I know that everybody and their dog always writes a recap post at the end of the year, and I'm not normally one to jump onto the bandwagon... but this? This is something that I just can't not do. I love writing about everything that has happened in the year because it helps me to gain perspective, to reminisce, and to look forward to what might happen in this next year! Plus, it's good for the future... when I want to look back on a previous year all I have to do is find my recap post and I can thank myself that I took the time to document it all. So please, save your eye rolls, and enjoy my little take on the grand year that was 2012.
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2012... what can I say about this year? It was the year that I had been waiting for for... well... for my whole life I guess! So many huge things happened, so many events took place, so much went on that I'm almost nervous for 2013. Almost as if I just finished running a marathon that I have been anticipating and working towards for so long and now that I have finished it I'm just like, "Well... that was awesome, but now what?" I don't know what to expect from this new year, I've never really thought about it to be honest. I've been working for 2012, all of my major goals have been either before or in this year. I haven't planned anything past it, and it feels so so strange! Exciting, and almost relieving, but a little bit scary at the same time.
2012 was difficult, it was fun, it was exciting, and it was worth it. Within it I was able to accomplish so much, discover new things, forge stronger friendships, become closer with my Savior, and so much more. Some of the highlights of the year?
Well, for starters I had the most kick-butt senior year of all time! I was lucky and blessed enough to have a pretty sang large group of friends, good classes, good teachers (for the most part), and to be able to finish it all out back at my home school of Desert Ridge. My friend Rania was a bigger blessing to my than she will ever know in offering to let me carpool with her to and from school because without her? My senior year at Desert Ridge would have never been possible.
What else was great about 2012? Name Pending of course! Chris, Christopher (not pictured below), Brayton, Caleb, Cameron, Spencer, Camille, Rania, and I all combined our singing forces and became an a capella group. Camille and I combined our composing skills, music knowledge, and imagination to create two awesome mash ups to sing at both the talent show and the senior pep assembly. We were kind of a big deal... in our own minds at least. :) For me it was a sweet taste of fame, and helped to fuel my creative drive. I felt important, and a valued part of a group. For me, Name Pending was about being a part of something bigger, and relying on my friends as much as they relied on me. After a few months we, of course, fell apart, but while it lasted? While it lasted it was incredible. :)
Oh, and speaking of Name Pending? I was able to take my very first swig of this nasty stuff. Four different types of herbal tea, six tea bags, nearly 2 quarts of boiling water, and a dangerously unknown amount of honey and lemon... I affectionately called this scary little brew of Camille's my "pee tea". "But Jadyn! Why on earth did you need the dang stuff?" Well my little friends, let me tell you. About a week before the talent show a series of seemingly harmless events combined to create a catastrophic condition for Name Pending's soprano... she completely lost her voice. A minor cold with a cough coupled with a pretty bad case of my acid reflux totaled my voice and for the entire week of the talent show I couldn't speak any louder than a hoarse whisper, much less sing! The pee tea (as well as a white board loaned to my from Mr. Caryl) was designed to get that voice back and stat, so I pretty much drank my weight in the stuff for about three days prior to the show. But in the end? It was a priesthood blessing that got it back. :) Heavenly Father is mindful of us, and if we exercise complete faith He will always follow through... even if what we are asking for is a voice for a talent show. :)
I got to travel to the MIM! This beautiful museum was absolutely dedicated to every single musical instrument ever invented... ever! It was seriously one of the most intense musical experiences I have ever had. :) If you're ever in town I would highly recommend you take gander.
In 2012 I also took my first (official) trip to Disney Land! :D I say official because the first time I went I was only about three feet tall and the only thing I remember was being scared to death on Thunder Mountain Railroad. This time I faced my fear of rides, riding every single one except for the Matterhorn (closed for maintenance), Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, and California Screamin' (the latter three...? Give me some time to be brave enough for those monsters!) and enjoyed myself at the happiest place on earth for the first time I could actually remember... oh yeah, and helped our High School's band earn a Superior With Distinction rating at the festival we played at... no biggie. :)
I was brave and asked a cute boy to a fun dance! My Stake is pretty much the coolest in that half of them live on farms... and that some of them volunteer their barns for youth dances... and even though this one was actually WAY lamer than anyone really could have thought possible the idea was cute, I was able to eat many many s'mores, and I went with one of my coolest friends Rexx... and when there's a Rexx, there's a party. :)
Seeing as this was our Senior year... Mimi and I took complete advantage of the fact that we were great students, were graduating no matter what, and frankly didn't care if we goofed off every now and again. Children? Don't be like us! Ha ha ha, totally kidding, but in hindsight...? I think we did do a little less paying attention than we should have, did a little more back talking (under our breath of course) than we should have, but had WAY MORE FUN than we could have otherwise. So in 2012? Mimi and I took senior-itis seriously. :)
In 2012 my family became obsessed with a little something called "Kid History" (a YouTube phenomenon where parents acted out stories that their children told). We became so obsessed, in fact, that we purchased tickets as a family to go see the premiere of the 7th episode together at Mountain View High School! We had an extra ticket, so my sweet friend Victoria Renae was more than happy to tag along. :)
I have never been shy about my love of the grapefruit... my backpack has been covered in them since the 8th grade. So one day I had brought a grapefruit to school to munch on, but never got the change to until after school while I was waiting for my ride. I was sitting outside of the school eating the deliciousness when a few band kids came out and were messing around with this coconut that they had just bought from Fresh and Easy. One poked a giant hole in the top so that they could all drink the milk... and when he did he almost puked, it was so nasty! Nobody else wanted to try it, but I have never been one to shy away from a new experience so I readily volunteered to try the vile stuff... and oh.. it was vile. Out of his disgust, the original milk drinker snatched the coconut and thrust it upon the ground, where it shattered into pieces. We then did the only logical thing at the time and all picked up a piece of the carnage and began to eat the meat of the coconut (which was very delicious indeed)! That adventure to this day remains one of my favorites! :)
But my very, very favorite of the entire year remains this one... the one that I have kept a secret until today. Let me tell you a story; a story of three mischievous girls who wanted to do something rebellious with their senior year. After telling stories about different things they had heard about past Seniors doing, the story that remained the absolute greatest was the one of a few seniors sneaking in after hours and spending the night on the roof of the school! None of them could believe that anyone could find their way to the roof of the school... until one of them spoke up that she knew a way. She innocently inquired of a teacher that she borrow his keys to get into the auditorium so that she could practice with another one of the sneaky girls. She got them, but instead of unlocking the auditorium she unlocked the utility closet. The two other girls quickly scrambled inside while their friend innocently returned the keys. Upon her secret knock she was let back inside and the three girls gazed in awe and wonder at the beautiful ginormous ladder at the end of the room leading to nowhere but the roof of the auditorium. They were ditching their 5th hour classes and they had resolved that they needed to climb onto that roof. However, there were a few obstacles in these poor girls' way! For one, there was a very substantially sized scorpion in the center of the room where a nasty drain was sunk into the floor, another thing was that the security guard was standing close by, and could possibly spot them if they were not careful enough, and for another they could not figure out just how to open the trap door at the top of the ladder! All three girls tried and tried, but couldn't seem to get the darned thing open until, but some miracle, two of the girls hatched an idea that ended up being the secret to opening the door. Around this same time another one of their friends made their way to the utility closet. She was quickly snatched inside, sworn to secrecy, and then volunteered as the first girl who would scramble up to the roof. The goody-two-shoes with the glasses was the next girl to brave the climb, followed by the adventurous red, and the curly-haired cutie who had hatched the plan in the first place. What with having to keep watch, sneaking keys, ditching class, and taking incriminating photographic evidence of their rebelliousness, the whole ordeal was probably one of the greatest things the goody-two-shoes with the glasses had ever done! :) So there you have it... the most rebellious thing I have ever done happened a few weeks before I graduated High School where I ditched class upon the roof of the school. If that's not epic, I don't know what is.
I attended Senior Prom, something I didn't think would happen! My sweet friend Spencer took his very sweetest time in asking my ghetto booty to the dance, but while I figured I'd either be going alone or not at all I took the greatest joy in planning how my best friend Mimi would be asked by our cute friend Kurt! One of the highlights of the night was at the crowning of the Prom King and Queen because... well... you see... all of the AP Students had come up with a mischievous plan. A plan in which they would defile the normal High School popularity contest, break the boundaries, and get nerds to win the crowns at Prom! We made posters, shirts, came up with cheers, and voted the heck out of the polls, and when our candidates Caleb Shire and Margarete Nasir were crowned the screaming had to have lasted a good five minutes. The nerds had conquered!!!
I also had the privilege of attending Mormon Prom with my awesome friend Rexx (again) and had such a serious blast!!! However, I must admit... while I loved the experiences and the fun of school dances, I'm very very glad that it is a stage in my life that I have now passed.
After four years I graduated from LDS Seminary! I know, I know... everybody was shocked. They couldn't believe that a trouble-maker like me could have possibly graduated from seminary. ;)
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2012... what can I say about this year? It was the year that I had been waiting for for... well... for my whole life I guess! So many huge things happened, so many events took place, so much went on that I'm almost nervous for 2013. Almost as if I just finished running a marathon that I have been anticipating and working towards for so long and now that I have finished it I'm just like, "Well... that was awesome, but now what?" I don't know what to expect from this new year, I've never really thought about it to be honest. I've been working for 2012, all of my major goals have been either before or in this year. I haven't planned anything past it, and it feels so so strange! Exciting, and almost relieving, but a little bit scary at the same time.
2012 was difficult, it was fun, it was exciting, and it was worth it. Within it I was able to accomplish so much, discover new things, forge stronger friendships, become closer with my Savior, and so much more. Some of the highlights of the year?
Well, for starters I had the most kick-butt senior year of all time! I was lucky and blessed enough to have a pretty sang large group of friends, good classes, good teachers (for the most part), and to be able to finish it all out back at my home school of Desert Ridge. My friend Rania was a bigger blessing to my than she will ever know in offering to let me carpool with her to and from school because without her? My senior year at Desert Ridge would have never been possible.
What else was great about 2012? Name Pending of course! Chris, Christopher (not pictured below), Brayton, Caleb, Cameron, Spencer, Camille, Rania, and I all combined our singing forces and became an a capella group. Camille and I combined our composing skills, music knowledge, and imagination to create two awesome mash ups to sing at both the talent show and the senior pep assembly. We were kind of a big deal... in our own minds at least. :) For me it was a sweet taste of fame, and helped to fuel my creative drive. I felt important, and a valued part of a group. For me, Name Pending was about being a part of something bigger, and relying on my friends as much as they relied on me. After a few months we, of course, fell apart, but while it lasted? While it lasted it was incredible. :)
Oh, and speaking of Name Pending? I was able to take my very first swig of this nasty stuff. Four different types of herbal tea, six tea bags, nearly 2 quarts of boiling water, and a dangerously unknown amount of honey and lemon... I affectionately called this scary little brew of Camille's my "pee tea". "But Jadyn! Why on earth did you need the dang stuff?" Well my little friends, let me tell you. About a week before the talent show a series of seemingly harmless events combined to create a catastrophic condition for Name Pending's soprano... she completely lost her voice. A minor cold with a cough coupled with a pretty bad case of my acid reflux totaled my voice and for the entire week of the talent show I couldn't speak any louder than a hoarse whisper, much less sing! The pee tea (as well as a white board loaned to my from Mr. Caryl) was designed to get that voice back and stat, so I pretty much drank my weight in the stuff for about three days prior to the show. But in the end? It was a priesthood blessing that got it back. :) Heavenly Father is mindful of us, and if we exercise complete faith He will always follow through... even if what we are asking for is a voice for a talent show. :)
I got to travel to the MIM! This beautiful museum was absolutely dedicated to every single musical instrument ever invented... ever! It was seriously one of the most intense musical experiences I have ever had. :) If you're ever in town I would highly recommend you take gander.
In 2012 I also took my first (official) trip to Disney Land! :D I say official because the first time I went I was only about three feet tall and the only thing I remember was being scared to death on Thunder Mountain Railroad. This time I faced my fear of rides, riding every single one except for the Matterhorn (closed for maintenance), Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, and California Screamin' (the latter three...? Give me some time to be brave enough for those monsters!) and enjoyed myself at the happiest place on earth for the first time I could actually remember... oh yeah, and helped our High School's band earn a Superior With Distinction rating at the festival we played at... no biggie. :)
I was brave and asked a cute boy to a fun dance! My Stake is pretty much the coolest in that half of them live on farms... and that some of them volunteer their barns for youth dances... and even though this one was actually WAY lamer than anyone really could have thought possible the idea was cute, I was able to eat many many s'mores, and I went with one of my coolest friends Rexx... and when there's a Rexx, there's a party. :)
Seeing as this was our Senior year... Mimi and I took complete advantage of the fact that we were great students, were graduating no matter what, and frankly didn't care if we goofed off every now and again. Children? Don't be like us! Ha ha ha, totally kidding, but in hindsight...? I think we did do a little less paying attention than we should have, did a little more back talking (under our breath of course) than we should have, but had WAY MORE FUN than we could have otherwise. So in 2012? Mimi and I took senior-itis seriously. :)
In 2012 my family became obsessed with a little something called "Kid History" (a YouTube phenomenon where parents acted out stories that their children told). We became so obsessed, in fact, that we purchased tickets as a family to go see the premiere of the 7th episode together at Mountain View High School! We had an extra ticket, so my sweet friend Victoria Renae was more than happy to tag along. :)
I have never been shy about my love of the grapefruit... my backpack has been covered in them since the 8th grade. So one day I had brought a grapefruit to school to munch on, but never got the change to until after school while I was waiting for my ride. I was sitting outside of the school eating the deliciousness when a few band kids came out and were messing around with this coconut that they had just bought from Fresh and Easy. One poked a giant hole in the top so that they could all drink the milk... and when he did he almost puked, it was so nasty! Nobody else wanted to try it, but I have never been one to shy away from a new experience so I readily volunteered to try the vile stuff... and oh.. it was vile. Out of his disgust, the original milk drinker snatched the coconut and thrust it upon the ground, where it shattered into pieces. We then did the only logical thing at the time and all picked up a piece of the carnage and began to eat the meat of the coconut (which was very delicious indeed)! That adventure to this day remains one of my favorites! :)
But my very, very favorite of the entire year remains this one... the one that I have kept a secret until today. Let me tell you a story; a story of three mischievous girls who wanted to do something rebellious with their senior year. After telling stories about different things they had heard about past Seniors doing, the story that remained the absolute greatest was the one of a few seniors sneaking in after hours and spending the night on the roof of the school! None of them could believe that anyone could find their way to the roof of the school... until one of them spoke up that she knew a way. She innocently inquired of a teacher that she borrow his keys to get into the auditorium so that she could practice with another one of the sneaky girls. She got them, but instead of unlocking the auditorium she unlocked the utility closet. The two other girls quickly scrambled inside while their friend innocently returned the keys. Upon her secret knock she was let back inside and the three girls gazed in awe and wonder at the beautiful ginormous ladder at the end of the room leading to nowhere but the roof of the auditorium. They were ditching their 5th hour classes and they had resolved that they needed to climb onto that roof. However, there were a few obstacles in these poor girls' way! For one, there was a very substantially sized scorpion in the center of the room where a nasty drain was sunk into the floor, another thing was that the security guard was standing close by, and could possibly spot them if they were not careful enough, and for another they could not figure out just how to open the trap door at the top of the ladder! All three girls tried and tried, but couldn't seem to get the darned thing open until, but some miracle, two of the girls hatched an idea that ended up being the secret to opening the door. Around this same time another one of their friends made their way to the utility closet. She was quickly snatched inside, sworn to secrecy, and then volunteered as the first girl who would scramble up to the roof. The goody-two-shoes with the glasses was the next girl to brave the climb, followed by the adventurous red, and the curly-haired cutie who had hatched the plan in the first place. What with having to keep watch, sneaking keys, ditching class, and taking incriminating photographic evidence of their rebelliousness, the whole ordeal was probably one of the greatest things the goody-two-shoes with the glasses had ever done! :) So there you have it... the most rebellious thing I have ever done happened a few weeks before I graduated High School where I ditched class upon the roof of the school. If that's not epic, I don't know what is.
I attended Senior Prom, something I didn't think would happen! My sweet friend Spencer took his very sweetest time in asking my ghetto booty to the dance, but while I figured I'd either be going alone or not at all I took the greatest joy in planning how my best friend Mimi would be asked by our cute friend Kurt! One of the highlights of the night was at the crowning of the Prom King and Queen because... well... you see... all of the AP Students had come up with a mischievous plan. A plan in which they would defile the normal High School popularity contest, break the boundaries, and get nerds to win the crowns at Prom! We made posters, shirts, came up with cheers, and voted the heck out of the polls, and when our candidates Caleb Shire and Margarete Nasir were crowned the screaming had to have lasted a good five minutes. The nerds had conquered!!!
I also had the privilege of attending Mormon Prom with my awesome friend Rexx (again) and had such a serious blast!!! However, I must admit... while I loved the experiences and the fun of school dances, I'm very very glad that it is a stage in my life that I have now passed.
After four years I graduated from LDS Seminary! I know, I know... everybody was shocked. They couldn't believe that a trouble-maker like me could have possibly graduated from seminary. ;)
...but even greater than that, I graduated from HiGh ScHoOl!!! Something that I had been waiting for for years was finally over, I was finished with High School! The feelings I had on this day were mixed for sure. I was so ready to be done with High School... in fact, I had been done with High School for months before graduation! However, I was also a little bit sad, and a lot a bit scared. The life I had known for the past twelve years of my life was now over. From now on I was in charge of my own education. The friends, teachers, campuses, and daily routine that I had known and loved were now over, and I wasn't sure what to expect from what was to come. I was about to turn 18, I was going to be a legal adult. Lots of scary things were coming my way, but above all of the nervousness and the uneasiness the one thing I felt most of all? Relief, and most inexplicable joy! The people who say that High School is the best years of your life? They're kidding themselves. Either that, of they just have really sucky lives.
I took my first trip to Blanding since my Grandma Jones died back in my freshman year. It was beautiful being back in the land that my ancestors settled, and I even got to test out my wild side and try out dirt biking with Harold! ...okay... okay maybe I didn't actually drive the dirt bike. But same difference right? This trip also brought me the things that has given me mobility and independence since graduation... my car Norma Gene!
I have had the amazing opportunity to watch the Gilbert temple spring up from the ground just outside of where I live! The construction site is just a mile or two north of my Stake center, and is absolutely radiant! This picture was taken back in June (on my birthday) but now a little bit of landscaping has actually begun, the windows have been put in, and it is actually lit up at night! I have already decided that this will be the temple I get married in. I absolutely love it, and have never seen anything more beautiful and humbling in all my life, and I am so blessed to be able to live SO CLOSE to it!
Oh yeah! I also became an honorary member of the French olympic quidditch team. No biggie. :)
I took up photography again! ...well, at least for a bit. And do you know what I discovered? I aint half bad! :) It's something that I would absolutely love to invest some time and money into in the future, and Camille and Caleb's lovey-dovey fun summer photoshoot was just the kick of confidence I needed to feel like it's something that could still be in the cards for me. As a hobby at least. :)
This year another milestone was reached and that was the beginning of my first semester of college!!! :D I took on 16 credit hours, plus two institute classes, and began the task of completing the first half of my prerequisites for the massage program. It was grueling at times, but overall was some of the most fun I have ever had! Not once did I regret the decision I made to make my start at community college, not once. The price was affordable, the classes small and intimate, the professors approachable, and the atmosphere was so much more mature and gung-ho about education that High School ever was. While I'm nervous for this next semester, I am confident that CGCC is where I need to be, and that the Lord will help me through as He did for my first semester in 2012. :)
I started working respite for Arion Care Solutions and have loved every minute of it! My schedule is flexible, the pay is good, and the two kids I work with are darling and so fun! For example, the other day we got to have a "day at the farm"... we got to pick citrus, feed cows (my little friend's favorite), crack pecans, and collect eggs from the chickens and I came home with bags of fruit, nuts, and a whole carton of farm fresh eggs! And the next day we had a basketball game followed by... get this... an epic Nerf gun war. If that's not the best job ever then I don't know what is! :)
My family got to be house roomies with the two cutest little girls ever: my cousins Lexee and Avery!
President Monson announced to the world that the age requirement for worthy young men was lowered to just 18 years of age and that for the sisters the age was lowered to a whopping 19 years of age! While I am not so fortunate to be as decided on serving as some of my other sweet girlfriends are, I am still preparing. And part of that was to make the decision to... grow my hair back out. Yes, I know. But it was time for a change anyway. :) I love my pixie, but to upkeep that beast for 18 months out on a mission? Now that is a disaster waiting to happen!
I was able to vote in my very first presidential election! :D We'll not discuss the details of the very sensitive topic... if you want to know my feelings on the matter, read this post right here.
...oh... and apparently I did so with a ginormous pimple on my chin... how long had THAT monster been there?!?
I hiked off all of my Thanksgiving dinner on the Superstition Mountains with my best friend and her family! While I didn't expect to hike freaking Flat Iron when I woke up that morning, I am so glad that I did! It was a wonderful experience, a fun memory, and taught me once again that I can do some very hard things. :)
After two very short years I welcomed one of my very best friends back home from his full-time mission in the PPM (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mission)! Can you believe it? I can't either. Milestone number three... check!
A very sweet and sincere prayer was answered in one of the most miraculous ways I could have ever imagined... upon seeing these grades I nearly wept, because I know that I did not accomplish it alone. 16 credit hours, including an online, hybrid, and honors course? I absolutely could not get grades lower than straight A's this semester in order to keep my scholarship, and for the entire semester I kept that fact in the back of my head. I was sick to my stomach after finals, set on the fact that I had fallen short of that goal. It took me nearly two weeks to be able to finally check my student center to see what grades I had earned, and this was the beautiful sight that met my eyes... I am still beyond words. God is so real, and He is so mindful of us.
And speaking of wonderful things, and speaking of God, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet one of His apostles, Quentin L. Cook! Mimi and I excitedly went to a YSA fireside that he was speaking at and... honestly... again... I have little words to describe the spirit I felt when that man entered and exited the room. His voice sounded with the power and love of God. I can't really say much more than this, that God lives. That He is our savior and redeemer, and that His true church has been restored on this earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. There is not one doubt in my mind of that fact, not one.
So really 2012, wonderful job! You were a joy to live in! You brought me so many wonderful things: my addiction Once Upon a Time, my new found love of working out, my first semester of college, my last semester of high school, my dear friend Jeffrey Reid Moss, straight A's, muscles, a fantastic job, Norma Gene, QT milkshakes, the art of slamming a tim tam, a successful EVMCO audition (still waiting to hear back from them though), and apocalypse, and so much more.
2013, I'm not exactly what to expect from you yet... but I'm doing your New Years resolutions a little bit differently this time around, and I have a feeling you're going to like them. Let's hold hands and enjoy this year together, alright? :)
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