Fall means FATE

The joys of being young and single..... lots of unknown and nothing set in stone. Although it can have its benefits of being spontaneous and fun, often times it can be scary. But silly me I should know by now that things always work out how they should. This fall has been no different.

At the end of the summer my living situation had fell through last minute and I wasn't sure where I would be living. After a couple days of apartment searching and somer arrangements I moved to Logan Landing with 4 girls I knew from growing up, work, and mutual friends. Together, us 5 have made the best match... it has been more fun than I could have ever imagined. I live with 4 amazing, beautiful, fun, and spiritual girls. We all get along with so well even though people are surprised we have 5 in our apartment (it's only 3 bedrooms). We are all very similar, but have our different quirks and personality traits that make us mesh even more. This year has been fun so far and it's only October!!!

So to introduce my roomies....

Ashlyn and I have been neighbors since middle school. We grew up going to Young Women's together  and have stayed good friends since. Ashlyn is definitely the life of the party and is always looking for crazy, adventurous things to do. She's a dare devil, but also one of the sweetest girls I know. Always thoughtful and genuine. She's always looking out for the "one" to make sure no one is left out. I love that about her. This pic was from on of our pool days this summer.

This cute girl I met through work. Miss Emilie and I work on the same floor at the hospital and being 22 and an RN, most people are older and married so we figured we'd stick together and what a blessing she has been in my life! Emilie is so kind and giving as well as one of the funniest people I know. We can joke and laugh for hours. We have very similar personalities and I enjoy spending time with her and her family. This was our "first day of school" pic. We didn't want to feel left out from everyone else. haha

This pic is from the annual 80's dance at USU. These wonderful ladies and I had a blast!! There is always so much fun to be had when I am with these girls! Emily and I have known each other since elementary school and have been good friends since, especially in high school when we had an interior design class together and now Emily will be graduating in interior design this year! I love how "go with the flow" Emily is. We have had so many good times and she sure says funny things that make me giggle. She keeps us all from going too crazy haha and she is absolutely beautiful inside and out!

I am so glad Jett decided to move in with us last minute. I didn't know Jett that well before she became my roomate. We met through some mutual friends getting sushi and would see each other occasionally at parties, but I never really had talked to her much. I have loved getting to know her more!! Jett is so much fun and is always happy and smiling. Everyone loves to be around her and she's always on the go! I'm grateful for the wonderful friendship that we have.

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So as the "Girls of 101," we are trying to be good and have roomate nights since we hardly ever see each other with work and school. For this month we decided to get in the Halloween spirit and carve pumpkins, pizza party, and watch scary movies! It was a success.

Excited to see what other Halloween activities are in store for this month!!!!

As Summer Fades...

WOW. Another summer come and gone. I would be lieing if I said I wasn't sad summer was over. It definitely is my favorite season. This summer was a little different for me. Lots of changes. People coming and going. Officially working full time. And most importantly stretching myself and trying new things. It's definitely been unforgettable.

Kind of backtracking, but I got to skype my brother for Mother's Day and my cousin Brooke left on her mission!! Although it is so hard to have family on what seems to be the other side of the world. I wouldn't have it any other way. Missionary work is the absolute greatest! So proud of them and their decision to serve with all their hearts. Truly grateful for my wonderful family of mine.

This summer I got to try a few things I've never done before which was super fun: Bridge boarding was one of them. A co-worker of mine Emilie who is now one of my dear friends and roommates invited me to come with her and her sister and some boys in her old student ward to go try out what they called "bridge boarding" (Idaho boys are sure creative!) So we went down on the island and tied up a wake boarding rope and they had a surf board and we each took turns learning how to conquer the fast moving water. Not gonna lie I was pretty scared, but walked away successfully being able to ride the waves and move back and forth across the stream... with just a few cuts and bruises ;) We had so much fun and the boys were pretty much pro and great teachers! It's too bad no one's allowed to do it anymore... cops always ruin the fun haha

Every year for my birthday I spend the day at Bear Lake and this year was no different. We took a girls trip up to the lake and this year learned how to paddle board and ride kayaks and all that fun stuff! We managed to fit 4 girls in a 2 maybe 3 person kayak and had fun on the paddle boards and only fell a few times... haha we had a blast!

I went on a few hikes this summer. Both firsts for me; the Crimson trail and the Wellsvilles (yes to the very top of the Wellsville Mountains) Pretty impressive for me since I'm not a huge hiker. The views were spectacular though and I somehow managed not to die even though both of the hikes we ended up coming down in the dark. One thing that was super cool is that I watched the fourth of July fireworks from the top of the Wellsvilles. A lot of people can't say they've done that so it's pretty cool and was a great opportunity!

Another first and very exciting part of my summer was my girl's trip to NYC and DC!!! It was a trip of a lifettime. We literally ran all day every day to see everything that we possibly could for 8 days and loved every moment of it! Between national monuments and memorials to broadway shows, museums, site seeing.... it was absolutely incredible! Not to mention the fact I surprised my old roomate and one of my best friends Hailey who was serving her mission at the DC temple and I happened to show up and see her just a few days before she returned home. It was priceless. I actually ended up running into a couple other people from home back east as well, which was a total surprise and so much fun! Someday I hope I can go back... until then it's time to plan my next adventure... :)

Finally some of my last "firsts" this summer included riding the redneck waterslide in Wellsville, attending the Utah art's festival, watching the Brigham City fireworks, swam in the Midway Crater, and overall just had fun trying to fit in as many fun things as possible and as work would allow!

YEAH I'D SAY IT WAS A PRETTY SUCCESSFUL SUMMER :) GOODBYE SUMMER 2013

Time for an Update

Today I am feeling so refreshed and happy!! I know it is because I was finally able to go to church yesterday after not being able to go for 2 weeks. Going to church is something I think I sometimes take for granted. Nurses never get days off..... weekends, nights, holidays.... there will always be sick people and that was something I knew I would have to face going into the career I chose. I have been very fortunate to not have to work a lot of weekends, but somehow this month I was scheduled 3 Sundays in a row.... and man did I notice how not being able to go to church affected my mood and spirit.

The other day the week had just caught up to me with working overtime, no sleep, and having to move. I lucked out and was able to just be on call Sunday so I was fortunate enough to get to go to church. I'm so grateful for the spirit that filled my soul and the opportunity to partake of the sacrament. My testimony has been strengthened so much and I know without a doubt that God is mindful of me and my needs.

As I was having some heart to heart conversation last night with some friends something struck me that my friend mentioned. At times we struggle with letting go of people or things because it is something that is familiar and comfortable for us. We tend to overlook the bigger picture and spend too much time focusing on things that really don't matter in the long run. Lately I've been thinking a lot about my faith and how my actions are a reflection of what I truly believe. Life can be a bit overwhelming at times with many wonderful opportunities and not knowing which path to take. It is so so important to remember our divine worth and that God will literally take our hand and lead us to where He needs us. That brings so much strength and comfort to me and I know He has our best interests in mind.

With that being said, my heart is so full of gratitude today as it is missionary Monday and I've gotten so many emails from such valiant servants of our Heavenly Father! I'm so grateful for such wonderful friends and family. They are truly such blessings in my life. I cannot wait for Mother's day and to be able to skype with my brother!!! I miss my wingman and best friend, but he is having so much fun and I am so proud of him!!

So I have officially been graduated for a year now from college!! So so crazy. That year flew by. I am still amazed at how far I have come. A year ago I didn't know where I would be living and if I would be able to find a job. I'm now working in Logan, have a wonderful job in the hospital, and am working hard to move up to a full time position. Right now I am just PRN (as needed) nurse, but I work 2-3 shifts a week and sometimes am even the charge nurse if I work on the floor by myself. I still feel way too young to have a "grown-up" job so I try hard every day to prove that I earned the spot that I have and am competent to be working with other doctors and nurses. I get to do so many cool things and the job I have gives me experience in a lot of different areas.

I just moved from the townhouse I was living at to a three-plex on 200 east right by the mall with one of my old roomies Katie and we moved in with a couple other girls. It's super nice and we like it so far! It was very last minute, but it'll be fun to stay in Logan for the summer.

SUMMER is finally here!!!! Some things I'm looking forward to are Bear Lake trips, hiking, softball, fireworks, bonfires, snow cones, Seven Peaks and City Creek, NYC/DC trip, camping, parties with friends and family, turning 22, Sister Wankier coming home, and so much more!! This summer should be a good one.

Lately people think I do nothing but travel, but I tell people I just make good use of my days off :) Over the past month or so I took a couple trips to St. George; one with the roomies, and one with Katie and my family. Then I went to Park City with Kylie, Whit, and Megan for a little graduation party to celebrate them graduating with their Bachelor's in Nursing. They were all a lot of fun and it was always hard to go back to work haha.

Well that's all I can think of right now! I'll post some pics :)

Keep it real xoxo

Hawaii Part Two

Our second day in paradise we spent traveling around the island, primarily visiting all the beaches on the north side of the island. We rented a car and off we went!!! We stopped at about 4-5 beaches. Some of my favorites were Kailua, Sunset, and Turtle Bay. Each were all beautiful in their own way and we had so much fun exploring the island! We stopped at this beautiful park for lunch and also went to the Macadamia Nut Farm. DELICIOUS!!!!! We became pro's at sample tasting :):) On our way back we had a chance to drive by the gorgeous Laie Temple and stopped at a cute pizza shop for dinner in a small town on the north shore. It was a ton of driving and we were exhausted from all the traveling that day, but it was so worth it! Grateful we had Libbi as our tour guide ;)

I LOVED the mountains!!! They were so green.

Kailua Beach with Niki

Libbi and I

YUMMY!!!

Turtle Bay

Sunset Beach

Loved the Turtles!!! They were huge.

HAWAIIN SUNSETS <3

Laie, HI Temple