Here is what happened...

Sometimes I go on Facebook and see that people have posted on their blog.  Today I read one and I realized it has been a long time since my last attempt to record the events of my awesome life.

Lets start at last summer. Here at BYU-Idaho we have the oddest track system.  During the summer there is a 7 week gap of no school.  I was looking for a job or something to do so that I did not have to go home and do nothing for 7 weeks.  For some reason, I do not know how to take breaks.  I hate taking breaks.  When I have the opportunity to do nothing I eventually go crazy and try to become superwoman.  I woke up in the middle of the night sometime in July and I got this urge to go home and do nothing.  I figured that nothing could really go wrong from that so I packed up my bags and went home for a little bit of self treatment.  It turns out that I NEEDED to get out of Rexburg for my sanity and I guess I had a very important person to meet. 

I honestly wanted to remain a hermit in my parents basement during that time.  I really do not like meeting new people.  I also didn't really see the point of meeting someone new because I was only going to be there for a short time anyway.  I am pretty sure that my parents got sick of me staying at home after just a few days because they kept insisting that I go to the singles ward activities and whatnot.  For the record, I love the church I just am not a fan of the cliche activities and never really cared to be a part of them.  I also never thought that I was going to be the type of person who met the love of my life and best friend at a church activity. I used to gag at the thought of meeting someone that way.  We met playing toilet paper dodge ball and with the help of Stephanie, my fiance and I started to talk.  We've never honestly been truly apart since.  We went on a date everyday for about a week or so then we decided to continue dating in long distance terms.  I didn't think that we would make it this far, but we were engaged by October and we are getting married in May.  

It is funny how things happen in life if you just let things go with the flow.  Everything does happen for a reason.  I have learned that if I let things go more with the flow, something is more likely to turn out for the better.  

I am finishing up my last semester in order to get my Bachelors degree.  I am taking a full load of 18 credits.  It is tough and it is crazy, but it is also worth it.  If you put in the efforts you get what you deserve.  True story.
I have also had the opportunity this semester to enjoy some of the surrounding areas in Rexburg that I always wanted to go to.  However in the next month I need to go to Yellowstone, hike "R" mountain, and become some sort of legend somewhere. 

Fact vs. Fiction

So it is a Friday night and I really do not have much to do.  So here we have a blog post about my random insights on some random things.
First off, is there a place that provides unbiased political information.  I do not want to hear these people try to kick their opponent to the ground so that they can have the chance to make themselves look good. I want to hear their political views, I want to know what they want to do to make this place better.  It doesn't really matter what side you are on during this political debate, living and breathing everything that everyone says is just really stupid.  I find it very annoying when I read or watch discussions...they do not go anywhere.  Wake up and don't turn into a zombie.  Don't side with one group just because of what they said.  Do your research on each event and issue.  Don't be stupid.   --Educate yourself on the facts, not the distractions.
....
Here are some facts about me because I am that bored...
Sometimes I forget that people have feelings when they are being stupid and intolerant.
The only thing I do not have tolerance for is intolerance.
My favorite color is purple.
My favorite meal of the day is a cold diet coke and popcorn.  (Yes, it is a meal)
I do not like huge events with a lot of people, it is almost too overwhelming. (unless I am with the right people)
I am not a mean person, I just don't know what to do when I first meet people.  I just wait for them to come to me.
Yes, I can be awkward.
I want to see a giraffe wear a top hat before I die.
Jamaica and Brazil are the two places that I really want to visit in the future.
I have never been outside of the west.
I hate water activities, my biggest fear is drowning.
I enjoy learning new things.
Silence does not bother me that much.
I hate the cold weather, its painful.
If I could go back in time I would go to the 20's.
I have the cutest nephew in the world.
I want to have my own pit bull rescue some day.
I love to work with teenagers.
I believe that dogs are a gift.
I love laughing to the point of not breathing.
When I really care about someone or something, I will give it all that I have.
I was in the Children's Friend magazine many years ago.
I love everything in nature, except really annoying birds and camping.
Not having control over future events can be really frustrating.
I love pomegranates.

There you go, useless facts about me that you should probably know. :)

Take some accountability.

What the crap is wrong with the world?  I guess I have been paying a lot more attention to the news lately, but things are just flat out ridiculous.  What happened to common courtesy, respect for others, having care and concern, taking responsibility and having full accountability for your actions...what has happened?  If I recall correctly...this country we live in today was founded on very strong, positive and moral values.  Was it not?
During my internship at the Juvenile Correction Center in St. Anthony, Idaho, I learned a lot more than I intended and I wish that people would understand life inside of this facility.  There program is AMAZING!  Their form of rehabilitation in this facility is known as Positive Peer Culture (PPC).  If you understand the basics of sociology, this program is pretty simple.  It is based off of interactions with an assigned group.  Each group is not allowed to communicate with any outside group and can only be separated from their group if they have two or more peers aware of them.  The people in this group are always together.  It is their responsibility to help each other with their issues so that they can be a functional member of society. (I would love to go in greater depth of this facility and how it is ran but I should get to the point before I ramble too much.)
My point of the internship is that it taught me about people who are forced to change, and eventually change for the better of themselves and others.  This is one of the things that bothers me so much about where we are as Americans.  The majority of the population is LAZY.  I know that everyone wants life to be fair, but the most unfair thing you can ever do is try to make everything fair. Fairness in life does not exist.  Sometimes you have to just learn how to adapt to how things are.  For instance, if you want the government to give you money and baby you on things because you are poor and have a hard time with life, deal with it.  Take accountability for what you did to get you there.  If you want change, take responsibility into your own hands and CHANGE IT.  If you want to make more money, get another job, prove to your employers that you deserve a higher pay raise or position.  I understand that it is hard, that is what life is...it is hard.  I am not ripping on anyone because I think I am entitled or better than anyone.  I am going to be one of the poor ones.  I knew that when I chose my major, and desired career path.  I am sure going to be happy with it too, because every action has a consequence.  Think before you act, it could save you a lot of trouble.
Sometimes we have already made those decisions that got us into a place we don't want to be, guess what? It is up to YOU to change it!  If you are not happy with how things are in your life, change it.  It is that simple.  Guess what, its probably not going to be easy, but I am sure that changing yourself to make you happy is damn well worth it.
If you are still reading this, high five!  I just really needed to get that out there, it drives me crazy.
My next point is focusing on the general human population.  If you say that certain creatures are sick, disgusting or mean, you are so wrong.  The most disgusting creature on the earth is the human race.  How hard is it to respect that people are going to be different, some by choice and some by nature.  Living civilly with one another is one of the things that we each lack.  If we are not civil, or do not take time to respect of get to know others...etc...then we are the cause to all of this anger and all of this hate.  We face people and situations that we do not like on a daily bases, you cannot change what has happened, you can only change how you act in the situation and how you are going to improve the situation.
It doesn't matter where you are in life, everyone has a battle they are facing.  Show a little respect.  People make mistakes and nobody is perfect.
Peace love and happiness.

My Rexburg Bucket List.

I realized today that I have lived in Rexburg for too long and have done too little.  There is so much I need to do in the area before I leave.
Bowling in Rigby and St. Anthony
Hike "R" Mountain
Sled down the sand dunes
Go to the sandbar
Go bridge jumping (or watch others do it)
Go snowboarding at Targhee and/or Kelly Canyon
Go to a hot springs
Go to a concert
Ride a tandem bike
Learn how to long board
Build a huge igloo
I am sure there is more that I will add to the list, but  would say this is a good start.

Cough Drops.

I am sitting in bed totally relaxed and having some time to go over the day.  I cannot, for the life of me, fall asleep.  I could go for a run, read a book, or sit there completely thoughtless while eating a cough drop.  Yes, I cannot sleep and have no desire to do so.  So anyway, back to the cough drops ( I promise there is a point).  Halls amazing ability to make me happy did it again.  On the wrapper it says fun things like "High-five yourself," "Dust off and get up," "Don't wait to get started," and "A pep talk in every drop."    All I can say is, thank you for the uplifting little moment, Halls Cough Drops.
Here goes it.  I, like everybody else, has made a mistake.  That is why the atonement is so amazing.  It gives you a little push to start over.  In a way, the atonement is a little pep talk to get up and do better.
I know I already wrote that pivotal "A year ago today" type of blog, but, wow...times change and so do people.   We win some, we loose some, and sometimes we barely scrap by.  It doesn't matter what you are going through.  Everyone is going through something.  Chances are, they are going through the same thing as you.  If you do not want to have pity on others, do not have pity on yourself.  Yes, we get it, life is hard...but guess what.  It is for just about everyone else.
With those hard moments, there is always something good that comes out of it. Every cloud has a silver lining, dang it.  It gets better.  It might only be better for a day until something else happens...but it gets better.  These waves of good things and bad things are almost like gravity.  What comes up must come down.  So have patience with yourself, others and the situation.  You can only control yourself.  It is up to you to make life worth living, or to make yourself and others around you miserable as hell.  So I sure hope you try to make things worth while.  It is so much better.  

I used a lot of cliche phrases in this post...

What a Year

It is basically my birthday so I thought it was time for another post for my invisible readers.  I really don't think anyone reads this, but I guess I do this for personal records.  If you do read this, thank you for taking an interest in my life, I appreciate it.

At midnight tonight I will officially be 22 years old.  I am trying to remember what has happened this past year and I don't have much.  I completed a few more semesters of college, got a promotion at work, realized I couldn't stay sane with my job while going to school, quit my job, got into animal rescue, met a few awesome people, and made it through a few rough patches.  That is the recap of my year.  No shattered elbows, or extremely life changing events...just life.  

However, I would like to think that I grew a lot.  My testimony of the gospel has grown so much and I feel like I am growing closer to Heavenly Father daily.  Honestly, for almost the first time in my life, I can say that I believe in Christ and mean it 100%.  About a year ago while my brother and I were driving down to school an accident happened.  (He will probably hate me for telling everyone this, but I feel the need to write it.)  He fell asleep at the wheel.  That whole entire day I had the worst feeling in my stomach, I was flat out uncomfortable about the drive.  I felt the need to pray the whole way, so I did.  When we were about two hours or so away from Rexburg, I got this prompting to call my brother and make sure he was okay.  I thought to myself "He is a big kid, he can take care of himself."  Every time I ignored the prompting,  the feeling to call him got more and more intense.  As I went to get my phone, he was already on the median.  I watched him spin in circles.   Their was not any major damage to his car, so I waited for him to get out.  Luckily he did.  After the accident we had a strange encounter with a weird tattoo faced guy, and a cop pulled out in the middle of no where. I guess where I was going with this is having the knowledge that Christ is always there.  He is, he is only a prayer away.  I honestly think that if I did not constantly pray the whole way down, things could have been worse.  I know that this WHOLE problem could have been avoided if I listened to my prompting, but my brothers safety was in the Lords hands and I am beyond grateful for the love that he showed us that day.  

Another weird thing happened this year.  All of the sudden I am not afraid of children.  The thought of them used to freak me out.  Now I just realized how amazing they are and how much life they add to yours.  I want to have a family someday. 

Oh, I also had a frightening encounter with a moose and its baby.  I probably could have been ran over by that thing, but it shouldn't have been snacking on the neighbors tree or freaking my dog out.  Somehow I was able to make it annoyed and walk away when I made a whole bunch of frantic and clapping noises.  Yay, aside from that random blurb about the moose, this year has been a good year for growing older.  Bring on the next one.  

Maybe I am really tired.

Has anyone else had the day where you seriously thought you were paying a visit in hell?  This week has been the weirdest.  I hate going into things completely blind.  Apparently that is what I have to do lately in order to do something with my life. Even though I thought things were stepping into place I have no idea what is going on right now, other than that tomorrow will be another day.  Is there anyone else out there who hates going into things blindly?  When I do not have control over some things, I kind of just freak out a little.  The word "wait" is probably one of the most evil words out there.
I guess it is a good thing to be reminded that you do not always have full control over the things that you want.  This is a good reminder to trust in the Lord and rely on him through prayer.  If you do take your time and really listen to what he has to say, he does have a plan for you and he only wants the best for you.
In other words, even though I really do not know what is really going on I should just keep moving forward taking these blind steps knowing that I will get somewhere sooner or later.
From one of my favorite movies Meet the Robinson's  I would like to say "Keep moving forward."