Mama Baby Haiti

In November, my mom and I have a trip to Haiti planned. We are going with an organization called Mama Baby Haiti http://www.mamababyhaiti.org/. My mom will be delivering babies and I will be working with the newborns and in the orphanage with the other children. I am so excited for this opportunity. The people of Haiti have suffered tragedies that most of us can not even imagine, I know I can't. 12% of all babies die before their first birthday. One third of all children die before their fifth birthday. One in 71 women die in pregnancy or childbirth. These are the worst pregnancy and birth statistics in the western hemisphere. The program I am volunteering with has a clinic there that is in desperate need of supplies and volunteers. They are trying to change the birth rate in Haiti, one baby at a time, and I want to help them do this however I can. I would love you support and donations. All the much needed donations will go to buying supplies for the clinic and our travel fees. Please at least check out our page http://www.gofundme.com/zzhzw

Here's a video for you as well!
Thank you so much! I hope you all are having a wonderful day, and leaving everyone you meet, a little better than you found them!

The day they pulled my teeth out

Oh hello everyone.

So this last weekend, I had my wisdom teeth taken out. Before you make a face that shows how painful you think it was for me, let me tell you, it wasn't too bad at all...of course that probably had something to do with the drugs I was on, and that I only needed my bottom teeth out. So I drove down to Brigham City and had them taken out at 9am. I had taken some Valium, which I have never taken before and that was all I needed, I didn't even have Nitrous. All of the sudden it was over, I didn't even swell up to bad, and I hardly bled very much at all either. I was also blessed with no bruising. Then basically I spent my weekend at my dear aunt Penny's house where I alternated between sleeping, taking drugs, and sleeping, with some occasional TV watching and cold food in there. Then all of the sudden it was Monday and I had to come home. I basically spent my week doing the same thing I did during the weekend, except I stopped taking as many drugs, and am happy to say that I am no longer taking anything except for Advil everyone once in awhile if my mouth really starts hurting (usually after sleeping). Because I spent my week sleeping though, I got pretty far behind in classes, not to worry though, I was responsible and talked to my teachers about it, and I am in the process of making up the truck-load of homework, and the three tests I missed. So that was my week last week, I basically was dead and then came back to life.

Well I am wishing you all well, hopefully you all have a better week than I have in front of me (making up everything I missed on top of this weeks work)

Have a lovely day! :D

The Land of the Mormons

So the last weekend of March, me and a couple of my roommates went down to Fruit Heights, Utah. While down there I did some of the best things I have ever done in my whole LIFE! So I'll take you through the weekend one major event at a time. First off, we stayed and Shannon's parent's house. They were basically pretty awesome and I kind of adopted them as my own. So we got there on Thursday nights, and that night we went and saw THE HUNGER GAMES at midnight....Let me just tell you that it blew my freakin' mind hole. I cried, I laughed, I peed. I mean a movie has to be really good to make you piddle in your pants. Not to mention the fact that we made basically amazing shirts. They made the whole experience way better! so that was the first night.

at the movie!

One the next day, Friday, we didn't really have any plans, so I got to see some people that I haven't seen in awhile. My little cousin Roxy, the daughter of my late Uncle Doug. I miss her. She's already 12 and in young women's and it's crazy, I remember when she was born!
I also was able to see my Aunt Penny. I love her to pieces. We went and got our nails done and had some much needed girl time. I miss her like crazy. So it was awesome to see her.

Then I just went to Salt Lake and did some window shopping and hung out with the roommates and walked around the exquisite Temple Square. It's extremely hard to not feel the spirit when you are there. On our way home that night we may have gotten a little confused about the transits and how to get home...did I mention that Shannon wasn't there, and the three of us had no idea how to get around Salt Lake...sooo that caused a little delay, but then we figured it all out and arrived back at Shannon's safe and sound.


Now, on to Saturday. Basically I became Hindi for the day and went and celebrated The Festival of the Colors. This is basically a Hindi tradition celebrating the God of Spring...Holi. The ironic thing is that probably %80 of the people there are Mormon. So we aren't really celebrating another god we're just having funny and listening to some live music and of course, throwing colors at everyone in sight, and getting completely dirty. It was so fun! Almost as fun as blowing out a rainbow of boogies the week following. Anyway, here are some of the pictures :)

So basically, it was a really good weekend, and I give Shannon props for coming up with it. It was a much needed stress relief the week before finals, and it was just a blast :) I love these girls.

Burrrthdayyyy

So I'm pretty far behind on my blog...my bad, life has been busy as ya'll will know when I catch you up on the last month in my next few posts.

Anyway, back to the birthday...It was a tiny bit bad but then really good. It was kinda sad being away from home on my birthday for the first time....well EVER! But my wonderful roommates did everything to make it awesome, the bought me the one thing I have wanted for like my entire life....a giraffe pillow pet! Yeah, I know...AMAZING right? Everyone should be incredibly jealous. I also received a package from a good family friend and from grandma with some yummy food and some lovely pj's. Let me tell you, there is nothing as wonderful as pajamas handmade with love by grandma. My friend Felicity came up from Provo to visit as well and that was awesome because not only have I not seen her in basically forever but she also brought me a lovely present. I missed her so much it was really fun to see her and relive my younger teenager years with my childhood friend. :) And then, my beautiful and thoughtful friend Alyssa gave me a present with several parts, that all had their own meaning. You could tell she really put the time and effort into it for me and I love her for it :) My mother also asked our good family friend from home to make me only the greatest meal in the world and also my traditional birthday meal...CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE....mmmmmm tasty...(yea I stole that from quiznos) but it was delicious and it made me feel like I had a little piece of home with me and it warmed my heart <3 And when I came home for spring break (we'll get to that later) my best friend, and soulmate (in a not weird way...mom) HANNUHHHH gave me a little giraffe jewelry box thing that is super cute, and now decorates my apartment :) Anyway, needless to say, I started the 19th anniversary of the day of my birth feeling a little sad and depressed that I couldn't be the one place I wanted to be, but all the wonderful people in my life made the day wonderful and I would just like them all to know how much I appreciate it and love them for it :) so THANKS GUYS!! You are all the best and I love you.

Wishing you all the best of days!

I call these people family....

So basically I have a really awesome Family Home Evening group and I love them all and all the weirdness and awesomeness that they bring to the table. Sometimes we do nothing spectacular for FHE and then sometimes we have nights like this....

THE WHIPPED CREAM GAME

 Holly could not figure out how to get the whipped cream off her hand, she kept trying and trying and it wouldn't move, so when she finally figured it out we all were so excited!

Mitch took a little more than he could handle. :)

 Shannon, Holly, and Chelsie were suppose to flip their whipped cream so the person on their right could catch it....it turned out kinda like this...



Chelsie had it all over her face. It was all over Shannon. And Holly walked away fairly unscathed.

Of course the fun did not stop there, we followed up this game with......

THE OREO GAME

 Here we have Bear and Mitch our pioneers, they went first. I like Bear's little dance move (right).

Then we had Holly challenge Chelsie, but Chelsie is a big fat cheater and so that didn't really work out as planned either.

But finally, on her first try, we got our champion....the one the only SHANNON ANDERSON! She just slid that oreo right down to her mouth with easy, just like it was nothin.

And that Ladies and Gentleman is how we do Monday nights here in Rexburg, Idaho. I know you are all jealous you don't get to be part of it.

"My brain is Bleeding"

So to just to clarify, my brain is not bleeding, but we will get to that part later.
First we have to start from the beginning. It was late one Friday night about a week ago when it happened. I slipped and smacked my head on the cement, I'm pretty sure it was so bad I got whiplash and hit my head a second time. But I can't quite be sure cause I passed out for about 7 seconds, though it felt a little more like 7 years to me. Basically I hit my head real hard. I then proceeded to go home because being from the family I am from I was not about to go to the Doctor for a little concussion (at this point it was pretty obvious I had a concussion).
That may not have been the wisest decision however because over the next couple of days my head would not stop hurting. Soooo finally I decided I didn't want to happen upon dying, (that would really have ruined my week) so I went to the doctor, he pretty much freaked me out and then sent me to get CT scans the following day. Throughout that night and the next day before my scan I kept using the excuse "my brain is bleeding" for everything, and then my roommates started using it too because they said, "we are feeling sympathy pain for you". This time period may have been the funniest time of my week, it's not all so clear, but the jist of it was me acting like a drunk fool, It was only because my brain was bleeding! The CT scan was completely fine, my brain is not bleeding, however I received a severe concussion. But I am not dying and actually I am pretty sure at this moment my brain is basically healed.
The doctor did give me some really good advice though, he said, "I would recommend you not get another concussion between now and....ever....". In my head I replied, "Oh why thanks Doc, I was planning on going outside and hitting my head against the cement again, I rather enjoyed that feeling...." Our dear friend Karma did not find that sassy response amusing though because when leaving the Doc's I almost went down again, and would have for sure if my roommate Shannon didn't catch me. Thanks Shan!
Anyway, moral to the story, don't hit my head between now and ever, because the week and a half to follow is more or less no bueno.

Have a lovely week and safe walking and running to all of you!

Honey I'm Home...

So this last week, (presidents day weekend) I went home and surprised my family. They had no idea I was coming and I think it blew their minds. I have been planning this surprise visit for over a month and it took all my self control to not tell my mom every time we were on the phone. But her reaction made it totally worth it :)

It was a 12 hour drive straight through the night. I left from Rexburg on Thursday around 5pm and arrived in Tacoma on Friday around 5am. Let me tell you it was wonnnnderrrfulll.....or something. Needless to say by the time I arrived at my house I was not only super excited to see my family but also just really excited to not be in the car anymore.

Once I got home, I had everything planned out. I still had my keys so I was just going to walk in and be like "hhheeeyyyy" but seeing as how I was getting there at 5 in the morning that wasn't really going to work out. So I just decided to crash at a friends and then catch a ride home at a more reasonable time. That wonderful friend and my lovely picture-taker was Hannah Anstine

  

So when I did finally get home, my littlest brothers Calvin and Finner, didn't really know what was going on they were a little confused, as you can see by their faces. And Papa Barry was just a little confused as well, but he adjusted much quicker then the others.







Some of the responses from my other siblings were quite funny as well. I picked Kohl up from school and when he got into the car he looked at me and said, "What are you doing here?" Which if you know Kohl this is exactly what I expected him to say. When I picked Payson up he said, "Did you fail school?" No, Payson I did not fail school, but thanks. Haha.

So to say the least it was an eventful weekend, with lots of fun and catching up. I missed my family like crazy and surprising them was priceless, even though it was a 12hr drive there. I hope they know how much I miss them when I'm not there and how much I love them all the time!

The places I go

So there are times in my life where I like to get real dressed up and go out. In fact, these times happen so regularly I have started documenting them.

Just going to class

I work out! no big deal

with the snuggie

Just going to the movies

Just going to a friends

the perfect day

Do you ever have those weeks that just need to end? Well that was my week this week. It wasn't bad for any particular reason, but it was just not a lovely week. But here's the thing, I am pretty sure that God knew that and decided to cut me a break, cause today was the perfect day.

It went a little like this:

• I got to sleep in because class was canceled.
• I found the perfect outfit to wear that made me feel super cute all day.
• I found the perfect song to go with my day.
• The sun is shining (believe me that is a miracle in itself)
• It's Friday.

Doesn't seem like much right? Well it isn't but it made the day a perfect day. I even have a test today, but I'm not even worried because I am feeling confident (thanks to my outfit) well rested (thanks to my extra two hours of sleep) and I am feeling happy (thanks to the sun and the good music). And after I take this test, well it's Friday, let the party begin.

But these things have taught me two little lessons.

Lesson One: It's all about your attitude. I mean I knew this already, it's what every mom tells their children everyday. But today it was more relevant then before. Your attitude about your day will make or break your day. It's all up to you.

Lesson Two: God listens to our prayers and wont make us handle more than we can. See my week had been one thing on top of another and I think that God knew if anything else went wrong I might crawl into a hole and never come out. So thankfully he was merciful and sent a good day my way. 

I hope you all are having perfect days too, and if your not, say some prayers, and change your attitude :)

The College Liiiife

Well it has officially been a month since I started at BYU Idaho....WOOooo....I am pleased to say I am still alive and breathing. I would call that a success. But in reality it isn't the worst thing I have ever endured. My classes are pretty great, thanks to my tutors, one for math, one for anatomy. I have a pretty loaded schedule though so check back on me in a month, I may not be living and breathing. But on the real, I was truly blessed with some awesome roommates.

Oh and that's the kitchen

Shannnnnnnooooonnnnnnn
This girl is great, she is from the great big, awful state of Utah! This is her second semester. She and I kinda clicked right away. Had some good times, 80's party, dance party, shopping adventures, ya know the works. :) I'm glad to know her pretty self! She is so popular! She has soooo many friends and is never here, and we all feel so alone without her. But she is somehow always there to let everyone in when we forget our keys.....thanks Shannon. :)

BEAR, grrrrrrrr
What do I say about Bear...for starters, yes her name is Bear, as in the Grizzly. She is always the life of that party. She is a fantastic singer and well quite frankly she hates children....just saying. But really it's hard to stop laughing with Bear around. Oh and she makes theee most delicious Banana Cupcakes, that taste much better than they sound don't worry. Also she makes theee best faces... :) LOVE HER!
I mean look at this pretty face! :)
Note: Please don't feed the bear....lol




Kathryn
This is my room roommate and she has to deal with me all the time, but I think she likes me, at least a little bit ;) She is great, even though she could probably sleep through a semi-truck driving over her head....aka her alarm wakes me up instead of her, which I should probably be grateful for since my own alarm doesn't wake me up in the morning...anyway...Kathryn, she's a vegan....and NO there is nothing wrong with that, even though I personally love meat, and dairy...but I love this chica and I am glad she puts up with me. She also cleans everything all the time and does all the chores and is indispensable to our apartment. I LOVE HEERRRR


Hoollllllyy well and Kevin (though he is not a roommate)
Holly, what to say about her crazy self, where for starters, she is engaged to this guy, Kevin. That's all on him. Holly is crazy and we like to pull our pants up to our belly buttons and walk around. We like to laugh. I don't really know why we have so much fun together but we do. We do 90's workout videos together and have a great time. AND! We have set up an arranged marriage for her niece and my brother Calvin. :) True Love! Just like her and Kevin who are going to live HAPPILY EVER AFTER.


Chelsie

There is Bear in the background :)

Um she never showers, and she always stinks, but somehow she thinks I still want her to sit by me all the time....but I don't. Just kidding I love her so much I would sell my big toe for her. She never cleans her room and she always likes to ditch us and hang out in her room and do homework...what a good student! :) She is writing a missionary, Sam, he is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Basically they are super cute together and are gonna get married and blah blah blah. We have Taco Tuesdays... we go to taco bell after our 3hr anatomy class. She is great and I love her and she is a first semester baby like me :) Wooo. But I really would appreciate it if she showered more.. ;)



Some other significant people:
MORGAN: He is a boy we don't know but Chelsie has a picture of, she stole it... He provides our apartment with a lot of peace. He also looks like he is off the Brady Bunch...nbd.
THOMAS: He is Bear's friend. How to describe Thomas, super tall, super skinny, ginger. I know what you have heard about gingers, and generally I would agree, but for some reason unknown to us this kid is different. We all love him for absolutely no reason. We like to yell out his name and talk about how we are going to marry him and we hope he will propose. (We're kidding, he is a ginger, jeez) (Also by we, I mean Chelsie and I, no one else really thinks it is as funny as we do)




Disclaimer: I am only kidding about my ginger remarks...I am not entirely afraid of for my life when I see one, and I only sometimes run in the other direction...so if I have offended you...well, GET OVER IT! Have a nice day.