1 down... 4 to go!

WOOHOOO! I've completed my first semester of dental hygiene school! HALLELUJAH! Wow. What a crazy few months it has been... but it was so worth the feeling of being 1/5 the way done. This has by far been the craziest, hardest thing I have ever done. And I'm not even through the worst of it yet... haha but that's okay! The past few months have taught me a lot. No, not just about teeth ;) but about myself and my relationship with my Father in Heaven. He's been helping me through this every step of the way. I know I wouldn't be where I am today without His help and guidance. I've had so many amazing experiences involving school that have been the greatest tender mercies I have ever received. I know we are blessed with great trials so we can be tried and tested and through that, we will only be strengthened, if we allow it to strengthen us! Through these past months I have been brought to my knees countless times, only to be reassured of the constant love and companionship the Savior blesses me with. I'm grateful for these hard times, as silly as that may seem, but I know I'm being tried for a reason. Whether it's to bless me in the now, or to bless me or my family in the future, I will never know. But I don't really need to know! All I know is there's a plan for me, and these trials of school and growing up are all apart of the plan. So, I'm going to stick to the plan! Keep my head, faith and spirits high and it will all be worth it in the end. So, to those out there who may be experiencing some difficult times... Remember this is just a small moment... Just enjoy the journey! =)

My clinic group for first semester.

I'm pretty sure my clinic instructor was laughing at my hair.... haha

Tender Mercies

Wow. What a wonderful week this has been! I have been the recipient of countless tender mercies and I just thought I'd share some! Recently I've been a little flustered with my financial situation. Being in school without a job is very stressful and hard. It's a constant burden and I've been trying to think of ways to change that! Well, with all that on my mind and no solutions... I got an e-mail from my cousin earlier this week telling me I got a pretty decent tax refund on my taxes this year! I was soooooo excited! A couple hundred bucks goes a long way for a poor college student. haha I was so grateful for that great news. I also got a statement from BYU-I and I thought it said I owed $197... which was false because I paid off my dues last fall. I was kind of freaking out over it so I called and it turns out it was $197 credit from a scholarship I wasn't even aware of! Wow! Can you say answer to prayer?? I can. It was amazing. I've been so incredibly blessed and I'm so grateful to know the Lord is watching out for me. Along with that I've had lots weighing down on my mind and I drove up to the temple tonight just to clear my head and have some time to think alone. While I was up there feeling a little down and distraught... I heard the bells chime on BYU campus and they were playing the chorus to a familiar hymn, "Come Come Ye Saints." The part that was playing on the bells was the phrase, "all is well, all is well." I couldn't believe the timing those few simple notes had. It was incredible. I'm so blessed to have these experiences reassuring me of the Lord's hand in my life. May we always recognize those little tender mercies we are blessed with everyday! =)


"I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us." -Elder David A. Bednar

Come What May And Love It...

A statement I must tell myself constantly. Growing up is HARD! Challenges come daily and I've come to realize that the only reason I'm receiving these challenges is to test me on how I handle them. Moving to Utah has been a bit of a struggle for me. I've had the opportunity to meet all kinds of people, have gotten to know some more people on a deeper level and have also and most importantly gotten to know myself more. It sounds kind of silly doesn't it? "Getting to know yourself..." Ya it sounds silly, but I really feel like this big change in my life has given me the opportunity to really find myself and find what it is I want in life. I think that's a point everyone must reach at one time or another in their lives. At times I'm just a baby and have pity for myself, but then I realize how blessed I truly am. The Lord has given me this opportunity for some "alone time." Alone time in a good way though! Away from my family, away from my best friend and away from my college friends in Idaho. At first I took this as a "poor me moment." But that's not what it is at all! This is the time in my life where I can learn and grow and just be me. It's time like these I need to remind myself to "Come What May and Love It!" Because life is good no matter what get's thrown at ya! Don't mind my pep talk, it's just good to write this stuff out sometimes. ;) Hope everyone is Enjoying Their Journey! =)

New Adventures!

Well, here I am with my 3 month blog update.... haha I really need to be better at this. I'll get there someday. SO! Amongst the long interval of blogging, much has happened. I completed my third and final semester at BYU-I and it was ROUGH!!! Needless to say I did survive. Much thanks goes to my favorite roommates Jennica and Bekka. We had so much fun together the last few weeks! I miss them so much already! It was by far my best semester of school all because of them! I really enjoyed it and miss their presence terribly!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Christmas Break came at the perfect time. It was so nice to be home with my family. I spent most of my time helping my mom with Christmas stuff. It was nice to be able to spend time with her. It was so great having everyone home for Christmas! One of my favorite parts of Christmas was getting to talk to my best friend for 5 whole minutes Christmas day! Elder Nii is doing so so wonderful! He's been out about 7 months and is absolutely loving his mission. I couldn't be prouder. =) New Years brought more time with family and lots of food! I sure do love the holidays. Good family, good food. What more do you need? =)Now for my grand new adventure... I moved to Provo, UT Saturday January 7th and started dental hygiene school on Monday the 9th! It's been an adventure alright... haha the social life has really been nonexistent except for my good friend Darin Paul Dooley. He's been keeping me sane down here. In my week of living here i've come to the conclusion that i'm a farm girl born and raised and was not meant for city life. It's been a good new experience for me, it'll just take some getting use to! I'm really excited for school though. It's been so much fun so far and I know it will only get harder but I love it! Here's to an adventurous 20 months! =)

Happy Fall!

Awww I just love fall time! It's one of the most beautiful times of the year. I know i've been slacking again... but ya know what? Life is just crazy! Crazy good though. I'm loving it. As for my brief rundown...

I enjoyed my summer home with my family, but really wished it could be longer! It was nice being home with my boys and spending lots of time with my mom. I spent most of my summer working for my dad driving tractor, playing with my brothers, re-decorating my room and doing little projects with my mom. It was a much needed break from school and social life! Sadly my summer came to an end the beginning of September.



I started my third and final semester at BYU-I. I knew this semester would be rough... but wow. I wasn't kidding myself. haha! I've been packed with 17 credits that solely do their duty to keep me stressed at all times. I had to cram my last pre-requisites in for dental hygiene school because I got accepted for the January 2012 class. So, i'm currently taking Microbiology with lab, Chemistry with lab, Public Speaking, Anatomy & Physiology 265 with lab, and Doctrine & Covenants. Needless to say, I AM surviving. Let's just keep praying the Lord will see me through till finals! haha I have been greatly blessed. My roommates have been really great! I didn't know any of them beforehand, but it's turned out to be a really fun semester. My room roommate Jennica and I get along so GREAT! She is also wanting to pursue dental hygiene and is hoping to go to UCDH as well. She's a little mini-me! haha it's been so much fun. I just love her! It's been a lot of fun so far!




Between roommates, school and family... my thoughts are always on my better half on the other side of the country. Elder Nii is doing so so GREAT! He's loving North Carolina so much and is loving being in the service of our Heavenly Father. He just recently got transferred to his second area. He is now in Carborro, NC which is around Chapel Hill. This area is a challenge but he's welcoming it with a smile. =) Through his letters I can tell what an amazing missionary he is and how much he is changing. Despite how much I miss him, I wouldn't have him anywhere else right now. I'm so grateful for his example and wonderful service.


So, there's my brief brief rundown on Shanley's life. I promise to do better int he near future! =)

Yes, i'm a slacker!

So as you can clearly see, I haven't been the best and loyal blogger the past few months! Life has definitely kept me busy. So here is a quick rundown since April!
April-July: I haven't been on here so long that I completed a whole semester at college! haha it was a blast! I had such awesome roommates that kept me busy and laughing. We had a wonderful time together and made some great friendships. The school work wasn't all so great, but I made it through alive. I sure am glad to be home though! It's nice being able to say i'll be a Sophomore in college now... i'll never be a freshman again! WOO!!!

June: May and June was filled with many many mixed emotions... Elder Nii entered the MTC June 8th. As sad as I was to tell him goodbye, i've never felt more comforted and blessed in my life. I miss my best friend every single day, but I have already been the recipient of many blessings from his service in the mission field. He made it to North Carolina June 27th and is absolutely LOVING it. Lucky for me he's in the states so I usually hear from him once a week. He's loving the work and the people. Then again it's Gabe, what doesn't he learn to love? haha he's doing great!

NOW: As for me, i'm just enjoying being home with my brothers! I get a short summer before I head back up to BYU-I in September and i'm determined to enjoy every second of it! Here's to a happy summer! =)

Happy Easter!

What a perfect, beautiful weekend to celebrate Easter Sunday! It was even warm in Rexburg... now that's saying something ;) I went to my new ward for the first time and it turns out my bishop is my old dentist! haha weird.... Our ward seems way cool, even though the girl to guy ratio is like 80/20. haha not even kidding! But that's ok, it should be fun! After church my roommates and I decided to make our first Sunday dinner together! We threw together whatever we could find and surprisingly enough, it was delicious! It almost felt like home =) The rest of the evening was just packed with homework. So nothing too exciting! My one roommate, Kaylee, and I decided our brains needed a break so we went Stadium singing! I'm sad to admit, but that was my very FIRST time going! I couldn't believe what I had been missing out on! We sang a lot of sacrament and Easter hymns, and Kaylee said it was normally a lot more lively, but it was ok. It was beautiful. Being a part of so many wonderful spirits gathered beneath a set of bleachers of all places was the most wonderful feeling I had felt in a really long time. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to go every week! This semester has been going great so far! I absolutely love my roommates. We're all practically best friends already. It's going to be a GREAT semester! =)