restroom

I went to the restroom today and while I was in there another lady came in. She went in the stall right next to me...RIGHT NEXT TO ME! Don't people understand bathroom etiquette...space out unless there is no possible way of doing so. Anyway, this is so TMI, but she was doing the number 1 and I've never heard anyone go for that long. I'm just sayin.
 

we are young

Best Weekend in a long time!!

Friday: Institute Social. Glow in the dark Frisbee. Dance on the Quad. Slurpee.

Saturday: Sleep. Softball Game. Track Meet. Quilting. Pizza. Trampoline. Hot Rod. Dance Party. Campfire. Smores.

Sunday: Lunch with the fam. Church. Farewell Talk. Adams Park. Yummy desserts. Friends. Laying on the grass. Sunshine. Warmth. Nap. The Testaments.

Good times. :)
(pics)

Here's a big shout out to all my family and friends and all the support they've given me! I love them all so much!! :)

malk!

Last week I went five days (that's right....five days!) without milk!! Ba! I thought I was going to die. I bought milk on Thursday around 4 pm and this is how much I drank in one night:

Can you say milk addition?! Yeah, I think you can. 

blocks

Check out this adorable material…isn’t it cute??!! I’m making a quilt with it. Be prepared to see pictures of the quilt later! :)

girls weekend

I had a a girls weekend with my mom, sisters, and aunt! It was quite enjoyable! We made cards (really cute ones!), went shopping, went hot tubing, and watched a movie. I love being with the girls, because we actually get to talk and enjoy being in each other's company! I love my sisters and mom...seriously, I know that they care about me and they support me in all that I do! :)

(This is the only picture I have from the weekend...we're missing my mom and my other sister Stacey)

enriched blessing

I went to the temple to receive my endowments on April 5th! I’ll be completely honest…it was not what I expected!! But the more I ponder about the things I learned the more at peace I feel. The temple is an incredible place and it is oh so beautiful! I know this gospel is true with all my heart and I know that Heavenly Father is pleased with me. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and that he loves all of us! :)

popcorn popping!

Alright, on March 21^st  I had one of the most exciting events happen in my life. I got my mission call! *happy dance*

First of all, I decided to go on a mission back in June of 2011. Yeah, I know that was quite A WHILE ago. I just didn't know when I wanted/was ready to leave. Well, I finally decided in October that I would want to leave in May of 2012, which means that I couldn’t turn my papers in until January. You can’t turn in your papers more than four months before your date of availability.

So January rolls around and I start the papers…woohoo. I went to the dentist about three times. I always have to get something done on my teeth…ugh teeth. For instance, this go around at the dentist I had to get 3 fillings done, and the dentist took off (more like break off) one of my old crowns and then he fixed the tooth underneath and gave me a new crown. Going to the dentist is never a pleasant experience for me. Anywho, I went to the doctor for my physical and got a few shots and guess what? I’m a healthy person. Who knew? Haha. Then I filled out the rest of the online forms, gave my bishop my physical and dental papers, and BOOM I submitted them. By the time I finished all this it was the first week of February. Now I was just waiting for my bishop to do his part and then I could get my interview with the Stake President. So, my timeline to get my call was hopefully the end of February.

Dun Dun Dun…yeah right! 2 weeks later my bishop told me that he lost my dental paper work. At first I was frustrated, but then I realized that everyone is human and you can’t expect everything to go perfect. My papers got turned in at a reasonable time and everything has turned out just fine. By the time I got the new signed paper work from the dentist it was the end of February and then I had my Stake President interview the next week.

I’ll tell you what though, that interview with my Stake President was one of the best interviews that I’ve ever had. He is such an awesome guy! He told me that my resume was absolutely incredible and that I should try not to intimidate all the 19 year old boys. Ha! And he said that people will ask me why a beautiful, tall, young woman like myself is out on a mission when I’ve already graduated from college and I can start my career. He told me to bear my testimony to them about the truth of the gospel. I know it’s because I can change someone’s life for the better and share the truth to all those who deserve and want to hear the truth

After that interview he submitted my papers and then all I had to do was wait for my call! Wahooo! I had people make guesses as to where they think I was going. This is the map:

So many guesses!

Two weeks later…it was in my mailbox! I was so excited! I opened it at 8 pm. People there: My siblings and their kids, friends, neighbors, roommates, and my parents on skype. I was so nervous...seriously...my hands were shaking. Everyone said that I looked perfectly calm until they looked at my hands. Haha. I opened it and (drum roll please!) I'm going to the Colombia South Carolina Mission. English speaking. Wahooo!! Super exciting. :D 

At first I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going somewhere foreign, but now I'm happy that I'm in the U.S. I mean I can still eat normal food (that’s kind of a big deal for me because I’m a picky eater…haha) and I don’t have to worry about learning a language or getting my passport and all that jazz. And the culture will be completely different from Wyoming! Haha. 

Now the next question...when do I leave? May 16! It's coming quickly!! So much to do in so little time...BRING IT ON!  :)

breakin spring in

Well, USU just had their spring break back in March. I took a few days off and had a ton of fun with friends and family! Here's what happened:

1. Friday : Stacy, Michelle, Steve, Jon, and myself went to Pita Pit. Let me tell you something--it was delicious! I had a this pita that had chicken, and sauce, and lettuce, and veggies, and some other good stuff in it...yeah it was so good that I can't even tell you what was in it. Afterwards we went to Michelle's parents house and played Just Dance (which we borrowed from my good friend Rowdy...I mean I had to spray his pillow with my best smelling perfume in order to borrow those games! haha). Now let me tell you this--Just Dance = FUN!!! Yes I said it, FUN!

2. Saturday: This was a day of shopping with Stacy and Michelle. We went to Layton and it was so fun! I forget how much bigger malls are than the Cache Valley mall. There were so many options...I like options. Later that night we all went to the movie "The Lorax" with Stacey. It was a cute show for sure.

3. Sunday: I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing at 9 am. It was a text from my 1st Counselor. Here's a summary of what he said, "Paula, one of our speakers is going out of town today. I'm looking for a quick sub, could you take 10 minutes?" SAY WHAT?! I told him yes. Why do I have to be nice? Haha. I had a homecoming to go to at 11, so I gathered up some materials in 30 minutes, got ready for the day, went to the homecoming, got back home at 12:25, prepared my talk, went to church at 1:30, and gave my talk. It surprisingly went well! Yay for last minute talks! Best thing about this Sunday: Playing at 3 different parks with Stacy and Mitch. We sure did bring out the inner kids inside of us. :)

4. Monday: The day of FHE. And guess what? We went to TWO FHE's this Monday! That's right...we are just that cool. I mean we're so cool, ice cubes are jealous. How did we get the opportunity to go to two? Well, I'll tell you. First of all, we were driving out to a park in Hyrum to meet up with our ward. There we we ate hot dogs and chips and played frisbee and stuff. On our way to the park, I realized that we were following my old bishop on the road. Naturally, I text him (fyi...I wasn't the driver), and I told him that we were right behind him. He slowed down and we passed him and waved. It was so funny. Next thing I know I get a text back from him and he invited me and my friends to his ward's FHE at his house that night. So what did we do? We went. I love his house. He owned/owns a business and let me tell you....he's got one SwEET house! I'm talking 3 stories with a beautiful kitchen, pool table, ping pong table, studio room, other rooms, outside pool, lots of land, and the backyard view.... Hyrum Dam! Literally, it's right in their backyard. Needless to say, it was a good night. We ended it playing Just Dance at Mitch's place.

5. Tuesday: This was an odd night. So Mitch is in this canoe competition for his club and he needed some help to put some fur on a stryo foam bear. Told ya...odd. But it turned out to be pretty cool looking and after we did as much as we could that night we went to Zeppes. The place of Italian Ice. Mmmmm, tasty. :D

6. Wednesday: Okay okay, guess what day this was?? Huh? Any guesses? That's right, it was PI day!! You know, 3.14?? I love pi day. I mean it brings me back to high school math...seriously, that's where I learned about pi day. Specifically in Mrs. Koch's class. I sat on the third row, three seats back (that was my assigned seat...just sayin). To celebrate, we bought two pies at Lee's. Word of advice: If you're going to buy frozen pies, buy it the day before or early in the day so that they have time to defrost. We defrosted them on the stove. Want to know how? Come ask me for details.

7. Thursday: I went to dinner with my sister Camille and her friends. Just imagine this...there's about 10 moms and me. Haha, I know kind of weird, but I've known her friends for 5 years and it was fun!

8. Friday : Lava Hot Springs baby!!! Group who went: Michelle, Stacy, Steve, Mitch, Ashley Lee, and me!!! We drove the hour and a half up to lava and enjoyed some sweet solitude in the hot pools of lava. I love hot pools I love hot pools I love hot pools!! They are HOT! Haha.

9. Saturday: We drove out to Peppridge Farm on Saturday morning. We bought a lot of gold fish! Yay for the fish that smiles back!! Oh, I almost forgot the best part about this day...It was St. Patrick's Day!! Mitch had a St. Patrick's Day Party and it was super fun! We played an Irish Drinking Game (no alcohol of course) and then we all were laying on the ground for awhile until we had to relieve ourselves periodically during the night. Good times! :)

Wow...I hope I didn't bore you, but this was spring break of 2012 for me. Peace and blessings.

bombshell

Ah! The Element of Surprise! Don't you just love moments when something out of the blue happens to you? Yeah? Me too. I wish these kind of moments would happen more often, but I guess it's better to have them few and far apart, otherwise it wouldn't be much fun if you're constantly being surprised.

Why am I bringing this up? Because my roommates threw a surprise party for my 3/4ths birthday! Isn't that awesome?! They are the best roommates ever. I totally didn't expect it...hence the surprise. Haha. First, Jon, Josh, Stephanie, and myself went and ate at Rumbi's for dinner. I thought this was odd for a Wednesday night, because nobody ever wants to go and eat on a week night. Well, when we got back to my house, they made me walk in first and BAM! A chorus of "SURPRISE" occurred. It was great! There were balloons, streamers, chips, 7-layer bean dip, and cake! Stephanie made the most darling cake (check the picture below...isn't it cute?). So much fun and I'm so thankful to have such great friends and roommates! Also Stacy gave me a gift that included a blanket with the Huntsman School of Business logo on it, earrings, and Girl Scout thin mints! It was so sweet. And we had a ton of people over! I'm thankful to all those who came and I appreciate that they are my friends. Yay for friendship.

Good times. :)

 

lazy

Today I'm walking around the office and I see that I have a blade of grass on my shoe. I want to get it off, but instead of bending over and taking it off, I shake my foot around like a idiot. 

It's still on my shoe. 

brains

Brains are amazing!! We all have one, and they are here serving to control and coordinate our mental and physical actions. How cool is that?!!

Today at work, I was amazed by the amount of information that I have learned from my job. I haven't been working there for very long...but sometimes it shocks me just how much I do know. It always shocks me when I play the piano or flute, and it's crazy to think that my brain can remember notes and finger positions just within seconds...even milliseconds(pretty sure that's not a word though. come on brain! come up with a better word. haha.)

Anyway, it's great that we have a central area within our body that can control our bodies to stay alive and react to situations that we come across. Just think, the brain is the center of thought and understanding. It's where we hold all of our intellect. Whoa! It's like a database collecting information every second of the day/night. And we know that as we experience new things, it can change our behaviors. Our brain modifies behavior as a result of experience. I love that. Experience = Behavior change. That's just neat.

Well, I could say more but I don't feel like it. Happy Thursday! :)

purple cow

1. i always write a "to do list" and plan out every hour of the day.

2. i secretly LOVE it when people tell me that I'm awesome and funny.

3. homemade tootsie rolls are my favorite!

4. i whistle while walking home from work.

5. i could sit and play solitare for hours.

6. i'm a big sucker for men who can sing.

7. i adore going to plays and musicals.

8. i do believe that laughter is the best medicine. 

9. i love being on time, or early.

10. a night of billiards and pit is adequate for me.

11. favorite thing: sitting around a campfire on a beautiful summer night with the fam and having some deep/hilarious conversations. 

12. big earrings are a passion of mine.

13. i feel guilty/awful when i miss a day of reading my scriptures.

14. my siblings are my heroes.

15. i really like oldie music.

16. my testimony is the most important thing i "own.'

17. there's something about office supplies that gets me all excited.

18. i was born a leader, but i hate being in charge.

19. i adore logan, especially all the big trees!

20. flowers give me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

21. having a picnic, bowling, and laying under the stars are some of the 

simplest yet best dates ever.

22. i can't wait for certain things to occur in my future. 

peace and blessings.

kp duty

I should put a sign up like this when I clean the kitchen. Hehe :D

That's all. 

cutting of the hair

Today I got a hair cut: 

Yay!! :)

Best moment of the day: 

My nephew saying to his friend, "This is the MOST AWESOMENEST thing EVER!!"

loving stuff

I love friends; they make me laugh and smile everyday. 

I love food; it tastes good.

I love blankets; they keep me warm. 

I love my family...they are so good to me!

 I love clean kitchens. 

I love the warmth of the sun.

I love dancing with a guy (especially if he's tall and stronger than me...that's a must!). 

I love books. 

I love automobiles; they take me to my destinations.

I love utensils (all kinds...forks, spoons, pencils, pens...etc.)

I love houses that become homes. 

I love soft hair. 

I love the smell of dishwasher soap. 

I love socks. 

I love green grass.

I love a slight breeze on a hot day.

I love the feeling when my nostril hairs and boogers freeze in negative degree weather. 

I love scarves. 

I love the smell of Christmas.

I love the conversations around a campfire. 

I love, I love...

so it begins

So I really haven't been doing this whole blog thing very well. I had the temptation of deleting it so that I don't have to worry about blogging anymore, but I said to myself, "No Paula Ann. You will continue to blog and you're going to like it!" With that said, I've made the decision to blog a little differently, and it will probably sound more like a journal, but I'm ok with that. Here it goes:

Big events of last week:
1. Avatar-My roommates and I went to our friend's (Mitch) house and we watched Avatar. Super great movie and super great friends = Super great fun with hot chocolate and cookies.

2. Martin Luther King Jr Day-No work! Yahooo!! I love it when I don't have to work...seriously I love it.

3. Relief Society Dinner-Free food...there's nothing else that needs to be said.

4. Zumba on Wednesday-I always feel like dancing, and zumba is my chance to get it out of my system. Plus I get a great work out! I also went running with my sister-in-law's mom...I hate running, but I should force myself to do it, just so I can start liking it.

5. Western Party-Played Texas Hold Em' with candy. (We pretty much love living on the edge.)

6. Hanging with the neighbors-This is always a good time. We talk, watch some youtube videos, talk some more, watch a basketball game, talk some more, make homemade ice cream, talk some more, and watch movies. They are great neighbors! I love hanging out with them...I just hope I'm good company and that I don't annoy them...that's always my biggest worry.

7. Fireside with Sister Swenson (spelling?)-Oh she is amazing! She wrote the autobiography of President Thomas S. Monson and I'll tell you what...she is incredible! And the stories she told us, oh man, they made me cry...seriously I cried 3-4 times. Super good. And I love President Thomas S. Monson! What an inspiring man he is. He really does make me want to become a better person. That's always been my number one goal!

As you can see, nothing too exciting is going on in my life, but I just keep plugging along living the life I live. I'm happy and trying to be better.

This is a boring post...but sometimes you have to have those right? Peace and blessings y'all. :)

antidote

complain

[kuh m-pleyn]: verb

1. to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault

2. to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc.

3. to make a formal accusation

One of my goals this year is to not complain as much as I do. Complaining never solves any problems, and I always feel bad for the person who has to listen to me complain. It's never fun to listen to the complaints of others, so why do I do it? I haven't been doing such a great job, but tomorrow is always a new day and I can start over then. I love this quote by President Hinckley:

"Generally speaking the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves."

Such wise words from an incredible man. :)