I know, all I do is advertise Giveaways...

But this is a good one :)

Hopeful.

One of these days I will write a real blog post.  As most of you know, my life is pretty boring since I am currently unemployed (yikes).  But, I stumbled upon this very cute fashion blog and the owner is doing a pretty sweet giveaway of pureology hair products.  I want to win because 1. I love free stuff and 2. I absolutely love high end hair products (as my mother could tell you-- I frequently got in trouble as a youth for buying too much hair stuff). 

If you like to blog stalk like me, you will absolutely love pink peonies.  Happy stalking, and here's to hoping I actually win (because you all know this isn't the first time I've posted about a giveaway).

Love and Basketball.

It has been an emotional roller coaster this past month as a Jazz fan and a BYU basketball fan.  The resignation from Jerry Sloan broke my heart and made me want to break D-Will's face (and yes, I blame him for Jerry's departure).  The recent suspension of Brandon Davies has added to my despair and has led me to reflection and lots of time on my knees.

As for the situation with the Jazz, I am flabbergasted by all these sudden changes.  All and all, I think trading D-Will to the Nets was an excellent move.  To me, he will always be known as the player who ran Coach Sloan out of SLC.  He had no loyalty to the Jazz and threatened to leave if Jerry was still around.  I've been questioning my status as a fan for a while now-- my initial reaction to all this was that I live and die with Jerry (because I really thought he would coach until he died).  However, now that they've made Hornasec an assistant coach, I think I'm on board.  I'm sure Favors and Harris will do great things for the Jazz and I look forward to next season when all this team rebuilding is over. 

Brandon Davies' suspension has hit me hard.  Initially I mourned the fact that we have lost our #3 spot and most likely won't do as well during March Madness as everyone had predicted.  Then, after seeing Davies' personal business being broadcasted all over the news, I mourned for him.  Everyone makes mistakes.  When most 'normal' people transgress, they have the opportunity to confess and forsake their sins in a private manner to the proper authority.  The process of repentance even in secrecy is excruciating enough--add the fact that everyone in the entire world knows what you did.  I don't even know if I could survive that.

I do stand by BYU's decision for suspension.  Ever since I got word about the suspension, I've been scouring the internet and reading most articles and video clips.  the Salt Lake Tribune accused BYU of being "the LDS Church standards on Steroids" and claimed that BYU shouldn't even have an honor code office and all misdeeds should be handled by a bishop.  I see where they are coming from, but at the same time I believe BYU's honor code system is fair.  It works the same way repentance does--for instance, if you mess up badly, you lose your temple recommend.  In Davies' case, he lost the privalege of playing on the team.  But, through the repentance process, you have that opportunity to become clean and once again be worthy of a temple recommend.  I believe the same thing will happen in this situation-- Davies will be given the opportunity to come back next season. 

When Harvey Unga withdrew from the football team last season (because of a similar situation), BYU offered to bring him back next season.  He decided to head to the NFL to take care of his family instead.  I hope Brandon will accept the invitation to come back to the team when that time comes.  All of his teammates stand behind him and call him brother.  From what I've gathered from the articles, no team member harbors resentment towards Davies and all acknowledge that no one is perfect.  The BYU basketball team is a great example of the unconditional love and forgiveness provided by our Savior.  I personally am very grateful for the Atonement and the power it has to heal.  I would be lost without it.  For now, my prayers are with Davies and I look forward to seeing him get back to a good place in life, on and off the court. 

An Abundance of Blessings

After many hours of filling out job applications, rejections, and literally only one interview, I have reached the goal of every college graduate in this terrible economy-- I'm employed! It took many prayers and constant worrying since November 2010, but the Lord has once again blessed my life by opening doors that were once brick walls in my mind.

First, I got a part time job at 24 Hour Fitness as a Member Service Representative. Yes, I am the front desk girl. I realize this is not every college graduates dream--making close to minimum wage at an hourly rate. But, in all honesty, I love the job. I spend my days going to group exercise classes in the morning, relaxing at home during the day, and going to my relatively stress free job at night. This is a job that I've wanted all through college, and admittedly this job would have suited me better during my years as a student, but I am grateful that I was picked among the many eligible candidates who applied for this position. Believe it or not, getting a job at a gym in a college town is pretty difficult!

Although my job at 24 is great, I was very worried that I was not going to find another part time job with decent compensation. Mark is on track to graduate in April 2012, and in order for him to stay on track, I need to work full time so he can drop down on work hours at his job to focus more on school. I had gotten several rejection e-mails from different companies claiming they needed someone with "more experience." How am I ever going to get "more experience" if no one will even give me a chance to prove myself as a competent and hard working employee? Thankfully I got a call from the Utah County Health Department Health Promotion Office offering me a part time position with the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. I did my internship there last semester, and apparently they liked me enough to ask me to join their team. They are now processing my paperwork and I will start with them in a few weeks. Now I have the best of both worlds-- a great relaxed job at 24 that will help me reach my fitness goals, and a job that relates to my degree and will be a great resume builder for all that "more experience" companies are looking for.

I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father knows me and hears my prayers. Those who know me describe me as a sensitive person, and I'm pretty sure the Lord spoils me just because of that. I am very happy to be a employed full time to be able to help my little family of two grow (in the spiritual and financial sense of course-- this is not a birth announcement) ;)

DONE.

Done with school, and now on the job hunt. I never thought I would say this, but school sounds a lot better to me these days.

I love jewelery--especially when there is a jewelery GIVEAWAY

My old friend Nikki makes these really cute button earrings. You can buy them here at her etsy shop. I've already bought a few and she just came out with new designs that are so adorable.

Check out her blog! She is giving a pair away for free. Comment on her post by Friday, December 10th for a chance to win!


Another friend of mine in my ward makes some really cute earrings as well! You can find them at her etsy shop.

All these girls are inspiring me to be crafty. We'll see how long that lasts =p Who knows, maybe I will open up my own etsy shop one day...

In 30 Days...

I will officially be a college graduate :)





Maybe I'll actually blog then.