Christmas Break Begins!

Well finals are finally over! It has been a LONG three weeks... yes I know that there is usually only one finals week but final projects and junk all take place in the last three weeks. I've basically been anti-social for the past three weeks and my friends have noticed. I've received random texts from my friends wondering where I've been. Now that I'm free I almost don't know what to do with myself! I got asked out twice yesterday for the same night, but I have to work that night... I laughed after. I love dating! But lately I'm kinda ready for some girls' nights... lots of them! I want to watch comedies... not too many romantic ones though. Romance is stupid... spoken like a true cynic. I've been through a lot of hard things in the past three weeks and I don't think I'm the same person I was three weeks. I'm sorry to any of my friends who have needed me and I've been MIA (Missing In Action).

Wow... I just read what I wrote and it's pretty random. Kinda matching my thoughts. Sorry, but that's how it goes! haha

Anyway. ZETA ended last week and it was a blast! I got to create a slideshow and CDs of the pictures for the girls. Those girls really saved me over my three weeks of finals. Without them I would never have gotten out and socialized. I would've gone insane. Thanks girls! I love you all SOOO MUCH! You all really do feel like sisters to me! You get me to step out of my comfort zone and get me to do things that are good for me even if I'm scared.

Guess What!!! Cameron is an AP!!! (Assistant to the Mission President) There are two of them in the Thailand mission. I'm not going to pretend like I know anything about mission lingo but I do know that this is really cool and only the really good, hard working missionaries get to be AP's! Yeah, my bro is amazing! He gets home in like 4 1/2 months! Not that I'm counting or anything!

Well that's about it! Allie is here and we're going to play so I'm going to sum up my thoughts. I basically love my friends (they are all SOOO AMAZING!) and my mom (she has been such a strength to me!). Remember, MAKE it a great day!!!

Autumn

I am a fan of Spring. It is my favorite season. Don't get me wrong, I love Summer, Autumn, and Winter. There are things about all of them that I love. Spring = EVERYTHING IS BLOOMING AND IS GREEN!!! also school is almost over, end of school parties, and everything is green (kinda my favorite color, everything is beautiful). Summer = no school, warm weather (sometimes hot), and summer nights of partying! Winter = Christmas, snow, hot chocolate, fires in fireplaces, Christmas lights, sledding, etc. Then there is Autumn... everything is dying, school has started, it's getting cold again. How is Autumn fun? Well I have a confession to make... drum roll please... I'm beginning to like Autumn, it is growing on me! The leaves are beautiful, my neighbors tree goes RED, so pretty. My trees go yellow. The mountains are beautiful. And this new semester of school has been manageable! I'm loving Autumn 2009!



This past weekend has also been an absolute blast! On Friday I had a birthday party for my friend Ashley. She just turned 20! At this party we ate healthy food.. much to Katch and the boys' dismay. I loved it though. Ashley and Sica had a wonderful idea to make caramel out of condensed milk. You put a can (unopened) of condensed milk in a pan completely covered with water, bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat down so it can simmer for four hours. It was really good caramel... four hours later! haha But we all hopped into Amy's beast of a truck and went up to the view by Church Hill Junior High and saw the "Ocean!" You basically look at the valley upside down. It is really cool, but I couldn't look at it long because the blood was rushing to my head! We also went on the sidewalk that goes over the freeway. It was kinda weird because you could feel the bridge moving. But we played Frogger ("dodged" cars) and jumped over semi trucks! SOOO MUCH FUN!!! We also have created a series on inside jokes because of funny YouTube videos. Thanks Morgan Aldous! haha Below is a poor quality picuture of the "Ocean" (you try taking a good picture without a flash). The picture is a view of the Salt Lake Valley, but the picture is upside down. It's much better in person, trust me!



On Saturday night I did homework... and then Josh Bates came over and helped me study for my math test tomorrow. At least he did for awhile until I finally stole the answer key from him because he was holding it ransom. I learn by seeing and he wouldn't let me see. He resorted to watching some Japanese cartoon, whose name escapes me, while I finished studying. Then Elisa and Eric came over and we got Transformers II from RedBox and then went to Dans and bought 3 pizzas, ice cream, and drinks. We came back to my humble abode and baked the pizzas at 10:30 at night and started the movie (we sure are crazy haha). It sure was fun! :D I didn't take any pictures though... too bad.



Tonight I am going to a movie night... I was invited to two but I'm not sure which one I'm going to go to... I'll probably end up just going to the one I usually go to haha. Well as you can see I've had a crazy weekend (I also worked Friday and Saturday... what an experience.) but I just love my friends and I don't know what I would do without them! THANKS GUYS YOU'RE THE GREATEST EVER!!!

Sundays

I freaking love Sundays! They truly are my day of rest and I wouldn't be able to survive another week without the rest and help of Sundays! I'm able to go to my wonderful singles ward and feel the quiet spirit there and then come home to dinner with my family while I get to spend a few hours with them! Then I usually get to go to a wonderful fireside before spending the evening with my best friends for a game/movie night that is begun with reading the Book of Mormon. Simply wonderful!

Today I have the pleasure of going to a fireside at the Salt Lake University Institute (also know as the U of U institute) where Jericho Road will be giving a musical fireside. This wonderful evening will end with a movie night hosted at my humble abode... well that could change easily, it depends on the group's desires haha.

Obviously I love Sundays! A true day filled with family and friends. Sundays are a blessing in my life!

Say What You Need to Say

John Mayer's song "Say What You Need to Say" always seems to bring back one memory everytime I listen to it. My family and I listened to it as we were driving my older brother, Cameron, to the Provo MTC. He was leaving on his mission and we wouldn't see him for 2 years! I distinctly remember my dad saying, "well guys, I guess now is the time to say anything you need to say." Now I get the great pleasure to think of my wonderful brother whenever this song comes on the radio. Cameron has now been gone for over 18 months! He will be coming home on April 30, 2010! He has taught me so much over that past 18 months! We really do need to love and serve and remember the little things!

Here are the lyrics - with my comments :D

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems
Better put them in quotations (LOVE this part, how poetic!)

Say what you need to say (8x)

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead
If you could only
(This is totally something I do everyday. I love to talk all the time but you know when I'm dealing with something because I won't talk.)

Say what you need to say (8x)

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You better know that in the end
It’s better to say too much
Than never to say what you need to say again
(People regret what they didn't say more than what they did say.)

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say (4x)

Say what you need to say (3x)

Say what you need to (4x)

Say what you need to say (4x

Say what you need to say (4x)

Say what you need to say (4x)
(Fade)
Say what you need to say (4x)


I know that I will always try and say what I need to say, because I have so many blessings in my life that I would be an ungrateful servant of my Heavenly Father if I didn't praise all that he does for me and the angels he sends me through my life.

Thanks to everyone to has helped me in any way, you don't realize how much your simple smile has helped me through a tough day. You are all my angels!

Sophomore Year

I go to Salt Lake Community College and I absolutely love it! All of my classes were at the South City Campus my first semester and then part of them were at both South City and Redwood Campuses. This semester I am taking all of my classes at Redwood Campus because all my undergrad classes are there. I am working on my Pre-Teacher Undergrad am I am loving it so far. The only bad thing about Redwood Campus - it isn't South City Campus. I LOVE it there! The institute was my favorite. I was on the council during the Spring 09 Semester. I have the most amazing friends there and the current LDSSA President is my absolute favorite. He has helped me through so much as has everyone else at that institute. It was my second home. I spent more time there than at my own home. I truly miss it this semester but I'm in search of new adventures and new friends.

I am taking 14 credit hours this semester. I'm taking EDU 1010: Orientation to Education, EDU 2011: Inclusive Classrooms, EDU 2110: Education Psychology Learning and Literacy, MATH 1050: College Algebra, and HLAC 1721: Social Dance II. Education Psych is the hardest class by far but I'm handling it.

There are a lot of new adventures for me this year. I get to juggle work, 14 credit hours, and I am also the historian for the ZETA chapter in the Lambda Delta Sigma sorority at the University of Utah Institute of Religion for the LDS church. I absolutely love right now and I love being busy but I love a break too.

I wouldn't be able to get through everyday without my family, my friends, and my church. I always get a hug from my cute little brother, "fashion advice" from my 16-year-old sister, encouragement from my dad, an open ear from my mom, optimistic outlook from my best friend Allie, and good times from Elisa, Sarah, Morgan, and Amy. Thanks to all of you, you're all amazing!

My Not New, But Improved Blog

Well considering that I've just begun to try and figure out this blogging thing I'm not that great at it yet. Plus it is pretty much required to talk about yourself, something I'm not the best at. I can talk about the stupid dramas of life, but I don't tell many people about the trials I've been facing while I grow up. I'm a very private person. I don't just volunteer that information, however if someone were to ask me something specifically I'm more than willing to explain. So I guess I'm trying to explain that I will probably hint on things I'm currently going through but more than that, you'll just have to ask me in private.

As you've probably noticed, I've kinda updated my blog and added my family profiles and changed the name. It comes from my favorite quote, "Some people think sunshine is happiness but they have never danced in the rain." Now we can all admit to loving dancing in the rain but this quote has a deeper meaning, it's basically saying that we can all find joy in the journey, to see the good in every situation, to be happy even when everything around us seems to be falling apart. This quote is similar to another famous quote, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." However I like my quote better because (1) I heard it first and (2) it has two meanings while this quote just has the one caparison.


(Photo by Barb Bergeson, wording by Sarah Matheson)

The reason I put my favorite quote as my blog title is because it has been my constant goal to find the good in everyone and everything. I also have learned to dance in the rain as I've struggled with Ulcerative Colitis since November 2007. It's a trial that has taught me a lot about myself and how to help others through their trials. I have seen God's hand in my life through the past two years and seen the reasons some things happened even if I didn't want them to happen that way. He has helped me when I couldn't finish my school work because it was too late and I have to get enough sleep. He has made arrangements for me in my social, academic, and work life to be able to keep moving forward when it was hard to take even one more step. I am truly grateful for this trial in my life, it has taught me so much. It isn't what I planned for myself, it is better.

My New Job!

I have been looking for a job since my last job ended in May and I've learned the hard way about this job market. I was picky at first when I was searching then as time went on and money got tight my standards of a job got lower and lower. (I think that this is one of the few times in life that this is ok to do :D haha.) However, there was still one standard that stood true: NO FAST FOOD!

Well one day when my mom, sister, and I were running errands, my sister and I decided to start collecting applications. Well my mom saw a Red Hanger Cleaner and jokingly said that I should apply there... well I did! I sat in the parking lot and filled it out and then turned it in that day. Well the next day (it just happened to be my birthday) I got a call from Red Hanger but I was at a doctor's appointment so I couldn't answer. Luckily the lady left a message and told me that they had a job offer they wanted to run by me and to call her back. When I did she wanted to interview me at 2:30 later that day. I ran home, showered, and looked presentable and met with her. Well Penny was impressed with me and set up an interview with the manager at the store I would be working at. It was at 9:00 am the next morning. I am not a morning person but I could sacrifice for a job haha. Well Krystal interviewed me and called Penny, handed me the phone and Penny said that Krystal wanted to hire me! I later found out that I would be trained the week after on Wednesday and Thursday then work in the store for the first time on Friday and Saturday.

Well I've worked at Red Hanger for a week now and am loving it so far. I've made new friends. One guy who worked with me on my first day in the store... he's funny, I was kinda slow that day... sorry Josh! But I've worked with this awesome girl Sherie for the past 4 times I've worked... I'm replacing her. It makes me sad because we hit it off so very well! When we've been bored at work with NOTHING AT ALL TO DO... we've played cards... until we started running out of games to play. But today we did something different... we took pictures of each other "working" haha SOOO funny! (I'd post them to this blog, but I'm not that good at it yet. Maybe I'll try later.) She's transferring to a different store that is closer to her home.

I'm off for the weekend and I have a VERY EVENTFUL weekend planned. I'm throwing a birthday party for myself on Thursday, I get to tend my FAVORITE little boy during the day on Friday then receptions and parties to go to that night, and on Saturday my friend is getting baptised (Morgan!) and my ward is going boating, and my friend is getting married, a ZETA date night, a bridal shower... and I'm pretty sure that I've forgotten A LOT!

I hope to get the hang of this blogging thing. I guess we'll see won't we? haha

Discovery Gateway!

Allie and I went to a 1 year-old's birthday party at Discovery Gateway one wonderful afternoon. You see, Allie is her nanny and this little girl's family is my family's friend... I would'nt have gone without Allie, but it was SOOO much fun!!! We got some awesome pictures while playing with little kid toys :D We were news casters, weather-ladies, actors, scientists, and little kids again! It was just so much fun, a place fore the imagination to go WILD!!!