Graduation Countdown: What I will miss #2

#2 The BYU-Idaho Campus

It’s the day before graduation and I walked on campus for one of the last times. I went to pick up my cap and gown. There was so much excitement on campus as graduating seniors filtered through the MC to gather their graduation essentials. I realized today how much I am really going to miss this campus. The people here are so happy and friendly. If I was having a bad day, there was always someone to brighten my day with a smile. I’m going to miss the people, and the atmosphere on campus. I’m going to miss praying before every class and feeling the spirit of Ricks. BYU-Idaho is truly the Lord’s school. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be a BYU-Idaho student. 

As graduation nears, I find myself saying goodbye to so many great friends. Tears and emotions are flowing rapidly through me. This campus and the people walking through it every day have shaped me into the person you see today. I want to personally thank everyone I have ever met here. You have had a significant impact on my life and forever will.

Graduation Countdown: What I will miss #3

#3 PRSSA

When I first started at BYU-Idaho I had no idea how involved I would become in my major. Joining PRSSA was the best decision I’ve ever made! I’ve learned so much from being a part of this great society, and I was given so many amazing opportunities. I attended national and regional conferences where I was able to network with many other college students throughout the country.

PRSSA Regional Conf. 2012

PRSSA National Conf. 2012 San Francisco

PRSSA National Conf. 2013 Philadelphia  

I served on the Executive Board holding different positions, and eventually became the President of the BYU-Idaho PRSSA Chapter. Being a member of PRSSA means more than to me than just how it will look on my resume. PRSSA has prepared me for my future career as a professional! Even if a professional career is not in my cards, PRSSA has taught me skills I can apply to my personal life even motherhood.  

I love all my fellow PR friends! We had some great times in PRSSA that I will never forget. When I look back at my life in college I will always remember PRSSA with a smile on my face! PR Love!

Graduation Countdown: What I will miss #4

#4 Devotional

Every Tuesday afternoon was not like any Tuesday on a typical college campus. Tuesdays were special at BYU-Idaho because at 2 p.m. I took a little break from the demands of school and attended a devotional. This semester I took going to Devotional more seriously. Past semesters I would attend every so often, but not this semester. This semester I made it a goal for myself to not only attend, but to dress up and stay awake. It’s harder then you might think especially when it gets cold outside and I want to dress warm and the speakers aren’t always lively. But, I put all of that aside. My dear friend Kristin and I went to Devotional EVERY Tuesday, with the exception of when we were out of town! And on top of that we dressed up EVERY Tuesday despite the fact that the temperature got down into the negatives. Making the effort to attend Devotional has blessed my life in so many ways. I’m going to miss going to Devotional so much that I plan to watch it live online every Tuesday! I’m especially going to miss sitting with this lovely lady in our special spot next to the teleprompter!

Graduation Countdown: What I will miss #5

#5 The Cocoa Bean

Cupcakes are pretty much my favorite sweet treat, and that’s why I am really going to miss my favorite cupcake shop, The Cocoa Bean. I have many sweet memories at The Cocoa Bean. If it was a stressful week, I would grab my gal pals and get a cupcake. If it was someone’s Birthday, we would go to Cocoa Bean. If we wanted to have a change of scenery during the PRSSA Executive Board meetings, we would go to Cocoa Bean. The Cocoa Bean was just the place to go! I’ve tried probably every cupcake there. It’s SO worth the calories, but who’s even counting?

Graduation Countdown: What I will miss #6

#6 Living next to the Temple

Every morning I walk outside my apartment and this is what I see:

 

The Rexburg LDS Temple was a reminder to me every day of who I am. I am a daughter of God. Although there were times I took living so close to the Temple for granted, I never missed a day of thinking how lovely it is. I will miss the view of seeing it every day and the feelings it gave me at the start my day.

Some of you may be reading this and have no idea what the significance of a Mormon Temple is. I encourage you to read more about them here. They truly are the House of the Lord. Temples hold a special place in my heart especially since I will be getting married in one in a month and a half! I’m thankful for the Temple and all the blessings that come from it. There is no greater feeling of peace and happiness found than in the Temple.

Orlando, Florida Temple

 

Graduation Countdown: What I will miss #7

#7 Running around the mountains

Before I moved to Rexburg I was an active Florida runner. I could run for miles no problem. I remember running for the first time in Idaho and I could barely run a mile because I was so out of breath. The air is so thin out here! I never really got used to it either. Today, if I walk up stairs I’m still huffing and puffing when I reach the top. I would call my mom on my walk home sometimes and she would ask me if I was working out. This is a small demonstration of my running conditions here in Idaho.

You can probably guess that I didn’t do much running in the winter months. At least not outside. But, during summer and fall I ran outside as much as I could. Running is my stress reliever. I love it! Saturday mornings I would get up a little early and take a long run. I enjoyed exploring new routes to run and finding pretty scenery. I realized that despite the dullness of Rexburg, I was surrounded by beautiful scenes of mountains everywhere.

While I may not miss the thin air that kept me out of breath, I will miss the beauty I was always surrounded by. Running in Florida won’t give me the same motivation as Idaho did. I pushed myself to run up hills and run far distances. Thanks Idaho for helping me accomplish new running goals and giving me the run of a lifetime.

Countdown to Graduation: What I will miss #8

#8 Taking Trips to Salt Lake

If I was ever faced with the opportunity to take a little vacation from Rexburg I took it! Usually this meant driving 30 minutes down the highway to Idaho Falls, but sometimes I went as far as Salt Lake City. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to take many trips down to this beautiful city. Typically it was during the months of April or October for the LDS General Conference which was always such an amazing opportunity. I’m so thankful that I had friends who provided me with rides and tickets to attend at least one session. Lucky for me, I was able to go to General Conference every time since I’ve been living out here. For locals, going to SLC and attending General Conference is not a big deal, but to me it was. And taking pictures in front of the Salt Lake Temple never gets old!

 

 

 

Rexburg can really feel like a bubble sometimes, and it was nice to get away for a weekend every once and awhile. Some of my fondest memories is taking road trips to SLC and not focusing on school. Sometimes these trips consisted of lots and lots of shopping at the City Creek mall which is my favorite mall EVER.

It may be years before I make it back to this side of the country! I’m thankful I was able to live so close to Salt Lake and be able to travel there so frequently. I’m going to miss those fun spontaneous trips, and having the privilege to attend General Conference so many times.

Countdown to Graduation: What I will miss #9

#9 The Spori

This building has been one of my homes here at BYU-Idaho. I’ve spent numerous hours here, some even after regular class time. I may be bias, but I think this building is the most beautiful building on campus. The communication students share the Spori with the art students so I was always surrounded by beautiful works of art and photography. Some days I would just sit in the Spori Art Gallery after class and catch up on homework or just take a break from all the stress of school. The Spori is a peaceful building. I’ve made friends, worked, presented, and most importantly I’ve learned in this building. A majority of my knowledge from BYU-Idaho came from this building, and I couldn’t be more grateful for what I’ve gained. I’ll miss you Spori!

Countdown to Graduation: What I will miss #10

Yesterday marked 10 days until graduation! Over the next week and a half I want to use this writing space to express things about this icebox I will miss, and maybe even some things I won’t miss. 

#10 Snow

Yes, believe it or not I will miss the snow. Even though I often professed my dislike for the snow, I will miss the beauty of the falling snow and how it glitters off the sunlight. Like this morning, for instance, the sun was peeking through the clouds and the sparkle in the snow was just bouncing off the sunlight. It was gorgeous! Those are the snowy moments I will miss, not the ones where I slip and fall, or freeze to death. Which both have happened numerous times.

 

Snow brought out the kid in me. Shortly after the first snow fell, there was always this urge inside me to go run outside and play in it. And play I did!

 

 

This Florida girl is not used to snow, but it was nice to experience the renewing feeling the snow brings from its first fall. I’m much happier in warm, humid weather, but every Christmas from here on out I will wish for a snowy day. After all, Rexburg is where I got to experience the real meaning of a white Christmas.

Graduation Blues

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately. With graduation coming up I can’t help but feel a little blue. I’ve spent the last two years of my life living in Rexburg. Although it may not seem like a very long time, I cherish every moment I’ve spent on this beautiful campus. These past two years were the most influential years of my life! I learned so much more than just public relations. I grew spiritually. My membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has helped shaped me into the person I want to become, and attending BYU-Idaho has only helped me on this journey of finding out who I’m supposed to be.

BYU-Idaho has helped me realize that I have a greater purpose than just landing the perfect job. I’m a daughter of God who will soon be a wife and one day a mother. Many graduates have jobs lined up. I don’t, but I know my Heavenly Father has a greater plan for me which may or may not include my dream job. Maybe what I thought was my dream job isn’t.

My emotions are running high with all the life changing events happening within the next couple of months. Today, during the last devotional, my mind was set at ease with my future. I know that my time here at BYU-Idaho has helped me keep a positive perspective in life. I’m sure going to miss this place and all the wonderful people I met along the way.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said it best, “Something remarkable is happening on this campus.” I’ve seen remarkable things happen on campus every week! BYU-Idaho is filled with the spirit in every class. Usually when children go away to college they feel homesick and lonely. I definitely had some lonely days, but BYU-Idaho has always felt like my home away from home. I always had friends and roommates to rely on who would get me through those rough days.

I don’t know where I’ll end up in 5, 10, 20 years, but I sure hope I find my way back to BYU-Idaho someday.

 

The best weekend of my life! So far...

I will never forget the feeling of loneliness I felt when I said goodbye to Justin 8 ½ months ago. I remember feeling like I would never see him again. I allowed myself to cry that night and that night only because I knew crying wouldn’t make time speed up. I honestly don’t know where the past 8 months went! All I know is that they’re over and I’ve found myself once again walking hand in hand with my best friend.

I spent last weekend with him and it felt like a dream. There are no words to describe my feelings when I saw him for the first time after being apart for so long. Just pure happiness and joy! When we are together it’s as if we were never apart. I’m SO glad to have my fiancé back!  

 

 

While I was in North Carolina we were able to check some details off our wedding list. I picked out my wedding band, which compliments my engagement ring quite nicely, if I might add. ;) I’ll admit I wore both rings the entire weekend pretending we were married. We’ve been engaged for over a year, can you blame me?  

 

 

One of the fun parts of being engaged is picking out all the stuff that will make up a home together. We completed our wedding registry at Bed Bath and Beyond and Target. I was having the time of my life scanning items throughout the store, but I don’t think Justin was planning on spending 4 hours doing it! He loves me, lol. 

Probably the most exciting thing we did this past weekend was get an apartment! After we get married we will be living in North Carolina until Justin is done with the Marines in July. We decided to use the time we had together to look at places to live. I wasn’t expecting to actually find one on the first visit, but we did! I can’t wait to go décor crazy!  

Our wedding feels more real to me now. It seems like I’ve been waiting forever, but it’s almost over. This past year has been a long journey. I have learned so much about myself, and Justin and I have grown so strong. The Lord has a plan for each of us. Sometimes we don’t know why we are faced with certain circumstances, but it’s all part of the Lord’s plan. I’m glad I was taken on this journey. It taught me patience, and it taught me what love really means. Love comes in all different forms and in different stories. This is mine. I wouldn’t change it for anything!

 

 

If you want to learn more about our wedding visit our wedding website here.

Excuse Me While I Blush

Let me just get all this excitement out while I can.  

Never in my life have I been as happy as I am now! It’s not because everything is going perfectly or I have a newfound appreciation for life’s purpose. I’m happy because I am SO in love with my fiancé and I get to see him soon! We have been apart for over seven months now and it’s soon coming to an end.  

It just hit me this week how fast time is flying by. Every night when Justin and I Skype I am literally jumping up and down, squealing with joy and constantly smiling. How did I get so lucky?!  

I can’t imagine my love for him growing anymore, but I know as we grow together in marriage there will be new things for me to love and cherish FOREVER. Since I was young I’ve always dreamed of having a love like a Hunter Hayes song, CRAZY! Justin makes me laugh until I cry and puts a never ending smile, like Barbie, on my face. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and he is all MINE! :D 

 

 

Seriously, I can’t sleep at night because of all the excitement in my life. Every night I go to sleep feeling like the next day is Christmas. Butterflies and all! I can’t contain this happy, crazy, beautiful, fantastic, feeling!!!

I hope each of you find, or have found, a love like mine. It’s the best feeling in the world!  

 

Last First Week of School Madness

My LAST first week of school ended with me getting my class time mixed up and getting pooped on by a bird. How does one get pooped on by a bird in Rexburg?! It’s not like there is a swarm of birds everywhere. 

Anyways, what I thought was going to be an easy, breezy semester has turned out to be quite the contrary. Add Relief Society President onto 12 credits, PRSSA President, graduating, and Bride to be and you have the complete version of my semester. 

If you happen to see me in the next few months, I may look like this:

 

 

Where in the USA is the Geek in the Pink: Cross Country Road trip!

I can literally say I’ve been all over the place this past week! I took a road trip back to Rexburg with my future mother and sister-in-law. We had so much fun!

First stop: Nashville!

 

Nashville at night

St Louis Gateway Arch

On top of the Arch!

 

Ice Cream Capitol of the World!

Sioux Falls

The Badlands

 

Sylvan Lake

Mt. Rushmore!

 

Jenny Lake

10,000+ feet in the air!

The view from our Presidential Suite!

A cross country road trip has always been on my bucket list. So glad I was able to do this before the stress of school kicks in. Speaking of school, this is my LAST semester at BYU-Idaho!!! Can you believe it?! I’m going to be a graduate finally! There are just so many exciting things happening in the coming months. I can’t wait!

 October: PRSSA National Conference in Philadelphia

November: Justin comes home from Afghanistan

December: Graduation

January: Moving my stuff out to North Carolina

February: JUSTIN AND I GET MARRIED!!!