Adventure

It's been a little over a month since my last post. A lot has happened in this last month. Where to start? That is the real question.

1. I was blessed with an amazing semester. Finals are in just a week and I will have officially survived my first college semester. I think that that is a huge accomplishment. I am still working in the health science field. Classes are hard, but I was able to maintain.

2. There is this app, Tinder; notorious for being a sexual hook up app. However, since I go to BYU-I, it is used for one thing, and one thing only, to get dates. I had never heard of it until I came here. Hearing my roommate's cousin talking about it, I decided to download it. I did, and within the first day of getting one, I got a match and a date was set up. Fortunately, it was my first official date. (being asked by a guy) Unfortunately, it was an awkward date. I was almost kissed, and probably almost proposed to. AWKWARD!

3. Four days later, I went on another date. I had asked this kid. We has also met on Tinder, but he seemed different than the previous dude. However, I was still skeptical about it. I decided that this time, I wouldn't go alone. I was bringing two friends with me. I got one of them a blind date. (my home teacher (: ) I couldn't find another guy for my other friend to save my life. Finally, the day of the date, I asked the kid I was going with if he knew anyone. He did and we ended up being successful for the date. We did skittles bowling and then just made hot chocolate at my apartment. So much fun!

4. My best friend was able to come up here for a couple days. I got to show her how much better BYU-I is than USU. I think (hopefully) she will be transferring here. The spirit here is amazing. My sister was also able to come stay with me and that was definitely the highlight of my semester.

5. My friend, Kaitlyn, texted me yesterday, around 12:30. "I feel like I might go crazy if I just sit in my apartment all day. Got any ideas of things we could do?" I didn't know of anything, but when I got to her apartment, she said, "We are going to Jackson Hole!" I had never been there, but within 30 minutes, we were on the road. It is only about 90 minutes from here, so it wasn't too bad. We had her roommate with us and it was such a blast. Now, since we are poor college students, we didn't buy much. We just window shopped, which is probably the best thing ever.

6. I am going on a mission. I am so excited to serve the Lord. I wish I was already out there. My papers are started and are being continued everyday.

Adventure is out there, you just have to be willing to find it!

XOXO - Taylor

Sand Dunes

Yesterday, my best friend, Kaitlyn and I went to the sand dunes. Who knew that in Rexburg, Idaho, there would be friggin' sand dunes?! Well anyway, we took the twenty minute drive and got to a decent spot to get out and play in the sand. As we climbed up, sand was being thrown, getting all over our clothes, in our hair; but, we didn't seem to mind that. Giggles and smiles were being shared as we took silly pictures with the beautiful sand in the background. The sun beating down on us was such a good feeling. (a very rare thing to happen this season)

Once the silly pictures were done being taken, we sat down and just felt the sand over our feet, our hands. "Kaitlyn," I said. "I am really glad we are here at this beautiful school with such a good environment. I love the way I feel when I'm up here."

"Yeah Tay, the feeling is something I want to share with everyone. You don't have to be Mormon to feel something this amazing. God is definitely real."

Kaitlyn has been my cheerleader and sister this past month. She has picked me up when I felt sad over a guy not sharing the feelings I have for him, supported me when I have had a lot of homework, made me laugh over stupid things we can do together, and just help me realize that I am more than what I see myself. I really do love this girl.

The friends I have made up here are some of the best. I can always find someone to talk to on campus and in class. Our FHE brothers are so kind and sweet. They always make Monday nights fun and we can definitely be silly around each other. I am so blessed with everything that has been up here. God is real and he loves each and every one of us.

XOXO - Taylor

Go Big or Go Home

Wow! I can't believe I have been here for four weeks now. It seems like so much longer, I am amazed at how quickly I adjusted to being on my own. I do miss my family all the time, but I am having the time of my life.

I've learned some things being on my own:

1. Mom's food > than my food.
I have taken for granted that my meals used to be healthy and well balance with my momma around. Now that I don't have my own mom living with me anymore, I quickly find out that my meals are little to no nutritional value. I miss that.

2. I am my own boss.
"Tay, did you get your homework done?" That question hasn't been asked in a while, and to be honest, I kinda really miss it. Too many nights have I gone without sleep and just done homework as fast as I can before it's due.

3. Roomies are fantastic!
I don't know where my life would be without my roomies, but I love them so much. Yeah we have our differences, but if we didn't, life would suck. It's great learning how to live with others and be respectful of their stuff.

College is so fun! I am enjoying so much up here. They say the friends you make in college will be lifetime. Crazy as it sounds, I do believe I have made the ones that will be my lifetime friends. Just a big shoutout to my girls, Chay, Tay, and KittyKat! We have had some crazy adventures and I often find myself laughing at the dumb things we do.

I can't wait to see how the rest of the year goes and I hope I will never forget it.

XOXO - Taylor

Officially

Well.

I am a college student. Officially. Move in day was on Friday and I have been here since. My one day of class so far has been successful. Campus isn't super confusing after you walk to route a few times. So far, this has been the best week of my life. Meeting my roommates in person was unreal. They are each so beautiful and so loving. I couldn't have asked for better. My apartment is actually beginning to feel like home. It's been strange saying, "I'm on my way home." For 18 years, my home has been with my family, in a house I have lived in for 10 years. Now, I am on my own, and completely enjoying it. I am a little homesick. I am lucky though to be living in such a good place with such good people around me.

Going to class yesterday really got me thinking. I am living my life the way I want to. There isn't anywhere else I would rather be or anything else I'd rather be doing. Being at school is something I have always dreamed of doing. Here I am. I love it! It goes along with that motto that Justin Bieber lives by; Believe. I added a little something to it. Dream, Believe, and Do. I think I did really well with following that.

Let's get this party started!!!

XOXO - Taylor

Partial

I know of a place. A place that only certain people qualify for. This place has a bed, 3 meals provided for you every day. They allow you to have one hour of recreation and exercise every day. You can stay as long as you need. They will accommodate your visitation. You even get to stay for free! I bet you're thinking, "Why have I never heard of this place? Where is it? Is this place real?" Let me tell you, it is real. What place is it?

It's prison...

Now, I didn't tell you a lie; but I didn't tell you the whole truth either. I was partial in my story telling. We, as the human race, live partial lives. Every day. The whole world around us is a partial truth and/or a partial lie. Don't believe me? Here are a few examples.

1. Advertisements
Think about the last clothing or bathing suit advertisement you saw. Or the last beverage commercial on TV.
The people who create these items need them to sell. If they have a commercial that told you that being modest was stupid, or even ugly, they wouldn't sell anything. The companies make immodest clothing to try and make girls feel like they have to be immodest to be liked or accepted. The beverage companies don't tell you all of the bad things that can happen to you if you drink their substance. Most commercials or advertisements show the world that "Everyone is doing it" or "We are cool because we are drinking alcohol". What they don't tell you is that you could potentially die from drinking our drink. I realize people have their agency. But most people start into this stuff because of the false lies they tell you.

2. Sex
In today's world, sex sells. Showing off your body for all the wrong reasons is so common today. It all got started with the advertisements. ^^ Most schools in today's world do a great job in teaching the students of all the bad effects of having sex with lots of other people. My own belief is that you are meant to have one person. We could eliminate a lot of the Sexually Transmitted Infections if we could all stop sleeping with your best friend's boyfriend. (I'm not saying that is all people, but a lot of people in our world)

3. Drugs
Once again, I realize people have their own agency when it comes down to their lives. But if only people knew the effects that drugs and alcohol have on their bodies, they wouldn't be doing them as much. "You only have to do this just once" or "Weed isn't bad, it just kills your brain cells" HELLO! Last time I checked,  you need those brain cells. Your brain is one, if not, most important organ in your body. Doctors can do heart, liver, kidney, bone marrow, and many more transplants. The one thing they cannot replace, is the human brain. Why do something that would kill your brain? You can't ever get that back.

I'm sorry for my rambling, but I have been opened to a new point of view. I don't have much more to say other than, be careful in your lives. Don't fall into those partial truth traps. They are not worth it. You will have such a hard time in life if you focus on what every one else is doing.

XOXO - Taylor

P.S. click the link below to listen to an extraordinary song that is one of my many eye openers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoZLPSw8U8

It's the End of the World As We Know It...

Okay, so it isn't really the end of the world. But there a lot of new and exciting changes coming my way. 5 days ago, my best friend moved and is now living on her own. She is attending college as a new freshmen and is loving every minute of it. Her roommates are exciting and her apartment is her own. Watching her get to experience such a fun time of life, makes me that much more excited to be attending my own college and living in my own apartment. September 12th can not get here fast enough.

With every one back in school, and me just waiting to move out to go to school, I've had a lot of time to reflect on my decisions that are going to affect my future. I am going to BYU-I to get a Bachelor's degree in Public Health Science. From there, I hopefully will be attending U of U to get my Physical Therapy license. Choosing my career hasn't been easy and I have gone from one of the scale to the other. When I was in high school and deciding classes for my senior year, I took medical anatomy to see how I like medicine. I really cannot look at blood and cannot do surgeries. It freaks me out. So why the heck am I going into the medical field, right? Well, I really want to help others be able to use their bodies to their full functional state, or as close as I can get to it. But with my queasy stomach, being a surgeon is out of the question. (As well as most of the other fields in medicine) PT is a job that is in the medical field that helps with rehabilitation of injuries. So they are already healed and there won't be much blood! Bonus for me! So I found my dream job and am pursuing it the best I can.

As I look back on everything I have learned, I am more appreciative of my family and friends that have taught me everything I know. I can definitely say that I will be successful in living on my own and figuring out how to be my own person.

XOXO - Taylor

The Krew

I realize that this is only my 3rd post, but I feel like it's time to introduce my krew. I'll start with a little background history. My parents divorced when I was 10 years old. My life had changed dramatically and I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I never really thought about the fact that my mom and dad would start dating other people; until it actually started happening. One thing about being the kid of divorced parents, you really wish that somehow, some way, your parents will get back together. Once they start dating others, the reality sets in that life is from now on, forever different. There is a slim chance that they will get back together. My mom started dating Chet, now part of my family. They ended up getting married and I have two new siblings from them, Cooper Dean (1) and
Cade (3). I was blessed to have a beautiful sister given to me by my biological parents. She is my bestest friend, sister, and mom. She teaches me so much and loves me unconditionally. I really want to be like her when I grow older. Adi (16) is my rock.

Now I get to move on to my next family. Family part 2! This is my family with my dad. My dad isn't married but lives with two roommates. Andria and Kessee. Kessee has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Kessee has two kids that I adore! I love them! (I won't say their names)  Him and dad are best friends. Andria became part of my life about 2 and a half years ago. She has 3 kids that have really become my siblings. Jayvin (15) is a super quiet, but loving kid. We have a strange relationship. I think we are friends, but we don't really talk. That's just how we work. Marshall (14) is the younger brother that I don't have quite yet. (Coop and Cade are a little to young) We fight like siblings but love each other like siblings. He definitely doesn't like to hug. Typical bro, right? Carrera (10) is my cute little sister. She makes me laugh all of the time. She lets me do her hair and always makes me feel like I am worth something. I really love her.

Finally, on to my best friends. I have a lot of really close friends but I have really, 3 bestest friends ever. I am not sure if I should say their names but I am going to anyway. (; My best friend, is Kamille. She and I have known of each other all of our school days. We became friends about 4 years ago when our stakes split and we ended up being in the same ward. She left for Arizona for a year and I got left here. During that time, she changed a lot and learned so much about herself. She learned that she is a daughter of God and is very important. People always ask me what it means to be a true and loving friend. The first person I think of is
Kamille. She is ready and willing to help me when I fall. We have had our laughs, tears, heart-to-heart talks, and pick-me-ups. When I am around her, I want to do my best. She has seen every side to me and still loves me for who I am. I want nothing more than to see her succeed in life. I know she will do fantastic! College definitely won't be the same without her. Tyler and Matt are my other two bestest friends. They are Kamille's brothers and we bonded a lot when she was gone in Arizona. They know when I am feeling down and can always make me smile. When I have kids, I want them to be just like Matt and Ty. They are so respectful and sweet. They just make everyone around them feel happy and positive. Thanks guys!

So that's my story. I wouldn't be who I am today without the special people in my life. I look up to a lot, but only a few are my heroes. I am truly blessed to have each of these people to go on this journey of life. Remember that, no matter how frustrating your family or friends can be, they love you. It might be hard to show it, but always tell your loved ones you love them. It means a lot.

XOXO - Taylor

Baby-sitting is Lyfe

Today, as I stumbled out of bed, I look at the clock to see it say 10:30. Today is the day I am supposed to baby-sit the little brothers. I haven't baby-sat in a little while, so this should be fun, right? HAH! It was so fun! (;

We started out with watching Curious George. I think I have seen every episode of every season to this show more than 4 times. Cade is absolutely in love! Cooper just kinda does whatever. He is content to do what every one else is doing. Which is totally okay with me, makes it easier to watch him. As I am laying on the ground, watching Curious George, I feel a thump to my head! I roll over to see a bunch of books lying all around me and a very proud Cade. I looked at him and scowled and he immediately said, "Sowwy Taywer. Sowwy." I rolled back over to continue watching, when all of a sudden, I got tackled by both Cade and Cooper. I am absolutely convinced that they conspired with each other to tackle me. Makes sense, right? With laughters all around, I quickly pretended to die. MAN! They thought that was sooo funny! I have not heard them laugh like that in a long time. Seriously, music to my ears.

Lunch time is coming around the corner. I can barely feed myself sometimes, so I was kind of worried about what to make the boys. When I make myself food, it usually isn't food for the littles. I begun looking around the pantry to see what I could dig up. And there it was!! Macaroni and Cheese!! It had come to my rescue! (I really think its disgusting, but the boys love it and its easy to make) While the noodles were boiling, I began thinking about how this might be one of my last times to baby-sit like this. In less that 45 days, I move out and go live on my own with 5 other girls. I won't have brothers to baby-sit! (Luckily, my cute cousin, Ashlee and her husband, Alex, are expecting! Yay! Auntie Taylor gets to baby-sit a little? :) ) I got a little bit sad while I was thinking about the short amount of time I have to spend with these cuties. They make my day every day! Cooper can always tell when you're having a hard time. You don't even need to be crying. He just comes over, and rubs his hand on your back. He's 1 year old and he can already pick up on others' feelings. Amazing! Cade has such a fiery temper, that when he is so angry, you can't help but laugh because, even though he has to get a diaper change, IT. IS. THE. END. OF. THE. WORLD! And it is so funny! He is just like me in more than one way! I taught him well (; Hopefully, momma doesn't get too mad! The events today made me think of the song Don't Blink. I'm not sure who it is by. But serious! Enjoy these times with family. Because sooner or later, you have to live without them for a while and you'll miss the fun, weird, and silly times together. 

Just my thoughts for today!


XOXO - Taylor

New Life? I Think Not!

Here comes probably the most fun but yet, still terrifying time of life! Sooner or later, we all have to face the inevitable transition from dependent teenager to independent adult. We all dream of turning 18 and getting all the cool privileges an adult gets to claim. But I don't think that we realize that, in order to obtain these "privileges", we have to have all sorts of ridiculous responsibilities. Now that I am 18 and having to face these responsibilities head on, the more I wish I was still sitting on my mother's lap at church. 

Senior year was starting and the excitement of my last year of high school and it being the year I finally become an adult was quickly setting in! I had so much to look forward to. Football games, getting to do whatever I wanted when I wanted, and of course; GRADUATION! This is supposed to be the best year of my education life thus far. And it was! I got pretty much everything I wanted. As graduation finally rolled around, I knew that it was time to start looking for colleges and getting a job so I could pay for college. Who knew that one thing that is supposed to help you would run you dry of money? I finally settled on BYU-Idaho. 

Moving out and starting school is right around the corner! I get to learn more about myself and figure out my place in life! I want to take you with me on this "new life" roller coaster I get to ride! 

More coming soon!! 

XOXO - Taylor