HI!!!!

Hi everybody i just wanted to tell you how much i love my friend Kirsten. She is soooo cool! wow. i dont know if there are words to explain how awesome she is. maybe one day i will be able to be as cool as she is!!!! she is soooo cool that i dont even know what to say. I LOVE MY BEST FRIEND KIRSTEN  

Home for the Holidays

Well  I guess I can say that I successfully survived my first semester of college. There was a little stress there at the end, but I made it! I am now home for the next three weeks and I'm ready to spend sometime with family and friends. I have missed my mom's cooking, dad's jokes, and siblings' laughter. I can't wait for Christmas and the joy it brings. It is so nice to be with those we love at this special time of year! Merry Christmas to everyone and good luck with  your ambitions of a new year!

Good Quotation

I received this via email and thought I would share it.

'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are.. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us..'

Here is another good one that I found on a tile in my grandfather's office:

"Opportunity is missed by many because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." 

The Many Blessings I Have Been Given...

 As I was pondering how to tactfully tell you all the things I am grateful for, without boring you to death, I decided I would tell you some of the most dear things to me and I would let you fill in the rest.

 I am truly grateful for friends and family most of all. I am also grateful for the Book of Mormon and the answers that it holds. I am grateful for prayer, a way to communicate with my Father in Heaven, and for a Savior who atoned for not only my sins but also my shortcomings and downer-days. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost who prompts me and guides me as well as comforts me as I am on my own. And lastly, I am grateful for worthy priesthood leaders who love me, help me, and guide me as I begin to learn more and more who I really am. Thank you to all who have had or continue to have a hand in my life. I love you all and wish you the best this holiday season. May we all take part in the spirit of Christmas each and every day.

Bummer

Tonight I am stuck at home doing absolutely nothing while all of my friends are at the Fray concert. :(  I'm ready to come home and see all those that I love.  

Another week in Paradise....well UW.

This week isn't done but it has already been filled with two tests and meetings with more meetings to come. Tonight I was able to go to a Young Constitutionalists meeting and Ron Micheli talked to us about Remembering certain things in our lives such as our heritage, who we are, how blessed we are to live in Wyoming and in a free country with a constitution that helps keep us in check even though right now we're not quite in check. Tomorrow I meet with Marsha from Big Brothers and Big Sisters. I am a little nervous because I might be getting my Little tomorrow. Then I am helping with food boxes right afterwards.  

Later that day I am going to two meetings as a representative for LDSSA. Wow! I didn't know college involved so many extra activities. :) Hope all is well with all back home!! I can't wait to see all of you at Thanksgiving!

Marathon Time!

This week has been pretty boring except on Sunday when I received a text from my aunt who lives is Alaska. She asked me if I wanted to come to Alaska this June and run a marathon with her. I was so stoked. She said that I would have to buy the plane ticket and the entry fee to the race but she would provide somewhere to stay and food for my belly. The only problem is I'm broke so I had better find a job quick. :) We'll see if this all works out. But for right now the one thing I know is I had better put on some major miles so I actually have a chance at not completely dying. Better get running!!

Revelation in Action

Today the Laramie Wyoming stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was reorganized. It was an amazing thing to watch happen for the second time in my life. 

Elder Snow of the second quorum of the 70 and Elder Brimhall of the Area 70 came to Laramie this weekend knowing practically no one and through many interviews and a lot of fervent prayer were able to know who Heavenly Father had prepared to be the next Stake President. What a wonderful thing to know that the church is led by a loving Heavenly Father who qualifies who he calls. What a tremendous burden was just given to such an ordinary man, but through God he will be able to lead and guide this stake of Zion. :)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Wow! In the last 48 hours our weather has gone from Fall to a definite Winter. I hasn't stopped snowing since around Tuesday afternoon.We currently have  a winter storm warning and kids classes are getting cancelled right and left. :) I don't think I am ready for the snow, but I guess I just have to buck-up and deal with it. Good thing I have all the proper gear!

Facials and more!

This week was way fun but seemed like it would never end. On Tuesday I took my third Biology test with the hope of getting better than the last one. Wednesday Kim invited me to go to her very first Mary Kay facial. I learned some tricks and what colors and creams work for me. I had lots of fun and it was fun to see Kim all dolled up. She and I usually only wear mascara and occasionally eye-liner. Thursday was a full day. I went to my LDSSA meeting and then went to lunch with Adam. Afterwards we went to get his trailer so that we could help haul tables over to the clothing drive at the Stake Center. Upon arriving at the Stake Center we helped to unload and set up the tables and sort the clothing that had already been donated. It always feels good to serve and help the people around me. Friday I was able to attend my classes and hang out with my new friends Tiffany and Brie and we watched the first season of Reba and helped Tiff make her handouts for RS. Then on Saturday I woke up at 4 am so that I could ride with Jacob and his family down to Sheridan to watch Jared and Kirsten run at State XC. It was so much fun! I had so many memories come back and I wanted to race again. It was fun to cheer and encourage the runners. Overall our girls took third and I think all learned something from the experience. All in all it has been a great week! I am excited for this week because I will be coming home to see all of my great friends there!!

Fun Weekend of Service

Just yesterday I was privilaged to be the sweeper for a local 5k in Laramie. It was a run/walk for breast cancer. I had so much fun cheering the runners/walkers on as they showed that they wanted to make a difference. I hope to run it next year. I will have to see how good of shape I am in. :) I am so glad that there are so many service opportunities in Laramie. I am now the volunteer coordinator for LDSSA and it has opened my eyes to the many ways I can serve my community and church!

One Heck of a Week!!

On Tuesday I was on my way home from a drive with Kim, and Ashley calls my phone and tells me that I should probably stay at Kim's tonight. I asked why and she proceeded to tell me it was because there was a van of stranded band members staying at our house. I was shocked. I went home to get some of my things to spend the night at Kim's and I walked into a room full of strange men and smells. Our house reeked! I asked Christine about the guys that were still outside in the van and she proceeded to tell me that they were drinking and Michelle wouldn't let them do it in the house. So I bet you are wondering how they even got to my house? Well, they were traveling home from a tour in Boise, Idaho and their van broke down, so one of them called his dad and asked him for the number of a mechanic in Laramie; however, the number he gave them happened to be my roommate Michelle's. So they called and asked if she was a mechanic and explained their situation to her. She felt compassion for them and offered for them to stay the night at our house in tents in the backyard. Needless to say I was mortified when I found all of this out but it turned out that they were able to get a new van that night and they left Laramie at around 1 or 2 in the morning. Now if that wasn't interesting enough something else happened on Friday.

I was at the Institute on Friday night helping put together the float for the homecoming parade that was today. Afterwards, I walked into the Institute to find my friend Jeremiah and another man talking about the gospel. I soon found out that this man named Charles was stranded in Laramie and needed a ride to Cheyenne to pick up his mail. I also learned that he was homeless. The missionaries were working to find him a place to stay while we talked with him. After a while they told us that they had found a place for Charles to stay with a warm shower and a mattress waiting for him. We all thought that was great until we found out that the homeless shelter was in Cheyenne and they had just closed all the roads out of Laramie due to a storm that was sweeping across eastern Wyoming. We were stuck. We were out of options of places Charles could stay. Jeremiah and I took Charles to our last resort, the hospital, and talked to man there who said that Charles could probably stay in the waiting room of the ER that night until we took him to Cheyenne today. So we left Charles there and went to Jacob's to watch a movie and wait. Then today I get a text form Jeremiah that says that Charles got himself a room in at the Days Inn and that he will be staying here and attending church with us tomorrow. How cool is that! All in all this week has been tough but very interesting at the same time. I look forward to this coming week and the adventures it holds! 

On our way to the finals!!

About a month ago I was asked if I would join an intermural ultimate frisbee team and I did. I am a chaser and my job is to meet the frisbee on the other end of the field and then to stall count the first thrower. Then I follow the frisbee the whole game trying to force the other team's throws either right or left. Anyways, in these past four weeks we have won every games we've played including the one last night that put us in the finals for the tournament. I am ultra excited!! Wish us luck!!

Home comes to ME!

This weekend my mom and my best friend Kirsten are coming to Laramie! Both will be here for different things, but who cares as long as I get to see them! Kirsten and I will be attending the UW vs UNLV on Saturday and of course eating plenty of our favorite mint oreo cookies!
Life is good!

College Life?

As some of you know I am in Laramie, Wyoming going to school at the Universtiy of Wyoming. So much has happened in this last month and I am sorry that I have not kept you up-to-date.
Here's the low-down. My first week here was a hard one filled with anxiety and tears, until Kim Burton showed me what true friendship looked like. I have been longing for friends and family to talk to;however, I have come know and love the people in the Institute. I have met many new people and made many new friendships. At the end of the first week Kim and I attended a program called Summit put on by the University that helped me to get to know more people than just those in the Institute program. The following week I started classes and had an activity every night through the Institute. As school continues I continue to learn and grow in more ways than I imagined. I will try to be better at posting weekly so that my updates are shorter and in more detail.

Fantastic Weekend

This weekend I was able to run in the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back. I was the third runner on our team. We started in Logan, Utah and ran to Park City which is approximately 188 miles, each runner taking three or four legs of the relay. Ragnar is about running for a cause, and this year we chose Kirt Galloway to be our cause. He has helped our community in so many ways and has just recently been diagnosed with cancer. He is a fighter and is giving it his all so we decided we could help by giving it our all. We were successful and finished in 26 hours and 15 minutes. Way to go SVXC!!!

Relay For Life is Near

Relay for life is the 26-27 of June!! I am so excited to do this awesome experience again. For all those procrastinators you can still sign up to be on my team. The team name is the Running Addicts (Contrary to what Jaymie has been telling some of you). When you are registering make sure to mark Participant Registration-Cash or Check so that you don't have to pay to do it.  I hope to see you all registered and ready to walk come Friday at 6! It will be a blast!

Best Friends EVER!!

This beautiful and comforting picture was sent to me by a very good friend. I immediately fell in love with it and thought I would share it with all of you. Isn't it comforting to know that He is always there for us to give us that hug when we are down? 

My summer

So Recently I took on the duties as the day cook at Rulon's Burger Barn. It has been a crazy week filled with extremes from no work at all to seven orders all at one time. Sometimes it is hectic and others just plain boring.  Other than work I am participating in the Ragner Relay which is a relay of twelve people running from Park City to Logan. Each person runs two legs of the relay throughout the night. Then the next weekend I will be at the middle school for Relay for Life which was a hoot last year. I am looking forward to family reunions and bridge jumping in Grover  on my days off. 

I will be leaving for UW in August. Off to live in the real world!! Crazy!

Graduation

I am officially done with high school!! I have the tassel and diploma to prove it!

Thank you so much to those who sent me cards and other things!! They mean a lot to me. My plans are to work at Gardners, do Relay for Life, run in the Ragner Relay, and possible attend girls camp this summer. Then, come August, I will be headed to Laramie to the University of Wyoming. I am super excited and plan to work towards a Masters in Speech and Language Pathology. I am hopping all goes well as I move forward and embark in life. I have been told by many that these next few years will be fun and a major turning point in my life. I am glad I am somewhat prepared!! Thank you again to all in my life! 

State Track

Wednesday, May 20 the few select individuals who qualified for State headed out for Casper to show what they had worked so hard for this last year.  On the way we stopped in Riverton and had a small practice to get the bus junk out of our systems. Kirsten and I had fun running on their turf following the circles, letters, and numbers. Then we boarded the bus for the finishing time to beautiful Casper. Thursday we left the hotel and headed to Ihop where we ate up so we could be ready for the big races that day. The first event was the 3200 which I had the privilege to run. I ran it in 12:45, a new Personal Record!! Then I sat in the tent the rest of the day awaiting the last event, the 4x800. Our team, made of Kirsten, Randi, Abby, and myself, took sixth place and ALMOST broke the school record. I ran my fastest split of 2:36 and felt pretty good about the race!! The rest of the weekend I spent filming my peers and getting the best tan of my life!! OUCH! It was fun to finally go to state track; an experience I will remember for a long time!

I"M GOING TO STATE!!!!

So this is officially the first time in four years of running track that I will be going to State. This last weekend I ran the 3200m, 1600m, and was a member of our 4x800 team. I will be going to State in the 3200 and the 4x800. It was a great weekend! All of my races went well and I felt good about the results. I came in 6th in my 3200m  and our 4x800 team came in 4th. In the 1600 I came in 10th and only the top 8 go to State. So....on Wednesday I will board the bus and head to the beautiful metropolis of Casper where I will aim for a spot on the podium! Wish me luck!!

Track in Jackson

This past Wednesday the Star Valley track team boarded the bus for Jackson. The weather was yucky. There was rain and wind which made it very, very cold. None the less, we pretty much rocked the meet. I ran the mile in 5:51 a new p.r. and ran the third leg of our 4x800 with a time of 2:46; no 3200m this time. Ty feels like my I am getting to relaxed in the two mile so he put me in the 4x800 to wake my fast-twitch muscles up and get them going again. I felt pretty cool running the 800 a whole lot faster than I thought I could. In the end, despite the weather it was a great meet!

Baptisms for the Dead

Today we were able to go to the Idaho Falls temple  and do baptisms for the dead. It was a great experience like it always is except this time was a little different because it was Sydney Erickson's first time. It brought back so many memories of my first time in the temple and the many questions I had. Being the oldest meant that I didn't have anyone to lead the way for me, but we didn't let that happen to Sydney. Merrilyn and I made sure she knew why she was doing what she was doing and how to do it. It was a great learning experience for me. I also learned that right above the baptismal font is the celestial room in the temple. How cool is that?! 

We ate lunch in the temple cafeteria and then headed home. We were all bushed and slept until Swan Valley where we made the traditional stop at the square-ice cream store. Yes, JC did let us stop. :) 

It was  a great day!! And to end it I get to watch John Wayne movies with my favorite friends!!!

Cavalcade Festival

Last Thursday we left sunny Star Valley for Denver Colorado a whopping ten hours on a bus! 

We performed Friday night at 10 for 3 judges, my parents and one other couple. At this festival groups are rated from 1-4 with 1 being a Superior and the best and 4 being Poor and the lowest. We received a.............1!!! Paul, the bus driver did a victory lap in the nearest parking lot. Then we tried to find an open store or resturant to buy ice cream, but nothing was open at 11 o' clock at night. On Saturday we went to Elitch Gardens and spent a day in the cold wind, but that didn't stop us!! We rode all the rides that were open no matter how fast they went.  All in all it was a very rewarding and educating experience.

District Festival

For the past two days we have been in the metropolis of Pinedale for Distric Music Festival. Our orchestra received a Superior rating for our pieces and then tomorrow our ensambles will proform. I am a member of a quintet and I hope that we receive a Superior rating!!
I guess that's all for another day in paradise!!

Big 18!!

Today was my eighteenth birthday!! I did the usual, go to school, track practice, and of course mutual. I got to talk to my Grandma Marrott today as well as Shalisa.  On Saturday we ran at the Tiger/Grizz invite and afterwards we went to Grandpa and Grandma Inskeep's house for dinner and cake. It was delicious and everyone was there. Matt and Steph, Ryan and Chris, and Jeremy and Marci came to spend time and play some high-stakes BINGO. We played for reeses eggs. I won once out of six times. All in all it was a great weekend leading up to my birthday. Now only 365 more days until another one!!

El Guapo's BIG day!!

Today my dad turned 38. Wow, he's old, but he can still jump a BMX bike! I am so glad to have him in my life. He is my exemplar in what a righteous life should look like. I know he has his imperfections, and that sometimes we don't agree on certain ideas, but I am glad he is my dad and that he loves me, even with all my imperfections. 

I love you Dad!! 

Senior Pics

I am so excited to graduate. I am pretty sure, but not positive that I will be attending the University of Wyoming in Laramie. I had so much fun taking  all the pictures and not just the ones I am using.

Thanks to Tambi Fluckinger who put the whole thing together, Jaymie Hansen for taking me on our 

own photo shoot, 

and Shannon K. Harris for the time  and patience at mutual. 

Prom

I went to Prom with Johnathan Hoopes.We paired up with Matt Ashton and Michele Campbell and had lots of fun snowboarding and during the progressive dinner. John learned to snowboard and picked up on it really fast. The food was great and the dance was fun. I had a very fun night! Thanks John!!

Not so Spring Break

This week has been long. We started Monday with tearing up our kitchen floor and priming the door frames upstairs. Then on Tuesday we laid tile in the laundry room and calked door frames. YUCK! Wednesday a man came to put hard wood flooring in our kitchen and we headed out to Idaho. We saw some friends and we spent the night at our cousins house in Rigby. Thursday my dad left to go skiing at Targhee with some friends and we did some shopping...house stuff shopping and came home so that I could make it in time for a photo shoot for my senior announcements. Friday we continued work on the house by finishing the tile and painting the door frames, twice. And during this whole break we have had track practice which was nice to give us a break from house work.
Our same cousins from Rigby are coming to spend Conference weekend with us so there will be 5 extra bodies running around the house. YA! I am totally ready to go back to school even if it means an hour and twenty minutes with Mel. (JK)

Track at Talyorsville

This past weekend the track team headed down to Taylorsville, Utah to run at the Utah High School Track and Field Coaches Association (UHSTCA) meet. When we arrived it was very windy and quite cold. I wore my track warm-up bottoms and hoodie. It stayed pretty cold through the 100/110 m hurdles and the 100m dash. Then came the 1600 meter run and it started to warm up by the end of the meet it was roughly 53 degrees with a slight wind chill.
At this meet I ran my fastest time in the 1600 m run at 5:55 and my fastest time in the 3200 m run at 12:54. Both becoming my new personal records. All in all the day went well. . . except for the sunburn, OUCH!
I hope to improve from there and go on to run a 5:30 1600m and 11:44 3200m.

State Indoor Track

This weekend was full of fun and excitement! I ran a whopping 35 times around a 160 meter track ( that doesn't count warming up) !! I lost ten pounds in the sauna/arena and got a nose bleed because we were so high up!!
Okay, so it wasn't what is was all cracked up to be. I ran pretty good considering the circumstances. In the end I had a 6:25 mile, our 4x800 team took 8th place and all received medals, and last but not least I ran a 13:30 something two mile. Our boys team came home with a trophy for 4th place, that was pretty exciting!!
All in all everything was pretty fun even the ride to Laramie and back was semi enjoyable.

Baby it's cold outside!

On Thursday of last week we went for a morning run. It was pretty cold outside. I think my face went numb after about 10 minutes. It felt good to run and get the oxygen following at 5:30 in the morning. The only down-fall was that I was tired the whole rest of the day. If I start to run every day in the morning it won't make me tired during the day and I will be able to function at a higher level.
Keeping the world informed, one post at a time.

Curly Hair

Today I decided to do my hair curly, but there's a catch...my bangs wanted to go the opposite way. To put it simply, Debbie said I looked like Alfalfa. I had a curly part that kind of curled over the top and it kind of stuck up higher than the rest of my hair. I guess that was a short story long.

Running

This weekend I ran at the Simplot games in Pocatello, Idaho. I had lots of fun and learned a lot of cool things. I watched some very fast people run and jump very high. I was a witness to the team who defeated the meet record for the mens medley. It was a very intense race.
I learned a few things about certain individuals that were interesting to me. I also learned that the best way to express one's self to someone they have an issue with is not to bring them down publicly, but to talk to the individual they have a problem with. No one gets very far by putting other people down. They just make themselves look like a fool to the whole community.

Besides that, swimming at Lava Hot Springs was fun and a lot was accomplished by those who attended the Simplot Games.
Best of luck to those who compete next year. And to those of us still racing, GET READY TO KICK BUTT!!

Humpday

So today I got my Calculus back and I scored a 93% . Not my best but okay.
Today is the last day I will go to school this week. Tomorrow I leave for Simplot to run against some really fast black chicks. Wish me luck!!!

School Today

Today I took a calculus test. Fun, huh? I am pretty sure I did okay, expect that as we were looking at our tests afterward we realized that a few of us has different answers for number 3. I don't know if I got that one right.
Also, today I was given a rose by John for Valentines day. How sweet!? I really like it. He also brought hugs and kisses to eat during class.
Anyways, all is good!!

Track at the Olympic Oval

I was able to go and run track at the Olympic Oval in Kerns, UT this past weekend. I ran the mile in 6:04.49 and the two mile in 12:56, a personal record (PR). I was excited that I finally broke 12:00 minutes. I hope to further lower my times to where my mile will be around a 5:30 and my two mile a 12:30. Maybe all those hard practices will actually pay off. :) Until then I will continue to KEEP RUNNING!!!

My GED Friend

I had so much fun last night with Jaymie and Tyler. It was fun to just talk and laugh with them again. I hope to have more free nights in the future.

Lazy Sunday

Today was pretty laid back. I woke up at 7 as usual and then went back to sleep on the floor for about another hour.
Later I attended church, same as usual, and came home to eat a wonderful dinner of tallapia and alfredo, fruit salad, and broccoli.
I felt like making cinnamon rolls...so I did. I haven't tried one yet, but I hope they are good.
When I went singing at the care center I sat next to Sandie Baker and helped her turn the pages. Merrilyn and I went to see Jan Allred, but she was already asleep. Besides that today was just another typical Sunday.

Relay for Life

Anyone who is interested in Relay for Life I have already created a team on the website. As far as I know I am the only member on my team so far. So sign up fast.

School Today

Today in school I started off making a bazillion copies for Mrs. Smith, then went to Guided Reading where I read " Summer of the Monkeys". Now I am in Calculus, but not, because I am sitting in Debbie Williams room listening to a lecture on Conditional Statements in Geometry. YAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Jaymie are you even checking my blog?

A Boring day in Orchestra

Today we are working on our projects which are due on Thursday. I am not sure why I am still sitting on the floor and writing on my blog instead of in Debbie's room talking to her. Keeping Jaymie informed one post at a time. :)