Glenn, April, Miriam, and Bekah Visit

In August, Glenn, April, and the girls came out from New Jersey for a visit. It was so wonderful to see them! They stayed for a little over a week with us, which was so much fun. Every morning Miriam would get up and go in the Toy Room to play. Those were some of my favorite times of their stay! We went swimming a lot, went to Seven Peaks, the mall, and just played around at home. We also had a fun day at the park where we played tag, mother-may-I, and hide and seek. The visit went way too fast. I wish they could have stayed longer, but we had lots of fun while they were here! I Love my Family!

Music for a Summer Evening on August 5, 2008

In August Dad, Mom, Krista, and I, along with some friends, attended a Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert up in the Tabernacle. The performance was called "Music for a Summer Evening", The first part of the performance included LDS artists such as Kenneth Cope, Hillary Weeks, and Michael McLean, among others. Those wonderful performances just set the stage for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. You could feel the spirit so strong in the Tabernacle as the choir performed. My favorite moment of the night was when they sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". The music and the words are so inspiring, and the choir sang it magnificently. I was glad I was able to share this night with my family and with one of my good friends Elise Gubler. It really was a wonderful night.

Carmel July 2008

So this past July Spencer, Heather, Lyssa, Laura, and I spent a week in Carmel. It was so much fun!! We took walks every night, went to the beach, had breakfast in Monterey and explored the shops, and spent a day in San Francisco. Point Lobos was gorgeous as usual and the weather was perfect. My favorite part about our time there was going out on the porch early in the morning to do my scripture study. The beauty and peace you see and feel there just makes the spirit all the more powerful! It was really a fun experience!

A New Chapter

So I've been thinking lately it's really about time I start posting on this blog more often. It's a great way to journal, and to keep in touch with family and friends. As a start to this new resolve I'm updating what has happened in my life since my last post.

I am now more than half-way through my last semester at Brigham Young University. I am completing my capstone on the Labor and Delivery Department, which I absolutely love! I am stressing with projects and last-minute details I need to take care of, but overall I am pretty happy. I have great roommates and live in a great ward, where my uncle happens to be the bishop. I am enjoying working, going to school, hanging out with friends, and watching BYU Football! Go Cougars!! My family is doing pretty well. Dad, Mom, and Krista are at home and are trying to keep themselves busy. Laura, Lyssa, and I are in school and Heather and Spencer are working. Glenn, April, Rebekah, Miriam, and the new addition to the family, little Marcus, are living in New Jersey. It is really a great time to be alive! I am having so many wonderful opportunities, and am looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life.

Dad's Birthday

On July 9 we celebrated dad's birthday. We were really excited to give him his gift, and from the picture you can see he was pretty excited too! We pitched in and gave him a Clear Play machine so we can more freely watch movies without worrying about the bad stuff. Then we had Angel Food Cake with raspberries and fruit sauce for dessert. I think he really enjoyed his birthday! We love you Daddy!!

Mary Ellen Edmunds Dinner

On Wednesday, April 9, I was able to go to a dinner for the Mary Ellen Edmunds Nursing Chair. Some of the nursing students had the opportunity to go for free. The special guest was Kenneth Cope. He is absolutely amazing!! I had met him before when he performed at grandma's house, but I introduced myself again. He was so kind and thoughtful! His presentation was wonderful! He spoke a lot about how we are all children of God and need to develop a personal relationship with Him. It was evident he had that relationship. He performed a couple songs from his new album "All About You". They were called "Your Father's Child" and "Broken". He also sang his version of "Because I Have Been Given Much" and another song called "Come to Jesus". It was a great evening! I managed to catch him after the concert and he took a picture with me and signed my copy of his new album. I am so glad I had the opportunity to go!

Crunch Time

Well, it's getting close to the end of the semester. I can't believe how fast time has flown by! The end of the semester in the nursing program is actually a lot less stressful than the rest of the semester. Since clinical is done two weeks before the semester is over, you pretty much only have to worry about finals. This semester, however, I seem to have a lot more to stress about. I have a final presentation for my Psych class that is worth a significant portion of my grade, I have remediation to do for two ATI tests I took this semester (long story), I have to complete scholarship applications by the beginning of next week for both the university and the nursing program, I have to get logistics worked out to study for and take my LPN exam, and on top of that I figured out I have to get 95% or above on all my final exams to pull off decent grades this semester. Talk about a lot of pressure! I just need to take this process one step at a time and work very hard over the next couple of weeks. Then I can worry about studying for my LPN exam and getting a good summer job. Oh, did I mention I also need to find housing for spring/summer and fall/winter. I am going to need divine intervention to get through these next couple hectic weeks. We'll see if it can be pulled off! Wish me luck!