Sushi

Race and I went with a group to get sushi a week or so ago. It was my first time having it and it wasn't nearly as gross as I thought it would be. I got one with salmon, avocado and cream cheese. It looked about like the picture below. Anyway, it was super fun to try something new. :) Oh and I learned that I suck at using chopsticks. Haha.



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Snow?!

Pay attention to the date...April 22, 2010




Yes, snow in the middle/end of April. Craziness! But it is gorgeos isn't it?
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Race W Ashby

When I was home this weekend (for a whole 24 hours) someone said that Race's name sounds like it came right out of a romance novel. I like that :) And I like this boy. He makes me happy! I stink at taking pictures on my phone though. And he was trying to put his contacts in. I'm good at interrupting him. Anyway, this was a short post but I'm lucky to be dating Race W Ashby, the boy from the romance novel.:)





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Much Too Long

It's been much too long since I blogged last.

So now I get to play CATCH UP! 

That sounds way more exciting than it really is. 

But anyways, pictures are going to help me remember what all I did in the last month and a halfish. 

So, here goes! I am going to begin with going home at the beginning of March to see Wes and Asae Bodily's new baby Siona Lin. She is absolutely adorable and oh so tiny! 

I haven't seen her for a good month though so I'm sure she's not quite as tiny anymore. 

And I am sure she is even more adorable.

Also in the past month I got to go to Oregon to visit my grandparents.
Both my sets of grandparents live in Oregon as well as my Great Grandma Usher.
I flew out for my Spring Break and got to spend a whole week in Oregon!
This was my first time being in Oregon for somewhere around six years!
Much too long to go without visiting where I lived from the time I was born until I was eight.
I had a wonderful time in Oregon.
I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents and I got to talk to them a lot.
I loved being able to learn more about my grandparents and really get to know them as people rather than just as my parents' parents.
My institute teacher always jokes that grandparents and grandchildren always get along really well because they have a common enemy, the grandchildren's parents and the grandparents' children.
I'm pretty sure that's not quite why we got along so well but I did love being able to visit my grandparents and getting to know them.
I am so grateful for the examples that they have all set for me and the love that they showed me while I was there. Visiting just made me want to go back and visit again and again!
So I am sure it will not be anywhere near six years before I get out to Oregon again.
Also while I was in Oregon I got to visit my second grade teacher Mrs. Leighthauser.
She was an amazing teacher and she is an amazing person.
I got to chat with her for a couple of hours and tell her about my life and hear about hers.
She is such an example to me of a good teacher and just an overall good person.
Her husband has been disabled for years and I love seeing her patience and interactions with him.
It helped me know even more that I want to work with people with disabilities whether physical or mental.
Finally, I got to visit my neighbors from across the street while I was growing up.
The Cheney's.
It was super fun catching up with them because I remember spending hours over at their house when I was younger.
I am so grateful for family and friends from the past and the present and for the things that I have learned from each and every one of them. I hope that I have made some of an impression on their lives as well.
Here are some pictures from Oregon.

This is me at Smith Rock. And I don't know if you can see the mountains even further in the background but ALL week I was just amazed by their beauty. I could never get a super good picture of them though.

This is a picture of my old house. When I was younger it seemed soooo big. But it looks pretty dang tiny!

This is a picture of me at my old elementary school :]

These are the llamas by my old elementary school that I remembered walking by every day to school. I was telling my Grandma about that so we decided to find them and they are still there!

Here is a picture of me and my Grandma and Grandpa Olmstead, my Uncle Sean, and my cousin Peyton. My Aunt Rhonda was taking the picture so sadly she's not in this one.

Here are me and my cousins Curtis, Olivia, and Peyton. I hadn't seen Curtis and Olivia since they were probably about four and six or something crazy like that so it was super fun to see them and their mom and meet Sarah's husband Mark.

I'm not sure why this one won't turn but this is my Great Grandma Usher and I :]
She is one good lookin' gal!

Now last but most definitely not least on my list of things that has happened in the past month or so...
Just before heading home to see Siona I went on a few dates with a boy...
Excited to hear the rest??
Well, you should be :]
So I went on a few dates with this boy named Race Ashby (pictures will follow soon).
We go to the same institute but had never formally met before talking on facebook.
(Yeah, yeah I know it's a kinda lame way to "meet" but we can say we met on the internet and get some weird looks from people!)
He added me as a friend supposedly not knowing who I was other than that we knew a lot of the same people.
So, we started talking and the next day he invited himself over bearing gifts of ice cream!
(He works at Coldstone Creamery)
After we officially met in person he asked me on a date for the next day.
We went on four or five dates throughout that week and by the end of the week had the DTR (Determine The Relationship) talk and decided we wanted to "date exclusively".
We have now been dating for one month, one week, and five days :]
And what a good one month, one week, and five days it has been!
Here are some pictures of the two of us on our trip to Las Vegas to go to one of his mission companion's weddings, at my house in Chandler, and then a couple other random ones:

Riding E.B. and Jackie's sweet tandem bike at the park:

Same face?? Pirate ship in Las Vegas:

 

Sitting in traffic on the strip in Las Vegas:

 

Outside the Las Vegas temple:

 

So that's my life in the past month. It has been one heck of a month :] 

I love life right now and am grateful for the blessings, opportunities, and experiences I have had in the past month. 

I will update more often now that I'm back on track!

Twenty

"I am twenty."

That's all I wrote in my journal yesterday.
I guess I am in shock a little bit. 

I know that's not all that old or anything but I am FINALLY out of my teens. 

So it's kind of a big deal! 

I have been twenty for about forty hours. 

Gooood stuff!

I am excited for this year.

It will be good.

But, to be completely honest I am having somewhat of a hard time dealing with being twenty. 

I am not really sure why it's hitting me so hard. 

But here's a quote that I found the other day that really helped and is just really good.

It says, "I have learned that I really do have control to a great degree over my circumstances. 

If I don't like them, I've found there are certain things I can do to change them. 

If I want to move to higher ground, if I want to have more positive experiences, I must think about life in positive terms, not dwell on the negative." --M. Russell Ballard

So, I am going to write twenty things that I have been very grateful for in the past year. 

1. My parents

They have been there for me a TON in my first couple of years of college. 

Always ready to give me advice and support me in my decisions. 

And just talk to me when that's all I need.

2. My siblings

I have so much fun when I go home and my family always makes me feel welcome again.

Also they have been very kind as to write me letters while I'm away. 

3. My sister Helena

Helena talks to me through my problems and she also asks me for advice with things she is dealing with which makes me feel good. :]

4. My best friend Jasmine

Jazz and I are SUPER different but we get along really well. 

Jazz has helped me learn to be crazy and just laugh through things. 

And whenever I am in a bad mood she does little things to cheer me up. 

She has taught me a lot and I love that she is also now my roommate and we get to have sleepovers/camp outs EVERY night cause we live in a little TINY room (called 'the cave') with two beds and sooo many clothes that we are afraid they will soon attack us or explode throughout the entire room.

5. My friend Sterling

He knows how to make me smile. And I have learned a lot from him.

We have had some gooood chats.

6. My roommates

I moved in with four girls who all knew each other from high school. 

To be honest I was SCARED OUT OF MY  MIND!

And the first couple of weeks I was SUPER quite but these girls made sure to invite me to things and include me in the things that they did and we soon got to know each other and let me tell you, we have a heck of a lot of fun together! 

7. Institute

My second semester of college I didn't take any institute classes and it was not too great. 

The last two semesters I have taken at least two classes and I love it! 

Right now I am taking a class about the first half of the Book of Mormon, a class about the 

Teachings of the Modern Day Prophets, and a class about the Hymns.

I love them all and I learn so much whenever I go. 

It has really helped me build my testimony and come closer to the my Heavenly Father. 

8. My first motorcycle ride

My friend Ben Patterson took me on my very first ride on a motorcycle and it was lots of fun and 

I felt super cool! :] 

I felt like everyone was looking at us riding around and thinking we were really cool and then 

I realized that I don't usually think that of people when they are riding around on their motorcycles but 

I still like to think that I looked cool on the back of the motorcycle! 

9. Spanish

I made it into Spanish 201 after not taking Spanish for two and a half years and 

I LOVE it!

I forgot how much I love the Spanish language and

I am so happy to be learning it again. 

10. Utah

I went to Utah twice in the past year. 

The first time was to go to General Conference with Kylie Hassell and the Tenney boys 

(Preston, Edwin, and Darrell).

This is where I met one of my future roommates, Kylie! 

And I got to see my grandparents while they were on their mission in Temple Square. 

This was super fun because I got them ALL TO MYSELF for a little bit. :]

And the second time was with Orson, Angus, Helena, and Jasmine.

We went to Utah/Idaho on a long road trip and I learned that 

I can drive more than two consecutive hours and we got to visit lots of family and take TONS of fun pictures! 

11. My camera

I got a new camera on Black Friday this past year and 

I was super excited about it and then we were waiting in line and 

Jasmine saw that someone had put the same camera down before buying it...except for this one was RED! Which is my all time favorite color. 

So I got a red camera and it has taken more pictures than 

I can count in the past three months. Thank you camera for many memories. :]

12. Cute clothes/shoes

Jasmine and I have a combined wardrobe so it makes for lots and lots of cute clothes.

I love picking out outfits and then having cute shoes to match and all that fun stuff. 

And I love finding cute clothes and shoes on sale. :] 

I got a pair of shoes a little bit ago and they are so cute that 

I just can't help looking at them lots and lots whenever I wear them.

(I'll put a picture up sometime...)

13. Interesting Classes

So I need to be better at picking my classes but 

I have had some good ones in the past year. 

Some of my favorites have been Psychology, 

Developmental Psychology, World Religions, and Public Speaking. 

I like when learning is enjoyable and these classes helped a lot with that. 

 Oh, and Spanish but I talked about that earlier. 

14. Missionaries

I have a couple friends out on missions and they are very good examples to me in the dedication that they have.

And the faith that they have.
And of course it is fun to get letters in the mail! 

15. Cute sister-in-laws--

I now have two sister-in-laws and they are cute and fun! 

On my birthday I was talking to my mom and she asked me if my brother 

Neal called me and I said "No, but Nikki texted me." 

And then she asked if my brother E.B. called and I said 

"No, but Jackie texted me." Haha. Thank goodness for brothers with sweet wives. :] 

And Nikki is super skilled and makes way cute hats and she made me one and sent it to me in the mail. 

It was beyond exciting to get it and it is my all time favorite hat! 

16. Phones/Skype/Chatting

I am super grateful for all the different forms of communication we have these days. 

I love long phone conversations and fun web chats.

I remember dreaming about seeing the person

I was talking to on the phone and now I can do that...weird (and awesome)! Haha. 

17. Blogs

Blogging helps me let people know what is going on in my life 

AND I love reading other people's blogs. 

They are so fun and creative. :]

18. Learning about myself

I have been learning to analyze myself and define myself. 

I am not quite to defining myself...it has been harder than 

I thought it would be but I am learning lots about me and what I want in life.

It's gooood. 

19. Changing my major

I changed my major from Elementary and Special Education to Psychology.

I am not sure if I will stick with that as my major yet but I am thinking that I want to go into either Occupational Therapy or Recreational Therapy.

So we'll see where my life heads.

20. And last but not even close to least...THE GOSPEL

I am so grateful for the gospel and all that I have learned this past year. 

And that my testimony has been strengthened. 

I am grateful for the love that my Heavenly Father shows me in so many different ways. 

Through music, through my friends, through my family, and through my church leaders. 

I am grateful for the scriptures and what 

 I am able to learn from them when I take the time and really read and ponder them. 

I am grateful for the teachings of the modern day Prophets and Apostles and for the hymns.

I am grateful for the organizations that are set up through the church like institute and seminary.  

I am grateful for the Restoration of the gospel and that we have the Priesthood on the earth again. 

I have been blessed by the power of the priesthood so many times in the past year.

I am also grateful for the power of the Atonement. 

There are so many things to be grateful for in the gospel.

In the Hymn With All the Power of Heart and Tongue it says, 

"I'll sing thy truth and mercy, Lord;

I'll sing the wonders of thy word. 

Not all thy works and names below

So much thy power and glory show."

I know that there is no way that 

I am able to thank the Lord for all that he has done for me because there is so much. 

But I am grateful and hope to always be able to recognize the guiding hands of the 

Lord and the presence of the arms of His love in my life.

Twenty will be a good year. :] 

Just like nineteen was!

I am going to make it that way with a positive attitude and a smile on my face!

"It's even enough to smile when life goes along like a song, but the [woman] who's worthwhile is the [woman] who can smile when everything goes dead wrong."

(Not to say that everything is going to go dead wrong but hey, if it does I will find a way to smile through it!)

"Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass, 

It's about learning how to dance in the rain!"

You Are Beautiful

This was written on my desk in humanities last semester and it made me smile :) I normally think it's really dumb when people write on desks and other things that aren't meant to be written on but I made an exception for this little message. I know that it wasn't written for me but it still made me feel good. So I took a picture and sent it to some people in hopes to brighten their days as well. I think so often we focus on our insecurities and bad qualities and forget who we are...Sons and Daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. And we are all beautiful and unique. I am grateful for that little note and for the beautiful people in my life.

Like my sisters...and I'll add Asae Bodily in there even though she isn't technically my sister.












And my brothers...



And my parents (I'm only putting up a picture of my dad but they are both wonderful!)



And my best friend




And my roommates (and this isn't exactly good pictures of everyone sorry Kylie and Aubree...I'll find better ones soon :))











And my extended family (thank you Sam and Grandpa for representing everyone)







There are so many more beautiful people who have influenced and bettered my life and I am grateful for each and everyone of you. "You are beautiful!" And to pass on that message I wrote "Smile! You are beautiful!" On a mirror in one of the dressing rooms at Old Navy a few days ago. So spread the love and let someone know they are beautiful. Even if it's a stranger.
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Library Study Rooms

Above is my cute little study room at Cline Library on NAU campus. The picture is a little bit deceiving because I like to sit/lie on the floor rather than sit in the chair using the desk but you get the general idea.

They have a whole row of these and so far I think I've used each one at least once and some a couple of times. These little rooms are my new favorite places. After and between classes I head over to the library to get my homework done, read my scriptures, and meditate (I'm going to write about meditating in another post). I get so much done in a waaay shorter time than I would back at the apartment when I go to a study room. You see, I get distracted really easily and when I am at the apartment and I don't want to do something I cook food, clean, watch movies, get on facebook, read a book, play a game, slide down the banister or basically anything to get out of working on my homework. And I'm sure you all know that that does not turn out too great for me in the end. So these little study rooms are my little focusers. And let me tell you, they do a dang good job. :)

Right now I think I'm locked out of my apartment so I am in my cute little study room lying on the floor and finishing up some homework and catching up on my blog. Dang good stuff!!

So today, I am grateful for study rooms. :)

Oh, and I would like to add in that Elder Skylar Pond is officially in the MTC! And he is going to be an awesome missionary. Here is a picture of Elder Pond and I just before he got set apart. (Sorry it's sideways...it's from my phone and I'm not sure how to change that. I'll figure it out eventually though.)




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