some boys are mermaids too. FACCCCTTTTT

by far the funniest of the kid histories. 'how come im so much buffer than you?' HAHAHAHA

a couple of photos.

first of all. a picture I took a few weeks ago of my beautiful, amazing abuelita Rita. she's the best person I've ever known & I want to be just like her someday. she's my hero and the kindest, most service oriented person. isn't she beautiful. she's been through so much and still manages to live life and live the gospel the best she can.

my friend Emilee & i attended the North Logan pumpkin walk yesterday. sure I froze my butt off but it was so worth it! I had no idea what a pumpkin walk even was. turns out it's where crazy, super talented people come up with amazing things to do with pumpkins. case in point: turn it into a minion from Despicable Me. seriously that place blew my mind. people are creative geniuses. my favorites were the Gilligan's Island, Candy Land, Despicable Me, Winnie the Pooh & Wizard of Oz exhibits. but all of them were incredible. it was worth being cold & waiting for slow people in line to move forward.

so before the next picture i have to mention the following. this week has been a rough one. i had lots of final stuff due in school, found out i have to get a new car on top of other stressful items currently circling my life. anywho...so then monday night I got a text from my friend matt. He & I have worked together the past two summer's at the summer camp I love. anywho he said he had a picture of himself that I would enjoy. now I didn't get this until tuesday morning so I told him to go ahead and send it to me. and honestly it was just what i needed to cheer me up. matt is a lovely country loving, huntin & gun obsessed, truck driving, outdoorsy fella & this is (the picture) i wouldn't expect any less of him to do. so here...enjoy this. I did & he really made my day. gotta love him! hahaha

finally to end this short & not really informative post. anyone who knows me should know how much i love kids. all ages from babies to teenagers. i think they are great. when i was little i LOVED to babysit my (not) much younger cousins and be all growed up & responsibisle like that. haha well my love of little ones has not changed and with every new baby that comes into our family i love them even more. my cousin Cristina had this amazingly handsome little fellow this past year and when they came to visit I fell in love again. he's darling and cute and funny and just so sweet. and then just when you think you can't love and miss them more she sent me this picture. i knew she'd have adorable kids but this is just ridiculous. he's going to be a heartbreaker someday i just know it.

here's to another week. an oh yah this week is my (mostly) LAST week of college classes. SCARY! next week I start my 5 days a wekk, 8-4 practicum @ Edith Bowen, the school on campus & then in the Spring i student teach. crazy. i don't know where the time has gone. that's all for now.

love these two. they are wonderful.

music is the love of my life.

i love music. so much i can't even begin to describe it. i love all kinds even the kind that is played without lyrics. my mom laughs because usually any song we hear on the radio I will know all if not some of the lyrics. music always makes me feel better, happy, sad, spiritual, anything I need to or can feel can come through music. it's one of the great loves of my life. here's a list that will be updated of songs i love & will never be tired of listening too.

:.anything really- New Found Glory
:.say it again- Marie Digby
:.anything by- Selena!
:. i've had the time of my life- original or Glee version
:. long time coming-Oliver James
:. save tonight- Eagle Eye Cherry
:. love the way you lie/anything by- Eminem/ Rhianna
:. anything- the Biebster aka Justin Bieber
:. por amarte- Enrique Iglesias
:. rhythm of love, making a memory- Plain White T's
:. vanilla twilight- Owl City
:. love like crazy- Lee Brice

:. wonderwall- Oasis

:. someone like you- Adele

:. this kiss/ breathe- Faith Hill

:. most any song- Dashboard Confessional/ Jacks Mannequin/ Coldplay (who strangely I didn't like for years)

:. girls just want to have fun- Cyndi Lauper

:. if you could hie to Kolob + come thou fount + how great thou art + i need thee every hour + nearer my God to thee+ be still my soul + abide with me tis eventide & lots of other church songs

:. canon in D- Pachelbel

:. the funeral march/ wedding march (which i always seem to hum when I am bored...weirrreddd)

:. anything by- The Fray

:. if i die young- The Band Perry

:. genie in a bottle- Cristina Aguilera (yah so what)

:. anything- Backstreet/ Nsync boys (again so what. they're great)

:. ice ice baby- Vanilla Ice

:. better together- Jack Johnson

:. follow you into the dark: Deathcab for Cutie

:. when you say nothing at all- Allison Krauss

:.cat & mouse- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

:. my girl- The Temptations
:. anything by Tim McGraw
:.anything/Give me Everything- PITBULL
:.anything-Jake Owen
:.Remind Me- Brad Paisley/ Carrie Underwood
:. almost anything- One Republic

:. to be added too/ continued...

inspiring.

the past couple of weeks I've heard some talks/been to a couple firesides & heard some amazing things that have really inspired & touched me. It has been more than a crazy semester so far & these kinds of things help me remember who I am, what I am doing, what I want to be doing and who I want to be. 

President Packer:

"There is no greater protection from the adversary than for us to know the truth-to know the plan"

Sister oaks:

"This life is not just about me"

" Life will always be a challenge"

"Don't waste one minute of this precious life"

"We signed up for the WHOLE plan. We aren't waiting alone" 

Elder Oaks: 

"We should not be tolerant with ourselves"

"ALWAYS speak with Love"

President Woodland:

" we are here to change lives"

"Be hopeful & happy"

Elder Rasband: 

"Men change their hearts every day"

Sister Beck: 

"It's about being inspired"

Sister Anderson: 

"Love is NOT a possession, it's participation"

Sister Iverson:

" What we do determines if we will have joy/happiness"

Sister Jarrett:

" You think you know how it will be going in, but it's much harder."

" Are we forgetting the most important things?"

"Don't push away the good!"

"Things come easier instead of trying to do it alone"

She also talked about how we shouldn't focus on the one bad thing we do & to not compare ourselves to others Ever!

Elder Maxwell:

"What we insistently desire over time is what we will eventually become and what we'll receive in eternity."

President Woodland (again what a man!)

" Come to know HIS voice & let nothing distract you!"

"Listen carefully & the blessings will be there"

"I KNOW in who I need to trust"

sidenote: I've ben reading a new book " Daughters in My Kingdom" which is all about the Relief Society. I cannot begin to explain how much I've learned from this book and I'm determined to finish it by reading one chapter whenever I have some time. Here are some of my favorite quotes from this book so far too:

"Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses & shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are...may we recognize that each of us is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may we strive to do OUR best to help out"

" lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better'

"How precious are the souls of men!"

Sister Snow: " the Holy Ghost satisfies & fills up every longing of the human heart, & fills up every vacuum"

"You are the head, not the tail"

"It is better to walk with God in the darkness than without him in the light"

" I didn't keep a testimony though those times- the testimony kept me"

ooooo wow. some people are so amazingly talented.

                                                                                                                                                                         these two are incredible. thats all.

ooooo yikes.

MMMM Okay so maybe I really didn't blog for like a week. sorry it's been a pretty crazy one. seriously. may think I'm kidding but I'm totally not. Lemme catch ya up. Here's the scoop from my past week.

I'm not complaining but this is seriously me multiple times a day. haha

-friday: I worked at ol' Bath & Body works yes I did. It was the first time since I've been back I worked a 5 hour shift & boyyy was it long. well it felt like it. see here's the thing about my job there. my bosses are all fabulously nice ladies who don't seem to mind continually answering questions I should already know the answer too. they bring us snacks, drinks and genuinely ask how our lives are going. while working I get to try out various products, get a fix for my OCD by continually straightening soaps, lotions etc., and enjoy getting to know the people who come in. i've worked retail for many moons. it's not what i want to do forever. i get so tired being stuck in that little store and i miss the outside world. the same old line fifty cajillion times starts to get old too. 'hi what can i help you find.( then they say nothing and i say) well here are our specials. if you need anything just let me know). yah gets old pretttyyy fast! but i enjoy it more than most any other job, other than my summer camp job, that I've ever had. so I go and enjoy and work my butt off so my boss ladies love me. friday after work did i do anything way exciting? nope I came home, ate, watched a tv show and went to sleep cause I live the good life like that.

yup. my workplace.

-saturday: welp I wish I could say I had a super relaxing saturday. nope I worked more. I slept in a teeny tiny bit and had to be in to work at 1:15. So see above post for how that goes. Same ol lines and a long time of no windows. But there were tasty treats so i indulged in those during my spare time. and i always smell good in there so bonus! what did i do when I got off at 730? i.......went home ate and went to sleep cause i was TI to the RED!

-sunday: seriously i LOVE sundays with all my heart. sundays feel the best out of any day. there's something about knowing I'll be spritually fed and renewed for another week. sunday I went to church. (YAY). Good ol' one o clock church. well church was fabulous. testimony meetings always are even if ours felt like it lasted for five hours. turns out it was only one. weirrdd. so church ended and i went to my sisters apt and visited with her & my momma for a bit. I haven't seen them much lately so i've decided to make an effort to be better because families are important. then I hurried my butt home & me & nicole walked all the way to the spectrum (which isn't far) for a fireside! while the fireside (about rescuing souls) was amazing! thank you elder Rasband (who knew it isn't spelled razzband? I didn't. he should spell it my way) I mostly enjoyed me & nicole messing with little ol' Josh Corbridge. He was sitting clear down below us where we creepily spied on him & watched him. then nicole had one of her brilliant ideas to text him from my phone ( a number he doesn't have). i felt like a creeper but it turned out to be super fun. we told him we liked his tie & when he asked who it was we said ' someone who is admiring you from afar' HAHAHAHA oh what a time. what a time! anywho the fireside was great & my favorite line was " Men change their hearts everyday". powerful stuff. then i went home and finished some homework ( i know i felt baaaddd). the end.

-wait nope it's not  cause THEN monday was here. man oh man what  a monday I had! so starts out pretty good ya know, I went to my 3 hour class, had lunch w/ my sis & Colbadeer & then Sarah ( my super adorable little roomie) went to FHE. It was a way fun game of Never Have I Ever. Everything was goin peachy. then long story short, my other roomie went to the hospital. we went to be supportive & stuff & met a nice old man who was reading a phone book, found out Sarah was hearing things HAHA, squished some ants, waiting in chairs forever, had my phone die & it was crazy stressful & I worried a TON & then she was okay & then I was exhausted and so I went to sleep after what felt like 5 hours at a hospital (turns out it was only 1 1/2 hours) and then I got up for an 8:30 am class the next morning. seriously such a long night. the stress keeps piling on but I know I just gotta handle it & not complain because it's not thaaatt bad of stuff. and I'm SO relieved my other cute roomie is A OK.

sigh hospitals.

-tuesday: whoooeeee tuesday was I tired! i def. went to my 2, 3 hour classes in a sweatshirt & jeans with my hair in an icky ponytail. I was exhausted & didn't pay much attention. i was so happy to go home. I slept for like and hour but here's the deal with me & naps. i love them but can never take long ones cause I feel like that time could be spent doing something productive. so yah I wake up & end up getting into a huge fight with my crazy sister (who heaven knows i love) and then went to this pizza thing with Christy & Nicole which was the best part of my life this week so far. they are so fun to be around & i can chat with them bout stuff. so anyways we had a killer time waiting for free pizza whichhhhh we ended up just paying for instead. Instead tuesday night tv which wasn't on (dang baseball), we watched Kim Kardashians wedding. Which was pretty great cause those K girls know how to make some good tv. 

I hated her little headpiece thing. for real.

-sooo here I am and I'm still alive & I've made it to Wednesday. it was another long day of classes & sure I've got a crazy load of homework the next few weeks. Turns out these days I feel like the little engine that could. I chug and chug & go and go and I know soon, very soon I'll be at the end of this hard semester of classes. ( in two weeks to be precise). then onto the classroom (which I'm sure will be just as crazy). okay that's all. ps Friend of the Elderly this week. always the sunshine in my week. those folks make me love life & I'm so grateful to know them. Especially Jay, this super grumpy old man who I really want to just see smile & be happy. turns out we both love to bake so I think it's the start of a beautiful thing. sorry I don't have any awesomeness to blog about but if I think of anything I'll def. post it. okay. now it's the final end.

a cold & rainy day.

so here's the deal. today was coooollldddd! and rainy & gray & dreary. I got up and headed straight to visit my beautiful Grandma Rita. I listened to her talk and french braided her hair & played the piano for her. There is nothing quite like hearing her sing in her amazing voice in Spanish. It's lovely. I love  to spend time with her & certainly haven't been too good at it this past month but I'll be better. After that....well I've been working on homework all day & by homework I mean my belief statements. See in order to graduate, we have to write ten belief statements based on some principles about teaching and learning. Sounds kind of easy...but really it's not. I finally got lots of them done last night and today so I'll be good to go I just hope they are okay. Then I did a couple visits & made some dinner & watched some online TV. I haven't blogged in awhile so figure I should.

So today is a blog with another memory from life. This one is about road trips. As a child, my dad traveled all over the western US to work. So what did we do? My mom would take us on trips to visit him from time to time. We have had countless road trips which led to my love of travel. Each trip would be roughly similar. We would pile into our blue or green van, or white Trailblazer or any car we had at that time. We'd pack up our stuff and made sure we had pillows & blankets. I would always pack one cute little bag with stuff for the trip. It would have stuff like books, my walk-man or CD player, any car games we'd been able to buy and liked for the moment, coloring books I mean all sorts of stuff seriously. I always had this thing about having my 'area' of the car. I would put my travel bag and my pillow and stuff in one spot behind a seat and get all ready for the trip. The best part about road trips then and even still is the things we do to pass the time. We played countless games of Who Am I, the ABC game, quoting movies game, or listen to book on tape. My mom was great at making road trips fun. We would ALWAYS have the best snacks too. My mom would buy & let us pick out treats at the grocery store the week of and we would be set. We'd have a cooler with drinks, sandwich makings, fruit, and of course chips, Oreos, crackers etc. While the drives were long we never had a bad time really. Mom would and still always stops wherever we want too whether it's a view point on top of a mountain or a historic old trail, or a big statue of a buffalo. Road trips are wonderful & I loved the adventures we always had on ours. We drove through wild snowstorms, crazy traffic jams, hot weather, and the curviest roads. so take road trips. they are fun & create great memories. the end.

conference weekend october of 2011.

so conference weekend. what a wonderful time of year. It is always chock full of those things you need to make it through the next six months. this weekend I was able to watch Saturday morning's session and then I had to work BOOO. However, Sunday was pretty fun. A bunch of ward members headed to Jared's apartment for a big Conference Breakfast Bonanza haha. We made waffles and had lots of other yummy treats. We all enjoyed the wonderful session then took a break in between. In that time we mostly just hung out in his front yard and around the apartments. Before the second session, everyone had lunch minus me because I was still full from breakfast. I loved this conference and here are some particular gems of knowledge I loved and hope to remember.

- Elder Scott: 'Great power comes from memorizing the scriptures',

-Quoted by Elder Clayton: " The sun never sets on this work of the Lord? President Hinckley

- President Uchtdorf: " Lord uses a scale very different from the world to measure the worth of souls'

            "Just hold on & believe in Him"

-Elder Hales: " Joy cometh in the morning...we rise & say Thy will Be Done."

          "Be kinder to one another & to ourselves"

-Sister Dalton: " The best thing a Father can do is to love the child's mother" (or something to that effect)

-President Monson: " His constancy is an anchor we can hold fast too"

             -" It is necessary to communicate with our Father"

             -" Don't let a day go by without communicating with your Father"

-Elder Nelson: " We will be blessed now & forever"

-Elder Oaks: "There is no middle ground"

-Elder Richardson: " Teach people not the lessons...Please don't get discouraged with learning but...Look

                  how far we've come"

                  -"Lives WILL change."

                  -Be REAL teachers, parents, leaders & learners.

-Elder Bennett: " Decisions determine destiny"

               -"The longer we delay needed action the longer it will take"

               - "It is NEVER too late to choose eternal life choices"

-Elder Cornish: " Let go of the hurts & turn them over to the Father" He also said something like if we can't

                  forgive them, He can.

                   -" Don't just say your prayers but Live them!"

                  -" Learn the language of the Spirit"

-President Monson: " We are all in this together!"