Fast Sundays

Today was a special Sunday in my church--the first Sunday of every month we have "Fast Sunday".  "Fast" as in we fast from food for the day, not go through our meetings faster. ;)  Fast Sundays are a special opportunity to share our testimony with others.  I have a very deep testimony of the gospel, but I'm not the biggest fan of speaking in front of big groups.  So today I'm sharing my testimony with you.

Where to start?  Well, when I got to church today, I wasn't sure there was anything specific to bear my testimony about--I mean, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is one of the biggest anchors in my life, and it can feel like a lot to examine something that has affected my life so much and try to sift it down into just one thing to share.  Where do I even begin with something like that?  A scripture in Helaman 5 came to mind:

"And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

What do I love about this scripture, and how does it help me bear testimony of the gospel?  One of the first things I notice each time I read this verse are the repetitions in words.  The word REMEMBER, for example. I think sometimes one of the hardest things about this life is that we struggle to remember--to remember who we are, to remember our worth, to remember what we have already learned and overcome.  Because of the gospel, I know that I am a child of a Heavenly Father who loves me, I know I have eternal potential and eternal worth, I know I can do hard things and that I have done hard things already!  Of course, there are days when I forget this--days when I feel like a sad little lump instead of a daughter of God, days when I feel lonely or frustrated or discouraged, days when I wonder if I have what it takes to succeed at this whole grown-up-life thing.  Fortunately, I DO have a Heavenly Father who knows and understands my weaknesses and is there to help me remember the truth.  I am so very grateful for this!

The other emphases I love in this verse are those on Christ and on the sureness of His foundation.  Like I said before, the gospel has been an anchor in my life, and that is in large part because the gospel focuses on Christ.  There are few people who can truly say they understand how you feel when you're going through a hard time, and there are even fewer people who know how to make things better and help you heal.  Christ has that power--because of the Atonement He understands our pain, our loss, our confusion.  And He knows how to heal us--whether that means helping us to repent of a bad choice we made or picking us up when life knocks us down, because let's be honest, life can hit hard.  Life hits hard no matter who you are (um, anyone heard how the ancient apostles died?), but I know that His is a sure foundation, and when we anchor ourselves to someone that immovable, we can keep moving forward in our progression, no matter what life dishes us.  This is what I believe, this is what I know.

Well, thanks for listening, and happy Sabbath.

Love,
me.

Throwback Sunday! Wait, what?!

I finally got around to downloading some of the pictures from my computer... it only took me 6 months.  Oops.  Here's a flashback of some of the things that happened the past half-year:

Visiting a couple of my favorite guys in the

whole world--my dad and my grandpa.

This is pretty much what all of SE Idaho looks

like in the middle of the summer... so many bales!

I made apricot-pineapple jam!  Who says you have

to be a pioneer to can some summer fruit?

I loved this abandoned house I saw on the drive to Bear Lake!

Spotted this cake at the SE Idaho State Fair--

it's a Sound of Music cake, can you tell? :)

Back when the people in my program were pretty much

still strangers... we went on a field trip to the state fair!

Because you should always keep the mountains in sight!

Lots of love,

me.

Back to the Future...

Cleaning up files on my computer today, found these little gems:

(Personality quiz from 2010)

(as written on "Overheard at BYU" board on facebook.

Totally real conversation between Ellie-bellybutton and I!)

What Happened

This week:

I passed my Physiology test, my Clinical Assessment test (Cardio/Chest Exam), and (most likely) my Pathophysiology test.  Yessssss!

I watched World War Z--it's a zombie apocalypse/epidemiological action movie starring Brad Pitt.  As far as movies to watch during October go, it was quite excellent--scary, but more in a suspenseful/danger way than disturbing.  Plus it was funny to catch myself thinking about it from more of a science/medical viewpoint, now that I'm taking pathophysiology and learning about injections/vaccinations in my classes at school :)

My sister interviewed with her first choice nursing school--she did awesome!  She finds out next week if she's in or not, so keep your fingers crossed that the admissions committee recognizes how awesome she is!

Girls' night, complete with virgin Margaritas, nachos, and fingernail-painting... so much fun!

Potluck at school on Friday was fun--we had a short talent show to go along with it, and it was fun to see what talents are spread throughout our group... leg wrestling and bare-handed fly catching, among other things!

I vaccinated probably about 10 people against the flu at a service learning event in the community.  I loved being able to put some of the skills we are learning to good use helping people who otherwise might not get immunized--it was humbling to witness their gratitude, and in a few cases to see their bravery (there was one little boy who got his shot like a CHAMP--no crying, no wiggling, not even an 'ouch!')

Also I realized that I failed to celebrate BYU homecoming last weekend with blue pancakes. *sigh* Where has my brain gone these days? Oh wait, it's busy trying to retain 21 credit hours of information... :)

Only picture I had from this week, a little shout-out to my friend Adam:



Well, lotsa' love,
me.

Halfway, Semester ONE

People!  I am on my EIGHTH week of PA school!  That means I am halfway through my first semester--Yikes! :)  A few of the cool things I've learned so far:
*Basic Vital Signs (vision, weight, height, etc.)
*Injection Lab (I got six shots, nbd)
*Suture lab (So basically I can stitch people up... okay, maybe not yet, but I have the basics!)
*Writing a Medical Note (Not to brag or anything, but my professor asked me if I had prior experience charting after he reviewed my not last week. You know your life is changing when a comment like that is considered a HUGE compliment/self-esteem boost)

General Conference was last week and I was able to attend the Saturday morning session with my family! (I tried really hard to steal some pictures from my sisters, but alas, I am unable to create an instagramaccount since I don't have the preferred technology)

I went on a cool hike through a National Park, which incidentally is closed during the government shutdown.  We didn't let that stop us from enjoying a beautiful autumn day!

Well, gotta' go.

Love,
me.

ps: my brain decided to try and help me out this week by putting my lasagna away while I was distracted... when I couldn't find it the next day I did some searching and finally discovered it in the pantry.  Yeah, that happened. *sigh*

30 Days Hath September...

Wow.  Has it already been one month since school started?  Where has the time gone?!  I guess you could say that things are clippin' along.  School keeps me busy.  Like eight-to-five busy.  Whew.  But things are getting done, and even though I am feeling less and less intelligent, I like to think that's just a reflection of how much I am actually learning.

What to say about PA school... volume.  There is so much to learn!  I'm trying to permanently cut facebook and pinterest out of my life to free up more time,

Um, what else? This week I was so nervous for our first physical exam assessment that I mixed up the words manubrium and mandible. For those of you not familiar with these terms, I basically told my instructor that his jaw was attached to his chest.  Cool.

In my Spanish class I've learned a whole bunch of new words describing pain.  I've also learned a handful of cognates that I should apparently never use because they would be terribly unprofessional and offensive in a health setting...

Cool program detail: one of the elective rotation options for the clinical year is a five-week stay in Belize!  Right now I'm interested in either that or dermatology... we'll see how I'm feeling about things in another 10 months.

My ward had a campout, complete with hot cocoa, roasted marshmallows, and an outdoor movie--legit.  I didn't stay the whole night, though--it's getting pretty chilly here in Eastern Idaho already!

I made some amazing banana muffins using THIS recipe.  No seriously, they were delish and involved absolutely no wheat flour or oil (mind-blown).

General Relief Society broadcast was phenomenal.  And I can't wait for General Conference!

Yep, that's about it for now.

Love,
me.

I'm a Big Kid Now!

haha... not really a big kid yet :) But I am in graduate school!  Yay!  First day of school:

(Yeah, I know... I look like I'm 14. Whatever.)



Love,
me

All On Our Own

So, my aunt and uncle were up at girls' camp, and guess who got to party for 3 days with the kiddos... ME! Woot!

We dyed boiled eggs!

We ate cotton candy at the circus!

Elephants at the circus!

We bought popsicles and–shhhh!

(we ate them IN the store! don't worry, we paid!)

We made snack necklaces for our movie night!

(We watched Newsies and The Goofy Movie)

 We made SUSHI!

We had so much fun!  Too bad their Mom, Dad, & Robin couldn't be there to enjoy it with us... :(

Love,

me.

Early June Re-Cap

I know I'm way behind in putting stuff up on the blog, so I'll be really quick on what's been happening:

BlueJay (on the left) turned 10!  Whoa, double digits club!

We went bowling to celebrate!

I let Chickadee use my camera...

apparently this is what I look like to a three year old :)

Robin-Bobbin and two of the other kids ran in

the Hershey's Track event–they were lightning fast!

Okay, so I have no clue who this kid is, but look–

he's roping like a big kid!  Prime Idaho culture, right there :)

We made banana boats!!!

We made rainbow popsicles!

See, isn't that neat? ;)

Love,

me.

Just 'Cuz I Love My Sisters

So.  I guess it's common knowledge by now, but I think the world of my sisters.  Seriously.  They are some of the smartest, coolest, most awesome people I know.  Not that I'm biased or anything, but it's kinda' true.  :)  Of all the things I miss about Provo, my sisters are what I miss most.  And guess what?  July's their birthday month.  So, here are a few pics from the last time I drove down to visit them, along with a couple of tidbits about them. :)

(Trying out the Strawberry-Cheesecake shake at Stan's Diner)

Katie-Cakes:

1. I love her dedication–she is queen of multi-tasking!

2. She gives great advice–I call her when I get stuck on decisions :)

3. Her style is so pretty and feminine–she likes floral and lace and other lovely things.

4. She "gets" my sense of humor (one of the few people...)

5. If I ever feel lonely, I know she'll be willing to sit in semi-silence on the 

phone with me just so that I feel like I'm hanging out with her!

(Two-for-One Shakes at Sammy's!)

Mo-mo:

1. I admire her organization–she never procrastinates (and her grades prove it)!

2. I like her fearless attitude about everything in her life–

she's always willing to try out new classes and crafts and hairstyles (she is super trendy!)

3. I appreciate her directness–she's always up-front about what she thinks and feels.

4. She's incredibly loyal.

5. She's gonna' get into a nursing program this fall :)

(Winter photo shoot with a local photographer)

Bumblebee:

1. She is so passionate about everything she does.

2. I love her creativity!

3. She's quite patient with my older-sister hovering :)

4. Her laugh is infectious–I can't help but smile when I hear it!

5. I'm impressed by all her hard work on her online classes!

Happy Birthday, Sisters! :)

Love,

me.

It's been... One month!

Nope.  Not a dating anniversary.  No pregnancy announcement, either ;)  Obviously.  The one month is because it's been one month since I moved up to Idaho full-time.  What have I done in the past 30 days?  Well, for starters, I planted my first row of potatoes.

(This means I can start my sentences with

phrases like, "As a potato farmer..." ^_^)

I built a chicken coop.

I rode a horse and counted cattle that were being moved to another pasture.

Oh, and I also learned how to frame a wall (yes, that means using a chop saw and a nail gun!).  No big deal.

I'm doing my best to fit in with the natives ;)  I'm slowly trying to pick up the culture--cars in a snowy parking lot spin "cookies" instead of "doughnuts", for example; the term "neighbor" applies to really anyone within a 10 mile radius of your house; and for the 50th time, it's LAH-VA Hot Springs, not LAW-VA Hot Springs!

I joke about things, but really, it's been great.  I just got a job at an assisted living home.  Finally applied for a library card.  I visited the Idaho Falls temple!

Oh, and all that's not even mentioning how fun it's been to spend so much time with these cuties:

Looks like I may be turning into a spud after all.

Well, gotta' go.
Love,
me.

Graduation Shout-Out

This is the first picture I ever saw of Ellie-Bellybutton:

I didn't realize at the time what a huge part of my life I had just stumbled into.  I had just finished my on-campus housing assignment and (being the thorough and inquisitive sort of person I am), I felt a pressing need to google and facebook my future roommate.  "That's got to be her," my mom said when I showed her the list of people that facebook pulled up.  "She's wearing a princess crown.  Only LDS girls post pictures of themselves wearing princess crowns at age 18."

What Ellie-Bellybutton didn't know at that moment: I was creepin' on her facebook :) jk.

What I didn't know at that moment: she was in the hospital with appendicitis.

Obviously, she survived appendicitis and I quickly learned how to be less creepy thorough and inquisitive.  Despite her hatred for country music and my dislike of dancing and board games, we quickly became best friends:

She was there to help me the time I got stuck while trying to wear two pairs of jeans on a very cold day.  I was there to brush the snow off her coat and make her hot chocolate after snowy days at school:

You know how Anne of Green Gables talks about kindred spirits?  Yep.  Ellie-Bellybutton is one of those sorts of friends.  We used to call each other up and watch entire episodes of "Chuck" together on the phone while she was living in Hawaii.  And I got to be there the day she married a really cool boy I had introduced her to:

She, meanwhile, introduced me to Thai food, "The Mummy", and Casimir Pulaski day.  It has been five years, two international trips, one husband, one baby, and now, two graduations since I first saw Ellie-Bellybutton's picture on facebook.  She and I are both very different from who were then.  But through it all, we have remained the best of friends.  This past month, she graduated from BYU.  People!  She did this while getting married, changing majors twice, and having a baby!!!  Does it get anymore hardcore than that?!  I am so very proud of her and so very grateful to be her friend.

So this is a shout-out to my remarkable friend, Ellie-Bellybutton!  You're awesome, girlie!

Lotsa' love,

me.

Things I Might Have Missed This Semester

The freshmen roomies finally got together for a mini-reunion now that Kimby's back from her mission. And we were all excited to find out that Berin isn't barren and she and John will be welcoming a new, tiny person into their lives this year!  Can you believe we grew up from this crew:

...into this cool gang:

Oh, and after years of saying we'd hang out in Moab someday, my family actually took the plunge and rented a condo in Moab for spring break!  So much fun!  We played games and watched movies and hiked out to Delicate Arch for the first time ever.  My only question afterwards--why have we not done this before? :)  A model of delicate arch:

...and the real thing (as a sidenote, I find it ironic

that I never made it out to Delicate Arch until after

I surrendered my Utah residency):

I ran in my stake 5K race:

I made some amazing white pizza for my friends (yes, those are fresh cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts!):

We celebrated my friends' birthdays a little early since I won't be in Utah for them... I got them all inflatable "Avengers" hammers:

Yup, yup.  I think I've covered it all now.

Love,

me.

And For Your Enjoyment...

It's Been Awhile...

So what exactly has been going on during my blog hiatus?  Um, well for starters, I celebrated a birthday...

My little sisters planned an entire evening of fun for me based off Taylor Swift's song, "22".  To be more exact--

"...It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters (trip to DI to dress up like hipsters--we're still not 100% sure what hipsters wear)
And make fun of our exes (we considered finding the letter 'X' in books and making fun of them... cheesy humor, I know ^_^)
It feels like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight (breakfast at midnight, obviously)
To fall in love with strangers... (um, that's weird)"

 Fun night, huh?  My sisters sure are cuties! :)  My friends also threw a little bash... red velvet cake (yum!), new jersey sheets for my new apartment in Idaho, new lipgloss... Basically I've got amazing friends.  :)

Oh, speaking of friends, check out the fun things they do with me:

We went on a safari!  To the petstore!  We made binoculars out of paper towel tubes and explorer vests out of paper grocery bags.  And yes, we walked around the store for probably a good 45 minutes looking like that!  It was so much fun!  And we saw so many cool animals--snakes, lizards, fish, birds, hamsters, a ginormous cat...  Afterwards we just happened to stumble upon an African safari machine ride that seemed like an appropriate photo background, and to top off the night we went and ate burgers at In-N-Out... animal-style, of course!

In other news, I signed a housing contract in Pocatello for the fall, AND I just finished my federal aid application--yay for student loans!  I AM grateful for the help and it's nice to know I will be able to pay for school, but at the same time, the idea of student loans kind of makes me feel like this:

But you gotta' do what you gotta' do, right? :)  Anyways, in two more weeks I will be up in Idaho full-time, so that's exciting.  I mean, beyond the fact that I get to live with my cousins this summer, I'm really excited to start school in the fall.  Seriously... so excited!  I just started receiving updates from the other students in the program, and everyone comes with such a different and interesting background--some of the students are former Marines, some are electrical engineers, some have volunteered in countries like Tanzinia and Peru--they've all done some seriously cool stuff.  And they're coming from all over the country!  I can't wait to meet them in person this fall!

Anyways, that's what's been going on.

Love,
me.