Sno Cone!

Yesterday i had my first sno cone of the summer! Need i say more...

My Fate This Summer

As some of you know, I have spent the past 4 summers of my life being a hostess at the Olive Garden- "When you're here, you're family"- I personally think that nothing could be farther from the truth, do you really want to be treated like family when you go out to eat! My fate this summer lies in having to work there AGAIN! i did not want to ever go back to Olive Garden, 4 summers was enough for me, but with a horrible economy and really no job experience and no degree, I was having a next to impossible time finding anything else. So here I am, my 5th summer at Olive Garden, and counting down the days until I never have to work there again!

Now it's not all bad, granted- they have great breadsticks, but people, I never get to taste those breadsticks unless i pay for them just like you (and *spoiler alert*- they come out of a box)! There are some perks to the job, and a lot of cons- here's my lists and reasons for my feelings toward Olive Garden
1) the first question out of everyone's mouth when they hear i work at the OG is "you must get tons of free food?" and the answer is a resounding NO! those people are so stingy, maybe that's why they are so profitable, but in exchange you get hungry employees!
2) you meet all kinds of people when you work at a restaurant, everybody's got to eat so you see all kinds! i enjoy the personal study of people that the Olive Garden environment affords, so at least that keeps my mind occupied! other than that, i've never been so bored in my life when i am assigned to greet, which is code for "be a glorified door stop and try not to feel like a robot when you say the same five phrases over and over again-"Hi, how many today, how was everything, thanks for coming in, have a great night"!
3) i do admit, that i get a thrill from the power that i hold as a hostess! this is ridiculous, i know but let me explain the thrill- every summer i start at the bottom of the hostess totempole, because of that people assume that i don't know what i'm doing, within a week they know that i know what's going on and not to mess with me, and then i try my best to work my way to the top of the totempole within the month! the top of the totempole allows me to be "Lead", which means i get to stand around and tell people what to do! i never thought that i would let power go to my head, but somehow it does! there is also a wonderful thrill knowing that you rule the restaurant even if nobody really knows it!
4) the only reasons i find myself going back to Olive Garden is 1) that they let me come back for the summer, 2) i don't have to work Sundays, and 3) i know that i can reasonably handle 4 months of the place before i go insane! i do have some friends there and i do enjoy it some days, but my final resolve is that i will never, after this summer, be going back to Olive Garden, unless it is to sit down and eat like a normal person, or as normal as possible, working in a restaurant ruins you to eating in restuarants because you know the inner workings and you know what's going on and you overanalyze a situation that should be relaxing and worryfree!
There are so many stories i could tell and more i could vent about, but for now, know that I am wasting away my summer days in a commercialized faux-italian restaurant, hungry because while you are coming in to eat, i'm working and so wishing i could have one of your breadsticks!

End of Winter Semester!

This semester has been one of the best! i loved loved loved loved loved my roommates! I was so glad that i stayed in Riviera so that i could meet and know these girls- Kariann, Lexi, Laura and Kenzie! we ended the semester off with a bang, complete with finals, cleaning, packing, picture taking and a midnight trip to Dennys! Most of us extended the goodbyes because we all went down to Utah for the break, but then again most of Rexburg went down to Utah for the break! It was so fun to hang out on campus with nothing to do, while everyone else ran around stressed out with school work! and now i am home, and glad to be here with my family, but missing you girls tons! All i can say is i loved this semester and i love you! thanks for making it a great semester number 8!

I also must have spent the semester doing enough homework and studying because I pulled through with A's! (and one A- but that one should have been an A too, but i won't get into that)! Whew, that's a load off of my mind! Another semester accomplished- 8 down, 1 to go! ....and then 3 more years after that! woot!

I am now officially 22! Of course, it doesn't feel much different than 21, but it does feel older! I'm hoping that 22 is going to be a good year, i anticipate that it will- Brenen comes home, i'm graduating from college and hopefully getting a life! We'll see, only time will tell! More details coming on the festivities... cause right now i need to be writing essays for finals! 

4 MONTHS!

Today is the day!! This day means that Brenen has been on his mission for 20 months, and that he has 4, read it, 4 more months on his mission! I am so excited for him to come home! He has been an amazing missionary in Paraguay, and I am so proud of him! But boy am i excited for him to come home! 4 MORE MONTHS!

The Rexburg Temple!

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the Rexburg Temple! Can you believe that it's been one whole year since the dedication of our temple? I was recounting the open house and dedication with a friend of mine, and he asked me if i had gone to the open house- i had to confess that i had gone 4 times! I remembered how excited i was to go into the House of the Lord, i couldn't stay away! I haven't been able to go back very often because it's so packe and busy! But i am making a new goal to go back more often! 

 

The thing that affected me most about the dedication last February, was the emphasis on President Woodruff's prophecy of this valley: 

"Be not disheaertened; be not discouraged, because God's blessing is upon this land. It will be only a little time before there will be prosperous and happy settlements of Latter-day Saints here. You feel that you have gone away from your friends, and you are almost out of the world, but it will be only a short time when you will have a meeting house, and a school house, and all of the facilities here that you had at home before you came here. God will bless and multiply the land! The Spirit of the Lord rests mightily upon me and I feel to bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. I promise you that the climate will be moderated for your good. I can see these great sagebrush prairies, as far as the eye can reach, turned into fertile fields. I bless the land that it shall yield forth in its strength. Flowers and trees and fine homes shall grace this great valley from one end to the other. Schools and colleges of higher learning shall be built to serve you that you may learn the mysteries of God’s great universe. I see churches and meetinghouses dotting the landscape, where the God of Israel may be worshiped in spirit and in truth. Yes, and as I look into the future of this great valley I can see temples—I can see beautiful temples"

I'm so glad that this revelation has come to past, and that i have been around to see it happen! I love to see the temple and I'm so grateful it's sitting up on the hill! 

25 Random Things

Thanks to my dear Becca, who tagged me, I am going to spend some much need sleep time coming up with random facts about me...excitement!

Here we go...

1) I can not keep a secret worth beans! well, an exciting secret! It's probably one of my biggest faults and i try to hide it oh-so-well, but let's face it, if you tell me something exciting, i'm going to want to tell people, unless i am explicitly told not to! but i'm sure not good at secret keeping!

2) I am teaching a math class on campus! part-time, once a week

3) My brother is coming home from his mission in 5 1/2 months! I am so freaking excited that i'm having dreams about him coming home! He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to be my best friend!

4) I LOVE SHOES! AND CLOTHES! i have more than enough clothes to last me at least a month without doing my laundry, and probably shoes to go with it! 

5) I cried when my mom came home and told me that my youngest sibling was going to be a boy! I already had 3 brothers and wanted a sister, but i wouldn't trade my Dally Wally for anything!

6) My hair is my secret pride! Honestly, i have great hair! it's not straight and it's not curly but it can do both! it's amazing! and it's a lovely chocolate brown! I also hate it when people tell me i have black hair, cause i dont!

7) Today my best friend Shantal and i were making biscuits at the same time, AND the same kind of biscuits!! IT'S AMAZING! i know this because i called her as i was making biscuits and she answered while she was making biscuits!

8) My wise words of wisdom usually consist of these phrases- It's not a big deal, don't worry about it, things will work out!

9) I have a new found love of waffles! i make them at least once a week and love them with peanut butter, bananas and tons of syrup!

10) I don't know how i ended up at BYU-Idaho, and i don't know how i ended up as a psychology major, but i did and i am!

11) I rarely if ever sleep under my covers! I don't like being restricted and i don't like making my bed so i sleep on top of the covers with a blanket!

12) I put exclamation points at the end of almost every sentence!!!!!!

13) I am a devout stadium singer!

14) I think the brain is fascinating! and i like math! and i like school! i'm a nerd, i know!

15) I am having Rock Band withdrawals! i'm an awesome guitarist!

16) I am a horrible decision maker, at least when it comes to what i want! i know what i don't want, but i have to use that info to narrow down my options to what i do in fact want!

17) Today is my one month anniversary of knowing Laura McKeen!

18) I am competitive when it comes to two things- academics and bowling!

19) I am my mother's daughter! Apparently we are identical! even though we don't see it!

20) I hit the snooze button every morning for at least an hour!

21) I LOVE WINTER! i love the snow, and i like cold weather, i hate being hot, so Rexburg is an awesome place!

22) i like throwing parties! i like being the hostess of parties! i like people coming over for parties! i love parties!

23) I like polka dots! i used to hate them, my mom would try to get me to buy things with polka dots on them and i refused because i hated polka dots and i swore that i would never like polks dots...yeah, i like polka dots!

24) i may be lactose intolerant, sucky!

25) i don't like to capitalize my i's!