the most wonderful time of the year :)

 

I absolutely LOVE these two little guys!

I babysat tonight while Ira&Janell went to a work dinner for Ira, and we had so much fun. My mom came over and we made gingerbread houses. The little men loved putting icing and candy all over their little graham cracker houses. Then we cuddled up and watched The Polar Express. It was cute to hear them sing along and just be goofs. We had a quick little dance party before bed and made some videos for mom and dad to watch when they got home, and we were all crakin' up about it. They have such fun personalities for little guys. I'm gonna miss them when I leave.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for this year... and I truly am :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Winter2012

This is gonna be one of the best semesters ever, i just know it!

Why? 

Hmm...let me think of a few reasons:

1. I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
   WHAT!?
   Let me repeat just in case you missed that...
1. I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yup, you heard right.
2. I'm starting to accept the snow.
3. I'm working as a games manager again. Which means a whole semesters worth of new entertaining people and stories.
4. Get to see my friends all again.
5. My birthday. Duh :)
6. I'm thinking about trying out for a competitive basketball team.
7. 4 day weekends EVERY WEEKEND!

And i'm sure that there will be sooo many more by the end of it :)

11:11 on 11/11/11

How did I spend this epic day? Watching EVERY single Harry Potter movie with my family of course! Haha. Last night we pulled out the mattresses from the boys room and my whole family camped out in the living room while we watched number 1 & 2. Then we started number 3 while we had breakfast and spent the rest of the afternoon watching numbers 4, 5, and 6. We didn't have either part of number 7 so Kyle and I ran to Target and bought them and we watched them while we ate dinner. I felt like such a bumm and nerd all at the same time, but it was a lot of fun. I loved spending all day lounging around watching movies with my family. We're cool; get over it :)

Some days are great! Today was not one of them.

Okay so seriously, here are some of the events of my life in the past 24 hours:
-i got stuck in traffic for over an hour and moved a total distance of about 2 miles. A guy in a wheelchair, whom we had passed about 12 blocks earlier, passed by us-not a motorized scooter, a WHEELCHAIR. Ha. The guy in the car in front of me took a nap. A guy in a car a few behind me parked his car and crossed the street to the gas station convenience store to buy some snacks. I sat there and called my mom to rant about it until my phone died and then I just listened to a cd...3 times. And what was the cause of all of this nonsense you may ask? A TRAIN. Like a 4 engine, 30 something car train. That decided now was the best possible time to stop in the middle of the tracks and switch tracks and then change cars. No big deal. Needless to say, I was extremely annoyed when I got home.
-I'm stressed out about school. Enough said.
-On the way to institute we were running late and I was in a hurry. In my rush, I set my protein shake on the roof of my Jeep as I put my stuff in the back seat and then got in and drove off to pick up Rebekah, forgetting I set my shake up there. Don't worry, I was quickly reminded as I turned the corner and saw chocolate shake running down my windshield and door. Haha, at this point in the night, all I could do was laugh.

My friend once told me I should write a book about my life; I'm starting to think he was right.

Fear The Beard.

Baseball pants. Fake beard. Black swim cap. Yup, it must be Halloween! Hahaha. I still can't really believed I dressed up like this but it was pretty fun. And I must say, I turned a few heads ;) HA!

mark my words...

i NEVER thought i would be saying this but...
i miss Rexburg! Even the cold weather! Crazy, right?! Haha..
But seriously, i do. Don't get me wrong, i absolutely LOVE my family and i am so glad that i get to be home close to them but being here makes me miss the great things all around me in Idaho. I wish i could just have the best of both worlds... i've tried convincing my family about 248,463.7 times that they should just move to Utah or Idaho so that they're closer to me but still far enough away ;) Ha. And i was serious about that cold comment..i kinda almost miss the snow. But i'm pretty sure that will fade after about a day of having to walk to class. California, if you're listening, i'm ready for fall...so make it happen!
So pretty much, i work...i play around...i cook dinner for my family...i go to institute... i go to church and teach the Sunbeams...and then i do it all over again. Exciting huh? Working at the Dentist office has been quite the adventure! In all honesty, i like it. There are things that i'm not exactly crazy about but 'tis life. I'm super grateful for it! I had this whole week off while Dr. was in Boston so i had LOTS of free time... too much probably. I did some shopping but the big event of the week was signing a contract to live at Royal Crest and...drum roll please.....working on my grad plan! Haha i'm lame, i know. But it feels good to have some sort of idea now about what i need to do the next few years i just hope i can do it all..at the rate i'm going i'll finish up in,oh about- 10 more semesters?? haha guess i better kick it in gear and get a little more motivated!
But life's good! Fake it 'til you make it, eh? :)

...and I'm A Mormon!

I believe in Christ—my Lord, my God!
My feet he plants on gospel sod.
I'll worship him with all my might;
He is the source of truth and light.
I believe in Christ; he ransoms me.
From Satan's grasp he sets me free,
And I shall live with joy and love
In his eternal courts above.
 

I believe in Christ; he stands supreme!
From him I'll gain my fondest dream;
And while I strive through grief and pain,
His voice is heard: "Ye shall obtain."
I believe in Christ; so come what may,
With him I'll stand in that great day
When on this earth he comes again
To rule among the sons of men.

i think that sometimes the best way to express our feelings is through music and hearing this song during conference just reminded me of the testimony that i have been blessed with. The last two verses stand out so strong to me! "I'll worship him with ALL my might; He is the source of TRUTH and LIGHT. With Him I'll stand at that great day, when on this earth he comes again" SO POWERFUL! 

I love my Father in Heaven for all that He has given me and all that He continues to bless me with every day. I am so grateful to my elder brother and Savior, Jesus Christ, who loved you and I so much that he was willing to suffer and sacrifice more than we can even understand so that we have the ability to live with our Father again. I am glad to be a member of the only true church on the earth today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I strive each and every day to become a better disciple of Him. I want to be an example to those around me so that not only by the words that I say but more importantly by the things that I do, others will know that I love and follow my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for Joseph Smith and for the sacrifices that he made so that we would have the opportunity to have the Gospel in our lives today. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it can teach us things each time we read it. I know that Thomas S Monson is a true Prophet, called of God to help lead and guide us in these days. He is an important instrument in the Lord's hands and will never lead us astray. I believe in the power of the Preisthood and am grateful for those in my life who live worthy to hold it. I love my family, each and every one of them, and am blessed with their love and support throughout my life. Someday I will be sealed to the love of my life in the temple and will have a family of my own. I love my Father in Heaven and He knows me, of this I am sure. He listens to me wants and needs through the power of prayer and He wants what is best for me. He has a plan and a purpose for me and if I do my best to do what's right, I will be blessed and accomplish that purpose.

I Am A Child Of God :)

i love the words to this song!

I'm so happy that it's conference weekend! Being able to listen to the words of a living Prophet and Apostles on the earth today is such a great blessing in my life! Call me weird, but i seriously get so excited when the conference issues of the Ensign come out and i get to read through the talks over and over and over again for six months until we get to hear from them again :)

time doesn't change everything...

i think when we dream at night, our dreams are our minds way of telling us "Stop pretending! This is what you really want..."

And lately, i've been dreaming.

Sometimes i kinda hate dreaming because eventually you wake up and realize it was all in your head. That can be both good or bad- depends what you're dreaming of haha. On Sunday, somebody showed up and let's just say, i wasn't expecting him. It literally was the strangest feeling i think i've ever experienced to watch him pull into the parking lot next to us. My heart all of the sudden was pounding a billion times faster than it was just seconds before and i felt like i'd swallowed a whole school of fish that were just swimmin' around in my stomach. But on the outside no one would know, i played it cool. But i just kept thinking to myself "i shouldn't be happy to see him! What the heck Nicole, knock it off!" So i made my way inside the church and sat down as quick as i could. He sat in the front, i sat towards the back...this would be fine. i could handle this. Just ignore him. Besides, there is a boy in Texas that i'm crazy about! The distance and months apart are really hard and we don't always talk much so it's hard to know what's gonna happen, but still, i can't forget about him. i think of him as much as i used to think about that boy sitting up there, who i didn't think i'd ever see again... but now he's here. And i am the most confused i think i've ever felt. So just ignore him, that's my genius plan, and it worked out really well- until the opening song. i realized that there are some peoples voices that no matter how long you're apart, or even how hard you try you won't ever be able to forget.  So obviously, it was hard. Much harder than i would have thought, all things considered. There were quite a few times (by accident? coincidence? call it what you want) over the next three hours that we were right there together, in the same room, inches away from eachother yet neither of us said a thing. How sad is that? Seriously. if i could go back, i'd change that. And then, as we're leaving, walking out to the car, he runs over and says "Sister Whitfield! I've been trying to talk to you..." and continues on talking to my mom. But what did i do? Well i turned around facing away from him and stood there like an idiot looking at the ground until i finally walked away over to the car. What the.... ?! i don't think i could have been more stupid and just flat out RUDE. But i wasn't thinking. i was confused about how i felt and i panicked. On the way home i realized almost instantly as we left the parking lot that i regretted acting the way i did. i should have said something, at least a simple "hi". That's when i realized that, chances are, i've been lying to myself about how i really felt. Which causes me to be even more confused. A lot has changed in the year that's gone by, and i'm a different person than i was, as i'm sure he is too. And now i can't help but to wish that i would've talked to him when i had the chance...

wanna get to know me?? read this.

Okay so i'm really bored tonight and everyone's already in bed...so instead of just wasting time on Pinterest like most nights i saw these questions on another girls blog and decided to fill them out for myself. Who knows, maybe you'll all learn something new

Were you a responsible child/teenager?

Yeah, I’d say so.. I mean, I had my moments for sure, but what kid doesn’t.

Do you care what people think of you?

To a certain extent, but overall not really

Can you play an instrument?

Trumpet, French Horn, pretty much anything brass. Piano a little too

Do you have leadership skills?

Yes, thankfully I do

Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m.: who do you want it to be?

Someone that it probably won’t/shouldn’t be

What do you do all the time in a car?

Sing. At the top of my lungs. Without fail, every time I go somewhere

What song is stuck in your head?

Nothing-The Script

Do you think too much or too little?

I’m a girl… obviously I think too much haha

At which store would you like to max-out your credit card?

It’s be something online, probably Nike

Do you miss anyone right now?

I sure do

When was the last time you cried really hard?

Saying goodbye to him at the end of Spring semester

Have you ever been kissed under fireworks?

Gratefully, I have

Do you believe ex's can be friends?

That’s a really tough question.. in my experience it doesn’t seem to work out too well unfortunately :/

What did you dream last night?

It was about an old boy, one I haven’t dreamed of in a real long time. Kinda weird actually

What would your last meal be before getting executed?

Probably tri-tip. Or Texas Roadhouse! Yeah, that’s it!

Do you sing in the shower?

Every time

What is your favorite Holiday?

4^th of July and my birthday

Have you ever been in love?

Yes.

Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

I usually wear flip-flops or Vans so no need

Have you ever caught a fish?

Yes!

What is your favorite cereal?

Coco Puffs

What is your favorite ice cream?

Anything with chocolate

Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages?

Nope

What time is your alarm clock set for?

Haha I have like 3 or 4 alarms set for each morning..one right after the other

What movie do you know every line to?

Hoosiers, Tommy Boy, Remember the Titans

Are you shy around the opposite sex?

Only if I really like them

How many hours of sleep do you need to function?

Not very many thankfully, haha

One thing​ you'​re looking forward to?

Having a family of my own someday

Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back?

Any way I can

Are you good at hiding your feelings?​

Not really

You'​re trapped in a room for 3 days with your ex, what do you do?

Oh dang, at this point I think it’d just be real awkward. But hopefully we could talk like we used to

Which celebrity, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with?

Jimmer, hahaha!

Do you think​ you have made a difference​ in anyone'​s life?​

I sure hope so. That’s a goal of mine

Are you talkative?​Are you shy?

I’d say talkative at times, but kinda shy in general

Do you trust​ people easily?​

No

Favorite type of sock?

Black

Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

Uh, I’m in college, that happens all the time!

Favorite food?

Tri-tip and ice cream

Cat person or dog person?

Dog

If you could have one wish, what would it be?

Know who I’m gonna marry haha

Biggest regret?

Not telling certain people what I really want to tell them when I have the chance

Would you die to save the life of someone you dearly love?

Yes

Name ONE trait you hate in a person.

Lying/ being fake

we're going, going..back, back..to Cali, Cali

So umm... very long story short and minus all the confusing/frustrating details... i'm home! It's a little earlier than first expected (like 4 weeks early) but it's okay. Things happen and come up and we have to adapt and change with them. Or so i'm starting to learn.
Annyywayyss... things are totally different being home now. It's so weird. Like i'm not even sure how to handle it.  Luckily, i have been kept SUPER busy helping to get things ready for my grandparents 50th anniversary. We're having a nice party at our house for them and sent out invitations and whatnot so it's up to me to get things looking nice for the big day. I seriously did so much yard work and cleaning and planting and decorating and pretty much anything you could imagine. But in the process, i ended up with quite a nice tan so i won't complain too much, haha. The decorations looked amazing and everything turned out really nice. Lot's of people showed up and we had music and pictures and good food and just a good ol' time overall. I love my family :) and let's just think a minute... 50 years?!?! Like for real, that's SO LONG! i haven't even known anyone in my life for 50 years. i can't wait until someday when i get to celebrate anniversaries with my hunky husband, whoever he is! (ps. did i mention that i miss a boy in Texas? Okay, just making sure) So now that that's all over i've got much more time on my hands, which surprisingly is kind of unfortunate because i started to got a little bit crazy. But institute started up so i've been able to go to that and i actually spent some time going out with the Sister missionaries- interesting experience for sure. I also was able to pick up two jobs: one is reffing volleyball games at the jr. high (which i really don't like, but hey it's money, haha) and the other is working at Dr Openshaw's dental office. i'm actually kinda excited to start that one, i think it'll be a really different experience than i've ever had. So we'll see..i'm just happy to have stuff to do.

the end of a good thing.

Welp, Spring's over :(
i don't think i've ever been so sad about having to be done with a semester. i seriously just wish i could go back and stay living like this forever haha. Don't get me wrong, i'm so stoked that classes are out...but not so much for everything else. Steph and i moved all of our stuff over to the Tustians since we're gonna live here for the 7week break. Tustian even invited us to dinner and to ride some horses that he had at his place so Chad came with us- he looked so cute on a horse :) Then it was time for finals week, which luckily wasn't too hard for me. i had a couple projects to finish and two tests in the testing center but it wasn't too overwhelming at all. My roommates and i even had a s'mores night at the new fire-pit the just built at Nauvoo and then all of us and our boys watched Heavyweights. I love my life. But eventually the week came to an end and it was time to say goodbye.

i. hate. goodbyes.

Seriously, saying goodbye to him was the suckiest thing ever! I don't think i've ever cried so much :( and unfortunately i don't know what to expect really...Texas is way farther than i even want to think about and January is a long ways from now. Chances are he'll probably forget about me by then. What the heck, why do things always have to happen like this. i went over before he left Friday afternoon- and just felt sick to my stomach the whole time, seriously like actually aching because i hate thinking it's over- and i just wanted to sit there with him and not let him leave. we said goodbye again and i was crying again before i even made it down the stairs. Sucks. i miss him so much already and it's only been like a week...ugh. Okay, enough complaining.
So Friday morning Tustian called to see how i was doing (he knew that the goodbye would be coming soon) and to ask when we'd be coming over that night seeing as how we're living with them now. Steph and i still had clean-checks (aka torture) to finish so we told him it'd be awhile. But then a few hours later, before i went to Chad's, Tustian called again and invited us to go with their family to Montana. They were already planning on going, kinda a family trip, and figured we were family now so they wanted us to come. It was actually perfect, with the timing and all. So that evening we drove over, literally threw some clothes in a suitcase in like 10 minutes, and jumped in the car with them and drove to Montana. Haha, crazy?! We got to Bri's moms house at like 2 the next morning and finally got to go to bed-talk about a long couple days huh? We had no idea how long we'd be there or what we were going to do but i absolutely loved it! The fact that we just packed up and went with them was the best. I am falling in love with their kids! Tucker, Teagan, Tanner, Trevor, and Tori. Yup, all T's just like Trent, ha. We ended up spending a day at the fair and rodeo which was SO FUN and doing lot's of projects around the house for Nana. We stayed for about a week and although i was glad to go back to Rexburg i had a great time in Montana! Bri's sister and mom and aunt that we spent a lot of time with are sooo nice and fun to be around. We spent a lot of nights laughing and talking and just being goofs. Perfection.
So now we're back in Idaho, living at the Tustians and it's time to go back to work!

before i die, i want to...

So for a class i had to do this project, my Creed Document, and one of the things in it is my bucket list. Here's some of mine:


-shake hands with an Apostle
-learn how to solve a Rubik's cube
-graduate from BYU-Idaho
-go to a major league sporting event for each sport
-learn to play the piano
-go to a country music concert
-try surfing
-milk a cow
-go on a cruise
-learn/become fluent in another language
-ride a mechanical bull
-go to Washington D.C.
-go to the Olympics
-visit Church history sites
-learn to say I LOVE YOU in 20 different languages
-try zumba
-go parasailing
-tour Hearst's Castle
-be part of a flash mob/lip dub
-learn to ice skate
-drive my Jeep on the Rubicon or another famous trail
-write a book
-go fishing
-be in the newspaper
-visit Arlington National Cemetary
-eat sushi
-play mud football
-shoot clay pigeons
-try snorkeling
-meet somebody famous
-go to Italy
-go on a safari
-set foot on all 7 continents
-particiapte in breaking a world record
-visit the Smithsonian museums
-learn sign language
-buy my own car
-try sailing
-try indoor skydiving
-watch a meteor shower all night
-learn a magic trick
-plant and harvest my own garden
-visit Auschwitz
-watch the sunrise on the East coast and sunset on the West coast
-go through as many temples as i can
-have a star named after me/bought for me
-visit the Statue of Liberty
-tour the Hershey chocolate factory
-be in a movie/commercial
-see the Grand Canyon
-go to a rodeo
-go to a deserted island
-build something by myself out of wood

Happy Birthday America!!

LOVE these girls!!

seriously, how handsome is he?! ;)

they like eachother, haha, promise.

I love 4th of July! And this one was the best if all. We had a 3 day weekend so there was no school Monday, it being the 4th and all. Most of my roommates went out of town so it was just Juls and I in the apartment. Friday night Chad and I watched a movie, the great debaters, with James and his girlfriend- it was a pretty good movie. These guys at their apartment complex set off some big fireworks in the fire-pit outside so it was kinda chaotic for a bit, but funny nonetheless. Then Saturday we played volleyball in the sandpit all morning. It was way hot Saturday, i even got a little sunburned believe it or not. After doing some laundry and homework and taking a nice relaxing nap in our quiet apartment, Juls got home from the library and Chad came over so we all went to get a pizza from where his sister works and watched a movie. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my time :) After Chad left Juls and i pulled out our mattresses and had a sleepover in the living room and watched another movie, haha. We went to church with Chad the next morning and then the boys came back home with us and we made a fabulous tri-tip dinner- they LOVED it. Eventually roommates started coming back home and we made plans for the 4th.
There's a big fireworks show in Idaho Falls so we decided to go to that. We packed some hotdogs and drinks and drove out to the river where they shot the fireworks from...there were so many people there!! We played card games and hung out for a long time until finally..the fireworks started! They were so awesome and sitting there with Chad was the best way i could think of to spend it.

Springtime in the Burg!

Okay, so it's been a while since i've written because, well let's face it...i'm stinkin' BUSY!!

Between work and school and fun and a boy my life has been WONDERFULLY crazy!

School: is going well, although it's much harder to get motivated to study and go to class when the sun is finally shining and there are so many other fun things I could be doing. But i'm managing it alright (although to be honest I could probably be trying a little harder.)

Work: is going great-i'm working a ton actually! I am the Games Manager in charge of the softball league so it's quite a bit of work with meetings every Monday night and work on the fields Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 5-11:30 and then a few hours some Saturdays.  Sheesh, that's a lotta hours, haha, but i'm lovin' it! Sometimes there are some crazies and they yell at me and sometimes there are injuries but overall it is great! I absolutely LOVE the people i get to work with! Sometimes we order dinner, or tell jokes back and forth on the radios, and most nights we end up freezing our booty's off but it's a blast :) They all like to tease me because over the course of the league i seemed to have some crazy weird things happen to me ( like getting locked in my own shed right before a game was about to start  and having to call someone to get me out and then a few nights later having the door fall off completely) but we all have a great time every night. We went on a RecSports retreat a few weeks back and it was a good time for sure. We all drove up and had dinner at this hamburger place and then drove the rest of the way to the cabin. Everybody had to participate in the talent show which was quite the entertainment, haha. Alta, Grant, Ali, and I did the "Snickers Challenge" which I found out was sticking a Whole Snickers Bar in your mouth at one time and eating it-let me just say, it's a lot harder than it looks! But yeah, my job ROCKS.

Fun: I seem to be having a lot more fun this semester- it must have something to do with the fact that the weather is SO MUCH NICER than it was during the winter. I'm playing on a softball team, two actually, and both of my teams went undefeated as the league champions so we got Champ Shirts :)

Yeah, we pretty much dominated...nobigdeal. The boys (James, Chad, Rhett) were each on like 5 or 6 teams and they got shirts for all of them except one-crazies! Ha. Aside from softball, we play sand volleyball most Saturday mornings and  any other time we find -it's a lot of fun, especially when the weather's nice. My roommates are ama-zah-zing and we seriously have so much fun just hanging out together. Juls and I are almost always laughing at something and even though Cara has to spend a lot of time doing all her homework, when she comes out to play she's hilarious. They are such a fun group of girls...i'm really gonna miss them when i go home!

A Boy: so...there's this boy (man) that has kinda made his way into my life. And i kinda hope he stays there :) His name is Chad and he is amazing. Seriously. Haha. Whenever people ask me about him they ask "So, what's he like??" and the only way I can sum it up is....well, he's perfect. He lives in Georgetown #5 with Jordan and James and Rhett and played on about a million RecSports teams this semester one of which was my softball team, hence how i met him. Actually i first met him at his apartment where Steph and i played 20questions with him one night and then i would run into him on campus sometimes and think to myself "What a cutie!" Haha. How embarrasing..but we went to the I-center one day to play basketball and ended up spending a lot of time together ever since then. I didn't think there was any way on Earth that he would be interested in me, even with the extra time we were spending together, until he started coming up to my fields every night to walk me home...that's when I started to hope :) He is honestly the sweetest guy, i just can't get over it! And i love spending as much time with him as possible. Okay i'm done being cheesy now(except for the huge smile pasted to my face, haha).

So you can obviously see why i LOVE. MY. LIFE!! I'm seriously so blessed and excited for what's up ahead.

Back On The Diamond.

I forgot how much I love to play softball...
For the Spring semester I'm playing on James' RecSports softball team. Holy Cow these guys are competitive! Haha. I think it'll be a lot of fun though. Tonight was our first game and we won, kinda by a lot. Our team's gonna be really good I think :) It's a co-ed team so it's Me and Stephenie and James, Jordan, and Rhett and their roommate Chad and some of their FHE sisters and some other people I don't really know. But all in all I think it's gonna be tons of fun. I don't really have a specific position but I will probably play right field and short-stop or 2nd base mostly James said. We'll see. Hopefully we can win ourselves a champ shirt :)

Easter Tacos.

I think this may have been one of the coolest Easter Sundays of my life. Here's why:

So we (we being my roommates and I) originally planned on going over to a friends house for a big Easter dinner. She was making tons of food and we were pretty excited about it all week. Then we got a phone call Saturday night that plans had changed and this and that which meant it was now Saturday night, after all the stores in Rexburg had closed, and we had no plans for an Easter dinner. Kind of a problem it seemed. Until... I remembered that earlier in the week I had bought stuff to make tacos for dinner Monday night. So I pitched the idea to the girls and everyone was game. Thus started what I think will be a fine tradition on the Easter tacos! Sunday after we got home from church we fixed things up and called the boys (James and Rhett) to come over and help us eat all this food...it was great!

Happy Easter! Hope all yours were as fun as mine :)

day 17.

  

This place has changed my life and who I am forever!