Field trips, horses and my future!

Despite my miniature venting session about not being in a small town I do still find joy in Utah! hah

A couple weeks ago we had a stake relief society birthday party! We got to listen to Sister Janice Kapp Perry.  I had no idea how great she was and how many songs she has written! They are all my favorites. She also shared her family song. So adorable.  Her husband and her are so cute and they gave excellent talks.

We got to the championship game for dodgeball.  Since we were in the losers bracket AGAIN we had to win twice. We won the first and lost the second one  AGAIN! I am getting a little tired of this second place stuff.  Give me a championship already! Maybe next year...

I am still volunteering at Courage Reins and I went up to Hoofbeats to Healing in Saratoga Springs with Aaron yesterday.  He has family connections to it so we thought we should check it out.  I was also able to compare the two places.  The same lady founded both places but let go of courage reins because of many issues.  I got to talk to her about the basics and more questions about her technique and philosophy. Pretty interesting.  I have to say, if I can somehow find a way to get my own organization going doing this I would in a heart beat. I love it. I want to do this for the rest of my life! hah I am having a really hard time trying to figure out what population I would work with but the beauty of horse back riding therapy and equine assisted therapy is that there are SO many populations you can work with.  Yes, for those of you wondering, I am still going to nursing school.  I love nursing still.  I will always love it. Also, I need a back up plan in case my little dream doesn't come true or I can work as a nurse in addition to it.  Just keeping my options open! I apply next year for nursing school.  I am already freaking out about it... I wonder how I will feel next summer when I only have one last semester before my internship and less than a year (hopefully) before I begin nursing school.. So anxious!

I have talked a lot about doing a study abroad while here at BYU.  Well, I found one I want to do.  New Zealand, Fiji and (yes, AND) Australia!  Okay, so it is one of the more expensive ones but I am planning on saving like CRAZY so that I can go next summer. I hope that since I am planning now I will be able to make it happen :) We will see!

We had a field trip for our Careers in Recreation class. Such a fun trip! We got to visit and play at many different places.  Maple Lake made me want to go play with kids that have Asperger's, Aspen Grove made me want to go hiking, we got TONS of food, I now know I would be terrible at event planning for a career, and I am one of few in my major who can stand the sound and smell of puke.  I also was a lucky one who got to take a girl home and only got 4 hours of sleep that night :) That's what I get for having a tolerance for puke!

I only have a few more weeks of this semester.  I always feel the same way when the end is near, it just started! But I am so happy to be able to go home and be there when my niece and nephew are born and be able to spend more time with Rock and Ryker! I miss the lake and everyone at home, but I am still enjoying my time here.

A small town girl does not do well in a city.

So I get homesick really easily.  I haven't done too bad this semester since I remind myself I get to be home for the entire summer and get to spend it with my nephews, my new niece and maybe one more nephew :) :) :) BUT that still doesn't mean I don't get homesick everyone once in a while.  Like, when I get choked up seeing a Washington apple box in Step Up 3 and have to take a picture of it in case no one believed me, or just seeing an apple at the store, or someone eating one... I wear my t shirts from high school A LOT. This is not only due to the fact that I don't have many others from college but I love to wear them because it reminds me of home. ESPECIALLY my Apple Blossom shirt or Grandma Helen's sweater.  Or how I get really excited when I see a Washington license plate or meet someone from Washington, especially when they know where Lake Chelan is.  Sometimes I fantasize about not have to stop at stop lights every 2 seconds or having to get on the freeway twice a week.  Sometimes I just get sick of Provo and the things people will say. Or the look you get when I say something that some city people just don't understand or care about but when I saw it in front of Marci or Marissa, they completely get it.
 Anyway, I have been getting little reminders of how much I  miss home because Marissa gets to go home  for a week and I don't.  Too bad I don't have any days I get leave and go home like Nick and I did for Thanksgiving.  That would be nice.

So, Rock called me last night.  This is how our conversation went...

Me: Hey Rocko!
Rock: Hi Whinti! I... I miss you!
Me: I miss you too Rock
Rock: I... I want you to come, too...
Me: Oh... I want to come home too, Rock...
I start crying and can't stop so I have to give the phone to Marissa.

Maybe I am a little more homesick than I thought? haha I have less than two months until I get to go home for four! This seems so weird but I am so incredibly excited!

By the way, 19 days until HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!

Midnight Showing: HUNGER GAMES!

I have never been so excited for any movie in my entire life.  Every time I see a trailer I get goose bumps.  AH! I can barely stand it anymore! this next month is going to be the longest month of my life....

I have read the first book twice and in the middle of the second right now. I plan to finish the second and third and read the first one again before it comes out. Just have to see if I can find time to do it!

Here is the new trailer for it!

21st Birthday!

This week has been so much fun! Such a  good birthday week!

Tuesday was my first day at Courage Reins. I loved it. And I cannot wait to go back next week! Preschoolers came in and they were the cutest kids ever! I'm so excited to keep going!

Marissa and I hiked the Y on Thursday. It was freezing. And really difficult haha  but so worth it!

[Also, I thought I would add that the hike gave me a chance to remember Tim. It has been eleven years but I always love to think about him.  I may have been young but he was hilarious and so much fun to play with during recess.  For some reason, it hit me harder than it has for a lot of years. I am usually home or purposely distracting myself. It has always been hard to have such a sad memory associated with my birthday. Katie Barnes wrote on my wall a perfect time of day and said exactly what I needed to hear. Be happy about what I have and enjoy every moment.  I may miss him but I know that he was needed somewhere else.]  

Marissa, Chris and Stacey decided to have me open presents at midnight. I was all for that! I got super cute clothes from them! Also, my parents got me a really cute raincoat. I love it!

Yesterday, we started off with seeing my grandparents. I haven't been able to see them very often so it was so good to be able to talk to them again! Marissa and I met up with Brock for breakfast at Kneaders. So ready to eat a ton of the endless french toast... Only ate 3ish. haha Still delicious! When we got back we found a package on the counter. These were the instructions on the box. We had NO idea what was inside. When we opened it we found chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels! Thank you mom and dad for all the wonderful birthday presents! I loved them all.

I went to class and we went shopping for a bit then headed to Spark to have some drinks (non-alcoholic, don't worry). It was a blast! And we all want to go again! I was able to see some people that I don't get to see very often and I am so happy they went so I had a chance to catch up a bit! Afterward, we came back to our apartment for red velvet cake balls and cupcakes.  I found these sprinkles that looked like pearls and I could not pass them up. They were so so so cute! At home there were more people that came that I got to catch up with (including Marci's boyfriend who is hilarious!)

Buffness

My dad can push planes. What can yours do?

That's Marissa talking by the way. After she talked in the video before telling me to start a new video.

Thank you dad for taking us flying!

P.S. I am 21 this Friday. Just a little info for you all :)

"I love you more!"

That was a very common phrase heard this break by my adorable nephew, Ryker.  When he was younger (well, younger than he is now) he would barely let me hug him.  This break he let us tickle him, kiss him, hold him, cuddle him, take him to the store/ice skating/car rides, hug him.... He actually wanted to go anywhere and everywhere that someone was going. It was so so so much fun.  And he is talking SO much.  It is so fun to hear your nephew who you thought may hate you say he loves you more.  Yes, he probably doesn't really know what it means but it makes an aunt feel so good! Also, he would put "too!" on the end of every single sentence. hah When someone was leaving he would say, "I go too!" or when someone got apple cider, "I have apple juice too!" Ahh it was so cute. And I am pretty sure one of his favorite things to do is make milkshakes.  I feel like he doesn't care too much about the end product like he does the licking ice cream off the spoon, dipping the spoon in the chocolate then licking it and putting it back in so the chocolate will stick, and pushing the lever to make the milkshake come out the smoothie spigot.

Rock as a three (almost 4 year old) is so much fun!! He says the cutest most random things!
He was dressed up as Santa and sitting on the floor so I sat next to him and swung my legs over him and starting asking him stuff for Christmas. He started pushing me off and said, "I don't have time for this!" and walked away.

I was playing with Rock and this conversation happened.. haha

Me: Rock, I'm gonna miss you when I leave.
Rock: Where are you going?
Me: I have to go back to school.
Rock: Why do you have to go back to school?
Me: Because I have to learn.
Rock: Why do you have to learn?
Me: So I can have a job
Rock: hah You don't  need to go to school!
Me: Why??
Rock: I'll teach you all you need to know!


How can you NOT love these two?!

My Nighttime Antics Part Three

I'm not the only one that does weird creepy things in her sleep...

Like a month ago I climbed into bed. Riss had already gone to bed and was fast asleep.  Our beds are arranged like this:

(Her head on the right side of her bed and my head is at the "bottom" of mine)

I was just about to close my eyes and be comfortable when all of a sudden......

AH! Someone just grabbed my ankles.... Worst thing ever to experience before going to bed! (Except spiders come very very very close)  I freaked out and yelled at Marissa.. She said that she was checking if I was there... I asked why and she wouldn't answer.. I kept yelling at her and she never ever woke up.  I had to curl up onto my pillows in order to get my feet far enough away from the edge so there wouldn't be anymore ankle grabbing that night.

She told me in the morning she was dreaming about helping Larry King fill up backpacks??

And you all thought that I was weird.

Dads and Guns

For some reason this reminded me of my own dad.  But  multiply "a gun" by about 30.

Ms. Graceful

I am really clumsy.  Always have been and probably always will.  I have fallen down many stairs, tripped over flat surfaces, slipped into puddles, and now... fallen off a horse.

Yup. A horse.  

One minute I was on it and the next I was on the ground.

Seriously, I don't remember how it happened. I just remember getting up from the ground and being super embarrassed.  

Tyler (the guy who taught us how to lasso) took me up to his horse to teach me how to get a horse ready to ride because I have to know in order to volunteer at Courage Reins.  So we went up and he taught me how to do the halter, the bridle and the saddle.  He then took Gunner out to warm him up and stuff and then let me take him around a few times.  I couldn't lope or anything cause I was too short for the stirrups.  First embarrassing thing, but I'm used to that. But since Gunner has a hard time with other riders he didn't want to leave Tyler so Tyler got on and we went around a few more times.  Then Tyler asked if I wanted to lope.  So we switched places so he could steer better.  So I was on the back and we start going.  I was having SUCH a hard time not bouncing back and forth and could tell it wouldn't last long.

It lasted a lot shorter than I thought.  Like 10 seconds. 

Dirt was everywhere.  Down my pants, down my shirt, in my mouth, in my pockets, in my hair... and I found dirt in my ear 2 hours later.  

I am probably the most elegant and graceful woman out there.  Watch out guys!

But seriously... you may want to cause you just might be pulled off a horse with me.

My Nighttime Antics Part Two

Last winter semester I was stressing out a lot about waking up early for my class.  I had to wake up early to meet a girl in my class to go to a high school to observe.  Since I have a history of not waking up on time, I guess my nighttime self tried to take this issue its own hands.  

There was one morning I was having a VERY hard time putting in my contacts and couldn't figure out why it was so difficult for me.  I then saw on my phone it was 3 am.  What the heck? Then I realized I was showered, my legs were shaved and one contact was in.  

I had done all that in my sleep.  I don't remember a thing and didn't wake up until I was trying to put my left contact in. 

Now I just want to know what else I have done in my sleep that I didn't wake up for.... Crap.