I've driven in the rain like five times in my life. Luckily, though, I didn't ever get lost and we didn't get in an accident. We must have had a special guardian angel since we were driving home from Conference :)

Then, on Sunday after Conference, Jill and Seth took Jesse, Jackson, and I on a drive through the beautiful Provo Canyon. I have never seen such beautiful scenery before! We stopped at Sundance for a little walk and we saw some beautiful things. I had such a wonderful weekend with my siblings. I am so glad to have Jill up here for whenever I need her and I loved getting to spend some extra time with Jesse. Thanks guys!

Chilling with Jackson in the car. Jackson was enjoying a brand new car seat from Grandma and Grandpa Woodbury

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Dana