Bliss

Let me just say that a lot has happened in the past month. It has been a great month and I don’t think that I could think of a better place to be right now then in Logan. My roommates and I get along amazing and we are always living it up. This month has consisted of cliff jumping, concerts, Betos, movie nights, Modern Family, squirt gun fights, pirate day, quote walls, the state fair, dates, my birthday and lots of other great moments. I must say that there is nothing in my life that I can complain about. It’s just simply bliss besides the pile of homework sitting next to me. Thanks goes out to all those who are apart of my life. You’re the best.

Cameron "Dubie"

This post is just for “Dubie”. I believe I met him when I was 15 or 16 at a stake dance. We were in different stakes and lived on opposite sides of Elk Grove but still became the best of friends. We had the routine of meeting for breakfast at Dennys when we could in order to catch up and spend time together. Since he was gotten home from his mission I feel we have gotten even closer. Since my divorce Cameron has been a rock for me. He always knows how to make me laugh, how to cheer me up, give me advice, and is a great friend. I am so grateful for people like Cameron who I know will always be there for me. Thanks and lots of Love. You’re the best.
Sanchez

Here is a very old picture of Cameron and I. Sadly we haven't taken any pictures in a very long time.

Life is Getting Better

Life is getting better!!!! This labor day weekend was awesome and I want to thank my friends and roommates for it. On Friday I ended up going to a bon fire and a movie night and both were very fun. Saturday night The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus came to Logan and played a free concert. It wasn’t the best concert I have been to but it was still a lot of fun. My cousin Natalie and some of her friends along with my good friend Alex all spent the night and it was good to be able to talk and catch up with people. On Sunday I went down to Alpine and had dinner with my cousins the Bartons. Let me just say that they are amazing. That night I spent the night at my brothers house and we always have fun. On Monday my roommates and I headed out to Bloomington Lake. The lake is runoff from a glacier and let me just say the water was freezing. It was so hard to be able to swim to the cliffs that we jumped off because I thought my body was going to brake down. It was so much fun though to be able to spend time with my roomies.
I have been trying to stay really busy and it’s working. Life has been good and I am having a more positive outlook on life. My heart is healing and I am moving on to bigger and better things. I am hoping within the month that life will go from good back to amazing.

My Take on Life

Let me just say that this week has been dang hard. I moved to Logan a week ago and although I love it here I am crazy lonely. My roommates are amazing, but during the day when all I have is school and the library to look forward to, life gets hard. Recently I have been feeling heart broken as well and that’s never good for a girl when she has no one to turn to close by. I think I have cried at least once every day since I got here. I am trying to stay strong right now but I feel like the adversary is trying to get me down.
I like to write quotes in the front and back pages of my scriptures of things that really strike me. Tonight as I was going over them I found a quote that said “Endure your challenges with joy.” It was such a blessing to be able to read that. I was also able to remember that all things give me experience and are for my good. It was so wonderful to be able to read all the quotes that I have gathered over the last few years. It reminded me that I am a daughter of God and that I need to make sure that I am beautiful to him and not the world.
I had the opportunity on Tuesday to be able to go to the temple and to go to my mom’s grave shortly after. It was so wonderful to be able to feel her presence in the temple and then be able to go and actually visit her. I am so grateful that I have a forever family and that I will be able to one day be with my family in the afterlife.
Today as I was sitting on Old Mains hill and crying my friend Cameron Dubray left me the best voicemail a best friend could ever get. He told me that I was not allowed to have a bad day and that I deserve to have a great day everyday. It was so wonderful to be able to hear these words from a guy that I consider one of my best friends in the world. I guess what I am trying to get out through all of this is that life sucks so much, but I am trying. I think that is what we all need to do. Life is full of challenges and adventures and broken hearts but as long as we try and look at the glass half empty everything will work out. I wanted to express my gratitude to my family who all seemed to call me today and cheer me up, and to my wonderful friends. I am so grateful for the gospel and for the sense that it knocks into me. I am grateful for my amazing roommates, and I am grateful for the opportunities that have been placed before me. I am hoping that within a few months I will be over my broken heart, and have made some great friends. I know that the Lord has landed me in Logan for a purpose so I guess all I can do is leave it in his hands.

The Past

It's funny how we all have pasts. They shape and mold us and make us who we are today. We can always say don't live in the past or forget the past, but it always comes back up again. Tonight I can't sleep because of the past. When I was young I was not the best kid a parent could ask for and tonight this is really bothering me. I guess I feel so bad because I am scared that some of my actions from the past might still be present today. I am a much happier and healthier person then I was growing up, but my past is my past and I hope that it doesn't affect my future to much. I guess the only thing I can do is make the best out of the situations I am handed and give the rest to the Lord.

Real World

I’m at a pivotal point in my life where the decisions I make now will affect my future immensely and I must admit, I’m starting to freak out. I keep thinking of school and financial security and marriage and all the things that life brings and I am wondering how you get from point A to point B? About a week ago I had the opportunity to fly out to New York with some friends. As I was boarding the plane I passed through first class and I couldn’t help but think how they all ended up there. Most of the passengers were business men and were quickly dialing away on their “smart” phones making important calls to their work place. I wondered what they were doing when they were my age. I also couldn’t help but think if this is where they really wanted to end up, or if financial obligations drove them there. I was filled with some many questions as I walked through the seven aisles of comfortable first class seats. Life would be so much easier if we could know where we are going to end up one day, but I guess not knowing is what makes it fun right? I just needed to admit that the real world is starting to freak me out! Help!

Writing

One of the things I have always wanted to be great at is writing. My oldest brother Jerry is great at it and I love being able to read his blog. My senior year of high school writing was one of my favorite things to do. I took an AP English class that worked me harder then any class I have ever taken. We were encouraged to write poetry everyday and we read a lot of interesting literature. My senior year writing was a big part of my life. It became the way that I expressed myself. I even though about changing my major to photo journalism but my style of writing and photography would not be able to mesh well together. I love reading honest and true literature that tells it just as it is, swear words and all. Sometimes there is no other way to describe how you feel then to be totally honest with your words. As mentioned in a previous post, I recently read the book Eat Pray Love. I loved the writing style. Everything was was honest and true. I wish I had the courage and the capability to be able to write some of the things that I have read. I hope one day I am able to be open and honest with everything that I write. It really is one of the best ways to express yourself.

Eat Pray Love

I have just finished the most amazing book and I wanted to share it with everyone. I have been reading Eat Pray Love for months now (since socializing has become a top priority) and I have finally put in the time to finish it. I don’t feel like words can describe literature like this. The way Elizabeth Gilbert speaks is so honest and so true. The book is full of meaningful phrases that make perfect since, but yet nothing at all for example, “Say it like you eat it.”
The book starts off with Gilberts own divorce. As many of you know I just went through my own divorce. Gilberts description of her divorce is the exact same way I felt and the perfect way, I feel to describe to my dear loved ones what happened to me this past year.
The story is one women’s journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia. She spends four months in each place and each place is centered on a topic. Italy is the pursuit of pleasure, India is devotion, and Indonesia focuses on balance. In each location Gilbert meets several new people that change her world upside down and is always honest.
I don’t know what else to say about this book besides wonderful. It is full of quirky conversation, personal insight, and a new way to look at life. She gives us the opportunity to go through the good and the bad of her year of traveling. The book is currently being made into a movie and Julia Roberts is Elizabeth Gilbert. I don’t think I can think of a better woman to play this role. I promised I would see it opening day! Anyone want to join me?

Advice

Well, I am seeking advice. Life is good but always challenging. I have realized that I need to make some very important decisions in my life within the next few months. As previously mentioned, I have decided to go to Utah State and I hope to peruse my degree in photography. I was talking to a friend this past week and he mentioned that I was running away. I must admit, this is a little true. Although I have only been in Provo since September, a lot has happened in that time period and I am so scared of running into my past. Provo has a lot to offer me though. I have a job that allows me to pay my bills and that I happen to love. I also have friends and lots of family close by and even though I have decided that BYU is not the place for me I could always attend UVU. As far as Utah State is concerned, I know nothing about it. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about Logan and Utah State, but I am scared out of my mind to go somewhere where I know no one. Not to mention that the closest family will be two hours away. I know a fresh start is always rewarding, but I have a past and eventually people will find out. Right now I am trying to pray and figure it out but I am hoping that some words of advice might be able to give me some comfort as well. I have a few other big personal decisions to make in the near future and I am scared the pressure is getting to me. Please pray I will make the right decision. Thanks for listening.

Catch Up

Well, let’s catch up! Not a ton has happened, but life has been great lately for the most part and that is always important. I went to California for a few days last week and had a blast. My Dad came down with his lady friend and we had a great time hanging out, shopping, eating yummy food, and catching up. It was a much needed trip and I already miss my family like crazy. Hopefully I can see them again sometime soon.

Late Night Thoughts

Well conveniently I can’t sleep. Thankfully this provides plenty of time to blog which is something I have not been very good at ever. Let’s just say that life has been interesting lately but I must say I am doing ok. As most of you know there have been a lot of difficult changes in my life lately but I feel like things are finally turning towards the good.

First off, I have a plan. I have officially gotten into Utah State in Logan and I am heading there in the fall. I couldn’t be more excited for a fresh start but I am so sad that I will have to leave all the people that I love in Provo. Provo has had its ups and downs but it really has a special place in my heart. I wish I could stay here but under the current circumstances I feel like I need to get out for my sanity in the future.

Secondly, I have never realized how much I love my family until now. Like all families we are dysfunctional, but I love it. I feel like I have so much support from my loved ones and I have never felt a stronger bond with them. I don’t think I have talked to my Dad this much or this often ever and I love that. My older sister Felisa is a huge rock star and wants me to come visit her every other weekend. I must say that having a family that I trust and that I can turn to has made a huge difference in my life.

Thirdly, I am reading a great book! I only read a few pages a night because I have a bad habit of staying up way to late and then being to tired to read but I must say it has made a difference. Having an uplifting book to read at the end of the night gets me completely ready for bed. I look forward to it every night even if I only get two pages in. I used to read when I was a kid late at night so that I could stay up later then my bedtime and I need to thank my Dad for that. Reading really is a great productive way to spend your time and I am grateful I have that tool in my life.

Finally, (I think) I have regained my testimony of the church. Like everyone I go through up and down stages. I took a much needed trip to temple square with my friend Chelsea and we ran into our friend who is serving a mission at temple square. It was such a blessing to see her and it totally reaffirmed my testimony of the church. I don’t think I have been as happy as I was this weekend in a long time. Christ really is the way to true happiness. The fact that you can cry just by talking or thinking about Christ alone proves that the gospel is without a doubt Christ’s church here on the earth. I can’t imagine not having my love for the Savior in my life. I am so grateful for my Dad who listened to the missionaries and stayed strong so that he could raise us in the church. I am so grateful for the temple and for the opportunities I have to go there and serve and I am grateful for eternal families. I can’t wait to be with my family forever because they really are amazing.

I am sorry for such a long post but I felt like I needed to write and express myself about the past few months. Life has had so many ups and downs the past twenty years but we got to keep going. The reason we go down is so we can go up again. I know that there are going to be better days ahead and I can’t wait. If I keep my focus on the Savior I don’t see any reason why I can’t be completely happy.

Scoot4Life

My good friend Shaylin has been wanting a razor scooter for forever. I asked her to go to Walmart with me since I had to return something and low and behold we ended up in the scooter section. After much riding and convincing we both rode out of the store with scooter in hand. Everyone could see how much of a trend we were setting and now two of our friends from work have bought scooters. We are trying to make them the new cool thing! I must say I have biffed it once pretty hard but all in al it has been awesome. All I have to say is Scoot4Life!

Wedding Time

My very first wedding! I just wanted to let you know that I shot my very first wedding this past week. It was so exciting! I was very nervous but I think the pictures came out pretty good. To check out the pictures visit my photo blog at lolamemories.blogspot.com I hope you enjoy them!

A Women’s Closet

I don’t know what it is but every time I look in my closet it always feels like I have nothing to wear. Sounds pretty typical right? Usually I just have a few favorite shirts that I rotate through. Since I wear a work shirt everyday I usually hardly ever get dressed up and don’t tend to run into this problem. Today I got off of work early and headed off to see a friend that just returned home from a mission. I wasn’t trying to impress him by any means but I didn’t want to look like a scrub either. As I was searching through my closet I couldn’t find anything worthy of being worn. Sadly I picked the shirt that was next on my list for my rotation. Now, I never buy clothes but I just recently went to visit my sister and her closest literally is my favorite store. I went to her house with one suitcase and left with three. What I have come to realize through all of this is that it doesn’t matter how many shirts, dresses, etc a girl has, we are always going to feel like we don’t have anything to wear. What I have found to be the saddest too, is that our closets are usually full to the brim. Here is a picture of my friend’s closet. I saw this picture of her closet and that is what started this whole tangent. Girls please just tell me you understand. Just remember boys, if we feel comfortable in what we are wearing then we are going to be a lot more fun and confident so don’t ever rush a women to pick a shirt. It’s a big deal.

Procrastination

I have never understood why procrastination is the most wonderful thing in the world. The idea of doing something later just makes the now that much better. For example I have a paper due tomorrow and white glove tomorrow morning. I haven’t started my paper, and I haven’t started cleaning, yet here I am writing a blog and procrastinating and thinking about maybe taking a nap. The funny thing is that we all do it. We know that there are always those things that we put off to the last minute because we either don’t want to do them or we do better when we cram it all in at the last minute. We all have times in our lives where we don’t want to do things but I have found that I am so much happier when I get them over with. To bad my thoughts have not become actions. Procrastination proceed. Until next time, we shall see what I am avoiding then.

A Fresh Start

Well let me just say that a lot has changed over the past few months. I am just going to throw it all out there. First off, Pablo and I have decided to get a divorce. I know it’s weird to announce to the world on our blog, but this will no longer be our blog, it will be my blog. I have wanted to make a blog for the past few months in order to document events, pictures, etc. I have really enjoyed doing it with my photo blog and so I am now hoping to do it on a more personal level. Although life is hard at the moment I feel that in a few months I will be able to tackle the world and anything in its path. I hope that you continue to keep up with me and my doings and I thank everyone for all of their love and support the past few months. We are going to make it through.

Ok, you have to read this!

So a couple of weeks ago my friend Jordan introduced me to this blog called Seriously So Blessed. I must say this is the best blog ever. No one knows who it is, and basically it’s someone just making fun of typical Mormon Clichés. You have to check it out! If you don’t die laughing I will be shocked. Pablo and I check it on a regular basis to look at all of the creative stuff that she comes up with. Enjoy. The link is seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com

Typical Blogger Post

Well, I must admit that I am happy to hear that people read my blog. For the past couple of months I have been updating it on a regular basis and I have felt like no one is reading it. I am glad that my posts have not gone in vain. Well, here is a quick update on our life.
SCHOOL AND WORK
So I know that I said that I would not post until May, but a lot has happened in the past month and a half and so I thought I would update since I am currently avoiding homework. Well, I started out the semester taking 18 credits to make a long story short, getting my AA from SLCC was not the best idea after all, and so I am currently only taking 6 credits and am going to go to UVU next semester. Pablo is still taking 14 credits and is adjusting to UVU.
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Well months ago we made a goal to officially lose weight! Well, at the start of the New Year, we did awesome and both lost a little over ten pounds. Now, we are not doing so hot and its starting to come back! Our plan is to keep going strong and to be at our goal weight by Jeff and Natalias wedding. Hopefully my new found love for water aerobics will help me out. If not, hey at least Shaylin and I had fun. We will make sure to keep you updated on that one. At least Pablo and I have started to learn how to eat healthier. We both try to keep track of our calories and we tend to look at nutrition facts before we purchase an item. Our fridge is full of vegetables, and yummy healthy snacks. I even think I am addicted to snap pees!
NEW TOYS
I must say that in all my life I have never broken a phone, but, I broke my phone. I dropped it in the toilet one day at work, and it was toast. So, Pablo and I both got new phones. We decided on the ENV touch and we love them. We both feel so cool walking around with touch phones.
PODI
Ok, so I know that I am lame, but our dog turns one this month. I must admit that Pablo and I thought about having a dog party. (We love him way to much!) I think we are just going to buy him a toy though.
NEPHEW
My brother and his wife finally had their baby on January 21! His name is Luke David Sanchez! Pablo and I got to meet him when he was only 2 days old! He was so precious! Congrats Nate and Lindsay.
HAIR
After much debate I finally chopped off my hair again. I went through my usually phase of love it but totally regret it because I miss my long hair, but it turned out really cute.

Sadly Pablo and I haven’t taken any pictures yet, but hopefully this valentine’s weekend we will be able to post a few cute pictures and then you can see my new hair! Anyways, thanks for reading.

Anyone?

So I just have to throw this out there! Does anybody read this?

See ya in May!

Winter Semester has officially started and for the first time since Pablo and I dated we are both in school. Pablo is going to UVU just working on his generals. Although UVU is very different from BYUI he likes it a lot. He is still working at Wells Fargo and Fat Cats and usually gets in about 30 hours a week. Wednesdays are his busiest day. He leaves at 8:30 and doesn't come home till 10pm! Thankfully he has a 4 hour brake in between his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so he can catch up on homework.
I am still working at Pizza Pie Cafe and love it. I usually get around 35 hours a week. Last minute I decided to not go to BYU and go to Salt Lake Community College. I know it sounds kind of crazy, but now I can still work full time and focus on getting my AA. The best part too, is that it is all online. That is the main reason I am going to slcc! Once I get my AA I will focus on getting my bachelors in photography. If everything goes through like the counselor said it would I should be able to get my AA before Fall. Lets pray everything goes through correctly. Right now I am keeping busy with 18 credits and it seems like there is never time to do anything besides work and homework anymore.
During this semester I doubt I will be posting very much and so I just wanted to give you a quick update before the semester really starts picking up. I guess...we will see you in May. :) Or, perhaps if I get sick of homework, 2 or 3 times before then!

Avatar!

On Christmas Eve my Dad took pablo and I to see Avatar in... 3D...in the Imax!!! We thought that we all looked so funny in the glasses so we took some pictures before the movie started. let me just say, that I loved the movie. I thought it was amazing! Pablo and I can't wait to see it again. I just wish I could watch it on the Imax all the time!!