Update and Thanksgiving

I am officially home for the holidays! I survived finals week and managed to do pretty well on all of my finals. Now I am enjoying not having school! I will be hearing back from vet schools during Christmas break and setting up interviews and such. I will try to keep up with my blog during the break also.
I love Christmas break! I have been able to read for pleasure again and I hope to get through a lot of books! I recently went indoor rock climbing with my dad and Morgan and we plan to do that a lot during the break. I have also nearly finished with my shopping for Christmas.

Thanksgiving.
Here's just some pictures from our thanksgiving. It was small but we had a good time.

Another Update

Life has been busy!! Here are some more notable things:

My dad and I went out to Camelot to bring the trailer home for the winter. We took the dogs with us and just spent one night up there. My grandpa and his new addition "Boo" came up to get his trailer as well. We had a good time raking up leaves and cleaning up our lot.













I also had a sort of unofficial interview with Washington State University not to long ago. They sent someone from the admissions committee to interview all of the Utah applicants. I thought that my interview went well and that they were impressed with me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I expect to hear back from most of the school that I applied to in late December. I will be getting either an interest letter and interview request or a rejection letter at this time.

For Halloween I went home for my cousin Savannah's baptism. I enjoyed carving pumpkins with my family and passing out candy to the neighbor kids. I thought that out pumpkins were pretty impressive this year. I carved E.T. in my pumpkin. I also loved dressing up the dogs. It's definitely one of my favorite things to do at halloween!

Update

A lot has happened lately that is exciting or noteworthy in my life.

First, I helped to create a cardboard cow for the Pre-Vet club booth during the college of agriculture week. Our object was to inform students about our club and hopefully get more members. The cardboard cow was actually made to simulate what it's like to rectally palpate a cow. We used a cardboard box, dryer tube, and chocolate pudding. The student would put on a long glove and we would ask them to find an object in the cow. The reward was candy. I didn't think many would participate but I was surprised because a lot of people wanted to try it and it was a big hit!! Here are some pictures.














Second, I got in my first car accident. I was driving home last weekend and I got hit by the car behind me and pushed into the car in front of me. I was not injured at all because traffic was going slow due to another accident on the side of the road. My car, however wasn't so lucky. It had to be towed and later I found out it was totaled. The accident happened in Brigham city and luckily my grandma just happened to be there and was able give me a ride home.

Thirdly, we celebrated my moms' birthday last weekend while I was home. Happy Birthday mom!

Lastly, yesterday I got a new vehicle! The insurance is going to pay the value of my old car. I got another SUV with 4-wheel drive, a Ford Escape. It's a 2003 but it had really low miles so I hope it will last awhile and hopefully get me through vet school. I like the car a lot so far but I don't like the added car payments I'll be making for awhile.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

This semester is barely underway and yet it is probably the busiest semester I've had in a while! I'm still working on my Vet School application though I am almost done with it. Every thing is due by Oct. 2. I applied for graduation and now I have to meet with my adviser and make sure I meet all the requirements to graduate in the Spring. School is tuff because I'm taking a lot of upper division biology classes but the classes are all pretty interesting so that makes it much better. I think this semester is going to fly by and the next thing I'll know I'll be hearing from vet schools!

My first surgical procedure!

Today at work I got to do something way cool! The vet I was working with has a relative with a dog that had a small pea sized growth on its' back. The vet let me remove the growth! I put on sterile gloves and got the instruments all ready. I used a scalpel and some surgical scissors and, under his supervision and instruction, I got to do the procedure. Way cool! The vet also taught me how to do sutures and he let me try one but since it was his family members' dog he wanted to make sure it looked good so he did them and I watched. I was so excited and kinda nervous when he said I could do it and I'm so glad I had that opportunity!!

Going Back to School...

I am going to be moving back to Utah State this weekend. I am excited to start my Senior year! This semester I'll be taking Microbiology, Histology, and Genetics. I am really excited to have a break from Chemistry for a semester. I am still in the process of applying to vet school with my application due Oct. 2.

On a different note, my mom and Morgan went to girls camp last week and they had a good time. The theme for camp was "To eternity and beyond" and they incorporated different superheroes into camp. Morgan was a junior camp leader and her group was Spiderman. She borrowed a way cool costume for a skit that they did and the pictures were really funny so I decided to post them. SpiderMo!

Camping Fun

The summer is coming to a close. We decided to go camping last weekend spur of the moment since there won't be many more good weekends to go for a while. The weather was nice and although it was a bit cooler than last time it was still warm. We went on two longer 4-wheeler rides and grandma was even able to go along on one. She had a good time and is glad that she went.









Morgan and I made a project of decorating the cement with sidewalk chalk. We were going to try and fill an entire section with random drawings. We didn't finish it but what we did get done looked neat.









School starts on August 24. I'm excited to start my Senior year but I have really enjoyed not worrying about studying and tests. I am still in the process of applying to vet school and still unsure of where to apply. Colorado State, Washington State, and Oregon State are definite possibilities and I am also considering University of Florida, University of Minnesota, and Western University in California.

Also, I got 2 new pet frogs and 1 snail. Fred and George are the frogs' names. The tank is is called a Frog-O-Sphere and it is a self contained ecosystem that you only have to clean twice a year. The plant provides oxygen and the snail cleans up the tank. You only feed the frogs twice a week. They are pretty cool and fun to watch.

What I've been up too.....

Morgans' friends threw her a surprise party last Friday at our house. I was the one who got her out of the house so her friends could decorate. She was surprised when we got back and a bunch of friends yelled "surprise!" She had a good time playing volleyball, having a water fight, and whacking a pinata.

On Saturday I went to a Real game with my parents. We were in the front row and it was sooooo awesome! Thank you Kate! Real won Club America. It was a little awkward because the opposing team seemed to have more support than Real did. It was so neat to be so close!!

Scout's birthday was on Saturday and he is now 3 years old!!

Morgan is at EFY for the whole week. She's having a good time so far.

Camping for the 4th!!

We went camping at our lot over the 4th of July. It was great weather and we enjoyed doing things outside. We went on quad runner rides, tubed the river, went on rides in the golf cart, and just relaxed. Also, we celebrated Morgans' 16th birthday by having dutch oven raspberry cobbler and homemade ice cream. Yummy!!


Happy Birthday Morgan!!
(Mo on top of Mt. Saint Helens)

Less Stressed!!

On Thursday I took the GRE, a four hour exam that is the entrance exam for vet school. I was so nervous about it when I got back from Texas and I spent all of my free time studying for it. I took the test at USU and I am happy to report that I will not have to take it again because I got the exact score that I was aiming for! I could not believe it and had to add my score up several times just to make sure! It's nice not to have that stress anymore!!

Wedding in Texas

I got back yesterday from my cousins' wedding that took place in Texas. I went with my mom and grandma and we met more family there from Florida and California. The ceremony took place on a catamaran sailboat around sunset. It was fun and very pretty. It was a quick trip and it seemed like there wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted to do!! It was way hot and humid compared to home. We were glad to have borrowed my dads GPS with all of the driving we did. It was fun to see everybody and I'm glad that I was able to go. Here are a bunch of random pictures from the trip!

Here we are at a really cool outdoor mexican restaurant that was gorgeous and huge!




These pics are from the Jason and Courtney's wedding on the boat. They were married on the front and Courtney came in on a speed boat.

Camping and Hiking Pics

We went camping over Memorial Day weekend. We pulled our trailer out on Friday and came home on Monday. I had to work on Saturday so I drove out after work on Saturday night. We had fun riding the quad runners when it wasn't raining! It rained quite a bit and we even got caught in a hail storm while on a quad runner ride. It was not very fun being hit by hail while trying to speed back to camp to get out of the cold. Oh well, we had a good time anyway and look forward to going again.


Last week I went on a hike with my dad. I took some awesome pictures of the sunset from up there. This hike is only about 10 minutes from my house. It's pretty awesome! We took the dogs with us and they had a blast.

Brush and Floss your teeth!!

Today I had to have 5 cavities fixed and it was not pleasant! I have to go back next week to have 2 more fixed on the other side of my mouth. It's strange because I never used to get cavities and now I have a ton almost every time I go to the dentist! So, brush and floss and don't follow my example when it comes to taking care of your teeth. It is so worth it to brush and floss regularly!

Bring on Summer!

Schools been out for nearly 2 weeks and it has been great!! My mom and I have been exercising to get into shape for our trip to Texas that is coming up soon. I did well in school this semester and I am really happy with all of my grades. I will be applying to vet school starting in July. I still have a lot to do to get ready for that like taking the GRE exam and deciding what school to apply to but it is so exciting that I'll actually be applying!

Wicked!

Yesterday I finally got to use my birthday present. Tickets to see Wicked! Yes, for my birthday in December my parents gave me two tickets to go to Wicked. Last night my mom and I went to the capitol theater in Salt Lake. The show was awesome!! I loved it and my mom did too. We had a good time and I am so grateful that I was able to see Wicked for my birthday!

It's Snowing in April!

It is finally spring and it's snowing!! I'm getting tired of the weather! It will get warm for a few days and then we get snowed on! It's torture! On a more positive note, I only have 2 weeks of school left! One week of classes and then it will be finals week. It went by really fast and I cant believe I'm almost done with my junior year in college. I'll be going home for the summer but commuting a few times a week for work. I hope it warms up soon so it will actually feel like summer!

From the Dairy to the Sheep barn

This week for my animal health lab we went to the sheep barn. We learned how to handle and do a physical exam on sheep. The sheep we got to work with had been sheared so they were not the typical woolly sheep you might think off. The class was asked to climb into the corral filled with about fifteen sheep. The sheep ran around as a big group trying to find a place to hide from all the students. I admit I was a bit nervous because I'd never worked with sheep and they were bigger than I though they would be! The teacher demonstrated how to catch and control a sheep and I was amazed that all you had to do was hold their head and they would give in and not try to run anymore. So we got into groups and caught our victims, took their temperatures, listened to heart rates, and learned how to draw blood. On sheep you draw from their jugular vein and I'm happy to say I hit the vein on my first try! I decided that if I had to pick between dairy cows and sheep, I would definately pick sheep.

Saki from Japan

Pics: Saki, Japanese snacks, Saki making a Japanese meal, and Origami




Last Wednesday our foreign exchange student Saki arrived. It was really awkward at first because she hardly knew any English and it was hard to communicate with her. After the first night it got better and she started talking a little more. We went out of our way to give her opportunities to experience America and Utah. We took her to Sam's club on Saturday so she could try free samples and she was wowed by how big the store was. Saki loved macaroni and cheese and grapefruit. We took her shopping at Gate way mall, to a dance performance, to a mexican restaurant, and to temple square among other places. I think she had a good time and really enjoyed her stay.

On Sunday she asked if she could prepare some Japanese food for us. She made us Miso soup, rice with seaweed and salmon on top, and rice cake for dessert. The food was actually pretty good. The rice cake was really weird though and it's difficult to describe how it tasted. After dinner Saki taught us how to do origami and fold a paper crane. It's harder than it looks! She was really good at it.

It was a great experiance for me and I'm so glad that I was able to be home while Saki was there. I learned a lot and it turned out to be a good spring break!

Foreign Exchange

I'm so glad that it's Spring Break!! I wish the weather was cooperating though! It snowed quite a bit yesterday! So far, my spring break hasn't been too exciting but I've been enjoying having no school and stress.

Tomorrow we are meeting our foreign exchange student who will be staying with us for about a week. She is from Japan and knows a little bit of English. It will be interesting to meet someone from a different culture. We hope it goes well and that we will be able to communicate with her.

Day at the Dairy!

Yesterday for my Animal Health and Hygiene Laboratory we went out to the dairy and learned how to do physical exams on dairy cows. Well, it was a very new experience for me! Dairy cows are huge and messy! We took temperatures and used stethoscopes to listen to the heart and the gut sounds. Then, we did rectal exams. I put on this plastic glove that went all the way up to my shoulder and just went for it. I had no idea what I was supposed to be feeling around for but all I can say is that there is a lot of space in there and it feels mushy and gooey. After that we learned how to draw blood from a vein on the underside of the tail. It was pretty hard to do. For one thing the tail was hard to hold with one hand will jabbing for a vein with the needle in the other. Also, the cow did not like it! I was straddling a drainage gutter and I had just hit the vein when all of the sudden the neighboring cow whacked me with her tail! I nearly fell in the gutter and I lost the vein. After that the vet showed how to "tip" a cow. All he did was tie a rope around her belly in a special way and as soon as he tightened it she just fell slowly to the side. It was wild! It was a very exciting day for me but I'm sure that I don't want to be a cow vet! They're too messy!

Draper Temple Open House

Last Saturday was a wonderful day! My family, along with my dad's side of the family went to the Draper Temple open house. We ate a nice dinner at the Goodwood barbecue and then headed to the temple for a tour. There were 10 of us total. The temple was beautiful inside and out and it was a really neat experience for me and my family. I have been blessed lately with many opportunities to go to the temple. I'm looking forward to attending the dedication for the Draper temple in a few weeks!

Free Pancakes!!

I just got back from IHop with my friends. We went at 7:00am for free pancake day!! We each got a free stack of three pancakes! It was awesome! Now I'm ready to take on my parasitology test!

Yeah it's Friday!!

I just got back from a USU hockey game against University of Utah. The aggies totally creamed the U!! The final score was 20 to 1!! It was a great game and I had fun. I was there with my friends Eryn, Lorissa, and Brittney. Way to go Aggies!!

Back to School

I am now back at school after a great, long weekend. Today my mom, Morgan, and I went to see a movie ("He's Just Not That Into You") and then we went shopping at the mall. The movie was pretty cute. Before the movie, my mom and I met some young women leaders and former young women for lunch at Cutlers. It was fun to catch up with them and eat yummy sandwiches, soup, and cookies.

In a couple of weeks I'll be going home again to go to the Draper temple open house. We'll be going with my dad's side of the family and I'm really excited! I've heard that it is a really neat experience and I look forward to it!!

Three Day Weekend!

I am so glad that I get a three day weekend due to Presidents' Day!! I'm going to go home and hang out with the family and take a break from school! School is going well and I have been doing really good on all of my exams so far.

I went and did baptisms for the dead on Saturday at the Logan Temple. It was a really good experience. We went as a Relief Society and had a good time. By going to the temple I fulfilled one of my new years resolutions!! Here are some of my favorite pictures of the temple that I took when I was a freshmen.

Visit from the Family

My family came up to visit me on Martin Luther King Day along with my grandparents. My grandparents have been wanting to come see me since I started school and it was good for them to be able to come now. We had a great time. I showed them where I live and we went to a yummy pizza place for lunch. We drove around the city for a bit and looked at campus and the temple. It was too chilly to get out and walk around but at least it wasn't snowing. After that we played cards back at my apartment for awhile. It was a great day!

Now I'm gearing up to take two exams this week. Physics and Organic Chemistry! I'm a little stressed out but I think I'll do okay.

Here's some pictures from my families visit.

Back to School

Well, I'm back at school. It's only the second day and I'm behind!! My classes so far have been good. I'm in Physics, Organic chemistry, Communications, and a few other animal classes this semester. I'm attempting to take 18 credits.

The weather has been awful since I've been back. It's been snowing and everything is really icy and cold! I'm glad that I got boots for Christmas!

Last Day of the Break

Tomorrow is the last day of my Christmas break. I'm a little sad to be leaving my family after all the fun we've had together but I am ready to get back to school and work. This morning we went tubing and sledding. It was really fun! We got a bunch of snow last night and the sky was clear and sunny today. Perfect weather for winter fun!