Holding On...

I definitely don't want September to come and go without blogging!  Now that I have my life under control, have started school, and have free time at night, it's the perfect time to pick up blogging again!  I'm sure as the school year goes on, I'm going to have LOTS of funny stories to share. :)  Speaking of school, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my job!  I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a teacher this year.  My students truly are wonderful!  The first week went sooooo much better than I expected it to.  I was expecting something to go horribly wrong... but nothing did.  If anything, I'm excited for the school year, and I'm really hoping I can make a difference in at least one students life.

Lately, outside of school, I've been feeling like I live a double life.  I feel like I am a peppy, fun person at school, but when I come home, I feel worthless and like I matter to no one...  There have been a lot of changes over the summer with friends and family, and up til now, I've never felt so alone.  By the end of the year, all of my close friends will be married, or engaged... I'm so happy for them, but also wish that I was in a similar situation.  I don't really ever have plans anymore- everyone else is busy living their lives.  So, I sit home, pinning on pinterest, while other's are out dating and having fun.  Maybe things will change for me sometime, but for now, I'm having a hard time.  It's okay to feel like this every once in a while, right?  It's one of those things that I don't really know how to overcome.  I would LOVE to have someone to talk to/do something with.  But where do I find someone like that?  I don't know.

For the next few months, the only thing I can count on to truly bring me happiness is football.  There is nothing I love more than watching the Cougars play.  Being in the stadium is definitely one of my most favorite places to be.  I don't know why, and really it shouldn't matter.  It's the one thing in my life that truly makes me happy, and hey, it gives me something to do.  Hooray for having something to look forward to each week for the next few months!

I've had several things on my mind for the past few weeks, and there is one that is driving me up the wall.  I'm not the kind of person who is going to just text anyone for the fun of it.  If I text someone, I usually have a question, have something to tell them, or just generally want them to know that I am thinking about them.  Going along this texting theme, whenever I get a text, I make sure to respond because I absolutely HATE when someone doesn't respond.  And, this has been happening a lot to me lately it seems like.  Now sure, I understand people get busy, and things come up, but when someone doesn't respond, or responds with one word, I get annoyed.  (Obviously this has happened to me tonight, which is why I'm so annoyed and talking about it.)  I'm in need of a venting session, and figured this was the best place to do it.  Tomorrow I'll be fine, but for tonight, I'm annoyed.

Some people look at me and ask how i'm so happy.  Truth is, I'm not.  But I'm trying my best each and every day to do what I should.  I'm trying to live the best that I can in hopes that one day something wonderful happens.  I'm hoping to get out of this deep, dark slump I've been in for quite some time.  And I know it's going to take time.  Once, when I was given a blessing by my dad, he told me "this too shall pass." And that's what gets me through the day.  These bad/hard days are going to end.  Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not in a week.  But someday... And someday is a day worth holding on for.

Post Grad!

Sometimes, I think it's super crazy that I'm officially a college graduate...  School started yesterday for BYU-I, and I almost feel like I should be there.  It's crazy i'm not, and it's even crazier that I get to have a summer again!  I get to wear capri's and flip-flops, I need to get a summer job, I'll be able to stay out an play at night... I know those seem like small things, but when you go without them for 2 years, it's kinda a big deal. ;)

Here's what I've been up to the past few weeks:

We were heading out the door to Bannon's first baseball game.

Go Twins!  I don't mean to brag, but you're looking at the #1 pick out of all the boys playing this year... Every single team wanted him.  He's a baseball all-star!

This is the 2nd of 3 Easter Egg hunts we took Bannon to.  I'm the cheerleader. ;)

Traditional dying of the Easter Eggs.

Easter Sunday!

I went hiking with a good friend at Dry Creek up above Alpine.  We went through snow, mud, dirt... haha It was fun to go hiking in April. 

Middle of nowhere?  Yeah... kinda.  

You can kinda see the waterfall.  We're going back later this summer when there isn't still snow.  I'll be sure to post some better pictures. :)

I guess it's time I can share a secret i've been keeping for the past few months.  I have accepted a long-term subbing position at Kearns High School.  The current teacher is going to have a baby, so once I start, i'll be there through the end of the year.  I'm going to be teaching Foods 1, Foods 2, and Food Service, which is like Foods 3.  The past few days, I have gone to observe the students, look over lesson plans, and get a feel for how things go.  I'm excited for this opportunity!  I know going into this, all the students are thinking, "Oh, we'll totally walk all over her.  She's just a sub." HA!  Little do they know, I just got done student teaching, and learned a lot.  So I plan on doing much better than a typical sub would.  I'll be sure to update how things go.  I think that's about it for now.  Bannon was sick today, so we had a sick day.  We stayed in our pajama's all day, and just watched some movies.  It was a fun sibling bonding day. :)  

Well, time to go watch the rest of Revenge!  Catch ya later!

My Return!

I know, I know... It's been a REALLY long time since I have posted anything.  But, being a teacher is an awful lot of work, and I didn't have hardly any free time...  Before I go any father, I must share my good news!  I'm officially done with student teaching!!!! I passed with flying colors, and now I get to enter into the grown up world.  Yeah... that's a little scary.  During my student teaching experience, I had the time of my life.  I know that teaching Family and Consumer Sciences is what I should be doing.  It just fits, and it feels right.  What a wonderful feeling it is to know that I'm in the right profession.  While some student teach and end up thinking, "well this certainly isn't for me", it only validated that teaching IS for me.  Love it!!


I have thousands of stories from student teaching!  However, a lot of them would take waaaaaaay too long to type, so just ask if you want to hear some.  I will say, being hit on by several Sophomore boys was quite the experience.  I'm gonna miss them. ;)


I do have some happy news to share!  I, fortunately enough, will not have to be teaching-less for long.  I have accepted a long term subbing position at Kearns High School starting at the end of the month, and it will go until the end of the school year.  I'm excited for the opportunity, and know it's going to bring a lot of stress.  But, I'm ready for it!  It's only day 2 since I've finished student teaching, and I already miss it.  I miss the students, I miss teaching, and sadly enough, I miss making lesson plans.  It'll be good to get into the schools again!  


But now, the hunt for a teaching job for the fall is on... And it's scary.  It's scary to grow up!!  Sometimes I secretly think I want to go back to school and get another degree.  Only because I want to be lazy and not search for a job... We'll see what happens.  Fingers crossed that something will work out!


I can't believe it's already April.  That means football season is that much closer to starting. ;)  I went to a Utah baseball game with my mom and Bannon last Friday.  That was.... interesting.  The final score was UCLA 15 Utah 0... Typical.  Haha I only say that because I'm a BYU fan.  But hey, at least I went and supported the Utes in something, right?


I feel like I have so much to say, but yet not much to say at the same time.  I could start telling all sorts of stories, but it's getting late, and I should probably get some sleep.  I need to take my car in for an oil change in the morning... 


I'll be sure to post again soon now that I have some free time.  I'm gonna live up the next month while I have some free time.  Expect to hear some awesome stories of fun adventures soon.  :)

The End of A Semester

Well, today was my last official day of classes!  I'm officially done with classes for my college career.  It's a strange feeling... one that I don't quite know how to describe.  At least, not yet.  With classes coming to an end, it means one thing... 

Finals.

I think that picture accurately shows how I usually feel during finals week.  However, my finals this semester aren't tests.  Rather, they've been a lot of projects.  Projects are super time consuming, but right now, I can honestly say I feel like this...

Pure happiness.  In fact, I feel like cheering!

As time consuming as projects are, they don't stress me out nearly as much as a test does.  There's something about being forced to memorize and remember all sorts of facts that you may never need again in your life really stresses me out to the max.  For finals this semester, I have a mock interview/conference with one of my professors tomorrow, and I've already turned in all of my projects for my other two classes.  It's safe to say that this semester has been my best one for finals, by far.  Thank heavens.  I've definitely had my fair share of stressful times during finals.  So now that I'm basically be done with everything except for a breakfast for my Methods class Wednesday morning, what am I going to do with my time?  See if you can guess...

Did you guess packing and cleaning?  If so, you're correct! :)  It's always the worst part of a semester.  But, for the past 2 semesters, I've only had to clean and not really pack.  But, this semester I get to do both.  It's slightly overwhelming, but I can do it!  Plus, it means I'm that much closer to going home, which I'm really excited about!  It's crazy how fast time goes.  But, I've come to learn that sometimes we outgrow things.  I feel like I'm ready for a new adventure- a new scene.  So, here's to finishing strong with finals, packing, and cleaning!  

Apartment 302!

This is a video that my roommate Anna made for us.  It's a bunch of memories from Fall semester.  Check it out, yo!

Isn't it funny how one day you can't wait to leave somewhere, and the next, you're almost dreading it?  It's a very bittersweet feeling.  I've been waiting a really long time to finally be done here in Rexburg... and now that I leave in just a few days, I get more sad.  For a long time, I was wondering why I always had to come back to school right when things were going so great at home.  It's been like this for the past two years.  Now that I won't be coming back, I'm afraid things aren't going to be as great as they once were.  Maybe I'm just being silly, and things will still be just as good.  We'll see.  I'm crossing my fingers!

Today we did our roommate Christmas gift exchange!  I had Katrina and I got her some stuff from Victoria Secret!  It's safe to say that she loved it!  She, ironically enough, had drawn my name.  She got me some ADORABLE slippers that look like little boots.  Then she gave me some Mounds, Starbursts, and Lifesavers and bath salt.  With each of these items, she wrote me a note that incorporated the items. It was super cute and made me cry!  I love Christmas time, and the feelings it brings to my life.  I'm happy we decided to have our Christmas celebration today.  I'm definitely feeling the Christmas spirit more and more everyday, and I love it!

It seems appropriate for me to say how much I love my roommates!  I have definitely been placed in the right place at the right time.  How grateful I am for each of them, and for the influence they have been in my life.  As cheesy as it is to say, the song For Good from Wicked fits this situation perfectly.  Because I knew each of them, I really have been changed for good.  Love you girls, thank you for the FUN semester and the AWESOME memories!!!

COUGARS!

In case you couldn't tell, I'm an avid BYU fan. Ever since I was a young girl, my Dad and Grandpa had BYU football season tickets. They would take me to several games with them, and after a while, I started to love it! The more I learned about football, the more of a Cougar fan I became. When people ask me what I love, I always respond by saying my family, and BYU. We just finished up another football season, 9-3. What a fun season it was to watch! Even though I'm still in school right now, I traveled home about every other week to go to the games because my dad got me season tickets again this year. (When he got them, I wasn't supposed to be in school. But due to scheduling conflicts, things didn't quite go as planned.) While it seems like a lot to travel back and forth that much, it was totally worth it. BYU is my passion, and nothing could get in the way of me going to the games.

I was on facebook the other morning, and saw that BYU was having a promotion for the next hour. They're playing the 6th ranked team in basketball next Saturday, and they want the Marriott center to be packed! So, as a result, they put all tickets on sale for $2 a ticket. Me, being the fan that I am, couldn't pass the deal up! I'm moving home Wednesday, so it's perfect timing. I got a ticket for Trista, Bannon, and I. I'm excited to go watch the boys play since I haven't actually been to a BYU basketball game in years! Football is more my thing. I'm excited to go next week, but, I will miss seeing Jimmer. What a stud he is.

I'm currently watching the BYU/Utah basketball game, which is how this post came to be. I love watching my team, and I love it even more when we're winning. :) Rise and shout, the cougars are out! GOOOOOOO COUGARS!!!

You're Gonna Miss This...

Trace Adkins sings a song called You're Gonna Miss This. The chorus of the song says:
You're gonna miss this,
you're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days,

hadn't gone by so fast.

These are the good times,
so take a good look around.
You may not know it now,
but you're gonna miss this.

Back when I started going to school at BYU-I, I was anything but convinced that I would miss Rexburg. I HATED every second of being at school, and didn't understand why I

felt so strongly to attend school here. I questioned why I was at BYU-I, and wondered why I listened to the prompting to come here since I was doing nothing but suffering every single day...

However, I have a slightly different opinion of Rexburg now. Yeah, amazing. I think one of the biggest reasons my opionion changed is because of these guys...

I have THE greatest roommates and Bishop ever! Bishop Rossiter just got released this past Sunday, but he has had such a huge impact on me and my life. Every week after sacramaent meeting, he would stand up and say, "We love you!" I know he was sincere, and that he really did love me. He was my Bishop the whole time I was at BYU-I. I love him and am grateful I could always turn to him for anything.

My roommates.

This picture was taken the first week of school, back in September. Right from the first week, I could tell I was blessed to be roommates with each of these girls. What an amazing influence they have been to me in my life. They've turned into some of my best friends, and it's going to be hard to leave them next week. They have taught me to love myself for who I am. They have taught me that things always happen when we least expect them to. They have taught me to always be happy, and to always keep going. They have taught me what true friends are like, and have showed me how special I really am. I love each of them so much, there are no words to tell them how much I appreciate them and everything they have taught me.

It's amazing what can happen when you are put in the right place, at the right time. As my time here in Rexburg quickly comes to a close, I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity I have had to go to school here. I really am going to miss this, and know that next week, once i'm back home, I'm going to wish these days hadn't gone so fast.

Since I live my life with no regrets, I'm going to make my last few days here in Rexburg count. I'm going to live it up with my amazing roommates! I'm going to enjoy my time here, and I'm going to do amazing on my finals! :)