MGM: 3 Blogs that I LOVE

This week for Brooklyn's #MakingGoodMondays challenge, we are to highlight 3 bloggers that we love, are inspired by, etc.

1.

I first found Elise's blog through a link-up that she hosts called "Dear Boys". I blog stalked her for a bit and entered a few giveaways that she was doing. Then, I won Free Ad Space for one of her sponsors! Problem was, I had no idea how to make an Ad or what the heck I was doing. So, Elise kindly made an Ad for me! Then we started emailing back and forth and finally decided that we needed to meet in real life. So, she set up a blogger meet-up last summer in South Jordan, Utah and we have been real-life friends ever since! In fact, I hung out with her just this past weekend at Tville Dayzz! (more on that later) So, not only is she a fabulous blogger, she is an amazing friend!

2.

I first met Elisabeth at the blogger-meet up mentioned above. Ever since then, I have loved reading about her life and am constantly inspired by the words that she has to say! She is one of the sweetest girls I know and I think she "likes" and "favorites" just about everything I post on Instagram and Twitter! Love love love this girl!

3.

I have actually never met Nichelle in real-life before. She is Elise's best friend and we have tried to plan a time to meet, but it just hasn't happened yet. She is an amazing blogger. While she has every reason to be negative about life, she is always seeing the good in situations and always brings out the positive. She is a great example of pressing forward through trials and afflictions that come your way and I have loved being able to read her "storybook of silver linings" :) Hopefully someday we can be real-life friends!

Runner's Up:

Katilda

Let Me See You Sparkle

In The Head of Al Fox

The Shine Project
This Little Blonde

Thanks to all the Bloggers that make me want to live a better life! :)

Summer Lovin' Swap

When Brooklyn first posted about this swap, I was skeptical about if I should do it or not. 

For some reason I was worried about putting myself out there or something dumb like that. 

Then I just decided to go for it and signed up! 

I got my partner a few days later and was assigned to Shayna Savage. We emailed and come to find out, she is rooming with one of my good friends from high school, Jocelynn!

So, it came time to buy and send off my package. We were supposed to send things that remind us of summer, or some of our favorite things, or really just whatever, as long as it was within a $20 limit. So, I of course headed to the Target dollar section, cause that is one of my most favorite places to shop in the world. I got her some things that I know I love about summer, including sunglasses, aloe, and fruit snacks :) 

A few days later, I received my package!

The things I received were:

Goldfish crackers (my fav!)

Goldfish cracker holder (legit!)

Bubbles!

Orange Nail Polish

Gum

Twizzlers (a staple for any day at the pool or, better yet, Bear Lake)

Ramona and Beezus movie (which I have never seen, but have heard it is cute!)

This was tons of fun and I was so excited when my package came! I'm glad I could be a part of it! :)

Happy Summer!

7 Days of No-Negativity Challenge

A few weeks ago, Brooklyn sent out a request on twitter for bloggers that wanted to participate in an experiment. This girl is one of the sweetest girls I know, and in reality I haven't even met her in real life! (That is changing next week though! So excited!) So, of course I was in!

The experiment was to see if we could go 7 days without saying anything negative. Now, I know that I am not perfect, but I tend to think that I pretty much say only positive things most of the time. It is my thoughts that tend to be on the negative side, especially about myself or judging other people.

She sent us a cute little bracelet to put together and then wear everyday to remind us to be positive. 

Brooklyn told us to keep a log of when we slip up and the situations that cause us to be negative. So, I not only kept track of negative things I said, but also negative things that I thought. I was very surprised what brought about the negativity in my life. 

The main things that caused me to have negative thoughts and somethings say negative things were:

1. Self-image/Self-esteem/Self-regret. I didn't realize really before now how many times I can put myself down! And it is helping no one! That is really one thing that I definitely need to work on!

2. A certain person in my life. While I won't be super specific, I realized that I am not a very happy person when this certain individual is around and interacting with me. It makes me kind of sad because this person is my friend and I have had some great experiences with them, but I now know that something definitely has to change, either in my attitude or how we interact. 

3. Body pains. I realized that I tend to complain a lot when I am in pain. This week I have been trying to really push myself to get myself into a regular exercising routine, which means that I have been pretty sore all week. And that has caused me to complain. I definitely didn't complain as much as I would have, but I still did. 

Now, even though the experiment is over, I am still wearing the bracelet and will try to each day to remind me to stay positive and to only say and think positive things :) 

Thanks Brooklyn for the great experience! 

Bloglovin??

So, I hear a bunch of hubbub about GFC going away because of Google Reader leaving. I've heard that GFC will be a affected and that it won't be, so who knows what is gonna happen. 

Just in case though, I imported all of the blogs on my GFC onto Bloglovin! It was actually really easy! 

Now, go and  

Follow my blog with Bloglovin :)

Thanks friends!

Everyone has "off" days

Everyone has "off" days. Yesterday seemed to be one of those days. 

My day started out great and I was just full of positivity and optimism, which was awesome! 

Then, things just went downhill from there. 

I was getting bugged by my best friend, which I thought would never ever happen, so I was double bugged.

Then I got a not-so-great score on my Advanced Anatomy test. 

Which caused for a major plummet. 

Kara and I walked from the bottom of campus up to the institute and didn't say a word to each other. 

That is NOT normal. 

I then spent the night studying (while watching The Bachelor) and chillin with my parents. 

I was going to write a post yesterday about the punch to my self esteem, but decided against it due to a desire to stay positive, at least on the outside. 

Today, I realized that sometimes there are days that are the major pits. And that goes for everyone. 

But as long as those days are in the minority, I think that I'm doing pretty good with this crazy ride called LIFE!

Here are some things that are a sure fire way to pick up my spirits:

~Listening to "Dancing Through Life" on the Wicked Soundtrack

~Talking face-to-face with my Brother and Best Friend, Michael :)

(pic taken on Junkyard Jamboree Ride at Cars Land in California Adventure)

~Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream on a Dunford's Chocolate Cake Donut, topped with Caramel Sauce

~Watching "The Office"

(I take that to mean that there is always hope!)

~REALLY Reading and Diving into the Scriptures

~Straightening up my room (controlling something that I am able to control totally)

So readers (a lot of which are new, so welcome to my journey!), what are some of the ways that are guaranteed to bolster your mood? 

50 Dollas WHAT??

So, as my last post showed, my life is crazy with Anatomy....and more Anatomy. 

But guess what?? It's my birthday this week!

And what better way to celebrate my 21st birthday than with my very first giveaway?? 

A couple weeks ago, Brooklyn at This Little Blonde contacted me about taking part in a giveaway for a $50 Visa gift card. And I was like, "Of course!" 

Then, the giveaway happened to be this week, which is perfect! 

So, Happy Birthday to me and go and enter yourself to win some sweet cash!
Also, check out these other awesome ladies! I highly support blog stalking :)

//This Little Blonde//It's All In The Details//A Devine Life//

//Let Me See You Sparkle//Imma Walking Fashion Crime//

//WhitSpeaks//Utah Girl's Journey//From L&P to English Tea//

//Growing Gracie//North Carolina Grown//

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Smörgåsbord!

First of all, the title of this post is courtesy of Elise. No, I did not know how to spell it before she posted it.

So I have lots of thoughts as of late and just thought I would share.

First, check out my Follow Me buttons over on the left side there. I finally figured out how to get them on here, and I'm pretty proud of myself.

Second, I made a new FB page for my blog! The FB button links over to it, so feel free to "Like" it! Also, I got a twitter account again (hence the twitter button), mostly to follow the LDS accounts, as well as my blogger buds! 

Third, I might die this semester. I am taking Advanced Anatomy, among some other tough classes as well. I have heard that Advanced is probably one of the hardest, if not hardest, classes available at the U. And I'm taking it for fun. Cause I'm an idiot. 

Fourth, I am in the process of applying for nursing school. But I keep putting it off and finding other things to do instead of work on my application. Cause I'm a slacker, slash terrified of growing up. 

Also, I am kind of scared that I probably won't get in this year. Reason is, they look very highly at clinical experience, and I have like none except for my clinical hours for my CNA certification. Which leads me to...

Fifth, I need to get a job. I need money for various reasons, as well as getting experience in the health care field. But, I also don't really want to work at a nursing home and change briefs all day. So that's a dilemma.

Sixth, I haven't really made any new years resolutions because once I do, I always get so discouraged because I feel like I am failing. So, I think this year I am just going to make "decisions" of how I want to better my life. And if I slip up, it is totally ok and I can just start again the next day!

Seventh, this post is probably getting a bit long, so enjoy a pic from my recent family vacation on a cruise to Mexico! 

Photo taken at Lover's Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

No editing has been done to this photo. It was really just that gorgeous!

*Disneyland and Cruise post (s) to come later*

Happy Weekend Bleeps! (Blogger Peeps) ;)

Plans Change

I've been wanting to write this post for a while now, but never really knew everything I wanted to say and how to say it. But I know that I just need to get it out there for everyone to know what is going on with me. 

Plans Change. And sometimes it sucks. Right now it sucks. But I've come to accept it.

Ever since I can remember, I've been planning on going on a mission. The plan has always been to go to school until I was 21 and then take a 18-month break to go abroad. 

Then the announcement came that girls could go on missions now starting at 19. 

When I was 19, I was full-on angry that I had to stay here while all of my guy friends got to leave on missions. I didn't feel it was fair that they got to go and I had to wait, but I accepted it then. 

Then a few months ago, before the announcement, I met with my bishop to talk about getting mission papers. I was so sure of myself, I thought, making the appointment and walking into his office. 

Then, I broke down. I wasn't sure of what I was really supposed to do with my life right now. My bishop then gave me an assignment to go home, talk to my parents, weigh the pros and cons of a mission, and to make a decision. Then, I would take that decision to the Lord. 

So, I did just that. And I came to a decision. One I wasn't very happy about, but it felt right.

I'm not going on a mission.....right now.

I don't know exactly why this is the answer, especially because I'm not dating anyone right now, so the whole marriage thing isn't getting in the way.

I have talked to people who were also planning on a mission, but a man walked into there life and they went that path instead. 

I think that is why this is so hard and confusing for me. I don't have the reason of marriage for not going, and all along that was the only thing that I thought could make my plans change.

If the announcement that girls can now leave at 19 had come when I was 19, I would have been gone in a heartbeat. I would have been one of those girls that called their bishop that day to get their papers going. 

When the announcement came, I was devastated. Why didn't that happen just 2 years earlier? 

But I know why, at least the why for me. 

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't have been an Anatomy TA. 

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't be involved with the Spirit of Place Committee at the SL Institute of Religion.

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't have met my best friend.

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't have the amazing friends I have now. 

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't have met my bloggy-friends.

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't be applying to nursing school next month.

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't be so close to my adorable cousin Lizzie Hammer.

If I had gone at 19, I wouldn't be the person I am today. 

And for that, I am grateful I didn't go when I was 19.

To Infinity...And Beyond!

Remember that time I said that I had a Halloween post in mind that I was going to write and put up on here? Yeah, my school life has been pretty crazy since then with studying Embryology 24/7. But, I can finally breathe for about 2.4 seconds, until I have my CNA State Written Test on Monday and Skills Test on Wednesday. 

But, while I have the time, I shall update the blog with my homemade Halloween costume and Halloween festivities!

It all started out with me coming home from school and needing a costume within the next 3 hours for UFit. I decided to look online for some easy homemade costume ideas and saw a picture on google of......*get ready for this*....BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! I was pretty dang excited about it! 

My mom and I then figured out what we needed to pick up from Wally World. 

Our Shopping List:

Black Duct Tape

White Duct Tape

Green Duct Tape

Purple Duct Tape

Red Duct Tape

The supplies we had at home:

Red, Blue, Green, and Purple Fabric Markers

White Long Sleeved Shirt

White Shorts

Long White Socks

An Old Belt

Pretty good size piece of cardboard

On the white shirt, I just drew the design on with fabric markers. I then put some of the green duct tape around the sleeves and black duct tape around the bottom of the shirt. On the white shorts, I put green duct tape around the bottom of each leg. On the belt, I covered one side of it with the green duct tape. On the socks, I put purple duct tape on the bottom of each foot and green tape around the top of each sock. I wrote "ANDY" on the bottom of my right foot and put the socks on over my shoes. 

For the wings, my mom was the mastermind and just looked at a picture of Buzz's wings online and cut and covered with duct tape a piece of cardboard we had in our garage. 

Put it all together and....TADA!

Going down the stairs and through hallways was a challenge...

After the great success of my costume at UFit, I decided to where it to the Institute Halloween Party! 

As I was getting ready, my friend Whitney texted me to ask for a ride to the party and of course I said, "Sure!" Then about 20 minutes later I get a phone call from a number I don't recognize, but I answer it anyways. It turns out to be my friend Jared that recently got home from his mission and that I had only seen once since he got home. He had been talking to Whit and was also wanting to know if I could give him a ride. So, I went and picked up Whit first and she was dressed in a Mr. Incredible's Jersey! Pixar anyone? (I hadn't told her what I was dressing up as)

Then, we went to Jared's house to pick him up. We get to his house and Whit calls him to tell him that we are outside. He opens his door and walks outside dressed as WOODY! Um, Perfect much?? 

So, Jared and I matched and Whit was also Pixar, with no planning required. 

We are just that awesome :)

Jared wanted to get pictures with random people :)

Missionaries?? YES!

 A Minion from Despicable Me!

 The fierce Mr. Incredible smashing Syndrome!

 Jared with Jessie from Team Rocket

Partners in Crime :)

 This was after we had finished cleaning up and were waiting for Jake's dad to arrive to pick up all of the blow-up equipment. It was probably past midnight at this point. So we were all a bit loopy :)

 Also, here are Dad's and my pumpkins that we carved! 

This is Dad's face!

 And, of course, my Ute Drum and Feather :)

Blogging Hiatus

I have been neglecting my blog the past couple of weeks, and probably will for the next week and a half or so as well. 

My head has been filled with thoughts and decisions and options, all mixed together with the attempted knowledge of Pneumothorax's, Mesonephric ducts, Obstructive lung disorders, Limbic System pathways, Cloacal membranes, and much, much more. 

I did finish up my last clinical for my CNA class this past weekend, and then passed my ccCNA class final! Now my paperwork is mailed in to get my vouchers to take my State CNA Written and Skills tests! Hopefully that all can happen quickly so that I can start working and get some clinical experience :) 

So, that's what has been going on lately!

Enjoy a picture of Swoop and I at the latest Utah Football Game :)

I do have a Halloween post in mind that should be up soon, if all goes well the rest of the week! 

Cheers Blog Friends!

The Slash Blog Slash Challenge

Have you ever heard of

?? 
Well, it's this super cool blog that my new bloggy friend Elise started with her best best friend Nichelle.  It is a blog that is all about Faith, Friendship, Service, and Everyday Values. Super cool eh? You should for sure check it out :)
So, every week there is a Slash Challenge. This week's challenge is to "Try Something New"
At first I didn't think the challenge would be too hard and would be pretty fun to do.  But now, I can't think of anything new that I should try!  Predicament, if I do say so myself. 
If anyone has any suggestions of something new that I should try, please let me know! Thanks :)