The Merger

http://angiony.blogspot.com/

the Temple

Last Saturday, December 13, I received my endowments in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple in American Fork, Utah. It was one of the most amazing spiritual experiences of my life! So many questions were answered for me and I learned so much more about the gospel than I thought I would. It was so great to have friends and family there to show their love and support for me through the whole thing. I felt so much happiness as I began to understand the reality of eternity with my family and soon-to-be-husband. This church is most definitely TRUE and I am so grateful for the blessings it has brought to my life.

And... I'm getting married in 3 days!!! :)

I ♥ Shoes

Once upon a time, a dear friend of mine and I decided that shoes are the most forgiving piece of clothing a girl could own. Just think about it for a second. Clothes are definitely confidence boosters but the big downside is that any fluctuation in body weight can make them unflatteringly tight or embarrassingly baggy. But shoes, those wonderful shoes, cast no judgment. No matter how much you've gained or lost, they'll always be there to fit you - always.

Sneak peek: My wedding shoes

Of course, the really cute ones often come with blisters and sore ankles but doesn't anything worth having come with a price? My thoughts exactly :)

My new life

Man, it has been quite awhile since I actually wrote anything on this blog. But don't fret, I've returned and hopefully I'll make this a habit. Updates in my life include the following:

1) I'm getting married to the hottest Navajo out there :) (which is pretty obvious, I know) and I would post about how he proposed, but that's just not going to happen at 11:58 pm... sorry. You'll just have to live in anticipation until then.

2) My future school plans have changed pretty dramatically. About a year ago, I made the decision to take a BUTT-load of science pre-reqs and eventually get accepted into Veterinary school. That was my plan... until 'said Navajo came riding up on his white horse and swept me off my feet (sigh) :)

Fortunately, we're both graduating this April but as long as I'm the one putting him through medical school for the next 8+ years, Vet school just didn't seem possible or even logical. Was I crushed, you ask? Honestly, I was disappointed but then comfort from above gave me assurance that this was the way things were supposed to happen. A year ago, I needed that direction in my life to bring me comfort and it also kept me at BYU for an extra year. And if I had never taken those classes over Spring/Summer term, things probably wouldn't have happened with Anthony. Isn't it crazy that you can think one decision will lead you in one direction, but then it takes you somewhere you never imagined you would end up?! It's just proof that Heavenly Father is all-knowing and even though you might not understand the journey, he knows exactly where you're going. It's amazing and I'm incredibly happy!

3) On a more lame note, I got a new job. The one that I was working at on campus just wasn't taking me anywhere. I was only making about $8.50 after being there for almost 3 years, so I was definitely done with that. So I've been crazy job hunting ever since I got back to Provo a month ago. The only one who called me back for an interview was the only one who hired me - A Student Cleaning Co. That's right... I'm a maid. But it's actually not as bad as it sounds. Already I'm getting paid $9/hour and I'm learning all sorts of new things (like cleaning a full bathroom w/ a tub AND shower in 20 minutes flat... impressive, I know) My boss is great and most of the houses we clean are huge rich places that are already in really good shape.

For example, this morning one of my chores was washing the wood floor (not bad) but the owner had some rugs that she asked I clean under. As she was showing me the dirty buildup (or... what she believed to be dirty buildup because it looked clean to my eyes), she handed me a large comb. "This" she said, "is for the rugs in the dining room with the fringe. I like it to look nice and straight." Well... I'd have to say that was my first time EVER "combing" a rug. Weird.

Well... it's really late and if, in the future, I want a blog to take me 15 minutes rather than 45 minutes, I'm going to have to update more regularly. Believe it when you see it.

Me and Anthony after the homecoming dance last Friday.
It was WAY past our bedtime :)

First comes love, then comes...

The past month...

Well, it seems like I'm getting worse at this blog thing. I have been doing things for the past month but I just thought they were too mundane for anyone to want to read. But my mother is ashamed of my idleness and wants me to be more consistent (good luck with that one). Because I think pictures make a blog more appealing and interesting, that's what you're going to get. :)

This is the rag quilt I made for my amazing ex-roommate Tess as a wedding gift (pre-fluff, of course). I just loved the colors and the fabrics were ADORABLE! This took less than a moth to complete and I'm very satisfied with how it turned out. She got married on August 8 in Denver, Colorado and I was so glad that I had the opportunity to go. It was gorgeous and I had a blast, but... like an idiot I didn't take a single picture. What was I thinking?!

I've been home in Henderson during the two week break in between semesters and it's been oh-so-relaxing! Here's a taste :)

Thanks to some lovely teenagers, our house was TPed the first weekend I was home. Figures.

We have big trees :)

The most effective way to remove toilet paper strands from high limbs.
(we've had a lot of practice, obviously)

My wittle Chester! Oh how I love him! He got bored with us outside because we wouldn't throw around his toy. :( He's slightly obsessed with playing fetch and I'm pretty sure he's the most perfect dog EVER. Yeah... I'm pretty sure about that.

Matt got bored as well and somehow always ends up pestering whoever is close by. In this case, Chester was just begging to get bugged...

Ok... so I didn't post very many pictures at all but more will be on their way. This blog really takes a heck-of-a-lot more time than it should and for some reason, I always forget that.

BYU Devotional

For all of you who aren't at BYU or for those who are, but choose not to go to the weekly devotional (don't be ashamed... I rarely go), I'm letting you all know that I had my first televised solo performance. Yay! Every Tuesday, BYU has a spiritual devotional or forum from 11am-12noon. For the devotionals, they always have a musical number preceding the speaker. I've sung in devotionals before, but that was with 45+ people in choir, so I didn't really feel that much pressure. And I hardly got any camera time on those performances because well, let's face it, I'm short and the front row never gets good coverage (but I also believe the camera guy is determined to show the same 5 people every 3 minutes, which never includes me... so it's a lost cause).

Anyway, spring/summer term devotionals aren't as big because of the lack of people there, so they hold it in the JSB instead of the Marriott Center. So a few weeks ago, my voice teacher sent me an email telling me she submitted my name to the head honchos of the devotional committee to perform a musical number - The next day I got an email from them asking me when I wanted to perform. Scary! So, along with my voice teacher, we picked one of the first songs she retrieved from her never ending pile of music and I performed it yesterday around 11:15am. Anthony was generous enough to accompany (convenient, eh?) and I think, overall, it sounded pretty good. I was definitely beyond nervous, so much that my leg started shaking from fright. It wasn't an uncontrollable shaking, but I had to shift my weight every now and then to stop it from being too noticeable. What's weird is that I've performed in front of countless master classes and juries with my peers and professors intently listening for every little mistake, and I've never gotten nervous. But put me in front of a congregation of average listeners who don't know the first thing about reading music, and I start hyperventilating. It's weird...


So if you want to witness my somewhat successful performance (or get a close up of Anthony hands) here's what you must do:

1. Go to www.byutv.com and click on the "Tune In Now" tab in the top left corner.
   
2. Click on the link provided and download the media player (if you don't have it already)
3. Then, when it's loaded, scroll down the "Choose a date:" list and click on "Tuesday, July 22, 2008"
4. Scroll down to 11am and you're there!

The devotional doesn't actually begin until 11:05am so you'll catch the end of the previous program. It's not that bad, but if you're impatient (like me) you can fast forward to about 9:00 and begin criticizing me on my hair, outfit, facial expressions (or lack thereof), posture, singing, or anything else you're bound to think of.

White Trash

(I know, it's been awhile. Please forgive me)

I would never EVER consider myself as being anything resembling "white trash", but this past July 4th weekend, I definitely fell into that category. :(

Anthony, Jess, and I took a trip to Mesa, Arizona to attend a wedding and spend the 4th on the Navajo reservation. We left on Wednesday morning and drove the entire 12 hours in one day and it wasn't actually as long and miserable as I thought it would be. The thing I wasn't expecting, 118+ degree heat for more than 20 hours of the day! I couldn't believe how HOT it was and much less believe that I actually lived in heat like that for 18 years of my life. It's the kind of dry heat that still lingers even after the sun goes down. At 11pm it was over 100. Yuck. Luckily the house I stayed in was well air-conditioned and very comfortable (thank goodness!). Moving on.... Thursday morning was the sealing at the Mesa Temple and since I am not yet endowed, Anthony and I spent the morning browsing through the best store on the planet earth : IKEA. This was a wonderful way to spend our morning because IKEA is pretty much a theme park, but we had to drive about 45 minutes from where we were staying to the next city over: Tempe. It was really easy to find (luckily) because it was right off the highway, and we arrived there just as it opened at 10am. We really didn't have anywhere else to be until 4pm so guess how long we stayed? 4 hours! :) We looked through every display, sat in dozens of sofas and chairs, and even tested the comfort level of each mattress. (sigh) Heaven. We finished our little vacation with a veggie wrap and almond tart in the food court, and decided that we should probably go back into the real world. So we braved the heat once again and headed back to Casa Grande, where the luncheon and reception were being held.

We were both pretty tired from all that walking, so we drove in silence for about 10 minutes until something in my car started vibrating very irritatingly (if that's a word). Wanting to reestablish tranquility, Anthony started searching for the culprit and eventually discovered it was the enormous pile of change in the ashtray. I had completely forgotten that it even existed, so he counted the change (for fun) and said I had over $5. Sweet. So after counting the booty, he placed the ashtray back in the slot, in hopes that it would no longer vibrate. But during the 2 minutes that it took him to count all that change, the vibrating had gotten worse. And then, my steering wheel started shaking and my car was having trouble staying at 75 mph. Obviously, I was getting a little nervous so I got in the right lane and slowed down to about 60 (the speed limit was 75). Anthony was about to call and ask his mechanic uncle for advice, when my car exploded.

Well... it didn't actually explode, but the entire tread of my tire did come off and the sound of my fender being ripped apart pretty much sounded like an explosion. As I pulled over on the side of the highway, I seriously thought my tire was gone, my hubcap was destroyed, and the whole front left side of my car was completely gone. Luckily, the tire was still in tact (missing it's tread) but the left fender was pretty much annihilated. Luckily, a nice latino guy came 5 minutes after we pulled over and helped us with the tire and cut off my pathetic excuse for a fender. I didn't really think of taking pictures right after the incident (I was busy crying from fright and future repair payments) but this was the finished product after I got a new tire.


Ouch. So this is the part where the white trash comes in. This happened Thursday afternoon... We weren't going back to Provo until Sunday morning. Yeah... We were white trash all over Arizona. Just lovely. It actually didn't give us much trouble. Anthony's uncle was able to fix the blinkers while we were at the reservation (notice the lack of orange blinker next to the headlight in the photo) and we just had to tape the computer wires running to the dashboard up and away from the tire. It ran fine and sometimes I even forgot it was missing a fender. But considerate people like the policeman running checks over the Hoover Dam at 11pm commented, "Hey. You don't have a left fender." Moral of the story: don't neglect replacing your poor car tires. One day, they might take their revenge.

I'm officially crazy

Ever since I was a little, vulnerable preteen in junior high, I've always despised running. Especially running outside where people can actually see me. So, throughout my life I've always managed to avoid running as my regular exercise routine (sports, aerobics, etc.). Until now...

Even though I've shuddered at the thought of running for fun, I've always admired the "unexperienced" runners who have concurred a half marathon. I've had a few friends who've gone through the 10 week training and finished the entire 13.1 miles. That's a huge accomplishment! So for a few years now, it's been my secret goal to run in a half marathon sometime during my lifetime.

This goal became a reality when a good friend of mine told me of his plans to run in the Little Grand Canyon Half Marathon on September 13, 2008. I told him my secret and he immediately started convincing me to join him. At first I was a little hesitant because, hello, it's 13.1 miles! I've never ran a 5K in my life, let alone a half marathon. But after much persuasion and a few days of actually running on my own (outside, no less), I made the decision. And last week I spent the $48.97 and made it official! Yay! :) I start my 10-week training in about 2 weeks and I'm half excited, half terrified. So if you're not busy that Saturday morning in Price, Utah during the beautiful month of September, I would really appreciate some fans screaming on the side lines.

CMS World

So, in case anyone has ever wondered what I actually do for my job on campus, here's an explanation for your enjoyment. CMS stands for Classroom Multimedia Support and it's a division of OIT here at BYU (...hehe, lots of abbreviations). Now, that might sound really technical and fancy, but in all honesty it isn't.My main duty as an employee is to deliver and pick up equipment that professors have ordered for their lectures (i.e. computer projectors, TVs, etc.) So, if you can walk and push a cart at the same time, then you pretty much have that one covered. But during the rest of my 4 hour shift, I'm on-call for any technical difficulties professors might come across during class. This might sound a little intimidating but just remember, there needs to be an actual "technical difficulty" for there to be a problem. With my 2 years of experience at good 'ole CMS, I've only gotten emergency calls 10% the time. And within that 10%, 99% of the calls are due to lack of technological smarts on the customer end. (I mean, honestly, don't these professors have PhD s?)

But amid my frustration with having to fix yet another problem my 6 year old cousin could figure out, I get the amazing gratification of helping someone. Granted, I don't look like your average tech-savvy geek (especially when I'm wearing huge earrings and a blingin' ring ;)), but after I press a few keys and their laptop magically begins working again, they thank me profusely and I walk out a more respected lady. It's a great feeling. But alas, that feeling only comes during 10% of my work days. Every other day I'm watching youTube videos and chatting to anyone who's online. All in a day's work!

My First Experience

After attending BYU for 5 years now, I'm finally taking Spring term for the very first time and it's not quite what I expected. First of all, I had to miss the first 2 weeks of class because of Singers Tour to Southern California and 2 weeks for Spring term is like a whole month for Fall. I was a little paranoid at first about missing so much class and not being able to handle the load when I got back, but honestly, I don't think I missed that much (except a few boring 2 hour lectures). I've been in class for 2 1/2 weeks and I feel just as prepared as everyone else. So my classes aren't necessarily hard, but now that we're past the halfway mark, they're starting to pick up a lot of speed. I realized this morning that in the next 3 weeks I'll have to write 3 regular papers, 1 research paper, 2 extremely detailed veterinary case reports, and prepare a 15-minute presentation on South African music. In the back of my mind I've always imagined Spring/Summer terms as laid back, simplified versions of the regular semester classes. Not true. I really can't believe how much is required of me in so little time. Let's just say I'm "livin' on a prayer". :)

This one's for all you lovers out there...

Well... you don't necessarily have to be in love, but if you are bored beyond description and have an inkling to read about my oh-so-exciting life, then this one is definitely for you! So stay tuned for some amazing upcoming posts and please, try to control your excitement.