Dream Job

Ok, so a couple weeks ago I was helping customer at work fill out a credit application. Usually if a woman isn't employed and is just counting her husband's income we have them fill the word "homemaker" into the employer/occupation spot. Well, I noticed that this customer didn't fill in that box so I asked her if she was a homemaker or retired. She looked at me and said "Even better. I am a domestic goddess."

Um...yes please. I don't think she believed that I was serious when I told her that is my dream occupation. And I have no problem knowing that I could rock that position.

Tender Mercies

Holy Smokes, there has practically been a drought in my blogging world for the last two months, and now I think of at least one new thing to blog about each day...whatever happened to all things in moderation? Haha, not sure. However, today is Sunday and if I blog on Sunday's I try really hard to make sure it is something dealing with the Gospel.

As I sat through church and pondered throughout the day I couldn't help think about all the tender mercies that I was given in this last week. I made a big choice this week which I am not revealing to the public yet, but if you ask me in person I'll probably tell you. Anyways, the first half of the week was really rough, but could not have ended any more happily. I finally have answers and confirmations that I have been waiting months for. The Lord sent me so many tender mercies this week to remind me that even though it was hard, I was doing what was right and that He was helping me as much as He could while still giving me room to grow. Here are some of those tender mercies:

• People: Vicki, Checko, Ali G., Ali W., Robert, John, Jon, Katherine W, Ryan, Mom.
• Places: Oakcrest, Provo Temple, Brighton, My Car.
• Activities: Tandem biking, ultimate frisbee with strangers, hiking, snowboarding, Oakcrest traditions, talking to my best girlfriends on the phone), stargazing.
• Things: Hymns, scriptures, Cafe Rio food, Cambrie's lesson on the Atonement.

And that's just a few of them.

I honestly am so grateful that my life is so richly blessed with great friends and family that are always there for me. The majority of the time they may not even know anything is wrong, but they still always manage to be there when I need them. I am so happy with the choice that I have made and confident in the fact that it is exactly what I need to be doing. I am thankful for the chain of events that finally led me to this choice and to those that helped me get there.

Vegas Trip

This past weekend, Katherine Welch (roomie) had her mission farewell. I am so proud of her and her choice to serve the Lord. There was no way in the world that I was going to miss this event. It was a holiday weekend and I work retail, so I knew it would be tricky, but we worked it out. I was able to leave work a few hours early on Saturday so we left right away, and drove back late late Sunday night. Here's what happened in between:

• Katherine Spoke in church. Obviously the most important reason why were there. She did great and I was so happy to be there for it.

• We stayed at a place name Arizona Charlie's. Winner.
• We played on the strip and mostly accomplished nothing more than hoards of window shopping.

Ali, Jon, Me and Rich

In front of the Venetian

I bought these sweet pants that happened to match Katherine

Group shot

Ali and I goofing off.

Pretty sure we kept each other laughing at least 90% of the trip.

Growing

Life after graduation has lots of changes in it. Most of them were expected, but some of them I definitely did not expect. It has been a harder adjustment for me than I thought it would be, I mean life is great and I love it, and I wouldn't trade my life with any body else's in the world, but there are so many changes taking place and many more changes to come that I am at a point where sometimes I don't even know what's going on. My whole life has always been planned, structured, prepared and carefully thought out with an end goal in mind. However, right now, I don't know what my end goal is, it is all a whirlwind of choices, and whichever choice I make results in significant change in my life. As I was thinking about this the other day, I realized that my life is very comfortable. And then I remembered a quote from my good friend Ryan Johnson. (I'm pretty sure that's who I hear it from, feel free to take credit Ryan.) This is what he said:

"There's no comfort in the growth zone, and no growth in the comfort zone."

So, I am kicking myself out of the comfort zone. I refuse to stay stagnant, because in staying stagnant, you are really just move backwards. So bring on the growth, because from here, I will only move forward.

Little Brother

As you all probably know, Little Brother is in Honduras on his mission. I am so proud of that boy and how hard he is working and the great attitude that he carries. This was this weeks e-mail, I usually just post them to his blog, but he gave a special shout out to the sisters in this one, so I'm posting it to mine. I couldn't agree with him more, I am so proud of him and grateful for his example to me and those around him.

Dear Mom and Everyone else,

Thank you all for all your love and support over the past few weeks. I relize it might be rude to say, but I have been taught not to lie, I am excited for Wednesday. Elder Marcia gets his wish of going home and I get a new comp who hopefully shows respect for people. I don´t know where me and him went wrong, but just know that I don´t care who my next comp is, he is going to be my favorite right from the get-go. A lot of elders in the zone see how Elder Marcia treats people like dirt and ask how I went 3 months without hitting him. I can honestly say that I prayed in the morning, mid-day, night, and a few times inbetween for patience and love, and I think it worked.

I found the thing that really got under my skin about this guy, and it is something that has angered me only once, and it is something that I learned from having 4 older sisters, a great sister in law and a fantastic mom. Marcia has absolutely NO respect for women. My wonderful sisters, sister in law and mom, have always taught to to respect woman. It is something that I have tried for a while to practice. Now, as can testify my boy Brad Johnson, there are few things that make me more angry than when a man (if he deserves that title) mistreats a woman. There is no reason for it. There is no gain from it. There is only sadness from it. This part of the email is to the guys that will recieve this. GIVE PROPER REPESCT TO WOMEN!

This part is for the women that will recieve this email. To my Madison, Melanie, Kristi, Vicki, Danielle, Mom, Kaitlin, Grandma N. and Grandma O. and any aunts cousins or any other reading. One of the few things that make me more angry than a man who mistreats a woman is when that self same woman accepts the abuse in anyform and laughs. There are times for laughter and there are funny jokes. Be wise in knowing where the line between joking and reality lies. DEMAND RESPECT! There is no reason to accept insults from low down men (and I use that title loosely). Have the courage to tell them how you feel and how they should treat you. I have seen first-hand young women down here broken down, nearly to tears, by cold unfeeling men. Yes even one man who carried the title Elder. Don´t let this happen. Don´t degrade yourselves. You are far to precious to our Heavenly Father to think of yourselves as below us men.

I´m sorry if this email sounds like a chastisement, but it is what I feel. It´s shouldn´t taken hard because the people I know that are reading it already follow this advice. This is only a warning for the future. Please give respect where respect is due, and if it is not due, help that person to earn it. I can´t remember who origionally gave this quote but I heard it in sunday school a long time ago. It refers directly to high school, but involves life as a whole. "Popularity ends on yearbook day. Respect lasts forever."

I love you all, and hope for the very best in all your endeavors.

Love,

Elder Neiswender

Isn't he a gem? I tell ya, the girl who marries this boy one day is a lucky one!!

Keep Your Head Up

So this whole week has been very missionary-esque in my world. Not in the sense that I all of a sudden feel the need to go on a mission, but just in the sense that I have had a lot of opportunities to think about the missionaries in my life right now.

1. Gonzo. AKA: Angela Glade. I have not written her in ages and Check does so much better at staying in touch with her so I just keep caught up that way. But apparently Gonz keeps bringing up how she hasn't heard from me in ages, so I finally took some time to write her a letter.

Gonz and I at Oakcrest

2. Marissa. AKA: Riss. Love this girl's guts. She is one of the few girlfriends that I made in high school that I still associate with. She is one of the best friends I have ever had. I got my first letter from her in months this last week. She sent it to my parents house so I had to wait a few days to get it, but I was thrilled. It was a perfect missionary letter and she sounds so great. She even wrote it on orange paper for me, that's how good of a friend she is. Hahaha. Also, I ran into her parents at Shay's wedding last night and spent a little while talking to Mama Purser and getting a full update on all things Marissa/all things Purser, it was wonderful.

Riss and I at a football game

3. Little Brother. AKA: Travis. We got to talk to him on Sunday for Mother's Day and it was soooooooooo great!! Sheesh that boy amazes me. He is learning and growing so much, I am so proud of him. He was still the same old funny Travis on the phone. We all sat in the same room and took turns using the two phones to talk and listen and then had the third one on speaker so that we could all hear and chime in. My whole life I felt like I had to be an example for my little brother, but with him serving a mission now, he is an example for me. We talked to him for two hours and I literally fell asleep with the phone on my ear by the end just listening to the sound of my little brother's voice. I try not to miss him too much, but sometimes, I do. However, there is nowhere else that I would rather have him be right now than serving the Lord in Honduras with everything he's got.

Me and Little Brother after his

Prince Charming competition.

As for all my other friends serving missions, sorry you got left out, but these three have been on my mind all week.

Final missionary thought for the day: As a few of us were driving back from dinner tonight, I noticed two Elders walking down a side street, probably heading to their apartment because it was getting late. I noticed that they were both slightly dragging their feet and that their heads were both down. All I wanted to do was pull them aside and say "Boys, if you are going to take on the world, you've got to lift your head up and look it in the eye." This is something that doesn't just apply to missionaries, but to all of us. I don't remember who it was that said this to me, or if it was in a general conference talk or something, all I know is that it has always stuck with me.

I used to be one of those people that would just stare at my feet when I walked not really worried about everything else around me, but the day I heard this and started practicing it, my whole view of the world changed. Literally, haha. But really, look the world in the face, have confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. Enjoy the beautiful scenery, and love every moment for what it is.

BYU Graduation 2011

One week ago from today I graduated from Brigham Young University in Exercise Science with an emphasis on Exercise and Wellness. I have been here for four years now and I have finished all my course work. I could have technically done it in two, since I graduated high school with my associates degree, but I was in no rush. I took some classes that weren't required that did me no good towards my degree, but that I thought I would enjoy. I also had some semesters where I didn't go to school full time. And I also had to retake a couple of courses. Overall, I am very pleased with my education. Looking back right now I wish that I would have studied harder, but I have all my materials still and plan on going through parts of it all over again.

So the big graduation commencement was on Thursday April 21, 2011. It was a great ceremony. Elder Richard G. Scott spoke and gave some great advice as he spoke to all the graduates.

My favorites were:

• Making consistently correct choices will build your character. Our character is the yard stick the Lord will use to measure the success of our mortal life.
• Offered the followings steps for success: 1.Make a set of standards and principles to guide your life. 2. Don't make exceptions to your standards. 3. Be loyal. 4. Live so the Lord can guide you to where He wants you to serve. 5. Serve. 6. Smile. 7. Don't complain. 8. Always have a church assignment. 9. Go to the temple. 10. Use the Savior Jesus Christ as your example for life.
• Do what is right, let the consequence follow.

I loved his whole talk, I'm trying to track it down so I can re-read it, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.

Convocation was on Friday April 22, 2011 and that is where I actually walked across the stage and they read my name. I wore 5 inch heels and may or may not have had a minor trip walking down the ramp from the stage, too funny.

Walking at convocation

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend an institution where religion is not something that is Taboo conversation. As weird as some of the people are here, I am grateful for BYU and all the other life lessons it has provided me. And now that I am graduate, I must follow the phrase "Enter to learn, go forth to serve".

Dinner at Buca Di Beppo with the fam to celebrate

Me with my Diploma

"Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve"

My favorite classroom at BYU.

Room 201 in the Smith Field House.

It's the hardest room on campus to find but I had my personal

training classes there so I loved it!

Mom, Me and Dad after Convocation

Me with Dallin, Rylee and Addie

The members of my fam that came to convocation

Rylee, Dallin, Melanie, Dad, Me, Mom, Vicki, Addie

Me and my roommate Katherine Welch

Me and Momma Love

Precious little grad pic

Me and Katie. I lived with her for my first two years and

it was so fun to walk with her at Commencement.

Katherine Kerr and Me

We graduated so we don't have to work

at RC Willey forever.