power cleaning.

today as i was about to start my homework my roommate got a text from a certain young man she likes. it said that he was going to the gym and she should come on over. well, of course she wanted to go, but like any girl, she didn't want to have to go alone. so the puppy dog eyes came out as well as the bargaining and pleading. she wanted to go and lift weights with him but i really did not. now i am not sure if it is apparent to anyone besides myself, but i'm not much of the "lifting weights type". so after lots of bargaining about not having to do sit-ups and not having to go dancing with her at a later date and such i agreed to go if our other roommate agreed to go. so we all got ready and went to the gym. my roommate was very good at teaching us what to do and helping us understand, and i must say, i did some things i never really thought were possible for me to do. it was nice. we did see the boy. he talked to us for a while, but mostly did his own thing. however, we met this guy there, he was really helpful too. he kept coming and telling us how to do things we didn't understand and had funny ways/sayings to help us remember what came next like, "then smell what's for dinner". so i guess the weight room isn't as scary as i thought it was going to be. the last thing that my roomie showed us how to do was power clean. now, i realize that by the name it sounds like we just did a whole lot of cleaning in not very much time, but this is not the case. i found this description of power cleaning online, "The Power Clean Movement. The Power Clean consists of 2 pulls. 1st Pull: pull the barbell from the floor to your knees. The 1st pull is similar to a Deadlift and is a slow movement. 2nd Pull: pull the barbell from your mid-thighs to your shoulders by extending your hips. The 2nd pull is an explosive movement." i would also like to add that on the 2nd pull you hop a little bit in order to get the momentum to get the barbell up to your shoulders. this is a picture i found that basically shows what your doing.

i felt pretty stupid trying to do all these things, but i was also pretty proud that i actually did them. i will definitely go back again, but i think i am going to need some time to recover first. i am so sore all over. my arms and legs feel like jelly, but it was pretty fun.

scripture of the day:

Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and in order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

today i am thankful for:

* roommates who make you try new things and explain things over and over again until you understand.

* nice guys in the gym who don't make you feel stupid when you don't know what your doing.

* an old teacher that knew all three of us roommates and took the time to stop and talk to us.

* my last class got out 10 minutes early and the rain didn't start to pour until i got home.

* cupcakes.

<3.

choose a dyeing technique.

around 730 last night i got a call from hyrum. he was bored, which was okay, because so were we. he was wanting to tie dye some shoes/slippers he had and wondered if we would like to join him on this adventure. of course we were happy to help. lauren had some laundry going so about an hour later we went and picked hyrum up and went to the store. we got some Rit dye

(we got red yellow and blue), and hyrum got himself some miracle whip. we also ran into an old fhe brother, dallon,

and got to talk to him for a minute which was fun. then we came back to our apt and started the process, kind of, we were confused, i cannot recall ever tie dyeing before, and hyrum didn't really know what to do, so it took us a good 45 minutes before we actually started. while reading the instructions on the box step 4 said "choose a dyeing technique" and for some reason in my mind i imagined a room full of people sitting at desks checking off on a piece of paper which "dyeing technique" they would prefer, things like ... jumping off a bridge, falling into a well, food poisoning. it made me laugh, and then i had to tell lauren and hyrum and they too found it funny. then we got everything set and rolled up our shirts and prepared the dye. hyrum ended up dying two shirts and his slippers, i dyed one shirt, and lauren tried dyeing some socks. we realized, too late, that we were supposed to have some sort of squirter to put the dye in to squirt on the items, so we had to improvise and use a cup with a built in straw.

it was super fun and i'm pretty sure we just laughed the entire time. needless to say it was a fun night and i am grateful for old and new friends who think i'm funny and laugh at my weird thoughts and dumb jokes.

scripture of the day:

Omni 1:26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

today i am thankful for:

* being completely moved in to my apartment.

* people who invite you to do fun things with them.

* stephanie got here safe.

* i still have a few days before school starts.

* my car.

* good music that makes your home feel peaceful.

* life.

<3.

settled.

well, first off, after two days of driving i arrived safely in rexburg today. my driving companions were both quite wonderful! i was grateful to have them both with me. i am finally all unpacked and settled. i am grateful to be back in rexburg but it is also a little weird, or surreal. i do love rexburg though. it started raining right after lauren and i got all of our stuff moved in, so that was nice of the rain to wait. i am pretty excited to be back. caty got here a few hours after lauren and i and it stopped raining long enough for us to get her stuff inside too. stephanie gets here tomorrow and then we will just be waiting on the two new roomies. i like my room a lot.

stephanie and i got the front room this time, and i have decided that i rather enjoy it, although i do tend to just stare out the window watching people come and go. i'm excited for a new semester and a new adventure!

scripture of the day:

d&c 6: 10 Behold thou hast a gift, and blessed art thou because of thy gift. Remember it is sacred and cometh from above -

today i am thankful for:

* rain, and also the lack there of sometimes.

* hyrum and lauren.

* picture of the temple and of Jesus that invite the spirit into my room.

* boys, and their knowledge of things that i don't know about.

<3.

the things of my soul.

last night i went to my last RS activity for the grandview ward for 3 months. we were making journals. they gave each of us a "composition notebook" and then we chose 4 pieces of scrapbook paper (2 matching and 2 matching) . then we traced and cut and glued and embellished. i love getting to go to these things with my mom and my sister. we are crafty together. maybe not as crafty as each of us wishes, but it's easy to be crafty when someone else gets everything and sets everything up for you and all you have to do is show up and make it. it was fun. i really liked how my journal ended up. i am not so much for the embellishing. it seems far too unnecessary for me. jessicas was super cute but not around when i took the photo so you're just going to have to hope and pray she puts it up herself. this is mine and my moms.

this is the one thats mine.

they all turned out really cute. when i woke up and saw it today i decided that i really like it. i should have cheated and made two! i am always amazed by the things people think of to make, and usually grateful too. i love having cute things that look like me and fit my personality. i like to be unique, and what is more unique than a handcrafted journal? we also talked a lot about journals and the importance of keeping journals and shared things from different peoples journals. i wish i was better at keeping a journal, but sad to say, i am not. maybe that is something i will work on this coming semester!!

scripture of the day:

2 nephi 4:15 And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.

today i am thankful for:

* being part of the relief society.

* friends who take the time to come and say goodbye to me.

* time.

* the piano and good music.

* my family.

<3.

white cork tree.

about two years ago i was really struggling trying to figure out some things, and trying to figure out how to change some of the things and patterns I had gotten in to. i decided to go and sit at the Mesa Arizona Temple grounds and just spend an hour or two praying about the answers to all the many questions and hopes i had piling up. as i sat there i just pondered everything i had been thinking of. about thirty minutes after showing up an older man came over and started talking to me, just normal things, like, "how is your sunday?" "isn’t the Temple lovely today?" "this is such a great place to be." and then, right when i thought he was going to leave, he turned around and said, "i feel like i should tell you a story." and so he told me this story about cork trees, and how cork trees are brown, but, ever so rarely, for some reason or another, a cork tree will grow, and instead of brown cork, it will have white cork. he told me how white cork trees are extremely rare, but that there was one on the Mesa Temple grounds. and then right before he left he looked me square in the eyes and said, “every time i feel like there is something in my life that i need to change, i come here and look at that cork tree, and think to myself, ‘if that cork tree can change its molecular structure to come out a different color, then i can change this small thing about me!!'" that was such a tender mercy for me at that time. it was exactly the answer i needed and was looking for. well, now every time i go to the Mesa Temple i can't help but walk over to that tree and remember this experience.

and every time before i leave that tree i say to myself, "if you can change your molecular structure to come out a different color, than surely i can change whatever it is that i need to change in my life." needless to say, i now have a deep love and appreciation for white cork trees and the messages and insights we receive by going to the house of the Lord.

scripture of the day:

1 Nephi 18:3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.

today i am thankful for:

* tender mercies of the Lord that stick with us for years to come.

* the opportunity that i have to be so close to a temple whether i am at school or at home.

* people who follow the promptings of the spirit.

<3.

cake pops.

for a few weeks now jessica and i have been discussing how we both wanted to try and make cake pops. well, tonight my family is having a little going away dinner for me, so we decided this would be the perfect occasion to make them for. so yesterday we got together after church and had at it. the premise of the whole idea is rather simple, bake a cake, any cake you want really. then after you bake it, and let it cool, crumble it up into fine pieces in a large bowl. then mix (mush) it together with one can of frosting. again, really it could be any kind you like. then roll into little round balls and place them on a cookie sheet with wax paper on it. then place a stick into them and let them cool in the freezer for about a half hour. melt up your chocolate and then dip your cake pop into the chocolate and decorate any way you want. simple simple, right? mostly. jessica and i had a hard time getting the cake balls to stay on the sticks when dipping them. they need to be very frozen onto the stick. also, the chocolate dries so fast that it is hard to decorate them with any sprinkles or anything before the chocolate dries. we ended up just dipping them in either a brown or white chocolate and then drizzling them with the other color. they really are quite cute that way.

it was pretty time consuming, but fun to do together. i'm not sure how people end up getting them to look like little characters or such.

we had a hard enough time just getting them to look nice. but it was a fun little thing to do and made for some good laughs.

scripture of the day:

1 nephi 8:12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.

today i am thankful for:

* jessica. i love spending time with her and am so grateful to have her as my sister.

* fun ideas to do.

* ovens and freezers and not having to bake things over a fire or cool them in a stream.

* people who share their talents with the world.

<3.

what time is lunch?

today i woke up and went into my parents room to find my mom and jayce. we were talking a little and right when i was about to head to the bathroom jayce asks me, "so what time are you taking me to lunch?" needless to say i was a little surprised. i asked him, "where i am going to be taking you to lunch at?" to which he replied, "famous dave's." so after further discussion about the time, and an invitation for our mother to join, us we decided we were all going to lunch.

as you can tell from the clock, it was "bar-b-que time"! it was pretty fun. our waiter was "famous chaz." while sitting waiting for our food our mother decided she could be the official decorator for the restaurant because she owned a few of the items they had decorating the walls. the food was rather delicious, although i was sad that both my mother and brother got a corn bread muffin with their meal and i did not. i love me some tasty cornbread. they also have about a million kinds of bbq sauce, all of which are very delicious.

it was a fun time. i love getting to spend time with my family. we are a pretty silly bunch, but it makes life exciting.

scripture of the day:

1 nephi 16:31 And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families.

today i am thankful for:

* fun ideas, even if it means i have to pay for lunch.

* a family that is silly.

* hugs.

<3.

time flies when you're having fun.

i guess i have just been having too much fun not being in school because it seems like the time i had at home has flown by! it feels like just yesterday i came home for my long break and now that break is almost over. i head back up to idaho in exactly one week! i am a tiny bit nervous, a little sad, and extremely excited!!! we are getting two new roommates and i am always nervous about new roomies! i am sure they will be magically wonderful though! i'm a little sad to leave home. i always am. it's weird to feel like you have two lives, but that is exactly how i feel. i feel like this is my family life and at school is my real life. weird? yes, but hard to explain. i am super excited to see everyone that i haven't seen for the last 4 months!! i have missed them all so much! as i mentioned, i leave one week from today. thursday the 14th. i will be heading up to salt lake the first day and then going the rest of the way to rexburg on friday. for my past trips to and from rexburg a family member has had to drive with me one way and fly (either to or from idaho) the other way. this time however, i have friends to accompany me on the journey!! lauren's family just moved down here in february so she now lives in arizona. meaning when she flies down after the end of the semester she will need a ride back up. this works perfectly for me and her. now we can be arizona-idaho driving buddies! also, i have a new friend, hyrum. i met him here while off track for the semester and oddly enough he goes to byu-idaho too. it's funny. i have met maybe 2 people from arizona while at school all 3 semesters i have been there so far, and i came home and i met 2 people who go to byu-i while home. what are the odds? well, hyrum has decided he too would enjoy to ride up with me so now i have two friends to ride up to idaho with! it is going to be a fun trip!! anyways, hopefully while i am at school i will be better at getting up some exciting blogs for your reading pleasure. i feel like i always blog better at school than when at home. so look for some new and exciting things for the future. i love you all!

scripture of the day:

D&C 27:1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.

today i am thankful for:

* a car that gets me too and from idaho.

* a living prophet of the Lord.

* friends that make me smile, whether in idaho or arizona.

* the fact that i am not taking finals right now like many of my friends in idaho are.

* a piano.

* the ability i have to be happy.

<3.