TINY!!

LOOK what my coworker brought in today--A long haired Chihuahua.  I am still dying over how tiny and adorable he is... Yes, I have a weird obsession with tiny things but can you blame me? 

I caught him winking. haha.

Omg. I think I want.



Hold On

There have been times in my life recently when I've questioned a lot of things.  I've questioned where I'm supposed to be, if I'm doing all that I'm supposed to, what I believe, and questioned myself and where I am with life in general.  One thing I will never question is that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me very much.  Even when I feel so messed up or let myself slack a little more than I'd ever like too, my Heavenly Father still sends me constant reminders of His love.  He has put the most magnificent people in my life at the exact times that I need them.  These people say the right things, they listen to me, they give me encouragement to push through and they love me no matter what.  Sometimes I wonder why I deserve such wonderful people in my life but I am so thankful for each and every one of them and the examples they are to me to be a better person.

A friend told me last night that it's in the moments when we are trying to do better that Satan works harder on us.  This person couldn't be more right.  I may not always know what I'm doing and I know I don't always do the right things but I do know that when I am working on my relationship with my Heavenly Father and doing the things I'm supposed to be doing [going back to the basics] that I am so much happier and things seem to be a lot easier.

Today has been a long day of studying the scriptures, listening to my peers' testimonies, crying and praying a whole lot.  Believe it or not, it's actually been a great Fast Sunday.  Here's a message from Sister Elaine S. Dalton that I wanted to share:

I love how she said that when we are prepared, we can do hard things.  Wow.   I am so thankful for days like today when I am able to reevaluate my life, repent, and set goals to prioritize my life so that I can be prepared for when the hard times come...because we all know that they will come.  

Goals I've set for myself (with the help of others):

Take things one step at a time

Don't just read the scriptures...STUDY them.

Pray more often.  Sincerely.

Utilize the Priesthood.

Make time for myself to do the things that I love. {rediscover those things}

Love more.

Let others help me more often.

Don't be so hard on myself.

Keep the faith.

Progress.

I think the biggest thing that I've learned today is that you CAN get back to those times when you felt like you were the best and did most of the things you were supposed to be doing. You just have to work hard to keep your fire burning bright.  We can't let ourselves get lazy.  We have to keep a close eye on our flame so it doesn't dwindle and burn down to coals leaving us cold, in the dark, and miserable.  As you go back to the basics..daily scripture study, morning and night prayers, magnifying your calling, going to your church meetings/activities, making institute a priority, setting an example for others, serving and living the gospel in general everyday...you will keep your fire burning bright.  

If you're afraid you can't get that light back......just hold on.  Work hard.  It will come.

 Can I just say that I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints :) 


Well, I do.

Working on it :)

Wednesday's Witty Words of the Week.

"I made a douche bag jar for my place. Me and my cousin live together. I had to put a dollar in it as soon as I made it because I spelled douche bag wrong."
-Annonymous Blog Reader on an older post I wrote.
Made my day. seriously so funny.

"Who do you hate the most in this world? Let's say bad things about him... Oh my gosh--hick....What a hick."
-Nieko
We'll just say that was a funny night.  He honestly couldn't come up with any other bad things to say about this kid besides that he thought he was a hick. Oh Nieko and your disbelief that Brandi and I grew up on a farm. haha. I will leave the rest of the comments he said that night in my person quote bank :) HA.

"Hey--Get older."
-Easton
One of the things that I love about this kid is the way that he says things.  This comment was no exception.  haha.  Young people of this world, we love you but really... get older!

"She's like a raccoon.  She's always in my garbage. That [B] doesn't go away."
-Drita talking about Ramona, Mob Wives
Do you have one of these friends, or frenemies? If so, get rid of them.  Or just be like Drita and go ape shiz on them. Actually, for drama/entertainment purposes: get in a huge fight, let me watch it and then you can get rid of them.  I love me some crazy girl fights.  Thank you, Mob Wives. 

“When you need bunny suits to bring life to this house, that's when you know we have problems.”
-Snooki, Jersey Shore
Is it weird that I really want to get a bunny suit or some kind of costume like Snooki did?  Not to be creepy like one of those "furries" (I still can't believe that crap is real) but just to pull tricks on people and to make people put on when they come over sometimes.  hahaha What's funnier than a person dressed up in a bunny suit, like, pushing people down and stuff? Notta whole lot...

"Remember how I told you that I was have a constant panic attacks since the first of this year???? ...Turns out I was just hungry."
-Alex
Hahahaha.  Ok, in all honesty--good food really does make everything better sometimes.

"Don’t ever wear that shirt again. It makes your boobs look massive. It looks like a joke. You look like a cartoon."-Kourtney Kardashian to Kim
bahahaha. You know what's a joke? The way that the Kardashian's talk to each other 99% of the time.  cracks me up.   

"OK. I take back what I said about them being the Songbirds of our Generation."
-Mark
I guess Brandi and I were being a little irreverent during the musical number at the fireside.  But give us a break, we thought they were singing in a different language.  We couldn't understand them.  So Mark leaned over to tell us to be quiet because they are "the song birds of our generation." Yeah, he changed his mind real quick after a while of listening to them.

"Do you watch the Bachelor?" -lauren
"No. I gave that up."-me
"Do you watch X Factor?" -Lauren
"No. I quit all singing shows." -me
"Well then WHAT do you even watch?" -Lauren
"Bravo and MTV:)" -me
It's true.  Are you kidding? If I didn't cut out some of these shows I would have even less time to sleep.  Alright, I do have a couple of shows on the CW and Mob Wives is VH1.  But I had to cut out all of these shows that take up more than an hour a week.  That's ridic. 

“I like to isolate myself around my birthday, so I can see who pays attention.”
-Mike the Situation, Jersey Shore
What a wiener.  I can see people doing this in real life but no one, except for a true dbag or drama queen, would actually say it out loud.  Like, are you crazy?  Maybe if you were actually nice then people would make more of an effort on your birthday? Idk.

"It's [super bowl commercial] Viral and crazy." -Hoda
"Well so is herpes but it's not a great thing." -KLG
I know I've said this before but KLG and Hoda are one of my favorite things of my morning.  Like, I get ticked if I don't have time to listen to them or if they take forever to post the vids online.  They are just great. And I stand by Kathie Lee on this one...

"What are you doing differently?  You're looking really pretty...*pause* not that you weren't before. You're just glowing. Whatever it is, It's working!"
-Tavan, coworker
really people? Two weeks in a row. really? hahaha. Thanks, I guess. j/k!

"I'm going to go tanning too. Everyone thinks you're pretty now."
-Wendy, coworker
Ok, now you're just being rude, WEN-dy!! and really...I haven't been tanning for a couple of weeks so step off :)

"Can someone please get my towel? It's in my room next to my Irish walking cape."
-Schmidt, New Girl
What the? Seriously, Schmidt's character kills me. If you don't watch this show... smh.


"I'm about to go pay this fine, and my checks have baby farm animals on them, [B]."
-Jess, New Girl
I.was.dying listening to her go off defending her quirky self to the lawyer girl. hilarious.

How I see it--ATTN UTAH FRIENDS: See note in red.

I don't know how many times I've preached, "let people do what they want!" At the same time, I don't know how many times in the last year and a half that people have laughed at me for saying what I think and telling it how I see it.

This last week I've realized how blessed I truly am to be able to form the kind of relationship with most people that allows me to let them do what they want but at the same time let them know exactly how I feel about the situation or what they are doing and still have them not take [too much] offense. I mean, they wouldn't come to me if they didn't want the advice and if I was too rude to everyone I wouldn't have any friends....right? Well, I don't care how many times I get laughed at for "calling it how I see it." At least I can sleep at night knowing that the person I care about [whoever it is] knows exactly where I stand about whatever the situation is and that I love them.

So here is me calling it how I see it this week:
note--most of these are just tips for myself that I want to remember.

Call me (or someone you trust) BEFORE you do something super drastic--especially when the consequences could be permanent. After 5 minutes of talking it out, if you still think it's a good idea then, by all means, do it!


Slow the EFF down. With life in general. Life is too great to rush right through some of these really good parts you’re breezing through. stop. breathe. enjoy it.


There might be times when you feel like no one would understand and that there are no words to explain the way that you feel about certain things, so you do something out of the norm to make yourself forget or to prove something to yourself or to others. I get it--Do what you've got to do. But don't completely forget about the deeper issue that made you do that thing in the first place. Yes, I said issue. A mess shoved under the bed is still a mess... You can't just cover it up forever and hope that no one sees it. Eventually someone sees it. Find the words and maybe even try saying it out loud. We can start there.

Some people need to open their eyes and realize that their actions effect other people.  If you know that decisions you're making are indeed effecting someone else's future (whatever the situation)...you should try talking to them about it and figuring your crap out so they can figure their crap out!

I can really feel some changes coming for me and it kind of stresses me out a little when I think about it. But then I take a step back and listen to what I would tell anyone else and I catch my breath. I'm just saying some people better hunker down because home girl has to talk crap out too. For now, just stay tuned.

Everyone needs a day or a night for themselves. So don’t think that someone is mad or upset when they do. They probably just need some “me time” or just sleep…or really, it could be anything ;)


Oh yeah, with that--This is me announcing that I will be staying home tonight and trying to be in bed by 10:00 pm. *insert jaw drop of disbelief* So any good news, gossip, questions or hanging out after 10pm can wait until tomorrow :) You know I love you but it’s got to happen for my sanity! [There, I did it. Proud, Nieko?]


With love. xoxo,
-Jenn
(Don’t even get me started again on the reveal of Gossip Girl last night. Ugh!)

Spoiler Alert. Watch last night's GG before reading (if you're a fan.)

I've been known to cry at the most ridiculous moments in movies and TV shows.  What can I say? I'm a sucker for love and relationships...and the biggest loser. GAH! [That one gets me every time.]

Sue me.

But who else watched GG last night? I mean, I kind of knew what was going to happen but COME ON!! Why?? For the love of Chuck and Blair, WHYYYYY?!?!?!

Source: media3.onsugar.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Here's my little blurb about love today: Trust your heart.  If you love someone you HAVE to do what you can to be with them despite what other people might think--especially if they love you back. Don't worry about what other people are going to think or about keeping up with a certain lifestyle.  Come on, no one is really going to care that you become the Princess of Monaco (even though that would be bomb if you really loved the prince...but that's beside the point).  If you marry for semi-love with a side of castle topped with a gorgeous crown, chances are higher that you will end up miserable and turn into a run away bride.  Do everyone else a favor and end your love story right and by trying the 'Happily Ever After' alternative first.  You know...The 100% love thing. Even if you know it's going to take a little more work.

Oh and seriously?  Her wedding.  Holy, Vera Wang it was fab.

Sleepy Foot.

You know that tingling feeling you get when your foot falls asleep?  It's uncomfortable, it's super annoying, you don't really know why it happens, and you find yourself deciding if you should just let it pass, slowly wiggle your toes to get it back to normal, or just get to the point and stomp the crap out of it until it gets better. Yeah....That. Everyone has different ways of dealing with it.  Just like we all have different ways of dealing with change in the people around us and with our lives in general.

I've had a few these moments over the last couple of weeks.  I'm not actually talking about the whole foot falling asleep thing, although that did happen to me this morning [hence the pathetic analogy.] I'm just talking about those moments when things are relatively "good" and then all of a sudden it's like "WTH?" [entire saying said like Pauly D, of course :)] Like, how did this happen?  How did I get into this situation? When did things change with that person?  Why do they all of a sudden think they've got the moves like Jagger? Or when did life get so jacked and confusing? I mean, yesterday was fine and then today it's like..whoa, life is crazy and dramatic. HURRY. Ambulance. Wah. Wah. Wahhhhhh. That kind of a thing. [Don't worry, I'm having a really good day! I'm just saying..in general it's those kinds of frustrating situations.]

Here's the LD. 

Like a sleepy foot--people and situations get annoying and life will inevitably get hard and uncomfortable at times.  But the cool part of it all, in the midst of all of the suckage, is that we are in complete control of how we deal with the situation.  We can choose to brush it off and say, "Yeah, I'm a little miserable that [so and so] said/did something really hurtful to me... But NBD.," OR just face the fact that you don't know what made your relationship with [that one person] all of a sudden change because simply stated: people grow apart sometimes.  Whatever the situation is, you can decide that you're not going to let it change who you are just so you can 'roll with the crowd' because lezzzbehonest, sometimes the crowd isn't the best thing to follow. I don't know how many people would say that this "brush it off" approach works 100% of the time but sometimes there is nothing you can do or say to fix the situation or explain how you feel so you just kind of have to let it go. This one is hard for me to do most of the time because I like to just talk everything out, especially if they really bug me.. but really, there will be times when there is nothing that can be said.  So we leave it, we move on, and we get over it.

Then there's the toe wiggling situations--The kind where you really don't like how uncomforatble you feel so you decide to fix things a little bit at a time because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or have to do too much work to make it better.  We can pick at things and hint that we are upset here or there (the toe wiggle) OR we can just jump straight to the point, stomp our foot and say, "LISTEN--you aren't that cool" or put our foot down and decide that we are going to STOP having that pitty party we've been having for an entire year about how hard life is and we grab life by the proverbial horns (hahaha thank you Danielle RHWNJ) and we stomp the crap out of the sucky situation we're in until it's gone. 

I honestly don't care what approach you take to "deal" with your situations.  But can I just suggest that stomping things feels so much better and works SO much faster?  Just figure out what you've got to do for your unique situation and just deal with it the best way you can. Don't just pretend that you are "brushing it off."  That's not really taking care of it...and... on the real, we all know that you're faking that you're "OK." 

Oh, and while you're at it... don't be someone else's constant "Sleepy Foot."  really. we all have our own crap to stomp out. So if you want someone to help you get rid of yours, be nice and return the favor. It's not all about you. K? k.

Take Control. Get Rid of the crap--Happy Friday!!

Wednesday's Witty Words of the Week

"You have to remind me of things.  I had a brain tumor--I'm missing part of my brain." -Institute teacher
*Awkward laugh*-Me and Liz
Not joking. That happened to us after we didn't tell the institute teacher that the paper she was missing was really in her hand the whole time.  What were we supposed to say?!  haha. I usually don't feel awkward, but I did then.

"He was my soul."
-Drunk Deena in reference to Vinny Leaving
Oh yeah. I'm sure he was your soul, Deena... 
WTH?


"Ok. Ghosts are now only a day time topic..."
-Nieko
This is legit.  We had a few spooks this last week and talking about it in depth at 3:00 am doesn't help with the scare factor. at all.

"Doesn't Jenn look pretty lately?"-Bradlee
BAHAHHAHAHAhahahaha. As opposed to every other day when I look like a dog? HA. Oh backhanded compliments.  J/k. He didn't mean it rude. In fact, it was nice.  The best part was the other boys' reactions...-"ummm. You don't say that to a girl" --Willy.
haha. I love it.

 "I'm going to Applebees!"
-Mom
Mom asked us what we were doing (on speaker phone with me, Sam and Cole) and she randomly shouted this with SO much excitement.  We died laughing because of the way she said it!

"I want to watch that like..like..like an onion loves chips!"
-Sam
He was trying REALLY hard to come up with something to express how much he wanted to see a certain movie...and that is the only thing he could come up with.  haha. I had to explain to him that not only did the "like an onion love chips" thing not make any sense whatsoever but that you can't compare a love thing to wanting to watch something.. Back to the drawing board with that one, Sam! Still..super funny.

 "How the eff are you supposed to tell a guidette apart without their extensions?"
-Deena
Who else thought it was painful seeing her hair in a rat's nest like it was? And Jwow and Pauly ripping them out? Aw.ful. I still don't get how it could get that bad. I don't care how drunk you are. omg.

"You can't kiss anyone without me telling everyone about it."
-Nieko
HA. It's true.  Unless I don't tell him next time?! hmm....yeah. Pretty sure he'd still find out and post it publicly on my Facebook.  smh.

"Jenn, I think we need some space."-Liz
"Agreed." -Bradlee
No words.  Only laughter will suffice... hahahahahhahahahahahahaha

"Latisha?  That's a great name.  My sister's name is Keesha...she's also white."
-Sunday School Teacher
I wish you could all meet this Sunday School teacher.  He's seriously the wittiest kid.  But like, weird at the same time.  I just love that he says things so quick without thinking and you wonder "OMG, where did that come from?" or "did that really just happen?" He's that kind of kid.  But this comment in Sunday School had me laughing for a while.  It must have been the way he said it.  It's true though, this Latisha chick was the whitest girl I've ever seen.  Some parents.

"It's my birthday.... It's my birthday...But, it's my birthday!"
-Easton
bahahaha.  I know the feeling of thinking that everything goes your way on your birthday.  I've just never seen a grown boy get so into it. ha. I love it.  It was his birthday, indeed, and I let him get away with some things for sure.  But Easton, I'm NOT sorry for eating your Sonic mint before knowing how delicious they really are. The end.

"When are you writing your book?"
-Alex after giving him some advice
We've been talking about the idea of me writing a book for a while...I just need the perfect idea:) ...and more time in the day.

We're all different.

I have an interesting group of friends here in Utah.  Honestly, a lot of us are so different that I sometimes wonder how it works--but it just does.  We've got some who started out being a little shy and naive all the way up to the people who will say and do just about anything without being embarrassed about it whatsoever.  Some people come and go out of our group but there are always those solid few.

Ever since last week (when almost EVERYTHING was getting on my nerves) I've been trying to stop getting annoyed with the little things people do this week and start learning from them.  Maybe that's why I haven't been able to blog/rant about anything this week..hmm.. makes sense.  Sure, there have been a few little vent sessions in person and via text (I'm human) but overall I've just kind of tried to let them go.  Like one of my friends said this week, "You just have to pull yourself out of the situation so you aren't annoyed."  Words to live by.

Here are some of the things I've really learned from my friends (individually) as I've observed them... 

Sometimes things don't go the way that you want them to go but no matter what you have to be strong and never let your values go out the window.  Accept people for who they are and see the good in them but never forget about what you believe in the process...no matter how hard it is :)


Dating and marriage isn't the only important thing in this world. I know that in Utah or at any Church school that it's really hard to see...but it really is true.  There are other things that matter in life too!

It's OK to laugh at yourself and your situations.  Sometimes the cards you are dealt aren't always the easiest to handle but you can speak about them openly and laugh about it every now and again--It's healthy.

Have the confidence to put yourself out there when it comes to relationships and goals. Maybe they haven't worked out in the past but seriously, confidence is GOLDEN and speaks a lot about a person.

Being the good girl works.  You can be strong in your beliefs and still have just as much fun as everyone else! 

What it means to be a true friend.  One who knows when there is a problem and will listen to you when you're sad or frustrated, who will drop everything they are doing just to spend time with you because you need something to help you forget about all the other crap that life sometimes brings,  and one who will be excited for you when something good happens and sad with you when something crappy happens.  

There might be times in your life when you feel like you don't seem to fit in with a certain group of people but it's OK to mingle with people who maybe don't believe some of the same things that you do; that's what makes life so interesting.  Sometimes you just have to set all of that stuff aside and just get to know people and accept them for who they are and not change yourself or try to change anyone else in the process.  Just be yourself.  

There are totally good guys out there who are genuinely nice. Believe me.

Being happy with who you are and where you are in life is something that takes hard work and dedication.  The goals we have to set for ourselves to reach that point might seem a little outrageous to everyone else but if you are dedicated to making it happen you can achieve anything you want to achieve while still keeping the rest of your life in check: family, school, church, friends, relationships...It's all about balance. 

You can know someone for a short period of time and just "click."  You just have to genuinely want to get to know them, show that you care, be yourself, and just say what think.  Honestly. If you want to connect with someone, just tell them something you're struggling with..haha. that will do it.

You are in complete control of your attitude.  You can have what will seem like the crappiest week in the world to everyone else and still be able to say that it was a good week simply because you chose to make it a good one. It's fascinating.

Don't think too much.  If you do, you'll probably end up making up crap that probably wasn't even an issue to begin with and you'll stop yourself from putting yourself out there because you're too busy freaking yourself out.  

Boys and girls truly can be just really good friends. Friends who can stay up and talk about anything and everything until super early in the morning all the time and never run out of things to talk about, who you can "stalk" people with, give great advice to others with, be yourself with, and someone who you instantly go to with any drama--It just works.

Be who you are. Always.

Keep your priorities straight.  Whatever you do, give it your all.

Everyone should have someone who they go to for encouragement to become that better person they want to be.  Life is hard and it's so easy to lose sight of the things that are truly important.  But with the help of a good friend you can always have a friendly reminder to do better and to be better :)

I could honestly go on for days, but I won't.  I think the biggest thing I learned this week is that life is so much more enjoyable and people are so much more tolerable if you 1.) don't put yourself in situations where you will be annoyed with them and 2.) start learning from the people you are around everyday.. I promise, it will help with your attitude.

At the end of the day, everyone in this world is so different, just like each of my friends are all so different...but it works because we are all able to bring so many different things to the table and are able to learn from each other in the areas we lack.


Life would be so boring if we were all the same.

Thank you diversity!

Wednesday's Witty Words of the Week

"I was going to cook you Chicken Cutlets.."
-Drunk Snooki
Only Snooki can get away with getting so drunk and saying this to her boy friend randomly at the bar, when food wasn't remotely a topic of conversation, and still keep said boy friend.  I heart drunk Snooki.


"Goodnight, Nicole"
-Cole
 He really peeked into my room earlier this week as I was going to bed and said [that]in the creepiest/weirdest voice ever and then shut the door.  Sure, it's my middle name but it was super random.  He then came back into my room and we died laughing.  Oh tender moments with my brother.

"You don't know how excited I am right now" -Me, to the stranger man driving the Jeep at the Auto Show as I hopped into the front seat.
"Careful--stuff like that is illegal;)" -Older Jeep Man *insert creepy "joke but not joking" face
I'm not sure, but by his face and tone I think he was talking about prostitution or something.  I just awkwardly laughed. ugggghhhh?

 "...single's ward scene... Can't people just have fun?"
-Nieko
This topic seems to come up often. But Nieko finally said it best this week--Why can't people just have fun?!?  Dear people of this world stop, stressing out about stupid things. Have fun.  


"I just sucked that SO long."
-Me in reference to a really good round of "Suck and Blow."
Yes, it sounded bad when I sad it.  But I was really proud of how long I kept that card going. The sad part of this is when I replay it in my head, I don't even hear myself saying it.. I hear everyone else making fun of me. Jerks. haha.


"ha. I'm never getting married."-Becca
"Me either." -Me
*insert instant knuckle pound*
The classic part about this was that it was 1.) at church and 2.) without any thought whatsoever.


"No. I cannot create worlds with my dog." -Sunday School Teacher
"What is she trying to do? Multiply and replenish the Earth with her dog?"-Becca
Somehow the Sunday school lesson about the "Tree of Life" turned into a talk about how  she (the teacher) used to think that she would be happy if she never got married and could just be with her puppies.  Then she talked about the day that she decided that she couldn't be happy with just her dog and that she really should change her way of thinking about marriage.  It got weird.  Becca's comments were classic.  I wanted to puke a little. The end.


"Omg. That's in two days."
-Coleman in reference to a PLL commercial
hahaha. Maybe he's been around me too much?


"Super Ghetto."
-Bradlee
First impression? *smh* hmmm..I must have been listening to hardcore rap or something that night. Whatevs.

"Thanks, Nicole."
-One of my male clients in Tennessee.
I'm not joking.  I literally got this in an email today from of my contacts. It's not only funny because Cole did the same thing to me this week but I don't have my middle name attached to ANYTHING at work.  eww. creeped.

My coworker thinks it's a Snooki reference.  If that's the case, I'll go with it.