Missing in Action

Sometimes--a lot of times--life gets crazy. And sometimes when life gets especially crazy and busy, I forget to take time for myself. My whole life lately has been devoted to school and work and everything else that goes along with that. Obviously, I have been missing from the blogging world lately. Now, I don't know what my excuse for summer was because all I did was sit on my butt for six weeks after I had surgery, but it has been quite a while since I have had a significant blog post. So here is a quick synopsis of my life as of late:


Summer
My summer was spent having and then recovering from re-constructive plastic surgery to fix my nose that I broke when I was about seven. The doctor reconstructed my nose to improve functionality (I couldn't breathe out of my nose for several years prior to surgery) and to bring it back to what it would have looked like if I had never broken it. It was probably the most painful experience of my life. I felt (and looked) like I had been hit by a truck. Want to watch what they did to me? Click here to watch the video of my surgery. I wouldn't recommend watching if you have a weak stomach. (The actual surgery lasted about an hour and a half. I'm just glad I was asleep for the whole thing.) I had black eyes for a couple of weeks, was miserable for a couple more, and took the full six weeks to recover fully. It will take a whole year for my nose to fully finish adjusting to the surgery.


Fall, Part One: Work
I got hired at the end of the school year to be an RA (resident assistant) for USU housing this year. I moved back up to school two weeks early for training. I was in training or working for 10 to 12 hours every day for nearly the full two weeks. Pretty much I hated my life. The job is going well and I'm finally figuring out how not to let it run my life. Living where I work has its advantages, but it also gets really hard. Luckily I've made some awesome new friends this year who provide a good means of escape. 

I have my name on my door. I'm so official.

 Fall, Part Two: School
I have been officially accepted into the Emma Eccles Jones School of Teacher Education and Leadership, changed my major to Early Childhood and Elementary Education Composite major (previously it was just elementary K-6), and will finally start the program in the spring. I am doing math and ESL (English as a Second Language) endorsements. I'm done with math and I'm  taking my first ESL class this semester which I absolutely love! Yes, I am taking on a lot with basically a dual major/dual minor, but I'm happy with it. It's a good thing I love school because I'm going to be in college for a long time!


Fall, Part Three: Fun!
College wouldn't be college without a little fun. Granted, I haven't had a lot of spare time this semester, but I still find ways to keep myself entertained. My best friends definitely help with that! Justin is also an RA and keeps me from quitting my job, my roommate Angie keeps me from murdering the rest, and Ellis keeps me laughing. 
This semester I have...


 gone fishing for the first time in my life (thanks to Ellis),

I caught one! Too bad it was a smart fish and broke free...

played with Angie in Shelley, ID (where she's from) and spent fall break shooting terrorists, warming up at Lava Hot Springs, riding four-wheelers through spud farms, eating way too much chocolate, visiting the Idaho Falls Temple, cruising around town in a big truck, and learning how to make funnel cakes,

Me and Angie on our way to Idaho

got caught in several rain storms and was reminded of how terrible our football team is,

Roommate Melanie, Me, Brady, Roommate Angie

enjoyed the fall colors and the beautiful mountains,

Logan City Cemetery

come up with the worst possible clashing of colors and patterns,

I tie-dyed that apron myself. I'm that cool.

welcomed  in the arrival of basketball season,

Our homemade game-day tutus

had a police officer show me what marijuana smells like, used a fire extinguisher, witnessed and helped monitor a hilarious week of campus-wide Human vs. Zombies, pulled a series of harmless pranks, sang the National Anthem at a basketball game (and no, I will not post the video), made new friends, got an old one back, and much more.


Go Aggies!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Either that or it just makes you fat 'cause all you do is sit on your butt all day eating chocolate chip cookies or brownies that your mom makes because you have no friends.

I miss you all like a fat kid on a diet misses his twinkies and cake.

Two Homes

First off, I would just like to apologize to the blogging world for my lack of substance in my blog entries as of late. There has definitely been a lot to write about, but for some reason all that's been coming out has to do with nail polish, hunger pains, and creepy duck songs. I'll try to stay away from those topics for a while. 


Right now I really miss Logan. It's taken me this long for it to sink in that I'm not just home for a weekend or holiday. I miss being in the mountains. I miss the smell. (Not the cow fart smell you get in Nibley and Wellsville that sometimes wafts in on windy days. I'm talking about the fresh mountain air smell.) I miss Merrill Hall. I miss the cinder block walls (which you're not allowed to lick because they have lead in them) decorated with Post-It Notes. I miss finding a giant fuzzy spider with a hilarious note attached to it in random places. But mostly, I miss the people.


I miss running barefoot down two flights of stairs to just sit on the couch with Kelsey and Angel and Lauren, late night chats with Emily about boys, drama, and TV shows, falling asleep to the sound of Lindsay and Christine laughing at something completely random in the next room, going to church with the most awesome student ward that there ever was, walking to class with Andrew, snuggling with Brooklin when Spencer wasn't around, watching everyone flinch when Benson kicked the door as he passed, hanging out with "the boys," laughing hysterically with Sara about something that no one else saw or heard, and everything else that went on in our tiny little world.


But even though I hate that the people I'm used to seeing every day are now spread out all over the state, I do love being home. I love being with my family and sharing a room with my mom (her office and my bedroom got hitched). I love spending all day with the world's most beautiful little girls that remind me the world is fascinating and full of adventure. I love not having homework! I love having my meals cooked for me, not buying groceries, and knowing that when I put laundry in the hamper, it somehow magically appears clean and in my laundry basket in no time at all. (Thanks, Mom!) I love having a dishwasher and a garbage disposal and a microwave big enough to fit a full bag of popcorn. Most of all, I love that there isn't anyone here who I dread having to see. (Yeah, I know. I'm horrible and heartless. But I REALLY don't miss living with Thing One and Thing Two.) I love that this place will ALWAYS be my home.


I could keep going, but now I'm getting long and ramble-y. (Sorry. No happy medium.) I guess this is what happens when you have two places that feel like home. You can't be in one without missing the other. At least I know that Logan will still be there waiting for me in the fall. For now, I'm just waiting for summer to officially begin so I can hopefully have some adventures!

A Little Spring, a Little Birthday, and a Whole Lot of R&R

(Pretend I wrote this last week.)

Well, I waited all semester for this, and now spring break has come and gone. It wasn't particularly eventful (no beaches, swimming suits, or sand dunes), but it was still a break and that's all I wanted. (Okay lies. I'm not going to say that I didn't want to go to Mexico or California, but a trip to Kaysville was good enough for now.) The break started off with a trip to Hale Theatre with my daddy for a production of Fiddler on the Roof. Definitely a great father-daughter show. Trevor and Sherstin came up on Sunday evening and brought Grandpa for dinner and an early birthday celebration. The nineteen mismatched candles that were crammed into my New York style cheesecake were blown out by Makenna before I got a chance to make a wish. I think that's probably a bad omen for the year. Birthday presents included a new set of scriptures, a paper cutter, and a whole jar of chocolate covered raisins! Mmm..boy! I also got a crock pot from Trevor and Sherstin (Recycled wedding gift. I was there when they opened it.) and some homemade headbands from  Hilary.

Everyone else had school all week, so the rest of the break was spent playing at home with Diva and Miss Meka. Meka is in the middle of being potty trained, so I had my share of trips to the potty, handing out lifesavers, and changing wet pats. Days were spend playing, making mints with mom, looking for jobs, digging up the garden, and being completely and blissfully lazy. Evenings were spent going to movies, wandering the neighborhood with dad, visiting wonderful friends, playing games, and staying up late watching Cake Boss. The week concluded with a trip to Provo to see my bff Jon perform in BYU's production of As You Like It. The weekend didn't end up as planned, but the show was beautiful and playing with Tressa all weekend was a blast! I finished up a blissful spring break by modeling for Hilary and playing funny, crazy games with the family.

I may not have had my turn to get sunburned over the break, but I loved being able to spend some time with friends and family, especially with my best friend Mom. Maybe next year I'll be able to afford to go somewhere adventurous.

Here for You

I hate having to watch people suffer. I hate it when you can see that someone is hurting inside, but there is nothing you can do to take the pain away. I wish there was a magical spell or drug or something that just made everything okay. Sometimes I wish I had the ability to do more than just offer a hug, a consoling word, and a shoulder to cry on. But I hope that by offering even these small, insignificant things, that maybe someday I will be able to bless someone else's life through it. I hope that I can help someone remain hopeful and optimistic. I hope that my friends know that I will always be here for them. I wish I could make other people's pain and heartache go away, but I know that I can't. So I hope that by simply being their friend, they will have even just a moment of relief to take a deep breath and realize that someday soon, everything is going to be all right.

"Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for
the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall
come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation."
-D&C 58:3

When it Rains, it Pours

I think I need a bigger umbrella.

I've learned something this week. Well, I guess I've always known it, but I've definitely been re-learning it. There are times when nothing seems to go right. You might have a professor that scares the pants off of you, or get piled on with mountains of homework and not be able to seem to find any time to even get started. Your job might end sooner than you were anticipating and leave you, once again, with no income. There may be a sweet and slightly nerdy boy at work that takes you out on one date, wants to hold your hand, and then texts you all the time and wants to spend every day with you. Water might get spilled on your computer and ruin the keyboard, or your bank might go under leaving you temporarily without access to your money. Or, if you're really lucky, you could end up like me and have all of the above happen in one weekend.

But if you are lucky like me, then you know that Heavenly Father doesn't just leave us sitting in the gutter with no rain boots. He surrounds us with people who love us and are always willing to help. He gives us friends that are smart and can help us understand the foreign language of politics. He blesses us with a neighbor and a friend who knows everything there is to know about computers and is more than willing to try to fix yours for nothing more than a good hug. He gives us wonderful moms to call eight times in one day to help you figure things out, and who would give you the world if she could, simply because you are her daughter. He gives us a great group of friends who stick by your side while the awkward boy from work is around, and accept you even though you are probably the world's worst bowler. He blesses us with an amazing boss who, even though she barely knows you, offers to give you a cash loan while you are trying to get your bank accounts sorted out. And He blesses us with a roommate and a best friend who does your dishes while you're gone, just because she knows you're having a bad day. He blesses us with all of these people so that when it feels like you're drowning in everything that's going wrong, they'll be there to pull you back into the boat and dry you off again.

Sometimes you laugh,

Sometimes you cry.

Sometimes you sing

And sometimes you sigh.

But never give up.

You're never alone.

Never stop believing--

You're never far from home.

Christ is always watching,

He always understands.

He's always there to listen,

Always stretching forth His hand.

IDK, My BFF Brooklin?

I love Brooklin (my roommate). She really has become my best friend. Really though. It's not a rare occasion when we accidentally stay up way later than is healthy having amazing, deep conversations. She's wonderful.

This basically describes our relationship:

Told you I loved her.

YouTube Debut

Last Sunday was my good friend Emily's birthday. Being poor college students and not being able to afford to get her anything for her birthday, Phebe and I decided that we should write her a song. So we did. I wrote the lyrics and Patrick helped us put it to music. Pretty sure it was the best reaction to any gift I've ever given. Emily loved it! It was way ridiculous and seemingly random, but it was perfect for Emily. You probably won't think it's funny if you don't know her, but it is actually quite genious. Enjoy!

Emily's Birthday Song

Performed by Patrick Farrington, Rachel Nell Pearce, and Phebe Findlay

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday, Best Friend. Hope it's a good one.

Closed for Repairs

Today I was reminded of the reason we have families.

It's a well-known saying that friends come and go. In my life, that seems to be an understatement. For some reason, I have never had a "best friend." Don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of friends that I've been really close to. In fact, I can't count the number of times I've considered someone to be my best friend, but the feeling never seems to be mutual. After a while they find someone new and decide they don't need me anymore, regardless of whether or not I still need them. So today as I was thinking of an old "best friend" and sincerely missing her company, I came to the realization that that is why God gave us families; because not everybody can have a best friend at all times. It was a reaffirmation of something I already knew, but something I needed to rediscover. Friends may come and go, but my family will always be there. Even when we're in different parts of the state or the world, my family is an anchor that never floats away.

I read a great piece of advice in a magazine article just a little while ago. It said, "Never burn bridges. Just close them down for repairs for a while." I love that thought. I am still very grateful for and love all the friends I've had in my life who have helped to shape me into who I am, even if they have gone a different way for now. I hope that our paths can cross again someday. As for the friend I was thinking about today, I just wish that the construction on our bridge can be over soon, because I don't want to watch anything burn. I love you.

"And all the things that break you,

Are the things that make you strong!

You can't change the past,

Cause it's gone.

And you just gotta move on,

Because it's all

Lessons learned."

-Carrie Underwood (Lessons Learned)