sweet summertime!

So i've probably become the worst blogger on the planet, so much to catch up on...

1. The semester ended! Yeah! I made it! (It's been about three weeks and it feels like three months since i've been in school! haha) Not only did the semester end, but it ended with my highest GPA ever at BYU, i was very proud of myself!

2. I'm at home again and having fun playing with my family.

3. Blake was baptized! If you know me at all you know i ADORE my little brother. Because he is 12 years younger than me i'm more of a second mom than a sister. So to watch the little man grow up and turn 8 and be baptized and become an official member of the church was such an emotional thing for my family and i. It was such a beautiful day and the spirit was so strong. It was wonderful to be surrounded by family and friends who all loved Blake and were there to support him. It was a wonderful day for my family to just be together.

Shelby, Me, Lori (Mom), Michael (Dad), Blake, and Marissa

4. I made a list of summer goals for myself. I've officially completed one - learn how to make banana bread- and am half way done with another one of my goals (complete two quilts) well technically i've finished the tops if two of them and now just need to quilt them and bind them. Here is one of them:



5. I started my job part time nannying for two spirited, crazy, yet adorable little girls. They're a little crazy but i'm starting to love them. I've been blessed with a lot of work, which means making money, since i've been home and i am very greatful for that.

6. Today i found out that i received a scholarship that i had applied for, so for the first time i finally get some money towards my college education, very nice!

7. I've had so much fun playing with my best friends. Alex and i are together for the whole summer and i couldn't be more thrilled! We just shop and talk and play and have so much fun! i've missed having her in my life everyday.
Also John Dana just got home! i forgot how much i've missed his cute face and playing with him! I was able to help his mom make a scavenger hunt for him to find the new car his mom got him. It was so much fun to run around danville with him and his momma.

All in all life has been pretty good. its had its ups and downs lately and its really confusing moments, but hey, that's life right?

winding down

7 finals down
1 more to go
started packing up the room.
:(

don't get me wrong i'm excited to go home, but leaving is always hard. my mom and i were talking yesterday and this is what she said to me, "you're halfway done with college". i was stunned to silence for a minute. i've been in school my whole life. twenty years and i've always been in school (well i guess like 16 years of school, those first few years were solely dedicated to playing). in one year i'll be teaching and in my senior year of college and then i will graduate....and get a job...and be like a real life grown-up....that kind of scares me. i've always been a planner and have been one who always worked to achieve my dreams, but my dreams and their benchmarks always were focused on school.
For example:
finish high school with a high GPA: check
get into BYU: check
get into the El Ed program: check
....
what comes next
finish and become a teacher: this one is coming faster then i even realize. my dad always said to me that as he's gotten older the years in his life fly by faster and faster. i'm feeling this the older i get, people come and go, school years (though it doesn't seem like it sometimes) fly by...

now i'm on to my summer adventure: nannying.
i was going to stay spring but then my job started the first week of may. so home i go to move back into my room. for some reason i'm nervous about going home. i want to have fun, to enjoy myself, i didn't really have a lot of fun with friends last summer, i mostly worked and played with my mom. which don't get me wrong, it was wonderful, but i want to enjoy these next four months not just go through the motions. i also know that that will be determined by me and my attitude. i also want to be a better big sister. everytime i see my siblings it amazes my how big they have gotten. they are just growing up so fast and everytime i see them i just want to say "stop that!". Shelby is turning 13 this summer, THIRTEEN! she'll be a teenager! so strange, marissa is now 11 (and acts like a teenager) and my little dude, my baby, he's turning 8 in a few short weeks and getting baptized. i can't even believe how old my little family is getting. i know that i need to take this summer and become a better sister and friend. i've always been tight with my parents, but not so much my siblings. i've always blamed the huge age difference between us, but as they get older and mature that's not much of an excuse.

only four more days left till california sunshine and summertime

love from provo,

j

finals.

art: check
exercise science: check
dance: check

3 down...5 to go...
shouldn't be too bad.
what's the best way to study? go shopping at target and buy a cute new dress and high heels :)

only seven days till california sunshine and summertime.

j

MaRcH mAdNeSs....

Well, i feel like this is going to start the way all my posts do...life has been crazy! But i'm enjoying every minute of it.

1. first off, i was assigned my school district for next year, and i will be teaching in the distant land of Provo, UT....haha i was actually excited to be assigned to stay in provo because i'll be close and able to make it back in time for the extra classes i'm going to have to take. My schedule and life are stressing me out, but i know i can do it. i just need to stay focused.

2. This weekend was so much fun! it started on Friday withmy roommate Karen's 20th birthday. Being from Honduras she had never been to the Cheesecake factory and desperately wanted to go. We suprised her friday night and brought her up to Murray so she could go. it was a lot of fun!

Our lovely waiter took this apartment picture for us


Me, Brooke, and Becca

This is my favorite picture of the night. The birthday girl and I!

3. The next day, so Saturday (3/27) we attended, like most of provo, the festival of colors. Its this crazy festival held at the hari krishna temple. basically thousands of people get together and throw tons of colored powder (its actually made from cornstarch) into the air and on each other. it was a lot of fun and we were so colorful

Ok, so this would be Karen and i on the walk to the temple, looking very clean and white


Josh, me, Brooke - this was when we started throwing colors - very fun!


For some reason blogger does not like my pictures and they're not as vivid as they are on my computer, but what can you do...Karen and I


A bunch of us after the huge color cloud that left you mostly brown

Basically this weekend was full of playtime and not much homework time, but it was worth it.

4. Alex (my best friend from home) moved to utah for this next month. i'm so happy she's here before we seperate for the summer. it'll be great to spend some quality time with her!

love from provo,

j

Dear Blog,

Dear blog,

sorry its been 20 days since we've seen each other. i have so much to tell you, but alas it is 12:35 am and i have class tomorrow morning. i promise we will meet soon, possibly tomorrow and i will catch you up on all my fun adventures, mostly from this last weekend.

Love,

J

home.

oh i forgot one thing!

i went home! it was amazing, nothing too exciting, just what i needed, a break from life. i'll just share my favorite memory, its actually one of my favorite life memories now. so my siblings didn't know i was coming home, it was a surprise. so my dad had them all go into our family room while i hid in the kitchen, he then went on to say he knew they were home alone and couldn't believe what they had done. they were very confused and kept saying "what did we do?" he replied "you want me to show you what you did?" he then grabbed me and brought me into the room. it was so funny to just see this look of shock and confusion on their faces. then Marissa screamed and ran for me, followed by Blake and then Shelby. they all were squeezing me so tight and then they started crying, and i started crying. it was incredible.

it was one of those moments in life that doesn't come by often, but you know its special right as its happening, you know its going to stay with you forever. in that moment i'd never felt more loved and missed in my life.

thinking about it now still makes me smile

i love my family :)

insanity.

i realized its been a while since i wrote and figured it was time to change that.

life has been INSANE!

and that's not an exaggeration. I'm going five hundred different ways five hundred miles an hour. I honestly don't know how i'm able to get through the day and get everything done, but somehow i pull through.

the other day i was feeling really down on myself. i was stressed out by all the things i needed to get done and not having enough time to do it and i was just bummed out on my life in general. i wanted to go run and hide and come out in 42 days when it is time for summer. I woke up the next morning and the beautiful sun was shining, my teachers were beyond flexible with all my life stressing, and everything is just seeming to fall into place. it amazes me how mindful the Lord is of me. i know he is allowing me to be pushed and tested, but at the moment of my weakness he's right there to catch me and make sure that i make it through all right. i'm so grateful to have the knowledge i do, that i know i have a loving Heavenly Father who allows me to be pushed so i can grow, but who is always there to catch me when i fall.

other wonderful moments of my week:
- i got a 3 1/2 page hand written letter from my friend Justin whose on a mission and it made me smile. i've loved watching him grow throughout this last year and a half and cannot believe he's coming home in six short months.
- i was able to talk to john dana for over an hour, he always makes me happy
- this hasn't happened yet, but tomorrow is my first official day in the classroom teaching, don't tell, but i'm terrified...but excited. it should be good :)
- i almost finished my quote journal, if you know me you know i LOVE quotes, i collect them like no body's business and put them in journals that i keep and read when i'm sad or happy or whatever, i love finding ways to say the things i am thinking when i can't even seem to find the words
- i love text messages and facebook posts from friends that just remind you how much they love you
- most importantly, i've been having lessons in learning about my own personal worth. lately i've been having issues with not feeling good enough and i've noticed when i'm having these tough times i'm blessed with so many differed answers and reaffirmations of my own personal worth.


random side note: i CANNOT believe i'm almost half way through college...how did that happen?