Sometimes it just hits me...

And I realize I miss the Mormon bubble. And calling my teachers Bro. and Sis. (which I have to consciously make myself not do here, although we call our teachers by their first names so that makes it easier). And starting each class with a prayer. And just the easiness of it all.

My life is crazy with work and school right now and I haven't quite found the right balance so forgive me for giving you no real information about school. Just know that I love it. And that I am very tired. Always.

Also in just a couple weeks Griff will be done working and on his way to me!!! And that is what is getting me through right now. :)

My first day of graduate school!

Exhausting. So much information. But also fun. Good teachers. And I love my cohort. The homework is already piling up though. You would not believe the amount of chapters I have to read just from my two classes today (which by the way those two classes lasted for 7 hours total). But for now I am off to relax with my sister. Much earned.

Changes.

Man there are a lot of changes when you move from the little Mormon bubble of Rexburg to the city of Spokane where you attend a Catholic school. Here is a little list of the things I am trying to get used to.

- having to drive EVERYWHERE I go

- having so many stores to choose from

- not knowing where anything is

- not feeling safe outside at night

- being told to not to go to certain stores by myself at night

- having to make sure everything is always so securely locked

- having crucifixes on the walls of my school

- living in a house with so much space (it kinda creeps me out)

- having my own room and so much privacy

- not having quiet, considerate neighbors

- only knowing a few people in the whole city

- attending such a small singles ward

- not having everyone I know go to school

- feeling really old because I'm a college graduate now

- not having all my best friends just around the corner

- having to pay $12,000 a semester instead of less than $2,000

- having classes that are 4 hours long

- having such a beautiful old campus (no offense BYU-Idaho but you've got nothing on Gonzaga)

- having tons of side streets with uncontrolled intersections (no stop signs or anything, its madness!)

- seeing homeless people on the side of the road

- getting to hang out with my sister all the time

- not having any memories with Griffin here

Some of these changes to my life are good and some not so good, but overall I am super happy and really enjoying my time here. I'm sure once school starts I will have even more changes to get used to... wish me luck!

I love being outside.

I wish I had more people to hang out with so I could go outside more. Or I just wish that I still lived right next to a park. Cause that is just the best thing ever. An instant place to be outside, relax, and read a book. But I do have Mel and Glenn here and last week we went on a hike. It was really fun even though we got lost and didn't go on the trail that we were trying to. We're going to go again and try to do it right. lol. Here are some pictures from our little adventure.

There was a sweet suspension bridge at the beginning of the trail.

That little person on the left is me. This bridge was super long.

Glenn liked to go off the path and at one point climbed up pretty dang high. (That is me and Mel down on the path.)

Part of our hike was really beautiful.

And then when we got lost it was pretty desolate. Welcome to eastern Washington. Oh how i miss the west.

But overall it was a good time and I can't wait to do it again.

What I'm made of.

Today Griffin said I'm made of 90% sass, 10% beautiful, and 10% awesome. That is an interesting mix and apparently I'm made of 110%. I suppose that means I'm extra special. I asked Griff why he likes me if I have so much sass and he just said that he likes sass. That works for me.

Settled in.

I fell nicely settled in to my new place so I figured it was about time that I take some pictures to share with all of you and tell you how things are going. So I have been in my new house since August 1st and things are going really well. It has been a huge help (and a lot of fun) to have my sister right here with me. She lives really close to me and I go hang out with her every day. I have just been relaxing, getting settled, getting stuff done for school, working out, talking to Griffin, and hanging out with my sister Mel and her boyfriend Glenn. Life is pretty good.

Here is a little tour of my house. Starting with the outside.

This is the front. (Yes my house is peach. lol.)

The front yard is bursting with flowers. I feel like I live in the secret garden. It is so amazing and beautiful.

The older woman that manages the house lives in it too and loves to garden. She did everything to the yard and takes care of it all herself.

Here is the side of the house with even more flowers.

The back showing part of the garden that is there.

The back garden is full of lots of fruits and vegetables including lettuce, raspberries, and strawberries.

There is also a gazebo in the backyard. This is my favorite place to eat lunch and read books.

The plants in the backyard go even further back than I show. Its great to live somewhere with a yard and even better for that yard to be an exploding garden.

Now on to the inside.

This is the living room. This place came fully furnished. The women who runs it is older so everything looks older but is still very nice. I kinda feel like I went back in time but I like it. (The front door is to the left behind that chair.)

When you go through the living room, you then get to the dining room which no one uses too often.

Through the dining room, there is another table in the kitchen that most of us use.

Here is the kitchen. Its pretty big and has two refrigerators so everyone's food easily fits. Love that.

Then you head upstairs. (The stairs are off of the living room.)

At the top of the stairs there is a little loft that is nice and open. It's a great little place to hang out.

And then of course there is my bedroom. I have just a small one but its really all I need.

First we've got the bed. I was pretty glad I didn't have to buy one and that even my bedroom came with all its furniture.

I also have a desk which is really nice. The stack of books on the right will be going in a shelf, but I have to wait for Griffin to bring it to me.

And then of course I have a closet and a dresser. Since I have the smallest room, I also have a big closet in the hall to use for storage. I love that because it means I have no clutter in my room.

Well I hope you enjoyed the tour. There are five bedrooms in the house, three are upstairs and two in the basement. Right now there are four of us living here including the woman the manages the house. All my roommates are really nice. I am very happy here and just trying to adjust to all the changes and get myself ready for school.

6 Months!

As of yesterday, Griffin and I have been dating for 6 months. As Griffin would say, Woot! Woot! (No lie he really does use that phrase on a regular basis, and not just in texts but in real life.) This really has been the best six months ever. Sure it has been hard to be away from him, but I am amazed at how much we have grown together even though we are so far apart. He is someone I can see myself with forever. I'm so lucky to have him. And now that it is nearly August, we are in the home stretch! Before I know it, Griffin will be showing up at my door. That will certainly be a joyous day. Here is a picture that shows how excited Griff is:

In other news, tomorrow morning I will be moving out of Rexburg. I have been here for three years and it has been really awesome. I know a lot of people complain about living here, but I have really enjoyed my time here. I am so glad for the events that brought me here. I loved my classes, teachers, friends, ward, everything. Its been great, but it is time to move on. I'm moving to Spokane, Washington and no one could be more excited about that than my sister. lol. (She lives there and can't wait to do tons of fun stuff together.) I'm excited too though. I'll be sure to write more about it when I get up there. Wish me luck for the drive (and attempting to fit everything I own in my car). School starts at the beginning of September so get ready for updates from the life of a grad student.

Baby lion!!!

I feel like I say this all the time, but I really do have the best boyfriend ever! He is very kind and so very thoughtful. I'm am just so lucky to have him. So if you haven't caught on, holding out hope for a baby lion for my birthday paid off because I got one! And look at how cute he is. Today I was just about to leave for work when someone rang the doorbell. I answered it and it was the mailman with a package for me from Griffin. It was a good sized package but really light so I had no idea what it was. I ran around trying to find my scissors to open it and when I finally did I was so excited to see this little guy! I was just so happy and of course cried so much! It is just the cutest gift ever! I'm pretty sure this separation from Griffin is slowly killing me, but it will be nice to have something to cuddle up with at night. It was just so precious of Griff to try to make my dream of having a baby lion come true. He says that he has something else to send me for my birthday too so I'm super excited to see what that could be. But for now I am very happy to have my very own baby lion. :)

P.S. For this post and all of its cuteness to make sense you need to have read this previous post. Specifically what is listed as number five. Also if you know of my obsession with baby animals then you won't be surprised at my joy. lol.

Griffin has really let himself go...

So the other day I received this picture of Griffin on my phone. I was rather confused (obviously) and when I asked for an explanation he told me that he had let himself go. ha ha.

In reality there is an iphone app that apparently can change pictures to make the person look overweight. Griff went on to inform me that he doesn't think he would look good as an overweight person. ha ha. He's just always full of surprises.

The joy of the zoo!

So I guess I should make a post about my birthday. Unfortunately I did not receive anything from the birthday list that I posted on here, but I am still waiting for Griffin to get around to sending me his gift so there is still hope for that baby lion. But despite that I still had a great birthday! To celebrate I went to the Idaho Falls zoo with my freakin best friend Court and her sister Clara. It was so great because I love animals! Especially baby ones. It was a really warm day and lots of the animals were out for us to see. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Court and I are really twinners. Clearly we were separated at birth. Tragic.

This donkey was really dirty, but super nice.

Obviously the best part was this precious baby zebra. What a dream!

There were so many cool monkeys that liked to interact with us. This one moved around in such a sweet way. It was amazing to watch.

Then to finish off the day we went out to eat at Panda Express. So awesome. Pretty much the best way to ever spend a birthday.

As another birthday/fourth of July celebration I went down to Utah to visit my old roommate and dear friend Michelle! It was so awesome to see her and her family. It was a wonderful four days filled with parades, fireworks, barbeques, 5ks, swimming, and catching up on life. She truly is amazing and anyone who knows her is so lucky!

Thanks to everyone would made my birthday awesome and sent me lovely birthday wishes. :)

So glad June is over.

So June was like the longest month of my freakin' life! But now it is over and July is going by at quite a nice pace. July 11th marked 3 months since I have seen Griffin. :( It has been a very hard three months but Griff and I have grown a lot because of it. It is so great to see that our relationship has progressed and grown even though we are apart. I love him so much and I know that he really cares for me. I can feel that even though he is so very far away. We still have about a month and a half to go before we get to see each other, but I actually feel like I can make it. I just can't wait for summer to be over so I can spend some time with Griffin. Of course we still won't live in the same place, but at least we will be able to visit each other.

Here are the kind of picture messages that Griff sends to my phone. lol. He would not be happy if he knew I put these on here, but he doesn't read my blog so I don't have to worry about it. ha ha.

The first picture is his shaggy hair that has been growing since December. The next one is a picture of his new haircut. I kinda miss the shaggy hair, but he is still as cute as ever! Also Griffin does not like to smile for pictures. lol.

Also, I just recently wrote in my journal and read a lot of old journal entries. It was really great to get to see the trials I overcame and see how I have progressed and learned so much in the last year. It was interesting to read about my worries and now realize that those worries are gone. Last year at this time life was really hard and I was extremely unhappy, but I am so happy right now and so proud of myself for making it through so much. I am also grateful that I keep a journal (even though I don't write in it a lot and it often is nonsense). I have gained a lot of insights while I write in it and when I look back at old entries.

Ugh.

So I'm starting to get frustrated with myself for my complete lack of energy and motivation to do anything. This is a common problem I have when I am not super busy with a million things I have to do. So instead I do pretty much nothing. Well I mean I work of course and sure I have read 5 books since the BYUI semester started but mostly I just lay around in my bed. I cannot tell you the hours I have logged watching TV on the internet and talking to Griff on the phone. Also currently I have been obsessed with reading peoples blogs. Like all of it. Like every entry from the last two years of their life. Not so productive. But surprisingly interesting.

Hmmm, I really need to get out of bed and do some of the projects I've been wanting to. I would also really love it to get warm and sunny outside so that I can at least lay around outside in the grass instead of my bed. I would feel much better about myself if I left the house more. This post makes me sound super lame, but at least you know I'm being honest.

My unrealistic birthday wish list.

My birthday is exactly a month from today. I will be 25 years old! That is so crazy to me. I still feel so young, but 25 seems pretty old (sorry to all you people that are older than me). Well because my birthday is so soon I thought I would make a post about some things I could only dream of receiving for my birthday but will never actually get. lol.

1. The first and most important thing I actually really need to have for my birthday is Griffin! That would just be a dream and I would never ask for anything ever again. If you do not understand this then please refer to this previous post.

2. Next, I really want a Nook or a Kindle. These are reading devices that hold electronic books and they are amazing! but also very expensive. I'm not sure which is better but I'd take either one. You can click on the names to learn more about them.

3. I also want some Toms shoes. Specifically these classic olive green ones. :)

4. I think this vintage classics set of all the Jane Austen books is fantastic. I love the cover style and Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book! Well really there are many many books from this site that I want. lol.

5. A baby lion, or perhaps a baby orca whale. Just the absolute cutest.

Well I'm sure I will think of more things I will never actually get and add them to this post but this is all I can think of for now.

I have the most boring job ever.

But I'm getting used to it. For about three weeks now I have been working at Walmart as a people greeter. At first I thought I was going to die from boredom and sore feet but I have actually gotten used to the hours on my feet and not being busy at all. It is also good to be able to make some money and have something to take up my time. This may be the hardest summer ever so I can use all the distractions I can get. Hopefully I will be able to switch to a different position in a little while. I also hope to transfer to a Walmart in Washington. It will be nice to not have to look for a job when I move.

Gonzaga! oh yeah!

That's right, I'm putting off going into the real world for two more years because I am going to graduate school! I honestly never even thought I would go to college, so this soon approaching graduate school is kind of blowing my mind. I was accepted into programs at Montana State University and Gonzaga University, but I have decided to attend Gonzaga. For those of you that don't know, Gonzaga is a Catholic Private School located in Spokane Washington. I will be part of the community counseling program there and when I graduate will be able to have my dream job of being a counselor!!! Life is just never what you think it will be, but I'm pretty happy with the way things are going.

I just want to take a moment to thank a few people that have changed my life and made my higher education possible.

First there is Courtney. She has been my best friend for so long and being college roommates with her was such a dream. She always supports me and helps me with anything I ever need. Her parents have also been so wonderful to me and always supported me and helped me to attain my goals.

Next of course is Sam. We have been best friends since I was 16 years old. Sami without you I would have never gone to college. It just would not have happened. I owe you so much for changing my life in so many ways. Sam helped me go to community college and then made me fill out an application to BYU-Idaho. I have no idea what my life would be like without her influence, but I know it certainly would not be this good. Her family has also always been wonderful and taken me in and been so loving. I miss them dearly. (I don't have any recent pictures of Sam and I so I stole this one of her and her husband off her blog. lol.)

The final person I would like to thank is Elyssa. I met her at college and we have become the best of friends. The whole grad school process has been very scary and full of pressure, but it has been awesome to have someone to experience it with. I am so lucky because not only have I gotten to have many classes and fun memories with her at college, but I get to go to grad school with her too!!! It's going to be a blast!

New Car!

It has finally happened. I finally have a car again. It's a '98 Nissan Sentra and I just really love it! It is so nice to have a little more independence again. I no longer have to rely on all my friends to drive me around. (Even though it has been fun and I greatly appreciate you all!) Getting my car has come at the perfect time because now that I am graduated I can no longer live in student housing. This means that I live pretty far away from almost everyone I know. It made seeing anyone and doing anything more difficult especially since Griffin is no longer here to spoil me and drive me everywhere. It will also help with getting me a job and be essential for when I move out of Rexburg at the end of the summer.

Getting this car was made possible by the Kennedy family! They have adopted me into their family and are so amazing! I love them dearly and am so blessed to be a part of their lives. Here is a picture of the Kennedy's plus several adopted children like me out at their weekly dinner. :)

Avery Joy Christensen

I am so lucky to get to have two of my very best friends from back home here in Rexburg with me. I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing and wonderful it has been to have them here although that is soon about to change since we are all moving away. I have been blessed to be able to be there for my best friend Sam for the birth of her first two children!!! I feel so lucky that I could share in these important events in her life. On April 28th, she had her second daughter Avery Joy. As you can see, she is beautiful and healthy. I was able to spend most of the day at the hospital with Sam helping her out so that Sean could be with their first child Lexi and get some other things done. I thought I would throw in the picture from when I first held Lexi in the hospital. Man we are just all growing up, aren't we.

Griffin is just the best.

Maybe some of you don't know, but I have the best boyfriend ever. (And no Sam and Sean he is not imaginary, although I am sad that you guys never got to meet him.) His name is Griffin and we just recently celebrated our 3 month anniversary! He is the first boy I have dated for this long in a very long time. We spent pretty much my whole last semester together and it was such a blast. He is a wonderful person who is shy at first but so fun and funny once you get to know him. He is very chill and good at calming me down when I am freaking out about something. ha ha. We have tons in common and many of the same friends which is always nice. We just always have a good time when we are together. Unfortunately we do not get to be together anymore. This summer I am spending my last few months in Rexburg while Griff is working in Indianapolis. It is not easy to be away from him, but we are making it work. I've been looking at so many pictures today that it is making me miss him more than usual so I thought I would write a post about him. Here are some pictures of our times together. :)

This picture is one of my favorites because I just love our goofy faces. We did a puzzle together and everyone knows I LOVE puzzles so it was so fun!

We matched on accident one day. Clearly we are just meant to be. lol.

Griff had to put up with me being very boring and doing homework all the time. But he often just took a nap while waiting for me to finish. ha ha. He is the cutest.

This last picture is from a trip that we took to Oregon for Griffin's grandma's 90th birthday. This is us with his parents and two of his siblings. It was so great to get to meet his family!