School School School . . . & More!

I think the title of this post about says it all! The first block of summer semester ended, and we are currently in the second block of summer with only 3 weeks left. There is so much I have to do, and it's only for two classes: Human Life Span Development, and Fitness for Life. Not to mention, I have non-school related things going on. For one, I have moved out of the Richardson House by BYU, and Hector and I got our own apartment in Murray - Lost Creek Apartments. We have been there for almost two weeks now, and it's finally started to feel like a home. We also got two cats; Draco and Nami. 

Draco is a 3 year old Norwegian Forest Cat / Maine Coon mix. We found him on a KSL listing.

Nami is a short haired calico kitten. We just got her last week from my old coworker Reyna.

We are so in love with both of these kitties. At first, they didn't like each other, but we gave it a couple days, and now they're inseparable. If Draco can't find Nami around the house, he cries and cries until he finds her. It's adorable! Draco also likes going on walks outside on a leash. It's quite strange to see, but also adorable!

It's Never Too Late...

Well, this is embarrassing! I really have a hard time keeping up with my blog. Since now I'm back in school, I'm going to be better at updating it often.

I am now on my second semester at UVU, and it's going great. This last semester (Spring 2015), I had 5 classes starting off; Archaeological Method and Theory, Biological Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Marriage and Relationship Skills, and Introduction to Social Work. I didn't realize how much work I would be doing in all of those classes, so I dropped the Marriage and Relationship Skills, and Introduction to Social Work classes. Which is totally fine, because I can take them in a later semester. This semester (Summer 2015), I registered for Tennis, Areobics: Zumba, Fitness For Life, and Human Development Life Span. Tennis and Aerobics are in the first block of the summer semester, and Fitness For Life and Human Development Life Span are in the second block of the summer semester. So far, things are going well.

I also got 2 jobs working at UVU. I work as a House Manager for the UVU Noorda Theatre, and I am a Receptionist for the School of the Arts Advisement Center. Both jobs are really fun, and easy going, and I'm able to meet amazing people.

Outside of school and work, I spend all my time with my amazing boyfriend, Hector Davila. Hector and I graduated from Springville High School together. We met our Junior year of High School (September 1, 2006 to be exact) in our ballroom dance class (Hector was my Waltz partner), and we've been friends ever since. It wasn't until after our trip to Seattle, Washington this last year (October 2014), where our relationship bloomed into something new and exciting. We became a "Facebook Official" couple on December 16, 2014, but we both agree that our relationship really started when we first met. This year, we will be celebrating our 9 year "anniversary". It sounds kind of silly, but to us, it's romantic. Hector and I recently found an apartment up in Murray, Utah (Lost Creek Apartments), that we applied for, and will be moving in hopefully by the end of next month. We're really excited about that. Hector really wants a puppy, and I really want a kitten, so once we've settled into our new place, we'll hopefully be getting one, or both.

Hector and I also recently got back from our second trip to Mexico. The first trip to Mexico was completely spontaneous. The only people we told were my parents, Hector's stepdad, and his little brother. Word got our around my family, and some of them were happy for us, some were jealous, and some were worried for my safety. I just reminded them that I have Hector there to protect me. And he did. Hector's mother lives in Mexico with his little brother, and she didn't know we were coming down to visit. When we got there, she was so happy to see Hector, and vice versa. I had never "officially" met her (other than one of mine and Hector's dance recitals in high school), so I was really nervous to meet her. I don't know what I was so nervous about, because she was so kind, generous, and welcoming. While we were there, I was able to experience a lifestyle that was so strange and foreign to me. I was able to see sights, try amazing food, and meet some of Hector's family.

Here is a shop that we passed while we were walking around "downtown" Cuidad Juarez. It seemed to be more of a tourist shop, and it was filled with things ranging from outdoor decorations to yummy treats. It was pretty exciting.

Pictured here is one of the Catholic Cathedrals that is near "downtown" Cuidad Juarez. The inside of this magnificent structure was absolutely breathtaking. I loved it!

Here, we all enjoyed a lunch that was seriously, out of this world! I forgot the name of the restaurant, but it was sooooooo good! (Pictured left to right: Hector's mother, me, Hector, and Hector's grandfather).

And here is a park that we went to that was right across the street from the Cuidad Juarez Mexico LDS Temple. This park had rides, food, booths, and entertainers. At one of the food booths, we got a cup of corn that had spices in it. It was amazing! There were also dogs wandering around getting food from people. These dogs seemed like they would be expensive dogs here in the US, but here, they were strays. It was so sad. There were several dogs I would have loved to take home.

The second trip to Mexico, Hector and I took some of his mom's storage boxes down to her. These boxes were filled with Hector and his brothers' childhood memories. It was cute watching them go through the boxes. We were only planning on making the trip really fast, so we could get back to work and school, but we ended up being there for a week. It was another much needed vacation for the both of us, Again, we were able to go see some sights, and eat more amazing food!

One of the sights we went to see was this beautiful monument. All I know about it is that the man on top was named Juarez and he helped free people (?) I'm not exactly sure, but the monument was detailed quite beautifully.

This is another shop that we went to. It was part of a "strip-mall" type shop, and they had many types of trinkets. I was able to find another keychain for my sister Celeste, cause she lost the first keychain I got her from the first trip to Mexico we took.

Ok, this restaurant we went to was so amazingly good! It's called Cafe Apolo. You can see on my plate that I got tacos, and you're asking yourself, "Why would she get tacos?" But no, seriously, they were the best tacos I have ever had! There were a lot of workers just staring at us, and they asked to take photos of our lunch party for their Facebook page. Afterwards, Hector and his mom said it's because I'm a pretty white girl, and they want to use those photos to promote more tourists to come eat at their restaurant. That's a good idea, if you ask me. That, and I get to be on their Facebook page! LOL

After lunch, Hector's mom wanted to take photos of us around the restaurant, and this photo was taken. If you're wondering what restaurants to eat at in Cuidad Juarez, I recommend this one!

Now that Hector and I are back from Mexico, it's time to get back into the school / work groove. It's been tough, because we still want to be on vacation, but we're planning another trip at the end of this year. We only wish it would come quicker, because both trips to Mexico went by too quickly.

I will update more about the adventures of my life sometime soon!

With getting my life more in order, I have decided to go back to school. I have applied at UVU (Utah Valley University) and I am waiting to hear back from them to see if I got approved. If so, then I will be attending the Summer 2014 semester. I will be part time at first so I can balance work and school, and if it works out for me, then I will eventually go full time. My major in school is Journalism with a minor in Psychology. I'm still going to do my photography on the side, and might even want to do Photo Journalism. I am really excited for this new change, and I really hope I get into UVU.

Keep your fingers crossed! I know I am! :D

Happiness...??

I am starting something new. I have decided to express my thoughts and my feelings in my blog. Sort of like an “Online Journal”, except I don’t care if anyone see’s it. My thoughts and feelings are all jumbled, so please bear with me and be understanding.

A lot of life changing events have happened in my life recently, and I've come to ask the question, "What is happiness?" Some people say that happiness is the way we see the world, some say it’s our perspective on life, some say that happiness is found in everything, and some even say happiness is found in God. With everything I'm going through right now, I can't seem to find happiness. Am I looking in all of the wrong places? Who can I turn to?

I have been told numerous times that we can find happiness in physical activity, but when someone is unhappy to an extreme extent, they don't really want to go outside and run a 10K with 2,000 other people. No, they would rather stay inside, lay in bed, and think about what it is that makes them unhappy until it all goes away. But it doesn't work that way. You're not going to be happy by doing that, for it only makes things worse.

The way it works for me is, I think of things worse than they actually are because it helps me prepare for the worst, if it's to come. For example: When I was a child, I was rejected by my parents and had to be raised by my sister just older than me. Because of this, I tend to be the one to break up relationships because I have a fear of rejection. In my mind, if I am the one to do the rejecting, it's not going to be as bad if the other person rejects me. It's a force of habit because that’s how I was raised.

To be honest, I have tried to find happiness in God, but why would God continue to make my life miserable over and over again? Is there something I'm supposed to learn during these trials, if so, how am I to know if I have learned it? Sometimes I feel like God is punishing me, and it's hard to say otherwise when I am continuously unhappy. Everyone tells me to listen to God because he has a plan for me. It’s hard to realize that when you are in the depths of despair.

“I do not consider myself depressed, but rather I'm on a quest to seek happiness.”

UPDATE!!!

I thought it was time to update my blog...a lot has happened in such little time, but I'm going to write about the major events.

FIRST...I got my Temple Recommend renewed, and it has been such a blessing to go every week with Tyler. Last week I went twice, and it was a tremendous blessing.

SECOND...I GOT A NEW JOB!! After working at Myler Disability Law for over a year and a half, I felt like it was time for me to spread my wings a little more, and I got a job at Ancestry.com.

I start on April 15th, and I am SUPER excited! I will be the MSCSA for North America, located in Provo, UT. I just got called to be a Ward Indexer in my ward as well, so that will bring in more knowledge of Family History, which I have always been facinated of.

Next week is my last week at Myler Disability Law and they are all sad to see me go. Yesterday, we had a luncheon for me, and another co-worker who is also leaving to serve a mission. We invited everyone in our department, but our deptartment manager, John Roberts (Creator and actor in Kid History) couldn't make it, and he felt really bad, so he paid for everyone's lunches at Cafe Rio. It was pretty sweet of him to do that.

Anywho, that just about sums up the major events right now...Thanks for following. :D

Happy Birthday Grandpa Terry!!

Yesterday was my Grandpa Terry's birthday, and also his last. The Terry family all got together for a surprise party where we all sang, ate, and had fun family time. There were 97 Terry family members there. It was such a great day! Grandpa was so happy to see so many loved ones there.

New Job!

Well, my job at NES has come to an end. I have found a new job as a Legal Assistant at Myler Disabilities. I start on Monday and I am super excited! I am going to miss all of my clients at NES though. It was really fun working with them. All my love goes out to them.