You Cry A Tear To Start A River

When I was younger, I used to judge my mom a lot for crying at movies. When watching movies with my parents, I can always tell what parts in movies will make my mom cry. It's not always sad tears. Generally it's the "oh this is so happy and I'm so happy things were resolved" kind of tears. ANYWAYS, I judged my mom a lot from youth through most of high school. because it was like, "why the heck is she crying? this isn't sad. Gosh mom. pull it together."

Well, as karma would have it, I've become my mother. My name is Kristin Greer and I am a movie crier. I fought it for a really long time because I thought it was embarrassing. I even was stuped enough to think that the whole, "I just have something in my eye" trick was effective (it's not). But now, I embrace my weepiness. I like that I cry in movies because it means that I had an emotional connection with the movie and I think that's great. I've cried in a lot of the happy movies and it's okay (most recently, The Muppet Movie, which we just watched tonight AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MUPPET MOVIE, STAND UP. GET IN YOUR CAR. GO TO YOUR NEAREST REDBOX AND RENT IT NOW. IT IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER). I'm here to tell you all that it's okay to cry in movies and if you're a movie crier, embrace it. Be proud. Hold your head high and let your tears fall with dignity.

NOW GO SEE THE MUPPET MOVIE AND CRY YOUR HEART OUT.

this is right now

When did Blogger change their layout? I don't know how I feel about this...

Anyways, I know it's been a while and after having this blog for something like 2 years, I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm just not gonna be a dedicated blogger. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I don't do it. Oh well. I'm not too broken up about it. I sometimes wish I had that dedication, you know, the people who blog every day about cute crafts they make or things they cook or their kids or whatever. I am neither crafty nor a phenomenal cook and have no children soooo yeah.

Instead of boring you with the details of my life, I'm just gonna say that pretty much nothing has changed and life is still good. the end.

I want to write about something that I've been thinking about lately. This last semester, I took an English class that focused on Young Adult literature (aka books you read in school from 6th grade to 12th grade). I loved this class because not only were most of the books incredibly enjoyable (I'll give you a list of some of my favourites at the end of this post), but they also provoked a lot of different types of discussions in my class. If I were to describe my class in four words, they would be: opinionated, conservative, insightful, and emotional. It was an interesting group of people, to say the least, and sometimes I liked what they had to say, and other times, I didn't because it was either annoying or just didn't suit my personal opinions too much.

That's kinda where this post is coming from. For my class, we read the graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, which is essentially a book about being comfortable in your own skin and accepting your racial identity (note: a graphic novel is, more or less, a glorified comic book, and should not be confused with a porngraphic novel... which is not a comic book). I really enjoyed this novel because it approached racism and stereotypes in a powerful way that younger audiences can understand and relate too. I was surprised, however, that a lot of people didn't like the novel because they didn't get it and because they didn't like how it dealt with racism. I should mention that the novel was a little confusing because it was three different stories that initially seem very unrelated, but all tie together in the end. So I can see how this novel was confusing, but I don't quite know why my class didn't like how it dealt with racism and stereotypes.

There was one girl in particular who was rather opinionated about everything and this novel was the peak of her opinionated-ness. I have a really difficult time with excessively opinionated people for two reasons: 1) they never listen to anyone else and won't consider other viewpoints; and 2) they frequently present their opinions as supreme intelligent thought that God himself admires. It gets old kinda fast, right?
Anyways, we're talking about American Born Chinese, and this girl, who I will call Marcy, explains that the reason she hated it was because it didn't jive with her personal views on race and that it relied on stereotypes too much. Marcy then explained that growing up, she was never allowed to comment on someone's race and that her mother, whenever someone of another race was around, would tell her to comment on something about them, outside of their skin color. Marcy said that she grew up only seeing people by their attributes and never by their race, stating that she didn't know President Obama was black until after he was elected to office.

Okay. I want to say that I don't completely disagree with this mindset. I think it's incredibly valuable to teach children from a young age that race doesn't completely define a person and that you should focus on their other qualities because those also define them as a person. However. I also disagree so strongly with this because I think it completely ignores race and does a huge injustice to people who are proud of their race. I think of it like this: if you were to completely cut race out of anything you knew about a person and they were black or hispanic, that's cutting out a ton of tradition and cultural heritage that they are (most likely) proud of. It also makes you incredibly ignorant of their culture because you've decided that it doesn't define anything about the person, which it totally does. I also think it's problematic in terms of racial discrimination. Marcy was saying how she doesn't discriminate people because she doesn't see that they're different from her in terms of race. I think it's quite the opposite; by ignoring their racial differences, I think it's ignoring the struggles that they or their family have gone through, which is another large part of their identity. Does that make sense? The idea that by ignoring someone's race, you're essentially ignoring a huge part of their identity? I don't know, but the point is that I don't think it's okay to view people as racially neutral. It's cutting out their heritage, culture and a large part of their identity.

phew. glad that's out. It was just an interesting experience and one that left me thinking.


And now, to the list! My YAL class was really great because it introduced me to a lot of books that I probably wouldn't have read otherwise, mostly because I wouldn't have heard about them. In truth, I enjoyed almost all of the books we read, with the exception of The Catcher in the Rye, which try as I might, I just could not finish and still dislike it as much as I did in high school. So, here is a list of all the books we read, a brief summary and the books with little stars by them are the ones I really enjoyed. I'm going for a 5-star scale, so expect lots of stars.


- Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks: diary of a girl growing up in the late 1960s and experimenting with drugs. **
- Godless: by Pete Hautmam: Teenager Jason Bock creates his own religion based off of the town's water tower. ***
- Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech: A young girl goes on a roadtrip with her grandparents to visit her mother, who left her the previous year. *
- Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse: Historical fiction that tells of a young girl who grew up during the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma and the events therein. ***
- NightJohn by Gary Paulsen: Story of an African slave girl named Sarny who is taught to read and write by NightJohn. ***
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis: Historical Fiction about a family who lives in New Jersey and take a trip down to Birmingham during the 1963 bombings. ****
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Science fiction novel about Guy Montag, who lives in a world where books are burned and technology is everything. *
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: A young boy is raised in a graveyard by the graveyard ghosts, who are protecting from a man that is trying to kill him. ***
- The Giver by Lois Lowry: Dystopian novel about a boy named Jonas who is given all the memories of time while the rest of his civilization lives without them. *
- The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander: Fantasy novel about a boy who goes on a quest to bring back a magical pig that can see into the future.
- Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick: Maxwell Kane forms a friendship with an unlikely individual, Kevin Avery, and together, they are Freak The Mighty. *****
- Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong: Non-fiction telling of Captain Ernest Shackleton and his trip down to Antartica. ***
- Hitler Youth by Susan Bartoletti: Non-fiction telling of the youth that served Hitler during World War II. *****
- The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt: A young boy, Holling Hoodhood, is stuck spending Wednesday afternoons with a teacher who hates him. *****
- Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen: Cole is a delinquent who is forced into exile on an island near Alaska after ruthlessly beating a peer.
- Rules by Cynthia Lord: Catherine has a brother with Autism and constantly writes out rules for him to live by. **************** (this was my favourite)
- Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman: Shawn is an intelligent boy who has cerebral palsy and seems outwardly retarded to the rest of the world. **
- Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher: Eric and Sarah Byrnes were childhood friends because they were outsiders, but things change when they enter high school. *****
- Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn: A teenager, Nick, is going through therapy because he physically abused his girlfriend, Caitlin. ****
- Seedfolk by Paul Fleischman: A community comes together as they work on a garden in the neighbourhood. ***
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: Three characters, the Monkey King, Jim Wang and Danny, learn to accept their racial identity. ****
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger: Holden Caulfield is an adolescent boy who is struggling with fitting in with 1950s society.
- Forever by Judy Blume: A story about teenage sexuality and how it effects the teenage experience. ****

I know that's a lot of books, but if you're looking for summer reading, you can find all of these at the Provo Library and they're quick reads that are also (for the most part) enjoyable. if you have any questions, feel free to ask away :)


ANNNNNND that's all for now. also, in the course of writing this post, I've decided I like the new blogger format.


Good night and good luck :)

Sure Shot

Soooooooo it's been a while since I've written because I have literally been sick since January. It's like Casey and I have been playing tag with illness and it's been no bueno. Right now, it's my turn- I've been sick about a week and currently have no voice. One of my kids at work asked me why my throat feels "all crazy". bless his heart.

These are the things I've learned while sick:

1) being sick SUCKS. but seriously.

2) being sick makes you appreciate the little things, like Jersey Shore marathons on MTV, warm blankets, orange juice, good quality kleenex, dayquil, and my couch.

3) being sick makes you feel special. There are so many people who have been so good to me, who have made meals, bought me drugs and groceries, who have allowed me to sleep in, who have covered my shift at work, and who have made sure that i'm taken care of. I owe them all so much and am very grateful.

4) being sick makes you appreciate your body. i think like most women, i don't particularly love my body. i don't hate it, but sometimes, we're not besties. but being sick makes me grateful for my body, in particular my healthy body (which i miss dearly. please come back). i'm grateful that my healthy body can run, laugh without coughing, struggle through a jillian michaels workout, eat things without throwing up, and breathe through its nose. my body is a good :)

5) being sick makes you rely on your Saviour. I've always been one who immediately asks for priesthood blessings. if there's even the slightest thing, i'm warming up the oil (my dad always kept the consecrated oil in the freezer so when we wanted blessings, we had to warm up the oil). i've had my share of blessings this month and i want you all to know that the priesthood is the power of God, that through the priesthood, miracles happen, and that the Lord loves us all so very much and wants to help us through all of our trials. I'm very grateful for this knowledge, it has brought me much peace of mind and comfort.



and that's what i've learned being sick. it's been real.



on a side note, life is pretty much the same. Work is work, i have some sweet new scars and i've learned a lot about myself and how i want to raise my own children. I'm a little concerned about the summer because we're not sure if we're doing a summer school program so i might be job searching again, which is exciting because new jobs are always exciting, but also a little daunting because job searching is the suck.

School is school. I actually really enjoy UVU, it's different from BYU in that my classes are a little easier and my classmates are a little more annoying, but other than that, it's pretty okay. I'm glad I'm there. and right now, it's spring break. I had high ambitions of doing lots of homework and getting all caught up and stuff, but instead, i've spent my break going to work, coming home, taking a nap and then spending time with Casey. I blame it on being sick, but really, i'm just being lazy. it's kinda nice :)

OH! I should tell you that I was just accepted into the Secondary Education Program- woo!! I was actually kinda nervous about getting in, which I know sounds silly, but they had us do a group interview and literally EVERYONE in my group was crazy qualified. I was expecting a group of sophomores, maybe juniors, you know? FALSE. most of the people in my group were married with children, had traveled the world, were already teaching at high schools, had several degrees, and were just freakishly qualified.
I also learned that i strongly dislike group interviews because there are 1 of 2 ways you can present yourself: (1) super loud and obnoxious; or (2) not super loud and obnoxious. Neither of these reflect my personality and afterwards, I was scared that my group interview self didn't match up with my real self. BUT thankfully, everything worked out and life is good. I'll be starting the classes and such this fall and hopefully be all said and done by Fall 2013. I'm really excited to teach. I'm not as excited for all the stuff beforehand, but I've wanted to teach since my sophomore year of high school so it's exciting that the end is in sight even though it's kinda like the beginning. i know, super deep. you're welcome.

as a related note, i don't like it when people say the word, "theater" like "Thee-A-TOR", like it rhymes with "gator"... if you said "gator" like "GAY-TOR". this guy in my interview was a Thee-A-TOR major and he must have said Thee-A-TOR at least 1248345 times. IT'S THEATER. NOT THEE-A-TOR.


moving on.


other things to mention:

- we got a guinea pig! it may or may not have been a huge impulse buy in a moment of weakness and i may or may not have found him on KSL. but he's pretty great. his name is Lloyd and i love him a lot. i wish he loved me as much as i love him, but we're working on it. last week was the first time that he sat on my lap while eating and afterwards, laid down for a little nap. it was magical. i almost made casey take a picture. Lloyd is lots of fun, he makes me happy and he's fun to watch run around the apartment. i'll post some pictures of him some other time.

- my brother in law, Mikey, got engaged!!! and we're very excited! the lovely lady's name is Juliette and she's from Africa and she's wonderful and i'm excited to call her family. the wedding will be some time in August :)

- i'm addicted to double stuffed oreos. this year is Oreos 100th birthday. Needless to say, i feel like I need to celebrate by consuming as many oreos as i physically can. i'm not going to tell you how many packs casey and i have eaten since January 1st, but it's a lot and Oreo would be proud.

- we're taking a trip out to northern california in may! one of my best friends, Hannah, is getting married and we're heading out there for the wedding. I'm excited. i've spent a lot of time in northern california because that's where my mom is from, but it's been a while so it'll be nice to see the city again and hopefully visit my family, while also spending time with Hannah and celebrating the happiness. i'm excited :)

- EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THE BIG BANG THEORY. yes, this is shameless advertising, but Big Bang is really that good. GO WATCH IT.


annnd that's everything for now. I'm gonna go eat some Ho-Ho's and play Borderlands with Casey. We do bonding right.





actually one last thing: I'm OBSESSED with this song/music video. I heard it on the radio, came home, watched the video then promptly bought it from iTunes. I kinda am in love with him, his voice is just so interesting to me. I've listened to some of his other songs and i just really like him. he reminds me of a mix between phil collins and sting, which is a magical combination. hope you like him too :)

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S 2012

Happy New Year! I know I'm a few days late, but I figure better late then never. I seriously cannot believe it's 2012. it makes me feel old, kinda like when 2000 came around and everyone was like, 'WE'RE STILL ALIVE!'. but seriously. it's weird.
So new year= new year's resolutions. I've always been dedicated to these, but for some reason, i didn't write them last year and i have no idea why. so this year (albeit a few days late) i'm writing my resolutions RIGHT NOW. When I was younger, I used to write out 20 million things i wanted to work on throughout the year, but it was incredibly discouraging and unrealistic. so now, i'm going to write out just a few things that i really want to become better about this year so i have a better shot at it.

1- be more dedicated to Church.
what this means: I want to go the temple each week, I want to be the best I can at my calling (get ready Nursery, it's gonna be good), I want to get to know more people in my ward and go to at least 1 ward activity each month, and I want to pay my tithing on a more regular basis.

2- be a better wife, daughter, sister, cousin, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, etc.
what this means: I want to be better about keeping in touch with family, I want to tell family members regularly how much I love them and appreciate all that they do for me, and I want to make more time for family things.

3- be fit and healthy.
what this means: I want to exercise 2-4 times a week, I want to eat healthy, I want to stop drinking soda (except for on Fridays, Casey and I designated Friday as Soda Day... aka Dr. Pepper Day), I want to cook more and go out less, and I want to be happy with the body God gave me.

4- be a good student.
what this means: I want to do the best that I can in all my classes, I want to stop procrastinating papers/assignments (part of the reason finals week sucks so bad is because i put papers off), and I want to maintain a high GPA so i can keep my scholarship.

5- be a better friend.
what this means: I want to be better about seeing friends and keeping in touch, I want to hang out with friends more, I want to talk to friends on a regular basis so I know what's up in their lives, and I want to just be a better friend all around.


and that's where I'll stop. I've been thinking a lot about these goals and let's be honest, most of them came from things that happened in 2011 that I didn't like, things that I would go back and change had I been more aware that they were happening, or just things that I knew I needed to be better about but failed. But that's the point of this tradition- to be better and to live life as the best you.

I feel good :)



ps- this isn't entirely related, but I'm saying it anyways: THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO END THIS YEAR. It bugs me to know end when people say that the Maya believe the world is going to end BECAUSE THEY DON'T.
How do I know this? remember that Maya art history class I took? As much as I cursed that class while taking it, it actually was one of my favourite classes and one that I've learned the most from. I admire and respect the professor who taught that class immensely because he was one of those professors who straight-up lived what he taught. He's spent many years down in Central America, translated the Popol Vuh (religious text of the Maya), participated in sacred religious ceremonies, speaks several dialects of Quiche, and prior to all of his studies, he was a dentist and spent his summer in Central and South America doing humanitarian work. The guy is amazing.
ANYWAYS, returning to my point, I learned in this class that the Maya don't believe the world is going to end; instead, they believe that it will be rebirthed. The Maya calendar system uses what is called a Long Count System, or the Tzolkin, and it's difficult to explain, but the point is that towards the end of this year, the calendar resets itself, starting at 13.0.0.0.0. The 13 represents a baktun, which is how many times the calendar has cycled since it was started in the 5th century BC, and the 0's represent the vigesimal system that counts the calendar days.

SO in conclusion, the world is not ending. it's rebirthing/recycling. pet peeve released.

Tender Mercies

Today in Church, I was sitting near two families with little children. I love little children, I really do and sometimes when Sacrament gets a little on the dull side (my fault for not paying better attention), I tend to watch what the children are doing because most times, it's entertaining. Today, however, I learned something that I want to share with the rest of you.
One of the little girls from one family (she's about 2) was walking around and happened to spot the little girl behind her (she's about 5). They started talking and the 5 year-old brought out these little books. Her mom whispered to her, "open the book and show it to her". So the 5 year-old opened the book and held it so the little one could see. She pointed to the pictures, explained who the characters were and why she liked them. She was so happy to share her books, completely fearless, and wanted the little 2 year-old to understand how much her books meant to her. It was incredibly precious.
It made me think about how we as adults share thing. I'm sure you've all recommended a book, a movie, some kind of music, etc. to someone at one point in your life. We share these things because we really like them and we want other people to like them too. Usually, we're not shy about it and it makes us happy to share with our friends.
But how often do we share our religion like that? Do we open to our favourite Book of Mormon or Bible story and share with our friends who the characters are and why we like them? Do we invite our friends to listen to General Conference with us or to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or special music programs? Do we share our testimony about how happy the Gospel makes us and how much it means to us?

I am a terrible member missionary. I love this Gospel and I love going to Church, but when it comes to inviting others, I completely freeze and clam up. While watching these little children today, I finally understood what Christ meant when he said to be as little children. I need to have the courage and the unconditional love for my fellow man, I need to open up my mouth and share what I know is true and why it means so much to me, I need to be like a little child and invite others so they can have the same happiness that I've had my whole life.
I'm so grateful for the Gospel, for the tender reminders I have each day that my Heavenly Father loves me and that Jesus Christ has atoned for my sins so that I can return to live with them. I love my family and am so grateful that I am sealed to my family and my husband for time and eternity. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, that he loves us all so much, that he receives revelation, and that I love him dearly. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, I admire his endurance and patience, and am so grateful for all that he sacrificed so that I can be a member of the Church. I know the Book of Mormon is true, I love the happiness and calmness that I feel each time I read. I am grateful for the Bible, for all that it teaches me, and for the examples of love therein. I'm grateful for the gift of prayer, that I can get on my knees and pray to my Heavenly Father, knowing He hears me and knowing that He will help me. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored Church on the earth today and I am so grateful to be a member. The Church is true; I know it and I cannot deny it. And I am so grateful.

truthfully

I'm having one of those moments where i don't know how to explain what i'm thinking without either (a) sounding depressed and annoying; or (b) not hurting anyone's feelings. i'm not by any means mad and there hasn't been some life-changing single event that has happened that's made me bitter towards all humanity or anything of the sort. i just had some time to think to myself about my life (why hello, Friday night, you're looking ravishing) and the last little while of my life and it's made me wonder a thing or two about a thing or two.
My college experience was unlike anything i've ever known or seen in movies. My freshman year, i was friends with a huge group of people who were my family. We did everything together. ate. sang. danced. wandered Provo at 3am. went to concerts. ate. homework. truced (past form of 'truce', as in 'making a truce'). road tripped. Hee-Haw farmed. dollar theatered. talked. Olive Gardened. vendied. laughed. loved. everything.
Then half of the group went on missions, which was hard to cope with for more reasons than one. But I had my girls. and we were each others everything because we felt like we had nothing. This part of my life took place between my sophomore and junior year, and, along with many other things, it changed me, made me grow up and made me a lot of who i am today.
Then i went to Spain. initially, i went to Spain for 2 reasons: (1) to better learn Spanish and appreciate my Spanish heritage; (2) to escape my life. i realize the latter sounds kinda odd, but it's the truth. i wanted to forget whatever problems i was having at that time and go to a foreign country with a lovely friend (dearest Jaime) and live outside of what i was accustomed to because i didn't like certain aspects of my life. i don't recommend this for everyone, and in retrospect, i should have solved my problems instead of running from them, but i did what i did, and i don't really have any regrets about it.
Spain was completely magical. and, as many of you know, it changed my life in the best possible way because i met casey there and as cheesy as this sounds, he healed me. things that i had kept bottled up for months i could tell him and he listened and loved. this is by far my favourite thing about casey. but enough about that.
I came home from Spain with one pressure in my life, which i'm going to be vague about because if you really needed to know, you already would. what i will say about this is that i regret how i handled it, not necessarily what i did, but more what i didn't do. this is the reason why i'm writing tonight- i feel like because of this moment, i had a different senior year than i had expected.
how do i explain this? remember freshman year how i had that big group of friends? i didn't have them senior year. i had a few friends who i was (and thankfully still am) close to, but i saw them on an individual basis and rarely with the group as a whole. sometimes, i don't regret this because sometimes, it was definitely a good thing. however, other times, i do regret this because i feel like it was something that should have been a part of my life, but wasn't and now, there's no way to compensate for the friendships lost. don't get me wrong, it's not like there is animosity between myself and these people (at least, as far as i know) and it's not awkward when i see any of them (far from it, thankfully), but i feel this void/lack and it makes me a little sad. there was that point where i knew i was too far out of the loop and couldn't come back because that wasn't my place or my group of friends anymore.
to contrast, i should say that i met a ton of amazing and wonderful people, friends and family alike, that i adore and love for everything they do and the time i get to spend with them. i am so grateful for this, as well as the love of my own family, and can't express enough gratitude.
now i'm married. married life is the shiz. i love my life. i love my husband. i love lots of things. like before, i don't see my friends all that often. a lot of it is because my life, as well as theirs, is incredibly busy (borderline insane) and that is the fault of no one. but that void/lack feeling still comes up every so often, like tonight, and i miss those friendships. i spent the last 4 years of my life telling these people that we'd always be close, and now, as much as i'd like to, i can't say that to a third of them.

I know this is all a little depressing and i do apologize, i don't want to be depressing because life is beautiful and full of beautiful things. i suppose this is just more of a reflection for myself. there are things i want and things i have. sometimes they don't always match up, but that does not mean that they never will. i just have to try harder, be patient and keep my chin up. i'm surrounded by good people constantly. it's all going to be just fine :)

The Calendar

So it's been a little while since I've been writing. and it's because life is freaking crazy. School has started, work is work, homework blows, and I'm always tired. always. BUT, there's been some awesome parts about this past month-ish too.

- We've made it a goal to go to the temple each week. SUCH A BLESSING. the temple really is one of those places where you can just leave everything that's bothering you right at the door, walk in and forget it all. amazing :)
- i made lasagna for the first time. and i do believe it was a success. you might think this is odd, but i've never really had what you call 'culinary skills' so i feel this was a highlight.
- i had a birthday and am now 22. it was a lovely birthday, filled with the breakfast with my girls, the Provo Beach Resort (ski-ball anyone? brig? jess?), wonderful food, lots of time with family and friends, and so much love that i don't know how to thank everyone enough.
- work sometimes drives me crazy. working with kids with autism is a struggle. sometimes they love you and want kisses. other times, they hit you or pull your hair or kick you or yell in your ear or smear poop on you (true story). when i first started, i was worried that i wouldn't have the patience for this job. but somehow, in the past month, i've learned to forgive and forget, to love these children because all they really need is love. i'm not saying i'm perfect- i definitely lost my patience with a kid today, but after 10 minutes of time apart, i gave her a hug and a kiss before she left to go home. this job teaches me to be christ-like and i'm grateful for it. i've got a long way to go, but i'm grateful to be working through the process.
- we might be taking a trip to africa!!! we were planning on going to Spain this next summer, but with recent exciting events in the family, we're shooting for africa! I would love to go to africa!! i mean, i've been to morocco, but that's not really Africa, you know? so yeah, our saving right now are going to africa, i really hope we get to go :)
- i really love my mommy and daddy. with everything that's been going on, especially with work, i've made a lot of phone calls home to my mommy and no matter what is going on in her busy busy busy life, she always takes the time to talk to me and make sure i'm doing alright. i want to be that amazing of a mother to my own kids and i've learned from the best :)
- i bought the new panic! at the disco cd and i'm in love with it. they're coming to salt lake in october and i really want to go. they just make me happy and i absolutely love his voice. i would recommend their new cd if you're looking for new music.
- i go to uvu now. more on this at a later post.
- i'm currently addicted to red pears. the ones i bought from Smith's last week lasted about 2 days (i bought 4). they're just so good right now!
- i get to go home in about 90 days for christmas break. i'm very excited to see my family and to play with my niece and nephew.

and now i have to go to class. but here's another highlight- on mondays, since i have class from 6 to 8:45, i treat myself to a dr. pepper. and you all know how much i love that stuff :)

hope you all have a wonderful week!

also, here's a link to my two favourite songs on the new panic! at the disco album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xDf-_8KvGM&ob=av2e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4U-i4mjZD0