All my pants are party pants!

Alright friends!  I few substantial events have occurred and I feel good and ready to blog about them! :)

First things first- My best friend Erica got married.  Unfortunately, I don't have access to but a few of the photos from the big weekend, but you should all know that it was quite the party, and she looked beautiful!

I was feeling adventurous the night before leaving so I left at midnight on Thursday morning.  I got home from hanging out at a friend's house after institute, and by golly, I packed and was out the door.  Yes, I did get tired, and yes, I did pull over and sleep in my car at a truck stop in Beaver.  The people I tell the story to think I am insane, but hey, it was kinda fun and it did get me home A LOT earlier than originally planned.

Because I got such an early start, I rolled into Flagstaff around 8:30 am.  Courtney and I went and got breakfast burritos at our favorite Mexican food restaurant in Flagstaff.  Utah Mexican food just does not even compare so I was THRILLED.

After breakfast, Courtney and I stopped by the bus barn to say hello to some former coworkers and our good friend, Trevor!

This is Courtney and myself with our good friend, Trevor.  He's one of the best guys I know! :)

This is Pete, my old boss at the bus barn.  Good memories of bus obstacle courses and BBQs with this one.  Never a dull moment when you're hanging out with Pete!

After the bus barn, we stopped by Jana's for a little while, had a little girl talk and she made me a flower clip to wear in my hair for Erica's wedding.

Then, it was down the hill for some shoe shopping at good 'ol Metro Center.  Courtney and I had fun hunting down the perfect yellow shoes for my bride's maid outfit.

Thanks to my shoe aholic best friend, Courtney, I was able to track down the ultimate yellow shoes to go with my gray dress. This is pretty much the shoe I had pictured in my mind so I was THRILLED when we found it!

Shoe mission accomplished!  YAY!!!  By the time we found the shoes I was feeling VERRRRRY tired, but i kept on chugging as it was time for Erica's bachelorette party! WOOP!!

 This is a picture of all the girls at Mimi's Cafe for Erica's celebration!  It was so good to see old friends.  We all had sooooo much fun catching up and laughing all night!

 This is the bride to be and he best friend- ME!!! :)

 My good friend Brookie Face and myself at Erica's party!  LOVE THIS GIRL!!!!

 Miriam and me and Erica's party! I love catching up with this sweet girl whenever I go home!  She is definitely a joy to be around!

 All of the girls! :) It was definitely a fun night, and one that will be remembered! :)

This is the best friend and me partying it up for the bride to be!! :) :)

It was a fun night out for the girls, but I took off first to get my much needed beauty rest.  I knew that I had a BIG day ahead of me!!

Erica Brady and Jonathan Dale were married in the Mesa, Arizona temple on May 25, 2012.

There is something so bitter sweet about your best friend getting married.  I can't wait to watch her life with Jon unfold and see what's in store for them.  I LOVE Jon and I am so happy that he's the lucky guy that is going to take care of my best friend for the rest of forever.  I trust him with her for sure! :)

It was such a good day all around.  We had so much fun at the luncheon, at the reception and then afterwards hanging out at Justin's house!  :)

 Erica, Justin and myself at the luncheon! :)

 We were cutting a rug at the reception!! :) We had such a fun time dancing!

 This is my best friend, Gavin and his wife Cadie! I love seeing these two!

After the reception, we all (excluding Erica and Jon of course) went to Justin's house for some Marco Polo :)

After the wedding, it was but another big event, and we had the first ever family get together on my dad's side of the family.  Unfortunately, throughout my life, we haven't really ever done much with my dad's family. I thought it was a little messed up so I organized a fun little get together.  We had lunch and played a game.  There were many that weren't able to make it, but it was the start of something new, and hopefully it will be the start of something great that can continue on.  I guess I kinda long for those family ties, and this was the beginning of maybe making them.

This is the turn out from our family get together.  :) This is but a fraction of us, but it was so good to start to build associations with these people! :)

What a quick trip, but so good!  I was able to spend one night in Flagstaff with Jana and her family before heading back up to Utah.  That is always a good time, and I love getting to see her girls and getting to talk to her.  Jana is my sister by choice, and I am so grateful to have her in my life. She is one person that I honestly don't think I could live without.  

When I got back to Utah, it was more fun!  I dove right into my new job at Sylvan Learning Center, and I LOVE it!  I love going there, and I love working with the kids!  It's actually a better day when I get to go to Sylvan.  It honestly does not even feel like work because I love it so much!!  

I have also been having a lot of fun with friends! I made a new friend named Dallin, and last weekend, a bunch of us went over to his house for a karaoke party! Then, we had a spontaneous Macy's run (that seems to happen a lot in Spanish Fork).  

 Here we are, hanging out at the karaoke party!

This is our whole group at Macy's.  We found out that it was National Doughnut Day so we decided it was only appropriate to go get doughnuts! :) 

This past week has been fun because Randi's birthday was on Wednesday.  On Tuesday night, I stayed the night at her house and we had a birthday party at midnight for her.  I made her a cake and all!!  We attempted to sleep outside in the back yard, but she thought it was too cold so we moved the party inside.  It was a fun and crazy thing that we will probably never have the opportunity to do again so I was happy that we did it!  

Then, she had a birthday party with the whole gang on Friday night at her Dad's house.  His house sits right on Salem pond so we busted out the paddle boat and had a good 'ol time.  Cole and I had fun chasing a duck on the paddle boat- but that was the extent of my paddle boat adventure.  I might have to give it another chance some time because I don't know that I gave it a fair chance.  Haha. Oh well, the smores that came after the paddle boating made the whole party worth it- oh and sharing Randi's birthday with her of course.  ;)  

 So this is the cake I made for Randi's midnight birthday party.  She loves the color purple, so I decked the cake out in her favorite color.

 Randi making her birthday wish!! :)

 This is actually a really funny story behind this picture.  We decided it would be fun to sleep out in the tent.  Well, Randi wanted the air mattress, but the electric air pump would not work.  Randi proceeded to blow the air mattress up with her own air, and accomplished it.  However, right after she had used every last bit of Carbon Dioxide that could possibly come out of her, the mattress sprang a leak!!! We quickly got some duct tape and taped over the hole.  Needless to say, it got to cold, Randi wanted to go in.  We moved the party to the living room and our duct tape didn't hold the hole.  Randi ended up sleeping in her own bed that night. :)

 This is Cole and I at Randi's birthday party.  This picture pretty much says everything there is to know about our relationship.

 This is my good friend Natalie and I at Randi's party!

 I felt it only appropriate to include a picture of Randi's dad since he was nice enough to let us have the party at his house.  Her dad is a jokester.  Her WILL make you laugh.  This is his smile detector picture.  My camera detected his smile, and took the picture automatically.

 Here are some more party animals at Randi's party- Bradley, Natalie and April.

  This is Tim and myself at Randi's party.  Tim is actually a good friend of the Jensens from Kansas.  He is attanding BYU and has come over to the Jensen's house a few times for dinner and games while I have lived there.  His sister Cici, Tim, Randi and myself basically became instant friend after an epic game of Things one night.  

Well, the events of my life have been a blast.  I am still on the job hunt for a teaching position in the fall.  It's hard, but I know it will be worth it.  My friends rock, and I am loving life!  This summer is already turning out to be great, and I am pretty sure it will only get better!  I bought The Pass of All Passes so hopefully I'll be getting some use out of that some time soon!  Other than work, spending time with friends and planning our ward camp out for the summer, there isn't a whole lot of anything else going on!  I miss you all, and I hope you're all doing well.  Sorry if I missed you this last time I was in Arizona.  Hopefully, we can catch up soon!!  

Loves and hugs,

Jenny :) 

LIFE IS GOOD!! :)

I don't have any fun pictures because I have been slacking in the picture department, but I figured it was time for an update despite the lack of concrete evidence as to what my Spanish Fork life is like.

The past few weeks have been slighly on the difficult side.  I have had a ton of fun a friends and laughs around to help me to concur the stuggles that I have been facing.  Finding a big girl job is tough.  Applying and applying and applying feels like an empty effort.  I have had one interview, and I ended up getting turned down for the job.  However, I know that there is something out there for me, and even if it doesn't happen THIS fall, I'll be alright, and I will have my opportunity.  I'm grateful for the chance I had to interview because I was able to have my first experience with an actual teacher interview.  Some of those questions can get tricky for me because I have such a white personality! :)

Other than applying for jobs at every school I hear about, I am enjoying my job at American Leadership Academy.  For those of you who don't know, I have been working there for about four months now as a Title I paraprofessional and a special education aide.  This job has given me experience that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my career as a teacher. 

As the school year is coming to a close, I have started to reflect on the impact that my job at ALA has had on me, and the impact that I have had on those kids.  One particular child comes to mind, and although every student I worked with had influence on me in some way, this special Kindergartener is one that I will never forget.  Until this last week of school, I hadn't really been able to see the growth within this particular student.  I remember when I first began to work with her, she would refuse to do anything I asked her, she often told me to go away and she would throw fits.  As I learned to practice patience and love, I have become one of her safety's at school.  I have seen her follow directions, participate well in class activities and even face several of her fears.  This little girl has shown me what being involved in education is all about.  It's not really about the academics.  It's not about knowing all your states and capitals or times tables.  It's about growth and the influence you can have on someone's life for the better.  If I am able to get my own classroom in the fall, I hope to be able to touch at least one of my student's lives in a similar way that I have touched this little girl's.

Most recently, in fact, today was my very first day, I have been hired at Sylvan Learning Center in Orem.  I get to tutor throughout the summer, and after having my first day today, I already know I am going to love it!  It was truly an answer to the prayers of many that I got that job.  When I received the phone call in which I was offered the position, I couldn't stop smiling.  It was a moment of peace for sure. 

Aside from work, I am still really involved in all of my ward and stake activities with church.  I am still the ward music chair, and being that right now it's the only way I am involved with music, I love it.  I faithfully attend FHE and institure and they are two activities that I really do look forward to throughout the week.  It's fun to get to know people and be involved in the activites.  There are so many awesome people in my ward, and I have grown to love being around them.


I know that so many fun things have happened since I last wrote at general conference so I am going to try and just bullet point a few.  They will probably be out of order because I have not been good at taking pictures!

- I got an A on Cole's final!!  Cole had to write a series of papers for one of his classes.  I helped him to edit them and to write a couple, and he ended up getting a flawless score on his final paper!  It doesn't seem that significant, but I have missed homework, and it was fun to help him and to find out that he got an A.  (I guess that's the teacher in me haha)

- I went to Bdubs in Utah.  That made me miss home just a tad.  I got spicy garlic wings and all I could think about was going to Bdubs every Thursday with Courtney and Jon. 

- I took the Praxis (to get certified in Utah).  I am still waiting on my scores, unfortunately. 

- I moved out of my house one day and moved back in the next.  That was fun, and is a story for another time, but you all should know that I am still living with the Jensens.

- Cole, Jenny (not myself, my friend Jenny), Wesley, Mandi and I went to this place in Orem called Hang Time.  It's this huge place with all these trampolines.  They have trampoline basketball, dodgeball and big foam pits.  I was proud because I face my fears and did a flip into the foam pit.  :)

- I went to the Grotto.  For FHE we hiked to this place in Payson canyon called the Grotto.  It's not a very long hike and it's super easy, but I think I have found another Jenny spot.  At the end of the hike, there's a little waterfall.  I really enjoyed it, and I think I will go back soon. 

-  Oh!!  I started tutoring this little boy named Conner- just in his home.  Connie is his mom's visiting teacher, and he needed a little help with reading so I go over there for an hour each week and just read with him.  :) I really enjoy that, and Conner's mom actually has a friend that wants me to tutor her little boy as well. 

- I almost forgot the adventures of last Sunday night!  I should just start from the very beginning because it was just a wonderful day all around!  Church was great, as always.  Then I went home and had dinner with the Jensens.  It was a gorgeous day outside so we took advantage of the weather and ate in the back yard.  As we were eating, we looked over and the kids next door were throwing chickens (yes, live ones) over their fence.  It was hysterical.  After dinner I got to spend a while talking to Courtney, and I ALWAYS love to do that!  Then I headed to a singles' fireside.  They had this group called Mercy River come, and if you haven't heard their music, you should look it up.  They are three women that have some of the purest female voices that I have ever heard.  The fireside was one that I will never forget and helped me to realize that I need to sing more, and do what I enjoy doing.  They talked about having a beautiful life, and the choices we can make to have one.  It doesn't sound as cool as it actually was when I write it out in words, but I remember how I felt, and that's the most important.  After the fireside, we had ward prayer.  I don't think I have expressed it, but I love ward prayer.  When I first moved up to Utah and had my first couple experiences with it, I thought it was bvery strange, but I have come to realize that one of the reasons my ward is so wonderful is because we have ward prayer.  This particular Sunday, we had so much fun.  It was partially because Cole was on one- and every one laughs when Cole is in the zone.  :) Haha.  After ward prayer, Randi took me home and she and I decided to go for a walk.  Well, after our walk, we stayed on my porch and talked for a while.  As I had left my keys and phone upstairs, I still didn't worry when I heard someone come by and lock the front door.  I figured I would just use the garage pin pad and get inside that way.  Needless to say, the pad decided not to work so Randi and I had a little impromptu sleepover.  We were laughing so hard because I was RIGHT there, I heard the door get locked and then there I was, locked out of the house.  It was super funny. 

Thinking about it, if you don't know who the people are that I am talking about, there is an earlier blog post when I kind of give a debrief of who all of my Spanish Fork friends are if you're curious! 
I can't think of anything really that significant right this second, but I promise that I will try and be better about taking pictures to keep you all more informed of my life!  :) I get to come home this coming weekend for Erica's wedding which should be fun.  It's going to be a super quick trip, but it will be good to feel that Arizona heat. . . . maybe?  haha.  I'll write again soon!

Loves and hugs,

Jenny :)

General Conference and Beyond! :)

The last few weeks have proven to be fairly spectacular.  Jovanni got to come out to Spanish Fork for a visit and we were able to go to general conference.  She had never been to the conference center before, or even Salt Lake.  It was really neat to show her all of the church stuff.  I loved sharing the experience of general conference with her.  When we were walking from the car to the conference center, the first session of the day was just getting out.  As all of the people piled out of the center, Jovanni's face was priceless.  She was so awe struck with the amount of people that had come to hear the prophets and apostles speak.  Being raised in the church, that aspect of it is something that had never hit me before- I was used to general conference, but seeing someone react to it really made me realize what a neat experience general conference really is.  In fact, it was interesting that she specifically noticed that aspect of it because the Wednesday prior to Jovanni's visit, my institute teacher told me that for every one seat in the conference center there are close to 650 other members of the church.  I thought that was REALLY neat because that conference center seems so huge.

Parking for conference turned out to be quite the adventure.  First, we found the lot we were supposed to be in, but the gate was not open, then we went to another lot, and got told to go in the exit of our lot.  Then, when we finally got into the correct lot, the only spot available was this one so needless to say, I got my skinny on thanks to that mini van.  :)

Jovanni and I went and walked around the temple for a little while before the session on Saturday afternoon.  I don't think I have ever seen Temple Square so crowded! I told her that she would have to come back again so that we could go to Temple Square again when everything is open! :)

Jovanni and I in the conference center! :)

General conference really has become one of my very favorite things.  Every time I have the opportunity to listen to it, I am struck with how much our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us.  One of my favorite talks from this general conference was Elder Holland's.  He spoke at the session that Jovanni and I went to, and when they announced that he was speaking, both myself and the guy that was sitting on the other side of Jovanni did an audible "YES!" because we were excited to hear from him.  There is a line in his talk that I will never forget, and I hope to be better at incorporating into my life.  He said, "Don't hyperventilate about something  that happened at nine in the morning."  Now, he was talking about the parable where the people come to work in the field at different times and get paid the same amount.  However, when he said those words, I thought about all of the little things that I tend to worry about that don't really matter in the eternal scheme.  Needless to say, I am a worry wart, but because of the insights I received from this talk, I have made a goal to TRY to not worry as much about meaningless things.  :) 

After attending the session on Saturday afternoon, Jovanni and I went to dinner and then up to Provo to hang out at Chelsea's apartment.  Erica and Jon also came down from BYU-I for the weekend, and so it was fun to get to see them and spend some time with them as well.  

Sunday proved to be another fantastic day of conference.  Jovanni was able to get tickets for the Sunday afternoon session from a girl she is connected with through family. However, she ended up meeting up with an old friend so Chelsea and I went to the Sunday afternoon session together.  It was really neat because we sat SOOOOOO CLOSE!!  (It turned out that we were actually in the incorrect section, but it was an accident).  

We tried to get a picture of how close we were, but it didn't work out to well.  Basically, we didn't have to look at the TV monitors to see the expressions on the speakers' faces.  It was pretty neat.  We also sat next to this really awesome lady.  For the life of me, I can't remember her name, but she was super fantastic and wanted to know all about our lives.  :)

Overall, the weekend was GREAT!  It was awesome to have one of my very best friends here and having lots of fun- introducing her to some of my new Utah friends, spending time with some of our Arizona friends, going to general conference and eating hot cheetos of course! :) 

Jovanni and I saying goodbye at the Salt Lake airport. (YAY, it would only be a week until I got to see her again!!) 

The next Saturday after General Conference, I left for a nice little visit home to Arizona.  :) I missed my family so much, and it was awesome to be able to be home for Easter! Saturday afternoon, I was able to get their early enough to attend the Easter Pageant at the Mesa temple.  It is one of my favorite things to do at Easter, and I was happy that I didn't miss it!!  :) 

After the pageant, my family OF COURSE went to Denny's.  It some how has become our random tradition to randomly go to Denny's.  I like it though, and some how, Stuart and I always have so much fun going to Denny's (of all places).  

THEN.... DA DA DA!!!  Saturday night, COURTNEY CATHERINE STACY PRATT came to my house, and I was THRILLED with having her there! :) She showed up with Omar, and that was a fun surprise because he had a SWEET new car that he took us for a ride in! :) 

I should have talked him in to letting me drive it! :) 

Sunday was Easter, and it's one of the best Easter's I have ever had!  I love attending my home ward after having been gone for a while!  Seeing so many familiar faces, and people that I have known my whole life is always so great! :) After church, I went over to Courtney's house for a while and hung out with her and her grandma.  That's always the funnest time.  Grandma Doyce is one of my favorite people to talk to! :) 

My Aunt Sherri, cousin Chelsie and Jovanni were able to come over for Easter dinner, and I was THRILLED about that.  They are the greatest, and I miss them terribly being away from home.  We were also surprised with a visit from Uncle Dennis and Aunt Lona.  It was a blast to have the house full of people, especially family. :) My Uncle Dennis is an absolute crack up and he had fun drilling all the young people.  

This is Stephen (my brother), Elyse (my sister-in-law), Emmalin (my niece) and I on Easter! I miss them more than I could EVER describe! 

The rest of the visit consisted of hanging out around the house, playing xbox with Courtney, lunches with my dad, a dinner with Gavin and Cadie Ely, making butterbeer, hanging out with the awesome Jovanni and of course attending a dress rehearsal for Fiddler on the Roof at Apollo.  Stuart has become quite the little ham and seems to be having a blast being involved in the theater department at my Alma Mater.  

Time with the best friend was much needed.  I keep trying to talk her in to going to grad school at BYU so that she can come up to Utah and party with me!  I am so grateful to have this girl in my life.  She is AWESOME!  Even if was for only a short time, I was so happy to see her! 

On the way back up to Utah, I was able to stop in Flagstaff and see the Robles! Jana and I went to Payten's school for lunch.  I was so excited to see them.  Jana has become an irreplaceable person in my life.  She is the older sister that I never had and she will forever play that role in my life.  I honestly don't go a day without thinking about how grateful I have to have the Robles family in my life and for the impact that they have had on me.

Here I am with America's cutest kids!  :) The Robles girls are AWESOME! :) 

Unfortunately, it was just a quick stop in Flagstaff and then back on the road to Utah!  I did get a chance to stop by my old job at Mountain Campus Transit and say hi to a few people there, and tell Courtney goodbye one last time.  The drive between Arizona and Utah is seeming to get shorter every time I drive it, and it makes me want to visit home a bit more each time.  It's weird because I feel as though I almost have two separate lives- one here in Utah, and one that I leave back home in Arizona.  Someday I will close that gap a little more, and be able to combine the lives a little better, but I know I am right where I am supposed to be, in Spanish Fork, Utah (of all places) and life is GOOD! :) 

Loves and hugs,

Jenny :) 

It's been a while! :) WARNING: IT'S LONG!

Well friends, it has been quite some time since I have updated this blog, and of course, a ton has happened.  Life has changed quite a lot since I last wrote, but I am loving every second of life right now! :) I will try to give you a quick recap of everything that has happened!

Well, November proved to be a rough month.  I ended up getting really sick, but after a trip to the Emergency room, several visits to the medical clinic and a much needed trip home to Arizona, I got better.  I had to take basically the entire month off of work, but being sick and having that time for myself gave me a lot of opportunity to reflect. I look back on the experiences that I had that month, and I wouldn't change them for anything.  The things that I learned are irreplaceable. I experienced trials that truly taught me something, and I have grown immensely from that rough month.  :)

Well, the doctor banned me from work and school for the remainder of the month (On about November 6th) so as soon as I felt up to it, I scooted home for about a ten day visit.  It was excellent.  I got to spend some time in Flagstaff, and see Courtney, Jana and some other friends there.  Then I went home to Glendale, and it was so wonderful to see my family for an extended Thanksgiving visit!

I still look a little on the sick side, but my BFFL definitely helped me to feel better! I was so happy I got to be with Courtney! :) I think spending time in Flagstaff with her might have been the best medicine!

This was also a BIG help- getting to spend time with my Robles family! I miss them every day, still and staying with them is always my favorite!

These two pictures bring back good memories of hanging out on the "drunk bus." Haha.  Courtney and I used to go and hang out with our boys while they drove the bus from downtown to campus on the weekends.  I miss those boys, especially my good friend Stephen (bottom photo).  He really is the greatest, despite what this picture might say about him.

Because I love her, I went with Jana to see Breaking Dawn part 1 (Yep, I basically made of the movie the whole way through).  She is my favorite for sure!  This girl is seriously like the sister that I never had.  Living with her was one of the best experiences of my life, and I miss it every day! Her family is the greatest!

After some fun, and healing in Flagstaff, I headed down to Glendale!  :) YAY for seeing family for Thanksgiving!

I went to pick my little brother, Stuart, up from school, and I had a chance to go and see my former choir teacher and listen to the Apollo High School choir for a little while.

I love spending time with my family!!  It was so good to see my niece, Emmalin!  She had gotten so big since the last time I had seen her!  I don't like everything that I miss being so far away from her!  Also, Stuart is my favorite! He's my best friend, and I love being with him, and miss him so much!

Being with friends was also a plus of going to Arizona.  :) I got to see a ton of people I hadn't spent time with for a long time!  Hanging out at Justin's is always so fun, and it made me remember old, fun times.

 I love BOO!! (Taylor)

The Robles came down to Phoenix from Flagstaff for Thanksgiving, and we all met up at a park to celebrate Payten's birthday!!  I was so glad that I got to see them again! :) I love them!

Then it was back to Spanish Fork for about three more weeks of student teaching!  :) Being done with student teaching was a bitter sweet experience. I love those third graders so much, and being in that classroom was a such a great experience.  I loved my cooperating teacher, Elise Clifford, and over the course  of the semester, we became good friends!

The coolest thing about the end of student teaching was that so many blessings came to me.  It was definitely the sunshine after the storm.  November had been a trying month, and as I relied on my Heavenly Father, I truly saw the purpose behind the trials I faced and He blessed me greatly.  Because I had to miss so many days of student teaching during my illness, it was a question as to whether or not the school would let me graduate.  Many emails went back and forth between the College of education, my university supervisor and myself.  Eventually, the student teaching coordinator from NAU evaluated my performance throughout the semester, and said that I could still graduate, and successfully complete my student teaching.  I was so grateful for this blessing in my life.  Despite the hospital bills and missing work and school, things worked out, and it was apparent that I have a loving Heavenly Father.

This is a Christmas tree that I made with my third graders.  The pine needles are cut outs of their hands!!  It was so adorable!  I am definitely using it in my future classroom!

So, I finished my student teaching... all done with school!! :) Originally, since I am living in Spanish Fork, I was not going to get to go down to Arizona for my college graduation.  However, I have the most amazing best friend, and she pulled some strings and  talked to her amazing Uncle Mike.  Mike decided that for our graduation presents, he would pay for me to do a quick turn around to Flagstaff.  So, the morning of December 16, 2011, I got on a plane in Salt Lake City around 8 in the morning, and I was in Flagstaff for my graduation by 1pm.

Spencer became our hero for the day because he was able to get me from the airport in Phoenix to Flagstaff in time.  Granted, he didn't follow every traffic law, but we made it, and I am still alive to tell the story...

The college experience wouldn't have been the same without this girl!  Courtney is amazing, and I am so grateful for the experiences we have been able to share together, and I am excited for the millions of fun times to come! :)

Thank goodness for my family, and their willingness to drop everything last minute and head up to Flagstaff for my graduation!  I love them so much and I couldn't have done this without the support of my loving parents! :)

It was so much fun to go out to eat with our families after the graduation ceremony.  I love Courtney's family, and they have been so good to mine as Courtney and I have become such good friends.  Courtney's grandma is in the picture above, and some times I wonder how different mine and Courtney's friendship might be if she wasn't in Courtney's life.  Doyce is an amazing woman with a ton of wisdom, and it has been an extreme blessing that she came into my life with my awesome Courtney package! :)

Another bonus of actually getting to attend my graduation was getting to see this guy!  Trevor has been an awesome friend, and a vital part of my college life.  Meeting him my freshman year proved to be a huge blessing and I will always be grateful for his friendship! :)

After a quick trip, it was back to Spanish Fork for just a few short weeks before I got to come home for Christmas again!

My ward went to see the Salt Lake temple lights for FHE one Monday.  This experience proved to be a good one for me as I was able to finally started to interact with a variety of people in my ward.  It was a turning point in my Utah experience, and it's one that I will look back on and be grateful for.

I was also in charge of my ward Christmas program.  That ended up being a great experience.  I used the Christmas program that my family uses every year of Christmas eve.

Then, it was home for Christmas!! :)

Courtney, Mike, Spencer and I went to see the temple lights in Mesa!  It is one of my favorite parts of Christmas, and it was cool to be able to share it with three people who had never seen them before.  :)

Then, I went back to the Mesa temple lights with my family.  It's tradition to go on Christmas eve before we go to Aunt Debbie's house! :)

Here is the family at Aunt Debbie's house.  Christmas eve is probably the best part of Christmas for me.  I love the opportunity to feel the true meaning of Christmas with our family program.

It was Emmalin's first Christmas, and I think it was to everyone's enjoyment watching her.  Aunt Sherri simply couldn't get enough of the little booger! :)

Christmas time also proved to be a great opportunity to get together with old friends, and have fun at Justin's!

After a fast, but fun visit home for Christmas, I headed back to Spanish fork!  When I got back, I started substitute teaching for the Provo and Alpine school districts.  It proved to be a rewarding experience and I learned a lot from the short time that I did it.

Spencer came to visit for a weekend in January, and it turned into a crazy weekend because my Arizona friends ended up surprising me with an EXTRA visitor.

The weekend that Jon and Erica got engaged, they came down to Provo.  My friends hid it from me and surprised me with my best friend! :) Jon had kept the big dinner he had planned for Erica a secret as well so it was just a night of fun surprises!

That same weekend, we all piled into the Jensen's van and went up to Salt Lake.  We checked out the new kid exhibit at the Church History Museum, and of course went to Chipotle! :) It was an enjoyable weekend, and it was awesome to get a surprise from Erica and Jon! They are to be married May 25th in the Mesa Arizona Temple! :)

Shortly after I got back to Utah, they changed the ward boundaries of the singles' wards in Spanish Fork.  This boundary change is something that I have been truly blessed by.  Because of the change, I have met so many amazing people who have blessed my life in such a short time.  Ever since the split, I feel like my life has been full of great experiences and tons of fun! I am excited to continue to cultivate the relationships I have begun to develop!

One of the people that I have met because of the split is Randi Miller (middle).  She and I have become good friends, and she is awesome!  She, Chelsea Juhl and I went to Provo Beach Resort one night, and had a lot of fun.  Chelsea and I did the ropes course which proved to be a little scary, but it was fun!

I love how I am in Sears uniform clothing doing the ropes course.  hahaha

The fun really began after I held a pretty awesome party at my house!  I invited a lot of people from the ward, and a lot of people ended up coming.  It was such a great time and I loved getting to know people better through playing games and enjoying each other's company!

 This picture is all the Glendale Peeps playing Just Dance at the party.  It was awesome that my Arizona friends came and got to hang out with the amazing people I have met!

Here are some new friends!  Bradley is in the orange shirt, Wesley is in the tan pants, Aaron is in the blue shirt and Natasha is on the couch.  My new friend Jenny is also hiding behind Bradley in that group, but you can't really see her.
Bradley and I met in August, shortly after I moved to Spanish fork and shortly after he got home from his mission. He was my home teacher for a while, but recently changed home teaching companions and isn't any more.  However, he and I have gotten to be really great friends, and he is someone that I appreciate having in my life almost every day.
Wesley is so much fun, and was one of my first new friends when the split happened.  He and I are constantly joking and I have so much fun when I am with him.  When the wards first changed, he invited me to come play soccer with a group of his friends and now I play every Thursday night with them.  I am not very good, but I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know people better and to try something new!
Aaron has been such a blessing in my life.  He always makes sure that I get included and invited to things.  I love having him as a friend because he is a great one!
Jenny is so much fun to be around!  She and I have become pretty good friends, and it's so much fun to have a girl around to do things with!  People around us always call us "the Jennys," and more recently they have deemed us number 1 and number 2, but we are going to try and rid people of the use of numbers when referring to us!  haha.

 In this picture, you can see my friend Justin.  He is the guy on the couch in the blue shirt.  He is one AWESOME guy.  He and I talked a lot for a while, and more recently various things have made it so we don't chat as much, but he is one of the most genuine people that I know.  He is so respectful of everyone and  such a good friend that is always willing to listen.

 In this picture, you can see Mandi (in the line of dancers on the far right), John (next to Mandi in the Dijon mustard colored shirt), Kelsey (in the red paid shirt) and Nate.  Wesley is hanging out in the chair and Bradley is still standing there, cutting a rug, but I already talked about them earlier.  :)
Mandi is simply AMAZING!!  She and I met at soccer the first time and she was so incredibly friendly to me that night.  She came right up and introduced herself and helped me to feel welcomed.  More recently she and I have had a chance to talk one on one, and she is one amazing girl.  She has a great resolve to do what is right and you can see her testimony through the way she treats others.  It is really neat because she might actually be coming down to Arizona with me soon!
John... Well, I met John while working at Sears, and he is one funny kid.  He is extremely animated and always had people laughing.
Kelsey!!  I love this girl.  She always has a smile on her face and is super sweet.  I love having her around.  I met her the first time while playing soccer on a Thursday night, but then I found out that she is in my ward, and I was so excited because she is simply amazing!
Nate is someone that I met through the Bradfords (Wesley and Jenny), and I don't know him very well, but what I do know about him is that he is suuuuuper funny and so welcoming.  He is such a nice person, and you can often find him interacting with random strangers and making conversation. :)

Then it's back to the AZ friends!  They, of course, are amazing!! :) One thing about them is that it doesn't matter how long we spend away from each other, we always snap right back to where we were.  There is always so much love when we are together, and they are people that I know I can always count on.

Shortly after the party, I had my last day at Sears because I got a new job!!  I also stopped being a substitute, and I now work at American Leadership Academy.  I am a Title I paraprofessional and a special education aid.  I am really enjoying it, and I hopefully will have a shoe in for a job in my own classroom there in the fall!

The weekend after the party was super fun as well!  There was an institute dance, and before that I dyed Bradley's hair.  That was super fun!

This is Bradley's hair before the dye.

And this is it after.  It didn't make it blond like he wanted, but he is a true red head now...

Then, the Arizona people and myself took a little trip up to BYU-I to see Erica and Jon.  Erica asked Emily and I if we would come up to go wedding dress shopping with her so we did!

 It's so awesome that Erica and I are still best friends after all these years!  I love that we still make visits to see each other, and we are still involved in each other's lives.  I love her so much!!

 Going up to Rexberg gave me a chance to see some old friends that I haven't seen in forever!  Becky Ahern just started attending there.  She and I were in Young Women's together!  She is such a sweet girl, and it was so good to see her!

I also got to see Joey Bingham!  Woop woop!!

It seems that I am living weekend to weekend, and I kid of am.  haha.  All of the big things happen on the weekend.  Granted, during the week, there is always FHE, institute and soccer, and those things keep me going throughout the week for sure, but each weekend seems to bring a new adventure!!

The next weekend was QUITE an adventure.  My dad ended up driving up to Utah to see Bruce.  On the way here he flipped his car.  He walked away just fine, and luckily the car ended up getting pretty much fully repaired as well. Blessings!! :) It was a crazy weekend for sure, but it was nice to have my dad around!
After the flipping car debacle, my dad ended up staying for about a week.  It was kind of neat to have him around.  I was running all over the place, as always, but it was nice to come home at night and talk to him until way too late! I miss being around my family, and so it was nice to have the comfort of having my dad around.

Now onto more adventures!

Bradley, Max, Natalie, Myself, Cole and Shauna read to do the ropes course at Provo Beach Resort.

You've already heard about Bradley... so Max!  He is a fairly new friend, as this was the first time I had met him.  He came with Randi and Natalie to this activity, and is a pretty cool kid.  I don't know him very well yet, but he is in my ward so hopefully I will have the opportunity to get to know him a little better as time goes on!
Natalie is such a great girl!  She is Randi's best friend, and I had heard a lot about her from Randi.  We had met a few time prior to this, but this was the first time that she and I had done anything together and it was so much fun!  Since, we have hung out a few more times, and I have learned that she is such a sweet girl.  She is great to be around, and I look forward to hanging out with her again!! :)
Cole!!!  He is my new home teacher since Bradley isn't anymore.   He and I became friends because of smelling cologne samples that this kid Chuck brought to FHE one night.  That happened, and it was like we were instant friends.  He definitely has become a person that I confide in greatly, and is someone I feel like I can be completely myself around.  His friendship is one that I appreciate greatly.
Shauna is one great girl!  She and I were visiting teaching companions for a little bit, and unfortunately we got switched after only getting to visit our girls once!  I love how sweet she is, and how fun she is to be around.  I remember once at ward prayer when she talked about how she just wanted to get to know everyone in the ward and be their friend.  She has got such a sweet admonition, and such a loving spirit!

 While at the Provo Beach Resort, we had so much fun riding the carousel! : ) Natalie in particular looks to be enjoying herself... haha.

After the Provo Beach Resort, I went for a day in Salt Lake with the Bradfords and a few others! We went to the temple in the morning.  Jenny and I went to do baptisms while the rest went into a session.  

While Jenny and I waited for the rest of the group to get out of the session, we walked over to the Church History Museum and had fun in the kids' zone!  :)

Then, we all headed to the Hogle Zoo!

 This ball, was our main center for entertainment while we were at the zoo.  I think we spent more time trying to see who could stay on this ball the longest than we did looking at any of the animals!  It was so much fun though!  We made a lot of people laughed, and no one ever told us not to do it! :)

This is our group at the Zoo!  There is Jenny, Wesley and their brother Andy, along with his wife Dani as well as Aaron and their friend Annie.

 The next point of adventure was with Jenny!  She and I decided to try using chalk pastels to color our hair!  It worked, and was so much fun!  We did streaks in our hair, made some brownies and then went to the hot pots!

Jenny and I joined her cousin, Darron and his friend "Big Jake" on a hike up to the hot pots in Spanish Fork Canyon.  Our friend, Morgan came with us as well, and it was such a fun time! The trail was super icy and I kept falling, but that made it even more fun!  I had never been to a natural hot spring before and the smell of sulfur definitely isn't one that I would like to wear a a perfume or anything, but it was so worth the fun that we had.  On the way down, some times, Jenny and I would simply sit down and slide down the slope!  My legs and my rear were numb by the time we got to the car, but it was such a fun adventure!

On Saturday morning, we had the adult session for our stake conference.  It was so great.  I think it is such a blessing to be in an all singles' stake because the talks were directed toward our specific age group and people in our specific walk of life.  It feels like such a huge blessing to have leaders specifically assigned to speak to young single adults.  Their talks were inspirational, and helped me to develop goals that I would like to pursue. Sunday session proved to be the same way.  I remember specifically one of the speakers talking about how when we are asked what we are pursuing, we should never say "I don't know."  We should explain what we ARE doing.  This is something that really struck home with me because I feel that Heavenly Father does want us to think about what we ARE doing.  I think if we accentuate those positive and productive things in our lives, it will motivate us to do more.

On Saint Patrick's Day, my relief society had a trip up to Salt Lake planned to celebrate the Relief Society's birthday!  We went to see the Joseph Smith movie and then we went to the temple.  I hadn't realized that they had changed the Joseph Smith movie.  It isn't the same as when I was a youth.  Some parts were added, some were taken out and the narration is different.  It is still just as spiritually uplifting, but it made me a little bit sad when it wasn't the same.  That movie has so many good feelings and memories from my youth attached to it that it felt sad that it was different.  The new parts however were awesome because they incorporated a lot of today, and how we can apply the history of the church into our lives.  I really liked that!

 Randi and I on our way to Salt Lake!

 Our group in front of the temple!!  :)

 Randi, Chalese and myself walking around temple square while we waited for the others to get out of a session!

Then, later that night, the Arizona people had a green party!! :) :)

We were missing a few, but it was so good to see all of these guys.  It had felt like forever since we had been together!  There is still so much love among this group of friends, and it's amazing how the bonds don't ever change.  We had fun laughing about the food that was shared.  We tried to make everything green, but it proved to be a failure because of lack of food.  Haha.

Wow... after about four months of catching up, I think I have gotten up to date on this thing!!

This last week, I have really grown to enjoy my job and the kids that I work with.  In particular, I teach a math class to these two girls and I have found ways to make long division the most fun you have ever seen it be.  I love seeing them smile when I do something silly, and I love seeing the light bulb go off when I know they get it!  On Thursday, we spent their entire class period playing a game and dancing to the long division song.  I have seen the progress in them every day, not only in their academics, but also in their attitude about learning.  Teaching can be such a blessing some times because you get to serve other every day.  You have the opportunity to love others in a way that no one else gets to love them.  The relationship that a teacher has with their students I have learned is such a special one. It is full of so much hope and understanding.  I have come to realize that every child really does have a star within.  Through teaching these kids, my testimony of the Lord's love for His children has grown so much.  He really does love us as individuals and He really does know our individual needs.

Throughout this last week, I have also had the time to reflect upon other blessings that I have been granted. I have recently realized the blessing that online social networking can be as it has helped me to connect better with my extended family.  We have never really been close, but after writing a message to all of them on facebook, it seems that we are going to work together to try and change that.  Family is such an important part of life, and I don't know why I ever let myself go this long without doing anything about the situation with my extended family.  However, all I can do from this point is move forward and be better from now on.  :) I am excited for the blessings that they will be in my life!

Other than that, the last week has been pretty great!  It was average throughout the week, FHE, institute and soccer.  After institute on Wednesday Jenny and I went country dancing which is super fun!  I really enjoy it!

This weekend has been a relaxing one and I have been grateful for that!  I did get to spend time with my good friend, Tawna as we went to the color festival!  I went with her last year as well, and so it was fun to do it again with the same person!  It was a lot more crowded this time though and really hot!  We still had fun though!

Tawna and I at the color festival with her friends McKayla and Sasha.


And on that note, I think this record breaking blog entry is finished!  It's not all inclusive because there are some things that I definitely missed, but you get the jist of my life to this point!  I do my best to keep you all updated over the phone anyway, but this way you can see it in pictures! :) I will do my best to be better about staying on top of this for all of you Arizonians that I miss so much! I hope you are all doing well!!

Loves and hugs,
Jenny :)