2011 in Review

Another year has come and gone. It never ceases to amaze me that as we get older the years tend to fly by. Especially while you are in college. I cannot believe that I have already completed 3 semesters! I feel old when I think about it all, I just can't seem to get over the fact that I am almost finished with school forever.
2011 has been a great year for me. There were ups and downs but overall the good times exceeded the bad.
Each month in 2011 brought on new meaning and adventure in my life.
January: I started a blog, I had at least one entry each month, and kept with it, and will continue in 2012.
February: I worked part time at Panera and became attached to my computer because of online classes.
March: I had one entry in my blog stating that I didn't have much to say, which means that March was a boring month for me.
April: I left New York to go back to school.
May: I turned 19! My last year as a teenager = scary. I also completed a duathalon which was a 5k run and a 15 mile bike race. I found my new favorite solo sport.
June: I ran in the Dirty Dash. It's a 5k run in the MUD. I loved my life that day.
July: I got babysit my 5 nieces and nephews by myself. Luckily it was only for a couple hours. It is the greatest birth control I could ask for.
August: I jumped out of a plane at 13,600 feet. Best day of my life. I also survived Hurricane Irene, a hurricane no one expected to do any damage.
September: I started my sophomore year at college, and taking 16 credits. Wow! I also joined one of BYUI cross country teams. One of the best decisions I could make.
October: Went backpacking for the first time. Loved it! I also ran my best 5k time in 24:12 (with training help from Ethan!).  I also became really sick...
November: I had surgery! Doctors found an abscess on my liver. I lost 10 pounds due to it all, and so most of the month I was recovering.
December: I finished up the semester, and came home to New York to celebrate the holidays with friends and family.
And now here I am on the last day of the year 2011. I am looking forward to a good year. I am excited to find a job at school, and start my fourth semester. I am excited to start my 20's. I am also excited to continue living a great life. I am grateful for all the opportunities that I have had this past year and I am ready for some new ones! I have a couple goals for this coming year. I would like to continue this year with my blog, but will try for at least 2 posts a month. I want to write in my personal journal a bit more. I want to start clipping some coupons to save some money (this makes me sound old!). I want to continue running. And my goals for school this year is to get my GPA up to a 3.7, it is currently at 3.5, so I've some studying to do! I don't have any huge goals but enough to keep me busy! Good luck to everyone that has goals this year.
Bring it on 2012!

Sooo busy!!

I made it a goal of mine with my blog that I would post at least one thing once a month. I made it just in time for  November. I have been extremely busy this semester and I don't ever seem to have time to do anything EVER! To catch you up on things.... On November 1st I had surgery! The plan was to get my gallbladder removed but the Doctor ended up finding an abscess on my liver instead! So with all that going on... I became 2 weeks behind on all my work. With 16 credits this semester that is A LOT. So I have been trying to catch, and now I am only behind in my english with my research paper! I ran cross country. I finished my own season with a personal record of 24:12. I had about 3 weeks left of the season but the same day I made that record is when I started feeling sick so that was the end of that. I went on a lot of dates this semester, but through cross country someone special came around. Lets just say Ethan is a great boyfriend! He's bought me flowers and candy, and kept me company everyday while I was. He's even met my entire family minus my brother Chris. He met my parents too when they came out to see me. I also got an iPhone. I love it! What a shocker right? HA Then Thanksgiving finally rolled around the corner. I got to see all of my family except Chris. That was really nice. I did a lot of shopping, and just hanging out, and a little bit of catching up on work.
There's not much left to say. I've only got a couple of weeks left in the semester. I will be going home soon, and then will be returning back to school so that I can work. (hopefully)
Talk to you in December!

My new found love

Pinterest! I love Pinterest and everything about it. There are so many ideas that Pinterest gives me I just can't seem to get enough! People post things such as food, photography, clothing, nature, and much more! My roommate Nicole introduced me to it, and now everywhere I look everyone seems to be on it. It started as an LDS website, but now it's gotten bigger. You'll see pictures of temples and weddings throughout the website. There are a lot of cute ideas that I like that I am starting to try.

Here's a link in case you want to check it out!

www.pinterest.com

I got a calling!

I got a calling! And this time it's a legit calling! I got called as the Activities Director for Relief Society. So basically I have to plan an activity once a month for my relief society! Surprisingly I am not even nervous - I am actually quite excited! So far I love my ward too! My Bishop is amazing and so is my FHE group. And the guys aren't too bad either...

It's been awhile....

It has been too long for me to not write in my blog! I got so used to writing in it but things have been crazy! This semester so far has been great and crazy all at the same time! Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely love college? My roommates are great, and so are my friends, and my classes are awesome too. This semester I am taking 16 credits, which is more than my usual load of 14. I have a pretty easy schedule though. I start everyday at 7:45 and I am done at 11:15, and 1:30. I am taking an english class, math, a leadership class, basic skills (backpacking), and an experimental education class. I absolutely love all of them! I really enjoy my outdoor recreation classes. I am pretty sure I am going to switch my major because of it! Next week I am even going on a 3 day backpacking trip to Palisades Park with my class!
I also decided that I am going to stay here in the winter, so I will be out west pretty much year round this school year. I am probably not going to take any classes so I am going to focus on getting a job! Which I need badly!
I gotta get back to homework but I am sure to be on here more often!

Sophomore Year of College!

Well I'm back in Rexburg at BYUI. So far so good. My roommates are cool, my classes are good, my friends are great, devotional is great, the weather is perfect, the Bishop is cool, and the livin' is easy. I'm enjoying it very much. I was hesitate about it all in the beginning, but now it's all good.
I'm taking 16 credits as of now, but may change to 18 or 19. It's more than usual but so far my classes don't seem too hard. One of my classes, my Basic Skills, is only the first half which is why I am okay with taking 19 credits. Basic Skills will probably be by far my favorite class. It's a backpacking class, and we learn the in's and out's of backpacking. We will be taking a 3 day trip to Big Elk Mountain in October too - which I am extremely excited about!
Well that's all I have for today's post. I've got lots to do and very little time!

Hurricane Irene

Words can't describe what I am feeling right now. Warwick was hit pretty hard by this hurricane. A lot more than we expected thats for. We woke up at 6:20am to find the water rising- very quickly. Ten minutes later this picture was taken. We used to have a river, but that didn't exist anymore. We now lived in a lake house. With water surrounding us.

6:30am

Three hours later there was still no change in the water level, it was just getting faster and deeper. The river overflowed unto the road causing some damage. And the cars to get submerged in A LOT of water.

9:30am

Within minutes, the house was flooded. We started to bring whatever we could upstairs, leaving the couches, which are soaked. My parents brand new kitchen table, was soaked a good 4 inches.

6:45am- about 4 inches

Once we got the chance, we went to the cars. They were completely submerged by a good 2 feet of water. No joke. Theres a lot of water in the cars. I spent a good hour drying it up with the dry vac, but minutes later it was soaked yet again. The water just keeps coming out of nowhere. We were convinced that the little car was going to float away. Thankfully it didn't.

about 6 inches inside the cars

Several long hours later, the water started to recede, and thats when the cleaning up began. We soaked up as much as we could with the dry vac, but it can only do so much. Eventually we started cutting up the carpet, and bye bye carpet it goes. We now have cement flooring for our living room.

Our new living room-with no carpet.

Warwick is a beautiful town, and this is just devastating. Once I set the internet back on, I went right to FaceBook to see updates on the rest of the area. These pictures were taking by the Emergency Services. When I saw this it honestly made me cry a bit. It had gotten flooded once before but NEVER like this. This is a disaster.

Village of Warwick-taken by Fire Dept.

Kings highway, where I live. A lot of other roads in Warwick are like this. It's so sad that something like a storm can destroy so much in such little time. So scary.

Kings Hwy- one of the many roads that collapsed

I am grateful that we are all okay. We're not in any physical danger, just a lot of emotions, and hard work ahead of us. It was even scarier when the Fire Dept came by to make sure that we were okay since the river overflowed that half of them were teenagers that I went to high school with.

It sure is going to take a long time for Warwick to get back into the swing of things. We'll get through it all soon enough.

Hurricane Irene you ruined a lot of things! Leave us alone!

Job Hunting

I've got a bunch of options, but it comes down to whether it'll fit into my schedule or not. And if it does work into my schedule is it enough pay, worth the drive, or will I get no sleep.
One of my options is a gas station. 20 mile drive. Called Stinker Station. This doesn't sound too pleasant. $7.25
Ross Dress for less. 25 mile drive, $7.25
Custodian. 9 miles away. 12am-6:30am shift. Salary depends on experience
KFC. I have applied there several times. No call backs, and I haven't heard from them. Right in Rexburg.
Teller. At Wells Fargo. 14hrs a week which would be perfect, only like a 10 minute drive. Now that is a job I'm talking about.

I hate job searching. If anyone knows of a job in Rexburg let me know.

SKYDIVING!!!

One jump out of a plane wasn't enough. I am definitely going again. It was an absolute blast! We reached about 13,600 feet in the air! Our trainers told us that we had the perfect day and time. It's been raining a lot so we were unsure of how much altitude we were going to get, but lucky there were only a few clouds and it was perfect weather. I went with my best friend's older sister Kelly, and went up with another friend that I went to high school with Steph. I had such a great instructor named Ron. He has a few medals for skydiving, and is on a National team! So I definitely felt safe with him! And he was small guy too! With both of us being short we had the nice advantage of being able to stay up in the air longer. And people could tell it was me coming down because I put on a bright yellow jumpsuit! I also was the last one to jump so that was cool that I was able to see everyone jump out! Now I was not scared at all, but when you get to the edge of plane right as you're jumping out, I was like 'Why in the world am I doing this!?" But then we jumped and I was good to go! It was such a great experience, and am so excited to jump again! 

I wish that I could show you the video of my experience, that might take me a while to figure out how to download to my computer, so for now here are some pictures!

My instructor Ron teaching me
what I have to do in the air!

13,600 feet in the air!

I was definitely freaked out when we were on the edge of plane getting ready to jump!

And I'm free, free fallin'

Such a great experience!

Heads up! Yellow highlighter coming in for landing!

Me and some friends!

I'm going SKYDIVING!!!!

One of the things on my bucket list will be completed soon! I am going skydiving! I am so excited! I'll be jumping out of a plane at 13,500 feet! It may cost quite a bit but it is absolutely worth it!

http://www.skydivetheranch.com/

Check out the website of where I will be going! August 18th here I come!!

New York!

So far I've completed a few things off of my list!
I've eaten Dunkin Donuts, bagels, pizza, moms cooking, and Bellvale Cremery. I've also enjoyed eating when I want and where I want, I've gone to Cape May, driven in a car with AC, gone to the mall, a Super Walmart, gone (and work at Panera often), seen my family, and hang out with friends. So majority of the things on my list have been completed. I've also done things that I didn't list and that was go to Cafe in town, and go to the Woodbury Commons. Before I leave I plan on definitely visiting the City and probably go to the Manhattan Temple!
I have a lot to do and less than 6 weeks till I'm already gone!

The day is finally here!

I leave Rexburg tomorrow (Thursday) I cannot believe it's finally happening! I'll spend the night in Boise and then off to New York on Friday morning!!

Single digits!

Single digits to New York baby!! I am so excited. The past few weeks all I've been thinking about is New York. Everything is NEw yOrK. I absolutely love that place. I have 9 days till I am there. hopefully this next week won't take too long. It shouldn't considering my week will be the week from hell. This coming Wednesday I will have 4 finals to take, and then on Thursday I will have 2 tests. I have to do white glove checks. And I still have to drive to Boise on Thursday so that I can say goodbye to Idaho on Friday morning. So basically I will be stressed beyond belief, and focused on one thing only, New York.

This awaits me. Who wouldn't be excited?

My latest...

Today I went for an adventure. On a road bike. In 90* weather. I loved it. And hated it. Last time I went for a leisure bike ride I had a plan. I had a map. With street names. This time I figured Rexburg is a grid, if I keep going right I'll get back to where I started. This time I not only assumed that, I assumed that I could go farther. Both of these assumptions are absolutely correct. This time I just rode. I went where I had gone in the past, and then I would venture out from there. I did not assumed it would take me 8 or so miles farther. I will now remember that even though Rexburg is a grid, it is a very large grid - once you get to the farm land. Which is exactly what I did. It was 90* weather, and it was windy, and I was hungry, and then I convinced myself that I was going to die of heat, and of tiredness, and that I was lost (even though I knew exactly what direction I needed to go in). Long story short it took me a while because I was being negative, and because it was extremely windy. Next time I will plan a course in advance, eat before I go, and be prepared to bike against the wind the entire time. All in all my 19.3 mile adventure was worth it.




View Larger Map

17 days for 17 things

17 more days! I am quite excited! I have a list of things I want to do when I'm home for my seven week break:
1) eat Dunkin Donuts
2) eat bagels
3) eat pizza
4) eat mom's cooking instead of mine own
5) eat when I want, where I want and not worry about whether I'll have food the next day...
6) go to Captains pizzeria in the Bronx
7) go the pastry and bread shop in Queens so I can get REAL italian bread and cannoli's
8) go skydiving?
9) go to Cape May!
10) go to Bellvale Cremery for amazing ice cream...
11) drive in a car that has AC
12) go to the mall!
13) go to a super walmart...pathetic right?
14) go to the City! i miss the craziness
15) go to Panera!
16) see my family
17) last but not least see my best friends!!!

notice how much my list revolves around food...

5 munchkins!

This past weekend I got to go to Boise to hang out with all 5 munchkins! Let me tell you- they were a lot of work! I gotta love 'em though! I learned a lot from being with them!

Mackenzie loves to give me hugs and kisses when she knows the boys don't listen to me.
Sal will actually watch tv if we put it on. Everyone else has a small tension span.
Harper is clearly a trouble maker. He enjoys making Mackenzie mad. He loves the lawn mower.
Nicky tells me "I go pee" only when he has a diaper on. He never tells me when he has underwear on.
Mason is mason. He's adorable and loves to be held. He loves to snuggle with you when you watch Baby Einstein with him.

Even though this kids drove me a little crazy - I am happy that I live close enough to them to see them all the time!

July 4th Weekend

So I was planning on going to Boise this weekend but that plan failed when my two friends couldn't go anymore and I got sick. Again. I never get sick but yet I've been sick twice in the past month. Both times I've lost my voice. I never lose my voice- but only in dry weather-Idaho.
So because I'm sick I've been extra lazy this past week so that I could have enough energy to do stuff this weekend. I have a list too!
Get better!? This is my number one thing -chances of it happening? Well slim...
Go to the waterpark that opened up this past week in Rexburg. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, and the waterpark costs like 5 bucks.
Hike R mountain. Complete! It was such a blast. I went with my friend Ammon and it was awesome! Neither of us had ever hiked it before so we took our time. We also decided that we're going to hike it again this weekend except bring food and go late so we can watch the sunset.
I want to BBQ! Who can go without a bbq on July 4th weekend? Not me!
My last thing to do- watch the fireworks. Supposedly the fireworks in IF are some of the best in the nation so I'll be sure to go see them!
Hopefully I'll be able to complete my list!

33

33 more days till New York!! I miss it

This girl...is obsessive....she needs therapy.

I don't think I really need to say anything about this video. It pretty much speaks for itself. I also believe that she needs help. A lot. Please watch it. It's hilarious.

The Dirty Dash!!!

The Dirty Dash was an absolute blast! It was just my style of having fun while exercising (well sort of exercising). I went with my brother and sister in law and my two nephews. Joellen's brother and nephew also came. There was a Piglet Race for them, and then the regular race for the big kids. It was so much fun. I felt like a little kid again. I felt like there wasn't anything else in the world that I wanted to do! There was just tons of MUD. There was a huge slide, and walls to climb over, tires to jump through, hay bails to jump over, and just MUD. Oh, and I forgot to add to get to the finish line there was a pool of mud you had to pretty much swim through, and a giant mud wall to climb over. I cannot wait for next year!

Aren't we dirty??

My favorite picture! HA look at that kid!

The beginning of the mud pool at the finish line...

Before our race....

and after...

I LOVED THE DIRTY DASH!!!

For Kristie and her family...

One year ago on this special day,
A great soul had passed away.
There was sunshine
And God said, "I have come to say that she is mine."
She will live in happiness without any pain-
where she will be a goddess in her reign.
She will be able to watch over all those she met-
and remind those who knew her to never forget.
It wasn't a reminder of herself but of our one and only King,
Jesus Christ the Lord, and all those who joined her to sing.
She knew her Redeemer lived, on Earth and in the sky-
Where she had faith that she could live eternally and for a short time say goodbye.

Results!

45th place out of 60
5k run 0:31:01
15 mile bike 1:01:44
Total 1:32:45

next years goal: under 28 minutes for the run and under 57 minutes for the bike

I did Do the Duathalon

 It was a blast! 5k run and a 15 mile bike race! I've never done a bike race, let alone a race more than a 5k. It was great! I loved it...I think I'm gonna keep doing events like this for the rest of my life. The thrill of competing to me is everything! Granted I didn't win the race, but I did win for my age group (I'm pretty sure I was the only one!) But besides that I finished my first race of this kind. It was only the second time I had been on a road bike in my life (both within a weeks time) and I just loved it. I may not be great at other sports but I know that I enjoy and love doing events like this. I got a really cool t-shirt, and a couple on nice water bottles and even a battle wound for it too!
So my time for the race was just what I thought it would be. Half hour for the run and an hour for the bike, and I stuck right to it!
Next race? The Dirty Dash 5k race in SLC on June 4th!

 This is me at the finish line! Check out that battle wound of mine on my left leg! It was an open race so there was traffic we had to watch out for. Within 3 miles of the bike part I had to stop for traffic and I went to put my foot down and my knee scraped up against the sharp part of the pedal! It was pretty gross cuz blood was dripping down my leg the entire time! Now I just have a huge gash....

 Look at that cool t-shirt! I can't wait for next year!

2011 Do the Du Duathlon

I am so excited! It's a 5k run and then a 15 mile bike race! Why did I randomly decide to do this? Because I rented a bike yesterday from the school's Outdoor Resource Center and the guy told me a good road trail to go on. He told me it was roughly 15 miles, which it was. But it was super easy! I loved it. So since I love to run, and I found a new love for biking, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to do both. Someone that was biking the same road as I was told me about it, and here I am taking the chance to race!
So if you are in or around Rexburg on Saturday May 21st you should come watch me race! It's at 10 AM.

http://lifeactive.org/2011-do-the-du-duathlon

Radio Ridge Hike

Today I went on a hike with the Outdoor Activity Center here at BYU Idaho. It was the first one of the semester and the first one for me here at school. I LOVED IT. I invited a couple of my friends, and we decided that we're going to do something at least twice a month. This hike had such a view! There was still a ton of snow so we didn't get to go to our original destination BUT none the less, the view was great. There was only about ten of us including the guide. The group was all girls except for two married guys! That's okay though because I was able to meet a bunch of new people. This coming weekend we're going to go to the caves and do some 'caving'. I am really excited about this because one I've never been and second I get to wear a helmet with a light. Haha.

 Here's the great group that we went with!

 My friend Sam and I.

 Krysta!

The amazing view! Notice all the snow??

It's a lot of poop...and a video game! That still works might I add.

......

Hymn book coordinator for relief society....I make sure everyone has a book.....I have nothing further to say.

That email....

So this afternoon I received an email from my ward clerk...When I saw who the sender was my first thought was oh nooo.... Sure enough someone in the Bishopric wants to do an interview with me on Sunday... which most likely means a calling. This makes me extremely nervous. I've gone down the list of callings that I can picture myself getting. Thankfully, as far as I know, there are already relief society presidents, but that doesn't mean I won't get it anyways.
So the next few days I will be freaking out. Can you guess for me which calling you think I'll get?

Back in Rexburg!

I am back at college!!! We ( as in my mom and Christina) left early Friday morning and finally arrived in Rexburg late Sunday night. I had quite a number of interesting events happen on our trip!
The first day went really well, and so did Saturday, or so we thought. Around noon, my car, Angie, got a flat! We had to wait 45 minutes for AAA to come because I didn't have a lug wrench. So then we thankfully had a Walmart within 30 miles. I just got new tires back in December from Les Schwab, and they wanted me to bring the tire so they can tell us if they can replace it. A couple of pictures, and some thank yous later, I got my money back for the one tire. In the meantime we went to Olive Garden! We all had a laughing fit too, and I think we scared some of the other customers. This whole fiasco set us back 5 whole hours!
So the next event, was on Sunday. Once we were back in Rexburg, we unloaded my full car, and left for Twin Falls. I had to drive Christina and my mom to meet Traci. It was a late night, and it was raining and Christina didn't want me driving back by myself. So she booked a hotel room for me. I've never stayed in a hotel by myself, so that was something new!
Then today, as I am driving back to school I get a text from Chase bank saying there is possible fraud!! Someone tried to purchase an automatic fuel dispenser for $151! Luckily, my bank declined it, and put my account on hold. Which is not good in a way. I have a $90 check, that luckily I didn't deposit. That's all the money I have to my name till I get a new account! Keep in mind, I can budget, but it's very difficult when I just started school and I have no food!
And last but not least, I have no roommate when I am supposed to! This is very upsetting to me, but I guess it's better then having a bad roommate. I will stay positive! I am excited for the semester and excited to catch up with all those I met last semester. Hopefully my week will go better, and no more crazy incidents.
Pictures to be posted soon!

Things I'll miss about New York

I'm leaving again for a school in a couple of days! I can't believe the past couple of months have happened so quickly! There's a lot of things that I will definitely miss about New York. Here's a couple that I'll miss A LOT:
my friends! especially Kristen, Kim, and Maggie!
my coworkers at Panera, like Melanie, Dennis, and Tom
Bellvale Cremery

The ward family! Like sister goolcharon and the Lake family! Especially McKenna because I get to give all my clothes to her once they don't fit anymore, and I love to see her face when I tell her I have more for her!
The Kettenring Family! I think I'm at their house more than I am at my own, partially because I'm their adopted daughter. LOL. I eat there, I play games, I sleep, I break into their house, I pretty much do whatever.
There's so many more things I could choose from, I could go on for forever really. There are also some things that I am ready for though in Idaho. I'm ready for college again! I'm ready for the late nights all the time, being close to family, and the complete freedom (mostly from my parents)! I hope the semester goes by quick though! I want to come back and enjoy the New York summer so I can go to my favorite vacation spot: Cape May!
Talk to everyone when I get to Idaho! Another 2,700 miles to go!

That's all folks!

I haven't been on in over a month...but I have nothing to really write....so....that's all for tonight!

Ah what a good day :)

The weather is beautiful out! Usually I don't care about Valentine's Day BUT today I do. I think the weather is my valentine... it is soooo nice outside. It's the first time in ages that I could go outside with just a t-shirt on! And if you know me well enough, you know that I love to drive with my windows down. That's exactly what I did today! I may not have a valentine but I sure do have my great weather!

Sarah and Ryan

I love these kids! I've been babysitting them for the past couple of weeks several times a week. I absolutely love them! Their mom Kate is amazing! She's been away for a little while to drive her son Eric to the MTC, and so she gave me the chance to earn some cash! I cannot even call it babysitting because they are that awesome. I don't even have to tell them to do their homework! Watching them is really nice for me too. Not only do they do their homework, I get to do mine too. The three of us usually make some snacks, do homework, play board games, wii, and watch tv. This past week I was swamped with homework and Sarah and Ryan could definitely tell. They were great enough to make sure they weren't loud, and didn't watch tv in the same room as me. Eventually I said thats it! So we distracted ourselves for a little bit and played with Photo Booth. Boy did they love it! I'm so happy I've had the chance to watch them because it forces me to do my homework and to get some extra cash that is well needed!

Here's a couple of pictures that we took!

What nut jobs!

My new best friends...

Since all the regular colleges went back to school I have been left to finding new ways to occupy myself. I don't get to see my best friend, except on the weekends, and so during the week I am extremely bored. Besides working at Panera Bread and babysitting for a family friend, I have found 4 new best friends. None of them too exciting, none worth writing about, but since I don't have much to do, here I am. I am giving you guys updates on my life, since I promised I'd keep up with my blog.
My 4 new best friends:
1. My computer! I spend a lot of time on my computer. Most of you are thinking well get off of Facebook then, but unfortunately it is not by choice! I'm taking 3 online classes while I am home so I am constantly on my computer. I'm pretty sure by the time I am done with these classes in April I will lose eyesight. I spend HOURS on this computer daily. I hate it! I know where I will not be getting a job when I'm older; an office! I despise spending hours on a computer everyday to get work done! I am so happy I chose a major that is active!

2. My computer leads me to my favorite new best friend, the gym! I love the gym! I go everyday for almost 2 hours! My parents were awesome enough to pay for a membership for me until I go back to school. It's the best money they could have spent. I love it! I love working out, and I love giving people advice! My friend Kim has come with a number of times, and so I'm glad she feels comfortable enough to ask me for advice! I cannot wait to get into the real world and into the field. I can't wait to be a dietitian or the next Jillian Michaels!

3. My nutrition textbook! I love this book! I love this class. I am happy to stare at the computer when I do this homework. I love learning about carbs, diets, lipids, and healthy lifestyles. I definitely feel that the more I read my book the more I love the idea of my being a dietitian. I'm pretty sure that that is what I want to do with my life, so hopefully my Nutrition class will keep getting more and more interesting to me! And another reason I like the idea of me being a dietitian is I would have a title! Michelle Giani R.D. .....that's awesome!

4. Last but not least; Claritin! It has definitely saved me! It doesn't work 100% but it sure does help A LOT. Before I started using it, I made a record of ten sneezes at once! Now it's back to the normal two or three. I can deal without using it during the day, sometimes, but it definitely helps when I have to go into work, especially when I have opening shift at 5am!

My 4 best friends keep me busy and somewhat not bored!

developed allergies for my house???

If you've seen me around lately and I look unhappy, or look sad, or have teary eyes, here's why. I've developed allergies! When I first came home to NY I was congested but it wasn't all that bad, it was just my nose adjusting to the NY air again. But unlike in September when it went away it's just gotten worse! I definitely don't have a cold because it would have come and gone already so it has to be allergies of some sort. The worst part about it, its worse when I'm in my house! I am constantly blowing my nose, to let out nothing, constantly have teary eyes which make me look like I've been crying, and constantly sneezing. I hate sneezing and that is all of done for the past 2 weeks. It's gotten progressively worse too. And I used to sleep through the night, I was dead to the world when I slept because I always slept great. Not anymore. My great nights of sleep are gone. I wake up two to three times a night just because I have a running nose, or think I do. And my lips have gotten progressively more chapped, and there is nothing I can do to fix it because I have to breath through my mouth now. Usually I am better when I am outside but I'm not outside too often in the snow. But as soon as I'm home the allergies are back on. And it's not like the house is dirty, it's very clean actually. When I go to someone elses house I am usually fine too. So in a nutshell I think I've developed allergies for my house, more the reason to stay out of it as much as possible! I think I'll have to get checked out by a doctor or something because my dad, you know the certified doctor that he is, doesn't think I have allergies. And he hides the Claritin from me because I don't know what dose to take on my own because apparently I don't know how to read and that I need to be given medicine like a 5 year old. All in all, I feel like crap, so in turn it makes me look sad and miserable even though I really am happy! (even though I don't look it!) Enough rambling!

Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli and Asparagus

I couldn't resist documenting this stuff! It's not everyday you see me cooking!

So that Cake Boss has a new show called Kitchen Boss. I like this show a lot! I was watching it yesterday and he was making this recipe and let me tell you it looked AMAZING! I took the liberty to tell my mom that I wanted to make it for dinner that night. So we went out in the snow storm to get the ingredients. I don't cook at home, but being at a school forced myself to cook. Now that I'm home I'm definitely a lot better at cooking. I can cook, I just choose not to I tell my mom. The other night I made fish and rice. And last night I moved up in the world. I made Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli and Asparagus. I made sure that I watched what Buddy was doing, and followed the recipe to the tee. I was so excited to make this - and let me tell you it was DELICIOUS! It was so good and very filling, I could barely eat what was left on my plate! I am definitely proud of myself, and hopefully the next meal I make will turn out just as good!

It's got spaghetti, chicken, prosciutto, eggplant, cheese, and of course sauce on it!

here's the recipe you gotta try it out!
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/chicken-sorrentino-fusilli-recipe.htm

New employee at Panera Bread!

Look at this outfit! Panera is picky about their uniform. Black no-slip sneakers, khakis, black belt, collared shirt, a visor, and an apron. I'm working at the Panera in Middletown. I am definitely excited about working here so I can get discounts on the food! If I am working and order something up to $10 I get a 65% discount! If I go in on my off-day I get 20% off! I can even get discounts at Pizza Hut too! I haven't got put on the regular shifts yet, I am still in training but most likely I will be a cashier! So come in and visit me!

New members at the Gym!

My parents and I are members of a gym now! This picture was taken after their first day EVER at a gym! My mom enjoyed it very much! She was on the treadmill and the bike for quite some time! My dad on the other hand..... He doesn't want my advice! He was half the machines for the time that we were there. He would switch to machine after machine every 5 seconds! As usual though he doesn't want my advice! That's no surprise! So far my mom and I have gone practically everyday. Hopefully they can keep it up - now we'll just have to better our eating habits! I'm very proud of them!

My car Angie!

  Most of you know that I bought a car while at school! I absolutely love it! I love having the freedom to do whatever I please, and I like the sound of saying that the car is MINE. Although it's coming up on 17 years old, it's done quite well. Hopefully I will get a few more years out of it, and some cross country trips!

 Because I will be home in New York til April I had to drive my car home from Idaho. The 2,300 mile trip took 34 hours to do. I did it at the end of December. We expected storms, but didn't hit any snow whatsoever! It was a fun trip! This was the one sunset that we got to see while on our trip, and it was so worth it!

My best friend Kristen flew out to help me drive home. It was her Christmas gift to me. It was one of the best because I hadn't seen her since August! I am so happy that I was able to spend the trip home with her! I also drove my friend Kyle home. With all of my stuff and his stuff we had just enough seats!