tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92138298629085437612024-03-18T21:06:16.621-07:00Live-Laugh-Love LauraLaura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-86413783015050117542013-08-08T23:49:00.001-07:002013-08-08T23:49:50.488-07:00LoveLove can be so tough sometimes. Sometimes you don't realize how much you liked someone until you don't have them. Sometimes the situation can straight up just suck. I mean think about it, there have to be two people that both feel it--that's crazy! There are so many times that I'm into someone and there not quite as into me. Or someone is so amazing and they are into you but you're just not feeling it. And the craziest thing--you have two have to just have "it." You could be everything each other ever wanted on paper but if you don't have it, there's nothing. I guess sometimes I wonder if I'm ever going to find "it" with someone. Sometimes I take a step back and look at my life and think "wow, I live a sick life!" I have 4 days off a week, make a good living, like my job, and live in Santa Monica. On my days off, I have virtually no responsibilities and can do whatever I please. When am I ever going to have that again? Never. But other times it's tough when I realize that I don't have "it" with someone and who knows when it will come, if ever. I guess I have to continue along and try to enjoy the journey.Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-91770660806999783952011-06-01T20:47:00.001-07:002011-06-01T20:47:37.055-07:00IndiaI have started a new blog and will be updating it almost everyday regarding my time in india! http://laurasindianadventures.blogspot.comLaura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-19296948994629655132011-04-04T13:09:00.000-07:002011-04-04T16:08:25.307-07:00THREE WEEKS!I get to go home in 3 weeks!!! AH!! So stinkin excited. No more nursing program. No more school. No more freezing snow. No more having to make my own food (love you mom :)) Did you hear that? There is only 3 weeks between me and
<br />
<br />these AMAZING people that I love...
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPL_dIEsJQQiHRsr016Kcaqtfx9eqeWByseuu5kXqwWOQSkFMraXjA9-jJZ_ZG-_7KnF-hcRZhXwrENDYZYKgADxpXBgeAzRbwE84qHzUzlYqdMF608a6PJs6UcSHm_7_N6vwvh3YLKbG/s1600/fam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPL_dIEsJQQiHRsr016Kcaqtfx9eqeWByseuu5kXqwWOQSkFMraXjA9-jJZ_ZG-_7KnF-hcRZhXwrENDYZYKgADxpXBgeAzRbwE84qHzUzlYqdMF608a6PJs6UcSHm_7_N6vwvh3YLKbG/s400/fam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591825160811234162" /></a>
<br />
<br />and this...
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GEruArMKse1ulGx3ZH4djqP4DRmLN6gTfqa2IqQgw_hjEZDrIKLcQPa1CIJrSx8QOR2X0Vgma5_QGeyoNdzIK3PhE4uMFgPJZXQFPxrl9uzVzgauW65MTiCycvFTKHAsKimjnPf5ieSC/s1600/IMG_0514.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GEruArMKse1ulGx3ZH4djqP4DRmLN6gTfqa2IqQgw_hjEZDrIKLcQPa1CIJrSx8QOR2X0Vgma5_QGeyoNdzIK3PhE4uMFgPJZXQFPxrl9uzVzgauW65MTiCycvFTKHAsKimjnPf5ieSC/s400/IMG_0514.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591825553569806802" /></a>
<br />
<br />and going here..
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OQT6U5pS7uDwZDO2D_AHZJI5CicA1oIo8BO4dnNhg3Fquk7NpgGJS8wk9M6N2pXvGgxtAsdl1lrLlFPYDXI2rkwnraNnjh6XPLTZ7H4YnQEHJnHr1KGCe16g-tZlJWOq24esxfxJYxgy/s1600/mom+and+beach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OQT6U5pS7uDwZDO2D_AHZJI5CicA1oIo8BO4dnNhg3Fquk7NpgGJS8wk9M6N2pXvGgxtAsdl1lrLlFPYDXI2rkwnraNnjh6XPLTZ7H4YnQEHJnHr1KGCe16g-tZlJWOq24esxfxJYxgy/s400/mom+and+beach.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591826088736263618" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBluEel0PPoTE3OKOwR0MPHrgNYL-Fn38ef8Lizt1mTHUE036KRMQBY1J3Z9IO7WKhWkTtlXBZSvH_1odlmjdEmhOEYbTPmUjPme3pcoILZpTk9AcdgVgkSkCrbKu3cEiGnVqDXu2Mi7_3/s1600/San+Diego+Trip+069.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBluEel0PPoTE3OKOwR0MPHrgNYL-Fn38ef8Lizt1mTHUE036KRMQBY1J3Z9IO7WKhWkTtlXBZSvH_1odlmjdEmhOEYbTPmUjPme3pcoILZpTk9AcdgVgkSkCrbKu3cEiGnVqDXu2Mi7_3/s400/San+Diego+Trip+069.jpg" border="0"
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_RdJJSrbM5rw70yTYSzn7_NBZvT-xa71CfkNeS5fYaCqz-VHR4qqs518lDbxq2c_AZv9o1noDZ9ERcQYCJRSMZ7mcMSdTJ6xQ_XSVcjXrfffuVx5VZuwu8Eha9UhWxySQknnUoBn8pfY/s1600/IMG_0518.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_RdJJSrbM5rw70yTYSzn7_NBZvT-xa71CfkNeS5fYaCqz-VHR4qqs518lDbxq2c_AZv9o1noDZ9ERcQYCJRSMZ7mcMSdTJ6xQ_XSVcjXrfffuVx5VZuwu8Eha9UhWxySQknnUoBn8pfY/s400/IMG_0518.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591868035656003842" /></a> (As you can tell from the amount of pictures, the beach is a big part of my life while I am home and I love every second of it, especially because it's with people I love!)
<br />
<br />and here...
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZZcNNdz2LgadtLWH1Dwn9CpG3IlArg_QQ5b7aOSsNAHHZRnK5-nXMUxiff2Ym7S8vgFKX86im7oPh-uQ4YwdlDwcGReXU0hKznvamhCwQI8gPePtPZhhhXWIHKT_3r5LscJn7qjMVYNi/s1600/baseballgame.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZZcNNdz2LgadtLWH1Dwn9CpG3IlArg_QQ5b7aOSsNAHHZRnK5-nXMUxiff2Ym7S8vgFKX86im7oPh-uQ4YwdlDwcGReXU0hKznvamhCwQI8gPePtPZhhhXWIHKT_3r5LscJn7qjMVYNi/s400/baseballgame.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591829538543906690" /></a>
<br />
<br />and doing this...
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-ECMIvGkubP7z5kt3gdlH_FapngBNIpmgjF89AvdZBSrFeKv0ZTlBcsK0pklpsI76THcqGbomWDX8Nov11jQ_ZtmGCN0VP3I9ApK5lHc4DNygddhW9PerNHv-3fMBxP9vpQ25o0mOKNQ/s1600/pictues+100.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-ECMIvGkubP7z5kt3gdlH_FapngBNIpmgjF89AvdZBSrFeKv0ZTlBcsK0pklpsI76THcqGbomWDX8Nov11jQ_ZtmGCN0VP3I9ApK5lHc4DNygddhW9PerNHv-3fMBxP9vpQ25o0mOKNQ/s400/pictues+100.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591832662269430722" /></a>
<br />
<br />while playing with him...
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bnfEH6-YfviHJFUahPW0MKIYK7ej_4qG0DbwKeVsxBI66q9dDqlwxMLx40gA-CVMW7oxHihyphenhyphenoTd8B00UHOd6cDAbstl-PSmY5AUkYUYrCiQOl0Zh30tSSR0dIaSvKrIpB8TmlPzj4EyR/s1600/christian.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bnfEH6-YfviHJFUahPW0MKIYK7ej_4qG0DbwKeVsxBI66q9dDqlwxMLx40gA-CVMW7oxHihyphenhyphenoTd8B00UHOd6cDAbstl-PSmY5AUkYUYrCiQOl0Zh30tSSR0dIaSvKrIpB8TmlPzj4EyR/s400/christian.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591829539709927522" /></a>
<br />
<br />and playing this (ps. Im over high school basketball, it was just the only picture I had on my laptop of bball)
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkrx7AQ5J5MPbSJkjdQT34IhZzswyPOeM41m9vH8ZLTBnrCxCC2VyGwtq5U52KlVZdJIYtuqUuP_p5AtNOxguKizinxHr6zt0Rz5FXH8eOFA8z3FP8vCyo_4qzcBgTAH75mAtiBhbhteG/s1600/basketball.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkrx7AQ5J5MPbSJkjdQT34IhZzswyPOeM41m9vH8ZLTBnrCxCC2VyGwtq5U52KlVZdJIYtuqUuP_p5AtNOxguKizinxHr6zt0Rz5FXH8eOFA8z3FP8vCyo_4qzcBgTAH75mAtiBhbhteG/s400/basketball.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591831243460604082" /></a>
<br />
<br />while not having to practice this...
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcX6py-kxmGH6Td-xJDoDxFVprFgakJ-59gQ4ZWhvSFW4HoPb230J4ISUY8gJHxgfCb0Jr1puqID2X77G_B_QAoF6U3z5rJzPkgWoVbtBXe9ih_BDq2vTrsNLa4wXOSaRbo2yf-IRJL_I/s1600/nurse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcX6py-kxmGH6Td-xJDoDxFVprFgakJ-59gQ4ZWhvSFW4HoPb230J4ISUY8gJHxgfCb0Jr1puqID2X77G_B_QAoF6U3z5rJzPkgWoVbtBXe9ih_BDq2vTrsNLa4wXOSaRbo2yf-IRJL_I/s400/nurse.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591829552168156082" /></a>
<br />
<br />or go here...
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0ykIsx0DsaPzayaY1f2ZtfdtFvaOYVszoKKzL65Vu41sp9qhD1Z0RAxbov_vcpcZxNLLN2Jiz0O0gPhRXe5NPASC1FtJ7C5H_hQYS5twYOXBZx_KJQ8OK-i-iQLEOJXASgR7VV6dy50Z/s1600/clinical.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0ykIsx0DsaPzayaY1f2ZtfdtFvaOYVszoKKzL65Vu41sp9qhD1Z0RAxbov_vcpcZxNLLN2Jiz0O0gPhRXe5NPASC1FtJ7C5H_hQYS5twYOXBZx_KJQ8OK-i-iQLEOJXASgR7VV6dy50Z/s400/clinical.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591829542245144242" /></a>
<br />
<br />or be in this :)
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2G0S66xhgU3epG1yN7626HBu_FtUZFp1XzRQ7lfXmSbiJFqDzdEB0otDQTa2A-hUhbbTyqrTcalBwLBKzYgAMOD1zpFdTm5hxcJjLUlO-hOtREMDIFLekDH6sTNGlYMrbfQFxM1Ckp9E/s1600/snow.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2G0S66xhgU3epG1yN7626HBu_FtUZFp1XzRQ7lfXmSbiJFqDzdEB0otDQTa2A-hUhbbTyqrTcalBwLBKzYgAMOD1zpFdTm5hxcJjLUlO-hOtREMDIFLekDH6sTNGlYMrbfQFxM1Ckp9E/s400/snow.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591835626492115138" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />THREE WEEKS! Let the countdown begin!
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<br />Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-26979577159929277522011-03-14T13:08:00.000-07:002011-03-28T21:46:30.619-07:00My Grandparents<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk4S0zcT-2Ncvafr3f7Xc4gDdsxEJaX6dWFgc7lJwuINUeXVRaFV8zNwWxR4XKusRymzoV2P-o0ysrmXecM65tyLq4gYow-stW5dx5i8NEXyd38M7gMZwPf2foyATU6ly0P3Ih-KKZnvP/s1600/DSCF0229.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk4S0zcT-2Ncvafr3f7Xc4gDdsxEJaX6dWFgc7lJwuINUeXVRaFV8zNwWxR4XKusRymzoV2P-o0ysrmXecM65tyLq4gYow-stW5dx5i8NEXyd38M7gMZwPf2foyATU6ly0P3Ih-KKZnvP/s400/DSCF0229.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589348052459108322" /></a><br />This is my grandma's absolute favorite picture of herself, or maybe she said that she hated it ;) , either way I had to put it up. <br /><br />A few weekends ago, I went down to St. George to hang out with my grandparents for the weekend. Growing up, they always made a big effort to be involved in my life. They would come do my house for a few weeks a couple times a year and I loved it, especially as a kid! We would play games and cards and just have a blast. I would even get up early and do my chores just to get in that extra games of cards before school. When I got into high school, I was so extremely busy that when they came down, I didn't get to spend as much time with them. Now that I am in college, I try and call them a couple times a week and really look forward to it. I think I enjoy them more now than ever before. I think even more than when I was a kid which is hard to believe. I love hanging out with them, talking to them, and asking them for advice. I loved every minute of being at their house and it just flew by. I wish I would have had a whole week there with them!<br /><br />I decided to make a countdown of my top 10 things about visiting my grandparents...<br /><br />10)swimming in the pool -- This is one of my favorite memories growing up at my grandparents. Grandma would go swimming in the morning for exercise and we would go with her. I always remember that grandpa never wanted to allow me into the jacuzzi because the rule was that you were supposed to be 18. This time at the pool, we found one of those undwerwater torpedoes and played catch with it. It was pretty funny and grandma had a good time. I was not that great of a thrower and grandma was often diving under the water with her goggles, ear plugs, and swim cap to retrieve the torpedo.<br /><br />9) our inside jokes-- Without a doubt, hilarious things are constantly going down at the grandparental's house. We laugh a lot and many inside jokes are created among us. Personal favorites are "count em up!" (said originally by grandpa when he was kicking my tush in cards), "your face is as round as a pie" (said to me by grandma when I gained weight during my freshmen year. I think it was funny). <br /> <br />8)not having to get dressed-- I am not trying to impress anyone and so I almost never put makeup on and get dressed in comfortable clothes. My grandparents love me even when I look ugly. :)<br /><br />7) Following an old people's schedule-- My life is pretty hectic right now and I don't have a ton of time to relax. I am constantly doing stuff, and on the rare occasion that I can relax, I get kind of bored because I am so used to having to do stuff. Also, I usually am alone during this time and that makes it get boring even faster. At their house, we just chill, everything is low key, and we do what we want. I love it!<br /><br />6) Grandma's adventures in the kitchen-- My grandma is a delicious cook and always makes yummy food but she never uses recipes. She just makes it up and then tries to remember it. Also, she does not like to waste food. Consequently, we have some pretty fun adventures in the kitchen trying out new things. A personal favorite last weekend was banana creme pie soup. Also, it is so so so nice to have her delicious home-cooked meals.<br /><br />5)grandpa's bread-- My grandpa has become quite the excellent breadmaker and he made it a few times while I was there. Nothing compares to warm, freshly baked bread especially with butter and honey. We also used it as delicious french toast. I think I gained 5 pounds from his bread alone.<br /> <br />4)the warm weather-- I love the fact that my grandparents live in St. George. It is extremely difficult for me to go to school in Provo's cold climate. I am a born and raised socal girl and need the warmth! It buoys my spirit and my skin pigment to be in such a warm climate like St. George. <br /><br />3)I get treated like a princess-- There is no question as to whether my grandparents love me or not. They are so beyond kind to me and help me with anything and everything I need. Ex: I don't have to do any sort of chores unless I volunteer, they have my bed all ready for me, and we always do what I want to do. They are so great and I sure hope I treat them as well as they treat me, especially because they are in their 80s. Oh and grandma always does some sort of sewing work for me, usually hemming. And Grandpa took me to get the oil changed in my car and see his mechanic friend in regards to my car. <br /><br />2)card games-- I love love love playing cards with my grandparents. We have done it since the beginning of time and the two are completely associated with each other. We have so much fun and laugh and talk. It's just fabulous. I dare you to try and mention a card game I haven't played and am not absolutely amazing at. :)<br /><br />1) long talks and learning about their pasts- As I have gotten older, I have realized that I don't really know anything. It is so nice to get advice and talk to people that have wisdom. I think they think they might bore me but I really enjoy listening to stories about their pasts. In fact, I loved reading my grandpa's life hisory book and their joint book after their marriage, and am currently really enjoying reading my grandma's personal book (she is going to think that I am just saying that, but it really is true grandma!). <br /><br />Moral of the story: I love my grandparents very much and really really enjoy spending time with them and being their friend.Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-78858190632897118642011-03-06T16:34:00.000-08:002011-03-06T18:25:54.929-08:00Journaling... or the lack thereof<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NCTVdZgvgNPylUJfT0-lXtIoqhFiJVYmOVd6ZAVCkbIiiQ1h1v2brC0MNhhhyrCyegpuMxxGHgHCeKCSmK6S_FhCnuPL5DZs3GgbdLyBcUdaUo-X05_hhwYsGaHhexoto6rn70R7fGB7/s1600/Writing_in_journal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NCTVdZgvgNPylUJfT0-lXtIoqhFiJVYmOVd6ZAVCkbIiiQ1h1v2brC0MNhhhyrCyegpuMxxGHgHCeKCSmK6S_FhCnuPL5DZs3GgbdLyBcUdaUo-X05_hhwYsGaHhexoto6rn70R7fGB7/s400/Writing_in_journal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581136418177174034" /></a><br />I have friends that will spend hours upon hours journaling. It's therapeutic for them and they look forward to it. They like to use special colored pens and write in cursive and use pretty looking books. That is the antithesis of how I have always felt about journaling. Life is a pretty demanding thing and I feel like journaling is just one more homework assignment that I have to do. I have a few parts of my life captured in journals when I got on a journaling kick but not much. <br />A few years ago, I resorted to journaling on my computer and that seemed to help. I have horrendous illegible handwriting and consequently, I greatly dislike free writing as opposed to typing. The majority of the memories I have written down are typed besides my 8th grade year journaling kick.<br />I started a blog 2 years ago and wrote on it 3x and then stopped for a year in half. I have a pretty poor track record in regards to staying with things. But I re-picked up blogging about 6 months ago and have surprisingly stuck with it. There is hope for me. I was telling my friend, Kurtley, all of this the other day and she told me all about this website called ldsjournal.com. You can write a journal through this website and then pay to have it made into a book. This sounds like a sweet idea and kind of got me a little excited. I officially started using it today! Wish me luck!Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-60252323180459669832011-02-21T11:52:00.000-08:002011-03-06T19:18:28.036-08:00SpontaneousThe main purpose of BYU is a highly debated subject between getting people married and educating them. Sometimes they are really smart and try to do both at once. This happens about once a year for me when they have this activity where the nursing program and accounting program go ice skating together. <br />My friends, Greg and Steph, are seriously dating and they came ice skating too. Greg left steph for a second and when he came back on the ice, he grabbed me and pointed out that this other guy was skating with her and putting the moves on. We laughed and I skated up to her and said "hey steph, where is your husband greg?" I didn't know he was going to do this, but right after, Greg zipped by and grabbed steph's hand puling her away. That left me and this random guy. He was decently cute and I felt kinda bad so I talked to him for ten seconds and then he said, "I should seize the opportunity too" and grabbed my hand.It completely shocked me and I didn't know what was going on but thought it was fun and spontaneous and left my hand in his. <br />The coolest part was that he started doing some dancing moves while letting go of my hand and grabbing it back each time. I started kind of doing the same thing and our craziness just escalated! This sky rocketed into full country swing/ ballroom dancing while skating pretty dang fast. We would weave in and out of people going backwards and forwards while being led by the other person. We were twirling each other and all sorts of moves. It was insanely fun and crazy and the spontaneity of the whole thing made it 10 times more exciting. I only ate it one time pretty good and we almost killed this girl, but besides that, our ice skating adventures were a complete success. The evening ended and we went our separate ways. But remembering craziness of it all still sends adrenaline through my body....<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQjn7QrgCxwNwfcN08Ifkv_G0N1tyBTsgmamtdUIyZjUsE9XLgVFvkAOdeNeQIkldPNKXuRFTZk2DQOihpRvjFWmIoXi5XGmgJrLDh6lepUTNV9BaNYXnE_Z87IctIFok5V7sfSL5r3bN/s1600/105331_kejuaraan-dunia-figure-skating.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQjn7QrgCxwNwfcN08Ifkv_G0N1tyBTsgmamtdUIyZjUsE9XLgVFvkAOdeNeQIkldPNKXuRFTZk2DQOihpRvjFWmIoXi5XGmgJrLDh6lepUTNV9BaNYXnE_Z87IctIFok5V7sfSL5r3bN/s400/105331_kejuaraan-dunia-figure-skating.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576236987386555186" /></a><br /> (gross exaggeration)Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-26285576364451912112011-02-02T10:57:00.000-08:002011-02-02T17:00:49.462-08:00Latest ObsessionI don't know if it has something to do with the fact that yesterday when I walked outside, the bitter -8 degrees literally hit me in the face and caused it to hurt. Or the fact that I have to wear 5 layers of clothing to stop frostbite from taking its agonizes course. Or maybe that a good majority of my friends are graduating from the nursing program (like I should technically be) and making plans for their future and it's wearing off on me. Either way, when I graduate I want to go and live in HAWAII!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBVMIi3AZ5GohCmebhw9Y1BkFn4C0fy4TDCFcIWHPsZaok9MMIupStxgvqDoSew_MYm5twUZk2QyrSxtNm3sDtJ3iBuABlASF6LW4LIGf6bKDDTgIhVrEnaLjrmymIcN4kHtyCTZiTbMO/s1600/tropical_beach_310x150.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBVMIi3AZ5GohCmebhw9Y1BkFn4C0fy4TDCFcIWHPsZaok9MMIupStxgvqDoSew_MYm5twUZk2QyrSxtNm3sDtJ3iBuABlASF6LW4LIGf6bKDDTgIhVrEnaLjrmymIcN4kHtyCTZiTbMO/s400/tropical_beach_310x150.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569222843514075298" /></a><br /><br />I honestly can't stop thinking about it. Living in Hawaii for a year-ish would be phenomenal. The possibilities are endless. Can you just imagine doing this<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-A1zsbCKCoYnf67LvwfvpTMHUEzoK-7IkmD-ld2oggcoHlsEf4NwWd_3Gs5lg-aXITYPRevT5BrkTKxwgDKot3NytBF7ZHcvvKf46gH61ENcMahMNymm7dN0oZ2tOSPxREIfze5fZ3-kH/s1600/snorkel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 251px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-A1zsbCKCoYnf67LvwfvpTMHUEzoK-7IkmD-ld2oggcoHlsEf4NwWd_3Gs5lg-aXITYPRevT5BrkTKxwgDKot3NytBF7ZHcvvKf46gH61ENcMahMNymm7dN0oZ2tOSPxREIfze5fZ3-kH/s400/snorkel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569224005745404546" /></a><br />and this<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gm904ytqg9hDQzcG0XSxXwCRMOUljbStSMJPx1CQaAjJHziOJXUdEU5Id7NByBxkgUjo9gb3dI8W7tCymWwMiwg47aETFRutImCmRr_FEgLuqUN1LjCkFOFgQ391lB_Mev7FLaXZeszR/s1600/scubad.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gm904ytqg9hDQzcG0XSxXwCRMOUljbStSMJPx1CQaAjJHziOJXUdEU5Id7NByBxkgUjo9gb3dI8W7tCymWwMiwg47aETFRutImCmRr_FEgLuqUN1LjCkFOFgQ391lB_Mev7FLaXZeszR/s400/scubad.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569224220777591170" /></a><br />and this<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVtT9z61hvV3P3jwg7UvP3PkekmbrCJqmpGy-W_1igyvAnCGayhfsWSJ3Z1hKdTKhs4bfv5n_ezn9yZHDyE3EgFqq47bylVMLlS8WDIeScUdMjJOUwu4PQdI2Oq8FT0i49XYQfzeuKYUq/s1600/surfu.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVtT9z61hvV3P3jwg7UvP3PkekmbrCJqmpGy-W_1igyvAnCGayhfsWSJ3Z1hKdTKhs4bfv5n_ezn9yZHDyE3EgFqq47bylVMLlS8WDIeScUdMjJOUwu4PQdI2Oq8FT0i49XYQfzeuKYUq/s400/surfu.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569224390927806082" /></a> <br />and this <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4kIvSpK5BVpgdwLm-l3vnlqsrxHRhAkWKyw8rm8i8qcw0WSIblqrdmBJNBs0U-uUDWX98WVjpsmVftHMh_MWqKUaEitDsj_SFA8QVlyhXBNrbm36HDFY4gS71c6dzo08SWd8NGzF8qCL/s1600/reading.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4kIvSpK5BVpgdwLm-l3vnlqsrxHRhAkWKyw8rm8i8qcw0WSIblqrdmBJNBs0U-uUDWX98WVjpsmVftHMh_MWqKUaEitDsj_SFA8QVlyhXBNrbm36HDFY4gS71c6dzo08SWd8NGzF8qCL/s400/reading.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569226441514060978" /></a><br />and laying in one of these<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtl_ZnMc358xzeKC_nO2wMJgitkGNxNkVfSCSgTQo29-82C-zNiBt2VIPzpVxsMj5pK2rdeVoD5vSJvgXZKfIXQEkX0uYYmzhQqQVuZWV4jETZ2pEE-Eq0a6kSe0H2FosPUUMetc1kKqW/s1600/hammock.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtl_ZnMc358xzeKC_nO2wMJgitkGNxNkVfSCSgTQo29-82C-zNiBt2VIPzpVxsMj5pK2rdeVoD5vSJvgXZKfIXQEkX0uYYmzhQqQVuZWV4jETZ2pEE-Eq0a6kSe0H2FosPUUMetc1kKqW/s400/hammock.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569225825570442034" /></a><br />or sitting right here<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSOyy_3SoUEGScPUr6l-E0oB4-XakGiueX79kz8LhY2ZUsT-7GBAiqE-KLvzMJ1EZRJ2ldCbn7T5gQm8h5DRR6APyJChV-06OQ9d74BQv7Kdzz5dkpGQ0NU7cLysfp-dg-pB0F8aEitSP/s1600/bbb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSOyy_3SoUEGScPUr6l-E0oB4-XakGiueX79kz8LhY2ZUsT-7GBAiqE-KLvzMJ1EZRJ2ldCbn7T5gQm8h5DRR6APyJChV-06OQ9d74BQv7Kdzz5dkpGQ0NU7cLysfp-dg-pB0F8aEitSP/s400/bbb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569226050311984770" /></a><br />and seeing views like this <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JjW0At8dBGxO79rKmBRCBeTjYwdV4gJetPtOEBesAS7pvYbO8bCaPdRXM-b1aFPQHalwzd-2iNH7G-Gc1njKNJQDBDzs1GdY04qcTR4Mp3MfasNji6We2gdWAxRRiaZbM6tMtwW-6ynf/s1600/sunset.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JjW0At8dBGxO79rKmBRCBeTjYwdV4gJetPtOEBesAS7pvYbO8bCaPdRXM-b1aFPQHalwzd-2iNH7G-Gc1njKNJQDBDzs1GdY04qcTR4Mp3MfasNji6We2gdWAxRRiaZbM6tMtwW-6ynf/s400/sunset.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569226700848566434" /></a><br />and this <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF-KzaqqMIo2Xzr8O-cVdiK14w3qyaTwoR7vfpcaqmq09MGOLSBmSiz7vFuCxPHgdVVKRuF-Po2F8R8-YwnkB-toA7bRar_b9WSLjXsRHVYC5jjdkBB3To7-Av12Te3_06FMwL7Xphcmq/s1600/yo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF-KzaqqMIo2Xzr8O-cVdiK14w3qyaTwoR7vfpcaqmq09MGOLSBmSiz7vFuCxPHgdVVKRuF-Po2F8R8-YwnkB-toA7bRar_b9WSLjXsRHVYC5jjdkBB3To7-Av12Te3_06FMwL7Xphcmq/s400/yo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569226913918040306" /></a><br />oh and this :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVrp_cZsXhXTysSpRoMrUoNV-7nou1EO_8C53ZAVFuILkYtAXWvmjRdI9JroopxfproYFiKIotnCq2FsCYRQRacWFbzfQP8DxDpbYQpY1L4IhWH7IveYwMJnMZeEyk6Ad9QvWMt289TeP/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVrp_cZsXhXTysSpRoMrUoNV-7nou1EO_8C53ZAVFuILkYtAXWvmjRdI9JroopxfproYFiKIotnCq2FsCYRQRacWFbzfQP8DxDpbYQpY1L4IhWH7IveYwMJnMZeEyk6Ad9QvWMt289TeP/s400/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569227152227290370" /></a><br />while making friends like these <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40Ef26BcZ8OxTML7MacfeTYJM-8F9vgqvRuREVOyhfsWqe3dv0tHZI_RW0AWQSTfN8cPm9kDSUbvN206vnJ4XHT19esKsdlJTmC1JyLZ8kE0U-oGR_nDFLq9jzoaF3iSk3r4Wc77KS7L9/s1600/underwater_hawaii_001p.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 380px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40Ef26BcZ8OxTML7MacfeTYJM-8F9vgqvRuREVOyhfsWqe3dv0tHZI_RW0AWQSTfN8cPm9kDSUbvN206vnJ4XHT19esKsdlJTmC1JyLZ8kE0U-oGR_nDFLq9jzoaF3iSk3r4Wc77KS7L9/s400/underwater_hawaii_001p.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569227387685014130" /></a><br /><br />EVERDAY! This sounds like heaven on earth. And just think of it. As a nurse, I only work 3 days a week and get to do this stuff the other 4! Maybe selling my soul to the nursing program was worth it after all...Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-73631199976200797132010-11-03T21:23:00.000-07:002010-11-03T21:51:10.351-07:00bonding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlzKhLugwVsXKpZg_ESgreue6ohCBkkqQuRSV2o6TqoQpPS5os6_yvtvhB5RGX8uB-YjVjN3vVAbkS2mozRxOS6q-_A1c5ZFqjh5DgLBn2N5-JS2GVjtQk4a6wkDB7nOti8snKot5q16w/s1600/First-Daughter-250.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlzKhLugwVsXKpZg_ESgreue6ohCBkkqQuRSV2o6TqoQpPS5os6_yvtvhB5RGX8uB-YjVjN3vVAbkS2mozRxOS6q-_A1c5ZFqjh5DgLBn2N5-JS2GVjtQk4a6wkDB7nOti8snKot5q16w/s400/First-Daughter-250.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535548883422509458" /></a>We all know that scene in like every movie where the 2 people who are obviously going to fall in love "bond". They tell each other things that are random and probably know one else knows. Things that you would only know if you knew someone extremely well. The movie that comes to my mind immediately is "First Daughter". <br />My problem with the logic of this is that no one really has a 8ist like that off the top of their head. Seriously, there is no way someone could ju9t rattle off a bunch of "little randoms". Because movies are exactly like real life, I have put together a list so I will be prepared for this bonding moment with someone. <br /><br />1.I brush my teeth before I eat breakfast instead of after<br />2.I tuck my shirt into my pants whenever I'm going to wear a sweatshirt<br />3. I almost never eat bananas or potatoes (especially potatoes) because I don't think they are worth the calories<br />4. I wear white, fluffy, calf-high, man socks<br />5. I'm a hardcore blog stalker<br />6. I like to sleep in my underwear with no pants on<br />7. Not making a yellow light drives me insane<br />8. I prefer sweats that are cuffed at the bottom<br />9. I don't like chocolate chips. I would much rather have just oatmeal cookies or plain pumpkin bread<br />10. I hate walking up hills and would rather take stairs any day<br />11. Drinking IBC rootbeer and sparkling cider still makes me feel cool<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVs76QcG2Yxpquy7JG3mtOvqzcTHhliKyB8qQ4nWB-oKmig_T6atG6jBPN3WPkHZe8EDNb4i65_JnhRdDpjZ7h2JZu2_vpS1OHB2mR9gm2rq1aumOqHzrw3Phh73a3XNYzhi5AB23ddk8/s1600/profiel+pic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVs76QcG2Yxpquy7JG3mtOvqzcTHhliKyB8qQ4nWB-oKmig_T6atG6jBPN3WPkHZe8EDNb4i65_JnhRdDpjZ7h2JZu2_vpS1OHB2mR9gm2rq1aumOqHzrw3Phh73a3XNYzhi5AB23ddk8/s400/profiel+pic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535551074619502370" /></a>Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-71334247219256472762010-10-24T17:11:00.000-07:002010-10-24T17:27:58.155-07:00SolaceIt's AMAZING to me how the Temple can bring me so much peace in my life. How it can speak to me and calm my soul. How it can make everything be alright. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzs6DvjGkoLU7GrHSE7kFShxq4InXwoaeTsiGznkKMc0pWB0A2mxZ2RCF5f0xY_inBrLh9qtzq5ODnUJTzinxm8YxMq9S1IEzHR-yxG0RdKNzuPx-PAwbZGKAknETmN2ekVCrj3sk8W_o/s1600/temple.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzs6DvjGkoLU7GrHSE7kFShxq4InXwoaeTsiGznkKMc0pWB0A2mxZ2RCF5f0xY_inBrLh9qtzq5ODnUJTzinxm8YxMq9S1IEzHR-yxG0RdKNzuPx-PAwbZGKAknETmN2ekVCrj3sk8W_o/s400/temple.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531771108931340802" /></a> <br /><br />My other solace is basketball. I did not want to play in college but I still love it so much. I think it has been such a part of me my entire life that it takes me home. It's a place where the world makes sense to me. I love a little good competition and working hard for a common goal with my friends and yet having fun at the same time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMvrqbl2K2fOZHLLp-PANpvuMlTWwErOigd2MjMBNIB1MWNDWWMqOKdJwTjxXy0Ej_cgCau98OHVS-gYtURHT7oUP1wlu57yFEpbpct9wSh8wvmmXgd0Twy6p85bC6kExlg839qu0jqHU/s1600/intramural+champs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMvrqbl2K2fOZHLLp-PANpvuMlTWwErOigd2MjMBNIB1MWNDWWMqOKdJwTjxXy0Ej_cgCau98OHVS-gYtURHT7oUP1wlu57yFEpbpct9wSh8wvmmXgd0Twy6p85bC6kExlg839qu0jqHU/s400/intramural+champs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531772904520549266" /></a> BYU intramural upper division CHAMPIONS! :)Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-84807873480371216902010-10-23T00:31:00.000-07:002010-10-23T00:46:31.865-07:00overcoming obstaclesI have cried more in these past few weeks than in my entire life. I have never been torn down physically, emotionally, and mentally in my entire life. I can barely keep it together and I cry weekly. I have never been an emotional person, but it has all changed this semester. How do you rise above someone that tears you down all the time, constantly says rude things, and picks on you but you can't do anything about it because they are your professor? It's even harder because they are your MORMON NURSING professor-- 2 things that are supposed to make people be loving and caring and kind. <br />I can admit it, I'm major struggling. I try to deal with it and not let it affect me emotionally but it's so hard.<br />How do I love someone like that? How do I rise above it and not let it affect my self esteem and my emotional state? How do I still be the person that I want to be instead of the person I'm becoming? Because I'm failing miserably right now...Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-24443058647758623872010-10-18T22:22:00.001-07:002010-10-18T22:35:28.865-07:00Scrooge NO MORE!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj672tDNlbXpSktYq52EztqN6w8Gj-JngzKs7pmJQDCGlOTJYFEzkMUy52hO-aPfdOWPcUZIkffEzuOz8_6hXqsXz3Ye6CUzBtYU2lO1FYCuoH9N4FSzEdgBQd2cVlFWrTS77-1EpOP-PK7/s1600/family+christmas+picture.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj672tDNlbXpSktYq52EztqN6w8Gj-JngzKs7pmJQDCGlOTJYFEzkMUy52hO-aPfdOWPcUZIkffEzuOz8_6hXqsXz3Ye6CUzBtYU2lO1FYCuoH9N4FSzEdgBQd2cVlFWrTS77-1EpOP-PK7/s400/family+christmas+picture.JPG" border="0" /AAAAAAAAAC8/gXv-NUtaDSc/s400/Christmas+2009+kevin+squating+me.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529624917611835602" /></a><br />I am ashamed to admit it, but I have recently developed a hate for the "gift giving" part of Christmas. Now, let me defend myself. I love giving gifts generally but the problem is the timing of the whole thing. I usually come home from BYU a few days before Christmas and need to get all my gifts. I have just studied my brains out for a week during finals and need a break. I'm also so excited to see my family that I just want to spend time with them. Moral of the story -- the last thing I want to do is go Christmas shopping!<br />This year I decided to start doing my Christmas shopping early so I won't be such a scrooge when I get home. Because I am not so rushed, I have really put thought into my gifts and am almost done shopping!! And because I love my gifts that I am giving and think that the recipients will be so happy, I can't handle waiting until Christmas. The excitement and anxiousness is literally killing me! I can't wait to see the look on their faces. I'm so full of the Christmas Spirit and enthusiasm that I am even getting really creative, cool gifts for my grandparents. Christmas can't come soon enough. It is going to be awesome. Look back in 2 months to see how the gifts went over. :) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZX85Qua8ku_49FltnVopJvC1t7t4UlEbVWoI4H34diPcgxCthigBe1yOMNfzM9-m5dwbS-s3fSZKlwfLc7s8FUPuL5oCSVYnN41ExMRTmbUfpu8Q1WoIqc7tPX4pXKMkLxPZ4v7OWwzH/s1600/kids+christmas+picture+w+presents.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZX85Qua8ku_49FltnVopJvC1t7t4UlEbVWoI4H34diPcgxCthigBe1yOMNfzM9-m5dwbS-s3fSZKlwfLc7s8FUPuL5oCSVYnN41ExMRTmbUfpu8Q1WoIqc7tPX4pXKMkLxPZ4v7OWwzH/s400/kids+christmas+picture+w+presents.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529624928541998002" /></a><br />As a side note, Christmas is no time to slack off from working out... for Kevin. I do my part to work out through him. I am his personal trainer and take a very hands on approach. He can officially squat me, just in case you were wondering. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_K0Ln9uZBuvqKyfFqyN7fTFEHCKXkHFACMs1nnn1sbn3EL2fkgTMMn2gAQE5m0D66pgJ-w8kEamQ4iUcZ839pBPc2lJNYrSb4khXCTDiLkQfrvH4I_vY5ottYqf95azE2o0D1xXC_7ZSG/s1600/Christmas+2009+kevin+squating+me.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_K0Ln9uZBuvqKyfFqyN7fTFEHCKXkHFACMs1nnn1sbn3EL2fkgTMMn2gAQE5m0D66pgJ-w8kEamQ4iUcZ839pBPc2lJNYrSb4khXCTDiLkQfrvH4I_vY5ottYqf95azE2o0D1xXC_7ZSG/s400/Christmas+2009+kevin+squating+me.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529625725888746546" /></a>Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-67939134747136046162010-10-03T17:05:00.001-07:002010-10-03T17:09:13.819-07:00Does she know?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oxY3qnVbWPx8KxbnVdTDsq3wj4XNyyKl8bF7rbNDDBaaAUmtksXoMWFWK18TnMYQtbT2SWKBbf6MySgHZQtSDbVR4PeliPfpOiKQD8DpY5OkCDFVo3bIAqmjuOJjzlSkTEPh7pIvZsgx/s1600/clincail+group-+2nd+semester.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oxY3qnVbWPx8KxbnVdTDsq3wj4XNyyKl8bF7rbNDDBaaAUmtksXoMWFWK18TnMYQtbT2SWKBbf6MySgHZQtSDbVR4PeliPfpOiKQD8DpY5OkCDFVo3bIAqmjuOJjzlSkTEPh7pIvZsgx/s400/clincail+group-+2nd+semester.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523975625851672722" /></a><br />I'm in the all life-sucking and consuming nursing program at BYU and am currently doing my clinicals at the Huntsman Cancer center in Salt Lake. As a side note, I highly recommend this facility for anyone who is dealing with cancer. It is amazing and literally like a 4-star hotel. This last Thursday during my clinical, I was taking care of a post-op pancreatic cancer patient. Pacnreatic cancer is one of the worst in terms of survival rate because the cancer spreads like fire. People generally live 3-6 months and can pass on in as soon as one month after diagnosis.<br />This lady I was caring for was so happy, sweet, well put together and relatively young. Her little granddaughter came to visit her and quietly came over to me and informed me that she wanted to be her grandmother's nurse cuz she loved her so much. I smiled and put my stethoscope around her neck and told her she was going to need this and I knew she would be the very best nurse ever. This woman was doing everything that we urge patients to do post-op and was excelling in them. One of these things is walking and she was going so fast that I was joking with her about how she should try out for the olympics and that she was showing all the other residents up. And all of a sudden it hit me like a punch to the gut...<br />This lady had very serious cancer and was going to die soon; not if, but when. It was very hard for me to grasp because my mind told me differently. She looked like she was getting better, she had a family that loved her, she was young, she was doing awesome, and people have surgery to get better. Here I was joking and bonding with her and in a few short months she would pass away. And she did not physically look like she was dying, so she would have had to research pancreatic cancer to really understand that her time was short. Because the fact that she was going to die hit me with such an epiphany and because she looked healthy, all I could wonder was "does she know?" I felt like I was going to collapse and had to sit down to catch my breathe. It was a very thought-provoking few minutes for me.<br />It made me think of my life and wonder if I live it to the fullest. It made me think of the Savior and his love for his people and how lucky we are to have the gospel in our lives and know this is not the end. It made me want to give this woman the very best care I could and take her in my arms and hold her and cry with her. I realized I could never be an oncology nurseLaura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-86572719489372915022009-05-07T10:59:00.000-07:002009-05-07T11:29:15.355-07:00RUCKUSES for life!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrnCiO1zym1F2HhUJ3Wz01Pmbs8uDfupC88Kp3ttXk7yuKfA4FXjSLE76yNwLu5nU5_Spvw0bxybWHTudXS96c01-Cn1HgRWjfv8RJW0JTFadKJN6yXzkdFkl_-YTakFtjA-bzrZ2p-wK/s1600-h/2925_1141538932407_1045455540_412831_149533_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrnCiO1zym1F2HhUJ3Wz01Pmbs8uDfupC88Kp3ttXk7yuKfA4FXjSLE76yNwLu5nU5_Spvw0bxybWHTudXS96c01-Cn1HgRWjfv8RJW0JTFadKJN6yXzkdFkl_-YTakFtjA-bzrZ2p-wK/s320/2925_1141538932407_1045455540_412831_149533_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333150878886051090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMJhvGK2t-oXC6qyY4t1hC6JPJZj5IzueL9WC2iedTcGA2n7-2SdHoNw9OA_4eqygL_66E50CdG3lzi45QuIBObhnzJfZ3Ny7hdaVr7BfKcrgPQssSsE9TTSIalY7KAYgCAiO1kSDetZy/s1600-h/2925_1141539012409_1045455540_412832_395382_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMJhvGK2t-oXC6qyY4t1hC6JPJZj5IzueL9WC2iedTcGA2n7-2SdHoNw9OA_4eqygL_66E50CdG3lzi45QuIBObhnzJfZ3Ny7hdaVr7BfKcrgPQssSsE9TTSIalY7KAYgCAiO1kSDetZy/s320/2925_1141539012409_1045455540_412832_395382_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333150796719666306" /></a><br />BYU is ridiculously freezing (well to Californian's like me :)) most of the year. Actually I take it back, we had a great fall, but spring was almost nonexistent which is kind of a bummer. My roommate, Jenae, purchased a scooter (moped) this year and was kind enough to let us ride it. We don't ride it during the winter cuz that is colder than words can explain(and if you dont believe me, ask Kelsey. Mention something about scooters and skirts and freezing and it'll sure spark her memory), but we did ride it in the spring. <br />My friend, Jana B, also has a scooter and I would ride on the back of hers or by myself. I started giving Jen and Valerie Nishiguchi rides and they loved it. Let me rephrase that, for Jen, riding the scooter was better than Christmas morning as a 5 year old. And for Valerie, it took a little coaxing, but then she loved it too.<br />One night during finals, I was totally burnt out. I decided to call Jana and see if she wanted to go for a scooter ride. She excitedly said that she was already riding her scooter and that her friend, Travis, was riding his too. I grabbed Jenae's scooter and we were about to go for a ride as a scooter gang. I remembered how bad Val and Jen were dying to go, so we gave them a call and they jumped on the back of Jana and my Scoot scoots (that's their names). Jen rides with me and Val with Jana. It works out perfectly because Jana is a Utah driver and I'm a California driver. Therefore, Jana is more cautious while I'm a little bit more aggressive. (Don't worry grandma, I'm still totally safe, and the scooters don't go more than 100 mph.) Were great matches for Val and Jen. <br />Jana had always wanted to have a scooter gang, so we decided now was the perfect time and the Ruckuses were born. We were quite the bunch. Jen and I on Jenae's totally decked out, motorcycle-looking scooter, Val and Jana on her smaller, sweet looking scooter that only has one mirror, and Travis on his pretty much old school 70's bike with a motor, whose breaks squeek like no tomorrow. Going up hills was prtty funny because Travis' scoot could barely make it. We were cheering him on and helping him think light thoughts so as not to weigh the scooter down. We had an initiation by riding up to stone hedge (a gorgeous place, right above the temple that looks over all of Provo). We all told our deepest, darkest secrets and poured our souls out. Okay, not really but it was fun and good bonding time. We stayed up there for quite a while and then rode home and drove into the Miller parking lot honking, screaming, and flashing our lights. A ton of people came out to see what was going on and join in the excitement. We are now officially legends and will live on in scooter history...<br />P.S. Jen became so obsessed with scooters that we seriously must of ridden them like 5 times in 3 days. And I thought I was obsessive. :)Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-26149935127126440082009-05-02T07:14:00.000-07:002009-05-05T15:34:37.979-07:00My poor childrenOn Thursday morning, Rachelle Hanshaw went into labor. We had prearranged that I would go over and help get her kids off to school when those lovely contractions consumed her body and it was time to have the lil one. At 7:00 AM, I went over to the Hanshaw house and filled that void. We read the friend, said prayers, made lunches, and the kids did their jobs. <br />Surprisingly, we still had like a half an hour before they had to go to school. I decided that we should make pancakes. I consulted the children and we came to the conclusion that in honor of their new little brother, we would make chocolate chip pancakes. I am a big believer in bribery, espescially with sugar. Probably not as much with my own kids, but no big deal with someone else's kids. I don't have to worry as much about somone else's kids long term salvation, like I will with my own. <br /> I didn't want to make a mess at Rachelle's, so I ran home and grabbed all the ingredients. I put all the liquid stuff in a bowl and then put the baking powder, sugar, and salt in a baggy and decided to just use some of Rachelle's flour. Michael was kind enough to get the grill/skillet out and start warming it up while I was gone. I grabbed some flour and added all the ingredients together. I was so excited because this was something fun that I could do with the kids that they would enjoy. <br />I pour out the first pancakes and Michael adds chocolate chips to them. We anxiously watch with excitement and anticipation. The pancakes aren't really looking how they look when I cook them at home. They are kinda flat and not bubbling. I decided it was because I was cooking on a skillet and I normally just use a pan at home. SLowly they started to look more weird, but I couldn't come to any coclusion besides the skillet. <br />I fed the kids the pancakes and they seemed totally content. I asked all 3 kids if the pancakes tasted funny, and they replied no. But lets think about this logically... Are 3 kids who are eating something that is covered in chocolate chips, butter, and loads of maple syrup, going to say that it tastes funny? I think not. I took one bite of Michael's pancake and decided to pass on my precious pancakes. I mean, they didn't taste bad, they just didn't taste good and they didn't have that pancake texture that we all love. <br />I sent the kids off to school and began cleaning up. We had made somewhat of a mess with the pancakes and Michael had opened a bag of crackers that exploded everywhere while helping make the kids lunches. So I started sweeeping and wiping off the counters and then I saw this little bag with white powder in it. My immediate thoughts were Tim and Rachelle were doing cocaine. But then I thought about it more logically and remembered that Rachelle was pregnant so it must just be Tim doing it. Then I really looked at the bag and just started laughing. It was the bag that had the baking powwder, salt, and sugar in it and I had forgotten to add it.<br />Making pancakes is honestly like a 3 step process and I hadn't been able to comlete step 2 because I'm kinda out there when it comes to common sense and just the rush of the morning. I'm always running late and consequently I'm always rushed. When I have kids and then am REALLY rushed, I'm curious as to what I'll forget. Maybe school lunches, basketball practice, or just straight up leaving one at a gas station. We'll just have to wait and see what happens to my poor children...Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213829862908543761.post-72369549316647126052009-04-27T10:50:00.000-07:002009-05-05T15:35:32.684-07:00Reflections of BYU- sophomore style!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzY6Xd-sviHeNhZMnZ-JUVZBef2Te8R74eswLG_CB2XWCGBOPTbeREQ9OQ4UHAf-n1OcZkF6uUwPKXIwnH7rrIafSiF7AegLX9ip9YdOgPf__FCECK4wPsMPYnayl6BTPp72d5O5co_Xn/s1600-h/photoshoot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzY6Xd-sviHeNhZMnZ-JUVZBef2Te8R74eswLG_CB2XWCGBOPTbeREQ9OQ4UHAf-n1OcZkF6uUwPKXIwnH7rrIafSiF7AegLX9ip9YdOgPf__FCECK4wPsMPYnayl6BTPp72d5O5co_Xn/s320/photoshoot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330996429262514306" /></a><br />It amazes me that another year at BYU has come and gone. I'm going to be a junior in college and it feels like I just started my senior year of high school. It kind of makes me reflect on my life. Am I where I want to be in my life? Have I done my best in everything? Do I have any regrets so far? [haha, I just realized I sound like I'm like 80 and lecturing (I mean bestowing my wisdom :P) to my grandchildren like Grandma Barker. (I love you grandma)] But seriously, I don't think you're ever too young to evaluate your life and learn from your mistakes. I am happy where I am, but I definitely can make some improvements.<br />Sophomore year was a good one. I learned so much (and had such an awesome time) freshmen year, as can be expected your first year away from home. I honestly didn't expect to learn so much sophomore year, being the know-it-all that I am [but trying not to be, I'll get there some day... I hope :)]. This year was different for me because I didnt hang out with my usual type of friends. Everyone has a guy type, but if you really think about it, you have a girl type too. There is a certain type of people that you are naturally drawn too, girl or guy. My "type" is super fun and over the top spontaneous, really happy and outgoing and LOVES PEOPLE, (sporty would be nice), driven in school, and really just good as a person and spiritaully (does this sound like a newspaper add to anyone else?, if you're interested call.....). I feel like I thrive with these type of people. They make me happy and strive to be better in every aspect of my life. But this year my eyes were opened to new types of people.<br />I had some apartment struggles, so I started just hanging out 24-7 next door. In fact, when they came to extend me my calling, they came to that apartment, thinking that I lived there. Things like that happened many times and people were always shocked to learn that I didn't live there. (For reference, my apartment is #24, and next door is #23). Anyway, none of the girls in apartment #23 fit my normal "type". Don't get me wrong, they are AWESOME GIRLS, just not my status quo. They are very musical, need alone time, aren't spontaneous, and aren't over the top happy and outgoing, and overall don't play sports. Not gonna lie, these are usually the type of people that I MIGHT say hi to at church. But I really just didn't want to be at my apartment (a lot of this was my fault, because I avoided the issues instead of facing them head on), so, out of default, I spent a ton of time next door. For the first time in my life, I was forced to give these type of people a chance. There was one girl in 23 kinda like my type, miss Emily Mayda Low, and I latched onto her (as I have been known to do. I'm sorry I just love people! Once again, Im workin on it...), and we became really good friends. At first some of the the other girls boggled my mind. I honeslty jut couldn't understand how not having a ton of fun with tons of people could make anyone happy. Slowly, I started to get to know the other girls in the apartment. To make a long story short, I loved what I found when I finally gave them a chance. Now I'm ridiculously good friends with Valerie Nishiguchi, [a vocal performance major, who doesn't play sports, wants to be a princess, and likes to sew and paint in her free time (and now hang with me!), and Kelsey Howell ( in concert choir, loves alone time, not sporty, and really moody in the mornings HAHA!!, love ya kels). I just told you the things about them that are different from me, but they are such great girls and I love thier goodness. In fact, I'm even living with Kelsey next year and Im so stoked. (Trisha, don't feel left out! I love you too, you just don't fit in that category. You're my favorite snuggle. And you know how much I love you Julie, and your nontouchiness)<br />I definitely think that this has been the biggest lesson that I have learned this year. I thought it was weird because I felt so strongly that I should live in #24 instead of with my freshmen friends that I loved. I started REALLY struggling with my apartment and couldn't figure out why I had felt that I should live there. But now I totally know. My freshemn friends are pretty much my normal type and if I hadn't lived there, I never would have met the girls next door and given that type of people a chance. I would have missed out on so many great people throughout my life. (Well I guess Rachelle Hanshaw is a lot like those type of people (not all the way), and everyone knows how much I love her, but I defnitely thought she was the acception to the norm, even in her own category almost, cuz she is so crazy.. :P )<br />And near the end of the year, I finally met a girl, Jana Barker, in my ward. We found out that we're 4th cousins, hence the same last name. Anyway, she is 1000% my normal type and AMAZING! We had so much fun together and even though I have branched out, I still like my old friends. Life is great and Im grateful for all the experinces I had my sohpomore year. I find that when we are having the hardest times, we grow the most, and learn to depend on the lord. And heaven knows, I can always get better at both of those (along with everything else)...Laura Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16827780034249309415noreply@blogger.com6