home sweet home

i have a new house!

check out this bed. it is so comfortable! i couldn't get up this morning because of how comfortable i was. 

my mom is funny because she got me and my sister queen size beds to "prepare for when we are married."

this is in my bathroom.

i will admit, it is hard to be in a different house. and, i keep expecting my dog to run up to the front door or come jump on my bed. but, it is still home because of my family!

#reason23249whyilovecarrieunderwood

first, she is amazing. and beautiful.

second, this brought tears to my eyes. it is so powerful.

third, this video has over 2 million views which restores my faith in humanity that people still know what is good and inspirational

fourth, i love that she can use her talents to worship our Savior

more to come on graduation, my new house, and minnesota.

today i got to spend hours just hanging out with my extended family. they make me laugh
they drive me nuts
they tickle and tease me
they hug me
they ask about my life with a real want to know what is going on
my grandma attacks us with nerf guns
my little cousins run around as i chase them
we play games and every one of us is incredibly competitive
we cuddle on the couch and watch movies
the sounds of family are the happiest sounds in the world.
i love my family.

spring cleaning

i found my freshman quote wall today. enjoy these little gems from the glory days....

"he's giving her mouth to mouth."
-Jen Kerr
"that is the HOTTEST form of lifesaving ever!"
-Colin Holmes

"well, at least i know i can still have babies."
-Jen Kerr

"So, last night I got home and my roommates had their shirts off and they were having a push-up contest"
-Brad Prince
"What building do you live in?"
-Katie Haskin

"didn't no i used be proper"
-random girl

"we're in america now, we speak spanish"
-Ahlin Griffith

"good thing i like gilmore girls more than food!"
-Katie Haskin

"look boys!"
-Ahlin Griffith
"Help! I mean, wait!"
-Jen Kerr

"I can hear your heartbeat."
-Ahlin Griffith
"Really? You can hear it?"
-Brian Shaw
"Yeah...Always."
-Ahlin Griffith

"why was everyone afraid of 3? because 3 eight 4...wait...."
-Jen Kerr

"did you know star wars is a LIE?"
-Katie Haskin

"Qwick! Qwispy Qweem!"
-Ahlin Griffith

"every apartment showers naked."
-Brian Shaw
"I don't"
-Jess Borup
"Nope! She doesn't"
-Ahlin Griffith

"why do i always go for short, half...people?"
-Jen Kerr

"I'm gonna eat it!"
-Brian Shaw
"No! I had to makeout with a boy to get that!"
-Jess Borup

"I need to start running more."
-Jen Kerr
"Shut up itunes, i hate you!"
-Jess Borup
"What?"
-Jen Kerr
"Shut up Jen, I hate you!"
-Katie Haskin
"Whatever, you guys all love me!"
-Jen Kerr
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?"
-Katie Haskin
"You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong..."
-Jen Kerr

weird, right?

when i get a little money, i buy books; and if any is left, i buy food and clothes.

-Erasmus

today was spent driving from provo to payson to salem to spanish fork to springville to highland to lehi to american fork to pleasant grove to orem and FINALLY back home. i stopped at each public library along the way and asked for a job. i got some leads, left a few applications here and there, but mostly i was just getting myself out there. i hope it pays off. 

i am excited to spend all my time around books. fer rills. 

sunday afternoon

sometimes my roommates and i watch planet earth or disney's earth.

today, our conversations went like this:

katie: let's get a polar bear
jen: okay, as long as it's a baby polar bear
leslie: but then we would have to keep our apt cold
jen: i have an idea, we will make a zoo. a baby zoo
katie: yeah, and when they grow up we will give them to other zoos
leslie: but zoos are bad

narrator: sadly, odds are that both baby polar bears will not survive
katie: if we put one in a zoo then it would survive
jen: "it's the circle of life."

wolf chasing baby antelope
leslie: i can't watch this part! i don't like this episode!
katie and jen: ahhhhhhh
jen: oh, they didn't show anything
katie: yeah, the baby just laid down and the wolf looked away. i think they were going to be friends.
jen: "it's the circle of life."

leslie: eww, creepy hands.
katie: it's a monkey!
leslie: it looked like a woman's hands from a killer movie

mating dances
leslie: i am so glad Stuart doesn't do this. i would reject him
katie: is he trying to mate with you?
leslie: aren't we all trying to mate here at byu?

any cute baby animal on screen
jen, katie, and leslie: awww! so cute! ahh! i want one!
someone: can we get one?
someone else: yes.

jen: i want a baby elephant really bad! can we get one?

leslie: no!

katie: but baby elephants are so cute! (she then told a story about one and acted it out)

jen: why can't we have one leslie?

leslie: you can clean up after it.

jen: we will just keep it outside

leslie: you will still have to clean up after it. city codes

katie: no, nature will take its course. the poop will sink into the ground and become fertilizer!

enjoy this little glimpse into our lives. 

text message from my mom: "we r back in MN. all the snow is gone, except big piles of sn-irt."

(did i mention that my family was in hawaii without me?) 

My first thought: did my mom just say ****???? 

then, i realized she was coining a term for this stuff:

snow/dirt

moral of the story: my mom is awesome.

i can't wait to see her in 2 weeks!

general conference

if i had to describe it in one word, it would be: AMAZING.

i know that we have a prophet on the earth today. he is the Lord's mouthpiece. each of the messages given at the conference this weekend are of God. He loves His children and He wants us to know how we can return to Him.

every six months, the Lord's prophet and apostles give us the keys to happiness, hope, and eternal life with our Heavenly Father. i truly do not know what i would do without the great and everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.

if you turn to God, you will be blessed and happy. following the commandments of God is the key to happiness.

on first dates

i am no dating expert. especially when it comes to first dates. in fact, i hate first dates. i hate blind dates even more. i am awkward, not myself, i get tired of small talk. it is not my date's fault. it is mine.

here are my personal thoughts about how to make first dates less awkward:

-the date should last less than 2 hours (unless it goes really well) 

-if you go to dinner, it should be somewhere less expensive. i hate it when a guy takes me to a nicer place on a first date because i feel bad that they spend so much money. it is nice of them but it makes me feel kind of uncomfortable. 

-even better than eating a meal, is just doing a chill activity. that way you don't have to feel like the conversation has to continue the whole time and it is just fun 

-it might be a good idea to start with an activity and then if it goes well you can move on to a meal or another activity. 

-guys who ask girls out early in the week are awesome. i give them at least 10 points each. keep doing that. but i always psych myself out by the time the date comes around. i think through possibilities, make myself more nervous, and worry about how awkward i am going to be. this problem is solely mine. 

-a proper goodbye includes a hug.

questions

why is patience such a hard thing to obtain? why is it that we want things now rather than later? why can't we just enjoy what we have at the present? why is that when we desperately want something to change that it doesn't? why is it that when we desperately want things to stay the same, they change? 


it's so that we grow. and learn. and progress. however, knowing that fact doesn't make it any easier. in fact, sometimes it makes it harder. i know that patience will always pay off. i trust my Heavenly Father enough to know that He will bless me with my righteous desires as long as i faithfully and PATIENTLY endure to the end.


so, when i am impatient, ungrateful, and looking forward to a time different from now, i feel guilty and faithless. i have so much and i am so blessed, yet i find myself wishing certain things were different, and worrying that they will never change.


deep down, i truly know that the things i struggle with now are just a small moment, and that they are for my good, so why can't i get that from my head into my actions and feelings? i guess that is something i need to learn. luckily, Heavenly Father provides that opportunity. and for that, i am grateful. i just hope that i will use these lessons to better myself and serve my God.