Brave

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."
-Eleanor Roosevelt


"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
-Nelson Mandela 

Press On.

So there I sat. The computer screen loomed in front of me and I felt overwhelmed. How was qu’est-ce que c’est? different from qui est-ce? What in the world did c'est even mean? And how was I supposed to write sentences using these phrases when honestly all I knew how to say was Bonjour, je m'appelle Jane. Comment allez-vous? and Trés bien!

Tears started to roll down my face. The frantic "I can't do this!" call to my mom didn't help much (she can't magically fix my problems, despite all my conviction otherwise). Reading the text book again didn't help at all.

But then I saw this on my syllabus:

"'Do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.'
                                                                                                       --President Thomas S. Monson
This course is time-consuming and demanding. However, if you work hard and try your best, the Lord will sustain you and you will be the miracle."

I can do this.

And then I was reminded of this song. I'm convinced Fun. can be applied to every situation. (Well, not really...just most situations...haha)

But really, sometimes things seem way too overwhelming to handle. And I've learned that:

a) even when things seem down, you CAN do it.

b) emotional breakdowns are ok.

c) take a step back, take a deep breath.

d) Heavenly Father will raise you to EVERY occasion. Even if it's French 101.

-J.M Bairre (Peter Pan)

Ode to the singles ward..

Two Relief Societies ( Women's organization). One Elder's Quorum ( Men's Organization)

:

Via

It's Good to be Back!

I have returned to Logan and it's great to be back. I am literally bursting at the seams. I'm semi moved in (it's hard when there's not much storage space). I'm living with Penelope and the other roommates are great. The apartment is cute and cozy and the community is friendly (our neighbors brought us bread). This really is a great place to be, why did I leave for the summer?

I'm Still Here

I'm still at home living for the summer. Jane and Penelope have left me. In between my job, running errands, eating, and sleeping (just basic needs for survival) I am packing. There is so much to do before I leave and I am worried about my stuff, I have no idea where I'm going to fit it all in my apartment. I am going to hope it all fits. Fingers crossed!

And here is proof that I am packing
(and this is not even all the stuff):

Mediocre Expectations

When it comes to my budget student housing, I try to keep my expectations low... like really low. because usually they are... less than ideal.

Last years apartment was a good example of this.. I had been in my fair share of dorms, and I knew as long as I didn't have bugs, I should be counting my lucky stars. It was your basic dorm.. gross white walls, bubbled carpet, leaky faucets, 4th floor without a lift ,no bugs...Home sweet home.

This year is definitely an upgrade. I feel like I am out of my gross dorm days and into my less gross townhouse days.. although the following expectations were not met.

Drawers in the bathroom. What kind of person puts drawer faces on a bathroom cabinet and no drawers!! What a cruel trick. I am protesting by not putting my bathroom stuff away. It shall remain in it's box until those drawers turn into drawers.. or I get over it. whichever comes first.

Shower Curtain. So I was thinking people like to be nice and provide curtain liners so their bathrooms don't get damaged ( I know! I don't know what I was thinking) well. people don't. unexpected bonus: BUBBLE BATHS BABY! at least until I get my curtains this weekend.

Lighting..My kitchen light strobes. fast. Like seizure inducing rather than dance party inducing. Luckily florescents are replaced by maintenance. normal lights are not. My bedroom light was acting up, but after a death threat it's behaving.

So all in all, not bad. not bad at all. I plan to be quite happy here. as soon as I get over mourning the loss of my bathroom drawers.

In Which Jane Has Another Addiction...

i moved into my new apartment on monday and finally finished unpacking last night. it made me realize somethings...
a) moving in general is awful. really truly.
b) carrying heavy boxes upstairs for extended periods of time makes you tired.
c) i may have an addiction...
i've always know i've had a weakness for this particular item, but...well, just look:

they didn't fit side by side on the (rather long) shelf...

i had to stack them in the corner. and there's more on my desk. and in boxes in the bottom of the closet...as well as three more big boxes at home in storage...
at least they're books, right??
at least they provide knowledge and wholesome entertainment, right??
at the moment, my sore arms are begging to differ.

sincerely,

backwards

Image Via

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

-Soren Kierkegaard

Slumber Party

Last week Penelope, Jane, and I had a sleepover and I can't believe how lucky I am to have these woman as my friends. Penelope and I are can't wait till we move back to college because we are going to have a sleepover every night! We will need so Skype Jane because it just won't be the same without her.

A Thought.

dear brownie box,
why do you discourage me from eating your batter?

sincerely,
a rebellious child.

dear education week,
why must you take every parking spot in provo and cause me to be 30+ late to work?
sincerely,
frustrated student employees everywhere.

dear fairy tales,
why must you be so amazing?

sincerely,
a starry eyed romantic.

dear head scarves,
i love you with all my heart, please let me wear you 24/7.

sincerely,
hair obsessed girl.

dear hormones,
leave me be. please.
sincerely,
stressed out of my mind.

sincerely,

Skirt remake

Before: I should have taken a photo of it on, but basally it was a mid calf elastic waist skirt I found in our old dress up box.

 After

Top: Grandma's storage room 0$ Skirt : re-purposed 0$ Bag: thrifted 3$ necklace: Bazaar in Istanbul

I adore this necklace.

The buttons on this are my favorite part.

Mouth guards.. for your feet!

Remember a a while ago, when I posted about how my favorite house shoes happen to be crocs? yup. well, I also wear them out to my pool quite often, and who would of known?.. they shrink in the sun.  Quite a bit... 

So trusty google told me to boil them in a pot of water and wear them to stretch them out. I have boiled a lot of mouth guards in my time, so the concept made sense. I tried it.. oh man! love!

Not only do they fit again, but they fit better all over. they don't flop around on my feet like duck feet anymore. marvelous! 

So, my dear friends. If you own a pair of crocs that have been caught by the sun, or simply want crocs that feel like custom orthodontics for your feetsies. 

dip them in a pot of boiling water for several seconds

Pull them out and CAREFULLY. don't burn your self put them on you feet and walk around

dip them in cold water after they have molded. I stuck them in my tub and ran water with them on. 

Enjoy your new custom footwear.

Home Free.

sometimes i take classes over spring and summer.
then one day i take finals and i am HOME FREE.
...
well, at least for two and a half weeks until fall semester starts.
but until then,
PARTY AND PARTY AND YAH.

sincerely,

I'm a Girl

And these items caught my eye.

Love. 

70's to Work

Dress up days at work? Yes please! I dressed up in a more conservative 70's look and without the big hair.

Dress: Thrifted
Cardigan: Thrifted
Earings: Mom's Jewelry Box
Necklace: Mom's Jewelry Box
Shoes: I prefer bare feet at night/did not want to wear them.

and by then...it's like seven fifteen

Via.

Once upon a time I got really sick and had to move back home to be babied for a while... like eight months.

 Now I am mostly better, but find myself with no job, and basically no life until I get to move back to school later this month. 

So in the meantime 

 I'll read a book

Or maybe two or three

I'll add a few new paintings

To my gallery

I'll play guitar and knit and cook

And basically

Just wonder, when will my life begin..

and ... watch Disney movies in Spanish to try to pretend those three years taught me something

 I could basically be Rapunzel.. except you know the whole having hair and Zachary Levi thing . dang.

Via.

Makin' Things Difficult

The Assignment: write a 6-8 research paper on a piece of twentieth century american literture out of the norton anthology. include an abstract, an outline and an annotated bibliography.
The Catch: don't write the paper, just the other stuff.

Sounds easy, yes?

My Response: you've got to be flippin' kidding me.

I'm probably making this harder than  it needs to be. But nevertheless. I'm freaking out.

Quoted

"Would the girl you were yesterday admire the woman you are today? If not adjust for desired results."

Dear World:

Things that are NOT okay with me:
-spiders. especially when there is no one around to kill them. and they are the size of a loaf of bread.
-ridiculous busy work assignments.
-research papers that don't involve writing papers...what is this?
-crop tees. i think they are weird. don't ask me why. maybe because they look terrible on me.
-sketchy videos shown in class.

Things that ARE okay with me:
-men like neal caffrey. for some reason art thieves are extremely attractive to me. maybe because they love art as much as i do. except i wouldn't go so far as to steal some...
-skinny jeans. a win everytime.
-fresh fruit.
-little sisters that paint your fingernails for you. so so cute.
-a 4 year old little boy chasing a 17 year old girl with a sock monkey while the girl screams. funniest thing i've seen all day.

sincerely,