Mrs. Alex Jones

In less than two weeks, on December 22, 2011, this beautiful girl will be Mrs. Alex Jones.  He is one lucky man! I just love Katie McMullin.  I love that she was my roommate and became one of my best friends as we experienced New Zealand together.  I know that being in the same Math 305 class Spring 2010 as Katie was meant to be.  The stars aligned! haha.

I got the chance to host a bridal shower for the NZ girls to celebrate Katie's wedding.  Not everyone was able to make it, but no matter how many of us are there, we always have plenty to talk about.  I love our group!  And I have to say, I was so happy about how everything turned out.  The food was yummy, the decor looked pretty good, and I was with some of my best friends.  It was such a wonderful night.

It wouldn't have been complete without a TimTam SLAM!

The bridal shower/reunion was on Thursday, Dec. 8, and that was also the very last day I attended class at Brigham Young University.  My LAST CLASS.  I ended with my Health Ed. class with Cougar Hall.  He is a funny man.  But that was a great class.  I wish I could have ended with Church History.  I love that class so much.  I guess loved is the correct word.  But I decided I want to write Susan Easton Black a letter, just thanking her.  She truly is an inspiration.  Her knowledge of the history of our church amazes me.  I would LOVE to have the knowledge she has one day.  I teared up a few times throughout our final class on Wednesday.  Now all that is left between now and flying home is 2 finals- Church History and Anatomy!  I can totally handle that :)

Today was our ward Christmas Party.  I started off my Saturday at 24 hour fitness, running a few miles and going to Body Pump- one of my favorite classes of all time!  I love love love the gym.  Love it.  I can't imagine my life without working out and going to the gym.  It makes me feel so good!  Anyway, after getting back I started my laundry and officially switched out all my winter clothes.  As I was pulling out my bin out from under my bed, I saw my violin, and thought about how much I missed playing.  So I decided- after our ward party, I was going to find a music store, buy a D string to replace the broken one, and play!  And I did just that.

I went to Bill Harris Music store on University Avenue and 3oo South.  I walked in, and in just a few minutes had my string purchased.  But I did not leave the store for probably 40 minutes, because I was talking with the owner of the store.  I loved standing there and talking with this elderly woman.  Actually, she was the one doing the talking- I was listening.  It's always so funny to me how old people can sit and just talk your ear off.  This woman was telling me about all the traveling she has done in her life, the mission she and her husband served in Spain...how she is from Virginia...why don't I have an accent being from Georgia...her 6 Alaskan cruises...Europe is her favorite place on earth...she's a direct descendant of Hiram Smith...there are so many things I learned about her, but I don't even know her name!  Haha.  But I know she would have talked my ear off if she had had the chance.  As she was telling me all these stories of her life, I couldn't help but just smile.  She has lived 50+ more years than I have.  Why is it that some people treat elderly people as if they're dumb/incompetent?  They know more than I could ever imagine knowing right now.  I just soaked it in! haha.  I loved talking with her.  I am excited for the day when I can share story after story of my life, because I have traveled, served a mission(s), raised children, and most importantly become more like my Savior.  Minus the gray hair and wrinkles, becoming old isn't gonna be such a bad thing :)

This is surreal...but life is wonderful :)

It's time for Christmas music!

Where has this semester gone? I can't believe it is November 21st, and TODAY Mom and Brandon are flying out from Atlanta, and tomorrow we are headed to Boise for the week.  I am so excited.  If only Mekelle, Kyle, and Dad could be here also; that would make it even better.  But it's the Bess' turn to have Mekelle and Kyle for Thanksgiving this year.  I just cannot believe that it is Thanksgiving this week.  And I had such a fun weekend up in Island Park, Idaho with Jason and his family.  The snow was beautiful there- it looked like a winter wonderland!  And it was the perfect gateway into CHRISTMAS MUSIC! :) My favorite!  That's all we listened to all weekend.  Anyway, but I don't know where these past 4 months have gone.  But I do know that semester has been SO wonderful.

I found this picture online...I'm so bummed I didn't take any pictures of the weekend or the gorgeous cabin, but this picture looks so peaceful and beautiful to me...that's exactly what it was like!  It was so quiet up in the mountains, and the snow was beautiful! And there was a ton- which made for some awesome sledding and a pretty fun snowball fight :)

First off, I have the best job ever.  I am so incredibly lucky to have received the email from Dr. Pennington to his previous PETE 212 students, asking for a new secretary to work in his PETE department Mon-Thurs 8-12-  Times and days that fit my schedule exactly.  I felt so blessed that day, and continue to feel so blessed.  I know that my Heavenly Father is always watching out for me.  And I am grateful that I have that knowledge.  


In the beginning of the semester Grandma Lucy started forwarding these "Latter-Day Light Daily Devotionals" to our family.  They are so great!  Each has a scripture, quote, and events from church history that happened on that day.  I finally subscribed to them for myself, and I love reading the scripture and quote each morning.  I really like today's quote by President Thomas S. Monson:


"As we face the temptations of our times, the confusion of choice, the embarrassment of error, the pursuit of perfection, our Heavenly Father is there to listen, to love, to inspire.  Our Father to whom we earnestly pray is not an ethereal substance or a mysterious and incomprehensible being.  Rather, He has eyes with which to view our actions, lips with which to speak to us, ears to hear our plea, and a heart to understand our love."


"The confusion of choice". Man.  Tell me about it- facing the confusion of choice...that is where I am at right now in my life.  I am excited and anxious to graduate from BYU, but it is probably THE most bittersweet event in my entire life.  I have absolutely loved my time at BYU.  But I do know that it is time for a change.  Aaaaand the big question is: what is that change going to be??  EFY applications just came out...I would love to be a counselor again next summer.  I think I'm going to plan on that.  But then next fall...where in the WORLD will I be?  Because actually, I could be anywhere in the world.  Anywhere!  Whether it is serving  mission, teaching...who knows!  Only my Heavenly Father does.  I just gotta get it out of Him :) haha.  Just kidding.  I know that I need to do my part and work to find the answer.  But holy moly, it scares me to death.  I am trying really hard to stop saying that it is scary, because I know that something will work out, and I will see the Lord's hand in my life, as always.  But for now, as I weigh my options and try to figure things out, it's just scary.  I am ready to know where I am going. Patience... :)


"He has eyes with which to view our actions, lips with which to speak to us, ears to hear our plea, and a heart to understand our love." This part of the quote leads me one of many reasons why I have had such a great semester.  Human Anatomy.  I wonder how many times I have answered the question, "Wait, so why are you taking anatomy?  Do you need that for your major??"  That would be a NO.  No, Elementary school teachers don't need to take Human Anatomy to graduate.   But actually, I strongly believe that every single BYU student should take this class.  We are so lucky to have a cadaver lab on campus where we can truly immerse ourselves in learning about the human body.  It has been an incredible class.  Of course there were a few times where I wondered why in the world I was putting myself through this class...especially last week as I studied for our lab final.  It was a 50 question practical exam, where we were tested over 942 terms.  Nine hundred and forty-two. That is how many terms I learned in just this one class.  How amazing is that?? But just in case you were wondering, 50/942 = 5.3%.  We had to study all the terms to be tested on just 5.3% of them.  But hey, no complaints, I did this to myself! haha.  It was so fun having my lab with Jason too.  He cracks me up, all the time.  So needless to say, I really enjoyed anatomy lab.  We still have a few more weeks of lecture and then the final, but then I will be done with that class.  And I never thought I would be this sad to be done with it.  It is one of the best decisions I have made here, and I have absolutely zero regrets.  I got to learn about the most important thing on earth that our Heavenly Father created- the house of our spirits.  Our bodies truly are miracles.  I am so grateful I had the opportunity to learn about my body and how it works.


As I think about past semesters at BYU, I feel like I have never been happier than I have been this semester.  But why??  Once again, confusion of choice...I have a big decision to make soon.  And adjusting to Kyle and Mekelle not being here anymore was rough, let me tell you.  And I will always miss them.  Even typing this little bit brings tears to my eyes.  In the past three years, the memories I have with them and Mrs. Abby Blunck are some of my most cherished memories.  I love them so much.  And then there's living with Abby, my best friend, for two years and then all of a sudden having a random roommate...another hard adjustment.   But aside from all of this change in my life, I am still so happy.  I know that it is all because of the gospel.  No matter what changes happen in my life, there is one thing that will always remain- my testimony of the gospel.  Each Sunday I go to church.  Even as I think about next fall and wonder where I will be, one thing I can guarantee myself is that I will be going to church every Sunday.  I will always have my Savior, my brother, my friend, always with me.  I will have the gift of the Holy Ghost to give me comfort.  There really is no reason to fear.  I need to have FAITH.  Whenever I think about fear vs. faith, I always thing of Dr. J, my NZ director.  That is one thing I am so grateful that he taught us when we got to NZ.  And it is something that has stuck with me and will always be with me.


I think that only time will tell what my decision will be...and as we all know, time goes by much faster than we want it to sometimes...in this case, that may be a good thing :)

Oh to be a kid again...

"My curfew was the street light. My parents called my name, not my cell. I played outside with friends, not online. If I didn't eat what was cooked for dinner, I didn't eat. Sanitizer didn't exist, but you could get your mouth washed out with soap. I rode a bike without a helmet, getting dirty was ok, and neighbors loved you as much as your parents did."

I love this. This was someone's Facebook status the other day, and it made me so happy! Mekelle and I (after getting back from Florida on Saturday) decided to go for a run. Whenever I'm home I love running from my Elementary school to the house I grew up in, and back. It brings so many memories to mind. Running along Nine Oaks Drive in Stilesboro Trace is the best. I would give anything to rewind life just for a day and live back at 2207 with my family. Walking to the bus stop every morning, coming home and immediately going outside to roller blade, play in the cul-de-sacs with all my friends...that was the life. I am so grateful for the childhood that I had. 

Yesterday I got to see Tyler McPhee and Nathan Salmon again!  They got home from their missions just a day apart from each other. Tyler gave a wonderful talk, and Ashley and I just stayed for the rest of their ward. In Relief Society, the lesson was about family relationships, one being the father's responsibilities. They talked about how dads should spend time with their kids and even have 'interviews' with the kids. Right then I remembered- my dad had weekly 'Daddy-daughter interviews' with each of us! They were the BEST! I remember always looking forward to them, and getting so excited when Mekelle would come out and tell me it was my turn.  For some reason we always had them in my bedroom (that I shared first with Mekelle, then later with Kaley). But even though years later mom and dad divorced because of decisions he made, I am so happy that I can have that wonderful memory to hang on to about my dad. 

Only a few more days at home...definitely bittersweet. But 3 more weeks of EFY sounds pretty good to me :)

And life moves on...

Here it is, May 29, 2011.  One year ago, I was in the middle of Spring classes in preparation for New Zealand...I was just about to start my job at Farr's Fresh Ice Cream...and Abby had just started dating Korbin.  And now I sit here, one year later, my best friend is getting MARRIED to Korbin in about a month, and my wonderful New Zealand experience is a part of the past...life goes on!  Although I will never, ever forget New Zealand.  This past week I went to lunch with Katie and Dr. Jacobs, and it was so nice to sit and talk about our experiences and what we missed most about that beautiful country.  It just felt so good to be able to talk to those who know what I am talking about and who shared the experiences with me.  I want to take all my friends and family back with me so that they can see all that I experience while I was there.  It's hard to believe that I have been home for almost two months...crazy!

Life in Provo hasn't changed a bit! haha.  I do have to say though, that I have the most wonderful friends.  I am so grateful that Sarah has stayed here this Spring.  And I am so happy that I get to spend a few more weeks with Abby before she becomes Mrs. Korbin Blunck-in this beautiful, newly renovated temple!!!

The day after I flew back to Atlanta, I had the opportunity to go volunteer and help out at the Atlanta Temple Open House.  And later I got to walk through and see how incredibly gorgeous it is!  I am so excited for Abby and Korbin!  Of course it is definitely bitter sweet for me, but I am so happy for them :)

A few weekends ago I got to take one last trip to Boise with Kyle and Mekelle.  It was so much fun.  I could just sit and talk with them for forever.  They are so great.  I am so lucky to have such an awesome brother-in-law!  I am so sad to say that they officially do not live in Utah anymore...watching them pack up their apartment and then helping to load the moving truck was just about the saddest feeling ever.  Life is going to be so different without them here.  I don't think it has hit me yet...it definitely will this fall...BUT KALEY will be here!!!!! So now I get to take on the role of the older sister in Utah! haha.  I am so excited for Kaley.  I know that she is going to absolutely love BYU.  And I am just so happy that she'll be right around the corner from me now.

I love Boise.

Look how STUDLY!  This little boy, who is not so little anymore, is starting HIGH SCHOOL in the fall.  Holy moly.  Once again...where does time go?  Brandon is such a stud.  I got to watch him dominate in a bunch of baseball games while I was at home for a little while...and now he is playing on the All-star team!  He's so awesome.  

Once I got back to Provo, that meant back to school...work...I never thought I would do it, but I went back to Farr's for work.  Luckily I only have a week and a half left, and then it's EFY for me for the rest of the summer :) I am so stoked.  This truly is going to be a dream come true for me.  

Before Michael left for Europe, the four of us roommates went to the cutest dessert shop called Chocolate.  We celebrated Abby's wedding, Michael's adventure soon to begin, and just being together as friends and roommates again.  It was so much fun.  

So one of the 4 classes I am taking this Spring term is EXSC 375- Teaching PE!!! Class just ended this past week, and I absolutely loved it.  I love teaching PE!  This is Abby and I on our very first day going to Park Elementary to teach second grade PE.  We had so much fun.  I have the best major ever.

One of the best things about going to New Zealand...I now have 15 wonderful new friends!  We had I guess what you could call a reunion...I really wanted to see everyone, and so in celebration of me and Katie's 21st birthday, we went out to lunch at Zupas!  I love that place so much.

We also had our very last Sunday dinner together before Mekelle and Kyle moved.  I have so many wonderful Sunday night memories with these two and Abby...it has been an absolute BLAST to live so close to them...to run half marathons with them...our runs down the canyon...playing tennis...trips to Idaho...watching Amazing Race and The Bachelor with Mekelle! haha.  Man I could go on forever.  I am going to miss these two so much.  I am so grateful I have been so close to them these first few years of their marriage.  They are the best!

I also turned 21!  I can't believe I am that old! It's exciting though.  Everything was just so crazy with school, work, Kyle and Mekelle moving...but we did get to go to dinner to Mimi's Cafe on my birthday in between my classes.  It was delicious of course!

Like I said, I truly have the best friends ever.  Sarah made me this amazing strawberry jello cake- it was so delicious.

And Mrs. Blunck made homemade OREOS.  These are better than any Oreo I've ever had.  They were incredible.  Let's just say my diet went out the window on my birthday!  But I'm back on track- I love being back at 24 fitness.  I've missed cycling, body pump...they have so many awesome classes that kick my trash.  

Oh did I mention that Sarah and I went to the midnight premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean the night of my birthday and we got the whole CAKE into the theater??? haha.  Yep.  We met a bunch of girls from the ward there for the movie and just had to share the cake with everyone.  Get a little foil, a big purse, and some careful walking...and you can even get a cake into the movie theater! haha.  It was pretty awesome.

Life in Provo hasn't changed much, but I definitely have.  And I am so grateful for that!  I wish I could go back a year ago and really see how much I have actually changed.  This has been such a wonderful year.  And I am excited for what is to come this year!  This summer working as an EFY counselor for five weeks...my last semester on BYU campus...student teaching...and GRADUATING from college!