The Silence of Snow

One of my favorite things about winter is the sound of "snowing." I love to go outside while it's snowing and listen to the silence and peacefulness that comes with it. I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but when it snows it's like there's a muted bliss over the world.

Today I've been sitting in the Crossroads section of the MC by one of their huge windows writing a paper. Half of my time has been spent listening to my instrumental playlist and looking out the window admiring the snow because its been snowing all day. That's another one of my favorite winter past times. I love to sit by a window with hot chocolate (Stephen's Mint Truffle, preferably) and watch it snow while listening to music. It's wonderful. You should try it. ;)

All the world's a wintry night.
All the world's a peaceful sight.

(Not bad for on the spot spontaneity!)

Deep Blogging

So I feel like I'm a crummy blogger when it comes to topics. Everyone either has really cool lives to report on, or deep topics/thought processes they want to discuss or share. So my new goal: be a "deep blogger." Or, at least be a meaningful blogger. So for starters, my roommate has put me in a situation where I need a date for Thursday. So I pose this question: Is it ok for a girl to ask a guy out? I just got done reading "He's Just Not That Into You." Loved it. And I know Greg breaches this subject a little bit, but I want everyone else's opinion too. What do you think? Girls, if you're taken--ask your spouse or b/f what they think, and I want to know what you think also. I also pose this question because I am not looking forward to asking someone. Sometimes a girl wants to be chased, not do the chasing. So chase me. :)

My history with Rexburg and its Hospital: Madison Memorial

Hello guys and dolls! And welcome to Idaho's very own, REXBURG! Yes, I am back and I am SO excited to be back too. Call me crazy, but I actually miss this place when I go home to GA. So after a 30 hr drive to Provo, and another 4 hr drive to Rexburg three days later, I am home again. :) I can't help but love this place.

At the same time, love does not come without it's thorns. Am I right? As my blog title suggests, I have a history with Madison Memorial hospital. My first visit to this place happened my freshman year. I had been in Idaho for 2 days and Monday morning I woke up to find that my eye was swollen and gooped shut. Hooray for pink eye. The student clinic was closed, and since eyesight is kind of a neccesity, my sister decided to take me to the hospital. Not too exciting, but a good story none the less to tell my mom. "Hey Mom! Guess what? You know how you left me 2 days ago? Well I went to the hospital today!" 48-72 hrs into college and I already had a medical history.

That history has continued. Before I left on my adventurous cross country trip to UT, I was already a little sick. My doctor said to take some allergy meds, use some kind nasal spray and I'd be fine. He also gave me some antibiotics "just in case." My mom made me pack them and said take these "just in case." When I reached Provo and woke up the next morning, sure enough, I needed those "just in case" antibiotics. Joy. I was feeling pretty good when I left Provo at 7 am Saturday morning, and arrived in the Burg at 11 am. I moved in, unpacked (mostly), went grocery shopping, all that jazz, and finally was able to sit down for more than 2 mins at around 8:30 that night. This is where it starts...

I was exhausted. I went to bed at around 9:30 and woke up several times in the night because it was so hot in my apt. I was burning up! And each time I woke up I felt more and more sick. I woke up at 6 am (an hour earlier than I had planned) and felt horrible! I had a headache, I wanted t throw up, I felt dizzy, and again I was burning up. So I decided to take a cold, COLD shower thinking it would help. No such luck. And I was still burning up afterwards. I brushed it off thinking I was just weird and got ready for church. Relief Society was first and I felt pretty ok. Then Sunday School started. I got up to get a drink and splash some water on my face because I was feeling hot again. On my way back I had to use the wall as a guide because I was feeling dizzy again too. What the heck?! I stayed in Sunday School for about another 2 mins then grabbed my stuff and left.

I got home, changed into jeans and a t-shirt and layed on the couch for a little bit thinking "this too shall come to pass." I didn't feel any better. In fact, I felt worse. Then the thought occured to me, "hospital." No, I don't want to go to the hospital. Too expensive. "Hospital." No....Fine. Hospital. "Thank you." I called every person I knew who would be in a 30 minute distance of me. And ofcourse seeing as it was Sunday, everyone was in church. Grrrr. But suddenly, some luck! My dear, wonderful, amazing friend Amanda called me back! I had left her a voicemail completely crying into the phone telling her to call me back asap, and it worked. Yay!
"Amanda?"
"What's wrong?"
"I need to go to the ER because..."
"I'll be there in 2 minutes." Click.

Oh. Ok! Amanda came, we got there, I was in. They asked me the standard questions like name, address, emergency contact, all that good stuff and then told me to wait for the doctor. Everytime the nurse or receptionst lady left the room, I fell asleep. The doctor came in, asked me more questions about symptoms and such, and then said that I had a very bad sinus infection and that I was also experiencing exhaustion and dehydration (to sum it all up in one sentence. He took a lot longer explaining it.). So for 2 hours I sat in the ER while they did blood tests, gave me a whole IV of sodium something or other, half an IV of antibiotics, and then a pain reliever and some nausea medicine. After about an hour they let Amanda come back and sit with me because she had been texting to to make sure I was ok. When she walked in I was half asleep, had two different IVs plugged into me, covered in a blanket and the nurse was taking a blood sample. "Wow girl! You're legit!" Totally made my day! :D

So after I had all the meds they wanted the doctor came in and told me I was good to go home. Before I left though I asked the nurse if I had a fever when she checked me and she said no. Little did I know, they had checked me for Swine Flu and pnemonia (or however you spell it). Along with some other things. So glad I don't have either of those!

So I came home and life was better. Whatever they gave me really worked! But then I felt a little bit sicker when the thought occured to me, "I've got to call mom. Crud."

"Hello?"
"Hey mom. How are you?"
"I'm feeling better. You?"
"Um, well, funny story."
"What?"
"Now before I say anything, I want you to know that I'm fine, everything's fine."
"What happened?"
"I made a little trip to the ER this morning....."
(Invision a rolling of eyes...) *Slight chuckle* "Oh my gosh, Elizabeth. What did you do?"


And that my friends, is the slightly long tale (sorry about that...) of my most current history with Madison Memorial Hospital. :)

Summer is winding down...

It is August 7th, and I've been spending some time looking back on this summer and I have come to the conclusion that: I loved it. This summer has been great! So here are 5 reasons why this summer has been great (in no particular order):

1. My coworkers---As many of you know, there have been slight issues with my job and where I work, but this summer has been the best summer of my 6 years working there. Today was the last day of two of the kids I work with, and I was slightly tearing up. I love those kids. I say kids because I am about 4-5 years older than them AND they call me Mom. Lol. Several of them are leaving to go attend their freshman year of college and as lame as this sounds, I truly felt like a mom sending my kids to school. I'm worried about them, I'm excited for them, I'm definately going to miss them, and I love them.

2. Primary--- I've been attending the family ward this summer instead of being a good single and attending the singles ward. And I loved every minute of it. Not only did I get to go to girl's camp as a stake YW's leader, but I've been in primary every Sunday as well. I got to teach a few of the primary songs in sign language, which was so much fun, and I got to spend time with the primary kids, whom I love. Because of primary, I am so excited to be a mom. Excited to have children and teach them the gospel and watch my eternal family grow. I love my sunbeams. :)

3. My family--- Even though they can drive me nuts, I love them. They are so supportive of me and push me to be the best that I can be. I would be nowhere without them.

4. Boston--- Best trip I've had in a long time! Boston was beautiful! I cannot even express. I absolutely loved it and plan on going back again. If you would like to see pictures, check my facebook in a few days. And I'll post some on here too.

5. Personal Growth--- I have grown and learned so much this summer. I have matured in some ways, been strengthened in others, and have just all around been tested and tried, and have overcome. For those of you who don't know, earlier this summer I was diagnosed with "Insulin Resistance Syndrome." In english: there is too much insulin in my blood stream. Aka: pre-diabetic. Not gonna lie, I was scared. I went to a lot of doctors, had a lot of blood drawn (icky, icky, icky...) and through a lot of prayer and faith, I am coming out on the other side better, and more prepared. Good news: IRS [yep, that's what it's called. How ironic. :)] is 100% reversible. I can turn this around. I'm not dying, and I don't plan to for awhile. But this illness alone has completely changed things this summer. I have a better attitude about things, I'm trying harder to be healthy (which is working out quite nicely actually...), I have a better outlook on life and people in general, more faith in myself, and more faith in my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Yep, it's been a good summer. :D

Lifeguard Happenings...

So I've been a lifeguard for 6 years and I have seen some pretty intense, funny, scary, and crazy stuff. But yesterday, there were a couple of people who just summed up the epitomy of my six years.

Scenario 1:

We closed the outdoor pool due to thunder and so everyone came inside to swim in the indoor pool. We put up extra guards and I just happened to be by the stairs. When we're really crowded it seems like everyone wants to sit/play on the stairs and it can get pretty crazy with kids jumping in around there and swimming, etc. I look down and there is a little boy about six, and holding onto a noodle for dear life. He's laughing, but his body movements and technique all pointed to "non-swimmer." (Over the years you can recognize these signs within 5 seconds of someone's swim time.) So I pulled him to the wall and asked him how old he was and where his dad was. He said he was six and then turned and pointed to his dad who was sitting on the bleachers. I walked over to him and here's how our conversation worked out:

Sir?
Yes?
Hi. Because your son is 6 years old, you have to be in the water with him at all times. And within arms reach--
He's 7.
Oh. OK, well he told he was 6.
No. He's 7 and the front desk people told me I didn't have to be in there. So I'm not getting in.
Ok. Well, can he swim?
Not really, but he's not swimming past those stairs and he's got a noodle.
(WHAT?!?!) Ok, well sir he is making me feel a little uncomfortable because he can't swim and I would appreciate it if--

And then this is where my manager stepped in. In a good way! She just told him that if any of her lifeguards felt uncomfortable about a child being in the water by themselves, and asks the parent to get in, then they need to get in the water. So he did.

Scenario 2:

I was guarding by our play structure when a woman came up to me and said she had a problem. She was at the pool with her kids and a friend and they had been using two of our lounge chairs. While they were swimming, another woman came up, moved their things, and took one of the chairs from them. The woman's friend walked up, and another woman came as well saying she was a "witness" and that she saw the woman move the chair. I said ok, I will talk to the woman and my manager and see what I can do. When I went up to the "chair stealer" she was on her cell phone.

Excuse me, ma'am?
Yeah?
I'm sorry to bother you, but can I talk to you for a minute?
Haha. Yeah right! I'm sure you do want to talk to me.
Yeah, it's about the chair.
Listen, she is lying to you! I didn't steal anybody's chair...

And then she proceeded to get defense and swore up and down on her life she didn't steal anyone's chair, and blah, blah, blah. Hmmmm....who am I going to believe? The nice women who were respectful and had a witness, or someone who is being disrespectful and defensive? I wonder...

So here is what I have learned from these two experiences...

Lesson 1:

Watch your children. Do NOT just throw them in the pool, and leave them there. A couple of years ago we had to revive, yes, I said revive, a two year old because his mom and dad put him in the pool and walked away to the other side of the deck. If your child can't swim, get in the pool! Use lifejackets (which we had available). Do something. Don't be a passive parent. Be an active one.

Lesson 2:

Don't argue over stupid things. Really? You're fighting over a flippin' chair. You're all adults, deal with it. Also, treat people with respect. Being defensive does not get you anywhere, or on anyone's good side. Especially not mine.

Generalization:

Every one, especially parents, needs to take a lifeguarding course and guard for a week. I guarentee, you will have a totally different view on how to watch your kids, treat others, and responsibilty. Now I'm not saying that people who don't do that aren't responsible, but I'm telling ya. It'd be great for those people who don't have a clue about any of those things.

And to think I've been dealing with this kind of stuff for 6 years.... :)

The sad times we live in, and a testimony

So I was checking my facebook this morning and I had a new posting from a group I belong to about protecting traditional marriage. There was a new ABC News article about poly marriages (two or three different married couples living under the same roof, and mixing things around a bit). Here's the link if you want to read it:

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=107074982848&h=A-nvb&u=IblhF


Here are my thoughts:

I read the article and it honestly made me sad. Sad for the times we live in, sad for the times my children will grow up in and live in, and sad for those who do not understand God's plan of happiness for them. He has given us the tools we need to be happy. We just need to use them. And a monogomous marriage to a person of the opposite sex is one of them.

I have never forgotten how much I love the gospel, but things like this just help me realize it even more. I am eternally grateful for the knowledge I have of Heavenly Father and His plan for us. I am grateful for the happiness and peace the gospel brings to me and my life. And I look forward to the day when I can marry a worthy preisthood holder in the temple and build a family for time and all eternity.

Summer, Summer

So my life is not very exciting, but it's been a few weeks since an update so I figured it might be nice to blog for a little bit.

READING:
I finished a new series by Scott Westerfeld and it's called "Midnighters." And again, I love Scott Westerfeld so of course I loved these books. They are young adult fiction and they've got a mixture of fantasy and sci-fi stuff. And honestly, normally I am not a huge fan of fantasy, sci-fi novels, but I loved it. He is such a talented author and it's great. Right now I am reading "Anne of Green Gables" and it is also very fantastic. If you like the movies, you'll like the book. It makes me want to watch the movies so bad! I just love them.

WORK:
My job has not been as bad as I thought it would be. I'm actually enjoying myself this summer. We have a great staff and I work with a really good group of kids. They are so much fun and I have been given a new nickname: Mom. I'm one of the oldest guards and I have this Old Navy bag that acts as Mary Poppins bag. Advil, I have it. Extra shirt, I have it. Sunglasses, gotcha covered. Fork? Definately. So they decided that I'm like a mom because I have everything with me and I "take care of them." Mom it is! :)

MORE WORK:
I'm in the process of finding a second job. There might be a tech position open at a hospital where my friend works and I'm hoping that really works out! I would love to work there and it's such a great environment. There might also be a day care job awaiting me as well so we'll see! I'll let you know how it goes.

Unfortunately I have no super exciting news, fun stories, or pictures, but I'm hoping I will soon. Have fun and take luck!

Liz

I always feel so bad when I'm thinking, "How come no one updates their blogs?" And then I look at mine... yeah, I got nothing. Lol. So it's not an update of epic proportions, but it's to let you all know, I'm still alive! :)

I had my first day back at work yesterday which went WAY better than I thought it would. People were excited to see me, I was excited to see them, no one died, it was great! I'm so glad it started on a positive note, and I'm going to try to keep the positivity going through out the summer.

I've also been babysitting, a ton! Which has been so much fun. I love it. If there is anything I miss from home besides my family, it's little kids. I love kids! And I miss being able to see them and play with them. So I love being able to babysit again. It's been a lot of fun.

So I've had glasses for about 7 years and on Saturday I got contacts! It's been a little rough, not going to lie. The first day I wore them, I was told to only wear them for 4 hours and then I needed to wear my glasses. And each day I was supposed to add 2 more hours. Well, the main problem with this is that my prescription changed, and the lenses for my glasses weren't going to be available till Wednesday. So I would be wearing the correct prescription for a few hours, and then change to a not correct prescription for the rest of the day. Day one was a nightmare. I had my contacts in for 4 hours, took them out, and put on my glasses. Slowly but surely I started to get this INSANE headache. But I was like, deal with it. It'll be ok. Move on. That night was the Saturday session of Stake Conference and we had a General Authority, 1rst Counselor Bishop Edgely, speaking to us, and I went early to save seats for me and my parents. We were sitting front row and my headache was starting to diminish. Or so I thought. We've got 30 - 45 minutes left, Bishop (is that his title?) Edgely was speaking and I am about to pass out. My head was killing me, I wanted to pass out, and I was feeling very naucious. My dad tapped me on the knee and asked if I was ok and I just shook my head no and said that I needed to go home. I was totally embarrassed because here we are sitting front row and both me and my mom (she had to drive me because I couldn't drive myself) walk out in the middle of his talk! Ugh. I felt really bad. I came home, took a bubble bath, and went to bed. And man, my headache was killer. I wanted to pass out all night long. So, contact #1 lesson learned: Wear your old glasses for the first few hours of the day, and THEN change into your contacts. This eliminates the headache. :)

Other than that, I can't think of anything else too exciting or cool. Life is just going right now. I'll be sure to post some pictures soon and I'll let you know when something exciting or blogging worthy material comes up! See ya!

Liz

Home Again, Home Again

Hello from the South! Yes, I am home and it has already been interesting. But not a bad interesting, just interesting. I'm adjusting to home life quite well so far too. It's good to be back home with the family and the ward. Can I just say, I miss kids. A lot. In a single student ward Sacrament is a alot nicer because you don't have kids screaming and running up and down the isle, but this past Sunday I got to help out with the Sunbeams and oh my cuteness. I loved it. I miss little kids so much! During Sharing Time this one little boy sitting next to me just got this sad look on his face, crawled up into my lap, and nestled his head against my chest. I just about cried! It was the cutest, sweetest thing you've ever seen. And so I'm sitting there rocking him and if I moved my hand one inch from his he would just grab it and move it back on top of his. It was so precious! I was like, "I want kids!" Not right now ofcourse. Lol. But for the future kids are for sure on the top of my list. So Easter was a good day. :)

I have a funny story though from when I got off the plane. I had nowhere, and I mean nowhere to pack my scriptures so I had my bookbag as one carry on and my scritpures as the other. So I'm walking through the airport with my bookbag and scriptures, feeling like I got some spiritual protection with me, I can't stray to far from the Rexburg bubble feeling. I landed in Atlanta at around midnight and inorder to get from the terminals to the baggage claim you have to get on this train. On the train I was standing next to this girl who scared me so bad! I look over and she's wearing this white tanktop (which she's practically falling out of), she's got piercings all up and down her ears, a nose ring, a lip ring, probably a tongue ring although I can't say for sure because I didn't see it, and tatoos all up and down her arms and shoulders. The first thing that entered my mind was, (and some of you are going to think I'm horrible) "This is it. I have officially entered Babylon." I'm sorry! It was the first thing that came into my brain! I was trying so hard to keep from laughing but ok, here's this girl who is lookin kind of scary, let's be honest, and then me whose wearing jeans, a hoodie, no tatoos, one set of earings, AND I'm carrying my scriptures around. And people know what they are, I mean a quad or the latest teen Bible are all carried in the same thing. So she looks me up and down thinking I'm the weird one, and I'm looking her up and down and trying to smile and be polite without laughing...it was funny. At least I thought so. Lol. I am sure though, sarcasm aside, she would have been a really neat person to talk to. I like meeting new people and learning about them and things like that so it would have been cool to talk to her. The comparison though was just awesome!

Also while being home, I'm on this new "positive" kick. I am going to try to be insanely postive about things. Not that I'm dripping with disdain, but I just want to be more positive. I want to look at everyday with confidence and faith that it will be a good day. I want to be grateful for not only the things that I love, but my trials and the things I hate too. I want to be able to walk into work everyday with my head held high and be grateful that I have a job. I want to try and see the best in the people I work with and be the positive one. And I mean, being grateful and happy can only make things better right? And I'm sure the Lord will bless me and help me through each day if I thank Him for it, good or bad. So I'll let you know how that goes.

And through out the summer I'll be sure to post some pictures! Have a great night!

Falling vs springing with the changes...

April is almost here and even though Rexburg weather doesn't show it, it's Spring time. So this is the time where we "spring forward" into action and "spring" into change. But all I want to do is fall back and stay here. I normally LOVE change. Those of you who know me, know that I change my hair color and style all the time! I am so willing to try new things and do things differently. But lately I don't want things to change. The biggest change is that I will be going home to Georgia. Disclaimer: I love Georgia, I love my family, I love my home ward, I love my friends. BUT... I want to stay in Rexburg. I'm not ready to leave. This is a first for me, I've always been ready and have wanted to go home. But there is something this year that is calling me to stay. But unfortunately, I can't, and I know that. I have to go home.

And don't get me wrong; I am looking forward to seeing my family, friends, etc. It's just harder this year to actually leave "the Burg." Maybe you graduating students can understand. I never thought I'd have two homes. A home in Georgia and a home in Idaho. Of all places... Idaho. :P
Why is it that we must leave home to go home? I have made a home and a family here and it's just hard to leave one for the other because I love them both so much.

To you wonderful married friends: Is it this hard? To leave one thing you love for something you love just as much, if not more? Is it hard to leave home when you know you're gaining another amazing home and family?

In some ways it seems easier because of the knowledge you have of the happiness and blessings you will receive. That's why it's so hard to leave. I know I am happy here, and I am receiving blessings by being here. But what I don't know is what will happen when I go back to GA. It's not as solid. And maybe that's because I'm not so willing to go. Lol. For a person who likes change most of the time, I can be pretty stubborn when I do stick my mind 100% to something. So maybe my stubborness is affecting my judgement. It's entirely too possible. :)

For the Love of Music

Can I just say that I love music? I know it's weird, but I've been thinking about it lately. Music can have such a strong impact on people, their emotions, their surroundings, etc. I love it! So I listen to just about anything and everything, with a few exceptions. But lately I have been listening a lot to instrumental/movie soundtrack stuff. This genre even has it's own play list in my i-tunes. Yes, weird I know. But I love listening to it. Especially when I write. I'm taking a screen writing class this semester and every time I sit down to write I play this play list. It just helps me think so much better than just sitting there. And if I listen to songs with lyrics it completely throws me off because I'm singing instead of writing. But with the soundtracks, there's no words. Just feeling. Wow, that sounded so lame but it's true! This stuff just inspires me to write and it works wonders. Definately helps to cure the writers block.

On the flip side, music and lyrics (good movie by the way...). They too can have a powerful effect on people. For example, groups like Muse and Paramore helped un block the writier's road for Stephanie Meyer. But it can also have a bad influence on people. How do I know this? Exhibit A: rap and my high school prom. :) Haha, ok no really...I don't think people realize it, but it does. It's like the music industry is one huge subliminal message, good and bad. Now I'm not saying that one type of music is better than the other, but music is definately a motivation for some people. In high school before a swim meet, I would put in my headphones [no i-pod yet. :)] and listen to something along the lines of rap, pop, rock, w/e just to get me pumped for the meet. Then there are times when you want to sleep and you listen to songs that are more soothing and mellow to calm the atmosphere. And it has the effect!

Music is also such a strong force of expression. Lots of people use song writing as an outlet for how they feel. Anger, sadness, happiness, loss, what ever. And they can be powerful songs. People also equate songs with other people. Couples have "their song" and I know girls all over the world dedicate different songs to their various crushes in life. A song will come on the radio and she'll say, "Oh this is Charlie's song!" or "Oh I dedicated this song to Bob when he broke my heart, the scum bag." It comes back to feeling. Again, I love it! :D

In closing, I would like to share of few of my personal favorites from my writing playlist. Some of you will think it's totally boring, but others may like it. So here's my list (these are the song titles and the movie they come from):

1. Welcome Chris - The Pursuit of Happyness
2. Together We Will Live Forever - The Fountain
3. End Titles - The Count of Monte Cristo
4. You Like Boats but Not the Ocean - Ground Hog Day
5. Nemo - Finding Nemo
6. Why Does She Have to Die? - Finding Neverland
7. Neverland (Minor Piano Variation) - Finding Neverland
8. The Majestic and the Magic - The Majestic
9. Burdens - Little Women
10. Suite (from Steel Magnolias) - Steel Magnolias

These are only ten of them and I have a playlist of like 30. Check 'em out! So I know this was a totally random post, but like I said it is something I have been thinking a lot about lately. Enjoy!

The Workings of an English Major and Scott Westerfeld

So as many of you know, I have changed my major about 6 million times. But thankfully last year I finally settled on being an English major with an emphasis in education. Here's my logic behind this....English so I can be a screenwriter. Education to pay the bills and not starve while I am working on the whole screenwriting thing. Like it? I do. ANYWAYS... so yes I am an English major and I have become a read - a - holic. I have been reading all the time. Last semester I took a Young Adult Literature class and it all started from there. Later I'll blog about some of those books, but today it's Scott Westerfeld: my new favorite author.

So before I had even heard of Scott Westerfeld, when people would ask me who my favorite author was all I could say was, "I have no clue." And they would throw back, "But aren't you an english major?" Sheepishly and unsurely I would answer in reply, "Yes?" I had no clue. I mean I loved reading before and I had read a lot, but I just didn't have a favorite. Now I can say I do!

Welcome to the world of Uglies.

I absolutely love this book. It's a young teen named Tally who lives in this futuristic world where when you turn 16 everyone has this surgery to make you "pretty." You go from average looking, or what you're called: uglies, to super model pretties. That is Tally's entire life goal until she meets Shay, a fellow ugly who poses the idea that maybe their is more outside of Uglyville and Prettytown. There are people who live outside of the limits of the city who don't have the operation and Shay wants Tally to run away with her to go find it. The night before they are suppossed to have their operation Shay runs away and gives Tally directions to the "Smoke" (the place where the people outside the city live) incase she changes her mind. Enter Dr. Cable. She is a member of Special Circumstances, an organization thought to be a rumor in the city but they pretty much keep everything running according to their rules and regulations. Dr. Cable knows that Tally has been speaking to Shay and that Tally knows how to find the smoke. Cable gives Tally a choice, either follow the directions to the Smoke and activate a tracker so Dr. Cable knows where it is, or stay ugly forever. Well ofcourse for a kid who all her life has been told that her goal is to turn pretty at 16 would take option A. So the book is about Tally's journey to the Smoke, her life when she gets there, and her ultimate decision: betray her new friends and stay ugly forever or turn them in and get the one thing she's been yearning for all her life.

So to some of you it may not sound THAT interesting......but it is SOOO good! If you like young adult fiction, read it. And don't judge it based on my synopsis because my synopsis' are always horrible. I promise I haven't given away anything HUGE in the book. What I just summerized isn't even the first half. Not to mention there are three more books in the series:

I haven't read Extras yet, but the other three are fantastic. They are well written, have a great story, they are just all around good books. If you are a girl and are not really interested in sci-fi, or if you're a girl and you are, read these books. So good! He has also written a lot of other books such as Peeps, The Midnighters, and a couple of other things I'll post later. So far I have read Peeps and I'm about to start The Midnighters. I'll keep you posted!

For those of you who aren't English majors, please forgive my nerdiness. :)

So this week is SO much better! So far. :) I'm at that point in the cycle where life starts to look up and things are getting better!

My friend Kristi was able to come up from Provo and spent the weekend up here in Rexburg and that was a ton of fun. We ate pizza, and more pizza, and played games (hooray for dominoes!), and it was just nice to relax and not do anything for the long weekend.

Valentines Day was so much fun! So first, I made breakfast for the apartment, which was fun. Then my friend Ryan came over and we made a CD! He was this whole portable recording studio, thing and I recorded a CD of me playing the piano (No, not singing....) and playing some stuff I wrote and arranged. It was awesome! It was so high tech and it was great. Then we watched The Rocketeer, because there were guys over and we didn't want to scare them away with a super girly chick-flick. But it was fun! THEN, our FHE brothers brought us roses! Not crappy ones, but like really pretty and really nice ones! They are currently residing on our kitchen table. It was so nice! So that was the extent of my V-Day. So like I said, not super exciting, but still just as fun. I hope you guy all had a fun day too and that you got something special or did something special for someone.

If I can put in a personal plug real quick, I have applied to a couple of jobs at the hospital back home, so if you pray or keep me in your thoughts (if you don't pray...) that would be awesome. Thanks guys. You're wonderful and I appreciate it!

This is my roommate Kim with the roses from our FHE brothers!

Stay Positive (WARNING: this post may contain excessive amounts of venting and frustration.)

So I figure I'd warn you guys before you read, this may be a slightly sad post. Much venting and being frustrated. So now you're warned. :)


School is going great. It's fantastic actually. I love it and classes are going so well. It's wonderful. I also got to go down to Provo last weekend and take a friend's engagement pictures. I was SOO excited! They turned out so well and Heavenly Father definately answered my prayers when it came to the pictures and the weather. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't have asked for a warmer, sunnier day. Especially in February. My friend and her fiance were awesome and it was just a really good weekend.

Monday is when it all starts going slightly south...

Monday I was feeling exhausted and slightly sick and I didn't make it to any of my classes. I felt like such a bum, but it was the first day in the semester I had missed class, so I figured I was ok grades wise. So I wasn't feeling good Monday. Not to mention I had an argument with someone which didn't turn out well, as most arguments don't, and I just felt and still feel horrible.

Tuesday was better. I was able to get a lot of things done, devotional was good, there was a dance (which was SO fun), and things were good.

Wednesday not so much. I missed an important meeting with one of my professors which counted as an attendance grade. I know it doesn't sound like it, but it's kind of a big deal. It counts a lot towards our final grade because it's a hybrid class. This means that we meet once a week, but then meet every other week with our professor for about 30 mins. The weeks we don't meet with our professor, we meet with the TA. This is an advanced writing class and we're making and writing for each others literary journals. I happen to be the editor and chief of one of them, and so it counts a lot if I'm there or not. And I was just not happy with myself. I also found out that I missed some pretty important stuff in the classes I missed on Monday, but I was assured it's nothing that I can't makeup for.

Thursday was the worst. It started out really good, and then plumeted (did I spell that right?) into a spiraling downfall. My first class didn't start till 5:15 PM, and I had all day to do laundry, work on HW, and do various other things. Good so far right? Then I get on facebook. Curse you, facebook. I started talking to a "friend" from back home and things went nuts. I say "friend" because hmmm, we're suppossed to be friends but when this person starts cussing me out and saying how rude and selfish I am, that's when the "friends" part diminishes. I wanted to cry. And funny, this person always makes me want to cry. Apparently I bring it upon myself. Well I say goodbye because I have to go to class and after I sign off, I STILL get messages from this person in my inbox telling me how horrible I am. Yay. This person is not the same person I had an argument with previously in the week, but they coencide because they both deal with me going home. So I am leaving for class a horrible, miserable wreck. Mascara running all over my face, shaking wreck. THEN, later that night, while I'm trying to submitt an assignment for my religion class the next day, my internet FREAKS out and I don't have internet anymore. And it's an online assignment. I was livid and I just wanted to sit down and cry some more, but I was proud of myself and I didn't.

I'm really not a cry baby (unless it comes to REALLY good movies) but I have just been so tired and so done with drama. I hate drama. But it seems like everyone likes to bring their drama to my doorstep and say, "Here. Deal with this." What?! "Umm, no thanks. I'm ok." "No, really! Take it! It's yours!" And then they run away. Grrr.

So today is Friday the 13th. And not to jinx it or anything, but so far....so good. I have a friend coming to visit me from Provo, I'm recording a cd for my mom (for those of you who are wondering, NO...I'm not singing), and it's a long weekend. Not to mention, Valentines Day weekend. So I'm not in love, but I'm excited for it just the same.

I feel better for getting this week off my chest. I need to stay positive. I need to just "Keep Moving Forward" as Walt Disney said. Yes, I just quoted the creator of Mickey Mouse. Hopefully I'll be able to make a temple trip this weekend, have fun, and not have to worry about certain things or people. *Sigh* Let's hope. :)

I love you all, have a good V-Day, and don't forget to do something special for that someone special. Toodle-loo!


An exasperated, Liz :)

Birthday Wishes

So like I said in my earlier post, there are a crazy amount of birthdays in January. Today is Laura's! Laura Nielson....HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you have an amazing 21rst birthday and that it's a happy one! You make me laugh like nobody's business and I just can't help but crack up whenever we're doing something stupid. Lol. Let us never forget Brother Kern, Brother Crisp (whoops, I mean Dr. Crisp), and Brother Babcock. Good times...haha. Happy Birthday!


And for tomorrow....Happy Birthday Amanda! You will also be 21 and I also hope you have an amazing birthday! Our road trip was crazy, but so much fun! You too, constantly make me laugh and sharing "boy stories" is always so much fun too. Have a good day tomorrow!

January Happenings

So it is January. A new year and a new semester. And I'm finally updating my blog! (Thanks Laura!) I'm still and English major and still working like crazy to get things done. I'm actually taking a screen writing class this semester which I am WAY excited about. I've already got my idea and characters mapped out. All I have to do is write it! That's going to be the rough part, but fun. So I'll keep you updated on how that is coming along as well. I'm also taking Old Testament this semester, which is AWESOME! I absolutely love this class. I have learned so much already, and we've only been in class for a couple of weeks. It's great.

Other big news....I turned 21! Woo Hoo! What did I do? I just a few friends over and we ate food, played games, laughed, w/e, and had a really good time. It was a lot of fun and really nice to have a local, small, get-together thing. It was nice. I was also able to get together with Amanda and Shanda for lunch which was also fun because we all have birthdays in the month of January, and when we were kids, it was so crazy because our birthday parties were ALL in a row. And we haven't been all together for our birthdays in a long time, so it was fun to get together and chat for awhile.

Life in Rexburg is cold....as usual. But fun. I love it here. And I'm REALLY excited about tomorrow because Elder D. Todd Christofferson is coming for devotional tomorrow and I have a ticket! I just feel extremely blessed to be able to have the opportunity to hear him speak, in person. The note taking pressure is on! I have a feeling tomorrow will be a good day.

Well, nothing else too exciting. But I have decided to use this blog as not only an update on my life, but also on the books that I am reading. I have become a read-a-holic! I am constantly reading something! I guess that comes with being an english major. So, I have decided that after I finish a book, I'll blog about it, recommend it, etc. It'll probably start tomorrow.

Class time! Got to run. See ya!