Playing with Girlies

The weekend before school started I was able to get together with a bunch of girls from high school before we all headed our separate ways back to school. It was great to see them all again! The girl on the left in the yellow is my roommate Alli - love her!

Living for Letters

Tanner has been gone for a week... He left for the MTC last Wednesday. On tuesday I stopped by his house after work and I was able to say goodbye. We were able to go on a long walk and just chat and hold each other, but the end came too soon. I don't think there is really a way to prepare yourself to lose what feels like your second half, but it's something I had to endure. However, I wouldn't have it any other way. I want nothing more than for Tanner to serve a mission, it's just so hard to be so close to someone and then see them leave for two years. I admire Tanner so much for his strength in being able to leave though. The one thing that's holding me back from considering a mission is that it would increase two years of not seeing Tanner, to three and I don't know that I'm strong enough to do that. Yet Tanner was willing to put everything on hold, having faith that the Lord would bless him for his sacrifices.

This week has probably been one of the hardest weeks of my life. I'm trying to stay positive but it's hard, especially in the mornings when I wake up knowing it's another day that I have to endure. I think things will get easier once school gets started and I have a lot to keep me busy. For now I'll just be living for letters, doing my best not to think about the 2 years, 24 months, 103 weeks, or 17,000 hours left. Sigh...

Called to Serve?

Tanner got ordained an Elder today and I'm SO excited for him. He is the most amazing example to me and I've learned so much from him. I know that when he goes on his mission he will touch so many lives and have an incredible experience, and I hope that I will be able to have the same opportunity...I've been attending missionary prep classes every Sunday night for almost a year. I started going not because I was determined to go on a mission, but because I love the opportunity to learn more, especially about the gospel. And when I found out that Bother Lindon McKay was teaching it, I was even more exciting. Every time I go, I find I have more conviction to change who I am and become a better person; to work harder at reading my scriptures, to try and remember to say my prayers, to thank the Lord more often....

I have learned SO much from Brother McKay as he picks apart the New Testament, in the 15 mintues of class he calls "Footsteps in the Life of Christ." I've read the New Testament before, but I've never learned and understood quite as much as I do when he teaches. It has been the most amazing experience to watch the young men in that class go from being too timid to offer a pray, to sitting across from Brother McKay, pretending to convert him through their testimonies and knowlege of the scriptures.

Over the past few months I have often contemplated going on a mission, but I've never really known if it's something I should do. My patriarchical blessing says that I will have the opportunity of going on a mission with my husband someday, but I don't know what that means for me in the next few years...

Then today in sacrament I had an amazing eye-opening experience. Sister Tara Caldwell returned home from her mission and spoke today. As I listened to her, I couldn't help but notice the joy that surrounded her. She seemed SO happy, and I know she loves the gospel. As she spoke about the experiences she had on her mission, I felt an incredible desire to serve a mission myself and I now know that it's something I'm going to aspire to do. I want so badly to have those same experiences; to share what I believe, to watch other people learn and grow, to serve - with all my heart, might, mind, and strength, and to feel the Spirit and gain a stronger testimony myself...

Carlie and Joey

Tanner's sister Carlie returned home from her mission in Hawaii the beginning of June and is now engaged to a wonderful guy named Joey Maxfield. They dated before Joey left on his mission and while he was gone Carlie left on her's. After two and a half years they're finally together again :) :) :) and are getting married August 26th I believe. Tanner and I were able to take some of their engagement pictures today and I think they turned out great! I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

They are just beautiful people and I'm excited to get to know them better.

College... GRR

What should I major in??? This question has been looming on my mind for just about forever now. I finally decided on Interior Design with a minor in Graphic Design, but I actually don't know if you can minor in that... So today I went to find out. I had a meeting with an advisor in the "Technical Sales" department at 11 this morning (Interior design at Weber focuses on that aspect a little more than I would like). The advisor pulled up my records on his computer and showed that I didn't have a single general complete. WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I sent my BYU transcripts to Weber in November! I'm DONE with generals. And of course the advisor saiud he couldn't help me until I get those up-to-date. Why? I'm not sure, all I wanted was for him to tell me if I could minor in graphic design and see if my schedule for the fall was looking okay. Oh, and he also said he didn't know a thing about graphic design so he had no idea about that. I thought the two were somewhat related... So anyways, I had to walk clear across campus, okay so it was only half way, and go to the admissions office to find out what's going on. GRR :(

Took them 10 mintues to figure out where my transcripts were, but they found them. But for whatever reason they aren't showing up on my end or the other professors end of the computer. They said it would take a couple days for their changes to go through. Great. I planned this meeting on a day that I didn't work and before July so I could get my schedule to the manager asap. GRR :(

On top of that I found out that I have to fill out an application and pay a $10 processing fee just to get my AP scores to show up on my transcripts. What's with that?? They're on my BYU transcripts, can't that count as them counting at Weber? BYU is harder on you anyways. GRR :(

I then decided that I should contact that head of the Interior Design department, hoping she would know more about graphic design. I found her info at the computer lab, turns out her phone number just directs you to the technical sales people. I decided to email her and hope to hear back soon, and then went to the "Career Services" desk, hoping maybe they could answer my question about a minor in Graphic Design. Of course they couldn't! Once again I was directed somewhere else. I walked all they way back to the tech. ed. building and tried to find the director's office, but it didn't exist! It's suppose to be room 101. 101A-101I is what the sign read. 101A is where I was this morning... And of course at this point everyone is at lunch so there is nobody to ask. GRR!

Did I mention that I had worn cute little sandals with a skirt, dress to impress, and now I had terrible blisters on both my feet from wandering back and forth across campus. GRR.

I was so frustrated with the whole college system and how nobody knows the answer to anything - all they do is directed to somewhere else - that I thought I'd go check on the apartment. Don't even get me started on how frustrating that has been. No body was at the office, but they had some fliers. Rent went up $20 buck and the deposit went up $200! I called all 4 landlords, hoping to find out if an apartment had become available, and not a single one answered. GRR.

Did I mention it was 89 degrees today and I have no air conditioning in my car? It was sooo hot! What a ridiculous day! And did I get anything accomplished, NO. GRR! :(

A Painting of His Son

An elderly man raised his only son by himself after his wife had passed away. The older man was an art collector so their home was full of beautiful, expensive artwork. When the son was 19 he went off to war. While there, he lost his life saving the life of another soldier. A few years passed when a young man showed up at the elderly man's door. The young man had wanted to thank the father for his son that touched him and saved his life, but never knew how. However, he was an amature artist and decided to paint a portrait of the son. Although he knew this portrait would never measure up to the artwork the father collected, he presented it to him anyways.The father loved it so much that he placed the painting above his mantle - the center of his home and life. As people from around the world came to the man's home to see his collections of art, the very first piece he would show them was the painting of his only son that he loved so dearly.

Eventually the father passed away. An auction was held to sell all the artwork he owned, and people from around the world came. The auctioneer held up the first piece, the painting of the son. He opened the auction at 1000 dollars, but nobody would accept. The audience grew restless and insisted the auctioneer move on to the real art. The price dropped to 500 dollars, then 100, then eventually 5 dollars. Nobody seemed interested in the painting of the father's son, until a hand from the back of the group slowly raised. The hand belonged to the gardener - a worker and old friend of the father and his son. He didn't have much money and wasn't much for artwork, but he had grown close to the son as he watched him grow. At the selling of the painting of the son, the auctioneer closed the auction, announcing that in the will of the father, he left his entire inheritance to the one person that would accept his son.

Our Father in Heaven has promised us his entire inheritance to those that will accept his Son. All he asks in return is that we give to Him all that we can, even if it's just 5 dollars.

Stuck in a Rut

This week I worked a full 40 hours at the pharmacy! I'm a full time workin' woman :) However, I can honestly say that I don't really enjoy it. It's not too bad of a job, the people are fun, but it's pretty high stress and I'm constantly running around doing things faster than I can think somtimes. I can't imagine having to work full time for the rest of my life. Poor husbands :(

Tanner and I were talking about this exact thing just the other day. How do you not let yourself get stuck in a rut? How do you stay passionate about life (stole that from Crystal ;) thanks) when life gets so routine and monotonous? I wouldn't say that I'm a pessimistic person - I think I enjoy life - but I wish I was more passionate about it - that word just has so much more emotion to it.

As fall gets closer and closer, and with Tanner getting ready to leave on his mission, I can just see my life falling into a routine where I go to work, go to school, eat, study, sleep, go to work, etc etc etc. I don't want it to be like that, but I don't know how to not let it. I don't think I know how to just go with the flow or be spontaneous... Ah! I better figure it out quick or I'm gonna be stuck in the very rut I'm trying to avoid!