gin and the juice

one week. 7 days. 168 hours.

2012-02-06T14:18:00.002-07:00

my due date is one week from today.

one week.

however, my sister is coming into town from california so i need to make this thing happen right away.

i teach! i'm up on my feet ALL DAY. lots of walking. lots of moving. no sign of baby or even him dropping.

ANY IDEAS??!?

funny things

2012-01-30T11:22:00.002-07:00

-its so funny to see my stomach move all the time. He will just roll around and deform my stomach. Its so cute and funny.

-his favorite time is from 10-11pm. he is crazy. recently, i have put my ipod on some church tunes and put it under my back and he calms right now.

-he will stick his bum out (you can see it, its makes my belly look lobsided)and then i'll scratch it real hard and he'll wiggle and move around and stick it out again.

-he's head down. good little baby.

-when he gets hungry he gets crazy and punches and kicks and wiggles. it kind of hurts. kinda. (just like his mother).

we just can't wait for the cute little guy to get here already!
We did all his laundry getting clothes and blankets all ready!
Its so fun!

I'm due two weeks from today.
We're taking bets,
when do you think he'll finally get here??

Pregnancy. Day 263.

2012-01-26T14:56:00.003-07:00

Yes. Its true. I am 37 and a half weeks pregnant. 18 days away from my due date. I had a dr apt yesterday and asked if she would induce me so I wouldn't have to go to parent teacher conferences. These are the two worst days of the entire year, in my opinion, even when one is not pregnant. Imagine it when you're practically 9 months pregnant and bulging at the seams. Its just not pretty. My poor children. I've been awfully grumpy.

I did have such a fun weekend though with the in laws. My fabulous sister in law and brother in law came in town from the east side and it was SOOO fun. (See the highlights here. Thanks Nat). I already miss them. AND when they left another part of the family left too. The B&C Phillips clan moved to New Mexico and I already miss them terribly. I hate it when people move away. (Cha, Ashley, Brianne, Kelsie, Mal, Mike, Cathy, Holli, Shake n' bake. I'm talking to you and I think you should move back. Now.) But it was so fun seeing you all during Christmas time and last weekend. Thank you for the good times.

So, not only has it been a rough week because of conferences but Eric has been gone too. I think this is the longest we've been apart since we wed so its been hard. (And maybe its been hard because I'm just a little bit more emotional than normal. Or maybe a little more than a little bit). Anyway, tomorrow he comes home and tomorrow i am going to treat myself to a pedicure. I deserve it.

Here's a picture of me bowling at 36 weeks in all its glory for those of you that have been asking for pictures. (Thanks to Natalie for providing it).

Happy Almost Friday!!!

Pregnancy. Day 254.

2012-01-17T09:11:00.002-07:00

I keep taking pictures and meaning to post them but I never have the time to get them off the camera. Well, here i am, 36 weeks pregnant and feeling great. i really am. luckily. i feel like i've been so blessed to have a great pregnancy. i was reading online at babycenter.com and there is like a chat for other women who are due in February and 5 or 6 ladies were commenting on how they are 36 weeks, like me, still teaching and they feel like they're going to die. i feel stressed of course, and sore, but i still feel like i am totally able to get my job done and still do everything i need to.

my hands and feet aren't swollen at all.
of course i waddle but thats normal
my heartburn and acid reflux are G.O.N.E. thanks to my prescription my doc gave me
i still have to, occasionally wear non-maternity pants and clothes because of work and they don't really fit but with a belly band over them they're not too bad. although they're not very comfortable so i don't prefer it
even though i am completely POOPED when i get home, i can make through a work day just fine
i sleep. not great but not as bad as some other women

i'm pretty good and being optimistic huh?
pregnancy isn't that bad

so funny story that happened this morning. i just left for work and i had a bagel on my lap. well, one half i was eating and the other half was on my lap. i stopped at the stop sign and my bagel on my lap went flying down to my feet. i tried reaching down to get it but my belly is just too big and doesn't let me bend like that anymore. so, here i am trying to get my bagel by moving it with my feet. i was at this stop sign for like, honestly, 4 minutes just trying to get my bagel. it was pretty hilarious. too bad nobody got to see it to fully enjoy it.

all i need is a heating pad on my back and eric to give me some good foot and back rubs and i can do it.

less than 4 weeks!!!!

(i promise eric will upload pictures on our computer soon)

Pregnancy. Day 245.

2012-01-09T09:33:00.005-07:00

tired of not being able sleep
sick with a cold (thanks to the children and their germs)
tired.
sore.
always craving in n' out
woke up one day and all the sudden i can't fit into ANY of my non-maternity clothes and realized that i don't have nearly enough maternity clothes
still LOVING feeling my tummy and feeling baby move
no stretch marks still (cross my fingers)
luckily, my belly button is still an "inny"
not wanting to wake up at 6 and go to work
always trying to find a comfortable position
can't sit through an entire movie without having to 1. pee and 2. stand up because i'm so uncomfortable
wishing i had a nursery to paint, decorate, and get ready for baby boy
last week without a dr apt.
5 weeks and counting!!!!!

yay!

don't judge

2012-01-03T08:12:00.003-07:00

well, i'm back to school. i usually like to write in MY journal during my kids journal time but i forgot mine today so i'm going to blog instead. yes. back to school. it was so hard to wake up this morning but even harder to sleep last night because i have been DREADING this day since Dec 16th. i know, that makes me sound like an awful teacher. i probably am. i'm NOT ready to be back. on the bright side: i only have 6 more weeks and then i get maternity leave! bad news: sub plans. they ruin my life.

well i'm not exactly where i thought i would be at this time. i thought we would be moved into our house and getting ready for our baby. the day we were supposed to close our loan fell through. it wasn't our fault we have GREAT credit but sometimes people are stupid idiots and ruin peoples lives. this happened on the thursday before christmas and we were supposed to move in the monday after christmas. we tried to work things out but the stupid idiot was set on ruining our lives. therefore, we are now living with the parents until we can find another perfect house to buy. :(
I don't think i would be so upset and sad about it if i wasn't having a baby in 6 weeks. i want to bring my baby home to our house, not to my parents.
however, i am grateful that we have parents that live close by that are willing to take us in (and all our STUFF) and act like they are excited about a newlywed couple living in their basement with a newborn. it will be such a great time.

let the home search begin. again.
let us know if you have any good ideas of where we can live.

Pregnancy. Day 229.

2011-12-16T08:18:00.003-07:00

-i feel HUGE (only 7 and half months and i can't imagine how i can get any bigger)
-this was probably the last day of wearing non-maternity pants. (They were a little too snug today)
-i didn't have to sleep sitting up because of acid reflux so it was a good day.
-eric's car got side swiped. hit and run. awesome.
-we're still sleeping on our living room floor.
-enjoying eating whatever i want
-we're still waiting to close on our house....(moving in on MONDAY!)
-i didn't work out. again.
-i feel like bella swan. like there is a vampire baby inside of me beating me from the inside out. kicking and punching all day long. i like to just sit and watch him move because my whole stomach moves. seriously. bella.
-i will go buy maternity G's. Its about time.
-made homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time
-i had another dr apt. and baby's heartbeat is strong as always
-i've gained 12 pounds so far
-craving in-n-out. again.
-need to do my Christmas shopping
-but I am LOVING my break from work. its going to be SOOO hard to go back. i'm already dreading it.
-spending time with my nephews
-putting off packing
-enjoying some grey's anatomy. like i said, LOVING MY BREAK.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!

you know you teach in alpine when....

2011-12-06T14:43:00.002-07:00

a student puts a prophet down for being the president of the US during WWI.

Thank you for making my day.

heck yes!

2011-11-22T16:06:00.004-07:00

I just finished my first semester of grad school.

Heck yes!
I am awesome. I was worried for a while that i wouldnt be able to do it.
But i did.
yay me!

Here you go Mal and Bri. These are the most recent pictures I have. They're from Halloweenish. I've gotten bigger since then but here you go to hold you over until i upload more picture. See, I really am pregnant.
Wheeler Farm.
Emily's senior night.
State tournament.

yes, its true. This was our last state tournament. Emily is a senior. So sad. No more bhs volleyball games.
She did so awesome! They took 8th but Emily is a rockstar and the star of her team. She got MVP on her team and she is just a stud.
Love you Em. Great job!

boy-girl party. (and nacho).

2011-11-17T12:32:00.004-07:00

Flyers have been put on desks and my kids are so excited for a boy-girl party that is going down tomorrow night. Some convos I've overheard...

"Boy-girl party!?!? AGH!! I am SOOOO going!!!"
"OMG I wonder if you know who) is going to go!"

Don't worry-I'm invited too.

"Mrs Phillips - you should come and we can just listen to Justin Bieber the whole time."

REALLY?!?! I swear I act professional. I don't know why she would say that. Honest.

Funny kids. Funny that I was invited to a boy girl party. And weird. Mostly weird.

I remember my first boy girl party. I was in 6th grade. I would flirt with all the boys except for the one that was my "boyfriend" at the time. I was too shy to talk to him. So he broke up with me. Good times.

Speaking of stretchy pants - I bought some. Maternity pants. They are stretchy. I kept putting it off. I'm proud that I made it to my third trimester without them, but now that I have them....

I LOVE THEM!
I love stretchy pants. Like nacho. Just for fun.

Now that I think about it, I really feel like nacho. I feel like my butt is growing just as big as my tummy is. Needless to say, I've been feeling pretty attractive lately.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T08:10:00.003-07:00

I kind of have been crying all morning.
Maybe its just the hormones.
Maybe its because I've been teaching about the world wars and the war in Iraq at school
Maybe its because I've been watching Friday Night Lights

I cant remember a Veteran's Day ever before but today is different. It seems closer to my heart. I am so grateful for all the men and women who put everything on the line to serve our country.

I'm proud to be an American.

I cant say THANK YOU enough or with as much feeling as I feel in my heart.

THANK YOU.
God bless you and your families forever.

gratitude

2011-11-04T08:19:00.000-06:00

every friday i have my students write in their journals about things or a thing that they are grateful for. i think that this helps them realize how much they have and how much to be grateful for.

i decided to do it today too. on my blog.

speaking of my blog, i read through a bunch of my old posts. i was such a cuter blogger before i got married and boring. i'm sorry. i'll try and be cute again.

I'm grateful.

for my cute apt.
that my baby is healthy and the pregnancy has gone so well
that i'm not nauseous
music that puts me in a good mood
my supporting and loving husband that always makes my dinner for me and rubs my back and feet when i'm sore
my students when they are nice to me and try hard and make me laugh and are not annoying
pumpkin spice candles that fragrant my apt
my bed
that i'm having a baby
my job
eric's job
that we live so close to family and friends
all my family and friends that ask how i'm doing
my sisters
my nephews
my niece
for my car
that i was able to go to europe with my papa
my clothes
the church
good food
and of course.......

pinterest.

love you all. happy friday

before i was pregnant....

2011-11-02T20:26:00.002-06:00

i didn't have acne
i could sleep through the night
i didn't have to pee every hour
i was a fun teacher
i had energy and motivation to be an extraordinary teacher
i didn't have back pain (what is that even like?)
i couldn't eat whatever i wanted
i couldn't feel a baby kicking and moving inside me (i love it)
i weighed a lot less
i could fit in my clothes
i could actually get comfortable sometimes
i had energy to work out

its rough on the bod but i LOVE having my baby inside me and we
couldn't be more excited to have
a little addition to our little fam.

today....

2011-10-28T08:39:00.002-06:00

i read this

......and maybe i started to cry.

Confession

2011-10-12T12:26:00.002-06:00

I really honestly think that teaching is one of the hardest jobs in the world. If not THE hardest. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job (most days) and it is also one of the most rewarding jobs – but it is hard. VERY HARD. And VERY EXHAUSTING.

Confession – I just don’t like 6th graders. I’m just not fan. They have attitudes, they talk back, they roll their eyes, they think they’re too cool. They are the definition of a “Smart Alec”. They cheat. They curse. They whine. They pout. They fight. They’re messy. They’re disrespectful. They’re loud. They’re inconsiderate.

OK, its true that not ALL of them are ALL of these things, but the majority are. Which makes me grumpy. I feel like I’m always grumpy teaching 6th grade, when in 4th grade last year, I only felt that way a few times the whole year.

THEY. ARE. DRIVING. ME. CRAZY.

My poor baby has to listen to me yell at 6th graders all day. Poor baby.

i'm reminded why i do it

2011-10-07T08:35:00.002-06:00

it was a long week getting ready and having parent teacher conferences.

but this morning two of my kids taught me how to dougie.

i feel much better now.

some days i love 6th graders

parent teacher conferences =

2011-10-06T16:31:00.002-06:00

an achy back
sore cheeks from smiling
a hungry belly
a grumpy teacher
stress times a thousand
complete exhaustion
13 hour days
early mornings and late nights (i love getting to work at dark and leaving when its dark)
the death of me

i cant wait for a weekend of sleeping

wahoo!!!!

2011-09-30T10:23:00.004-06:00

ITS A BOY!!!!!

YIPEE!!!i know my baby wont look like this but he's so cute with his little fat rolls.

what do you think!??!

2011-09-27T08:41:00.003-06:00

So today is the day!!!!

I want to know what you think.

BOY?

or

GIRL?

(ahhhhh I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

FYI

2011-09-22T12:20:00.004-06:00

I forgot to mention....

my husband shot an elk.

with a bow and arrow. he's as awesome as katniss. i'm so proud.

its about time....

2011-09-20T19:31:00.003-06:00

well for all those who actually care if i blog, i'm sorry i haven't in so long. but not that much has happened. school started and i'm teaching 35 11 year olds and man it is crazy. i feel like i'm a lot stricter than last year because i have to be. and that isn't so fun for me. but we joke a lot and that is more fun with older kids. although now that i think about it, 9 year olds think i'm funnier than 11 year olds do. the girls have perfected rolling their eyes and pretending they're too cool and the boys, have learned how to be smooth and even wink at me in some cases. its pretty hilarious because i'm almost 5 months pregnant. but i do love my job still, its just more exhausting now that i'm pregnant. and working on a masters. but its great. i'm loving my kids.

on a greatER note: ITS FALL
i know that i state this every year at this time but

I LOVE FALL.
more than anything. except my husband, cha and my baby.

i love everything about fall. i love the smells, the colors, the clothes, the weather, the rain, the food, the games, EVERYTHING!!

and i finally got a pinterest account and have spent way too much time on that instead of grading papers or working on writing papers like i should. hey, a girl needs an outlet right?

anyway, i love being pregnant and i'm SOOOO excited!! we find out a week from today if the little "it" is a boy or a girl. i'm excited to buy things for the little one, but mostly i'm excited because i don't have to keep calling "it" an "it". honestly, i don't think we could be any more excited!

we're having a freaking baby!!!

happy fall!

Fresno and SacTown

2011-09-04T20:44:00.009-06:00

After Newport I drove home with Cha to Sacramento and she let us stop in Fresno on the way up so I had to stop and visit a couple of my favorite families. Then I spent a week in Sac with Cha, Kays and Ky baby. I cried when I left. I miss these guys so much.

The Robledos

The Villavla Family

Seriously?? This face!!! I love this girl more than life.
I love this little sideways smirk.
My two favorite girls.
Thanks Cha for letting me stay with you and buying me pizza and making me good food. :)
Love you and miss you!

Newport

2011-09-04T20:03:00.010-06:00

Well, I will post more pictures when I get some but apparently you cant get them off facebook so I have to wait until my sister emails me more. But here is what I have.

We did our annual Newport trip and we had a blast. Eric joined us for a couple nights while he worked during the day. I wish he could've been there longer but he had to save his vaca days for this week. The bow hunt.

And one day I will post from our honeymoon to Mexico and our trip to Chicago but that will still have to wait until I find my camera cord... sorry.

Newport HighlightsI love these babies

Max taking a picture of his mom taking his picture.

Angels Game

We got free hats. Boo YAY!

I love this face.

first week in august

2011-08-08T17:58:00.002-06:00

the past few years this day has always made me sad. for years and years and years, on this monday i would always start my first day of volleyball. and double days. we would have physicals, our first team meeting where we would meet transfers and incoming freshmen, and of course, our first practice. i miss it.

i miss the smell of the gym

the nerves i would always get the first day

putting on my cold shoes, ankle braces, and knee pads after having them sit for a month or two

lunch breaks with the girls

every muscle being sore and feeling like i need to ice my entire body

i miss playing and competing and traveling and the girls

but i guess being married and pregnant is pretty good too....

Feb. 13, 2012

2011-08-01T22:07:00.005-06:00

surprise! :)

the best day ever....

2011-07-21T22:42:00.001-06:00

Gini {+} Eric // Rain Wedding Highlights from Chris McClain Productions on Vimeo.

my favorite things

2011-07-15T15:21:00.012-06:00

Sleepovers with my BFF in our living room on our mattress
Rain/lightening storms
When my mom calls just to see how I'm feeling
When Eric kisses my forehead
Eating chocolate
New clothes
Fresh fruit
Reading notes from my former "kids"
When my nephews get so excited to see me and say, "Hey Gin!"
Costco samples
Jamba juice
Babysitting Zac
When Cha calls just to chat
Good sales
The smell of summer mornings
Tan lines
Matinees
Swimming and snow cones on a hot summer day
Hearing from old friends
Rodeos
Having summers off! I am absolutely LOVING this whole paid summer and having to do nothing. Although, I am working on my masters degree WGU!!! Best. School. Ever.

Flying

2011-06-21T16:28:00.002-06:00

I hate flying. I have always hated flying but as of late, I hate flying even more than I usually do. I have flown a lot the past month which just confirmed the fact that I hate flying!

Do you remember the days when most flights had free meals, a movie (or on long flights movies), and you could check all your luggage for free no matter what they weigh!?! How and when did that all change? Pretty sure they didn't cut the prices when they cut all the perks for flying.

Seriously, I am upset. What gives them the right to suddenly charge the passengers for bags?? Even if they are not 50 lbs. And when they are 50 lbs!?!?! 60 bucks?!? Are you kidding me!??!

Ok flights give you complimentary drinks but can't a girl just get a snack!?! I asked a flight attendant once for a snack and he said the only snacks they have are those to purchase!!!

Seriously!?

Seriously?!

Thats all I have to say. I needed to vent.

Although I hate flying I had very nice vacations. Pictures soon to follow.

6th grade bound

2011-05-26T14:25:00.002-06:00

yes. 6th grade.

i got a job for next year teaching 6th grade at the school i am now at. i am so excited!

maybe i'm a little scared because to spend all day every day with 30 12 year olds.....
but i'm mostly excited

YAY!!!!

some days

2011-05-20T08:11:00.002-06:00

Isn't weird how some days I am so tired and sick of my kids that I cant wait for the weekend

And some days........

They are what pull me through.
They are my release
They teach me what's really important
They remind me to smile
and to laugh
They help me remember to keep it simple
They remind me to dance when i feel like it
They love
me
And i love them back
more

I thank the Lord for my kids and how they help me and have changed me.

I love my job.

testing

2011-05-12T08:53:00.000-06:00

its 8:53 am and it is the fourth day in a row that we've been testing. (not including last week).

for those of you that dont know, testing is a big deal. i didn't know that when i was a child. i would take these CRT tests and I wouldn't even try because they didn't go on my grade or anything so i didn't care.

i knew that was going to come around and bite me this year.

kids hate testing. they just want it to be over with so they just fill in bubbles, make patterns with the bubbles, etc. but i cant really blame them because thats what i did.

i am ashamed.

it is so frustrating for me because my job hangs on how well my students do on this test. they most frustrating thing is that they know it! i've taught it over and over again. and they still get it wrong.

I DONT UNDERSTAND.

dont they love me?? why is this happening??!

all the hard work i put in all year is for this one week. these 6 tests

....oh the pressure....
-----who's idea was this anyway??-----

PRICE

2011-05-10T17:28:00.011-06:00

So Eric is out of town. He's in Price for work. I never realized how lonely I would feel. I actually was thinking that maybe I would like a night alone.

Not so.

So I was thinking about when he made this trip last year when he was interning. I cant believe it has been a year already. And that we're married now. It all seems so weird.

So I remember talking to Eric before when he had come over my apt to visit my roommate about how he had internship and that he would be traveling all summer. I remember talking to him about how jealous I was that he was going to travel the country and going to as many MLB games as he could. And I remember how stinkin cute I thought he was......

I remember thinking about how I could, if I wanted, make a long distance relationship work.....

He was so cute.

I added him on facebook, we messaged back and forth and then one day he sent me this message that I found today...

I texted him and the rest is history. We spent the whole summer talking on the phone for hours and hours every weekday and going on dates on the weekends.

It was a great summer. Now I'm married to him. Weird.

Teacherhood

2011-05-06T14:29:00.004-06:00

Some days I feel so blessed. I should everyday...but some days I just feel EXTRA blessed.

I love my job.

Today consisted of.....

-doing reader's theaters
-making poem books for mother's day
-picnicking outside for lunch
-playing lightening
-playing memory with science vocabulary
-had a bubble blowing contest to see who would be my favorite student
-and had a read-a-thon outside

Honestly, I LOVE my kids. They just make me laugh so hard.
So so hard.

I'm always in a better mood on Fridays.
Happy Weekend Everyone!!

my latest love

2011-05-05T13:14:00.002-06:00

I'm telling you, there is nothing like coming home from a long day with 35 ten year olds and just crashing on my bed in front of our 61" TV (don't judge - it was a gift) and turning on a season of friends. That's right, I didn't say episode, I said season. The sister Kassie gifted me season 8 of friends for my birthday/wedding and now I cant stop watching it.

I finished the season last night (after putting it off because I didn't want it to end) and I got so sad. Rachel just had little Emma, Ross was about to tell Rachel how he loves her and wants to be with her, and then Joey accidentally proposes and Rachel says yes, and now I am dying for season 9. I even convinced the husband to go to target with me to buy season 9 with one of our gift cards.
But they didn't have it.

So then I bought seasons 9 and 10 on amazon today. I cant wait until it comes. Neither can Eric.

We bought season one of Modern Family hoping to replace the void in my life after i finished Friends but it just didn't.....

Good show though.

April 7, 2011

2011-04-26T08:02:00.022-06:00

Maybe I am obsessed. See more pictures here.

Marriage.

2011-04-11T21:26:00.002-06:00

I am married. And I am a wife. Officially.

Don't you hate it when your single and weird married
people always post on their blogs and on facebook
about how married life is just the best

they aren't kidding.

it really is the best.

i love living with my best friend.
(more details and pictures from the wedding to follow)

my loves

2011-03-25T14:21:00.003-06:00

i love my fiance
i love the gospel
i love reading
i love watching old couples that are still in love
i love chick flicks
i love nights in
i love the temple
i love my new house
i love being engaged
i love my wedding dress
i love my 34 kids
i love general conference
i love the smell of rain
i love smiles and hugs
i love cute notes and pictures from my kids
i love my family
i love the prophets and apostles
i love my sisters
i love my nephews and cutest niece
i love christmastime
i love spring
i love fall
i love feeling of the warm sun on my face
i love summer freckles and tans
i love summatime
i love rap music
i love slow dancing
and fast dancing
i love taking long drives
i love water
i love when i catch kids looking at me
i love it when my kids behave and are quiet
i love my wedding dress (did i already say that??)
i love traveling. A LOT
i love eating
i love baking
i love anthro
i love shopping
i love playing
i love sleeping
i love ice cream and cupcakes
i love hot chocolate
i love fires
i love being cuddled in blankets
i love clothes
i love coloring
i love art projects
i love my home
i love my car
i love my job
i love utah
i love the beach
i love history
i love oprah
i love being clean
i love my friends
i love pie

i love my life.
even though it's snowing and i was supposed to get my bridals today but we have to postpone it.

i still love my life.

missin you

2011-03-07T19:30:00.004-07:00

In my world the shelter from the rain
You're the pills that take away my pain
You're the fire that warms me when I'm cold
You're the hand to hold as I grow old

In a world where nothing else is true
Here I am still tangled up in you

You're the ship when I am lost at sea
You're the only thing that I like about me
You're the light to show me the way
You're the end of my very best day

In this world where nothing else is true
Here I am still tangled up in you

i. miss. you.

come back already.
(listen to this song here)

can you even believe it??

2011-03-03T08:25:00.003-07:00

Can you even believe I'm getting married 5 weeks from today? How crazy is that?

Super crazy!!!

Can you even believe I am going to be a quarter of a century old in one week from today?

Seriously, where has the time gone?

I love being engaged and didn't really get stressed too bad except for this past week. We had to get our announcements sent out. Plus- its the end of our term so I have been hustling trying to figure out ways to help my kids make up work to make sure they all get good grades, correcting papers, entering grades. Its been fun. Ok, fun isn't the word I would use.

But being engaged it fun. And teaching is fun. Most of the time.

Here's something that will put a smile on your face. I got this note passes to me today from one of my students. It reads as follows,

"Hey, Girl!
what's up? i think that you are the bomb.
and you rule.
ok, there's this one boy and he thinks your awesome!
-(his name)
hehehe"

I know right? Dont you love 4th grade? Because I really do.

So, I have showers coming up. (and a birthday). if you are having a hard time deciding what to get me, i am registered but i also followed the example of this little genius and made a little wish list at the anthropologie. Just fyi.

i cant wait to get married. oh ps. my engagement pictures are up and can be found here if you want to take a look.

2011-02-06T19:32:00.003-07:00

i want to grow old with you.

i want to wake up to your face every day.
i want to snuggle with you during thunderstorms,
and i want to eat cereal with you in the mornings.
i want to have pet fishes together,
and have funerals for them when they die.
i want to go to the bookstore with you on saturdays,
and read scary books all day.
i want to go grocery shopping with you,
and have you complain because i take too long.
i want to buy socks together.
i want to do laundry together,
and clean the house together on saturday mornings.
i want to read the sunday comics on sunday nights,
and watch the news together when we can't sleep.
i want to buy cold medicine for you when you're sick.
i want to have barbeques with our neighbors,
and i want to play with our kids in the backyard.
i want you to kiss my forehead every night before we go to sleep,
and i want to kiss your cheek every morning when we wake up.
i want to come home to you every night.
i want to have grandchildren with you,
and great grandchildren with you,
and tell them about all the things we've gone through together.
i want to wrap presents with you for our kids at christmastime,
and pretend they are from santa claus.
i want to watch scary movies with you every halloween,
and go trick or treating with our kids.
i want to call you when i'm having a bad day work,
and have you tell me that everything will be okay.
i want you to come home through the door after you get home from work,
and say, "honey I'm home!" like they do on leave it to beaver.
i want our kids to make fun of us,
because we don't know any of the songs they listen to on the radio.
i want to be the person that makes everything okay in your life.
not perfect.
not extraordinary.
just a little better than they were before.
i want to love you,
and i want you to love me.
and i want that to be enough.

LOVE LIFE

2011-01-20T14:25:00.008-07:00

I'm learning to love each day. Find joy in the journey. Be happy. Make the most of each hour. Live in the moment.

I love my job. I love being engaged. I love my apt and my roommates. I love my family and how close I've gotten to my baby sister Emily.

I love where I am now but I am dreaming for an adventure. Maybe working building houses in Africa, or working at an orphanage in South America, or just traveling through Europe with the love of my life. Or maybe living in downtown DC in a teeny tiny studio apt and working as a waitress. That could be fun too.
CS Lewis said, "You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream."

help!

2011-01-12T13:03:00.003-07:00

I need help. i need to find cute dresses for my sisters at the wedding reception. any ideas?? (and keep it fairly cheap please).

the first decision.

2010-12-31T16:21:00.004-07:00

Today bought a wedding dress. it was a pretty hard decision but i did it. and i am so happy.

i cant decide if i want to put a picture of it on my blog yet.... even though eric has already seen it.

i'm just so excited! i may not know many details about the wedding yet, but i do have a dress.
and i know it will be on april 7th at 2:40pm.

cant wait.

97 days and counting.....

2010-12-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

i am such a good fiance. i am sitting here in the tanner building at byu waiting for eric to take his final. i brought him dinner, ate it with him, and now i'm waiting for him to take this test so i can take him home.
sharing a car is hard.
mine is in the shop.
its hard.
i've never had to go without a car.
still havent.
eric is lending me his.
(nice guy that eric).

its funny because i'm just sitting around watching everyone study for their finals and stressing and i cant help but be so extremely grateful that i have no finals. apparently though, my body is programed to get stressed this time of year. even though i have no reason to be stressed, i still have really bad acne, i still crave diet cokes, and i'm still just stressed. i'm so ready for christmas break.

i am loving being engaged though. especially this time of year. its really fun. i just wish he would hurry and get done with his finals. but i'm afraid to say, that even though i have spent my whole life "planning" my wedding, i have no idea how to plan a wedding. i just dont know where to start or what to do. (suggestions would be helpful).

in the meantime, i am enjoying winter and everything that comes along with it.

happy christmas.
happy winter.

my very own christmas miracle

2010-12-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

this picture illustrates how i feel right now.

so. i'm engaged. to the man of my dreams. cheesy but true. i couldn't be happier.

here is the juice:
his name is eric lee phillips. he's 25. accounting major at byu (graduates in april). he's from taylorsville (yea he's ghetto its fine ;)). served his mission in connecticuit. and he's a babe.

so it all started about 2 weeks ago when he called my dad to ask if he could meet with him and he referred poor eric to his secretary to set something up because his "next couple weeks are really busy". that became the family joke so needless to say, that didn't stay secret and i knew he was going to talk to my dad last sunday.

i didnt think he was going to propose for a while because i knew he was getting the ring custom made and i knew it wasnt ready yet.

friday night we were going to drive up to salt lake to go see my friend james egan's show but never made it. on the way up we got into a little accident and eric ruined my car. we took my car back to his apartment and took his up to salt lake. we missed the show so we went to his house to "help his mom with the christmas tree" but really he was just getting the ring. we went to go see some christmas lights near his house. we got out to look around and look at them. he was hugging me and then he just got down on his knee and asked me. i thought he was doing another one of his famous "fake proposals" (i know right? who does that?) so i told him to stop and started hitting him. but then he got out the ring and put it on my right hand because he was so nervous it was stinkin adorable. but i still screamed out of pure joyness and jumped into his arms but then he had to remind me that i had to answer him. i said yes. so here we are today.

(this is for cha. this is the nordstrom knockoff but the real one will look pretty much like this. rose gold and sparkly. :) He's so good to me. )

we texted friends, called family and went to my house to see my family and they were gone at the jazz game so we just celebrated just us. and brit. thanks brit. what a pal.

so, i'm getting married. agh! thats the story and i'm so happy. i cant even believe it.

just a little stressed right now because my senior project and portfolio are due on wednesday and they are not even close to being done.

I'm in trouble.
but i cant help it. all i want to do is just look at his little face and do nothing else.

life is beautiful. thanks for all the texts and messages.

April 7, 2011!!!
(my cheeks hurt from smiling)

for his story click here

2010-11-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

"We must know Christ better than we know Him; we must remember Him more often than we remember Him; we must serve Him more valiently than we serve Him... Let us follow the Son of God to the extent that our mortal powers permit, we should make every effort to become like Christ."

-President Howard W Hunter

love my life

2010-11-05T00:10:00.000-06:00

i really do. i have the best job in the world even though its taking everything out of me and i'm getting paid close to nothing - i love it nonetheless. and my kids are adorable.

a fellow 4th grade teacher told me that halloween at school is "teacher hell". i dont know what she was talking about. i loved every single second of it.
here is evidence.seriously, how stinkin cute are my kids? pretty adorable. all 35 of them. love them. it was a great day. and honestly, i love going to work everyday. i'm so grateful that i can say that. i absolutely ADORE what i do everyday.

so for halloween we kept up the tradition and went to frightmares again. this year we weren't as fortunate as last. there was a lot of rain and we got really wet. and the show was a terrible disappointment. but on the bright side, i didn't lose my phone this year. but we sure did miss kassie, lor, cha, and kayson. but we did have a special addition this year. isnt he just adorable?
speaking of how much i love my kids, i was having a rough morning and go to school just to find this on my desk. seriously, LOVE MY LIFE.
Happy Weekend!!!

Go Bengals!!!

I want to write about...

2010-10-14T00:21:00.001-06:00

*my lovely new apartment

*general conference
*how i spend my 12 hour work days with the most beautiful and amazing kids
*how my students inspire me
*how i'm almost done with college
*this handsome fella that takes up all my free time

*spending every other weekend in Idaho watching Lori play volleyball

*and in Newton shooting guns and riding horses
*how much i love the time i spend with my baby sister
*the cute clothes I buy. but mostly the cute clothes i wish i could buy
*how much I love sleeping in my queen size bed
*how I'm still craving a pair of nice heels
*my acne
*how sad I am that my friends are so far away from me
*My depressing state because the Braves lost
*L.O.V.E.
*my complete obsession of the falls in Utah
*how grateful I am
*my need to travel*my dreams, aspirations, inspirations, and hopes.

Happy 4 day weekend.

Peace and blessings. Peace and blessings.

Wist List

2010-09-29T10:05:00.000-06:00

Today the journal topic for my students was "I want....". I thought it would be fun to hear their different dreams and wishes. They told me I had to do it too so I thought I would blog it.

"I want...."

To learn Italian
To go do service in Africa
Backpack through South America
Work in an orphanage in Mexico
A dress from Anthropology
My kids to score well on their tests
To be more organized
To be a photographer
To live in New York City
Travel through Europe for months at a time
Serve another mission but in Italy this time
To get married
To stay single
To be skinnier
To be taller
To play volleyball competitively again
I want......
To be a painter
To sleep more
To not have acne
To be healthy
To be more spiritual
To make more time for my personal scripture study
To have enough money to completely furnish and decorate my apt
To be near Cha
To live with Brit again
Melanie and Ashlie and Brianne to all move back
To ride a killer whale
To go to Hawaii
To be able to cook everything on the food blogs I read
To be a wedding planner
To have a baby
My prayers to be like they were when I was a missionary
To be able to grow out my hair
To be able to dunk
All my students to work hard and do all their work
All my students to always behave. ALL THE TIME.
To be a good teacher
Unlimited sky miles
To work at the crew so I can get a discount

To Live Happily Ever After ......

cupcakes and cashmere

2010-08-28T00:17:00.000-06:00

well by popular demand, ok, by melanie's demand i am updating my blog. sorry i've been out of the circuit for a while but when people dont comment i feel like no one reads/appreciates my posts so i stop. so thank melanie for this one.
let me start out by saying,
yes, all of the above. i moved into my apartment and after a trip to ikea with the manfriend i have a freaking ADORABLE room. plus a queen bed which i'm pretty much obsessed with. and pretty great roommates. also, i started teaching this week. i have 35 beautiful children that i'm also obsessed with and i absolutely LOVE MY JOB!! seriously. i honestly think i found my calling in life and i couldn't be happier about it. well, my calling in life for now at least. everyday i leave completely exhausted but i just adore every minute of it. and i owe it completely 100% to my decision to serve a mission. everything that is going well in my life right now i owe to my decision to serve a mission. best decision i ever made. i was talking to my dad tonight and he said "i only made two important decisions in my life and they shaped everything else: when i chose to join the church, and when i chose to marry your mom" (and then he got teary-eyed. it was adorable).
so, i went to the gap sale yesterday and spent way too much money. i've said it before and i'll say it again. i have a problem. but i'm just so excited for fall. i LOVE FALL!! i love the leaves, the scarves, the boots, the hats, the cardigans, the jackets, the smells, the mountains, the state fair, the pumpkins, the corn mazes, the sunsets. cupcakes and cashmere.

mother teresa said, "spread love everywhere you go, let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

thanks for reading! happy weekend!

viva la vida

2010-08-13T10:13:00.000-06:00

so i bought these last week at the sperry outlet.

worth every penny.

Ps. i miss my best friend

anwers to prayers

2010-08-12T00:36:00.000-06:00

sometimes i just get so frustrated with myself. i know that Heavenly Father is trying to give me answers to my most fervent prayers but i'm too blinded or stubborn or distracted or something else to see/feel/hear them. how do you receive answers to prayers? how do you find the Lords will for you?
tonight i was reading alma 32. its a chapter all about faith and how to obtain faith. tonight i found that it is also a chapter on how to recognize and receive answers to prayers. think of it this way....

so, like me, most of us want signs (vs. 37) we want the path laid out before us all the time. we want our path shown to us complete with every rock and bump along the way before we actually will step foot on it. we want Heavenly Father to hit us over the head and say, "here's your answer dummy." wouldnt that be nice. but as it says in vs. 18 - that isnt how the Lord works. he never has and he never will. the purpose of life is to find the answers and then be willing to take a step into the dark (relying on our faith and trust in God) and move forward. that is our purpose in life. part of "the test" if you will. so just to add to the mix, two general conferences ago (as in october 2009) Elder Richard G Scott gave a fabulous talk (to which i'm sure i will refer many times in this post) and he said, "Our Father expects you to learn how to obtain that divine help by exercising faith in Him and His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Were you to receive inspired guidance just for the asking, you would become weak and ever more dependent on Them. They know that essential personal growth will come as you struggle to learn how to be led by the Spirit." (Full talk here)
we know that faith is not to have a perfect knowledge (vs. 21). sometimes we dont know exactly what they Lord wants us to do. we dont have a perfect knowledge of it but we are required to move forward (for now) with what we feel to be right. and then in verse 22 remember that God is merciful and He really does want us to be successful and He is on our side.

ok here is my favorite part, vs. 26 "ye cannot know of a surety at first, unto perfection..." but we have to put our faith to action and to work and experiment upon what we believe to be right and then it will either shrivel up and die (i assume thats a stupor of thought and therefore, the wrong decision) or it will grow and blossom and you'll get great fruit and blessings and be happy and then you'll know it was the right decision.

"And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet....and ye shall feast upon the fruit even until you are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
"Then, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you."

"By careful practice, through the application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that come, you will gain spiritual guidance. I bear witness that the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, can speak to your mind and heart. Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual dictation. I bear solemn witness that as you pray with all the fervor of your soul with humility and gratitude, you can learn to be consistently guided by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of your life. I have confirmed the truthfulness of that principle in the crucible of my own life. I testify that you can personally learn to master the principles of being guided by the Spirit. That way, the Savior can guide you to resolve challenges of life and enjoy great peace and happiness." Elder Scottgood luck on all your quests to find answers. and wish me luck on mine.

cambios

2010-08-09T20:25:00.000-06:00

so i'm sitting here in an empty apartment at 1147 pm and cant help but think about all the changes that are taking place. i couldnt tell you if i'm the kind of person that likes change or doesnt because sometimes i do and sometimes i dont but tonight - i'm struggling with it.

all my best friends have left me. my amazing roommates who i got along with so well (rachel and lindsay) have left me for bigger and better things. brittney is with her family in michigan for two weeks and then is moving back up to salt lake. brianne moved to maryland with her husband. lori moved to idaho to go play volleyball. kassie is moving to cedar city. and it all started with cha - who decided that following her husband to sacramento was more important than staying with me. oh yea and dont forget miss ashlie lohner who decided she was too cool for me so moved off to texas to become a rockstar. is everyone moving on but me?
on the bright side, i'm done with school. D.O.N.E. done. i start teaching in two weeks. BIG CHANGE. i'm moving out of provo byu furnished housing to orem. i know right? but i love my roommates so that is one change i'm excited about.

i was thinking about all these changes while i was driving back to sacramento from fresno last night. i was also thinking about the change of going to fresno and no longer being a missionary. change is inevitable. we live, we learn, we move on. its life. as much as we hate it and as hard as it is its just life and many more changes are to follow. it doesnt make it any easier though. its still hard. and somehow, i always still miss the past.

as i've been reflecting on changes i've thought about this song i listened to on my mission. its called "every season" by nichole nordeman. i remember listening to this song right before i was coming home just praying that everything would work out with the change and transition. here are my favorite parts of the song.....

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring

(I cut out summer and winter but you can find the whole song here)

i love this song. i love it because the Lord really does have a hand in everything that happens. he truly is invested in the details in our lives. we go through hard times but he is "re-creating" us. all we can do is "offer thanks for what has been and whats to come".

then yesterday in sacrament meeting we sang, "be still my soul" and even though it was in spanish, it still touched me

"Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side
leave to thy God to order and provide
in every change he faithful will remain

be still my soul, thy God doth undertake
to guide the future as He has the past
thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last
be still my soul; the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below"

D&C 101: 16 - "Let your hearts be comforted...for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God."

Through every change, He faithful will remain.

2010-07-14T16:43:00.000-06:00

I couldnt work today. I tried but couldnt do it. I started looking at blogs and listening to sad love songs and couldnt stop. Maybe I'm just feeling too emotional but I feel so overwhelmed today with the beauty that is all around us in pictures, in song, in word, in memories. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Life truly is beautiful

"a man sees in this world what he carries in his heart"

-johann wolfgang

I am simply looking for beauty, whateve that is - its nothing that can be explained - only felt. When I find it, I'm grateful."
-Gwyn Hanssen Pigott

"when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance."
lee ann womack

"she said she usually cries at least once a day, not because she was sad, but because the world is so beautiful and life is too short."

missin this.

2010-07-12T23:51:00.000-06:00

this past weekend i found all the letters to the president i wrote on my mission. i read some. maybe cried some. tonight i went through to look through some old emails i sent my family while i was serving. for those of you who werent blessed enough to be on my mailing list here is a peak from almost exactly two years ago...

July 14, 2008

Hey familia,Whats new?  Kels, baby yet?? do we know the name??
Jamie, thanks for the email last week.  Made me really happy.
Thanks cha and mom and dad for the letters and packages and pictures.
I love wedding pictures.  They would've turned out better though
if my face was in there.  Too bad for you.  haah.
well, we had a good week.  we had 5 investigators at church and the
work is moving forward.  we found a new family we're working with
and they are just adorable.  Its hard though for all the families
we're teaching something is wrong with the men. They just arent
interested and wont sit down and listen.  oh men.  who needs them.
haha jk.  but i really wish they would just stop trying to be so
manly and get a little spirituality.  Pray for them.  Anyway, they
are a great family.  her name is Griselda and her daughters are
Ruby 10, yasmin 8, and janel 1.  they're really cute and love reading
the book of mormon. I guess elizabeth and family are back in the
picture?!?!  we'll see.  they came to church and went to the YW
fireside they had last night.  They're good.  and yolanda we
havent been able to see her because of her novio.  please pray for
them.  We've also started working with a part member family.  the
moms name is nelida and she's a member and her older daughter but her
husband and her sons aren't.  She hasnt been to church in a while
because she's been super confused. her neighbor friend is a JW and
has been really confusing her but we had an AWESOME lesson with them
last night and things are getting better.  They're adorable too.
The work is going great and the Lord is blessing us SO much for our
efforts and for riding our bikes in 114 weather.  It started to cool
off this weekend though, only 105.  i never thoughti would say,
"oh man sweet its only 105"  i really did.  oh man.  love it.  i just
sweat my brains out all day everyday.  its fabulous. and most of the
people we visit dont have air conditioning.  Missions are fun.
well, i have to go but i love you all and miss you so much!!! be good
and read your scriptures and pray everyday.  thats what keeps us
safe against the temptations of satan.  I love you all and pray for
you always.  please keep me updated on all of your lives.  love you!!
-gin

i just miss it. in some ways life was so much easier. i heard president beck talk at a fireside yesterday. words cannot express my love for him. i'm a lucky girl. my advice to all young women: go on a mission. best thing i've ever done hands down. changed me and my life forever in so many ways.

and for those of you who are wondering, cali was awesome. vlogs to follow.

i love double chins. dont you?

EXHUASTED

2010-06-28T01:07:00.000-06:00

i feel like some of my greatest posts have come in the middle of the night. please dont ask me why i'm blogging at one in the morning when i should be doing my reading or heaven forbid, sleeping. i just felt like writing. i dont even know why.
i was driving back to my apt from home tonight and realized that i had A TON of reading to do over the weekend and did NONE of it. yes, i'm awesome. or i just get distracted. so i wander in my room a few minutes ago, pull out my book and this is what i read,"since the early 1980's, many in the field of second language learning have supported, indeed made possible, the revolutionary movement taking us from grammar-based to interactive approaches grounded in social interaction.... blah blah blah."
yea. that lasted about 30 seconds and then i pulled out my computer and that led me here. summer school is hard. especially with so many distractions.

wow i just got really tired. here are some sweet pics from the strawberry days rodeo and of course, the backstreet boys concert which was, btw, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS.
Thanks dad! And happy birthday Lor! life is good. besides the whole summer school thing.
ps. going to cali this weekend with the b-rit. so freaking excited. love roadtrips with that girl and i'm in dyer need of serious vaca. and the beach. so i can wear my bikini.

a little taste of inspiration

2010-06-15T11:58:00.000-06:00

"Stay with me. Lets just breathe."

-Pearl Jam

"Simplicity is the outward sign and symbol of depth of thought"

-Lin Yutang

"You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. Its just a matter of paying attention to this miracle."

-Paul Coelho

"I dream my painting and then I paint my dream."

-Vincent Van Gogh

"The belly rules the mind"

-Spanish Proverb

"We are still masters of our fate

We are still captians of our souls"

-Winston Churchill

"And I dont know why but with you I'd dance

In a storm in my best dress

Fearless"

-TSwift

comings and goings

2010-06-10T20:25:00.001-06:00

Still living in Provo. Here's the latest.

Melissa's baby shower. She's due the beginning of July and she's just adorable. She doesn't even look pregnant in this picture. She's going to be such a good mom. It was so fun seeing everyone too!

I ate sushi for the first time with my ADORABLE new roommates. I seriously LOVE them. I lucked out BIG time.

All the nephews came in town for memorial day weekend. It was SOOO fun. I love them.

AK and AROD dominated again. I love summer because I love tennis.

Taylor. He's adorable. He just gets bigger every time i see him.

Lori graduated from BHS! Isn't she gorgeous?? I cannot believe she is so old. For those of you who don't know she is going to Idaho State on a full ride scholarship to play volleyball! She's so excited and we are so happy for her!! She's a rockstar!

Josie got married and we went to her shower. Ashlie and I got her these over-sized underpants and ironed on some awesome stuff. It made her laugh.

She loves us. Because we're hilarious.

Ashlie came in town for the wedding and it was SOOO good to see her. I miss her more than words can say.

We had our annual breakfast and swim party. It was a blast.

My good friend Kenzie is Miss Lehi and she had an open house to get ready for Miss Utah. Isn't she gorgeous??

Did you know David Archuleta wrote a book? A memoir actually. I went to his book signing at Deseret book on my lunch break on Tuesday. I didn't get the book nor did I wait in this line to get his autograph.

Yea it was pretty much insane. But it was a good time. I am just a big fan of David. Thanks to Brittney who let me drag her along. She's such a good friend. And we are officially roommates again. Life is good. We don't get much done but we always have a good time.

Here's to a great summer!

2010-06-07T17:58:00.000-06:00

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

-President Thomas S. Monson. (Finding Joy in the Journey - General Conference Oct. 2008)

PS. I love this picture. I want a giraffe at my wedding.

WANDERLIST

2010-06-03T11:48:00.000-06:00

Ok here it is. The much anticipated WANDERLIST (inspired by Alex and Mina). I have put much thought and effort into this list. I was a list of about 50 but I have narrowed it. It was really hard.

PS. I love traveling. A lot.

First off, here are the places I've been (outside the US):

Russia, New Zealand, Samoa, Italy, England, France, Spain

"travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent."

-Miriam Beard

1. Go on an African Safari and then volunteer in a school in Africa for a year

2. Visit the pyramids in Egpyt. Then go to Cairo.

3. Scuba dive the Barrier Reef

4. Greece - for at least a month

5. Go to Kyoto Japan for the cherry blossom festival and experience the night life in downtown Tokyo.

5. Bike through Denmark

6. Stay in a 7-star hotel in Dubai

7. Taj Mahal (and other parts of India)

8. Party in Brazil during Carnival and then wander around all of South America

9. Study in ancient Jerusalem

10. Live and volunteer in Mexico

11. Learn Italian and go back to Italy. but go through rural parts of Italy too and eat pizza for every meal.

And I'm going to buy a really expensive camera and take millions and millions of amazing pictures.

I am simply inspired by people and culture.

2010-05-26T01:14:00.000-06:00

Well, its 1:14 am and I should be sleeping but instead I'm updating my blog. It makes sense. Especially because I only got 3 and a half hours of sleep last night. I'm on a roll. Last night I was up talking with my roommates until after 4am. I love them. We talked about everything from our future weddings to how lame boys are to proposition 8. But everything we talked about somehow we always ended back to the gospel. Its a beautiful thing. It has just made me think about how blessed I truly am. I have been blessed with so much and the gospel is the center of it all. I'm so grateful for my parents and that they made the decision to be baptized. I cannot imagine my life without it.

So, as my roommates were complaining about boys (and i can hear them from the other room now and they are still doing it) I was looking at this blog. (its linked so click on it if you want to check it out)

Judge me all you want but i dont think its weird that i read their blog even though i dont know them. I love them. This is the greatest love story i've ever heard.

So once upon a time there is this couple that got married, sold all their possessions, quit their jobs, sold their house, and went on a honeymoon trip around the world.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!

That is seriously the best thing i've ever heard. They have been traveling the world on their honeymoon since June and they blog about every little piece. Thats all i want. I want to marry someone that would quit his job, sell everything he has, and take me on a honeymoon trip around the world.

Is that too much to ask??

Oh man. Its so romantic and spontaneous and risky and crazy that i absolutely LOVE it. Of course the logical and practical and responsible side of me thinks their crazy but their blog is fun to read. But everything else in me is saying,
I want that.

So they created a list they call a WANDERLIST and it has everything they want to do and everything they want to see and everywhere they want to go. Its genius. That will be my next post.

Something to look forward to.

...like blonde bangs

2010-05-20T09:58:00.000-06:00

Life really is beautiful. I think the more years I live, the more I find this to be true. In school we've been talking about what we need to do to INSPIRE our students (I cannot wait to teach by the way) and in the process I've been finding so many things that inspire me. There is so much beauty all around and it truly is inspiring.

First and foremost, blonde bangs. My new roommate Lindsay (LOVE HER) cuts hair and she cut my bangs last night and I love them. A nice, thick, set of blonde bangs. Its the good life.

Here are some more beautiful things that i love.

Clothes. Ok maybe I'm a shopaholic but I love clothes and I love fashion. I just do. Like this adorable outfit from Anthropologie. "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." -Woody Allen (Dont you want my engagement picture to look like this? Because i do)

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread."

-Mother Teresa

So the other day in my differentiation class we watched Oprah. It was the best class of my life PS. Anyway, we watched the entire special on her building her school in South Africa for young girls. Its called The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy. (Check out the site that tells the story - its seriously inspiring and amazing). Anyway, like i usually do when i watch Oprah i cried my eyes out like a little baby. My greatest desire in life is to make a difference and i realized at that moment my greatest life ambition: to teach school in Africa.

I think its my calling in life.(Picitures from National Geographic)

"....beauty is the promise of the future" -Oliver Wendell Holmes

Inspiration #1

2010-05-17T00:41:00.001-06:00

I've been creeping a lot of blogs recently and have found many things that inspire me. Like this. From here.

"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried...you haven't lived."

-William Parish

quick update

2010-05-03T16:43:00.001-06:00

This week I was told that I need to update my blog weekly. I'm not sure why because my life is very uneventful and I'm not sure all that many people care about my blog. But at least one reader does. So, this is for you Brittney. Here is a quick update about my life.
2 weeks ago i went to California for my friend Kate's wedding. Here are some pictures.
This is Kate and her new husband Garrett. They were kind enough to invite me to their sealing in the San Diego temple which was absolutely beautiful. That is definitely the most beautiful, sacred ordinance and it was amazing to be able to witness theirs. Thanks guys!

Went to see the Braves play the Padres. It was amazing. Braves won. I love baseball with all my heart.
Well we also went to the beach twice, went to Ruby's on the pier with my good friend Michael Jordan who was on the men's volleyball team at CSU Northridge with me, we went to downtown Disney, and drove a lot. But it was really fun.
Cha moved to Sacramento. Its been so super hard and I seriously miss her so much. I hate this picture but it was taken the night before she left. Did i mention she's pregnant?
I have a new nephew! My brother and his wife just had their third. Parker Winton Mendenhall. He's gorgeous and perfect. Here is me with all three of them. We went to Vegas this past weekend for his blessing. It was so fun. I just love love LOVE these boys!

So, thats about it. I finished the semester, better than I was thinking so that is great news. I'm so glad its over. I don't recommend anyone do 18 credits. EVER. Now I have one more free day before a start a new semester! Only 3 1/5 more months before I'm done with college classes forever! (until i go back and get my masters). And then i get to go teach little guys! I cant wait!

I wanted to write about a couple other things that have been on my mind lately but that will have to wait. I'm going to the gym. Yay for Monday night kickboxing! The highlight of my week!

Procrastination

2010-04-23T11:34:00.000-06:00

I dont think procrastination is necessarily a bad thing. Actually, sometimes its pretty great. Like this morning. I should've been studying and working on projects but instead I was happy because I was looking at these.....

Too bad I'm broke. But at least I can still look at pictures and wish right? And procrastinate my finals next week. I have seven by the way. SEVEN. I know right? I'm fried. I dont want to go to school anymore. I'm dropping out.

Its about time

2010-04-05T23:00:00.000-06:00

#1> I cannot believe I am about to admit this
#2> I cannot believe I am about to write a blog about this

Dear Followers,
Judge me all you want. Its fine. I feel like this is a big no, HUGE step in my life and I was proud of myself so I wanted to share so you could all be proud of me too. Once upon a time I was in love. Then he broke my heart. Its been a really long time and so I'm sure there are a handful of readers out there rolling there eyes at me. Fine. Do it. I don't care. But tonight I did something huge. For me. I deleted all pictures, threw away all letters and pictures, and deleted all emails. Although I feel good about it my heart hurts a little. I know its time to let go of the past. I thought I had but obviously I hadn't. I'm embarrassed to admit it has taken me this long but I got there little by little. I think I've gotten over a big hill. Finally.

We all know the story of Lot's wife in the book of Genesis. In the days of Sodom and Gomorrah Lot was commanded to flee with his family. As they were leaving Lots wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Elder Holland gave a talk on this and said, "Apparently what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before they were past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her.... In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future." I'm afraid and embarrassed to admit that that is what I think I'm guilty of. Elder Holland goes on to say, "I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in.... Faith is always pointed toward the future. So a more theological way to talk about Lot’s wife is to say that she did not have faith. She doubted the Lord’s ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently she thought—fatally, as it turned out—that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as those moments she was leaving behind." (talk from here)

Now you all think I'm faithless but I promise I'm not. We all have our own struggles right? But I do know that everything happens for a reason. I know that our loving Heavenly Father will never go back on his promises. If we have faith and keep moving forward he will not hold out on his blessings. And I know it all happened for my good; something better is ahead. I really do know that and today I think i finally SHOWED that.

FINALLY!

XXIV

2010-03-15T21:19:00.000-06:00

The rumors are true. I'm officially 24. I'm sure if I had a spouse he would post on our blog 24 reasons why he loves me. Thats what people seem to be doing these days. Too bad I dont have one of those. Yet. Then, I thought about maybe listing 24 reasons why I'm a great catch (to hopefully find one). But I only got to 19 so I couldnt do that. Thats just embarrassing.

So this took a lot of thought to think of a creative list and so I am going to share with you all why this is going to be MY YEAR! (And not 24 reasons because that is just too many) (and dont get me wrong - I dont mean my year to get married necessarily, just a good year all around)

*24 is an even number and therefore, good.
*2010 = even and good.
*I got the internship. Already proven to be a good year. I get to teach 4th grade!
*24 is just a great number and here's why....

Its Paul Millsap's number, and he's great
American Idol doesnt get good until it reaches the top 24
24 = the complete church (12 tribes of isreal + 12 apostles. Its true. Look it up here.)
Willie May's number
Kobe Bryant number(you have to admit he's dang good)
Jack Bauer

Ok that was a little shorter and little less awesome than I was planning. Nonetheless there it is. And its going to be the best year of my life. You're welcome to be a part of it.

not all good things come to an end

2010-03-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

But some do. Like the 2010 winter olympics. Man I seriously LOVED watching the Olympics whenever I could. Here are a few of my favorite things...

Apollo Anton Ohno. He's fabulous. He is amazing and so fun to watch! In Vancouver he wone his eighth career medal which pretty much makes him amazing. He won three in Vancouver and no gold I'm afraid to say. Two bronze and a silver.

I love watching womens figure skating. The US had two good and cute girls but this Kim Yu-Na of South Korea just killed everyone out of the water. She won by like 25 points or something. She was amazing! It was really fun to watch.

I seriously just loved the olympics this year. With bode miller, lindsey vonn, shaun white, shani davis, evan lvsacek, and more but i cant remember their names. It ended sadly when Cananda beat USA in hockey in overtime. It was a great game though, and I usually dont like watching hockey. USA ended up winning the medal count with 37 and Germany in second with 30.

But some good things dont come to an end. In Preach My Gospel in the very first part it says, "More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among His children." Its so true and I am still (even after a year) feeling the reality of that blessing. I found out today that a family that I taught and baptized are still active and the youngest boy just turned 12 in Feb and got the priesthood. Another family I taught and baptized, their youngest girl who just turned 8 in December just got baptized on Sunday. Honestly, its hard to explain how happy that makes me. But its amazing.

Some other good news.....

This is my new school. I applied for an internship in Alpine School District and just found out yesterday that I GOT IT! Starting in August I will be teaching fourth grade at legacy elementary school and couldnt be more excited!

Life is good.

A Sad Realization

2010-02-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

Well today is February 25. A year ago today I was released from my calling as a full time missionary. Its so hard to believe that that was a year ago! I cant exactly tell how I feel about it, but its weird. Its weird because I can no longer say, "A year ago today..." and share an awesome story about my mission. I think being home a year makes it seem a little more real that that part of my life is over. That makes me sad. I miss it. I really do. I can honestly say it was the most influential months of my life and therefore the best. I learned so much and honestly those 18 months have shaped me into who I am today. All the good things you see in me I completely owe to my mission. (Ok maybe some I owe to my parents). I learned so much. I learned the importance of strict obedience. I learned what is most important in life and to put those things first. I learned to ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Hispanic people. I've learned how to study, how to pray, how to love, how to serve. I miss it so much. I miss the people. I miss bearing my testimony everyday. I miss witnessing people change when they come to know the truth. I miss feeling the spirit like that everyday. I miss being able to do the Lords work 24-7. I miss homemade tortillas. So in honor, here are some pictures I want to share. Highlights if you will....

6 years ago today

2010-02-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

So I found myself tonight sitting on my bed, putting off my homework, and feeling sorry for myself. Again. I hate being 24 (in 2 weeks), living in provo, and still in school. I dont really have a bad life sometimes I just think I do. But I have so much to be grateful for.

Six years ago today some of my best friends were in a car accident. My friend Brian Lahti, who had been offered to go play baseball at several colleges was hit the worst and the doctors said he would never be able to use his limbs again. Brian will be graduating from Berkley Law School next year and is simply remarkable. He has overcome the odds and has accomplished more than most people his age. I've never heard him complain once about the situation he is in and he has always made the most of his life. He is such a great example to me and everyone around him.

So like the hymn says, I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and count my many blessings. "So when amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged God is over all. Count your many blessings angels will attend, help and comfort give you to your journey's end."

Thanks Bry!

Why am I still awake??

2010-02-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

Thats a good question. I have no idea. Why am I writing on my blog instead of finishing my paper so I can go to bed?? Again, another good question. I dont really have a good answer. Today was a long day. Work was long. School was longer. Sometimes I dont like being so busy. I woke up at 730 and worked from 8 until 11. (I usually have institute on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 but I needed to work longer today). I had class from 12 until 4. I went to the gym from 4-530. Did homework until 630. SHowered, went to dinner and institute with my roommate melanie and my friend clay and then I went to Velour to watch my beautiful friend and roommate ashlie sing her beautiful little heart out at open mic. She's amazing. It got over at 11. I had to pack and drive home. I have work meetings all week in Salt Lake and I have to be downtown at 745 tomorrow morning. Its now 1:49am and I havent finished my paper I'm supposed to have done by tomorrow.

Why do I do this to myself???

Speaking of, I told myself I would never ask a boy out again. Listening to a story today I changed my mind and took a chance.
Never again.
I need to finish my paper and go to bed. I'm tired.

Swim

2010-02-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the Jack's Mannequin concert at in the venue. It was amazing. I loved them before but I love them even more now. They were amazing live and great entertainers. This is their new single called SWIM. The lead singer, Andrew McMahon, was diagnosed with Leukemia and he wrote this when he was going through his chemo-therapy. I love this song. I hope you do too!!

2010-02-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

Vulnerability is the susceptibility to physical or emotional injury or attack. It also means to have one's guard down, open to censure or criticism. Vulnerability refers to a person's state of being liable to succumb

Why do I do this to myself??

passionate kissing

2010-01-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

Dont worry - today i just had teach in combined relief society/priesthood about the law of chastity.
No big deal.
It wasnt awkward and i wasnt bright red with a shaky voice the whole time.

Its fine.

Maybe i'll never get asked out again from anyone in my ward. Its fine.

Two weddings and a funeral

2010-01-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

January thus far has been quite busy. Two weddings and a funeral and a trip to the vegas that was pretty much amazing and I will post about later. Maybe.

My Cousin Payne got married on the 7th

Aunt Susan was sealed to Uncle Larry who passed away about 3 years ago
Us at Grandad's funeral
Yea.... good times

Christmas at Disneyworld

2010-01-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

This year we went to Disneyworld for Christmas. It was UH-MAZING!
Here are some highlights

I will remember....

2010-01-19T22:11:00.001-07:00

Grandad
Sept 22, 1922 - January 11, 2010

Your contagious smile
Your comfy hugs
Your identifying smell
Your pre-meal cheese and crackers
Your famous homemade spaghetti
Your memorable stories
Your birthday cards and your handwriting
Our phone calls
Your love we always felt just by your presence
Your admirable strength and optimism
The love you have for your family

I love you grandad! You will be greatly missed, but always remembered.

Just My Luck

2010-01-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a lucky marble. Like this one.

Did you know that if you find a marble its good luck? Well it is. And I found one today. I picked it up, it slipped out of my hand, and rolled away. Down the street. I didnt chase after it. Just my luck. I have none. And apparently I'm not supposed to have any luck. UGH. Its just been one of those weeks.

Yesterday. Today. and Tomorrow.

2010-01-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

There's a part of me that's empty

I know only love can fill

I'm afraid I'll never find it

And scared to death i will.

Help me fall.

The Spirit of Christ

2009-12-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

click here ---> The Spirit of CHRIST
I loved this video clip. It made me cry my eyes out. Being home from my mission has seriously been so hard. I feel it especially now. The last two Christmases I was able to completely focus on other people and especially on my Savior. I felt like finally I was able to give something back to Christ for the day we celebrate as His birthday. Its so hard to be back and trying to get my priorities straightened out. I never thought it would be hard to find time to study the scriptures, serve others, go out with the missionaries, or even say meaningful, selfless prayers. Who have I become? I have become completely caught up in the commercial world of Christmas. The lights, decorations, presents, money, clothes, etc. This video reminded me that none of that matters (and I definitely needed to be reminded). This is the time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ. To remember His life, His death, and all the things that He still does for us each day. I love the gospel and I especially love my Savior Jesus Christ. I hope all of you know that.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
click here ---> The Spirit of CHRIST

2009-12-06T00:10:00.001-07:00

i keep losing all my best friends to this thing called marriage.

epic? you tell me.

2009-12-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

Today might turn out to be a monumental day. I bought my very first pair of skinny jeans. yes, its true. i bought these
from here. And I love them.

Thats all.

Fall 2009

2009-11-29T21:53:00.001-07:00

Ok I know that I've published some crazy posts but heres really what I've been up to this fall.

Went to Jake's soccer games.

Watched Lori get an award at the BHS football game.

Made (and ate) carmel apples. Delicious.

Went to cornbellys.

Every Tuesday and Thursday I went to cheer on my sisters at BHS volleyball games.

Went to FRIGHTMARES on Halloween (and maybe lost my phone)

Had a girls weekend in Park City.

Emily turned 16 and got a car.

Cheered on the COUGS

Went to David Archuleta, student taught 6th grade and had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love you all!

Christmas from the heart

2009-11-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Let me just say so its on record that I love David Archuleta and his Christmas album is amazing! His concert was last night and he was completely fabulous. Thats all. Love him. Thats all.

Once again, I bite the dust.....

2009-11-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

I was going to title this post, "another one bites the dust" but then I realized that I'm the one biting the dust. (Whatever that means). Another facebook status reads this morning, "(No names will be mentioned) IS ENGAGED!"

#1. I hate that status.

#2. um....i hate that status?

I will probably post that as my status when I eventually get engaged but for now, I hate it. You may say that its just because I'm jealous and that is a correct assumption. I am jealous. I'm woman enough to admit it. Especially when

#1. People younger than me are getting married (and then pregnant) and

#2. When people that got home from their missions after me are getting married. And pregnant.

Can I just say again and reaffirm the fact that the Lord really does know us. So I guess the Lord prepared me for this news this morning. I read a talk this morning by Elder Scott. Its amazing. Its called, "Trust in the Lord". Here is my favorite quote, "True enduring happiness with the accompanying strength, courage, and capacity to overcome the most challenging difficulties comes from a life centered in Jesus Christ. Obedience to His teachings provides a sure foundation upon which to build. That takes effort. There is no guarantee of overnight results, but there is absolute assurance that, in the Lord’s time, solutions will come, peace will prevail, and emptiness will be filled." I really do know thats true. And as much as I complain about it I know that it will happen in the Lords time (as hard as that may sound) as long as I am being obedient and doing all the things I need to. I know that He is preparing someone grand for me as long as I remain worthy.

I will leave you with another quote from the same talk in the spirit of Thanksgiving this weekend. "It is wisdom to open the windows of happiness by recognizing your abundant blessings."

I am blessed.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

because I'm SUCH a good friend.

2009-11-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

My dad just called me and invited me to go to the jazz game tonight. 16th row. Great seats. Of course I screamed yes right away because I love the jazz. Then I realized that I already made plans with my roommate to go to dinner and get Christmas decorations for our apt. I thought she would understand, I mean really, its the Jazz for crying outloud. So I called her. She was so sad when I told her I thought she was going to cry. I called my dad and asked what I should do and I already knew. So I told my dad to give away my ticket. He even said I could bring a boy if I wanted. I dont think she realizes what I'm giving up here. Great Jazz tickets, with Lori and dad, and possibly a cute boy. All because I'm THAT good of a friend. (and then I had to complain about it on my blog). Maybe I'm a little sad about it still.

2009-11-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

the magic of the first love is the ignorance that it can never end
-disrael

In depth analysis into the male species at BYU

2009-11-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

My beautiful and inspired friend Kristen Moore posted this on her blog and I loved it too much so I had to post it on my own. Its too true.
So, to all you old mill ward members and family that keep asking me why I'm not yet married, this is why. To all those who are wondering why I cant wait to move to NYC, FAR away from here. This is why. Enjoy. Thanks Kristen.

There are two main groups of males at BYU:

1. The 'Zoobie'- I thought everybody knew what a zoobie was, but apparently that is not the case. I will try to define it for you. A zoobie is the epitome of a BYU student. They love Provo. They love the Cougars, in fact, the may have been born in a cougar den. They wear BYU T-shirts. They wear denim shorts. They wear sneakers with white socks. They have probably been called Peter Priesthood many a time throughout their life. Are you getting the picture here? A zoobie is THEE perfect BYU student. Many of the BYU population fall into this category. Zoobies love to date other zoobies. That way they can buy their all-sports passes together and make sure they are at all the football games with their coordinating T-shirts. The zoobies will sometimes venture to non-zoobies, but it is rare and usually doesn't last.
(yes, yes you are. image from here)

2. The 'Tool' or 'D-bag' or 'Bro' or 'Provo All-Star'- When a man realizes that he is not a zoobie, he will often times try very hard to make this point clear. This usually means venturing clear to the other side of the spectrum, 'the tool box'. He wants no association to BYU or zoobies, and often times the church in general. He most likely lives at Alpine Village or Belmont. He drives a nice car. He wears flat-brimmed hats. He has multiple women in his flanks at all times. He was probably 90% naked on Halloween. These men like to date the female version of the tool, 'the maneater'. These are the guys that get a lot of attention because they are usually physically attractive. So over their years here at BYU they have developed quite an ego and think they can treat women like they treat the planet (they rarely recycle).
(an image commonly seen on a d-bags Facebook, image from here)

Many of you are probably thinking, wait, there has to be another option! And that is where a third group comes in...

3. The Stragglers- This is a tricky group because there is a lot of variation within it. You can have the straggler who is just really confused as to who he is. Maybe he was cool in high school but doesn't quite want to make the jump to Provo All-Star but doesn't want to be a Zoobie either. You can also have the straggler who is the BYU rebel, who has recently become known as 'Hipster'. This is hard though, because the 'hipster' can be perceived as a tool. But they usually have visible facial hair, Garden State is their favorite movie (it's rated R, in case you didn't know), and they probably hang out at Velour on the weekends. They really just don't want to be at BYU and they want to make sure YOU know that.
(sorry you probably can't hear me, you have headphones in. what prescription do you have in those glasses? none, because they're fake. image from here)

This is a problem though when it comes to dating.

Do we want a zoobie?
No.
Do we want a tool?
Definitely not.
Do we want a confused young man who has changed majors 14 times?
Not really.
Do we want a hipster?
Not unless we want a guy with skinnier jeans than our own.

So what do we want? We want the non-conformist. These are the guys that are just happy being themselves. They don't hate BYU, but they don't bleed blue either. They are interesting (as in they have interests, I know, shocking). They are not nerdy, yet their profile pic isn't over-saturated and highly contrasted. They are just in the middle. Sounds nice, right? But the question is, where are these non-conformists? The non-conformists have a hard time believing that they could be interested in a Provo girl in fear of discovering either a female zoobie or a maneater. So they choose to just not date much at all.

I will save the topic of dating at BYU for another post though. I thought we needed to establish these definitions first.

Wow, I'm glad I got that all off my chest.

phoneless...

2009-11-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

I love having a phone. Its good for keeping in touch via texting and talking. Its great for taking pictures and of course for keeping track of time. Sadly, my life with a cell phone ended last night when I was at a great place called FRIGHTMARES LAGOON. We were enjoying the whole day. It was perfect. 65 degrees. With my favorite people. All the great fun, great rides, great haunted houses, great shows, great company, great day/night came to end when we went on this ride for the 7th time. This is wicked. It was my favorite ride until it ruined my life. My phone was placed gently in my pocket for this crazy fun ride and when we walked off, it was gone. gone. gone. When we went back to see if the workers had found it, we were greeted by the 13 year old employees who had been searching the grounds for lost goods. They found many other treasures but not my poor beautiful phone. They went to "search" again but these 13 year olds were more busy flirting with eachother than finding my phone. Its ok. Life moves on. But life with my bubble gum pink motorolla phone as we know it, is over. Goodbye phone.

Why I am not pregnant....

2009-10-26T16:52:00.000-06:00

I went to the dermatologist this morning because my mom had an apt and couldnt make it so she made me take it. I was sitting in the waiting room trying to create a script that I would say to the Dr when he asks why I am in today. I kept asking myself, "why am i here again?" Well I went in and he removed the big sick mole on my forehead and then had him take a look at some "skin problems" I've been having on my neck, back, and arms. He then begins to tell me that it could be because my hormones are going crazy and my body is asking me "why are you not pregnant?". Haha. I was a little bit in shock and it was a little hilarious but mostly just classic. Yes, I'm 23 and not pregnant. Sorry body.

2009-10-15T15:20:00.000-06:00

After years of expensive education,a car full of books and anticipation, I’m an expert on Shakespeare and that’s a heck of a lot but the world don't need scholars as much as I thought. Maybe I'll go travelling for a year,finding myself or start a career. I could work for the poor though I’m hungry for fame. we all seem so different but we're just the same. Maybe I'll go to the gym, so I don't get fat, aren't things more easy with a tight six pack? Who knows the answers? Who do you trust? I can't even separate love from lust. Maybe I’ll move back home and pay off my loans, working nine to five answering phones. Don't make me live for my friday nights, drinking eight pints and getting in fights. I don't want to get up, just let me lie in, leave me alone, I'm a twenty something. Maybe I'll just fall in love that could solve it all, philosophers say that that’s enough, there surely must be more. Love ain’t the answer nor is work, the truth eludes me so much it hurts. But I’m still having fun and I guess that's the key, I'm a twenty something and I'll keep being me.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

2009-10-13T23:05:00.000-06:00

Ok I went in to Gap today and almost started to cry. I LOVE THE GAP!!! I really do. I dont know how this happened but I am broke and can not afford to buy clothes but I REALLY WANT THESE. You guys, I really am addicted to shopping and clothes. I just love clothes so much I could die. Just die. Thats not normal. Its like a sin, I need to repent. But for now, I will just break another commandment and covet these garments.
I just love these clothes. If you are wondering what to buy me for christmas or halloween or thanksgiving or unbirthday present, I will happily accept these. Please and thank you.

Calling London

2009-10-06T08:36:00.000-06:00

This is London. The most beautiful city in the world I'm convinced. Its gorgeous. I love the streets, the cars, the shops, the people, the weather, the plays, the shopping, EVERYTHING. If it wasnt to expensive I would move there right now. I've been remined recently how much i love the fall weather and in London its fall weather ALL YEAR LONG!

I mean really, look how cute this little street is. I just want to move into a little flat in that building. I could teach all day in school then at night I can go shopping, go to plays, hit on hot british men. Ah thats the life. After I graduate. Only a year and a half to go....

Back to School...

2009-09-05T15:09:00.000-06:00

Well, i was waiting to update my blog until i got my europe pictures onto my compter but its been a pain so i havent done that yet but i will. i know everyone is dying to see pictures from my amazing trip. and it really was amazing.

i got home last tuesday and then started back up in school on wednesday and its been absolutely crazy. i was originally signed up for 19 credits but cut it down to 16 and thank goodness i did. that was nutso. i dropped my spanish class. i loved the first day and i really wanted to keep it but it would just be to hard. not to mention i do student teaching for the month of november and so i would have to miss class. so, it didnt work out. hopefully i'll be able to go back and take it sometime. maybe in the summer...?

my classes are fun. i love the girls in my cohort. we have fun. two years together, we're going to become great friends. speaking of great friends, i LOVE my roommates. Mindy and Jaime are both on the basketball team and are SUPER cute and nice girls. Love them both. Mindy is engaged and getting married in December. its been super fun to help her plan her wedding. i'm pretty much pro at it by now. and then melanie. i knew we were going to be good friends when i found out she was from fresno. it was like a match made in heaven. she's great. i am missing brittney these days but i do end up getting a lot more done so maybe its a good thing.

life is good. just working and schooling ALOT. it keeps me super busy. speaking of busy, provo is so busy!! i liked it better in the summer when it wasnt so crowded. its insane. it takes me a half hour to pull into my apt complex. thats all.

Livin the Life

2009-08-12T16:22:00.000-06:00

Ok it has been a while since I've update my blog. I saw the movie Julie and Julia and it inspired me to be a better blogger. Even if I dont have any followers. I will one day. Well, I'm just finishing up finals and cant wait to have that week and a half break before I start again the end of this month with 18 credit hours and 2 jobs. We'll see how that goes. I'm a little nervous.

Nothing new on the boy front. Boys are lame I've decided. I was talking a boy in my ward on Sunday and he agreed and apoligized for all the boys in Utah. Just ask girls on dates for crying out loud. And stop playing the stupid games. I honestly didnt think dating would be this hard when I got home from my mission. Life after the mission is full of surprises. But a mission taught me that, its never what you expect. I'm having a great time being single though. Brittney and I have way too much spending money, going to matinees, eating good food, watching chick flicks, shopping, etc. This truly is the life and I'm enjoying it.

Well, for my break I am going to Europe with my dad and maybe Kassie. Well, as of today we're going. Plans could change. I saw Julie and Julia today with Brittney and it got me super excited to go to Paris though. I want to move there. I want to open a bakery in Paris. Wouldnt that be awesome? Britt and I always talk about stuff like that. I'm not tied down, I could do whatever I wanted. I'm hoping to blog all through my Europe trip so everyone can know what I'm doing everyday. We'll see how well that goes but thats the plan. I'm so excited. Ok I guess I'm done for now. See ya!

Since I've been home

2009-07-12T19:02:00.001-06:00

Me on my birthday with my nephews. That was a project to get them all together. Taylor was not enjoying it too much.
Me and Max. It took him a while to warm up to me. Still does.
We all went to Outback right when I got home. It was so fun! I love my friends!

The Homecoming

2009-07-12T18:37:00.000-06:00

This is the view coming down from the escalator at the airport. I think I was just in complete shock. Of course Jamie and the boys werent there yet.
My cute sisters.
Are you kidding me!? How cute is my nephew. Who wouldnt be happy to come home to that?? (Not the mention the awesome sign they got made)
And I came home to good old Zac Efron. They for real put this in my room and it pretty much scared me to death.

Highlights of the Mish

2009-07-12T18:01:00.000-06:00

The Nunez family. Every night with them was a party. I seriously love them so much.

The Villalvas. Man I love them.
The Miranda family. She was my first baptism and they just barely got sealed in the temple. They're UH-mazing!
My last night as a missionary with the Villalva girls.
The Cabral family came to my ward my last Sunday to see me. They're so cute!
Hermana Pacheco. She made this blanket for me. She's so great and makes THE BEST enchiladas EVER!
Yes, this is a cows tongue and yes I really ate it in a taco and yes I really liked it!
We got to teach this cute Hmong family for a little bit. It was so fun!

Me with the Ramero girls after our lesson and activity. They're so stinkin cute!