Thankful...

I've been reading the Work and the Glory series and have come to the fourth volume. It's been kindof hard on me because this book is about Haun's Mill masacre and the persecution in Missouri. They went through so much and I complain when things aren't going my way.

There is a part in the book when a character is discouraged. She then grabs her Book of Mormon and reads this passage in the book of Alma, "I would that ye should be humble, and submissive...always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive." Then she starts to name off things she is grateful for...some, to me, didn't seem like things you should be grateful for, but it made her happier so I think it's a good idea. I'm grateful for so many things....this could take a while. :) In no particular order...

Smiles. Orange juice. Cookie dough. Milk. Wendy's. Hot chocolate. Texas Roadhouse. Snow. SUMMER. Boating. Holidays. Sports. Sleeping in. Twix. Reese's. Actually every candy bar. :)Facebook. Flowers. The smell of freshly mowed grass. Dinkus and how she knocks over every glass in our house. Sweet Tazz. EDUCATION! My dental hygiene class and how awesome they were. My job and the kids that teach me patience. Getting the opportunity to work with special needs patients (they have a special place in my heart). FRIENDS (inside jokes, laughing til we die, acting dumb and they still accept me, someone to talk to when I'm sad. ect.) My Dad and his hard work and goofy side. My sweet mom. Dave's hilarious jokes and laugh. Kenzie for loving my brother and Isaac and her sweet self. Isaac just for making me smile always (I miss him) Elliot for being and example and his witty sense of humor. Traci for being the first person I can actually say is like a sister to me. Nate for going on a mission and being one of my best friends. Will for always smiling. My extended family. Trials. Broken hearts. Provo (even though I hated it I love the friends I made). Prayer. Music. The piano. My talents. Rock n' Roll. Hymns. Running (that my body is actually healthy enough to work out) The Office. House. That 70s Show. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Jack in the box milkshakes. The internet. Fireplaces. Pillows. SLEEPING. Hair elastics. Rain. My car breakin' down a lot. Things not working out. Things working out. :) The scriptures. TV. The Olympics. Mistakes to learn from later. Unexpected messages from friends. iPods. Ice cream. Books. General CONFERENCE and our leaders! Being poor and not being able to find another job. Harry Potter. Contacts. Thunderstorms. THE GOSPEL!...I could go on forever, but I already feel better. :) The good things definately outweigh the bad...

Lil' Angel...& Sarcastic fun....

When I came into work on Friday the first thing my dentist said to me was, "Our last patient of the day is going to be fun."

I just smiled at him and said, "Sarcastic fun?" I was right. Sarcastic fun it was...

The end of the day came and I went out to the waiting room to get our "fun" patient. She was an angel....I didn't understand the dentist's comment earlier. She grabbed my hand right away and we headed back to the quiet room. She seemed fine until I started her on nitrous and then it was all over. She was not happy...after much encouraging we decided to get the papoose board to tie her down with. Man, this little 4 year old had lungs..she was screaming and told the dentist she hated him about a million times....along with other name calling. It was a good thing I had a mask on because I was smirking behind it the whole time. Just looking at this blue eyed, blonde haired girl I thought was so sweet, reminded me of one of my favorite childhood stories...

When I was four years old, my mom and I were at the our friends the Shumways house visiting. They had this little Scottie dog and I was outside playing with it. I decided I wanted to play with it's nametag on it's collar. It didn't like it, and bit me on the lip.

I don't remember much from the doctor's office that day, but my mom sure does. She tried to get me to tell her what happened. I'll admit I'm stubborn and decided I didn't want to tell her what happened. The doctor looked at me, then my mom. I was tiny for my age so he replied, "She doesn't have the verbal skills to tell you." My mom reassured him I did, but he didn't believe her. When the doctor tried to look at my lip I was freaking out, so they tied ME to a papoose board.

Then things got ugly... I started hurling profane language and SPITTING at the doctor. "You, you....(insert curse word or bad name)." I apparently used any bad word I could think of. When the doctor was done fixing me up he looked at my mom and said, "I stand corrected, she DEFINATELY has the verbal skills." I have a little scar on my upper lip from the bite...Ironically, it was my lips that keep the scar to help me remember this story. :)

Me...Oh so innocent. :)

My 1st Marathon!!!!!

"Uh. A marathon is 26.2 miles...and that marathon is in a month." It was 2 summers ago when I made a goal to run a marathon. Me and Rochelle Bohman sat in front of her laptop in our room at Nauvoo House looking up marathons. We'd had ONE really good night at the BYU-I gym, which led to over confidence that we could run a marathon. After noticing that the Mesa Falls marathon was only a month away we decided we'd try a half..which by the next morning had disolved into, "Haha we're ridiculous. What were we thinking?" Since then, completing a marathon was put on my bucket list, so to speak.

When I moved to Provo I started running. A lot. It was kindof a stress reliever. Which I had a pile of. :) I'd run up to the temple quite a bit and loved running by the Provo river because it was shady there. I decided last summer I was going to complete a marathon, but school went through the end of July and training is pretty dang time consuming so that was out of the picture. So about mid-June of this year I decided this was the summer. I probably started training a lil bit late, but the night I decided to do it I didn't look back. I went and bought new shoes because my current ones had holes in them and started running my heart out.

This Saturday August 22 @ 4 AM it began. I set out to run the Mesa Falls Marathon. I slept @ Elliot and Traci's the night before and Elliot offered to take me to Ashton Elementary where the buses were waiting to take us to the starting line. It was nice of him to offer, he told me he didn't want me to get lost and miss my race. It wasn't that hard to find, but I'm possibly the worst person @ directions. No matter how easy they are. :)

I sat towards the back of one of the 5 travel buses watching the lightning and eating my breakfast of champions (a energy bar and gatorade). Thank goodness by the time I got off the bus, the storm had vanished and the sun was starting to come up. I decided to start at the end of the pack and let all the hard core marathoners lead. It was more entertaining this way. So many funny people to observe. There were 250 of us...Short. (ME). Tall. Young. Old. People wearing garbage bags. Couples wearing matching t-shirts (tender). Cowboy hats. Lots of American apparell. Bandanas. And one old man had on basketball pj's.

The first 9 miles were pretty flat. We ran on a gravel road through an open forest range while the sun came up. We had to walk across about 3-4 cattle guards. This made me laugh. Only a marathon in Idaho would you have to do this. The first part was my favorite. I like running in the morning and the Tetons came into view and were beautiful. I wish I had brought a camera.

Mile 3: MY iPod DIED!!! I always need music when I run. That is what makes it enjoyable to me. First thought in my head. This is gayer than Elton John............but if I had the option I would listen to him over nothing. (Well there were some cows mooing in the distance.)

Mile 8: I was running at the same pace as this lady. I liked to call her "Hacker Women" in my head. She kept hocking up loogies about every 10 seconds. I had to kick it up a notch because it was driving me crazy and I had no music to distract me.....BUT

Mile 9: I heard Taylor Swift Love Story playing...so I sped up. Jackpot! Music! Some lady had a radio on her hip and no headphones. Little did I know she had Love Story on repeat. It got old on the third time being played so I had to pass her.

After mile 9 we turned onto an asphalt road. Mile 11-13 the altitude drops and the half marathoners started somewhere along here.

Mile 11: Lower falls could be seen. Pretty!

Mile 13ish through 17 I really liked. There was a thin path that about only 2 people could run on. It was through some trees and the view was really pretty.

Mile 17-19.5 was the hill from hell. I walked up most of it because I'd been told by other people who had done this marathon that it was easier that way. I didn't want to win the thing, just finish, so I took their advice.

Mile 20: MY FAMILY WAS THERE! My parents, Elliot and my Aunt Patricia came to cheer me on. I was happy to see them. They probably didn't think so because the first words out of my mouth were, "Do any of you have an iPod?!" I talked to them for a minute and continued on.

Here's a pic they took. I will never be a world class runner.

I'm white and have the shortest legs ever. :)

Mile 22: I hit a wall and wanted to die. My legs were burning by then and I didn't know if I could make it. There was an ambulance that kept driving by and I wanted to hop in and call it quits.

Mile 23-25: Longest miles of my life. My legs were cramping up to the point that even walking was painful. (next time I'm going to take potassium with me..that's supposed to help) It was very hot...and I didn't really like the "agriculture section" of the race. From mile 20-26 potato and wheat fields were all that I could see.

Mile 26: DONE!!!

Me runnin' to the finish line.

This pictures funny cause I'm smiling,

but that was freaking difficult...

and I wasn't happy at that moment.

Me and Rachel...my sister-in-laws

Sister in-law. :)

I'm grateful I finally did it! I learned a lot about myself and training gave me something to do while I was jobless that made me feel like I was being productive and accomplishing something. I learned that I am very stubborn. Ha! When I told some people I was running one they laughed and said I couldn't. It also didn't help that all the people I know that run marathons and have ran this one, called it, "the beast" and said I shouldn't start with it. I should have listened to them, but it made me want finish that one more because I felt people had doubt in me. I'm going to run another one next year...and I'm excited! :)

I'm a terrible blogger...

HELLO fellow bloggers!!!! Yes...it has been four months since I updated this. I decided I'm very bad at this. It's not that nothing has happened since my last post. Quite the opposite acutally. A lot of really important events have passed by...

SO. I've decided to quickly re-cap the last few months of the craziness that is my life.

April 27th: GRADUATION from Dental Hygiene school!!! 5 years later...I'm done with college! I loved school! Not many people can say that, but's important none the less and one of those goals I've always had. The girls I went to school with are AMAZING! I love each and every one of them and miss seeing their beautiful faces every day. Here's just a few pictures...

Me n' Amber

Cami, Megan, Me

My Aunt...fellow Dental Hygienist. :)

I was EXCITED!!!

Shantay! We went to school together since 4th grade!


April 29th: Anesthesia Board


May 1st: Clinical Board........Proud to say I passed them both and now have my license!


May 2nd: Started workin' my seasonal job @ Town & Country Gardens (Bringing beautiful things to life)


Memorial Day Weekend: Was pure craziness!

Cute new family!!!!

~I actually got to meet my future sister in law over Memorial Day and she is so cute. We went to the cabin as a family the entire weekend and it was a splendid time. They are actually getting married this TUESDAY August 4, 2009. I'm very excited! Isacc loves her and asks her when they've talked on the phone "I'm excited for you to be my mommy are you excited to be my mommy."

~I turned 23! Actually ON Memorial Day...


~Nate Graduated from High School....

I can't believe that was me 5 years ago

July 2nd: We took Nate down to the MTC!

....AND I found out I'm going to have a new niece. Elliot and Traci are expecting at the end of November and it's going to be so much fun to have a GIRL! (I probably won't know how to deal with her, because I'm so used to boys, but it'll be good for me. )

July 23rd: Nate called us when he was at the airport leaving for the Domincan Republic MTC. He is doing SO well. It's amazing the change I could sense in him from even 3 weeks in the MTC. I'm so grateful that I have been able to watch brothers go on missions and the blessings they bring. As Nate mentioned in his first letter to me, "Kings will be and should be jealous of what we have." The gospel is true. :)

He's already told Will to read the Book of Mormon about 5 times. I think if he hasn't done it by the time Nate gets home, Nate is going to pound him into submission. :)

July 23rd-26th: BEAR LAKE!!! I got to go to Bear Lake for the weekend. I love it! Boating. Jet skiing. Milkshakes. Fun people. Card Games. Yummy food.

AND this past week I worked my 1st full week as a dental hygienist! :) I temped 5 days in 3 different offices. I loved it and am glad I chose this as my career. It was good to get my feet wet, but oh boy I have a lot to learn. I'm gonna have to fake it til' I make it. Hopefully my own job is somewhere in the near future...

I PASSED!!! :)

The title says it all...and it means SO much to me. I found an envelope hiding on my table this afternoon that had apparently been sitting there ALL night. It said Joint Commission On Dental Examinations...my hands were shaking when I opened it because I've been waiting for this for 3 weeks. I read it really fast and have felt at least one burden lifted from me today. I've finished jumping through the first hoop to becoming a dental hygienist... only three more. I'm extremely happy! :)

StReSsEd!!!!

So on Friday is my National written board and I don't think I've ever been so stressed in my life!!!! I feel like all my years of college have led up to this test and I'm not prepared....and I've been studying like CrAzY. THERE'S SO much to KNOW!!! While I'm studying I read about diseases and symptoms induced by stress and I think, "Oh I'm gonna get that. AWESOME!" Or while I'm studying pharmacology and I read about anti-anxiety medications I wonder..."Oooh that sounds simply splendid, where can I get some?"

All I know is that Friday night cannot come soon enough and then I can take a breather for well, a second....

TAGGED...
I was tagged by AMY...

***Rules***1. Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.2. Go to the 6th Folder and then pick the 6th Picture.3. Post it on your bloggy and tell the story that goes with the picture.4. Tag 5 other glorious peoples to do the same thing and leave a comment on their bloggy tellin’ them ’bout it.
I TAG...


Uhhh...EVERYONE!! It was kinda fun.

I think this was in 2000 or 2001. My dad was a little into hiking that year and wanted to hike table rock so we decided to join him. (I LOVE Will's binoculars and Pokemon shirt. Haha! And I don't know what the heck I'm doing with my arms.) I was in really good shape that year, but it was still really hard. By the end of the hike I heard Will crying (he was only 7) so I gave him a piggyback the last 1 or 2 miles of the hike. It was fun and I want to do it again!