Jenn Jensen

A New Year!

2012-01-14T14:29:00.003-07:00

Wow a whole new year to look forward to! I was looking through my past year blogs and have to say...this past year has been pretty boring. Unfortunately boring life = boring blog. I'm thinking that I'm gonna have to start making things up in order to spice up the blog a little. Would that confuse everyone? Oh well, I guess I'll have to write about my boring life.
All the fam except Lynn and his family were here over Christmas. Lynn and Alyssa had to stay in Portland because Alyssa was due with their third baby. It sure gets crazy with all the family, but it was a blast to hang with everyone. We had a lot of fun, but no snow!! Sorta crazy for this time of the year. In fact I'm looking out the window now and there is still no snow. That is CRAZY! Half way through January and no snow in Idaho Falls! Of course I say that and tomorrow we'll get the storm of the century and I'll be mad I jinxed the nice weather. No really I enjoy the snow. I hate driving in it, but a whole winter without snow would be a shame.
Lynn and Alyssa's baby Adam Jorden Jensen was born on Dec 28th. I haven't gotten to see him in person yet, but he sure is cute in his pictures! Speaking of Portland, I sure do miss it there. I really love that area and am doing all that I can to get back there sometime soon! The hardest part about living there was being so far from the family, but now with Lynn and Alyssa living there, well it's just about perfect! Anyways that is one of the things I hope comes in this new year, a move back to the most gorgeous place on Earth!
Well I think that's all I have to say...dang this boring life! Someone save me!

Counting my blessings!

2011-11-19T12:30:00.001-07:00

Wow, Thanksgiving time again! Time for getting together with the family, eating lots of food, and remembering why I am so blessed! I can't believe how easy it is to get caught up in all the things that have gone wrong over the past year. I guess that's why it is good to have Thanksgiving, I need to remember that even though things don't always go the way I want them to, I still have so much to be thankful for.

Thanks to my family! I love you soooooo much! Without all of you who knows where I'd be. I'm more than grateful for you being there when I need you most. Love my friends who stand by me no matter how many idiotic things I do. Someone who I don't talk to for a year, yet when we finally do see each other again it's like we were never apart! That is a true friend! A warm comfortable place to sleep, food to eat, the ability to work and earn money. There is just so much! I am truly blessed by a loving Heavenly Father.

Spooky True Stories

2011-10-05T01:09:00.001-06:00

I love Halloween! It's fun to dress up and pretend to be someone else for a day, but really I love the spookiness of Halloween. I wish I could say that I'm tough and don't scare easily, but I pretty much do. Funny thing is, that doesn't keep me from trying to find scary stories and I'm all about the local legends. It seems that teenagers always know the scariest places in town, so when I was teaching at Hillcrest and Bonneville in Idaho Falls I figured it would be a perfect time to find out some spooky stories about Idaho Falls. So for class on every Halloween I had the kids write me some scary stories. The rules were that the story had to be true and had to have happened to them or someone they knew. I also wanted the story to be about Idaho Falls or the surrounding area. Well a few of the kids took it seriously and seeing that it's getting close to Halloween I thought that I might share a few of those stories here. Some of them I have to recall from memory because I don't have the papers anymore. Anyways hope you enjoy! PS~If you have any spooky stories I would LOVE to hear them in a comment!!!! Remember the rules, it has to have happened to you or someone you know and preferably about the area you live in.

Today's story comes from Kelsey at Hillcrest:
The cemetery up off of Sunnyside (in Ammon Idaho) is supposedly haunted by a little girl. And when you walk through the cemetery at night you will hear singing in a tree. One time me and some friends were walking through it and we saw an open grave and when we went to look inside we heard a little girl giggling. It was so scary we just left. And I've heard other stories about people who have actually seen her. (As a side note I've done a little research about this cemetery and there are a few stories about it. Some say it's a little boy, but all say that she sits in a tree by her grave and waves at people as they pass by. A few of the other students in other years have mentioned this cemetery as well, so there you go! SPOOKY!)

A Perfect World

2011-05-04T19:45:00.003-06:00

Well I can hardly believe that I missed my St. Patrick's Day blog. I guess I've been a little distracted lately. It's coming to the end of another school year, and I'm trying to decide what to do for this next year. Hopefully I'll figure it out before too long.
It came out a couple of days ago that Osama bin Laden was finally captured and killed. Many people here in the USA rejoiced at the news. He has committed such terrible crimes against so many by masterminding the death of a lot of innocent people during the 9/11 attacks. I am glad that he was finally captured so he could be made to stand up for his actions. I suppose he had to pay the ultimate price by having his own life taken.
The day after his death I saw on the news pictures of US citizens celebrating, and while I was glad he could not hurt anyone else, I was also saddened. These conflicting emotions left me confused. I thought about those people who had lost their loved ones and I tried to put myself in their shoes. I did not want to feel sad because such a terrible and evil man had died. So here I was feeling confused and a little unpatriotic when I read a quote my cousin Brittany had put on Facebook.
I was overjoyed when I read the quote because it said what I could not. This life is not perfect and I understand that. In order for me to have the freedoms I enjoy, many people have had to die and I am so thankful for that, but I am not happy that it had to happen. When I see a small child crying over his dead father, it makes me sad, no matter who it is. It makes me wish that there was no reason to have wars. I wish people could set aside their differences and embrace their similarities. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world, and may not be for a long while yet, but there is always hope, and so that is what I will hang on to.

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"

— Martin Luther King Jr.

I guess I better get this over with...

2011-02-22T16:12:00.002-07:00

Well I've been putting off the v-day blog, because I don't have a lot to say about it. It's one of those holidays for other people. Like in church when it's time for the marriage lesson. The teacher always says something like, "For those of you who are not married, just think of other types of relationships in your life and try to apply it." Whatever...all I ever hear is, "Blah, blah, blah you're not married so this doesn't apply to you." Not that I'm complaining. Life is amazing for me right now. I do what I want, when I want. If I want to quit my job and move to a new place, I just do it. I love having the freedom that being single has given me.
Now that I've said all that, geez I wish I had a boyfriend! I have to admit, it kinda sucks that I write all these romantic little stories, and don't even know what it's like to have a boyfriend. Good thing I have a good imagination...and great friends with interesting lives :) Life sure is a crazy ride, I guess I'll just keep hanging on. I don't know where I'm going, but I have a feeling it'll be amazing!

Reminiscing

2011-01-21T20:18:00.003-07:00

"C'mon Jenn, I'm fine. I don't have a headache or anything. I can play!" The older man standing behind me is so close I can feel his labored breathing on my neck. He hasn't left my side since I pulled the young athlete out of play. "Jennifer I think he's fine, he seems to be acting normal. We need him in there. We can win this game!" From somewhere up in the stand I hear a man yelling, "Taylor get back on that field! You're fine!" I check the boy's eyes again, methodically moving the flashlight from one eye to the other. His pupils instantly react to the bright light, a normal enough response, but the years of schooling I have recently completed scream at me to keep Taylor out of the game a little longer.
He must see the uncertainty etched across my face because he begins his desperate pleading once again. "Jenn please don't do this to me. You know me! I would tell you if I thought I couldn't play." It's true, I do know him, but I also know what this game means to him. Again from the stands I hear the frantic yelling, but this time a little closer, "Taylor, shake it off and get in the game!" I'm surprised I can hear the lone voice over the roar of the crowd. I need more time, so I think of another task. "Okay Taylor, I want you to stand on one foot, tilt your head back and close your eyes." I know it's tough for anyone to do, but I need to buy some time.
He quickly jumps to do my bidding, eager to prove himself to me. Taylor wobbles unsteadily and finally has to put his foot down. I look back at the older man, and with a defeated look he nods and steps away from me to rejoin his team. I know it's a cheap shot, but I never work well under pressure.
Taylor grabs my shoulder and turns me back around, "Let me try it again, I know I can do it if you just let me try once more." I know how useless that would be, so I ignore his question and get to work. After a few more minutes I have finally made my decision, though still I wonder if I have made the right one. I hand Taylor his helmet and then grab his face so that he will look me in the eyes. "If you start to feel light headed or nauseous you better get your butt over here and tell me." His face lights up and suddenly he grabs me and lifts me off the ground in a bear hug. "I will Jenn, I promise!" I watch him as he runs off and then I look up into the sky. I take a deep breath of the crisp night air and then shove my way past the group of burly teenagers standing around, finally reaching the front of the sideline. I look across the field and sigh, I love this time of the year.

A Connecticut Christmas Ball (Final)

2010-12-29T22:28:00.001-07:00

Everyone moved to the ballroom after the stories were finished. The first dance was about to begin, and the ladies eagerly waited for their dance partners. Ivy scanned the floor, looking for Trey. She soon found him with Amanda, waiting for the dance begin. Ivy knew a moment of disappointment. She had hoped he would dance with her for the first dance. One of the other men from the church choir came and asked for her hand during the dance. The music began and Ivy struggled to remember the steps, but soon she was dancing easily. She watched Trey and his partner when she could. The two appeared to be having fun, too much fun. They were laughing and joking. Ivy tried to keep the jealousy at bay, but by the end of the dance, she felt as green as the emeralds in her necklace. She calmed herself by telling herself Trey would come to dance with her soon, but after twelve dances he hadn’t even glanced her way. Ivy knew because she had been watching him the whole night.

It took all of Ivy’s will power to keep from walking up to Trey and demanding him to dance with her. She watched with dismay as Trey made his way back to Amanda Baker’s side and smiled into her big blue eyes as he offered her his arm. What was going on? Why was he dancing with Amanda again when he had not even danced with Ivy once? She was so preoccupied that she kept stepping on the shoes of the unfortunate man who had asked her to dance. She was so angry at the end of the dance that she felt physically ill. She walked to a group of chairs near the wall to sit down. The man calling the dances announced the coming of the last dance. Ivy did not even care about dancing anymore; she just wanted to go home. How could she have been so stupid thinking that Trey was interested in her? He was just being friendly to a lonely woman from out of town, and she had taken it all wrong again! She breathed deeply, trying to keep the tears in that were threatening to escape at any moment.

Ivy was surprised when she saw two shiny black shoes standing in front of her. She looked up and saw Trey, looking extremely uncomfortable. “Hello Miss Ivy, would you do me the pleasure of dancing with me for the last dance?” Ivy felt as if her blood would boil away as she looked up into his face. She stood up and with every bit of control she had left she calmly looked him in the eye, and then quietly said, “Do you really think, Dr. McBride, that would be a good idea? What would Amanda Baker think? I don’t want to risk upsetting her.” Ivy spit the last sentence at him in cold fury, then turned and walked from the room, not even looking back at Trey. She found Gloria and informed her that she would be waiting in the car. She yanked on her coat and walked out into the driving snow. She was done with Trey McBride, and she was never going to think of him again.

Trey was still standing where Ivy had left him on the dance floor when the last dance ended and everyone began to make their ways to their cars. It wasn’t until his friend Caleb came and tapped him on the shoulder that Trey even moved. “Hey Trey it’s time to go.” Trey just looked at his friend, and then he smiled. “I think I did it Caleb, I don’t know how, but I did it.” He looked around and then ran for the door, “Sorry Caleb, I’ve got to go.”

The light snowfall had turned into a full blown blizzard by the time the two women made it to the road but Gloria and Ivy made it home. They took a few moments to place some presents under the tree for Christmas. Ivy could see the exhaustion on Gloria’s face. It was just after midnight, way past Gloria’s regular bedtime. Gloria began to head up the stairs to bed when she suddenly stopped, “Oh no! I forgot to check on the animals Ivy. After Dr. McBride’s story tonight I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t check on them.” She began to head down the stairs but Ivy stopped her. “Go to bed Aunt Gloria! I’ll check on them for you.” Gloria began to protest, but Ivy ignored her and pulled on her coat and opened the door. “Be careful dear! Stay close to the house!” Ivy shivered in the cold wind then called up to Gloria, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back, just go to bed and get some rest.” She stepped out into the weather, gathering up her skirt so she wouldn’t step on it. She probably should change first, but she was getting tired and it took forever to get the stupid dress off.

The snow was blowing so bad Ivy couldn’t see a thing. She took her aunt’s advice and stayed closed to the house. Ivy finally made it to the barn and opened the door, quickly shutting it behind her. She found the light switch in the darkness and flipped it on. The animals looked at her sleepily. She walked over to Chester who was near the barn door and rubbed his graying head. “Hey there fella, how are you? Any words of wisdom for me tonight? I could sure use them about now.” Chester just nuzzled her coat, looking for something to eat. She saw a bucket on the floor and pulled out a carrot. “Here you go boy. Merry Christmas.” She patted his neck and then walked further into the barn, checking to make sure nothing was out of place. Satisfied, she was about to turn and leave when she heard a quiet voice behind her. “I was hoping you would come out here tonight.” Ivy spun around, but only found Chester. She stared at the old horse for a moment, telling herself she was crazy for thinking what she was thinking. She walked a little closer and then timidly asked, “Umm…did you say something?”

Ivy was staring at the horse so when the voice came from the door she almost jumped out of her skin. “You left in such a hurry, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you, or dance with you for that matter.” Trey stepped out of the shadows, looking out of place in the barn with his tuxedo on. Ivy let out a shaky breath, “You scared me! I didn’t know you were here.” He stepped a little closer, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He took another step closer. She was feeling a little intimidated standing so close to him. She backed up, but ran into Chester’s stall door. Trey took another step closer; he was too far from her for his comfort. “I didn’t get to tell you how beautiful you look today.” He took another step closer, “In fact I don’t think that I’ve ever told you how beautiful you are period.” Ivy shook her head, trying to keep herself from getting lost in his deep brown eyes. “Please Trey you should go. It’s late.” She meant to sound strong and threatening, but instead she sounded hesitant and weak.

Trey took another step, this time pinning her to the stall door. “Why wouldn’t you dance with me Ivy?” Ivy suddenly remembered that she had a right to be mad at Trey McBride. She glared up at him, “Why did you dance with Amanda Baker twice?” She looked at him accusingly, but his smile just widened. “Amanda Baker has nothing to do with this, why wouldn’t you dance with me?” Ivy put her hands against Trey’s chest, trying to push him out of the way so she could leave. He didn’t budge. Frustrated, she gave up then glared at him again. “Why did you wait until the last dance to ask me?” Trey lowered his face to look into Ivy’s wide green eyes, “I wanted to save the best for last.” Ivy pushed against Trey again, “Please Dr. McBride I want to leave.”

Trey grabbed Ivy’s chin gently and brought her eyes to his. “Ivy Porter stop being so stubborn and listen to me for a moment.” Ivy yanked her chin free. “If you have something to say, say it so I can leave. She looked up at him angrily. He suddenly brought his head down and kissed her tenderly. When their lips finally parted Trey found Ivy clinging to him like a lifeline. He pulled her away so he could look into her eyes again. “I love you Ivy. I think I have loved you from the moment I saw you walking down the runway in those ridiculous shoes.” Ivy laughed as she remembered the first time she had met Trey McBride. She was sure her heart would burst with the love she felt for him now. “I love you too Trey, I must have loved you from the moment we first met, but I didn’t realize it until last night. And then when I saw you dancing with Amanda Baker I was sure you only thought of me as a friend.” Trey grabbed Ivy and hugged her to him. “My beautiful Ivy, I love you so much.” She smiled up at him then grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the barn. “Come on into the house, I owe you some hot chocolate.”

The two somehow made it to the house and stumbled inside. They stood catching their breath for a moment. Trey suddenly reached up and hit the mistletoe hanging between them. “We better not break tradition, it is Christmas you know, and the people of Harwinton are very superstitious.” Ivy kissed him and then sighed as he held her close. “I always knew that Harwinton was a special place.” Trey kissed the top of Ivy’s head and then said. “I didn’t even get to dance with the prettiest girl at the ball.” Ivy laughed and then reached into her coat and pulled out her dance card handing it Trey. “Well that wasn’t my fault.” Trey opened the small book and then beamed at Ivy. She had written his name on every line of the card. He pulled her close and brought his nose to touch her own. “We’ll just have to save this for next year’s ball.” Then he kissed her again.

A Connecticut Christmas Ball (Part 6)

2010-12-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Ivy woke up with red swollen eyes. She sat in bed thinking about the night before. Instead of the fight she had had with Trey, she could only think about the tender way he had held her, and the friendship that had blossomed over the last few weeks she had known him. Then she allowed herself allowed herself relive the last time she had experienced what she thought had been love, in her first year of college. Devin had become a good friend, and Ivy had fallen for him. Just when she thought their relationship was turning serious he showed up at her apartment with a short busty blonde and introduced her as his fiancée. Then he thanked her for being a good friend. Ivy had been so confused. She thought he had loved her, and then suddenly he was marrying someone else. From that day on Ivy kept her heart locked away. Men saw her as nothing but a good friend, and so to keep herself from the pain, she didn’t let anyone get close to her. She did not want to fall in love only to be rejected in the end. Ivy snuggled underneath the covers and took a moment to really think about Dr. Trey McBride. She had never been pursued before, if in fact that was what Trey was doing. Ivy thought about the way he went out of his way to be with her, the way he looked at her and talked to her. The way he had kissed her under the mistletoe, and even the way he had fought with her. She jumped out of bed and stood up. After four short weeks in Harwinton Connecticut the impossible had happened, she had fallen in love with Trey McBride.

Ivy took special care getting ready for the ball that evening, thinking of Trey and wanting to look her best. Her hair had taken two hours to curl and then pin up. A few loose curls brushed her neck and the capped sleeves on her ball gown. She had been worried about the short sleeves in the cold weather, but Peg had even thought of that. When Ivy opened up the box with her dress she found a pair of elegant white satin long gloves that covered most of her bare arms. Ivy was looking at herself in the mirror for the hundredth time when Gloria entered her room. She was glorious in her navy blue gown that complemented her silvery hair to perfection. Gloria was holding a small package in her hand, “here Ivy an early Christmas present.” Ivy refused to take the package, “no Gloria, you’ve given me so much already you don’t need to give me anything else.” Gloria shoved the package into her hands, “I meant to give these to you a long time ago, I just forgot, open it.” Ivy unwrapped it carefully and stared in shock at the heirloom jewelry in her hand. A gold necklace and matching earrings interlaid with dark emeralds. Ivy held the priceless items out to her aunt. “No Gloria, I can’t take this, it is too much!” Gloria waved her hand, “Of course you can, it was my mother’s, your grandmother. I know she would want you to have it Ivy.” Gloria reached down and took the necklace from Ivy, then gently clasped it around her neck. The length was perfect for the scooped neck on her gown. Tears shimmered in Ivy’s eyes and she stood up and hugged Gloria. “Thank you Aunt Gloria! They are gorgeous.” Gloria hugged her quickly then turned to exit the room, “now don’t start that, you’ll ruin your make-up. Let’s get going I don’t want to be late!”

Ivy felt like a princess when the man at the door announced her and Gloria at the Harwinton Christmas Ball. Trey watched as the two entered the room and made their way down the spiral staircase. Ivy took his breath away, and he found it hard to look away from. The young woman at his side brought him back to the present, “Come Dr. McBride I want to find a good spot for the Christmas stories.” Trey looked at the blonde to his side, and then back up at Ivy. He felt a twinge of regret, but Ivy had told him in no uncertain terms that she wanted him out of her life. He allowed himself one more look than held his arm out to the blonde; they made their way to the stage. Ivy looked around for Trey as she carefully walked down the stairs; she finally spotted him as he held his arm out for Amanda Baker. The blonde beauty from the church choir looked up at him with adoring eyes. Ivy hushed the alarm bells that started to go off in her mind. Trey was friendly with everyone, and he and Amanda were friends. She continued down the stairs and smiled over at Gloria.

On the stage a few of the locals stood up to tell Christmas stories and legends passed on from their own ancestors. Many of the stories she had heard before, but some were new. She was surprised when Trey stood up. “There is a legend,” he began, “that at the stroke of midnight on Christmas, all the animals in the world are given the ability to speak.” Many of the people in the audience nodded in agreement to this statement. Trey paused for a moment waiting for the crowd to quiet, then he continued, “one Christmas Eve when I was a much younger man living in at my parents’ farm in Colorado, I was assigned to check on the animals before I went to bed. Being the defiant typical teenager that I was, I purposely went to bed without checking on the animals. My father was furious. He woke me up and told me to check on the animals. I told him that I didn’t care about the stupid animals, and hoped they were all dead when I got to the barn. He just looked at me sadly for a moment then quietly said, ‘Those animals are counting on you to watch out for them, if something happened to them it would be your fault. They trust you completely to do what is right for them.’”

“I went out there grudgingly and found that one of the cows had broken out of her stall and gotten out of the barn. The doors were wide open to the freezing night air. It was well below zero outside and the poor cow was on its way to freezing to death. I spent a long time getting that cow to its feet and back in the barn. By the time I was done, I was starting to regret the way I had spoken to my father. The cow was one I had raised from a calf, and I would have been devastated if she had died. I put a blanket around her and piled extra hay in her stall, and then I turned to leave. That’s when I heard a quiet voice say, ‘Thank you Trey.’ I looked around, thinking my father had come in, but there was no one. It was late and I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. I headed for the barn door again and then I heard the same voice, ‘You saved me.’ I looked in the direction I had heard the voice, and found my cow looking at me. I felt silly but I asked, ‘Did you say something.’ She didn’t answer me, but it didn’t matter. I knew what I had heard. I decided then and there that I would devote my life to caring for animals in need. He looked sternly at everyone in the crowd, and paused for dramatic effect. “So be careful of the way you treat your animals because some Christmas they just might find you and tell you how they feel.”

A Connecticut Christmas Ball (Part 5)

2010-12-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

The town was buzzing with talk of the upcoming ball. Ivy found that she was actually eager to see what it would be like. She and Gloria drove into town for their final dress fitting. They would be able to take the dresses home tonight, and not a moment too soon considering tomorrow was Christmas Eve, the day of the ball. The snow had been falling steadily most of the day, and Ivy was thankful for Gloria’s four wheel drive pickup truck as they made their way into town on the icy roads. Peg was eagerly awaiting the two women when they finally made it to the dress shop. “Gloria, Ivy! I was afraid the snow would keep you. Can you believe this weather? I don’t mind a good Christmas snowfall, but this is ridiculous!” Ivy and Gloria didn’t have time to answer before Peg rushed them into the fitting rooms.

Ivy’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the dazzling burgundy taffeta gown draped over a nearby chair. The fabric shimmered a deep forest green where the light caught it. Ivy touched the sleek cloth and hoped she would be able to do the dress justice. With some much needed help from Peg, Ivy soon stood in front of the dressing room mirror. Under the tight corset compressing her ribs and the miles of clothing she now wore, Ivy was certainly uncomfortable, but had to agree with Peg, the affect was stunning. Peg left a moment to help Gloria and as Ivy gazed into the mirror she found herself wondering if Trey would think she looked beautiful. She imagined him holding her tightly as he whirled her around the dance floor and a thrill of excitement ran up her spine. Almost as soon as the thought entered her mind, Ivy quickly worked to dispel the image. She didn’t want to think about Trey McBride. She was happy on her own, she didn’t need anyone else. By the time Peg came back to help her take off her gown, Ivy was back in control of her thoughts. With their dresses safely boxed up, Gloria and Ivy made their way out of the shop and back into the wintry weather.

“It’s too snowy out there Gloria, he won’t come tonight.” Back at home, Ivy had spent the evening trying to convince her aunt that Dr. McBride was smart enough to stay away during a snow storm. “But he would have called if he wasn’t going to come; he’s come every day. I hope something hasn’t happened to him.” Almost on cue there was a knock at the door, and Gloria rushed to let in a bundled up figure. Trey pulled off a few layers and then sat on the couch. “Sorry I’m a little late. It took me awhile to get here; I borrowed Dan Bower’s sleigh and horse. The wind has died down and I thought it would be a good night for a sleigh ride. Are you two up for it?” Gloria shook her head. “I think I’m going to save my strength for tomorrow night. Why don’t the two of you go and I’ll make some hot chocolate for when you get back.” Trey frowned and then looked over at Ivy and pleaded, “What do you say Ivy? I hope I didn’t bring that thing all the way over here for nothing!” Gloria grabbed Ivy’s coat from the hook by the door and threw it to her, “Of course she’ll go. She’s never ridden in a sleigh before.” Ivy shot her aunt a glare but began to put her coat on. Trey smiled to himself, and then opened the door for Ivy when she was properly wrapped up.

The sleigh was sitting right outside the door and Trey helped Ivy climb in. There was a warm woolen blanket inside and a roof to keep the snow off of them. He tucked Ivy inside then ran around to hop in. The snow drifted to the ground in massive flakes. A couple of lanterns had been rigged up to the front of the sleigh to act as headlights, bathing the area around them them in a soft glow. Trey gently slapped the reigns against the sleigh and they took off at a slow pace through the snow. The sleigh cut through the snow with ease, and soon Ivy was sitting back peacefully enjoying the silence of the night. She glanced over at Trey and found him staring back at her. She quickly looked away and then said, “Where did you learn to drive one of these things? I didn’t even know people had stuff like this anymore.” Trey gazed at Ivy, hoping to catch her eye again, “I grew up on a farm in Colorado.” This brought Ivy’s eyes to his once again. “Colorado? So far away? What brought you here?” He laughed, “Well usually people go where they can find work. It’s hard being away from family, but I can’t complain. This is beautiful country, and the people here are among the best I have ever met.” Ivy nodded in agreement, “I love it here too. When I was younger I told my parents that I was going to live in Harwinton some day. I always felt like anything was possible here.” She shook her head in dismay, “Funny how things change when you get older and wiser.” Trey looked at her, wondering what brought the hopeless look of despair to her delicate features. He hated to see her beautiful eyes clouded over with pain.

Trey brought the horse to a halt inside a small copse of trees. Ivy looked at him questioningly. “What’s the matter Trey, are we lost?” Unable to control himself, Trey engulfed Ivy protectively in his arms, then drew back and gently caressed her face. “Ivy anything is possible. You should never give up on your dreams, even if they seem childish or impossible.” Ivy wanted nothing more than to believe Trey, sitting like this in his strong arms she almost did, but then the past caught up with her and she pushed him away. “What gives you the right to tell me what is possible? You don’t know anything about it! I’m perfectly happy the way I am.” Now Trey was mad, “Ivy Porter how could you be happy when you refuse to let anyone get through that icy covering you keep around yourself! You are lonely and need someone to care about you besides yourself. Why can’t you see that? Why won’t you let me in?” Ivy stared at him coldly, “You’ve known me for what…a few weeks, and now you’re an expert on what I need? I’m a big girl; I can take care of myself. Now if you would please take me home Dr. McBride, I am tired and would rather not talk to you anymore.” Trey took up the reigns and cracked them against the sleigh, startling the poor horse into a nervous gallop. “As you wish your highness,” he growled, bringing the horse around to head for the farmhouse.

They made the return trip in frustrated silence. As soon as Trey stopped the horse in front of Gloria’s house Ivy jumped out of the sleigh and ran inside. Gloria looked up to see Ivy sprint up the stairs to her bedroom where she launched herself at the bed and began to cry. Gloria went to the window and saw Trey quickly retreating into the darkness. She sat back down on the couch, smiled and then said, “Nice work Dr. McBride; she’s all yours.”

A Connecticut Christmas Ball (Part 4)

2010-12-24T22:47:00.001-07:00

The next night Gloria and Ivy made their way to the church to help decorate for the Christmas season. Ivy was still trying to overcome the effects of her aunt’s matchmaking scheme. She had dreamt of Dr. McBride all night long, and then had spent most of the day trying not to think about him. She tried to not think about him when she wiped cake batter off her hands as she finished making the neighbors gifts. She tried not to think about him when she took three hot chocolate mugs out of the dishwasher to set back on the shelf. She tried not to think about him when she walked out the door and hit her head on the mistletoe. It took a fair amount of effort not to reach up and tear the cursed plant from the ceiling. Ivy was glad to leave the house and do something for someone else, maybe then she could finally stop thinking of Trey McBride.

Gloria had already gotten the fourth degree for forcing Ivy on the doctor last night so she wisely kept her mouth shut when she noticed how distracted Ivy had been all day. Still she couldn’t help smiling when Ivy stopped to look at the mistletoe on the way out of the house. She was already trying to think of another reason to bring the good doctor back for a visit.

When they got to the church they found a group of people already busy decorating. Gloria squeezed herself between a couple of older ladies at a nearby table making colorful Christmas arrangements. Ivy looked around and saw a man standing on a ladder, struggling to hang garland from the rafters. She walked over and shouted up to him, “Hey there, do you need a little help?” The man slowly turned around. Ivy felt her heart leap up into her throat when she saw Trey McBride smiling down at her. “Well hello there.” He flashed that same self-satisfied grin he had given her the day before. Ivy looked at the ladder, wondering if he would still be smiling if she kicked it out from under him. She smiled innocently back up into his face, “I thought you had plans with some of your friends?” He nodded and gestured to a small group of young men and women putting together a huge Christmas tree, then he shrugged his shoulders, “Okay, you found me out, this was my grand escapade. I know it’s probably not something you would do on a date in Los Angeles, but this is serious fun for us small town folk.” His look was so comical that Ivy couldn’t help but laugh. He pointed to a table with more garland and nails, “Do you think you could get me a few more nails? It seems I am a little better with a stethoscope than a hammer.” Ivy walked to the table and picked up a few nails and some wire laying close by. She handed them to the doctor, “Here, try the wire, it might help.”

After Trey thanked her and went back to work, Ivy made her way to the Christmas tree where the smaller children had taken up putting homemade decorations on the branches. She smiled at the small paper hearts and reindeer made of pipe cleaners. She soon found herself caught up in the excitement the children brought with them, but then she heard someone crying. She turned to find a young girl holding tight to a nativity scene made with Popsicle sticks.

Ivy bent down to peer into the girls face. “What’s the matter sweetheart?” The girl hiccuped and showed Ivy the small decoration. “I want to take it home; I don’t want to hang it on the tree.” Ivy wasn’t sure what she should do. She looked around hoping to find someone more qualified at handling children. She was just about to ask the girl where her parents were when Trey was suddenly by her side. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around the sobbing child. “What’s the problem Shorty?” The girl showed Trey her ornament and explained her predicament to him. He rubbed his chin, looking seriously at the girl. “Hmm…well it would be fun to take it home, but then no one would be able to see what a good job you did. It is probably the prettiest ornament I have ever seen, and it would be so sad if no one else got to see it.” The girl was not convinced, but after a moment more of persuasion she was soon hanging it on the Christmas trees with the other ornaments.

Ivy looked at Trey incredulously as the girl skipped off to the refreshment table. He laughed when he saw her expression, “What, do I have something in my teeth?” This McBride fellow was a complete mystery to Ivy. “How did you do that?” He laughed again, “What? You mean Shorty? She’s a sweetie, but like most girls she needs a little nudge in the right direction once in awhile.” He winked at Ivy and then sauntered off toward the refreshments. Ivy shook her head, wondering who this guy was. Trey McBride was definitely not like anyone she had ever met before. It might be nice to find out why he was the way he was. “What am I thinking?!” Ivy scolded herself. “Things are perfect right now. I’m not going to mess everything up just for some stupid guy!” She stomped her foot to drive home her point, and then she hurried to follow Trey to the refreshment table.

The next few weeks flew by in a flurry of activity. There were Christmas shopping trips, etiquette classes, nightly caroling excursions with the church choir, and Trey was there through it all. After that night at the church, he had shown up at Gloria’s house every day, inviting Ivy and her aunt to anything and everything he happened to hear about. He was using his charms in full force, hoping that he would get under Ivy Porter’s skin. Gloria was thrilled, but Ivy was stubborn. Just when Trey thought he was getting to her, she would stiffen up and give him the cold shoulder. It was starting to wear on him, but there was something about the girl. Even though she tried so hard to discourage him from getting too close, she was easy to talk to. In twenty-six years of living he had never found someone who was so much like him, yet still such a mystery. They were becoming friends despite her opposition. Unfortunately Ivy’s time in Harwinton was swiftly drawing to a close. She was due to head back to Los Angeles at the end of the week, just a couple days after Christmas. Trey was starting to wonder if he would be able to crack the hard shell around Ivy Porter’s heart before then.

A Connecticut Christmas Ball (Part 3)

2010-12-23T17:55:00.001-07:00

“Thank you Dr. McBride, you are a miracle worker! I have been so worried about Chester. I’m glad it’s nothing too serious.” Gloria patted the old horse’s neck, and then walked out of the barn with Harwinton’s new veterinarian. He dipped his head and smiled, “It’s nothing I’ve done, you’ve taken excellent care of him Mrs. Foster, he’s just starting to wear his age a bit.” Gloria started to walk the young doctor to his car. They chit chatted about the coming holiday as they crunched through the frozen snow. “So Dr. McBride do you have any plans this Christmas?” The doctor shook his head, “Just trying to get settled. I still have a lot of unpacking to do.” Gloria laughed, “A young single man right out of school can’t have acquired too many things yet!” The doctor chuckled and then reached for the handle of his car. “It was nice to meet you Mrs. Foster.” Suddenly Gloria had a brilliant idea, and reached out to stop him. “Dr. McBride wouldn’t you like to come in for a moment and have something warm to drink?” The doctor looked down at his watch, “I could probably spare a moment, and my next appointment is just down the road.”

Gloria showed the Dr. to the door and asked him to sit down. Ivy, who had been working in the kitchen, walked into the front room covered in flour and holding a bowl. “Gloria will you look at this cake batter, it doesn’t look right to me. How did the appointment with the vet…” She stopped suddenly when she saw they had company. “Oh I’m sorry; I’ll just head back to my cave, or dungeon, or whatever you call that torture chamber.” She began to back out of the room but Gloria stopped her. “Come here Ivy I would like you to meet Dr. McBride.” The doctor stood up. Gloria took the bowl from Ivy and motioned to the doctor. “Ivy this is Dr. McBride, will you sit with him a moment while I get us something to drink?”

Ivy looked at the doctor and a glimmer of recognition fluttered through her brain. This was her savior from the airport, the same handsome man who kept her from falling flat on her face when she first arrived. He was smiling warmly at her as he reached his hand out in greeting. “Well if it isn’t the out-of-towner! Ivy is it? I’m Trey; I was hoping we would meet again.” Ivy glanced down at his hand, and was about to shake it when she noticed that her own was covered in partially dried cake batter. He noticed at the same time, laughed and then said, “Looks like you’ve been busy.” She tried to wipe the batter off on her apron with no luck then laughed, “I think Gloria will be sorry she asked me help with the neighbors Christmas presents when she takes a look at the kitchen.” He laughed again, a deep resonating laugh that touched his rich brown eyes.

Still laughing he sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to himself, “So Ivy, where are you from?” Her heart fluttered inside of her chest as she looked at the handsome doctor and a warning bell went off in her brain. She did not have time for love and frankly didn’t want to get caught in its trap. She walked across the room and sat down in the winged back chair, a safe distance away from the doctor. She put on her best business face as she answered his question. “I came here from Los Angeles; I work as a lawyer there.” His eyebrows rose in surprise. Three seconds ago she had been warm and friendly, and suddenly she was as prickly as a cactus. He saw her smile smugly as he tried to think of a response, and then a light bulb went off in his head. He had not been a veterinarian very long but he had gotten pretty good at reading body language. Besides that he had five sisters back home who had countless numbers of friends. This girl was attracted to him he was fairly certain, but she was fighting it.

This time Ivy’s eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw him look at her intensely and then smile knowingly. “Well to tell you the truth I’ve just come to Harwinton recently myself. I don’t know a lot of people yet but I’ve made a few friends. We’re all heading out tomorrow night, would you care to join us?” Ivy didn’t understand, usually a good lawyer face was all it took to deter anyone from getting themselves involved with her, but he just sat there studying her face, waiting patiently for her reply. “Um,” she stuttered, “I…we…I mean Gloria and I have plans, I won’t be able to go, thank you for asking though.” He smiled serenely at her again and said, “Oh that’s fine, maybe another time then.”

Gloria came back into the front room, setting three steaming mugs on the coffee table. Trey stood up looking at his watch, “I’m sorry Mrs. Foster I really have to get going. I’ll have to take you up on that hot drink another time.” Ivy stood and walked to the door with her aunt to show their guest out. He stopped in front of the door as he shook Gloria’s hand. Gloria looked up and then smiled at her fortunate choice of decoration. It was high time she found her gorgeous niece a little romance. “Well Dr. McBride you are standing under the mistletoe, and we follow strict traditions here.” She grabbed Ivy and thrust her at the young man. “Ivy you’ll have to kiss the doctor.” Ivy stood there blinking at him in stoned faced horror. Trey waited a moment and then leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against hers. He stepped back and grinned. “It was nice to meet you Ivy, and you too Mrs. Foster.” He looked once more into her beautiful green eyes and then turned and grabbed the door handle. “This is going to be fun,” he thought as he let himself out the front door.

A Connecticut Christmas Ball (Part 2)

2010-12-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Ivy and Gloria slowly made their way through the frozen countryside of Harwinton Connecticut. “Where is your coat Ivy? It’s winter for heaven’s sake!” Ivy rubbed her arms, wondering if frostbite was starting to set in. “I didn’t even know it snowed here Gloria, I’ve only ever visited during the summer. You could’ve warned me!” Gloria laughed, “Don’t worry about it Ivy leaf, I’ve got so many clothes boxed up back home, I’m sure we’ll find you something.” Ivy chuckled then said, “Sounds perfect, vintage clothing is totally in right now.” Gloria glared over at Ivy then playfully slapped her leg, “What is that supposed to mean?” Ivy laughed again, and then looked out the window at the wintery landscape. The snow covered ground sparkled in the frosty sunlight, it really was one of the most gorgeous sites Ivy had ever be held.

They finally drove up to Gloria’s tiny farm. The old yellow farmhouse was nestled peacefully within a snow laden valley. Close by sat an ancient barn painted bright red. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here Aunt Gloria,” Ivy said as she jumped out of her aunt’s truck and carefully made her way to the front door. “Too long,” Gloria said opening the door. “Oh my,” Ivy exclaimed as a rush of pine assailed her. A huge Christmas tree took up most of the living room. Holly and pine boughs were piled on the mantel of the fireplace, which housed a roaring fire. As Ivy came through the door something brushed the top of her head, she looked up and found a small bundle of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. “I haven’t decorated for Christmas in ages; I suppose that I got a little carried away.” She looked around sheepishly. “When Robert died five years ago I didn’t have anyone to decorate the house for, so I didn’t.” Her eyes turned glassy as she remembered the past, then she shook herself out of her revelry and smiled. “I wanted to make this Christmas special.” Ivy felt her conscience twinge painfully. With her busy life, Ivy had not even made it to Connecticut for her Uncle Robert’s funeral. With no children of her own, Gloria must have spent a lonely last five years. Ivy turned to Gloria and then hugged her fiercely, “I’m sorry Gloria, I should have made the time to come and see you, to be with you.” Gloria waved her off, “Nonsense! I couldn’t be more proud of you Ivy. Besides, I have so much planned these next few weeks; there will be no time for regrets!”

The next morning, Ivy found herself more appropriately attired and headed toward the small town of Harwinton. When Ivy asked why they were going into town, Gloria only smiled slyly and said, “You’ll see.” They pulled up to a small shop with a huge window that displayed a couple of magnificent old fashioned ball gowns. The vinyl sign draped above the door proclaimed, “HARWINTON CHRISTMAS BALL GOWNS” Ivy shot a questioning look to Gloria, “What is this about?” Gloria opened her door then innocently smiled at Ivy, “We, my dear, are being fitted for our Christmas ball gowns today!” Ivy followed her aunt into the store, “Oh, of course our Christmas ball gowns. What was I thinking?”

A small squat woman immediately came out from behind the counter at the sound of the bell on the door, “Gloria, you’re right on time.” She made a beeline for Ivy when she spotted her. “This must be your niece. My, isn’t she gorgeous! That hair and those eyes! I think I have the perfect gown for her Gloria, she will look absolutely stunning!” In her excitement she nearly pulled Ivy’s arm from the socket as she led her to the fitting room. Gloria followed the pair, “Ivy this is Peg McConnell, she is an old friend, and the ball gown maker here.” Peg sat Ivy down on a small stool and ordered her to undress, then she pulled a catalog from a nearby shelf. She began to shuffle through the pages then passed the book to Gloria when she found the one she was looking for. “Look at this one, don’t you think it is perfect. The way the neckline would frame her face…I think this is the one Gloria!” They both looked over at Ivy, who was still sitting on the stool, a look of confusion on her face. “The sleeves…” Gloria began, but Ivy cut her off. “Excuse me ladies, but would one of you be so kind to explain what is going on here?” Peg looked over at Gloria, “You didn’t tell her about the ball?” Before Gloria could answer Peg was off again. “The Harwinton Christmas Ball is one of our oldest traditions. It was started when our town was incorporated back in 1737. Every Christmas Eve we have a formal ball, complete with gowns, live orchestra, and dance cards. We even have etiquette classes for first-timers.” Ivy could see the anxiety written all over Gloria’s face, so she quickly donned a smile. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go to a real ball.” Relief washed over Gloria’s features and Ivy instantly started feeling better. She had taken down some of LA’s top lawyers; she could handle a few dances in a ridiculously large ball gown. “Well Peg why don’t you show me what you had in mind.”

Outside, a group of shoppers noisily made their way down the street. One of the young men stopped when he recognized a truck parked at the curb. “Hey Caleb,” he called to another man in the group, “do you know whose truck this is?” Caleb glanced at the truck as he continued down the street, “Nope, no idea.” The man peered into the dress shop window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman he had met at the airport the day before, but the shop seemed to be deserted. He considered waiting by the truck, but then he remembered his friends heading down the street and ran to catch up.

to be continued....

A Connecticut Christmas Ball

2010-12-06T15:59:00.001-07:00

Yay!!! It's finally Christmastime!!! I feel like I've been waiting my whole life ;) When I was at Pacific, my writing professor told me to work my writing muscles as much as I can, so this month I have written a Christmas story! I am going to post a new chapter every few days....if I can remember. I love those stupid Regency Christmas stories during this time of the year so this is my modern day take on one of those. Since it's all for fun it's pretty rough, but hopefully you will get something out of it. Merry Christmas!!!!

Ivy Porter’s life was finally the way she wanted it to be. Born and raised in a small town in Texas, many of Ivy’s high school friends had graduated and immediately gotten married and started families. At the time Ivy yearned to follow in their footsteps, but when love did not come her way she had decided to follow another path. Now thirty years old she was a successful lawyer at the prestigious Watson & Craig Law Firm in Los Angeles, and lived in a gorgeous ocean front condo. She no longer envied her old high school friends. In fact the thing she cherished most in her perfect life was her freedom. She had no husband or children to tie her down. She did what she wanted, when she wanted. It was that freedom that found her on an airplane heading to Aunt Gloria’s house for the Christmas holiday.

With a full month off after a particularly stressful, yet victorious case at work, Ivy was ready for a relaxing old fashioned Christmas. Her parents were spending the holidays on a romantic getaway to Hawaii, so Ivy had accepted her aunt’s invitation to spend some time at her small farm in Connecticut. After all it was Christmas, and Christmas was a time to be with family.

Stepping off the plane into a thick blanket of snow, Ivy seriously considered turning around and heading back to the sunny shores of California, then she heard her name, “My little Ivy leaf!” It was the nickname her aunt had given her when she was just a toddler, and suddenly Ivy couldn’t wait to see her beloved Aunt Gloria. Scanning the small crowd gathered outside the airport fence, she finally spotted her aunt’s beaming face, so much like her own. Gloria was exactly how she remembered, tall and beautiful, but a little rounder and softer; gray now replaced the rich chestnut that had once colored her hair. Had it been so long? Ivy thought back and realized that it had been at her high school graduation twelve years ago that she had last seen her one and only aunt, who was now jumping up and down with excitement.

Taking her suitcase from the flight attendant, Ivy began to make her way across the icy pavement with the rest of the passengers. One moment she was walking and the next she was falling as she slipped on the ice. Bracing for the impact, she was surprised when she found herself safe in a strong pair of arms instead of on the cold hard ground. “Whoa! Are you okay Miss?” Ivy looked up into her rescuers face. He was handsome to be sure; dark brown eyes and hair, strong jaw, incredibly tall and well built, but his smile gave him away. He was young, twenty or maybe twenty-one at the oldest. Not that it mattered; there was no room for anyone else in the life she had so carefully made for herself.

He was looking at her expectantly and she remembered he had asked her a question. “Yes I’m fine,” she smiled up at him, “thank you so much!” She picked up her foot and wiggled it around in the air, showing him her stiletto, “I guess I’m not very well prepared for the weather here.” He chuckled and she felt the sound rumble through his strong chest as he held her close. Feeling suddenly awkward, Ivy gently pushed against him and he released her, then he bent to pick up her suitcase. “Here let me help you.” He offered Ivy his arm which she accepted gratefully and they began to make their way to the gate once again.

“So you’re not from around here,” he observed as he glanced down at her thin jacket and lack of gloves. Ivy laughed and shook her head, “No I’m just here visiting family,” she gestured to her aunt who was now, in her excitement, struggling with the security guard to get past the chain link gate. He laughed and said, “Your grandmother?” Ivy shook her head at Gloria’s crazy antics. “She’s my aunt actually.” As they reached the gate, Ivy turned to retrieve her suitcase from the handsome young man. “Well thank you again, and happy holidays!” She smiled and then quickly made her way through the gate into her waiting aunt’s arms.

The man watched the reunion for a moment with a smile. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Tall and shapely, she stood out from most of the other girls he had met. Her sleek brown hair smelled of apples, and she fit into his arms as if she was meant to be there always. It was her huge eyes that really mesmerized him though. They were a pale green, like the leaves on the Russian olive trees that were so plentiful here in Connecticut. He watched the two women carefully make their way to the parking lot, arms linked. “Happy holidays to you too,” he shouted to their retreating figures, but they didn’t seem to hear. Finally he made his way to his own car, wishing he had thought to get the woman’s name and hoping he would run into her again before her visit was over.

to be continued....

Blessed

2010-11-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm looking out the window right now and it's snowing like crazy out there! I am actually loving it and to tell you the truth it is super hard for me not to get right into the Christmas blog. I've been listening to Christmas music all day but I'm trying to calm myself and remember Thanksgiving. Not that it should be too hard, I have so much to be thankful for!! I have a wonderful family who loves me and takes care of me. I have the cutest nieces and nephews. I have a warm and comfortable place to live. I have a job, a car and the ability to go out and do anything I set my mind to. Most importantly I have the knowledge that my savior died for me so that I can be with my family always! I can't think of anything else that would make my life any better. Yay for Thanksgiving to help me remember everything that I have been blessed with! And now I can start getting excited for Christmas...

Happy Haunting

2010-10-19T15:41:00.000-06:00

I love Halloween! When I was teaching at Hillcrest and Bonneville High Schools, I required my students to write journal entries at the end of every week. They were supposed to write about sports medicine related things that had happened that week. They did this every week, except the week of Halloween. Because I'm such a ghost freak I would make them write me ghost stories. The requirements were that the stories had to be true (they had to experience it themselves, or they had to have heard it from someone they knew who experienced it), and it had to have happened near Idaho Falls. Then I would turn out the lights in the classroom and read everyone's stories with a flashlight. It was so much fun! I have a TON of really good ghost stories about places in and around the Idaho Falls area. I was thinking the other day that I should do whole blog page dedicated to those stories because there are a freaking lot of them! I loved it when different students would write about their experiences at the same place. I had about three students who wrote about Wolfman's Cabin in Ririe, and about 20 students wrote about the Ammon Cemetery (still places I have to check out for myself). At the very end of class I would tell them a ghost story about their school. So today I would like to relate to you the ghost story I told one of my classes about the spooky happenings in the halls of Hillcrest High.

As an athletic trainer I am at the school late many nights out of the week. My first year at Hillcrest, one of the boys basketball games had finished very late. It was deathly quiet as I cleaned the training room that night, getting ready to leave. Everyone had left the school and I was almost done. I closed the door in my office and started to walk to the training room door when I heard a tapping sound coming from one of the cabinets against the wall. I thought something might have fallen, so I opened the cabinet door, but everything was in place. I shut the door and started to leave again when I heard it again, this time a little louder. (The kids sitting near the cabinets get up and move to another place in the training room). Now I was a little scared so I made a beeline for the door. As the training room door closed behind me I heard someone begin to knock on the door I had just come out of. I freaked out and ran out of the school. A whole year went by without anything happening, and then again, one night after a long basketball game I was once again alone in the school. I was just leaving and turned out the lights in the training room before I left. In the darkness I glanced over my shoulder, and I saw something move. It was pitch black in the room, yet I swore I saw something white, over by the cabinets. It seemed to melt into the wall. (At this point the ice machine in the training room kicked on and all my students started to scream...haha!) Needless to say I got the heck out of there. After the strange things that I had witnessed I decided to ask our head janitor if he ever had any scary things happen to him. He told me that the night janitors were scared to come down the weight room hall (the same hall the athletic training room is in) because they could hear people talking and moving things around in the the rooms there. Then he told me that he had heard that there used to be an old homestead on the land where Hillcrest now sits, and that he had heard that the farmer and his family had died in a fire on the very spot the weight room and athletic training room now were. So if you ever happen to be in the school at night, I would suggest to stay away from the training room...

Over My head

2010-09-08T12:58:00.000-06:00

Considering that my life is extremely boring right now, and since it's still too early for a Halloween blog I decided to post a blog from last semesters English class. We had to write a paper on a person who inspired us so I wrote one on my Grampa Jensen. I had to interview him and then write a memoir. This is just a tiny bit of my paper, a section close to the end, but I wanted to post it. Grampa's birthday is at the end of the month so I thought this would be a fitting tribute! Happy Birthday Grampa!!

I looked over the towering wall of bookcases. The old books, at first glance, all seemed to be the same. They had thick dark blue or black covers with gold lettering, but on further inspection they were different. "I kept all of my old school books. I have read them thousands of times." I picked one of the books up, "Fundamentals of Chemistry" and thumbed through the yellowing pages. The equations and reactions in the book were too advanced for my understanding, much like the past hour of conversing with my grandfather had been.
He reached out to pull another book from the shelf. "I loved my science classes in high school. Our teacher, Mr. Sherman, told us we would go through stage one throughout the school year, but I took the book and read all three stages in about a week. I couldn't get enough." He put the book back on the shelf, "It got to the point that if he was busy and the other kids needed help he would say, 'Go see Lowell, he'll sort it out for you.'"
He laughed a little as we slowly made our way back to the couch. I held onto his arm to keep him from tripping over any unseen obstacles. His slight frame was not hard to keep upright. It was strange to see him like this, frail and thin. I still thought of him as the strong unbreakable man from my childhood. Once seated he began again. "Mr. Sherman gave me a key to the laboratory so I could go in on weekends and experiment. I had found a diagram of an x-ray machine in the back of the science book and I decided I was going to make one. After it was finished I showed it to the teacher and he couldn't believe it. It wasn't until I showed him the film I had exposed with the machine that he actually believed I had done it. I liked doing things like that though. When I was growing up during the depression my mother had a book, 'How to Make Things Out of Old Things.'"
He chuckled as he remembered, "But that is what we had to do. No one could afford to buy new things, so we made things out of old things." I laughed with him as I thought of all the "things" he had made from other things. The tractor sitting outside in the driveway made from an old car and left over scrap metal from World War II, the bicycle sitting on the patio rigged up to a small lightweight motor from who knows what. The gyro-copter in the workshop made with an old lawn chair and extra bits of aluminum pipes.
I marveled at what this man had done with his high school education. Even after six years of college I was no where close to understanding the world like he did. "When I was growing up in Payette, Idaho there was an old brickyard down the street, where they had once made bricks by hand. One day as I was exploring I found a little tunnel half buried under the big mixing pit. I shoveled out the dirt and found a huge room underneath. In the corner was a stove and a lot of metal tubing. It was a whiskey still. So I went to the library and I read about whiskey stills. I found out that the tubes used in whiskey stills are made of pure tin. Pure tin is hard to come by, even now it's pretty valuable, about half the price of silver. There was a man that owned the junkyard in Payette who also dealt with metal. His name was Seegal, but everyone in town called him Pop-Seegal." He started to laugh and then looked at me to make sure I understood, "You know like Popsicle?"
I laughed as I rolled my eyes and he continued. "So I melted the tin down into six bars and took one to Pop-Seegal. His eyes got real big when he saw what I had. He handed me a box and said, 'Go ahead and fill that up with stuff out of the junkyard and I'll let you know when you've gotten enough for a fair trade.' Well I filled up the box and he never did tell me to stop so that tin bar must have been pretty valuable. As I left he said, 'Hey Lowell if you have anymore of these, go ahead and come by next time you need something out of the junkyard.' I went to that junkyard a lot that summer!"
He was laughing again. Only my grandpa would think that hanging out at a junkyard for most of the summer would be a worth while past time. "I had enough projects to last me a lifetime after that. On one of my trips to the junkyard I found an old welder that had been burnt in a fire. I took it home, but it wouldn't work. That was the year I learned about transformers. I went to the library again and researched transformers. I took the transformer on the welder apart and laid the wire out all over our barn. Then I cleaned it and wrapped it in tiny pieces of sheets I had gotten from mother." He held up his hand to indicate the sheets had been torn into pieces about an inch wide. Then I found some linseed oil in my mothers art supplies and went to the library to learn how to make paint (I'm relatively positive I drove the gal at the library nuts when I was a kid). I made the paint and thinned it with gasoline, but you shouldn't do that Jenni because it's dangerous." He winked at me and I laughed with him again. "Then I put the whole thing back together and taught myself to weld with it."
He talked as if it was something that anyone could do, but I was totally lost. I didn't even know what a transformer was. I mean I was pretty sure he wasn't talking about the Transformers from the robots in disguise fame. I didn't have much time to contemplate as he started another story, "I built a little shack out by our house out of wood pallets. I would build little rockets there and I joined the U.S. Rocket Society of America. I still have the card! It's still running today, but it has a different name." He looked at me questioningly and I asked him what it was called. He leaned back with a satisfied smile, "They call it NASA now."

Unpredictable

2010-08-12T21:23:00.000-06:00

Wow I can't believe that summer vacation is almost over! I haven't done much of anything productive this summer, and I've loved every moment of it. I did just get back from a trip across Wyoming into South Dakota with my brother Curt. We decided to try and save a little money so we camped out at every KOA between here and Rapid City and all I can say is; boy I'm tired of sleeping in tents! I remember camping being a lot more fun when I was a little kid. It was really a great trip though! We were able to see Sacajawea's grave in Fort Washakie WY which was actually one of my favorite parts of the trip. We also went to Devil's Tower, Thermopolis, and Mount Rushmore. AWESOME! Then about two days after we got home I went to La Grande, OR with the family for my cousin Tennille's wedding and a family reunion. It was great to see and catch up with family, but I am so happy to be home again, sleeping in my own bed!
Besides that I've done a lot of thinking this summer and I've decided that I am destined to wander aimlessly throughout my life, not knowing exactly what I want to do. In other words I'm not going back to school this semester, part of the reason being that I have no money left for school, but also because I don't know if I want to go back into the health care field. At any rate I'm taking this semester off to make a little money and try to figure out exactly what I should focus my efforts on. I'm trying to finish up my book before the end of the summer, and then I will try to get it published. I've got some ideas for some new books but I want to finish this first one before I get to work on the others. I love writing, but unfortunately I have no experience and don't know if I have the talent to make it more than a hobby. Too bad other people besides me have to like what I write :) So that's the scoop for any of you that were wondering. Maybe someday I'll figure things out!
Anyways now that I'm not heading back to school I am soooo looking forward to Autumn which is my favorite time of the year!! Bring on the fall colors baby!

Summertime

2010-07-09T10:45:00.000-06:00

I am loving this summer so far, probably because I have done absolutely nothing for the majority of it, yet I have been so busy doing nothing! It's crazy how time flies when you're not doing anything. I know I need to get a job and earn a little money, but I honestly have no motivation! School is supposed to be starting in another month or so and I find myself wishing I didn't have to go back. I keep hoping that I will run into a billion dollars somewhere so I can just have fun all the time. I suppose the only thing to do is find a job that I love that also makes me some money....but the finding is the hard part! If only I could get paid to travel around and stay in nice hotels, play with my nieces and nephews, camp in Yellowstone and go to Disneyland! That would be the perfect job for me!

Goodbye Oregon....for now

2010-05-10T17:20:00.000-06:00

Here I am, the last couple of weeks as an Oregonian. I've decided to head back home and finish my chemistry classes at Idaho State University, mainly because I'm totally out of MONEY! It's always sad to leave family and friends behind no matter where it is you're going, and I cried...a lot when I left home to come to Forest Grove. I've missed my family everyday that I've been gone (especially my sweet little nieces and nephews!!) I'm so excited to be with everyone again! The sad thing is that I still LOVE Oregon! I think that I was born to live in Oregon. Not that I've met anyone really, I'm still as friendless as the day I moved here, but it is gorgeous here! It's exactly the type of place I always imagined myself living.
As I've been packing up this past week I have this bittersweet feeling. I'm so excited to get back home, but I feel like I haven't gotten my fill of Oregon yet. Every minute that I can get away from school work is spent exploring the forests and attractions of the northwestern US. This last weekend I had a ton of homework to get done, but I didn't do any of it. The weather was so nice I decided to go for a hike. I drove west on highway six headed toward the coast and just stopped at random spots along the way. I eventually ended up at the Tillamook Forest Center. I had never even noticed it before as I went to the coast so I thought I would give it a try. It was awesome! I can't believe there are places like this just thirty minutes down the road from where I'm living!
So if you get a chance to check out this side of the country I say do it! I love it here!!!!!!!!!!!

The Twilight of Spring Break

2010-04-07T15:08:00.000-06:00

An entire week off of school deserves a little celebration. I can't tell you how long I had been looking forward to this Spring Break! Don't get me wrong, I really have been enjoying school, but I needed this break. I had been contemplating going home for the break, but in the end my yearning for adventure won out. I really have wanted to take in the sights around the Northwestern US while I'm still here, sooo....I set my destination for Forks, WA. Haha! I know what you're thinking, "Wow she must be a total Twilight freak!" Well I cannot lie, I think Stephanie Meyer can write a pretty good story, but her books are not my favorites (I'm still a good person I swear!) Still, why not Forks?
If you know me at all, you know I'm a creature of the woodlands. When I read those Twilight books I really wanted to see what the rainiest spot in the US looked like, especially because, at the moment, I'm living so close. So it seemed like a great time to go out and do it. I decided to explore a little so instead of taking the fast route up I-5, I decided to take the scenic route up the Washington coast. First off, I have to say the Olympic Peninsula has got to be the most beautiful place in the entire world!!!! And that is saying something because I've been to a lot of beautiful places! Even crazier, I was there in the cold off season, I can't imagine what it would be like in the summertime!
Forks itself is a very small town, in every sense of the word. There really is not much to see or do there unless, of course, you're a Twilight super fan. The town has really embraced anything and everything Twilight. A lady at the Forks Chamber of Commerce told me that the town had been struggling to keep afloat, and then Twilight hit and now business is booming. She told me that almost every single shop in Forks sales some sort of Twilight product, because they know that the majority of their customers are Twilight fans. Crazy to think that a book can change the fate of an entire town! So I learned some pretty awesome things, but Forks is still just a relatively normal small town. The big difference is that it's a small town in the middle of some pretty amazing places! You have national parks within walking distance, beaches about 20 minutes down the road, and rain forests 30 minutes away. I loved it!
And just so you know, the first few days of spring break, Mark came to visit me here in Portland (I don't want to leave him out because we had a fabulous time!) I woke up early on Monday to pick him up at the airport and we pretty much partied from that point on. He had just come off working the entire night, but I didn't even let him rest. We went straight to the Oregon Zoo, which was amazing, then we went to the movies. The next day I took him to the Cape Meares lighthouse where we saw some whales (I think). Then we went to Oceanside so we could check out the tide pools and play on the beach. After that we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and tried out some different cheeses and ice cream :) The next day we went to the Evergreen Aviation Museum and then to the Portland Temple. And then I dropped him off at the airport early Thursday morning, from which I left for Forks. WHEW! Yep it was pretty much the most awesome spring break ever!

Far and Away

2010-02-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

So I've been back in Forest Grove for about a month now. The weather has been gorgeous! Everyday that I wake up and see that it's sunny and warm out, it makes me want to be outside doing something. So needless to say I've been exploring around Portland a little bit.
Last Monday, President's Day, I decided to go to the coast, but I forgot to take money for parking. I parked anyway and walked down to the beach, then I started feeling bad so I only stayed for about twenty minutes. I know, sad, but it was high tide and no one was at the beach anyways. So then I made a spur of the moment decision to go to McMinnville, mainly because there is a Wal-Mart there :)
I plugged Wal-Mart into the GPS and took off. About an hour later I realized something was terribly wrong when I saw a sign, "PAVEMENT ENDS AHEAD." I thought to myself, "Oh geez I better turn around!" Then I decided, "What the heck, it's not like I have anything else to do today." So, I put all my faith in my GPS to get me to Wal-Mart and started down the long dirt road ahead. Turns out, I saw a part of Oregon I have a feeling not a lot of Oregonians have seen! I did not see another car for over an hour as I slowly made my way down the muddy, winding back road. I had no idea where I was, only that I was headed up the side of a mountain and hopefully making my way to McMinnville.
As I drove up the mountain I came to a wall of evergreens. The trees were so thick that my headlights automatically clicked on in the darkness. It started to rain, and fog began to filter down through the trees. I could understand why Stephanie Meyers might imagine vampires living in a place like this. I finally reached the top of the mountain and the fog lifted a little. I was at the edge of a lake, right on the top of the mountain. I stopped in the middle of the road and turned off the car. I got out of the car to snap a picture. It was eerily quiet, and suddenly I felt very alone. I took a couple of pictures got back in the car and then sighed as I began to drive. That's when I realized how much I missed my family, my students, my friends...all the people who love and care for me, people who wouldn't let me go to the coast by myself. The rest of the drive was lost on me as I contemplated my life. I eventually ended up at Wal-Mart, but by the time I got there I didn't feel much like shopping. Instead I drove back to my roommates house.
I have decided that I love Oregon. It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to live here, but now I know for myself what people mean when they say, "it just doesn't mean as much when you don't have someone you care about to share it with."

Je t'aime

2010-02-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

Well it's almost Valentine's Day. I've never been real big on this holiday, but I figured I could think of something good to write about. I've been back in Oregon for almost a week. I miss the family. I want to be able to say that I'm having so much fun here that I don't have time to feel homesick, and though I am having fun, I miss my family so much. I suppose I haven't met anyone that helps to fill the void in my heart when I am away from all the people I love. It makes me wonder how anyone ever finds the strength to move away from their families. Does this feeling go away when you fall in love? Does that person occupy so much of your heart that you don't feel the need to be close to the people who have loved and cared for you all of their lives? Ah, l'amour....the subject I seem to be constantly writing about. Love is still very much a mystery to me. I've certainly liked my fair share of guys, but love...no. I'm pretty sure in order to be truly in love, their has to be a little love coming back :( Haha! I wish it didn't have to work that way! Then I would've had tons of boyfriends by now! Anyways there's my Valentine's blog, knock yourself out.

A New Year

2010-01-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

It's been so great being home for the holidays! Putting puzzles together with mom, going to the movies with Curt, playing with my nieces and nephews, I have been having a fabulous time! With the coming of the new year I have been thinking about what has happened in my life. I really am thankful for everything that I have been blessed with. Life has been pretty darn good for me. My family, friends, people I have met and all the things that I have been able to do...it's been an amazing journey so far!
Anyways I haven't ever been real big on new years resolutions, but this year I've decided that there are a few goals I would like to accomplish before the year is over. First off I want to finish my book. It's all there in my head, I just need to put it down on paper. So I'm gonna take the time and do it before the year is over. Secondly I'm going to write my grampa and Cathal (my Irish pen pal) at least once a month. I've been so bad about staying in contact with Cathal, and I definitely need to let my grandfather know how much I love him more often!!! Lastly I am going to lay a big fat kiss on some hot boy so I can get myself out of the VL club! Haha, just kidding...I certainly don't have the self confidence to do something that crazy...but I wish I did :) There are a million things that I hope to accomplish this year, but as of now they are mostly unrealized. It's a new year, and anything is possible! Who knows where I'll be at the end of this year, and really I don't want to decide right now...I want to be free to let life take me where it will. That's what makes it exciting!

I am thankful for...

2009-11-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well I have a million other things to do today, but I can't help but take a moment and share a little of the Christmas spirit I am overflowing with lately! I know that it hasn't even hit Thanksgiving yet, but this year I am so excited for Christmas that I can't help it, it must be the fact that I haven't seen my family in 4 months, and I am so ready to see everyone and be back home in Idaho Falls. It's sorta hard to get into the spirit when it's a beautiful, sunny, 50 degrees outside here in Forest Grove but crazy enough I am feeling it! Just the thought of going home to 3 inches of snow in Idaho Falls, and all my family makes me so excited! I'll be home for a little under two months, so maybe by that time I'll be ready to get away from all the snow, but for now I can't wait! This last weekend I went over to Boise to be with Allison (which was so much fun) but as I was driving over the pass just west of Pendleton, it was totally snowing! Now don't get me wrong, I hate driving in the snow, but I was loving this snow! I put on the Christmas music and rocked out, and when I got a chance I pulled over to take a picture. It just isn't Christmas without a little snow to go with it!! So I'm sorry that I'm not writing a Thanksgiving blog, but this year I'm thankful for CHRISTMAS!

This is Halloween!

2009-10-03T16:18:00.000-06:00

I love the fall! All the changing colors, and the bite in the air. I'm so excited to be here in Forest Grove this year for fall, because they actually have fall here!!!! Not even worried about snow for Halloween this year, cause it doesn't happen, that's crazy! So yesterday I decorated the house with a few decorations I picked up at the dollar store. Nothing amazing because I can't afford very much, but I have to decorate for Halloween! Besides decorating I went for a little drive around Forest Grove, and you will never guess what I was looking for...so I'll have to tell you.

First off I love spooky things. I honestly don't know why, but especially this time of the year I'm totally obsessed with anything scary. So I went for a little tour of the Portland area cemeteries. Haha, I know it's a little weird. That's what someone at church told me too. I was actually going for a reason.

A couple of weeks ago I was driving by this little cemetery I always pass when I go to institute. I just sort of glanced over there and I saw something near the back of the cemetery. It was moving really fast, and it was white. I just glanced, like I said, and by the time I really looked nothing was there. A tingle of spookiness went through me so I decided I would check it out when I had some time. By the time I got to it I had done a little research on area cemeteries and I turned my adventure into a search for the spookiest cemetery around Forest Grove. As it turns out I have only been to two so far because that's all I've had time for, but I was not disappointed.

I found this one cemetery out in the country all by itself up on a little hill surrounded by trees on one side. It was around 4:00 in the afternoon. It was a little windy up on the hill, and there was nothing out there except for an old farmhouse you could see off through the trees (how scary would that be to live by a cemetery all by yourself!) The cemetery had really old graves, some that had been moved from another spot. Most had dates of around 1830-1850 on them. Some of the graves had these little fences around them, all old and falling apart. All the grass was dead in the cemetery, and it looked like no one had been there in ages. It was definitely spooky, and it would probably be a good spot to take a group and get freaked out, mainly because it's totally isolated.

Then the next day I went to the cemetery I have drivin by thousands of times. When I went there it was starting to get dark out, it was around 6:30 at night. Of course I went to check out the back of the cemetery first, and found train tracks, and then forest. It was totally spooky back there, but I had to admit that what I had seen might have been the end of a train. There are really big/old trees in the cemetery there, and the graves are even older than the ones in the other cemetery. I was walking around and I kept walking into spider webs going from the trees to the ground (and if you know me that is about as scary as it gets for me!!!) The tree roots had pushed up and knocked over a lot of the gravestones. A lot of the markers where just lying on the ground...that felt a little spooky seeing the gravestones lying on the ground like that. All in all the spookiest of the two would have been the one with the train tracks, except for the fact that it's right next to a really busy road, sort of ruins the scare.

Forest Grove has two cemeteries, but I have not been to them yet, so I guess I still have some adventures left. I have heard that at one of the Forest Grove cemeteries a lady got locked in when the groundskeeper didn't check the cemetery before he locked the gate one evening. She had called the police to come and unlock the gate, but while she was waiting she started hearing little kids playing in the cemetery. She looked all around but didn't find anyone else there. She said she started hearing footsteps crunching through the trees she had just checked. She decided to take off and leave her car when the policeman finally showed up to unlock the gate. I'll make sure to go to that one right in the middle of the day....

For a final note, I've heard that a few of the building at Pacific University are supposed to be haunted. I haven't looked into it yet, but sounds like a good Halloween project...maybe something that needs to be embarked on with a certain hot boy from my singles ward....

Forest Grove

2009-10-03T13:25:00.000-06:00

So here I am...beautiful Forest Grove, OR. It is awesome here: trees everywhere, temperature is about perfect, snow uncommon, the coast is about an hour drive, Grampa's house is only four hours away. I love Oregon!
Pacific University is great! The professors are amazing. I don't think I've ever been at a school where I felt like the professors really cared about me as a person until I came here. All of my professors personally ask me how I am doing in class at least once a week. They seem genuinely concerned about me, not only at school but in general. It's been great for my school work because I want to do well for my professors. Crazy, I know!!!!
Church is great. I wasn't sure which ward to go to at first, so I had my records transferred to the family ward here in Forest Grove. I only went once, and then I met some kids from the singles ward when I went to institute and they told me I should go to the singles ward, so I had my records transferred there (which btw is a 30 min drive to get to.) I've met a few people and I really enjoy the singles branch! Most everyone is older there...which is strange for a young adult singles branch. The oldest person in the ward is 37, so I'm on the young side! There is a real cute guy that goes there that I met at insitute named Brandon ;) I haven't really talked to him except once, but I was the one that went up and talked to him so now all of you can stand up and cheer at how brave I am! I'll try to take a picture of him so you all can see him...but I gotta be sneaky so it might take awhile.
I love my apartment! My neighbors are sooo nice!! They're always bringing me dinner, and treats and stuff. They come over just to talk...ask me what's goin on at school, but mainly they just tell me what's going on with them. It's nice to have neighbors I've decided. I know that they look out for me so I'm not worried about living here on my own so much. It's kinda fun having my own place, but I miss everyone back home so much!!! I think about my nieces and nephews constantly! I hate not being able to see them whenever I want. It's funny how you don't realize how much love you have for someone until you don't get to see them all the time. I miss my brothers and their wives! I miss my parents and my friends. I miss my job and students! I miss not having to pay to do laundry :) It's ok though, I think all that's normal. I miss everyone so much, but I'm enjoying Forest Grove. It's not exactly what I thought it would be, but I'm happy.

Outta here!

2009-08-09T20:17:00.000-06:00

Haha! I was just looking back through the old post and now I'm wishing I had a little longer here in Idaho Falls! I'll be headed to Oregon at the end of this week, and honestly I'm not feeling all that excited. All I can think about is how much I'm gonna miss everyone here! These past few months it's been great getting together with all my brothers and their families. Hanging out with Mark and Curt, playing with my nieces and nephews, long talks with the parents, relaxing and enjoying the summer, it really has been a pretty great summer.
We went up to Utah two days ago for my cousins wedding. It's a drive I have made probably a thousand times, but this time I made an effort to look around as we drove. Idaho is such a beautiful place...even the nothingness between Idaho Falls and Provo :) That is actually saying something considering all the places I have lived over the years. Hawaii, West Yellowstone Montana, Oregon, Utah....all beautiful places, yet I still keep ending up here in Idaho Falls. There is just so much that I love here! Not just the trees and the fields and the mountains, but the people!!
I was looking in the paper the other day and I saw that football practices start tomorrow for all the high schools. For like three seconds I thought to myself, "Wow I probably better go over to the school and get the training room ready for practices!" Then I remembered that I didn't have to do that, and then I got sad because someone else is going to be in my training room, taking care of my kids, doing my job that I loved!!! And then I started thinking about my nieces and nephews, and how much I'm going to be missing in their lives. And then I started thinking about the rest of my family, and how much I'll miss being with them. And then I took a step back and a deep breath, and tried to remember why I'm leaving. It's the right thing to do. I'm way too attached to things going on here, and I need to focus on becoming independent. It will be ok, it's not like I'm goin to Africa! Haha! I'm such a wuss! I guess I just have to face the facts and know that I'll probably be coming home a lot the first little while, or wishing I could be home!

Let's get on with it!

2009-06-20T14:14:00.000-06:00

I went to Forest Grove a few weeks ago to check out my new school. Tiny town, but it is so beautiful there! Best part about it...probably the fact that Hillsboro is only like 9 miles away, Portland is only 30 minutes away, and the coast is not even an hour from the school! Oh and there are some extremely hot guys living there! Everyone at Pacific seemed sweet, though they don't have summer classes so there was pretty much nobody there. I talked to the athletic trainer at Pacific and it looks like I'll be working in the athletic training room. I'm actually really excited to be working with college athletes again. I'll let you figure out why on your own;) So all that said....wow, what a boring summer so far! Not only that but can it go any slower? I don't ever remember feeling this bored during the summer. I was happy to sit and do nothing, but for some reason this summer is different. Maybe it's because I feel ready to move on with the next part of my life, and so now I have no patience to sit and do nothing. I want to get out and meet people. Oh my heck I feel so stuck here in Idaho Falls where there is nothing to do and no one to see!!!!! Unfortunately I'm trying to save money for school so just takin off is totally out of the question. :( Why am I going back to school again? So I can be poor and stuck in one place for two or more years. Eww! No, I'm going back so I can get a better job someday. Well not necessarily better, just a better paying job. I'm going back so I can make some new friends(hopefully of the male variety) and try new things. This summer freakin sucks...I don't think I've ever looked forward to the start of school as much as I am now!

A new adventure

2009-05-31T17:17:00.000-06:00

It is a gorgeous day today. I went outside and just walked around my parents house for about an hour. I love it here!

It's so quiet out here in Ucon...sitting here all I can hear are birds and the sprinklers running in the fields. It looks and smells like it's going to rain, but it's looked like that every afternoon this week. I love the peaceful solitude that my parents house has to offer, and it's all about to change. Lately all I can think about is how much I'm gonna miss everything here in Idaho. My friend Shireen told me that when you make a decision about something that you know is right, it seems like things start to go perfect, enough so that you question your decision to leave. That is exactly what has happened. As soon as I made the decision to leave Idaho it seems like there have been a million reasons pop up why I should stay. I had an amazing football and basketball season. I have finally gained the trust of my coaches and athletes. I've made some great friends (even though they are high school kids.) All my brothers move back to Idaho, Shireen moves back to Idaho...geez it feels like it's getting harder and harder to follow through with my original plan. Don't worry though, I'm still going...just not as readily as I was before. I know that I've gotten too comfortable here in Idaho. Things are too easy, I'm not living to my full potential, and I know I've got to leave. Mom says it's good to leave at the top of your game, because that's how everyone will remember me. Taylor, one of my students, told me that going off to college will be the best thing for me. I'll get to be with people my own age, going through the same things I'm going through. I have to just keep telling myself that. Good thing I have this amazing support system around me! I just hope that I can function without them when I'm all the way over in Portland!

A Tribute

2009-05-03T22:13:00.000-06:00

I was sitting here on the computer putting grades in for my classes when I realized that it's May. May.... the last month of school. Waaahhh! I honestly can't believe that I am in the last month of being a high school teacher and athletic trainer for some of the best kids in the world! I wish I could explain to everyone why I'm having such a hard time leaving these kids behind! After I graduated from school and came back to Idaho I felt so lucky to get the job at Hillcrest and Bonneville High Schools. I wasn't even looking for it, and someone comes up to me and says, "Hey would you like to be an athletic trainer?" And here I am four years later. It was like a miracle to even get a job in my major right out of school. I keep wondering if I'm making the biggest mistake of my life by leaving it. So I've been trying to justify myself by coming up with reasons why it's time to leave such a wonderful thing. The past few weeks I've done a lot of soul searching and I'd like to share a thought.
I haven't always had the greatest self-esteem when it comes to guys. I mean you try competing with a super model best friend your whole life! (Though I wouldn't trade you for anything in this entire world Allison! I love you!) Going out on my own when I went off to school helped me to find myself, but still I always felt like guys never looked at me because... well because I wasn't gorgeous. I think because of that I never really tried to talk to any of the guys I was interested in. So I come back to Idaho Falls and I'm working hard and don't really have to worry about talking to guys because lets face it, there are no guys in Idaho Falls, but I start to get to know these high school kids. I'm not worried about what they'll think of me because they're just kids. I feel comfortable enough around them to be myself, and that's exactly what I have done for four years. And you know what? Something interesting happened. All of the sudden my sports medicine classes at Hillcrest started to fill up, and kids start coming to the athletic training room just to sit and talk to me about nothing in particular. Then parents would tell me at parent-teacher conferences that their daughter loves me more than any other teacher or that they thought their son might have a little bit of a crush on me. Haha! I'm still laughing about that but, WOW! Do you have any idea what that has done for my self-esteem?! All my life I've always been the one to sit and observe because I didn't think I had anything worthwhile to offer anyone. Then four years ago I start working as a high school teacher and in the end it has been them teaching me. It wasn't until I started to teach that I realized I might be a person worth getting to know, that someone might think their life was better just because I had been apart of it. That is such an amazing feeling!!
I want all of my students and athletes at Hillcrest and Bonneville to know how much I love them and appeciate them! Thank you so much for everything you have given me these past four years. It is because of you that I'm able to have the confidence to do something I had only ever dreamed of. You will never know just how much you've helped me! I can't begin to tell you how much I will miss you! You all have truly made me a better person.

Spring Break Revelation

2009-04-05T10:28:00.000-06:00

I wanted to go to Portland for spring break this year. Not that Portland is the most exciting place in the world at spring break, but I'm starting to feel anxious about getting things started for the next chapter of my life. As it ended up I wasn't able to go. How boring to have to spend spring break at home doing nothing! So I took a road trip. Saturday afternoon I packed up my car, said bye to the fam, and took off for Sun Valley, Idaho. I didn't really have a plan or anything. I'd never been to Sun Valley besides just driving through on the way to other places, so I figured it was time to check it out. It was gorgeous there! Sunny and mild, great for me... not so great for all the skiers that were there for spring break. I found a little hotel right off the highway in Hailey (I'm pretty sure I was the only person staying there!) went to Albertsons to stock up on food for Sunday, and relaxed in the hot tub. The next morning I went to church in Hailey. The ward was so friendly, about four people came up to me hoping I was new to the ward. LOL! In Sunday School we talked about the pioneers, how they tried to sell their belongings before they made the long journey west to Salt Lake. Many were unsuccessful and ended up just leaving everything behind, having nothing but the clothes on their back, and in some instances not even those! It's hard to even imagine the sacrifices those early members of the church had to make! We talked about why those members were able to leave so much behind to venture out into the unknown, they had faith that God would take care of them because they were doing what God wanted them to do. As I sat there listening to the lesson I began to compare myself to those early saints. Not that I will be facing anything like they had to, but I too am venturing out into the unknown. You have no idea how hard the decision to leave Idaho Falls has been for me. I love it here! I love my job, I love being so close to my family, I love almost everything about this place! I feel like I'm crazy! But then again...I know it's the right thing to do. As I listened to the lesson a favorite scripture came to my mind, 3rd Nephi 13:30-34 - seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these thing shall be added unto you. Yes it is going to be so hard to leave everything behind, but I have faith that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and because of that, things will work out in the end. This spring break was great! I certainly didn't do much, but it helped me remember why I do the crazy things I do sometimes.

March Makeover

2009-03-13T19:59:00.000-06:00

Well I suppose it's time for another one of these. March....good month! My favorite in fact. Yes, my birthday month. Just turned 30 on March 9th! Wow! I really can't believe it. How can I be 30 years old? I still feel like I'm about 18 most of the time! Does that ever change? It was a good birthday, not much happened, but that is what I wanted. The first person to wish me happy birthday on my birthday was a kid from school, texted me early Monday morning. My sweet students! Wow, they have no idea how hard it's going to be for me to leave them! Besides working, the only thing I really did was get my hair colored and cut. After school I just decided I needed a change and went to the mall. I decided to go dark brown. A little scary, since my hair has never been dark, but...it turned out great! All the kids at school have been telling me they love it, so now I do too! I took a picture of myself to show my friend Shireen, it didn't turn out great since you can't see the cut too well, but you can see the color. I figured everyone is reading those Twilight books, so dark hair is in now, right? I don't know, you'll have to tell me what you think about it (but no comments on my extremely messy room!

Being single...

2009-02-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well I really don't have anything in particular to write about. But I guess seeing that it's a Saturday night, and I don't have anything to do....
I was talking to one of the kids at school yesterday about relationships. He mentioned that he wanted a girlfriend so that he could have someone to tell everything to. I told him he was too young to want a serious relationship, he should just be trying to have fun and not worry about getting all settled down with one girl. I got the feeling that he felt that life would be better if he had a girlfriend to share it with. Anyways it got me to thinking about my own life. I have felt that same way a lot, but I couldn't offer this guy any good advice because I don't know if life would be better if there was someone else to share it with. I'm a little embarassed to admit it, but I've never had a boyfriend. It's not like I didn't/don't want a boyfriend, there just has never been anyone interested(that I know of at least.) I keep wondering if it's my personality, the way I act, or maybe the way I look (which is the reason I usually go with.) Whatever it is, here I am 29 years old, and still I have never even been kissed. When the kids at the high school I athletic train at ask me about my boyfriends, I tell them the truth, and they can't comprehend how I could go my whole life without a boyfriend. I guess it hasn't been too bad because I have never known anything different.
Here are a few observances I've made in my single state. 1. Guys are easy to talk to. I'm sure it's because I grew up in a family with six brothers and no sisters, but I can usually keep a conversation going with a guy because I know what they like to talk about (with exception of my Irish pen pal. Cathal, I'm gonna say it's because you're Irish ;o) 2. All the guys that I have made an effort to get to know have turned out to be good friends...period. Sometimes I think that the guy might be showing interest, and then....wham, they hit me with the, "you're a really great friend Jenn, do you think you can hook me up with so and so?" What is up with that? Is that the easy way for a guy to say, "Hey I see you're starting to like me a little bit, so I'm letting you know I'm not interested." 3. I'm really naive about relationships. I have no clue how to tell if a guy is interested in me or not. And I have no idea how I'm supposed to act if a guy does show interest. Do I change the way I act? All I know how to do is be a friend. Is that wrong? Am I supposed to do something else to let a guy know I'm interested? 4. I know that if I like a guy I turn into a total idiot when he's around. I say stupid things and start to blush when he looks at me too long. I know this has to be bad, how in the heck do you stop that?!
Anyways there you go. That's what you get when I have way too much time on my hands! Hopefully next time I'll think of something worthwhile to write about.

What's in a name?

2009-01-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

My parents named me Jennifer. I am the only kid in my family that got more than a one syllable name (interesting fact.) Funny thing is I don't get called by that name very often. When I was younger, most everyone called me Jenni; my family, the people at church, the kids I went to school with, almost everyone. Once I left home to go to college, I wanted to put my younger self behind me, so I started to call myself Jennifer. Nobody knew me as Jenni anymore. As I got to know people at college, I became Jenn. After college I found a job as an athletic trainer at a high school. Again I introduced myself as Jennifer, but before too long, everyone started calling me Jenn. So I'm back here in my hometown working in a high school, but instead of calling me Jenni, everyone now calls me Jenn. I never really sat down and thought about it until today, when one of the kids at school called me Jenni. I don't know why, but it seemed so strange for him to call me Jenni. It felt like he was calling me "sweetie" or "honey" instead of Jenni. I don't know, I guess it's sort of hard to explain. It's been so long since I've been called Jenni and the people that called me that were the people that knew me better than anyone else. So now when someone calls me Jenni, it's like an endearing little nickname, almost too familiar for just anyone to call me. I suppose that's why it seemed so strange when this kid at school called me that. It must have shown on my face because he looked at me and said, "is that all right, if I call you Jenni or do you prefer Jenn?" So as I've been sitting here thinking about it, I've decided that yes, I like being called Jenni. Maybe it's because now that I'm actually getting older I want to feel younger:0), or maybe it's just because it makes me feel more loved. As a last little sidenote some people do call me Jennifer, funny that those people happen to be my very best friends!

A Christmas to Remember

2009-01-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

So I wasn't really that excited to go to Puerto Rico for Christmas this year. My brother that is living here in Puerto Rico is moving back to Idaho in a week, and I didn't really know what to expect. All I knew is that there would be no snow, no sitting by the fire, no sledding, no big family gathering. I was worried that it wouldn't really feel like Christmas. Everyone told me I was crazy, who would give up two weeks of tropical beaches for an Idaho snow storm?! Well definitely not me, because here I am in Puerto Rico. Now I'm getting ready to head back to Idaho, back to snow and icy roads and I've been reflecting on my experiences here in Puerto Rico.
I am sad to be leaving, I mean I love going to the beach and seeing new places, and people and cultures. I've had a wonderful time here, but in truth I am happy to go back to Idaho too. The big question, did it feel like Christmas? Well being truthful, no it didn't. Christmas day seemed to pass like any other day here. We tried to do all the regular Christmas activites, but come on would you really feel like it's Christmas as you sat on a sandy tropical beach? I had fun, but no, it didn't feel like Christmas to me. I felt like we kinda skipped over Christmas. Sad, but I'm ok with that. I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. We took a trip to Flemenco Beach yesterday on the island of Culebra. I found a quiet spot and just sat and watched the waves. The water was so blue, it reminded me of Hawaii. There were a lot of people there, but the beach was so huge I didn't feel crowed at all. It was so peaceful and beautiful, I wished that Idaho had a tropical island!
Anyways I have loved this trip and I'm so thankful I was able to come here to Puerto Rico. Unfortunatly now I'm ready to see more of the world!! I need more money!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-12-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Christmas is already upon us! The months have flown by since school started. Maybe it's just one of those things that start to happen when you get old. I remember when I was younger, it seemed like a week would last FOREVER! I'm excited for Christmas this year. . .though that's not saying much because I'm excited for Christmas every year. This year I'm headed to Puerto Rico to spend the holidays with my brother and his family. Yes I know, but I'm sure you wouldn't fit in my bag! I can't wait to come home with a tan after lying on the beach for two weeks! It should be fun, though I'm wondering what it will be like to have Christmas in a tropical paradise. I don't think I've ever had a Christmas without the snow/cold weather, well that I can remember at least. I keep worrying that it won't feel like Christmas, but I started thinking the other day that it's not really the snow that I love about Christmas. I love the way people treat each other during the Christmas season, and I don't think that you have to have snow to experience that. You don't even have to have presents (which is good because my one and only present this year is going to Puerto Rico!) All you really need is to remember the true meaning of Christmas, and that you can see everywhere.

An athletic trainer's thoughts on her football team

2008-12-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

It was 4 months ago I came back to Hillcrest High School after an amazing summer vacation. I really didn't want to go back, I knew what was waiting for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. Being an athletic trainer is almost like a dream job. . .well if it paid a little more at least. No the reason I didn't want to go back was not because I didn't like my job, it was because I didn't think I could handle another football season at Hillcrest.
Football season was always the same: I would show up for two-a-days and after a day or two the players would start coming to the athletic training room. One or two at first, and by the end of the third week it would be six or seven. Some would have serious injuries, but most I couldn't find a problem. I would try to help them the best way I knew, but a week later they would be back in the athletic training room complaining again. It was so frustrating! How do you help someone that isn't really injured? How do you heal someone that doesn't want to get better?
So here comes August 2008, my fourth football season at Hillcrest. We have a new coach, but I'm used to that. Three different football coaches in four years, yes, that is no big deal to me. It would seem abnormal to have the same coach at this point. . .but something is different. At first I can't put my finger on it, but after just a couple of days I see it. The players are different. Not different players, most of them are the same guys that were there the year before, but they are different. . .different on the inside. They are working harder, they are listening better, they are helping each other, they are more motivated, and they are not coming to the athletic training room. After two days of football practice I knew this season was going to be different, I just didn't realize how different it would really be!
To my football team I would like to say thank you. Thank you for making me like football season again. Thank you for being the sweet, wonderful guys you are. Thank you for letting me be a part of your team. But most importantly, thank you for showing me that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and those around you. You have truly inspired me. Go Hillcrest Knights, 2008 State Football Champions!!!! Wahoo!