Life is Definitely an Adventure

I know I don't post like I should or even want to, but it seems that I find things that fill my time.  Plus, I don't have any really fun adventures to share with everyone.  I do check my friends' blogs at least once a week and I decided I should do my duty and update everyone on my life. 

School-
Yes, school.  I started working on the ol' B.S. degree last January.  I'm enrolled this Fall in 11 credits and its pretty much KILLING me.  I work an average of about 10 hours a day and then I spend 6-7 hours a night on homework.  When I went to college originally, I could function on 4 hours of sleep and still be somewhat coherent to what was going on in my life.  Now, I can't do that.  I keep getting told its because I'm old, but I don't feel that old, but when the alarm goes off at 5 a.m. for work, I'm feeling it.  I'm enrolled in a Humanities class, a Critical Writing class, a Religion class, and a Science class.  The one I'm enjoying the most is the Science class.  It is a class about natural disasters.  I have always found them fascinating, so its been enjoyable.  The only problem is all of the websites we are required to use are shut down because of the Government being shut down.  Gotta love the U.S. Government.  The class that gives me the most trepidation is the Critical Writing class.  I have always been able to write a letter or talk to people in writing, but I've never been a great author of papers longer than a page and a half.  That's going to have to change since I have a 20 page paper to do for my final in the class.  Its pretty intense so far, but I have to say that I'm learning a lot.  That's a good thing.  So, here we go, another semester to conquer :)

Home-
Well, owning a home has been an adventure.  Someone once told me its a money pit.  Never believed it until I actually owned one.  Its insane the amount of work it takes to keep a home up and running.  The people that owned my home previously nickel and dimed everything, so nothing was ever fixed properly.  I'm finding that out as time goes on.  I need to replace my sewer line at the cost of around $6,000.  My stove is going out, same with the dishwasher.  I just keep praying that everything continues to work.  I had a roommate move out in January and money has been extremely tight.  I keep praying for a roommate, so I can get the things fixed that I need to, but to no avail.  Its been a difficult and learning experience.  I just keep hoping things will continue to work out. 

Church-
Well, I go to Church every Sunday.  I currently play the organ and play the piano for the choir.  Nothing really new, just the same ol' stuff. 

Dating-
Well, this doesn't happen.  Moving on . . . .

Work-
Work has been really crazy.  Our administration decided a few months ago to combine the Registration and the Admissions office into one office.  With that, came added responsibilities, on top of the responsibilities I currently have.  I'm still running the admissions processes for domestic and international students, but I have also been learning the international processes once they are in the country.  I am also learning how the registration process works and trying to figure that all out.  Then I have been assigned the customer service portion, which makes me the supervisor over all of the student employees.  It has been a period of flux, and I'm trying to keep my head up, but I feel like I'm drowning at the same time.  So, I keep hoping that my Heavenly Father will give me the stamina to keep going. 

So, there's my life in a nutshell.  I'm posting some pictures so you can see what I've been up to :)

 Baby blankets that I made.  I have made around 6 sets of these this Summer.  Everyone seems to be having babies.  Nothing wrong with that, I enjoy making them :)

 I had the opportunity to go on a quilting retreat this August.  It was in Tetonia, ID.  You can see the Idaho side of the Tetons from the front porch of the place we stayed.  It was so much fun.  There were 10 of us and we quilted late, slept in and just enjoyed each other's company :)

 I had fun doing some canning before school started.  I made salsa from my parents tomatoes and then I canned peaches that a friend brought over to me.  I love having stuff I've bottled.  I know its good :)

This is a watercolor quilt I made.  It was a fun project to do.  Now to finish it up and hang it up. 

Fun at the Ball Park

So, the beginning of June, I had the opportunity to go to the Bee's game with my really good friends.  I finally pulled out my camera and go shots of two of the sweetest girls.  I loved playing with them, watching the game and just having a great time with friends.  I hope to do it again soon :)

 Found the sweetest lady who was making balloon animals for the kids.  The girls wanted hats and she graciously obliged them.  I love this shot.  They are so sweet. 

 It was mustache appreciation night at the ball park.  It was fun putting them on the girls :)

Had my first bratwurst at the game.  It was delicious :)

Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving approaches, I feel its only right to express my gratitude for things in my life.  I have a lot to be grateful for, but sometimes in the thick of things, I tend to forget.  So, here's my list of gratitude this year:

First and foremost, I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  Over the past year, I've been trying to become more like Him and I've been trying to get a more personal relationship with Him.  I have read the talk from the May 2012 General Conference that talks about being being converted to the Gospel versus the Church.  I have taken that to heart and am trying to be better.  I think by strengthening that relationship with my Savior, I can become that solid, converted member.  I hope to continue to improve myself.

Second, I am grateful for my family.  I probably don't show it a whole lot, but I am grateful for them and the fact that they still love me, after all of these years.  They are all great people!  I have had so many wonderful adventures and hope to have many more through the years.

Third, I am grateful for the possessions I have been blessed with.  I have a beautiful home and a vehicle to name a few.  There is so much work to all of it, but in the end, its all worth it.  For that, I am grateful.  I am grateful for the value of work and the fact that I am not afraid to work.  I have my parents to thank for that.  :)

Fourth, I am grateful for my job.  I have had some rough spots of late, but I feel that the lessons and principles I have learned over the last year in my job have given me a depth that I don't think would have been possible anywhere else.  Although I haven't liked every moment of it, I am grateful for my work and the people I have an opportunity to work with.  Its been a great blessing in my life.

Fifth, I am grateful for friends.  I have been blessed with some great ones, other have left my life.  I am grateful for all of the impacts they have had, negative or positive.  I believe that every person comes into my life for a reason, to teach me, to inspire me, and to support me through the thick and thin.  Friends have been hard to come by sometimes, but I have been blessed profusely with those people that have come into my life.

Sixth, I am grateful to live in the United States of America.  Yeah, its true, life hasn't been bliss here, but I have so many freedoms that many don't have.  I hope not to be one of those complacent Americans that take everything for granted.  I have the freedom to vote, to work, to own property, to speak my mind, to practice my religion.  What a blessing it is to be a citizen of this great land!!

Seventh, I am grateful for my life.  There have been extreme cases of health issues and much sorrow in my life.  I still have some of those health problems, where others have disappeared.  I am grateful to be alive, to be able to enjoy the sunshine.  I have so much to enjoy and many opportunities to enjoy it.

So, this is just a small list.  But I am grateful for everything my Heavenly Father has blessed me with and continues to bless me with.  Looking back, my life hasn't turned out how I planned it, but it has turned out how my Heavenly Father planned it.  I hope I am able to continue going in the direction I need to go.  Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Registered

So, I registered for classes to start my Bachelor's degree.  BYU-Idaho has a program that will allow me to use my AAS degree I earned from LDS Business College and will let me apply for an Applied Management BS degree.  I decided to start small (since its been 9 years since I've been in school) and I'm only registered for 9 credit hours.  I'll be taking a Science, Math, History and an orientation course.  Needless to say, its slightly nerve-wracking, but its the right choice for me right now.  I'm grateful for a boss that has encouraged me to go and get my Bachelor's degree.  I think she is very wise in the fact that it is probably the best time to do it.  So, as of now, I am an official BYU-I student with classes set to begin January 7.  Here we go!  :)

No, I never have pictures, except today

Sorry to everyone that reads my blog and how boring it is.  I usually never take pictures.  I do have some to share today.  I hope everyone enjoys :)

My friends, Liz, Jackie, Cathy and I went to the Brigham City Temple Open House.  It was lots of fun.  This is the first open house I've been to since I've received my own endowments, so it made more sense and I was able to enjoy the beauty of it all the more.  I was grateful for the invitation and the opportunity to spend time with friends.

I went camping in July with my family to Fish Lake, UT.  It was a blast with my brothers and my good friend, Paul.  It rained 6 of the 8 days we were up there, so everything was green and lovely, and of course, I didn't take the camera out much.  I need to be better at that.  Here are some shots of Twin Creeks that feeds Fish Lake and pictures of the Lake itself.  I love it up there.

Then in August, I went fishing with my Dad, my friend Liz and Jason (He's my coworker and good friend Tamra's husband.  They happened to be up there camping when we went fishing.  It worked out well for all parties).  Most of the pictures are of Liz trying to bait her hook and her cleaning her fish.  Jason caught the biggest fish that day, so I snapped a picture of that as well.

Overall, life has been good.  Sorry for the lack of posts.  I will try to be better.  :)

Stress . . . you can have it!

Let's just say life has been stressful of late, some of which I cannot talk about at this point in time, but may expand at a future date.

When I was listening to General Conference this past April, I really enjoyed President Eyring's talk about trials.  The thought came to my mind that I've been living comfortably and haven't had any major trials of late.  Boy, I will never have that frame of mind again :)

My home life switched around quite a bit and its been an adjustment for me, but not a huge one.  Gibby moved out and left a huge void in my life.  I did have another roommate move in a few days later and she's been wonderful.  Her name is Natasha and we met in my ward.  She's a sweetheart and has helped me in a lot of ways.  But with any change, there comes adjustments.  They haven't been bad, but I think because everything else in my life was seeming to fall apart, it was accentuated a whole lot more.  I'm grateful for Gibby and the wonderful things she taught me.  I'm really grateful for Natasha and her big heart and compassionate spirit.

Going back to school is freaking me out.  When I graduated from the BC, I figured I was done with school for the rest of my life.  The Lord has other plans for me and I found an amazing program at BYU-Idaho that will take my AAS degree and transfer it directly into their BS program.  Its called the Applied Management degree and I am starting Winter 2013.  I am still taking a Math class this Fall, because I will have to take three Math courses to accomplish the MAT 108 requirement.  I am excited for the adventure, but I'm walking cautiously as well.  Its been over 8 years since I graduated from the BC and I have lost my study skills I had in school.  So, here's relearning how to be a student.

So, the moral of the story, don't ever think you're life is too comfortable or too stress free, because there will be opportunities for you to learn and grow.  I can say I've learned a lot and am grateful for the opportunities, but I will definitely be more grateful when its behind me and I can walk away stronger than before.  Yeah, I totally got this :)

Going Back

So after many a prayers, many discussions with a very wise boss and mentor and discussions with a very wise roommate . . . I've decided to go back to school this Fall.  I can take all prerequisites at the BC for free, with the cost of books and I may be able to get my bachelor's for free as well.  We shall see, but for now I'm registered for a Math class.  Its been 11 years since I've been in a math class, so wish me luck!