Meagan's blog

See You Later!

2009-06-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Well everyone,

I guess this is it. Thanks for the support to get me on a mission. I am excited beyond words but also nervous and apprehensive and every other emotion possible. My mom will be posting my emails on a blog specifically for my mission, hermanajackson.blogspot.com Easy enough, right? On there, you will find my most current address (as well as the mission home's address) for you to write me. :) For those of you that said emails are better because you prefer typing, I don't really want to be reading lots of emails every week so I'm probably not going to give out my email address to anyone but family. But you can use dearelder.com! It's free while I'm at the MTC and then just the cost of postage after that. If you have anything important you need to get to me, email it to my mom (calciomom@gmail.com) and she will forward it on to me.

Thanks again and I hope to hear from you often in the next year and a half. I love you!

I am SO converted to Seattle!

2009-06-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I just got back from a weekend in Seattle visiting my friend Megan and I LOVED it. I had never been to that part of the country before and it is absolutely gorgeous...huge trees everywhere, beautiful lakes, and not to mention a low altitude, which was nice for my passing out issues. It was like going camping every time we drove around and I love that feeling. Anyway, here are several pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

Who says you can't go home?

2009-06-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Picture this: sitting in a car for 10 hours in weather that is getting hotter and hotter as you go when finally, you reach your destination. You come peaking over the Tehachapi mountains and down into the valley as a faint smell of acid rain drifts in through the air vents. As you head further into the depths of this town, oil rigs pierce the horizon through the brownish haze we like to call smog. And then, you drive past Weedpatch Highway...
...and you know...
...that you are HOME.

Yes, I had a lovely trip to California with my mom. It was one last girl's trip before my mission so my dad wasn't allowed to come. We spent a couple of days in Bakersfield, which of course included visits to Dewar's and Monica Ward. Then we headed down to Thousand Oaks, where we picked up my grandma and took her out to Santa Barbara/Solvang for several days. We stopped for a night at my aunt's house in Palmdale on the way home. It was just really nice to be able to reconnect with my mom because we haven't really spent much time together since I started at college. Sure I live at home right now, but I'm always working or out with friends and the same with her so this was nice.
I love my mom so much. She has been there for me through all of my worst nightmares, even when I may have thought I didn't want her there. She exemplifies everything I want to be in a mother - caring, intelligent, driven, forgiving, faithful, patient, and more. I tease her a lot that we are complete opposites, and in many things we are, but being able to spend the week with her taught me just how much I want to be like her. I am going to miss her above anybody else on my mission but I know that our relationship will just grow stronger as the years go on.

A Day in the Life...

2009-05-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

I love my job, can I just say that? I have been doing sewing/alterations at the laundry now for 2 years! Crazy! Let me just explain a brief bit about what typically happens during my workday...

8:30 or 9 - drive to work and think long and hard about what my opening line for the day will be...something like "Oh my gosh, I had the weirdest dream last night!" or "Gah, why are boys so retarded?"
9 to Noon - share stories from the night before with my coworkers as we laugh hysterically at some of the clothes people bring in for us to sew or at the sewing instructions the front counter writes - for example: "replace butt" or "sew crotch together." I mean, come on, they could just write "mend crotch seam" and we know exactly what to do. Haha
Noon to 1 - discuss what we're going to do for lunch and/or wait for a customer to come in who is desperate for his clothes to be altered/mended right then (instead of waiting a week like anyone else). When such a customer comes in, we require a "rush fee" in the form of pizza or chocolate milk or ice cream or orange chicken or any number of other things we've obtained :)
Afternoon until we decide to close up and leave - we get a little tired and start laughing at just about anything. Because I've worked there so long, my coworkers ask me for advice about what to do on things and I usually have no idea but I make something up that sounds good, they do it, and it works. Fake it 'till you make it, I guess. :)
About 3ish - call my mom and ask her when she is coming to pick me up, and she usually tells me not until 4, but I'm really tired by then and find some random sewing job to keep me busy my last hour.
Oh, and in between all that, I sew :)

Ok, I just wanted to do that while I still work there because I won't for much longer. Whoa, crazy how fast the time has gone.

Mission and Farewell info

2009-05-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,
Since I'm pretty much down to my last month before reporting to the MTC, I thought I'd post the info for my mission for you to have if you feel so inclined :)

My farewell will be held on June 28, 2009, at my ward in Lindon (1051 E 200 S, Lindon, Utah). Sacrament starts at 1:00pm but my ward is huge so if you want to come and want to be able to have a seat, I highly recommend being there by 12:30. Not even joking. :) I wish I could just fill the chapel with my friends since I don't even know anybody in my ward but whatever. I'll be playing the piano too. :)

I report to the Provo MTC on July 1, 2009. My address for all of July and August will be:
Hermana Meagan EM Jackson
New Jersey Morristown Mission
Provo MTC
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604

I'll be heading out to New Jersey at the beginning of September so my mission home address for September 2009 - December 2010 will be:
Hermana Meagan EM Jackson
New Jersey Morristown Mission
1719 Route 10 Ste 309
Parsippany, NJ 07054

I hope to hear from you every once in a while on my mission. I love getting letters and will love so even more as a missionary. ;) I will even write you back!

Thanks for your support at different times in my life to get me where I am today. I am SO excited to go and serve the Lord. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know the gospel is true, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this. :) I love you!

Oh by the way, if you want to send me your address/email so you can get updates or whatever, just email them to me at memj9@yahoo.com. Thanks!

California, here we come!

2009-05-14T06:36:00.001-07:00

As promised, I am putting up pictures from my trip to California a couple of weeks ago, which was a blast! My friend, Megan, and I drove down on a Monday to San Diego, where we stayed at our friend Amber's house. However, Amber was already back in Utah for spring term so we just chilled with her family. :) We didn't really have a plan for Tuesday except to hang out in San Diego so Amber left us a San Diego photo scavenger hunt that took us to 7 key places to see in San Diego. We started out going to Balboa Park, then over to Old Town, Seaport Village (our favorite), Hotel del Coronado, San Diego Temple, and then finished off with the sunset at La Jolla Beaches (yes, I know that's only 6...we couldn't find the Cabrillo Monument). But it was such a good idea to do that! We had to take all sorts of random pictures...us at each entrance sign, the craziest person we saw, 3 random statues, 3 sailboats, us jumping off a wall, someone getting married, etc. Here are just a few of our favorite pictures:
Wednesday morning, we drove up to LA area to stay at our friend Amy's place there (who was gone on a study abroad...again, we chilled with the family :) and we spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in Disneyland/CA Adventure. It was a blast but SO exhausting! Growing up fairly close to those parks, I'd never spent more than a day there so 3 days was quite the experience! Her sister, Brenna, and her sister's friend, Adam, flew in to LAX Wednesday night to spend the rest of our trip with us. Don't even worry, we went on the Peter Pan ride on my birthday...you really think I would neglect that? Haha, definitely my favorite :)

Grrrrr.....

2009-05-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, first of all, I had a WONDERFUL road trip to California for my birthday. Pictures and details to come later. But for now, I need to vent and basically I'm venting about my own stupidity.

I always forget to check my oil in my car. My dad is always telling me I should and I always forget. Well, my car had just been in the shop about 2 months ago so for some reason, I had it in my head that that meant the oil had been checked. That, of course, is wrong.

So I didn't check my oil before I went on a road trip to California for a week with my friends. I dropped them all off at LAX on Saturday for them to fly home while I drove myself back up to Utah. I stayed 2 nights at a friend's place in Henderson then finished my drive today. About 5 miles south of Nephi (about an hour south of Provo), my car decided to sputter and die. Luckily I pulled over in time. I called my dad, he called the tow truck and I got towed to Nephi, where he met me. Upon brief inspection of my car by the mechanics, it was determined that I had ruined my transmission or something and it would cost as much money to get it fixed as my car is worth. So we're not getting it fixed. I unloaded everything out of my car, put it in my dad's, and we drove away. My car will now be sent to the junkyard because, well, that's what it is. At least it happened on the way home instead of on the way there and I was pretty close to home so my dad could come get me. Count your blessings, I guess.

I was planning on selling my car before I leave on my mission and using the money to help pay for my mission but I guess that won't be happening now. Please don't tell me I was dumb for not checking my oil because I think I know that. Thanks. My next post, which will be about the rest of my road trip, will make no mention of the car breaking down so it will be happy...but I needed to vent for a second.

If only I had known it was going to break down...I wouldn't have topped off the gas in Cedar City... :)

But, Whatever Shall I Do?

2009-04-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

Life is just grand. I'm sitting here, mulling over the thought that I have finished my finals! That means I am DONE for a full 20 months! That's right...Done. Yongwan. Hecho. (Note: Please remember, I don't speak Spanish...yet). How long has it been since I've experienced this kind of freedom? Try...NEVER! Yeah, I'm just a little overwhelmed as to what I should do with myself now...

Oh wait, nevermind, it's planned (you really think I'm going to waste time just waiting for something to happen this summer?):

Road trip to San Diego/Disneyland with my friend for our birthdays! Yes, 3 days in Disneyland for $70...I'd say that's a deal. Oh, and P.S. This trip obviously includes In 'N Out.
HOBY! That blessed time when I make friends with high school kids again and tire my voice out from doing cheers and skits.
Wisdom teeth...note that this does NOT deserve an exclamation mark...or special colors...or bigger font...grrr...
Road trip to Bakersfield/Santa Barbara with my mom! One last girl's week before my mission.
Strawberries 'N Cream frappuccinos every day for a week with my best friend ever, Jessica, who gets home from her mission one week before I leave on mine.
And of course in between all that...sewing away at work. It's a party there during the summer though so no big deal.

Needless to say, this next 2.5 months will fly by. And it is going to be amazing. :)

Women's Chorus

2009-04-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

I have been so blessed this last 3 years by having the chance to be in the BYU Women's Chorus. Every day at 3:00, I have wandered into the HFAC to spend an hour singing with some of the most amazing girls on campus. I cannot imagine my BYU experience without it.

I have never been on staff or anything for choir, but I didn't want to let that stop me this year from being involved. As the year progressed, I adopted the role of the unofficial photographer and took pictures at every event we had...concerts, parties, service projects, retreats, etc. I loved it. My goal was to get every girl pictured, so of course I wanted to know who every girl was. Those girls have truly changed my life for the better. Some of them I only just really got to know last week and some of them have been good friends of mine for all 3 years now. Wow, it's been a crazy ride but oh so worth it.

This last weekend we had the chance to do a performance to be filmed and later nationally televised on PBS. All 4 auditioned choirs, along with the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, sang/played pieces centered around the theme "Pilgrim's Journey Home." We explored all different aspects of the theme...war-torn times, service, faltering in faith, enduring to the end, and reaching our eternal home. As we sang, I was just trying to soak in every second of being on that stage...the cameras zooming in on my face, the feel of the lights, the look of the dimmed audience, the sound of the choirs and orchestra reverberating through the hall. It was the closest thing to perfection I've ever felt.

Ever since I got my mission call, I have never felt such strong feelings of doubt and inadequacy flood my mind. But the final closing numbers (which consisted of all 5 groups) were beautiful arrangements of Come Come Ye Saints and Lead Kindly Light. The words to both of those hymns and the power and conviction of all 700+ performers on that stage brought me to tears. Especially on the third verse of Lead Kindly Light, "So long thy power hath blessed me sure it still will lead me on!" I thought of all the times I have called on the power of the Lord in the past and I have been blessed with it. It will be the same on my mission. The Lord wants every one of us to know that He is near, always looking out for us, and He will bless us with the power we need to further His work upon the earth. I had no idea if a camera was zooming in on me right then, but I knew that I wanted whoever was looking at my face to know that I know, and to have a desire to come to know it for themselves. I felt like we had a little glimpse into missionary work by having the responsibility to portray the pure love of Christ through our music, our faces, and our spirits.

Sorry I've been rambling on, but Women's Chorus was so much more than a choir to me. It was a time that I could set aside to feel the spirit, strengthen my testimony, and strengthen my friendships every day. If anybody reading this was in Women's Chorus with me this year, thank you. Thank you for your patience as I passed out ;) , for your support in hard times, for your smiles in wonderful times, and for your love in all times. I love you!

CALLED TO SERVE!

2009-04-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

I have been called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am assigned to labor in the NEW JERSEY MORRISTOWN Mission. I report to the Provo MTC on July 1, 2009. I will prepare to preach the gospel in the SPANISH language!!!

So there you have it. I cannot believe I am going on a mission! When I opened my call and started reading the words, I knew that I have been called to be where I need to be, speaking the language I need to speak, in order to teach the people I need to teach. It is an amazing feeling. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I opened it last night. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord for 18 months of my life. He has given me everything. Thanks for all your support during different stages of my life to get me to this point! I love you!

We started out the evening with a rousing rendition of "Called to Serve"
At this point, I was really really nervous...
And then I freaked out...
Where's a map? :)
I love my family. I'm so glad they live close so we were able to celebrate this special day together.
Oh yeah, and I decided to cut my hair, as you can see in these pictures. But don't judge too harshly, it had been raining all day :)

I never would have believed...

2009-03-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

I should be getting my call in 2 days! But I can't open it until Thursday because some stuff has arisen on Wednesday night...
Remember the "socially clueless recently returned missionary"? Well, after a sufficient length of time completely ignoring me, then acting as if nothing happened, he came up to me on Sunday night after ward prayer and asked me on a date for WEDNESDAY night. Yeah, I was like, "You do know I'm opening my mission call that night, right?" He assured me that he did but wanted to go out afterward.
Well, when I called my mom and told her, she convinced me to just wait until Thursday night to open my call since she is having some minor surgery or something on Wednesday and doesn't want to be delirious when I open it. Plus, I think she would be all for me getting married right now instead of going on a mission. She keeps asking me, "Are you sure you want to go on a mission right now?" Haha, I'll miss my mom a lot.
So I'm going on a date Wednesday night. I'm thinking of asking my roommates to check the mail and hide my call if it came so I don't know about it but we'll see...

Everyone has said that once you get your mission call, the dates start coming in from everywhere...I never would have believed that would be happening to me.

MY PAPERS ARE IN!!!!

2009-03-24T18:25:00.001-07:00

So yes, all that stuff from my last post got resolved and now my mission papers are in! Let the guessing begin...

...and the waiting...

update

2009-03-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well, my mission papers are done, interviews and all. However, yesterday when I went to my interview with the stake president, he asked for my medical forms. I told him that my bishop said he had put them in his box...we looked and they weren't there. We tried calling my bishop but he didn't answer. I still had my interview and the stake president told me to just come back later that day whenever I got them and give them to him. So I left the stake offices at about 2:00pm pretty upset. I got back to my complex and went down to where the bishop holds interviews but he wasn't there because of the Draper temple dedication. I told my friend Amanda what was going on, then went up to my apartment to be visit taught. While I was being visit taught, Amanda came knocking on my door and said the bishop had shown up for a second, she told him what happened, and he handed her a packet of papers saying, "Here are the photocopies I made of all of her papers before I handed them in. Guard them with your life!" Woohoo, right? Nope.

As soon as my visiting teachers left, I rushed back up to the stake offices and got there at about 2:20pm. They were all closed up and dark...apparently they had left in that 20 minutes for the temple dedication as well. I waited around for another 20 minutes or so, hoping that somebody would show up, but they didn't. Once again, I left the stake offices and took the long way home, letting out quite a few tears on the way. Well, let me explain...I know that my mission papers will go in when they are supposed to and I will leave when I am supposed to, but it was still frustrating. I had just gone through and was still going through probably the hardest week I've ever had at BYU (4 papers, a test, 2 projects, a presentation, passing out, throwing up, and cramps) and this just tipped me over the edge for a bit.

So while I was walking home, I was questioning how much harder it was going to get for me as I prepare to leave on my mission. Satan has been trying to beat me down mercilessly this last couple of months...I have never felt him stronger than I am now. Hopefully that just means that Satan knows I am going to be a dang good missionary! But even with all these temptations from Satan, I know more than ever that the Lord is aware of me. He sent people into my path yesterday afternoon that proved to be such a strength and comfort to me. I know that what I am trying to do is worth it. The gospel is true and the Savior knows and loves each of us and I just want to be able to share that with everyone I know.

I'll keep you all posted.

Hair cut??

2009-03-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, I lied, I haven't put my papers in quite yet but I am posting anyway.

So, I really want to cut my hair short again...as I have had it in the past. But at the same time, I really want to grow my hair out and see how long I can get it. I've never really had long hair. Either way, I for sure need to at least trim my bangs up and give my hair a little shape. But still, any suggestions/advice?

This is how long my hair is now...

...and this is my mission picture...

And this is how short I've had my hair in the past...

Final prep...

2009-03-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

Please allow the following paragraph of venting:
Going on a mission is WAY more expensive than people tell you about...and I'm not just talking about the $400/month to actually be out there. I have been having to dish out the cash getting my papers ready! Cavity fillings, wisdom teeth removal, immunizations, TB test, clothes (which I haven't bought yet), etc... Then to add on top of it, for every one of these things, it is requiring me to take time off work to get them accomplished so I'm, in effect, losing the little money I can make. Oh well, it's all in the name of a mission.

Speaking of my mission, I will be putting my papers in on March 25 (ideally). I've gotten my letter from my cardiologist and ran around yesterday having everyone sign everything. Now I'm just waiting to see if little bumps will show up on my arm from my TB test yesterday...no sign yet... :) Interviews with the bishop and stake president are set! Woohoo!!

So you can start making the guesses if you want, though it will be about a month before I find out. It might be helpful for you to know that I will have to stay in a country with adequate medical care (USA, Canada, England (my dad would be proud), other parts of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, or Japan...) My next post will most likely be once I put the papers in.

Oh, and I've been doing jazzercise to get in shape. :)

You know it's bad when...

2009-02-15T13:44:00.001-08:00

(Yes, all these things have happened to me recently but I don't intend for this to be serious in any way. I still love life :)

You Know It's Bad When:

You catch yourself saying, “It was so warm today…it got up to 20 degrees!”
You enjoy coming up with a diagnosis for yourself every week in abnormal psychology.
You have to turn down a president’s day weekend roadtrip to California because you have to accompany the ward choir on Sunday.
One of the free samples at Costco is apple beer…and they have to reassure you it’s not alcoholic.
Your mom gives you a “Grow-Your-Own Boyfriend” for Valentine’s Day.
You look for a preemie so you can write each other during your missions.
You just want to get out of Utah so bad that you consider the possibility of “escaping” to Idaho.
You have a life-size paper doll as a roommate.
“Real food” is also known as pizza.
You can’t unlock your car because the doors are frozen shut.
After receiving a red rose in Women’s Chorus the day before Valentine’s Day, you walk out of the building, rose in hand, and say, “I love Women’s Chorus; it makes me feel like I have a man.”

Question?

2009-02-02T00:06:00.001-08:00

So, how much allowance on the socially clueless scale do you make for recently returned missionaries?

Don't really want to go into details here, but any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. You can call me if you really want to know.

Love,
me

Life thus far

2009-01-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it has been a while since I've written anything about actual life...

I moved at the beginning of this semester to a complex 2 blocks away from my old one (so of course I'm in a new stake). I have 3 roommates, Kadi, Leah, and Nicole, and they are wonderful.
(Ok, so this is my friend Victoria, who had her roommates trace her on a piece of paper for my 3rd roommate, because there is an empty spot in our apartment...and we named her Nicole. She is currently laying on my bed.) When I made the decision to move, I didn't really know why I did it but I felt like there were more people I needed to meet and learn things from before my mission or whatever comes next in life, and I definitely have already met some amazing people. And the other wonderful thing about my new place is that for the first time in a very long time, I jumped straight into things; confident, happy, and myself, and people are responding really well to it. I'm loving life...for the most part. :)

I love the progression in these pictures. Basically, we didn't know it was taking 4 in a row...so 1) funny face, 2) amused with ourselves that we pulled a funny face, 3) confused that it is still taking pictures, 4) OH! it's taking 4 pictures! :)

I went to the dentist yesterday to get a check-up for my mission and who knew it would be so much more than that? After 20 blissful years of no cavities (or any dental work, for that matter), my new friend Dr. Harding found 2 cavities! Grrr....I blame the bad water I brushed my teeth with in China. So today I went in to get the cavities filled. Needless to say, I had an incredibly numb left side of my face for about 5 hours...no joke. My speech was all slurred and I felt like I was pulling the dopiest smile you've ever seen, but my friends assured me I looked fine so...I don't know how much I believe them. :) luckily the numbness went away before my date this evening. Oh, and for other dentist news: I was told several years ago by a dentist that my wisdom teeth would not cause me any problems...then today Dr. Harding told me that I need to get all 4 of them out before my mission, and 2 of them are compacted. Yay for oral surgeons.

Basically, this all comes down to...if you have any tips for being able to handle getting your wisdom teeth out, they would be greatly appreciated. :)

And one day, I was walking around campus, and was greeted by this in the quad...and someone had made stairs in the back of it so you could climb it. We called it the Rameumptom. By the way, while I was up there yelling around like this, an unusual number of people I knew just happened to go walking by...coincidence? I think not.

Procedure for When I Pass Out

2009-01-15T23:05:00.000-08:00

I put this together as a bit of a fun little project, and to calm my new roommates who are freaking out at the thought of having to help me if something happens. I tried to make it lighthearted and fun, but still very informational so that whoever is helping me will remain calm. :) And I will probably have to give this, or something similar, to my mission companions. :)

Oh, and by the way, the doctor has given me the 100% thumbs up to go on a mission!!! He said he will sign my papers but he doesn't need to see me for any more appointments until right before I go into the MTC this summer just to make sure I have enough medication for my mission! Woohoo! My biggest worry of the semester is now no longer worrisome. :) Also, he said the only limit on my mission call will be that I will have to serve in a 1st world country but I am ok with that. :) I will keep you all posted...

Info for the EMT’s:

• Full Name: Meagan...
• Birthday: April 30...age...
• Past diagnosis: Neurocardiogenic syncope
• Current medication: Fludrocortisone, 0.1mg tablets, 2 tablets daily
• Has this happened before? Yes, often

Causes: Heat, altitude, physical exertion, standing for long periods of time, not enough salt, not enough food, not enough water, stress

Don’t freak out! It is usually not necessary to even call the EMT’s. Just follow this procedure and you and I will both be fine. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this or it is stressing you out or I am doing something you think is out of the ordinary, skip now to step 7. ☺

Get me in a laying down position.

Note: Many times I can hear you but I can’t respond, so talk to me. It helps me recover quicker, especially if you say things that will make me laugh or make me angry ☺
Anger raises my blood pressure, which is good…*hint hint*… ☺
Also, while people are running around getting things for me/freaking out, make sure at least one person is staying with me and doesn’t take their eyes off me (I have been known to stop breathing for only a couple seconds but that can be prevented by someone keeping an eye on me).

2. Do anything you need to in order to keep my eyes open…shake me, slap me, do whatever but keep me at least looking around.

3. If I look overheated, put cool paper towels or something like that on my forehead. It may be wise to take off my sweatshirt if I have one on and/or my shoes.

4. Hold my hands and maybe massage them. It’s comforting to me and also keeps my blood flowing in my extremities, which is good.

5. Give me water/Powerade and something salty (chips, crackers, pretzels, etc). Chocolate also works if you don’t have crackers.

If I seem like I’m not really alert enough to eat or drink, give it to me anyway
Also, if you call the EMT’s, they will tell you to not give me anything to eat or drink…do it anyway, trust me. ☺

6. Once I start looking somewhat alert in my face, I may be really confused and ask you what’s going on. Just go with it and keep feeding me and making me drink. Oh, and I’ve been known to glare at the people helping me, deny that I just passed out, and/or try to get up to go for a walk. Don’t let me go for a walk. This may cause me to glare even more at you but that is a good sign. Glares from me are good signs; it means you’re doing the right thing and I’m getting better. I usually start glaring once I kind of realize what is going on because I am really frustrated at the situation, not you.

7. There are several people you can call other than the EMT’s who have been with me on multiple occasions passing out. They can help calm you and tell you if I am doing something out of the ordinary that requires other attention.

Amy Dyer (friend, certified EMT) –(phone numbers are here on the actual thing...)
Breanne Jensen (friend, nurse) –
Holly Kovach (friend, certified EMT) –
Kristen Bleak (friend, nurse) –

If after all this I am still not showing signs of improvement, then you have my permission to call the BYU EMT’s (801) 422-2222.
They know me. ☺

Oh, and no matter how much I glare at you, please know that I am so grateful to you for helping me out and/or getting me the help I need. THANK YOU!!!!!

My break in pictures

2009-01-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas time! Here's a bit of the last 2 weeks of my life in pictures because sometimes words just can't describe...though I'll try. :)

Here is my brother, Chris, and his daughter, Tori, with their crowns on from their Christmas crackers.

The day after Christmas, I went to visit my friend, Holly, in Denver for the weekend...
...and while I was there, we surprised our friend Amy and her new husband Trent at their wedding reception!

When I got back, my friend Karen and her family arrived from Bakersfield to visit me for a couple days! This may sound strange, but Karen was my 12th grade English teacher. We have just developed a really close friendship since then and still keep in touch. We took her son sledding in the morning......and we went to Temple Square in the evening to see the lights.
To welcome in 2009, I spent the evening with my best friends Jackie, Scott, and Matt......and we got a little tired.

Mistletoe

2008-12-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-02T23:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

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:

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.
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.
The opportunity I have to go to BYU and combine my spiritual with my temporal knowledge to be able to serve throughout my life.
Angels among me that I come in contact with every day, namely my friends who are an amazing strength and support to me.
The Holy Ghost, His promptings that keep me making the right decisions to get me where I need to be.
My health - yes I pass out frequently, but I am grateful it is nothing more serious than that.
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 :)

2008-11-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-10-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-10-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-08-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

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. :)

2008-04-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-04-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

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

First Post...

2008-04-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

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!