A&A

Awkward 

• making dinner and gently pulling accidentally throwing the tin foil across the room; luckily the 10ft that I had to re-wrap still fits in its rightful drawer although it may no longer fit inside the box it came in (I apologize to my ever-so-neat-and organzied-OCD-father who may be driven nuts by the crinkled foil the rest of the year).
• making eye contact with the driver of the car next to you...seriously, why do they always turn and look at me when I inadvertently turn and look at them!
• holding a puppy and having it pee on your shirt (TMI?, sorry.)
• starting a new job
• having an institute teacher ask a very broad question (while wanting a very specific answer) proceeded by hand after hand not reaching the answer they want.
• meeting your brother's girlfriend while you are whitening your teeth, your hair is in a messy bun on top of your head, you're wearing grungy pajamas, and you just happen to have a Biore pore cleansing strip on your nose (real classy, Allie!)

Awesome

• starting a new job--hanging out with 6 year olds all day long :)
• brother coming home from Missouri
• watching Doris Day movies borrowed from the library
• eating Ghiradelli chocolate chips 
• attending an amazing institute class
• spending time with my best friend before she leaves in 1 month!
• planting flowers together as a family while rocking out to Adele, Don Williams, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and Etta James

Hope you have an amazing, awkward, and awesome weekend! XO

*taken from the brilliant Sydney Poulton

Summer Goal #1

Before moving home for the summer I made a long list of things I wanted to accomplish. At the top of the list was something that I have been wanting to do for the longest time but I needed to wait till I was living at home so that I would have all the materials I needed to accomplish this no small task.

The goal: learn to make my mom's homemade wheat bread. 

Because I knew that my summer job would be starting shortly, I wanted to get this item crossed off my list while I still had a full day to complete the task. Trust me...I needed the whole day. So, I chose a lovely Friday afternoon and got to work. 

A little background information: I grew up with my mom making wheat bread on just about a weekly basis. I would come home from school to a house filled with the warm baked goods smell. Unfortunately, I almost never saw her actually make the bread. Usually she would have the bread all finished and ready for us kiddos as an after school snack. With that said, I didn't really know exactly how she made her bread except for the few times I did see her make it. 

I pulled out my moms recipe books and scraps of paper and finally found what I was looking for--a little worn out 3x5 card that had hand written notes of a semi-complete bread recipe. Luckily, I am no stranger to my mom's hieroglyphic notes and I was able to decipher the recipe; unfortunately, she only had written down part of it. 

I found another recipe that Sister Susan W. Tanner gave me when I went to a YW luncheon. I remembered that when I had tried Sis. Tanner's bread it had tasted just like my mom's and from what I could tell the recipes were similar enough that I decided to combine the two and hoped that it would turn out decent enough.

I also talked to a lady in my ward who is friends with Sis. Tanner and checked to see if she had ever made Sis. Tanner's bread before. She said she had and gave me a few pointers. I was ready to begin.

First things first, I dusted off my mom's old wheat grinder to grind my wheat. I never realized how fun this could be--kinda messy too!

I pulled out all the ingredients and started mixing everything according to my mom's recipe while occasionally relying on Sis. Tanner's recipe to fill in the blanks. I was shocked with how well everything went. Usually my first attempt at baking something is always a disaster! To have things go as smooth as they were was an absolute miracle in my opinion.

Throughout the process I learned a few things: First, I love bread dough and ate way too much of it before it was done! Second, I don't know if I am patient enough to make bread again (or at least for a while). Third, buttering the bread before sticking it in the oven really does help the tops to not crack.

With these few lessons learned I ended up with five beautiful loaves of bread--2 small loaves and 3 large. I buttered them up some more and delivered them to some of my favorite people of the week including Aunt Debbie, Grandpa Mac (it was his birthday), and my cute cousin Kelsey (who I also got to spend the weekend with in Provo!)

It feels awesome to say that I now know how to make delicious decent wheat bread!

Home Sweet Home

This week is my 3rd week home! I love being in Farmington. It didn't take long for me to get all settled in but it has taken me a long time to decide to write a post about it.

I always hate moving week at school because not only do you have to pack up all your things, it is also finals week and everyone is stressing...then you have to proceed to say goodbye to a lot of awesome people that you have become friends with all year long. Being sick during finals week didn't help either because I missed out on a lot of the farewell parties!

Despite the lows of moving away from my home away from home the only thing that really makes it okay is moving back to my home (where I always truly leave my heart).

It's been an adjustment to be back but it is also really fun. I love having a yard, a trampoline, a big kitchen, some R&R time, and my own room ;) ...jk, I still share a room with Bonnie.

Today I started my first day as a nanny for a 6 year old boy in SLC. I am so excited for this summer job! It fits me perfectly and I have the best schedule in the world plus a cute little kiddo to hang out with all summer.

Other fun summer events include: North Carolina, Myrtle Beach South Carolina, camp outs, time with the family, weddings, showers, etc. I can't wait for this summer to officially begin (I consider it official once the public schools are on summer vacation).

Here are some pictures from the move:

{We had the big Mr. Mac van loaded up and Bonnie fearlessly drove the monster}

{My cute new nook!}

Seven Deadly Sins. Stolen from the lovely Miss Lydia Nelson

Seven Deadly Sins. Stolen from the lovely Miss Lydia Nelson

[ W r a t h ]

Who did you last get angry with?
Bonnie Mae Christensen
What is your weapon of choice?
Cleaning supplies

Would you hit a member of the opposite sex?
Yes but I don't hit hard

How about the same sex?
Again...not hard :)

Who was the last person who got really angry at you?
Bonnie Mae Christensen-we just spend too much time together

What is your pet peeve?
I have lots...toilet seat being left up; not wiping the counter tops off after making a meal; car gas being left below 1/4 tank; dishing piling up in the sink; exclusive conversations....
 

Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?
I am the queen of NOT keeping grudges. Tell me you are sorry and I will be your best friend again in an instant...I hate holding grudges.

[ S l o t h ]

What is one thing you're suppose to do today that you haven't?

    Email my school advisor

What is the latest you've ever woken up?
Probably around 12:00pm.

Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't?

Kacee Lynne Ferrell--I'm sorry I am so lame! Let's play!

What is the last lame excuse that you made?
I forgot. That being the excuse.
Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through?
Yes. ha

How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock this morning?
Two times...but only because I had a dream that I was giving birth and I wanted to finish the dream and make sure that I lived in the end.

[ G l u t t o n y ]

What is your overpriced beverage of choice?
Double chocolate chip frappuccino

Are you a meat eater?
Yes.

What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event?
Nyquil.

Are you comfortable with your drinking and eating habits?
I really need to cut down on the sweets for the summer.

Do you enjoy candy and sweets?
Yes, a little too much.

Which do you prefer: sweets, salty foods or spicy foods?
Depends on the day and the moment.

Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought, "lunch"?
Mmm no.

[ G r e e d ]

How many credit cards do you own?
Zero credit cards, one debit card.

If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Buy a house or travel to all the places that I have wanted to go.

Would you rather be rich or famous?
Rich. Think of all the cool things you could do and buy. 

Would you accept a boring job if it meant that you would make megabucks?
Um, yes. Guilty.Unless it was to work for Convergys again...


[ P r i d e ]

What's one thing that you have done that you're most proud of?
4.0 this year :)

What's one thing you have done that your parents are most proud of?
Received scholarships for school. 

What thing would you like to accomplish late in your life?
I just decided this week that it would be fun to write a homemaking book.

Do you get annoyed by coming in second place?
Not particularly. I just avoid competition all together.

Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors?
ha ha. NO.  

Have you ever cheated to get a better score?
No.

What did you do today that you're proud of?
I made some $.

[ E n v y ]

What item of your friends would you most want to have for your own?
Probably just clothing.

Who would you want to go on "Trading Spaces" with?
I would switch houses with Jane Seymour any day.

If you could be anyone who existed in the world, who would you be?
I think it would be awesome to live Michelle Obama's life for a day.

Have you ever been cheated on?
No.

Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own?
Yes, I have always wanted to be taller.

What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself?
Wittiness

Almost

I am so happy to say that I am feeling a million times better. I am so thankful for modern medicine! Well, I have taken both of the tests that I had this week and I presented my social studies final. The only thing I have left is to have my portfolio review with Dr. Read tomorrow morning.

I can't believe that I am pretty much done with level III and with my junior year of college. One year left and I will be graduating! These past few years have gone by so fast and I have enjoyed almost every minute of it. I am grateful every day that I have the opportunity to attend school.

I still remember the text my dad sent me on the first day of my freshman year: Proverbs 4:7
 7 ^aWisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get ^bunderstanding.

I relearn on a daily basis what this scripture means and I am grateful for the understanding that I have received so far. 

Sick

Of all the weeks to get sick, this week is the one I would not have chosen. 

 On Wednesday I started feeling extremely achy and tired; Thursday was no better. In fact, I was sitting in an LTM meeting at the elementary school counting down the minutes until I got to go home and sleep.

I am never like this! I never get really sick! I hate taking naps and I hate feeling helpless! 

I slept for about 4 hours on Thursday  and had my first fever in a long time.  By Friday morning I was feeling better but still not great. My throat was really hurting but I decided to tough it out and go to school. I had too, it was my last day with my cute 2nd graders!! 

I felt like I was in a fog the whole day. Though I was not as achy and tired, my throat was just getting worse. It was Friday that I found out that about 3 of my students were home sick with strep. I have never had strep before and therefore didn't really know if that is what I had or not. I decided I would go to the student wellness center after school and have my throat checked out. 

Unlucky for me the wellness center closed about the same time I was done with school--and they don't open on Saturdays! Again, I decided I would just be tough.

Well, I didn't sleep at all last night and I woke up with a fever, headache, swollen glands, sore throat and a bit congested. So I decided to not be such a baby and go to Instacare.

They were very helpful and right off the bat told me that they thought it was strep too. They did the rapid test and it came back negative so then they decided to take some blood and test me for mono--again negative (thank goodness!!).

They thought it would be a good idea to still do the culture test for strep and in the meantime they gave me some Amoxicillin. They told me not to be around people until 24 hours after my fever breaks and to get lots of sleep. 

I think this will be impossible for me! This coming week is finals and I have review sessions to attend, portfolios to complete, projects to turn in and other ones to present. To make matters worse, today is my cute roommate Kate's birthday. I feel like such a lousy roommate for not being able to do more birthday stuff for her. I won't even be able to go to her birthday party tonight. 

I guess I will just have to stay in bed and try to be happy about it. 

I know it's the end of the semester when:

• When waking up at 5:30 a.m. is no longer possible thanks to the SNOOZE button on my alarm clock.

• When I start getting lethargic during my guided reading group (2^nd graders are the key to falling asleep—slow, monotone reading).

• When my lunch starts to consist of random food items that I want to get rid of before the end of the semester.

• When my number one excuse for not being able to hang out has become, “I have to work on my portfolio!”

• When my number two excuse is, “I can’t stay up late and hang out…I have to wake up at 5:30!” Oh wait, that has been my excuse all semester J

• When I check my calendar about 5,000,000,000 times a day to see if I am a day closer to summer—Nope, still April 23^rd.

• When I spend more time writing “to-do lists” than actually accomplishing anything on the list.

• When I have already filled up a calendar with summer events and completed a summer to-do list.

• When I come home from school and just sit on the couch—I think I am beginning to understand how boys can sit and think about nothing.

• When every time I say goodbye after hanging out with my school friends I want to cry because I will miss seeing them over the summer.

• When I haven’t been able to go to the gym in 5 weeks!!

• When I sign up for fall classes and overwhelm myself with the future.

• When I get stir crazy just looking at the nice weather outside.

• When I am craving to do some yard work.

• When I have not written a blog post in ages.

• When I can no longer read my handwriting because even my hand has become sick of school.

• When I start packing up my winter clothing and start pulling out the shorts.

• When I start boxing up the things in my apartment that I know I won’t use in the next two weeks.

• When I take the time to write a blog post rather than finish my portfolio.

Yes, I am most definitely ready for the semester to over. Only 10 more days until I start to move home! I hate the idea of leaving my Logan home but I love being in Farmington with my family and friends and I could not be happier to have a break from school. To everyone else out their prepping for finals BEST OF LUCK!