one hundred.

today was the first time i have ever gotten a one hundred percent on a test.

yup.. that's right.

PERFECT SCORE.

i was so excited.

it was for my advertising class.

woohoo!!

it's these small victories that let me know that every little thing is going to be alright.

jonah.

here is a paper i wrote for my old testament class. enjoy! also here is a picture of my new bangs!

Jonah

Jonah is a man, a prophet, who lived around the time of around 788 _B.C. Although he was a highly respected Hebrew and prophet of the Lord, Jonah was very much an average person. While it may be hard to imagine what life would have been like around 788 B.C., it is really easy to understand the way Jonah felt about the city of Nineveh.

To Jonah, the city of Nineveh did not deserve to repent and be saved from destruction. At the time, he probably would have gone anywhere but Nineveh. In fact, he decided to flee to Tarshish to escape the Lord’s commandment to call Nineveh to repentance. C.F. Keil and F.Delitzsh give a little insight into the life in Israel during the time of Jonah. They said,

“...It was very natural for the self-righteous mind of Israel to regard the Gentiles as simple enemies of the people and kingdom of God, and not only to deny their capacity for salvation, but also to interpret the prophetic announcement of the judgment coming upon the Gentiles as signifying that they were destined to utter destruction...The attitude of Israel towards the design of God to show mercy to the Gentiles and grant them salvation, is depicted in the way that Jonah acts, when he receives the divine commandment, and when he goes to carry it out. Jonah tries to escape from the command to proclaim the word of God in Nineveh by flight to Tarshish, because he is displeased with the dispel of divine mercy to the great heathen world...”

As I was learning more and more about Jonah, I compared him to people of the present day. It seems that sometimes we have the attitude as the Israelites, almost as if God doesn’t really love you unless you are a Christian. That is so incredibly false. God loves every single person on this earth. Everyone. God loves Jews, Muslims, atheists, Mormons, teachers, doctors, taxi cab drivers, people of Las Vegas, He loves every single one of us. We are all sinners in this world. It’s evident, though, that He loves all of His children in so many ways, but concerning the story of Jonah we know He loves everyone when He extends His mercy upon even the wicked people of Nineveh.

Because Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh, the Lord decided to, let’s say, humble him in a very unique way. Jonah was swallowed by a giant whale. He stayed in the belly of the giant whale for three nights. After Jonah was released from the whale he declared repentance over the people of Nineveh. Because the Lord loved them very much, the once wicked Assyrian city was saved from destruction.

The Old Testament Student Manual explains the symbolism behind Jonah’s experiences. “Jonah, in his extremity, finally turned back to God. His prayer was one of sincere and meaningful repentance. His use of hell adds to the parallels with Christ’s burial.” The manual also says, “The story of Jonah was referred to by our Lord on two occasions when he was asked for a sign from heaven. In each case, he gave ‘the sign of the prophet Jonah,’ the event in that prophet’s life being a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own death and resurrection.” Because the Savior Himself used the examples of Jonah being in the belly of the whale, we know that this story is not just a parable, but it actually occurred.

The story of Jonah fascinates me. The idea of a man being inside of a whale seems very much like a fairytale. But, I have a testimony that it is not. While studying out the story of Jonah, I have grown a deeper understanding and testimony of the reality of this famous Old Testament story. As I learned more about the story of Jonah, I couldn’t help but relate the actions and thoughts of Jonah to my own personal life.

At times, it seems like I struggle thinking of people I don’t necessarily get along with as children of God. But, when I do, I tend to see them in a different light. It is evident to me that once I recognize that the Savior loves each and every one of us the exact same, I tend to love a ‘non-friend’ more, even if it is just a little bit. We are all saved through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He is our Savior. He is the Savior for the entire world.

Just like Jonah, we may think certain people don’t deserve to see and feel the forgiving powers of the Atonement in their lives; but they do. Everyone deserves to feel the unconditional love of our Savior. Everyone deserves to see the Lord’s tender mercies in their lives. Everyone deserves to feel like a child of God. Although it would be cool to witness, I hope we don’t need to experience being in the belly of the whale to understand Heavenly Father extends His mercy and love upon every single individual on the earth.

Works Cited

Church Educational System. “Old Testament Student Manual : 1 Kings-Malachi”.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 2003.

I also watched parts of Jonah, the Veggie Tales movie :)

The Scriptures

carmel apps.

yesterday i woke up at noon.
i haven't done that in a long time; i felt like a goon.

we made crepes with bananas and strawberries.

when wendy was going to her car, her laundry i helped her carry.

we went to idaho falls and went to target.

a trip to my favorite store winco is never a regret.

a carmel apple party was next on the agenda at approximately eight twenty.

fuji was my choice, with carmel, reese's pieces, and m&m's a plenty.

then came a bon fire, which was kind of a flop.

kate told me she liked my car. she even asked if we could swap.

my day might not have seem too special or sweet.

but it was and it will always will be a memory treat.

me, a nurse.

after i graduate from byu-idaho with my bachelors of science degree in health science i plan on going to nursing school.

i want to be a nurse.

that's what i want to be.

chemistry isn't that bad after all.

(picture of my on a rip chord type of funness during our fitness retreat)

i am finally beginning to understand the basic concepts of chemistry. biochem to be exact. it actually kind of intrigues me. who knew that i would have so much fun finding random elements on the periodic table and bonding them together. it was like a game! started bonding them together to see if they would be polar (charged) or nonpolar (neutral). haha.. thank you taylor, my roommate, for helping me! i think my friend winnie would be proud.

i just kind of feel like writing. i'm not doing very well at blogging everyday... but i mean, it's okay. i am over it.

life is going great here in idaho. i am on a steady track to graduate! so that is always good.. right? my roommates are hilarious like always. they crack me up so much. they come up with this silly little sayings that get stuck in my head, then i find myself saying them. that's what college is all about right?

we went over to watch the office with j&j (jennifer and justin) tonight. such a great show. i still don't know how they are going to go on without michael.

as a group project we are designing a health promotion program for the city of rexburg employees. i am kind of excited. it's an interesting perspective.

i really like the book of hosea in the old testament. it is really interesting and has a great message in the text. i would recommend reading it and studying it with a prayerful heart.

also, the assyrians... they were NUTS. they would just torture people. ugh.. so sad. one of my favorite stories (i have many) in the old testament is when the 185,000 assyrian soldiers died before attacking jerusalem. all i can say is hezekiah knew exactly what to do... pray, and rely on the Lord to help deliver them from their trials (which just happen to be a huge army getting ready to kill them all). The Lord will bless you if you turn to Him. I know that to be true and to be a fact. The scriptures say it and I testify of its power in my personal life.

here is a link to the assyrian story in 2 Kings 19. http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_kgs/19

like i said, i just kind of felt like writing.

have a great night.

slacker.

so i have been a bit of a blogging slacker... dang i am bad a blogging. hopefully i will get better. does anyone know of a way to sync my gmail account with my blogger account? i use a different email address for my blogger.. and although it is simple to just sign in and out of each.. it gets annoying... sooo any advice would be great!

sooo... it has been about 18 days since i have blogged. oofta.. that's a while. i will make a list of the last two point five weeks:

zumba started! woooohoo! my first class had over 5o people in attendance. my second class had approximately 84 people... i just love the energy and being a zumba instructor. what a great way to work out!

my classes are.... GREAT!! i love them. i get excited to go to class... which helps me confirm to myself that i really, truly have chosen the right field of study.

last night we made banana bread using my mom's recipe and it delicious.

the weather has been absolutely gorgeous here in rexburg. i don't know if i have ever said that.

school is going well.. my roommates are fabulous and i love my friends.

i'll try to stop being a blog slacker.

pictures:

this is my fhe group... and the flag we created for our 50 lap ward relay... fhe (family home evening) is a group that meets together, usually including one girls and one guys apartment, every monday to do something fun. the 50 lap ward relay was a competition between wards and each ward had to run 50 laps around the track.. but we all took turns running laps. i ran lap 5 and 25.

my dearest britanee and i.

nicole and i the night of my first zumba class here at byu-idaho.

my official instructor photo for the fitness board.

drive ins, homework, and rain

please excuse my hiatus from blogging. everything has been kind of crazy the past couple of days. we started school on thursday, september 9th.

it was absolutely freezing when i walked to class. probably around 30 or 40 degrees... and it was also raining. joy!

but, despite the cold weather it was great to see friends again. every time is see someone i know it reminds be that this tiny city in idaho really isn't that foreign to me.

on thursday i also tried out to be a zumba instructor here for byu-idaho's fitness class program. it was great, i am happy to announce that i will be teaching in the hart dance studio on tuesdays and thursdays at 6pm - 7 pm. sweet huh?

in other news.. i am taking a lot of credits. 18 to be exact mondays, wednesdays, and fridays are really busy. i have class from 9 am until 4:15 pm with a break from 1:45- 3:15. i will be one tired pup on those days with lots of homework to do... but it will all be okay. i can do it, i just have to try. right?

last night my friends, jennifer and justin, and i went to the drive in movie theater called teton vu. it was great... well the first movie was grown ups, which was funny. the second movie was the other guys.. and i was really tired after my long day of school.. and i kind of fell asleep through a lot of it. .. but it was funny.

right now.. as in.. in a couple minutes we are going to hike R mountain. YAY! i am pumped. we are going to have a picnic and everything.

the pictures include my family, that i miss.. a lot. we went to the idaho museum in idaho falls and they had a dog exhibit. (that's the ears, bear, and my dad in the tepee) my brother and i are at i hop.. and my mom and i are in the car.

to do list.

to do list for september 6th, 2010:

1. go grocery shopping - check

2. move into my apartment - check

3. spend lots of time with family - check

4. remember how much you love your mom and dad and how grateful you are that they love you back - check

5. remember that you really do have a gentleman of a brother - check

6. introduce your family to your friends- check

7. buy your bridesmaid dress for anna's wedding- check

8. blog- check

note: pictures are not from september 6th, 2010. these are from various moments on our little excursion.

it's cold here.

we made it to rexburg.

here are some highlights of the day:

waking up to a super great continental breakfast. it was like going into a grocery store and everything was FREE. .. okay, so it wasn't exactly like that... but i was impressed.

driving to loveland, colorado and shopping at the outlet mall. my wonderful brother let me go shopping and he just kind of waited and tagged along. how nice of him.

looking through one of the cookbooks i purchased at the outlet mall and making a list of what i wanted to try.

driving. i know, weird huh? but i actually kind of like driving sometimes. i just listen to the radio and drive.

driving through jackson hole, wyoming and laughing hysterically because my car wouldn't go faster than 45 mph going up and down the mountains. maybe you just had to be there.

seeing the glow of the rexburg temple when we drove into town. i love that glow.

sorry, i have pictures but 1. it is cold outside and 2. i am far too lazy to walk to the car right now.

on the road again.

currently it is 7:07 am in westminster, colorado. i am typing to you from a bed, i was absolutely sure and terrified that it had bed bugs last night, from a hotel room. the room is actually pretty nice and newly renovated.

yesterday: i said goodbye to oscar and lilly and to my comfortable little home for about three months and we drove from vermillion, south dakota to westminster, colorado. it didn't take long. .. well maybe it did and i am just used to riding in the car for long periods of time. it rained a good portion of the way, which was nice. we didn't have the sun blaring down on us as we tried to be entertained by our mini dvd player. jameson watched pearl harbor, while i drove, and i watched friends, while he drove.

we made it to our destination and visited with some family. they are just so much fun. it's a highlight in the trip when we stop by... not to mention that toy made very delicious spaghetti and meatballs for us.

today our plans are to drive to good ol' rexburg, idaho. yipee, hoorah, yahtzeee.

but before we go to rexburg we are going to go to the loveland outlet mall! YIPEE, HOORAH, YAHTZEE!!

deal or no deal?

i really like watching this show. i don't really know why. i like it so much that i have even played it online and on a little hand held game.

we watch it practically every night. it's a tradition.

i want to be on this show. i might just audition someday.

it just looks so much fun.

i am so indecisive that it would take me forever to decide what to do.

maybe, just maybe i will be on deal or no deal.

wouldn't that be cool?

are you a settler?

settlers of catan is by far my favorite board game.

it is a resource management game.

i think i could play it all the time and not get bored.

oh wait, i already do play it all the time.

plus, the last four times we have played the original settlers of catan, not cities and knights, i have won.

just in case you are wondering, i'm really competitive.

i'm a gleek.

these are pictures from my senior year of show choir:

so right now i am watching glee with my mom.

it reminds me of when i was in show choir in high school. those were some good times.

big hair.

lip stick.

high heels.

competitions.

bus rides.

i miss it. i loved preforming. i loved competing. i loved developing the show choir family and creating friendships.

being a member of rhythm in red was one of the high lights of my high school experience.

so, now.. i'm a gleek.

i love glee. i don't like all of the story lines, but i love the music. they are great performers and i am happy that it shines a good light on show choir.

oh yeah... and fin is pretty cute too.

summer 2010 zumba session ended today.

today i taught my last two classes of zumba for the summer. boy will i miss everyone! i will miss it. period. i will miss the drive to elk point, sweating like crazy in the taekwondo club, and seeing everyone's smiling faces.

letter to my zumba friends:

thank you for coming to class with a smile. thank you for having fun and doing so many squats. thank you for forgiving me so quickly when i made mistakes. thank you for inspiring me to not only work harder, but to be a better person. i admire you all. i want you to know something very important. i want you to know that you really can reach your goals and exercising really can be fun. fall in love with your body and embrace it. know that i will miss you very, very much.

see you in november!

love,

stephanie

where did the summer go?

today i woke up at 7:35 am.

the weather was cold this morning. it felt like back to school weather.. the morning chill was nostalgic.

helping me reminisce my days as a k-12 student.

it seems like i have been getting up earlier and earlier everyday. maybe my body is getting ready for school to start.

it seems surreal.

tomorrow shouldn't be my last day to teach zumba for the summer.

no, no way.

i just started.

how did this come so quick?

it seems like i just came home.

like i shouldn't be leaving in 6 days.

but i have been here since april.

i have been home for five months and taught zumba for four months.

i love being home.

i love having a job and having the opportunity to run my own business.

but i need to go back to school.

i need to pursue my education.

i have opportunities waiting for me in idaho.

this is just my least favorite week of the summer. it's the "see you later week"

it always breaks my heart to leave.

it brings me to tears when i leave my family. i just grow to depend on being with them everyday. they're my best friends.

where did the summer go?

oh it is love.

this is my friend anna.

we have been friends for a very long time.

she has the ability to make me laugh like no one else.

she is a role model to me and i respect and look up to her very much.

(that doesn't mean you're taller)

AND SHE JUST GOT ENGAGED!!!!

how cool is that? i am so excited for her and i love her so very much. tom is a very special guy and he makes anna oh so very happy. they are going to have a beautiful life together.

ps: soo..as i was waking up this morning i remembered: I DIDN'T WRITE ON MY BLOG YESTERDAY! ahhhh!! sorry... i make mistakes.

river boat days and avatar

this morning i went to yankton, south dakota with a friend. we went to river boat days... well we didn't actually go down to the festivities on the river, but we were at the parade and boy was it hot! it was great fun though.

today.. i also watch avatar for the first time. WOW. that's all i am going to saw. WOW. that movie blew my mind. it was crazy! the movie was beautiful. i loved it. i want to watch it again.

this is me giving avatar two thumbs up.

hair dyed.

i got my hairs dyed. you see.. i have natural ash blonde hair and i'm not a big fan of hair that looks like mouse fur so i typically dye it.

well i went to elk point, which reminds me of a real life stars hallow (gilmore girls), today to get it done. my friend katie dyed my hair and i like it. i hadn't gotten it dyed since march so.. my roots were looking a little terrible.

it was a pretty fun experience. their hair salon was like the place to be in elk point. the talk of the town was the cement that was laid on the main street. it's been under construction for a good portion of the spring/summer and cement was finally getting laid! boy was it exciting.

mod podge take two.

so i found these glass storage containers at the local consignment shop, New 2 You, and i loved them. i wanted to make them my own so i decided to mod podge the lids. it was a pretty easy project and i had a lot of fun making them. i'm guessing the entire cost of the project was about $5.00. the four containers were the most expensive at $0.82 a piece (they were half price).

enjoy and good luck on your projects!

there is purple paint on the brush because i was having a hard time getting the right circle size. i decided to paint the top of the lid and make a stamp out of it and stamp it on the paper.

it worked!!

empty.

full!

index cards, fruit snacks, chocolate, juices.