My Favorite Place

Tonight I went with my mom and her young women to do baptisms for the dead. I always forget how great the temple is! Here are the top ten things I love about going there.

1) Everyone there is super kind. All the temple workers are excited you are there and want to make your experience a good one.

2) It is so peaceful. No one is in a hurry, no one is stressing out, no cell phones are ringing.

3) You have lots of time to just sit and reflect. I am a firm believer that introspection is not only healthy, but necessary.

4) It is one of the best things you can do to serve others. Because you won't see the people you've served for a long time, it is easier to do it for the right reasons.

5) The Oquirrh Mountian temple especially has beautiful, beautiful artwork!

6) At the temple, you know that every one else there has the same purpose.

7) When you go to do baptisms, you get to wear those oh-so-stylish jump suites. :)

8) I have received so much super-meaningful personal revelation at the temple.

9) It is so refreshing and empowering. Being there makes me want to feel that good all the time. And the way to feel that good all the time is to act that good all the time.

10) Let's face it, there is no where else where I can be that close to my Heavenly Father, and I love that feeling. If the temple feels that good, can you imagine what heaven is like?

It's a Girl!

I got a new car! Yay!

She is a 2005 Hyundai Accent, and so far she is great!

I got her at Murdock Hyundai in Murray. The guy at the dealership was super super nice and not pushy at all. He really respected my limits and didn't push me to try to buy something I couldn't afford. Car shopping is never fuh, but, all in all, it was not a bad car shopping experience :)

I'm thinking her name will be Beth. What do you guys think?

Yoga

GASP!!!

Could it really be two posts in two days?

Yes, yes it could!

I recently decided that I want to one day be able to do this:

So I started doing yoga. I'm not quite to that point yet, but I still am really enjoying it! So this weeks (second) top ten is the ten reasons why you should do it with me!

1) I can feel it! Even after just the first week I feel stretchier. It makes me sore, but the good kind.

2) It looks super cool when you do it right.

3) It takes a lot of concentration, which takes your mind off other things.

4) It seriously works every single muscle in your body. Because you move so slowly and hold every pose, you really get toned.

5) It takes patience which I don't have very much of. BUT this way I can learn patience and get super buff at the same time...two birds with one stone.

6) Even if you don't like it, you can laugh at all the granola people who get way way into it.

7) It doesn't involve running. I really hate running.

8) I don't have to wear shoes! I hate shoes! It's like prison for your feet. In yoga, your feet can be free!

9) It's like stretching and exercising at the same time...again, two birds with one stone.

10) This sounds a little crazy, but I find it very relaxing. Who would have thought that contorting myself into all kinds of weird and uncomfortable poses would be a de-stresser? Go figure!

The End of an Era

I did it. I sold Francis. It becomes official on Monday. I'm super excited to move on, but I will miss that crazy kid. As much trouble as he caused me, I will always carry a soft spot in my heart for him. Here are some of the reasons why.

1) He had personality. This is a good and bad thing. Some of his quirks were annoying (alarm going off randomly until you opened the trunk, the radio flickering on and off every time you went over a bump, etc.), but endearing at the same time.

2) I dreamed of driving a bug from the time I was just a little kid. I lived my childhood dream. How many people can say that?

3) Let's be real, I looked GOOD in that car! Red is def. my color. :)

4) He was my first car. I think everyone has an emotional attachment to their first car, no matter how bad it was.

5) It is super fun to drive past school buses (or other vehicles with kids in them) in a bug. You get to see the punches fly!

6) The gas millage I got out of that fella was amazing. We're talking between 35 and 40 miles to the gallon baby!

7) Some of my most sincere prayers were said and the best answers came when I was driving Mr. Francis.

8) This is true of any car I guess, but I love cleaning them out. It always smells and looks so good after!

9) I was really proud of the name I gave him... Francis is just perfect.

10) Francis taught me to not make large purchases (like a car for example) based on emotions. You will regret them later!

Anyway, I thought I would just take a moment, at the close of this chapter, to look back on the good things that Francis has given me :) So long, dear friend. I hope you will be happy at your new home.

PS. When Francis's soon-to-be new owners came, I couldn't believe it. It was a girl...named Jessie, who goes to school... at the U, and her dad, whose name is Scott...Coincidence or fate? I'm going to go with fate on this one.

First Top Ten

I decided that I need to be more positive. So I am going to write a series of top ten blogs about what ever strikes my fancy that week!

To start it off, I have a list of my top ten favorite TV shows. My TV viewing habits are not at all traditional...I never watch shows when they are actually on. I usually watch them on hulu or netflix or wait for the dvds to come out, so some of these shows are not even on any more.

Here they are, in no particular order...

1)Pushing Daisies. It is so cute and smart and funny and clean. The whole premise of the show is so clever; a guy who brings people back to life, asks who killed them, and solves their murders. And Kristin Chenoweth is adorable. I was heart broken when I found out there were only 2 seasons!

2) Bones. Hot FBI agent + smart lady scientist = super good TV! Personally, I'm glad that Bones and Booth have never hooked up (at least so far). What do you guys think?

3) NCIS. I know he is old, but I would marry Leroy Jethro Gibbs in a heart beat! He is just that cool. (Does it mean anything that the first 3 shows I thought of have to do with solving murders?)

4) Lie to Me. So I'm not so much a fan of the characters in this one as I am of the psychology behind it. Maybe I will be Dr. Foster when I grow up...

5) So You Think You Can Dance. It's just fun! My secret regret is that I stopped dancing when I was a kid, so I love watching people who didn't.

6) The Bachelor/bachelorette. I know, I know. I totally shouldn't like this show, but it's my guilty pleasure. The whole premise is completely ridiculous. Why does it always suck me in? It's like a train wreck; I know I should look away but I just can't.

7) FAME! The original 1980's TV series...leg warmers, that girl from Foot Loose, singing, dancing, puffy permed hair, Mr. Sherofski... Seriously, what more could you ask for?

8) What Not To Wear. Clinton and Staci, thank you for saving the world from bad fashion, one person at a time. Some people think they are mean, but it's just tough love!

9) Losing it With Jillian. Yet another tough love show! She is just so cool. Plus it motivates me to not get fat.

10) And last but not least we have Jag. What can I say, I have a weakness for the Navy uniform for some reason. (Don't tell my dad I said that.)

So there you have it, my first top ten. Any suggestions for next week?

Well dear friends, it is that time of the week again!

Last week I was trying to decide what to get my masters degree in. And I promised a pro/con list. So here it is!
School psychology
Pro
· Family friendly career
· I have connections at all the instate universities
· Working with kids
· Directly benefiting people and families
· Not as high pressure
· Serving
· Lower profile
· Practical application of everything I learned
· Lots of opportunity to be in charge of myself
· Possibility for me to still do research too

Con
· Not as prestigious
· Mundane
· Working for public school system = low pay, lots of restrictions, limited resources
· Do I want to stay in state for grad school?
· If I do go out of state for grad school, I def want to come back to Utah after…would have to redo some of the licensing requirements to meet state criteria.
· High pressure


Developmental Psych
Pro
· I love the research process
· Something interesting going on every day
· Very autonomous
· Being published
· Working at a university = job security
· Have a growing list of contacts in the field.
· Growing field
· Could do research for children of veterans

Con
· Have to publish
· Working at a university = not family friendly for first 5-7 yrs.
· Would probably have to live out of state for quite a while
· Unsure I would benefit others
· Not practical
· High pressure

So there is that. So far, I think School psychology is in the lead...

Just as a side note, does any one else ever feel the need for change? And frustrated because you don't know what to change or how do go about it? I don't know what is wrong with me the last few days...weeks... That's a lie. I do know. I have become stagnant. I'm not progressing. I've hit a plateau. Which makes me nervous because that usually when I feel like this it is the "calm before the storm" as they say. Something big is coming...maybe. Am I the only one that feels that way?

Ok, so I forgot to blog last week...I'm lame. But I am here now to redeam myself!

Anyway. What a week this has been! First of all, I got a new bike... may not be super exciting, but I get really tired of driving sometimes. Now I have a super cute bike with a BASKET and a cheerfull-sounding bell! Cory was super nice and drove me in his truck to the store to pick it up. And he even helped me test every last bell and horn in the store. What a good brother!

Second of all, Mom is at girls camp this weekend. Yes, that is right, my mom is CAMPING. She is hanging out with a bunch of girls and leaders in the wilderness with no running water. Oh, how the tides have turned!

I am always amazed at how things change. And how fast things happen. Yay!

Seriously though. I am trying to decide what path I am going to take in grad school. I've narrowed it down to school psychology or developmental psychology. (Pro/Con is in progress...). This is assuming I will get in to grad school at all... Developmental psych would be more research based, which I love. Research is the basis for everything we know. But it is really competitive and doesn't involve a lot of contact with the populations you are helping. School psych is more direct involvment with kids, more clinical in approach, and not as difficult to break in to. But I love the research and am so facinated by the new studies. I really enjoy the whole process. Hmmm...I guess we will see what happens.