A Roller Coaster Semester

Well this last semester of college was one filled with busy times, drama, stress, lack of sleep, fun, enjoyement, and overall a great growing experience. I made alot of great new friends this semester, people that i will stay close with for along time, I tackled 16 credits and a job, and still kept a pretty active social life. I tried the dating scene, learned some valuable lessons, good and bads. No regrets, just life lessons learned. I had the chance to see close friends fall in love with their future husbands and wifes, I saw people struggle through personal problems, and i am now able to take those things and apply them personally.

I learned alot this semester, and now I need to take what I have learned and use it to my benefit. For instance, I love to be weird, I love to stand out, but as I get older and face serious situations, I see the need to be more mature in situations. Example: I love wear animal shirts. But I found myself being in more situations around superiors where I felt uncomfortable wearing them. I realized that I want to make a postitive impact, and that means giving up some childish things. Dont get me wrong, I will still wear the fun shirts, but I want to present myself in a professional manner, and I know that I can still have a blast, have fun and be professional when it comes time to be.

I also learned alot about relationships this semester. It seems like I pretty much saw it all this semester, from seeing friends fall in love, to hard break ups, to confusing "i dont know what she/he thinks about me" situations. The biggest thing I feel that I have learned from this is that, eventually I will marry someone, someone amazing, someone who deserves my full attention and support, one that i will love no matter what others think.. What I need to do is be actively dating and looking for that person who will feel the same about me. I am not saying get married in the next 6 months, I am just saying, start being serious about those I meet and date. If it does not seem right, I am not going to lead it on. If it feels good, I will sacrafice and make happen. I want to find someone who makes me smile. At times I feel like I know that person already, and other times I am just confused. We will see what the future brings.

This semester taught me alot about hard work. I honestly do not think I have ever work as hard as i have in school this last semester. I learned alot, and it felt good. My Public Relations teacher did a great job. he was not nice about grading, he gave us a true grade, and it was humiliating alot of the time, but through his honesty and teaching, we learned the right way to write and present, and in the end I feel that much more prepared. it felt really good to see the end result, I am proud of myself, but i still know i have alot to learn.

Overall, this semester was great, i love my friends, i love the experiences i had, and i love the chances i had and am having to learn from what i do on a daily basis.

Enjoy some pictures below from the semester....

Bi-Polar Start to Winter

well the snow cannot decide whether or not to stay. we got a few inches a week ago, which was fun because we made a fun little jump with the buds and enjoyed it for a few hours.but this last week has just been bitterly cold, but hardly any snow. it will look sunny, and it deceives you because you step outside and instantly freeze. maybe that is why i have been less than social towards people lately. Plus the fact that this last week was, pardon my french but, the week from Hell when it comes to work and school. even with the lack of snow, there were still plenty of early and random hour mornings of work. the snow would melt, but freeze at night, creating a frozen pond over most of the sidewalks. lucky us, we do the snow removal for all the girls dorms and for some of the most popular spots on campus, so we get to get up early and check for ice, spread ice melt and shovel any snow drifts that occur because of Rexburg's Famous wind. So that threw off my sleep patterns like crazy, plus then school kicked my trash.

i had a media law test this week, usually takes 2 to 3 days to complete, not fun, but i pulled a B on it. So im stoked. i also had a science exam and PR exam, oh and lets not forget the PR campaign we just started in my class, that is going to be a lot of work, but it will be real good experience. it is stressful because of all the other stuff i am doing, but it is going to be cool to do. I also have a big project on my online class, Persuasion. we are going to make an issue book, focused around the idea of illegal immigrants and the funding they receive from the US for schooling. so, just a big, long week full of tasks, but thanksgiving could not come at a better time!

I will be heading with one of my best friends, Taylor Evans and her family down to Las Vegas, to enjoy some warm air, make some money at the casinos(jk.....) and just enjoy a break. Ive known Tay for over a year now, and I have met most of her family, so i am very excited and blessed to be apart of their thanksgiving. We are going to have fun, "totes." (she doesnt like that word) or the word "elder" for some reason. weird. i dont know, but either way i am stoked.

Despite the stress and weird work schedule, life is good, i am blessed,and i love my family and all they do for me. You guys have no idea how lucky i really am to have them.

love you all

Enjoy this video, its from our snowboard sesh with our little jump. (graham pulls the backflips, i wear the lime green pants, and other friends.)

F is for Family.

This Labor Day weekend was spend just outside of Estes Park,CO. As a family, minus Braden, Katie and the kidlets, we went camping. And it was alot of fun. Between the squirrel in Larissas food bag that scared the crap out of her, the amazing views of Rocky Mtn National Forest, walking main street in Estes, the wildlife (including the momma bear and two cubs we saw), the baseball and horsehoes, the fires we made, the dutch oven food we made, going to church in the mountains smelling like a campfire and the time spent remembering old memories of growing up together, it was amazing. There is something about being with those you love out in a part of the country that is so beautiful that really makes you appreciate your life. I am so blessed to have the family i have. to share the experiences i share, and the fun i get to have with them. I can not, and will not ask for better parents. They are my best friends, i have been through thick and thin with them, and regardless of the silly mistakes i may make, they still love me. They support me and help me to realize my potential. My siblings do the same. We are all so different, but man, when we get together and start having a good time, there is no place id rather be.

Family is the best, and the best is my family. I hope that all of you can say the same about yours. F is for Family.

summers winding down.

can i just say that i am not excited for summer to end? ok because i will. this summer has been great. i will not lie. i have had a great time working, seeing friends and just relaxing. as of late i have been spending my open time at the sandbar in st. anthony. the sandbar is a little area where you can swim on the river, there is also a diving board. so it has been pretty fun. i could lie to you and talk about all the sweet tricks i can do off of it, but i wont. i tried a front flip, no good. i tried a backflip...if you even want to call it that. either way, i like jumping off of it. and being with my buddies. summer, please do not end, but at the same time, i cant wait to see all my friends again in two weeks! and next week i finally get to head back to the great state of Colorado. to see my family, to camp, to get sushi, and to enjoy the amazing people there. i love my life, and my life loves me.

7 week break, so far a success!

Well i have truly had a great summer so far. I have stayed up in rexburg to work. I am doing the grounds crew/ landscaping for the school. I love the people i work with, we have alot of fun, do alot of work, and i am learning alot more about how to be a good landscaper. (it does take skill, i kid you not.) So after work, it usually consists of hanging with my roommates, watching movies, floating the river, and attempting to learn how to play HALO. we have nothing else to do, and there is hardly anyone in town, so i actually do not mind a little relaxin. haha. but this last week has been great. it was my vacation. i left for the land of California, down to san deigo to see my amazing friends, Ryan and Kim Denny get married in the SD Temple. it was an amazing wedding, i made alot of great new friends, but it defintely sucks because they are in Chicago. It sure can be a pain when you meet someone who is pretty awesome, and then you realize... they are half away across the US. not too convienent. haha. but we still had fun. i got back from SD, been hanging with SKy and Jory. and then i got to go to another amazing wedding yesterday for my fav mission companion, Davey Williams. We went down to Manti. It was amazing. i am just so blessed to have the friends i have, and the experiences i get to be apart of. I love my life, and my life loves me. Its pretty cool, i will not lie :)

summer full of friends!

I cannot believe how fast this semester has actually gone. so much has happened, so much fun, and a lot of work. everything from balancing a job and school, having an awesome social life that included dance parties, many lake trips, caves, snowcones, a sweet trip to boise, an amazing family reunion, 4th of july with my family and friends, and just an over all summer. i have been so blessed to have the friends that i have, for the memories i have gained and the friendships that will last forever. spring term has truly been a great experience. i have learned a lot about myself and now it is time to change and put into action anything that will help me become a better me. i am so blessed for everything that has occurred this summer. Between my social problems , school problems and finacial problems, i am truly starting to see that growing up is hard, but essential in order to move forward in life. I love my life more than anything else, i love my faith and i love what it has done for me. BYU Idaho is amazing, and i dont care what anyone says about it. it has been and will continue to be exactly what i need in my life. Spring term 2011....thanks for being awesome! :)

enjoy some pics from the last couple of weeks!

fd