oh how i love sleepless nights...there is nothing i haven't tried tonight from counting turtles to singing the snowman song that i learned in primary...i just can't fall asleep. As I started reading my scriptures (sadly most of the time that puts me to sleep in 5-10 min) I started to remember all of the things that i have been taught over the years. I am eternally grateful for all of the blessings that i have in my life now because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
mid last week marked my one year for being home off the mission and as I pondered about that I couldn't help but just smile and cry (because that's what i do now...cry haha) i have so many memories and people that i will never forget. i will be able to take what i've learned from them and build that upon my own foundation so that i can be strong for someone else.
i'm getting married in 9 days...single digits. i get to be with my best friend for the rest of eternity-how wonderful is that? there is no one else in this world who i trust and love more than David. I feel bad because i've been such an emotional wreck with school, work and attempting to plan a wedding/receptions. (thank goodness for great mothers who know exactly what needs to be done) i can't even begin to explain how grateful i am for david and his ability to make everything right again. he just makes the world all better.
we bought a love seat the other week, and a few days ago we bought our kitchen table and chairs which we will be recovering to match our decor. i started packing everything tonight and it started to hit me that i'm getting married. like i've known this for a long time but really...i'm packing up my stuff to go move into our new apartment. (i'll be living there and setting things up until we get married and then we'll move david in) but let's be honest here-I'M moving into OUR first apartment that we can decorate however we want, we won't have annoying roommates ever again, and it'll just be us...and toothless, trevor and abby the turtles. :)
oh how life changes so fast and things come so quickly-i love it, and am so excited for what is to come
7.22.2010
7.20.2010
Crucial Conversations
I need to post this book review for my class.....
Crucial Conversations has helped thousands of people have success in high stakes situations. No more whimpering, no more whining. From demanding bosses to mother-in-laws, this book gives tools and tips to truly handle conversations we would normally avoid. There is a delicate balance between confidence and arrogance, meekness and spineless, it takes practice to get it just right. But with Crucial Conversations as a guide, it will become easier to take communication and satisfaction to a whole new level.
In the beginning we learn that a crucial conversation is “A discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong. Throughout the book we were taught many concepts and ways that we can communicate our ideas in critical situations. Some of the many situations which these conversations could take place are: ending a relationship, critiquing a colleague’s work, asking a roommate to move out, giving an unfavorable performance review, and asking in-laws to quit interfering. In any situation it is great to know how to better communicate to others.
One of the main points that I really enjoyed was how we need to start with the heart. We need to remember, “the only person you can directly control is yourself,” and focus on what you really want. It continues to talk about how we need to look, we need to see others point of view, and to be aware of where the conversation is going.
It goes on about our personal decision-making, how we need to be aware of our actions, and about the way we react to a difference in opinion. In one section it has a personal survey to see how you react in various situations, I really enjoyed this section because it gave us as a reader and opportunity to see how he/she personally reacted in different situations. It was really interesting to see how I personally react, and then how I should react in a conversation.
Overall, the book was great, it was very enlightening and I learned so much. I would recommend the book to anyone. Every person will take part in a crucial conversation sometime in our lives. In this cat-and-mouse game of getting our point across, to succeed we need to have a plan. Crucial Conversations gives the roadmap, and now it’s time to take the road less argued by.
7.17.2010
Man Pants and Flap Jacks
To Whom it may Concern...and well, everybody else,
I feel it necesary to divulge that I have put my "man pants" on, and have done so to fulfill my responsibilty of helping the world understand better our comings and goings. Yes fans, this is indeed David and not Mandy writing this post. And no, I was not coerced, trapped, or forced into this. Nor was I given a dollar by my little sister to write this post, as was the agreement to start my twitter account. I am writing of my own free will, and do so with a great feeling of excitement.
But enough gilding the lillies, let's get right to the meat and potatoes of why I'm really here.
When most see a bald middle aged man wearing an apron, worn out sketchers, and working the graveyard shift at an all-american diner, they think to themselves "wow...I would probably never associate with this guy in any circumstances where he wasn't bringing me pancakes." But I stand before you a changed man. My whole perseption on this has been altered.
Never before on a late night food run have I had such a fantastic server. Generally when the cravings hit I end up with a waitress that doesn't live by a traditional code of hygene. They also tend to be more concerned with Edward Cullen's pasty bod than with refilling my Dr. Pepper (Yes, I am slurping annoyingly to get your attention vampire lover). I was astounded today however to experience a Betty Boop doll balancing on a nose, a Christopher Reeves joke, and buiscuits with gravy all at the same time.
So here is my salute (actions included) to you Dean. You've done the Ol' Red, White, and Bluberry pancakes proud. You are no failure. You are only in a sticky situation because your work involves copious amounts of syrup. I'm on your side, and know that I'll be right back whenever I need a laugh, and a small stack of flap jacks.
I feel it necesary to divulge that I have put my "man pants" on, and have done so to fulfill my responsibilty of helping the world understand better our comings and goings. Yes fans, this is indeed David and not Mandy writing this post. And no, I was not coerced, trapped, or forced into this. Nor was I given a dollar by my little sister to write this post, as was the agreement to start my twitter account. I am writing of my own free will, and do so with a great feeling of excitement.
But enough gilding the lillies, let's get right to the meat and potatoes of why I'm really here.
When most see a bald middle aged man wearing an apron, worn out sketchers, and working the graveyard shift at an all-american diner, they think to themselves "wow...I would probably never associate with this guy in any circumstances where he wasn't bringing me pancakes." But I stand before you a changed man. My whole perseption on this has been altered.
Never before on a late night food run have I had such a fantastic server. Generally when the cravings hit I end up with a waitress that doesn't live by a traditional code of hygene. They also tend to be more concerned with Edward Cullen's pasty bod than with refilling my Dr. Pepper (Yes, I am slurping annoyingly to get your attention vampire lover). I was astounded today however to experience a Betty Boop doll balancing on a nose, a Christopher Reeves joke, and buiscuits with gravy all at the same time.
So here is my salute (actions included) to you Dean. You've done the Ol' Red, White, and Bluberry pancakes proud. You are no failure. You are only in a sticky situation because your work involves copious amounts of syrup. I'm on your side, and know that I'll be right back whenever I need a laugh, and a small stack of flap jacks.
7.15.2010
the way people walk...
So i've come to realize that my favorite pastime is people watching. earlier today david and i were in the car and this girl on her bike comes weaving towards us. she is obviously in her own little world and adjusting her ear buds-suddenly she started mouthing the words and dancing-must have been the chorus to her favorite song because as she closed her eyes to belt that high note she almost crashed into us...and yes, we were still in the car.
since then i've been noticing people much more today-especially the way they walk. you have those guys who saunter around with their chests puffed up and and slightly waddling because well you know, their muscles are just too big for them to walk normal.
you have the girls who are wanting to impress some guy by wearing high heels, but because they have weak ankles can't walk straight or steady so they stumble and are constantly holding onto something or 'taking a break' to check their phone to stabilize themselves.( for instance the girl who just walked by in a pair of 4 inch platinum silver pumps in a flowy black and purple dress. hunched forward because she's trying to balance her backpack and then also staggering along like a broken robot because she's already got blisters from wearing them this morning)
then there are the guys who are too cool for school-they slouch and have this scowl on their faces-but accessorize with their big sunglasses, skinny jeans, wide rim baseball cap and flip flops or toms-just so they can make a statement. these gentlemen then join the girls who feel that they need to express their feelings by starving themselves and wearing too much makeup-they add weight to themselves by adding layers of clothes and call themselves an art major. dont' worry, that makes everything ok then.
there are those students who have a bounce in their step and just look happy to be around, you enjoy seeing them at school and then you see the posers who try too hard and leap around and you instantly want to punch them in the face for acting stupid and giving the campus a bad name.
you have those students who walk with a purpose-they are my favorite. they have their heads down and arms moving from side to side for some extra propellege-their backpacks are tight to their back and about 2 1/2 ft off their back, giving them a nice hunch look as they speed through a crowd of people.
well i'm done now.
em and go to class.
since then i've been noticing people much more today-especially the way they walk. you have those guys who saunter around with their chests puffed up and and slightly waddling because well you know, their muscles are just too big for them to walk normal.
you have the girls who are wanting to impress some guy by wearing high heels, but because they have weak ankles can't walk straight or steady so they stumble and are constantly holding onto something or 'taking a break' to check their phone to stabilize themselves.( for instance the girl who just walked by in a pair of 4 inch platinum silver pumps in a flowy black and purple dress. hunched forward because she's trying to balance her backpack and then also staggering along like a broken robot because she's already got blisters from wearing them this morning)
then there are the guys who are too cool for school-they slouch and have this scowl on their faces-but accessorize with their big sunglasses, skinny jeans, wide rim baseball cap and flip flops or toms-just so they can make a statement. these gentlemen then join the girls who feel that they need to express their feelings by starving themselves and wearing too much makeup-they add weight to themselves by adding layers of clothes and call themselves an art major. dont' worry, that makes everything ok then.
there are those students who have a bounce in their step and just look happy to be around, you enjoy seeing them at school and then you see the posers who try too hard and leap around and you instantly want to punch them in the face for acting stupid and giving the campus a bad name.
you have those students who walk with a purpose-they are my favorite. they have their heads down and arms moving from side to side for some extra propellege-their backpacks are tight to their back and about 2 1/2 ft off their back, giving them a nice hunch look as they speed through a crowd of people.
well i'm done now.
em and go to class.
7.13.2010
I feel that it's already been an exhausting week and i'm just tired. there is so much to do and so little time-and here i am writing in a blog instead of homework. you would think i would wise up and edit my webpages and do some designs, but sometimes you just need a break for sanity.
1. I suddenly remembered that i need wedding jewelry-i have my hair thingy and that's going good-it's a little vintage looking, but then what else? necklace, earrings, bracelet(s)? and then there's my hair-i figured out how i want it to look, but then i don't know how to do it-so who knows...i'll figure things out, i always do.
2.people make me mad-i don't see why people need to be rude to get their point across. like today at work this boy was just RUDE to me-he just talked to me like i was some insignificant imbecile that was there to just tell him that he will graduate-and when he can't-he gets upset and pretends that it's my fault. gay.
2.1 also, i hate it when people suck up to me. please don't be fake and pretend that we're friends, there is no point.
3. i love people watching. it is seriously one of my favorite things to do. here in rexburg there are plenty of opportunities to see some spectacular-i don't see how knee high chuck taylor shoes over a pair of loose jeans. sometimes it just makes my day. you can't help but just smile when you see an awkward outfit or an outrageous orange shirt with kittens on it.
4. i love color. design. and photography-this semester i have found nature and the outdoors to be my place of refuge and serenity. i love just laying out and feeling the sun on my face and just relaxing. i love being able to clear my mind and just forget about all the stress and life. it's the best.
overall i love life. it's stressful and at times but i love it none the less.
-
7.09.2010
this is for you laura
I was chastised by my wonderful sister Laura how I haven't updated in 6 weeks...so here is my pitiful excuse of an update. :)
1. i'm still engaged and alsmot done with all of the wedding plans
2. i got some wonderful high heels for the wedding-they are 4 inch heels with an open toe, and an ankle strap. they are plum purple and just amazing.
3. invites are finally out and with that our engagements went great :) wendy did an incredible job and we had seriously so much fun with her.
3.5. along with the invites and shoes, david and i picked out our flowers and i'm soooo super excited about them!!! i'm having irises, some kind of lilly (REALLY DARK PURPLE), some green flowers that are tiny and look kind of like roses, some white tulips, and then some other purple flowers-needless to say, i am excited and just love my new friend mark who is doing them for me. :)
4. I have a turtle named toothless-I think i blogged about him earlier, but he's still the best turtle-child ever!!
5. On a more recent note we went down to salt lake and went to lagoon with some of the gailey clan-it was just a delight to spend a care-free day and enjoy the people that i was with. :)
6. a few weeks previously we went down to SL to celebrate Grandpa and Grandma's 65th wedding anniversary. it was filled with lots of gailey's and creamy's. what more could you ask for?
7. Momma g came into town with John-and they are always crowd pleasers-we had a blast at costco and texas road house, ying yang and it was just nice to have family dinner :)
8. i am still working with academic advising and that's been a blast. recently i've had the opportunity to tell multiple students that because their lack of caring and planning that they will not be graduating this semester...and sometimes the next. I think it's incredible how some students just don't care and then suddenly they think that since they've been here for 5 years and have taken classes that they deserve a deploma. especially when they have 75 unused credits in their transcript and only 50 going towards their degree. i love my job :)
9. the semester is coming to an end and i'm working my hardest to keep my head above water. it's been the hardest semester of my life. classes are hard, work has been long, and planning a wedding just added to everything. don't get me wrong, it's been a blast-but so much work and so much stress-i'm ready to just be married and live day to day.
i'll add pictures later and share some perspective when i'm in more of a blogging mood.
laura-i'll do better-expect another update tomorrow. or i owe you a snowcone that doesn't taste like tanning.
1. i'm still engaged and alsmot done with all of the wedding plans
2. i got some wonderful high heels for the wedding-they are 4 inch heels with an open toe, and an ankle strap. they are plum purple and just amazing.
3. invites are finally out and with that our engagements went great :) wendy did an incredible job and we had seriously so much fun with her.
3.5. along with the invites and shoes, david and i picked out our flowers and i'm soooo super excited about them!!! i'm having irises, some kind of lilly (REALLY DARK PURPLE), some green flowers that are tiny and look kind of like roses, some white tulips, and then some other purple flowers-needless to say, i am excited and just love my new friend mark who is doing them for me. :)
4. I have a turtle named toothless-I think i blogged about him earlier, but he's still the best turtle-child ever!!
5. On a more recent note we went down to salt lake and went to lagoon with some of the gailey clan-it was just a delight to spend a care-free day and enjoy the people that i was with. :)
6. a few weeks previously we went down to SL to celebrate Grandpa and Grandma's 65th wedding anniversary. it was filled with lots of gailey's and creamy's. what more could you ask for?
7. Momma g came into town with John-and they are always crowd pleasers-we had a blast at costco and texas road house, ying yang and it was just nice to have family dinner :)
8. i am still working with academic advising and that's been a blast. recently i've had the opportunity to tell multiple students that because their lack of caring and planning that they will not be graduating this semester...and sometimes the next. I think it's incredible how some students just don't care and then suddenly they think that since they've been here for 5 years and have taken classes that they deserve a deploma. especially when they have 75 unused credits in their transcript and only 50 going towards their degree. i love my job :)
9. the semester is coming to an end and i'm working my hardest to keep my head above water. it's been the hardest semester of my life. classes are hard, work has been long, and planning a wedding just added to everything. don't get me wrong, it's been a blast-but so much work and so much stress-i'm ready to just be married and live day to day.
i'll add pictures later and share some perspective when i'm in more of a blogging mood.
laura-i'll do better-expect another update tomorrow. or i owe you a snowcone that doesn't taste like tanning.
5.28.2010
toothless, smores and weddings!
so i am officially the worst blogger ever...school has been insane along with work and panning a wedding!!! i'll do better-or i'll try to :)
here's a quick glance of the past month or so!!!
-had a lovely week break in between semesters which included turtle sitting and a road trip up to washington.
here's a quick glance of the past month or so!!!
-had a lovely week break in between semesters which included turtle sitting and a road trip up to washington.
after a nice but wayyyy to quick stay-we headed back home and start school/work once again. David got a really great job and was quickly promoted which has been so nice! he is now works form 8-5 and will be able to continue the same job for his internship this upcoming fall. we are so incredibly blessed for this amazing opportunity.
along with david getting a job, i did as well. m-f i work in the academic advising center for the business and communications college and then on saturday's i work 2 sessions of a conference for B&C students-it's been great having a job, but it's a whole new experience juggling school and work-it has brought a whole new meaning of prioritizing and planning. :)
well along with weddings we were able to attend the wedding of our dear friends Casey and Michael Murphy-LOVE THEM they are just the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for and were so excited to go to their sealing and later reception! i lost the fight for the bouquet to a girl with an intense box-out but david did us proud and got the garter...not to mention that he was the only one over the age of 12 fighting for it. i think the tallest one reached mid waist...oh how i'm so proud of my little fighter!!
david's friend jeff came into town and we had a blast with him and his sister as well-they did this trick with making your face do weird things to get a funny picture...i failed, but david and jeffy did a great job. once again, that's my man-doing us proud!!
so david and i have started to go on adventures and mini road trips to get out of rexburg. since the weather has been snowy off and on still we've been taking advantage of any sunny day hotter than 55* haha. these are some pics of our trip out to the falls...please notice david's perfect capture of my big foot impression
we've been trying to take advantage of the weather and since david's house has a fire pit we decided to make some smores. while here at school david and i have made some great friends, and one of the best couples is my cousin morgan and his fiance julie!! they are the greatest and so much fun to hang out with! we're in a continuous competition of Blokus and 5 crowns. david and morgan even have a 'band' and play guitar and sing together while julie and i just bask in their talent and cheer them on.
the most important part of this whole blog are the following photos...david decided that with mothers day coming up i shouldn't feel left out. since we don't have any children, or a dog, he decided to help me prepare for motherhood in a different way. HE GOT ME A TURTLE!!!!! wahoo!!!!! i've always wanted one and finally he came! david totally surprised me and it's been the best! i turtle sat laura's turtles over the week break and it was a easy-we had exercise and bath time and fed them plenty...and the love has now moved on to my own turtle! since i'm obsessed with the movie, 'how to train a dragon' i named him toothless :) he's the best turtle ever and so active! he's an underwater turtle and is so active with swimming up and down every day. he loves to dig and burrow in his blue rocks and he also likes climbing on his play skull that david got to decorate his tank.
along with toothless-how to train a dragon is such an incredible movie and has quickly won first place in my heart. david surprised me earlier this week with a date night to get sushi dragon roll followed by how to train your dragon-he knows me too well :)
i just about died because i accidentally x-ed out of the blog but thank you draft saving!! phew!
in rexburg, there are 3 buses-2 taco buses, and one glorious japanese bus which will soon move locations to the hogi yogi down by the hart-well...it's seriously the best food ever-i was craving meat and so david surprised me with this 5 dollar box of goodness...i ate till i felt like i was going to puke then put the rest of the food in 4 Tupperware containers...4 OF THEM!!! there was SO MUCH FOOD but it was so good...i had the left overs for the following breakfast, lunch and dinner-talk about getting your money's worth!! i mentioned to david that we could save so much money by just buying these every week...it's like 3 days worth of food for 10 dollars for the both of us.
also, in the summer there's a small farmer's market between taco bell and the catholic chapel-it's divine...we got some roasted corn with chili on it and mmmm perfect for a nice summer's evening! needless to say, we'll be back for more corn and fudge!!! along with david and i, laura and our friend andy came with us-it's always a party with andy...and he too is a frequent competitor in our 5 crown games.
well i know that there is so much more-but i'm finally getting tired! david and i ended up taking an unexpected nap from 5-7:30 on the couch today. much needed, but because of it i am not tired AT ALL. i hate not being able to sleep because tomorrow's going to be rough!
this weekend david and i are getting our engagements done by his fantastic cousin wendy! we're so excited and know it's going to be so great!!! also, we're staying with his grandparents and they are always a party-we're going to try and introduce 5 crowns to them to see if we can get them addicted as well. nothing brings families together like card games! :D david's just excited to have a rematch of the price is right on the Wii with grandpa gailey.
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