Jordan Lee Memories

See You Later!

2010-08-10T09:09:00.004-06:00

I have a really hard time saying goodbye. I much prefer, "See you later!" So that's what I say to all of you: "See you in 18 months!" I will really miss everyone. So much! Serving a mission is definitely not in my comfort zone. Having said that, I know that this is something I'm supposed to do, and over the past six months it has become something I really want to do. I am really excited! Scared silly, but so excited.

I want you all to know that I have a testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in true. I testify that Heavenly Father knows each of us individually and is mindful of our prayers. Keep trying. Keep praying. Keep listening.

I love you all so much and will see you in 18 months! Please write and pray for me as I am far away from home and loved ones. It will mean so much to me. Love you all! The Church is true!

"The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent until it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept in every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done.'"

You can contact my mom to get my address by emailing her at kimberlyjlee@homail.com. Love you all! Keep in touch!

D.C. South Mission Blog

2010-08-05T11:09:00.002-06:00

My mission president's wife just sent me a letter saying she has a blog for the Washington D.C. South mission! This is exciting because she will post pictures and updates that you can view if you want to! The blog is armiesofhelaman.blogspot.com. I added it under my friends on the sidebar.

Here's the mission home in Burke, Virginia:

And here's my mission president and his wife with Elder Bednar:

Sister Jordan Lee

2010-08-03T16:06:00.005-06:00

In about a week, pretty much exactly a week, actually, I will take on the title of "Sister Lee." Not sure how I feel about the title (it kinda makes me feel like a nun!), but I'm so excited to get out there and serve! I'm only in the M.T.C. three weeks, and then, off to Washington D.C. I'll go!

I have almost everything checked off my to-do list, and it's making it feel really real to me that I'm going!

Pictures are taken and invitations sent out. (P.S. We really only sent invitations to family, so please come even if you didn't get a written invitation!)

Bags are packed (and weighing just barely under 50 lbs. so they can come on the airplane with me). Tara and I weighed them last night.

Farewell talk is written, as good as it's going to get anyway!

Next, come the goodbyes, and I'm not looking forward to those one bit! It will be the hardest thing about going on a mission! I hate goodbye, even if it's only for 18 months.

In a week, my life's going to change forever. Of that I am sure! I don't think I'll be the same Jordan 18 months from now. I'm excited. It will be an adventure, but one that I'm sure will be very difficult at times. So it's scary too! And a little sad because I feel like I'm bidding my childhood farewell along with my family and friends. But it's mostly exciting and joyful! I'm going to spread the good news of the Gospel! How could I not be happy about that!

My farewell's on Sunday (August 8th) @ 1:00. Hopefully I'll see lots of you there!

I'll post a couple more times before I head out, so I won't say goodbye just yet, but I'm getting there! Wish me luck!

Deer Valley Outdoor Concert

2010-08-01T09:12:00.001-06:00

We packed a picnic:

And headed to the mountains for a fun Broadway music concert.

Tara, Jordan, Grandpa Wayne, & Nana:

Mom and Dad:

Tara Sue:

I Found My Camera Charger!

2010-07-25T11:35:00.001-06:00

Powell , Investiture, & Turning 21!

2010-07-20T23:22:00.006-06:00

The past week has been a whirlwind of wonderful events:

First, my family and I headed to Lake Powell on Sunday night with our dear friends the Mittons and my aunt Diana and her family. It was such an awesome group! We had so much fun! It made it even better that we found the best spot to park the houseboat! We went up Annie's Canyon and found a big overhang that kept our houseboat in the shade the entire day! That is unheard of in Lake Powell! It was awesome!

Here's a typical day-in-the-life for us at Lake Powell:
1. The sun wakes us up around 8:00. We gather in the kitchen to eat breakfast, usually cold cereal, and sometimes watch a movie while we eat.
2. After breakfast, we might play a quick game of Liar's Dice or Farkle and then sunscreen up and head out on the boats.
3. We spend a few hours out on the water, wakeboarding if there's good water, or tubing if there's not.
4. Around 12:00 or 1:00, we head back to the houseboat for lunch of sandwiches and chips. After lunch, we're usually ready for another game of Liar's Dice or Farkle . . . or maybe we'll mix it up a little and play Egyptian Rat Screw or Skum.
5. By then, we're usually boiling hot, so into the lake we go. The kids (that means me too) jump off the houseboat, go down the slide, and swim out to the "islands." The adults float out on rafts to chat and cool off.
6. After our afternoon swim, most of us congregate on the top of the houseboat to read and take naps . . . or knit if you're my cute aunt Diana. :)
7. Once the dad's (a.k.a. boat drivers) are all rested up, we head out again for more wakeboarding and tubing.
8. Around 6:00, we come back for dinner. We always eat so well in Lake Powell! Maybe we're just starving from playing hard all day, but the food always tastes so good! We gather on top of the houseboat to eat and usually sit and chat for a while afterward.
9. Then, it's back out to the Lake for some cliff-jumping and evening tubing. Ahhh that's my favorite time of the day.
10. When we get back to the houseboat, we jump in the lake to wash our hair. Always a good time! When we're clean, we get pajamas on and head on up to the top of the houseboat to set out beds and play a couple rounds of Signs.
11. When we're tired, we all climb into our beds, look at the stars, and talk about bananas and other things that are only funny on the top of the houseboat, at midnight, in Lake Powell. We laugh so hard we cry. It's the best. Somewhere in there, we fall asleep. Then, we wake up and repeat it all again. Lake Powell rocks my world!

We got back from Powell late Thursday night. Friday, my parents headed off to Sun Valley, Idaho to spend a few days with Justice and Mrs. Clarence Thomas at the Utah State Bar's 2010 convention. Justice Thomas found it very funny that the Utah State Bar convention was being held in Idaho. While my parents were away, Ben, Josh, Danny, Tara, and I buckled down and whipped the house into shape. We mowed the lawn, mopped the floor, vacuumed, dusted, cleaned bathrooms, and did laundry. My brothers were all happy to have my parents back when they returned. They say I'm a much meaner mom than my mom is. :) But we did have a clean house!

Monday morning, we got up and ready bright and early and headed up to the Utah Supreme Court where my dad was sworn in as the newest justice by Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court. It was an incredible day. Justice Thomas and his wife Virginia are a joy to be around, and we loved getting to spend some time with them. Hopefully I'll be seeing more of them the next 18 months since we'll both be in D.C.!

Tuesday morning (today!), I woke up one year older and hopefully wiser too! I have to say, it was possibly the best birthday I've had yet. I went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch, then shopping, then a pedicure, then Red Mango, then went to see Inception (which was awesome!), and topped the day off with a surprise visit from Mandie and Aaron complete with a birthday cake and flowers. Seriously, Mandie, you're amazing! And, Aaron, you're awesome too! I can't believe I'm 21! But now I'm old enough to go on a mission, so I'm all set! Just three weeks to go. Three weeks from tomorrow, to be exact!

Coming Up . . .

2010-07-11T00:00:00.006-06:00

I'm probably going to be mostly M.I.A. on this blog for the next month

. . . and the next 18 months, for that matter.

Here's what I'll be up to in the near future:

July 11-15: Lake Powell!

July 19: My dad will be sworn in as a justice for the Utah Supreme Court by Justice Clarence Thomas (whom he clerked for back in D.C. when I was in kindergarten).

July 20: My 21st birthday! Wow, am I getting old or what!?

August 8th: My farewell (I guess it's not technically called a farewell anymore, but I don't know what else to call it.) Come if you want!

August 11th: I go into the M.T.C.

September 1st: I fly to Washington D.C.

P.S. I added pictures to my post on my trip to Boise! (Thanks Shay!) Click here if you want to see/read. :)

Food for Thought

2010-07-09T00:00:00.011-06:00

I keep coming across great, uplifting, inspiring quotes and scriptures that just make me feel so good! I want to put these quotes and scriptures all over the walls in my house someday:

"Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for its opportunities, and forever and always be loyal to the Church." -President Gordon B. Hinckley

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily tasks, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." -Victor Hugo

"Our doubts are traitors that make us lose the good we oft might win by failing to attempt." -William Shakespeare

“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.” -Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 255–56

And my personal favorite (the scripture I chose for my mission plaque):
"Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost of assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." D&C 123:17

What are your favorite quotes/scriptures? Please send them my way!

Good Reads

2010-07-06T16:14:00.011-06:00

I've read so many good books this summer, so I thought I'd take a second and share.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
This book was so entertaining! I'm especially excited about it because I'm going to be in Washington D.C. for the next 18 months!

My Grandfather's Son by Justice Clarence Thomas
This book is a memoir, which I enjoy reading from time to time. I chose to read this particular memoir because my dad clerked for Justice Thomas when I was five, and I had the great opportunity of meeting him several times. He always filled my pockets with candy and was so kind to me. In a few weeks, Justice Thomas will be coming to Utah to swear my dad in as a Utah Supreme Court Justice. His story is inspiring; I would definitely recommend reading this book.

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans
I've read a few of Richard Paul Evans books, and they are always good. The Walk was sad, but inspiring and a good, quick read.

The Undaunted by Gerald Lund
One of my favorite genres to read is historical fiction, especially L.D.S. historical fiction. This book was LONG, but so good!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Like The Undaunted, The Help is historical fiction. It was so interesting and fun to read. The only complaint I had was the end, but it's still definitely worth reading!

I'm always looking for good books to read (even if, at this point, I probably won't get to them for a couple of years). If you have any favorites, send them my way! (. . . via comments, not literally, of course!)

Boise!

2010-07-03T10:19:00.004-06:00

After a fabulous week at the Ranch, I headed down to Boise for another fabulous week. We (Tara and I) had so much fun! We hung out with baby Charlie during the day and were entertained by his new (and fast growing!) vocabulary. He's 10 months old and can say doggie, daddy, kitty, out, wee (when he's in the swing), yay, wow, and probably more words that I'm forgetting. He also does a great "scary face" (see the video below).

Charlie was the main attraction, but when we weren't busy playing with him we had fun going shopping (I am now completely outfitted for my mission!), going to the cabin, having a couple spa nights, and seeing The Last Song (which I really liked).

I also got to hang out with my fabulous friend Shayly while I was there. Shayly is one of my oldest and best friends in the world. We always have so much fun together, and I feel like I can talk to her about anything. She's the best! She and her husband, Eric, are living in Boise for the summer, and it was so fun to catch up and spend time with them.

We slept over at the Levesque's house on Saturday night and Shay taught us how to play Mexican Train. So fun! It was also so fun to get to know Eric's cute mom. She's awesome!

Tara and I got to go to Shay's ward and help with her primary class:

Shay and me doing wax treatments on our hands and feet:

The huge ball of wax (a combination of all the wax we pulled off our hands and feet):

Gross? Maybe. But super fun!

Playing with Eric's cool Russian hats:

The Ranch 2010

2010-07-01T11:06:00.010-06:00

I am back from my two-week vacation and will do my best to catch my blog up on the past two weeks during the next few days. For a quick summary: First, I went to Atlanta, Idaho with my Lee family. Then, I spent a wonderful week in Boise with my Johnson family and dear friend Shayly. Finally, I drove back to Utah and had the incredible opportunity of going through the temple yesterday.
Here is the low-down on the Ranch:

I love the Ranch! It was, as always, an incredible trip.

Family, I miss you all already and can't even think about not being there next year! Love you all!

FYI: All of the following pictures are stolen. Thank you Allison, Steph, and Melissa for letting me steal your pictures since I forgot my camera charger.

All of Nana's grandkids, minus Jacob Rex Lee (in the M.T.C.).
Next year we will have four grandkids on missions: Jake (Everett, Washington), Me (Washington D.C.), Alex (Porto Alegre Brazil), and Cole (to be determined!).

I love my cousins!

All the girl cousins (minus Ash and Chels) with the hand-print shirts we made:

(The girls are a little out-numbered by boys!)

Left to Right:

Top-Natalie, Jordan, Allison, Madeleine

Middle- Tara, Annie, Sydney, Eliza, Emily

Bottom- Caroline and Alexa

A bunch of the grandkids loaded up to go to "Jumping Rock."
(A jump off the rocks into the freezing cold river.)

The group at Jumping Rock:

Warming up in the hot tub after Jumping Rock:

Tara, Annie, and Sydney are always together:

Everyone loves baby Natalie! Look at her signature smile above.

I love my Madeleine and Allison.
What am I going to do without you guys for 18 months?

With our Nana:

I love the Ranch so much. It is Heaven on Earth to be with all my Lee family in such a beautiful place for a week. I hope there are many more years to come!

A Big Week

2010-06-23T22:42:00.003-06:00

My grandpa is always missed, but during the past couple of weeks his absence has been really aparant. His two sons would have really made him proud this week, and I'm sure have made him proud. Not only because of the positions they will shortly hold but because of the outstanding fathers, husbands, and church members they are.

Yesterday, my uncle Michael (I mean Mike!) won the primary election and is now the U.S. Senate republican candidate for Utah. Today, my dad was confirmed by the Senate as the newest Utah Supreme Court Justice. I love my dad and Michael and am so proud of them.

Emails from Jake

2010-06-21T17:14:00.004-06:00

Jake is doing great in the M.T.C. He is there until July 27th (after which he will head off to serve in Everett, Washington). He would LOVE more letters! All you do to send him a letter is go to dearelder.com and provide his name, his mailbox #(125), and his departure date (7/27/10). Write him! He'll love it!

6/21/10

To All: Hey everyone, i am just in the laundry room, writing ya'll.. So anyway i just got stitches in my leg like two hours ago. My district and i were helping taking of the old carpet at the Provo Temple and we had these huge sticks with razors on the end of them and i was walking down the hall and two seconds later i had something hot running down my leg. My calf had been cut pretty deep and so i got to go into the real world and get stitches. I'm totally fine though..haha.
This week has been really good. On sunday i was feeling really down, just thinking about my Dad and i was just not in good shape and everything was driving me crazy. Then in Sacrement meeting we sang Be Still My Soul and it was so amazing! I just flipped my mood right there and i felt so relaxed and that heavenly father was going to take care of me. We have been going over the plan of salvation in class. It is such a wonderful thing to know and have a testimony of. It is the most amazing thing and i love that we have it. I am doing well, very well.. Spanish is hard but i keep shoving 18 study hours of information in my head and heavenly father helps me keep it in there. My testimony is growing exponentially! It makes sense though, if you are testifying of the gospel thirty times a day you start to get a better grasp of it. I am so thankful for everyone that has been there for me in my life..
I can't wait to hear who won the senate race! ya'll better be going and getting people to vote for mike. I can't wait to see Jaron, Darin, and Sean. Get the word out that i am in Building 17M in the downstairs.. Our district is 8B. Come find me if you don't see me within the first week. The mtc is amazing, but i can't wait to get out! I heard the Lakers won, One more and Kobe will tie MJ. Wait how many does Bron have 2? 3? o ya a big old gooseegg! Love you all and again i am doing great p..s.. WRITE ME MORE!

To Dad: I'm sending you something today i think it'll get there in a couple days..

To Grandma and Grandpa: thanks for the packages! you have successfully made your grandson chubby! haha just kidding, they are very much appreciated! i really need the extra boost.. Thanks so much it means alot to know you are thinking about me!

To Alex Allred: thanks for writing bro! you will love the mission! its kinda like your work in a sense that you are working all day but im sure its not as physically hard as your work right now.. Are you ready to go??? im so excited for you! having the spirit 24/7 is something else! Its pretty weird at first though, you will do great!!

Hey P.S. everyone tell me about the ranch.. Tell danny to write me and whoever else can because i need letters! badly! Yes I am talking to you who having written me Ben! Josh! Mom! Dallas! I just want more in the mtc because it is so close and easy and the mtc is very boring and i need somthing to read about, when i get out you can do whatever---pps make sure dallas reads this too.. sorry this computer is so retarted its hard to write thats why this looks like crap

6/14/10
Hey family. Why no mail? I wrote you specifically to simply write me more and i only got a letter from Jordan..Esta bien, pero yo quiero mas. This week was harder..mostly because everyone was getting mass quantities of letters, and i didn't. You have to realize these letters are everything, even just a hello makes my day better.
Robert. D Hales spoke to us on Tuesday. He was very impressive. He spoke about obedience, they are really pounding that attribute into our heads. You guys probably don't know about the TRC, but just have dad tell you about it. On thursday we taught a lady and we had so much spirit with us that night. She started crying, even though she had probably heard the stuff before because she was a member, and it was really amazing. The other day i was making a deposit at the bank (pooping) and i saw in the crack of the wall was written a scripture..Jer. 4: 19-22 or 20 something. I laughed so hard. My whole district was laughing when i read it to them we were all crying. We have this Spanish Teacher, Sister Penaflor, and she told us the story of how she got her testimony. It is one of the most amazing stories i have ever heard and im writing it, but its a long story. I'll send you it sometime. Spanish is going well. We have already learned prederette, imperfect, future, conditional, and so many other things.
Our district of 12 elders is really close. We have 4 elders leaving on wednesday to the guatemala mtc. Its going to be really sad. There is an elder Wall from a small town in Texas, called Tyler, Texas. He has a cowboy accent and he is one of my good friends here. I am going to miss him alot. The MTC here is very different. The days are super long and the weeks are super short. If that is possible to comprehend..that is how it feels. It doesn't feel like i am on my mission yet. I wish i knew spanish so i could leave and go teach real investigators. Tell me what is going on in the world.. Mike Lee? NBA? The Lee family?
I miss you guys so much, but i am in the right place, today in the temple i was worried about you guys and so i prayed that you would all be safe and happy and right after i felt really good. My shoes broke already because i have been playing basketball so hard. They are fine now. I just ripped some stuff off on the bottom of both of them and then i bought some shoe goo and they are fixed. I hope you are all doing great!
I don't really know what else i need. Snacks aren't the best thing, but we eat dinner at 4:30 and so when i get back later i am hungry. Maybe some banana bread or some kind food. Whatever is easy. Ben! you should have seen the shot i made a couple days ago-- fading away three, huge guy in my face, swooshed the three and he fouled me-- haha it was awesome. You guys should write me on different days, just little things, that would really be the only thing that i really want. I love you all so much.
Yo se que esta iglesia es la verdad! Les amo mucho!

Sweet!

2010-06-11T23:36:00.008-06:00

Why didn't anyone tell me blogger had super cool, easy blog design things before? Or are they new? Anyway, they're awesome! (Just click on the design tab at the top of the page to try it out.)

Also, life is sweet because I'm heading off on a two-week fun fest in three days. Who am I kidding, my whole life right now is a fun-fest! :) I'm just living it up until I leave in August. That's not to say I'm not excited about going, it's just going to be a very different kind of fun. I'll post pictures and all that jazz when I get back from my trip. See ya!

P.S. We found suitcases for my mission for a stinking good deal (at Kohl's)! And I love them! Exactly two months from today I'll be packing those up and heading off to the M.T.C.!

10, 9, 8 . . .

2010-06-11T15:29:00.010-06:00

10 things in 2010:
1. Serve a mission x 10!

9 things I enjoy:
1. Reading . . .biographies, historical fiction, romance novels, anything and everything
2. Taking pictures

3. Crafts! especially thrifty, save money by doing it yourself crafts
4. Shopping . . .for clothes, crafts, house decor, groceries, you name it
5. Getting treats and a drink and going to the movie theater
6. Wakeboarding & snowboarding

7. Making babies laugh and holding them while they sleep (haha I just read the first two words of this, and it made me laugh)

8. Organizing and cleaning
9. Summer! seven peaks, sunshine, hot weather, lake powell, wakeboarding, getting a tan, family trips, etc.

8 things I do everyday:
1. Take thyroid medication, wait a 1/2 hour, eat breakfast
2. Don't make my bed (I'm working on this . . . have been for years haha)
3. Usually go running/walking
4. Do Tara's hair (and occasionally do mine too)
5. Check my email, facebook, and blog
6. Clean something . . . organize, dust, vacuum, laundry
7. Call someone on the phone just to chat
8. Read until I fall asleep

7 musicians I like:
1. Counting Crows
2. John Mayer
3. Ben Kweller
4. Faith Hill & Tim McGraw
5. Taylor Swift
6. Switchfoot
7. Jack Johnson

6 things that will always win my heart:
1. Kindness
2. Humor
3. Smile
4. Intelligence
5. Spirituality
6. Good work ethic

5 favorite things:
Book: Too many to choose just one . . . I just read The Help and really liked that though
Movie: Dan in Real Life & The Sound of Music :)

Food: Apples, Hot Tamales, Lemon Drops, Cafe Rio Salads

Season: Summer

Song: "Falling" by Ben Kweller or "This Kiss" by Faith Hill or . . . a thousand more that I love

4 smells I enjoy:

1. Lemon/Citrus

2. Pinesol

3. Cinnamon

4. Anthropologie Volcano candle

3 places I want to go:

1. The Grand Canyon

2. Germany

3. Jerusalem

2 favorite holidays:

1. 4th of July

2. Christmas

1 person I'd marry on the spot:

1. Hmmm . . . I'll let you know on that one!

Update on Elder Lee

2010-06-10T22:29:00.005-06:00

I miss Jake so much, but he is happy and doing great! If you would like to write him (he would love it!) just go to dearelder.com and give his name, box # (125), and departure date (7/27).

Here is his most recent letter:

Dear Familia,

I am having a great time out here (10 miles away). Most days I look at Mt. Baldy and it is WEIRD. Haha! If you have like a different colored tie, other than blue, that you could send me it would be much appreciated! There is a lot of time that is quiet and spiritual, which is good, but when there is normal time I am pretty crazy. I just have to get all my energy out so I do with comedy. For some reason my district thinks I am the funniest person in the world. They have heard all of my weird voices like Elmo, Old Prospector, etc. We had some great speakers last night. A couple, who I can't remember their names, had written (the lady) "Families Can Be Together Forever" and "Press Forward Saints," and the guy wrote "Our Savior's Love." They were both really old and really funny. The guy, at one point, got up from the stand in the middle of his talk to play a hymn and kept speaking as if he had a microphone and everyone could hear (I could not) and everyone laughed so hard. When we sing songs I try and use a tenor voice so I can keep a high singing voice when I get back cause it'll kill me if I can't sing N'SYNC. Sunday was the hottest day of my life. I was dying because we have to wear our suits all day. Beads of sweat were rolling down me all day. There are no cute sisters here and I have begun to see my standards dropping haha, I will look at some girl and say, "Hey, she's cute," but she'll be like 400 lbs. and trying to eat me. I have been working really hard in Spanish, and I am getting the hang of it. I brag about Dad all the time. I think that is just the best thing ever! I hope the boys are getting good at basketball cause I'm lightin it up here. Tyler Haws is here. I have seen him a lot. I also saw Jake Green. I don't know if anyone remembers him but he went to Rocky Mtn. The food is pretty good here. I don't think I'm gaining weight yet. I love you all so much, you are amazing!!!

Love,
Jake

P.S. Tell Grandma thanks for writing me, and they are awesome!

Here's one to his sisters:
(This one made me cry and feel SO guilty! I still hadn't written him yet when I got this (worst sister ever, I know!) but I have now, a very long letter! I love Jake and miss him so much.

Jord & Sissy Lou,

Tara, you are my sunshine! My only sunshine! Haha! I miss your cute face! I love you so much!

Jordan, I haven't gotten your letter yet if you sent me one . . . I miss you. My humor now days is more like yours, it's really funny. I love you so much! You'll really like the M.T.C.! It's a shock for a couple days but then you settle in. You are the best!

Love,
Jake

Vote, Vote, Vote!!!

2010-06-08T22:40:00.002-06:00

I just want to take a minute to remind everyone that the time for voting is upon us! Early voting has begun and the big date to vote is June 22nd. My uncle Mike Lee is running against Tim Bridgewater in the primary to be the republican candidate to represent Utah in the U.S. senate. Mike is one of the most genuine, intelligent, poised people I know, not to mention the funniest! I love Mike and know he is the right man for the job. Please take some time to go vote, and vote Mike Lee! *If you are not currently living in Utah (but are a Utah resident) you can still vote, just follow the instructions on the website below (the one with the link). Call me if you want more info. or, better yet, go to mikelee2010.com. Most importantly, GO VOTE! Every vote counts!

Here's a how-to if you don't know how to vote (don't feel bad, I didn't know until just recently!):
1. Go to this website: http://elections.utah.gov/countyclerks.html
2. If you need to register, click on the link on the side that says registering (and then to vote).

3. If you live in Utah County, I believe you go here: 100 East Center, Rm 3100 Provo, UT 84606-3106 (I'll let you know if that address isn't correct.)

Get out there and vote and tell everyone to vote! Mike Lee is the man for the job!

Potty Mouth

2010-06-08T19:30:00.002-06:00

This boy is in big trouble:

(Isn't that a funny picture? I think he's five there.)

Why? Because he posted this as my Facebook status:

"I just had the biggest crap of my life! It was two feet long!"

Sorry for all of you who read that. I didn't have any bathroom problems last night and most definitely wouldn't post about it if I did! :)

I think most people realized it wasn't me with the potty mouth (I hope!), but our family's good friend Dave Mitton called all of his family into the computer room when he saw it and said, "Guys, look what Jordan wrote! It's so gross!" Luckily Amy (his daughter) was there to back me up and say, "Dad, do your really think Jordan would write that?" Haha.

Anyone have any good ideas of how I could get back at Josh? He deserves something mean! :)

It's 2 in the Morning!

2010-06-07T02:34:00.006-06:00

Just wanted to pop in, say hi, and give a little update, since I'm an insomniac of a person tonight. :)

Life is happy and good. I'm just soaking in the summer and loving it. I love summer, look forward to it all year, and am always sad to see it go so seemingly quick. It will go even faster this summer since I will be leaving the beginning of August on my great adventure as a missionary for the L.D.S. church in Washington D.C. I am excited for so many reasons about going to serve a mission. It will be wonderful. But I am filled with so many emotions lately it makes my head spin. (Hence, I'm up writing on my blog in the middle of the night.) On Saturday, my mom and I had our first missionary wardrobe shopping experience. I don't think Sister Missionary Mall and I are going to be friends. I felt silly in just about everything I tried on there. Luckily, there are lots more options and I have time to shop around a little bit. I know, I know it doesn't really matter what I wear because it's not about me, it's just eighteen months, etc., etc., etc. I'll figure it out and be just fine . . . I just love cute clothes! :) Much more importantly, I'll be going through the temple the last week in June and am so much looking forward to that experience and making this step forward in my life.

Aside from missionary stuff, next week I'm heading out of town on two back-to-back trips I'm really excited about. First, I'm going to hang out with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places: Atlanta, Idaho. Never heard of Atlanta? Don't feel bad. We more than double the population when the Lee family rolls into town. It's up in the mountains, beautiful, secluded, and we all love it. After Atlanta, I'm heading down to Boise to spend time with my other side of the family for a week! I love Boise, my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins there and can't wait to get to hang out with them for awhile. An added bonus to the Boise trip is that my dear friend Shayly just moved to Boise for the summer to work with her husband Eric and his family, so I'll get to spend time with her too!

Well, that's about all you're gonna get out of me at 2:00 am. Love and miss you all and so excited that I get to see so many of you so soon! Happy summer! :)

Get Your Craft on!

2010-06-05T10:39:00.003-06:00

The Ranch (our awesome annual family reunion) is in T-minus 10 days, and I'm so excited! I am the official craft girl this year, and we are going to be doing some awesome crafts! Here are pictures of two out of the five crafts we're doing: (I made baby Natalie's for her to use as the samples.)

A Memorable Memorial

2010-06-04T12:05:00.002-06:00

Wasn't it great that Memorial Day really felt like the first day of summer (temperature/weather wise)?

I went to a campaign event for my uncle Mike (mikelee2010.com He's awesome! Go to the website and watch the debate that aired on channel 5 on the Bruce Lindsay show!).

Ate at Pizza Factory with all my family in Utah (25+ people).

Visited Grandpa and Grammie and Grandfather's graves.

I finished the day off with a bang . . . or a splash. Some friends and I decided to hook up a T.V. with a bunch of extension cords and watch a scary movie in the middle of a big field at a park. We got everything hooked up, started the movie, and . . . the sprinklers went off! Oh man! It was pretty funny. It's probably for the best because, who am I kidding, I can't sleep in my own room for weeks if I watch a scary movie. (I have to go crawl in bed with Tara . . . she's nine.)

Like the post title says, it was a memorable Memorial!

I Fell Off the Wagon

2010-05-31T19:01:00.006-06:00

Just wanted to announce to the blogging world that I fell off the no Diet Coke/ no sugar wagon. A while ago actually. I think I'm better for it. :) There are worse things, right? Just wanted to let y'all know!

Happy Memorial Day! Pictures to come!

Justice Thomas Rex Lee

2010-05-28T11:26:00.005-06:00

My dad was appointed today as the newest Utah Supreme Court Justice.

I am so proud of him. He will do a wonderful job.

He has informed us that we are now all to call him "Your Honor" at all times. (He was kidding, by the way.)

The State Capitol:

Waiting to talk with the Governor:

The Chief Justice, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Justice Lee:

Elder Lee is in the M.T.C.!

2010-05-28T11:10:00.002-06:00

Jake, I mean Elder Lee, went into the M.T.C. on Wednesday (May 26th) at 1:15. I think I was more nervous than Jake was. He seemed all put together and really excited to just get there. Tuesday night, he got set apart as a missionary by our stake president. Afterwards, his best friends came over to hang out and say goodbye. The stake president instructed Jake to send everyone home at 10:30 (since he was already set apart as a missionary), so that's what he did. Then we all tried to sleep. (Yeah, right!) The next morning, we took some family pictures, went out to breakfast, hung out, packed, and headed to the M.T.C. I was feeling happy and excited for Jake until Danny started crying and said, "I just don't want him to go!" Danny and Jake are buds, and Danny's had a teary couple of days. When we arrived at the M.T.C., we parked the car to take some pictures and then just dropped him off at the curb. After one hug each, and lots of tears shed, he was off. He will be one wonderful missionary, of that I'm sure! A little more than two months until I too head off to the M.T.C. It's going to fly by!

Photo Op.

2010-05-27T18:48:00.005-06:00

I love taking pictures. I have loved it for as long as I can remember. Which actually works out really nicely because I also love to look at pictures and remember and reminisce. I love it. My poor siblings have had to endure being my "models" for years, especially my sweet sister. Someday my children will have to do the same. And when I reach that someday, I want to get a really nice camera and learn how to use it. For now, I use my mint-green Costco special that I got for my birthday last summer. It does the job, for now. And it will be a perfect missionary camera because it's really compact. Want to see some pictures of my favorite little model?

Here you go (they're all old, taken when she was five, six, and seven):

She's too cute for her own good, isn't she? I love that Tara Sue!

Antique Wall Decor

2010-05-24T17:05:00.001-06:00

I recently moved down to the basement into the guest room/my room for a few months. It used to be Jake's room and needed some T.L.C./cleaning and redecorating.

My mom and I found some bedding at T.J.Max and inexpensive curtains at Target. The rest of the stuff in the room came from stuff we had in the basement or lying around the house. Once it was all put together, we realized we needed something above the bed, but we didn't know what we wanted to put there. Then, I was cleaning out Jake's closet (what a nice sister, huh?) and found a bunch of blank, white canvases. The wheels in my brain started going, and I came up with these:

I am very proud of this project because usually my big, creative ideas don't turn out how I plan and often the finished products end up going to waste.

Here's how I made them:

What you need:
4 white canvases (Just the completely flat kind, not the ones with the wood on the back. You can get them at the craft store, and they're super inexpensive.)
Black paint (Just a small bottle from the craft store will do. I think tan would turn out really cool too if black doesn't go with your room. If you do use tan, obviously just choose a different color for the letters.)
An alphabet stencil w/ letters 2-3 inches (I also got this from the craft store. I found one for $2.)
Tan/Cream paint (I used the paint leftover from the walls in the bedroom which are a light golden tan color. A small bottle of paint from the craft store would work fine too.)
A brownish, redish, goldish stain (Again, I used leftovers from the walls in our house, and you can borrow some from me if you're close by because we have tons. If not, I know you can buy stain at a hardware store, but I'm not sure on the cost.)

Total Cost =
For me (since I already had the canvases and paint)- $2.00
If you have to go out and buy all the supplies- apprx. $10-$15

What you do:
1. Start by painting all the canvases black (or whatever color you've chosen).
2. While the canvases are drying, decide what words you want on them. Since I was making them for the Paris-themed room, I chose Paris, Amour (Love), Foi (Faith), and Joie (Joy).
3. When the canvases are totally dry (I waited a few days, but I'm sure a few hours would be fine), you're ready to stencil on the words. You want to stagger the words a little so they're not completely lined up. This is the time-consuming part, but it's not very hard. Don't worry about being too neat and tidy with the paint, that's what gives them character and an antique feel. And you're going to stain over the top anyway.
4. Allow the words to dry completely (about an hour) and then lightly stain over the top. The stain will look much darker at first and then lighten up as it dries. Start with a little and then if you want it darker, add a little more. Be skimpy with the stain though, a little goes a long way!
5. That's it! Now just hang them using those sticky things that come off clean. (You can get them at Target.)

Pictures of the entire finished room soon to come! We just need to get the curtains hung and the window-seat cushion made.

Two Funny Stories . . .

2010-05-23T18:26:00.000-06:00

. . . both relating to my mom. :)
1. This one isn't new, I just want to remember it because it's classic. A couple summers ago, we were at our family reunion in Atlanta, Idaho. Each year, we have a big competition with all the cousins, consisting of several different events. This particular year, my aunt Stephanie suggested we have a wheelbarrow race as part of the competition. To which my mom replied, "Do we have enough wheelbarrows for that?"

2. This one is new, and it cracks me up. On Monday at our ward B.B.Q., my mom was wearing a shirt from Old Navy that said something like, "Vermont Ski School Instructor 1994." During the evening, she was approached by a very shy member of the ward whom she doesn't know very well. Desperately trying to make conversation he said, "So, are you from Vermont?" Totally forgetting she was wearing the Vermont shirt, she incredulously replied that she was not. However, she felt pity for the poor, shy man who was trying so hard, so she said, "Oh, I think I drove through Vermont once." To which he remarked that his whole family is from Vermont and he just loves it there. My poor mom just nodded and listended politely until he finished and then walked away confused . . . until she remembered what shirt she was wearing. Then she laughed and wondered why didn't he just say something like, "Oh, you're not from Vermont? You never taught ski school there? Well you're shirt says Vermont Ski School Instructor, why is that?"

Summer Goals & I'm Looking Forward to . . .

2010-05-19T08:27:00.006-06:00

Summer Goals:

Read the Book of Mormon through cover to cover before I leave on August 11th. (That means 7 pages/day)
Write in my journal every day.
Study Preach My Gospel every day.
Reach my goal for $_ in my bank account before I leave.
Exercise 5-6 times/week
Get all my stuff organized and boxed up before I leave.

I'm looking forward to . . .

Jake leaving on May 26th (Haha. That sounds terrible. I'm just excited for him because I know he's ready and wants to leave.)
Going through the temple the end of June
Going to the Ranch June 15-19
Visiting Boise June 20-27
Lake Powell July 11-17
My birthday July 20
Going into the M.T.C. on August 11th!

P.S. My farewell is scheduled for August 8th at 1:00.

I'd love to have you all there!

Mr. & Mrs. Levesque

2010-05-17T12:53:00.006-06:00

One of my best friends, Shayly Terris, married Eric Levesque on May 11th, 2010. It was such a beautiful wedding, rain and all. Shay and Eric were married in the Salt Lake Temple in the morning, then they had a ring ceremony and a luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and a reception at Wadley Farms. It was a teary day for me, but a very happy, fun day too. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Levesque! I love you guys!

P.S. None of my other friends are allowed to get married until I get back from my mission O.K? I don't want to miss your weddings!

The Cruise . . . Finally!

2010-05-17T12:50:00.003-06:00

Our cruise was so awesome! I would definitely reccommend a cruise for a family trip. It's so relaxing, the dinners are fun and easy with a big group, and there's tons for everyone to do. We were on the ship from Sunday to Sunday and stopped in Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

My favorite port was probably Puerto Vallarta where my dad, Ben, Jake, and I went on a six hour adventure in the jungle. We took a boat ride from our ship, rode mules up the mountain, and then zip-lined and repelled down. It was amazing! (Sadly, no cameras were allowed because we got soaking wet.)

Our ship was called the "Mariner of the Seas" (Royal Carribean International). It had a full size basketball court, several swimming pools, game rooms, an arcade, mini golf, an awesome gym, and a spa. The boys spent tons of time on the basketball court, and the girls lay by the pool, read, and played cards. It was an amazing trip!

Called to Serve

2010-05-10T14:26:00.005-06:00

In case you haven't heard yet . . . I am called to serve in the Washington D.C. South Mission! I am so excited. Honestly, if I could have hand-picked a mission for myself, this would have been it. I will be speaking English, which I am thrilled about. You know me, I love English! What makes this mission special to me is that my family and I have lived in Northern Virginia three different times. Most recently, we lived in Herndon, Virginia when I was a sophomore in high school. There are such wonderful people there, and I am so excited to be able to serve them. I enter the M.T.C. August 11th. When I opened my call I told my mom, "How could I not know that Heavenly Father knows me? This is exactly where I wanted to go!"

Below is a rough map of where I will be serving. I couldn't find the exact map, but this is kind of the area:

Visiting the Wimmers!

2010-05-04T19:00:00.008-06:00

I will post pictures from the cruise soon . . . there's just so many that I need to take time to put them into a slide show, and I haven't had time to do that.

We drove to San Diego, all eight of us packed into the car like sardines. On the way down, we stopped in St. George for a night and then in San Diego for a night, where we got to hang out with the Wimmers. Melissa (my dad's second youngest sister) and her husband Brett were kind enough to let our big family crash at their house for the night. We loved getting to hang out with them! Thanks so much for having us!

Below is a video of Ben & Sam. I took it right after Sammy crashed on his scooter outside and split his lip open. We were trying to get his mind on something else cause it was hurting him pretty bad. Ben's fifteen, and Sammy's four, but they've been buds since Sam was a baby. It makes me laugh in this video when I ask Sam who Ben is and he says, "Big Benny." Ben's grown so much in the past six months, he probably seems huge to Sam. I love these boys, potty mouths and all:

Danny, Josh, Carter, and Jacob (We have two Jacobs in our family, so when I say Jacob I mean little Jacob or Jacob Wimmer, and when I say Jake I mean Jake Lee.) played basketball in the Wimmers' backyard for hours:

Tara and I don't like little Natty Lou at all. Nope, not one bit. :)

Four cousins in an ottoman: Carter, Tara, Danny, and Jacob

We love you Melissa, Brett, Jacob, Carter, Sam, & Natalie!

Dear Readers,

2010-05-03T18:15:00.003-06:00

First, thanks for reading! It makes me happy. Second, thanks for commenting! I love reading what you write.

I started this blog to keep a record of my life through pictures and some writing. It has evolved into a whole bunch of ramblings about whatever silly things pop into my head. I guess it's just fun for me to write because I love to write, so sometimes I get carried away. :) Anyway, because I am no longer working at a computer (hallelujah) and therefore will not have as much time for blogging, my blog is reverting back to the way it was before. With less frequent posts, more pictures, and not as much writing.

Happy spring everyone! It's beautiful, isn't it?

Love,

Jordan

P.S. Pictures of the cruise soon to come. And no news on the mission call yet! I'll keep you all posted! Quite literally, I guess. :)

R.I.P.

2010-05-03T00:00:00.005-06:00

Provo, Utah--The Silver Bullet, age 12, died Wednesday April 7, 2010 on the road near Riverwoods Shopping Center following a brief illness.
He leaves behind his driver of five years, Jordan, and future driver, Ben.
The Silver Bullet was known for its wonderful gas mileage and good air conditioner. He was the founder of many found memories and will surely be missed.

It's true. My poor little car died a few weeks ago. I was driving around in the morning running errands, and the car was making some funny noises. Then, when I was on my way to school and stopped at a red light, the car sputtered and died. I managed to pull over to the side of the road and turn on my hazard lights. With help from my dad, I towed it to a mechanic, where he diagnosed the car with a "melted engine." Just for the record, there was oil in the car and the mechanic said it was not my fault. It was just an old car, and he's seen a similar thing happen with cars of that age. He said the car was worth $50, tops. Luckily, after calling around to several junkyards, I was able to get better than $50.

I am sad to lose my dear little car. He's been with me from the beginning of my driving experience. But the timing isn't too bad. At least I'll be leaving in the late summer/fall and won't be needing a car. And thankfully, my grandparents are allowing me to drive my great-grandma's car until I leave. (Ben will drive it when he gets his lisence.) I am very grateful to have a car to drive for the summer. Thank you so much grandma and grandpa.

Friday Funny

2010-04-30T00:00:00.003-06:00

Miss Tara the Pianist

2010-04-29T00:00:00.004-06:00

Simplify

2010-04-28T00:00:00.005-06:00

I think I have decided that I want simplify to be my motto for life. Simplify can be applied to so many aspects of life and can really improve the quality of life. When things are simple, life is easier, more manageable, and more focused. Here are the things in my life I've tried to simplify in my life so far:

1. My wardrobe. I love clothes, and I love shopping, so this has been a difficult one for me, but also very necessary. I mean, how many shirts can one girl really wear? Even though I'm a neurotic organizer/purger, I have a hard time getting rid of some of my clothes, even if I don't ever wear them or need them or even really like them all that much.

I recently went through all my fall/winter clothes and switched them out for my spring/summer wardrobe. I like to do this, so I don't have too many clothes in my closet at once. As I was going through my fall/winter clothes, I asked myself, "Do I love this? Do I feel good when I wear this? Does this fit well? Do I need this?" If the answer was no, I put it in a pile. It made it really helpful that I realized I wasn't going to be wearing any of it for a couple of years. When all my fall/winter stuff had been sorted and boxed up, I moved onto my spring/summer stuff. I still have a lot of clothes in my closet, but everything's much more manageable, and everything I own is stuff that I love, makes me feel good, fits well, and is needed.

Going through all of my clothes also helped me realize that I need to be more conscious about what I buy. I really don't need anything right now. I have plenty of clothes to wear that fit me and that I like. I need to keep that in mind when I shop. I also decided that I need to decide on a "style" for myself. Up until now, I've just bought what I liked, which, as my mom has often pointed out, is usually pretty trendy. That kind of buying doesn't make for a very good, grown-up, stylish wardrobe. So here's what I decided my wardrobe would be:

Classic/Classy
Neutral, Subdued Colors (only bright, bold colors for shoes and other accessories)
My own (handmade headbands and other accessories that make my wardrobe fun and personal to me)

2. My "beauty secrets." That sounds lame, and honestly I don't really have any creative, deep, dark beauty secrets. Some of them are just simple things taught to me by my mom and grandma: always wash your face before bed, wear sunscreen on your face every day, etc. (P.S. I hardly ever do either one of those. Shh. Don't tell.)

But then there are some others that really fit with the whole simplicity thing I'm working on. For example, I rarely paint my finger nails or get them done. The polish always chips off and ends up being really high-maintenance (not to mention expensive). Instead, I just make sure my nails are always trimmed, cleaned, and filed. It's easy to keep up, and I think it looks just fine. (I do always have to have my toenails painted though because I think my feet look so ugly when they're not.)

I also love simplicity when it comes to makeup. Most days, I just wear mascara and lip-gloss. It's classic, simple, and easy. And then, if I have a special occasion and really go all out with eye-liner, eye-shadow, blush, etc., it's fun and I feel dressed up.

3. Decorating. This is something where, to me, less is definitely more. I hate the cluttered decorating look. I like clean, easy, simple, and classic. Here's some pictures of a home that I LOVE. (If you want to see more of this lovely lady's house and/or blog click here.)

The 1950s

2010-04-27T00:00:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I wish I had lived during the 1950s. Here's why:

Because they knew what fashion was all about.

Because the dancing was awesome.

Because "housewife" was the norm (and even expectation) for women.

Because values and morals actually meant something in the world.
Because it was a more slow-paced, care-free world.
Because family was the center of society.

If you could choose any decade to live in,

which would it be and why?

Scrappy Little Skirt

2010-04-26T00:00:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, my sister and I decided we wanted to do a little project. We headed to the fabric store to get ideas, and our "little project" evolved into this little baby:

She was so proud that we had turned a bunch of fabric into something she could actually wear. Actually, I was pretty proud myself--I'm not the best seamstress (probably because I never ever sew). She's worn it once, and it held together . . . hopefully it will hold up for at least a few more wears! :)

Friday Food for Thought & We're Off!

2010-04-23T00:00:00.017-06:00

Well folks, believe it or not, I'm running out of funny things to write about every Friday. I guess I'm just not that funny. So, I'm going to start alternating between "Friday Funnies" and "Friday Food for Thought." I just thought I'd give you a heads up since I know you're glued to my blog every day and counting on a "Friday Funny" on Fridays. (Kidding.)

With no further ado, here's some food for thought:

“I believe that [God] doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.”

-Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

(Click here if you would like to read his whole talk.)

P.S. Today, we're off on our cruise! We're driving to Vegas today, San Diego tomorrow, and then getting on the cruise ship Sunday. Yay! You can bet that I'll have oodles of pictures to share when I get back.

Speaking of pictures, here are some random spring pictures just because we were about to go three posts in a row with no pictures, and that's just not acceptable, is it?

Tender Mercies

2010-04-22T00:00:00.003-06:00

Elder Bednar said, "I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us." He goes on to explain "tender mercies" as the following: "The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ."

A few weeks ago, I was home with the stomach flu, feeling perfectly rotten. My family was all gone, and I was home, lying on the couch in the family room, flipping through channels, trying to get my mind off my stomach. It was raining outside, and the whole day just seemed gloomy. I felt weak, sad, and a little lonely.

As I flipped through the channels, I saw that an old B.Y.U. devotional was scheduled to air next on channel 11. My heart jumped at the possibility of getting to hear my grandpa speak. For some reason, that just seemed like it would make everything better. I clicked on the program and learned that it was not my grandpa speaking but Elder Perry. I was disappointed. I love and appreciate Elder Perry, but it just seemed so comforting to be able to hear my grandpa's distinct, familiar voice that gloomy morning.

I decided to watch the devotional anyway, closed my eyes and listened to the prelude music playing. Then, guess who got up to introduce Elder Perry? My grandpa.

It was such a small blessing, but it brought tears to my eyes. I was sick, tired, and in need of a little comfort. Obviously, there are millions more sick and tired and lonely than I was at that moment. Nevertheless, the Lord granted me a tender mercy that morning. I got to hear my grandpa speak, even for just a few minutes. (I proceeded to rewind his little introduction about five times.) It brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.

If you want to hear one of his and my nana's talks from their years as president of B.Y.U. (they're all good, but I really like this one), click on the link below:

http://media.byub.org/mp3/devo/1992/9/devo1992915-196.mp3

Listening to his talks are special to me for a couple reasons:

1. Especially now, while I am a B.Y.U. student, I feel like my grandpa's talks are directed specifically to me.

2. Since my grandpa is not here to talk to me and give me guidance and reassurance, I am able to hear his voice and receive guidance and reassurance through his talk, advide that I feel he would probably give me if he were here to do so in person.

Song Obessions

2010-04-21T00:00:00.015-06:00

Last summer, I was obsessed with this song ("Hey Stephen" by Taylor Swift). Don't ask why (or do if you want to cause it's actually kind of funny), but I listened to it multiple times every day.

Some of my other song obsessions have been this ("Hard Candy" by Counting Crows), this ("This Kiss" by Faith Hill), and this ("1985" by Bowling for Soup).

I'm sure everyone can relate. Isn't it funny how these song obsessions happen? For me, most of the time they're totally random songs that just stand out, whether it be the lyrics or the music. I get so sucked in that I listen to the same song over and over and over again. After awhile, I'm so ready to be done with my current song obsession, but then, I hear it on the radio a month or two later, and I think, "Oh! I love that song!"

My newest obsession is this song ("Your Love is A Song" by Switchfoot). Ah, I love it!

What are your song obesessions? I'm always looking for new ones. :)

Also, enjoy the new header :) It gets to be May early on this blog because I'm leaving the land of computers, ipods, and cell phones for a week and a half. (Wahoo!) My blog will be updated each day though (I know you were worried there for a second) thanks to automatic publishing. Technology is crazy! If you want to learn more about automatic publishing, click here. It's so fun!

You Know It's Finals Week . . .

2010-04-20T00:00:00.010-06:00

. . . when you take the ponytail holder out of your hair and it stays in a ponytail. Gross :)
Got to love studying and tests and not showering!

Also, in honor of the beautiful weather we've been having, here are some of my favorite warm weather items:
Some cute metallic sandles: (I got mine at Old Navy. They're similar to these, but more of a pewter color. Is that how you spell pewter? Who knows.)

A cute swim suit: (This one's from Down East, and I really want it, but unfortunately for me - and fortunately for my bank account - it's not in stock yet.)

A really cute bag. Remember this? Well it just so happens that I have the most thoughtful grandma in the world. (It's from Anthropologie.) I use it every single day, and I LOVE it!

What are your spring/summer must haves?

P.S. Three days until we leave for our crusie! Wahoo!

Facebook Friends & Self-Declared Spring Break

2010-04-19T00:00:00.009-06:00

At one point, I had close to 900 friends on Facebook. (I know, I know, I'm pretty cool.) But one day, I was looking through my "friends" and realized that I didn't even really know half the people. Know as in I would feel comfortable saying hi to them if we bumped into each other at the grocery store. Or know as in I want to stay in contact with. So do you know what I did? I deleted all but about 200 of them. Hopefully I didn't hurt any feelings. But really, I bet nobody even noticed because everyone and their dog has close to 1,000 friends on Facebook. What's one friend lost? I feel like having lots of Facebook friends has become equated with popularity. Facebook is no longer simply a tool for staying in contact with friends and family, it's a matter of prestige. Anyone else notice this too? It cracks me up.

Now, onto my self-declared spring break. It was short but a great little get-away. I flew to Boise Wednesday night (April 7th) and sat by the funniest ninety-year-old lady who chatted with me the whole way. I got to hang out with my wonderful grandparents, Uncle Tim, Aunt Kristi, Uncle Greg, Great-Grandma Leah, Charlie (my baby cousin), my brothers (minus Jake), and my mom. We went to Mongolian BBQ (our favorite Boise restaurant), went and visited Grandma Leah (my great grandma who's ninety-seven and still lives in her own cute little house--look for pictures of her house in the slide-show), and just hung out and had fun playing with Charlie, fake teeth, and other cool things. It was a great trip!

Friday Funny

2010-04-16T00:00:00.004-06:00

*Since most people who read this blog are familiar with terms associated with the L.D.S. church, I didn't bother to define them, but if you're not familiar with the terms and wish to learn more, just click the term for a link to mormon.org.

A few weeks ago, I went to interview with my stake president for my mission papers. The interview was similar to that for a temple recommend. I had never met with the stake president before and was a little nervous. We talked for a little while, and then he began to ask me questions regarding my worthiness to be a missionary. There were a lot of questions--he's a very thorough guy. Toward the end of the interview, we were talking about chastity. I thought he said, "Are you attracted to the opposite sex?" and so I replied, "Well, yeah." He looked at me like this was a problem, pausing and studying my face. Then he started to laugh. "I think you misunderstood me," he said. "I asked if you felt attraction to the same sex." I was beet red as I started laughing and told him, "Yes! I misunderstood the question."

Here's another something funny (totally unrealted). One of the games we like to play in the car (or in Lake Powell on the houseboat) is rapping. Let me explain. Two people start beat-boxing and one starts rapping about whatever he or she wants. Whoever can get the most lines (that rhyme and make at least some sense) wins. I caught a little of our game on video the other day when we were driving up to Salt Lake. It isn't one of the best (sorry Dad) and it's kind of hard to hear, but it's funny to me, and I want to remember this lovely game, so I'm posting it. Enjoy!

P.S. My brother Jake's best freind, Dallas Lloyd, opened his mission call last night. (I'm dying with all these mission calls being opened!) He is going to theVine Del Mar (Vine of the Sea), Chile Mission! (The stake president will submit my papers to the church on Tuesday, and then it will probably be 2-3 weeks from then that I'll get my call.)

I'm Done for 2 Whole Years!

2010-04-15T00:00:00.006-06:00

I'm practically done (just one more final) with school for the semester. This is a big deal for me because since I'm not going to school spring or summer term that means I won't be in school again for two more years. Wahoo! I'm sure I will face other difficulties and work harder than I ever have during 18 months of those two years, but I'm excited to have a break from school nevertheless! I feel so light and happy. I wonder how I'll feel when I'm done for real? I can't even imagine. Here are all the classes I've taken at B.Y.U. so far, just because I thought it would be fun and rewarding for me to see them all written out.

American Heritage (This is my favorite class I've taken so far. I had it in the Maeser building which is beautiful, and my teacher was fabulous. And I got an A, which always makes me like a class, no matter how hard it is.)
Book of Mormon (1st half)
Biology 100
Nutrition 100
Family Life 100
Book of Mormon (2nd half)
Geography 120
Physical Science
Music 101
HEPE (Health)
English 150 (freshman writing)
English Language 223 (Intro. to the English language. Awesome class!)
English 251 (Fundamental literary interpretation)
English 293 (American literary history)
English Language 322 (Modern American usage)
New Testament (1st half)
History of Creativity 201 (terrible class)
Spanish 105
English 292 (late British literary history)
History of Creativity 202 (even more terrible class)
The Living Prophets (Amazing class! So interesting and super easy tests.)
Writing Center Internship
Spanish 106
Persuasive Writing
Spanish 205
Secondary Education 276 (6 weeks of student teaching - intro. to the major)
English Language 325 (Grammar of English)
Doctrine & Covenants (1st half)
English 329 (Teaching grammar in secondary schools)
English 291 (Early British literary history)
English 420 (Literature for adolescents)
English 423 (Teaching composition in secondary schools)
Doctrine & Covenants (2nd half)

(I'll just have about a year left of school when I get home from my mission, undergrad anyway. I'm not sure if more school will be in my future after that . . . possibly!)

Here's where I spend most of my time on campus: the Joseph Fielding Smith building. Isn't it beautiful?

P.S. Congratulations to my cousin Alex who opened his mission call last night! He is called to serve in the Porto Alegre, Brazil mission. He will be a fabulous missionary. Only about three weeks until I get my call! I'm starting to get a little nervous and a lot excited. It's hard to wait!

My Dream House

2010-04-13T00:00:00.004-06:00

I love this house. I drive past it everyday on my way home, so the other day I stopped to take a picture. (I hope they weren't watching me and think I'm creepy.) It's so classic and clean looking. I love the size of it. I love the clean white siding. I love the green shudders. I love the red brick chimney. I love the big trees. I love the cute little lamp post. I just love it. I wish I could buy it someday. The only problem is that it's in Utah, and I don't really want to live in Utah. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of things about Utah, but I think Arizona sounds better. Warm winters, pools in the backyard, and lemon and orange trees. Yes please! (Not to mention the blistering hot summers, I know, but I'd rather be hot than cold any day.) So, I think I'll have to build me a house in Arizona that looks just like the pictured one. Somehow though, I just can't picture that house in Arizona. I don't think it will fit in very well with the other houses. Hmm. What to do?

Benjamin's Birthday Interview

2010-04-12T00:00:00.008-06:00

Happy birthday to my wonderful brother Ben! I love you so much. Thanks for being one of my best friends in the world. I love watching Friends with you, helping you with Spanish and geometry, and laughing at all the same things. I can't believe you're 15, but I guess I probably should since you're about a head taller than me. You are the best. Love you, Benj!

What's going to be the best part about being 15? Getting my learner's permit.

What's going to be the worst part about being 15? Nothing. I don't know.

What's your favorite movie/T.V. show? Right now, it would be Modern Family or Glee.

What's your favorite food? I like cinnamon rolls.

What's your favorite sport to watch? To play? Basketball and basketball.

What's your favorite subject in school right now and why? My favorite and least favorite is geography because it's really really hard, but I feel like I'm learning a lot, and it's making me smarter.

What are you looking forward to most about being in high school next year? I don't know. High school.

What's your favorite thing about your family? I just like talking to and hanging out with everyone older than me.

What's your least favorite thing about your family? Certain people can be annoying. (We won't mention, which certain people he's referring to.)

What's your favorite thing to do when you have no homework or sports practices? Take a nap, read, and play with my family and friends.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Lawyer or a "House" doctor (like the T.V. show)

Where do you think you want to go to college? I want to go to B.Y.U. or Yale undergrad and then for post-grad U.V.A. or Chicago.

If you could pick anywhere, where would you go on your mission? Venezuela

How do you feel about having your older brother and sister both leave on missions? It sucks for me cause I'm gonna have no friends, but I'm proud of them.

Are you excited to be the oldest child while they're gone? No.

Is there anything you want to say to the blogging world? Look out, I'm coming. (Not sure what that's supposed to mean? I promise he's not scary.)

Friday Funny - The Joys of Blog-Stalking

2010-04-09T00:00:00.010-06:00

I stumbled across this video on this couple's blog a while back. (It was on one of my friend's blog lists, but I can't remember whose.) Anyway, just watch. And laugh. My brothers and I have watched this movie probably ten times, and it just gets funnier every time. I think it makes it even funnier that we have no idea who the guy is or what he's like normally. Ah, the joys of blog-stalking. Enjoy!

Shay's Shower

2010-04-08T00:00:00.024-06:00

One of my B.F.s is getting married in a few short weeks. Crazy! I'm so happy for her. Below is a summary of her fabulous shower, in pictures. It was so much fun!

Easter & General Conference

2010-04-07T00:00:00.012-06:00

I loved having general conference and Easter fall on the same weekend. It made for a very relaxing, spiritually filling weekend, spent with my wonderful family. Here is a summary of the weekend, in pictures:

Tara & Danny are 9!

2010-04-06T00:00:00.009-06:00

These two little babies are nine today. Nine! Can you believe it? I sure can't. I can vividly remember the day my mom and I went to her first doctor appointment (I went with her because my dad couldn't), and the nurse discovered she was expecting twins. Little did we know what a blessing they would be!

Happy birthday Tara and Danny! I love you more than words can explain. You make my life so happy and fun. Hope you have a fabulous day!

Also, I would like to wish a very happy 15th birthday today to my sweet, fabulous, beautiful cousin Madeleine! I love that girl so much! Hope it's a perfect day!

Friday Funny - Burned Bum

2010-04-02T00:00:00.007-06:00

I was a high school cheerleader, and--back then--we all went tanning. All the time. I was not as dedicated as some, but I went every once in a while. (FYI: I don't ever go tanning anymore and realize how stupid and dangerous it is.) One particular afternoon after practice, I decided to go tanning with a couple of friends. I hadn't been in a long time and knew I would probably burn, but I didn't really care. What I didn't take into consideration, however, was that I was taking an antibiotic for a rash on my face, and that particular antibiotic makes a person extremely sensitive to the sun. I also didn't take into consideration that I was wearing these terribly uncomfortable underwear that don't really cover very much of your bum. (It was a one-time thing that I've never repeated, I promise.) Into the tanning bed I went, extra sensitive skin, silly underwear, and all.

The next morning, I woke up early to get ready for school. It was still pretty dark out, so I couldn't see how red I was in the mirror. I could feel that I was burned but didn't think it seemed too bad. I drove to school, parked my car, and walked up the drag and into school. There, I was greeted by one of my friends. "Wow!" she said. "You're so red!" By this point, I was feeling pretty red too. My skin was hot and stinging all over, especially my bum. "I think I'm going to go home," I told her and then high-tailed it back to my car.

When I got home, I put on some of Jake's big basketball shorts and a huge t-shirt, so that hardly anything was touching my fried skin. Then, I went downstairs and sat down next to Danny on the couch, who was watching cartoons. He turned to look at me with a disgusted face, stared for a minute, and then said, "Sick, it's a man!" I felt so comforted.

I sat around the whole day, feeling terribly uncomfortable, but unless you're on your death bed, nothing justifies missing cheer practice at PG high, so I headed back to school that afternoon. Everyone laughed, so I laughed too because, really, it was pretty darn funny. Then, I had to endure stunting and tumbling my burned body around.

Morals of the story:

Don't ever go tanning (especially when you're taking antibiotics that make your skin extra sensitive).
Don't ever, ever wear those silly underwear (you know the kind) I wore when I went tanning.

Empowerment & The Winner Is . . .

2010-04-01T00:00:00.051-06:00

Here's an empowering thought I had the other day: I am in control of my life. Me. Only me. Not school, my parents, my friends, or anyone/anything else. Just me. I can make my life whatever I want it to be. How exciting! How empowering!

That's my attitude from here on out: I am in control of my life. Each decision I make, makes my life what it is, for better or worse. Every single wingle decision. Every single wingle. (Cool word, huh?)

So, if I am in control, what do I want to happen in my life? What do I want to make of this beautiful life I've been given? I've been thinking, and here's what I've come up with (so far, anyway):

Serve a full-time mission for the L.D.S. church.
Marry in the L.D.S. temple.
Graduate from B.Y.U.
Go to graduate school.
Be a mother and raise my children in the Church.
Find a way to serve others (and help my children to serve others) as often as possible.
Become a good cook.
Attend the temple once a week.
Read the Book of Mormon every day.
Exercise at least five days a week.
Make healthy, moderate eating choices every day.
Serve several full-time missions for the Church with my husband.
Help my children work towards serving full-time missions, graduating from college, and marrying in the temple.
Maintain strong relationships with all of my extended family (and my husband and children).
Do not judge others or allow others' judgments to affect me (don't get offended).

And the Winner Is . . .

Miss Mandie Jane Maughan

Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes open if you didn't win (or you did) because I'm going to be doing a few more giveaways in the coming weeks.

Happy Thursday!

P.S. Happy April Fools Day everyone! I contemplated coming up with an outrageous story to post today, but decided against it, mostly just because I wasn't feeling very creative. I love this month so much, especially this year. Here's what I'm looking forward to in April:

General Conference
Easter
Tara & Danny's Birthday
(Self-Declared) Spring Break to Idaho
Ben's Birthday
My mission call
Finishing school (and having a break from it for a year and a half!)
Going on a cruise with my family the end of April

Also, Happy Birthday yesterday to my fabulously wonderful cousin Chelsea.

My Heart May Just Burst One of These Days

2010-03-31T00:00:00.027-06:00

First of all, you'll notice that there's a new header on my blog for April, one day early. I just decided I was ready to be done with March a day early.

Now, onto what I'd like to say, and I hope I don't sound like a broken record.

I believe that we have a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers each day. He listens to each one of us, no matter how trivial our problems or the answers we seek may seem. He also answers each and every prayer. Every single one. Whether that answer comes in the way we want it to come is questionable, but He always hears and answers. And those answers always come in the way that is best for us in the long run, even if it might be more difficult for the time being. I believe that to be true.

On that note, I recently heard of a story about a little boy who lives just down the street from me. His story is evidence of modern miracles. This is just one story. There are countless others, both great and small. Watch the video below, and be ready to cry tears of joy and the Spirit. You can read the whole story here.

Sorry for the somewhat scattered thoughts in this post. That video just really struck me. And it strikes me that so many do not know or feel of the power of the truth of the Gospel. That is why I'm so excited to go forth and serve a mission for the L.D.S. church. Life is precious. It is precious to each one of us, but especially to our Father in Heaven and our Savior, Jesus Christ. They value each and every life and want each and every one of their children to come unto Christ and be saved through Him.

My heart swells as I write this post, surely not with pride for the way I'm crafting this post because it's not very well written, but with the joy and peace a testimony of the Gospel brings. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. It is the only true and fully restored church on the Earth today, and it brings more lasting happiness and peace than anything else I've ever known.

This coming weekend is the 180th Annual General Conference of the L.D.S. church. President Monson will address the congregation several times and is literally a living prophet of God. He receives revelation for our day. What a blessing! And wouldn't you agree that this is a time that our world needs revelation and guidance?

I invite you to tune in and listen. I promise that if you do so, with an open heart and mind, that the Holy Ghost will touch your heart. I know the Church is true, and it is such a blessing in my life.

General Conference will be held both Saturday and Sunday (April 3rd and 4th) from 10-12 am and 2-4 pm. If you live in Utah, you can watch it via T.V. on channel 5 or via radio at 102.7 FM or 1160 AM. If you live outside of Utah, you can watch General Conference at your local L.D.S. chapel or stake center or via the internet at LDS.org

Allison's Survey

2010-03-30T19:00:00.002-06:00

My cute cousin Allison requested I complete this survey a while back, so here goes!

Birthday: July 20th, 1989
Birth place: Mesa, Arizona
Height: 5' 7 1/2"
Eye color: blue
Hair color: blonde
Favorite relatives: Wow, this is are hard one. There's not anyone I don't like, but I am especially grateful for my brothers and sister, my two older girl cousins (Ashley & Chelsea), my two closest younger girl cousins (Madeleine & Allison), my parents, my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, my baby cousins (Charlie, Natalie, & Mason), and everyone else I didn't mention.

(Above: I'm the one in the front on the right with the blue and white striped dress.)

Summer memory: One of my favorite summer memories is learning how to do a back flip off the houseboat in Lake Powell. Another favorite summer memory is spending two weeks with my grandma and grandpa in Idaho last summer. And another is stunting in the swimming pool with cousins at the Ranch.

Favorite TV shows: Modern Family & Friends
What is on your mouse pad?: Don't have one
Favorite Game: Settlers of Catan
Favorite drink: Berry Pomegranate 10 calorie Vitamin Water
Favorite color: bright blue
Favorite sound: the hustle and bustle of a big family gathering

Favorite smell: Anthropologie's Volcano candle (a close second is anything lemon/citrus)
Worst feeling in the world: realizing you forgot to do something/lost something really important or getting terrible news about someone that you love
Favorite singer: Counting Crows
Where will you be in 10 years?: being a mom and maybe editing from home or teaching part-time
First thoughts in the morning: what I need to accomplish that day
Chocolate or vanilla?: vanilla
What do you drive?: '99 Ford Escort
Thunderstorms cool or scary?: not scary, but I definitely prefer the sun
Do you eat the stems of broccoli?: of course
Favorite brand of gum: Trident
Righty, Lefty, or both?: lefty
Innie or Outie?: innie
What color are the walls in your room?: light green
What is under your bed?: organized storage boxes
Pets: don't have any don't really want any
Favorite holiday?: 4th of July because I love summer
Favorite school subject: English & Health
Your lucky number is: 5
I'll eat sushi, but not: any kind of fish, especially sushi
Hobbies: running, reading, blogging, playing tennis, organizing
Favorite kind of gum: Trident Layers (apple pineapple flavor)
Absolute must-have throughout the day: gum
Rollercoasters-deadly or exciting: usually exciting, but I'm pretty chicken
Favorite stores: Anthropologie, Target, Gap, and Nordstrom
How many siblings do you have?:

4 Brothers: Jake, Danny, Ben, & Josh

1 Sister: Tara

If you want to read Allison's answers, click here.

I tag Mandie, Shayly, and Larissa.

(In other words, now YOU get to fill out the survey and post it on YOUR blogs!)

P.S. Click here to enter my giveaway if you haven't yet!

My Favorite Obsession

2010-03-29T00:00:00.025-06:00

I love to organize, which may seem like both a strange and a wonderful thing to love. It is wonderful, for the most part, but I want to preface this post by saying that you might not want me to come over and help you organize. Why? My trick to staying organized is less stuff=less mess. When I organize, I get rid of stuff. If that scares you, this post probably won't be of much interest or use to you. But I promise it's not scary, and having less stuff makes life so much easier. If you aren't too scared to purge your unused, unwanted items (and be honest about what's unused and/or unwanted) and want to get more organized and simplify your life, this post is for you.

Now, onto the fun stuff. (Fun, if you're weird like me. If you're not, then maybe just look at it as being rewarding?)

Before the instructions, here are some pictures from my eight-year-old sister's room to get you motivated. (Unfortunately, I don't have before pictures.) What's cool about this project is that it has made it so much easier for Tara to keep her room clean. We organized her room over Christmas break. Now it's almost April, and I don't think she's spent more than ten minutes cleaning her room since. It just always stays clean! She loves it because she lives in it. I love it because we're neighbors, and I see her room often. And my mom loves it because, well, she's a mom, and what mom doesn't appreciate her child's clean room?

The true test: nothing under the bed

Step-by-Step:

1. The first part is a little scary because once you start there's no going back. I grab everything from every cranny of the entire room and make giant piles on the floor. (Side Note: What's with the word cranny? It sounds so funny to me. Sometimes when I'm typing, random words like cranny just come to me, and I think, "What kind of a word is that?" Probably just something I've read at one time or another.) I pull all the clothes out of the dresser and empty out the closet. I grab all the toys and everything from under the bed. Then, I make separate piles for toys, books, clothes, and garbage. The room looks really scary at this point. Like I said, no going back!

2. Now, onto sorting. I start by grabbing a couple of large garbage bags and a laundry basket. I usually begin with the clothes, going through every single item of clothing. (Helpful tip: If it's not your stuff, make sure the owner is there to help have a say in what stays and what goes.) Tara actually helped me with her entire room because she wanted to make sure what she wanted to stay, stayed. She was a great help! As we went through all her clothes, we asked these questions:

Does this fit?
When was the last time I wore this?
Is this going to fit the next time it's in season?

(Another helpful tip: Be honest! If you aren't sure, make a pile of "not sures," put all the stuff away for a month or so, and then see if you really even miss it. If not, get rid of it!) As I sort through all the clothes, I make four piles:

keep
donate/hand-me-downs
sell (Kid-to-Kid, Plato's Closet, etc.)
garbage

When I'm done going through all the clothes, I move onto the toys, then the books, etc.

3. The next step is dealing with all of the piles I've created.

I get rid of the garbage first, taking all the bags I've collected (hopefully lots!) and putting them in the dumpster, so they're out of sight, out of mind. (No going back, remember!)
After the garbage, I usually tackle the clothes I'm keeping. I take a look at the storage space for the clothing I have. In Tara's room, she has a lot: two dressers, a big closet, and a little closet. If I don't have that much room, I just get creative. I love those plastic storage drawers they sell at Target and Walmart, perfect for adding extra spots for socks, underwear, and workout clothes. But you really don't have to buy anything to be organized. You just need to think and be creative with what you have. For example, I don't have tons of storage space for clothes in my room (and I love clothes and have a lot of them), so I store all my off-season clothes in boxes in the basement. Sure, it's kind of a pain to switch them out every six months or so, but it's worth it to me if it means having a clean, organized room where I can find everything easily.
Once all the keep-clothes are put away, I do the same with the toys, books, and other items I am keeping.
Next, I work on selling and/or donating items. I've sold items on Ebay and also at second-hand clothing stores like Plato's Closet and Kid to Kid. If I can't sell it, I donate it to D.I. because it makes me feel good knowing the stuff is going to good use. Hand-me-downs are another good way to make use of gently used clothes. In our family, all the little girl cousins give hand-me-downs to each other and have so much fun doing it. They get so excited about getting to wear their cousins' clothes.
Once I've sold and donated everything I can and thrown away the rest, I'm done! At this point, I always go through the room with whomever I'm organizing for (if not for myself) and show him or her where everything goes, emphasizing how easy it is to keep it up and how fabulous it is to have a clean, organized room.

Side Note: There are those things that are always worth saving, no matter how useless they may seem. Like these things:

(ONE of my high school cheer uniforms. Not all 10 or so that I accumulated over the years.)

(A little picture a girl in Tijuana made for me when we were there doing a service project. Their house was literally made from soup cans and cardboard, so this little picture means so much to me, coming from her.)

My solution for items like those is this . . .

. . . a medium/large plastic box (with a lid). I keep it in the corner of my closet, so that I can periodically look at the meaningful contents and/or add to them. It works great.

Happy organizing! If you have any questions and/or tips,tricks, or methods of organizing/cleaning please send them my way!

Also, stay posted because I am thinking about offering "professional" organizing services for family, friends, neighbors, etc. this summer!

P.S. My mission papers are officially in! Now the only problem is that my stake president has to wait until I'm old enough (3 months before my birthday a.k.a. about 4 weeks) to submit my call to the Church. So, I'll probably have my call in about 5 weeks. Ah! I'll keep everyone posted! Wish me luck! Oh, and if you would like to guess where you think I'll be going, comment away!

***Also, if you haven't entered my giveaway, click here to do so!

Friday Funny & My First Give-Away!

2010-03-26T00:00:00.013-06:00

Guess who learned how to do the worm . . . and guess who didn't?

Please excuse the messy room . . . I was in the middle of sorting through all of my clothes.
P.S. I may or may not have drawn a mustache and a unibrow (with a dry-erase marker) on Tara and Danny last night while they were sleeping. Just thought I'd get a head start on the April Fools' Day festivities!

Now presenting . . .

My First Give-Away!

I am giving away a lovely hair accessory (similar to the one pictured above, but a clip instead of a headband) hand-made by yours truly. I have oodles of clips and headbands that I've made and love (but never even worn!) and am trying to down size all my belongings before I head off on my mission, so I'm going to start doing a hair accessory give-away periodically.

All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment on this post (along with your email address). I will close the give-away Wednesday night (I extended it a bit), randomly select a winner, and announce the winner Thursday morning. Enter away!

Private

2010-03-25T00:00:00.027-06:00

Private blogs are a little annoying to me. For one, they're just a hassle. You have to sign in to read, and you never know when they've been updated. But what really bothers me is that I can't figure out why people feel the need to go private in the first place. I mean, on the surface I guess I can: they're worried about random people reading their blogs and looking at their pictures. But I don't really see any harm in that. Millions of people have blogs and websites that are read by millions of people they don't know, and those millions of people go on living happy, normal lives. I'm sure some of you could (and would love to) tell me terrifying story after terrifying story about someone who got stocked or kidnapped as a result of a public blog. But really, what are the odds?

I don't post my address on my blog, but I do have my last name. I'm sure if someone really wanted to track me down he/she could. But who really would? And public blog or not, if someone really wanted to track me down, he/she could probably find a way to do so. (FYI: That's not a challenge to try to track me down if you don't know me. Thanks.)

The only reason for going private that makes sense to me is not for the sake of safety (which is why I think most people do it) but for the sake of keeping personal thoughts to yourself. For example, if you use your blog for a private journal. Other than that, "going private" just really doesn't make sense to me.

If you would like to share your thoughts on the subject or let me know why you chose to have a private blog, I'm all ears. :)

Big Pictures & Automatic Publishing

2010-03-22T00:00:00.009-06:00

I love pictures and really believe the old saying that "a picture says worth a thousand words." Take these pictures, for example:

I have a hard time stopping myself when I start going through old pictures. I get so caught up in the memories each picture evokes. Boy am I grateful for the man who invented the camera!
P.S. That man is John Strognofe, and he made the camera available to the common man in 1685. (I was curious, so I googled it.)

Now, in case you want to know, How to Get Big Pictures on Your Blog:

It used to be really complicated to make your pictures giant, but with the updated blog editor (that almost everyone uses) it's really easy. (If you use the old editor and don't know how to switch to the new, leave me a comment, and I'll walk you through it.) Here's what you do to make your pictures bigger.

1. You have to convert back to a two-column blog if you have a three.
2. Now, you have to make your blog header and page wider. Click here for detailed instructions on how to do that.
3. Once you change the width of your blog, you're all set. All you need to do to have big pictures is click on extra large when you import a picture. Easy as pie.

P.S. Here's another fun piece of blog knowledge that I learned a little while back: you can schedule your posts. As in, you can type a post whenever you feel like it and then set it up to automatically publish whenever you want. I love this feature. It's totally changed the way I blog. Now, I look at my blog as my own personal little newspaper that comes out once each day (Monday-Friday). This doesn't mean I have to blog every single day. I just write whenever I feel like it, and then schedule the posts for a specific day and time. Love it! All you do to schedule your posts to publish automatically is click on post options (at the bottom of the screen in blue) when you're finished typing your post, then click scheduled at, then type in the date and time you want to publish the post, and then just click publish post (like you normally would). Have fun!

Friday Funny

2010-03-19T00:00:00.038-06:00

First, let me just take a second to say Go Cougars! They won yesterday against Florida (97-92) in double overtime and will be playing Kansas State tomorrow.

Second, a few fun pictures for your enjoyment:

Ben (about 3 years ago)

Tara (about 4 years ago)

Jake (about 10 years ago)

Now, onto the post. Referring back to my post yesterday about cooking Sunday dinner for my family, I want to tell you a story about one of my not-so-successful Sunday dinners.

This was one of those weeks when we hadn't gone shopping for a couple of days, so there wasn't much to work with. I happened to find some frozen chicken, rice, broccoli, and cream of chicken soup--the makings for a boring, but edible casserole (I thought). I was pressed for time, so I had to thaw the chicken in the microwave, making it a little tough in some parts. When the chicken was thawed and cooked, I put the casserole together and popped it in the oven.

Everyone was starving by this point and had gathered at the kitchen table. I pulled out my casserole, set it on the table, and everyone dug in. But the casserole was dry as a bone. For some reason, the cream of chicken soup hadn't sunk down to the rice layer. It was just sitting up on top (looking kind of gross, I might add) with the chicken and broccoli. The rice was dry and stiff, and the chicken was tough and flavorless. Most of my brothers quietly retreated to the pantry to get a bowl of cereal. I just sat at the kitchen table, feeling kind of dumb, apologizing for the unappetizing meal.

While this was going on, my dad had piled a heap of the casserole onto his plate, mixed in some apple sauce to soften it up, and started shoveling it into his mouth. He kept saying, "This is so good! Really, you need to try it with apple sauce. It's really good!" He's a wonderful dad, that's all I can say, because that casserole was not really good (or close to it), applesauce or not.

Note: Video of the aftermath of Jake accidentally dumping a bowl of guacamole on Tara's lap was removed at her request. I hope you saw it before it was removed because it was pretty funny.

Cooking up a Storm

2010-03-18T00:00:00.019-06:00

My mom works a graveyard shift almost every Saturday night, so I'm often in charge of making Sunday dinner. I actually have had so much fun with this. I love trying out new recipes and improving my cooking skills because, ask my family, there was lots of room for improvement when I first started cooking. (There is still lots of room for improvement, but the point is that I have improved.)

Last Fast Sunday, my dad and I combined our efforts and made a delicious Sunday dinner that (almost) everyone loved. (You really can't please everyone, can you?) I made honey lime chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, salad, and low-sugar (but still yummy!) apple crisp. (Click for the recipes.) My dad made his famous salsa. Yum! Everything tastes good on Fast Sunday, but I would still recommend all of these recipes. The honey lime enchiladas are really good. I got the recipe here. (Thanks Angie!) The Spanish rice is easy and really flavorful. And the apple crisp is so yummy; you don't even miss the sugar at all! I only put 1/4 cup of sugar in the topping (it calls for 1 cup) and only 1 T in the apple mixture (it calls for 3 T). We couldn't even tell a difference. Then, this past Sunday, I made rolls, green beans, slow-cooker chicken alfredo, and frozen lemon cake. (Again, click for the recipes.) The lemon cake is by far the best dessert I've ever had. It was seriously so good!

I realized something funny about me and cooking. I get really emotionally attached to the things I make and feel so much pressure for everyone to like everything. It's draining! Jake didn't like the rice I made and was kind of rude about it. I got really offended. It wasn't a big deal, but cooking is just so stressful for me! I'm not naturally a very good cook, so it takes a lot of effort for me to put together a meal that's edible (and sometimes good). I'm learning, but it's definitely a long process! Hopefully by the time I have grandchildren I'll be half as good as my grandmas are.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Simply Sweet Apple Crisp

Slow-Cooker Chicken Alfredo

Frozen Lemon Cake

P.S. Let the madness begin! Here's my prediction: Not that it's worth anything :)

(You can click to make it bigger if you actually want to read it.)

Negativity & Gossip

2010-03-17T00:00:00.005-06:00

Do you know what really bugs me? That I find so much momentary pleasure in speaking negatively about things and people (including myself). Right after the negative words leave my lips, I just want to go wash out my mouth with soap. Negativity and gossip never leaves a good taste in your mouth. And although I try not to, sometimes those burning words find their way coming out of my mouth. Like when I get a wedding announcement and think what the couple is wearing in their picture is just so stupid. Or when I see a baby announcement and think the poor baby's name sounds so completely made up and silly. Or how about when a friend or family member does something that just really bugs me, like climbing into my freshly made bed in the middle of the day or not listening when I'm trying to talk.

I recently had an epiphany: I don't need to speak my mind all the time. I can keep my mouth shut when I think of something negative. I can do it. It's as simple as choosing not to speak. When I really think about, there is no purpose at all behind my negative words. Does it really matter that I don't like someone's clothes or baby's name? Nope. I don't have to wear what they wore or name my baby the same name. Is it going to matter to me tomorrow that someone messed up my bed or didn't pay complete attention to what I said? Nope. I probably won't even remember it. So this is my pledge in writing not to speak negative words about anyone or anything. Who's with me?

Rex Lee Run

2010-03-16T00:00:00.006-06:00

The Rex Lee Run is an event I look forward to every year. I tried adding up the number of times I've run it, and I think the total is six. I've run the 5k five times and the 10k once. We have a handful of family members there to support the race every year, and it's always a great event. Tara and Danny both ran the 5k for the first time this year and did awesome. Tara was my running buddy, and she ran the whole time. Danny and Uncle Brett were buddies, and they also ran the whole time. The only bad parts of the morning were a spill Danny took at the end of the race and me having to run while holding my camera and coat. Here is a summary of the event, in pictures:

P.S. I really want to make some of these crafts:

How to Cure a Funk

2010-03-15T00:00:00.023-06:00

We all have those certain things that help us feel better when things just aren't going our way. Well, here's my list of things. They work for me, and maybe they will work for you too! These things help me when I'm stressed, unmotivated, tired, lazy, sad, grumpy, or--on really bad days--all of the above. :)

Fulfill all of your responsibilities. Even if you're in a funk and don't feel like doing anything, go against that feeling and do everything you should be doing. It might be hard at first, but you'll feel so much better than if you skip doing things you should be doing and then feel behind later.
Go for a drive. All by yourself. No radio. No talking on the phone. Just drive and think and try to relax.
Exercise! This is probably the biggest one for me. If I don't go for a run/walk/something at least every other day, I just don't feel good. Endorphins make you happy!
Take a really, really hot bath.
Call someone you love and have a hear-to-heart chat. For me, it's my grandma, my nana, my mom, or one of my best friends. This works every time, even if we don't talk about me at all. In fact, it's almost better if you don't talk about yourself. Ask questions and show love and genuine concern for whomever you're talking to.
Go to Target (or where ever you like to go) and shop but don't buy anything. Don't even bring your purse in. (Note to self: That doesn't mean you should lock your keys in the car.) Just browse the store. If you feel like looking at clothes, grab a bunch of stuff you like and try it on. Sometimes I'll pretend I have no clothes and need to find everything for a new wardrobe. I go through the store with that mindset and think about what I would choose.
Make cards for anyone you want. It doesn't have to be a birthday or a holiday. Who doesn't like to hear that you love them? Make some simple cards and send them in the mail or drop them off. I love this one.
Take a walk. Not an exercising walk (if you know what I mean), just a casual stroll. This always helps me think things through and put life in perspective.
Make a list of things you're looking forward to and post them somewhere you'll see them often.
I wanted to think of a number 10 to make it nice and even, but I can't think of anything else. :)

P.S. The picture at the top of the post is a darling little girl named Lucy. Lucy has Bardt-Biedl Syndrome, a genetic problem which eventually causes blindness and obesity, among other problems. Lucy is just three, and her family is doing all they can to research and combat blindness and the other issues related to her syndrome. Her mom, Shawni, has a fabulous blog here. Click to learn more about Lucy, her disease, how you can help, and the rest of her wonderful family.

Friday Funny

2010-03-12T00:00:00.012-07:00

Ready for a Danny story? All the youth in my home ward went ice skating, and, since my mom's a young women leader, Danny and Tara got to go too. Danny had never been on ice skates before, but he was excited and confident about his success on the ice. However, when he actually made it onto the ice, his legs went to jello. He was wiggling all over the place, barley staying on his feet. My mom tried to help him, but he was stubborn and frustrated. He kept saying, "D! D! D!" as he struggled to regain his balance. When my mom finally helped him to the edge he said, "You know, D stands for damn it, mom. That's why I was saying that." "OK Danny," was all my mom said. Sometimes you just have to let that kid be. I love that Danny boy. Please enjoy his river-dancing video below. Sorry it's sideways, as I've said before, I don't know how to turn it and have a habit of filming that way. Oh and no, Danny does not take dance lessons. He must learn it all from my dad. (I'm being sarcastic, just for the record.)

Elder Jacob Rex Lee

2010-03-11T00:00:00.002-07:00

. . . is called to serve in the Everett Washington mission, Spanish speaking! He leaves May 26th! It is really perfect timing. We get back from a family trip on May 2nd, he has three weeks to prepare, and then he's off! He will be a fabulous missionary. It is an especially great call for Jake because one of his best friends, Cameron Moon, is serving in Tacoma, Washington. (Look for Cameron's mom's reaction in the video below. She's in the orange sweater. P.S. Sorry the video is sideways. I have a habit of turning the camera.)

Jake and each of his best friends have a really cool tradition of hiking up to a specific spot in the mountains near our home and opening their mission calls alone before sharing it with everyone else. They each carried this out, including Jake. He got his call early in the morning, hiked up to the special spot, said a prayer, and opened his call. He said it was a very spiritual experience. There are six boys who carried out this tradition: Stewart, Darin, Jaron, Sean, Cameron, and Jake. Now, here are their calls: Stewart and Darin- Warsaw, Poland. Jaron and Sean- Hamburg, Germany (and M.T.C. the same day). Jake and Cameron- Washington State. Crazy! They are all going in pairs.

Our family all had a hard time knowing that Jake knew where he was going all day long and none of us knew, but it made for an exciting night. We are all very proud of him! Congratulations Elder Jacob Rex Lee, I love you so much.

Everyone guessed where they thought he would go.

Tara hugging her big brother after he read the call.

Talking to the Allreds.

With the Moons. (Whose son is on a mission in Washington.)

Me and my dad.

Tara, Jake, and Me.

Josh, ready for everyone to go home and for me to stop taking pictures.

Carrying Tara to bed.

Possible Deal-Breakers

2010-03-10T00:00:00.014-07:00

I'm just thinking about things that might scare off a potential husband someday. Of course, there are many reasons. Everyone has faults. These are just a few things I thought of.

#1 I want a lot of kids. Maybe five, six, seven, or even eight.
#2 I hum all the time, and I don't realize that I'm doing it.

The second one is possibly fixable, but I'm not sure. With the first one, however, there isn't a lot of wiggle room. I love kids, babies, and family. I want a great big family. I love having four brothers and a sister. I love having oodles of cousins, aunts, and uncles. And I feel like I could make a pretty decent mom. Only time will tell, but I have had lots of practice, and I have lots of love to give.

What would be a deal-breaker for me?
#1 Bad breath that never goes away no matter how much you brush or how many pieces of gum you chew. (I've tutored a few too many bad-breathed boys.)
#2 Someone who takes himself too seriously. That really bugs me.
There are other more important ones (like not being a return missionary or member of the church, etc.), but other than those two, I'm pretty flexible. :)

What are your deal-breakers? (Or what were they, if you're already married?)

P.S. Jake gets his mission call today! Check back tomorrow for the results!

Here is a lovely picture of Jake to paint a picture of him opening his call in your mind and hold you over until tomorrow:

He's the one on the left with the red and white rain suit. He's a very manly man. (Oh and that's me in the back on the right.)

Why I Blog & Printing?

2010-03-09T00:00:00.019-07:00

First, a cute picture because I don't have any pictures for this post:

(I think I'm pinching him. Poor guy.)

O.K. now, onto the boring stuff :) I want to address a question I have asked myself several times. Why do I blog? Is it just a big waste of precious time? I don't believe so, for several reasons:

1. I am a terrible journal keeper. All of my journals have, "Sorry it's been so long!" written at the top of every entry. For one reason or another, a blog is much easier for me: I have access to computers all throughout the day, so I can update it often; I am a much faster typist than I am a writer; it is easier to edit my mistakes on my blog than it is in a journal, and I hate having grammatical errors in my writing; etc., etc., etc.

2. I love to write. Writing is so much fun for me. It makes me feel good to get my thoughts down on paper (or computer screen). I love words and trying to articulate myself in the best way possible.

3. I love being able to look back on my past posts and learn from them. I remember things I was going through when I wrote them, and it is helpful for me to think back to those times, both good and bad.

4. It is so much fun to be able to stay in better contact with friends and family. Writing and receiving comments is so much fun!

5. Although I am a terrible journal keeper, I do believe it is important to make a record of our lives, both for ourselves and for our posterity. I love this quote by President Spencer W. Kimball: "We may think there is little of interest or importance in what we personally say or do—but it is remarkable how many of our families, as we pass on down the line, are interested in all that we do and all that we say." I also love this quote: "Do not trust your memory, it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it." (George Duhamel)

Oh, one more thing. Does anyone have any information about printing a blog? Since I am going on a mission in a few months and will not be able to keep up my blog, I want to print it out and have it bound, so I can save it. I am hoping there is a better way of doing this than just hitting print on the computer. Any tips?

Rated R

2010-03-08T00:00:00.018-07:00

Before I jump into this post, want to hear a good quote, courtesy of my 12-year-old brother, Josh? This weekend, he said to my dad, in all seriousness, "What is cornbread made of, Dad? Wheat?"

Oh and one more thing. I got to go to watch the Little Miss Lindon Pageant on Saturday because my good friend Shayly's sister, Brynn, was in it. She was darling! Good job Brynn!

(Brynn's the one right in the middle with the blue and white dress. So cute!)

Ok. Now on to what I really wanted to talk about. I am writing this post to pose a question. I am not going to change my stance based on differing opinions, but I am interested in understanding how other members of the LDS church feel about seeing R-rated movies. Personally, I have never seen an R-rated movie, and I don't plan to ever see one. To me, doing so would be immoral and disobedient.

Even if I didn't feel that we (as members of the LDS church) should not watch R-rated movies (which I do and is ultimately why I do not watch R-rated movies), I believe there is logic alone behind not watching them: First, there is lots of crap (for lack of a better word) in PG-13 movies. I have to be careful choosing which of these PG-13 movies I will or will not watch. Why would I add R-rated movies to the equation? Second, I don't want my kids to watch R-rated movies, and I don't want to set a double-standard. Third, I don't believe that by not seeing an R-rated movie I miss out on some cultural, societal education that I couldn't find elsewhere. Fourth, and most importantly, I don't want to become desensitized. Whether it be violence, sex, bad language, or something else, exposure to those things have lasting effects. It changes the way we think. It changes the way we react to certain situations. It changes who we are.

I hope you know that I don't say these things to sound arrogant or self-righteous because I certainly don't feel that way. I am just curious as to why other members of the LDS church choose to see R-rated movies? What is your reasoning? I will not think less of you if you tell me you watch R-rated movies; I know lots of good LDS people who do. I am just curious.

Here is one of the justifications for watching R-rated movies that someone at work shared with me: R-rated movies fall under the same category as caffeinated soda. I disagree. Has an apostle ever stood at the pulpit and specifically counseled against drinking caffeinated soda? Not that I know of (but caffeinated soda in and of itself is another post for another day). Has an apostle ever stood at the pulpit and specifically counseled against R-rated movies? Yes. Countless times the idea has been hinted at, but here is a time it was stated clearly: In 1986 President Ezra Taft Benson said, "We counsel you . . . not to pollute your minds with such degrading matter, for the mind through which this filth passes is never the same afterwards. Don’t see R-rated movies or vulgar videos or participate in any entertainment that is immoral, suggestive, or pornographic. Don’t listen to music that is degrading." (If you want to read President Benson's whole talk click here.)

I am a little nervous to publish this post. I don't want people who feel differently than I do to get offended, and I am really interested in hearing different opinions. Please comment if you feel so inclined. (You can comment anonymously if you wish.)

Friday Funny

2010-03-05T00:00:00.012-07:00

Most of you know that I lived in Virginia my sophomore year of high school. My dad had a government job in D.C. for a year, so we all came along. I wouldn't say it was my favorite year of my life. I learned a lot and made some good friends, but it was really hard. The hardest part being school. I went to early morning seminary before school, which I loved; I had friends from my ward there and a great teacher. But then, all my friends from my ward would go off to different schools, and I had to go wait at the corner for the bus to come take me to Westfield High, home of the Bulldogs. Sweet mascot, huh? I would go to my classes, occasionally eat lunch in the bathroom so I didn't have to look stupid eating lunch alone, go to cheer practice, and then ride the bus home. It was a grand life. It really wasn't that bad, but I found endless pleasure in feeling sorry for myself and telling my dad he had ruined my life. Typical fifteen-year-old. Part of this feeling sorry for myself act included listening to Green Day's "I Walk Alone" every day when I walked home from the bus. It had a good beat, and I could really wallow in self pity. Poor me.

Since that was so negative, here is some positivity about our time in Virginia, through pictures:

Getting to go see Wicked in NYC. (Click here if you want to hear a funny story about that night.)

Christmas in Virginia

Our really cool backyard with lots of trees.

Eating at Carnegie Deli in NYC.

Spending lots of time together as a family.

The opportunity to spend lots of time in Washinton DC.

Not to mention the wonderful friends I met there!

Separation Anxiety

2010-03-04T01:25:00.014-07:00

I remember a few small details about my first sleepover. We were living in Arlington, Virginia, and I was five. The sleepover was with a neighbor girl whose name escapes me. We took a bubble bath, and they had White-Rain shampoo that smelled like green apples. I got sad. My dad came and carried me home like a sack of potatoes and put me in the bunk-bed I shared with Jake.

I have always had a hard time being away from home. You might call it separation anxiety. Whatever it is, it played a big role in my life growing up. I slept on my parents' floor for years. I remember the sheer panic I would feel when I tried to sleep in my own room--I just couldn't do it. I finally overcame that, but then struggled with sleepovers. I loved the idea of a sleepover. It sounded so much fun to me. But when darkness fell, I was done. I couldn't even sleep over at my best friend's house or my nana's house for a lot of years.

About the time I had mastered the one-night sleepover, it came time for me to go to girls camp. I was terrified. I hardly slept at all the entire week we were there, but I did make it through the week and had a good time. The next year, girls camp was a breeze.

Years passed, and soon it was time for me to move into the dorms. I was so excited. I made sure we were there to get the keys and move in as early as possible. But when nighttime came, I called my mom and cried. I was 10 minutes from home. Seriously, Jordan? I made it through the night, but had a really tough time adjusting to living away from home. Everytime I would come home and then leave again my freshman year I would cry when I got in my car. I couldn't help it.

But I made it through that year and did a lot better my sophomore year. Now, I'm preparing to go on a mission. I tell you this because I think it illustrates a point. Something that I've learned during the short time I've been on earth. You can't push someone: yourself, a child, a friend, a sibling, a parent. Each person has to learn and progress for herself/himself. If someone would have told me two and a half years ago, right when I had moved into Heritage Halls, that I would be going on a mission, I would have flipped out. Two and a half years later, I'm not going to say I have no fears or worries or think that I won't miss my family like crazy, but I'm not flipping out. I don't feel unusually nervous or scared. I just want to pat myself on the back for the progress I've made in this area because I've come a long way. And I think this principle of progress can be applied to so many areas of life. Moral of the story: You can't push yourself (or your children, or friends, etc.) to do something that you're (they're) not ready to do.

To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Blog Headers/Banners

2010-03-03T15:30:00.007-07:00

I have had a couple requests for instructions on how to make a blog header/banner. It's actually super easy. There are two options. The one I have up now, I made using Picasa. (It's free, you can download it at picasa.com.) For instructions on how to make a blog banner using Picasa, click here. (P.S. "Memories on Clover Lane" is my latest obsession. If you have a chance, read through some of her posts. Awesome!)

The other option is using a program called Paint.net. It's also really easy. Here's how you do it:

1. Download Paint.net (it's free!). Just go to paint.net and click getpaint.net (top right of the page).
2. It will pull up another page. Click get it now (free download) Paint.NET v3.5.4 (top right of the page).
3. Again, a new page will come up. Scroll about half-way down the page and click the button that looks like this:

4. Another new page will come up, click this:

Free Download Now:

Paint.NET v3.5.4

5. A download box should pop up. Make sure Save File is the one that is checked, and hit OK.

6. Another box will pop up. Click Save.

7. Now the download will begin. It will take a minute or so, depending on your computer.

8. The next step will be a little different for everyone, depending on your computer. When the download is complete, right click on Paint.net (in the download box) and then click open or extract file (or something similar to that).

9. Now the installer box should pop up. Just follow the instructions on there to complete the download.

10. Once you have Paint.net on your computer, it's time for the fun part! You will probably want to download some sort of scrapbook package to use. I use shabbyprincess.com (it's free!)--they have really stuff. (If you need help with this step, leave me a comment or send me an email.)

11. Once you have downloaded the scrapbook stuff you want to use, you are all set. Now, on to the fun stuff...

12. Open up Paint.net and decide what pictures/scrapbook stuff you want to include.

13. Open up all the pictures/other stuff you want to use (separately, not all in one project). You probably want to pick one paper for the background, a picture or two, and any other clipart thingys you want to use.

14. Now you need to resize all your stuff. Start with the paper you're using for the background. Click image, then resize, then make sure the maintain aspect ratio box is checked and set the width to 600 pixels. Obviously, you want to have everything else be smaller than the background. I would say about 200 pixels and then you can adjust it by stretching/dragging later.

15. Next you need to save everything you've resized. Just save it under something that's easy for you to find because you're going to be opening it right back up.

16. Once you have everything resized and saved, you want to compile everything together. Open up your background paper. You are going to put everything on top of it. Start by clicking on layers, then import from file, and then find whatever picture/thing you want to import first. Click open.

17. Now drag this picture/thing around and make sure you have it exactly where you want it before you open up something else because you can't move it once you do.

18. Repeat those steps to insert the rest of your pictures/things.

19. If you want to add text, you have a couple of options. There are alphabet packages with all of the different packages on shabbyprincess.com. You can use those by opening them up (and resizing all the letters before you insert them because they are HUGE and will mess up your project if you insert them without resizing). You can also just type write on your project. Use the text tool on the little tool bar.

20. Once you are done, all you need to do is save your header/banner and put it on your blog. You want to make sure you save it as a JPEG file, not the PDN that it is automatically set to save as. Then just go to your blog, click customize, layout, and edit header. Make sure that instead of title and description is checked. Also, make sure that shrink to fit is not checked. (If you resized everything, it should fit, and you don't want it to shrink.)

21. That's it!

Here are some of the fun headers/banners I have made using Paint.net (you can click to make them bigger):

The Stinky Girl

2010-03-02T23:35:00.002-07:00

I've already told a lot of people these stories because they crack me up, but I want to post some of the funny experiences I've had/witnessed being a tutor in the Writing Center.

1. Let's start with the most recent: the stinky girl. A seemingly normal girl signed in, I greeted her, and we sat down at a table. Before I could open my mouth she quickly said, "My friend just told me that when I got in the car to ride to school something smelled off, so I think I stink. Sorry if I do. I'll keep my distance." Trying to be the polite, good tutor that I'm supposed to be, I told her not to worry about it. It was no big deal. (To be honest, I couldn't even smell anything. And if any of you know me well, you know that I have the strongest nose around, so that's saying something.) It didn't end there. She asked if I would read the paper aloud. I did, while she proceeded to smell herself--each arm, her hair, her chest. I felt so awkward. She made comments regarding her scent about five more times while we went over her paper.
The girl: "Ahh, I just wish I could go home and shower."
Me: "Oh, I'm sorry. But really you're fine. Don't worry about it."
The girl (a few minutes later): "So you really can't smell anything"
Me: "No, you're fine."
It was seriously draining. Even though I couldn't smell anything, I was grossed out just because she was making such a big deal about it. Oh, what a poor stinky girl.

2. The girl being tutored (I believe by Rebecca) was sharing an experience from teaching ballet to a group of five-year-old girls. One of the little girls was chewing gum, which was not allowed. The teacher went up to the little girl and quietly whispered, "Don't chew gum next time." Class went on as normal. The following week, the little girl didn't show up to class. Later that day, the teacher got a call from the little girl's mother wondering why she had asked her daughter not to come to class. The little girl thought the teacher had said, "Don't you come next time." Instead of, "Don't chew gum next time." Can you imagine being a little five-year-old and having your teacher say that to you? I would be heart broken.

3. This story comes from our wonderful grammar tutor, Maddie. She often tutors foreign language students, so she is full of funny stories. (That last sentence sounds kind of bad, like I'm assuming all foreign language students make funny mistakes. But many do. And wouldn't most of us do the same if we were trying to write papers in a foreign language?) One of my favorites of Maddie's stories is about a boy who wrote in shorts in his paper instead of in short. It was something like, "In shorts, the problem is we need to be more involved." Maddie started cracking up, thinking the boy would realize his mistake. He didn't understand the humor, so (trying not to laugh) Maddie explained to him: "When you say in shorts, that's like saying you're wearing a pair of pants." He paused and then, without so much as a smile, said, "So it would be in short?"

Simply Saturday

2010-02-28T00:29:00.003-07:00

Woke up at 10.

Sorted all my laundry.

Ate frosted shredded wheat.

Put a load of laundry in the wash.

Rearranged the furniture in my room.

Cheered for the Cougar basketball team.

Shopped for cute stuff at the craft store with mom.

Went through a bunch of old school papers and funny photos.

De-cluttered my room because I love to de-clutter.

Flipped my mattress and washed my sheets.

Watched He's Just Not That into You.

Hung out with one of my best friends.
Chatted with Jake and Ben.

Brushed my teeth.

Went to bed.

A Whole Bunch of Nothing

2010-02-27T13:01:00.002-07:00

I've been thinking about...

1. My Hair. I have had my new hair cut for over a week now. For the most part, I am loving it. It's easy, it's fun, it's new. But ocassionally, usually once or twice during the day, I really miss my hair. I put on my coat and reach up to get all my hair out of it, and realize it's gone. I put way too much shampoo in my hands in the shower, forgetting that I have about 1/4 of the hair I used to. Or I think of a fun style I want to try on my hair, and then realize it's way too short. But that's just ocassionally. Usually, I really like it.

2. Summer. I am yearning for hot, sunny weather. Last summer, I had this little ritual that sounds so heavenly right now. I would wake up at 8:00 and go for a run outside. Then I would shower, get ready, and walk down the street to the basement office I worked in. After work, I would walk home, get a big glass of ice water, a Chex Mix bar (I seriously lived on those last summer), and my ipod and go out to the trampoline. I would just lie there soaking in the sun for a couple of hours. It felt so good. I was freezing from sitting in an office all morning, so I would just lie there and bake. Ahhhh. I love the sun.

Catholicism & Mormonism

2010-02-26T17:11:00.009-07:00

I had a couple opportunities this week to learn more about the Catholic church.

First, I was introduced to the blog of a Catholic woman. It is a very inspiring, fun blog. I learned a lot from the posts I read. (Click on the link on the left sidebar of my blog to find her blog, "Memories on Clover Lane.")

Second, I attended the B.Y.U. forum and listened to Cardinal Francis E. George, the President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is a very respected man, and it was an honor to have him at B.Y.U. Two of the L.D.S. apostles, Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder M. Russell Ballard, were in attendance, which made for an even better meeting. (Below is a picture of Elder M. Russell Ballard shaking Cardinal George's hand. *Picture courtesy of Deseret News)

According to The Deseret News, "Cardinal George praised the L.D.S. Church for its efforts alongside the Catholic Church to alleviate suffering of the poor, combat pornography, define marriage as the union of one and one woman, and protect the rights of the unborn."

These two experiences got me thinking about the importance of having a broad understanding of all (or at least many) religions. I think this is especially important for those members of the Mormon church, like me, who were born under the covenant and baptized at age eight. Through the study I have done of other religions, I have strengthened my testimony of the gospel of the L.D.S. church greatly. The more I learn, the more I feel my faith strengthened and renewed. So, I am going to do several posts (they may be sporadic) comparing and contrasting the L.D.S. (Mormon) church with other religions. Because of the previously mentioned experiences, I will begin with Catholicism (I just listed some of the main ones that I though of. This is by no means an exhaustive list.):

Similarities:

A belief in Jesus Christ: Both churches are founded on Jesus Christ. We both believe that Christ atoned for our sins.
A belief in God the Father: We both believe in Heavenly Father--that He created the Heavens and the Earth and all things that in them are. (However, as an L.D.S. church we recognize God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost as three separate entities while, from what I understand, Catholics do not.)
The Bible: We both study from the Old & New Testaments.
Marriage & Family: Both churches put a strong emphasis on the home and the family. Marriage should be between one man and one woman. Human life is sacred.

Differences:

Prayer: Both religions have a focus and belief in the power of prayer. However, Catholics practice prayers from the Bible and prayer books, while Mormons do not. Prayers in the LDS faith are not memorized or learned.
Baptism: In the LDS church, we believe in baptism by immersion for the remission of sins at the age of eight. In the Catholic church, babies are baptized by the sprinkling of water.
Pay for church leaders: No LDS church leaders receive monetary compensation for their service, Catholic leaders do.
The Book of Mormon & Modern Day Revelation: The Catholic church believes that the windows of Heaven are closed, while the LDS church believes we can receive modern revelation, both personally and through our church leaders.

*Disclaimer: I did my best to do my homework and post what I feel to be accurate conclusions, but if you feel I have made statements that are not accurate please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email (jordanlee1989@hotmail.com). I am interested in all thoughts and opinions. Thank you.

You Have Got to Be Kidding

2010-02-25T21:18:00.009-07:00

Your going to "read" this blog post! Thank's! It will be well worth you're time.

Notice a problem? (Or problems?) There are actually four grammatical errors in the sentences above. Mistakes that I see everywhere! Every time I get a text, read a billboard, or open a menu at a restaurant. Really people? You have got to be kidding.

I guess they're being sarcastic? They really won't tow your car?

If you can pretend to be authorized, then you're good to go!

Why are we using the possessive?

Here are a few simple rules to keep in mind:

Like the grammar lady says, your and you're are two different words. Your is used for possession. For example, I like your house. You're is a contraction--combining the words you and are. For example, I think you're the best.
As far as I know, there are only two times quotation marks should be used. First, when using dialogue/quoting someone: He said, "Are you going to the party." Second, for sarcasm or irony.
Words that end in s do not require an apostrophe. An apostrophe is used for possession. For example, Katie's house is beautiful.

P.S. In the future, don't be scared to text me or write me a comment. I'm really not that mean, and I don't care about grammar that much.

Crazy Cars

2010-02-25T00:08:00.009-07:00

Mandie and I go to the temple every Wednesday afternoon, and yesterday turned out to be more eventful than usual.

Parking at B.Y.U. is insane, so Mandie couldn't find a parking spot before work and had parked in an apartment complex parking lot and gotten a boot on her car. So I went and picked her up to go to the temple, thinking we would just get the boot off afterward.

When we were done at the temple and getting dressed I realized we had a problem: I had locked my keys in the car! I do this way too often. Seriously, I think I have all the warning signs for Alzheimer's. :) Not only were my keys locked in the car, so were Mandie's keys, both our phones, and our wallets. We were pretty much out of luck. A really sweet girl overheard us discussing our problem and offered to give us a ride. But where to? We didn't have keys to get into a car or apartment. To top it off, our hair was wet and the weather was wet and snowy. Also, I realized I had somehow managed to get one of those white temple scrunchies wedged in the bottom of the foot of my tights. I guess that's what happens when you're wet and really cold and trying to get dressed as fast as possible.

We ended up getting a ride to where Mandie's car was, then realizing that there wasn't really any reason for us to be there, and finally hitching a ride to Mandie's apartment, where we entertained ourselves by seeing how many times we could bounce a little bouncy ball from floor to ceiling with one throw. (I believe the record was six.) After about four hours of all this trying to solve our car troubles (no joke) my mom came to the rescue and brought us my spare keys--in just enough time to get the boot off Mandie's car so it wouldn't get towed.

Moral of the story: Parking at B.Y.U. is ridiculous, and Jordan needs to figure out how to keep her head square on her shoulders.

This picture is not from yesterday, but I think it sums up how we felt by the end of the day:

Lessons About Life

2010-02-21T22:18:00.019-07:00

I attended a fireside that my nana (Janet Lee Chamberlain) and grandpa (F. Wayne Chamberlain) spoke at tonight at B.Y.U. It was such a powerful meeting, and I just want to take a minute to record some of the messages I took away from the evening.

1. Life is not going to turn out like we plan. This can be a difficult lesson to learn for all of us, and especially for those of us who love to have a plan for everything (me!). I know it has been hard for me, particularly since I graduated from high school, because I feel like I am less in control of what happens in life. For example, I never planned on serving a mission. I'm scared silly, actually. But even though going on a mission wasn't my "plan," I am preparing to go forth and serve because I know it's what I'm supposed to be doing. My nana shared several personal stories illustrating this point.

First, she talked about her experience as a freshman at B.Y.U. She was lonely and miserable and felt even more distraught when she learned her family was moving from Texas to Mexico. It turns out, my grandpa (Rex Lee) was serving a mission in Mexico at the time, and she met him when she went to visit her family for Christmas. Although it wasn't love at first sight (she had a boyfriend at the time), they dated and got married when he returned from his mission and came to B.Y.U. You just never know what the Lord has planned for you.

She also shared an experience from later in life. She was on vacation in California, and she and her sister, Lois, were walking on the beach. They were feeling comfortable and happy, and my nana said, "You know, I think I've been through enough of life that I feel like I could handle just about any challenge that came along." Lois said, "I think I could to." They walked for a minute, and then Lois asked, "What do you think your hardest challenge would be?" Without hesitating, my nana replied, "Losing Rex would be the most difficult challenge for me." Lois said she thought losing a husband to death would be difficult, but losing one to divorce would be even harder for her. Fast forward from that walk on the beach to less than a year later, and my grandpa lay on a hospital bed in Maryland fighting for his life, and Lois and her husband were going through a divorce. You just never know what is going to happen next. You can't plan for life. But you can be prepared. You can strengthen yourself daily through prayer, scripture study, and temple attendance. You can do everything to align your life with the teachings of the Lord, so you know you have done your part. The Lord will take care of us if we do all we can do. This transitions to the next point.

2. Keep the commandments, do all you can do, and turn to the Lord in time of need. My nana recalled the first time she went on a rollarcoaster. She was scared. She examined the entire rollarcoaster, looking for a reason not to get on. She told her dad she didn't want to ride it. Grandfather told her it would be alright. "Just buckle your seatbelt, follow all the rules, and lean on me if you get scared," he said. It is the same in life. All we need to do is read our scriptures, attend the temple regularly, attend our church meetings, keep the word of wisdom, honor our parents, etc. And then lean on the Lord when we get scared. Or feel alone. Or sad. Or confused. He is always there in our hour of need.

3. Pick another crayon. My last point comes from a story about my aunt Stephanie. Shortly before Stephanie entered kindergarten, she and the other upcoming kindergartners were asked to come to the school to "play games" (be observed and evaluated). Nana dressed Stephanie up, did her hair, and took her to the school--proud that she could write not only her name, but all the names of everyone in the family. The parents had to wait outside, so Nana watched through the window as the teacher approached Stephanie. There were several crayons on the table, and the teacher said, "Stephanie, pick your favorite color and write your name on the paper." Stephanie didn't move. The teacher tried again, but still, Stephanie just stood there. When the "play time" was over and Nana and Stephanie were on their way home, Nana asked Stephanie why she hadn't written her name. "They didn't have a pink crayon," she replied simply. "They asked me to choose my favorite color." And so it is in life. Our favorite color crayon isn't always an option. Sometimes we have to make do with blue or green or yellow, even if we'd rather have pink. But I know that we will always have the colors that we need. The Lord has a plan for each one of us. All we have to do is keep the commandments and trust in Him, and all will be well. I know that is true.

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to attend this fireside. I went simply to support my nana, but I ended up getting so much out of it. I feel uplifted and strengthened. I know the church is true. I know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is His son who atoned for our suffering and sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that by reading it regularly and abiding by its teachings we will come closer to Heavenly Father and life will be easier and better for us. I have a testimony of the power of temples. I know that through the temple we can be sealed as families for time and all eternity. I also know that temples are sacred houses of the Lord and that the Spirit is more powerful there than anywhere else on the earth. I am grateful for my Savior and all He did for me, and each one of us.

I love this gospel with all my heart. It shapes my life. It makes me who I am. I would be no where without it. I am also so grateful for my wonderful extended family. I shared experiences from my nana's life, but each one of my grandparents have truly remarkable lives that I have learned so much from. I could write a novel about each one of them--maybe someday I will. All I know is that I have a lot to live up to. I am grateful for the examples of my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins--I love and admire each one of them so much.

All Dolled Up

2010-02-21T16:21:00.037-07:00

My parents went to Arizona this past week to get some sun and visit family and friends. I was the mom from Wednesday to Saturday, and we had a great time. On Friday, Tara and Danny both invited a friend over after school. Tara decided that she and Savannah wanted to have me do their hair and makeup and take pictures. We put huge false eye lashes on them and did some fancy hairdos.

Tara requested these two poses (Too bad there's not a video of Savannah and me laughing at her):

This one's candid. I'm not sure why she was telling her to be quiet, but I think it's funny:

I cooked chili for dinner, and it turned out great. (Click the link for the recipe.)

P.S. I chopped my hair!

(The back's really short, and I'm kind of scared of it. It was a really quick/crazy decision. I just decided that hair always grows and now's a good of time as any. It's a fun change and takes me about 1/4 of the time it used to take me to blow-dry my hair.)

New Hairdo?

2010-02-19T13:46:00.004-07:00

I have this funny habit of chopping my hair off about every four years. I chopped it in 8th grade. I chopped it my junior year of high school. And now I'm getting that itch again. The thing is, I don't really like my hair short. I think it probably looks better long. But it's always fun to have a change. And maybe short would be cute this time? I don't know. I probably shouldn't cut it . . . but I want to! So, how about a vote. The options are the following:

1. Leave it as is.

2. Chop it short. (I probably wouldn't have bangs.)

3. Something else. (Any suggestions?)

Mission Update

2010-02-18T18:23:00.009-07:00

I have officially started working on my papers, and everything's going really well. In about a month I'll start making doctors and dentists appointments, but for now I am mostly just working on spiritual preparation. I bought a copy of Preach My Gospel and have added that to my daily scripture study. I also want to try to read Jesus the Christ before I leave. Any suggestions for further study material (from those that have served missions or not) are welcome! It will definitely be a little easier to dedicate more time to reading when I'm done with school for the summer. I will finish up my papers in April and probably get my call sometime around then. I turn 21 on July 20th, so I won't be leaving before then. I'm guessing it will probably be August sometime. We'll see! Well, here are some things I have been thinking about:

Missionary Attire:
I don't want to be a frumpy missionary. Honestly, I don't think I've ever worn a skirt as long as the ones I'm going to have to wear. They have to be mid-calf length and not peasant style. The tops can't be t-shirts or polo style shirts, so probably just like button-up shirts? I don't really know. I'm scared to go into Missionary Mall and try on clothes because I just feel like I'm going to look so goofy. I am going to laugh, I'm sure. I know a missionary isn't supposed to worry so much about appearance, but I like clothes. I really, really like clothes. I'm going to have a hard time with this. Any suggestions of cute outfits that fit the above guidelines? Please, please, please!

Things I'm Really Going to Miss (In no particular order, except for #1):
1. Of course, all the people I love so much.
2. Shopping. I love shopping. Even if I don't buy anything I just love going shopping and looking around. I'm going to miss it!
3. Running errands with my mom. My mom and I spend a lot of time together. I have been her shadow for the past twenty-one years, and it will be a big change to not see her every day.
4. Snowboarding in the winter.
5. Wakeboarding and boating with my family in the summer.
6. Painting my sister's nails and doing her hair.
7. Watching Friends with Ben.
8. Going to my brother's basketball and football games.
8. I can't keep going or I'm going to get sad.

Things I'm Not Going to Miss All That Much:
1. School. I am so excited to have a break from school. This year is my fifteenth consequitive year of school (not counting pre-school or kindergarten). I love school, but I'm ready to take a break.
2. Thinking or worrying about money.
3. Having my life going in all different directions and trying to balance my time.

Things I'm Really Excited About:
1. Focusing only on the gospel and serving others.
2. Possibly learning a foreign language.
3. Traveling outside of Utah (and possibly the U.S.).
4. Making lots of new friends.
5. Most importantly, helping others learn of the truth and see the joy that the fullness of the gospel can bring to families.
6. Serving a mission at the same time as Jake (and my cousin Alex).

P.S. Jake's papers are in, and he will be getting his call in the next couple of weeks! Any guesses?

I had a dream a few nights ago that he got a call to Boston, Massachusetts, Spanish speaking. He wasn't happy about it in the dream. He's hoping for Mexico, like my grandpa and dad. We'll see!

February Birthdays

2010-02-16T22:41:00.005-07:00

This is my last birthday post, at least for a while. I posted for every month of the year, so I figure I've given a shout-out to all my loved ones once.

Happy birthday to my wonderful family and friends born in February! I love you!

*Please let me know if I forgot anyone. I always seem to forget someone. :)

{Jacob Wimmer}

My cute cousin Jacob's birthday was on the 4th of February. He turned nine. Jacob is the oldest in his family and is such a good example to his younger brothers and sister. He is also a wonderful cousin to my brother Danny.

{Grandma Leah}

My great-grandma Leah Johnson's birthday was on February 14th. She turned 97! She lives in her own home and never misses writing a card to all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren on their birthdays. She is AMAZING!

{Brett Wimmer}
My uncle Brett's birthday was also on Valentine's Day. Brett has always been such a good, fun uncle. When I was little and he and Melissa lived in Utah we used to play football in the backyard almost every Sunday after dinner. Brett, Chels, and I were always on a team and our mantis-D never failed. Happy Birthday Brett!

{Diana Allred}

My aunt Diana has a very special place in my heart. When my family was living in Virginia I decided I wanted to come home early so that I could try out for cheer. I moved back to Utah in January and lived with the Allreds until May. It was hard and a little scary for me. I had never been away from my family that long. But Diana, and all of the Allreds, made me feel so loved and at home. I road around and ran errands for Ashley's upcoming wedding with Diana and just chatted and had a great time whenever I was with her. I love Diana because she is a very understanding person and always makes me feel my very best. She is complimentary and kind. I love Diana. Happy Birthday on the 21st.

{Kendal Stopher}My cousin Kendal's birthday is also on the 21st. Kendal is such a beautiful girl. She always has a smile on her face and has the most contagious laugh. I love being around Kendal. Happy Birthday!

{Colin Allred}

My cute cousin Colin's birthday is on the 27th of February. Colin is such a funny boy and so fun to be around. Colin, Josh, Wyatt (Colin's older brother), and Ben hangout together lots, so I get to see Colin quite a bit, and he's always happy and fun. Happy Birthday!

{Grandpa Lee}

My grandpa Lee's birthday is also on the 27th of February. I think he would be 75 this year if I am doing the math right. I am so grateful for the memories of him that I have and for the remarkable life he lived. I love you Grandpa, Happy Birthday.

To Grandmother's House We Go

2010-02-16T19:24:00.008-07:00

Tara and I got to fly to Boise for the long weekend to spend time with our grandparents and see cute little Charlie. It started out with a surprise. Tara didn't know anything about the trip, and I had so much fun surprising her. I picked her up from school, and she said, "Why are you here?" I told her that we were flying to Boise, and she asked me if I was kidding. She was so excited when she realized I wasn't teasing her. My mom took us to the airport, and we got there in plenty of time to hang out, talk, and wait for our flight. In fact, we had lots of time to hang out, talk, and wait because we got to fly back and forth from Salt Lake to Boise twice. Apparently, there was something wrong with the computer on the plane that wouldn't allow us to land in Boise. They couldn't override it, so we had to fly back to SLC to land. We were disappointed, but we switched planes and made it to Boise later than expected but in one piece. My grandma and grandpa were such good sports to wait at the airport while all of this was going on. When we finally landed in Boise Tara was so excited. She went running full-speed when she saw Grandma and Grandpa waiting in the lobby at the airport. When we got back to Grandma and Grandpa's house we were wiped out from our flying adventures, so we just hung out and watched Project Runway.

Tara popped out of bed at 7:00 when she heard Kristi come to the door with Charlie. He is a cutie and such a good baby. We couldn't get enough of him. We got to hang out with Charlie all day on Friday. We fed him, bathed him, rocked him, and made him laugh. Tara was very possessive of "her" little baby, but I got a chance to play with him too :) It was so fun. There's nothing better than holding a sweet little baby or making him laugh.

Saturday, we went shopping and to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Diet Coke with lemon, BBQ chicken salad, and dulce de leche cheesecake, and Tara and I were happy girls.We found some cute things to wear on our cruise in April, even though it meant dealing with a nutty Russian saleslady in the swimsuit store who stuck her hands down our suits to see if they fit well. Saturday night we watched the opening cerimonies, which I really enjoyed. The Olympics are so much fun to watch. It's so cool that we have an event that brings the whole world together every two years. And the athletes are so impressive.

Sunday we went to church and then spent the day with Grandma, Grandpa, Tim, Kristi, Greg, Charlie, and Grandma Leah. Grandma Leah's birthday is on Valentine's day. She turned 97, and she is such an inspiration, not to mention hilarious. I hope all my relatives live as long as she has. I love old people. I just think there is so much to learn from them--they're so interesting to talk to.

Monday morning, Tara, Grandma, and I went and got pedicures. It felt so good. Something about having your toes all pretty just makes you feel so good. It was fun. Afterwards, we went home and said goodbye to everyone before heading to the airport. It was a short trip, but a really good one. I told my grandma on the way to the airport that it's funny how after being away for only a couple of days I get so excited to see everyone at home. A quick little get-away is always such a good way to recharge, especially a get-away to my grandparent's house. They always make me feel so happy and loved. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for such a great trip! We miss everyone already! (Tara was teary-eyed when we left. I remember feeling like that when I was little. It's just so hard to leave Grandma's house!) I loved getting to spend time with Tara. She's the best sister. She makes me laugh so hard, and we always have the best time together. I'm grateful I got my sister after lots of years of waiting--she was worth the wait!

Guilty Pleasures

2010-02-10T14:35:00.002-07:00

1. Playing Tetris on my ipod. You know you've played Tetris during class all day when: You have visions of floating Tetris pieces in your mind as you walk from class to class. You text your brother to ask him what his high score is. You text him again to tell him you beat his high score. Your only memory of your literature class is something to do with Brooklyn, milieu, and a tree motif.

2. The Bachelor. This is the first season of The Bachelor I've watched, and I'm ashamed to say I'm hooked. I find myself looking forward to Mondays because I get to see what happens next. I have to say that I am so sick of Vienna. She has crazy eyes, a crazy personality, and she just needs to go home. I think Tennley and Jake seem like the best match.

3. Skipping school and going to Idaho! I'm going on Thursday for the long weekend, and I'm SO excited!

Shayly Terris...Levesque!

2010-02-09T17:52:00.006-07:00

One of my best friends recently got engaged! I've been meaning to post about it for a while. Shayly Terris is marrying Eric Levesque! I'm so excited for them! Shayly definitely deserves the best, so I hope Eric will measure up. Shayly is my first close friend to get married, and I don't know if I'm ready for it. But I'm so proud of her for making this big step in her life and being worthy to be married in the temple. Shayly and I have been friends since fifth grade, and we've supported each other through a lot, including a back surgery and a move across the country. She's always been there for me, and I've missed her while she's been at school at Utah State. She will be such a beautiful bride. Congratulations Shay! I love you.

My Room

2010-02-07T21:06:00.009-07:00

I love my room. So much. Because I was sixteen when we moved into this house, I got to help a lot with the choices and the layout of my room. It's been a great place to live the past five years. But now I must grow up, and although I will probably live at home for a bit after I get back from my mission, I will have one of the basement bedrooms so that the four remaining kids at home can have their own rooms. I'm not sure who is going to have my room, but I sure hope they appreciate it. It's a great room.

I spent several hours on Saturday totally organizing and cleaning my room. First, I organized my closet completely. I bought some plastic storage bins to put my off-season clothes in and boxed up a lot of my stuff. I also store a lot of other stuff in my closet like books, files, magazines, and games, so I organized that too. Next, I moved on to my bathroom. I went through all the drawers and organized all the hair stuff, makeup, and other bathroom things. Finally, I tackled my dresser, going through all the clothes and getting rid of quite a bit. (I took a huge load to Plato's Closet and D.I.) It feels so good to have my room really deep clean and organized. I love organizing. It feels so good to make something cluttered and messy look clean and organized.

Getting my room all spiffed up got me thinking that I should take pictures to document the room I love so much since I'm not going to have it much longer. Here is my room, along with description of some of the things that are special to me:

My Closet

My Bathroom

My Bedroom

The beautiful curtains my mom made. Notice the cute matching seat cushion.

My fun magnet board that my grandma got me. I love pictures.

My dresser with the fun silver knobs we got at Target. Also, the plaque I made in young women years ago and the frame with pictures of all my school years.

On the left is the jewelry box my nana gave me for high school graduation. On the right are some of the precious moments that my grandma has helped me collect over the years.

From left to right: the jewelry box my mom and dad got me in Europe, the jewelry box my aunt Kristi gave me for Christmas years ago, a candle from my mom, the clock from the B.Y.U. essay contest I won, and a silver horse that says "Jordan" on it that my grandpa Rex got for me in Amman, Jordan.

The chair from my grandparents house that goes so well in my room. I love to read here.

A view of the beautiful ceiling and bay window in my room.

The dress that both myself and my mom were blessed in. Her grandma made it.

Pictures of my baby sister and me.

My little scripture study area. It's not a desk, but it works.

My Dear Old Friend

2010-02-03T22:45:00.009-07:00

This post is dedicated to my dear old friend, Mandie Jane Maughan. Haha, I like saying "dear old friend." It makes me feel like an old lady. Mandie and I have been friends since we were eight years old. We've had our ups and downs, like all good friends do, but I know that Mandie is always there for me, no matter what. Even if I haven't seen her for a long time, we get together and it's just back to the same old friendship, minus the dancing to Phantom of the Opera in her living room and singing "Macho Man" when we ice skate--most of the time anyway.

Today we had the chance to go to the temple together and do some of the family names that her cute grandma had. It was so good sitting and talking through some of the things that are going on in our lives. I just love Mandie so much and am so grateful to have her as a friend. Good friends just make life happier and easier.

Joy

2010-02-03T14:53:00.003-07:00

I have had a really spiritually uplifting couple of weeks, and I just feel so high on life. This is kind of a corny post, but it's how I feel, so I'm writing it down.

I'm so excited for the rest of my life. I'm excited to go through the temple. I'm excited to serve a mission. I'm excited to finish my education. I'm excited to get married. I'm excited to have children. I'm excited to accept future callings and serve in the Church. I'm just excited to keep living life and see where it takes me.

If you're having a yucky day, or month, or year, or whatever, and you read this and think, oh brother, she's annoying, know that I have been there. And I'm sure I'll be there again, as we all are at times. But I feel so full of joy and peace right now. Everything I do seems happy and fun because I feel a sense of purpose in life and I know of Heavenly Father's love for me. I feel close to my Heavenly Father and my Savior, closer than I ever have. I can't even express how much joy that brings me. Heavenly Father loves us all so much, and He wants us to be so happy. If we can all just keep that in mind during the hard times, it will get us through.

A couple of days ago, I was reading an article that talked about a woman that holds what she calls a "Morning Sacred Grove." First thing when she wakes up in the morning, she goes to the desk in her bedroom and spends thirty minutes studying scriptures, writing in her journal, pondering, and praying. She plays instrumental hymn music and lights a candle to really make it a special experience that she looks forward to and that uplifts her and gives her strength before she goes throughout her busy day with small children.

What a good idea! I have almost always read my scriptures at night, right before I go to sleep. This is problematic for several reasons: First, I'm often really tired and don't focus as much on what I'm reading as I should. Second, on nights when I stay out late sometimes I forget. And third, reading at night means I don't have the strength and power the scriptures bring with me throughout the day the way I would if I read them in the morning.

I decided I am going to follow that woman's example and start having my own "Morning Sacred Grove" (maybe not with a candle and all that, but the same basic idea). I want to start doing this now, so that it becomes a habit and something that I cherish for the rest of my life. I know that if I set time apart in the morning for study, pondering, and prayer, it will bless me throughout the day and throughout my life.