This is Alfred :) if you haven't read the post "good day" go read it, but here is the video for that post! This was right after i gave him a bath :) because he attacks everyone else who gets close i gave him his first bath, at first he didn't like it but towards the end he was loving the nice warm water and he looks so much better all clean! If you notice in the video he has the missing feathers under his wing, well we don't really know why but he pulls them out. We think it's because he is unhappy or bored... hopefully we will fix it! Also notice how red the skin on his face is :) they turn this pretty color when he is happy! ah i love him, such a cutie!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Church is True, the Book is Blue
Ha i stole the line from my brother, mike! for a while that is how he would end his emails home "the church is true, the book is blue" i love the line so i stole it! but i was just checking in to say YEP the church is true even in Texas :)
I love my YSA ward! it's great! the people here are so nice and have been very friendly! I have met a lot of new people and I'm pretty sure I'm going to forget all of them by next week! Ah I'm so bad with names... o well, at least I'll recognize them!
The church is about a half hour drive from my house. For a lot of them members it is an hour drive! I couldn't believe that! I am so use to walking to church. It is definitely different here. But one thing that i did notice is that the people at church are the people who WANT to be there! Who are there for the right reasons! There are so many spiritual giants here and i cannot wait to go back and get to know them :)
----------------------------------
I wrote that a while ago and never posted it... so i guess i'll add to it! Tonight i went to Institute :) It was just what i needed! Institute here is a little different then what i am use to. They hold it every Thursday night at the stake center. Everyone in that stake is welcome to join! The lesson was wonderful and after institute we played volleyball! It was a great chance for me to get to know more people and get that extra spiritual boost for the rest of my week! I was a little nervous going all by myself but so glad that i did! Put Christ first and everything else will fall into place :) yep that is very true
I love my YSA ward! it's great! the people here are so nice and have been very friendly! I have met a lot of new people and I'm pretty sure I'm going to forget all of them by next week! Ah I'm so bad with names... o well, at least I'll recognize them!
The church is about a half hour drive from my house. For a lot of them members it is an hour drive! I couldn't believe that! I am so use to walking to church. It is definitely different here. But one thing that i did notice is that the people at church are the people who WANT to be there! Who are there for the right reasons! There are so many spiritual giants here and i cannot wait to go back and get to know them :)
----------------------------------
I wrote that a while ago and never posted it... so i guess i'll add to it! Tonight i went to Institute :) It was just what i needed! Institute here is a little different then what i am use to. They hold it every Thursday night at the stake center. Everyone in that stake is welcome to join! The lesson was wonderful and after institute we played volleyball! It was a great chance for me to get to know more people and get that extra spiritual boost for the rest of my week! I was a little nervous going all by myself but so glad that i did! Put Christ first and everything else will fall into place :) yep that is very true
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
good day
Work today was amazing :) The day started with the usually cutting, pealing and cleaning... but today i was introduced to multiple animals! the first group that i was shown was the birds! There are three birds inside... one of whom is names Alfred. Alfred is a Palm Cockatoo. He is such a pretty bird, but a very moody one. Alfred really doesn't like anyone, he tries to bite you through the cage... well there must have been something different about me :) as soon as i walked in the room Alfred started making the prettiest bird calls, his patch of skin underneath his eye turned a beautiful red color (it is usually white), and he stretched out his wings and feathers on top of his head! He was beautiful :) i went over the the cage and started rubbing his beak. He enjoyed that so i decided to be daring... i opened his cage stuck my hand in... he came right up to me and started rubbing his head on my hand :) Gwen said that if was i was comfortable with it i could let him sit on my arm, and so i did! His nails were really sharp and long and i got a but cut up by them, but i didn't mind. i had a beautiful big Palm Cockatoo chillin on my arm, and i think he enjoyed it just as much as i did :)
After putting the bird back i went back to cleaning the cages and such. Finishing most of the cages rather quickly i had the opportunity to feed the Serval! He was very pretty aswell! The whole time i was in there cleaning his cage i just couldn't believe what i was doing :)
Well we all must have gotten a good night sleep or something because we got everything finished so fast :) we were just killing time between feedings... so i had another amazing chance i gave a belly rub to the Striped Hyena :) O she was gorgeous! I didn't go in the cage with her, because we didn't know how she would react around me. I sat outside her cage, and she slowly and cautiously approached me... once she got there she was so glad to meet me :) i sat there for a good half hour just rubbing her belly and her neck :) it was something that i will never forget, i still cannot believe i did that! i gave a belly rub to a hyena!
O today was a good day :)
After putting the bird back i went back to cleaning the cages and such. Finishing most of the cages rather quickly i had the opportunity to feed the Serval! He was very pretty aswell! The whole time i was in there cleaning his cage i just couldn't believe what i was doing :)
Well we all must have gotten a good night sleep or something because we got everything finished so fast :) we were just killing time between feedings... so i had another amazing chance i gave a belly rub to the Striped Hyena :) O she was gorgeous! I didn't go in the cage with her, because we didn't know how she would react around me. I sat outside her cage, and she slowly and cautiously approached me... once she got there she was so glad to meet me :) i sat there for a good half hour just rubbing her belly and her neck :) it was something that i will never forget, i still cannot believe i did that! i gave a belly rub to a hyena!
O today was a good day :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Panda Express
The other night we got Panda Express for dinner :) it was delicious! at the end of the meal we all opened our two fortune cookies... well i got an unexpected fortune! it said:
"You will find good fortune in love, which will shortly greet you"
boy when i read that everyone flipped! haha i hurry and opened another one this one said:"Your great fortune is in the large number of friends you have"
I liked the second one a lot better! But both of them are taped in my journal... we will see when will happen in the near future :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
sorry not much time
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
i'm muddy and wet, but still smiling :)
In contrast to what you may think... i was NOT rolling in the pigsty! It has been raining here :)
Saturday night... rain! All Sunday... rain! Monday morning... rain!
I LOVE the rain :) i was sooo excited to see it! I'm glad it rains here! I can live without snow, the cold and the smog... but not without rain!
With it raining for that long it made work today and yesterday sure interesting!
Monday was the wet and muddy day! I was out working in the rain for only 3 hours.. it then stopped and the sun came out! but it had rained so much it left lots of puddles and mud holes behind! There was mud everywhere! i was caked in it, the animals were wet, the cages were a mess form all the mud! i have never seen or been so muddy in my entire life... it was crazy! With all the mud everywhere it was really hard to keep the animals clean, and they made a mess in their cages! We cleaned it up the best we could and decided to make tomorrow the cleaning day!
And that it was... today was the cleaning day! We cleaned ALL the cages, hosed them down, washed the animals and did our best to keep them out of the mud that's still here. When i left today everything looked so clean and pretty (which i know won't last long, but it made me feel good) The sun is coming out so hopefully it will dry things out!
I was also permitted to start working with the lemurs! There are three different species here... Ring-Tailed, Black and White Ruffed, and Red Ruffed Lemurs! You are never to go in with the Ring-Tailed Lemurs! They are just a little to curious for their own good... so what we do is target train them! We teach them to go into a different section of the cage, which we can close off while we go in, and they will be rewarded! I am always surprised at how smart animals are and how quickly they pick up on things and learn them! The other two kinds of Lemurs won't hurt you so you can go right in with them :) which i did! I clean their cage and gave them their food! They were so much fun to be around. They would jump on my back while i was sweeping or mopping and just chill there! (At the end of the day i had all these lemur foot prints on the back of them shirt! i didn't want to wash it because it looked so cool!)
I'm enjoying Texas immensely :) and so far it has been a muddy, wet week.. nonetheless i am still smiling and loving every minute!
Saturday night... rain! All Sunday... rain! Monday morning... rain!
I LOVE the rain :) i was sooo excited to see it! I'm glad it rains here! I can live without snow, the cold and the smog... but not without rain!
With it raining for that long it made work today and yesterday sure interesting!
Monday was the wet and muddy day! I was out working in the rain for only 3 hours.. it then stopped and the sun came out! but it had rained so much it left lots of puddles and mud holes behind! There was mud everywhere! i was caked in it, the animals were wet, the cages were a mess form all the mud! i have never seen or been so muddy in my entire life... it was crazy! With all the mud everywhere it was really hard to keep the animals clean, and they made a mess in their cages! We cleaned it up the best we could and decided to make tomorrow the cleaning day!
And that it was... today was the cleaning day! We cleaned ALL the cages, hosed them down, washed the animals and did our best to keep them out of the mud that's still here. When i left today everything looked so clean and pretty (which i know won't last long, but it made me feel good) The sun is coming out so hopefully it will dry things out!
I was also permitted to start working with the lemurs! There are three different species here... Ring-Tailed, Black and White Ruffed, and Red Ruffed Lemurs! You are never to go in with the Ring-Tailed Lemurs! They are just a little to curious for their own good... so what we do is target train them! We teach them to go into a different section of the cage, which we can close off while we go in, and they will be rewarded! I am always surprised at how smart animals are and how quickly they pick up on things and learn them! The other two kinds of Lemurs won't hurt you so you can go right in with them :) which i did! I clean their cage and gave them their food! They were so much fun to be around. They would jump on my back while i was sweeping or mopping and just chill there! (At the end of the day i had all these lemur foot prints on the back of them shirt! i didn't want to wash it because it looked so cool!)
I'm enjoying Texas immensely :) and so far it has been a muddy, wet week.. nonetheless i am still smiling and loving every minute!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Frist day on the job!
Not very many people can say that they have bottle fed a porcupine... well I HAVE :)
Today was amazing! It was my first day at the internship and i absolutely loved it!
When I first got there i had to help chop the fruits and vegetables for the animals breakfast. After we got that finished we took the food out to all the animals! I fed three different species of porcupines (one of which i bottle fed), Bintrongs or bearcats capybaras, camels, goats, llamas, Kune Kune (a type of pig from Africa), coatimundis (which are so cute! they are similar to a raccoon and are so fun! when i went to give them their food they started climbing all over me!), sloths and Kangaroos!
After feeding them it was time to clean the cages which really wasn't that bad. Ya it smelled, but I was in cleaning cages with sloths, armadillos and kangaroos! how cool is that!
The one animal that i was afraid of was the Rabbit! They have a pet bunny there and i had to clean it's cage... everyone said it was an evil one, but i refused to believe it! I had almost finished cleaning it all when he decided he didn't like me in his cage and hopped over and bit my arm! well it really wasn't a bite, more of a nibble, but still! After i finished cleaning i agreed with the others, it is an evil rabbit!
There was one other part that made a little nervous, we took the food out to the pasture where the camels, goats, llamas, and pony are! There are three camels in that area and when camels get excited they stomp their feet and swing their head... well these are pretty big animals and when they start stomping and swinging you better watch out! you have to be quick and cautions when you are feeding them, but if there is no food and they aren't excited or upset they are the nicest things ever, they will follow you around while your raking or walking from place to place. Also camels make the weirdest noises haha they are so nasty sounding!
After a feeding and cleaning it was time to take the inside animals out. The last little bit it had been too cold for the Lesser Anteaters, a Porcupine from South America and all the Sloths! (which by-the-way sloths are the weirdest looking animals i have ever seen) We lured the porcupine into a crate to transport it outside. We also took two of the three anteaters out; to transport them you just picked them up by their tails! haha it was the funniest thing! you pick them up and they just hang there and are chill with it! Before we could take the third anteater out we had to give him a bath. He had made a mess eating that morning and had gotten it all over himself! So I helped in bathing an anteater! haha i think they are the most chill animal in the world... he was totally fine with us washing him!
It was too cold to take the 6 sloths outside we we just moved them into a bigger cage indoors. We also relocated the capybara and the Kune Kune. They had a batch of Kune Kunes come in August... there are about seven of this cute little piglets! If you scratch them on their belly they will just flop over so you can give them a proper belly rub :) they are so cute and make the cutest little oinks and squealing noises!
The last thing of the day I did was to rake out the Kangaroo's pen... it's a big pen and it took a while to do but it was fun! The kangaroos would come up to you and make this barking/belching noise and then just stand there and expect you to do something back! I loved being in there, but I was a little hesitant about the male roo. His name is Trooper and he is over six feet tall! He's a BIG kangaroo and his bark/belch was so loud! But he didn't bother us too much! just give him his space and it's fine.
It was a great day and i cannot wait to go back and learn more about the animals and their certain personality :) sorry i didn't get any pictures... but i promise i will!
Today was amazing! It was my first day at the internship and i absolutely loved it!
When I first got there i had to help chop the fruits and vegetables for the animals breakfast. After we got that finished we took the food out to all the animals! I fed three different species of porcupines (one of which i bottle fed), Bintrongs or bearcats capybaras, camels, goats, llamas, Kune Kune (a type of pig from Africa), coatimundis (which are so cute! they are similar to a raccoon and are so fun! when i went to give them their food they started climbing all over me!), sloths and Kangaroos!
After feeding them it was time to clean the cages which really wasn't that bad. Ya it smelled, but I was in cleaning cages with sloths, armadillos and kangaroos! how cool is that!
The one animal that i was afraid of was the Rabbit! They have a pet bunny there and i had to clean it's cage... everyone said it was an evil one, but i refused to believe it! I had almost finished cleaning it all when he decided he didn't like me in his cage and hopped over and bit my arm! well it really wasn't a bite, more of a nibble, but still! After i finished cleaning i agreed with the others, it is an evil rabbit!
There was one other part that made a little nervous, we took the food out to the pasture where the camels, goats, llamas, and pony are! There are three camels in that area and when camels get excited they stomp their feet and swing their head... well these are pretty big animals and when they start stomping and swinging you better watch out! you have to be quick and cautions when you are feeding them, but if there is no food and they aren't excited or upset they are the nicest things ever, they will follow you around while your raking or walking from place to place. Also camels make the weirdest noises haha they are so nasty sounding!
After a feeding and cleaning it was time to take the inside animals out. The last little bit it had been too cold for the Lesser Anteaters, a Porcupine from South America and all the Sloths! (which by-the-way sloths are the weirdest looking animals i have ever seen) We lured the porcupine into a crate to transport it outside. We also took two of the three anteaters out; to transport them you just picked them up by their tails! haha it was the funniest thing! you pick them up and they just hang there and are chill with it! Before we could take the third anteater out we had to give him a bath. He had made a mess eating that morning and had gotten it all over himself! So I helped in bathing an anteater! haha i think they are the most chill animal in the world... he was totally fine with us washing him!
It was too cold to take the 6 sloths outside we we just moved them into a bigger cage indoors. We also relocated the capybara and the Kune Kune. They had a batch of Kune Kunes come in August... there are about seven of this cute little piglets! If you scratch them on their belly they will just flop over so you can give them a proper belly rub :) they are so cute and make the cutest little oinks and squealing noises!
The last thing of the day I did was to rake out the Kangaroo's pen... it's a big pen and it took a while to do but it was fun! The kangaroos would come up to you and make this barking/belching noise and then just stand there and expect you to do something back! I loved being in there, but I was a little hesitant about the male roo. His name is Trooper and he is over six feet tall! He's a BIG kangaroo and his bark/belch was so loud! But he didn't bother us too much! just give him his space and it's fine.
It was a great day and i cannot wait to go back and learn more about the animals and their certain personality :) sorry i didn't get any pictures... but i promise i will!
Friday, January 14, 2011
let the adventure begin
So here I am! Spring Texas :) I am so glad to finally be here! I am staying with my neighbor's sister for about a week until I get my feet on the ground with the internship. It is a family of 7 but they have two kids out on a mission... so there is 5 at the home. I feel bad using their computer so I am going to get off as soon as someone else needs it...
Anyways January 12th was the day i left. My Mom, Dad, Dianne and Kristin came to see me off at the airport! Dianne and Kristin were very excited to get checked out of school :) (and i was told to take lots of pictures so here are the first two pictures of my adventure!)
We got to the airport and stood in line to get my boarding pass and to check my luggage in. I was really nervous about weighing my baggage! I had two suitcases and the couldn't be over 50 lbs. I had weighted them at home and one was 47 and the other was 45... our scale at home is really old and i was scared that it wasn't right! well the good news they both were under, one was 49.6 lbs and the other was 47.3 :) that is what i was MOST worried about! with that out of the way it was time to say goodbye! we took some pics, gave hugs, and i was on my way :)
I made it through security just fine, although the old lady before my had to have a pat down.... and i had an hour to burn before boarding started! I went filled up my water bottle and decided to explore the airport! my favorite thing i found were the moving walk ways :)
My first flight was from SLC to DEN and it was about 50 minutes long... When i had booked my flight i had gotten stuck with a seat clear in the back. Somehow, when i looked at my ticket, i was sitting in seat 1A! you know what that mean, FIRST CLASS! and it was very nice :) we got two warm chocolate chip cookies :) i was also sitting at a window seat when a little boy and his dad boarded. they were sitting next to me; the little guy was soo cute! I heard him whisper to his dad that he wanted to sit by the window... well me being the eavesdropper i am stood up and gave him my seat! He was so excited and kept me very entertained for that hour!
We arrived at the Denver Colorado airport and boy is a BIG! When we landed we were at Gate A39. My next flight was leaving from Gate B18... and gosh dang it it was the hardest thing to find! I was wondering around and i didn't see any sign with "B Terminal This Way" on it or any sign with the letter "B" on it! but i finally figured it out!
I'm going on a train ride :) i couldn't believe it i had to take a train to another terminal! dang i'm definitely not in Utah anymore! after getting to Terminal "B" i had to walk FOREVER on those moving walkways until i found Gate 18. On my way i passed...
i could go visit Mike! haha no well i made it just in time for boarding! It wasn't a full flight so i didn't have anyone sitting next to me! I had a window seat and was soo glad i did! Here are some pictures :) it was an amazing sunset, the pic doesn't even come close to how pretty it really was!
here is what i saw flying into Houston! and holy cow was it HUGE! On Thursday i got a "tour" of Houston and i was amazed at how big it was and how anyone can find their way! The streets are crazy! They have weird names, go in strange directions, and they have a tendency to have three different names for the same street! Also it is so weird without mountains! i have no idea how people can tell which way is North! There are no landmarks to tell you which way is which! it is driving me nuts!
anyways... i'll tell more later but for now know that i am safe, happy, and enjoying life :)
Anyways January 12th was the day i left. My Mom, Dad, Dianne and Kristin came to see me off at the airport! Dianne and Kristin were very excited to get checked out of school :) (and i was told to take lots of pictures so here are the first two pictures of my adventure!)
We got to the airport and stood in line to get my boarding pass and to check my luggage in. I was really nervous about weighing my baggage! I had two suitcases and the couldn't be over 50 lbs. I had weighted them at home and one was 47 and the other was 45... our scale at home is really old and i was scared that it wasn't right! well the good news they both were under, one was 49.6 lbs and the other was 47.3 :) that is what i was MOST worried about! with that out of the way it was time to say goodbye! we took some pics, gave hugs, and i was on my way :)
I made it through security just fine, although the old lady before my had to have a pat down.... and i had an hour to burn before boarding started! I went filled up my water bottle and decided to explore the airport! my favorite thing i found were the moving walk ways :)
My first flight was from SLC to DEN and it was about 50 minutes long... When i had booked my flight i had gotten stuck with a seat clear in the back. Somehow, when i looked at my ticket, i was sitting in seat 1A! you know what that mean, FIRST CLASS! and it was very nice :) we got two warm chocolate chip cookies :) i was also sitting at a window seat when a little boy and his dad boarded. they were sitting next to me; the little guy was soo cute! I heard him whisper to his dad that he wanted to sit by the window... well me being the eavesdropper i am stood up and gave him my seat! He was so excited and kept me very entertained for that hour!We arrived at the Denver Colorado airport and boy is a BIG! When we landed we were at Gate A39. My next flight was leaving from Gate B18... and gosh dang it it was the hardest thing to find! I was wondering around and i didn't see any sign with "B Terminal This Way" on it or any sign with the letter "B" on it! but i finally figured it out!
I'm going on a train ride :) i couldn't believe it i had to take a train to another terminal! dang i'm definitely not in Utah anymore! after getting to Terminal "B" i had to walk FOREVER on those moving walkways until i found Gate 18. On my way i passed...
i could go visit Mike! haha no well i made it just in time for boarding! It wasn't a full flight so i didn't have anyone sitting next to me! I had a window seat and was soo glad i did! Here are some pictures :) it was an amazing sunset, the pic doesn't even come close to how pretty it really was!
here is what i saw flying into Houston! and holy cow was it HUGE! On Thursday i got a "tour" of Houston and i was amazed at how big it was and how anyone can find their way! The streets are crazy! They have weird names, go in strange directions, and they have a tendency to have three different names for the same street! Also it is so weird without mountains! i have no idea how people can tell which way is North! There are no landmarks to tell you which way is which! it is driving me nuts!
anyways... i'll tell more later but for now know that i am safe, happy, and enjoying life :)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
more details...
Okay so here are some more details for Texas!
I'm leaving tomorrow, Wednesday January 12th, from the SLC airport at 2:32! That flight is to DEN Colorado airport! I then have a one and a half hour layover and then I'm catching my ride to TEXAS! I fly in at 8:24! One of my neighbors has a sister that lives in Spring Texas and has offered to pick me up from the airport and show me around! (Thanks Darci! You have done so much for me already!)
I start my internship on Friday :)
That following week I am moving into my permanent house! I am living with two girls, who I can hardly wait to meet! One of the girls, Katherine, owns a three bedroom house and offered the last bedroom to me :)
Ah I cannot believe it has come this fast! It is my last night in Logan UT. It is so crazy to think about... i'm a little nervous but a lot more excited for the adventure that awaits me!
I'm leaving tomorrow, Wednesday January 12th, from the SLC airport at 2:32! That flight is to DEN Colorado airport! I then have a one and a half hour layover and then I'm catching my ride to TEXAS! I fly in at 8:24! One of my neighbors has a sister that lives in Spring Texas and has offered to pick me up from the airport and show me around! (Thanks Darci! You have done so much for me already!)
I start my internship on Friday :)
That following week I am moving into my permanent house! I am living with two girls, who I can hardly wait to meet! One of the girls, Katherine, owns a three bedroom house and offered the last bedroom to me :)
Ah I cannot believe it has come this fast! It is my last night in Logan UT. It is so crazy to think about... i'm a little nervous but a lot more excited for the adventure that awaits me!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Things come in 3s
Three wards... one sunday... again! but i'm not complaining! I LOVED today :) The first ward i went to was my home ward, good old Hillcrest 1st! Kody is leaving for his mission on Wednesday so he gave it "farewell" talk today. It was really good, he is going to bless so many people's lives! (haha the thing that cracked me up was that Kody had a part in his hair! he had the missionary hair!)
After socializing for a bit and saying goodbye to people, i went to the Lundstrom Park 1st ward. My Mom was asked to speak there (she's the YW pres), and as a bonus my friend Katie was also talking! They both did a wonderful job and I got so much out of both of their talks! Katie talked about her recent trip to Tijuana Mexico. She went down with USU for a week! They Built a preschool in an orphanage :) It was so cool to hear her feelings about the trip! The one part that really stood out to me was when she was looking around an LDS church in Mexico. She said she walked into a classroom and there was stuff written in spanish on the blackboard. At the bottom it had a scripture (ie) D&C 18:10, 15-16. She said how it was such a testimony builder of Missionary work. I agree with that but i got something totally different out of that story! While she was talking the Holy Ghost was answering my prayer! During November and December I was given the challenge to read the book of Mormon... and i did it! I also took Moroni's challenge at the end of the book to pray about it and ask to know if it's true. (I had done this before but never really got an answer. I was expecting some extravagant feeling or something, but that didn't happen. After a bit i realized that I didn't need to get a BIG answer, i have always known it to be true!) This time was different, i was questioning it... well not really questioning if it was true or not but i needed reassurance! I'm leaving to texas, alone, and i needed to have that reassurance that the church i belong to is true that the Book of Mormon is a true book! That reassurance came :) I was so nervous to be out on my own, not it utah and have my standards and faith questioned.. but i'm not nervous any longer! I got my second wind! I KNOW this church is true!
My Mom also gave a wonderful talk! She was asked to speak about understanding and being grateful for challenges. She was also asked to share Michael's recent story that happened to him. (It is a very long story... and i will tell it some time... but i'm sick of typing at the moment.) But Mom did a wonderful job and made it through the whole talk without crying! ( I am very thankful for that! for my mom not being a crier... i mean i don't mind crying but i'm not a crier either. and i think that is one way that we connect! Sometimes i wish i was a crier. I get so jealous when people cry when they bare their testimony or talk about a spiritual experience they had!)
Well after socializing for a bit, again, i was off to THE best ward! The YSA 9th! it was my last week there :( and everyone kept reminding me! I said goodbye to a lot of people i had become really good friends with! And by the time i get back into logan they will be graduated and moved away... it was really hard to say goodbye to them because i knew i wouldn't see them again :( but they all promised to keep in touch! and that made it a little easier.
There was also a CES fireside tonight! It was wonderful :) here is the link if you want to listen to it!
After socializing for a bit and saying goodbye to people, i went to the Lundstrom Park 1st ward. My Mom was asked to speak there (she's the YW pres), and as a bonus my friend Katie was also talking! They both did a wonderful job and I got so much out of both of their talks! Katie talked about her recent trip to Tijuana Mexico. She went down with USU for a week! They Built a preschool in an orphanage :) It was so cool to hear her feelings about the trip! The one part that really stood out to me was when she was looking around an LDS church in Mexico. She said she walked into a classroom and there was stuff written in spanish on the blackboard. At the bottom it had a scripture (ie) D&C 18:10, 15-16. She said how it was such a testimony builder of Missionary work. I agree with that but i got something totally different out of that story! While she was talking the Holy Ghost was answering my prayer! During November and December I was given the challenge to read the book of Mormon... and i did it! I also took Moroni's challenge at the end of the book to pray about it and ask to know if it's true. (I had done this before but never really got an answer. I was expecting some extravagant feeling or something, but that didn't happen. After a bit i realized that I didn't need to get a BIG answer, i have always known it to be true!) This time was different, i was questioning it... well not really questioning if it was true or not but i needed reassurance! I'm leaving to texas, alone, and i needed to have that reassurance that the church i belong to is true that the Book of Mormon is a true book! That reassurance came :) I was so nervous to be out on my own, not it utah and have my standards and faith questioned.. but i'm not nervous any longer! I got my second wind! I KNOW this church is true!
My Mom also gave a wonderful talk! She was asked to speak about understanding and being grateful for challenges. She was also asked to share Michael's recent story that happened to him. (It is a very long story... and i will tell it some time... but i'm sick of typing at the moment.) But Mom did a wonderful job and made it through the whole talk without crying! ( I am very thankful for that! for my mom not being a crier... i mean i don't mind crying but i'm not a crier either. and i think that is one way that we connect! Sometimes i wish i was a crier. I get so jealous when people cry when they bare their testimony or talk about a spiritual experience they had!)
Well after socializing for a bit, again, i was off to THE best ward! The YSA 9th! it was my last week there :( and everyone kept reminding me! I said goodbye to a lot of people i had become really good friends with! And by the time i get back into logan they will be graduated and moved away... it was really hard to say goodbye to them because i knew i wouldn't see them again :( but they all promised to keep in touch! and that made it a little easier.
There was also a CES fireside tonight! It was wonderful :) here is the link if you want to listen to it!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
the last weekend in utah
I cannot believe that it has gone so fast! It is my last weekend here in utah... and it was wonderful :)
Wednesday: (It's not technically the weekend, but i want to include it anyways): Dianne's Birthday! I am SO SO thankful for her! Even though Wednesday was her birthday we waited to celebrate it until my grandparents could come down! Well that is not entirely true. Dianne did get to choose what dinner to have! She chose home made pizza! haha so we made it, put it in the oven, and when it came out it looked delicious! We cut it into pieces but when we went to pull it off the pan we couldn't move it!! haha it was stuck :) boy was that an adventure! We had to use a knife to scrape it off, lets just say once we got it on our plates i didn't look pretty anymore! But it was still delicious. Kristin and I also gave her our gifts after dinner! Kristin did a wonderful wrapping job with her present... She had run out of wrapping paper so two of the sides weren't wrapped! o that girl cracks me up!
Thursday: We started off the birthday-partying by supporting Dianne in her swim meet! She did wonderfully! I am very jealous that she can swim that well... i sure c
an't! After the swimming we went to dinner... my mom and dad both had meetings at 7, so Dianne Kristin and I got to spend some quality time with our Grandparents! I love my grandparents :) they are such amazing example to me! We got home, opened presents, ate some cake and ice cream and chatted the night away! It was so sad saying goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma... i got my last hugs from them for a couple months :( but don't worry i won't be gone for THAT long!
Friday: Friday was my packing day! I got a lot of it done. Megan was a friend and come over to entertained me while i tried to fit everything into my two suit cases. At five I went over to Suzanna's house. We were making dinner for a girl in our ward (wow i sound so OLD saying that! I felt old too when we took the dinner over to her!) Suzanna is such a fun girl and it was sad to think that i'll be leaving her too! When I got home i just felt like chilling with my family :) We watched the movie "The Blindside". All i can say is it was a CUTE movie! After Dianne and Kristin went to bed my Mom and I watched "Eclipse". It was her first time seeing it :) and boy i sure do like that movie!
Saturday: After staying up late watching that movie i figured on sleeping in on saturday... but that wasn't Katie and Laurie's plan! I was kidnapped and taken to breakfas
t :) (Boy this weekend has sure showed me who i am really going to miss while I'm gone). After getting home from breakfast i ran, jumped in the shower and was off to watch Krissy play some basketball! She did great! Her team won by one point! It was fun to go watch her participate in something she gets so much joy from!
When I got home i just chilled with my sisters the rest of the day! Playing Nintendo watching movies and just enjoying the time we have together! Those two girls are who i am going to miss the most! My sisters are everything to me! I love them SO much! I cannot wait to get down to texas... but i also cannot wait to get back :)
Wednesday: (It's not technically the weekend, but i want to include it anyways): Dianne's Birthday! I am SO SO thankful for her! Even though Wednesday was her birthday we waited to celebrate it until my grandparents could come down! Well that is not entirely true. Dianne did get to choose what dinner to have! She chose home made pizza! haha so we made it, put it in the oven, and when it came out it looked delicious! We cut it into pieces but when we went to pull it off the pan we couldn't move it!! haha it was stuck :) boy was that an adventure! We had to use a knife to scrape it off, lets just say once we got it on our plates i didn't look pretty anymore! But it was still delicious. Kristin and I also gave her our gifts after dinner! Kristin did a wonderful wrapping job with her present... She had run out of wrapping paper so two of the sides weren't wrapped! o that girl cracks me up!
Thursday: We started off the birthday-partying by supporting Dianne in her swim meet! She did wonderfully! I am very jealous that she can swim that well... i sure c
an't! After the swimming we went to dinner... my mom and dad both had meetings at 7, so Dianne Kristin and I got to spend some quality time with our Grandparents! I love my grandparents :) they are such amazing example to me! We got home, opened presents, ate some cake and ice cream and chatted the night away! It was so sad saying goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma... i got my last hugs from them for a couple months :( but don't worry i won't be gone for THAT long!Friday: Friday was my packing day! I got a lot of it done. Megan was a friend and come over to entertained me while i tried to fit everything into my two suit cases. At five I went over to Suzanna's house. We were making dinner for a girl in our ward (wow i sound so OLD saying that! I felt old too when we took the dinner over to her!) Suzanna is such a fun girl and it was sad to think that i'll be leaving her too! When I got home i just felt like chilling with my family :) We watched the movie "The Blindside". All i can say is it was a CUTE movie! After Dianne and Kristin went to bed my Mom and I watched "Eclipse". It was her first time seeing it :) and boy i sure do like that movie!
Saturday: After staying up late watching that movie i figured on sleeping in on saturday... but that wasn't Katie and Laurie's plan! I was kidnapped and taken to breakfas
t :) (Boy this weekend has sure showed me who i am really going to miss while I'm gone). After getting home from breakfast i ran, jumped in the shower and was off to watch Krissy play some basketball! She did great! Her team won by one point! It was fun to go watch her participate in something she gets so much joy from! 
When I got home i just chilled with my sisters the rest of the day! Playing Nintendo watching movies and just enjoying the time we have together! Those two girls are who i am going to miss the most! My sisters are everything to me! I love them SO much! I cannot wait to get down to texas... but i also cannot wait to get back :)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Get ready... here i come :)
I'm leaving! Next Wednesday at this time i will be in TEXAS!
I got an internship down there and can hardly wait! I will be working in a Zoo in Spring, TX (which is about 30 miles north of Houston). I will be taking care and working really close with of all sorts of exotic animals :)
If you didn't know this, don't think i hate you! it just all happened pretty quickly :) it a long story that has many valuable life lessons intertwined... which i will never forget :) It's a pretty long story that spans about 6 months so i'll tell the condensed version:
In September I started my first semester at Utah State University majoring in Wildlife Science. In one of my classes we were looking on the internet for possible jobs we could do with our major. While looking i ran across this internship. I decided to apply for it, nothing ventured nothing gained! Well they looked at my resume and talked to my references and called me about a week later. They really wanted me to come down! I told them I would think about it (not wanting to make any hasty decisions). They said that I had until the end of December to tell them if I was coming. Well not thinking that i would actually do it, I forgot about it!
It's now the end of November and i was freaking out! And soo super stressed. Finals were killing me and i really didn't know what to do with my life... i had a lot of different paths to take, different possibilities, different choices and all of them would lead me in a very different direction! They were all constantly running through my head and driving me nuts. Well i made some choices but life happened and things didn't work... so i made others and they didn't work out they way I wanted them too either.
It's now the middle of December and i was getting sick of making choices and them not working so i decided to go with my original plan, to go to USU another semester. By the time i decided this tuition was due and SOON. But every time i went to put my schedule in cement i got this thought and feeling that i was doing the wrong thing... i thought i was going crazy when i first had that feeling! Ha i tried to ignore it, but it kept coming back and nagging at me! I had prayed and fasted a lot on what i should do... it was so hard for me to decide, but in the end i went with what i thought was right, i didn't register for the spring semester! (that was THE hardest thing ever! it was for sure a test of my faith). The only thing i could think of after missing registration was WHAT AM I DOING?? What the heck was i suppose to do if i'm not in school!? What was a thinking!? I am idiot! People are going to think i'm a college drop out! What am i doing? For about a week i was lost, not knowing what i was suppose to be doing!
Right when i thought that maybe i should check into an insane asylum I got a call from an inspired neighbor! She had asked me to come with her and some young women in the ward to go to the temple and do baptisms. While I was there wondering what on earth was i suppose to do with my life I remembered the internship! Once remembering it i had this beautiful feeling that is the right thing for me to do :) Everything fell right into place after that!
I know that Heavenly Father is aware of me and my situation! I know He answers my prayers! I know that if we trust him and put our faith in the Lord that He will take care of us and in the best way, even if we don't think it is the best way! I learned that having faith in the Lord also means having faith in the Lord's timing :)
I got an internship down there and can hardly wait! I will be working in a Zoo in Spring, TX (which is about 30 miles north of Houston). I will be taking care and working really close with of all sorts of exotic animals :)
If you didn't know this, don't think i hate you! it just all happened pretty quickly :) it a long story that has many valuable life lessons intertwined... which i will never forget :) It's a pretty long story that spans about 6 months so i'll tell the condensed version:
In September I started my first semester at Utah State University majoring in Wildlife Science. In one of my classes we were looking on the internet for possible jobs we could do with our major. While looking i ran across this internship. I decided to apply for it, nothing ventured nothing gained! Well they looked at my resume and talked to my references and called me about a week later. They really wanted me to come down! I told them I would think about it (not wanting to make any hasty decisions). They said that I had until the end of December to tell them if I was coming. Well not thinking that i would actually do it, I forgot about it!
It's now the end of November and i was freaking out! And soo super stressed. Finals were killing me and i really didn't know what to do with my life... i had a lot of different paths to take, different possibilities, different choices and all of them would lead me in a very different direction! They were all constantly running through my head and driving me nuts. Well i made some choices but life happened and things didn't work... so i made others and they didn't work out they way I wanted them too either.
It's now the middle of December and i was getting sick of making choices and them not working so i decided to go with my original plan, to go to USU another semester. By the time i decided this tuition was due and SOON. But every time i went to put my schedule in cement i got this thought and feeling that i was doing the wrong thing... i thought i was going crazy when i first had that feeling! Ha i tried to ignore it, but it kept coming back and nagging at me! I had prayed and fasted a lot on what i should do... it was so hard for me to decide, but in the end i went with what i thought was right, i didn't register for the spring semester! (that was THE hardest thing ever! it was for sure a test of my faith). The only thing i could think of after missing registration was WHAT AM I DOING?? What the heck was i suppose to do if i'm not in school!? What was a thinking!? I am idiot! People are going to think i'm a college drop out! What am i doing? For about a week i was lost, not knowing what i was suppose to be doing!
Right when i thought that maybe i should check into an insane asylum I got a call from an inspired neighbor! She had asked me to come with her and some young women in the ward to go to the temple and do baptisms. While I was there wondering what on earth was i suppose to do with my life I remembered the internship! Once remembering it i had this beautiful feeling that is the right thing for me to do :) Everything fell right into place after that!
I know that Heavenly Father is aware of me and my situation! I know He answers my prayers! I know that if we trust him and put our faith in the Lord that He will take care of us and in the best way, even if we don't think it is the best way! I learned that having faith in the Lord also means having faith in the Lord's timing :)
Monday, January 3, 2011
fish
It's a sad sad day for fish everywhere. I found my beloved twelve cent goldfish floating this morning.
In July of 2010 my fish Sir Walter Kinghorn died. I had only had him a couple days... i felt like a fish killer so i didn't get another one. but in August my friend decided that i needed to get fish a new fish and that she wanted one too! So we took a drive to Pet Smart. My friend picked out her fish first. In attempting to catch her fish with the net Pam was also scooped up! They were about to throw her back in the tank when I decided she was the fish for me! Pam was the cutest twelve cent gold fish you had ever seen!
I'll miss you Pam, may you rest in peace.
---------------------------------------------------------------
i had a wonderful surprise this morning! Ashely and Sam stopped by with a present for me :) A NEW FISHY :) i had told them yesterday how i was sad that Pam had died... so they had gone to walmart and bought me a new one! It was so nice of them to do that!
i love my new fish! His name, at first was Chuck, but he didn't fit it. I went to google and did some reasearch and came up with the name Pietro! He is named after the Italian poet and librettist. Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi or better know as Pietro Metastasio was born on January 3 1698 and was invited to Vienna as court poet by Charles VI. His 27 three-act librettos were set in more than 800 operas in the 18th and early 19th century by composers such as Antonio Vivaldi, George Handel, Christoph Gluck, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Luigi Cherubini.
I thought this name fit him perfectly!!
In July of 2010 my fish Sir Walter Kinghorn died. I had only had him a couple days... i felt like a fish killer so i didn't get another one. but in August my friend decided that i needed to get fish a new fish and that she wanted one too! So we took a drive to Pet Smart. My friend picked out her fish first. In attempting to catch her fish with the net Pam was also scooped up! They were about to throw her back in the tank when I decided she was the fish for me! Pam was the cutest twelve cent gold fish you had ever seen!
I'll miss you Pam, may you rest in peace.
---------------------------------------------------------------
i had a wonderful surprise this morning! Ashely and Sam stopped by with a present for me :) A NEW FISHY :) i had told them yesterday how i was sad that Pam had died... so they had gone to walmart and bought me a new one! It was so nice of them to do that!
i love my new fish! His name, at first was Chuck, but he didn't fit it. I went to google and did some reasearch and came up with the name Pietro! He is named after the Italian poet and librettist. Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi or better know as Pietro Metastasio was born on January 3 1698 and was invited to Vienna as court poet by Charles VI. His 27 three-act librettos were set in more than 800 operas in the 18th and early 19th century by composers such as Antonio Vivaldi, George Handel, Christoph Gluck, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Luigi Cherubini.
I thought this name fit him perfectly!!
I'd like to introduce Pietro! isn't he a cutie :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010 has been a good one
It is said that pictures are worth a THOUSAND words... so instead of writing a super long boring post about my year, i'll just show you pictures and still have a be a long boring post :)
In 2010 I attended my first hockey game! It was the Semi-pros Utah Grizzles... I was disappointed there was only one fight but i still enjoyed it!
Locked my sisters and I out of my car... NOT on purpose! We were in the Einstein Bagel parking lot, we were all talking about something and were very excited about it because we got out of the car, locked all the doors and went inside. We didn't even notice that the keys were still in the ignition until we were trying to get back in... it was cold and snowy but we did eventually have a lock smith come and get them! ha o boy that will NEVER happen again
I went to the Sweet Hearts Dance with Kody. AND made my dress! with a lot of help from Mom and Grandma :) it turned out beautiful!
Michael leaving on his mission! (pic 1: we are not the "smile pretty for the camera" type! pic 2: he was making fun of me being short so i was trying to be taller... it didn't work)
Lacrosse was a big four months of my year and this year we had a blast playing. The team almost fall apart at the beginning. We had a very large problem with our coach, but we struggled through and finished out the year strong! During the season we had a tournament for three days in South Jordan. It was sooo much fun and loved almost every minute, except for my nose had to get in the way. During one of my games I got hit with the ball. It gave me a nice bloody nose in the middle of the game! Two weeks later, at an away game, i got smacked again in the nose with a stick! we took a nice trip to the ER when i got home... ha boy did that nose cause me troubles but I was glad I wasn't out for the season!
The week after the Lacrosse tournament I headed north for the 2010 Key Club convention in Boise Idaho! (March 26-28) The theme was Service Safari and it was a memory i hope i never forget! i LOVED it (i took soo many pictures but here are the best two of the Logan High group!)
Young Women Recognition night! I had earned my Young Woman's medallion in November... but got recognized for it in April!
Spring Break was a lot of fun too! Mom, Dad, Dianne, Kristin, Me, Grandpa, Grandma, Jeff (uncle), Jessica (aunt), Gavin Marissa and Lindsey (cousins) all got a house together in St. George! O the memories we made there... it was a party house for sure :) we went swimming in FREEZING water (note that we are the ONLY ones at the pool because it was soo cold), flew kites in a storm, did lots and lots of hiking and exploring, did our annual Easter bag hunt with Jessica winning and Dad loosing, coloring easter eggs, played games at the park and card/board games during the rain. We also eat at In-N-Out and got the Bobbie at Capriotti's!
After spring break it was KILLER to go back to school! It was my senior year and I really just wanted it to be over! I struggled through single slow day, having THE worst case of senioritis! But I somehow made it to May! And then in May the fun stuff started!
Participating in and winning Mizz Grizz!
Did the annual cemetery clean up! played some baseball, got rained and hailed on, and went puddle jumping!
Later that same day I went to Senior Ball with Keenan and pinned on the boutineer all by myself!
Went Senior lagoon day and got rained on but it was still a BLAST :) And then later that night to the beach dance
Seminary Graduation... which I had the opportunity to speak at! (As a side note at the beginning of 2010 I made it a goal to become better at public speaking, i had prayed and asked for help. Well all i have to say it be careful what you pray for! i spoke 6 times during the year!)
went to the L banquet and candle light. so many pictures so many friends! i had THE hardest time narrowing down the pictures i posted!
And finally what i had been waiting for all year... GRADUATION :)
I was also very excited to see Sha, Carson, and Isaac graduating with me! They had gone through Highschool with me! I had been their peer tutor and they had been my friends and a teacher in many ways!
Then summer started.. you can read the post "Summer in a nut-shell" but it mainly consisted of partying every day, LTC, and Girls Camp.
I started college at Utah State University! I'm an aggie!
I joined the rugby team :) and got some pretty battle wounds from it... haha but this one was the best! i got cleated in the thigh during a game! the first day and then what it looked like later on.
well the rest of my story is on my blog... pumpkin carving, Thanksgiving, surviving finals, Christmas, and now new years eve!
Every New Years Eve we have a joint party with the Larsens! it is alwasy chuck full of games, food, and lots of laughs!
Boy 2010 sure went by fast... and I'm sad to see it go, but I cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store for me!
I decided that the most important thing i learned is that life is full of challenges and the best way to meet those hard times is head on with a laugh and a smile!
I went to the Sweet Hearts Dance with Kody. AND made my dress! with a lot of help from Mom and Grandma :) it turned out beautiful!
Michael leaving on his mission! (pic 1: we are not the "smile pretty for the camera" type! pic 2: he was making fun of me being short so i was trying to be taller... it didn't work)
Lacrosse was a big four months of my year and this year we had a blast playing. The team almost fall apart at the beginning. We had a very large problem with our coach, but we struggled through and finished out the year strong! During the season we had a tournament for three days in South Jordan. It was sooo much fun and loved almost every minute, except for my nose had to get in the way. During one of my games I got hit with the ball. It gave me a nice bloody nose in the middle of the game! Two weeks later, at an away game, i got smacked again in the nose with a stick! we took a nice trip to the ER when i got home... ha boy did that nose cause me troubles but I was glad I wasn't out for the season!
The week after the Lacrosse tournament I headed north for the 2010 Key Club convention in Boise Idaho! (March 26-28) The theme was Service Safari and it was a memory i hope i never forget! i LOVED it (i took soo many pictures but here are the best two of the Logan High group!)
Young Women Recognition night! I had earned my Young Woman's medallion in November... but got recognized for it in April!
Spring Break was a lot of fun too! Mom, Dad, Dianne, Kristin, Me, Grandpa, Grandma, Jeff (uncle), Jessica (aunt), Gavin Marissa and Lindsey (cousins) all got a house together in St. George! O the memories we made there... it was a party house for sure :) we went swimming in FREEZING water (note that we are the ONLY ones at the pool because it was soo cold), flew kites in a storm, did lots and lots of hiking and exploring, did our annual Easter bag hunt with Jessica winning and Dad loosing, coloring easter eggs, played games at the park and card/board games during the rain. We also eat at In-N-Out and got the Bobbie at Capriotti's!
After spring break it was KILLER to go back to school! It was my senior year and I really just wanted it to be over! I struggled through single slow day, having THE worst case of senioritis! But I somehow made it to May! And then in May the fun stuff started!Participating in and winning Mizz Grizz!
Did the annual cemetery clean up! played some baseball, got rained and hailed on, and went puddle jumping!
Later that same day I went to Senior Ball with Keenan and pinned on the boutineer all by myself!
Went Senior lagoon day and got rained on but it was still a BLAST :) And then later that night to the beach danceSeminary Graduation... which I had the opportunity to speak at! (As a side note at the beginning of 2010 I made it a goal to become better at public speaking, i had prayed and asked for help. Well all i have to say it be careful what you pray for! i spoke 6 times during the year!)
went to the L banquet and candle light. so many pictures so many friends! i had THE hardest time narrowing down the pictures i posted!
And finally what i had been waiting for all year... GRADUATION :)
I was also very excited to see Sha, Carson, and Isaac graduating with me! They had gone through Highschool with me! I had been their peer tutor and they had been my friends and a teacher in many ways!
Then summer started.. you can read the post "Summer in a nut-shell" but it mainly consisted of partying every day, LTC, and Girls Camp.
I started college at Utah State University! I'm an aggie!I joined the rugby team :) and got some pretty battle wounds from it... haha but this one was the best! i got cleated in the thigh during a game! the first day and then what it looked like later on.
well the rest of my story is on my blog... pumpkin carving, Thanksgiving, surviving finals, Christmas, and now new years eve!
Every New Years Eve we have a joint party with the Larsens! it is alwasy chuck full of games, food, and lots of laughs!
Boy 2010 sure went by fast... and I'm sad to see it go, but I cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store for me!I decided that the most important thing i learned is that life is full of challenges and the best way to meet those hard times is head on with a laugh and a smile!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)