HEY! SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEW BLOG! please. :D

why you gotta be so mean

Welp I thought I'd only use the other blog but now I can't decide. Where do I post random thoughts and happenings of the day that do not involve Austin or married life? Conundrum.

Thanks to my good friend Rebecca I have a place to stay when I interview at Wake Forest! That cuts down costs so much. Yay! And they seem like super nice people. I'm trying right now to figure out plane tickets to Virginia for my third interview with Jefferson College (yay!). (They just called me on Monday. Was sooo happy) Virginia sucks because their airports are spotty and there are too many of them and I can't figure out which is the best way to go. Southwest is cheapest but only goes to Raleigh which is 3 hours away. Delta is more expensive but right in the city I need to be (Roanoke). What do I do?! Oh, and I can't wait till I'm 25 and renting a car isn't an extra $15 a day. Bleah.

Car insurance also sucks. And getting a cell phone plan. I'm just so afraid I'll get a call from a PA school and miss it if I change it now. This is not the best time to be changing names, etc, unfortunately...

I'm very irked today by my bosses who came to do my yearly evaluation (even though I won't get my raise till January... what??) and said I got a "low met" on attendance/clocking in business. What the heck! Apparently if I don't stick to my "schedule" which is 8-6, then it comes up to them as me not being in or out on time. Well I come at 8:15 because patients don't need to be drawn till then and sometimes I leave at 5:30, sometimes 6, sometimes 6:30, just depends on the day. You can't calculate these things! So I'm rather irritated that they want to "track my trends" so they can make a "more accurate schedule." That's so retarded. It doesn't even affect anything! Policies that have no point are RETARDED. GAH.

In other news, our apartment is finally looking good! I'll post pictures soon--no wait I won't. They'll be on the other blog. Ha! How confusing!!!

Signing off!
Jean Goff


haha what a funny rhyme

New blog!

jeanandaustin.blogspot.com

Follow if you wish. Hope you do. :)

domestic

Last night I made the most delicious zucchini-potato frittata. I used the cast-iron skillet that my friends got me and it was perfect. Needed some salt and pepper but it was perfectly moist and the vegetables were cooked through just right. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

I tried to take cool pictures but only got one that turned out ok--I'll update later with it and the recipe.

feeling sniffly

Hopin it's just allergies and that it will go away soon, preferably before Saturday because, you know, that's kind of an important date.

I keep going through bouts of excitement and nervousness.

Does anybody have good recipes that are quick, healthy, and made for two? It's a bit harder to find recipes online than I thought--many are so fatty or take so long or are way expensive to cook. It's hard because I get home at 6:30 and we're usually hungry then and don't want to wait another hour to eat. But I guess we'll just have to get used to it because there's really no way around that unless we eat out each night. HA! Fat chance. (Pun intended) Anyway, if you have any favorites, let me know!

I think I'm going to start a new blog in a week. You know, gotta follow that trend of having a married blog to show off your awesome married life to other people. Haha.

I'm not as sore this time around as Havasupai (we hiked the Grand Canyon this weekend! RIM TO RIM! 24 miles. Which is not as cool as the Goff men who hiked RIM TO RIM TO RIM aka 48 miles. But still pretty hardcore for me). I'll post pics and a whole post especially for that trip soon. :)

Hope you all had a splendid weekend!

there has been lots to think about and feel

I'm just going to write all the unrelated thoughts I've had in the past while.

Being married is going to be hard, I think. Ok not being married, being a wife. In the traditional sense. Yesterday was my first real day of being like that. I rushed during my lunch break to get groceries for dinner, had to surf for recipes to make, rushed home to hurry and make it before Austin got home, then we had to rush to look at some couches (of which we made a purchase!! and had a hassle getting a truck for transport but it all worked out in the end), then while Austin was studying I did the dishes, washed the couch pillow covers we just got, went shopping for his little brother's b-day gift and returned some things at Target, and dropped off a wedding invitation before heading home to clean the rest of the apartment. It was exhausting! No it wasn't exactly mind-stressing work but holy cow I just wanted to sit and relax and not be cooking or cleaning. I thought it would be so fun doing all that domestic stuff but after a day of playing house, I'm done with it. :)

I keep getting patients who are old women whose husbands have recently died. It hits me hard because it would kill me if Austin died right now. And yet these women have been married for so long and love their husbands so much more... it kills me.

We're heading to Arizona this week and I'll visit Austin's hometown Mesa for the first time! Crazy huh? I'm pretty stoked. Then we're doing the crazy run in the Grand Canyon. I'm just doing the 26 miler though. And no, you don't run the whole time, a ton of it is just hiking. But still. If the 20 miles at Havasupai killed me, I'm sure I will die this time too, haha. But it's going to be so fun!!!!!

We have acquired a couch as previously mentioned and a dining set off KSL, the most wonderful classifieds website in the world. I'm so excited, our apartment is finally looking like a home! Now for a bed and dresser... then an entertainment center... then a nightstand... well, I did purchase 2 lamps today, for only $10! A steal, right? Well, not if you somehow break one of them on the way back. Yeah, somehow the wire snapped in two and I can't find the other half, the part that plugs into the wall. BIZARRE huh?? I have no idea what happened b/c I'm pretty dang sure I didn't shut it in the door but even then, it wouldn't have snapped, it had to have been dragged by something.... I don't know. But I'm pretty bummed, I was so happy to have a matching set... but my coworker thinks I can just rewire it. Time for another home project! Oh we also have a coffee table that we are painting dark brown. Yay! So is black and brown finally an ok combination? Because that's what our dining set is. Doesn't seem fashionably-incorrect anymore. Hope it isn't!

It's weird because I feel like I shouldn't be busy what with less wedding stuff to prepare and such, but I still have absolutely jam-packed days and have to keep postponing things. You wouldn't think you could be this busy when you're not in school and just working, but boy you can be. It's hard b/c all my friends are uber busy too and it seems like we just don't have time for each other anymore. Hopefully things settle down after we get married and I can visit them more. Although they will still be uber busy so maybe it still won't happen. :(

I AM REALLY EXCITED FOR NEXT SATURDAY........!!!!!!!!! Less than two weeks! I can't believe it! I went to my last singles ward this week. Crazy huh!? I will now be in a couples or family ward for the rest of my life. Crazy crazy crazy. Can't even believe it. I am so so so excited but at the same time scared and also feel like it's just not going to happen. I can't anticipate how big a change this will be, because it is so big a change. Everything will be different. Forever. No temporary here. That is just so insane to me. I cannot comprehend it at all... hopefully it is all very good and once it happens I ease into it well. Let's cross our fingers for a good transition!! :) It'll be funny getting married over the weekend then coming right back to work on Monday. Ha!

I still need a dress for the luncheon. And a new purse. And swimsuit. But I got brown heels, finally! Mom you'll be so proud, I should send you pics they are SO cute. Kinda uncomfortable though... pain for beauty. Oh well. :)

I haven't taken pictures in so long. I want a new camera. I want to renew my love for photos.

hm

After some life evaluation, I have decided that I'm not doing so hot.

Therefore I will be immersing myself in all things good and hoping to come out a better person.

Even though the main mantra is "Love God, Love Others" it gets complicated when you factor in temple attendance, scripture, reading, being chaste, among other things. All those things show love to God but are more difficult to do, it seems, than to "simply" love Him.

Only a bit over two weeks until the wedding and we still haven't sent out a few announcements. I feel kind of not on top of things but the first month of planning was so crazy that now I feel lazy. (Rhyme!) We just, well I just, moved into our new apartment and it's the only time in my life I will be habitating a place solo. It's been fine so far though, as long as I force myself not to think scary thoughts or wonder what those noises are at night. I wish we had furniture. You'd think having just a full-time job would leave you lots of free time but alas, it is not so. I still have not had time to even get a shower rod for the bathroom, let alone a mattress, dresser, etc. And there seems to be a million things going on all the time. I just want to relax. Oh well, two more weeks, right? Well, sorta. Because then I have two interviews I have to fly to two weeks in a row and our open house in Utah and Austin's brother's wedding. Whew! Then our honeymoon! But I should be happy, I am blessed to be marrying such a wonderful man and to have such wonderful family supporting me.

I want to be perfect! Why can't I just be perfect??

I think, sometimes, it's easier to listen to parents than anybody else.

in the sun

Whoa tons has happened. Have not updated in FOREVER.

Flowers: check.
Austin's suit: check.
Ties: check.
Cake: check.
Reception decor ideas: check.
Dress: check.
Bridals: check.
Ring: sorta check. Came wayyy too big so unfortunately we have to return. Boo.
Invitations: mostly check. Unless you live in Utah. We decided to have a Utah open house after all! But the date is still TBA so we're going to wait so we can put in a little insert. Sorry it will be so late!

Bridals were SO FUN. Becky is AWESOME and did my hair and makeup let alone photography! LOVED how she did everything. Also, we got some shots with MOOSE in the background which was scary as HECK. They were freaking charging at us, so it seemed, but really they were just romping around together, if you get my drift... but I just kept thinking about how moose are more dangerous than bears and that I was wearing a bright white wedding dress that was practically screaming COME CHARGE AT ME. We backed slowly away and were safe... but it was scary as heck and I was ticked b/c the spot we were in was awesome. Oh well. We got some good shots elsewhere. (Like the ranch! haha)

I also went shopping with Sheryl, my future mother-in-law, and she was AMAZING and got me all my temple clothes! I never have to rent! I can go whenever I want! It was so nice of her. Then we went to Dillard's to look at bedding b/c she said a ton of stuff was on clearance so we went crazy putting together some chocolate brown and taupe bedding and she got all that for us too!! Talk about amazing! I have a bed! And temple clothes! All in one day! Also, I was meandering at Seagull book while waiting for her to come to the store and won books from some promotion they were doing! It was a good day.

Lauren and I have been running together which is awesome and bad. Awesome because I'm LOVING having a running buddy but bad b/c now I've been so spoiled, I don't ever want to run solo anymore. Which means I pretty much only run once or twice a week, haha. But they're long runs (we're at 8 miles right now) so it's ok, I think. But I better start the "look good naked" workout... hahaha.

I'm pretty sure more things have been going on but I can't remember...

Havasupai

Just went on a brutally quick but super awesomely fun trip with the Goffs'. We left at 3pm on Friday afternoon, drove to Arizona, to the Grand Canyon, got in at midnight, slept outside on tarps (the stars were AMAZING), got up at 5am and hiked 8 miles into Havasupai, this amazing canyon with tons of waterfalls and gorgeous scenery on the Indian reservation of the Grand Canyon.
It was soooooooooo fun!!! First of all, all of Austin's uncles on the Goff side are suuuper hilarious and really nice and just fun to be around. Second of all, it was gorgeous there, even though supposedly it's been washed out and made less beautiful by huge floods of recent years. Thirdly, waterfalls are SO COOL and SO FUN to play in! The cold water was perfect in the hot desert sun and I've never been behind a waterfall before! It was scary getting in, the mist sprays so heavily that you breathe in water making it feel like a drowning sensation but it was still so cool! And we went cliff jumping off this 25-30 ft waterfall which scary as HECK but so fun! I have a nasty bruise on my thigh from it but it was worth it for sure. We also went into an abandoned mine, going down all the shafts and such which was also way super fun. Chief and Logan got lost from us for a good chunk of the day, but they were still good sports about it. We climbed up a little waterfall, played on a rope swing, man it was just so fun!! One of my favorite trips this year for sure.

Ha that even includes the brutal hike back up. It felt way longer than it felt coming in that's for sure. And going up those switchbacks... I went slowly, moseying on up, but made it, haha. That felt good. We hiked over 25 miles that day. Most I've ever hiked in one day before. I am so sore I can't walk without looking really really.... odd, to say the least. I don't know how long it'll take for my legs to recuperate but it was totally worth it. I loved it!!this is where we jumped off!! it looks so scary from top but from the bottom not so bad

I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!

Just thinking about my love at work. Here's the past year of our life in pictures!

August

This was our first "date." I invited him up to SLC to a Cervical Cancer Awareness Awards Dinner which ended up being about ten people, all women, and me and Austin. He was such a good sport. :) It only counts as a date because he bought us cheese fries afterwards. Haha.

September

Austin took me outdoor climbing for the first time! It was suuuuuper fun. No that is not sarcastic. It was also our birthday month!

October

We went Halloween dance-hopping then watched a scary movie at my apt. I was a cowgirl and he was a fat bloated constipated man. I saw him bump and grind for the first time and the last time (at least for the next 2 years).

November

No pictures of us together! How odd. But we were definitely together every single day except when he left for AZ over Thanksgiving. But he helped me a ton with my texting awareness campaign, shown here.

December

Uncle Mike! Austin's bff Sam's uncle is Michael McLean, of the Forgotten Carols. He scored us tickets to the show and we got to meet him afterwards!

January

Ooo, a good month! Hard to pick. This is from my first overnight camping trip with him to Snow Canyon down south. My favorite climbing trip with him so far. :)

February

He's good at being romantic when it comes down to it. One of our Valentine's Day activities was ice skating in the snowfall. Very romantic, haha.

March
Another packed month! We flew home to Seattle to meet my parents for the first time. Tons of fun!

April

I graduated!!!!!! Austin met my Aunt and Uncle and my parents for the second time. He also had very long hair.

May

I ran my first half-marathon! After being a good motivator through four months of training, Austin helped me through this crazy weathered race.

June

One of the coolest things about dating a Utahn native is that they know all the secrets of the place. Aka I got to do such cool things!! (Don't worry, I love him for better reasons than that!) One of these cool things is Mona, the waterhole pond place that you rope swing into! He was awesome and took me and my friends that were visiting that weekend there. So fun!!! (note: the boy in the picture is Austin's friend, not him. Or me.)

July

We headed to the Uintas, the beautiful yet mosquito-ridden land for climbing and camping and fishing. Look at him go!

August

At long last... we are engaged. A wonderful proposal from a wonderful guy, I can't wait for October 23!!

I just had the strangest experience

This old woman, over 80 years old, just came in to get her blood drawn. She is the sweetest old lady, so nice and happy regardless of her painfully arthritic hands and inability to lift her arms up on the chair to get her blood drawn. So I had her lay it on her lap and drew her from down there. The son, still old enough to be my grandpa, was so incredibly grateful to me for getting her the first time and for being so careful with her. He just emanated gratitude from his face! Now the strange part, is it almost made me tear up!

I think it is because he was so grateful which made me think 1) he really loves his mother, also evidenced by his taking her to her doctor's visit and 2) his mother must have gone through lots of painful procedures in her life. Both of which made me tear up, almost.

There are so many people in so much pain in this world! I see so many every day just through patients. Some are cranky about it but some are so kind and wonderful and happy regardless of their many problems. I hope I can be that way too!

the times, they are a-changin'

Holy busy busy busy. Holy change change change. Holy holy holy.

There are so many big events coming up, and therefore tons of things to do to prepare for them!

So far for the wedding I've got the venue booked, colors picked, plane tickets purchased, a guest list started, a music playlist started, photo slideshow started. What do I need done? My word. Pick a photographer, pick invitations, gift registry, doctor's visit/birth control, book the temple, HOUSING, cake, flowers, dress, bridesmaid dresses, wedding band, oh, and all the things I've started yet not finished.

Time is ticking away...

Also, I just got my first PA school interview!!! With Wake Forest in North Carolina. I just purchased my tickets right now and I'll be there Nov 14-16, right after Austin's brother's wedding. Let me tell ya, the weeks forthcoming are absolutely insane. I'm flying to Seattle in about a month, then running a half-marathon with the Goffs, then running like 15 miles in the Grand Canyon with the Goffs, then we're getting married, then Tanner's getting married, then the Wake Forest interview, then potentially a U of U interview, during which I have to take a basic anatomy, physiology, and medical knowledge test. Oh and they don't provide a study guide.

It's kind of crazy all of the things that are piling up. This is going to be the busiest fall ever. I can't wait until our honeymoon (planned for Thanksgiving break) when I can just relax and breathe. Everything will be done by then. Well, unless I get interviews with any other schools. Which would be awesome! But just expensive and stressful at the same time. But I guess all good things can't be entirely good.

I'm getting married!!! I'm flying around the country for interviews!!! Is this what growing up is like???

We're engaged!!

Austin proposed to me last Thursday and we are engaged!!!!!!

We had picked out a ring the week before and he picked it up on Tuesday but said he wasn't ready and probably wouldn't propose for a few weeks so I was just DYING because I wanted to see the ring and of course be engaged so it was hard... but then, the little trickster, he takes me to his new apt to drop off a TV and we walk inside to see the kitchen table covered in pictures of us, music playing, it's set for dinner, so I start freaking out. I just kept thinking OMGOSH IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW!!! And then he starts reading me the following sonnet by Pablo Neruda and featured in Patch Adams:

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way
because I don't know any other way of loving
but this, in which there is no I nor you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep
it is your eyes that close.

So I started crying because it is just so beautiful... and he leads me over to where the ring was... and asked me to marry him. :):):)

Oh it was so wonderful. I was giddy all that day and the next, couldn't stop smiling, etc... :) It's so fun! Anyway, the date is October 23 which is coming up way fast I know, but no other dates worked out (his brother is getting married in Nov and his other brother has finals for law school in Dec). So we already took some of our engagements last night with my WONDERFUL photographer BFF Becky Leung, and this picture is one that she worked on because she couldn't wait. :) We'll get them back in a few weeks. I'm so excited!

Things are a whirlwind but I am so happy! Yayyyy everything is so great!! <3

first August post on the 16th??

It's not like I haven't had things going on, but just nothing for posting. It's been a crazy few weeks (hahahha I just typed "phew") But I guess I can write about this weekend!

Saturday was Austin's and my one year anniversary of dating. :) So after I dropped Caroline off at the airport, spending a sweaty two hours in my little non-air conditioned car, Austin picked me up and we did some shopping then made bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers for dinner. We ate while watching Pure Country, a movie starring George Strait, one of my new favorite country singers, then headed out to a surprise destination! I'm so glad it warmed up that night, because we went to a pond by his work to feed the ducks!! May sound silly to you, but it was a lovely gesture seeing as he absolutely has refused to ever feed the ducks (or the birds) with me. So I was happy as a clam of course. :) Ooo we also saw this crazy snake looking thing in the water, it was so fast! And eating the bread too, but it was so dark we couldn't see what it was... kinda creepy. I want to go back in the daytime to see what it is.

Then we did this thing that he had actually planned for Valentine's Day (exactly 6 months earlier) but we never got around to doing. He brought a jar and we wrote down three things then put them in and read them. 1. One thing you love about the other person. 2. Where you want to be in 15 years. 3. A favorite memory with the other person. (I feel okay writing this here b/c none of his friends read this so he can't get ridiculed for the romanticness) How adorable is that?! To top off the night we went to his new apartment and made brownies and had them with ice cream. All in all, a wonderful day and night!

Other news: I'm leaving Heather Cove Condos finally this week, after a lovely long year living in them. I'm moving in with my friend Jamie, her family lives in Orem and they're letting me rent out the basement bedroom (which apparently is HUGE! the size of my kitchen and living room put together. holy holy) and eat there, etc, so I'm way stoked! It's also literally 2 minutes from my work so that'll be awesome. And I think that's all to report!

need bachelorette party ideas?

There's something cool about throwing a party solely for someone else.

Today I threw Caroline's bachelorette party, first one ever for me. I've been planning for a few months now and Jamie helped out and it really turned out to be a great success. Something I realized was how awesome it felt, to throw such a good party and have Caroline so happy. She kept saying it was absolutely perfect. And others mentioned that too. I think it felt so good because it was for someone else, not me. Sometimes when I've had parties in the past, I've gotten super cranky because people would just come and have a good time but not even notice all the hard work I put into it or try to talk to me or hang out at all. I always hated it. But this time all the focus was on Caroline and the point was for HER to have a good party so everything was for her. And I loved it so much more!! It was more fun and just felt good to focus on someone else. I don't know if I'm making any sense here but it was a realization for me so I thought I'd write about it.

Here are pictures from the party--if you're scarred from the shadyness, I apologize... :)

I had to make a trip out to Dirty Jo Punster's for these candies...

Lovely penis cookies complete with coconut hair...

Each guest had to put on a tattoo--do you like ours?

The beautiful bride-to-be with tattoos and a lovely sign

products of a lazy work day

It is 2:35pm and I have drawn blood from 2 patients.

To utilize my time effectively I have been producing an assortment of arts and crafts. Exhibit A-C: birthday cards. What do you think?

Exhibit D: A "Scripture Calling Card." A girl in my ward is getting baptized this Saturday and I wanted to get her something to help her in this whole gospel goodness. This is something similar to what I received in Young Women's at one point in time, something I used and really loved. It has all sorts of emotions that warrant scripture help, and you can stick it in your scriptures for convenient use.
I'm planning on doing the other side in Korean.

Here are the scriptures if you fancy looking some up for yourself:

When you feel discouraged, "call" John 16:33--D&C 11:12-14
When you feel angry, "call" Proverbs 15:1 & Proverbs 16:32
When you are going through trials, "call" Isaiah 40:29-31--Alma 36:3--Philippians 4:13
When you feel abandoned, "call" D&C 101:16--Romans 8:35-39
When you feel scared, "call" 1 Nephi 4:1-3--Psalms 27:1--D&C 6:33-37--John 14:18, 27
When you feel selfish, "call" Mosiah 2:17-18
When you feel impatient, "call" Mosiah 3:19--Alma 26:27-28
When you feel like you're losing faith, "call" 1 Nephi 1:20--Ether 12:6--Moroni 7:19, 40-48
When you need to repent, "call" Alma 36: 17-21
When you need perspective, "call" D&C 30: 1-2
When you need charity, "call" Isaiah 41:6--1 Corinthians 13
When you feel tempted, "call" 1 Corinthians 10:13

Well, nothing more to report other than a slightly depressing phone call. Only 3 hours of work left.

michelina's

I love microwavable dinners. They're easy breezy and delicious and not a lot of calories! Love.

My cousin Ashley is going to Korea for SIX MONTHS to teach English and learn Korean. Holy cow! It's going to be such an awesome adventure, I'm kinda jealous... I had my abroad stint but it involved a far more dangerous country so she's lucky. :) Ashley, I'm going to miss you like crazy, it'll suck not having you around in Provo but you're going to have the best time ever, so live it up! :)
This picture serves a double purpose because I just want you all to know that I'm in love with this boy. :) And that is all.

t-swizzle

I love Taylor Swift so so so much. Sometimes I try to wean myself off her and listen to other things, but in the end, I always come back to her. I don't know how many times I've listened to her album. Somebody please let me borrow the first one! And her new one comes out in 3 months! But I can't wait that long!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other news, PA schools are falsifying my hopes, methinks. I've gotten emails/letters from 4 schools saying they're already reviewing my application. But that doesn't mean AT ALL that they're going to pick me to interview, but it makes it feel that way because they're personally contacting me! I gotta get my head back into perspective, which is that only 5% of all applicants get accepted. Get real, Jean! It might not happen this year! Still, my fingers are crossed...

Last night while I was driving up to Bountiful a lady from Jefferson College called me. She asked if I was still planning on applying or whatnot and then what my GPA in college was. After I told her she said I was eligible for a $4000 scholarship!!! She's going to mail me the details!! But the thing is, I think she was just from the general school, and they just call all potential applicants, etc. I mean, this does not in any way mean I'm accepted or they're even considering me, it's a just in case, what if scenario. But still... I mean $4000 won't put a dent into $65,000 but it'll still help a tiny bit! And what if it's per semester?? Then it'll help out a lot more! Oh man oh man... it's all so nerve racking! But I have such a long waiting game first! Boo... better just put it out of my mind for now.

Hm is it wrong to steal CDs from the library? As in rip them onto your computer?

estoy aburrida as heck

This is me at work, being bored as heck. I've been at work for 6 hours and have only drawn 4 people's blood. I'M GOING CRAZY.

Anybody have any ideas on what to do while bored at work??? I'm not very good at surfing the web. Plus the internet connection is come and go.

Jean's Ideas:
-learn how to do the rubik's cube
-knit
-read harry potter, twilight, the hunger games, classics I never got to read in high school, etc etc (give me good book ideas!)
-study anatomy and physiology again
-study spanish
-learn how to use photoshop or other editing programs

Do you like my scrubs? Because I do. If you're ever looking for cheap ones, hit up Burlington Coat Factory!

In other news, I've decided to run another half-marathon! This one is in St. George, Snow Canyon, where Austin and I went camping and climbing back in January. Which is cool because I ran my first 5+miler there, as I had just started training for my first half. It's going to be gorgeous! It's in November, so I have a little over 3 months to train. I planned it all out--I'm going to run 15 miles two weeks prior to the race. I'm hoping to trim my time down to 2 hours. PR here we come!! So now my running schedule consists of strength training and speed workouts. Hopefully it works!

I re-budget at least twice a week and somehow it fluctuates like crazy. Today was a depressing day--I hardly have money for anything. I'm going to start donating plasma again, first appointment this Saturday.

I'm getting my hair cut today! Three inches and thinning. I'm sick of it being so long. If I had time and the skills to make my hair look cool every day, long hair would be great! But I don't, and I don't, which is where the hair cut comes in. I'm going to Paul Mitchell--super cheap and they give a GREAT head massage with it. Sure it takes a lot longer but I've got plenty of time these days...

My dad got a job interview in SLC for overstock.com! He flies in tomorrow and leaves on Friday. I'm SOOOO excited!! I haven't seen family since April and haven't been home since March so it'll be way nice. I miss family oh so much. It'd be weird/cool to have my parents live in Utah but I kind of hope they don't so I can still visit my real home back in Washington, haha. I mean how sad would that be if I never got to go back and visit?? :(:(:( But if this is a good job I guess that's the smartest thing to do.

Any other news? No, I don't think so... well that sufficiently used up twenty minutes of time. What next for the next 4 hours...

cheap entertainment

I was sitting in ward council yesterday morning when they started discussing the upcoming ward camping trip. There's a girl in our ward, Korean, who is getting baptized the same day, but later in the afternoon. They were debating whether or not she would come. So one girl, super loud and one of those annoying RMs, you know, talks about her mission constantly and brings it up every second possible, starts asking if Koreans ever go camping. Someone else says of course they do, the Bishop says Japanese people do, they keep arguing whether or not Koreans go camping. I'm sitting there, amused, yet feeling somewhat invisible, as they don't even realize that I'm there. Then the girl starts telling everyone to "Check the tags of your tents and see if any of them say 'Made in Korea' or have Korean writing--it's just a bunch of circles and straight lines, that's what it looks like." By this time I'm just staring at the girl in front of me, incredulous, as we both silently laugh about how they still aren't realizing I'm sitting in the room. Finally someone says "Why don't we just ask the Korean?" and loud girl looks over and is surprised and says she didn't know I was Korean.

All in all, it was a rather entertaining meeting.

One thing confuses me--why would tents being made in Korea signify that Koreans camp? Everything we own is made in China or Bangladesh or wherever but I'm pretty sure they don't use all of the items we do. And secondly, why would there be Korean writing on it? Yeah, this girl is nuts.

I mean, I should be nicer, but she just drives me up the wall.

In other news, last night was also eventful. I was finally about to fall asleep, around 1am, when the girls upstairs start being loud as heck and literally yelling across their apartment to each other and laughing super loud, etc. After putting in ear plugs and still hearing them quite well, I stood up and banged on the ceiling as hard as I could.

It hurt my hand (ceilings are harder than I thought!) but it worked!

Sadly, however, the moment had passed. And it took me another hour to fall asleep. And for that, I curse them to the high heavens and hope they land in a mosquito-infested marsh with no deet to protect them.

once meses

yesterday Austin and I "celebrated" our 11-month "anniversary."

"celebrated" because we didn't do much but I made him dinner and dessert (red bell pepper meatloaf + strawberry cheesecake) and then we watched an old Clark Gable film. and then he tucked me into bed.

"anniversary" because "ann" refers to "year" so technically we're not allowed to celebrate anything yet. but I figured 11 months is long enough to have a fun little day out of it.

anyway, today I had to call a patient back to get her redrawn because Labcorp and Central Lab don't communicate so the specimen didn't get transferred on time so it was too old to process. but this lady, I had forgotten, talks a ton but is super interesting and writes children's books. and she brought me some today! what a wonderful lady, she is inconvenienced yet still remembers me and wants to share her work with me. how kind of her! just gave them to me! children's books are pricey these days, and these look beautiful and wonderful. it totally made my day.

this morning I woke up at 5:45am to get to a fire extinguisher training up in Murray. yuck. it took 45 minutes to drive for a 20 minute training in which the only thing they couldn't just email us was actually doing the extinguishing. but even that hello you can practice here! I admit, it was cool to actually use one, but still. how ridiculous. an hour and a half of driving for 20 minutes. and loss of a few hours of sleep. le sigh. oh, and I have a work meeting tonight at 6:30 so my day is 7am-7:30pm. whoooo

at least I'm getting paid! oh I also just found out that we get reimbursed for mileage!! how sweeeet is that?? makes all those salt lake trainings worth it!

in other news, I just bought plane tickets to Caroline's wedding on Sept 18!!! very exciting :) I really miss my family. a lot more than usual, probably because this is the longest I've ever gone without seeing them or going home. I just want to be home, among the familiarity that is only ever found there, among family who love me and whom I love, just talking and hanging out. sigh. I miss them.

yep.

real life

I guess you can't really know anything until you experience it. And I guess you can't compare your life to anyone else's because circumstances, people, everything is different, everything. So not only is there no point but it's dangerous because it can make your whole world fall apart if you let it. Don't let such things cloud your judgment or your expectations or what YOU want, YOU, not because other people have it but because YOU want or need it.

And things aren't like they are on TV, not nearly as emotional or dramatic I mean helloooo they're trying to sell something here so of course they can't make it like real life. So don't get sucked into things like that.

And maybe I shouldn't be scared of the unknown or of making mistakes or whatnot. I make life what it is, I have a say in it, I make things happen, things don't happen to me. I can make life wonderful. And new chapters are arising all the time! New eras! New times! And I should embrace it, not be scared or shy away or worry about it! I can do this! Not only do it, but be great at it! Succeed at it! It's going to be amazing!!!

On another note, I'm REALLY excited for dinner tonight.

oi vey

the flag you hold up when someone's in the water

I was so ridiculously bored today.

Well it started off awesome, I went boating for the first time in forever, with Jamie and her mom. I just wakeboarded and I got up well every single time but didn't stay up too long. The weather was okay, but it could've been warmer and less windy. But still tons of fun!

Then we asked boy Jamie questions about Caroline and their relationship, etc, for her bachelorette party. For which, if you ever are planning one, HIT THE DOLLAR STORE! They have a whole section within their party section for bachelorette parties! So I got some cute invitations, tattoos, and other accessories... :D I'm really excited for it, it's going to be so fun!!

Then we went to my FAVORITE photographer's gallery--he just did a shoot to raise money for the local women's shelter. Justin Hackworth--look him up. He was there and it was so great to meet him finally! I've loved him for about two years so that was awesome. He was super nice. :)

But after that, the Jamies left me and I had nothing to do. I watched Seinfeld while whitening my teeth but that finished the season I borrowed so none left. So I decided to take a nap because I'd only gotten 6 hours of sleep or less every night this week. I woke up to Austin calling me, so after we talked a bit, I tried to find things to do. But I realized my wallet was in my car which I had accidentally left up at Jamie's so I was stranded. Watched some random TV then Frog and Savage came over for a bit and Sean was nice enough to drive me up to my car! Hopefully they'll call me tomorrow.

So yeah, I kind of realized that I have two girl friends here (Jamie and Becky) and since they were both busy, I was lost with nothing to do. I guess that's just what happens when you're in a relationship for this long, you lose touch with people. But also everyone's left for the summer. I miss my high school friends too, boo. I wonder when I'll see them next. And I did have people I could've called but just couldn't get myself to do it. I dunno. So yeah it was a pretty uneventful Friday night.

Tomorrow I'm going to work on my apps and TURN THEM IN!!! Maybe even the U of U one, even though I haven't gone to their info session yet. I just want to be done, you know? I'm so close... so hopefully that'll keep me occupied for awhile. I'm going to try running again too, see if my leg's healed up. Maybe go shoe shopping for new running shoes. Let's stay busy, yeah yeah yeah!

God bless America

one of the many songs that were stuck in my head this weekend.

the pic is one i took when visiting my friend ezra down in lacey for his mission farewell. we love america!

we spent the holiday weekend up in bountiful with austin's family--his brother and sister-in-law and their precious baby were in town so it was a full house! i helped sheryl with all the cooking and holy cow it was a ton. every single meal was work. and the boys just played, pshaw.. at least they cleaned it all up.

on saturday we went to eaglesomething golf course to watch the fireworks show, which was actually pretty dang good! i honestly forget everything else we did that day. cook, eat, read harry potter number 7, play with roan... probably it. on sunday after church we ate some more then played at mueller park with austin's grandparents who we passed along the way. on monday the boys went on an intense bike ride while i slept in (glorious!) and then me sheryl and adell went shopping which helped me find what kind of swimsuit i like but i didn't purchase anything yet. but for all you ladies, check out hapari, limericki, and modbe. super cute!! but way pricey. anyhow. then after more cooking and eating we went to see eclipse! i actually really liked it! i haven't even seen new moon yet or read any of the books but it was a good movie! jacob sucks at acting but he has a lovely body to look at, and the fighting was scary intense but... i'm actually excited for the last movie, haha! it was fun. :)

i'm also WAY excited for HP7THEMOVIEINNOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i finally saw the trailer and after rereading the last book, holy cow... can't wait.

so now it's back to work. today has been uneventful so far. and i'm happy it's only a 3 day work week :) yesterday i used my paid time off hours so i got paid to play! holla to that. now i just need to find things to occupy my time. oh wait, my apps are still unfinished. i hate writing essays i'm just so sick of it...

until next time!

the summer of jean

Hooray for long work days that mean I get Fridays off. Hooray for road trips to fun places. Hooray for adventures. Hooray for the Summer of Jean!!!

This weekend we headed back up to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho for some camping, climbing, and rivering. Despite my car breaking down yet again on the way up, it was a way fun weekend trip! My favorite part was tubing down the river. Perfect temperature, way fun rapids, just so fun!! Climbing and camping was fun too.

So yeah, the car broke down but Austin's uncle was up for his son's wrestling tournament so luckily he was able to tow us into town and fix up my car!!! He's definitely my favorite even if he's the only one I've met so far. Talk about tender mercies.

I really am glad though, I mean, it sucks that my car broke down again, but I'm so glad it happened when it did, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to figure it out and would've had to tow the car over and maybe pay more money for the fix, etc. So as much as it sucked, the timing worked.

Then yesterday Austin and I hiked up to this hidden waterfall... in flip flops. We weren't aware that it would be slightly dangerous and we'd be climbing up rocks and sliding down loose dirt. I got dirty and scraped up but it was so fun and way gorgeous up there! I love watching water droplets fall from up high, then they hit lower tiers of rocks and splatter. I think it's so fun :)

All in all, yet another fun adventurous weekend spent in the summer of jean.

colorful colorado

WARNING: this is a super long post!

This past weekend my friends Becky and Bart and I drove to Golden, Colorado to see our good friend Lauren, who recently returned from serving a mission in Arcadia, California. The drive commenced around 9pm and ended around 4am which is making dang good time! Props to Bart for driving the whole way (we tried to take turns but he kept on a-truckin). It was such a fun weekend!!!

On Friday we hit up the University of Colorado medical campus in Aurora. It's the only school I was iffy about applying to, and I'm so glad I went. It's a beautiful campus. Trees, green, pretty buildings, awesome insides... we checked out the library and it is way sweet and I could totally picture myself studying there. Unfortunately the surrounding area is pretty ghetto but I could totally live somewhere else and commute. It's not my first choice school but I can still see myself going/living there, so it's on the list. Holla!

Then we went to Denver and walked around the 16th st Mall, which is a sweet outdoor mall that goes down the whole street. We got some food and shopped around and it was a grand ole time. I don't think I like the city very much though.

That night we went up to Breckenridge to stay in a condo type place for the weekend. Lauren's mom was SO nice in booking it for us, paying for it, and even making us food for the weekend! She is amazing. The nicest lady ever, so accommodating, it was soooooo wonderful of her!! We got there late that night and it was the most awesome condo ever! Two bedroom and two bath, a kitchen dining room living room FIREPLACE, outside deck, pretty much the sweetest place ever. The next day we woke up super dee duper late and checked out the town. It's adorable!!! Really touristy so I kinda felt like I was in Disneyland or something. Cute little shops, loved walking around and exploring. Wonderful weather. Then we went on our first mountain adventure: mountain biking!

I've been once before, in Peru on the way to Machu Picchu, but it was on a crappy bike and crappy trails and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. Not a great experience. So I was pretty excited for this. We had to check 4 different bike shops to get 4 mountain bikes but we finally succeeded with a super nice man who got us all ready to go. My bike was named "Smurfette" which was funny because everyone else had names like "Thor" and "Superman." So yes, I got made fun of. Then off we went on the Flume trail!

IT WAS SO SCARY. We were mostly on a single track with cliffs on either side which was ridiculously freaky I mean I could just fall down the freaking mountain! And it was rocky and one spot was super technical and I have no idea how to control a bike so some rocks I'd hit and just go over but others would knock me way off so I was going crazy. Later we found out it was ranked "intermediate" which made us feel better for kind of being pansies about it but anyway, it was still a lot of fun, just not for me I think. :) But I did enjoy myself! The mountains were gorgeous and the forests were gorgeous and I was happy to be exerting myself in the great outdoors. And the downhills were way fun :)

Oh, Breckenridge is at 10,000 feet and up in the mountains you get up to 12,000 so I blame that for my pansyness as well.

We were all pretty exhausted afterwards so we chilled and then went to the Irish Pub but there was nothing good there so we roamed around the other shops until settling for Empire Burger where the waiter told us that virgin drinks are nasty and we shouldn't get them. Ha! Then we went home and crashed watching Ghost Town (or did we watch that the first night?).

On Sunday we picked up one of Lauren's investigators from the mission (he's a truck driver so he was up in our area and wanted to go to church with us) and went to a chapel in Frisco. It was a beautiful chapel that was built like a cabin so it fit in, haha. It was right next to a huge river and mountain!! So amazing. Church was good, and he is such a good person! He'd totally be baptized if his wife would allow it, but she is very staunch in her own church. But he is such a good guy and loves learning and feeling the spirit. Super great. :)

Then we took a ridiculously long nap and then set out for a steep but short hike up to a glacier lake. And boy was that GORGEOUS! It's only the second time I've been up to a glacier lake and the water was crystal clear, the snow was beautiful, and the waterfall raging below it was huge and awesome. I was super tired b/c the altitude was killing me plus my being out of shape now but it was so worth it and I loved it. Good times.

We got home and ate, played Clue, chilled, girl talked (Bart got kicked out), then finally went to bed at 3am. The next morning we got some food, I got some earrings (cowboy boots!!!!!!) and some other earrings for my old boss (writing my letter of recommendation) then set out for Boulder, to the Celestial Seasonings Factory!

We went through a free tour there which was super awesome. Their tea is so cool!!! They started in the "Summer of Love" 1969 and made caffeine free herbal tea and only the best ingredients and work with people all over the world and it's just the coolest company ever. Afterwards I got some tea for presents for people, then we finally set off on our journey home.

It only took 7 hours including 2 stops and getting lost for a bit so holla to that! But I wanted to just get home so badly. And now driving to Seattle sounds absolutely horrendous to me so when I go for Caroline's wedding I want to fly. Better decide quick while tickets are cheap!!

All in all, it was a great vacation. I am amazed at Bart's willingness to be with only girls all weekend and I am also amazed at how different girls and boys are. I used to think there were no huge differences b/c I've had tons of guy friends, but now I realize that if it's not one-on-one, the differences come out and they are huge. Good for you, Barticus. :) And I realized that I love big cities but I love country more. I love the outdoors, and I especially love the mountains. In fact, Bart asked us on the way home "If you had to pick just one, would you be near the water or the mountains?" If you had asked me 3 years ago I would have said water. But now I think I would say mountains! He said it was the same for him (he's also from WA). Crazy. Anyway, so yeah now I really really want to go to PA school in VA where it's green and lush and small town. Crossing my fingers!

Speaking of which, I turn in my applications NEXT WEEK. Ahh!

Until next adventure...

karma?

Of course the day that I'm feeling great about everything and happy with life, I get thrown a curveball.

I was driving back to work after running errands during lunch when my car shudders and I feel it turn off. I coast to the side and try starting it again, but to no avail. Austin was a dear and left work to help me. He pushed my car across the busy road (university ave!!) to a parking lot so I wouldn't get towed, then drove me to work. We towed the car after work to his place so he could take a look but even after testing the fuel pump (working) and replacing the fuel filter, it still won't start. So today he's towing it to an autoshop to get it checked out.

Ughh how much are even just diagnostics going to cost? I am so sick of spending money on this car. I keep wondering if it's worth it or if I should just invest in a newer car that will be more reliable. I mean, I love my car to death and it's been good to me, who can complain about hitting almost 400 miles on one tank of gas, you know? But I'm so ticked about it falling apart. And not being able to take it on long road trips. Bleah.

Pleeeeeease don't let it be pricey to fix!!!! :(:(:(

spontaneity

On Saturday morning I woke up to Austin calling me at 10:30am. Yes, I was still sleeping. Why? I had absolutely nothing planned for the day and didn't want to get bored quickly, so I slept.

But! Oh how things changed.

His family decided spur of the moment to go up to Idaho's Lava Hot Springs and they invited us! So after I went on a run (which unfortunately was super painful and I have to switch to biking now... sigh) off we went! It was AWESOME! We had a little house that had its own hot spring pool and a little hot tub on the deck, Orion made deliiiicious burgers for dinner, then we went to this huge pool with diving platforms and slides, etc. It was so fun!! Then we watched a couple of movies and went to bed. It was the perfect one night getaway.

We drove back on Sunday for Austin's cousin's mission homecoming talk, and I got to meet more of his relatives at the luncheon after. His family is so nice! His grandpa is freaking hilarious too, I wish we got to spend more time with them. It was way fun. :)

Then we watched the Celtics beat the Lakers, and any day the Lakers lose is a good day, of course. All in all, a potentially super boring weekend turned into an absolutely fantastic one, so ten points for spontaneity and not making plans!

eenie meenie minie mo

yesterday Austin took me on the best date ever!

i wore a new t-shirt i got on clearance that is super cute (cheap + pretty=best combo) and heels. i like dressing up. he likes it too.

dinner @ goodwood, a really good barbecue type restaurant. pulled pork and chicken=delicious. mm mmm mm.

ICE BLOCKING! for those of you who don't know (aka mother), you buy blocks of ice from the grocery store, put a towel on them, then slide down a grassy hill. i had never been before! it was soooooo fun! Caroline and Boy Jamie joined us for this activity--first "double" we'd ever been on with them (how sad). that should happen more in the future. anyway, it's scary at first but oh so fun. loved it.

the curious case of benjamin button. it's such a long movie. we're watching it in installments. part two is tonight. it's ok so far but so long and i was kinda distracted during it so didn't get that into it. but i really want to finish it.

it was so nice to go on a date. a really good one. :)

in other news, i biked to work today and completely sweated through my scrubs. cute, huh. but! the amazing thing about scrubs is how quickly they dry off. so by the time i had finished lunch (magleby's from a drug rep! oh how i love free lunches) they were dry! awesome. also, the main doctor is at scout camp this weekend so i only had to come in for the afternoon. aka i only have like 5 hours of work left already! happy day. i very much enjoyed sleeping in this morning. and yes, i still have fridays off. life is good.

also, i danced to justin bieber while brushing my teeth this morning. i wish i could start every morning that way.

Sometimes I wonder what people could deduce about me from the clues they see of my life.

Example: If I died right now, and people found my laptop, what could they find out about me?

My iTunes is open so they'd see what kind of music I like. A recipe for peanut butter fingers is up--they'd know I like to cook and I like treats. My PA application is up and a phlebotomist resume. They'd know I'm applying. "Osteopenia" is in my search bar. They'd know I like medicine. House is my background for Mozilla. Another medicine clue. They'd see my background and all the people I love.

What could people find out about you? Have you ever thought of this before?

1310!!

I finished the GRE--finally! No more studying for another year! A WHOLE YEAR! WHOOO!!!

I paced myself WAY poorly on the math--10 questions with only 4 minutes left. On the last 3 I literally just guessed and randomly picked answers, finishing with 2 seconds on the clock. So for the rest of the test I felt dejected and worthless, feeling like I wasted $160 and had to retake it. So boy was I more than pleasantly surprised to see that 1310 total on my screen. So for those of you who think oh, that's not really that good of a score, it's good for completely guessing on one of the sections!!

Now it's time to work hardcore on my PA apps. Unfortunately I discovered that I may have to cross Northeastern (Boston) off my list--they require 1000 hours of direct patient care experience by the time you APPLY, not START school. Sucky!! I'll have almost 2000 by the time I actually start school, why can't they just count that?! I emailed them to make sure but it looks like bye bye Boston to me. :(

I guess that's ok, I still have 8 other schools to apply to. Hoping to get into at least one of them! Ha. We'll see how things go... the process just plain freaks me out though. The acceptance rate is usually 5% or less. Out of 900 applications, how the H am I supposed to stand out?! Won't my application just look like everyone else's?? Especially since I won't be able to clock in my projected patient hours?? Gah... from one stress to another. Haha.

In other news, I hate the Lakers. And you should too.

Love,
Jean

kickin' off summer right

What a week! Rather, what a past two weeks!

Work has been pretty intense. I drove up to SLC every day last week for training. IHC is way different from BYU, I'll tell ya that. The ordering is way more complicated--we have to do way more. Like order the tests ourselves, put in the diagnoses, decide which tests go in which tubes, decant them (pour off serum for tests like insulin), batch them, send them out... it's crazy!! I don't know how BYU does it so much easier but I much prefer it over there. Anyway, I'm hoping that it's just the new job feel and how it'll just suck for a couple of months. Hoping hoping. Oh and it's all old people pretty much who have generally harder veins so that doesn't make it any easier. Oh well, a job is a job and I should be pretty darn grateful to have one!!

Other than that, I've been studying for the GRE like mad... cramming is not the way to go, people. At least not for the verbal portion. I'm doing some last minute studying tonight and tomorrow morning then it shall come. 12:30pm tomorrow. Wish me luck!

I've been so busy running errands, getting settled into the apartment slowly, running, hanging out with the boy, enjoying myself. I didn't know it could be so crazy busy though. I expect once I get my errands done and job becomes more normal I'll have more free time. Until then though, it feels like I'm rushing around from thing to thing. But that's ok, I like being busy. :)

Wow, what a week for climbing too!! Austin and I went earlier this week and I did my first lead climb, which is clipping in as you go, so it's still pretty safe, but if you fall and you haven't clipped into the next one yet, then you fall a lot farther than if you were top roping. So it's definitely scarier and more of a rush. But it felt great! I got some climbing shoes that actually fit me so I climb a lot better now, I think. My feet just feel safer. Then today I did my first multi-pitch climb! It was only two pitches but it was scary as heck. We were so high up in the air!!!!!!!! Man... I didn't do either of them clean but I still did them! I'm scraped up pretty bad, most I've ever been, but it was so worth it. View was beautiful, the climb was exactly hard and challenging enough... and the hike up to it was good too; usually I hate hiking. :) So all in all, a good day for climbing. :) Only my 4th time outside! Loved it.

Also today was my first Friday off and it was glorious. Slept in till 9:30, got my oil changed, dropped off stuff at D.I., cooked a tasty tasty white chili meal, dropped some off at Austin's work, got a tour of the sweat shop, visited my old coworkers at the BYU clinic, cleaned and got even more settled into the apt, then climbing. Such a full and productive day! I'm going to love having Fridays off. :)

Jason calls on Sunday! Hooray! It's been 6 months already!! The poor kid is struggling but I'm hoping things have gotten or will still get better for him. It'll be good to talk to him for a bit and hear his Korean. :)

I really never know how to end these blog posts. I love you all. Thanks for reading.

Provo City Half-Marathon

I ran my first half-marathon yesterday!!!!!! Total time of about 2 hours and 15 minutes which is about 10:20 splits. Didn't quite reach my goal of 10 minute splits but that's alright, I finished! If those of you in Provo remember, the weather was horrendous... it literally rained, winded, hailed, or snowed the entire time except maybe a stretch of 2 miles. By the end I was entirely soaked and couldn't feel my hands. What a beast of a race!

At the end there was a couple that was irritating the crap outta me--they'd walk until I caught up to them then take off running. Did it like three times!!! I was so bugged, at the end I kicked it hard and passed them right at the end. Felt great!!! That's what they get for using me as their pacing gauge! Ha!! And when I finished I wasn't even breathing hard a minute later. I totally could've gone faster. But whenever I race I get scared of pooping out early so I always end with excess energy. Maybe I'll be braver next time and just go hard regardless.

Many thanks to Austin, Girl Jamie, Caroline, and Boy Jamie for cheering me on!! They were so great, cheered, took pictures, rapped (Girl Jamie did haha) and it was so motivating, I loved it! Austin caught me with 3-ish miles left to fuel me with a power bar--I was so hungry! Tip for next time: wake up earlier and eat a bigger breakfast. And use a power gel halfway through. And carbo-load a few days before. Haha. But it was great, I am super sore today but I feel so accomplished! I never ever in my life imagined I could ever run this much and I'm so happy I was able to! :)

GrAdUaTiON~~~

I officially have a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health Education from Brigham Young University!!!

Thoughts: The past five years (yes, I was on the five-year plan) have gone by so fast. Although at the same time, freshman year seems so far away. I look back on it and realize how much I've changed and hopefully grown and learned. I think about how I used to view the world and how different it looks now. I've had so many unique experiences that have truly shaped who I am right now. And I'm going to have even more in the future--it's mind-boggling!!

Highlights:
---Freshman Year: Hated BYU at first. Did not transition very well from 30% Asian to all white kids. Tried to rebel and be a punk. Didn't work out. :) Last two months: made friends with Bart and Kam and somehow it made all the distance. I still remember tearing up on the flight home. Became best friends with Nicki, Becky, Lauren. Talk about life-changing-forever-long-friends. That summer Lauren came to visit and we did Washington right with Bart. Worked at Coldstone. Ha. Good times.
---Sophomore Year: The Villa. Year One. Took a guitar class. Roomed with my best friends. Acquired a Southern accent thanks to Mari and Bridget. Petey and Anna. Matt and Kimi. Danny and Cali. Long distance, Cali trip, crazy romance. Anatomy class. Decided to be a PA. Switched my major for good. Visited Korea for the first time ever, that summer. Goodbye to Caroline, mission. Another epic year.
---Junior Year: The Villa. Year Two. Moved so I could be in Ted's ward. Then he got engaged and ruined that fun. :) Team 32. (Now Nick has a baby... whaa) Team 32. Team 32. That seriously consumed my social life but I loved it. Shelly Marchant. (who also has a baby now, ha!) Phlebotomy course. This was my most favorite year--absolutely loved everything about it. Summer: Ted and Dantzel. Bolivia. Absolutely nuts, hardest thing in the world, but so rewarding and so life-changing. Spanish Spanish. Hard to come home.
---Senior Year: Devere Court. Jessica and Jill. Goodbye Lauren to mission, Becky to SLC. Learned a lot about love. The hard way. Had a hard time adjusting to regular life again. Started volunteering at the VCC, drawing blood. ISP job. Fall semester sucked. Winter break was rejuvenation and meditation time. Winter semester came with renewed motivation and life. And with Caroline's return. :) Made more friends, had fun, met a few boys, only one is important now. Summer: first one in Provo. Cali trip, summer term classes, sort of worked, played a lot. Summer fling. Jamie--dream team. Cervical Cancer Awareness.
---Super Senior Year: Heather Cove. Grade-wise, worst year ever. Awesome job at BYU health center. Awesome job number two at ISP. Library till midnight almost every single night. ABG. Jason left for his mission. Jason transformation. Climbing. Running. Studying. Working. Chemistry. Tissue Biology. Finally picking schools. GRADUATING.

What awaits me this summer? My first half-marathon is this Saturday. I did my last long training run today: 11 miles. The GRE is the Saturday after that. I want to finish my PA school apps by July. Today was my first day of work--just orientation though. But I get absolutely amazing benefits and am so excited to start. It feels pretty epic already. :)

does this ever happen to you? where the first movie you ever saw for a certain company is what their logo reminds you of?

every time i watch a touchstone picture, i think of the 3 ninjas.
every time i see 20th century fox, i think of star wars.

does anyone else know what i'm talking about? or am i crazy?

Today I felt like a competent phlebotomist. I didn't miss at all at work or at the VCC. I am trying to prep myself for being the only vampira at my new job. Nobody to turn to when I miss. Scary business. But I gotta do it!

Got an offer from the Red Cross but it doesn't sound as good. Higher pay but first 3 months training in SLC (gas guzzler) and craaaazy work schedule. Some overnight trips even, to like St. George and stuff (which honestly sounds super fun... they pay for meals and hotels and stuff! but what if my coworkers sucked? it's risky), and you have to be available 5am to 11pm M-F and some Saturdays. She just said straight up it's a pretty tough schedule. And no benefits. So I declined. I'll take the comfort of IHC :)

I'm studying on the first floor, the only place we can find any sort of room these days. Which makes me laugh--I'm pretty sure it's because down here you get no service on your cell and I bet that's why people don't like studying here. Haha we are all so silly, so desperate to be connected to everyone all the time. Me, nobody ever texts or calls so I have no problem being in the abyss. :)

I have no more thoughts.

this is what i do when i don't want to estudiar

yesterday was my last day of classes of my undergraduate career.

dun dun DUN!

can you believe it?! it really has flown. time to move on. but it won't feel like moving on until fall rolls around and i realize for once i'm not in school on my birthday. haha. i could even go home for my birthday if i wanted! first time in 5 years! whew.

yesterday/today was super fun! last night austin and i went up to his parents' in bountiful b/c we both had some business to take care of in slc. so we got some delicious albeit expensive custard on the way up, watched the rest of the jazz game (they better win tonight!!!!!!! boo suns!!!!!), an episode of seinfeld (i don't know how you guys walk around with those things), and went to bed. this morning we woke up and after 2 bowls of sugary cereal, headed for a tandem bike ride (the bikes with two seats) to the silo, where austin's family set up a climbing gym type thing. it was way fun! i love the tandem, even though all i can really see is austin's backside in front of me, it's still fun. haha. so i did my first climbing in a month (it was scary... and i have some scrapes and bruises. i bruise like a peach!) and tried to make friends with the horses next door. then we tandem-ed to farmington to pick up austin's vehicle which thankfully passed emission inspection! then we got his car registered then headed to murray for my business. i had to do stuff for my new job, one thing being getting a chest x-ray to prove i don't have active TB. which i don't!!! anyhow, we got there at 12:40pm, they saw me around 1:10, i was out at 1:30, and we hit the weirdest traffic ever, so i was half an hour late to work. sorry mike! and now i'm here trying to get myself to study but feeling oh so unmotivated and craving fruit. yup.

but it was so nice to be outside in the (finally) spring weather and get some exercise in to start the day! loved it!

and now time to buckle down and study nonstop until this time next week.

i just had a lovely thought

I'm finally starting to save money again. This hasn't happened since leaving for Bolivia. Things have kept getting in the way... but here we go! Sure, I'm really only saving to blow it all on plane tickets in the near future (most of the schools I'm applying to are quite far away) but I just realized... it's okay to splurge on myself every now and again. It's been awhile since I've gotten myself something really truly nice. And what will I be spending my saved money on now?

A nice camera.



Finally.

first post-grad job!!

I am now a proud employee of Intermountain Healthcare!!! It's one of the largest hospital networks in the nation! Even complimented by Mr. Barack Obama himself! :)

I applied for about 13 jobs last week and kept getting rejection emails. It was pretty depressing. It's pretty hard to get a clinical job, especially just through the database system and not through a referral or in person. So I was wondering what the heck I was going to do for the next year if I couldn't find anything. And then... I got a phone call... for an interview!!

My interview was this past Tuesday morning. And that was a crazy day. I had a final at 12pm in tissue biology lab, which was the hardest final ever, but my interview was at 9:30am which meant I had to skip out on 3 hours of studying and an hour of class as well. But I figured it was okay to sacrifice that for this in the long run. For once, something else trumped school in importance. So off I went to Murray to interview!

I didn't think it went incredibly well but I felt like I had good answers for their questions and a good resume. They said they'd get back to me on Thurs or Fri with an answer. While I was there another boy was waiting to interview as well... it was weird, I felt so competitive... I didn't even want to make small talk. Haha. Anyway, so they called me later that day to get a number for a reference and it was kind of crazy getting numbers and asking people to be references, etc. but it worked out! Because they called me today and offered me the position!!!

It's pretty much the most perfect job ever for me. It's a phlebotomist position at the Rheumatology clinic in PROVO (all the other jobs I've applied for are SLC, Sandy...) and it's full-time, Mon-Thurs (aka LONG WEEKENDS EVERY WEEKEND! perfect for summer adventures!), BENEFITS, pay is decent, and they said I can start right after graduation so I don't have to stress about working it into my schedule during finals/classes!

I feel so blessed! I don't think I did anything to deserve this. It's perfect! I really feel like it's too good to be true, something's going to mess it up... hopefully that's not the case. :) Happy happy happy! I'm just so happy!!!!!

In other news, I ran my first double digit run yesterday--10 whoppin' miles! It was pretty good, pretty painful at the end there, but I finished it in good time and got to see a gorgeous side of Provo, on Canyon road. :)

And I graduate in TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!