In Moscow we were able to go to a replica town, where there were clothing and things for us to take pictures with!



If I were Russian Royalty




Peasant Jenni

Me in front of the Moscow airport, MOCKBA!



Saint Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow!

Me with our Tour Poster in out Hotel in Volgograd!



Me with a Big Mac in front of McDonalds! They pronounced it Mac Doonals.



A toilet in Kazan. I LOVED the city... hated their toilets. Our hotels were normal, but every restaurant and the opera house where we preformed at had these delights, which I refer to as "Squatty Potties"

From Russia, With Love







More to come?

I am now a recently graduated student from Brigham Young University Idaho, and scared to death! What to do?

Flee the country!

Hopefully I will have a chance to post some pictures while I am in Russia, if not... you'll hear back from me at the end of April, beginning of May!!

Much Love-
Jenni

I graduate in under two weeks. By this time in two weeks I will still be on a plane to Russia.

RUSSIA!

Anywho, my mom has supported me through all of my schooling, and especially college. She has also been very generous to get me a graduation present, as well as a going to Russia present, Easter present, and I am certain it also counts for my birthday present.

Meet Nicholas...




Nicholas, (well I haven't decided if thats his name... my first thought was an attractive literary man... and I thought of Nicholas Sparks. Anyone willing to deny that? That's what I thought.) Anyway, Nicholas is amazing. He is an electronic book called the Kindle 2! I can download books onto it, their cheaper and conserve space, and its connected to the internet, it has electronic ink technology so it shouldn't hurt my eyes like reading on the computer can. It can read to me... its awesome!
My only complaints thus far, after playing with it for half an hour, is that its weird to type on... but I am sure I'll get use to it. I wish it were a touch screen... but my biggest problem is that it's too easy to accidentally buy a book! But, they put the money back on your card when you say nope, It was an accident. so, cool! I am off now to buy more books and read!!!

Please leave a suggestion of books for me to look into! So far I got Pride and Prejudice, which I have never read nor watched... for FREE! woo!

I recently downloaded Picasa, a photo editing thing by google, and I have been loving it!
I editing a ton of my dance pictures from Extravadance last week... and this week I got really bored, and lonely and sad to be honest... so I said, time to go for a drive. And I had watched YES MAN for the third time the night before, and thought, instead of running and taking photos, I will drive and take pictures! So I headed out of town, to the countryside. It was very pleasant, and I took a ton of pictures. It was so relaxing! So, then I came home and edited all of the pictures adding soft glow, or focal black and white, and things like that... so, enjoy!

Some of the things I want...

I've been thinking lately about how I can throw a humorous twist of my failed dating attempts, and also about what I have learned from those "relationships." (fail-ationships? haha...)

Anywho, someone very wise and kind sent me a small checklist sort of advice for dating, and I really appreciated it and decided I ought to sit down and write out somethings I honestly do want in a husband, and things that are not acceptable.

So far I only have a few things, but here goes...

I really do want a man who can lead me on the dance floor. This does not mean he has to have been dancing ballroom for ten years like I have, but that he gives an honest effort and that I do not have to teach him how to lead me. (I will write a story soon about what brought this about...) Also, I want a man who will dance with me in the kitchen, in the middle of cooking dinner. which brings me to another point...

I would love for a man who enjoys cooking. He doesn't have to do all of it! I want to cook as well! But for us to work side by side, with music playing softly in the back ground (also, he needs to enjoy music. I LOVE music, I love to find music to express feelings through words that I can not find to express. I live for music, maybe its the dancer in me, but really I think it is the hopeless romantic, and slightly socially awkward person in me that needs music to express what I am feeling. So, he needs to like music, and maybe not be as in love with my music as I am, but be able to tolerate...nah, enjoy it with me.)

So, he needs to enjoy cooking with me, but that also melts into another thing, that he isn't too picky with his food preferences, and is willing to try new foods and be adventurous that way. I mean if he is allergic to food... I can't really change that... but I might prefer someone who has no allergies to foods so that we can explore and try new things all the time without worry.

Lastly, for today at least, I would like a man who will zip up the back of my dress for me, and (who can teach me so I can) tie his tie for him...

sidenote--I have had this ...quality? for quite some time... he needs to have hands bigger than mine.

oh PS... sorry that post is SO long!

Just not that into you... (And Ellen, I do not see any space for a title... maybe the layout is different?)

So the year of 2008 was a difficult one, dating wise. Every time I found a guy to start liking, or as soon as I had a crush on one... I would find out he was dating someone, or engaged. No joke, this happened at least four times. So summer rolls around, and the only dates I had been on were blind dates set up by my roommates.
There was this guy at work that I was considering thinking was cute and that maybe I could be interested in... but no one ever seemed to notice me. So I told my friend at work about this, and he meddled. He is very, very good at that!
So this kid, lets call him... Trevor. He asked me out, and I got kinda overly excited cause he was the first guy all year to even ask me out --after which I found out my friend had convinced him to. ...oh well.

We go on a few dates and I am kind of unimpressed, but he is asking me out and he is the only guy to all year... so I keep going on dates. I'll be honest, I had missed attention from guys, I needed some affection. When you live away from home and you can go days, nay, weeks, without any affection... it gets to you. So... we started to watch movies (PS, message to all guys out there... I hate, Hate! going to movies on first dates. It always makes it awkward, cause you don't know if he wants to hold your hand already, and it is the first date! You don't get time to talk, and get to know each other... so it is not a good idea. Unless it is like an improv theater where they dub over the movie anyway, and everyone can talk... but eh... you should still do something more, vocal for the first date.)
Oh, right, back to the story of "Trevor". So, we have been on a few dates, made dinner for each other. I've noticed he kind of acts a little strange, like maybe not the best social skills, but whatever, no one is perfect. So, we are watching a movie or whatever... and we start to cuddle. Now, before you think, aww cute... let me tell you. He put his head on my shoulder.

Let me repeat this. He, the guy, put his head, yes, his... not pulling me to him to put me, the girls head on his shoulder, but his, the man, on my shoulder.

So, instead of making me feel protected and delicate and cutesy as a girl should feel... he made me feel like the masculine one. (Yes, I do have very nice and defined biceps, but that is merely a side note and just a cool thing about me.)
And to top it off, he kept moving his head, and it was kind of getting on my nerves.

Then comes the 4th of July. He invites me to have dinner with him, so I go over. Then it gets to be like ten or so, and we had been watching TV or playing rock band or something, and he is like, well its getting kind of late, maybe you should go home.

I'm thinking--fine, I'll go home. You keep putting your head on MY shoulder, twitching your head, and you keep rubbing your nose and it is bothering me. I get home to an empty house. I am alone, on the 4th of July. The same 4th of July that the prior year I had gotten a first kiss from "*ick Jerkham" So it was kind of a bad day to be alone, cause even though that jerk had been a scum bag and a cheaterface, at least I wasn't alone... so I was like be alone or call up an exboyfriend? (Just kidding, I never once thought about calling him up. I just felt lonely and sorry for myself)

So I am texting some friends and saying, wo is me... then I am like, man, if he was here on my front lawn with me watching the fireworks, and tried to kiss me, I would kiss him. Long story short, someone texted him and told him if he came to my house I would kiss him. Longer story short--He and I never talked about that. He never asked me if it was true, he never asked if I knew who did it... nada.
I believe he had fallen asleep.
At Ten.
On the 4th of July.

Anyway, finally I went to bed... probably around 11:30.

But for some reason, I kept going out with him. The end of the semester was looming. He asked me where I saw us going. He asked me to visit him during the summer break.

I bought a plane ticket for $250.

I go and visit him. its fun, we are friends, and by this point his twitchy head and nose obsession and random little farts had really started to be big things that bothered me. I never acknowledged that I noticed those things... but they honestly would piss me off...and kind of gross me out.

So, we are hanging out with his family and its all cool... then he tries to hold my hand...for the first time... in front of his family. Going into the shark exhibit... saying, I'm scared, hold my hand. I am like !!Gah! Again, with you being the girl and making me the masculine one, stop it! What he could have said that I may have thought was cute and sweet is, "Oh Jenni, if you get scared by these sharks you can hold my hand and I will protect you." But no. he got all girly and said, oh Jenni, I am a little girl please hold my hand!

...moving on.
The next day we go on a hike, sans the fam, and we are hiking... and we stop on this bridge overlooking a river. It is a popular stop for people to take pictures, and there are tons of kids and parents around. Thats when he turned to me and said, Would this be an okay place for a first kiss?

And thats when in my mind I was like, oh noooooooo! But, aloud I was very mature and cordial when I said, Oh my, there are tons of people around... and (as I am walking, very briskly, away...) I don't believe you should ask for a first kiss.
And as I am basically running away, I am thinking... do I want this guy to kiss me? I don't think I do. So I try to get to a spot with reception and text someone to help me with this decision... but I am afraid to stop hiking for fear that he will try to move in for the kill and I will vomit. He didn't try for the rest of the hike.

At the end of the day, I had talked to my mom and she said, well give him a chance, maybe when you kiss him you'll feel the sparks. (cause I wasn't feelin anything...except repulsion.)
So its like 9 pm.. and his family goes to bed early. And so everyone is in bed and I am like, yikes I better go to bed so he doesn't try anything. So I'm like, well I am off to bed. He walks me to my room and says, Can I give you a goodnight kiss? And I don't remember if I said anything, but he leaned in, gave me the kind of peck you give your grandmother, and turns and walks away.



...

I felt nothing. Actually, it felt like if you were to kiss a wall.
I am a romantic, and I guess I have requirements that were not met.
He didn't linger, he ran away.
He didn't push hair behind my ear... he barely even touched my lips with his...
and I realized in that moment that he could have done all those things and I still wouldn't have wanted him to kiss me, cause I didn't like him.
Sure, he is a great guy, amazing piano player actually, but I had no attraction to him.

So the next morning was my flight home, finally. We went to lunch before he took me to the airport. And I tried to not make eye contact cause I didn't want him to see that I had no feelings for him.
Then he needs to fill up with gas, and as we pull into the station he says, "Oh, I just realized I've payed for everything this week, would you mind splitting for gas?"

I almost lost it.... sure, he had payed for dinner, and a movie or two, and lunch that day, but his parents payed for me to go to the amusement park with them, and actually I think they gave him money to take me to the theater. ...and I had payed a grundle for the plane tickets... hello!! That is totally socially unacceptable! (At least by me... does anyone else agree?)

So I am like, sure... but all I have is a ten cause I don't normally keep cash on hand.

But inside I wanted to yell the aforementioned.

So he takes me to the airport, and he kissed me goodbye. I went home, didn't ever start texting him, and then when I came back out to school, I kind of fibbed and said that I had started dating someone. Through a text. Which is socially unacceptable... unless you are telling it to someone who has no social propriety.

Other things I couldn't stand about him:
his pleated pants.
when I gave him a massage he critiqued and said, something like if you want to be good, you do this. And I am like, whoa, I dated a kid whose mom was a massage therapist, and she taught me... and everyone has a different style, and the massages you give aren't that great but no other guy has been touching me so I let you.
the fact that he went to bed SUPER early.
he wore white socks with his dress slacks-- and he always wore sneakers with his dress pants.
ooh! This one killed me... he would always say We. We are hungry. We want to do this. We, We, we.... and did he ever ask me beforehand? NOPE. I do not like to be a we before I am ready. He did it from day one. I am very independent I guess... so that honestly killed me. grr... it makes me angry thinking about it now! haha

Anyway, any questions?

So yesterday I almost rolled my car... and here is that story.

I was taking my old roommate to Idaho Falls to get her phone fixed, as the only tech guys were in IF. So, it was lightly snowing earlier in the day, but by now it wasn't. We got off on HITT road and I was going under the speed limit cause there was snowdrift on the road, but I still happened to hit a patch of ice. It was a two lane road, and I saw another car coming up as I was veering towards it, and started fishtailing. I don't recall if I hit on the brakes ever, but I do believe I tried over correcting. thats when I spun around and hit into the "ice"bank, as any snow bank in Eastern Idaho becomes after a day. And the car felt like it was going to roll, but then stopped. It stopped short of hitting into a telephone pole, by about one foot. The front tire popped, or something... (see picture)

I sat in shock with Candace as the person I almost hit kept driving, and the person behind them pulled off and had called the cops for us, and checked to see if we were alright. A few minutes later this huge truck pulls up, and this man asked if he could pull us out, so we let him. I was driving on my rim to get into someones driveway so that we could wait for the cops and so that he could put my spare on for me. Such a sweet generous man! As we were waiting for him to flip around to pull us out, we see another truck pull up to see if they could help. At the same time, on the other side of the road someone had been following behind another car too closely, and had to pull into a snow bank to avoid rear ending them. The roads were terrible!

Anyway, I was getting to be overwhelmed by the graciousness of strangers stopping and offering whatever help they could.


This accident reminded me of one I had many years ago, when my dad was driving some of us youth home from a sledding activity, and we hit a patch of ice and we did roll. I was reading the Work and the Glory and it hit me in the head, giving me a bruise in my eyebrow, and hitting my dad on the head, for he was driving and I was in the passenger seat and I ended up in the air. Amy and Alix were in the back seat, Amy was wearing her seat belt... but Alix hadn't yet put hers on! So she was flying through the car! (lesson, wear your seat belt!) When we had gotten flipped back over, Amy kept yelling at my dad to slow down, he was barely going five miles an hour! I bet Candace wanted me to go faster, I was hardly going more than twenty the rest of the way. And, to go straight I had to have my steering wheel turned at least at a ninety degree angle to the left. I hated it!

I was lucky enough to have a friend randomly be in Idaho Falls at the same time, and I talked him into driving my car home so that I wouldn't have to, because I was not mentally stable at all to drive! I have already decided that I will never drive in the snow again, and I plan on waiting until my parents come up to see my dance show to let them help me deal with it, and take my demon car away!

Just not that into you...

I am very excited to go see He's just not that into you, the movie, I read the book and loved it. Lately I've been thinking of writing some blogs about my crazy dates... They aren't crazy so much as... me being uninterested. Am I too picky? Maybe. But, I feel like I deserve(? No, but, something like it) a guy similar to me.


So, there was the guy who was nine years older than me, 28 when I was 19. I didn't know he was 28 when I first met him and started dating him... and age really wasn't the problem. Mostly it was that I was still in love with someone else, and he did not act his age. That bothered me. Also, he was a poor dresser. He was stuck in the 90s, where you wore shirts that were three sizes too large. Also, when I tried to end things, he was telling me he loved me, and that maybe I didn't feel anything for him because we hadn't kissed yet. He had tried to kiss me once in a parking lot where there were people washing their cars, as well as the fact that it was noon. I don't know, I feel like a first kiss should be more romantic than the middle of the day, not to mention not around other people!

Stay tuned for more episodes of disastrous dates...

1. I pretend to know more about cars and computers than I do to be more attractive to guys.
2. I abhor clocks that tick, and people who put them in their guest bedrooms. I hope to never own a clock that ticks, though I do think they look nice… just can’t stand the ticking, it irritates me and makes my heart race. I can’t think or concentrate when I hear one, and that’s one reason why I don’t wear watches anymore.
3. I can type very fast. I have never timed myself, nor have I ever taken a typing class. Sometimes my computer will beep at me and tell my I am typing too fast—I think it does that to warn you that someone is holding a button down or typing nonsense.
4. Also, I only type with four fingers, my two index and middle fingers is all. Sometimes an occasional left hand pinky. It all started with chicken pecking typing when I was 11 and started chatting online.
5. I was introduced to both Spice Girls and Hansen by my best friend in fifth grade—Bradley Johnson.
6. Bradley was my first kiss, at age 11. He was dating Janae and I was dating Andrew, and it was the summer going into 6th grade and we hung out every day because we lived a block away from one another. He would roller-blade over and we would cheat at monopoly against the younger neighbor kids, and we decided if Andrew or Janae tried to kiss us we would need to know how.
7. He and I started dating.
8. Brad and I broke up almost everyday… haha
9. I don’t know what he is up to anymore.
10. I love to be random—and my dream job is to be a stand up comedian or improve actress.
11. My favorite word to shout out at improve shows is “ANCHOVIES”. Why? Because no one expects it.
12. I am slightly stubborn. I don’t like to give up, but if someone is pressuring me or is too persistent in making sure I do something, I will not want to do it at all and be stubborn in that way.
13. I always seem to attract guys I am not interested in. I feel bad for feeling that way… but it’s the truth. I have thought about writing a book about it, though I feel that someone already has… (Romantically Challenged by Beth Orsoff, funny funny book!)
14. I once made a psychology joke in my journal, saying that my friend was going on a semi blind date, with a guy she had met a few months before, and that she was setting me up on a blind date with his friend, so when I wrote about that I said it was a “Double Blind” date, and I laughed for about ten minutes…
15. I often feel like I have an old man sense of humor.
16. Ten people have tagged me in this survey, and it has taken me that long to decide to do this.
17. I read a blog about cakes every day—cakewrecks.blogspot.com
18. I secretly wish my parents had named me Rhandi, instead of Jennifer. Those were the two names they were deciding between.
19. Also, I secretly love that everyone quotes Forest Gump and calls me “Jen-nay”… though I am always super sarcastic and rude and say, oh wow that’s original.
20. I use to want my license plate to read “8675309” (from the 80’s song) or “JWO519”
21. I love that my initials are JWO, so I can be gangster.
22. I once got a second degree burn reading Twilight. Summer of 07, in Burley at the lake when I was suppose to be flirting with cute Croatians.
23. I have an insatiable sweet tooth. Honestly, I have heard about people eating too many sweets and not wanting to eat them anymore… that doesn’t happen to me. If the cheesecake I am eating is too rich, I will eat the whole thing, wait two minutes, drink some water, and wish I had more to eat.
24. I love Zach Braff, Leonardo Dicaprio (despite what people might say, he is a great actor), Topher Grace, and Patrick Dempsey. Also, Erik Von Detton. And Christopher Gorham. Give me nerdy sheik, and I am all yours baby! Also, I am attracted to older men. About three to five years older, and I’m melting like a grilled cheese sandwich.
25. I like to pretend that I am everyone’s favorite, that I am prideful about it, but honestly I am so humbled by anyone who likes me and am so surprised. I love to listen to people and learn from them.
26. I steal cute phrases people make up… like that one about melting like a grilled cheese sandwich—I got that from my friend David Baughman about 8 years ago.
27. I like to think that I brought certain styles back, like in 02 I wore a retro dress to prom, and the next year everyone was wearing retro dresses! Also, my mom made every single one of my dresses I wore to school dances, so at least 9 dresses…
28. I love music, and music that expresses emotions.
29. I love to make faces at little kids! Also, car flirting. One of my favorite things!
30. I am slightly an overachiever, I am sometimes too helpful, and I love to be clever, creative and…. Whatever else that other word is that I am looking for.

Haircut

So my roommate said to me one day, I would like to cut your hair. give it layers and such.
(Before)
so... I let her!

Once I saw this, before I saw the haircut I was kind of freaking out... for some reason I really liked having my hair one length straight across, no layers... but I trust my roommate, so I looked into the mirror with faith and excitement...

This is what I saw!
(Well, the next day, after I curled it... but you get the idea!)

The results are in! The hard drive will now and forever more be referred to as Edward. As for my iPod... I have given up looking for a name for him. He will be nameless... I just can't seem to find anything fitting. Maybe just something lame like DJ iPod. Okay, scratch that last sentence, my iPod is DJiPOD! yay! okay, well, thanks for participating!

So I had an odd habit-- I name my electronics after men.

Not Men that I know, but more like names I like!
So... here's the run down.


This is my computer Henry. He is an IBM ThinkPad T43. I've had him for two years! He has never let me down...sometimes he is slower than others and has bad communication with the internet, but he is always there for me, and I know how to work with him.



Ahh, Dylan. You've seen him before, I got him in February I think... so around ten months. He is a gem, very quick, very sleek, so smart! Such new technology...







Landon is a gift from my parents, at the end of April, beginning of May. He is always at hand, always connects me to whatever I need, and is just as cute as a button, and almost the same size!





Meet my iPod. I have had him for two years... but haven't been able to name him. Any suggestions?
















And finally, my external hard drive! My dad gave him to me today, and he is such a big guy! 250 GB! But sleek and slender, almost like a flask actually... and I have not yet come up with a name for him... *sigh* haha

My New Years Kiss
I got to kiss the cutest boy at the party last night!! I'd been waiting all year for a kiss... His breath smelled of Oatmeal though... oh well, I am not judging!

Jenni's Winter Watch

12/18/08 2 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12/20/08 11 PM

12/21/08 4 PM--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12/22/08 10 AM

Journal Jar

What is something few people know about you?
It takes me at least five seconds to start signing my signature... I just hover there, with my pen above the paper... I'm not exactly sure why.

What is something you've never done but would like to try?
I would actually LOVE to go up to a guy, maybe someone I know... maybe just a random hottie, and kiss him. Honestly; I would like to do the She's The Man approach, recite song lyrics to this one guy... I almost did it once too... "Take my secrets and I'll keep yours, never thought I'd find you. Fall, I'll save you...Stay, I'm with you... Say, I do too..."

Tell about a time when you misjudged someone. Perhaps you made a snap judgement about someone and it turned out to be wrong. Do people misjudge you? Why?
Well, without going into detail... I think that I can misjudge people a lot. I let snap judgements happen, even though I know they are bad and I know better. I try to be a very honest, and kind, and non-judgemental person, but we all slip sometimes... I do think that maybe people misjudge me more than I do others. I have a good friend now, who when we first met, at work, thought I was a very strict rule follower and not funny and whatever else that is not me. haha, and thats because when I first meet people, and especially when I am at work, I am more professional and to the point, and at work there are certain things I don't like to talk about, and there are certain things I like to get done. So I was more focused on the tasks at hand than getting to know new co-workers and he misjudged that to mean that I was a very closed off person, very cold, etc. But then he and I started talking and he found me to be quite open, very honest, very awesome. haha ...and sometimes people misjudge my jokingness to mean that I am conceited.

Do you have a middle name? Were you named after anyone?
My middle name is Whitney... and there is some speculation that I was named after Whitney Houston... I am not sure if this is true or not!

Do you have any traditions for the 4th of July?
Haha yes... go to bed early.
Okay, okay, thats just whats become of certain holidays for me... like New Years... when you don't have anyone to kiss... whats the point in staying up? This last year for the 4th of July I had been on a date, and he took me home early. ...lame. So I was kinda down... but I just grabbed my iPod, a blanket, and a pillow and laid out on my lawn and watched for a little bit... then I went inside and went to bed. The year before I had been on a date, and my date kissed me and so I saw two different kinds of fireworks, but that ended and I have since learned that I misjudged that kid... (I thought he was a nice person... turns out otherwise.) So, my traditions are to sleep. haha

What profession do you wish your future husband will work in, why?
Well, as my friend keeps telling me, he doesn't know what his "type" is, but he knows by a process of ellimination what his "type" isn't... and that is the approach I use here. I don't want to marry a doctor. I know, crazy, right? But I want my husband to have time to be at home. I'd like for him to work in a profession where when he comes home, he has no more work to do but be a father, my companion, my love, my friend. Maybe I am misjudging the profession of a doctor, but I think that if my husband was one, he would be gone all day long, and would be too tired afterwards to play with the kids, to help me cook dinner, to give me some attention. So I would prefer my future hubby to not be a doctor, a lawyer, a garbage man, or a ninja. I just think all of those require a lot of work away from the home and leave you too exhausted afterwards to fulfill your other roles in life.

What do your parents say that drive you crazy?
Haha, whenever I come home from school and then have to leave to go back, my mom always says, Don't Go. Oh my goodness, I get a migrane just thinking about it!! For some reason that drives me crazy even more than when my sister told me our mothers new years resolution was to not buy shoes till I was engaged. bah.

What is your favorite TV program? Why?
I really enjoy How I Met Your Mother. It is a love story in reverse, the main character is telling his kids how he met their mother, how that relationship started, evolved, etc. So far, he still hasn't married her, and we don't know who she is. haha... but the reason I love it is because of the friendship and relationships between the six main characters. I've always wanted a group of friends like they have, they can all make jokes about or with one another, and it is all in good humor and they just have honest good times with one another. They celebrate holidays together, they lean on one another for support when needed, and they are just funny. And I love Barney's weird relationship rules... I use them sometimes. Like the Crazy/Hot Scale (look it up on Youtube) or the Time/Relationship Continuum, or the use of We when we are not a we, but I am a Me and you are a you, but you say We and I want to die. Haha... if you watch it you'll understand.

How much does a carton of eggs cost? A gallon of Gas? A Movie ticket? (The paper oringionally said in 1999...) A cassette tape? A CD?
Eggs are about 1.39 for a dozen of Large eggs... I think... and Gas, in Seattle is currently 1.63, and in Rexburg, 1.41. This is amazing for just a few months ago it was 3.99 !! And a movie ticket can be anywhere from 6 to 9 dollars... or more. HAHAHA Cassette tape? hahahaha I am sure you can buy them... on amazon.com or ebay.com, for a penny... a CD, usually 14 bucks I imagine...

What is your favorite musical group or singer/song today?
Musical groups: Anberlin, Mae, Copeland...
Favorite song as of today: Oh My Love by John Lennon amazing.

What is your favorite movie?
Hehe... Today I will say HeartBreakers. It is a comedy, about two woment conartists, mother and daughter... and their con story. haha... but I feel like I can relate a lot to Jennifer Love Hewitts character, Page. She is hostile towards men, always thinking she is the shiz, but really she is insecure, scared, and just wanting to be loved and accepted. Another favorite is Garden State, the story of a man learning how to feel pain and joy after years of being numbed by medication prescribed to him by his father, his psychiatrist. That, and the Emporer's New Groove. hahaha

Journal Jar



I came home from school in Rexburg aka IceBurg Idaho to get away from the cold! To be immersed in rain and the greenery... instead Rexburgian weather followed me. So, I am effectively snowed in, for I flew home, so I am car-less, and I live at the bottom of a hill which is covered in ice and snow. In this picture you can't really tell that its a very steep hill.. for I am taking a picture from the top looking down, but it is infact very steep, and very slick.


Anyway, so since I am snowed in, I decided to bust out the ol' journal jar. Filled with questions and ideas of what to write in your journal! So, I thought, why not invite everyone to be in on the fun?

What is the longest period of time you went without sleep? How did you feel? Why did you lose sleep?
Well, I was 14, and a cheerleader for my junior high. It was tradition, that for the Student vs Teacher basketball game that the cheerleaders have a sleep over, and no one sleeps... and at a ridiculous hour in the early early morning the cheerleaders go out and "kidnap" some guys, and dress them up as either, cheerleaders, or just in funny costumes. So, this is what we did. I believe we watched Bring It On, haha and we went out at 5 AM after we were all dressed up crazy, and kidnapped our guy friends. (This was a Friday, and so I had been awake for 24 hours at this point, having gotten up at 5:30 on Thursday for early morning seminary.)
I remember almost falling asleep so many times during English class, cause Friday was a reading day... and man it was tough to stay awake! Not to mention, that after the assembly there was a dance after school for which I had volunteered to sell pop at, during which I also found myself dozing off. Say the dance is over at 6, I finally get picked up, I get home, call my friends who wanted to do something later that night and I said, well sure just let me take a nap.. So this is about 7 oclock now, it had been 38 hours awake... next thing I know, it is 8 in the morning. My mom says my friends had classed back, and that she put me on the phone, that I woke up and talked to them. I have no recollection of this at all!! I asked my friends about it later, and they said I was slurring my words and was hard to understand but they just laughed.
Other than that, sometimes while at school I get little bouts of insomnia, where I will either not sleep, or sleep maybe three hours a night for possibly a whole week or more. I think that is caused from when I was 9-11 or even longer, when I would try to stay up all night, singing Gangster's Paradise and The whole Lion King soundtrack, but I'd always fall asleep around 2 am. And there was an occasion, where I actually probably stayed up even longer than 38 hours, but this time my body was energized the whole time... Well I take that back, I probably slept an hour or three in... 41 hours... I had gotten up Friday morning at 7, had work, school, a three hour dance practice, went out with some friends, watched a movie, stayed up talking/cuddling all night, Had a five hour long dance practice, did homework all day, and went to bed around midnight. And all without an energy drink!

So for Thanksgiving I drove the 12 hours to Seattle, to be with family for the holiday. I didn't call any of my friends the whole time... I just hung out with Family. And a phone call today from my mom reminded me why I do that.

Pre-story: I love my nephews. I proclaim to dislike small children, but secretly I am a softee. Its more about me not wanting to have my own children yet, that when they cry or are stinky, I would prefer to hand them off to their mothers. I am not ready to be awoke 879,435 times a night to crying. So, when I was at home, I hung out with family the whole week. And I played a lot with my nephews, Dean 2 and Owen 6mo.
Dean and I had fun with making pies and eating pudding and licking all of the spoons clean when we were done.

That was so fun! Every day after I was tired or had plans with my brother or something, I would try to leave. Dean would say, "you go hoooome take naaaaaaaaaaap?" I would always say, yes! On Thanksgiving I told him I had to go home and he said, "no! staaaaaaaay!" I tried to calm his fears and let him know I would see him the next day, and he let up. "Tired? Take naaap? Dark out." (He would cover his eyes when he says dark. so cute.)

Well, then I came back to school. I miss the babies, cause they are too cute! Anyway, so my mom calls today. And this is where we get the story.

Story:

Mom texts me and says, the boys are coming over and I say yay! Send me pictures!

A few hours later she calls.

She says, sorry, I didn't get any pictrues but I have to tell you something that will make your heart cry.

I was kind of worried at first...

She starts. (See how I am building up this story? haha)

She says, I went to put Owie down for a nap, and he was fussy. So I left him alone for awhile and went back to check on him, leaving Dean alone. (This is where I was like, oh crap what has happened? did Owie fall off my bed? what could make my heart cry?)

She then goes on to say, Owen was finally asleep, and I went to see what Dean was doing and I saw him in the living room with a picture of you in his hands says, "Come home, come home"

At this point, not only was and is my heart crying... but I am too. That is so tender and awesome! Who knew kids could be so amazing? (and I want to boast and say, take that, I am the best or most favorite aunt!)(Our first picture together.)

This year for Christmas I decided to make Nanaimo Bars for all my friends, since I don't really have any money. So I made a batch of EggNog Nanaimo bars, and then a double batch of Mint Nanaimo Bars. The next day I made another batch of each!
I gave them to lots of friends, brought them to work, to a class, gave them to my visiting teachees and ers, and I still have some...

When I was at home for Thanksgiving, my sister made a batch and she cut them huge like brownies! I make mine tiny, more like two-bite sized!

The end of the semester is quickly approaching, and I have some foods I've been trying to eat up... like come extra coconut. I thought, well I will find a coconut chicken recipe... but every recipe calls for coconut milk instead of actual coconut. Well I decided to adapt one, with the few things I have.
The recipe called for onions, garlic, white vinegar, water, sugar, chicken bouillon, soy sauce, black pepper, coconut milk, and etc.

So Here is what I did...
Browned one piece of chicken breast. (I was the only one eating...)
Mixed up some water with chicken bouillon powder, with some white pepper and 1/3c of rice vinegar.
I added that to the pan with the chicken and let it cook, and boil down to nothing. I then got a plate out, and put some coconut on it, put my piece of chicken on that, and poured more coconut atop.



It was actually quite good! (for not really using a recipe and making it all up)

Never Leave Your Heart Alone

1. If someone says "Is this okay" you say?
Stuck in America – Sugarcult

2. What would best describe your personality?
Some Trust - The Fray

3. What do you like in a guy/girl?
You Don’t Know (Anything about vampires) - Jersey City Fire

4. How do you feel today?
Hurt - Christina Agulera

5. What is your life's purpose?
Business of Love –The Mask Soundtrack

6. What is your motto?
Teenage Dirtbag –Wheatus

7. What do your friends think of you?
Fools In Love -

8. What do you think about very often?
Infinity – Merrick

9. What is 2+2?
Calculus – Together

10. What do you think of your best friend?
Dirty Little Secret – All American Rejects

11. What do you think of the person you like?
Dirrty – Christina Agulera

12. What is your life story?"
Sow Into You – Roisin Murphy

13. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Latest Mistake – Mandy Moore

14. What do you think when you see the person you like?
Quando Quando Quando – Michael Buble and Nelly Frutado

15. What do your parents think of you?
Crazy – Gnarls Barkley

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
Spend My Lifetime Loving You – Zorro Soundtrack

17. What will they play at your funeral?
Losing Sleep – Charlotte Sometimes

18. What is your hobby/interest?
Runaway - Mae

19. What is your biggest secret?
Love Me Like That – Michelle Branch

20. What do you think of your friends?
More Than Just A Crush – 3g’s

21. What's the worst thing that could happen?
This Modern Love – Bloc Party

22. How will you die?
SexyBack – Justin Timberlake

23. What is the one thing you regret?
Carve Your Heart Out Yourself – Dashboard Confessional

24. What makes you laugh?
Siren – Majandra Delfino

25. What makes you cry?
7 Things – Miley Cyrus

26. Will you ever get married?
Never Gunna Get It – En Vouge

27. What scares you the most?
Horses In the City – Nina Gordon

28. Does anyone like you?
Pressed In A Book – The Shins

29. If you could go back in time, what would you change?
I Want You To Want Me – Letters To Cleo (10 things soundtrack)

30. What hurts right now?
Psychobabble – Frou Frou

31. What will you post this as?
Never Leave Your Heart Alone – Butterfly Boucher

So I'm into seafoam green, red, and black right now... does anyone else like it, or am I a freak? haha

I got this questionnaire from relief society...

What is your favorite color?
Green. Or Purple. Or Blue… or…

What is your favorite band or song?
Favorite band: Mae (currently)

What is your favorite Candy Bar or Sweet Treat?
Wunderbar from Canada

What is your favorite Animal?
Dog!

What is your favorite temple?
The one closest to me.

Where do you want to go on your honeymoon? (Money is no option)
I want to go wherever I need to go to see the Aurora Borealis.

What has been your favorite family vacation?
I think one of my favorite family vacations was last year, when we went up to Canada to spread my grandfather’s ashes. We drove up and met my mom’s brother and his wife and we got on his boat, the ten of us, (my parents, sister, her husband and baby, my brother, and my aunt and uncle and grandmother and myself!) It was very simple, and we all remembered little things we loved about my grandfather and talked about those things during the boat ride, and then we said a few words while sprinkling the ashes into the ocean. I think it brought us all together, and made us remember that life is precious and fragile.

What is your favorite movie?
I am anticipating Twilight…

What is your favorite sport or physical activity?
Ballroom Dance

What is your favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
Mint

What is your favorite author?
I really enjoyed Lemony Snickets style… but I am going with Cecelia Ahern

What is your favorite book?
Currently, Romantically Challenged. (story of my life)

Where were you born?
Tucson Arizona

How old are you?
Never ask a lady her age!

What is your Birthday?
May 19

What is your favorite game?
Hand and foot, Dice, or Nerts

Who is your favorite Actor?
Colin Hanks, Leonardo Dicaprio, Christopher Gorham

Who is your favorite Actress?
Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Katherine Heigl

Any interesting family stories (famous ancestors, etc.)
One of my ancestors that crossed the plains had two wives… and they both left him!

What is your most embarrassing moment?
I try not to get embarrassed… but once I was playing laser tag in a park, and I thought this one was cute… so as we were leaving we were all hopping the fence and I was like, well I am going to and I am going to do it super cool! So I go, and I jump, and my foot some how caught… and I landed nose-first into the dirt. They rolled me over immediately, and I was wishing they would just leave me there to die.
Or there is the time when I liked this guy, and asked him to help me choreograph a dance, and as we were dancing, I went to turn the music back on… and my pants ripped. That was awkward.

What is your major?
Psychology

What is your favorite Disney Movie?
Emperors New Groove

What do you like to do for fun?
Dance, listen to music, play games, read, read blogs…

In my religion class we have to post blogs every class, and we have assigned readings and we pick out a quote or just write what we learned or liked... this was my entry for Tuesday's upcoming class.

“Be worthy of the mate you choose” President Gordon B Hinckley

“The right person is someone for whom the natural and wholesome and normal affection that should exist does exist” Elder Bruce R McConkie

I feel like the assigned reading was meant for me right now. I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want in my mate, and what I feel I deserve. I went on a date recently where I was asked the question what I feel I am entitled to in life. That threw me, what am I entitled to? I said a good life, the blessings the Lord has in store for me, and some other generic answers, as I am not a very quick thinking when it comes to questions like that. Having had more time to think about it, and reading these quotes… I feel that I am entitled to love, to a mate worthy of me and I worthy of them. I feel like I am entitled to someone who loves me as much as I love them, who will be able to care and take care of me as much as I do for them. I deserve someone who appreciates me as much as I appreciate them. I am entitled to a hopeless romantic, or at least someone who can understand that I am! There are many more, but it is not necessary for me to write them here… I haven’t dated as much as I would have liked, but from the few relationships I have had, I have seen that sometimes I force things that shouldn’t be forced as Elder McConkie states. I have always been romanced by romance, and I have been struggling lately, trying to figure out if I should be giving up that thought of being swept off my feet by someone… and I find hope in Elder McConkie’s statement that I do not need to give up that idea. I think that when it is the right person, I will be swept away, but in a natural and normal kind of way. I am the type of person to gives all I can to make people happy, to brighten their day, and make them feel special. I do that naturally, and I think that the man that is right for me, will do the same. He and I will be similar, have had similar backgrounds, but more importantly, similar desires and goals out of life. We will we worthy of each other, and we will feel natural and normal affection towards each other, and I think at the same time. I dated someone whom I felt very close to quickly, and then it was over. Talking to my sister, she said, he wasn’t right for you. I said, but you never knew him! And she said, no, but I know you. And the man that is right for you will know what he has when he has you. I think that it will be a relationship that comes easy for me and him, we will be natural and ourselves the whole time, which is how I strive to be all the time, and we will understand each other. This is not to say that it won’t be work, but as President Hinckley states, “A good marriage requires time. If requires effort. You have to work at it. You have to cultivate it. You have to forgive and forget”. And what powerful advice! I think that is the way to live life in general, with effort, and forgiving.

I found this quote by Elder McConkie kind of funny… he tells us to look for partners who are seeking perfection and then says this “You will likely not find that perfect person, and if you did, there would certainly be no interest in you.” Haha!! Certainly no interest! Oh, I find it humorous… because he knows none of us are perfect! He goes on to clarify what he is saying with “These attributes are best polished together as husband and wife”. I think that is the honest truth that we will not find anyone perfect because we are not perfect. But we will find someone, whom with we will develop and grow with. And I think that is better than finding someone perfect, because it helps require us to lean upon the other, to work together. Finally, the last quote that inspired me was one by President Ezra Taft Benson, saying “…you are not required to lower your standards in order to get a mate.” So true! No matter how long we go unmarried, we are not required to lower our standards to finally get married, if we do we are no longer true to ourselves.

Today in my religion class my teacher was talking about this woman who was in a plane crash with her husband back in August... and how her sisters are taking care of their kids while they are still in the hospital recovering from their burns. I went to her blog and I am bawling the whole time because she sounds like she was such an amazing mother! One thing my teacher said, is that one of the sisters has the youngest child, and he has started calling her mommy because he is so young... and that she doesn't want him to because she wants him to know his mother, because she is so amazing... and that just breaks my heart! I absolutely love her writing style, and the love she has for her husband and children. She is so beautiful and creative, I pray that she will be alright. Something else our teacher relayed, was that one of the sisters said that they think she was given the change to choose, to return to Heaven or to stay and fight through the pain... and that she is choosing to fight. We must be like that in life, choose to fight through the pain, because this life is tough, but it is worth it.

Read her blog and be impressed. http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

One thing I love about her is that she calls her husband Mr. Nielson... whenever I get married I want to call my hubby Mr. _____ (whatever his last name is...)

I wrote this paper for my Prep for eternal marriage class... and felt like I should post it on here, feel free to give your comments and insights!
I really enjoyed reading Covenant Hearts, it was very enlightening and made me so very excited to ever get married! I had so many thoughts and took many notes. I did get sad a few times actually when I made notes, and wished I had someone to discuss it with, in a deeper relationship where it would be more acceptable. I wished that he would have been reading it with me so we could compare notes and explore our ideas together. Luckily, or not so luckily, for you, I have this paper to use for that desire!
So many things struck me in this book. Bruce C Hafen talked a lot about love and joy. A few of his thoughts and quotes on joy really struck me and led me to many thoughts. The first that just hit me and keeps my mind soaring is that “…if we don’t move out of our comfort zone, we won’t grow. If we don’t grow, we won’t find joy”(13). This reminds me that there is opposition in all things, and that if it isn’t tough it won’t be worth it. I guess it just makes me think that we really do need to move away from the things that keep us comfortable to be able to grow, to stretch and learn more about ourselves. I was dating this boy for a while and we went to a party some of his friends were throwing. I had never met them, and usually it had just been me and him and our close friends together always… so in this new setting where I only knew him, he and I both noticed that I didn’t say much at all, if anything. I was out of my comfort zone. I am normally the one who cracks jokes and likes attention, but more than that likes to know who the stories are about and help tell them. In this setting, I knew no one, I didn’t know the stories, and I didn’t know any of them well enough to tell any jokes. It took awhile, but towards the end of the night I was coming out of my shell and joking around a little bit and sharing my own stories, but we both noticed I did act differently when out of my comfort zone, but I need those experiences so that I can grow, and become more use to being in bigger groups so that that becomes comfortable. “I didn’t know I had it in me” (151). We should constantly be able to say that, at the same time that we should have faith that we will be able to. I think that in marriage, if we give up, we will not grow. We will not be able to discover what we didn’t know we didn’t know, or we won’t find what we could do if we just pushed a little further. At the end of the night, I noticed that I had had fun, I had grown and I had found joy.
Along with opposition and joy, we find on page 65 that without children we would be without misery… but we know that children equal joy. If there was no joy, there would be no misery. The story about the father who was out in a field with his son, and then saw his son and realized the ramifications of that, that he was a father; that was his son; it touched me. I do not have any children, but I believe that when I do it will take awhile for it to click that I created that life; I was entrusted with that intelligence and spirit from the Lord, that I am a mother and that is my child. While that child might cause me many sleepless nights and much misery, the joy of that child will be so much greater. When my sister was pregnant she thought about getting an epidural for her labor, but when that came it came too quickly for her to be able to. I had heard that when you have an epidural you are numb and cannot feel what is going on. My sister said that as soon as the labor was over, though her body had been through so much and exerted so much energy and had so much pain, as soon as she saw her son, it vanished. It made me think that I will want to give a natural birth, to experience that intense pain so that I can feel in the full effect, all of the joy and love that comes afterwards.
Love was talked about throughout the whole book, obviously. But there were specific things mentioned that caught my attention. Bruce C Hafen mentions how the Greeks had three different types of love, and I was instantly taken back to my social psychology class where we learned about three different types of love that a theorist, Sternburg had come up with. The Greek types were, paraphrased, as being charitable love, romantic love, and love for siblings. Sternburg’s are intimacy, commitment, and passion. There is a diagram that goes along with Sternburg’s theory, and it is a triangle. He says that all sides need to be equal to have consummate love, the complete form of love. When I think of the triangle, I think of how the church teaches us that marriage is a three way commitment to you, your spouse, and the Lord. On page 125 Hafen tells a story about a spinning saucer and the analogy he came up for that, that we should be in the center where we are stable and should pull people into the center with us. I thought that Christ is the center, we all revolve around him. Christ should be at the center of our marriages, and our hearts. Furthering this three sided triangle, centered on Christ, is an analogy to marriage as singing on page 140. He says how we start as a duet, two solos. I immediately remembered the triangle between husband, wife, and Christ and thought oh no! It is a trio! We need the Lord! Then my thoughts turned to the poem or story of the footprints in the sand, where the Lord is always with us, sometimes carrying us. It is a duet because the Lord is there with us, he is helping us to “carry” the tune, we can not do it without him.
There is a story about the girls in Australia who were able to help put the chandelier together in the Celestial room, which impressed me. The girls were so tender and gentle with those crystals, and wanted to linger in the room, looking at their creation, what great works they had performed and done together. They did not want to leave the room, for the peace it gave to them was more important that anything else. It reminded me of how little girls look at and touch babies, so gently and they recognize the importance and how precious they are. We need to remember that kind of innocence and respect for other humans, children of God, and treat them better.
The secret to a happy marriage was given on page 73, and at first when I read that we should lower our expectations I was thinking, no way, this is false!! But the more I read, the better I understood and agreed. We need to be understanding, and remember that it takes time to transition. Often times I think people forget that they have weaknesses and that others do as well and that when we get married we are not translated into perfect beings, but we are the same two people, who need to rely upon each other and the Lord to help them. One of the ways we need to lower our expectations in with communication, we expect the other to be able to read our minds. We need to lower this, they cannot! We cannot! We need to communicate better, express our feelings, and talk. We will learn more about our own weaknesses than our spouses through marriage. We marry to give, and to grow as expressed on page 76. W learn on page 124 that “…charity never reaches a higher meaning than it does in marriage”, and we need to remember that in order to serve we must use charity. I loved the story where the woman was upset no one was serving her and then realized that she was not serving anyone, and when she did she was not upset anymore, but filled with love. When we marry, we don’t just marry that person, but their past experiences and life, that was such a great thing to hear!

Some of my final thoughts towards the end of the book came from the conclusion, “Society may be losing the plot of the great Love Story” (259). I do not think the plot is lost, but more hidden as how he mentioned the majestic mountain was behind the fog and you might not believe there was something back there if you went to see it on a foggy, cloudy day. But I think that those who believe it is there without being able to see it, those that remember our “…deepest God-given instinct is to run to the arms of those who need us and sustain us” (137) that they will seek after the great love story with more fervent efforts, and that they will make finding it a journey. That once they find their own love story, it will make the journey more meaningful, and that they will cherish it more, they will be glad they found it and will try harder to keep it and protect it. “Love awoke, and so did life” (107). I look forward to this so much, to love one another, to have my life awakened in a new sense to have someone else to care about, think about, and experience life with. That when either one of us goes through a hard time it will not “…just be his, but theirs” (121). I know that I am not alone for the Lord is always with me, but I am so excited and desirous of the companionship that comes with marriage, and I want for that, I want to be able to help my husband through his pain, to bear it with him and raise him up. I learned so much from this book and am so very excited to read it again, to learn more and to be able to share what I learn with othe

Ellen did this cute little quiz? Survey? Get to know you? thing. And I copied it from her and enjoyed it!
2 names you go by:
Jen - Old roommates Trish and Katie always call me Jenn, kinda weird but I like it too!
Jenhopper - usually just my dad!

2 things you're wearing right now:
Ballroom baseball t, I know... how conflicting!
And Ballroom sweatpants.

2 things you want very badly right now:
Twilight movie to come out
A Boyfriend/husband...

2 favorite pets you've had:
PJ my scruffy, tomboy, half cat, dog.
Jay, my fatty albindo ferret!

2 things you did last night:
Walked a mile on the track in the freezing cold
Wrote a paper on things I could improve in my life.

2 things you ate today:
Ha! I wish I only ate two things today... just kidding. I love food.
I ate a boston cream pie yogurt, and a smoothie David made for me.

2 people you talked to last:
Ellen-through messenger
David-in person
2 things you plan to do today:
Research wedding traditions in different cultures
finish reading Bridget Jones's Diary (pretty funny so far... I wasn't sure I'd like it, but after reading a book called Romantically Challenged {story of my life} I was game for any book, and since having no boyfriend, I have more time to read.)

2 longest trips you've taken in the last 5 years:
Seattle to Rexburg 12hours, once it was like 15 due to snow.
Rexburg to San Diego I think it was 17 hours, but we stopped in Vegas on the way down, but not on the way back!
Soon to be, in 180 days I will be going to Russia!

2 favorite holidays:
Halloween and Thanksgiving!

2 favorite beverages:
Mountain Dew
Lemon Berry Hawaiian punch water flavor add-in thingy

Twilight. Can't. Wait.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/twilight.html?showVideo=1

I have recently been a blog-hoppin... I know I am lame. Anyway, I found a few blogs that I LOVE and have to share with you. Works for me Wednesday,
http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/it_works_for_me/index.html is a blog where every wednesday she posts a simple story of something new and easy to do... one example is this weeks post of pulling teeth, put some tooth numbing gel on the gums and pull! You have to read it for yourself. Anyway, then she allows for people to put a link to their easy and simple ideas... which is how I found this chocolate cake recipe!

Dangerous Chocolate Cake-in-a-mug!!
1 coffee mug
4 Tbsp. cake flour (plain, not self-rising)
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. oil
Small splash of vanilla
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips, optional

Add dry ingredients to mug, mix well with a fork. Add egg, mix thoroughly. Pour in milk and oil and vanilla, mix well. Add chips, if using.

Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on 1000 watts. Cake will rise over top of mug–do not be alarmed! Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired. Eat! (she claims it is dangerous because you are only five minutes away from chocolate cake!)

Oh boy did I enjoy that yesterday!! I thought it was a little dry, so after I ate some I added a little bit of milk to it, after having used my fork to break it up into smaller chunks. Then I also added a little bit of powdered sugar... Yum!!

Another blog I found out about from WFMW is $5 dinners... which I have not made any yet, but I am keeping it in my favorites so I can write down the recipes. http://www.5dollardinners.com/

And last, but not least... is Cake Wrecks. It cracks me up!! http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Hope you all enjoy these links like I do!

Since I came back to Rexburg in August, I had a real summer in Rexburg! So, what do I do with my time? I hang out with Maria, and boys!! I met a real cute boy, named Jason. :) Anyway, what do two girls who are dating roommates do in the summer when they are bored? They make a puppet theatre!! Here are the videos we made with the boys after we had painted the theater, naming it with our last names. The boys helped to make the puppets... which was half the fun for sure!! We spoofed The emperors new groove... a favorite of all involved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJH89RevM9c

or this one, with just the boys dancing the puppets around to a song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8p1Z34MxMA

As some of you know... I was scheduled to graduate in July of this year! I was talking to one of my dance instructors and he advised I not graduate until after I go on a dance tour... so I stayed around. It worked because I still needed a credit of an internship to graduate... so I came back to school early, in the summer. Then school started up, and I tried out for the tour team... and I made it! I am on Dance Alliance, and we are going on a 17 day tour of Russia in April!! A few of the cities we will hit up at Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Samara!! We will be going on various train rides, ranging from 5 hours to 13. I am stoked!! Russia, Here I come in 201 days!!

Its been awhile! Here are a few pictures from when I went to Nevada with Jason this summer. My attempt at being really artsy...

CRAISY Oatmeal Cookies
1 1/2 c margarine
1 1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp water
3 eggs
3 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2-3 c oatmeal (sometimes more)
1 Bag Craisins
Secret Ingredient: Zest of one Orange, which is to be added before the Oats.

Blend together margarine, sugars, vanilla, water and eggs. Sift flour and soda. Add orange zest, then oatmeal and craisins. Bake at 375 for 8-12 minutes. Can make 6 dozen.