...so you think you can dance...

*If the video doesn't work up there click THIS. Or THIS.

this routine was sick. i loved it! absolutely LOVED it. i watched it over and over again. i love that they mixed hip hop with an actual story. a story that i can not get enough of.

so the story if the intro doesn't work where they talk about their routines is that mark is emotionally attached to his job aka a workaholic. chelsie is his girlfriend/wife that get the shaft. the choreographers made movements that go with each word of the song to depict what the story is about. its too bad that you can't really see what their faces look like. it made it that much better!

i love the part where he is manipulating her dance moves like he is manipulating her emotions in a real relationship. i love the beginning where they are in the blissful stage and then it quickly moves into the fast paced real world. i just love the story that goes on and the intensity of it all. i also enjoyed the "fit" she throws later and how he just walks away from her with out any emotion... LOVED it! i seriously got chills!

other favorites this week were kherington & twitch, gev & courtney g, and katee & joshua.

...i'm happy...

this past weekend was a BLAST! the past three weeks actually have been just amazing, minus the stomach flu epidemic that hit our house. i have spent the past three weeks in california, arizona, and seattle. i had a great time with family and friends.

in california my uncle married my cousin's mom. yes that is right. they had a kid together, my cousin, about 20 years ago and kind of "broke up." well they tied the knot two weeks ago. i had a great time doing my aunt's hair for the wedding. it had been a while since i had done hair. it felt really good to create something like that again. maybe i'll go and get my cosmetology license...

after that i road tripped out to arizona with my mom to look for a house to buy and interview with the kyrene school district. learned a lesson about fundamentals and blind spots. that i will share later.

then it was back to california. thats when the stomach flu hit. seven of the eight people in our house got sick. corinne was visiting with her two little boys and they got sick too. it all started with olivia! yup the little ten pounder got us all sick. but we still love her to death.

while i was there i had dim sum, went shopping, went swimming, laid out, ate ice cream, read two books, and played with olivia!

SEATTLE!!!!!!! i got back to SLC on wednesday night played with angelina and then got in a car thursday morning and drove out to seattle with andy, jordan, and andy's parents. the drive was beautiful. i finally went to oregon. we played some really fun games along the drive. andy and jordan are officially the best memorizers. but i still claim that i'm right there with them if they weren't using stupid medical terms! oh well.

we, as in amy, lindsey, mike, and myself, spent friday setting up the reception. lights, wire, and ivy! ah. it was fun but really hard work.while andy and jordan went golfing. and quinn was MIA. amy and i went to our suite and gabbed about life and its mishaps. she helped me get ready for my adventure with aj. i was a little nervous.  she kept me grounded. i don't think i would have survived the weekend with out the eye gel, kidding but sorta not. but really i don't think i would have survived with out amy.

my mini adventure through the pacific northwest helped to put everything into perspective. it goes back to learning how to stand still.

as i think about our adventure i kind of have to laugh to myself.  our first date and this adventure started out the same, had similar background noise going (i.e. baggage), and somewhat of the same resulting feelings. 

the first time aj and i went on our first date he told me we were driving to salt lake for a concert.  i was beside myself.  i kept thinking about what we were going to talk about for the 45 minute drive up there.  we talked the entire time. i remember laughing and feeling at ease during our date. and the result when he dropped me off that night was hope.  after a long history of empty promises, darkness,  and suffering from a broken heart, i felt hope. 

well this adventure was no different.  we set out on a drive.  aj and i drove to a little town called north bend and ate at twede's cafe there on the one and only main street. we picked up where we had left off after a few moments of awkwardness and nerves we just chatted like we never missed a beat. 

we went to a near by lake. it was absolutely still. it was breathtaking. we attempted to skip rocks (like old times at utah lake), but there weren't very many to choose from. so we opted to walk around the lake and explore. apparently it was a time of day that would have been great for fishing.  after we drove with the windows down in the truck and sang along to boondocks by little big town and some other great country tunes. we then visited snoqualmie falls. its waterfall that drops 270 feet. we hit it just at sun set. it was beautiful.

for the first time in a long time something in my life felt right.  being here at this place, at this time, with aj felt right.  i can't say that about much else in my life up to now.  other things felt good.  but this felt right.  i needed to be here.  i needed this experience for whatever reason.  the stillness of the lake, the ease of our friendship, and the timing allowed me to stand still and feel of the mercy and tenderness of the Savior's love.  it helped me to feel of the mercy and tenderness of another person whom i missed.  i was overcome with a soft sense of joy.

standing there with him, the waterfall was like a finalizing washing away of the "stumbling blocks," or rocks for the sake of the metaphor, i had been facing.  not only between myself and aj.  but so much more.  as we stood and watched the majestic sight i let it all go.  i let the waterfall take the last remaining debris.  i felt refreshed.  and most of all i felt at peace. 

it was nice to have some one call me to tell me they were going to be late.  it was nice to feel some one being considerate of me.  i hadn't felt that in a while.  it was nice to just talk. it was nice to just be together. it was nice to not have to put on a happy face since it seem to come naturally.  it was like the feeling you get when you have been away from home for a really long time and the journey to the front door has been all but pleasant.  then you push open the door and take that first step inside.  that's what this felt like.  thanks aj.



the next day was the wedding. it was a long day to say the least. we did some traditional chinese events in the morning. then the sealing, followed by their reception. i teared up when jessica hugged her dad outside the temple and when they shared their dance. i'm a daddies girl through and through. jessica and justin will be great together. no doubt about it.

the other fun came in the early hours of the morning. haha. we drove into seattle at like midnight every night just to do something. one night we just drove around and never got out of the car. i can't even begin to describe or illustrate the humor and fun we had. i'll try to list them and those that were there can appreciate them: eye gel, jack in the box drive through, chocolate milk, contacts, taxis, dicks, skin walkers, big toes, towel wrapping, being on tv, poems, diapers, singing, prom poses, "how about now?", wendys, the cross fire friend, 3 people to a bed, and that is just the surface. there are pictures in the green grass on the other side and the other side keeps getting better. also, amy said it better in her post sleepless in seattle. read it!

over all, i just want to say that i am happy and these are some of the things and people who help me to realize just how happy i am!

...yay me...

today was an interesting day. i got a call this afternoon from the lady that i interviewed with in az. i had been waiting to hear back from them for some time. i wasn't thinking that they've offer me a job with different reasons as to why. i decided to not let it get to me and just enjoy life for the time being.

well as a delightful surprise today the head of hr offered me a teaching position in the top district in az. she doesn't have a specific classroom for me yet, but said if i was interested that they were interested. and if i would do my part and they did there's i'd be set for the fall.

ah! its exciting. however, recently i've kind of thought about exploring some options in the pacific north west, the seattle bellevue area. our trip up there this past weekend was amazing. i'll give more detail later. but now i'm torn between seattle and az.... and i have about a week or two to decide...

...yay me...

today was an interesting day. i got a call this afternoon from the lady that i interviewed with in az. i had been waiting to hear back from them for some time. i wasn't

...can you feel the excitment....

i know i can! i just went to sam's club and found the best game ever on n64 for the wii.... drum roll.... mario kart! yes i know its been out for a while. trust me i know. i have been on a game hunt ever day for the past month for this game. i even bought an extra wheel before getting the game.

i remember this was the only game that i would play on my old 64. its the only i needed. i LOVE this game. my brother-in-law brad and i stayed up until 6 in the morning playing it when i got to omaha for his graduation. who needs sleep when you can play mario kart?

the bananas. the red shell. the green shell. the bullet. the POW. the battles. and everything else. i love the new cars that they have. my favorite is the new high chair looking vehicle! wanna play?

'nough said...

...other than, "andy its ok..."

ha ha. kidding. these are two pictures of some fun we've been having since teaching is over.
one is of us exploring provo including indian cuisine, maestros, and center street. the other is bocce ball and snow cones. of course followed by red robin, a movie, and hot tubbing. yes i know that they are only of quinn and myself. There are more of the happenings in two albums on the right of the blog.

i am really looking forward to sharing about the rest of my trip to california, arizona, and seattle!

i have an interview tomorrow in AZ. wish me luck... i'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

what now...

life has been pretty crazy lately. the school year is finally over. the little ones have gone away for the summer. i have successfully completed my first year of teaching.... now what?

that seems to be the questions that has been on my mind for a little over 2 months. 2 months ago i decided to resign from my teaching position and venture out away from utah. and now i'm in the process of making that happen.

a lot in my life has changed. a year ago yesterday, i said yes to a young man who asked me to spend the rest of eternity with him. that obviously has changed. a year ago i had a plan for the rest of my life. i was headed down a path that felt right. one that was illuminated with light and sunshine. however, i find myself down a completely different path (reminds me of the story of the fork in the road by elder holland, i think).

i have to admit that i have had very deep and long moments of uncertainty, unhappiness, and down right depression. on the other hand i have also had wonderful, blissful, and peaceful moments in the midst of the storm.

one of these moments came just a few nights ago as i was reading in the Doctrine and Covenants. i had been just flipping through the pages and reading random passages that i had highlighted trying to figure out why i had highlighted them when i came across D&C 123:17.

"Therefore, dearly beloved [sister], let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

for anyone that knows me they know that i am kind of control freak. i am definitely a do-er and i am an a type personality. well lately i feel like i've been running around with my head cut off trying to do everything even the things that are out of my control. the scripture talks about being cheerful and doing all that is within our power. i'm was not cheerful or doing just what is within my power. i was chastised by the Lord and it was just what i needed.

then it admonishes to stand still. what does it mean to stand still...? that is what i am trying to figure out. i mean it says to stand still and it promises that with the UTMOST ASSURANCE I will see the salvation of God (i took it to mean His plan for me) and for his ARM (WILL or WAY) to be revealed. there you go jen, DUH! i mean its right there. a perfect piece of knowledge and light.

so what about peace... does that come when you are standing still? i want to feel at peace... so i kept flipping pages and stopped when i saw this scripture:

"But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come..."

now i need to do the works of righteousness and i have been promised that i will have peace. so my next feat will be to learn to do all things that are within my power cheerfully, then stand still, learn and do the works of righteousness, and be obedient. i think standing still is going to be my hardest challenge...