My Year in Review...

I've been thinking back on this last year and everything that has happened in my life....
1- In January I met the famous Shayla Matthews who revolutionized my world
2-I went to Vegas again for the tournament and this time my mother came along as well
3-I picked up a second job at Comedy Sportz
4-I moved out of the Villa....which was a very sad event. After living there for two years it was really difficult...I still wonder about that decision to this day....
5-I moved into Park Place which is not as glorious as it's Monopoly component.
6-I took a trip to Nauvoo and my dad took a trip off the bed and into a broken femur...
7-I brought my roommate Laurel home with me...she now says she understands why I am the way I am...I'm not sure what that means but I'll take it.....
8-Boy Aaron got home from his mission...woot woot...finally someone who gets what I'm saying at least part of the time
9-The Dark Knight came out....one word...awesome...
10-I got to go to Ohio to see my brother and his family...it was quite the adventure
11-I started another semester and finally had a normal roommate situation...well as normal as it can get...it is me after all
12-I turned 21!!! woot woot....I've decided it's not as exciting to turn 21 if you don't drink...although the oreo ice cream cake was very worth it...
13-I went home for Thanksgiving for the first time in ages. It was upon this occasion that I realized that I'm now older than all of the missionaries....awkward and weird...don't ask me why it just is...
14-I completed said semester...yay!!!
15-I spent yet another Christmas in Utah

Well this may not be very exciting to you all....but it is to me....good to know I actually did something this year...

Welcome to the Facebook World.....

So I've noticed as of late that I've stopped added people who are my age on facebook and are beginning to add my older sisters, their friends, and even my parent's friends....oh what has this world come to?? Well at least now I know I have no secrets......

Sports Ticker.....

Okay....it's the end of the football season and here's a review. In the beginning it was good....well except the Northern Iowa game which was a little sketchy....and the Washington game....whew...weren't they a great team?? (just in case you didn't know Washington didn't win a game all season) The wins over a not so great UCLA team and Wyoming were exciting....finally a little football. In my opinion...that's when we got a little too cocky. The rest of the season was riddled with unnecessary mistakes. Now....I don't want to criticize too much. I really to think this season was a step in the right direction. If nothing else it gives our team motivation to improve next season. The loses to TCU and Utah were painful but needed. I now compare this to real life. Sometimes we just float along in life....events occur where we have to suddenly snap out of it and actually do something to help ourselves out.....and sometimes that waking up comes a little too late. I still love BYU football and I always will. I still think Bronco Mendenhall is a great coach and more importantly an outstanding individual. His priorities are what BYU football should be about. Let us as fans rally around him and the team....and help them reach their potential....

Check up....

Well it's been a few weeks since I last wrote.... Barack Obama is the new president and the now infamous (is that like super famous?? if you don't know it look it up) Proposition 8 passed and all in all the world hasn't totally fallen apart. I wish I had some awesome story of everything that has happened the past few weeks....but I don't really. I went to Ohio to see my newest neice be blessed. This time two of my sisters came along, which was a lot of fun. I definitely haven't spent a lot of time with them without their children and husbands seeing as I was like 11 when that all started. School is still school. It's a lot of work.....well stats is a lot of work the rest is the normal amount of schoolwork. I'm ready for Thanksgiving....a chance to once again step into the brown desert that I call home. Oh....I just remembered something kind of exciting. As those who have talked to my mother about the quality of the apartment I live in I must talk about some recent improvements to the complex. There used to be these cage-like edifices that were in front of the apartments... I am pleased to report that those are now gone. We've upgraded apartment status from Mexican prison to just plain Mexican ghetto.....awesome......

Politics and such....

It's that dreaded time the rolls around every 4 years...presidential elections. Maybe I'm just a little older and wiser now but it seems that this election has been particularly grueling. While it does have some merits for its many historical "accomplishments" for women and blacks it will be a brutal race to the finish. Can I just express how excited I am for next Tuesday to finally be over?? Which ever candidate wins there will be no moral victory...it will just be a victory. I think I have been somewhat hidden from the heat of the political race because let's face it...I live in Utah and John McCain is going to win here. The only information I get is from national media sources and each has their own opinion about the candidates.

The next president has enough to worry about. I honestly don't know if any man or woman can "fix" the issues facing our nation. There is so much at stake in this election...let's just hope that we choose the man who can best follow the plan that Heavenly Father laid out for our great nation....

Why I Need To Become Less Obsessed with Football....

In middle school I had very few things going for me. Let's just say my mom was pretty much my only friend in those days....and it was a long three years. Another other "friends" I had were few and far between. I had to find something to occupy my life and that thing was BYU athletics. Luckily my sporting love began with the 2001 football season. That was a great year that culminated in a very very cold and sad....and cold...football game in Memphis, TN. I would call myself a bandwagon jumper, but I was still a fan during the following seasons of the Crowton reign....I think that makes me a true fan. Also during this time I found out that I had a cousin of sorts (my mom's cousin's daughter) on the women's basketball team. Together with boy Aaron and Kaylee we formed the biggest women's basketball club. It was awesome....oh the dreams that came true.

Moving on to high school....I was still the obnoxious BYU fan just a little more docile....okay so selectively docile. In high school I moved past the drooling stage and more into the analytical side of sports. Sure...the player were still men and good looking men at that but I realized that I was approaching their age and that was somewhat stalkerish...Soon I got into BYU and onto the current stage.....

So the whole point of this post was to talk about my obsession with football. I didn't realize until this Thursday during the infamous BYU v. TCU game. After the game, I was totally numb. I drove home....went to bed....got up the next morning and remembered the pain of watching the game....sitting in Aaron's apartment wondering what in the heck happened. I went to work Friday morning not willing to face the truth. I refused to look at CougarFan, ESPN, CBS Sportsline or anything remotely connected with football. I hoped that the drug reps who like to talk football would avoid the office. (I'm still sure one of them was sitting in front of his TV wondering what in the heck happened.) The whole day was blown...totally depressive and sad....and it wasn't even that bad of a day.

It was at this point I decided I didn't want to do anything about my "habit". I mean other kids are hooked on drugs....I am hooked on BYU athletics....to cap the week off I watched the volleyball team get swept by Utah....it was all good....numbness overruled any sad emotion I could feel. I am now in anticipation of the next football game....yay team!!

P.S.-"The Quest" isn't over people....it just extends on until next year. I mean should we continually be on a quest for perfection anyway?? Way to inspire us all to be a little better Bronco.....

Update on the semester so far....

So this is more of a journal entry...rather boring but meant more so I can remember. This semester has been an interesting one already so far. This semester I have five roommates, instead of three, which is kind of a huge change. Almost always having someone home is both a blessing and a curse. I have still been able to find my precious alone-time moments but they aren't as frequent as they used to be. Thus far there have been no dramatic moments and I am grateful for that.

School is school. I am determined to stop my procrastinating ways and actually get assignments done in a timely manner. So far it's a success but sometimes I get a little distracted...like right now when I'm sitting the library and instead of studying I'm blogging....oops.....I have officially chosen a major (psychology) and will hopefully finish in April 2010. I've also added a minor...yay??....because I took so many communications classes that I'm only three classes away. I need the credits anyway so why the heck not. Yes, I understand that psychology and communications aren't usually correlated together but....I'm just that special.

Work is work. I still work for Nikki...or Dave...or someone. I call medical billing my "real people" job. It's the impressive thing I can say to people about me. Though a series of very strange events I picked up a job at Comedy Sportz which is an improv comedy club in Provo. I do all of the menial labor there (picking up trash, taking reservations). Pretty much everytime I tell people about my two jobs I feel very odd. Talk about very different ends of the spectrum...once again I'm just that special.

So between 14-credits and 30 hours of work there isn't time for much else in life. I do find time to do some things with the family as well as trying to keep in contact with friends both near and far. Lots of fun updates to come I'm sure.....peace....

A little different kind of temple story.....

Today started like any other day....work, studying you know the usual college type stuff. That all changed when my roommate Tess and I decided to go the Provo temple and do baptisms. Normally in Provo, the process is pretty smooth. Depending on the crowds I have been in and out in about 20 minutes or so...not so tonight.

We got to the temple at around 4:15 after I picked Tess up from playing at one of my other roommate's voice lessons. We walked in and it seemed a little crowded but we weren't too worried because we both wanted a little time to think and just relax in the normally quiet waiting area. Soon after we arrived a ward came in with about 20 youth. I'm pretty sure it was just a Beehive and Deacon activity because they all seemed to be very young children. This caused me a little anxiousness because I knew the temple would put them ahead of all of the people who had just walked in. Not too much of a big deal so I continued to read and contemplate life. Things all changed once we went to do confirmations and the recorder decided that he wanted to give a little talk about the temple...quite loudly. I found out later that he was hard of hearing and so it made a little more sense...but it was still really odd. So we go along about 10 of us in the room just going through the process. After a few people come a new, younger guy comes in to do some of the confirmations...and wow...if he would have been in a race he would have won...he was going through names like he had someplace to be. I think I've come to the conclusion that this much just be part of his personality (you'll understand later).

So after that step we went back into the waiting area to wait for the actual baptism part. I go and sit by Tess who assures me that she was told by someone to sit there....the only problem was...it wasn't the right person apparently. Soon we see people who were confirmed after us go to the front of the chapel and sit in what was really the line for the baptistery . Finally, after about 6 people get in front of us in line we move up to the right line....the ward was still working on getting their boys through the line and for a moment we were content to sit for a moment again.

When we finally got called to go into the baptistery a whole new game began. To get from the waiting area to the baptismal font you have to go back through the dressing room...on our way through a temple worker stops us and tells Tess that she has earrings in and Tess assure her that it is okay because she has worn them before and there hasn't been a problem. Not happy the lady insists that they don't allow any jewelry in the font so Tess looks and me and then of course I have to have something wrong. For the sake of my sanity...I had chosen to put bobby pins in my hair...apparently not so much okay with this particular temple worker...ah...so close...so Tess and I headed back to our locker and put our contrabands away.

On our way back to the font there is a lady there looking desperately for a temple worker. Uhh....let's not really go into this part....we'll go with she needed a article of clothing and we helped her out....end of story...

Finally we get to the waiting bench. Only the problem now is that we have all of these couples coming in to do family names. First the wife goes (who was wearing her wedding ring...) and the husband baptizes and then a temple worker steps in and baptizes the husband. It was quite the process. Meanwhile, the people who are there on stand-by...at this point that's how it feels....keep moving up the bench down the bench. Right before you go into the font there are three chairs away from the benches...that's like golden territory because you are almost there...Tess got the to chairs and then they told us all to move back to the benches. It was an interesting move because one of the witnesses wanted us to move and the other rolled his eyes at him...I sense some hostility there....

Okay so we are sitting on the benches and all of the sudden this guys comes out from the men's locker room and heads down to the bottom of the font area. If you haven't been to the Provo temple....the font sits on the back of 12 oxen and the oxen are on like a different level than the normal floor. The benches were we were sitting are up on the top level and there is like a glass railing thing that keeps people from falling off....anyway...it's some random maintanance guy going to check on something. It was the straw that broke the camel's back....I am somewhat ashamed to say this but I start laughing histerically....quietly but histerically...my whole body was shaking and I was tearing up. Just so you know I'm not crazy Tess was laughing too. Meanwhile, I'm thinking "I've got to sing a hymn or something...Deep breaths..." Unfortunately the only song that came to mind was "In Our Lovely Deseret"....the chorus....hark hark hark tis children's music...the laughter continues....I finally regain myself and we move up...things are looking up for an ending to this experience...and then....

The girl two people in front of us was finally going when one of the witnesses tells her that she has to get out...confused and I think a little embarrassed she starts to get out when she realizes she has a bloody nose....I'm not talking like a single strand of blood here...it was like a fountain...the man hands her a towel and she of course bleeds on it...and the lady who hands out the towels freaks out like the towels are made of gold or something. The worker starts looking for a rag while this girl is standing there...wet, cold, bleeding profusly and I'm sure as embarrassed as heck. I can't help myself...laughter ensues...I mean seriously...this is insane.

Now this is a somewhat gross part and I hope that that girl's blood is clean....instead of cleaning the water like is normal procedure they just keep doing baptisms!!! The girl who they called up seemed almost surprise...revolted...I don't know...scared. So finally it's my turn....I put aside the fact that about 15 minutes before a girl had been bleeding in the water and brave the waters. Okay remember the guy from the confirmation room who was in a race?? Well somehow in the mayhem he had come in to do the baptisms and this is were the theory of his personality comes into play. Let's just say the dunking was a little intense...did I feel like he wanted to drown me...a little...luckily I only did 5 baptisms or else I would have have to stop him....whew...he was one intense man.

Okay...so this basically the end of the story. Tess decided to forgo taking a shower after the baptismal font and went straight to change into her normal clothes...not really realizing wet she truly was...eventually a pool of water formed at the bottom of the locker space and yeah...it was a traumatic moment for her...the perfect ending to this crazy experience. As soon as I walk out of my locker...Tess is standing there and says..."Let's get out of here". I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that about leaving the temple. We quickly headed out and got into the car and went over what just happened.

We were just looking for a little quiet, spiritual moment in the temple. What we got was a whole adventure....what ended up to be a three-hour adventure....

What in the world have I done....

So lately I've been having a hard time connecting with my "friends". It seems as though all of these people who have promised to be there for everything suddenly have no time. No matter how far in advance I plan or how I hard I work to make it happen it just never does. I'm wondering if this is a problem with me. Maybe I have enabled people by always planning the activities or making time to see or contact others. That must be it....I am too accommodating to people. I spend too much time trying to fit my life into others schedules so that they will talk/or hang out with me. It's not that I blame them. I understand that people have other lives but would it really kill anyone to be with a friend for just an hour or two. I supposed it might be...sorry, I'm ranting...this has been a serious issue on my mind though. A serious issue mostly because it has happened time and time again and I just can't seem to stop it. This is a vicious cycle of life for me and I'm wondering what in the heck I am doing so wrong....any advice would be great....maybe I'm just to whiny or something but I try not to be....

Just a Glimpse....

I've been thinking a lot lately about the course of my life. When I was a kid I wanted to be a million different things. Now I have no idea what I want to be. This issue does not only frustrate me but also my parent's greatly. I've tried to get into liking something as a career and I just can't do it. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't much matter what I choose to do as long as I like it and I do it well. There is much trusting in the Lord that all will work out according to plan. During the past two years, I have met so many people and grown so much. There is very little doubt that the Lord has placed every person in my life for a reason and while sometimes it hurts to think back on things of the past I am grateful for the moments I spent with people who taught me more about myself. One thing I know for sure, no matter what lies in store for me in the next year or years to come I can always know that I am one thing....a daughter of God. No matter how hard the world will try to take the knowledge away from me I cannot falter and lose sight of that. There are so many things ahead of me and I cannot give up. Whatever I choose to be in life I must remember to keep the Lord in my life. He will direct me to good and lead me away from those things that will only harm me. He has not lead me astray so far....that is not to say it has always been easy in life. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of a living Savior in Jesus Christ who is willing to intercede in my behalf. He has already made up for my mistakes if I will but to my part I can be clean at the last day and stand before God to be judged. I will not give up and I cannot give up.....

A Lovely Story....

Inspiration: I went to a Salt Lake Bees game with my sister Shelly and observed a little scene while sitting in the grass of the outfield....

Man, I'm doing my best and she just won't notice me, thought John as he sat looking at the blonde girl of his dreams. With the blond hair and bubbly personality, Jessica was basically anyone's dream girl.

She had shifted around during the game, flirting with almost all the guys present about six total. Her friend Casey had sat by her side and made some minor progress with the fellows but basically ended but serving as a good wingwoman.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, John saw water being poured. As he looked over to witness the scene he notice that Jessica was wet and Chuck was very smug. Jessica of course was very concerned about being wet and somehow her attempts at payback were very unsuccessful. (the fact the Chuck was big enough to make a pretty good linebacker probably didn't help the 5'4" girl any)

Jessica came and sat down up the hill from Chuck.

"You probably shouldn't have done that," John said as he took a seat next to her.

"He's going to get it," Jessica said reaching for the last remaining bottle of water not listening to the quiet of John's reasoning.

As she started to open the bottle, John in his quick thinking grabbed the bottle to stop her from making a fool of herself. She fought back and eventually John let go knowing that he could do nothing more.

Chuck suddenly felt a lot of water fall on top of him. Being the proud man that he was, he took the attack in silence, waiting until the water stopped to dry off is expensive phone. John stepped to Chuck and helped him dry off his phone.

In a rage Chuck stormed off, Jessica was quick to follow leaving her high heels behind so she could find Chuck easier.

"Seriously," John said, frustrated at his position in life, "why would she follow after him." At this point he was seriously regretting his nice guy status in life.

Soon Jessica returned, for her shoes. After taking off the second time, John could see Jessica trying fervently to make amends with Chuck and Chuck staving off any attempt.

"That's it...let's go, " John began packing up all of the blankets and things for the group and the others helped with hesitation.

They walked off the grass and into the abyss of life....

Note: This is not great piece of fiction. This is a true story. Names have been changed to protect both the innocent and guilty. Actually, these could actually be their names...seeing as I have no clue who those people actually were I could have nailed them right on the head....

Article from High School...

I promised some old school stuff....here is a good one....don't judge....

Katie Hnida made history at University of New Mexico by being the first woman to play and score in a Division I-A football game. However, before her historic feat at UNM, Hnida faced another challenge, which she was unprepared to handle.

In 1999, Katie Hnida, not yet a New Mexico Lobo, was instead, a Colorado Buffalo doing what she had always dreamed of doing, playing football. Hnida was recruited by then Head Coach Rick Neuheisel, who soon left Colorado for Washington. Gary Barnett took over and immediately life became miserable for Hnida and her dream became a nightmare.

According to Barnett, "None of the players wanted her on the team. Basically we were doing her a favor." Greeted with that attitude Hnida was harassed by the players from the first practice. She claims that during practice five teammates surrounded her and verbally abused her, making sexually graphic comments.

That was not the end for Hnida. She endured unimaginable taunts during practice. The worst came at the home of a fellow “teammate” where Hnida claims she was raped. Hnida left Colorado and quit kicking for two years. She was depressed and although she told her family about the harassment, she never told her family, or anyone else, about being raped.

In 2002, Hnida braved her fears and walked on to the UNM football team where she was welcomed with open arms. ”I have not had a single problem with any of my teammates at UNM. I have not received any special treatment, nor did I request any. That's a credit to the type of program that Coach (Rocky) Long is running at New Mexico,” said Hnida in a press release telling her side of the Colorado story. .

It seems like a long time since that Colorado experience and Hnida is just recently able to tell the world of the Colorado nightmare. Apparently, Hnida was not the only woman to have a bad experience with the Colorado football program. Since Barnett took over in 1999, seven other women have come forward with allegations against the university claiming that they were sexually assaulted by Colorado football players. "Because all the news sent me back into that nightmare," she says. "It made me literally sick. I realized that until I tell my story, I can never heal."

Hnida picked an opportune time to tell her story. She was being interviewed by Sports Illustrated writer and Colorado alum Rick Reilly and told her story at Colorado. Word quickly spread and Colorado was put on the defensive with the school initially backing Barnett. Then Barnett broke under the pressure and shot back at Hnida; “It was obvious Katie was not very good. She was awful," he said. "Katie was not only a girl, she was terrible. OK? There's no other way to say it." Barnett was placed on paid leave and an interim head coach was put in his place.

There have also been reports that Colorado has called an escort service and strippers on multiple occasions to “entertain” during recruiting parties. These parties have also contributed to some of the sexual assaults allegations the university has faced and does face.

The status of CU has left colleges around the country scrambling to change their recruiting tactics so this will not happen to them. Miami has faced a similar problem where two of their recruits were arrested after leaving a recruiting party. While some universities are scrambling to catch up to the modern world of sexual harassment and underage drinking, some universities appear to have already addressed the issue.

Maybe the answer lies in the players themselves and their abilities to control their actions. Many critics have ridiculed Brigham Young University’s strict Honor Code, but now some are starting to think that the base idea of a signed Honor Code agreement would be appropriate. Sports writer Dennis Dodd says, “BYU's Honor Code would be a good template if the NCAA and its members were serious about cleaning up college sports.”

The real question comes down to this should women play football, and should recruits and athletes be allowed to romp on campus without consequence. Still the fight rages on and the alumni of Colorado can only do as Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly, hope for the best and “Hide [their] class ring[s].”

A little bit of Thanks....

So lately I've been thinking a lot about my youth and growing up. You know they say it takes a village to raise a child. I think it took a city to make me into who I am today. I owe so much to so many people...sometimes the pressure is overwhelming. Over the past two years I have learned so much about my self and everything it takes to make a person successful. I definitely didn't do it by myself. First of all, my parents are amazing. I know, I know, I complain about them being a little bit over-zealous about my life but as I grow older I understand that most of their nagging is truly for my good. Secondly, there was my ward family throughout the years. Those people are AMAZING!!! I have been so fortunate to come in contact with people who, from my birth, have been rooting for my success in life. Every time I go home I feel more support from those people than almost anyone I have met in Provo. They all want me to be the best person that I can be. Next, teachers. I have had my fair share of teachers throughout the years. Some have made me want to give up but others have harbored me has a fugitive and otherwise guided me through my life. Especially in high school when there were so many times that I thought my whole world would just collapse right in front of me. They took me in and cared way more than they had to. Finally, there are the friends who have seen me through thick and thin. This is a very small and elite group....friends have not been the greatest commodity in my life. Thank you to those who have stuck through everything that I have tossed out at them.

I have so much to be grateful for in life and I understand that overall I must thank my Father in Heaven for placing such people in my life. I could not have made it this far without them. I am so grateful for my Lord and personal Savior Jesus Christ. I am so glad to know that no matter what I am going through there is a perfect, living being who know exactly what I am feeling because He has felt that pain and is willing to help me carry my burdens. There is no way one can make it through life alone, so don't try. I have and it doesn't work and it isn't worth the pain that trying even causes...

Home...

I would just like to state for the record that I love coming home. Living in a crazy college world there is so much liquidity in life. You move usually once a year...the people around you are constantly changing and you are always trying to impress someone. I came home on Wednesday for a little vacation and man am I feeling good. While being home is not always perfect (nagging parents, lack of social scene) it brings me back to some solid ground. I don't have to try to impress the people here...the already know and love me. I wish I could find somewhere like that in Provo. I have good friends but even that seems to be a little fluid these days. I am grateful for my roommates and Shayla for keeping me on track but there is never anyone who can match the security of home. Every time I go to leave home I always want to cry because I am once again leaving my safe nest and going off into the dark lonely abyss that I call college. One thing is definitely for sure....I never would have missed home if I had never moved away from it.....

Missionary Homecomings....

I went to the airport to pick up my mom today and was surprised to find a number of families anxiously awaiting the return of their missionaries. One family didn't seem quite right to have a missionary and I soon realized that they were actually waiting for a serviceman to come home. The serviceman came home first and it was so amazing to see his wife run to him....his kids had been asking their mom every 10 seconds when their dad would be there and she kept telling them 10 minutes as if that would stop them from asking again. The youngest daughter wouldn't let the dad hold her which was a little sad but so true of most young kids with dad's at war. That was when the tears started....not a full on cry put I had tears....it was somewhat embarrassing. Then out of the floodgates came the missionaries. The first person to hug every single on of the missionaries was their mother. Almost simultaneously the mothers started to cry as their suns came out from behind security. Once again I had to hold myself together....it was truly a beautiful sight...

The Return of Me....

So I've been feeling a little out of character lately and so have not found the time to update this amazing piece of work called blog. It's been a crazy couple of weeks....It started with a trip...the details of which will eventually be posted as well but for now just know that there was a trip...to Missouri/Illinois where my dad fell and hurt his hip...eventually it cracked and all "heck" broke loose. Everything is on the mend but it was a tough couple of weeks but we all got through it. I've decided that more than anything I hate making friends...that sounds stupid I realize but the whole process is just a little bit crazy. You move to a new place and basically have to start all over...and well I'm just going to say I suck at making friends...I am just no good. I always try to be witty but end up saying something stupid instead. Luckily I move with people who have skills and hence latch on to their friends....I hate socialness....

A Tornado Through the Midwest.....

I thought this would be a perfect place to do a play-by-play of my trip to New Mexico, Missouri, and Illinois.....


Wednesday, May 21, 2008

So I got up for work like any normal day...except I was leaving early to fly to Albuquerque. Yes I understand that is not exactly close to the intended destination of St. Louis but I flew home to help my parents with my 2-year-old nephew on a plane. So after a few short hours at work I headed up to the airport. Of course I was early because I always am but it was alright. The flight went on with little event. For some reason I was so glad to see the brown ground below me as I landed in Albuquerque...very strange feeling for sure. It was good to be home. I watched part of the finale of American Idol and then grabbed some Denny's with some friends. It was a good time and I really wished it would have lasted longer. When I arrived at the house, Chad and Darbie had already taken off for St. Louis where we would meet them the next day. Jay and I played hardcore until we put him to bed.


Thursday, May 22, 2008


It was a race to the airport...for anyone who knows my mother you might understand that getting out of the house and to the airport on time was not an easy task. Adding a 2-year-old to the mix didn't help much. We did however finally make it to the airport where we met my dad and began the actual vacation. The airport was a bit of a tramatic experience (as everything with a 2-year-old is) but the flight was relatively uneventful...thank heavens for that one. Once in St. Louis it was time to figure out how to get all of the luggage along with all of us to where it needed to be. St. Louis has a little bit of a southern flair and I LOVED IT!!!! The people were very laid back and for some reason I fell in love. We made it to a hotel where we were met by Chad and Darbie and handed off Jay. This is where the real fun of the trip began.


Friday, May 23, 2008


I was sleeping quite cozily in my bed when suddenly I feel someone tugging on the sheets and eventually getting into bed with me. A little bit confused I look over and ask my mother what she is doing. She says she can't sleep....so apparently moving to my bed would help her sleep better. The only problem with her brilliant plan is that I now can't sleep because she is all over the place. They used to complain when I was little about moving around a lot and now I know where that comes from!! Losing a few hours of sleep isn't a big deal....the big deal happened at about 6:30 when all the sudden a shout comes from the other end of the room: "I'm Dead". A little confused I open my eyes and see my mom looking on the floor next to the other bed in the room. "I think I broke my hip" was the next pained cry. All my mom could say was "Pray" and that's just what I did. I turned onto my knees in bed and prayed...for what I'm not really sure because I didn't really know what was going on except that I was scared for whatever it was. Eventually my dad got up and moved which was a relief to all, well kind of. Later that morning the full realization came to play. My dad had tried to get out of bed by supporting himself on a chair that was next to the bed. Unfortunately that chair had wheels and whoosh....there went the chair and my dad.



The plan for Friday was to drive to Hannibal, MO which is the birthplace of Mark Twain. If you don't know who Mark Twain is....don't worry about it you still won't know if I tried to tell you....Hannibal was an interesting little tourist traps with lots of antique shops and craft stores. The main historic street also had a few museums and such. The only thing my mom wanted to do was to go to "Injun Joe's Cave"....which once again if you don't know don't worry about it. I kind of liked to walk around the little stores and actually bought something from one of the craft stores. I know calm down...I bought something that was already made. My mom took my dad into the urgent care clinic (which I'm sure must have been a hoot and a half) and they took X-rays and said that there was no breaks or cracks and he would be okay if he just walked with a cane. In her true fashion my mom tried to get pain meds for dad that would work well with his liver. The people at the clinic wouldn't give them too her...they probably thought that she was a drug pusher, but she really was just trying to look out for the poor man's liver.



So cane and all we pushed forward through to the steamboat ride at night. At this point I should probably clue you in on who all is on this trip at the moment. Right now it's the parents, me, my brother Chad, his wife Darbie, and Jay. Also along for the trip are the Turners who are some family friends who live in Pullman, WA. Apparently, the Turners met my parents when they lived in Albuquerque and joined the church. The Turners have a daughter named Erin, who is about my age so you can only imagine how cute everyone thinks that is. So the crew heads onto this steamboat where we enjoy a fabulous meal and watch some dancing. Jay decided he wanted to dance and headed to the front of the ship where some older couples were dancing. He gladly joined in with them and entertained the whole ship. Man, I love that kid!! It was an overall good time. We then headed back to the hotel and slept....peacefully....thank heavens.


Saturday, May 24, 2008


This was the morning of all mornings....the day we got to go to Nauvoo. In the morning the adults went to the temple while Erin, Jay, and I stayed in the lobby of our hotel and waited for them to finish. Once they were done we relaxed a little and then went to dinner at this buffet at the Nauvoo Hotel. One thing that is interesting about Nauvoo is that the people in the west part of town are not members of the church...It's all residents who sell Mormon paraphenalia to tourists. The east side is divided into the LDS and the Community of Christ churches....it's all very interesting. Anyway, this is the point in the trip when everything blends into one. After dinner we walked on the main street in downtown Nauvoo and got some chocolate from this really good shop and then looked in a couple of other stores.


Sunday, May 25, 2008


We got up and went to the Illinois, Nauvoo Mission sacrament meeting, which was pretty awesome. It was only an hour and a half meeting and the speakers were missionaries who were about to come home. Most of the missionaries there were older couple missionaries so it was interesting to hear their experiences serving on the many sites and in the temple in Nauvoo. After the meeting we went back to the hotel and took a nap (blessed day!!!). After the nap we headed over to Carthage where we visited the place of the Martydom of Joseph Smith. Even though it was my third time being there I still loved to feel the Spirit and know that someone so great had died there. Then we headed off to see some of the sites in Nauvoo. I LOVE Nauvoo...there is nothing better than to be there and to feel the spirit of the early pioneers and all of the sacrifices. Every time I go there I can feel the spirit of Joseph Smith so clear and it helps me to press on in the midst of all of my afflictions and trials.

Monday, May 26, 2008

I knew the today would be my favorite part of the trip. We started the day doing baptisms in the temple. What a perfect way to start!!! I have decided that I really really want to get married in the Nauvoo temple...I know cliche or whatever but I just love it! After the temple we headed to the visitors center to get our tickets for the shows that we were going to see that day. We then went over and visited some of the houses, including the Browning Gun Shop and the Scovil Bakery. Then we headed off to see Just Plain Anna Amanda. It was a cute children's show put on the by the young performing missionaries in Nauvoo. Even thought it was for kids I've got to confess that I kind of liked it. Then we saw more sites....while this may seem to be getting boring to you it really wasn't to me!!! Then we went to the visitor's center to see our second show High Hopes and Riverboats. It was also performed by the young performing missionaries and has a little bit of romance in it so we all know that I loved it!! After that show we ate dinner and did some shopping in the newer part of town. Then we went to see Rendezvous at Old Nauvoo. This show was done by the older missionary couples. It is always hiliarious because some just aren't really the performing type, but they all get up there and do it anyway!! To cap off the trip we went to the night show called Sunset on the Mississippi which is kind of a variety show of all of the missionaries. It was the perfect way to end the trip!!! Walking back to the car was a little scary because the show was outside and it was dark and dad can't see in the dark. Mom and I (with the help of some sister missionaries) had to lead him to the car. It was a scary experience because not only could he not see but he wasn't very stable because of the bad hip...(you probably forgot about that but it will come again later)...

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Mom and Dad's anniversary!!! I think this was their most special anniversary...well to me it was the most special of their anniversaries. During the day my mom would look at the clock and tell me things about their wedding day that I hadn't heard before. We got up in the morning and went to the Lyon Drug store, which for some reason I had missed my last two times in Nauvoo. Then we headed down the road to St. Louis. When we got to St. Louis we decided to drive up to the arch (we had a lot of time to kill). It was kind of a cool little structure although I was more interested in downtown St. Louis. We also saw the Rams' Stadium....which is the first NFL stadium I think I've seen that close. Then we headed to the airport where we sent dad off to Albuquerque and Mom and I went to Salt Lake.

Whew....I finally made it through the trip log. After the trip dad's hip gave out and cracked completely. Mom immediately flew home and dad called an ambulance to come get him and take him to the ER. Nearly 15 hours after he got to the ER that transferred him to the Presbyterian Hospital downtown. He had a very successful surgery on Thursday and was sent home Monday. His mom flew down from Utah to help take care of him. He's going a little stir crazy but is finally starting to heal.

Genius

So I've been reading through my old journals/story notebooks and I have discovered one thing....I am a genius. Every one of my stories has original content, never been seen by others before. I wonder why I didn't rush to the publishers right then so I could have the rights for those story ideas. Ok, ok, I know what you're thinking...there is no way that I could be right...how could a simple girl have the most original ideas ever....well she didn't. The truth is the stories I wrote were the same as every other story I could see on TV. Of course there were some original thoughts brought into my stories but most were a mixture of afterschool specials and Nancy Drew books. I do have to say that I was insanely consistent in my storylines. Some kind of boy/girl drama, one boy good the other bad, girl has to choose, chooses good guy but bad guy somehow steals her away (not her heart but quite literally steals her), and then heroic good guy comes to save the day. It is somewhat disappointed that I spent hours of my childhood writing the same story over and over and over again....I could have done something productive like had friends or something...oh well it's over now.....

The Beginning

Ok, I am the WORST journal writer ever!!! I thought this might help. Plus this summer I'm completely bored and Shayla's suggestion drove me to this. Not only will I update with things from the modern day but I will dreg through the writings of the past. I promise no high quality entertainment but it should produce a chuckle every once in a while. If anything in my past offends you or someone else...deal...this is my life as I see it. It truly is my crazy life!!!