My Family

I’ve decided that since I’ve done a tribute to my brother, Sydney, my car and to my roommates, I should probably step it up and throw down a little shout out to my wonderfully awesome sister and the parental unit. So here it goes…

Meredith…*singing* how do you solve a problem like Meredith? HAHAHAH SO just kidding, sister-face! I love you so freaking bad that I can’t even express it how it should be! We have so many awesome memories that it’s hard to pinpoint them all down, but seriously you’re my heart’s duet. Hahahaha. Life without you would totally suck in a bad bad bad way! I always look forward to coming home and spending every day, all day at your house. Of course, whenever we’re together, While You Were Sleeping and Anne of Green Gables are definitely an order. Nothing was better than when we road tripped it to Vegas last year and we turn on the TV one morning and what was on? That’s right...a little Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman goodness. I think the universe knew we were together. Lol. Meredith is one of those sisters where you can just sit around all day with her and you’re never bored. I don’t know if that’s because, between the two of us, we’re very clumsy and we say stupid things all the time or if we’re just that cool. I’m surprised we have to talk at all considering that we can usually tell what the other is thinking at the very moment. Never try to beat us at Catch Phrase. We will destroy you. :) I think one of my most favorite memories of Meredith and I was when she used to let me sleep in her room when she was in high school. She would pull out the trundle bed and she’d read scriptures while I practiced how to braid hair and then we’d stay up giggling for a few and then it would start all over again the next night! Good times, sister girl. I love you bad and can’t imagine life without you.

Mammasita…honestly, who else would I take to Ireland with me? You rock my socks and it’s so fun that we end up liking a lot of the same things…Ireland, Eeyore, etc. etc. etc. You know, the important things in life :) I also love getting to be your personal shopper…it’s nice to shop for ppl who don’t have a severely large billboard shoulder line. Hahaha. You’ve taught me so much that I wouldn’t have been able to learn from other people and I really value those lessons! :) You know what I miss? All of the cute little notes you and dad used to sneak into my lunches in high school! Its way cool that I got to have your middle name too! We should start an exclusive club or something :) It also makes me feel like I belong in the house of Elle at Krypton…we could be tight with Kalelle and Jorelle or however you spell them. I have no idea, but they sound the same and that makes it a freakin sweet name. I remember all those times when I used to crawl in bed with you and want to snuggle while we watched TV…good times! Anyway, I love you bad and I can’t wait for our fun Ireland adventure next month. It’s gonna be our fun bonding time! We haven’t gotten to do that for a while and I’m excited to leave work and school behind and get a week of just me and you! It’s gonna be great!

Pappity doo dah…how else can I explain it? Yoda? Yeah…you have much knowledge! Hahaha. Thanks for always being the voice of reason for me and for showing me how to fill our lives with Christlike love for those who surround you. I also love all the crappy/awesome things that I inherited from you…bad teeth structure, big feet and toes, eyes that don’t need contacts (seriously…LOVE you for that) and the best one…the fact that we can’t sleep if the bed wasn’t made when we first got in. haha. Quirky, but awesome. Everyone knows that I’m daddy’s little girl and I love it! You always make me feel like someone worthwhile! I loved waking up and seeing flowers on the stove for me on Valentine’s Day and I definitely love our daddy daughter dates to give blood. Not to mention that getting to do the genealogy for your side of the family has been so fun! You’re seriously the best dad ever and I feel bad for everyone else cuz you aren’t their daddio!

Okay, okay…so short and sweet, that’s how I roll! :) I hope everyone has a great weekend and an even better week next week! Heart y’all bad! XOXO

Changing Times and Tough Decisions

So, you know how I thought I had everything planned out? Remember how I also have said, on occasion, that my plans usually never work out? hahah yeah...we're back to square one again. After a LOT of thinking and fighting with myself about different issues (that's very hard to do you know...it takes a lot of talent. haha) I have decided that I have no idea where I'm going to go after this semester. Good conclusion right? :) I've realized that I need to stop putting of what I want to do because the options that present themselves are comfortable for me and "safe." I need to get out and as Mrs. Frizzle always says, "Get messy...make mistakes!" Honestly, I've never been more scared in my life! It was easier to take the easy way out a couple of days ago before all this thinking started. See...no good comes from thinking. We should all stop right now! A few weeks ago I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I just had options and ideas that really didn't excite me much for anything longer than a day or two. Maybe a week if I was lucky. Now, after much thought, I really feel strongly about getting involved with things like crisis centers/women's issues centers or other non-profit organizations that are trying to make the world a better place. I've been doing some job searching and I actually applied for a position at a branch office in Dallas for Cystic Fibrosis today. They asked for my availability date and seriously...it was so hard to put March 09. As much as I really dislike a few things about Provo, its home and if I end up leaving, its going to be really hard. Especially leaving before April like I had planned. And leaving so many of my close friends that I have made through the last 4 1/2 years to head back home where I was certain I wouldn't end up anytime soon. Don't get me wrong...I would love to be home, close to my family, but the culture here is so different and I absolutely love it here despite all the crap pressure to get married, the snow and stuff. Not to mention that it's a great place to be when you're single and LDS. The very idea of leaving really scares me. I've been looking for places in Utah as well and Arizona too but nothing has come up yet...although, I haven't really been searching that long, so who knows? Emily wants to end up in Arizona and I've heard wonderful things about it...not to mention that it's warm. So, that's the scoop. Growing up stinks sometimes. ;)

In brighter news...I got to go to the Draper Temple open house yesterday. It was completely wonderful! I love temples...they really are amazing! But, for now, I have to get back to work. I hope everyone had a wonderful MLK day and continues to have a great week! Love you all! XOXO

Bet On It

Howdy y'all! This weekend brought about some funny/interesting stories...all around, it was a good time :) Lets go back to Monday though, where the story begins. Monday night after FHE I went with my brothas, Jon, Klark and Verdon and a couple of other ppl in the ward to play volleyball with their friends from Pleasant Grove and as we were in the middle of doing a donut in the church parking lot, Klark stopped and was like hey...have you seen the rugby movie that's in the dollar theater? I said no and they were shocked. So, we decided that we were going to see it that weekend. Long story short, there ended up being about a good 20 ppl from our ward there that night, so it was fun. Not to mention that the movie was actually really good, not including all the cheesy Mormon-ish stuff about it. Sometimes the cheesy Mormon stuff is actually quite hilarious, so yes...I loved the movie and I'm glad I saw it. :)

Saturday was quite the busy day. I went shooting (yes, real guns...weird huh?) with Verdon, Klark and Katie. I felt pretty hardcore, I'm not gonna lie. I'd only been shooting once before and it didn't even technically count. It was in Allison Moon's backyard and we were shooting at a milk carton filled with water. Not quite the best. So yes...it was fun. I sucked pretty bad but I did, at least, hit the targets. I hit the center a couple of times but I'm blaming that on sheer luck. My gun choice: 22 Caliber. All the other ones made me feel like a lameo that cant aim. haha. Which, in fact, is very true, but I'd rather ppl not find that out while I'm shooting a loaded gun :) My funny story from that experience though, is that whenever I was shooting this particular gun, the shells would fly back at me, which didn't hurt or anything, but sometimes they would fly down my shirt. Usually I could just shake it out, but not one time...oh no. It found its way through many layers of shirts and got stuck. Yes, that's right. Stuck. Naturally, it was hot so it burned a little, resulting in me doing a rather strange jiggy dance to try to get it out. Even that didn't work. I finally had to reach down there and grab it out. Good times. Its a good thing that Klark, Verdon and I are so close. haha.

Later that night, I got to go to the Jazz/Pistons game with Pete, Verdon and Ariel. It was some way good times, other than the fact that the Pistons lost by like 26 points. BLAH. That's always the luck. There was this little boy that was sitting behind us that had no idea what the phrase 'trash talk' really means. He kept saying things like, "you trashy car parts!" hahahaha. Oh man...or he'd just yell BOO BOO over and over again. Mind you, he sounded like a little 5 year old girl. We actually thought he was until we turned around and noticed otherwise. Good times. We went and got hot chocolate afterwards to warm up a little and then went trax surfing...and by we, I mean Pete. The rest of us just kinda stood there and watched as he tried to stand on the trax train without holding onto anything when it stopped and started. It was quite funny to watch, but you probably had to be there. He was all over the place at some points.

When I got home, I found my roommates sitting around the TV watching the second high school musical. I've only seen the end part of that one which has some absolutely HILARIOUS parts just because its so incredibly corny. You can't help but laugh when you watch it. I would like to know if this was choreographed or if this is just Zac Efron's brilliance. Now I know why all the girls love him so! After the movie was finished, we decided to dance and sing along with all of the songs. They decided to give me all of the "locker" scenes. There are a couple where the lead girl is singing these sad, lonely songs (evidently, the lack of Zac depresses her...but seriously, wouldn't it depress you if those stellar dance moves were taken away?) Anyway, during times of these songs, she's singing up against the lockers and beating them. I'm here to tell you today, that I reenacted those moments using our fridget. It was great...and now all locker scenes belong to me. Its just sad we didn't get any of this on tape. Aubrey's rendition of 'bet on it' was absolutely classic and I'll forever have it in my memories to pull from when I need a little pick me up. It was definitely the BEST part of the movie, hands down.

Last night, after Disney night, Ashley asked if she could give me a good body massage. She's been thinking about going to massage school because she loves it so much and wants to make it a weekly thing. Shyeah...who would say no to that? Afterwards, her roommate, Aubrey (not the aubrey from before) who is a hair dresser, wanted to give me a scalp massage with all of her good smelly stuff. Oh it was so nice! Loved it!

Anyway, I started back at my job today (which is why I'm blogging by the way)...I love getting paid to do nothing. Its sure better than NOT getting paid to do nothing. :) Although, when I got here, Natania was like...I'm so glad you're here! I have questions for you! hahaha. Good times. It'll be back to normal tomorrow when I get to go out and observe again. I'm excited for that. I hope everyone has a great day and remembers to 'bet on it' whenever they are gonna make a change in their lives. hahaha so tender...

In A Good Place

Okay...this is gonna be shortish, but I just wanted to give a quick update. I got a call from BYU finally today (a little later than they had said, but better late than never, for sure). Anyway, they said they actually worked everything out so I'll be starting up at PBSI again on Monday. It's only part-time, but definitely a great thing for me. I have already applied to around 6 or 7 places so if I get calls from any of them, I'll go ahead and interview, and if not, then I'll keep going with my job hunting after I get back from Ireland. I really wasn't sure how well that woulda worked with finding a new job right now. So, I'm definitely very blessed! :) I'm glad it all worked out this way. I can have some kind of income while still searching for a job and it'll make my leaving a lot easier on me and the rest of the office at PBSI. I pretty much ran that place and not training anyone in the stuff I do was gonna make it pretty hard, so I hear. Anyway...I'm definitely excited to have something to do now. I also am going to start volunteering at the crisis center hot-lines and battered women's shelter in Provo with my spare time since I'll only be doing the part time thing for at least another 2 months or so and I"m pretty excited about that. I realized while I was at home that I would LOVE to work in some kind of crisis center or battered women's shelter. So, I figure volunteering there would be a good place to start. Anyway, I hope everyone has had a great week and I'll catch y'all lata! XOXO

A Good Start

So, I'm back in Provo now and trying to get back on my feet. I've applied to a few places for jobs so I'm just waiting to see if I'll get any interviews in the near future. I'm actually really excited about things now and actually kind of glad that things happened this way. In all reality, I would've been much happier if I had maybe 2 weeks at PBSI still where I could pass off my knowledge to the other girls to make sure everything gets taken care of n such. It would've made leaving a little easier on everyone else, but we do what we have to right?

My first night back was HILARIOUS. I was completely out of it...I'm blaming it on the flight. For starters, the flight seemed so much longer than normal. I don't know if it was because I didn't really sleep like I usually do on flights or what, but it took forever and I think it threw off my...everything. :) Once I got home, I went over to Joyce's to say hello and she came back with me to chat it up while I unpacked. While we were over there, Ashley came over to give me something and we all stood around talking for a bit. During the said talking, my neck had this random spaz attack and it made me bang my head against the wall. haha. It hurt. They both kinda looked at me like, why the heck are you banging your head against the wall? hahah it was so funny. Later, I decided that I wanted to make some muffins cuz I was hungry and as I'm trying to put them into the oven, I just randomly dropped the pan. There was batter EVERYWHERE. All I could do was sit there and stare in amazement at what I'd done. haha. Take a gander at this would ya? Yeah, awesome, right? :)
But it doesn't stop there. Oh no...Joyce had Emily's fish over the holidays, so I went over to retrieve him, right? Her and Irene were like seriously...we know what kind of night you've had. Do you want us to take the fish and walk back with you? We don't want you to drop him. lol (ew...can you imagine? That would suck). I continually assured them that I would be fine and didn't need their assistance. About two steps later, they hear me start laughing and come out to find out what happened. For some reason, I was walking funny and it made the water splash everywhere. And this wasn't just any water...it was Denzel's poop infested water...all down my front. It was really nice. Quite funny for sure, but still kinda sick. haha. So, naturally, we laughed for a good 10 minutes and it was at that point that I decided putting sheets on my bed was not a good idea and I would wait for tomorrow. Making your bed on the top bunk is hard enough on a good day...I didn't know what kind of tragedy would happen if I tried. Good times for sure though. It was definitely good to see everyone again. I've had so much fun the last couple of days, getting to hang with my FHE brothers and my other Provo friends! I got to see Isaac yesterday too before he heads back to VA to go to school, so that was fun. Although, the snow here is crazy...brrrrr!!!! I miss the 80 degree weather that I left in Texas. *sighs*


I picked up Emily from the airport last night! I'm so glad she's back. I missed her so bad over the break. Its been like we never left though! So wonderful! Well my friends...I'm really tired for some reason so I'm not feeling very bloggy at the moment :) I'll catch y'all lata! XOXO

2009 Will Be Sublime!

Hey hey!  So, sorry about being sucha bum on that last post.  I'm glad I've pushed past the sulky phase, as I'm sure everyone else in my family is too. haha.  I've decided that instead of making New Years resolutions like I usually do (and then never follow through with them), I will just make a list of stuff that I am either excited for or hope to accomplish.  I've already started out the New Year unemployed and sicky so I'm hoping to get the worst out of the way from the very beginning! hahaha.  

Looking forward to:

1.  IRELAND...its so close! :)

2.  Living with Jen and Emily during Summer time and beyond.

3.  Really letting it sink in that I'm graduated...no more studying and lots of time for reading!

4.  Finding new hobbies and learning to do stuff that I've wanted to learn...like crocheting and uhhhh glass blowing? hahaha

5.  All the new experiences and lessons that will come my way!

What I'm hoping for:

1.  Finding a good job...hopefully one with benefits. :)

2.  Making tons of fun new friends and still lovin the old ones

3.  Uhhh...since I ate the traditional black eyed pea soup yesterday, I guess I should say that I hope for luck?  Oh, and the Corn beef and Cabbage we had is supposed to bring prosperity, so I hope for that too. And while I'm at it...I'm gonna be kissing the Blarney stone in about a month and a half, so I'll hope for charisma as well.  :)  It just seems fitting, don't you think? ...Maybe they'll actually work...  Can you imagine me being lucky, prosperous AND charismatic at the same time?  WOOO  That might be a fearsome thing to behold! hahaha  I'll take it! :)

4.  To find an awesome apartment (for me, Em and Jen) that we all love.

5.  That I'll actually USE my pass to the gym more than twice a month. haha.  Thats kind of a resolution, but not really...I did so good for a while and then, out of no where, I stopped. haha. I blame the cold weather and laziness. :)

So, there you have it...my top 5's.  I hope everyone has a GREAT year this year!  I know 2008 was awesome and I cant wait to see what 2009 brings! Heartcha! XOXO