My Simple, Happy, Beautiful Life

I am grateful for my piano teacher mrs. Muckey. I was probably one of the most annoying students but she loved me every week. Now, I have my own students who are somewhat excited to learn. It had been fun teaching them! 

Day 12: Friends. I love my friends and even though they are everywhere, I miss them. All of my friends have made a impact on my life. I couldn't live without my friends and they have supported me in my times of need. Day 13: The atonement. I couldn't live without it. Day 14: Holland Rose, my car. I am grateful it is in good shape and that I have a way for transportation. Day 15: I am grateful I am not doing finals right now. I loved school but finals were not my happiest of weeks I have lived.

Day 10: I am grateful for christmas movies. I have been watching way too many of them, but I love them. They are so cheesy and wonderful at the same time. You have to love all the classics and then the cheesy ABC family ones. You know the very first 5 minutes what will happen in the rest of the movie. Day 11: For my co-workers. They are amazing and make me laugh when I am with them. Sometimes work can be stressful but I know that we can do it because we are team. And we know to how to dance.

Day 8: I am grateful for my calling. It gives me a opportunity to think outside of myself and get to know other people. It challenges me everyday to do things outside of my comfort zone . Day 9: I am grateful for the brain. Learning about how the brain works fascinated me and it strengthens my testimony that god lives. There is a god who designed our bodies and brain processes. If you ever question that, take a neurobiology course.

I am grateful for Christmas trees! I am grateful for the chance I had to be in rexburg for Christmas season, so I could learn to appreciate what Christmas truly means with my grandpa. All the times spent with him decorating and making yummy treats taught me that Christmas is all about love. Celebrating Christ's love and life is what we are truly celebrating. Even though we were making fudge and toffee, he taught how to love others and see the best in everyone. Thanks grandpa for all the fun and special memories with you! 

I am grateful for unanswered and answered prayers. Even the simple prayers that are answered are miracles in my life. I am grateful for the gospel and how it brightens up my day. I am grateful for the chance I have to communicate with god and know that he is there. It is the greatest blessing in my life and so easy to take for granted. 

I am grateful for lunch breaks and Wendy's dollar menu. Nothing like a frosty to brighten your day. And you can't forget their sometimes friendly workers and their over enthusiastic attitude, at least mine was like that today. He should apply to Disney. 

I know it's late to do the whole " I am thankful for..." But it is the season to be jolly. So I am going to write a daily post about what makes my life and this season jolly. Day 1: the chance to get a education without debt. Day 2: chocolate. Day 3: music. Day 4: this blog! I haven't written in here in a long time, but I love how I can write freely about my thoughts.

This is what the verizon consultant told me when I got my iPhone. I just wanted one with Internet and I came out with this lovely phone. Let me tell you, I love my iPhone. It is like having a computer with me at all times. I am currently writing on my blogger app, all the amazing things you can do with technology.                    It is weird to have a phone with the abilities it has. We have the world at our fingertips now. Don't know the directions? Look it up. Don't know what year a song came out? Look it up on your google app. We have everything but at the same time we have everything.            I am starting to notice how we have everything and we communicate all the time but we can't connect in person. We are in the same room but we are texting other people, Facebook stalking other people, and liking others tweets. I am all for technology but I wonder if we can find balance. Let's have the techn...

I have had numerous experiences in my life where others have come up to me and thanked me for helping them when I had no idea that I did anything. Even though it may sound like I am trying to make myself sound good, I am just trying to point out that you don't know the influence you have. When you are in service, you won't know your influence on others. The amazing thing about service is that it can be the smallest thing. It sounds cheesy, but a simple smile can mean the world to someone else. Just listening to someone talk about their day may be service to someone who feels lonely. You don't even have to respond, simply being there in the moment is all they need. A hug can be a answer to a prayer for someone who needs to feel love. A kind word is all that it is needed to someone who is struggling to like themselves. That sounds weird, but there are a lot of people who are not happy with who they are. They wish they could change themselves or they think they are not meeti...

So, it is a simple question with complex answers. Everyone has different responses to stress in their lives. A few examples inlcude: crying, drugs, addictions, talking about it, singing about it, exercising, eating and praying. There are so many ways that people handle stress successfully and unsuccessfully. I can't say that I am successful at handling stress but I am improving from my job. The funny thing about stress is that different people have different reactions to the same situation. For example, one person may react with having a drink to calm themselves down from a job loss compared to someone who views it as a learning opportunity. Finding the best way to react to a stressful situtation is a very important skill to be happy and move forward when you are down. Stress can be a very healthy thing in your life. It is called eustress. Eustress comes from stress from happy events. Marriage is a good thing yet it brings stress. The stress that comes from it can be good. We n...

First of all, I know that both genders watch pornography, I just want to address this letter to the men specifically as the opposite gender pleading for change.  I understand the power of addiction. You become trapped. It is difficult to stop looking as you have withdrawals. The only way to feel relief is to look at pornography. You feel that immediate escape and "happiness". The sad thing is this happiness is temporary and you need to look at pornography longer to get the same feeling you had before. I understand that addictions can overtake your life. I want you to know that your actions are affecting you, your immediate family and friends and society. I want to write about how your decisions are affecting me personally. I may not know you, but your decisions are still affecting me. There is this thing called objectifying women. It is happening all the time in society now. The pornography industry thrives off of objectifying women. I have never watched pornography, but I ...

I am trying to better understand the concept of "divorce". I had a friend tell me that his parents were getting divorced after 22 years of marriage. I looked at him and didn't know what to say. How do you console someone who is experiencing that? " Well, I am sorry that you have to move out of your house because your parents are getting divorced"? "I am sorry that your dad won't be in your life anymore". I mean there are so many consequences on the children that occur from divorce. It is hard for children to really understand the consequences of divorce. I can't even imagine being in the position of getting divorced. You always imagine your wedding day as the happiest in your life. Every chick flick ends with the wedding dress and wedding kiss. A happily ever after. What people don't realize that what is really the most important is what happens after the wedding day when it is daily life activities and rituals.  The scary thing abo...

I shouldn't be writing anyways because I will regret it tomorrow morning when I am exhausted, but I am going to do it anyways :) I haven't blogged and I feel like I have so many thoughts I can share about so many topics. My life hasn't been happening but I have had so many learning experiences lately. My work has been challenging when I am working in a autistic classroom but it has been the best experience to test my skills out. I am learning about myself and opening my eyes to the world of autism. It is such a interesting world and I love learning about the children everyday. Everyday is trial and error as we do our best to find solutions to the children's needs and problems. But I am going to try to compile all my lessons from the last couple of weeks. 1. Autism is fascinating. Every child on the spectrum is so different. I love how every child has a different "obsession" and they become a master on it. I come home and I feel autistic as I want to re...

First of all, I subbed at my middle school I went to 10 years ago! It was definitely weird being in the same cafeteria that I was awkward (sometimes I am still awkward), shorter, more quiet and  boy crazy. I walked into that cafeteria and started to think about all the awkward memories I have from middle school. Also, I saw some of my teachers that taught me still there. I saw the Jr. Herd football players wearing their jersey's acting like they were all that. I saw all the girls and boys in their PE clothes getting ready to go into the gym. I remember being so self conscious that I didn't look "cute" when I was wearing my over sized PE clothes. I remember how changing in the locker room was so scary. I thought I was the only scared. One day, I realized that everyone was scared to change into the locker room. But, I worked in the special education classroom for moderate to severe. There are so many levels of children in that classroom. There are children who the t...

I am a car owner! I have been searching for the "perfect" car for a while and I lucked out. I bought my first car. Her name is Holland Rose. I introduced her on facebook by describing her hobbies: bubble baths, an occassional waxing, chilling out to Jack Johnson and long drives in the moonlight. Yes, I know that I humanizing my car. I figured that since Holland and I will be spending lots of time together, we should enjoy the time together though. Do you want to see a picture of her? Yeah, that is Holland Rose. My family likes to make fun of how I named my car. Well, I wanted to name my car because she is mine. She is my baby. She has to have a name. Her color is champagne. I wanted to name a type of champagne. All of the names were french. I don't really want a french car. One of the types of champagne had the name "rose". I liked the name, so I decided her name was rose. I looked up "girl car names" on google (yes I did!), and Holland came u...

It is so easy to feel lost in this world.  I know that it is easy to doubt if you even have a purpose in your existence. We put a "identity" on us individually and that gives us a sense of temporary meaning. For example, we put a identity as a student and that is what we are. As a student, your goals and duties are clear. Do your homework. Write your paper. Go to class. It is crystal clear. What do you do once you are no longer a student? We put a identity as a mother. A mother raises her children, feeds them, reads them books, helps them with their homework. The kids grow up and then they feel like they are no longer a mother. They feel like they have lost their identity. Have you ever felt like you lost your identity or place in the world? Once I postponed my mission, I had no idea what my "identity" or place in the world was. I was simply a unemployed college graduate. I was going to be Hermana Jensen. I had a daily schedule that was made for me. Life was goi...

I have interacted with kids more than people my age sometimes in the last couple of months. I love kids. They really do say the funniest things. The one thing I don't like about working with kids is their inability to  not cough at you. They love to touch you and share your germs with you.  But, nonetheless, they are adorable. So, I will tell you some of my funny conversations I have had with children. Me (after seeing a kid crying): What's wrong? Boy: I am sad. Me: Why? Boy: My girlfriend just broke up with me (he is 4 years old, how do you even have a boyfriend/girlfriend?) Me: Do you want a hug? Boy: Yeah ( I give him a hug). She is right there. She moved on and likes another boy. Me: I am sorry. Boy: She only likes him for his lego shirt. So, lesson learned...sometimes lego shirts are the way to go when you are trying to catch someone's eye? Another conversation, Boy 1: Do you have any allergies? Me: Yes, I am allergic to some fruit.  Boy 1: Are you...

Yes, that is my lesson that I have been learning the last couple of months. Update on my life: I postponed my mission. I feel really good about my decision. I was planning on leaving to the MTC on July 31st. The best way to explain my decision is that life changes and curve balls are thrown at you. It was a very confusing time of my life as I was deciding whether or not to postpone my mission, but I made sure that I was making the right decision. I want to go back to school and continue my "career" or pathway to a career. I want to be a social worker and feel like I can serve God with my career. So, I am staying home. I have a testimony of the church and I respect all the missionaires serving right now. If I was 19, I would have a different outlook as a missionary. At this time, I feel like I should be spending my time in other areas of my life. And it is important to realize that sisters are not commanded to serve a full time mission. Member missionary work is important ...

First of all, I want to apologize that I haven't written in my blog for quite a while. This past month has been incredible and busy. There has been a lot of events that has happened in the family. But, I have been thinking about assumptions and judgments lately. We make quick decisions, if you want to read a good book about how we make quick decisions, read Blink. It is really interesting. We put people into "categories" based on their actions and appearance in a few seconds. We judge things based on our limited information. For example, if you meet someone new, you will place them in a certain group. Organizing that way in the brain is easier for you because the brain receives numerous stimulus in one second. If we analyzed every stimulus in depth, we would be in brain overload. So, we assume things and judge based on limited information. Knowing that is how the brain works, it explains how we can be so judgmental sometimes. What if we tried really hard to not make q...

So, I have been back in my nice old hometown for a week or so. I feel much better about my arrangement than before. I have my frustrations and I miss my old life periodically, but I am learning to appreciate and live in the moment here. Here are the good things about my hometown: 1. My morning runs and swinging. I love swinging while listening to the ipod. 2. My singles ward is very fun and active. There seems to always be a activity every night. I am getting to know people in the ward and making friends. It is not the same as Provo, but maybe that is a good thing. 3. I can study preach my gospel with my brother, who got his mission call to New Mexico, Farmington. It has been good to bond with him. 4. I can spend time with my precious nephews and sister in law. I wake up and these nephews are up and wanting to play. They make me smile and just are adorable. How can you not love these twins? 5. I have my own room and I can personalize it. I don't have management telling me...

So, the last couple of days have been rough for me as a college graduate. Let me explain to you why moving home after college graduation is hard. 1. You are leaving your home. I left Provo which was my home. My life was there. My work was there. My roommates were there. My ward was there. My life was there. I left my life in Provo. 2. I lost my identity. I am no longer a student. I am a unemployed college graduate until July 31st when I am Hermana Jensen. Can't wait to be Hermana Jensen. I have no idea who I am any more. Of course, I am a daughter of God. I have been in school since I was 5 years old. My objective everyday was to graduate one day. I reached my destination and I am done ( at least for a couple of years). I have felt like a failure the last couple of days because of my unproductivity. I feel like I am no longer a person because I am not reaching my nonexisting responsabilities. Does that make sense? I have no responsabilities currently except breathinng. 3. I d...

I saw a commercial for a tattoo show on tv and I was thinking to myself, "I am so glad that we don't wear tattoos". When I talk about "we", I am talking about mormons just so know. I then had the thought that we do have spiritual tattoos. Let me explain about what I mean when I say this. A tattoo is a permanent mark on your skin. It is something that tends to define your appearance. People judge you on your tattoo an try to understand your character based on where your tattoo is located and what the tattoo's image is. Tattoo's are a powerful image that is a representation of who you are. Why do people get a tattoo of a skull? They think that the skull represents a important part of them and they want to share it with others. The gospel is our tattoo. We don't have a tangible tattoo that says, "I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". We have  intangible tattoo that is signified by the light of Jesus Christ that w...

Why do I love General Conference? 1. A weekend full of inspiring messages that uplift everyone. 2. A relaxing weekend full of friends, food, smiles, joy. 3. A feeling of peace will overcome you. 4. Conferences memes that are ridiculous. 5. Missionary talks Seriously, General Conference is the best weekend and it just inspires me to be better.  I love the stories they tell about faithful church members and funny stories about burning weeds in Vivian Park. I love being a LDS member during this exciting time of change and growth. The gospel is true, folks. And it is the source of happiness.

Today I am sad. I haven't been sad for a long time. I don't know what to do with this thing called change. It is a good thing. I am so excited to go serve a mission in Argentina. I am so sad to leave Provo. I just had my last work meeting for my research job. I normally am late for each meeting and it is just another thing in my schedule. This meeting was very different though. I went in and we reviewed our SEM model for marriage readiness predictors. We talked about how we are going to fix the mistakes. And then he said it: "we are done". I just sat there in shock and realized we are done. I have been in denial that I am graduating college. I have been so excited to not write papers and read textbooks. The thing is I love college. I will miss college so much. I love the challenges that I have from taking a new course and learning something I had never heard about. I love meeting new people and have the social scene because everyone is your neighbor. I love being able...

I just wanted to write about my decision to go on a mission. It was completely out of the blue. It came out of nowhere. I decided after one sunday. I talked to my bishop that day and started my mission papers later that night. I talked to my Bishop without talking to my parents. I decided after telling people I wasn't going to go. It was a crazy decision.  Yet, this has been the best decision of my life. It has changed my life forever. I have developed a stronger testimony and focus on the gospel and I know that I was assigned to ARGENTINA for a specific reason. The more I learn about Buenos Aires, the more I know that there is a purpose why I am supposed to be there, The more I learn about Argentina, the move I fall in love the Buenos Aires.  Let me tell you about Buenos Aires. It looks incredible. I don't know everything but I will tell you about why I love it so far.  1. It is the "birthplace" of the tango. If you know love me, I love dancing. I won...

Don't have any expectations. That is the key to having a successful blind date. I have been on several blind dates and I think I can only say that one of them was bad. None of them have lead to any romantic relationship, but I have had fun on all of them. People always wander about blind dates and if they are even worth it. They are. You really have no idea where they will lead up to. The worst thing that could happen is that it dosen't work out and you have a really good bad dating story. You could make a future friend. You could set them up with someone you know. You could date them. You could end up marrying them. Why not just do it because there really is no bad consequences from going on a blind date. Everyone loves blind date stories so just go on that blind date and have the time of your life. Now, here is a important question, how do you respond to the friend who set you up with the guy and thinks that you would be perfect for each other? Sometimes, you go out wit...

So, I am a teaching assistant and struggled in my review session today to come up with a discussion. I asked questions with blank stares looking at me...saying "give me the material". Sorry, I can't give you the answers to the test, but I can answer your questions if you have any. How do you create a environment where the students feel like they can ask questions? If they aren't prepared, how can you create a discussion or participatory review session? My question to all you fellow teachers is what is your favorite teaching method? How you strengthen your teaching skills  so that you are able to connect with your students?

I had a interesting experience the other week. I was cooking for my dinner group and I was going to make hawaiin haystacks. I made the chicken in the crockpot so all that was left was the rice. My roommate told me about putting coconut in my rice, so i decided to try. You are supposed to put the cocunut in the water and then drain the coconut. I did that and then I started cooking my rice. The rice didn't cook. 50 minutes later, there was still no rice. I had a panic attack in my mind. What am I going to do? What are they are going to eat? Luckily, I had lots of yummy toppings for my dinner group, so the dinner looked good. They ate my rice and kept telling me that my food was delicious. In my mind, I was thinking, "they are just telling me that to make me feel better about myself. They don't really mean it". I have never gotten more compliment for any meal than that meal. I think they could sense my anxiety with my meal. They left and I had about 8 cups of uncooked r...

So you know, the phrase when life give you lemons, make lemonade. I agree, work with what your momma and daddy gave you. The phrase is missing a important element though. We need to do the happy dance and be happy. When life gives us limes instead of lemons, we may be disappointed but there is a reason why we need limes instead. Maybe limes work better for our recipe we are going to make. Maybe we don't know the recipe we are going to make with the limes yet as we are stare at them in astonishment. Does this make sense? I am talking in gibberish. I know. I feel like in this time of confusion, we focus too much on uncertainty. We forget that we only have one moment to actually live in the moment. Enjoy the moment when you have it, otherwise it will slip away and you can't get it back. I know that this sounds really cliche because there are so many quotes on pinterest about this. I truly mean it. One thing I have regretted in college is not doing the happy dance and s...

So, I watched this movie with no expectations other than that, I heard multiple things from people.I loved it. It is definitely not a happy movie, even thought it has a somewhat happy ending. The movie presents the life of High school, some people call it coming of age. It may be inappropriate for some people as it includes: drugs, sex, adult themes as drinking. Although it contains these issuses, I believe the theme from the movie is the most important part. To explain myself, the movie is about how you can't change your background, but you can choose your current behavior and response. This message is so important to everyone. We all have pasts that negatively affect us, but we can't go back and change time. The thing is we can change our perspective now and act differently. Charlie deals with a lot of family issues and mental illness and struggles in High School. His friends are a main source of support along with his family. His family is constantly on the watch for him....

The last couple of months have been really interesting as I have learned something important that can apply to everyone. We can't make everyone love us because it is impossible. We won't all be best friends, but can we? I used to think this, but lately I have learned something revolutionary. The stem of this lesson was when I interviewed people for my anthropology paper about altruism and brutality. I loved doing this because everyone had different opinions on the subject matter that opened up my eyes to how we are different. Like my last post, we are different for a reason. We are different to learn from each other. In this context, we are different and we may not get along. Is this a bad thing? No, I don't think so. It is natural that there will be disagreements between people. I want to argue that if we don't love someone, then we aren't understanding that person. If we try to understand other people, at least we gain mutual respect as we understand the groun...

What little things make you happy? We all have our own unique things that make us so happy. You know what I am talking about. They are the things that make you "you". For example. I LOVE baby animals. They are adorable. I love going to zoo's.I think I never got out of the childhood phrase because I love zoo's. I am a little kid in the zoo. Give me monkeys and I am entertained for a long time. Maybe I should become a animal trainer for zoo's. I would seriously love that job. What are the little things that make you different?

The first step to becoming a senior is developing a attitude that you no longer care about school. I think this is the most important step to becoming a senior. If you are care about school, then you are not a senior. The second step is to do the "required" things. Find out what is required in each class and do the minimum. Anything that exceeds the minimum is not appropriate.You should not be doing extra work or trying to get the A+++++. You only want to pass. The third step is to have a desire to socialize rather than do homework. Any chance of hanging out with your friends or making new friends is a higher priority than studying. The fourth step is to check the schedule of your class. If there is anything that is important to the exam or your grade, go to the class. If it isn't, then you can skip it. Only go to the classes if it is necessary. The fifth step is to stay up late and facebook stalk. You can facebook stalk, play tetris, watch tv shows, write in your...

1. Just say yes 2. If you want to say no, don't go to social gatherings in Provo. 3. Don't buy brownie mix 4.  Condition yourself to associate brownies with death (death by chocolate....haha) 5. Look at the pinterest as your motivation to lose weight. 6. Create a sense of denial that brownies are good ("Oh yeah, I forgot that brownies are good"). 7. Repress your good memories of brownies 8. Replace pleasing sensations of brownies with pleasing situations of carrots and doing yoga. 9. Cut one in half and then eat the other half because you gave in. 10. Say no to sugar for a year...impossible. 11. Just accept the fact that there will always be a relationship between you and brownies. It's inevitable. 12. Break up with brownies. I mean...these are my only solutions to offer to you!