Sublime Citrus

Thank you!

2011-09-02T22:37:00.002-07:00

I just want to give a big thank you to all those wonderful nurses and other staff members that work at nursing homes, particularly at Garden Terrace. Allow me to explain.

When I was in elementary, the coolest person I wanted to spend my time with was my grandpa Deano. Anything and everything we did together was the best, such as:

Sleep overs almost every weekend

Whatever I wanted for breakfast after said sleepovers- Eggo waffles, perfectly poached eggs, McDonald's pancakes, brand name sugar cereals we didn't have at home

Always having chocolate milk for lunch at HAFB

Driving home from school while standing up through the sunroof as though I was someone famous riding in a limo

Spotting the fire first when passing the North Salt Lake refineries and then being declared the "Eagle Eye"

An annual week swimming and sleeping at Circle J

New Years Eve parties

Lighting giant fires with his giant matches and shielding my face from the heat with old boxes

Visiting Grandma Edy's grave

Playing at the playground for hours and hours

Dressing up and taking pictures around the house

Camping

Going to Lagoon every summer

Sponge curlers

Sledding

Those were some great times. Over time though, I moved onto junior high, high school, and college where it was no longer cool to hang out with old people, even if they were your grandparents. Requests for the Young Women to help residents at Highland Care Center were dreaded. So I became distant and felt myself simply avoid talking or spending time with Deano. But he was getting older too, losing his mobility, eyesight, memory, and many other characteristics that made him so awesome before. As horrible as this sounds, I felt like I didn't love him anymore.

Thankfully, my perspective has vastly changed.

While in Utah in August, my mom asked that K.C. and I drive down to visit Deano for a little bit. Understanding that this might be the last time I see him alive (even though we have been thinking this for almost 10 years now...he refuses to quit on us!), I willingly drove down to Garden Terrace preparing myself for the awkward situation I would soon be in.

However, that was the best visit I could have ever asked for.

Sitting in that wheelchair was the grandpa I had always remembered. He looked awesome! Instead of being very frail and thin, he looked robust and well fed. Instead of having messy hair, it was perfectly combed, although not in his traditional perm. Instead of having sores covering various parts of his body from falling around his house, his skin looked bright and refreshed!

When I asked about a photograph of a mountain in his room that he took, without a moments hesitation he perfectly recalled the location and event that brought him to that distant country. He told us about playing Yahtzee and how fun it had been, even though he said he needed to keep practicing. Showing off the progress he had made through physical therapy, he clapped his hands, yet no sound was created as he curved fingers prevents his palms from making contact with each other. I will never forget the way his eyes lit up and how happy he was when my mom took his hands in hers, turned them sideways, clapped them together, and a sound was produced. He was ecstatic and immediately asked her to do it again.

I seriously think those few minutes spent visiting with him were the most important we ever had together.

Leaving Garden Terrace and all the way home, I cried because my grandpa was back. I used to think senior citizens were simply old and in the way. Now, whenever I see someone else's grandparent I realize how wonderful they truly are. I didn't get to know three of my grandparents really well before they passed away, so now I find myself cherishing every memory I have of Deano.

So thank you nurses and caregivers. You have dedicated your life to helping my grandpa's life be better and through that service, you brought back my grandpa, and have reminded me of the love I have for him. From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you.

I love you Deano.

Graduation!

2011-06-06T12:01:00.004-07:00

After four years, one of which was spent apart from K.C., I have officially graduated from Utah State University! 123 credit hours managed to earn me a Bachelors degree in Public Health, emphasis in Environmental Health, and a minor in Chemistry. K.C. was able to drive out to Utah to attend my graduation before we loaded all my stuff into the car for the long drive back home. Here are a few pictures from the graduation ceremonies that managed to turn out. We REALLY need a new camera. Stat.

The procession of graduates to the Spectrum.

Mom and me after the University-wide commencement ceremony. We definitely had a much better speaker than K.C.'s year!

K.C. and I in front of the fountains on campus.

The Bell Family after the College of Science Ceremony with Landon being the typical jokester :)

Tom's and Shalaun's family was able to come up for the College of Science Ceremony and my adorable nieces loved my funny hat and strands of golden hair coming out of it. They are too cute!

On top of the "A" in front of Old Main. I had so many great memories from living in Logan. I will definitely miss living there, except for the terrible winters that is.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

2011-01-03T11:58:00.004-07:00

K.C. and I had this for dinner one night when we were over at a friend's house and we absolutely loved it. Since I have been back in Logan finishing school, I didn't feel justified making a ton of soup just for me so being home for the holidays was the perfect excuse to break out the recipe and try making it for ourselves.

Zuppa Toscana
1 lb Italian sausage
1 1/2 t crushed red pepper (skip if using hot sausage)
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 c water
5 t chicken bouillon
3 large potatoes, halved and sliced
1/2 bunch kale
1 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Brown Italian sausage in a large pot along with red pepper. Remove meat from pot and drain most of the grease.

2. Put onion and garlic into same pot and saute until onions are soft. Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce heat and add potatoes. Cook until soft (our potatoes were sliced really thin (~1/8 of an inch) and I only cooked them for about 5 minutes at which time they were perfect).

4. Prepare kale by removing stem from the leaf (it is rather chewy otherwise) and tearing into salad size pieces. Add to pot and cook until tender.

5. Return sausage to pot and pour in whipping cream. Heat through making sure not to boil or else the cream will curdle.

6. Serve with bacon on top as a garnish.

You can put the bacon in the soup along with the sausage, but we found that the bacon gets soft and loses its crunch so we will be simply putting it on top from now on. We also decided to double the recipe since we had no idea what to do with the rest of the kale. It makes a ton of soup (wouldn't all fit in our 8 quart pot) but we are definitely happy to have leftovers! Enjoy and let me know what you think if you try making it yourself!

The Time Has Come . . .

2010-08-27T15:50:00.002-07:00

I cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by. The end of August always seemed so far away so I certainly I didn't expect to be at this point so quickly. Now that it has come, I am not quite sure what to do with myself. I feel like I am about to step into a strange new world and it scares me. As I pack the last few things into boxes, it is starting to dawn on me that I am actually going back to Utah, back to Logan, back to school. Here's to hoping the next 9 months fly by!

Birthday Weekend

2010-08-09T08:52:00.006-07:00

This weekend has been a really great one and I am sad for it to be over. It started on Friday afternoon when the Bullock's stopped by our house on their way home from their family vacation in Yosemite. I hadn't seen them in several months so I had a hard time letting them go when they walked in the door. When K.C. got off work we jumped in the car headed up to Lake Tahoe. The last time we had gone up to the lake and stuck our feet in, we desperately wished we had brought our swimming suits because the water felt so nice (not freezing cold like at the beginning of the summer). So we brought our suits and spent a good amount of time in the water jumping over the small waves and trying to get away from "sea monsters" (aka K.C.) Sadly the Bullock's were able to only stay the one night with us and headed out early Saturday morning for home, but it was so much fun to have them here and we hope they can come out again sometime soon.

Since my birthday was on a Sunday this year, K.C. took me out to dinner on Saturday night. We went to a local sushi restaurant "Wasabi's" and chowed down on some pretty tasty rolls. Although it was nothing in comparison to "Happy Sushi" in Logan, it was good enough to satisfy my cravings for sushi that were plaguing me since we moved out here. Sunday morning, I woke up to some delicious cinnamon-swirl bread french toast before heading off to church. Later that night after some fun rounds of Rummikub and Mexican Train I opened the presents K.C. got for me that have just been sitting in our bedroom for a couple weeks now tormenting me! I got a candle warmer lamp, some more tupperware, new earphones, and a Pride and Prejudice piano book.

The last gift I opened up was just full of surprises! The box was super heavy and K.C. specifically made sure it stayed right side up. After digging through lots of plastic bag padding, I found another smaller box sitting on top of K.C.'s free weights that had been taped to the bottom of the box! He certainly is super creative and it made us both laugh really hard. Inside the smaller box was another piano book with the music from Wicked! I was so happy and excited to start learning those amazing songs. Flipping through to look at the complexity of the songs, I felt a section of thicker pages but completely went passed it without thinking twice. Going back the other way I stopped and my eyes rested upon some paper K.C. had stuck in between the pages...

*GASP* "What is this?! What does this mean!?" (Yes, those were my exact words with some screams and laughs in between.) For those who did not see the answer right away like myself, here is a closer look...

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Oh. My. Gosh. My wonderful husband is taking me to San Francisco to see Wicked! Talk about a freaking amazing birthday present!! He realized that will be the last weekend we have together before I go back to Utah State and he wanted to make it a good one. Needless to say, I am just a-little-bit-a-lot excited to go. :-) Thanks babe for a wonderful 21st birthday! I love you!

Another Opportunity!

2010-08-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

I know my last post on here was about the silhouette but I ran into another giveaway and I still really want one (especially since my birthday is just around the corner, it would be a perfect birthday present to myself!) Fingers crossed that I'll get it this time because that would be so stinking cool! If you want to enter the contest for yourself, go here. Wish me luck!

Silhouette

2010-06-28T15:36:00.003-07:00

At our Relief Society Enrichment night this week we did some glass etching. Someone had brought a Cricut to cut out patterns that we could use over the glass. I started thinking about how cool it would be to have that machine. And then I saw this, which seemed even better (not having to buy any cartridges and all...) and my heart just leaped at the opportunity of having one someday. And then I found this, which was even better! I decided to enter this contest any way I could so here I am. I totally want one! I have so many things in our new house that I want to decorate and have fun with and this would be totally perfect! Fingers crossed!

Sick

2010-04-05T20:11:00.008-07:00

Boy, what a day I have had! Last night before bed I was super congested and had a bit of a cough but figured after some medicine and sleep, I would be ready for classes and work in the morning. Was I ever wrong! I woke up this morning much more miserable than the night before. I simply didn't feel like doing anything. So I called in sick to work, took some more medicine and slept the day away. K.C. mentioned I haven't taken a sick day when he's known me and I really haven't! I almost never get sick, especially not this bad! Here's to hoping I'll be feeling better by tomorrow and this nasty bug won't hit me again for a long time, if ever!

Worn Out

2010-01-13T22:27:00.002-07:00

It took almost 4 hours and four attempts with double and triple checking my answers, but I finally got full credit on my first physics homework assignment this semester.

I really hope this isn't a sign of what is to come...

But hey, at least I know I'll do well on my quiz tomorrow!

18 Months

2010-01-10T19:20:00.002-07:00

18 months is a long time so I am hoping it really flies by! My best girl friend Abby Marshall is leaving on Wednesday to serve a mission in Brasilia, Brazil. I am so happy and excited for her to share her testimony with the people she will meet, but I am going to miss her like crazy. Even though we haven't done much together in the last couple months since I was in Logan and she was in Salt Lake, she was always just a phone call away if I needed to talk to her. Now it will be more like a week or two to communicate by snail mail. Thankfully, last night we were able to have one last sleepover which was much needed to make the goodbye somewhat easier on my emotions. She is going to be such a great missionary and I will eagerly await her return and accounts of her wonderful experiences. Here's to you Abby! I love you!

A New Dress

2010-01-06T19:54:00.007-07:00

My good friends Kim and Katrina had me help with a photo shoot they were working on last winter for Shabby Apple. As one of the models I was able to pick out one of the dresses for free! Finally, a year later, I have chosen mine and I am so excited to get it. Take a look...

Anchors Away

It was a hard decision to make since they offer so many unique, classy and modest dress styles, but I am happy with the one I chose, especially since it is the first new dress/skirt I have gotten in years!

P.S. I know my wardrobe needs a major overhaul if I have been wearing the same things for years, but trust me, I am working on it. :)

Count Down

2009-11-12T20:01:00.003-07:00

I am just a few more hours away from my husband being home after four long days and night of him being gone for several interviews. Everything went well at the interviews and we will be figuring out where we are headed within the next two weeks. It is very exciting knowing when we'll know where we will be calling home once K.C. graduates in May. An unknown future is slightly nerve-wracking and so is a quiet home all to yourself for the better part of a week. I am so happy it is almost over. :)

Can't wait to see you darling!

Love,

The Beginning...

2009-11-04T17:06:00.005-07:00

Of a long and lonely week without my hubby has arrived. K.C. has been summoned to far and away places for job interviews since he graduates in the Spring. As much as I am excited for him and all the opportunities this brings to us, it is hard to see him go. A brief glimpse of his itinerary goes as such:

Wednesday

Leave Logan, board plane in Salt Lake, arrive in Reno, Nevada, drive to Minden, Nevada

Thursday

Participate in over 4 hours of interviews, fly back to Salt Lake

Friday

Participate in 3 hours of interviews in Salt Lake, drive back to Logan

Monday

Leave Logan, board plane in Salt Lake, arrive in Chicago, Illinois, dinner and cocktails

Tuesday

Participate in over 3 hours of interviews, fly back to Salt Lake

Wednesday

Participate in over 3 hours of interviews in Salt Lake

Thursday

Fly to Boise, Idaho, participate in over 3 hours of interviews, fly back to Salt Lake, drive back up to Logan

In summary: 5 companies in 4 states in 7 days. Good thing K.C. enjoys flying!

Good luck babe! I love you!

The Fun Theory by Volkswagon

2009-10-19T19:10:00.002-07:00

I just loved the ideas this team put into action captured by these videos. Check them out!

Volkswagon is holding a competition for other ideas so if you have any you'd like to submit, go to thefuntheory.com

Hands Down...

2009-09-18T23:20:00.014-07:00

I have the cutest nieces and nephews ever. Just see for yourself.

Additions to the Family

2009-09-18T22:21:00.011-07:00

About a month ago, K.C. and I found out we would be having some new members added to our small family. I am very excited to introduce you to the new little boy and girl that have joined us.

Meet Male

(Sorry he is hard to see against the background, but this was the best picture showing his fins and colors)

and Female

Ha ha! Maybe I tricked you into thinking we were expecting, but probably not. Just thought I'd have a bit of fun with the scenario while I could. :-D

Since moving into our apartment here in Logan, some things I felt were very needed was a pet and a plant of some sort. On campus housing only allows fish, so a fish is what I wanted.

K.C.'s Mom, Kathy, remembered the desires I had expressed early in the summer, and surprised me with both of those things for my 20th birthday. (I'm so old now! ;-)) I don't know what type of plant she gave (looks like some sort of palm), but she have me a male and female beta as well. I had a female beta once when I was younger and all she did was sit there - trés boring. Needless to say, I was worried these two fish would be the same way. Luckily, it has been the complete opposite! Both are very active and are constantly swimming around their small homes. When we get home from class or work, they both frantically swim toward the door, going crazy to see us. It is nice always having someone waiting at home excited to see you again. :-)

You may have noticed, or even expected, that they are kept in separate fish bowls - they are Siamese Fighting fish after all. Originally we had them in the same bowl thinking they might mate and give us lots of baby betas - what fun would that be! After 24 hours with them swimming around together though, we realized that was simply not going to work. Definitely not love at first sight. The female must have gotten fed up with the male strutting around and showing off his big fins and brilliant colors. After just a couple hours, she started beating up on him! One time we walked in to see their jaws locked together in a death grip! I tried to implement a form of "timeout" on her but the effect did not last long. Sadly, the male's flowing fins took the brunt of her jabs and quickly fell apart.

After doing some research, we found out that fish fins will eventually grow back, although they will probably never match their original grandeur. If you look closely at the pictures or video you'll see where the ventral fins have been slowly growing back. Because of what she had done, those first several days I told myself I wouldn't care if the female died. Now that the situation has passed, I am very glad she is still with us.

Next to the male's bowl we have situated a small hand mirror. If you hold it up next to the glass so he can see his reflection, he will get very prideful and fan out to show off his beauty. It probably gives him anxiety every time we do it, but he looks just so cool! Check it out -

On a side note, we still have not come up with names for our fish - we simply just keep calling them "Male" and "Female." If anyone has some ideas they would like to share, I'd be up for any suggestions!

MUSE

2009-09-16T18:52:00.004-07:00

What can I say other than that these three guys are incredible.

K.C. introduced me to their music when we started dating and I have been hooked ever since! It is pretty much all I ever listen to and now that they have come out with a new CD, I have a whole new list of songs to love. Check them out - I hope you like them as much as I do!

My favorite songs:

Starlight

Uprising

Supermassive Black Hole

(You try and pick three favorites! It is hard!)

Strawberry Swing - Coldplay

2009-09-16T18:32:00.006-07:00

K.C. showed me this music video a while back. I was

completely dumbfounded at all the work put into making

it and have watched it several times in the last couple days.

The song and artistry is just amazing!

And, yes. It is actually done in chalk. Enjoy!

Cookie Dough Balls

2009-07-01T21:11:00.003-07:00

My brother Tom and his wife Shalaun shared this wonderful idea that I have completely taken to heart. Now that I am only cooking for two people (okay, okay, K.C. does the cooking half the time), a whole recipe for cookie dough is just way too much for us at one time. So now we scoop out all the dough in cookie size balls onto a cookie sheet (making sure to pop one in our mouths every once and a while) and then stick them in the freezer. Once frozen, throw them in a ziploc bag and continue to store in the freezer. Now, when we have a big cookie craving, we can pull out a couple cookie balls, throw them in the oven, and have warm cookies in a matter of minutes. Currently we have snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies in our freezer. You should try it out. It is simply the best.

Delicious Dessert

2009-07-01T20:46:00.003-07:00

K.C. and I bought some fresh strawberries at the store on Monday and this is what we are having for dessert tonight. Jealous? You should be.

Wedding Pictures!

2009-06-28T16:10:00.002-07:00

Our photographer has posted some pictures taken at the temple. If you want to go check them out (I highly suggest it, they are awesome!) the address is www.eltonfilmandimages.blogspot.com Also, if you have any other pictures from our wedding and would like to share them with us, we would be more than happy to accept!

Christmas Wish List

2008-12-01T03:43:00.004-07:00

Please do not think of me as selfish or anything of that sort by posting a blog like this, I have just had several people ask me what I want for Christmas and I figured this would be the best way to communicate it to everyone. If you want to get me something, woohoo! it is Christmas! If you don't want to (I am not expecting any of my family because that is what the service project is all about), then, woohoo! it is Christmas!

Gift card to Down East Outfitters
Gift card to American Eagle
Gift card to Famous Footwear (or any shoe store other than Payless, those don't last for me)
iPod Nano G2 case
Digital Camera
Tape adapter for iPod (my car is music-less)
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (hardback)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (paperback)
Manicure or Pedicure (or anything to help me relax :D)
Aroma Diffusers (Vanilla)
Slippers (Size 9.5)
Pride and Prejudice (book)
Pride and Prejudice (movie with Kiera Knightly)

If you find something you want to get, then you can just leave an anonymous comment claiming it so there aren't duplicates. But again I stress that I am not expecting anything, I just wanted to make it known for those who want to know. Merry Christmas!

Engagement Story

2008-12-01T03:23:00.002-07:00

I know many may have already heard the story of K.C.'s proposal, but that was a reader's digest version. He has wonderfully written out all the details that make the story so great, and also included some pictures taken that night that are awesome! Instead of simply copying his version (because he tells it so much better), I ask you all to go to his blog and read it there. Enjoy!

Somewhat Tagged

2008-11-05T17:02:00.005-07:00

I am such a slacker I have decided. K.C. and I do so much fun stuff up here in Logan, and I think about writing a post about it, but I get busy, don't have any pictures, or just completely forget. So when I saw this post K.C. and two of our friends did, I thought I would join in. The 6th picture in my 6th photo folder is...Ha ha!! I guess K.C. and I are way more alike since our pictures are organized the same way! Well, it actually makes sense since I get all my pictures from him pretty much (can you guess what I am asking Santa for Christmas?) Anyways, this is Amanda Bell, K.C.'s younger sister, after playing the flour game.

I tag: Carrie, Steph, Meredith, Britni, Callie, and Jami (I figured I'd stick with the theme of six)

New Addiction

2008-10-16T23:45:00.004-07:00

Lately I have been on a crossword puzzle rampage. I tried my hardest on the one in the Statesman, but did not get many boxes filled before giving up. I bookmarked a website and go there multiple times a day for a quick round and actually get most of them figured out. Sadly, many of the words are repeats so it is simply a matter of remembering them from previous puzzles, but it is still very entertaining. When I was younger I was amazed at Steph for being so dedicated to finishing the crossword puzzle each day in the newspaper. Now I understand her addiction. I don't think I could ever tackle this one though...

New Songs

2008-10-16T23:29:00.005-07:00

I heard this song on Jay Leno and I really enjoyed it. It is called "The Show" by Lenka. It is on my playlist. You should listen to it. I think you will like it too.

I have decided Abby has the best music. My iTunes library hasn't been hitting the spot for me lately. So instead I go to her blog to listen to the songs she has on her playlist. Some of my favorites are

"One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks
"February Song" by Josh Groban
"Samson" by Regina Spektor
"Say" by John Mayer
"Because" from Across the Universe
"Orange County" by Stefy
"Shine" by Anna Nalick

and so many more!!! Thanks for having such great taste in tunes Abby!

Sushi

2008-07-24T13:12:00.005-07:00

Sushi: "In Japanese cuisine, sushi (寿司, 鮨, 鮓, sushi) is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients, including fish, various meats, and vegetables. Outside of Japan, sushi is sometimes misunderstood to mean the raw fish itself, or even any fresh raw-seafood dishes. In Japan, sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi and is distinct from sushi, as sashimi is the raw fish component, not the rice component."

K.C.'s coworkers in Logan would often go out to lunch together. One place in particular was a favorite with K.C. and he wanted to share it with me. I was hesitant to go to Happy Sushi because raw fish simply did not sound appealing whatsoever! He assured me sushi is actually just seasoned rice, yet I still wasn't convinced. Still, he surprised me one night, not only where we were going for dinner, but with one of my newest favorite foods!

Enjoying the miso soup

I struggled with the chopsticks but I was determined to not ask for a fork!
I tried biting the sushi in half, but it would just fall apart. I eventually gave up trying and had to stuff the entire piece in my mouth!

Our plate of delicious sushi!

We ordered edamame, a fried and a fresh sushi roll, and some dinner boxes including California rolls, vegetables tempura, and sushi! My favorite was the fried only because the fish eggs in the raw roll made it too spicy! Overall it was delicious! My one recommendation is to not try and keep sushi and eat it later... it isn't very good unless it is fresh!

Home?

2008-05-02T00:16:00.002-07:00

I'm laying here in a bed that isn't mine, with covers that just don't feel right. The walls aren't stark white and there isn't another girl lying five feet away. I'm home, but I'm not home at all. I love Salt Lake, but Logan is my home now. I belong up at Utah State and I am having a really hard time with moving away from Merrill. Once Monday comes around, reality might begin to set in that I'm home for four months before returning to my beloved Cache Valley, but I doubt it.

I am done with my first year of college. One year. College. Me. Done. I don't know what happened to it, because it went by way too fast for me. It feels like yesterday that I was driving through Sardine Canyon to move in, yet already I've packed up, turned in my keys and driven back though the opposite way. There is now way I'm going escape the withdrawals--late night conversations with Rachelle, playing games into all hours of the night, peering out the blinds praying there isn't more snow on the ground, chastity couches, everything! Oddly I feel like my life has changed more moving back to Salt Lake than it did when I went up to school in the first place.

For the first time in my life I am actually excited for August to come fast. If I could I would move back up there tomorrow. School can't come soon enough, yet it is going to come and go faster than I want. Only 112 days left!

Wedding

2008-04-21T18:12:00.004-07:00

K.C. proposed to me on April 12th and I accepted. Sadly I didn't get a chance to post a blog with the story of the proposal or pictures of the ring, but those will be coming along at some time in the future. After discussing things, lots of thoughts and prayers, K.C. and I have decided to break off our engagement at this point in time. We still are very sure about each other, but feel that we have things we need to work on and become more mature with before we take on the responsibilities of marriage. The time wasn't right but we feel that we have made the right decision because we have felt really good about waiting. We are going to keep dating and are planning on living in separate apartment complexes when we come back up to school in the fall. We'd like to thank you all though for the support we have had and the excitement everyone exhibited. We think Summer 2009 will work better for us and hope that time continues to fly by.

Charlie Bit My Finger!

2008-02-19T01:10:00.001-07:00

My friend Abby showed us this video and I thought it was hilarious! Some of you have already seen it, but I thought the laughter should be shared with everyone! Such funny kids!

Back in Business!

2008-02-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

After a week and a half of being simply "friends," K.C. and I have decided to get back together. But before you go assuming it was only because we missed kissing, holding hands, and cuddling, let me defend my case. As we both strove to do things with each other that only friends would do, we found ourselves increasingly acting less like ourselves. Day after day we were getting frustrated, feeling jealous, and struggling to really even talk like friends would. Essentially, we both felt completely empty and dark. Over and over each day we tried fixing what was wrong by making adjustments towards things that friends would do, but nothing worked. We were simply going through the motions, but did not have any motivation behind them. So Tuesday night we talked, and after many tears and apologies to each other, we decided it would be best for us to date again instead of getting our relationship torn apart. Now we are taking things very slow and making sure that we go at the right pace. Everything is as though we just first started dating and it is awesome and wonderful!
Despite being extremely tired that night, it was the happiest I had been in a long time. I was just glad to have my best friend back.

Happy Birthday K.C.!

2008-02-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

January 23, 1986, Kenneth Christopher Bell was born. In commemoration of that great day, I decided to have some fun...

I picked K.C. up from next door for a date, and chauffeured him around town in his car. We went to Hamilton's Steak and Seafood Restaurant where we had a candle-lit dinner. Sadly, we forgot the camera for this portion of the night, but it was beautiful! K.C. had his first creme brulee, and I'm pretty sure he loved it! All of the food was delicious!

After dinner, we stopped by Deseret Book to look at CTR rings since K.C. was wanting a new one. We did not end up getting one, but there were lots of neat, new designs that we liked.

We came back to the dorm and I had him open his presents one-by-one. I had so much fun shopping for him throughout the week and tormenting him with my many secrets!

While he was at work, I got a little bored and decorated his room. I decided to be nice and hold off on the confetti though. Two of our friends hid in his roommates' closet and jumped out at him. Even though I knew they were there, I was more scared than K.C.!

His friend had sent him the bottom sticker to wear all day. Sadly, people would only ask where he got it instead of reading it. Instead of being ignored even more, I made him another sticker to go with the first.
We played a round of Rummikub as well since it is one of his favorite games and I had not ever played on my own before.
Let's just say I need to practice a bit more...
I eventually got it right though!
Happy Birthday K.C.! I hope you had a fabulous day!

Cuddle Buddy

2008-01-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Since K.C. and I aren't cuddle buddies anymore, I figured I should share a picture of the man I share my nights with! Isn't he just a stud?! ;) For future reference his name is C.J. (Calvin James) And NO, I do not have a thing with initials...at least I don't think I do :D He is the bear that K.C. and I created at Build-A-Bear together over Christmas break as part of my gift.

Best Friends!!!

2008-01-21T22:15:00.001-07:00

Many of you know that K.C. and I have been dating for two months now. And most of you were extremely concerned about how fast our relationship had progressed and urged us to step back and not be too hasty. Well I'm here to say that K.C. and I have talked about things and we have decided to take that step back. Before we were open to dating other people if the opportunity arose, but we are very open to that option now. For now and the next long while we are just going to be friends- no kissing, no hand holding, no cuddling, none of that boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. It is going to be hard and such, but not impossible. Things actually have worked out really well the past couple days that we have tried it. We want to make sure that we have a strong foundation based on friendship before we completely commit for life and this seems to be the best way to do it. Both of us are extremely determined to make this work as friends and not simply give up, so believe in us and it will help! Funny thought though that K.C. had: many people have a relationship that is simply "Friends with benefits." K.C. and I are more like "Boyfriend and Girlfriend without benefits." I thought it was funny :D

P.S. Sorry about the picture! It isn't the best quality, but it is the one I had. Handsome, isn't he? It was taken the night of our first date.

Sacrament Meeting

2008-01-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

One night this week I was just relaxing over at K.C.'s apartment with a couple of his friends and roommates when my phone started ringing. I checked the number and I had no idea who was calling me (it was a 435 number) but I figured I would answer it anyway. The man on the other end turned out to be Brother Kirkman, the 1st counselor in my bishopric. He greeted me warmly and I returned the salutation, mentioning his name so the guys I was with would know who I was speaking with. The moment I said his name though, all their heads turned and stared at me with looks of horror. I just laughed at them completely expecting he was calling about the next upcoming blood drive for the stake. After less than a minute on the phone with him, I understood their looks of horror. I had just been asked to speak in sacrament meeting on Sunday. In past circumstances this had never been a problem for me as they were only youth talks expected to last less than five minutes. I realized then that I was an adult and am expected to give adult length talks. My topic: repentance. My time: ten to thirteen minutes. Can you even imagine how excited I was? If you can't, that is good, because I wasn't excited. In fact, I was simply dreading it.

Well I kept the topic on my mind all week, pondering what I could say, scriptures I could read, and stories I could tell from conference talks. Each night I always had something better I could be doing rather than writing my talk despite knowing the Lord of the Rings marathon was going to occupy my entire Saturday. Friday I finally decided to start on something and looked up different talks and ideas listed on the "Prepare a Talk" feature on www.lds.org. (FYI: this option worked great! I highly suggest it!) The talks were insightful, but I was still not sure what I was going to say for ten whole minutes! Sunday morning rolled around and I still had not written anything concrete down. The night before I had pulled together some scriptures, but did not have any real organization to what I was going to say. Needless to say I did not get very much sleep Saturday night/Sunday morning.

K.C. was great to me this morning and made me breakfast so I could keep writing my talk instead of coming up with something to eat. It was delicious comprising pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and orange juice. Man, he is an amazing cook! Sacrament meeting came around and I delayed for so long going up and sitting on the stand. Luckily, K.C.'s roommate Dave was also speaking so I had a friend up there to sit with. Abby, Megan, Tessa, Rachel, and K.C. all sat near the back as we always do so I wasn't concerned. Halfway through the prelude music though, they all stood up and moved to the second row. Yah, that isn't intimidating at all. Surprisingly, I was not very nervous as the meeting started, but did not expect that feeling to last. Brother Kirkman was conducting and with it being the beginning of the semester, took up much more time than normal doing various announcements and ward business, which was awesome.

The songs were long, and with the passing of the sacrament, my nervousness did not increase at all. Emily first spoke on faith, and then it was my turn. I got up in front of the microphone and began. The words seemed to just flow from me and I hardly felt scared at all! It was wonderful!! Oddly enough now, I think I would rather give a normal talk instead of a youth one anytime! By the time we sang the intermediate hymn, Dave only had about 5 minutes left to speak which he was perfectly fine with. Anyways.....overall, this was not as bad of an experience as I was expecting. I think the best part of it is the fact that it is OVER!! Woohoo! I'm so excited to be done with that for the year! Woot Woot! And if you care, I just had an outline of my talk and I would be willing to send it to you if you would like. The Church is true!

Lord of the Rings

2008-01-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

Ever since the Lord of the Rings trilogy came out on film I have always wanted to have a marathon watching all three extended editions of the movie in one day. Luckily for me, K.C. had the extended editions and also wanted to have a marathon. So last semester we spread the word that sometime in the spring semester we would do it! Yesterday turned out to be that day since we aren't very far in school and figured people wouldn't be too swamped with homework and studying yet and could waste the entire day up in the lounge. Well we started at 10:30 in the morning and dove into the adventure. With hour breaks in between each of the films, we finally finished them all around 12:30. Sadly once I ate lunch, I couldn't keep my eyes open for the first disc of the Two Towers. Determined to better, I sat up for the next disc and stayed awake. The Return of the King was started and I was so excited to watch my favorite movie of the three. Yet again, I got too comfortable and could not stay awake once the second disc was put into the DVD player. K.C. tried his hardest to keep me awake by pulling on my ears and tickling me, but nothing worked. I was out until the movie ended. Now I could say that I finally did the Lord of the Rings marathon challenge, but I simply would not be satisfied with myself, so sometime in the future I will have to pull out those movies again and waste another day all over again. It is worth it though, those movies are amazing!

Updating on the past forever

2008-01-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Wow I have been such a slacker! I didn't post anything new at the end of the semester because I was too preoccupied with studying for finals. Then I didn't post anything again during the three week winter break simply because I wanted to play. Well now I finally have some time on my hands and I figure it is time to write something new. Recap on fall semester: everything tied up really nicely. I was able to finish my seven page research paper on margarine and my grade was in the A- range. That was totally fine with me since I wrote 98% of it the night before. The last 2% I wrote an hour before the class started! :-D My finals went really well: I stayed up almost all night studying- got only three hours of sleep- and it paid off. I got an A and that kept my percentage in the class high enough for an A overall! Chemistry I did okay on and ended up getting an A-, but I did not mind. The rest of my classes were just easy credits so I was able to get A's in all those as well.

Winter Break was wonderful! The night I was studying for my biology final, Diane Poulton called me and asked if I was interested in working at all over the break. Was I ever!! Being a poor college student, I will take any opportunity to get a job and earn a little extra money, especially with having to buy Christmas presents and books for the new semester. K.C. and I spent a lot of time together, with his family, and also with mine. We had a great time going shopping together, playing, and simply enjoying our free time. I think of all I love his Christmas present the most! He took me to Build-a-Bear and we got to design something for me to cuddle with at night. Sadly though, we went on Thursday so I had to endure several days of knowing what my gift was, but not being able to have it. When I finally did get C.J. on Christmas, K.C. had attached a small bottle of his cologne (it smells SOOOO good) and a poem he wrote. It was so cute! I know I'm 18, but I've never had my own teddy bear, so this is lots of fun for me.

School has now started again and I am really enjoying this semester. I'm only taking 15 credits this time around instead of the 18 I had last semester. Biology and Chemistry are the same, then add in Stats for Scientists and English 2010. I haven't bought all my books yet, but luckily I didn't have to get one for Chemistry or English (she is posting the reading material online! wahoo!) and I'm debating on whether I should rent the Biology book again. Stats is the only book I have to get and it is sadly $150. Blah...oh well. Sacrifices must be made I guess.

The weather has been pretty crazy. Lots of snow and even more wind and too much cold to even consider! For FHE this week we went sledding and it was so much fun! It was snowing at the time so you would just get a face-full while zooming down the hill. I crashed a couple times, but it was okay. Life is just great being back here in Logan. I missed it a lot and it is really nice to have a schedule I can lean on when I don't know what to do. More to follow when something actually happens here in this frozen valley.

P.S. I was called last night by the 1st counselor in the Bishopric. Pretty much I'm speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday....oh jolly. What a wonderful opportunity!

Delay

2007-11-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

The semester is winding down and I am starting to panic. Finals are coming up, papers are coming due and I don't know how I am going to get it all done. Therefore I am going to take a break from blogging temporarily so I can focus on my studying and finish off this semester strong. I will be back right after finals are done on December 14th. Thanks for all those who read what I write. I love and miss you all!

New Developments

2007-11-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

I figured I should give an update on my life here in Cache County before too much time passes by. School is going great: I am doing really well on my tests and getting ready for finals the second week in December. Time has flown by so fast! I can hardly believe I am almost done with my first semester as a college student. Mondays seem to last forever, but the rest of the week is gone in an instant, I hardly have a chance to enjoy everything going on.

Time for an update on the romantic side of my life. If you are regular reader of my blog you will recall I went on a date with KC Bell last weekend. (For those who don't know the story, see below). The entire evening was fabulous! Some details I omitted from my last entry are that he put his arm around me about halfway through the concert, and we ended up holding hands. Many of you will think this is way fast, but I wanted him to hold my hand so bad. We had spent a lot of time together prior to our date during Family Home Evening activities and other events sponsored through Housing and the Ward. For a while I did not think he was going to, so when he put my hand in his, my heart pretty much melted. I was so happy.

Sunday afternoon came along and I did not have much to do. My roommates and I were planning on having dinner together and I volunteered to make Chocolate Applesauce Cake (they loved it and all want the recipe!). Not wanting to work by myself, I asked if KC wanted to come over and help me, which he gladly did. Many guys I know are scared of the kitchen and refuse to have anything to do with preparing food. Not KC though. He jumped right in measuring out the ingredients, chopping the nuts,etc. Any guy that likes being in the kitchen as much as I do gets major brownie points. Saturday night we made Buttermilk Brownies too. :)

To make a long story short, we have spent almost every hour of the day together when we are not in class. Even when he is at work at the library, I go over there and keep him company, maybe even do some studying on the side. We always have so much to talk about that we often find ourselves deep in conversation and it is three or four in the morning, yet neither of us is tired and wants to end the discussion. When we finally do decide that it is time to go to bed, we text each other for another half hour or so. He is always going to the gym to run and lift weights so we have also been going down to the Fieldhouse two or three times a week to get some exercise in. It is awesome having a guy who is dedicated to being fit and can help motivate you get fit too.

All this time we have spent together does not seem to have been wasted at all. Sadly, I was in a deep predicament whether I should continue my open-relationship with Chad or go forward with KC. I did not want to hurt either guy, so I was really tormented all week long. Thankfully Heavenly Father is there for us in our toughest decisions. I made a decision, prayed about it and proceeded with what I thought to be right. I broke up with Chad, and now KC and I are dating. I believe the hardest thing for me during all this is that time moves by so quickly, yet at a snail's pace. It has only been ten days since that Friday night when we all hung out, yet so much has happened. I have fallen, and fallen hard. (That is a good thing. A very good thing.) Now time will only tell how things will play out, but with how things are happening, I have an inkling of an idea of where my future is headed.

If you have questions, feel free to email me, or just write a comment. I would love to get your input! KC really is a great guy. I just cannot believe he likes me in return. Yay! X is happy!

The Piano Man

2007-11-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

After coming home weekend after weekend, I promised myself (and Meredith, Tyson, Mom...everyone pretty much) that I would stay at school for once. Honestly I was worried that I would have the most boring weekend ever! Around 5 pm on Friday my belief was almost confirmed. Making a bold move, I texted this guy in my ward named KC (more about him to follow...) asking what he was up to. He was likewise bored, but had friends from West Jordan coming up in a while. He came over and the rest of the guys ended up joining us! We played with the "Human Rubber Band," Mafia, Signs, Spoons for a while then decided to get some pizza at FireHouse pizza on the south end of town (11 pm). After stocking up our energy stores, the nine of us grabbed a soccer ball and headed down to the Quad for a exciting, yet freezing cold game of soccer (12:30 am)! We needed goal indicators for one end of the field so Abby and I "volunteered" our blue jackets since no one had anything brighter. Man! It was SO cold! I think I will do that more often as a sort of therapy to get me more used to the ensuing cold. I cannot decide if it is a good thing or not, but I am too competitive and was injured a couple times. Ran straight into a guy and got a carpet burn sort of injury on chin. Then less than ten minutes later, I went to steal the ball-from the same guy- and he accidentally stepped on my ankle so I have another nice scrape there too. Once again we were not tired (2 am) so we turned on Finding Nemo in the 2 1/2 floor lounge. After that we were all pretty beat and most hit the hay (4 am). KC, his friend Andrew, and myself saw the stars above though and decided we needed to go star gazing before it got much colder (as if it is not cold enough already). Eventually, I made it to bed around 6 am. I think I finally know what it is like to be in college. Party, party, party! No sleep, no sleep, no sleep! Party some more!

On Saturday night I went on my first date at USU. Not just any date though, my first date with an RM. His name is KC (Kenneth Christopher) Bell. His apartment is literally right next to mine, putting us in the same ward where he serves as 1st counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. We are also in the same Family Home Evening group (Go Monkeys!) so we get to play at least once a week together. We left for the Olive Garden at 5:30, and were seated, yet had not ordered our food yet. The problem is that the Jon Schmidt and Jake White concert started at 7. Thankfully KC knew our server and was able to pull a couple strings. Our appetizer and main dishes were brought out at the same time, but it was all very enjoyable. There was so much food that we have gotten together a second time to dine since we were so pressed for time. Neither of us finished our food on the second round, so maybe a third is in store. Sweet! Three dates while only paying for one!

We rushed over to the Kent Concert hall and found our seats just a few minutes before Jake White came out on stage. He is a guitarist and has composed a couple songs for EFY CDs. After an hour of his awesome playing including "One Chord Song" and "Memory Lane," Jon Schmidt replaced him and amazed us for another two hours! KC had seen Jon a couple other times in concert and said he never played for that long. We also had the treat of hearing one of his new songs. Saturday night was the first time he had played it in front of a large audience, and even asked for suggestions for the title. For those who know the song "All of Me" he uses his elbows to play again. It was all very entertaining between the head banging in "Dumb Song" and other classic Jon Schmidt compositions.

I am so glad to be making more friends here at school and actually finding things to do to pass the time instead of studying. I mean, c'mon! Who would want to learn at school? ME!! :D

Saving Lives One Drop At A Time

2007-10-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was called at the Ward Coordinator for the USU 1st Stake Blood Drives. The coolest part is that the Bishopric did not know me at the time. When they prayed though, they received the prompting I should be assigned to something medical. That shows the Lord knows me personally- where I would be able to serve and enjoy my experience the most. Anyway, that is not the point of this blog....

Today was the Stake Blood Drive here at USU. For several weeks now I had been collecting names, phone numbers, and times for when people could come in to donate. After much perseverance, I was able to completely fill up my schedule. After stressing about it this morning, making sure to fulfill my calling to the utmost all the while having class scheduled until 5:30, I was successful with the help of a couple friends and roommates. Abby and Megan were able to deliver the schedule at the start of the drive (I was in class, and had tried earlier, yet no one was there). I think the best part is my Chemistry lab lasted only one hour instead of the scheduled three hours it is supposed to take. That definitely relieved my worried mind.

I took my turn at the check-in table signing people in and giving them instructions for the first part (reading the book of information mainly). When four of my greatest friends came in to donate, I was there to be a support group. Tessa was donating for the first time and I promised to be there to hold her hand through it. My only favor I asked of them though was that they come be my support group as well. I absolutely hate needles. Just the thought creeps me out, so I figure the only time I will allow them into my body is if I need to be saved, or if I can save someone else.

Abby decided to play a mean prank on me though. The lady was about to insert the needle, I was freaking out, looking the other way and squeezing Abby's hand as hard as I could. Out of no where she screams, "OH MY GOSH!!!!" I wanted to take her blood right then. It was mine! That scared me, and the needle really hurt. After that though, my blood was just racing to get out of my body: the flow rate was a 9 the entire time, and I finished in only 5 minutes and 19 seconds. I felt pretty powerful. I laughed really hard after though- we all were, even the lady drawing my blood. I was pretty embarrassed.

Donating blood is a really awesome thing to do. I was thinking about it, and I was reminded of another service we are asked to give if we keep our bodies clean. It is a completely selfless act of service. You can provide something for someone that they cannot do for themself. I can save someone's life physically with a blood donation, but with going to the temple I can save someone spiritually. The body can accept or reject the service in each situation. Let's pray for only acceptance.

If I am this happy after donating a unit of blood, how euphoric will I be when I can go through the temple and perform other saving ordinances beside Baptisms? I bet it will be a lot better because I won't be scared, and nothing will cause me pain in the temple.

I don't know if my analogy made any sense, but I thought it was really cool :D Give Blood, Save Lives!

Apple Insomnia Film Festival

2007-10-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today in my Creative Arts class my professor introduced us to the Apple Insomnia Film Festival and one of the student producers from Utah State. For those of you who have not heard of this film festival- I was once like you. The main idea: make a three minute film in only 24 hours. Teams of up to 5 students, high school or college age, are given a list of 8 elements from which they choose three or more to include into their film. This requirement helps restrict the creation time to the 24 hours in order to make sure they are met, or the entry is disqualified. I am not very good at explaining it, but the website has a ton of information on it.

What I request as a support for my school and for the team representing Logan is that you go to the site, watch the film, and rate it. You will need an Apple ID, but that is easily signed up for if you do not already have it.

Website: www.apple.com/go/insomnia

Go to Insomnia Film Gallery (on the right hand side of the page)

Search for either "Imagine" (name of the film) or "Utah State University"

Another one I like is "What the Devil." It is funny. If you find any funny, good, intriguing videos, you should share them as well!

Rate and enjoy! Rating ends November 9th. I hope you like it, and I think kids will like it too so share with everyone you know! Let's get Logan, UT on the map more!

Friday Night Fun

2007-10-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows my friends realizes that it is close to impossible for us to decide what we are going to do on Friday or Saturday nights. I think already we have watched every movie ever made (all the good ones, that is) and played "Scene It" until the questions were coming out of our ears. Last night was not an exception by any means. After Chad and Josh played a short introductory game of "Settlers of Catan" (I refused to play thanks to Sam's fabulous tactics) we were left sitting with nothing to do. The boys were discussing the stock market and most recent football games while Mykin, Chanel, and myself caught up on each others' individual college lives. One of the biggest problems we face right now is the lack of funding to spend. We really are all poor college students now, which is a huge change from the financial freedom we experienced during our senior year of high school. A corn maze would be fun, yet expensive at the same time when groceries are to be bought in addition to books, housing, and tuition.

Eventually, we came up with a fabulous plan! Make cookies someone said! It was exactly what we needed. So I called up Mommy to double check the use of our kitchen, made a quick stop at the store for some flour, and ran back to the house. In addition to our endeavors of making cookies, we decided to invest in some dry ice and make something really fun. No silly! Not dry ice bombs, even though the thought did cross our teenage minds. We actually bought some flavoring to make homemade root beer! None of us had made it before, luckily a recipe was included on the box of the flavoring. Chanel and Mykin dove into the making of the root beer while Chad, Josh, and myself worked on mixing the cookie dough. "Strong Josh" and Chad cracked the eggs, then criticized me for adding too much vanilla. I personally think that is near impossible to do, but I received plenty of guff for it last night.

A tray of dough finally made it into the oven and the root beer mixture was bubbling furiously from the addition of dry ice. Who knew that teenagers would still be as entertained by the gaseous carbon dioxide as elementary school kids are. We took turns playing with the plumes flowing over the side of the pot, watching the white bubbles for on the surface of the liquid, and trying to throw it at each other. I personally believe more dough was eaten than cookies. Everyone knows the dough is the best part! Who cares about raw eggs anyway? Sadly I forgot about the last tray of cookies in the oven and they got a bit more baked than the others. Nothing blackened, just crunchier. Mom even joined us for a time while we enjoyed our fairly flat root beer and cookies. She even brought out the small amount of vanilla ice cream and we made root beer floats! Yum yum!

Not too long later, we were all stuffed. As I said earlier, none of us had made root beer before so we were not sure how much dry ice we should buy. The guy in the meat department suggested 5 pounds, so that is how much we bought. Turns out that 5 pounds was more than enough to carbonate our draft, so we were left with blocks of dry ice and nothing to do. Now, what can be expected of four teens (Chad was asleep on the couch), lots of time, and a large supply of dry ice? I brought out a few quarters and we proceeded to dig the metal into the ice, thereby freezing the quarters, and our fingers if we held on too long. Spoons filled with water were pressed again the ice to watch in awe with how quickly the water would freeze, sometimes with quarters inside as well. Said frozen quarters and spoons were then meticulously placed on the bare necks of other unaware participants in the festivities. Needless to say, I am amazed Mom did not come out and tell us to be quiet.

Last night was so much fun! We didn't have to spend much money for something that would entertain us for several hours if it hadn't been so late. By the time everyone was going home, I still had four large blocks of ice left. Not wanting them to go to waste, I played for a little longer sticking my CTR ring in and admiring the imprint left in the ice, then seeing how long I could stand having the frozen metal on my finger. Before retiring to bed myself, I cleaned up the cookie mess (yes, I actually do clean up after myself now!) and dumped the remainder of the dry ice into the pot of root beer in hopes of adding a bit more carbonation to the brew. Sadly enough, none of us had a camera to take pictures, only our phones. I really need to invest in a camera to share visuals of my adventures, but I tried to get a couple pictures with my computer. I do hope though that I went into enough gory detail that you could get a good enough image without the use of pictures. If you have any other ideas of things we could do to keep us occupied on these cold fall and winter weekends, it would be greatly appreciated!

This is the effect of having my CTR ring touching a piece of dry ice for several minutes. The details are hard to see, but little crystals had formed all around it making it almost look like a snowflake. Cool stuff!

Fiddling

2007-10-24T23:43:00.001-07:00

I do not know exactly what has come over me, but I am in love with my blog page now! I have convinced two of my best friends to either start their own blog on here or start writing more often. Something about this page has hooked me! I spent forever today trying out different colors for the words, backgrounds, links, everything pretty much. I decided to go with a fall color scheme and try and change it as the seasons come and go. And also, I included some of my favorite tunes so you should listen to them instead of just pausing them right away. I like the music and I think you might as well. Also I discoverd that I can record some video with my nifty little iSight camera so maybe I will be able to get more pictures/video of me instead of images I find online. I know you are all dying to see me even though you are all so far away! =D Give me some feedback on this new look. Is it me? Does it not work well? I want to make my blog the coolest page out there! Thanks for the comments! I love you all!

6 Facts

2007-10-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Carrie!

1. Peanut M&Ms are my absolute favorite candy! And I normally do not just pop them in my mouth and chew. I have to bite the chocolate off the nut. Then I split the peanut down the middle, bite off the little root bump, then try and split the nut into as many halves as possible. If I do just eat a peanut M&M, realize that is a rare occurence.

2. In my junior year of high school and before I hated writing with pens. Pencils were the way to go because I would mess up and I hated having words scratched out on my papers. Erasers were my best friends. College rolls around and I now hate writing with pencils. They smudge. I only write with pencils if I absolutely have to. Even more odd. I used to only write with black pens in high school. The juicy ones too. College. No black, only blue, and no more juicy! Ball point all the way! I actually have a favorite pen that I take with me everywhere. What I will do when it runs out? Or I lose it like I think I have? Cry probably.

3. Falling is my greatest fear. I am terrified of falling and landing and feeling the pain that comes with landing. I can handle heights just fine, airplanes cause me no discomfort (other than motion sickness). If there is a railing or anything for me to hold on to. But once the thoughts creep in of me tripping and plummeting over the edge, getting paralyzed, or dying, I don't like it anymore. Give me a mountain to climb and I will. Give me a chance to skydive or parachute and you will have push me. Then I will dislike you very much for forever. =D

4. Serving a mission is my life goal right now. I get letters from my missionaries and I love reading their stories about investigators, the area they are in, and the Spirit which is always with them. Almost no one thinks I can stay off marriage for another three years to achieve mission age, but I really want to. Nothing would make me happier than to be out in the world sharing my testimony with others!

5. It is a rare occurence for me to drink soda pop any more. Water, milk, and lemonade are the drinks to have. Hot Chocolate if it is cold (I think it is going to become an even bigger staple in my diet this winter). Grandpa Deano gave me a Sprite before I came back up to school and I drank it with my lunch today. I almost couldn't handle it! The fizz just hurts my stomach now. One little sip of Coke or Dr. Pepper makes me go crazy. It is a good thing water is free. If I was constantly buying soda I would be completely broke!

6. Walking through crunchy falls leaves is my favorite thing to do in the fall. Normally I am depressed as the days start to get colder. Here at school though I love walking to class on mornings when it hasn't rained and kicking up the leaves on the sidewalk. Yesterday all the leaves were blown off the sidewalk and onto the grass. I had to go walk on the grass so I could kick up my leaves. There is just something about wearing a jacket yet still being a little chilled then walking through piles of leaves that is so comforting to me. I think it started when Mom and I visited Lincoln and Carrie in Indiana and we went to a park. I got to walk around in the leaves and I was addicted.

I tag Maren, Marisa, Jessica, Rachelle, Stephanie M, and Abby. Enjoy!

Family Day

2007-10-14T10:42:00.001-07:00

My student ward held a special two hour sacrament meeting today and invited the families of all the students to come and visit, then have lunch afterward. At first I was somewhat excited to have Mom come up and visit. Everyone I asked said their families were not coming so I felt out of place. Gradually though I realized this would be really fun and I was WAY excited for her to come up. Then tragedy struck. Mom got sick. Really sick. I feel totally bad for her sick. Suddenly when Mom is unable to come, all of my friends said their families were coming. Great! How does that work? So today instead of sitting with Mom during sacrament meeting, I sat between my two friends and their moms'. I felt alone and sad. I know it is not Mom's choice to not be here. She would be here for sure if she wasn't so sick. And that is totally fine. I honestly don't want to get sick. But it would have been nice to sit there with Mom like always back at home. Yet something about being in Logan makes it different and more meaningful.

I guess what I am trying to get at is that I really do love my family. I say it all the time, but it is so true! I was so excited to have Mom meet my bishopric (who are awesome, by the way), see my apartment (and how clean I keep it), and maybe even get to know my roommates better since I know them now. I am homesick. I do not show it because I was so excited to be off on my own. Actually I do not think this is normal homesickness. I am more familysick it feels like. I need my brothers and sisters- my best friends. I need my adorable nieces and nephews to make me laugh, joy, and play like a little kid should. I need Mom to hold my hand, keep me paying attention to the speakers, and make sure I get enough to eat (and that it is real food). No, I am not a little kid still, but there is that part of me (which is in everyone I am sure) that just needs to snuggle when life is hard and the monsters in the closet never seem to go away.

Life is pretty good though.

I LOVE YOU! <3

Flowers

2007-10-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

I am a
Canna

What Flower
Are You?

"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

I like flowers. They make me happy. They remind me of Spring. So far away....

Entomophagy

2007-09-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

Gross.
Crunchy.
Disgusting.
Tasteless.
Nasty.
Coarse.
Foul.
Dry.
Sickening.
Awful.
Uncouth.

All these adjectives sum up my experience today pretty well. To say the least, my Food and Culture class has been studying taboos. Needless to say, bugs were a part of that. Normally I like the food provided in that class and will eat it without gagging. Too bad that couldn't be the case today. I ate a bug...

Crickets are yucky.

Crickets are worse than yucky.

And any attempts to flavor crickets fail miserably.

Crickets are HORRIBLE!

Don't eat them!

Tests

2007-09-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

With college life upon me I have to deal with everything my classes have to throw at me. My schedule consists of Biology (with a 3 hour lab once a week), Chemistry (3 hour lab once a week and 1 hour recitation once a week), Food and Culture, and Creative Arts. I love all my classes even though there are some very frustrating times which bombard me (particularly Chem Lab-Thankfully today was manageable for once!). But being the fifth week of school I have started to encounter tests in my classes. First was Biology on Friday morning. To say the least, I have never taken a biology class prior to this so I was scared out of my mind! Thursday night before the test I studied for four hours in addition to the hour (at least) I put into studing each day previous. Luckily all that studying paid off and I only missed three questions. To say the least I was very stoked about it. Chemistry gave me a test on Monday morning, but this one I wasn't too worried about. I had taken Chemistry twice before this so I am very confident about my basic chemistry skills. Sadly, I didn't study as much, but it didn't make a difference. I only missed two questions. One I missed was a stupid mistake I made in my conversion factor (2.54 inches are NOT in 1 centimeter!) and the other I simply wasn't sure about. Overall, I am happy with my test scores so far and hope that the success continues. Woot for starting the year out good!

Apples

2007-09-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

With college started, computers come into play in my life so much more. For a while I thought I could manage by using the computers at the library. Turns out they fill out REALLY fast, and it is only the fourth week of classes. Think about how busy they will be when finals week rolls around. So after finding a great deal, some money was invested and I am now enjoying my new computer. And iPod. Yes, that is right. Katherine X has an iPod nano (lime green, it is totally cool!) and a white Macbook. Everything about it is just so....white. Even though Mom has had Macs for years, finally getting my own is like I have never seen one. I love playing with all the various toys and applications already on here. Including the built in camera, iTunes, everything pretty much. Finally I will be able listen to music wherever and not have to swipe Steph's iPod (named Lily). Now I have Jade to take around with me. (Don't ask about the whole naming things, we are just weird college kids). Life is great. It really is.

Utah State, HEY! Aggies all the way!

2007-09-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

So I have officially completely my third week of college life. To state it simply....I LOVE IT! College is so much fun, I can hardly get enough of it. Meredith's stories surpass mine as of now, but I am sure my experiences will expand very rapidly. My classes are exactly what I was looking for: tough, but providing me an opportunity to love. I guess I really am supposed to be heading towards a major in chemistry or biology because both subjects completely fascinate me. In fact, in Biology lab on Thursday I saw an Amoeba! Under microscope! It was crazy! Friends are awesome and we are always finding opportunities to play and have a great time. Do not worry, I am studying dutifully, but I need to incorporate a level of play. I would love mail because I don't think I have ever seen a more barren mailbox ever. Address: 204 Merrill Hall/Logan, UT 84321. Write please? I miss everyone and I love everyone! If you want to hear more of my adventures, just ask or keep checking occasionally. I promise I will blog some of my experiences.

Twilight in the First Person

2007-08-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

Getting the opportunity to visit Lincoln, Carrie and their three boys this past week waas absolutely wonderful! I loved played with Matthew, Scott, and holding little Luke. Don't forget the challenges issued by Lincoln to keep my brain functioning during the dull months of summer. On Friday we packed up the cars and headed up to the Olympic Peninsula by way of ferry. For those who know my love of Stephenie Meyer and her books Twilight, New Moon, and as of yesterday, Eclipse, I had to stop at the main locations Edward and Bella spent time in. So here are my pictures from Forks and La Push. Oddly enough I ran into Bella's truck Monday night back here in Salt Lake. Thanks for being such a great enthusiast with me Carrie!

Attack of August 8th

2007-08-08T11:22:00.001-07:00

So this morning I was awoken by the flashing of mom's camera to find my room in ruins (more than it normally is anyway :D) The destructor was none other than the infamous Randi Howell. What a great way to welcome in my 18th birthday! Thanks!

Happy 4th!

2007-07-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

FYI: Sunburns REALLY hurt.

Boating is way worth it though.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

My missionaries!

2007-06-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

I figured since I have so many guys leaving soon and hardly any one knows who is who, I would give background on it...

I lack a more missionary like picture....Jeremy aka Beje Slovenia/Croatia Mission, reported in January

Jason Christensen, Milan, Italy Mission, reported March 7

Dan Flowers, Lisbon, Portugal Mission, reported May 9

Spencer Williams, Macon, Georgia Mission, reported May 23

Sean Lund, Sao Paulo Interlagos, Brazil Mission, reported May 31

Andrew Pettit, Russia Novosibirsk Mission, reports June 20

Jonathan Race, Anaheim, California Mission (Spanish speaking), reports July 11

Cody Cutler, Madrid, Spain Mission, reports July 11

Andrew Evans, San Juan Puerto Rico Mission, reports July 18

Curtis Lundstrom, Cinncinati, Ohio Mission, reports August 8

Jess Bowers, Campinas, Brazil Mission, reports August 22

MIke Christensen, Toulouse, France Mission, reports August 22

I think that is all...for now anyway....

Class of 007

2007-06-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has come and gone. My high school days are over...finally! All the hard work through AP classes and finding the right group of friends for me, I finally made it. Here are some of the pictures from the graduation ceremony, May 31, 2007.

ME!

Stephanie!

Mykin!

Abby and parents!

Andrew and Stephanie!

Highland High Graduation
Stephanie, X, Chanel, Curtis, Mykin

Olympus High Graduation
X, Dylan, Eric, Andrew, Abby

Oh the many memories created! Now on to college to create a million more!

Senior Prom

2007-06-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well I said this would be next, I just never said when. But here are the pictures from my Senior Prom, May 12, 2007.

My dress which I rented from Candlelight Formalwear in Sandy. Only $90 compared to buying it for +$300, which I thought was a great deal! I felt like a mermaid!

Here is mom pinning the boutineer on my date since I didn't want to stab him. His name is Jeff Bowers, a great guy. Plays the saxaphone in Wind Ensemble with me (or did anyway) and went to Valentine's Dance with me as well.

Here are both of us before we headed off to rendezvous with the other couples. Can I just say that guys are absolutely astounding in tuxes....dang!

We went to dinner at the Five Alls, which if I may say, was amazing in every way! Except for being quite expensive, the atmostphere was so great that it inspired us to speak in British accents the entire night, or at least attempt to. The dance was held in one of the conference rooms at Rice Eccles Stadium. I am not normally scared of heights (only falling) but standing next to the floor-to-ceiling window staring out across the valley made me quite dizzy. Overall, this was such a grand night and I am so glad I was able to go with some of my best friends!

Sunday: Day of Rest

2007-05-20T18:32:00.001-07:00

Yet why was I so incredibly busy today!? I feel like I have been running at a million miles per hour since 7 this morning! First meeting I attended this morning was for my best friend Sean Lund. It was his farewell as he prepares to serve a mission in Sao Paulo, Brasil- Interlagos Mission. (Boys, I need your help learning Portuguese so I can conspire against the girls with the other guys speaking Portuguese!) He reports to the Missionary Training Center in Brasil on May 30th, making it so he flies out on Tuesday. Not only is Sean leaving, but Spencer as well. He departs on this Wednesday (23rd) and is going to the Georgia, Macon mission. I am so excited for these two as well as all of my other boys that will be leaving by the end of the summer. Don't forget about the ones who are already out serving as well, they get my love too! But immediately following Sean's farewell (combined with the farewells of two other missionaries as well!) and a quick open house at his home, I rushed home to make it to my meetings at 1 o'clock. Sadly, I had to miss my Youth Conference planning meeting this morning as well as BYC....whoops...I have failed to mention that I have been set apart as the Laurel class president, my bad! The graduating Laurels were invited to attend Relief Society for the "Newly Grad Game" so the older members could get to know us. Later, in sacrament meeting, I was presented with my Young Women's Recognition medallion so that was pretty exciting. After and hour dinner, I rushed back down to the stake center to attend seminary graduation. Now I actually have a chance to relax, in which Randi and I decided a much needed dessert has been missing from our life for the past several months. A call was made to our favorite father in New York, received a couple tips, and are about to make a batch of TAPIOCA! (neener, neener, neener! :D) But yes, that is my day, restful and relaxing, yet extremely busy at the same time. Only two more weeks of school left, yippee!!

P.S. Prom was last week, and a report will follow...it was fun to say the least!

Welcome back

2007-05-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

I am ashamed that it has been so long since my last post, but to plead my case I was focusing on my three AP classes and the tests in May. How wonderful it feels to have those four-hour tests off my chest, mind, shoulders, and every other part of me. Finally I am able to breathe and enjoy the wonderful weather that has graced Salt Lake. At times it is very hot (especially as I leave school and get into my car) but I am not one known to often complain about the heat. What makes the days even more wonderful (after I get off work at 5:30 working at Poulton Associates, Inc.) is that all of my friends who graduated last year are home from school or aren't working anymore. Despite mom believing that the weeknights are still school nights (trust me, they aren't any longer) I have somehow managed to find some time each night to go spend with my friends. One of the perfect opportunities are the Jazz games that have become regular activities for so many Utahns, and we have taken full advantage of the game time. Another activity that I am so excited to have started once again is playing at the park. So what if 'playing' right now consists of laying on the grass with an occasional grass fight here and there, it is time with my friends and I love it! But the coming of summer brings a pain along with the freedom from school: my mishies are starting to leave one by one. So far four of my boys have already departed, half now serving out in the field. Two more are set to leave by the end of May. Spencer and Sean, the two guys I care about the most right now are the next in line and it is slowly eating me alive. There is nothing else in this world that I would have for them here and now than to devote two years and serve the Lord. But at the same time, I don't know what I am going to do without them here to talk to, joke around with and make temple runs at 5:30 in the morning to do baptisms for the dead. This afternoon was especially hard for me as every moment of the day I struggled to keep myself from crying. Luckily, by the time that Institute rolled around I had managed a nap during lunch and was ready to find some answers or at least comfort in the scriptures. Yay for me, I found it (somewhat by accident, but I think it was inspiration) in John 16: 20 & 22...

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

I read these scriptures to a few of my friends and I felt kinda dumb, but they really helped me in my time of need. My mishies are going and I love them to death! Many of the posts from here on out will most likely be based around them, so please bear with me.

"Set in order your houses"

2007-02-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

For anyone who truly knows me, I suffer from chronic "messy room" syndrome. It is very easy to diagnose, but a million times harder to cure. There are times of recession when the disease seems to be cured, but add enough stress and the symptoms return very rapidly, many times worse than before. Recently, I struggled through a particularly virulent strain that lasted no matter what treatment I received. I always seemed to ignore the pressure from Mom to take my medicine, and still felt fine no matter where I went. But of all people, I did not expect my young women leader to be the one to administer the medicine needed to cure me, even just temporarily. Our lesson a few weeks back was on "Establishing a House of Order." To put it gently, my house is not generally a house of order, let alone my bed and bath rooms. Her lesson pricked my heart and I began wondering what my friends thought when ever they stopped by, if they were embarrassed as I was. Last weekend I decided to finally fill my prescription and start following what the doctor ordered. I believe it was in conjunction with my greater desire to get along with my mom, mainly doing what she asked, that I finally worked to clean my room. I gathered all the dirty clothes, washed, dried, and actually folded or hung them up. Personally, I was really impressed with that accomplishment simply because my clothes are normally scattered amongst my bed, floor, and anything else in my room. I found a home for the majority of my odds and ends, dusted, and even vacuumed. Do not forget washing my sheets and making my bed each morning for the past couple of days. As I get older and prepare to move out on my own, I am beginning to realize that I am not always going to have my own room to trash. Soon I will be living in dorms and eventually with my husband. I do not want to portray a messy image to anyone I am with, so I figured I better start now to develop my habits. So far I am doing great. Let's just hope it lasts!

For those of you who do not believe me (shame on you!), here is proof!

Bottles

2007-02-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

I never realized the intensity of the things I keep to myself. My life is generally great and I do not have any huge problems that I need to deal with on a regular basis; probably my biggest dilemma is what shirt I am going to wear. There really is no reason for my to complain about my life: I have the best friends anyone could ask for, I get good grades, a car is always available for my use, I have a good paying job, and a wonderful family who loves me. Suddenly everything hit me last night, the problem being that I do not know what "everything" entitles. Last night was the first time I have really cried in months and it caught me completely off guard. Through my mom's questions and concern I tried my hardest to act like nothing was wrong for I truly felt like that. Suddenly I could not hold it--whatever "it" was--in any longer and the tears started falling from my eyes. What drives me insane about those tears is that each one was falling over something that I could not and still cannot do anything to change. My life is how it is supposed to be, but my mind never stops thinking about the many millions of "ifs" that surround me constantly. I am always wondering what my life would have been life, where I would be now IF I had been a little more this, IF I had done a little bit more of that, IF I will ever get my chance to do whatever it is that has filled my mind. My mom really helped me out last night as she told me something which I really need to apply to my life:

The past is over and done with and there is no chance of changing it so give it up.
The future is a mystery and it will come as it will, there is no need worrying about it.
Right now is a present and I need to be grateful for such a wonderful gift I have.

I am a bottle of Sprite, Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, Coke, etc. which has been shaken a few too many times and the pressure was released last night in a grand fountain!

Basketball

2007-01-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

The past couple days have brought back many of my fond memories. Sports are a big part of my life, playing or watching. Volleyball through Olympus Junior and at the high school until this past year has been such a wonderful learning experience as I worked with my team mates to become better at the game I love. Basketball was another story though. As I attended Sean's ward ball game (with my ward none-the-less) a feeling started coming back to me that had been missing. Then later that night I played in my own ward ball game and the competitiveness of my sophomore year playing basketball engulfed me. Guarding the point, jumping for a steal, making a fast break (but missing the shot!), and all the other memorable aspects of the game made me miss it so much. That winter I was not very dedicated. I told myself the game was everything, making that shot and helping the team out was so important. But if it was as I called it, then why did I quit? I love playing, I love the competition and the aggravation of pushing myself to the limit, sprinting the next quad through my burning lungs so I could be that much faster during the game. As I watched the girls I played with two years ago in their game Friday night (they sadly lost) I was ready to bound onto the court, lace up my shoes and starting shooting all over again.

I guess the whole point of this entry is to help everyone to stick to what they want. I would have loved to keep playing, feel the thrill of a game once more, but I gave up on that dream. I told myself I couldn't do it, that I wouldn't have the time or the energy to make it through another year. Looking back I see that I could have made it, and I wish I had.

Happiness

2007-01-01T14:30:00.001-07:00

This excitement that has over come me completely caught me off guard, yet it has caught me, and caught me soundly. The times when I cannot get a smile off of my face are the ones that make me even more happy; simply the act of trying to not show my teeth raise how excited I am and eventually cause me burst. For so long I believe this moment would not come again for several years. OH how I was wrong! I have never been so glad to be wrong and admit my wrongness in my entire life. When my entire body is shaking from excitement and anticipation, I know something special is going on....if only I knew how it would all turn out in the end! AHHHH!! YAY!

It turns out that I wrote that a couple weeks ago, and I am happy to announce that things have worked out for me and I can't be happier right now. I LIKE HIM!

Ditzyness

2006-12-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

I don't think that there can be anything more frustrating than what I just experienced. Totally and completely engrossed in Season Four of Smallville, I continued to watch the episodes where I had last left off. Events in this disc were confusing me as I had not seen anything leading up to that point prior. Having just finished the last episode on the disc, I saunter out into the kitchen to retrieve the next one. As I am flipping through the little booklet which accompanied the discs, I noticed four episodes totally foreign to me. Yah, I skipped an entire disc and had no idea. That will explain why Lionel is out of prison and Chloe suddenly hints about Clark's powers. I simply attribute this moment of ditzyness to my hair color and the million other things happening in my life.

The Yardstick

2006-12-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

"One good yardstick as to whether as person might be the right one for you is this: in her presence, do you think your noblest thoughts, do you aspire to your finest deeds, do you wish you were better than you are?"

—Ezra Taft Benson

I sure hope that I am girl, lady, woman, who promotes such actions in a boy, gentleman, man.

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Missionaries

2006-12-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day for two years. Two years, 24 months, 730 days, 17,520 hours, 1,051,200 minutes, or 63,072,000 seconds that my parents are gone. My only correspondence with them will consist of letters, emails, and occasional phone calls to keep them in touch with my busy life as a senior in high school. They are leaving to serve the Lord in the New York, New York North, Public Affairs mission as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am so happy for this opportunity they have to serve. This moment is bittersweet though I as I contemplate the family events they will miss and the void that their absence will create in my life. For seven years Dad and Carolyn had traveled from Florida to Arkansas then back to Florida while I tarried in Utah with my mom and a majority of my siblings. When they finally returned to live in Salt Lake I could never had been more excited; I was finally going to have that father-figure in my life that had not been physically there when I was growing up. Now as I have to give them up again to the wonderful people in New York, I feel selfish and want to keep them all to myself, at least until I am graduated and living more on my own. I do not write this in anyway to worry them or any of my family, but I cannot keep these emotions in while I suffer through the drama of high school. Because of their willingness to serve, I know that I also will be blessed as well as my entire family. How wonderful that will be to notice things in my life and be able to attibute them to the mercies of the Lord. So many missionaries leaving ranging from my parents to Jeremy, Jason, Josh, Sean, Cody, Curtis, Andrew, Jon, Spencer, Pettit, Jess and so many more that I cannot even begin to start naming. They all mean the world to me and I am so proud of the choices they have made that have brought them to this spot. I love you all!

Friends

2006-11-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been anticipated for several weeks now, and not simply for the opportunity to gorge myself on turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Even though Thursday was an enjoyable time with family and food, my family of friends were my focus this weekend. Monday and Tuesday killed me as I waited and waited to hear from Jess, Andrew, Squeaks, Jon, Tiffany, Amanda, Erin, Jeremy, Lindsey, Annie....pretty much all of my friends who have ventured off to the not so far away lands of Utah State University and Snow College. Wednesday night rolled around and I did not expect to be doing anything more exciting than watching my favorite Smallville Trio, believing that night would be occupied by family matters. That all changed when Abby called pleading for me to figure something out for that night; 'reluctantly' I called up Jess to see what he wanted to do. Bowling sounded like a great idea so we called up Cody and Amanda and asked if they wanted to join us. Low and behold, we did not end up with four friends at Brasstons Family Bowling, but nineteen! What a great night that was as we laughed, joked and hugged a lot. Not too much happened on Friday night; a few gathered at Kristy D.'s house to simply relax and catch up on each others' lives. Saturday was the biggest day of them all where almost every waking moment was spent in the presence of my buddies. Beginning at nine o'clock in the morning we played an exciting game of football complete with a couple bloody noses, a search line for Erin's lost key, and a car jacked up. Following a thrill filled morning was a thrill filled afternoon as we gathered at Sean's home for the intense rivalry game between Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. Although far outnumbered by the Cougar fans, the Utes had a fair representation as friends (yet foes) sat amongst each other eating chips and owed ice cream while screaming for their favored team. I have never seen so much chaos and frustration as was present at the conclusion of that Holy War. Admittingly, I am saddened by the outcome, but I cannot deny how great the game really was and the talent presented from both teams. Only after a feast of Cafe Rio, a whacked game of "Bump, Set, Spike," followed by several games on variations of pool and 'teaching' others the frustrations of Mao, the night was over. Steady contact with my friends from 9 o'clock in the morning to 11:30 at night makes for the best day in a long time. To top it all off, things just worked with people and my overall situation with one in particular greatly improved leaving me fighting back tears of joy. Thanks everyone for all you do and I love you!! I cannot wait for Christmas to come!

Spinning out of Control

2006-11-15T21:21:00.001-07:00

I am going insane even though I know my life is now where as bad as it seems. So many priorities are pulling me in conflicting directions, tearing my mind and heart apart. Just when I feel that things are under control and taken care of, I realize how much I have screwed up. I try to take a step back, analyze my life and figure out what is first on my list, only to have ten more obligations jump out and punch me in the nose. The only problem though is that I, for some odd reason, do not have it in me to let the tears come from my eyes as a result of those punches. When life should be going so smoothly and making the most sense right before I get my Patriarchal Blessing, I have fallen in the most ditches and twisted my ankles on the biggest rocks. School, church, boys, friends, work, music, and time for me are constantly competing with no item coming out on top. They all just lie in a jumbled pile that I try to leave at the door of my room. Where are the tears which I wish would make me feel better, and where can I turn to get a hug from someone who cares? Is anyone out there?

Trios

2006-11-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

WARNING: I will be discussing plot of the second season for those who do not want to know!

I had always had a determination to never get truly addicted to a television series. But thanks to the convincing of my friends Sean and Abby, I have fallen to the "dark side." Smallville is an intense show to watch. Every book I read and show I watch always seems to apply to major events happening in my life or in the relative history. My mom and I finished the second season tonight and that relation finally dawned on me. So far there has been the trio of Clark, Lana and Chloe attacking whatever comes their way together. I have had that same trio in my life consisting of Sean, Curtis and myself. And what could summarize the life of a highschool student more than drama....drama, drama, drama! For someone who does not have the largest group of friends, I feel that I have experienced my fair share of drama for the rest of my life (too bad I still have college to go!). Clark has the same problem; two girls fighting for his affection when only one of them can win. Just switch that around and that is the story of my life. Curtis and Sean have been my best friends since the beginning of last year. They were always available for me to talk with for hours after school, or the people that actually called me on the weekends. Now is the time to superimpose Clark's life into my own, just switch genders. It seems that as far back as Curtis and I have really known each other, he has had strong feelings for me. The problem residing in the fact that I didn't feel the same. There is Chloe for you, striving to show Clark her feelings toward him but the is blinded by his overwhelming love for Lana, always taken by Whitney (in my situation is was Josh). It wasn't until Clark decided to give Chloe and him a chance that Lana also began falling for Clark. The moment I tried to make things work with Curtis, only to result in me really knowing how I felt, I began suspecting Sean's feelings (which I had never even considered before). As a result of this confusion, I relied more on the support of Sean to get me through the exhausting conversations and confrontations I had with Curtis, thereby launching Sean and I into a relationship over the summer. Every moment it seemed that I attempted to fix things with Curtis, it simply got worse. Finally it got to the point where he wouldn't call, hang out, or have anything to do with the two of us, making me wonder about my situation with Sean. I could go on and on about the similarities between the Smallville Trio and the Olympus High Trio but I will restrain myself. I feel the main purpose of me writing this down is the frustration I have felt since school started. Sean and I couldn't keep going out, which in turn helped things to be on a better friend basis with Curtis. The only problem though is that we can never go back to the wonderful blissful moments of the three of us sitting by the wall in the morning, eating sausage pizza and pink lemonade at lunch, playing frisbee, then standing by the front doors after school. I have lost my two best friends...and I am scared that I will never get them back like I want and need them back. This isn't to say that I don't have best friends right now that I can go to for anything, but I feel that it will never be the same with anyone like it was with those to guys in my life. They really do mean the world to me, and I hope they realize that.

Music

2006-11-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Who would have ever thought that an arrangement of notes and words can have such a grand impact on our lives. Everywhere we go there are rhythms to bounce along with and lyrics to belt out (whether we can sing well or not). It would be impossible to even attempt living for one week without some form of music entering our ears. I can hardly stand being at work for three hours without my CDs to jam out to. With music being such an infinite idea (there is never an end to the arrangement of notes and words that can be made), I am amazed at the ability of musicians and artists to compose CDs in which every song relates perfectly to my life at one moment or another. I urge everyone to really listen to the music that is a part of their life and realize what a major factor it is.

Falling

2006-10-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love the Fall for what it is...

Walking along in the sunshine as I kick up painted leaves

Wearing a jacket to protect from the first bites of cold

Afternoon drives up the canyons to watch the falling leaves

If only Fall did not lead into Winter...

THE Conversation

2006-10-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

Talking with him (who shall remain nameless!) brings out such a grand array of emotions; too many thoughts and feelings to possibly deal with all at once. This discussion had been avoided for so long that I finally could not take it any longer and would not let the topic go until I had the answers I needed. Both he and I did not want to be in that situation, but I felt it would help in the long run; I truly hope and think it has. The answers I received, though not the ones I wanted or hoped for, they are exactly what I needed. Anything else would have made life much more complicated and confusing. Now I feel I can move on (not simply try and act like I have), leave him alone about this awkward topic, and just go back to having a great friend and someone I can talk to about anything. Even though life will never be the same as it once was, no matter what the outcome of this laborious, hour long talk had been, I really am praying that things will not be ruined and life will be just as grand as it ever has been.

Rainy Days

2006-10-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

By all accounts, this was not one of the better days of my life. Not to rant, rave, or seek sympathy, I simply find it quite interesting my whole attitude about the current situation. After struggling through today (mainly getting to bed late last night and waking up early this morning, having my wallet stolen, doing quite poorly on a history test, having my +$100 calculator freeze, plus it is continuously raining) I feel I have good reason to not be in the best mood. Oddly enough though, I don't really care! Originally I was excited because I thought someone had been wonderful by returning my purse which I carelessly forgot it in the hall before going to class; that excitement turned into sadness then frustration when I realized my wallet was actually gone (car keys still inside my purse, mind you). I always thought something like having my wallet stolen would be a huge fiasco and all I would worry about is getting the money back. Instead, I have simply thought, what the heck, they can keep the money for all I care! I only ask for my driver's license, temple recommend (I was going to do baptisms again tonight, but that plan was foiled!), and any other forms of identification to be given back to me. Hopefully someone will decide to do the right thing and return it; that would make life purely great. Big thanks to my great friends, I was able to get out of the house and stop moping...I simply ended up falling asleep while with them. Who knew one day at school could be so draining!

Temple Trips

2006-10-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the opportunity of going to the Salt Lake Temple and doing baptisms for the dead with my ward's young women. As we walked around the temple before entering the baptistery (we didn't enter at the correct gate so we took the scenic route :D ) I was awe-struck with its majesty. The granite walls are such a site to behold! Walking closer to the gray walls I felt so small and unimportant in comparison. How the early pioneers were able to design and construct such a beautiful building simply surpasses my understanding. The carving in to the hard stone simply seems impossible to achieve with the technology of their time. Gazing up at the spires and the golden Angel Moroni I realized how blessed I am to have this symbol of my faith and testimony so close to my home. So many people travel for hours, even days to reach the nearest temple while there are eleven in Utah alone! How I could not find more time out of my week to travel the thirty minutes downtown and perform this service, I do not know, but I am determined to do better. Not only will I be able to bless the lives of others, but my own life with be blessed too. Just as the sister at the recommend desk said, "by being here you are on the way to making it to heaven," and in the process, others can join me. How wonderful life is!

Just a quick question, do those who I am baptized and confirmed for know who I am? Also, will I be able to meet them when I die? Any insight would be great to know.