as told by jonni

update

2011-12-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

so as of these past few weeks i have been CRAZY!! finals week and the weeks before finals week are not fun at all, let me tell you that. i took 2 finals today and have to take 5 more. taking 7 classes is not the best idea in case you wanted to do it. dont. other than that, i havent been doing to much, except for hanging out and what not. but all i can say is im sooooooooo excited to go home!! i seriously cant wait. it will be great to be home again :) and to be done with this madness of a semester. thats all.

Viva Las Vegas!

2011-11-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

so my aunt was getting married, and my family was going to Vegas to see the wedding and spend some time with all my family that lives in Vegas. So since Vegas isn't terribly far from Provo, I decided to go too! at first it was going to be a surprise, then my dad didn't know it was supposed to be a surprise so her told everyone, but then I forgot I had work so I had to find someone to cover my shift, so then I decided to surprise everyone again by pretending I couldn't go, but everyone knew...haha. I went with Alison and Krista (Krista is my new awesome friend from my complex, I seriously love her!!! she is awesome and I’m so glad I invited her to movie night one random day :) coolest friend ever!) we got to Vegas around 7 on Friday night, and did all the fun stuff at the strip. It was seriously a blast!! Don’t worry, we didn't do anything bad folks :) Saturday was the wedding, and besides that it was a pretty relaxing day. Then on Sunday we woke up for the breakfast, I said bye to my family, and we just sat around for a little in the hotel room relaxing and getting our stuff together…and jumping on the bed. Then we went to the temple, walked around, took some pictures, and then headed home. On the way we saw this awesome air show with fighter jets (possibly the blue angels??) and so we pulled over and looked at it for a while. We got home around 6 and so still had time to go to ward prayer :) so it wasn't a very long trip, but besides a few little mishaps it was awesome!!! I wish I could relive it again :) it was soooooo great to see my family again, and I cant wait for Christmas.

happy list

2011-11-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

i havent done my thankful list in a little while, which isnt good. so here we go again. except im going to switch it up a bit, im calling it my happy list. things that have made me happy. these are the same things that i am grateful for, but for some reason its just a little more meaningful for me to say they are things that make me happy instead of things i am grateful for. "men are that they might have joy" right??

making new friends
wearing my new coat (which by the way, i really dont like the word coat. i have absolutly no idea why, it just is an annoying word to me.)
cold weather
playing games
a bike that no longer squeaks insanely loud
going to church
having CES firesides at the marriot. i get to be in the same room as apostles of the Lord
phonecalls to my family
sleeping in
taking naps
redbox

service project

2011-10-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

so Saturday morning we had a service project. i love sleeping in more than anything, so when my alarm went off at 8 o'clock in the morning on a cold Saturday, it was almost impossible to wake up. but i had already signed up, and i knew i needed to go. so i forced myself to get up, and i went. the project was doing little things around this kids wilderness trail that helps build certain skills. so the 3 of us volunteered to paint the alphabet on this caterpillar painted on the ground. we grabbed a roller, yellow paint, and the package of stencils. welllll....the stencils were way to small, so the roller was huge, and it didn't work at all. but the time we got all of the stencils ready and started painting half of the group had left already to another trail and took all the paint brushes with them. so we had to finger paint, all 26 letters of the alphabet on ice cold cement. my hands literally felt like they had needles stabbing them, and i got paint everywhere. somehow no one else got paint anywhere but thier hands, but i managed to get it on my jacket, jeans, and face. but all in all it was a good service project, and we had a fun time :)

Halloween!!

2011-10-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

me and sammi!!

with brian, our awesome home teacher. a gift from God apparently :)

we love Ani

i saw her pose and said "oh my gosh!!! MIRANDA SINGS!" and so looked at me and said "you know her?!" and so we had to take a picture together. even though we dont know eachother...

me and some awesome girls from my ward :)

so i was a rocker this Halloween. it was fun because its totally not me, so i got to channel the inner bad girl hahahahaha. and my roommate was a zebra, i helped paint her. together we took forever for our darn costumes, but it was fun :)

the beauty department blog

2011-10-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

so im kinda obsessed with Lauren Conrad's beauty blog. its her and 2 other girls and they give tips and ideas for hair and makeup and nails and other random things. i love it so much. i always want to try what i see on there, but i rarely do. well yesterday i was bored, so i decided to play around. i did the "fall-for-this" look, with rust colored lips! i think the pictures they show are gorgeous, but i thought i wouldn't like it when i actually did it, but i loved it!! super fun, super autumn, just wonderful. so i wore it to school today, and i told my sister taylor about it, and she told me to post a blog with it so she could see, so here you go tay :)

Football game!

2011-10-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

this year i didnt get a football pass. i honestly dont care, but i had been wanting to go to one game. well, my roommate steph and her boyfriend have passes, but werent going to this game. so they graciously gave me a ticket :) i didnt end up seeing the whole game, but it was still fun, even though it was really hot. then after we went to my place and watched NEVER SAY NEVER!! hahaha :) alison is a huge bieber fan and had NEVER seen it! so basically we had to, just had to. all in all it was a super fun saturday. i love weekends.

Deaf Haunted Maze

2011-10-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

so for Miss Deaf Utah, they throw a haunted maze at the Taylorsville Deaf center, and all the proceeds go to help miss Deaf Utah go to the country competition. so for our asl class we have to have experiences with the culture, and so we could go to a few different things. well me and 2 of my friends from class decided to go volunteer at the haunted maze. we went with the intention of helping with tickets...we got roped into being actors. so, we were made into zombies and scary people. i was a zombie butcher, my part actually wasn't to scary, but it was sooooo fun! but lets just say i don't have any promising future in acting :) we had a blast, and i'm so glad we went :)

school is hard

2011-10-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

this past 2 weeks has been incredibly stressful and incredibly exhausting. and all i want is for the semester to be over. and the next semester too. also i really miss my dear family and friends back home. its during these crazy times i really miss everything back home. but i have gained alot of faith in just these past few weeks, and have spent more time on my knees pleading and talking with Heavenly Father than ever. challenges are good. they make you stronger and more humble and in the long run, much happier. but when you have 4 tests in one week ontop of all the other things you need to do, and stay up till the wee hours of the morning doing econ assignments you dont understand, and you just dont want to do any of it anymore, its hard to see that. but i have definitely gained some perspective, and im trying harder every day to keep doing what im supposed to do.

this man make me so happy, he always says the exact things i need to hear. i often get down on myself, and just get kinda lost in my own thoughts. This talk seriously changed my perspective on my life at the moment, i havent heard such powerful words in a long time. it was EXACTLY what i needed to hear, and even now weeks later, it still influences my life. i am so thankful for Jesus Christ.

its only a short little clip of the whole message, the whole thing is amazing, but i am so grateful that i can hear through leaders of the church what Heavenly knows we are struggling as women and hear the happiness that He has to offer us.

some things i just may never learn

2011-10-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

i have issues with filling my car up with gas. for some reason every single time something goes wrong, or more aptly put, i do something wrong. i've only had to fill up 3 times since i've been here, but i don't get how i just cant learn how to do it right, hahaha i'm hopeless. every time i have someone come with me, because i don't like to face it alone. this time, i entered my zip code wrong, so i had to go inside and have the guy pay it. then i went on the wrong side, and the hose wasn't long enough to reach the tank. so then i asked him to transfer the money to number 1, so he did. i walk outside...someone was already there. so i walk back inside, embarrassed already at this point, and ask him to move it to number 4. guess what, someone was already there too! so i had to walk in AGAIN. this time suuuuuper embarrassed, and ask him to move it to number 6, the tank on the other side of the gas station. so he said "how bout you go somewhere, make sure its open, then let me know" boy did he think i was an idiot. well i was, but you know. so finally i went to 6, and everything was perfect. but i'm still an idiot. hahaha :)

the last birthday post...i promise

2011-10-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

so me and alison had a little combined birthday party since ours are only a week apart. we were planning on having a bonfire in the canyon, but it started raining so instead we just stayed in alisons house and played some games and all that jazz. so here are a few little insights from the party...

the birthday girls!!!

our cakes :)

one of my favorites! (person, although i quite like the picture too)

ya ya, im a freak i know that!! hahaha

playing the samuri game where you make the "ahhh!" "wahhh!" sounds and stuff. the last 4, i lasted pretty long though, not gunna lie

and on a completly unrelated note: in my complex there are 3 triplet subarus!! mine and two other awesome people. the one girl who has one exactly like mine even lives right by me, so we park by each other all the time. i just had to take a picture of the cute little twins.

happy things

2011-10-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

i like things that make me happy. this website reminds me of a few of those things...

^^^this is probably my favorite thing in the world^^^

(but can i mention that i hate this fad of people writing things in annoying incomplete sentences?! "that awkward moment when..." what about that moment people?!?! what about it?! has the English language really reduced itself to that? ok so even though these little things are annoyingly incomplete, they still make me smile. ok off my tangent.)

good times

2011-10-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

today was cleaning day for me and steph!! we scrubbed our bathroom clean, then went crazy and cleaned the floors, walls, microwave, oven, everything in the kitchen! we just kept saying how nice it feels to have everything clean and unclutered, and pretty :) releaves our stress levels quite a bit! haha. and then we put up a justin beieber poster in our bathroom after blasting some jb while cleaning. inspiration hit us! haha! then i went shopping, got tons of stuff ive been needing forever, and then came home and went to the temple. it was really nice to just have a little peace in my life...much needed. so all in all, very protective and perfect day.

oh happy day!

2011-10-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

so since last weekend was so crazy, i didn't get to do my thankful list. so ill do it now :)
1. im grateful for long lines in the temple. gives me time to feel that much needed peace and spirit, and it means lots of people are there doing work! yayy for temples (especially one so close!)
2. i am grateful for this amazing cold weather we are having!
3. i am grateful for an awesome roommate who helps clean and makes me happy while im doing it
4. im grateful for my warm and snuggly bed
5. i am grateful for letters from my amazing friend cameron. too bad Thailand is so far away and it takes so long to get there and back!
6. i am grateful for morning prayers. and my little sign i made to help me remember!
7. im so grateful for my friend Sammi. she makes me happy! and she is here when i need her :)
8. i am grateful for skype! i miss my wonderful freinds and family back in california and it is amazing and wonderful to see thier faces and hear thier voices whenever i want. technology is amazing, it truly is.
9. i am grateful for the music on my itunes. lately i have been listening to lots of different songs that i have. they make me really happy. faves lately are Phoenix, Florence and the Machine, and Katy Perry (well just hummingbird heart beat :) )
10. i am grateful for hulu. very grateful

sometimes you just need your mom

2011-10-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

sometimes you just need a mom who will give a cute little halloween package to you with decorations and candy. and little sweettarts in the shape of tinkerbell. sometimes you just need to call your mom becasue you havent talked to her in a while. a mom who will read your blog and comment. a mom who loves you so much. or maybe its always.

i love my mom!!!

more birthday happenings

2011-10-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

before my sister came to utah, my roomies took me out for dinner to celebrate my birthday. it was lots of fun :) we went to texas road house...those of you who have gone there, you know what they do for birthdays. you have to sit on this saddle. it was really embarrassing. but it was great to be out with my roommates and get to eat yummy rolls hahaha! i love them!! (my roommates of course :) )

we are so cool

our waiter cam cam!! haha he was the best

the birthday saddle... oh goodness!

alisoooon!!!

roomie love! <3

birthday!!

2011-10-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

so saturday was my birthday! my sister came to utah with natalie and lets just say i had an amazing birthday weekend!!! i miss them already. it was way too much fun. so far, being 19 is great!
there are a million pictures, but they are all mixed up and its just to much effort to sort them out. so here is what we did
Friday: taylor and natalie showed up after my last class, and after i took a test. i was so happy to see them, but i was worn out. then we brought all thier stuff in, and i opened my present :) my fam gave me money to go pick out a new pair of Toms. yayy! then we drove up to sqaw peak (aka makeout point) and probably annoyed everyone with our constant laughter and picture taking. but it is seriously breathtakingly beautiful up there.
Saturday: we woke up early and took the trax to salt lake to go see conference. there was so many amazing things said, and the experience was amazing. we had to beg on the street corner to get tickets :) then we stayed around for afternoon session, and then headed home, only we took the wrong trax so we got lost and had to ride it all the way to the end, then go back. quite the adventure. we were alone for 20 minutes in the train, so had a mini photoshoot hahaha way to fun! then we went to olive garden, came home and watched Prom the cheesy disney movie. who doesnt love a cheesy movie? especially when it has this dear in it?! i love him!!! it was a great day, but by the end we were exhausted!!
Sunday: woke up, made pancakes, then watched both sessions of conference on tv. in between we took a cute little picnic to the provo temple, and just relaxed for a bit. it was beautiful outside! then we just sat around, talked, wrote letters, relaxed, and other such activities. and then we decided to do something fun...so we went planking around provo, and me and taylor dressed up in matching outfits! oh boy was it some good times!!! i think we were laughing every second! then we came back, they packed.

it was a great weekend!! so exhausting, but so worth it! i love birthdays, and i always make a huge deal out of them, and this one definitely lived up to my expectations.

for smiles

2011-09-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

if you feel like smiling, go here
it really just makes me miss my little preschooler back home
gotta love preschoolers
:)

20 things before i turn 20

2011-09-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

so its my birthday on saturday. very exciting i know :) i will be turning 19, so i decided to follow my sisters lead and make a list of 20 things i want to accomplish in this next year before i turn 20. here we go.

1.read the bible cover to cover
2.get a job
3.read my whole jane austen collection
4.apply for an internship at falling whistles or toms
5.go geocacheing around provo
6.go to a state i haven't been to before
7.hike the Y again
8.paint my bike light yellow and sea-foam
9.learn to play at least one song on the guitar
10.get a ukulele
11.write at least a few chapters of a book
12.go to a kooks concert
13.make sundays more meaningful
14.buy a Holga!!!
15.go to the temple at least once a week
16.run a half marathon
17.make a fun package to send to each of my missionary friends
18.get a new wardrobe. or at least a lot of new clothes i actually like
19.date an awesome boy ;) haha
20.go to all of the utah and california temples. and take a picture in front of them

"we thank thee this day"

2011-09-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Its that time of the week to read what i am thankful for this week!

1. i am grateful for the amazing teachers, and wonderful lessons that i get hear each Sunday.
2. i am grateful for a dishwasher. without it, i would be very sad and a very bad roommate haha.
3. i am grateful for being able to have a car this year. it really has blessed me so much.
4. i am grateful for having a temple with in minutes. i went on Friday with my friends and i haven't had such a wonderful day in a long time.
5. i am grateful for makeup. oh boy, what would i do if i couldn't cover up all the unsightly imperfections everyday?! or well...mostly every day. unless i'm lazy haha.
6. i am grateful to have running water. i was listening to some stories the other day, you know, the ones everyone hears but it really just made me thankful for the everyday conveniences i take for granted.
7. i am grateful for lotion. when you have such terrible hands as me, you realize how amazing it is the have skin that doesn't hurt, doesn't split a bleed and itch like crazy, and look really ugly. lotion saves my life.
8. i am grateful for the challenges i face. they are very personal, so i'm not going to list them, but they make me more able to understand the pains of others. and they make me realize the good things i have in life. and they make me stronger.
9. i am grateful for computers. such amazing pieces of equipment. life is so easy with them.
10. i am grateful for post-it notes. this may seem like the most random thing in the world to be thankful for, but i love them. they make me happy...strange i know. and allow me to remember things, and put quotes to remind me how i should act. love those things.

like a scene from a movie

2011-09-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

don't worry. this isn't a cheesy scene, just an average movie scene.

so i don't have an ipod and i don't usually bring my computer to school. so i never listen to music while walking to school, or in between classes or anything like that. well yesterday i needed to bring my computer to watch this accounting thing, so after i was done, i decided to listen to music. all you people who listen to it all the time throughout the day, doesn't it just feel like you are in a movie?! i was just sitting on a couch, surrounded by tons of people, but i played this song, and i felt like i was in the most interesting movie ever. i don't know how to explain it, but i just felt literally like a character in a movie. strange. i liked it, but i like my time walking to school and between classes. i think to myself, and think about things that have happened, or what i need to do, or what i feel about certain topics. its my quite time, and I'm the kind of person who likes that. so although i would love to be in a movie everyday, i like my own little reality.

but, watch these videos!! im seriously in love with them, and could watch them all day. if only i could be as good as him.

and i hate this song, but love this video :)

count your many blessings

2011-09-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

my friend Alison is doing a blog with things she is grateful for. so i took her lead and decided to do a weekly post of 10 things I'm grateful for. many will be repeats, because the things i have i am soooo blessed to have. but i will try and think of specific things I'm grateful for, so i realize how wonderful life is and so it wont get boring.
number 1. i am grateful that my sister is coming here soon for my birthday. i feel like she necessary to breath, and when we are together i feel complete. so I'm happy i get to steal her away for a few days from Cali :)
number 2. i am grateful for my bishop. i was talking to him yesterday, and he just gave me so much perspective, and he really helped me realize my true nature.
number 3. i am grateful for my hair. it sounds vain, but I'm not i promise! it is so simple, i just wake up and go, and i love the color, because it reminds me of me. that doesn't really make sense, but it does to me. i love my hair.
number 4. i am grateful for my roommates. they are so nice, and they make me happy to be around. i lucked out for sure.
number 5. i am grateful for my niece and nephew. they may be the cutest people to walk this planet. my life is ten fold better now that they are here.
number 6. i am grateful for rice. i just really love rice.
number 7. i am grateful for the random people in my life that i can always count on to make me smile. maybe that person i sit by in a certain class, or that person who i always walk by at the same time. or my teachers that say the funniest things, or people from my ward who always wave as they walk by. people that i don't know closely, but always put a smile on my face.
number 8. i am oh so very thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. because of him, i am happy. because of him, i can be free from unnecessary heartache.
number 9. i am thankful for the temple. inside and out it is beautiful. the work performed there is one of the most magnificent parts of Heavenly Fathers plan. i am grateful that i am able to go and feel that peace, and feel the love Christ has for me, its wonderful.
number 10. i am grateful for my bike. i love that squeaky pink thing. i sure does make life easier, and a lot more fun.

adventures in mona-land!

2011-09-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

so Alison was going to the rope swings in Mona with some people from her home ward. I have heard about these infamous rope swings and have really wanted to try them out. so of course i said i would love to go. so i drove to Alison, we got gas (which was really difficult, something was wrong with my nozzle thing and so she helped me haha) and then went to join the group. it ended up being boys car and girls car. so on the way there we blasted some music and had some girl talk. who doesn't love girl talk?! well once we got into Mona city limits, we ran into some trouble. the boys couldn't exactly find it, so we turned around about 3 times. we down some random dirt roads and finally found the rope swings. only they were super small and over some nasty water. we were so confused. we knew these couldn't be the swings everyone talks about, they just couldn't be. so we walked through a snake infested field for a few minutes and then saw the real ones all the way on the other side of the lake. so we walked back through the field and drove to the right place and we finally arrived! the water was BEAUTIFUL! it was crystal blue, with a tint of green, but not in the nasty algae green, but in a wonderful turquoise green water color. the scenery was to die for and it just looked awesome. so someone decided to feel how cold it was. Freezing. like titanic cold. "yep, exactly like titanic, except jack doesn't die." well it turned out these swings are super scary, but seriously fun! we had an awesome time and wont ever forget our adventure :) so now on to the million pictures we took! (don't worry ill explain each picture)

so this is the short platform...

but trust me, its still super scary! this was me, looking really frightened and graceful as i tried to climb up

and this is what you are supposed to look like as you do it...

and this is what i look like when i do it! hahaha. i let go to early and smashed into the water. i know I'm so graceful.

This was the really high ledge. i would have tried it, but it looked impossible to get up. the nice thing about that one, is the rope was long enough where you could put your feet on a knot. on the short one, it barely reached so you had to hold really high and only with your arms.

but even the short ledge was scary, and kinda hard, so we on the baby rope. haha you didn't go off a ledge or anything, just a swing on the rope. so we did that one a few times.

and these are our "lets pose while we are swinging" pictures.

ALISON!

KIRSTEN!

ME! (haha I'm not dramatic or anything...i get scared really easy. so I'm screaming)

i know so graceful. don't be jealous.

and then just some cute pictures of us :)

the end!

p.s. on the way home, thanks to my great directional skills we took a wrong exit and had to turn around and i tried to do a shortcut thing and it didn't work.

p.p.s. i may not have a sports pass this year, but all i have to do is open my bedroom window and i can hear exactly how the game is going. i probably know just as much as i would if i actually went to it because i only judge of the screams anyway.

world of dance

2011-09-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

unfortunately i don't have any pictures to show you guys (besides a picture of the poster of course), but i just have to share my experience. so me and Alison went to this dance show at BYU called world of dance. it was seriously AMAZING! it started out with this contemporary river dance, and from that moment i was in love! seriously all the dances were beautiful, creative, engaging, funny, inspiring...ahhh to many adjectives! there was one dance that wasn't my favorite, but the dancers were still really talented. there was river dancing, contemporary ballet, Indian, folk, ballroom, tap, Russian, and contemporary. i was seriously amazed by all the different styles and talent. it was wonderful and i would see it again in a heartbeat. you go BYU dance teams!!

sisters, squeaky bikes, and sign language.

2011-09-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i was talking on the phone to this beautiful lady (look at picture). we had such an important talk, and i realize that i can literally tell my sisters anything. Heavenly Father placed the right people in my life because he knew what i would need and what kind of people i needed in my life. he got it dead on correct. i could not live my life the way i do right now with out my 3 gorgeous sisters. it is so comforting to know they are literally here for me whenever i need them. and i can't wait because Taylor and Natalie are coming up to Utah in only 15 days for my birthday/conference. i am beyond excited. and then i get to see my other lovely sister Lauren during thanksgiving time when she comes here to spend it with me (and Matt's family, but I'm the most important in this equation right?! ahahah) and then i get to see Ally and the rest of my fam all at Christmas time. looks like i have some exciting events to look forward to :) cant wait! well right after i hung up with Taylor i thought "now i need to write a blog about how much i love my sisters and how much they mean to me." but i was too exhausted so i decided to write it in the morning. Well Taylor beat me to it and decided to write one before me. dang her, haha just kidding. i have to say, it is quite a gem of a post :) i love these girls sooo much!

now on to my lovely bike (see picture) i have een riding it lots lately. i really love my bike, and think it feels quite magical to ride it around town. i do miss my favorite biking partner, but it still has its perks by itself. but seriously, right now i want to smash it! the past 2 times I've ridden it, its like its a squeaky dog toy. the metal rim thing covering the tire squeaks and squeaks and squeaks! its awful! people can hear me coming from a mile away. any microscopic bump sounds like thunder to my bike. at least i don't hit anyone coming from behind because they hear me. gotta look on the bright side right?? but the funnest thing about riding my bike to school...riding it home. to school its all uphill and laborious. coming down, it is smooth sailing! there is nothing as invigorating as riding downhill in a empty parking lot (i take a shortcut, so i don't have to worry about people getting in my way) and having your hair fly behind you and scenery rush past. i am an avid downhill biker.

and as for sign language. i just love it. end of story. its the best language ever. me and Alison went to ASL club yesterday, and it was a blast! and then i go to class and I'm just in love with every moment of it. my teacher is hilarious, the subject is so interesting, and the time just flys by. its great. and the picture, i know we look great. don't be jealous.

learning, cleaning, and blogging?

2011-09-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

i never thought i was much of a multitask-er, but i really surprised myself. my accounting class is a hybrid class, which means we have some in class days, but then we have to watch lessons by ourselves at home. these lessons are loooooooong. let me tell you that. the one i'm watching right now is over 3.5 hours. ya tell me about it. so as i was watching it, everything seemed pretty simple, so i decided to hang up all my clothes that i had laying on my bed, organize my books, and clean up my desk. then i sat here watching it more, did good on the homework problems in between, so decided to blog about my adventures haha :) i know i'm amazing, hold your applause. and on some news, i got a letter, from an British missionary who was in the MTC with cameron, so i don't know him, so its really fun to write! haha :) so today was a good day. im super tired because i get sucked into the vicious cycle of naptime, but a good day none-the-less.

partying, partying YA!

2011-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

so last night me and alison decided to go this dance party thing. that kind of thing is NEVER my scene, but i do on occasion get convinced to go. lets just say it was the lamest thing on the planet, so we left after like 10 minutes. well we stayed a little longer than that, but you get the idea. it was just super lame. so instead we went back to alisons house and just talked with her roomies and 2 of their friends. that ended up being fun, but the dance did not even have one ounce of fun. except for being able to watch people dance like idiots, which made us laugh really hard.

before we left though we baked some cookies, look at this little domestic woman :) hahaha

farmers market

2011-09-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

the first day i got to provo my family and i saw this cute little farmers market in the stadium parking lot as we were driving by. we didn't stop, but i knew i wanted to go sometime in the future. me and my dad spotted a booth that looked very promising...HONEY! we both love honey, so i knew i had to buy some. well the future arrived yesterday, and since it is only a short walk from my house, i met up with Alison and walked around for a bit. it was a very short bit because the market was verrrrry small! haha but i did get my honey sticks. 3 regular, one lemon, and one root beer. may sound strange, but they were amazing!!! i loveee honey, and flavored honey is just that much more amazing.

not so abstract now

2011-09-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

so you know how you always hear about "challenges" and "obstacles" and how they make you stronger and are really just stepping stones, and i know you are all thinking "yes. its not like i haven't had 100.6 lessons about this, duhh everyone knows challenges come, and everyone knows they suck while they last, but looking back only made you better." well i always learned that too dear friends, don't think i'm stupid and don't listen to people. but let me tell you, when hard times actually come, it doesn't just feel like a lesson anymore. its real life. now obviously my challenges don't compare to some peoples hardships, but still, these last few weeks have been not so fun at all.

ill just give you all the short story, but my loans weren't coming through, meaning if i didn't pay tuition soon all my classes would be dropped, i had about $20 in the bank to pay for my living expenses, and then to top it all off...my car got towed!! yayyy for stupid parking spots, who doesn't want to pay $225 and get lost just to get your car back?! so last night i just felt a little defeated. i just said to Heavenly Father "please, i really just cant do this anymore. please please please let things work out and have my financial stuff come through." so i woke up this morning, and i had an email from the financial place, and guess what, everything worked out. and lets just say today was a FANTASTIC day!! my classes were stimulating and exciting, my few hours of sleep felt like 12, and my hair just worked great haha. i'm so glad i have someone watching over me, because i would be a mess without God in my life. and i love school. that is all.

p.s. if i look sad in my picture, its because i was. and if i look like i just got run over and thrown to the side of the road (aka really unattractive) its because that's how i felt.

3 year olds are just too adorable

2011-09-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

from this... to this.
oh goodness my baby is growing up :)

so i was sitting waiting for class and i get a text from my sister. ill show you all what it said, "Matti: mom can i have your phone so i can tell Jonni about my first day at school?!" i immediately started laughing because i told her about 100 times before i left, "now Matti, make sure you call me after your first day of school so that i can know how it goes! and make sure to send lots of pictures!" so of course she kept her promise and called me. Lauren said she doesn't like to talk on the phone with anyone, so it made me special, but you couldn't tell by the way she was talking! hahaha, she was so excited and squealing and laughing and just trying to make up random stories about her imaginary friend Casey so that she could keep talking. i could not help but smile the entire time, i love that girl with my whole heart! after 20 minutes of talking, Lauren told me to say i had to go to class so they could go about the rest of their day. i don't know what i would do if i didn't have an adorable hilarious, crazy, loving 3 year old in my life.

the joys of 9 o'clock church

2011-09-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

this year, my ward meets at 9 o'clock in the morning. i'm not a person who enjoys waking up early, especially when you stay up late at night on saturday, so i wasn't exactly thrilled by the idea of early morning sundays. but let me tell you, it leads to glorious naps!! i came home and was able to take a 3 hour nap! to some that might seem excessive, but once i get sleeping i just cant stop hahaha. also i had 2 nights in a row of little sleep, so it was worth it. and ill be honest, 9 is 100 percent better than the 1:30 i had last year, so i cant complain! today was a great Sabbath day, made much better by the fact that i have to read a lot for my new testament class, so i read about 40 pages today, it really kept my mind focused on Christ, and made me remember why we were given a Sabbath day. I love the Savior so very much, and this past week i have had to rely so much on Him and pray daily for strength and i am so grateful for that. Without His atonement i could not be forgiven of my wrongdoings and i would be a truly miserable person. His gospel gives me strength and happiness and a purpose for this life. i love Him.

This painting is so beautiful to me. it is my favorite story in the new testament, and it really gives me a strong desire to build my faith in Christ. This woman had amazing faith, she knew so strongly that he was the Son of God that all she had to do was touch his robe and she would be cured of her blood disease. i hope that if i were in her position, and i was blessed enough to be that close to Christ, that i would have the faith to reach out and touch his robe and be healed.

me, scary movies?!

2011-09-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

so for those of you who know me, or possibly have just heard my screams, you know i get scared super easy. pop around a corner, hide in my closet, under my bed, grab my shoulders and say "rarrr!!!" and that's it, i scream like a little baby and i cant control myself. whether its in a quite spot or a super embarrassing crowd, i will be guaranteed to scream. bloody murder. while i am trying to work on this, i get super scared in scary movies and can barely close my eyes at night. so why is it that i watched 2 scary movies 2 days in a row? i really have no idea. but i'm proud to say, i survived and i slept fantastic last night.

i must be crazy. and if i stay up all night i know who to blame...scary movie producers. of course it had nothing to do with my choice to watch those said scary movies ;)

hooray for workouts!

2011-08-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

so one of my many goals for this year was to go to the gym at least 3 times a week. i'm trying to change to a healthier lifestyle, and i was determined that once i lived on my own i would change. well i have some good news for you, i have made some great changes! i've been eating super healthy. and by healthy i mean eating nothing else but veggies, fruit, grilled chicken, and the occasion pb sandwich made on whole wheat bread, and bowl of cereal. literally. obviously once i cook more meals i'll want to switch things up a bit, but as of right now i'm content. and i walk 30 minutes to school everyday, probably about 15 minutes total walking around campus, and 20ish minutes walking back from campus. but on top of all this i know i needed to work on the goal i had set for myself and go to the gym 3 times a week at least. the first day of school was a little to hectic and crazy to go, and yesterday i was so sick i was on the verge of throwing up! so that meant i had to go today tomorrow and Friday. when i got to my room the only thing i really wanted to do was take a nap. but after getting a few things settled i put on my workout attire and did the difficult task of unlocking my bike and getting it down the stairs to go to gym. (its not as easy as it sounds i promise! haha) it only took about 10 minutes to bike to the gym, then i did a average length workout and headed back. i felt GREAT! i've always loved working out, its the just the forcing myself to go part that is so hard. but let me tell you, after working out, its the best prospect to have to bike back to your condo. especially when parts are up hill. lets just say i probably wasn't going much faster than the pedestrians and people probably wondered why i was moving like a slug. school was also a great day, and although my classes are going to require a lot of work, i think at this point i'm going to enjoy them. so we will see.

things i recognized today
-waking up is still hard to do even if you've had 8 hours of sleep
-the day is however a little more manageable when you get your beauty sleep
-i love that byu made their gym 10000000 time better and bigger and nicer and prettier
-i'm so happy ally taught me how to make the world easiest most delicious fruit smoothies (v8 fusion juice and whatever frozen fruit you feel like adding that day)
-i hate anything dealing with money...oh wait im going to be an accountant aren't i??

for the fam

2011-08-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

my family keeps asking for pictures of my room, so here they are! im still not 100% doneand will probably switch things around and add some things in some places...but this is home for now!! enjoy :)

if you started at my bed, and spun in a counter clockwise circle this is more or less what you would see!

oh and this is the first dinner i made at my house, alison came over, and even though she had already eaten dinner she ate again with me to enjoy my first meal hahaha :)

2011-08-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

so i just finished my first 2 days of living in my new home! its crazy to think that school will be starting again, and that im living on my own. not the watered down living on your own that the dorms provides, but real life living on my own. its a bit scary when i think about it, but i'm so excited for what is to come. i may be somewhat unprepared, but no one can ever be truly prepared for what life has to offer. my room is almost completely done and decorated and all situated, but not quite yet. when it is ill post pictures. my parents just left, and i had my first sunday in my new ward. its all surreal. the people in my ward seemed pretty friendly, and there seems to be lots of people i would love to get to know better. i guess we will just see what happens in the future. but for now i just need to get ready for school tomorrow, finish up my room, and work on some of my goals. im really excited for this new school year, and im so grateful for this opportunity i have to grow and experience new things. oh and i already miss all the people i left behind, but so happy to be reunited with the people i grew to love in utah. oh what a crazy life this is, now i miss someone no matter where i am!!

LISTEN TO THESE SONGS!! they are completely awesome, especially "gone in the morning". seriously, listen to them.

<3 <3 <3

as they say, one thing ends another begins

2011-08-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

summer is almost over. i have two more sleeps in my bed and then i will be making the 9 hour car ride to provo. so many mixed emotions on this subject. on one hand i'm so excited i can hardly contain the excitement!! i cant wait to move into my condo. i cant wait to go to my new ward and meet all the people there. i cant wait to start my classes and get on the path to my new goals. i cant wait to see my friends. and i cant wait to have a life again haha :) but then on the other hand, i don't want to go!! i dread homework and tests and projects. i dread waking up early and trying to find a job. i dread being away from all the people i love here. and i just dread the possibility of failure. but, i think the good outweighs the bad, so i'm still very excited. although the day i leave will be pretty sad. i kinda forget how much i miss my niece and nephew and my sisters and my parents and my best friends when i'm gone. its kinda like when you get hurt, the pain is unbearable, but afterwards you forget exactly what it feels like and just say "oh it wasn't too bad" and then you get hurt again, and then remember exactly how it feels. it sucks. or like a super hard hike, when you are going up you want to curse the mountain you are climbing, you want to turn around and make it all go away. then you get to the top "oh its beautiful! lets do it again, i mean it wasn't horrible". that's how i'm going to feel when i drive away. it will all come back to me. but all will be ok. and as many of you who will actually read this know, i have to do super good in school next year. i just HAVE to get into the accounting program, now its the only thing in the world i want! its super competitive, and so to get in it, i have to preform top notch! and since i'm addicted to facebook and spend way to much time on it, i'm getting rid of it for the year. not only will i be able to concentrate more on school and other important things in my life, but it will make me a happier person. i'm just way to addicted and spend to much time, and so to be honest i'm GLAD to get rid of it for awhile. sometimes you just need to simplify your life, and i'm excited for the change. but ill be updating this blog with stories and pictures and updates of my life, so if you want to know about me just come here :) well that's all folks! see you on the flip-side.

I live for days like these

2011-06-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

while i know, and fully agree, that huge ground-breaking days containing huge milestones and miraculous events are wonderful and bring lots of happiness, they are not my favorite. I know what it feels like to pass a huge test, or accomplish something you have been working on forever. I have experienced days where the world seems to comply to my every whim and my life seems like it will become something amazing. but to me, they don't compare with a simple, family day outside on a regular Saturday summer day.
we usually all gather at our house. But this time we decided to go Lauren's house. i should have realized how wonderful the day was going to be as i walked up the driveway and saw Matti running as fast as her little legs would carry her, in her adorable little way. she looked like the cutest thing you could imagine in her bathing suit, with her blond wavy hair in her face. She was so excited to see us all, even papa, at her house! she could barely contain herself as she ran back and forth between us, showing papa her awesome blow-up pool and telling me where to put everything, as if she planned the whole dinner. there is something about my niece that gives me such happiness. i love her so much. so we sat around, soaking in the warm California sun rays. ill admit it may have been a smidge to hot, but just sitting around in regular lawn chairs, talking and laughing. admiring Matti's skills of being able to go down a slide, it made the heat bearable, no, enjoyable. then we got to play with adorable Clark. He had his own baby pool, shaped like a whale. We all sat around and laughed at how it was was to short for him, and how he couldn't stay still, yet when he climbed out on the grass he freaked out and crawled on his tippy toes to reduce the contact with the grass. Now i have an undeniable love for games. This being said, i sent Matti on a secret telephone mission. in our family we love to do this "Matti, go tell mommy to do this". to hear her variations and to hear her try to say the complicated words makes us all laugh. so i told her "Go tell mom to get a game and bring it outside" so she sprints into the house and can barely contain her excitement as she yells "mom!! get catch phrase!" so then the game began. we all circled around, some on the blanket that was partially wet from soaking bathing suit butts, some in lawn chairs, some in beach chairs, and some (well one) in toy cars. with our family, whenever we play games we all start cracking up, and by the end we had a few more inside jokes to add to our list. something unique this time, no fights. it was destined to be a beautiful night. amidst the laughter and talking, and trying to guess words, i realized something. i could never ever stop loving my family. after the game, Matti forced me to race her around in the toy car. i made it a little interesting with going down steps, hitting walls and circling trees at top speed. the bad thing about making things fun: they never want you to stop. but then dinner was ready and i had an excuse to quit. we made foil dinners and cooked them over our fire pits on red hot coals. something about foil dinners brings back memories of countless family beach trips, coming back from bonfires smelling of smoke and having sunburned skin. they remind me of camping trips, everyone gathered around the campfire, exhausted and enjoying nature. these foil dinners did not disappoint. we all sat outside as the night air started to cool, talking about life and stories we had experienced lately, and catching skunks and opossums in traps that the city refuses to give you. the conversations and jokes flowed, not a face was unhappy and everyone just sat under the umbrellas enjoying a summer night where we could all be together. a night where we could sit outside and see the stars as our family shined as a beautiful thing. of course, since we used the fire pits for dinner we had to make smores. Lauren bought some cool new marshmallows, we had Reese's and graham crackers that were already broken in half. we roasted marshmallows for each other and all ate one more than we should have. the sugar of the marshmallows and chocolate made everyone happy. we sat around and talked by the light of the perfect roasting wood. we listed to Lauren's garden skunk rustle in the bushes, and surprise surprise talked and laughed some more. then Matti came and whispered to me that this fire business should be done and we really needed to go inside to watch some of her shows. so i went inside with her and got to watch mickey mouse clubhouse with her. it was so adorable to see her answer all their questions and smile so much at everything that was happening. eventually everyone else came inside, and we all combined onto the couches and sat there for a bit. when it was bedtime, a certain little girl in her terrible twos threw he usual bedtime fit. but after she went to bed and we got in the car to drive home i realized something else. not once during our whole day did we fight. not one of us started an argument or got angry. there was not at point in time when i was annoyed by something someone did. in a family with 4 girls that doesn't always happen. i love my family so much, but sometimes i forget just how amazing every singe member of my family is. Family is so essential to God's plan, and sometimes i just need nights like these to make me realize how wonder my family as a unit is, and how much Heavenly Father influences everything we do. i would not be able to feel such joy with out my family by my side. whether we are separated by state boundaries or simply a argument blown out of proportion, my family will always be there for me and will support me through every obstacle of life. My parents have been amazing examples to me, and my sisters have been amazing friends. i love them all. i hope life holds millions of these days in store for me.

sometimes...

2011-06-15T01:39:00.000-07:00

(occasionally all the time)
i stay up till insanely late hours doing nothing at all even though im tired and need sleep
i lay in bed for at least 30 minutes wishing my mind would just turn off and i could sleep
i read a new persons blog. and then spend over 2 hours reading every post they ever wrote
i watch kyle xy episodes for a whole afternoon and love it just as much as when i saw them for the first time
i write out blog post in my mind, complete with pictures and what punctuation i should use. but then i never write them, and the posts i do write are infinity worse.
i check the mail box starting on monday every few hours even though i know a letter couldn't possibly come till wednesday or thursday
i think about my little garden as i water it and feel really proud. also feel somewhat like a middle-aged woman but that's ok.
i leave my phone somewhere for a few hours on purpose and hope that when i come back and check it i will have a few surprise texts.
i hug my pets really close to my face even though i have allergies and they make me die of lack of oxygen
i facebook stalk random people...haha i admit it!
i imagine myself being an awesome musician who can play the guitar and piano like nothing you've ever heard before. and then i sit down and try to teach myself and remember that will never ever happen
i wish i could be a 3 year old again. just because they say really funny things and make everyone laugh and just plain adorable
i don't do laundry for about a month and a half and wait till it overflows and takes over my whole floor
i do one load of laundry then leave it on my bed or other various locations for as long as possible to postpone the worst part: putting it all away.
i sleep so crazy the bottom sheet comes off so i'm just sleeping on a mattress and i leave it that way for a few days because i just don't care
i make my self laugh just by thinking funny things. and by laugh i mean out loud cracking up.
i obsess about wedding details. like my ring (which is beautiful) or dress or my flowers, and i'm not anywhere near getting married and don't want to be any time in the near future.
i speak in such poor grammar i might as well have skipped second grade.
i just love life and take it day by day!!!!

its called snail mail for a reason

2011-06-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

so as we speak, one of my best friends is gone and at the MTC and wont be back for 2 years. also, very soon some of my other good friends are going to the exact same place and also wont be back for 2 whole years. and the only way to contact any of them is through good old fashioned letters. i love letters, i really do. i love how excited i am to check the mail every thursday and i love being able to see peoples handwriting. to me they are so awesome and about 100000 times better than typed things. all this said, i'm just not patient! because they can only write on mondays, by the time me letter gets there and by the time they can write back and y the time it gets to me, im already way too impatient. but its ok, because its worth it. soon i will have lots o people to write, so the excitement will be even greater. i've never had people close to me leave to go on missions, and i have to say, i love it. i am so proud of them and i get letters. which i love. win win. i even made a little binder to keep all my letters together and have a tab for each of my people. hahha i just really love letters.

summer time

2011-06-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

so summer time makes me not want to write blogs. but my sister has asked me a few times why i havent done a post in a while so i guess i could spend a few moment of my time...i guess :]

i feel like the summer could be described in one word, sleep. if you know me at all you know i love lots of things, but sleeping would definantly be almost number one on my list. i think ive only woken up before 10 maybe 5 times the whole summer so far. other things have happened, but nothing as important as my daily 9-12 hours of sleep. im banking up my beauty sleep for next year, that sounds plausible right?! basically im to lazy right now to think of all my many exciting and riviting stories ive compiled over the few months ive been home, so maybe another day. if you are really dying to hear my inresting summer life, well then thats too bad :]

wow this may have been the most boring post ever alive. i promise ill be more interesting next time around. promise.

life sometimes is unexpected.

2011-04-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

((the title for this post was inspired by a show i love called life unexpected. if you haven't seen it, drop whatever you are doing at this moment and go watch it))

so just like countless other freshman at college i have changes my major more times that i hoped i would. and although this is no new feeling, and plenty of people have experienced it, its much different when you are actually living through it. i have no idea what major i want, and no idea how to achieve what i want in life. i went to a academic counselor to have some help with the direction i want to go with school...and it was the least helpful meeting of my life. He had nothing to say that helped me, and basically it just showed me how no one can pick my direction in life, its something i have to decide on my own. but it was frustrating to say the least. i walked out of that little room feeling more helpless than ever. i may have even started to feel as if i would never ever find a major, get a job, or basically be a successful human being. but of course that would be super over-dramatic, so i would never do that...Then just hours later, i walked into my ASL class, (which ended up being canceled because our teacher never showed up) and i was talking to one of my friends in that class, and she asked about what i wanted to major in. i confessed that i had no idea, but then told her what i eventually wanted to get a job in and do with my life. she then told me about her sister in law, who majored in accounting and does it for nonprofit organizations. it instantly sounded perfect. nothing i had encountered thus far made me excited, nothing sounded right of the bat. all the other majors i've considered have been something i try to force myself to accept, and eventually after enough convincing to myself that it will work, i try it out. but this just seemed like it would be perfect with me without any other thoughts. it is not set in stone yet, but i may just possibly major in accounting with a minor in international development. it will be a super intense program, but i know if its something i'm excited about and looking forward to, i can succeed in it. i may not end up doing it, but as of right now it makes me very anxious and happy for the future. let me just say, i'm thankful for the people Heavenly Father places by my that make my life as beautiful as it is.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."
— Douglas Adams

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
— Dr. Seuss

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
— Mother Teresa

WATCH AND PASS ON!!!

2011-04-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

so i was listening to Justin Bieber's song, Love Me, which i love dearly by the way, and i thought to myself, "i really want to sign this song". I love ASL, and lately my new thing has been to watch youtube videos of people signing songs, i love them. so then on friday, alison came into my room and i said "we should sign this song!" (she is in ASL too) and so she was all for it. but then it was really fast and hard, so she said she had wanted to to "pray" by him. so we thought that would be a fabulous idea! eventually it went from just being a small little webcam shpeal, to becoming a full fledged music video ;] we recruited our amazing friend David, and he helped us with it all. Alison then used it for a project for one of her classes, here is the final cut guys, please watch (but click the actual youtube link so we get more views haha) and enjoy! p.s. it was super clear and amazing quality on the computer, but when it got uplaoded to youtube it got a little fuzzy, but still :]

feel free to share with everyone you know! hahaha :]

triangle of intelligence

2011-04-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

so this all started a few weeks ago at lunch. my friend David was always hinting at me being dumb, jerk right?! so then me and miles decided that he just didn't understand me because i was just to smart, on a higher plane than him, but miles understands haha. so then eventually David wanted in on the smartness, so we created a triangle. not just any triangle, but the triangle of intelligence!!! now its become a pretty big deal, and everyone is jealous of us,and it comes up in most conversations haha :] but now the triangle has evolved into such a large entity that we all argue about who is the best, and try to throw mutinies to throw out members from the triangle. David always tries to kick me out, but that's just not possible. so there is this website called freerice.com, which you definitely need to try if you haven't yet, and it has tons of trivia questions on different subjects. so what other way would be better to decide who is the head of the triangle? a competition on freerice! this became very intense. in fact, the first time we tried it, it ended up with all them cheating and me getting so heated and angry and then them just laughing and leaving. so there had to be a rematch of course. the second time, it was totally professional. we even got a study room and used the whiteboard to write up the scores and the rules and all that fun stuff. our judge was miles girlfriend Sammi (who is one of my favorite people ever), and she also happen to be the midpoint in our triangle. in the end, i lost. it was a big disappointment. haha but miles won because he memorized all the basic elements on the periodic table, and because he is a geography whiz. but there will be a rematch, and this time, I will win!

so

2011-04-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

i had an amazing weekend with my sister and little niece and nephew, but i'm waiting till my sister puts up some of the pictures so my post will have some pictures in it :] haha. but other than that, i just finished a week that required lots of hours writing papers and reading books and taking tests, so now that that is over, i feel pretty relieved. i know that finals are coming up soon. very soon in fact, but i honestly am not stressed about them. i'm to exhausted and to excited for the end to be stressed. i will be back in my lovely home in only 16 more days. that is very exciting. i cant wait to sit on my couch, and put my feet up on our cheetah foot rest, and sit by the window and feel the California sunshine filter through our bush. i cant wait to be welcomed by the bright blue walls of my room that remind me of happy memories. i cant wait to hug my animals and eat my mom's food. i cant wait to be able to stay in my pajamas for a whole days just because i can. i cant wait to lay on our hammock and take a little nap. i cant wait to spend every precious day i can with my lovely family. basically i just cant wait. but in the mean time, how bout you listen to these awesome song, because i know i have, at least 100 times :]

cant sleep!!

2011-04-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

so for the past few nights...well thats a lie, more like the past few months, i can not go to bed on time. i think my average for the last few weeks has been around 2:30-3:00. its really not good. then i go to school, im dead tired, theni come back and take a nap. now naps for most people are many around 20 minutes-1 hour or something like that. to me that is not a nap, that is like closing your eyes. to me a nap is like 4 hours. hahah :] today i came home and had a solid 4 hour nap, interupted by only a few things like people knocking on my door. it really is glorious.

but thats not why i cant sleep today. my sister, BIL(brother in law), niece and nephew are coming tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can not wait!!!!!!! i am sooooooo excited it is killing me! my mom wrote this on my facebook wall, and it was the cutest thing ever: you get to spend the week end with Matti! I bet you are excited. I know she is. She even has a shirt picked out for your date with her. now isn't my niece the most adorable thing ever?! they will get here tomorrow right after my class, so i don't know if i can actually pay attention in my classes, i will be far to excited. i'm going to show of the little kiddies to all my friends, and then after we eat lunch and walk around campus we are going up to my BIL's family house and spending the weekend there. ahhhh this is going to be awesome :] we also got tickets to conference, and i had such an awesome experience last time, i simply cannot wait to go again this year.

i cant wait to hear the words from our Prophet and to hear what the Lord wants me to know. i know that Thomas S. Monson speaks for the Lord, and it is so amazing to me that i have such profound guidance in m life. i never for one second have to worry if i'm being led astray, or have to wonder what is right and what is wrong, because of the prophets words i can know for sure. i love being part of this church that allows me to receive person instruction and also allows me to hear commandments and guidance for every person on this earth. This gospel is so personal, and so beautiful, i just love it.

p.s. today is my half birthday!!!!! i love my half birthday more than half as much as i love my real birthday. so now i am 18 and half a year old :] i also wont object to half presents ;]

Festival of Colors!

2011-03-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

so i should be writing a paper, but i have a chronic, crippling illness called procrastination, so instead i will share my awesome Holi experience.

so i went with my friends Alison, Sammi, and Miles. We got in the car, and because of traffic we got to belt out some music and dance our hearts out in the car for quite awhile. we had planned on making it to the 4:00 throwing, but the traffic forbade us and instead we made it to the 6:00. which didn't really make any difference at all, except for the fact it was a little bit colder. so this place is crazy, and EVERYONE and their neighbor was there, so we had to walk really far from our parking spot. we even saw these people walking and when we asked them how far they had walked they said "a couple of miles". we laughed and thought they didn't really know their distances to well...actually they did. so as we were walking from our car, we weren't even a quarter of the way there yet, and some guy walks by, has a whole fistful of purple chalk and throws it right in my face.

my "before" picture

then someone speckled me with yellow, so they said i looked like an avatar, so here is my avatar face :]

this Hindu temple is gorgeous! its huge and has some amazing architecture. so we went and bought some chalk and just walked around throwing it on people and enjoying the atmosphere of the whole place.

i had to get yellow, of course.

this picture was taken right as Sammi threw chalk at us. of course im overreacting like always.

all of us, aren't we cute?! :]

i was kinda obsessed with this elephant and HAD to get a picture in front of it.

the finished look

all in all it was an amazing day! and minus a few hiccups (miles getting his finger slammed in a door, and Sammi loosing her key) everything was perfect. i love colors, and I'm super excited spring is here (even though it still doesn't quite feel like it yet here in Utah), so it was an awesome way to celebrate. i cant wait for next year!

also, me and Alison washed our chalky clothes, and now they are no longer white, but a pinkish purple. its awesome.

page views

2011-03-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

so i'm kinda obsessed with looked at how many people look at my blog. i don't know why, but its just fun. but since i haven't been on in the last few days, i haven't looked. i usually only get from about 3-10 page views on a good day. and i just looked, and i randomly had 51 pages views yesterday! crazy stuff in my mind. but i promise tomorrow or Wednesday i will post my pictures and stories from Holi, but as of tonight i have to read a whole book and write a short paper by 9 o clock tomorrow morning...so i predict a very long/nonexistent night ahead of me.

update soon

2011-03-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

so ive been kinda absent lately, alot has been going on and i havent found time when i actually wanted to blog. i have tons to write about, but not enough time right now. so ill tell you what me next post will be on...THE FESTIVAL OF COLORS!! it was so much fun :] but school is almost over, and my sister lauren will be here next week, so basically i cant wait :]

guy friends, not boy friends

2011-03-22T21:31:00.001-07:00

so i've realized that i'm really going to miss some boys who are going to be leaving on missions next year. although i love having friends that are girls, some girls can kinda get be too much for me to handle. i'm just not the type that obsesses over how hot guys are and that kind of stuff, and after a while i go a little crazy. so onto the boys i will miss the most. of course my friend cameron. i will miss skyping him when its really late here and being told that its really late and i'm stupid for staying up. but in the last few weeks/months i've gotten close to miles and now david (they are both from virginia) i will miss sitting next to miles in Book of Mormon class every monday and wednesday and hearing his funny jokes, i wont really miss him writing on my book though haha :] and i will miss david and his funniness and alison trying to make him turn red. and together those 2 form the other sides of the triangle of intelligence, so its a pretty big deal hahah! also they are both left handed, so that is awesome. i love lefties in case you didn't know. there are alson random guys i've met just through classes and stuff that will be missed as well :[ hopefully next year i will meet some guys that are just as awesome! but i'm really proud of all the guys who are going on missions, they really are amazing and they will have the best next 2 years ever!!

the Sacrament and Book of Mormon class

2011-03-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

so i have 2 little stories to share. actually one story is not so little. but this sunday i had a really awesome experience. i hadn't taken the Sacrament in 2 weeks, because the first week i accidentally slept through all my alarms, so i showed up to church about 20 minutes late, and the second time i went to a family party, and because my ward is so late i had to skip church. i had been having a rough last few days/weeks and i just didn't know why. then this sunday, i took the Sacrament, and i felt the spirit testify to me soooo stongly that when we partake of it worthily, it truly does give us so much strength and the spirit is with us making everyday decisions and trials 1000 times easier. then after that, the whole sacrament meeting was emotional for me. hahah im a really emotional person and i think my tear ducts are connected with the spirit becasue i was crying probably 50 percent of that whole sacrament meeting. it was something i really needed, and i love this gospel so much and i truly have a testimony that Christ atoned for our sins so that we could live with God again and have eternal life. i dont know how miserable i would be without the knowledge of the atonement and Christs deep love for me.

so now on to todays book of Mormon class story. so, i seriously love my BOM class. i feel like i learn alot, and much more about the doctrine and the things we are supposed to gain from the book, rather than the history and stuff. so today he shared a story, which im pretty sure i have heard before, but it never hit me with such force. i just feel like the last weeks i have been so inadiquate and no matter how hard i try, i can never make it. so this story came into my life at a perfect moment :] as he was reading it, the Holy Ghost truly testifeid to me that this is true. read it all, i hope you love it as much as i do :]
As my wife and I talked about her feeling of inadequacy and her feeling that she couldn't do it and that she couldn't make it, I had a hard time reaching her until finally I hit upon something that had happened in our family just a couple of months earlier. In our home it is now called the parable of the bicycle.

"After I had come home from school one day, I was sitting in a chair reading the newspaper. My daughter Sarah, who was seven years old, came in and said, "Dad, can I have a bike? I'm the only kid on the block who doesn't have a bike."

Well, I didn't have enough money to buy her a bike, so I stalled her and said, "Sure, Sarah."

She said, "How? When?"

I said, "You save all your pennies, and pretty soon you'll have enough for a bike." And she went away.

A couple of weeks later as I was sitting in the same chair, I was aware of Sarah doing something for her mother and getting paid. She went into the other room and I heard "clink, clink." I asked, "Sarah, what are you doing?"

She came out and she had a little jar all cleaned up with a slit cut in the lid and a bunch of pennies in the bottom. She looked at me and said, "You promised me that if I saved all my pennies, pretty soon I'd have enough for a bike. And, Daddy, I've saved every single one of them."

She's my daughter, and I love her. My heart melted. She was doing everything in her power to follow my instructions. I hadn't actually lied to her. If she saved all of her pennies she would eventually have enough for a bike, but by then she would want a car. But her needs weren't being met. Because I love her, I said, "Let's go downtown and look at bikes."

We went to every store in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Finally we found it--the perfect bicycle, the one she knew in the premortal existence. She got up on that bike; she was thrilled. She then saw the price tag, reached down, and turned it over. When she saw how much it cost, her face fell and she started to cry. She said, "Oh Dad, I'll never have enough for a bicycle."

So I said, "Sarah, how much do you have?"

She answered, "Sixty-one cents."

"I'll tell you what. You give me everything you've got and a hug and a kiss, and the bike is yours." Well, she's never been stupid. She gave me a hug and a kiss. She gave me the sixty-one cents. Then I had to drive home very slowly because she wouldn't get off the bike. She rode home on the sidewalk, and as I drove along slowly beside her it occurred to me that this was a parable for the Atonement of Christ.

We all want something desperately--it isn't a bicycle. We want the celestial kingdom. We want to be with our Father in Heaven. And no matter how hard we try, we come up short. At some point we realize, "I can't do this!" That was the point my wife had reached. It is at that point that the sweetness of the gospel covenant comes to our taste as the Savior proposes, "I'll tell you what. All right, you're not perfect. How much do you have? What can you do? Where are you now? Give me all you've got, and I'll pay the rest. Give me a hug and a kiss; enter into a personal relationship with me, and I will do what remains undone."

There is good news and bad news here. The bad news is that he still requires our best effort. We must try, we must work--we must do all that we can. But the good news is that having done all we can, it is enough--for now. Together we'll make progress in the eternities, and eventually we will become perfect--but in the meantime, we are perfect only in a partnership, in a covenant relationship with him. Only by tapping his perfection can we hope to qualify.

When I explained to Janet how it worked, finally I broke through and she understood. She bloomed. I remember her saying through her tears, "I've always believed he is the Son of God. I have always believed that he suffered and died for me. But now I know that he can save me from myself, from my sins, from my weakness, inadequacy, and lack of talent."

Oh, brothers and sisters, how many of us forget the words of 2 Nephi 2:8:

There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah."

cleaning checks

2011-03-18T23:47:00.000-07:00

i suck at cleaning check. seriously i have failed so many, well mostly because i forget to defrost my freezer every time, but still. and today, just completely spaced we even had them. so i was taking a little nap (seriously i have become nocturnal these days, i get most of my sleep during the day) and i hear a little knock on the door. i was was to deep in sleep to wake up and get the door so i just put my head back on my nice soft pillow. then, i hear a key in the door and someone walks in my room! it really freaked me out until i remembered why they were coming. so they have to come back yet again sometime in the near future. i think i am the worst person with these darn check on my whole hall, and basically i just hate them.

pi day vs. st. patricks day

2011-03-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

its clear which one is the winner.

this,

annnnnnndddddd.....

verses this

??? i mean is it really even a choice?!

((in case you still weren't sure, its obviously pi day, because its the coolest day ever))

p.s. for pi day, i pained my nails and put the digits of pi on each finger, it was perfect.

best job in the world

2011-03-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

the job i'm talking about is being an aunt. seriously, it is the best thing in the whole world! i love my little niece and nephew more than anything in the whole wide world. little Matti is just about the cutest thing on the whole planet, and every time i think of her it warms my heart, i think i miss her more than anyone else from back home (shhh don't tell anyone else) i hear all these adorable stories about her and i just want to be right there, being her favorite like always ;] Lauren said that now when they say the alphabet in the morning, when they get to "j" Matti says "J for Jonni!" it may seem like a small thing, but that makes me very happy. out of all the J things, she choose me! now granted there isn't a lot of J things she knows, but still!!! haha :] and i can not wait for them to come up in April. they are coming for general conference and so i get to see them! and when they get here, i'm going to go take Matti out for a little date while Matt and Lauren do stuff with the family, and we will probably go to McDonald's or something like that. And Lauren said that she keeps mentioning it and says "i want to go on a McDonald's date with Jonni!" Basically she makes the happiest person alive. i cant believe she has only been on earth for a little over 2 years! i feel like i've loved her forever... so now let me brag about how cute she is with some pictures... heheh :]

i fully realize that was a lot of pictures, but come on, don't you love her?!

clean clothes, cursive, cheerios, children and charity

2011-03-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

So now that my little 30 day challenge is over, i can blog about whatever i want! so ill just share some random happenings of the last few weeks.

so when i got my own room i promised myself it would stay clean. and for about a week it really did! and then i did laundry...
when i do laundry, i wait sooo long that i have to do like 3 loads all at once. and that is about a 2 hour process with our laudry room. so it takes so long, and so much effort (and i hate laundry anyways) that once it is actually clean, it stays in that basket forever. then i wear most of the clothes anyway so it goes straight to the clean clothes to the dirty clothes and usually skips the drawers all together! haha its a horrible habit.

so the other day, well a few weeks ago, i randomly wanted to start writing in cursive. so i did. now in my journal i only write in cursive. and my writing sucks, but its really fun :]

darn cheerios. i think they are the most addicting food ever invented. i dont know why, but now, if i buy a box of cheerios they are gone soo fast! for example, my last box: 3 days! we didnt even go through them that fast at home hahah.

on sunday, i went to my aunts house for my cousin Melissa's birthday. it was super fun and i loved hanging out with the family. then Jennae, Stacey, and i took the little kids to the park. they are so funny and adorable, i just love them!

and yesterday i donated blood! i was super nervous, and it was totally spur of the moment, but i decided to overcome my fear becasue people way less fortunae than me need it. so i sucked it up and did it. the last time, and only other time, i donated blood i did it at City of Hope, which a hospital really close to me that is only for cancer patients. When you donate there, it is soooo nice! its not scary at all, it was basically painless, and the doctors are super nice! also, the blood they get from donations is only used within thier hospital, so they dont sell it anywhere else and it helps people with cancer. so i thought my experience would be somewhat the same at this little setup at our school...it wasnt. i dont know why, but it hurt the whole time, my arm was stinging, i felt like i was going to barf and they used my right arm, even after i told them last time i got it out of left arm. My doctor guy said, and i quote "oh well, this arm will be fine" after he used the blood pressure thing and practically made me loose circulation. lets just say, it was not fine! but i still helped people, so i'm ok :] i've just come to realize i will never do it anywhere but city of hope from now on. they are awesome!

Day 30!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

"Who are you?"

i'm Jonni Nichole Clark. i am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the youngest of 4 girls and a student at BYU. i love life and love laughing. i have lots of things that make up who i am, but this is it for now.

Day 29.

2011-03-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

"In this past month what have you learned?"

i have learned that blogging is super fun and i love it a lot! i haven't learned anything special about myself from these posts, which i'm sure they were getting at, but sorry 30 day challenge, you just don't have that soul searching quality about you. some people probably learned some things about me that they didn't know, if so thats cool.

Day 28.

2011-03-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

"A picture of you in the last year and now, how have you changed since then?"

One year ago...

now...

i haven't really changed that much to tell you the truth. My testimony has grown tons, and so has my hair. but other than that, i'm boring hahah :] there are little things ive been working on, but nothing that really makes me changed. so yep, thats it :] oh this is my post from exactly a year ago.

Day 27.

2011-03-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

"Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?"

i started doing this challenge just so i would actually start blogging. i always wanted to have a blog that i consistently updated, i thought it would be fun, but i could never seem to actually do it. so my sister started it, and i do mean start, she only did it for 2 days haha, and so i thought, "what the heck! ill try it." at first it didn't go so well...i did 2 days(just like Taylor)then stopped for about a month or so. but then when i started up again, i couldn't get enough of blogging! now i love it :] so i'm glad i did it, it got me started and now i cant stop!

Day 26.

2011-03-12T23:43:00.000-08:00

"What you think about your friends."

confession time: im getting sick of this 30 day buisness, so im doing another day alright??

soo...what do i think about my freinds? i love them. i really do. the few good friends i have make my life amazing, and im really gratefull for them. my best friend understands me so much, and we get along perfectly. i really miss her :[ definitely have not found any other friend like her, so i'm pretty she she is irreplaceable haha. to conclude, i would like to post our theme song...

hahah seriously though.

Day 25.

2011-03-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

"What I would find in your purse."

well i don't really use a purse, but i used to carry my most favorite yellow leather shoulder bad to school. but then it started getting ruined, and i could just have that happen. so now, i use a backpack. so ill tell you what you will find in my backpack. school books, binder, spiral notebook, pens, pencils, the cardboard package thing the pencils come in, lip gloss, and an orange spoon from jamba juice. haha i really like their spoons, is that a crime? and thats it. before i transfered my stuff i had tons of junk in there, but now its pretty empty.

COMMENTS!!!

2011-03-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

can i just say i am just about the happiest person on Earth! i came onto my blog and i had about 10 comments to read!!! and if they dont comment on my actual blog, i got a few comments on my facebook about my posts. i was sooo excited :] of course, they were all from my family (Natalie included ;]) but still...they made me oh so happy! not only happy, but they made me crack up hysterically. ill give you and example by telling you a story a little story about my sister Taylor...

Once upon a time there was a girl named Taylor. she loved to eat snow, just like me. in fact, she is the one who inspired me to start eating it. so one day, she and my other sister Ally were driving along in the wonderful city of provo, and Tay got that unexplicable, yet undeniable craving for snow that i now completely understand. so she reached out her hand, grabbed a huge chunck of snow from off the car roof, and placed it in her mouth. Expecting the usually amazing taste of fresh snow, she was very much surprised when instead of pure, icey bliss she got a mouth full of windshield-wiper-fulid saturated snow!!!

haha that story always makes me laugh :] and speaking of my lovely sisters...i think they should start blogging more so i have lots to read, just sayin ;]

Day 24.

2011-03-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

"A letter to your parents."

heres an old picture i just love of them :] i don't know why, but i just really love it! oh and don't worry...my father no longer looks like Pedro.

well arent i ahead of the times?! i didnt read ahead on what the next days would be, and so the other day i wrote a whole post with a letter not only to my parents, but my whole family as well! my mom read it and said, and i quote,"Just read your blogspot about each family member. So sweet. I loved it and love you. Thank you for all the wonderful things you said about me. I truely feel blessed. When I look at other peoples kids, I always compare to my girls! I have the most wonderful girls in the world and burst with pide for each of you! I love you!" isn't she the cutest?!?! can i just say, there is a whole lot of lovin' in my family :] in my completely unbiased opinion, which yes i completely understand when ever someone says that phrase it means the complete opposite, i have the best family ever know to mankind!! seriously. end of discussion. my family, and of course my parents, are completely amazing and i love them with all my <3

Day 23.

2011-03-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

"Something you crave a lot."

oh man this one is way to easy haha! so first of all, ever since the last big snow i crave snow like no other! if you haven't eaten snow yet...well you are missing out. seriously i don't know what it is, but i honestly crave it! i would just walk by, and there would be huge mounds of snow on things like benches and walls, and tops of trash cans, and you just grab a chunk with your hand and make a little snow ball and eat it! divine. and darn BYU chocolate milk...its killer!!! it is honestly the most delicious thing you could ever imagine tasting, and i crave that practically every second of my existence. last week i probably drank about 100 gallons of that liquid happiness. also, i crave chipotle alll the time! and i haven't had it in forever :[ its very sad. those are my major cravings, but i swear, sometimes i will have the most random desire for certain things!

Day 22.

2011-03-09T00:51:00.000-08:00

"What makes you different from everyone else."

hmmm...what is different about me?? well sometimes when no one else is laughing, i will think something not very funny to other people is hilarious and i will burst out in laughter, really loud. its embarrassing sometimes when everyone looks at me haha. i have obsessions, like holga cameras, the color yellow, lee pace, jack johnson...and i'm constantly thinking about them. i'm very emotional, not just like i cry a lot, although i do cry easily, but i feel all emotions so deeply and so easily. i can turn angry, sad, happy, giddy, all in about 5 seconds, but feel them all so strongly. i love talking and telling stories, but i'm really shy at first and until someone talks to me i wont say a word. sometimes ill think in my head like a story, like i write a story in my mind of what is happening at the moment and think of myself as a character in a book. i get attached to people really easy, but honestly i don't like having more than a few close friends. i feel that bonds are stronger are more important when you don't have 15 "best friends". i'm so excited for the future, yet sometimes when i think about it i start freaking out and get really scared of it. i have a lot i need to work on, yet i love who i am and more importantly, i love who i know i can become. i don't know if these things make me different at all, but thats alright :] i don't necessarily care if i'm unique, as long as i am myself.

"ya, there must be"

2011-03-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

so...basically at this moment in time i miss my familia mucho.

so in honor of loving my family way to much, i'm going to write a little letter to each, starting with the oldest, that way no one thinks i have favorites :]

Dear Parps,
i've always loved you. obviously you are my dad, and you have always given me everything i need and loved me and guided our family with the priesthood. i think i remember every single blessing you have given me, well not the exact words and stuff, but they are so special to me i keep them really close to my heart. i love how you are one of the most unintentional funniest people i know, its just built into your genes. you are so giving, to everyone around you and it really has taught me so much. but with all that, i never knew how much i would miss you until i moved up here to college. i really miss you dad!! love you tons!

Dearest Mother,
i think that back home, i was kinda in this bubble of our family. the only moms i really saw in action was you! but as i have been away, and have been surrounded by other people, i realize how special you are. i guess i thought all moms were as amazing as you, and that all mom teach their kids to be good people just like you. but now i can really say, you are the best mom i know :] i love you with all my heart and am so thankful for everything you have taught me. you make me laugh and make me feel loved. the most important things. thanks for reading to me every night when i was little, and encouraging me to be the best i can be. i miss you a lot, but i'm thankful for your random facebook messages and out chats, and our phone calls...even though i hate talking on the phone. i cant wait to give you a big hug! love you!

Dear Lauren,
you honestly are like another mother to me. i really look up to up to, even when you don't know it. i love you so much, even if sometimes i yell, haha i try not to i promise! i don't know how many times i've said up here "oh ya, well my sister did this" or "well my sister says this". i use you as reference more times than i can count, and in my mind that basically makes what ever i say after that correct :] you have so many qualities i admire and wish i could have, and your gorgeous. annnnnd...you brought my favorite person into this earth. i love Matti more than i could have ever though possible, and you are doing a fantastic job in raising her. i remember when you were pregnant and i told you about the colbie calliet song, and i remember trying to imagine her and imagine how much i would love her. and i remember that first day of school junior year when i went to the hospital. it all seems like forever ago, but i'm so glad you brought her into this family and giving her a life surrounded by the gospel. i love you Lauren!! p.s. thanks for choosing a husband we all love too :]

Dear Ally,
i remember back in the day when you and me would hate shopping with the rest of the family, so instead we would go into the shoe rack and you would pick out the most outrageous, sparkley, crazy, tall, shiny shoes you could find and make me try them on because you couldn't. your happiness is infectious and i just love you soooo much! i love that you are the one who understand certain things about me better than almost anyone, like my books i would like, my ideal style, and ambitions that i have. you have a unique personality that i cant get enough of, and no one else can copy! you are an amazing sister, and are one of the most giving and caring people i know. seriously. i always know i can count on you, no matter what it is. i miss you tons and cant wait for the summer!! love you ally!!!!

Dear Taylor,
a lot of the times i just feel like you are an extension of myself. you are everything i want to be. you are literally the funniest person ever, and i wish i could make others smile as much as you can. because you are only 4 years older and we shared a room for so long, i feel this gap in my heart when you aren't here. whenever i'm sad i just want to be sitting by you and i know that i would feel better right away. i have so many memories of you, but one i just thought of was when we would have tickle parties in our room and you would always try to make it where you wouldn't have to tickle me back. and we had a little schedule of who would turn of the lights at night and we would do it every other day, but i always seemed to get stuck doing way more. there is not one thing i don't love about you tay, and i cant wait for summer. love you.

Day 21.

2011-03-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

"A picture of something that makes you happy."

this is difficult...sooo many things make me happy! so i'm just going to put the things that give me true happiness. tons of things make me happy at the moment, they make me smile and laugh and i love them. but these, these really make me happy.

p.s. as i'm writing this, i am putting off writing a paper due tomorrow on a book a read all today, 300 pagers in about 5 hours. i avoided using the word procrastination, because i like to pretend i'm just...uhhh thinking?...about what i'm going to write.

Day 20.

2011-03-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

"Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future"

well since i havent dated anyone, there is not a specific person i could see myself marrying, obviously, so ill give my 'list' of qualities i would love in a husband.

-well i have from a very good source, that i base my life off of, that i will marry my best friend. so no matter what, my husband truly has to be best friend. someone i can be with every second of every day and still want to be with.
-it also says someone who honors my womanhood. someone who respects my for who i am.
-i have to marry someone who makes me laugh all the time! and not only who can make me laugh, because many people can, but who understands my humor and gets why i laugh at things no one else thinks are funny.
-someone who has a really strong testimony in the Gospel, and wants nothings else but to continually work on spiritual matters and will read scriptures with me every night, and who will help me become the daughter of God i need to be.
-someone who likes reading. haha sounds lame, but i need someone who just needs those quite days where you take a break from life and read for a bit, no other distractions, some me time. or more like husband and wife and books time?? hahaha
-someone who gives the best hugs. and hugs me all the time! :]
-i will not, can not, no way in heck would ever marry someone who did not get along with my sisters and the rest of my family. they have to fit in like another part of the fam.
-a person who is smart and interested in learning, but not pompous about it, and realizes that other things also define your life, not just education and degrees and titles.

this whole husband business wont be happening for a while, i still got a few more years :] but ill admit, i'm looking forward to that far away day when ill have my best friend by my side for the rest of eternity, raising a family and loving life every moment along the way.

Day 19.

2011-03-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

"Nicknames you have; why do you have them?"

well let me just start out with saying... MY NAME IS NOT SHORT FOR ANYTHING AND YES, IT IS MY REAL NAME. i have been asked that questions more times than i can count, and i can count really high folks. so on to nicknames i actually have.

1. JJ -when i was little i was called this a lot, but now mostly just my mom and sometimes other people in my family call me that :] it came mostly because i'm named after my dad.
2. Jay -only my family calls me this. its pretty obvious, since its the first letter of my name. my sister Ally is the one who calls me this the most :]
3. Jon -it sounds weird that people would call me this, but only certain people are allowed to call me this, and from them it doesn't sound weird. only my family and like 2 other people are allowed.

and thats it. my name doesn't call for many nicknames, but its ok because i love my name

Day 18.

2011-03-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

"Plans/Dreams/Goals you have."

have a cute little family :] 4 kids seems like the perfect number, but who knows how many little cuties ill have! i would also love to adopt a kiddie.

graduate college! it will be a while...

be a full-time missionary! it will be awhile though since i'm only 18 and cant go till i'm 21 :[

study abroad. i wanted to do it in England for the LONGEST time, but now i'm not sure where i should go. i guess where ever the wind blows, right??

visit here. obviously here, not as in visit this child, but somewhere in South America. i just happen to like this image :]

marry, i mean meet, this man....ahhh i am obsessed with Lee Pace...<3

Sound and Fury

2011-03-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

so for my ASL class, we had to go watch a movie tonight. it was called "sound and fury". i didn't even know what it would be about when i stepped into that movie theater, but about 5 minutes in tears were already falling down my face. i honestly don't understand myself sometimes, and tonight was one of them. i was crying through about 80% of the movie. it was about an all Deaf family, and their little 5 year old girl wanted to get a cochlear implant to be able to hear. if you aren't informed about the subject, you need to know there is huge controversy over implanting young children with them. but i had never felt such emotion about it until i watched this movie. the things is, i COMPLETELY understand both sides of the argument, and the fact is that it is a really hard decision. i can not imagine the struggle that Deaf family went through, or the struggle of little Heather, the girl wanting an implant. she barely knows who she is or who she will become at so young of an age, but yet is faced with such a life changing choice. there is something about the Deaf culture that just draws me in. to me it is beautiful and so expressive. there are certain cultural aspects that most hearing people just don't understand. it may sound really weird, but i think i felt so emotional because i pictured me down the line, when i started having children, and having a little deaf baby, and imagining how much i would love them, yet being faced with this struggle. over all, i have to say i really enjoyed that documentary. it was really informative, and a great picture into a world i don't quite understand.

Day 17.

2011-03-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

"Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why."

this question would be a breeze if it said "someone you would want to spend a day with" but alas, it does not. so give me a second to think of someone....

alright! i have decided! so to switch lives with someone and to make it worthwhile, they would have to be totally different than me, and have some talent ive always wanted. also it wouldnt hurt if they were friends with someone i adore, and lived in a cool place. also, this person MUST be a girl. so who did i decide?!

Colbie Caillat!!! she has an amazing voice, can play the guitar and other instruments, she has an awesome name, and she is gorgeous in a unique way. one of her bff's is also Jason Reeves, who I happen to be in love with but thats besides the point. it would be pretty awesome to Colbie for a day :]
although i'm sure i could think of tons of other people i would love to switch lives for just a little, i really adore Colbie's music, and anytime i hear even one second of her songs i just start smiling. who wouldn't want to bring such an amazing gift to peoples lives?! i sure would :]

p.s. on a side note, as i was walking home from the gym today, i heard this guy, he was picking up trash and random leaves with a little stick and putting them in a bucket, but he was whistling, and it sounded so awesome, i couldn't tell if it was a flute or his whistling! well obviously i could tell, since i saw him doing it, but you get the point.

Day 16.

2011-03-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

"Another picture of yourself."

at the beach! cant wait to go back to California in just about 7 weeks! summer is going to be sooo much fun :]

Day 15.

2011-02-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

"Put your iPod on shuffle; first 10 songs that play."

now this day creates just a little problem. i do not actually OWN an ipod. i know, i know, a human being who doesn't own an ipod?! i fully understand that this is rare, and that lately it seems normal for a first grader to won some type of music playing device. i don't have any type of mp3 player, although i have in the past. my mom gave me one for Christmas 2 years ago, ((i think it was a sansa brand?)) but i broke it...not only did i break it once, but twice. the first time it was within the warranty time, so i got a new one, then about 2 months later it got smashed. technology seems to fail me constantly. so instead i will play my lovely, well listened to playlist and put them on shuffle :] here it goes...

1. "A-Punk" -Vampire weekend
2. "Naive"- The Kooks
3. "Just Friends"- Jason Reeves
4. "Never Know" -Jack Johnson
5. "I like the ones who" -Austin Gibbs
6. "The window song" -The Kooks
7. "the way i am" -Ingrid Michaelson
8. "Always where i need to be" -The Kooks
9. "Everything" -Michael Buble
10."Better together" -Jack Johnson

basically this is a perfect little list of my favorites :]

Day 14.

2011-02-28T00:21:00.000-08:00

"A picture of you and your family."

the whole fam :] possibly my favorite picture ever. also happens to be my desktop background.

the ladies of the family. so...everyone but my dad, and matt. p.s. my mom is the best mother known to mankind! she is literally the BEST

with our parps :] i realize how much i love my dad now that i'm away from the house.

my bestest friends in the whole wide world. and the world is pretty wide in case you didn't notice.

so basically i LOVE my family more than anything in the whole entire world, and im really glad that families are forever, because this lifetime is just not long enough to <3 them.

on a side note, im going to be up very late tonight, and have a super busy schedual for tomorrow...as in i literally have every single minute planned out and filled up until about 8:30, including 2 midterms which i honestly dont know what to expect from them. fun day ahead...not.

Day 13.

2011-02-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

"A letter to someone who has hurt you recently."

so ill admit, i have been hurt recently, but i'm really trying to ignore it all, and i do not like telling people when they've hurt me (which i know is not a good attribute, but i don't care, i just hate it). and think especially in this case the person would not realize they have done anything wrong and it would cause more problems then it would solve.

so anyway, i took my first midterm today. it was Book of Mormon, and i got a 97, so i was really happy. i finally did my part, and actually studied and prepared, so even if i had done bad i would have felt proud of myself. lately its almost impossible for me to do my homework and studying, i don't know why i just cant force myself. but i did my part this time.

i'm really exhausted lately, i just done with school. i cant wait to be back home and spend the whole summer with my sisters and best friend...its going to be amazing :]

adventures in playland

2011-02-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

so i'm purposefully avoiding day 13, because i don't like the topic. in fact i'm dreading it, so instead ill write about a fun little adventure i had yesterday...in McDonald's play-place. so i was watching my cousin Stacey's 2 little kids for about an hour while she had class. her kids are adorable, and the calmest little things ever! so since it was only for an hour and a half, we just went to McDonald's so she could play on the play-place and eat, then we could go back to Stacey's class. so, number one, i got to use Stacey's car, which is the same kind of car i had back home. let me just say, it was AMAZING to be able to drive again :] even though i still don't know Provo's streets well, it was fun :] so when we got to the play-place, Kaylee ran right to the stairs and started exploring...only problem, you know that thing, where there is alternating platforms to get into the slide and you have to climb up them almost like stairs? well, she was to short to reach the second one. so she just stood there, really wanting to get up. after about 10 minutes, with no other kids helping i knew there was only one choice...for me to climb in there. wow, can i just see those things are way more fun when you are 5?! luckily after that first time, this cute little girl and later a different boy kept helping her up so i didn't have to do that again!! haha! but, this just reminded me of a situation i had when i was little. so picture this, me, about the age of 6 (i'm totally guessing because i don't remember) on a little trip to McDonald's with just me and my grandma Clark. me being the little adventurer i was ran right up inside and then got lost. yes i know you may be thinking "how in the world can you get lost in a plastic playground?!" well let me tell you, i can get lost anywhere, no matter how small. i guess my directional downfalls didn't start when i got my licence. so of course, i started crying and my poor old grandma had to come save me. at least i think it was her who came and got me, hahah. all i remember is that horrible panicked feeling i have come to hate. and thats my story folks. haha

Day 12.

2011-02-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

"How you found out about Blogs and why you made one."

can first just start out by saying that i now am obsessed with my blog?? it happened just yesterday, and i had this strong urge to make a header and and vamp it up, and now i'm officially obsessed haha :] but back to day 12...

so i first found out about blogs through my sister lauren, just like i found out about myspace (wayyy back in the day when i was 12 and had to lie about being 16) and facebook (way back when you had to be a college student to join, and i thought she was super cool for having one). in fact i specifically remember her making a blog, and at first she was super good about updating it, and became a blog stalker to the extreme :] but now that she has a family of her own, and her own little business, and her other blog (laurenskousen.com)to keep up with, she doesn't really update as often. But i got one, first of all because i wanted to be like my other sisters, and second of because i really like the idea of blogs. i have always loved writing ((but please oh please don't think i write the quality of my blog posts. i swear to you, i don't even read these things over before i press publish...and i just quickly write things without any thought. in fact, it kinda bothers me when people try to make their posts sound like they came out of a novel or something, and try to make them sound flowery and 'good quality' writing...is that weird?))and for me, its a way of saying what i feel without speaking it. i'm not much into speaking my thoughts, just writing them down. so a blog seemed perfect right? well it turns out, i'm not a very good blogger. up until this point, i would weeks if not months before writing another post, but luckily no one cares :] in fact, i'm pretty sure about 2 people will ever read this...including me! hahaha. anyway...i'm glad my sister introduced to me this side of the cyberphere so very long ago, and i'm glad i am now part of it :]

Day 11.

2011-02-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

"Another picture of you and your friends."

so since the last time i had this little prompt, i posted a picture of me and my sister, because they will always be my best friends :] but this time, ill put up some pictures of other people i love with all my heart, and couldn't live without. drum-roll please....

JENNA!!!! this girl is my favorite person ever! it all started freshman year, i don't know exactly how we started being best friends, but all i can say is that i'm glad we did :] now that we are separated by several hours and i was thrown into a place whee i didn't know anyone, i can truly say, i will never find a friend like jenna :D i love you bestie! miss you tons

EMILY! it's really strange, we come from the same city, but were never close until we both moved up here to Utah. now i consider her one of my closest friends :] she is amazing, and i'm lucky to call her my friend! love you em!

CAMERON! this summer, we became super close!! this kid makes me laugh and smile all the time, and honestly what more can you ask for in a friend?! this summer was full of tons of memories i will never forget, and just about all of them included cameron, and im so happy now we such great friends! ill miss you tons over the next 2 years!!

JEFF! we have had so many interesting conversations at lunch, and the JJJ club has had endless laughs :] he is an amazing friend, and im super glad we connected. i think it all started when we sat at the same math table in lincolns, and he sat with us at lunch, let me just say, im really glad he wandered over to our wall :]

MY ROOMIE STEPHANIE!!! fate brought us together :] im really glad that we met, because i have loved our conversations till 4 o'clock in the morning, our hilarious inside jokes, and our monopoly deal tournament!! love you steph!!

i am truly blessed for all the amazing people i have been given in my life! i love them all and everyone has effected my life in so many different ways! if i have ever been lucky enough to call you my friend, thank you so much for everything you have done for me in my life! i love you!!!!!!!!

Day 10.

2011-02-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyper, mad.

hmm... i have a big list of songs, but not necessarily connected to certain emotions. i like listening to music i like, no matter how i feel. i guess that when i'm 'hyper' i like to listen to the Kooks, who i am officially obsessed with, or Taylor swift because she makes me want to scream the lyrics at the top of my lungs and dance to myself. Michael Buble makes me happy when i'm sad, and Jack Johnson calms me down when i'm upset. if i'm missing a certain person i listen to music i connect to them, like Justin Beiber when i miss my sister, or the Maine when i miss my bestest friend :D Ingrid Michaelson is perfect for any occasion and Joshua Radin never gets old. there is this website called grooveshark, and i have 2 playlists on there that i have listened to so many times i cant count. one is called "my happy songs" and it is filled with tons of songs that just make me smile, no matter how i feel, and one called "move to the groove" (haha i know its a lame title, don't judge) that is just vampire weekend, the kooks, fun., and the wombats. but my ultimate favorite songs are "better together"-Jack Johnson "you and i"- Ingrid Michaelson and "I'd rather be with you"- Joshua Radin. they might as well be the soundtrack to my life.

MTC

2011-02-18T23:06:00.000-08:00

I've always been fascinated by missionary work, and love sharing the gospel of Christ in the little ways i can. but as I've been here at byu Provo i have had the amazing opportunity to volunteer at the MTC. my roommate and i used to go every Friday, but after Christmas break we stopped going. but for the last 2 weeks i have started it up again. so every Friday at 2:45 i now head up and take the 25 minute walk to the MTC. just the walk is in itself a nice break from the daily routines of life. i get to clear my mind and think about my life, and let my mind wander and think about the most random things. the cool winter-turning-spring weather makes me amazingly happy, and i just enjoy the silence and smile the whole way to the MTC. the last 2 weeks i have worked with the same pair of missionaries, and they are amazing. it is such an interesting, and very spiritual experience, to pretend to be someone who has never heard the good news of the gospel. to experience it through an investigators eyes, and to really think about how it effects my life and truly what i think about the main principles of our church. after explaining multiple concepts to me, and after every verse they sit and ask me, "so what do you think about this?" or "how does this make you feel?" i love it. i have to think about how i would think about it if i had just heard it for the first time. ill admit, it is very difficult. because i have heard these lessons multiple times throughout my life, its really hard to pretend like i haven't. but thats what i love, i look at these truths as if i have never heard them, and through doing that, i get to reevaluate what i think about them, and ask myself if i would believe in them, and if i do believe in them now. i have also gotten to the point in the lessons that they are now asking me about baptism and explaining the importance of following Christ and being baptized. for me, i feel as if i am committing to be baptized all over again, as if i am rededicating my life to take his name upon me and live as if i have just taken that commitment upon myself. its truly amazing. i am so grateful for these people, who give up 2 years of their live to share this truly beautiful and simple plan. they bring people to Him and allow them to live in the celestial kingdom with our Heavenly Father again. i am so grateful to be able to help the work in any way, as small as it may be.

Day 9.

2011-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

"Something you're proud of in the past few days"

well im really bad at wasting my time. i do things that are pointless when i could be doing something useful, so these past few days i have been reading the Ensign when i have free time. i have a few issues sitting on my desk that i havnt touched, so i finally got through december, so only a few more months to go ;] but i really notice a difference, and realize how much i could be doing in my free time. so im definetely going to keep it up.

yes, i'm obsessed.

2011-02-15T12:28:00.000-08:00

so for those of you who dont know, i love ingrid michaelsons music!!!! could listen to it all day and still got sick of her. so she had this new song out called parachute, which i am in love with. but she just came out with the new video for it!!! ahhhh its amazing and im totally obsessed with it. so for those of you who dont follow her and know the day she comes out with it, here it is :] please watch it and fall in love with it as well!

Day 8.

2011-02-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

"Short term goals for this month and why"

so, me and my friend Emily came up with this brilliant plan last night as we were walking the indoor track. we said "hey lets wake up at least 3 times a week and come her at 5:30 in the morning! we will walk or jog for an hour, and then go on with the rest of our day" we both got pretty excited, and super motivated. so this morning i set my alarm for 5:15, a time of day i haven't seen since my seminary days. but i was determined, so i did it. now, todays plan didnt work out so effectively because emily accidentally fell asleep on the floor while studying...but that does not mean it wont happen every other day! we WILL accomplish this goal, and we WILL be amazing :] so dont fret, when thursday morning comes around, Jonni and Emily will be putting on their running shoes and heading over to the Smith Field house at 5:30 in the morning. its very exciting news!

(the outside of where will be so very early in the morning)

(the inside, for those of you who wanted a visual picture of the track)

Day 7.

2011-02-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

"A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you"

this is kinda hard, since there are multiple people and things that have had an impact on my life. i think everyone i've even been close to has effected my life and made me who i am. i don't become close to many people, because i like having just those few people i love most close to me, but because of this the people i do let in really impact my life, and shape me for the better. But no matter who i have in my life, i can always one hundred percent count on my Savior. ever since i've been at college i have really been depending on this relationship and constantly trying to improve myself. i have a lot to work on, and i have some really bad weeks where i am not nearly as close to Him as i should be, but the great thing is i can always come back. This last week has been one of my fantastic weeks, honestly probably the closest i've felt to Christ my whole experience at college. And because of this, i truly can see the ability that Christ and my Heavenly Father have to change not only me, but everyone around me. I love with all my heart Jesus the Christ, and i know that i am never happier than when i submit myself to His will and lean on Him with everything i have.

Day 6.

2011-02-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

"your favorite superhero and why"

so im not a big super hero fan. i like watching the comic book movies and stuff, like batman and spiderman and what not, but i dont really the actual super heroes. ive never had a desire to be one of them, or even think of them much. but wizards...thats a different story. im obsessed, and whenever i read harry potter i will literally have dreams about being one of them, and im constantly wishing it could all be real and i could move to Hogwarts.and it just so happens that Luna is my favorite :] i love her quirky attributes and her simple way of seeing things.

Day 5.

2011-02-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

since i'm way behind and super bored, i decided to knock out a lot of days in one actual day.
" A picture of somewhere you've been."

this one doesn't seem very fair, because i have gone like no where in my life. it should be "somewhere you want to go" because then i could have an album of a million pictures... but to stay true to the topic,

so i went here, its called american museum of ceramic art. i was officially obsessed the moment i entered. i even wanted to work there, but its in LA so its kinda far. but ya of the places ive gone, this little place made a huge impression on me.

Day 4.

2011-02-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

i think i should call it like "time 4" or something like that, since it has been much more than one day since my last post. soooo....

"a habit you wish you didn't have"

well i have a few, but my main one is procrastination. i will literally put something off until the last possible moment. cleaning, papers, homework,waking up and everything else i cant think of the moment. if its on my to do list (i actually don't have one, but figuratively speaking) it will be pushed of as long as possible. while i have many undesirable habits, this is the one that affects my life the most. it sucks.

Day 3.

2011-01-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

(granted its waaaaay past day 3, its the third day of my thing)
"post a picture of you and your friends"

now you may be thinking, "these aren't her friends?! those are her sister!" but to me, i can have no better friends than these lovely ladies beside me. i will never ever meet someone i would rather be friends with than my sisters. (except Lauren isn't in this picture because she is always behind the camera and not in front of it, we never get pictures with her!)when other friends come and go, they will stick by me 100% of the time, and love me like no other friends can. i love them with all my heart and miss more than anything :[

Day 2.

2010-12-03T01:28:00.000-08:00

"the meaning behind your blog name"

so my blog name is, A day in the life of Jonni. and when i write my blog, i honestly write it from my perspective on life. the experiences i have, the thoughts i have, the challenges i face, and the blessing i see. so when you read my posts, they are my life. when you read it, you are experiences the day a little bit like i did. now of course i keep all the private juicy stuff in my journal :] but basically, what i write is how i experience life on a day to day basis. everyone has their own take on life, and every person experiences everyday so differently. so this is a day in my life, and the way i want you to see it through my eyes. its simple and sometimes uneventful, just like my life. but i love everyday and wouldn't take back one single day. so this little baby preserves my days.

Day 1.

2010-12-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

"Put a recent picture of yourself and 15 random facts about yourself"

1. my favorite color is yellow.
2. i love love love the movie Penelope. i could watch it 500 times and still be in love with it. and when i show people it, and they don't like it, it makes me a little sad. haha
3. books make me really happy. especially ones I've already read multiple times, and love. i go to the certain parts that i love the most and read them over and over. also new books i haven't read are super exciting, and the smell of super old books is the best.
4. if i could own a pottery wheel and a lifetime supply of clay, i would spend my whole life doing that.
5. when i get bored, i cut random pieces of paper laying on my desk with scissors. its weirdly fun.
6. i could listen to Jack Johnson all day long and still want to hear him more.
7. i love going to concerts. my first one, i was afraid i wouldn't really like them...and i was in love the second the music started.
8. i was named after my dad, Jon, and i love my name more than any other name in the planet.
9. i'm one of those people who either loves something or hates it. no in between usually.
10. Matti is my little 2 year old niece who i love!!! she is my favorite person on earth, and she loves me the most ;] and Clark is my new little nephew, he is adorable and i cant wait to see how he grows us!
11. i am obsessed with England, and anything England related. it is my dream place to visit.
12. my skin is super white, even when it is tan compared to myself, i still look like Casper compared to other people.
13. i laugh at the tiniest things. like start cracking up, and other people aren't even laughing. i can also make myself laugh at a moments notice, its a talent of mine.
14. i don't like history. but love math, even though i'm not taking any math classes right now.
15. i absolutely love painting my nails, i do them all the time. not a big toes person though.

30 day blog adventure!

2010-12-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

so, my wonderful and beautiful sister Taylor put this up on her blog, and my friend Cameron said he was going to do this...so i decided, what the heck, ill do it too :] so hopefully everyday i will do this. be prepared for some amazing posts coming up folks ;] love you!!!

Here is the list:

Day 1- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 2 - The meaning behind your Blog name.
Day 3 -A picture of you and your friends.
Day 4 - A habit that you wish you didn't have.
Day 5 - A picture of somewhere you've been.
Day 6 - Your favorite Superhero and why.
Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.
Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and why.
Day 9 - Something you're proud of in the past few days.
Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyper, mad.
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends.
Day 12 - How you found out about Blogs and why you made one.
Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 14 - A picture of you and your family.
Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle; first 10 songs that play.
Day 16 - Another picture of yourself.
Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.
Day 18 - Plans/Dreams/Goals you have.
Day 19 - Nicknames you have; why do you have them?
Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else.
Day 23 - Something you crave a lot.
Day 24 - A letter to your parents.
Day 25 - What I would find in your purse.
Day 26 - What you think about your friends.
Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?
Day 28 - A picture of you in the last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29 - In this past month what have you learned?
Day 30 - Who are you?

queen of the universe...or is it procrastination?

2010-11-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

yes. i am THE queen of procrastination it is horrible. my week has been crazy and stressful and annoying and great. so lets start off by saying this week i had 5 papers and 4 tests, all within the same week. and not any wimpy papers either, all at least 3 pages, one a 6 page research paper. one word...GROSS! i hate doing work, yes sad fact but very true. and so of course i left all of that crap until the last week. 2 days ago, i was up until 6:30 in the morning, and i had to get up at 8. so yesterday i was so dang exhausted i went to bed at 7:30!! that is the earliest i have gone to bed since...well EVER! honestly even when i was little, i never went to bed that early. but i got 14 hours of the most blissful sleep in my life. the second i hit the pillow i was out! but i guess at 9 i sat up, stretched out my arms and said "oh man that was the best nights sleep! what time is it?" then Stephanie answered "9" i was suddenly so worried and exclaimed "oh no i slept in!" then she informed it was still night time and after i asked if i could go back to bed she told me i could, which made me very happy :] the thing is...i have no recollection what soever of this, so i was having a full on convo in my sleep. fun times. now i have to papers and 1 test left, and yet i am procrastinating it as much as i possibly can...hence this entry. but after, i promise ill start ok mommy (Stephanie :]) haha my roommate is so kind and telling me to get started, and says i will regret it later if i don't, and trust me i believe her. its just that me and starting papers don't get along so well. i hate starting, once i've started writing its fine. but to actually start, now thats the problem. but now that i've done enough complaining, ill go on to how my week has been great! first of all...I GET TO GO HOME AND SEE MY FAMILY IN 2 DAYS!! and i hate the use of cap lock, so you know how excited i really am :] that has actually been one reason it has been so hard to start! i just want to see my family sooooo bad! i miss them like crazy and i cant wait to get home. also, i volunteered at the nursing home for and hour yesterday and an hour today, and honestly, that never fails to make me happy. it has been the highlight of my year, and if i hadn't started i think i would have been slightly miserable. also, yesterday me and Stephanie volunteered at the MTC. that is quite amazing as well, i love love love to do it :] so ya all those things combined made my hectic not-so-fun week slightly...FANTASTIC!

weekend.

2010-10-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

enough said.
agenda:see Salt tonight
sleep
study
church

im likeing this :]

library..a place to study??

2010-10-21T21:19:00.001-07:00

so if you know me at all, you know i have a problem with concentration. i have in my mind something super simple, such as "i will go to the library and get my book of Mormon reading done" or "tomorrow i will do all of my laundry right as i wake up" and lets just say, after i sit down to do...it doesn't get done. so i thought it was my room environment, maybe if i go somewhere where everyone is quite and studying and ready to work, then i can get some stuff done. wrong. nope, as it turns out i cant focus anywhere. i will just sit and my mind will wander, my eyes will unfocus and i will be caught in a daze, unable to pull myself out of a daydream. so as we speak, i am in the library, what am i doing you may ask...sitting here writing this. ahhh well i promise myself that after i finish this, i will be able to focus and do my reading, but that may take a while, just like always.

on a side note, i have been writing in my journal lately, and its the most therapeutic thing ever. i love love love my journal, and its become an extension of my soul. haha lame, but seriously i have a hard time telling people how i feel, or what im thinking, but writing it out, putting it in word form, a tangible object of my emotions and thoughts is the best thing ever. i am by far not consistent with my entries, with maybe weeks in betweeen, but when i do, its like magic. for me i am able to write how i feel, not speak how i feel. hence why i love journals and blogs and hand written letters :] the written word is close to my heart.i guess i should go do my work now.... :[ i am frowning very much right now.
one month till i get to see my sisters!!! :] and everyone else i love from cali <3

a day for laughter

2010-10-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

so today just started out like a normal day, maybe even on the bad side. but then i went to weight training, and it seemed as if i had inhaled laughing gas.my friend from that class, Javiera, and i were laughing at everything possible. every little thing was cracking us up. i threw the medicine ball at her, you know that one exercise where you throw the ball to the person doing the abbs, and she fell backwards and we could not stop laughing. that was just one of the many things that was simply hilarious today!! i love when i feel weak with laughter, and im just happy thinking everything is funny. the world seems like the best place ever when you are delirious and giddy. nothing can go wrong, and lets just say im glad today has been perfect! now i'm off to eat dinner, go to service project and study in the library...and get some ice cream with megan and alison because we need a pick-me-up :]

life.

2010-10-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

so school has finally caught up to me, and now its starting to get hard. lets face it...Jonni hates to study, in fact i can not force my self to study, 2 minutes in i get distracted and do something else. but after my first american heritage midterm, i decided i really need to do better and buckle down. but beiside all the crazyness of life and school, i have found something that i absolutly love. For AH we are required to do 10 hours of service through certain programs. megan, michaela, and i decided to do it through a program called "adopt a grandparent". I was so excited to get started, but the first day we did it was probably the worst day ive had yet. i had jsut taken my american heritage test (lets just say it wasnt good) and i was feeling homesick and i just really wanted to lay in bed and sleep through the day. in case you cant tell failure does sit to well with me. but since we were signed up to do it, i had to. so i got in the car, determined that it was going to be stupid and boring and i would just be more miserable. boy was i wrong. when we first arrived in the center i was super nervous. all of the residents there are either physically or metally handicapped. when i first saw all the people in the living area and saw the looks they gave me, i was scared and didn't know how to approach them or how to talk. the main lady, Melanie, gave us a tour, and the first person she showed us i started crying. being me, i kept it to my self because i hate when people see me cry, but the Holy Ghost just testified to me very strongly at that moment that this was what i was supposed to be doing, and that these people need my help and how much i can do that i am not currently doing. also, to see the horrible conditions in which their minds and bodies have been left made me feel so ashamed for feeling down early that day. i have been given soo very much, and i am able to do so much for myself and for others and instead i am focusing on myself and why life didn't seem fair at that moment when these sweet people have so much "unfairness" in their lives. it was truly a humbling experience. as we went along to other rooms just meeting some people, every time i was touched by the Spirit and how truly special these people are and how much visiting with them will bless my life. when we were about to leave, we met the most hilarious man i have ever met. the second he saw us he yelled and got soo excited with the hugest smile spreading across his face. he noticed we were new, and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. we went and talked to him and even though it was hard to understand what he was saying, he was hilarious. his name was Russ, but his last name was Lincoln. when i said "oh like the president!" he got so excited that i knew who Abraham Lincoln was. then he told us we could call him Abe. he then asked us what our last names were, and when i said Clark, he said "like Clark bar?!" and thought that was the coolest thing ever, then when he found out Megan's last name was Bahr, he started cracking up! we were Clark Bahr. i could go on and on about Russ and his funny things, but it would be sufficient to say i found a new best friend. we back again last Friday, and when he saw me again he got so excited! and then he saw my BYU sweatshirt and got even more excited. it was great to see my bff again :] but this last time we went we met some even more amazing people. first we went into this one room, and these 2 sweet ladies named Ruth and Helen. Me and Megan started talking to Ruth first and Michaela went and talked to Helen. at first it was a little hard to talk to Ruth, she didn't really register when we asked her questions, but once i noticed some old picture frames on her TV and asked if they were her children she got so excited and started showing us all these pictures. she would laugh at what we said and started answering our questions, always with a huge smile. she scooted her wheel chair and got an old photo album and started telling us who all the people were and laughing as she went. it was so much fun to look at the old pictures and learn about her family. then we started to talk to Helen, she was such a sweet woman, but because she had a stroke she was paralyzed. she talked about how much she loves flowers and how she used to work at a floral shop with her nephew. there were pictures lined up of children, so i asked if they were grandkids so she started talking about sweet they all were, it was adorable. Michaela told us late in the car the saddest story about her husband, it made me want to cry. after we left Ruth and Helen's room, we walked over to this one lady's room named Geri. she was the funniest woman ever! she first started off by saying she didn't want any visitors then just started talking and told us to sit down. we then went on forever about college and how she never went and how she wants to get a job in the fall. she then told us she was 20...she was at least 80 folks. basically this woman would not stop making me laugh. she was so sassy, and blunt, you cant help but love her. but with all of this joy and happiness...i must tell a not so fun story. soooo when Geri told us to sit down, the only open spot was the other persons bed. Michaela took the chair and Megan took the end of the bed, so i was in the middle. so in the middle of our amazing convo, we heard this lady yelling for help, so i ran out into the hall to help her. but after i got up....i realized i sat on wet bed. and lets just say it was NOT water. my whole left side was wet and i wanted to barf. it was completely gross, but i had to wait like 20 minutes before we got back home! needless to say the second i got through my door i ripped my pants off. may sound awkward...haha sorry circumstances call for awkward statements. but i am now in love with Tuesdays. i cant wait to go back and see my new friends. also we are going to buy Helen and Ruth flowers and get Geri something cute ;]

5 weeks in...

2010-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

so i have now been here at BYU for 5 weeks! it seems crazy that I've been here for over a month, but at the same time it feels like I've been here for a century. the school aspect of college hasn't been to bad yet, i haven't had any major tests or papers or all the other crazy college things...but don't worry, i know it will soon come. i absolutely love it here! its totally amazing, but i still miss home and the people i left behind. but now, i have 2 places to call home, Utah and California. and honestly, i wouldn't have it any other way. some really amazing things have happened while I've been here. i have made the most amazing friends, I've heard apostles speak, I've gotten a calling (first counselor in the relief society) and on Saturday i will be going to General conference! i'm soo excited, and i know it will be one of the awesome experiences ever. well since i haven't written in about 4 weeks, there is way top many details to cover, but lets just say ill do this more often, and we can call it even?? all you need to know is that right now, i am one happy camper ;]]

too many things to write

2010-08-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

so i am NOTORIOUS for saying i will do things, then not. for example, write in my journal and blog on a regular basis. but i have actually been better at keeping my journal, so at least thats a plus. so I STARTED COLLEGE!!! woo hoo :] and even though i was super nervous at first, i absolutly love it. i have had so much fun, and its only been the first week. we had NSO all of last week and it ended on saturday with a dance, which was pretty fun, with Megan and Alison. too much happened all of last week, so let me just assure you, it was all fun, and the details are boring to the average reader and only interesting to me. so i guess since its been over a week since ive done this ill just skip to today...first day of class!! it was actually not to bad, except my american heritage class i HUGE! as in 700 plus students! totally crazy!and it seems super hard and not so fun. but tomorrow i have sign language, which im sooo very excited for. and it doesnt start until 7...pm. yes i know super late for a class right? but when its the only class open you deal with your options. so all in all i have met some really amazing people that i absolutly love! and i cant wait to meet more and to become even closer :] yay for college! now im tiered and i need to read the Book of Mormon for at least 30 minutes for class, which puts me around 1 oclock so now is my time to peace out followers ;]

best day ever...it will

2010-08-21T23:05:00.001-07:00

so tomorrow is my last sunday here in the GOLDEN state. it will be my last time in the singles ward here in glendora, at least until next summer or breaks :] but i have definitely come to LOVE it! i love going with my sisters, but also there are just some amazing people, and i learn so much. but i know my ward at BYU will be just as amazing, if not more haha!! but there is also anther reason im very extremely excited for tomorrow..... I WILL BE SEEING THE MAINES HEADLINING TOUR!!! i am sooooooooooo excited!! a couple months ago i won tickets through the radio station, which believe me, with my luck it was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me! i never win anything!!! but the day has finally come that i will get to see them!! they are possibly my most favorite band ever, there is just something thats makes my heart race. hahahah :] so this will be the best day ever! i have seen them 4 times now live, but this concert will be especially amazing because it is their headlining tour, so it will be basically just them, and they will be on for a long time, so i get to hear all of their completely amazing songs :]] so yep, ill write back on monday with how amazing it is, and with pictures :]]

on a side note, i havent slept in my bed for 3 days. now to some people this may seem absurd, not to sleep in your own bed the last few days you are home, but 2 days ago, as i was trying to fall asleep, a little visitor decided to show up on my pillow.... A SPIDER!!! i have the biggest fear in the world of spiders, so i was of that bed in less than a second and i ran to my sisters room. now i am deathly afraid it will come and kill me in the night, so i choose the incredibly uncomfortable floor of my sisters room instead. the end.

byu, here i come! (almost!)

2010-08-19T23:29:00.000-07:00

so i only have 4 more days until i thrown all my lifes possessions into my dads truck and head off to Utah. i think i have been counting down the days since it was 60 days. but the closer it gets, the more nervous i get!! i can finally count the days on one hand, and that my dear blogger friends makes things very real indeeed. my sisters never fail to remind me that it will be a lot harder than i think it will be, and that its not all fun and games, but that doesn't stop my mind from going into overdrive about all the amazing times im about to have!! only one problem, i often forget the main ingredient of college...school. ive always been able to succeed in high school with minimal work and absolutely no studying, but i know i will have to change my habits for college. but lets just say, im excited for it ALL! i know i will get to meet some amazing people, and be able to learn some amazing things, and have some amazing times, basically i know it will be AMAZING!! hahha :] so i cant wait for the morning when i wake up in my bed and realize it will be my last! but there are many things i will miss about my home and about California. let me start my list: my mommy!! haha i love my mom so much, she is the best :], my dad, he is possibly the funniest person i know and the best dad a daughter could ask for. my sisters! they are by far my best friends, and when i think about not seeing them for 4 months straight it makes my heart hurt immensely. Mattison my niece.she makes life beautiful. i love her like my own daughter and im seriously in denial that i wont be around her anymore. i still need to be her favorite, and if she replaces me i might cry. can you say skype daily??JENNA!! we have had the funniest moments ever, i never go a second without laughing when we are together. she is the best friend in the whole wide world and i cant believe we are going to be in different states :[ love you jenna! all the rest of my friends i have been able to have soo many amazing people in my life, and i will miss anyone who i have been able to have a good laugh with or who has made me smile;] the beach. my full harry potter set. i still really want to bring the whole set, but im just not sure i can fit them all :[ the dorms may not have room for them, and my other many books, we will see. my dogs!!(and kitty) i cant believe i have forgotten about them and put them so far down the list!! i love them sooo much, and i will sorely miss them and their kisses. my house and bed. when you live your whole entire life there, you are bound to grown attached. well that the bulk of my list. so now i have nothing left to say really, its late and my brain isnt functioning to well at the moment, so ill write another blog later, when my life gets a little more interesting. hahaha.

p.s. im pretty sure 80 percent of this is all red underlined with squiggles, i hope in college i learn how to spell. but since im pretty sure they dont teach with magic at BYU, i have to settle and learn to be thankful for spell check :]