She said I think I'll go to Boston...

Hi. I have some big news to share. 

In about 24 days and 20 hours, 

I'm moving to Boston. 

Phew. That feels better. I mean, quite of few people already know, but I needed to tell the big space. You know. I also needed to write about it. So it's real to me. 

This big move has been in the works for a long time. Some people might see it as my quarter life crisis, but that's invalid. I still have about two years until that's my excuse. Others probably see it as me running away from the Utah cultural phenomenons I tend to complain about. But no matter what anyone says or thinks, this move is because I honestly believe I need to go. Moving to Boston and leaving my entire life behind will be the hardest thing I've ever done. I know that. But I'm excited! I'll try to explain the best I can, other than the fact that I just need to go. For one, I love the East Coast. Absolutely love. So making the cross country trek to a place I've always wanted to live...doesn't suck. I think I'm a city girl, too. The desire has been there for a long time. Along with this idea of me being a city girl and making this big adventurous move, I know that I can do it. R.S. Grey said, "She BELIEVED she could, so she DID." 

Number two, which is actually really number one, my sister and her family live in Massachusetts, so I have a killer support system. They are championing for me to make the move, which brings me to my last point. I have a killer support system in Mass and in Utah. The people around me, who know me well, get it. My family and close friends are my pillars for this move. It's not easy to decided to make a very adult decision and move away from everything you know, love, and cherish. So having such great people around me helps. 

While I have your attention, I just need to express my gratitude and love. I have an amazing life, and I'm really going to miss this life of mine. I've been blessed with an incredible family that I cannot live without. My parents are superheroes. Literally. My siblings are my best friends. It's going to be hard a trial to live so far away from most of them. To add to the family miss, I'm the favorite aunt to my nieces and nephews, so that will crush my heart. I'm also going to deeply miss my friends. God knew that I needed best friends by my side to survive, and I really do have the best. Thank goodness for MSN Messenger. You know, so we can stay connected. haha *dying* haha So dear friends, PLEASE COME VISIT ME. I CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU. But really, I've shed a lot of tears because I'm going to miss my people. Like a real, hard, kind of miss my people. I'm also leaving a job that has treated me so well. I love SUU, and I'm so grateful for my education and my professional development. #TBIRDNATION 4 LYFE. But on to bigger and better things for this country girl. 

So. I'm moving to Boston. And it just feels really, really right. I'll need some help and encouragement along the way. Sooo I would't mind the good vibes and prayers. <3

-j

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad." 

    -Jane Austen

September 11, 2001

I was in Mrs. Boyce's 5th grade class at South Summit Elementary.

On September 11, 2001, Mrs. Boyce abruptly stopped her math lesson and turned on the TV, which was weird because that TV hardly ever came on. She didn't really say anything, and we just sat and watched.  We were a bunch of rowdy 5th graders, who couldn't sit still for the duration of the ABC's, and we just watched. In silence. All I could really comprehend is that there was a plane crash. And that everyone was silent.

I was mesmerized by the images on the TV when Mrs. Gines' tired voice came over the intercom. "Mrs. Boyce? Will you send Jenna to the office. She will be leaving at this time."

My teenage brother, who seemed like he didn't speak 10 words in the span of a day, met me out in the hall. Michael hugged me, for what seemed like an unusual amount of time for my reserved brother. He was with McKay, my younger brother, who was in second grade at the time. Michael simply said, "Dad is going to New York for awhile. We need to go home and spend some time as a family."

McKay and I had no idea what was going on, but we understood that it was a somber moment. All three of us were silent on the way home. It was cold and overcast that morning. The rain shouldn't have been that loud on the windshield. The wind shouldn't have been that strong. And for a reason that I did not yet comprehend, I started to cry.

When we got home, my Mom was sitting on the couch, quietly folding a pile of my Dad's work clothes and packing an unfamiliar red bag. The TV was apparently turned to the same channel we were watching at school because the same plane crash was being shown over and over again. My sweet Mom smiled at us, got up and gave us all a hug. "How was school this morning?"

What? How was school?! I started to cry again. I needed to know what was going on. Why was everyone so quiet? Why was there a plane crash? Why was my Dad going to New York for awhile? And why in the world was I crying? I remember thinking I had too many questions for a ten-year-old, but I needed to know.

My Mom brought me close to her, hugged me tight, and explained in the simplest terms that my Dad was going to New York because bad men did something horrible, and he had to go help. I was still confused, but now understood why I was crying. Something bad did happen. The next few days were not as clear as September 11, 2001, but this is were my understanding of the days and weeks following 9/11 may be a little different than yours.

My father is a member of the Utah Task Force One Team, Urban Search and Rescue (USR). He and his crew were deployed a short time after the attack on the towers. Once they arrived in New York, they were assigned to the night shift. Sleeping during the day, and working 12 hour shifts through the night. He worked tirelessly on what they called "The Pile." The awful ruble of steel, concrete, dirt, glass, and the remains of what used to be the Twin Towers. Maybe the hardest part of his job was searching for survivors. Or at that point, searching for closure for so many families. It must have been exhausting working on what seemed to be an endless pile of ruble. But I imagine it would have been more intense to deal with the pain and heartbreak of what the cleaning up really meant.

In addition to his USR responsibilities, my Dad was made Chaplain. Which in this case, he was a religious figure to many of the men and women at Ground Zero. He wasn't a priest, bishop, pastor, or a rabbi. He was just a good man. A God fearing man. The tired souls around him needed to know God was near after their shift on the pile. He spoke with men and women from around the country of their sorrows and grief. He did a lot of listening, praying and mourning. So you see, it wasn't a glorious job, to be working at Ground Zero. An honor, as my Dad has said, but not something to boast about.

My little self had limited knowledge of the gravity of the situation and what exactly my Dad was doing on Ground Zero. I knew that my Dad was in New York for his job, and I was scared and worried for his safety. I thought more than once, "What if the bad guys come back? What if they hurt the people cleaning up?" I also thought, "What if a big steal beam falls? What if another building collapses like the tall one on TV?" The most painful question I asked myself over the next couple weeks was, "What if my Dad doesn't come home either?" like so many other little girls' daddies and mommies. I hated watching the news. I hated talking about it. I wanted to fast forward to the day my Dad would step OFF the plane and come home from New York. Then I knew he would be safe.

Throughout those long days, I remember feeling a little selfish that I was so worried about my Dad. When in reality, my Dad was still alive, and he had the opportunity to help heal and clean the country in ways that many people could not. I continued to pray for him, while he was in New York, but at that moment, at only ten years old, I learned what it meant to be united. I felt the deepest heartbreak for families who had lost loved ones. My soul ached to the point of physical pain. A child's worry for her Daddy turned into compassion for her country.

I want to share what my father had to say today about his experience on September 11, 2001. Because really, he has said it best.

"A flood of memories has simultaneously made my soul ache in remembrance and my heart soar with pride as an American. The 10 days and nights I spent on that sacred, hallowed ground with Utah Task Force One -Urban Search and Rescue- on the "pile" changed my life forever. My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of all those lost on that day. Words cannot express the deep pride and honor I feel towards my fellow fighters and others as well who gave the supreme sacrifice in answering the final alarm of their service 12 years ago today. God bless this great nation and those that live in freedom under the stars and stripes that unite us as one as a nation. I, for one, will never forget the sacredness of this day."

 I am proud to be an American. God Bless the USA.

Dad & Michael. Firefighters and men of honor.
Photo Cred: Sister Kara. <3

Words of Wisdom.

This semester I was blessed to take all my classes from two of my favorite professors. Prof. Matt Barton & Prof. Ellen Treanor. They are incredible people and have heavily influenced my educational experience while in college. I don't think I will ever have enough words to thank them for all they have taught me. So instead, let me share with you their words of wisdom for a college grad.


Matt:
"Whatever you decide to do in life, do your best at it. Throw yourself into it. Be willing to commit to your work or whatever you are doing. Do it like you are the only one who can accomplish it. And remember, be persistent, not discouraged." 
He also shared a line from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Be not dumb driven cattle. Be a hero in the strife." Which I love.


Ellen:
"How did you feel about it? What works? What didn't? And what would you change if you had the opportunity to do it again?" She is always pushing her students to be better, to always improve. But when I asked her what her advice would be, she simply said, "Never give up." She is a woman who has never given up, and quite frankly, never will. She can accomplish more in one day than I could in an entire week. And if she won't give up with all that is on her plate, I can definitely keep pushing through.


And something they both taught me, from Honest Abe, "Whatever you are, be a good one."

Frolicking Friends.

A haiku for my frolicking friends.

My frolicking friends

are majestic in their own

unique, special way.

P&B

did i ever imagine this moment? when i actually say goodbye? no.... just let me have this one sentence.
I just need to say that I am having a really really hard time saying goodbye to this part of my life and I am going to miss college, my friends, professors, this campus, the tiki shack, homework assignments, late nights in the ELC, SUUSA, SUU Athletics, my apartment, Gregory, Bailey, Whitney, my nomad groups of people, running up 'Le Hill,' bonfires, summer nights, hiking, the wind, the Bell Tower, the scheduling office, my coworkers, intramural sports, my coordinators and associate directors, my advisors, mentors, homecoming week, entertainers, the Living Room and Dining Hall, seeing Sharwan everyday, pick up soccer games, eating cereal and string cheese and granola bars, fruit dip, waking Whitto up every morning, being a college kid, living from pay check to pay check, picking up Bai from the school every night, watching White Collar all night every night in the summer, playing games till 2 AM, Thor the Thunderbird, FHE, doing the thunder train, getting a bread loaf from Chartwells, scheduling 20 hours a week, walking past President Benson, Provost Cook, or VP Donna Eddleman and having them say 'Hi Jenna,' watching a play every month, the Shakespeare Festival, hitting golf balls off of the C, midnight hikes, getting hugs from my favorite people all the time, SUU's Dancing with the Stars, ODK, the sassy attitude from Matt Barton, the COMM department, Krave, The Pastry Pub, the amazing Cedar City Community, parking in any parking lot that I want because of my TBird license plate, #ellentreanorquotes, the 'Lake' on the Hill, Discovery Park, late night drives to look at those houses, city league softball, True TBird Night, mud football, the dolphins by the library, our collection of movies that we've watched 2000 times, finals, the bowling alley, walking from the Hunter Conference Center to the Centrum back to the Hunter Conference Center every day, learning about Apologia, visits home because I was at school, visits from home, Spring Break, Christmas Break, the 500 Mexican restaurants, my Cedar City dentist, being a senior, the couch in my room, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Kanarraville, Red Cliffs, camping, skinny dipping, temporary tattoos from Hermies, Cherrie Fresh Limes from Brad's, listening to my talented friends play the piano, guitar, uke, and sing, late nights, all nighters, study groups, retreats, being the girl at school who loved everything about SUU.

college has been really really kind to me. i'll miss all of this so much. thanks for the best times of my life. p&b. 
(peace & blessings)

Wednesday Pick Me Up.

Wednesday is HUMP DAY! Half way through the week. Yay. We all need a little pick-me-up now and then. Especially at this time of the year.

Today's 'Wednesday Pick Me Up' comes from the Canadian Huffington Post: Huffpost Living. You can check it out to see the whole article, but I'll share just a one liner for each of them. You're going to be excited about these 5 pick-me-ups that are 'absolutely free.'

1. Listen to MUSIC. "Kick out the jams and feel your bad mood melt away."

2. LAUGH or giggle. "Whatever it is that makes you giggle, get to it – STAT."

3. Take a DEEP BREATH. "Remember that time when you freaked out about something and someone smart (probably your mom) told you to "take a deep breath"? It was good advice."

4. KISS. "It replaces negative feelings with an intensely happy buzz that can help you (briefly) forget about work deadlines, the fight you had with your sister, or the missing muffler on your car."

5. Drink WATER. "It's a vicious cycle: You're stressed, so you forget to drink enough water, then being dehydrated causes you to become even more stressed."

haha. I think these are funny. Mostly because they are common sense. But maybe we kind of forget how happy each of them makes us.

Sooooo....Go turn on some good music, take a deep breath, and go in for the kiss. I'm sure you'll need some water after. And maybe wait to laugh after the kiss. Or during. Whatevs.

Happy Hump Day. 

I shred coupons for a good time.

I was sitting on the couch. Just minding my own business. And then I hear (insert paper ripping sound). My roommate had just ripped the Arctic Circle coupon in half!

Excuse me!?



To say the least, it turned into a coupon-shredding-dancing-yelling-stress-relieving-PARTY.

That's what normal people do, right? Shred coupons to relieve stress?

Here's to finals. And us losing our minds.