special olympics - bowling.

today i woke up bright and early, even though it was a saturday, and got ready in a hurry. i love the special olympics! i love all of the olympians so much! they make life so much better, and you cant help but just be happy while you are around them. and they love you so much and are so thankful for everything you do for them. today was the day for special olympics "take two" as i called it. about the second weekend of the semester i went to the special olympics with some of my roomies and it was great! so when our friend joe, who we met at the special olympics before, told us that they were going to be having special olympics bowling this weekend, there was no way we werent going to go! so today i woke up, excited for the day. as i walked into the bowling alley i knew it was going to be an amazing day! jared, my "special olympian" from the first week came running up to me and said, "hey you! i love you, you got it???" what more must i say?? haha. he was so cute, and i was happy to be back with him and all of the rest of the olympians. jill and i were assigned to the olympians on lanes 11 & 12. we went over and met our guys. jill took lane 11 and i took lane 12. my first three boys were great! one of them totally thought he was a gangster, and it was hilarious, and so cute! they all did pretty well, above 70 each time, which is better than i usually do! i was kinda of sad when their three games were up and i knew i would be getting new olympians. i didnt want to see them go, but if i had only known. the second "heat" was with the down syndrome kids, and i couldnt have asked for a bigger blessing to come into my life! they walked over and all sat down looking like they were forced to be there against their will, but i knew this would not do, so i put on my clapping hands, and got my cheering voice out and we got to it. jill's boys were done and so she was with me and lane 12! our lane 12 boys were jared, edwin, brian, and greg!

jared and brian had some major competition going between each other and everytime we cheered for one of them the other one would say, "hey! no cheering!", one time when jill was cheering for brian, jared pointed at her and said,"hey! you stop cheering or im not taking you on a date tonight!" it was so cute!

and then greg was my absolute favorite. he would act like nothing was a big deal, but everytime i cheered real loud for him, or gave him a hi-five he would get the cutest little smile on his face and it was the greatest feeling in the world to make him smile!

at times jill and i felt really stupid because we were so loud cheering for everyone and doing dances for the boys when they got a strike, and all of the other volunteers kept looking at us like we were a little crazy, but as soon as we saw our boys smiling we knew we couldnt stop! and then after the games were done and we were cheering for them as they got their awards, their parents kept coming up to us and thanking us, and telling us what a great job we did with them, and words cannot describe what that feels like. it was the best saturday of my entire life i am pretty sure! and i wouldn't trade it for anything!!

scripture of the day:

Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom: that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

today i am thankful for:

* the intelligence God had in putting all types of people on the earth. this world would not be complete any other way.

* my boys at the special olympics who made me happier then i think i have ever been.

* jill!!!! and that she was just as happy and willing as i was to make a fool of ourselves to make our boys happy.

* the opportunity we have as children of God to give service to everyone around us! and the joy that it is able to bring into our lives!

<3.

halloween.

while you're in college you never make plans. you never know what you are going to do over the weekend, or when you are going to get things done. you just kind of go with the flow, and do things when you have time, and go places when you feel like it, and that is part of the fun of college! well, this was not how it happened for halloween. since about the third week of school steph, jared and i have been discussing our halloween plans. we knew what we were going to do. and it was going to be amazing. we decided that the thing to do for halloween was make carmel apples! now, i have never made carmel apples before, and so i thought that this sounded like a lot of fun! we have been planning since then, we have had the carmel for about a month and have been counting down the days until our fun carmel apples experience! so today was the day. jared came over and we (he, steph and i) went to the store to pick up some nice apples and then we went back to the apartment and started!! we werent really sure what we were doing but we had fun seeing who could unwrap the carmels the fastest, and who could shoot them into the pan from the farthest away, and who could hit someone else the most times, you get the picture. it was really fun. then we simmered up the carmel and began the dipping. im pretty sure we didnt put enough water in with the carmel because it was really thick and made very thick carmel on the apples, but that was ok with us! jill decided that she wanted to put some nerds on one, and then jared made one with skittles for kate since she was gone home for the weekend.

after that we just watched a movie and had fun and our friend lauren came over and jills boyfriend craig and his roommate eric, and we just had a blast being silly. it was definitely one of the best halloweens ever! (especially since i didnt have to wear a costume!!!).

scripture of the day:

Jacob 6:5 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, i beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.

today i am thankful for:

* carmel and apples, and the deliciousness of putting the two together to make carmel apples!

* friends and roommates who you can just chill with and still have the best night ever!

* "scary" movies to watch on halloween.

* lauren, and the fact that she is as crazy as i am and played dress up with me, and wore her red lipstick and made me wear it too!

* jared, and his ability to always make me laugh, even if i turn away when i do!

* stephanie, and the fact that she doesnt like scary movies any more than i do so that i never have to see anything too scary, unless ambushed!

* jill, and the fact that she is always happy, and makes everyone else around her happy too! (and jill kisses!!)

* nessa, and her silly sense of humor and her wonderful sense of eyeshadow style!

* craig and eric, who come over and act like children(playful), and it is hilarious!

* great nights with great people!

<3.

pima tacos.

well, today was the day i decided to show off my native skills. i broke out the frying pan and made the dough. and surprisingly enough, it was good dough, i didnt need a rolling pin to make the fry bread, i did it all by hand! ha! i really am native. then i started frying them up in the oil and i got out the hamburger and made sure the beans were cooking well in the crock-pot. i cooked everything up and made each of my roommates taste what they had been missing. it was each of their first pima tacos! i was surprised, i thought that at least those from las vegas and san diego would have some idea what i was talking about, but they didnt. but they were good. the beans could have been cooked just a little longer, but all in all, they were delicious, and i showed my true colors.

scripture of the day:

Moses 5:8 Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.

today i am thankful for:

* roommates who think it is the coolest thing in the world that i am native and know how to cook native food.

* sundays and being able to go to church and relax.

* my calling and all that it has taught me.

* my glasses, and the ability they give me to see.

<3.

corn maze.

tonight we (jared, kate, nessa, shalene, stephanie, and i) were sitting at our apartment trying to figure out what fun thing we could do to entertain ourselves. some people wanted to go to doctor slaughters house of horror. but some did not. some wanted to watch a movie, some did not. some did not care, some did. it was crazy. finally someone mentioned the corn maze, and one by one everyone agreed that, yes, the corn maze was going to be the nights activity. so we all piled into my car

and left. the corn maze was just outside of town in a different town, rigby. we drove the 15 minutes, singing really loudly to music, mainly miley cyrus, haha. jared was my co-pilot and it was his job to make sure we did not get lost, but we did get lost, but only a little bit lost and we were able to quickly turn around and find our way to the a"maze"ing trails corn maze.

once we saw the corn maze rules we werent sure we still wanted to be there,

but we finally decided that we would be able to abide by the rules, or at least not get caught. and so we payed our 2 dollar admission and got in. as we headed in all we could see was lots and lots of corn stalks.

we were not afraid though! mainly because it is rigby idaho, what could happen?? and we walked around for a little bit, threw a little corn, shhh, dont tell. and then we decided that the thing to do in a corn maze was play hide and go seek. and so we did. and that was fun. but then people got lost, and it got a little hectic, and steph had to go to the bathroom real bad and so we decided our fun was over for the night, but mind you our fun lasted about an hour or more. so we had quite a bit of fun. then we got some dominoes pizza and came home ate it and watched a movie. it was a great night!

scripture of the day:

2 Nephi 32:8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

today i am thankful for:

* corn mazes, and the entertainment that they give us.

* my amazing driving skills that scare people, but allow us to actually be safer than they think.

* roommates, who are as rebellious as i, and think it is funny to throw corn, even if it is against the rules.

* saturday nights that are fun and still make it possible for me to be worthy to partake of the sacrament the following sunday.

<3.

f-cookies.

just a short one real quick. today f-cookies were awarded to myself. and so i got to see first hand that f-products really do help when you arent prepared to fail. zoology is obviously not my forté, there are too many crazy long words and it just doesnt stick like i think it should. but so yes, today i got, my first, and hopefully last, f-product.

scripture of the day:

1 Nephi 3:6 Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.

today i am thankful for:

* roommates who pick up the slack when i am the one who needs cheered up.

* f-cookies.

<3.

decorating.

for the last 4 weeks my roommates and i have had a daily conversation about how we needed to decorate our living room because it was so drab. 4 weeks ago we put up an iron man poster, and made a poster of all of us at the apartment, plus jared and lauren, and that was all the decoration we have had for the last 4 weeks. well, tonight as we were sitting in our living room, once again talking about the need to decorate kate and i decided that we could put it off no longer! so we got up and headed to wally world (walmart). we got there with a plan in mind, and it was sure to be the most amazing decorating job this side of the equator. we raced all over wally world picking up the necessary items and headed home. as soon as we got home we started our decorating. some of our roomies thought we were crazy, some thought we were genius. i agree with those who thought we were genius. and by the time we were finished, we had this:

it has had more added to it since then but this is the very first rough sketch of our new decorating plan, now when people come over they see both lovely decoration and get some entertainment by drawing on our "wall." we think it is fun and enjoy doodling things when we get bored.

scripture of the day:

1 Thessalonians 5:14-23 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

today i am thankful for:

* wally world and all of the things that i can get there.

* people who enjoy fun.

* roommates who arent obsessed with appearance and making our apartment look perfect and polished.

* blankets that keep me warm at night.

<3.

asian day.

today when i got home from school my roomie shalene asked me if i would like to go to the store with her to get stuff to make egg rolls. i said i would and declared it asian day. we went to albertsons and got everything we needed except for the egg roll wrappers. we looked everywhere, (or just on the asian aisle) and could not find them! so we decided to ask a workers for their help. however, we couldnt seem to find a worker, so finally i went to the bakery and asked the lovely lady there. at first she thought i said cake roll wrappers and looked at me like i was a wackadoo who should be in the looney bin, but as i restated the question she seemed confident that she knew exactly where to take us to find egg roll wrappers. you guessed it, the asian aisle. well, she too had no luck finding them on the asian aisle and proceeded to tell us how they were always out of egg roll wrappers and she could never find them! so we bought everything else we needed and headed over to broulims. the local family owned supermarket. when we got there we headed straight for the asian aisle, but ran into more misfortune when we found no egg roll wrappers. but there was a worker just a little up the aisle and so we went and asked her if she knew where we could find egg roll wrappers. she too seemed very confident and said, "of course, they are over in the produce section by the bagged salads." now it was our turn to look at her like she was a wackadoo who should be in the looney bin. but she seems so confident that we decided to take a whirl over to the produce section and ... sure enough, right above the bagged salads were the egg roll wrappers we were looking for. well, it was then that i spotted the vegetable sushi, and seeing it was asian day, decided to buy them and have my first go at sushi. so we bought the egg roll wrappers, and the sushi and came home. as soon as we got home we broke out the sushi and gave it a go.

i have left out the picture of me looking like i am going to throw up and running to the trash can. turns out, i do not, whatsoever, like sushi. it was really gross. and that almost ended asian day for me, but i decided to give asian day one more try when shalene finished her egg rolls and offered me one, and i was glad i did! it was so good! it was a fun asian day, and i learned something very important, sushi = bad, egg rolls = good.

scripture of the day:

Mormon 9:27 O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and being as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.

today i am thankful for:

* roommates who push me to try new things, even though sometimes i dont end up liking them, because sometimes i do end up liking them!

* time to spend with people who make me laugh.

* the blessing of being able to go to school at BYU-I.

<3.

f-cake.

the other day, as my roomie steph came home from taking a test that she had study forever for i noticed that she was rather depressed. as i came back to her room to ask her what was wrong she informed me that not only had so not gotten the grade she had hoped for on the test, she had completely failed it. it seemed strange to me that even though so much effort was put into preparing for the test that she could fail it. it was also really hard for me to see her so upset when i knew that she had studied so long and hard for this test, and had deserved a much better grade then the one she had gotten. it was then that i decided, no one should have to be so depressed because of failing a test, when they know the stuff, because they studied it for so long. and so i decided that, when one of my roommates prepares for a test, and studies, and tries, and does everything in their power that they can do to pass that test, but fails it, i was going to help make them feel better by making them something special. well, for the last week my roomie nessa, (her name is vanessa, but she has given me special permission to call her nessa, because i am amazing), has been studying for a math test, every time i have gone in her room there she is, sitting with her math book, homework, and notes, studying, and practicing everything the test would go over. as she left to take her test i was confident that there was no way she could possibly fail it, she had been working so diligently and hard. well, an hour or two later, in walks nessa, and i can automatically tell things must not have gone as well as planned. so i ask, "how was it." to which nessa responds, "i failed." she sounded so exasperated, and just confused, i think she was thinking the same thing as me, "HOW?" how is it possible that she could have worked so hard, and yet still failed. so i told her i was sorry, went and rounded up my other roomies kate and stephanie and we headed off to the store. we returned and nessa was sitting on the couch. the three of us shuffled into the kitchen and prepared the surprise for nessa. f-cake.

as we took it to her the three of us sang, "happy f-cake to you, happy f-cake to you, happy f-cake dear nessa, happy f-cake to you." she was laughing and gladly took the f-cake that was offered to her, and she was a lot happier after that.

it was so fun getting to help her out, especially when i knew she had worked so hard and had gotten so disappointed. she loved the cake and now we have a new tradition in our apartment. it was such a crazy and weird thing to do, but it really brought us all a lot closer to each other and was so fun!

scripture of the day:

D&C 75:3-5 Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might - Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, proclaiming the truth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you. And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.

today i am grateful for:

* crazy ideas that make people feel better about themselves.

* roommates that are as weird and fun as i am.

* the knowledge that i have that the only test i REALLY need to pass is in life is not going to come for quite a while longer, and the fact that i know that if i study, and try my hardest and do my best, that i will not be able to fail, and that any lack i have will be made up for.

* scriptures.

<3.

first snow.

for the last couple of days everyone has been talking about how it is supposed to snow, so i guess i cant really say i was surprised when i woke up to this:

although, i was still a little surprised. snow has always been something almost like a fantasy to me, i mean, i have seen snow before in my life, and i have definitely heard about snow, but i have never walked out my door to head to class in the morning to find that everything i could see was covered in a blanket of fresh white snow. i was a little scared, and walked about 12 times slower than i normally walk, to make sure that i didnt fall on my face, or my butt. and i drove just a little bit more cautiously to make sure i had time to stop without hitting things, and people. and i was a little afraid that by the end of the day i would have decided to pack up my things and head home right then and there, but as the day went on i found that, not only did i not really mind the snow, i actually quite liked it!! there is just such a beauty to the earth and its surroundings when you look at it and everything you see just twinkles. i never knew that snow twinkled before, it is so amazing. it was a great day, but apparently, a miss fire. i am sure it will snow again one day, and i hope that when that day comes i still like it as much as i did today!

scripture of the day:

Ephesians 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

today i am thankful for:

* the thought God put into making a world that was changing and beautiful.

* the fact that i liked the snow.

* alarm clocks that help me wake up on time so that i can make it to my 745 am class.

* a car (yes again) that allows me to not have to walk to school in the snow, because i dont think i would like it nearly as much as i do if i had to walk up and down a hill in it.

<3.

general conference.

this weekend my roommate kate invited my other roommate stephanie and i to come down to General Conference with her.

her grandpa is in the quorum of the seventy, and so he gets about 6 tickets to each session. so we went down to salt lake friday night, and stayed at "grandpa dickson's" house. it was so much fun. we got to meet grandpa dickson and his wife as soon as we got there, it was so amazing to meet a member of the seventy. then we played apples to apples with kate and her mom and aunt. we had a great time. then we went down to where we were staying, (they had a basement house), and we watched while you were sleeping and talked and stayed up late, it was a blast!! the next morning we woke up and watched the first session of conference with kate's family and had toast. then after conference we had roll sandwiches and frog eye salad. haha. it was good, no frog eyes were actually in it. then kate, stephanie, jane (kate's little sister) and i got ready to go to the second session down at the conference center. it was jane's first time going to conference because she just barely turned 8, and it was cute to see how excited she was about finally being able to go to conference! we left and got there and we got to park under the church office buildings, which was way cool, and then once we got inside i realized where we were sitting, and i was so excited.

now if you couldnt tell by the pictures i provided, we were on the plaza level, in section 6, we sat a little less than half way up the section. i could have literally punted a football to President Monson. it was one of the most amazing experiences getting to be that close to the Prophet and Apostles of the Lord as they shared new revelation and testimonies to us. it was such a powerful and wonderful experience, and i was so grateful to be there, and so grateful that kate invited us to come with her. after conference was over we went over and walked around Temple Square. i found Sister Zarate, and got to talk to her for a while, and stephanie found her friend tatiana from back home and got to talk to her for a while, and then right as we were leaving steph looks to my right and says, "uh, i think thats for you." and i when i turn i see my old roomie caitlyn running at me. it was a great surprise. it was weird to be there with tania (Sister Zarate) and caitlyn. it seemed like it had been forever since the three of us were all together. it was great. then we went back to kate's grandparents house and we talked for a bit, got our things together and left to come back to rexburg. it was a great little vacation and a wonderful experience!!

scripture of the day:

Deuteronomy 30:9-10 And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

today i am thankful for:

* the gift that we have of being able to have a Prophet of the Lord at the head of the true Church to lead and guide us in our lives, and the ability we have to hear His council during General Conference.

* time to take little vacations that help people, who didnt even know each other two weeks early, grow closer and form greater bonds of friendship.

* a car that helps me get around a tiny town or to a city 4 hours away.

* faithful servants of the Lord who are willing to serve others by letting them stay at their house.

<3.

BYU ... its how we do!

Well, today I finished my second full week up here at BYU-I. And I am still loving it! I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to be up here. I haven't quite figured out yet what the reason is for the Lord telling me to be here, but that is ok, I am still happy I am here. It is crazy how much life can change and yet feel like nothing has changed. I mean, here I am. In Rexburg, Idaho. Going to school again. Living with 5 others girls that before 2 and a half weeks ago I didn't even know. And meeting so many new people, and yet, it feels like this is how my life has always been. Or maybe I just see it as how my life should have always been, and so now it feels like it has always been this way. I remember when I was told to stay in the valley and go to MCC and I was so upset, because all I really wanted to do was grow up, get away, have adventures, do things I wasn't used to or ready for. I wanted it so badly, but the spirit told me I was where I needed to be and so I stayed. And I became so grateful that I stayed because it gave me so many chances and opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise. And I was able to see the way my decision changed other peoples lives for good. And it was a wonderful blessing that I had stayed, but at the same time every once in a while I would think back and remember how I had thought my college years would be. How I remembered them being for Jessica, and I had wanted so badly to have my life be like that. And I always imagined in my mind that that was how it was supposed to be, and yet that was not how my life was. But now that I am here, my life is how I always thought it should be while at college, and I love it! And I am so happy that I now have the opportunity to have that life that I always wanted. Sure it is hard, and sure I have a lot of work, and yeah I usually get 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night on average, but I absolutely love it! I love getting to meet new people. I love being able to explore a new town. I love having a temple so near to me. I love knowing that I can still depend on my family for help and support, but also know I have the freedom of being so far away on my own. I love having roommates, and problems with them, and having fun with them! I love figuring out how things work here. I love it. And I almost can't believe that this is my life. I had become so comfortable where I was, I didn't want to change anything. I had become happy in my life and what I had made it. And I am sure I could have been happy with it forever. But even though I thought staying home in AZ was what I wanted, I now realize that it wasn't what I wanted. My life really wasn't the way I wanted it, yes I had learned to love my life as it was and be happy with it, and I was, but I realize now that it really wasn't the life I wanted. I wanted this life. And now I have it, and it feels great! Anyways, school is really hard, and I am trying my best to do everything I need to and still have time to do other things so that I don't get too stressed out about school. Tonight my roomies Stephanie, Jill and I, and out friend Lauren, are going to go out to the swings in the middle of no where and eat pizza and watch the sunset and then star gaze. And I am going to be so cold and I am going to love it!! Well, I should really be doing work right now, especially since no one else is here to distract me, but I just wanted to give you an update.

"Scripture" of the day:

So I am taking a class that is called, Family Foundations, and it is my Religion class, and it is all about the Family Proclamation and how to build strong foundations for a family, and in this class we, over the course of the semester, will be memorizing the Family Proclamation and so today I am going to use as my "scripture" the first part of the Proclamation I memorized.

"We the First Presidency, and the council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

I know that it is of extreme importance that marriage be, and remain to be between a man and a woman. God has made this earth, he put thought and planning into the order of everything. If we go against His plan, then we go against Him. Minorities, through name calling and the use of words like, intolerant, bigot, ignorant, prejudice, and so on have come to be more of a minority majority, if we give in to sin because people call us a few incorrect words then we are letting the world, God's world, fall apart, and become a world of sin, and disgust. I personally know that nothing is more important than to trust God, even if you may not understand why you are doing it. God has given us laws and commandments because he wants us to be happy. We must learn to be obedient. Obedience is not a bad thing, in fact, it is a divine gift to be able to be obedient. Marriage is eternally sacred and we must stand up to anyone and everyone who would try to convince us otherwise. I know that it may be hard, and I know that we may be looked down upon, and mocked, and scorned, and ridiculed, but I know that the Lord will bless us for our efforts. He will raise us up, and in those last days, he will come to us, and he will thank us, personally, and He will be eternally grateful to us, for protecting the sacred sanctity of His house, and His plan. Never let anyone convince you that you are wrong when you know you are right. And I know I am right when I say that marriage is for, and ONLY for, one man and one woman to be joined for eternity.

Today I am thankful for:

* the knowledge that I have been given by my Heavenly Father, and the laws that He has placed before me so that I may be happy.

* my ability to be obedient. I used to wonder why I always had the need to be so incredibly obedient, and I got fed up with it and tried so hard to be so disobedient, until I realized that, my obedience, is a divine gift, one that I am eternally grateful for, and one that has saved me from much sorrow in sin.

* classes that start with prayer. I never realized how much a prayer can really change an environment of learning, but it can, and I would invite everyone to say a prayer before each class they may attend, even if it is a silent prayer for yourself, it will change the way you learn.

* my roomies even though we may not get along all of the time, I am still so grateful for each of them.

* being taught true doctrine since I was little.

* the opportunity to serve, like at the Special Olympics. And for the special olympians who are able to make me feel special!

This was my Special Olympian Jason.

<3.

beaver dick park.

this afternoon i was sitting around wondering, "what do people do here on sundays?" i know back home i would take a nap, watch a church movie, go see my family, go to dinner at grandma johnson's out on the rez, etc... so, here i am in rexburg, idaho, what should i do? no sooner had i thought this when my door opened and jill asks, "want to go to beaver dick?" now, i dont know about you, but i was extremely confused, and quite sure that, no i did not want to go to beaver dick. well, jill quickly explained that beaver dick was a park, no joke, only in idaho, beaver dick park.

after she clarified i decided that i did want to go to beaver dick. well, it turned out that beaver dick is less of a park and more of a recreational/camping area, but it was really pretty. jill, kate, jared and i were the only ones who went, but it was fun. we just walked around and took pictures. it was so nice and pretty outside and was a great way to spend my sunday afternoon.

scripture of the day:

Luke 11:23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

today i am thankful for:

* roommates that ask me to do things with them and are willing to be silly with me.

* people who are creative and come up with interesting names for parks that make me laugh.

* weather in september that is nice and makes me want to be outside walking around a park.

* cameras with the ability to capture amazing moments for you to keep forever, and keep for, and show, your children and family.

<3.

BYU-I.

Well, hello there everyone. I just thought I ought to write a blog and let ya'll know how things are going up here in Rexburg, ID. Well, my parents and I got here about 830 Monday morning, and by about 3 I was done unpacking and getting things I needed and, then they left. It is crazy to think that I have only been here for 4 days!!! It feels like I have been here for so much longer than that. I live in an apartment with 5 other girls, but we each get our own room. My roommates names are, Stephanie, Kate, Vanessa, Shalene, and Jill. Stephanie and Kate are my next door neighbor roommates, their rooms are on either side of me. Stephanie is from Cali, and Kate is from Nevada. Along with being my neighbor roomies they are also the girls I share a bathroom and fridge with. Vanessa and Shalene are both from Illinois, and they actually grew up together and have been friends since about the 3rd grade. Jill I have not meet yet. She has an exciting story. For some reason I am not sure of, her parents live in Russia, so she went to Russia to see her parents for the last 6 weeks while she has been out of school. Well, her visa expired while she was in Russia and so the Russians wouldn't let her leave, or something, so she has been over in Russia trying to figure out her visa and how to get back here for school. Kate has lived with her before and said that when she talked to her yesterday she said she should be here sometime today. So well just wait and see! I love my roomies very much! I consider myself extremly lucky, very literally. It was not until after I had signed a lease and paid for my semester of rent that I was told that the apartment complex in which I was going to be living was known for being home to all the rich girls, and that everyone there was snobby, and mean. So I was pretty much terrified that the girls I ended up living with would be snobby and mean, but I got so lucky because my girls are amazing!! They are so fun, and nice, and it is great to have such amazing people to live with. I love telling people where I live because every time they say, "Oh, do you like it?" all skeptically, and I love being able to say, "Yes, I love it, my roomies are amazing!". I think it catches them off guard every time. Anyways, the weather here is a little chilly, for me. I met a girl from Utah yesterday who thought it was beautiful, and then today I met a girl from Colorado who thought it was a little hot!! I cannot imagine this being hot! I guess I just really know what hot is, haha, or I just really don't know what cold is, either way, I guess we'll find out! Today was my first day of classes. I had my Spanish class, my Family Foundations Class, and my lab for my Zoology class. They all went very well, and I hate to say it, but they got me a little excited about being in school. School has never been my most favorite, I just don't like it, but, here I am, and ... I think I may like school this semester. No guarantees, but it is looking like a very real possibility. I am most excited for my Family Foundations class I think. It is a religion class and it just seems like it is going to be amazing. I won't lie, today, at the beginning of all my classes, we started with a prayer, and in one class we even sang a hymn, and every time I couldn't help but laugh to myself a little bit. It was just so different, I have never started a Spanish class with a prayer before! Haha, anyways, I just thought I would share that bit of info. So everything is going good. I cannot wait for the rest of the semester! Who knows what may happen! There are so many things to do, haha, not really, but kinda. Anyways, I will update you more on what is happening as soon as I get a little free time. I stay very busy with homework and spending time with my roomies!!

today i am thankful for:

* roommates that are amazing and that i get along with.

* my parents and all they do for me and all the help they gave me in getting me up here.

* the ability and chance i have to be here at byu-i.

<3.

its hard not to find it all a little bitter sweet.

so ... today was the day that i had to give up a little piece of my heart. poky the little puppy. when i first bought her, i was unsure that i could handle a puppy. i wasnt sure that it was worth the time and things that i would have to give up. such as, staying out as late as i wanted, or as long as i wanted, getting a full good nights sleep. waking up when i wanted to, not when poky needed to pee. putting her needs in front of mine like, making sure she had food before making sure id have food. making sure she could be bathed, clothed (collars and leashes), and happy. taking her to the doctor frequently, affording her medicine before buying gas, to make sure that she would be ok. it was a big change, to finally put someone (something?) before myself for the first time in my life. to put aside all of my wants to be able to take care of her needs. having to make sure i had somewhere for her to go before making plans to go on a trip. or cleaning up her little messes. those first few weeks were so overwhelming because of all of these things, and there were many times when i thought to myself, just find her a new home, it isnt worth all this work, but as i prayed about it, i knew that that was not what i was supposed to do. that i couldnt just give her up, that the easy way out was not for me. so i stuck with it, and little by little, i stopped noticing all of the things that i had to give up, and started noticing what i was getting from my poky little puppy. i started to realize all of the blessings she brought to my life, and how much the little things she did made such a difference in my day. those are the things that i miss. i miss kisses every morning to wake me up. i miss seeing her run around in circles. i miss playing with her. i miss hearing her coo like a pigeon. i miss seeing her sit on top of the couch with her nose through the blinds watching the world outside. i miss how excited she got every time i came home. i miss watching how hyper she got when new people came to "play". i miss her barking at brooms, and vacuums, and chairs, because she was afraid of them. i miss having her curl up next to me on the couch when she was tired. i miss being able to feel relief to go home because someone was there who loved me unconditionally, who would show me the love i needed even if i may not deserve it. i miss knowing that i was responsible for the happiness and well-being of something so small and otherwise helpless. i miss the ability to find happiness by just being with her, just seeing her. i miss her licking my tears away when id cry. i miss how soft she was. i miss watching her jump up onto the couch, i miss watching her miss. i miss having her come running to me when she got hurt. i miss getting smacked by her tail when she was happy. i miss her at night, when i sleep all alone. i miss watching her get ready for bed by scratching the blanket to make it soft, then crawling under it and curling up as close to me as she could. i miss feeling whole. i feel like so much of me, and my happiness left when she left. then when it came time to give her away, i found myself, instead of saying, "just find her a new home, it isnt worth all this work" saying how am i supposed to just find her a new home? just give her up? how can i let go when she means so much to me?. well, i knew that i had to give her up, if i was to do the things that i knew i needed to do, to go where the Lord needed me. so i gave her up, and although i told people, "that was so much better, easier, than i had expected" the truth is it was the hardest thing i have ever had to do. i miss her so much more than i could have ever thought possible. i want to be with her every minute of everyday. i think about her all the time. i wish my life would have gone differently, that i could keep her with me forever. i want nothing more than to have her in my life, in my house, in my arms. but, its hard not to find it all a little bitter sweet, she is doing really well where she is now. the people shes living with love her and give her that love. it also helps that i can see her when i want to and dont have to give her up completely. i cannot believe how much i grew to love her, and in the course of a little over a year. she is still my puppy, she always will be, she means so much to me, i love her more than i ever imagined possible, she has changed me in so many ways, i feel like such a better more prepared person because of her. i miss her, and i know that those nights, when i am far from home, and am feeling all alone that she is that one i will miss and want the most. (no offense to anyone else) but she just has a way of always making me feel better. i love her, my poky little puppy.

poky little puppy in the first week i bought her.

poky little puppy a few weeks before i had to give her up.

scripture of the day:

john 15: 12-13

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

today i am thankful for:

* the time that i was given with my poky little puppy.

* the ability we have to be responsible for different things and people.

* music.

* the people who love me for me.

* friends that are there to help me when life gets hard.

* the love that my Heavenly Father has for me, and shows me.

<3.

a pictures worth 1000 words.

it has recently come to my attention, right now, that since i am a poor "blogger" you people have no clue what i have been up to since my last blog before i again began to blog. because of this i have decided to put together a picture tribute so you can see what it is that i have been up to. here goes:

the day of the water fight.

dinners at g-ma's house.

baseball games in snowflake.

playing with "nieces" and "nephews".

visiting the snowflake temple.

going to model homes.

birthdays at ppp.

dinner at denny's.

bff bracelets.

caitlyns 22nd birthday.

u2 ward campout.

playing with poky.

fun with family on my 21st birthday.

more birthday.

more time with poky.

well ... that outta sum it up.  14,000 words for your viewing pleasure. i hope that this quick picture tribute has given you an idea of what i have been up to. 

scripture of the day:

mormon 9 : 37

37 And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith ...

today i am thankful for:

* redbox and the ability it gives me to watch movies for cheap, cheap, cheap.

* my new favorite place ever, swirl, where they have tastee frozen yogurt, and you get to put it together yourself, and it is fun, and it costs 39 cents an ounce, it was good.

* a best friend that i get two more months with!

* food city and all it has to offer.

<3.