Scholarship

I entered a scholarship contest with one of the pictures I took of Jason and Shayla. Feel free to go vote for me and to share with your friends!



My Favorite Photo (I've Ever Taken) 2
Brickfish
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Hope

Once upon a time I was a very easy going person. Or at least I like to think so. And sometimes, I think I still am. But this school year has turned me into the biggest stress case of a person. Student teaching last semester took a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did it. But I'm overjoyed that it's over. On top of that was my calling for IWA. I love it. Really, I do. But I often looked at it as just one more thing that I had to do every Wednesday when I could be writing my lesson or something else productive. I didn't get to have as much of a social life as I would have liked due to the fact that I was always doing something school related. Before the semester even began, I was almost constantly worried about how I was going to juggle everything. I wasn't really willing to give up my social life, and yet I knew I wasn't getting much of a choice.

The same thing is happening again. School starts tomorrow and for the past week (at least, probably more knowing me) I have once again been worrying about how to juggle school, my calling, and my social life. I have just as much of a work load for school, and of course IWA will keep me constantly busy. Which, therefore, leaves little time for a social life. Again. And every time I think about it, it depresses me. Why? Because once again, I'm not willing to give up my social life.

And then there was church today. I had managed to not really dwell on the above mentioned thoughts much since Friday. But for some reason, it all came back to me this morning as I was getting ready for church. I was still somewhat thinking about how to get through the semester by the time we started singing the closing hymn, How Firm a Foundation. The speakers ended early, so we ended up singing all seven verses. When we got to verse 4, though, I suddenly had a hard time singing.

"When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow,

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress."

The third line was the one that really got me. And it's the one that has now given me the hope that everything will balance out this semester. :)

Looking Back

Tayna came over last week and she and I were talking about high school and looking at our senior year book. Then we started talking about the year that we lived together in Logan and all the fun times we had. It made me think about the random, crazy things I've done since graduating.

~My first year at Snow, there were several guys chasing Kat. One of them drove a red Vibe. None of us particularly liked him, and she had tried to nicely tell him to go away several times (at least I think she did). One day we drove into the parking lot at Oak Tree and saw his car. Kat immediately said "Oh crap!" and turned around. To this day that phrase is the first thing that comes to mind when I see a red Vibe.

~The next year, we were still trying to get away from the weirdo guys that always chased Kat and Smiley. One guy called himself Mouse. He even wore a tail. One Sunday we drove all the way to Manti and spent an hour walking around at the temple because we'd gone home to him sitting on the stairs. Smiley even got a quote on our wall when she said "Maybe our Kat will chase out Mouse..."

~That same year, Susie was in LD's (I wasn't until spring semester). While they were gone on tour that fall, Kat, Smiley and I went to the institute and put sticky notes all over Susie's car. They all had some sort of message on them about how we missed her and Cary Grant had failed us, etc. That was the same weekend we decided boys are dumb.

~Turns out we were funny people that year with other quotes like these: "My date ran away...will you two play with me?" -Kat  "Am I in the straight lane?" -Susie "Will you be my molecule?" -Ashli "Only if you'll be my enzyme (or substrate)." -Kat (in answer to Ashli).

~I had the best summer job ever in 2006. I spent it as a nanny in Indiana and loved every minute of it. I even got used to the humidity. I might go back to teach there after I graduate.

~My third year down in Ephraim made for some extra fun times. I had awesome roommates plus all my LD's buddies. There were times when Jamie and I would sit and talk in our room until 2 or 3 in the morning. We'd often turn on some music to fall sleep to (as we had the year before as well) and it would end before we'd shut the light off.

~Spring break 2007 was almost fatal. A bowling ball fell on Elise's head. I didn't really laugh about it then (as you'll see here) but it sure makes me laugh now. :)

~I had the second best summer job in 2007. That was my first year at Mill Hollow. I didn't go until the endish of June though, so I didn't get the chance to be as close to the staff as I was this past summer. I liked it enough that I went back though. And I will likely go back this summer.

That's all my reminiscing for a while. I might do more later though. I find it to be fun to look back and laugh at myself. :)

A Different Kind of New Year's

We went to Washington for New Year's. That makes 3 times I was there in one year. It's record. I don't know exactly what it was I expected, but it wasn't what I got:

*We left home at 4:30 am on Wednesday and it's only a 12 hour drive. Which meant that we should have been there around 4pm their time. Nope. We didn't get there until after 7. So it was a 15 hour drive. The roads were terrible when we left. Obviously the road won't be plowed at 4 am. The freeway wasn't any better though. Clear up to Boise. I slept pretty much the whole way, but was awake often enough to notice the roads weren't driving friendly until we actually crossed the bridge into Washington.

*Ben, Kristine and I spent 2 hours in Aunt Karolyn's hot tub Wednesday night. We solved almost all of life's problems for us. I say almost because we know how Kristine is going to get money, but not the other two of us.

*On Thursday, I went to Seattle with Grandma, Aunt Karolyn, Aunt Michelle and Kristine. Grandma had to make an emergency trip to the cancer center to check why her stomach was bruising, etc when she gave herself her shot. She was then admitted to the hospital for 3 days. So I spent all of New Year's Eve at the doctor or in the hospital.

*Mom and Dad as well as Aunt Karen, Grandpa, Ben, Uncle Robert and Aunt Debbie joined us for a mini party in Grandma's hospital room. I think the large number of people made the nurses nervous. Also, the hospital she was in is the one for the university up there. There was also several interns that would come in with the regular doctor and it always reminded me of Scrubs.

*After we went home that night, we played a few rounds of Hand and Foot at Aunt Karolyn's until 2am. It was surprising any of us were still awake enough to play correctly.

*I slept almost all day on New Year's. It was fantastic. I spent the day with Mom, doing some shopping and cleaning up Grandma's kitchen, etc. We watched Amazing Wedding Cakes and I decided I want blown sugar on mine (whenever I get one).

*Saturday I spent the day babysitting my cousins Tyler (8), Elizabeth (6), Cody and Conner (almost 3) while Grandpa, Uncle Jamie, Aunt Amanda, Aunt Karen and sometimes Dad finished Aunt Karen's new floor. It was a very long day, but we all had a lot of fun. :) (The pictures all came from my phone; thus the poor quality.)

Cody and Conner playing fire truck.

                                     

Elizabeth took like, 30 pictures.

                                     

This is her pretty pose.

                                     

Cody has this thing with sticking his tongue out.

                                     

Conner showing me his doll.

                                     

Me and Elizabeth. Tyler refused to look at the camera.

*We went back to the hospital Saturday night to see Grandma again. Her leg wasn't as swollen or red looking as it had been on Thursday, which is good. She was also not hooked up to anything anymore and was doing much better.

*Sunday we left at 5:30 am. After going to the gas station and figuring out that something was wrong with something about the gas tank (I don't really know what it was) we spent another hour at the house while Grandpa, Uncle Jamie and Dad fixed it. The 12 hour drive had once again turned into a 15 hour one with this delay and all the fog through Oregon and parts of Idaho and Utah. On the bright side, Grandma got to go home that morning.

*Today, I played the Wii almost all day, as I only get to for a couple more days. We also took all the Christmas decorations down. I'm kind of excited for school to start on Monday after my chat with Aunt Karen on the way home from the hospital the other day. She teaches 5th grade and gave me a lot of pointers on what she looks for in her student teachers, etc. Now I can't wait to get started again. :D