Snow

About half-way through my senior year of high school through the end of summer 2010 the most commonly asked question of my life was "Where are you going to school?" my reply: "Utah State." One of the most common heard lines after that was "Oh I have family there" and the MOST common heard line was "Oh it's cold there!" By the end of the summer I was ready to say thank you to the genius people for sharing that fact with me because I definitely didn't know that before and somehow I missed the thousand other people who told me the same thing. Me being a St.George girl through and through, I hate cold so maybe they were just looking out for me. Either way, they were ALL right!

This weekend we got snow. Lots of snow. Around 18 inches, give or take a little. Crazy? Yes. But what's even more crazy is that for some reason I wanted to play in all this snow. This is a big deal. Normally I avoid the snow at ALL costs. But yes ladies and gentlemen, you read it right -- I played in the snow.

It was a dark a dreary night -- well sorta. It wasn't really dark because the snow makes things really bright. It was night though. Around 10:30 p.m. Mackenzie and I decided we wanted midnight pizza. To get to the place of the pizza we had to make our journey through all the snow coming down. To shorten the story, I will just say this, by the time we got to pizza we were pretty snow covered. So after eating our pizza we decided "what the heck, we're already wet, lets just go straight through the snow covered field." So we did. This started my desire to play in the snow. So I went into my apartment put on all my snow clothes and went out and played in the snow until 12:30 a.m. The group was Kenzie, Kristy, Jonathan, Chris, Nick, and Anjeanette (for a little while). We face planted in the snow, back flopped, did gymnastics, and snow dived! It was great fun! Hopefully I'll get the pictures from Nick eventually, because they are quite grand!

That is the story of my adventure in the snow. I figured it was blog worthy because it RARELY ever happens and probably won't happen again for a LONG time.

Camp Huntington

I know that I have briefly mentioned in previous posts that I got a summer job in New York but I don't think I've ever really explained it before. And I'm in the mood to write a blog instead of study anatomy so i figured why not.

The place that I'll be working at is called Camp Huntington. It is located in High Falls, New York. I believe it's about 2 hours outside of the city. I will work either as a bunk counselor and have 1-3 campers assigned to me that I get to work with and go to every activity with OR I will be the music program counselor where I will get to teach/play/make music with all the campers. I hope that I can get the program counselor job because I think that it will be really good experience for me and I may be able to get credit for it. Plus, I'll get to work with a music therapist basically everyday. My dream job? I think so.

So to apply for this job I had to fill out an online application, get references (thank you to the three people who have now filled out more references for me than they ever should have had to), and have a phone interview. The application part was really easy. I was nervous about the phone interview part but I just have to say that the lady I talked to, Amber, is basically one of the nicest people ever. She offered me a job instantly which I though was pretty cool!

To go along with the greatness of this already wonderful opportunity, my good friend Sydnie also got a job at Camp Huntington for this summer. She heard me talking about it and she filled out the application and got a job as well. So now I don't have to do that part that is the scariest to me alone. The traveling. I was a bit nervous about going all the way to New York alone. Thank you Sydnie! And I get to spend an entire summer with her and a bunch of really great people. I am so excited.

I cannot wait until this summer. I am so excited and scared and happy and nervous all at the same time. But I know that I am so lucky to get this opportunity and I am very grateful for it! There will definitely be more to come on Camp Huntington but probably not until next Fall. :D

I am so proud!

I just had to write a quick little blog to tell about my dear roommate Lauren. Today she did something that I have NEVER been brave enough to do. She gave blood for the first time!!!! Now you see this is not a small deal. She was very scared. But she faced her fear and she did it. I am so stinkin' proud of her! And to add to the awesomeness of the situation, she has super intense bruising that looks pretty fantastic!!! Today she is my hero. And she helped save a life. Way to go Lauren!

I have never been brave enough to give blood. It's not the blood that's the problem. It's the needle. I REALLY don't do needles. I'll admit, I have not had a flu shot in like two years because I hate needles that much. They freak me out and I don't like the thought of poking something into my body that wouldn't naturally go there.

So to make myself feel better about being such a chicken and not giving blood, I volunteer at the blood drive instead. Last semester I ran the table with the information and the cool name tag stickers that all the awesome blood donors get to wear. Red for those who have donated blood before and green for first timers. The only problem with running the info table is that people ask me questions and actually expect me to know the answer. I don't know much about medical stuff. Not really my thing. Although, being forced to take anatomy is sorta helping me in that department [sidenote: still haven't passed out in that class! Wahoo!]. Well.... Despite my newly learned anatomy knowledge, I got put at the snack table this semester. Not quite as important of a job but still good I guess. All the poor souls who were forced to sit down and eat for at least ten minutes got stuck with the lovely task of listening to me blab their ears off about whatever happened to be on my mind at that moment. But I always told them how they are heroes in my eyes for being brave enough to give blood. That's good right?? And this one boy named Dan, I met him at the blood drive, did the plasma/blood thing and he said that his donation could count for me too this time. So I'm clear! Thanks Dan. You're a pal!

One more exciting sidenote before I close this blog.... Tonight I was able to indulge in my obsession of formal dresses. I got to see Kristy, Misty, and Chandi in their beautiful formals for the IWA dance on Friday. They all so looked so pretty! And Chandi is borrowing my pink high heels. Good luck girl, those things are SUPER hard to walk in! Oh and dates of the night, be prepared to be blown away by these stunning girls!

There Is Good

This story is just so great, I wanted to share. You can read it here or go to this URL. The website is really cool because you can hear the man actually give a first person account of the story. It's good to know that there is good.


http://www.npr.org/2008/03/28/89164759/a-victim-treats-his-mugger-right

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.

"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.

Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.

"The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'"

"No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'"

Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?"

"Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.

Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says.

The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.

When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."

The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know."

Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."

Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

Produced for Morning Edition by Michael Garofalo.

Questions and The List

Have you ever been so sure about something that you knew for a fact that it was the right thing to do? And then something happened to make that thing you were so sure about harder. Then another something happened that again made things more difficult and made you a bit unsure. Then yet another something happened and you really question what on earth you are doing and if it was the right thing. How are you supposed to look at this? From a religious standpoint, I know that when something is right and God has confirmed it, that thing is often bombarded with trials and difficulties because Satan doesn't want it to happen. But from the same standpoint, what if the thing that you thought was so right really isn't and all of the trials that are in the way are really there as a wake-up call for you to help you realize what you are doing isn't the right thing. Then what? When something feels so right and so wrong at the same time, what are you supposed to do? These are the questions that haunt me.

On another note, I have a list. This list is of things that I am very thankful for recently.

The List:
1. Prayer - self explanatory.
2. My family and how they are always there for me - They are always there supporting me and helping me with whatever they can even though I am not living with them anymore.
3. Friends who ask "How are you?" and actually want an honest answer - I have some great friends who really care about me and will listen and talk to me.
4. Friends who trust me enough to tell me what is going on in their lives. - It feels good to be trusted and to know that you can be there for people just like they have been for you.
5. My mom - Moms really are just great! My mom will let me call and cry to her on the phone and just talk to me even though she knows I am being ridiculous.
6. Hello - Don't you love it when you are sitting in class and someone comes up and sits next to you and says "hello" or turns around in their desk just to say "hey." I love that!
7. Peer support - Its good to know that you are not the only person struggling with the latest crazy Aural Skills or Anatomy assignment.
8. Ice cream - BEST COMFORT FOOD EVER!
9. Vampire Diaries with Kristy - Mostly I'm obsessed/grateful for this one because it's time spent with my roommate where we both giggle about all the cute guys on the show and laugh at the relations to Twilight and just spend time together.
10. Eating lunch/dinner with MacKenzie - I love this because MacKenzie is so funny and we laugh like crazy every time we go eat! Best way to spend a meal - the food really doesn't matter when you are in good company.
11. Lauren's recent obsession with Taylor Swift - It is so fun to walk into my room at any point during the day and see Lauren sketching and singing to T Swift.
12. Phil Collins - Yep I'm obsessed! Listening to him right now!
13. Train - I love Train right now too.
14. 70's music - Thank you choir! I cannot wait for this concert!
15. Skype - Skype is great! I got to see my old roomie Shayla and my cousins Kennedy and Jay this week because of Skype. It's great!
16. My rainboots - Pink cheetah print for $7. Can't get much better than that!
17. Letters - I love getting mail! One of the best parts about having so many friends/family on missions is all the letters! So great!! That and of course the fact that they are serving the Lord.
18. Being able to talk to my brother - My brother left for Korea on Wednesday and so I got to talk to him for a few minutes while he was in the airport. He said a prayer in Korean and it was SO cool!
19. My blanket that my mom made for me and my teddy bear from my grandma - I just love cuddling up with them!
20. Choir & Music Therapy Ensemble - I have such great friends in both of these classes and I can just let go and be a bit crazy and have fun in both. Great friends + Fun = My favorite classes.
21. My summer job and that now I won't be going by myself - I am so excited to go to New York and to be a counselor (and maybe a music teacher) at Camp Huntington! And Sydnie got a job there too so now I don't have to go alone! I am so excited!!
22. An enthusiastic pianist - I am the Relief Society chorister at church and we got a new pianist and she gets really into the songs and plays them with a lot of enthusiasm and it's great because when she plays that way the Relief Society sings that way too and it's a lot more enjoyable!
23. My ipod - sometimes I tune out the world. Sad but true! I like rocking out to my own music sometimes!
24. Cooking - I've done some experimental cooking within the last week or so and it was very fun! The meal plan is great but I do enjoy cooking every once in a while.
25. My car - I like having the ability to leave if I need to. Especially since I'm now the only roommate with a car.
26. Awkward people - I love awkward people! They are just so fun to be around and to talk to! I'll admit I'm an awkward person sometimes.... maybe that's why I love them so much!
27. Thursdays - I have a class at 9 and a class at 10:30 and then I'm done by 11:10. It's nice to have a day without too many classes
28. Orange - Orange stuff makes me smile. I see a person in a bright orange coat or an orange backpack and it makes me happy.
29. The shower - Showers are great! I don't have anything else to say about it.
30. Best friends - The ones who you can go a long time without seeing and then when you do see each other again it's like there was no time in between. The ones who somehow always know when to call or send a text saying something sweet. The ones that you've been through a lot with and who will be there for you even if they are angry with you. I'm related to some of these friends of mine and I'm not related to some of them. Thank you to those people! You are great!

I think it's healthy to write lists of things you're grateful for every once in a while. For myself, I know that I sometimes need to step back and look at all blessings that I've been given and to say thank you -- both to those who are the blessings, and to Heavenly Father for giving them to me. In my institute class we talked about tender mercies from the Lord. Little blessings. Things that we take for granted sometimes. I challenge anyone who actually reads this blog to write a list for yourself. Let those people who are blessings in your life know it, and remind yourself about all you've been given. It's a good thing and it makes you feel great! (I speak from experience)

Roommate Girls Night

How do you throw the perfect girls night? This was the question that ran through the minds of my roommates Kristy, Mackenze, and I last night. I decided to Google girls night essentials. Google said:

Things You'll Need:

• cups
• pitcher
• alcohol
• soda
• chick flick

....um yeah. The alcohol part didn't really fly but we figured this was a good start.

Next step: Walmart run. Kristy and I went to Walmart to pick up the needed girls night items. We spent about $25 on candy, Orange Julius ingredients, ice cream, and cookies. Good start? We thought so. Were we done yet? No way! When we got back to the apartment we decided that we needed a good movie and pizza. While Kristy was chatting on the phone, Mackenzie and I went on the search for the "movie." What movie you may ask? Mama Mia, of course!! After a few stops, we found it. Movie - check. Pizza - ________. Lucky for us, USU gives out coupon books to the students. And guess what one of the most common coupons is for..... Pizza! Perfect? Yes. So we went through the coupons and picked our perfect match. Fox's Den Pizza. One large pizza, breadsticks, and a 20 oz. fountain drink for $9.99. Here is where we encountered our first problem. Who would call the pizza place to make our order? ....turns out it was me. [random side note: I HATE calling people on the phone.....] So after one of the most awkward phone conversations of my life we had the pizza ordered. 35 minutes to wait. Now what do we do? Break out the drinks! I must admit, I make a killer Orange Julius. We even rimmed our glasses with sugar to make them look fancy. Yummy!! *knock on the door* Pizza is here!! I hope the delivery man is cute!! .....nope. Let's just say that I didn't find my prince charming that night. With pizza in hand, now it's really time to party! We start the girls night playlist and eat more calories than should be allowed. We watched Mama Mia and Stardust. And by the time these two movies were finished, it was about two in the morning. Guess what we did next.... yep, we went to bed. Our girls night wasn't an all-nighter but I think it was still a great success!! Thanks girls!

How Long Is This Supposed To Take??

ac·cli·mate

verb
\ˈa-klə-ˌmāt; ə-ˈklī-mət, -ˌmāt\

ac·cli·mat·edac·cli·mat·ing

Definition of ACCLIMATE

transitive verb

: to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation

So I've been in Logan for a little over a semester now and I'm just wondering when I'm supposed to "acclimate." I thought things were going pretty well.... That is until I walked outside this morning and got hit by the Logan cold breeze. BURRRR!!!!! It's the clear blue sky days, the ones that look so inviting, that surprise me every time!

Mother Nature... you got me again.