A Day in the Life of Heather

My Interview!

2012-01-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Yep, that is right, I have an interview on Friday for a caseworker position at the Cedar City Division of Child and Family Services! I am so excited and sooo nervous! I want this job so badly! I really, really hope I get it. This is where I interned so I am hoping that will give me an advantage. I wasn't going to tell people until after the interview and stuff but I let the cat out of the bag because I was too excited. So cross your fingers that I get the job!

Wow, who knew!

2012-01-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

I have finally obtained my bachelor's degree after a long 4 1/2 years that was filled with excitement, tears, frustration, you name it and I have probably felt it during those years. The spring semester starts at SUU on Monday for everyone else and it is a little bittersweet for me. I actually miss Cedar a lot. I know it is a little town that is far away and there is nothing to do there but it has been the place where I have had some of the best times in my life. So I decided that I am going to post some pictures that highlight my time in Cedar or things I was able to do because of SUU. I discovered that I suck at taking pictures and I don't have pics of everyone that I should including some former roommates (sorry I love all of my roommates that I have had. I just don't take pictures...). Here we go!

Going to Bryce Canyon with my dad and brother

Random trips to Walmart that involve getting on Pumba

My roommates (including Erin, Megan, Lindsay, Karen, and Sabrina even though I don't have any pics)

Meeting one of my favorite people who just so happened to be my professor

Spending the night in Vegas with Alta and Nicole before I caught my flight to Spain

Spain

Africa (while I was on my study abroad)

And of course, my degree :-)

A very exciting chapter in my life has come to a close. I will miss you SUU!

2011-11-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

The transition from college life to regular people life is turning out to not be very easy...I am quite freaked out by it. I hope everything works out. That is really all I have to say. Sorry my posts are all boring.

2011-11-04T16:50:00.001-07:00

It's official, I just put my spring contract for my apartment up for sale. I think I am moving back to Orem. Then what will I do with my life is the question. It is kind of weird. I have been in school forever and I don' t know what I am supposed to do my life without school. College was awesome and I will never regret going!

What to do...

2011-10-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

You know what I hate trying to decide...if you are really good friends with a guy and you feel like there could possibly be more to that relationship but you don't want to take the chances of putting the friendship in jeopardy by mentioning it to him...

I am having this problem right now. This guy is so shy though that he would never in a million years say something.

Well, those are my thoughts. Thanks for listening. :)

Graduate Programs

2011-10-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

So I randomly decided that I was going to start applying for MSW programs. I was going to work for a little bit before I went back to get my graduate degree but now I am possibly going to change my plans. Anyway, it is kind of stressing me out but it is kind of exciting! I don't feel like I should be at this point in my life already. The schools I am currently considering are: University of Utah, BYU, Temple University in Philadelphia, and San Francisco State University. Now, whether I will actually get these applications done is a good question...Well, I will keep everyone updated!

Life

2011-09-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. "

This quote is SO true! For a while I have been thinking that I would just move back to Orem in December after I graduate just to get back on my feet and things and I was perfectly content with that decision. However, recently I have had multiple people here in Cedar trying to convince me to stay here. Now I really don't know what I want to do because there are people here that I would love to develop a stronger friendship with, but there are also many people up North that I really love and miss. The longer I stay in Cedar the more I grow to love it and the people in it. Ultimately it just depends on where I have a job but it is going to be a hard thing either way. Life is really crazy sometimes and these decisions are not easy.

2011-08-22T20:31:00.001-07:00

I really never have anything to blog about anymore...I am back in Cedar and I am loving it! I forgot how much I really do love SUU and the people here. It is a little bittersweet this semester because it is my last one at SUU but I will definitely make the best of what time I have left at this school with the people that I love.

All I have to say is GO TO COLLEGE! It is an experience that will change your life for the better. I can't believe how many things I would have missed out on if I didn't go to college and you learn a lot about yourself and others in the process. Yep, I am being sappy because I have been thinking a lot lately about my experiences here at SUU since I am graduating in December.

Love you all if there is still anyone that reads my blog...

I Guess I Should Blog

2011-06-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, what to blog about...I haven't blogged in a while so I figured I should. There isn't much going on in my life. It is summer so I am back working in Orem. My store director and manager just asked me today if I could help a little bit with the baking. So now I will go into work at 2am a couple days a week probably and they approved me to get five hours of overtime a week. Yay, that means more money which I need! Anyway, so it is a good thing even if I will be working a lot.

Well, that is just about all that is going on in my life. Is anyone else's more entertaining?

2011-05-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

Guess what folks, it is official, I only have ONE SEMESTER left before I get my Bachelor's degree! Oh and I just finished taking my final for Spanish. So that means that I now have a minor in Spanish. That is all I have to say. :)

People Come Into Our Lives For A Reason

2011-04-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

I believe that everyone that comes into our lives is there for a reason even if it is just to make us happier but most of the time there are little lessons that we learn from them all. I am grateful for everyone that is and has been a part of my life. I have so many favorite people that I love but there is one person currently who has had a huge impact on my life and she was actually one of my professors but now I consider as more of a friend. She was my Spanish professor and her name is Rachel. I love her to death and she has kept me going even when I think things have become to much for me. Yesterday, I had to write the first part of an analytical paper for my Spanish literature class because today we were going to peer-edit them in class. So I read everyone else's papers and they were great and I can tell that they are at a much higher level of Spanish than I am so it can be discouraging at times. So I went and talked with Rachel and she asked me how my Spanish paper went and I told her that Spanish just isn't my thing. She then said, "Heather, I know that you are partly minoring in Spanish because it will help you in future jobs but you also told me that you are doing it for you." (I am proving to myself that I am capable of succeeding in something as hard as Spanish). I then replied, "And?..." She then said to me, "So, screw everyone else and what they think!" It was a simple statement but it was something that I needed to hear. I spend the majority of my time trying to please and help others and not that that isn't a great thing but sometimes a person needs to focus on themselves. Thanks Rachel!

Update

2011-03-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

I went to talk with my professor about doing an internship and I found out that the one class I am supposed to take in Spring 2011, they don't offer anymore so I just have to substitute for anther Psychology class. This means that I can take all of the remaining classes I need in the Fall if everything goes as planned and I can graduate in December! I am pretty ecstatic about it. :) So the classes I am planning on taking in the fall are:

Divorce & Remarriage

Fathering: Scholarship and intervention

Psychology of Gender

Abnormal Psychology

Psych 3270: Motivation and Emotion

Also, hopefully I will be able to do an internship during this summer with either Division of Child and Family Services or Child Protective Services. I still need to call them but usually they really like interns. I am super excited and I can't believe that I am this close to be able to do what I love!!! I just have to make it through this semester which has been quite the task...

Tortilla Española

2011-03-03T12:52:00.001-08:00

I had a culture presentation today in my Cross Cultural Marriage class and I decided to do it on Spain of course because I have been there and I love it. :) Anyway, we had to bring some type of food that they eat. So I decided to make tortilla española. It is kind of like an omelette but it has a ton of potatoes and it has onions and a little egg to hold it together. You can also add other ingredients if you want. It is kind of hard to make because you have to flip it in the pan but mine turned out really well and it tasted yummy. I had leftovers and my professor came up to me afterwards and asked me if he could take the rest for his lunch and he asked for the recipe, haha. It was a big hit in my class. So I posted a picture above of the tortilla española that I made.

2011-02-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite food that I discovered yesterday. Yum, this granola is so good by itself and it is good with yogurt too.

Oh and for all the married people out their who don't want to answer my question on Facebook or aren't friends with me on Facebook you can answer this question by commenting on my blog. Here it is: What skill would have helped you have a more successful marriage as newlyweds if you knew more about it? (besides communication) Please, please answer this if anyone even reads my blog anymore... Thanks :)

2011-02-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

I got my certificate of completion today from the Universidad de Granada. I was very excited! I didn't know that I was going to get a certificate. I was just in Spanish today and my professor handed it to me. Cool, I have proof that I did a study abroad in Spain and I survived it. :)

I posted a picture of it but then I decided that it wasn't a good idea to have it on here because my profile isn't private and the certificate has my full name on it. So no picture anymore, sorry.

The Race

2011-01-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

In church today one of the speakers read a poem that helped me a lot. Yes, it is one of those cheesy, inspiring poems but those are what keep me going at times. This past week I have seriously been debating on dropping my Spanish 4312 class because I haven't understood any of the reading and the presentation I have to do in that class really overwhelms me. I have also had a lot of anxiety about several other things lately and this poem put things into perspective for me. It would be ridiculous for me to drop Spanish when this is my last class and then I have a minor in it. Finishing in first isn't always the best. Many times the knowledge and experience gained from the situation is better. Anyway, here is the poem.

The Race

by D. H. Groberg

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure's face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children's race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn't hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy's desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought "My dad will be so proud."

But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he'd win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.

As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn't win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, "Get up and win that race!"

He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that's all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.

He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
"I'm hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn't try to race."
But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father's face
with a steady look that said again, "Get up and win that race!"

So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
"If I'm to gain those yards," he thought, "I've got to run real fast!"
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.

Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
"There's no sense running anymore! Three strikes I'm out! Why try?
I've lost, so what's the use?" he thought. "I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he'd have to face.

"Get up," an echo sounded low, "you haven't lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!" the echo urged him on, "Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!"

So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn't quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he'd ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.

Three times he'd fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.

But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he'd won the race, to listen to the crowd.

And to his dad he sadly said, "I didn't do so well."
"To me, you won," his father said. "You rose each time you fell."
And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.

For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, "Get up and win that race!"

2011-01-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

It has been a pretty fantastic break! I worked a lot and made money, yay! I also went on two dates, I know it is amazing. :) The second date didn't start out as a date but it turned into one.I made my resume and applied for a job at a youth residential treatment center in Hurricane. I sent my resume in and they said that they had just hired for the position that I applied for but then they called me today and said that they have an opening and that they would like to set up an interview. So I have an interview on Friday at 2:30. I am a little nervous but excited that this job is in my field. Anyway, pretty amazing break. Wish me luck!

Cha cha cha cha changes! Maybe :)

Christmas Break is Here!

2010-12-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

I made it through finals after a little breakdown when I was done with my research final(which was my last final) because I studied like crazy for it and then when I went to take it I didn't know half the questions...but I survived and I will still get a good grade in the class. Just so everyone knows, doing research is hard! Putting together a study advertising it so you will have participants, doing the statistics on it after 182 people have participated in it, presenting it to a bunch of really smart Psychology professors, and then writing a paper for it is all very stressful and the paper is supposed to be like all those academic journals you have to read. Then not to mention, you have to know all the technical terms for the test but I made it and I successfully finished that class, yay!

Now it is time for Christmas break! That means I get to be in Utah county for a month and enjoy time with family and friends, and I will work a lot. It will be busy but I am looking forward to it. Anyway, this picture below is our Christmas tree at our apartment in Cedar. Ahhh, it is so pretty, you can't really see the lights but they are on. We put it up before Thanksgiving so we could all enjoy it before we went home for Christmas break.

I am excited to go home but I will still miss Cedar a little when I am away. Well, I will mostly miss chatting with my professor. We have a unique relationship and we have the most random conversations but it is so fun. Seriously, she said to me the other day that she loves talking to me because she could never tell these stories to any of her other students. I don't know how it got that way but I love hearing her stories. They make me laugh. So yeah, I will miss that but I am very excited to go home. :)

I hope everyone else is excited for this month!

Finals Week

2010-12-06T19:38:00.001-08:00

This is what my room looks like during finals week...I know, it is a disaster area.

I just finished my take-home final for Intro to Hispanic Literature (SPAN 3300). I am so happy it was a take-home test. Our professor decided to surprise us by telling us that at the end of class on our last day. Now I just have finals left for: Drugs & Behavior, Guidance, Research Design ( I am dreading this one), and possibly, Clinical Neuropsychology(this one is optional but I need to see what my final grade is in order to decide if I am going to take the final.). I will survive. Studying for finals seems a billion times harder when you are sick...

Well, that is my exciting life, haha. Three semesters left until I graduate!

Harry Potter Scarf :D

2010-11-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

Long-time-no-see everyone who still reads my blog, which probably isn't many. So, my roommates and I bought tickets the other day to go see Harry Potter when it comes out next week. Well, my roommate, Abby, was knitting a Gryffindor scarf so my other roommates decided that we were going to learn how to knit and we would each knit a scarf from one of the houses at Hogwarts. I ended up with Slytherin, so my scarf is green and silver (gray). Yes, I am the bad one, I am always the bad one, hehe. :) I probably shouldn't be spending my time knitting a scarf because I have a ton of homework that should be more important, but oh well. Anyway, I just thought I would post the progress I have made on my scarf. So here it is:

We will see if I can finish it before next Friday. My scarf looks kind of bad at the end but it is because I am just learning how to knit. I think the rest of it looks pretty darn good though. :)

Flower Hair Clip

2010-10-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

I am on the Relief Society Night committee and I was supposed to learn how to make a flower hair clip to teach the girls for our next activity. Amazingly, I was able to make one and it turned out pretty well. Anyway, here it is:

Now, I need to read poetry in Spanish and analysis it...I am not very excited about it. Reading poetry in Spanish is not very fun. Off to my homework...

A lesson I have learned

2010-09-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

I just want to tell everyone how grateful I am for my life and everything that I have been able to do. Who would have thought that by the time I was 23 I would be a senior in college, that I would have studied abroad in Spain for a month, be learning Spanish,and graduating in a year with a Bachelors degree in Family Services. Not to mention all the wonderful people I have met along the way that have been the best friends and mentors that I could possibly have. Also, the fabulous job that I have that makes it possible to do all these wonderful things.

Life is hard sometimes but a valuable lesson I have learned is that the hard times are when we grow closer to the ones that are so dear to our hearts. We also learn through those hard times, the people who really love us and are in it for the long run. People give our lives meaning, without them life is mundane. Seriously, think of any happy moment in your life, I can tell you right now that another person probably played a key role in that happy moment. Don't take those for granted, those moments are so precious. Don't fly through life so preoccupied with all the the things you have to do, places you need to be. Life is to short, take the time to be with the ones you love.

I don't know why I wrote this, I guess it is just a big thing for me. I think that people miss out on the most important part of life because they are so worried about other things. But the truth is, those people in your life are the ones that are going to help you accomplish those things that once seemed impossible. You can still be doing many things but without those friends, life will feel empty no matter what you do. Stay close to the ones you love.

Yikes!

2010-09-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have to do a presentation in Spanish today and I want to throw up. I just thought I would tell you all that. Wish me luck because I will need it!

Finally settled In!

2010-08-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it has been quite a while since I have posted anything. Since my last post I have moved back to Cedar to start yet another year of school. I am officially a senior this year but I still have a year and a half left. Anyway, my roommates and I moved into a new place this year and it is sooo nice. I love it! We moved into a duplex and the rooms are way bigger than where I lived for the past two years.

(This is the front of our place)

(Here is our kitchen)

(This is our living room)

(This is my bathroom. We have two bathrooms.)

(My closet)

(My bedroom, I tried to piece pics together and it didn't work so well but this is what my room basically looks like when you walk into it.)

I decorated my room in all the stuff that I got from Spain :)

This school is going to be challenging but very exciting so I am looking forward to it.

Mis Cumpleaños en España!

2010-06-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

We had a school excursion in Sevilla on my birthday and we got back to Granada at 8pm. Then my host mom threw me a party with a ton of food and she invited all of my friends. Then my friends took me to the bar and then to the club for the night. It was a blast!

Haley and I chillin' at the club.

The lady in the middle with the dress on was our tourguide for a lot of excursions. Her name is Marie Carmen and he is hilarious. I love the personalities of the people here. A lot of them are like Marie Carmen and it is so fun.
Umm, yeah, Wes and Colby are a little weird, haha.
Here's my group of friends at the club that I always hangout with her in Spain:)
This is the Giralda cathedral in Spain. It's amazing!
This is where Christopher Columbus's remains are as for as I know. (in the Giralda cathedral)
This is where all the information about discovering the american continent is.
Another pic of the Cathedral.

This is at the Plaza de España. I think my tourguide said that some part of some Star Wars film was filmed here.

More Plaza de España.
Plaza de España

Oh and just so everyone knows, the World Cup is HUGE here. It is intense when Spain has a game but it is way cool to be able to experience it. It is so important to them that in my class everyday we watch the offical World Cup song on Youtube. I actually really like the song and I am going to add it to my ipod when I get back. Here it is if you want to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPdPohatfnY

Well, my study abroud will soon be coming to an end unfortunely :) I fly back to the state July 2nd so I will see everyone soon.

2010-06-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

Lo siento, I haven't posted in a while. Just a little while ago Colby, Crystal and I made a trip to Madrid to go do baptisms at the Madrid temple. It was a really neat experience.

We actually called the missionaries to see if they could find us an LDS family to stay with in Madrid. They ended up finding us a place to stay and the family was so extremely nice it was probably one of the funnest nights I have had in España. The family was the Monasterios and they were so welcoming.

While on this trip though I learned to be grateful for everything that I have (I have learned this a lot with all of my experiences in España). In España, if a famly lets you stay with them it is a custom to pay them for letting you stay there because they are so poor, whereas it the U.S. where you can just stay somewhere and not worry about paying. It was a great experience though because when we payed the mom of the family she said that we had just helped her family so much by staying with them and paying them and at the same time we were able to go to the temple and have a great experience.
I am soooo grateful for everything that I have. Many people in España are pretty poor and are just barely getting by. I tend to forget how much I have and I think all of us need to remember what we have.

Sorry, there are no pictures of me. They are all n Colby's camera.

un abrazo,
Heather

The many things in Spain

2010-06-07T04:42:00.000-07:00

So there are a couple things I have learned about Spain so here they are:

-Taxi drivers are crazy here and so are the bus drivers
-People in Spain start they night at like midnight (hence the reason for no sleep)
-The streets are insanely confusing and it is really bad when I have to ask for directions and I have to understand them in spanish.
-a hamburguesa in Spain is actually a ham sandwich
- their helado (ice cream) is the best on the planet and we have it like twice a day
There are tons more but I can't think of them right now.

I have officially been in Spain for one week so here is a little summary (sorry it's long and the pics are in a random order because I didn't want to deal with it):
Colby wanted to get a shave in a barber shop in Africa but he was scared so he wanted me to come with him, haha it was funny.

Me with my host family sister :)
I rode a camel in Africa!

Haley, Chantal (she is from Switzerland), and Colby hangin in Africa

We were at a castle in Málaga

I Coke in Africa, it's the coolest!

Our first meal in Morocco and we also met a guy from Germany (on the left) and a guy from Hong Kong (on the right). The electricity was out when we got there so it was a candle light dinner, haha.Castle in Málaga

Walking around at a park in España.

It has been so much fun but it has also been extremely overwelming and stressful, haha. But I have the best host family ever. Our mom's name is Maite and she has a daughter who is five and she is so cute. :)

So this last weekend we went to Morocco, Africa. It was fun to try the food in Africa (the safe food that is...). It made me so sad to see the way people live there though. I am so grateful that I live where I do. So, coming back from Morrocco was an adventure...The fairy left Morocco late so we got off the fairy and found our tour guide, who took us to our bus, but we had another bus to a catch at 10pm so the bus driver was driving as fast as he could to get us to the other bus before it left. He was driving so fast, it was crazy, we were flying past all the other cars, and when we got into Málaga the bus driver was going through red lights and everything...it was intense. Then he told us to get ready to run off the bus when he stopped at a red light near the bus station. So he stopped and we ran off the bus and ran across a couple streets...we weren't suppose to run across the street yet but we just ran inbetween cars...yeah, we could have died, haha. But we made it to the bus just in time. Phew! It was definitely an adventure.

Anyway, it has been a blast so far and I definitely don't get any sleep. We wake up at 7am and we go to bed at like 2 or 3am. I have tons more to tell and I have done a lot more but I have no time to tell it so I will tell later.

Spain

2010-06-04T02:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry I haven't had a second to blog. I wake up at 7am and I am out until 2 or 3am in the morning everyday so I don't have a chance to blog. I will hopefully have some time next week to post some pictures but until then, if you are friends with me on facebook you can see my pics. I am having a blast here. Spain is such a great place. Well, I gotta run. Stay tuned!

4 More Days!!!

2010-05-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is right, I have 4 more days until I drive to Vegas and from there I will hop on a plane and fly to Spain! Yep, it is pretty exciting. I get leave Utah and forget about everything going on here and go to another part of the world to study Spanish and have the time of my life with my friends and professors from SUU. I am thrilled to be able to have this experience but I am also terrified because speaking another language is not easy. But guess what, they have siestas in Spain; it is the perfect place for me, haha.

Anyway, my next post will most likely be me in Spain so even though my blog is boring now, it won't be soon so keep checking and don't be afraid to comment. ;)

Summer!

2010-05-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

So, I finished spring semester at SUU and I moved back to Utah county for the summer. I am so happy that finals are over! I'm actually living in Lehi right now because Nicole Bigler is a sweetheart and offered to let me live with her and her cute family for the month of May before I go to Spain. It has been so fun so far and they even got a dog just a few days ago and she is so cute. Her name is Rosie and she is so quiet and mellow. She kind of had a little attachment to me at first but she has gotten used to everyone in the past few days. It's funny because everyone has been calling me the pet whisperer because I have been around when other people have gotten pets and for some reason the animals like me a lot, haha. Anyway, here are a couple pictures of her.

My next exciting news, I ordered 50 euros so I have some on me when I get to Spain. Their money is so pretty I can't stop looking at it. :) 18 more days until the experience of a lifetime!!! I also found out that my favorite Spanish professor in the whole, wide world is going to be in Granada for a few days while I am there so I will get to see her, yay. I am so excited! She told me when I turned in my final. She said, "Well Heather, I guess this will be our last conversation until GRANADA." I was so happy, I was jumping up and down, haha.

Also, I just want to say thank you for all the support and help from everyone in helping me accomplish this study abroad, especially Alta and Nicole and my Aunts. Thanks, I love you all.

Things happening in my life within the next 1 1/2 years!

2010-04-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

-Moving out of my apartment this week.
-Going to Spain, será la aventura de una vida!
-18 credit hours for the next two semesters

Classes I will take:

*Guidance class & Lab

*Values & Ethics in Family Services

*Divorce & Remarriage

*Cross-Cultural Marriage, Family, & Human Development

*Home, Family, & Resource Management

*Family Coping, Adaption, & Resiliency

*Fathering: Scholarship & Intervention

*Family Life Education

*Research Design

*Clinical Neuropsychology

*Drugs & Behavior

-I will do my internship. ( I don't know where yet but it will happen)
-I will graduate in December 2011 (actual ceremony won't be until May 2012).
-I will decide where I am going to live and work after I graduate. Any suggestions?
-I will take the test to become a certified Social Service Worker.

In the next year and a half I will have some very exciting changes and accomplishments. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is awesome! It is time to move forward with my life. :)

Adventure to Arizona

2010-04-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

I decided on the spur-of-the-moment that I was going to go visit the Dobson's (the greatest people on the planet) in Arizona. It was such a fun trip and I didn't get lost trying to drive there, yay!

Alyssa and I had a girl's day out and we went

to a little town (I don't remember the name)

that had a bunch of little shops and stuff. It was nice to

spend time and chat with Alyssa. I didn't take any

pictures when we were in the town but on the

way there Alyssa and I stopped and took some

pictures. The picture above was pretty funny

because I was trying to take the picture myself and

it looked really funny, not to mention my

double chin...So after we took that picture a

lady came up and asked if we wanted her to

take a picture of the two of us because she

had been watching us before...It was probably

pretty funny to watch. So the picture to the right is

the one the lady took.

(me, once again trying to take pictures by myself)

Then, later that day we all went on a hike and we sang a bunch of camp songs. It brought back some good memories. :-)

Last but not least, these are the cutest kids that I got to spend the whole weekend with and it was a blast. I missed them so much!

Thanks for letting me visit Colby and Alyssa. It was the best and I miss you guys already.

5 Year Class Reunion

2010-03-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my 5 year high school class reunion is in May. It is kind of weird that we are having a 5 year reunion but whatever. Time flies, I feel like I am getting old. I know there are tons of people that graduated way before me but it still doesn't make it any less crazy.

And yet...I still have two more years of college left until I get my Bachelor's degree anyway. It will never end...Anyway, these are just some things I have been thinking about lately.

Great Mail Day!

2010-03-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Today I went and got the mail and my passport had came!!!! I am sooooo excited I just want to dance!

Also, I bought a travel guide for Spain off of Amazon for like $3 because it is last years version. I was looking through the book for like an hour.

I can't wait for June to come so I can be in Spain! I know this is all I ever talk about anymore but I am freakin' excited!!!

Book Report

2010-02-26T15:51:00.000-08:00

In my Effective Parenting class we have to do a book report about a book that involves parenting in some way. My professor gave us a list of books to choose from and I have decided what book I am going to read. I was very limited in my choices because well, my school library and the Cedar City library do not have a wide variety of choices...that's not surprising. Anyway, I am actually pretty excited to read this book. I guess that makes me a nerd but it relates to my major so whatever. So here it is: Hopefully it is good.

2010-02-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

This is what my life consists of: spanish, spanish, spanish and more spanish...oh and occasionally my other classes.

Espero que sean teniendo una bueno día.

(I hope you all are having a good day.)

2010-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

So, I decided to dye my hair.

(before)

You are going to have to ignore my somewhat creepy picture and just focus on the hair...

(after)

I love my hair!!! It is hard to tell but it is a golden brown.

Life

2010-01-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those moments when you suddenly realize that you aren't a child anymore? I just had one of those moments and it is so crazy to think that I will be turning 23 this year and to think of everything I have done and what I will do. It seems like yesterday that I had just turned 16. I have 3 more semesters left of school until I graduate if everything goes as planned, and then I will be able to have a real job in a field that I am interested in.

It is also interesting to think about how things in our lives, good and bad, shape who we are and why we do the things we do. I think it is so important to take the time to look at your life and evaluate it and figure out why you react the way you do in certain situations so you can change those reactions that you don't like and improve on the ones that you do like. I am happiest in my life when I am trying to improve myself and when I get out of my comfort zone and do things that scare me but will benefit me. Going to Spain is something that really actually scares me quite a bit because I don't like flying and I am going to another country where they speak another language that I will have to try and speak but the idea has slowly changed from scary to exciting.

I am so grateful for the lengths that my family and friends take to help me succeed in my life. I really hope that I can continue strengthening those relationships with my family and friends I have, and repair those that have been damaged. I love you all!

Sorry for my random ramblings...

My New Favorite Song

2010-01-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

I just bought this song off of Itunes and it is called "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson. I love, love, love the instrumental arrangement in it but in order to get the full effect of it you should listen to it with your headphones on. I LOVE IT!

Granada, Spain!!!

2010-01-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

It's official! Well, I hope it is official. I am doing a study abroad in Granada, Spain this summer from June 1st to June 30th!!!! Everyone cross your fingers that I will get the loan I need, but it sounds like I will be able to get it.

(Overlook of Granada!!!)

(This is the Alhambra, which I will get to go see!)

I am so excited and soooo nervous!!! This was a spur-of-the moment thing because I had kind of given up on the idea but today my roommate came home and said that she was doing a study abroad in London and that she had just applied for a loan. Well, I ended up doing the exact same thing and I filled out my application for the study abroad program because the deadline for the application is on Friday, yeah Friday. I think it is meant to be!

The start of a New Semester

2010-01-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it through my first two days of classes. I think I am going to really enjoy most of my classes this semester. I was terrified to go to my Spanish 3210 class but the professor that I have is awesome and she makes sure that she eases us back into the class. Especially since this Spanish class is the class that all the returned missionaries start in so it is EXTREMELY intimidating! The fabulous thing is that I understand more than I thought I would...I know I always say I am horrible at it but it is hard. I also dropped my preschool class because I couldn't bring myself to take it...yes I love kids but I don't love preschool and teaching preschool lessons...Anyway, overall I think it will be a great semester!

Meanwhile, throughout the first day of classes I felt 2 earthquakes. There have been 3 earthquakes but I could only feel 2 of them. And let me tell you, it is not very comforting when it fells like your apartment is swaying back and forth feeling like it is going to collapse, haha. I just hope there isn't anymore.

I am very happy to be back in Cedar and it is so nice to chat and laugh with my roomies again :) There always try and cheer me up when I am down. Thanks roomies!

I hope everyone had a great New Year!

2009-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

This year I have been able to meet and get to know a few more people. Also, I have been able to learn a lot more about people that I have already known for years and I have grown to love them even more. These people who I been able to get to know this year have blessed my life immensely. This brings me to what I have been thinking a lot about lately. I believe it is so important to get to know new people and those you have already known for a long time because they are all special and I have found that every person I meet, I learn something from. I have also found that I am the happiest when I am just chatting with people that I love. The reason I think this is so important is because the knowledge and memories that we have are what we will be able to take with us when we die. I also know the more we learn and love those we meet the more we learn about and love our Heavenly Father and brother. It just amazes me how great people are. Yes, people do have their faults, but we all do. I just know that I see special gifts in others that I want to focus on in my life so I can become a better person. Thanks for all of your examples because I am blessed from all of them. I hope I can do the same for you all.

One last note: I am soooo excited to come back to Orem for Christmas break and I look forward to seeing and spending time with everyone!

My favorite!

2009-10-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

I just decided that I wanted to share with you all my two new favorite songs. If you know that you already don't like my music then don't listen to them, I won't be offended. Any the first one is:
Fireflies by Owl City http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI4JLa0hbUw
Breakable by Ingrid Michaelson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgTClaTwQwM

blah, blah

2009-10-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in over a month so I thought that I should post something. But the truth is my life is not very exciting right now. I am just frantically trying to get all of my service hours for my Family Intervention and Mediation Class and of course my life also revolves around spanish. The semester if FLYING by, seriously I have never had a semester go by this fast before!

Last night I did get to go to the Snow Caves in St. George and play glowstick hide-and-seek. It was definitely a blast. I always get some sort of battle wound everytime I go though. Oh, and I am always really, really sore the next day from climbing around in the caves, which shows you how much I exercise...Anyway it was a blast and it was probably the highlight of my month :) Sorry, there are no pictures...it is really dark at the caves.

One last thing, I got an A- on my spanish oral interview, an A- on my 2 page spanish paper, and an A- on my spanish written test, hoot, hoot! That is really good for me because I struggle with spanish.

Well, this just about as exciting as I get...

My Earring Organizer

2009-09-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

So, I got sick of having to dig through a jar to find a pair of earrings so I decided to make an earring organizer and it is the best thing on the planet and it is cute too! (I can't figure out why this is underlined and I can't get it to go away)

Yes, I know I should have been doing homework but I made this instead. I love it!!!!

Reality Check

2009-09-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have had a reality check...for the past few months church just became something that I had to do. Therefore, I went with a closed mind and a view that church was kind of a waste of 3 hours because I never learned anything. My excuses of course were that the people teaching the classes didn't really have anything that I needed to hear and one thing that I had a hard time with in college is when the person teaching was a freshman right out of high school. I figured that they couldn't teach me anything that I didn't already know. Well, I was SO WRONG!

First of all, the teacher is just a tool in God's hands. It is our duty to be open to the things that are being taught. If we have the right attitude going into class then one thing that the teacher says can trigger several other things by the Spirit if we are listening. In the past month I have learned that attitude is a HUGE part of my view towards church and that in order to ENJOY and be TAUGHT I needed to change my attitude about going to church so the spirit can be with me to teach me. Having an open heart and an open mind to the things that are taught is so important. If we cannot do that then the Spirit cannot enter into our hearts to teach us.

In Elder Bednar's talk called Seeking Learning by Faith, he shares this with us:
"Nephi teaches us, "When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth [the message] unto the hearts of the children of men" (2 Nephi 33:1). Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. A teacher can explain, demonstrate, persuade and testify, and do so with great spiritual power and effectiveness. Ultimately, however, the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter. Learning by faith opens the pathway into the heart."

Needless to say, since I have tried to change my attitude toward church and having faith that I can learn by the spirit, it has changed my life and I have love it. I have also noticed that I go about my school work in the same way, and with that faith I have been able, with Heavenly Father's help to exceed beyond my expectations in everything I do. Things that I never thought I would get the hang of (speaking Spanish for instance...) I am able to do.

Opening your heart and mind changes everything in your life but it also is something that constantly has to be worked on. It has definitely changed my life. I am the happiest I have been in a long time.

Haircut!

2009-09-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

I decided that it was time to cut my hair off because it was starting to drive me crazy. Plus, a lot of people have told me that my hair is really cute when it is short. So here is my latest haircut.

It feels so much nicer when it is short too!

Back in Cedar!

2009-08-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I have moved back to Cedar City for yet another school year! It has been so nice to be back here and I forgot how much I love my apartment.

If you have been reading my blog for a while then you will know that I got a new bedspread and desk. So when I got here I put together my desk and everything and my room looks sooo cute and I LOVE IT!

So here are a few pictures of my room and my desk. I love it so much that I just wanted to show you :) Oh and the pile of books that you see in the last picture...those are my textbooks for my classes which were $289...

It is wonderful to me backand I am excited to start my classes on Monday!

The Payne Reliever

2009-08-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late but anyway, I had a Macey's Bakery party up at my assistant manager's cabin (which is named the Payne Reliever because their last name is Payne, haha) in Fairview Canyon. It was so fun and I just LOVE her cabin and I could stay up there forever!

Me and the bakery babes! Just kidding but that is what everyone calls us when we are at work (It is all Sam's fault, our bakery manager). Sam is the one in the first picture that is doing the peace sign...Sam says that I always ruin the pictures because I goof off but if you will notice he is the goof off in the first picture :)

I took my friend Christine with me to the party and we both had a blast. Where were riding on the four-wheeler when we took this picture.

This time I was riding with Stephanie. For some reason everyone trusted me to drive them on the four-wheeler...it is kind of funny because that was only my second time driving a four-wheeler, haha oh well, they were willing to risk it.

It was a blast!!!

Summer is Coming to an End

2009-08-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, summer will soon be coming to an end. It has been a summer that has been filled with many fun and exciting memories and some not so fun but, I can say that those memories make me so grateful and excited to be heading back to Cedar City in 2 weeks to start school again and move forward with my life. Yes, I have had a lot of things that I haven't really enjoyed about my life but I am so very blessed with so many other things. Just to name a few: being able to get an education, having wonderful, supportive friends, a GREAT job with great people to work with that will let me work anytime I want, having the gospel in my life that gives me a different perspective on life, and many, many more.

I am sad to be leaving my friends in Orem but I am super excited to start a new school year and get closer and closer to reaching my goal!

Shopping makes everything better!

2009-07-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Today I was feeling a little down so I decided that I was going to go to Ikea (The best store ever!!!)

While I was there I bought a new duvet cover and some sheets for my bed.

I love it!!!!

I also bought a little computer desk so I actually have a desk at school. The desk was only $25! Did I mention I LOVE Ikea!Everything is going to look so good at my apartment in Cedar City! I am so excited to move back for the school year!!!

Shopping does make everything better!

2009-07-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

I AM GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER TOMORROW AT 6:05PM!!!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!

My Endoscopy

2009-07-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know what an endoscopy is...they make you go to sleep and then they put a tube with a camera on it, down your throat and look at your stomach and stuff.

I had this lovely opportunity to have this done today because my last few tests that I have done came back normal, which were for my gall bladder.

Anyway, good news, the doctor thinks that I have Gastritis which is when you have inflammation of the stomach lining. So the doctor took some biopsies of my stomach lining to see what is causing the Gastritis and he also gave me some medication for it.

So the pictures above are of my stomach or something like that. I'm not sure what all of them are of but they are interesting, that is for sure :)

I do have to say thank you to Alta because she took me to the hospital and waited and helped me with everything I needed including driving me to get my prescription. I also asked Alta the same questions like a billion times because I couldn't remember because of waking up from the anesthesia or whatever it was they used to make me go to sleep. They used something that isn't as strong as anesthesia but I still don't remember anything. But it went well and thanks everyone for your prayers!

Guess What!

2009-07-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

I GOT A PELL GRANT FOR SCHOOL!!! I have been waiting so long, I never thought I would get a pell grant. Yay, for free money :D

The End

2009-06-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures from the last part of my vacation but it was fun. On Friday I went tubing down a river in Reno with my brother and his friends. That was an interesting experience but it was fun. Then his friends bought me lunch because it was my birthday and my Aunt Viola, Uncle Darrel, and my grandma came for Jeff's endowments and they took us out to dinner also. I also saw my Aunt Vicki and Uncle Brian and my cousin Holly. It was really fun to see them! On Sunday I flew home and thought I was going to die on the airplane, but that isn't anything new, haha. So that is the end of my adventures! Oh yeah, and I got really sunburnt, ouch!

Nearing the end of my vacation

2009-06-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

On our second day in San Fransico we went to Pier 39 and walked around all the shops and we saw the sea lions. They are so cute!

We also rode on the Cable Car and it just so happened that we rode on the new one that they just started using the day before.

Best of all, we went to the beach! It was pretty chilly considering it was only like 65 degrees outside and the water was even colder but we still managed to play in the water for about 1 hour.

I buried my feet in the sand :D

Last but not least, we went to dinner and Jeff's dinner was looking at me the WHOLE time! It was kind of gross. My fish and chips were good though.

We are nearing the end of my vacation but there should be a couple more blog posts. :)

2009-06-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry...I always forget to get rid of all the space at the bottom of my blog before I publish it. I really do have a comment area you just have to scroll down for a while if you don't see it at the bottom...

Continuation of my vacation

2009-06-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to visit my Aunt Vicki and Uncle Brian, who live in California and we also saw our Cousins, Holly and Hilly and their families. It was a lot of fun to see them! Then on Monday morning we left and headed to San Fransico. On the way there we stopped by the Oakland temple and we decided to take a few pictures.

(The little person back there is me)

(Jeff with San Fransico in the backround)

Once we made it to San Franisco, we went and had dinner and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory! Yummmm, that is the best place ever!!! My brother's birthday present for me was taking me to eat there and then to go see the musical "Wicked". It was so much fun and I loved Wicked!

(Jeff and I with our cheesecake, yum.)

(The Theater we went to in San Fransico)

(Wicked!!!!)

I still have more to come!

Yay for Vacation!

2009-06-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

I am FINALLY on vacation! I arrived in Reno on Thursday night and then on Friday I went camping with my brother's ward. It was fun but it was REALLY, REALLY cold that night so in the middle of the night I ended up going to the car to sleep. I was also scared that a bear was going to come into our campsite because there were bear boxes for food and there were signs everywhere that said "Be aware of bears". Yeah, it really freaked me out! I made my brother follow me to the bathroom and everything, haha.

Then the next day I we went to Yosemite National Park to go on the Mist Trail hike. This a funny story because Jeff's bishop was saying that is was an easy hike and that you get misted when you hike it. Well...the hike was basically straight up the whole time which is 1 1/2 miles. Yeah, I thought I was going to die, and for the misting part... it wasn't a mist, I was drenched by the time I got to the top. It was beautiful once we got to the top but, man it was a lot of work!

(This is a view point that we stopped at on the way to where we were hiking)

(Sitting and waiting for the shuttle)

(Yes, do you see the people hiking up the stairs behind me? It was like that the whole way!)

(And finally, we made it to the top!)

(There's the waterfall!)

So this was my first few days of my vacation and I will have more to come soon. Stay tuned!

2009-06-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, there hasn't been to much going on in my life other than the fact that I spend way to much time at work, but the money is definitely a good thing.

Also, hopefully I will find out soon if I have to get my gall bladder out, yay! (I am sick of tests even though I will have had only two, haha)

Finally, the thing that I am most excited for, is that I get to go on vacation to see my brother in two days!!! I can't wait!

2009-05-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

I had a great day yesterday! My friend, Debi invited me over for her daughter, Abby's birthday to have cake and ice cream. I can't believe it, I babysat Abby ever since she was just little and now she is turning the big 13, crazy!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy

AbBy!!!

I hope you have a great day! I love you and think you are pretty awesome!

Debi, thanks for inviting me over! You are fabulous and I love you!

..........

Also, it is my friend Alyssa's birthday today. To bad she is all the way in Philidelphia.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy

AlYsSa!

Love ya!

My Life when School Ends for the Summer

2009-05-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

First, I checked out of my apartment in Cedar City last week and I am finally settled back in Orem for the summer. It was a long hard process put I will spare you the details.

...............

I also started working again at Macey's Bakery and I got my final grades for the semester which are A, A, A, B, B+. The B+ is in Spanish and I could have gotten an A- but I didn't do as well on the final, oh well.

...............

Then on Saturday May 9th I did the Susan G. Koman 5K Race for the Cure which was an awesome experience! I went with Jennifer Walker, who has had breast cancer and survived it. I think she is an amazing woman!!!

...............

Last but not least, I thought it would be a good Sunday activity to go to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple and take some pretty pictures.

It was an exhausting few week but it has also been a ton of fun!

My First Offical Blog Post

2009-04-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

I have Offically joined the blogging world!

...

Of course, I decided to start a blog during finals week when I should be studying like crazy! I should also be packing and cleaning to move back to Orem in 4 days. But hey, what's the fun in that. Well okay, I have packed a little and I have a picture to prove it!

This is not the most exciting post but hey, it is a day in the life of me.

...

P.S. I have 1 final down and 3 to go and then I am done for the semester!