2010

As the final week of this year has come to a close, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about all the things that 2010 has brought.

It has been a year full of ups and downs, highs and lows, endings and new beginnings, challenges and triumphs, disappointments and excitement.

At the start of this year, I had no idea what I had in-store. I can honestly say, it's a year that I will never forget. It has changed me. I have changed: hopefully for the better. I have learned so much from the various experiences that I have had.

I have learned so many lessons including...

1. Life is all about what you make it.

2. When your own plans fall through, try listening for God's plan for you.

3. Personal Revelation is available to all of us.

4. No matter what happens, you still have your FAMILY.

5. Moving out leaves room for lots of lessons to be learned.

6. Judging others is useless. It only hurts you and limits them.

7. The Holy Ghost is one of my best friends and definitely the most reliable.

8. Hard work is the key to success in anything worth while.

9. Obedience brings happiness.

10. Heavenly Father loves me more than I even know.

It has been a great year! I look back on all that has happened this year with gratitude and thankfulness that Heavenly Father has helped me learn so much! Thankfully I don't have to go back and do it all again, but even if I did, I still wouldn't change a thing.

I know that where I am right now is EXACTLY where I am supposed to be. That is a wonderful feeling - one that assures me that I have so much to look forward to in the coming year! I am excited for the lessons I will learn in 2011.

Tomorrow is a new day and a new year.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Break

Christmas break has already consisted of...

Sleeping in every morning. (I slept for 14 hours the day after finals ended!)

No homework.

Using my gym membership daily... and I have time to attend not only one class, but TWO!!

Eating lots of goodies.

Spending time with family

Driving around to look at Christmas Lights

Seeing old friends

Hiking Camelback Mountain to find a live, decorated Christmas tree at the top

Wearing flip-flops non-stop

Being able to practice the piano at home

Spending an entire day on a project that I decided to do that very morning

Listening to Christmas Music

Buying gifts for others who are less-fortunate than me

Watching TV/movies without feeling guilty

Seeing the Temple Christmas Lights

Attending Grandma's Christmas Party

Making Gingerbread Houses

Further plans for Christmas break include...

Eating more goodies

Getting lots more sleep

Working out at my favorite place again and again

Reading a good book

Seeing more friends

Snow sledding

Watching the Miracle on 34th St., White Christmas, & The Year without a Santa Claus

Eating Peppernuts

Decorating Christmas Sugar Cookies

Shopping with Mom

Ice Skating??

Seeing the Movie, Tangled

Forcing myself to sign-up for my 3rd half-marathon

Making new crafts

Finding Snowboarding gear

And remembering the True Reason for the Season

I heard a statistic today: only 35% of Americans correlate Christmas with the birth of Jesus Christ. That was very disheartening for me to hear! This entire time of celebration is to be centered around our Savior; yet, this true meaning has been lost in all the noise of the world! I hope and pray that I can spend the next few days spending time to focus on the Savior - the real reason why we celebrate CHRISTmas!

The New "F" Word: Finals

You know it's a sad day when you lay down for an hour nap at 7am

after your alarm went off at 4:30 this morning!

...now back to studying cramming.

Happy Finals week!

My Worst Enemy

My Worst Enemy...

Is a professional at pointing out all my flaws

Never takes vacation days on reminding me of all that I don't do perfectly.

Only occasionally commends improvement

Is impatient with wasted time

Can always list off a million things that could be worked on

Is overly critical

and struggles to let things go.

My worst enemy is... ME!

Sad but true. It's not my best quality, but it's a reality. I read a talk by Sis. Holland this past week. One quote from the talk has echoed through my mind over and over again:

"We must be patient with ourselves

as we overcome weaknesses,

and we must remember

to rejoice over all that is good in us."

This past general conference, Elder Scott said,

"If you have determined to live righteously,

don't become discouraged...

You are making better progress than you realize."

I love these quotes! I need to work on being less critical, impatient, and demeaning towards myself. I know that I am daughter of God with divine potential and I need to rejoice over all that is good in me and remember that I am making better progress than I think.

I am going to work on being nicer to myself...

...as soon as I find time to workout

and return these "freshman 5"

back to where they rightfully belong (not on me)!

JK!

-Lets be honest though, that's exactly what goes through my mean-ol-head!!

Anyone out there who can relate?! If so, aren't we just ridiculous?!!

I'm a work in progress! :)

Trying to Find the Perfect Christmas Tree...

My roommate and I went hunting for the perfect Christmas tree yesterday after school. We decided needed some Christmas cheer to help offset the upcoming craziness of finals. So off to the local Christmas Tree lot to find the perfect tree.

We got to the place and looked EVERYWHERE. Nothing was small enough for our little apartment. Just when we were about to give up and go to the next store, we finally found the mini noble firs! There was a HUGE pile of them. We began to pull tree after tree... too fat, too short, too thin, too sparse, too brown, too dead, too odd. So after about 10 trees, we had narrowed it down to 2 that were... mediocre. But, as you know, mediocre is NOT ok! So we devised a new plan... any that we didn't like we would stack against me, and Cami would keep searching for "the one." (Yes, we rearranged the tree lot... temporarily.)

About halfway through this process, Cami had an epiphany. She stood up and said, "Finding the perfect Christmas tree is like trying to find the perfect man... it will be the last one in the pile. We will want to give up, but we can't because the perfect one will be worth the work!" She was so proud of her correlation!! I just died laughing while trying to hold perfectly still so that the 20 mini Christmas trees leaned up against me wouldn't fall! (I am sad we forgot the camera, because it was a hilarious sight to see!)

So Cami dug and dug and I held more and more trees. Yes, she was right! The VERY LAST TREE that we looked at was indeed the perfect tree!! We didn't even have to compare him to past trees. There was no question! It was quite ironic! Cami just kept saying, "see, it does work!!" So we bought our little tree and brought him home to decorate. We now refer to him as "Atlantis" after Jamie O'Neal's song, "Trying to Find Atlantis."

Lesson of the Day: This life we live is all worth it: the trials, the worries, the crazy schedules, the hard times, the stressful moments, the disappointments, the fears, all of it! It will be "worth the work" if we just stick with what we know is right!! I am thankful for my patriarchal blessing that helps me remember this on days where it might seem hard to believe! Life is GREAT!!

Merry Christmas!!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It's really been quite cold outside lately. No fears though... Cami and I have become pretty creative in our efforts to fight off the cold without turning on the heat!

• After you pull your clothes out of the dryer, you should use them as a blanket to get warm before you shake them out and put them away.
• After you cook on the stove, you should warm your hands while it's still hot.
• If you get cold while studying under a mound of blankets, you can do jumping jacks to get warm (it also burns calories and wakes up your brain - it works well!)
• If you need to go shopping, do it at night when you can fully appreciate the heat the stores so kindly provide to those who shop there!
• If you bake in the oven, you should open the door and study near it while it's still hot.
• You should turn your dishwasher on at strategic times that allow you to fully take advantage of the warm steam that billows from it when you open it.
• Finally, if you have already done hundreds of jumping jacks, cooked dinner, washed the dishes, done the grocery shopping, and dried your clothes and you are STILL cold, it's time to shower and blow dry your hair without turning the bathroom fan on!

It's ok to laugh at how pathetic we are! We do too! Despite all of our wonderful ideas, we have finally shivered enough and we caved. We turned our heat on three days ago. Oh how I love the heater! Now it's COLD outside and only kinda cold inside! :)

Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Here are some of the highlights:

• Running the 10K Turkey Trot (so I could eat all the food I wanted and not feel guilty). I hadn't trained for it, or so I thought... apparently living in 7,000 ft elevation automatically prepares you for some things because I ran my personal best! (One of the perks of living here!) My dad ran it with me this year too! I am so grateful that he did! I have now done it for 3 years but it meant a lot to have him there with me this year! My dad is seriously so amazing! He is such a hard worker, has such a vast understanding of the gospel and does so much for our family! I love him so much!

• The most perfect weather EVER known to Thanksgiving in the Valley!!!
• Spending the holiday with most of my dad's side of the family! It was so much fun to see all my relatives that I have missed while up here at school. It's so fun to sit and talk and laugh with them and feel the love of a wonderful family!
• Eating TONS of yummy food: homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, turkey, ham, every kind of fruit dreamed of, jello (of course), and enough pie to make one sick with joy! YUM!
• Family Traditions: air plane contests, bubble gum blowing, etc.
• Seeing this wonderful family one last time before they flew back home. They came over and hung out for awhile! I cannot believe how big all the kids have gotten since I saw them last time 6 months ago! Best part - they ALL remembered me, even the twins! It was so wonderful to spend so much time with them over my break! They came and played over at our house, we went to the zoo, AND they came for a bit on Thanksgiving! I am so thankful to have them in my life!! Thanks for spending so much of your break with me! Love you Horlachers!

• Card games galore: Rook, Liverpool Rummie, Rook, and more Rook!
• Scouring the Black Friday ads with all the family as we mapped out our early morning shopping. This year, A got to come Black Friday shopping for the first time! It consisted of getting up at 2:30am and shopping until about 2pm! We all came home and crashed for a good 4 hour nap afterwards!

I am so thankful for Thanksgiving! I am grateful for the reminder of how blessed I am. I am thankful for our living prophet who has reminded us that we can always live in thanksgiving! I hope that I can be more grateful this time of year and always.

Good Gifts

So... my birthday was awhile ago, but I have to tell you about some of the pretty awesome gifts I got... you'll see! :)

#1. Since I was a VERY little girl, all I wanted for my birthday was an ice cream cake from 31 flavors. I HATE other kinds of cake (except carrot and cheese... cakes). But my parents thought a $30 cake was a waste of money growing up, and being on a tight budget meant that "waste of money" things NEVER happened. So... 15 years later, look what my parents bought me for my birthday... an ice cream cake! And it was delicious!!! Thanks mom and dad - my life is complete!

#2. Anybody who has ever spent early rides in the car with me knows this next one ALL too well! I eat breakfast out of a Dixie plastic cup almost every morning of my life. I fill it full of Frosted Mini Wheats, pour milk on top, and grab a plastic spoon as I run out the door. It's a sad way to live, but sleep far outranks breakfast and so my sad tradition lives on! Here is what my roommate got me for my birthday! She is amazing! I was so happy... and even early to class because of it! :) Thanks Cami!

#3. I love music and in 6th grade Paige and I jammed out to lots of really cool music (don't judge us)! This cd happened to be one of our favorites but it broke about halfway through the year and I haven't heard most of it since! Yes, this is what she gave me... I laugh every time I walk in my room and see this cd on my dresser. Oh good times! Just you wait, this Friday will be a night of reliving 6th grade dance parties! :) Thanks Paige!

Oh, and today happens to be my 14th Re-birth birthday! I was baptized on this day, my great-grandfather's birthday, 14 years ago! What a blessing being a member of the church has been in my life! I am so grateful that I have the gospel to guide my life and I am especially grateful that 14 years ago, I received the gift of the Holy Ghost as well. To have a member of the Godhead with you always is a very special gift - one that has blessed me with peace, comfort, strength, understanding, happiness, truth, and love (to name a few). I am truly blessed to have been given this gift at such a young age!

Although gifts like ice cream cakes, muffins and cd's were my favorites because they had special meaning behind them, it is truly the gifts from my Heavenly Father that are my absolute favorite. As the scripture Matthew 7:11 says, "If ye... know how to give good gifts... how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" I am thankful for my Heavenly Father who knows exactly what I need and blesses me with the things I need when I need them most. Of all the gifts, these are the best kind of gifts!

Perfection

Today I am grateful for this...

SNOW!! It's absolutely gorgeous! It makes the world look so clean and new and...perfect! Yes, it's cold, but, oddly, I have enjoyed it more than I ever thought I would. I am fascinated by it! We watched the snow fall all Sunday and, to our surprise, it stuck! What I love most is that it seems to quiet the world. It's peaceful! And it makes it feel like Christmas time!! I'm in love!!

This past week has consisted of waking up at 4:45am to do homework a few times with some days of staying up until 3am to do homework and plenty of skipped lunches to work on group assignments. (In case you are ever wondering, chocolate and jumping jacks seem to be the key to staying awake when needed! If that doesn't work, resort to running around in the cold to get your heart pumpin'!) Needless to say, I have been hungry and sleep-deprived for about 2 weeks straight now, which is why I am looking forward to this...

Now if that isn't perfect, I don't know what is!!? I look forward to my time off from school and work to enjoy the hammock-worthy weather that I got a quick taste of when I went home last weekend! Oh, how I am thankful for Thanksgiving BREAK!!!

Clean Freak

I thought I was about the craziest clean freak the world has ever known! I like things in their place. I like order and cleanliness and plans and categories and lists and such! I make my bed everyday! I have to have my bedroom floor clean before I can go to sleep! I have to wash the counters off like 10 times a day and I still put everything away in my backpack at night just to pull it out the second I wake up the next day!

BUT, I believe I might have found someone worse than me! The lady who lives above us is much worse than me! I hear her vacuum her apartment about 3 times EVERY DAY!! Also, their washing machine and dish washer is always running! I think she turns on a load every time they use one towel or one fork!

Um... confession, although I am a clean freak, we are lucky if we vacuum once a week.

We only turn on the dishes once our cupboards and drawers look like this...

and I only do laundry once I completely run out of clothes that keep my even remotely warm! I won't even show you what my laundry basket looks like once it hits this point! It's scary! :/

Maybe our neighbor would like to come and help us out!! Haha! I guess I am just grateful to know that I am no longer the world's biggest clean freak... but I'm probably still a close 2nd!!

A Privilege Indeed!

I got an email from my ASU institute teacher earlier this semester informing me that he knew a girl who had recently been through a similar situation as I was earlier this year! The second I found out, I quickly began emailing her in an effort to "comfort those who stand in need of comfort." I honestly cried in the middle of class because my heart was breaking for her as I read about the situation! I have an entirely new understanding of compassion after all of this. I never thought my experiences this year would give me the opportunity to help others, but time and time again it continues to bless my life despite the trial it started out to be!

I love the quote from Pres. Monson, "We have no way of knowing when our privilege to extend a helping hand will unfold before us. The road to Jericho that each of us travels bears no name, and the weary traveler who needs our help may be one unknown."

It's so true. We have no idea when such a privilege will present itself and so we must always be prepared. I am so glad that I was given this opportunity, because it truly has been a great privilege to get to know Stephanie!

This past weekend, she decided to take a quick trip up here to take a break and have some fun! That is exactly what we did! We...

--walked around downtown and soaked in the old town feel

--stuffed ourselves at IHOP with friends from my ward

--stayed up WAY too late just talking about all the things

that we have learned through our experiences

--made muffins for breakfast in

--attended stake conference which happened to be amazing!

(It was a state-wide broadcast and President Monson

spoke! How lucky are we?!)

--shared many laughs over a yummy "linner"!

Let me just tell you, Stephanie is a phenomenal person and I am so grateful for her example!! She has such a strong testimony and a love for those around her and I am so grateful for the privilege it is to know her! What a privilege service can be in our lives! What a blessing friends can be! Thanks for coming Stephanie!

Saturday is a Special Day

Today I am grateful for Saturdays because I can...

Sleep in

Workout

Take as long on my scripture study as I want

Finally clean up my messes from the past week

Wash my hair AND dry it right away so I don't freeze

Do homework without a fried brain

and...

Walk around in clothes that don't match!

Happy Thankful Month!

You Know You are in Grad School When...

1. You go to school on Saturdays

2. People call you a "fun-hater" because you study on Friday nights... and every other minute of the weekend

3. Bedtime is at 10:30pm

4. Hours of work on an assignment is only worth 10 points

5. You go to school on Veteran's day so you don't have to go the day after Thanksgiving

I know you are all SO jealous that you didn't have school today! It's ok. :)

Ordinary Miracles

It's 1:14pm.

I am still in my pajamas.

It's 40* outisde.

I don't have school today (but I do on Thursday - Go Figure!)

I am sick.

But life is absolutely the greatest miracle!

The past week of life has been a struggle, but I honestly can say that I am grateful for it! I have been so busy and so stressed and so anxious and so sleep-deprived, that I think I have hit a new record! (And I wonder why on my day off I wake up sick!?!? -Hmmm!) Regardless, I have learned some amazing lessons this week!

Lesson #1: I was reminded of how real Satan is. How much power he has. How much he sneaks little lies into our thoughts if we let him. How crapy he can make you feel. And how much I whole-heartedly HATE him! I stumbled across this quote today from Elder Holland's talk, "Cast Not Therefore Away Your Confidence." It says, "Fighting through darkness and despair and pleading for the light is what opened this dispensation. It is what keeps it going, and it is what will keep you going. With Paul, I say to all of you: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward."

Lesson #2: Prayers are answered! When we pray for specific things, we are more likely to get the answers we need. Prayer takes faith and real intent.

Lesson #3: Fasting adds to our prayers. It enhances our faith. It helps us to receive revelation.

Lesson #4: The priesthood is real. It's here on earth. It gives righteous men the ability to give us priesthood blessings. I received a blessing on Sunday that was such a gift. The words spoken were EXACT answers to my prayers. Ok. That is not always how quickly answers come or nearly as direct as they come, but on Sunday, answers came. And they came quickly! WHAT A MIRACLE!!!

Lesson #5: Be still! I came across the scripture Exodus 14:13-14 that says, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD... the Lord will fight for you." As I have sat here sick today, I have been compelled to be still. I have been compelled to put my to-do list on hold and just rest. I have had plenty of time to just stare out the window at the clean, fresh world after a night of snow (it melted before we woke up). And despite my lack of "to-do list accomplishments", I have felt Heavenly Father's love and awareness of me! I have thought about my family and how much I love them. I have spent unhurried time reading the scriptures. I have marveled at the fall leaves as they are blown off the trees. Pres. Uchtdorf's most recent conference talk titled, "Of Things that Matter Most" is a talk I need to learn to live by! He says, "we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most."

Being sick today is what helped me recognize all of this and so I am grateful! The lyrics to the song, "Ordinary Miracle" by Sarah McLachlan pretty much sum it all up! My new goal: Work on being still and focusing on the everyday, ordinary miracles - because they are there!

It's not that unusual

When everything is beautiful

It's just another

Ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when it's time to snow

Don't need to teach a seed to grow

It's just another

Ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift, they say

Wrapped up for you everyday

Open up, and find a way

To give some of your own

Isn't it remarkable?

Like everytime a raindrop falls

It's just another

Ordinary miracle today

The birds in winter have their fling

And always make it home by spring

It's just another

Ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday

Please don't throw your dreams away

Hold them close to your heart

'Cause we are all a part

Of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle

Do you want to see a miracle

It seems so exceptional

That things work out after all

It's just another

Ordinary miracle today

The sun comes out and shines so bright

And disappears again at night

It's just another

Ordinary miracle today

It's just another

Ordinary miracle today

Happy Halloween

Want to see what I ended up being for halloween?!................

A bug. A lady bug to be exact. (I felt like I was 5 years old in my costume and LOVED it - carefree and happy! Haha!) And my roommate was a bumble bee!

We went to the institute dance and had a blast! There were so many creative costumes there! Good times!!

Happy Halloween!

I Love to See the Temple

While I was down for Paige's wedding, I was finally able to make it to the temple to do baptisms again (longest time I have gone without the temple in years!!)! I ended up going at one of the busiest times and was there for 2 1/2 hours, but it was soo nice to finally be able to go back!! The peace that you feel in the temple is something that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. It is evidence that it truly is the Lord's House and that He dwells there! I absolutely love it there and I miss being able to go more often!

Since I have moved up here, I have realized that I will never willingly agree to live this far from a temple ever again! On those days where you just need some peace and quiet and a reminder of who you are and what you are doing here, it stinks to not be able to just hop in the car and drive over to the temple!

No fears though, that is EXACTLY what I did yesterday, I hoped in the car and drove home. I got to go to the temple and I practically had the baptistry to myself. I was able to ponder and think and receive answers that I needed! For the other 22 hours that I was home, I spent every second of them with my family! Man, I love them and I am grateful that it is because of the covenants that are made in the temple that we can be together forever!

Oh how I look forward to moving closer to a temple once I am finished with school. And don't even worry, I am already counting down to when I get to go again... :)

20 Things that Make Me Happy

1. This Semester is Officially Half-way Over!

2. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - Mmmmm!!!

3. Shaun T. - my Insanity Instructor (so I can eat #2) :)

4. Vibrant-Colored Fall Leaves

5. Sundays - a day without homework, work, school, tv, etc!

6. Getting Mail - even Ads or Bills are Exciting (paying them is another story)

7. Watching Letters to Juliet two Fridays in a Row - Yeah, be jealous of my social life!

8. Wearing Slippers all around the House

9. Chats with Good Friends

10. Holidays - they are right around the corner!!

11. The sound of the nearby train - everyone else is annoyed by it; I LOVE it!

12. Only having to wake up before 7am one day a week!

13. Sunshine

14. Apple the company - my computer makes it through 5 hour classes! It's the best!

15. Our Inspirational Quote Board that remains Empty - yet still Reminds us of Good Quotes!

16. Target's Exclusive Taylor Swift Cd

17. Missionary Work - Sharing what I love with Others

18. Kiddos

19. Hot, Loooong Showers

20. Phone Calls from my Dad

My Best Friend's Wedding

On October 22nd, Paige went from being Ms. (This is us doing her hair before the wedding)

to Mrs. (the happy married couple walking out of the temple!!!)

I am so excited for these two! It was threatening rain for a moment, but all in all, it happened to be the most PERFECT day in the history of Arizona weather! And she deserved it! They were both beaming ear to ear as they walked out of the temple!! Their luncheon was DELICIOUS and lots of fun! And their reception had Paige written all over it! What a fun day! I am so glad that I was able to come down for it! Let's be honest though, I wouldn't have missed it for the world!!

Waiting for the Bride and Groom... (so fun to see all these girls too!! and shout out to Kayla (the one to the right of me - she had the cutest baby boy ever only 10 days before this picture was taken. Doesn't she look AMAZING!?! Congrats Kayla!! )

She's MARRIED!!!

Congrats you two!! Thanks for setting the example of being married in the temple and showing the rest of us that fairy-tales do come true! :)

Brrrrr!!!

This is how I study when I am at home in my apartment...

Why? Because A. it's 48* outside at 1pm and B. because we are too cheap to start paying for heat yet, and C. because I am a cold WIMP! I was meant to live in the heat!

I have decided I just need to start studying at the institute building where the heat is on! Here's hoping I don't freeze to death! Oh, and no worries, I have officially decided that where ever I end up living for good will be warm... VERY warm!

Sedona

Not last weekend, but the weekend before, my roommate and I decided to take a break from studying and drive down Oak Creek Canyon Road all the way to Sedona to see the beautiful changing leaves. We ended up going a bit too early because the trees were just starting to hint at yellow, but it was a blast nonetheless!!

This was the only red tree on the side of the road and there were tons of people taking pictures of it! Haha!

It rained as we drove down, but we got there only to be greeted by sunshine...

phenomenal clouds, and one amazing rainbow! We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day!

While we were there, we ate a quaint, family-owned pizzeria. The food was to die for and our leftovers fed us four more times! On the way home, we found this patch of fall trees!! I love living this close to so many fun things!

Bathroom Humor

Ok, MaryAnn, after talking to you the other day about how I should post more, I decided to post this story... only because I know it would make Travis proud. ;)

For any of you that do not know my extended family, we seem to always end up talking "potty talk" in every sitting. We don't mean to; it's never the only topic of conversation, but it just happens. Anyway, I have missed out on those family gatherings for the past two months. So you ask why I am telling you this? - Because I have a bathroom story to share and I haven't been there to share it and won't be there to share it for quite a bit longer, so yes, I am blogging about it!!

The building that I live in during the day (aka: the one that holds all my classrooms for school) has only one bathroom on each floor and since 90% of our program is female, the bathroom is always quite busy, especially between classes. This means that most of the time, the only bathroom stall open is the handicap one. I have no problem using handicap stalls - I don't see it like a handicap parking space - no one tickets you for using it. Anyway, one day, we only had a short break between classes and I really had to use the bathroom but the handicap stall was open; yet there was a line of 4-5 girls. So, of course, I went in and used it. Well, I quickly realized why people don't use it...

It's HUGE!! I think it was really made for big foot's wife. I wouldn't consider myself short by any means, but I have to practically jump on and scoot back like the little kids do to use a toilet. And my feet don't reach the ground while I'm going. Haha! Yes, this might just be TMI for some of you, but it's hilarious to me!!!

Now, every time I have to use the bathroom, I use the handicap stall and think of all my wonderful extended family! :) Love and miss you guys!

P.S. - Is this what I should be for halloween?!! ;)

Ok, so maybe this isn't the cutest costume... I do need a costume though... any ideas?!!

Yep, Tornadoes in Arizona

I had the opportunity to get up early Saturday morning and drive out to Bellemont, AZ with many other Welcome Center Students (we call the institute the "welcome center" here - it sounds less crazy-people-ish!). Bellemont is about 15 miles west of NAU. It's very small and quite new. The neighborhoods over there are cute and clean and inviting.

However, during our crazy storms just awhile ago, the beautiful town of Bellemont was hit by one of the nine tornadoes that happened to touch down that day. Many homes received a great deal of damage but miraculously, no one was seriously hurt. It truly is a miracle!

Anyway, the stake (a group of multiple local congregations from our church) put together a breakfast to be served out there to those who were affected and those who were involved in clean-up that day. Yes, that means I spent 4 hours helping cook bacon - in case you are wondering, that ended up being about 165 lbs of bacon between all those cooking it!! (And in case you are wondering, I smelt gooood after I was done! - I probably could've snatched up any boy I wanted while smelling like that!)

It was so neat though! I got to hear stories about homes. I got to see companies out there giving discounts for home furnishings, I saw volunteers eager to help in any way. I saw the faith of these families affected. I saw a community rally together.

We had a chance to also drive through the neighborhoods that were damaged. I had heard of things like "a boat being lodged in a roof" and "glass and wood acting as shrapnel" but I was not prepared for what I saw. In my mind I did not understand the magnitude of the damage because I was only 15 miles away and all we had was rain and typical Flagstaff rain; yet, what I saw was humbling. It was unreal. I guess part of it might be that I have never personally seen damage from a tornado up until this point. One home would look fine minus blown out windows, and the next would be missing its roof. Trees no longer reach for the sky; they lay at a 45* angle. There were cars that looked like they were used as tanks in war. I was completely taken back!

It made me realize that none of us are exempt from life's challenges. Not to say that these people had done anything wrong. I am just saying that no matter where you live or what you do or who you are, every single one of us will have trials and challenges and struggles.

All this being said, my mind raced over so many thoughts. It made me think of what truly is important. It made me think of what I value most. It made me realize how fragile life can be. It made me realize that I need to be more grateful!

It made me think of how I handle my trials. Would I be strong and humble and faithful if that happened to me?! I would hope so. I did, however, decided that my home could blow away today with everything in it, and all that would REALLY matter is that I had my family. But, even better than that, I know that even if something were to happen to my family, I am sealed to them FOREVER. How? Because my parents were married and sealed in the Temple by a man who holds the priesthood and keys of the sealing power. This means that my family will be a forever family, not just a family "till death do us part." I am so grateful for that blessing! I am even more grateful to be reminded about these blessings by the example of these wonderful, faith-filled, optimistic people of Bellemont!

How is it that every time I go to serve others, I end up feeling as though those I went to serve, in actuality, end up serving me more than I did them?! I guess that is how service works! :)

*Pictures from news articles referring to Bellemont Tornado

Indian Gardens

On Saturday, a group of us got together and drove up to the Grand Canyon for a hike. We left about 9am. Yeah, it's pretty cool - when you live in a place that isn't blistering hot, you don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to hike; you can sleep in AND hike all in the same day! :)

We started our hike here...

and hiked down to the Indian Gardens (which is that patch of trees in the picture above)...

and here are a few of the amazingly beautiful things we saw along the way...

The company was lots of fun, the weather was AMAZING (couldn't have planned a more perfect day), and the hike was brutal! They say (whoever "they" is) that is takes about 6-8 weeks to acclimatize to the higher elevation. Well, I have been up here for 7 weeks and I still feel like I am breathing through a coffee straw up here. Holy Cow. The hike down was a breeze, but going back up was quite the climb. Straight switchbacks for...ev...er!

Regardless of it's difficulty and my lack of oxygen, I had a blast! And apparently my body doesn't want me to forget how much fun it was because it reminds me every time I move! :)

It's Raining, It's Pouring

No joke, I have NEVER seen this much rain in my life!! It's bizarre! - It's fun for now... merely because it's a novelty, but this girl is going to be "snoring" as the song says if it doesn't go away soon. It's 3pm and dark as can be! My body thinks it's bedtime! Haha! I am going to need my sunshine again soon!

In the mean time, all I really need is a big blanket, a good romance novel, and a hot cup of hot chocolate... oh, and for school to be put on hold so such things could actually happen. You think they will call a rain day?!? :)

Workouts and Watermelon

"With good health, we can be happier and more successful. Without it, we are curtailed in almost every way... Get the blood circulating, and give your major muscles a workout. An appropriate amount of time and effort spent in exercising will help you to be more effective in all other areas of your life." - Elder Joe J. Christensen

The week I moved up here, I ended up getting one major upper respiratory tract infection and it didn't go away!! It doesn't help that I made a few more trips down to the valley and back up (elevation changes are no good when you are sick). Last week, my roommate made me admit that I was sick and avoid cardio workouts for an entire week! Do you know how hard that is for me?!? It was torture! All I wanted was a good, sweaty, long, mind-clearing, out-of-breath workout!

Monday I was given the all-clear by my doctoral student roommate and today I got in my 3rd amazing workout of the week. We did the Insanity Video... and it was insane!! My legs will probably fall off tomorrow but no worries, I couldn't be any happier! I am sitting here eating watermelon after one of the hardest workouts of my life and LIFE IS WONDERFUL!! :)

NAU Challenge Course

I had to pay off my NAU card the other day on the North side of campus. (Don't even get me started on the fact that they do not accept Visa cards.) Driving around campus is nearly impossible and if, by chance, you make it to the other side without running into closed roads due to construction, you surely cannot find a place to park. Therefore, I rode my roommates bike. I love the weather here and I love that by the time I even get up our massive hill in our complex, my legs feel like they have done 100 squats and my lungs wonder what ever happen to oxygen.

Anyway, that is all beside the point. On my bike ride home, I passed by the NAU challenge course. What is it? Well, it's just that - a physical challenge course. They happened to be letting NAU students use it for free that day (typically it is only for students who register for the class). The guy told me they had a zip-line and my interest was sufficiently peaked. I rode home as fast as I could, dropped my backpack, changed into grungies, and grabbed my roommate. We ran back to check this thing out.

Whoa was I unprepared for what I was about to do. After signing our lives away, I stepped into a harness and strapped on a helmet and walked down to meet this "challenge." (Don't worry mom, I am still alive!) My roommate happens to be a daredevil and lives for adrenaline. I like the adrenaline too, but I was not expecting this! It was a blast though!!

Our first event was climbing up a totem pole. At the top, you had to stand up with both feet and then jump off. Of course you have someone belaying you, but really you just jump. They call it the leap of faith. The climbing part wasn't hard. Even standing up was quite easy (the people in front of me all fell before standing all the way up). Not even the height bothered me, but let me tell you, it took faith to leap off that thing onto nothing! My heart was racing!!

Next was the catwalk. No, it was not a runway! It was this...

the guy on the left is walking across the catwalk and the guy on the right is almost to the top of "the leap of faith." - this is the actual course we were on but we didn't get any pictures of ourselves! :(

I was not too afraid of walking across it, but once I got up there and the wind was blowing, I thought for sure I was going to fall right off. It took me a loooong time to get across. This is the only way you can get to the zip-line so I had to finish!! It was interesting to me - for those who wanted to ride the zip-line, but were afraid of heights, they blindfolded them and sent them across. Why? Because walking across it really isn't hard - it's the height that makes the task difficult. I was shocked to see this take place. It made me think about how focusing on our fears can make us loose sight of the final goal! It totally applies to the gospel - fear and faith cannot co-exist!

Once you make it across, you have to stand on the triangular platform while you wait for your turn. You are harnessed in up there but there is nothing to hold on to. It was nerve-racking. Once it was finally my turn for the zip-line, I got up there and realized, I have to jump off that platform! If you have ever been repelling, it is similar to that - the worst part is leaning over the getting started. But in this case, you lean over and then go FLYING 150 yards! Finally I just jumped backwards and did it! It was a BLAST!! I loved it! I even flipped myself upside-down on it!

We had the opportunity to try some slack-lining things and a partner slack-line challenge too before it closed. The point of the partner challenge was to build trust. It was cool how they applied all the events to life's lessons. It was SO much fun! I never came across things like this at ASU - one of the many reasons why I love it up here - there are so many free things to do up here!!

Domesticated

If you know even the slightest thing about me, you would know that I do not, absolutely cannot stand, really don't like... cooking! I don't look forward to cooking every night for the rest of my life and my philosophy to this point has been to hold off doing it as long as I possibly could. I did a fantastic job at that goal, but those glory days of having mom cook are, well, over! It's a very sad tragedy! Regardless, it's probably time for me to learn.

My roommate and I split dinners. So far, we have kept them simple and I have had many options to work with... but the other day, my roommate decided she was going to be a bit more brave and try cooking a pork loin in the crock-pot. I wasn't going to stop her. It was her turn to cook and it sounded wonderful to me. So we researched recipes and bought all the necessary items to have a wonderful pork loin with cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Then last minute she found out she was going to be in class all day the next day.

So what happened?!? She begged and encouraged me to make it. Um... remember how I have avoided all cooking up to this point. I know how to make mashed potatoes. That's it! Raw meat scares me and is not a cheap item to mess up on when you are on a college budget. It took a lot of prodding on her part, but I finally caved!

That night I placed the meat in yummy sauce and we marinated it (yeah, I just learned that this process happens in the fridge - you can laugh at my stupidity, I did too!) The next day, I seared the meat (also a first for me) and then placed it in the crock-pot with all the other items. Once it was finished, I made gravy (definitely a first!!) and had it all ready before my roommate even got home. The apartment smelled fantastic, and much to my surprise, it tasted fantastic! (The meat was kinda dry, but I am focusing on my success and not my perfectionist viewpoint!)

I am actually really glad my roommate ended up putting it all on me because I learned (hold on to your seats) that cooking isn't so bad! It was even kind of fun! I think I can even almost consider myself domesticated... well, at least I am getting there!! P.s. Thanks Amber and Jana for the apron!! It's not only incredibly stinkin' cute, it was a shirt saver!!

Overwhelmed

I don't think life has really sunk in until this week. (I'm sure this is something that will happen many more times in my lifetime!) I have grown up my entire life knowing that graduating from high school was no where near an option and that graduating from college with a Bachelors was what people do. So I did it too! My life has worked out pretty nicely and schooling has been something that I can honestly say has gone without any bumps along the way. Up to this point in my life, I have never really questioned what I was doing with my education. But this week was filled with firsts!!

I was working on a peer review essay the other night and could not find the information I needed anywhere! I worked on this (instead of being social) for about an hour just to end up empty-handed. I was so incredibly irritated!!! Then it hit me like a ton of bricks... What the heck am I doing in grad school?!? Why am I dishing out 7 years of hard-earned money to do something so impossibly hard?! Why did I say goodbye to every single person I know to move to a new place where I am a stranger?! Why did I willingly sign up to put myself through 2 more years of nail-biting tests, forever long papers, insomnia-curing textbooks, late nights of cramming, hours of homework, and mind-boggling theories?! I sat there on my couch all alone with school work ALL around me and stared at the wall as this realization hit me. I was overwhelmed!!

For a fleeting moment, I had the urge to pack up, throw in the towel, and go back home, but I know that isn't really even a possibility so I just sat there and let the overwhelming feeling get the best of me. Needless to say, I had a small breakdown. So what did I do?!? I gave up on the homework thing and went to sleep.

The next day didn't get any better. It seemed as if that little angel that is supposed to sit on my shoulder had taken a vacation and only the little shoulder devil was there to question what I was doing. He seemed to sit there and loom over me and my situation. Ugh! So I came home and called my mom. (What would I do without free family minutes and cell phones?! - Seriously!!) She listened like she always does and then gave the best "suck-it-up" pep talk to remind me of what I am doing here!

She reminded me that I am gaining an exceptional education. I am getting a degree so that I can help wonderful children who have challenges! I am gaining wonderful experiences making new friends and sharing the gospel. I am learning so much from living on my own - experiences I know that I need. I am doing exactly what I am supposed to!

Along with my mom's pep talk, I have received many other reminders since then! In institute class this week, we studied the first few chapters of Proverbs. They are all about gaining wisdom and knowledge and why it is so important. Then I watched Elder Holland's Mormon Message: Good Things to Come. In it he says,

"Don't give up... Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead... You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

Then, one of our professors reminded us this week how many people applied for one of our seats in the program - about 185; yet, each of us were chosen for a reason to take one of the 19 seats. She reminded us that there will be days where we don't want to be here at school, but she told us to remember how those 166 others who didn't get in wished they were in school!!

I sit here today overwhelmed! This time, it is a good overwhelmed. I am so grateful for these reminders (aka tender mercies) from a loving Father in Heaven who wants me to realize why I am here. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be in this graduate program! I honestly have nothing to complain about. Of course school is hard and expensive and even overwhelming at times, but it will all be worth it in the end! It is true, there are plenty of "good things to come."

I know today, better than before, that I am here for a reason. I am so much more determined to make sure I succeed. I am going to follow Elder Holland's advice: I am going to keep trying and never quit. So here's to graduate school! And now my free time is up - I am off to tackle that peer review essay... I think I am much more prepared this time! ;)

My Home Away from Home

I know a few of you have asked to see pictures of my new place. Moving in was a bit stressful seeing that we never actually saw the inside until move-in day, but it's even better than we imagined! We are loving it! Take a look...

Here is the living room. We have nothing on the walls... that's what happens when you are poor college students but we have two great couches and a tv - the important stuff! Thanks Dave and Kris! :)

Here is our kitchen and table. It's actually bigger than we imagined. We even have empty cupboards still! And we have quite a bit of counter space too! (Yes McKenzie, that is my board hanging on the wall!)
My bathroom is my absolute favorite part! It's way bigger than any bathroom I have ever had. Hopefully you can see the shower curtain through the mirror.
Finally, here is my room. It's practically the exact same as it was back in Mesa but that has actually helped it feel more like home here. I have two big bright windows to let lots of light in! That is my favorite part of the whole room.

I really am loving it here! It's fun to be off on my own and have all the new experiences that come from this opportunity. Right now, who wouldn't love living up here! In a few months when we are covered in that white stuff, I might change my mind. In the mean time, I am soaking it all up!