EFY

I never went to EFY (Especially For Youth). It was something that I didn't care enough about to earn the money for. And it was waaaay too expensive here at BYU. Sometimes I wish I had gone, but really I'm pretty okay with the fact that I didn't.

However, I want so badly to be an EFY counselor. I keep reading posts/blogs/statuses about EFY counselors and it's making me so very jealous! I love teenagers! I think they are such fun people to be around. Esp the just barely teens, the 13-14 age group. If I am for some strange reason still her in Provo next summer, it is my goal to be and EFY counselor. I'm pretty sure it would be my dream job. How would it be to have under your care for a whole week a group of teenagers who are wanting to become better, who are in a position to listen to you, to learn from you, to (hopefully) like you and enjoy being with you? I know that I don't have a lot in the way of being an role model for teenagers (I'm pretty weird and awkward and ridiculous), but I do have a testimony of the gospel, a testimony that I would love to share with these kids. To help them find joy in life through the gospel. To help them gain appreciation for this wonderful gift that we have.

Anyways. I probably won't be here next summer. Almost positively won't. But maybe when I get back from my mission I can check this off my list of dreams.

Les Miserable

Can life please just pause so I can finish reading this amazing book? Oh goodness I love it. And it seems like I always have to go back to work right during the most exciting part! How in the world did Javert find Jean Valjean?! He had done everything so carefully! Heavenly days.

This is one of my very favorite heart wrenching songs ever. I still don't know the story behind the song yet as I haven't read that far, but I learned this song a long time ago. It's been stuck in my head for the past 2 weeks. 

I just need to hurry and read it! 

Weak ankles aka Ligamentous Laxity

I always wanted to be like a Disney princess, but I probably never would have picked this way:

(Just the weak ankles part. I don't have a ridiculously skinny waist or crazy impossible hair that stays perfectly the same all the time.)

I guess Meg isn't even a princess, so it doesn't really count...

But this morning I had an appointment with the jaw specialist (the one who wasn't covered by my insurance. Lame!) and he told me that I had weak ligaments. This in turn leads to excessive use of muscles. Which leads to exhaustion of muscles and tension and pain and messed up joints. This cleared up many things:

-This is why I pop all the time. And I'm being totally serious. When I walk my hips are popping. When I dance my back pops. When I do push ups my shoulders pop. When I walk up or down stairs my knees pop. When I chew (haha, or kiss) my jaw pops. Awkward, I know. 

-Although my ligaments are messed up, my jaw bones are 'pristine.'

-I can get my wisdom teeth out whenever I want because it won't affect my jaw at all. YES! 

-I have to stop sleeping on my stomach. How can I do that?! Oh well, I guess it's good preparation for pregnancy anyways, right? haha

-I have to stop clenching my jaw!! 

-I still can't chew gum or eat chewy foods (like bagels or beef jerky). 

-There really isn't much to do for this except physical therapy. I never thought I could do physical therapy for my jaw. So I need to see a physical therapist now. 

-The x-ray also revealed that my right maxillary sinus is completely, totally blocked up. Yeah, that's kind of a problem. I'm supposed to see an ENT doctor for that. (Too many doctor visits!)

Hopefully this won't delay my papers too much! 

Happenings.

What started out looking like a boring week suddenly somehow became crazy. Here is a taste of what my life has been filled with lately:

Going to FHE and teaching screaming viking to some friends in our ward. I was worried because usually people aren't cool enough to think this game is fun (haha, aka I'm bad at teaching it and it's only fun if people get into it for reals) but luckily there were some pretty awesome boys who totally made it fun. It was grand. 

I've been working all. day. every. day. I don't really love what I do at my job. I love my job. I work with amazing people, flexible hours, good pay. But it is soooo boring. 

I got asked on a date this week by someone I have never met. He is a friend of a cousin so it's all good. We're going to go mini golfing (or put putting as he called it) and lets just hope I can be fun, because I am terrible at mini golfing, and making it funny is kind of necessary so I don't be awkward and embarrassing. 

I have the most flip floppy emotions of anyone I know. What is my problem?! I change my mind like every 5 seconds about what I think of this boy. More on that later... 

I got a text from my dance partner from spring asking me if I wanted to compete in dancsport this Saturday. It's only 5 days away, but it'll totally be worth it. Sadly I'm not dancing with him (he has since gotten much better at dancing than me so he's way above my level), I'm dancing with his home teachie (the boy he home teaches). He said he asked him if he could do anything for him and he replied, find me a dance partner (funny request, I know) so he did. What a good home teacher that boy is... ;)

I ran yesterday. I didn't run far, but it was a good 'ease back into it' run. However, my idiotic foot started hurting again. It's my arch. What is its problem?! I need to find a solution to this...

Listening to Broadway music all day at work. Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserable, Wicked, Sound of Music, etc. It's awesome. However, it's making me slightly covetous of their amazing voices. 

Getting really annoyed when my insurance doesn't cover the jaw specialist I have to see before I can get my wisdom teeth out. I have to get my wisdom teeth out really soon because

I OFFICIALLY STARTED MY MISSION PAPERS!! 

I can turn them in any time after August 20. But I have to get the okay from my dentist, which he can't give until I get my wisdom teeth out, which I can't do until I see a jaw specialist for my problematic jaw... 

I am so excited to serve a mission. I'm so scared to serve a mission! But my feelings keep going back and forth. This has to do with my Boy dilemma. Part of me says "there is no point in dating because there is NO WAY I would give up a mission for a boy that I haven't even started dating yet (any boy, not just him) and would only be able to date for 4 months at the most and I don't think I could come to love someone that fast. But then the other half of me thinks that I really like him, and that if something did happen, I would totally rather stay home from a mission if marriage was in my near future. But I can't decide which emotion is the strongest. Either way it would be a lame, super difficult decision to have to make. One that I am not looking forward to. 

Aaaand I still have to tell this aforementioned boy. Which I'm worried about doing. Because basically it will go something like this:

"So I'd been thinking about a mission a ton before I sent you that email, and I had pretty much decided that I was going to go before I talked to you but I wasn't sure, and then I forgot to mention that possibility to you in our heart to heart, "what in the world were you meaning by that email" talk. And then the day after I talked to you I realized that I was going to go for sure. It was just the right thing to do. So yeah, let me just punch you in the gut a few more times, yeah?"

I'm a little nervous about that conversation. We'll see how it goes. 

Anyways. That's what's going on with my life. I can't believe I'm old enough to be calling insurance companies on my own, and setting up my own appointments with jaw doctors, and most of all, I can't believe I'm old enough to serve a mission! 

Okay. That's all. 

Funny

My brother showed me this. I found it quite hilarious, considering how I have been arguing about this 'problem' with one of my good friends. This is in response to those who claim that without the government, society would not really exist. Everything would be chaos. Things would be out of control and there would be marauding bands of thieves and criminals. But most importantly...

Summer bucket list remake

So once upon the beginning of this summer I had lots of plans and lots of goals. Well, because I've accomplished some and realized others were ridiculous, I'm going to remake this list for the last month that I'm not in school. It's crazy how fast fall semester is coming up!

• Curfew: Making the goal to be in bed before 11 every night was completely ludicrous. Yeah, that hasn't happened... 
• Exercise: I started running a bit before I hurt my foot, but I haven't started it up yet. Hopefully I'll go running tonight :)
• Seven Peaks: hasn't happened yet, but it will! 
• Get tan: nope
• Horse riding: I def want to keep doing this
• Archery: Let's be honest, I don't think this was a very realistic goal. Do I still want to go shoot bow and arrows. Of course! But I just don't see it happening in the near future because I have no idea where to go nor do I have any of the stuff. 
• Round off back hand spring: I've done it on the tramp... 
• Reading: This is something I have done more of. I'm prob about 1/7 of the way through Les Mis (It's a hard book to read, okay?), half way through The Anatomy of Peace (I am loving it so far :), and about 1/5 of the way through All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience (Thanks Jen and Quince for letting me borrow it!)
• Alaska: Accomplished! It was so amazing! 
• Going to the Temple 2x per month: I was doing really well with this one up to the time I left to Alaska and I want to continue it except make it 1x per week. I love the temple! I missed it while I was in Alaska. 

So. Wish me luck as I try to accomplish my goals. There are so many more about how I want need to better myself. I've really learned a lot about myself over the past month. Some of the things I have learned are good things, most are weaknesses that I have. But it hasn't really scared me, mostly just helped me understand why I feel certain ways. And that is a good thing. Now I know what to work on in so many different areas. :)

See ya!

Oh Boise. Oh Boys.

I am in Boise, Idaho.  I leave for Utah tomorrow. I'm ready to be home and to have my own room/shower/different clothes than the ones I've had for the past 3 weeks :) I miss my fam. What will I do when I leave for my mission in a few months?! I do not know...

So, I am trying to debate if I should send this email or not. It would put me in a super vulnerable position. I've realized the past few weeks that that is something that I haven't done for a very long time. Put myself in a vulnerable position, that is. I hate being there. I hate feeling dumb. If I put myself out there and show interest in someone, I feel so stupid! If they don't return the feeling I feel like I would like to die. Or just crawl away into a hole and never see that person again in my life. 

However...I've also realized that, in order to keep myself 'safe,' I think I've stopped myself from liking boys. Because if I like them, I'm open to them not liking me and then feeling like an idiot. That kind of presents a problem to my dating life. Whoops. 

But, I'm pretty sure that I am going a mission anyways, so I guess it doesn't really matter what I do with my dating life for the next few months anyways, right? :) 

On the other hand, it never hurts to put yourself out there. Oh wait... YES IT DOES! But that doesn't mean it's not good for me. It would give me good experience and help me overcome my ridiculous fear/anxiety about dating. 

On the other hand... THERE IS NO OTHER HAND! haha, just kidding. I just wanted to quote that since I just watched that video. What a sad part to that movie....

Anyways, what do you think? Am I crazy or am I crazy?

Slacklining and Panning for Gold

On Friday night we set up the slackline. It took me a while to remember how to set it up, and there were tons of mosquitoes, but it was still really fun. 

Samuel

Joseph

Quince and Jen even did it :) 

Mary

I love this picture :) 

On Saturday, Quince took me gold mining and we panned for gold. I couldn't do it for a living. I would be too impatient. But it was super fun :) 

Before...

and after! 

 I got $6!

And I got to see the Alyeska Pipeline. It pipes oil. In case you are like me and didn't know ;) 

Right now I'm in the Seattle airport heading back home. I excited to get home, but I'm sad I had to say goodbye to Quince and Jen and their family. I loved the time I was able to spend up there and definitely learned a whole lot. Thanks guys!

My birfday

 I woke up on my birthday...

I'M TWENTY ONE!! 

I started looking bad when I got to Alaska apparently... 

I killed one of Alaska's horrid mosquitoes...

 Yes, I know. I have a lovely double chin. 

I got wonderful decorations and a balloon from Jen and lovely hugs and birthday wishes from these two chillins...

 Opened my present from Quince and Jen...

The Anatomy of Peace 

Had a delicious birthday dinner,

and ate this lovely cake! 

 It was good. 

Thanks Quince, Jen, Joseph, Mary, Samuel, Kal, and Kip for celebrating with me! Thanks to all who wished me happy birthday. It was a great one :)