Happy Memorial Day

The past week hasn't been all that exciting, really.  I am thankful, however, to have this three-day weekend before beginning summer work at Roosevelt.  The school year wrapped up on Friday and we begin summer stuff on Tuesday. 

On Thursday morning, I realized our Internet wasn't working.  So, naturally, I attempted to fix it.  After two hours, I realized I couldn't do anything more.  So Friday evening, we called Comcast.  All they did was exactly what I had tried.  After two more hours on the phone with them, we went to Best Buy to get a new router and modem.  I then spent another two hours setting those up.  On the bright side, we now have Internet!! You don't realize how much you use it until it's gone.

Today, my Mom, brother, and I went to visit David and put flowers on his grave.  Two people has already been there.  It looks beautiful.  It's hard to believe that it has almost been two years already.  It's still hard, but we're getting by.  There's not a day that goes by that we don't think of him.

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and thanks for reading!



Rest in Peace, Aunt Emily

This past Thursday, my great-aunt Emily passed away from a severe stroke she had suffered the previous Sunday.  Though I didn't know her that well, that doesn't change the fact that we were family.  From the times I saw her and holidays we spent together, she was a good woman.  I know she will be missed.  My grandma (her sister) seems to be doing okay though, understandably, she is upset.  I think more than anything, she is relieved.  My aunt had suffered from heart attacks and strokes before.  I think it's peaceful for her to know that my aunt isn't suffering any more.

The viewing is tonight followed by a rosary.  Tomorrow is the procession and internment.  As my great aunt didn't have many living male relatives, I will be a pallbearer tomorrow.  It will be my first time, but I think it's the least I can do.

Other than that, my week was fairly uneventful.  For those of you who didn't read my blog Wednesday, click here.  It is a great cause for Mental Health Awareness Month. 

Have a great week and thanks for reading!

I'm Blogging for Mental Health 2012

          As you may or may not know, May 16, 2012 is Mental Health Blogging Day.  As such, I feel it's appropriate for me to participate in this great cause.  If you are reading this and you, too, have a blog, I encourage you to participate in this great cause.  Mental health is of great concern in our country and, as many of you know, is very important to me.  I have personal experience in my family regarding mental illness and my career aspirations derive from mental health concerns. 

          To elaborate on my personal experiences, my older brother, David, suffered from mental illness his entire life which, ultimately, led to him taking his own life nearly two years ago.  Though David was never properly diagnosed, we believe he suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and others.  Mental illness takes its toll on the victim and the victim's family and friends.  Anyone who knew David knows very well that David suffered from mental illness.  That being said, David was a ray of light for all those who came in contact with him.  His caring nature and often positive being was a truly uplifting experience for those who encountered him.

          My aspiration is to be a psychologist.  I feel I can do good in helping people to better cope with their problems.  A common misconception about mental health professionals is that they attempt to solve problems.  This is not the case.  The purpose of psychiatry, psychology, therapy, counseling, etc. is to help people cope with their problems more effectively.  This is something I feel I can do with the proper education and resources.

          For more information about National Mental Health Awareness Month, this blogging movement, and general mental health information, I encourage you to visit the following links:

• For information about this blogging activity, click here.
• Click here to access the website for the American Psychological Association. 
• Click here to access the APA Facebook page.
• Click here to access Your Body, Your Mind.  This is a great website with many resources regarding this blogging activity as well as mental health in general.

          No matter what you or your loved one may be suffering from, know that there are always resources available.  Know also that suicide is never the answer.  There are people that care about you and you can recieve help and live a happy, fullfilling life.  Mental wellness is not just for those diagnosed with mental illness.  Wellness is a holistic experience that is spiritual, psychological, mental, and emotional.  Everyone needs a balance of these four key aspects.  For more information about mental health, please visit the resources above.  I am open for questions if you feel inclined.

          Mental health is of vital importance.  Do not hesitate to seek help if you feel it is necessary.


          

Happy Mother's Day!

So, I know I haven't been updating every week.  However, as no one has said anything about being too distraught by this, I may not update EVERY week.  The past two weeks haven't been all that exciting.  It's May; this means I need to pay to have my car inspected, emissions done, taxes paid, and registration renewed.  This means money.  As such, some things I planned on doing this month have to be put on hold such as new tires, my air conditioner serviced, and some clothes.  These will have to wait until; June and July.  I very much dislike being paid only once per month.

Anyway!! The main focus of this post is simply this: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I have the best mother in the world.  She has done so much for me and for our family.  No matter what life throws at her, she learns from it, and moves on a stronger person.  She has taught me so much, too.  I know I get a lot of my determination, motivation,  (and sometimes my obsession) from her.  She always gives 110% into whatever she needs to accomplish.  Particularly in her career, she knows what needs to be done, how to do it, do it well, and do it fast.  I get that from her as well. 

She has always supported me in whatever I want to do.  Through college, high school, music, and everything, Mom has always been there to support me.  Her courage, strength, love, care, and support are the reasons I am who I am today.

I had a hard time deciding what to get her, but, after some thought, I got it! She's been wanting a new desk for a while, so I bought her a new desk for the living room.  It's SO much nice than the thing we had in there before.  It matches, and it's not falling apart!

There's honestly nothing I could post here that would even be close to enough to thank my Mom.  She is the best.  I would not be where I am today with my loving, supportive mother.

I love you Mom!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

The Summer Thus Far

I realize I didn't update this blog last week.  There's really no reason for it except the fact that I didn't feel like it. :)

Okay. So far, my summer has been great.  It's been nice to sleep in and not have to worry about much but work and next semester.  I'm STILL trying to figure out my classes and stuff for Fall 2012 semester (assuming I can pay for it, that is). 

I'm still not bored yet, which is a good thing.  Hopefully I can enjoy a few more weeks of freedom before I become bored.  Dealing with next semester, scholarships, financial aid, and family stuff, I still keep fairly busy. 

Speaking of family stuff, I don't think I've updated you guys on the recent events.  To get right to the point, my parents have decided to get a divorce (again).  For those of you who don't know, they were married for 13 years, divorced for 8 years, then they remarried in December of 2010.  Now, they've decided it's not working--and I agree.  I think at the time, we were all still distraught from David's passing and none of us were in a position to make that kind of decision.  They were both upset, lonely, and needed someone to talk to.  So, my Dad has moved out and my brother and I live with our Mom now.  We still see our Dad every day and spend time with him.  It's worked out fairly well, although adjusting took a little time.  I think this is the best thing for our family.  It was always so tense and I could tell my parents were more like roommates than husband and wife.  All in all, I know it's for the better.

A good friend of mine left on his mission on Wednesday.  He will be serving in the England, Birmingham mission speaking English.  We got to know each other VERY well in Tapestry and we've become really good friends.  I'm not LDS, but I know he'll go great things in England.  I have a few friends serving now.  I plan to write them and I know they will do well out there.

I hope you like the new look! Tell me what you think. :)

I suppose that's it for this week (and last week).  Thanks for reading!

:)

Freshman Year

Okay.  So this Monday (tomorrow) is the last day of Spring 2012 semester.  Following that, Tuesday through Thursday is Finals Week.  To say the least, I am SO relieved to almost be done! I have an advisement meeting, and exam, and a class on Monday as well as a final on Tuesday and then...I'm done with my first year of college.  It FLEW by.  I am really loving college, and I can't believe I will be a sophomore in college; that is insane! 

Looking back on the past year, a lot has happened.  I am officially a Psychology major and Music minor with 40 credit hours at Weber State. I really can't believe how much I've done and accomplished.  In addition, I've registered for Fall 2012 semester and I'm taking 8 classes for 13 credit hours (with several 1-credit-hour classes for my Music minor).  It will be a busy semester!!! Everything seems to be going according to plan, so I hope I can keep it up!

Tomorrow morning, I had a meeting with my Psychology major advisor to discuss my progress, my plans, and my Fall 2012 schedule.  So far, my advisers seem pleased, so I think I'm doing well.  It is SUCH a relief to know that I will soon be done with my first year.  I think the only thing that got me through Dead Week and that will get me through Finals is knowing I have the summer off of school!  April 18th through August 27th! I have to make it count! I know that, come Tuesday afternoon, I will be SO happy! On the other hand, I've really enjoyed my first two semesters and I will miss some of my classes, the people I've met, the professors I've had, and the friends I've made.

Also, on a completely unrelated note, this is my 100th blog post. Crazy!!  Thanks for the encouragement!

ANYWAY!  Thanks for reading; have an awesome week! 

19 and Easter

Happy Easter, everyone!  I hope you all have a great day and that you truly remember what this day is about.  Today is an excellent day to get together with one's family and celebrate; however, it's not just another excuse to eat (although that's great too).  As for me, I'm going to Easter Mass followed by a Mexican dinner at my grandma's house! YUM!

My birthday yesterday was fantastic.  I have such great friends and a loving family.  Thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday!  It was truly an awesome day.  Nineteen doesn't feel all that different, but, then again, it's only been a day. :)  I got several iTunes gift cards (YAY!), an American Eagle gift card (Yay again!), and some money (always a good gift).  So basically, it's time for me to hit the mall and spend what's left of my Christmas gift cards and my birthday gift cards!

I hope you all had an amazing week; I hope you have a great Easter; and thank you for reading my blog!



Habitat for Humanity

I'm getting a little tired of my traditional, week-wrap-up posts, so I'm taking a break from that. This week I want to talk a little about the volunteer work I've been doing. Lately, I've been volunteering with Habitat for Humanity on a house they're renovating in Clearfield. It's been a very rewarding experience.

I've done it for three weeks now, and I've put in about 8 hours. The community service is not really required for anything (although I suppose it would look good on my resume), but I feel it's important to give back. I found out about the organization through Weber State's Community Involvement Center in February, and I've been involved since then. The family getting the house is very deserving. So far, I've been doing things outside such as mixing and pouring cement, leveling soil, laying sod, weeding and cleaning flower beds, moving soil, and other things. I like the experience because I'm not "volunteering" in an office filing, but I'm actually doing physical work that will benefit a deserving family.

  I don't say this to pride myself, but to get the word out. Volunteering is a great use of time, a rewarding experience, and, if you need the hours, very helpful. For more information about Habitat for Humanity, visit this link and it will link to all kinds of opportunities. I would encourage everyone to volunteer if you can. Also, if you haven't, read my previous post about my trip to San Francisco!!

As always, thanks for reading and have a great week! :)

San Francisco!

Considering I landed back in Salt Lake Sunday afternoon, I didn't really have the time to blog last week. As such, this will be my post about my trip to San Francisco! I'll put some pictures here, but ALL of the pictures I took are on my Facebook profile as well. :)

To say the least, I had a GREAT time in San Francisco. It was a great experience; I only wished it had lasted longer.

We left the morning of Wednesday, March 14 at about 11:45am. Both of our flights went well; very little turbulence, good timing, not too crowded, and very nice overall. It was...wet...to say the least when we landed. The majority of our time in San Francisco was raining, but that didn't stop us from having a great time. :) We took the AirBart and the BART from the airport and walked a few blocks to our hotel. The public transportation system in San Francisco is actually pretty cool. With Cable Cars, taxis, buses, the Metro, BART, and shuttles, you can pretty much get anywhere in the city without a car.
Our hotel was SO cool. The building was built in the 1920s, and the architecture reflected that. It was so cool and I really enjoyed our stay there. The staff was fantastic, the maid service was great, breakfast was good, and, overall, it was a great stay. I would recommend the Mayflower Hotel to anyone staying in San Francisco; it is also reasonably priced.
For our Wednesday night class tour, we went through China Town to get to North Beach and explore over there. We saw the City Lights bookstore, Kerouac ally, the Beat Museum, and a lot more. Our first day was a success.
After breakfast on Thursday, I bought a cheap umbrella (mine had broken the day before) and we headed for the BART and our tour of Berkeley. The campus at U.C. Berkeley is really kind of cool. I don't know that many of the students understand the historical significance of the campus, but I thought it was cool. Many Free Speech Movement protests began on Berkeley's campus in the 1960s. We saw Sather Gate, People's Park, and explored the campus a bit.
After a delicious lunch at Chipotle's in North Beach, we boarded a MUNI bus for the Haight. We saw the corner of Haight & Ashbury, the Grateful Dead House, Golden Gate Park, the Pan Handle and, of course, Ben and Jerry's!!
After that, we were kind of cut loose for the rest of the trip. We six students took a bus back to the hotel for a breather at the hotel, and headed for Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. To say the least, the city buses in San Francisco are one of the most interesting means of public transportation one can take. By this time, the rain had stopped and it made for a great time on the Wharf. We say the Pier, Alcatraz, a beautiful sunset, and had a DELICIOUS dinner at Bubba Gump. We had such a fun night Thursday and, perhaps, one of the best experiences of the trip. It was great to just relax and have fun. :)
On Friday, Carl (one of the professors), Matt, and I decided to rent a car and go out to Cupertino to visit Apple Headquarters and the Company Store. The Company Store at Apple Headquarters is the only place in the world where you can buy Apple merchandise like t-shirts, key chains, pens, sweaters, polos, etc. I got an iVisited shirt, key chain, and pen. :) It's like Mecca for tech nerds, and I loved it.
After visiting the Mothership, we had lunch at a GREAT little Italian place called Joe's; I had breaded scallops with ravioli and it was GREAT! Best sourdough and marinara I've had.
After a quick rest at the hotel afterwards, Matt and I decided to venture out in the pouring rain to North Beach and walk around.  We explored China Town, Little Italy, and just walked around a bit.  Drenched and tired, we decided to give up and headed back to the hotel via walking and the cable car.  Afterwards, we met Carl and John (our professors), and went to Lefty O'Doul's for dinner.  I swear, that place has the most amazing clam chowder.  It was delicious (like everything else we had eaten).  We then went back to the hotel and crashed.
Saturday, we took taxis to the Pier and took the Blue & Gold ferry to Sausalito.  That island is BEAUTIFUL!  It's so quaint and nice.  The weather was pretty nice on Saturday, too, so it was the perfect day to go.  There is a lot of greenery, little shops, and a beautiful park on the bay.  After walking around a bit, we had lunch at the best burger place I've ever eaten in.  I can't even remember the name, but it's this little hole in the wall and the burgers are fantastic.
We then waited 90 minutes for a bus to the north end of the GGB, and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco.  That thing is HUGE!  It looks big, but you have no idea until you walk across it.  It was a bit windy and cold, but it was great and I'm glad we did it.  If you ever have the chance, definitely do it; it's so worth it.  After a few bus detours, a walk through S.F.'s marijuana district, and a ride on the Metro, we arrived back at our hotel.
After a few (much needed) hours of solitude in my hotel room, Hannah, Danielle, McKenzie, and I did a little shopping, walked around a bit, and headed back to the hotel for the night after stopping at a little market for dinner and ice cream wrapping up our last full day in California.
a shuttle with a crazy driver, headed to the airport, and flew home.  Overall, we had such a great trip. I am so glad I went and the only regrets I have are not saving more money, and not staying longer.  If I could have, I would have stayed a little longer.  I had such a great time and it was rough coming back and jumping right back into the school-homework-work-home-homework routine.  We all got to know each other better and become closer as a class. We learned more about what were studying, had a lot of fun, and made some great memories.

The first floor of our hotel looking out towards the elevators

Alcatraz from the Pier

The Apple Company Store

Fisherman's Wharf

The t-shirt I got at Apple Headquarters

Looking back on the city of San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge from the ferry

Looking back on the bridge after walking across it

Three Weeks' Worth

Okay.  I know I haven't updated this the past two weeks.  I apologize for that (for those of you who noticed or care).  Honestly, the past few weeks have been VERY busy and, as a result, I haven't updated my blog.

Basically, school and work and everything are going very well.  Much of my focus over the past few weeks has been on the 2012-2013 academic year.  I've been applying for scholarships, trying to compile the classes I want to take, figuring expenses, and a lot of other things.  Homework has also been picking up.  I still try to stay a week ahead and--so far--it's been working.  I've has a couple exams recently and I have one the week after Spring Break as well.  I took my Music 1010 exam on Thursday and got a 94% (woo!).  I have a psychology exam after Spring Break and I'm pretty confident about it.

So...Spring Break.  Needless to say, I am SO excited for San Francisco! I've also been working on plans for that over the past few weeks.  It's going to be fun and it will be SO nice to get away and relax for a few days.  I've done my homework for the following week so I can just focus on relaxing and having fun in S.F.  I won't be missing classes and I've arranged to have work off with no problems. I leave Wednesday morning and fly back on Sunday afternoon.  I can't wait!!!

I won't bore you with details of the past three weeks, but it's been busy.  No major events have happened, but preparing for next year takes a LOT of work.  Some of these scholarship applications are BRUTAL!!

Thank you for reading (and for your patience)! Have a great week.  My next post: San Francisco!!!

:)

President's Day Weekend

To say the least, I am very happy that I have a three-day weekend.  I know I say that EVERY time we have a holiday, but it's always true and never moreso than this weekend.  I has SUCH a long week and could really use the break.  I didn't get to sleep until after 1:00am most days this past week and I was SO tired Friday night.  Needless to say, it's been very nice sleeping in the past two mornings.

School is still going very well.  I'm about a week ahead on homework, and I'm trying to keep it that way.   It's so much easier to be ahead than trying to catch up; plus, when something comes up, I don't fall behind.  :) 

Wednesday was the Winter Choirfest and I think it went really.  I'm not going to lie; I miss high school choir, but I'm glad I'm in any choir at all.  The sound is more mature and together than high school, but the social aspect will never be the same.  That being said, I'm still glad.

I'm meeting with Dr. Keipp on Thursday to dicuss a minor in music.  My plan is to major in Psychology with a minor in music.  After that meeting, I'll have a better understanding of the program requirements, prerequisites, and everything.  Music has always been such a big part of my life and I would LOVE to minor in it; I know David would love that, too.

I suppose that's it for this week.  Thanks for reading! Have a great week!! :)

Finally Done!

I am relieved.  Know why?  Because my room is finally done!! The last of my furniture--the desk chair and dresser--came Tuesday and now my room is finally complete!  It's all done with black and grays and I like it a lot.  I have some of the furniture I have pinned on Pinterest.  Click here to view them.  I love the new desk, dresser, chair, and everything.  It looks much more adult and it fits me better.  I was SO tired of mis-matched furniture and a bright blue dresser. :/  Also, my mini fridge now fits in perfectly. ;)

Speaking of Pinterest (for lack of a better transition), I discovered it last week and I'm beginning to use it more and more.  I doubt I'll have a thousand pins anytime soon, but it's a good homework distraction (like I need more of those).  I'll probably get more used to using it in the future, but for now, it doesn't take up too much time.

I had a pretty average--work and school.  Wednesday, I had a dentist appointment, (no cavities!) and that was about it.  Also, I got in the 90s on both of my exams, so the semester is going pretty well.

I guess that's all! Thanks for reading and have a great week!



A Nice Change

          To say I had a crazy busy week would be a drastic understatement.  At work, we had parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday.  So work was actually fairly easy.  I worked two hours Wednesday and Thursday instead of three which was nice. 
          Friday was my first exam of the semester, and I think it went very well.  It was for my Psychology 1540 class and I did very well.  All the studying paid off!  I have another exam Monday, so cross your fingers. :)  This semester is a little easier than last semester was.  I think I'm more adapted to the college life, so that's part of it.  But I also learned my lesson semester: don't take math and two honors classes in the same semester.  It can be done (obviously), but it's tough.
          I got paid Tuesday, so, as usual, I bought stuff. :D  I got a new dresser, desk chair, and filing cabinet.  I figured, now that I'm 18 and in college, a bright blue dresser is a little too immature.  My room is now going to be in black and gray and, once it's all here, I think it will look much better. :)
          Friday, after work, I came home for a bit then I had some friends over.  Considering I had done NOTHING but school, work, and homework for a month, it was SO nice to be able to just have some fun for a night.  We hung out at my house for a while and then we saw The Woman in Black at the Megaplex after getting some pizza.  It was a great movie, but creepy.  I now know that I'm very jumpy when it comes to scary movies.  I don't really scream, but I jumped a few times.  It was totally unpredictable, which made it better.  I hated it and I loved it.

I guess that's it!  Thanks for reading.  Have a great week! :)

Purposely Untitled

So, uh... There's really not much to say this week.  In other words, this will be a very short post.  Like, maybe a couple paragraphs.

School is still going well.  My first exam is Friday so I hope do do well on that.  Work is still work; not much has changed since I became Lead.  Other than that, my life stays fairly routine throughout the week and I sleep in on the weekends and do homework.  Also, my desk chair broke this week, so I'm going to get a new one when I get paid Tuesday.

Also, I feel like I should mention that I love Amazon.  Since I'm re-doing my room, I'm ordering a new dresser, filing cabinet, and desk chair from Amazon.  Reasonable pricing, free shipping with Amazon Student, and great stuff. Can't wait!

Thanks for reading, however bored you may have been.  Hope you had a great week!

:)

Good Week

I suppose my week wasn't all that exciting, but I had a good one.  I'm really starting to see what my classes are like and I think I'm going to like them better than last semester.  That being said, I am glad I got math out of the way last semester. 

My English class is pretty easy.  I had the same professor last semester so I made sure to get him again for 2010.  My music class is fairly easy and I'm enjoying it because...well...it's music.  I am SO glad I got back into choir and I'm in Weber State's Concert Choir.  It's not only a nice break from academic stuff, but I'm loving singing again--I missed it.

I'm also liking my Honors class.  It's about culture of the 1950s and 1960s and I'm liking it (plus we're going to San Francisco in March!!).  I'm enjoying my Psychology class, too, and I'm more sure that I picked the right major.  I think it's so interesting how the mind works and why we think the way we do.  The course I'm taking is Psychology of Adjustment and Growth: how we adapt and change over time.  It's more experiential than most psychology classes and I like that.

Monday was a great day off and it was nice to have a four day week.  On top of that, I got a lot of homework done Friday and yesterday and I'm staying ahead!  I was able to get a 4.0 last semester, so I'm hoping to keep that up (not easy).

I hope you had a great week and thank you for reading.