GROW!

Ever summer starting my freshman year of high school I chopped my hair off and enjoyed a nice short bob for the summer months. I would let it grow during the year and chop it off again when summer came. I have thick hair and it gets hot and heavy so short hair felt much better and was a lot easier to handle. I decided to grow it out after during my junior year so I could have long hair for my senior photos - it worked great and then October of my senior year I chopped it off again, but long enough so I could keep a ponytail for basketball. Well I tore my ACL and in February when I knew I didn't need a ponytail anymore I cut it even shorter! I loved it, but after a while I decided to grow it out and have been growing it out ever since. I get the urge to cut it every now and then, but I want long hair for my wedding so it's staying for now. I am actually really excited about how long it is getting.

Senior Photo

Right after I cut it !

 Spring Break '09

BYU Fall '09

 Christmas 2010 - long straight

2011 - and long wavy too!!

I'm sure you're not nearly as excited about this as I am, but oh well! Hopefully you at least got some entertainment out of it. 

Sunday Gratitude

Today during sacrament I was reading President Monson's talk on gratitude from this last conference and it really hit me how much I have to be grateful for. I have found myself getting into the rut of focusing on all the hard and miserable things I have to do and everything that goes wrong in my life, rather than being grateful for all the wonderful things I get to do and the blessings I receive. It was such a good knock on the head to remember all of the good in my life and to focus on it rather than the bad. Then in relief society we read Pres. Monson's talk from the General Relief Society meeting titled "Charity Never Faileth." I would just like to say that I love Pres. Monson. He is amazing and I always gain so much from his talks. "Charity Never Faileth" is one of my favorite talks. It defines charity in such plain terms and teaches you so much about charity and how to have charity. I have to admit I felt a little chastized after reading it, but I am so glad I did! I was not only in a rut about seeing the bad in myself, but starting to pick out the bad in others.I was so grateful that this is the talk we studied in relief society today because it was such a good wake up call for me! If you haven't read this talk - read it!! You can get it from the November Ensign or online at www.lds.org.
So with that here are some of the things I am grateful for this week!

1. My best friend Alichelen came and visited. It was so much fun to have her in town and i'm so grateful for the time we got to spend together! 

2. The Gospel. It is so wonderful and it always brings me back to where I need to be and reminds me that I can always be better. 

3. Bagels. Random I know, but they are so delicious and I am grateful I have them in my life. Especially Blueberry ones!!

4. Spring days without wind. Yesterday Laren and I took engagement photos in South Jordan and holy cow it was windy!! Not only was my hair everywhere, but it was freezing. It made me so grateful for nice calm sunny days. 

5. An education. While going to school and planning a wedding are not ideal and I don't advise it,  has made me realize that no matter how hard it gets I  would never forgo my education. I am so grateful for the knowledge and wisdom( I hope) I have gained here at BYU. College is hard and there are days that I really just want to lay down and quit, but it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I cannot imagine living without the education I have gained. 

tv for one on a saturday night

Being engaged and having 3 roommates you would think it would be a rare thing to find me home alone on a saturday night, but well here i am! So what's a girl to do when she is all alone at 9 pm on a saturday night? hmm.. I'm thinking some Law and Order or NCIS sounds good to me. Don't Judge :)

Chelen Melon

Today is my one of my favorite people's 20th birthday!!! Alichelen and I have been friends since we were freshman in high school and even though we are miles apart and only get to see each other during vacations and holidays we are still as close as ever! She is such an amazing friend and so fun to be with. She spent the last few days out here in Utah with me and we had a blast!!
Here are some photos from our weekend!!

( This is actually in Oregon!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICHELEN!!!!

Happy Birthday Brenley!

Today is my oh so wonderful sister-in-law's birthday! I have been blessed to have such amazing sibling-in-laws and Brenley is no exception!!! She is so sweet and thoughtful and is such a great mom. I love getting to visit with her and spend time with her and my niece and nephew. I am so grateful that she is part of my family!!
Happy Birthday Bren!

Spring Break

Ahhh - Spring Break is so nice.... oh wait! I don't get one :( Oh well, the end of the semester is coming quick and I am so excited to be done and on my way to London so I am more than willing to sacrifice spring break. On a good note though, my best friend Alichelen is flying in today!!! She is in the Boise airport waiting for her flight right now. I am SO excited and happy she is here, it is going to be a fabulous weekend!!
Tentative Plans are :
Sammy's tonight to listen to the Fictionist.
Salt Lake tomorrow - Wedding Dress shopping and just shopping
Cheering BYU on against Gonzaga !!!!!!
Bumming around Provo... we haven't gotten past that yet.

In light of chelen coming here are some of my favorite photos of us

 Graduation

 Girls weekend at Blue Lake

 Willow Smith: Whip My Hair. Always a must at parties. Our necks hurt for over a week!

 Falcon Basketball. Such great times!

 East Coast.. typical

Senior Prom

 Us and Our Mom's, plus Em. 

 Our 18th Birthday Cake 

 Library of Congress, Washington D.C. 

Outdoor School!!! We were the BEST counselors !

The Big Question

Sorry I have kept you all waiting to find out the rest of our story and of course how Laren proposed. Well our very first date was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, our first kiss was December 5th, and it didn't take long for me to fall head over heels for him. Christmas break came sooner than both of us wanted and we went our separate ways for almost 3 whole weeks. After multiple phone calls and a shocking amount of text messages it was obvious we really liked each other! I was so incredibly happy when we were finally reunited! A few weeks into January we headed up to Park City with Katie and Tim for some snowboarding. Laren had never been snowboarding so I was really excited to get the chance to teach him how to snowboard! While Tim and Katie went for a few last runs Laren and I put our stuff in the car and walked down into Park City to walk around Main Street for awhile. On our way to Main Street we walked past a lot condos and fun houses and started talking about what we wanted in the future. It was during that conversation that I knew I wanted Laren to be a part of my future. We talked about a lot of hypothetical "if we got married" situations.
A couple weeks later my mom asked me if Laren and I had talked about "the future." I told her somewhat and I didn't know what the future would hold, but I wanted Laren to be part of it. By that point I was really sure that Laren was the guy I wanted to marry. I met his parents a couple weeks after we had gotten back from Christmas break and I was anxious to have him meet my parents and family. I told him that he had to meet my family before anything happened.... and well President's Day we made a trip out to Oregon. It was such a fantastic weekend and my family loved Laren. I loved seeing him with my family. Sunday night after our big family dinner Laren sat down with my dad and said he wanted to marry me! They talked for a little bit and then my dad walked into the kitchen and announced that we wanted to get married. After that I became really ancy because I entered what I like the call the "limbo" stage. My family and his family knew we were getting married, but he hadn't officially proposed and so we weren't officially engaged. It was hard to focus the next couple weeks because I was so excited and I wanted to be able to share our exciting news with people. Let me tell you, keeping a limbo engagement a secret is REALLY HARD!

I was sure it would happen really soon after we got back, but no... The next Friday we were at his apartment and he asked if I wanted to go eat at Tucanos, I said sure and he said let's dress up, so of course I got really excited. I love dressing up spontaneously, but I was a little curious about whether or not he would propose. Dinner was great, but no proposal... haha. After dinner we grabbed "Secretariat" that my mom had sent me for Valentine's day and went back to his place to watch it. I just have to say it is one of the best movies I have seen in a really long time!!! Anyway it was a fantastic night!! The weekend came and went and a new week started and by the time the weekend came I was resolved to the fact that I was just going to have to be patient and it would happen when it happened. I'm not sure what happened Friday night, but Saturday we hit up the BYU basketball game. We won, of course, and the game was SO GOOD! Saturday night we grabbed dinner at the Creamery on 9th and then saw Tangled ( my favorite movie!!!)at the Varsity Theatre. After the movie I asked Laren what he wanted to do and he said lets hike the Y. I said okay and we ran by my apartment so I could change. As I was changing I realized what I had just agreed to and was regretting my   response. I haven't worked out outside in Provo in a while since the weather has been so cold and well the elevation and my lungs do not get along very well! I have to say it was not a fun hike for me or a fun hike for Laren seeing as I complained pretty much the entire hike up to the Y. This is where I throw in my disclaimer!!! I actually really enjoy hiking, some of my favorite places to hike are the National Parks in Souther Utah. AND I am not a complainer, sooo this is not how I usually act when hiking!!! However, that night sadly I complained a lot. I even asked him if we could stop halfway up and enjoy the view there. He wouldn't let me though and we hiked all the way to the top. We got settled and he made the statement " see isn't the view worth it?" I stubbornly replied "no! I've seen the view and that hike was not worth it." I am actually embarrassed at myself that night.... We sat and talked and cuddled and while he was telling me about something I felt him put an object into my hand. I looked at him and asked him what it was and he ignored my question and preceded to finish what he was saying and then asked me if I would marry him. I said YES!!! I was so excited, even though I knew it was coming it still took my breath away and I had to internalize everything. It was the happiest moment in my life and it keeps getting better everyday.
Everyone always asks me how he proposed and I have to laugh a little bit because to other people it may not seem like a big, fancy, or creative proposal, but it was very "us." We are not a fancy over the top couple and we love getting to be with each other even if it means the only time we get together is sitting in the same room doing homework. I loved his proposal because it was sweet and simple and so reflective of our relationship. Another question I get a lot is if Laren picked out the ring by himself or if I picked it out. Well, the answer to that is that Laren picked it out all on his own! He had some ideas of what I liked, but I had told him that I didn't care what my ring looked liked as long as I had him I would be more than happy. I was really surprised when I looked down and saw the ring, I couldn't and still can't get over how beautiful it is. I love it and I love that he picked it out all on his own!

So that my friends is the story!! 

We are getting married August 11th in the Portland Oregon Temple and I could not be more excited. I have never been happier and I am so excited for everything that the future holds for us!

Grateful Sunday

Ahh, Sundays! Sunday is my favorite day of the week for many reasons, one being I have the chance to reflect on my week and see all of the wonderful blessings I have received.
This week I am grateful for:

• The promptings of the spirit. The Holy Ghost is such an amazing gift and it blesses my life so much when I am allowing it to be in my life. Recently I have been thinking about my decision to come to BYU and had I not listened to prompting I received to choose BYU I would have missed out on so many amazing experiences. I am so grateful for those promptings, big or little, that have brought me to where I am today. 
• Love. Yesterday during the first session of stake conference Elder Sitterud of the Seventy talked about love and what love can do for us and to us. It was such a great talk and it really reminded me that I need to be more loving towards everyone in my life. Christ was the ultimate example of love and I have been blessed to feel his love throughout my life, it is truly an amazing thing.
• Families. Families are the most important thing on this earth and I have been so blessed with such a wonderful family. Being engaged and preparing to create a family of my own with my fiance has caused me to think about how much I love my family and how important they are to me. I am so excited for my future family with Laren and that we will be able to enjoy the blessings of the temple as a family. 
• My mom. I cannot express enough love and gratitude for my mom. She is an amazing person and an amazing mother. Being my mom, she knows me better than anyone and sometimes we can disagree but I am so grateful for her ability to recognize something in me and tell me about it. I recently switched majors and she was so helpful to me in that process. I love her so much and I am going to miss spending all of my free time with her!! 
• My job. I love my job!! My boss is so wonderful and I could not ask for better people to work with. Everyone is so kind and willing to work with one another, it makes going to work such a great part of my day. 
• My wonderful fiance. I'm sure everyone thinks this about their fiance/ husband, but he is the best! Even with all the great, fun things in life right now, there is also a lot of stress and hard decisions to make. He is so kind and understanding and patient with me and I am beyond grateful for all that he does to make life easier for me and to show me he cares. 
• Spring. Spring is such a fantastic season! While losing an hour of sleep is not the best, having more daylight certainly is! The weather in Provo has been sunny and warm and so happy the last few days. I love spring because it is fresh, and new, and warm and it is such a good reminder to me of the great things in life. 

          

breather

Here are some fun photos to make up for my incredibly LONG posts :) 

Boy gets Girl

For all of you who are wondering just how Laren and I met and how we got together this is for you!

After an absolutely amazing freshman year and wonderful summer at home I came back out to Provo to start my sophomore year of college. With lots of classes, new roommates, and a renewed energy, I came to school with little interest in dating boys. Early in the summer I had applied for a study abroad in London, and I was not about to let a boy change my plans, especially my plans for going abroad.

Well I started school and was loving being back in Provo. I met a few boys in my ward and went to a few activities like desert night and ward prayer. A few boys caught my eye, but I was still resolved to keep my distance from boys. A couple weeks into school I opened the door to two boys from my ward standing at my door. They announced they were me and one of my roommate's home teachers and would be seeing once a month from the on. There was of course some roommate discussion about them after they left, but nothing significant and I didn't think anything of it. What does this have anything to do with our story, well Laren just so happened to be one of my home teachers.

The first time we "hungout" was probably one of the most awkward nights of my college experience. Laren and I found out we both had Physical Science 100 and he so kindly invited me over to study with him and a friend. When I got to his apartment, it ended up being just Laren, so of course I am feeling super awkward because I didn't know him at ALL and there was no one else to break the ice for us. We started studying and it just got worse!!  I didn't know the chapter very well and thought that he was going to think I was not the brightest of people. I survived the night though, but was not in the mindset of wanting to study with him again, and I was definitely not thinking about going on a date with him.

BYU basketball rolled around and as I was waiting for the Fresno State game to start I got a text message from Laren saying " I can see you." I am terrible at spotting people in crowds and so I cannot stand when people text me that. I stood up to try and find him, he ended up having to text me where he was and then stand up and wave, luckily I found him. I sat down and one of the guys I was sitting with asked me how I knew Laren, at the same time Laren texted me and asked how I knew the boy next to me. It turns out they served in the same mission. This time I did start thinking about Laren and how nice it was of him to text me. Although I would always laugh when he offered me a ride to any ward activity ( as a good home teacher :) ) because I never took him up on it.

We had a couple more encounters, but we didn't hangout or really see each other after that, until one fateful night in November. BYU's last home football game happened to be right before a preseason basketball game.  My roommate Katie and I bundled up for the football game and brought a change of clothes so we could hurry on over to the basketball game. We had been planning to sit by some boy's in our ward, but that didn't work out so we were stuck sitting by ourselves. Sports are always a lot funner when you are sitting with a bunch of people so the thought popped into my head to text Laren and see if he was going to the game. I figured that since he had been at the last one he would probably be at this one and it would be fun to sit with him. He texted me back and said he would be over as soon as the football game was over. It was a great night! We had fantastic seats, BYU won, and I really enjoyed watching the game with Laren. After the game the three of us were driving home and Laren asked me what I was doing the next Monday night. I couldn't think of anything so I said nothing and asked him why. He said there was a Jazz game, and well I might have jumped the gun a little bit and immediately said " I'd love to go!" I love sports and I jumped at going to the Jazz game. Laren then continued to say " I was wondering if you knew of anyone that would want to go." I was of course incredibly embarrassed and didn't know what to say so I laughed at him. Lucky for me he was just kidding and really was asking me out.

We dropped him off and I looked at my roommate and the first thing I said was "my home teacher just asked me out on a date....hmm." I had said I wasn't going to date on of my home teachers because there were so many ways I could see that going wrong. But, I had agreed to the date and wasn't about to turn around and tell him no. Monday came and I went on the date and it I had a blast!! We rode the trax up to Salt Lake and watched the Jazz play the Sacramento Kings with his roommates and their dates. I had such a fun time with him, he was so easy to talk to and really fun to be around. I got home that night and told my roommates that I could really like this guy.

Thanksgiving break came and I headed back to Oregon for a week. There was a crazy snow storm and I had to sit in the airport for a good couple hours. I told Laren thanks again for the night before and texted him for a lot of the time I was waiting for my plane. We continued to talk throughout thanksgiving break and I really started to like him. My ward was having a girls choice date the weekend after Thanksgiving break and I thought why not ask Laren, so as I was waiting to head back to Provo I called him up and asked him to the date. We learned that we are not blessed with the talent to make awesome gingerbread houses and it is possible to find matching sweater vests at D.I.

Sunday, the next day, we went to the Christmas Devotional at the conference center in Salt Lake with my roommates. Laren and I held hands and as cheesy as it sounds I was in heaven. That night we stood outside my door talking for at least an hour and just I thought we were going to awkwardly part ways and say goodbye he kissed me! I was really in heaven then! I came inside and sat on the kitchen floor and just smiled as my roommates all made fun of me. My mom called and asked me how my night was and I replied " great. I got kissed!" She laughed and asked by who and I said Laren and she said "I figured."

So that is story of how Laren and I got together. To spare you a longer post, I will save how he got me to say yes and fall head over heels for him for next time!!

Girl meets Boy

Well since Laren and I are all the way over here in Provo, Utah I thought I would start off by introducing ourselves to all of you! Sorry this is going to be a long post!!

Since you hear about me and my life all the time I will start of with my ever so handsome fiance, Laren.

Wasn't he just an adorable little boy?!

His full name is Laren Robert Helms, his parents are Larry and Wendy Helms. He was born here in Provo on February 3, 1989 and lived here until he was 12 and then his family moved to Manassa, CO and they have lived there ever since. He is an only child, but no worries ;) I tease him about it because I have 5 siblings, but he is really a wonderful guy! He grew up for the most part in a tiny town in Colorado and loves the country - which I love about him!! He loves sports and is very competitive. He played football and ran track in high school. He also loves dodgeball and plays on a highly competitive intramural team here at BYU. Like any BYU student with a love of sports he is an avid BYU fan! He loves his Cougars!!  He loves taking photos and is amazing at it! He served his mission in Taiwan and speaks fluent Mandarin, Chinese. He is a sophomore, almost a junior here at BYU and is majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Chinese. After BYU he wants to get his masters, most likely in Public Administration and then go on to work with businesses that work with or in China. He is currently working for BYU Independent Study and hoping to get a job at the MTC teaching Mandarin this spring!

Here with his dodgeball team and their spiffy white uniforms. 

In Taiwan

Some of the things I love most about him are :

His ability to make me laugh. I always have a smile on my face/ am laughing whenever I am with him. He is so fun to be around and makes life so enjoyable! 

How kind he is! He is always thinking about others and helping out wherever he can. He always treats me with such kindness!! 

His dedication to school and hardworking attitude. College is hard and with classes and church callings and roommates and a fiancee it is hard to find the time to get everything done! He is always amazing me with  his work ethic and his dedication to his schoolwork. I am so proud of him and love watching him excel in school!           

He is just as cheezy and dorky as me!!! Those of you who know me know that I can be quite the goofball and Laren is too! I love that he is willing to be goofy and fun with me!

My nieces and nephews ADORE him! I had no doubt that Laren would get along well with my family, but it was so much better than I expected. My nieces and nephews loved him and I love watching him play with them and be a part of my family. I am so excited for him to officially be a part of my family!

I wasn't sure they would let me take him back home!

One of my favorite photos he has taken!

Some Fun/ Interesting Facts about him:

He has a teddy bear named Larebear ( not sure I sure tell you that, but it's on his facebook, so...)

He doesn't like anything associated with vinegar

He cracked his head open playing football his freshman year of college!! AHH!

He has a great voice and can also play the guitar very well

He does have a ticklish spot

His car's name is Jorge

He and his roommates have a band named "light tan"

He often quotes lines out of movies he has never seen

He picked out my engagement ring all by himself! 

and last, but most important of all... I LOVE HIM! 

ME!

My full name is Jessica Camille Wilberger. I was born on April 9th, 1991 in Eugene, Oregon and can proudly say I have lived there my entire life! I absolutely love everything about Oregon, I miss it constantly! I am the youngest of six children and have to say I come from the best family ever! I am the youngest by six years, so it was definitely different growing up with older siblings, but I loved it! My siblings are amazing and one of the best perks is I am the proud aunt of 10 amazing nieces and nephews! Being an aunt is so much fun and has been such a blessing in my life. I grew up in the country with lots of animals and am a total country girl at heart. I have a Golden Retriever named Benji who is the other love of my life. I also love horses!!! Sadly, Laren is allergic to them, but I still get the wonderful opportunity to go ride just about every week at a ranch in Provo. Like Laren I love sports and being active. I played soccer, and basketball, and ran track in high school. I love going to football and basketball games here at BYU, they are the best!! During the summers I teach swimming lessons and lifeguard at my local hometown pool. It is a fantastic job, however I am currently employed by the Faculty Center here on campus at BYU and am loving working there so far!

I am finishing up my sophomore year and crazy as I am , I am changing my major to Psychology and still looking at law school, but also exploring the idea of trauma counseling! 

I loved this pony!!

Me and Benji

Family photo Summer 2009

Some Fun/ Interesting Facts about me are:

I am very, very white and sunburn very easily!

I tore my ACL my senior year of highschool

I love to analyze why people do things.. weird I know!

I am the last child in my family and last grandchild on my mom's side to get married!

I don't like the snow

I hate fish and anything associated with seafood!

"She's the Man" is one of my all time favorite movies

I love the rain

And that is just a little bit about Laren and I - hope I didn't bore you to much!

LOVE...

is probably my favorite word right now, along with engaged, sparkly, and fiance! Yep, Laren proposed to me last night and we are officially engaged. Tomorrow.... or Tuesday, one day in the really, really soon future I will update my blog and tell you our little love story. But, for now here's a little something for your enjoyment...

Did I say I was in love?! 

warmer weather

It's sunny AND warm! Today I threw on a short sleeved shirt, with a light sweater and I am hot!! I returned the rental car from work and was able to take a nice stroll on the edge of campus afterward. It was fantastic, the sun is shining, there was a nice spring breeze, and it felt good to be outside! I love going to BYU, but I strongly dislike the length of winter here. I love being outside, so I am more than ready for spring to come and warmer weather to be the trend.
Well back to work I go - Happy Friday Everyone!