I passed my Practical part of the State Board exam. This is great! I was totally scared and blah blah blah about it. But once I got in there, it was SO easy. I always get myself more wound up about things than I should be. But, this also means I have to start thinking about my life. um....ugh. I have 400 hours left at school. That is NUTS. School has flown by, but I think that is wonderfulllllll!
So as for this weekend, Emily and I got a hotel up in Ogden. That's where the test was, and it was a 8:30am so it only made sense to go up the night before. Definitely sketchy though. We pull up to our hotel, and there are only like 4 cars in the parking lot...and then we notice it's right across the street from a truck rest stop. Creeeeepy. We made ourselves some dinner and watched some Law & Order, and then studied for our test. We constantly kept second guessing ourselves, and thinking we were going to forget things, but, of course we didn't. The morning of the test came, and we got ourselves a nice free continental breakfast from the hotel. That means yummy belgian waffles, bagels, and juice! I was stuffed. Then we got to the test, and the place wasn't even open. But then when we got into the waiting room, Emily was asking the other girls what school they were from and things like that. Two of them were from a school in Provo which shall not be named. They were grumps, and didn't want to talk to any of us. There is a reason other hair schools have bad reputations with the girls. And these two were a prime example. The test was great, except one of the ladies reminded of this precious gem:
Yes, we all know and love her from Monster's Inc, but really. I could not get the image of her out of my mind. Maybe that's what helped me get through the test. Then after you are done, you wait like 10 more minutes and as you walk out the door, they hand you your results. You get two papers and literally all it says on them is Cosmetology: Pass and Barber: Pass. Those are the only two words I needed to see though! I screamed and jumped around a little bit. Pretty much the best news. And I am SO glad to be done with it! Now I will have to take my written portion sometime soon, and then finish up my hours and I will be done! Hallelujah!
No, I don't mean make the extravagant turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pies meal every day. I mean having a grateful attitude. Isn't it just the best when you sit around the table and say what you're grateful for? It seems like for one day, everything is right in the world. There's a moment of peace when we all really reflect on what we are grateful for. That no matter what our circumstances, we have lots of things to be grateful for. We are all blessed in one way or another. Isn't that awesome? But really, I feel like we should be this grateful EVERY day. I think we're all a little guilty of it. I know I could definitely do better. I guess I should clarify that I'm not meaning when people put it on the interenet for their friends to see, but just in general, in our own personal lives. Whether that's through prayer, or writing it in a journal. All of these are great. But, since I haven't been very good about it, I thought I would lay it out there. I have lots to be grateful for. So I better get started.
First and foremost, I am most grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father. Without them, I would be nothing. Literally. They have given me all of these things that I am blessed with in my life. Because of them, I have a purpose in my life. I know my potential and what my final goal is. What is better than that?
Secondly, is my family. My two wonderful parents, and my three amazing brothers. I am the LUCKIEST girl to be a part of this family. I can't even explain in words how much they mean to me. I am also so grateful for the beautiful women they have married who always help them be the best they can.
Third, my friends. The ones that just laugh at me when I make a fool of myself(which is more often than not) and still want to be seen with me in public. The ones that let me spill my guts to them and tell them my worries, and fears, and will comfort me no matter what. The ones that I just love being around and we could literally be doing anything and we would find a way to make it fun. I appreciate you being a part of my life.
Lastly, I am grateful for my education. I love that I have found what I love to do. It makes it so easy to wake up every morning. I love that there is always room for me to improve and learn new things. This has been a huge reason why I am much happier in my life, and I love that.
I am so grateful to be alive. And to be able to share this life with so many wonderful people and experiences. I mean really, what could be better?
Over these past couple of days, I've had the same thought over and over. It's something that I've constantly thought about, but more and more recently its become more prominent.
Social networking, the internet, and technology are taking over our lives.
I've honestly tried to remember what it was like when people had to call the house phone and ask my mom if they could talk to me. Or when we actually printed out copies of pictures to show our friends instead of posting them on Facebook. Don't get me wrong, this is no way a rant about me being against it, because let's be real, I'm on the internet right now writing this. But, it's more so about the way we feel about it, and almost let it control/influence our lives.
Lately, I've noticed two things the most:
1. If it's not on Facebook, it's not official. (friendships, relationships, etc.)
2. Cell phones have become second nature. (at least to some/most people)
First off, this whole Facebook thing. There are two things I find funny about it. I'm sure we've all seen the comments that say, "We're Facebook friends, now our friendship is legit." I mean, really? Sure, I've done it a couple times, but I think we're getting to the point where people are serious about it. Especially with smart phones where you can go find someone and be their friend on Facebook the minute you meet them. Weird. So then the issue of relationships on Facebook got brought up. If someone was dating someone but on Facebook it still says they're single, is that being dishonest? I don't think it is. It's someone who doesn't want to put their life on blast to the world wide web. No thank you. Plus, that just causes DRAMA. No thank you, again. :)
The deal with these phones, I mean , really people? Does your phone have to be attached to you every second of your life? While going somewhere with a friend of mine a while back, we had already left the house, and she goes, "oh no! I left my phone. blah blah blah..." And I responded with, "I think you'll survive. It'll be good for you." Maybe a little rude, but true. Let's be real. WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT OUR CELL PHONES FOR A COUPLE HOURS. It's actually quite nice, you should try it. :)
Anyways, that's all for today. Just had to get that out there. Have a lovely day!
This morning I was talking to my roommate about her public speaking class. She had to write a speech about a topic that could be debated. She chose to do it on the fact that she believes that you have to put yourself out there with the risk of looking ridiculous in order for you to get anywhere in life. This got me thinking, and then, as I looked up at the mirror in our bathroom, I saw a quote that I had put on there about a week earlier. It said: "If you're not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you".
I am a complete advocate of this statement. Especially after how some events these last couple of days panned out. But we won't get into that. :) Anyways, I've heard this a lot. Especially within the beauty industry. They've always said if you want to make it big, you have to jump through hoops, maybe embarrass yourself a little. It can end one of two ways. Either you succeed, and reach your goals, or you "fail", learn your lesson, and do better the next time. Right? That is more than not told to us at school by people who've been in the industry for years. It's not easy, but it will eventually be worth it, even if we have to look a little stupid at some times.
This applies to MUCH more than just the beauty industry though, let's be real. Whether it be school, a career, a relationship, you name it. That's just the way things are, no matter what. I feel like it makes life a little more fun though. If everyone got to where they wanted to go with ease, where would be the fun in that? Where would be the growth and the excitement? It wouldn't be there. We as humans, were put on this earth to progress. Constantly. We never reach a point in our lives where we're just set for the rest of our lives. We are constantly growing, and learning, and experiencing new things because that's how things were meant to be. That is God's plan for every one of us. That is how awesome life is supposed to be. So great, right?! :)
I realized I have pictures of every single hair style I've had since being here. So I figured I'd give you all the run down. :)
This is pretty much what my hair looked like when I first started school. So keep this is mind.
The first installment! Pink extensions. The extensions teacher at our school put these in for anyone who wanted them. They were pretty much the cool thing to do then. I figured this was a good way to slowly get comfortable with having weird colors in my hair, since I thought that's what I wanted in my hair when I got to school.
These two pictures are the dreaded day when I got my hair CHOPPED. As you can see. The bottom picture is how I first saw it, after it was all styled. There was no mirror in the room we were all in, So boy was I shocked when I first looked. He also told me that I will never wear my hair straight again. This hair cut was only meant for curly hair....so that night, guess what I did! I straightened it....hahahaha. Take that!
Um....no comment....hahaha. What was I thinking?! Pretty sure this is my LEAST favorite hair color I've ever had. In my head, I expected this to turn out more blondes then dark. Now when I think of what we did, I realize how silly it was for me to think of that. We obviously put more browns in compared to blonde...I'm weird. And this is gross.
So to get rid of that nasty blonde, I wanted to put a reddish/purple color in it. So I did! I LOVED this one. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to. This is definitely the "weirdest" thing I've done up to this point. But It was definitely so cool. It might just end up this way again sometime in the future. You never know.
Surprise! I'm blonde!! My senior year of high school I was more blonde than this with really dark on the bottom. So I kinda wanted to try for that again. We used a color remover on my hair. I literally went from that dark brown with red to this in one day. Crazy! A couple weeks later we put in more blonde highlights. It loved it...for a little while. I realized I'm much more of a brunette. But it was fun for the summer. And lots of people liked it on me. So that's a good sign. :)
Well, this is my hair currently. Well, almost. It's still short, but growing! and now a very pretty brown color. I love it. I did put some very dark purple panels in my bangs and towards the front, but its not too noticeable. I've pretty much come full circle, but I can't say that I'm done. I have 5 months of school left!
It's kind of weird seeing every hair style all next to each other like this. I didn't really realize how much it changed! But it has been way too fun. I am at just about 1300 hours, 700 left to go! It's going so fast! and before I know it, I'll be done. Crazyyyy!
I hope you all enjoyed this! To all you people back in Washington, I miss you, but I'm glad I got to see you when I was home!
Well, I've learned that changing the ways of a college lifestyle is proving not to be an easy task. But, I do have good news! I haven't drank any pop for two weeks! As for the lunches, that's not going as well, although I have taken my lunch to school about 4 times in the last two weeks. And since I eat out all the other days, I decided to skip the fries, and go for a snack wrap, or a salad, or a smoothie. I have also tried to be good about not picking out the vegetables I normally wouldn't eat. Like peppers, or zucchini. (Yes, Mom, it's true! I'm eating my vegetables!) I've definitely been feeling better. Now I need to get into more of a workout routine. I have been able to play volleyball a lot which has been great. It at least keeps me a little active. I'm going to try and work on doing a workout dvd at least 3 times a week. Those things really work! Thats the one thing I feel is missing in my little adventure here. I will change that this week and see how it goes. but so far, I'm loving it!
In a good way! I've gotten this weird idea in my head that I want to get in shape, eat healthier, and just all around feel better. Let's be honest, I went to college my freshman year and everything I had learned went out the window! So, now that I'm newly 20, I figured it'd be the perfect time to do this. I mean, I'm in Provo, for the purpose of finding a husband...right Mom? ;)
Anyways, recently I purchase a book called 500 Health and Fitness Tips. It's probably more geared for teens, but I figure I still somewhat fit into that category. Half of it is quick little workouts, and the other half is about eating the right stuff. So great. My plan is to start with little goals, and keep adding to them. I will keep an update on here with things that work, don't work, food that is yummy(and healthy), all of that kind of stuff. I figure this will be good to keep me accountable. So, here it goes!
Goal 1: No soda, instead, I'll drink water. Goal 2: Take my lunch to school at least 3 days a week.
I'll start with those, and see where it takes me, I'll update every week, or more often if I feel like it!
Where do I even begin? You by far are the strongest, kindest, most incredible person I know. I am so blessed to have you as my mother, and my best friend.
Here is a list of only a few of the things I love about you. :)
1. Your beautiful smile.
2. The fact that you cry when you laugh too hard. (I got that from you)
3. Your troll voice that only I got to hear. ;)
4. Your positive attitude.
5. Your strong testimony.
6. Your love and support of us kids, even when we make mistakes.
7. The way you love and honor Dad.
8. You still let me snuggle with you.
9. Your hard work ethic.
10. Your willingness to serve anyone, and everyone.
I couldn't imagine my life without you. You are my rock, my comic relief, my best friend. I love you more than words can say. It's been hard being away from you for so long, but I will be looking forward to spending time with you in a couple of weeks! You are absolutely amazing Mom, I love you!
Okay, so it's been quite a while since I've written anything. Oops! I'll give you a quick update on my life. I've been proposed to by an 82 year old man while cutting his hair, I dyed my hair, again, I did my first perm ever, and helped all my friends move out for the summer.
You're probably wondering about the proposal. Well, once a month, about 10 girls from school go to the Springville Senior Center to give free hair cuts to the old people. It was my second time going, and when I got there, there was a man waiting to get his hair cut. His name was Joe. He's the kind of guy that's the center of attention, he cracks all the jokes, and even plays the harmonica! He is quite talented. Anyways we chatted while I cut his hair. This is how our conversation went...
Joe: so, how old are you?
Me: I'm 19, almost 20
Joe: Are you married?
Me: No not yet, I'm too young for that.
Joe: Well what do you say in ten years? If you aren't married by then?
Me: I thought you said you only had 2 years left to live? (from a previous conversation)
Joe: Well if I have a promise I can wait ten years!
It didn't fit together exactly like this, but that was the important parts. And as we were leaving he saw and and said, "I'll see you in ten years!" It definitely made my day. I'm hoping it won't take me ten years to get married though. I mean, I came to Provo to find me a husband, so hopefully I leave with one! But only if that's the way it's supposed to work out. I'll be patient. :)
This week was the last week of the semester for BYU. So pretty much all of my friends have moved out. Luckily though, all of my roommates but one are staying! This also means we are getting a new roommate. So it will be fun! It was also my spring break Thursday and Friday. So it was nice to be able to spend those days with my friends before they all left. I have truly been blessed with amazing people in my life since I have been here. I couldn't have asked for a better ward.
Another lovely thing in my life is that I get to go home in a month! I can't wait. I miss Washington more than I ever thought I would. But nothing can compare to it. I made a paper chain, just like I used to when I was little. It's pretty much the best thing ever. And it's hanging in our living room so everyone gets to see it :)
I felt the rush of a motorcycle pass by me, then I looked up, and he was on the ground, motorcycle in pieces, and a car with a big dent in the side.
I've never witnessed anything like this before, and for some reason, it happened to me today. So many thoughts flooded my mind. The closer I got to it, I noticed the motorcyclist moving a little on the ground. I figured that was a good sign, but still, how scary. Can you imagine the phone call his family got? Or even how the driver who hit him felt. I'm not exactly sure how it even happened, but so much in those two people's lives changed within seconds.
I definitely thought about my own life, and how I probably take things for granted, I'm sure we all do. We can't let a day go by without thanking our Heavenly Father for what we have; the lives we've been blessed with, the families and friends we have, the jobs we have and school we are able to attend.
Our lives are wonderful. No matter who you are, you have something to be thankful for. If you don't think you do, go find something. It'll change your life.
This last weekend was General Conference. This happens twice a year. We get to listen to our Prophet and apostles, the leaders of our church, speak. I was lucky enough to go up to Salt Lake City with some of my friends and actually be at one session. Such a great experience! I loved every second of it. Here are some pictures of our wonderful trip!
A huge question someone would ask their friend or family is, "what do you want in life?" Well, I've decided what I want. I want a soundtrack to my life. I mean how awesome would that be? Whenever I hear a song, I am usually reminded of the first time I heard it, or a group of friends I always listened to it with. It brings back memories, good and bad, of course. And then there's movies, where they make it slow motion and go back to all the memories between certain people with that one totally great song in the background. I wish I could just walk around and have little theme song play, or when I'm crying have that super sad song play. I don't know, kind of ridiculous, but totally sweet, right?
Anyways, just a random thought I had today. :) But school has been so great. I've been getting my own clients which has been fantastic! They all walk away satisfied and hopefully someday I will see them again. but you never know in a place like this. It's interesting to think about doing this as a career. Its never what I would have expected, but it has been so awesome. I've been starting to enjoy color a lot more, although there is so much that goes into one clients color! So many things you have to figure out before you can even figure out what formula you want to get the correct color. Its kinda crazy! But so cool to see how it all works. Its quite the science. And like I said way before, its so wonderful how many different combinations and results you can get with color and cuts. That's why I love this!
On the sports side of things, BYU is in the Sweet Sixteen! First time since 1988, pretty cool! Its been so fun being more involved with March Madness and all that jazz. We have quite the spirited school! Life here is great! the weather is getting warmer (slowly but surely). And there's only two months until I get to go home to visit!
I honestly don't even know what to write about. I've had ideas, and typed stuff, but then I delete it. Hmm...I guess thats also why I'm writing this on Wednesday. I'm a couple days late, but please forgive me. Maybe it's taking me so long because I feel like I need to write something so profound or controversial, or whatever else that people like. That's me on a few occasions. But definitely not all the time. So I don't really know why I think like that. But, thats the life our world portrays. You always have to be bigger, better, prettier, smarter, or more successful than the person next door. I say thats crap. You be you. Not someone the world wants you to be. Don't live your life trying to please everyone and their mom. Thats not going to make you happy.
I have never been happier than I am right now. I love school, I love my friends, and I just plain love my life. I've had a couple people comment on how positive and happy I always am. Life is seriously too short to be upset, or angry about anything. I am perfectly content with the life I have been given, even with the trials that I encounter along the way. I mean, lets be honest, what is there not to be happy about? Life is all about what you make it. Not anyone else. Blaming other people for your sucky life will get you nowhere.
Laughing is definitely the best. There is really not a better feeling. Jokes have apparently become my thing lately. And lets be real, most jokes I tell are dumb. but its the little things that make me laugh. People think I'm a little crazy sometimes, but I am completely okay with that. :)
This last week has consisted of: chopping my hair off, eating moldy bread, starting into the general school program, BYU basketball game, playing volleyball, stake conference, and watching the crazy, but awesome movie, Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Each week in school we have a guest artist. Someone from around the area comes for two hours and talks to us, maybe does a demonstration. They could be a sales rep. for products, or someone that does make up, or a hair stylist. Well, this week it was Patrick from Shep's, which is a high end salon here in Provo. He asked who had curly hair so i raised my hand, thinking he would just do some fun style with it. But when I got up there he asks if I am willing to do a drastic change. I said, uh, sure. Funny, because that day I was wanting to get my hair cut. I sit down, and he grabs all my hair in his hands and starts cutting. I was on the verge of tears. I didn't realize how attached to my hair I was. He cut it all super crazy and when he styled it, I felt it and it was SHORT. But that was mostly because of all the curl. I ran to the bathroom to look at it and I didn't like it. It was so short and curly. All the girls were telling me it looked cute and they loved it. As the day went on, I played with it a little bit and it flattened out to where I actually liked it. I think he cut about 8 or 9 inches off. Crazy! But its's hair, It'll grow back. That's a big reason why I'm even in cosmetology school. Along with that, on Tuesday we started our classes. We have a cutting class, a color class, and then a general education/business class. Each class is a different day for about 2 hours. When we aren't in class, we get to work on theory or our worksheets which have our required things we have to do each month. I am still absolutely loving school!
Yes, I ate moldy bread. I made a nice peanut butter and honey sandwich, and I knew I had had that bread for a little while, but i didn't see any spots on it. It did taste a little funny though. That night I decided I wanted toast with my hot chocolate...I pulled a piece out and bam! Big spot of mold. Gross!
BYU played their last season basketball game on Saturday against Wyoming. The Marriott Center was filled with people. It was so loud and crazy. It was senior night, and if you know anything about BYU basketball, then you've heard of Jimmer Fredette. He is one of the top scorers for BYU and the Mountain West Conference, and will most likely go down in history with Danny Ainge. There have been rumors that they will retire his jersey. We won, with a score of 102 to something. I dont remember what. During one of the timeouts, the student section did a flash mob dance. Here it is!
Anyways, winning this game made BYU the Mountain West Conference champions. Technically, they are tied in first with San Diego, but since we beat them twice, we are the champs :) They are off to Las Vegas this next week to play in the tournament.
Oh! Big news in the Hartman family Brian's wife Jenn just had her twins on Thursday! Sophie and Charlotte. :) They are both absolutely adorable. They were 5 weeks early so were put into NICU, but they seem to be doing pretty well. I just wish they didn't live all the way in Toronto so I could see them!
I am so grateful to have the life that I do, and be surrounded by the people that I am. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason, and if we put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father, that all things will work out for our good and benefit.
"Come what may, and love it" -Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
Definitely worth the time to read it. such an inspiring talk.
Problems, road blocks, issues, challenges, whatever you would like to call them.
This week I experienced something of the sort. I was sick, I was moving up in school, and I missed my home and family so so much. It seemed like it was all happening at once, and I was becoming frustrated with anything and everything. Life was just hard. I am generally a very happy, positive, always look on the bright side, kind of girl. but this was the limit for me. After talking to one of my friends, she suggested I talk to my family since I said I was home sick. The next day, without thinking about it, I talked to everyone of my family members, whether I called or texted them, or they texted me. It was awesome, and exactly what I needed. When she asked me if I had talked to my family, I was happy to report that it had been all of them.
That evening my whole attitude changed around. I realized how blessed I truly am. I have a Heavenly Father that knows my challenges and trials, and doesn't leave me alone. I have a family that loves me and cares about me even though I'm hundreds of miles away. And last, but definitely not least, I have amazing friends that I have met in the short while i've been here that I can trust and absolutely love. I would definitely be lost without them.
We all have trials that we go through. They are there to make us stronger and better people. You have to keep your goals in mind and not let the little things, or what seem like "big" things get you long term. I mean, of course we're all entitled to a good cry every once in a while, but let it out, and then get over it, or more importantly, learn from it. That's the best we can do in a tough situation.
On a lighter note, school has been awesome! Two Fridays ago, we took our final test to get out of core. I got a 98% on my written, and a 99% on my practical. I love that this stuff comes easily for me. This last week we started helping out the other students that are farther along than us, so we can ease into having clients. It has been so much fun, but a lot of work! Starting in March we will go to classes 3 days of the week where we will get into the specifics of cutting and coloring. On Friday we had the opportunity to go to Salem Hills High School for their career day during lunch. We put colored tinsel in the girls hair, and some designs in the guys hair. It was a lot of fun, and quite surprising how many girls said they were interested in cosmetology. It seems to be pretty popular around here. But thats so good!
BYU played San Diego State yesterday and won again! They are the only team to beat them. It was such an awesome game to watch. I love being a part of all of the college activites like the sports. And it helps that BYU has pretty good teams.
Well, this is a small look into who I am, and what is important to me. Granted, it's not everything, but some of the best. Maybe you will find some things in common, that'd be pretty neat! :)
My wonderfuly crazy family :)
Purple!
These guys. Pretty much my second family :)
Gerber Daisies.
Beauty and the Beast
Seattle, orr just Western Washington for that matter.
Peanut Butter M&M's Yummy.
Washington sunsets, and the people in this picture as well!
Obviously this is new for me, and no I am not getting married, or pregnant, or anything else that most people make blogs for. I am just living my life as a single girl in the great state of Utah going to cosmetology school. That's blog worthy, right? :)
Here's a little story about how I got here. After high school, I decided to try the college life. I went to BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho. And that's about the only thing thats there. It's a super small town that, unless you are Mormon, you probably haven't heard of it. Strike one. The school itself was awesome. I loved the atmosphere, my classes, the friends I had made, just about everything. Oh, did I mention its like the arctic tundra in the winter? Strike two. -25 plus windchill is not my idea of fun. I was just taking general classes, which majority of the time i enjoyed. After four months of being home in the winter and working at the Point Defiance Zoo, as well as my dad's office, I went back to school for the Spring semester. A little ways in, I had a feeling to go home. Granted, I had been home twice in the whole month and a half I was there. I'm sure that didn't help. But I told my parents and they originally were shocked, and weren't too fond of the idea. I knew I wanted to go to cosmetology school instead of wasting my time at normal school with boring homework and crazy rules. Strike three and four. They told me that if I was into it 100%, then they would support me in my decision. A week after first telling them that, I was on my way home. Awesome! I survived through the summer working a ton, but had so much fun doing it. The people I worked with became my family. In October, my mom and I made a trip down to Utah to check out some schools. Paul Mitchell and Aveda were almost immediately out of the picture right when we toured them. There were just weird feelings that came with each one. After we toured Renaissance, we knew it was where I should go, and where I would be the most happy. So, I applied that next week and started January 10, 2011. It has been amazing. I have already learned so much and it's only been 6 weeks!
I just finished my tests today to get out of our orientation class. Next week i'll be on the floor helping students that are a little further along in school. So you're probably thinking, you're in hair school, so you must do lots of weird things to your hair. Well, so far, i've had hot pink extensions, and today I just dyed my hair dark brown with two red chunks. And I'm sure this list is only going to get longer! But I am so looking forward to that!
I have enjoyed Provo quite a bit. Luckily it hasn't been snowing TOO much. and when it does, it melts the next day. I love being close to BYU and getting to enjoy the college life that way. Since being here I've been to my first college sports games. So far its been basketball, men's volleyball, and hockey. And my friends and I, along with hundreds of other crazy people camped outside of the Marriott Center for the BYU vs. University of Utah Basketball game. The good seats were worth spending the night in 20 degree weather. :)
All in all, I love my life right now and where I'm at. And I am so excited to see where I will be going in the future!
