5 Months to Marriage

So Justin and I have a 6 month engagement before the BIG day... that is a really long time, but we've got one month down and only 5 to go! The first thing everyone says when we tell them that we are getting married in December, is, "Wow, that's forever away!" I know,tell me about it!  We're the ones who are actually waiting that long. I know, we are crazy.

Well, to pass the time Justin and I came up with a way that will help us keep track of the days and to give us something to look forward to doing each day instead of just wanting every day to pass by quicker than the last. The engagement is supposed to be fun, we want to enjoy it even though it is long. So... we have created the 5 Months to Marriage chain.
                                          
We have 147 days to go as of today so we each took half of our paper chain links and wrote down one reason why we are excited to marry each other on each link. We are going to connect them alternately so that one day I can read why he is excited to marry me and the next he can be reminded why I am so excited to marry him :) I think it is a great idea! It helps us actually see all the little things that we love and are grateful for with each other, as well as reasons why we are excited to get married.

Mother's Day!

Alright, so Mother's Day is coming up in a few weeks and it seems like there are never enough ideas for what to get mom! Especially because my mom's birthday tends to land 2-3 days before Mother's Day. There are a lot of different ideas out there and after researching a lot of them I have decided to come up with a list of ones that really take the gold! 1. Spa Day: Every mom needs a day off from their busy lives. A spa day is the perfect relaxer especially if you go with her so she isn't having to go alone. You can either send her to a real spa such as Seasons Salon & Day Spa or create one for her yourself by pampering her with breakfast, giving her bath salts, body wash and lotion and giving her time to take a relaxing bath. Give her a massage, etc 2. Sandals: Mother's Day is the beginning of summer when it is the perfect time to break out the open toed shoes and, of course, get some new ones. Fun sandals are a good gift, ones that are her style but she may not get because they aren't practical. I love these: (Fossil Women's Alice Sandal--Grey)

3. Personalized Gifts: You can actually find these all over the Internet at places such as gifts.com, or other personalized gift websites. I got my mom a picture frame last year that had a picture of the two of us and a poem personalized to her. It brought tears to her eyes and she absolutely loved it! Mothers love the gifts that are really from their kids or spouses. You can do other things too though, such as mugs with photos or words on them, or even M & M's haha. One gift that I love is the photos of nature that make a name when put together. 4. Pay for a family trip: This could be a gift from the family if you are going far like to Disneyland or something...hey, it's a reason to have a vacation. Not that you really need a reason haha. 5. Get her something she already enjoys doing: If she loves to read, get her one of her favorite books. If she loves to garden, get her new flowers, or gardening tools. If she loves to cook, get her a flirty apron or cookbook or ingredients. If she loves adventure and the outdoors, get her rock climbing gear or a pass to a ski resort for the next season. If she loves to write, get her a journal. You get the idea... :)

Dance Project Recital!

As lights began to brighten, a circle of bodies appeared on the stage, all connected, all intertwined. Legs were held in the air while others were spread across the ground until, with a shift in the music, the bodies moved.
One at a time, dancers broke out of the routine, spinning, leaping, flipping, as their fluid movements pulled them across the stage.
Utah Regional Ballet performed the work of six competition-finalist choreographers in the 5th annual Choreography Dance Project at UVU Jan. 26, 27 and 28.
Choreographers were given the chance to win a scholarship award of $1000 “to further their education and expand their careers and experience in choreography,” said Jacqueline Colledge, artistic director of URB.
The different pieces filled the night with a variety of ballet styles from classical ballet to modern ballet and even some contemporary pieces.
“It has a little bit of everything to offer,” Colledge said. “It’s very different; there’s bound to be something everyone will love.”
“Life: written” choreographed by Shayla Bott is one of these unique dances. The dance featured seven dancers acting out a story not to music but to spoken words. The story took the audience from childhood through adolescence to adulthood and into mature adulthood all the while URB dancers acted out happiness and heartbreak, joy and loss.
Another piece, “Pickles and Milk” by Terry Davis, told its story by using one white balloon that the dancers continually handed off to each other throughout the dance.
“It’s not what I expected. It’s a lot more modern; it is all very different,” said Arrianne Noland, freshman at UVU.
Many people attended the performance to support family or friends and some went to simply experience the dance.
“I like to see the different style of dances and how well they [URB] portray them,” said Lexie Billings, who came to support her sister.
At the end of the three day competition, three judges determined the outcome of the competition based off of the creativity, the creative process, the structure of the work and the characteristics of good choreography, according to Colledge.

Results can be found at www.uvureview.com/2012/01/30/scholarships-awarded-through-dance-competition/

Expression Through Music at UVU

Music creates a unique experience for everyone, playing on the listener’s emotions and experiences, pulling out hidden dreams and ideas from the recesses of the mind. Whether it is used to simply relax or while studying, music becomes a central part of life.

Utah Valley University’s music department shapes an experience for students to share their love of music with a variety of instruments through the Percussion Ensemble.

Students get the opportunity to learn to play different instruments from an electric guitar to a police whistle. The ensemble mixes a variety of vibraphones, wood blocks, marimbas, and other instruments that help develop culture in the students as well as provide entertaining and unpredictable music, according to Dr. Doug Smith, UVU’s new Percussion Ensemble director.

“The ensemble has played over 100 different instruments just this last semester,” said Nate Anderson, UVU senior.

Smith works to give his students the experience to do what they love, playing their music.

“It makes it an exciting group to be a part of, playing all of the different styles and genres. It’s exciting for the audience, too, hearing all of the different types of instruments in one concert,” Smith said.

The Percussion Ensemble is a place where students create music. They create these unique experiences for everyone to be a part of.

The ensemble is “very expressive,” according to Anderson. “There are lots of instruments, lots of styles, lots of opportunities. It’s a pretty diverse experience in expressing yourself.”

In the upcoming Saint Patrick’s Day concert on March 19, pieces will feature fast-paced, non-stop movement described by Smith as a roller-coaster as well as music that will immediately put listeners in a good mood.

Some of the pieces are unpredictable while others are “exotic [and have a] sexy, sort of tango feel,” Smith said.

The Percussion Ensemble performs in a way where each musician is continually playing and actively participating in making the music.

“You get to play all the time. The parts are more active and you play instruments that you can’t in other [musical ensembles],” Smith said.

Percussion is a different way of experiencing music. It is a combination of listening and seeing.

Percussion music is not just hearing the notes but visually seeing how the music is made and what goes into the sound, according to Smith.

Music can lead people on a journey wherever they need to go. The Percussion Ensemble hopes to lead that journey, not just for one piece of music, but for the whole concert.

“Human beings are music makers. Music’s uplifting, inspiring and educational. What better way to experience it while we play the oldest instruments next to the voice?” Anderson said. “Percussion has been contributing to culture all through history and it will continue to do so.”

Break Me Out

Wow, school takes up so much time! After having been in school for one day my planner already overflowed with things I needed to do. Maybe I need a bigger "To Do List" planner? Between trying to shop for textbooks that will wipe out my bank account and actually finding time to do all of the readings, get to know you assignments, and preparing for quizzes (who has quizzes on the second day of class anyway? We haven't learned anything yet!)there is practically no time to just sit and enjoy being back in school.

It's a good thing that today is Martin Luther King Day....Thank you Mr. King! I needed a break. Or at least time to catch up on everything. I know, I'm trying to "catch up" already. This is the first break of the new semester so it better not get wasted. I've been thinking about some ideas of what to do over this break so that it doesn't just drift off into a day of watching TV and reading all of the other fun things people are doing on Facebook.

In case these ideas don't work for today, the next break is on February 20, that's President's Day. I'm glad they are helping us out too ;)

1. Go hiking up to Bridal Veil Falls.
I did this on Saturday, which was definitely warmer than it is today. Man, our weather is so crazy lately. My guess is that by the time we hit June a freak snowstorm will hit us and last until September and then we will jump back into fall. Let's hope I'm wrong...I love the snow, but we kind of need summer.
Anyway, the Provo Canyon trail is pretty nice and dry, but once you cross the threshold over into Bridal Veil the ground is completely frozen, so if you do this make sure to wear good shoes. At some points the snow on the ground is actually pure ice so you have to slip and slide to get across it. A lot of people were up ice climbing the falls too so if you are in to that kind of thing. It looked sketchy to me though because the river and big parts of the falls are still rushing.

2. Go to Trafalga
This is even better if you have a Pass of all Passes. The Orem one is fun, they have outdoor and indoor mini golf, arcade games (which lamely aren't included in with the pass), 4D movies, batting cages, and the best of all.... go karts! The Lehi one I like better. There is way more to do up there. They have indoor rock climbing, laser tag, indoor and outdoor mini golf, a "Rocket" type of roller-coaster. It's like the mini one they have at Lagoon. They have arcade games, which also aren't included with the POAP, but their games are way more fun than Orem's. They also have an outdoor roller-coaster and bumper boats to get you soaking wet, but those are only open during the summer.

3. Go Sky Diving
Looking for an adrenaline rush this break?? Sky Diving is definitely the thing to do. Just make sure to go on a warmer day...so today may not be the best but if the weather keeps going the way it has been then by President's Day it might be the perfect time. Sky Diving is sketchy... yeah I know that, but there isn't anything like it.

I went with Sky Dive Utah and was very impressed. It's up in Tooele: www.skydiveutah.com It only cost us about $240 to tandem jump AND get photos. They have different prices based off of how many people you have, if you want pictures, videos, etc. It was the craziest experience in my life!

Going up in the plane was so much fun... I wasn't worried at all! Haha, okay, maybe a little bit, but nothing like what I expected. Mostly I remember just thinking, "Dang...I'm hungry." After having watched close to 30 other people fly up and come floating back down, my whole group was ready to just get strapped up and jump. It really wasn't that bad flying up in the plane.

The crazy thing was just feeling like you couldn't breathe the entire way down because so much air and pressure is hitting you, but it doesn't feel like you are falling at all. Just floating. Getting to see the world from that angle was the best experience of my life.

4. Tye-Dye T-shirts
If Sky Diving isn't really your thing and you hate being outside when it's cold then this is something you could do while being inside. Tye-Dyeing is one of the most fun activities to do when you're bored, especially if you have someone else to do it with. It's messy, it's fun, AND you get a new shirt out of it. :)< What could be better?

5. Murder Mystery Party
You better watch out because you are now the suspect in a disastrous murder! Don't look away, it's you that is in trouble. This takes a little bit more preparation than just getting up and doing it. You've got to invite people, set up the scene, have time to get costumes, and then all come together for a few hours to solve a murder! You may think acting as someone else is nerdy and that this couldn't be that fun, but trust me, if you get the right people then it can be awesome! And I am NOT a drama person saying that. The other cool thing with murder mystery games is that once you've played one you can't really play it again because you already know who the murderer is and so you can just trade the game with someone else and get a new game to play for free. It's the game that just keeps on giving ;)

6. Life-Size Board Games
We actually did this for FHE last week. Out of crate paper, tape, and card board boxes you can make a life size Monopoly game with huge die, houses & hotels, everything. If you have the electronic Monopoly then it's easier to keep track of your money, but normal Monopoly money can work too.
You could make life-size Clue, or Settlers of Catan. It really could work with any of your favorite board games.

Those are just some ideas that are kind of unique that I've done recently and absolutely loved. You could also play:
- Paint Twister (Paint spots instead of a Twister board)
- Go swimming somewhere: It's actually really fun to swim when the air is cold outside
- Go star gazing
- See a hypnotist show, or be hypnotized yourself
- If we could get any snow in Utah you could go skiing or boarding.
- Rock Climbing at the Quarry
- See a movie: but really, how lame is that to do on your day off?
- Make a movie
- Got to the Hot Pots
- Go tubing at Soldier Hollow: If you've never been tubing, you better go do this right now!

No matter what it is you decide to do, don't waste your break. We all know that school is going to get hectic no matter whether you are in high school, at a University or just working right now. Make the most of your break!!

No Excuses!

Left alone, Kyle Maynard struggled to dress himself for the first time. On a normal day, his mother or siblings helped him pull on his shirt or zip up his pants, whatever it took to make the job go faster and not let Maynard feel like he was different.
Maynard was born with a congenital amputation that left his arms ending where his elbows would be and his legs stopping just above his knees.
It was this day, as Maynard sat in his room, his best friend and his friend’s mother waiting outside for him, that he was forced to dress himself while his own mother was attending an event for a sibling.
Using paperclips Maynard spent 30 minutes pulling his left sock on. He began to sweat. Then the right sock; even more sweat. His shirt. His pants. After a painstakingly long hour of using paperclips finally he had dressed himself; the only task not completed was the button on his pants. Maynard, drenched in sweat, realized the importance of learning to do things for himself.
He has since accomplished one of his biggest dreams. In 2009 he became the first quadruple amputee to fight in the Mixed Marshall Arts.
After about a year of negotiating fees with Maynard’s manager, Joey Leonardo, the date was set for him to come speak to the UVU student body on Thursday, March 24, 2011, according to Chairman Jeffrey Kahn of the Advisory Board for the Center of Advancement.
Over 100 students from UVU and Salt Lake flowed into the Grand Ballroom on campus to listen to Maynard as he relived many of his trials and accomplishments to prove to UVU that there are “no excuses” as his speech was titled.
“I saw the posters and thought it looked interesting,” said Tyler Mower, UVU senior. “It was a very good message and worth the time to come and hear it.”
Throughout his speech, Maynard stressed the importance of choosing for yourself, whether you are going to be a victim to your circumstance or not.
“We all have a disability or challenge to overcome. You can choose to allow these things to control your life or you can be in control and decide what you are going to do,” said Maynard.
Maynard grew up pressing through many trials. His father began training him to lift weights, starting with 2 ½ pounds and then entering him into wrestling matches.
Maynard hardly ever won. In fact, during his entire 6th grade year he lost every single match.
As a senior in high school, he soon was able to lift 240 pounds; and in 2009, he reached his highest weight with 420 pounds.
“I think it is always good to look in hindsight; like he said, ‘look back at the progress we have already made’,” said Becca Hutton, UVU sophomore.
Later when Maynard announced that he was going to step into a cage to fight, people wondered how a guy with no arms or legs was going to survive.
“A lot of people said terrible things,” Maynard said. “They said that I would be picked up and punted out of the cage. . . . I would be bloody and unconscious in 15 seconds. One person even said online, ‘Why don’t you get a chainsaw and come cut off my arms and legs so I can get some attention too?’”
Maynard had to learn to accept himself and ignore what other people thought of him. In doing so he developed the skills needed to become a New York Times best-selling author, a model, an entrepreneur, an athlete, a motivational speaker, and to train in power lifting and Ju Jitsu.
He has learned to write, type, lift weights, drive, and do what most everybody else can.
“Where we are right now things might be challenging. I guarantee there are excuses; but if you changed one of them, it would change everything,” said Maynard.
Life is about learning, he explained. It is about learning to grow, develop, and refine yourself.
Maynard has set a goal for September 2011, to get a team of people to climb with him 19,500 feet to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
“Anytime you begin something it is going to be hard; but once you gain momentum over that adversity, then it’s easy and the excuses become less relevant,” said Maynard.

To Do It All and Then Some

Riots erupted and chaos spread through the country. The trains were the only way out for two American teenagers, but they too were shutting down. Greece was falling apart with the two trapped inside. Running to the embassy, the teenagers argued with the officials that they needed to get out of the country. The embassy quickly put them on one of the last trains leaving just before they were locked in.
Traveling across Europe to Bulgaria and Hungary, Germany and England, Italy and Ireland, the two quickly learned that they must be cautious of the unknown territories that they were venturing into.
Romania surprised them when despite the lack of a common language they could feel that they were being followed. Eyes followed their bodies and lingered on their faces. Matters worsened when the realization hit that in Romania human trafficking is a problem.
“I probably would’ve been stolen 30 times if my brother wasn’t there,” said Liz Oakeson, junior at UVU.
European women are supposed to be timid, explained Oakeson, so when men followed her she looked them straight in the eye and told them to leave her alone, shocking them. It also helped that her brother, Isaac Reese, 19, stood over her with a trench coat to give the illusion that he was an assassin or hiding a gun, someone with the potential to kill.
“I spent four months in 19 different countries,” said Oakeson.
Although traveling to Europe taught Oakeson a lot about the world and life, it is the fact that she did it while managing a painful disability that makes her the extraordinary person that she is today.
Oakeson was born with Fibular Hemiophilia, a gene deformity. This deformity was the cause of a deletion of the fibula in Oakeson’s left leg and all but four bones in her left foot, creating a growth plate knee problem and hip problems.
“I was pretty much the guinea pig for the laser amputator,” said Oakeson. “It only took like 30 minutes.”
The ankle and foot were both amputated from Oakeson’s left leg.
Throughout the past 20 years, Oakeson has had a total of 28 surgeries, her first when she was just two hours old and 11 before she was 6 years old.
“[The deformity] accompanies a certain amount of pain,” said Kali Skidmore, past roommate of Oakeson’s. “It makes it hard to walk, climb stairs, or stand for long periods of time.”
The pain was described by Oakeson as feeling like the initial sting of stubbing your toe only it is constant.
Oakeson grew up through much teasing and ridicule, being told that she would never be normal. At that moment she decided that she could either be handicap and happy or handicap and sad, either way she would still be handicapped.
At age 12 Oakeson was told by her parents that she needed to follow the family tradition in learning a foreign language and figuring out where to go to experience life and the world on her own.
“I grew up with the expectation to go somewhere alone, with barely anything, and go figure it out,” said Oakeson.
Besides spending years learning Czech from the internet to be prepared for Europe, Oakeson has also managed to push through the pain of her deformity to enjoy the pleasures of life through dancing, occasional swimming, speech debate, and walking almost perfectly without a limp.
“She pushes through the pain and she does everything that other people do,” said Whitney Phister, past roommate of Oakeson’s. “She goes for her dreams and doesn’t take the little things for granted, like wearing high heels.”
Oakeson recently married Nephi Oakeson and, after being certified in social work at UVU, plans to move to the East Coast.
“I have learned that I can do anything,” said Oakeson. “Figure out what you want and make it something you think is impossible. Make it the biggest, craziest, thing possible, and go do it!”

"A Happy Accident"

A year and a half ago, Mallory Denison, a sophomore at UVU, had no idea that she would ever enjoy working out. She began going with her sister to a fitness class that focused on Latin dancing, taught by her sister’s best friend. This class is called Zumba Fitness.
At first Mallory didn’t love Zumba; in fact, she hated it, but she stuck with it based on the recommendation by her friends. Now at age 19, Mallory has fallen in love with the “party” that gets you to work your body while having fun.
Zumba is an “exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party™ that’s moving millions of people toward joy and health,” according to Zumba Fitness.
Zumba Fitness focuses its workout program on learning different Latin American dances such as La Cumbia, Merengue, Samba, and Salsa.
Finally a workout program has been developed that is “super fun and works the whole body,” said Torina Moore, junior at UVU.
Alberto “Beto” Perez created the Zumba program in the mid-‘90s in Colombia when he spontaneously used Latin music in place of the traditional music to teach his aerobics class, according to Zumba Fitness. The class loved the energy that filled the room and Perez saw the future for the Zumba Fitness-Party.
“Zumba is something fun, a break. It doesn’t feel like a chore or that you are working out. You can just let loose,” said Hannah Loumeau Leonard, Zumba instructor at Ideal Shape in Orem.
The average age of people who attend Zumba is between 20 and 30 years old; however, there are people present at Zumba Fitness between the ages of 18 and 60 years old, said Leonard.
“I have been lifting and dieting and I haven’t been losing any weight, and now I finally am,” said Sharon Whipple, 51, after having been to six Zumba classes.
In the last 10 years the Zumba Fitness-Party has spread to over 110 countries where more than 10 million people are taking weekly classes in 90,000 different locations, said Zumba Fitness.
“It is a way to have fun and to feel better about myself. When you run you don’t feel sexy, but when you do Zumba you just feel cute about yourself,” said Mallory Denison.

The majority of Zumba students don’t dance and never have. Thinking that Zumba is solely for dancers is a huge misconception, said Leonard. Zumba is not for dancers; it’s for everyone.
“We aren’t here to be divas; we are here to burn calories!” goes Leonard’s motto.
UVU is offering an Aerobics/Zumba weekend class beginning on May 6, 2011, for 10 weeks, according to Deni Preston, UVU PE Fitness Coordinator.
“Don’t be afraid; it’s a big party for everyone. It doesn’t matter what you look like or what you are doing. No one really cares,” said Denison.

Free Breakfast for UVU

UVU students gathered together at the Alumni Center on campus Wednesday morning to enjoy the weekly free breakfast hosted by the UVU Student Alumni.
“We have done it for almost three semesters; almost every Wednesday,” said Parker Donat, Student Alumni President.
The UVU Student Alumni provides a variety of food ranging from muffins to bagels to green colored pancakes with ice cream every Wednesday. Any current student or alumni from UVU is encouraged to go and take part in the experience.
“We do the free breakfasts because we want people to come here and see the Alumni Center. It is a way to come and see where their alumni home is,” said Donat.
Mostly students and some staff attend these free breakfasts, enjoying the socialization of the event and being able to associate with many people.
“I come to socialize and free breakfast—great breakfast!” said Ephraim Szvoeoda, UVU senior, “It’s a good start.”

The turnout for the weekly breakfasts is usually around 40 to 50 people, according to Donat.
“People giving up their morning for free breakfast is hard, so that many people doing it is really good,” said Donat.
Advisors and members of the UVU Student Alumni come to help prepare the food and serve it to the attending students.

The Student Alumni focuses their organization on building loyalty, connecting students, contributing to the community, creating professional leaders, and educating students, according to the Student Alumni brochure.
“I am definitely loyal to the free breakfast,” said UVU student Gabriel Phillips.
The event gives students a place to interact and learn about the history of their school; not to mention a variety of food and the aspect of saving time and money, according to Szvoeoda.
“I would recommend this. It gives them a chance to meet other students and to network, just continuing that feel of being a part of the school,” said advisor Joyce Porter.
The Student Alumni are always looking for new members who want to enrich their college experience. Check out their website at www.uvualumni.org/studentalumni.
“Students Today, Wolverines Forever,” as their motto goes.