Selective neglect

Four weeks from Saturday marks the start of finals week. My SIXTH finals week at BYU, seventh if you count that one Spring semester. I feel like there is more work left to do in the semester than has already been done. Oy vey. I'm in for a crazy four weeks. Let me introduce to you something my clinical instructor taught me about. It's called selective neglect. There are a few things I'm selectively neglecting and I know it is good for my soul.

Lemme tell you about some other things--

I had NG pass-offs today but read the schedule wrong and thought they were next week. WRONG. Lucky for me I've got an excellent friend that will have their husband bring me one of her scrub tops to wear. Also, it turns out that placing an NG tube in a mannequin is just about as easy as shoving a long straw down someone's nose. Passed with flying colors.

I been lifting weights to try and strengthen my weak Williams' arms. Mostly I've still got weak arms with really well defined deltoids. Now I kind of just want to bite the chunk of muscle right there.

This weekend is the Rex Lee Run, the weekend after that is the Festival of Colors, and the weekend after that is General Conference, and the weekend after that is nothing super exciting, and then the weekend after that is finals week. CRAZY!

We finally got a vacuum to replace the one that broke in October. I must say, nothing makes a house look cleaner than vacuum lines on the carpet.

My left pointer finger got smashed between the metal sink and about ten lunch trays at work. It's a pretty good battle wound.

Provo has given us a taste of Spring and I fear that it will be taken away soon. I almost want to pack up my winter coats but don't want to tempt the cold to return.

Sometimes I feel like the last week of my life has been make believe. Am I for really reals engaged to be married? Then I spy the shiny, shiny ring on my finger and remember about that cute boy that loves me. So many great things are happening.

The day I said yes to forever

Can I tell you a story? A story about how a certain boy made me the happiest girl in the world? If you answered yes to either of those questions then, by all means, continue reading.

Joshua got into Utah a little after 10pm on Friday night and we stayed at Alaina and Brad's snazzy new house. Neither of us slept very well that night mostly because the anticipation of two whole days in the same place is even greater than that of a child waiting for Christmas morning. At least, that's why I couldn't sleep. I found out later that Joshua had at least one huge reason to lay awake.

Needless to say, Saturday started super early and we were excited about it. We visited with Brad and Alaina for a bit and got ready for the day. Joshua was keen on hiking, for some reason, and Brad told us about the Stewart Falls trail. We made our way down to Provo and then up the canyon to find Stewart Falls. We drove around Sundance and could not find the trail head anywhere. The gas light was on in the car, there was snow everywhere, and I was getting sort of grumpy. We gave up on Stewart Falls and decided to make our way back out of the canyon to try find another, better marked, trail.

We found a trail that we had been on before that lead to a beaver dam and decided to try and find it. There was snow well, mostly snow that had been packed into ice, all over the trail. It was a slow climb but we where determined to find something beautiful. We gave up on finding the dam and sat on some logs by a stream. We talked for a while and then Joshua started saying nice things about me. I wish I could remember what he said because they were REALLY nice things. Anyway, after a few minutes of that he asked if he could show me what he'd made. Of course I said yes and he pulled a plastic box out of his backpack. Inside the box was a paper mache, anatomically correct (mostly), heart. He presented it to me and said, "Can I ask you a question?" "Yes" I replied. He opened the heart and said, "Will you marry me?"

Surprised doesn't even begin to cover how I felt in that moment. I knew for a fact that we were not going to get engaged this weekend and there was this boy in front of me asking me to marry him. I didn't have words. "Yes, yes, yes. Without a doubt yes!" was my reply after a few seconds to soak it all in.

He picked out this ring all by himself. We'd been ring shopping before but never found anything we couldn't live without. He told me later that he picked it out because he knew I was too indecisive to pick something for myself. This boy knows me so well.

I am elated! I've had that pit of my stomach, Christmas morning excited feeling ever since Saturday. This has been the best, most exciting weekend of my life. I cannot wait to start forever with my best friend. I look forward to a life will always be exciting, hilarious, and joyful.

I am the luckiest.

Happy Leap Day!

We tried really hard to get a self timer leaping shot of the three of us to celebrate this monumental day. Unfortunately we failed pretty hard at it. It was still a good time had by all.

Sick day

I took a sick day today. I looked at Pinterest and watched Boy Meets World all day. I don't really even feel bad about it. Somewhere between the hardest semester of school ever, this sickness, and my heart being 882 miles away, I'm having a hard time. I guess what I'm saying is that I could use some motivation and or laughs. Like Nacho baby here...

Or maybe the coolest cat ever...

Or basically anything Ron Swanson. Sound off in the comments!

Your help will be much appreciated.

Loads of Love,

Mallory Jan

Making faces and going places

I am a really lucky girl. Not only because I'm living the BYU dream in nursing school, have generally good health, and an awesome family, but because I've got a boy named Joshua Lutes to be my best friend. Seriously, so lucky. Imma tell you some nice things about this boy.

Sometimes he'll fix my computer if I ask real nice

His teen girl squad voice always makes me laugh

He is a public transportation professional

He'll fill the drink fridge with Diet Cokes just for me

We get to spend time together in Seattle

He is super crafty and makes cool things

He's really kind to me when I fall asleep on the couch

He can teach me things that I don't know

Basically there are just a lot of things to love about this boy.

Simply delightful

-They are in the process of putting new carpet in the HBLL and it smells delightful.

-I killed a mannequin in simulation lab yesterday. Alright, it wasn't all by myself, my three classmates maybe helped a little bit.

-I did get to practice my CPR skills

-Lab simulation companies make sprays that smell like a real GI bleed. Let me tell you right now, that smell is NOT delightful. If I have to deal with smells like that in real life I will probably vomit. (Oh gosh, I'm probably going to vomit at school/work eventually)

-I really love old people. Somewhere between the nursing home last semester and the veterans at the VA this semester I find myself wishing I could walk up and talk to the old guy sitting across from me in the airport. Their life experience is just really neat.

-I MIGHT be changing my view of being a nurse in a hospital. Life would always be exciting, that's for sure.

-This three day weekend is going to be just what I need to forget how much work school is.

-

Lessons from a girl in the deli

Customer Service:

-If you want to make a girls day, tell her that you like her jewelry

-Asking someone how their day is going gets pretty boring but you have to do it

-Oh, you wanted that sandwich that I just made and handed to you toasted? No problem! Just hand it back to me

Food:

-Wrapping a sammich is like wrapping the most difficult present of your life

-I don't know how long something's been sitting out unless I just made it

-Everything can be rewarmed!

-If it tastes delicious it is more than likely full of things that are bad for you.

Dishes:

-You're going to have to do the dishes, no matter how much you try to avoid it so you may as well get in there and be happy about it.

-If by chance water happens to find it's way through the v of your polo and roll down your belly, just go with it.

-ALWAYS wear the plastic apron

-Steel wool actually serves a purpose

In general:

-Your manager might think you're weird because he doesn't get your sense of humor and somehow how always misses what you say but that's okay, you'll still get paid anyway.

-Hot food never looks good after standing and being hot for four hours

-You will burn your hands on hot pans, not bad enough to leave a mark but just enough to sting for the whole shift

-The peanut butter and banana sammich is the cheapest, and most delicious thing on the menu. (honey roasted peanut butter will change your life)

-Work is hard but mostly worth it come payday.