winter semester! =]

wow... i haven't written in forever. this semester was amazing. i truly couldn't have asked for better roomates. they were honestly so so so much fun. i'venever had roomates that were so similar to me. it was great to not be the loudest one in the apartment for once! i'll honestly miss them. we had some great times and i'm so grateful for them.

we had the greatest fhe brothers, and i'm sure gonna miss those guys. the most entertaining group of fellas i've met in a while, that's for sure.

nursing is awesome! the semester was easier than i thought it would be, but i know that next semester is ALREADY kicking my trash. i'm honestly petrified, and my heart beats super fast when i start to think about it. i'm so excited, though. so much to learn! the more i learn about the body, the more i love it and find out that i have so much more to learn. i'm happy to say that i think that i'm holding my own okay.

i got a job as a medical receptionist at the student health center, and i work every day. iabsolutely love my job, and i'm starting to get the hang of things. i'm so grateful that things worked out so perfectly! i couldn't have picked a better job if i had hand-picked one myself.

my 21st birthday was this semester, and i received the best present ever- my mom flew in from california. we got to drive to slc together and spend timewith my best friend and godmother.we saw the hunger games at midnight. i got to have a pretty tight birthday bash with all my friends. we got cream soda and root beer in bottles for the ambiance. mom brought a lovelycake, and we played games, and it was awesome. mom got to stay around for a few days and we got to shop and eat thai and go to the movies. it was quite delightful, and i loved having her here!

this break was pretty fun. i got to spend some quality time with my godmother in slc and i went on quite the backpacking adventure with some friends. while trying to get to our originallyplanned trailhead, everything went wrong. from closed roads to car problems, not much of that compared to us getting caught camping in a blizzard. it was the coldest night of my life. it's not often that you wake up outside and it looks like christmas. so we got the heck out of there, and the next day, after bouncing around to ranger stations to multiple stations, we were recommended the kanerra canyon trail. it was SUPER awesome! with the exception of the fact that within the first ten minutes i fell on my face, banged up my chin, and loosened the bottom four teeth and was bleeding out of my mouth.my chin looks disgusting and i still have a killer headache, but it was worth it! haha. the hike was pretty intense (for me, at least) but so beautiful. we hiked on the sides of the canyon for a couple of hours and setup camp. the trail was very narrow in some places, and one slip could send you down the side of the canyon. we discovered this beautifulllll slot canyon that we had to hike through with bare feet in a creek with bone-chilling numbing water. it was one of the most beautiful scenic places i've ever been in my life. you truly feel closer to your creator submerged in nature. maybe it's because i was praying literally every other minute to not die. it was quite the adventure. i'm probably more sore than i've ever been in my life, but i'm really proud that i stepped so far out of my comfort zone. i definitely can't wait to do something like that again. maybe not for a few weeks. or months =]

anyways, it's been an awesome semester. i've learned a lot about myself. i'm going through this really weird rut right now, and i'm not quite sure how to get out of it. but i'll figure it out. i look forward to improving myself, and hope that i can receive some divine intervention to help me out! i can't wait for all of the good times ahead! =]

a dios a 2011, hola 2012!

holy cow. i can't believe a whole year has gone by already. fo reals, where does the time go? well... i was going to do a quick summary of my whole year, but my flight back to ID leaves soon, i have to move-in tomorrow, and then i have orientation and then school starts, there's not much time.

i think it's sufficient to say that this year has been bomb. i've met a ton of people and have developed a lot of amazing relationships that i'm grateful for. also reflecting on this year, i've noticed that i haven't done anything huge... i wish i could say that i spent a semester abroad or learned a language or got married or something like a lot of my friends, but i haven't. just normal school and stuff on the weekends. i'm wondering if it will ever be my turn to get to have adventures like everyone around me. my itch to travel and develop skills/talents has to constantly be repressed, and i constantly have to remind myself of my priorities. it's super frustrating, but i'm trying to develop patience. i just have to keep telling myself, "someday... someday."

well, i thought that this could be my formal good-bye to the world. i'll basically be a hermit for over two years, so i hope that everyone can remember who i am and what i look like. nursing is going to be super intense. i'm scared out of my mind, but realllly excited and anxious to start at the same time. i'm grateful to be finally starting. i know that with the spirit's help, i can do anything! i just hope that i can hold my own.

i have a feeling that's basically going to be the extent of my 2012. someday... someday. thanks so much to my friends and family for making my trips home so amazing. i'm grateful for you!

first/last post of the semester

hey, mr. blog. no time, no see. i can't believe that i haven't updated this thing in so long. i'll give a brief overview of life the last few months...

well, the beginning of the semester, i kept inflicting physical pain on myself. i broke my pinky toe, sewed through my finger on the sewing machine, got my wisdom teeth out, slammed my face in my car door (don't ask me how that happened), and broke my toe again. irrelevant information, but kind of entertaining.

i've been living at riviera, and have been taking some pretty tight classes before i started the nursing program. it's been SO awesome to be able to take such great, well-rounding classes. i've discovered a lot about myself through them, and can't wait to develop my skills further in these different areas. the only problem is... i don't want to go back to reality. how lovely would life be if i could just major in horseback riding/shakespeare/digital design/sewing/interior design/cooking, etc? maybe in the next life.

horseback riding is one of the most prominent passions that i have right now. i've always loved horses, but haven't ever had the opportunity to learn much about riding them. i look forward to each time that i get to go. my horse's name is speck.... we had a rough time in the beginning trying to figure each other out, but now that we understand each other, it's been SOOOO fun!!!! i got to lope for the first time! i have a lot to learn, but seriously, i haven't felt this passionate about something in a long time. i know it's just talk, but i would sincerely love to own my own horse, someday. preferably a palamino. my shakespeare class is amazing. i am learning so much, and LOVE going to class each MWF. he's my hero. visual media has been super fun... i can't wait to do wedding announcements, logos for businesses, shower invites, etc. for friends and family. i'm not a professional or anything, but i love practicing the basics and can't wait to get better. i wish i was more creative, but i'm hoping that will come with time. my sewing class has been fun. i've made a lot of pillows, a christmas tablecloth, some other stuff, and (my pride and joy) baby quilt. i wish i had a camera so that i could put pictures on here. i can't do clothes/patterns yet, but again, i'll have to practice. in my home ech class, we've done cooking, int. design, and basic sewing. i didn't think that i'd be able to learn a ton from these rotations, but i surprisingly have. humility is a virtue. anyways, the end!

i've got to do some fun things this semester. my highlights were: the shakespeare festival in cedar city, my thanksgiving trip to portland, oregon, and my batman party. fun times. some of my favorite times, though, are sincerely just watching movies, hiking, or playing games with my friends.

so... crazy turn of events. as some of you know, i've been applying for the highly competitive nursing program at byui for about 2 years now, to no avail. i finally made the big girl decision that this wasn't going to happen for me, and to start looking into plan B. well, i did. i was all set to go at CSI- apartment, classes, financial aid & the works- when i got a letter from byui saying that i'd been accepted to their nursing program, i wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. i couldn't believe it. My initial impression was to spit and continue on to CSI as planned. i felt a little bitter... sure, NOW you want me! i was finally just getting excited about CSI... well, after a lot of reasoning and prayer, i decided to take the leap of faith and accept the position at BYUI. i'm not going to lie... i'm really scared. i got a huge packet of homework and tests, already. and i'm going to be living with no one that i know. not a lot of my friends will be up here in the winter. and it's going to be cooooolllllllddddddd!!!!!!! ugh =/ so many changes at once are a little overwhelming... be careful what you ask for! just kidding... i know that it's going to turn out great! i can't wait to get started! i'm a little sad that i have to post-pone the fun classes for a while, but that's okay. it'll all be worth it someday. nursing is a great career, and i know that with the Lord's help, I can do anything. bring it!

i seriously can't WAIT to go home! i've never been this homesick before. my grandma purcell is coming to california with me. i can't wait for that! i can't wait to play with joey, go to mission inn and watch an entire season of gossip girl and eat potstickers with laura, spend hours at the forever21 with darbie, watch seinfeld and say yes to the dress with my mom in her humongous waterbed, not be COLD, to see all my other friends and family members... it's going. to. be. great. i'm sad i'll only be there for 10 days, especially because i'll be doing homework for a big chunk of the time. oh well. I LOVE CHRISTMAS, AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE CALIFORNIA SUNSHINE! my skin's been craving it. it's been a lovely semester, and i'm so grateful for all of the people that i've met and for the experiences that i've had. =]

the end!

summeR time!!!!! =]

So… I’m home in Socal! I’m not going to lie… adjusting was really hard. I haven’t been home in 9 months, and everything has changed. But after the first week, I realized
that I didn’t have to pack my bags and go back to Rexburg just as quickly as I thought I would. It’s crazy that all the neighbor kids and church kids are so huge now! Kids grow up so fast! It’s nice to have some time to just watch old movies and wedding shows with my mom, but we’ve done a few fun things, too. I’ll highlight the highlights just to give an idea:

1.) L.A. trip with Darbie: We went to Venice Beach, the Tim Burton exhibit in the LACMA (which was fantastic!), the world renown “Pink’s Hotdog’s,” took pictures by “High Voltage Tattoo” (from one of my new favorite shows, “LA Ink),” got the best boba in the WORLD with my friend tyler, the store “ahhhhs,” and went to the Santa Monica Pier, which was super fun! Ty got me to go on the Farris wheel, and I went even though I was petrified! We watched some Mexicans fish for a while, and one caught a sting ray! It was

such a beautiful day.

2.) San Diego: This trip was AWESOME! Everyone got a long and had a lot of fun. We w

ent to the SD temple, the Mormon Battalion in Old Town SD, and my

dad yelped a burger place called “Hodad’s.” it was probably one of the best burgers I’ve ever had in my life. We walked around Ocean Beach’s waterfront, and there was a candy store that sold Bacon soda and chocolate-dipped bacon. Sick, right? We also got to walk around the USS Midway, which is a HUUGE aircraft carrier. It was bigger than the Titanic! It was super cool to see.The next day, we went to one of my favorite places in the WORLD… Sea World! It was AWESOMEEE! My only regret was not

being ableto pet a dolphin due to the rude tourists who kept cutting in line. We did get to feed sea lions. I forgot how cool those things are. i really really want to pet one. Anyways, the whole thing was awesome. My favorite part was definitely the Shamu show, and there were two babies! It was so cute! The next day, we went to Coronoado Island, which was the main filming location of my favorite movie of ALL TIME, “Some Like it Hot.” I think it’s the most excited I’ve ever been about a building in my entire life.

It was beautiful. We went kite-flying at Seaport Village and the

next day we went to a couple museums and an outdoor Organ concert at Balboa Park. It was the best vacation ever.

3.) Huntingon Beach with Sabrina- The day was perfect. I’ve missed diving into waves for hours and hours. I have a horrible sunburn on my back, but it’s super tan! Too bad no one ever sees my back.

4.) Just a lot of little things…. Midnight cosmic bowling, musicals and plays, the OC fair with my friend flying in from norcal, sea doo-ing, etc.

It’s being an awesome break. California truly is a different world, and I’m glad to be spending some time here with friends and family. =]

SUMMA TIME, YO!

so... i'm finally done with school! WOOOHOOOO! it's been a great closing to the semester... harry potter at midnight with one of my besties, christina, and the roomates, near-daily $1 ice-cream cones, movies, sleepovers, rigby lake, bonfires, etc. it's been awesome. almost finished with daniel tammet's "born on a blue day." it's a book about an autistic savant (genius), who has synesthesia, and is able to articulate how his brain works. it's truly fascinating... the human brain is such a fascinating thing!

i can't wait to soak up some california sunshine. there are tons of fun things planned for this summer, and i can't wait! =] =] =] =] =]

it's almost summmmer! =]

So it's been a great couple of weeks... I LOVE that it's summer. I've missed the sun. I can't wait until there's nothing to do but to lie in it.

1.) We went to Bear world with Rochelle. I thought it would be lame, but it was actually super fun! We

got to pet baby deer, so I can cross that off my list.

2.) The “Adopt-a-Platoon” carnival was a success! It was really stressful the week of, but everything went really smoothly and everyone that went had a blast. I was really proud of it! It was so much fun, and we raised over 18 boxes of stuff to send to our soldiers overseas. Bien hecho.

3

3.) Fourth of July weekend was awesome. I loved having my whoel family, especiallu Joes, up here. We ate a lot. And played games. And slept.Ps- I don’t have chronic fatigure syndrome… I just saw the the allergy meds I’m taking cause drowsiness. So that explains why I was SO exhausted all day long. Good to know. Anyways… 4^th of july was bomb. We spent it with Maralee’s family playing games. We did our own fireworks this year, and I’m so glad that we did. It was way more fun than the big ones in IF. Blaine and Garrett took us fishing, which was super fun. I wish I liked fish. The best part by far was Joey’s reaction. He LOVED the fish. He’s so hydrophobic that when you say “bath” we starts shaking, but he went up to his stomach in the pond trying to catch the fish. It was so funny, especially if you knew him. As a family, we went to the IF temple and went to devo up here, which was super good.

4.) I’m reading Tony Curtis’s autobiography. It’s pretty scandalous, but it’s interesting because he hung out with EVERYONE in old Hollywood, so it’s cool to read about everyone’s personalities and adventures. I'm making progress (slowly but surely) on the guitar, and I'm loving it.

5.) Everyone needs to see "17 Miracles," the movie. It's amazing and it will change your life. What a sweet reminder of the sacrifices made for our generation.

6.) IT’S CREAZY that school’s over in 2 weeks. It feels like an abrupt ending, but it’s bittersweet.

That’s all for now! =]

fun in the sun =]

A couple of weekends ago, I went hiking at Badger Creek with my roomies. It was BEAUTIFUL. I’ve never appreciated being outside so much, or nice weather, as much as I have been this semester.

My favorite part was when I was in the car, and a dog jumped in and sat on my lap and wouldn’t get off. That was okay with me =]

Memorial Day weekend was BOMB!!! I got the opportunity to go spend it with my bestie, Samwise in Provo! In one day, we: went to the BYU library (twice), BYU bookstore, explored campus, the Bean Museum, the BYU Art Museum, shopping at 2 different malls, made tie-dye shirts, ate at a malt shop, walked 5 miles in the

rain, watched two movies, and made sammy a blog. Impressive, right? The next day, we went to her ward and went to go visit her family in morgan, utah. We got to play games and eat (a LOT) and relax. I got to spend the next night with Rochelle in slc, and we had an amazing night. I love and miss her, and wish she was closer! It was so so so good to see sammy! I love and miss that girl every day of my life, and I’m so happy that I got to see her beautiful face! =]

Special Olympics was BOMB!!! I LOVED it… I forgot how much I loved working with individuals with special needs. I wrote some things that I learned from that day and related it to what I was reading in D&C (ps- I’m LOVING that book! I’m learning SO much, and I don’t know why I haven’t been reading it diligently my whole life). Here’s what I wrote in my scripture journal, and I meant every word. It was a wonderful experience, and I welcomed the sunburn.

The Team's "Game Face!"

(Excerpt about Special Olympics from my D&C Journal)

"In section 99, it says to be, “as a little child” in order to receive the kingdom. I had a great experience this weekend working special needs participants at the Special Olympics in Blackfoot. I think that this group of individuals parallel a lot of the qualities that little children have, and I learned so much from them the short time I was able to work with them. I’d like to share a few examples of attributes that were exemplified to me this Saturday:

1.) Gratitude- A participant that I had no previous contact with came up to me while I was announcing the next event in the microphone. She said, “I just wanted to tell you that you’re a great announcer. Good job.” I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary- no jokes or anything entertaining. I was just announcing the events, and was just doing my job. I think that it would be such a great thing if we just thanked those around us who were overlooked, but were doing their jobs well.

2.) Unconditional love- Another participant whom I had had no previous experience with came up to me, read my nametag and just said, “Jessica, I love you very much.” What a great example of the attitude we should have! Shouldn’t we be able to go up to any stranger and just say, “So and so… I love you very much.” These individuals loved each other very much, and cared for each other. Everything was about teamwork. They were truly heartwarming to watch.

3.) Cheerful- I can’t express how enthusiastic and excited these participants were to just be alive! They were so happy just to run around in the sun, when the only reward was a cheap ribbon. We should all be grateful just for the opportunity to be alive and for good weather and good company! About five or six times a minute, one participant would urge us all to display our “game face,” which was just flashing a peace sign. Every time we did it, his face lit up and it was like the first time all over again. Shouldn’t we all get joy from making others happy and in doing the little things?

As I said, I was only with these people a short time, but they were truly outstanding examples of how I needed to be. "

This past weekend, some of us went to Utah for the weekend. The first night featured a pizza the size of a table and a stroll around Gateway and downtown SLC. Also featured: a crazy man on the train telling us he was Jesus, and leading an army. We spent the night camping in Peter’s backyard. 7 bug bites, later, we made it to Lagoon the next day. It was a pretty fun amusement park, and I got to know people better. You probably won’t believe this, but I went on a good FIVE rollercoasters! They weren’t even kiddie ones! Well, some of them weren’t, haha. I’m a scardy cat of EVERYTHING, so I’m pretty proud of my accomplishments. I was a little disappointed with the actual park, but it was a beautiful day, and I loved the company. (*MORE PICTURES TO COME!*)

After a private dining experience at IHOP, we camped under the stars an packed up our things. Sunday, it was my first time going to church in jeans and flip-flops. We ate at a WONDERFUL Indian place (ps- one thing I miss about not being in civilization in Rexburg is definitely the ethnic food). My goal: to replicate that delectable meal. Indian food is super hard to make, but I’m determined. Anyways, we spent a long time walking around Temple Square. My favorite part aside from running into the beautiful steffani Hammond was the tour of the conference center- more specifically, the art museum that I didn’t see the last time I was there. It was a beautiful experience to see all of the original paintings that I’ve seen since I was a child.

We got pulled over (for a broken muffler, so it’s all good), and our car broke down- Bruce’s gas pedal gave out, which has never happened to me before, so it was a little scary. But what trip to Utah could exclude a cop and a car problem?

After going to bed at 330am, I’m still trying to catch up from that weekend, but it was super fun and I’m glad that I got the experience to go!

So… I’m the manager over a Humanitarian Service group on campus. Our big project this semester is the “Adopt-a-Platoon” Carnival, where we’re asking for donations for care packages to send to soldiers overseas in remote areas. So, it’s free, but the more items you bring, the more tickets you get to play fun games! It’s a SUPER stressful task, but I’m loving every minute of it! I’m so luck to have so much support. I’ve been learning a lot about how to be a better leader, and I’m so grateful for that! I talked to our AAP contact and we found out the specifics of our platoon today- our items are being sent to a chaplain in iraq who personally takes them to soldiers in an extremely remote area. I was told that the food they eat all comes from a local village, so all they have is goat milk and goat meat. I’m SO SO grateful for people that volunteer for wonderful organizations like this, and I’m go grateful for the “power” that I have to direct focus and support towards this organization. I hope that this carnival is not only SUPER fun, but that we can truly make a difference in these soldiers’ lives and promote this organization in the process.

School is going well. I’m loving it all. My mom and sister are coming at the end of this week, and I can’t wait to see them! Ro is coming for a few days, too, so I’m stoked! There are a ton of fun things coming up within the next couple weekends… hiking, concerts, carnivals, oh my! =]