USU HoMeCoMiNg PaRaDe 2008

My senior year and I was FINALLY in the USU homecoming parade! Whoop Whoop! I bought a road bike last December because I decided I wanted to start cycling. My friend Gwen purchased one also but shortly after sold it to go to nail school. (blah!) So I have had to ride by myself. I met this kid though who is on the USU cycling team and he called me to help out with the float and ride in the parade. I was like, "For sure!" I got to meet other cyclists so now that I actually know other people, I want to get more involved in this. Whoop Whoop!These are my wonderful friends who after getting no sleep the night before (throwing the HiP HoPpIN HalLoWeen BaSH) came to support me in me spandex. lol, perfect.

HiP HoPpIN HaLLoWeEn BaSh

Kjersten, Amanda, and I decided to throw a Halloween party this year and it was INCREDIBLY amazing! We had a nice turn out and people said that it was the most fun they have had in a long time. They even told people how much fun it was after they had left. LOL. Whoop Whoop. We should be professional party throwers. ;)

In this picture we switched roles and acted like each other. Kj decided to pretend to be me and pray, I am trying to be seductive like she is, and Linds & Mand are just being each other as dumb blonde's. Haha. Nice to know what we really think of each other right!?

Biking Again

Last week I started biking again. Well I had been on one really short ride prior to this one but I almost wrecked on my bad leg so I stayed away for a while deciding I'd heal a little longer. This ride was fun though, my friend Bethany and I tried to follow the Latoja trail and biked out to Newton and back. Still not very long but my ankle was getting shocks sent through it every time I would push down on the petal. After a while of not riding like this I decided we should turn around although I did not want to. I felt fine, it was just the ankle. Shoot. This is where stationary bikes come in handy because I said, "I will ride as far as I can until it hurts," but then it starts to hurt, I go a mile farther hoping it will get better, it doesn't and then I have to bike the rest of the way with it paining me. LOL. No bueno. Oh well, it was so fun and so nice to get out and be doing things again!
Apparently my ankle is still "unusually swollen" (I am told) so the Doctor and my physical therapist gave me a pair of socks that are supposed to help the swelling go down. This is how hott my legs looked on the ride with my special sock on. LOL.

Annika, Jen, & Dusty

I began baby-sitting my niece Annika when she was around 3 months old. I figured there was no time to waste and I began teaching her how to say, "Jen." Repeating it over and over. For some reason, she didn't catch on. However, when she would come to visit at Grandma & Grandpa's house she sure caught on and learned how to say, "Dusty's" name. Dusty is our family dog. What is harder, "Jen" for which I even told her she could say, "En" or "Dusty." Whatever. =^) Annika loves loves loves Dusty. When they pull up to our house she begins saying his name and when she looks at books with dogs, she says his name.

We went to Lagoon a couple weeks ago and I went on the Merry-Go-Round with Annika & Alisha. Annika rode a dog like Dusty (he is a yellow lab). I think that she had lots of fun. She was trying to take it all in more than she was just enjoying it. But she did smile and show that she was liking it. At one point though she grabbed onto Alisha's hair all scared like. I thought that she was going to jump off the dog. lol. Lots of fun. Good times, good times.

the Wind Caves

Thursday night at like 2 AM my mission roommate flew in from Seattle, Washington and came to Logan to visit me. I was SO HAPPY that I had gotten my boot off on Tuesday and thought we should try to do something that I hadn't been able to do in a long time. So on my 4th day without the boot we went on a hike. To the Wind Caves. It is actually a really nice hike and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I loved all the changing colors of leaves. I felt like I could go up the hill forever and ever, it was so great. My ankle hurt a bit but not bad enough to stop. HOWEVER, the way down, that was another story. Man, it was like stinging. I did want to stop for a minute, I wouldn't have but I thought about it. Then I was like, "If I stop I will just be stuck on the mountain. I have to get down at some point!" LOL oh well. I was out and about and doing and there is no greater feeling in the world. It made me so grateful for all the things that we have to do in Logan. All the hiking trails, the mountains, places to fish & boat, bike & run & snow shoe and ski. Yeah. This is why I love Cache Valley. You really don't get that in many places. =^) Anyways Carly & I had lots of fun and afterwards we went to the hot tub and just lived it up! Next day.... SHOPPING!!!!
Oh ya... and this was dumb. We didn't think about taking water. We had gotten Jamba Juice's for lunch and it was supposed to quench the thirst on the hike... yea-right. Next time. I will remember. I've just been out of it for a while. ;^)

Bye Bye Boot!

Yee-ha!!! So monday I went to the doctor and guess what he said!? I am so good to go without my boot. The appointment was at 8 am and I didn't get home until the evening so I more or less started going without the boot Tuesday. I feel so good about myself. I feel almost normal. I can do nearly regular stuff now! ;^) At first it hurt A TON and I wanted my boot back, but I figured no pain, no gain. So I kept at it and now I am walking like a star. I only remember the limp when people mention it. Whoop whoop. So as a tribute to my boot - I am gonna miss it, but really, not that much! :)

Life - Nothin to it!

Well I really have no updates, but I have been instructed to update via Becky. =^) So here is the latest on my life...

I am now crutch-free!!! Whoop-whoop! The doctor told me to walk with 50% of my weight for basically a week and then to let go of my crutches and walk without them, full-weight bearing. Wow!!! I started walking without crutches a week ago today, school was in session and I have this thing with crossing the quad... I have to do it to get to classes... I have some good friends in my classes and they walked with me and they were like, "Jen! You look like you are in so much pain!... WOW! That looks so awkward... Ya, you look really stupid... At least you have the boot so people know why you are walking like that." LOL. Good times. It really did hurt so the rest of the day I used my crutches. In the mornings it would be really tender but bit by bit I have been able to walk on it more without problems. YAY!!!!

I am measuring my time like I'm pregnant... when I go back to the doctor to see if I can get my boot off it will have been 16 weeks! Whoa huh!? Nearly enough to be half-pregnant! Haha.

Oh so these first couple weeks of school have been MADNESS!!! I haven't been able to do anything fun! I would wake up at 6:00, go to school at 6:30, have class straight through until 1:30 or 2:30, 2 days a week have physical therapy, come home straight after and start during research for a company in Boston. I finished the research today and I am SO HAPPY!!! It was really tough! I was researching conferencing services in Latin America and since I don't speak spanish, there were quite a few barriers and the research often hit a dead end. It was a good learning experience. I learned that I will stick to editing and writing. (Or researching in English might be good... I just didn't feel like it ended up as good as I wanted it to...)

I am moving out this Wed. and I am so excited! Not because I don't like living with my family but because it is all about being social! I am switching ward boundaries and a couple weeks ago the Bishop asked me to stay in as Relief Society president for the year. I said that I would do whatever he felt like I needed to do. I was really worried about this because I was going to be living out of the ward boundaries and I have always gone to the ward that I live in the boundaries of. I didn't know what to tell the bishop and although I don't often get stressed... I was worried! It was such a simple thing too I probably didn't need to worry, but I did. So I prayed and prayed and asked my dad for a blessing and just tried to figure out what to do. On sunday morning the Bishop called me to come in and meet with him. My initial thought was, "Oh, I hope he has felt the spirit prompt him that I shouldn't be president anymore..." but I started getting together all the other information he would be asking for. Well I went into the meeting and he sat back in his chair and just sat in silence. I was like, "Is this good!?" He said, "It depends on what you think is good..." I was like, "Well... Let's hear it." He said, "We have fasted and prayed and have felt that we need to call a new RS President this year." I was like, (all smiles) "Really!? Well that actually works out perfect because I am moving and was going to be going to a different ward..." and I just started talking about a mile a minute. I am so so so thankful that Heavenly Father knows us and knows our hearts desires. I was completely willing to continue serving but I wanted to go to the ward that I lived in so as I left I couldn't help but think, "What a testimony builder that Heavenly Father answers our prayers." Like exactly what I wanted & had been praying for - for the spirit to tell the Bishop to call someone new! Haha! I know it doesn't always happen like that but it must've been a righteous desire! I have loved the calling though, I loved all the girls that I got to serve and I am going to miss it for sure. But I feel like moving on is what I need to be doing in my life. I really am thankful that Heavenly Father trusted me to serve and I know I needed it more than I was needed but now that chapter is closed I suppose. I will let you know how the new ward goes...The first presidency I served with: Brianna Harris, Danielle Cutler, Jenni Bingham, and me!

The second presidency I served with: Me, Abby Moser, Mandy Bowman, and Wendi Rock

Update on my favorite foot

Well it has been about 11 weeks since I broke my foot. For 77 days now I have been unable to put any pressure or weight on it. I look at it and I think it looks nearly better. I am ready to walk. The doctor's say otherwise. It is still pretty much permanant purple/blue. At times it looks like it is a dead person's foot... this is when Alli flips out. Nobody really likes looking at it, except me of course. I am enjoying seeing it improve. And I thought I'd post my progress. :) Because i am still bed ridden and have nothing else to report on... this is it. Enjoy!

Which leg is the broken leg!? Haha.