Learning Through Examples

This past week has been really hard for me. Don't get me wrong, I love being home, but I'm not keeping myself as busy/entertained as I generally do at school and so I get down. I have been praying a lot to be a happier person, and not just superficially happy, but truly happy.

I was given a most wonderful example of what true happiness is in Sacrament today. A young boy named Jefferson spoke in church. It was his first time speaking and he was very nervous, as we all get before giving talks. But Jefferson is very special. He was born with cerebral palsey and has a difficult time walking and speaking, but you NEVER see him without a smile on his face. He loves life and loves the gospel. One of his brothers helped him speak and his message touched my heart. It was so powerful to see him on the stand giving a talk about why he loves Christmas because the Spirit just radiates from him. He is so happy, despite his setbacks.

Jefferson's example reminded me of some other wonderful examples in my life:

My uncle Kent was also born with cerebral palsey, but he never lets that slow him down. He's always up for a game of checkers and loves sports, especially when BYU's playing. He loves all of his nieces and nephews as if they were his own children. He always tries to be so helpful and is one of the kindest people I know. He is truly happy.

My cousin Jenna has down's syndrome. She is the cutest girl you'll ever meet and she has the biggest smile! When she smiles, it literally lights up the entire room. She loves her family and she especially loves being an aunt! She is the best friend you could ever ask for and she is so brave. Every time I see her, I wish I were as strong as she is because she is truly happy.

Then I started remembering people who have had very difficult situations that they've been through.

As many of you know, a ranger in our community named Brody Young was recently shot multiple times while on duty. His young family has been through so much in the past 6 weeks and they still have a long road ahead of them. Brody's wife, Wendy, and my mom are really good friends and because of this friendship, I have been able to witness Wendy's strength and the power of remaining positive, no matter how difficult a situation may be. Wendy loves her family and is doing everything she possibly can to hold her family together through this hard time. She always smiles, no matter what, and has this magical ability to look at the positive side of any situation. She is truly happy.

All of these examples from my life draw their happiness from the Ultimate Example: Christ. Christ is the reason for Christmas because He is the true source of all joy. He loves each of us individually and wants each of us to succeed. Success means something different to each of us, but I think the biggest success we can have in this life is to be truly joyful no matter what our circumstance is. That is definitely something I need to work on, but I am so grateful that I have the examples of Jefferson, Kent, Jenna, Wendy, and countless others to encourage me to smile more and be kind to people. I know that if we center our lives arount Christ we will be happy, no matter what life dishes out at us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Funny Dream

So today I had two finals and decided to wake up early to finish studying for them. I had set my alarm for 5:45, hoping to get up at 6:30. I ended up getting up around 7:00 which was good, but while I was hitting the snooze button every five minutes for and hour and fifteen minutes I had a sweet dream. In this dream, I had hired the characters from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers to come and wake me up early because they lived on a farm and farmers wake up early. So they came to help me wake up and made me flapjacks! The funniest part is that I've only seen Seven Brides for Seven Brothers once when I was really young and my high school did it for their annual musical. I don't even remember what happens except that the brothers live on a farm. Needless to say it was great entertainment!

Surprisingly Saddened...

You know those times in your life where everything seems to go wrong, but you've enjoyed it more than you really should have?

Take this morning for example: I had class at 10 (but I should technically leave at 9:40) and didn't roll out of bed til 9 ish. I had been awake since 7:30 (thank you email notifications on my cellphone), but I just couldn't bring myself to get up! So when I finally got up at nine, I decided to look cute today by curling my hair...not smart. By the time I finished getting all ready it was 9:35 which left no time for breakfast. I hurried and put some snacks in a bag to eat during class for breakfast (I eat like a champion) and went to locate my converse but I could only find one! So I had to find a different pair of shoes (that aren't quite as comfy but are equally functional), but it took forever to find them too! By this time it's 9:45 and my roommate is waiting for me to brush my teeth and pack my backpack so we can walk to campus. By the time we walk out the door it's 9:52. At approximately 9:55, I realize that I didn't grab my paper that was due in my 10 o'clock class and hurry and run back to my apartment only to find it was in my back pack the whole time. As I walk through the parking lot of my apartment complex, again, I slip and nearly face plant on the pavement (thank you hands of mine). As I'm shop walking (aka speed walking) to class some creeper man in a truck honks and waves at me. And then I walked into class late (obviously). Needless to say, today started as what could've been a really really bad day, but you know what?...

I can't stop smiling!

Why you may ask? Because my morning was freakin' hilarious (yes mom, that expression deserved a sentence enhancer). I mean, I was seriously a frantic mess on the second to last day of classes! How unlucky is that?! But yet, oh so awesome (some may call it situational humor)

This leads me to my next point of this blogpost...

This semester has managed to be both the worst and the best time of my life and I'm sad it's nearly over. My life has seriously been insane in the last three and a half months-ish. First of all, for whatever reason, I signed up to take 18 credit hours (including biology AND chemistry), I got engaged my 1st week, had a long distance fiance, had a part time job, tried to balance being social and anti-social all at once, began planning a wedding, and then (to top it all off) became unengaged. In the 2 weeks following the ending of my engagement, I had 2 big tests, 2 big papers due, teaching relief society, and it snowed.

Wanna know something?

I've never been so happy! This semester was so fun and I've learned so much! I've had my all time 3 favorite classes this semester (complete with my 3 all time favorite professors), I've learned more about the world around me than ever, I have the best roommates and neighbors and friends ever, I've learned a lot about my family, and I've managed to have tons of fun and be absolutely crazy (like a college student should be!).

This doesn't mean that it hasn't been hard. I've wanted to give up so many times ("giving up" would include lying in my warm bed all day, watching chick flicks and crying the whole time, eating way too many tubs of ice cream, wearing sweats, not wearing make up, and listening to every sad song on the planet). But luckily, I didn't. I've done what I can to learn everything possible from all of these experiences and I still have tons to learn.

What's really helped me is my institute class. This semester I took a class that focused on sermons about the Atonement in the Book of Mormon. I've never understood the power and importance of the Atonement like I have learned this semester. Because of this class I was able to understand that life doesn't always make sense, but no matter what happens, my loving older Brother knows exactly what I'm going through and will do everything in His power to help me if I let Him. He wants me to be happy and He is so glad that I'm learning the things I am at this point in my life. I have no idea what's going to happen next (in fact I'm almost worried because my semesters keep getting crazier and crazier, remember my near death experience?!). But I do know that in the end, everything is going to be great and the right things will fall into place! So awesome!

Besides...It's more fun to be happy instead of sad, no matter what is going on in your life!
(But I really am kinda sad this semester is basically over)

Red Vs. Blue

I have always considered myself a Ute fan. Always. Mostly because Zane Taylor plays there, it bugs some of my cousins, and they're colors are red, white, and black, which means I don't have to buy a new outfit to support them. I know, lame reasons, but they work.


But I am currently facing a dilemma...




I'm planning on transferring next year to Utah or BYU because both have my programs and aren't located in Logan (sorry USU). If I go to the U, then I could get a full tuition scholarship and my Associates degree would transfer right over. But if I go to BYU then I'd know more people right off and be in an environment more similar to SUU. And BYU's just a good school. I haven't decided where I want to go yet, so I don't know who to root for anymore! It's kind of a problem.



So as for now I am my own house divided! Go Coutes! or....Go Uters!

Story of My Life

Life has been interesting lately. Very interesting. I just feel like the world keeps trying to push me down and tell me that I can't have what I want and that I can't follow through with my plans. Everyday has been such a battle for me because I have no idea what to expect. I like having my life planned out, but when your plans keep getting shut down, it's hard to make more plans. It's driving me nuts!

But I'm beginning to learn some things...

Sometimes God has better plans for you. Even though your plans are well thought out, logical, and good they may need to be tweaked because you can't see the big picture. Sometimes you might even have the right plans, just not the right timetable. Sometimes your plans are just selfish and you need to be humbled. Most importantly, all the time you need to be willing to do as God would have you do, even if you can't see exactly where His path will leave you. What you can see is that His carefully guided path for you will lead you to the most happiness you could ever have. This path may be hard and it may not make any sense whatsoever right now, but it'll only make you stronger and more prepared for whatever life throws at you.

In my institute class (which I love ever so much) we discussed the importance of living your life knowing that you are an eternal being and that your choices effect so many peoples' lives. We need to stand for what is right and do those things which will make us eternally happy, not just happy for the moment.

Other good news....

• After Monday, the only things I have to worry about are finals! (And I'm only worried about one or two of them!)
• It hasn't snowed for a while (knock on wood)
• This semester is almost over
• I'm having a good hair day!

Liberty Jail

This morning, I was flipping through my institute journal and reviewing the lessons we've had thus far. On the bottom of one page, I left a not for myself that said, "Look up Elder Holland's talk from a CES broadcast in 2008." I don't remember why I wrote that, but I'm sure glad I did today. It discusses Joseph Smith's experience in Liberty Jail and how he was able to turn that difficult place into a would-be temple and was able to draw a lot of strength from that experience. Elder Holland then related that to our lives:

Every one of us, in one way or another, great or small, dramatic or incidental, is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail—spiritually speaking. We will face things we do not want to face for reasons that may not have been our fault. Indeed, we may face difficult circumstances for reasons that were absolutely right and proper, reasons that came because we were trying to keep the commandments of the Lord. We may face persecution; we may endure heartache and separation from loved ones; we may be hungry and cold and forlorn. Yes, before our lives are over we may all be given a little taste of what the prophets faced often in their lives. But the lessons of the winter of 1838–39 teach us that every experience can become a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through that difficulty. These difficult lessons teach us that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, and if we will be humble and faithful, if we will be believing and not curse God for our problems, He can turn the unfair and inhumane and debilitating prisons of our lives into temples—or at least into a circumstance that can bring comfort and revelation, divine companionship and peace.

The talk continues on by teaching us that: (1) everyone faces trying times, (2) even the worthy will suffer, (3) remain calm, patient, charitable, and forgiving, and (4) do all things cheerfully.

I'm so grateful that I read this talk this morning. It really helped a lot. Here's the link:

http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,538-1-4543-1,00.html

Infinite Power of Hope

This video gives me hope.

Feminism

I should be studying for my Sociology exam right now, but I was reading over the text book and got so bugged by this quote:

"Many women at the nation's most elite colleges say they have already decided that they will put aside their careers in favor of raising children." (Louise Story) This lead a columnist from the New York Times to ask: "So was the feminist movement some sort of cruel hoax?"

Both of these quotes were under a section entitled 'Opting Out'. I felt like this whole section was a little slanted and that it looked down upon women who are stay at home mothers by choice. The radical feminist movement is all about making women more like men. But, men are different from women and it's those differences that make men and women unique. So if women are "supposed" to be just like men, they wouldn't be women anymore, right?

How can it be "bad" and "non-femininistic" (yes I just made up this word) to be a mother? As The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches, it is a sacred responsibility for mothers to be mothers and nurture. (No this is not a direct quote, but the Proclamation clearly teaches this principle). Being a mother is the most femine thing a woman can do because, to put it simply, men cannot give birth.

As President Uchtdorf says in his book, The Remarkable Soul of A Woman, "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before... If you are a mother, you particitpate with God in His work of creation - not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next."

I understand that some women cannot be stay at home mothers, even though they truly want to in their hearts. Everyone has their own family situation and each family has to do whatever works best for them. My argument is that it should not be looked down upon to exercise femine power to take on the responsibility to do everything you can to create a family and nurish the members of that family to be strong, happy, productive people.

I also know that it is necessary for woment to be treated with respect and equality in the sense that women are just as important as men in the world, which feminism in it's pure form. This doesn't have to mean that women have to become like men. But women should demand respect and be treated as equal. They should recognize their special, womanly talents empower them to gain that respect and equality.

I think being a loving mother is the most prestigious thing a woman can do, whether it's in this life or the next. I am so excited for the day that I get to raise my own family and nurture special Spirits throughout this earth life. I am so grateful for all of the examples of mothers in my life and especially my own mother.

Fall Fantastic

Well this fall has just been the BESTEST EVER!

I got engaged to the most amazing boy in the world...aka Cort Wright

We took extremely attractive pictures with the sun in our eyesAnd we were the best hillibillies the world has ever seen.

Failure at Blogging

I am officially a failure at blogging...but there's worse things to be a failure at, right? At least I have a few things that recently make me happy like.....

• INSTITUTE (taking a class about the Atonement was a wise choice)
• MY ROOMMATES (they're insane and it keeps me entertained)
• ANTHROPOLOGIE (I've been daydreaming about this little pretty)
• BRIDE BLOGS (although, they prevent me from ever planning a wedding because everything is so cute!)
• FALL LEAVES (except not so much the cold part of fall leaves)

And last but definitely not least

• MR. WRIGHT! He's just so stinkin' cute!

6 more months!! (Plus a week)

Well...

I am officially a horrible blogger, for which I am sorry. My excuse is that I have fallen in love and I get a little distracted sometimes because.......

I'm engaged!!!

and I have been for almost a month :D

New.....

Lately I've felt like a whole NEW person. I've made some NEW friends, started some NEW habits, done NEW things, and have recognized some NEW blessings that were really in my life the whole time, I just didn't appreciate them as much. And to top it all off I got some NEW shoes that I love ever so much!

Good Things to Come

MUSICA!!!

In case you didn't know this.... I LOVE MUSIC! Especially cutesy songs - like these lovely selections from Mindy Gledhill. Both will be on her new CD which comes out on August 4th. I'm kinda excited.

enjoy.

I Do Adore - Mindy Gledhill

All About Your Heart - Mindy Gledhill

Sorry

Dear faithful readers,
I know that SO MANY people look forward to reading my blog (haha) so I apologize for not updating forEVER! Actually like a month...anywho...
So this past month has been quite eventful and I've had plenty to blog about that made me happy :) Like:

• Moving home
• Finding out I got good grades Spring Semester
• Going to Kennah's wedding
• Going to Lagoon
• Going to state soccer and the RSL game
• Going back to work
• Going back to my Single's Branch
• Attending graduation and not being sad
• Receiving the Book of Mormon challange

There have been numerous other joyous things in my life, but I kept waiting for something super awesome to happen to blog about, like these other things weren't "good" enough for some reason. But, as I am constantly reminded, you can't wait for happiness to happen to you- you MAKE your own happiness. I'll be better with that for sure! Because being unhappy is super lame.

101 Lessons From the Past 12 Months

I have nearly completed my first year at SUU and I've learned a lot!

1. The last few weeks of High School are absolutely worthless
2. Graduation isn't that cool
3. Parents still give a curfew even when you're a legal adult (at least mine do)
4. Dental Assisting and working with a bunch of people older than you is actually really fun
5. I was not meant to play softball
6. Speaking in church 3 times in 2 weeks won't kill you
7. Single's Wards/Branches are a blast
8. Taking a nap on the boat at Lake Powell will give you a sunburn
9. Following the promptings of the Spirit can save your life (seriously)
10. Having a birthday near a holiday means you will not be home on your birthday. Ever.
11. When you work for you're dad, don't be surprised when he wakes you at two in the morning to go to an office for an emergency.
    
12. Don't eat a lot of food or not get much sleep before assisting an extraction. It might make you a bit queasy
13. Take ALL of your antibiotic after you get your wisdom teeth out
14. Packing for college for the first time is very difficult, you have no idea what to bring!
15. Ikea has really cool heavy duty bags that carry everything
16. Ikea has really cool...everything. I could live there!
17. The 1st week of college (like before school starts) is the most fun
18. The rest of college is pretty fun too
19. Even though you don't have a curfew at college, give yourself one or else you might be extremely tired every day
20. Going home to visit your family is a lot of fun!
21. Going home to visit your family is weird too because you don't live there anymore
22. When someone calls you at 2 in the morning looking for a missing roommate, don't answer the call.
23. Professor's are kinda stuck up sometimes
24. Homework in college isn't that bad
25. Taking 17 credits your first semester won't kill you
26. Become involved in your new ward fast so you don't get pushed aside
27. Save your quarters to do your laundry
28. Make sure you don't end up with someone else's laundry in your load
29. Don't gang up on your roommates
30. Do your dishes
31. Go to institute every chance you can
32. Go to math everyday
33. Go to every class everyday. It pays off in the long run.
34. Finals week isn't that bad
35. Facebook is a big distraction
36. Make time for your family when they come to see you
37. If you set your roommate up on a date with a guy, she might stay with him. Forever.
    
38. Read your scriptures, pray, and read your patriarchal blessing when you're feeling down
39. Do all those churchy things when you're happy too
40. Keep in touch with old roommates
41. Make friends with anyone and everyone (unless they're creepers)
42. Take risks
43. Take lots of pictures
44. Eat.
45. Keep a thing of ice cream or popsicles in your freezer at all times
46. Wal-Mart is a source of entertainment, not just a place to shop anymore
47. It's ok to wear your sweats to school
48. It's ok to take 5 minutes to get ready for class
49. It is not ok to do so everyday
50. Going home for winter break is really weird
51. Going back to school after winter break is really depressing
52. Don't be afraid to ask people to give you priesthood blessings
53. Make friends with people in your hall
54. Judge others slowly
55. Don't bottle up your feelings
56. If you have a problem with someone, tell them
57. Yet again, if you set your roommate up with someone, you might not see them as much anymore (unless they break up)
58. Stay friends with people you went to high school with
59. Set a good example at all times, in all things, and in all places, you never know who's watching
60. Have Glee parties with your friends
61. Blogs are fun
62. Pandora changes your life
63. Take your roommates to the ER when they need you too, you never know when you'll need them to take you
64. If you wake up at 530 shaking uncontrollably, you should probably go the hospital
65. If you start shaking again and your lips turn blue and your hands turn yellow, you should definitely go to the ER
66. Don't take your new Ugg boots to a hotel
67. Even if Dr.'s keep prescribing pain killers, don't always get them filled. You don't need them
68. If your roommate gets mono...be careful
69. If your tonsils take up your entire throat and antibiotics don't help, you might have mono
70. If you have mono...well life sucks
    
71. If someone you know has mono and they're extremely depressed all the time, take it easy on them
72. Go to classes if you can get out of bed. Even if your sick.
    
73. If your professor emails you with a job offer, take it
74. Doing your homework in the kitchen with your roommates may not be very productive, but it creates memories that'll last a lifetime
75. Don't have a boyfriend your first year of college, it's more fun that way (at least it was for me)
76. Institute teachers give awesome advice
77. Parents give awesome advice
78. Prayers are always answered
79. Advisers know what they're talking about
80. Getting mail is the best! Especially from missionary friends
81. Don't lead people on
82. English 2010 is hard
83. Western movies aren't that bad
84. If your teacher is a hippie, write a paper about Moab
85. The writing lab is helpful
86. Working as a computer lab assistant is a very legit job
87. If someone offers free food, take it
88. If someone offers free anything (except drugs and stuff)
89. Movie nights rock
90. Teaching Relief Society is really scary
91. Make sure you watch all of general conference in case your Bishop asks specific questions about it
92. Dance classes are...interesting
93. Don't pull into a deep gutter filled with snow
94. Spring break rocks
95. The library is nice to study in
96. Don't start movies at midnight. You won't survive
97. Keep in touch with your family
98. Eat healthy every chance you can
99. Go to the temple when you have the chance
100. If you're scurred, go to church!
101. BE HAPPY, even if you don't want to
     

Thank You Moab

I love Moab so much. In fact, I even wrote my final paper in English 2010 on the transformation of Moab from an Old West farming and ranching community to a New West tourist community. And after reading my first draft, my professor said, "Wow Kandace, you're Moab paper blew my socks off!" This week I have to finish my final draft and luckily, it is quite enjoyable because, for once in my life, I'm actually passionate about the topic. So I would like to publicly thank Moab for being so awesome and beautiful. And also for providing a wonderful topic for my final paper. (It probably helps that my professor actually moved to Utah after reading Edward Abbey's book, Desert Solitaire, which is all about the beauty of Moab)

Good Quote

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us. Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing - sickness, failure, emotional distress, opression, war or even death - can take that love away."

-Henri Nouwen

Struggles

I have been wanting to update my blog for a few weeks now, but I honestly haven't had anything happen in my life recently that has made me very happy. I've been so stressed about school, where to live next year, papers, projects, and preparing a lesson for relief society. To top it all off, I got really sick again! grrr. It's times like these that I start asking myself,

WHY ME?!

Then I realized...things really aren't that bad. I have everything I need in my life right now. I have a loving family, great friends, good grades, the gospel, and the sun is shining today! I have a great life ahead of me and I love where I'm at right now. I just need to relax, have patience, and trust that everything will work out in the end. It always does :)

Hope

March 21, 2009 changed my life forever.

That day I ran the 5 mile for the first time ever. I hadn't really trained, but I really enjoyed it. Afterwards, I was able to visit with some family friends and overall it was a really great day! That evening I was babysitting while my parents were at a wedding reception and all of the sudden I got a call from my cousin, Josh, frantically wondering where my parents were and why they weren't answering their phones because my other cousin, Travis, had been in a motorcycle accident and was being life flighted to the hospital.

I began to panic.

My parents weren't answering my calls either, so I decided to call a friend who was also at the reception to have him look for them. No such luck. Eventually they came home and my dad and other cousin, Logan, began making plans to drive to Grand Junction. I remember, before they left, we said a prayer as a family. It brought comfort, which is what we needed. I then had to get a hold of Travis' really good friend, Derek (describes Travis as an older brother), who was wondering where Travis was.

I had to tell him.

The rest of that night was kind of a blur. It was filled with tears, fears, and spending time with my family. I spent the night with my grandma and I will never forget hearing my her cry when she got the call. And then listening to Derek cry when I called him. I don't remember much of what was said that night, I only remember that I knew that this nightmare was a reality.

I was not happy.

But in the following days I began to find happiness again as I recognized all of the blessings in my life, especially concerning these recent events.

• The night before, I had been able to get off work early and eat dinner with my family, including Josh and Travis. This was the most time with him I'd spent since he'd finished his mission.
• I had been able to be friends with him on Facebook which allowed us to stay caught up on each others lives and talk more.
  
• Somehow I had Derek's number and he had mine so that we could get a hold of each other.
• Most importantly: I know that families can be together forever and that if I live worthily, I can be with Travis, and the rest of my family, forever.
  

It was that testimony that gave me hope. Hope for happiness. Hope for faith. Hope that others can receive comfort. Hope for strength.

Eventually, with enough faith, that hope turned to knowledge

I know I am, and can be happy thanks to the gospel. I know that faith can move mountains, if it's the Lord's will. I know that the Holy Ghost is powerful and comforts those in need of comfort. I know, without a doubt, that things will be okay. Yes, I have my days where I miss Travis like crazy, but this life is so short compared to the eternities. I also know, without a doubt that

Everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes it takes days, months, years, or even waiting for the next life to understand all of God's purposes in our trials. But someday, if we pay attention to the Spirit,

We WILL know the answers to our questions.

Now I am such a stronger person than I was before Travis passed away. I have a stronger testimony and I'm not as scared to share it. I enjoy the scriptures more. I try to "Let [my] light so shine before men, that they may see [my] good works, and glorify [my] Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16) I want my countenance to shine, like this:
Recently my good friend, Chris, has come down with a bad case of what they thought was pneumonia (but they've discovered that it is a rare autoimmune disease) and he is not doing well. He has been sedated and on a ventilator for almost a week now and the doctors sure aren't quite sure what is wrong with him.

It's so scary.

It's hard to find joy in situations like this, but there is. People from all over have been praying and fasting for him, especially the youth in our area. People are reaching out to his family to help them cope. Through all of this, all those who are serving Chris, by praying, fasting, or helping his family, are growing closer to Christ and becoming more like Him.

Isn't that what life is about?

All we can do, is hope and trust that what's supposed to happen will happen. Or as my dad says:

"What is is right."

If your in the mood to learn more about the power of hope, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages#p/a/f/0/UbsU3b2srQA

Also, if you want proof of the love and support that Chris is receiving (and to join the group on Facebook) go to: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=406913512931&ref=ts

Grateful for Laughter

Laughing is probably my most favorite thing in the entire world! Without it I'd probably cry all of the time out of embarrassment. Let's take a look at yesterday for example...
First of all, I spent the entire day reading! Shouldn't have been to harmful...but whenever I didn't read, something bad happened haha. For lunch I had left over spaghetti. When it was done warming up, I got it out of the microwave and started walking to the table. When I was almost there, I started looking at something and all of the sudden my hand lost balance and there was spaghetti everywhere!!! My mom was slightly (k maybe more than slightly) annoyed because it almost got on some important stuff on the table. But I couldn't stop LAUGHING! Then my dad joined in on the laughter, and soon enough we were all laughing our heads off! Awhile later I was going to my little sister's soccer game with my mom and we were going to a Relief Society thing afterwards. My mom was bringing a vase of flowers and I had to hold them in the car. Before we even left the drive way, I had water poured all down my shirt and it looked like I wet my pants! My tan pants! So embarrassing. Yet again, all we could do was laugh. Haha good times.
Anyways, like I said, if I didn't have the ability to laugh at situations like that, I would just be devastated all the time because I would feel so embarrassed. Don't get me wrong, I definitely feel embarrassed, but I don't dwell on the negative and make it funny!

Home.....

I love coming home! Even though I feel kinda sick again, and I don't get along perfectly with my family. There's just a feeling of peace that I have being here. And it's nice to get out of the snow for once in my life. I also enjoy my mom's cooking (and Mom don't feel bad about having sandwiches for dinner! They were good!) I'm grateful to be here, it's going to be a good visit.

(Aren't we sooo cute!)

O and I had a blonde moment at dinner today! haha. So we were talking about...who know's what...but I found out that one side of the street always has even numbered addresses and the other side as odd! I don't know exactly what the system is (like if North is always even and West is always odd) but I NOW know there is one!

You Can't Always Get What You Want

I love the television show called Glee and on their first season finale they sang a remake of the Rolling Stone's song called You Can't Always Get What You Want. In the chorus it says, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime you might find you get what you need." SO TRUE!

I recently applied to be a Resident Assistant here on campus and I was really really hoping to get the job. Turns out I was picked as an alternate, meaning that if one of the hired RA's decides they don't want the job anymore, I may or may not get it. At first, I was super bummed. But tonight I went to a meeting about being an alternate and found out that there were only 11 new RA's and 11 alternates out of like 90 applicants! So even being an alternate is pretty good. I also found out that there is a high chance of eventually being an RA, but no guarantees. At this meeting, we were informed about lots of leadership opportunities that we as alternates can take too. Needless to say, I feel a lot better about everything, and even though I didn't get exactly what I wanted, this will be a chance for me to learn a lot and just have faith that everything will work out how it's supposed to! (It always does)

Why the Change?

In case you haven't noticed, my blog has made a change!!! I've realized that my life hasn't been so awkward lately. But it has had some very exciting things happen that have helped me figure out why life is really about being happy! I love being happy. And smiling. And laughing. And anyone who knows me knows that that's just how I am. So instead of devoting my blog to awkwardness, I've decided to devote it to happiness.

{This is me when I was happy at graduation practice...}

The Best Day

Thursday, February 25 was possibly one of the best days ever for many reasons. First of all, I got a lovely new roommate. She rocks my world. Second of all, I only had one class. Third of all, we cleaned the apartment and it was spotless. Fourth of all, there was some serious, much needed, roommate bonding time! Fifth of all, I had a few awkward moments, which doesn't make for the best day, but it does provide some grand opportunities for blogging!

• So I was at work, just chillin, and this girl came into the computer lab. A few minutes later a boy came in. A few seconds later they started making out. AWKWARD
• It was time to close up the lab and this husband and wife were in there and I let them know that it was time to get closing things down and they got super mad because they still had a minute left! Grrr...that wasn't really awkward...just annoying.
• After I got home, I was in the kitchen talking to a few of my roommates and my new roommate (we'll call her Jane) came in and she looked really cold, so I said, "Jane! Want some hot chocolate? I don't have any, but I'm sure one of the other roommates will give you some!" Let's just say the other roommates looked at me like I was an idiot because I was offering their stuff away. I mean, they would've let her have some, but I sounded really dumb haha
• Later on, the roomies discovered I had never had Del Taco before, so we decided to go. After I took my order, I told the cashier "Gracias!" Apparently, talking in Spanish in a Mexican restaurant, especially with a lot of Mexicans working, makes you look really silly. But sometimes, I can't stop the urge to speak in Spanish, especially when there's lots of Spanish type things going on around me!

Needless to say, it was a wonderful day!

Down With a Sickness!

Dear blogging world-
Sorry I haven't updated lately. As the title says...I've been sick. So I'm gonna update ya'll on my life...and this post will end with an awkward moment (woot woot!)
February 6, 2010: I woke up with a sore throat so I decided to get it checked out in case it was strep. They told me it was just a head cold and told me to get plenty of rest and plenty of fluids and such.
February 7, 2010: I woke up and could hardly talk, or swallow. So I decided to not go to church and sleep all day.
February 8, 2010: I went back to the doctor because my left tonsil was HUGE and red and I was in serious pain. Turns out it was tonsillitis. So they prescribed some anti-biotic, loratab, a steroid to help swelling, and ibuprofen. So I started taking all my pills and hoped for the best.
February 9, 2010: I woke up at 5:30 in the morning shaking uncontrollably. I tried putting blankets over me, but I was really hot. So I just started crying. I was covered in goosebumps too. I was super scared. So I called my dad and woke up my roommate. Taking a shower and some Tylenol got me settled down enough to fall back asleep. I was thinking that my fever broke so I'd start getting better. Psh... Ya Right! At about 11:30, while I was taking all of my meds in the kitchen, I started shaking...AGAIN! Except this time, my lips turned blue and my hands turned yellow. So my dear roommates rushed me to the ER. Turns out I had a fever of 105!!!!! (At 106, people start getting brain damage or they die) It was super scary. They took a bunch of tests and gave me an IV. My dear mother came and visited me and I stayed the night with her and started feeling better. THE END....kinda

AWKWARD MOMENT TIME!

My tonsils have still been bothering me, so I decided to go to the Dr. today. I wanted to go to a different office though. My friend had referred me to another Dr. and said he was really good. My insurance also covered him. So my mom looked him up online and gave me the phone number. When I went to my appointment and realized that it was a clinic for Paiute people. All of the paperwork asked what tribe I was part of and such. I'm not any part Paiute, or any Indian for that matter. Everyone kept looking at me really weird. Needless to say, I felt very silly. But they took good care of me, they were really nice. It was just funny. Especially when the Dr. came in and said, "You don't look like an Indian, you must have insurance."

"What in the?" Moments in the Life of Kandace

So...this wasn't really awkward...just super duper weird...and slightly creepy. A couple weekends ago, my roommate and I decided to by cute nail polish and paint our toes just for fun! And they looked way cute! We got cute little stickers and everything! They've lasted awhile looking good too! Except on my left foot- the middle and pinky toe's paint has chipped off. I had to go to a meeting tonight and put on some shoes, and I only had the shoes on for like a half hour tops. When I came home and took my shoes off, all the paint was missing from my big toe on the left! And I looked in my shoe and couldn't find ANYTHING! Not ok! It looks like it just wiped off!!!
SEE?!

Oh My Car

So my most recent awkward moments both have to deal with Betsy Bug. The first one happened a few nights ago. It snowed really bad so I was scared anyways and my brain was slightly flustered. We went to our friends house and I had parked in the driveway. Later, I put the car in reverse, went down the driveway and tried to turn my car and it wouldn't go anywhere! Turns out I hadn't started my car....The second awkward moment wasn't even my fault! (at least I don't think it was) I went to the gas station and opened my car door, from the inside, and my stinkin car alarm went off! and I couldn't figure out how to stop it! Once I got it to stop I opened my door again and it went off again! It proceeded to go off like 4 times! I was so embarrassed. Then I went and picked up my friends from their house and it did it again! I finally got it to stop for good. Thank goodness. It was so weird!!!

Legit Dinner

Ya. I totally made dinner tonight. All by myself! I know. I totally rock. But it wasn't easy.... I kinda struggle sometimes (which is the whole reason I made this blog). So part of the recipe called for a cup of bbq sauce and I had a hard time getting it out. So I grabbed a spoon and started hitting the top of it. My lovely roommates, Sally and Susie, then told me that it would be easier just to scrape it. I then got worried because I didn't know where a scraper was, so I shyly asked them, "Can I use my spoon?" Apparently spoons get the job done.

SEE!!!
Dinner was an absolute success :)

Loser Starts with an L

So I was just messing around and trying to make an L on my head to call someone a loser and then I realized that even though when I looked at my hand it made an L, it definitely did not make an L to the rest of the world. Epic fail on my part. I then proceeded to run to my hallway and hide like i always do while I laugh hard!

Epic Moments in the Life of Kandace

So this story isn't awkward at all. K so there might be some awkward parts, but it was mostly just EPIC! So tonight was the institute opening social. It was fiesta themed and you could either eat nachos or a bean burrito. I had chips, a tortilla, and salsa (since I don't like beans). My friends and I were stuck sitting on the gym floor. It was entertaining. We then went home for a little bit until the dance started at 9:30. By this point the snow was coming down pretty hard so we took Wendy's car because it has four wheel drive. We ended up parking forever away and freezing our boot-ays off.
The dance ended up being a lot of fun. There were tons of people there and actually pretty good music (considering it was an institute dance). I saw lots of friends that I hadn't seen for awhile and meeting a few new people. Surprisingly the dance was a great success. The last song was a slow song (surprised? I'm not) and I ended up dancing with a boy from my institute class. He invited my friends and I to another dance party afterward, so we decided to be adventurous and try something new! We soon discovered that the nice little snow storm had turned into a blizzard!!!!
We decided we might as well still go. We went back to our apartment and at about 12:30, Wendy, Josefine, and I braved the blizzard. Wendy and Josefine both had coats, but I didn't want to deal with mine-so I was just in a t-shirt and jeans. Soon after we left, I got a text that said that the party was already over. So we turned around and headed back to the apartment. We were half a block away and all of the snow fell off the top of the car and onto her front wind shield and Wendy couldn't see a single thing! Super scary to say the least.
Wendy pulled over to the side of the road and realized that she was stuck. This is where the fun began. We all got out of the car and helper number one came and helped us. He was kind of...dumb. He fell completely down twice and then told Wendy to, "ride it out" which got her even more stuck! So he left. Out of the blue, helper number two walked up the sidewalk and gave us a skate board to try and shovel us out. It was very nice of her, but it didn't help much. Soon enough helper number three came our way. Helper number three ended up being my dear friend, Marshall, and his friend. I was ever so happy to see Marshall because I haven't seen him since like...November! Luckily they had chains. And Marshall let me wear his coat. Except Marshall kept running out of gas. That part was kind of funny. While Marshall and his friend were helping us, we had many other helpers come along. 3 more to be exact. One was even on a fourwheeler! Luckily we got out, thank you again Marshall!
The coolest part of the night...I got so much snow in my hair while we were stuck that I made a snow ball with it!!!! SO COOL! Overall-it was a night that I'll remember forever! Well worth the adventure!
Sorry this ended up being so long...it was just super epic :)

Just One of Those Days

For those of you who know me personally, you know that sometimes I just struggle. Sometimes I say things that come out weird and do things to embarrass myself. People think I'm crazy-but I think I'm awesome. Just sayin. It mostly happened during dinner...

1. My roommate, Betty, is a Food Network fanatic just like me! So we were discussing our favorite shows right before dinner. Our favorite is Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. I was talking about how my dream honeymoon is to go on a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives roadtrip. My other roommate, Gertrude, thought I was talking about my dream husband. I went on to say, as two boys walked into our apartment, "I don't really think about my future husband, just our honeymoon." Ya...it sounded really bad! I just really want to go to all of the restaurants.
   
2. I can't remember why I started laughing, but I was laughing and eating and accidentally spit out some of my food. EMBARRASSING!
3. I was about to take my bowl to the sink and said something and moved my bowl-flinging soup all over the counter and my chair.
4. This last one isn't very funny- but my friend, Fredrick, said I should put it on my blog. I was trying to figure out how to make a clappy noise one handed. I though you could do it my moving your wrist up and down. But Fredrick pointed out that it's impossible to reach your fingers to your wrist no matter how hard you try. It took me like five minutes shaking my hand up and down looking like the biggest dork ever to figure it out. So I guess you have to shake your hand sideways. Give me a few weeks of practice, and I'll figure it out.

Hopefully tomorrow is a little less embarrassing. I'm not counting on it though.

Random Thoughts During Dance Class

So today in class, my teacher said, "Make sure you use your dairy-air in everything you do!" and it took me a minute to realize that she was just talking about while you dance. During that minute of confusion, I was trying to figure out how that could actually work! I mean-no matter what your dairy-air is involved with what you do. But knowingly use it all the time? That's nearly impossible! Like I said, I figured it out a minute later. No worries

Man, I'm So Cool...

Today I tried to stick an entire Popsicle stick in my mouth.
Sideways.
Told you i'm so cool!

Awkward Moment of January 15, 2010

I was in Wal-Mart with my roommate on Friday and we were deciding what candies to put in the middle of these delicious brownie cupcake thingies we were going to make (recipe found here). I then saw my friend that I haven't seen for awhile. He came up to me and grabbed my ears. I of course asked why and he said, "Because it's awkward" and walked away. The end.

Awkward Moment of January 14, 2010

To show that I have awkward moments everyday (are you paying attention brother of mine) I am going to include the date of the awkward moment. I might write it on here a day late, but I will write it nonetheless.

So last night i was watching a scary movie with some friends. Except it was really dumb. So I made sure that I let everyone know that it was a dumb movie and I wasn't scared. Not two minutes later I scary part happened and I jumped, screamed, and nearly kicked my friend I was sitting next to in the face. I was two inches from breaking her nose, and her glasses. Everyone proceeded to make fun of me because I was saying the movie wasn't scary. But really, it wasn't, at all. Except for like two parts....O well, guess I better watch what I say during scary movies from now on...

Awkward Hug...

This story isn't quite as funny as the others, but it is very awkward nonetheless. I was walking to class and I saw a boy that was in one of my classes last semester that I would sit by occasionally. He was walking down the stairs, and I was walking up. For some reason he decided to give me a hug when he was a step above me. Probably the most awkward hug in my life for 2 reasons:

1. I don't know him very well
   
2. He was on a different step! I thought I was going to fall over!

I proceeded to let him know that it was a very awkward hug. I kinda think he felt bad. Maybe he'll learn that its weird to hug people that you don't really know, especially when they're on a different step!

Blast from the Past!

I decided I should probably include some old, awkward experiences because I have plenty to go around!

So a few years ago, I was at my grandmas house with my grandma, my mom, and a boy named Victor. Victor really liked me. My mom and my grandma were outside so we were inside. Alone. My grandma had a bowl of chocolate kisses and I was eating one. I figured Victor would want one too. So I asked: "Victor- wanna kiss?" His eyes instantly got all big and he instantly got nervous. Then I informed him I was talking about chocolate kisses. I hadn't even been thinking about regular kisses! I kinda felt bad for getting his hopes up....

Hey! I Have a Blog!

So...I'm not sure how this whole blog thing works... so bare with me. I've been thinking about making this blog for a long time, and after being bugged enough about it...I've decided to give it a go. To start off I will share some awkward experiences from last night.

• First of all, I was at Family Home Evening and I thought I was wearing matching pants with a girl named Alice (Well her name isn't really Alice, I'm just changing all the names, remember?). Anyways as soon as I noticed I said, as the room went completely silent, "Alice! We're wearing the same pants!" I got a few strange looks after that, and it turns out they weren't even the same brand of pants!

• Second awkward moment: I was on a date and we had gone to get ice cream (YUM!). We just ate it in the car on our way to the movie theater. He let me try his so i ended up having two cups of ice cream in my hand and he said, "Pound them!" So of course i hit the cups together with a very confused look on my face. I soon learned that "pounding" something also means eat it. He was telling me to eat them both! My bad!