Gymnastics.

I took the Judging Certification test up in Boise this past weekend.  And I feel like I did pretty well, but I will find out "officially" within the next two weeks.  I really enjoyed learning about deductions and all that stuff, and wish that I could go to more clinics.

I had a terrible day yesterday, but when I got to work my mood got so much better when I started coaching.  I love my little gymnasts.  They are crazy and goofy sometimes, but they are such little sweethearts.  Without them Rexburg would not be bearable.

Crack.

Listless.

Going through the motions.

That's how I'm feeling lately.

Like I am stuck in survival mode.

Wake up. Eat. Get to class. Teach. Rush to class.

Rush to coach. Struggle through homework. Oh wait, I forgot to eat...

It's tiring.

I love coaching, and I love teaching.

But I am about to crack.

It's all just too much for one person to do.

Boise, Conference, and ...

So this week, I randomly decided to go down to Boise to take the Judging Certification Test to become a USAG judge.  I've wanted to do this since our clinic back in May, but finally actually made the decision on Wednesday.  So I studied studied studied this week, and then drove down to Boise on Friday.  They had a study/practice judging session on Friday, and then I took the test on Saturday.  I feel pretty good, and think I passed, but I still have a ton to learn.  Kelly (the coordinator for all the judging stuff) is super sweet, and is Mormon, so it was fun working with her.  If I do get certified, I can judge as soon as December 7! Which is exciting.

While I was in Boise though, I ran into an old acquaintance of mine.  Last time I saw this guy, he was being pretty rude, and so we just stop talking abruptly (which at the time bugged me, but I have gotten over it).  Well, he's the only person I knew goes to BSU, and with my luck I saw him.  I thought it was good though, we had a pretty pleasant conversation, I gave him my number, and we had planned to get dinner and catch up that night.  It was actually a relief, because I had always wanted to talk about the why he had treated me the way he did and make things right, and I thought we had worked everything out and that there were no hard feelings anymore.

Well, he never did call and blew me off for dinner.  Which was fine.  But it was happened that night that left me feeling pretty lousy.  I got a call at about 4:30AM, which I didn't answer because I was asleep, but he left me a message.  Basically, it was a message cussing me out and saying a bunch of rude things, after which some of his friends got on the phone and did the exact same thing (I'm pretty sure they were all drunk, but that is fine). 

I get that sometimes I make mistakes.  In this case, I should have been a better friend I guess?  I'm not sure.  But I think that the phone call I received was totally and completely uncalled for, and it left me feeling upset.  Not because I want to be his friend, but because I tried my hardest to make things right by apologizing for my end of things, only to have it thrown back into my face.

The point of telling this story is this is a concept I have been talking about with some people lately, and this story definantly fits into pretty well.  The concept is making restitution to people you may have harmed in your life.  Basically, I have been trying to apologize for anything and to everyone for every little thing I can think of that I may have done to offend someone in my life.  But with this concept, if they do not receive it in the way you want (aka if they don't accept your apology and throw it back into your face) you basically have to suck it up and move on.  The most you can do when trying to make restitution is to try.  And if they don't take it in a positive way, well, you tried.  And that's all you can do. 

I was listening to conference the whole way home, and I really like what was said in the Saturday Sessions.  One of the talks talked about not focusing on your past.  The speaker said that yes, you may have set a couple fires back in the day, but it's important to focus on the embers of the fires (the lessons) rather than the actual fire itself.  I think that applies to almost every situation, good or bad.  It's important to never look back.  Your past is your past, and if you are constantly dwelling on it you are bound to repeat it.  But that being said, it is important also to remember the lessons you learned so that you don't make the same mistake twice.

People are going to be rude to you.  I have people in my life right now that I see everyday that are rude to me.  But you have to just shrug it off and pretend they aren't, and treat them as you think Christ would.  When you think about it, people that act in an innapropriate way towards you just have unfinished business in their own lives, and usually are reacting   

Fall

The beginning of fall (when the weather isn't frigid cold), is one of my favorite times of the year.  Cooler temps make climbing easier.  Also, turtlenecks and bows are now in season (both are my favorites to wear).  And best of all, preschool is in full swing and we are finally starting to get some of the concepts down in class!  The only thing that would make this season better is if a certain someone were here ...

Anyways, onto other things.  I went to the Idaho Mountain Festival this weekend, and it was miserably cold the first day and a half.  Which was sort of a bummer, cause I skipped class and got off work to go, but it was good getting out of Rexburg for a while.  I got to climb my first multipitch lead ever, which was super cool!  By the top though we were shivering, so hopefully next time temps are warmer.  I got to hang out with Beth and Justin (James sister and brother-in-law), as well as we socialized with Jonathan Seigrist in the hotpools (one of my climbing idols).  Beth's son Owen was a hoot!  He caught this little lizard, and when I asked him how he did it (cause lizard's are fast), he looked me dead in the eye and said "Well I am fast too!".  I just love kids a lot.  Anyways, overall, the trip wasn't a total loss.  Probably won't go next year though if the temps are this cold though.

In preschool, we have finally figured out a good class management system, and so we are able now to get onto the actual learning!  We have one rule, RESPECT (yourself, others, and the gym).  If the kids follow this rule good, they get to add different parts onto a hang man throughout the day.  If they get the guy completely built (with all his body parts) they get a little extra gym time.  But if they don't follow the rules, then we have to erase an arm or a leg or something.  Didn't think this was going to work when I first tried it, but the kids loved it! So I think i'm going to go with it!  We have a huge class this year, which is super fun as well.  It's cool to see the program growing, as well as to watch the kids progress.  My assistant Jaime has been super helpful as well, she is probably the best assistant we've ever had up there.

Last (but not least) I have really been enjoying all of my classes.  I am sleep deprived and so busy I have to plan my day meticulously, but all the material I am learning I can directly apply to teaching preschool.  So I just love it.  I think that learning all this stuff is definantly helping me improve as a teacher already.  I also get to help out in a second grade classroom for this semester as well.  It is a cool but different experience from teaching preschool.   I like how well behaved the kids are in the class!  As well as how eager they are to learn or show me their work or ask questions.  I never thought I would dive in and love teaching the older grades, but it is just as much fun as teaching preschool!

Anyways, I don't know what Fall will bring, but I am hoping that good things are going to continue happening.  Til next time!

Probably my favorite person. He inspires me to be so much better than I am.  I am grateful for the example that he sets for me. 

Selfie before teaching second grade the first day.

Castle Rocks

 

Update

It has been a while since I last posted, so I figure it is time to update on my life.  First and foremost, I climbed the Grand Teton! We did the Upper Exum Route, and it was probably the most difficult thing i've ever done in my life.  I also went down to the Pocatello Pump and got first in the Women's 5.11a-5.11d category!  And next weekend is the International Climbing Festival, so I am pretty stoked for that.

Other then that, school just started, and I'm taking 17 credits. Plus teaching preschool. Plus coaching. So I am a little overcommitted. But that is fine!  That's all right now.

Moroni 8:15

"...perfect love casteth out all fear."

Fear

Fear is defined as is an emotion induced by a perceived threat which causes entities to quickly pull far away from it and usually hide.  I think that I am scared of a lot of things, emotionally and physically.  But especially emotionally.  And when the going gets tough, instead of facing things head on, I have realized that I just shut things (and people) out.  And then by the time I realize I've done this, it's too late.  The damage is done, and then I must figure out a way to move forward with everything.  

Here's a couple of Tumblr pictures that I liked relating to fear  

Tick List

So yesterday I sent my project Naiad, and was so stoked! Though the grade has not been determined, I think this is the hardest climb i've done to date, and was ecstatic that I sent it!  A week before I sent a climb called Probiscus, that was still pretty hard but not quite as hard.  I am going to start a Tick List of all the 5.11 and 5.12 climbs I have sent on here, just so that I can look back one day and see how far I have progressed!

5.11

1. Equilibrium-Ririe, Idaho-Heise Rock (5.11c)
2. Who Killed Kenny-Ririe, Idaho-Southpark (5.11a)
3. Winchester Pump-Lander, Wyoming-OK Corrall-Wild Iris (5.11a)-ONSIGHT
4. Wild Horses - Lander, Wyoming-Wild Horses Wall-Wild Iris (5.11b)-ONSIGHT
5. Goat Meal-Ririe, Idaho-Pointless Crag (5.10d/5.11a)
6. Scared Stiff-American Fork, Idaho-Massacre Rock (5.11a)
7. Retro Man-Ririe, Idaho-Heise Rock (5.11a)
8. Probiscus-Ririe, Idaho, Arcane Crag (5.11c/d)
9. What's the Point-Ririe, Idaho-Pointless Crag (5.11b)
10. Silver Bolt - Pocatello, Idaho - Sunny Side - 5.11a
11. Rubber Arete - Pocatello, Idaho - Sunny Side - 5.11c

5.12

1. Seeking Sleazy Squeezes-Ririe, Idaho-Heise Rock (5.11d/5.12a)
2. Mr. Hanky (AKA Hanky Panky)-Ririe, Idaho-Southpark (5.12b)
3. Dark Justice-Ririe, Idaho-Heise Rock (5.12b)
4. Naiad-Ririe, Idaho-Arcane Crag (5.12b)

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate thinking about the future.  That it scares the crap out of me.  And often times, if I'm talking to someone and they ask me what i'm thinking, I will just say Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...because that is a lot less scary then actually admitting what i'm thinking or feeling.  These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions.  I have been struggling with a decision that I think could affect my future in a pretty big way.  I have an answer though, it's just one that I don't exactly want to accept...that being said, I think it's so important to trust in the Lord.  But for some reason I struggle with that concept still.  Don't get me wrong, i'm trying my hardest to follow what I feel he wants for me, but I am struggling to understand why he wants that for me.  I found this scripture last night, "But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love (2 Nephi 1:15).  I really feel as though my life is one big second chance.  I love the Lord, and I know he loves me, but I really struggle in trusting him as much as I should.  So I guess I will have to work on that.

Quotes.

Just A Few Things

Climbing has been great.  My Grandpa and I went and explored American Fork Canyon, and then the next day I went climbing with this guy James that I met at the climbing festival two weeks ago.  And it was awesome! I even onsighted a 5.11a, which I was pretty stoked about because I haven't onsighted that many 11s.  I got on a 5.12 that kicked my trash though, so I guess you win some you loose some haha.

(Some of AF Canyon)

(My Grandpa and I)

Another thing i've been stoked on is Arcane.  It's this new crag that my friend Dean Lords has been developing, but it's got tons of hard climbing that is in the shade (nothing else is in the shade right now!!!).  The rock is abrasive, so it sort of tears up your fingers, but I love all the routes he has put in!  I am hoping to get stronger, so I am super stoked to project the stuff at this crag. 

(Probiscus)

(Elysium)

I went down to Utah this weekend and saw my best friend Sean!  He has been on a mission for two years, so it was so weird to see him after all that time! Weird but good I should say.  We still get along great, and I am just happy that he is back!

(Sean and I)

Last but not least, I got my temple recommend tonight!  I haven't been to the temple in like two years so I am pretty excited!  I feel like I've worked pretty hard to be where I am at today, so I am just grateful that everything is starting to fall into place finally.

International Climbing Festival

So this past weekend I went to the International Climbing Festival in Lander, Wyoming.  It was such a sweet event!  It was good climbing, and I met some rad people!  Ethan Pringle, Jonathan Seigrist, Tommy Caldwell, and others were there, and I was super stoked to meet them.  Meeting pro climbers tends to make me realize how weak I still am, and how far I have to go lol.  I have only climbed on limestone once, but I liked it alot.  Pockets and crimps were everywhere, and it made it easy to onsight some 5.11s (which I can't normally do in Idaho).

Tick List:
Wild Iris
Main Wall: Five Ten Wall
-Ryobi Ranger 5.10a
-Indian Country 5.10b
-Dynamitic 5.7
-Latex Cowboy 5.10b

OK Corrall:
-Red Ryder 5.10a
-Claim Jumper 5.10c
-Annie Get Your Drill 5.9
-Miner's Dee Light 5.11d
-Winchester Pump 5.11a
-Jabba the Hut 5.10a
-Back in the Saddle 5.10c

Wild Horses Wall
-Jackalopes and Boomslang 5.10a
-The Prospect 5.10d
-Hip Boot Romance 5.10d
-Wild Horses 5.11b

Sinks Canyon
-Firecracker Kid 5.10b
-Elmo's Fish 5.10d
-Stud Alert 5.10c
-Duck Soup 5.9
-Climb Like A Girl 5.10a
-Boy I Gotta Go 5.10a
-You Go Girl 5.10d

The Group (James, Amy, Curtis, Erin, Jerry, Sam, Kelly)

Sinks Canyon

Group Again

Wild Iris Climbing Area

Sam Perkins on a 5.12

Sinks Area

The Tetons

Sinks Canyon

Sinks Canyon

Testimony Sunday (Hope vs. Expectations)

So today was fast Sunday, and I am always too much of a weeny to actually get up and say anything, so I figured I would start sharing something on here every Fast Sunday.  I was in a meeting tonight, and one of the men there explained a very good, very applicable concept.  He explained that even though expectations are sometimes not met, hope will forever and always be there (as long as we allow it to).  Every negative emotion (sadness, anger, ect.) stems from expectations that we hold that are not met.  This is not the same as hope though, something that I, up until tonight, did not realize.  Expectations are worldly.  I have a lot of expectations that are not met.  Hope, however, stems from faith.  "If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true (Alma 32:21)."  Hope relates to the gospel, to God, to Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Ghost.  These things will always be there, whether our expectations are met or not.  "Hope comes of faith and maketh an anchor to the soul (Ether 12:4)".  The key to happiness is the gospel, or more importantly in following the commandments that the lord has set for us.  When people fall into sin (whether that be something serious such as alcoholism or drug addiction, or something simple like lying or being unkind to someone), the holy ghost cannot dwell there.  The atonement is the only way to gain eternal salvation.  And yes, Christ died and suffered for us, but we have to experience our own Gethsemene in order to really and truly experience the power of the atonement.  And by that I mean repentence isn't easy, but in the end it will be worth is.  An analogy I heard tonight was that repentence is sort of like braces.  Braces take your crooked teeth and make them straight.  Once you get these braces off, you're given a retainer, and if you don't wear that retainer, then your teeth will start to go crooked again.  This is like repentence.  Repentence (or wearing your retainer) is an ongoing process.  If you become slack and think that you don't need the retainer anymore (or that you don't need to read your scriptures, pray, go to church), your teeth with start to become crooked again (you will fall back into your sin).  "...but unto the soul who sinneth shall the former sins return... (D&C 82:7)"  The point i'm trying to say is that if we maintain faith (or hope) that is all we need to make it through life.  The minute we lose faith, that is when hope is lost.

I do have a testimony, but sometimes I forget I do.  First and foremost, I believe in the power of the atonement.  Without the atonement, we all would be lost.  I also believe in the power of scripture study.  I have found that when I study my scriptures and pray daily, I am so much happier (and less likely to fall into sin) as opposed to when I skip a day or two.  I also believe in the power of the Holy Ghost.  I think for a while I always thought that it was my "gut" telling me that something wasn't good for me, but now I am realizing that this is probably, in fact, the holy ghost, and that I should listen to it instead of ignoring it like I do somethings.  And last, but most importantly, I believe that God has a plan for us.  I get so frustrated sometimes because I do not know what his plan is for me, but I have faith (and hope) that everything happens for a reason.  Nothing in our life happens just because, we have a lesson to learn from every encounter and experience we have.  And through these experiences we are able to learn how to be a better person.  I know that God lives and that he loves each and every one of his children, no matter what point in their life they are in.  "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall (Helaman 5:12)". If we live our lives surrounded by good things (uplifting people, the scriptures, service, wholesome hobbies), we will be able to withstand any trial that may come our way.

Happy Sunday!!

Life

So i've had a pretty fun past week or so, and I figured I would put up some pics to show all the cool things i've been doing!  I've decided I love my life.

Cool waterfall we found down in Swan Valley.  There were some caves you could stand inside if you went under the water!

'Merica

Fall River with Mical, Jesse, Caleb and Jacob

Handstand pics at Rigby lake!

I got to walk in the parade with my gymnasts! This was our float. So fun!

My brother and I on fourth of July at the Sandbar

Rigby lake with Madison and Chelsea S.

Val came to visit! Also, some of my cute little gymnasts :)

Mical and I

View from the waterfalls.

Waterlining

Battles

I will lift her love and I'll break your spirit 

I will dig a hole and I'll throw you in it 

Only time will tell if we're all just cynics on the run 

If we're all just cynics come undone 

All just waiting for the gun 

We are tied to the truth 

The tie that binds me to you 

I'm acting on my words 

With all that I have heard 

With honesty in mind 

You will find 

That I'm not the liar 

See the truth in my eyes 

No, I'm not the liar 

See the truth in my eyes 

Waterlining.

I went waterlining for the first time today, and oh boy, let me tell you, it was AWESOME!  My friends bolted a place out in St. Anthony, and I showed up just in time to walk the line a few times.  I couldn't make it all the way across, but it was fun regardless.