General Conference is the BEST!!

I have now survived 3 weeks of school!!  Which means I only have ten more, and one of those weeks is Thanksgiving :)  So really, 9 & 1/2!  Haha, My family came to Rexburg this past weekend For General Conference, while it was great to see them, Yesterday and today have been REALLY hard!  I just want to go home and not go to college ANYMORE!!!  I have gotten into a routine where I can get my homework done really easily, I just miss being home and I REALLY want to go hunting with my dad this weekend!!  Anyways, I Really am doing great!  I have my first test in the testing center tomorrow which I am NOT looking forward to :)  I made Cinnamon rolls this weekend that were absolutely delicious!  They were called Cake Batter Cinnamon rolls and oh my goodness, I will never make plain cinnamon rolls again!!  :)  Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I would just like to let everyone know that rolling out cinnamon rolls without a rolling pin in REALLY difficult!  Anyways, they turned out delicious and I got to share them with my family, my roommates and a bunch of other random people :)  

On Friday afternoon, Hannah, Logan, My roommate Jordan, and I all were able to go to the temple again!  It was GREAT!!  

The pictures we got this time were way better!  :)  I'm soo beyond blessed that there is a temple less than a mile away from my apartment!  I love being able to go so often!  Last night, (Sunday)  Mackenzie and I went to stadium singing which is where a bunch of people gather below the bleachers at the stadium and sing hymns late at night.  It was AMAZING!!  I'm soooo glad I went, even though I still had a bunch of homework!  

Conference was AMAZING!!  There were sooo many wonderful talks that I don't even know which one was my favorite!!  I loved Henry B. Eyring's talk on Sunday Morning
 and Richard G. Scott's talk on Sunday afternoon!  I am soo thankful that we are able to have living prophets on the earth at this time and that twice a year, they speak to us and share exactly what we need at this time!!  I got to skype with my Brother and Sister-in-law and see my nephew yesterday!!  Oh my goodness how he has grown in a month!  I miss them like crazy but I'm glad I got to talk to them for so long yesterday!!  Anyways, I have to head to my last class of the day. Have a great week!!

One Week Down, Thirteen More to Go... (I'm not counting)

While I know I should be doing my homework that is due on Tuesday, I would rather write a quick little update.  Not that anyone really cares, I do this more for me than for anything else.  I mean, I do like having people read my posts, but still :)  I have officially survived my first week of COLLEGE!  And by survive, I mean that I called home every day, crying most times, telling my parents how much I wanted to come home :) I mean, I don't hate it here by any means, I just hate SCHOOL and homework!  Probably the highlight of my week was going to the temple with Hannah and Logan on Friday afternoon

.

Me, Hannah, and Logan in front of the GORGEOUS Rexburg Temple!

I love these girls soo much!!  If they weren't in Rexburg, I think I would be having a WAY harder time than I already am!  They brighten my day whenever I see them! I am soo greatful that there is a temple within walking distance of my apartment.  It is such a blessing to not have to travel for over an hour to get to the Temple.  I am so excited for the many opportunities that I will have to attend the temple in the next several months! I got to go to dinner on Saturday night with the amazing Madison Baker, one of the sister missionaries who served in Weiser but is now home and attending BYU-I.  We went to Pizza Pie Cafe, which is amazing, and we just caught up and I told her all of the news from Weiser, not that I know very much since I have only been home for three weeks in the past 4 months.  But we still had a lot of fun talking!  My roommate Jordan and I moved all of our furniture around in our living room so that we could actually plug our TV into the cable, then we watched BYU beat UVA yesterday.  It was pretty great.  

Our cute little living room :)

I only have class from 7:45-8:45 on Friday mornings, which is the best thing ever!!  And it is also my favorite class which makes it even better :) It's my Intro to Livestock Production class.  It was a great way to end my first week of school :)

     Anyways, I am alive and so far things are going alright!!  I love BYU-I campus!  Now, I really do need to finish my homework :)  Have a great week!!

College!!

So, I am officially moved into my apartment and my first day of classes is TOMORROW!!  I'm pretty scared!!  My first class starts at 7:45 a.m. so we'll see how that goes :)
I really love my apartment and my roommates!  My birthday was on Friday and my roommates threw a surprise party for me.  I had absolutely no idea (hence the surprise)!!

I am soo thankful for the amazing people in my life!!
On the way down to Rexburg, I was seriously packed into the car.  It was obviously my fault since I brought so much stuff but it was still pretty uncomfortable!

Good bye Chandler Ln :(

I really miss Weiser and my family but I know this semester will fly by so I need to enjoy it while it's happening!!  I'm glad that I have so many friends from home here at the same time as me!  

One thing that I don't especially like is the fact that our singles ward starts at 1:00 in the afternoon.  I would much rather get up early and go to church than have to wait and wait and wait for ever until the afternoon.  But oh well, there's nothing that I can do about it so I guess I better enjoy it :)  

Just my Thoughts...

It's been two weeks since I left Utah and I'm leaving for Rexburg in five days!!  There is also 5 days until my 19th BIRTHDAY!!  Yep, I get to move in to my apartment on my birthday!  It definitely isn't the way I would have planned it, but oh well :)  My very first semester of college!  I can't believe it's here!  I am so excited and nervous and anxious, all at the same time!!  It has been great to be home, but leaving my nephew in Utah was one of the hardest things in the World!!  I miss him a ton!

Leaving Provo

One last snuggle before we leave! 

         Since I've been home, I have had two of my wisdom teeth taken out.  That went way better than I was expecting!  I was soooo scared but It went really fast and I really wasn't in that much pain.  I was even able to sing in church on the next Sunday (5 days later) Kind of ;)  It has been wonderful to catch up with family and friends that I didn't get to see all summer!!  Even though it is so great being home, I still miss Utah and all of the amazing people I was privileged to meet this past summer!
       Two of my best friends have received their mission calls in the last two weeks!!  My cousin, Maycee, will be serving in The New York, Utica mission and my amazing friend, Maddie, will be serving in the Chile, Santiago South mission!!  They are both going to do amazing things and change the lives of so many people!!  I am going to miss them both like CRAZY!!

I have had this quote on the back of my mind for the last couple months. 

 

It is a really great quote!  But there are a few things that I just have to say.  I read this post a few weeks ago called "10 Things Girls Who Aren't Serving Missions Want You to Know"  It really hit me.  I'm not saying I will never serve a mission, Honestly I don't KNOW whether or not I will serve a mission yet, it is just really degrading when guys say they will only marry a returned missionary.  It is not the priesthood duty of women to serve missions!  Yes, serving a mission is a great thing to do, and yes, it does strengthen your testimony and help you grow, but not every person is supposed to go!  Some people have a greater work that they need to do that doesn't involve serving a mission.  Girls can grow up, get married and be GREAT moms whether or not they went on a mission.  If I don't end up going on a mission, it doesn't mean I will be a failure as a person, a wife and a mother later in my life!  Anyways, as you have probably concluded from that little rant, I have pretty strong feelings about this!  I think missionaries are awesome!  I think having the opportunity to serve a mission would be INCREDIBLE!!  But sometimes, life doesn't happen the way we think it should or the way other people think it should.   Heavenly Father truly has a plan for each and every one of us!  He knows what is best for us!  We need to trust in him, even when it may seem like we have everything figured out!  I am glad that so many young women are deciding to serve missions because it means that more people are going to be able to hear the message of the restored gospel!  

     The reason I have brought this up is partially because Maddie and Maycee have both received their mission calls, but it is also because I am going to be 19 in 5 days so technically, I could be leaving on a mission too!  Instead, I have decided to go to BYU-Idaho.  I am really excited!  I know that this is what I NEED to do right now!  And really, it is the only thing I'm sure of!  I don't know what my future may hold.  But whatever it holds, I know that It will be what I need to become the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be!! 

October 6th, 2014

I just did a bunch of research as to who said this quote and I found out that it is just something that some random person made up, not a general authority!  Heavenly Father's Priesthood army has been on the Earth for a long time!    President Hinkley said this in the General Priesthood Session of the October 1997 General Conference:

          

 “There seems to be growing in the Church an idea that all young women as well as all young men should go on missions. We need some young women. They perform a remarkable work. They can get in homes where the elders cannot . . . .Some of them will very much wish to go. If so, they should counsel with their bishop as well as their parents. If the idea persists, the bishop will know what to do.

“I say what has been said before, that missionary work is essentially a priesthood responsibility. . . .Over a period of many years, we have held the age level higher for [young women] in an effort to keep the number going relatively small. Again to the sisters I say that you will be as highly respected, you will be considered as being as much in the line of duty, your efforts will be as acceptable to the Lord and to the Church whether you go on a mission or do not go on a mission.”  

Where Did The Summer Go?

My brother, Clay, gets home from his internship this Friday, three days from now!

  That means that my job in Utah is over and I will be going home!  Looking back now, it feels like the summer went by sooo insanely fast even though I thought it would take forever!  There are so many things that I am going to miss about Utah two of them being my adorable Nephew and my Fantastic sister-in-law,

but I am sooo excited to be going home!  I am excited to get to go to my home ward for a few weeks before heading off to BYU Idaho, I am excited to be able to walk around outside without running into other people, I'm excited to see my friends that I haven't seen for three months, I'm excited to be able to drink water strait from the tap that tastes delicious, I'm excited to be able to take a shower and have my hair feel super soft again, but most importantly, I'm excited to see my family that I haven't see for three months!  I know when I get home, I'm going to miss Utah because that's just how I always am, I wanted to leave Weiser soooo badly after graduation but after a week in Utah, I missed it soo much!  I'm especially going to miss getting to spend everyday with my nephew.  I don't know when I will get to see him again since my brother and sister-in-law will be moving in the spring to who knows where.  I am extremely grateful that I have had the opportunity to live in Utah this summer.  I have learned so many wonderful lessons and met so many wonderful people!  I know that I needed this experience at this time in my life to prepare me for the future.  It's hard to believe that my next blog post will be written from Weiser, Idaho!  

The Final Countdown!

This last week has gone by soo fast!!  Only one more week to go!!  (Well, a week and a day :)) I'm excited to see all of my family again!  I'm also excited to see Weiser!  I never knew how much I would miss it just being gone for 3 months!!  I am truly blessed to have been able to grow up there!!
     So, On Sunday afternoon, Emily made some DELICIOUS caramel corn to bring to work, but of course,we got to "taste" it ;)  more like eat half the bowl :)

Here's the recipe :)
CARAMEL POPCORN
4 or 5 bags of microwave popcorn, popped: make sure that you get out as many of the un-popped colonels as possible!
1/2 bag mini marshmallows
1 cup corn syrup
2 cups brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Put all of the popped popcorn in a very large bowl.  Mix the marshmallows in with the popcorn.
Mix the corn syrup, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a sauce pan.  bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.  Immediately pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and marshmallows and stir until it is well combined.  You can add more marshmallows after the caramel is on the popcorn.  (that's what we did :))  It's delicious hot, cold, warm....  you get the point!  Just be warned, this makes a ton of caramel popcorn so be careful!!  :)

Emily and I made a countdown chain when there was about a month left until Clay got home and guess what number we are on?  8!!  Here are 10 and 9 :)

We each get a dove chocolate everyday as a reward for making it through the day!  I thought it was a great idea!! :)  Anyways, Keith is getting soo big!!  I can't believe how much he has grown this summer!  He can almost sit up on his own!  He had his 6 MONTH doctors appointment on Monday!

Ya, I'm pretty lucky to have such an adorable nephew!!  :)  

On Saturday, Emily bought all three of the Divergent books for her Kindle and I finished the last one yesterday.  Holy cow!  They are soo good yet infuriating!!  It was worth the time though!!  

So, one more week!  Here we go!! <3

Almost There!!

I cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by!  I have less than three weeks left in Provo before I go home!  These last few weeks will be over before I know it and then I'll have to start (more like finish) getting ready to move again.  Only this time, I have to bring more than clothes, oh the joy of packing!!  Anyways, a lot has happened in the last few weeks.  Keith has learned how to move a lot more so now I have to keep a really close eye on him otherwise he'll roll all the way across the room in just a few seconds!  He can't crawl, he just rolls :)  I got called to be the Relief Society Secretary in my singles ward two weeks ago.  That totally came out of no where, especially since I am leaving in two weeks!  It has really helped me to be able to talk to more people and to open up just a little.  I found out who all of my roommates are for my first semester at BYU-I and I am sooo excited to get to know them!  I also ordered all of my text books already, talk about anxious!  I just get so nervous and I have to have everything completely ready days in advance so I have a few days to relax before I start something new, like when I moved to Utah, I had almost everything ready on Monday and I wasn't leaving until Wednesday.  Although during the few days I set aside to relax, I usually worry a lot and unpack and repack several times to make sure I have everything :)
       When I get home, I have to have my wisdom teeth pulled.  I have never in my life had a tooth pulled.  I've never broken a bone, and I've never had any kind of surgery.  The only time I've even been close is three years ago when I thought I had appendicitis and I went to the emergency room in the middle of the night and they put an IV in my arm.  I haven't even had shots since before I started Kindergarten so you can say that I am just a little nervous!!  I'm not even getting knocked out for the procedure.  They are just numbing my mouth like for a cavity.  So, ya, I'm terrified!!  But, my wisdom teeth have been bothering me for quite a while so it's better that I get them out before I go to school.
     Two of my best friends in the entire world are also in the process of  getting their calls to serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!  I am soo incredibly happy for them but I don't know what I will do without them for a year and a half!  The two of them have been there for me throughout most of my life!  They will both be a great help in bringing people to the knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!  I know that they will both be able to help so many people because of the experiences they have had!  Anyways, there are only so many days that I get to spend with this precious boy so I am going to cherish each one!