The wheels on the bus go round and round

Red rocks and palm trees can mean only one thing! St. George:) And I wasn't joking about that bus. We traveled in style...or something like that.

We got to spend Thanksgiving down in St. George because of John and Ashley.Their soccer teams played in a tournament Friday and Saturday, and I am proud to say that both of their teams took first! We have some pretty talented kids in this family of mine. Even though we were down in sunny St. George it still got pretty cold at night, but we didn't let that stop us from showing our support.

We rented out a condo for this excursion and our whole extended family came with us! We had some crazy fun times. We had everything from time at the pool to grandpa tiptoeing around to not disturb the people downstairs to bruised ribs from people falling in the shower, and of course Thanksgiving wouldn't be what it is without a few snoozers. Please ignore any drool you may see.

       

It was fun having all the little cousins around. They're pretty cute if I do say so myself.

And I do love those siblings of mine. 

He's our budding chef

Don't worry he ate that whole thing...by himself

These breaks are what keep me going. Getting to hang out with my family was refreshing and rewarding. My family is my biggest support system and I don't know what I'd do without them. I've learned a lot from them and I hope that someday I can become like them. 

Sadly, this trip ended with most of us being sick, but overall it was a great Thanksgiving break:)

Pumpkin Extravaganza

Let me just preface this by saying I've never been the most handy in the kitchen.

Well it's about that time of month where we make our appointments to see our visiting teachers. And what must go with that visit? A treat of course. So naturally it's my turn to provide the treat. In an attempt to be festive I decided to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. We have this very simple,delicious recipe that I thought I could handle with no problem. Wrong. 

The first pan of cookies came out strangely flat. I thought maybe I'd put the wrong amount of batter on the pan or missed an important ingredient, so I tried again. Still flat. After 4 or 5 sheets, with variations to how I treated my batter, I still was having no success. 

 

So I decided to make muffins. They turned out pretty good, but I still had lot of batter left.

So my roommate and I decided to make the rest into the cookie part of a fazookie. Good idea? Oh yes. It was delicious. 

When put together like this they make a face! 

As you could probably guess we were baking for a significant amount of time. My homework may have been a bit neglected, but my stomach was satisfied. Gotta love holiday treats:)

Someone's up there

This week hasn't been one I'd put in my top list of weeks, for various reasons. But through all the craziness I have had a few tender mercies. 

A dear friend didn't have a class today during the time I had a break. I got to unload all my concerns on her shoulders. A burden is never as heavy when shared with someone else. 

The walk from the testing center back to my apartment is far too long. I didn't do as well on a test as I had hoped and it consumed my thoughts the entire walk. Sometimes I struggle inside, letting tests define who I am, but tests don't define me. Not even close. But that long walk doesn't help me remember that. What did help me remember was when I heard someone singing my favorite primary song. My favorite song is I am Like a Star. You probably don't even know it, but it's my favorite and always has been. I know that Heavenly Father knew I was feeling lousy. He put that kid on campus right where I would pass by. I know it. 

There was also an older gentleman who happened to be crossing my path who stopped and waited for me to go before him. Now that's not a big deal, but at the time it was for me. I'm not sure how many men now days would take time out of their busy day to let a young college girl like me go before them, but this one man did and it meant a lot. 

My roommate was so kind to me and just sat with me after this test. She listened. The most priceless gift. 

Even though I'm small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, I know that I'm cared for. I'm being watched over.

The 3 L's of life

"Look, Love, Lift" 

Sister Jensen

Life is hard. Plain and simple. Bad things happen to us and people hurt us. It hasn't always made sense to me that people could be cruel or backstabbing to people they call their friends. Life is hard enough without others bringing us down. So that's why I've recently committed to myself to live by these three L's for life. 

First, look for the good in others. Everyone has something good to offer to the world. No matter their age, race, or gender. Each and every person has something unique to them that can help us become more of the person we want to be. The problem is we don't usually take the time to find out what that thing is. With some people it's really easy to see the good in them. These are people who are easy for us to talk to or someone that we consider a good friend. I think it's the most important to find that thing in people that are hard for us to get along with. It may be painful and take a lot of effort, but I promise it is worth it. When we find the good in others we are more likely to find it in ourselves.

Second, we must love those around us. This goes right along with looking. It can be so hard to love people around you. I know I can get annoyed easily, but when you love someone everything else about them can fall behind. It doesn't mean you have to accept rude actions or behaviors, but you should take the time to maybe find out why this person acts the way they do. Love is a very powerful characteristic.

Third, we must lift those around us. If we tried living with the idea in mind that we will make other people feel better after talking to us than when we first saw them I think the world would be a much happier place to be. It is amazing the power one person can have on my day. I want to be the difference for someone else. I want to be able to help people be happy and feel good about themselves. Everyone deserves to feel important and like they have worth.

These things can be hard at first, but they pay off in the long run. In this life we're trying to become our best. Don't you think it's okay to stop and help others become their best as well? 

These 2 crazies...

So I have these friends. And they wanted a blog post all to themselves, so here we go. Meet Shams and Houston.

I met Shams in 7th grade Algebra. He said the first thing I ever said to him was, "What's the answer?" I don't remember this, but he swears by it. We've been good friends ever since. He is currently attending school at the University of Utah. (You can boo to yourself if you want, I don't mind.) Shams is one of those people who is real with you. He'll tell you what he thinks and he will be extremely honest. He's a good person to talk to when you're frustrated because he will listen to everything you have to say then offer advice, if you want it.

Houston was in my 8th grade science class, but he doesn't remember that. We became friends my sophomore year. Houston is the biggest gamer I know. He loves any and every board game. Also, when anyone asks where we are going he is known for saying into the wild! Houston recently received his mission call to the Alpine-German speaking mission.

I'm so excited for him and this amazing opportunity he has to serve! He goes into the MTC January 18th. He will be a great missionary. He is currently attending BYU. Houston is one of those friends who you know really cares about you. 

Both of these boys are very smart. If they consider you one of their good friends they'll stick up for you no matter what. These boys have helped me out in some rough situations and I know if I ever needed their help with anything all I would have to do is ask. They may seem like they're hard and mean, but really they are sweet guys with loving hearts. Yes I did just say that. We like Macey's trips and playing games. Clue was our game of the evening.

Shams hates clue probably 'cause he stinks at it.

 One of my favorite things about these two are our pow wows we have. We talk about life-our stresses, our families, our happy and sad stories. They leave me feeling lifted and help me to remember that there is still good in life and that I can make it through. 

The beauty of delivery

4 tests looming next week can only mean one thing. This is a weekend dedicated to studying. But studying for too long can lead to a bit of insanity. How do I cure it? Loud music and Brick Oven pizza with Carolyn.

With root beer of course :)

So excited:)

I highly recommend the Canadian Bacon and Pineapple and their garlic bread sticks. And you know me I love my desserts so I'd also recommend the raspberry cheesecake mmmm...good:)

2 very satisfied customers. I'm tellin' ya this meal will cheer those studyin' blues!