Merry (Late) Christmas & Happy (Early) New Year

Oh hello. I know I have some catching up to do. I guess I will just get started.
Ok, so Chase works in Minersville with his uncles and grandpa. And sometimes he needs to save money on gas so he doesn't come home at night. So that means I don't get to see him. Unless... I go over there. Yep, you guessed it. Sometimes I go over there and hang out with him so he doesn't die of boredom and missing me. I know, I'm too kind. But it is for my own benefit as well. So one night when I was over there before Christmas we made a gingerbread house. After we were finished Chase asked me if I wanted to take a picture so I could blog about it. He always has my best interests in mind.
So here is the finished product!

I have been working a lot lately. Which is good because that was what I had planned for this break. Christmas was great! I received a kitchen aid mixer, a crock pot, cook books, a rolling pin, a thermometer, some earrings, and candy. Chase bought me a pearl necklace and I love it with my whole heart!!! It's absolutely gorgeous! I couldn't have asked for anything more! I would have to say that my Christmas was a complete success. I don't have any plans for New Years. I guess we will just see what life has in store for me. I am very excited for 2011 though! It might just be my favorite year so far!

The Word Dainty Reminds Me of a Princess...

Every little girl dreams about being a Princess, well I did. I guess I took it a little too seriously sometimes because now I'm getting the word dainty thrown at me from every direction. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it. I just never expected to hear it so much in the past couple days. Chase and I went up to Salt Lake on Monday morning to go to the Jazz game that night. We made a pit stop in Lehi at Cabellas. And they didn't even have what we needed there. But it was fun to look at the big animals. Some of them looked like they were about to charge me. I couldn't help but think of movies like Toy Story and Night at the Museum while I was there. From there we headed up to the Gateway mall. We got some good Christmas shopping done. For dinnner we drove up to Layton to my Uncle's resturaunt for some good BBQ. I kept asking Chase if he liked BBQ. He said that he did but I don't think I fully understood how much he like it until it was sitting in front of him and he looked like a little boy at Christmas. He ate it all. And some of mine. We wanted to go back to temple square to see the lights before the game so we headed back down to Salt Lake. Temple square was packed full of people. There were people taking wedding pictures, little children running everywhere, and I think I even spotted a couple fighting about going home because it was too cold. I like to people watch, and I always listen to what people around me are saying. So I was laughing at all the comments I heard. I wanted to get a picutre of us in front of the lights but it took me so long to get the nerve up to ask this lady to take it for us. But she was really nice. I just hate interupting people when I see that they are trying to enjoy themselves too. But I am happy with the picture we got.We decided to just walk from the temple to the area. Which was a good plan. It wasn't even very cold outside so I thought walking was fun. We got to the game just in time for it to start. The Jazz won the game even though they kind of had a hard time shooting throughout the game. We stayed at Chase's uncle's house in Spanish Fork on Monday night. Tuesday morning I spent playing Barbies with Chase's cousin Aubrey. She's adorable! We had fun throwing a birthday party for my Barbie. We headed to Provo that afternoon to finsish some Christmas shopping and eat lunch before heading home. At Toys R Us there was this HUGE Lego firefighter. I was so amazed by it that I made Chase go stand by it so everyone whould know how big it was and I took a picuture. I wish I could build stuff like that. Scratch that, I wish I had the time and patients to build stuff like that.

We had a reallly fun weekend. I'm glad that I had work off so we were able to just go and have fun. It's always good to just be able to let go for a few days.
NOW I NEED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY GIRL LAUREN CHRISTENSEN! IT'S HER BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!

If you don't know Lauren you should. She's the biggest sweetheart in the whole world!! I am so glad that I know her and we are friends. I don't know what I'd do without her to talk to for HOURS after we get off work. I hope you have a good day Lauren! Love you girl!

I"m In Salt Lake

I am currently in Salt Lake at the apple store. I just thought I would share this happy news with all of you. I will tell you all more about this wonderful trip when I return.

Finals...

Are going to kick my butt!!! But on the bright side I am really super looking forward to Christmas break! We get a whole month off. I just don't know how I am going to spend that much free time. Ok, I lied. I do know how I will spend it... working mostly, at least I hope I can work a lot. I'm sure I will. Also I am going to a Jazz game with Chasey poo. That will be most spectacular I am sure. We will have to take a million pictures so all of you can see and be jealous. But mostly just see because jealousy is not so good for you. Christmas is coming so quickly. I am amazed that it is already December first. This month will fly by though I'm sure.
A couple days ago I went Christmas tree hunting with Chase, Aimee, and Jared. Pretty sure I'm not a snow lover. The snow was up to my hips and I was not very prepared because we kind of decided to go last minute. So I was wearing jeans and Chase's warm boots. He was wearing his not so warm boots so I think by the end of the day we were frozen. Especially because we had to treck through miles of snow to get to this "perfect" tree that Jared fell in love with. Yea, it's not so great. But oh well. It's now sitting outside waiting to come into the house. I will prepare better next time we go.
Thanksgiving was fun. I went with my family to my aunt's house in Ephriam. Her whole family was there and we had a good time getting caught up with one another. There were so many little children that I hadn't seen for a very long time. They are all grown up now. But I'm sure that's what they all thought about me too. The food was great, the company was wonderful, and the drive wasn't even that bad.
I'm looking forward to the weekend! Thank heavens it's already Wednesday.
Chase and I are going on a double date tonight with his cousin and one of my good friends. I'm actually really extremely excited for it. I don't know why because it's not like we don't go on dates all the time, cause we do. But I think it will be fun to hang out with them. And I have been wanting to meet Brad (Chase's cousin) for a while now.
Well this is long enough now I'm sure you stopped reading and started skimming a long time ago. So this is all I will say for now.

Finishto

Ok, I confess I'm really bad at the whole thirty days thing. I'm just not very good at blogging about things that I'm supposed to. I would just rather write what I want when I want. So this is the official post saying that I'm done with my 30 days. Yup, I decided that this is my blog and I can do whatever I want. So with that attitude I'm saying I'm finishto, no not giving up because I could do it if I really put my heart to it.

I went to Colorado this past weekend with Mandy. We had a really good time visiting some friends. On our way home Sunday night we got caught in a snow storm and had to spend the night in Richfield. But we were able to make it home Monday in time for school.

I feel like I haven't updated for a while. So I guess I should just go through some stuff.

*School is still nasty, but almost over.

*Work is still there.

*It's getting colder everyday.

*I'm dating this guy named Chase. He's a sweetheart. I could probably go on forever on this subject but if you want to know more you can just call me and we'll chat.

*Christmas is on my mind a lot.

*I'm still alive.

Thanks for keeping up with me even though I have been slacking a lot lately. Hopefully I'll get better. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

That Dang Habit....

I'm not sure if this is considered a habit or just a personality trait. But I hate that I'm not a perfectionist. But I'm just not. I am just fine when things aren't picture perfect. It's probably not a good thing. But then again some people are too much of perfectionists. I'm just not enough. There's got to be a happy medium in there somewhere. Maybe I'll start working on caring more about how my projects turn out. So there you have it. My habit/bad personality trait is that I don't like things perfect... but they have more character that way... right?

My Peeps... haha

While I was thinking of my friends I naturally had to add the PF girls! They're all so fun! We have such a BLAST at work! I swear there's not a bad crew to work with. I don't know what I would do without a job where I absolutely love all the people there. I would probably die without them. So yes, they get to be in my friends post.

These guys are the best! I honestly don't know what I'd do without them. Mandy is my roomie and well, she's the best. We just have such a good time, always laughing! And we would probably die without the boys around.

And well last but not least Aimee. She's my best friend. I think that's pretty obvious though. Seriously I don't know what I would do without her. All of our long drives and talks. We have covered every subject in the book once, twice, three times and probably more. She just gets me.
Friends are amazing creatures.

"Don't Let The Sun Ruin Your Rain"

Here's the thing... I like to be in a good mood all the time. Hence the name of my blog. If you don't let anything get to you then nothing will. Yes, it is that simple. No, it doesn't always work out that way. Yes, most the time it does. This is a short post because it just gets straight to the point. So I'm going to post another one too. :) yay!

*Day 1* Finally!

When I was uploading my recent picture I also found a picture of me as a little tyke. So well obviously I decided to post them both.

Interesting Facts:

1- I have a crazy fedish with eyelashes.

2- I have been told I talk in my sleep.

3- Most of the time I think I scare people with my personality. They either think I hate them, or they think i'm nuts.

4- It's a rare occasion when both my hands and my feet are warm.

5- Everywhere I go I see someone that I work with, or that I'm realated to.

6- I always notice people's noses.

7- I call my little sister Zit. It just comes naturally.

8- I have 8 siblings.

9- I don't really make friends very easily but when I get them they stick around.

10- This fall has been the first time that I can honestly say that I actually kind of in a strange way like my math class.

11- I love when people tell me that they blog stalk me.

12- I walk around saying "I Love My Life" and that's not an exageration.

13- I was on a swim team for like 4 years growing up.

14- Everytime I pick someone up from something or after I talk to someone who has just done something I ask them what they learned. One of these days I think I'm going to get a good response.

15- Coming up with 15 facts about myself was probably the hardest thing I've done all day.

Sara...Lauren...I'm Joining!

I was reading everyone's new blog posts today and two of my friends, Sara and Lauren, posted this list of 30 things to blog about in the next 30 days. Just like them I probably won't get to this everyday. But I think it would be a fun thing to start doing. I'm super excited! So keep checking back for my answers to the following:

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind you blog name
day 3- a picture of you and your friends
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been to
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you're proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- another picture of you and your friends
day 12- how you found out about blogger and why you have one
day 13- a letter to someone who has hurt you recently
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put you ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- another picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- nicknames you have and why you have them
day 20- someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future
day 21- a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave for a lot
day 24- a letter to your parents
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- what do you think about your friends
day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge
day 28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?
day 29- in this past month, what have you learned
day 30- your favorite song

Trippy

Here's the low down! I haven't left Cedar in a very long time. It's time to get out of this place. Have an adventure or two while I don't have school. But because of my full time schedule here at SUU and my work schedule always getting in the way of my life I have been slacking away my weekends making money, doing homework, and sleeping. Can you say boring? So this is where the change comes in! I'm going trippy! It's my new slang word. It means that this weekend and next I will be having fun! Well for one day at least. This starts today. I'm going to St. George with Aimee tonight after we get out of class. We're going to go down and just go shopping, and look at cars for her, and go get smoothies, and well pretty much do whatever our little hearts desire for a few hours. That will be nice! Then we will make our way back to Cedar and head to the institute dance. Which we will most likely be in attendance there for a good half hour. And I'm sure our adventures will only get better from there.
But the real trippy that I'm taking part in is going to take place next weekend! Salt Lake!!! Yes, you guessed it, Aimee and I are going to conference, general that is! If you asked me if I was excited I would say I am a lot excited! I will blog major about it when we return! It's just that I'm excited to get a break from this overrated life of work and school and sleeping!!!

The Perks

This semester Aimee and I don't have any classes together. So we decided that Fridays at noon we would go to lunch together every week. We've been doing this for a couple of weeks now and it's been really fun. Last week we decided to go to Subway. We do love Subway so much! So we were just paying for our food when a boy Aimee knows came around the corner and told his manager that she is Miss Iron County. She started bowing and getting excited, like everyone does when they find out, and then she gave us free drinks! It was awesome! We decided dropping the title really isn't so bad after all. Think of all the free stuff we could get! We also decided that when people find out who she is instead of them bowing we're going to tell them that the proper way to show their praise to her they should jump up and down while patting their head and tell her five reasons why they love Iron County. It will be a lot more entertaining! Oh the things we think of!

What I Say Is True

I have a quick 10 minutes before Mandy get's out of class and we go home to partake of food before we have to come back for more school. So during this time I will give you, my devoted fans, a quick update on the first 3 days of my life as a sophomore in college.
-I wish I had taken CSIS earlier on.
-A cute boy sits behind me in Biology.
-I hate buying textbooks!
-My English teacher has proved to me already that he's NUTS! But, I think we're going to get along just fine!
-Lauren Christensen just might be my angel.
-I've found a new love for going to bed early to get up to run in the mornings at 7.
-Nobody should have to sit through a 2 hour math class twice a week!
-I have "one of those faces"
Story time:
Background Info:So the first day of school my sister texted me and asked if I was in her friend Marco's class. I told her no, I don't take eight o'clock classes. She said that he thought he had seen me. I told her to tell him that I just have "one of those faces." She laughed and said she wasn't sure if she believed me or not... so Becca this story is for you!
Story: I was sitting in the ELC just minding my own business when this fellow walked in the door, walked right over to me, kicked my chair, said hi to me, called me Sara, and sat down in the computer next to me. I turned to him and said, "I'm sorry, I don't think I know you." He was very sure that he knew me, my name was Sara, and that I lived in the dorms last year. I kindly set him straight. I told him my name was Kayla and that even though I didn't know him before it was very nice to meet him. He didn't seem to like this overwhelming feeling of emmbarrasment that I saw appear on his face. I felt really bad but I really was very nice to him. Needless to say, he scooted down one computer. I think he'll think twice before he says hi to someone else today. Poor dude!
Conclusion: Yes Becca what I told you was true. I have "one of those faces". This is just one example of the story of my life.
Well, my ten minutes are up! Lunch time is waiting for me!

Ch ch ch Changes!!!

Change; The only word that I can use to describe the recent events of my life.

Honestly though over the past two or three weeks my life has changed dramatically, and all I could even do is sit and watch it happen, just go with the flow, and get over it!
-It all started with Moving Out-
I moved out of my house about three weeks ago. It has honestly been quite an adventure! I'm learning so much about myself, my roommates, and strangely, I'm learning a lot about my family. Living on my own has been a challenge and a blessing to me. I'm learning to rely a lot on myself and my testimony of the true gospel. Nobody is there anymore to push me to do anything, everything I do I choose to do by myself. I like to make my own decisions. I'm learning that living with roommates is not as hard as some people say it is. Maybe I'll change my mind down the road but as of right now I do like the girls I live with. Mandy and I have had a blast so far and I can't wait to get to be even better friends with her! I'm learning that my family is amazing! I wouldn't be who I am today without the family that I have! They have taught me all that I have needed to know in my life so that I am able to have these experiences. And yes, I do miss them all, I come back to visit frequently!

-My best friend is now Miss Iron County-
On Saturday August 14th my best friend was crowned Miss Iron County. Honestly I believe that nobody deserved it or worked harder for it than she did! I was so proud of her! She rocked the stage all night and went home winning the Talent portion, the Evening Wear portion, the Interview portion, and of course winning the over all competition. She has been working towards this for almost two years now and I don't think most people understand the effort and time that she has put into making sure she can be the best queen this county has ever seen! And when it comes time again, we'll be going back to Miss Utah to cheer her on again. Only this time We're veterans so we know how it works, buttons with Aimee's face, shirts, posters, banners, signs on paint mixing sticks! No worries she'll be the most supported girl there!
-The university ward boundaries in Cedar were completely changed-
Last Sunday we had Elder Evens of the first quorum of the Seventy come visit the University wards here in Cedar. Him and Elder Leavitt came and completely re-organized our boundaries. There are now 23 Young Single Adult wards in Cedar. I am now in the 22nd ward. I am no longer the FHE coordinator for my ward, which honestly makes me really sad. I'm trying to get used to the idea of a new bishop, and lots of new ward members that I don't know. This change really hit me hard, I have been having a hard time with the idea and even thought for a while that I would just ignore the changes and go back to the ward that I love. Well, since that ward doesn't even exist anymore I have now come to the decision that everything happens for a reason and that I will go to my new ward and make myself love it. I hope you all can wish me luck with this decision! I know that this change would not have happened if it wasn't what the Prophet, and even more what Heavenly Father wanted. So I plan on sticking close to them and following their plan!
-School starts TOMORROW!-
I can't believe the summer is already over! It amazes me how much I have done in that short amount of time. I remember blogging about my list of things that I wanted to do this summer and I'm going to report on them now.
1- Ride through the tunnels in Zion yelling with my windows down.
-I didn't do this but I did help a lost boy in my neighborhood find his mom.
2- Go on a road trip!
-I didn't do this but I did have a blast watching my best friend compete at Miss Utah!
3- Celebrate my 19th birthday! (I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a HUGE deal out of this)
-My 19th birthday wasn't a huge deal. But Mandy did come back to me the day after and that was a pretty good present in itself!
4- Become an aunt!
-Becoming an aunt was indescribable! Seriously, I'm like the proudest aunt ever and Tace is only almost 3 months old! I love him though and I would do anything for him! I know he was brought to our family for a reason!
5- Be the best FHE coordinator of all time!
-Well..... I don't know if I would say I was the best of all time, but I did have so much fun planning and making activities happen. I hope everyone had a good time participating. I learned so much about myself in the process. And I'm super sad that it's over.
6- Go to a baseball game
-Yikes! I had one planned to go to, but the thing was that the trip didn't really work out. So it was kind of a bummer but hopefully sometime before the fall is over we will be able to work something out.
7- Go to a concert!
-Well, does ward choir count? Ha ha! I sang in the ward choir this summer. It was a lot of fun going to the practices and singing with the ward!
8- Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work (I could go on for days!)
-I literally did work for days.... Work was good this summer though, Cedar is a magnet for a bunch of different sorts of people and I love meeting and talking and trying to understand them all!
9- Buy TONS of snow cones from Lauren and Clay (I want to try every flavor)
-I don't think I tried every flavor, but I did LOVE to go get snow cones. I think this is the most fulfilled item on my list! I hope they don't plan on closing shop anytime soon though. I need those things to get me through sometimes!
10- Keep doing the random everyday things that make my life amazing!
-My life is amazing! I can't complain one bit about it. There's nothing that I would change right now. Everyday I learn and grow. I do my best to be my best and honestly that's all I can do right now. I can't think of one thing that would make my life better right now. And I have many people to thank for helping to mold me into the person I am today.
I've had to come to the conclusion over the past little while that change is good. Without change everything would always stay the same. How boring would that be?! I am excited for school to start, I can't wait to be on a regular routine again. But I know that before long I will be getting anxious for Christmas vacation. I can't wait to learn even more and experience more this year! And I'm going to try to post more often because I know that these long ones are hard to keep focused on. But thanks for reading anyway!
I'm sure I'll have lots to say tomorrow and Tuesday about the first day of classes!

Lagoon.. This is the place!

My family went on a vacation this week. I promised I would blog about it in my last entry, So here I go!

We started our journey in the afternoon of Monday. Where we reached our destination of Bountiful around 5ish. From there we helped set up tables, chairs, and manned the grill until the whole family had eaten. The food was spectacular. We even had lemon lime flavored sparkling water... well that was an accident. The night ended with lots of rain, family laughing, and swimming in the hotel pool. We knew we needed a good night sleep so that we could party it up at Lagoon the next day. Lagoon was brilliant as always! We rode the rides, we played in the water park, I got a nice tan, and everyone had a great time! Every time I turned a corner there was a member of my family there. It was fun to run into everybody periodically throughout the day. I got really tired really quickly. So when I did I decided it was time to walk through Pioneer Town with my mother. We had fun looking at all the old pioneer stuff. Old antiques are interesting to me. And we even got some strawberry cheesecake ice cream. That stuff is delicious and not very nutritious. Worst part of the night was when 5 buck let our pizza's fall straight from the oven into the garbage. I knew we should have gone to pf. It's the only reliable source.

The next morning just my baby, not so baby, family headed to Salt Lake to the "This is the place" monument. Just long story short we had a way good time. We got to find gold in the river, we got to ride the train, and we walked all around the whole place looking at all the cabins, the stores, and the cute hotels. No, I wouldn't want to be a pioneer. Yes, I do like their style. Not the cabins, just their houses. I love old houses. I could go on forever about them though so I'm gonna quit rambling now. The train was probably the highlight, well that and when Xander got stung by a bee. That was quite the experience. Don't worry I played nurse Kayla and put some mud on that bugger of a sting and yup, he was happy!

Over all I believe the trip was a success. We all had a very good time!
And X and I loved the train :)

You Don't Realize What You Have Until It's Gone!

This quote keeps making it's appearance in my life. None of you can tell by looking at my blog but just five seconds ago I was not happy. Because when I logged into blogger to post today I viewed my blog and my background had been erased. There was a little icon in it's place that said the picture had been deleted from photobucket. I guess I didn't realize how much I loved my background until I noticed how sad I was that it was gone. So, sadly, I started the search for a background that I could love as much as my old one. I decided to look on some websites that I hadn't been on before. I went through all the backgrounds, some were way too gandmaish for me, some were way too kidish for me, and then there was one that I though I might could handle, well if it didn't have the wings! So I was stuck! I found one that kind of resembled my old one, but it was kind of ugly. And then there was one that I thought I could handle but it had a little blue monster hand looking thing in the right hand corner and I knew that it wouldn't last long. So in my desperation I decided to go back to the cutest blog on the block website. And sure enough after looking at about three pages of backgrounds there it was, clear as a button, waiting for me, practically screaming out my name, MY OLD BACKGROUND WAS BACK RIGHT THERE WHERE I COULD USE IT!!!! OK, so I posted it back up on my page and wala! I am so happy now.
A little update on my life, well let's see I've been working a lot lately. It's been very good though. Tiarrah and I found us a place to live. It's behind big o tires for all of y'all who know your way around cedar. We're just waiting for the lady who owns it to say it's ok to move in, and I can promise it won't take us long after that. Tomorrow is Sunday, I'm way excited! I spoke in church last Sunday it went well. Aimee and I got to speak together and we had a good time with it. Also next week I get to go up to Salt Lake with my family and have a little vacation. We're going to Lagoon and we get to have a bbq and honestly I'm just really excited that I don't have to work. My birthday is next Saturday I think I have some plans, they aren't set in stone yet but hey it's my birthday so I will for sure think of something! I know I haven't posted any pictures recently. But this week is promising for many pictures with the vacation and the birthday! So no worries they will be coming soon!

"Don't Sell Yourself Short"

It has been so long since I have updated you all on what's been going on in my life. I apologize, but I hope that this will prove that when I don't post for a long time it isn't because nothing is going on... it's actually quite the opposite. So I'm sorry that this is going to be long, but I hope you enjoy the updates on my life! Uhh... I don't even know where to start!
All of my life, just like all of yours I'm sure, I have been asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I never had an answer for this question. I never even would pretend like I knew. I would get asked, I would avoid the question, and then I would move on with whatever I was doing before this horrible subject got brought up. In the back of my mind I always knew that the time would come when I would find out what I wanted to be, and I would be 100% sure of my decision. Luckily for me this time came a few weeks ago. And since then I have been happy and excited to inform everybody that I have decided to become a nurse. I put a lot of thought into my decision and I'm excited to start working towards it this fall. I know that nursing programs are hard to get into and I know that it is going to be a lot of hard work. Probably more school work than I have ever done in my whole life, and more time consuming than anything. But for something that lasts me forever I would hope that I would be willing to spend the time and effort that I need to put into it. And I am. So for the next four, or so, years I will be working towards becoming a nurse. Super exciting right?! Yea, I think so!
I was going to save this subject for another time, but, while I'm already on the subject of growing up this is as good of time as ever to say that I'm moving out of my house. Yes, wow, I know it's time to grow up. I think more than anything I'm ready to grow up. I'm ready to take on the responsibilities of living apart from my family and to learn how it is to have to provide and take care of myself. I'm excited, and I'm sure you all are too because this means there will be so many entertaining things that will be coming soon for you all to read about. I will be moving in with Mandy (remember the one you read about who I visited over spring break? Yea, well that's her) Mandy and I will be sharing a room. I'm very excited to become better friends with her and to steal her shoes! Also we will be living with Tiarrah, who I work with at Pizza Factory, she's such a doll. And I'm excited that we might be able to car pool to work sometimes. And that instead of going to Denny's at night we could just go home and make pancakes there! Carly will be living with us too, and I have never met her. She is one of Tiarrah's best friends, they have known each other for a long time and so I'm sure we will get along great! I'm excited to meet her and make a new friend! Now, finding a place to live has been quite the adventure. We kind of procrastinated and it hasn't quite been as easy as I had imagined it to be. Tiarrah and I have been searching cedar to find the perfect place. We almost had a place and then the guy rented it to some other people. So now we're at a loss again. The thing is though that we don't have very much longer. So tomorrow is the day. It is possible, and tomorrow we are going to find a place, decide we love it, and do everything we need to do to make it be ours before she leaves town. I believe that it is possible.
While I was working away the other day running around like crazy trying to please all the customers at Pizza Factory I noticed that one of my professors from last semester was in one of the other waitresses sections. I said "hi" to her briefly and then went on doing what I was doing. Right when she was almost finished with her meal she called me over to her table and said she needed to invite me to something. I was a little confused and flustered because I had a lot of stuff to do. But I let her explain to me that the communications department at SUU is hosting a mediator training course. This course is the first step you need to become a court trained mediator, and also I would be able to get a lot of upper division course credits on my transcript. She was telling me all about it and how that if I decided it was something that I was interested in I would be able to have 100 dollars off the cost because I was an SUU student and SUU was hosting it, and also they had 300 dollar scholarships that they were giving out for the program and she offered me one. The next morning I called her and went to see her in her office. We talked more about the program and I decided it was an opportunity that I didn't want to pass up. The training course runs the first week in August, so it will be a quick course and I will get 3 upper division course credits and have the first step of mediator training complete. I'm excited to learn more about that field of work and possibly go on to more trainings where I will be able to get all of my mediator training completed. That would be cool. A nurse and a court mediator. Not too shabby of jobs.
This morning in church during the ward council meeting brother Christensen turned to me and asked if he could chat with me after. It was the moment I had been dreading for the past year. I knew exactly what he wanted. Yes, I will be speaking in church next week. It's not as bad as it could be though. He originally asked me to speak in two weeks, which would mean that I would be speaking in the tri-ward combined meeting. But, I won't be there in two weeks because it is Steve's mission farewell and I promised that I would go to it. So thankfully I will just be speaking to my quaint ward next week. I should start preparing!
I think that's about all that I need to catch you up on. I know it's quite a bit to take in, but you're just reading about it, imagine how I feel! I don't know if I have ever thanked you for following my blog, I don't even know who all reads these, I hope that maybe somebody finds it entertaining. I like when people tell me they read my posts. So thank you all. And I hope you all have a great week.
My next big accomplishment I am working towards is that I really need to purchase a lap top. I believe it will be a great thing for me to have this coming semester. I'm looking at Mac books I think they are the best, longest lasting, and they don't get viruses which is a good thing. But they are also quite pricey. So maybe I'll have to start a side fund for it or something. And if it doesn't work out, I guess I'll just spend my life in the library.
Next time I won't wait till so much has happened before I post again. But, for sure by the next time I update you all I will have a new place to live. I'm looking forward to that!
Today I was sitting by one of my best friends in church and she has the cutest little quote book ever! I loved one of the quotes I read. It was the very first one in the whole book and I want to share it with you all right now. I think it describes a lot of what I've been feeling lately.

"You never know how far you can fly until you spread your wings"
(or something to that effect)

The World Always Looks Brighter From Behind A Smile!

There's this "game" I play when I'm driving. I guess I don't really know how it got started but somehow it just stuck. The "game" is that while I'm driving, mostly when I'm stopped at a stop sign or something I look around and see if there are people next to me. If there are I try to get them to smile, by simply smiling at them. Most the time this will happen when I'm at a stop sign and someone is turning left so they pass right by the front of my car, or when I'm right next to someone at a stop light. Mostly I target older people, they are most likely the ones who will look back and smile too. I think just seeing someone smile and knowing that I was the reason they are smiling is more rewarding than me just smiling for myself. It always brightens my day to know that I have brightened someone else's. Like I said, I don't know how or why this got started, but I do know why it keeps going. I smile to get others to smile which makes me smile for a long time after wards. So, in the long run it helps me and the other person involved. Wow, smiling is contagious, but I'm glad I can spread it with ease.
My favorite quote is: "I want to be remembered as the girl who always
smiled when her heart was broken, and the one who
could always brighten someone else's day even if
she couldn't brighten her own!"
I like to live by this quote because I know that in the end, me being able smile when I'm hurt will act to remind me that even when I'm sad smiling brings joy to me because it makes me think about the little things that bring me everyday happiness. And that by brighten someone else's day I will be able to brighten my own day as well.

Praying For Patience

Lately in my prayers I have been praying for help with my patience. I never have been a patient person. It's just not one of those virtues I was born blessed with. Unfortunately I have learned the had way that in order to gain an attribute such as patience I must first have my patience tested.

This week started with me being very happy to be able to pay my car payment early on in the month (thanks to the business of summer games athletes at Pizza Factory). I have been putting off getting my oil changed in my car though so yesterday I took my car in and one of my tires was low also. So I got both of those tasks taken care of. This morning my job was to go to get my car registered. It was a little past the due date for registration and so I decided I needed to get that done before I took my journey up to Salt Lake this weekend. Car registrations aren't cheap. Also on top of the registration fee I decided it would be wise of me to get SUU license plates so I will be able to park anywhere on campus. This will save me money in the long run because I will stop having to pay tickets that I receive from parking where I'm not allowed to. When I went to pull out my debit card to pay for the registration and license plates I realized that I had left my card on my dresser at home. So I had to undo everything I had just done with the lady who was helping me so I could run to the bank. When I got back to the registration place the lady who knew what I needed was gone to lunch. Luckily the other lady was very happy to help me. OK, so when I finally was able to get home I started putting my license plates on. When I was walking around to the back of my car to do the back one I saw this....
Yes, that is the biggest nail I've ever seen in my whole life stuck right into my tire. I couldn't believe what I saw! So I finished putting my other license plate on and headed down to see what we could do about this. When I got to the shop Neil took a look at it and told me that I would have to get a whole new tire because the nail was completely bent and wrapped around puncturing a part of the tire that would never hold a patch.
Hawaiian Ice saved my day! After all of these shenanigans happened I went into Pizza Factory because luckily it is pay day. Lauren was there and I told her all about my car troubles. She quickly called Clay and while I was on my way home she called me and told me that her and Clay wanted to give me a free snow cone for all my trouble I had gone through. I was very grateful to them! I got half coconut and half melona. It was amazing!
Needless to say, I have been handed patience trial after patience trial. Yes, I am learning from them, but I'm exhausted! Hopefully patients can become a strong aspect of my life. But I hope I can start learning it in an easier way. Sadly, I don't think that's possible.

"...Oh You Make Me Smile..."

Tacen Gale Donohoe (Tacey) was born on June 7 at 4:39 P.M. he weighed 6 Lbs. 9 Oz. and is the most gorgeous little boy I've every seen in my whole life! I love this guy! Everything about him amazes me. It is so unreal to me how babies work. They live inside of someone for nine months. Then they are born and know exactly what they need to do. It's such a miracle. Can I just tell you all how much I love him more and more everyday... and it's not even my baby. I can't imagine how it would feel to love my own baby when I already love him so much. So crazy!

After Tace was born he had a high PKU (jaundice) level. He had to be put under lights for a couple of days in the nursery part of the hospital. There were so many sad babies in there. We were so glad that the only problem with Tace was his jaundice. It was still sad just having him lay there though. As you can see, he had to have this mask over his eyes to protect them. We called it his space helmet. Also the last day he was there they hooked him up to an IV. The poor thing. But it helped him a lot and he was able to come home bright and early Friday morning!This little guy loves his swing! That is if we ever put him down long enough for him to enjoy it. It's been so much fun having him at home. He just gets so much love. If we don't all get our loves in for the day we start having withdrawals. It's not good. He's getting darker and darker skin everyday. His eyes are so pretty. Some of his clothes are too big for him, so he looks kind of like a gangster. But the cutest dang gangster you've ever seen!

I can't believe that tomorrow he will be a week old already! It's already gone by so quickly! I don't even want to think about a month or even a year passing. But I know that it will be fun the whole way. He just will keep getting cuter by the day and we'll have oh so much fun as he grows and learns. I would've never imagined that being an aunt would be this amazing!

My Latest Fiasco!!!!

OK, I'm sorry, I know I haven't blogged for about a year now. It's sad! I can't even say I've been too busy, because I haven't. I guess I just haven't known what to write about. But I have come to the conclusion that I must inform you all on my latest fiasco!
It all started back in mid April. I was minding my own business, getting ready for school one day, when all the sudden I was straightening my hair and I heard a frying sound. It sounded almost exactly like when you have a hot pan and you put it in cold water. I was so confused for a minute until I realized it was my hair being FRIED!!!! Needless to say I almost had a heart attack! I didn't know what to do! So there was this section in the back of my hair that was completely fried, like gross, it was fuzzy and nasty! Oh and it smelled so bad!!! If you have never smelled burned hair I would not recommend it! The next morning I was doing my hair again, being very very careful, and the same exact thing happened to my bangs on the front of my hair. That was enough! I broke down! I told my mom and she called her hair girl to ask her what I needed to do. I went in to her and she deep conditioned my hair. It felt better after that, but it was still burned. The back section started breaking off more and more everyday. And my bangs looked terrible! So I decided in order to fix my bangs I would cut them straight across my forehead. So that way the fried parts could be in the back and heal a little. WORST DECISION OF MY LIFE! Straight across bangs look good on some people, I am not one of them! So I was just that much more frustrated! So my bright mind decided that maybe my bangs would look better if my hair was shorter. So yep, you got it, I went and chopped all my hair off. I just told the girl that she should keep cutting until all the damage was gone. It was so short! I kind of was having major stress over it. I wore my hair in a headband for about two weeks until my bangs were barely long enough to where I could go in and get them re-cut so they were back on the side of my head. They were so short! Wow!
So now, about two months after this whole adventure started my hair is about the length now that I usually cut it to. So that's good. My bangs are still short, they still have a while until they will be back to normal. My fried sections are pretty much gone. My hair feels and looks so much healthier! I can't wait until everything is back to normal, but this has been a learning experience for sure. And I guess I've learned.... I can survive even when my hair is not! Also I now have a new blow dryer and straightener, because my hair lady said that it was one of these things that was causing my problem. So I ditched my old stuff because I do not what a repeat of this problem in the future!

Never Again Will We Choose Chipotle Chicken Over Spicy Asian...

My day started out like any other... I woke up, went running, and ate my yogurt. But on the contrary this day is not like any other. Why? because now, 12 hours later I am laying on Aimee's bed. You see I am doing this because we were driving around. We decided to try chipotle chicken from the all famous Wendy's... yeah it was nasty and we got it all over ourselves in the car. Messy stuff I tell ya! Except for we managed to save the blanket!!! Now, like I mentioned, I am laying on Aimee's bed. Too tierd to go home. So this is where I will rest for the night.

Time Flies When You're..... Growing Up??

I honestly think I've learned more in the one year that I've been out of high school than I did the whole four years I was there. Don't get me wrong, high school was... great... but I wouldn't trade my past year of experiences for the world!
I've come to the conclusion that nobody can teach you the in's and out's of college better than yourself. Everyone has such a different experience, because everyone has such a different focus. College life was like a slap in the face. Pretty much everything and everyone screams, "GO OUT AND DO IT YOURSELF, OR IT WON'T GET DONE!!!" in your face.
Nobody is there to push you along. Nobody cares if you fail. Nobody is going to "give you a break", nobody is going to care about your excuses, and nobody is going to give you a grade you didn't earn.
Throughout this year I have learned a lot.
*I learned that I can write an 8 page paper in just one very long night.
*I learned that writing letters during class instead of taking notes means a lot of studying for the final is in my future!
*I learned that if I log onto facebook when I am supposed to be doing homework my homework won't get very far at all!
*I learned that if you have to eat a bagel with butter it goes down a lot easier if you micro wave it for 5 seconds first.
*I learned that the institute vending machines produce the best meals!
*I learned that financial aide takes FOREVER to go through, but when you get your refund checks back it's worth all the stress it produced.
*I learned that game nights are the best! Never pass one up!
*I learned that crazy English teachers might just be the only thing that make you smile in a day!
*I learned that procrastination is not the answer!
*I learned that it's always smart to check, double check, and even triple check what days tests are on, and what days assignments are due.
*I learned that Christmas break is looked forward to almost as much, or sometimes even more than summer.
*But I think most importantly I have learned that I am strong enough to be pushed to my limits, do things that I need to do with little sleep or motivation, I am the only one who can make things happen for myself, institute sometimes is the only thing that keeps me going throughout the week, the most random things can make my day that much more fun, I don't care if I look like an idiot, I'm not ashamed of being myself.
This year has seriously flown by! I never imagined that I would be able to say that I had been graduated from high school for a whole year! I don't know where I'll be next year at this time, but I hope that I can say that I've learned even more silly things than I learned this year. I hope I can say that I've grown more and learned even more about myself. And I know that I will have many more amazing experiences with my amazing friends, and I know I'll make more friends to have even more life changing moments with!
This quote pretty much summarizes what I've been trying to write in this post...
"Do not wait; the time will never be ''just right.'' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along."
--Napoleon Hill
I started this year not knowing what I was getting myself into. With a lot of perseverance I now feel like I've got some direction. And I couldn't be more grateful to myself, and the people who have helped me get where I am.

"I Wish There Were Bubbles Like This In My Tub"

For the past little while now Becca and I have been longing to go get pedicures. Today we woke up and decided today was the day! So we called around to see who could take us in on such short notice. The folks at nail biz were just so kind and we were able to go within 45 minutes. Which was perfect because I was still in my pj's.So first thing when we got there the lady got our feet straight into hot bubbly water. It felt so good! We were supposed to soak for five minutes. There was only one problem, Becca's water wouldn't stop bubbling!!! There were bubbles everywhere! My feet were perfectly soaking away with minimum bubbles while she was fighting the bubbles away with every bit of strength that she has. As she was trying to contain the bubbles she said, "I wish there were bubbles like this in my tub, I never can get enough bubbles and here they all are! Now I wish I could put them to good use." Oh it was quite a site! The pedicures went so well! oh my feet felt like heaven after the whole process. My toe nails look so cute, and it was so fun to be able to spend some quality time with my big sis!

Not the best picture. Sorry, it was taken with my phone.
Becca on the left, Kayla on the right!