No Title is worthy of this post..

So, to put it into one word, this week has been..AMAZING! I was in desperate need of a break and was so glad Thanksgiving was here! I have been so stressed with 'life' and everything in it that I honestly could not sleep. It would take me hours to settle down my mind and get to sleep, then I would be waking up about every hour. I was running on about 4-5 hours of sleep every night and barely making it through. Unfortunately, we still had classes on Monday and Tuesday but I decided to skip out Monday evening and start my much needed vacation. Since I wasn't able to go home for Thanksgiving, I headed down to North Ogden to spend it with Grandma Davies and the Fullers. However, on Tuesday, I got the opportunity to spend the day with my Grandma White down in Bountiful. When we were younger, my Grandma would take each grandkid and show them around Salt Lake City where both she and my Grandpa were raised. We moved to Iowa when I was really young and so I never got the opportunity to go on this little adventure, so a few months ago, after Grandpa passed away, I asked Grandma if we could go sometime and we scheduled to go during thanksgiving! The weather could not have been more perfect!! I had such a great day and we had so much fun! I am really grateful that I was able to go at the age I am because my siblings and other cousins went at a young age (under 10) and I don't think I would have gotten as much out of it then as I did now. When I asked my sisters about it, all they remembered was seeing where a bunch of dead people lived. ha! So I am glad I got to wait and go when I could appreciate it more.
So, now to the part I actually wanted to blog about...part of the process of this trip down memory lane with Grandma is that she takes a picture of you at all the sites and then makes a scrapbook of them. Well, as we were driving and going to all of these places, she was telling me all kinds of stories about her growing up and especially about her and Grandpa's lives together. One that I absolutely loved was when she took me to Memory Grove where Grandpa proposed to her over 60 years ago!! So, I asked her to write down that story and put it in my scrapbook so that I could always have it.
So, here is the story in Grandma's words: We were driving along 9th Avenue and Grandpa said to me, "Open the glove box." I did and there was a brown paper sack. Grandpa said, "Open the sack." He was still driving the car. I opened the sack and there was a black velvet ring box which I opened and I was very excited to be getting me a ring. Grandpa still driving said, "Put it on." I said, "No Mel, you will go park somewhere, and you ask me to marry you and you put the ring on." He then turned around and went West toward Memory Grove overlooking Salt Lake. Grandpa did as I asked and put my ring on and we kissed.
This story makes me tear up every time I read it because it is SO Grandpa! As Grandma was telling me all this, I could picture Grandpa the whole time. Being able to hear about Grandma and Grandpa's life together was amazing! Although much of this experience made me really remember how much I missed Grandpa, it also made me open my eyes a little more to certain things in life. One thing that I love about both my Grandma and Grandpa White is how much they love life. Some of the best advice they have given me is to just take one day at a time and not worry about the things about the future that scare you. You have to live your life and everything will work out how it is supposed to.
After that wonderful day spent with my Grandmother, I drove back up to Ogden and that night, I slept the best I have in a really long time. While all those things that have been worrying me the last little while still creep up, I was able to put them aside and learn to just live in the moment and not worry about what's going to happen as much. As my Grandpa always said, "This too shall pass..."

This is Memory Grove in Salt Lake. The spot where my Grandparents decided to spend the rest of eternity with one another.

Weekend at Snow College

Awhile back, my Dad received a phone call telling him that he was going to be awarded the distinguished alumni award at Snow College, where he first began his education. As a part of this award, there was going to be a breakfast in his honor and he would get to be in the Snow College Homecoming Parade and be recognized at the Homecoming game. My parents were lucky enough to have the opportunity to come out for the weekend for the festivities and I was able to drive down. The weekend began with us all driving down to Ephraim. My dad's mom and dad both drove down, as well as sister and her husband came down and my mom's mom and Aunt Sharlene came down. It was so much fun to be with everyone for the weekend! The festivities started bright and early Saturday morning with a breakfast where they awarded my dad with his award. The breakfast was really nice and they had a nice tribute to my dad. They talked about all of his accomplishments and all the amazing things he has done in his life, which is a lot!! Then, he was lucky enough to have one of his favorite teachers that he had at Snow College there to award him with his award. After the breakfast, my dad got to be in the Homecoming Parade downtown where he worked that princess wave of his. Then, we headed to the Homecoming Football Game and during half time, mom and dad got to go down and be recognized on the football game. After that, we headed back up to Grandma White's where we dropped mom and dad off because they flew out bright and early this morning and Grandma Davies and I headed back to her place for some girl relaxing time.
It was so much fun being able to go to Snow College! Let me tell you, it is tiiiiny! Makes Rexburg look huuuuge!! When we got there on Friday afternoon, we went walking around the campus and Dad showed us were everything happened! He was like a little kid in a candy store!! You could tell that his days at Snow College were ones that he cherishes and had such a great time while there. On Saturday, I went around with Aunt Laura and she showed me her old dorm and we talked about the memories she had at Snow College.
All in all, it was a great weekend! I loved getting to spend time with my family. It would have been great if the sisters could have been there, but at least dad's favorite was there to support him and share this time with him ;) It was sad leaving today and coming back to school. I am so ready to be done with this school and studying thing!! On the bright side, I register for my LAST and FINAL semester of college EVER this week!! I can't believe it!!!! College has gone by so fast and I can not believe I am so close to being done! I have one more semester of classes, then I student teach and then GRADUATE!! Don't ask me what is in store after that, because I have absolutely NO idea! haha I suppose that is something I need to figure out here soon... :/ okay, maybe staying in college and not having to make those 'grown-up' decisions wouldn't be so bad ;)
Well, here are some pictures from this weekend....

And another semester begins...

Alright you faithful blog followers (aka my parents and sisters), I am here to post a recap of the last little bit, so her is my excerpt to the monthly family newsletter which pretty much sums it all up..but you get pictures! :)
I started out the beginning of the month living with my Aunt Melany and Uncle Dewane in Blackfoot and working at the Idaho State Fair. While I worked loooooong days (15 hours), I had a lot of fun and loved the people I got to work with and see every day. The fair ended on a Saturday, and so Sunday morning, I headed up bright and early to Rexburg to move in to my new apartment because classes were starting on Monday. It was a stressful first few days trying to get settled and start classes, but everything worked itself out. I think this is one of the busiest semesters I have had so far and it has been very stressful. I am only taking 15 credits, but I am working two jobs (tutoring and a campus tour) and then on top of that, trying to have a social life! I have finally gotten into having all teaching classes and not boring generals! I am in all my methods classes and learning so much! I am also in a 2nd grade classroom 2 mornings a week and I love it! I was in a Kindergarten class a few semesters ago, and while I loved it, I have decided that I like the older grades more...not so much babysitting. My sister, Angie, was lucky enough to be able to come out for her friend, Christina's wedding a couple weekends ago and so it was fun being able to see her and hang out with her and her friends for a couple days. Other than that, some of the fun activities my friends and I have been up to in between attempting to study is...bonfires, going to the ice caves in Rexburg and 'exploring,' going out to eat, swimming, watching movies and just hanging out. I hope everyone's month has been great and I am looking forward to Mom and Dad coming to Utah in a couple weeks for the Sister's Retreat and being able to head down for the weekend to see everyone. OH! And did I forget to mention that mom and dad finally let me bring the car out to school!? Of course it is a pain because now, I have to drive everyone who does not have a car around, but it has also been SO nice!

My cute roommate Patrice! We were neighbors awhile ago and she is from Carly's stake back in Washington


My two favorite boys and two of my best friends, Jesse and Jacob and I at the bonfire

My roommate Patrice and I with an old friend Cameron and his roommate Alex at a bonfire last weekend.

I love my family!!!

While I have been home, it has been awesome having Rachel and the kids here from NC too!! This past Sunday, we had the chance to meet with out awesome photographer dad for a photo shoot of the original Palmer clan. Here are a few snapshots!

The Original Palmer gals

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Okay, so I meant to blog a few days ago when this happened, but I have been having too much fun hanging with the fam and the kiddos, but thank goodness because something happened last night that just reaffirmed this whole situation/concept. So, on the long flight back home, I was thinking a lot about how much I have changed in the short two years I have been out of high school and away at school on my own. Not to sound all "Yahoo!! go me" but I feel like I have grown up and matured so much in the past 2 years. When I think about the way/person I was in high school, I keep asking myself, "What the heck?!?!" "Why did I care? or Why did I spend so much time worrying about that? or WHY did I waste my time hanging around those people?!" Don't get me wrong, high school was fun and stuff, but it wasn't EVERYTHING! Of course, at the time, high school was everything and was my entire life, and I couldn't see past that and see the BIG picture. Being at school, college is way better and high school is so miniscule in the big picture of my life. High school isn't everything and honestly, NO ONE cares what you were like in high school. I wasted a lot of time worrying about things back then that was a big fat waste of my time.
I am so glad I moved away and went to college though! I was able to start fresh and make a new beginning with people who knew nothing about me, about the mistakes I made, about the person I was in high school. I think about all the amazing people I have met in Idaho and all the great friendships that I have been able to form and I would not have been able to do that here in Iowa.
SOOOO, the experience I had that totally made this even more apparent to me was, last night, I went to dinner with some friends from high school and as we were talking, I was thinking, "Thank goodness I have learned the lessons I have learned in the last 2 years, because you clearly have yet to learn them." Don't get me wrong, I love these guys but they are still kind of caught up in high school and the high school drama--partying, barely getting an education, still hanging out with the same people they spent all 4 years of high school with, and not really moving on. And, I realized, we really do not have much in common anymore. I moved away and completely changed who I was. I have achieved things, made new friends, tried new things, actually gained a testimony of the church and most importantly, in the process, found myself and found the person I want to be. I didn't want to be and I am not going to be, the person at our 10 year or 20 year class reunion still thinking we are still teenagers living at Nevada High School.
I am so glad, i have been able to find the person I want to be; have been able to become independent and really just rely on ME and learn so many new things about myself. I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to go so far away to school (even though it was suuuuppper hard, and I hated it at first), but I was able to start fresh with people who didn't know what a, in my opinion, not great person I was in high school. I really have come out of my little 'shell' the past year and become comfortable with the person I am and have realized the potential that I have to do great things. I have discovered who my true friends are and who I can really rely on when I need it.

Pre Birthday Festivities

So, even though my birthday isn't for another week, we decided to celebrate it this weekend since we are all leaving at the end of the week. So, for my birthday, we went to my favorite restaurant ever, Famous Dave's!! This is mine and my dad's favorite place in the entire world!! I have to go every time I am home. I even decided to go out of my comfort zone and order something other than my delicious BBQ burger. I got the rib tips that my dad always gets and they were delicious and messy!!! A bunch of good friends came for it and then U spent the rest of the night hanging out with my friends Amy and Aly. Then, today, I slept in for the first time in a while and we went bridge jumping at Monkey Rock this afternoon. First time bridge jumping, and it was WAY scary!!! I have never jumped off anything higher than a diving board and this was a ridiculous adrenaline rush! I was so scared, I even made Carly jump with me the first time and hold my hand! haha I know, I am a baby! It was way fun though!! Any who, I am almost done with the semester and all of my finals. I finished my final state literacy exams this past week and am awaiting the scores on those. Now, all i have left is the Praxis, which I am planning on taking in September. Only 5 more days left!!! YAHOOOOO!!! Here are a few pictures from Famous Daves:

My fellow teacher friend Aly and I

My FHE brother Cameron and I--we both braved the messy rib tips together

The legacy still lives on...

Wow! Look at me!! Twice in the same weekend!! Okay, so really, I am just trying to be better at blogging and this is something that I have had on my mind A LOT lately. So, next week, it will be four months since the man I looked up to the most passed away. I was looking through some pictures that my sister sent me of my niece and nephew and thinking, "oh that would be such a cute new background picture for my computer!" However, when I went to change it, I couldn't find it in my heart to change it from Grandpa. I don't know why this is so hard for me! While I was driving back from Jackson, I was talking with Grandma about how to me, it still doesn't seem like he can possibly be gone! I think part of that has to do with the fact that I grew up on the other side of the country and only saw him and my Grandma like once a year when we would come out for the summers, so not seeing him all the time is "usual" for me. However, once I got to college, Grandpa was one of the people who I called and talked to a lot because he was able to help me with my anxiety and homesickness. Plus, I got to see him a lot more often since I was only 3 hours away. Long story short, unless I am at Grandma's house, it still doesn't feel like he is gone. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him and get sad. Part of me feels like if I change my picture, it means, he is really gone and I am not just going to see him the next time I go down to Utah (I know! This sounds ridiculous!) I was reading the manuscript from his funeral and couldn't help but smile at everything everyone said. Grandpa's life inspired me to be a way better person. He was never angry! Never fought with anyone! Always found the best in anyone or any situation! And simply loved life! I wonder how many people leave this life with that type of legacy....How many people are really able to cross the veil with everyone they are leaving behind knowing that they really did live a Christ-like life!?!?! I know that Melvin Albert White did and I am so lucky to have known him and I can't wait for that day when we will finally have our glorious reunion on the other side of the veil. Even though the one man I wanted so desperately to be with my during those big points in my life, (graduation, wedding and being a significant person in my children's lives) I am grateful that I got so many years with him and that he was able to pass before his body couldn't handle the toll that Parkinson's was putting on it. And, I am grateful that I have the knowledge that it is NOT the end. I will be reunited with him someday and what an amazing day it will be when I get to see him jumping around when he sees me!!
So, for now, I am keeping my background as that handsome man because to me, he does still live..his Spirit and enthusiasm for life and everything in it still lives on and I want him to be with me as a constant reminder of how I want to live my life so that one day, those around me will be as proud of me as I am of my Grandpa Melvin Albert White!