New Beginnings

Its been a while since I've posted, but late is better than never, right??? :)

Not much new has been going on in my life. Im still working as a nurse aid on the neurology floor at Hendrick Medical Center. I love my job. I work nights, which can be rough, but its working out. I've learned SO much about nursing, and medicine, and just the overall human experience. I love being able to make someones hospital stay the most positive experience it can be. Its just awesome!

Im starting school in a week and half. Yikes! It sometimes makes me feel bad that most of the people I graduated high school with have already graduated college, but now is the right time for me to be there. I have done so much the last 6 years, and learned so much about myself and what I want out of my life. I taking 4 classes, 13 credit hours. Im taking 3 online courses- English, Sociology, and Texas Government (dont ask me why thats a required class...I live in Texas. They're very proud.) And Im also taking Elementary Algebra with a lab. Im nervous and excited about going to school. Its been a LONG time since I've been in the world of homework, assignments, and tests. It will definitly be an adjustment. Especially because the last time I did that I was working part time and living with Mom. Now Im on my own with rent and a car payment, and it seems like more and more bills. I work 48-60 hours a week, and in order to pay all those bills I still will work that much while Im in school. Its going to be crazy but Im determined to be happy and successful. I cant wait to have the letters RN at the end of my name! :)

Speaking of the car payment...I did buy a new car about 2 months ago! I had driven to Arizona to visit my friend Rachel, and on the way home (about 30 minutes into the drive) another car had decided to turn around on the freeway. As she was coming back onto my side of the freeway from the median, she ran right into me. I'd never been the driver in a car accident and it scared me to death! Physically I was fine, and so was the other driver, but my car was a mess. She hit me on the drivers side door and it wouldnt open when I tried to get out. That began a 6 week process of settling the accident. After that whole ordeal, my tolerance and respect for car insurance people went down the toilet! It was the most miserable experience ever. Thankfully, I have a great friend in Abilene who let me use her car for a month while I was fighting with American Family Insurance. It was a humbling experience to have to rely on her so much, but Im so grateful to have her. The whole experience turned out to be a blessing. I got a check for $1,000 more than what I paid for my car, and I was able to put a down payment on my new car. What was even more amazing was that I was able to get financed all on my own. It was a proud moment. :) I got a 2009 Mazda 6. I LOVE it! It has air conditioning and starts everytime I turn the key (which I couldnt say about my Maxima!)

Thats about what my life has been the last few months. Im looking forward to this new chapter of my life and have set goals for myself that I will do anything to achieve. One of those is to get back into my running and developing a healthy lifestyle. More on that to come...

I love and miss you all! Come visit sometime!

xoxo, Jess

Race Results

Based on my timing chip, I ran it in 2 hours 58 minutes and 17 seconds. Which averaged out to be 13 min 36 seconds a mile. My goal was 13 minutes. I did my best and Im proud of how it turned out! Pictures will come soon!

2010 Salt Lake City Half Marathon

Oh my goodness! Its 2 days later and my legs still hurt! It was such a good experience though. I originally wanted to run the full marathon, but due to my work schedule I wasnt able to train like I wanted to and only felt somewhat prepared to maybe run the half. Most days I was running 2-3 miles at the gym before work. I had a 6 mile run one day, but up until Sunday the 11th that was the farthest I'd run. On the 11th I had a course mapped out in Abilene that I approximated was about 10 miles. The week leading up to that I had been sick with a head cold and some upper respiratory stuff, but I knew I had to get a good run in.

That Sunday came, I woke up early and took off. My lungs felt like they were on fire, but I just had to keep moving. I made it those 10 miles, in 2 and a half hours. I walked a good portion of it. After that I only ran a couple more days before I would run 13 miles in SLC. Needless to say, I was a little concerned!

I chose to run in SLC because thats where my family is and I knew it would mean a lot to my parents to be able to support me in something like that. I brought my good friend Kristen with my from Abilene to watch me run too. I was so nervous as I was headed up to the start line, knowing full well that I could barely make it 10 miles just a week ago. Now, I was about to embark on a 13 mile jaunt.

As I began the run, I just kept thinking "I wont stop until at least the 5th mile!" It was super motivating seeing all those other runners. I just started running and waited and waited to see the first mile marker. It didnt show up until mile 3, and when I saw that I was super excited because I was feeling great. There was another mile marker at 4, but then another didnt show up until 6. And at 6 I was still running. I hadnt stopped and I was feeling really good knowing that I was about halfway and still hadnt stopped.

It wasnt until the 9th mile that I stopped running and started walking. And let me just tell you it took my legs a second to adjust! It was the weirdest feeling. I walked just long enough to take off one of my shirts, get a rock out of my shoe, and stretch my legs a little. Then I was off again. I ran until I hit the 11th mile. Between the 11th and 12th mile I was running up State Street in downtown SLC. I was starting to slow down, and would run a block, and then walk a block. I was getting tired! I hit mile 12, knew I only had 1.1 miles to go and used every little bit of energy I had left to run it.

I thought I was about to kill over until I turned into the Gateway mall and saw the street lined with people and I knew the finish line was just right there! I got a rush of adrenaline and picked up the speed. In the video, I realize Im not moving very fast, but at that point it sure felt like it! I was grateful to see my family there at the finish, and I was grateful just to be finished!

If you wouldve asked me if I was glad I ran the day of the race, my reaction wouldnt be the most positive. But now, I am so glad I was able to do it. I was able to prove to myself that my body is a powerful tool that God has given me, and that it is capable of way more than I give it credit for. I realized that my spirit is more determined than I thought and my possibilities are limitless. I didnt let my fear and worry stop me from finishing the race. I did it!! And it feels SO good!

Im grateful that my mom, dad, Lilly, and Kristen were there for me at the finish. They were a motivation as I ran, knowing they were there waiting. And Im really grateful Kristen came from Abilene with me. She's been my gym buddy and super motivating from the very beginning.

Im going to keep running. Some day, in the near future, I'll run a full marathon. Because I know I can!

Warm weather makes me smile!

Hey everyone! Sorry I havent written for a while. I dont have internet at my house and updating a blog on my iphone just doesnt sound that appealing!
A quick update on my life...Im still living in Abilene, TX. I was going to try and move back to Cali last fall, but it just wasnt working out. So, I figure the Lord still needs me here. I just wish He would hurry up and tell me why! Im working at Hendrick Medical Center as a nurse aid. I love love love my job (most of the time.) I love being a part of peoples lives, and making what is a really crappy experience a little bit better. And I guess the "crappy" part could be taken literally with some of my older, less continent patients. I always seem to have a good poop story! :)
Other than work, my life is pretty boring. I have plans to start school at the local community college this summer and work towards being a nurse when I grow up.
It has finally started to warm up here in Texas. It snowed WAY too much this winter. That shouldnt happen in Texas, but it does. Warm weather is bitter sweet though, seeing as how I dont have air conditioning in my car! But, I'll take that over snow anyday!
I have made some great friends here and Im happy with what my life is like right now. I stay busy, and somehow manage to pay the rent every month! Life is good.
I hope y'all are doing well. I love and miss everyone!

xoxo, Jess

Im not very good at this!

I apologize in advance for my lack of blogging. If you all understand how much I work, you would be amazed that I even have time to do this once a month!

So, lets see. Whats new? Well, for starters I had a great trip to Utah last month. I kidnapped Lilly and had her for the 4 days I was there. That girl, although still pretty tiny, is a bedhog! I have a king size bed and slept on the very edge of it, afraid to move because she decided that her favorite spot was right up against my back. Silly girl. She's her aunties little girl. Cant wait to see her again in a couple weeks.

Yes, Im coming back to Utah for a few days in the middle of September. My friend Hellen here in Abilene is getting sealed to her husband Dave in the Salt Lake temple on Sept. 19. Im so excited for them!

I guess the other noteworthy thing I should mention is that Im moving back to California in November. Since I've been here in Abilene I knew this is where I was supposed to be and really felt like I couldnt leave, despite the frequent urges I had to get out as fast as I could! But a few weeks ago, that need to stay left. After a lot of prayerful consideration I felt like my answer was just to be where I wanted to be. I had to choose. So, I choose California. Its where my heart is, and where I feel like I belong. It just so happens that Trish, the first mom I worked for in Cali, is in need of a part time nanny. So, I'll do that, and find a job as a CNA. I figured out how to get all my certification stuff transfered. And since I still have my California drivers license, as far as they know, I've been there since 2005. I'll still be able to get in-state tuition which is WAY cheap in Cali. I really want to start school. Even if I just have to start with 1 class.

Im grateful for the time I have had in Abilene. It grows on ya. But, it has definitly been a rough 7 months. I have learned so much about myself, relationships, and finding joy. Im sure I'll miss it, but its time to go. I have met people who have changed my life forever and will be my friends for as long as I live. I hope they know how much I love them.

Im excited to go back to California. The ocean is calling me home! :) I have such good friends there and so much more of an opportunity for a normal social life! It'll be a new adventure, and Im ready for it!

I think that pretty much covers it for the last month. Maybe I'll get around to doing this again before Halloween! :)

Utah!

Hello all my fine feathered friends....Im flying into Utah tomorrow night and will be there until Thursday morning. I would love to see as many of you as possible! Call me!

J-DAWG!

I was so sad to hear that one of my good friends, Jaman, passed away last month. I wanted to share his obituary here because he was just an amazing guy. I will miss him! My thoughts and prayers are with his family, who often times I have considered family. I love you all!

Jaman William Davies "There is no better exercise for the heart... Than reaching down and lifting someone up." On June 13th a giant heart was peacefully and unexpectedly called home in his sleep from a sudden illness into the arms of Grandma"Nice" and Grandma Colleen. As the first hint of dawn gave birth to a new day, on April 9th, 1979, Jaman's energy flooded into our lives to become our "son-shine". He bounced through childhood glowing from ear-to-ear, hurtling full light-speed through life; collecting friends at every turn and in each new adventure. His motto of "No Fear" permeated every play of his life; whether on the football field at Viewmont High School, on the basketball courts in Russia or on the streets of New York City as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His entrepreneurial spirit revealed itself early as he could be found selling individual lifesavers to the neighborhood gang or, supplying his classmates' sweet tooth cravings from his junior high locker or making a steal of a baseball card deal with his bosom buddy-cousins; Spence and Chad. A grin on his mischievous face accompanied all transactions. Everyone he encountered was embraced with "you've got a friend in me". Jaman and generous were synonymous. The shirt off his back was constantly disappearing. His ample size was never large enough to hold his enormous heart. J redefined "true friend". Consequently, "Da Boyz" reciprocally reinvented loyalty. They never stopped believing in him. Jaman was a champion "runner": surprising his mother with rose bouquets after a fulfilling Costco "run", a lunch "run" for his siblings and any friend on "L-4", D.Q. "runs" 1 minute before closing, dollar-store "runs" with wide-eyed nephews, tool "runs" for a hard-working father", flower "runs" for a backyard wedding, 2 a.m. milk "runs" after Sports Center was over. He would literally have run to the ends of the earth for his family. The title he wore best and most proudly was "Uncle". Hopefully he will write the "Uncle Handbook" and e-mail it to earth. Never were any children more loved. Their needs were understood and met by him in a unique way. He instinctively knew how to enter a child's world and connect eye-to-eye, heart to heart and spirit to spirit. Jaman understood that one of the few things that make it through "celestial customs" is relationships. Those are forever yours," Best Buddy"! Jaman loved power tools, power naps, power drinks, power books, power work-outs, power prayers, power quotes, power scriptures and the power of his family who "of one heart" will love him to eternity and beyond! He taught us volumes about: looking on the heart, walking forward, holding on, withholding judgment, choosing love, believing in the Light of the World and that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. J, the "best two years of your life" can now be resumed in a new mission field as you join your brothers, Elder Taylor in Atlanta, Georgia and Elder Jordan in Manchester, England- "chosen 'ere to witness for His name". Lay down your earthly "to-do" list to pick up a new one penned for you by a loving Father's hand. Jaman was preceded in death by his grandmothers: Constance G. Leishman and Colleen W. Davies and his niece, Sarah Colleen Liljenquist. He is survived by his parents: William and Shelley Davies; his siblings: Brooke and Dan Liljenquist, Krista Davies, Megan and Greg Larsen, Elder Jordan Davies, Elder Taylor Davies and Matthew Davies; his nephews and nieces: Jacob, Grace, Nathan, Joshua, Benjamin and Emmalee; his grandfathers: Lowell L. Leishman and James G. Davies and a loving clan of uncles, aunts and cousins. A celebration of Jaman's life will be held at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, June 20th at the L.D.S. Centerville Stake Center, 950 North Main in Centerville. Friends and Family may call at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 North Main in Bountiful on Friday, June 19th from 6 to 8 p.m. and at the Stake Center on Saturday prior to the service from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Interment will be at the Lakeview Estates in Bountiful, Utah. In lieu of flowers, donations to: Davis County Performance Arts would be appreciated. In care of: R.M.T. - P.O Box 62, Centerville, Utah 84014. Our family invites you to share a favorite memory of Jaman by sending an e-mail to www.russonmortuary.com