Because you Needed More Information on Me

So since this is going around on Facebook, I thought it would be less obnoxious to post it on the blog instead.

22 Facts you may not know about me:

1. I eat pickles like popsicles

2. When I take a shower in the mornings I'm usually alone in the apartment. However, whilst showering, I always hear loud 'thud's. And every morning like clock-work, my heart races and I think a murderer is in my house and is going to kill me. It doesn't help that my only defense would be to smack them with a bar of soap. It never occurs to me that it could be the neighbors until after I am out of the shower. And once I confirm that it is in fact, the neighbors making all the ruckus and scaring me half to death, it kinda makes me want to smack them with a bar of soap.

3. My handwriting looks like I was writing while riding a horse that was fed nothing but Red Bull. Good thing my blog is typed :)

4. I convince myself I am an adult and won't get scared by horror movies. But after the movie is over, the friend has gone home, and the lights are out...let the freaking out begin.

5. Pet peeve: Unpainted toenails. (men too. hahaha jk)

6. I run better than the government.

7. I am a reverse picky eater. Love sushi, hate mac and cheese.

8. I collect coins and save them in a hot cocoa tin. I'm going to go on a trip with Derek to Hawaii, paying with only the income from those coins. (We may be 82. Better late than never.)

9. Most meat looks more appetizing to me uncooked.

10. I can't hold still when I'm trying to fall asleep. I have an itch on my foot. And then my nose. And then my elbow. And then my back. And then Derek tells me to stop cuz it's annoying. And I consciously try and hold still. But then there are a thousand feathers on my ankle and I cant think of anything else but that stupid itch and my eyes water from trying not to scratch it. But then I do. And the process starts all over again.

11. I miss my ugly hand calluses from doing bars at gymnastics. Soft palms make me feel like a wimp.

12. Every night I write in a five-year journal. You write one sentence a day on 365 pages and then go back and do it all over again the next year below where you wrote the first year's entries. This process continues for five years. I'm on the second year so far (the first year I wasn't too good at keeping up the habit of writing) but on the days I did write, its interesting to see how much things have changed in a year. Can't wait to see the changes after five years.

13. Pet peeve: When people say, "No offense, but...". Thanks for letting me know you're about to say something rude. The 'no offense' doesn't cancel it. Yes, offended.

14. I love tiny items. Tiny gum? cute! Tiny plant? adorable! Tiny food? GAAA!!!

15. I have to sleep cold. I love being bundled under 2839754934029084 blankets. I keep the window open when it's -15 outside. (Yes, I really have done that.)

16. I have bad road rage. And walking rage. (It's a thing now.) Anyone going slow in front of me? Instantly annoyed. Anyone in front of me? So ticked off. Anyone on the same road, street, sidewalk, or grass as me? UGHHHH.

17. I am obsessed with chapstick. (BabyLips anyone? Lipsmackers!?!) I have a collection of over 50 that started when I was like 6.

18. I don't like traveling out of the country. I will do a cross-country road trip in the blink of an eye. But  outside good 'ol 'Merica? Nah thanks. I'm good with a postcard.

19. I am a horrible liar. Which is a good thing, I guess. I get all giggly, and fidgety and can't look the person in the eye. I'm just not convincing. Sometimes I wish I was better at it. (4 year old: "how do you like my drawing of a butterfly??" me: "It's beau-HAHA-tifulHAHA. Looks like HAHA a realPIECE OF CRAP!!!")

20. Pet peeve: parents who don't parent. Your child's tantrum is NOT cute or endearing. And no, you don't need to use an iPad to calm them down. Every other generation before this one has grown up just fine without them.

21. I love weird smells. Gasoline, Sharpies, white out, paint, and leather are among the top picks. No, I do not seek them out solely to inhale them. I just enjoy them when they are there. No, I do not hallucinate after smelling them, either.

22. I am secretly sassy. If I am wronged, I will rant about it to Derek, my sisters, my mom, my friends. But when it comes to confronting the actual person, I get all shy and submissive. I wish I had the guts to actually stick it to the man and say how I'm feeling to people, but many times, it is unnecessary and will get me into trouble, so I don't. For example, if someone steals my purse: "No, no, it's okay, keep running! I was going to give it to you anyways! Enjoy the chapstick!"

But really, if someone stole my purse I would throw a fit, but you get my drift :)

Now all you readers pretty much know everything about me except for my blood type! I don't even know what I am. Is that bad?

Movember!

Let's play some ketchup, shall we?

October went quickly!  But it was a fun-filled month:

:: I found my precious Bubblebear ice cream! They sell it from the dairy where it's made in Idaho Falls. So now I have to travel 30 minutes for my favorite ice cream flavor. Longest. 30. minutes. Ever.

:: Dr. Slaughter's is seriously the best Haunted House. It never fails to make me jumpy for the following 3 hours as well as make my voice raspy and my bladder empty. Wish I could go year-round. (jk, that's a lot of soiled pants.)

:: Does it defeat the purpose of working out if you eat 6 Broulim's cookies afterwards?

:: Cows like to be in selfies.

:: Going to a Haunted Mill with one other person is quite the adventure. Especially when that other person is a female as well. Sometimes you just have to join that awkward group of dating couples ahead of you because Slenderman on the rickety old bridge is chasing you. Sometimes you accidentally grab some random guy in front of you's shoe whilst on your hands and knees in a pitch black tunnel.

:: I met Brooks Forester from The Bachelorette!!! My life is complete. Cept he was totally metro. He said he liked my "style". What guy notices your clothes? A femme one. I asked Derek what I wore yesterday and he said "a shirt and some pants". And Brooks had the mannerisms of a woman. A womanly woman. I looked butch next to him.

:: Jackson Hole is a cute, fun little getaway from Rexburg! Also the place to buy overpriced huckleberry jam and pooping bear keychains. (I may have almost bought one. Almost.)

I am quite ticked at some companies right now. Everyone needs to stop being greedy and stop ripping people off. Mentos decreased their fruity packages by 1/3 and kept the price the same at $0.99! And the original size packages- now $1.29! It's ridiculous! As well as false advertising from Broulim's saying reduced price "SALE" on a bunch of items, but under the neon sale flap...SAME PRICE. ugh.

I need to adjust better to future plans that I cannot plan far in advance. There are so many unknowns in mine and Derek's lives right now and it's rather unnerving. I might have an ulcer. But we are working on taking it one day at a time. So for now, step one: both of us need internships starting in April. We'll keep ya posted.

I did, however have my last class registration ever! Holy amazingness! I'm pretty pumped for my Winter schedule. Derek and I have a class together! Yay! (Ballet is included, if you were wondering.) (Ballet is not the class I have with Derek. If you were wondering. I wish he was in it too.)

I have a bad habit of comparing every Mexican food I put into my mouth to Chipotle. Nothing has measured up. Not even Costa Vida. When I'm pregnant in 15 years, we will need to live by a Chipotle because I'm pretty sure my cravings for it will only get worse.

Tis the season...for no shave November! Derek is working on his stache (cuz this school prohibits men from being too attractive with facial scruff. Imagine the marriage rates if that rule was abolished. Sheesh.) and he gets extra credit for growing one (sign me up for that one! I been growin'

mine my whole life!  No seriously, I've never waxed. Sick, huh?) So I thought I would join in on the abolish-the-razor-for-30-days-a-thon. Maybe I'll donate my leg hair to locks of love afterwards! Charity, charity.

It's a Chilly Monday Night...

...and I wish it would snow.

-October is half over! How did this happen?? Taylor and I were discussing the other day that we enjoy this because one holiday just leads into the next great holiday (Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years to depression from lack of holidays after that! Yay!)

-I've been having a hard time using 'is' and 'are' correctly. No, I am not from the south. No, I don't have any other speech impediments. I just get so excited with what I'm saying sometimes that it comes out as, "When is the people coming?" or "the noodles is being made" or "how is you putting on your jacket?" (jk about the last one). I sound like a hick and Derek is trying to correct this foul habit of mine. I do it a bunch more than I realize and there are much progress to be made.

-Sometimes there are little pre-college-ers touring campus with mom + dad in golf carts deciding if this is the sheltered, non-capri school they wish their little ones to attend. ("Ohhhh. This school allows capris? That's a no from us then. We can't have our daughter showing her ankles to all the boys here, wouldn't want her to be a trollop!"). And sometimes the kids have looks of wonder on their faces while driving around campus like its some sort of safari or something ("there's no hall monitors at this school?! Awesome!"). And sometimes I am walking around on campus when one of these chauffered vehicles drives by and they all stare at me in wonder and awe. And I can totally imagine the guide saying, "And here is one of our rarest species, the Five-one-icus femalius. They like techno music and burritos. Lucky to see one of them here today!" And then I sneeze and they give a chorus of "oOoh"s and clap gently.

-One time I awakened to find that I had developed some sort of eye-ailment overnight for no reason. I considered staying home for the day, but then decided that everyone needed a little dose of my beauty, particularly radiant on that day. So I spiffied up and wore my quasi-modo face with dignity.

It went away within a few hours but I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Disney character. Authentic Disney character. None of that princess crap.

-This past weekend I went to Utah with Taylor and Derek met us there. It was a blast and a much needed break. Sister talks the whole car ride down and back created some interesting quotes:

::"Oh this car is slower than molasses on a bad day!"

:: Sail by Awolantion came on the radio, Taylor-"What band is this? AOL?" 

:: "No pebbles to be thrown at you!"

Time was well spent with the grandparents as well. I loved that once we introduced grandma to the 'voice-changer plus' app on her phone, her first thought was, "You can record your voice and make it sound different and then call people and they wouldn't even know it was you!" Yes, grandma, you can definitely prank call people using this. She's a hoot. And Grandpa was so sweet and was giving away some of his old treasured knick knacks. I got some awesome stuff (mini-binoculars. Watch out world, closet creep is comin out).

I finally got my Chipotle fix in! Sooo delicious. Only I think it just feeds my addiction for more.

Derek and I also went to a Krewella concert! It was uh-may-zing. Best concert ever. (Well, only concert ever, but that will change.) However, the company was less than to be desired. I think I had the widest range of smells I've ever had, from hairspray to B.O. to perfume to weed to who-knows-what-else to beef top ramen. My nose had quite the adventure. And I almost got an elbow to the nose about 50 million times. Ahh, the joys of being a Five-one-icus femalius. 

I'm gonna go punch the hay. G'naght, y'all!

Nutella and Tap Shoes

 It's time for another episode of...

Things I have Learned as of Late.

-Nutella on toast is the food of the angels. I'm convinced that's all we will eat in heaven. I freaking hope so. (which is really weird considering I hated toast before this discovery. Boo butter. Boo cinnamon. Boo honey or anything else that goes on toast.)

-Sissys are the best :) I love having my oldest little sis here at school with me! She listens to my rants about dumb things and gives me advice like what else I can put on my toast (more Nutella). And we go to the gym together (to work off that Nutella) and gossip about her latest date! (And yes, we even go to the gym on Fridays. With all the other dejected and dateless. That's what you call determination to be fit.) It's the best. And then there is middle little sister who sends me funny Les Mis memes for me to laugh at all day...

(are you dying of laughter yet?)

And we can't forget youngest young sister who is a tap dancing wonder and every time I put on my tap shoes I think of her and how I probably look like a wanna-be child star from 'America's Got Talent' or something.

-Speaking of tap shoes, my classes are in full swing currently. My clogging class is definitely the most fun (and obnoxious to do homework practice on the kitchen floor. But oh well, we live on the bottom floor), Microbiology is the most interesting (there are more bacteria on your cellphone than on your toilet. ew. I'm turning into a germophobe), Community Health Methods is the most thought-provoking, Epidemiology is pretty meh, and Medical Terminology is a waste of my time (and its online which doesn't help). 

-Everybody's saying that they hate that it's cold and snowing in Utah but I'm ready for a blizzard. A huge one. I love when the world looks like a snowglobe.

-I hate autocorrect. Since when would I use "uif" instead of "the"???

-Sometimes there is flatulence in the middle of the night. And sometimes Derek responds with a proud,  "That's ma girl!"and I think nothing of it. Sometimes the next morning he doesn't remember saying that and I realized that 2 + 2 = sleeptalking!!! Derek is officially a sleeptalker. Prepare for funnier stories to come (I hope).

-I learned that I will have a heart attack if the magical ice cream store that is Thor's disappears. Because it did. After wringing out my shirt of tears and going through a whole box of tissues I have resolved that I have to find somewhere that sells Bubblebear ice cream. So the quest is on. 

-Sometimes Haunted Houses are a rip off. Like 'House of the Seven Gables' in Rigby, ID *cough cough*. We went there yesterday and paid a wad of cash for 5 minutes of people in cloaks trying to grab your feet and some obnoxious screaming coming from upstairs. I don't recommend it. It wasn't even that scary. (meaning I didn't wet my pants) But I do enjoy a good, pants-wetting, long, walkthrough scare fest as much as the next person. Dr. Slaughter's in Idaho Falls is still the one to beat, folks. 

Welp, that's all peeps!

SeaYEAH!ttle

Hey folks.

     Do you ever just stick your head out of the window of your car while on the freeway, going 60+mph and it's so exhilarating and loud and freeing and hectic as your hair gets tangled into an unforgiving mess of tangles (including your eyelashes) and you can hardly breathe cuz so much air is coming at you and people driving by are staring at you cuz "does that girl think she is a dog or something"minus the slobber okay maybe a little? (sorry about the longest run-on sentence in the history of the world). That's kinda how this break has been. (And yes, I did get my baby-thin 4 locks of hair untangled successfully)

    Being home has been a wonderfully needed break. Mine and Derek's parents have been so gracious to open up their homes to us and let us stay with them, eat their food, and take up their time being their at-home children again. It's been so great bonding with the in-laws and the out-laws. haha I couldn't resist. And I have loved seeing my sisters a bunch and going to Chipotle. Those are the makings of a great break, people.

I learned a lot:

:: Derek has opened my eyes to the world of fishing. We tried both fly fishing and regular fishing. I prefer fly fishing, despite the fact that I didn't catch anything. And there are only small fish in the rivers of Western Washington. And all of them are catch-and-release. And when we did catch one larger than 3 inches, we considered keeping it, but I couldn't deal with killing it. (That fish is probably a father to some little fishy family struggling to make a living. I couldn't bear the thought of those baby fishies going "Where's daddy? Why isn't he home yet? Who will take care of us?" and the mommy fishy turning to the little one and saying "You're the head of the household now, little Ted." Tears. Tears.) Okay, that probably wouldn't happen, but still. And for some reason I don't think of that story when eating store-bought fish or any other meat. I couldn't handle being vegetarian.
And we may have dropped our camera in the lake while fishing one time. We got it out, but it is deader than dead. Thus, the lack of pictures. Whoops.

:: I realized watching an entire season of one show all in a row takes about as much concentration and stamina as a triathlon! I started watching ER starting with season 1, and I only got about 7 or 8 episodes in, and I got bored. And it's not a boring show, people are being cut open and operated on every episode!

:: Painting walls is kind of enjoyable. It's relaxing. We painted Taylor's room and it just made me excited for when I have my own house to paint and choose colors instead of our boring eggshell colored walls right now.

:: Being around Sophie has not satisfied my need for getting a puppy of our own. In fact, it has probably made it worse. So much so that husband has resorted to watching dog videos on youtube and sighing. Many times. 

:: C89.5 is the mecca of good radio stations. No commercials. House/dubstep/electronic/techno/modern music. All clean and edited. And they play the best songs before other radio stations get to them. Yeah, I'm one of those music hipsters.  (Have you heard The Fox by Ylvis? Didn't think so. You should look it up on youtube. It's so new, it's not even on iTunes yet!) It's the only radio station we listen to since we've been home. I just wish there was a way to listen to it in Idaho. 

:: Guys. guys. I went to Chipotle not once. No, no. 

Not twice. Heavens no.

THREE TIMES over the break! I am one lucky girl and one happy camper. And each time was            better than the last. I think they must put crack in the rice or something.

Rants and realizations:

:: I got a mini-job over the break and had the opportunity to chauffeur (def had to look that spelling up) two children to and from swimming classes. They were fine at first, but after a few weeks, their true colors came out and I came to find that they were entitled and spoiled children. And I realized that not only was it a job, but yet another example of what I didn't want my future family to be like. I drove them to what started out as swimming, but then to the park, then to doctor's appointments and haircuts, to the movies and restaurants, and a trampoline park. The parents even hired Derek to teach the younger one to ride a bike. Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I think teaching your child to ride a bike should be a milestone shared between parent and child. It only comes once. It felt a little like the parent's couldn't be bothered with their children, which was sad. I wouldn't be surprised if they paid their way through everything else, someone to potty train them, someone to go to their graduations, someone to be present at their weddings. It made me realize the importance of being there for everything you can in your children's lives and show them you love them by supporting them with actions, rather than money to buy their happiness.

:: Derek and I decided to take a Nursing Assistant course over the break. Why, you may ask?
       -cuz the class started and ended perfectly during the break
       -cuz we both need healthcare experience for future careers
       -cuz it can't hurt our resume
       -cuz it seemed interesting
       -cuz it's always good to have another marketable skill in this economy
       -cuz when we graduate, we may not be able to find jobs in our degrees right away
       -cuz we can! Yolo.
      The class time itself was brutally boring and long and I rather didn't like it. (Let's just say it wasn't rocket science. Or college level. Or even high school level.) Many things we learned were not so 'anatomy&physiology' stuff (which I thought it would be) and more just common sense stuff ("should you leave a patient alone on the toilet who can't walk on their own?" dur dur, i dunno.) But out of 23 students, only 12 graduated. Pity.

        But it was the clinicals that really opened my eyes. We got to work alongside a CNA in a nursing home in Seattle for a 40-hour week. Some things were gross. changing old people diapers. Some things were fun. talking to residents about their memories and past. Some things were awkward. getting hit on by 85-year-olds. Some things were sad. resident with alzheimer's asking to see her deceased husband. But overall, it was a great experience. I learned a lot about the job and about myself during that week. It's a very exhausting, hands-on job that requires patience and kindness always. Which I didn't know I was capable outside of family and friends. I always had low patience with previous jobs and didn't honestly care about the customers. But it was much more rewarding than some of my previous jobs selling shoes or making burritos. I felt like I was making a difference in the world. I would be willing to try and work in a nursing home again in the future if the opportunity came.
   I also somehow stumbled upon one career I think I might like that is actually in my degree, health education. Not in a school, but rather in a hospital, doctor's office, or private business. Basically, they teach people about behaviors that promote wellness. I am looking forward to the coming semester to find out more about it and how I can prepare myself.


Okay, deep Yoda-Morgan is done.


I am excited to go back to school and back to our closet-apartment. I kind of missed it! I'm interested to see how my classes will play out because I'm finished with foundations classes and only have major classes now. And I can't wait to see lots of friends and eat Thor's ice cream! (I've missed that wonderful place) And fall is pretty much my favorite semester. Lots of holidays, lots to do cuz it's not butt-cold yet, and pumpkin-flavored everything! And I'm glad summer is coming to an end, so I can stop working on my summer swimsuit body and start working on my fall sweater body.


xo

I am

1. I am a bipolar hair-doer. Somedays its "let's just throw this wad of wet hair up on top of my head" and others it's "I just can't get this bouffant to look perfecttt."Not much in between, though. Here is a picture of a bouffant. If you were wondering.

2. I am a loud-laugher.

3. I am my biggest critic. Derek always has to help me through that one with some sweet words of affirmation.

4. I am able to see the big picture (most of the time). I am not one for frivolous spending on cruises (because I know one day we will end up in a cellar-of-an-apartment eating only flour and water if we go beserk with $$$) or starting a fight with a roommate the week before a semester ends (because we probably won't see each other again anyways if they've been bugging me for that long).

5. I am a procrastinator. Is there a procrastinators anonymous? Cuz I need to go. Later. (hah.)

6. I am a big sister. Over the years I have learned to take that role more seriously and am more conscious of the example I set and am very protective.

7. I am a firm believer in alone time. And bubble bear ice cream from Thor's. And watching Pride and Prejudice an embarrassing number of times.

8. I am conditionally sensitive. Most things people say don't bother me, but every once in a while a little tiny thing will sting pretty bad.

9. I am a non-destructive addict. Nooohoo thanks to alcohol or drugs. Sour Twizzlers, however- is my poison. It changes after I fully feed that addiction for a month or so. I get sick of it and move on to something else. Like sushi. And then Pringles. And then garlic fries.

10. I am an ugly crier. And I try not to cry too much, but when I do, oh heavens! It's like I've kept in all these things I've wanted to cry about for years and I'm just like "Well, I'm here anyways!" I will cry about how I failed a spelling test in 4th grade, and how the mom dies in 'Bambi', and how I got made fun of in elementary school for wearing a 'Barney and friends' hairbow. It's a big scene.

11. I am a big fan of road trips with my hubby.

12. I am interested in the dumbest careers that I know will never happen for me. Like a roller coaster tester, ice cream flavor inventor, or member of Cirque Du Soleil.

13. I am a celebrator of small victories. Like that one time I got 100 on my math homework quiz today :). Or that time I didn't get the most expensive pencils and got the cheap ones instead. Or that time I didn't forget to shave my legs before church.

14. I am a temple-lover. It's the best part of my day.

15. I am a puppy-coveter. I want one. Like so so bad. Ugh. I just can't.

16. I am a huge planner. Like I need to know if all the lights are going to be green on my trip across the country before I even leave the house (metaphorically speaking). I need to know when my kids will arrive, what their favorite foods are, and what their struggles will be, so I can be already prepared to help. I need to know where we will live in a year from now (!!!) and what my job will be. I need to know how many grandchildren I will have so I know how many quilts to start making. It's quite exhausting.

17. I am a person with a very strong conscience. Like that one time when I was 5 and I told the babysitter I liked her cookies when I really didn't and cried myself to sleep because I am a wretched person for lying. That kind of conscience.

18. I am semi-motivated. One day I will be like "yeah! I'm gonna get my splits back and write in my journal and call grandma and color coordinate my closet and do indexing!" And 24 hours (or less) later, I will barely be able to get out of my pj's. I 'm trying to change that.

19. I am indecisive. If I can't even pick out what color socks I want to wear for the day, how the heck am I supposed to someday pick names for my children!

20. I am optimistic. For the most part. When my toast lands on the floor butter-side down, I remember that "heck, I don't even like butter."And proceed on my merry way :)

Lately 'round Here

Did you know that hitting 'shift-command-4' takes a screenshot of your computer? Well, I didn't. Even after having my computer for almost 4 years. Yeah. I'm dumb.

Sorry folks, finals come before blogging. Thus, the long wait between blog posts. Hopefully my grades will be good enough to make up for the lackage of blogage that's been occurring. Hopefully.

Things the end of semester 7 has taught me:

:: I cannot find my school-spirited water bottle anywhere! I keep that purple thing glued to my hand or backpack in order for optimum hydration throughout the day and I never leave it anywhere. At least, I don't think I do. But it's playing an extended game of hide-and-seek with me. And I'm losing. I pretty much gave up. And I checked on the new ones at the bookstore...twenty-freaking-smackeroos. No
-ho thanks. So I'm sipping water out of a teacup right now. Aren't I classy!

:: This video made me almost pee my pants. Those General Authorities are so awesome, and just as much so when they are talking about Reeses. The guy doing the voices should seriously audition for an animated movie.

:: I want this camera reallllly bad. Or any SLR camera. But we don't have that kind of money to spare currently. Or even ever. Hah. Heck, we almost didn't have enough quarters to finish our laundry last night. (Isn't it crazy to think that someday we will have a home that we don't have to pay to do laundry and ONLY our clothes will use it?! Whoa. Talk about luxury.)

:: Speaking of moneys, we are trying not to go to the grocery store anymore cuz there are only 2 weeks left in the semester. So what's the point in buying a gallon of milk thats just gonna get thrown out when we leave for home? None. So we are surviving on the trans-fatty goodness of Pringles and frozen chicken nugs. The best.

:: You know who else likes our Pringles? Ants. Nasty, gross, creepy-crawly, tiny ants. They just decided to arrive uninvited under our stove. And now I have to do a bare-foot awkward cha-cha to avoid stepping on one every time I want to get to the bedroom or the living room. Cuz who likes dead ant bits on their toes? Not me. Don't worry, I got a little 'Raid happy' the other day. So now it looks like an ant apocalyse aftermath on the floor. Until all the uncles come along for revenge. (hah. ants? uncles? get it? That joke always warrants an eye-roll from Derek.)

:: AC is overrated. Me n the hubs are chuggin' along jusss fine with our rotating tiny-breath-of-a-fan while 95% of the neighbors are livin' large with their noisy window AC units. Eh, who needs 'em. We can go to Olive Garden 3 more times than them with that saved moola. So hah. Better to have yummy noodles than cold air, in my opinion.

:: Now I understand why more people don't workout. It's rough sometimes. Especially when you don't see any results riiight NOW. (Yes, I am still continuing my semester-long workout regiment, thanks to a wonderful bestie, Mckenzie) But sometimes, I just don't wanna! I still go 99% of the time, but this week is finals time and school always comes first. I maybe kinda sorta enjoy the break from sit ups and squats. What? errr. I mean- I miss being in that hot sweaty gym with all the other meatheads!

:: Derek has gotten me excited about Dobermans. I think it would be so cute to have a guard dog for myself and my babies when the time comes. It would be a new experience, considering my guard dog at home would just lick people to death. But a fluffy white ball of stupid cuteness isn't very intimidating in the first place.

:: Speaking of little fuzzies, me and Derek found a kitten under the cardboard recycling bin at Wal-mart as we were taking out our cardboard. Thank goodness we recycle! Long story short, the police came, probably thought we were the sappiest, stupidest couple (me, mostly), the Wal-mart manager was a cat whisperer fluent in several dialects of cat, some flat-billed hat strangers helped us use a car jack to lift the bin to get the kitten out, it peed on me, and it went home with a trusted friend. I wanted to keep it sooooo bad. Now, the only reason I go with Derek to the recycling bin is to see if there are any more baby animals in there.

:: Pepperjack mac n cheese. It's a flop. Especially when it calls for cooking the noodles in extremely salted water, adding sour cream, and adding chicken broth. Salty nastiness. I didn't even eat more than 2 noodles. Derek was a champ as usual and had a bowl despite my attempts to stop him. We both had huge bowls of ice cream to wash it down with. Cooking. Sheesh. Who needs it.

:: I'm mad at the Bachelorette. They showed us clips from 'next week's episode' last week and it was super dramatic and led us on a bunch. This week, none of the clips were in it, none of the quotes from people were in it, and it left us hanging on what the heck they were talking about when they meant 'next week'. Dumb reality t.v.

:: If you want your fill of cigarette-smoking moms squawking at their kids with tri-colored hair and 14-year olds with playboy bunny tramp stamps, then Rigby lake is theee place to go! However, the water was refreshing and cool in the 97 degree weather and me n' Kenz had a grand time trying not to step on anything gross and squishy at the bottom of the lake and chatting about people's swimsuit choices and temple marriage. It was grand :)

:: Thor's ice cream is my happy place. Quality ice cream for cheap price. (Their gummy bears in the ice cream are NOT even frozen hard! How do they do that?! Derek and I are convinced they put antifreeze in there.) My kind of business. I make up excuses to go there:
 "I did such a good job on my test today, I deserve some ice cream" 
"I did so bad on my test today I need some ice cream to cheer me up." 
"I didn't get Ben n' Jerry's at the store today. Let's get some ice cream to celebrate." 


Are we going there tonight for the 58th time in a row because it's just amazing? Maaaayybbeeee

:: Utah has stolen my heart. Derek and I went on a mini-vacay for the 4th of July and it was magical. Loved: seeing family, going to Seven Peaks, being in the food Mecca of the west (Chili's was right next to Olive Garden, which was right next to In-n-Out burgers, which was next to Panda Express, which was next to Golden Corral, which was next to....), watching fireworks, going on a hike, hustlin' my husband by faking a lack of air hockey skills, watching movies, having girl time at Target and finding various items on sale ($1 sunglasses? SOLD!), getting sno cones, and just bein' carefree! And the mountains so close are gorgeous. I told Derek I want to live in Utah or a place just like it with mountains towering above you right in front of your face (unlike in Idaho, "see them mout'ns waay over thar?"). Plus, they have Chipotle. Which pretty much could make me move to Djbouti if they had them there.

:: I miss my sisters. Raegan is such a 10-year-old hoot. She is so full of energy and sass. I hope it never changes. And Maddie, hah. Oh Maddie. She has a funny sense of humor that makes you laugh your ugly laugh (you know the one) and you don't even care. (or maybe that's just me) And it's fun to see her entering her boy-interaction phase and be all awkward talking about it. I love it. Then there's Taylor-my other half! I swear we were meant to be twins (we look it sometimes) but I am just stubborn so I most likely pushed my way to the front of the family lineup in the pre-existence. Whoops. But I love asking and giving advice with her, talking about stupid things only we are think are funny, and reminiscing about our time-outs together and matching pink jelly sandals from childhood. Plus, she's a beaut. Which gives me hope for myself because we share some of the same genes. She's the smokin'-est person working the donut machine at Krispy Kreme. (Sorry boys, she's taken.) I can't wait to have her back at school with me! And Sophie, my other hairy sister. I love her to death too.

xo peace and blessin's

p.s. Sophie is a dog.

Ice Cream and Summertime

So I guess this is maybe turning into a monthly blog. I get around to blogging about once a month. Whoops, sorry everyone. I'll try and be better over the break. However, after I post a blog post of everything that's been going on in my life, I feel like there is nothing else left to say the next day or week or next week...until it's been a month. So, we'll see how that goes.

The weather here has been so nice! It finally feels like summer! Except for the fact that I'm still in school. But I don't have to wear a jacket anymore, yay! I have yet to go swimming in a river or the mini water park down the road, but it's on the agenda.

Speaking of school, me and D are very ready for school to be over. I'm not super liking my classes anymore, they just aren't interesting and a lot of it seems like busy work. We just passed midterms week, so we're making headway towards the 7-week break. Derek is pretty done with his physics class as well, I don't blame him. Only a month and a half left to go!

But, what has been helping to keep our spirits up these past few weeks is that...THE BACHELORETTE IS BACK! We (yes, we) watch it religiously and it's just so grand to make fun of those who need to come on a t.v. show to find love. Talk about desperate. More to come later as the season unfolds. (Ben is totally the new Tierra. Just saying. He's so "obenoxious". HAH.)

We've had some fun adventures the past few weekends, me and the hubby. A few weeks ago we went to Fall Creek Falls and got world-famous square ice-cream! It was so cool!

Oh, and remember that denim vest I tried (and failed) to bleach? This one I gave in and bought. Very good purchase, especially after my escapades of trying to DIY my own.

Also, a few weeks ago Derek and I volunteered at the Special Olympics in Idaho Falls. It was so fun and rewarding! We helped out with the cycling event and even though there was only 7 athletes, it was still so great. We guided the athletes where they were supposed to ride their bikes down the roads and cheered them on. They really seemed so happy and excited to participate in the races, the look on their faces said it all! I also got tons of hugs :) Such a great experience!


Then this past weekend, me and my workout buddy spontaneously decided to "Try a Tri". It was essentially a mini-triathlon where we swam 12 laps, biked 12 miles, and ran 3 miles. It was perfect for us, since there is no way in heck we could have done a full. The swimming was hardest, but glad to get it over with first. But once we finished with that portion, we weren't sure how we were going to make it through the rest of it because of how exhausted we were. But surprisingly we made it to the biking area and did our 12 miles. Surprisingly, my legs didn't hurt too bad, it was my rear-end that was killing me! Those dumb bike seats gave me bruises for days. I could have totally done longer if the seat was a couch or even a bean-bag chair. Props to hubby who handles those plywood seats like a champ each time he rides. New appreciation for butt cushioning gained. The last section was the run, but it was a walk for us, being the noobs we are to triathlons. It was midday and hot, which didn't help our exhaustion, either. But once we crossed the finish line, it was so great to have accomplished this new goal! And we got t-shirts! (That was one of the hardest earned t-shirts I've ever had, lemme tell ya.)

The last time Derek and I went to Winco, we decided to splurge and get a bag o' salmon (sounds legit, right?). It has turned out magically and we have rediscovered our love for fish! (and Derek can season salmon like nobody's business). He wants to take me fishing over the summer when we go home, I am looking forward to it, since I've never been before. However, we watched a youtube video on how to kill and gut a fish and it made me quite sad and I think I'll opt out of that part.

Speaking of summer, we decided we are going home for our 7 week break and going to get CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant) certified so we can have that under our belts for the future. Can't hurt, right? And it's only a night class during the week so we can explore Seattle and hang out with families during the day! Win-win situation! We are pretty excited. We have a long summer 2013 bucket list to complete, which I am very much looking forward to.

Have a great week! It's Tuesday, one day closer to Friday!

P.S. Tropical Skittles are the bomb.

P.P.S. Thor's Ice cream by Taco Bell in Rexburg is so good. And well priced too. I highly recommend it.

P.P.P.S. Selena Gomez new song (Slow Down) from her album is awesome. Miley Cyrus's not so much.

Random Happenings

Happy Mother's Day! To all the moms (mother, grandmother, mother-in-law,YW leaders, mentors, coaches, etc) in my life, I appreciate all you have done for me and am grateful for all the hard work you put in as a mother! I'm glad I have so many amazing women to look up to and be examples for when I am a mother someday.

My husband is the best. He made me wonderful blueberry pancakes for breakfast, gave me a decadent cupcake, and made delicious stroganoff for dindin! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life that treats me like a queen!

School is slowly chugging forward. My Program Planning class is really making me think ahead for what job options are available to me. Which kiiinda stresses me out sometimes. And the fact that the whole semester is one giant project doesn't help either.
 My Environmental Health class is interesting because we talk about things I've never super learned in depth about before, like asbestos, population growth, and birth defect drugs. However, the chapter we are on now is pests and it's kinda grossing me out learning about black widow spider bites and bed bugs. Gives me a little bit of the heebie jeebies.
My Biostats class is okay so far but the latest lesson I've been struggling with, which worries me since it's only week 3 of school. Bleh.
My volleyball class pleasantly surprised me, with dedicated players and willing teammates. It's pretty fun, and its 2 whole hours a day!
My Teachings of Living Prophets class is pretty boring, actually. With the class time and group discussions, we just discuss talks from Conference that we read for homework. Although, there is only so much you can say about them. ("Yeah, I loved that part about the story of the little boy...blahblahblah" "Oh I did too! So inspiring!" "Yeah, me too." "Sooo, next talk. I loved what he said about blahblahblah." "Me too!" "Yeah, me too." *sigh*) It gets old.
My online Community Health class isn't as bad as I thought. Just busywork and a waste of time in my opinion. But it's a required class. Ugh.

Can I just say I love rain and thunderstorms? Okay. I love rain and thunderstorms. When that little lightning bolt symbols comes up on the weather feed for the next few days, my heart does a little yippy skippy.

I am on my way to a healthier me! (And no, this was not instigated by bribery or a school project. Shocking, I know.) Me and one of my closest old roommates decided we are going to go to the workout gym everyday this semester (excluding weekends). And so far, so good! We are determined! It really helps to have a friend that can motivate you, cheer you on, and count on you to go to the gym. I really have stayed diligent because of her! Anytime I feel lazy and don't want to go I think of her all by herself in the stinky gym on the treadmill. So I end up going so we can be in the stinky gym on the treadmills together! haha. But really, it's been actually quite fun! Who knew! And because I am working so hard to get calories gone, I am more conscious of what I put in my body as well. Granted, I still have my Pringles, but I have a few instead of the whole can. :) And I'm slowly switching some foods healthier, like whole wheat carbs and fat free things (Fat free Pringles are delicious!). I'm also going to go a year without sugared drinks. Yahoo! I'm already addicted to sugar-free Crystal Light. If I'm working so hard to get rid of those bad foods, it'll be a whole heckuva lot easier to get that Jillian Michaels body if my diet is cooperative as well. I just need to work on the patience part. ("I've been dieting ALL DAY, why aren't I skinnier yet??") And I'm liking the being sore everyday feeling :)

So remember that one time I was all Crafty Cathy and bleached my own denim jacket? So I guess I got a little ahead of myself and wanted to make my own denim vest from a jacket. Psh, crazy, I know. So I purchased a lovely little denim jacket for $4 at DI and took it home to my laboratory. I cut the sleeves, frayed them with a knife, (Yeah, gettin' a little fancy up in here) and bleached it same way as the jacket. Well, one problem. The jacket wouldn't stay all the way in the water to soak evenly, so I set the bleach bottle on it so it stayed at the bottom of the tub. Well, needless to say, I didn't think that one through. And, well...

That happened. -___-

I tried to salvage it and maybe start a new trend ("Oh, the circle on my side? It's the trademark of this new store that nobody knows about. It's the hottest new thing, everyone has one.") But in the end, frustration got the best of me and I threw it out :( So now when I see girls on campus sporting perfectly bleached denim vests, I have a little vendetta against them. Granted, they most likely bought theirs, which is what I may end up doing. Now I know why more people don't attempt this. But have no fear, my crafting days are not over! I want to make the cutest quilt ever. But no sewing machine. Bleh.

Yesterday I tried something I've never done before. Shooting a real gun! It was so awesome. It made me want one of my own. Just a lil' one though. But it was cool having so much power in my hands!

I even had okay aim! I liked blowing up soda cans. I don't think I could ever shoot something living unless my life was on the line or something. On a happier note, it was a cloudy day and I underestimated the sun's rays peeking through and didn't wear sunscreen. Well, this shirt...

gave me the coolest tan lines! It kinda looks like a sunburned spiderweb or something haha. 

On that weird note, have a wonderful week and don't get sunburned! :)

Springy Dingy

Hey ya'll.

It's the first day of school! And out of 3 classes I only had one today that was not cancelled. And all my classes start at 10:15 instead of 7:45! You could say I'm a bit excited about that. However, I am not excited for my first math class in 2 years. I'm definitely going to need some divine help for that one. And a stupid required online class. I hoped to never have to take an online class in my undergrad experience. But that's another story.

The week off was a definite needed break. Some nifty things that were learned and happened over break were:

-sleeping in!

-staying up late having pillow talk with my hubby :)

-reading the Hunger Games trilogy

-trying out new cooking recipes (I'm getting the hang of this when I have unlimited amounts of time! I'm a super slow cooker, though. A quesadilla or a pitcher of Crystal Light can take up to 20 minutes. I tend to be a perfectionist, which means cold side dishes sometimes.)

-going on random car rides with the hubster to nowhere (we did have a destination in mind, we just couldn't find it)

-realizing the last movie rental store in Rexburg has gone out of business :( We are now plagued with having to drive to Idaho Falls if we want to get a movie older than 6 months or a good 'ol fashioned 90's movie like "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" if the local gas station doesn't have them. Stupid Redbox.

-figuring out how to entertain oneself for almost 5 hours in Barnes and Noble.

-Kim Kardashian's butt is huge. (They had a plentiful magazine rack)

-learning how to go into lots of your favorite clothing stores that were having sales and not buy ANYTHING. not even those cute floral barrettes that were 2 for 1. Sigh.

-learning that keeping your 2 whole dollars in your wallet is very difficult at the mall.

-I loved seeing my family! My sisters are the sweetest! However, I never thought seeing immediate family would be more rare than seeing extended family. :/

-going to a new hot springs! Green Canyon hot springs may be in the boonies of nowhere, and have ghetto bathrooms, but it's got a wicked natural hot tub. And lots of cute pot-bellied kids in bikinis.

-learned that throwing a pretty expensive (and sentimental) ring as a sinking pool toy to fetch from the bottom of the pool is not a good game to play in a ginormous pool. And having screaming "Marco Polo" kids swishing up the water does not help. And not having goggles is a great disadvantage.

- Moose are kind of cute from the side of the road. Behind a fence. Across a river.

-It's never too early for Girl Scout Cookies!

-It seems as though you do not have enough time to accomplish things when said things are pertinent to your educational pursuits. When they are for your own personal enjoyment, you have waay to much time to accomplish them.

-bleaching a denim jacket to a lighter color in your bathtub actually works! If you don't mind not having a window in the bathroom and getting high off the fumes for 2 days.

-Sometimes unplanned activities are the most fun.

-Nature is beautiful!

-Daytime television gets old really fast.

-So does cookie crisp cereal. (Talk about chainsaw to the roof of your mouth. Yeesh.)

-my husband can work the "Friar Tuck" look.

-I loved having a girls sleepover with two old roomies when they came and stayed with me! It made me miss our old times together!

-Never take fragrance advice from a gay-ish salesman at a teeny-bopper store.

-Costa Vida is the question. Yes is the answer.

-After being the center of attention for your own wedding, it's nice to attend someone else's where you can sit back, only talk to 2 people, eat some cake, and be on the sidelines.

-Derek now looks like a guy from "Prison Break". (We have too much fun with his hair.)

-You're too bored for your own good when you decide to watch an Animal Planet show about the fuzziest kittens.

-I love storms and extreme weather. Something about a charcoal black sky and lightning over the fields is enchanting and exciting.

-Also, we saw a really cool hawk soaring over a field on one of our drives. It was rather windy that day, so he wasn't flapping his wings, just gliding. The only problem was, he wasn't moving anywhere. He was facing the headwind and wasn't making much progress. So we pass by him and wish him luck on his journey. About 45 minutes later when we were heading back home, the hawk was still there! In the exact same spot in the air, facing the same way, trying to get somewhere. Then we just felt bad for him. I realized that sometimes life is that way. We feel like we are heading in the right direction, but not going anywhere at all. I have felt like this lately in my life. I just feel like I'm perpetually going to school. But the worrysome part is, I have no idea what's going to happen when this is over. I'm tired of classes and doing the same thing every day, but it's also much scarier to think of what happens after I get my diploma. Do I want to try for more schooling? Get a job right away? Will I be pregnant? (hopefully not yet!) So many unanswered questions that are floating around my head. But despite me looking like the hawk that was going nowhere, I know that eventually I will get there. Wherever  "there" is. And I will find a place where I am supposed to be and I will be happy there. Just like the hawk will reach his destination. At least I hope so. I hope he is not still there right now! Haha

Spring semester is already weird. I've never had to start school all over again at this point in the year. And I feel like I just finished my hard work of completing classes, getting well-earned grades, and tying up loose ends. And now I have to start all over again?! It's like in the family home evening lesson I had when I was 10 when dad asked me to draw a really good picture of a temple and a picture of myself. I spent hours on them, perfecting the tiniest details and making them look professional (as professional as a 10-year-old could make). Then when it came time for family home evening, dad asked for my pictures and then proceeded to COLOR ON THEM WITH SHARPIE MARKERS!! His point was that our Heavenly Father is disappointed when we color on ourselves (tattoos, piercings, graffiti, etc) just as much (or more) as I was to have my drawings ruined. So yes. My classes were my masterpiece that I spent all semester on and now I have to start all over on them! Bleh.

And pretty much all of my classes are now required major courses that I just have to get through because I have been putting them off. But I am excited for my volleyball class :) I start tomorrow and I'm hoping it's hard core (I never quite got my fill of competitive volleyball after freshman year of high school) with knee pads, legit uniforms, a ref, and screeching of skin against the hardwood floor for a dive. (Jk. But not really.) However, this is BYU-Idaho and they are not known for their sports, let alone sport classes. So I have accepted the fact that it may be a class filled with short guys picking their nose and prissy freshman who just took the class because it is easy and will scream and throw their hands up in the air when the ball is heading toward their quadrant of the court.

I am excited for the nice weather though :)
I do need to purchase some shorts in preparation of this extreme change, however. Because after spending the past 6 summers in Washington, you can usually get away with some jeans and a light jacket. And if it's really balmy, you can break out the flip flops. (it's like perpetual spring weather there. Rain all the time and mild weather. Rather boring actually.) But no beachy tan, popsicles on a hot day, or swimming in the lake other than that one random hot week in mid-August. 80 degrees. Whoo. It's a killer. So I am looking forward to actual seasons here. Where it's hot in the summer and ice cream is always the best option and the winter is ski heaven. (I miss that already btw)

I miss having my twin seester here at school with me :/ Make some mean donuts at Krispy Kreme this summer, sis! It will all pay off in the end! (No literally. You will get paid. and have a fat bank account come autumn time. haha. ) I luff you!

And I luff all you readers as well :)

Confessions

I just need to get a few things off my chest...

-I just had an epiphany as of 3 days ago the origin of the term "5 o'clock shadow". Apparently it means that by 5 o'clock in the evening guys have a little scruff of a beard because the last time they shaved was in the morning of that day. I definitely thought it meant that by 5 o'clock there are shadows outside getting longer (of houses and trees because the sun is setting) and therefore causing a shadow on men's faces as well, which is manifest by some whiskers on their chin. Derek enlightened me on that one.

-Garlic breath does not go away easily. Brushing teeth several times, milk consumption, swishing mouthwash, chewing gum, and spraying listerine in your mouth don't work. Let's just say it likes to linger for quite some time (like, days on end and tends to stink up the whole bedroom while you breath it out in your sleep and you might wake up in a rotting pizza shop.)

-I found a cute outfit to wear to church last sunday and got so excited about it!  So, I get all the way clean, primped, dressed, fed, out the door, to church, and sitting in my seat prepared to be spiritually fed. Which is when I realized that in my rushed and proud enlightenment of fashion, I had forgotten to put on a bra. Yes folks, a bra. The same item of clothing that was introduced into my wardrobe since I was 10 (I was an early bloomer, okay?) and have worn everyday since, was mindlessly forgotten in a trade-up of wardrobe priorities. So I was flyin' free for the first 20 minutes of the meeting. Haven't we all? (Needless to say, upon the realization and the look of horror I shot Derek after I realized my mistake, I rushed home and fixed my problem. I have since had a much more humble opinion of my outfits. Because no outfit looks good without a bra. Bleh.)

-I'm sure one of the stories that will make its way to being told to our children as the years pass, is how when your father and I were first married, we lived in an oversized closet of an apartment and on the bottom floor. We had not a care in the world as to how loudly we walked and stomped on our floor, since only dirt was below us. But the people upstairs also had that carefree attitude. And constant stomping, yelling, and vacuuming was our lullaby each night when we went to sleep. And how once during an argument upstairs, we grabbed a kitchen chair, put it on our bed, and while one of us held the bottom of the chair, the other one stood on said chair and placed a cup to the ceiling and tried to hear the conversation. Because it was a Friday night and we were bored. All this effort led to no avail, but it was quite an adventure.


-This past weekend was the first weekend I spent away from my sweetheart since we have been married. That part was not fun. Derek had a bunch of tests and needed to focus on them and stay home. I wanted to go to Festival of Colors and visit my fam in Orem for the weekend. So I did just that. And the festival was fun (just a once in a lifetime sort of thing, though. Prob wouldn't go again. Maybe.) and seeing fam was fun as well. But sleeping alone was not fun. And not having my best friend around was not fun. But having a great sister by my side made up for a lot of it :)

-I am really curious as to what my kids will look like. Will they have brown hair? Brown eyes? Blonde hair? Blue eyes? (the last two are highly unlikely) Freckles? Pale skin? Be short or tall? It just fascinates me to wonder how my genes will combine with Derek's to create a little person. (Don't think that I am thinking of having children soon, cuz I'm not. Just curiosity.)

-I still want more snow. It would be best if it could stay warm outside and still snow a lot. And we could play in the warm snow (but it wouldn't melt)

-I have to have my socks match. Have to.

-I want a puppy. (But y'all already knew that :) )

-All baby animals are cute. Even alligators.

-Buy a plunger before you need a plunger.

That is all.

It's okay, I'm alive.

Phew. Nothing like an (unplanned) month off from blogging! Not that I was a super frequent blogger anyway.

The rain makes me feel at home. I'm missing Washington more as I realize how little time I have left to even visit. Life all of a sudden just gets so crazy busy being a married upperclassman. Weird, I never thought that would happen. 

However, because we are in Idaho and both avid skiiers I don't feel like I've gotten my fill of snow, spontaneous ski trips, hot chocolate, and feeling the calmness of a fresh layer of snow falling gently to the ground. Something about it is so peaceful, it takes the cake for my favorite weather. I hoped by the end of winter, we would have so much snow I would be sick of it and there would be snow up to my ears. Me and Derek used to joke that we wished there was so much snow that we couldn't walk out our front door and all the buildings would be 90% covered. But that certainly did not happen. And it's March already. So I guess I have to give it up and start thinking of the positives of spring, (and more importantly), summer. I feel like spring is just a transitional season, nothing too great or drastic, just time to kill before summer so we don't all get weather whiplash.

I am pleased to announce that my husband is now employed! We are so happy. This came earlier than expected when he received an email from a teacher saying there was an opening for a tutor to finish out the rest of this current semester. Now, we had been hoping for Derek to be a tutor next semester, but this offer for the next few weeks really was a blessing for us. Needless to say, he got the job and it seems to be going well! (granted today is his first day, but he is a smart cookie :) ) I feel like an official real-world couple now, with both of us working. It's kinda crazy to think people can add babies into this mix as well! No thanks, (for now). Now the trick is to stay frugal when it feels okay to splurge because we both have a source of income, despite it being (very) small. So far, so good!

We both registered for Spring semester classes recently as well. It went well, with the exception of one class I was waitlisted for but eventually got in (go upperclassmen! :) ) I am looking forward to (most) of my classes. I am a little apprehensive about a math class that is required since I: 1. suck at math in general and 2. haven't taken math for 3 semesters. But I am taking a volleyball class which I'm so pumped for! I haven't played legit volleyball since I was on my high school team freshman year! I dunno how 'legit' it will be since it is just a 1 credit class, but it will still be nice to get out and get the blood pumpin'. I've been lacking in the exercise department lately. Whoops. 

It's weird around this time of year prepping for more classes, when every other year at this time, I would be getting ready to pack up my stuff, live at mom and dad's house, and work my buns off. It's bittersweet. I am grateful I don't feel the impeding sense of doom I usually did from anxiety of working another sweaty summer in a greasy grill area next to an ex-convict, or having my summer mantra of "the customer is always right" (even when they are idiots and you question what the world is coming to with these types of people running around). But then again the sense of reward after 5 months straight of that and a pretty substantial savings account was soo nice. It kinda worries me that we (are hoping) to get by with both of us working around 10 hours a week with school. But I have confidence we will make it work! Even if it means eating top ramen every night until it comes out our noses. (My cousin, Melanie can do that on command. It's so cool.)

The bachelor is offically over! But I am however, changing tv obsessions now to Duck Dynasty. That show is freaking hilarious! But I don't even know what to do with myself on Monday nights. (uhh normal FHE, maybe?) That is one of me and Derek's goals, to have an actual lesson and activity each monday night. When it gets warmer out, we are looking forward to going on walks every night! Fitness and bonding all in one! However, we have been pretty awesome at going to the temple every week. (Is it because I have to do it for a project for one of my classes? Maybe. Are we still diligent anyway and reaping blessings from it? Yes maa'm.)

I have been working on cooking as well, I made southwest egg rolls earlier this week and they turned out pretty good! Except for the fact that I forget to portion control my recipes and ended up making freaking 48 of those things. So leftovers are our favorite thing now. And I made some of my Mother-in-Law's delicious "dump cake" (it's yummier than it sounds) and over-portioned that as well. And that one is loaded with fat and sugar so I'm pretty sure I can feel my triple chin coming in after trying to finish off that one. But it does give me more motivation to cook and try more new recipes when they actually work and turn out well! I was on a 'yucky food-cuz-you-suck-at-cooking' trip for a while there which when I did try something new and cool and it didn't turn out, I got frustrated and turned to frozen chicken nuggets and taquitos. Because in my mind, if it doesn't turn out right the first time, I seem to believe that I am not destined to cook at all and it's a little disheartening. However on the flip side, when I do try things that turn out, I get super excited and more ambitious to try more new things! Gladly, lately its been the latter.

Currently, I am enrolled in a self-defense class called R.A.D. (Rape and Aggression Defense) and it is seriously so awesome. I have learned so much on defending myself in hazardous situations and I am much more aware of my surroundings and have options if something were to happen to me. It makes me feel empowered to have this knowledge and practice it twice a week. (Seriously, all women should take it, just go here) Next week is the final week before we graduate and we are putting our skills to the test by having a simulated situation, and a campus police officer is going to attack us! Kinda nervous for that one, I'll post pictures after!




Can't wait for the Festival of Colors coming up soon and seeing my family in a few weeks! Woot woot!






p.s. I need a dog.

Birthday Birthday!

Random Tidbits:
-So I saw this guy singing his lungs out on the way to class, with no ipod or any sort of accompaniment,  without a care in the world. I wish we could all be that carefree! The world would be a better place if we were.

-It's snowing! I am so happy. If the weather is going to be butt- cold, it better at least snow. If not, warm up to 70 degrees please.

-Cake cookies are still amazing even though you have exhausted the crap outta them from making them 59 million times cuz they are so easy! (Cake mix, 1/4c. water, 1/4c. veggie oil, 1 egg. Mix, bake.) Cookies of the angels.

-I miss my fambly at holiday times like these

-I want a puppy please. Or a lamb.

-I love packages in the mail :)

-Taylor is just the funnest person to talk to for forever! Even if she thinks the Sign language interpreter signing at devotional to the hearing impaired is teaching them how to sign :) I love having a sister here at school!

-Visiting teaching is awesome. I did my teaching which was rad, and got taught in the same night!

It's mah burfday tomorrow! Woot woot! I can finally.....uh....well... nothing new comes with 21 but oh well, another year down! Seriously the past year has been the best. I started dating this guy I had a crush on, (on our first date I seriously sounded like this I was so nervous!) we started dating the day after Valentine's Day (cuz the day of was too much pressure to do something amazing even though it was our first date) and had our first kiss on my birthday last year! It was the best birthday present ever :) Then as they say, the rest is history. He proposed 5 months later, and after 5 months of engagement, we were sealed for time and all eternity! It was the best year ever. I can't wait to see what the future brings :)

First Picture together

Bacon roses for my birthday! He's a keeper

Our wiener dog-pig that we made from one of our first few dates. 

We made this fort and watched movies and ate ice cream in it-the first week we were dating. I knew then and there he was the one :)