Feliz Navidad

I love my footies. It's a Christmas tradition.

Matching jamas. love it.

Kimmi and Shan.

Our rockin houses.

We love each other.

Merry Christmas!!!

Rainbow

Bad things happen. It is part of life.

But as cheesy as it sounds, there is always a rainbow after the rain.

So the Saturday after finals I decided to drive up to my cousin's graduation party.The roads were pretty bad and it was a scary drive. I was outside of Idaho Falls when I hit some ice while I was switching lanes and I ended up slamming into a guard rail.

I hit the rear end on the passenger side and it bent some things under there. (I don't know cars at all!) I couldn't get my car started and I was still partly in the road, facing the wrong direction. I was hysterical and I didn't know what to do.

With some help, I got my car off the road and I got to deal with a state patrolman. He was super nice and helped me figure out how to get my car running and even turned it around for me. We were there for almost an hour and he was really nice to me. But it's the nice ones you have to look out for. They're the ones that give you an $85 ticked for speeding above that which is reasonable and prudent. I'm still mad about that.

I never want to be an another accident ever again! My uncle came and rescued me and kept my car at his house until my parents could get there. I am so lucky to have such great family. I really appreciated his willingness to drop what he was doing and come help me. It's really scary when you get in an accident in Idaho, coming from Utah, and your parents are in Washington.

So that is the bad thing. But here is the good news. My dad worked on the car and it is drivable, meaning it can get me to and from work and it will never be able to leave Logan again. I'm saving up for a new car now!

I got a second job! I am now also working at the Logan Library. I am super excited because the money from the one library just isn't going to cut it if I am also trying to buy a car. I am grateful for both of my jobs. I am a little librarian!

For the first time at USU, I got a 4.0! I worked really hard this semester and I am glad that it paid off. I am starting to look at grad school a little more seriously and grades definitely help.

So I may have been a little traumatized and it will be a while before I drive on Idaho roads again, but my car works, I have two great jobs, and I rocked this last semester.

I am happy.

I want a real dragon for Christmas...

This title really has nothing to do with anything....but during Thanksgiving we watched "How to Train Your Dragon" and I decided I wanted a dragon for Christmas. Not the movie, or a fake dragon, but a real one. I think I might be disappointed this Christmas.

Five things from this week:

1. Silent Dance Party. Awesome play-list.
   
2. Costa Vida. Twice. With some of my favorite people.
   
3. Having nothing to do. Sleeping in on a weekday for the first time all semester.
   
4. Finally watching Eclipse and realizing I haven't been missing out on anything special.
5. Hugs.
   

Basketball

I love college basketball. It is definitely one of my passions and I have a special love for Duke and Mike Krzyzewski. I think Coach K is amazing! I was working in the library earlier this week and happened to check-in his book "Beyond Basketball" and of course I just had to check it out and read it. It is so good!

He takes different keywords such as adaptability, balance, commitment, motivation and writes his interpretation of them. He applies them to basketball and shares a story about some of his best players. It is really inspiring and makes me wish I never gave basketball up. He gives such good advice and makes me want to be a better person. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book.

"Always surround yourself with individuals who will help to enable your courage when it is lacking within."

"Our goal should not be to be our heroes, but rather to learn from them and then do the best possible job of being ourselves. That is how I define excellence."

"The four words, 'I believe in you,' can make the difference between a fear of failure and the courage to try. When you look someone in the eyes and tell them, 'I believe in you,' you are letting them know, 'You are not going to take this journey alone. I'm not going to allow you to.' Belief raises your confidence level and allows you to try things that are impossible to do by yourself."

I seriously love this book and I am going to make my sisters read it over the break. Basketball is great, but everything he says can be applied to everyday life and I love it!

Coach K is the bomb, that's really the only way I know how to describe him. :)

Oh Yeah!

Yesterday was a crazy packed day and I loved it! Being done with finals is such a great feeling. I went over to my grandparents and put ornaments on their tree for them. I went to dinner with Nat because Jord was out of town and she is getting her tonsils out today. Poor girl! Andi and I hit up Chase's hot chocolate bar party before going to Lindsey and Jeff's Salsa Off. Then we headed up to the library.

The Wednesday of finals week is a big day at the library. At 10 PM for 10 minutes, everyone gathers in the atrium and howls. It is pretty hilarious. Then we played Truth or Dare while we waited for the silent dance party to start. The dance party was probably the most fun I have had all week. There were about50-60 people in the lobby of the library dancing with their iPods and headphones. It went on for about a half hour and we danced up the stairs all the way to the fourth floor. It was so fun! I wish I would have gotten pictures of it, but I'm sure some will show up on Facebook with in the next couple of days.

Then I went home and Des and I went to the gas station. Last year, the roomies and I would get these massive 44 oz. drinks after every dance we went to. It had been way too long and I had filled up my punch card from last year, so Des and I are carrying out the tradition. I got pineapple-orange crystal light with a shot of raspberry. So good!

This is for Meg and Jules.

Picture Time!

Ok here are some pictures that I finally took off my camera. I'm really bad at taking pics and even worse when it comes to posting them.

USU vs. BYU----great time with great people. I'm still a little upset about the outcome of the game, but it was really fun!
Amy. Shan. Andi. + the photo-bombers Scott and Jake

Garrett. Eric. Scott. Amy. Shan

Shan. Mike. Amy. Andi
(Love Caitlyn and Melody in the back)

The entire crew!
Garrett. Jeff. Jake. Scott.Whitney. Eric. Caitlyn. Amy. Shan. Mike. Melody. Andi


Roomie Christmas! I will put up more pictures once I steal them from Kaili.

Our cute dinner set-up.

Christmas Cupcakes. I am super proud of them.

I love my roomies!

The End

I have a paper due on Monday, a portfolio due Tuesday, and a final on Tuesday that I am going to take but if I fail it won't affect my grade. Life is pretty good! But I can't find the motivation to finish my paper today. I am burned out from school!

My five things from this week:

1. "Overpaid Athletes"
   
2. Picture Books
3. Family Dinners
4. Payday
5. Sleep

Random Thoughts

I am really bad at blogging when the end of the semester hits. These past couple of weeks have been insane! But one more presentation, a paper, and an optional test and I am done with Fall 2010!

I am battling a cold right now and I'm hoping I win. There is nothing worse than being sick the last two weeks of school.

My new favorite game is Ticket to Ride. (Ok not my absolute favorite....but I do love it.) Andi is a champ and had only lost once, that is until we played two nights ago and I dominated! I owe some of it to Mike because he was out to get her, but I won and I am happy.

The stores in Logan have nothing in them! I went shopping for Kimmi's Christmas present and there is seriously nothing out there. I am disappointed. Logan needs a Target, really bad!

I am ready for the break and I am ready for a new semester. A new semester of change and goodness and love. Spring 11, here I come!

I love my major. I love marketing. But I HATE giving presentations! I love doing the research and putting together the campaign. I would rather do all of the behind the scenes work and let someone else present for me. We did a campaign for a musician in one of my classes and our paper rocked. It was the best in the class, but because our presentation skills were not so great, we didn't win. It was kind of disappointing because our ideas were so well thought out and written. I guess that it is what I need to work on.

I talk about this all the time, but my favorite part of the week is Taco Tuesday. Last night I went with Jeff and we had some great bonding time. And the tacos were super delicious. I may be a taco addict.

This is probably one of the most random posts I have done in a while. Hopefully I'll get back in to the swing of things and post more often.

Be Positive

"Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors.
Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits.
Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."

---Ghandi


Here is a talk from Gordon B. Hinckley in the July 2001 New Era called

Words of the Prophet:
The Spirit of Optimism

"I am asking that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we “accentuate the positive.” I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course.

What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: “Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve (from Ensign, Apr. 1986, 2–4).

Let us go forward in this glorious work. How exciting and wonderful it is. I do not know how anybody can feel gloomy for very long who is a member of this Church. Do you feel gloomy? Lift your eyes. Stand on your feet. Say a few words of appreciation and love to the Lord. Be positive. Think of what great things are occurring as the Lord brings to pass His eternal purposes. This is a day of prophecy fulfilled, … this great day in the history of this Church. This is the day which has been spoken of by those who have gone before us. Let us live worthy of our birthright. Keep the faith. Nurture your testimonies. Walk in righteousness, and the Lord will bless you and prosper you, and you will be a happy and wonderful people (from Ensign, Aug. 1996, 61)."

Today I am working on being positive.

New Look For Now

I needed a change.

Have you ever felt like you were in a bit of rut and just needed to change something? Usually it is my hair...but for now I have decided to keep my hair the way it is and try something new with my blog.

I am a doodler. When I take notes in class, I tend to doodle more than I write.
So that is the inspiration behind my new banner.
They are doodles and I like them.

I'm sure my blog will look completely different by next weekend.
But I like it for now.

I Don't Need Sleep....Ever...

A week has gone by and I have been slacking on my blog. This week I have been running on zero energy but still doing way too much. I am excited that it is the weekend and I get to sleep in as late as I want! So here are my rants and thoughts of the week. (I'll have to put some pictures up later.)

• I really don't like BYU. It's nothing personal, there are some great people that attend school down there and there are some great academic programs, but I am so glad I go to USU. First of all, the refs at the basketball game made some really bad calls. What's new? There is rarely a game that is full of wonderful, fair calls, but seriously the refs really screwed this one up. The final score 72-78. It was such a close game but so disappointing.
• I rock at making signs. I had the privilege of writing out all of our signs for the game. They looked so good and we were only threatened about 15 times to have them taken away from us....not because of the content...but because they were too big.
• The one good thing about getting carsick is that I get to ride shotgun and not squeeze in the back. We had some fun jam/dance sessions in the car.
  
• First time eating at In and Out Burger. I was impressed.

Now for Harry Potter....

• LOVED IT!
• Andi, Amy, and Brooke got to the theater at 1:30 and stayed there all day. They were troopers!
• I came around 6 for two hours then had to leave for a meeting so I was there for about 4 1/2 hours before the movie.
• Our Weird Sister outfits rocked.
• I almost shed a tear when Dobby died.
• I hate snakes....so I definitely screamed ridiculously loud at a certain part. It was a little embarrassing.

Now for my five things of the week.

1. Glee's version of Teenage Dream.
   
2. Mini road trips.
3. Having sore abs.
4. Juice.
5. Dirty 30.
   

Five Things

I got this idea from a blog called Cupcakes and Cashmere. She said that she likes to end Fridays on a positive note with five simple things that make her happy.

So here are my five from this week.

1. Canceled Classes
2. Umbrellas
3. McDonald's Sundaes
4. Free Pizza
5. Skirts and Boots
   

Road Trip!

Kaela and I ventured up to the Tri this last weekend! What a road trip! 8 1/2 hours each way. We spent the entire time scanning the radio for decent stations. The best stretch was the two hours we only got Christian Rock. So funny!

It was my mom's birthday and I was the best oldest daughter in the world and surprised her! She had no idea I was coming and it was great!

I love my family! It was such a good weekend and a nice break from school.

Halloween

I love Halloween.
I love being creative with my costumes.
This year I was a snowman.

I had a couple people guess scarecrow...
maybe you could get that,
but I thought it was pretty obvious that it was a snowman.

Here is how the night went:
Basketball game in the media suite with the S.A. crew. So much fun.
Got ready for the Howl with the roomies. Great photo session.
Walked up with Amy and Andi.

Me: "Everyone make sure you have your id and ticket, last year I was an
idiot and had to go back for my ticket. "
Andi and Amy: "Got 'em!"

Get up to street light.
Me: "OMG I don't have my id!"

So I found Kaela, got our apt. key and we walked back.
I could have sworn I had my id when we left the apt
and I felt so dumb!

A block from my apt.
Amy saw my id on the ground.
I love her!

On our trek back up, Amy also found $20.
Our lucky night for sure!
Especially when a guy walking behind me said,
"Hey, you dropped your ticket."
I think Amy must be super lucky,
so glad she was there!

Thank you Meg for letting borrow your adorable hat.
Thank you Madi and Kevin for helping us get in an hour and a half
before we would have if we had waited in the line.
Thank you Andi for running behind Bill's back and dragging us along.

All in all, the Howl was kind of a bust. The system for getting in was ridiculous!
We got in about 11:20, and my roomies didn't get in until about midnight.
The party ended at 1.

Andi, Amy, and I went straight to the We The Kings concert.
And that is all we did.
The concert rocked, we were pretty far up and had a ton of fun.
I decided to be cool and jump around in a big circle
where people kind of push you around,
and I ended up rolling my ankle.
I hopped the rest of the night on one foot but it was still pretty fun.

The concert, great.
The Howl itself, not so great.

Next year I am throwing a Halloween bash.
It will be amazing.

Things That I Love:

Winter has arrived in Logan. There is snow on the ground. And I am not happy about it. So I figured a post full of things I love needed to happen. Here it is!

• Autumn in Logan. Driving through Logan Canyon and seeing the beautiful trees.
• Leggings, boots, and legwarmers. I love layering!
• Lean Cuisine. 3 1/2 minutes in the microwave and I don't have to cook.
• An excuse to wear my footie pajamas... all the time.
• Gloves with the fold-over mitten top.
• Basketball games.
• Cleaning out pumpkins. Not carving them.
• Drinking hot cocoa made in a coco-motion.
• Scary movies.
• The second floor of the library. I have my spot.
• Getting emails.
  
• Oreos. Halloween style.
• Grooveshark and my studying playlist.

Kimmi

Tomorrow my little sister turns 18! It is crazy how fast time is going by.

She is one of the craziest people I know and isn't afraid to be herself.

She doesn't let people push her around or tell her what to do. She is very blunt and open and will let you know what's up.

She is cute and blonde and tall. So basically she is perfect. She is a basketball star.

She is a country girl at heart and wears pink cowboy boot slippers.

She knows the entire fire dance from the Proposal. Pretty Legit!

She is pretty awesome. I guess you could say that I kind of love that she is my sister.

Happy Birthday Kimmi!!!

Oh Joy

Fall break is this wonderful weekend in the middle of October where Friday classes are held on Thursday and then there are no classes on Friday. Everybody who is anybody takes off on a weekend adventure. Well here's my exciting weekend:

First of all, I only have Tuesday/Thursday classes so it was probably the coolest thing ever that I only had to go to class on Tuesday. And then I was done for an entire week. It was amazing!

Second, we have rotating weekend shifts at the library and of course my weekend just so happened to fall on fall break. So I didn't get to go anywhere.

But I still had a great weekend! Thursday night Amy came up to Logan and we had an A-Team girls night. We went out for pizza and then watched Life As We Know It. It was great and I love those girls. Friday night Madi invited me to carve pumpkins with some of her friends and we baked pumpkin seeds. It was also a ton of fun! Saturday night I went to the rec center and played some crazy lightning, volleyball, and dodge ball games. So my weekend wasn't extraordinarily exciting, but it was definitely fall break worthy.

Now for my funny stories:

1) Laundry. Friday I went to do laundry at least five different times and the washers were always being used! I was so frustrated. So Saturday I had to do five loads and it was pretty crazy. I went to go pick up my last batch of laundry and saw something outside the laundry room door.

IT WAS A SNAKE!!!

I ran back to my apartment and almost had a panic attack. Here' s the background. I hate snakes. I can't even look at a book of snakes or see one on TV without semi-freaking out. I really really hate snakes. So I sent my two roomies out to check on it and Kaela said that it was probably a fake one that someone set out and then watched my reaction. (I really didn't like that.) But they came back and yes, it was a real snake. Luckily Tren and I had decided to bake a tres leches cake (which turned out pretty darn good....we are champs.) And of course because Tren is a boy he had the privilege of moving the snake because I still needed to get my laundry out. One of my dryers still had 12 minutes but there was no way I was going to go back. It might be a while before I strike up the courage to do laundry again. I got made fun of, a lot. But it is only because I am sincerely terrified of snakes. I don't make fun of people and their fears! I had a couple of traumatizing experiences as a child. That's all.

2) Butt Ball. This game is very similar to Wall Ball, like most kids played in elementary school. We had about twelve people in a racquetball court and we threw a racquetball against the wall and then had to catch it and then throw it again. If the ball touched you and you didn't catch it, you had to run and touch the wall before the ball did and if you didn't make it you got a strike. After three strikes, you had to stand against the wall and then everyone got to throw the ball once at your butt. Yep, it was pretty brutal. So there was one instance that I had to run for the wall, but I didn't exactly slow down so I slammed into the wall with my hands and it kind of jolted my entire body. But hey, I made it! Well, then my back started to hurt, a lot. And it got to the point that I was walking like a crippled grandma and had sharp pains shooting through my lower back. It was not OK. Today it feels a lot better, just really tight and sore and if I let the Ibuprofen wear off it starts to hurt. But no big deal. I think I'll survive. I don't like butt ball, even though I never had three strikes or got hit in the butt. That games is still way too crazy for me!

3) Giggles. I am easily amused. That is a fact. I had a couple of crazy giggle fits this weekend and I feel that they are definitely blog worthy. There was a line in the movie Thursday night that left me laughing for five minutes straight. It wasn't even a good line. But I still was almost hyperventilating because I couldn't stop laughing. Today in church we had a high council speaker. Out of no where, he pulled a tool used for measuring angles out of his pocket. Totally unexpected and somewhat hilarious. Then he went on to compare the gospel to the Lord of the Rings. I may have been irreverent with my giggles. But they were well deserved.

Parents

I have been reading a book called "Extremes: How to Keep Your Virtues From Becoming Vices" by Robert Eaton and it has really changed my perspective on a lot of things. I started reading it in airports down in South America and I decided today that I need to finish it. I just read a chapter that talks about parenting and how to find the balance between being too lenient and too overpowering. It made me reflect back on high school and the way my parents handled different situations.

We had rules and my parents were usually firm on those rules. Curfew was midnight. I hated it. But now I am ready for bed by 11 every night. There really is no reason to stay out past midnight unless something is going on. I always wanted to just because everyone else could. As my roommate Kaela has reminded me several times, "The Holy Ghost goes to bed at midnight and so should you." My mom would wait up for me to get home every weekend or have me come in to tell her I was home. I always thought it was so she could make sure I was on time, but now I see that it was because she loved me and wanted to make sure I was in and safe.

I got to drive the family car when I lived at home and I had to put gas in it. It was a pain, but why did I ever complain? Welcome to life, you have to take care of yourself.

I can't even remember the last time I was grounded. That was one type of punishment that we didn't see too often. In fact, I think I probably got grounded three or four times past the age of 12. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a total angel child, but I did have a conscience and usually freaked out and ratted myself out when I did disobey my parents. I think they liked it when I did that.

I am paying for my education. I am lucky because my parents are letting me use their car and they cover those expenses as well as my cellphone. But other than that, I am self-reliant and I wouldn't have it any other way. There are times that I have to sit out of activities because I am waiting for payday but it makes me feel grown up when I have to look over my budget. I am such a geek.

I guess what I am trying to get at it is my parents really did know how to balance being lenient and overprotective. We had our disagreements at times but overall living at home was great. Congrats! One child down...three more to go!

Question of the Day:

Why do you do what you do? This was a question that was presented to us at church today. What motivates you to get out of bed, go to school and work, be nice to people, or make good choices? Really though, what is it? Life would be so much easier if we never had to do anything.

The motivating factor is definitely faith. We all have some degree of faith in things to come. Obviously if we didn't believe that there were great and wonderful things to come, we wouldn't even try.

Erin's lesson really got me thinking. How is my faith doing? I feel like I have really been screwing that one up lately. I have been too caught up in myself and worrying about every little thing that's been going on that I have forgotten to take a step back and look at the big picture. Everything happens for a reason and if I am living my life and doing what I am supposed to, then things are bound to eventually work out. We are told that we won't be given trials that we can't handle and they will only last a little while. But man, life is hard!

I know this is all super obvious, but sometimes it does help to write it out and reevaluate where I stand. I do what I do because I know that my Heavenly Father has a plan for me and so many blessings that he is just waiting to give me. I need to exercise more faith and be more optimistic. I have so much to look forward to in life. I do what I do because I am alive and I love my life. I have an amazing family and great friends. I have a year left of my college education. I have been to South America. I have always had good health. I have a job. I have shelter and food. Honestly, I am so blessed and really love my life. I'm thinking I might have another long list of gratitude coming on....get excited!

Rain: Part II

Ok so in the other post I was using rain as symbolism.

Then I left work.
And it began to rain.
I was soaked to the core.
Not a happy camper.

Rain

Have you ever noticed that on those days when it unexpectedly rains... it pours? And it is always when you really really don't want the rain.

Welcome to my life.

I do love the rain; when it is on my terms.

Is that too much to ask? :)

Weekend Activity? I think so!

This is what I discovered today: Ming Makes Cupcakes. They all look so amazing and delicious! It probably wasn't the brightest idea to look over this site while starving. But I'm taking on the Ming challenge (there is no actual challenge; I am creating it). I want to make one of these cupcake recipes a week...or maybe every other week....until I have mastered the art of cupcakes and tried them all. I am kind of excited....ok maybe I'm really excited. Check out the site, it will make you want cupcakes!!!

My Love

I love rollerskating. I really do. Last year my connections classes wanted me to set up a party after the class was all done, so I planned a night at the Fun Park for us to go rollerskating. Of course nobody showed up, so I was extremely lucky to have a couple of good friends that went along. Well I brought that idea up again this year and everybody seemed interested in it. I told them over and over again that last year was a bust so they had better show up. Well last night was our skate night and I am proud to report that I had three students and three roommates of one of the students. That's right. Six people showed up!!! I was so excited! I wish we could have had more, but it was still fun. I dominated limbo (OK fine, I tied a sixteen year old kid) and got a free pass to go back. And then because no one ever shows up, they gave all of us free passes! I was going to attempt the old school skates but I chickened out and went for the blades. I loved it!

Tradition

True Aggie is the term given to those who on homecoming, A-Day or on a full moon each month a full moon promenade to the A next to Old Main and kiss their love, friend, or stranger. On homecoming or A-Day, neither kisser needs to be a True Aggie. However, when the moon is full each month, one person must already be a True Aggie in order to pass on the tradition to the other. In case this is forgotten, a plaque is placed on the base of the platform explaining the rules.

The tradition started in 1916 when a group of young men from Salt Lake City, known as the Be-Noes, came to USU. The Be-Noes were a group of boys in high school that for some reason were not allowed to form a club. Since there would be no club, they decided to call themselves the Be-Noes and have a club anyway. At USU, one Be-Noe member built the A as we know it - a four-tiered white A base with a blue platform on top. The tradition started when a young man had to kiss a willing young lady atop the A under a full moon at midnight. The ritual spread across the campus and that became the way by which a person could become a True Aggie. (This is from an article in the Utah Statesman by Amber Bailey in Oct. 2003)

About a week ago, my pal Shane called me up and said, "Shan, I need you on my committee, join the Student Alumni Association." So of course I said I would and I am now part of the Traditions Committee. We are in charge of the Homecoming Parade and every True Aggie Night. It's pretty exciting stuff! Allison and I handed out the cards as people came off of the "A" so we got to witness all of the spit-swapping, and there were some nasty kisses. So gross! But there were also some cute couples there. A girl I share mutual friends with kissed a goat. Hands down the best one of the night, so funny! She is my hero. That is how I spent my Thursday night, standing in the cold watching people kiss. No I am not a True Aggie, but I've still got three semesters left! :)

Wednesday Thoughts

I live by my planner. Most people already know this fact. But seriously, my planner is my life. This past week I have had every day mapped out hour by hour and I feel like I have actually gotten a lot accomplished. I am also proud of my planner because I bought it at the bookstore and it is 100 percent recycled material and it is orange.

This last week I did learn something super important....Costa Vida is now doing a version of Taco Tuesday.... and it rocks! They do it from 5-10pm which is three hours longer than Cafe Rio. The tacos are the same price and there isn't an hour wait in line. We walked in and within five minutes had our food. I'm not sure if the tacos themselves are any better, but for the convenience, Costa Vida will definitely be seeing a lot more of me. I love the Taco Tuesday social scene!

The Fun, Fit, Forever classes are awesome this semester. I was kind of bummed at first when I realized my two favorite instructors from last year are no longer here, but I am so glad I decided to do it again. So far I've been to the power sculpt and pilates classes and they are such a good work out. Hot bod here I come!

Oh Sundays

Here is a story.... My freshman year I enrolled in Institute because I felt like I should. I went just the right amount of days to get credit for the class and then didn't bother to enroll the second semester. I kind of have problems going to class. Like I don't have problems with the classes themselves, I just hate actually going to class. So last year I decided to give Institute another try and I took a class called "The Life of Christ" from Bro. Maughan and it was amazing! My now roommate Alyssa was also in the class and she made sure I got there. Spring semester came and I decided to take another class from Bro. Maughan and my attendance went up even more. It was a definite improvement and I noticed the change in my life through my attendance. It was great.

So this semester my roommates decided to embark on a class that actually terrifies me....Marriage Prep. Yep, I still cringe when I tell people I got peer pressured into taking it. Marriage terrifies me more than almost anything else so this class is kind of hard for me. The material we have covered so far has been really good, talking about families and the purpose of the eternal family. But I am still struggling with it. It should definitely get better though!

Ok now for the funny part. I got a calling in church this week. And I am now the Ward Institute Rep. My job is to promote Institute and get people to sign up for classes. My bishop asked me a ton of questions about different organizations in the church and when Institute came up I told him exactly what I've said above, and then he asked me to be the Rep. It was semi awkward and the Lord really does work in mysterious ways. Alyssa leaned over and referred to it as a bit of an oxymoron and I call it karma. I'm excited because I've never really had a calling, so it will be an experience. It will be my real world marketing experience. Got to get the hype up about Institute!

Happiness

Have you ever felt so incredibly happy that you can't stop smiling? I honestly can't pin it down to one thing, but I am just so happy!

"Happiness, it seems to me, consists of two things: first, in being where you belong, and second -- and best -- in comfortably going through everyday life, that is, having had a good night's sleep and not being hurt by new shoes." - Theodor Fontane

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Mohandas K. Gandhi

Feeling Great

I love waking up in the morning to a lively apartment. Last year I had to work at 8 every morning, so I would get up around 6 and feel like I had to tiptoe around so I wouldn't wake anybody up. (Stacey would sometimes already be up studying for anatomy...that girl is crazy!) This semester I don't work until 9 and when I get up Kaili and Alyssa are always up and sometimes already gone. It is so fun! I know that sounds ridiculous, but I am so much more of a morning person than a night owl. I just feel like I get so much more accomplished when I am up and at it by 8.

I am obsessed with Scrabble. I have been playing games on Facebook with a couple of my aunts and an uncle and it makes me feel so smart. It is a classic game and it is fun. I really don't know why I love it so much, I just do. McKayla bought me the board game for my birthday. Oh Scrabble!

I love listening to motivational speakers. Tuesday in my Marketing Institutions class we had Angela Redding come talk to us about getting into the PR and advertising field. I left feeling so intimidated and empowered by her success. I want to be her! She was a USU graduate and finished her MBA in 2007 and already she has been a VP of a PR firm and has now started her own advertising consulting firm.

Lately I have been so obsessed with adding to my resume and trying to find different clubs and activities that will help me stand out. She made the point that all of those activities are great, but it isn't your resume that gets you the job. Your resume will get you the interview, but you have to shine through your interview. If you have to change who you are to appeal to the hiring manager, then that job isn't for you and you aren't meant for that job. This kind of put me at ease. It is all stuff that I have heard before, but it hit me a little bit harder this time and I am now stopping to take a breath. And it feels great. I am still looking for different activities to do, but I don't need to overload it. I just need to show a little more dedication to a few and I think I'll be set. I am now beginning the internship search...wish me luck!

Funfetti

I had a great birthday! My roomies put together a nice little shin-dig and it was full of some of my favorite people. Yay for being 21!

So far...

I am loving my junior year! I am only two weeks in and I am so happy with everything! Here are a few snapshots of the year thus far....

The A-Team with Barcelona. (Please notice Jo is holding hands with the lead singer)

High Stakes Bingo. Taco Tuesdays. 80's Dance. Awesome Roomies

Twenty-One

Today is my birthday...holla at being 21! For some reason I feel like I deserve a birthday blog post...to myself.... so here it goes.

Once upon a time (on September 10, 1989, to be exact), I was born in a really small, super cool town in Idaho called Montpelier. That's pretty much how the story goes. My family moved around quite a bit in my young years and we finally settled in Washington right before I started second grade. Now I'm at USU and 21 years of my life are in the past. Crazy!

My birthday has never been a huge deal to me. I get excited and I love to count down to it, but having it the first or second week of school is kind of a bust. So I thought I'd put together a list of birthdays that stick out:

• When I was five or six, I had a Pocahontas party. Enough said. It was great!
• For my 10th birthday, I invited a couple of girls from my old elementary school and a couple from my new school. One girl got me Pokemon cards and brought her stuffed pikachu with her.
  
• I had my first massive sleepover for my 12th birthday. We were mean girls and made one cry.
  
• I believe it was at my 13th that we made my friend Jessi "date" a kid that lived down the street. I guess we really were bullies in middle school.
  
• For the big 16, my mom's friend made me a cake that looked like a driver's license.
• My last birthday at home, the wonderful 18, I invited people over for cake, no big deal. Bones's mom also made me cupcakes with jellybean flowers on them and we also had a small party at his house the next night.
• For number 19, I was a terrified freshie with no friends, so my awesome roomies pulled together a party with our neighbors.
• Last year, I celebrated my birthday along with my roomie Car with a Weekly Wednesday Winner Dinner, Birthday Style. She made chocolate lasanga. It was grand!

I love getting birthday cards and texts and facebook posts. It really does make the day so much better. So thanks to my friends and family for all the birthday wishes and especially my parents, for having me. I have a feeling 21 is going to be an exceptionally great year! :)

I'm only allowed upstairs...

I was preparing my weekly email for my Connections students and decided to send one of my favorite videos. I love love the Lawrence Welk vidoes on SNL. Enjoy!

One Down...

I have survived my first week of school and it feels great! I still have mixed feelings about the crazy long class days on Tuesdays and Thursdays but most of my classes are really interesting so I think I will survive. I love the first couple of weeks back go school because there is so much going on. This week was the Week of Welcome and this is what I did:
Monday---Quietdrive Concert
Tuesday---Iron Man 2 on Old Main Hill
Wednesday---Ryan Hamilton from Last Comic Standing
Thursday---High Stakes Bingo
Tonight---80's Dance aka best dance of the year
Tomorrow---Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Great week for sure!

Last night we had a small birthday celebration for our neighbor Rick. My parents will be here tomorrow. My classes are fun. My birthday is in one week. I have an awesome red 80's dress to wear tonight. I am happy. Life is great!

Here we go!

I love being back in Logan!

This last week was absolutely insane but this semester feels different. Yes, I know it is only the first say of real school, but for some reason I just feel like I am off to a really good start and this semester is going to be amazing!

My Connections classes were so much fun! I got to work with two awesome instructors and we got a pretty neat batch of freshies. I love being a peer mentor. It makes me feel smart and loved. But really, having 60 freshmen ask me for advice makes my day. It was hard moving down here the first time, I was totally ready and anxious to come down to school, but it was still hard being thrown into a campus where I knew absolutely no one. So I like to think that I have some valuable advice to share with all of them. We hiked up to the wind caves on Friday and it was quite the adventure. Most of them weren't prepared with water and didn't realize that it was going to be rather strenuous, so there was a lot of complaining on the way up and we had to pass the water around. But once we got to the top, they all agreed it was worth it. I love the wind caves!

I love my apartment and my roommates. I have lived there for two days now and I feel like I've been there all of my life. Kaela and I are reunited after living apart for a year and Kaili and Alyssa are so fun! We have such a good group of girls and our apartment is so cute. It really is going to be a great year!

Today is my first day back at the library and in the two hours I have been here, I have helped four people. I'm going to be getting some serious homework done here at work and I love that study time doesn't have to interfere with social time.

Basically, I love my life! My birthday is in 11 days, the South America Reunion is in 12, Alyssa has been sharing her clothes, my ward seems super cool, and I don't start class until tomorrow. Life is great!

Mixed Feelings

I never want to get old. Today when we opened the theater, the first customer was an older man that wanted me to go through all my quarters to see if any of them were from the 60's. He was so excited when I found four quarters to trade. I guess he is a regular at the theater. Let me put this in better terms. There was nothing wrong with this man, but I honestly don't want to spend my days wandering around a mall looking for special quarters. I don't want to get old, because I don't want to lose my health and my mind. I want to be a marathon-running grandma and I never want to end up in a nursing home.

But on the other hand....I want to be like this couple.

I saw them walking on the beach in Rio and someday my eternal companion and I will be walking along that same beach. I want to be in love forever and so that is why I am ok with getting old.

Brave and Bold

I will be back in Logan in a week and a half and this year I am welcoming everything new.

• New apartment. I will be at Brooklane this year and I am so excited! It is a lot smaller than GlenHood and I have to share a bathroom with Dumb Bum, but it just feels like a little home and I love it!
• New roommates. Well two of the three are new, but Kaela and I took a year off from each other so I count her as a newbie. There are some good times to come at Brooklane and I am so excited to live with Kaili, Alyssa, and Kaela! It's going to be a great year.
• New classes. Obviously I have new classes every semester, but this semester is special. I am finally into my marketing classes! I am taking marketing institutions and promotions and then a parks and rec planning class. One thing I learned from my summer adventures is that I really do want to go into marketing. Finance and accounting are definitely not my best areas so these classes are going to be so good for me.
• New friends. I am going to attempt to be a little more friendly and social and hopefully make some new friends from work and class. I love my current crew; the A-Team, and roomies past and present. But I also love my South America crew and I got them from trying something new. Brave and Bold...my new words to live by.
• New experiences. It is always a goal of mine to try new things, join new clubs, but now I am actually going to take it a little more serious. I've been looking into grad school and it is something I am definitely considering. I would love to get a masters in marketing or possibly just an MBA. So I will be participating in more clubs and activities this year, gotta bulk up that resume!

Here comes school year 2010-2011 and I am so ready!

People Watching

I do a lot of people watching at the movie theater. It has become a hobby. Last night I saw the coolest couple. They were probably about 18 and the guy was wearing suspenders. At first I was kind of thinking....what? But then his girlfriend walked up and she had dreadlocks! So I bypassed the suspenders and decided they were pretty cool. For those of you that are completely lost....I have always wanted dreadlocks....seriously. I think dreadlocks are so cool and if I could handle not washing my hair, I would definitely have them.

The mall walkers are so intense. There is one guy that wears a super tight Under Armour shirt and his huge belly sticks out under it. He has an actual Walkman and he always cracks me up. There is also a cute old couple that walk everyday. She wears some kind of brace around her waist/lower back, and he holds on to it as they walk. They are adorable.

I had an old man compliment me the other day while I was working. He wanted a ticket for Inception (which by the way is an AMAZING movie!) and I asked him if it was one regular ticket. I have actually been chewed out for assuming people are seniors when they don't want to be...I know....crazy...if I'm giving them a cheaper ticket you would think they would be grateful. So he laughed and said, "No, I am definitely a senior." So I laughed too and made some kind of funny remark about him not looking like one and he said, "They should pay you more, you have a beautiful smile." Totally made my day!

Working at the theater is not what I would call a fun summer, but I am still alive and it really isn't that bad. I love people watching!

Family Time

The annual Bischoff reunion was in American Falls, ID, this year. We camped at my Aunt Heather's house and spent the day at a huge slip'n'slide/waterslide. It was a blast, I love my family!

Wedding

GlenHood 5 lost another one! Thursday July 29th Stacey and Ben got married in Rexburg and the rest of the Hood went up to the wedding! Stacey was a beautiful bride and the reception was amazing. Super classy. Congrats Stacey and Ben!

Boating

My Aunt Michelle and her family came up to see us last week and we went boating! I didn't get very many pics, but the summer is still young!

.Sisters.

My cute cousin Matthew

Mason. McKayla. Matthew.
.Dad.
Love Summer 2010!

Shopping

This last weekend I went to "Art in the Park" down at Howard Amon Park. There were tons of vendors set up along the river selling different trinkets. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of the crazy vendors down in South America. So here is my compare/contrast of the two:

Similarities:

• People sell the same stuff.
• It is all overpriced.
• The layout and setup of the markets, vendor after vendor, all in a neat row.
  

Differences:

• Vendors bombard customers in S.A. but they also allow you to barter them down to practically nothing.
• Language barriers. Vendors in Richland speak English, vendors in S.A. do not.
• Here the products are mostly homemade and crafty, in S.A. they are touristy souvenirs.
• Richland had belly dancers performing in the amphitheater....weird....but kinda cool.

These are pics from the Art Show in Richland.

These are from S.A.!I want to go back and shop there! Cusco markets are the best!