Nerd with a capaital N, Geek with a capital G

Let me just say something right off the bat here. I’m a nerd. I’m a nerd about learning. So maybe it’s a geek? I don’t know. I just love learning.

I’ve always enjoyed learning, school and everything about it. And people truly fascinate me… (so I’m a nerd, geek, and creepy stalker… go figure). Hence the reason I’m studying psychology and sociology.

Anyway, last week I bought a GRE prep book and flashcards because I need to take the GRE here pretty soon. {Here I come graduate school!}

This prompted Mariah to look at AP U.S. History flashcards on Amazon so she can ace her AP test in a few months. I was looking with her and found the AP Psychology flash cards…

And… I bought them.

Am I taking the AP test in a few months? No, I already did that. I just wanted to look through them to see what they were like.

When they arrived I opened them and started looking through them and got ridiculously happy and excited. I’m such a geeky nerd. In the left hand corners they are labeled with more specific areas in psychology. Looking at those makes me remember all the classes I’ve taken and how cool psychology is and I just get overwhelmed with happiness and joy. Just ask Rachel… she thinks I’m nuts. Although she is on drugs (her wisdom teeth were extracted on Monday)… so maybe that’s why. :)

Anyway, i'm finding it hard to open my GRE books now... They were a lot more interesting to look at before the psychology cards came.... 

How to Make a Giant Kit Kat Bar

This year for Christmas I needed to make a home-made gift for a family of four (with a 6 year-old and a 2 year-old) for under 10 dollars. I decided to make a humongous kit kat bar – because that’s one thing anyone of almost any age can enjoy. (I didn’t quite make it in under 10 dollars – but it was close).

Here’s what you need:

*Melting chocolate – depending on how big you want it. I used 2 packages of almond bark and a large bag of chocolate chips.
*Vanilla wafers
*A mold – I used a long, narrow cardboard box I found at the dollar store. I was hesitant to use cardboard but it worked like a charm. You could also use a garden planter, or plastic Tupperware or something like that.
*A plastic cutting board – I cut the letters out of this to put on the bottom of the mold – But I think cardboard would work too.

Directions:
1.       Prepare the mold. If you’re using a cardboard box, cut off one side to pour the chocolate into.

22.   Prepare the letters. I used a plastic cutting board and cut out the letters K-I-T-K-A-T and put them down on the bottom of the mold facing backwards. I secured them will glue dots (but that isn’t necessary)

Take a special look at the letter A - it's not backwards :( That's a mistake - don't make the same one :)

   3. Melt the chocolate. I started with 6 squares of almond bark and a few cups of chocolate chips – stir every few seconds to avoid burning.

4. Pour the chocolate over the plastic letters about ¼ way up the mold. Spread evenly and put in the refrigerator for an hour to set.

5. Remove from refrigerator and top the chocolate with layers of the vanilla wafers

6. Melt the remaining chocolate and pour over the wafers – make sure you get all the sides so the wafers are completely encased with chocolate. Put it back in the refrigerator to set. 

7. Remove the chocolate and carefully remove it from the mold – the cardboard came right off for me. The plastic letters got set in the chocolate so I had to use a knife to get the sides up but then they came right off.

Blasted backwards a!

    

       8.  Wrap in foil

9.    Then in red wrapping paper

10.   Decorate it to look like a kit kat – I weighed mine to figure out the NET WT. I also calculated the nutrition information but decided not to add it to my candy bar – since it was a present and all :)

                                 11.   Set it back in the refrigerator until ready to give or eat 

And there you have it. It’s super easy and makes a great gift! 

2012 Year in Review

Everybody does these things so I thought I’d join in on the fun. Except, it’s really hard to try and remember things from a whole year! I’ll try my best.

Favorite movies of the year: The Avengers and Les Miserables. I’m no movie expert and I don’t even watch very many, but when I saw both of these I just wanted to sit back down and watch it again. {Also those may be the only 2 movies in the history of my life where that has happened.}

Favorite TV show this year: Bones. Still the only show I’ve ever followed.

Favorite Book: I can’t even remember the books that I’ve read… but 2 of the books I read last semester for school were muy excellente! The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills and the Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute. {Might I say that one of my favorite parts about 2012 is that I actually really enjoyed the books that I needed to read for school... we’re on the right track, folks!}

Ok that’s enough of those…

hmm 2012.
You rocked.

At the beginning of the year I just lived at home and worked. I thought I was going to hate it, but turns out it wasn’t bad at all. I ran in the color run which made me sick for 2 months, In March I switched last minute from running another half marathon to running a 10k (because I couldn’t breathe) and loved it! Such a great distance for people like me who hate training. I was a cast missionary for the Mesa Easter Pageant, went to Diamondbacks Fan Fest and got bumped into by Justin Upton in the clubhouse (he’s a big fella) and was actually pretty busy with all sorts of who-knows-what. In April I went up to Rexburg for school. But first drove through Colorado and went to a Dbacks-Rockies game at Coors Field. I was in school from April to the end of July. School is my favorite - 95% of the time I love everything that comes with it (especially in retrospect)! The learning, the friends, the roommates, the independence, the adventures and all that jazz. I got to come home one weekend for one of my best friend’s wedding receptions. Then I had a 7 week break where I came back home and worked, went to some Diamondbacks games, decorated Harry Potter cupcakes (that was a highlight of the year fo sho) and went to the 2012 edition of the Cousins Weekend in Mesquite, Nevada. Then back to school it was from September to December. I had the best apartment of roommates I have had thus far and loved and learned so much from all of them. I also had the hardest semester of school thus far – my classes seemed to be in beast mode. I really learned what I was made of and prioritized my life and realized school had to come before fun and I needed to take it more seriously. And I enjoyed almost every minute of that ;)! I also lived in snow for the first time – it’s not so bad. The semester flew by at lightning speed and when it was over I spent a few days in Utah with the cousins. Then came home to a new house and spent Christmas eve and Christmas morning at the cabin. And to end the year with a bang, today Mariah and I made superhero skirts! 

Color Run and Phoenix Marathon 10k

Kymber and Michael's Wedding

Fall Semester 2012

Harry Potter cupcakes, Diamondbacks game, Superhero skirts

2012 you were good to me and taught me a lot. I thank you for your time.

Dear 2013, I’m ready for you! I have a good feeling about you – and it’s not just because I’ll be graduating with my Bachelor’s degree!  Show me what you’re made of  and I’ll show you what I’m made of! Bring it! :) 

A little change of perspective never hurt anyone...

My family moved last weekend. Weird, right? We lived on good'ol 25th street for 15 years! It's kinda sad... I mean... we made a whiffle ball stadium in our backyard. And we had an NCAA tournament bracket made out of duct tape on an entire wall in our basement. Those right there are just sad to leave. And raise your hand if you ever played lava monster with us downstairs in the pit. Or slid down our stairs with pillows and sleeping bags. Or took part in an epic nerf gun fight with dozens of nerf guns and hundreds of darts over the entire basement floor. Or were chased down the long wood floor with a tailless scorpion from a mean older brother. Or ever walked into our house on a Saturday morning to hear Disney music blasting to every square inch of the house thanks to a very loud, centrally located stereo. Or ever simply walked across the street to our house for lunch (or to miss seminary) in the Poston days. Or ever walked into our laundry room in utter amazement at all the random crafting things and odds and ends my mom had hoarded over the past few decades. Let's just say, lots of good memories were had in that warm little home.

But alas, it is no more.

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking about how weird it's going to be to go home at Christmas to a different house, to one i've never even seen. Will it be home?

Yesterday I went to the temple and as I was waiting in the chapel (I live in Rexburg, you have to wait at least an hour no matter what time of day you go) I opened up the Bible Dictionary to the word temple and started reading. As I read "...Only the home can compare to the temple in sacredness" my whole perspective changed. It just hit me that it doesn't really matter where home is, the size or location of the four walls that surround you aren't what matters. To me home isn't a place, it's a feeling. It's the warm, comfortable, welcoming atmosphere of being with your family. I was reminded that our homes can be a house of the Lord wherever they may be. Memories and good times will come no matter what - they don't depend on the place, but the people and the spirit.

It was a very comforting reminder and change of perspective. I'm grateful for those moments. 

When I get home, instead of thinking of all the changes because we no longer have room for half of our Christmas decorations, i'll just be grateful we have the opportunity of being together this Christmas. We have truly been blessed. (And probably the fact that this whole moving mess has been longer and more stressful than we anticipated has made us more welcome to the fact that it finally happened.) Who knew good things come from stress, uncertainty, and change of plans? (Easy for me to say, I wasn't home for all of it... bahahaha).

See you next week new house!

Adventures in a Straw Maze

 Last night we were invited to go to the straw maze. It sounded fun enough, I had never been to one before and I figured it would be fun to test my directional skills in the dark. So I went.

Ariel view.. during the day.

Well. Turns out straw mazes are actually HAUNTED straw mazes.  I wouldn’t know though because my little friend, Tony, conveniently left that part out when he told me about it.  So we get there and wait in line for 45ish minutes. I was fine until one of the creepy character people came and stood RIGHT behind me. The people around me ran away while I just stood there, looking straight ahead, frozen. Tony and Jarhed started laughing at me – and mistakenly said my name. Mr. Creepy man heard it and repeated it – so then I ran. And he ran after me, calling my name in a sinister voice.

We took this picture later on in line, when I got my hearbeat back.. see how he's just staring at me though?? Creeper.

Memories from a haunted house I went to in highschool came flooding back to my mind - I was being chased out of the house with a vicious man with a CHAINSAW.

 But then, I really DID hear a chainsaw. I don’t remember what I did, but everyone was laughing yet again and said they just wanted to go in with me because my reactions would be funny. So not cool – I need better friends. Ha – just kidding. But I did feel like I was about to enter the Triwizard Tournament. I was sure I was not going to make it out alive. I began compiling crazy scenarios – and past Bones episodes really made that easy.

Before I could escape my imagination, we were at the front of the line and had to enter through a swinging tin door.  

I must have used up all my “fear” neurons while waiting in line, because the actual thing wasn’t that scary.

Except for one part. I was at the front (yeah seriously, who would have thought I would be the brave one in the group? Not me) and we got to one of the characters – I walked past him but everyone else ran away. Well shoot, now I’m alone. But that’s when I heard it. First a thundering of footsteps  then A CHAINSAW. I was hightailing it out of there… but he was following me! There were like 3 groups of people right there in that little intersection and I ran right into some stranger and grabbed onto his jacket. And didn’t let go for like 2 minutes while he just laughed at me (But I’ll just add that he was one of the people running away too… and everyone was running and screaming). Fear does strange things to you I guess.

Then I decided I should find my friends. So I left him and found them soon enough. They pushed me back to the front and we continued on. We met dozens of interesting people - freaky bride, a man with a heinous laugh, a psycho doll, a joker on stilts, a regular joker, a pig (probably the most startling except for the chainsaw man – whom I did NOT get a good look at), a gorilla, lots of just creepy painted bloody faces and more.

When we were around the bride, Kayley screamed Tony’s name – the bride heard it and started calling him too. Ha. Payback.

After 45 minutes we were still not out. And I swear the characters were starting to recognize us. That could be because I talked to them every time, though. But really it just became frustrating and not frightening. When we finally made it out, it was just Paige, Jarhed, Tony, Kayley, Kate and I. Everyone else had made it out long before. (But i'm going to make myself feel better by saying it's because Jason had been through it the day before so he knew the way and everyone else just followed him)

I guess our directional skills are not really skills. We went in many a cirlces. 

But all in all, it was a pretty fun night! 

Talk of the Town

So. General conference this last weekend. So good. So so so good! But I feel this way every time… There’s just something wonderful about listening to our leaders direct and guide us through the inspiration of the Lord. It’s always one of my favorite weekends ever! Especially this one because I was in Utah. (More on that later… maybe :)

ANYWAY, there was one certain aspect of this little conference that has been the talk of the town, probably the talk of Mormons everywhere! (and sadly, it’s not the new announced temple in Tucson, making SIX in AZ… we passed Idaho, baby!)

Nope, not that. But something that has been mentioned in every class of mine, in the library and in line at the testing center. I hear bits and pieces of these conversations every time I walk across campus (all four times a day). It’s EVERYWHERE.

It’s the new missionary ages.

Not going to lie, my heart did a little skippy thing when I heard President Monson announce this little fact on Saturday morning. 18 years for boys (if they have graduated high school) and 19 years for girls. So crazy!

Why so much emotion, though? Maybe I just think it’s weird because my whole life it’s always been 19 for boys and 21 for girls. Maybe it’s because it’s going to change the whole culture at church schools and in large populations of LDS single adults. Maybe it’s because I’m really interested in how it’s going to change -- How many more girls will go? Will this add more or less pressure for girls? Will the girls who stay get married super fast? Will people start marrying people their own age? Will this change the stereotypes of sister missionaries? Will more high school sweethearts get married? Will girls start getting less education? Is there already an outpouring of 19-21 year old girls talking to their bishops? Will there be a mad rush to the MTC from June to September every year? And how long will it take for these changes to occur? Will boys still attend school for a semester or two to try living on their own before they leave?

I don’t know. I still think it’s crazy to think about.

But this is what I know: There’s a reason for all of it. And it's a good one.

And this is what I think: This will increase the number of missionaries out in the field because there’s a need for more. The church is steadily growing. And society is getting more and more wicked and strange...  And it’s not going to get any better. We need to become stronger and get this gospel out to all corners of the earth. It’s time to prepare. We’re in the public eye right now with Mitt Romney in the presidential election; we need to use this to our advantage. We have the greatest message here on the earth; we need to share it with everyone! The time is now! The Lord needs more. And although this change will change the dynamics of the people serving, it's not about the people. It's about the work.

Wonderfully, exciting times! I’m definitely grateful to be a member of this church. And the blessings of continuing revelation. 

School is taking over my life

Actually it's not present tense, it has already happened.
Both last week and this week I have literally planned out just about every waking minute of everyday. And if something ends up taking longer or shorter than planned, problems ensue.

How do I have time to blog? I don't.
Back I go, memorizing the 12 cranial nerves: names, numbers, functions, locations.

The time has come... the time I honestly thought might never happen... I love school... but... i'm officially ready to be done.

On a lighter note, which nerve do you use for gambling?

(the vagus nerve) bahahahahahahahah!!! Ok, not that funny... but still.