Goodbye For Two Years

Last Sunday Brock had his farewell talk in preparation for him leaving to the MTC July 20th, he will be going to the Guatemala City, Guatemala Central mission, Spanish Speaking. He asked Melanie and I to do the musical number so we prepared a beautiful duet called "Because He Lives". Tons of people showed up to see him off and it was fun to see friends from high school again. Our song went great, although I felt a little bad for making Brock tear up before he even started his talk. He did a wonderful job though and the spirit was really strong. Besides two youth speakers and the musical number, his bishop gave him the whole time to speak but he had no problem filling it up.

After the meeting we all went over to his house for lunch. His mom had prepared pulled pork sandwiches the day before and there was tons of food. Every one sat in the shade and socialized for the next couple hours while Brock made his way through talking to everyone. After almost everyone had gone home except his extended family i went home to take a nap before heading back again.

When I returned our group of friends from Provo had arrived. They hadn't been able to come earlier because Javier was submitting his mission papers. It was great to see them again and we hung out catching up until it got late and they needed to get on the road back to Provo. I feel bad they had to drive so much in one day but I know Brock really appreciated it, and so did I.

Pepe, Marissa, Brock, Me, Whitni, Javier, and Junior

Brock with all the girls, including sister Alexis

Now for the boys

 Who has the best calves?

By the time they left I was completely exhausted so after talking with Brock's family a little more I headed home as well since I'd get to see Brock for a couple more days. While all the goodbyes are sad, I am so excited for all the experiences he is going to have, I know Brock is going to make one amazing missionary :)

Picture Time :)

A couple weeks ago Lisa was in Twin Falls and she offered to do Melanie's senior pictures if we'd meet her there. Since our schedules were hard to match we just picked up one Saturday and headed down there for the day. While most of the photo shoot was focused on getting Melanie's pictures we also found time for a few sister shots and I got a couple by myself as well. Here are my favorites...

Lagoon!

On a rather spur of the moment decision, my Dad decided to take work off the whole week of the fourth and so we decided to make a two day trip to Lagoon, one of my families favorite summer spots. I invited Brock to come with us as well and so Wednesday morning at about 7 am we all packed in the big blue van. We all tried to catch a little bit of sleep but some of us were a little too excited...

Once at Lagoon we got settled in the campsite next door and headed out to the park. We spent most of the day hitting as many rides as we could, my favorites being Wicked, Samurai, White roller coaster, the Swings, and Re-entry. When we got in line for the Rocket (re-entry), we ended up next to the most hilarious guys. They spent the whole time we were waiting convincing those already on the ride that bolts were loose and emergency lights were on, or using other tactics to make them as scared as possible before the ride took of. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard they were so entertaining. I think the guy running the ride was pretty happy when they left though because all the riders were making him check their harnesses twice. Oh and I have to give a quick shout out to Brock for being much braver this time around ;)

Senior trip June 2010

(Brock wearing his game face)

Amidst all the rides we took a break to celebrate McKayla's 15th birthday with a stack of hostess cupcakes from the gas station and a candle. Don't worry though, we made up for the cake with all the fun presents she got including clothes and lots of Bath and Body Works.

On day two we headed straight to the water park, Lagoon-A-Beach. Since their was a light cloud covering and slightly lower temperatures we had free range of the park and hardly any lines for the slides.

Brock and I spent a good deal of our time racing each other on inter tubes down the big white slide. He also convinced me to try the steep white body slides, something I haven't done since I was 8 years old and have been terrified of ever since. I was proud of myself for trying them but they still aren't my favorite, although it was pretty sweet catching some air as I flew out of the one with the tunnel.

After being adventurous we followed my parents' suit and relaxed on the lazy river.

Once we were all tuckered out we rested a bit before hitting the rides once more. 

At about 7 pm we packed up and headed out, and after a near fiasco at Wendy's and some car troubles we arrived safely home. The trip was a blast and I can't wait to go again next summer!

Fourth of July Celebration

The fourth started out with waking up early to save our seats for the parade. We ended up with great spots on the side of the road even though we were crowded out a little bit. Both Michelle and Nathan were in the parade for gymnastics and DARE.

After the parade we hurried back to the house to get ready for our barbecue since Dad had invited a few of his home teaching families over. The girls made salads, Brock made a dutch oven dessert with the help of Michelle, and my Dad fired up our mini grill. Everyone had such a great time eating and talking they stayed over for almost 4 hours. Melanie, McKayla, Marie, and Liz sang songs together on the piano for almost that entire time.

Nearing 5 pm though we had to end the so that everyone could go home and get ready for the fireworks. Brock and I headed to his house to join up with his family who was heading for a friend's house right on the river. We had to be their really early so that we got in before the road closed, thats how close we were to where the famous Melaleuca show was being set off. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of this part but we had a great time walking around the green belt to pass the time, meeting up with high school friends, playing Apples to Apples with my family when we ran into where they were sitting, and eating more delicious barbecue food. When it came time for the fireworks we returned to our perfect seats and enjoyed the show. The fireworks were spectacular and filled the entire sky right above our heads, we were so close I had little pieces of cardboard fall on me. This was by far the best time I have ever seen the annual firework show, I'm so glad Brock's family shared their excellent seats with me :)

Memorial Day Adventure

For Memorial Day Brock and I knew we wanted to get out of Wyview and do something different, but it took us a while to figure out just what. Luckily my mom had the idea of hiking up to the Timpanogos caves, something I haven't done since I was a tiny kid. So Brock and I packed up our gear and headed out early Monday morning to enjoy a nice day outside. However, as we drove up American Fork canyon we were met with the unexpected surprise of new fallen snow. We were afraid the caves would be shut down for the day because of it, but fortunately there was only about a 45 min delay. Despite the snow, or maybe even partly because of it, the hike was absolutely gorgeous. I would have liked it even if there was no cave at the top.

Top right: We both thought the cave entrance looked a lot like the gateway into Mordor in Lord of the Rings :)

Once at the top we went on an hour tour of the caves, which were beautiful and interesting in their own way. My favorite parts were the cave lake, and when they turn off all the lights so that you can see how dark it really gets in there. Your eyes can never adjust to the complete darkness so you can't even see the outline of your hand right in front of your face, kinda crazy.

After the cave tour we hiked back down, much quicker than we came up (it was hard not to run since it was such steep downhill). Then we headed back to Provo for a great lunch at Pizza Pie Cafe, completing our awesome Memorial day adventure.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Since winter started warming up into spring, or really ever since we became good friends, Brock has been trying to educate me on one of his favorite things, baseball. It started with a lesson on how to correctly throw and catch a baseball. To be honest his methods made me feel like one of the little leaguers he used to coach, but I have to admit his metaphors of poking the giant and throwing pies were pretty effective. Haha and although I'm no baseball  player, I was throwing way better than I ever have by the end of the day. After the basics it was time to hit the field to watch a real game. Since BYU's season started we've been to three games and we'll hopefully hit a few more before their last home game.

I never knew that I could actually enjoy watching baseball. I think a big part of it was that I used to get bored because I didn't really understand what was going on. Brock's been really good about answering all my questions and explaining the seemingly intricate details of the game though. Each time we go I find myself liking the sport more and more. I just regret that I never got to see Brock play back in high school, word on the street is that he's pretty amazing at the sport :) Anyway I'm hoping now that it's getting warm again outside we'll get to work on my throw a little more, I've always wanted to throw a little less like a girl. Oh and I think there's a sunflower eating lesson coming up as well which should be enlightening... haha.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Ever since the 9th grade when my sister Melanie and I bought the music to Wicked both on CD and piano sheet music it has been my dream to go and see Wicked on broadway. Well the perfect opportunity came up when we found out the production's tour would take them through Boise, Idaho. We bought tickets as soon as we found out and this past Wednesday I finally had the chance to see the production that went along with the music I have loved for so long. Sadly my sister Melanie had a ballet performance coming up and could not make it, but I'm confident she will get the chance in the future, if she's not the one on stage herself by then :) On the bright side McKayla lucked out and got to use her ticket. My parents and McKayla met Brock and I in Twin Falls at my aunt Holly's house. We then all crammed into our little green car along some subway sandwiches and continued on to Boise. We had perfect timing as we got there with just the right amount of time to park and make it to our seats with a short wait before the show began. 

Wicked was everything I hoped for and more. The performers were amazing, Glinda was hilarious and Elphaba had the most amazing voice. Not only was the plot and music great, but the set pieces were incredibly intricate as well. 

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go and I definitely wouldn't mind going for a second time someday in the future.

BYU Women's Conference 2011

Last week I started the spring term here at BYU. It was a little disappointing to have such a short break at home after just completing winter semester, but that was made up for by the two whole days I got to have my mom to myself :) My mom already had plans to come to the BYU women's conference so when we realized I'd still be up here too we decided to attend together. She stayed with me in my apartment at Wyview and we spent Thursday and Friday going to classes, an amazing concert (that included people like Hilary Weeks, David Osmond, Kirby Heyborn, and pianist Josh Wright), and eating delicious food. The conference was a great experience and I especially enjoyed the opportunity to listen to talks by Sister Beck and Brother Bednar. Most of all though I enjoyed sharing the experience with my mom. I love how close we are and how the older I grow the closer friends we become. Since this post is late it happens to fall conveniently on Mothers' Day, which is perfect because I want to let my mother know how much I love and appreciate her. She is truly an amazing woman in every way and if I can reach my goal of becoming even half as good as her someday than I will feel successful. I love you Mom and Happy Mothers' Day!!! :)

Salt Lake Shopping Spree!

One of my favorite things about going to school in Provo is being so close to Salt Lake City. I love being able to take a break from campus life and enjoy a night out in the big city. Last week on Saturday the 12th, Brock and I decided that we'd earned a well deserved break and what better place to take it than to go shopping at the Gateway mall, at least I thought so and I'm glad he agreed :) We headed out about noon and spent a good 5 hours there, trying on lots of clothes as well as just checking out fun stores like the electronics place, Dicks sporting goods, and this classy/expensive purse shop (nice customer service, they even offered us little cups of water while browsing haha). Anyway, we had a great time and I was able to get some needed clothing for the coming warm weather. After we exhausted the mall we decided to stop by Temple Square since neither of us had spent much time in the visitor centers there in a long time. One of them has a new large model of the Salt Lake Temple inside that is cut away so you can see what some of the different rooms look like, it's really awesome. We also spent some time just wandering up and down the square talking and looking at the various buildings, the temple looking absolutely beautiful as always. I never get tired of touring temple square and I love that I get the chance to do so a lot more frequently now.

I forgot my camera but I did get a picture of me and my shopping spoils the next day :)

Homework on a Friday Afternoon

When the sun is shining on a beautiful Friday afternoon and it's warmer outside than it has been in months the last thing a normal person would think is that it's a great time to do homework. However, this past Friday my great friend Lachelle and I had a big chemistry test coming up and knew that was what we should probably be doing... so we decided to make it more interesting. We made a trip to the dollar store and got to work. We got some pretty great looks and funny comments, but despite the nerdiness of it all we had a blast and feel a little bit more confident about our test. Here is what we created, personally I can't think of a better way to study on such a beautiful spring day :)

Valentines Day!!!

Valentines Day started out just like any other Monday, with me waking up at the crack of dawn in order study for my weekly anatomy lab quiz. After getting that out of the way, with a good score :), things were only looking up. I knew Brock had plans to take me out, but considering our friendship status I wasn't expecting much. However, I was still excited for the night and decided I wanted to do something for him first, I just didn't know what. After talking to my mom on the phone I came up with the perfect plan, a combination of being cute, funny, and out right cheesy, by heart-attacking his door, leaving candy, and a note. I cut out tons of hearts, wrote on them, and set out with April in a stealthy mid-afternoon attack. Luckily we timed it perfectly and Brock just happened to be out. His roommate however, did catch us. We may or may not have frightened him a bit when he tried to come outside and we grabbed the door handle telling him to go back in and pretend like he didn't see anything haha but it all worked out. So far its still there and I snagged this picture a couple days later, I'm glad Brock ended up liking it. (He does a good job of pretending to be surprised in the picture, sadly I forgot to take any pictures the actual night, of this or our date)

Later that night Brock showed up at my door with three pink roses, looking quite handsome in his dark jeans and black sports coat. I do have to say that we're looking pretty dang good together ;) but alas no pictures (I wore a black sequined top and jacket, dark skinny jeans, and heels). After I put the flowers in a vase we headed out to P.F. Changs. Thank goodness Brock had thought ahead to make reservations because it was crazy busy with up to a 2 hour waiting time. This was my first time eating there and I have to say wow it was definitely as good as everyone says it is. After finishing the delicious chinese food we headed back to Brock's apartment to kill some time before heading to the movies. While there we talked to his roommate David and his date, as well as shared some sparkling cider. Then Brock surprised me yet again with a beautiful red rose and some great smelling perfume/lotion from Victoria Secret (I'll be the first to say he definitely spoils me). Stopping by my apartment to add the additional rose to the vase we then went to the movie theater to end the night by watching the new movie Just Go With It, with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. So as you can see I was a very lucky girl this Valentines Day. Even though I started out the day trying not to have too high of expectations, I ended up having the perfect night with my perfect guy :) Thanks Brock!

Time to de-stress

Sometimes the stress of school gets to be too much and it's just time to take a break. Now as an experienced second semester freshman... I have come up with several ways of de-stressing after a long day/week of classes, homework, and tests. Here are just a few:

• Hot tubbing, at the apartment complex across the street... luckily no one's figured out we don't live there yet
• Phone calls with my mom
• Weekly TV shows on hulu, my personal favorites being slightly stereotypical of a teenage girl haha but thats ok; Glee, Bachelor, Pretty Little Liars, the Office, and Gossip Girl.
• Yoga! I never knew that it could actually be such a good work out, although personally I just love corpse pose ;)
• BYU brownies, need I say more
• 30 minute naps can be the best thing ever
• Making a dinner that involves more than the microwave
• Card games, my new favorite being "Hand and Foot"
• Dollar movie theater down the road
• Skyping Amy :)
• Decorating the apartment, it's a little obvious that we're Jimmer fans
• Going on runs by the temple
• Car trips home or to Utah State
• $5 Blackjack pizza deals
• Visiting my Grandparents in Spanish Fork
• Hanging out in Scott's slightly getto apartment
• Spontaneous dance parties
• Baseball throwing lessons from Brock
• Driving around Provo with the windows down playing gangster music
• Walmart runs for snacks and hitting up Redbox
• Collapsing on a couch in the Wilk with a Jamba in hand
• Making crazy pictures and poems out of a romantic word magnet set my roommate Alysa found somewhere (one of the few I captured a picture of, April and I created this one night about a month ago)

And like I said this list isn't even complete, but these are the kind of things that keep me loving college even when it does get hard.

Renewed Commitment

This whole blog endeavor started with a challenge from my Aunt Lisa to post once a week. I started out pretty strong but in the last couple of months I've been lucky to complete my Christmas post. But today as I happened upon Lisa's blog to see she has reached her 5th anniversary of posting, it hit me how awesome it would be to have books like that to look back on. College only comes around once and I don't want to forget all the fun times and crazy experiences that I have. So to make a story short I have renewed my commitment to weekly blogs, no matter how busy life gets :)

Christmas Celebrations

I can't believe its already been a month since I posted last, life has certainly been crazy. Having Scott up at the Y and a heavier class load has definitely kept me busy. Before it gets too late though I really wanted to post about some of the highlights during my Christmas break.

A New Addition to the Family
We had so much fun with her when I brought my roommate April home for thanksgiving that when we found out she had no plans for the holiday we insisted that she return home with us. My siblings love her to death, probably because she's willing to play games with them (including the boys' favorite Yugio).

Santa Surprise dinner
Melanie and her friends took a turn hosting our annual Santa surprise dinner. The food was great and it was a lot of fun sitting at a table full of friends I hadn't seen since summer. We also had plenty of neighbor friends over as well with the total number of seated people coming out to almost 30. We were lucky that we all fit into the kitchen.

Christmas at the Sandalls

Since we decided to postpone our usual traditions and present opening until Scotts return, the Sandall family invited us to come celebrate Christmas eve and day with them. We had a blast, the kids had new playmates, there was great food, and I had a great time catching up with Holly and Stuart. It was also great to see how they've picked up on some of our favorite traditions like using code names for the presents, such as toy story, and even better taking most of the day to open them, stopping for the occasional movie or game ;)

The Nativity Scene

This year's was especially fun as we got to act out the nativity with all of the Jackson kids as well as the Sandalls. April and I played the stoic and introspective shepherds :)

Christmas Pajamas

The Jackson family all matching again, we're only missing Scott but he'd join us in just a few days. No my mother didn't sew them all herself this time but I think she still did a good job considering she could find something that came in all of our sizes.

Picking up Scott at the Airport

This was obviously the long awaited event of the week. After three trips to the airport just to find out that his plane had been once again delayed because of a snowstorm in Salt Lake, we finally got to pick up our big brother and bring him home.

Our neighbor/adopted aunt Brenda Jamison recorded the whole thing on camera for us and caught some pretty funny moments in our anticipation, as well as some joyful cheers, screams, and even tears upon his arrival.

Christmas Celebrations
After picking up Scott we had a late Christmas eve dinner and then gathered round to hear some stories from his mission, try mexican candy, and open the gifts he had brought home with him. (Perfume for the girls and nice jackets for the boys)

Christmas morning we started with the stockings, one of my favorite parts, and then enjoyed being together as we spent the day opening gifts and playing games.

Talent Show
The Sunday before Scott and I headed back up to BYU we also had an awesome family talent show in which everyone contributed, with lots of fun piano playing and singing. I need to give a shout out to Melanie for organizing it, she did a great job and also learned the accompaniment to many songs so that we wouldn't have to sing to a CD. Also I have to say that singing and playing duets with my sisters is one of my favorite things in the world, I hope we continue to enjoy making music together for the rest of our lives :) (Thank you mom and dad for all of the lessons and and making us practice)