June/July

Most recent first::

Me with my roomies Laurel and Natalie They just ran a SLC Marathon!!

Me and Kade @ the Baker Family BBQ/Outdoor Movie

Me after 2 days of hiking... The most painful and rewarding experience of my life.

Me with two Moose that we got within 15 feet of!!4th of JULY
in Washington, D.C.
Me with my mama and papa
on the 4th of July!
Me and my bestie Talia
All the kidsssss!
They're going to the temple and they're gonna get married!!
All the sisters!!
LOOOOOOOOOOVE!
Allie, Me, Molly, Katie
I just LOVE this picture!
Molly, Me, Allie, Katie, Connor
with Kenny's little sisters:)
Me with Molly and Ariel
Waiting for the Bride and Groom!

Me, Molly, and Sarah and Erica Wink
While visiting for Nat's wedding.

Me, Allison, Erica, Sarah, Molly, Katherine
Playing Pretty Pretty Princess!!
(The winks had NEVER played before!)

I pretty much am in love with myself
juuuust because of this picture :)

Heidi and Me
After I got my new hair cut!!
(Thanks Lynsey!)

Nick's lady friend Kaitlyn, Rachel Potts, and Me
@ the Bishop's barn/Ward Activity

Christina (Ashton)'s Wedding reception
Me with Rosie and Meredith:)

Me with the Ashton Family
After the wedding reception!

As you can tell from the highlights of pictures... I have been up to a lot the past few months, and time does not slow down!

Christina Ashton got married and I met up with Meredith and celebrated with her and her family. She looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding dress, and it was such a fun occasion. I just love the Ashton Family. They will always have a special place in my heart.

We had a super fun ward activity at my Bishop's barn. There was a HUGE slip and slide and a lake, and a BBQ and it was just so much fun. I got to know a lot of people in my ward a lot better, and I was really glad I decided to go. That is where I truly grew to love Kelsie, Jared, and Eric. Those 3 are some of the most incredible people I've ever known.

Not too long later I went home for Natalie's wedding!! I got to spend a lot of time with the Wink twins who are some of my absolute best friends in the whole world! They will definitely be my bridesmaids when I get married.. Which is hopefully not for about 20 years :) Then Natalie got all married! Yay for her and Kenny! Then it was the 4th of July and we went into D.C. to see the concert at the Capitol. It was a really great show! And we saw David Archuleta perform (oh! We saw him in the temple too!).

Then I came back to Provo, and not too soon after the Baker cousins had a BBQ/Outdoor Movie and I brought my friend Kade with me. He is currently living in WY and was in UT visiting, so I asked if he'd like to come along. He did, and we had a really good time. It was just a blast.

This past weekend I went on a 2-day hike/camping trip that ended up being one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life. And yet, it was SO worth it. I had a really rough time, but I am really proud of myself. I did a really good job:)

The next day I went and saw two of my roommates run the SLC Pioneer Day Marathon. They completed all 26.2 miles! YAY for them:) I was so proud. I was literally brought to tears as they finished, it was such a hard thing and they did it!


WELL- That's all I can think of right now.. BUT HEY! If you have ANY questions about anything I've been up to... PLEASE ask :) Sorry I haven't written in a while...

Anyways, that's all from this teenage drama queen. More confessions to come.

- J

SUMMER has begun!

Hanging with Fuzzy!

Quay's Surprise "Congrats" Party!

Us just being SILLY.

Well, to keep you updated, I still am working 40 hour weeks. I actually only have one more week of 40 hour weeks until I go back to 20 hour weeks though. I'm going to miss the doubled paycheck, but I will not miss the 7 day work weeks and the pure exhaustion. I seriously have been totally out of it since I started working 7 days a week. Ask anyone, I am no fun these days.

I have continued to work on the song I wrote, and am working on another brilliant one. We also started filming for the music video, which will be released within the month. I am excited to get a reaction back from all y'all. Oh, and for something else totally random I did this week- Dan and I went to Costco and ate hot dogs. They were yummy! And super cheap compared to everywhere else.. I enjoyed myself:) Then we watched Prestige, and Skjelse, Hadley, and her friend came over too! That movie still confuses me, even after seeing it at least 5+ times. Oh, and Skjelse broke my roommate's bookcase by sitting on it.. Oh Skj... What are we gonna do with you?!

I have planned even more in depth with my schedule/graduation plan I posted, and there are a few changes.. Like... I decided to go to summer classes in Provo. That means that when I head home for Nat's wedding I will only be able to be home for 6 days before I head back. And I'd stay longer but that is in the middle of the semester, and I can't afford to miss more. But I am excited for this summer. I have just been so bored, so I am scheduled to take 4 classes over the summer. Two I SYS classes, RMYL 223R (Nature Photography), and ORG B (Organizational Effectiveness- a business class). They should be tough, but super fun. It's a shame I won't be home longer to see all of you who live back in the D.C. area, but I'm growing up and I can't always be home.. I've got to learn how to make it on my own a little more every day. Once I actually have some money that will be easier.

p.s. If any of you readers are filthy rich and want to donate to the "Jenna Baker making her dreams come true" fund... I will GLADLY accept money ;) Just kidding... But seriously. Ha ha.

Natalie's Birthday!!
+ the AMAZING Laker game:)
(Let me know if you want me to talk Lakers.. I will!)

Me and Natalie on her birthday!

Today I am taking my good friend Natalie Luehr out for lunch to Olive Garden (because I have a free gift card!) since her birthday was last Thursday. (Oh!! P.s. my ward intramural softball team WON their last game! On Natalie's birthday and everything! Hooray!) Also, I will skype with Emily Snow again today, (we skyped for an hour and a half the other day), and we will talk more of plans for her to come move in with me here in Utah in the fall. I have never been soooo excited!! This should be great! It'll be nice to have a friend again.

For all of you who live in Utah County area... there is a j.wride concert at Velour June 5th 8 pm. Be there or .... Well, just be there, okay? It should be a great show, and I am in charge of making sure people hear about the show and get their people there. If you want directions or more information, please feel free to contact me!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment:)
Sorry I have been so lame this summer.. Hopefully I will get interesting again!

Anyways, that's all from this teenage drama queen. More confessions to come.

- J

My Graduation Plan!

Today I spent over 2 hours going through all the classes I need for my generals, my major, and my minor. I had to plan for prerequisites needed, and classes that were only offered certain semesters. It was a little confusing at first, but I finally figured it out. And I'm kind of excited!

So, here is my plan for the rest of my life (okay, the next 3 years):

My major is Leisure Services Management - emphasis in Commercial Recreation.
My minor is Travel and Tourism Studies.

Fall 2010
RMYL 189 (1) Careers in Recreation
RMYL 215 (3) Social Recreational Leadership
RMYL 223R (2) Outdoor Skills Leadership
RMYL 244 (3) Intro to Youth Leadership
RMYL 304 (3) Leisure in Contemporary Society
Rel A 302 (2) Old Testament

Winter 2011
I SYS 100 (.5) Computer Spreadsheet Skills
I SYS 101 (.5) Computer Presentation Skills
RMYL 307 (3) Accessible Recreation
RMYL 320 (3) Program Management
RMYL 371 (3) Event Planning
Geog 120 (3) Geography and World Affairs
Rel C 324 (2) D&C

Fall 2011
RMYL 480 (3) Recreational Management Finance
RMYL 486 (3) Legal Aspects and Risk Management of Leisure Services
RMYL 481 (3) Recreation Services Marketing
RMYL 485 (3) Management of Recreation Services
Geog 347 (3) Tourism: A Conceptual Framework

Winter 2012
Geog 348 (3) Tourism: Patterns and Analysis
Geog 250 (3) United States and Canada
Phil 201 H (3) History of Philosophy 1
MFG 202 (3) History of Creativity 2
Geog 353 (3) Heritage and Cultural Tourism

Fall 2012
Geog 350 (3) Tourism Planning
Geog 349 (3) Global Adventure Travel
Bio 100 H (3) Principles of Biology
PWS 112 (3) Floral Design
RMYL 405 (3) Commercial Recreation Capstone

Winter 2013
St Dev 317 (2) Career Strategies
RMYL 487 (3) Research and Evaluation
RMYL 405 (3) Commercial Recreation Capstone
SFL 210 (3) Human Development OR ANTHR 101 (3) Social/Cultural Anthropology

Spring/Summer 2013
RMYL 496R Internship

Graduate!

Recent Events...

Me, Becky, Natalie @ Becky's Bridal Shower :)

Stephanie + Me @ j.wride concert

Me, Nate, Lorin, Austin, Jesse, Kaylee & Court
Eating @ Chili's

Kelsie, me, Teri @ softball practice

Lorin, Kaylee, Me @ their raintree apartment

Anyways, that's all for now..

- J

My Apologies

"I had to apologize to a lot of people.

I had to tell them I don't know what happened and that I'm sorry."
- Shane Doan

Throughout my life I have hurt a lot of people. Whether I offended them, or was just plain cruel. Although at times I felt bad that someone was hurt, I rarely apologized, or even felt a need to say sorry. I felt that my honesty was justified, simply because it was honest. Until now, I never realized how much I have really hurt those I claimed to love. Just because I feel something is true, doesn't mean that I first of all, have the right to say it, and secondly, am right by any means. I want to apologize to each one of you that I have hurt individually, but until I can apologize to you specifically, I hope you will take this as more than just a "sorry" but rather a pledge that I will try my best to never hurt you... ever again. I want to make this right, and you didn't deserve the pain I put you through.

I am sorry to my family for never giving you the love and respect you deserve.
I am sorry to my church leaders for showing such disrespect, when you only were trying to help.
I am sorry to good friends who I betrayed, you deserved better.
I am sorry to friends who I thought I was only being honest with, I know I hurt you.
I am sorry to roommates for treating you worse than you deserved.
I am sorry to people who desperately tried to get my attention, who I ignored, give me another chance.
I am sorry to teachers and educators who I talked back to, I learned so much from you.
I am sorry to my parents for not telling you how much I really do love you.
I am sorry to my old bosses, when I left without notice, or didn't work as hard as I could have.
I am sorry to people who've looked up to me, I could have been a better example.
I am sorry to my sisters, I never gave you the time of day, and you deserved that.
I am sorry to those who I lied to, you deserved the truth.
I am sorry to any one's heart I broke, you don't deserve the pain.
I am sorry to you boys who I just can't let go of, you may have broken my heart, but I love you.
I am sorry to coworkers who I ignore and avoid, just because you like to talk doesn't mean I can't respect you.

I am sorry to anyone who I have hurt, offended, lied to, betrayed, exploited, avoided, embarrassed, been rude to, heart broken, or in any other way caused pain.

I apologize for ever making you feel inferior or hurting you. And I promise to do my best, starting today, to never make you, or anyone, feel like you are anything less than you truly are.

If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I will work throughout my life to made right the wrong I have done. Thank you... and I really am so sorry.

- J

MY future

I finally decided what I am going to do with my life. If you are one of the rare few who know more details then this.. please keep it on the DL. People shouldn't know those details yet..

Major: Recreational Management and Youth Leadership (emphasis in Youth Leadership)
Minor: Geography (emphasis in Travel and Tourism)
= Career: Event Planner + Traveling (while photographing and blogging about what I see).

"Back up" career: Sign Language Interpreting


Yes, I have a plan on how to accomplish this. And I have never been more sure. I am going to do this, and I am going to be amazing.

Anyways, that's all from this teenage drama queen. More confessions to come.

- J

The Month of April

You think after I post about how I am going to update my blog every day, I wouldn't wait almost a month before posting again... So much for keeping you up to date on my life:)

So that got me thinking.. I decided I will do a little Q & A. If you, yes that includes you (the individual who is currently reading this), have ANYTHING you would like to know about me, my life, my friends, etc... Please comment on this post with your question and I will answer each question. Don't be lame and assume you already know everything about me. I know for a fact there are atleast 12 "secrets" that not a soul knows that I wouldn't mind sharing (if you ask..). So get thinking and asking!

ALSO- HUGE FAVOR HERE:
If you, or anyone you know, is engaged and is planning on registering at Bed, Bath and Beyond (and hasn't already done so) PLEASE let me know. Two of my good friends (who are currently engaged) get a bonus if people say the were referred by them. So please do them a favor and help them out. Let me know if you are interested in being the best person ever.

You are reading this for an update on my life, right? Well, I'd say I am engaged, but no one would believe it:) So I won't lie, i'll just give the hard facts..

What have I done since April 5th? Well, look at these pictures and see!

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Me, Kirby, and Emily (Yes, I know Kirby Heyborne.)

Me and Kirb:) He always makes my day.. Seeing him is the best.

Hanging with Emily... She is asian.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Elijah, Enoch, Me, Seara ... Janae and Sam's Kids... They are ADORABLE.

Smith Cousin Reunion @ Ole's Cabin!
This + natalie were the people who attended.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Skj is kind of the best.

I took a break on my way back from heber to take pictures of the mountains..
I guess I got a little distracted :)

I won "Front Row Fanatics" tickets to the Men's Volleyball game.
We got to sit ON the court... Best seats ever!

Me, and Kelly! It was her birthday!

I don't know how she managed to make that face...

Brianna's Ring Ceremony/Reception:)

Bethany left.... :(

Lorin, Kaylee, Me hangin @ their raintree apt

Enoch+Me ... he is THE cutest kid ever.

Me and Elijah... Now, he is a keeper:)

Me and the "same age cousins" @ Nat's bridal shower

yes, we can be normal too.

(just thought this was precious)

me and the bride and groom - to be.

rachel's bridal shower/girl's night!



IN addition to these wonderful events:

1) I had finals week... that was fun.. Oh! Speaking of finals.. I got my grades for Winter semester. Even missing 1/3 of the semester from the surgery, I still managed to get the following grades:
- Stats 221 :: B
- Calc 112 :: B+!!!
- New Testament 2 :: B
- ASL 102 :: A- !

How wonderful is that!? I almost cried when I saw the B+ in calc, especially since I was retaking the class, and last time I took it I got a C-... Woot!

2) I went to an AMAZING show at the Front Line Grille in SLC where Jesse (of j.wride) had a solo show. He was incredible. It was nice to hear him play solo because he really does have some amazing talent that sometimes gets blended into j.wride when they all play. Honestly, I wish more people could have come to the show. He did a great job.

3) I tagged along with j.wride as they filmed for their music video. Be on the look out, j.wride is gonna knock you off your feet:) Apparently I am socially awkward... Sad day.

4) I got a new calling... Service committee, I just got booted from visiting teaching supervisor. I've had that calling for almost a year now...

5) ATTENTION: If you live in or near Provo, on May 7th j.wride is having an INCREDIBLE concert where they will be premiering their new music (coming out on their new cd in a month or so). It's gonna be siiiick. Let me know if you wanna come along. This is not something you'll wanna miss. Their new music is legit.


Anyways, that's all from this teenage drama queen. More confessions to come.

- J

I know... I know...

I go from posting once in a month to posting twice in a day... But I need some help. Yes, your help. So please (after reading this) comment on the post and give me an answer and your reasoning.

I have a dilemma. I can not decide whether to stay or go. Aka, whether to reside in Provo for the spring/summer, or head back to VA. There are pros and cons to both (below are listed some of each).

STAY IN PROVO
Pros:
- Spring/summer is SUPER fun in Provo
- I'd probably be guaranteed a job (could get between 20-40 hrs hopefully)
- Would be around friends from my ward the past 10 months
- Could be around cute boys;)
- Be around to support and help out j.wride
- Continue to work on creating stable relationships with friends out here
Cons:
- Stuck in the same routine
- Not have support of family
- Miss my good friend's wedding in NC this summer

GO HOME TO VA
Pros:
- Be around my family (including nat's wedding and katie's baby)
- Get out of this small town and go to a more familar place
- Have the road trip of a life time!
- Have a better healing process post-surgery with help of family
- See the new Twilight movie with Keva:)
- Finally have some down time/no pressure time
- Get some ASL classes taken at NOVA
Cons:
- I'd miss my friends in UT
- I'm used to things here and the weird utah ways
- I might not get a job
- I'd be living in a house with my youngest and oldest sister
(If you know us... you know that's asking for trouble.)


Here's the deal... You might look at this list and be like "DUH!" but I can't see the "duh" in this, so if you do, make your vote and help me out. I'm getting no clear answer either way, and i'm feeling uneasy about both. So PLEASE give me your advice or suggestions and help me out a little.

Thank you so much, and I'd really appreciate any of your insights into the matter.

- J


p.s. The sooner your comment/suggestion, the better. So get some helping-hands points and comment... Thanks:)

I'm the Worst... :)

I used to be obsessed with blogging and informing the world of my life, but I haven't been lately. For some reason there is this weird satisfaction with posting your life online and having others read and comment about it.. I know I am weird, but I enjoy it:) I watched an episode of the tv show 'House' last week and there was this lady who posted every detail of her life on her blog. Readers would post comments and agree/disagree with certain situations or fights with her husband or medical decisions. Now, I am not that insane. I am pretty sure you'd get bored if I put that much detail out there, haha. But, I do enjoy posting more of my life. Therefore, I am going think about posting daily events on here instead of bi-weekly summaries. (If you get emails of my blog and no longer wish to get them, no worries, just let me know, and I'll take you off the list.)

So the past couple days. I went to a j.wride concert at Muse Music Cafe (you know how much I love that place). J.wride was amazing as always, and if you haven't heard them yet, go to facebook.com/jwridemusic or myspace.com/jwridemusic and take a listen. It will be well worth your time... In fact your life might just be a little bit better if you do.

And, JeanMarie Stewart bought an italian soda and shared it with me. Delicious.



The concert was rather fantastic, especially since Court Eccles has been added in as the bass player. He seriously is INCREDIBLE. He is one of the most talented musicians I have ever known. And, it's kind of fun to have him around. I knew him back in high school and its good to have someone to chat with about my "past life". Plus, he's a real chill guy, a good friend.



Afterwards I went with Nate, Court and Jesse to Denny's (we did this the week before too), and just hung out and talked. It was fun, I really enjoy spending time with the guys. Plus, there's something fun about hanging out at midnight:) They are really great guys. (Hence my facebook status exclaiming j.wride is my ecstasy.)

This up coming weekend they will be playing at SUU, so if you're around- check them out.

This past weekend was general conference, Elder Holland's talks are always good. And I heard Elder Oaks' talk in Priesthood session was good too. If you wanna know my fav's, feel free to ask. Between sessions and before and after I spent the weekend doing homework, trying to catch up. I went through a chapter of calc problems, read some in the new testament, worked on some stats, and caught up a lot in my ASL class. And yet with how much i've accomplished, it's amazing how much I still have to do.... JeanMarie came over today and helped me a ton with calc. Thanks to her, I got more accomplished than I ever would have on my own. She's amazing. I seriously took her forgranted all these years and a big shout out to my pal JeanMarie for sticking by me and always being there to help and support me. If you know this girl, and you know me, you know how amazing she is, and how crappy I've treated her. She never deserved that..

Well... here's highlights from the past couple weeks of non-blogging... enjoy:







































































Anyways, that's all from this teenage drama queen. More confessions to come.

- J