Our Sweet Life

summer

2011-03-20T23:00:00.000-06:00

We went to Vegas this weekend and had lots of fun with the cute kiddos. We also got to try out Just Dance 2 for the first time. Hilarious. Spencer gets way into it and Sammy is so serious about it. Heidi and Rich also rocked out to Crazy in Love and Heidi spanked him with her cheerleading moves. Camille is getting so big and she smiles all the time. She walks like crazy. I can't believe Sam, Warren, and Lucy will all start kindergarten this fall. I remember meeting Sam and Warren the day after I graduated high school. Lucy was born my freshman year of college. Nuts how time flies.

As for us, Zach is staying busy with school. He is even going to spring and summer terms! Since we will be in Utah, I have been looking for jobs. I got one tutoring job, but I have applied to more and to be a swim teacher. My ideal job would be to do ABA or care for a child or a family with a child with disabilities. We will see if that happens. If not, I will stay plenty busy getting ready for next school year. Looking forward to this semester being over. Zach has worked really hard and is in need of a break...even if it is only 4 days.

Funny pictures from summer

2010-10-11T21:43:00.000-06:00

2010-10-11T21:38:00.003-06:00

Zach and I went to our first football game together since my freshman year! It wasn't quite as exciting as it was then, but that might be because I'm not on campus to get pumped for these games. Anyway, I thought it was funny to look back at our pictures from then and now. Oh how many things have changed and how many things haven't! Fortunately, they won the game and then we got to eat dinner with our favorite, Amy.

Anniversary

2010-09-11T12:16:00.000-06:00

We celebrated our 1st anniversary early and were able to go back to Leo Carillo. It was a lot of fun and we can't believe we have been married 1 whole year! This year was crazy with Zach starting school full time again after his mission and me finishing school and teaching full time. All I can say is Zach is a saint for putting up with me. I look forward to coming home to him the second I walk out the door each morning. I love him to the moon and back. I love you, Zachary Lance.

The last year...

Summer with 2 of our favorites

2010-09-11T11:56:00.000-06:00

Probably one of the best decisions we ever made...I hope Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed being with us. We learned lots and felt their love everyday. I wasn't always sure what Grandpa needed, but he always wanted to be with Grandma! I hope our marriage can be as happy. We love them!

Disneyland

2010-09-11T11:49:00.001-06:00

Zach's family was altogether in August and we were able to go to Disneyland, the temple, and the beach. It was a lot of fun and we have a few pictures to highlight the trip.

Lake Mead 2010

2010-09-08T23:33:00.001-06:00

There are some other pictures I want to post, but these are in high demand so I will get to those later. We got to go to Lake Mead for Labor Day and see 2 of my sisters and their families, my brother, my parents, and 2 other nephews! Thanks for the new parasail, Dad and for making the trip possible!

More later...our internet sucks!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-08-31T18:41:00.000-06:00

I was reading a book (Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult) last night and I read these lines:

" I wonder if there's a difference between being a dutiful mother and being a good mother."

"There is. A dutiful mother is someone who follows every step her child makes.

And a good mother is someone whose child wants to follow her."

I immediately thought of my own good mother and realized how true this statement is. I have been so blessed to have a wonderful mom. I see her goodness more and more everyday and I want to be like her.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you more than you will ever know.

2010-06-18T12:48:00.000-06:00

We are so excited to be going to Bakersfield for the summer! We leave Monday morning and we are driving with 2 of our favorite people--Grandma and Grandpa Favero. We were at Grandpa's birthday party on Saturday and it was so fun to be with them. It just reaffirmed the feeling that we needed to be with them. I know it will be crazy...the one weekend we stayed with them and took care of them was overwhelming...but I'm so blessed to have a husband who understands the importance of family and is so willing to go full force in this adventure. At the party as Grandma reintroduced us to many of Grandpa's siblings she made sure to mention that we did much of our "courting" at their house. This is true because Zach lived close to them and we often went to their house for ice cream and chats. We would go on dates to Wendy's or to see a movie. They were the best double dates we've ever been on. Hopefully we will get to take them out on a few while we are there. We will also enjoy Grandma's jokes and Grandpa laughing at them.

Other summer plans include hanging out with our families, visiting friends, going to a couple weddings!, celebrating our 1st anniversary, and getting tan...I thought I was doing well until I saw this picture.

Last thing! I finished my first year of teaching! I know that I couldn't have done it alone. I had Zach's support every day and I had the help of Heavenly Father keeping me together and helping know how to teach my students. I love those kids so much and I am sad that many are moving on to different schools. I won't see them again so I definitely hugged those ones extra tight on the last day. Special ed has pros and cons....pros: I have many of the same kids next year...cons: I have many of the same kids next year. Really though, I am excited to have some of them back because we were making such great progress and I want to see them mature and I want to be there when things just "click". Some of the really funny ones are moving on so hopefully some other kids will step up to keep me laughing. 3 of my students are going to regular ed and I am so excited for them. One of them drove me crazy, but I love him so much! Zach says he had me wrapped around his finger. He just made me laugh every day. He is the student who would constantly talk, burp, fart, or just make those noises. He loved talking about giving wedgies and one day he was really on one. He went to the bathroom in our room and he was taking forever so I went to check on him and then I noticed clothes all over the floor. I looked up and there he was completely naked and hopping on the toilet like a frog. I couldn't stop laughing. We went to his baptism a few weeks ago and it was amazing to see the difference in his behavior as he waited to be baptized. He was so reverent and I could see that he truly understood the choice he was making. Zach was asked to help confirm him which was awesome. I am so glad for summer break, but I am excited for next year. I will have 4 girls this year and 10 boys! 8 of the boys are from this year.

new stuff

2010-04-11T21:32:00.000-06:00

so we had a great opportunity to move and we took it! just next door, but probably 3 times as big and the same price. below you will find pictures...and my new haircut. come visit soon!

2010-03-29T21:29:00.000-06:00

Life has been pretty busy lately, but we were able to enjoy the Lu'au at BYU. Zach, Hannah, and Rachel represented in the Maori section. He sure is cute.

My portfolio is due tomorrow and then my assignments will all be DONE! Graduating in 3 weeks! We will be enjoying the rest of this week with Zach's family and then my parents come up for graduation. I'm still waiting to hear when my siblings are arriving for graduation...

has it really been 1 year?

2010-02-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

No, not since we've been married. But almost as good as that...1 year that we have been together since Zach got home on February 11th, 2009. I thought that day would never come and now we have had a whole year together since then. What a year it has been. I realize more each day what a wonderful husband and friend I have.

2010-02-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

Stages of teaching:
1. Honeymoon
2. Hostility
3. Humor
4. Home

Luckily the hostility didn't last long and the humor has been helping me get through it all this whole time.

Oh how I love my kids, let me count the ways:

I asked my student what a number was and he says, "82, my lady."
We talked about honesty and I asked one student to share his journal answer and he said, "Being honest is not lying. Jesus Christ...(mumbling)." And then he bowed his head. I think he thought he was giving a talk.
Working on ch, sh, th, wh digraphs and when I asked for examples of ch I got church and a really excited Choose the right!
During math one student said, "Mrs. Smith, I'm almost getting hair on my chest...like a man." Out of nowhere.
One student said about another of my students with autism "He is funny." He replied, "No I'm not. I don't tell jokes!"
The same student who is apparently not funny has a slight obsession with my one girl student and he tends to look at her A LOT so I told him that I would put his star card in time out if he continued to look at her. He said, "I can't stop. My eyes just look at her."
We did compliments today and I had each kid compliment the student next to him and then they could pick anyone and so I encouraged them to pick the teachers as well. One student said he liked me because I "help him in math". It made me feel pretty good after a LOUSY week last week.

Sometimes it helps to remember the good things because some days are really rough. Luckily I have Zach to come home to and he puts everything into perspective and just makes me laugh.

Grandpa and Grandma

2010-02-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

I wish we could be there to help out more, but I am so excited we will get to be home next week and spend time with Grandpa, Grandma, and the rest of our family. I am so grateful for them and for my relationship with them. I am also glad that Zach has known them for so long and feels a special bond with them. Many a double dates were had with these two. If someone is hanging out with Grandpa this week tell him Stacie says hi and she will be there soon. And she says, "I love your little heart, I love your little liver, If I had you in my mouth, I'd spit you in the river" and "I love you and you love me and that's the way it's supposed to be."

2010-01-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

I really need to start writing down the funny things my kids say so I don't forget them...

One of my 1st graders was looking at a picture to sort it by beginning sound and he said, "Violin. I play violin...and piano and guitar." I said," You do?" "Yeah. I'm a rock star." Totally nonchalant and didn't even crack a smile.
I sneezed really loud in one of my morning centers and one of my kids said, "That's a big bless you!"

I have to be at school really late for Parent Teacher Conferences and a couple didn't show up so I took a moment to blog.

Quick update

2010-01-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

We are back in school and things couldn't be busier. Zach has been studying a ton and I have been working a lot. I'm very grateful for our upcoming Monday off. We need it. Zach changed his major to Chemical Engineering and he is already loving it. My kids are keeping me busy with all their little behaviors that popped up after the holidays and Parent Teacher Conferences this week. I do love my job though and I want to share funny things:

Today I was benchmarking them and working on IEP goals with them and later in the afternoon one of my students said, "Thank you for testing me!" and gave me a hug. It is nice when your efforts are appreciated...cute it came from him.
In the last week 2 of my students have, separately and unbeknownst to the other, sang "Don'cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me, don'cha..."

Love you all. Promise we will be better about this.
P.S. I graduate in 3 months!

You know you're in Utah when...

2009-09-15T13:38:00.000-06:00

My school is listening to Obama's speech this week so I decided that it would be good to have a lesson on the President and what he does and who he is. The morning journal was "Who is in charge of our country?" I asked the kids and they looked confused until one said, "Jesus!" So right, but not at school. Anyway, the same kid looked at me and said, "Barack Obama." Amazing that he knew that--he's only 6! Another kid is still convinced his mom is in charge. Later in the day after communication group where we learned about the president, I had each kid tell me something they learned about the President and what he does. One kid couldn't come up with anything so I said, "Did you learn his name?" He said, "President Monson!" His brother gave the Jesus answer before. Cute kids.

Also, I got a text from Zach today and he got to hear President Monson during devotional! I wish I could have been there. I didn't always make it to devotionals because of work and my volunteer hours in the schools, but I never missed when the prophet was there. Good thing conference is in 2 1/2 weeks!

Oh so domestic.

2009-09-14T19:17:00.002-06:00

We went to Vegas for Labor Day weekend and I had the crew pick me up from my school so we could head out ASAP. It was a great trip with family and friends even though the parasail ripped before most of us could try it. Next time...Anyway, the point of the first sentence was to illustrate that when we came home Monday afternoon I hadn't been home since Friday morning at 7:00. I came in and noticed the laundry detergent by the microwave so I moved it to the washer. I would say to the laundry room, but notice our pictures below and see the 5 foot wide 15 foot long kitchen includes the laundry room and water heater closet. We had lots of wash so I got started with our first load of whites. I went about other things then came and switched them to the dryer and got another load in the washer. As I was pouring the detergent into the lid, I noticed there were some dark specks in it. I suddenly freaked out and asked Zach what was in our detergent. He then walked in with a look of realization and told me that it was the oil from the fried chicken he made last week. He decided to use that to store it in since the detergent was basically empty...the only problem was he forgot to tell me! I felt like an idiot for not noticing sooner, but Zach helped me see the humor and helped me fix the problem. 3 extra washes later and our whites still smell funky. We laugh about it everyday.

Random funny story from my class: Today we were stretching our words to hear each sound (beginning, middle, and end). I decided to have them pretend to be pulling the word out of their mouth to get them to have something a little more concrete (random I know). We were on bat and I asked one of my first graders what the beginning sound was and he said frantically, "I've got a bat in my throat!" They are hilarious. Love my job.

The Smith's!

2009-09-07T21:07:00.003-06:00

Cut us some slack…we’ve been busy, but we are settled in now. We celebrated our one month anniversary last week. It was a school day so I came home around 5:30 and Zach rushed us to the store to buy some last minute items and I came home to a homemade dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and some sweet green beans. Zach is so sweet and he is an amazing cook. 1 month doesn’t seem like much, but it’s been one crazy month. We came home from the wedding, made house, set up my classroom, I started teaching, and then we both started school. I’m not sure how we managed it, but I know I couldn’t have done it without Zach. It is weird to not be at BYU with Zach, but he is doing well and I hope he enjoys his classes this semester. He has hard ones, but I know he will study hard. He is almost done with CNA certification and he is looking into a job about a mile from my school! I have class once a week, but I teach M-F. My kids are amazing. They crack me up everyday. I have 12 boys and 1 girl. Quite a mix of kids—age and ability—but I love them all! Funny story…quite a few of my kids are Mormon, but we never talk about it. One of my students tends to sing at random times and I remind him it isn’t music time, but this time I recognized the tune he was singing, but the words were different. Rather than “onward, ever onward” it was “awkward, ever awkward”. We’ll try to keep you updated! Love you all.

We also wanted to thank everyone--family and friends--for making our wedding so memorable and making the effort to be there. We love each of you and feel so blessed to have you in our lives.
Pictures: Wedding, Our house, First day of school

He made me breakfast and lunch for my first day!

Woot Woot!

2009-06-15T22:33:00.005-06:00

I get to marry this kid in less than 7 weeks...
Life is getting pretty hectic with wedding planning, school, work, practicum, and the realization that 2 months from now I will have my first day of school with 11 boys and 1 girl who will be entrusted into my care for 9.5 months. I am overwhelmed, but constantly reminded of all the wonderful blessings in my life. Zach is always so helpful with making dinner and giving me time and motivation to do my homework. He has been put in charge of a few things and it takes a lot of stress off me knowing that he is helping out. My mom and my sisters are also doing so much to help me plan and get things in order for the wedding. I love you all and I can't believe that I was blessed to be in this family and be starting my own with my eternal companion. Family and the eternal nature of families has been on my mind a lot lately as I am preparing to go to the temple and also writing a talk on temple marriage that I will give in 2 weeks. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and has put people in my life to help me make these transitions in my life and to learn and grow daily. More later...

Love of my Life

2009-04-28T00:58:00.005-06:00

Zach and I are engaged! More details on how it went down later, but I am so excited to be marrying the love of my life in just over 3 months. He is so good to me and I know that being married to him will only make life sweeter. I love you, Zachary Lance.

I also got the teaching internship that I really wanted so come August I will be Mrs. Smith, Special Education Severe Cluster Unit teacher (1st-2nd grade) in Payson, Utah...birthplace of my father and my future husband.

2009-04-15T11:30:00.004-06:00

the semester has ended and we are moving into reading days and finals. i realize that as much as i want each semester to be done i can never have that class back. i have learned a lot from my classes this year. how to manage behavior by assessing students and making a behavior plan, how to set up my classroom with positive supports, how to teach new behaviors, how to direct students through the transition process, how to teach student's with severe disabilities how to access reading, and so much more. i am scared to death of being a teacher, but my teachers are preparing me well. 2 more terms...so really just 1 semester. i have some more interviews next week so wish me luck. i'm also planning on visiting vegas and bakersfield next week. not a lot of time, but i will make it happen. i love you all and i appreciate all the encouragement that i get from you, my amazing family.

the conference was great and seattle was a pretty rocking place. very green and beautiful, but little sun. provo actually looks like seattle this week. nasty. unfortunately it rained on my birthday. great day by the way. lots of fun phone calls from you guys including quite a few from the zoo. went to dinner with some friends after the best buddies talent show.

and i have some really funny stories to tell about oscar and c, but those will have to wait...just to remind myself--crayons, pink limos, and more.

LOVE YOU!

fun pictures of seattle and seeing zach's family:

mc at donald's (as c calls it)never lets me down.

i'm a mess

2009-03-31T14:51:00.003-06:00

I haven't signed with a district yet. One offer, but a weak one at that. They don't know what class I would have so I said I couldn't accept until I knew. And they don't have any high school openings so I doubt I will go there. I have applied at 2 others so I am just crossing my fingers. If all else fails, I student teach. Oh and I leave for Seattle tomorrow. I'm going to the CEC (Council for Exceptional Children) National Conference...basically for special educators. I'm pretty stoked to be going to a new place, learning amazing things, and hanging out with some cool kids from class.

Unforunately this summer is a joke and I really have 0 time to visit home or do anything fun, but I will try to work it out so I see the family often. It is going to be quite a shock to the system to not go home for the summer. About time I grew up I guess.

i'm like 5 years old.

2009-03-23T10:10:00.004-06:00

Seriously, I don't understand how in 3 weeks I will be 21, in the fall I will be teaching, and in less than 4 hours I have my first interview for a teaching position. Not to mention other things that are blowing my mind and I can't believe are not far off, but really this is crazy.
I went to the Recruitment Fair on Friday and 2 districts told me they would set up interviews this week. I got a phone call this morning and my first appointment is at 2:00! My best friend in the program has an interview at the same school. We both want to work in the same setting (Secondary Life Skills classroom) so it was bound to happen that we would be looking at the same jobs, but we both really want each other to do well. I am extremely nervous, but also excited. The possibility of me getting this job isn't great, but it will be a great first experience!
Also blowing my mind, Kyle is going on a mission. Apologies to my other siblings, but I will probably miss him more than when you were out/away. I am so glad we took our trip to South America this summer to spend some quality time together and make some more memories. Kyle really is a great brother even if he drives me crazy sometimes--I just worry too much, but he has shown me that everyone figures things out in their own time and they are better for it. He is such a smart kid and I have confidence in his abilities as a missionary. I don't know if Peru is ready for him, but he will be ready for Peru. Don't ride any buses and don't drink the water. Love you.

PERU!

Life is grand.

2009-02-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

No way.

2009-02-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

I get to see him next week! 7 days!

What you know about me, what you, what you know about me...

2009-02-01T21:38:00.005-07:00

Yes, that was a shout out to Christian.

Besides the occasional frustration, life is basically great. I work with an amazing kid and volunteer with lots more amazing kids. They make me laugh and I am consistently amazed by their capabilities. I wish you could all meet them. When I have a class of my own, please come visit. Never a dull moment.
The Best Buddies Ball was great. Our chapter had the biggest turnout even though we had to travel almost an hour to get there! I was very proud of everyone for making the effort.
Things at school have been picking up speed as expected. I have lots of things due next week that will all have to be crammed into this week/weekend because I leave next Tuesday to go home! Home in 8 days...see Zach in 9 days. As long as I can focus, I can handle everything that I need to do before then.
--------------------------------------------------
I feel like I can get on a soapbox for a moment...Friday was a great day! I started it off by going to the temple and then the gym, all before 9:00. I then headed to Orem High and then Timpanogos High to volunteer in the classes there. I went to work after that and had a mostly good day with C...an 8 minute tantrum in which I was hit in the head, but he also sat in my lap to read a book and was way sweet. After that, I went to the mall to return some jeans...this is where it gets ugly...and I was waiting in line behind these nice girls. They were taking forever and I was trying to be patient, but then she wanted this sweater put on one card and the rest on another card. Not on my time. Anyway, she then swiped the wrong card for the sweater and said, "I am so special ed. I must have gotten off the short bus." I was enraged. What do you say in public to someone that is so ignorant? Nothing, because I couldn't say anything nice and there were lots of people around. Next time, I better have something amazing planned to say. I just wish there wouldn't be a next time.
The day ended okay though because Amy and I made dinner (it turned out gross, but it was fun) and Joe came over. And we watched Orange County. Can't go wrong there.

Sick Nasty Winter

2009-01-06T14:42:00.002-07:00

Okay, it isn't that bad. I'll admit the snow is even pretty, but it is killing me. I got back late Sunday night and since I got to work yesterday it HAS NOT STOPPED SNOWING!! I swear there was 5 feet just yesterday, but I was informed by Utah natives that it wasn't so. At least a foot though. I had to drive to Orem for work this morning and it was BAD. I went out to brush off the snow and I was in snow halfway up my calves. It took forever, but at least there was no ice to scrape. I started to back out and my wheels kept spinning. I was praying because I really had to get to work and I was finally able to get out. I kept having to go forward and turn my wheels to find new ground so they would stop spinning in the holes. I definitely would not have thought of that on my own. Me driving in snow=bad news.
Anyway, I am back in school. It was super exciting to go to my program classes last night and see all my friends! Tati was there and she even went to the bookstore after class with me so we could keep catching up. Classes might be crazier than last semester, but they should be interesting and extremely exciting. Only about 8 months until I have a class of my own!
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Funny story from work this morning:
**Not my gerontology secretary job--I have another job working with a 4 year old boy with autism doing ABA therapy. I do that 3 times a week and work on campus 4 days. More hours altogether, but it is worth it because I love my new job. I would do just that one, but I can't because I need more hours than that one has.**
Conversation this morning:
S: C, my brother's wife had a baby this morning! Remember I told you before Christmas that my sister had a baby?
C: Yeah. That means there are 2.
S: 10 altogether.
C: Do you have a baby in your tummy?
S: Nope.
C: Just food?
S: Yeah, just food.
C: Did you eat cheese pizza?
---------------------------------------------------

Past funny stories I need to catch up with....
I'm sure you remember Oscar from the class I volunteer in. I went on a field trip with the class before Christmas. It was Christmas Around the World with the BYU Folk Dancers. I was put in charge of Oscar.
*In the bus he asked me what I wanted Santa to bring me for Christmas. I said I would like a camera since mine was broken. He replied, "No, no, no. You go online to the website and click and then you get 3 days and 4 nights."
*I told him I was from California and I would be going there for Christmas. He said, "California. Cops. Dangerous, sticky cops." Not really sure what that meant, but I was cracking up.

I like 'em big, I like 'em chunky...

2008-11-17T11:03:00.003-07:00

Dear Christian,

Please don't go see this movie until I am home. Until then, just enjoy this video.

Love, Stacie

Sorry the last link was jacked up. Here is the real one.

Rejoice

2008-11-07T21:24:00.004-07:00

So I was just reading Acts 5 where Peter and John are again arrested for preaching and performing miracles. They escape prison, but are brought back to the council. The council plans to kill them until Gamaliel tells them to think about what they intend to do because if Peter and John's work really is of God you don't want to be found fighting against God. The council beats Peter and John and tells them again to stop preaching and they let them go. And then Peter and John respond in this way:
41: And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
42: And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
The Church is suffering a lot of persecution right now and I realize that I sometimes do not know how to handle it, but Peter and John are amazing examples. Rejoice that we know the truth and are counted worthy to suffer for this gospel. We are a small percentage of the world and we have a great work to do.
Cease not to teach and preach of Jesus Christ.

Raise the Roof!

2008-11-05T09:12:00.009-07:00

California...way to be. I'm quite disappointed that Prop 4 didn't pass, but Prop 8 looks pretty promising with 95% of precincts reporting. I don't want to go into how upset I am that that I heard many members didn't vote Yes. Bottom line: Proclamation to the Family!
So I just want to raise the roof for all of you in California who stuck it out and did your duty. I did what I could from here, but I did not have to deal with it like you did. A special shout-out to Stephanie who pretty much dedicated all her "free time" to it.

Sad day for McCain. He was very gracious about the loss though and quieted all his supporters down when they were booing the fact that he was congratulating Obama so early. Not sure how I feel about Obama yet. It is pretty amazing that we have a black president after our nation's history. We've come a long way. He gave a decent speech too...not sure it was necessary to talk about MLK. I will definitely support him. I'll get back to you soon.
***Edit: So I was just looking up Prop 8 and I read this quote in one article:
"Barack Obama's candidacy made this win by the Prop 8 folks possible. Black voters went for Prop 8 by a margin of 9 to 1. Hispanics split, and whites voted against it. Without such a huge black turnout, it probably wouldn't have passed."
Here is another one I read:
"Meanwhile, The Advocate, a gay magazine, offers another reason why Obama's election may have been bad news for Prop. 8: "No on 8 volunteers fear that with the election all but won for Barack Obama, California Democrats who would have otherwise waited in line after polls closed might be inclined to call it a night -- bad news for Prop. 8.""
Thank you, Obama.***

In other news, Kyle will be coming to Utah this weekend! I am so excited to see him. I don't know how he will feel about the snow...p.s. it snowed last night. Boo.
______________________________________________

Steph, tell Christian to come look at this...

I can't wait to see this with you! I like to move it, move it...

vote however you like...

2008-11-03T00:11:00.004-07:00

the only reason i will miss this election. funny videos.

Beginning of time-forever...

2008-10-29T09:29:00.005-06:00

So the first time I was clocking out on the computer rather than the time clock I somehow clicked on this screen and noticed it had all my different BYU jobs listed...including one I didn't have, but whatever. The next thing I noticed is highlighted in lime green. They think they own me or something.

Note: I recently discovered how to do print screen and since my camera is no more I have been using this feature to spice up my blog. It is so cool.

stop this train, i want to get off and go home again.

2008-10-23T11:55:00.004-06:00

Things are going so fast! This is good and bad...it is awesome that Thanksgiving and Christmas are close, but this just means I have so much work to do before then. Ahh!

So funny update...this weekend we had our Best Buddies Halloween Party--always a big hit--and it was seriously the best turnout. The buddies looked so good in their costumes. We even had a girl dress up as Sarah Palin and during the scary monster sound contest, she said,"Vote for Sarah Palin!" Kills me. Anyway, the party was a blast and, in true Best Buddies fashion, we had to have a dance. Let me tell you...these people can dance! They put me to shame. We have 4 married buddies (2 couples) and then lots of other relationships. One buddy, Amy, is such a handful. She has down syndrome, but she is VERY high functioning...has a job, emails, does her own thing. Still, her social skills and such are not like most. She was engaged last year to another buddy, but that went south and she now has a new boyfriend. He is too much. Daniel is also a buddy, but I sense that he is much less innocent and naive than the other buddies. I'm onto him. It seems like he would just be the awkward guy at the office. Maybe somewhere pretty mild on the autism spectrum such as asperger syndrome. *Sidenote: Rachel (Zach's sister) and Candice (her cousin) are their buddies. They are good with them.* Anyway, they were dancing and getting a little too close for comfort so I just mentioned that we want to keep it clean. Daniel says, "But I have raging hormones!" I just walked away and took care of some other stuff. I walked by them again and jokingly said, "Remember the Book of Mormon rule from church dances?" Amy looked at me with a very upset face and said, "You are making me uncomfortable." More like she was making me uncomfortable. I went and talked to some other officers to get input and one said she could try and say something because she did it all the time as an EFY counselor. She got busy and when I walked back toward the dancing, Amy and Daniel stopped me and informed me that they weren't going to do any bad dancing or "petting". I don't know how I kept a straight face as I walked away.

Another funny story...my roommate's buddy lost her camera at the activity (we think she left it at home because we never saw her with it). She called my roommate who then called me to check if we had picked it up during cleanup, but we hadn't seen it. Anyway, my roommate got a few calls early Sunday about it and the last she heard Mary Ann was going to call BYU Lost and Found. Done deal, right? Never in Best Buddies. I check the email on Tuesday night and we have a message from BYU Broadcasting:
_______________________________________________

Dear Stacie Nichols,
We received some voicemails here at BYU Broadcasting from one of the BestBuddies participants who lost her camera at a recent event. Her info is below. Could you please respond to her?

Thanks,Karen Knorr

BYU Broadcasting

A young woman named Mary Ann left 2 voicemails.
She lost her camera (black with pink stripe and blue stars). Have you found it?She tried calling the Lost and Found but "they're not answering."
***-**35 or ***-**34 (she left a different number each time she called).

_________________________________________________

Why is BYU Broadcasting involved? That would definitely be the next place I called... Again, I thought that was the end of it. Who am I kidding?

Wednesday I get a call from the Best Buddies College Buddy Director from the U (my equivalent up there) who tells me that he had a message about a buddy who lost their camera. I was dying laughing. You can't be serious. He was.

I get off the phone and check my personal email and I have an email from the Best Buddies Utah State Director, Justin Haskell.

__________________________________________________

Stacie,

I think the voicemail attached is from one of your participants. Let me know if you have any questions.

In Friendship,
Justin W. Haskell

___________________________________________________

He actually attached the voicemail. Too good. It was 1:45.

Best Buddies can be so overwhelming sometimes (all the time), but I can tell you that it is giving me better abs because I laugh so much. We all need to take the advice of Elder Wirthlin: "The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable."

Last thing...I'm pretty sure that no one reads this...if so it is just my family...but I would ask that if you work in the schools, please see if you can get the Best Buddies program there. If you don't, go to bestbuddies.org and see how you can get involved. Donate, go to events, or BE A BUDDY! There is a Buddy Citizens program for adults and there is also an e-Buddies program so you can live anywhere and be involved! I don't think I have to tell you that I love working with people with disabilities, but I want you to love it too. Everyone deserves a friend and if we could all just reach out a little further then that might happen.

Real Life

2008-10-16T11:20:00.002-06:00

I am an avid CNN.com (crime section) reader and today I was looking in the crime section and I saw "Soldier kills woman". I clicked on it and read about how a 21 year old man met a 19 year old girl on MySpace and when they finally met in real life, he ended their meeting by killing her. It is inconceivable how trusting people are. This girl didn't know this man. Yet she met him and he took advantage of her. Comments on his MySpace from other girls after the murder made it clear that his other young "girlfriends" were on his side. They didn't think this changed him at all. They still believed he was a decent guy. He even had on his profile that he could "kill for no reason and without mercy". Why would people want to be his friend let alone physically meet him all by themselves in the woods? The saddest part about the article is that the girl was a special education student. This made me realize the great responsibility I have to protect my students from the evils of the internet and dangerous people.

So for those of you with children or students...please go to isafe.org to be trained in Internet Safety for yourself and to teach others. It seems lame (I thought it was at first), but it really is important for kids to be aware of what they are up against.

get involved...

2008-10-08T22:56:00.006-06:00

Tonight, all BYU students from California had the opportunity to come together and watch the broadcast to members in California regarding Prop 8. What a blessing it is that we have the fulness of the gospel. We know our purpose here on Earth. We know the purpose of families. We understand their role in the plan of salvation. I know that marriage is ordained of God between a man and a woman. I know that I must do what I can to ensure that our state defines marriage as such. I walked the precincts once before I left for school and haven't done anything else since, but I know I can do more even though I am out of California. I can talk to my friends. Elder Ballard talked about getting involved online. So here I am. And it can start small.

Words from our prophet, President Monson: "My young friends, be strong. The philosophies of men surround us. The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is heartache, unhappiness, and pain. You know what is right and what is wrong, and no disguise, however appealing, can change that."

And finally, just so my intentions are clear, words from our late prophet, President Hinckley: "Nevertheless, and I emphasize this, I wish to say that our opposition to attempts to legalize same-sex marriage should never be interpreted as justification for hatred, intolerance, or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies, either individually or as a group. As I said from this pulpit one year ago, our hearts reach out to those who refer to themselves as gays and lesbians. We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God. They are welcome in the Church. It is expected, however, that they follow the same God-given rules of conduct that apply to everyone else, whether single or married."

F-A-G

2008-10-07T11:02:00.002-06:00

No, I am not talking about a bundle of sticks or homosexuals. I just have another funny story from my adventures in the classroom. The class took a spelling test, but two students were exempt and worked with me at the back of the room on their letters and numbers. After the test, it was circle time and the teacher asked the students to spell some of the words while we were waiting for the speech therapist to come in. They were taking turns on the words either writing in on a whiteboard or saying it out loud. Oscar, one of the exempt students, was saying random letters the whole time. The teacher asked if anyone could spell can. Oscar had stopped his random letters, looked straight at the teacher, and said F-A-G. I was dying. The other teachers didn't seem to notice, but I couldn't stop laughing. I already love my career.

back by popular demand.

2008-10-01T09:32:00.002-06:00

Okay adoring fans...I will blog. I know I need to just make it a habit to blog like once a week. I tried that...Sundays...doesn't work since I haven't had a single free hour in the last 3 Sundays. I have to be at church at 8, back by 12:30, and then from there I have had Best Buddies meetings (the only time we could meet to do the matching), council meetings for my calling, interviews, visiting family in Ogden, and the list goes on. One of these days I will take a Sunday nap. School is amazing---I love my program. I was so worried that I wouldn't click with anyone or people would be way more experienced (they are) than I am with special education and they would think I shouldn't be there. I was wrong. I have made some great friends in my program and it is so fun to go to class everyday because I see all of them. I have program classes M-Th from 4-7...6 on Tuesdays! Before that, I work, have Best Buddies meetings, go to weight training and New Testament. After class, I just try to get everything done before I crash and burn around 12. I am up the next morning by about 6:45 to swim (I slept through my alarm this morning though). I have been volunteering for 5 hours each Friday at Amelia Earhart elementary with the same teacher I have been with for the last 2 years. It is so fun to see all my kids again, but my favorite has now been mainstreamed. I am so happy for her, but selfish me wishes she was still in my class. She even gave me a Pokemon name...Stunky. I wish life would slow down a little bit so I could enjoy it a little more, but this is how it goes I guess.
Let's see:

This weekend, I went to Ogden because my mom was in town. So good to see family and especially my mom. My grandparents were amazing too. I hung out with my cousin, Alex, who is 18 and he was going to a party so I went. Awkward...I am a Junior in college and these kids are seniors in high school, but it was fun to be with him.
Last night, I went to Brick Oven with some people from my program...so fun. We decided to do it more often. We need to see each other outside of class so it isn't always so stressful. I would recommend the Garlic Chicken pizza. Yum.
After that, I went to Aunt Tiana and Uncle Brent's so I could hang out with Jordan before he leaves. I can't believe how amazing my family is. He is such a great kid/young man and I am so blessed to be related to him. I love all my family, but it has been so great to always live near the Urmston's. He is going to be such a great missionary.
Funny story 1: I was working with a student named Bryce and he didn't listen to my prompts the first time so I repeated them. He turned to me and said,"Patience. Patience is a virtue." I do not know how I contained my laughter. Where do kids come up with these things?
Funny story 2: Amy and I were at the library last week and we left a little before midnight. We are hilarious people (we like to think) and we noticed that one of the big, glass-covered bulletin boards right in the middle of campus was open. How could we resist? We put my roommate's phone number on a paper and wrote, "Nicole Austin, a freaking hot babe." We went home and didn't say a word. The next night I was eating dinner when Nicole walked in and said,"I got a call from a St. George area code..." I died laughing. I couldn't wait for Amy to get home. Apparently, a boy called and said, "Nicole, I saw this note. A freaking hot babe...where are you?" We couldn't let it end there so the next night we put our other roommate's number up.

All in all, this is going to be a great year. I love what I am studying and the things I am involved in. I need to try and make more time for a social life. This is my goal for this weekend. Hang out with Roxanne and other amazing friends that I don't live with. Love to you all.

Mother of Mine!

2008-08-31T17:58:00.003-06:00

Where do you start? She is the most amazing, thoughtful mom that anyone could have. I got to my apartment on Friday and I had a package from my mom on Saturday. See what I mean?

I almost didn't come home this summer, but I am so glad I did because I was able to spend time with her. I often took it for granted (when it was at the office), but I would give anything to be just an hour or two away from her.

She never feels like she does enough, but she gives me more than I deserve. She is an amazing example of the pure love of Christ. She excels at so many things and she motivates me to do all the things that I want, no matter how daunting they may seem.

Thanks for putting up with me and the other 6 hooligans.

Mom, I love you. I am so blessed to have you as my mother.

Happy Birthday!

just in case you didn't know

2008-08-28T22:52:00.004-06:00

so i have a problem. i have a small bladder and i laugh at just about everything. you get the picture. this is a visual of me trying to "hold it". i was laughing because i didn't think i could make it from one rock to the other without getting wet. not sure why it was so funny to me, but apparently kyle captured it all. i often have to do this when i laugh really hard. i should stop surrounding myself with funny people and ridiculous situations. anyway, welcome to my world. i am a joke.

i'm back lovers.

2008-08-28T22:47:00.002-06:00

I rolled into Provo a little before 5 today. Got Rachel checked in and then went to the bookstore. Met up with Garrick and we all got Chinese food. I am now in Rachel's dorm. I'm sure you have all been dying for a good post so I will get back to you soon with that. LOVE YOU ALL!

life is good my friends

2008-04-01T15:24:00.006-06:00

I had a great weekend in Vegas seeing some of the family. Audrey is absolutely beautiful and I am so excited to see our family keep growing. I won't be contributing anytime soon, but I am happy to babysit and be an awesome aunt! I will post a few pictures from this weekend, but I guess I should mention that I GOT INTO MY PROGRAM! SEVERE BABY! I didn't know how it would all work out, but I knew somehow it would. Heavenly Father "opened an effectual door" for me to work with these special people and I am so grateful. I swear when I have more time I will write more.

Friends, Concert, Birthday, No Future

2008-03-02T12:40:00.009-07:00

Well family, I have received a few requests for an update so to appease the masses (all 5 of my sibling who read this) I did. My friends, Raquel and Vanessa, came up to visit over President's Day weekend. They came on Thursday night and I picked them up and we came back to our apartment and ate pizza. On Friday, we showed them campus and then went to Salt Lake. Saturday we went to Park City and then to the BYU basketball game. After church on Sunday I made potato soup and then we went to Temple Square and then the airport. They were here for 3 days, but they couldn't stay for Monday because Vanessa had school. Her school does get Cesar Chavez Day off though...very odd. It was so good to see them and spend time with them. It was also fun to have them see what we are up to in Utah. They liked it more than they thought would and I was very happy. Not such big fans of the snow...Go here http://byu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28643&l=dc40c&id=612182095 to see all of my pictures.
In other news...I went to my first REAL concert. I love Ingrid Michaelson and Roxanne mentioned she was going to the Joshua Radin concert and Ingrid Michaelson would be there so I jumped at the chance. It was all very exciting, but you should all listen to some Alexa Wilkinson, Ingrid Michaelson, and Joshua Radin songs. You will recognize Ingrid's song "The Way I Am" from Old Navy commercials. I'll fix my music player soon so they are right there. More pictures....http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29477&l=8fd7d&id=612182095

Here are some videos...never mind they take too long!

Tomorrow is my roommate Nicole's birthday. We went to dinner and then came back for cake and ice cream. She has really been wanting some underwear that shall remain nameless, but when she opened them a table near us with a family began laughing and pointing at us. Their little girl was appalled and we tried to run out quickly, but after I got out of there the dad stopped Nicole and asked her if she wanted a picture of her opening her "little present". What a perv! Anyway, we came home and played Nintendo 64 Mario Kart...I can't steer and I always lose. Nicole is the reigning champ! Other than that...life is fine. Zach has a committment for baptism and another investigator is doing really well! FHE was fun tonight...we did yoga. The boys were hilarious. On a more somber note, I got my program letter and I didn't get into the severe program. A few weeks ago the secretary for the program gave us the option to switch emphases, but I said I would consider switching IF I didn't get in so I am still waiting to hear about the mild/moderate program. I am also on the alternate list for severe. It was weird to realize that this was the first time in my life that something big didn't go the way I planned. I have been so blessed and at first my reaction was "Well, I guess it is time that something bad happens to me", but then I realized that it isn't like that at all. I think this is the answer I have been waiting for regarding what emphasis I should be in...it may be mild/moderate and it may be neither. I have always been willing to ask, but less willing to listen because I know what I want and I assume that is the best thing for me. At this point I need to leave this all up to the Lord and have faith, but I realized tonight that faith doesn't mean assuming the Lord will fix everything. It may not actually work out like I want and that is what faith really is...trusting in whatever the Lord has planned for me. I lesson I needed to learn. Trials do serve a great purpose.

I know, I know

2008-02-13T14:12:00.007-07:00

I suck at posting. I just don't have the cute kids that you do to post about. And no one cares about my opinions on politics...I don't even care about my opinions on politics. I'll try to be better at it, but I make no promises. Just to update you a little on my life I will make a short list.

Raquel and Vanessa are coming to visit this weekend! We will be showing them the best of Utah and just hanging out. I am so excited to see them. I miss home so much and it will be good to have a little part of what I love about Bakersfield here.
Zach has been out a year!!!!! I am on the countdown now.

My family won't come visit me...not even in Vegas.
School is fine. I am happy to be here getting an education, but I take school for granted way too often. I am mostly worried about my upcoming Biology test. I got a 92% on my first Interior Design test, but I should have done better. I think I am just getting sick of GEs...cross my fingers I get in to my program so I can stop this nonsense.

Speaking of my program...I applied 2 weeks ago and I should find out at the end of this month!

I love going to the special needs institute. The people are so fun and I get so much out of the lessons. I go on Tuesday and Thursday nights and I am in the Teachings of the Living Prophets class and the Old Testament class. Chetty comes with me most of the time. Funny story: this one guy, Donald, falls in love with whoever sits next to him. One day I heard him ask one girl 3 times to marry him. Back to the story though...he wanted to hear the talks from general conference so the teacher told him she could make a CD with their voices and he asked if she could put Michelle's voice on it too (the girl sitting next to him). Anyway, these people just amaze me. Ron is blind yet he can play the piano better than anyone I know and he has a great testimony of death and resurrection. They all have such strong testimonies of the plan of salvation.

I was sick and ALMOST lost my voice completely (a lifelong dream of mine), but I just sounded like a man for a few days.

Found 2 new restaurants (Gandolfo's and Guru's) on Center St. My world is expanding!

I love my best buddy, but I think I see her way too much for my busy schedule. I have already seen her twice this week and it is only Wednesday! I love it, but sometimes it is hard to have the time to pick her up or take her home, but she makes me feel guilty about her riding the bus. This is a picture of us at the Utah Flash game. They play the Bakersfield Jam.

I went shopping by myself with my gift cards and bought a new dress! I had an assignment for interior design that required me to go to the mall plus I needed to be alone...living with 3 other people can completely destroy any semblance of privacy or personal space. And to think they want me to live with 5 people next year.

Well...I think that pretty much sums up my life as of late. I miss you all.

Dilemma...

2008-01-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

Amy and I have been telling our friends they should come visit us for quite some time. We never thought they would come so we didn't think about the fact that there is not much to do in Provo. Dilemma...they love us enough to visit and we don't know what to do. We will drive as far as Park City and Salt Lake, but we need ideas. Sledding, the planetarium at the Gateway mall, Tucano's in Provo...I need more! They will be here for 3 1/2 days. Please help. I love you all. I will soon write about my life, but you'll just have to help me out first. P.S. This kid is cute and grandpa is hilarious. Love, Stacie

EMHN

2008-01-08T22:32:00.001-07:00

(Or at least that is what she calls herself nowdays.)

NOTE: I had her full name plus my last name, but I knew I would get some upset emails from Nikki or Steph about putting it on the internet. Just a heads up...wanted you to know what it was originally.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We never thought we could love another kid as much as we loved Christian and then Elyse came along. She is the most feisty 4-year-old I have ever met. I like to tease her and the other day we went shopping and I said something about her hair because I had straightened it. I had just gotten a haircut so her comeback was "Your new bangs are ugly." Wow...she knows how to dish it out and take it. Funny kid.

She is the most beautiful little girl and she knows it. When her hair was straight, we were at the Gap and she kept going to the mirror and looking at herself and playing with her hair. All-girl...oh wait, Christian does that too.
She loves to sleep over at our house and we LOVE to have her. The only downside is she moves a lot and takes up all the room in the bed, but isn't she just so sweet when she is asleep?
She is a little bit of a drama queen so it is funny to see her mad. Here is a prime example. Also, she always runs to Grandma because she knows Grandma is a sucker for her. The other day I told her I was going to race her to my mom and I would win, but she said, "No because I'm grandma's favorite girl." I guess I have been replaced.
She loves to play with her big brother Christian. Here she is applying her special Hello Kitty lipgloss.

She also likes to take care of her little brother Grant. She is the best big/little sister around.

I wish I had a good movie of her dancing because she has MOVES! You'll just have to take my word for it. Her best dancing songs are Bossy and Lipgloss. Maybe Steph can post a video? We had a dance party a few times while I was home on break and she kept asking for more.

I love you Elyse! I wish I could be there more, but until the summer...make sure to call me and leave me funny messages.

CHRISTIAN

2007-12-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

What can I say about you? I can't remember our family without you. I remember going to see you for the first time 8 years ago. You are my best little buddy and I miss you everyday that I am at school. So I just thought I would share with everyone a few special traits and experiences from your 8 years on Earth.

Christian is:

hilarious...earlier this year I asked him why he didn't ask me to sponsor him in the jog-a-thon this year. He told his mom it was because I am homeless.

the best big brother I have ever seen...he couldn't bear to spend the night over Thanksgiving because he was so worried about Grant sleeping in his room without him.

a joker...my favorite joke of his..."If the world were a jacket, where would the gangsters be?"....In the hood!

stylish...he never forgets his pomade (even on camping trips) and his hair is always in the newest do.

thoughtful...he made Elyse a collection of songs, poems, and pictures for her birthday last year.

quite the daredevil these days...he was the first one to jump in the pool over Thanksgiving...COLD...and he did it twice! He went cliffjumping at Lake Mead this summer. He went tubing with me also. He loves the roller coaster and the Tower of Terror at California Adventure.

artistic...he steals my camera every chance he gets and takes pictures of the most random things.

a great soccer player...he is already on a club team! Only time will tell where this talent will take him...the next David Beckham?

very smart...when he was only 6, I spelled a word while on the phone in front of him and he told everyone what I said. Not so funny at the time, but in retrospect...still not too funny, but I am still impressed by his intelligence. He can also remember anything you have ever said...and always manages to bring it up at the most "appropriate" moments.

an amazing dancer...he has been breakdancing since he was about 4 years old. He still loves to have dance parties which happen to be my favorite thing to do with him.

a music buff now...he has quite the taste in music...Dave Matthews Band to Lil Mama (Lipgloss). "Whatcha know bout me? Whatcha, whatcha know bout me?" or as Christian says..."What you know about me? What you, What you know about me?" He has recently taken up the flutophone...who knows what will come next.

knows he is cute...he loves to have his picture taken. Need I say more?
He is even cute without teeth!

I love you Christian. I am so proud to be your aunt. Kiss...even it out on the other side...kiss!

Now don't make fun of our song...we tried. Happy Birthday buddy!

2007-11-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. It seems the tests never end. I have 4 this week so Thanksgiving should be a nice break. I'm not sure when I am leaving yet because I do want to stop by Vegas and see Heidi and Nikki and I also want to see Steph before they go to Utah. Anyway...I will know sometime this week.
One of my tests is for ASL. I have to compare a custom from the US to a custom from another country. I can't think of anything to do so if any of you know any customs that are different from ours I would appreciate a comment. PLEASE!

Halloween

2007-10-29T09:01:00.000-06:00

Here I am with my buddy Chetty. I wasn't that into dressing up and I didn't have much time so i just found a skirt at DI and was a BYU cheerleader. I did have some pom-poms though. Chetty and her boyfriend were football players. She was pretty funny. She said she like every kind of music, but when she got in my car she changed every song on my CD. She was in the hospital all summer with acute pancreatis and just got out a few weeks ago so walking is still hard for her, but she was a trooper and slow danced to every song with Bruce (the boyfriend). He is also in Best Buddies, but he lives in his own apartment which is awesome because that means he is mostly independent. I also took my roommate's buddy because she had to be at the ward party. She was nice and also had a boyfriend. I wanted to know if she could get married or if anyone in Best Buddies did. She said their parents had to let them and her mom would, but her boyfriend's mom said he would have to wait until the next life. So she said she would wait and marry him in the next life. I have always felt bad for what I thought people with disabilities were missing out on or didn't understand, but I realized that her understanding of eternity and the plan of salvation is so much greater than mine. It was amazing. This is at the ward party. Nicole was a boxer. Amy, Ashley, and Emily were street basketball players. They looked good. I was only there for about 45 minutes, but it was okay.
I ate dinner at Aunt Tiana's house yesterday. Bruce, Teresa, Michelle, and Nate were there so I got to see them as well. I also met Bryan's fiance. She is nice and thought Uncle Brent was funny so that was good. They had a stake youth fireside so I watched Lizzie and we played Pooh matching games and watched the Mormon and Moroni video and Madeline. Very eventful. Hope you all are well. I still can't believe that Peter actually wore what he did for his costume. I'm sure that is illegal in some country.

It what?

2007-10-21T08:24:00.001-06:00

That's right...it snowed! I mean it actually stayed on the ground through the night. I am not a very happy camper right now. The weather is still in the 40's for the most part, but it is just downright chilly.

On a happier note...I got my buddy for the Best Buddy program here at school. She is a 29 year-old woman with a disability, but I don't know what it is. She seemed very excited on the phone. This Friday is a Halloween party and she is going to be a football player so naturally I will be a cheerleader. I'm anxious to meet my new friend.

fall has begun

2007-10-17T18:50:00.000-06:00

It was getting way too cold way too quick just like last year, but luckily the weather warmed up so I could have an actual fall. It is really pretty here with the snow on the mountains and the leaves blowing everywhere. We played in some leaves last night and here are the pictures.

I love the gospel!

2007-10-14T19:44:00.001-06:00

I grew up thinking I would know the church was true because of some miracle or vision like Alma the Younger. I would pray that I would believe if I could walk on water or I would pray for an angel to come fix my broken bracelet. I obviously grew out of that as my testimony increased and was strengthened, but I still hadn't received the confirmation that I thought I needed to know that I have an unwavering testimony. There was a talk in conference by Douglas L. Callister. He said that as long as you casually pray and study the gospel, you will not know that you know. This struck me so hard. I have been slacking in my personal prayers and scripture study...no excuse, but this is just the talk I needed. I can't expect to be strong in my testimony or have the companionship of the spirit if I don't put forth the effort every second of every day. I know I need to be on my knees every morning and every night and things will be so much better. I know that the church is true and the fullness of the gospel has been restored to the earth. I am so excited about next year's Relief Society manual on the Teachings of Joseph Smith. I have so much appreciation for the strength that he had and his devotion to the Lord.
One more thing...I fasted last fast Sunday...September 30...that I would be able to love others and feel the love that Christ has for others. I have been struggling with getting easily frustrated with my roommates etc. I fasted, but I hadn't really done any personal study to find an answer. Sometimes we just fast and think the Lord will do all the work, but we really need to do our part. Anyway, today in Relief Society as I was reading in the manual and it says "Regardless of your particular circumstances, as you become more and more familiar with the truths of the scruptures, you will be more and more effective in keeping the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself." It is crazy how the Lord answers your questions and prayers. I wasn't expecting this answer at all. I guess I was just expecting an overnight change of heart, but that just shows that our Heavenly Father knows more than we do. Not only did I need help loving others more, but also in reading my scriptures. I am so grateful for the sweet reassurances that I am loved and that I am a child of God with capabilities and opportunities beyond anything I could imagine or hope for.

I attached these pictures from today's dinner at our good neighbor's/friend's apartment as proof that I am not completely anti-social. Everyone always wants to know what I am doing so here it is...
I have been studying for my Civ test ALL week. I took the test on Friday and it went okay...
Saturday I slept in for the first time in forever and then got up and cleaned, did laundry, and went to campus. I was supposed to go to a study group, but I decided I didn't want to study and just needed some downtime so I watched tv on my computer and then came home. Don't judge me...it has been a long week. Once home we (Amy, Nicole, and I) loaded up in the car and drove to Salt Lake where we went to the Gateway and ate Coast Vida then saw "Across the Universe". The music in the movie is great and the storyline is pretty cool...it is based around the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement along with the Civil Rights movement. There are some weird parts where the people are on drugs so you see lots of weird things that they apparently are seeing. Weird, but overall quite good. Anyway, I love you all. I wish you would put up more pictures of your kids. I am beginning to forget their faces.

FHE?

2007-09-30T17:40:00.001-06:00

I am the FHE Mom for my group which means I have to come up with an activity and a lesson each week. I'm sure the group will help me as will the "Dad", but none of us are that creative. I need some good ideas for lessons and activities that last about 1 hour. Post your FHE ideas in the comments. I need all the help I can get. Thanks!

School is in Session

2007-09-30T15:28:00.000-06:00

So I am back at school. Amy and I drove up together just over 4 weeks ago and we are all settled in and trying not to be too anti-social. Here are some pictures from our road trip...

So far nothing too exciting has happened...let's pretend you didn't already guess this. Actually Nikki, Jordan, and Warren came up to Utah and it was so nice to see them. Nikki treated me to dinner and we just got to talk for a long time which hasn't really happened since we shared a room before her wedding. Warren is as cute as ever and he can even say my name! It took a lot of coaching and coaxing, but he did it and it was so cute. He says his name pretty well too.

This is the cage that Nikki mentioned in her blog.

I just got back from Break the Fast and it was good, but there wasn't very much food so I felt like I couldn't eat a lot. I'm sure I will be cooking up some Mac and Cheese pretty soon. Thank you Western Family. If you don't know what I am referring to, it is the generic brand that I survive on these days. I got to hear from Steph and the Disneyland gang last night and they seem to have had a good time. I also got to talk to Mom and Grandpa and I heard we have a new puppy...(What are we thinking?) Good luck with that. By the way...if you wanted my opinion on the name, I would go with Apple Spice and just call her Apple for short. If Gwenyth Paltrow can get away with naming her child that then I'm sure it will fly with an apple-headed chihuahua.

Anyway school is going well. It takes me less than 10 minutes to walk to class or work everyday. Some of my classes are more work than I expected, but I enjoy them all for the most part. I have Mission Prep, New Testament (The Gospels), Physical Science 110B (geology), ASL 201, CPSE 400 (my first Special Ed class--it is amazing), and Civilizations 1 (history from the beginning to 1500 AD). More later...I need to work on my mission prep paper and do some other stuff.

I love you all. I need more visitors so please make a trip to Utah.

Peter...are you having Thanksgiving with us--Mom, Dad, Kyle, and I?

I would love to come home, but you can all trek up here as long as Grandpa and Grandma come.

Peter

2007-09-17T21:26:00.000-06:00

I did want to mention that although I did say Peter tries to tell me what to do...I still love him a lot and look up to him. He is a wonderful brother, but he, like all brothers, teases and thinks he knows what is best for me. I appreciate though that he cares enough to tell me what he thinks and give me advice. There are countless times when I have turned to him where no one else could have helped me like he did. I still get way mad when he teases me about dating, Zach, my eyebrows, etc., but I will be a turd when he finally decides to find himself a wife. All jokes aside though...thanks for being you Peter. I love you!

The past

2007-09-16T20:07:00.000-06:00

I want to finish back-blogging and get you up to speed on my life right now so I will quickly sum up a few things...

We went to San Diego to see Peter and go to the beach with our Favero cousins in August. Here are a few pictures from the Botanical Gardens etc. Elyse was having a bad day...the "worst day of her life" according to her, but Lucy seemed to be having a blast. Elyse was pretty funny as was Christian of course. and they did very well considering they were away from their parents for so long. P.S. I miss you both. Come visit me!

One of the last weekends I was home I went to Disneyland with Christian, Elyse, Steph, Grant, Peter, Mom, and Dad. Christian was a brave soul and went on Tower of Terror twice in a row and California Screamin'. He was relieved though that he is still too short for the Maliboomer. A new favorite ride is the big orange with swings. Elyse was too small for most rides, but she got her thrills dancing in the streets of Disneyland. Grant was very good and he was pretty independent most of the day. We just let him sit in the teacup while we rode the big rides, but he did come with us for Pirates and as you can see he can't wait to go again. I'm kidding...we didn't leave him alone...Dad was just having fun posing Grant. It was a lot of fun and I hope we can go back again soon.

Mexico!

2007-09-16T19:33:00.000-06:00

I met Peter in San Diego the last weekend in July to go to Mexico and help in an orphanage. I drove Candice, Amy, and Sam and then we went with Peter and company on down to Mexico. We stayed in bunks one night and on the beach the next. The kids were very well cared for which was a big relief. I had just felt so bad for them before, but they really are in a much better situation than most. We cleaned up and played with the kids and Candice pretty much ran the painting project. Anyway, it was a lot of fun to be there with Peter and some longtime friends and especially Candice. Peter is a good guy and brother even if he has ridiculous expectations and tries to tell me what to do. Candice is way too much fun and I appreciate that she likes to hang out with me--although we both know she is much too cool for me.
Peter and Alex
Some of the San Diego group
Candice holding the littlest baby at the orphanage. I believe she was 8 months then and she was seriously smaller than Grant at that time.
Sam and I in our Nacho Libre masks.
Jim Halpert look alike to the left. Don't analyze him too closely, but he really does look like him.

Family Reunion

2007-09-16T13:25:00.000-06:00

I am back-blogging the last half of the summer because I suck at being on top of it. So first up is the Nichols Family Reunion. It was a fun filled 4 days of family, the beach, delicious food, and Harry Potter (everyone was reading the final book...tear). We had a kind of week long photo scavenger hunt which was fun. I will insert a few pictures of that here...

One thing to do was do what a sign said so here is Christian.
P.S. He wanted to be in every picture and he decided he needed to take his shirt off.

Another thing was holding a baby so here is Aunt Linda holding Uncle Marc--She was laughing so hard that they fell off the rock before this picture.

Just some other cute pictures...scavenger hunt and candid.

Not that anyone cares

2007-07-08T16:43:00.001-06:00

I figured I shouldn't completely neglect my blog so I decided to post about summer thusfar. I am working for my mom and teaching swim lessons. Other than that, I just stay home, play with Steph's kids, or occasionally see some friends. Zach has officially been out for 5 months now, but the summer makes it seem longer so I am excited to go back to school.

I just noticed that I have pictures of me with all the other nephews and nieces so I thought I should put one up of me and Grant. I think only my family sees this so hopefully I can see you all soon. Maybe at Lake Mead if we go this weekend. Love you all. Kiss the kids for me.

finals...

2007-04-20T14:21:00.000-06:00

I took my first final today and did alright. I have another one tomorrow and then two on Monday. I know I'm supposed to be happy to be going home, but I must admit that I like it here. I can't wait to go home, but I don't think I'm ready yet.

A few of my favorite things...

2007-04-15T22:11:00.000-06:00

best buds in vegashanging out at the hockey game
playing at the pool right before spence cleared us out with his bowel movement
feeding warren on my vegas trip
the day i went back after thanksgiving

the day i went back to school after christmas

I wanted to post a picture of me with each of my nieces and nephews...they are in order of age because I don't have favorites although I am their favorite. I'm kidding, but these kids are beautiful and they are so blessed to be in these wonderful family just as we are so blessed to have each one of them.

-Sorry these pictures aren't all the best, but I have ended up behind the camera more often than not nowadays.

Birthday!

2007-04-12T08:31:00.000-06:00

Thanks for calling and wishing me happy birthday! I have the best family in the world and I am so thankful to be a part of it. You are all such good examples, even Kyle, to me. Thanks for being amazing people and wonderful siblings.
I didn't do anything too wild for my birthday. I did get free ice cream at Coldstone's so I encourage you to all join the birthday club--you get a "Love It" size! My friends posted signs all over the floor and gave me balloons and a present and then last night as the "finale" to my birthday they sang the "Happy Birthday Lisa" song from the Simpsons (I love that song) to me, but changed the words. All in all it was a great day!
P.S. I'll be back in Bakersfield 2 weeks from today! I should leave here Tuesday or Wednesday and then stop off in Vegas for a night to visit then I'll trek on home.

Friends

2007-04-04T17:04:00.001-06:00

I thought I should introduce you to my close friends up here at school. This picture is at Gateway in Salt Lake. In it is Camie, Nicole, and Amy. The four of us will be living in an apartment south of campus next year.

The picture in the shopping cart has Nicole, Roxanne, and Amy. We were at the dollar theater being wild.

Amy has been a long time friend, but I have had the great privilege of getting to know her even better and love her even more.

Camie and Nicole are roommates directly across the hall from my room. We started our relationship through notes passed under the door and have become great friends. They are from Layton and I have been lucky enough to stay at their houses. They may not seem wild, but you'll have to see what a couple hours with me, Amy, and Roxanne will do for them.

Roxanne is my roommate. She is pretty great. She puts up with me and we have a pretty good time. I'm sad she won't be living with me next year, but we'll invite her over for Sunday dinner.

Just thought you might all want to see the people I am always talking about. Camie and Nicole might visit this summer so you might get the privilege of meeting them in person.

Life as of late

2007-04-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

Let's see...Peter and Kyle were here, I visited the Favero's, watched movies...Life is good. Zach's family was here for conference and to visit family and friends. I went out to dinner with them for Zach's dad's birthday on Monday then on Tuesday his 2 oldest sisters, Rachel and Hannah, came over and stayed with me. It was fun, but I hope they weren't expecting more from college life because I am pretty lame. It isn't too exciting here at BYU, but it works for me. From the picture, I'm sure you can tell I was playing with flour. We had a flour war for FHE and (not that anyone was keeping score) I won because I used a sock so it hurt when I got someone. Everyone else just threw tissues full of flour. They were too lazy to put it into a sock. My face looked a lot worse, but I had to clean my face off because this kid threw a handful right in my eyes after we had said game over. Whatever, I forgive him, but I am still finding floury goop in my eyes. Besides regular reading and going to class and finals...I only have one paper, but it is kicking my butt. I hope you all enjoyed conference--Saturday morning session was my favorite. It seemed like everything I had prayed to hear was said in the first song and talk and then soon after came the things I didn't realize I needed to hear so badly. I'll be done for sure 3 weeks from today! I can't wait to see everyone.

I LOVE THE LIBRARY!

2007-03-20T22:13:00.000-06:00

Okay so all year I have avoided the library because it is boring and way too quiet, but times have changed. Friday I spent 4 hours in there studying for my physical science test and today I spent a grand total of 7 hours. WOW! I can't even believe it. Anyway, I was studying for printing a lot today and then my class is in the library and then after swimming I went back to work on my research paper. This is my first real one in college--so far I have only done opinion papers and I wrote an 8 page paper for anthropology using a book I read. Now for the reason I love the library. Amy has Freshmen English and they go to the library to learn stuff and today they learned how to use the bibliography generator. It is amazing. You save all the books, etc. you find and the computer makes your bibliography. I am way too excited about this, but it is cool. I also asked a reference lady how to look up periodicals so I am pro now. That's all for now. I think I did great on my printing test though. Love you all.

Crap...

2007-03-19T11:01:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been slacking. I just realized how little time is left in school. You would think I would be ecstatic (which I was at first), but I realized how many deadlines and tests I have before the end. Anyway, I am trying to get ahead with some things, but I have 2 tests this week and a paper I need to work on. College is fun, but never ending.
I'm a little sad that I won't be with everyone for General Conference, but I might go to Layton again unless Peter wants to do something with me.
My life is more boring than ever lately--Saturday I went to a Mary Kay party. I think I'm too young and cool for that kind of stuff, but a girl on my floor sells it now so I went for her. I put away all my winter clothes. I'm trying to think of other random things that have been happening. A little girl peed on me in Adaptive Aquatics last week. My friends and I made doo rags out of t-shirts last Saturday and tried to teach Nicole how to dance. Wild, I know. I love all the pictures everyone has been posting. I show everyone. Talk to you soon. Love, Stacie.
P.S. Mom, Dad, Kyle, Tyler, and Steph need to get on top of it. Maybe Katy can help Tyler.

Friday

2007-03-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Stacie's Friday:

-Laundry

-Workout

-Adaptive Aquatics

-Shower

-Lunch

-Homework

-Dinner

-Gymnastics Meet

-Who knows--homework, movie?

-Sleep

Free Fridays are beautiful. Actually I have been planning my next two semesters of classes and trying to decide what I want to do next fall (2008). My two favorite options are Romania or Ecuador working in an orphanage, but they both cost like $3500. I don't understand why it costs so much to help people if I am already giving my time, but it would be cool to do. If anyone has any other ideas, let me know. Also, I can't find a ride for general conference weekend, but I can for Easter weekend. Who is going to Vegas for general conference? Love you all. Enjoy the weekend.

This is a little gay, but oh well.

2007-03-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Peter said I should get a blog, but it might be a little boring as I don't have children to brag about or anything eventful going on in my life. Anyway, I decided to do it since this might keep me in more frequent contact with my family. Don't check this too often as it might not get updated like your blogs. I love you all.

P.S. This picture is from when I was in Layton this weekend. And yes, Peter O'Toole is throwing up a peace sign.