there & back again

the most magical place i've ever been

2011-11-06T01:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my friend, Jordan, and I went up to Shoshone Falls in Idaho. It's only about 30 minutes away, and since I've been here, EVERYONE has been telling me I have to go see them. I'd never even heard of them, so I decided to do some research and learn a little more about these. I found out that these Falls are known as the "Niagra of the West." What the?

Anyway, I went and it was SO magical and beautiful. I felt like I had just stepped into a different world! I was the most happy when I was there. And Jordan was oh so kind to take me there. It was a great day!
*Warning: Mucho pictures ahead!!

There's always a rainbow if the sun is out. Always.

The Snake River Canyon that the falls go into

Jordan found a bunch of full-sized leaves that had ice frozen to them, which made for leaf ice sculptures. Coooool, dude.

The fulllll rainbow!!

Basking in the greatness. Ha ha.

Yes, I am barefoot. My shoes got wet so they just made my feet colder!

2011-11-03T02:20:00.000-05:00

I've neglected my blog for the past month. I'm sorry. I've just been really busy weighing dirt and taking sugar beet samples. Whadya do?

It is 1:25am and I got off of work just a mere hour ago. I am returning to work at 9 in the morning. yikes. The good news: Friday is probably my last day of work and it is also pay day. EEEK!

When I told one of my good friends that I was working the Sugar beet harvest, he told me that I was really cool and that I have officially earned the right to wear flannel. I really appreciated that.

Well, I'm not sure why I decided to post on the blog right here, right now. Mabes I am just missing it? Also, I am really excited that I am leaving for my mission so soon. That has nothing to do with the reason why I am posting right now-- I just wanted to include it. Ahhhhhh! I can't believe I am going on a mission to Lima, Peru, for 18 months!!!

Ok, the screen is shaking, but it is just because my eyes are making it shake--it isn't actually shaking. This is my eye's way of telling me I should probs go to sleep now. I get it, I get it!

Later sk8er.

oh hey everyone

2011-10-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

it's just me, using my internet whilst flying. nbd.

acutally, it IS a bid deal! wifi in a plane--in the sky!! how do they do it??! though, i'm wishing i hadn't just cancelled my netflix account. . .

The Sedwigs

2011-09-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

This family moved into our church a couple of months ago, and they are my favorite. No, their last name isn't really "Sedwig," but our mother couldn't ever remember the correct way to pronounce their real last name, and this was one of the many substitutions; it is actually Sugden. Ha ha.
The parents are super cool and their children follow suite--just the coolest. Me and Lia have adopted the children as our temporary siblings since we are the only kids at home. There are 6 of them, so when we are together, it is the equivalent to the size of our familia!

Our adopted siblings are just the cutest. They all have this wonderful red hair. This past Saturday, 4 of them were hanging out at our house, and they fixed ice cream cones and ate them outside. I just so happened to have Lia's camera on hand, and got a few cute shots of them. Just look how cute they are!!

Pyper--she's 10.

Rohan--15


Soulveig(Sool-vay)--4


Abigail--8

And then of course, our very own, Lia. I couldn't not take a picture of my real sister!

Outdoorzee

2011-08-29T10:00:00.003-05:00

Mannnn. I love being outside. Unless it's hellishly hot--which it can be in Alabama. But I feel it is already cooling off a little as it is nearing September. At least at night. Ha.
A few weekends ago, the family went hiking together. We were going to go camping, but for some reason we didn't. I don't know why. . . I wish we had. Anyway, we went to these 2 different waterfalls in eastern ( I think?) Alabama. They were so beautiful! And it wasn't even too hot outside! It was truly brillz.

First we stopped by this robot? And this dog liked us. Soooo cute. Kelly, If you're reading this, I hope you show Eli, Brandt, and Asher this picture. ha ha

Little River Canyon Falls. You can swim down there, too! So great.

I thought those rocks were so cool! But they were very toasty on the bum.


We hiked down--I mean straight down--this trail, and came to this beautiful place. The water felt great on our tired feet!

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of the other falls. Ha.

Then, this past weekend, I went camping with my friends Erin and Daniel at Oak Mountain State park. It was sooo much fun. On Friday night, we had s'mores and talked around the campfire. And then on Saturday morning we went Kyaking and came to a little redneck beach. Ha ha with a plethora of butt crack and tattoos and cigarette smoke. But it was still soo fun. And it felt good to get out of our kyaks and cool off in the water.
Hopefully I will have more weekends in the future filled with mucho hiking and camping.

ode to hannikin skywalker

2011-08-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

To "up the ante" is to "increase what is at stake or under discussion." I realize this has nothing to do with what my last post was about. Ha ha.

So, little hamster ( Hannah, the little sister) left for BYU just over a week ago. It's so weird for me. When I've been home, she has always been the constant. She and Lia. So, it's weird to be home and for her not to be home. I keep expecting her to come home. I really miss her. Thankfully I have Lia. Lia is so great. But, I wanted to share some pictures I found on my computer that Hannah took of herself while I wasn't around. Ha ha ha. These are soooo funny. Mwhaha!!

upping the ante

2011-08-26T00:57:00.000-05:00

I don't think I know what my title means. Ante? I guess I could probs look it up. But I won't right now. But I will later because now my mind is too curious to let it be. I wasn't curious about what it meant until after I said I wouldn't look it up. What the?

Maybe I should have spelled it "Auntie" because I am an auntie again. For twins! I wish I could just see them. And I wish I could go help my mom and Melyssa and Mark. I know they are so exhausted. Oh, and Sarah and Hannah. They're all so great. I'm so glad they're all doing better now, though. And another sister is preggers. I don't know if I am allowed to say who...am I? You'll tell me, won't you? Hail, if I'm not, we're in trouble because Dad tells everyone. Who needs telephones or the news when you have Dad--the bearer of all news. Especially concerning his children. Ha ha good ol Dad.

I just deactivated my facebook account. Ha ha. Surprised? So am I. I don't know what came over me. I doubt it is a permanent decision--they make it so easy to come back to! But something about deactivating it is liberating. I was wasting too much time on it. I want to read and write more and play the piano more. Right now, I am really happy with my decision.

I have this really great friend from the Writing Center. She graduated in the Winter, and she just moved to San Francisco. Isn't that so great? She is trying to feel out what her next step will be, but rather than fiddle around her home in Seattle, she just up and moved to San Fran. I think it is so great. I love that place. And she is expanding her options by living in a place she has never lived. So. Great.

I'm blathering now. But these were just a few of my 1 in the morning thoughts. There ya go.

2011-08-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

Most of the summer I have worked in downtown Birmingham. At the beginning, I dreaded the drive, because driving through downtown scares me--there are so many cars. eeeek!
But, I have adjusted, and I actually look forward to the drive. There is this one area that is so lush and green, and there are hills and buildings on both sides of me.
Oddly enough, it reminds me of San Francisco. I know I was only there for a short time, but I loved all the hills and how green everything was.
Anyway, I tried to take a couple of pictures of it whilst driving (safe?). But, I'm afraid the pictures just do not do it justice.
I'm sharing them anyway. Maybe you can kind of imagine how beautiful it is to me?

21 equals me.

2011-08-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Augusto 6th, I turned the ripe old age of 21. I am officially an adult. I can finally get drunk and not feel guilty...oh, wait.

It was a great day, and I loved hearing from all of my friends and family.

my cake of cupcakes that my mommy made me.

me and the 2 little sisters.

Also, earlier in the week my friends, Erin and Lena, had a birthday party for me. I don't have any pictures from it, but it was so so fun. They made virgin Strawberry Daiquiri's for us, and we watched a movie, and put together a puzzle...quite the party! Ha ha. But really, it was actually really fun.

i found

2011-08-01T19:20:00.001-05:00

I recently came across these wonderful, family gems. I have seriously had the funnest time going through these. Siblings, are you ready for these?
May I present, moments from our past:

Make sure to look closely at everyone's faces--there are some real treats!
There's a lot more where these came from. I've scanned a million!
Let me know if you want the original copies of these, and I can email them right on over.
Holla.

the results are in...

2011-07-27T16:50:00.001-05:00

I got my mission call.
I hesitated posting this video to my blog. But my sister, Sarah made a good point--this is a big part of my life.
Real, real big.
This is my way of documenting this step in my life.
For The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a boy is strongly encouraged to serve a mission when he's 19, for 2 years (my brother, Rick, did), and a girl is able to serve a mission at the age of 21(or older), for 18 months. Since I was little, my family has always prayed that if it was something we desired, that the girls in my family would be prepared to serve missions when we were old enough. It is something that I have always thought would be cool to do, but as I got closer to the age I am now, the idea became more real, and the thought of being gone, and leaving behind my life for that long really scared me. The thought was in the back of my mind for a long time, and I put off praying about it because I was afraid of the answer I would get.
But I finally did begin praying about what my decision should be, and I begin filling out the necessary paperwork in order to go on a mission. I would have moments (and still have them) of feeling extremely inadequate, and doubt myself. But when I would read my scriptures and go to church, I felt even more strongly that going on a mission right now was the right thing to move forward with in my life.
I've been working on my papers since May, and I sent them into Church Headquarters about 3 weeks ago, and my destination arrived on Friday.

My family recorded me opening it, and it is a pretty personal experience--which is why I hesitated sharing this video.
But after thinking about it for a quite a bit, I really feel like I should share it. The letter explains what I will be doing as a missionary really well(much better than I could explain it)--that is, if you can understand it through my sobs. hah.

Soooo, here it is my friends. Enjoy watching!

Also, here is a link to a talk that describes how each mission is assigned. It's realllllllly good. Click HERE

2011-07-20T16:58:00.002-05:00

dear mission call,

please arrive tomorrow. if you don't, my sanity will completely disappear.

impatiently waiting,

jill frances fleming

2011-07-13T12:02:00.002-05:00

waiting for a mission call is one of the most tortuous things for my sanity.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

2011-07-11T14:22:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made the most delicious cupcakes EVER. I have been watching that show Cupcake Wars on The Food Network, and it's made me want to bake delicious cupcakes and make them look beautiful, too. So, yesterday, I did just that. I was so proud of them. Take a looksie:


Sorry. I took the picture with my phone.

You should definitely try them. They were so so so delicious. Here is the recipe:

Cupcakes:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Frosting:

2 sticks butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
10 to 12 cups powdered sugar

Directions

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with 24 paper liners.

Mix the flour, soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix to combine. Add the dry mixture in 3 parts alternating with the sour cream, ending with dry mixture. Stir in the blueberries. Fill the prepared tins two-thirds full and bake 16 to 20 minutes. Cool.
For the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and juice and blend until combined. Add the powdered sugar gradually until combined.
Frost the cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting.

nails nails nails!!

2011-07-08T22:34:00.001-05:00

i love painting my nails. i think my love started with my friend Jaime, who was obsessed with nail polish. we would always paint our nails when we hung out, and i grew to truly love having my nails painted. WELL, i recently happened upon a cool, new form of nail polish: nail polish strips! they are instantly dried to your nails, and there's no mess. it makes your nails pretty much look professional. it is seriously the coolest. look how good mine look:

no brag, just fact.

for those of you who don't know...

2011-07-07T11:07:00.001-05:00

... I'm going on a mission.

Yes, me.

My papers were officially submitted yesterday, so this is the real deal.
I have thought to myself (multiple times, actually), "What have I done?" And sheer panic sets in.

But mostly this feels right. When I doubt my decision to serve a mission, I imagine my future self who decided not to serve a mission, and I'm not satisfied. I see my spirituality at a plateau, and that scares me.
I know a mission isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for me. I know that this is what I am supposed to do in my life at this time. It scares me sometimes, but I know it is right.

So, my friends, let the guessing begin!! Tellme tellme tellme!

help me.

2011-07-01T20:08:00.000-05:00

My mother just came in doing a weird dance move and said, "Can't you hear the band playing when I dance like this?"

Bloodbank

2011-06-27T21:27:00.002-05:00

I donated blood for the first time today. I was terrified. I oh so wanted my nice little mommy to come along with me, but I had to go while I was at work, and I work downtown, so I donated at a place downtown.

So my mom didn't come.
So I went on my own.

First of all, I was extremely proud of myself for navigating around downtown Birmingham by myself-- During lunch.
I always get scared driving through downtown. But I did it. And I lived to tell the tale. Ha.

Anyway. So, I donated. I packed my own lunch, but my dad told me I needed to get a hamburger out instead of the cheese and crackers I packed because I "needed the red meat filled with iron before I donated."
Like I said, I don't like driving downtown more than I have to, so I looked for restaurants only near the red cross place.
All I found was a popeye's. greasy chicken, comin' right up. sick. So much for my iron-filled red meat.

The actual process of donating blood wasn't as scary as I had worked it up in my mind to be. I just calmly sipped on my sprite.
But I almost fainted when the nurse guy said, "So your blood wasn't coming out very fast, which caused your blood to clot in the needle, and the blood backed up into your arm. You know how when a toilet gets stopped up and then it backs up? Same thing with your blood. So we couldn't get a full bag. I'm real sorry."

Excuse me??????

Yes, he just compared my blood donating experience to a backed up toilet.

Thank you, thank you.

As nasty as this is, here is the outcome of my little "back up."

Sick, I know. I get queasy every time I see it.
So, there is my sorry tale. Feel sorry for me.

long nails!

2011-06-20T14:37:00.000-05:00

i just wanted to show off how long my nails are. yipee!!

no one probably cares about those things i just wrote. oh well.

2011-06-16T18:02:00.000-05:00

I never write anymore. Why? Why don't I write?
I write in one of my journals only like once a week. Maybe.
I was to the point where I was writing in it multiple times a day.
Something about being home, I guess. I guess I'm just not inspired haha

Just kidding of course.
It's having family around to talk to all the time. It allows me to voice my feelings and thoughts much more. I would keep a lot of what I was feeling pent up while I was at school, and the way I released the stress from those pent up feelings was through writing. Now that I'm home, I find myself constantly talking. Haha
But I would also carry around a little notebook and pen in the pocket of my winter coat where I would write down little thoughts I had throughout the day.
I don't wear winter coats in Alabama. I don't have big pockets to carry a little notebook around. So, when I have a thought, it stays just that: a thought. And then later, when I want to recall whatever it was I was thinking, I CAN'T.
It is driving me nuts. I need to start all my writing back up again.
And I've had these weird urges to describe things. Describe in intricate, original-ways-of-wording detail.
I just need to wriiite.
*I don't want to sound like this weird English nerd or something, but I feel like I still sound that way. Especially with that "urges to describe things" bit. I'm getting on my own nerves.

But I have so many things I like to fill my spare time with: writing, reading, running, watching certain tv shows on netflix, tennis. I just don't know how to make them all fit!
But I definitely need to start writing on a daily basis again. It makes me sane.

Sigh. This is probably such the boring post. Oh well. It felt good to get it all out.

Boring Update

2011-06-10T15:14:00.002-05:00

Greetings all!
I started my new job this week. I work for my bishop and his brother-in-law. I am the office manager. Sounds pretty prestigious, yes?
But really, that is just a glorified name for a secretary of sorts. But "Office Manager" will look great on the ol resume.

My two bosses, Hank and Steve, really keep it interesting, too. You have no idea. I will for sure have to share some of those stories in the future.

I kept my job at Banana Republic. I will be working there on Saturdays--that puts me working SIX days a week. I'm turning into a work-a-holic!

That's all for now. Here is me in the office, as well as a sucky picture of the view from my office. But really, the view is GREAT in person. Enjoy!

been a while

2011-05-19T16:52:00.001-05:00

i just went to the bathroom and saw there was no more toilet paper on the roll. i opened up the cabinets under the sink to fetch a replacement roll. and what did i see? a roll of charmin!!!
while home offers all kinds of wonderful comforts, it does not offer good toilet paper.
my parents recently began only buying the super thin stuff that greets our bums in public restrooms.
so, you can imagine the excitement i had when i saw this wonderful, lonely roll of charmin. yipee!

in other, more-polite-for-ladies-to-discuss news, i dyed my hair a couple of days ago. not too much of a difference, just a little darker. see?

also since being home, i began working at Banana Republic. i sure do love it there. everyone i work with is so nice to me and i get quite the discount on clothing. and i will actually USE it. when i worked at justice(the little girls store) i never used it.

i will try to grace my blog with more posts. i definitely have plenty of time to write them.

albino?

2011-04-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

my number one goal now that i am home is to get TAN.
everyone around me is tan.
when i got home, i was greeted by hannah with, "our albino sister is home."

apparently, i am super pale. who knew being cooped up indoors for 6 months would make me so white?

this is me right now--in all my paleness glory:

The next time you see me, I will be tan.

homesweeeeethome alabama

2011-04-09T01:12:00.001-05:00

this is the weather forecast for the day i get home.

yes, under Day it really does say "pleasant with plenty of sunshine," something rexburg weather forecasts are incapable of saying, i think.

some obsessions

2011-04-07T03:28:00.002-05:00

i'm obsessed with something right now.
ok. i'm actually obsessed with a lot of things lately.
-i've been so obsessed with movies. so so so obsessed. my friend kirsten and i have been watching movies that either we a). have never seen before, or b). just really want to see again because they are great.
i can't get enough movies.
-i have also made it one of my goals to eat all of the food i have left in my pantry. or at least have it eaten by the end of this week (seeing as it is the end of the semester on friday). this is proving to be hard, but i REFUSE to purchase any food until all of mine is gone. i'm tired of spending money.
-peach rings. obsessssssed, i tell you. oh my gosh. those are BY FAR my FAVORITE candy. MY. FAVORITE. ya hear? i never get tired of them. never.
-wasabi peas. i tried these a while ago and thought that i hated them because of the harsh spice that exploded in my mouth. but, this past weekend i tried them again, and i realized that the spiciness goes away almost immediately. it doesn't linger on my tongue tortuously. some peas are spicier than others. i feel as though i get somewhat of a high from the surprise attack each one brings.
-and my last obsession (for now) is something that i will be very vague about. but just know, my thoughts are consumed with this. i don't know what to think of it exactly, but i love thinking about it.
abstract enough?

tomorrow i have no class. i get to sleep in. woopee!

1:24 am

2011-04-05T02:19:00.000-05:00

yeah whatever. it is kind of late. who cares.
IT IS THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL.
tomorrow i just have one class at 9:45am and then I can come home and sleep.
then i will wake up and do my homework that is due wednesday.
then i will run at the gym.
and then i will go to work and love it.

i go home in 7 days and i couldn't be more excited.
yes, i will miss my friends here, but i have never wanted to go home as much as i do this semester. it just feels so so right. plus, my 2 little sisters are the COOLEST people i know. i am so happy thinking about hanging out with them.
i just can't believe it.

San Francisco

2011-03-28T00:50:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, my friends, Mallorie, Tyler, and I ventured to San Francisco, CA, for our friends', Christina and Zach's wedding. The wedding was wonderful and San Fran was beautiful (even with the rain). I took a lot of pictures, but my digital camera is currently not working, so i ended up buying 2 disposable cameras--yes, i felt like such the '94 tourist with every zip sound the camera made when i went to wind it up--but i took some pics on my phone, so those are what you will be seeing on here.
So, let me tell you about the trip all together, and show you some pictures.

We took the California Zephyr, the Amtrak train, from Salt Lake City to San Fran. It was a 17 hour ride, but Mallorie and I had never ridden a train before, so we saw this as new and adventerous.
and adventorous it was.
on the way there, it went smoothly. there weren't any delays and the scenery was beautiful. the train went through the Sierra mountains and Donner's pass, and the view was so beautiful. There were definitely some crazies on the train, but other than that it was fine.


The view from the train as we entered the bay area.

We got to our hotel (which was actually in Emeryville, right outside of SF, and sat right on the bay) Thursday afternoon. We decided to take the bus over to Berkley and looked around at different cool shops and the college campus. On our bus ride back to Emeryville, we somehow ended up in downtown Oakland.oh yeah, i remember how: our bus driver was rude.
*Note to anyone who visits Oakland: NEVER GET STUCK IN DOWNTOWN OAKLAND AT 11:00 AT NIGHT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE. we were lucky and lived. ha. but it was sooooo scary.

On Friday morning we went to Christina and Zach's wedding. The Oakland temple is beautiful! It sits on a hill and the view from it is so so so magnificent. The wedding went great (I'm assuming. I didn't actually see it. ha).


aren't they just the cutest?

After the wedding, Mal, Tyler, and I went to downtown SF and ate lunch at this great little hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop for super cheap. Yes, SF can be expensive when eating out, but if you look hard enough, you can find GREAT food for super low prices. Then we just walked around downtown and visited all kinds of cool shops and scenes.
Friday night was Christina and Zach's reception. It was so cute and so them. They looked so happy and great. Mal and Tyler played Christina and Zach's favorite song and they danced to it. The reception was really laid back and nice.
Saturday was a day of the tourists. We went to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and viewed some of the most amazing art pieces.
This was my favorite:


"Personal Values"

Then we got lunch at another great inexpensive place--this time, a pizzeria. yum!
We visited some more downtown shops, the Coit Tower, Pier 39, the Golden Gate bridge, and China town.
Here are some pictures from my phone. excuse the poor quality.

Downtown. I loved the buildings. They looked fake to me, in person.


the view from Coit Tower.

Once we got back to the hotel, we were worn out. oh, and mallorie and i were both running fevers and felt terrible. neither one of us spoke up until the end of the day because we didn't want anything to stop us from doing everything we wanted to do.
we were actually both really sick. crazy, huh?

On the train ride back, we were supposed to leave at 9:00 Sunday Morning.
it was delayed.
We boarded the train at 12:00.
still delayed.
The train finally left at 2:00pm.
Once on the train, the Amtrak employees treated us like 5 year-olds. seriously. so.so.so.rude.
We reached Donner's pass where the train came to a complete stop because the tracks were covered in ice and snow.
we waited there for 5 hours.
after another sleepless night, and being on the train for a total of 25 hours, we arrived back in Salt Lake City, Monday at 1pm, looking like this:


me. we stopped by a HUGE D.I. where i saw myself in the mirror for the first time. yikes!


mal's combination of shorts, spandex, red socks, and tennis shoes.

i felt so gross all over. needless to say, i will NEVER take a train again.
unless it is for a very short distance. and then, it i would say maybe to it.

Overall though, the trip was great! I definitely want to go back and visit San Francisco when I have more time to really appreciate it. Oh, and when I'm not sick.

Belated Birthday Blathering

2011-03-26T01:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday(I'm late, of course) to my wonderful oldest sister, Melyssa Nicole. Melyssa is "the leader of the pack" of the Fleming sibs, and is a dang good one, at that.
Melyssa is beautiful--she has great eyes and a perfect mouth (i've always been slightly obsessed with people's mouths, and Melyssa's lips are perfect!). And she has brilliant curly hair that I have always been jealous of.
Melyssa is the jokester of the family. She is always up for a good tease or prank. I remember once when I was 11 years old--the beginning of my awkward puberty years--I was showering. The bathroom door didn't lock, but I had full confidence no one would come in.
At this point, Mel no longer lived at home; in fact, she lived all the way in Nebraska with her husband.
So, I was showering. I had just begun shampooing my hair. My eyes were closed tight. I heard a knock on the bathroom door and I said, "Don't come in."
I continued lathering the shampoo through my hair.
I suddenly felt a cool breeze and was slightly disturbed by it.
I carefully opened my eyes through the veil of bubbles, and saw Melyssa, standing there with the shower door open just staring at me with a huge smile on her face.
Natually, I screamed. And naturally, she laughed her head off.
She wasn't even supposed to be in Alabama, and here she was right next to my naked body.
I've never been fully confident in closing my eyes in the shower from that point on.
Thanks, Mel.
I sure do love her.
Oh, and she is having twins.
Happy Birthday, Melyssa! I love you!

miracle grow

2011-03-16T02:29:00.000-05:00

Not so fast--no miracle grow was used here. none of that.
but rather, self control.
one of my new year's goals was to grow out my nails.
and look at my left hand--aren't those long nails just the most beautiful things you have ever seen?!
my right hand will not be shown because it is not so great. my weakness still exists over there.
also, in the picture you can catch a glimpse of my most recent act of spontaneity--i cut my own hair, with the assist of my friend Rachel. it is really short. sometimes i like it and sometimes i see myself as the little woman from the incredibles- edna mode. either way, what's done is done.
i love being spontaneous.

i have too much to do before i leave tomorrow.

where am i going you wonder?
SAN FRANCISCO.

my friends Zach and Chrsitina are getting married on Friday, and me and my friends mal and tyler are going to support them. Zach and Christina are so great. I can't wait.

anything

2011-03-12T21:24:00.000-06:00

I will do anything right now to keep me from writing this story--
this fictional short story for my creative writing class.

Dear fiction authors,
I don't know how you do it. I respect each of you so much. Well, most. How do I write without plaguing my story with cliches? How do I make the story have a theme? A theme that isn't stupid? how do i have characters maintain their personalities throughout?
distraught,
jill

i need brain food.

what i have eaten today in list form (also in order):
-sour watermelon candies
-vanilla yogurt
-sour watermelon candies
-diet mountain dew(first half)
-pb & j sandwich
-second half of mtn dew
-one little caesar's breadstick
-approx 5 almonds
-beginning of 2nd mtn dew
-sour watermelon candies

and there you have it.

my nice friend rachel told me she would take me to the store after i recited this list to her.
she is real nice.

I bought the candies because some friends watched a movie together last night. also, later last night, Mal and I watched Good Will Hunting. It is one of my favorite movies. I cried and it felt nice to my insides. the tears just came.

I can't wait for summer. I can't wait to go home for a bit this summer. I'm tired of school and I'm tired of not having my own space. I'm also tired of having to have social skills. I don't need those at home.

**Positive Portion:
My sister Sarah knew I was struggling through something and she sent flowers to me this week and signed it from all of my siblings.
It was the first time i have ever gotten flowers and they are great. they brighten my room and make the desk area smell springy. She is really great and nice. I love her and I love all my siblings. i know i need to be better at talking to all of them more.

tonight some friends and i are watching snl together because Zach Galifianakis is hosting it. i love him so much and i can't wait.
here is the promo:

"I need it to breathe and such."

ode to my boss

2011-03-11T01:35:00.000-06:00

i just really love my boss. i love how she just follows her passions. she is so great at being in the moment.
tonight at seminar, one person made a comment and despite what my boss had previously planned to do, she ended up spending the rest of the time playing Alanis Morisette songs, reading poetry, and playing a Simon and Garfunkel song i love called "the dangling conversation"-- all of which related to the one comment made by that person.

she is just so great.

blablabla snow

2011-03-08T10:58:00.001-06:00

It's snowing outside today. A wet snow that causes puddles because yesterday was warm.

But today, Rexburg has taken a turn for the cold. I just want to stay inside. I don't want to talk to anyone because of it. It is really affecting my mood. Sun is on the way though, right?

I wish I was in Hawaii with my friend Katie.

lately

2011-02-22T17:23:00.002-06:00

-i've been drinking too much soda.
-i never fully "get ready." i will either leave the house with my hair having not been brushed(am i reverting back to childhood habits?), or my makeup only halfway done.
-my stomach always feels nervous about different things, most of which i can't yet identify.
-i haven't wanted to do homework and have had a hard time concentrating on any one thing (contributed to recent large soda/ caffeine intake?)
-i have started 3 different books this semester and am exactly halfway in all 3. WHY CAN'T I FINISH THEM?
-i have a sort of textbook for my English class. the author is Robin Williams. I know that it probably really isn't Robin Williams, but despite this probability, it makes reading it so much better. I will sometimes try to imagine it is him reading it in my head.
-i recently chipped off all of my nail polish and discovered slightly long nails. I was so thrilled about this. But then only a few hours later, i noticed that all of my nails, except for my middle finger nail and thumb nail on my left hand, were no longer long. it is taking all my will power to not bite the 2 survivors.
-i can't wait for spring/summer. the cold weather is soooo old.

i will conclude with a picture of me and my non-fixed/brushed hair. today i just put it up in a ponytail. i have these little hairs on the side that can be fixed in every which-way. there is no telling what they look like after walking through the windy, rexburg weather.

I have wings!

this one is for the sibs

2011-02-19T13:02:00.000-06:00

i caught myself singing this song just now. did rick make this up? i'm thinking so, but i also think that kelly helped co-write it? am i imagining that part?
anyway, you all know what goes in the blanks:

oh my lee,
she took a
and it really
because she did not

lia did a
on her little
yeah!

enemy # 1

2011-02-07T22:08:00.000-06:00

i'm not sure exactly how it happened, but i've created a nice little handful of people here that hate me.

i hate going on campus--in fact i avoid going at any irregular times-- because i fear confrontation. not so much with the boys that don't like me, but with the one girl that does.

i am honestly scared of her. physically, mostly. i don't even know her. but the one encounter i had with her, she grew to hate me--
because i'm honest and expect the same from her, duh.

but i really shouldn't be afraid of running into them, because here is the kicker:
the main 2 that hate me chose to confront me with what i was doing wrong over text message, therefore lacking proper people skills and the true backbone it takes to accuse someone of things that in fact, don't even exist.
i don't like saying i hate people. but mannnnn, i really don't like them. mostly the girl.
i think i despise her a lot.

low of -18

2011-02-01T14:26:00.000-06:00

it is so cold outside today, that i can see the shadow of my breath on the sidewalk.

the shadow.
of my breath.
on the sidewalk.

a cloud, if you will.

when i began that first sentence up there, i felt like i was going to tell a, "your mama's so fat..." joke.

Anis Mojgani

2011-01-30T16:07:00.001-06:00

On Friday night, me and two of my friends went down to Park City to see one of our favorite, modern poets, Anis Mojgani. He is just so great and I love him so much.
After it ended, we went up and met him and he gave us a free cd and even allowed us to take a picture with him!
Unfortunately, my camera's chord is in Alabama, so I don't have the picture on my computer, obviously. But, I still wanted to share a little piece of what we expereinced.
So, thank you YouTube.
He usually ends with this poem. I have only seen him twice, but both times he ended with it. It is great.

orangee juice, low pulp

2011-01-26T11:29:00.000-06:00

why does orange juice taste so good to me?
I've woken up in the mornings, craaaaaaving it.

maybe it is because i was addicted to it as a child. and that was all i drank and ate.
i remember we would freeze orange juice in the ice cube trays with toothpicks in them to make little popsicles.

and then the doctor told my mom my bones were going to be brittle if all i ever ate or drank was orange juice.
and i was deprived of it for a few years.

and now i can't get enough in the mornings!! i'm so happy we have been reunited.

"I should be in Florida getting a tan on my back"

2011-01-16T19:01:00.000-06:00

the high today was 40 degrees. the high tomorrow is 42.
of course i was excited seeing those temperatures pop up on my computer screen. it is in the 40's in january in rexburg.
but, what i hadn't anticipated was all the melting!!!
but that would mean the snow is gone. good, you say?
no, this is not good.
today as i walked to church i was having to step through/ manuever around the deepest puddles of slush i had ever seen. and if the step wasn't in a puddle, it was still stepping in something wet because there was this constant, wet, nasty mist.
and so as i was walking, thinking of everywhere i would rather be, this little guy popped in my head. and i felt as though i could empathize with the way he was feeling.

my new philosophy

2011-01-12T21:44:00.000-06:00

i've been sick for almost the past week. and without further adieu, ladies and gents, the cure:

oh you know how it is
wake up feeling blue
and everything that could be wrong is
including you
black clouds and rain and pain in your head
and all you want to do is stay in bed

but if you do that you'll be missing the world
because it doesn't stop turning whatever you heard
if you do that you'll be missing the world
you have to get up get out and get gone!

yeah you know how it is
wake up feeling green
sick as a dog and six times as mean
you don't want to sing you don't want to play
you don't want to swing you don't want to sway
all you want to do is nothing
on a day like today

but if you do that you'll be missing the world
because it doesn't stop turning whatever you heard
if you do that you'll be missing the world
you have to get up get out and get gone!
yeah get up get out and have some fun
you have to get up get out and get gone!
yeah get up get out and get it on
get up get out and get gone!
you have to get up get out and get living
yeah this is really it...

so you know how it is
wake up feeling grey
nothing much to think and nothing much to say
don't want to talk don't want to try
don't want to think don't want to know
who what where when or why...

oh but you do that and you're missing the world
yeah it's happening right now whatever you heard
you do that and you're missing the world
you have to get up get out and get gone!
yeah get up get out and have some fun
you have to get up get out and get gone!
yeah get up get out and get it on
get up get out and get gone!
you have to get up get out and get living
yeah this is really it!

trapped

2011-01-07T19:09:00.000-06:00

i'm trapped in my room right now. i just woke up and was about to go over my friend wesley's house to see the stray cat he is taking care of.
but i can't go out.
my roomates just "cranked up the jams" and they have a lot of people over about "togotoCraigooossss" and they are dancing and being loud.
i hate any form of dance parties.
oh, and one of them just said, "you are the most ghetto white girl i know."

new year, new semester

2011-01-04T21:10:00.001-06:00

back in the ol' town of rexburg. since i arrived yesterday evening it hasn't quit snowing. everything is covered in a thick layer of ice which is covered in a thick-ish layer of snow.
i fear for my life--or at least for my ankles and kneecaps-- every time i step outside.
this semester has started off on quite the social foot. i'm not used to it and frankly am a bit overwhelmed.
i will just have to start saying no.
i finally got everything unpacked and my side of the room feels perfectly organized and neat. it calms my nerves.
i'm rooming with a girl i work with this semester. she is so cool. she is one of these people that i feel is too cool for me to be friends with. i'm hoping that she will see past my dorkiness and be my friend. i'm really thrilled about getting to know her better.
my other roomates seem nice. they can be pretty loud at times. i'm hoping this is just "new semester" jitters and they calm down a bit, because my room sits right off of the kitchen.
i'm really looking forward to work this semester. i plan on getting more learned on everything and performing to the best of my abilities.
i already miss my family and the comforts of home.
also, i miss this little guy:

but i think this semester is going to be really successful and great.

a week or so late

2010-12-29T19:32:00.000-06:00

happy birthday to my beloved little sister, Hannah, or as i like to call her, hamster, hankie, handal randal, and the list goes on and on.
oh how i love hannah noel, born on december 18th, 1992. she just turned 18 this year. doesn't that mean it was her golden birthday this year? why, yes it does. that means this will be a big year for little hamster.
hannah is one of the funniest people i know. she usually says her little remarks under her breath because she is probably afraid that what she is saying is inappropriate. but it is usually just mildly inappropriate and spicy hilarious (get it--i said mild and spicy!)
she is also one of the best chefs i know. she loves baking and is super great at it.
and she is beautiful! what a perfect little woman.
happy [belated] birthday, little sister. you're the greatest.

a song i have gladly had stuck in my brain for the past week or so

2010-12-14T04:37:00.001-06:00

listen to it. if you're lucky, you too will have the pleasure of singing it all zee time.

An update

2010-12-08T12:32:00.000-06:00

-today is warm! with a wopping high of 36. yes, i am actually excited!
-i stayed up until 4 am the night before last to finish a project.
-i set my alarm for 9 and ended up accidently sleeping through it and missed both of my shifts for work.
-i'm kind of dating someone.
-an 18-year-old boy asked me on a date and i said, yes virginia there is a santa claus, and yes, i will go on a date.
-i told the someone i am kind of dating about this and he only responded with an awkward smile. haha
-i miss sully
-i miss the sunshine and in a moment of weakness went tanning.
-my body is red and burnt as the consequence of my spurratic tanning.
-i have a roommate who is engaged. i hear she and her fiance kissing out in the living room from inside my room with my door closed. it makes me nauseous.
-my apartment smells like rotten broccoli.
-i recently got new music and it makes me really happy.
-my work christmas party is this saturday and i am thrilled.
-i fly home in 8 days!

me today

2010-12-03T12:28:00.002-06:00

i have too much work to be doing, but...

2010-11-30T14:47:00.001-06:00

i wanted to tell everyone how much i love this engaged couple.

I stole this from facebook. Aren't they the cutest? and i think this is even candid!

I work with the girl, christina, and i just love she and her fiance, zach, together so, so much! I was talking to her about her wedding plans today (they are getting married in march) and she seemed so happy and chill about everything. i follow both of their blogs (zach's & christina's) and i look forward to reading them when google reader informs me they have a new post. they are just the greatest.

poke

2010-11-17T19:00:00.000-06:00

i have two friends on facebook who i have not seen in over 3 years.
everyday i get on facebook, i see that i have been "poked" by both of them.
they don't know each other so i know they aren't combining their forces to be weird.
i "poke" them back to be nice. will i offend them if i stop "poking" them back?
let it be known, however, that i NEVER nor will i EVER initiate "poking."
especially to those people who i never speak to.

the results

2010-11-16T00:23:00.000-06:00

The stranger date ended up being quite fun! I was really pleased with how it turned out. So many funny things happened throughout the night... oh boy. Too many to blog about. If you want to hear the full story, just talk to me and I will be more than happy to share.
My "stranger date," Mark, was a really nice, cute... and klutzy boy. Ha ha! Sooo many stories.
One of the girls took pictures throughout the night and here are the best ones with my date in it. I promise he is cute... unfortunately, the pictures say otherwise.

Me and the boy with the cookies we made that he almost ruined multiple times!

we all look real nice, real nice.

just great

semi-normal?

2010-11-13T20:43:00.000-06:00

You won't believe what I did.

Earlier this week, while walking into Broulim's--actually while finding a parking spot--I saw a boy walking in the store and I said to Katie and Kensi, "That is the boy I'm asking out."

We walked into Broulim's (the grocery store) and we see him walk to the back of the store.

I cursed in my head because since they had already spotted him, they would hold me to my word and force me to do what I said I would do.

"Jill! You have to do it! You HAVE to!"

oh gosh.

After stalking him around the grocery store for a bit--following him to the bread section and pretending to get bagels, hiding behind the holiday displays in the middle of the isles--I sas him in the dairy section, deciding which flavor of yogurt to get.
I turned to Katie and Kens and said, "Well, here I go," and I began my dreaded walk to this stranger who I had only ever seen from behind.
I observed that he was wearing a blue sweater and straight-legged jeans and he had brown hair--that was all I knew about him.
I approached him, walking around his grocery basket so that I could face him. He was bending down, picking up some more yogurt when I said, "Excuse me."
He straigtened up, a bit startled, and replied, "Oh, hey. What's up?"
He wasn't ugly! --sigh of relief [society]--Even better, he is cute! --Celebration!
"Hey, so I have this bet going with my friends (lie). Can I ask you a couple of questions?"
"Yeah! Sure!"
"K, cool. 1st one--are you married?"
"No,"
"K, 2nd one, "I said, "do you have a girlfriend?"
"No,"
"Ok. So, here's the deal. A group of my friends and I all made a deal: A group of my friends and I all made a deal that we had to find a stranger and ask him out for a big group date this Saturday. So... Do you wanna go on a date this Saturday?"
"Ha ha. Yeah! Totally!"
"Ha ha. Cool. That's great. We will probably go on Saturday night. Will that work for you?"
"Uh yeah. Yes. For sure."
"Great! So I guess I should get your number...?
"Ha ha yeah!"
"Well, actually, I guess I should get your name...ha ha."
"Oh yeah! ha ha I'm Mark--Mark Haslam."

And there you have it. I don't know how my friends at work roped me in...but here I am...waiting for 8:30 to roll around so that I can go out with a COMPLETE stranger.
Blog post to follow later...just you wait...
wish me luck!

Amateurs...

2010-11-11T00:20:00.001-06:00

...we are.
my friend katie and i, that is. we learned the ingrid michaelson song, the chain, on the guitar. we sing along too. soooo exciting. my first ever song to learn on the guitar that i legitimately sing along to. katie was over the other night and we played it for our fans: my computer. here it is for you all to watch. do whachoo will. the beginning is a bit rough, and the end we almost lose it to laughter... ye have been warned.

me love family

2010-11-08T21:34:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I went down and visited the family members in Utah. The weather was perfect (I say this wistfully now because today I walked to/from work and class in the slushy snow that soaked through my shoes and socks and I just knew my feet were going to fall off from frostbite).
On Saturday I spent the day with Mel and we watched the Alabama game together (sad, but good game). I love how into football she is. I fed off of her excitement and found myself shouting at the television. Mark would come downstairs periodically to see how it was going--this usually occurred after rants of shouting.
On Saturday night I drove back down to Provo with Rick (he had come up to play games) and I spent the night with Natalia. I was so happy to catch up with that good friend o'mine. On Sunday morning Rick and I went to church together where no boys talked to me and no girls talked to Rick because it was assumed that he and I were... you know. *insert weirded-out shutter here*
The BEST part of my trip, however, was after church when Rick and I ventured up to Provo Canyon with Rick's new fancy-schmancy camera. The weather was perfectly fall and it felt so nice to walk through the canyon with a constant, cool breeze blowing against my body, making my clothes and hair shift simultaneously in the same direction, depending on which way I was facing. And I was with my favorite brother!! Some pictures of that adventure can be observed below. (The pictures were taken by both of us.)
That night Melyssa and Sarah teamed together to make a delicious meal (like always. I have the most domestically talented sisters)! The weekend was greatly needed and enjoyed!

Rick was saying that this used to be an area where you could ride a ski lift up to the top of the mountain with the falls and there was a restaurant with an amazing view...but they tore it down. :( We guessed that this little building was part of it.

Exploring

Rick took this one and I just LOVE it!

Beautiful falls!

Cute little river

It's me! This was an abandoned shed that sparked our curiosity. It was welded shut.

The peculiar little family from Florida that had rick take their Christmas photos.

Love the gold trees!

Ricky-ticky!

Looking great as always.

Oh! Weren't the falls magnificent??

November!

2010-11-03T23:39:00.000-05:00

Happy November, all! I can't believe that it is November. October went by so so fast. The semester is over halfway through and before I know it, I will be on the plane home for Christmas break. What a dream...
However, this will be the first year that I won't be home for Thanksgiving. Thankfully I have wonderful older siblings--Mel, Sarah, and Rick--that I will be able to celebrate this holiday of thanks and feasting with.
But I will still miss my family in Alabama. So, as a tribute/remembrance to last year's Thanksgiving, I am posting this video I happened upon.
Don't ask me why this was going on after feasting. but it was.
Check it out!

bye, bye sully

2010-10-29T19:00:00.001-05:00

My dear Sullivan just left about 45 minutes ago. I don't think it would have been as bad if I had been here to see him off, but my boss showed up earlier than expected and she called me at work and told me that she was at my apartment to pick him up.
I wanted to impatiently spurt into the phone that I wasn't ready to see him go. I needed to play with him more. I needed to hold him and pet him. I needed to see him crouch low to the ground and wiggle his shoulders in the back, up and down and then pounce on my feet. I needed one more week with him.
In that instance, all of the moments when I grew impatient with Sullivan for scratching or biting me gathered in my head and I felt awful!
I didn't realize I had grown so attached to him. I had absolutely no idea!
My life felt so complete to have him to come home to.
(As I am typing this, I realize how pathetic I sound. Oh well.)
It probably didn't help that my roommate let one of her friends watch him the night/day before last. He was just returned to me last night at midnight and my time with him today wasn't satisfied.
When I got home from work a few minutes ago and came in to see all traces of Sully gone, an unexpected knot formed in my stomach and I began crying.
Yes--CRYING. I didn't sob, just a few, slow tears drifted down my face.

I hate how I realize how temporary it all was I just feel that I was his foster home or something. If that is what I am labeled as, however, I made one helluva good foster parent. I love him so much.
I really shouldn't be so sad. He is not dead. In fact, he is quite the opposite: he is at Sister Morgan's house! He will have friends ( a cat and a dog) to play with, plus wonderful land to play on bordering woods and the Snake River and a cozy house to come into at night with a cat-loving owner awaiting him.
And I can go and visit him whenever I want!
But, oh. I miss him already.

Some of My Goings On

2010-10-26T22:44:00.002-05:00

-Today a guy I work with told me, as he was smiling widely, that I had one of the most enjoyable smiles he had ever seen. It made me feel really great and I really appreciated that compliment.

-I have a paper that is due for my job next Wednesday. The nickname for it is called, “The Blood Essay,” because it causes metaphorical internal bleeding.

-I love Sully. I wish I lived in a bigger house so that I could keep him forever.

-It snowed today and I was dreading it coming, but once I stepped outside and walked in it, I was surprisingly excited. I couldn’t stop smiling!

-That said—I am tired of Rexburg. I need to live somewhere else. I really want to get out of here. The town is too small for my likings.

-All of my fingernails are nibbled down the bit. My goal is to stop biting them.

-My friend is trying to get me to longboard with him again. I fell last time and I said no thank you, it is not worth it. But he won't stop begging!

-I am having a really hard time staying motivated in my school work. I think it is because I’m so tired of Rexburg. The only class I ever feel like going to is my religion class and that is because there is a dreamy boy that I promised myself I would talk to.

-My friend, Katie and I learned a song on the guitar together and she wants us to perform. My comfort zone tells me not to—I have never liked performing in front of people ever since I blacked out as I sat down at the piano for a piano recital when I was 17. Alas, we have a mini-performance for my work seminar this Thursday. Scary!

New Addition!

2010-10-19T00:10:00.000-05:00

No, this post will not be informing you of a new form of adding numbers in math.
This post is informing you, my faithful readers, that I adopted a baby!...

KITTY!!!!!

Unfortunately, I won't be caring for it much longer.
I am too poor for a kitten, but my friend's sister's cat had kittens and I COULDN'T resist!
Here is proof of why I couldn't resist.
His name is Sully (short for Sullivan).

He is currently perched on my shoes playing with my shoelaces! Oh, how I just love him!

Good 'ol Honest Abe

2010-10-14T23:39:00.001-05:00

I was pondering the topic of honesty tonight. Cliches popped into my head concerning the topic: True blue, all the way through; honesty’s the best policy; liars go to hell; and honest Abe.

Speaking of Honest Abe, you know, our 16^th president. I was going over the his famous story in my mind.

“Who chopped down my favorite cherry tree??” his disgruntled father asked.

After much deliberation in his little, honest mind, his guilt got the best of him and he answered his father, “I cannot tell a lie. I chopped it down.”

And that is why we call him, “Honest Abe.”

Let’s all try to be more like Honest Abe, and confess any “cherry trees” in our lives.

Validation

2010-10-06T22:12:00.002-05:00

This poem makes my recent, reclusive behavior OK. (type in the title "Quiet" in the little search box. It should show up as result 4 of 5.)

Twenty-seven!!

2010-10-04T10:36:00.001-05:00

2 birthday shout-outs in a row!
Oh, brother! Rickster is 27! I was lucky enough to get to spend time with the boy this weekend. He was looking good as always. And he had taken up the image of a mountain main with a nice beard he is working on.
Rick is the best brother, EVER. He cares about all of his sisters so much. I remember when I was visiting Sarah one weekend this past winter and Rick was visiting as well. One of my guy friends had texted me and joked that we were going to "make-out."
Rick was looking through my text messages and he was immediately like, "Who is this? Jill, Who is this? Who said this?"
Hahahaa I never told him, but it made me feel so loved that my big brother had his eye out for me!
I love you, Rick! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, ERIN!

2010-10-03T19:24:00.000-05:00

Jessica Erin Moore is 20 years old today! Woopee! Oh, how I love her. Erin and I are best friends and I am so glad that she has made it to 20 years old.
In 8th grade, I remember seeing Erin in P.E. class and she was wearing the same cut-off, jean, Bermuda shorts that I owned and I overheard her say that she didn't like Harry Potter. Based on that evidence, I knew we could never be friends.
Oh, the foolishess of me.
Erin is such a great example to me. She is extremely nonjudgemental and is so friendly to everyone. Whenever we talk she is so great at to me babble on about my life in Idaho or whatever is going on in my life. And she is beautiful. (daniel, you are one lucky boy.) AND me and Lena even converted her to love Harry Potter! She is the BEST.
I hope that you have the best birthday ever, today, Erin! I love you and miss you!

too close for comfort

2010-09-20T23:39:00.001-05:00

You know what is sick? Here goes.
I am sitting in this white Pontiac on the way back to Rexburg. I’ve been in utah for the weekend because I went to a concert. I rode down with some friends, but I decided I needed more family time, so I stayed and chose to ride back with some strangers from the ride board.
Well, now I am squished in the back of this white Pontiac—it seats 5 and there are 5 grown adults. The couple in front is a nerdy, cute, thin blonde couple. They’re married.
And I am in the back with a boyfriend/girlfriend couple.
No, the gross part is not that I am the only single person.
The gross part is the couple next to me. They are meshed together, with various limbs overlapping. The boy has his foot crossed over his leg and his foot is resting against his girl’s thigh. In other words, they are both on the left of me and the bottom of his left foot is facing me—less than a yard away. Shutter
His sock smells like sourdough. It is filling the car with the nasty, sourdough-sock smell.
The girl just yawned and her breath stinks.
Shutter
Gag
And then they just gave each other little kisses. Sick sick sick.
Oh, and they have only been dating, “a month last Friday! Giggle, giggle….” When I asked how long they had been dating, I felt like they should have said, "do you want to tell it honey or do you want me to? ... And the rest is history…”
She turns and reaches for his hand.
Oh, and they were already talking in “us” terms—talking about budgeting and what not.
She just fed him a cracker.
She just let him drink after her.
Maybe I am overreacting. Probably because I just woke up from a nap.
Ewwwww stop kissing!!
The space is too small. It is too close. Its like I am somehow part of their hardly romantic, kissing, hormonal, nasty experience.
I will just have to stare out the window from now on. Try to ignore them the best I can.
And I will eat my cheese stick that the nice little couple up front gave me.

in the ghetto--as sung by elvis.

2010-09-11T23:12:00.000-05:00

here i am. sitting in my new room. actually, taking in my new little life. oh how overwhelmed i felt this morning. i am supposed to g-mail video chat right now with ERIN, but noooo--she isn't online like she is supposed to be.

i am in an apartment that was originally just boys housing...but since there are so many girls at byu-idaho, they made it into boys and girls.

dear hot boys,
please, come join us up here in rexburg. and then please migrate down to provo with me once i transfer there.
sincerely,
jillbo

back to the description of my new little slice of heaven--sunnnnrise village(please click on the link to see the wonderfully put-together website that was made in the late 90's and hasn't been touched since).

it is a 6 person apartment: 3 bedrooms and ONE BATHROOM. each bedroom has 2 people in it.
that's SIX PEOPLE TO ONE BATHROOM.
the kitchen and living room are so-so.
no. that is a lie.
they are pretty dang AMAZING.

and when i say amazing, i mean utterly disgusting.

but, my roomate/co-worker, mara, and i are doing the best we can to make our room look as homie as possible.

"homie" like homie-G.

I really am hoping for a great semester. However, it seems that when each semester starts and i am actually dropped right into the skillet of work and school and socializing, i can't help but feel extremely reclusive. it is a major battle.

only at the beginning though. i can function on a much more normal level once everything is in its place and i am following a nicely constructed schedule.

i suppose i should try to heed to mom's advice and "have positive energy flowing." think happy.

in the meantime, i shall go back to organizing and scheduling while listening to my odd little apartment-mate out in the living room whispering sweet nothings to her superman.

goalz

2010-08-30T22:35:00.003-05:00

today i went and got my hair dyed and trimmed.

i heard that the best time for someone to dye their hair is in their 20's...and I have officially entered my 20's. woopee!!! Your hair is supposedly supposed to be at its healthy peak.
No, it is not a rule, per se, that you MUST dye your hair in your 20's, but I like messing around with my hair and trying to looks (picture to come shortly).

However, as I was in the hair salon, talking to my hair dresser, Candy, I began thinking about how great being natural is.
Can i still dye my hair if I think looking natural is the best?
Have mom's ideals and rehearsed speeches she would give at her arbonne seminars finally sunk in?
She was talking about her son who was off in Colorado, living off the land like a hippie. He is hiking and traveling.
Exploring his soul.
Oh, how silly, we all think at first.
What an idiot. What a hippie.

But, as I was thinking about it and talking to her, part of my soul was yearning for that life.
I feel that it is this hidden part of me that is never allowed to be shown because of the straight lines educated human beings are expected to walk in.
I also feel that it must stay hidden because there seem to be so many people of my generation who are going for the image of the "reborn hippie." "Screw politics," they say. "Don't shower." "Live off the land." "Smoke Pot!" "Yay for Pot!"
When a year ago their motives in life were completely centered around a different image they were attempting to achieve.
Only they were still chanting "Yay for Pot!"
Ha ha

I like showers. I like being clean. I like meats. I like air conditioning. I like plumbing. I don't do drugs.
I enjoy so many of the modern amenities that our modern world is blessed with.
But oh! How I would love to take a few months to search my soul and hike around and really appreciate the world that God has given us.
Does that make me part hippie?

No, No.
I don't think so.
Labels are dumb anyway.

So, getting to the real reason of this post...

This upcoming semester I am looking to take better advantage of the world I will be surrounded by in the Idaho country.
Yellowstone is 2 hours away, for crying out loud!!
I'm going to enjoy the outdoors and try my best to do soul searching.
I want to write more and read more.
I want to make all A's.
I want to be friendly to everyone. I want to learn about everyone's history.
I want to grow closer to Heavenly Father so that my testimony can be more deeply rooted.

yeah. that sounds nice.
signed, Jillbo

NEW BLOG!!

2010-08-28T10:24:00.002-05:00

i have started a new blog!!!!

this blog o' mine, however, just documents my dreams.
lately i have been having EXTREMELY vivid and strange dreams...so i decided to start recording them!

there is only one on there so far from last night, but not to fret, more will be coming!!

sheesh

2010-08-26T02:15:00.002-05:00

what am i doing awake?
i was sound asleep and then i was abruptly interrupted by a danged nightmare.

me and mom SHOULD NOT have watched that movie tonight. even as i sit here, the gory images haunts me.
i remember when i was younger, dad was always proud to tell mom that i could stay up with him because i could handle the violence of "walker texas ranger," and other shows and movies.

nooo no. not the case now, papa flem.

and the craziest thing is, the movie was cleaned up for t.v.
it was a pretty good movie, i must say. the actors were impeccable--a slough of my favorites: leonardo dicaprio, matt damon, mark wahlberg.
but i can't stop picturing how it all ended.
too much blood.

out of the 3 actors mentioned above, only mark wahlberg prevailed until the end.

the movie was originally rated R.
it was cleaned up for t.v.
that, my friends, is a big reason why i will NEVER see an R rated movie. once the images are planted in there, there is no reversing it.

kind of like how you can never shake an idea from your mind once it has been devised.
INCEPTION.
now THAT is a great movie. good ending and all.
and it even has leonardo dicaprio! although, his days of his stunning good looks are passed i'm sad to say.

yeah, it is DEFINITELY 2:30am.
this blog post is the most ill-constructed thing i've written in a lonnng time.

my eyes are really tired. hopefully my mind can give it a rest and let me sleep.
i'll try reading the scriptures.

six flag o'er georgia and my 20th birthday!

2010-08-19T16:25:00.008-05:00

A few short weeks ago, some friends of mine, as well as hannah's man-friend, and mom and leeber-leebs, took a journey to six flags over georgia! yipee!! i love that place!! We were all very stoked about riding the scary rides and spending a summer's day together...for the next day was my 20th birthday...yipee, again!
my friend erin and i were so excited that we got to that point where our imaginations begin to fish for ideas that will make our excitement even more exciting (we usually tend to go a little overboard with our ideas). But this time we stayed within the "relatively normal" boundaries, and decided to have an "ode to the 90's" day! we went thrift-storing(one of our favorite past times) and most of the things we bought we of course actually liked, but it could also be worn in a 90's-tastic fashion.
Hannah and lia were going to dress up with me, erin and lena, but lia decided not to because she is 13 and hannah decided not to because she had a MAN-FRIEND with her...he he he.
So, here are some pictures from that fun little day!

the whole group before we left. I wish it had turned out better.

me and lena

Me and mommasita resting

Right before we left the park for home

Of course there were better pictures that depicted my birthday, but this was my favorite. hannah looks great.

analrapist

2010-08-08T22:22:00.002-05:00

this gets me every time! yes, the video is just sound, but that is really all it needs. one of my favorite arrested development moments :)

ahhhhh....FREAK OUT.

2010-08-03T00:39:00.002-05:00

more like "ahhhhhhhh...'BREAK' OUT."
ever since i got back home my face is looking more and more like a pepperoni pizza. WHY??? WOAH IS ME!!
My skin was almost always perfectly clear while i was at school.
luckily, however, i found some of my old acne cream in my bathroom so i started using that today. PLEASE OH PLEASE WORK!

The bachelorette ended tonight. I LOVE Chris L. I felt SO SO SO bad for him and I want him to find love OH SO BAD! But I think that Ali and Roberto are going to be really happy. Their love seems very genuine, especially compared to previous bachelor and bachelorette couples. Plus, as i mentioned earlier, I LOVE CHRIS L. And, despite our age difference (as in 13 years--yes, Melyssa, the same age difference between us) I am convinced that I would say yes if he asked me to marry him. Hannah suggested that i add him on facebook and tell him that i am ready and willing. he he...not at all creepy, right?

Back in the Heart of Dixie!

2010-07-30T22:02:00.002-05:00

I'm finally back home in Alabama! I arrived on July 27th--my wonderful Padre's birthday! My plane ride home was a bit on the wild side for me. After Melyssa dropped me off at the Salt Lake Airport and gave me a quick briefing on how I should probably respond if I was asked to step into the "Let-me-see-you-naked-box", I reluctantly stepped into the security check line. Thankfully, they did not ask me to step into that free-porn box(and if they had i would have said, "no thank you." and if they asked why i would then say, "because i don't want you to see me naked. this body ain't viewed without a price, pay up." hahaha okay...i probably wouldn't have said the very last part.)BUT they did confiscate my FAVORITE lotion EVER. :( I got it for 2.50 from Victoria's Secret during their semin-annual sale...and the lotion is a "limited-edition." So sad, huh??
Anyway, after that little occurrence, I went to my gate where I then found out that my plane was delayed an HOUR. This was terrible news because I only had an hour and a half layover in Denver, and I am still relatively new to the flying world, so I was just a bit on the worried side.

I finally arrived in Denver and I had no idea what time it was so I just rushed off of the plane and Walked to my gate which was half-way across the world. I had to go to the bathroom EXTREMELY bad, but i chose not to go in the airport because I wasn't sure exactly how much time I had. As I was approaching my gate I heard, "so-in-so, so-in-so, FLEMING, and so-in-so, this is your last boarding call. The gate will close shortly." PHEW. good thing i didn't go to the bathroom, right??

Once I finally arrived in Alabama I was down waiting for my luggage to come around and low in behold i see Hannah, Lia, Erin, and Lena running up(in a very creepy matter, might i add) holding signs that say "WELCOME HOME, JILL!" I was SO surprised!!!! It was so good to see all of them!

We waited around for my luggage for a little bit longer and we noticed that we were the only people standing next to the baggage claim and we knew something was up.
so we scurried on over to the baggage claim office and they said that my luggage was on a different plane because of my delayed plan from SLC to Denver...so i had to fill out a "lost luggage" form.
What a day! But don't fret--my luggage was delivered to my house the next day. woo hoo! and I am loving being home with my friends and family!!

hopefully this wasn't too long and boring!!

some more phun

2010-07-13T12:56:00.003-05:00

phun times with phriends and photobooth

2010-07-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

no word bites as fiercly as an evil tongue

2010-07-10T02:14:00.005-05:00

oh. brother.
today i have finally learned a lesson that i have been taught all of my life by my good mother.
story:
today at work i had back-to-back sessions. the first one was 45 minutes long(they are typically 20 minutes). needless to say, my little brain was overheated. so i went to take my next session, and my good working pal, skyler, asks if i was still good to take this next session. i said yes--i work less hours this block so i haven't had as many opportunties to take sessions--but i asked him if he would sit-in with me.
After that session ended, we were closing and skyler approached me and asked me how i thought the session went. i told him i thought it went well and then proceeded to say, "thanks again for helping me. i was just way burned out from that last session!"
right as i finished that exclamation, skyler's face showed a bit of panic as he motioned for me to look behind him.
and there he was:
the 45-minute session dude.
i felt my eyes widen as the dude immediately said, "sorry about that"
"no,no. don't worry about it. it was no problem,"i replied as i rushed into the back of the writing center to hide from my humiliation and embarrassment i just caused me and my work.
i talked to my mom later about it and she counseled and encouraged me to steer away from saying anything negative about anyone regardless if i thought they are around or not.

i will end my post here. tonight my friend/roomate, katie and i brought our mattresses out into the living room because it is SO HOT in our apartment and the air conditioning is only in our living room.
but i am still SMOLDERING. literally. it is disgusting.
my knee pits and arm pits remain moist
i just want to sleep naked.

3rd blog post today

2010-06-29T22:39:00.002-05:00

i think this is a record for me!
i just have to tell someone and i don't want to tell my roommate sitting across from me on the couch.
today i am missing my blond hair. i don't know why. i just miss it. i wish i could go back to having it. when i had it, i didn't know how to take care of it or fix it very well.
i feel like if i had it back today i could make it look better than it did.
i know i look better with brown hair--but today i am missing my blond hair.

late again...

2010-06-29T13:05:00.004-05:00

i guess i have slacked off in my "odes" as of late.
my wonderful older sister Joanna turned 23 this past thursday! i was lucky enough to go down to utah and celebrate it with her! what a wonderful time we had! we painted on canvases--my first time--and went to ikea and recorded a disney channel original movie on her dvr and watched it and erased it before her husband, johnny, found out. haha
I'm so glad jo jo was born before me and that i have such a fun sister right above me!
joanna is such a great listener and she always seems so interested in everything that is going on in my little life! i love talking to her! she is beautiful! i love her so much!
happy belated birthday, jo-jo!
once again...the only pic i currently have on my computer of joanna.

A week or so late...

2010-06-29T12:51:00.002-05:00

ode to father!!!!
I know father's day was over a week ago but better late than never, right?? Oh how i love mi padre! i'm so grateful that i was blessed with such a great dad! whenever i need someone to retrieve advice from, my dad is always more than happy to listen and give me the best advice i could have asked for. he is great at telling jokes and stories( and he loves telling them, too!). he is great at working out and being healthy. i love the reaction i get from my guy friends when they see a picture of my dad for the first time :) haha
I love you, dad! and i miss you!!

p.s. this is the only picture i had on my computer of my dad. sad, huh?

Cheers to a great weekend, continued!!

2010-06-16T11:25:00.011-05:00

The road trip down!

We Went to Temple square!! It was raining but we still had fun!

We made tie-dye shirts the weekend before the concert and decided to wear them to the concert...and we totally looked like hippies, huh?? haha

I ran into my friend Celeste!!

Imogen Heap!! I wish I could have gotten better pictures!

This is what she looked like while she performed her finale!

And here is a video I took of her opening song!! The sound quality is suffering, but hopefully you get an idea of how amazing the concert was!!

Cheers to a great weekend!

2010-06-14T12:02:00.008-05:00

This past weekend my friends, katie, jamie, erica, and I went down to Salt Lake City for the Imogen Heap concert!!
It. Was. Spectacular.
Imogen is just as good, if not better live!!! I loved every second of it!
Getting to the concert was quite the adventure. We were meeting some other people to go to the concert with and one guy with his GPS confidently informed us that the concert hall was only a block away and we could just walk there.

How wrong he was.

He blamed it on google.
I blamed it on him.
We ended up having to walk a good 7 or 8 blocks!
But we did end up making it. We thought it started at 7:00pm so we were rushing there as fast as possible
Thankfully, however, the concert didn't start at that time. That was just when the doors opened.
Here is a video of us rushing to the concert. Since we were dressed like hippies I thought I would make the video look like it was from the hippie era!

Like any concert where there isn't seating, my lower back and feet were hurting pretty severely at the end.
BUT IT WAS SOOO WORTH IT.

One more downfall...for some reason Imogen Heap brought out the lesbians(just thinking about it makes me shutter). Imogen is NOT lesbian so I am not sure why so many like her music.

Despite the lesbos, the concert was still incredibly enjoyable!
I wish that my camera was nicer and that it could have captured the greatness of the concert...but it just couldn't!
I will try to upload a video of her performing + pictures soon!

the air that i breathed...

2010-06-07T19:00:00.002-05:00

...at the writing center today smelled AWFUL.
I only worked for an hour and ten minutes but I had to take three sessions within that time.
ALL THREE of them had TERRIBLE breath!!!! What is this poison plaguing the students here???
I really hope this never happens again.

2nd Block

2010-06-07T11:54:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke up and I was dreading the next 2 months. This week starts the 2nd block of the semester and 3 more classes start. I could have broken down cried! I almost did...
I was thinking about how I just wanted to go home and enjoy the rest of my summer with my family.
But, then I realized that my classes will be over sooner than I think and I just have to work hard for a few weeks...and then it's over!
And then I also remembered that this upcoming weekend is going to be AMAZING!!
IMOGEN HEAP!! in SLC!!! I'm SO excited!
To give you a little taste of what I will be experiencing, here is a video of her live:

the adventures of jill and jamie

2010-06-05T13:27:00.002-05:00

my friend jamie and i often find ourselves wondering around the streets of rexburg and we think,"why didn't we bring a camera and capture this adventure??"
a little over a week ago we yet again found ourselves on da streets...and lucky for me, i had my camera!!
so, without further ado, here is the first video compilation of the adventures of jill and jamie!

Today I remembered...

2010-05-28T00:02:00.003-05:00

...about this song! Today during work I heard it and remembered how much I loved it! Thank you, work. :)

Also, here are some of the goings on in my life and thoughts:
-tomorrow i leave for SLC for the long, Memorial Day weekend. Yippee!!
-today in my English class we were placed into small groups. at the end, the boy in charge of writing everyone's names at the top turned to me and smoothly asked, "so, how did you spell your name?" to which i replied. "haha. J-I-L-L. I know. people usually have a hard time spelling it." His face immediately went bright red. (hahaha)
-I am really loving work and everyone I work with. I learn so much everyday of it.
-Today I missed home. I wanted so bad to fly home to Alabama for the 3 day weekend. All of my friends are going home. I wish I could. Thank you Sarah and Joanna for living so near by :)
-i dropped my psychology class which began at 7:45 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tomorrow I get to sleep in until 9!!! YAY!!!

What Learning Style Are You????

2010-05-17T18:31:00.003-05:00

Today, while I was g-mail chatting with Joanna, she randomly began asking me how I think I learned best and what my strengths and weaknesses were in learning. We discussed this for a little while and then she asked me if I thought I was an auditory, visual, or hands-on learner. I thought about it for a little bit and reflected that the times I have learned the most have been when I was listening to something; however, I felt that I didn't learn best in any one of those in particular.
Then, Joanna threw this list at me and I realzed that I am DEFINITELY an auditory learner!
I realized that I have been exercising this means of learning as I reflected back to the times when I would be caught kneeling on the balcony in our house with my head resting on my folded arms on the railing, listening the the secretive conversations going on below ;)
I think most people are a mixture of the 3, but in my case I learn the BEST through listening! Learning this today made me SO happy and excited!! It was so nice to finally learn how I learn the best and what types of studying are the most beneficial! AND it was fun to go down the list and say, "Oh my gosh!! That is SO me!!" Ha Ha!! I HIGHLY recommend doing it!!

Mi Madre

2010-05-11T11:12:00.002-05:00

Mother's day happened :) This is the first year that I was not home with my momsie for mother's day. Thankfully, I had other distractions this weekend that kept me from dwelling on not being home to see my wonderful mother; however, I still remembered to think about her.
I love my mom. I am so glad that I was blessed to be born into a family with such a wonderful mom who is an amazing cook, cleaner, and incredibly patient. Mom can make friends with just about anyone and is the least judgmental person I know.
I am so grateful for this past fall when I was home. I got to spend almost everyday with her and I feel like all of my siblings should be envious of that time. For the first time in my life, I got to really know her.
I look up to my mom so much, and I am still amazed at how she and dad raised eight children who have turned out so good(technically, hannah and lia aren't finished being raised yet--and I am not quite there yet either--but I have a feeling that we will do okay).
Thanks for being so amazing, Mom!! I love and miss you oh, so much!!

What to do...

2010-05-06T12:18:00.002-05:00

I just woke up in the library. I studied for a while and then laid my head on my book and allowed myself to fall asleep. I was surprised by how easily my body relaxed. Before I knew it, I woke up to some rude, loud person next to me. I slowly rose up and saw a nice little puddle of drool on my textbook.
ew. so so gross. why do I drool when I sleep???
So, I have work in 3 minutes and I don't know how to get rid of the drool! Should I wipe it off with my sleeve? or should I raise it vertical and let it slide off onto the little desk where I am sitting?
Both of those seem too, too gross.
I just don't know what to do!

JUNE 12!!

2010-05-06T01:01:00.002-05:00

On June 12, my friends and I are celebrating my friend Katie's birthday by going to the Imogen Heap concert in Salt Lake City!! I am so excited!! I have been a friend of hers since the Christmas during my freshman year when Joanna came home from college and introduced me to Imogen's wonderful ear candy(THANK YOU, JOANNA!). And Melyssa and Mark told me about her previous name of Frou Frou and after combining all of her songs I feel like I am an Imogen PRO. ;) And now, I am finally getting the chance to see her LIVE!! She just had a new album come out(which I don't think is officially for sale in the US) but her website had this nifty, little player with all of the songs on her newest album that allows me to embed it to my blog...so here it is!! ENJOY!!!!!

This Week's Song!!!

2010-05-03T19:56:00.001-05:00

This song never gets old!!! LOVE.IT. Mostly, I love harmonizing with it!!

this is so gross...

2010-05-03T02:15:00.002-05:00

... but i just had the biggest blister on the bottom of my foot pop. the nastiness on the inside went all over my toes. i was wearing my toms and some of the nastiness showed through on the outside of my shoe.
i think i may throw-up.

Song of the Week

2010-04-27T11:42:00.002-05:00

My friend Erin does a "song of the week" on her blog and I decided that I wanted to adopt this idea for my blog!
I have loved this song for a long time and today I heard it after not hearing it for a while. It has a little bit of special significance for me this week for some reason... Anyway, enjoy!

Ode to Erin and Lena

2010-04-24T15:29:00.004-05:00

About time, right?
Erin and Lena are my loyal, and amazing friends who reside in the great state of Alabama! I just had the wonderful chance to see them the week before last when I was home! Oh! How I love and miss them!! We definitely aren't the typical group of friends from high school that get together after several months of seeing each other and feel awkward and uncomfortable at first. NOPE! and gladly, too! We always just pick up right where we left off, which is usually laughing, and it is so refreshing!! So, here's to you!! Thanks for being so amazing!!!

high and insightful

2010-04-13T00:06:00.002-05:00

don't get too excited--i am not the kind of "high" that first came to all of your minds after reading this title...how dare you think that way. could you really imagine little me ever getting high from the influence of drugs?
high as in...a plane in the sky. high. this is just a little something i thought about on my trip home to alabama... and i wrote it down...
As I fly, I look down and see the areas of Earth shadowed by the clouds. Those parts of Earth are dark and dimmed of the light hiding above the clouds. Just to the right and left of these masked spaces, the green of the grass boldly stands out because of the full exposure of sun it is bathing in. I ascend and get closer to the sun. I feel its warmth seep in from the window beside me. My view broadens: I can see for miles and mils of land—Most of which I will never trek. Along that land I still see the patches of darkness where clouds cover –some darker than others because of the density of the clouds.
As my testimony grows and my relationship with God grows stronger, my view broadens. I see more of his plan. The “big deals” in my life grow smaller as I realize the immensity of what is going on around me. From my view, my perception shifts and I can better observe other’s lives around me. Like the patches of Earth seen from my plane window, some people are suffocating from the darkness covering them. The earth can last for a little while underneath the shade but will eventually die if kept underneath for too long. One can live in sin for a little while but if they do not repent daily, their spirit dies.
It is oh so important to not forget the little things like reading out of the scriptures everyday and praying to Heavenly Father multiple times everyday. Spiritual life is impossible without consistency; Spiritual increase is even more difficult. I want to be able to see from above the clouds—like I do from my plane window—rather than walking underneath and being temporarily overshadowed by the reigning, dark clouds.

The Girl Scout

2010-04-08T20:02:00.001-05:00

The Girl Scout

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what are you thinking about right now?

2010-04-08T12:11:00.003-05:00

i'm thinking about how excited i am that i will be in alabama on saturday!! the high's are in the high 70's the whole time i am there!!! and i am thinking about how i am going to miss my friends shane, cody, and colton next semester.

Ask me anything

BFFs!!

2010-04-02T01:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't written a blog post about my 2 best friends up here at college: Katie and Melanie!!! I am actually so so so disappointed in myself for not posting about them any earlier! I love them oh so much!!! I can't express how much fun we have together!! This post is dedicated to them!! Thank You, Besties!!!

this is lengthy one!

2010-03-31T18:42:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of this semester when I was assigned to my FHE group, I was completely and totally disappointed when I saw that there were absolutely NO cute boys in it.

And then as I officially met them and learned that none were cool in my eyes I was even MORE incredibly disappointed. Come on—if you are going to be un-cute, at least have the decency to be cool ;)
I decided that I would just not go to all of the FHE’s and so then I wouldn’t have to suffer through hanging out with all of the weirdos…
But just as I finished this conclusion and blinked... I was called as FHE mom of the FHE group.
If that’s not karma, I don’t know what is. I am determined that it was God’s way of saying, “You’re going to judge them, eh? Well if they are sooo bad then help them get better. You are in charge of leading them.”

Unfortunately for my salvation in this little test I was given… I am afraid that I did not perform to the best of my abilities. All of the FHE brothers (technically my “sons”) were so obnoxious and loud and rude and I had the hardest time being nice to them—just the hardest. And I did a really poor job at pretending to be nice because my roommate later told me that they all thought I hated them. Woops!

I obviously have a hard time being nice to rude people.
Even cute boys. If they had been the HAWTEST boys ever but had acted the way they act I would have treated them the exact same way.
It’s one of my many, many flaws I suppose.

So this entire semester I barely put forth any effort to be nice…

…until this past Monday. It was the last FHE and I actually interacted with them and I told myself that they would leave FHE with a good taste of me in their mouth. And believe it or not…I actually had a little fun! I could only handle being around them for about 30 minutes, but rather than sticking around and letting my annoyance build up, I just left when I was satisfied with their presence.
And they were nice and I was nice and I felt that it was really healthy for my conscience because I truly did feel bad for how I treated them.

But I feel better now and I am determined to do a much better job in the next calling I am called to…that is, if Heavenly Father entrusts me with one in the near future and sees me as being worthy of the blessings that one receives from serving in calling for church ☺

LOVVVVVE IT!!!

2010-03-24T19:22:00.002-05:00

ricky ticky tevy showed me this one and we couldn't find a good video of it on hulu or you tube...but my genius brain reminded me that i should just go straight to the source: NBC.com! so i did...and i found it!! so my friends, watch and LOVVVVVE it, too!!!

Pics from my most recent visit down to SLC

2010-03-22T20:37:00.008-05:00

Mel, Mark, Madylin, Heidi, and Celeste came up and visited in Salt Lake 2 weekends ago and I was oh so glad that I got to go down and see them...as well as Sarah, Greg, Attie, Eva, and Rick, Joanna, and Johnny(but I only got to see the last 3 for an hour or 2 :( )
It was so so fun to see all of them!!and I also got to see one of my best friends from SLC, celeste!! but sadly, I did not get a picture with her.
and then in 20 days I will be able to see the rest of mi familia down in Bama!!!! YAYYY!!I have to say though, as excited as I am to see my family, I know that once I leave, that means that the semester is over which means that two of my very good guy friends won't be returning to byu-i because they will be leaving on their missions next semester--it's really good, yes. but i will really miss their company and conversation and just good times. However,on the flip side, next semester will also bring some very exciting, new things: I will be living with my best friends up here, Melanie and Katie; I will also be moving into very nice apartments; I will be in a new ward(this one I am SOOO excited about); and I am taking classes that I am really excited about(one of which is tennis...!!!)
anyway...back to why i am posting this in the first place...Here are some picture from the weekend before last!
"Well, how do you do??" Rick and I, looking our best as usual.

Jo and Jo. What Charmers!

hahhaaha Greg wins for the best facial expression in this one!

Sarah!!!

We are only missing 3 of us! pretty good, if I say so myself!

laptop boy

2010-03-20T03:22:00.004-05:00

Today was my first day of working at the writing center and I LOVED it!!!! Let me tell you why…

To be honest, the work I was assigned to do (reading a large packet of rules and regulations of the writing center, beginning the desk training) was rather monotonous…but I was rather thrilled when I saw that the most DREAMY boy was sitting at one of the tables—no, he was not being helped by anyone—he was just quietly working on his laptop. Honestly, I didn’t even notice him until he walked over to a fellow writing assistant that was sitting near me who was working on something and asked if one of us could help him on a little something. The girl said that she would and that I couldn’t—I was in “training”(said in a nasally, winey voice).

So they walked off to paradise while I sat and continued reading my training packets…blah blah blah!

Approximately 45 minutes pass and I look up to see dreamy boy staring at me…and I quickly look away. He then gets up and walks over and says, “Hey, do you know anything about the APA format?” “Uhhhhhh…” I reply. “I mean, I know you’re in training right? But do you know anything about it. I just have a few questions about the certain formatting…” he says with the cutest crooked smile. “You know what, I have to be honest—I don’t know anything about APA and I would probably only hinder your work. But—“ “No No!” he disagrees. (What a sweetheart!!) “But I will go ask around and see if I can get someone to help you,” I reply so so so regretfully—wishing oh so badly that I knew the APA format.

He says thank you and I sit back down and wait for the end of the day to roll around.

Once I get off of work I go to meet my friend to work on our research paper together. I’m telling her all about it. I see him walk in and the door and my little heart flutters!

He doesn’t see me though because he is across the room and I am but a mere bystander. I casually glance over here and there.

And then I see him leave.

But…

He left his laptop and case…!!!

Immediately I think—perfect!!!! I can be his savior and kidnap his computer!!! How incredibly romantic!!!!

But, I hesitate to run over and grab it because I think of how incredibly embarrassing it would be if he were to walk back in and see me hovering over his computer.

So I wait.

And wait.

And…wait.

And then I finally decide to temporarily steal it.

Buh, buh. Buhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I shove it in my backpack and slyly walk out.

I get in my friend Mel’s car and just bust out laughing!!! What have I done???? I have taken this boy’s computer!!!!

I immediately pop it open and try to find out who this beautiful little stranger is.

I see his first name pop up on the login screen. But that’s all I have because his touchpad of his laptop wasn’t working and so I couldn’t find any previous papers with his full name.

So I did what any self-respecting, facebook-savvy person would do—I typed in his first name into the BYU-I network.

Thankfully his name isn’t too common and there are only 37 results…yay!!

I find him and after i look through a few of his pictures…(heh heh...) I send him a message informing him of my steel.

I thought about saying, “You stole my heart…so as payback, I stole your laptop.”

Haha….

but I refrained and kept it normal.

He texted me tonight and he is coming over to retrieve it tomorrow morning…!!! He sounded oh so grateful and he said he is kind of grateful he left it…!!! ahhhh!!!! You know what that means??!!!!! Wooooo hoooo!!!!

I’m not sure how it will end…but I’m likin’ how it is going so far!! it has at least been thrilling!!!

I know I’ve said this before but… I LOVE COLLEGE!!

some pictures that may or may not ever make it on facebook

2010-03-09T22:55:00.010-06:00

Here are some pictures that i took from my visit to Salt Lake City/ Provo a few weeks ago.it was oh so fun!!
Bee Tee Dub--i can't WAIT to go down there again this upcoming weekend to see the familia that lives down there PLUS melyssa and mark and their chilluns!!!

my first "in-n-out experience" loved it(please, please, PLEASE enlarge this picture to see johnny's face)

my first BYU basketball game! yay!!

and lastly, the peeps i rode down with from rexburg: my friends(from the left) brady, griffin, tori, and jack(yes he is the one with whom i had my first college relationship with--okay, let's be honest, my first relationship EVER...and i broke it off after 2 weeks. how incredibly pathetic, right?)

this post didn't go where i intended for it to go...but i'm happy with the results!

2010-03-09T22:40:00.003-06:00

i am so apprehensive.
i just finished writing/turned in a paper for my english class this past monday and i think that i did a pretty good job on it. i was actually really excited about writing it and turning it in because i felt so strongly about the topic and i felt that i put it across really well onto paper.
BUT... after i turned it in i realized that i may have forgotten to cite something correctly...!!! :( and i realllllly wanted to get a good grade on this one. i think i ruined it and it has been absorbing my thoughts for DAYS.
one night this week i had a dream about my paper--i don't even remember what it was about. the dream was a series of clips and they all had something to do with that stinkin' paper! the next morning my friend Mel told me about one of her dreams which was swimming with the topic of "love" and i thought to myself dang it! that's what i should be dreaming about." I wondered if i was going to be one of those girls who is obsessed with her career and never has time for a social life or a relationship... and then i remembered that i had watched the movie "Just Like Heaven" the night before which is about a girl who is a workaholic and has never been in a serious relationship which then made me realize that maybe(in a twisted and complicated way) i did, in fact, have a dream about relationships. maybe it was more of a nightmare.

no, no. it was a dream. i think part of me finds the idea of being a workaholic, lacking a love life, to be kind of romantic.
However, i have to say, why in the world would i live my life through romantic ideas like being a workaholic, if i could fall in love and experience romance every day?? I hope that day comes for me!
No, i am not "on the prowl, " but i do dream of one day leading a very, VERY romantic lifestyle with the boy i will someday love!

Happy First Day of March!

2010-03-02T00:23:00.007-06:00

...but not really.
actually, today was quite good. in fact, my day was unusually nice...
until i just got home. and i go to get a healthy little snack for myself(because sometimes i get late night munchies, and lately i have stocked the fridge and pantry with healthy things so that i won't wake up in the morning looking like a mother heifer).
i made some delicious fruit salad--you know, the wonderful kind madre makes that is orange-- so i had it in the fridge in a bowl with saran wrap covering it.
i go to get it out and i notice that It's mostly GONE! what the L people???(pardon the language)
REALLLY??? you're going to cowardly take some of my fruit salad?? you have your own FOOD. eat THAT. or, if what i have looks good, ASK ME, dang it! i will usually say yes.
how tacky, huh?
i guess from now on i will put my name on it.
or maybe put something on it like, "Jill's: don't eat it" or "Jill's ---> NOT YOURS"
or better yet, "CONTAINS LAXATIVE" hahahha...that would be good, huh?
maybe i'll try it.
for serious, though.
ooooh! ooooh! oooooooh!!! i've got a good one! maybe i will make something delicious looking(but simple and cheap to make so that i won't waste too much money or ingredients) and put a laxative in it...MWHAHAHA!!
haha--i should probably stop writing because as i go on, my little mind gets more and more creative and mischievous.
but, dang. serves them right--tacky kids.
the worst part--i think it was the return missionary that did it. didn't she learn anything? "thou shalt not steal" ringin' a bell? eh, Pacha??
ok. this has really helped me to not feel so angry about it, to write it all down. maybe i have gone a little too far...but it has felt OH SO good to vent and at the same time explore my mischievous, creative outlets.
so, thank you.