Halloween

I'm not really big into the halloween scene at my age. It was a fun holiday when you were a kid and got candy, and I imagine it will be fun when your a parent and you get to dress your kid up, but as a young single adult, I'm not a huge fan. Basically its just an excuse for girls to dress skanky... and for boys to dress, head to foot, in Gorilla suits and scare you! Actually that hasn't happened this year (thankfully!) I guess I'm just not really into the partying scene, and I'm not as creative as most people to come up with a good outfit. Last night there was a lot of halloween parties going on, but instead I went to my Best Friend Gaby's house and we watched TV and talked for hours into the evening.

I'm not really sure what my plans are for the big day tomorrow. But we do have FHE at the Bishops house, so I'm sure we will do something Halloweenie there! If not I won't cry over it. Its not even a real holiday, we don't even get the day off school/work! So lame...

In other news, the real beginning of the Holidays starts in 18 days... thats when I go home for Thanksgiving! I have a whole 10 days off!!! Then I will come back and just finish up my internship, and then before I know it, I will be taking classes and working as a receptionist again! I'm so excited you have no idea!!!

Don't Judge...

Ok, don't judge me... but I love this guy!!! This song is so cute! I listen to it probably every day since it came out. And I know I'm not the only one, who else can get 20 million views in 7 days. One of my roommates (cough, Julie, cough) has this weird Scrooge attitude and doesn't like Christmas music playing right now! I think she's a little on the crazy side, but whatever! I don't care! I just love this song, and Justin Bieber, and Christmas, and this video!!!!!

Iron Man, again...

I know what you are all thinking... dang this chick blogs A LOT! Well it has somewhat to do with the fact that I don't have a ton of other things to do, and the fact that even though I blogged 2 days ago, Tamazine told me I needed to update my blog again! So here we are, at another blog update from Tara!

As some of you may recall, my school does a lazy man iron man once a semester! This is a month that you have to run 26 miles, bike 112, and swim about 3. I accomplished this in Spring 2010! It also was when I was taking a class that required me to work out 5 times a week, so I was in pretty good shape that semester. I tried again in Winter 2011. I was in goodish shape then, but I got sick towards the end of the month and didn't ever finish it. Well here I am, Fall 2011... probably the most out of shape I have been in all my college years, and I am attempting to do it again! How crazy is that! Here's how it went down.

Rachel, "Tara, the iron man started today, so we are working out after FHE."
Me, "Ummm... I have to do laundry then."


after finishing my laundry and feeling really guilty...

Me, "Rachel, are you still going..."

So we got all signed up last night and are going again as soon as Rachel finishes her homework assignment. I decided to keep a tally on my blog like I have done in the past just to make myself more accountable to all my loyal readers (mom) and to help me remember where I'm at and how much further I have to go.

Biggest thing about me starting to work out again. I decided I can't do it with the entire goal to lose weight. What has happened to me repeatedly in the past is that I work really hard to lose weight, never see any progress, and quit. Well my purpose this time has changed. Losing weight will be an advantage, but I really want to be in shape for 1) Snowboarding season, and 2) My mission!

1) Going snowboarding for an entire day when you are out of shape is pretty miserable. As much as I love snowboarding, I would hate to not get the best out of it because I am too fat and tired for it.

2) Rachel brought up a good point while we were at the gym. I am going to be a full time missionary soon, and I don't want to be huffing and puffing just from walking down the street. I want to be in shape so that I can ride a bike all day, or walk around all day! I want to look healthy for when I'm teaching people about the Word of Wisdom. I want to be an example of one who can run and not be weary!!!

So here is to me starting over! Its going to be a long road... but I'm just going to take one day at a time. Also, Rachel has forbidden me to eat out or drink soda while doing the lazy man. Today was day 1 of that since I did both yesterday. Lets just say nothing is worse than my want for a coke zero. I did have some crystal light today! I just have to pretend that that stuff is just as good! *Ya right!

Never Will I Ever...

Today in Relief Society, someone quoted Sister Dalton. "Make a list of things you will always do, and make a list of things you will never do. Then live those lists."

Well first thing on that list is: Never go to a haunted house EVER AGAIN!!!

Yesterday was my first experience in a haunted house. I was just lying in bed watching The Last Song (since I had JUST finished the book) when my neighbors Aubrey and Brooke came by. Brooke was very sweet as she tricked me into going to Dr. Slaughters. I finally agreed to go just because I didn't want to be a loser on a Saturday night, but man do I wish I hadn't. We picked up our friend Josh since none of us wanted to go without a guy, and made our way over to Idaho Falls. 2 and a half hours later, we were at the front of the line to get in. Lets just say as impatient as I was, waiting in line was the best part of the whole evening. Then we got in...

Basically, Josh went first, with my holding on to him for dear life, while Brooke was twisting my arm as she held my hand behind me, and Aubrey was behind her. I would push Josh to go faster when I knew something scary was about to happen, and then when someone did jump out at me, I basically stopped where I was and screamed! SO LOUD! I would almost fall over sometimes I was so scared. Poor Josh, I think I about killed him! One time though, he let go of me right as a chainsaw guy came after us. Lets just say I was NOT HAPPY at him! That entire house probably took us 20 to 30 minutes to go through. It felt like 3 hours though. I have never been so scared in my entire life.


I didn't speak much on the ride home because I had lost my voice from all the screaming. Then... when I thought it was all over... I got home. I walk into my apartment and the light in the living room was on, but all the other lights were off. I saw that Julie wasn't in her room, but I also saw that my door was closed and the light was off. I was a little confused, because I figured Julie was probably in my room with Tamazine, but our light was off. (Oh, and I was about a half hour late for curfew, since we didn't get out of the haunted house til midnight anyway.) I open my door and see 2 figures just standing in the dark in front of me. I reach for the lights and its just Tamazine and Julie. As you can imagine, I freaked out and screamed again! As they begin to ask me what time it was, I started to cry. And not just like, oh tears are coming out, like I was sobbing, grasping for air, and weeping. For a solid 5 or so minutes I was inconsolably crying. They felt bad and hugged me, got me some water, sat next to me... but nothing was helping. I was crying harder than I ever have. It took me so long to calm down from what had just happened. It was a combination of being really tired, scared earlier, and then scared again. When they asked me what was going on, I just told them I was so scared!!!

I laid down in bed and kept the lights on, which Tamazine eventually turned off, and I just tried to calm down. I was breathing heavier than ever, I was still super jumpy, and I was straight up scared. So... lesson learned! I am never going to go to a haunted house ever again!

Rexburg Fall

Today as I drove home from work, I found myself looking at the trees more than the road (Don't worry, I was still driving safely). I was just hypnotized by the colors of the fall! When it snowed a few weeks ago, I was so mad that winter was approaching. But that was just a little fluke, and it is back to fall as it should be. Then I realized that this is the last fall I will spend in Rexburg. I only have 277 days until I graduate. (I know that might seem like its a far way away, but I know it will come fast!) The winter will be long, I know this for a fact, and then by the time spring rolls around, I will basically be done! I figured out today which classes I'm going to take in the winter, and then in the spring I will only have to take 3 classes. And even though I won't be taking 14 credits, the school will still give me a scholarship and I will be able to work too! Anyway, what I'm most excited about right now is for my 21st birthday... because (drum roll please........) I will go on a mission!!!!!

My roommate Tamazine just got her call last Thursday! She is going on a cruise with santa... oh wait, I mean she is going to Santa Cruz, Bolivia! How awesome is that! I have been extremely covetous the last couple days as she went to mission prep and received a copy of Preach My Gospel and made an appointment with the Bishop to get her temple recommend! I have been wanting this since I was 14, and I'm so close, and yet still so far! Ahhh....

Tonight for FHE we shared our favorite scripture with everyone. I thought maybe I could share it with ya'll. I read this in the 10th grade in Brother Goettl's D&C class. When I read it for the first time, I marked it up and wrote next to it: My Missionary Scripture. I decided that day that I was going to serve a full time mission and that when I do, this scripture would be on my mission plaque that would hang in Vintage Ranch's ward for 18 months.

D&C 15:6
And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.

I can't wait to be a full-time missionary! It's more exciting to me than anything else right now! Only 178 days until I can submit my papers! Then I will be off to Mesa to go through the Temple for the first time, and then I will be off to where ever I am called!

So anyway, I started to write this blog about how pretty the fall is right now, and got a little off topic! Maybe I will get called to serve in Pocatello and will be able to see the fall again! Maybe not ;) Either way, I'm excited!!!

Be Happy Now...

In President Uchtdorfs talk in the General Relief Society Conference a few weeks back, he told us 5 things to Forget Not. One of them was to be happy now! A lot of time people are always waiting for their "golden ticket" to be happy, when they should really be finding things in their life to be happy about right then! Well I'm not saying that I'm not happy now... I'm more like bored now. Don't get me wrong, I love my job! Just working all day is a heck of a life style. I can come home at 5 and be done for the day. But I miss the library, I miss having assignments and studying for tests. I would rather spend hours on blackboard rather than facebook/pinterst. I want to go to the testing center and buy myself a candy bar because I got an A on a test I studied hard for. I wish my life was revolving around something other than my television shows...

Here are things I'm really really excited about... (my golden tickets you could say)

Thanksgiving - 44 days!
David's Concert- 59 days!
Christmas- 75 days!
School starting again- 85 days!
The day I submit my mission papers- 184 days!
The day I graduate- 283 days!
My 21st Birthday- 306 days!

Don't get me wrong, I am happy... I just sometimes feel like I am at a standstill because I'm not in classes. I just honestly don't know what to do with my time. I am sad to say that today I came home, got on computer, and alternated between facebook, pinterest, blogs (which ya'll should really update btw), and youtube... I think what I'm trying to say is... I need a life!

Success!

As some of you may remember from a blog post over a year ago, I'm not the best at going through mazes. But because this is Rexburg, and its October... I went again! To the same maze. The whole ward went, which was great, because it was free!!! I was already forming the words in my mind for how I was going to write about the epic fail of this years straw maze... but guess what... I finished it! Like I went in the entrance and out the exit! I was so proud of myself!

In other news... my nails are still really long, I'm feeling a little better, but I only worked for 4 hours today, I'm still really homesick, my niece is 3 and that makes me feel old, I still don't know what I'm supposed to get my graduate degree in, and I only have 59 days until I see David!!! All in all, life's good!

Happy Birthday Avery!!!

I can't believe my little baby niece is 3 years old today!!!




















I LOVE YOU AVERY!!! Have a good birthday!!! Stop growing up okay!

Randomness

Today I got set apart to be a Sunday School teacher for the semester... or should I say Sara Cordner did! I told the guy that my name was Tara Cordner, and we had this conversation about how nice it was that my name was so short, and he still messed it up! It was kinda funny! We decided that Heavenly Father knows that he meant Tara, and that I can still do my calling! I'm pretty nervous to teach, but I think its going to be a great experience for me!

Remember how my last blog was a hate blog about the rain. Well I jinxed myself, because the very next day it was snowing! How gross right?!? I hated it during the day, but that evening Gaby and I were together watching Grey's. We were sharing a big blanket and outside the window the light from the street lamps sparkled off the snow! It was gorgeous! Then we talked about boys, which is basically my favorite thing to do!

Yesterday I went to Idaho Falls with my roommie Rachel to shop for some professional clothes. She is headed off to NYC this week for an internship expedition, just like I did in Denver. I don't know why but she chose me to come with her to help her! Earlier this week I was telling someone how I wish I knew what was cute and could dress well. They told me they always thought I dressed cute! Then Rachel let me pick out all her outfits, and everything she bought was something I picked! That boosted my confidence a little! I like dressing up for work, but I hate doing laundry, its the worst chore ever (next to doing dishes!)

I bought my tickets to see David again!!!! Almost an entire year has passed since I have seen him. December 9th he will be in Blackfoot... and so will I!!! I'm going with my friends from work! We are all pretty excited! They gave me money for tickets and I bought them first thing yesterday morning. For some reason they thought I would be the most agressive and get the best seats... Why would they think that I wonder?

I have felt like crap all day long. Well it started yesterday, but today has been really bad. I didn't go to a fireside that I really wanted to, and that bummed me out. And I may not go to work tomorrow, which would suck, but I think being at work for 8 hours feeling the way I have felt today would suck even more! (Pardon my language!)

Usually I do my nails when I am watching a movie or TV or just hanging out in the living room. This semester my roommate openly expressed how she hates it when people clip their nails. So now I have to do it hiding from her in my room. The only thing is I am never just sitting in my room. I haven't done my nails in a long time, clipped or filled or painted or anything just because I haven't been doing it like I normally do. That might be TMI, but I just felt like writing what I was feeling.

My room is a mess right now. I wanted to clean it yesterday, but the Idaho Falls trip was a lot longer than planned, and then I have had 0 energy today. Maybe if I don't go to work tomorrow I will muster up enough energy to clean my room. Maybe not.

FHE tomorrow is going to be a ward party at the straw maze. I feel like if I don't go to work I shouldn't go to FHE. I really want to go to FHE though, I have to beat my FHE brother through the maze. Maybe I should just suck it up and go to work tomorrow.

I talked to my family a bunch today. It made me uber homesick. Also Southwest doesn't think I am a full time student, so I don't have any benefits, such as free flights. But don't they know that I'm homesick. How come I can't go home next weekend, oh... because it would cost a fortune! How do normal people survive, when you get homesick, you go home. Thats just what you do! But wait, I can't right now! Which just happens to make me even MORE homesick. I hate it.

I have been listening to Christmas music for about a month now, but its only been on Sundays. But when it snowed on Thursday, I started listening to it all day. At work I have 2 Christmas pandora station. One is just a Christmas Music station, the other is David Archuleta Holiday. Both good, both favorites! But Davids is like a little more favorite than the other one! haha. I might be annoying the guys I work with, but it was snowing, so I listened to Christmas music. I still don't see anything wrong with that.

Um, I think thats about everything. If I think of anything else... I will just write another post! haha

Dang it Rain...

Today I had planned on writing a happy blog about how excited I was that church softball was starting. Well instead, I'm writing an upset blog about how much I hate the rain. Its been raining all day, and its been gloomy and gross and horrible. So now instead of hanging out with my friends in the ward, I am inside watching Super Nanny and writing this hate blog. The worst part is knowing that it is going to rain like this all week, and in just a little bit... its going to snow. I'm so not looking forward to it being cold again. The summer just flew by WAY too fast!

This is what Winter should look like... This picture was taken at the end of December in Arizona...




This picture was taken in the beginning of January in Rexburg...



I think I like the first picture the best, and not just because of the super cute little girls in it! I think its about time I take a trip to Phoenix.

Oh and PS, my roommate of 3 weeks said that she has now found herself saying "Dang it" more than she ever has. She blames me... hahahahaha

BYUIC

Tonight I cleaned the BYU-I Center, or the BYUIC (sounds like Buick). Lots of people just call it the I-Center, but when I hear that I think of an eye doctor, so for the most part I just call it the BYU-I Center! Anyway, this building is AMAZING!!! It has a conference room where devotional is held each week which seats 15,000 people. (Only 6,000 less than the conference center.) And in the same building there is a huge gym that has 10 full size basketball courts on it that can be separated for 10 different games (basketball/volleyball/indoor soccer/badminton/etc...). It is the biggest building in all of Madison County. I'm not quite sure what this beautiful building of huge magnetism is doing in little ole Rexburg, but I sure love it!

Every Tuesday they have devotional in it. And today I learned that every Tuesday night they clean it! I mean they have regular student janitors that are always cleaning the bathrooms and other parts, but we cleaned the whole conference room in it today! I was one of the lucky ones with a vacuum. Since it is such a special room, they have reverent vacuums. There was probably 20 going but you really couldn't hear them. They are backpacks (think of ghost busters) and they just suck up the gross skin cells on the chairs left by all the worthy devotional goers! I cleaned an entire section on the bottom, one on the middle layer, and two on the top! Basically I was vacuuming chairs for 2 hours! But it was such an amazing experience. I am really glad I signed up to do it last Relief Society. There wasn't nearly enough people there, but it was really cool!

I couldn't find a picture facing out, so you can't see all 15,000 seats, but you can imagine if this is the front and there are two balcony levels just how amazing this building is! Honestly, if you come to Rexburg, go here and find some senior missionaries to give you a tour. Because they will, and they will tell you some amazing stories about how excited the President Hinckley was about building this place! So cool!!!

Spoiled!

Sometimes... I get spoiled. I'm not going to list out everything I have been spoiled with, but I am going to say what I just spoiled myself with!!!




A brand new radio for my car! Christine has been nothing but good to me, so I decided to spoil myself and spoil her at the same time and get this freakin sweet radio! Its a touch screen that I can work my iPod through, and it has a bluetooth. Today I pressed the phone button and called my dad while I was in my car. Hands free! It was like he was sitting right next to me talking! COOLEST THING EVER!!!

Today for FHE we had to go to Menan to the 1st councilors house, and naturally I volunteered to drive. My roommates took turn being the DJ, and we basically rocked out the whole way there! It was so much fun! I am in love!!!!

Jackson Hole

Yesterday my roommate gave her friend a ride to Jackson so she could take the LSAT. When she told me she was going to Wyoming I wanted to tag along, but felt rude inviting myself. Then just a couple of days ago my roommate Rachel asked me if I would want to join her! I was so excited!!! I love road trips! So yesterday morning at 6 we left Rexburg and headed over the mountain to good ol' Jackson Hole, Wyoming! We dropped Sherri off at the testing center and we spent the morning playing in Jackson. I felt really bad missing conference, but I am planning on watching the sessions I missed throughout the week! My camera is still broken, so I didn't get a ton of pictures, but Rachel did! She got some super gorgeous scenery pictures, and some cute ones of me too! haha.

The last one is my favorite, it only took my like 3 jumps to get it! I on the other hand made Rachel jump about 12 times before I shot a good one of her jumping in front of the Tetons!






A few things I learned on this little outing...
1. I want to be rich when I grow up so I can afford the things we saw in Jackson.
2. I really do love the fall, the colors are so beautiful!!!
3. Going to Jackson would be a really fun date!
4. I want it to be snowboarding season NOW!!!
5. I should probably start thinking about taking my Grad school exam! How about the GRE in Pocatello on Dec. 15th! Thats the plan anyway... I'm wicked nervous!