the bear cake

so today after school, i came home after FFA and spent nearly the entire rest of the day working on a cake for my little brother. he's in cub scouts and tommorrow is his blue and gold banquet. for the banquet their suppost to bring decorated cakes for a competition and as desert. so i spent roughly 5 hours on the cake and cleaning the kitchen, with a couple potty breaks and dinner time. but i did finally do it and i think that it actually looks pretty good for someone who a) has never made homemade fondant before and b) didn't really have a whole lot of external experience to guide me. i'll have to take and post a few pictures before it gets eaten, although if i was given the chance to take i bite, i think i'd have to pass. just being the one that made it and knowing whats in it... fondant= crisco, marshmallows and p. sugar. that sounds pretty nasty to me... so its mostly just a look at cake, for sure not made for taste. all in all i like the end product and really enjoyed creating it.

another thing that happened today, was that i found the way to not be nervous about track. i just need to be the super positive person. always smiling and complimenting, and that way hopefully people will focus and make their opinion of me based on my happy and outgoing personality rather than my track performance. i dunno, its worth a try.
well i hope it works and everything else works out too... don't know how its ever going to do that, but hey, maybe.
its super late and i'm exauhsted!
gnite - jess

the magical podiatris!

today, during 3rd period, my mom picked me up from school to go to a podiatrist because i have been having really bad foot problems. i had gone to a different one before, but he was really rushed, didn't answer our questions and didn't fix, or even make a dent in the problem. the new doctor, however, was superb! he answered all our questions, gave ideas, explained everything and took foot molds to make super custom orthodics. i got x-rays, he saw how i walked, my arches - he did everything the other doctor didn't do! he is fantastic and gave me hope for my feet. especially because track starts next monday!!! so soon. it makes my tummy do loops!
hopefully everything works out and my orthodics come back with supernatural powers to fix everything!
until then!
Jess

Best of EFY

BEFY was SO good! the speakers were fantastic. the first guy talked about what the prophet says vs. society and the media, and he had a lot of good stories. the second guy had a really heavy subject :chastity, but he was so funny and didn't make anything feel akward or squirmish. he was SO funny it was almost like being at a comedy show. he still got the point accross. i was to exhausted to stay for the quadstake dance afterward, but i heard that it was good.

youth confrence was pretty good too. i stayed with the Murphys along with Annelise, Julie, Kaile and Stephanie. the other girl didn't show up. we got to go on a boat cruise around the sound/seattle coast on friday for YC and i think that that was the most gorgeous sunset i have ever seen! and then all the stars... wow, we really do live in a beautiful place. i love seattle! i also got to help christa move into her new house, and may i just say that it is really something. all their hard work, time and money have really paid off! it was almost like job shadowing a mom for 3 days. i know that being a mother is a tough job, but i now know for a fact that it is well worth it and can't wait to be done with all the dumb drama and junk of school and to settle down and get a fam going. wow, lots has been going on... oh! and at the beggenning of break, we went on a cabin camping trip to ensign ranch were we stayed for 2 nights. my dad borrowed some leather working tools and leather from one of his friends, so while we were there we made all these little leather pouches and stuff. it was really fun, and since it was so cold outside, thats what i spent most of my time doing. so it went helping, camping, helping, cupcakes, helping, youth confrence, boat cruies, BEFY and then school.
the cupcakes. it was heathers birthday on wednesday so i decided to try out one of the Hello Cupcake cupcakes. let me just tell you that they are not as easy as it says in the book. or at least it isn't for me. you could tell they were supposed to be penguins, but they sure didn't look like the book ones. oh well, now i have an excuse to try again :P. hopefully they'll turn out better next time. i'll have to get pictures soon of all the stuff i did.
until then!
Jess

busy as a bee

wow! time has really flown, i've been so busy lately, but it doesn't seem like i've gotten a whole lot done. i did all my chores yesterday and it didn't seem like it took super long, but i finished them at 4:40! it took me the entire day to do nearly nothing. anyways, nobody really reads my blog, hopefully heather doesn't, so i won't go into detail about what i have planned. its nothing big, just super cute - well, that is if i can make them right, lets just say it has something to do with hello cupcake and penguins... ;) they're going to be amazing... i hope
hmmm, i got my physical on wednesday. i told the dr. about my sleeping problems and exhaustion, so she said that i should get blood work done and an EKG. i got the blood work done that afternoon. it was the first time that i had ever done that and it wasn't really bad at all. right before she stuck me, i had this wave of panic, but once it was done (it only took like 2 minutes) it was actually pretty cool. i havent' done the EKG yet, probably sometime this week. i'm excited to get all my numbers back; i wonder if they'll do my cholesteral and stuff as well... haha, that sounds totally stupid but i really think it would be cool to know. well, that's pretty much it for now. so what am i grateful for... my aunt bunny.

oh yeah! i forgot the most important thing: this Friday, the day before valentines day, it was in the beginning of 2nd period, horticulture - so the teacher runs the flower shop too, gave this kid a 2 rose wrap and a cute little stuffed monkey and told him to go outside, read the name on the envelope and then deliver it. he read the name right there and said " i don't know who this is though" then Mrs. kurka (who is also the FFA advisor) pointed to someone and the kid came over to me ( i had just been listening, i was working on the book assignment) and was like "happy valentines day!" turns out that my parents had gotten me flowers for valentines day! it was totally cool! a great semi-surprise. semi because a few weeks earlier i had mentioned about how i was going to get some flowers and how i thought all the girls that got flowers for v-day were so lucky. it was sweet of them to remember, and now the gorgeous roses are in a vase in my room. i love my parents thoughtfulness! then for valentines day, i got my mom a book of quotes about how amazing and wonderful moms are and i wrote her a card. then for my dad, i made his card, gave him a card in spanish thanking him and my mom for the flowers (it was an activity we did in spanish class) because he took some spanish in college and we talk in basic broken spanglish some times :D its really funny, i always think its so cool when i learn how to say new things and always try to work it in some how. anyways, i also drew him a picture of me and him on an island eating sushi (because my dad and i love sushi and he's one of the few people that i know that like sushi and would go out with me to get some) with an ocean under the island with tuna, salmon, fish and shrimp swimming around and all sorts of sushi related foods in the sky; like wasabi, rice, avacado, pickled ginger, seaweed, cucumber and soy sauce. and, because i a) didn't have time, and b) i don't know of any suber good restaurants so i didn't want to chance it, i made an I O U $15 for sushi coupon and in the card i said "one less excuse"
it was pretty cool.
i'm greatful for sushi and flowers!

appreciative

i'm really excited about going to efy! its going to be so much fun. annelise and i got in in the same counselor group, so sometime in july we're going to fly down to my aunt bunny and uncle lelands, stay a few days, go to efy in the byu dorms, go back to their house, then fly back. flying on an airplane sounds like so much fun! i can't wait.
i'm appreciative of the fact that i got into efy provo.

tanking it & cupcakes

so today i tanked on my treat. i had 3 cinnamon rolls, you know the ones with 4 sticks of butter and a bag of sugar in them, then 6 cookies. and they were all staight up toxic. i felt pretty bad about it, but i was able to convince my little sis to do 50 minutes of bootcamp with me. we sweated it up and i feel a little better. atleast i didn't fall off the wagon completly.
anyways, the cool part about today that i really wanted to share was that we got a package from our aunt bunny and uncle leland today for valentines. there was the usual; heat shaped dove chocolates, rose lollypops etc. but buried underneath was the real treasure. she included just for me (well, my name wasn't technically on it, but i was feelin the vibes) the 'hello cupcake'" book. it only has the Cutest cupcake decoration ideas EVER! they are adorable. things like penguins, gardens, bugs, clowns, sea creatures - you name it and its got ideas in it. one of my tops is the monarch butterfly one! i think that i'm going to make some and take pics to post on here sometime. either way, its a suber fun book that i'm totally pyched to use!i am thankful for cupcakes.

Walking

i think one of my favorite things to do is to walk. its pretty easy when compared to bootcamp body busts and the mind game of running. you can still have a fluent conversation while getting slightly winded and toning up. i always feel great after i get back, and sometimes i'm even sore! but its not a workout that i have to gear myself up for, i actually enjoy and look forward to it. my two favorite people to walk with is one, my dad, and two my mom. my dad is numero uno probably because he and i get along easier for stuff like that. we just talk about random things that have been on our minds lately. for instance, today he told me all about what he is doing in work and his latest Entrepanuerial schemes, which are actually really good ideas, he just needs help getting them rolling. or sometimes, we go the theological route. he knows his info and its really cool to come to him with questions and have him be able to answer them so well, in a way that totally makes sense to me. so in all, hes my mental/question go to. on the other hand is my madre. i rely on her for the emotional stability part. we don't walk as much together though because a) she usually has already exercised (she's so motivated!) and b) fricition in those circumstances arises fairly easily. i know i can go to her about pretty much anything. of course, there are a few things that are 'personal' that i only tell my bff sam, who is probably the only person that would understand at this point in my life, but for the vast majority i go to my mom. we have amazing heart to hearts and she usually is right, whether i like the truth or not. and i love that she can be so honest. she tells me what i do good on as well as what i need to improve. they both are amazing and help me to fine tune myself. which i'm pretty sure i'd rather them point out my faults now that need changing, than people down the road, like my boss, tell me what needs to change. so today i'm greatful for my partents and walking.

Grateful

today i realized how good i am at everything that i do. now, by no means do i mean to brag, far from it. nobody really reads my blog anyways except for me that is. today in seminary, i had all the answers. i nearly could have taught the lesson. at the FFA comp over the weekend, i didn't really study a ton, i just read over some stuff and it stuck with me. for track, i'm pretty fast, in the top half of teh speed list. i got a 4.0 for my first semester of highschool that i technically shouldn't even be in right now. i think that i am a pretty good person and that i need to stop feeling all not good enough. yeah, i'm for sure not the best, but i am worth it and i do have talents and i do have potential and i do have people that love me and care about me and would be so sad and dissappointed if i didn't live up to my potential. so that is what i am thankful for today, that i finally got a glimpse of how other people see me. and that is my goal for this week as well, to live up to my potential and get my self out of this retarding slump, pull myself to gether and get myself back on track! i can do this!

lately i've been sleeping so much! last night i slept 10 hours, then today after church i went straight upstairs and slept for 4 hours, and it 7 now, but i've been sleepy tired since 6, 1 hour after i woke up! hopefully i'll be adding a few inches heighth wise and loose a few girth wise... :)
today was a pretty good day. for starters i got to take a 4 hour nap! which Never happens. then, we had a small YW today. i like smaller classes, its more... personal? and definatly more participation. also in YW i didn't completly butcher the song like i usually do. i, of course, messed up but i was able to jump right back in and play the rest of the song pretty darn good. it seems like no matter how much i practice or how good i can play it at home, i always freak out when its time to sing and screw up. but whatever, atleast i'm semi trying. i could practice more, yeah... anyways, today for the YW lesson, at the end sis. maloy told us to make a goal for the week. mine is going to be to have a perfect week of goals. every day get everything done that i need to.
and last but not least. in the mail yesterday i got my grades from KW that made it official that i got a 4.0 first semester! yes! all those after school study table things paid off! :D i'm pretty excited about that. only 7 more to go... ha. i am greatful for sleep.

First FFA competition

wow, alot has happened. from the begining then, on friday, right after school, the Kentwood floral team left for ferndale for the first FFA floral competition of this year. we drove in the direction of bellingham for about 3 hours in what we call the "ghetto van". a school district astro van. we got a new one this time so it wasn't too ghetto :). after checking into the lakeway bestwestern (which was the second Funnest hotel i have ever stayed at) we went to a chinese buffet called Lychees. there, i ate so much delicious sea food. i had california rolls, raw salmon rolls, raw shrimp rolls, cooled shrimp, cooked salmon, clams, crab legs and a stuffed mushroom. it was Heavenly. then we trekked back (accross the street : ) to our hotel, where annelise and i we roomates. first we had an hour of practice in Mrs Kurkas room, then annelise and i went to the gym and had mini races to see who could burn 100 calories first, i won both times, next to the sauna, then a quick jump in the pool - fully clothed. we took hot showers, talked, watched tv, ironed, did facials and painted our nails. it was suber fantastic. we woke up at 4 am to curl our hair, pack up eat bfast and get dressed. did i mention that we had a fridge in our room too? we did and it was sweet. we went the night before to freddies and we got milk for the carnation instant breakfast and apples for breakfast. after we got all packed up back in the 'van' we drove 30 minutes to ferndale highschool for the actual competition. over the next two hours, we all took a 40 plant, plant i.d test, a 50 question general knowledge test, a 5 question problem solving test and 1 15 minute team activity. my brain was warm and tingly after all that stuff. in the end, Kent FFA did really well. we won a few second places as a team and all of us placed well in individual stuff. i personally placed 3rd best out of all the first timers and 8th best out of everyone there over all. we had a ton of fun and i can't express to you how good it felt to take off my heels! my feet hurt so bad after that. annelise and i slept for some of the way home. when i did eventually get home, i went directly to my own bed and slept for 2 1/2 hours, which was glorious.
i had forgotten though that i was going to go see coraline tonite, so after a mad dash to get ready i headed over to the amc. coraline was a really good flick. it had the mild suspenseful scareiness(?) like the book, but at the same time it was cute. it was a stop motion film i think its called. like the nightmare before christmas or corpse bride. all together i had a really fun day, so that is what i'm grateful for - that i could do well and have fun at my first ever FFA comp, that i could go have fun with a friend and see a totally awsome show, and that i could finally get my sushi. :D
today was a good day, hope yours was too. hasta manana!

Truly My Greatest blessing

because you don't know her the same way that i do, i don't think that you can appriciate fully where i'm coming from, but my best friend is truly my greatest blessing. she is the other half of the joint journal that i mentioned the other day, and this afternoon was the first complete exchange of the journal. i was reading it and there was a part that i just wanted to share. it was profound for me, probably because she is the first person who has ever said this to me so directly:
"i will support you in whatever you choose to do in life. all i know is that you have so much potential. no matter what anybody else says you truly can achieve anything you put your mind to."
wow
i don't think i can compete with that depth of thought in any journal entry ever. she really is such a fantastic person and i don't know how else to describe how amazing, astonishing, phenomenal, outstanding, stupendous and strong she is. inspirational. she's pretty fantastic and i'm really glad that we're buddies, because it is so refreshing to hang out with her. i hope she knows that i think she has unthinkable potential as well. she's going to do some pretty great stuff.
so in short, i'm thankful for sam.

So, more gratitude.
today i got to go shopping with my mom, which i had really needed to do. it was suber fun and we got along the entire time. i found some really good deals - like a really nice running shirt and jog bra for only like $20 (for both) and at brookes running, there were really nice spikes there on clearance for 10 bucks! it was unbelievable, they just didn't have my size.
another thing that i am thankful for is that i am no longer terrified of doing track, i'm just mildly anxious, and the other part of that is that i have finally decided that i am going to do track this year. its taken a while, lots of stress filled nights, long talks and a few prayers but i finally feel like its all going to work out. i also found converse today which was really cool. i found a pair of tealy-grayish ones and they were cheaper than the ones at pacsun and journey.
i can't believe that it was so warm today, it got up to 65 degrees. glorious!
and last but not least, i am so unthinkably grateful for my goal buddy, heather. she is so far past amazing that its crazy. her perpetually happy attitude rubs off and every time i talk to her and hear about her goals, i feel more motivated and happier myself. thanks heather, your awsome!
check in tommorrow
Jess

Gratitude

Ok, so i am in a 90 days goal group where we pick goals to work on for 90 days. one of my goals is to write in a gratitude/ daily journal and since i never have time to sit down and write in a paper journal, or remember to or like to, i've decided to try blogging my journal. i'm on the computor all the time anyways and i can type a whole lot faster than i can write. so here is my first day:
3 things that i am greatful for that happened today & yesterday
1) i got to make some cards today at a stamp camp thing that my mom hosted and she paid for all the cards that i made. during the stamp camp, i also got 2 jobs (babysitting) which is great because i haven't had a job in forever
2) i dropped off my joint journal at my friends house for the first time. my best friend and i got a journal last weekend at barnes and noble that is super thick and looks like a bible. we go to different schools this year so we decided that because we never have schedules that work together, we would do a journal where we basically write letters to eachother and their all kept in one central place so we can keep them for future generations. its really fun and i'm excited to see what she writes back
3) i am really grateful for the oppourtunity i had to talk to an 'old' friend. time seems to have gone by so fast and i hadn't seen and gotten to talk to him for almost 2 years. it was really nice to get to catch up for a few minutes while we were waiting for rides to show up. i learned that, contrary to popular belief, he isn't doing drugs or drinking, which is always good to hear.

so those are my 3 things for today and yesterday that i am thankful for. hopefully this blogging thing works out and i can conquer this goal!
see ya tommorrow
Jess