Passing...

7:30pm.

It's quiet. There is noise from the street that penetrates my apartment windows but, other than that... silence. There is a void I am trying to fill. I log on Facebook in hopes to lose myself in the status', pictures and posts of my many online friends. When that doesn't work... I open up my blog and I write.

Today... less than an hour ago my grandfather passed away. I don't do well with death. In fact it takes a few hours for it to ever sink in.

My mom sent me a text today that said they thought he would pass today. I cried a little as I walked into work. But, I wanted to maintain my composure and so I quickly fought back the tears and walked up the stairs to my office in the Eyring Science Center.

But, the tears always come. And just as I knew they would... they have.

I don't wish he hadn't died. He is free from pain and earthly care. I know he is meeting our loving Savior and that he returned honorably. He lived a life and left a legacy.

I love you Grandpa Sammons. Thank you for what you taught me, for playing an active role in my life and for living in a way that magnified your beliefs. You are an example. And I cannot wait to see you again. You will be missed, but your life will be celebrated. Of that I am absolutely certain.

I love you.

March 19... Happy Birthday to You.

For those of you who are just tuning into my blog, welcome.

It's more of a journal than it is a catalog of witty posts about the controversial issues that a young adult today faces. And this particular post is longer than most, so sit down and get ready to read.

March... what is there to say about March? Not much actually. It started out on a good note, filled with mid 60 degree weather and sun bathers. Yesterday it turned cold and started snowing. Oh Utah, why must you be so indecisive. But, the weather is not the subject of today's post. Today's post is very special.

Today is March 19. It's exactly one month until I go to Ecuador. It, also the 3 week marker until classes are finished. Both very good things. To most people it's just another day, they'll go to class or work, eat a normal lunch and go to bed at their regular hour. However, for me, today happens to be a really special day! Today is the birthday of (hands down) the most handsome, funny, sincere, thoughtful, happy, loving, smart, kind, cute, crazy and friendly (now) twenty year old guy on the face of the earth. In fact, in my opinion, he's the best thing since... the iPhone, sliced bread and the wheel.

He stands about 6 foot 3 inches. Almost a foot above me. He has a smile that lights up not only his face but, the faces of those around him.  He works hard. He writes very eloquently. He did ROTC for BYU and plans on doing it when he comes home. He makes that uniform look good! :)

He's smart, hard working and diligent. He is currently serving a mission for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He reported June 15, 2011 and is serving in Mendoza, Argentina for the next two years. He's made a commitment to follow all of the mission rules with perfect obedience and I have never been more supportive or pleased with any desire.

He loves serving the people of Argentina and I know they love him. They got one of the Lord's finest missionaries and I am so proud of him.

I know I have told our story before but for some reason ;) I never tire of it!! So, here is a brief recap!

I came out to BYU in August of 2010. My first semester was a lot of fun. I spent a lot of it just dating around and I met a lot of really cool people. But, I was not the happiest I'd been, but because of all the changes and experiences, I must admit, I really grew that Fall semester. I was living away from home,  in a dorm full of girls (coming from a family of 3 brothers that was kind of a culture shock), I was learning to manage my time and I was in charge of my schedule! Which meant I never had to call home for permission to stay up till 3, go to a friends house or get home past midnight. Looking back, I know I met some amazing people and made some lifelong friends.

 But, when Fall semester came to an end... I (along with Jenna) decided to switch buildings. We packed up our stuff and said goodbye to 60 Harris Hall. 

We moved into 232A Whitney Hall and things immediately took a turn for the better. It was a friendlier and closer ward and Jenna and I decided we needed to really be outgoing and make new friends. So we decided to go to a Freshman dance (January 7, 2011). When we got there we looked for people we knew. It was so nice to have a good wingman and the fact that she is also a dear friend, made it all the better! Jenna spotted a boy she had grown up with, Luke Kleinhenz and we decided to go hang out with him and his friends. One stupid dance led to another and we ended up laughing and talking a little bit on the perimeter of the dance floor. A nice older man came up to us and told us that it was a slow song and the boys needed to take initiative and ask us to dance. He then proceeded to pair us off and send us to the dance floor. The wise old man grabbed my arm and linked it with this tall boy, wearing a black shirt, black jacket, buzz cut and blue jeans. We started slow dancing a little awkwardly having been told to dance. One thing led to another and He and Luke showed up at our apartment after the dance (semi-unexpectedly... we walked in our kitchen and they were sitting on our couch talking) and we sat and talked with them for about an hour. We all hung out (me, Jenna, Sam our roommate and a couple girls) and his roommates. We played games. One of the boys, the one with the buzz cut was all sorts of crazy. It was humorous but what surprised me most was that as they walked us home the goofy boy playing games transformed into this thought provoking and kind gentleman.

Then, one day I noticed that same boy was in my religion class on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Not only that but he was in my American Heritage class on Monday's and Wednesday's AND in my American Heritage Lab on Friday (an almost impossible feat to have accomplished UNplanned). The God's were smiling down on me! That is for dang sure! :)

Shortly after that, I thought: he's funny I wanna be this guys friend. So, we started texting and then we decided to partner up for service hours and did the Big Brother, Big Sister program together. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, I remember thinking... I want him to ask me on a date. I tried my best to show him I was interested and he took the bait. At the end of January he asked me to meet him halfway between our apartments with a movie he wanted to borrow. We made small talk and exchanged the movie. We awkwardly hugged and I turned to leave. He called me back and asked if I would go on a date with him this Friday. With less excitement than I was feeling, I said that I would love to and that that sounded fun. He said good, I'll get you the details later on. Then he leaned in, kissed me on the cheek and took off running. I was kind of on cloud nine and Jenna could immediately tell.

Happily that date turned into dates, the days passed to months and I fell more and more in "like" with the handsome boy with a buzz cut.

I mean for our first date he RENTED a car, drove us to the Y (we hiked about 1/4 of the way up), he pulled out a blanket for us to sit on, a thermos of hot chocolate and we watched the sunset, he then took me to Olive Garden because he remembered I liked pasta. Easily the best first date ever. If that wasn't hook, line and sinker I don't know what was.

Anyway, we started going on more and more dates, walking to and from class together, texting and calling and things got pretty serious. Then, he got his mission call to Mendoza, Argentina. For those of you who are members this means time to walk away as the guy is now leaving for 2 years. For us, it meant longer nights talking outside and eventually visits to meet each other's wonderful families, after school let out.

There is so much more to the story like, paintballing, skiing, snow boarding, festival of colors, tubing, sledding, beach trip, "touristing", a trip to SLC, a military ball, our little "sister" Olivia, a broken debit card, basketball games and my personal favorite... long walks.

Blurry but actually taken on our first date.. 

Paintballing. Pay no attention to my face. Rough day. ha

Walking from class. 

LOVE HIM. 

Snow boarding. 

:)

Sledding. 

Ice Skating.

At the Temple. 

At the movies. Narnia to be exact. 

BYU Basketball. Two of my favorite guys. 

SLC

Virginia. A walk in the rain!

At his house! :)

The beach. 

Tubing. 

Three fake Ray Bans and one original... can you spot the fakes? ;)

In MY kitchen. <3

In conclusion. It's his birthday. He's turning 20. He came at exactly the time I needed him most. He made the 6 months in Utah (NC and VA) the time of my life. And these past 9 months have been a roller coaster, but I am so happy he's where he is. I would not wish him here any time except in June 2013. I cannot wait to see him. I joke about moving to Argentina where I know I am loved, but no matter what the future holds... for right now my heart is in Argentina, and I wouldn't want it any other place.

Happy Birthday to the world's best missionary, kindest friend, most thoughtful companion, loving boyfriend and sweetest, cutest, most charming, nicest, funniest, most wonderful best friend, William Henderson Daybell. Thank you for making the past  435 days some of the best of my life. I guess if we are being completely honest, I wish I could see him for even just... 15 minutes? To tell him happy birthday and see the smile that makes my heart stop. :) But, instead I'll just spend my day thinking about the sweetest guy ever.

"If home is where the heart is, than my home is where you are." See you in... 453 days.

Happy Birthday. :)

The "not" piecey bangs...

So... my mom doesn't like my bangs when I do them in pieces... or my triangle shaped bangs. In an attempt to please her I tried to make them fluid... one solid bang. As you can tell a few fell down as they naturally seem to do these days! Anyway, I took these in between classes on Tuesday. It was actually in the bathroom on the way to my Human Development class. I know mirror pictures are SO middle school but, they seem to do me the most justice. 

Really, my life's motto goes something like this... "That awkward moment when the mirror says HECK YES. And the camera says OH HECK NO." I will never know why there is such a disconnect. 

Anyway, yes this is a post ALL about my bangs. Peace N' Blessins. 

Sorry in advance for the lack of a serious smiling picture. I think I ended up taking one?! That's alright though... right?

Left side...

Right side..

There's the smile! :)

I think this is the one that the random girl walked in on.... AWKWARD!

Construction...

While this could easily be related to the ENTIRE state of Utah at all times... this blog is not about the men wearing hard hats.

Just a quick snippet to say that the color/theme/background/font of my blog is once again under construction.

Another post to follow.

Things About Me...

My mom sent me an email the other day asking for a few things that people don't know about her... I thought she was asking for personal things. My first thought was she wanted to see how well I knew her. Ha. My second thought was that one of the boys said she did something, that she doesn't actually do... and she wanted to see if what they said made the list.

I was wrong on all accounts. It was for a Relief Society Spotlight activity. Whoops. So, she was unable to use any of mine.

Instead of posting the things I said about her... or the actual list she turned in... I figured I would post a few things maybe you do (or don't) know about me... here goes:

1. The boy/man/guy (I never know what to call him) that I am absolutely head over heels for is serving a mission in Mendoza, Argentina. 
2. I prefer Sophia over Sophie. 
3. My parents are quite literally the BEST parents in the WHOLE entire world. 
4. I have 3 wonderful brothers who light up my day! (Especially random texts from Hayden and Blake... and seeing Chase).
5. I like to use the phrase "my boyfriend is overseas" as an excuse to see the reaction of those around me, bug my roommates. I say it loud and in public places. So, now they say it back to me. For example: "No Jenna, you know I can't go to the movies this Saturday night... you know my boyfriend is overseas."
6. After/while it's snowing... I like to walk through the snow just to see my footprints. 
7. I have 3 half rings that I wear. I love them!
8. I wear two CTR rings. I guess so I never forget? Or just out of habit. 
9. Despite popular belief my social life hasn't been too crazy this semester or last semester... in fact the average bed time in our apartment is around... 12am/Midnight. 
10. I love reading but, haven't read an actual book for fun since last summer. 
11. My mom once said... people spend their money in different ways (after commenting on how could so and so afford to fly to somewhere when they had so many kids... why wouldn't they spend that on their not so nice house?!) I decided I want a nice house (doesn't have to be super big) but, it has to be super clean, well decorated and a good, wholesome, fun place to be. But, that I want to spend my money on plane tickets, hotel rooms and food. Because I want my family to travel the world
12. I really hate that I bite my nails. Even if I act like it doesn't bug me. 
13. I am incredibly self conscious about gaining weight in my stomach... pregnancy should be fun. 
14. I can't leave the house without earrings, a watch and a belt. 
15. I love beanies. I miss my long hair when I see people with straight hair. But, I do like my short hair. 
16. I would rather be hot than cold. But, my hands (when in Utah) are ALWAYS cold. It's weird. Even as I type... they are freezing. Must be poor circulation or something. 
17. My favorite colors have changed from what they were when I was little. I now really like purple. And orange. (I still like blue and green though).
18. I can touch and move back and forth my uvula (punching bag in the back of your throat) with my tongue... without choking. Admit it... you just tried to do that!
19.  I am still outgoing. But, when I come to a group of people that already know each other (like... getting a new job) I am more shy than usual. 
20. I can't cut a straight line with scissors.
21. If I am cooking/making a poster/any sort of activity, I can't ever go without spilling something on me, covering my hands, finding residue in random places on me later or getting something on my face.
22. I can play the piano. But, I can't sing. Or dance. I have no ability to make my movements fluid. Or to a beat. 
23. I am going to be an elementary school teacher! I want to teach k-3 but, my license will go from k-6. 
24. Aside from going to Ecuador this summer... I will also be spending the second half of my summer in NC lifeguarding and hanging with my family.
25. I had to make it an even 25 for OCD reasons... That counts as one right?

That's not everything about me... or even everything UNIQUE about me. But, I tried to come up with the obscure. Stuff you wouldn't just know. :)

Ecuador..

So, I have yet to blog about the most EXCITING adventure of my life so far. In April I am going to go to Ecuador for two months. From April 19-June19 I will be in Quito, Ecuador working with children who are far less privileged than myself. I am so very excited to be involved in this opportunity. Actually I can hardly wait. 

I have talked to several of my friends who have done this particular service through this same organization. And so, that is how I decided to do it with this group. OSSO stands for Orphanage Support Services Organization. They have their own company run orphanage in Cuenca, Ecuador. They partner with several other orphanages in both Quito and Cuenca. 

A volunteer is able to go for a minimum of 1 week to a maximum of 8 months. During your time there you are expected to work 6 days a week. You will average 50+ hours a week working with the children. There is also additional time where you plan, prepare for and participate in meetings. And time to study Spanish. From 7-12 you are in the orphanage and then from 12-2 is Ecuador's seista. During this time you go home and enjoy lunch/a nap. From 2-6 you are back at the orphanages working. Around 6pm every day you come home for dinner, free time and bed.

On their website the conclude the what to expect section with:

"Serving with OSSO is a life-changing experience…for the children as well as for the volunteers! You’ll change lives, you’ll be loved by children who have no one else to love, and you’ll give love to those who wouldn’t get it otherwise. Your hearts will break and grow more than you thought possible, and if you go for the right reasons, have a good attitude and work hard it will impact you and the world for generations."

I got accepted to the program! They sent me a package last week that included:

1. A checklist of what to bring (and when to start getting things ready)
2. 2 OSSO luggage tags for my bags!
3. A promotional DVD to watch. 
4. A CD of Spanish children's songs. 
5. And a OSSO hoodie.  Which I was so excited to get... I modeled it that day and even had a photo shoot for my blog.  

I really can't wait! Only... 48 days till I leave for Ecuador!!!