Thursday, November 25, 2010

Grateful


As many of you know I am "waiting" for a missionary. IT has been weird going back and looking at pictures of Jordan. It's hard to remember actually being with him, not just looking at pictures. It's hard to remember the way it felt when he held me and made me feel better.
I remember after working at Badger Creek and after the three weeks I spent at home with no contact with these 21 new best friends. I remember seeing one of them for the first time and saying "It Was real". I imagine the day that I see Jordan and hear his voice I will be flooded with similar, yet much more powerful emotions. But now, for 6 more months I am stuck in limbo trying to remember how we felt and imagine what the future will hold. As much as I still love Jordan and hope everything works out, I cannot deny the worry. That tiny voice of doubt I hear each time I look to the future or hear of others couples that didn't work out. Will he still love me? Will I be the person he wants to spend eternity with? Will he continue to hold the undeniable love that I have for all that he is?
I would like to think that things will go as I have wished and hoped for for the past year and a half. yet, no matter what happens i am grateful to have been a part of Jordan's life, to see what a truly great man is made of. I am grateful tor the growth and learning that I have and the person he has inspired me to be.
It has been an interesting experience being made whole by one person in such a short amount of time. Now that he is away, it feels like part of me is away, the part I liked the most, like I am holding my breath in anticipation. the pain is real, yet bearable, knowing that in just 6 months time I will be able to breathe it all out and take that much needed deep breath.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thankful: A great life!


I am home for thanksgiving and I have been able to go through old pictures on our computer. Not to make anyone jealous, but I had the best high school experience ever!
It was all because of my amazing friends and crazy family!
My family and I going on an adventure through Zion's National Park!

My favorite Brother!!
Getting it arrested! :)
Posted by Picasa
April and I at Danielle's wedding

Brother-in-law Mike and Jake!
TERONDA
Sleep

Tackling skylar for the frisbee
Skylar racing
Posted by Picasa
Ashley and I... We may be standing on a toilet..
Me and Skylar racing... He won dangit!
Best friends

Posted by Picasa
Minnie minyoung
Yes.. we are swimming in the back of trucks.. during school

My best friend Jourdan
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, November 7, 2010

obsession..









If you know me at all you know that I love rock climbing. My best friend in high school, Weston (who gets off his mission Dec. 8), would always invite me to go but I was afraid of heights and honestly, did not want to look stupid. After he kept bugging me to go over and over, I finally gave in and went. I was so scared while I was on the wall. I did not trust the rope to hold me, I didn't trust my belayer, and I did not trust myself. Weston was so good and kept encouraging me to keep going just a little further. When my feet were safely back on the ground, I realized that I loved it and I wanted to get back up and do it again.
Slowly but surely I began to trust the equipment and my belayer. It is an amazing feeling to put your life in someone else's hands. i began to go a lot. I eventually got my own rock climbing gear, although I didn't use it much at first. I was really big into bouldering since you didn't go very high off the ground and fell onto a nice squishy pad.
Fast forward to my freshman year of college here at BYU-I. I didn't know anyone going to school, but wanted to continue rock climbing... So at the first stake activity I found some people who climbed and went with them. Rock climbing has introduced me to so many amazing people. It has become somewhat of an obsession for me while I am at school. There is nothing like being scared (legitimately, not like scary spider scared, but like I am going to die scared) and having to push that to the back of your mind and regain control over your body, and push yourself to make the next move. I am so grateful to Weston for forcing me to go with him all those years ago, and to every person who is willing to go with me, or even talk about rock climbing. I do have something embarrassing to admit... whenever I go climbing, think about climbing, or watch climbing, my hands start to sweat uncontrollably. It is a problem but don't judge:)

Friday, October 15, 2010

Some adventures this semester!

This semester has been really busy. It seems that every week is so different. One week I will be trying to come up with things to keep me busy, reading everyone's blogs, magazine's and going rock climbing. Other weeks I am so busy that I am going to bed late and waking up super early just to get everything done. I have cried (if you can believe it!) more than once. I am trying to figure out what I am doing with my major and where I am going to be living next semester. I am already ready for this semester to be over. Next semester too!:) 223 days left!

Even with all the stress, I still have been having such a blast this semester!


I ran the temple to temple relay with some of the Badger staff from this summer!

I was able to hike table rock for the second time!
I am going to start making it a tradition for every fall!


I went up and visited badger creek. It is amazing how much I love
that place and how much it has become a part of me.


I went down to Utah for general conference and
was able to see some old friends!


I sent down to Utah again for my Uncle Sean's wedding!
My mom and I got to ride in my Aunt's convertible.



And we finally got a family picture taken. The first one since
I was 12
where we aren't wearing motorcycle t-shirts.


This semester, more than any other I have really enjoyed going home and seeing my family. I am loving everything and getting things figured out! We will see where life takes me!:)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Summer adventures

I was told it would change my life. I was a sceptic, how could one summer change my life?
Boy, they were right.
I worked up at Badger Creek in Tetonia, Idaho. The job is a summer camp for LDS youth called OYA(outdoor youth adventures). Me and about 21 other people were in charge of taking kids through the ropes courses, horses, trek, relays, and general all around entertainment all the while teaching the gospel.


I was known as the crazy loud councilor, who only wore thrift store clothing, and often broke into an Australian accents.
The kids were the most amazing part. They all have amazing testimonies and would often teach me as much, if not more than I was trying to teach them. I made some really good friends, both fellow staff and kidlets in my groups.

Some highlights:
With one of my groups we wanted to play night games, but none of the other teams were ready. We decided to smear ash all over ourfaces and raid the other camps. We snuck up on them and sang Oh-A LayLay. Some groups joined in, others thought we were crazy!
The kidlets slept in their tents or teepees, but the councilors slept under the handcarts, or under the stars. Many a thunderstorm soaked our things, but it was always a fun adventure.


Right before my first OYA group arrived, Annalyse told me I should pretend to be from Australia. So I introduced myself from Manly, Australia. I was only going to do it until someone called me out on it, three days later and I was sick of talking in an accent. So during lunch I got up to make an anouncement. "I am not really from Australia(said in an accent), I am from Bosie Idaho(not in an accent)". Silence. Everyone was shocked and thought I was lying. It took the help of the other councilors to convince everyone. My group was a little upset at me, but they came around and they thought it was funny.





I had riden on a horse maybe ten times in my life. Mostly on the back of people, or being lead around. Part of the job was learning to work with horses; saddling, picking hooves, brushing, rounding up. This was one of those things in my life where I didn't know how I had gotten along without it. The first time we went riding I chose to ride Painted Lady, not because she was pretty like most girls would, but because she was tall and looked fast. We bonded. I chose her everytime I went on a staff ride. I caught on to riding pretty quick. Got the trot down, and was ready to run. I rode as often as I could. Jake and I would always go out and race the horses. It is amazing having a living breathing thing under you. I love feeling the muscles move as you go. I even learned how to ride bareback and got into a trot. I almost fell off when Lady trotted around a corner. Oh how i miss my Painted Lady.



The weekends were some of the funnest. Living with 21 of your best friends, there is always something to do. One weekend we wanted to go to Pack saddle lake. We went with some boys in our single's branch because they had a truck. They were also cool, so we weren't using them.:) Well they showed up with a motorcycle in the back of his truck. Five of us piled in the back with it. We went on the road of death. I was sure the truck was going to roll over or roll back down the hill. The truck dropped and the motorcycle landed on Micah's legs. We stopped and got it off her and checked her out. Meanwhile Erica is like " I like I cut myself and I think it's bad." She lifted up her pant leg, and lets just say ended up at the hospital with 14 stitches in her knee. I ended up riding the motorcycle in with mens size 11 boots, and my short overalls with a tie-dye shirt on. Can you say hick?!





Another weekend we made a giant slip n' slide. It was about 100ft long. We put on spandex pants and got ourselves all soapy. It was sweet! We ended with an aerobics class by the pond in our spandex outfits!











There are so many stories I could go on for days.
Badger Creek taught me so much about leadership and teaching. Valuable lessons that I will remember my whole life.

Remeber, You are a child of God!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

:)

I love when I go on runs and this is the view...


I love going bouldering and carrying my enormously huge pad..

I love this apron I made for Jordan, even though it took all day..