Steamboat Hill

In honor of not being able to go to Alaska this summer, I feel the need to share a story with you that only family members and friends...as well as many of my tour groups in Alaska...have heard and it's epic. It may not be as huge as my hubby and I's story, but it's one of my favorite memories from Alaska.

It all starts with one of my favorite people, Shelby. She was accompanying me to Alaska on my 2014 adventure. The way we travel to Alaska when we drive is up through Canada on the Alaskan Highway, also known as the Alcan. It's a very long, very tedious drive...however, it is also GORGEOUS and incredible. I definitely plan on driving along it again in the future. And I think that you all should do it at some point as well...or at least go to Alaska. You won't regret it.

ANYWAYS! I'm getting distracted.

 So Shelby and I were driving along and having a great time. Our first night we made it to Edmonton and stayed at a friend's home (thank you, thank you!). As we got up to travel the next morning, it was beautiful. Our second stop was planned to be in Fort Nelson that evening and we were making great time. As we got closer to this town, it started to snow. (Don't freak out yet...) As we pulled into Super 8 to get a room it was coming down pretty hard and we hoped that it would stop before the morning and the roads would be plowed quickly. We enjoyed our night and got up bright and early for our drive to Whitehorse. THERE WAS SOOO MUCH SNOW! Holy cow. So much. However, I know how to drive in snowy conditions, so I wasn't afraid to get going. We got a few mile out of town and it started to snow again. Nothing too crazy, but it was making it a little foggy. Out of nowhere we could suddenly see this black line that literally went straight up to heaven. I glanced over at Shelby and told her that I really hoped that was not the road. So much for hope. Talking myself through it out loud to my awesome passenger I stated that as long as we kept a steady momentum and took it easy, we would make is up this hill just fine.

Lucky for us there was a huge semi partway up this hill that forced us to come to a complete stop. (Remember, it was too foggy for me to safely just pass him.) Well, after we came to that nice stop, my little car decided that it did not have the horsepower to go forward anymore. Throwing on my hazards I slowly started to reverse down this hill...in the fog...in the snow...very slowly. After going a short distance I would stop and try to get some forward motion, which failed multiple times. Finally we made it to an almost flat pull-out, and were able to flip my little Toyota Camry right around and head back to the Super 8...I'm pretty sure it wasn't past 8 am yet. Depressed, we spent the day in a town that I'm positive is only 2 miles long, has no entertainment, and has a Boston Pizza place and an A&W. :( Commence the longest day ever.

For dinner we decided to go to A&W. While there, the manager asked what we were up to traveling the Alcan, so we told him about HAP and our little adventure that morning. He proceeded to tell us that hill was referred to as Steamboat Hill and had the steepest grade throughout the Alcan. (Great.) Also, the roads hadn't been plowed forever because they hadn't had snow in months and had changed all their plows for road cleaners. (Double great.) So he wouldn't be surprised if we were stuck here for a few days. :'(

We were determined to leave the next morning. As we were checking out, the supervisor said she wouldn't be worried if she were us because we have snow tires. After a quick glance at Shelby, obviously displaying the fact that I definitely did not have snow tires, she said she wouldn't be going anywhere if she were us. However, she printed out a weather report to let us know where we would hit clear areas, and we were on our way.

As we start to get close to this Steamboat Hill, Shelby kept saying that we should just turn around now. However, we had said a prayer and I was determined to give it a valiant effort. Now, driving on snowy roads always gives me a knotted stomach...no matter how safe I know I am. So after reassuring Shelby that I would turn around if I got nervous at all, I said another prayer. I was very specific in this little plea...I asked that if we should turn around I needed a bigger sign than a knotted stomach. If it was the right choice, would you please send us a moose that we can see. If I see a moose, I won't ask any questions and I'll turn right around. After my amen, I told this to Shelby and she instantly looked out the window and said, "Here moose!" Haha, at least we got a laugh! :)

As we started up this hill we had some music plugged in and I kept it pretty low so I could focus. However, a song by Jason Mraz came on called, I Won't Give Up. I was quick to turn it up and adapt it to our needs, and Shelby was quick to join. "I won't give up on you" was turned into "I won't give up on this mountain, even if the snow keeps on falling." We belted it out and just kept hitting repeat! It helped us to stay calm, keep a light heart, and have some fun. And guess what? We made it to the top of that hill! Yay!! And after this uphill...was a downhill! Double yay!! As soon as we made it down the other side I turned to Shelby and said, "Well, there's no turning back now, because there is no way we're making it back up that." She laughed, but I'm not so sure it was genuine. :)

After a few hours we cleared any snow and it was a beautiful drive again. We made it to Whitehorse without any issues. We waited until we were safely in our hotel room to tell our parents anything that had happened that morning. Needless to say, our mothers freaked out! The next morning we headed to Fairbanks. We were about 4 hours out, and guess what we saw? A moose. Two of them actually. I asked Shelby if she wanted to turn around now, but she didn't find much humor in that one either. :)

I'm so glad she came to Alaska with me that year! She was so fun to have an adventure with and room with. And she's going back this year! I'm a tad bit jealous, but I couldn't be happier for her. She's going to have a blast, and I'm pretty sure she's flying this year. :)

I Can Do Anything Revisited

Some of you probably though I had given up on this blog. Honestly. I had lost my inspiration. I kept coming here and starting to click that new post button and write my heart out, but nothing would come. Especially after I told you about my hubby-- I didn't know how to compete! However, I was hit with with a thought as I was emailing Elder Dennis Squared.

Fist off, Elder Dennis Squared are my two brothers. Cameron is serving in Peru and he's got just under a year left, and Brandon is serving in the Philippines and he just left last August. Yes. I was a basket-case, but that's not the point. I am incredibly proud of them and I wouldn't want them to be in any other place. I try to email them once a week, and I'm usually pretty good about it. Most of the time I try to add a quote with it and my thoughts on it. When Cameron first went out I shared a message that I shared with Brandon once he was out. I've also shared this with you previously, but I wanted to readdress it and add some more thoughts.

 You can do anything for six months.

This was what my grandma told me when I vented to her about my struggles. And it's actually something I think about quite often, but with a little twist.

You can do anything for (insert time here). Whether that be one more minute of my workout, one more hour of my shift, one more day of the week, one more week before a break, etc. When I sent this to Elder Dennis Squared I really stressed changing the time. I know how much I struggle with going somewhere new, so I definitely can relate a little to them, but not really. I kept telling Brandon that he could do anything for a day or a month or a year (or two)! However, sometimes all we have strength for is the next minute. And after that minute is up tell yourself you can do it for one more. Before you know it, it will all be over and you won't know what hit you! So, here are my thoughts to you. Be the little engine that could...even if it's only one minute, or one second, at a time. With that attitude, anything is possible. :)

Life as a Driver.

Hello!! My name is Courtney, and I'm going to be your coach commander today!! I promise I'm big enough...I passed my license exam this morning and I need an adult with me at all times--that's why you're all here!

Welcome to the beginning of my tour (or at least a variation of it) that I gave for 4 months while I worked for Holland America-Princess Cruise Lines. Summer 2014 was when I decided to go to Alaska again and work; however, instead of working at a front desk I decided I wanted to be a driver/guide. Not a problem, right? Right! It was the best decision of my life (for many reasons, but some of those will come in another post). However, you probably noticed in my little speech at the beginning that I mentioned I was big enough to drive. For some reason all of my guests would question my ability to drive based on my size! I wonder why they thought that...

Anyway...that's not what's important. What is important is that I LOVED this job! Of course you have your normal ups and downs, but it was so much fun. I fell in love with Alaska last year, but I hadn't fallen in love with my job. This year showed me that I could love being in Alaska even more.

I would find out my schedule the day before (that was a little crazy sometimes, but you get used to it). When dispatch came out you'd know your start time, coach number, tour, and number of guests. The next day you'd come check in and go pre-trip your coach. Now here's the best part, then you got to go drive! Sometimes you'd only have 1 person with you and other times you'd have 55! Most of your guests are seniors, but they are adorable! We would always joke that now we have a couple hundred sets of grandparents to help us out.

I know this isn't a normal post that I usually do, but I just wanted everyone to know how much I loved driving and Alaska. I'm so grateful for this experience and I'm excited to hopefully go back up next year!

Our Story

When you're dating, one of the biggest questions is "how did you guys meet!?" Well, mine is a little surprising to most, but it's still the best. I met Hayden up in Alaska while we were driving tour buses, and our guests loved to hear our story. I started out by telling them just a little bit about us.

Hayden would usually be driving in front of me, and I would introduce him as my boyfriend. After the oos and ahs, I would usually get some questions. Where did you guys meet? Oh, we met up here in Fairbanks! How sweet! (By this point they already knew I was from Idaho) Will you guys be able to see each other when you go home? Actually, yes! We're from the same home town. What!? No way, did you guys know each other beforehand? Wait. You said you met up here. That's crazy!! Well, it's a little more than just crazy...there are a few more things. He graduated the year before me, I had a class from his dad in high school, and my mom works with his mom! After many shocked laughs and unbelieving comments I would go into my Alaska commentary. After the halfway pit stop, I would have some guests ask more details about how we met, and I would tell them I would go more into it when everyone was back on the bus. Once I had my head count and we were back on the road, I would ask them if they were okay to hear our story. There usually was an enthusiastic and resounding yes, so I would jump right in....

Well, Hayden and I got to know each other a little bit through training at the beginning of the season because first years are all grouped together. As we work we are required to keep track of our hours in a log book, and there's actually a law that says we cannot work over 80 hours in 8 days. At the start of the season Hayden had about 30 hours available, and he was scheduled for a day off. Now, he had come all the way to Alaska to earn money for school, and he wasn't getting as many hours as he wanted. In order to fix this he went to our boss to see if he could get a shift. She kept telling him that she would have scheduled him if she had something, but there really wasn't anything for him to do. Hayden kept telling her he would do anything--he would wash coaches, he would clean the office, etc. After much convincing, our boss finally told him that there was something he could do, but most people didn't agree to it, so there were no guarantees. Well, Hayden wanted to work so he quickly agreed. She sent him to the closet and he started to pull out a bundled mess of brown fabric. When he realized what he was looking at he was a little incredulous, "are you serious?" Our boss laughed telling him that most people said no, but it was the only thing she had that he could do.

After all, wildlife sitings were guaranteed on some runs so why wouldn't a moose suit be an option?

Questioning what he was getting into, Hayden agreed and really got the suit out of the closet ready to go. However, there was another setback. It was a two-person moose suit. Guess who happened to be walking past the office right then?

You got it, that's where I come into the picture. Hayden yelled after me and explained the whole situation. I laughed and told him no way. I was doing just fine on my hours...I did NOT need to wear a moose suit. I headed out to my car, but Hayden's persistent, so he followed me trying to convince me the whole way. Now I was kinda crushing on him, and while he was trying to convince me I thought it might be a good opportunity to get to know him better. Don't fall for that. However, I agreed and we went back to the boss. As you can imagine, since it was a two-person moose suit we needed someone to be heads and someone to be tails. (like it was even a option!) Hayden decided that flipping a coin would be the most fair agreement (again, like he even had a choice).

Luckily for him, I got heads. My boss was explaining how everything would work as she handed me a radio. We were told that we would go out into a field and wait for the coaches to come by. To make sure we were ready, the coach would radio something along the lines of, "Coach 1239 crossing Antler Creek." Guests would assume it was a checkpoint if they heard it, and we would know it was time to start acting like a moose...whatever that meant.

We got everything set and headed out to our field. Sure enough, a coach radioed and Hayden told me to start acting like a moose. Needless to say, I had no idea what I was doing.We just stood there because the whole leg thing was way more complicated than it should have been, and I acted like I was eating grass or whatever was beneath my head. Within a few minutes our lucky coach came into view and rolled to a stop. I would lift up my head and see all of these flashes going off through the windows. Apparently we were far enough away they couldn't really tell what we were. After a couple minutes the coach pulled away, and we continued the evening.

This went on for a few days, and, by the fourth day, we were doing pretty good. You might even say we were a little cocky; we had gotten the whole leg thing down and could actually move around when the coach showed up. Our evening was beginning and our coach radioed their location. Hayden and I got ready and I started 'eating.' Again, the coach stopped and the excitement was visible to us through the windows. After a while the coach was still sitting there. I relayed the information to Hayden and he asked if they were still taking pictures. No...I didn't think they were. So Hayd told me to look around to see if I could tell what was going on. I don't know if I mentioned this, but that suit was hard to see out of! However, I started to swing my head around and that was when I started freaking out.

Trying to remain calm, but I'm sure Hayden could tell my whole body was tense, I told him there was a bear across the field from us. He didn't believe me.

I quickly convinced him that there really was a bear, and he took charge. He decided that we should slowly walk away and maybe we weren't noticed. We slowly started walking while I kept checking over my shoulder. We kept up everything moose-like because we had a coach full of guests watching us. Unfortunately we were noticed and the bear was not taking the slow approach. As soon as we were both aware of a bear running towards us we decided to start running. Of course the only place we could think to run to was the coach, so we were booking it for all we were worth. A fact easily found out by anyone is that Hayden runs faster than me, so you can imagine what the guests were thinking as they saw the back of the moose accelerating past the front.

Too quickly we felt a solid mass hit right into us. I was pretty sure I was going to die, and my obituary was going to say I was killed by a bear while wearing a moose suit. On the other end, Hayden was throwing punches left and right. All of a sudden he got a really good hit in and we heard a gasp. All I could think was, wait a second. Before anything else was figured out Hayden landed another punch and we heard, "Cut it out, or you're going to get us all fired!"

That was my trainer. As we turned in the suit for good that night was asked our boss when she was going to tell us about the 'bear.' She just laughed and said it always gets the first years. However, it turned out pretty well for Hayden and I after we decided to stick to driving. I still tell him he's a pain in my butt though. :)

At least that's how we told it to the guests ;)

Needless to say we've been dating all summer and plan on dating for the rest of our lives. We came home to Idaho and met each others families and kept falling in love. I might have possibly given him a little pressure to finally just ask me, but he wouldn't give me any information. I told my friends that I was just ready to have a ring because I love Hayden, but also because I wanted to not get dressed up every night. :)

On September 28, 2014 my mom came home from a weekend trip, and we were just enjoying the evening. I hadn't heard much from Hayden that day, and I wasn't sure what he was up to. My brother and sister-in-law came over with their son and we were all chatting in the living room. After a knock on the door, Lexi jumped up to find Hayden at the door. She closed the door on him to be funny, and I went to go get him. He gave me a little hand-made book and told me to read it. I headed into the office for some privacy, but he asked me to read it in front of my family. At this point, I had no idea what was coming. Earlier that weekend Hayden had asked me if he showed me that he loved me and didn't just tell me. He does, and I figured this was him making sure he was accomplishing that. I began reading the cutest story. It was about me and how I have gotten out of my shell and moved to Alaska. It told of how we fell in love and how great he thought I was. On the second to last page I started crying because it was so heart-felt. As I finished the book it said that Hayden did what all boys do when they're in love. He asked a very important question...(Now look at Hayden).

And that's when he asked me to marry him. And that's when I said yes. :)

(And you can see that I ended up not even being dressed up...yay for sweatpants!)

Life is Like a Camera

Have you ever made a decision in your life that you regret?

I know I have.

I also know that sometimes it's hard to move on from this--or to have others not be able to forgive you for your decisions. Sometimes I feel like it would just be easier to just stop and forget everything. However, this will not help us. Life is all about moving forward--progression, new adventures, accomplishing goals, educating ourselves, experiencing emotions, and enjoying every moment. I came across this quote a few months ago and haven't been able to let it go---and obviously I haven't had enough inspiration until now to share it with you.



We are constantly taking mental pictures, and, just like a real camera, we have images we want to keep and images we would rather not see again. We can always keep those positive images and look upon them with fond memories and share them. When we have negative images we must choose to learn from our mistake and move on. This is the hardest part. We can't let our own thoughts hinder our progression; however, we also can't let others opinions of our past hinder our progression. We will always be able to 'just take another shot.'

I've shared many times that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through my church we learn of the Atonement that Jesus Christ performed in order for us to move on from our sins and be completely forgiven. I have used this saving power many times in my life, and I would like to testify to you all that it is true. Jesus Christ died for us because He loves us and wants us to have the ability to return to Him one day as a perfected being. I know that through the Atonement we can 'develop from our negatives...and take another shot.' We are not perfect, but we can become perfect through Christ.

Don't stress about past mistakes. We are meant to learn and become better people through decisions that we have made. You are worth everything; don't forget that. There is always room for more shots, and we can always look back on our positive images for motivation and great memories.

Technology Fail

In my last post I mentioned that I relied on technology too much, and it got me into trouble when my nephew was born. I figured I'd enlighten you on this little story. My nephew was due to be born on June 6, 2013. I was unable to fly home for this, so obviously my only connection was my phone.

Well, a few days before this, I was carrying around my Samsung Galaxy S2, and I had to use the restroom...yes, it's one of those stories. It was in my jacket pocket and just slipped out before I could grab it. Epic fail. Needless to say, I was frantic. I got it as dry as I possibly could and I stuck it in a bag of rice. I got onto Google and searched for what I needed to do. I used a vacuum to get out any extra water that was in there, and I was freaking out. I called my mom through the home phone and told her to keep in touch with me through Whitney's phone and we would figure things out from there. So there I was, no phone, my nephew about to be born, and I'm 2,600 miles away. I left my phone to sit in the rice for a couple nights and had no results.

Josh, my brother, texted Whitney to let me know that Reagan, my sister-in-law, was going into the hospital the night of June 5. Whitney was great, and made sure that she was near me so I could receive any and all updates.

Early on June 6 Whitney woke me up telling me Josh was on the phone. Instantly awake, I started shoving questions at him. He was freaking out; he was almost a daddy! All I could do was cry and try and calm his nerves for the big day. We hung up, and I went back to sleep for a couple hours--occasionally interrupted by updates on how Reagan was doing. When it became a decent hour I called my mom and we filled each other in on our morning. FYI, my mom is amazing. While I was stressing about everything and my phone she mentioned that I should say a prayer and try to turn on my phone again. I did, and guess what? It turned on! I would have cried if I wasn't already!

Well, Reagan kept dilating, but no baby nephew yet. The day kept moving along and I had to go to work. Well, work is crazy, I was emotionally strung up, and the baby still wasn't born. About a half hour into work I was texted with 6 pounds 8 ounces!

 

Now I'm a proud aunt to Krew Justin Dennis!!

The moral of this story is--never take your phone into the restroom with you. Or near any water at all, just to be safe :) And don't be so reliable on it that it throws off your whole day!

Also--I have a pretty dang cute nephew (:

I Can Do Anything.

Remember how I went to Alaska?

Remember how I loved it?

Well...that love wasn't instantaneous.

Once upon a time I told you all about my issues with change. It's hard for me, and, since I've written that post, I've realized that it is something I will always struggle with. I can't get my mind to just be okay with it right off the bat. It takes a lot more time for me to be okay with something. 

Anywho...back to Alaska. 

Here I am, making a six-month commitment to live with people I didn't really know, work at a hotel with people I didn't know, live in a place I didn't know, on top of getting there in a 49 hour (just driving) car ride. Bytheway...the car ride was with someone I knew, but that's a heck of a long drive! Needless to say I was a little <caughlotcaugh> overwhelmed. However, I followed my little change routine and I went. 

Can I just say I cried when I got to the Johnson's house? I literally got out, gave Alicia a hug, and balled my eyes out...while the missionaries were there! Needless to say I was not ready to be in the Land of the Midnight Sun. At. All. However, I couldn't just turn my back on everything, so I went ahead to begin my adventures. 

You're probably thinking that I quickly learned to love it up there. That is not the case. My first week of work was overwhelming, and the tours hadn't even started yet. Once those started I was like a chicken with its head cut off. People were grumpy, I was still learning, and I still hadn't adjusted to my new home. My mom had told me that I needed to give it at least a month before I gave up, and I was giving it a valiant effort. I instantly loved the people I lived with, but they had already started to try and get me to commit to the summer of 2014.

HA. Yeah right.

Thus began, what I thought would be, the longest six months of my life. Now you're probably wondering what the point of this story is. I have a problem with talking a lot--and that goes right into writing a lot. So, deal with the length or just move on to the next blog. I promise I won't be offended :)

Technology is an amazing thing. It kept me in touch with loved ones and friends, and I relied upon it heavily. Which got me in trouble when my nephew was born...but that's a whole other story. I remember calling my Grandma Esther after I had been in Alaska for a couple weeks to just catch up. Of course, I got into talking about how I was struggling and not sure it I could make it through the summer (I'm a wimp...I know). My Grandma is awesome. She understood why I was struggling, but she did not think my mindset of 'not being able to make it' was good enough. As I continued to vent to her she stopped me and said, "Courtney, you can do anything for six months."

I agreed and we finished out conversation, and I continued to be caught up in my change-crisis. After a couple more weeks I really thought about what she said.

You can do anything for six months.

I tend to shorten that into, you can do anything; no matter what comes your way, you can do it. And that is when I started loving Alaska--after a whole month of pretty much committing to the worst summer ever.

And guess what? I'm going back for summer of 2014.

Want to know what's even crazier? I'm getting my CDL to be a tour guide and drive a HUGE bus. 

And...I'm going to love it.

Brave.

Sometimes I hear a song and apply it to my life and it's all cool-like. Sometimes I see music videos of these awesome songs and it's pretty much the best thing ever. 

Sara Bareilles 

And since your history of silence
Won’t do you any good,
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

Nobody will know what you want, when you want it, or how you want it if you never say anything. Pick up a little courage and you'd be surprised at where you can get. Obviously things won't always go your way....what is is...Murphy's Law? :) However, we'll never know what we can obtain if we are always silent and unmoving. Get up and do something you've always wanted to, and don't be afraid to say what you want to say. 

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

 Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

I hope that you are all familiar with Dr. Seuss. If not, you probably want to work on that one. I've always loved Dr. Seuss, and I even tried to get a scholarship through a Dr. Seuss essay. It actually was on the book that I quoted above, Oh, the Places You'll Go! Recently I've been redirected to this book and it's really helped me to keep things in perspective.

A little over a month ago I moved to Alaska to work for the summer. It was difficult for me to come here hardly knowing anybody and be required to make the most of it. I'm not very good at being social and putting myself out there, so making friends was a little hard, and I was sinking into a little pit of despair. I talked with my parents often, and the one day my dad suggested I reread Oh, the Places You'll Go!, and apply it to my life. Many times this book is given at graduations to inspire people to go anyway that they choose, and that is really the only part I remembered about it. That's not a bad thing, but there is a lot more to the story than just choosing you're own direction. You're encouraged to aim high and be the best.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.

You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

However, I feel like the book is also realistic when it comes to life. Because who can be the best always? I know some of us would raise our hand if asked that question in a public atmosphere, but, honestly, I don't believe there's one person in this world who doesn't have doubts.

Except when you don't.

Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so

but, sadly, it's true

that Bang-ups

and Hang-ups

can happen to you.

Isn't that true? Coming to Alaska was a bang-up for me at first. I was liking it here, but I wasn't sure I would be able to really become involved and love my time here. Then I thought to myself, Courtney. You. Are. Ridiculous. Seriously, you're in ALASKA. You drove here, and you have a great opportunity to make new friends, discover new things about yourself, and live in a beautiful place! How can you be negative about life when you are experiencing things you will look back on and never regret! Some people never have the chance to travel and see the world, and you're complaining because you are? Where is the sense in that?

So, I decided to be more positive. When things were looking down, I would find two things that were looking up. I tried to be more out-going so that I could make new friends. I decided to love everyday here for one reason or another. And you know what? It worked. It took me a while to get into the swing of things, but I did it. I won't say I'm perfect and I know everything and anything about Fairbanks, but I love it here. I've made a few friends that have helped me be more positive about me and to not be afraid of putting myself out there. I've found places that I love, and I continue to explore and love more things. I've told a few people back home that they should be thankful the mosquitoes are huge and the winter is horrible, because I would probably end up staying here if they weren't. :)

I mean, this is seriously what I get to see everyday. The sun is constantly up, there's always somebody who wants to have fun, and it's finally warm! I also have gotten to live with some great people, and become closer with Whitney. I mean, we see each other all of the time, so we share everything. Sometimes, it's a little crazy, but I love it.

Things may get rough, but there is always something to love. If you focus on the bright side, then the dark side will be out-shined.

Kid, you'll move mountains!

Alaskan Adventures

Hello! It's been a while, and I have been BUSY!! I moved to Alaska to work for the summer. My friend Whitney and I got jobs up here and hopped into the car and drove 49 hours to get to the little town of Fairbanks. We've been here for a few days and we start work today, which I'm a little nervous for but it will be good!

I was definitely nervous coming up here, and I kept stressing over everything. Right before I left my mom showed me this quote...

 

I think this is great because it is SO true (at least for me it is). I really try hard to enjoy each day as it comes, but I usually get hung up on the future and what it has in store for me and how my decisions now are going to affect everything later...and so on. However, I need to remember that I need to find joy in the journey. If I don't do that, then there is no point in living because we will just be worrying our days away.

Approach each new day with the attitude that everyday is an adventure. If you start out like this then you can't help but focus on the day and what's happening all around you. Don't forget the finish line, just remember to enjoy getting there. We have all the time in the world to reach the end; life isn't a race. Which reminds me of a quote from one of the apostles from my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So get out there, and have fun enjoying your journeys!

Marshmallow Madness

I work as an after-school teacher at a local elementary school everyday, and I absolutely LOVE it! It's right up my alley as an elementary education major, and it's just a fun job. Each session we change up the classes we're teaching, and this time I chose a Marshmallow Madness class. I figured the kids would love it and there was a lot we could do to experiment. We started out making things with mini marshmallows and toothpicks and competing to see who could build the tallest building. Then we transitioned into races: how many can you stack on a Popsicle stick in your mouth, how many can you stack on top of each other, how many you can catapult into a paper bag, how many you can get into a cup with a straw, etc. It was a lot of fun, but the suspense has been building up until today... the last day of the class.

I usually tell my students what we will be doing because they seem to find out one way or another.  However, I have kept my lips sealed tight for today, and I was excited to surprise them all. They've been constantly trying to pry it out of me, but I knew it would be more fun if they didn't know. So yesterday I spent some time preparing to have an awesome time today making (drum roll please)......

MARSHMALLOW SHOOTERS!

Seriously, I have been looking forward to making these from the very beginning. You could say it's the whole reason I even made up the class. I was almost crushed because another class was having a pine wood derby race that would overlap my class. However, we figured it out and both were able to happen. First off, the race was legit, and the boys had a blast competing with their cars. I was glad we were able to watch. Second, my marshmallow students wouldn't stop asking me what we were doing! It was finally time to start class and I gathered everybody around. I took out one of the shooters and they didn't understand what the heck I was doing. However, once I shot a marshmallow at my fellow teacher I had them hooked, and they couldn't wait to get started. I passed out a bag of marshmallows and a shooter to each student and we headed out to start playing.

Can you say crazy!? As soon as I said go marshmallows were flying everywhere and I was a huge target (not a fat joke)! It was so much fun, and I wish I had taken pictures! At the end of our little war we picked up all the marshmallows and the kids carried on about how much fun they had. Talk about feeling like a little kid again... I had a TON of fun! :)

Since this was one of the coolest things ever I figured I would show you how I made them. They are super easy and cheap!

What you need:
Balloons
Plastic cups (I used 9 oz)
Mini marshmallows

Take your plastic cups and cut about the bottom third off. I tried using scissors and, I don't know if I'm just inept, but I could not keep the cups from breaking. So, I just used a knife, but be careful! It also helped to cut two at once to make it a little more sturdy.

Now, set those aside for the moment and focus on your balloons. I took all of them and tied them up as if they were filled with air.

Next, take a pair of scissors and cut off the end opposite the knot (the smaller the better).

Now you're ready to make this thing work! Stretch the balloon as far as you can and put it across the top lip of the cup. Try to make the knot be in the middle for best accuracy.

Now all you need are some marshmallows to shoot around! If we had time I probably would have let my students decorate their cups to make them more unique. You could also do a bunch of different games with it too... have target practice on the cement, or distance competitions, you could even do a kind of basketball thing. We just had a little war and reused marshmallows off the ground. It was awe.some. Seriously. And the kids had a blast, so it was absolutely worth it.

That's that. Hopefully you try it out...even if it's with your family or friends. Pretty sure this is one of those things that you would be pretty boring to not have fun with it :)

Everything will be alright

Pretty much I've come to the conclusion that nothing stays the same. Shocker, right? I know it's taken me a while to figure this out, but we all know how I deal with change. I like to believe that everything will just stay the same. Obviously there will be little changes and I can manage that, but, of course, I always get proven wrong and HUGE changes come my way constantly. I'm slowly becoming okay with this, and I'm a little more willing to accept change head on. Slowly being the key word. However, along with my realization of nothing staying the same, I've realized that things will be okay in the end.

 

I like how this quote words it. When we go through struggles we always say everything will be alright. Everything is going to work out and we will get through this. However, just because we get through it doesn't mean that everything will be just as it was when we started. I know that's a simple phrase, and it seems really obvious, but I think it's important for us to recognize this in our lives. Things change and that's alright. :)

My Roomie ♥

Last semester I was getting ready to move in with five new girls...needless to say, I was a little worried. I moved my things in and met two girls right off the bat. Katie and McCall were crazy, but I already loved them. I was working a couple jobs and helping substitute, so I was hardly around for the next few days. When I finally was able to come organize my things, Karli had moved in and we became great friends. We were going to have six girls, but the sixth one didn't move in for a couple weeks, but I love Kadi just as much!

My room-roommate and I were never home at the same time so I had yet to meet her. Now let's have an honest moment... I was a little worried to meet her. I walked into my room and was bombarded with pink and Hello Kitty all over the opposite side of the bedroom. All I could think was...I don't like Hello Kitty, and I'm pretty sure pink is my least favorite color. However, I had signed a contract and I was going to be living with her for 14 weeks.

Finally I met Anna and I was a little overwhelmed. She'll tell you any day that her emotional range is WACKO, and I did (and sometimes don't) know how to help her. However, we soon became good friends and our semester was awesome.

We're both on the same track here at BYU-Idaho, and so we were signed up for another 14 weeks of good times. I absolutely love Anna, and I knew we were going to have fun. We're only 4 weeks in and we have become so close. She's already counting down the days until she can go see her family, but I'm so sad that I won't see her for five months after we say goodbye! We definitely have our moments....crazy, happy, sad, hungry, emotional, and the list goes on, but I'm pretty sure we have the best of times. So, this is a shout-out to one of the best roomies ever! Love ya Anna!

And I still don't love Hello Kitty, but maybe pink has gone up a couple notches on my favorite scale...

Who Moved My Cheese?

At the beginning of last semester I shared my reaction to change. I don't like it and I usually approach it with hesitancy. My dad has been advising me to read a certain book that talks about change. I'll admit, I wasn't too excited to read a book about change. I figured it would be boring, and that I wouldn't be able to really glean anything from it. This book is called Who Moved My Cheese?, and I'll be honest, the name didn't exactly make me want to read it either.

I mean, it seemed a little cheesy... no pun intended.

However, this semester I finally buckled down and read it...it took me about 45 minutes, and I felt like it was definitely worth my time. I don't want to give the whole story away, because this post would be a lot longer than you want to read. I just want to recommend it to you. If you ever feel like you are resistant to change (and let's be honest, who isn't?), you should read this book. It really put things into perspective for me, and I think everybody would benefit from reading it.

Although I don't want to retell the story here for you, I do want to share the insights that it gave me. One of the characters, Haw, writes his words of wisdom down as he is dealing with change. If you don't ever read the book, I think it would be good to at least see these thoughts.

Tree Skirt!

So this post is a little late in the making, but it is totally worth it!

Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving my family goes and cuts down a HUGE tree....this year it was 17 1/2 feet tall! We go scout it out, chop it down, and bring it home to decorate for the Christmas season. It's always a lot of fun, and it's a great way to jump into Christmas.

Every year we put up our tree and put a little tree skirt around it, and it does the job. However, we don't exactly love it and mom's been wanting to make a new one. We saw a ruffle tree skirt on Pinterest and decided that we were going to make it for our tree. Now, the appealing thing about this tree skirt is that there is NO sewing! You use a hot glue gun and just glue away until you are done. So this is what I thought we were doing. However, when I came home to help with it I soon realized that we were not using a hot glue gun. Mom wanted this thing to last if she was going to invest the time and money into it...we were going to sew it.

Now my grandma is a fabulous seamstress. She can put anything together...however, my mom and I have yet to fully develop this particular skill, so this very easy glue on project became a little more daunting. However, we kept our chins up and went at it.

First, we got a circular tablecloth to provide the base for our tree skirt. The other tutorial said to use your old tree skirt, which would work fine, but this was better in our case. We folded the tablecloth into a triangular-ish shape and used a plate to measure a circle at the center and then we cut! We also cut a straight line from the edge to the center so we could get it around our tree. At first we didn't sew around the edges of the tablecloth, but we ended up doing it because it frayed so much, so sew the edges!

We then got a yard stick and a writing utensil that would show up on our fabric. We measured five inches up and drew lines so that we could sew along them, however, our strips were five inches so we ended up sewing them about 3 inches apart...or whatever looked the best!

Next, we figured out the fabric that we wanted. The other tutorial only uses two colors, but we added a few more... we picked a main color, the first color, and got 5 yards of it (we do have extra though, so you could get away with a little less). We started with red and then our second color was green; we got 3 yards of that. And then we picked three other fabrics and got 1 1/2 yards of each.

 At first we figured that we wanted the pattern of the tree skirt to be in the order of the above picture with the red in between, however, we quickly realized that would be way to many layers, so we condensed it.

We were worried about edges fraying, so instead of just cutting 5 inches and calling it good, we cut 10 inch strips and called it good. Then we folded each strip in half and sewed down the edge to create 5 inch strips. We did this to every single fabric and then we were ready to move onto the next step!

 

I was almost willing to skip the next step...it's kind of time consuming and very delicate. We needed to gather each strip so that it would be ruffled. So we popped in a chick flick and got to it. Needless to say, we got it done and we were ready to start sewing onto our base! We laid things out so we knew how many strips we needed to complete the circle, and then we sewed that many strips together.

 Then mom just started sewing away! We added a layer at a time, and slowly but surely, the finish line came into sight.

For the finishing touches we added our main first color, the red, to the edges to end the ruffles. We didn't add it to the middle, but it would work there too.

Last, but definitely not least, we put our completed tree skirt around our beautiful tree and admired it for the rest of the season! Now we get to have an AWESOME tree skirt every year!

Pretty much, my mom is a boss for doing so much sewing, and we're pretty proud of ourselves for actually doing it. :)

Finals.

So.... even if you're not in school, I think we all understand the stress of taking a test. Well, multiply that by like 5 million and you'll understand what some finals are like in college.

At the beginning of the semester you're pretty chill about it. Yeah, we have this huge test a the end, but I've got this. No worries; I'll keep up on studying and homework and it will be a breeze. Pretty much it ends up not being that way though. Ice cream? Sure, homework can wait. Movie? Well, this isn't really that important. Date? Of course, I'll come. I don't have any homework due at midnight, and tomorrow's won't take me that long. And the list of procrastination goes on and ON AND ON!!! Not that I'm complaining, of course, I love my social life. :)

However, I am approaching the end of a semester and those tests that I was going to be sooooo prepared for are in a couple weeks. I'm ready to be done and over with it all. Plus, I get my associates degree this semester, so I'm a little excited about that. :)

As I was browsing Facebook (dangit, another procrastination), I came across a friend's photo that describes my feelings almost exactly.

So good luck to everyone out there getting ready to take finals and I hope everything works out for the best!

Twin Falls Finally!!

So, forever and a day ago I said that I needed to go visit my fam in Twin Falls... and I finally did!!

I drove down there and listened to Andrew Allen the WHOLE way. He's pretty much my favorite artists EVER and I love, love, love his music. Particularly Loving You Tonight...and a lot more :)

ANYWAYS! Although Andrew Allen is amazing, that is not the point of this post. I love road trips, especially when I end up at my family's house! I got all the way there and the girls came out and gave me a huge hug! Then I got to see Uncle Jon and Aunt Amy, and we just had fun! We ate some deliscioushness food (haha, Aunt Amy spelled it that way) and watched the new Spiderman movie. The next day was Uncle Jon's birthday so we ate some more delicious food and made cake pops that were SO good! I loved seeing the girls and playing with them! If only they were all closer (hint, hint). ;)

Hope

The other week I was asked to give a talk on hope. At first I was a little intimidated, because I didn't really know how to address it. I decided to look through my posts to see if I had already written about and I came across The Power of Hope. This clip has such a powerful message, and it helped me to get a start on my talk, so I wanted to share it with you.

Now, I would like you all to think of a time where you were very scared, or where you felt completely lost…

For me, this was my first semester of college. I’m from little old Rexburg, and I’ve lived here my whole life. However, instead of coming to BYU-Idaho, I went to BYU-Hawaii first. I know, pretty chill life, why would I have complained? Well, I’ll say right now that I absolutely loved it and I would go back in a heartbeat; at the time though I was terrified. It was my first time being away from home permanently for a long period of time. Some of you might understand my situation. It was hard to not be close to my family and participate in traditions and go to my brother’s soccer games and have girls’ nights with my little sister. I remember being terrified that I wouldn’t be able to make any friends and that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself. Once I got there I felt completely lost. Laie is very different than Rexburg. I didn’t know where to go or who to turn to, and it was a struggle. However, there was one thing that kept me going. What do you think it was?

I want you all to think back to your times where you were scared or lost and think of how you made it through. Did hope have any play in your ability to keep going?

For those of you who know me, I love The Hunger Games. My ringtone is even Rue’s whistle. :) At one point President Snow explains that the reason they have a victor is because of hope. He states, “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.”

Now, I don’t necessarily love President Snow, but I do agree with this statement. If there was nothing stronger than fear we wouldn’t be able to overcome it. However, just because there is something stronger than fear doesn’t mean we automatically overcome it. Hope is a choice, but what exactly is hope?

We all have hopes and dreams. However, I think that this look at hope diminishes its real power. I read a talk by Larry Miller called Hope: The Misunderstood Sister. He explains how there are three sisters: faith, charity and hope. Faith is the most talked about sister. She leads the way so that we can find our way back to our Heavenly Father. Charity is who we aspire to be like. She is always kind and genuine. However, hope is often used in a sense of keeping our fingers crossed so that all will work out; it’s not very reliable. But, "Hope is anything but wishful. It is expectation based on experience." He shares a poem that I felt was very applicable to life.

Walking with Two Sisters

Faith walks before me,

Holding up her lamp

As I try not to stumble in the ink-dark hours before the dawn.

Her light illuminates

One step and then another.

Beside me, Hope, arm linked with mine, encourages and steadies.

Sometimes in the tedium,

Distracted by the pain,

My mind begins to wander, then my feet. I hesitate.

Unsure, I look to Hope.

Her hand takes mine.

The touch reminds me of another hand held out to me,

One pierced and scarred

Yet oh so tender

Lifting me and blessing me when I had fallen and despaired.

Remembering,

I move ahead

Buoyed up by Hope, who sees the end with perfect clarity.

Because of Jesus Christ’s Atonement we can have hope throughout our life. (Moroni 7:40-43 explains this well!)

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared the following statement in this talk The Infinite Power of Hope;

The Lord has given us a reassuring message of hope: "Fear not, little flock." God will wait with "open arms to receive" those who give away their sins and continue in faith, hope, and charity. And to all who suffer--to all who feel discouraged, worried or lonely--I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in. Never surrender. Never allow despair to overcome your spirit. Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the Love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart."

Hope is always looking for the best. An easy way to think this way is to just look at the word. The first letters form a sentence. Have Only Positive Expectations. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Things will work out. Keep trying. Be believing. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.”

Trials are going to come our way and we need to be looking for the positive outcomes. However, hope does not mean that we turn a blind eye to the world. I found a quote on Pinterest…don’t judge me… that sums this up very well. “Hope is not pretending that troubles don’t exist. It is the hope that they won’t last forever. That hurts will be healed and difficulties overcome. That we will be lead out of the darkness and into the sunshine.”

Because of the Gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we can have hope in everything. This can provide us with stable ground to live our lives from. Hope is necessary for us to be happy. 

(Some great scriputers are Ether 12:4 and Moroni 10:20-22)

President Thomas S Monson tells us, “I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us.”

We must have hope to reach the limits God has set for us. We may not feel like we can stretch as far as He wants, but He will never put something in front of us that we cannot do. We have hope that He will always be there for us.

Now, I’ve spent the majority of my talk on keeping hope within yourself, but I wanted to mention something quickly. Although we need to have this kind of hope we also need to instill hope in others. Sometimes you are the reason somebody has hope. They cling to your support and strength in their life and you help them to move forward. Never give up an opportunity to be hope for somebody else. Sometimes all it takes is an arm of comfort, a shoulder to cry on, a memory to remember, or a laugh to share. Be there star in the darkness. We all look to one another to find hope, and we need to remember to have charity towards all and help life each other up.

Neal A. Maxwell said, “Genuine hope is urgently needed in order to be more loving even as the love of many waxes cold; more merciful, even when misunderstood or misrepresented; more holy, even as the world ripens in iniquity; more courteous and patient in a coarsening and curt world; and more full of heartfelt hope, even when other men’s hearts fail them. Whatever our particular furrow, we are to ‘plow in hope,’ without looking back or letting yesterday hold tomorrow hostage (1 Cor. 9:10).”

I would like to leave you with a little “Knapsack of Hope.”

A star to remind you to keep shining.

A paper clip to help you hold your things together.

An eraser to fix all the small mistakes.

A lock to keep all your secrets safe.

A penny so that you’re never broke.

A rubber band to help you stretch beyond your limits.

I know that hope is very important in this gospel, and I pray that you can always keep it in mind.

Hope is not just a careless wish, it is the rock that holds us steady when we sway, it is the anchor that keeps us firm when we drift, it is the Savior walking with us step by step always encouraging, it is the voice at the end of the day saying keep moving forward I am here with you always.