Dear Aggie Boys,

Ask me just two years ago and I would have never guessed that I would be this excited about Aggie Football. Not just because they are winning, but because of what they have become. Watching them grow and get better each year has been amazing. Beating BYU in 2010 was amazing. Beating Utah this fall was wonderful. But NOTHING compares to the joy I felt listening to Al Lewis yell into the radio mic "They did it! They stopped them!! Aggie's win the game!!!"

Definitely makes the list of one of my favorite Aggie moments ever. 

WAC CHAMPS!!

Photos courtesy of KSL and Cache Valley Daily

Dear Aggie Boys, 

Heck yes!

Love, Jess

My dream is to...

A few days ago, I gave my students a writing assignment title "My dream is to..." I left it really open ended and wanted them to  get creative. I had everything from "My dream is to live like a princess in a castle in a land far, far away" to "My dream is to own all the Legos in the world" and "My dream is to have a horse of my very own to ride whenever I want to." They then had to write three paragraphs of why this was their dream.

One students assignment stuck out to me however. "My dream is to get married and be a mom." I really wish I had copied her paper before handing it back to her.  It wasn't the most beautifully written assignment I have ever seen but it spoke to my heart. She wants to get married in the Provo temple because that's where her mom and dad got married and it would make Jesus happy. She wants to be a mom because she "gets good practice taking care of her little brother and it's fun." Her third reason was because she wants to be like her mom.

As I read this assignment, I couldn't help but cry a little. How often have I said almost this exact same thing?


My dream is to...

• DATE!! (First things first, right?)
• Get married in the temple (Honestly don't care which one.)
• Wait a couple of years to have kids (Let's get used to each other before having to get used to someone else)
• Have kids (Honestly don't care how many)
• Live in a house that I can decorate, and clean, and cook in- all the time (preferably with a white picket fence and a garden, but that is negotiable)  
• Be the worlds best "PTA/Soccer/Dance/Baseball/Scout/Whatever-else-my-kids-want-to-do Mom" (I don't mind be a taxi driver- car conversations are the best kind)
• Make the worlds best cupcakes (my sister already has the cookie market cornered)
• Eat dinner together every night (even if it's hard and is leftovers)
• Watch the kids go off to college  and missions (and wherever they feel like they need to go)
• Grow old together sitting on the front porch swing holding hands with my husband (preferably with a view of the sunset, but again, negotiable)

But for now, I will settle for single and a great 4th grade teacher of 30 kids I love seeing every day (even if it means living in Provo...)

Dear Boys #5

Dear Cowboy,
Fake potatoes. Not cool.
Love,
Jess

Dear Fish Lake,
I have been as bold as I dare be...any time now would be great. Thanks.
Love,
Jess

Dear Elder,
So proud of you! Keep up the good work, little brother!
Love,
Big Sis

Dear Middle Man,
Thanks for being such a great friend. My boy drama wouldn't be nearly as exciting without having you to share it with. (And I kinda love your girl drama...)
Love,
Hitch

Dear Boys #4

I am so glad Elise does these because I love them and it actually motivates me to do one too...

Dear Psych,

You are getting married and she is adorable.  I am so happy for you! (And slightly jealous...but more happy.)

Love,
Jess


Dear You,

It has been over a year and it was only a couple of dates, but can I just say thank you for being a jerk then so I didn't have to figure it out now.  You saved me a lot of time.

Not so Lovingly,
Jess


Dear Little Boy,

You stress me out on a daily basis, but I will be forever grateful that I was able to be your teacher.  I am kind of sad to see you moving on to the 5th grade (but my blood pressure thanks you.)

Love,
Miss Jensen


Dear Dan in 101 (because I still don't know your last name),

This bake off we have going on just isn't cutting it.  One of us needs to be bold enough to make the first move.  I vote you.

Sincerely,
Your Upstairs Neighbor

Best Story EVER

So, I was told I was really bad at this blogging thing so I am trying to get better.  I have a story I thought you would all enjoy...even if nothing ever comes from it, it is a GREAT story.

A couple of weeks ago, I got new neighbers in the apartment below me, but I have never met them/seen them.  I just assumed it was another lovely married BYU couple that wouldn't like me.  (That tends to happen a lot around here.)  I left for Spring Break and didn't think much about it.

Last Friday when I got home, the people above me were being SUPER noisy but they always are so it wasn't that big of a deal.  Saturday morning I left to go grocery shopping, there was a note left at my door:  

"Hi! My name is Dan and I moved in below you a couple of weeks ago.  Yesterday I had some friends over, and they were a lot noisier than I expected!  I apologize if they distrubed you at all.  Please let me know- you can text me at ______.  I hardly hear anything from upstairs, so I'm hoping that the sound-proofing here is just really good! But if they distrubed you, I can just make sure not to invit the noisy ones over any more! :) Please just let me know if there are ever any issues.  Best, Dan"

So of course my first thought is "Sound single!" (Yep, my life has become that pathetic.) My second thought, "Call Jessi!"

Then I got around to texting him back.  I told him my name and that I got his note, thanked him for his consideration, and said that I actually thought the noise was the people above me. I got one text back ending with "see you around"....not a lot to go on so that was the end of that.

Sunday at church I asked around to see if anyone new had moved into the ward the last couple of weeks since I have been gone and no. No one.  The possibilities start running through my head.  Maybe he isn't LDS, maybe he is going to his gf/fiance's ward, maybe he is going to an old ward, maybe he just doesn't know where our ward meets (it is a mostly married apt complex)...enter Jessica to save the day and invite him to the Linger Longer!! Or not, he wasn't home.

Monday, I forgot my phone at home on accident, but figured I wouldn't be too missed. When I got home I had one missed text and I automatically assumed it was from Jessi so I didn't bother to look at who it was from.

"Jessica??? (First clue that this is NOT from Jessi. She never calls me that.) That present on my door didn't happen to come from you, did it?? Lol if it didn't I'm sure this text sounds completely random..."  So now I am scrambling to look at who this is from..and low and behold, it's from Dan in 101!

So, getting into text flirt mode, I replied, "Nope! But that is really ironic because I was going to bring some cookies down to you tonight" and I get back "Ah! You are too sweet! :) That really is a strange coincidence- when I got home from work today I found a bottle of orange juice hanging from my door knob"

Ok, what the random! (And just so you know, at this point in time, I am furiously throwing ingredients into a bowl like a madmen, trying to make cookies to take down to him.  Also trying to figure out how to resurrect my hair after playing softball tonight and what I can throw on to be cute for the night again.)

I consider several replies while on the phone with Jessi trying to figure this all out.  We decide to go with "Well, orange juice doesn't really go with pumpkin cookies, but I can still bring them down if you want them (and if you don't, its really ok).

And here is the major curveball..."Well, I would LOVE them on a weekend, but during the week I keep a pretty strict diet :( I don't know if they'd keep til Saturday...I really appreciate the thought though!!"

What the!! Now I have several dozen cookies sitting on my kitchen counter and nothing to do with them.  So I just said, "That is good to know.  I will have to keep that in mind."

After asking around for advice, I have decided my next action will be to take down some homemade bread of some sort.  (I have had zip amount of time this week to take care of this sooner.)  Really, all this is supposed to be is an excuse to meet the guy!! I have still never met him nor seen him!!!

And don't worry, my mom already thinks he is my soul mate.

Dear Boys #3

Dear Boys,

Where the heck are you?

Love, Jess

Annual Aggie Post

As the end of Aggie basketball season comes, it is time for my annual Aggie post.

What a season!!  No one could have asked these boys for more of a fight the last couple of games.  Not only were they winning, they were having fun and everyone could see it.  After an "interesting" start to the season (along with some unanticipated injuries) things were starting to look like it really would be a rebuilding year...the year everyone was fearing.  We saw glimpses of the potential the team had but it never seemed to stick.  A heartbreak of a WAC tournament game left everyone slightly depressed and worried.  Well, they proved us all wrong reaching a 20+ win season and making it to the championship round of the CIT, even if no one new what that stood for.  We saw guys like Danny Berger come alive.  Morgan Grim finally seemed healthy and played extremely well.  Preston Medlin, well, there are no words. Even with a loss last night, this season turned out to be a pretty good one.  And definitely an entertaining one.  

The past week, I have spent my fair share of time in Logan.  Two separate trips in 6 days,   It has been quite the week.  I got to see lots of friends from all my different social groups in Logan, go to my own surprise party, eat great food, play with glitter, and enjoy two basketball games.  Like always, it was a great time with great people and lots of inside jokes were made (that's my favorite part). 

However, sometimes, I feel like I live two different lives.  In one life, I live in Provo.  I am a college graduate that has a professional job.  I wake up in the morning, I go to work.  I do all the adult stuff like pay bills, go grocery shopping, be somewhat mature, etc.  In my second life, I get to be in Logan.  I have no real responsibility, I can play all I want, just be the immature dorky person I am on the inside.  Sometimes those lives try to mix themselves up and it doesn't work to well...but, I have come to the conclusion that having two lives isn't that bad most of the time.

BFF

Today I would like to talk about my best friend and how awesome she is.

Jessi and I were roommates 3 years ago in Logan.  The first day I met her I was pretty sure she was terrified and never coming back.  I was moving into the apartment with 2 other girls and the only one who didn't know someone was Jessi.  When we moved in my family had come up to help so we barged into the apartment with 7 people all very loud and crazy.  Jessi got out of there as fast as she could...I was positive she wasn't coming back. Thankfully, she did.

Throughout the following school year, Jessi and I realized not only did we share the same name, we are pretty much the same person.  We think on the same brain wave (even 120 miles apart).  We literally can complete each others sentences.  It is kind of creepy sometimes.  We also have the tendency to bring out the funniness in each other (which usually means some type of random, slightly dirty comment).

When I moved to Provo, I was really nervous that we wouldn't stay as close, but was I wrong! First off, I had one of the best weekends of my life with Jessi in Vegas last March for the WAC tournament. And 2nd, I don't remember the last time I went one day without texting, talking on the phone, or chatting of Facebook with her (usually it is all three ways).  I come to Logan every chance I can and thankfully she lets me crash on her couch :)

So, the real reason for this post, was our conversation last night.  We somehow got on the topic of being coordinated and her comment was "Sorry dear, you really aren't that coordinated....well, you are coordinated but not very graceful..."  This made me laugh because #1- it is SO SO true and #2- because you know you have a good friend when a comment like that doesn't even hesitate to come out of their mouth.  She is the type of friend that would say, "Please don't wear that. You look awful" or  "Shut up, you are being stupid."  That is the friend you hang onto for a lifetime.

Vent Session

I am going to vent here for a moment so indulge me...

Two and a half months ago I wrote about the fire at my apartment complex.  Well, let me catch you up with what life has thrown at me since then.  Exactly two weeks after the fire, I was at a ward activity and got hit in the fact with a hockey stick.  Long story short, I ended up in the emergency room getting 2 stitches.  Four days after that I found out there had been fraud on my credit car.  Three days later my dad went through surgery AND I was rear ended.  Fast forward a week when I take my car in to get the fire damage fixed...instead of the one day I was told, due to wrong pieces being ordered multiple times, I was without my car for four days.

Christmas came and went happily in Tooele and I thought my bad luck had changed.  Well, beginning of January I started on this cough that kept going worse so I went to the doctor. Again long story short, after two doctors appointments it was decided I had bronchitis and was put on a super strong antibiotic. That finally clears up.  We are now to last Friday.  I get a phone call from my apartment manager explaining to me that because of the fire, I will have to move out of my apartment for a few days so they can do some sheetrock and plumbing work in my bathroom.  No big deal right? They moved my mattress to an empty apartment and I moved some food and clothes to get me through.  Well, today I got another phone call today saying they had some complication in my apartment and it is going to be an extra 5 days...5 DAYS until I can get back into my apartment permanently.

(Warning: nerd moment coming) To top this all off ...a two weeks ago, I snapped my retainer into two pieces (yes I still wear my retainer...I went through too much ortho work to let it go to waste).  Well, I was fit for another one and they mailed it to me today and there is no freaking way I can even get it remotely close to fitting in my mouth.  Normally the would not be a big deal.  However, with everything else that has happened, it's just like what else can go wrong.  (Knock on wood...I have learned that anything else can go worse).

I know these things are not really that big of a deal, but with all of them together, I feel like there is no end.  There has to be something good coming, right?

The Gratitude Challenge

This was in the December 2011 issue of the Ensign and I really liked the way it broke being thankful for 100 things down.  I did it with my students this week as part of their writing assignment and they really enjoyed it.  It is harder than it looks though.  With everything that has happened the last 6 weeks, I have A LOT to be grateful for, especially things I normally wouldn't think of or would take for granted.

Write 10 physical abilities you are grateful for.

talking, walking, exercising, sitting, sleeping, writing, cooking, eating, driving, typing

Write 10 material possessions you are grateful for.

car, blanket, chair, laptop, phone, scriptures, camera, ipod, books, scrapbooks

Write 10 living people you are grateful for.

Mom, Dad, Marcus, Katie, Jessi, Holly, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Karen, Sharon, Lane

Write 10 deceased people you are grateful for.

Jesus Christ, Grandma Karen, Grandpa Mark, Pres. Hinckley, Joseph Smith, Dave and Blanche Johnson, Brigham Young, Parley Pratt, Grandma-with-the-animals

Write 10 things about nature you are grateful for.

rain, snow, trees, flowers, birds, camping, fishing, hunting, thunderstorms, sunshine

Write 10 things about today you are grateful for.

job, students, co-workers and other staff, the gym,  alarm clock, recess, time to read,  good friends that listen, humidifier,  ibuprofen

Write 10 places on earth you are grateful for.

my apartment, home, Provost, Utah State, Logan, Disneyland, Fish Lake, Temple, grandpa's house, grandma's house

Write 10 modern inventions you are grateful for.

cell phone, laptop, cars, washer and dryer, dishwasher, electricity, running water (that is

clean), indoor plumbing, medicine that works,  insurance

Write 10 foods you are grateful for.

chocolate, cheese, peanut butter, bread, milk, water, apples, bananas, cereal, wheat thins

Write 10 things about the gospel you are grateful for.

Atonement, sacrament, tithing, music, scriptures, family history work, temple, patriarchal blessing, priesthood, forgiveness