Thankful

Well, I'M BACK!

It's been a while since I've visited the blogging world. But I have a good reason--life is BUSY! We just passed our one month mark until the wedding yesterday. (YAY!) Time has been moving so quickly, but yet so slowly at the same time. It's getting to be crunch time! However, James is currently asleep on my couch after only getting one hour of sleep last night (I'll explain later), so I figure I have some time to post, and I'm also sick of working on my English presentation.

If my readers haven't noticed yet, I really like lists. I write multiple to-do lists daily, and I have a folder on my computer called "Lists" it contains more lists such as: "Life List", "Books to Read", "Places to Hike", and "My List of Favorites" among others. So, in honor of Thanksgiving which is coming up QUICK, I thought I'd write a list of things that I have been thankful for in the past few months, and there are SO many wonderful things that have just "worked out". I'm so thankful!

• We found an apartment. And a CHEAP one at that. Perfect for our tight college student budget. It's a tiny little ghetto basement apartment right below campus. It will be perfect for us, and we are allowed to do pretty much whatever we'd like to it. (paint, new cabinets, etc.) It definitely needs some TLC.
• James got a job. One thing that James was most worried about during our initial talks about marriage was the fact that he hadn't found a job and that he wouldn't be able to support us. He was recently hired at the Smithfield Lee's Marketplace as a baker. His shifts begin at either 1:00am, or 3:00am which is why he fell asleep sitting up at my kitchen table tonight as I talked with a roommate. This job has turned out to be perfect though, his boss Floyd has really been looking out for us and even offered James full-time so that we could have benefits and insurance.
• Things are pretty much planned. I have my dress, engagement pictures, invitations (they will be sent out here in the next week, so if you are reading this, and you aren't family, I suggest you get your addresses to me ASAP if you haven't already), a reception site, the temple is reserved and also my endowment session, centerpieces, a decorator, food, colors, we're all set except for flowers and tuxes pretty much.
• I have been preparing to enter into the Lord's house. I can hardly wait until the day arrives that I can enter into the temple! As I have been studying and praying about it, my testimony and my excitement have only grown. What a blessing it is to have so many temples here on this earth!
• I sold my apartment contract. After having my ad buried under a million other ads on the student center's board, I finally found someone to buy my apartment contract. And this all happened after the conversation with my dad where we discussed drastically lowering the price just to get rid of it. She even came to me, and I will be receiving my original asking price.
• James was offered another grant.

There are so many other blessings that have come into our lives in the time of our engagement, and also before. I definitely feel like the Lord had a HUGE part in bringing James and I together. I love him more than anything, and I can't wait to be together forever!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a sneak-peek at our engagement pictures:

Anxiously Engaged!

Well, the rumors are true! I'M ENGAGED!!! It happened last night, October 6, 2009.

First, James has his pilot's license, so we went flying:

The handsome pilot!

Looking over Logan. If you look closely, you can see my apartment

We switched places mid-air, and I drove the plane... not really.

Lookin' "FLY"

Co-pilot in chief

Then we climbed the Wind Caves up Logan canyon. This was also the destination of our first date:

This is how it went down: First, for the last week or so, James has been taking my CTR ring off my right hand and placing it on my left saying he is "just practicing". Well, we're sitting there drinking some hot chocolate, and I hand James the empty mug he takes it and puts it away in his backpack (this was when he grabbed the ring and put it on his pinkie). Simultaneously, he touches my face, and his hand is FREEZING, so I take his hand and try to warm it up (this is where he freaks out because I might grab the other hand and discover the ring too soon). He does some quick thinking, and feels my CTR ring "What's that doing there?!". James takes off my CTR ring and both of my gloves. He took a bit to put the "CTR ring" back on my finger, so this is when I caught on. I said "that's not the same ring!" (I couldn't see it, it was dark in the cave) and promptly put the flashlight on it. Then he asked me if I'd marry him, and I of course, said "YES"!

Texting the whole world the news.

The ROCK! I love it so much!

We will be married on December 16th at the Logan, Utah LDS temple. Can't wait!

Ideas?

So, I have this thing where I like change. I want a new title for my blog, but I can't think of anything creative enough. Anyone have any ideas? The winner gets their title choice on my blog!

Happnin' Happenings

I’ve been itching for summer for so long now, I thought it would never come. But I’m finally getting some summertime anti-itch cream!

My first excursion was my first hike of the summer it took place during the last week of school after my first and hardest final. We went up Logan Canyon to tackle the Jardine Juniper Trail. The trail leads up to an ancient Juniper tree that looks over the canyon. I went with my friends Pete and Steve that I met in my student ward up here in Logan. We trekked through the snow towards the top, but it was worth it for the view! And the tree was pretty awesome too. After we had our fill of the top, we decided it would be more fun to head down the face of the mountain instead of the trail we came up on. That part was quite the adventure, we were bush-whacking and sliding the whole time and my arms had scratches all over. I loved it!

Then school ended. Moving was sad and also a pain, but I got it done. I moved in with my Grandpa and Grandma Redd in North Logan. At first it wasn’t very fun, and it took me a while to adjust to their way of life, but I have now adapted.

A few weeks later, I was at work at the Juniper Take-out and I was talking with my friends Danny and Whitney, and we realized that none of us had anything the next morning, and we should go on a hike. We decided on the Crimson Trail, it’s a beginner-ish trail, and Whit had never gone on a hike before so we thought it would be great and the plans were made. As it turns out, Whitney had a family issue come up last minute, and couldn’t come, so Danny and I went thinking it would be a piece of cake. Well, we got there, took the hard way up on accident, and came back down in about 2 hours instead of 4. We still aren’t really sure how that happened.

I went on my first waterskiing trip of the summer! I got up on my second try, and I was happy with my run. However, I took Pete with me who apparently had never skied in his life. BULL! He got up on his first try on a slalom ski, and was already better than me. I was a little bit upset seeing as I have been waterskiing since I was 8. I guess I’ll just have to find some new way to outdo him.

For my birthday present, my parents agreed to pay for half of digital piano keyboard. Best investment I’ve made in a long time! If I have free time, I can frequently be found playing my piano and occasionally singing. Music is the cheapest form of stress relief I’ve found so far.

On May 18^th, I ventured to Pepperidge Farm in Richmond for new employee orientation. My cousin Jeff kind of hooked me up with a second job that pays really well. He warned me that I was going to be the youngest on my line and I’d be with a bunch of old ladies. Well, there were four of us there, and three of us were the same age. Megan and Chayse were the other two, and they are dating. We got to talking, and found out that Megan and I live on the same street, so a carpool was instated. The three of us have now become quick friends, and now talk all the time. It is awesome!

Speaking of Pepperidge Farm, working there is… ok. On line 4, my “home line”, we do assortment cookies and crackers. It took me a while to get used to the work: grabbing paper cups of cookies, that tend to fall out, into a small box; putting three boxes of cookies at a time into a bigger box; looking for broken cookies and replacing them; placing the foil wrapped boxes of cookies into the slots so that the boxer doesn’t jam up. Oh yeah, and all of this happens incredibly fast, and never stops for EIGHT HOURS! Needless to say, my back is usually pretty sore after work. My first paycheck made it all worth it though. And I can’t count how many times I’ve been told to stay in school. I’ll definitely take that advice!

Basically, my routine goes something like this: wake up at 4:45, go to work at Pepperidge until 2:00, come home, get ready, go to work at Juniper at 4:00, get off at 9:30, come home, go to bed, repeat. It’s rough, however, on the days I don’t work, and on weekends, I have a blast! I’ve made some really awesome friends up here that I spend pretty much all my free time with. They are in my ward, and they are wonderful, Kellen, Casey and Kallie. Kallie was my neighbor across the hall in Pineview, and also the Enrichment Counselor in our Relief Society. Casey is her boyfriend, Kel is their best friend, and Casey’s roommate. I mostly got close to Kellen, and then the four of us started to hang out all the time. Life is wonderful!

A few other awesome things that have happened lately:

·         Nerf gun deer hunting. Kel took me to a park and told me our dinner was there, I just had to shoot it. Just then, Casey and Kallie appeared out of the trees with pipe cleaner antlers.

·         I went to a party/concert to hear Kel’s band Painted Still. He plays the bass, and it was rockin’! They even had blow-up bouncy toys to play on.

·         I got called as an FHE mom in my ward.

·         I went to a Relient K (one of my favorite bands of all time) concert and met the lead singer. My best friend from Perry also came down from Rexburg to go with us (Kellen came too), so it was way fun to see her.

Life Goal Fulfilled!

One Down, Who Knows How Many to Go...

Well, I made it through my first year of college! I decided one day to reminisce about this time, this is what I came up with:

What I Learned During My First Year of College

·         My family is the best friend I have

·         Studying for tests actually helps

·         My mother is quite possibly the best cook on the face of the earth

·         Groceries are expensive

·         Vegetables taste good

·         Sleep is a wonderful thing

·         10:30 classes are the best!

·         College boys are cooler than high school boys

·         Grilled cheese sandwiches are like manna from heaven

·         Aggie basketball games are crazy fun

·         If I write letters to missionaries, I get mail. That rocks.

·         Eating an entire Beto’s burrito is a bad idea

·         Reading my scriptures makes my day better

·         If I don’t drink the milk, it goes bad

·         Hair belongs connected to heads, not weaved into the carpet

·         Dishes don’t do themselves

·         An abundance of hair clogs the vacuum

·         Procrastinating is all too easy

·         My roommates are the bomb!

·         I should always be myself no matter what everyone else thinks

·         Roommates can be just as fun as having a boyfriend (sometimes more fun!)

·         Talking to my parents instead of hiding things from them makes life a lot easier, who knew?!

·         Girls go through toilet paper like it’s water

·         Having a doctorate degree doesn’t make someone a good teacher

·         Lysol is good stuff

·         There is more than one way to get to Providence, but we always take the wrong one

·         Pat Benatar has the best dance moves

·         Facebook is like a drug

·         I can eat a whole box of Shells and White Cheddar in one sitting

·         Lion King holds great symbolism to the gospel

·         Getting my hopes up that summer will appear in Logan is completely pointless

·         It takes more than one stamp to mail a letter to Canada

·         If the stove catches fire, don’t scream at it, that doesn’t ‘t help

·         And finally, my Heavenly Father and Savior are always there for me no matter what I need. Whether it's praying about a test, whether or not to leave the country, or even just about a silly crush. I can always turn to them in my time of need. In my first year of college, I learned to be grateful.

A Splendid Sunday... and SPIDERMAN?!

I came home this weekend, becauseI had nothing better to do and my hours at work were recently changed so no more Saturday shifts. 

Saturday night my parents and I saw "Knowing". It was interesting, I haven't decided yet if I liked it or not. Then we watched a British murder mystery and ate the Aggie Blue Mint ice cream I brought home. Also, my dad grilled some steaks, I have never been as grateful for home cookin' until I went to college. I am no longer a picky eater, imagine that!

Sunday was great! I went to church with my mom (my dad

 is called as a high counselor, so he attends a different ward.). Sunday school was great, Bro. Garfield started his lesson with some random monologue about a 3rd world war or something? (With prelude music in the background, of course). Then, because it is the 5th Sunday, Relief Society and Priesthood were combined, and I was called on to give the opening prayer. Something about being the Prodigal Daughter? And finally, to our dismay, there was about 6 inches of snow on my mom's car that fell during the block. So much for spring....

And then onward to some extra fun: my brother-in-law has come down with influenza, so my sister packed up her kids, and abandoned the premises of her home. Then two more of my nephews showed up just after spending the week at Disneyland. Time for a party! Here are some pictures from the day:

I promised Tyler that we'd make coookies after dinner, so he and Blake were my assistants. Check out our sweet aprons! Then, somehow we obtained a few balls of yarn and decided to make.... A SPIDER WEB. To ensure that my work wouldn't be harmed, I told the boys that if they touched the yarn, it would zap them. Then, we just had to take some pictures. My favorite is the last one where we are doing "silly faces" it brings out everyone's personality so well!

Now I'm just sitting at home, I started driving up the canyon to Logan and could barely see because of the snow, so I turned around.

Once Upon A Time...

I was texting a friend from high school this afternoon and I was telling him about how bored I was and that he should tell me an exciting story. Later in the night, he indulged me with  a thrilling story of a young peasant boy (who just happened to be ripped and highly attractive) named Ben which also happens to be my friend's name. After his story, he asked me to write him a romantic story. With the help of my roommate Amylee, I replied with this 20 page text story:

Once upon a time there was a fair maiden with stunning features named Heidi. She often dreamed of a young, single man with a nice body coming into her life, stealing her heart and holding it close to his.

One day, as she was doing cartwheels through the forest and miraculously keeping her dress from going past her knees, she noticed a helpless wounded penguin whimpering  softly in the delicately fragranced rose bush. Being a compassionate young woman who stands as a witness of God in all times, and in all things, and in all places, she knelt down to help the poor creature.

Suddenly, sharp fangs appeared out of the penguin's beak clenching down on her right arm, which happens to be her dominant arm. Heidi let out a ghastly scream of pain as the penguin dragged her through the skin shredding thorns of the aforementioned rose bush into the killer penguin's lair of death. There, Heidi laid eyes on the most frightening scene she had ever glimpsed--a colony of flesh eating penguins!!!

Flippers outstretched, the penguins squawked Heidi's name, much like zombies would do. Just then, Heidi noticed the bubbling cauldron of lava that was to be her final destination while she was being cooked to the penguins' desired tenderness. 

Heidi had nowhere to turn, the exit was blocked, but the neon green sign above the doorway seemed to laugh at her current unfortunate situation.

Suddenly, there was a distraction! A secret door opened, revealing a chunk of matter consisting of multiple masses of deliciously gorgeous cells. His body was toned from all the hard work of herding sheep through rocky terrain, and his skin was magnificently darkened from the beating rays of the hot sun. Swiftly, he drew his sword from the sheath and slashed the letter "A" into a nearby rock as five soul-piercing words came from his surprisingly soft lips: "never fear, Ammon is here." Heidi's breath caught in her chest. Could this be the man she had been longing for? Yes, yes it was.

Effortlessly, Ammon sliced the flippers from every penguin in the room. Heidi could barely contain her emotions and/or lust. Once all the penguins were destroyed, Heidi ran to give her rescuer one delectably passionate kiss, but before she reached his side, Ammon pulled a book from a secret pocket in his loincloth.

"Wait," he said, "before you come any closer, I have to tell you something. I am a missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I have a message for you."

Dumbfounded, Heidi allowed Ammon to lead her to the secret door from which he entered which then manifested itself as a TIME MACHINE! 

They were then transported to a baptismal font where Ammon's companion waited patiently for Ammon's return. Heidi quickly accepted the gospel and was baptized.

After that, Heidi spent the next year waiting for her beloved Ammon to return from his two years of glory when he could take her to one of the Lord's temples where they would marry for time and all eternity.

The End.

The moral of the story is: don't help wounded penguins in rose bushes.

Grateful

Today I am grateful. I am feeling grateful for so many things. It was triggered today as I was sitting in my Social Welfare 1010 class and we were talking about domestic and dating abuse. As I mentioned earlier, I recently broke up with my boyfriend. That was something that was really hard for me, and it kept weighing on me. Today in my class, my thoughts turned to how grateful I am that I made that decision. One of my favorite quotes comes from William Shakespeare: "To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night and day, thou canst not be false to any man." In that relationship, I was not true to myself. I didn't realize it then, but as I look back, I changed immensely. I wasn't happy.

Coincidentally, after the break up, many people, some whom I didn't even realize were aware of the situation, have mentioned to me that I have been in their prayers. This seemingly simple act from those people hits me hard. It makes me feel so loved to know that someone out there cares enough about me to mention me to Heavenly Father, and I have truely felt of His blessings. I cannot express enough thanks to those people who have shown love to me. You are in my prayers as well.

After a challenge from my bishop to read my scriptures more regularly, I began to read my scriptures while I eat breakfast in the morning. I figure, I can't make it through my day without eating breakfast, so I shouldn't be able to make it through a day without reading my scriptures. Already, I have felt so many positive effects of reading my scriptures regularly, I am more alert, I'm much happier, and it is easier for me to concentrate. Who knew!?

As time has gone on, and I have been more aware of my many many blessings, I have learned to love my life and to live it to the fullest. I find myself smiling while I walk across campus just because the sun is shining, or because I enjoyed my class. I love just soaking in the moments of happiness even if they seem insignificant. Happiness is truely a choice and it's a lot easier to make that choice when we are first, happy with who we are. 

Long Time No See

Well, yet again, it's been a long time since I posted so, here it is (I promised Catherine like a month ago that I would post.)

Mostly my routine is pretty much the same, I work almost everyday, go to class, hang out, sleep and sometimes study. There are a few new installments in my life though:

1. I broke up with my boyfriend. I felt like I wasn't having enough fun and I wasn't ready to be in a serious relatioinship. I want to play the field some more. I have a date on Monday!

2. I met with the Study Abroad people, I will hopefully be going to Mexico for a semester in the Fall or Spring. I would love to learn Spanish. It's not set in stone yet, but it looks promising.

3. I cut my hair OFF! I like it a ton! It's way easier to do and there are lots of new things I can do with it.

4. I have taken up the hobby of writing missionaries, so if you know any lonely ones, let me know!

Those are pretty much the most drastic things that have happened since my last post. Right now I am sitting and watching West Side Story, so I'm kind of distracted.  I'll just post some pictures of my life in Logan: