Destination: Mexicali

I will most likely be going HERE in approximately 6 weeks.

Beginning of the End

My. Last. Semester. At. BYU-Idaho.

I never thought it would come so soon. I still feel like a 19 year-old sophomore who didn't have to think much about her future. Too bad. 21 years old and about to graduate college. Now what? Well, I don't quite have to enter the real world right after graduation, but I will be doing an internship...somewhere. Don't ask me where, because I have no clue.

After completing my internship, I will have earned my Bachelor of Science in Recreation Management with a minor in Exercise & Sports Science. The next question people ask is: "What are you going to do with that?" Well...there's a lot of different things I could do with my degree. My interest is to go into city/community parks and recreation departments, gyms/fitness centers/health clubs, sports programs, and other various related occupations. There's not one specific thing that I want to do, but that's the area I would like to work in. So, having said that, if you know of any internship or job opportunities that might apply, please let me know. *Disclaimer: No, I do not want to do my internship at the Nampa Recreation Center. :)

So, besides internship/job hunting, I just started a new semester! Being so close to finishing my degree, I don't really have a lot of required classes still left. Since I'm on scholarship and it's my last opportunity to take classes at BYU-Idaho, I filled my schedule with lots of fun classes. (Some of you might be thinking "Haven't you been taking fun classes every semester?" Why yes I have. But this time around I only have about 2 classes that I will actually be in a classroom for. Here's the lineup:

Aerobic Fitness Techniques (learning how to become a group fitness instructor)

Intermediate Volleyball

Intermediate Tennis

Advanced Swimming

Circuit Weight Training

Volleyball Theory (learning how to coach volleyball)

Adaptive Physical Education for Special Populations (how to teach PE to kids with disabilities)

Doctrine & Covenants

Yep. In addition, I will be a teacher's aid for a Sports Conditioning class. So basically I plan on getting in really good shape this summer.

What else is new? My apartment! I moved to a new place called Northgate. They are brand new apartment complex here in Rexburg and I'm so happy I moved here! Take a look at amenities, floor plan, and pictures here. 

As for catchup, here are a few pictures of the end of Winter semester:

Surprise birthday party...

...complete with german chocolate cake (my favorite) and flowers from Mom and Dad.

Congrats, graduate.

Frozen yogurt.

Hiked "R" mountain.

Almost won our volleyball league.

Pondskimming

Winter gets a little drab here in Rexburg. So students come up with some of the craziest activities to keep themselves occupied. One of those crazy activities is called pondskimming. Basically, participants (or contestants I guess) choose their modem of travel (ski, snowboard, airboard), slide down a steep slope of snow, and "skim" across a pond of water. The object is to skim across the entire length of the pond. Also, for some reason, the participants dress up in crazy costumes. Costumes of the evening included: bananas, Nacho Libre, Superman, and the list goes on. A lot of people biffed it, and very few actually made it across the pond. Here is a snippet for your enjoyment. :)

Phlog

I am going to slowly start updating my Photography Blog...so keep watching! A lot of them are photos you may have already seen, but I need to post them. I'm hoping this will get me back into the photography mood...I haven't taken any shots since summer. Not good. So take a look at the photo blog (or phlog)! Go here: Hartley Photography

No Snow Bunny

I am most definitely a summer baby! I loooooove the sunshine, swimming, biking, hiking, camping, and more. But temperatures below zero are not on my list of favorites. I know it's winter and everyone else has cold weather too...but I just want to complain for a bit. Can I just point out that I walk to campus every morning, then I walk from class to class every hour, walk home from campus, and then usually walk back to campus to workout or for an intramural game. This equals for a lot of time outside. On the brightside...I've gotten REALLY good at dressing appropriately. All of the following are a REQUIREMENT every time I step outside: long socks, boots, leggings, sweater, coat, mittens, beanie, and a scarf. And it never fails that I have to scrape my windshield any time that I want to drive anywhere.

Enough of my complaining....school is going well. I'm really enjoying the majority of my classes which consist of:

Exercise Physiology
Physiology Lab
New Testament (2nd half)
Risk Management
Research and Evaluation
Fundamentals of Coaching
Intermediate Tennis

I absolutely love my tennis class and my Exercise Physiology class. I'm learning so much! I'm also playing on 2 intramural teams: futsal and volleyball. Love it!

I'm living in the same apartment (American Manor Apt. D3) and still working as a student secretary in the Recreation Management office. If you didn't know already, I will be graduating in JULY. Am I excited? No, I'm scared out of my pants.

Girls' Weekend

My awesome friend Ashlee from Nampa came to visit me in Rexburg for the weekend. We went to Sammy's (diner/concert/social hot spot in Rexburg), made pancakes, played games with some new friends, and just relaxed.

An Addiction

I will admit. I have an addiction. Cereal at midnight...or anytime after midnight for that matter.

Brrrrr...

My lovely roommate Ashley is graduating tomorrow! So we took some chilly senior portraits. This is my favorite. Love you, Ash!

Early Christmas?

Yesterday my apartment had "Christmas morning." It was a blast. We took pictures in our PJ's and had stockings, opened presents, and then Christmas breakfast (which consisted of cinnamon rolls, eggs, and sausage). It really felt like Christmas! (minus the family)

Mama!

About two weeks ago Mom and Janet Avery came to visit for a girl's weekend. We had a blast! We went to the corn maze, shopping, and a concert. Thanks for coming!