Climbing the Butte and Jumping the Monkey

So much has happened! I'm making awesome friends and really coming to love my roommates.
As some of you know, my complex is boy/girl/ Meaning there is a boys building and a girls building. Four apartments each. Six people per apartment. We've really gotten to know the people in our complex and I can honestly say I love all of them. They are all super special people with such strong testimonies. It's like a spiritual vortex when you walk into the parking lot.
There is this mini mountain over by R mountain called Menan Butte. Michael, Nick, and I climbed it one night in hopes of watching the sunset. Well, we got a little lost and didn't get to the top of the mountain in time, but we trekked on. The climb was difficult but totally worth it. From the top, you can see all of Rexburg. It was gorgeous. Especially the temple. Once again, it was illuminated at the top of the town, the brightest light out there. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. As the three of us made our way back down, the sketchy way, we made plans to go back and watch the sun rise. That will be fun.
This past Saturday Michael, Corbin and I went to this place over by St. Anthony called Monkey Rock. It's pretty much just a mini waterfall. But what's really great is that about 400 yards up from the waterfall there is a bridge that is about 30 feet above the river that people jump off of. So, guess what we did. Yep. We jumped it. Let me tell you. I've jumped higher. But this was still pretty scary. Because you could see the rocks on the bottom and it looked higher than it actually was. After Michael jumped.. Twice.. I finally pushed myself off and took the plunge. What a rush! But the landing.. Wow. OUCH! I jumped from a sitting position, and managed to land on my right side mostly. Hot dang. That was painful. The water was so cold, it knocked the wind out of me! I could barely make it to the river's edge. But it was so fun. I couldn't bring myself to jump again, though. Maybe if the water had been warmer.. But Michael did a back flip. That was totally worth watching. I came out with some battle wounds. I have this big bruise on my upper arm and spotted bruises on my thigh. My thigh and arm were swollen all day yesterday. But like I said, totally worth it.
This semester is going by so stinkin' fast. I'm so excited. So far I'm doing great in my classes and loving it. I'm sure that will go away as soon as it starts snowing, though. But for now, I'm living life and loving every minute of it.

Rexburg: Part 2

I'm back in "The Burg". And I love it.
I've reconnected with some old roommates. Connected straight up with my new roommates. Made new friends and met my niece. She's super sweet.
I've been ultra busy.
Yesterday I unpacked and hung out with Ellie some. And I had dinner with Keaton. Some of you may know him as Elder Benson. He served in my ward last summer and is now in the same apartment complex as me. I visited with my brother and sister and their kids and then came back here and crashed. I was soo tired.
Today I got to hang out all day with Sonja. We ran errands and watched movies. We got Little Ceasers pizza with... CRAZY CRUST!! Neither of us have the option of crazy crust at home, so we were super excited to get some when we came back. We brought it back to my place and tried to watch a movie, but we couldn't get our TV to go to the right channel. So we took our movie, our pizza and our DVD player to Keaton's and watched it there. Super fun. And then Sonja and I went a chilled in the "back yard" and took a mini nap and played on the swing set they have and threw around a football. Then we went to Jedi's for dinner. Played the Wii, played with Piper (cute as can be) and then hit up Green Lantern at the cheap theater with Keaton. And now I'm super tired. Tomorrow I get to go to the temple. I can't think of a better way to start the semester than at the temple with people I love.
I'm super happy to be back here. I forgot how much I love it here. The people are just super nice and the weather is amazing and the landscape is gorgeous. I missed seeing Jedi and Aubrie whenever I wanted. I missed Tucker and his cute sayings and I missed Piper, even though she was super young when I left. I'm so glad to be back. I feel at home. I know what to do this semester tho. I guess you can say that last year was a trial run that I failed. But this time around, I will totally do things right. More work, less play, makes Auvie get straight A's.
The summer was a whorl wind of emotions that I have grown from. I'm so grateful to be back here on stable ground. I'm so grateful for Christ and his atonement and the rock He was to me when I was being flung around. I've learned to depend more on Him and less on myself. I can't do it alone and I don't have to. I guess I didn't know that last year, but this time I do and I'm better for it.

Let the Count Down Begin

Wow. Well, in case I haven't already told you a billion times, I am for sure going back to school in the fall. I know it was all up in the air last week, but as of Sunday, I have all of my classes registered and I'm currently working on an apartment. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am.

But I'm going to try anyways.

I know not too long ago I was a little iffy about going back to Idaho. But then I decided that Idaho is where I need to be. And that hasn't changed. I put aside my fears and trusted in the Lord.. But then, when I saw that I was back in, those fears started creeping in again. All of these "What if's" I had before came back to mind. And then the pounding in my chest wasn't because of excitement, but because of a nervous anticipation. I'm so ready to be back in school. I can literally feel my IQ drop every day I'm not learning something new. I'm a dork, I know; but I love learning. It's... Fun? Don't hate. But even then, that didn't over power my anxiety about going back. Sometimes I still wonder if it's the best idea.

I texted a friend of mine from Book of Mormon class and he said he was happy I am coming back. He was pretty excited to hear that we could pick up our morning routine again. He missed me:) That really helped me get over this feeling I had. I was worried that I wouldn't fit in. That people would be able to see through me and see my mistakes. But I have come to realize this is all in my head. Once again I'm excited to be going back. This time I'll be more prepared. I kind of feel like last year was my trial year and I failed so hard. But I'm given another chance and I'm not going to mess it up.

Don't get me wrong, I will miss Alabama and the people I know here. I have grown so close to so many new people, it's ridiculous. It's just what I needed. It helped me remember that I can make friends and that people do like me for me. I can't believe I ever thought any different.

I'm going to go out with a bang. Would you expect any less of me? I have about four weeks left and I plan on spending as much time as I can partying it up and throwing it down. Care to join me?

Stay tuned for more; this is just the beginning.



P.S. I have used the semicolon twice in this post, and I used it correctly. Be proud! My IQ hasn't dropped THAT much!

Adventures in Alabama

Well yesterday I went with Sugoi, Kevin, Kinsman, and Andy to Alabama Adventures for a little while. It's the first time I had gone in like, two years. It was a blast, that's for sure. I rode one water ride, and waited for Kinsman, Andy, and Kevin to come down the huge slide that makes me want to throw up just looking at it. Then we headed off to the real rides. We rode Buzz Saw Falls. Now, it's not your typical log ride. This is like, ultimate log ride to the max. The front of the cart is shaped so that when you hit the water at the bottom, it creates this HUGE splash of water. It creates, like, a tunnel you go through. It was awesome. But, let me tell you, the best part is after the ride, when  you stand on the bridge that is right in front of where the cart lands. Oh man. This girl, maybe about 15, got thrown on the ground by the force of this epic splash. It was so totally wicked.
After that, Sugoi and Kevin went to find refreshment while Kinsman, Andy, and I went to continue our adventure. We rode the Stratus Fear. You get strapped into these seats and it slings you straight up into the air and then you fall, and then you go up again, and then you fall. And you repeat that a couple more times. It's way fun. It helps me over come my fear of falling. Then we rode the slingshot ride. I can't remember what it's called, but it's pretty much a slingshot with loops and barrel rolls. So funn. Except it made my head hurt and my stomach didn't like it all that much either.
Finally we met up with Sugoi and Kevin to eat and drink and be merry... Ok, maybe not. We did eat and drink and then we took our seats in the stadium thing they have to wait for Mike Posner to come out and sing to us. It was a pretty enjoyable concert. I didn't know most of his songs, but he is a good stage performer. Around the time it was time to go, I'm pretty sure my ears were about to burst. These two annoying girls behind us were screaming every five seconds at a pitch level I didn't know could be reached by a human. They sure did prove me wrong.
Once we got into the parking lot, we noticed that there was a couple making out in their car.. We really couldn't just leave them be. So we drove around them once, just to make sure that they actually were making out. And then Kinsman jumped out, pounded on their window, and ran away. I'm pretty sure that couple won't be making out in well lit parking lots any time soon.
Finally we were home. Once my head hit that pillow, I was out like a light. But it was definitely and enjoyable day. Now, I must go nap or I won't make it through the rest of the day.

Jimmy Time

Well, well, well. So much has happened since my last post. Mostly I've been working, failing at saving up for school. So far I have pretty much spent all of my pay check. I literally live pay check to pay check and I hate it. I'm working on it, I really am. But it's not going to well.
Last weekend I went with Morgan Lane to her mothers camper in Pell City and I got to see her country side. Man, I thought she was country before, but no. The Morgan I saw last weekend is country Morgan. It was amazing. I also got to meet her wonderful mother, and her new friend Jesse. He took us to dinner at Waffle House. That was quite the adventure. Afterwards we went swimming in the lake. I floated around staring up at the stars thinking about how beautiful it is. I wish I could have grown up like that. Being able to float in the lake on a hot summers night and stare up at the stars and just think. I thought about a lot of things. Nothing huge or important. I just pondered over my life and my actions. Some of them I'm not too happy about and some of them are the best things ever. Like meeting Morgan. That's probably the best thing that could have happened to me since I have moved here. She is just... Amazing. I love her to death. She's taught me a great deal about love and life and I owe her so much. After we went swimming we played card games.. We didn't even get through one round of Gold Fish (yes, GOLD fish, not GO fish) before we got bored. SO we moved on to B.S. I won. Of course. IDK why Morgan never called me out, she always knew when I was lying. But hey, it's what best friends do, I guess. LOL
We finally rolled into bed around 3 in the a.m. And whew! I was wiped out! But it was a great night and I definitely don't regret it. We had to wake up barely three hours later because I had things at home to do and she had work to get to. That was soooooo hard!!! Only three hours of sleep! That's not even a nap for me! I don't know how I made it home. Maybe because of the biscuit Morgan bought me? Or the fact that even though we were in different cars, we managed to dance to the same songs. Who knows? We're a wild bunch... Well, pair.
I attempted to sleep, and failed so hard at that. So I got up and helped my mother a bit with the kids she was watching for Victoria, who was around the corner building her house. Eventually I made my way down there, helped raise one wall and then called it quits. I didn't even make it through my lunch break. I crashed pretty much as soon as I laid down on my bed and slept for four hours. I woke refreshed and ready for anything.
So I went and hung out with some friends in Wilsonville and stayed out entirely too late, like always. I feel like this summer is a plethora of late nights and early mornings. I'm going to be burnt out before I even start up at school again!
On Sunday Morgan came and visited me and we hung out. We realized we owned the same shirt, so I convinced her to wear it to FHE and match me. We looked so cute! LOL. We picked up Russell and according to Morgan "He's so cool. Hehe". Morgan and I have actually decided that he is the male us. It's weird but awesome. I feel like we have gone from the Dynamic Duo to the Terrific Trio. But that's for later..
Fhe was... Something. I had fun catching up with everyone I hadn't seen in a week. We aren't having it next Sunday and boy! Two weeks with out seeing these kids! I don't know how I'll survive... A trip to Pell City this weekend will just have to suffice:)
Today. Oh boy. This is the real stuff right here. I got off work semi early and came home and... I honestly can't remember. I know I was on my computer doing what I do best: Funny websites. But I think my brain decided to take a nap until Morgan called me, because I really have no idea what I was doing. Well, she called me and told me to look pretty (when don't I??) and that she was coming for me. We got together to do something and when we couldn't decide what to do, we decided to find someone who could. So we picked up Russell. Oh boy. Best decision of the day!! He is definitely a fun kid. Funner than I remember him being. Maybe his mission and his best friend's marriage has loosened him up? Well, whatever it was, I like it!
We hit up Books a Million, like the nerds we are. But after a while Morgan got bored, so we put food in Russell's belly and headed to the park. He introduced us to a game called Monkey on the Ground. It's like Marco Polo but on a jungle gym. That was pretty funny. I'm pretty sure the guys playing basket ball thought I was insane when I started screaming cause Russell was trying to reach me through the bars. But hey, what the heck! It was fun and I felt young again. Then it was off to my house to get some appropriate cow tipping clothing. Sadly, we couldn't find any cows to tip.. This time. The cows we did find were protected with electricity, and no way am I messing with that stuff. No sir/ma'am. We stole some corn and trespassed on someone's property. When we were walking through the corn rows Morgan and I managed to lose Russell... That, of course, didn't end well. We told him that if he made us scream he'd walk home. But still, he sneaked up behind me and had me screaming like a child. Which of course startled Morgan.. And the dogs.. And that's when we booked it back to the car, with our three ears of corn. It wasn't the BEST because it was still pretty young, but it tasted good because it was stoled. Haha. Oh the things we get in to. After that, Morgan and I came to the conclusion that Russell must hang out with us a bit more. So we tasked him, when we dropped him at home, with coming up with more things to do the next time we had Jimmy Time. (That's what we call it when we get together because we ride in Morgan's Jimmy.) And now the night is winding down. We both have tons of things to do in the morning. And the morning being 5 hours from now.. Joy. Why do we do this to ourselves, Morgan?
Well, that pretty much sums up what I've been up to. This summer is getting to be... SUPER FANTASTIC!!!! Good knight:)

Building a House or Building a Home?

On Saturday I went with A lady in my ward, Victoria, and my friend Brittany to a Builders Blitz in Birmingham. It was super hot, but amazingly cool.
I had always wanted to do Habitat for Humanity and so I jumped at the first chance I got to help out a friend and gain some experience. The volunteers there helping were from all over. Though technically, most of them lived on the same block and had just become home owners. There were also a group all the way from Georgia there to help. I met some pretty interesting people, but my favorite is the shark diver.
This woman is an avid adventurer and has been scuba diving with sharks.  I think that's awesome. She is a school teacher who works with at risk kids and when she's not at school, she's out doing some awesome stuff. Bungee jumping, scuba diving, sky diving, ect. That's pretty much how I want to be when I get old. And she wasn't even old! Younger than my mom! But that's how I'd like to be when I'm older.
It was a really awesome experience, building a house. As we were putting up this plastic stuff that goes between the ply wood and the insulation, we were doing a horrible job and we couldn't help but comment on how if this were our house we would want it to be perfect. So we put more effort into making it perfect, working as if we were building our own place.
I kept thinking to myself, whenever I would get tired or frustrated, that this isn't just any house we are building. A real family is moving in to their first home, and that kept me going. I just had to keep telling myself that I wasn't just building a house, I was building a home. There is a difference, ya know. It's something I tell myself when I'm at work during the week. That I'm doing the customer a service and helping out their mind at ease. I'm helping make their house a sanctuary they can come to at the end of the day. I know that sounds dumb, but it keeps me going when I've been scrubbing bathrooms and kitchens all day.
Saturday pretty much killed me. I slept through Sunday, being awake just long enough to get ready for church, drive to church, drive home from church, watch Hell Boy II and then go to FHE. I'd say about... 6 hours in total. The rest was spent sleeping. I really didn't think it would be that bad, but it was. I guess it's just the beginning, because once they start to build Victoria's house behind mine, I'm gonna be there every chance I get. It was definitely an awesome experience and I'm really glad that I got to help out.

Nightmares and Stuff

I've been having nightmares about going back to Rexburg. I don't see it as a sign, but I definitely don't like them. I get very little sleep at night thanks to them and I awake unrefreshed and not ready for work at all.
It started off just normal dreams about walking through campus and meeting up with old friends and classmates. Nothing to frightening.
But then Greg started showing up and that's when they turned from sweet dreams to horrible nightmares.
He was everywhere, at first in the background, just taunting me.
And then he was interacting with my dream-people. It was pretty bad. I hated it. But at least he wasn't talking to me.
That didn't last very long. Suddenly he was talking to me. I don't even remember anything he said to me, but I do know that I woke up with a wet pillow and tear filled eyes. Not much different from my nights after we first stopped talking. It's horrible. I hate it.
And I love it. That's what I hate the most. That a little, tiny, itty-bitty part of me enjoys him intruding in my dreams because it's the only time I ever get to interact with the man that was once my best friend. It's a double sided sword, or something. I hate it and I love it and I hate that I love it. So many contradicting emotions.
I've pretty much decided that I'm going to sleep as little as possible, just to avoid these encounters.
I thought I was done with it. With everything that happened between us. I had hoped and prayed I was passed all of that crap, but I guess some wounds just don't heal properly. I had also hoped work would take my mind off things, but no such luck. I find myself cleaning a bathroom and thinking "what if". I find myself vacuuming and wondering why it fell apart. I guess doing a monotonous job isn't going to help take my mind off anything.
But I'll live. I think...
Now, don't go thinking that I'm still hung up over this boy. Cause I'm not. I guess you could say I'm hung up over my stupid actions and I keep wondering how I could have acted differently or what I could have done to make things not end so badly. But it's all in the past, I guess.
I miss the old me. The me I was before Idaho. When I was still in high school. The me that believed in happily ever after. The me that trusted with out reserve. I miss me. Hopefully some day I can find me again. That would be super awesome.
I think going back to Idaho, despite my fears and worries, will help me find me. I caught a glimpse of that person my first semester before I got tangled up in all that is Greg and lost sight of her. I'm going to try super hard to find her again.
Until then tho, I will trust in the Lord and know that He knows what's going on.