Some Old Updates from My Life: Summer

I moved from the Elms to Park Place with a year-round contract. For someone who wasn’t planning to stay in Utah over Sp/Su I sure kept myself busy. I found that when I am sure I am not going to do something (like stay in Utah over the Sp/Su) I end up doing it. My decision was based on the fact that I had a job, I could move into Park Place, and somehow my spur of the thought application for a scholarship for those terms got me a full scholarship. Overall, it beat going back to work closing shifts at Taco Bell and not having a social life.

Things I did…

Spring Term I took 9 credits (The max you can take during a term) and worked about 30 Hours a week between watching Ethan and working at the Preschool. As busy as I was it I actually still had great summer thanks to my roommate Tianne. We are twins! We are both Elementary education major, easy going, and have very similar sleeping habits. The alarm clock situation in the morning was awesome! Mine would go off first, and then I didn’t need to press snooze because hers would go off right where mine would have. I would then get up and get ready, and right before I would go down stairs to eat I would make sure she was awake and “functioning.” Between her 12 credits (with special permission) and watching Ethan about 8 hours a week and my schedule we were antisocial together. Many nights we were both up late doing homework, relying on the motivation we gave each other to finish. With a secret stash of melt in your mouth dove chocolate and delightful chats about life we made it through the summer.

The most eventful thing from this summer was I legitimately flunked a test in family finance. Looking at it later I found out I had my calculator in the wrong mode (Begin vs. End). However, I still managed to get a B+ which is an accomplishment. Traumatic for me, but I survived.

Spring Term 2011
SFL 100 001 Strengthening Marr & Family 3.00 A
SFL 160 001 Intro to Family Processes 3.00 A-
SFL 260 001 Family Finance 3.00 B+

Between Spring and Summer my roommates, and the guys from apartment 5 went on an adventure to Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley. It was a fantastic camp out, hike and trip with friends. The documentary Will, Adam and Mike made was hilarious!

During the Summer I also hiked Timp with Aaron and some of his friends starting at 1:00am the day of Kristi’s wedding reception. Lets just say it was a crazy day and my legs were a bit sore. These pictures were taken on our way down (it was to dark for pictures on our way up.)

Here is my class schedule for this term.

Summer Term 2011
EDLF 452 001 Foundations of Education 2.00 A
MUSIC 378 001 Mu Elem Clsrm Tchr 2.00 A
TELL 400 001 Foundations in Ed for ELLs 2.00 A

Also, during this time and shortly after a lot of changes happened. Katy and Hannah (Sp/Su roommates) are now serving Missions in Argentina. Kristi Bonkemeyer (from back home) and Eliza Bushman (friend from freshman year) got married.

Well that is the end of a brief overview of my life this past Spring/Summer. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Room mate Grocery Trips

Grocery Trips are like Christmas... Roommates all pile up in the car and we all fill up on our groceries for the week!

Oh, The Things You Can Make... & Eat!

Beef Stroganof

Frittata

Chili Cheese Dip

Chili Noodle

Peach Cobbler

ABC soup variation

Mashed Potatoes

Homemade tortilla frittata style

Microwave Mexican Lasagna

Dance Sport and Metal Exam

Last Week I competed in Dance Sport. It was a fantastic day. I got up early (about 7) to get ready and compete just after eight. First round I was super nervous, I was shaking like crazy! To make things even worse, right before I went on the floor I was caught wearing sequins. The funny thing is I remember reading sequence weren't allowed by didn't think much about it because I don't have really anything with sequences on it, and so what do I do? I wear the only shirt I have with sequence. After the first round I was sure we weren't going to make it to the second, but we did and so my partner and I booked it back to my apartment so I could change in time for the next round. I was literally in my apartment and out in about 3o seconds, but by the time we got back we missed our round, so we just jumped in to the next one, and low and behold we made it to the third round. In fact, with a bit of help finding the 2...3... counts we made it all the way to the quarter finals, where we had to come back to compete again at 6! I went home for two hours and came back to cheer on my teacher at 1:00. I didn't feel like going home and giving up a great front lot parking spot, and so we stayed after our teacher competed (who got first after only practicing with his partner a day! WOW!) until the professionals danced. My partner and I made the top 25. We were one round from having our teaching buying us ice-cream. Oh well, we celebrated with Jamba Juice instead. I was there literally ALL day. The energetic performance and lively steps were mesmerizing. I loved watching the Cadbury dance numbers were unbelievable with all the lifts. It was so cool when the lady spun around on the guy's head. I particularly enjoyed looking at the bright colors and styles of all the dresses. Everything was so sparkly and glamorous. I felt as though I was transported back in time or maybe onset to a dance scene of an old time movie. After those of us that were still there left to go to Applebee's for dinner. The whole day was fantastic!
Here are some picture from the event:
My Partners Name is Oliver



Thursday I took a medals exam for the American Bronze (Foxtrot and Cha cha.) I passed and got a certificate and a pin for it. Yahoo! My Score was an 89.

Food & Books

ROOM MATE Dinners:
So Julie, one of my fabulous room mates, thought it would be fun if we got together as an apartment and had dinner together. Each room would be responsible for either a main or side dish, and so for the past two Sundays that is what we have done. Two weeks ago we had Parmesan chicken (I made JJK'S favorite salad), and last week we had lasagna (I brought a green salad). It's great to sit down with everyone and talk, plus it's nice to have a full course meal! YUM!
These are just a couple of the more interesting meals and snacks I have made for myself, and my room mate Melissa.
Pineapple Chicken

Yakisoba

Frozen Peanut butter and Banana

About Children's literature:
So far this semester I have read 60 picture books and...
9 chapter books: Shipwrecked at the bottom of the World, The Wanderings of Odysseus, The Book of Three, Masterpiece, the Bronze Bow, Climbing the Stairs, Lincoln: A Photo biography, I Have Lived A Thousand Years, and Waiting For Normal
My favorite Book would be the Bronze Bow. It was eye opening about the Jewish Culture, and I think that Spears did a wonderful job showing the human aspects of Christ.
I still have 10 more books or 1500 pgs. left to go. Why can't all homework be this entertaining and fun to do?
So, remember how I said I got free books from this class? Well, this is my collection thus far... isn't it AMAZINGLY wonderful!?!?!?

Odds and Ends Events

So, on September 5th my roommate, Melissa had a birthday. I wanted to surprise her with a cake and so I told her I had another "meeting" (I had one earlier for my calling) that I needed to attend to. Of course she believed me... but I'm surprised she didn't ask more questions when I left with eggs, or Elise repeatedly came back to get various supplies to bring back to another friends apartment to bake the cake, when I didn't come back four about four hours, or when she asked Elise where she was heading and who she was with and she replied to go visit friends, who she probably didn't know (our friends roommates, so we bent the truth a little to keep her oblivious ;) It was quite the experience with cardboard "candles", fruit loop decorations, and runny frosting. Anyway, after tons of laughs and a great delivery we ate cake.
So, I have amazing home teachers... They made Melissa and I dinner because Melissa wasn't feeling well. The got tons of brownie points for this months get to know you visit.
Ok, so as an athlete I was able to get some extra tickets to the BYU vs. Nevada Game. Me and some friends from track were seated right above the Nevada fans. Why they would put the two most competitive groups together (opponents and athletes) who know? Anyway, though we lost the game was very entertaining... especially since this was Elise's first college game, and we got to listen to the Nevada Fans.

A Long Since Due UPDATE!

Since it has only been about 10 months since my late update, and a lot has happened, it might take a bit of time to get caught up, so I will fill in from what's happening now and work my way back... hopefully it won't be another 10 months before my next post!

Currently I am living in Utah, back at BYU for my sophomore year at school. My major is Elementary Education with a Early Childhood emphasis.

CLASSES:
This semester I was lucky enough to have a class working in the BYU Preschool. The kids are absolutely adorable. To bad it's a block class, and it is almost over. I am also taking a social dance class where I have already learned the fox trot, and am now working on the Cha-cha and Walts. I love both my New Testament and LDS Marriage Home and Family. Language Development is another interesting class. Children's literature is a fun class, and even cooler we get a book or two each period. How many classes give you things for free? And this semester least favorite class goes to... Cognitive Development!!! For a class about thinking and exploring how the mind works, the text book is better than a sleeping pill and the tests worse than the ACT. This class is ridiculous.
I am taking 16 credits and my year has gone from hectic schedule requiring me to be out and about from 8am-6pm, because of class or track, with a promise of a 2nd block relief. Then a sudden change of plan and I find myself with a lot more time then expected. I have a lot more time on my hands since I am no doing track anymore. In fact, give me two weeks and I have 5 weeks where I will only have classes on Monday and Wednesdays, and after I will only add one evening class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am probably going to look for a part time job to earn a little money and make my free time more productive.

General conference this past week was amazing, I watched it at my apartment. Before the Saturday afternoon section my apartment got really excited as we got a TV (FREE!) and so we no longer had to stream it on our computers.

Well, that's all for now. Next time hopefully I will have pictures to garnish my post.