ode to jonathan

oh my amazingness! while in the middle of posting my blog for last sunday I realized i needed to get some pictures off of facebook----long story short my brother had just replied to my random inquisitive message and while reading it I pretty much wanted to first a) print it off and frame it b) run out to tell the world how incredible my brother is and c) burst into tears of prideful joy that I am related to such a guy so in honor of his birthday this week and his mission farewell I wanted to post some things about this little guy!

1) good gracious that child never stops moving! he is constantly seeking ways to get out and be put to good use--and trust me many people depend on his energy and skill to accomplish many 'honey-dos' He is one of the few people that know who truly puts his needs last---he is always ready and waiting for a sign that he can help out

2) he is so good! words can't even describe it---most guys who are adorable like him have the EGO to match and the attitude that makes you want to smack them....but not jonathan seriously knows what it is like to be on both ends of the social spectrum---and is now therefore a rooter for the underdog! but he does it with subtle grace few could match.

3) daredevil du jour! serioulsy this kid knows how to live it up--and never backs down. He has been injured on numerous occasions for doing some of the most ridiculous things but he faces his challenges head on and with confidence sans FEAR! which for a worry-wort extrodinary, such as myself, is a very admirable envied attribute that I one day hope to have just a little bit of.

5) vacations would not be the same without him! it goes hand in hand with my dad! here is how our family works---
President: Dad
Vice President: Jonathan (yeah really the youngest)
Secretary (or as I like to call it Executive Officer of Management): Me
Historian [and resident smile maker]: Valerie [we wouldn't have photographs without her]
Public Relations: Mom (we also call her the groupie ha ha!)
see so our family would not function very well without the VP there to assist the president.
I don't know what we are going to do for two whole years without a VP or Historian---essentially we will probably go places, have no pictures, no laughing, and no daredevilness man my life is going to be boring for a while.

fascinating really...

Okay so I got a little behind in the blogging so lets see if I can at least catch the highlights!
July 5th
this is how I spent my birthday---secretely with no one knowing enjoying some wonderful Taco Soup! it is such a good recipe---I'll have to post it on BrainsBonBons
just for you mom :) in this picture Esther (who is in the same ward) Abbie and then me
July 18th
so last week must have been absolute amazing cause I didn't post a blog about and right now I'm really trying to think of what i was going to write----yeah i got nothing. Its not like I haven't done anything oh wait I do remember one thing
we went to a roller derby! let me just say it was so random! at first we were sitting so far back and my lack of roller derby expertise left me just watching skaters name 'Ann Thrash" "dee tox" "Hilary Skank" and "Jenna Talia" (yeah really) go around in circles. BUT later we went down to the floor-peoples in this picture that I know....the cute little blonde far left is Stephanie Cook, then Erin (teal shirt pink bag [she is like seriously amazing!], then Jeremy is in blue, then Sarah in pink v-neck, then Collin, then me, then Abby in pink...
--and some people were talking to them. Come to find out they are like computer engineers, teachers, and stay at home moms. After that and being up close to the action-watching all the fights-it was a really fun night!

July 12th

so I had known about this "popcorn party" for days now----never knowing that it was for me they all sang happy birthday!
it was so sweet of them to go to that effort for me! so many people were coming up to me and saying happy birthday! Thanks girls! you are the bestest! In order of appearance Katie and Holly (my roommates), me then Abbie......Abbie was even it on the whole planning! and then this shot was taken during the awesomely speedy cleanup!

then on July 20th
left to right: Jeanna, me, Abbie, Natalie, and Shelly
it became "official" we got our white coats. So the exact significance behind the event i still don't feel like I fully understand but it still---I got to see Aunt Janette--she came all the way to watch AND even took me out to dinner! oh bless her heart!

these are my girls! don't we look impressive!
its gonna be some interesting months ahead---but i think i'm gonna like it

I know I missed a few days in between but really I was probably just studying! :)

midterms--what?! already?

weekly blog update today is going to be pretty boring peoples cause last week was midterms! lets just say I was expecting worse---BYU style weeder class type worse. but even then I am a horrible HORRIBLE test taker so I knew I needed to uber prepare. so my days went something like this...wake up study, scripture study, eat, class, study, study, study, gym, study, sleep, wake study--did i mention I studied and then REPEAT for 4 days. miraculously I got the things I needed done and then friday July 3rd they closed campus so I got to breathe--well sorta. After a FULL day of studying I let myself have a break and I went to see 'The Proposal' with Abbie and Jill. I wish Shelly, natalie and Jeanna could have all made it. We got a $2 student discount (yay!) and granted it wasn't my most favorite movie but it made my cheeks hurt frome laughing and Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock are certainly favorites of mine. and it was DEFINITELY wonderful not to have to study.
Saturday I went rock climbing with Erin, Spendy and Abbie! it was AWESOME especially after a totally awesome kickboxing class and a fabulous lunch with my Aunt Janette, Uncle Glenn, Nathan and Matthew at Unos. I love Unos!

good grief---blessings can be rough (;

whoa this time things has gotten out of control. valerie is leaving the MTC this tuesday and I've only written her once yeah one time good grief I'm horrible! i'm looking into dear elder.com for future letters but the newsletter thing---its gotta be in color of course i have to make things complicated. I love these two! so they are worth the effort!

so this week let me give you a little run down
sunday----i didn't write this last week cause it happened after i wrote my blog but...
my car---well it. . .it just didn’t start. and at the most convenient time to right when i was headed to church. I was almost stranded at home thankfully my roommate Holly hadn’t left just yet (blessing #1). But what to do about my dead car. like i know anything about cars--if i did mine would certainly be treated better. luckily Holly had a friend come over that night for dinner. he just happens to be a race car driver and used to be a mechanic (blessing #2). He diagnosed the battery and offered to take me to the store to buy one right now but I told him not to worry about it and I would go the next day. Thankfully Abbie could pick me up for our 7am class (3) and she was gracious enough to also take me to Autozone to buy a new battery (4). which I was so determined to install myself. Too bad after an hour of research and an hour of trying (stupid corroded battery terminals) in the heat feeling defeated I had to resign my efforts and call for help---thankfully my home teachers had just come over the on sunday (5) and one of them said he could come jump start the car (6). autozone said they could replace it sicne i bought it there (7). back to autozone. the manager Chris recognized me again and teased me about coming back. (which made me smile) but tony helped change the battery. I got a chance to talk to tony while he changed the battery (yeah after watching him there was no way I could have done it on my own) He used to play for the raiders and almost married a mormon girl from Logan Utah he is from a small town in Nevada. He has 7 kids of his own and a bad shoulder-which is why he is no longer a football player. Talking to him was a nice distraction from the list I was complining in the back of my mind of what I needed to be doing.but somehowe I made it to my(8) class to let off some steam and look goofy for an hour. and ultimately I did get at least something done.
The next day I was headed to the cadaver lab early to meet up with Abbie and some friends to review----jump in the car---dead. my first thought was like---'yeah, no, this isn't happening--not again!' my next thoughts were a swirling composte heap of panic about how to fix this-I felt stranded, overwhelmed and I had MIDTERMS to study for (okay so they were a week away but still). I was supposed to be at school in like 5 minutes [(9) afterthought it was a HUGE blessing that I wasn't late to a class]. Abbie was already there. feeling defeated and on the verge of tears I walked back in the house. I asked holly about the jumper cables she said she had. but turns out she doesn’t. she suggested asking the neighbors. So at 9am I bothered the neighbors. they didn’t have any---‘ask the gardner’---so I bothered the gardner. he didn’t have any. neighbor comes back out—‘oh wait I do have some’ but not knowing how to really used them I couldn’t get the car started. after a mini panic (and several pleas to a higher power for help) holly graciously offered to give me a ride to school (10) and again Abbie a ride home (11). thankfully holly had another guy friend (she has a lot of guy friends she likes to cook for) came over for dinner and he jump started my car before my hometeachers even had a chance to come over (12). back to autozone. where I met steve he was quiet but he too almost married a mormon girl. I don't know how the mormon subject kept coming up---okay it was probably the utah license plates.
after about an hour he diagnosed the car-the alternator. he said he’s pretty sure they would have the part (13). I asked if he knew some place I could get it replaced. and that is where chris came it. chris recognized me from my two time visit the day before and he said he could replace it for me (14). what are the odds---I’m really blessed (did you loose count cause i almost did). car better.

so now that the week was half over i buckled down to study. [yeah 5 am-10pm minus a few errands and a zumba class]

Thankfully Abbie got me out of the house on saturday with a couple of other girls and their husbands to have a little bbq get together and play in the pool. we even got to watch fireworks from her balcony--then eat dessert AND watch brian regan. NOW that is a perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July the next day just happened to be my birthday. And I was really excited that no one here knew about it! Holly was having a dinner party that night (which turned out wonderful!) and as soon as Holly posts the pictures i'll add them to my blog! and then I went to Erin's housewarming dessert party. So i got to free healthy wonderful dinner, I got to hang out with friends and I got to talk to my friends and family----IT was a WONDERFUL birthday!

time

so its sunday once again the week feels like it has flown by holy man!

my to do list goes something like this for a usual week: i have my to dos for anatomy and physiology which, due to an insufficient normal sized planner, tend to get scattered over several days and several pages spilling on to random post-it notes or torn out sheets of paper which then get posted to my bulletin board. then I have the to do 'wish' list that I create on sundays which are a culmination of a list of things I wanted to do which i just couldn't justify the time for (i.e. write valerie, make calendar, update newsletter, email friends, evaluate budget, search for quick fix on the go meals, read email, volunteer, make cards etc..) and other random things I just didn't have time for.

I feel like my time is more valuable than ever and every second that I sit in the same chair near my window and laptops trying to multi task to get as many things crossed off my wish list that I still am not using my time as wisely as I could be. but then again being this busy I am happier than i've been in a long time---cause really who has the time to waste being unhappy or focusing on anything that isn't uberly amazing in life.

That is one thing i love about my sunday to do 'wish' list is the list of thoughts I have at church. Last sunday it was nice cause I randomly inserted a list of weird stuff that I am extremely grateful for: like cereal [i LOVE cereal!], colored pens [who would have thought they would be such a much needed random purchase for school], zumba [my bi-weekly highly-anticipated 60 min. escape], socks [my secret feddish]. of course among the list of the weird were the big things i'm grateful for like family but still the weird stuff is what makes me laugh.
I don't know how many people actually read my blog but I started a newsletter for valerie (I've yet to determine whether this is a good functional use of my time but we'll learn trial and error style) so if you have anything you'd like me to write to valerie or include in side notes let me know---for those of you who have blogs (i.e. the jones') i already am using pictures from your blog to add some funness to the newsletter.
anyone have an idea for what I should call it---i get a mental cramp everytime I try to come up with something creative...

Father's Day

okay let me preface this with the fact that i've been really busy lately I mean with the move and school starting [oooh i've come up with a funny analogy for what school feels like right now] i just didn't find the time to do what I really wanted to do----think of something, some way, somehow to thank my dad for everything he has done for me. and then it came to me-I'll make my sunday blog about my dad and the amazing man that he is! so here's to you dad!!

sara's list 'things my dad taught me' making my dad is better than your dad :)

my dad taught me....

• that you can be old, bald, lack a chin and still be uberly awesome! I mean really can you see that wakeboarding skill! yeah anything cool that I can do my dad taught me--everything from snowboarding, wakeboarding, mountain biking, how to start a fire, all the important things in life ;)
  
• how to take a vacation. I have no idea how the man does it but there is something about going on vacation with my dad that is awesome and so relaxing! I don't even know how to describe it. its all laid out perfectly in his head and we just go with the flow.Some how---seemingly effortlessly---everything gets done. Its miraculous! so much fun! and I've had the best times on family vacations!I am highly envious of this random talent I seemingly failed to acquire through genetics [if you know me you know what i'm talking about when it comes to over-zealous planning and lack of relaxation time] and you've seen my vacation pictures---yeah ALL family vacations
  

• if you want something done right then do it yourself! He is the end all, be all fix-anything-man! Pretty much my dad is amazing!! if its broke he'll fix it-----90% of the time he already knows how to fix it and bam like that its working and if he doesn't know how to do something-he learns. he's not only built the garage, remodled the bathroom, designed and built a new kitchen, but he fixes cars, hooks up stereos and awesome surround sound and does it as if he has nothing better to do after working all day than to come home and work some more---no problem. trust me this makes it VERY hard to find a guy when your dad is like this. . .cause no one matches up
  

• 

• the value of hard work! as I initially pointed out above I know no one who works harder, in the most uninhabitable locations [the poor man works in the bloody heat in the middle of nowhere!], with the most colorful people, and the most ridiculous un-ending hours-- and yet I never hear him complain-unless you count the noises he makes out of pure exhaustion when he finally has a chance to lay down at the end of a long day. The smell of fresh laid asphalt will always remind me of my dad. What a guy! and to boot he always has a smile on his face--mainly because without it his chin disapears ha ha.
• there are more important things in life. My dad is the kind of person that can make you feel like you are accomplishing great things---the kind of dad who even though he didn't have the same opportunities that I have makes sure that I have any resource available to reach my goals! and we know he will be there in a moments notice if we ever needed anything. I always feel bad calling him because he always asks if i need anything --I just smile and roll my eyes thinking to myself 'no dad I call cause I want to talk to you, to make sure your okay and that traveling to and fro hasn't caused your demise'
  

so in conclusion...

i know your all ϋber excited

well lets just say it feels like its been forever since last sunday and this week has gone by so fast--I don't know how that works but whoa life comes at you fast
so monday obviously i did something really cool this day cause I can't remember a thing but tuesday I went to dos gringos
lunch with a bunch of the future class of 2011 it was nice to actually meet people in the program. There are 73 of us (which is the largest class they've had yet) and wednesday at orientation they spent a good portion of the day asking us if we were for sure in the right place, if this was really what we wanted because its the hardest thing we will ever do. But no worries "you will survive" that is all I kept hearing all day "you will make it" ----why are you people reassuring me it is just making me more nervous!!!!
the best advice I think we got was to get 90 minutes of 'me' time a day---i'm like what!? I go from having a life to trying to squeeze in 90 minutes into my day! are you for reals? and then one of the 2nd years was like "yeah some days that just didn't happen" someone else was like "yeah its not unusual for me to be on campus on saturday for about 13 hours" THIRTEEN hours straight studying there aren't any classes on saturday---oh good grief, but not to worry apparently I will live through this
but have you ever really looked at some survivor victims----yeah that is the mental picture i sometimes get (;
okay okay so i'm being sarcastic and to be honest i think i'm past feeling when it comes to the survival part--an emperor's new groove quote comes to mind
pacha: uh-oh
kuzco: don't tell me. We're about to go over a huge waterfall
pacha yep
kuzco: sharp rocks at the bottom?
pacha most likely
kuzco bring it on
anywho thursday orientation was much of the same all day in the really large classroom,paperwork stuff---ooh but we got to try on our "white coats" to get sizes that was pretty cool. Then Thursday night we headed off to institute. If you think BYU is bad at promoting marriage at every corner then you've never been to a 24 and older institute where a happily 36-year-old seminary teacher, married for 14 years, father of 8 was teaching. it was oh so fabulous wow, but the highlight was when he said that he is grateful he cannot relate to our pain and how lonely we must feel. My friend and I were near ready to throw our pens at him I mean really I'm extremely happy where I am at in life right now thank you very much! anywho off that soap box we went to a pool party after where I met even more people and was invited to go to mexico for the weekend to sleep on the beach and eat real mexican food. really. too bad we kinda turned it down to be all responsible and get school stuff done and what not---it would have been really cool. that's the last time I turn down an invite to go to mexico for the night.
anywho now that I've rambled on and on for what seems like forever and a day I should probably get some other little things organized---tomorrow's the big day