Back in 97035

Well, I kind of forgot about my blog... Oops.

But you can't blame me, I've been BUSY!!! I finished my sophomore year in July, and moved back to Portland to work. I work full time at my old job with my uncle, and am loving it. I also work for a family friend on weekend nights at Kat's Crepes, and it's a problem. I can't get enough crepes! Strawberry Nutella is just way too good. 

In August, I came back to Nampa for my best friend's wedding- it was a great day. She was beautiful, and there were so many people there that were so happy for them. I couldn't be more happy for her. 

It was so great to be a bridesmaid!!

Other than that, I have just been working- all day every day! I have never slept better in my life! I also teach a primary class, and let me tell you- I love my CTR 5 kids as if they were my own. They are adorable, not a bad one in the bunch! I go all out on every lesson, making smores and other crazy stuff for them. I will have to post a pic of us later... 

That's about it! This weekend is conference weekend, so hopefully I will remember to post later about the wonderful inspirations that come. Have a nice weekend!

May

Well, I'm a little behind.

I finished out last semester with a bang, and survived finals week. WOO! Unfortunately, it meant I had to part with some of the most awesome roommates I have ever had. I miss them a lot! Then, I drove to Boise, and then flew to Portland to spend time working and being with family. It was great. We took lots of silly pictures... Of course.

I just love having fun with these guys. I hate that I have to go 4 months without seeing them at a time.

But I guess that's one of the wonderful things of college. You learn to appreciate things that you are forced to miss, i.e., my amazing family.

I started my new semester in the third week of April. And it is going so well! In previous semesters, I hated going out and meeting people, and this semester, I can't get enough of it! Part of it has to do with Makenna getting here, and did I miss that girl!

Makenna was my roommate last year, and she transferred to Provo this year, but decided to come back, and I was so excited!

We are taking classes that require us to work out as homework, and we take lots of fitness classes together. Sometimes I think that the laughing works our abs harder than most of the stretches or lifts do, and it is so fun!

Look at her. So buff. We usually can't walk after working out, and have taken advantage of the many elevators on campus.

I'm taking lots of classes, but I love them a lot. I'm excited that I am so close to having an Associate's Degree! I sometimes am frustrated that I'm not as accomplished or haven't done the exciting things my old friends have done, but I'm excited that I'm so close to accomplishing this.

I'm also less than 2 weeks from the big 20th. So I decided I had to do one last crazy thing as a teenager. I dyed a streak of my hair red.

I have always wanted to do it, but was always worried about damaging my hair, applying for a job, etc. But I already have a job when I'm off track, I'm not getting married anytime soon, and I only live once, right? So Makenna and I did it. Just because we could.

So I'm enjoying life. And because it is May, I have a quote about May. Just kidding. It just has the word May in it.

I'm having a ton of fun and learning so much about medicine, friendship, myself, and life. Could life get any better?

Therapy

So, I started therapy because I'm crazy. Just kidding, it isn't for my craziness. Just my grandma hip.

My hip has been getting progressively worse, where sometimes I can't sleep for hours because of the pain. So I finally took my doctor's referral and scheduled my appointment. I have to admit. I didn't know how effective I thought it would be... Not that I didn't think it would help, but I kinda thought it was hokie.

So I went last Thursday, and let me tell you... it was freaking painful. They had to check the different muscles in my hip to figure out which ones were causing problems, so they could figure out a treatment plan. Apparently, my gluteus medius and piriformis muscles have been way overworked, and my hip flexors are tighter than the therapist has seen in decades (that's bad).

So this is what I have to do when I go:

1. I get this heater thing that goes over my butt to relax the muscles, and this is by far my favorite part. Actually, this is the only good part. 
2. I get a deep tissue muscle massage on the glutes, piriformis, and hip flexors. I wish I could say it is enjoyable... but it is by far the worst pain I have ever endured in my entire life. Who  would have thought that massages could be such a bad thing? Each visit it goes deeper, and it is horrible. The therapist asks me the most random questions so I don't scream, such as: "What did you buy the last time you went grocery shopping?", "What is your favorite movie quote?", and "What would your dream shoes look like?" I have to be reminded to breathe and not break my thumbs from squeezing my hands so much.
3. Then I do this horrible stretch for ten minutes, which I have to do when I'm at home too. Not too fun.
4. I use this lifting machine that is actually not too bad. It strengthens my legs, hips, and butt. My roommates joke that I will probably get a super toned butt out of this if I make it out alive. 
5. This is the most strenuous part: lunges. Laps and laps of lunges that I have to do perfectly. I always hated lunges, but they are so much more painful when your therapist has just bruised all of the muscles involved with the exercise. I just have to remind myself that it will make my hips stronger. And that I will get great legs! 
6. Lastly, I get to ice my butt. I somewhat enjoy this, because there is no pain involved. Getting up afterward is hard though, because my left hip is frozen. 

That's it. I had an appointment this morning, and I was so exhausted I came home and took a three hour nap... It was much deserved. Anyway, there is my life update, since nothing else in my life is exciting. 

Confession... I Can't Remember Which One.

I've been pretty busy. This week is midterms, and I'm going to Salt Lake for the weekend to go to my cousin Lindsay's wedding. So I feel like I'm on overdrive. Here's what's up:

Valentine's Day: I made peanut butter cookies, with heart-shaped Dove chocolates on top. They were pretty adorable, and I passed them out to my FHE family, my home teachers, the girls I visit teach, and some of my friends from high school. I also made dinner and watched a movie with this guy... It was pretty great.

My hip: Super long story short, when I broke my cuboid in my foot in high school, I started walking in a way that strained my hip for 3 years. So I'm developing arthritis in my hip at the ripe age of 19. WOO! So I went to the doctor and am now on anti inflammatory medication to see if they can correct it.  I also got my blood tested during my anatomy lab, and brought the results in so we could go over my sugar/cholesterol levels before the blood they took got back. The doc said that my sugar and cholesterol levels were pretty much the best he's ever seen. Yay for eating healthy!

My pajama pants: I got a 96%!!!!! I'm so excited! I expected lower, because I didn't have the greatest stitching on the casing. But I love it! My pants are super soft. And apparently, most of the class got C's... Not that anyone is keeping track. I'll post a picture when I get to it.

The little trip to IF: In case you aren't up to date on BYU-I vocabulary, IF stands for Idaho Falls, which is the closest "city" to Rexburg. I went there with some girlfriends to get fabric for our shirt project, get lunch, and "get away" for a part of our 3 day weekend. It was fun! I got cheap fabric, had Olive Garden, and best of all, went to TARGET!!! Of all of the things I miss most while I'm away from college, it is Target (notice I said "things," which doesn't encompass people). I got an adorable little day planner, which was much needed.

Anyway, that's about it. I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day/ President's Day weekend!

Cinnamon Rolls, Alfredo, and Downton Abbey

Well, I woke up as my first and only class for the day was starting, and as my car was covered in frost, so I decided to stay home and blog instead... Oops. But I did want to document my weekend, for it was a grand one. Okay, don't get too excited. I still stayed in my apartment for the weekend (big surprise), but I had lots of fun!

My friend Chelsea came over, and we made some delightful things. We made cinnamon rolls, and I kid you not, they were FLAWLESS.

I made the dough before she came over, and when she did, she was pretty impressed with the dough. I don't even know what made it so special. But it was perfect! And the rolls...

Let's just say they were to die for.
Then, we tested out a Pinterest recipe... for Olive Garden Alfredo  sauce. And it was tasted great, but the consistency doesn't last long before the different ingredients separate. Which didn't bother us, because it was great!

Sorry this isn't an "instagram worthy" picture. I just don't care.
After eating some of the best food ever, I introduced Chelsea to one of the best shows ever... DOWNTON ABBEY!
For those of you who haven't heard of this wonderful show, I pity you, for it is wonderful. It is about a wealthy family in the early 20th century in England, and their whole household. Trust me, you will love it, and by the end, you will have a love/hate relationship with Mary, hate Edith and Thomas, and pretty much want to marry Cousin Matthew. So good! We watched the whole first season... There are only seven episodes, so I didn't feel too badly about it. And we found the perfect meme about Mary and Mr. Pamuk!

And that's why you don't have sex before marriage.
Then on Sunday, I watched the Superbowl. Actually, not really. I was sewing the whole time... listening. I looked up every once in a while. So I know that the Ravens won, wooo. I will show you my sewing project when I put it up, because it is adorable. That's about it folks! Just a relaxing weekend avoiding studying and eating. 

Super Taster

Okay people. I'm learning about the body, and oh is it fascinating! Get ready to take notes people. This is some pretty cool stuff.

So your tongue... It is pretty much amazing! You know those bumps on your tongue? Those aren't taste buds... Sorry your whole life is a lie. They are papillae, which contain the taste buds. Then each taste bud has about 50 taste cells, and it gets more complex. There are 5 general categories of tastants, which cause the taste cells to recognize a change: sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and umami (savory).

Anyway, the amount of papillae on your tongue changes your sensitivity to tastants. In my class, we dyed our tongues blue to see the different papillae, and measured a small circle, about 1/4 inch wide. Then we counted the papillae within these circles. There are three main categories of "tasters": nontasters, regular tasters, and SUPER TASTERS.

 If you had between 5-15 papillae within the circle, you are considered a nontaster. Nontasters need lots of flavor to taste something, and usually dump salt or sugar on their food. Nontasters can handle super spicy foods, and find most foods bland. If you had between 15-35 papillae within the circle, you are considered to be a regular taster. You can handle most foods, and can sense most flavors without a problem. People with over 30 are considered to be fairly sensitive to tastants.

Then there are the super tasters. Super tasters have at least 35 papillae within the little 1/4 inch circle, and can taste things without excessive amounts of tastants. Super tasters had the biological advantage back in the dinosaur days, as they were sensitive to bitter plants that ended up being poisonous. Now super tasters are just considered to be picky eaters. Which leads to me. Guess how many papillae I had? 38! That was the class record. It was kind of awesome, people were super surprised that somebody could have twice as many as most of the class.

I'm sorry if you found this post boring, but I thought it was so cool to learn something that explained part of the way I live! I'm super picky, and super sensitive to spicy foods or super sugary foods. It is just so incredible to learn the little things that you didn't think had a logical reason! Anyway, I hope y'all have a great day, and maybe learned a little something about yourselves. Tudles! 

Rocky Road, Batman, and Coldplay

Well, it's one of those weeks where I'm not so great at finding joy in the journey. It's more of a listen-to-sad-music-and-eat-lots-of-ice-cream week, and it's only Tuesday. I've never been a super huge fan of ice cream, but apparently I am this week. I got my Breyer's Rocky Road, and let me tell you about it. Super good chocolate ice cream, marshmallow swirl, and chocolate covered almonds. Pretty much all one needs when life isn't going the way you want it to. Okay, maybe not all you need. But chocolate releases endorphins, and endorphins make you happy, and happy people don't kill their roommates. (Name that movie! Not that it is exactly the same...)
 
This is what it looks like, just in case you are having the same kind of week I am.

I think the best part of this week is that I'm starting my pajama pants for my Clothing Construction class... and holy cow. I got the coolest fabric ever. ON SALE!

Check it out.

I think it speaks for itself. I win!

And lastly, I've been listening to slow Coldplay songs on repeat. I can't tell if they make me sadder, or happier, but I love them either way. They haven't made a music video for their best song, so I'll just post a weird video posted by some stranger.

 This is Til Kingdom Come... It was in the new Spiderman movie, but I liked it way before that. Just in case you were wondering.

So that's my life this week. Rocky Road, Batman, and Coldplay.

Finding Joy in the Journey

I don't know about you guys, but when I was 12, I wanted to be 16, and have a car, and go on dates, and be cool. And when I was 16, I wanted to be 18, with no curfew, going to college, and being on my own. And now, at almost 20 (how did that happen?) I wish I was four, with a designated time for napping and tons of coloring books.

I have been thinking about this a lot. And I realized that with more freedoms, comes more responsibilities. It sounds like a no-brainer, but it is crazy how true it is! Most of the time, it feels like there are ten times more responsibilities than there are freedoms. It is often easy for me to pout and whine about life, and bum around with a negative attitude. But I remembered this quote this week:

And how true it is! So I began to think of the blessings I have, and focused on the great things I got to do as an adult.


For example, this week, I had an assignment to make a pillowcase. It was frustrating, and I definitely stabbed my fingers with pins a few times, but at the end, I loved it!

Pretty dang cute, if I do say so myself. (the trim is supposed to be purple blackberries, in case you were wondering.)

I am still sick, and thought that I should make soup, so I did.

What is this deliciousness, you might ask?

This is my aunt Barb's Tomato Bisque. And it is delicious. I had some dough for rolls that I had frozen last week, so I got those ready, and had a pretty great meal!

So as frustrating and overwhelming as adulthood can be, there are so many wonderful things that come with it, such as developing talents in sewing and cooking wonderful food, or acing my Epidemiology test today. Whoop whoop!

Big Girl Weekend

This weekend my roommate Holly, friend Chelsea, and cousin Nick and I drove down to Provo for the three day weekend to escape the miserable place called Rexburg, which has weather I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. And it was great! We got there and back safely with no problems. And I even wore a sweater outside and didn't die from exposure like I would here. Hallelujah!  The only misfortune we came across was the fact that we didn't document our adventure at all, which makes this a boring post. Wait, that's a lie. I took some of people dancing to Just Dance, but I swore to not post them. BOOOO.

I got to Provo on Friday night, and had dinner with Nick and my cousin Cameron. Yay for Pizza Pie Cafe's oreo pizza!!! And then I crashed on Allyson's couch. So good!

Saturday was... good. Allyson, Chelsea, and I met up with a friend for lunch, which was a little awkward. But the pizza was great! (It is called Slab Pizza, for any of you Provo-visiting people.) Then we went to the mall, and used one of my Gap gift cards from Christmas to get a shirt. I actually look like an adult! I think. But it was an exciting event. After the mall, Allyson and I went to the BYU basketball game! It was fun, but really weird because it was my first time going to a game since high school... So two years! Crazy stuff. Then we were lame college students and did homework. Woo.

Sunday was good, just a lot of time being with Allyson, Chelsea, Nick, and Cameron. We visited my aunt Sue, which ended up being a whole lot of eating chocolate chip cookies. Yum!! And the Wii Just Dance party of course, which let me tell you, is embarrassing and exhausting. But so much fun!

On Monday, we had Kneaders for breakfast, and just walked around the mall. And I finally washed my car! That was super exciting, because it was so dirty from Rexburg. We had In-n-Out for lunch, and then drove back to Rexburg. That was it! Three days of being with great people and just having fun. Now I'm in freezing Rexburg, lying in bed sick. I blame the people of Provo. Sorry this was so boring, I just didn't want to forget this great trip!

And the worst blogger of 2012 goes to...

Me.

I was pretty busy in Portland. I worked 40 hour weeks, and ran lots of errands and did other stuff that won't really excuse me from taking forever to blog. Oh well.

The sad part of it is that I'm blogging when I should be reading about the eye... It is just SOOO BORING! So many layers of mucous and other disgusting stuff. However, I did learn that the purpose of eyebrows is to stop sweat from dripping from your forehead into your eye. I guess you learn something everyday!

So, for those who I don't talk to pretty regularly, I am back in Rexburg studying my heart out... Kinda. Actually, I've been pretty good these two days about reading and homework. For those who care, this is what I'm taking this semester:

• Anatomy and Physiology 2 (MWF 7:45-8:45 am): that is really early. But the teacher is pretty cool, and seems to really like people. Sometimes I think teachers just don't like anyone, but he seems to care, which is nice to have for such a fast paced class. I've already studied at least five hours for this class this week... and it's Tuesday. 
• Clothing Construction (TTr 8:00-9:30 am): Also early. But it seems like it will be fairly easy... I hope. We will have to make a pillowcase, pajama pants, a shirt, and a skirt from patterns. So exciting. 
• Epidemiology (TTr 3:15-4:45 pm): I'm definitely excited for this one. It has to do with patterns and the way diseases attack you. The teacher is pretty funny, and works as an Epidemiologist for the govt. I learned that 100,000 people are killed from receiving the wrong treatment from doctors. Not from the disease that they had, but from being misdiagnosed. So I guess we should just get rid of all of the doctors to prevent bad things from happening. (That was my jab gun laws...)
• Family Foundations (F 9:00-10:00 am): This is a hybrid class, so it is mostly online with one class discussion a week... I haven't gone to it yet, but I have high hopes.
• World Foundations (Online): I'm actually pretty excited for this one, even though I HAVE to take it and it has nothing to do with what I am studying. It has to do with ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures. And for those who didn't know this about me, I actually really enjoy studying Greek mythology. (Romans are just copy cats). 
• Understanding DNA (Online): This sounds okay. I don't really know what I think about it yet.

So that's my life. Studying the body, sewing, diseases, family, ancient cultures, and DNA. With a little Pinterest on the side.

Oh! And I made a New Year's Resolution of running... I won't say exactly what it is in case I miserably fail, but I did go running and cycling today. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Sorry for the rant, I just needed to catch up. Hopefully, I will be better this year. Maybe.