spirit fingers

As many of you know, my mom is the cheer coach at Parowan High School. As such, she needed an assistant to go to camp with her. Because I am a former cheerleader (and also her daughter...) she asked me to go along. So, last Monday I loaded up a 15 passenger van with 10 cheerleaders and all of their gear for the week's events and we took off to Flagstaff, Arizona. The course of events to follow reminded me eerily of my cheerleading days. It was kind of fun to be on the advisor side though and see how it all goes down from that angle. It definitely gave me a new perspective on things.

This is the classic Tiffany/Brittani (she just happens to be one of the cheerleaders) picture of the week.

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Two days in to the four that are spent at cheer camp, one of the main bases hurt her arm. This wreaked havoc to the pyramids the little cheerleaders had been incorporating into their routines for pass offs and such. My mom then had this genius idea that, because I was there and had also been a cheerleader so knew what I was doing, I should take her place. After getting it approved from the people in charge I did end up taking her place in the stunts. It worked out pretty well because I looked more like one of the girls than an advisor anyways. It also helped that they had enough extra camp clothes that just happened to be my size so I matched the rest of the girls. And can I tell you, through basing for those last two days I worked muscles that I haven't in years. I was just a tad bit sore afterwards. I was able to pull off all the stunts that we tried though so I'm guessing that I was at least a little bit helpful.

I am the base on the right hand side for the stunt group right smack dab in the middle.

growing pains

Going home this past week really got me to thinking.  I was able to see lots of my high school friends and reminisce and catch up with everything that is going on in their lives.  Through this process, i realized how much of a different person I am now than I was then.  

Three years ago, I was freshly graduated from high school, and in my own little way I thought that I was pretty cool.  I had graduated with honors and, as the senior class president, I even gave the welcoming speech at my graduation.  I worked as an intermediate EMT on the Parowan Ambulance, lifeguarded at the city pool, and I had a full tuition scholarship lined up for me in the fall at the University of Utah.  Everything was going in my favor.  I didn't really have to try, things were just given to me.  I was ready to move on with my life.  I had closed the high school chapter and couldn't wait to start my college life.  At the time, I thought that I had it rough when my friends wouldn't call to hang out with me.  I had my struggles, but for the most part my life was really good and easy.  

The next three years changed me in ways that I never imagined.  I went my first semester without a 4.o.  I had to support myself and make my own decisions.  I was thrown into a new city with new people.  I didn't have a curfew, I could date anyone I wanted, and I was living the city life.  I fell in love, planned a wedding, and had my heart broken.  I transferred schools and ended up at BYU.  I fought with my mom more than ever before.  I learned how to make new relationships with people while maintaining ones that I already had.  I bonded with roommates quicker than ever before.  I had to tell people things and rely on others to help me through hard times.  My paypal account was broken into so I had to work to get my $850 that was stolen back.  I totaled my car and now make payments on a new one.

Through all of this, I have grown exponentially.  I am a much better person now than I ever dreamed I could be.  Because I am a firm believer that there are no coincidences, I know that the things that I have gone through have all happened for a reason.  I am exactly where I need to be at this point in my life.  Three years ago if you had asked me if I would ever go to BYU or send off a missionary I would have laughed and told you that you didn't know me very well.  But, now here I am and I am loving every minute.  In a way, I have really found myself.  Though I still have miles to go, I know who I am and what I really want out of life.  I am willing to accept change and have an open mind.  I also know that I deserve the best and I don't need to settle for anything less.  

late night hunting

12:15 a.m. Tiffany and Little Jon start out on a walk. They don't really think that it will be that long. Afterall, he does have to work at 8 in the morning. Oh, and side note-neither of them are wearing any shoes. They are both only sporting socks.

12:30 a.m. Jon has since taken off his socks because they are white and this is turning into a longer walk than expected. Part of the sidewalk is getting watered by the sprinkler along with the grass beside it. Jon gives Tiffany a piggy back over the wet side walk because she is still wearing her socks (which are black by the way) and doesn't want to get them wet.

12:45 a.m. They arrive at Kiwanis (spelling?) park. In order to get to the swings, they have to walk through a large field. Every sprinkler in the field is spraying away so they decide to run through the field in order to minimize how wet they get.

12:48 a.m. They get to the park. After they climb to the top of the fake rock, Tiffany realizes that her phone (which she bought yesterday) is no longer is her pocket. This is particularly bad because by this time, they have covered quite a bit of ground through out the course of the walk. The searching commences. Jon runs to the big field covered in sprinklers to start looking. Tiffany looks around the rock that they climbed then goes and joins him.

1:15 a.m. Tiffany and Jon have still not found her phone. They have called it numerous times to no avail. They are still looking in the big field with the sprinklers.

1:20 a.m. Still looking in the big field. Still no success.

1:25 a.m. Convinced that there is no way that they will find her black phone in the middle of the night in a dark field they decide that maybe, just maybe, it could have fallen out when he gave her a piggy back. As a last measure, they start to retrace their steps.

1:30 a.m. Tiffany and Jon arrive at the place where he gave her a piggy back. They start to analyze all the possible scenarios of how and where her phone could have fallen out.

1:31 a.m. Jon takes off in a run to a shiny black spot on the ground about 15 feet ahead of where they are standing. He bends down and picks up Tiffany's phone. They have found it at last.

weekend adventures

Random road trips are perhaps the most fun ones.  This past weekend, my roommate and I (along with our boys) decided to spend the weekend in Federal Way, Washington.  Which, by the way, is where she is from.  Consequently, we left Friday at 7 p.m. to begin our 13 hour drive.  After arriving at 7 in the morning we decided that we should take a nap (or get a nights sleep? something...).  When we woke up Emily showed us all around Federal Way.  We played on beaches, had some slurpees, went shopping, and latin dancing.  All in a days work.  After church on sunday, our short time in Federal Way was up and it was time to once again commence the 13 hour drive home so that we could all go to work on Monday (or school in Emily's case).  We had so much fun!  Yay for roadtrips!

Little Jon and me walking along the board walk.

Emily and Nate showing off their mad heel clicking skills.

Our whole little group makes the "do I look different face?" but for some reason I just can't do it.  I sure did try though.

Emily and me playing in the freezing cold, but beautiful, ocean.

eating quarters

A few days ago I got a text from my mom that read "we are going to Oak City to eat quarters".  Naturally, I was confused.  I responded by asking why exactly we were going to eat quarters.  As it turns out, we are actually making a quilt out of fat quarters for our annual Cousins' Sleepover.  It will kind of be in memory of my Grandma (who, if you don't know, was basically the quilting queen and made all 34 or so of her grandchildren at least 7 quilts each and that doesn't even take into account her children).

So today, my family and I met in Oak City in order to start our process of quilt making.  We each made 20 squares of the above design.  When the time comes (middle of August) we will trade them with other members of my family that have also made some so that we can each have a big conglomerate quilt from various members of our family.  It should be pretty cool :)
After cutting and sewing enough material together to make three whole quilts we decided that it was time to eat.  My poor sister has strep throat, so this was particularly hard for her.  If you can notice the difference in our tongues (hers is much more white than any normal, healthy person's should be) you can see the sickness.  She does much better when she has some ibuprofen in her system.  Seriously, it's like night and day.

All in all, it was a fabulous day with the family!

Oh, and I almost forgot.  There was totally a snake on my aunt's kitchen floor today.  I walked in to get a drink of water and almost stepped on it.  I proceeded to scream "THERE IS A SNAKE IN YOUR KITCHEN! THERE IS A SNAKE IN YOUR KITCHEN AND I AM NOT KIDDING!"  Shortly after that my brother came and took care of it.  It was a rather interesting and unexpected experience.  Thankfully I survived without any harm done.

the mourning pool and spa

Love is not in the air. Due to a handful of my friends (my roommates included) recently going through break ups, we decided to open up a mourning pool and spa. Actually, the way that it really happened is that my roommate with the most recent break up had a little bit of a breakdown at Albertson's and bought a kiddie pool. Naturally, being the good roommates and friends that we are, we helped her to make good use of her new purchase.

This is why it is called the mourning pool and spa. If anyone needs to come and partake of the mourningness that is in our front yard please feel free.

pre-testing rituals

Now I might be wrong, but I think that all of us have at least a little superstition in us.  I also think that this superstition is often made manifest when we have to take a test.  Take for example my pre-test ritual...

1. Do all of the big important studying in order to sufficiently prepare.  It is in the final two hours or so that the rituals make themselves manifest.

2. T minus two hours:  the final crunch begins.  

3. I look through my flashcards again and again and all of the final study preparations are made.

4. I make the trek to the dreaded testing center (or the computer lab on the 4th floor of the Witdsoe depending on the time of year).

5. I take a drink of water.  For some reason I have always done this.  Perhaps this small bit of refreshment will give me a needed boost of brain power.

6. Now it is bathroom break time.  My world would come crashing down if all I could think about while taking a test is how much I had to go to the bathroom.

7. My last little bit of nourishment before I go in to my doom is to eat some chocolate.  I'm not picky as to what type...it can be a brownie, chocolate bar, or just some chocolate chips.  I think that sometime in my life I have heard that eating chocolate stimulates some part of you brain so that you remember better.  I could be very wrong.

8. I have to take another drink in order to wash down the chocolate.  Having my mouth all sticky and dry would also distract me or something.

9. Finally, after like five minutes of non-studious activities, I walk in and get my test.  

I'm not sure if all of this silly little routine actually does anything for my test taking ability.  It is probably more of just a comfort/psychological thing that my subconscious would freak out about if I didn't perform.