Jari's "Affirmation"

So I like lots of people, places, and things. Nouns are just the best! Let's start here:

People:

I like my Timber! I like my Lexie! I like my Ryans! I like my Jordans! I like all my volunteers!

Places:

I like my Rexburg! I like Mesa Falls! I like the Sand Dunes! I like BYU-Idaho!

Things:

I like the Taco Bus! I like light sabers! I like bon fires! I like my bed! I like my laptop!

I can do ANYTHING good! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

ABBA.Temple to Temple.Service.Birthday.Service.

I am alive. So much is happening so quickly that I barely know what to do with myself. A couple of weeks ago a group called ABBA Mania came to BYU-Idaho. I could stop writing right there and you could probably guess that it was a good time. My two roommates and I went and decided that interpretive dance complemented fake ABBA quite nicely. Not to mention, it is pretty hilarious to watch a predominantly Mormon audience chant/sing/shout along to Voulez Vous and think that the lyrics are completely innocent...yeeeah.

So I stayed up later than I should of, especially considering I had a 36ish mile relay race the next day. My team and I started at the Rexburg Temple and ended at the Idaho Falls Temple. Seriously one of the funnest days of nice life. I was the first leg, which means I got to run downhill from the Rexburg Temple. Thank heavens because goodness knows my body does not do the uphill craziness that everyone else had the joy of. Also, I may or may not have gotten lost in a junk yard for a little while... Anyway, after I passed on the slap bracelet and joined the rest of my team in the truck it was a party for the rest of the way. We would drive a little ways down the road from our runner and then sing and dance in the back of the truck until they showed up; at which point we would cheer and scream like crazy and help them along their run. We went through some of the prettiest places in the area, and ended the day with a little ultimate frisbee at a park near the Idaho Falls Temple. I owe a large thank you to my amazing and hilarious teammates, Mika, and Michael Jackson for making the day that much more enjoyable.

I think that I have mentioned this in the last few posts, but this semester one of the things I'm doing is working as a Director for Service Activities. This means that I'm in charge of 15 students and 10 service programs. It is an absolute blast and I love every second of it. Every semester we host a retreat for all of our volunteers. We go to a cabin near the Tetons and have trainings and play. This semester because I'm directing I was put in charge of planning and hosting the retreat. I was really nervous about it, but it went off really well. It was incredible to see how much my volunteers have learned in just the short time that they have been involved, and all the wonderful ideas that they have to improve their programs and the school. I was also really impressed by how much love they showed to each other and me. It was a much calmer retreat that I have been to in the past, but there were also a lot of opportunities to be taught by the spirit. It was fantastic. I am grateful to Jordyn and Jordan (yes, these are the two people I work with...they have the same name pretty much) for all the help and support they gave and for how much closer we got in just two days.

The morning that we left the retreat was also my 21st birthday. So yes, I am now legal to drink, apply/audition for reality TV shows, and participate in all forms of entertainment offered at The Strip in Las Vegas...oh, and I can apply to serve a mission too if I so choose. Anyway, for my birthday my roommates threw me a tea party. It was the most awesome thing! We had great finger food, spoke in the best British accents we could muster, and had some of the most delicious herbal tea this side of Provo. :) Really though, I had forgotten how much fun imagination games are, good choice in birthday festivities.

I went out for a little bit after the tea party and came home to some "interesting" presents. My roommates found a bunch of rocks and geology books that now belong to me, and this stray cat showed up at our door....apparently he's mine too. He's the sweetest cat in the world (and that's saying something because I'm generally a cat hater). We gave him some milk and enjoyed his company, then sent him on his way. He comes back every once in a while and repeats the experience. We've decided to name him BobJeffKnives, I'm not exactly sure why. It probably has something to do with us being ridiculous college aged girls who were way too tired when all of this was taking place.

I decided that I didn't want to hog all the rock related joy for myself, so we decided to make a delivery to one of our beloved friends, Ryan Bruce. He didn't find it half as cool as we did...his loss.

Remember how I said that I'm director for Service Activities? Well, this week was service week on campus. We encouraged all the students to utilize their activity time in Family Home Evening to do something service oriented. So my "family" and I storm cleaned apartments. We had 3 vacuums, 3 brooms, a couple bottles of all purpose cleaner, and some sponges. We would rush into apartments screaming and yelling (I seem to do a lot of that) and clean and laugh while the people who lived there looked at us wide-eyed. We cleaned 5 apartments (dishes included) as a family, and then met back up at our apartment for treats. But then half the brothers started cleaning our apartment, and the other half went to the other girl's apartment and started cleaning it. Not to be outdone we ran over to their apartment and did the same...and after it was clean we decided to rearrange all their furniture for the heck of it. They didn't find that amusing, but life goes on.

So that's life right now. I spend a lot of time doing homework, or work, or service work, or run errands for different clubs I'm in, and then I come home and party with my roommates all night long. Really, this is the life.

The Haps

So. I took a road trip from Florida to Idaho with one of my good friends, Brenna Richardson. First stop, Tallahassee...we made it really far. I know. I was able to see one of my most favorite friends, Montana Carroll AND we were able to get a tour of the FSU campus from Brenna's sister. Apparently it's tradition to jump in the fountain, so of course we went for it.

A little ways down the road from FSU we ran into stand still traffic. Completely stand still, all the cars were parked. So we got out of the car, sat on the road and took pictures to pass the time. It was actually a lot of fun, it's amazing how friendly people can be when we're all suck together on the side of the road. People were offering food and making pleasant conversation. It was lovely. Turns out that a car had gotten hit off the road and into a tree...life flight had to come save people. Scary.

On the second day of travel we hit traffic AGAIN in Texas. We sat in the car for 3 hours and made it a grand total of 22 miles. I was a little more than aggravated. We ended up not reaching our destination until almost 3 in the morning AND Brenna got a speeding ticket. Texas is now on my bad list.

The third day wasn't that interesting. It was driving. We made it to Arizona, what a relief. We stayed there for a few days with Brenna's grandparents, and on our way out we stopped at the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately we didn't get to do much exploring, but it was beautiful all the same.

On the way from Arizona to Utah we got a flat tire and sat on the side of the road for an hour, at night, waiting for AAA. Seriously, worst road trip luck ever! On the bright side, I have a funny dad who sent me hilarious texts to keep us entertained as we waited. We stayed the night in Utah, then the next day I headed for Idaho. No disasters on the way, thank heavens.

So then I was in Idaho. I was able to spend time with some extended family who were in town for the baby blessing of my cousins new daughter, Paislynn. This baby is gorgeous and so sweet. I was so glad I got to meet her, and spend time with some family. I don't get a lot of that being out at school so it was definitely appreciated.

So...back in Idaho. Kind of strange. I'm graduating at the end of this semester and I feel weird about that. Oh well, life goes on. My roommates are some of the coolest and most inspiring girls ever. We have a lot of fun together. On my first day in the apartment we hosted "Sunday Social" complete with a chalk drawn welcome mat. Later that same night someone randomly left a cantaloupe at our front door. Strange, but that's Rexburg for ya.

School is school. I love all my classes and teachers. They will expect a lot from me. I'll make a decent effort, and then count on my charisma for the rest of the grade. Just kidding...well, maybe. :) This semester I am Service Activities Director, Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science National Honor Society) President, a Teachers Assistant, and I'm taking 14 credits, and I haven't gotten a calling yet. We'll see where things go on that front.

Yesterday with Service Activities I was able to take a group of students to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity. It was such an amazing experience. I learned that I should not be trusted with a hammer, but that I can measure and cut siding just as good as the next guy. I hurt my thumbs pretty bad, but it was worth it. Seriously one of the best ways to spend my Saturday, it helped get my mind off myself and helped me to be productive.

So there you have it, I'm back in Rexburg. Idaho which is just as cold and dry as ever, but I love it. I have a enough new goals to fill a blog of their own. I'm trying a couple new things, but mostly just reliving a lot of old things for the last time. I'm working hard, and sleeping little. And I'm getting out of the waiting place, slowly but surely.

The Waiting Place

Ladies and Gentlemen I'm afraid that I've run at a break-necking pace off to a very useless place. The Waiting Place. What is the Waiting Place? Well I should probably let the Dr. explain himself

(From Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go")

The Waiting place...

...for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or the waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for the wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a better break

or a string of pearls or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or another chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

(As a disclaimer "Oh the Places You'll Go" is a personal favorite, I refer to it often. Do not be shocked if it makes multiple appearances on this blog)

So, I'm in the Waiting Place. What am I waiting for? I'm waiting for school to start, and then for school to end. I'm waiting for life to happen, but not quite.

I'm not making much sense, am I? Maybe that's the point. I'm not really sure what the point is, or what the point is supposed to be even.

All I know is that right now I live at home, and home suddenly doesn't feel so homey. Though that is mostly due to the fact that everyone went back to school and work this week, and I'm still here...sitting. BUT I start heading back for Idaho on Saturday.

So, specifically what am I waiting for? For Fall Semester 2010. I am waiting for something productive to do with my time. I'm waiting for classes, homework, paychecks, a student ward, for an internship offer, and for graduation.

Less specifically, I'm waiting for the rest of my life. I know one phase of my life is quickly coming to an end, and another will soon start. I just don't know what the title of the next chapter is yet. To say I'm terrified is an understatement. Family and close friends have expressed a lot of confidence in me, I sure hope it's not ill-founded.

I guess it's just a waiting game. (Sorry, that was my best attempt at being punny.)

It's a Wedding Charlie Brown

Actually, Charlie Brown had nothing to do with this wedding; and considering the way his life generally works out he probably wouldn't have been invited either. But enough about Charlie...

A couple weeks ago my lovely little sister married a silly boy named Blake, who I love dearly. I know by this point you've stopped reading and scrolled down to the pictures. They had a wonderful photographer, Kim, you should look at her site.

Now that the oohing and awing is over I can say that the wedding was a dream. Lots of wonderful food, music, and the most wonderful people to share your time with. I had to give the toast, which was the scariest part for me. Luckily, those are the type of things that people forget about the moment they're over. Phew. I even caught the bouquet, second one this summer actually. Though don't be expecting any announcements from me in the near future...well at least not any that involve matrimony.

Anyway, now the happy couple is wed. Since that time they have spent a week long honeymoon in Mexico, came home and hung out with the families for a week, decided that they are done with BYU-I, and are currently on a road trip to Idaho and back to fetch all their belongings they had left behind. Upon their return they will be taking a semester off to work and save money, then will move to Gainesville, FL to get back into the schooling shindig. Just in case you wanted to know what they are up to.

As for me? Since the wedding ended and I have officially dropped the "maid of honor" title I have done very little. I'm just trying to enjoy my time off before going back to school where I have two jobs, am president of an honor society, and a full time student. One more semester won't kill me, right?

Something that I have done though, is visit the Georgia Aquarium. Basically it's one of the coolest places on earth, and I even got in for a discounted price. THAT my friends is what I call happiness. If you have the time, you should go.

Summer Sunshine

I just realized today that my summer is more than half over, and I've barely documented any of it. So here it is in the brief :

I went to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize for a Travel Study program. Basically the coolest experience of my life. Some highlights you ask? I hiked a volcano (it erupted two weeks later), snorkeled in a torrential rainstorm, got stopped by some Zappatistas, hand fed a howler monkey, zip lined over one of the seven wonders of the world, saw lots of ruin sites, parasailed with an old man....and a million more things

Then I headed back to Idaho, threw Annalee a couple bridal showers, visited Timber in Oakley Idaho and hiked in City of Rocks, hung out with Bruce, reunited with a few of the 206 girls and ran a million errands. It was lovely.

Then I headed off to Chicago to be with my Disney friends Courtney and Israel who I hadn't seen in a year and a half, plus I'd never been to Chicago.

And now I'm in Florida. It really hasn't been that interesting since my return. I've seen a couple friends here and there, but mostly I've just bummed around the house. I went to Kansas City to see Annalee complete her term as National Post Secondary President of the club SkillsUSA. That was a fun trip, and it was really cool to see all the hard work that she has put into that organization, and how empowering of a group it is for those kids.

The most recent of my adventures has been EFY, a church camp for youth from ages 14-18. They spend a week in the care of young single adult counselors; during the week they attend religious classes, play games, go to dances, and basically just have a rockin week. I was able to be a counselor, I was over a group of 10 girls most of which were 16-17ish. My co-counselor, Matt, was amazing! He was over 10 boys who were the same age as the girls. As a company we played, laughed, learned, and taught together. I was able to share my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (more information can be found here) and help build the testimonies of these youth. They were amazing, and SO energetic. I loved every minute of my week, and would give ANYTHING to get to do it over again!

An Update

I haven't sunshined in a while tons has gone on, life is crazy, I still write like a see spot run book.

-Gus-gus the Nissan is undergoing surgery. He's getting a new engine. This is happy.

-I participated in the Model Arab League, I did really bad. I did, however; learn a lot about Saudi Arabia and parliamentary procedure AND went to Montana for the first time ever. Cool.

-I've been homeless. For over a week now. It's getting old. I slept on a park bench, and am currently mooching off the kindness of my friends and their willingness to give me beds to sleep on and good food to eat. I hate mooching. I hate not having a home. This is not fun.

-I leave for Mexico in a matter of 4 days...I also do not know where my passport is. It's ok though. All will be well.

-I have been visiting abandoned houses. They make me happy.

-I like to swim, I have friends who like to swim, we went swimming.

-Hamburgers, they just rock house.

I've been doing lots more, but my brain is mush and I have class in 10 minutes, so this is all for now.

Bad Karma, Good Weekend

I'm all out of luck. This past week I had the bright idea that I would pack up all my things and start to move out of my apartment. It had been sunny for pretty much an entire week straight, so I figured I would be set packing up everything, including winter clothes. I was terribly wrong. As soon as I got ready to take things to the storage unit I found out it had been snowing lots, great. So now all I have is a little zip-up to keep me warm, that's fine. At this point I also had the bright idea to get my oil changed, seeing as it had been awhile and I was headed to Utah the next day, I thought it would be smart.

So I came home, a little unhappy with the weather gods, but life goes on. I got ready for a Pi Sigma Alpha event, went out to my car and lo and behold, it wouldn't start. So now I was bare-legged, in a skirt, walking through the snow. Awesome.

Turns out that there was something wrong with my battery and I got it fixed the next day before leaving for Utah. All was well. Until I got to the Salt Lake Airport, and after picking up Annalee, Blake, Adam, and all their luggage started to hit the road again. Before even getting to the freeway all the lights on my dash flew on, the power steering went out, and the car shut down.

So a tow truck, car examination, rental car, and four hours later it was determined that the oil changers forgot to put a drain plug in; and now my engine is blown potentially totaling my car.

So that was plenty to put me in a bad mood, and even though Annalee keeps telling me that I wasn't, I know I was a pain in the butt to hang out with the rest of the weekend, but I did have fun.

While Adam and I were waiting to hear about the car we explored the Pep Boys store, got into a sword fight with wire brushes, tried on biker helmets, and tried not to get kicked out. When the four of us all got back together again we went to chipotle, and ate yummy food. We were pampered at Ranae's. We were able to see Randi and Devin, and Jordan and her boyfriend Ammon. We even got free strawberry shortcake. We went to the Saturday afternoon session of conference, which means we were there for Elder Holland's talk, which was awesome. It was just nice to be with family, to not have to do school work. It was great. I love Annalee, Adam and Blake so much, and thank them so much for putting up with me this weekend. I needed it.

Unwilling Sunshine

Today I just want to be in a bad mood. I'm incredibly disappointed with myself and certain situations going on. It's just a blah day and has been a blah week. However, that just gives me all the more reason to look for sunshine, right?

1. I like these shirts, this program, and everything about it. This week I was able to facilitate interviews for new student volunteers. I forgot how much you can feel the spirit in those interviews. I forgot how much my heart swells with a knowledge of my Savior and his love for all of us, and how he would have us serve one another. It was a lovely reminder.

2. Turns out I can write in spanish. In fact, I wrote an entire essay in spanish. It makes me laugh every time I look at it, I feel like I just let my fingers stroke the keys and produce a bunch of gibberish. Not that spanish is gibberish...it looks cool, that's all I'm trying to say.

3. Richard Alpert has a sweet love story. I want to share the gospel with him. I want him to know about sealing power, and celestial marriage, and eternal families. True, he's a fictional character and so really none of that matters to him, but I think he would appreciate the gospel.

4. Pi Sigma Alpha is doing really well. We had another event this week and had a great turn out and great discussion. I'm so glad that this society is getting back on it's feet.

5. My todo list has lots of pink lines crossing out things. This is happiness.

6. The Devotional DVD is all done. It's beautiful. I am so grateful for the testimonies that were given in it, and the invitation that it extends. It's powerful. It's done. It's time to make a difference.

7. Rexburg is pretty. I've been walking all over it just loving how beautiful everything is with the sun shining and the birds singing. It's great. I love you, Spring, even if you make my nose run.

8. I cut off my hairs, and I didn't even cry. (excuse the funny face, I don't know how to take myself seriously)

I guess you wouldn't call it short, but it's definitely not as long as it was.

Sunshine

It's spring time. The sun is out. I write my blog like a "See Spot Run" book.

Really though, I don't require much to be happy when the sun is out. But hey, it's been a good week and deserves to be noted.

1. I have a wildly unhealthy addiction to LOST. I cancelled a date so that I could sit home, alone, and watch it. Close friends of mine have come to terms with the fact that in order to be able to understand me in conversation they should probably watch the show, and one friend has even dedicated himself to getting completely caught up. Right now he is in the midst of season 4 and should be caught up in time for Tuesday bliss. I know it's stupid, and silly, and ridiculous how much I love this show. I also don't care. It will be ending soon and then I will return to a normal functioning pattern...or I'll start flash forward...whichever.

2. Contrary to popular belief, I'm a good cook. This week was evidence of that. My favorite concoction was the banana bread, and really why wouldn't it be? But yes, I like to cook. I like it even more when it distracts me from doing homework. Yep.

3. Todo lists. They bring peace into my life. I have 25 todo's left on my list for the semester. I think this is accomplishable, we shall see.

4. I have an awesome mentor partner (we will be training student leaders together at the beginning of next semester). He made me dinner this week on a night I thought I was going to go hungry. This made me happy. He also has a lot of insight as to what we should teach our students, I love working with him. I'm lucky to be surrounded by such awesome people.

5. Timber makes me happy. She and I had necessary girl talk this week. Complete with reading through middle school journal entries, and more junk food than any person should consume on a Thursday night.

6. Pi Sigma Alpha (the Political Science Honor Society) is finally up and running! I love that I am able to be a part of this. I love my major, and I love being president of an organization that caters to my major. I love that we finally have guest speakers scheduled. I love that we finally have events planned and are executing them. I love it. I hope it lasts.

7. The devotional promotional DVD is finally finished. We filmed our last segment on friday, the editing should be done sometime in the middle of this week. I am SO excited to see the final product. So many people have put so much work into it and I'm so glad that it's finished and ready to be seen!

8. Only 20 days until the end of the semester. Only 34 more days until I leave for Mexico. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

9. I'm planning the most epic trip ever for this summer, and I have awesome people on board. This might actually happen. I am stoked out of my mind.

10. I hit an awesome sale yesterday, and now own a headlamp, a camelbak that I've had my eye on for months, and some chacos. I am ready to adventure!

11. For the first time ever I finished a Sudoku puzzle all by myself! It's taken a while, sure. But I'm proud of myself!

Banana Bread and the People Watching Place

So, I'm all about having good things to look at while I study. I generally try to find a good window to sit next to and prop up the laptop...then I usually fall asleep and no homework gets done. All the same, I like having good scenery, I'm not one to be locked up with just white walls to look at, no fun. So today I found myself a cushy chair that overlooks one of the main walkways of campus, why I haven't known of this place before beats me. Anyway, So I started to think about doing my homework but then decided that people watching was much more fun. So here I sit, eating my banana bread, looking out the window (which the bars kind of make it look like prison), and photo-documenting the whole thing. Creeper status?

Now this random underline just showed up and I can't make it go away...awesome. In other news, I was talking to one of my more favorite professors today and mentioned my frustration with my grade in religion class. I said that I was getting graded on my testimony, and that the teacher gave me a C-. My professor started laughing hysterically and then just walked away. Life fail.

Sunday Sunshine

Imagine that, Sunday Sunshine on a Sunday!

1. There are only 4 weeks left in the semester, that is manageable.

2. Alexie Lawson sent me a care package, it seriously made me smile and laugh so hard. And I got some much needed chocolate! I adore that girl, I'm excited I get to see her in a little over a month.

3. I can see the floor of my room again.

4. I started using stickies so that I don't have to write on my hand as much, there is still a blackish/bluish hue there...maybe another week of washing will make it disappear completely.

5. Ryan Bruce started watching LOST and is catching up fast! Which means I'll have a Rexburg LOST buddy soon. This makes me smile.

6. Breakfast study parties, it ALMOST makes having homework fun, it definitely makes it more tasty.

7. Going to bed early, I managed to get 8 hours of sleep every night this week. Happiness.

8. I finished all my makeup work from when I was in Florida.

9. Oh, and I was hired as an EFY counselor. I'm DYING to find out which sessions I was accepted for, but I'm glad I was hired, the paperwork is in, now I just wait some more.

In a state of SUNSHINE

Monday through Thursday of last week are pretty insignificant to me. I woke up, I did homework, I ate, I spent time with people I love. They were days, they were good days, but they were in the way of something much more exciting. . . a mid-semester trip home!

Friday afternoon I boarded a plane, read a wonderful book the whole flight, and 6 hours later was picked up by one of my most favorite people in the whole world, Brandon. We talked, listened to good music, got food, and then met up with Drew and Blake. I love all of these boys. They make me laugh so hard. They make me think. They make me realize my potential. I really would be completely lost without each of them and am so grateful for having them in my life.

Then, the main event!

My mom is my hero. I absolutely love her and am so incredibly proud of her. She has worked over a year preparing for this half marathon. Her sister flew out to run it with her and I am so impressed by both of them. They are wonderful women, and will always be examples to me. Annalee is also an awesome lady, and she ran too.

Rochelle and I were given the honored roles of cheerleaders. We yelled "caw-caw" as loud as we could and dutifully followed our runners around the disney parks to cheer them on. We even got cool shirts. I couldn't have asked for a better cheering buddy. I learn so much from her every time we talk. I hope I can emulate her. Really my mom and aunts are some of the best women to walk this earth.

The finish was kind of emotional. Annalee and Char did terrific! We are all so happy and proud of both of them. Mom, after all her hard work, got a stress fracture. She was picked up after pushing through a little over seven miles. I am still so proud of her, and I love her stubborn nature and that she wasn't giving up with out a long hard battle. She's going to keep training, and next year I'm running it with her. She'll do it, I know she will. She is strong, beautiful, and determined. Nothing stands in-between her and her dreams. I admire her for all that she does, and that I've learned from her, and all that she inspires me and others to be.

The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the beautiful sun, napping, long wonderful chats with family and friends. AND I got to go do wedding shindigs with Annalee, I have pictures. . .but I'm not sure that I'm allowed to post them. Let's just say that the girl was made to wear a wedding dress. She looks like a princess in every single one. I am so excited for her and for this new step that she's taking in her life. She is smart, beautiful, and so full of life and Blake is lucky to have her. We love Blake too, and are so happy to have him as part of the family. So without further adieu, I present the first Santos Family picture that includes the Russ addition.