I am so horrible at this blog stuff

I have to admit that I get on here more often to look at everyone else's blogs and I spend so much time reading other blogs that once I think about what I should write then I realize I have homework to do.

This semester we have actually has Fall weather instead of it going from Summer right to Winter.  I have loved the Fall weather.

I took this while at the park with our dogs.  This is Eagle Park and it is our new favorite spot.

We have been really luck this semester by being able to take Organic Chemistry together.  I don't think I would have survived it thus far without having my husband there.  It is always great to be able to bounce ideas off each other of what we learned in lecture and lab.

It is time for me to be off to do homework and make something for dinner.  Till next time.

Memories I want to keep/share

This summer has been quite the summer to remember.  These are just a couple pictures I wanted to put up because they are so adorable and capture the personalities of each of our pups.  Olivia is such a wonderful dog.  She is 100% daddy's girl and a true princess to him.  Belle loves her ball and holds nothing more dear to her little puppy heart.  Indie is a total mama's boy and loves his snuggles (In this particular picture of him I caught him snuggle tight between the pillows after a few long hours of a thunder and lightening storm.  His poor little anxiety attack during the storm just made him so tired that night.). These are our pictures and our memories.

Our Dogs doing what they do best!

A little note to self...

We are so in need of a break from school.  This semester has been one that we will gladly leave behind and start anew.

The Lord gives us trials and blessings, we all know this.  Most of the time I like to "endure" the blessings, but most of the time I do not endure the trials as well as I do the blessings.  Today a thought came to my head that I had heard before but never really applied to myself personally.  The thought was: when trials come in to my life I should pray to have the strength to get through them and to be able to have patience and faith through it because it will happen anyways.  What I have done in the past with trials, is probably typical of most people, and that was to ask why trials were happening and to have an attitude of "whining" while in prayer.  Instead of asking to become a better person through the trial experience I would ask to just let it pass so I wouldn't have to suffer.  I realized a long time ago that trials are going to come no matter what, so now my goal is to pray to be able to have strength to endure what may come my way.

On a little lighter note, the past three or four weeks I have had tests literally every week and sometimes twice a week like this past week.  Well, today I am feeling like I have a little bit of a breath between tests.  I just finished one big one and now will start study for the next big one for next weekend.  In my little bit of a breath I am on one of my favorite website, Shabby Apple, and found these two cute dresses.  I am day dreaming of a day when I can afford these... and by that time I bet there will be something new that I will desire to have.  Click here and here to see what I am day dreaming about right now (before I start back in with my chemistry studying... Redox reactions... oh how I do not love thee.)

Well I hope all is well out in the world for you!

Have a wonderful day!

Opinion time...

I want to start out by saying, starting a family is such a personal thing and should be discussed between a couple as to the details of when to start having kids and all that it entails.  So with that being said here is a perspective from a young Latter-Day Saint married woman who lives in a town full of Mormons (actively reproducing).

There are so many people up here in Rexburg who are having babies or planning on it.  I can't even count how many young married people (maybe even some who have just been married a week) are in this time of life where raising kids or desiring to have a family is so prominent.  I have learned to be happy for those people and to wish them luck on their journey of being parents.  I have also learned that I can support them by doing different things since I do not have kids yet.  I am totally fine with holding someone's kid for a minute while they fill out paperwork or need to deal with their other child's tantrum.  I can help them (well the moms in this specific case) by organizing a girls' night so that they can give themselves a little break from being a mom and refill their own cup so that they feel good about themselves.  The list goes on and on .

On the other hand, there are women up here, like me, who have (and I don't want this to sound mean at all, but it may come out that way so sorry if you feel offended) a different goal.  Not that we don't want to become a mom some day, but we would rather focus on our education so that we can be a better person for ourselves and later on for our children.  I, right now, am taking 14 credits of hard classes.  I have a goal in mind of getting in to dental school.  I want to do this for myself and for my future family.  I love that someday I will be able to be a good example to my kids of hard work and dedication.  I feel like becoming the best that I know I can be will make me a better mom in the end.  (Getting off soap box now).

You know how they say that your actions speak louder than your words.  Well it applies to your facial expressions as well.  When I tell some people up here that I want to get in to dental school (side note: I am one out of two girls in my pre-dental society up here on campus) their face just drops and after they pick their chin up they try to hide that it happened.  Or something even better they do is give a fake smile and node their head... like I don't see the under tone of that expression.  I can see that the immediate question in mind is, "but what about kids?".  I just want to tell them that it is non of their dang business and walk away.  But I, instead, go on to tell them all the wonderful goals and dreams that I can do with a career in dentistry and how my husband and I can later serve a mission with what we learn from our careers.  I think it is wonderful, and I am ok with them having their own opinion about how they think I should be living my life... they can keep it to themselves.

I guess my point is that I am tired of people around here being so fake about supporting women who have goals other than just being a mom.  Don't get me wrong, I love that some women are so good at being a mom and that they find such pride and joy in it.  (I follow Stephanie Neilson's blog at: http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ and love that she can find such joy in being a mom.  I am so proud of her for accomplishing all that she has in her life)  I have a small group of friends up here for this reason, they support me, lift me up, and keep me going.  They are my honest cheerleaders who really do want me to succeed at my goals.  I wish more people could understand that not everyone can be the best parent they can by just defining themselves as a mom or dad.  I know that when I become a parent that that calling will become one of the best ones and a top priority... until then I am going to focus on making myself a better me so that in the future my kids will thank both me and my husband for doing just that.

Being happy...

Being happy with where you are in life is a tough thing to do.  I am such a sunshine loving California girl who loves the beach and laying out in the sun.  Don't get me wrong, I am learning a lot during our stay here in Idaho as students, but I think we are both very ready to move on.  We want to feel the warm sunshine and not have to worry about bringing the snow clothes out when the seasons change.  I found a quote while searching the internet, it says, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."  The website I found it on gives credit to Abraham Lincoln for saying that.  So, I am trying to make up my mind to do the best I can with the circumstances I find myself in (ie attending school with freezing temperatures going on outside).

My husband is a wonderful support to me during this time and I can't give him enough credit for everything he has done so that I can focus on school to get good grades so that I can get in to dental school.  We still have lots of planning ahead, but I am confident that we can to it together as a team.  

Love him!

Oh what the new year brings

Well, mother nature is up to her normal things here in Idaho.  We are living in weather that seems to be barely livable in.  It is a new normal for us to not even have it reach 20 degrees F.  Usually we don't even hit 0 degrees F to be more realistic.  There is more snow this winter so far than last winter and it is definitely colder.  We have had it get as cold as -18 degrees F... and the other day when I took our dogs out to play a little my boogers froze for the first time ever... that hurts!!!

This year we are hoping to get out of this igloo and go to somewhere warmer.  We are hoping to be leaving Idaho sometime this year... cross our fingers.  We watch the Travel channel on TV and just dream of warmth and oceans and tanning on the beach.  We have seen, on that same channel, some beautiful hotels that we feel as though one should be worthy of staying in (for free) if they live in Idaho weather for a certain amount of time.

Another random thought, here at school they started using something different to melt the ice all over.  Well, that stuff was being tracked in by everyone and creating a greasy/slippery floor for everyone to slip-n-slide on... or just fall not-so-gracefully.  I did the later and just about broke my arm/elbow.  It was just horrible.  I have never had to wear a sling before and it was just horrible getting around campus with one working arm.  Taking notes wasn't even the hard part(since it was my right arm that I write with that got hurt), it was the lack of understanding from people around campus.  I would push the automatic door opener so that I could walk through and then everyone and their brother would walk right through it not allowing me, the one whole really needed it to be open for, to get through.  What in the world!?  Sorry, stepping off the stool.  Anyways, I thankfully don't have to wear the sling anymore, but have to be super careful how I place it on tables and such since there is really bad bruising and sensitivity to it still.  By the way, they didn't get the picture to change their ice melting stuff till three days later after more than 15 people had fallen where I fell... smart university (can you hear the sarcasm)

This past December I had my first white Christmas... and the snow hasn't left.  I am done with it, but apparently it is not done with us because we have over a foot of it now just sitting all over the place.

Speaking of Christmas we had a wonderful one down in Salt Lake.  We were able to spend lots of time with  family.  We went to Temple Square and saw the lights there, that was the first time I had seen them and so that was fun for me.  Christmas is my favorite season, not because of the presents, but the extra love that I feel from people.  I have some across some really nice people and some not so nice, but during Christmas I seem to meet a lot more nice people than grumpy people.  It is a nice thing.  To me it isn't about the amount of gifts, but celebrating the gift given to us and that is our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Well, I hope the new year is treating everyone well and that you are still reaching for your goals that you set. I know I am!