Reality

So the other day I was talking to a good friend of mine on the phone. He was having a particularly challenging day so I was trying to comfort him and hopefully help him have a better day. After listening to him talk for awhile I noticed that there was a common theme in his problem. Not Enough. Not enough money, not enough time, not enough fun, not fair enough, etc. After providing as much support as I knew how I told him that at least he has one thing to be happy about and that is that I love him a lot. Then he said, well its not enough. What an interesting thought! Thats when I started thinking about how I say things like that in my life as well. I've always thought of myself as a fairly optimistic person but the more I think about it I realize that I also tend to think of things as not enough. I don't have enough money, I don't get enough attention, I don't have enough time for all the things that I need to do, I don't have enough hours at work, I don't have enough friends. How limiting is it to put that label on things? Really, all that it is a label that we put on it. There is no rule as to what is enough or not enough it is merely our perception of how it fits our needs. Knowing that, why would I ever label something as "not enough". That doesn't even have to exist in my life. When would it ever serve to me have not enough when I could have just right! How neat would it be if everything was just the perfect amount! It is a fabulous thing to be able to just be grateful with the reality of what is instead of wishing for more or putting unnecessary labels on things.
I love how much I am learning everyday! Not only and I learning the things that are taught by my professors but I am learning simply by observing the world around me. It is so great for me to be able to learn from my challenges and from the challenges that are given to the people around me. I am so lucky to constantly be surrounded by a million things and people to learn from. And of course, there is my new love: Reality.

Boy am I glad...

That I go to the University of Utah instead of BYU—I can go into class everyday without being worried that I will get called on to pray. I have the option of “regular” or “decaf” Not to mention I get to live in the middle of salt lake.

That I am a girl—Oh its gotta be stressful to have the responsibility of asking girls out on dates especially when combined with the expectation to pay and open doors. Me, I get to go along for the ride and enjoy (hopefully).

That I have the guts to just get outta there when it is uncomfortable—I have this friend (newly returned missionary) in my history class that I went on a few dates with and when he realized that I wasn’t going to be his wife he told me that we can’t be friends anymore… Well maybe in class. So today when I got to class and the person I usually sit with wasn’t there I decided to sit by him since he said he wanted to be friends in class. After about ten very uncomfortable and awkward minutes I just got up and moved. There is no point in sitting in class being uncomfortable for an hour and a half.

That the countdown to getting my braces off is nearing its end—I will find out for sure next week!

That my professors are really hilarious—My math teacher has an incredible knack for comparing any sort of math problem into and equation about food, a few days ago he spend the ENTIRE hour talking about rice. How I am going to apply that lecture to my life I will never know. My writing instructor has turning a class about writing into a black heritage class (yes, he is black. And he’s got the accent to match!) I’ve been in school over a month now and now once have we talked about the basics of writing. My History professor refers to Thomas Jefferson as “A super wonky guy” Enough Said. And lastly, my biology professor continually makes jokes that don’t make sense then she will proceed to laugh, very hard, at the joke no one got. Oh I can always count on an interesting lecture!

That I am a very clean person—I already have a good habit for picking up after myself. So now that I’ve got a somewhat messy roommate/sister all I have to worry about is picking up after her! Okay… I still get a tad annoyed sometimes, but I could be worse!

That I have a wonderful mother—Not only does she talk to me everyday but she is even willing to drive all the way up to Salt Lake just to take me to Costco. And she leaves little notes in my things that she brings to me from Provo. Oh it’s awesome!

That I own all 10 seasons of Friends—What a great thing it is to always have something to watch that you already know you love!

That I am able to talk myself out of a ticket—University of Utah students can ride the Trax for free. The trick is that you actually have to have a U of U ID card. I had one… And I also lost one. Twice now I have talked myself out of getting a $150 ticket for riding on Trax without either paying or carrying my ID card. Needless to say, I finally went and bought another ID card. :-D

That Amber finally has some free time—Now she can finish the third book in a sequel that we’ve been reading. I have been waiting for a while to read Mockingjay. Hopefully the time will be soon! 

That I have so many socks—I really enjoy being able to match my socks to my outfits. Kinda strange since I don’t even match my socks to each other but it works!

That two of my midterms are over—Now I can start studying for the next ones!

That TV shows are also put on the Internet—Somehow I think every show that I watch is conveniently on TV at the same time that I either work or have class… What are the odds!

That T-mobile has free mobile-to-mobile calling—The only people that I really talk to on the phone are my mom and Amber. Thank goodness we don’t use our minutes when talking to each other cause we would have a big problem!

That I have a brother called Jason—The only day on my way home from school I realized that I always call Amber and my mom, not once have I called Jay! So I called him. The conversation only lasted about a minute but he picked up the phone! That’s a good start!

That I finally read the textbook before going to biology today—Sadly this is the first time I have done this… I am definitely going to do it again!

That I am at least somewhat keeping my goal of blogging—Hey it’s not everyday but Its more than I have the past several months! Woot Woot! 

Did I mention I love my job?

Basically I spend that last 7 hours at work. Some may think that this is not such great news... but for me this is fabulous news! I love my job! This is why...
The location is wonderful-- in only takes me a minute and a half to get there and the is no money necessary to pay for gas since the most convenient way to get there is to walk across the street.
I've only worked there for a little over a week and I already have the job down. 
I actually enjoy folding clothes not to mention the fact that I am pretty skilled at it. 
I work in the back for the majority of my shift so I get to chose my own music (the music that they play in the store gets really obnoxious really fast) 
I like smelling like Abercrombie without actually having to pay to buy their perfume. 
I am slowly starting to get the layout of the store memorized so it is easy to put clothes away. 
I really like 3 out of my 4 managers therefore my chances of working with a manager that I don't like is much more unlikely. 
I LOVE my coworkers. 


I enjoy dancing. Like A LOT. I am awful at it, and I love how it is impossible for me to be upset, or sad when I am dancing. It makes my life happy. Today they over scheduled the back team members so there were five of us in the back folding clothes. I can honestly say that I had an AMAZING time at work. We turned on music and just rocked out the entire time. And now I have a few new friends! The best part is that anytime my manager came back he just danced a little with us then returned to his work. Its nice to have a boss that wants me to enjoy my job. Which I do very much! Who knew that finally getting a job would be more of a blessing than just the paycheck aspect of it? Mmm... this is the life. 

I Love My Life!

I love that I go to a school that has so much diversity with its students and professors.
I love how much I enjoy studying for classes that I could easily hate.
I love that my sister talks to me everyday on the phone, partly because she is bored but also because she loves me. 
I love that I constantly have the opportunity to meet new people, even if I never see them again. 
I love how much I talk to my mom even though I don't live with her anymore. 
I love knowing that I love myself enough to love the people around me even strangers. 
I love observing people on campus as they text and nearly run into other people that are texting. 
I love knowing that God exists and knows that I exist.
I love eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch everyday. 
I love the exercise that I get just by walking to and from class everyday. 
I love that I can always count on my dad to call me back these days. 
I love that I can see the bright side in nearly every difficult situation. 
I love listening to music on my way to school. 
I love looking at pictures of my little brothers, I forget sometimes how much they can teach me. 
I love the way that I change my outfit 5 times a day. 
I love that I am a very authentic person, I don't feel the need to change who I am depending on the person that I am with. 
I love how there are coffee shops all over campus so no matter where I go I can smell coffee. 
I love that I have the opportunity to get to know a new sister and live in a way that creates situations to lean on her and learn from her. 
I love that I get to go to my homecoming dance tomorrow. 
I love that I know there are at least 10 people in my life that I can call at ANY time and they would be there for me without even a second thought. 
I love that I am confident in who I am. 
I love that sometimes I feel lonely, then it gives me space to be reminded of every reason that I am not alone. 
I love creating a relationship with my father that I have been searching for for the past 18 years. 
I love knowing that I am capable of anything and everything that I decide to do. 


I love my family. I love my friends. I love my life! 

The Life of a College Student

This morning when my alarm went off it was tempting to simply ignore it an go back to sleep. Who needs to go to class anyway? I lay there contemplating the pros and cons of sleeping and extra hour or going to class. By the time I was done with all my thinkin I was basically awake anyway so I got up and headed to school. Thats when I found out there there would not be a train going to campus for another hour due to a bomb threat at one of the stations. So I had to ride in a series of busses and detours to get to school. I missed my first class anyway! I guess I just wasn't meant to go to my writing class this morning! On the bright side... I made a few new friends that were also stuck on some wild chase trying to get to campus. I love meeting new people! 

I did make it to my second class though: American Civilization. I have an exam for that class on Thursday... After class I spent a long afternoon studying with a friend for that very exam. Who knew that a system of trading between 3 different countries would lead to so many wars and economic ups and downs? I actually really enjoy learning about this stuff! This should be and interesting exam... 

I also got with a friend to study for Biology followed by my 2 hour long biology class. Not my best subject... Especially when everything the professor talks about is somehow transformed into a comparison to a taxi cab. Interesting way of teaching...

Studying has never been something that I am good at. I've got to admit though.. I get better at it everyday! It doesn't help when I am constantly falling asleep on top of my open book though... Yes I have ended up with highlighter on my face. 

There is one big thing to be excited about... Everyday I get closer to getting my braces off. 5 more weeks and my braces are off! (hopefully) Oh that is going to be a GREAT day! As for my two exams coming up... Wish me luck!! I'm gonna need it. 

Oh its been awhile...

Consistency is certainly not my strongest quality. I am still at a very new part in my life with moving out and college and everything, might as well through some blogging in there too! So here is the first (new) blog of many to come.
I am really enjoying my classes at the University of Utah. I love the campus, the people, and the professors. I would have to say my favorite class so far is Biology. It also happens to be the most challenging. I do like to think about things and how they work so that class is right up my alley! I also have two professors with really thick accents, that makes for an interesting lecture. It takes extra focus just to understand the words that they are saying! Each class I get more and more used to it though. 
I am living at my dads apartment next to the Gateway mall. It is really convient because there are 3 Trax stations that are really close so I have an easy way to get to campus for school. I also work at the Gateway so it is nice to be able to walk there. I live with my step sister Roslyn. I have absolutely loved getting to know her and I am very grateful to have a roommate that I get along with so well! I just started working at Abercrombie and Fitch which is actually pretty fun. The job gets really tedious but I have made several new friends! I also get a 30% discount... thats pretty awesome!! Unfortunately, working there also means that I pretty much constantly smell like their cologne. Hey its better than smelling really bad right?? :-)
I can honestly say that I am really happy with where I am at right now. I love learning new things and I feel like I am learning huge lessons every single day. I am so grateful for my challenges, and the things that comes easy. Life is good. 

Trip To Washington

Last Tuesday I made a very spur of the moment trip to Washington with Chandler, Nolan, and Rachel. On Tuesday afternoon Chandler made mention of a potential trip to Washington for the week. Two hours later we were on the road! We stayed at Chandlers aunt and uncles house which was really nice! Most of our days consisted of playing Wii fit all day while the cousins were all at school. If you haven't played Wii fit yet... Oh boy you're missing out! Super neat! We didn't really do a whole lot during the trip but it was really nice to just relax and not have to worry about school. It was also really good to get to know Chandlers family more.
Saturday was my favorite day of the week by far! We all went to a skating place and roller bladed for awhile. I haven't done that in ages! The idea of rolling around in an oval for hours still doesn't really appeal to me much. Later that day Chandler and I went over to the Columbia River and walked around. Upon hearing that I had never been able to successfully skip rocks he took me down by the river and taught me how. We were there for almost two hours until I finally got the three skips that I wanted! My entire right side is still sore to this day but oh it was worth it!

We drove home Sunday afternoon and didn't get home until early Monday morning. What do I miss most about Washington? The weather... It was so nice! Especially when compared to the dry cold weather here in Utah. I would love to live in Washington someday. Chandlers uncle that we stayed with is actually a doctor so I spent some time talking to him about medical school and things like that. He said that they actually have a pretty good medical school in Seattle. How cool would that be?? So I will definitely be putting that into consideration.
I had a great trip! I wish I could have stopped by to see Amy but we were still a few hours away... I'm hoping to maybe plan a trip to come up again this summer for a visit. I hope it works out!

Oh this better be worth it...

Day 4 of braces and it hasn't gotten much better. I can't really eat much. Good thing I like tomato soup! I also can't talk all that well... my usual quick rate of speech mixed with the speech impediment I received along with my braces makes for a very difficult conversation. However, I am slowing getting used to the annoyance of it all.
The worst part is the cuts inside my mouth. Ow. Its really a shame that it has to hurt so bad. Wouldn't it be nice if the things we wanted most out of life were simple, painless, and easy? I guess that would get somewhat boring though... and sometimes it is difficult not to take things for granted. Having things be so easy would only make it easier to forget the importance of them. Besides, it is usually on the way to getting the things we want most that we learn the most too. Do you think if we didn't have to work for the most important things they would still be the most important...? I guess these thoughts don't really apply a whole lot to braces though... I think my life would be just fine if they didn't hurt so badly. What do I have to learn from going through an entire year of pain? Maybe just the fact that I will be filled with tremendous joy when they come off is enough. Lets hope so! This better be worth it...

Who's got chubby cheeks? I got chubby cheeks!

Well... they aren't so much chubby as swollen. But they make me look chubby! I've been miserable from just getting two wisdom teeth out! Just imagine if I had had all four wisdom teeth to taken out! Yikes! It hasn't been that bad though. I just did it under local anesthesia so the worst part was being able to hear the doctor crunch my tooth to bits. That is a sound most people tend to avoid. I was numb for the first six hours but when it wore off... OUCH! I am getting pretty hungry too. Soup doesn't really suit me... I should be all healed up any day now though!
January 26 is the day of the braces. I am excited to finally get started on this long adventure. I have this notebook that I write poems in sometimes and the other day I went back and read some of them. There was one that was talking about how I cry too much and there was a line that said, "I try not to cry because crying isn't cute. But then again as I think about it... neither is the gap in my tooth." I wrote that awhile ago and now I am finally getting that gap taken care of! Thank Goodness!
Did I mention the new nick name Jason gave me? PQ. What does it stand for? Precipitation Queen. Yes, that is his fancy way of calling me a cry baby. And yes, it is catching on. Now even my boyfriend calls me PQ. Thanks Jay.
Anyway... it has been a tough few weeks for my mouth but it is nearing its end! Well... I guess it isn't really over until the braces are off. But at least the countdown is about to begin! Wish me luck!

Busy busy busy

Does life ever get less busy? I'm thinkin' it only gets worse from here on out. But hey, that's the way I like it! I had the second day of my bridal fair on Saturday. That one was definitely more fun! Yesterday I had the opportunity to go up to the living planet aquarium with my dad, Chase, Connor, and Chandler. Of course, my dad knew someone that helps run the place so we got to go into the back and see some of the behind the scene things. It was a lot cooler than I thought it would be!
The best part of the day was going to see Bryce. I miss that boy. Chandler and I took him out to lunch at Chili's. Lately more often than not he has been in a grumpy mood. I am pleased to say that he was in an insanely good mood! He was laughing and smiling the whole time! It was great!

I had a math test today at school... I have never been more certain about my hatred toward mathematics. But I am working on it! I am just hoping to pass the class!
Today I also found out that there is going to be a big study get together tomorrow night for my medical principles final. Where is this get together? My house. I wasn't invited until today. I guess it is no longer to necessary to be invited into someone's home... interesting.
Tomorrow I will be giving blood. Very excited.
I am glad things are busy! I never get bored! :)

Exhastion at the Greatest

Today has been a crazy long day! I woke up to the realization that I had not read the last chapter for a book that I need to read for my internship. Today is was the last day to take the test. Problem. I spent an hour that was meant to be spent at my internship at home completing the reading assignment. After taking the test (and passing it with flying colors might I add...) I went to have breakfast with Chandler. Fun times.
Now here's for the exhasting but fun part... Today was my second Bridal Fair. For those of you that don't know, I am on Allyse's Bridal's Fashion Team. They pick a student from a bunch of high schools in Utah to be a part of their Fashion Team. There is a whole application process and interviews. Their main focus is modesty. They sell modest wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and prom dressses. After lots of questions and I got to be the representative from my school. Its actually pretty intense. Anyway..... We get to do fashion shows and bridal fairs. So I pretty much got to stand on a pedestal with six other girls for five hours while brides came around and looked at the dresses we were wearing. Did I mention that we have to wear heels and the dresses get insanely heavy... Well its true. Its fun to chat with all the girls but boy is it exhasting. Since it is a two day fair and it is in Salt Lake I am staying at my dads house tonight. It is actually kind of fun. But tomorrow is going to be an even longer day. Yikes. Good Day. Tiring day. Exhastion at the Greatest.

Dentist... more like Lucifer

Today as I realized there is an alternate meaning to the term dentists office. The second definition is purgatory. After getting my teeth cleaned yesterday I made an appointment to take care of my cavities this morning. I was given four shots to numb up my mouth and after the drilling began and a great pain emerged I was given two more shots. At the completion of this experience I was numb from by left cheek bone all the way over to my right ear and down to my chin. This wouldn't have been a problem if I didn't a previous obligation to go to work immediately following my appointment. Not only did I have a very difficult time speaking but one of my bosses would mimic my altered form of speech every time I was around him. To make matters worse I had a screaming head ache. Trying to take a few pain killers was daunting task but I was able to successfully take a sip of water with my numb mouth and swallow the pills gracefully. Lucky for me I have got some pretty amazing friends at work and upon my request I was able to have a friend cover the last few hours of my shift while I went home to sleep off the numbness. I still can't chew food but I have regained sensation throughout my face.
Although today was rough next Friday is really the day to be feared. I will be going in to have my wisdom teeth removed. Thank goodness this one will not be followed by work and the need to communicate with complete strangers. I'm hoping this will all go as planned. :) Just glad to have 2 of 3 dentist appointments completed! Next step... braces.

Rockin day!

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour others without getting a few drops on yourself."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Life pretty much rocks. My first day back at school wasn't too bad. I can definitely handle a few more months of this. I also have a good friend at work that has been telling me for a few weeks now that I really need to marry her brother. We were kind of joking about it at first but when I found out that he is pre-med and wants to be a surgeon I was convinced! However, he leaves for his mission tomorrow and before today I still hadn't met him. Well this morning my friend texted me telling me that I need to go to lunch with them so I can write him while he is gone and get married to him when he gets back. It was definitely an interesting lunch.... mildly uncomfortable but I survived! It was also my first time eating at In-N-Out!
I also bought music for my favorite piano song! It is Angel Eyes by Jim Brickman. If you haven't heard it.. You must!! Chandler is teaching me how to play it! I've got one line down! Its a real shame that I have never played the piano before... but I am very excited!
We also finally got Jason's car out of the drive way. After months of pestering Jason it is finally happening! There was a lot of snow packed around his car though so that made the experience a challenge. We actually ended up getting Chandlers car into the driveway and pushed Jason's car up onto the trailer by hitting it with Chans car. It worked suprisingly well!
Today was pretty rockin! I am lovin life and hopefully tomorrow will be equally amazing!

Back to Reality...

Two weeks without school is just heavenly... that is until you have to go back to school and are used to the good life. Tomorrow is my first day back at school after a nice holiday break. Back to waking up at six and doing homework every day. Welcome to the life of a high school senior. But there are still lots of good things...
- Everyday gets me closer to graduation!
- It is the beginning of 2010! I start college in the fall of 2010!!
- I made it through all three lord of the rings movies! (the third is my favorite)
- I only have 2 days (out of 3...) left of my cleanse!
- I have a really amazing sister, boyfriend, mother, and brother. My family rocks!
- I recently cleaned my room and it has stayed that way! ;)

This list could be much longer but my brain is fried due to procrastination of my math homework. Two weeks of vacation doesn't really help when you already suck at math. Consider my lesson learned.

One New Years Resolution of Many...

Turns out I am among the worst bloggers of the century. However, I plan to fix this issue in the upcomming weeks! Wish me luck!
I have had an amazing holiday break! Lots of relaxing, working, eating, movies, the works! Last night was fun! After realizing that I am MUCH better at bowling on the Wii than in real life Chandler and I went to Jason and Jocelynn's house to watch The Lord of the Rings with them. After finding out that I haven't seen any of the Lord of the Rings series Jocelynn decides that we should watch all three in one night! Yes, we didn't start it until 11 pm to begin with and yes each movie is about three hours long. Thirty minutes into the second movie... Jocelynn heads to bed. (Great all nighter idea Joce) Out next is Jason! Who is quite hilarious when he snores and wakes himself up with a jump when he gets too loud. :) Then Chandler is out. I am the only one left awake! Needless to say, that didn't last long. We only made it through two movies. But the third and final one will be watched tonight! Can't wait!
One post down! Will I write again tomorrow?? The answer is Yes!