What an Adventure!

Well the semester is just about over and I am just now blogging about two months of it. I have two weeks left with four of the most amazing girls I know. We have grown, laugh, cried, been insane with each other and in two weeks it will all be over. We will never live together again. We are all so very different but it makes our apartment unique and exciting.
Some fun things I have done with them:

• Made sunday dinner together
• Went to Chelsea's property out at the sand dunes to ride 4 wheelers and have a bonfire
• Made cakes, cookies, cupcakes, or any sweet and took it to over to some well deserving men's apartment(We might have had alliterative motives)
• Pulled our mattresses into the living room to sleep in the living room
• Jumped from the couch into our mattresses
• Made a Kristen sandwich using the mattress as the bread
• Spent hours in the bathroom talking about our love lives or lack of it together
• Watched Morgan spend two weeks learning to shuffle
• Convinced Shay the man of her dreams was slipping away and took part of her winning his heart back (She put her favorite flower with a card that said "I choose you" on his bed)
• Listened to Morgan have a talk with the guy that was just texting her at 1 in the morning but wouldn't ask her on a date without him ever knowing
• Was a crying shoulder when Nicole's town and neighboring town Joplin was hit by the Tornado
• Danced in the car late at night with Morgan
• Waited up to hear about Chelsea's date 
• Ate plenty of Cookie monsters (Half baked chocolate chip cookies with ice cream and chocolate syrup on top)
• Played connect the dots or talked through pen and church programs with Morgan
• Went on random Froyo runs with Nicole
• Most recently planked with Nicole and Morgan and Heidi(my future roommate)

There is so much more that I have left out.
Now I get to talk about Heidi!

Heidi Elizabeth Bitton were do I begin?
Well lets just say we hit it off from the beginning. She is a Southern Belle just like myself and I believe that is why we instantly became friends. Heidi is from Madison, Alabama and honestly has a heavier accent then I could ever think about. We initially were just friends nothing big. I am her second counselor, in our church we have a society for women its called Relief Society. Heidi is our president and called me to be her second counselor (I am in charge of the fun activities). After I came home from visiting Texas she asked if I wanted to move upstairs with her. Well since June 1st we have spent almost everyday together laughing, chatting about boys, learning about each other, cooking, getting into things together, and so much more. She is so fun and bubbly. Lauren you are going to read this and lets just say she is my Shelby. We can spend hours laughing about stupid things and lets just say she has the sarcasm like Shelby. I can't wait to live with her next semester. With her Sweet Alabama charm and my Raising Heck Texan self our apartment will be anything but calm and quiet.

Morgan, Chelsea, and I headed to Find some fun

The opening of BWW in Idaho Falls
On left side: Myself, Justin L, Morgan
On right side: Josh, Nicole, Chelsea

Left to Right: Justin A, Shay, Nicole, Myself, Morgan, Chelsea

 Shay, Nicole, Myself,  Morgan, Chelsea

Nicole, Shay, Myself

The Kristen Sandwich

About to take a dive into the matresses

At the bonfire with some Idaho Potatoes

Heidi in the chambers to help her Decompression Sickness

Texas is on my mind...

Ten things about Texas that are on my mind..
10. Hot weather.. yes it is warm here in Rexburg but I want to be able to lay by the pool and really soak up the rays. I now know why everyone looks like a Mexican in Texas.
9. Sushi, I have been told over and over again how great sushi is in Texas, lets just say nothing compares to my Sushi places (MK's, Axiom, and Piranhas) 
8. Southern Accents!! I feel like a foreigner in my own country!
7. Blue bell ice cream you never realize how great it is till its gone!!
6. Chickfila the closest one is 4 hours away!
5. Chicken Express. These people don't know what chicken is apparently
4. Southern Hospitality. that explains itself.
3. My dear friends.
2. My FAMILY. Especially my little Sister :)
1. FINALLY REAL MEXICAN/BBQ FOOD!!! 

Mothers make a difference

Well since it mothers day and I am not with my own mother. I thought I would blog about my mom and all the mothers figures in my life.
First I want to talk about my great-grandmothers. They were all very different women. This is all from the information that has been shared with me through my parents and family members. First I want to talk about my maternal great-grandmothers. "Grandma Esther" Rodriguez was a woman of hard work and service. She owned a bakery with "Grandpa" and they often made money in other ways. She was the one we give the most thanks to for joining the church. She served many missionaries in the last years of her life. When I see missionaries I often have the desire to feed them and serve those who so diligently serve the lord just as she did. Grandma Gutierrez was a woman that would do anything to provide for her children and ultimately brought her children over to America from Mexico. Now to my paternal great-grandmothers. I don't know anything about my grandfathers mother. This is something that has caused me to increase my dedication to genealogy a little more. But my maternal great-grandmother I know quite a bit about! "Maw Fulton" as she was known by was a woman who knew how to raise children she raised 11. Her husband Billy Bob was a Captain of a Fort in West Texas. She not only cared for the children she had brought into this world but also the many solders. After they left the fort she continued to cook for all she came in contact with.




 Now my two grandmother both I never had a single conversation with but have felt their love everyday of my life. My maternal grandmother Zelma was a woman of perservence and handwork which she probably learned from her mom. She did everything she was told she wouldn't be able to do. She was pregnant at 15, had two kids after that then put herself through nursing school. I am amazed that she was a dropout then became a RN. She often served those who could not speak english by translating for them. She made sure my mother and her two other children went to church weekly. She had an understanding that the gospel would effect the lives of her children and future generations. She left this earth what we think is too soon. I know that she has a greater calling on the other side helping and cheering on her posterity. Her legacy of diligence and hard work lives through me. She set the bar of a higher education now as her granddaughter 30 years later at such an easy time for women to gain an education I must follow. Now my paternal grandmother "Me-maw"I believe has given me my homemaking side. My grandmother could make anything and make it into a meal. She loved my grandfather so much she served him till the day he died. That is something that I have learned that when you serve someone you will also have to love them. My Me-maw was a leader in her family she was the oldest girl. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's before I was born. Even though she was not able to talk to us or leave her bed she was able to bring our family together during the least likely times.


Now on to motherlike figures. Beginning with Robin Petty. She has been able to be an example in my life much like a mother. She has been there to hold me tight during sad and dark time as well as be there to share joyful experiences. Then there is her daughter Rachel who has been there to teach me all the girly things about me how to bake the perfect cookie, wear the right lipgloss, pick the best smelling lotion, and listen to best music. Then there is Pat Finch she believes in me and inspires me to follow my heart. I see her as a mother in many ways. She has been there to teach me to learn from my lessons and move to my next journey.


A mother that has recently changed my views of motherhood is my Sister in Law Brooke. She has sacrificed so much to raise my two adorable nephews. Even though she could easily have a career she has dedicated her time to serving her family. I couldn't ask for a better mother to raise my sweet nephews.


Then there is Jessica, the very soon to be mother. She is already an inspiring mother. She has completely changed her life for the betterment of her child. Jessica thinks about her child's future everyday and what is best for him. I am grateful she has been put in my life so I can turn to her when I have my own children.


And now there is my Aunt Esther who I think is the best substitute to my own mother. She has spent many hours on school field trips, shopping trips, trips to the gym, making cds to heal my broken heart, and simply being there when I need her. Even though she doesn't have any children of her own if you simply walked into her home you would think she had two girls from all the pictures of my sister and I. I have learned from her what  a proper young woman acts like. I learn each day that we must share the talents we have been given with all. She is an amazing cook and musically inclined!


And finally where would I be without my best friend my mother. I often say we were best friends in heaven and told god we would go to earth as mom and daughter because that is as close as we could get. I am who I am today because of her. She teaches me something new every single day. She taught and continues to teach me to counsel with the lord in all my doings! She reminds me of who god made me to be. She is a woman of faith and dedication. She loves the lord and trusts in him in all that she does. My mother loved me so much she taught what my savior can do for me. She gave me opportunities to trust in lord or to turn my back towards him and have to find my way back. My mom threw the best birthday parties, made the best gifts, went to every school function, field trip, school party, always made a gift to give at the school party, was the best editor for every paper I have ever wrote, best homework checker, best lunch maker, never missed a game, concert, or performance, had the best advice after a hard day, breakup, fight with a friend, and so much more. She has been my best friend since I was born ask her she can testify to that. As little kid and now an adult I would rather be with my mom than with friends.


I love my mother and hope that one day god will trust and bless me with children so I can be a mother like my own and all the mothers in my life.

Reality of Rexburg

Well it has been two weeks here in Idaho! So much has happened! I have started school again. I was quickly brought to reality that I was a little rusty with school and needed to learn some habits again. I have had to make adjustments to my life to learn how to prioritize and keep a planner. Overall my classes are pretty easy except for my Textiles class. Which it is getting easier but I was very overwhelmed with 125 different fabrics and the teacher told us we would need to identify all 125 by the end of the semester to pass the class. I have started to learn how to identify each fabric and what their differences are. My favorite class so far is a tie between Marriage and Book of Mormon. The objective of the class Marriage is to learn how to help others with their marriage as well as prepare us to have a successful marriage of our own. In the class of 30 only 5 are married. I have learned already how to identify trends in my family that could be a trend in my marriage and the family I will one day make. My other favorite class Book of Mormon is probably because I have the coolest teacher ever. He digs deep into what it says and how we can make it our own reality. He makes it so real and understandable. I have already made many new awesome friends. I was called as the 2^nd Counselor in the Relief Society this week, this has allowed me to better understand that the Lord truly knows who I am and what my potential in life is. In each of our wards (congregations) there is a women’s group as known as relief society. There is a president for each and she has assistants or what we call counselors. There are two counselors, one over Sunday lessons, and one for monthly activities to bring the women closer together. I am the one over activities, which is really fun for me (I will be able to use my sisterhood ideas from ADPi and apply it here). In the church we are given callings or jobs to serve in church. This is my first adult calling and it is kind of a big deal and very scary. There are 30 girls in Relief Society and we have 3 Relief Societies in our ward. Rexburg has some pretty interesting things to it. There are married people who have babies everywhere! I have picked up the habit when I look at a guy is to look to see if he has a ring on. Which the majority of the time he does! This makes the reality of me being at marrying age a bigger issue!

            Not being in Texas becomes more and more a reality everyday. I am not there to share the small and special moments with the people I care for the most for. J is going to have her baby very soon and I would do anything to be with her during these last days of her pregnancy. L has met the man of her dreams and I am not there to help her plan her outfits for the dates or waiting after to hear every detail. I will not be there when she is planning every detail of her wedding (hopefully that will happen to this “Mr. Right”).  From what I have heard he is wonderful and treats her like a real lady. I think I might need to make a date a little more often with the treadmill so that when the time comes for a bridesmaid dress I will be in shape. When my best friend comes home from tech school I wont be there to welcome him home. I am not there to wake my sister up for school or to be waiting when she gets home to go for a sonic run. I am not there to meet my mom after work for dinner for Sushi. I am not there to go eat breakfast with my dad late at night because that is the best time to people watch at the Waffle House.

The Reality of Rexburg is setting in

Learning about Fry Sauce

Today we decided around dinner time to go on an adventure. I told the roommates I had never had fry sauce so they were determined for me to try it. Chelsea is from IF(Idaho Falls which is about 30 minutes from here) so she told us about this place called Bambinos. It has pizza in scones and calzones. They also have fry sauce! We drove by the one here in Rexburg and it was called. We looked online for  a phone number of the one in Rexburg nothing! So after about 15 minutes of driving around we found the one in Rigby and called no answer. Then we found IF's number. They said they did close the Rexburg one but the one in Rigby was open. Rigby is ten minutes south in between Rexburg and IF. We then headed south on the adventure of FRY SAUCE. We found it! It was absolutely amazing! I can't believe Texas doesn't have it! My roomies are so different than one another. We balance each other out very well.

The Journey Continues

I have finally made it Rexburg! Driving to Rexburg felt as if I was going home. Rexburg is a small and quiet town. Life here seems to go by at a good pace. As soon as I pulled into my apartment complex I checked in and ran straight up to my apartment to see who my roommates were. Morgan was the first one here. She is from Colorado and is super chill. I have a  feeling we are going to get a long. After moving some of my things in I went to the welcome given by President Clark. Yes I went to here the president of the school speak but my main agenda was to check out the guys. Well there is a wide variety of men here at BYU-Idaho. Yes there are some nerdy ones but also there are many who are very attractive. While I was at the welcome we were put into groups to play some games I was lucky enough to find a friend Jacee. Jacee is from Southern California and we also have a lot in common. We were both not dressed to play tag and dance. She was there to also look for just cute boys rather than participate in all the ice breakers. We decided to ditch the BBQ early and head back home. She lives in a different complex and its pretty far from where we were since I live close by I offered her a ride to her place. Something strange here that I haven't seen anywhere else is that everyone offers rides. Everyone here is also overly friendly, I guess I am just not use to it. I decided to just hangout with my mom for the night and then sleep in my apartment for the first time. The next morning I hopped out of bed got ready and went to my moms hotel room for our last day together. We finished up my room and the tears began to flow. I didn't cry much till after I dropped off for the shuttle. My best friend was leaving me here in the unknown town on my own. I had to stay busy. Laundry was first on the list. When I went back to my apartment Nicole was here. She is form Missouri and is super sweet. Right now there is just three of us. The other two were here last semester and wont be back till school starts.  We stayed up last night talking about who are and what we wanted to do in life. I have a connection with these girls I have never had before. I am truly where the lord wants me to be. So I continue the journey has HE prepared for me.

Here are some pictures of my apartment

Am I really old enough to be an Aunt again?

Today my brother Tyler and his wife Brooke welcomed the newest addition to our family today Cooper! With my first nephew it just didn't seem to fit but it is definitely hitting me this time. Heavenly Father has blessed my family today. My daddy doesn't cry often but he did today. The big brother Aiden was at home when I got to the hospital so I spent some time with the new baby then headed to see and of course help entertain him. 

I love being an Aunt, 

it just makes me see children of my own in the near future.

Me with Cooper 

My brother Tyson, my Dad holding Cooper, myself, then the Proud Dad my brother Tyler

Aiden wanted to "go go" with "Pop Pop" when my dad and I had to go home

Crunch Time

In a little over a month I will be moving across the country to a state I have never even placed a foot in. I am moving to Rexburg, Idaho. I will be attending Brigham Young University-Idaho to study Family Consumer Science with a Teaching Certification and a minor in Marriage and Family Counseling. I want to change lives of others. I want to make a difference and share the journey I have lived with others. I like to take the saying find someone in better shape than you found them. I cant believe that my journey here at home will be coming to an end soon. I have enjoyed my time here, but I sure do miss school and all that comes with it. I miss having to be independent. I have someone here who will call and make a doctors appointment if I need one,  someone to cook for me, drive for me, manage money for me, and so much more. I want those responsibilities back. I look forward to meeting to new friends, learning my way around Rexburg, growing spiritually, being a student that attends a university that is supported and funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and along the way scattering my sunshine and sharing my journey with those who choose to join.