Mistletoe

I wrote this song one Sunday night on the spot with some friends. Then my friend Grant wanted to sing it with me at the ward party so we did, and it was a hit. :)




And here is a Christmas stocking I made! Oh baby! :)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I need to learn how to study...

So, with finals upon us, I have found myself doing anything and everything possible to avoid studying. Well, I try to be productive during the day so that I can play in the evenings.

Take this video, for example. I discovered that my Mac can act as a video camera...so my roommates and I decided to carry it around our apartment and make a video of us being...I don't know...ourselves? Anyway, don't expect anything wonderfully deep or meaningful, but sit in wonder and amazement at the number of coats my roommate Brooke has. Sarah is not in this because she was out with her boyfriend, though they are sitting in the kitchen in the last shot. And Emily, well she is just a lot taller than Brooke and I.

So here we are, in all our glory. Other than that, there is no point to this. Enjoy!


P.S. Please pray for me on my finals...otherwise more of these videos might be forthcoming...

One year ago today...

This evening, I was sitting in my apartment and I said to my roommates, "I wish I could go somewhere really cool and exotic and far away so that I could have something interesting to write about in my blog." And then they reminded me that I went to China. While I am not there currently, I decided to look back at my pictures and remember what I was doing one year ago today...

We took our last trip away from our home city of Hefei, way down south to an area called Guilin/Yangshuo. It was the best trip I went on the whole time I was in China. The trip lasted 4 days and on December 8, 2007, I was riding a bamboo raft down the Li River while eating sugar cane, shopping on West Street, riding water buffalo, and holding birds that go fishing. Here are some pics:


I can't believe it's been almost a year already since I got home. I LOVE CHINA!

Oh, and here's a video of those birds.

Elder Wirthlin, you're inspiring me

With Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's passing, I was brought back to look at and reflect on his last words to us as a church: "Come what may, and love it" (For full article, click here). I find it interesting that this is the time of my year where I usually find myself the most stressed and the most likely to forget or ignore Elder Wirthlin's wisdom. However, now is the time when I need it the most. School is getting stressful (well, it's been stressful, but now more than ever) and I have finals coming up. I am hoping that this semester's GPA will be my best yet but who knows. On top of school, I have to perform 2 days worth of concerts for Women's Chorus, finish getting things ready for one of my best friend's weddings, pack for Arizona, pack up my apartment to move, go Christmas shopping, work a couple of photography jobs, work my regular job, doctor appointments...the list just goes on and on. It's going to be tough, no doubt, but I am so grateful for the simple reminders in Elder Wirthlin's talk that will get me through. He said, "If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness." I think I need to put this on my binder so that when I am overburdened with homework, I'll see it, and remember the words of an apostle of the Lord to me. To come what may, and LOVE it!

Elder Wirthlin, you were one of my favorite. Thank you for inspiring me to always strive to be better than I am.

Attitude of Gratitude

I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The blessings that have come to me and my family this last year have been plentiful and I know that the Lord knows me personally and is aware of my needs. Here's a list of just a few things I am grateful for on this day of thanks:

1. My wonderful family that grew by 2 members this year, Victoria and Ethan. Also the amazing strength with which my parents have led our family through this last year and a half since moving to Utah. It hasn't been easy, but they have kept it together and they do what's right with all their heart and trust the Lord with the rest.
   
2. The gospel and my Savior's atonement. I know that whatever I go through, He has been through it too and can help me along.
   
3. The opportunity I have to go to BYU and combine my spiritual with my temporal knowledge to be able to serve throughout my life.
4. Angels among me that I come in contact with every day, namely my friends who are an amazing strength and support to me.
5. The Holy Ghost, His promptings that keep me making the right decisions to get me where I need to be.
6. My health - yes I pass out frequently, but I am grateful it is nothing more serious than that.
7. Music...everything about music...especially being able to be in the BYU Women's Chorus for my third year. The friendships I have made are amazing and the spirit I feel on a daily basis strengthens me more than I can probably ever know.

Engagements photo shoot :)

One of my best friends, Amy, gave me the wonderful opportunity of taking her engagement pictures. She and Trent are 2 of the neatest people in the world and I wish them the best. I'm so glad I got to spend an afternoon with them doing this shoot.

Photography taking flight...

Some girls in my ward I did a roommate photo shoot for down on Provo Center Street. Such fun girls...loved it!

The glass is half full

I think I have finally figured something out: I like me for me. Does that sound conceited? It's not intended to. I spent so much of my teenage years trying to conform to what people thought I should be like; what they would accept me as. Unfortunately, the only thing I got out of that was a dislike for myself, unhappiness, and stress. But over this last couple of years, and especially weeks, I have discovered who I really am, my goods and my bads, my strengths and my weaknesses, and I can embrace them and let them fuel my actions (maybe because I'm a psych major). I've noticed a big change this semester as I've accepted myself...I'm happier, more confident, and more approachable. So here are a couple of things about my innate self that, unless you have interacted with me in the last several months, you might not know. But this is me, and I'm happy.

I love life and people in it. I can handle conflict situations unless it is a conflict between people. I much prefer play over work...I'm way more likely to work harder at job I'm volunteering for than if I'm getting paid. Large groups energize me but I prefer small group discussion. I like doing short-term things where I can see an end in sight. I have a low tolerance for stress and scatter myself in too many directions. I love hugs and I love little kids (hugs from kids are especially special). I eventually want to work with high school kids because I think most people blow them off too quickly waiting for them to come out of their know-it-all phase when they need help getting through that phase first. I like to smile; sometimes I have a really big smile on my face and my friends think that I have some amazing story for them about a date or something but I don't usually, it's just nice to smile. :)

Haha, ok, I'm done now. Here are some pics from my most recent Women's Chorus concert. We did a Disney princess medley and wore tiaras and chiffon "goddess" shawls for "I Won't Say I'm in Love."

I had a bit of trouble decorating my tiara...not really my thing... :)
And yes, I still don't know how to do eyeliner properly...thank goodness for Jenny!

Passing out...still...

Have you ever passed out? Not fun. At all. Sure it's fun to threaten my friends that if they keep tickling me or stealing something from me thereby making me chase them that I will pass out on them and then they will have to take care of me. But really, it's true...and that's the pathetic part.

I've been passing out since 7th grade...I think the first time was when I ran the mile for physical fitness testing. So we thought I was dehydrated or had asthma...not hard to assume when you're living in a place like Bakersfield. Multiple trips to cardiologists, neurologists, orthopedics, and and general doctors in both Bakersfield and UCLA led to many hypotheses but none of them seemed to fit. MRI's, EKG's, treadmill tests, heart monitors, diet changes, exercise changes, and the like did the same thing...lots of hypotheses but no fit. I learned to deal with it. Whether I was at marching band field shows, swim meets, soccer games, concerts, or anything else, the people around me learned what to do and to just give me time. I was supposed to grow out of it.

Well, I'm still passing out...more frequently than ever actually. Lots of things bring it on...high altitude, stress, physical exercise, standing for long periods of time, heat, dehydration, lack of eating, lack of sleep, etc. All of those basically explain my life right now. :) December 2006 I was finally diagnosed with neurocardiogenic syncope. Basically, it's a heart/brain miscommunication supported by low blood pressure. There's not much that can be done. I've been put on a couple of medications that did everything from give me seizures to shoot my blood pressure through the roof, neither of which I consider to be very healthy.

So I've learned to deal with it. It frustrates me that people have to take time out of their schedules and social lives to take care of me when it happens, but luckily I have some of the most amazing friends in the world who don't even think twice about it. Talk about Elder Holland's "Angels Among Us" talk at conference. I am truly living it right now.

Anyway, this all comes down to...I'm going to the doctor again. My friends think that 4 times in 6 days warrants a visit...they're right. Besides, I haven't been in almost 2 years so I should probably go and make sure nothing has changed or gotten worse. I am somewhat skeptical as to what they can do for me, but I will go with an open mind and take any advice the doctor gives me. Trust me, I'm a psych major and I know how much your personal psyche can affect this type of thing.

I just hope I get things cleared up enough before I send in my mission papers.

Afternoon tea, anyone?

So, my mom thought it would be this amazingly wonderful event if all the girls in my family went and had afternoon tea together at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake. She had been trying to get it together all summer but between babies being born and vacations and everything else, it just never happened...shame. This is why I believe my mom purposely got all of us tickets for the General Relief Society broadcast so that we would already be dressed up and could go beforehand. She's tricky.
As you all know me, this was a bit out of my comfort zone...hence the reason I had been finding ways out of it all summer. But alas, my mom found a way.
It was actually really fun. We all had our choice of beverage, then they brought out dainty little sandwiches and scones with lemon and raspberry jams. To top it all off, cheesecake was served. Quite a nice afternoon. Then we all went over to the broadcast.

To sum it up, in one afternoon, I bought make-up, went to a tea party, went to a RS broadcast, and watched a chick flick. Yes, it all was a bit much for me but I'm trying to adapt. :)

But hey, I made the skirt I'm wearing so...that just makes everything better.

My Growing Family

A week ago, I moved out of the house for probably the last time, with the exception of some down time just before and after my mission. My family is growing so much and Sunday night was the first time we have all been together since the babies. It was wonderful having everyone together. I love Sunday dinners with my family. Here are some pics of the youngest members who, between the 3 of them, demand all of our attention, and we're only too happy to give it to them! Anthony (Tino)

Victoria (Tori)

Ethan

Happy Birthday, Ethan!!

Very early this morning, my sister-in-law, Cari (Michael's wife), gave birth to a beautiful little baby boy named Ethan Robert Jackson! He is so cute and is opposite of his older brother, Anthony, in looks...dark hair, longer face, darker skin... Anyway, I will post pictures once I get some. Michael and Cari are supposed to be updating their blog soon anyway...they said they would about 10 hours ago but I would assume they're a little preoccupied. :) I clocked out of work early today to work on a baby blanket and burp cloth set that I was making for Ethan and finished it later this afternoon. It is dark blue with little teddy bears and baseball bats on it...perfect for any son of Michael's :)

No classes + Beautiful sunshine = 1 Wonderful Summer!

After much debate with...my inner self...I dropped my summer classes and decided to give myself a break before hitting this fall and winter full force leading up to my mission. As of yet, I still consider it the best decision I ever made. Because I dropped my classes, I've gone to Arches National Park, river rafting, four-wheeling in WY, slip 'n sliding, canoeing, boating/wakeboarding, and lots of movies and late night ice cream chats. My ward in American Fork does so many cool activities. Summer is so wonderful and here are just a few pictures of all the adventures I've gone on...


Above are some pictures from our family 4th of July BBQ with the Greens and Hunts. That's my nephew, Anthony, and my mom is holding Victoria, my new little niece.


My friend, Katherine, and I drove down to Moab to visit our friend Natalie (I went to China with these 2 girls). Natalie is a river guide down there so she took us rafting and then we went to Arches and it was BEAUTIFUL!



My ward hiked the Y for FHE one night! I passed out once on the way up and once on the Y but I made it! :)



We went boating for FHE another night (Everyone in our bishopric owns a boat...). That's me and my friends in AF. They're awesome. Oh yeah, and I took a shot at wakeboarding again...something I haven't done since I was 16...and I got up on the first try! However, there are no pictures because my friends didn't know how to work my camera... :) That second picture is me experimenting with my camera.



Another FHE activity! We got a huge slip 'n slide that could fit about 5 people at once...maybe more. Anyway, some of the boys covered it with dish soap so it was a nice slick ride! That's me in the middle...

For a ward activity, we drove up to our bishop's cabin in Star Valley, WY, and had an overnighter. All the members of our bishopric own four-wheelers (as well as boats...I think it's a requirement or something!). Anyway, so we went driving around up into the hills and then had dutch oven cobblers and night games. Woohoo!

Can I just say again that I LOVE SUMMER!!!

my summer thus far

So, it's been a while since I last wrote...in fact, an entire term has come and gone, with finals today and tomorrow. I took a bowling class, which was incredibly awesome! My high score for the term was 225!!! I got a print-out for evidence. :) I also took a beginning organ class and can now play 3 hymns on the organ if I'm ever called upon to do so...Redeemer of Israel, How Gentle God's Commands, and Father in Heaven, We Do Believe. Yay! And I took a class called history of psychology...I hated it and will be SO glad tomorrow at 2pm when I never have to see it again. :)

Oh yeah, I have a new niece! My sister-in-law, Megan, had a beautiful baby girl on May 22, named Victoria Eugenia Jackson. So Chris and Megan are parents! She is so cute and tiny!

I have also been keeping myself busy with HOBY! I can't get enough of it! In case any of you don't know, it's a leadership conference for high school sophomores held in every state for one kid from each school in that state. I attended as a sophomore and have stayed really involved with it. I'm now on the corporate board for Utah's site. Anyway, I love it and just try to give back as much as I possibly can. I think high school kids have so much potential that people just give up on too easily. So we had Utah's seminar in early May and it was amazing! Then I got an email from Colorado asking if anybody could please make it out for their seminar because they were short facilitators (adult in charge of a small group of 8-10 kids). I jumped at the chance and it was held last weekend in Denver. It was such a cool experience and I made so many cool friends and memories. One day, we took the kids on a field trip into downtown Denver and got to tour the state capitol building, then we ran into the governor on our way out so he stopped and talked to us for a bit, we did a service project up in the Rocky Mountains; it was just all a really great experience!

DONE!!!!!...for now. :)

So, my last 2 days have been entirely consumed by graduation ceremonies, parties, etc for my mom and my brother, Michael. Yes, my mom graduated after 30 years and she was ecstatic about it! We found out after the fact that Mom and Michael could have walked together, but alas, we went to 2 convocations...one of them being for the Marriott School, which is a whole bunch of business guys with no sense of humor...and over 1000 names to read. Nobody was getting any applause because it was just so long and boring. So Michael, wanting to spice up the ceremony a bit (he walked a little over halfway into the name-reading), decided to cross out his middle names on the little card he was to hand to the announcer. All of a sudden, we hear "Michael Jackson," and the crowd started laughing, then clapped because they felt bad for laughing at his name...so he got quite a bit of applause and everyone kind of tuned in again to what was going on. The whole rest of it, I spent playing tetris on my phone...singlemost wise purchase I have ever made. :)


Anyway, now I have about 3 days break before spring term starts. But I'm trying to take some more fun classes so it's not complete drudgery for the next 2 months. I'm doing voice lessons, bowling, beginning organ, and history of psychology (no, I do not consider that last one fun, just in case you were wondering...) :) But at least I'm going shopping with Kiley next week!

Slowly eliminating this semester from existence...

As the semester approaches its end, this becomes my least favorite building on campus...

First Post...

So, I don't even really know who will read this blog...or what I will write on it to encourage people to read! My life really isn't that exciting, my family lives close by, and they don't use blogspot anyway! :) But hey, here is a picture of me and my nephew, Anthony (Tino), on Easter. He's getting so big and loves the attention...he'll have a bit of an adjustment once his little brother and cousin are born this summer! (Yes, Megan is pregnant with a girl and Cari is pregnant with a boy!)

Ok, well, life at BYU is coming to a close for this semester...and it is busy as heck right now! I have a lot of stuff due but am trying to keep my social life alive mainly for the purpose of keeping me sane! Of course, I'm not even sure why I'm looking forward to this semester ending so much considering I'm taking a full load spring and summer, then straight back into another fall/winter round again! Yay! Oh yeah, and did I mention the fact that I'm also going to try to triple my hours at work too? Somebody please stop me!

General Conference this weekend was AMAZING! I got to attend the Saturday afternoon session (the BYU combined choirs sang but there were not enough choir seats for all of us so I was not randomly selected to sing...however, I was given complimentary tickets!) I went with my friend Stephanie, also in choir but not singing, and we sat in the 4th row! I have never been closer to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency in my life! It was so wonderful. I had it confirmed to me numerous times throughout the weekend that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God called for our day and time. I love him and the words he spoke. I especially loved it when he asked us to pray for him. That really struck me. I love the opportunity I have to actively participate in the Gospel openly in my daily life. All the time I was watching Conference, I kept thinking back to my circumstances just 6 months ago as I listend to October Conference, sitting on our beds in China, laptops getting the live audio stream at midnight and 4am, having to keep our doors and windows closed. I am so appreciative of the situations I am blessed with now. I had taken it all so for granted before I went to China, then I got there and it was like Heavenly Father was saying to me, "See all that you had living in the US? Why did you never thank me for it?" Well, I'm grateful now! I love this Gospel and all the strength it gives to me in my daily life. I love that we have a living prophet today who speaks to us and is God's mouthpiece on the earth!