What You Didn't know About Engagement Rings

I've been dreaming about getting married my whole life, I think most girls do, but there's something that should precede it.

Getting engaged.

I realize you could technically skip this step... oh well. The main aspect of getting engaged is getting/ wearing a ring. Now depending on what kind of ring you get, your experience could vary from mine. However, my ring is pretty much the most stereotypical ring you can imagine so I'm going to talk about it.

What You Didn't Know About Engagement Rings

You can't rest your cheek/head on your fist.

No more fist bumps! Use your right hand.

Careful when you run your fingers in your hair... Your ring will get caught in it.

Your fingers get thinner when they're cold... So your ring likes to slide off. Be prepared to keep your hand in a fist outside.

You can scratch your hand when you wash them.

Drains now scare you.

You will constantly be shining it.

It will easily distract you.

Back handing people is much more severe.

You feel like a lady when you show someone your ring.

Putting gloves on just became a difficult task.

Boys don't back off.

Chemicals reach a new level of dangerous.

Well what are some you have noticed? Please comment below!

Curly Sue... er I mean Aubrey

I have natural curly hair. I used to hate it and would flat iron it EVERYDAY. I know, it was so good for my hair right?

Well, through time, I began to understand how to style my curls through experimentation, how-to websites, and friends' advice. I am now proud to say that I can make my hair do almost anything and I rarely flat iron it. I've accepted that I have curly hair. I've discovered I have the best sort of curls: thin hair, ringlet curls, easily flat ironed, and it's all one color... Brown.

The Benefits of Curls

• Natural body and volume

• A simple hairstyle takes 3 minutes to do right out of the shower.

• Buns just STAY in place... So easy to do.

• TONS of different ways to style a bun.

• You always look like you put effort into your hair.

• Rain, snow, sleet, or shine your curls stay in tact. No need to be afraid of the weather.
• However, I always check the weather if I'm going to flat iron it.

• It hides grease better! I've gone 7 days without showering and NO ONE NOTICED. In fact, I was complemented on how good I smelled. Ta Da!!!
• Baby Powder is my best friend.

• Your hair actually looks styled after swimming.

• When you curl your hair with a curling iron it stays... For Days!! Little or no hairspray needed.

• Styling your curls doesn't ruin your hair.

• Hides how long it actually is! When you flat iron it, people WILL comment.

Tips for Those Natural Curls

~ things I've picked up along the way ~

• Use leave-in conditioner! I use Infusium 23*. You don't want those curls to dry out!

• Cut off at least a 1/2 inch every 3 months. Split ends will weigh down your curls!

• Use Herbal Essences Totally Twisted mousse*. It's purple. Follow the instructions on the container.

• Big spider clips are now your best friends! They will actually hold up your hair.

• After using the mousse, blow dry your roots on low. This ensures that they won't get weighed down and your hair won't resemble a triangle. 

• Use flexible hair stray and spray your hair upside down it adds added protection against frizz.
• I use Aussie*. It smells great!

• Sleep on a satin pillow case. This will keep your hair from getting all frizzy during the night. 
• Cotton fibers catch your hair and frizz it out.

• Use the said spider clip to hold your hair on top of your head while you sleep. It keeps the curls fresh for tomorrow and it is out of your face!!!

• When curls seem lacking, wet your hands and dampen your hair then set hair dryer on low and slightly dry it upside down. Do not use too much water or too much heat, you're kill your curls. We want to keep them fun!

• Too much of anything is a bad thing... meaning too much gel, mousse, heat, water, and touching. These will weigh your curls down or frizz them out.

• Let your hair slightly dry while it is clipped up. Curls will come out better and your hair will be out of your face while you do you make up. 
• Keep it pinned up for at least 5-10 minutes.
• Feel free to spray it with flexible hair spray.
• If you're in a hurry, clip it in the back so it looks like a messy bun! It will look cute until it's dry enough to really look cute!

• Use clips to pull your hair up instead of elastics. They won't leave a weird crease! 
• Great if you're hair has to be up for work, but you're going somewhere after work.

• When clipping up your hair, don't twist it, bunch it.

• Avoid brushing your hair when it's curly, it'll break it. Just get into the shower with your curly hair and get it wet and wash it as usual. After you apply conditioner (and the conditioner is still in your hair) use a wide tooth comb and start at the bottom and comb out the tangles. Then run a normal comb through it to ensure you got out all the tangles.

• Don't rub your hair dry with a towel. It promotes breakage. Squeeze the water out with your hand or towel and then comb it through with the wide tooth comb then normal comb... this is where you would use the leave-in conditioner.

I'm no expert. I'm still trying out new styles and strategies! So feel free to ask questions or give suggestions! I'd love to hear them, answer them, and/or test them out!

I plan on posting different hairstyles I've come up with... so stay tuned!!!

P.S. I'm SOOO excited that there is a new Disney princess who has curly hair!!! Totally going to see Brave!

* Items are owned by their respected companies. I am not getting any kind of compensation for suggesting these products.

Through and Through

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

- Dr. Seuss  

Be You through and through.

I've worked with kindergartners this past year and I noticed something about them, they have their own personality!!! I'm sure some people out there are saying "well duh!" but think about it! For the longest time I thought that we develop our personality over time, which is true. However, I feel that we are WHO we are from birth. Different aspects about ourselves change, but I think that is just the process of trying to "find yourself" when you are young. You lose track of "who you are" in pursuit of "who they want me to be."

Once again, I must ask you to think about it! How did you act when you were little? Is it very similar to how you act now? Probably... unless you are fake now. :) Well, I did think about this! I was the little ray of sunshine. I was spunky, silly, loud, emotional, smart, controlling, and violent (we have footage of me hitting my older brother when he was teasing me... or I was just being silly... when I was 6... he didn't retaliate, which infers that it happened often.). Guess how I act now? The same. I simply have more life experience to help me relate to others around me.

Your kindergartner teachers knew you before you became you. Some of your self-destructing tendencies were evident when you were 5 and your teachers were trained to see them... and possibly warn your future teachers. 

:D 

What happened between now and then? Life. We all get to go through adolescence, it's a right of passage! Hopefully you learned something about who you don't want to be. I know I did. I'd much rather be confident, loud, and loving than insecure, quiet, and fleeting.  

Don't forget the things you used to love. 

Don't forget the things you used to want to do.

Don't forget the things you used to want to be.

Chances are they probably aren't "used to" still.

I used to love dancing at random happy moments.

I used to want to go to the Museum of Natural History.

I used to want to be a teacher.

I still do the walking man whenever something awesome happens.

I went to the Museum of Natural History 14 years after missing the field trip.

I'm two years away from getting my teaching license.

I used to love watching Disney movies.

I used to want to go to the Westminster Park.

I used to want to be a model.

I get more excited about a new Disney movies than anything else.

I drove by the park today and stopped to swing on the swings.

I get to model a winning outlook every day of my life.

In the words of Peter Pan

"If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"

Curiosity Killed the Cat

GOOD!!!

Curiosity is a good thing, cats are bad.

Obviously, I strongly dislike felines. I'm not sorry if that statements offends you. If something this stupid offends you Then you're dumb. Get over it.

Moving on, I do have reasons for disliking these creatures. Ready? Go.

1. They are mean.
2. They are creepy looking at night.
3. They are bad luck... Apparently just the black ones are... I still have my suspicions.
4. They are often running loose and come out of the bushes startling everyone out of their socks.
5. They are too stubborn to be trained.
6. They walk through their kitty litter and then jump on the counter. GROSS.
7. They use sandboxes as their litter box!
8. They eat birds.
9. They claw.
10. They are lame when compared to cool wild felines.
11. They destroy upholstery.
12. I'm allergic to them.

As Bob Barker would say: "Please have your [cats] spayed..."

Losing Drive

There comes a time when you just are not as motivated as you used to be. It can happen with school, dating, work, social life, homework, ballroom dance team, dating... Some areas of my life are taking priority over others even if they shouldn't.

School:

Working on my fourth year of college! The last time I was so unmotivated was about two years ago when I was finishing up my sophomore year at Salt Lake Community College. How did I get through two more years after that? I got my Associate's Degree, before I took all the elementary education class offered, and transferred to the University of Utah. Well I cannot do that again, well I could, but that would be a very stupid thing to do. So I'm just pushing through with an even busier life with two jobs and the ballroom dance team. Leaving me very little time for homework... haha oops!

Work:

I have two wonderful jobs!!! I work in a diagnostic kindergarten as an assistant teacher. I love teaching those little 5 year-olds! They make everyday so much more fun!!! Some days they drive me crazy, but I still love 'em!
My second job is at the Cowboy Grub as a waitress. I love it too... some days it ruins my fun by preventing me from having fun with my friends and, then again, I work with a bunch of my friends. Some of the customers are crazy and some are super cool... then there are a lot of average ones too... :) I LOVE serving families because I love those kiddies! If you make the kids love you then the parents will love you too!

Homework:
Not going to waste my time on this subject. I'll just tell you that I have 3 hours with nothing to do and I'm choosing to do write on my blog and organize EVERYTHING ELSE.

Social Life:

I am a girl who has way more guy friends than girl friends. It's so much more fun that way!!! My guys range from all types of life styles! There's the Trio which consists of Griffin Mansell, Russell Davis, and myself. I love hanging out with those two, they just make me happy and we're goof balls!!! There is Ephraim Jaussi who is my movie buddy. We both love talking during movies and thus we go to random movies on random nights and critique them and make fun observations. I've seen some VERY good movies with him. Anthony Badger is my facebook buddy... hehe yep. To clarify, he and I have AWESOME conversations over facebook. In person we just make fun of each other and say ridiculous things. Tyler Voorhees is an old friend. We hung out a ton back when I was 18, but he got married to an awesome girl a couple years ago and I don't see him as much. He just is so positive and I love being around him. Josh Bates is one of my very best friends. I've found so much peace in our conversations during long drives. On the girl end, I have my set of girl friends who know everything about me: Allie Vincent, Sarah Matheson Snow, Amy VanTienderen, Elisa Warren, and Katie Butters. I love those girls more than you know. Their random texts of love and fun just make my day so much better!

Ballroom Dance Team:

Yep! I'm on the University of Utah Ballroom Dance Company again!!!!!!! It's so much fun and I can't even go to all the practices because I'm working so much. I just get to learn what I missed over the weekend and be ready for the next practice on Mondays. I get to raise $150 of sponsorships so if you're interested PLEASE let me know!

Dating:

Ah... dating... Let's just say that I've been trying to date as much as possible lately... I've sadly been unsuccessful though. I been spending time with some pretty awesome guys as of late and they remain nameless as to avoid awkward situations in the future. Just know that I'm totally up for blind dates... please?  

All in all my life is pretty busy, but I'm loving every minute of it! Whatever ups and downs may come, I love dancing in this roller-coaster of a life!

Up...dates

I am the type of person... girl... thing... :) that remembers dates with no problem! If there is the least bit of emotional difference from a normal day then I tend to remember the date. It is a curse and a blessing. Here are some dates in no particular order...

• July 29th - My birthday!
• January 29th - My 1/2 birthday - I have a summer birthday so in grade school I would celebrate on my 1/2 birthday!
• March 15th - Mom's birthday
• May 28th - Brandon's Birthday
• June 21th - Dad's Birthday
• November 5th - Cameron and Ashley's birthday
• December 8, 2010 - Allie left on her mission
• January 28, 2011 - I began dating Justin.
• February 8, 2011 - Justin  and I broke up, Allie was gone for 2 months... it was a hard day.
• September 15, 2008 - I got my first kiss!
• April 1, 2009 - I broke up with Mike... yep, April Fools.
• February 26th - Sarah's Birthday
• April 17th - Helene, Will, Justin, and Carly's Birthday
• July 22nd - Bryant's bithday
• November 25, 2011 - Bryant and I started dating "officially"
• January 8, 2012 - Bryant and I broke up... Not a fan of the 8th

There a tons more, trust me!

Count Your Blessings

Thanksgiving is an interesting day. The United States of America was the first country to dedicate a day to give thanks. Think about it. We all get a day off a school and work to focus on those wonderful things we have in our lives. We spend the day with family! No one is alone on Thanksgiving. Those without somewhere to go automatically are instantly invited to friend's table for a feast of gratitude.

In honor of the beautiful Thanksgiving Day in 2011, I give thanks for all the blessings I have in my life.

• My mom. She is not my best friend, she is my mom. A mother with a listening ear who is never judgmental. She taught me to love everyone, even if I don't love what they do. She taught me to give everyone a second chance... and a third... and a fourth... you get the idea. I love her more than she knows and it's my life's ambition to be just like her. Thanks Mom!!!

• My dad. A man who as always pushed me to be my very, very best. The man who can fix anything, whether a bike, a weird-smelling furnace, or a china set. A man who's greatest pride is the accomplishments of his children. Thank you Dad.

• Cameron, my big brother. He always watched over me from a distance in school. Tried to help me avoid doing embarrassing things... sometimes to no avail. :) Our friendship has grown stronger since he returned from serving a two-year mission in Bangkok, Thailand. I will always look up to him. Thanks for always being there Cam.

• Helene, my little sister. No one can bug me as much as she does, but no one can love her as I do. She is possibly my favorite person to fight with, however, since she's been in Savannah, Georgia for an internship with Del Sol, I miss her more than words can describe! She is always my go-to for fashion advice, she tells me what was going on bluntly, and she is a master manipulator... good thing I've been trained how to spot it. I love you and miss you Helene!

• Brandon, my baby brother. Oh my goodness! He is hilarious! You know those social filters that we all pick up along the way? Well he doesn't really have one... and he doesn't care! I love his unconditional love and how he isn't embarrassed to give his biggest sister a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I'm so grateful for my little Buddy!

• Allie, my best friend. She is such an inspiration to me! She recognizes the good in EVERYONE and loves them just the same! Thanks for listening and advice--ing Al!

• Sarah, my best friend. A friend to everyone. A girl who as seen me through it all! Thanks for loving me still!

• Elisa, my best friend. She can tell me straight. No beating around the bush, but she sure knows how to pamper a girl when she's had a hard week. Thanks for putting up with my ditzyness!

• Tyler, my best guy friend. He helped me through a hard time in my life and set my college life out on the right foot! Thanks Ty!

• Josh, my best guy friend. Wow, he sure can see me like no one else and read me like a book too! He's hilarious and crazy and that's why I love him! Thanks for the long talks Josh!

• Grif, my best guy friend, my dance partner, my entertainment. From our deep talks to busting out songs at the top of our lungs, he is my favorite person to hang out with no matter my mood. He has also introduced me to so many awesome people who have impacted my life for the good. Love that guy! Thanks Grif!

• Russel, my best guy friend. The guy who comes off as a total goof ball, but is a total sweet heart once you get to know him. Thank you for listening and offering advice, or even simply giving me a hidden hug when you recognize those moments where one is desperately needed.

• Ephraim, my best guy friend. A guy who knows everything about me and loves me anyway. A guy who will not let me think back of myself and has every right to think bad of me. He forgave me even when it would've been completely understandable if he didn't. Thanks for the awesome movie nights and late night waffles! Thank you for listening.

• Bryant, my boyfriend. Oh my, he's hilarious! I always seem to be laughing when I'm with him. I know I can depend on him for anything! Thanks for the memories Bry! I look forward to tons more!

• My awesome house. It's adorable and it's affordable. I'm learning so much on my own!

• The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it is true.

• God, my Heavenly Father. He loves me and I love him.

• Jesus Christ, my savior and friend. I couldn't make it without him. 

• My Totally Awesome, simply fabulous, hilarious, forever caring friends. I will never forget you!

• Polly, my 03 Mazda Protege. I couldn't survive my life without her! Keep going baby!

• My laptop. 
• My scholarship.
• My teaching job. I sure do love those kids!
• My waitressing job. SO much fun to work there.
• Pie
• My cell phone.
• My bed.
• Movies
• My movie collection.
• Netflix
• Utah
• Snow
• Music
• Brownies
• Cookies
• Ice Cream
• Hot Chocolate
• Lactaid
• Food
• Teachers
• Aunts and Uncles
• All the little moments that make the best memories.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

- Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Fears

I'm a little bit of a daredevil. :) I'll do the highest, flippiest, and most dangerous lifts when dancing like a Candle Stick, Around the World, Falling Angel, The Chair, and my favorite: Texas Star. I'll go off any number of jumps at the sand dunes, including those built off of a slip-in-slide with a "trench" of water at the bottom (without an ATV) multiple times giggling the whole time. EVEN if I fall, I'll get up and do it again.

However, I have discovered something that scares the living daylights out of me!

Trampolines.

Irrational? I don't know, I just don't like them! I suppose the reason is that they tend to be small and the ground tends to be hard around them. If I miss, it hurts! There's also the chance I'll land on my head on the hard ground. This fear can possible be traced back to the large number of times I'll fallen when jumping on trampolines. Ohs well. :) Needless to say, I really don't like the game "Rocket."

I discovered this fear at a gymnastics gym last night. Well it was just a trick gym actually. There were no balance beams (I was kinda sad cuz I like spinning off them into the foam pits). I could jump on the super bouncy tramps and do all sorts of kicks where I stayed upright, but I couldn't bring myself to do a flip, which I KNOW I can do! Well I did one once, just once. It was lame. :S

I'd much rather:

• Climb the rock wall and jump off into the foam pit
• Get charged at with a pad and fly into the foam pit behind me
• Charge into a mountain man and just end up on the ground
• Try it again and bounce back 3 feet
• Swing off the trapease.. I think that's how you spell it.. and do flips off it.
• Cartwheels
• Run into a wall... multiple times.
• Or anything where I'm just in the air and not jumping into it!

I'm not kidding that I'm really afraid of it! My heart was pounding just at the thought of them. Don't downplay my fear. Pretty sure it's a result of me not trusting myself, but I'm more than willing to trust other people.

Especially when doing the Texas Star. :)

Things I've Learned @ the Grub

I've worked at the Cowboy Grub for about three months now... I know not that long... and I've learned quite a few things.

• People have different managing styles and people like different managing styles.
• I really don't like people who beat around the bush.
• Visitors are the BEST!
• Old people don't tip well.
• Latinos are huge flirts!
• If you're going to tell me to do something better, just tell me bluntly. Don't waste my time on a lecture that is keeping me away from my tables.
• I'll just tune out and spend the time you take thinking how much you're bugging me. I won't remember what you wanted me to do.
• Assume everyone is stupid (I knew this before, but it never ceases to amaze me how true it is.)
• Some people and just downright determined to have a bad day and leave a bad tip. There is nothing you can do about it but be kind and put most of your attention that will tip you really well!
• Some people will tip you well no matter what you do!
• Some people can be persuaded to leave a really good tip.
• I'm no good with old people, however, I shine when I serve people with kids!
• When telling stories, be sure to preface it correctly, have a climax, and bring it home! (The preface is most important though.)
• I LOVE being sassy!
• Boys like to "gossip" too.
• People are pigs!
• Be uber thorough!
• ALWAYS (or as often as possible) tell your table that you're going to school to be a teacher... especially if they have kids!
• Pero is SO GOOD in hot chocolate!
• Dancing when entering the server/kitchen area improves morale for yourself and coworkers. 
• Don't do a booty shake in front of the cooks.
• Avoid smashing your hand against the corner of a metal table. 
• Khaki pants do not look good on ANYONE!
• Spare pens is always a must!
• Smile at EVERYONE!
• Eat desert first.
• Hot chocolate is my guilty pleasure.
• Fresh peach pie is heaven on earth!
• You make BANK when serving banquets and other parties!
• It is possible to be too thorough.
• Always enjoy your job, it makes it much easier to go to work!
• If a table doesn't like you, don't stress out! You'll just get worse... besides, they'll be gone in a half hour anyway and you can try again with the table that replaces them!
• Sometimes people just want to be left alone.
• Don't stand in people's way!
• Always put a positive spin on things!
• Working weekend nights is no fun.
• Carrying trays is HARD. I had no idea they were that heavy WITHOUT anything on them!
• Avoid corners, barriers, walls, doors, and people as injury tends to occur when you run into them.
• People are generally good.
• Don't work with friends, become friends with people you work with.
• Always look busy!

Ta Da! Feel free to comment and ask questions! Maybe I'll write about working as an assistant teacher next... hmmm. Intriguing! 

Late Night Thoughts

Yes, I'm up at 4:20 am and I have to get up at 7:30 am for my math class. Truth be told, I put a hold on doing my math homework to go to a movie with a very dear friend of mine, Ephraim. Awesome guy. We saw "Moneyball" with Brad Pitt. It was actually really good. ANYWAY! I don't regret making myself stay up extra late to finish the homework that is due tomorrow morning.
Why? I'll tell you.

• Nothing is better than talking to a friend who listens, understands, knows when to give advice and when to sit back.
• Sleep is overrated, memories are not.
• I really needed a break from homework.
• It's always wonderful to be with someone you can be 100% your self with. No walls necessary.
• Less time = More productive.

There is probably more, but my mind is shutting down. Go figure. 

"Don't be afraid of being who you are in front of certain people, they'll find it out eventually anyway! Love yourself and others will love you." - Me :)

I get to dance in the rain tomorrow! Yay rainstorms!

Goodnight!

Here We Go Again!

Another year has begun!!! I'm starting my second year at the University of Utah and I love it!!!! :D

(I know I didn't write all summer... I was busy having

too much fun and I didn't have internet at 

my 'plex so I couldn't update when I wanted to.)

Another busy semester is facing me! I really am working full time this semester. I have two jobs to do it! I am a Para Educator (AKA Assistant Teacher) in a Special Ed Kindergarten Class at Upland Terrace Elementary. I am also a waitress at The Cowboy Grub. I love both of my jobs, but they sure do keep me busy. Next on my plate is the full time school schedule I'm holding. I'm taking Math, Linguistics, a Reading Methods class (which also requires me to be a reading tutor on Tuesday and Thursday mornings), and a Zumba class (I needed one more credit hour for my scholarship to be valid). 

In the mean time, I'm also enjoying the new friends I made this Summer! My best friend, Grif Mansell, introduced me to a bunch of his high school friends whom I love to death!!! We play games like Wasser-Krieg (V-ah-s-er - Kreeg) which means "water war" in German. It's like water polo and rugby combined... with LESS rules. I got elbowed in the eye and woke up the next day with a slight black eye. It was awesome! We also play Frisbee golf... I'm really bad at it, but I still think it's so much fun! Then every Sunday night we have fantastic game nights! Oh my goodness, these people are so much fun!!! 

• Russell is a huge goof who likes to push people's buttons... and them into pools. He seems to especially like pushing my buttons. He's going to get hurt one of these days...
• Sam is the sweetest guy you could meet. He always greets me SO warmly! I look forward to hanging out with Sam, he's just a pleasure to be around all the time.
• Ashley. Oh this girl is beautiful inside and out! I love joking around with her. Also she makes me look good at Scum... the worst game ever. 
• Taylor is hilarious!!! He does it all! Music, dance, act, play sports, and looks cute while doing it. haha. Taylor is the type of person who is up for anything, anytime. 
• There are definitely more people whom I love but it would take way too long to write about them! 

On Another Note

Sometimes I find myself asking "why." Why did he break up with me? Why am I killing myself off for college? Why didn't he like me? Why am I working two jobs? Why am I not getting answers to my questions? 

The answer seems to keep coming back, "BE PATIENT." Not an easy thing for me to do ;)  However, I think I'm finally seeing the fruits of my labors! God really does answer prayers and sometimes you don't get the answer you were expecting.. you get something so much better! I know that's cliche, but it's SO true! About 3 weeks ago I got the rude realization that I wasn't going to get what I wanted. I was super sad for about 2 days. It was really hard and I didn't know what to do with myself! I just kept my chin up and pretended like nothing was wrong. Well after those two days something even better came my way! I feel like I'm living in a dream.

"If you want your life to be a fairytale, you have to be your own fairy godmother."

 Sometimes the "why" questions don't need to be answered. I think little clues for the reasons can be seen and those tend to give me hope, but I also know that those aren't always the real reason things happen. Sometimes you date people and it doesn't work out. Maybe it was because something was going to happen that wasn't supposed to, maybe you already learned the lesson in the short period of time, or maybe it was really that you were supposed to introduce your two friends. I used to want to play match maker, but now I realize that it doesn't work like that. I've introduced a ton my friends to people and nothing comes from it and then sometimes it does. I think I'd much rather be a tool in the Lord's hand and be pleasantly surprised with the results then give Him all the glory.

"'Why' questions are such a waste of time. Ask 'How can I turn this around?' and 'What can I learn from this?' Life is too short to be living in the past."

Last Day of School/First Day of Summer

Yesterday was my last day of school. So when I finished the last of finals, I proceeded to enjoy my first day of summer!!! :D

Last Day of School:

- Woke up at 7:30am to drive my little brother to school.

- Went to my last Technology in the Classroom class at 9:10 (We watched everyone's final home-made movies)

- Came home and wrote my LAST final paper. Submitted at 1:15 (due @ 1:20)

- Screamed cheered and danced around... in my head

First Day of Summer:

- Went to see what my big bro was doing today cuz I got nothing. (He's been home from his mission in Thailand a WEEK people!)

- Went to BigOTires to get my dad's tires switched to summer tires :D

- Drove my brother (Cameron) to Big 5 to buy running shoes. He actually took my advice about which to buy. I am surprised... but proud :)

- Wendy's Trip! JBC and Crispy Chicken Sandwich (guess which one was mine)

- Highland Park Elementary Trip! Cam met my mom's coworkers (mom works in the resource classroom as an aid) and I checked something my mom had in her purse... hehe

- Tried to go have Thai food for lunch (I was secretly scared) and the cafe thing was closed. :'(

- Went to Checker Auto Parts to buy de-oxidizer for my car's headlights.

- Waited at BigO and read magazines. I'm officially caught up on Spring fashion hehe.

- Went home and de-oxidized my headlights. They look AMAZING. I love my beautifly Nissan Sentra all that much more now. (Belle got an eye job hehe)

- Went to Firehouse Carwash and Detail and got Belle (my car) all clean... but the driver-side mirror broke off... the [cute] guy who dried off my car felt horrible. I was happy that I actually got to talk to him! Mom and I glued it back on when I got home. :)

- Last Blast at SkyBox baby! It was so much fun! I think I played a total of 3-4 games while I was there... I talked the rest of the time! Oh and then I got to country swing dance with Griff Mansell outside. He's such a good dancer! So much fun... and then I kicked my shoe at him when he teased me. It didn't end well. SORRY GRIFF!!!!!!!

- I finished off my night by talking to my mom on her bed for an hour... and skipping out on the Iron Man 2 midnight showing. I was to see it when I'm AWAKE! :D

- I got my cell phone back at midnight! hehe YAY

Well that was my Thursday/Last Day of School/First Day of Summer! Long I know... Trust me I left out A LOT of details! :D Allie knows it too.

"Life's always a party if you're easily entertained!"

- Aubrey

Here are just some memories from the last week(s) of school!

I Love:

I started writing a list of things I love on my facebook status, but then I found out that I couldn't stop writing! Sadly there is a limit of characters for a facebook status... so I'm going to write it here! It just goes to show that when you count your blessings you remember what you do have. Then suddenly the things you don't have don't seem to matter as much anymore.

I love: Long talks with Allie Vincent, inside jokes with Pauline Fonua, hearing about Maxine Fonua's mission, parties at The Pie, drinks [of water] on Max Chamberlain, going to the gym, shopping trips with Elisa Warren, screaming after getting tickled in the car by Morgan Aldous and having that be his punishment as well, awkward comments by my little brother Brandon, that my older brother Cameron comes home in a month and a half, my mom [nuff said], Aaron Allen and Mike McBride fixing my mom's van, institute firesides, South City Institute Friday Forums, Hungarian lessons, writing music, singing at the top of my lungs in any location, taking pictures, photoshopping pictures, Brie Allen's kangaroo stories, leprechauns dancing around the ZETA room, Coldstone trips with Kallie Sommercorn, smiling, the musical talents of Griffin Mansell, Catchphrase, Country music, Ballroom dancing, being thrown in the air, GREEN, Spring, sleeping in, sledding, my room, my bed, reading, Spring Break, teaching, little kids, talking, teasing my sister Helene, all of my flipping amazing friends, and MY LIFE!!!