29 December 2008

Temple Square with FAMILY!

On Sunday we decided to take a family outing to see the lights at temple square.  Felicia & Neil decided to stay an extra day before they returned to the Arctic, so we piled in the car ... literally one car ... it was a  tight squeeze ... and headed for SLC.  It had been years since we had all been there together & had also been a very long time since mom & dad had been at all.  It was so fun to all go together.  We did miss having Nate, Kim & Addi with us as they could not attend this blessed event, perhaps another year.















Felicia & Neil of coarse were being themselves... They are such characters or clowns... or... just weird, but they make us laugh our heads off all the time.  They can make any moment fun & full of laughter.


















My parents are so GREAT!  I love this picture of them.  It makes me so happy that they are still so in love.  It was so fun to share the spirit of temple square with them.















And last but not least one of the clan, well most of us anyways.  Temple square was so beautiful this year.  I am so glad we got to share that special experience together during the Christmas season!

25 December 2008

Just a thought...

As I was doing my daily reading on the Deseret News web site this evening I was touched by this that was said by President Thomas S. Monson today.  I hope it touches you all as well & I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Published: December 25, 2008

"If we are to have the very best Christmas ever, we must listen for the sound of sandaled feet. We must reach out for the Carpenter's hand. With every step we take in His footsteps, we abandon a doubt and gain a truth." — President Thomas S. Monson, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

07 December 2008

Do you get bored with a routine life? Here's some ways to tick people off & make your life more interesting & funny.

Ok first of all I must thank my friend Parker for letting me steal this idea for a blog post.  He's got a pretty sweet blog too!!  Here's a link to his blog, check it out! http://parkerdonat.wordpress.com/ 

Here's a list of ways you can tick people off, and I must say... they are hilarious & i'm pretty sure I will be trying some of them... and sad to say that some of them I have done before.

How to Tick People Off:

1.  Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, & 99 copies.
2.  Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
3.  Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
4.  Practice making fax & modem noises.
5.  Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
6.  Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
7.  Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
8.  Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears & grimacing. (HAHA, I'm going to try this just to get a reaction).
9.  Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
10. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, & insist to others that you "like it that way."
11. Staple pages in the middle of the page. (I do this at work, its so funny to see people's reaction).
12. Honk & wave to strangers.
13. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, & simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
14. TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
15. type only in lowercase.
16. dont use any punctuation either
17. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones & reroute whole streets.  (I want to do this!)
18. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
"DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
"What?"
"Never mind, it's gone now."  (I'm going to do this!)
19. As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
20. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin.  When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
21. Ask people what gender they are.
22. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
23. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
24. Sing along at the opera.
25. Go to a poetry recital & ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
26. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions & then scribble their answers in a notebook.  Mutter something about "psychological profiles."
27. Steal your friends blogging ideas.  (This one's for Parker)

*Source: www.stumbleupon.com*

04 December 2008

Computer disaster with a perk!

Tuesday morning I am sitting in class working on my computer ... everything is running fine ... computer starts making a weird noise ... I power off my computer ... turn it back on ... it comes to this white screen asking me to enter a hard drive password ... I'm like "WHAT THE?!" ... I call my brother ... he doesn't have any idea what's going on, he advises me to call Dell ... I spend half my day on the phone with Dell ... pay them $49 to tell me that my hard drive some how got corrupted and most likely all my information (docs, music, pics) is gone ... spend the other half of the day purchasing a new computer.  Morel of the story ALWAYS BACK UP ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION ON YOUR COMPUTER!!

So that was the computer disaster part and getting a new computer was the perk part.  I am now a MAC instead of a PC.  Big adjustment, but pretty darn amazing adjustment.  

I went from this ... 



















To this ... my new friend ... The MacBook









*Photo Credits: Google images & Apple.com

02 December 2008

Tribute to Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin


This article broke this morning, it comes from the Deseret News.com. Its always sad to hear that one of our apostles past away, but what a joyous reunion for him!

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin passes away at 91

Published: December 2, 2008
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, the oldest living apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 11:30 p.m. Monday at the age of 91.

A press release from the LDS Church said Elder Wirthlin had gone to bed at his Salt Lake City home, and died peacefully of causes incident to age. His oldest daughter, Jane Wirthlin Parker, was present. A member of the family had been staying and caring for Elder Wirthlin, whose wife, Elisa Young Rogers Wirthlin, died two years ago.

The release said Elder Wirthlin had continued to work at his office right up until the Thanksgiving holiday. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Elder Wirthlin's last major public appearance was at the church's most recent semi-annual general conference in October, when he shared an address many church members have since used in lessons and as a guide in dealing with personal challenges. Titled "Come What May and Love It," he spoke of a challenge after his football team lost a tough game.

As he complained about the game to his mother, he received advice that he said had stayed with him all his life. "Joseph," she said, "come what may and love it." She had taught them to "trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes and give their best effort in everything they attempted."

"When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again," he said. "In spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser and happier as a result."

He also spoke of death, saying "life will continue on the other side of the veil. There we will be given new opportunities. Not even death can take us from the eternal blessings promised by a loving Heavenly Father."

He reminded Latter-day Saints that top church leaders are not immune from challenges that members face. "There may be some who think that general authorities rarely experience pain, suffering or distress. If only that were true.The Lord in His wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness."

Elder Wirthlin lost his wife, Elisa Young Rogers Wirthlin, on Aug. 16, 2006, when she died at age 87 of causes incident to age. He spoke of his heartache at the following general conference, but expressed confidence in eternal life and Jesus Christ's power over death.

He was born June 11, 1917 in Salt Lake City to Joseph L. and Madeline Bitner Wirthlin. From his own account, he was about seven years old when his lifelong commitment to the gospel took root.

"I was in a fast and testimony meeting when a humble brother bore his testimony. He spoke with such fervency that it electrified me to the point that I partook of his great spirit as to the truthfulness of the gospel."

He recalled his childhood fondly. "We had many rabbits and chickens in our back yard. It was my job to help care for them."

And he was always doing odd jobs in his father's business. "In my early teens, I was a janitor. In high school, I got up early to deliver to accounts that required early service."

Doing his chores at home, working in his father's business, participating in athletics, and attending school left him little idle time.

When dating his future wife, Elisa Rogers, he would go to work in the morning before school started, attend classes from 8 a.m. to noon, and go back to work.

"When we had dates, it would be nine or 10 p.m. before he could even come over," Sister Wirthlin once recalled.

He didn't even have time to pick out a romantic setting to propose to her.

"We became engaged at the pump, the center of everything at the university campus. That's where we would meet after his classes and before he left for work."

His father served as Presiding Bishop of the church, and Elder Wirthlin's dream as a young man was to be a missionary in Germany, just as his father had been. That dream came true when he served in the German-Austrian and the Swiss-Austrian missions from 1937-1939.

An accomplished athlete, he played football for the University of Utah, and graduated with a degree in business administration, and received an honorary doctorate degree from Brigham Young University in 2001. He and his wife were married May 26, 1941, in the Salt Lake Temple and are the parents of eight children.

He believed in a daily plan of each day's activities. "I make a schedule of what I am going to do and stick to it. I have learned that half an hour of planning will save several hours during the day."

His daughter, Jane, recalled waking "at five in the morning and hearing him at the typewriter," typing his schedule for the day. And Elder Wirthlin used time wisely even when eating meals with his family.

"He wasn't around much before or after dinner," his daughter Elisabeth said. "But we always had gospel discussions at the dinner table. I felt like he really tutored us in the church."

Elder Wirthlin loved the scriptures and would make time to read them. His daughter Elizabeth said, "Many times I would wake up and go downstairs, and see him studying the scriptures at 4:30 in the morning."

Before his call to full-time church service, he was a prominent business leader in Salt Lake City. He was also president of a trade association in Utah.

Elder Wirthlin served just under 17 years in the bishopric of the Bonneville Ward, then seven years as a counselor to Russell M. Nelson in the Bonneville Stake presidency in Salt Lake City. Elder Nelson spoke once of Elder Wirthlin's faith and willingness to work.

"There was hardly ever a Sunday night when I didn't get a call from him asking if there was any more he could do for me," Elder Nelson said.

He also served for about four years as first counselor to Elder Nelson in the Sunday School general presidency before being called as an assistant to the Twelve in April 1975.

When he was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve on Oct. 4, 1986, Elder Wirthlin said, "I've loved every assignment I've ever had in the kingdom. And in that service, every day seemed like Sunday, because it was in the service of the Lord."

"There is old proverb," Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin was wont to say, "which says, 'An inch of gold will not buy an inch of time.' We must put a sufficiently high value on time. It is valuable and should not be wasted."

He was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy on Oct. 1, 1976, and to the Presidency of the Seventy on Aug. 28, 1986. Elder Wirthlin was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Oct. 4, 1986 and ordained an apostle on Oct. 9, 1986 at age 69.

He often spoke of his faith in Jesus Christ, and encouraged others to develop their faith as well.

"My life really is anchored to the testimony that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ," he said.

In another conference, he said, "I wish I could engrave on every heart what I so keenly know and feel. I bear unwavering testimony that our Heavenly Father and His divine Son, Jesus Christ, rule and reign, and that we must all understand that the gospel is everlasting."

30 November 2008

Family Christmas Card Picture Day (Gag me!)















Since everyone was still here this weekend from Thanksgiving, mom wanted to take our Christmas card photo...& I'm just glad there wasn't to much family drama (if you know what I mean) & happy that everyone could fit this moment into their busy "schedule" & other "plans". It turned out good (even with dad's ridiculous looking hat, and nice slippers Felicia!)... although it is missing two very important family members... the dogs, Copper
& Koda. Mom won't usually allow them in the family pictures... she claims she's not very fond of them, although I know deep down she loves them. So I added a cute picture of both of them! :) Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

25 November 2008

Puzzle

Today I was doing one of my daily crosswords in the USA Today newspaper & if any of you have ever done a USA Today crossword there are also other games, for instance a word search, sudoku, etc. There is one that is called "Don't Quote Me" that is one of my favorites. You may ask what it is, well let me tell you... They take a topic and a quote from someone and they give you a number of words and then have a sentence with blanks. You have to take the words they give you and figure out the quote. Today the quote went along well with this weeks upcoming holiday so I decided to share it with all of my awesome blog readers. I'm not going to give you the answer cuz that would just be boring... so figure it out! (It's actually a pretty darn easy one compared to some of them I have done in the past.)

November 25, 2008 USA Today "Don't Quote Me"
Instructions: Rearrange the words to complete the quote
Quote comes from columnist Erma Bombeck, talking about food.

BEVERAGE COME CONSIDERED
FAMILY FROM GRAVY I

"__________ _________ __________ a __________ where _________ is __________ a __________."

24 November 2008

CONGRATS LIL' SIS!!


My lil' sis Felicia got married this last week! She married a great guy that is exactly like her, so they are hilarious together! I am so happy for her & Neil, they are so incredibly happy & I absolutely love seeing her so happy!! CONGRATULATIONS FELICIA & NEIL!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!

17 November 2008

Looking forward to...

PUMPKIN PIE!!! My lovely Grandma was an amazing cook and passed down her skill to my amazing mother. One of the best recipes that we have from my Grandma is her famous "award winning" pumpkin pie. Yes I said award winning... it has won awards... that's how amazing it actually is! If only you were so lucky to taste how award winning it is... I like to call it "celestial kingdom" food.

Only 10 days and counting... :)


Real Mashed Potatoes & Home Made Gravy (none of that fake stuff)

Although I love the fabulous potato flakes from the church cannery, I love mashed potatoes made from the potatoes themselves even more. Also, the gravy made from the turkey drippings!



Potato Salad
My amazing Grandma also passed down the most delectable recipe for potato salad also... and although it took my mom a few years to perfect it (says my Dad) she did, and it is just awesome!


And of coarse last but not least TURKEY!! Turkey is good... not my favorite, but it is a must at least once a year. My favorite part about turkey is that something always seems to go wrong... it takes to long to cook... the little red thing doesn't work, so it doesn't pop up when it's done, etc... you all know what I mean. :)

*Images courtesy of Google images*

13 November 2008

Motivation?


Definition from dictionary.com
mo-ti-va-tion

1. the act or an instance of motivating.
2. the state or condition of being motivated.
3. something that motivates; inducement; incentive.

With the semester winding down here in a few weeks, I find myself very unmotivated. So today I was searching on Google images and typed in motivation and found these pictures. One of them pretty much shows all I want to do right now, (and I think that's obvious seeing as I am so unmotivated) and the other two I just thought were funny when thinking about having motivation. *Images courtesy of Google*

12 November 2008

Big Issue for SPORTS!!

This week the UVU Review's issue was soley all about the sports section (Go Sports Staff!!). We did the men & women basketball preview for the 2008-2009 season. Not only was the sports actually able to be featured on the front of the newspaper, we had a huge section. 8 full pages! Which is more than double what our section usually is. It turned out amazing! The entire staff did an excellent job in contributing and our designers did an amazing job and made it look awesome! When I picked it up before staff meeting on Monday, I was blown away by how good it looked.

I wrote a lot for this issue... not only for sports, but also for news. I was able to write a news story that I came up with from walking around campus and observing something that bothered me. It was a fun article to research and write. The finished product was more than I thought it would be and I was excited for it to be published in this issue. Plus it made the front page and the photo that our photographer got for it was pure brilliance! This blog post is going to be super long cuz I decided to post all 3 of
my article on here rather than putting the links to them on the website. They will appear in this order. News story entitled: Either brave the cold or make the detour, Sports story entitled: Expectations high for wolverines, and Sports story entitled: Cross country men and women finish season strong. Enjoy!

Either brave the cold or make the detour
By Kira Terry

When students returned for fall semester, they found that the high traffic hallway between the computer science building and the old library was closed off. The hallway was converted to temporary offices, making it harder to get around campus without going outside but not impossible.

UVU's campus is unique because it allows students to get around campus without going outside. During the cold winter months, students definitely take advantage of being able to stay inside. Even with the current changes, it is still possible, but students will have to make a major detour.

Recently with the weather turning colder and wetter, students have seen the effect the closed off hallway has. "Today I was sopping wet. I wasn't happy," said Jordy Kirkman, a freshman from Logan. "I won't be walking across campus as much. I'm going to avoid it like the plague."

The temporary offices in the converted hallway have replaced offices that were in the LRC building, which is being remodeled into the new career success building. "During the remodel of the LRC there won't be any heating in that building," said Frank Young, the senior director of space development for UVU. "We wanted to have space for those people to office where they could be comfortable, so we built that for temporary use and will tear it down in April and the hallway will be opened up again."

Even though it is a temporary situation, students are still affected. Students wanting to stay inside during the cold weather still can but will have to take a longer route. "It's really frustrating. I only have 15 minutes between classes, but I'll make the detour because I don't want to go outside in the cold," said Weslie Graham, a freshman from Provo.

To remain inside, students can go to the 6th floor of the CS building and over to the GT building. From there they can go down through the GT and down into the business building, a detour that will take students longer than normal. "I think it's going to be a pain," said Michael Ward, a freshman from Michigan.

The study tables and chairs that lined the hallway will also be put back in place after the remodeling is complete, but where can students study until then? "There's the 6th level bridge between the CS and GT buildings, where more tables were put in," said Young. "They also recreated the calculus lab at the end of the automotive building on the west end, but a lot of it is still in storage and will be put back when the hallway is open again."

As for the risk of using the outside walkways during the cold, snowy weather, Young says, "We hope that students will stay inside during bad weather, but we'll make sure the outdoor walkways are all salted and shoveled and safe to use."

*Photo Credit: Trent Bates*

Expectations high for wolverines
By Kira Terry

With some seniors ready to play their final season as Wolverines, some returning sophomores and juniors and a few freshmen, the women's basketball team is ready to show what they can do.

As a team their goal will be about what they can achieve this season. "The goal is to reach our potential, and this year I think we probably have more potential than we've had in the past," said head coach Cathy Nixon. "My goal every year is to help them become what they are capable of. I think we are a very good team, and I think this can be a historical year for Utah Valley women's basketball. And I think the stage is set for that."

"We feel like it's a year where we have the talent to compete nationally against some of the top teams, and we've really aligned those teams on our schedule," Nixon said. That talent Nixon talks about includes Robyn Fairbanks, a senior from Raymond, Alberta. Fairbanks will play her final year as a Wolverine this season. "Fairbanks is a special player," Nixon added. "She obviously will be a focal point in what we do in many ways. I anticipate that she is going to have a fantastic year."

Returning guard Sandy Marvin-Wall, a senior from Spring Lake, will also play her final year at UVU. "I'm excited for Sandy," Nixon said. "I think that this is the year that she's going to put it all together. She's made great strides in every year that she's been here. I know she's going to be a big impact for our team."

Julie McMurray, a junior from Cardston, Alberta, is a returning player this year who is looking to show great potential. "I think Julie is going to have one of those breakout years," Nixon said. "She's stronger, more confident, and I think ready to compete and play at this level in a way she hasn't done in the past."

"I really see that Nakayama will have a big impact on our program this year as well, and I think she is going to have one of those years that we've known she could have," Nixon said. Asumi Nakayama is a returning junior from Saitama, Japan.

Two freshmen starting in the program this year are Erika Newbold from South Jordan and Jenna Johnson from Salem. "We're really grateful that they're in our program, and I foresee both of them getting playing time and making a contribution," Nixon said. Their season starts Friday Nov. 14, when the Wolverines host Montana State. "The kids are just ready for the gate to open," Nixon concluded.

Cross-country men and women finish season strong
By Kira Terry

Wolverine cross-country men and women rocked the Great West Conference by placing in the top two for the last meet of the 2008 season.

The GWC meet was held at Lakeside Park in Orem last week. The women's 6k race took place first and the wolverine women finished in 1st place and were crowned the first ever GWC Champions.

"I was excited to have both men and women finish in the top two today," said cross-country coach Scott Houle, who was awarded GWC Coach of the Year for the women. Krystal Harper, a freshman from Orem, was UVU's top finisher placing 6th individually.

"I started to fall back, but brought it back. So I'm pretty happy about it," Harper said. Harper was also awarded GWC Newcomer of the Year for the women. After receiving the award she said, "It was surprising."

Harper has had an excellent season being a freshman and feels like she's met her goals. "It's my first year, so I didn't really know what to expect, but I have no regrets," she added.

Since it's only Harpers first year, she is ready to take on another season returning as a sophomore. She said her goals for next year are, "For this meet I want to get top 3 and I want to definitely be top 3, hopefully top 2 runners on our team."

The men ran an 8k race and the Wolverines came away with 2nd place as a team. Joshua McCabe, a freshman from Springville, and Jared Keller, a sophomore from Orem, were UVU's top finishers placing 4th and 5th individually.

Keller and McCabe stayed together and kept their pack tight for the entire race, and were both very pleased with their results. Keller said, "I was glad I stayed up there and kept myself in position. I couldn't have asked for anything more."

McCabe was awarded GWC Newcomer of the Year for the men. "I felt good about it. I didn't really know what to expect because it is my first season, but it turned out really well and it was a goal of mine, so I felt pretty excited," McCabe said.

Being McCabe's freshman year, he is pleased with his first season, "I couldn't have hoped for better," he said. "I feel really good about it. I finished the way I wanted to and I'm ready to stop running for a couple weeks."

Both the men and the women had excellent seasons this year and finished the season strong. "We're satisfied with it. We all gave our best and can't feel bad about that," McCabe said. "I think we showed good progress. We're ready to go get them next year," Keller added.