The Engagement

I know, I know...it's a month late but here is the complete story.

I knew the proposal was coming because we picked my ring together on a Saturday. The following Sunday or Monday I had a very strange dream. It went like this: Doug and I were together and out of nowhere he said, "We have to go to the Wendy's cookie room!" and I said "Okay..." So we went inside this back room and there were cookies strewn everywhere, on the floors, shelves, table, etc. There were also about 40 ring boxes spread throughout the room. He said, "You have to find your ring." So I started opening boxes and they were empty. After opening three I looked at him and said, "Knowing my luck, you would have had it in your pocket the whole time." He shrugged and had an expression on his face like yeah, you got me, and got down on his knee. He didn't say anything and pulled out the ring box and opened it and I saw some red on the ring and thought, that's not my ring!!!! I put it on and realized it was his stretchy silicone CTR ring he wears all the time in real life.

End dream..back to real life. I always tell him my crazy dreams and I told him this one of course since it was also realllly funny. Wednesday I went up to visit him and we ate dinner and sat around for awhile. He went to the bathroom and I heard him come out and then he didn't come back for a couple minutes. He came back with a jacket on and asked me if I wanted to go for a walk. We started walking and it was a freezing, windy night. As we got closer to the temple my hands were getting close to numb til we figured out we could pull his sleeve over our hands. We walked on the temple grounds and up in front of the baptistry doors. He held me for a long time and his heart was beating sooo crazy fast and hard. Finally he grabbed my arms to push me back a little. He got on one knee and said really fast, "Will you marry me?" Then opened the ring box and inside was his stretchy red CTR ring. I said "Yes!" and started laughing and he said, "Just kidding, I have the real one in my pocket." and pulled out my ring.

I love him.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Let me just preface this by saying I am not a feminist. I LOVE when men hold doors open for me. I LOVE shaving my legs. Sometimes men just irritate me to death though with the things they come up with.

In Institute one night we were talking about how mothers should stay home to care for the children, etc. A guy raised his hand and said, "Yeah, and having women in the workplace increases the chance of infidelity." EXCUSE ME?!?! If a man is going to be unloyal he is going to be unloyal whether there are pretty women in his workplace or not. If he is not a loyal person he will find an opportunity to satisfy his desires whether he is in an all male work environment or not. Using his same reasoning, having men in the workplace increases their chance of becoming gay! Honestly people?? I was fuuuming.

Another time I was talking to a couple guys I know. One of them is extremely bitter about women/dating/marriage. He talked about how no girls are willing to commit. I mentioned in the conversation how it's sad that some girls in college now think they don't need a man in their life and just want their career. Later in the conversation he said, "Oh, and I have figured out I can't date college girls." Someone asked why and he said, "Because all they want is THEIR career and they think they don't need a man." (Okay so I know I had said that earlier, but the difference is he said he couldn't date college girls..) EXCUSE ME?!?! I immediately fired back, "I want a family, and I'm in college and I want a career! I don't want to be an uneducated mom!" He looked super shocked and just said, "Oh..." Good luck marrying a girl who hasn't gone to college, buddy. What happens when you have a kid come home with math homework and she can't help them with it and you're at work? What happens if you ever get really sick or become disabled and she doesn't have a single viable job skill? I mean honestly what does he want? Perhaps a fresh out of high school, naive 18 year old to be a baby factory. Or maybe even an older girl who never had the motivation to attend any college or obtain any kind of certificate, who has been working random jobs since she graduated. I mean really, good luck with that.

I was pretty outraged with both of these situations. I know plenty, PLENTY of girls in college, and also plenty out of college with careers, that want a family. That would give anything to find Mr. Right so they could FINALLY start the family they've been wanting for years. So please men, don't attribute a woman's career to not wanting a family. You would be disrespecting these girls that are doing what the prophet said by getting an education. And the women out of college that already have their respectable careers are being patient and waiting for the right man to come along, so please respect that.

12 hours of adventures

I surprised Doug with tickets to see Allred, Jason Reeves, and Yellowcard. The day of the concert he drove down and picked me up on campus and we started our day of adventures.

Adventure #1: Dried Squid.
We stopped at a rest stop and on the way to the bathrooms Doug spotted a Korean family. He started talking to them in Korean and they stood there and chatted away. I was in awe that they were cooking a full blown meal on a picnic table... Literally, with mini stove things, cutting boards, knives, you name it. Doug told me they invited us to stay for lunch but it would be an hour and we didn't have that much time. They opened a bag of dried squid and offered us each a piece. I thought sure why not and tried it. It was like a little piece of jerky that looked like it had scales and was clearish. The first bite was good! So I ripped off another piece and started chewing it up. Then it hit. It was seriously one of the WORST things I have ever tasted! I gag and wretch really easily anyway but with this...wow! You don't even know how hard it was to keep it in my mouth and keep chewing it so I wouldn't insult them! I had to keep it in my mouth and keep chewing it til they said goodbye and we were out of sight for me to spit it all out. Icky!

Adventure #2: Fall colors!
I hadn't even thought about it, but the colors in this canyon were GORGEOUS! All the hillsides were covered in orange and red trees.


Adventure #3: Slightly shady Korean restaurant.
Before our trip I looked up and found a Korean restaurant there. Doug hasn't eaten it in a long time and he's been wanting me to try it too. We went and only a couple things sounded even slightly appetizing so he helped me narrow it down to curry. It came out smelling amazing and bearing a shocking resemblance to vomit.
It was absolutely delicious! It was very spicy but I loved it too much to mind the fire in my mouth. It got worse after I tried the kim chi though, that almost made my eyes water over. Doug and his friend that met us there were really entertained.

Adventure #4: Concert.
The concert was one of my favorites that I've ever been to! It was by far the loudest and the ear that faced away from the speakers that I didn't plug, rang for 3 days and scared me to death.

Yay for Yellowcard Unplugged! Allred and Jason Reeves were amazing too but my camera was being ridiculous so we don't have any pictures of them.

We had other adventures on the way home like almost getting in a wreck (literally we missed it by inches, maybe less) and others. What a fun day it was!

Dear college textbook publishers,

To quote the movie Little Rascals, "I hate your guts...you are the scuuuum between my toes!"

There is something wrong with this picture.

Anatomy and Physiology package: $273
Spanish textbook (paper back, slightly larger than a normal novel): $92
Spanish novel (I saved ten dollars because I thought to order it through Barnes and Noble): $9
Statistics textbook: $137
Medical Terminology textbook: $73
Literature textbook: $65
Anthropology book 1: $22
Anthropology book 2: $18
Anthropology book 3: $20
Anthropology book 4 (the only textbook I could get used this semester): $18
(Yes, there were FOUR required books for anthropology, for crying out loud!)

Going to college: totally not priceless!

Before taxes: $727.
After taxes: $771 for required textbooks alone, that's not including some of the optional things I bought.

I bought my spanish textbook by itself one day and it made me feel slightly better and slightly worse that the cashier gasped when she told me my 92 dollar total for the stupid novel sized paperback textbook.

I hate textbook publishers almost as much as oil companies.

One of those weeks.

I give up on life this week! I feel like my brain fell out somewhere and I'm trying to crawl along without it. Here are some of the highlights of my week.

Monday I almost lit the kitchen on fire for my very first time. Out of habit I lit the front burner of the stove when I really meant to light the back one. I was doing other stuff in the kitchen thinking those popping and sizzling noises were the water coming to a boil. Then I saw smoke from the front burner. I had put a bag of vegetables partially on the front burner...the one I lit.

Wednesday I walked into a bakery and bought two loaves of bread. I paid and carefully put my change back in my wallet and walked out of the store. I was about halfway to my truck when they came out chasing me with my bread that I had left right on the counter.

Today I think beats them all. You know there's a certain time of month when a woman just NEEDS what she wants to eat... Well I was looking through my recipes and found my favorite cookie recipe that I haven't made in ages because they take forever to make. Well they sounded really good so I decided to make them. I had about half the ingredients mixed and went to grab the baking soda and the box was gone. I couldn't find it. So I grabbed a bucket to stand on and went digging around the very tip top shelf and voila there was a tiny unopened box. I made my cookies and when the first batch came out I ate one hot. Yum. Then I ate another one and it tasted a little weird so of course I had to try another. The third one actually burned my mouth, and not from temperature. Then I had a memory of putting the baking soda in and thinking that looked like a lot. I looked at my measuring spoons and sure enough, the TABLESPOON had remnants of white dust on it, INSTEAD OF THE TEASPOON. I apparently put in four tablespoons, instead of four teaspoons. ARGHGHGHGH. I tried to salvage the rest of the dough by adding more of a couple things, but when I baked it it didn't look right and when I tasted it I got so mad I threw everything away. So I was happy I had put dinner in the crock pot a few hours earlier and I knew it was going to be good, so I went to get it to serve it AND....(drumroll)....I had unplugged the crock pot to plug in the mixer for the cookies and never plugged the crock pot in. My eyes honestly filled with tears and if someone hadn't have been standing with me, I would have burst right into tears. So here I sit, waiting for my stupid dinner to rewarm in the crock pot. (And yes, I did remember to plug it back in this time.)

If you need a laugh

If you need a laugh, keep reading.

Colleges are places with lots of people. When you have so many people, you're bound to run in to every type. I just had the fortune of running into what I would say in a very sarcastic voice are "high, high class" people.

The very first session of Statistics (Monday) ended with a guy arguing with the professor about an answer for around 10 minutes. It was the kind of question that gave two possible answers and we had to decide which was correct. Wednesday (today) the professor started off class by telling us that the answer that had been argued over was both of the answers and explained why. The boy, meanwhile, was playing on his laptop and I'm sure didn't hear a word she said. Funny how that works!

My next and favorite experiences were in my literature class. Right before class started a girl came and sat in the desk in front of me. I noticed how big her hair was, it looked a little thick but she didn't manage it right. Instead of doing something to try and tame it down even a little bit, how she had it made it come out almost to the sides of her shoulders. It was like looking at a hairy upside down V. Here is the clincher... the professor walked and stood in front of our row and I literally could not see any trace of him. He totally and completely disappeared behind her hair. It was extremely difficult to hold in the giggles.
Meanwhile, diagonal to me, was a black guy wearing a dew rag and his sunglasses. He kept sticking his lips out which was pretty funny in itself. The killer was when he turned to look around the class (facing right in my direction) and had his lips stuck out all the way to his nose. And he wasn't trying to be funny! I really think he thought it was hot!! I was trying sooo hard not to burst out laughing. And as if that wasn't enough, when he turned back around, he proceeded to stroke his lips. Not in the side to side way which is somewhat normal but UP and DOWN. While they were still stuck out. The effort of not laughing was making my whole body tingle.

Just over an hour and a half later I headed to anatomy and physiology lab. I had an advantage since I was one of the only ones who had already had lecture..but still this is funny. The TA went over tissue types and then we were looking at slides of them. I had a microscope to myself and an older woman came over and had muttered something about not being able to find anything and asked me if I had found anything. (That immediately hit me that she probably didn't have a clue how to use a microscope since these were GOOD slides. And at the beginning of class the TA had asked if anyone didn't know how to use one and no one raised their hands...) Anyways. I told her yes and she asked me if she could look, so I let her. Here is the conversation. Excuse my little notes on it, but you really have to know how her voice was to get complete enjoyment out of what she said.

Her, in an utterly and completely dumbfounded voice- "What is that?!"
Me (wondering why she didn't just look at the sticker on the slide)- "Adipose."
Her- "Where is that found??"
Me- "Fat."
Her (absolutely gushing)- "Oh my gosh you are sooooo smart!!!!!! You know sooooo much!!!"
Me- "Well I should be, I've had this stuff over and over again."
Her (in a voice that said, I shouldn't have assumed you were smart since you apparently you have to take this class over again)- "Oh, have you taken this before?"
Me- "No. I took a high school anat and phys class that was taught at a college level, I took a biology class that had a big section on anat and phys, and I'm an EMT."
Her- "OH MY GOSH YOU ARE SOOOOOO SMART!!!!!"
Me- "Umm...not really. With as many times as I've had this stuff I should be better at it."
Her (gushing again)- "Well if you ever want to give me a tip or anything.." as she walked away.

Honestly. How much more awkward can a conversation about a school topic get?!?! I was standing there seriously feeling like a Greek god being hailed or something. Just because I knew what adipose is and where it's found. I guess some people are just incredibly easy to please. I wish she was the one grading my tests... haha!

The things we say..

Here is a quick funny story.

The background: Friday I left for Utah with Doug and his family for his family reunion. I forgot to pack a PJ shirt so last second I put one on top of my bag, under the straps. Saturday I met Missy and went to Lagoon and spent the night in Salt Lake with her, Dan, and Nicole.

The story: Picture this..Saturday night I was completely exhausted from not sleeping well the night before and being very active all day at a water park and then Lagoon. I was getting ready for bed and here is the conversation in a nutshell:

Me: "Crap, my shirt fell off in his car."
Nicole: "Oh it FELL off, did it??"
Me (embarrassed): "Yeah, it was on my bag."
Nicole: "On your back?!"

Okay, so that's pretty dirty but completely innocent at the same time. Don't pretend like you didn't laugh, or at least smile. :)

Chronicles of a Previous Biology Major

You learn things in biology you don't want to know. Trust me. The classes made me a worse germ freak than I already was, which is really truly saying something. But I really did learn some useful things.

Fact #1 If your mom does home canning, do you remember how she would always freak out about boiling the green beans for 15 minutes without touching it with the spoon or anything, to kill any BOTULISM? Guess what? That is a complete MYTH! If the botulism is not killed during the actual bottling process, you will die. Sad but true. Boiling the green beans will kill the organisms, but not the toxin...which just so happens to be (I'm not kidding) literally the most deadly substance known to mankind. So for at least for my cousins, you remember that growing up, getting scolded if you stirred them before 15 minutes and having to get out a new spoon. I know I did. I was pleased as could be to tell that to my mom and Debra...and I bet you wouldn't be able to guess that really didn't believe me. :) Apparently they have been bottling properly though, since we are all still alive (and boiling them never did anything).

Fact #2 The label reads "kills 99.9% of germs" and you think hooray. I know I used to, being the germ freak that I am. Haaa. I am happy to say since this day in class, I haven't used anything with that on the label. Here is why. Say you have a modest amount of germs...say 10,000 and we will pretend like we are cleaning the bathroom. You use something that kills 99.9% of germs, and have 100 left now. 100 that are now resistant to that antibacterial product. Now someone hops in the shower and the bathroom gets steamy and warm...which speeds up bacteria's reproduction significantly. They reproduce at a crazy fast rate under this condition and suddenly your bathroom is filled with bacteria that is completely resistant to whatever product you used. So next time you clean with that, no germs are killed and they keep reproducing. Sickening thought, isn't it?

Fact #3 (Disclaimer to Mattskie: if you continue reading you CANNOT get mad at me, I warned you!!!!) Melaleuca oil is not a good antibacterial product! In our lab we had to do a final project and one group chose to test different antibacterial products. They put disks soaked in the product into the petri dish that had been swiped from someplace germy. Some of the petri dishes didn't really have anything, some of them had a dot or two here and there... but the Melaleuca oil petri dish GREW bacteria everywhere! Not that it matters, since you now know cleaning with antibacterial products isn't a good idea anyway. :)


The two morals of the story:

Bottle properly or you will die. :)
AND
Soap and water is the best cleaning agent.

The Miracle of the Keys

It never ceases to amaze me how little things can turn out to be incredible miracles. Yesterday a friend and I headed to a place about half an hour away to go swimming for the afternoon. We pulled in the parking lot and she parked her car and went to pull the keys out of the ignition and they wouldn't even turn to the point where you pull them out. We tugged on them and they wouldn't come out or even budge to where we could pull them out. We drove around the parking lot a little, reparked and tried to get them out again. We tried everything we could think of for awhile until we decided to start calling people. She called her grandpa first, but he wasn't home so she ended up chatting with her grandma for a minute. I called my dad and talked to him for a few minutes. We tried what they said and nothing worked. She called one more person and he told us something to try and a couple minutes later it worked and we got the keys out and headed in to pay to get in. I had ignored a call from someone because I thought I knew what he was calling about and I didn't want to talk for a long time when we just got to the pool. Boy did I turn out to be wrong. He then sent me a text asking if my best friend was okay. I told him as far as I knew she was, and asked what happened. He called me, and this time I answered. He told me that my best friend's fiance had committed suicide. We were able to leave the pool before we had paid and I really think if it weren't for the problem with the keys that delayed us a long time, I would have been in the pool and not gotten that phone call. Because of being delayed by a dumb key, I was able to turn around and come straight back to town to my friend's house to be with her during the worst time of her life. I will forever be grateful for that little key and the loving Heavenly Father who made it stick.

We miss you like crazy Anthony. You'll never be forgotten.

I Love My Family!

I've always known I have the best family ever but lately I've gotten lots of good reminders.

My parents are two of the rocks in my life. They love and support me and have taught me to do the same for others. My dad can always make me laugh and my mom is there when I need someone to cry on.

My grandparents, although they are all gone now, have left an amazing legacy. They knew how important family was and passed that value to all of us.

My cousins are amazing examples to me. I love being around them! Thanks for letting me grow up with you.

My aunts and uncles are so supportive. They are always there when we need them.

I have the best family in the whole wide world!

Why I'm Not Married

The topic of "why I'm not married" is a common one amongst my single best friends. We laugh about it, joke about, make fun of each other for it..the works. I think I am the lucky one of the bunch however, because I know the probably number one reason why I'm not married or engaged. I'm not ready yet.

Tons of girls my age or a year older are engaged, already married, pregnant, already have a kid, you get the idea. Both of my best friends from high school are engaged, and one of my other best friends has a promise ring. I'm so excited for them! That is what is right for them, but that just isn't what is right for me personally. I have a lot of learning and growing left to do. I'm glad my Heavenly Father knows me perfectly and knows I still need time to prepare before he sends the right guy my way.

Funny Traveling Stories

I've done a lot of traveling and something funny always happens on trips so I'll share a few stories.

In Australia- I was on my homestay and the girl said, "Hey, do you want a -----?"(I can't remember the word now). And I said, "A what?" So she repeated, "A ------." I did not understand her so we walked out to the freezer and she got me an ice cream.

In Mexico- We were staying in a hotel that was literally on the edge of a cliff. It was a weird little motel, all the rooms faced an outdoor courtyard type thing so the doors from the rooms went to outside. One night me and one of my room mates were up pretty late and it had started to storm pretty bad. We decided to get towels to stuff under the door because there was a huge gap between the door and the ground so we didn't want our room flooding with rain overnight. We were both just standing up from stuffing towels under the door when either the hotel or the cliff was struck by lightning. It was one of the craziest things ever. We looked at each other and started to scream bloody murder and just stood there screaming and hugging each other.

In Ohio- I got checked out by more girls than guys. I was highly disturbed.

In Indiana- A guy I smiled at (because I'm a nice person and smile at random people) started talking to me and following me all over the convention center and wouldn't leave me alone. I would even say things like "Well, I better go find my parents." and he said, "Oh, can I walk you?" Yikes!

In Texas- I checked into the convention and got my paperwork and walked off. I waited a few minutes and wondered what was taking Missy so long so I walked back to the desk to find her saying in an extremely exasperated tone, "My last name is BARKER!! BAAARRRRKKKKEEERRRR!!!!" The lady kept saying she didn't understand what Missy was saying and was looking in the E's for her paperwork. It took Missy and I saying her last name over and over and me finally spelling it out for the lady to understand Barker through our accents.

Also in Texas, a few days later, Missy got way sick so we had to take her to a doctor. The closest one we could find was about half an hour away. We took her there and she got a shot that made her super sleepy so she crashed in the car on the way back to the hotel. She couldn't walk by herself because the medicine made her THAT sleepy so walking into the hotel we just wrapped arms around each other's shoulders and she staggered along with me. In the elevator she kept swaying and an old lady was glaring me down. Finally, when Missy swayed really hard, she said, "Is she okay?!" in this way rude voice, like I was bringing her back drunk or something. I explained. So we got to our floor and we were almost to our room and Missy tripped and she WOKE UP and asked me where we were. She had been sleep walking.

In Georgia- We stopped at a gas station that had a small ice cream parlor type thing too. I saw they had peach ice cream, and since they are famous for their peaches, I decided to try it. I knew our accents were hard for them to understand, so I spoke as clearly as I possibly could when I ordered my peach ice cream. This huge black lady was behind the counter and after I told her what I wanted, she just said, "WHAT?" In Georgia, peaches are "payches".

In Couer d'Alene- Right after I got back from Mexico we took a trip to northern Idaho. I was so tan from being in Mexico that I didn't look like I was caucasian anymore. We were in a gas station and this guy and my mom started talking. He had swastikas tattooed on his elbows (amongst a ton of other tattoos) and the classic buzzed blond hair and pale pale skin. I was freeeaking out.

On the way home from Michigan- This was around 11 at night and we had been driving since about 7 in the morning, so we were all exhausted. I knew we weren't supposed to drive through Colorado at all but I looked at a road sign as we passed it and realized all the mileages were for cities in Colorado. "Dad, why were all those cities for Colorado???" I asked. He didn't completely buy it but sure enough, we hadn't taken a turn we needed to and were in Colorado. We had to go about 10 miles into the state before we could turn around.

Colorado- On a different trip when we were in Colorado and meant to be in Colorado, we were staying in a teeny tiny little town. We were driving along and saw the sign for the town's tiny high school and on the sign was announcing the FFA meeting. That's Future Farmers of America. I cracked up because it was a town small enough to have an FFA meeting posted on the high school marquee.

In an airport (I can't remember which)- Our flight to taking us to that airport was extremely late so we got into this airport like 15 minutes before our next connecting flight was supposed to take off. My parents told me to run and tell them to hold the plane, literally. I scrambled out and found a map, and naturally our terminal was the LAST one in the hall. And this was a gigantic airport mind you. So here I am, sprinting through the airport in my flip flops and backpack so it sounds like a herd of elephants coming through. Everyone stared at me and it was seriously like a classic scene from movies.

You Mean So Much

This is for my best friends.

Tino: It's awesome to tell you people not only are you one of my very best friends, you're my cousin too. Remember how we didn't like each other when we were little? During a round of Candyland if someone would have ever told us we'd get so tight, you probably would have killed me just so it wouldn't happen. Haha! You are an amazing person. Your ability to do what is right no matter what the situation is or who is involved is incredible. You are an example to everyone around you. You are someone I can always run to. You really are my personal counselor. :) Thanks for being your amazing self!

Bug: I can't believe you're getting married this summer! And to think, two years ago I was SO mad when you started dating him because I wanted you to go for Miguel.. Haha! You give awesome advice and you always stick up for me no matter what. Thanks! We've done some crazy things since we met in fifth grade. Probably 90% of the crazy stuff I've done/has happened has been with you. Let's just never fall through ice again, ok? Once was enough. :) You are the only person I can NEVER fool when I'm sad or mad or any other emotion. And you are the only person I can absolutely 100 percent guarantee can cheer me up no matter what. Thanks for always sticking with me even when our lives have take turns in different directions!

Kywie: I can't remember when we stopped being enemies and started being friends, I'm just glad we did! I love how you are always so happy! You're just awesome like that. Thanks for always making time for me even though I'm sure Rusty would rather you be with him. :) And speaking of Rusty...I'm so excited for you guys!!!! Every time I think about Olive Garden I think about you. We have had some good times there. "It's like raspberry ballerinas doing pirouettes across my tongue." Only you would think of something like that. You are so much fun and I just love being around you.

Reese: You are such a strong person. I love that about you, but I also love how you aren't too strong to cry. I remember when that kid freaked out at you and I gave you a hug and you started to cry, I got so furious at him for making you cry! I also admire how you love people unconditionally. If you love someone, no matter what they do or what happens, you still love them. That's a special trait. You could make any situation fun. You are also the best cook ever. You are going to make your husband a very fat (happy) man someday! I'm not kidding when I say your eskimo bars are the most divine substance known to mankind. I can trust you with any secret. Thanks for wanting to hang out with me more after that fateful game of Apples to Apples. :D

Tato: You always stick up for people. For every bad thing someone has to say, you have like 5 good things to say. However you never let people say one bad thing about your family or friends, which is awesome too. I love our heart-to-hearts late at night and how I can trust you with any secret. You could also make any situation fun. You haven't had it easy but you are always ready for a new day. I admire your career because it's something I could never do and I bet most other people couldn't either. You not only make a difference in their lives but also everyone around you. The same line of Reese's applies to you too. :)

I love you guys!

Life Isn't A Game

Lately I've gotten really sick of the crappy dating stuff going on for myself, my friends, and people I know. Granted this is about guys, and I'm not saying girls don't do bad things too (cuz they totally do), but this is from my perspective. Anonymous stories but I promise they are true.
1) A girl met a guy in class and they hung out after. They held hands a couple hours later and although that is really fast, he made no move to kiss her when she left so she wasn't worried he was only in it for that. He started talking to her a lot and showing a lot of interest. The next week he suggested doing something after class if he was able to. She sat down in class, he came and sat next to her, and another girl came and sat on his other side. She started putting her hand on his leg, playing with his hair, grabbing his hand, writing stuff on his back for him to guess...you get the idea. After class he talked to that girl and her friend and left without saying goodbye.
2) A girl decided to open herself up to a good friend who had become extremely interested in her. Things went wrong from the start when he wouldn't completely commit and suggested they date other people. Neither of them went on other dates but after a short while he ended things with a reason he should have known before he started anything with her.
3) More than one guy I personally know will date a girl for somewhere around two weeks, drop her, and immediately have a new girl. Even to the point of this: cuddling and holding hands with girl A and the next time she sees him (a couple days later) he is cuddling and stuff with girl B, but he never broke it off or said anything to girl A. Another of these guys is even a little scary about how obsessive he is over whatever girl he has at the moment.
The moral of the story is that this kind of treatment isn't okay! In situation one, the girl got lead on and burned pretty bad. Holding hands obviously meant basically nothing to the guy, but to most girls (like this one) holding hands DOES mean something. But these types of guys have to realize that when they hold hands with a girl and show a lot of interest, yeah the girl is going to think he is interested! Also, guys always say they can't stand "those kind of girls" that are all over them, but look at this situation. He soaked it all up, even when the girl he had been showing tons of interest in was sitting right next to him.
In situation two, the moral is don't start something with someone until you're sure it's right and you're sure you want to. This guy could have saved a girl's heart and their friendship by just staying friends.
The third situation is perhaps the most irritating to me. These guys think it is okay to bounce from girl to girl to girl with no thought of what they are doing. Let me give you a hint: when you meet the new hottest girl, don't just pounce and start dating her immediately and then two weeks later realize you don't like her. It would save a ton of trouble if these kind of guys would actually get to know a girl before they decide to date them. Wow, what a radical thought it is to actually know someone before you date them.. Having flavors of the week is not okay. Plus watching this from the sidelines, my friends and I have lost respect for these guys and would say no to a date with them without even the slightest hesitation. What is going to happen when these guys decide to they want to settle down, and realize the new hottest girls out there may not be what they want in marriage, but the girls they have known and trusted for a long time refuse to date them because they don't want to be the next flavor of the week? Good luck with that one. And honestly, what are these guys getting from doing this? A bad reputation, hurting girls, losing respect...is it worth it to have every girl you want every other week?
Life isn't a game, and people need to stop playing with other people like toys. The end.

Thank you Juan!!

Here is my funny story of the week.

Before I start, let me just tell you that I honestly had a really great time, this is just some of the quirky stuff that happened. Last night I helped a Latino club I'm in set up stuff for the Cinco de Mayo festivities going on yesterday. For helping, we got free tickets to a dance. I went with my friends from the club and felt a little out of place for awhile. I didn't know how to dance to the music so Juan and I just stood on the side. The rest of our friends hadn't showed up yet. He introduced me to another guy he knew there. After awhile, the other guy asked me to dance and was really patient with me while I learned how to dance. He would ask me to dance every few songs and it was fun. The rest of our friends came and we stood together and talked.

This guy with a cowboy hat came and asked me to dance, and I said "Sure. I don't really know how..." and all of the sudden he turned to Joy and asked her to dance. I was confused and thought he wanted to dance with both of us, but I realized he must have thought I said no. How lucky that turned out to be! He started asking Joy to dance almost every song and she came back disgusted once and said he had started kissing her neck. YIKES!!!! After a while he asked me to dance a couple times and I had to push his face away from my neck a couple times. I dunno if he was just leaning into me or what, but after what Joy said, I was pretty creeped out. Joy got a little tactical about avoiding him when she could...she saw him coming towards her so she snatched Juan and asked him to dance right before the creeper got to her. Then, we went to throw our gum away across the room once, and a new song started. She grabbed me and said something like, "Wait! He's looking around." So we stopped walking and sure enough, he was looking right where we had been sitting. So we hid behind this really tall guy until he asked one of our other poor friends to dance.

Close to the end of the dance a guy I hadn't danced with before asked me to dance. It was a dance I hadn't really done before, and the guy doesn't lead (you're completely apart), so I was kind of winging it and hoping I didn't have a neon light over my head that said GRINGO! A few songs later (the last song of the night) he asked me to dance again, and we did the same dance. He never said a word to me other than when he asked me to dance. I went back to my friends to talk because the dance was over. A guy I hadn't even seen walked up and asked me something like "My friend would like to know your name." So I looked, and back a ways there was the guy I had been dancing with that last song. What are we, in eighth grade again?? Who sends their friend to ask me my name?!? So I told him, and was hoping he wasn't about to ask my number, but luckily he just walked off. I was scared the guy I had danced with would follow me out or something to get my number, so I walked up to Juan and whispered "Hold my hand!!" So he grabbed my hand and walked out with me. I'm not good at shutting guys down so I usually just chicken out and give them my number. I didn't want to take chances so I had Juan save me.

Joy just told me today that as she and Trina were walking to their car last night, creeper cowboy yelled out to them so Trina just yelled "ADIOS!" and they ran for the car. Haha

So that's my crazy story.

The conversation goes bad when the weather is brought up...

But that doesn't count since this is a blog.

Yesterday was 75 degrees. I wore shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals and drove with my window down. People came into the clinic sunburned.

Today was significantly chillier and cloudy. I went into class and it was just windy outside, but nothing else. About an hour and a half later when I came out of class, it was blizzarding outside. And I am not exaggerating when I say BLIZZARDING! I should be happy for the moisture so we don't stay in a drought, but sometimes going from 75 degrees to a blizzard can be a little shocking.


And on a completely random (and happier) note, I FINISHED MY EMT CLASS!! Wahoo! Now I just have to take a couple tests and I'll be licensed. :)

Just a little joke

My friend Sherry who is in my EMT class works for the National Guard. She has a casualty kit to doll "victims" up for medic training. She had her coworker drop off the kit and she put it in the bathroom so no one knew. During a break we went into the bathroom and she did me up with glass in my forehead and head, scratches, pavement, and lots and lots of blood. It took awhile so we walked into class after it had started again (that night just so happened to be bleeding and shock night). Everyone turned and looked when the door opened and I shuffled in slowly and let out a very agonized sound. We got them soo good!!!!

I'm so happy!

After having an enlightening talk with the director of the P.A. program this week, I think I have finally figured out what to do!

My major is now Spanish. I despised Biology anyways, and the director told me they want people with diversity. Plus, he told me they have thought about making two years of Spanish a requirement to get into the program, so they obviously think Spanish is important.

I will do the Paramedic program my junior year.

Then finish up my bachelor's senior year, and apply for P.A. school that spring!

Sometimes things just happen how they're supposed to. I'm on track for these plans, without knowing ahead of time this is the way I would want to go.

Update

Here's an update for people (probably just my wonderful cousins who just HAD to move away) that I haven't talked to in awhile. I miss you guys.

My current major is biology with a minor in spanish. I set on that path to go to P.A. school after my Bachelor's. This semester I am also certifying to be an EMT-Basic. I've realized I truly love this kind of work and am now extremely seriously considering switching my major to spanish and becoming a paramedic (which is only an Associate's). A bilingual paramedic would be pretty valuable don't you think?

I am president of LDSSA on campus. That is the Latter Day Saints Student Association. It is tough. The club has never really gotten its feet on the ground so I've had no foundation to build on. It doesn't help that to be a member you HAVE to also be enrolled in an Institute class. There are few members and my attempts to get things started have basically failed. I sent out an email to try and get a first meeting scheduled, and two people replied. That was a flop. Today I did phone calling to ask for help at a couple events this week, and out of the people who I talked to, one guy can help. It's a little frustrating. Hopefully I can get things going better.

I am on Institute Council. What an amazing calling! I work with four great people along with the Institute Director to plan and carry out activities for each month for the entire area. We also take turns conducting opening exercises at Institute on Thursday nights and providing treats after for about 75 people! (For around 50 dollars, mind you!) I can safely say we ROCK at figuring out good treats for a good amount of people for a good price! This calling has truly been such a great opportunity for me. I almost shudder to think what my life would be like without the friends I have made through it. God really can make more out of our lives for us than we can for ourselves.

And the answer you have been waiting for...NO, I don't have a boyfriend. Tory doesn't have to interview anyone yet like he has threatened he will. :D

100 things about me.

I am totally copying Katy and Annie, but I loved their blogs with 100 things about themselves! So here I go with 100 things about me.
1) My eyes change colors depending on my mood and how I feel.
2) Despite some crazy partying friends, I have NEVER tried alcohol or drugs.
3) If I'm crying about physical pain, it literally guarantees I have to see a doctor. The times I've actually cried about pain, I've been messsssssed up.
4) I can't stand having my fingernails painted.
5) I can cross my pinky toe on my right foot.
6) I have a water pillow. Yay for the chiropractor's really good suggestion.
7) The ring I wear everyday (other than my CTR ring) was a gift from my parents on my 16th birthday.
8) I love fishing and find it very relaxing.
9) Hoodies are my favorite.
10) When something is really funny it's hard for me to stop laughing.
11) I'm a good artist, but only with pencil. I can't paint worth anything.
12) I have super tiny wrists.
13) I really enjoy watching football and I miss being a trainer.
14) I think Annie's eskimo bars are quite possibly the most divine substance known to mankind.
15) I really like hip hop.
16) I'm an only child.
17) I'm good at Guitar Hero but suck at every other video game ever.
18) Sometimes I dirty dance when I'm home and no one's watching. :] You gotta get it out of your system somehow right?
19) I occasionally sing in the shower when there's a good song on the radio.
20) I hate being cold or shivering.
21) I'm a pyro.
22) One of my biggest pet peeves is getting ready in the mornings.
23) I'm a really fast typer.
24) And also a very fast texter.
25) The game Boxers or Briefs never fails to make me laugh til I cry.
26) I was lucky enough to get my mom's side of the family's eyes.
27) I wish I still had flawless skin on my face like I did in high school. Ugh.
28) I enjoy reading good books.
29) Traveling is one of my favorite things to do.
30) Except I miss my cat too much when I'm gone.
31) I don't really like eating spaghetti or other super messy foods in public.
32) One of my favorite smells is Fierce.
33) I like cuddling.
34) I have bad back problems that got started when my family was in a terrible car wreck when I was four. My spine got stretched 2-3 inches in the accident.
35) I despise seafood with a fiery burning passion.
36) I love having friends that I can sit and do nothing in particular with but still have a blast.
37) I love thunderstorms.
38) I get claustrophobic in situations that you might not believe.
39) I can get really shy sometimes.
40) The name "testosterone TV" was started with me describing Matt's TV. Since then, the name has stuck and everyone loves it.
41) I love shooting guns and just so happen to be very good at it.
42) I can't handle sleeping with my head under the blankets. I wish I could, but every time I've pulled them over my head I feel like I'm going to suffocate.
43) I look really funny in baseball hats.
44) I've only passed out twice in my life.
45) I love scrapbooking.
46) I'm a good photographer. It runs in my family.
47) I like eating pickles at midnight with Katy.
48) The first (and only) man to propose to me was four years old. And I love him to death.
49) I'm creative.
50) I teach the sunbeams in Primary.
51) I started my first college class the day after I graduated from high school.
52) I really enjoy working out. I guess you could say I'm an endorphin junkie. (That's the happy chemical your brain releases when you exercise.)
53) I get sunburned pretty easily but it turns tan a couple days later.
54) I'm a big tomboy but I've heard that most people's first impression of me is that I'm preppy. Yikes.
55) My family has a lot of traditions and I love them.
56) My family is the best.
57) I HATE rollercoasters.
58) I am an extremely curious person.
59) I'm OCD about the order I get ready for bed every night.
60) Cereal is my late night snack.
61) I have a friend who is a Marine and I am very proud of him.
62) I'm a night owl.
63) Don't laugh... I'm super scared of the dark.
64) I really don't like being outside in the rain but I love driving in it or laying on my bed and listening to it.
65) I dream a lot at night.
66) My cousins' kids are my "nieces" and "nephews". They are incredible.
67) I love Mexican food.
68) I know what heartbreak feels like, and unfortunately I've broken a heart and maybe two. Those combined have made me a little cautious now..
69) I love concerts. I have seen these bands: 3 Doors Down, Red, Buckcherry, 3 Days Grace, Cobra Starship, Boys Like Girls, Cartel, Ryanhood, Woods Tea Company, Jeremy Buck and the Bang, Black Tide, Operator, Avenged Sevenfold, AFI and many others at Warped Tour, and I have me and my cousin's tickets for Jimmy Eat World and Paramore next month!
70) I am going to cry my eyes out when my cousin leaves for college. I'm not looking forward to it at all.
71) I wrote some really good song lyrics...then lost the binder they are all in.
72) The little Heise golf course is my favorite golf course as of now.
73) I try really hard not to be hypocritical since hypocritical people drive me nuts.
74) Certain songs remind me of certain people.
75) I have friends from all kinds of "groups" and I wouldn't have it any other way.
76) I really like when people make mix CDs for me.
77) I love making new friends.
78) I'm probably the jumpiest person alive.
79) I'm a slow hiker. I like enjoying the scenery and not killing myself to get to the top fast.
80) I'm a slightly picky eater.
81) I've been pulled over twice but somehow the only ticket I've ever gotten was a parking ticket.
82) I love fruit.
83) I don't like going to expensive restaurants on dates because it makes me feel bad they are spending so much money on me for one meal.
84) I connect with a lot of people.
85) I am going to learn how to quilt.
86) I hate fighting with people. It's one of the worst feelings in the world.
87) I love whitewater rafting.
88) I really like when guys are gentlemen.
89) I like giving compliments.
90) There are a lot of places in the world I have goals to see.
91) I still bleed orange. (Probably only people from here will understand that.)
92) I like watching scary movies as long as I'm not alone.
93) I am now used to getting treats for 75 people...for around 50 dollars or under.
94) I love federal holidays. No classes! :0)
95) I don't particularly like wearing shoes. I can't wait until it's warm enough for sandals.
96) I'm a daddy's girl.
97) I love camping.
98) I like buying flowers for my friends.
99) I only like pens with blue ink.
100) The fact that I attract OLD men is sometimes funny, but sometimes excruciatingly frustrating.

Well, there's 100 random things about me!

Things to do this summer

I know it's only February but I'm already planning on fun things to do this summer.

1) Lots of hiking. The only one I have specifically decided on so far is to hike to Upper Palisades again as soon as the snow melts enough to get up there.
2) Martin's Cove. I am going to Martin's Cove again with Marci as soon as the snow melts there too. I guess that could count as a hike kind of, but oh well.
3) Get Chaco tan lines. :] Haha
4) Camping trips with friends. The great outdoors + great friends = a great time.
5) Fourth of July. It's one of my favorite holidays and there's definitely going to be lots of celebrating! And more fun (a.k.a. "the kinds you have to get in Wyoming") fireworks...but this year I just need to figure out how to not get law enforcement or the fire department involved again. Oopsies.
6) Barbecues. Like Katie said, "Eating hot dogs and hamburgers and pasta salads...MMM!!"
7) Bonfires. They are just the best, but then again I am a pyro.
8) Whitewater rafting. I just love going!

Summer '08 is gonna be great! Hey that rhymes. How cheesy.