Thankful Thursday

Something weird about me is that I have to end each month of posts on my blog with an even number. So doing "Thankful Thursday" tonight gave me 12 posts for the month of July, which was perfect! (I know, I'm kind of a weirdo.)

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1. The first thing I'm thankful for today is family. And not just my siblings and parents, but my extended family. I am one of the luckiest people around because I am so close to my extended family. We look forward to events where we get to see each other. Most recently on the Murri side, my cousin Brandon's wedding open house and his little brother coming home off his mission. And next weekend is our Murri family reunion so we're all jumping for joy about that one. You can't get any better than spending three days in Ashton, ID, with 45 of your favorite people! I just love my family. I'm so grateful for each and every one of them.

2. The second thing I'm thankful for today is work. I will be putting my two weeks in at Carino's here in the next couple of weeks and I just can't even believe it! And neither can my bosses. After seven years of working there I never pictured the day I would leave it. Even though I'll only be gone till December, I still feel sad about leaving. It's been a part of my life for the last seven years straight, and I'm temporarily ending that. Working at Carino's has been great. They've taken great care of me, and I've developed relationships there that will last forever. Viva la Carino's!

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Well that was it for July! Now on to August...and it's going to be a busy one! Can't wait!

I'm Movin' to Utah!

I got the internship I applied for, and I'm so excited about it! I can't believe I actually got it. There were 20 applicants and they picked me. That doesn't happen to me! I found out yesterday, but I didn't want to make it public until I told the girls I was planning on living with this fall. It was so hard calling them and breaking the news. We lived together all last year and had so much fun. I was really excited to live with them again. But they were so supportive! I felt so much better after talking to them. I love those girls.

I'll be living with my uncle Bob and aunt Penney in Farmington and making the commute to Salt Lake City every day to work for Richter7 as their fall intern. I will be moving back to Idaho Falls in December. I was really nervous when I first applied (as I'm sure you remember) but I have decided this is the best time to do an internship. I'll be getting it out of the way for graduation. And even though I'm supposed to be enrolled in classes this fall, I will do fast grad and go to school from January to December and graduate then.

I still can't believe I got this internship! I am so excited about it. Richter7 is such a great company, and I really think I will be able to do a good job for them. They're a fun and energetic company, and this internship is going to be such a great experience.

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I have another birthday shout out! My cousin

Deidre Rasmussen is 22 today and I want to tell her happy birthday! She lives down by St. George and I just miss her so much! But I get to see her at our family reunion next weekend and I'm so excited!! Love you, Dei!

Brandon & Kristen's Open House in Idaho Falls

My cousin Brandon (on my mom's side) was married on July 12th to Kristen Bell from southern California in the San Diego Temple. Their open house was on the 25th at Brandon's parents house, and it turned out really nice. I love any opportunity I get to spend time with my extended family. I'm grateful we are so close.
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Here are some of the pictures I took at the open house:

The happy couple - they're so perfect for each other!

This is Tyrel's debut on my blog! He's my cousin, and he is not only one of the coolest people I know but one of my very best friends in the whole world!

My cousins Jena, Miles, and I

Tyrel and his girlfriend, Vandy

the sign-in table

The parents line - two of my parents' best friends (Stan & Janet Ingram) showed up, it was fun seeing them

My cousins Coya, Hailey, and I

My cousin Cooper enjoying a little ice cream

Grandpa and my little sister, Amy

Jena and I

My mom enjoying some chatting time with some of her brothers and sisters-in-law

Coya and her husband, John

Hailey and her little sister, Hannah

Jena, Miles, Hailey, and I

I love my family!!

Tag, You're It!

I was tagged by Kelsey.

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Six Things People Might Not Know About Me:

1. I eat a spoon of peanut butter to get rid of heartburn. It totally works!

2. I color-coordinate M&M's before I eat them and go from color to color while I eat them.

3. I collect postcards when I vist new states.

4. I have three beta fish.

5. I've worked at Carino's for almost seven years.

6. I took 3rd place in the expert category in a Guitar Hero contest at Best Buy two years ago. Its true.

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I am going to tag Amber, Hailey, Kate, Judy, and Chelsi!

I want to give a shout out to my best friend of 21 years,

Ashlee Ingram-Charles.

Today is her 24th birthday. So happy birthday, Ash! Love you!

What a Weekend!

It is Tuesday and I feel like the weekend is just ending. I can't believe how busy I have been! I took three trips from Rexburg this last week moving my stuff back to my parents' house in Idaho Falls. I spend so much tme moving back and forth from Rexburg, it drives me crazy some times. This time especially was exhausting. By Friday I had everything moved, but not exactly settled in. Most of it sat in the hall way or living room of my parents' house till Saturday (which I'm sure my parents appreciated). And the rest of finals went very well, I can breathe now. Thanks for being so supportive during all the chaos!

Friday night I got tickets to "The Dark Knight" so I asked Tyson to go with me. That movie is great! We both really enjoyed it. I don't know how many people out there have seen it, but it was awesome. It didn't feel so much like a Batman movie, and I really liked that. It was pretty dark and twisty. Heath Ledger absolutey stole the show as the Joker. When he wasn't in a scene I found myself wanting more of him. I just loved it! It was a great night to just have some fun after a crazy week of moving. I spent all day Saturday unpacking my stuff and getting settled back into my room. It took me almost all day, I can't believe how much stuff I have!

I had an interview for an internship on Monday in Salt Lake City. Mom and I drove down for the day. The internship is for a public relations / ad agency called Richter7, and I was really excited to apply for it. They spend their time representing other companies, basically making them look good and bringing them into the limelight. The company is the most successful agency in Salt Lake City and they have done some pretty impressive work for many businesses, even landing them spots on "The Today Show", "The Early Show", and in magazines such as People and Seventeen. The interview went very smoothly and I felt like I got along really well with the person interviewing me. She even brought in the executive vice president for a little while. Scary! He is friends with one of my teachers from school so that was convenient.

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Everything was going incredibly well...until she dropped a major bomb on me. The job description said the intern was needed next April, but they actually need an intern for this fall. I would have to move to Salt Lake City by the end of August to begin work. So now I don't know what to do. Part of me thinks if I get this internship I should just move and take the opportunity. But the other part of me wants to move back to Rexburg in the fall and continue to take classes. I'm also afraid of missing out on some great things that could happen here if I don't up and move to Utah. I just really don't know what to do. I find out next week if I get the internship or not so I'm pretty anxious. Whatever happens though, the interview was a great experience, and I plan on applying for a position there in the future. Somebody needs to just tell me what to do! I don't want to make this decision. I also need to keep in mind that everything happens for a reason. If this is meant to happen, it will. It just scares me to death. (And I guess I need to just see if I got the internship or not. For now I'll just be incredibly anxious and flip out a little bit.)

Closing Another Door

Yesterday was the last day of the semester, and I had to say goodbye to yet another group of roommates. That just doesn't get any easier! Especially this semester. This, oddly enough, was the first and the last picture of our entire apartment. It wasn't that we didn't like to take pictures, the other girls had plenty together. I simply had a different kind of semester. I started out this semester absolutely terrified. My original plan was to be getting married and never having to live with a bunch of girls again. So the thought of it frightened me. Especially not knowing any of them. I expected this semester to be the worst one ever. And I proved myself wrong.

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Moving in with five strangers was the best thing I could have done for myself after my break up. These girls turned out to be so incredibly loving and supportive, and some of the sweetest people I have ever met. We didn't hang out very much at all this semester, but they knew it was what I needed. They knew I was trying to figure everything out for myself, and they also helped me do that. I found myself spending a lot of alone time this semester, and it was amazing. I learned a lot about myself and what I want during those times. I can't imagine having lived with friends this semester only because I needed to be alone. I needed to focus and try to get over everything. And it worked. So many blessings have come to my life this semester that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Not only did I lose almost 25 lb., but I met some life-long friends that I wouldn't have before. I also raised my GPA and found out for me what I want in my life. And I am so grateful to have experienced it all. I never thought such a would-be scary experience would turn out to be such a great one. I have Ashley, Aubrey, Becca, Megan, and Alexa to thank for it. They are amazing girls, and I am indebted to them for helping me get over the past and accomplish so much for my life.

My friends and family were also incredibly supportive this summer, and I am incredibly grateful for them as well. I really appreciate everybody who stood by my side and helped me through everything. I just love you all so much!

And as one door is being closed, another will be opening in about seven weeks at the beginning of fall semester. Kayla, Sydney, and Julia lived with me last summer and fall and we decided to live with each other this fall as well. So I'm really excited, after this last semester of reflection and soul searching, to get back into the swing of things and live with some old friends. I'm so excited!

After Today I Really Am Rethinking Education

Well its official. I hate finals week! My day today can prove it. It was full of chaos, and I need to talk about it for a minute - ha ha. It all started with a public relations campaign I have due in a class tomorrow. It's a pretty big project that involves making a book about the campaign and a media kit. Good times! I had finished the whole thing, I just needed to print it. I was also needing to print a 15-page paper for another class. So I went to the Spori building this morning because I also needed to add a picture to the cover of my book. When I opened the document for the book and added the picture I realized I saved it wrong and it was pixelated. Due to the lack of time, I decided I didn't care. So I saved it and continued to print my 15-page paper. After I ran my I-Card at the printer and paid the money, I noticed a pretty red light on the printer indicating the paper was out. And of course there was no one around who could add more paper. So I decided to go to the library to print it.

The library is crazy busy during finals week. It is so hard to find a computer. So after aimlessly walking around trying to find one to use I finally found one. When I went to print the paper of course the screen says there was an error connecting to the printer. And to add to it, my I-Card was missing. We have to have that card to print on campus so it's kind of important. At first I thought it was no big deal and I would get a new one at the beginning of the fall semester. Then it dawned on me that I have three more finals over the next couple of days and I need my I-Card to take the tests. So in a panic I retraced my steps back to the Spori and couldn't find it. I needed to call the school and figure out what I needed to do. I then decided to give up on that for now and go to Quick Ship 'n Copy to print off my book for PR before anything else. (Can you imagine how I'm feeling in my brain at this point? I can't even describe it!)

When I got there I had them open up the documents for my book on their computer from my jump drive. I had saved the cover and the rest of the book in two separate documents. And the only one coming up was the cover. And the picture I had added to it this morning was missing. Awesome. I apparently didn't save the book right, it needed to be saved as a pdf. So I had the girl print the cover and I would figure out a way to get the rest printed. Frustrating! So I went home (in tears, mind you) and called the school about my I-Card. I just needed to come in and get a new card, at a $10 fee. So off to the Manwaring Center for a new card I went.

It took a while to get the new card, after the girl at the desk sent me on a wild goose chase to get my I-number that I can't seem to memorize for the life of me. After finally getting my new card I decided to head back to the library to export the book document as a pdf. When I found a computer with Microsoft Word 2007 I opened up the book and clicked to save it properly. Of course, the program wasn't updated with that kind of add-in so I had to install it. After about ten minutes of waiting, it tells me the installation failed because I didn't have the authority to install anything on a campus computer. So I couldn't save it properly. I thought I was going to break down in tears right there in the library!

After some thought I decided to chance the Copy Spot in the library and see if they could help me. And after a few clicks of the mouse my life was saved. I got the whole thing printed out, and I was on my way back to Quick Ship 'n Copy to bind it.

In the end, I got my book printed and bound, and it looks awesome! As far as the picture on the cover, I had to do some cutting and pasting (literally - that's not in computer talk, I actually cut that picture out and glued it on...classy, I know) and I didn't get the 15-page paper printed. After this day, I don't even want to chance it! I'm scared of what crazy adventure I might go on. One positive thing about this day is the fact that I got a new I-Card and I've needed a new one badly. My other one was about three years old and quite scary. I will be so grateful when finals are over! I have three tests left up till Friday, and then I move back to Idaho Falls. I can't wait!

PS -Thanks for letting me vent! I feel a lot better!

That's Right, I Look Like Kate Hudson

My sister-in-law gave me the idea of finding my celebrity look-alike through uploading a photo and I decided to try it out. So I found a web site that gives you a list of celebrities you look like instead of just one. My number one was Missi Pyle. Then Kate Hudson, Jamie Lyn Spears, and a few others. I decided to try the Celebrity Morph with Kate Hudson and it is so cool! I don't think I look a whole lot like Kate Hudson, but is it just me or do we have kind of the same bone structure? Our jaw lines don't change in that morph. Crazy! You can pick one of the celebrities you look like and morph into them. It definitely shows you what features you have in common with that celebrity. You should try it out at myheritage.com. There's a bunch of fun stuff you can do with pictures. Have fun, and let us know what celebrities you look like!

Must-Have #2: Chocolatey-Mint Mini Delights

So cool, fresh, and hip, these chocolatey mint rice cakes should have a pair of sunglasses and skinny jeans. When you're 90 calories, you've got to look good for your people. And these little guys get the job done. Shhhh, don't tell the paparazzi.

Let's be honest, I love these things! Amber was actually the one who introduced them to me about six months ago. My mom, sisters, and I are all chocolate freaks and we have really been in to the 100-calorie snack packs of different chocolate treats. But when Amber told me about these mini mint chocolate-drizzled rice cakes in 90-calorie packs I was so excited. I love mint chocolate anything! And these just take the cake (no pun intended). I have never been a fan of rice cakes, but the mint chocolate drizzled over each one makes them so delicious! And at only 90 calories, how much better can you get? I reach for one of these packs when I'm having a chocolate freak out and need a fix. And they 100% satisfy the craving. I love them! And I always have them in my pantry.

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Seriously, I love these things and I would gladly be the spokesperson for them. Trust me on this! If you want to have some of your own they are about $3.50 a box, and I have only been able to find them at Albertson's. They're on the same aisle as the cereal and rice cakes. Other flavors include caramel drizzle, buttered popcorn, cinnamon streusel, chocolatey drizzle, and peanut butter. I highly recommend them, they're delicious!

Fourth of July Firecracker 5k / Fireworks

Well I don't know about you guys, but I had myself an all-American weekend! I love the Fourth of July! I am one of those people from Idaho Falls that loves to do it all on the Fourth.

My all-American day started with the 5k run in the morning before the parade. It was my first 5k and I was a little nervous. But it ended up being so much fun! Amber ended up running it with me, along with my aunt Janell and her daughter and my cousin Chloe. It was a lot of fun! After the 5k we sat and watched the parade with the rest of Janell and Chloe's family. Later on in the day my immediate family had a barbecue, and all my favorite all-American foods were present: hotdogs, ice cream cones, and diet pepsi. It was great! I love barbecues.

After the barbecue I went to the Idaho Falls fireworks with Kristine and some of her friends from BYU-Idaho. I love the fireworks! Especially being right on the green belt. It was fun. We were able to see a lot of friends from high school that we hadn't seen in a while. My friend Kelli Hoopes-Eccelston came up from Sandy, UT, to watch the fireworks with her family so I got to see her. It was a lot of fun.

Lora, Sarah, Kristine, Desiree, Tammy, and I at the firworks

Kris and I

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How much more all-American can you get! I just needed to play some baseball and I would have been good to go! I love the Fourth of July, and I had such a great time spending it with family and friends. I can't wait till next year!

Thankful Thursday on a Friday

I forgot to do my "Thankful Thursday" yesterday, so I thought today would be a great day to make up for it.

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I absolutely love the Fourth of July and everything about it! And I think this week I am especially thankful for our country. Every year when the Fourth of July comes around I have the opportunity to leave Idaho Falls and go somewhere else for the festivities. But I can't find it in my heart to do it! I think Idaho Falls has a lot of pride in itself, especially on the Fourth of July, and I love that. I love the feel of the city on this day and how the people that live here show their love for America. I love how all the people come out for the parade and the fireworks, and I love just walking through those crowds watching everybody. I'm grateful to live in a free country where kids can play in their yards without being afraid, and parents can choose where those kids go to school. I am so grateful for those brave men and women who continually fight the good fight for my benefit and my family's. This country is the greatest. I love it, and I am so blessed to be an American. I love the USA!

Aaron & Britney's Open House in Idaho Falls

Aaron and Britney's open house was on Saturday the 28th at my parents' church building in Iona (Idaho Falls). It was fun being able to see some people we haven't seen in a long time. Here are a few of the pictures I took at the open house.

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Me, Deidre, Amber, and Jena - We can't go a wedding without taking a picture of the Four Musketeers!

The dessert table - We had Texas sheet cake and Reed's Dairy strawberry ice cream. Delicious!

The book table

Che', Amber, Amy, and Jena

My uncles and aunts on the Murri side always give a painting to the niece or nephew getting married and Grandma makes them a quilt. What a fun tradition!

The Pasley's came! They're actually in the back of this photo but I wanted to make mention of their presence at the reception. They have been friends of our family's for years, and it meant a lot seeing them there. We love the Pasley's!

Reunion!! Amber, Kristine, and I hadn't seen our good friend Ashley Davis for years and she showed up to the reception with her mom. She's been living in Boise. We were so excited to see her!

Aaron and Britney standing in line with the parents

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It turned out to be a really nice reception. I loved seeing so many familiar faces!