The simple life of a Farmer's daughter...

Mi Hermano, Hunter...

2011-05-28T10:55:00.001-06:00

It's true... I am going home! Finally!

I haven't been able to be home since November, and I am ecstatic to see my family and attend Hunter's graduation!

Most of my very most vivid childhood memories are with my brother, Hunter. Through the years, we have gained more of a solid friendship instead of merely a brother-sister relationship. He, without hesitation, "facebook stalks" any boy I start to date and gives me the low-down on his take of them... To be honest, he is actually extremely accurate with his quick overall judgement of the men in my life. I seem to always get defensive when he tells me to drop the guy because he looks like a "fruit" or a "d-bag", but if only I would listen a little more, it'd save me much time in the dating scene... he thinks Alex looks "looks like a man" ha... don't know what exactly that means, but at least it's a positive accusation, right?

I think my very favorite memory of my brother is when I was in a certain situation in my life and was having a really rough time. I had called and talked to my mom and dad for a good couple of hours about it and asked for advice and shortly after hanging up, I got the sweetest text message from him saying he had over heard the conversation and went on to tell me how much he loved me and how he is blessed with such a great sister. I remember getting all teary eyed because if any of you know Hunter, he is a huge tease... He will never full realize how much that simple act helped me and how much strength it gave me to persevere through my rough time...

I should have framed that text since most of his texts consist of him making fun of me... don't be deceived though, ladies... he's all tough and macho on the outside, but he is the sweetest, most caring and considerate boy I know!

With this being said, I am excited to go to his graduation this next weekend. I cannot believe he is already graduating high school! Insane! I do have to brag a little (not that I haven't this entire post), but Hunter is Chiawana High School's very first Valedictorian! Good Job! That's much more of an accomplishment than being Connell's Valedictorian! ha ha! I CANNOT wait for him to be at BYU in the fall! I look forward to hearing his graduation speech, and I hope I can figure something out to be able to hear his Seminary Graduation talk as well. How wonderful to be speaking at both! He is such a spiritual giant and I know that is why he has been so successful with school and his job. The Lord has blessed him greatly!

Hunter, I love you, little guy! :) You are such an amazing example to me and I hope one day I can be just a fraction of the person that you are! Congrats on your wonderful accomplishments this year!

I can only imagine the anticipation you must have to realize you are going to be able to see me WHENEVER you want come Fall. Yep. I'd be stoked too ;)

Thoughts of the day...

2011-05-16T10:28:00.001-06:00

To be honest, I have stopped blogging a lot because once I view my own blog, I often click on the links to the left of my posts and start browsing through all my married friends and see updates on their life and updates with their cute kids... and then I start to wonder why I can't enjoy that same happiness. I then get down on myself picking apart every thing that is wrong with me to try and improve myself to be a woman who would make a wonderful wife and perfect mother... I nit pick to the point where I get really down and discouraged wondering when the right time will be for me... or wondering when, how, or where I'll meet my EC as we call it....

As I wallow in my self pity, I think to myself.... what do I really have to complain about?! I am living in a BEAUTIFUL home with my sister, I have an incredible job with great pay and benefits, I just lost 15 pounds, just got back from Disneyland, and then a week in paradise at Lake Powell, I am going home in a couple of weeks, I am getting ready to book a cruise in January, I have so many solid, great friends who help me improve every aspect of my life and mostly, I can do whatever I want to whenever I want to and not worry about anyone's schedule and then I realize that I am only 22. How many 22 year olds enjoy all the blessings that I have been able to enjoy? How many people at my age have been able to taste all the wonderful real-life experiences including a solid career as I do?! Is it possible that I am getting so caught up in the "ways of the world" so to speak, that I completely lose sight of what's most important in my life and the entirety of my existence on this Earth?!

I suppose this week at Lake Powell, I had more than enough time to sit and contemplate life and evaluate where I stand and where I need to improve. I was talking to my friend, Alex, and he said regarding a certain situation "I can either be mad about this and not learn anything from it, or I can figure out how I can improve my life to avoid this situation in the future". I have thought about that non stop as I thought he handles stressful situations MUCH better than I and realized if he feels like he needs to improve in those areas, I should consider improving in many, many areas. I then spent the day yesterday with a close friend who is going through a rough split/divorce and it really hit me... I can sit here and be upset with where life is at, or I can improve my life with every situation that comes my way to become who I want to be before involving another person... I thought about that a lot and though I get down from time to time, I cannot dwell on those things, instead I need to figure out how I can improve my life. How I can improve the lives of other and how I can use my time/money/talents to help those around me.... I'm not put on this Earth to dwell in mere existence, but to DO. Do whatever it takes to help and bring up those around me!

.... and there you have it...no blog in months, and now a weird/contemplative one that means nothing to anyone but to myself ha....

God is good, life is great..... I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

Updates on the Crazy life of Jenn....

2010-09-22T19:07:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: This post may end up being quite the post.... mostly extremely long!

Where to even start... I feel like there has been so many amazing and crazy events happening in my life right now. Let's just get started with my dad....

My dad is doing actually extremely well. I know that is because of all your prayers! His heart as a whole is operating at 25% instead of just his left side. Wow. What an incredible miracle! My father is a man of faith, and with his faith and all your support/prayers/fasts, I know he is being healed. His doctor has pushed his operation back and is hoping that we can completely avoid the surgery all together! Another amazing and wonderful blessing and miracle! He is going strong and I LOVED going home to visit him and my family for a few days. They are the cutest dang group of people I have ever met. I love my family so much!

Speaking of family, Sarah and Ryan are now PARENTS! I don't know how they did it, or if the nurses mixed up the babies, but Jack is honestly the CUTEST stinkin baby I have ever, EVER seen!!!!

Jack was born on 8.9.10. How fun. I can't wait to see him during Christmas time! Nichole and Mom got to fly out to visit but I have yet to see this cute little thing!

Also, I have been doing a lot more photography lately. I feel like I haven't even necessarily been looking for work, but people keep contacting me... people who have come across my website and have asked me to take portraits for them! What a compliment! I have definitely been busy with that and have even had to turn clients down because I simply do not have the time for the demand I'm getting right now. I am doing a wedding on Saturday and have done a few senior pictures, engagements and bridals... here's a few of my favorites:

And for the biggest and worst event of my recent life.... on Sunday, the 19th, there was an accident at Camp Williams with a machine gun and it started a fire. The fire was fairly small and the Air Force thought they could put it out themselves, but as the wind picked up, the fire went CRAZY! It completely lit up the sky, and as I was driving home from Salt Lake, it hit me that OUR house was right by the mountain that was lit up. When I got home, we were told that our neighbors were all doing a voluntary evacuation. We started to slowly pack up our bags when the mandatory evacuation sirens went off. We got out of the house really quick. At this time, we could see the flames very vividly as they were getting closer and closer... at this time, the fire was 3.5 miles away and coming closer. We were all quite nervous that our home would get torched, but as the wind picked up even more, it started to push the fire away from us, thank goodness. We were evacuated for 4 days and 3 nights and tonight is our first night back. Outside smells really badly of smoke and the mountain side is completely black, but inside out home, there is no nasty smell... at all... what a wonderful blessing! We are all so very happy to be back in the house and be no longer homeless! This has definitely made me a lot more grateful for the little pleasures of life that I enjoy daily and take for granted. It also helps me realize how blessed I am and what a great life I have. I have been given so much, and I feel like I hardly give anything in return. This was definitely a wake-up call for me, and no matter how miserable the past few days were, I am glad they happened because it was a big learning experience for me! I love my life! I love where I am and love all that I have been given. I even love my trials because though they are tough, I would rather have mine than anyone else's.... life is good!

This blog isn't as long as I thought it'd be, but that's always a good thing, right?! :)

Carpe Diem!

Update on Dad

2010-08-04T11:11:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, my cute little dad has been having a lot of heart problems lately. He went to his doctor a few weeks ago and they told him his entire left side of his heart was completely non-functional, and through the course of many hospital and dr visits, we have found out that he has Congestive Heart Failure.

His heart is operating on 20% now, and if it ever drops, even one percent, it could put him in cardiac arrest. He is at the very minimum operation level and we hope he stays there or improves (obviously). In September, he will be getting a pacemaker to help in case his heart ever does drop below the 20%. The pacemaker is only there to assist his heart if it ever stops functioning all together. The doctor wants his heart, with the help of medications, to hopefully become stronger- so we'll see how it all works out after his operation.

The downside to this all (not that any of this ISN'T a downside) is that we were told when he passes away, it'll be very sudden and without warning. We are hoping the pacemaker will prevent this outcome.

I don't know how long I'll have my father in this life. I don't know if Alisyn will grow up having a father throughout all her teenage years to tell her to fix her attitude and to be more kind as Sarah and I definitely experienced. I don't know if he will be there to witness my first child, or my children's lives at all.... but.... I do know that our Father in Heaven has a much greater plan. I know that His plan is perfect, and that our lives here on Earth are but a moment. I also know that our trials in our lives are but a smaller moment, "And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes". I have 100%, complete faith that everything will all iron out how it should.

It's hard being 700 miles away and hearing all of this when I'm already homesick, but luckily I will be able to go home in September to visit for a long weekend. I haven't seen my father since December and I am very excited to see him in a few weeks.

Please keep my Dad in your prayers. Heavenly Father is a Father of miracles. There is nothing He cannot do. We are rooting for another good 15 years of life as the dr said could possibly happen... until then...

"never let your praying knees get lazy, and love like crazy"

American Customs and Ways of Life

2010-07-28T07:51:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wondered why we do the things we do? Or wonder who comes up with certain "rules" so to speak of life that we all follow and will continue to follow for generations to come?

Why do we walk on the right side of the hallway? Why do we jump as the elevator gets ready to stop to get that little thrill of butterflied filled enjoyment? Why do we kiss our hand, hit the roof of our car and yell "Prididdle" as we run through a yellow light? Why do we avoid stepping on the cracks of the sidewalk?

I sometimes think of these things and wonder who made them up. How they became habbit for Americans accross the country. There are so many silly jokes or games that elementary kids play that are definitely nation wide... where did they originate?! How could one go about making a legend for themselves? How could one go about creating a way of life that all American people live by? Just something weird I thought of this morning.

On a more up-beat note.... I'm going to be an aunt soon and am so excited for Sarah and Ryan to have a beautiful little boy in their home! He's going to be stinkin cute, I already know it :) I love you two!

Owl City.... Lights....and Fist Fights

2010-04-21T08:50:00.001-06:00

I am sure you are wondering what in the world the title of this post means... although I didn't mean to rhyme, I'll take credit for a rhyming blog title ha!

I bought Kara Owl City tickets for her birthday, and we went to the concert on April 12th. When we got there, we were way bummed to see the line go ALL the way around the Great Saltair out to the parking lot...so we stood... in the pouring rain until we got to the door.... Smart me realized I had an umbrella in the car the whole time...wow sometimes I amaze myself with my brilliancy.

We get inside and got ourselves a tasty little hamburger and then realized we forgot our ID's in the car too SO now not only are we wet from forgetting the umbrella, but we can't go up to the balcony to David Archuletta's special booth to hang out with all the other "adults". Again, bummed, but oh well.

The band that opened for Owl City was called Lights. They were great! Since then I have purchased a few of their songs and let me tell you- their songs are great, but they sound much much better hearing them live. I love when bands are better live then on their CD's. I was very impressed with them; however, I was not very fond of the two in front of me dancing and going crazy to every song that they sang (Mind you, I am only centimeters away from the guy in front of me...my own special little dance was not what I paid for) The people behind us told Kara and I to follow them and we literally pushed our way to the dead center of the concert.... about 7th row back. I definitely wasn't complaining...until these teenage little beebopers decided to make a huge scene swearing and yelling at the little girls besides us... it was super annoying, but luckily they finally left to go closer to the front. Only a few minutes later, I see a huge commotion and see this cute little 13 or so year old get shoved into the crowd and then immediately there's a massive fight between that group of girls and a handful of other girls. I look over to this guy standing next to me and without hesitation, we jump into the middle of the brawl. I start ripping girls off of eachother and just shoving them into the crowd so people could grab them... one girl, the main girl of the wolf pack, decided it'd be a fun idea to try to punch me and rip my hair out... she didn't get very far, but just as she came for her second huge swing, my adrenaline was up so high, that I wasn't even hesitant to knock her lights out and sock her in the face. I was pretty confident that I was stronger than her, and was anticipating the rough swift right to her nose..I would have no qualms in pummeling this little girl.... buuut just as you wake up to dreams as they reach their climax, kara grabbed me and pulled me out of the big group just as the thought crossed my mind. To be honest, I probably would have really punched this chick if no one was there to stop me.. ha! Thank goodness for Kara! :) My favorite part was when the guy next to me said "wow, you're strong, that girl was a feisty one. I don't know how you held her arms down for so long" haha! What can I say... I'mma farm girl ;)

We left about five minutes after all this settled down because if I even thought I was remotely sweaty and nasty before I jumped into the middle of that fist fight, I don't know how to even describe how gross I was afterwards! ha

I was filled with so much euphoria from those two minutes of crazinessness that I was hyper all night ... my three hour sleep that night was not a very good idea trying to drag myself to work and the gym the next day... I don't recommend it..

Moral of the story. Don't let tall skinny men bump and grind up to you at an Owl City concert. It causes a domino effect resulting in nearly beating drunk teenage girls to a pulp :)

HAWAII 2010

2010-03-13T10:29:00.001-07:00

Wow- I haven't updated this in a couple months! I got back from the beautiful island of Oahu this past Wednesday. I wish I were still there. It was such a fun experience!
Kara and I arrived on Wednesday the 3rd and got into our rental car (of which I am more than grateful we had during this trip), and headed to La'ie to stay with our friend, Ashley, who's going to school down there. It was SO nice to not have to pay for a hotel for an entire week! We got along with her roommates great, and felt soooo welcome which definitely helped make our trip that much better.

My favorite part was probably the Polynesian Cultural Center. That was way neat, and the show was amazing! I loved it! annnnndddd all the very attractive poly men DEFINITELY was the number one highlight of the trip! ha! you think i'm joking....

Tell me this is not a taste of Heaven! ha!

My second highlight was Pearl Harbor. Since both of my grandfathers served in WWII, it made everything more serious for me to think about. There are still parts of the USS Arizona above water. I sat and stared at them for a long time trying to reenact the event in my mind. I got choked up a little bit thinking of it all, but I'm very grateful for our soldiers that risk their lives for our country every day. So selfless, so brave!

Remains of the USS Arizona

USS Missouri

My next favorite was the Dole Plantation... not because it was overly amazing or mind blowing, but simply because you could eat the best tasting pineapple you'll EVER have... I ate wayyyyyyy too much there! Pineapple ice cream goodness with chopped ones on top mmmm so good!

I also LOVED going to Ruth's Chris. I had never been there and though it was crazy expensive, it was fun to go to an extremely nice, sit down restaurant! :)

As for those who are wanting to go to Hawaii and want to know recommendations.... this is all you need to know:

1. Acai Bowls... if you see a sign for one, STOP- go buy one RIGHT THEN! ha.... sooo delicious, and healthy!

2. North Shore and Lanikai. North Shore has great waves and is amazing to watch the sunset.

Lanikai is one of the world's most beautiful beaches. You can see how blue that water is... soooo nice! the sand there was really fine and ahhh loved it! ha

I loved my quick week-long getaway, I wish I were still there as reality is NOT fun to come back to... Work, responsibilities, and dating... three things I could do without for a long time! :)

2010 Goals

2010-01-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Just as every year comes and goes and New Year's Resolutions are brought to the table with much excitement and anticipation to change one's life, we all know that they dissolve within a very short time. Do people truly keep their Resolutions or is it mostly all talk, no action?
As it is nearly February, I have already noticed that I am extremely lax with my goals for the year. I have decided I am taking a new turn on things for 2010. Five years ago, I am sure there were many things I expected to be doing with my life that I know I have not accomplished and I know I am not where I thought and hoped I'd be physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Furthermore, I am making monthly goals instead of a large, general goal. Having small goals and having a time-line to accomplish that goal, I know that I'll be less susceptible to falling into my old ways that I have wanted to change for so long. I will have a few different goals or tasks per say that I'd like to accomplish this year, but as for improving my life and myself, those will be the monthly, smaller goals.

With that being said, let's roll out my Yearly goals and this month (and next month since I only have a couple more weeks) goals.

YEARLY:
1. Go on a large vacation of some sort- possibly another cruise, or Fiji, or somewhere I would never imagine I'd ever travel to.
2. Get down to my ideal weight and clothes size.
3. Go to Disney Land :)
4. Save 50% of my net income.
5. Read the Book or Mormon, Bible, and Doctrine and Covenants

Now for my Jan/Feb Goals:
1. Keep losing more weight and up my discipline to weigh 135 (definitely realistic goal)
2. Pay off my entire school loan.
3. Read 30 minutes a night in my scriptures.

phew. This will definitely be a hard month but I know I can do it... I'll let you know how my progress goes and if... I mean when :)... I meet my goal for the month.

Life is good. Let it roll!

Life after Christmas

2010-01-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Getting back into the swing of things is definitely not my favorite part of returning from Christmas break, but it's life, I suppose.

This past Christmas vacation for me was probably one of the more memorable ones. I decided to not go out and be with my friends every waking moment as I had the past few times I came home. Instead, this time, I spent every day with my family. We played games, laughed, teased, and ate, ate, ate. It was also a lot of fun for me to be able to take some pictures! here are a few of my favorites I took:

I also got my hair done. It's just about the same, just a bit darker... here's a picture:

I also went to Blake Jones' homecoming. it was sooo good to see him after two years! one of my all-time best guy friends in the entire world! :) He's already down at BYU. Crazy how quickly he had to get back into the swing of things. I met up with some friends for a day to see Sherlock Holmes. SUCH a good movie. I loved it! Amber came over before the movie and we got to catch up on each others lives a little bit. I hate how much things change after moving away for college and what not. It's so neat to see how people change and how some people never do! ha....

One of my favorite nights was going to dinner with Jessica and Marcie. One day... ONE DAY... I'll be all creative and crafty as them and be able to whip up these great blankets over night ha! I brought Alisyn with me and she did everything Emersyn told her to do! ha... those girls are so cute!

Well, now I'm back to reality, back into the swing of daily life. It's nice to be back in the sense that this is my home now. This is where I am supposed to be for the moment, and here is where I'll gain many memories both already created and to come. I am excited to see what the future holds.

I am also joining a sorority. I know, I know... no one ever thought this day would come, but I've thought about it and I'm pretty excited. It's through the LDS Institute at the University of Utah. I'm actually pretty excited. Rush is tomorrow! Wish me luck!!!

oh...p.s.... I finally bought my dang MacBook Pro. It's about time I have a decent computer!

CHRISTMAS

2009-12-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

I love love love the Christmas season! Mostly because it means that I get to see my family whom I hardly am able to see throughout the rest of the year. I haven't seen my dad since the beginning of the summer, so I am secretly most excited about that, but for everything else as well! This year, I don't get to go home until Christmas Eve, but that just means I don't have to help out with any Christmas Tree sales! ;) I'm also secretly extremely excited about that! ha..

I feel like my life changes at all times. I never know exactly what my life will be like the following month, yet alone the following week! I am so grateful to be where I am at right now in my life as well. Things have really been working out well and I am the happiest I have ever been since I've lived in Utah. I think I've finally realized what true happiness is and although it's taken me about three years not to be happy.. I'm glad I am! It's about time! I have been really trying to figure out what I was doing in my life that was making me unhappy and by eliminating those things, it's made all the difference! I am so grateful for my blessings!I have a great job, a beautiful/wonderful religion I am apart of, and the most incredible family anyone could ever ask for! life is good!

With that being said- I get to be home for 12 days. I hope they go by very slow and that I'm able to soak up each day. It's likely that I won't see my family until the summer, so I want to be able to spend as much time with them as possible. I'm also excited to see high school friends for a night or two. It's always fun to see my friends that I grew up with since elementary school and catch up with eachother's lives. It's crazy how you can spend every day with the same people then one day you graduate high school and never speak to most of them ever again. It's hard for me to imagine that I was in high school just a few years ago. I feel like it was all a large blur. ha... I really only REALLY remember cheerleading. I don't even remember playing volleyball or softball very well... ahh alzheimers already?! This is not good! haha..

I'm also excited to see how much my siblings have grown since I've seen them last. Alisyn played basketball and from what I hear she's quite the little ball player. That's really exciting! Hunter played football for a 4A high school and actually was on varsity his first year. That is incredible to me. I taught my siblings well... ;) Chris is getting SO handsome! i'm excited to see him. He is, hands down, the funniest sibling I have. Man I love that guy....

HOME SWEET HOME! I'm ready!

THANKSGIVING

2009-11-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

This Thanksgiving, Nichole and I went up to Sarah and Ryan's in Twin Falls. What a fun time we had!!! we made fun lotions and soap bars as well as set up christmas and had the most amazing thanksgiving dinner three girls could ever make! :) Here are some pictures of the weekend:

Diesel's Christmas picture! ha jk. he's a cute dog!

Us Girls. Good photography skills, Ryan!

Our beautiful dinner! This was my pre-edited photo. sorry for the reflection in the glass...

Gooding, Idaho Hospital that Ryan is in charge of. It'll be done in February!

My favorite picture that I took over the weekend... This is right outside the hospital

Arizona/Breast Cancer 3-Day

2009-11-18T07:54:00.001-07:00

Thursday night, Kara, Heber, Joseph and I set off on a looooong drive to Arizona. Our trip was filled with so many fun memories that'll last forever! Kara and I stayed up just laughing hysterically at nothing, and we even got Joseph to sing his lungs out to Taylor Swift. It was priceless!

Their mom, Analee, was in a 3day, 60 mile breast cancer walk. Having two people in her immediate family struggling with cancer as well as a good friend of hers pass away due to breast cancer, this was a very special time for her to be in a walk for such a great cause. Overall, the walkers raised I think around 2 million dollars to go towards finding the cure for breast cancer. It was amazing to me to see all of these woman (there were a few men as well) struggle and fight to finish the walk. Analee was always at the top of the pack just going, going, going. I am so proud of her for being so determined, and being so incredibly positive through it all! I am so glad I was able to go and support her! Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

The rose they all received at the closing ceremonies

The three ribbons representing both types of cancer in their family as well as the breast cancer ribbon

Jim and Ann

Kara and Analee a little blurry...

The family

This has terrible picture quality- but I love it.

I also was able to visit my grandparents! I hadn't seen them for about three years. I was able to spend the night with the Hill's one night and then spend a couple of hours with Grandma and Papa on Sunday. It was the perfect way to end my vacation! :)

I LOVE THEM!!!

Overall, my trip was terrific and I'm so glad I was able to take a couple days off of work and just relax and have fun!

OUTLET SALE

2009-11-06T12:14:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone! Our warehouse outlet at my company is having a massive sale coming up the 18th-21st of this month. For all of you who live in Utah, there is a coupon that'll get you ten bucks off... I bought a few things from the sale in the spring- It is definitely worth coming to. It's kind of the first come first serve basis, so the earlier you come check it out, the better! If you'd like the coupon. Email me or include your email to this post and i'll get that to you. To get an idea of what our company sales, view http://www.libertymountain.com/

Thanks! :)

New House

2009-11-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

So here are just a couple of pictures of my new place- I know there's not a lot- but maybe i'll decide to not be lazy and actually take pictures of everything.... maybe! :) This was RIGHT before our massive... massive... halloween party so it's all decorated but here they are:

The outside

Entry WayLiving Room/ Kitchen. It looks empty because we moved things around for the party.... but here it is!!

My Thoughts

2009-10-14T16:06:00.001-06:00

This post is titled "my thoughts" although I don't really know how to put all my thoughts into one posting as they are all very random and all of them pertain to very different aspects of my life.

First off: My gratitude for all I have- I am moving into a home with a friend of mine this weekend. Just to give you a quick picture.... She lives alone in about 3500 sq feet of her 5000 sq ft home. There are 5 bedrooms, and with me there, we will still have 3 extra. It's beautiful and massive, and rent is extremely reasonable for all I get. What a blessing to have a place to live! Along these same lines, I have the most incredible family! I miss them more than anything. I mostly just dread the fact that I'll never be able to see my younger siblings through their growing stages in life. I missed Hunter's entire first year playing football for a 4A school. I missed Alisyn's first years of Elementary and Christian starting his high school years next year... I'll miss Ali learning to ride a bike, Chris's first dates, and Hunter bulking up and turning from a little tiny guy into a big muscular boy! :) Man the things I would give to live close to my family! Unfortunately, I know Salt Lake is where I'm supposed to be right now.

Second: My dating life- I ALWAYS get myself into situations where I fall for guys who are just out of my league I suppose. I don't know why good, strong LDS boys just don't seem to have a desire to date me. If they are good guys, then the sparks just aren't there; however, the ones that I LOVE to be around and am completely comfortable with leave me in the friend zone and want me to set them up with my friends. It's really frustrating... my solution: stop dating. period. haha... good, I know.

Third: Jon and Kate Plus 8- It makes me sad to think that in just a month, it'll be renamed Kate Plus 8. This is to show you how media and fame can completely tear a family into shreds. Those poor kids are crazy spoiled and have to grow up with cameras in their face since day one... yet do they really have a "home" and privacy, and parents who love and adore eachother?! Sadly, no. Do I love this TV show and watch it regularly? Yes! ha...

Last but not least: Expenses. I hate money. I have a great job, but then again do I ever see my paychecks at the end of the month? nope! Do I get to save even close to what I anticipated to save each month? not a chance. I cannot say I spend my money frivilously, because in no way do I. I am grateful for the 6k of work sitting in my mouth, as well as my cute little car parked in the parking lot. I'm grateful for insurance in case I get in an accident. I'm grateful I was able to have a little credit card help when I wasn't making any money in school and had to support myself.... ALTHOUGH, I don't want to pay for any of it... anyone want to be my sponser?! haha!

okay. the end.

new blog

2009-10-13T08:17:00.000-06:00

So, I just started my photo blog... it's photojennix.blogspot.com. I took some engagements the past weekened and put those up there. I have some baby and nature ones that I am editing now and will be posting on there as well! :) If you know of anyone in the salt lake/provo area who is either looking for senior pictures, engagements, baby or kid pictures let me know!

LOGO

2009-10-07T08:30:00.001-06:00

o, here is what my logo may or may not look like. It says ".com" right now simply because when I do have a website, that's what will go there. photojennic.com domain is already taken so I have to kind of play around with my name a little bit, but let me know what you think of this... just to go on the bottom of my pictures. I don't think it's too bad...

CAMERA

2009-10-01T08:19:00.001-06:00

FINALLY! I caved in and bought myself a beautiful DSLR! It's a Canon 20D, almost exactly what we shot with at Dorian Studio back in Washington. It's a little bit older (2005) and was replaced by the Canon 30D in 2006 which is what is used at Dorian.

Anyway, I'm stoked. I now need to get a nice MacbookPro and I can be all set to start this sucker up! In the short run, it's a lot of money, but it'll pay for itself in the long run! :) yay.

FIRE!

2009-09-29T12:01:00.000-06:00

Today around 11:30, I was looking out the window and told my manager to look at the clouds that seems to be moving really fast, from her window, she can see more to the right then I can, and she jumped up and said "Jenn, that's a fire" we ran outside and the brand new building right by us was rolling black smoke all around the south east side of the building. We called the fire department and by the time they got there, the fire had tripled in size.

Luckily, the building is brand new, and the only people that had to evacuate were a few construction workers. I'm not sure exactly what caused it to light on fire, but it definitely made us nervous being so close to our company. Pieces of the roof came flying onto our grass and bushes completely on fire. Kind of scary if I do say so myself!

You can see the progress from start until the fire trucks arrived. I am very productive at work, I know!

Today's thoughts

2009-09-21T16:28:00.000-06:00

Today, I am grateful for my job.

We had to let one of my co-workers go today, and it made me realize how much I really do appreciate my job. I am so glad that I can wake up each morning knowing that I have a secure job and that I won't be fired when I get into work that day. It's nice to know I can pay my bills and still have some money in the end for fun....

How blessed I am to have such a phenomenal job with only an Associates degree. Not only does it build my accounting experience, but it allows me to budget my money better and gain more responsibility being an adult.

I love my job and couldn't be happier anywhere else! :)

Photography

2009-09-11T15:35:00.002-06:00

I started a photography class this fall, and I crave my 3 hour classes every Tuesday night.

I never thought I'd be one to get into the whole photography field like everyone else in this world it seems, yet I learned that I'm actually not too terribly bad at it. Who wouldda guessed?

My teacher had me play around with his camera, and he asked me probably five times that first class if I've ever been a photographer before because he says I have an excellent eye for it. We then talked for a good half hour, and I got extremely excited about it all.

I am going to buy a MacBook Pro probably this next week or in about two weeks, and then from there, I want to get a nice SLR camera. Preferably a Canon, yet I am not going to be too picky with my first camera. I have already taken some pictures, and I can't wait to take more! :) How fun!

I am going to start taking senior pictures of some kids I know in the area and see how I feel about that. I have done quite a few senior announcements using photoshop and such, and I think it'd be fun to do it both. Take the pictures and create the invitations.

My header on my blog, for example, I created from scratch on my computer... well obviously I didn't create everything, I just put it together. I think it looks pretty nice, right?! ha....

I'll definitely keep you posted on how this goes, and if I actually end up doing this. I seem to talk big but never act. Those days are OVER! ha.... here are a couple pictures I took this weekend....

Well ha- these were taken on the iPhone, sooooooo obviously not best quality but I'm getting better. I promise..

Silver Lake (and of course, beautiful Leska)

HAIRCUT

2009-08-28T10:28:00.002-06:00

So this picture is kind of blurry... but I cut 7 inches off my hair last night! what I thought was going to be a trim with layers turned out to be a short, shoulder length cut.... I am slowly warming up to it but still don't know exactly how I feel.... let me know what you think. ha... you can be honest too.... I want to know outside opinions!

Cruises, Scooters, and White Vinyl Fences

2009-08-24T08:48:00.004-06:00

It all started when the Mickelsen's decided to go on a family cruise to the Bahamas. They got in on Thursday, and I went over on Friday to go visit Kara and see her nice tan and see pictures.

We started getting all excited and antsy and went searching for our next cruise and started planning it for next year... which by the way is going to be absolutely amazing!

We then went to dinner and when we were pulling in, we noticed that Josh and Nicole were out by his scooters and I wanted to see his new one. He seems to always have a new one, but they're kinda fun so we ride them around a lot :).

He showed me his brand new one that had only 2 miles on it. I told him I wanted to ride it but I wasn't meaning I had to right then. Apparently the guys we were with thought Kara and I wanted to go on a ride right then. After going inside, the boys, david and adam, came and asked us to go for a ride with them so we said sure and off we went. I hopped on the back of Adam's and Kara with David.

We reach a stop sign as we approach the exit of Mickelsen's neighborhood, we started to turn the corner, yet Adam overestimated the turning time, and we began to take a very very wide turn- as we were getting closer to the fence across the small street, I realized that no, we were not turning, yet we were heading straight for the fence!

Why weren't we turning?

Turn, Turn Turn... !!!

BAM! white fence in my face!

As I pictured the scooter plummeting to it's death, I did not want to participate in that occasion, so I bailed the bike and jumped off right as we destroyed the neighbors beautiful white vinyl fence. I still hit the fence but I don't really remember much after jumping off. I cannot tell you how I swelled my ankle, tore off many layers of my skin on my shin and ankle or how my eye got a nice bruise and scratch, but I can tell you that I somehow got over to Kara and David's bike by myself. ha...

My head throbbed, but after a few meds, I was feeling much better. Kara says I did a little high pitched, short scream but then again, I have no recollection of the sort. haha.

Poor Adam was scraped up pretty bad. He had never driven a scooter, and then having a girl on the back makes things even worse since he has to balance weight. I feel bad for him, yet then again if I knew it was his first time driving one, I can guarantee either I would have driven, or I wouldn't have gone at all....

Overall it was actually pretty funny thinking about it, but then again Josh's scooter only had 2 miles on it, and the thin little plastic protective covers were still on the seats and front..... ah man!

So...moral of the story.... if you are tempted to ride on a the back of a scooter, stick with a harley davidson cruiser. Harder to wreck. HA.... or better off.... make a guy take you for a ride in his lifted dodge :)

.wow.

2009-08-18T16:05:00.003-06:00

I can't help but wonder how people do not believe in a Supreme Being.

Where did the flowers get their scent? How do trees produce such wonderful fruit? How do animals and bugs and even people know how to act and react to situations in life?

It's amazing to me how powerful and perfect God is. I sat outside last night and looked out at the stars. It blows my mind when I imagine that He has worlds without number... just as the sands of the sea. I cannot even comprehend or begin to comprehend what that is like. Wow. So incredible.

It also completely baffles me how people indeed believe that there is no life after this life. Why would God create us to rot in the ground? Our spirits are merely in a borrowed, temporary body but one day we will all die, and our spirits will be resurected just as Christ and we will live after this life :) It will not be until then that I will fully understand the mysteries of God and how the world was created.

I am antsy and impatient to find out, yet in no way am I ready to leave this life... so i can wait Ü

2009-08-04T13:55:00.003-06:00

Today I am grateful for a messy purse.

On Saturday, a few girl friends and I got all dressed up for a night out. We went to Olive Garden and took full advantage of the fact that everyone there thought we were completely wasted. We had the waiters (who were very good looking by the way) all stopping to talk and say goodbye as they left, and our waiter loved us! :) He just kept bringing us more and more stuff and even gave us a whole bunch of breadsticks to go when we left. It was beautiful! ha

He also brought us a big glass full of the Olive Garden Andes mints. I was so excited with the fact that I usually only get one mint, so I grabbed the glass and poured all the mints in my purse. Carlie actually never even knew we got mints because I hoarded them all to myself. Well, that wonderful idea of mine definitely came back to bite me as I forgot they were in my purse the next day. I left my purse in my car when I went to Mickelsen's for Benson's blessing bbq after church.... I ran over to the church a little later because I had to bring a salad to "Break the fast." when I got back into my car I was enjoying to wonderful smell of mint chocolate until it hit me why I was smelling this in my steaming hot car. The MINTS!

I kind of freaked out as I opened my nice Kathy purse to find it smothered in chocolate. I ran home and pulled everything out of the purse, and luckily I had so many papers and junk in there that I really didn't get chocolate on the lining of the purse. There was a little here and there but it was mostly all over my receipts and wallet... I even threw away a $20 bill because I didn't know what it was! ha.... no worries though, I figured it out quickly and just washed it off! :)

I now know to 1.never act drunk in public 2. never steal and 3. never skip relief society for a family bbq. ha!

Infatuations

2009-07-30T15:08:00.009-06:00

Today at work, I was sitting and just thinking about stupid things I am completely infatuated with.

First off- farmers/cowboys.

How can this not be your fantasy husband?

I was at the Days of 47 rodeo the other day, and I could not stop staring at all the boys in their cowboy boots and Stetsons. I think a lot of it is that cowboys and farmers in general remind me of my dad, and the stories he'd tell of when he was a teenager and mid 20's. He was truly the Man from Snowy River.... It's just odd to me that such a city girl, like my mom, could fall in love with someone of such a simple and plain lifestyle. Besides their rough, tough manly-ness.. I think the biggest thing that attracts me to these men is their work ethic. I'm pretty sure about 99% of men I date in Utah have less drive than me in life, and a good majority of them are more feminine than me. You may laugh, but it is a very true statement.

Granted, the stereotype of these type of people is very real in some cases, so to avoid finding myself living white trash the rest of my life, I have decided on the following:

Marry a man who grew up or worked on a farm, yet is now a business man. We live on the outskirts of a big town with a lot of land and some animals. What a perfect life that would be... too bad I won't be having that luxury anytime soon... living on a farm..... and especially getting married...

See, look how cute!! :)

Okay, infatuation #2. Hair. I love hair. (That reminds me of that youtube video of "shoes" Sarah, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about hahaha)

Ever since I was young, I have always loved doing people's hair. The first time I did someone's hair for a dance was when I was a freshman in high school, and Christianne was going to homecoming. Well, maybe I was a sophomore. I don't remember. I remember that poor Christianne's hair was a little lopsided, but she just said it looked good and I let her believe it.... I feel bad now though! ha....

The far one was just an updo for a dance, but this one was my favorite I've done on myself.. It was a side pony tail all curled and pinned. The back looked way rad. I was extremely proud of myself for this :)

I would love to learn more ways to do pretty hair! ha

I mostly love up-dos, but I always notice people's hair. I love when boys have a beautifully clean cut look with their hair done nicely, and when girls do their hair all nice when they go out for the night. I know I don't do my hair most of the time, but I still love to actually do hair. Mine and anyone elses. I always wanted to be a beautition, but that idea got shot down real quick from my family. Maybe one day I'll go to beauty school....maybe....

Last infatuation of the day: Peanut Butter. I love everything peanut butter flavored. well anything besides ritz bits. I ate peanut butter m&m's today and my mind was blown away by how such greatness can be packed inside such a small piece of chocolate coated candy. Amazes me.

I also put peanut butter in my protein shakes after my workouts (great shake: EAS chocolate protein, frozen berries from Costco, and Adam's peanut butter. Sounds funny. but it's ridiculously amazing)

I love pure peanut butter sandwiches, and peanut butter cookies.

What would the world be like withouth this tasty substance?! :)

I think that's all for today. I have plenty more, but those are definitely my top three....

Wal-Mart

2009-07-28T08:40:00.002-06:00

Yes. It IS as satanic as this picture portrays.

Let the story begin.

It all began when I wanted a cover for my phone. Just one that came with a case and a screen protector. Not too big of a request, right?! Wrong.

I drive to the closest Wal-Mart to my house because clearly I thought it would be the cheapest place to find something a decent price. I found the case I wanted, and checked out and went into my car. I opened my case and it looked as if someone else had already opened this up and had taken the screen protector. I found that very strange, yet I sat in my car and stared at it all for a good ten minutes until I realized that Hello, retard... it's not in there.

I walked out of the car and back into the store. went and got a new case and exchanged it for the old one. Simple enough.

As I was walking back to my car I realized again, Hello, retard! Why didn't I check to make sure there was a screen protector? Of course, as I rummaged through the box yet another time, there was none of the kind. Frustrated and annoyed, I went back to the customer service and had to convince them that I was not going into my car and stealing the covers as I was being accused of time and time again. After much discussion, I was able to get a new cover and this time I opened every box in the store until I found exactly what I needed.

Oh the things I do for this little phone.

So then the next day, I need my oil changed. Why in the world I chose Wal-Mart...don't even ask.

I was told my wait time was 30 mintues. Perfect. I had someone to be in an hour and a half and that would give me plenty of time to get home, change out of work clothes, and drive up to Murray.

45 mintues later, I still hadnt heard them announce my name in the store, so I went to check the status on my car. This was my conversation with the man:

"Is the Nissan ready for pick up?"

"Oh, looks like it will be about 45 minues to an hour longer."

"45 minutes?! I've already been waiting 45 minutes, what is the hold up?"

"We had two cars ahead of you to service."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty positive when I got here, there were no cars in front of me."

"Well, they were emergencies. These customers had to be out of here in a half hour."

"Well are you going to break me a deal and give me some type of discount because I had somewhere to be at 7 and it's already nearly 6:30"

"Unfortuanately, we cannot do that. But we will give you free window wipers and fluid."

"Alright, whatever."

I realized why they had put be behind two cars. That is because the cars were a fetchin 5 series bmw, and a cadillac cts.

No worries though, I got my car at 7:20 and was only about 45 minutes late. No big deal. ha....

I now know why my mother refuses to shop at good ol' Wal-Mart.

Going Home!

2009-06-30T07:40:00.002-06:00

I've been counting down the weeks, days, and hours that my flight leaves to go back home for a few days.

Alas the time has finally come! I fly out early tomorrow morning around 6 am and get into spokane at 10. I have one layover in Seattle which is a bummer, but oh well. I'm so excited that I can't even concentrate on work right now (Therefore the reasoning behind blogging ha)

My dad and Chris will be at scout camp so that kind of stinks, but my mom, Ali and Hunter will all be at home. Mom and Alisyn don't know I'm coming home yet. To be honest, I don't think my mom will be too terribly excited, but Alisyn will go CRAZY! I don't care what anyone says, I'm her favorite sibling! :) Gosh I miss my family!

It's kind of funny because my mom and the kids are actually taking a trip to Idaho, Utah and Arizona and they leave while I'm still in Washington! HA. Maybe that'll change when they know I'm coming home?! Who knows- probably not.. but that's okay because they leave sunday and I fly out early monday morning.

I miss my dads huge hugs and corny jokes (I know, I know... I've always admitted to hating those). I miss my mom's FOOD and her cute cute little smile. I miss my siblings for their amazing examples and their humor. I really think I have the funniest family anyone has ever seen. They are hysterical!

ahh yay. I'm coming home!

2009-06-15T14:48:00.002-06:00

Friday was most definitely in the top ten happiest moments in my life. ha

I got my teeth FINALLY completed and I now have a beautiful, white porcelain smile. My temporary teeth were in my mouth longer than we all expected due to healing issues with my gums. The teeth would really irritate my gums causing a lot of pain and bruising, and then I would get blood into my temps making my teeth look black and it was just a nasty mess....

I love having veneers. Finally I don't look absolutely ridiculous when I smile.

Other than that, life has been pretty good. I got to go to the cabin with a group of about 13 people this past weekend and we had a blast riding 4-wheelers in the rain and attemting to fish without a pole! :) It was a lot of fun. I think for once, I am actually loving being single. It's nice only having to support myself on my income, and though I should save a whole lot more than I do, I love having the feeling of being able to pay off all my expenses each month and still have a little money for spontaneous outings!

Sarah and Ryan also were down here this weekend but I only saw them for a few hours. They actually were there to greet me after my little surgery on Friday. It was a good surprise that's for sure! They are coming down this coming weekend so that'll be a lot of fun to actually be able to hang out with them for more than just a day.

It's hard for me to be in Utah when I have no family here. I get homesick way too much! I love being independent, don't get me wrong, but living with Megan's family and spending almost every day at the Mickelsen's, I just want to be with my family. I envy those who are close to their family or at least a sibling or too while being in college. I hate having to always travel to see my family but it's definitely always worth it!

Oh- one more thing before I finish... There's a Jr. High near by that I may start being the stunt coach for Cheer. I am SO stoked- I just have to figure out if my work schedule will coincide with their summer practice schedule. I am so excited!!!!

ok. the end.

iPhone

2009-05-22T08:00:00.001-06:00

...alright, I did it....

I caved in and bought an iPhone.

It's amazing how worldly pleasures can make me so happy! haha

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2009-05-11T07:54:00.004-06:00

"All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."- Abraham Lincoln

I just wanted to take a few minutes and express openly to my mom my gratitude to her for all she has done for me.

My mom is the one person in my life that I go to for all advice. She knows everything about me, and I am never afraid to tell her anything. I do not believe there is anyone else I have ever come in contact with that supports me more than she does.

I remember since I was a little kid, my mom would always stick up for me whenever I got in an argument with another sibling (ahem, sarah.) Sometimes it would be in my error, yet I still had my mom to back me up :) My mother also has always supported me with my decisions I make. She helped me try out for cheerleading my 8th grade year for my first year in high school. I remember her taking time to teach me to be sharp, and how I can get my jumps higher. She taught me especially how to project my voice. Sarah and I have spent many hours just laughing at her deep manly voice as she always told us that was the key to projection.

I also remember all of her countless hours she spent prepping me for Jr. Miss. She knew exactly how to calm me down, how to boost me up, and patiently watched my dance over and over and over. Following the performance she was more excited than I was that I was in the court, yet she knew what was ahead of her. She was my number one fan through it all! She came to every single parade, and gave me her cute little smile and wave as the float passed by. Coming to those parades took up every single saturday of that summer, yet those 2 mintues watching the float pass by seemed to be enough to justify the long drives often starting before 7 am. On one of these trips, we even experienced Alisyn's first Oreo. Neither one of us realized that she had never had one, but her excitment when eating that "black thing with frosting" as she put it, was something I'll never forget. She is such a sweetheart and is easily pleased :)

Though these experiences I've had with my mom have been great and unforgettable, I cannot and will not deny that the very best memory I have with her is one that will always and forever leave an impact in my life.

My mom has always been sensitive to the spirit and has taught us the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I cannot remember when we started this, but she would wake us all up at 5:30 every morning for scripture reading and prayers. We would talk and discuss the doctrines of the Gospel, and along with my father, she would answer many of our questions. Sometimes our questions would be very simple, yet other times they would be very in depth. They both somehow gave us a satisfying answer, and kept us intrigued in what we were learning. I'd be lying if I said I never fell asleep during scripture study, yet sometimes I got away with it as they only cared about Sarah sleeping since it was a daily occurance! ha

I will never be able to fully express my gratitude and love for the most amazing woman I know. She is a hero in my life and I am forever indebted to her for all she has done, or TRIED to do for me in my life! I can be pretty stubborn sometimes, but I definitely get that from her. She is amazing, and truly an angel on Earth! I love her so so so very much! I cannot fathom my life without her! I miss her more than anything, and I'm only 700 miles away.

What a wonderful, beautiful blessing it has been to be born into such a marvelous family!

Trials=Blessings

2009-04-28T21:29:00.007-06:00

Some would say that the title of this blog is a complete oxymoron, yet it has been a definite testimony builder for me this past month. To start, the day before graduation, my dead tooth fell out. Yeah- don't know exactly how- but luckily Nichole was at my house and could kinda calm me down and make me laugh at the situation and then help me get to the dentist in one piece. Not only was I toothless, but I had to sing that night at a HUGE school appreciation dinner. Only the most important people who have contributed to the college, along with a few apostles were invited to this dinner. Thankfully, I got a temporary tooth in a little retainer I was able to wear!The next day, my graduation, my cousin, Cameron, passed away due to terrible cancer he'd been fighting for three years. Poor Cam was only 27 and married for two years. That same day I found out that a woman very very close to me that I worked with at the college has an extreme case of cancer that the dr's are very nervous about. A few days later, I totaled my little Mitsubishi while the other guy in the accident only crunched in his headlight and a little dent on the side. I was really angry but what can I do after it's already happened, right?!
At this point I was really upset with where my life was going and was not happy with where I was at. (Now I don't need to be confessing my depressions to you nor do I mean to make you feel bad for me.. this is all going somewhere, I swear.) I got the car stuff figured out and was informed that my insurance would pay for 7 days to rent a car. wow. I started to panic. Car shopping was fun at first, but only having worked at my job for about 2 weeks now, I couldn't get approved for anything.. I mean ANYTHING! I got extremely frustrated.

In the meantime, I went into the dentist again for him to fix my tooth that fell out. He said he would have to give me a veneer for that tooth, yet because it would have to be bridged, I would never be able to get braces. That thought terrified me, but he promply added that he would veneer my crooked tooth on my upper teeth as well. I started to cry to even think about having straight teeth. As I got to the dentist at 12:30 on friday the 24th, I did not anticipate staying there until about 5:45, but I did... and it was all worth it because he ended up giving me a full set of 6 veneers on the top, and they look beautiful! I seriously don't even know how to explain how grateful I am to be able to have a new smile!

A little stress was lifted off my shoulders as I no longer had to worry about my temporary tooth getting all ruined inside it's little retainer, and I had more time to focus on the car. I still couldn't get approved for anything and by this time, I only had 3 days to find a car. I got to talking with a guy my roommate referred me to and somehow I overheard him converse about how he went to his sister in laws nephews funeral in orem and that his family is originally from washington. We got to talking and sure enough, His sister in law is Tammy- who is a Merrill. We talked for a long time about my family, and we formed a little bond I guess you could say. He lowered the price of the car I was looking at significantly and my credit union finally approved me. Yesterday, I got my new car... an 06 Nissan Altima. It is a pretty car- and I'm so glad to finally have something other than my rental!

(That is kind of a cruddy picture of it- but It's a pretty nice little car!)

It's nice to be able to finally look back oh the past events and be appreciative for everything that has gone wrong haha. I don't think I would have ever gotten my teeth fixed, and I know I would have just kept pouring money into my car to make it keep running. How grateful I am for a great paying job that can actually help me not stress about the money going into my new investments! :)

And like Jack Black would say, my life is good...really good!

MEXICO!

2009-03-31T15:43:00.013-06:00

Many of you know that I went on a complete spur of the moment Cruise to Ensenada, Mexico a couple weeks ago. We went with a group of 15. It was planned for about 3 weeks before we would leave, but I didn't have a passport, and was NOT about to pay a large lump sum to get my passport expedited, so I thought I wasn't going to be able to go. I was bummed, but my bank account was definitely smiling at me for my great decision to save save save. ha.

It only took about 4 days to find out through a travel agent that passports are not required until June 2009 for trips via boat to canada or mexico. I was so excited, I don't know how I didn't wet myself! :) We signed up and were good to go, but we had one problem. I wasn't 21. To go on a cruise without a parent or guardian, you must be 21, or have someone over 25 in the cabin with me. I felt like a child- but I can guarantee my mom wasn't about to come supervise this cruise. ha. Josh did a lot of calling around with me, and we found out that Allison is over 25, which is perfect because Josh was wanting to invite her anyways.. Everything was good again! :)

So to the actual interesting details of this story, we met at Mickelsen's on Wednesday, the 18th at like 6-ish and drove straight through the night to San Diego to board the boat at noon. Why we were all stupid enough to stay up all night, no one knows, but when we got to san diego, we all crashed and slept outside for a few hours before we had to get on the boat. It was a cold day, but very nice to get a little rest. We got to the dock at about 12:30, but due to our little international girl, Jenni, we had to wait for about an hour or so for her to clear some things through Canada so she could leave the states and return. Last thing we need is for a cute white girl to get stuck in the slums of Mexico. After a lot of issues and a lot of figuring details out, we finally got on the ship and were ready to have the best days of our lives! :) Who wouldn't want to spend 4 days, 3 nights, with me all day long?! I mean, seriously!? Ha just kidding.

Well, the cruise was absolutely phenomenal, and the memories we had are priceless! I got to gain stronger relationships with people I didn't know as well, and our group of friends bonded together a lot more. It makes me grateful for the kind of friends I have in my life. On two different occasions, the boys had to give two different girls a Priesthood Blessing. The power of those blessings were amazing, and the girls were able to be relieved from their pain and enjoy the vacation with us. Though the weather was not super sunny, it was still pretty warm, and the best part of all... ready for this?.....all you can eat dinner! Our waiter, Ivan, was great, and was soo good to us always letting us order about 15 things a piece. It's still kind of hard to adjust to paying for my food now. ha ha. Here's some fun pictures from the cruise. This blog is getting pretty lengthy, and no need to keep rambling on and on and on!

You have no idea how excited we were to finally be in San Diego and no longer in the car!
I had to pay him to take a picture with me, but in the long-run, he was happy he did. ha.. Jon and Jen

It was kinda weird that there were 2000 people on the Cruise and I managed to find a girl one night wearing my EXACT same outfit. Creepy, I don't know. ha... Funny thing is her and her friends ate breakfast with us that morning randomly. So weird.
This is our whole group on the formal night. The best group of friends I could ever ask for :)

I'm Finally a Grown Up

2009-03-10T22:30:00.002-06:00

I sit and think about how time has flown. In high school, I always thought I was one of the "cool kids" so to speak as I was involved in just about everything a high school student could be involved in. I had no worries, and I was very much confident in myself and my abilities.
Reality soon slapped me in the face as I started moving on with my education and began my new life on my own. I realized that high school life was far from what life is really like. I had to make new friends, make my own food, support myself through the small amount of income I was making, and I was finally able to date freely and get into relationships as my parents banned me from having a boyfriend in high school, although I sort of had one for about a year. :)
It only took me about a month to fully accept the fact that I was on my way to being a full-pledged "Grown Up". The thought of that scared me to death, but I figured I wouldn't be starting out in the real world until I had my bachelors degree and I was working like all the other older kids did after college.
Well, the time has come. I am graduating this April with a double Associates in both accounting and a general business transfer degree. It has been rough doubling up in classes, but I am very glad I did. I was always planning on transferring to the University of Utah to finish out my bachelors, but about a month or so ago, I started to feel very uneasy about transferring there right now. I was confused and didn't know what I was going to do. I did not want to transfer to a 4-year right away. I then decided to apply for a well-paid recruiting internship at the college, but again, after applying for that, I did not feel like that is what I should be doing. I was enthralled with frustration and wanted to just give up until I heard about an outstanding job opening with a company called Liberty Mountain.
Liberty Mountain distributes gear and supplies to many well-known outdoor companies such as REI, Sports Authority and Big 5. They also distribute to smaller local "mom and pop" shops. They specialize in camping, hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing. Having grown up in a very outdoorsy family, my interest was peaked when I heard they were hiring for an Accounts Receivable position. I applied right away.
I was called for my first interview and was told I was one of about 25 people who applied for this job. Having limited experience, I thought I was done for. I then was asked to come and meet with the owner of the company. I met with him, and our interview kind of turned into more of a casual conversation. Always being told to be very professional in an interview, I again thought I was done for. I then received an e-mail stating that they wanted me and two others to come back for yet another interview with the Controller. I was very surprised that I was asked to come back, but I definitely wasn't going to complain. I met with the Controller yesterday, and like the Owner, our interview turned into more of a conversation. I left wondering if I even said anything that would make him want to hire me. I thought back on some of the things I said, and wanted to punch myself for some of my stupid, ridiculous answers.
About two hours later, I got a phone call stating that they chose to hire me above the other two. At first, I thought about asking if they really meant to call me, or if they got the phone numbers mixed up, but I decided that even if the numbers were mixed up, I was still going to accept the offer! Ha. They talked to me about the pay, and it was significantly more than I was expecting. I also will be getting a raise in 3 months according to an evaluation that will be taken place. They also told me that I didn't have to start work until I was finished with Student Government at LDS Business College. My official start date is April 13, but can always be changed if I want or can start earlier. Wow, what more could I ever ask for?!
It makes me extremely grateful for the stumbling blocks I had in my life leading up to this amazing job offer. It is crazy that I am going to be starting my career as a twenty-year-old, but I know now that I really am ready to be a "Grown Up" :). I'm ready to step into the real workforce and make real money. I don't know what I'm going to do when I will no longer have to be living on $500 a month, and will actually have more than enough money to spend, save, and invest. Everything feels so very surreal right now, but I am so glad I was given this opportunity! I will be getting my bachelors degree by taking nigh classes, and slowly working my way to finishing. It may take a while, but that's alright. Especially with the recession in the economy, I do not believe it is the right time to give up such an amazing career start.
Wow, life is good. I am far more blessed than I deserve to be.

Reflection

2009-02-20T12:00:00.011-07:00

I have been contemplating a lot about life and about my future lately, and looking back on past trials that I have had, I have come to realize, more surely, how blessed I am. I believe people have come in and out of my life for reasons, but the ones that have stayed in my life are the ones that have impacted me the most.

First of all, my family. I am very lucky to be a part of such a beautiful, fun, and outstanding family. I, like Nephi, have been born of goodly parents! They are both some of the funnest people I have ever been around. My dad is a 12 year old trapped inside a 47 year old man's body. My mom is the one that definitely balances him out as she is the one who will laugh at him, and not with him. ha ha. She makes sure to keep him in line, yet stands by his side to always support his decisions. They both have raised my siblings and me in righteousness and has instilled in our minds the importance of hard work, ambition, education, family, and most of all, the importance of the Church in our lives, and how to always give thanks to our Father for all we have. I love my parents, and I love my family! Ryan, my brother in law, is a pretty "average" guy as well :) no, really.. all joking set aside- He is absolutely wonderful and coulndn't ask for a better person to now be apart of our family. I don't know if he could say the same about us, but I don't really care about that! ha!

As for my siblings, I truly don't know how I was so extremely lucky to get stuck with the five most amazing people for eternity! They all have such different personalities yet all come together to form such a strong bond and love for one another. Granted, we do fight here and there, but we our friendship and bond between eachother is not something you can find in any ol' family. My family is very unique, and definitely one of a kind. Wonderful, amazing, tremendous! haha.

Secondly, my very best friends that never let me get down on myself and are always pushing me to be a better person. I have great friends back in Washington, and have made life-long friends here in Salt Lake. It seems though the minute I start getting a little bit down, or the minute I start having a bad day, they know exactly what to do without giving me a superfluous amount of attention to make my day better. I don't know how I found such great friends, but I do know that the Lord knows me and knows I couldn't last these last days without very profound/phenomenal friends.

Lastly, the "grown ups" in my life. By this, I mean the people who I look up to on a daily basis as I do not have any family here in Utah with me. The Serrell's definitely have helped me a lot through different rough times in my life. I still go to watch their kids on Thursday's until the summer when I will be full-time again. Hope always knows when I've had a bad day, when I had a great night the night before, or when I am really homesick. She gives me great advice about life, and though her religious beliefs are not the same as mine, she gives me outstanding insight on life and gives me a completely different perspective on how to see our trials that come into our lives.

Also, Aunt Missy. She is Ryan's aunt, but my adopted aunt :). She is someone I can go to with deep Gospel questions or to talk about things that are really bothering me about any aspect-boys, school, roommates.. the list goes on. She is a hero in my life, and I look up to her a lot in my life! She definitely does not treat me as "Sarah's little sister" as do most adults back home who know us both. I love her and am so grateful for her being apart of my life daily.

I guess this post was mostly for my benefit instead of the benefit of others. It's good to sometimes sit back and contemplate about life, and where I want my life to be in ten years. About a month ago, I thought I had my life all planned out, and I seemed to be pretty satisfied with that plan, but as I think now, that direction I was going to embark on is not the direction my life will be heading towards anytime soon, nor is it the direction I want my life to be heading anytime soon. I am very happy with how my life is and with taking one day at a time.

Catch up...

2009-01-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

So, I guess it's about time to update things on here.

Life has been great, and I have been busier than ever with school starting up again.

Christmas break was phenomenal with Sarah and Ryan getting married! Ah, I'm so happy for them! It's amazing to me to see how Sarah's life has just brought her straight to Ry and how extremely happy she is... I can't wait to experience true happiness that these two have! Ya know, at times, I may have thought I was in love and that I knew what love meant.. but thinking about it now, I think I get so caught up in the moment that I forget to take a step back and analyze things and realize that I have no idea what true loves means. I am excited to find that true love, but until then... single life is terrific :)

So, many of you may have seen that I edited this post. Paul and I broke up last week, but in reality, I am very grateful for the way things turned out. Granted we didn't date long, but things went very fast and everytime I tried to slow down, they went faster.. that's kind of what we get... It was good while it lasted- and I'm glad to finally know more-so what I'm exactly looking for in a future spouse... It's kind of funny though.. the second the word got out, I've been asked on a bunch of dates, which is really fun haha.. I am going on 5 next week. These boys are doing GREAT on my self-esteem! haha! love it! :)

So other than that, school is going great, and I'm excited to be getting my associates finally! From there who knows what exactly I'll be doing! I haven't yet applied to a 4-year school, but I'm hoping to get an internship at LDSBC come fall to be a recruiter! ah, that would be such a great experience!

Oh, I got to make s'mores with the Serrell kids for their first time ever. It was awesome, and though we had to cook the marshmellows, or "fluffies" as Quinn calls them, in the microwave, it was still quite an experience and they LOVED them!

Here's a way cute picture of Quinner...

Those little boys are growing up so fast. I want them to just stop and stay the size they are right now!

Life is good.. great... amazing!

The Ball

2008-11-21T12:07:00.001-07:00

Friday, the 12th, we had a huge "Founder's Day Ball" at the Utah State Capitol Building for our school. Being in the Student Council, I of course had to go to the ball. I went with one of my really close friends, Josh Mickelsen.

We started the night off at Tucano's which is an AMAZING Brazilian restaurant. Well, actually, we started off the night driving to Tucano's in a beautiful BMW 750LI. Only my ultimate dream car next to the 2009 Aston Martin DB9.
Here are some pictures.. I hope you are filled with envy right now. Ha. just kidding. Anyway, The dance was a ton of fun, and Josh and I danced the night away :) I have some pictures from dinner and from the dance below.... Oh yah, My cousin, Danielle came up from BYU also to hang out and go to the dance with my friend, Kyle! It was SO good to see her!
(Me and Josh before the dance)

(Danielle, me and Jenni at Tucano's)

Our Crazy Awesome Group

ENGAGEMENT

2008-10-24T12:45:00.000-06:00

Sarah got engaged on Saturday, October 18th... the day before my birthday! :)

We are all SO happy for her and Ryan, and couldn't have asked for a better guy in her life! He is absolutely amazing and although he makes fun of me on a day to day basis, I'm quite used to being the center of all jokes. HA...

I think they're both extremely blessed to have eachother.. I dunno if Ry could have found any girl who could put up with his goofiness all day long... and I'm pretty sure Sarah couldn't have found a better guy that fits all her "criteria" both spiritually and temporally... they're both hilarious and I am so anxious to see how their kids turn out.. haha

they have a blog now. It's http://ryan-sarah.blogspot.com/ You can go there for all the fun details about the engagement! ahh yay. One Davidson girl down.. only three more to go! C'mon guys- let's get with the program here! Well Ali better take about 15 more years before considering marriage, but the other two of us... we're a-waitin! HA

Conference Weekend

2008-10-05T20:07:00.000-06:00

So this weekend was definitely a fun one! Nichole came up from Vegas, Mindy surprised me and came down from Rexburg... AND I finally got to see Matt. He's no longer Elder Mackay- and it's really weird, yet exciting to have him around again. Well he's in WA, and I'm here but still... it was definitely good to spend time with him! He is such an amazing person in my life!

Anyway- so Nichole and Mindy both came in late Friday night- and they stayed with me at the Serrell's where I was house/dog sitting for them. We had fun just catching up on life and laughing about stupid things... on Sunday morning, we had the BEST breakfast ever! We had breakfast casserole.. (however you spell that) and then these monkeybread type carmel deliciousness.. I don't really know how to explain them- we call them pull-aparts.. ha... so we ate up and watched conference. Conference was really good! I know every time I always think, "that was the best conference yet." but I really do think this was one if not THE best conference yet. ha... it was wonderful! last year, I got to go to all 4 sessions, but this year I didn't go to any which is a bummer but I mean the Church is true no matter where you go, right?! :)

Idaho and Freshman Orientation

2008-09-05T23:05:00.000-06:00

Ah wow, things have been SOO crazy hectic for me this past week or so.

To start, my last day as a nanny ended on Friday. Hope gave me a beautiful necklace and I bawled my eyes out.. I'm a baby, I know. It was way harder than I thought to say goodbye. I love the kids I watch as if they were my own. I have a sleepover planned with them though so it's all good :) Jona, the 5 year old, called me today too which was stinkin adorable!

we also moved Sarah to Jarome, Idaho where her boyfriend/fiance is building a hospital. He's actually building it in Gooding, but they both moved to Jarome. It's good that she finally gets to be close to him since he was living in Arizona, and she here in Utah. It was a fun trip though! Nichole came up on friday and we stayed up til 4:30 packing and cleaning up the house (our roommates decided to move out on us and not help us clean at all, so we had to pack all of sarahs stuff up and then clean EVERYTHING... I'm not bitter at all :) we woke up at 7 and continued packing and cleaning.. surprisingly, I wasn't tired at all! Weird, I know. So we got up to Idaho Saturday night, and our family was able to meet us there and hang out with us and Ryan for the weekend. It was amazing. I have the greatest family in the world.

As for this weekend.... I'm in the Student Council here at LDSBC, or the ASB. However you prefer to say it. I'm the Secretary/Treasurer/Historian/anything else.. ha. I honestly do EVERYTHING that no one else wants to do, but oh well it doesn't really bother me.... so I've basically lived at the school this whole weekend. Yesterday, Thursday, I got to the school at 10:00am... and got home at 10:30pm.. When I got home I realized I hadn't even eated BREAKFAST yet ha ha.. that's the story of my life though! Sooo busy. Today was sweet though. Orientation started and the council members all made a huge grand entrace on 4-wheelers that an ATV rental store close by let us borrow for free :) It was awesome and all the students think we're amazing.. I mean we are, but at least they know it too huh? HA HA. totally kidding! But council has actually ended up being more of a blessing than a burden for me. The pay is terrible and hours are exhausting, but I've met some amazing people being in the ASB and interacting with teachers and staff. It's easier to succeed in a class when the teacher personally knows you and knows of your potential... School starts on Monday and oh boy, I'm nooot even a little excited! I haven't bought books or anything yet HA I know, procrastination! Well I want to put pictures up of orientation, so maybe I'll do that in a little bit...
that's all . the end !

Temple Square and Belly Dancing haha

2008-08-17T21:06:00.000-06:00

So Mom and Ali leave tomorrow morning with Krista Woodward to go back home. I'm really bummed that they are leaving already, but it was so good to see them! We went to temple square today and watched the Joseph Smith movie. I forgot that Alisyn had never seen it or been to temple square- so she was full of all sorts of questions! After the movie, she looked up at me and said "Joseph was a good prophet" and then she started bawling. It made me almost cry to see how at such a young age, she was filled with the spirit. She is such an amazing little girl!!

On a more casual note, my friend got back from Dubai about a month ago, (her dad works for Ford and does international business over there) and brought me back a belly dance outfit since that's big in the middle east. Well Alisyn put it on and gave us a show... I didn't think she even knew what belly dancing was- maybe she's seen me dance a little too much around the house! haha... I posted her video on here because it makes me laugh :) she said she wants to be a dancer so she can be a better cheerleader than I ever was... I thought that was pretty funny.

My Family

2008-08-10T22:29:00.000-06:00

It's kinda crazy how I never thought I'd get homesick being away from home for the first time, but this summer has just been KILLER! I went home for the whole month of April, and it feels like I haven't seen my family for years! ha! I just really wish I would have spent the whole summer at home, but then again, I am more than blessed to have the job I have and being able to spend one last summer with Sarah before she gets married.

I moved to Provo the beginning of May with Sarah. It's been fun... but reminds me that I'm not sure if I ever want to live in Provo.... I've never dated so much in my life, yet I hate it. Weird, I know... I kinda just wish there was only one person for me to hang out with. One guy to date... one person to hang out with every weekend.... I duno- just gets annoying going on date after date! Last week I went on 5 dates. Just irritating I guess. But then again, think about all the free food I get Bahaha! I'm just kidding!

Sooo, basically- I think one of the biggest reasons why I'm so homesick is because it's really hard for me to go on so many dates without thinking about my dad and brothers. They really are the most amazing men I have ever met in my entire life! I compare every single guy I go on a date with with my little brothers or my dad. Though my younger brothers are only 15 and 12, they are amazing examples to me and are spiritual giants! I'm so grateful for such amazing men in my life! :) My mom and Alisyn are here for about ten days, and it's sooo fun to be with them! Ali is getting sooo huge and it's crazy how fast she's growing up! My mom is beautiful, and I hope when I get all old like her, I'll be just as gorgeous as she is :) :) I love her SO much!

Basically, I have the greatest family in the entire world. Don't even try to argue with me! Ha!

My Job

2008-08-10T15:42:00.000-06:00

So, my job is definitely amazing.

I'm a nanny for a family in Draper. The commute is a drag, but I get paid enough to justify the gas price- and plus. The kids are absolutely amazing! The cutest dang kids alive! Honestly :)

Jona is 5 and never runs out of energy. Sometimes he gets super hyper, but he's really fun. He's in afternoon kindergarten on a year-round school, so he leaves everyday around 12.

Quinn is 17 months and he is STINKIN' cute! He really is the perfect little baby! He never cries unless he is hurt or sick. He sleeps everyday from 10:30-2:00, and he is really good at signing. He signs eat, more, all done, thank you, please, book, cat, bird, milk, no and yes. He hasn't really started talking yet, but he does say "momma", "dadda", and occasionally he'll yell "en" when he wakes up from his nap and wants me to come get him! He is sooo adorable. He made up all his own noises for animals, and some of them are pretty funny. Definitely not the typical animal sounds.